Chapter 124 Losing the Red Rabbit
However, her situation was very different from Lu Bu's, and Dong Zhuo obviously didn't think he could make her surrender and hand over her military power.
Then the meaning of his action becomes somewhat subtle.
Qiao Yan thought to herself, if she was really a teenager of no more than sixteen years old, even if she was precocious and good at fighting, the late emperor had no one else to use, so he promoted her to this position.
Now, in order to protect the orphans left by the previous emperor, she was dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo's actions in Luoyang after he proclaimed himself as prime minister, so she led her army south and even won the support and admiration of the noble families in Hedong County, who sent her off with food and drink. Now, she was afraid of Prime Minister Dong, who was in power, and sent people to negotiate peace and even gave her a famous horse as a gift.
How should she behave?
Others don't know that the childishness in her actions and words in her early years was mostly pretended to make Liu Hong let down his guard.
Others did not know that her purpose in sending troops this time was far more than just indignation at Dong Zhuo's behavior.
Others would not know that she was looking at this history from the perspective of future generations, and that the mentality and knowledge she possessed were definitely not that of a teenager.
When she suddenly heard the word "Red Hare", she felt slightly amused that this horse, which was supposed to be Lu Bu's mount, had become a gift to her. But the feeling only lasted for a moment, and soon it became a plan for the two armies to confront each other.
She looked at Li Su from Wuyuan County and saw the flattering look on his face. He did not show any excessive pride. She just asked, "Dong the traitor is doing evil and controlling the government. What can you tell me? Let's see the truth outside Luoyang City!"
"Lord Qiao is wrong. The Prime Minister has never done anything like what is said in the letter, such as spying on the sacred artifacts and insulting the Han Dynasty. Naturally, he does not deserve the statement of Lord Qiao that Dong is a traitor and not a Han minister."
Li Su seemed to have a bitter smile, and continued: "The Prime Minister is from Xiliang, and there have been many disagreements between him and the nobles in the capital. Some of these frictions had to be settled by force, which was reasonable."
Qiao Yan sneered and asked, "Is it true that he forced Empress Dowager He to be killed?"
Li Su shook his head. "Marquis Qiao is not in the capital in person, so how can he know the true situation? The dispute over the throne is between brothers, and it is inevitable that there will be quarrels. The late emperor's will designated Marquis Dong as the next emperor, but Empress Dowager He favors Marquis Shi. If Empress Dowager He uses her authority to depose and enthrone, or competes with the emperor for power, the government in Luoyang will definitely be unstable. Prime Minister Dong is only forced to bear the blame."
Qiao Yan had to admit that Li Su was quite eloquent and was able to portray the image of Prime Minister Dong who endured humiliation through his words.
However, his statement completely avoided the fact that Dong Zhuo's move further trampled on the precarious honor of the Han Dynasty after the Nangong Fire.
Since the empress dowager could be killed so casually, the awe-inspiring and inviolable image of the current emperor is nothing but a joke.
Qiao Yan felt that his explanation was biased and a bit outrageous, but he did not refute it. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Then what about the looting and plundering? There are rumors that they have entered Bingzhou, and my subordinates who came to deliver the message saw it with their own eyes. How does the old villain Dong Zhuo explain it?"
Li Su bowed to her apologetically and replied, "Marquis Qiao, you don't know that most of the soldiers there don't listen to discipline. There are only a few who can defeat the Xianbei, rob cattle and sheep, and calm the violent hearts of the soldiers like Marquis Qiao."
"Prime Minister Dong relies on these Xiliang soldiers to control the situation in the capital, but it is not easy to give them money to make them serve, so he can only let them rob and temporarily appease them. The Xiliang army is only 3,000 strong. With money, they can live a stable life in Luoyang, and I think they will be able to live in peace in the future."
Qiao Yan couldn't help but pause in tapping the table with his fingertips.
This is really a bunch of heresy. Li Su is indeed a man who came from Dong Zhuo's camp.
Perhaps he also realized that his statement was untenable, so he quickly changed the subject, "Marquis Qiao, don't just talk about Prime Minister Dong. Luoyang has city walls but no outer walls. If your army were to attack the five northern armies led by Prime Minister Dong and the soldiers from Xiliang brought into Luoyang, it would be impossible for you to just rush to the north city wall like the cavalry did a few days ago."
"When the two armies fight within the city walls of Luoyang, the people of Luoyang will not only lose their property, but even their lives! Could it be that Marquis Qiao wants to make himself the sinner in the remarks that criticized the Prime Minister?"
If there was no such thing as moral kidnapping today, Qiao Yan really wanted to say this in return.
Li Su is a man who is well versed in the art of speaking to specific targets.
If she really was a governor who governed Bingzhou with virtue, apart from defeating the Xianbei, and she was a young person who had not experienced many battles in the Central Plains, I am afraid she would hesitate after hearing this.
This hesitation appeared on her face just as Li Su wanted to see. Although it was only fleeting, he did not miss it.
He thought to himself that what Mr. Wenyou said was indeed true.
This method of showing weakness to the enemy may not make Marquis Qiao completely believe in their innocence, and it is very likely not enough to make her feel elated, but it is enough to make her feel a little hesitant in her heart.
That's enough!
He struck while the iron was hot and said, "Could you please ask Lord Qiao to come with me to see the sincerity of the Prime Minister?"
What is sincerity? Of course it is the Red Hare as a gift!
The Zhutan horse that Qiao Yan rode was raised from a foal. Although its size is not much different from that of an adult horse now, it is actually far from its adult state.
But this Red Hare is obviously close to adulthood.
What is Red Hare? Apart from the scarlet color of the horse, the most eye-catching thing is the title of "rabbit head" in the evaluation of famous horses.
The part of the horse's head above the nose protrudes outward, like a rabbit's head, which is the iconic feature of a heavy horse. In fact, Qiao Yan's Zhutan horse also has similar features, but it is more obvious on Red Hare.
Even though the reins of the Red Hare horse were held by Li Su's subordinates, it still showed a very cruel and violent temper.
This is not of much benefit to people who are just starting to learn horse riding, but it is definitely the most suitable gift for top military commanders, especially those who are good at riding and shooting.
Seeing that Qiao Yan's eyes were slightly moved when he looked at Red Hare, Li Su couldn't help but feel secretly happy, and continued to speak: "A good horse is paired with a famous general, it has been like this since ancient times. Who is the person of Qiao Hou? How could he not have this best horse in the world to match him. Since the Prime Minister got Red Hare, he has been looking for a suitable owner for it, and now Qiao Hou has met him by chance."
"Stop using sweet words here."
Although Qiao Yan said this, Li Su saw her take two steps towards Red Hare, as if she was also looking at this rare and precious horse. He became more and more certain that Mr. Wen You's strategy of showing weakness to the enemy might have really worked!
He added: "The Prime Minister also knows that it is probably not easy to convince Marquis Qiao in just a few words that he has no intention of harming the country."
"Marquis Qiao is the governor of Bingzhou, and he also got the Red Hare from the Mobei grasslands in the past two years. He may not think highly of the famous Red Hare. Therefore, the Prime Minister suggested that we find a place in Hedong County close to Luoyang, and ask Marquis Qiao to bring a thousand people to the meeting. The Prime Minister can also bring the 1,800 Tiger Warriors. The two sides can exchange ideas on assisting the new emperor, and also prevent the residents of the northern suburbs of Luoyang from being harmed by the war. What do you think, Marquis Qiao?"
Qiao Yan's gaze shifted from the famous Red Hare to Li Su. Such a sharp look made his heart jump. Fortunately, he heard Qiao Yan ask, "Where do you want to discuss it?"
Li Su hurriedly said, "Five days later, twenty miles north of Luoyang, at Sunset Pavilion."
He saw Qiao Yan ponder for a moment before replying, "Okay, then I'll do as you say."
Since the agreement had been reached, the Red Hare was left in the Bingzhou military camp as a gift. Li Su happily led the few people who came with him back south.
Qiao Yan watched the other person go away. When she saw the other person disappear from her sight, her previous hesitation turned into determination. She immediately gave the order -
The outer defense of the camp was removed, and an ambush was set up inside. In the next few days, we must use patrol shifts to strictly guard the camp.
"Li Ru is a man who likes to use tricks. In the past, Dong Zhuo was trapped by Han Sui and others, and went deep into the heart of Xiliang. He was almost surrounded by Qiang people. When the food and grass were exhausted, the besiegers still attacked swiftly. Li Ru planned to build a dam in the river to cut off the upstream water, and ordered Dong Zhuo's troops to catch fish and shrimp in the river for food. The generals of the Western Qiang thought that the Han army had completely run out of food, so they surrounded them but did not kill them, which gave Dong Zhuo the opportunity to escape."
Jia Xu spoke calmly and made another judgment, "Now the Bingzhou people are lobbying for you to meet Dong Zhuo at the Sunset Pavilion in five days. This is indeed a trick that Li Ru could come up with. Your judgment is indeed correct."
With Jia Xu's judgment, Qiao Yan gained more confidence and said with a smile, "That thief Dong took advantage of my youth and came up with this plan. I'm afraid there won't be such good things in the future."
Jia Xu nodded, "But Marquis Qiao only needs to respond to the situation during the battle, and there will be countermeasures for future events. This is also a good opportunity to let the world know that Marquis Qiao should have argued with them on the same stage long ago, and why dared to treat them as a fraudulent child."
"Sir, you are right." Qiao Yan's gaze turned to Red Hare again, and suddenly he had a rather mischievous idea, so he gave the order immediately.
Guo Jia, who was standing by and heard Qiao Yan's idea, couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing Qiao Yan looking at him, he quickly straightened his face and replied: "If we want to follow Lord Qiao's plan, I'm afraid we can't let Fengxian take action. Let Zilong and Wenyuan do the ambush."
On one side, they were not at all confused by Dong Zhuo's gift-giving and negotiation tricks, and they were well prepared in the camp. On the other side, Li Su reported back on Qiao Yan's performance. Dong Zhuo was overjoyed and immediately ordered Niu Fu and Guo Si to fight together.
Li Ru also reminded them that they must arrive near Qiao Yan's camp before nightfall on the third day and must not march too fast.
Afterwards, if we see that Marquis Qiao is selecting men to go out for the meeting at Sunset Pavilion, we will not have to stop but march at night. If it is difficult to observe the enemy's actions, we will launch the attack on the fourth night when the enemy's defense is the least prepared.
Niu Fu and Guo Si took the order and left.
Although they have been running rampant in Luoyang in the past few days, since the military advisor has shown his vigilance and caution towards Marquis Qiao, they dare not take him too lightly.
Fortunately, Qiao Bingzhou is still young, and he probably really thinks that the meeting at Sunset Pavilion is just an open invitation!
The scouts led by Niu Fu and others reported that although the enemy's camp defense could not be said to be slack, it could definitely not withstand the impact of the Xiliang cavalry.
And in the area near the south, a separate team was organized, as if for tomorrow's trip.
Under this arrangement, both the east and the west became relatively weak.
Good news!
Niu Fu immediately gave orders to sneak into the camp at midnight tonight and give the Bingzhou army a head-on blow. If he could capture Marquis Qiao in the chaos, he would have made a great contribution to the Prime Minister. No one would be able to say that he relied on nepotism to get to the top!
With such a beautiful dream in mind, he broke in from the west in the dead of night, and the cavalry's noisy shouts and cries of killing filled the entire camp.
As a Xiliang general, he rushed to the front and stabbed the soldier who fell to the side due to exhaustion with the spear in his hand.
The cavalry soldiers around him had already charged towards the depths of the camp while he was still standing still.
But at this moment, Niu Fu suddenly felt that the feeling of the spear was not right. At the same time, he also felt that something was wrong because there were too few patrolling soldiers in the camp!
This cannot be explained by the other party being slack!
He had a bad feeling and heard Guo Si shout "Retreat" faster than him. However, the one who reacted faster than both of them was undoubtedly Zhao Yun, who set up the encirclement on the west.
In the direction where Niu Fu and Guo Si were breaking out, the Bingzhou army had already come from the north and south sides, forming a converging blockade. The young general in white robe and silver spear had already led his elite cavalry and was rushing from the north.
Every tripwire and antler fence in the camp was set up personally by Zhao Yun and the cavalry. Even though it was dark at night, there was no way they could make any wrong judgment.
Since arriving in Bingzhou five years ago until now, Zhao Yun has taken over tasks ranging from trivial matters as a county lieutenant to the security of the state in charge of the military department, from fighting against Heishan and Baibo to garrisoning Shuofang County, and he was even taken to the frontier by Qiao Yan to fight against the Xiutugu Hu and Xianbei.
He has a rare talent in being a general, so how could he fail when he had such an advantage!
From the perspective of Niu Fu and others, what they saw was that not only had they fallen into the trap of the Bingzhou army, but the young general sent by the other side was even more shocking than the sharpshooter who shot an arrow outside the north city that day.
The young general holding a spear led the cavalry behind him and charged from the north, so fiercely that they seemed to be in an empty space. They had not yet recovered from the fear of falling into a trap. The sound of the battle between the rear army and the Bingzhou army was deafening. Now the commander had encountered such a terrible opponent again.
Niu Fu quickly turned his horse's head, asking the cavalry to gather around him as quickly as possible while attempting to quickly withdraw from the enemy's camp.
But it is not so easy to turn back in this chaos.
The front row of cavalry, rushing too hastily, fell into the trench in front and were stabbed through by the spearmen who had been lying in ambush there.
The cavalrymen who were gathering towards Niu Fu were tripped by a tripwire that appeared out of nowhere and fell to the ground. Then they saw shield and sword soldiers coming from the north and south, shouting and trapping them between the front and back barriers.
Niu Fu was in great confusion, but he saw Zhao Yun's silver spear coming towards him like a dragon emerging from the sea.
He quickly raised his spear to fight.
But Zhao Yun usually practiced with colleagues like Zhang Liao and Lu Bu, while Niu Fu relied on his unique position in Dong Zhuo's army and never thought about striving for excellence. He was almost killed by Zhao Yun in just three or two rounds.
Fortunately, the opponent was only a young general with insufficient sustained strength. With the joint support of Niu Fu's personal soldiers, they managed to stop Zhao Yun. Guo Si rode his horse quickly and pulled Niu Fu onto his horse's back. He swept away the arrows that were flying towards them and led Niu Fu to attack out of the few weak points in the encirclement.
But although they escaped through this gap, the more than 1,000 cavalrymen who originally followed them were now reduced to only more than 100.
Only 10% of the troops are left!
Not all of Qiao Yan's Bingzhou troops had arrived in Hedong. Logically speaking, more than a thousand cavalrymen were more than enough to charge into the camp at night. However, they never expected that the offense and defense would be reversed, and those who came for a surprise attack ended up being treated as prey.
What was even more difficult for Niu Fu to imagine was that before he had walked far, he had already heard the other side's uniform slogans, which clearly reached his ears.
What he shouted was——
"Dong the thief had a trick to meet at Sunset Pavilion, and lost not only Red Hare but also his troops!"
Then there was a burst of laughter that made him feel extremely ashamed and hateful.
How could he not guess from the laughter that he was able to break out of the encirclement because the other party did it intentionally, just to let him bring this news to Prime Minister Dong. That young general might still have the energy to kill them all.
Not only did we lose Red Hare, but we also lost our troops!
This was indeed a true portrayal of their current situation, but he felt like vomiting blood when he heard it. If he reported it to the Prime Minister, he didn't know what kind of reaction he would get.
But the only thing he could do at this moment was to continue fleeing southward with Guo Si, in case the other party changed his mind and left him here again.
Qiao Yan looked coldly at the other person's embarrassing escape, and a smile slowly appeared on his face.
Amid the noise of the enemy's attack, she quickly put on her clothes and stood up, and gathered her generals to her side.
At this moment, she looked at Niu Fu's defeated formation from afar, and pointed the way with the two-section three-barreled spear in her hand, saying: "After this defeat, the thief Dong will definitely not dare to underestimate us again, and the generals and soldiers he sends will definitely be more powerful than today. However, my determination to advance to Luoyang will never change. I hope you will join me in defeating this enemy!"
She spoke again, in the same resolute tone, "Whoever enters Luoyang first and takes the head of that thief Dong will own the famous Red Hare!"
As early as the time when Red Hare was sent to Qiao Yan, Lu Bu had set his eyes on this rare horse. Now, when he heard that Qiao Yan was going to use it as a reward for killing Dong Zhuo, he immediately showed an attitude of getting ready to fight.
However, he still remembered the master-servant relationship and asked, "Sir, will you not take this Red Hare as your own horse?"
In Lu Bu's sight, the prince who stood up in a hurry did not show any sign of fatigue or slackness in his eyes, and he was still as sharp as a knife.
She just laughed out loud and replied, "Even if I don't have Red Hare to ride, can I not enter Luoyang City?"
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