Chapter 205
With Wang Lang's departure, he likely took with him his personal guards, estimated at around three thousand. To be on the safe side, Yao Chunnuan needed to bring at least five thousand elite troops to pursue and block the enemy. However, the most elite had been dispatched to Jiaozhou to rescue the general. So, if she couldn't find quality, she had to make up for it with quantity. Therefore, she needed to bring at least ten thousand soldiers.
In the Yichun military camp, a soldier heard that it was Lord Yao who was recruiting troops and immediately stepped forward to inquire the reason.
The people who came did not hide the reason. When someone asked them, they told them.
After hearing the reason, the soldiers signed up in indignation.
Moreover, the news spread quickly, and everyone in the military camp was like a chicken with its blood pumped up, and signed up enthusiastically.
“We want to sign up too.”
"Our team has to report too!"
The young captain who came to deliver the order was dumbfounded. He took a quick look and saw that many of those who had signed up were from the labor service in the northern area of the Yichun military settlement...
The captain was still struggling, "No, Lord Yao wants to pursue that thief Wang Lang, and he needs to select the best troops..."
"You mean, I'm not an elite? Come on, let's have a fight."
The young captain knew that the opponent's skills were not inferior to his own, but you were so elite. Why didn't you go when they selected elite soldiers to search and rescue the general last time?
Faced with his question, the other party smiled and said nothing.
Too many people have volunteered, and every soldier wants to fight for Lord Yao.
This matter finally came to the attention of several generals and Yao Chunnuan.
At this moment, news of victory from Houcheng arrived, and the generals' eyes lit up.
Someone cleverly said, "Master Yao, we can definitely catch rabbits by raking grass."
After being reminded by him, everyone felt excited and looked at Yao Chunnuan.
A young general suggested, "Master Yao, send out the troops!"
Chief Steward Wu also nodded and said, "Today's incident proves that the army's morale is strong. Lord Yao, how about you be the commander-in-chief this time, leading us west out of Youzhou and conquering the Central Plains?!"
Yao Chunnuan gladly accepted the order, "Okay." Chasing Wang Lang and heading west to Youzhou didn't conflict, did they? They had been fighting a defensive battle before, so it was time to take the initiative and attack!
"Great!" the soldiers cheered. Previously, they had been suppressed and mostly fought counterattacks, but now they were finally going to take the initiative!
Yao Chunnuan watched the scene with a smile. The series of victories had boosted morale, and it was time to seize the opportunity. Now, with everyone united, great things could be accomplished. Furthermore, after Youzhou had defeated Wang Lang's 300,000-man imperial army, the route from Youzhou to Jizhou was now smooth. Jizhou, in particular, had few imperial troops to defend it. This was because Wang Lang's 300,000-man army had also been used to defend Jizhou.
If they do not take what Heaven has given them, they will suffer the consequences. If they make a concerted effort, it will not be a problem for them to take over Jizhou.
"Before that, let me deal with Wang Lang and rescue the child!" Yao Chunnuan said murderously.
Yao Chunnuan led the troops and began the Western Expedition with the assistance of Zhou Yushu, Pan Buyi, Mu Ye, He Xing and others.
Beside the reservoir that the Yichun Corps had blown up, Wang Lang saw the child he had stolen using all the tricks he had buried in Yichun, and was speechless.
"This is not my daughter." Wang Lang had seen his daughter's childhood photo, although only one, but she certainly didn't look like this.
The two tall men were shocked. Did they catch the wrong person?
"Oh no, we've been fooled by this little brat!" The tall man was so angry that he wanted to kill the child.
Wang Lang stopped him and said, "Forget it, keep it. Maybe it will come in handy."
At this moment, Wang Lang's men discovered the presence of pursuers.
As soon as they met, Yao Chunnuan told Wang Lang directly that he should release the child, and she would let these thousands of people leave.
But Wang Lang didn't believe her and wanted to hold the child hostage.
What if they couldn't reach an agreement? Then they had to fight. As everyone knows their own business, Yao Chunnuan simply retreated behind the scenes, handing over the command of the war to Zhou Yushu and others.
The two armies engaged in several fierce battles. Inspired by a greater goal, the soldiers of the Yichun Legion fought with increasing enthusiasm. As one side gained strength, the other gained. Wang Lang's army, already a defeated force, became even more vulnerable after the battle.
In the end, Wang Lang had no choice but to use the child in his hand, "Yao Chunnuan, order your troops to move aside, otherwise I will kill him!"
Qi Yingshan's face was tense and he stared at Qi Yu intently.
After Yao Chunnuan ordered the soldiers to make way, he said to Wang Lang coldly, "The child in your hand took the blame for Xiaoxi. If you want your daughter to regret it for the rest of her life, then do this!"
Wang Lang was stunned for a moment.
Xiao Jieming finally took advantage of the situation and took the child back at the cost of a knife in the abdomen, then apologized. Yao Chunnuan had no choice but to ask a doctor to treat his wound.
Without the hostages in his hands, Wang Lang no longer had to worry about the attack of the Yichun Legion. Before long, his three thousand personal soldiers were annihilated, and he himself was captured alive.
Yao Chunnuan slapped Wang Lang in the face. "Wang Lang, didn't I tell you that my daughter has nothing to do with you? Are you a beast? Is that why you don't understand me? Back when we were exiled, who was it that risked the life of his unborn daughter to save his niece? And who signed the contract to sever ties? Can you have a sense of contract?"
Wang Lang was slapped by her until the corner of his mouth bled. "Yao Xi is my daughter. I just want to see her, isn't that okay?"
"Did you really just want to see her? If you had any fatherly manners, you wouldn't have kidnapped your daughter! You kidnapped her so she could follow you, right? You want your daughter to live a life of wandering with you? You're truly unworthy of being a father!"
Wang Lang: "A temporary hardship is nothing. I may not be as good as you now, but I may not be in the future. She is my only daughter, and I will pass everything on to her. You may not..."
Yao Chunnuan interrupted him, "What good is it for my daughter to follow a loser like you? Are you going to pass on your experience of failure to her?"
Wang Lang's pupils shrank slightly. Yao Chunnuan's mouth was really poisonous.
"Wang Lang, do you know where you failed the most?"
"You're not a determined person. You easily lose yourself and never forget your primary goal. For example, this time, you clearly had the opportunity to take your 3,000 personal soldiers and leave Youzhou and Daliang. With your family background, you could have established yourself anywhere. That was your plan, right? But you've fallen into your old habit again! At this moment, you still want to take your daughter with you! You're easily greedy. You don't have the ability, but you want everything! In the end, you'll end up with nothing."
Yao Chunnuan could see from his journey that he initially wanted to protect his family, then later planned to hide in the Yichun military settlement, managing his own affairs and waiting for an opportunity. But the birth of Yao Xi caused him to change his mind and flee the Yichun military settlement. Later, for power, he married Lei Qian, putting his daughter aside. She didn't want to talk about what happened later.
After listening to Yao Chunnuan's comments, Wang Lang was stunned, as if struck by lightning. Was this the reason for his failure?
Finally, Wang Lang softly asked Yao Chunnuan, "You won't let me go, will you?"
Yao Chunnuan sighed, "Wang Lang, for the sake of our daughter, I gave you chances more than once, but you didn't cherish them. However, there's no such thing as a third time..."
Wang Lang pulled the corners of his mouth, revealing an ugly smile, and then slowly retreated to the edge of the cliff.
Bows and arrows were pointed at him, and everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
"My daughter, please." After saying this, Wang Lang finally leaned back and fell off the cliff. This was the only thing he could do for his daughter...
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Wang Lang did this.
Yao Chunnuan watched silently for a while before saying, "Send a small team down the cliff to help collect the remains."
“Here!”
Sili, the Imperial City
"Your Majesty, we were defeated on the Youzhou battlefield! In the final battle, Yichun directly persuaded over 80,000 soldiers to surrender."
In an instant, the bad news was like a thunderclap, striking the new emperor hard on the head and scaring him to death.
The new emperor felt a blackout before his eyes and felt an unbearable pain in his chest.
"Wang Lang has misled me!" the new emperor said hatefully.
The imperial court was already weakened, and these 80,000-plus soldiers were crucial to the court. He issued numerous instructions and secret orders, even promising in the last secret letter to pardon his crimes on the Youzhou battlefield. But how did Wang Lang repay him?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Finally, the new emperor couldn't help but scream and spit out a mouthful of black blood, then fell unconscious to the ground. The palace was suddenly in chaos.
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