Emperor: When will the Seventh Prince rebel? I will open the city gates to welcome him.

Hongxuan brought 5,000 soldiers from the northern border and took eight days to reach his destination.

Ezhou,

Hongxuan did not go to Xiangzhou.

He set Ezhou as the destination of this trip.

Even if we want to attack Yunzhou, we must first completely control Ezhou.

Whether it is the Dafeng Kingdom or the previous dynasty,

Ezhou is a place that military strategists must fight for, and Ezhou is also the center of the entire land territory of Dafeng State.

Hongxuan is leading his troops from the northern border, and the rebels in Yunzhou will definitely set up a heavy ambush in Xiangzhou as soon as possible.

No matter what the attitude of the Xiangzhou Governor is.

The fact that there was no war in Xiangzhou is enough to explain everything.

Xiangzhou is of vital importance to Yunzhou. If the rebel bandits want to gain a foothold, they must occupy Xiangzhou.

I won’t go to Xiangzhou because there is no war and nothing else matters.

If Zhenbei Wang Hongxuan led his troops to Xiangzhou,

Using Xiangzhou to attack Yunzhou,

Hongxuan's ending was to be made into a dumpling by the Yunzhou Army.

Even if five thousand men had powerful composite crossbows, they were no match for the hundreds of thousands of Yunzhou rebels.

"Jin Farin, you give the order, prepare the composite crossbow in your hand, turn on the safety switch, and load the crossbow with arrows! Get ready for battle."

Jin Farin showed a look of astonishment.

"King of Zhenbei! I know the current terrain and position. The troops have not yet reached Xiangzhou. Why are you preparing your weapons now?"

“This place is close to Ezhou”

Tang Tianyou said to Brigade Commander Jin Falin:

"My king! We are actually attacking Ezhou! Only by using Ezhou as a strategic base can we eliminate the Yunzhou rebels!"

"There is no other way! If I take you to Xiangzhou now, the end result will be death!"

Jin Farin showed a horrified expression:

"King of Zhenbei! Are you saying that Xiangzhou has set up a trap and is waiting for us to be caught?"

Hongxuan nodded:

"Even a child knows that if we want to attack Yunzhou, we must seize strategic locations. If we send troops from Xiangzhou, the enemy will definitely think that I will go to Xiangzhou to seize military and political power."

"But I know that the enemy rebel strategist who will use the emperor to control the princes will definitely deploy heavy troops in the Xiangzhou Provincial Administration Office. If I take you there, you will enter the pocket formation set up by that person."

This is how Hongxuan explained it.

Brigadier General Jin Falin and the five thousand soldiers all understood.

As for why they need to prepare for battle, it is because the current situation is extremely unfavorable to the Dafeng Kingdom, and the idea of ​​Dafeng's national demise is constantly fermenting.

Only Zhao Shixiu, the governor of Ezhou, knew what he was thinking at this time.

If Hongxuan were asked to gamble that Zhao Shixiu had no second thoughts about Dafeng and was loyal to the country, Hongxuan would not take the gamble.

The 5,000 troops led by Hong Xuan were fully prepared.

Five thousand soldiers approached Ezhou City.

"All soldiers! Line up neatly, with company commanders as your units, and discipline your soldiers! I demand that before the battle, the formation of the troops must not be messed up!"

"Follow the order!"

Under Hongxuan's command, five thousand crossbowmen marched in an orderly and mighty manner towards Ezhou City.

The Ezhou soldiers guarding the city had never seen an army with such neat formation.

Jin Farin led a cavalry squad of ten men and rushed forward, shouting:

"The King of Zhenbei has arrived! In compliance with His Majesty's order, I have taken over the military and political power of Ezhou! Anyone who resists or disobeys will be killed without mercy!"

"Anyone who resists or disobeys will be killed without mercy!"

Jin Falin led a cavalry team of ten people and did not respond to the city gate guards and people.

This was the task that Zhenbei King Hongxuan had previously assigned to Brigade Commander Jin Falin.

We must seize control of the gate before the defenders at Ezhou gate can react.

The King of Zhenbei was dressed in a gorgeous dragon robe, which showed his noble status.

The five thousand soldiers led by Zhenbei King Hongxuan, wearing the most elite armor, slowly passed through the gate of Ezhou City.

The soldiers guarding the city all lay prostrate on the ground, no one dared to act rashly.

In fact, Hongxuan could use flying claws to seize the city gate at night, but in doing so, his prestige as the King of Zhenbei would be gone.

Therefore, Hongxuan must capture the city gate during the day.

Jin Falin shouted at the soldiers guarding the city:

"All Ezhou troops, listen up! The defense of Ezhou City is now being taken over by the Zhenbei Prince's personal guards. Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed!"

All the Ezhou defenders were replaced by Jin Falin and were guarded by King Zhenbei's men.

Jin Falin, who had just taken over the defense of the city gate, ordered his subordinates to raise the suspension bridge outside Ezhou City, and all the city walls and towers were replaced by his subordinates.

that's it.

Hongxuan completely controlled the city gate of Ezhou without any soldiers.

The soldiers guarding the city quickly informed Zhao Shixiu, the governor of Ezhou.

Ezhou City, Zhao Mansion.

Zhao Mansion was the residence of the Governor Zhao Shixiu.

Today he is hosting a banquet for an important guest, and this guest is Ma Guowen, a lobbyist from Yunzhou and a strategist sent by Zhang Fangliang.

Ma Guowen is a man of great eloquence and is a counsellor that Zhang Fangliang relies on very much.

So this time the task of lobbying Ezhou Governor Zhao Shixiu was given to him.

"Zhao, the governor! You just need to follow the military advisor's instructions and guard the ferry. If the King of Zhenbei dares to come to Xiangzhou, the military advisor will make sure he is killed without a burial place."

"The military advisor has already set up a net of heaven and earth in Xiangzhou. The luck of Dafeng Kingdom has run out. As long as we kill the King of Zhenbei, Hongxuan, there will be no chance for Dafeng Kingdom to recover."

Zhao Shixiu relaxed his brows and no longer hesitated.

"Okay! I promised Lord Ma that you will report to Military Advisor Zhang and I will act according to the plan. However, if you don't see the King of Zhenbei fleeing to Ezhou at the ferry, you can't blame me!"

Ma Guowen laughed and said:

"If the King of Zhenbei didn't escape to the ferry, it means that this short-lived prince has died in Xiangzhou. Isn't that a good thing?"

Just now.

The gate of Zhao's mansion was pushed open by the city defense soldiers. The soldiers, with anxious faces, finally found the governor Zhao Shixiu.

"Well, how dare you! What are you panicking about?"

"Can't you see I'm entertaining guests?"

"Governor! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhao Shixiu's heart trembled.

"Speak clearly! Something terrible has happened!"

The soldier guarding the city took a breath and said:

"The Provincial Administration Office has been controlled by the King of Zhenbei! The gates of Ezhou have been controlled by the King of Zhenbei's personal guards."

Zhao Shixiu's face changed drastically, and Ma Guowen beside him turned pale!

Ma Guowen looked at the soldiers guarding the city in horror and said:

"How many soldiers did the King of Zhenbei bring?"

The soldiers guarding the city glanced at him and ignored him, wondering, who are you?

Ma Guowen looked at the soldiers guarding the city and said:

"How many soldiers did the King of Zhenbei bring?"

The soldiers guarding the city said: "There are less than 10,000 people, but their momentum is unstoppable!"

Ma Guowen shouted, "Quickly gather the troops! Surround and kill the King of Zhenbei!"

"Snapped!"

Zhao Shixiu slapped Ma Guowen, the lobbyist who was not afraid of trouble, directly in the face.