On the cleared road, a line of cavalry slowly moved forward, led by an exceptionally strong and majestic brown-red horse. On the horse's back was a man dressed in a green robe, with his black hair tied up with a gold-bronze flying sparrow hairpin. He had a very young and eye-catching face.
There was no unusual expression on this eye-catching face at the moment. His hands were holding the reins, and he did not make any threatening movements, but Cao Hongxuan immediately sensed an unspeakable sense of danger.
As the intimidating-looking horse under the other person approached, the horse under him seemed to sense it as well, and became restless and wanted to retreat.
Cao Hongxuan tightened the reins and steadied the horse. He looked intently at the young man who had reined in his horse. He was about to ask the governor of Shenzhou who had retreated to the side, "Who is this person?", but the young man took the initiative to speak -
It was a clear female voice: "Governor Cao is late. I have been waiting here for a long time."
"But why didn't Governor Cao ask for my permission beforehand when he was planning to gather troops to march out of Huainan Road?"
Cao Hongxuan's expression changed when he heard this. He was about to ask "Who do you think you are?" However, the next moment, his expression suddenly changed again: "... Chang Suining?!"
Facing those calm, acquiescent eyes, he suddenly drove his horse back a few steps, looking at the governor of Shenzhou with anger: "Ding Su... How dare you plot against me!"
At this moment, the guards on both sides of him were also shocked when they heard it. They immediately drew their swords and stepped forward to protect Cao Hongxuan.
"Governor Cao..." Governor Shenzhou looked at Cao Hongxuan who was questioning angrily, sighed, and advised: "It's not too late to stop before it's too late."
Cao Hongxuan gritted his teeth and cursed.
This bastard usually calls him "Brother Hongxuan" or "Brother", but now in front of his new master, he calls him Governor Cao! He is afraid of being unable to sever his relationship with him!
Cao Hongxuan gnashed his teeth and said, "You are a despicable villain who turned against us at the last minute!"
"Governor Cao ordered a fake to rush to Jiangdu in an attempt to confuse people. Could he be an upright gentleman?"
Hearing this casual voice, Cao Hongxuan looked over and sneered from behind his teeth: "What about Governor Chang? He openly claimed to have a deadline with us, but secretly sent troops here. Is this another way of doing things that can be seen openly?"
"Why did you come here secretly?" Chang Suining smiled and said, "Every inch of land in Huainan Road is under my jurisdiction. I can come here whenever I want. Governor Cao has no time to go to Jiangdu in person. If you give me what I want, I will come here in person to get it. Is there anything wrong with being considerate of my subordinates in this way?"
The girl's indifferent manner of talking and laughing made Cao Hongxuan feel depressed and his blood boil.
He wanted to pierce him with a spear and didn't want to waste any more words with him, but the other party suddenly appeared here, and Ding Su had changed sides... He always had to react for a moment and check the situation first! While he was talking, his generals behind him quickly retreated to the rear to check the situation around him.
Chang Suining knew that he was stalling for time, so he told him slowly: "Although Governor Cao has great ambitions, it is destined that the Han River cannot be crossed today--"
Cao Hongxuan gripped the reins tightly in his hands, his eyes rolling.
Shepherd's Purse, who was standing behind Chang Suining, urged loudly from his horseback, "It's either surrender or death, choose one!"
"... You are so arrogant!" Cao Hongxuan's eyes were filled with murderous intent, staring at Chang Suining: "I am a descendant of the Li and Cao families. You, a yellow-haired girl who was picked up from somewhere, are worthy of being above me, Cao Hongxuan! The reason I rebelled is because the court and you have bullied me too much! Today, I, Cao, would rather die than surrender!"
"So, I forced you to rebel?" Chang Suining raised his eyebrows slightly: "Then I must guard this place well today, otherwise I will become a sinner for all eternity."
As she spoke, she stretched out her hand to the right: "In this case, I will try to see how capable the governor of Anzhou Cao is and see what he can do to covet the important place of Jingzhou——"
Hao Huan handed over a spear, and Chang Suining took it and put it horizontally at his side. As he rode forward, he shouted, "Spread the word that Chang Suining from Huainan Road has come to quell the rebellion! Those who refuse to surrender will be killed on the spot! Today, no one will be allowed to step foot into the Han River or leave Huainan Road alive!"
"Yes!" All the generals responded in unison.
"Arrogant boy... I'm going to use you as a sacrifice!" Cao Hongxuan took the lance and rode forward.
Chang Suining is so arrogant and dares to lead the troops. It is obvious that he is a competitive person. So, this is an opportunity that comes right to him!
If he could kill this little girl, he could reverse the disadvantage in one fell swoop! The horse lance used by Cao Hongxuan was twice as long as the spear used by Chang Suining. It was made of heavy iron and had a hard and sharp spear head. When he waved it in his hand, it immediately made a whistling sound.
At first glance, the white-handled spear used by Chang Suining seemed vulnerable.
Seeing that the girl who was riding the horse hadn't even drawn her spear, Cao Hongxuan suddenly stabbed with the lance in his hand.
Chang Suining suddenly leaned back and sideways, tightly grasped the reins with his left hand, quickly flipped to the side, stepped on the inner stirrup with one foot, and hung on the side of the horse's back with his waist strength. While avoiding the attack, he did not rein in the horse, but continued to move forward to shorten the distance, bypassed the sharp horse lance, swung the lance with his right hand, and stabbed it diagonally at Cao Hongxuan.
Her movements were extremely fast. At first she had no moves, but she was able to block and attack at the same instant. Moreover, the coordination between her and the horse was excellent, and her movements were swift, which made it almost impossible for Cao Hongxuan, who did not have much battlefield experience, to react.
Although the horse lance is extremely lethal, it is too heavy and much longer than an ordinary spear. It looks powerful when used, but unless one is truly proficient in using this weapon, it is not easy to wield it.
Moreover, its length meant that it was more suitable for long-range combat on horseback. At this moment, as Chang Suining approached, this advantage was largely shattered.
Cao Hongxuan had no choice but to drag the heavy lance and retreat repeatedly to avoid the attack.
At this time, as Chang Suining sat back on the horse, Guiqi rushed forward suddenly and blocked Cao Hongxuan's retreat.
Seeing that the spear was approaching his face again, Cao Hongxuan had no time to retreat, so he quickly clamped his legs around the horse's belly, held the spear horizontally with both hands, and blocked it in front of him.
The long spear actually lifted up his lance from below, and the next moment, the lance suddenly left his hand and flew out.
Cao Hongxuan's hands were suddenly empty, but the tip of the spear did not leave his hand. Instead, it spun quickly and stabbed towards his face.
"My Lord, be careful!"
When Cao Hongxuan's face changed, he didn't care about anything else and leaned back as far as possible to avoid it, so he fell off his horse suddenly.
Even so, his movements were still a little slow, and before he fell, the gun tip pierced his jaw, scraping off a piece of his flesh.
Cao Hongxuan, who was helped up by his subordinates, covered his bleeding jaw and was horrified. If he had been a moment later, the spear would most likely have pierced his throat!
But...it's clearly just two moves!
When his generals saw that the situation was not good, they quickly surrounded him and were now standing in front to provide protection.
Chang Suining had reined in his horse and put away his gun. He looked at Cao Hongxuan, who was being supported by his left and right men, and said in a clear tone, "He is just a good-for-nothing. No wonder Bian Chunliang has no intention of using him. He just wants to use him as a free stepping stone."
Ding Su, the governor of Shenzhou, had already been instigated to rebel, so he naturally revealed to her the plan agreed upon by Cao Hongxuan and Bian Chunliang.
Cao Hongxuan felt extremely humiliated when he heard this. He said in a trembling voice, but full of anger: "... Kill her! Whoever kills Chang Suining will be awarded first-class military merit!"
The generals and soldiers in front and beside him, thinking about the situation of the fight just now, all had complicated expressions when they heard the words.
Why didn't you kill him, sir...is it because you didn't want to become famous through fighting?
The opponent's skills are so fast that they are even a little uncanny... Those rumors that originally sounded exaggerated might be true!
Facts have proved that the commander must be cautious when facing off alone before a battle... otherwise it is easy to undermine the morale of the army.
But at this moment Shepherd's Purse had already led his troops to rush forward and kill.
The generals in front of Cao Hongxuan could only fight back with all their might.
Ding Su, the governor of Shenzhou, immediately led his men forward and escorted Chang Suining to the rear. He solemnly clasped his fists and said, "Leave this to me and others. Your Excellency is of noble status, so there is no need for you to take risks yourself!"
Chang Suining, who had already tested Cao Hongxuan's strength, nodded in agreement with Ding Su, who looked very loyal, "Okay."
Ding Su clasped his fists again, shouted "Go", and rushed forward with several of his generals.
Those generals looked at the determined back of their own governor in front of them, and while galloping along with him, their faces showed complicated expressions - didn't the governor always shout that "there is no way I can be inferior to that little girl" and "how can she be worthy of my personal visit"?
Is this still the same person who tore up the letter from the Jiangdu Jiedushi Mansion? Speaking of the torn letter, I wonder if it can be glued back...
These complicated thoughts only lasted for a moment, and Shenzhou's soldiers quickly joined the battle.
Cao Hongxuan had a total of 13,000 soldiers and horses, Shen Zhou also had 10,000 soldiers and horses, and Chang Suining brought 5,000 elite soldiers. Although the difference in the number of people on both sides was only 2,000, the situation was soon decided.
The 5,000 men that Chang Suining brought had fought with her for the past two years and were an elite force that trained diligently every day. However, Cao Hongxuan's soldiers had no combat experience worth mentioning in recent years, and were now at a disadvantage in terms of morale.
Among the 13,000 men, only the generals in the army knew about Cao Hongxuan's plan. Those who knew something were at least lieutenants who were in charge of a hundred men. Most ordinary soldiers in the army were isolated from the news and did not even have the right to know where they were going, what they were going to do, or who they were going to fight. They just followed orders blindly.
When they suddenly heard the enemy army shouting "Huainan Road Jiedushi Chang Suining is coming to quell the rebellion", many of them were even confused.
The new governor personally came to quell the rebellion? What rebellion did he quell?
Who rebelled?
Could it be them?
As the fighting really started, some soldiers who were confused about the situation immediately got the answer.
They also saw that among the people who came to attack them, there were people wearing the military uniforms of the neighboring Shenzhou, and the situation suddenly became even more chaotic - so, their governor was actually acting alone?
In extreme panic and anxiety, and because they were in Huainan Road, they had already engraved Chang Suining's reputation in their hearts. At this moment, watching the enemy soldiers coming at them with unstoppable force, many Anzhou soldiers chose to throw down their swords and surrender.
Regardless of the self-esteem of the survivors, even those with stronger self-esteem can completely convince themselves - it is all Huainan Dao's family affairs, and it is not shameful to surrender in their own home! Moreover, this family is so big and powerful, so naturally whoever has the ability will be the head of the family... This is fair! So they are not surrendering, but just for the sake of fairness, they choose to stand by the person who is more capable and more suitable to be the head of the family!
Cao Hongxuan, who was protected by a group of personal soldiers, looked around and saw that more than half of his soldiers were about to surrender. The fighting spirit was low and the formation was broken. He was shocked and angry. He drew his sword and shouted, "Pass the order. Anyone who dares to surrender will be killed without mercy!"
The order was passed down, and then Cao Hongxuan watched helplessly as many surrendered soldiers frantically quickened their pace and ran towards Chang Suining's camp... as if seeking protection.
"..." Cao Hongxuan was so angry that a sweet and fishy taste came out of his throat. His face was grim and unwilling. He shouted again: "Don't panic! Huangzhou's reinforcements are coming. Our army will definitely win this battle!"
Even if that bastard Ding Su turned against his allies at the critical moment, he believed that Huangzhou Governor Sheng Baoming would never surrender to Chang Suining!
Firstly, they have a good relationship, and secondly, Sheng Baoming is more ambitious than him and has a stubborn personality. He never looks back until he sees the coffin... No, he is a person who will never look back once he makes up his mind.
Cao Hongxuan was convinced that his judgment would not be wrong, and facts proved that it was indeed true.
As the news that "Huangzhou reinforcements are coming" spread, the situation in Cao Hongxuan's army was temporarily stabilized.
Not long after, they heard the sound of horse hooves coming from behind.
Cao Hongxuan's generals shouted loudly: "Reinforcements are here!"
"Quickly welcome reinforcements!"
"Make way for reinforcements!"
Seeing the Huangzhou military flag fluttering in the wind, Cao Hongxuan saw great hope and rode forward to meet it.
During this period, countless people shouted "Reinforcements have arrived".
But as the team approached, Cao Hongxuan and his left and right generals gradually realized that something was wrong.
Cao Hongxuan looked alert and began to retreat slowly.
Soon, the troops in front of the team slowed down. The leader was no longer the Governor of Huangzhou, but a young girl with armor and a beautiful face of an alien race who led the vanguard forward.
"Reinforcements?" The girl with dark brown eyes raised her hand and threw something to them: "Are you talking about him?"
Cao Hongxuan and others looked and saw that what had rolled to the ground was actually a bloody head.
There was a short arrow stuck in one of the eyes of the head, and the death was extremely horrible.
But Cao Hongxuan still recognized him at a glance. This was none other than Huangzhou Governor Sheng Baoming!
As he wished, Sheng Baoming did not turn against his allies...but he fell to the ground.
While Cao Hongxuan was surprised, Kang Zhi had already drawn his sword.
Mr. Qian secretly came westward on the orders of the Lord, and instigated rebellion in Shuzhou and Guangzhou along the way. He then used Guangzhou to pry open Shenzhou, and used Shenzhou to learn about the conspiracy between Anzhou and Huangzhou.
Afterwards, Mr. Qian quickly sent a letter back to Jiangdu. While his Excellency was leading the troops to come, Mr. Qian felt that he had nothing to do anyway, so he might as well go to Huangzhou and give it a try. It would be even better if he could impress the governor of Huangzhou as well.
Mr. Qian did not show up rashly, but tried to sound out the issue through other people. Finally, he wrote back with regret, saying that it was difficult to convince the governor of Huangzhou.
When the Lord learned about it, he ordered her and Tang Xing to lead 5,000 elite troops and borrow troops from other prefectures along the way to pacify Huangzhou. As for the Huangzhou governor - since he could not be moved, then he would be beaten so that he could not move.
Kang Zhi's idea is very pure - anyone who disobeys her master will be beaten to the point of being motionless! (End of this chapter)
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