Delong

Chapter 516: Thousand Miles Journey (10)

"Brother, I will handle this matter. I will kill him secretly... The situation is chaotic and there are many old subordinates of Wei Wenda in the city. We can't let the news get out." One of the eleven riders bowed with difficulty. "Otherwise, the morale of the army will be shaken, and it will be difficult to do anything."

Luo Shu stared at his brother for a long time and sneered: "Xiaotian, is it so difficult for me to vent my anger?"

The young officer froze on the spot.

Another person stood up. He was the oldest of the remaining eleven riders. He bowed and said, "Brother, I just want to ask one thing. What if the young lady is pregnant?"

Luo Shu still sneered: "Lin Liu, are you stupid? My son has been in Hejian for several months, how can he be pregnant?"

The elder looked surprised and said, "Brother, at the end of last month, the young master came from Hejian to stay at our house for two days. You..."

Luo Shu finally hesitated.

Lao Lin quickly came over and said, "Brother, the young master is the only son. He has to endure this kind of thing even if it happens..."

Hearing this, Luo Shu became angry again and looked outside the door: "Why are you still standing there? Go back and lock that big-footed girl in the side room, and don't cut off her food and water!"

The family fled in embarrassment.

After the family members left, the remaining eleven riders and Luo Shu continued to discuss the final fight. They discussed until the evening and then dispersed.

After going out of the door, the eleven riders went to various places in the city to organize the troops and horses. At night, they had to patrol the city walls. Before three o'clock in the morning, four or five of them naturally gathered on the corner tower in the southwest corner of the city.

These people were not intent on forming any conspiracy group. They were the group with the weaker cultivation and other abilities among the Eighteen Riders. On weekdays, they would patrol the military camps, city walls, post stations, and even Luo Shu's residence at night. After the patrol, they would drink hot soup together and chat before dispersing to rest.

It's a common practice.

Moreover, this kind of scene is usually the time when they are most relaxed and comfortable.

But today...

"Luckily, Sixth Brother remembered that the Young Master came back at the end of last month, otherwise I don't know how this would end today... I didn't even dare to let Xiaotian come." After sitting in silence for a while, one of the young men spoke up. "Brother Bai, Lao Zhang and the others are either gone or dead, Sixth Brother has to make more decisions."

The senior officer named Lin, who had solved a big dilemma with his words during the day, was silent for a moment, and then responded sullenly: "What can I remember? The thing about coming back at the end of the month is all made up by me."

Several people were stunned for a moment.

"So..." One of the knights was sweating profusely. "So, if someone reminds me again, will the girl from the Wei family still die? Will Brother Lin Liu also be implicated?"

"I don't mind dying, but we can't let him kill innocent people!" Officer Lin said sternly. "But you don't have to worry too much. The second steward Luo didn't expose me outside the door today, so he will naturally be perfunctory when he returns."

"Then..."

"What do you mean later? Let's talk about it the night after tomorrow."

"Can we really succeed the day after tomorrow? Can we be out of trouble if we succeed? I'm afraid that even if we win, we will just continue to suffer like this, and we will become even more crazy by then!"

"That's right. I'm afraid that once we send out our troops the day after tomorrow, they will collapse like Xue Changxiong did... Playing with people's hearts is what the Qulong Gang member is good at."

"So what?"

"I think that everyone should go back and gather their families now, and then jump off the west wall... After finding Brother Zhang, we will always have a place to stay."

"It's easy to do this, but after so many years of friendship, can we really just abandon him?"

"If we really care about him, I'm afraid you guys will be surprised... Let's do it together and kill him tomorrow night, so as not to ruin his reputation as a hero for so many years. In this way, we brothers will bear the bad reputation, and at least he can be like Xue Changxiong, who has no bad reputation in the army."

"This is our eldest brother and master after all, this is called murder!"

"What should I do?"

They were just a few brothers, but they all had different ideas. However, there was no doubt that all of them were extremely disappointed with Luo Shu.

After talking for a long time, the few people finally looked at the person who rescued Wei Wenda's big-foot daughter today... After the latter spoke, he sat by the window of the guardhouse, leaning against the wall next to the oil lamp, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Seeing everyone coming to see him, the officer surnamed Lin knew he couldn't avoid it, so he spoke helplessly: "Everyone, to be fair, our elder brother was a very good man when he was a general... He stood up for the local officers and took care of the local heroes. Although he can't be said to be promoting good, he still resisted evil. Everyone admires him. Otherwise, how can we get together?"

"What's the point of Sixth Brother saying all this? Is today the same as the past?!"

"Yes, if he could be a general for his whole life, let alone a general, it would be fine if he could be a general steward, but he didn't have the ambition to conquer the world. He could just be the leader of the Chulong Gang, and we could be the leaders below to help him. He would still be a hero! But he actually dreamed of conquering the world. He believed the nonsense of the escaped Li Shu all day long. Before this expedition, he even told me to clean up the Linsang Palace for him after I came back... Is this what he could think of? The Chulong Gang knows to let all the leaders live in it!"

"I was just about to say this... Now it seems that our eldest brother is not a great hero, but just an ordinary hero. If he was in the previous hero situation, he would be able to handle it anyway. But now that he is the general manager, he still wants to fight for the world. This is what is called a lowly person with ambition, but he is worse than an ordinary person. He ruined the situation himself."

"Brothers, you are all right." Officer Lin interrupted them. "So, we should remember his kindness in the past, but also understand that he is hopeless now..."

"Sixth Brother, let us decide what to do!" Someone else became impatient. "We'll listen to you."

"Well... I mean, we will risk our lives to fight for him in the battle the night after tomorrow, as a way of repaying his kindness." Officer Lin said seriously. "But after this battle, we have done our best. No matter if we win or lose, or if there are still a few people left in the city, we will take all our families with us and leave... Let's go first, and we will have nothing to do with him after we get out. We can discuss where to contact him later."

Several people fell silent. They exchanged glances several times, but no words came out.

Finally, perhaps realizing that everyone had to agree to this plan, someone broke the silence: "Where are the other brothers?"

"We are all brothers, so of course we have to go together. I will go and explain things to them right away... Don't move. Tonight or tomorrow, I will find opportunities to talk to each of you one by one. If anyone really leaks the information, it will only be blamed on me."

"What about the Wei family's daughter?" someone else asked.

"She is not only the daughter of the Wei family, but also the daughter-in-law of our eldest brother. He doesn't recognize her, but we have to recognize her. Not only recognize her, but also save her... I will go to rescue her and lead them out of the city... I will leave the rest to you." At this point, Lin Liufu took a trembling breath. "If there is any noise, don't pay attention to it. If neither I nor the daughter of the Wei family come out, don't pay attention to it either. Just take care of my family for me... Unless I don't come back after the fight the day after tomorrow, Old Feng will do it for me."

One of them responded quickly, while the rest looked at each other and wanted to say something, but Lin Liu waved his hand to stop them. He then directly decided on the escape route and the location to gather the families, including the executor and alternate executor of the plan.

By this time, it was already three o'clock in the morning, so they dispersed. Lin Liu also walked out of the guardhouse, but looked at the two crescent moons above his head and fell into confusion for a moment... He was the one who saved people today, and he was the one who made the decision to escape just now. No matter how to say it, their behavior was actually a conspiracy of rebellion, and he, Lin Liu, was the leader of the rebellion.

Although he was the leader of a rebellion, he had more than a decade of experience, so how could he easily take it for granted?
How many decades do we have in life? The best decades are the best ones!
How can I not feel sad when things have come to this point?
Moreover, when I think about how heartbroken Bai Xiangui and Zhang Gongshen were at that time, I feel even more heartbroken now.

After stopping for a long time, the man finally moved his feet with difficulty to look for people. He found two brothers who were far away along the city wall, explained the whole story to them, and got their promise to join. He wanted to rest there for a while, but suddenly thought of someone. Regardless of the darkness and fatigue, he went back to look for Xiaotian who had tried to get out during the day but failed.

Oda was the youngest of the Eighteen Riders. He was a playboy and had not yet married. His father died in the Second Expedition, so he lived with his mother in a small courtyard. When Lin Liu arrived, he did not knock on the door, but directly activated the Weak Water Qi and gently climbed over the wall.

As expected, Oda was not asleep either. When he saw the visitor, he was more delighted than surprised.

The two of them sat down next to the horse trough in the backyard. Lin Liu was about to speak, but Xiao Tian spoke first: "Sixth brother, I have been afraid since I came back. I didn't even dare to go to the city for fear of being suspected..."

"Why are you afraid of going?" Lin Liu tried to comfort him. "Compared to the other defeated soldiers in the city, he can only use us. We are his eyes and ears, arms, and foundation... Don't be afraid of anything, you can do anything boldly."

"Sixth brother, I'm still nervous." Xiao Tian obviously didn't hear the other party's hint, and just pursed his lips. "After I came back, the more I thought about it, the more I felt something was wrong. I always felt that this time, Big Brother was too...too scary."

"Of course he is so cruel. Wei Wenda fought against three masters but was defeated. The daughter of the Wei family is naturally innocent. What's more, she is his daughter-in-law, one of the few relatives he has in the world. He should have loved her more, but he actually wanted to kill her..." Lin Liu was helpless and repeated what he had said to several people before.

"It's not just that." Xiao Tian lowered his head. "Sixth brother, if he just wanted to kill someone in anger because he thought about his only son's death and his in-laws surrendered, it would be fine... I sat and thought about it for a while, and I'm most afraid that he did it on purpose."

"On purpose? What do you mean?"

"Isn't he going to lead us in a surprise attack the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"He who leads his own army, doesn't he know that although Youzhou City is huge, the only ones he can really use when the time comes are the several thousand men he gathered when he was the Second Lieutenant General and the several thousand men we gathered for him, while the rest are deserters and civilians who cannot stand the slightest disturbance?"

"It's not that they can't stand any disturbance. Even without any disturbance, people have been surrendering in the past few days..."

"So, since he knew that killing Wei Wenda's daughter would cause Wei Wenda's former subordinates to become disloyal, and even that defection would be inevitable...why did he still kill her?" Oda asked with difficulty.

Lin Liu was about to say the word "heartbroken" when he suddenly paused, and his already cold heart became even colder... After a while, he slowly spoke: "Xiaotian, do you think that he killed the Wei family's daughter in order to make Wei Wenda's old subordinates defect, and then use this to paralyze the Chulong Army and facilitate his sudden surprise attack the next day?"

"Yes..." Xiao Tian replied with difficulty. "Sixth brother, if that's the case, I think we big brothers are even more scary."

Lin Liu was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Maybe, but it doesn't matter, it's all the same... Xiaotian, I came to you for a reason. After the battle the day after tomorrow, we will take the opportunity to escape, and take your mother with us."

Xiaotian was startled, then nodded directly: "Okay, if that's the case, it really doesn't matter."

Not that night, but the next day, for some unknown reason, the news that the steward had imprisoned Wei Wenda's daughter and his own daughter-in-law, and even wanted to kill them but was stopped, spread out, and the city was obviously shocked that day.

There was even an incident where the defeated troops of Wei Wenda tried to organize themselves to seize the western section of the city wall but were ambushed on the street. As for the able-bodied civilians who took the opportunity to patrol the city wall to escape, it goes without saying.

This was just unrest at the lower level, the middle and higher levels were also in turmoil because last night the news of the surrender of Yuyang prefect Yang Gui came, which was undoubtedly a huge danger signal... In fact, Chief Zhang has been visited by many people since the afternoon of that day.

However, the main reason was that the generals who had fled before and the local nobles and powerful people had limited troops, population, and industries under their control, while among the prefects, generals, and famous nobles who still controlled the cities and organized armies, only one Yang Gui arrived.

But this situation changed the next day, in the early morning of March 24th.

"Calling me at this time?" Zhang Xing seemed a little grumpy after being called. "Has Luo Shu played?"

"No." Wang Xiongdan said carefully. "Someone came to surrender..."

"Come and surrender if you want. Let them rest and wait until dawn." Zhang Xing was still a little confused.

"A bunch of people came to surrender one after another. Within half an hour, there were four generals and three governors coming and going. Most of them should be from the west...so I came to ask the chief." Wang Xiongdan explained briefly.

"Interesting." Having said that, Zhang Xing stood up and was about to go and take a look.

However, in late spring, the nights were already hot and stuffy. Zhang Xing was sweating all over when he slept, and felt a little hot when he got up. His clothes felt sticky when he put them on... But he couldn't go out to meet people with his bare chest, so he simply used his ice energy. As a result, when the cold air came out, he felt his skin tighten again, so he frowned and asked Wang Xiongdan:
"Nothing happening in the city?"

"No."

"Then forget it. Put them in the side hall and provide them with food, drink and sleep. I'll take a nap first and we'll talk about it tomorrow." Zhang Xing said as he undressed and lay down.

Wang Xiongdan was not at all surprised and hesitated. He just responded and left... There was no other way. As the person who was probably most familiar with the chief's working style, he knew the other party's temper very well. If he said he wanted to sleep, then he wanted to sleep. If he said he wanted to eat cake, then he wanted to eat cake. Even the supreme god could not stop him.

In fact, Wang Xiongdan has seen a lot and knows a lot. Sometimes, it makes sense for Mr. Zhang San to sleep and eat cakes, but sometimes he is just making rules in disguise. Moreover, the more important the matter is to others and the more important the person is, the more twisted he becomes.

We need to tell these people clearly that you and your things are not as important as eating bread and sleeping.

However, Wang Xiongdan himself had no objection at all, because he knew very well that this man's arrogance was only towards high-ranking officials and powerful families in the traditional sense, but he could be more open with those below him. As a person who came from a bandit family and was hungry and wandering as a teenager, these twisted and willful behaviors actually made him feel secretly comfortable... But sometimes, Wang Xiongdan would wonder whether his ideas were originally consistent with the practices of the chief who came from a local vanguard, or whether he had been with the chief for a long time and was influenced by him in the opposite way?

Of course, Wang Xiongdan, who had become independent, could not reveal all these little thoughts. He looked calm throughout the whole process, from receiving the surrendered people, to calling Chief Zhang inside, and then to going out to rearrange the accommodation for these people.

There was silence in the middle of the night. After dawn, Zhang Xing got up and was told that there was no unusual movement in the city last night. He was also told that there was an endless stream of surrenderers throughout the early morning, and the reason was now clear. It was that Li Ding won a great victory at the junction of Shanggu County and Guangning County directly under the jurisdiction of Youzhou... and it was obvious that the first few surrenderers ran faster than the military report of the Chulong Army.

How could Mr. Zhang not know after hearing the whole story, that the situation became even more stable?
So, the man started to act like the lord of Hebei, washing his face and hair, eating porridge and fried dough, then going to the toilet and coming back to put on a new red military uniform.

Everything was in order and just when he decided to summon those people, Yuan Baocun arrived in person and excitedly informed him that Lu Sidao, the head of the Youzhou Lu family, had given up his seclusion and came in person. Zhang Xing actually sat in front of the hall again to bask in the sun, while listening to Ma Wei, Feng Chang and Xu Jingzu continue to report intelligence as he waited.

It was at this time that Zhang Xing understood how Li Ding fought this battle.

"Insider? Who?" Chief Zhang asked in surprise.

"Deng Long, former Lieutenant General of Youzhou Camp, attacked Xiangguo and Zhaojun when Li Longtou had not yet joined the gang. He defeated him in battle and made him surrender." Xu Jingzu hurriedly reported. "He stayed in Wu'an for only half a year before escaping again. It is said that he dared not return to Youzhou. Li Ding treated him harshly, so he went to join the second high official of Daijun and became a general..."

"Ha!" Zhang Xing couldn't help but sneer.

Li Si's ambition to become an emperor was just a dream. He really wanted to sweep Hebei and then become the emperor himself.

Xu Jingzu waited for Chief Zhang to finish his speech and continued to report: "This battle was actually very simple. The two high officials of Dai County, Wang Chenkuo of Hengshan, and some generals of Youzhou joined forces. The generals of Youzhou were responsible for luring the enemy deep into their territory. The two high officials and Wang Chenkuo set up an ambush in a valley on the other side of the upstream of Juma River. As a result, Li Longtou's entire army pressed forward, but used the two temporary leaders Qi Ze and Gao Shisheng as a cover to pretend to cross the river. The main force crossed the river downstream in advance, and then went around to the rear of the ambush valley. The two high officials and Wang Chenkuo were worried that their retreat would be cut off, so they wanted to escape back. As a result, Deng Long took the opportunity to change his flag, and the bandits were almost wiped out... The specific results of the battle should be known in two days."

"Li Silang, who has no worries now, seems to be a military god." Zhang Xing said in a low voice.

"This is all because the chief has a keen eye for identifying heroes." Feng Chang flattered him as usual. "And after this incident, Hebei will really be pacified."

"Li Silang is not the kind of talent that will be buried." Zhang Xing sighed. "In such a turbulent time, it is simply God's will that a man like him was born."

There was no mention of the unification of Hebei.

Before they could say something, they saw Yuan Baocun walking towards them very quickly... He had been walking very frequently these past few days.

When he came to the front, Yuan Baocun bowed and asked, "Chief, Lord Lu is here. Do you want to see him alone?"

"Does he have any important military intelligence?" Zhang Xing was surprised for a moment.

"Of course not." Yuan Baocun choked and quickly explained. "But Lord Lu is a respected figure in Youzhou, and he has experienced three dynasties and knows the rise and fall of dynasties. Chief, maybe you can get something out of talking to him."

"No problem, since it's the key to success or failure, everyone should come and listen." Zhang Xing waved his hand and ended the intelligence gathering. "Please ask Lord Lu to come over, put out a stool, and call those surrendered people to come!"

Several people immediately became solemn. Wang Xiongdan immediately dispatched a whole team of armored soldiers. In a moment, Qin Bao also led a group of people to enter and went around to the two sides of the hall behind Zhang Xing. Not to mention Niu He. No one knew when he appeared, but they saw him suddenly at a glance.

Yuan Baocun personally selected the widest bench, carefully studied the position, and placed it three steps down to the left of the hall steps where Chief Zhang was sitting, even tilting it slightly.

After everything was ready, he went to invite people in person, and Ma Wei also drove the extra surrendered people from last night to today to the square in front of the central hall of Linsang Palace. A pile of benches were placed on the open space from the steps of the hall to the "Demotion" flag.

When these people saw that there were seats, they breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to greet each other, but Wang Xiongdan reminded them that they did not need to greet and could just sit down, so they had to do it anyway… But even though they came to surrender, there was still an order, with people pushing each other, some taking the initiative to hide back, and others taking the initiative to move forward. After a while of struggling, they had just sat down when Yuan Baocun came in with Lu Sidao, who was dressed as a Taoist priest. They stood up in a hurry and did not dare to greet each other. They just stood with their hands behind their backs and watched the other party come forward.

Seeing that the other party had gray hair and beard and was indeed old, Zhang Xing did not continue to put on airs. He finally stood up and took the initiative to bow, calling him "Mr. Lu". Then he held the other party's hand with one hand and picked up the bench on the steps with the other hand, put it in the middle, and then sat down together.

Instead, Yuan Baocun had been sitting there for half a day in vain.

Seeing this scene, the people who surrendered below finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down one after another.

Upstairs, Zhang Xing chatted with Lu Sidao for a while and asked about his age. He learned that his Taoist attire only represented his desire to leave home and avoid the secular world, and that he was not really serving any supreme being. He also knew that he did have a nephew sitting below, so he had nothing to say and looked at the surrendered people below.

To be honest, Zhang Xing knew that Li Ding had won a battle and caused a stir, and he also knew that Luo Shu in Youzhou was at the end of his rope and was getting more and more out of control. It was said that his daughter-in-law was almost killed yesterday. Naturally, the whole of Youzhou was greatly shaken, but he did not expect so many people to gather in the middle of the night.

Looking down from above, there was a large crowd of people sitting there.

"You can report your name, age, place of origin, position, and a little personal experience. Please stand up and speak in order of seating, from left to right and from front to back." It was Feng Chang who spoke.

Although they had filled out the form in the dark when they first arrived, the surrendered people did not dare to neglect it at this time. They immediately stood up in order, and the first person stood up:

"The surrendered man, Tian Xing, is fifty-six years old and is from Haiyang, Beiping County, Youzhou. He was originally the governor of Daning County, which is directly under Youzhou."

At this point, the man's words were obviously bitter. "I am in Daning, close to the Sea of ​​Bitterness. The place is narrow and I don't know the virtue of the chief and the power of the Dragon Destroyer Gang. I heard that Luo Shu was defeated and wanted to gather people to resist. As a result, I gathered people to fight with Li Longtou yesterday. Before I arrived at the battle, I heard that the front had been defeated. I knew that the situation was hopeless and the Dragon Destroyer Gang was on its way. So I retreated to Qiaoshan with the remaining troops. I surrendered with Han Duwei of this county... If the chief is magnanimous, I dare not say that I have done my best. I just hope that I can return home safely to study and practice."

"Since there has been no fighting, and you surrendered before the city was captured and the army was advancing, you can come and go freely... If you want to return home, it is naturally possible. If you want to stay, you will definitely be employed." Zhang Xing was magnanimous and reiterated his previous conditions.

Just follow the rules.

"Thank you, Chief."

With the first person setting an example, everything else will naturally go smoothly.

But upon closer inspection, most of them were employed or stayed in the western half of Youzhou, and most of them were born in Youzhou. They were the local tigers that Zhang Xing had been waiting for for a long time... The surnames were nothing more than three categories. The first was mainly Tian, ​​Gao, Yang, and Lu. These were the elite families in the southern foothills of Youzhou. The second was mainly double surnames, which were the characteristics of the Wu clan - the mixed-blood tribes of the north who came from the bitter sea and rose with the Great Zhou. The third was the simple surnames with the characteristics of the black, white, red and yellow Northern Demon-Slaying Guards.

However, after dozens of people finished speaking, Chief Zhang's attention shifted as usual: "Mr. Lu, I know many counties in Youzhou, but why are there so many, and I can't match many of them. Do you have any explanation?"

"To be honest, Chief, Youzhou does have many counties, and the reason is very simple." Lu Sidao smiled. "It's the Great Zhou, Eastern Qi, and Great Wei, three overlapping places... The Great Zhou rose in the north of Jin, so it set up a few more counties on the west side of Youzhou, including Shanggu and Dai, as well as Daning, Guangning, and Piancheng; Eastern Qi was based in Hebei, but couldn't stabilize the north, so it set up a few border counties for military affairs in the northern foot of Yanshan Mountain and inside and outside Zhidaoling. Anle, Liaoxi, Beiping, Guangyang, and Miyun are all among them... Even the current White Wolf Guard, Iron Mountain Guard, Luobo City, and Liucheng were once set up as counties; and when the Great Wei came, firstly because it wanted to advance into the north at that time, and secondly because there were indeed many local military nobles, it simply took all of Yanshan Mountain, with Fanyang, Yuyang, and Yanjun, the three core counties of Youzhou, as the core, and merged them into a general state, but retained many small counties below, which led to the current situation."

Zhang Xing suddenly realized: "Finally someone has explained it to me clearly. I couldn't figure out the map these past few days."

"Of course it's easy to confuse. Many places have changed their names. This county name was given to that city, and that city changed its location. Only the locals know the whole story." Lu Sidao smiled and asked again. "But isn't there a rumor that Chief Zhang grew up in Tieshanwei? How come I don't know the origin of this?"

Zhang Xing smiled bitterly: "When I came from the north and went to Yecheng to apply for the vanguard, I hadn't even read the Biography of Li Yue, so how could I care about these things?"

Lu Sidao was finally surprised: "So, Chief Zhang is a genius? It's only been a few years... I heard people retell the Chief's debate with the Grand Master and the Grand Master on Hongshan Mountain. It seems that he has long been clear-minded and has his own way... Could this also be from reading "The Biography of Li Yue"? "

Zhang Xing naturally had no way to explain it, and he didn't want to use the Black Emperor's selection to cover it up, so he felt a little embarrassed and just laughed dryly.

On the other side, Lu Sidao naturally didn't know that the other party was embarrassed. Even if he knew, it wouldn't matter, because since he was brought here at this age, he must make an explanation for the people of Youzhou. So he hesitated for a moment, and then continued:

“When it comes to being a man of few doubts, I am far behind Chief Zhang.

"When I was young, because I was born in the Lu family, I went to school and practiced at an early age. I claimed to be a genius and looked down on everyone. What I liked to do most was to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather to go out for a walk and climb up and down with the help of my true energy. When I was about sixteen years old, I arrived at Zhidao Ridge and saw a man who was obviously a demon-killing guard carrying a large stone tablet from the north. He said he was going to replace the ancient tablet that was buried by a mountain torrent and disappeared. Because I saw him carrying the tablet alone as if it was nothing, and the tablet was actually a blank bluestone tablet, I followed him out of curiosity.

"When we got there, the man put down the stone tablet, put it into the base, took out an awl, circulated his Qi, and carved the words as easily as if he had written them. After carving, he asked me, 'Young man, do you recognize these ancient characters?' I was already surprised that he had such a high level of cultivation but acted so simply. Now I looked at him again, and sure enough, many of the characters were confusing, and I couldn't make out what they meant when put together. I felt ashamed, so I covered my face and left, and started to read again behind closed doors.

"After this cultivation, the Great Zhou Dynasty became divided into the East and the West. I was almost 30 years old when I became an official. Although I faced a chaotic era this time, I was able to do my job very smoothly. I was pardoned even if I rebelled. When the Eastern Qi Dynasty was established, I became good friends with the then King Hengshan. When he was the emperor for a few years, I was naturally the icing on the cake. I was almost half a minister of the Southern Court. My cultivation also condensed into a pill early, and I began to visualize external objects... Most of the wonderful things in life were in those years.

“However, the royal family of Dongqi killed each other and used flatterers. After a few years, things took a sharp turn for the worse. I was imprisoned several times and almost died. Although I escaped with my life, my legs and feet were broken many times and I became sick. My cultivation was also stuck. In addition, after I lost power, I was often deliberately humiliated. So I returned to my hometown to study and educate the people in my hometown.

"Later, the Wei Dynasty came. I was already over fifty years old. I saw the world was about to be unified, and I had some ambitions. I didn't care about my integrity and took the initiative to write a letter to ask for an official position. I thought my family background, reputation, and experience were all here. Moreover, I wrote poems and essays when the emperor met the founder of the Wei Dynasty in the Western Capital. I was also the first scholar to enter the court at that time. I thought I would be given a chance to serve as an official in the court, but I was only asked to be the governor of Wuyang...

"I knew at that time that the Wei Dynasty was indeed based in Guanzhong as rumored, and that they would never really use me. So after serving as the governor for two years, I resigned and returned home, wearing a Taoist robe, and only studied ancient inscriptions in a small Black Emperor Temple in the countryside."

At this point, Yuan Baocun, a descendant of the former Great Zhou royal family who relied on Wuyang County to establish his own regime and then managed to get to his current situation, almost lost control... Well, the treasure and foundation that he had been dreaming about were discarded by others, which was a clear proof that he was not valued and was treated unfairly.

Lu Sidao didn't care what Yuan Baocun thought. He finished speaking and asked Zhang Xing, "Chief Zhang, you said that I have lived for more than seventy years and experienced three dynasties. It's okay that I was ignorant when I was young, but why have I been unhappy for most of my life, so that I have white hair and fingers like dried ginger, and I don't even know where my Tao is?"

Zhang Xing smiled, and many of the surrendered people below also stared at the chief.

Obviously, Lu Sidao's words were both a self-narration, a complaint, and an inquiry. He was narrating, complaining, and asking on behalf of all the civil and military nobles in Youzhou. He wanted to know what their situation would be like under Chief Zhang's rule.
What is the political future?
Are you going to be bullied again?
Of course, perhaps it was also a bit of a demonstration. After all, after three dynasties had passed, Youzhou still seemed to belong to the people of Youzhou.

However, the good thing about these words is that Lu Sidao did not tell a single lie. What he stated were all his personal true experiences without any exaggeration. Moreover, although the questions were asked in an obscure way, they left no room for avoidance.

What do you, the Chulong Gang, want to do by avoiding this issue at this time?
After Zhang Xing finished laughing, he did not procrastinate any further, but spoke directly, but said something shocking: "I think Mr. Lu's experience is common, and it is all caused by the current situation."

Lu Sidao's eyebrows jumped, but he knew that the other party had not finished speaking, and he was well-mannered enough, so he did not interrupt.

"I actually have similar experiences to Mr. Lu, but it's not about career and economy, but the ups and downs of my mood." Zhang Xing continued to speak slowly, with a smile on his face. "When I was young, I encountered injustice, and I always felt that if I could maintain its strength and replace it, I would be able to do well; later, I spent a few years in Dongdu and saw the most filthy side of the central government, so I was furious and wanted to sweep the world clean and create a new world; but, isn't this really a rebellion? Then I realized that everything has a beginning, one beginning after another, and the ups and downs of the world are all the result of one thing and one person since ancient times. If people want to make a difference in it, they must first respect the past and follow the trend, and secondly, they must sort out the clues and figure out the context, so that they can prescribe the right medicine and add some good context..."

"Isn't this the principle of 'working hard' that Chief Hongshan talked about?" Lu Sidao blurted out. "As long as we keep doing good things, new things, and things that make the world prosperous, then the world will definitely get better even if there are twists and turns."

"That's right. Mr. Lu really did listen to what I said." Zhang Xing laughed even more happily.

"Then may I ask, when the Chief mentioned the current situation, which thread is it? And how does the Chief plan to add something new to this thread?" Lu Sidao asked.

"It's very simple. In my opinion, the misfortune of Lord Lu's three dynasties is actually due to the misalignment of 'where does politics come from?'" Zhang Xing, who was sitting on the bench, looked a little serious.

Lu Sidao must have thought about his life carefully many times, and it is obvious that he has specially studied Chief Zhang's ideological theories, so when the other party said this, although he could not be said to be shocked or something, he was a little dazed for a moment.

As for the surrendered people from Youzhou below, their reactions were mixed... There were definitely some who could react and understand what was being said, but there were definitely some who were confused, and there were definitely some who understood but pretended not to be confused, and some who were confused but pretended to understand.

In addition, most of the elite members of the Dragon-killing Army present had to keep a straight face, which made the atmosphere even more weird.

"Three Glory and Four Imperial Guards... The history before Lord Baidi is only roughly described, so we won't talk about it. We will only talk about the history after the Four Imperial Guards returned to their positions." Zhang Xing said. "At first, Lord Baidi's unification was not completed, the world was divided, and the countries were divided. By the time of "The Biography of Li Yue", the First Emperor and the Two Prideful Ones fought each other. Although they threw swords into mountains and the great cause collapsed, they finally took over the vast world, and then the Tang Emperor succeeded to the cause... Up to this point, the political orders of the world have actually been transferred from the feudal local areas to the central government, and from the rule of the aristocracy to the rule of the world by the documents of the grammar officials.

"And because the country has always been ruled by one family since ancient times, it can be said that politics comes from the emperor."

"Well said!" Lu Sidao clapped his hands in approval.

"However, politics comes from the emperor, and the emperor is only one person. The good of one person will bring great good to the world, and the evil of one person... I won't give an example, Cao Che's body is still warm... In addition, the civil officials, civil officials, and military officials are naturally powerful. When powerful people see the emperor doing evil, they will cause the political collapse of the Former Tang Dynasty, and then local separatism and migration to the south. From the late Former Tang Dynasty to the emergence of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the trend of the world at this time is 'politics comes from the family'." At this point, Zhang Xing looked at Lu Sidao beside him and raised his voice a lot. "What do you think, Lord Lu?"

"That makes sense." Lu Sidao thought about it and nodded. "When the emperor caused chaos in the world, the government was handed over to the powerful civil officials, military officials, and civil and legal officials. Since they did not have their own court, they were limited to their family clans and used the shell of the court to issue government orders... This was the trend in the decline of the former Tang Dynasty and the chaos that followed."

"That's right. After two hundred years of chaos, people have finally realized that politics from one family is worse than politics from the emperor." Zhang Xing said with a sigh. "When politics from the emperor, maybe one or two good emperors can be found in ten. When politics from one family, all are bad.

"When politics comes from the emperor, one only needs to serve one person; when politics comes from a family, one must serve all the noble families.

“Political power comes from the emperor, and common people still have some chance to offend the emperor. Political power comes from the family, and even the poor cannot enter the family;
"What's even more terrible is that the reason why the emperor was able to control politics in the past was not because people tried their best to force the emperor to control politics, but because the countries were in conflict, and there were wars everywhere and every day. War itself is the greatest evil politics in the world, and it is necessary to use unified politics to avoid such disputes. But now politics is controlled by the family. People in the world have used two hundred years of decline and zombies to re-recognize the necessity of unification. So since the Great Zhou Dynasty, the world has begun to control politics by the family, and gradually turned back to the situation where politics is controlled by the emperor.

"Lord Lu, think about it yourself, the Great Zhou, Eastern Qi, and Great Wei, there are so many bizarre stories and heroes in between, isn't this the trend of change?"

Lu Sidao was silent for a long time before he spoke slowly, "Yes... this is indeed the trend. The noble families are becoming weaker and weaker, while the emperor is becoming more and more powerful. Even the Long clans, no one knows how many times they have changed, but the emperor is still becoming more and more powerful. Even in Dongqi, the military clans of Jin and the noble families of Hebei are gradually giving up their power to the emperor... This is the overall trend. Chief Zhang, you are indeed a genius. You have revealed something that I have never been able to see through in my life."

Zhang Xing did not comment, but comforted him, "Mr. Lu is just caught in the middle of a situation... Before you were born, the trend of politics for two hundred years was all from your family. Moreover, you were born into a first-class aristocratic family, so you naturally took this as the golden rule. Then, when you started your career, you happened to encounter a change in the world's situation, and you went downhill. This downhill trend is naturally a general trend for a kid like me, but for you, it is a matter of life and death, honor and disgrace... How can you get rid of it so easily?"

"I often wondered in the second half of my life why those nobles in Dongqi deliberately humiliated me time and time again? Why would they rather use treacherous people than me? Is this in accordance with the will of heaven?" Lu Sidao's words became difficult. "Do I deserve to be humiliated?"

"Mr. Lu, you are overthinking this. It is common for people in power to humiliate the nobles to suppress them, but it is always wrong to humiliate people for no reason." Zhang Xing laughed. "The general trend is the general trend, and the reality is the reality... But no matter what, the times have changed, and it is always right."

Lu Sidao lowered his head for a long time before he recovered. Then he sighed, "Well said, I was in the middle of the situation and I was obsessed with it."

Zhang Xing said nothing.

"Chief Zhang." Lu Sidao sighed and spoke much more clearly. "If that's the case, I have another question."

"Mr. Lu, please speak."

"Nothing special. Since Chief Zhang has seen through the general trend, why didn't he follow your advice and become the emperor? And I heard that Chief Zhang raised a banner with great regulations for his expedition to the north, called 'Carrying out Justice on Behalf of Heaven'. Then, may I ask, what kind of justice does Chief Zhang want to practice?"

"It's very simple. I want to do my own thing, abolish the bad parts of 'Political Affairs comes from the Emperor', take the good parts, and come up with 'Political Affairs comes from the Help'." Zhang Xing said succinctly.

"What do you mean? What to abolish and what to take? Chief Zhang is not going to be the emperor anymore?"

"Abolish the rule that the emperor monopolizes the benefits of the world, and take the centralization of power that integrates the world. At the same time, continue to follow the will of heaven, suppress the politics of the family, and share the benefits of the world." Zhang Xing said it right away. There was no way, he had almost memorized it. "As for the emperor, I can do it or not... If my career encounters setbacks and I can't gather strength without being the emperor, I will do it; and if everything goes well, it doesn't matter whether I do it or not. Anyway, my ambition is not in this world, and this emperor is not the same as before."

Lu Sidao took a few deep breaths and looked at the clear sky.

"As for Youzhou specifically..." Zhang Xing finally looked at the surrendered people again. "First, no one is allowed to interfere with my family affairs, whether civil or military. If you still have illusions, you can leave now. I will never detain you. Let's fight with swords and guns before we talk about other things. This will prevent us from causing trouble in the future. It will be bad for both of us. Don't doubt my previous words about exterminating the whole clan. That was directed at the family that controls the military and political affairs of Youzhou.
"Secondly, as long as you abandon the family's politics and follow the policy of the Dragon Gang, you don't have to worry about being humiliated or suppressed. I regard Hebei as my foundation and the world as one. I select people based on their talents and virtues. I dare not say that I will never be biased, but I will try my best to be fair."

There was some commotion below, but no one dared to speak.

Lu Sidao came back to his senses and took the initiative to ask on behalf of these people: "But Chief Zhang, what if your way is wrong?"

He did not ask questions like "What if people change your ways later on?" because he had already heard many of the chief's words and corresponding answers from other people... He didn't care, he had a clear conscience, and he was aiming to transcend this world.

So, he only asked this question.

"Even if you are wrong, you still have to follow my way," Zhang Xing, sitting on a bench, answered this question at a very fast speed, just like a debate. "Otherwise, why are you all here?"

Lu Sidao said nothing.

The surrendered people below were also silent.

The surrounding sergeants, lieutenants, clerks, and recruits were also silent.

The entire open space in front of the hall was completely silent.

Qin Bao stood in front of the side door of the rear hall with his arms around his chest, watching the scene, his heart calm... This was the way his third brother Zhang acted. If you wanted to argue, he would be happy to do so, even like it, but he never expected to overwhelm the other party with words, and he would never waver in his line and actions.

Of course, from the perspective of the people of Youzhou, this is the ultimate.

Qin Bao even suspected that even if Li Ding was defeated, these Youzhou people would surrender, because they had no choice. It was just based on the customs of Youzhou people that they always wanted to fight a punch before surrendering.

After getting his arm broken by a punch, he had no choice but to surrender, and even invited an old man of cultural cultivation to act as a cushion.

That's good enough.

Thinking of this, Qin Bao couldn't help but look towards the east city wall again... He was very curious whether his uncle could still punch?

But soon, Qin Bao's reverie was interrupted.

In the morning sunshine, Lu Sidao, with gray hair and beard, stood up from the bench, walked to the bottom of the stairs, then turned around, turned his back to the surrendered people, and bowed respectfully to Zhang Xing.

The surrendered people behind him did not dare to delay and stood up one after another.

At this time, Lu Sidao turned around and faced these Youzhou folks, speaking earnestly: "Fellow villagers, you invited me here, so I came. Now I can tell you that the Chulong Gang is not just a group of powerful people, and Chief Zhang is not just a northern soldier. He is a man of great strategy. I have experienced three dynasties and more than ten emperors in my life, and I have seen countless heroes and heroes, but none of them is as knowledgeable as Chief Zhang. This alone is enough for him to gain a foothold in Hebei, not to mention that today they are at the gates of the city, but they are giving us a break... I am old and can no longer seek new things in the world, but you should cherish this opportunity, listen to me, pay your respects, and be willing to be a vanguard. It will definitely be better than my early years of wasting time."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a slight commotion below, and then someone knelt down directly, followed by a large group of people kneeling down in panic.

But there were also a few people who did not bow, but turned aside with their hands folded, lowered their heads and remained silent.

It is obvious that these people came only to save their lives.

That's okay.

Just as Chief Zhang stood up to return the greeting, everyone thought the drama was over, but Lu Sidao suddenly spoke again: "Chief Zhang, since they have already saluted and are willing to serve you, I have an unwelcome request... It will be beneficial to Chief Zhang's attack on Youzhou, and it will also be the first act of loyalty these people have done for you. Of course, it is also a little selfish of me to save someone."

Zhang Xing came to his senses after hearing the last part, and asked with a smile, "Who does Lord Lu want them to persuade to surrender for me?"

"Luo Shu is hopeless. Those who deserve to be persuaded to surrender are the eastern counties of Youzhou and the leaders of the defeated army hiding there. Isn't it true that only one governor of Yuyang County, Yang Gui, surrendered in the east?" Lu Sidao continued to bow. "Chief Zhang, give us a chance... If we can bring all the governors of the remaining four counties in the east before dawn tomorrow, please count these people as surrendering today, so that they don't have to give away their heads in vain... Of course, this is my selfish desire. After all, no one knows when the city of Youzhou will collapse."

"Since Lord Lu has said so, how can we not allow it?" Zhang Xing said with a smile. "It's a deal. If the governors of the four eastern counties all come here before dawn tomorrow, then all the surrendered people you bring back will be considered as surrendered now."

Just like that, before noon, Lu Sidao took his men away.

Maybe it was because of Lu Sidao’s bad luck, but in the afternoon, the Youzhou city started to become noisy.

Even at such a close distance, there were still escapees taking the opportunity to climb over the wall. The Chulong army stationed in Linsang Palace in the northwest of the city soon realized what was happening - in the huge Youzhou city, the Youzhou army was trying to change defense and assemble.

Obviously, what everyone expected happened - Luo Shu, under heavy pressure, had to make a final struggle.

However, this struggle was a bit difficult. Just by gathering reliable troops, he caused chaos in his own base camp, which inevitably made people doubt the effectiveness of his struggle.

"Chief." After climbing down from the high platform, Feng Chang, who was obviously a little flustered, walked up to Zhang Xing who was getting dressed and asked carefully. "What if Luo Shu was just bluffing? He didn't come to attack us, but just pretended to attack us and took the opportunity to escape?"

Zhang Xing didn't speak in time, he was putting on shoulder armor.

At this time, Xu Jingzu, who was helping Zhang Xing put on his armor, suddenly spoke up and said, "Then let him go. If he leaves, the people of Youzhou will be left to us! Isn't this why the Chief is waiting here?"

Feng Chang stared blankly at the young man from Hebei province who was also a member of the Jiangdu branch and a clerk of the Chulong Gang, and was speechless for a moment.

What made him speechless was not only that the other party was becoming more and more aggressive, and was trying to step on him to get to the top without paying any attention to the order of order, but he was also speechless because as soon as the other party finished speaking, he realized that what the other party said seemed to be right.

This is definitely what the chief was thinking. His words this morning clearly showed this meaning, but he was not as quick as this young man in reacting.

In other words, this kid in front of him not only has the ambition to get promoted, but also has the ability to do so.

Is this a big deal? !
The chaos lasted for an entire afternoon, and the city was almost half in disarray. However, Zhang Xing remained silent because, as Ma Wei said, Youzhou City was too big, and the four camps stationed by the Chulong Gang at the palace would quickly lose their combat effectiveness once they entered, which was dangerous... After all, at the same time as the turmoil, Luo Shu had actually organized a cavalry of about four to five thousand people inside and outside Cangcheng in the east of the city.

Among them, more than 2,000 people came from the city, and the remaining 2,000 people gathered from various places on the east side of the city. They arrived in groups of seven or eight.

Such an army, with only one-tenth of the strength of the Youzhou Army when it marched southward in full force half a month ago, now makes people marvel at its existence.

"Can Luo Shu gather so many people?" Wang Shuyong, the actual commander of the army, was a little surprised.

"He has been serving as the Second Lieutenant General of the Youzhou Camp for many years, and he also has the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun as his minions. After he was promoted to the chief steward, most of them were sent out to lead the troops. Now that the army has been defeated, there are still a dozen of them left, and they will definitely be able to bring some people... Even if each of them can only bring two teams of people, it will be enough if they are gathered together." Ma Wei explained briefly.

"It doesn't matter." Wang Shuyong thought about it and said calmly, "With only four or five thousand cavalry, it would be futile if he attacked."

"I'm afraid they won't come here." Xu Shiren interrupted. "We have a strong army here, why would you want to come to our side and get yourself into trouble? Wouldn't it be better to go to Longhuo City?"

"That's right." Wang Shuyong sneered. "That bridge... The weather is warm, they will cross the river from the east of the city on floating horses, and then head straight for Longhuo City. We will walk across Youzhou Bridge in the dark, so we can't provide effective support."

At this point, Wang Wulang seemed a little confused, and asked Ma Wei beside him seriously: "Ma Fenguan...why haven't we thought of building a few floating bridges on the river in the past few days? Are we crazy?"

"Of course not." Ma Wei explained helplessly. "Wulang, don't forget that our logistics line comes from Lusi Ferry upstream. There are not only floating bridges, but also boats there."

Wang Wulang nodded, but after thinking about it, he was still puzzled: "But if that's the case, why not build a few floating bridges here just in case?"

Ma Wei didn't say anything this time. He just looked at Zhang Xing who was standing there in silence.

The latter was originally lost in thought, but upon hearing this, he simply answered: "I deliberately let Ma Fenguan leave a loophole... We can't just keep wasting time, right?"

Wang Shuyong was immediately relieved, but he bowed and asked, "Chief, what should we do now?"

"I don't know." Zhang Xing was in charge of killing but not burying. "Just discuss it."

Wang Wulang knew the other party's temper and didn't waste any more words. Yuan Baocun followed those people to persuade them to surrender. As usual, he went directly to the hall to discuss with the staff together with Xu Shiren, Qin Bao, Wang Xiongdan, Ma Wei, Feng Chang and Xu Jingzu.

However, firstly, the enemy's military strength was limited, secondly, the distribution of their own military strength was also in that situation, and thirdly, the current situation in Youzhou was about to mature, so there was no need to act radically, but they quickly decided on several conservative contingency plans.

Immediately, Xu Shiren's troops evacuated from the west, and now, under the cover of the temporary palace and Youzhou City, they crossed the river upstream and took a forced march of 50 miles along the main road to provide support to Longhuo City.

Including Longhuo City, there were naturally also talks about the four strongholds on the south side of Sanggan River.

In late spring, the days were noticeably longer and the nights shorter, so although it looked like evening, it took a long time before it got dark. After dark, the Youzhou army really began to cross the river upstream... At this time, Wang Wulang was obviously getting anxious. He really wanted to go around Youzhou City from the north to provoke this army, but he knew that Youzhou City was too big and those people were all locals. It would be too late to do anything after going around, otherwise they would not be able to cross the river calmly.

But even though he understood it, it didn't stop him from getting agitated.

In fact, when he saw Chief Zhang fishing, eating cakes and setting up benches here these days, he had already guessed something in his heart. Ma Wei also took the initiative to explain it to him, and he knew that there was an arrangement, and it could even be considered as care for him... Not to mention anything else, these people who surrendered from Youzhou today, when they become powerful in the gang in the future, who would dare to stand up to him?
There has even been a rumor among the clerks in the past few days that after the Battle of Xushui, there was no marching, but rewards were given according to merit... Chief Eunuch Bai and Dou Longtou ate in Hejian, Shan Longtou and Li Longtou ate in the three northwestern counties, and the Youzhou banquet was divided into two sides, with Xiong Tianwang and Deputy Commander Xu eating on one side, and Chief Zhang and Wang Wulang coming to eat in person on the other side.

That's why Yuan Baocun was jumping up and down.

But there was nothing Wang Shuyong could do. He just felt bored and he just didn’t like this kind of thing.

In fact, he himself may not have realized that ever since Xu Shiying started working at the bank, he has gradually lost the mentality to confront the other party. They confronted each other in terms of cultivation when he was a teenager, in terms of underworld business when he was young, and in terms of military achievements after joining the army. Until now, he has gradually lost that enthusiasm.

It’s not that life has worn down my edges, or that I feel I can’t catch up and so I give in.

But he had never thought about competing with the other party in that field. Moreover, there were too many heroes in the Chulong Gang. Even though he and Xu Dalang were still important figures, they could not only focus on the other party.

You know, no matter whether it is a border county or a small county, Youzhou has so many counties that there are nearly thirty counties in the whole of Hebei, and there are fifteen large counties in the east and Huaibei. If Dengzhou is divided into the original three counties, there will be almost fifty counties, not to mention Jinbei and Huainan which nominally surrendered.

Before, everyone was nervous that Chief Zhang was not taking any action, thinking that he was just dragging his feet, but now, they feel that he is moving too fast to be scary.

Thinking of this, Wang Wulang, who had been anxious, calmed down inexplicably, and even felt a little guilty... What was the difference between the situation of the Chulong Gang and Dongqi? And according to his position in the gang, wouldn't he be comparable to those famous Dongqi generals who were passed down by word of mouth in his hometown?

Can a man who is a local smuggler and sells salt be considered a famous general?

His heart was churning, but he showed no emotion on his face. After a moment, Wang Wulang was fully armed, carrying a bow and holding a sword, and he stood on the south palace wall with Chief Zhang to watch the sparkling Sanggan River.

He looks like a famous general.

After a while, the sparkling section of the Sanggan River was not just the one south of Linsang Palace. Looking from afar, on the other side of the river downstream, torches were connected into a piece, and that section of the Sanggan River looked like a sea of ​​fire, which further strengthened the army's momentum.

It was obvious that they had successfully crossed the river and were organizing their troops.

"Chief, do you want me to go?" Niu He suddenly said. "They don't have any experts. One strike would be enough to dampen their morale. It might even have a miraculous effect."

"It's not impossible, but it's not necessary." Zhang Xing thought for a moment and shook his head. "Those who are still following Luo Shu at this time will always feel angry. Tiring them out all night and letting them try their best, but in the end they still can't succeed, so that they can get rid of their anger and gather it together."

Niu He stopped talking, and the others also stopped talking, they just came to watch.

Then, seeing that the well-prepared cavalry was heading south, he let the soldiers rest on the spot.

On the other side, the Youzhou army crossed the river, mostly cavalry. Although there were only four or five thousand cavalry, they were as unstoppable as a fire dragon... The Longhuo City, more than 20 miles away, was taken away in just half an hour under the tactical maneuvers of the cavalry, even at night.

This seemed to be exactly what Luo Shu was counting on for this night attack.

The Chulong Army was short of horses, and their nighttime mobility was even inferior to that of the Youzhou Army's cavalry. In this case, their garrison troops scattered along the logistics line could easily be ambushed by the relatively larger number of cavalry.

However, after only a quarter of an hour, the local Lin Liu suddenly realized that the route was wrong. He immediately rode his horse to catch up with Luo Shu in front and said, "General, this is not the way to Longhuo City!"

"I know." Luo Shu replied with a disdainful look. "Longhuo City is only 25 miles away from Youzhou City. They must have been prepared long ago, and the support must have been on the way... We will definitely lose if we fight!"

"Then where are we going?" Lin Liu rode his horse non-stop, trying to keep up.

"Go to Gu'an! Go to our hometown! Go to settle accounts with our old brother Zhang Gongshen!" Luo Shu gritted his teeth, and by the end, he was already roaring.

Lin Liu was behind, still trying to ride his horse hard to catch up, but he was already a little dazed... He partially agreed with this action. From a military point of view, since they wanted to take advantage of the cavalry, there would be no problem in attacking Gu'an, the farthest place. But Zhang Gongshen was there, so was fratricide inevitable?
Moreover, Gu'an is the southernmost stronghold of the Chulong Army in Youzhou. A distance of one hundred miles is already the limit. If it fails, can they still retreat?
More importantly, even if they retreated, what if it was already daybreak? Would they be able to escape with their families calmly? To be more direct, their families would start to gather at the top of the city at four o'clock in the morning. If they could not go back, what would they do?

Knowing that the last unit of the Youzhou army was attacking from a hundred miles away, would the Chulong army go straight into the city?
Although they were in a panic, the army was moving forward like a dragon. After gathering on the official road, their speed was even faster. Lin Liu, who was caught in the crowd, had no space to move. After an hour, they ran fifty miles in one breath and began to rest on the spot.

At this time, Lin Liu also dismounted to rest, but he couldn't help feeling nervous.

Luo Shu saw this scene and suddenly laughed: "Sixth Brother, are you worried about your family?"

Lin Liu was startled, and quickly bowed his head and admitted: "Yes, we all left... If we go to Longhuo City, which is so close, the Chulong Army will definitely come to rescue us and will not be able to take care of the city. But if they find out that we went to Gu'an, what if they take the opportunity to attack the city?"

"They won't enter the city." Luo Shu sat there and sneered. "Youzhou City is so big that entering the city at night will definitely cause chaos. The key is that since Zhang Xing came to Linsang Palace, I know that he doesn't take me seriously at all. He has long regarded Youzhou City as his own, so he won't care at all for the time being... He will only enter the city tomorrow during the day!"

"But now that we've entered the city..."

"Don't worry, I'll be ready when I come." Luo Shu sighed. "At three o'clock in the morning, someone will go to gather our brothers' families... If we haven't returned by four o'clock, they will flee the city and take shelter in the east, or even go directly to the sea to the north... Lao Liu, be prepared. If this attack fails and cannot force Zhang Xing to withdraw, we will also abandon the army and go to the north."

"Going to the north to meet that Li Shu again?" Lin Liu smiled bitterly, his heart beating wildly.

"Although it's embarrassing, it's the only way."

"But why not just go? You can also bring some soldiers with you?"

Luo Shu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "If I don't hit the Dragon Destroyer, I'm afraid I won't have the courage to fight him again in the future. Then won't the hatred for my son's murder be hidden in my heart for the rest of my life?"

Lin Liu sighed in his heart, and then he thought of something, and reminded him seriously: "Brother, the Wei family's daughter is your daughter-in-law after all... This time, whether we can go back or wait until we get on the boat, let her go!"

Luo Shu immediately said, "If there is a grandson, he is also my grandson! How can I let him go?"

Lin Liu sighed, as if feeling embarrassed, and stood up: "I'll go see how many people are left behind."

Luo Shu knew that the atmosphere was awkward, so he let the other party go.

Lin Liu took advantage of the other party's misfortune to leave the central army, and without hesitation, he went to the chaotic army to find the brothers he had made an appointment with.

The first person he met was Oda.

"Sixth brother." Oda, sweating profusely, was also obviously frightened. "Where are we going? Not only me, but everyone in the army is confused."

"Go to Gu'an." Lin Liu whispered, and took advantage of the surrounding soldiers' noise to directly inform Luo Shu about the arrangements for his family, and then gave the order. "Xiaotian, I'm in the central army, and I can't walk around. I give you two tasks. First, try to find all the brothers. When you are on the road, let them go one by one. If they go separately, turn around and go back, and act according to the plan; second, after delivering the message, you will leave immediately, go secretly, and go back with a dozen riders first... Return to the city, first go to find the family, including the daughter of the Wei family, under the order of the general manager, and don't let them be taken away. When the brothers meet up, leave quickly and go together."

Oda took a breath and without thinking too much, he immediately turned around to look for someone.

Lin Liu looked at the other person's back disappearing behind the warhorse, was stunned for a moment, and then turned around.

A quarter of an hour later, the troops began to prepare again... but this time, it was obviously much slower. The troops had not been fully prepared for a long time, and some sergeants even came to ask where they were going.

It was at this time that the accident happened.

"Where's Xiaotian?" Luo Shu, who had remounted his horse, looked livid. "Let Xiaotian come and take two teams to patrol and enforce military law!"

Naturally, there were scouts going to look for Luo Shu's confidant, Deputy General Oda, one of the remaining eleven riders of the Yanyun Eighteen.

But they didn't find it.

"What's the point of not finding it?" Luo Shu couldn't help but narrowed his eyes.

"Brother!" Lin Liu, who was standing beside him, suddenly reminded him in a low voice. "If you can't find it, forget it. Don't make it public."

Luo Shu sighed, grinned for a moment on his horse, looked to the south and to the north, and could only purse his lips.

The troops finally set out.

After walking for less than a quarter of an hour, a scout suddenly came to report that two troops were stuck at the intersection behind them, causing the troops to be disconnected and unable to keep up.

"Whose soldiers are they?" Luo Shu was already panicking at this time, and he reined his horse in and stopped by the side of the road.

"It's from Deputy General Sun and Sima Zhao." The scout answered immediately.

Deputy General Sun and General Zhao were naturally both from the Eighteen Riders.

Luo Shu's eyelids twitched, and he asked sternly, "Where are Xiao Sun and Lao Zhao? Why don't they restrain themselves?"

"Those people said that General Sun suddenly turned around with a dozen riders and went back through the fields by the roadside. They wanted to turn around and chase him, but they didn't. Instead, they ran into the troops behind." The scouts also became nervous.

Luo Shu was struck by lightning... This time, he couldn't deceive himself no matter what. Someone had indeed defected.

But the problem is, just like pretending to be confused and not looking for Xiaotian just now, how can I deal with it now? Aren’t these people my minions and confidants? Who can I use to catch them? Who can I trust?
Go alone? Wouldn't it be like abandoning the entire army?

"Sixth Brother, tell me, if I insist on going south, won't I be the only one left when I arrive at Gu'an like Xue Changxiong?" After realizing this, Luo Shu turned his head and looked at the most senior confidant of the central army beside him.

"No." Lin Liu sighed. "Because no one will take the initiative to cut off Big Brother's bridge... Big Brother, at this point, I ask you not to pursue anything. They just didn't know Big Brother's arrangement and fled in panic."

Luo Shu kept silent, but the corners of his mouth twitched, as if he was angry, but also as if he was mocking.

"Brother!" Seeing this, Lin Liu jumped off his horse and hugged Luo Shu's thigh. "If this fails, let's consider it a defeat and turn around!"

"Turn back to the city?"

"Let's not go back, let's just go around the city." Lin Liu said. "If we can't succeed here, we'll just be a piece of meat in the mouths of the Dragon Destroying Army if we go back to the city, so let's just run away."

"Wouldn't that be running away without a fight?" Luo Shu sneered. "No, I've already said, regardless of victory or defeat, if I can't hit the Dragon Destroyer, it would be worse than death!"

"That……"

"But you're right. If we don't turn back, I'm afraid everyone on the road will run away." Luo Shu turned very quickly as usual. "Then let's go, turn back, cross the Youzhou Bridge, and attack Linsang Palace. This will also provide cover for the family members to come out!"

Lin Liu had no choice but to respond.

Soon, the troops stopped again, reorganized, appointed a temporary general, and said they would turn around and return to the city. This made many people feel relieved because everyone thought they were just returning to the city.

Just like that, at the second watch, the entire Youzhou army suddenly turned back, and headed towards the Youzhou Bridge with torches in hand.

This made everyone in Linsang Palace stunned:
"What are you doing? Coming back in a circle?"

"Who knows? If there is a breakup, why don't you return to the city?"

"You can't be planning to attack Linsang Palace, right? You just lured the tiger away from the mountain, and you think we sent a lot of soldiers to support them?"

"That does make some sense."

Everyone was talking about it, but no one suggested any countermeasures... because the countermeasures had already been arranged half an hour ago.

When Luo Shu arrived at Youzhou Bridge, the vanguard troops had already retreated in a panic and were hesitant to move forward. When he looked carefully, he saw that the bridge was full of torches, illuminating it as bright as day. At the other end of the stone bridge, which was over a hundred steps wide, there was a knight in black armor, riding a strange spotted dragon horse, lying across the middle of the bridge.

On the other side of the bridge, on the open space below the city, two or three hundred White Cavalrymen of the Qulong Army were lined up calmly.

The knight saw the man coming and raised his gun to him: "Uncle, you are at the end of your rope now, why don't you surrender early? I can also explain to my mother."

After realizing who it was, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes and roared in anger, "Little bastard! If you hadn't injured your cousin in the battle, how could he have died?"

Having said that, he rode straight onto the bridge.

Qin Bao was helpless when he saw this, so he also opened the big iron spear in his hand, and the two of them fought on the bridge.

Frankly speaking, Luo Shu was a veteran and good at making pills, and could even be considered a half-genius in cultivation, but Qin Er's true Qi was too restrained to allow him to condense and form pills normally. The spear flipped over, and every time the weapons collided, Luo Shu's arm felt numb.

The two sides were fighting back and forth on the bridge.

That's enough.

The fighting on the bridge ahead continued, and many of the remaining eleven riders in the back were worried about their families, so they took the opportunity to evacuate. Most of them braved the night, abandoned their armor and rode their horses across the river from downstream, and headed for the city, which was obviously in chaos.

Unknowingly, the last main force of the Youzhou army behind the bridge had been drained of its skeleton, but they were completely unaware.

At this time, in Longhuo City, after Xu Shiren and Jia Yue discussed, Xu Shiren's reinforcements defended the city, but Jia Yue led his Northern Straight Blade Battalion and rushed out of the city directly.

The battle broke out suddenly, and it was a chaotic fight.

On both sides of the Sanggan River, the north bank from the city wall to Linsang Palace was brightly lit, while on the south bank the sounds of shouting and killing were deafening.

A quarter of an hour after the shouting and screaming began, two groups of people, one from the northwest and one from the northeast, saw this scene from afar, but their reactions were different.

The people coming from the northwest were a cavalry team of four to five hundred men. When they saw this scene from afar, the two leaders were surprised while the other was delighted.

"Lao Gao! Your profit has come!" Hou Junshu was overjoyed. "Luo Shu will surely be defeated. You go over here this time, hand over your troops and go with me to Linsang Palace to see the chief. On the one hand, you have surrendered before the city was broken, and on the other hand, you can take advantage of the situation to fight and gain merit. Wouldn't that help you gain a foothold?"

"The situation of the war is unclear. Don't we need to wait and see?" Deputy General Gao sounded a little uneasy.

"Wait and see!" Hou Junshu was disappointed. "Are you going to be behind even in surrender? Or do you think Luo Shu has a chance to turn the tables?"

Deputy General Gao finally became dignified.

On the other side, there were not many people coming from the Northeast, but almost everyone looked suspicious. On the contrary, the two leaders in the front, one was frightened and the other was laughing.

The one who was frightened was Yuan Baocun, who had followed the others to persuade them to surrender, and the one who was laughing was Lu Sidao, the man whom the people of Youzhou admired.

Lu Sidao, who was dressed in a Taoist robe, finished laughing, then reined in his horse and looked back at the people behind him: "Everyone, you are lucky. When you encounter something like this, you can go directly to protect Chief Zhang. Tomorrow you can help Chief Zhang enter Youzhou City to tidy up the city. Let nature take its course, isn't it wonderful? You must know that if you are late for one day, you will really be punished. Even if you escape the punishment, you can't save yourself the embarrassment of surrendering... Go quickly, go quickly."

When Yuan Baocun heard this, he nodded quickly: "That's right, go quickly."

Everyone was in doubt, but after being pushed by Lu Sidao, they plucked up their courage and rode their horses forward. Some of them who had achieved great accomplishments even jumped up and rushed forward.

Not to mention those who went there first, the people behind hurried to Linsang Palace, and seeing that there was no weapon at all, they were secretly happy that they had made the right choice. Then they were summoned again and followed Lu Sidao and Yuan Baocun to stand on the north wall of Linsang Palace.

Seeing Chief Zhang, the latter was fully armed and just waved: "Mr. Lu, come quickly, come quickly, and watch the children defeat the enemy."

Lu Sidao felt relieved and led a group of surrendered people forward. He looked down from above, but he was also shocked and speechless.

It was the end of the month at this time, and there was no moonlight, only late spring and summer, the stars were shining brightly, torches were lit in the fields below, and the bridge was full of lights. The most surprising thing was the water of the Sanggan River, which reflected the starlight, the firelight, and the true energy glow. From the perspective of Linsang Palace, it seemed that the entire world was reflected in it.

It's really dazzling.

This scene did not last too long. After waiting for a while, Xu Shiren's troops in Longhuo City had rested well. Without hesitation, the entire camp abandoned the city and went to fight... In this battle, the last unit of the Youzhou Army on the south bank of the Sanggan River was immediately defeated and everyone fled for their lives.

Luo Shu was frightened and gave up Qin Bao. He tried to jump up and tried to go into the city. Unexpectedly, just when he reached the top of the air, an arrow wrapped in Duanjiang Qi shot directly at him, knocking him down from the air and directly into the river.

Zhang Xing saw this and turned to look at Niu He: "Mr. Niu, there is no need to delay any longer. Please take action to end this."

Niu He was not in a hurry and asked seriously: "Does the chief want to live or die?"

"Even if we capture him alive, we will kill him and hang his head for public display." Zhang Xing replied simply.

Niu He nodded, and flew into the air. The immortal energy under his feet was thick and connected into lines, as if he was riding a dragon.

The surrendered people around were stunned, and then they realized that the rumors were true.

At this point, Zhang Xing was finally too lazy to look any further. After having his men send the surrendered people from Youzhou City back to pacify the area, he went to take off his armor and have a rest.

At this moment, somewhere in the east of the city, ten strong men gathered next to a group of women and children. They waited for a while, but when they saw the noise by the river gradually died down, they finally gave up.

One of them also spoke up: "It seems that the Sixth Brother will not come. He has already intended to pay for that guy's life... We have to send our family away first... Where to go?"

The others looked gloomy, but they could only grit their teeth and think.

Among them, the youngest, Xiaotian, gritted his teeth, bowed his head and gave a suggestion: "Brothers, how about we go to Gu'an?"

The nine people around were silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

There was no other way. In such a big world, it seemed that there was only this one place to go... That was the old place where they had lived for more than ten years. Also, there was a sworn brother there who might be their only living one who they could rely on.

Time was of the essence, and with the help of starlight, the ten men organized their families and crossed a floating bridge downstream, heading overnight to Gu'an, a place that Luo Shu had wanted to go to but had been unable to reach before.

At this time, Zhang Xing had just taken off his armor and was wiping his face. Listening to all the noises outside praising the great victory, he suddenly remembered something - where did the two women he and Qin Er rescued on the way when he first met Luo Shu in northern Shanxi go?
Did you survive?

Has this trance lasted six or seven years?