Great Han Empire

Chapter 203
Li Hong Zhuma stood on a small hill in the pastoral garden, looking at the rolling hills in the distance, feeling very comfortable.

The war in Xiliang can finally come to an end.

Yesterday, Heng Ji led the Fengyun iron cavalry to chase all the way. Although Liang Xing and Ma Wan took turns to lead people to block, but because the soldiers and horses were seriously exhausted, they could not stop the menacing army of iron cavalry, so they had to cover the infantry and retreat quickly. All the trophies were discarded, and they were in a panic.

Heng Ji didn't dare to chase too fast, for fear that the lone army would go deep and be ambushed by the rebels, so he didn't lead his troops to chase to Juyuan until dusk.At this time, Xian Yufu had arrived with his infantry.He brought Li Hong's order: Chase him all night long, and the enemy he pursued didn't even have time to catch his breath.

They chased the rebels very badly. At least 1 people fell behind because they couldn't run.Xian Yufu and Heng Ji led their troops to Chase Muyuan and stopped.They did a little statistics. During the pursuit of more than 100 miles, they captured at least more than 1 prisoners and rescued all the captured officers and soldiers.Great results.

Li Hong looked back at Shehu who was by his side.Shehu has grown taller and grown up, and the more than a year of fighting has long since wiped away the immaturity on his face, and now only in his eyes full of aura, can he still see a few traces of a young man's heart.

"Do you miss home?" Li Hong asked.

Shehu hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and then his gaze involuntarily turned to the east.His home and his relatives are on the grassland more than 3000 miles away. What are they doing now?A strong nostalgia suddenly surged into his heart, and in an instant, Shehu felt lost.

Li Hong secretly sighed.Since he left Guangning in Shanggu, Youzhou with his troops last year, he never looked back.The soldiers followed him, fought to Jizhou, to Liangzhou, traveled thousands of miles, and stayed away from their relatives in their hometown. It has been almost a year, how could it be possible to miss home?
Li Hong suddenly thought of the Hu soldiers who died on the banks of the Ling River, and thought that they would never see their relatives, never return to the green prairie, and that they would sleep forever in this foreign land, and his heart ached. , suddenly dejected, the joy just disappeared in an instant.

"Master Xianyu is here." The attendants shouted from a distance.

Li Hong turned his head and looked, Xian Yufu, Xu Rong, Qu Yi, Hua Xiong and Zheng Xin were coming from a distance like flying horses.Li Hong patted his horse and went up to meet him.

"Brother Yuxing, brother Zilie, brother Yuntian, brother Ziwei, Shouyan, it is almost dusk, you are not resting in the camp, what are you doing out there?"

"Several adults came to the big tent to look for you and said they had something important to discuss with you. I couldn't bother them, so I had to accompany them to come to you." Xian Yufu said, "Aren't you tired after marching more than 100 miles today? "

"Not tired." Qu Yi said with a smile, "We had a long talk with your lord yesterday, which delayed your rest. I don't know your lord..."

Li Hong shook his hands and said with a smile, "It's okay, but I'm a little dizzy. Why, didn't you talk enough last night? Are you going to continue tonight?"

"Sleep tonight." Hua Xiong said with a smile, "There is no food and drink in the big tent, my lord, I can't bear it after sitting for a long time, so let's go to sleep."

"Then please invite me." Li Hong immediately said, "Please invite me to dinner, let's continue talking."

Xu Rong shook his head and said with a smile: "General Zhou has given you the command of the Xiliang troops. Since we have entered your camp, we must obey your military discipline. You stipulated that drinking is strictly prohibited in the camp, so now we just want to Please, there is no chance."

Li Hong smacked his lips in disappointment, and smiled embarrassingly, "Oh." Then he remembered something, and immediately said, "It's not that I don't invite you, it's that I can't violate military discipline..."

"My lord, we have already heard Mr. Captain Yu say that you are a poor man who has no money to buy us a drink." Qu Yi interrupted Li Hong unceremoniously, and said with a smile, "Besides, you just invited us , but it's just rations for the cavalry. Thank you, thank you..."

Several people roared with laughter.

"Brother Yuntian, this is what you said, then you can invite me to eat a few more meals, I'm poor." Li Hong pointed to Qu Yi and smiled, "In the future, if everyone wants to eat meat, they will find Brother Yuntian."

Everyone booed immediately.

"Family please, family please..." Qu Yi raised his hands high and shouted, "When the rebel army is suppressed, I will invite you in Chang'an City, how about it?"

"You can't go back on your word." Zheng Xin shouted loudly and loudly.

"Okay, okay..." The rest of the people hurriedly agreed, as if they were afraid that Qu Yi would go back on his word.

Li Hong looked at Qu Yi vigilantly, and asked with a smile, "Brother Yuntian, don't you want to invite us?"

"Please." Qu Yi smiled.

"Yuntian, now the rebels may have to cross the Yellow River and flee into the Qiang land. It will be very difficult to fight in the future. It may take a long time to completely wipe out the rebels. It seems that your meal is not good."

"My lord, now we have a way to annihilate the rebel army immediately, which is why we came to you." Qu Yi smiled, "We suggest that your lord should march forward immediately, quickly approach Jincheng, occupy the Yellow River ferry, and cut off the enemy's river crossing. Passage, try to surround Bian Zhang and Han Sui's troops in Jincheng, so that they can't escape."

Xian Yufu stroked three long beards with his hand, nodded slightly and said, "My lord, Captain Qu's suggestion is very risky, but capturing the Yellow River Ferry will hit the rebels' vital points. If we can encircle and wipe out the enemy in Jincheng, we can Completely solve the Xiliang rebel problem."

"The enemy is now retreating in a panic, and their strength has been greatly damaged. They must make some repairs in Yuzhong City. We will take this opportunity to attack the Yellow River Ferry with iron cavalry and cut off the enemy's retreat. The chances of winning are great." He paused for a moment, looked Look at Li Hong.Li Hong was looking at him with a smile on his face, but his eyes were obviously wrong, as if he was absent-minded.Xian Yufu and Li Hong had a close relationship, and they knew each other well, and immediately realized that Li Hong had no intention of going further.In the camp just now, Li Hong had already told him about Cheng Qiu's search of the camp.Now for Li Hong and the Jizhou army, the most important thing is to immediately resolve the crisis caused by the forces behind Cheng Qiu instead of continuing to annihilate the enemy.

He immediately changed his words and said: "But..."

Xian Yufu turned his eyes to look at Qu Yi and the others.

Xu Rong, Qu Yi and the others suddenly heard him say "but..." their hearts felt abrupt, and they all looked at Xian Yufu.

"We marched continuously for more than ten days, and the soldiers were extremely tired. Being able to chase the enemy to the pasture garden is already our limit. Moreover, our food and grass are far away in Pingxiang City, so it is very difficult to supply them in a short time." Xian Yufu Frowning, he said slowly, "The troops of the three adults have just experienced a bloody battle. The physical strength and morale of the soldiers are very poor, and the casualties are also heavy. Although the captured soldiers have returned to the team, there is basically nothing Combat power."

He glanced at everyone, and continued: "Master Qu's suggestion is good, but we are not strong enough, there are many difficulties, and it is very difficult to complete. I think it is best for us to withdraw the army and repair it. What do you think?"

Xian Yufu was Li Hong's deputy, and the two had fought side by side in the early years, and they had a deep friendship. In the Jizhou army, Xian Yufu's status and weight of words were also unambiguous.If he holds a negative opinion, Li Hong's attitude is self-evident.

Qu Yi stood with his hands behind his back, contemplating deeply.Hua Xiong touched his thick eyebrows in embarrassment, bowed his head and remained silent.

Xu Rong coughed and said slowly: "There are still more than 3 rebels left. After they have won the victory, they are suddenly defeated. Their morale is low, their morale is lax, and they are exhausted physically and mentally. They are on the verge of collapse. At this time, we can wipe them out with a single blow."

"Your Excellency has 5000 elite troops. Although Xiliang's army suffered heavy casualties, I still have more than 7000 people, Yuntian has about 2000 people, and Ziwei has about 4000 people. We still have 4000 people in total. Participate in the battle. Our follow-up troops will arrive at Muyuan within a day or two, and we will be able to gather [-] people by then."

"In addition, General Zhou's Northern Army is currently under the command of Master Sun, and there are probably more than 4000 people. They take care of the wounded and guard the prisoners at Xiaoniu Mountain and Juyuan. We have no worries at all."
"My lord's food, grass and supplies are about to arrive at Xiaoniu Mountain, which can temporarily relieve the urgent need. Our troops have just defeated the enemy, and their morale is high. So I think we have the strength to wipe out the rebels. Not only can this battle be fought, but it must also be a victory." .”

Xu Rong looked at Li Hong resolutely, and said in a raised voice, "My lord, all our Xiliang soldiers are asking you to fight."

Li Hong smiled and said nothing.

Hua Xiong then said loudly: "My lord, don't miss this opportunity. We can recover all our losses in Juyuan in this battle."

Qu Yi looked at Hua Xiong, shook his head slightly at him, and motioned him to stop talking.

Koji was very disappointed.He already felt that Li Hong had no intention of fighting again.Although Li Hong generously gave up the credit for defeating the rebels with good intentions, so Xiliang soldiers could be exonerated and made meritorious deeds, but after all, it was given by Li Hong, not by himself.Several people sincerely wanted to lead the soldiers to a victory and return this favor to Li Hong, but Li Hong had no intention of fighting again, why...

Xu Rong turned his head to look at Xian Yufu.After all, they were from the same hometown. Although the two had never met in the past, they knew each other because of Gongsun Zan's relationship.

"Master Captain, this opportunity is fleeting. Once the rebels arrive at Jincheng first, we will not have this opportunity to completely wipe out the enemy."

Xian Yufu nodded with a smile, and asked, "Do you know Cheng Qiu?"

Xu Rong, Qu Yi, and Zheng Xin's expressions changed slightly.The three looked at each other and nodded.

"Who is he?" Zheng Xin asked immediately, "What did he do in the past?"

"He is from Hanyang, Xiliang. He was born in a bureaucratic family. He has outstanding talents and learning. He once worshiped the former Taiwei, Marquis Wenlie Yang Ci as his teacher. He has served in Liangzhou Governor's Mansion for many years. He can be regarded as a celebrity in Xiliang." Qu Yi sneered. , Said: "This person is cunning and cunning, he flatters his superiors and deceives his inferiors, and he is shameless. He is definitely a person worse than a dog."

Li Hong, Xian Yufu, and Zheng Xin looked at each other when they saw Qu Yi's indignation.

"Master Zheng asked him what he was doing?" Xu Rong said slowly, "He has worked in the governor's office for more than 20 years, and he knows everything about Xiliang. There is a great relationship."
"His background is very tough. I heard that they are all big figures in the court. In Xiliang, he covered the sky with one hand, and no one could beat him. After the governors of Liangzhou took office, they dared not offend him. To treat him as a confidant is to keep him in the government office." Hua Xiong said in a low voice, "He has been an official in Xiliang for decades, corrupted the law, corrupted the law, raped, extorted, and did all kinds of bad things. It is said that his family's money There was so much mildew that the silk and silk piled up in the storeroom and had no time to dry, so they had to be left to rot. Sigh..." Hua Xiong sighed, and said with emotion, "This kind of person has been rampant in Xiliang for decades, and his deeds are notable. How can you live a life, how can you not reverse it."

"What did Lord Zheng ask him for?" Xu Rong asked again.

"The day before yesterday, he brought Ma Teng's thousand cavalry and broke into our camp, saying he wanted to search for stolen goods, and detained our Zuo Sima, and sealed up all the money and food." Zheng Xin said with a mournful face, "Stay behind The soldiers from the camp escaped to report in the middle of the night, but they killed several of them, and only one of them ran to Xiaoniu Mountain with injuries."

Xu Rong, Qu Yi and Hua Xiong's expressions changed drastically.

Qu Yi yelled angrily, "It's just that there is no law."

"Then our food..." Xu Rong asked eagerly.

Zheng Xin spread his hands and said helplessly, "Although I sent someone back yesterday to remind me, it may not be delivered, so..."

"We will withdraw tomorrow." Li Hong smiled wryly, "It's not that I don't want to fight, but that I can't."

===

At night, Li Hong received a message from Zhao Yun.

When they entered the camp early in the morning, Cheng Qiu had already taken his men away.After the machete escaped, Cheng Qiu immediately sent someone to beat all the more than 200 black panther Yicong with two hundred lashes. They beat each of them so badly that they fell to the ground, and then tied Zuo Yan to the horse. Just ran in the direction of Long County.

Zhao Yun was worried that the food and grass supply of the frontline army would not be enough, so he did not continue to chase.Now Zhao Yun and Hei Baoyi are rushing over with food and grass.

Li Hong was angry.

He kicked the table in front of him away, and roared wildly: "Beat the drum, gather the cavalry, gather the cavalry for me..."

Xian Yufu grabbed him and shouted loudly, "Zimin, calm down, calm down, this is Cheng Qiu deliberately trying to provoke you, they must have a bigger conspiracy, Zimin..."

"Let go of me..." Li Hong picked up Xian Yufu with both hands, shouted, and threw him out of the air.

"Beat the drums..."

Zheng Xin was stunned, he looked at Li Hong who was in a rage at a loss.

Li Hong stared at a pair of blood-red eyes, kept roaring, picked up the steel gun and rushed out.

"Quick, go and call Xu Rong, go and call Xu Rong..." Xian Yufu was so thrown that his eyes were staring at him, he lay on the ground and couldn't get up for a long time, he raised his hand in pain and shouted, "Shouyan, go and call Xu Rong ..."

The sound of war drums soared into the sky, and the camp suddenly boiled like an explosion.

Everyone thought it was the enemy attacking the camp.

Hengji, Sheyingtong, Loulu, Lu Huanyang, and Shehu led the cavalry to the central army as quickly as possible.

Li Hong rode on the black panther, galloping back and forth, with a murderous aura.

"My lord, what's the matter?"

"Gather all the horses, each with two riders, and immediately follow me to kill Long County." Li Hong's eyes widened, and he shouted loudly, "Hurry up..."

It was the first time that Hengji and several subordinates saw Li Hong angry. Although they were full of doubts, they dared not ask any more. Then they blew the horn and ordered the subordinates to disperse and immediately go to the infantry camp to collect the horses.In the past two days, Xian Yufu's infantry army all rode horses and quickly pursued the enemy.Since the rebel Beigong Boyu's troops were wiped out, the number of horses in the army has been astonishing.

===

Xu Rong, Qu Yi and Hua Xiong hurried over with the cavalry.

Xian Yufu and Zheng Xin rushed to meet him.

"Lord Captain, Lord Zheng, what happened..."

"My lord is going to lead the troops into Longcheng." Xian Yufu shouted, "Cheng Qiu wounded more than 200 of our soldiers, and they also captured Zuo Sima and took away the army's money."

Qu Yi and Hua Xiong immediately cursed.

Zheng Xin shouted angrily, "This kid has ulterior motives. He deliberately wants to provoke us. I don't know what he wants to do. My lord is now so angry that he has lost his mind. None of us can stop him."

Xu Rong opened his mouth wide in surprise, looking at Li Hong who was roaring back and forth in front of the cavalry formation in the distance, he was speechless for a long time.

"Captain Xu, Cheng Qiu is leading Ma Teng's cavalry. If the two sides fight, Ma Teng's cavalry will suffer, and the troubles in Xiliang will be worsened." Xian Yufu said anxiously, "You and Captain Qu , Mr. Hua is familiar with the situation in Xiliang, so I would like to trouble you to go there together, just get our Zuo Sima back, and we will talk about the rest later."

"My lord Xianyu, the purpose of Cheng Qiu's doing this is obviously to anger Li Zhonglang and trick Li Zhonglang into being fooled. When we led our troops to Long County, the first thing we did was to deploy our troops privately to plot something wrong. If we encircle Long County again, what is the difference from supporting soldiers to rebel .This soldier cannot be dispatched no matter what.” Xu Rong said seriously, “Master Xianyu, Li Zhonglang is young and has a hot temper. We can persuade him.”

"We fought from Youzhou to Jizhou, and from Jizhou to Xiliang. What mistakes did we make? Even the chief ministers of the small governor's mansion dared to bully us. What right and qualification does he have to harass the camp and rob us? Qian Cai, do we still have to flatter and bribe such a rebellious official and traitor?" Xian Yufu finally couldn't help it, and yelled loudly, "We killed him for a good reason, what can the court do to me? ?”

"It's a big deal that we go back to northern Xinjiang to be a horse bandit." Zheng Xin said angrily, "We don't accept such birdishness."

Xu Rong's face turned blue and red, obviously extremely angry.

Qu Yi yelled wildly: "Master Xian Yu said well, to deal with this kind of treacherous villain, of course we must use extraordinary means, kill him at once, brothers, let's go."

"Kill." Hua Xiong roared, turned around and shouted wildly, "Brothers, follow me." Then he turned his horse's head and ran towards Li Hong with his men.

"Yu Xing, we are all from Northern Xinjiang. If one family doesn't talk about two families, this soldier really can't go out." Xu Rong stared at Xian Yufu, and persuaded earnestly, "Yu Xing, there must be ghosts in this. Although Cheng Qiu led people to search your camp, captured Zuo Sima, and injured Li Zhonglang's subordinates. He did too much, but if he had a warrant from the Taiwei, he would be justified and the crime would not result in death. Instead, Li Zhonglang mobilized The army, leaving the front line without authorization, this is a big crime."

"And..." Xu Rong turned around and pointed at the tens of thousands of cavalry troops, and said loudly, "Killing a small Chang Shi and bringing so many troops, isn't this a rebellion?"

"Cheng Qiu must have something to rely on. There must be someone behind him who wants to frame Li Zhonglang, otherwise he would not dare to do such a thing if he had a hundred courage. What if we lead an army all the way into Long County and Cheng Qiu is not here? What should we do? We are supporting the army to rebel, you know?"

"Yu Xing..." Xu Rong called out sternly.

Xian Yufu panted heavily, gradually calmed down, nodded, and said, "I lost my temper just now, I lost my temper. Brother Zilie is right, right. My lord is young. When I was in Xianbei, my brain was beaten. It's broken, so he doesn't understand many things except fighting, and once he loses his temper, he easily loses his mind and loses control, and it's useless to anyone." Xian Yufu couldn't help but think of Li Hong beating Zuo Feng violently in Handan, and then sending people to The matter of killing him privately.Once Li Hong loses his mind, it is really scary, he dares to do anything.

"But now that the army has assembled, the arrows are on the line, and Li Zhonglang is on fire again, sending troops cannot be stopped. Let's do this..." Xian Yufu said loudly to Xu Rong, "My lord will calm down soon after losing his temper. After he calms down, you can try to persuade him. Then you will station in Juyuan or Xiaoniu Mountain, report the situation to Lord Taiwei, and temporarily detain this matter, what do you think?"

"What if he insists on going?" Xu Rong asked worriedly.

Xian Yufu smiled and said, "No. He is much smarter than before."

Xu Rong nodded, waved his hand, and said decisively, "Let's go."

"I'll leave everything to brother Zilie." Xian Yufu bowed and gave a deep salute.

"Please rest assured, Yuxing, I will do my best."

===

"What are you doing here?" Li Hong shouted, "This is none of your business, stay in the camp."

Hua Xiong shouted loudly, "I would like to follow my lord to kill that villain and remove the evil for Xiliang."

Qu Yi sneered and said, "That kid bullied us too much, and today he finally hit the knife's edge, so he has to join in the fun no matter what."

"My lord, this will be decapitated." Xu Rong said slowly, "In order not to be implicated by you, I have to reluctantly accompany you for a walk."

"Good brother." Li Hong shouted loudly, "Good brother."

"Beating the drum..."

"Set off……"

===

(End of this chapter)