Chapter 18: Soldiers defeat the Yellow Turbans, and come to see in mourning clothes
Since Bo Cai took over as the leader of the Yellow Turbans, he had never seen such a shocking change!
The Han army, which had been hiding in Changsha City, suddenly found the courage to come out of the city to fight. They came under the cover of night and under the sparks of fire, changing their previous docile defensive style.
Fortunately, he was not completely unprepared for this.
Since this place is close to the heart of the Han Dynasty, the Han army will never give up the slightest in the battle to defend Changsha as long as they have a chance of survival.
He had earlier guessed that they would most likely try to take advantage of the Yellow Turbans' lax military discipline and stir up unrest in the camp in order to gain this opportunity.
With a sullen face, he ordered the heralds to gather the troops immediately, while he himself carefully climbed up to a lookout tower.
Being on a high place, he saw the fire in Changsha City at a glance. He cursed in his heart and then turned his gaze towards the camp.
Even though there were many distractions, he could see clearly that there were not many people who came to attack the camp tonight. It was only because there was a brave general in each of the two groups and they caught him off guard that this result occurred.
Tiger General...
Bo Cai pulled the corner of his mouth and revealed a sneer.
Although the Tiger General is brave and useful in the current situation, he is still a human being after all, and he will get tired!
After realizing that these two men were far superior to him in terms of fighting power, Bo Cai immediately adopted the strategy of encircling them with manpower.
As the leader of the Yellow Turbans in charge of coordination, he didn't really need to go into battle himself. He just needed to make sure that, according to the messages he received from both ends, the two men were surrounded by hundreds of soldiers. That was enough.
In fact, what he expected was indeed correct.
Among the Han army that attacked the camp this time, there were only two people who could pose a sufficient threat to him.
One was Huangfu Song’s military commander, Fu Xie.
His actions of lighting fires and firing guns successfully triggered a wave of evacuation of Bo Cai's troops towards Liang Zhongning's camp in search of refuge.
After confirming that the undercover agent that Qiao Yan had arranged in advance had taken the people away and spread the atmosphere of panic, he immediately rode back and, according to Huangfu Song's arrangement, rushed towards Zhu Jun's side, hoping to deal with the Yellow Turban wave commanded by Bo Cai by joining forces before the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou and the reinforcements in the city arrived.
Even though he rode through the thicket along the way, Fu Xie never showed any sign of panic on his face.
Bo Cai had only caught a glimpse of him earlier, and now after he had gotten down from the lookout tower and heard about the outcome of those who had gone to challenge him, he knew that he was by no means an easy person to deal with.
The other person was not talking about Zhu Jun.
Zhu Jun is indeed a brave man.
Otherwise, he would not have been able to integrate thousands of soldiers and repel the Liang Long Rebellion when he was the governor of Jiaozhou. However, there is another fierce tiger in his army now.
A military general known as the Jiangdong Tiger.
"Wentai!"
Fu Xie spotted Sun Jian among the crowd.
The Yellow Turban soldiers around had gradually recovered from their initial confusion, and because of their large numbers they were no longer afraid of the fire clouds in the sky. More and more people surrounded the Han army, intending to annihilate it here.
This undoubtedly made Sun Jian, who could easily break through the formation, particularly eye-catching.
Sun Jian had served under Zhu Jun for a month, but unfortunately the young and strong men he brought with him were still just a drop in the bucket compared to the number of the Yellow Turban Army. With his position as the assistant military commander, he obviously did not have much autonomy.
So even though the battle tonight started with a sneak attack, he couldn't help but feel a little more excited about showing off his skills.
Just kill him!
This is his chance!
The future little tyrant Sun Ce inherited the bravery of Sun Jian. Of course, at this time Sun Ce and his mother were left in Shouchun, Jiujiang by Sun Jian. He was only nine years old. What Fu Xie saw was still the tiger father's strategic and maneuvering style.
Fu Xie swept away the sharp spear that was attacking Sun Jian with a spear, then leaped into the crowd on his horse and joined him.
Fearing that Sun Jian was in the thick of the battle and couldn't hear what he was saying, and also fearing that if his words revealed Zhu Jun's official position, it would bring him trouble, Fu Xie didn't care if there was anything wrong with the address, and asked loudly, "Where is Gong Wei?"
Where are Zhu Jun and Zhu Gongwei?
Although Sun Jian's attack was fierce, he did not really go to the extent of killing the enemy.
Moreover, for some reason, these Yellow Turbans were completely beyond his previous experience. Even after he had killed many of them, they showed no sign of fear and retreating. This undoubtedly calmed Sun Jian down from his frenzied state of attack.
Now hearing Fu Xie's question, he immediately raised his gun and pointed it in one direction.
Through the crowd of people, Fu Xie saw Zhu Jun.
He didn't know who had injured his mount, so it had difficulty moving and became a burden.
However, the Right General decided to dismount and fight, and formed a formation with the people who were sent out this time, so there was probably no danger for a while.
Fu Xie thought that with the fighting power of Zhu Jun and Sun Jian, and the fact that he had already led his men to the scene, it shouldn't be too difficult to break through the encirclement, so he felt a little relieved.
However, he also took advantage of the opportunity when Sun Jian relieved the pressure on him, and when he looked around, he saw the Yellow Turban leaders headed by Bo Cai.
They were obviously not happy that they could get away with causing such a mess.
As the other party raised his hand and gave the order, the Yellow Turban soldiers, with their footsteps shaking the ground and wearing armor on their bodies, attacked in the flames with their weapons in hand, which made them look more savage and fierce.
Fu Xie had excellent eyesight and happened to see the murderous intent in Bo Cai's eyes directed towards him and Sun Jian, which was not difficult to recognize.
This didn't cause him to panic, but it made him subconsciously hold the gun tighter.
The signals he was aware of, given Sun Jian's talent in combat, were also not completely unaware of him.
At the same time that Fu Xie shouted "Go" to Sun Jian, Sun Jian had already swept his spear across, leaving room for his horse to turn around, and he and Fu Xie followed closely behind and headed straight for Zhu Jun.
Bo Cai was just one step slow in issuing the order, and the archers around him shot either open ground or their own people.
"General Qu, you can't shoot!" His deputy quickly dissuaded him. "Even with the light of the fire, the night vision is limited. If the two armies were fighting, it would be fine. At least the target would be the enemy. But now the enemy has fewer people, so accidental injuries are inevitable."
Even if he didn't say what he said next, Bo Cai could guess what he meant.
If it was a team with strict military discipline, they would not mind some accidental injuries in order to achieve their goal, but this was a team that had just failed in a siege.
The reduction in numbers among our own people will inevitably shake the morale of the army.
Bo Cai gritted his teeth and asked the crossbowman to take a step back.
It was during this change in formation that Fu Xie and Sun Jian arrived beside Zhu Jun.
As Zhu Jun's assistant military commander, Sun Jian immediately offered to give his mount to his superior, but was rejected by Zhu Jun. "Wentai is an excellent rider and has the power to defeat the enemy. At this time, don't worry about the difference between the master and the servant. Focus on the important matter."
Bo Cai could see their position, and it was not difficult for Zhu Jun to distinguish Bo Cai's position from the enemy's queue.
He narrowed his eyes to make sure he had not mistaken the person, and asked, "Tai Wen, are you sure you can take the enemy's head in the chaos?"
Zhu Jun realized that he could not put all his hopes on Qiao Yan. After choosing the place to break into the camp based on the other party's intelligence, he was convinced of the other party's ability to observe carefully.
But the Yellow Turbans’ refusal to obey orders was probably not just a problem that existed on Bo Cai’s side.
Zhu Jun was not completely sure whether the child could do what she mentioned in the letter.
Unfortunately, he did not get a positive answer from Sun Wentai.
"I'm afraid not." Sun Jian replied.
At the moment, there is a difference in numbers between the two sides, and there is no chance of a fight. After all, Sun Jian still has some rationality and would not say something like "I will die for the General of the Central Army and bring Bo Cai's head to me."
Zhu Jun couldn't help feeling a little regretful.
However, before he could put aside the idea of the decapitation operation and the regret he felt, a sudden change occurred in the situation.
A guy whose face could not be seen at all and who was covered tightly with armor suddenly appeared at this moment, carrying a person on his back and rushing straight towards Bo Cai.
This doesn't look like Bo Cai's men.
As he approached, the soldiers around Bo Cai became alert to this unexpected visitor.
But he hadn't yet reached the melee range, and the ranged...
Not to mention that Bo Caigang swapped the archers with the team in the rear because archery was ineffective. Even if he hadn't made such a swap, with the penetrating power of his soldiers' archery, it would be difficult to pose any threat to this strange guy.
At best, the person he was carrying would be pricked into a hedgehog.
Because the fire had subsided a little, Bo Cai did not realize at first that the guy being carried was none other than Liang Zhongning. He also didn't know that this was not the first time that Liang Zhongning was carried like this and used as a tool.
The last time he received such treatment was when he attacked Tian’s Fortress.
However, the one who was carrying him at that time was a butcher under his command who was disguised as a fake Dian Wei, but the one who is carrying him now is the real Dian Wei, which means he has made some progress.
But if Liang Zhongning was still conscious at this moment, he probably wouldn't want such progress.
How embarrassing...
Dian Wei behaved quite bravely.
With his load-bearing capacity, he was able to run such a distance in thick armor, carrying a person, without showing any signs of blushing or panting.
Thinking of what Qiao Yan had said to him before he asked him to put on the armor, that he had high hopes for him, he temporarily put aside the fact that he was actually just a temporary worker, and ran diligently carrying Liang Zhongning all the way, following the sound and locating the place. Just before he was about to run into Bo Cai and his men, he suddenly changed direction and ran towards the depths of the camp.
“……?” Bo Cai was somewhat confused by Dian Wei’s behavior.
This is definitely not the direction to escape from the camp!
But he soon stopped thinking about where this person came from.
The next moment after Dian Wei ran away, he suddenly heard a sound that shouldn't have appeared at this time, approaching his direction.
When the sound was covered by the footsteps but still gathered to the point where it was clearly audible, Bo finally recognized that it was the word "eliminate the thieves".
Get rid of thieves?
Bo was stunned for a moment.
Who is the thief?
Of course it’s him, the thief!
Since Dian Wei appeared, Sun Jian was stopped by Zhu Jun and only took a defensive stance. The same was true for Fu Xie.
After gathering the influence of the attack expansion, this group of people was like a stone in a torrent in front of the Yellow Turban Army that was fully equipped for battle.
In the eyes of the Yellow Turbans of Yanzhou who were chasing Dian Wei here, the shapes of these people's armor were a little difficult to identify in the night, so they were simply ignored.
On the contrary, what was eye-catching enough to be seen at a glance was Bo Cai, who was surrounded and protected by spears, halberds and swords.
As the campfire flickered, Bo Cai's confident look just caught their eyes.
They didn't know that the other party's expression was directed at the Han army that came to attack the camp, and was not deliberately shown to them.
They only knew that the enemy intended to launch a sneak attack at night, but failed due to Qiao Yan's advance preparation. In desperation, they kidnapped Liang Zhongning, who could have fed them!
As a result, these people did not even give Bo Cai a chance to ask questions and explain, and instead, in an emotional outburst of "enemies meeting each other", they simply rushed towards him.
Even though Zhu Jun had already learned about Qiao Yan's plan in advance, when he really saw the scene before him, he couldn't help but feel that the scene was indeed too absurd.
The battle reports that had reached the central government since the Yellow Turban Rebellion had made Liu Hong determined to lift the Party and Faction Ban and win the support of the scholars at this critical juncture. One can imagine what kind of situation he was in.
The Yellow Turbans fought against local county officials, and then fought against local warlords in the fortresses. After sending troops to Luoyang, the Yellow Turbans fought against the regular Han army.
Now...
Zhu Jun just felt that he was probably one of the first lucky people to see the Yellow Turbans fighting each other.
If it was said that Bo Cai had the upper hand when he led his men to close the encirclement, then this advantage is now almost gone.
There is not much difference in the origins of the Yellow Turbans of Yanzhou and Yuzhou, which leads to the similarities in their physical fitness and combat training.
However, the former grew up in the armed forces where Qiao Yan collected food and weapons in Yanzhou, and because of the simple marching orders and formation arrangements, they seemed more orderly than the latter, or in other words, more competitive in combat.
What's more, the Yellow Turbans of Yanzhou had a clear goal, and they had their military advisor to support and command from the rear. However, the Yellow Turbans of Yuzhou did not realize at the first moment of their appearance that these were not helpers who had heard the noise and came to assist them in capturing and killing the Han army, but their enemies!
That's the difference!
All Bo Cai could think about was whether these people were crazy.
But as soon as he shouted this, it was drowned out by the sound of footsteps approaching from the opposite side and the slogans of eliminating bandits.
At this moment, the two armies are indeed fighting each other, and logically speaking, bows and crossbows can come in handy.
However, switching formations is not something that can be solved by just moving up and down, or talking. Especially when one side is coming with great momentum, as long as there is one person on the other side who intends to retreat, the efficiency of the entire replacement process will be greatly reduced.
Almost at the same time, Sun Jian and Fu Xie looked at each other and saw the calculations in each other's eyes.
To get past these layers of protection and kill Bo Cai on the spot, they must have tacit cooperation and backup personnel. However, the inability to do this does not mean that they cannot take an unconventional approach at this time.
For example, they can go around to the rear to deal with these crossbowmen!
When the two generals got Zhu Jun's consent to set off, they heard the sound of horse hooves and subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a little boy and a middle-aged scholar riding horses together, looking in their direction and making a greeting gesture from a distance.
Obviously, that was Qiao Yan and Cheng Li whom she mentioned in the letter.
Even though the two of them couldn't see her face clearly at this moment, they felt for no reason that they could see a pair of clear and sharp eyes, who were acting as the driving force behind the scenes, appreciating the final outcome of this battle.
"This is how having a child should be..."
Fu Gan, who was now in Changsha City and had just watched Huangfu Song and Cao Cao lead their troops to attack, and Sun Ce, who was in Shouchun praying with his mother for his father's safe return, did not know that their father suddenly had this idea at the same time.
But now this feeling is only fleeting.
With the Yellow Turbans from Yanzhou attacking in front of them, it was inevitable that they would neglect to stop them.
This allowed their plan to break out of the encirclement and bypass the enemy to proceed particularly smoothly.
The harassment from the rear by these two men and the sudden attack by the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou were undoubtedly the last straw that made Bo Cai panic.
No matter how chaotic the camp was, the manpower he could deploy was always there, so the Han army would not be able to launch a fatal attack. At least he knew what the other side was thinking and had a rough idea in his mind. But what about now?
He had no idea where the sudden slogan of "eliminating bandits" from the Yellow Turbans of Yanzhou came from!
He had no idea why these people happened to choose to attack at the same time as the Han army!
When the first row of swordsmen were chopped down by the opposite side, Bo Cai retreated hastily, with cold sweat on his back.
So, when he realized that the situation was not good, he left the people who were covering him and ran away.
But it would be fine if he didn't run away. At least he was the undisputed person who gave orders among the Yellow Turbans in Yuzhou. He was the authentic leader chosen by the Great Sage Master, and everyone around him would protect his safety.
But now he retreated, still in this seemingly fleeing posture.
In a situation that seemed like an internal struggle among the Yellow Turbans, this really seemed like a sign of guilty conscience on the part of one side.
The Yellow Turbans from Yanzhou and Yuzhou present at the scene faced a difficult problem at the same time.
When Shuai Qu is not present, do they still want to fight against each other?
The team coming from Yanzhou subconsciously looked in the direction of their military advisor, intending to get some advice from this "expert" whose plans had never gone wrong, but they found that the other party and Cheng Li had disappeared without a trace at some point.
The next moment, fires blazed brightly all around them. Amid the smoke and neighing of horses, they heard a continuous shout of "surrender your weapons and you won't be killed."
When they saw the attire of the leader, both sides, who had already suffered heavy losses in the fight, realized a terrible fact.
While the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. This is not just a story, but something that is actually happening right now.
The visitor had appeared before them when he was supervising the battle in Changsha.
It was during this Battle of Changsha that Huangfu Song, the supreme commander of the Han Dynasty, took place!
Although they didn't know the saying "a son of a wealthy family should not sit in the hall", it was not difficult to infer some common sense. Those people who only appeared in rumors were often in the rear, so how could they do such a dangerous thing, unless -
Unless the environment at this moment is not dangerous to him at all.
While the other side was showing confidence, these Yellow Turbans heard another sentence that shook the night sky: "The bandit leader has been captured, the rest of the gangsters surrender quickly."
"If there were a few more of these people with a war-like mind, they would have discovered that the third party coming here is less than half their number."
Although Qiao Yan and Cheng Li were out of the sight of the Yellow Turbans of Yanzhou at this time, they did not move too far away, but were still in a position where they could observe the situation on the battlefield.
If one does not have a preconceived misunderstanding and fear of the flaming horses running around, one will discover that there are only a few dozen of them running back and forth.
Unfortunately, the Yellow Turbans, who were leaderless on both sides at this time, only heard the sound of thunder and the drumbeats that never stopped, and saw Huangfu Song and the energetic Han army approaching step by step, and the strange armored monster appeared again, this time carrying a leader in each hand, and now stood beside Huangfu Song, perfectly echoing the sentence "the bandit leader has been captured".
Any sign of this is a sign of impending disaster for them.
They regarded the Great Sage Master as the savior of the world, but never thought about how the Taiping Dao they believed in would help them out if one day they were in trouble.
In any case, there would not be a bolt of lightning falling from the sky and killing Huangfu Song.
With this mentality, the first person subconsciously loosened his hand and dropped the weapon on the ground.
Then the first person, the third person...
"If the Yellow Turban Army wants to convert numbers into combat effectiveness, there is obviously still a big gap." Qiao Yan shook his head and sighed.
As she spoke this, she happened to see the appearance of the leader among the cavalrymen in the smoke and dust.
It was a little difficult to tell the man's stature when he was on horseback, but his appearance and the approximate height that could be seen were consistent with Qiao Yan's impression of the man.
When it comes to the Yellow Turban Army, the number of people does not represent its combat effectiveness, and it seems that we cannot avoid it.
Cao Cao.
The hundreds of thousands of Qingzhou soldiers he obtained after suppressing the Yanzhou rebellion are a typical proof of this statement.
It is obviously unrealistic for farmers to defeat professional fighters. In terms of strict military discipline, it cannot be compared with the regular army at all.
In the Battle of Puyang, the Qingzhou soldiers failed to intercept Lu Bu for Cao Cao, and instead caused Cao Cao to burn his palms in the fire; in the Battle of Wancheng, the Qingzhou army not only failed to break the situation for Cao Cao, but also robbed their own people. It's a joke to talk about it.
But one thing that is indisputable is that these Yellow Turban Army are still a particularly valuable population resource.
Especially in the late Han Dynasty.
Therefore, Qiao Yan would never let Huangfu Song kill all these people and be done with it.
She watched from afar as the bustling camp gradually calmed down, then she straightened her clothes and walked towards where Huangfu Song was.
The surrounding firelight no longer showed a state of complete disorder, but there was a torch every ten steps, sweeping away the chaos in the entire camp.
It was under the light of such torches that the Yellow Turban soldiers under Liang Zhongning and Bo Cai realized that their surrender might not be a so wise decision.
The third-party Han army did not have as many people as they imagined!
But now there is obviously no room for them to regret.
The weapons in their hands had already been quickly confiscated. Most of their long-range archers were killed after the joint efforts of Sun Jian and Fu Xie, and the subsequent arrival of the Han army. Most of the remaining ones were also injured. The most fatal thing was undoubtedly that their food had been quickly taken over by the Han army.
The Han troops attacking Changsha City were indeed insufficient in number, which meant that there might be gaps for them to escape from the guards, but when the food stocks were guarded by them first, it was like having another chain tied to their hands and feet.
Qiao Yan met Huangfu Song next to the military tent where grain was stored.
When she arrived, Huangfu Song was obviously very interested in Dian Wei, a strong man who could carry heavy armor and run in the Yellow Turban camp, and was asking him questions.
What made him feel that Dian Wei was a talented person in particular was that Dian Wei not only carried Liang Zhongning, the leader of the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou, but also had the great luck to meet the opponent face to face when he was fleeing in the chaos, and directly knocked the man unconscious and captured him.
If we really count his contributions, they are indeed not small.
But Dian Wei seemed to be wise but foolish when he talked about arranging a retreat for his fellow villagers. But when Huangfu Song really asked him about his life, he seemed to be missing a string of promotion in his mind. No matter how Qiao Yan looked at him, he felt that he was not in the right state.
Fortunately, there is now someone who can share Huangfu Song’s curiosity about him.
Seeing Qiao Yan coming over, he gave him a look that could perhaps be translated as "saved".
Huangfu Song was indeed much more interested in Qiao Yan.
Huangfu Song was in almost the same state as Cheng Li was when he met Qiao Yan before.
However, what Qiao Yan is doing now is obviously much more than just successfully bringing together the three Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou into one.
If what she had shown before was only her ability to see through people's hearts and stir up trouble, then now——
The letter sent to Changsha City can be said to be a testimony to the young man's noble character and talent. The planning of this encirclement is beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Now these characteristics are concentrated in a boy who is not even old enough to be called a "teenager".
She is too young!
Although Huangfu Song was happy to see a military general like Dian Wei, he didn't need him so urgently since he had Fu Xie, a military commander who was also brave, strategic, and had a good character.
But Qiao Yan is different.
This is a man of great wisdom who can turn the tide of the war...
After Qiao Yan came forward and saluted him, he was not surprised to hear this thoughtful child ask, "General, what arrangements do you have for these people?"
Bo Cai has woken up by now, along with Liang Zhongning, who was knocked unconscious by Dian Wei at the beginning.
Both of them had only a vague understanding of the current situation, and even had some resentment towards each other.
Of course, what they could not understand was why the Han army was the one that benefited in the end after this fight.
The biggest blow to Liang Zhongning was undoubtedly the fact that his highly trusted military advisor seemed to have been on the side of the Han army from the very beginning, and it was this plan that instigated the defeat of the Yellow Turbans.
If Liang Zhongning's mouth had not been blocked by the cloth, he would have asked her how he had done anything wrong to make her do such a thing.
Just as he was extremely eager to know what had happened and wanted to find Qiao Yan to ask for clarification, he heard Qiao Yan's question.
Then he heard Huangfu Song reply without hesitation: "I have discussed this issue with Gong Wei before, and Gong Wei gave me a reason that I felt had no room for rebuttal. He said that it is beneficial to be a bandit, and it is not beneficial to surrender. Where is the law of the country?"
The meaning of this sentence is very clear, it means killing!
Zhu Jun explained to Huangfu Song that if these Yellow Turban Army could follow others to launch the Yellow Turban Uprising when there were benefits to be gained, and could also beg the court for surrender when disaster struck and they no longer had the benefits of the uprising, then what should the country use to restrain these people so that they would not follow others and make trouble the next time someone raised a slogan for an uprising?
Therefore, the best way is to kill all these people, which will also serve as a warning to others who want to participate in the uprising.
Liang Zhongning naturally understood the subtext of Huangfu Song's words. His temper that was ready to confront Qiao Yan turned into a chill in his heart as if he was about to die.
He intuitively felt that his emotions were actually not right. After all, he followed General Tian Gong in the uprising for the sake of justice.
There is no such thing as success on this road. Even if one dies here, one should face death calmly.
However, before he could come to his senses, he unexpectedly heard Qiao Yan say, "I think these people cannot be killed."
"......?" Liang Zhongning subconsciously looked at Qiao Yan's face, but did not see any emotion of pleading from this still calm face.
She simply mentioned her judgment of the current situation to Huangfu Song in an extremely calm tone, "Under normal circumstances, I would not object to General Zhu's opinion, but beheading the Yellow Turban bandits can only serve as a warning. But at this moment, who are you warning, General?"
"Of course, it is the other places where the rebellion has not been suppressed." Huangfu Song replied.
What this means is the Zhang Jiao brothers from Jizhou and Zhang Mancheng from Nanyang.
Qiao Yan asked again: "Doesn't that mean we should also inform them of the battle situation here?"
Huangfu Song was suddenly startled.
Qiao Yan's words really reminded him.
Does he really want this message to be passed on at this moment?
He immediately wanted to take Qiao Yan back to Changsha City for a detailed discussion, but she rejected the invitation, saying that she was tired tonight and her clothes were dirty, which was not the right way to meet an elder. It would be better for her to visit Huangfu Song at his station tomorrow after making all the arrangements.
"Young people still care too much about their image," Huangfu Song commented.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Zhu Jun looking at him.
The meaning in this look is not difficult to recognize.
Zhu Jun could tell that what Huangfu Song said was correct, but his tone clearly did not sound like a condemnation of Qiao Yan, a young junior, for having such a minor flaw. Instead, it sounded like an elder's love and respect for the younger generation.
The other party's behavior of going deep into the enemy camp and cooperating with them from inside and outside was not a reckless act, but rather a courageous one, which was very much to his liking as a military general.
If this kid hadn't belonged to the Qiao family of Liang State, even though Qiao Xuan might have died of illness this year and Qiao Yu had died in the invasion of the Yellow Turban bandits, the most appropriate resettlement measure for Qiao Yan would have been to send him to the clan's ancestral homeland. He really wanted to ask whether the other party was interested in joining him.
Especially, they won!
They won the battle and pacified the largest Yellow Turban group in Yuzhou in one fell swoop, and also "cleaned up" the Yellow Turbans in Yanzhou. Even Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, who held the military power, would probably be proud for a while.
Although these soldiers who revolted in response to the call of Tianshi Dao cannot be killed for the time being, they have to be gathered together for their own use. This may take some effort, but it is much easier than conquering each state one by one as they had previously estimated.
Especially in this way, they can free up their hands to support the other lines.
On the Gengzi day of March, the Yellow Turbans in Nanyang killed the prefecture governor Chu Gong. The commander of the Dafangqu Camp, Zhang Mancheng, and the deputy commander, Zhao Hong, stationed tens of thousands of people in Wancheng.
Given the location of Wancheng, if the troops were sent across the Yi River and directly attack Yique, they could march straight into Sili and advance to Luoyang.
This is obviously an extremely dangerous position.
Although garrisons had been arranged at the eight passes of Luoyang before the Han army launched several lines, Yique Pass was guarded at the strategic location of Longmen Mountain and Xiangshan Pass, and the garrisoning general was an experienced veteran in many battles. It was not a pass that could be taken by relying on human wave tactics.
With Luoyang at its back, it will not lack supplies for a protracted war.
Can--
The incitement of the Yellow Turban Army, or the appeal of the great sage Zhang Jue, was fully realized during the days when Huangfu Song faced the Yellow Turbans head-on.
Zhang Jiao's disciple Ma Yuanyi had previously been able to go to Luoyang City to collude with people and plan to strike the center of the city. However, there was no guarantee that when Zhang Mancheng sent troops to Yique Pass, there would be an internal response to start an uprising in Guanzhong.
Now it is true that Qin Jie, the commander of Jiangxia, has been promoted to the governor of Nanyang and has been ordered to lead troops to fight against Zhang Mancheng first. However, in order to prevent the loss of important areas in the capital, it is better for them to divide their troops and pursue him as soon as possible.
At this time, according to the news reported from the northern front, Lu Zhi's troops were still advancing steadily.
For him, this might mean that his plan to wipe out the bandits was proceeding step by step, but for Emperor Liu Hong, who was eager to put down the Yellow Turban invasion, it was not good news.
Huangfu Song was well aware of the intricacies of this matter, and could not help but feel somewhat worried about Lu Zhi's way of advancing.
After some thought, he said to Zhu Jun, "Gong Wei, I want to discuss with you how to divide the troops later."
There was a map of the Han Dynasty in the room where the two were. Huangfu Song stood up and pointed at the map.
The place where they are now, Yingchuan, is actually not too far from Wancheng.
After suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Yingchuan, it was natural for us to march into this place.
But Huangfu Song did not intend to waste time like this and put all his manpower into this.
As Qiao Yan said, he actually didn't want to publicize the news that they had defeated the Yellow Turbans in Yanyu Province ahead of schedule so quickly.
As long as they can suppress this news for a while and prevent it from reaching the ears of Zhang Mancheng in Nanyang and the great virtuous teacher in Jizhou so quickly, they can completely stage a swift and powerful show -
Go straight to Huanglong!
It was because of this consideration that he agreed with Qiao Yan's suggestion to save the Yellow Turbans' lives and persuade them to surrender, instead of following Zhu Jun's advice to guard against people in the world thinking that "if it is profitable, they can become bandits, but if it is not, they can surrender." From then on, he was less cautious about joining the uprising.
"I remember that when Gong Wei was appointed as the military commander of Sun Jian, he summoned young men from his hometown, most of whom were from the Huai and Si areas. I guess these people are good at swimming, right?"
Huangfu Song's eyes never left the map, and he looked back and forth at the Yingshui, Rushui, and Feishui rivers between Changsha and Nanyang, as well as the crisscrossing rivers in Nanyang County.
Zhu Jun understood what Huangfu Song meant and replied "Yes", adding: "This man has served as the county magistrate of Yandu, Xuyi and Xiapi. He is well-known and is as brave as Fu Nanrong. Last night, we relied a lot on his martial arts to get rid of the bandits. Only then could we come and go freely in the Yellow Turban camp. He is capable of great tasks."
Zhu Jun was a man who valued talent, so he naturally did not hesitate to praise Sun Jian.
Huangfu Song had seen the battle yesterday, and was deeply impressed by Sun Jian during the siege and defense battle a few days ago. He immediately replied, "Well, please don't delay, Gongwei. Send troops to Nanyang tomorrow, with Sun Wentai as your deputy, and join forces with Qin Jie as soon as possible to capture Zhang Mancheng. The waterways in the south are easy to escape, and in the battle to drive out the Yellow Turbans, we must not let any of their leaders escape."
Once they are given the opportunity to appoint another leader, they are very likely to make a comeback.
Zhu Jun had under his command young and strong men who were good at swimming, led by Sun Jian, and it was just the right time to launch a surprise attack from the south.
Huangfu Song also had a clear understanding of his goals.
There is no need to fight in Yanzhou anymore, we can just go straight through and advance to Jizhou and quickly join forces with the troops on the northern front.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on his usually stern and majestic face.
Time is an extremely critical thing for any general. Huangfu Song now has the initiative and can't help but feel happy.
It was at this time that the guard outside the door came to report that Qiao Yan wanted to see him.
"Please let him in!"
Huangfu Song was immersed in the joy of fighting on two fronts and was unaware that the tone of the guard who delivered the message was a little subtle, as if he was facing something incomprehensible.
It was not until the door of the "temporary command post" in Changshe City was pushed open and a figure in white entered the room that Huangfu Song realized belatedly that if he had heard correctly, his personal guard who had fought with him had clearly said something...
Surprised?
Zhu Jun was the first to see the figure and jumped up in shock.
"you……"
What he saw was not a young boy who had changed his clothes out of concern for his personal image and came to pay a visit to him and Huangfu Song, but a girl in deep mourning clothes, wearing white.
Changing back to a girl's attire did not affect people's identification of her identity. The command and decisiveness she displayed in the battle to encircle the Yellow Turbans last night were in no way weakened by her change of attire.
At most, the white mourning clothes made her face look a little paler and she looked a little haggard.
That's all.
However, this sudden scene gave Zhu Jun and Huangfu Song, who had already formed the perception that "she was Qiao's great-great-grandson and really had the demeanor of her grandfather", an indescribable shock.
It's not just a gender reversal!
Moreover, because of her special dress, there must be some unusual meaning associated with it.
It was not a difficult task for Qiao Yan to find some white cloth clothes used in funeral ceremonies from the city before coming to visit.
Last year's drought and cold weather would not have spared Yingchuan just because of its talented people and beautiful scenery. Not to mention things further away, several elders of the Zhong family in Changsha passed away this spring due to seasonal changes, and the casualties from the Yellow Turban attack on the city were even greater.
So after confirming that she could get the props, she chose without any hesitation to put on hemp mourning clothes and appear in front of Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun as a woman.
Before she took this action, the system couldn't help but ask why she said that.
You have to know that such an action is actually a little offensive.
But Qiao Yan explained that whether something is out of line or not is not judged according to the rules of interaction between superiors and subordinates.
She had told the system before that everything she did was to build up her reputation, and it was the same now.
If she wanted the reputation of annihilating the Yellow Turbans, she had to get every bit of it without any waste, and make it all her own.
It fell on Qiao Yan, the daughter of the Qiao family!
The military achievement has been accomplished, so why not add fuel to the flames and enhance her reputation? She must also let future generations mention the potential stocks that emerged during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and she, Qiao Yan, will be included in the list!
Facing the incredulous gazes of the left and right Zhonglang Jiangs appointed by the imperial court, Qiao Yan bowed and said, "Qiao Yan, the daughter of the former Prime Minister of Rencheng, is here to see a general."
At this moment of revealing her identity, she immediately said something equally unexpected, "Qiao Yan, I am so rude to come to see you in white clothes. It is only because the thieves have captured the head that we should send to the capital to inform the emperor and all the officials, but -"
"My parents were killed by the Yellow Turban Rebellion. As a son, I have no choice but to do my best to eliminate the thieves, even if I die. Now I have succeeded by chance. I do not seek fame and honor. I only ask that when the two generals go out to fight, please allow me to kill Bo Cai and take his head to Yanzhou to offer sacrifices to my parents' spirits in heaven!"
After she finished speaking, she bowed deeply again.
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