Chapter 131: Fighting the Bandits
"..." Xu Rong didn't know how to answer for a moment.
He had seen the situation clearly.
The shield-bearing heavy-armored soldiers lined up in front of him were definitely not something he could deal with in the cavalry charge at this time.
The soldiers lined up on top of Mang Mountain had raised their bows and were ready to shoot at them at any time.
And behind them, the still unknown ambush force may catch up in no time.
It looked like he only had two options left.
Either throw yourself into the surging waters of the Yellow River, or surrender to the Bingzhou governor in front of you.
Xu Rong had no doubt that at the same time as Qiao Yan was crossing the river to attack, the positions of Xuanmen Pass and Taigu Pass had most likely also welcomed their enemies.
This is the third route to advance towards Luoyang!
However, he felt that the route that was least likely to complete the attack had already succeeded and completed the attack of crossing the river, so how could the other two routes have any chance of failure!
In the short time he hesitated, he saw the Bingzhou army on the other side of the river sending another group of people ashore.
Even though victory was imminent, the Bingzhou troops, unlike the Liangzhou people, did not show any signs of slackness at this time.
Instead, he quickly reserved the soldiers responsible for the ship's traffic, and the others quickly lined up behind Qiao Yan.
This is what gives her the confidence to go further.
She was right. He was trapped here. By the time she had finished her deployment and lined up, advancing towards Xiaopingjin, they were almost finished in the face of the absolute numerical pressure.
It is still a small town without a head coach.
Therefore, these two river crossing passes have actually been lost.
The next step of attacking Luoyang should be even easier for her when the terrain conditions are not as harsh as they are now.
So, does he still need to hold his ground for the side that is destined to lose?
Although he could be considered an important general under Dong Zhuo, he was not his confidant and had no relative relationship with him. When Dong Zhuo's defeat was almost inevitable, he actually had to find a retreat for himself and his subordinates.
What made Xu Rong make this decision was that Niu Fu was tied up and brought to Qiao Yan at this time.
As the defeated party in this sudden night attack, Niu Fu did not reflect at all on his drinking and lack of control over the camp, and whether it had encouraged Qiao Yan's sneak attack. Instead, he looked at Xu Rong who was in a standoff with Qiao Yan.
Niu Fu looked extremely embarrassed, but he looked up at Xu Rong and said angrily, "I told you, Xu Rong, you are not a good guy. It turns out that you are the one who led the Bingzhou army here!"
Before Xu Rong could open his mouth to defend himself, Qiao Yan could not help but sneered, "I say, Niu Zhonglang, where on earth did you come up with this conclusion? Didn't you see that your General Xu came with the cavalry to rescue you, but now he is trapped here? I think it would be better for him to withdraw to Luoyang instead of saving you. At least he can show off in front of the old villain Dong Zhuo, and you won't have to accuse him behind his back, don't you think?"
When Qiao Yan asked these last five words, he was not asking Niu Fu, but Xu Rong.
The expression on his face changed, making it difficult to make out clearly in the night.
But after a few breaths, the movements he made were very simple and clear.
He suddenly rolled off his horse and walked a few steps in the direction of Qiao Yan. He stopped in front of the shield, took off his helmet and held it in his arms, then knelt on one knee. "I am Xu Rong from Xuantu County, Youzhou. I am honored to meet you, Your Excellency. If you do not mind, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."
He was also born in a border area and was not the type of person who would get himself into trouble by being straightforward.
The reason why he tolerated Niu Fu's slander against him was only because Qiao Yan's army was approaching. If a dispute arose between the two ferry crossings, it would inevitably give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage.
But now that everyone has crossed the river, Niu Fu is still trying to put the blame for the defeat on him. This is...
What are you enduring? Since everyone thinks he has surrendered to the enemy, he might as well just surrender for real!
Of course he knew that in order to win this battle, Qiao Yan's strategy of sowing discord was not so glorious.
But this method cannot cover up her record of successfully crossing the river and capturing the Mengjin Pass.
His gaze shifted to the shore for a moment and fell on the sheepskin Hun Tuo lying there.
Because he had followed Dong Zhuo to fight in Liang Province and had seen this thing once, he could roughly guess how it achieved the transportation of the first batch of people across the river.
Even without this plot to sow discord, she might not have been able to achieve what she has today.
Perhaps the greatest significance of this action is... it made Xu Rong see clearly whether he should still sit on Dong Zhuo's unstable ship!
He might have had some hesitation in his heart because of the decision he made in the heat of the moment, but this hesitation was quickly suppressed.
After he and Qiao Yan sat together in the meeting place inside Mengjin Pass, he heard her say, "I am very surprised that General Xu is willing to surrender, but unfortunately I am not like Dong Zhuo who can give you the title of General of the Central Army. The only thing I can make is a promise."
She spoke solemnly, leaving no room for doubt about the truth of her words. "General Xu has surrendered to me, so he is now a general under my command. There is no such thing as surrender or defeat. Killing an enemy in the Bingzhou Army counts as merit, and all the rules are the same as for the other generals under my command."
"There is one more thing. Whether the general believes me or not, I have to make it clear at this moment. If General Xu does not betray me, I will not doubt you."
Xu Rong stood up upon hearing this and bowed to Qiao Yan again: "Your Excellency, you don't have to call me general anymore. My courtesy name is Wenxian, and I will just serve as a lieutenant under your command."
He didn't know if it was his illusion, but when he said the word "captain", he saw a general on the opposite side looking at him.
The man came from the direction of Xiaopingjin, so it was not difficult for Xu Rong to guess that this man was the heavy-armored general who attacked his rear infantry. He came back before other soldiers to report the battle situation to Qiao Yan.
The dim light from outside shone through, clearly illuminating the other person's fierce and unruly face, but it also reflected the emotion in his eyes that could probably be called envy.
Xu Rong was a little confused by the other party's reaction, but this was obviously not the point at the moment.
He went on to say, "Before I led the troops to support Mengjin Ferry, I had mentioned to the garrison inside the pass that if I had not returned before noon, it must be that Mengjin Ferry and I were lost. They must leave the pass and cross Mangshan from multiple directions to return to Luoyang and deliver this military intelligence."
"Your Excellency knew I was coming, so you must have thought that I would report to Luoyang. However, it is easy to intercept people on the mountain roads, but it is not easy to intercept people crossing the mountains with human power. Your Excellency has 10,000 people under his command, and they will definitely fall behind our messenger after marching 30 miles through the mountain roads--"
"So I need to return to continue to control Xiaopingjin to prevent the news from leaking out."
After thinking for a while, Qiao Yan asked, "Among the defenders of Xiaopingjin Pass, how many Liangzhou officers and how many soldiers from the five schools of the Northern Army are there?"
Xu Rong didn't expect that she was not asking whether his trip to Xiaopingjin was like letting a tiger return to the mountain. Perhaps, as she said, it was no longer necessary to doubt him.
He straightened his face and replied: "There are 300 Liangzhou troops and 3,000 Northern troops."
"Three thousand people..."
If these 3,000 people continued to guard Xiaopingjin as Xu Rong said to prevent the news from leaking, it would exactly meet Qiao Yan's needs at this time.
But this also means that after the goal of clearing out the imperial court is achieved, these people will be forced to change from being bandits to being reorganized into the Five Schools, which will have nothing to do with Qiao Yan after all.
But wouldn't it be better if these elite-trained soldiers could be directly recruited by her while they are serving in her army?
As early as in the previous competition to select the General Du Liao, Qiao Yan had already envied this team that combined the Hu cavalry, Yue cavalry and other types of troops.
The current chaotic order, coupled with the unstable environment in Luoyang, provides them with the possibility to move.
The premise of all this is that she can get them to assist in the attack on Luoyang.
This is what it means to be “one of our own”.
She asked, "If I have an imperial edict to purge the emperor's court in addition to the proclamation to attack Dong, can Wen Xian convince his soldiers to join the siege of Luoyang?"
Xu Rong looked at him in surprise, and saw Qiao Yan reaching out to Guo Jia, who had also arrived at the south bank, and took the imperial edict from him and handed it to Xu Rong.
"Before the late emperor passed away, it was known that Your Majesty was young and that someone would change his mind. The general threatened the imperial power at that time and seemed to have a rebellious heart. As a minister supported by the late emperor, I should do my best to quell the chaos in the capital. Unfortunately, there was a civil strife in Luoyang at that time, but I was still fighting in Mobei. When this edict came into my hands, the thief Dong had already entered the capital."
"This man initially promoted virtuous people to be governors of prefectures and counties. Although he was not known as a regent, he could still bring peace and prosperity to the country. That's why I didn't show him this edict. But now——"
"The situation is different now." Qiao Yan sighed, "The traitor Dong is a pervert and is hated by everyone. Once the capital is moved to Chang'an, the royal family of Luoyang will be in turmoil and the honor of the Han Dynasty will no longer exist. At this time, Luoyang can only be conquered quickly! If we can use this edict to get the help of the five schools of the Northern Army to attack the northern city of Luoyang quickly and avoid the disaster to the people of Beiguo, it would be fine to give it out."
Xu Rong saw clearly that there was a jade seal at the end of the edict.
It is exactly the eight words "Received the Mandate from Heaven, May You Live Long and Prosperous".
There are some slight differences in the corners of the imprint, which are probably the places where the imperial seal was repaired after being broken by Queen Mother Wang at the end of the Western Han Dynasty.
Ever since he followed Dong Zhuo into Luoyang, he had heard that when Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao and others burned the palace in a hurry, the two princes fled with Zhang Rang, Jian Shuo and others in such a hurry that they did not take the jade seal with them. The jade seal had been hidden by Zhang Rang earlier, but disappeared without a trace because of Zhang Rang's death. Even the new emperor Liu Xie did not know where the seal had gone.
The effectiveness of the edict in Qiao Yan's hand was greatly enhanced.
He replied: "If so, it will not be difficult to convince them. Just leave it to me."
Xu Rong's control over these Northern Army soldiers is incomparable to Niu Fu.
The soldiers who had participated in the military drills in the Western Suburbs Camp also remembered how highly the emperor valued Marquis Qiao when he bestowed him with the post of Governor of Bingzhou.
It is no exaggeration to say that this appointment was made against all odds.
She didn't even need to explain why she had such an edict in her hand.
Apart from the reason of being a teacher, there is another reason.
Even though Dong Zhuo had Emperor Liu Xie in his control at this time, it was hard for them not to feel uneasy while serving such an illegitimate person who was attacked by famous scholars all over the world.
Will they be implicated by this?
If they hadn't considered that most of their family members were in Luoyang, most of them would have run away by now.
Fortunately, Marquis Qiao now came across the river with an imperial edict and an army of 10,000 people, and persuaded Xu Rong to surrender.
If the thief Dong can be captured in this battle, they won't have to worry about their families being implicated. Moreover, they can use this battle to clear themselves of the suspicion of being accomplices!
Good thing!
Before sunset, they were led by someone and rushed to Mengjin Ferry, where they joined forces with Qiao Yan.
It was a pity that some of them who were sent by Xu Rong to report the news at night were left in Mangshan by Lu Bu according to Qiao Yan's instructions to Lu Bu, and some of them who accompanied Xu Rong to support Mengjin Ferry at night were killed by the heavy armored soldiers led by Qu Yi, but this was indeed an inevitable loss in the war.
Qiao Yan stood on the Mengjin city gate and looked at the people below. He saw that these soldiers spread out on the river bank had successfully completed the task of swimming from the north bank of the river to the south bank. Even after the battle of crossing the river, their numbers had increased. He couldn't help but feel extremely relieved.
At this time when the battle situation was changing rapidly, she had no time to ask anyone what results the Suanzao army had achieved when they marched into Xuanmen Pass and the Luyang coalition forces had achieved when they marched into Taigu Pass.
Even if both parties are still blocked outside the pass, this is the time she must march into Luoyang!
If there is any further delay and Dong Zhuo starts to move the capital, the only ones who will suffer will be the millions of people in Luoyang!
Judging from the current situation, even if the attack on Luoyang went in the worst direction, the people and reputation she wanted, as well as the purpose of training troops, have all been achieved, and she has no regrets.
Then beat him!
She held the imperial edict in her hand and said loudly: "The late emperor did not look down on me because of my young age. He appointed me as governor of the state and entrusted me with the important task of eliminating bandits and the hope of the Han Dynasty. Yan has no way to repay me except to lead the army into the capital, eliminate the treacherous and corrupt officials, and support the country! Fortunately, with your help, I can gather troops to the north of Mangshan today."
"It is not easy to march at night, but I dare to ask you to follow me on this road. When the sun rises tomorrow, it will be the time to wipe out the bandits in Luoyang!"
"Also for——"
"It's time for you to make great achievements!"
These six words, "a time of achievement and accomplishment", sounded powerful and were immediately echoed by people under the city gate.
Qiao Yan came down from the city wall and mounted his horse.
This time, except for relatively weak counselors such as Guo Jia and Jia Xu who were left at Mengjin Ferry, the rest of the people will set out with her.
Under the general's flag in front, Niu Fu was still cursing there, extremely indignant that Xu Rong was still able to command 3,000 soldiers after surrendering to Qiao Yan, as if he was as comfortable as returning home, but he soon couldn't say anything more.
After all, Qiao Yan's official advancement this time requires a sacrificial flag as a symbol, and no one is more suitable than Niu Fu.
Suddenly realizing that he was not being kept as a bargaining chip to threaten Dong Zhuo, but was being used as a sacrifice, Niu Fu met Qiao Yan's gaze and quickly changed his scolding into a plea for mercy.
But before he could utter two words, the axe in Dian Wei's hand had already fallen, interrupting his voice on the spot.
Blood splattered on the flagpole of the general's flag, and when Dian Wei carried it up, it was reflected by the setting sun, turning into a brilliant color.
Qiao Yan squeezed the horse's belly and whipped it, giving a signal to march.
March into Luoyang!
The last time she walked along the Mangshan Mountain Road from north to south, she was wearing white clothes and went to Luoyang, for the people of Bingzhou and also for her own purpose of seizing the position of Governor of Bingzhou.
This time, she came as the commander-in-chief, wearing the iron armor and black clothes, for...
"Don't you have anything to ask me?" While riding his horse, Qiao Yan also asked the system in his heart.
Within the thirty miles of the Mangshan Mountain Road, there was absolutely no possibility of anyone hindering her march. She finally calmed her mind a little and looked at the mountain road scene that seemed familiar and yet somewhat unfamiliar in the sunset.
Five years ago, the green mountains here were lush and green, but today they are only a little more lush, as if they were not affected at all by the changes in Luoyang.
As the designated location for the Eastern Han emperor's mausoleum, Liu Hong was naturally buried here as well, but it was still a long distance away from the route they were marching along at this time.
If time had permitted, Qiao Yan would have planned to go to Liu Hong's Wenling, and even cry a little about the tragic situation in which Wenling was robbed by Dong Zhuo. This would be the true fulfillment of the trust of the late emperor.
Since she couldn't do this, she could only chat with the system.
[…Do you still remember me?] 】The system has been silent for a while since she intended to attack Dong Zhuo.
The aura of a lord that almost hit you when she swore to go to war, the leadership style that called on heroes all over the world in the manifesto to fight against Dong Zhuo, and the trap she dug for Yuan Shao in preparation for future emergencies... No matter what you call it, this is not the behavior of a counselor.
Previously, when I was just fulfilling my responsibilities as Bingzhou Mu, I could still fool the system, but now, no matter how I look at it, I feel that this counselor system should probably be renamed!
How simple it is!
Looking back now, things like "a strategist needs a military general like Dian Wei to protect his personal safety", "a strategist needs to have strategists of the same high level like Cheng Yu to learn from each other", "a strategist needs to have enough impressive military achievements to enhance his popularity", and "a strategist cannot join the army early because he needs to have a keen eye to recognize his master" all seem to be used to fool people!
Which strategist could become the governor of a state and gather such a group of talented people under his command?
Taking another look at the development of the companies that shared one third of the world at this time, she realized that they were still far behind her, and the system suddenly felt dark before her eyes.
Previously, it thought that with Qiao Yan's intelligence and talent, he could lead it, a new system, to achieve the goal of unified life, but now it feels that - it's all over.
Who would dare to take in such a special "strategist" in the future?
Probably not.
But if you think about it carefully, this seems to be something that can be traced.
It couldn't help but wonder why it chose Qiao Yan as the binding target at that time. It was because among the scholars who were proficient in history it saw at that time, she looked the youngest and had the most ambitious look. She was also detected by the system to have the strongest desire to survive in the archaeological exploration accident at that time.
Such people will fight for their goals wherever they are, and...
It is even more unlikely that he would put his life in the hands of others.
So, instead of striving to be the best strategist in the world, it was only natural that she would choose to be a lord who would never be constrained by anyone.
No, it's not possible, it's the counselor system! How can it give excuses to this liar!
However, it heard Qiao Yan say at this time: "If I am not mistaken, my counselor points have increased a lot since I launched the campaign to defeat Dong. This should not be because I have completed a goal for someone, but an achievement, right?"
【……】
"Although Dong Zhuo's entry into the capital is still a long way from the true Three Kingdoms, it is the beginning of the Three Kingdoms in the public's perception. As a system based on this period of history, a considerable number of built-in achievements should start from this period, right?"
The system was not good at lying. It was stuck for a while before it uttered the word "yes".
"Let's talk. I think I can still accomplish the mission of being the world's number one strategist. But I need a favor from you."
"If I am in the Nangong Palace in Luoyang, do you have any way to find out the whereabouts of the imperial seal?"
The system was silent for a while before replying, [Pay attention to your luck value. 】
Luck value?
This was an answer that Qiao Yan had not expected.
She originally thought that she needed to find a system based on an unscientific worldview to trade.
Anyway, I already owe a debt for the jade seal, so I don’t have to worry about more debts.
But now the answer is good news!
The Beiguo District of Luoyang is mostly inhabited by merchants.
When Qiao Yan first came to Luoyang, he had heard that the area at the foot of Mount Mang in Beiguo was called Shangshangli.
However, due to Dong Zhuo's entry into the capital, many merchants had extra money and became the targets of frequent robbery. Fortunately, it was not so easy to stop them from fleeing towards Mangshan, and most merchants did not have to stay in one place for a long time, so many of them had already fled.
Dong Zhuo was only concerned about the hostages he had to keep in his hands, and was not so concerned about those who escaped from Luoyang.
But now that he wants to move the capital to Chang'an and use the population of Luoyang to fill the population deficit in Chang'an, he is not so kind.
Previously, a merchant family from the north of the city was beheaded by the Xiliang army patrolling between the city and the suburbs when he was about to cross Mount Mang.
Under such military intimidation, it seemed that there was nothing they could do except stay at home in fear and feel dejected about the impending relocation of the capital.
Move the capital...
If given a choice, who would be willing to leave their home!
But they can only confide such things to their loved ones behind closed doors, or utter a few words in their sleep.
However, tonight I was unable to sleep so well until morning and could not even finish talking in my sleep.
Before sunrise, the sound of horse hooves beating like drums could be heard coming from far away, and the sound of horses running in an orderly and regular manner intensified the shaking of the earth.
The residents of Shangshangli woke up in shock, almost thinking that Dong Zhuo's looting soldiers had attacked again!
But this sound is very different from the sound of the Xiliang cavalry crossing the border.
"Listen, mother..." A child with sharp ears grabbed the mother beside him.
These were not sounds from south to north, but from north to south. The sounds of horse hooves and footsteps went uninterruptedly towards the direction of the valley gate in the north of the city, accompanied by the unusually sharp sound of arrows breaking through the air.
Mixed in with it was a slogan that was repeated over and over again, drilling into the ears of anyone who could hear what was happening there.
"Bingzhou Mu Qiao Hou was ordered to fight against the bandits—"
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