My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 250 The Great Wei Dynasty Produces a Plenty of Runaway Generals
Inside Hulao Pass.

Erzhu Shilong looked at the disheveled Fei Mu with astonishment, especially when he heard Fei Mu say that he had been ambushed and wiped out by the Southern Liang army north of Xingyang City. His jaw almost dropped to the ground.

"Is this true? The Southern Liang army has already reached the outskirts of Xingyang?"

He no longer cared about investigating Fei Mu's act of leading troops back to reinforce without imperial orders.

The speed at which the Southern Liang army arrived was truly astonishing.

"Damn it! Are all the guards along the way incompetent bastards?!"

Erzhu Shilong hurriedly summoned his generals to discuss the matter and planned to send someone to Xingyang to gather information. His personal guards had not yet left Hulao Pass.

The guards then brought several disheveled and wretched men to meet Erzhu Shilong.

"General! General! Xingyang City has fallen!"

"What??"

Erzhu Shilong, Fei Mu, and the others were stunned and remained speechless for a long time.

This news is absolutely shocking!

In other words, the fortified city of Xingyang was captured by the rebels in just one night.
"Damn it, Xingyang's defenses are so strong, how could it have fallen so easily? Could there be a rebel accomplice within the city?"

These guards of Yang Yu looked at Fei Mu with strange expressions and told him the truth: "General Fei, your guards came with your seal to deliver a message that you would lead troops into the city tonight. Who would have thought that the rebels would be wearing our armor and flying our flags? We were caught off guard and the rebels took over the city gate."

Fei Mu was speechless.

So focused on escaping in their terrified state, they forgot about this important matter.

Seeing the suspicious looks from everyone, Fei Mu was now completely speechless and unable to defend himself.

"Okay!"

Erzhu Shilong said sternly, "I knew the enemy army was advancing so fast! You should have followed the King of Shangdang to Shandong to suppress the rebels, but now you've led your troops here alone. So it was you who led the rebels here?"

"Guards! Seize this traitor!"

"I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"

However... things have come to this.

No matter how Fei Mu tried to explain, no one would believe him anymore, and he could only be dragged away by Erzhu Shilong's personal guards.

Erzhu Shilong, fully aware of the gravity of the situation, immediately summoned his personal guards. "Go! Without rest, quickly send the news of Xingyang's fall to Jinyang and inform the Prime Minister!"

He then summoned several brave men and ordered, "Go! Quickly go to Xingyang City to gather information."

Finally, he ordered someone to relay the message: "All troops are on high alert, ready to meet the enemy at any time!"

After making all the necessary preparations, Erzhu Shilong waited for news.

It wasn't until sunset that the scouts he had sent out to gather information gradually returned to Hulao Pass.

But it brought him even more shocking news!
"General... Xingyang City has indeed fallen."

What is the enemy's situation?

"The enemy seems to be resting and has no intention of launching an attack for the time being."

Upon hearing this news, Erzhu Shilong breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately asked, "How many enemy troops are there?"

The scouts exchanged glances and then stammered their reply.

"According to the information we have gathered... the enemy forces inside and outside Xingyang City are said to number 150,000, and we have also obtained other information."

"What news? Just tell us! What are you waiting for at a time like this?!"

"We have heard that Xing Gao of Shandong has submitted a memorial to Jiankang to surrender, and the emperor of Southern Liang has enfeoffed him as the Prince of Gaoyang. Xing Gao has led his troops, which he claims to have 100,000 men, to join the enemy army. In addition... it seems that Southern Liang has also sent a reinforcement army, which has already arrived at Daliang City, and also claims to have 50,000 men."

"You mean..."

Erzhu Shilong felt a sudden dizziness before his eyes and almost lost his balance, stumbling and falling to the ground.

His head was buzzing.

These are all his trusted confidants; there's no reason for them to deceive him.

In other words, the army that came to capture Luoyang this time would have a total of 300,000 men.
Even if this number is inflated, if we cut off half of the unqualified people, it would still be 150,000!

He stationed troops at Hulao Pass, claiming to have 20,000 men, but in reality, he only had about 4,000 men capable of fighting.

Even though Hulao Pass was a formidable pass that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, it was still difficult to resist given such a huge disparity in numbers.

Erzhu Shilong was terrified, his face pale with worry, and he muttered involuntarily, "What should we do? What should we do?"

"No! We have too few soldiers; how can we let them be wasted here?"

Erzhu Shilong no longer wanted to wait for Erzhu Rong's military orders; he had no time left. The Southern Liang army was clearly ready to attack Hulao Pass once it had assembled.

wrong.

The Southern Liang army didn't need to wait for the army that arrived later.

"If war breaks out, it will be too late to run away."

at night.

Erzhu Shilong led his two thousand men out of Hulao Pass under the cover of night, claiming that His Majesty had issued an edict ordering him to return to Luoyang. He also made sure to bring Fei Mu along.

When Fei Mu saw Erzhu Shilong trying to leave with his men under the cover of night, he was completely dumbfounded.

"General, General, Hulao Pass is the last gateway to Luoyang to the east. How can such a formidable pass be easily handed over to the enemy?"

"Shut up! Someone, make him shut up!"

"Erzhu Shilong! You incompetent fool, you've brought disaster to the country and its people... Waaah!"

Fei Mu's face was full of grief and indignation, but his mouth was stuffed with cloth and his hands were bound. He had no way to vent his grief and indignation, so he could only look up at the starry sky, tears streaming down his face.

........................

At the foot of Beiman Mountain.

Despite the scorching sun, the atmosphere inside the parade ground was incredibly lively.

"When you fire a gun, you must be steady, accurate, and ruthless. You must shout loudly every time you fire!"

"Speak louder! Haven't you eaten?!"

The child soldiers in the training ground have been basically categorized by Gao Yu. After more than a month of training, they are now in the stage of being taught how to draw their guns, observe the flags, and arrange their formations according to the sound of the drums.

He stopped in front of a child soldier.

The boy had a youthful face, and the downy hair at the corner of his mouth was clearly visible under the sunlight. When he looked at Gao Yu, his eyes were filled with an almost fanatical expression of worship!
Gao Yu simply patted his shoulder, and the boy could feel the envious gazes of his companions on him. He unconsciously puffed out his chest with pride.

Gao Yu waved his hand, ordering someone to bring over a straw man and wooden stake, and took the gun barrel from the boy's hand.

Then let the others move closer.

"Watch closely, everyone. On the battlefield, if you are facing an enemy soldier wearing armor, you must aim your gun at their vital points!"

"When engaging in close combat, shout loudly every time you draw your gun! Boost your momentum to intimidate the enemy. Your eyes are also crucial! Make sure your opponent fears you and dares not fight you head-on!"

"kill!"

Gao Yu personally demonstrated.

He barely paused, thrusting his gun repeatedly, so fast that the child soldiers around him couldn't even keep up with his speed, seeing only a blur.

However... white spots were left on the scarecrow's neck, arms, and face.

And each time he fired a shot.

Gao Yu would roar loudly, his voice as fierce as a tiger awakened in the forest, especially his murderous eyes.

This frightened many of the timid child soldiers, causing them to take several steps back, their legs trembling.

Gao Yu crawled out of a pile of corpses; when his eyes truly revealed a fierce glint, most people couldn't withstand it.

"Come on! Do it the way I demonstrated!"

The child soldier, whether out of fear or excessive excitement, was trembling in the hand gripping the rifle.

However, they also imitated Gao Yu's previous actions in a rather convincing way.

With a ferocious face, he always roared when he drew his gun, which made him look somewhat convincing.

"good."

Gao Yu smiled and praised him.

The young man mustered his courage and asked, "General... will I be able to join the Xuanjia Army in the future and fight alongside you?"

Gao Yu smiled and said, "Anyone can join the Xuanjia Army, as long as you can pass the test!"

This boy had some courage, so Gao Yu asked, "What's your name?"

"General, you may call me Wang Xuan."

Having a name and surname suggests that their ancestors may have been a branch of a prominent family, but they have declined in recent years.

Gao Yu didn't delve into it further, but instead offered encouragement.

"Wang Xuan, I'll remember you. Keep up the good work."

"Yes! I will never let the general down!"

Wang Xuan was trembling with excitement, while the other child soldiers looked on with envy.

To personally speak with Gao Yu and have Gao Yu remember your name—what an honor!
After giving a brief explanation, Gao Yu told the others to continue training.

He originally planned to return to his tent to plan how to teach the boys to read in a simple way.

But he had just reached the entrance of the tent.

But then they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats outside the drill ground.

Da Xiwu rushed into the martial arts arena with an anxious expression and came to Gao Yu.

"General, come with me to the palace immediately! There is urgent military information to discuss!"

(End of this chapter)