Thirty miles east of Pengyang City, a large camp has been formed. After inspecting the camp, Lieutenant General Lu Fang handed his mount to the soldiers on the side and walked to the center of the camp. In the open space in the middle of the camp, Wang Yue was
Practicing swordsmanship. I saw him holding the sword with one hand sometimes, and sometimes holding the sword with both hands, stabbing and slashing at the imaginary enemy.
Lu Fang watched for a while and said aloud: "In the battle formation, the right way is to use spears and heavy halberds. Swordsmanship cannot be used."
Wang Yue turned a deaf ear and finished practicing all the sword skills before slowly sheathing his sword and adjusting his breathing.
"If you want to achieve military success, you should practice more riding, archery and lance," Lu Fang said again: "You cannot become a general who charges into battle just by relying on swordsmanship."
Wang Yue opened his eyes, turned around and said, "I couldn't stay in Luoyang any longer, so I followed Marquis Julu to escape to the border of Xiliang. You, General Lu, are the Cavalry Commander of the Yue Cavalry Camp.
Why do you want to abandon your family and come to this remote country together?"
Lu Fang smiled and said: "The city of Luoyang is too dangerous. Several important ministers with more than two thousand stones have died. Can't I be afraid?"
Wang Yue said "Hey" and said: "It doesn't look like that."
"Why don't I look like someone else?" Lu Fang sat down, took off his helmet, and said, "Don't I look like someone who is afraid of death?"
"Only a fool is not afraid of death," Wang Yue said, "but I can see that you are the same person as me."
"Oh, what kind of people are we?"
"Isn't it true that you want to be granted a title of lord and general, and that your name will go down in history?"
Lu Fang laughed, "That's right!"
"Then you come to this place where barbarians gather?" Wang Yue asked doubtfully: "Why don't you follow the example of others and join the general's sect? Now is the time for the general to hire people. With your character and talent, you will definitely be able to do great things.
Expand your ambitions.”
"Hahaha," Lu Fang pointed in the direction of Pengyang City and said: "There is a man named Ma Teng over there, who claims to be General Fubo Ma Yuan. Ma Yuan once said to Emperor Guangwu: In today's world, the king chooses his ministers, and the ministers
Yi chooses the king. Now the world is in turmoil, and the king is no less willing to give way than when he usurped the Han Dynasty. A good dog also knows how to find a good master. Although I, Lu Fang, am not a great person, I also know that at this time, I must find a good master.
OK."
Wang Yue was confused and asked: "You mean, Juluhou is a good lord?"
Lu Fang smiled but did not answer. He waved to the back and said: "Xu Rong, take people to Pengyang City and tell the lord that there is not much food in the camp and ask him what to do with it."
Xu Rong was originally a camp commander in the Yueqi camp. He performed well while guarding Nangong. Therefore, after Wei Li left, he was promoted to Army Sima, in charge of everything in the army except combat. It can be said that he
The third-ranking figure besides Chen Cheng and Lu Fang. He saluted Lu Fang and said: "I obey!"
Anding County is located between Beidi County and Hanyang County. There are Liupan Mountain and Fengyi Mountain in the territory, which blocked Han Sui's troops. There are also two large rivers, Jingshui River and Qingshui River, which irrigate the land on both sides. Therefore, although the local people do not
He is very wealthy, but his life is pretty good. As long as it is not winter, there is no problem in filling his stomach.
After hearing that the princess and the imperial cavalry generals had arrived, many people heard the news and headed for Pengyang with weapons and cattle and sheep. The Qiang and Han people have lived together for a long time, and they have also learned to grow food, but unlike
Farmers in the Central Plains cultivate so intensively that they just scatter handfuls of millet along both sides of the river. The harvest depends entirely on God.
Naturally, this kind of planting method cannot produce much food. However, the Qiang people still retain the custom of nomadic herding, so even if the fields do not grow well, they will only have to eat a few mouthfuls. Ma Teng has the blood of the Qiang people, and in the Qiang people
The Hu tribe has a high reputation. After these powerful Qiang people came to Pengyang, they would first visit Ma's house, and then either find a place to stay in the city, or simply pitch a tent outside the city.
In addition to these Qiang people, many local Han powerful people also sent people over, and even people from Hanyang County next door came over on horseback. As for whether they came to attend the banquet or to spy on the military situation, it is not clear.
.
Xu Rong rushed to the outside of the city with twenty cavalry. Most of the Hu and Han people outside looked at them with envy. Many people whispered, "Did you see that, they are the elite cavalry from Luoyang!"
"The clothes they wear are so beautiful!"
Some people were not convinced and said loudly: "I don't think they are anything special. If they dare to compete with me, I will beat them until even their mother can't recognize them!"
"Ha ha!"
Xu Rong squinted coldly, and a Qiang chief with pigtails beside him said loudly: "What are you looking at? If you are not convinced, let's practice!"
"That's right, if you have the guts, come and compete!"
Xu Rong sneered, informed the soldiers guarding the city gate, and then trotted to the gate of the county government office. After Ma Teng sent people to repair the county government office, and with the tidying up in the past few days, the county government office has returned to some of its former glory.
He was a military commander and could not go straight into the Chinese army's tent without orders, so he led the horses directly to the stables, and then went to the backyard to find Chen Cheng who was teaching Liu Qian archery.
"Lord!"
Chen Cheng heard the sound and turned his head. When he saw it was Xu Rong, he smiled at him, then held Liu Qian's hand, helped her pull the hunting bow, and said: "Archery is the same as doing other things. In the end,
The important thing is to be sincere and have no distracting thoughts. When you can see nothing else except the bow and arrow and the target, you will have achieved something."
"let go!"
The arrow shot upwards, flew twenty steps, and then hit the target with a "duo" sound.
Chen Cheng said: "Practice yourself for a while first, and just shoot these twenty arrows today."
Liu Qian said crisply: "I know."
Chen Cheng walked to the side and asked Vanity: "What's the matter?"
Xu Rong said: "The army only has enough food and grass for five days. General Lu asked me to ask my lord what to do."
Chen Cheng thought for a while and said, "How is the morale in the camp?"
“It’s not great, but it’s not terrible either.”
"kindness?"
Xu Rong explained: "We have been marching before. The soldiers have no time to think about other things. The camp has been built in the past two days. Many soldiers are a little confused. They don't know what will happen to us next. There are several people
I once asked me privately if we could still fight back."
"That's it," Chen Cheng said thoughtfully, "Then what do you think?"
Xu Rong said seriously: "We did not leave Luoyang because of the failure of the battle. As long as there is a chance, we will definitely fight back!"
"Is that what you think? Then if I tell you that I don't know when I will have the opportunity to return to Luoyang, maybe we will all stay in Xiliang within a year or two, will you be disappointed?"
"If one or two years doesn't work, then three or four years," Xu Rong said, "We can afford to wait!"
Chen Cheng hammered Xu Rong's chest and said: "That's good. Don't worry, sooner or later, we will return to Luoyang with a huge army! Now you bring someone with you and come with me to visit Ma Teng."
The county government office was not far from Ma's house. Chen Cheng and Xu Rong walked out and arrived at Ma's house in a short time. Ma Teng was receiving several Qiang and Hu chiefs. When he heard that Chen Cheng was here again, he asked Ma Chao to accompany the Qiang and Hu chiefs.
Chief, he went to the door to greet him himself.
"General Ma, I said before that I would host a banquet for the county's heroes locally in two days' time. The banquet was originally going to be held at the county government office, but there are so many people coming now that the county government office may not be able to accommodate it. I am going to hold it there.
The banquet is held outside the city."
Ma Teng naturally wouldn't have any objections. With so many people coming, the security in the city immediately deteriorated a lot. If these people all went outside the city, it would have nothing to do with him. He asked: "What else?"
Is there anything else?"
Chen Cheng added: "Because there are too many people coming, we need to mobilize more people to purchase supplies... By the way, I am going to spend some money to hold a martial arts competition the day after tomorrow, and everyone can participate.
In this case, General Ma needs to send some people to help maintain order."
Ma Teng touched the three-inch long beard on his chin and said: "Then I will ask Pang De to bring a thousand people to help. Marquis Julu, can anyone participate in the competition?"
After getting an affirmative answer, he asked again: "I don't know which ones to compare with? What are the prizes?"
Chen Cheng said: "What comes to mind now are horse riding, archery, weightlifting, running, and throwing. The prizes are some weapons and armor. Could it be that General Ma wants to participate?"
Ma Teng smiled and said: "I won't participate, but Meng Qi is probably very interested in martial arts competitions. He has often found people to compete with others in the past two years."
"Um," Chen Cheng asked, "What General Ma means by martial arts competition is the kind that determines the outcome, or even life and death?"
Ma Teng asked back: "Isn't this what Marquis Julu meant by the martial arts contest?"
Chen Cheng said: "I originally planned to let people decide the winner and loser. There is no need to fight."
Ma Teng shook his head and said: "What's the point of that? Marquis Julu, you are not from Xiliang and don't know the customs here. Everyone..."
He gestured to the side and repeated: "...Everyone likes to see bloody killings. The more fierce the battle, the more they like it. Normally, people in this land will be attracted by various reasons.
They draw their swords to fight over various trivial matters, from snatching water sources to fighting for pasture, and blood will be shed every time. If a few people are not killed in the tournament, everyone will be unhappy and look down upon us."
"It is not a good habit to have the courage to fight privately," Chen Cheng looked at Ma Teng's disapproving expression and said, "I understand, then as the general said, the last fight will be an unlimited fight, and anyone can initiate it.
challenge."
He said to Ma Teng: "Since they like to bleed, let them bleed."
Chen Cheng said sincerely: The Xiliang rebels have been making trouble for more than a hundred years, and now they are getting bigger and bigger. The local atmosphere is also an important reason.
Ma Teng laughed and said, "I have a hunch, Marquis Julu, you will fall in love with this place very quickly."
Chen Cheng smiled and said: "Actually, I have begun to like Liangzhou's scenery now."
Speaking of Liangzhou, he missed poetry a little bit, but looking at Ma Teng's appearance, he was afraid that he was not someone he could recite poetry to. Burning the harp, cooking the cranes, and playing the harp to the cow were the most disgraceful things in the world, so he let it go.
