After that, the envoy did not stop at the Ming army camp, but left directly.
After the envoy returned to Sangmuguan, Liu Zhongcai, who had been waiting for a long time, and the officers who had participated in the rebellion immediately surrounded him.
Liu Zhongcai glanced at the envoy and asked.
"How is the situation? Has the court agreed to our request?"
Seeing this situation, the envoy did not dare to hide anything. After suppressing the panic in his heart, he leaned down and reported respectfully.
"The imperial court agreed to our request, but the general needs to be handed over to them!"
After everyone learned the news from the envoy, they were overjoyed. This meant that as long as Yao Ge was handed over to the court, they would be able to find a way out!
Afterwards, the officers who participated in the rebellion all looked at Liu Zhongcai on the side, waiting for him to give orders.
Facing everyone's gaze, Liu Zhongcai took a deep breath, waved his hands feebly, and gave instructions.
"Do as they say!"
"Yes, General!"
As soon as Liu Zhongcai finished speaking, the officers on the side immediately responded in a deep voice.
Yao Ge, who was tied up with five flowers, was quickly taken up by the soldiers. At this moment, the expression on his face was extremely calm, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
Immediately afterwards, the city gate of Sangmuguan was opened, and many soldiers walked out of Sangmuguan, put down their weapons, and knelt on the ground, waiting for the imperial army to arrive.
Not long after, the sound of horse hoofbeats was heard, and Shi Bangxian personally commanded five thousand troops and arrived at Sangmuguan.
At this time, Shi Bangxian, who was wearing armor and holding a sword in one hand, was riding on a maroon war horse.
Surrounding him were heavily armed soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. The torches held by the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty emitted orange light, illuminating his face.
Not far away from him, there were defenders who had put down their weapons and were walking out of Sangmu Pass.
At the front, Liu Zhongcai and the officers who participated in the rebellion were looking expectantly at the Ming army in the distance. As for Yao Ge, the guard of Sangmuguan, he had long been controlled by Wuhua Datie and knelt with them. together.
Then, Shi Bangxian looked away, waved his hand suddenly, and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Bring people here!"
"Yes, General!"
As soon as Shi Bangxian finished speaking, soldiers from the Ming Dynasty came to Liu Zhongcai and others and escorted Yao Ge, who had been tied up by Wuhua Da, to Shi Bangxian.
Shi Bangxian's eyes only stayed on Yao Ge's face for a moment, and then he looked away.
"Take him down and keep him under strict supervision!"
"Yes, General!"
Soon, Yao Ge was taken into custody by Shi Bangxian's soldiers.
After all, capturing the enemy garrison is considered a big achievement, and when the war is over, you can get more rewards.
After guard Yao Ge was escorted down, Shi Bangxian turned around, looked at the deputy general on the side, and gave instructions.
"Pass this general's order to enter the city and take over the defense!"
"Yes, General!"
Subsequently, after leaving two thousand men and horses responsible for gathering these surrendered soldiers, the remaining three thousand men and horses, under the command of Shi Bangxian, entered Sangmuguan and successfully took over the defense of the city.
On the city wall of Sangmuguan, Shi Bangxian was holding his hands behind his back, overlooking the scenery in the distance. Not far away, there were Liu Zhongcai and a group of officers who participated in the rebellion.
At this time, they were in an extremely uneasy mood, with worries on their faces. After all, no one knew how this famous general of the imperial court would deal with them next.
At this moment, Liu Zhong plucked up the courage and stepped forward. He wanted to ask Shi Bangxian what he planned to do with them next.
Just when Liu Zhongcai made a move, Shi Bangxian's personal guard on the side saw this situation and immediately pulled out the Yanling knife from his waist. Then, the cold and sharp Yanling knife was placed on Liu Zhongcai's neck.
When Liu Zhongcai saw this situation, his Adam's apple couldn't help but move. He raised his hands and did not dare to make any more movements.
Seeing this, Shi Bangxian turned around and pressed down with his right hand. When the personal guard saw this, he suddenly understood and quickly removed the knife from Liu Zhongcai's neck.
The moment the cold touch disappeared, Liu Zhongcai couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. He felt like he was alive again!
Then, everyone heard Shi Bangxian's unusually calm voice.
"Well, I am deeply pleased that you were able to return from your lost ways and surrender to the court!"
When Liu Zhongcai and a group of officers who participated in the rebellion heard Shi Bangxian's words, their faces were full of joy, and the stone that had been hanging in their hearts finally fell to the ground safely.
After all, the whole thing was roughly as they had expected. The rebellion launched by them was characterized by the court as "returning after losing their way." In other words, as long as nothing unexpected happens, they will find a way out. A way out.
Hearing this, Liu Zhongcai was about to strike while the iron was hot and elaborate on Yang Lie's crimes, when Shi Bangxian changed the topic and continued to add.
"Do you know that before this, the governor once said that in order to achieve a quick victory, no surrender will be accepted in this battle, and anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"
When Shi Bangxian's words fell, Liu Zhongcai and the officers who participated in launching the rebellion suddenly felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. They never expected that things would turn out like this.
Later, Liu Zhongcai's face turned pale, he was trembling and kneeling on the ground, crying to Shi Bangxian.
"General, we were deceived by Yang Lie and just confronted the imperial army. Please spare my life!"
"Yes, General, please spare my life!"
As soon as Liu Zhongcai finished speaking, the officers who launched the rebellion on the side also followed Liu Zhongcai's footsteps, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing on the ground.
Shi Bangxian had a panoramic view of the expressions on the faces of Liu Zhongcai and others, and all he could see was a subtle nod and said slowly.
"Having said that, I am willing to make an exception for you. As long as you tell me everything you know, I can consider letting the past go and spare your lives!"
Shi Bangxian's words were a life-saving straw for Liu Zhongcai and his party at this time.
After listening to Shi Bangxian's words, they couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and the hope of survival was rekindled in their eyes. Then, they came to their senses and kept kowtowing on the ground.
"Thank you, General, for sparing our lives!"
"Thank you, General, for sparing our lives!"
Shi Bangxian saw the expressions on their faces and saw them waving their hands and giving gentle instructions to the guards on the side.
"Take them all down!"
"Yes, General!"
Upon hearing this, the guards on the side immediately called the soldiers and took Liu Zhongcai and his party under custody.
After Liu Zhongcai and others were taken down, Shi Bangxian called his subordinates and gave these instructions.
"Tell the governor that this general has successfully taken over the defense of Sangmuguan!"
"Yes, general, my subordinates will go right away!"
When the subordinate heard this, he immediately bowed his head and bowed. After that, he didn't stop at all and quickly left.
…
Soon after, Feng Yue, the governor of Huguang, who was in the Chinese military camp, learned that Shi Bangxian had successfully taken over the defense of Sangmuguan!
At this moment, his face was full of relief, he stroked his beard and said to himself.
"Okay, okay, I really didn't expect to be able to take Sangmuguan so quickly!"
Feng Yue's original idea was to spend a week to capture Sangmuguan, and then lead the army to Suiyang after capturing Sangmuguan!
After the army captures Suiyang, if the Sichuan Division's Third Route and the Guizhou Division's Two Routes progress smoothly, they can divide their troops into three routes and launch attacks from Suiyang, Renhuai, and Tongzi respectively, and directly attack Yang Lie's home base of Hailongtun. !
Now, it only took the army one day to capture Sangmuguan, which was steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and heavily guarded. This forced Feng Yue to change his earlier deployment.
Just as Feng Yue was comparing the map of Bozhou in front of him and thinking about the next strategy in his mind.
I saw a soldier who was responsible for guarding the camp stepped in, leaned down, and reported respectfully.
"Your Excellency, the governor, we are all in charge of the affairs. Tongren General Shi Bangxian asked for an audience outside the tent, saying that he had something important to report!"
"Well, let him in!"
When Feng Yue heard this, he was immediately overjoyed. After looking away from the map in front of him, he ordered in a deep voice.
"As you command, Lord Governor!"
After hearing Feng Yue's words, the soldier quickly took the order and left. The expressions on the faces of the many remaining generals in the camp were extremely complicated.
Because Shi Bangxian had made great achievements this time, not only personally breaking through Sangmuguan, but also capturing the enemy's guard. He should have gotten some important information when he came this time.
Many of the generals present knew very well that whoever performed well in this battle would definitely be reused by the imperial court!
At this moment, the generals were gearing up and their eyes became fiery.
Afterwards, Shi Bangxian stepped into the Chinese military camp under the guidance of the soldiers outside the camp.
As soon as Shi Bangxian entered the camp, he looked in the direction of Feng Yue and bowed his head.
"I've met the governor!"
When Feng Yue heard this, his face was full of smiles, and then he came to Shi Bangxian and personally helped him up from the ground.
"Xi Yin, you have accomplished a great feat this time. Not only did you break through Sangmuguan in one fell swoop, you also captured the enemy guard!"
When Shi Bangxian heard this, his face was filled with humility, and he immediately humbled himself.
"No matter where, this is all due to the governor's strategizing and commanding. The general is just following your orders!"
When Feng Yue heard Shi Bangxian's words, the smile on his face became even bigger, and he spoke immediately.
"Xiyin doesn't have to be self-effacing!"
Then, after Feng Yue looked Shi Bangxian up and down, he chose to get down to business.
"It's so late and you're here in person. Do you have any news that you need to tell me?"
After hearing Feng Yue's words, Shi Bangxian organized the words in his mind and then said in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty the Governor, I have received news from General Yao Ge and Deputy General Liu Zhongcai of Sangmuguan. It is said that a reinforcement force of about 40,000 people will arrive at Sangmuguan in the next few days!"
"What!"
After Feng Yue heard the news from Shi Bangxian, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on his face, and his spine felt a little chilly.
After all, Feng Yue originally planned to take a week to break through Sangmuguan. If the defenders in Sangmuguan were allowed to hold on for a few more days, when Yang Lie's 40,000 reinforcements arrived, he would be able to conquer the steep terrain, which was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Sangmuguan is difficult.
Once our own attack is frustrated, the remaining three Sichuan divisions and two Qian divisions will be under greater pressure, not to mention that the higher-ups want to end the battle before September as much as possible.
After thinking about this, Feng Yue showed a little bit of joy on his face and said to himself.
"Fortunately, we occupied Sangmuguan before Yang Lie's reinforcements arrived. Otherwise, the consequences would have been disastrous!"
Then, he turned his attention to Shi Bangxian and said with emotion.
"Xiyin, thanks to you this time!"
When Shi Bangxian heard Feng Yue's words, he cupped his hands and spoke immediately.
"What, the governor is exaggerating!"
After that, Feng Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, turned his gaze to Shi Bangxian, and asked.
"Since Yang Lie sent 40,000 reinforcements to Sangmuguan, we can't let them go in vain, right?"
When Shi Bangxian heard Feng Yue's words, he suppressed his excitement and spoke cautiously.
"What the governor means is..."
"Okay, you came to see me so late. Isn't that why you came here?"
Feng Yue glanced at Shi Bangxian and said angrily.
Seeing that his thoughts were revealed by Feng Yue, Shi Bangxian laughed twice and said nothing.
Then, Feng Yue arrived and stopped to look at the huge map in the camp for a long time.
On the map, the mountains, rivers, and every city in Bozhou were clearly marked. Seeing this, the generals on the side held their breath and concentrated, not even daring to take a breath for fear of disturbing Feng Yue's thoughts.
At this moment, their faces were also full of excitement.
Because, if these 40,000 reinforcements can be wiped out in one fell swoop, then they will be able to make considerable contributions. When the war is over, they may be able to rise to another level based on the achievements accumulated in this battle.
Time passed by slowly. I don't know how long it took, but Feng Yue came back to his senses, looked in the direction of Shi Bangxian, and asked.
"How many troops do you think it will take to completely annihilate these 40,000 reinforcements?"
Hearing this, Shi Bangxian thought about it for a long time before giving his response.
"My Lord Governor, I feel that if we want to annihilate these 40,000 reinforcements in one fell swoop, we need to use all our troops!"
"Only in this way can we be foolproof!"
After listening to the answer given by Shi Bangxian, Feng Yue couldn't help but show a little hesitation on his face. After all, this was a big gamble!
If he wins, Yang Lie will definitely be severely weakened. In a short period of time, he will no longer be able to organize an effective resistance, and he will be able to lead his army and attack the city all the way without any hindrance.
Once he loses, what awaits him will be an irreversible situation. After all, the reason why the imperial court sent troops to conquer the state was to take this opportunity to re-implement the policy of reforming the land and returning it to the southwestern region.
After Feng Yue was fighting between heaven and man for a long time, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down his emotions.
Then, Feng Yue looked away from Shi Bangxian, clenched his fists subconsciously, and said in a deep voice.
"Well, in that case, I'll do as you say and use all our troops to annihilate this 40,000-strong reinforcements in one fell swoop!"
"Yes, Lord Governor!"
Seeing that Feng Yue had made up his mind, many generals in the Chinese army camp looked stern and responded in a deep voice.
After that, Feng Yue discussed the next deployment with Shi Bangxian and many generals in the camp.
…
After confirming the strategy, the Ming army began intensive mobilization in the next few days.
In order to ensure nothing went wrong, Feng Yue specially ordered people to concentrate all the cannons. In addition, a large number of Ming troops were also ambushed in the hidden places near Sangmuguan.
At this moment, Liu Zhongcai was standing on the city wall of Sangmuguan, looking into the distance with an uneasy expression. The tall and meticulous soldiers around him were all disguised Ming soldiers.
Not long ago, Shi Bangxian ordered someone to tell him that if he wanted to get rid of his merits, he would have to assist the imperial court to completely annihilate Yang Lie's 40,000 reinforcements!
In order to survive, Liu Zhongcai had to agree to Shi Bangxian's proposal. Later, all the officers who had launched the rebellion with him earlier were released to assist Liu Zhongcai and prevent the reinforcements from seeing the flaws.
"Hey, brother, why are you doing this?"
"Since we have already surrendered, we might as well keep doing nothing and assist the imperial court in annihilating the 40,000 reinforcements sent by Yang Lie. In this way, we can make meritorious deeds and find a way out!"
Liu Zhongcai looked away from the distance and muttered to himself silently.
In order to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan, Liu Zhongcai was sent to persuade Yao Ge to surrender, but Yao Ge would rather die. In the end, Liu Zhongcai had no choice but to give up the idea and conveyed Yao Ge's attitude to Shi Bangxian.
After Shi Bangxian learned about this situation, he didn't say anything. He just waved his hand and asked Liu Zhongcai to leave.
Although Shi Bangxian didn't say anything, Liu Zhongcai knew very well that his "big brother" would definitely die!
"Don't worry, brother, I will definitely take good care of my sister-in-law and nephew!"
Then, Liu Zhongcai calmed down, clenched his fists, and said in a deep voice.
On the other side, less than fifty miles away from Sangmuguan, there was an army with no end in sight and was marching slowly.
This large army was sent by Yang Lie to support the 40,000 reinforcements at Sangmuguan, and the person in charge of commanding the troops was Yang Qingyuan.
After mobilizing so many troops, Yang Lie naturally couldn't trust others, so he handed over the important task to his own relative, Yang Qingyuan.
Yang Qingyuan was one of the few generals within the Yang family in Bozhou who could lead an army in battle. Although his ability was mediocre, his victory was due to his loyalty, so Yang Lie placed great emphasis on him.
Moreover, before Yang Qingyuan commanded the reinforcements to set off, Yang Lie repeatedly warned that his mission was to lead 40,000 reinforcements to support Sangmuguan and delay the imperial army's attack!
In Yang Lie's view, as long as the 40,000 troops led by Yang Qingyuan are stationed at Sangmuguan, they will be absolutely safe!
After all, the army under the command of Feng Yue, the governor of Huguang, was only 60,000 people. He only needed to rely on the steep terrain of Sangmuguan to defend, and he would definitely be able to greatly delay the attack of the imperial army.
When the army's baggage is exhausted, it will have to return to the court. At that time, he can send people to the court to plead for mercy, and this hurdle can be passed without any danger.
At this moment, Yang Qingyuan was riding a brown war horse. He tightened the reins, looked at the general beside him, and asked.
"How long does it take for the army to reach Sangmuguan?"
The general next to him didn't dare to hesitate at all when he saw Yang Qingyuan asking questions, and responded without thinking.
"General, according to the current marching speed of the army, we will be able to reach Sangmuguan in three hours!"
"Well, order the army to speed up and reach Sangmuguan as soon as possible!"
After listening to the general's report, Yang Qingyuan nodded slightly and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Yes, General!"
The general on the side immediately looked stern when he heard this, and after bowing his hand to Yang Qingyuan, he responded in a deep voice.
Afterwards, the army, personally commanded by Yang Qingyuan, suddenly accelerated its march and galloped towards Sangmuguan.
Because Yang Qingyuan ordered the army to speed up their march, they arrived near Sangmuguan half an hour earlier than expected.
Then, the army stopped less than ten miles away from Sangmuguan. Not long after, the scouts sent by Yang Qingyuan earlier came to report that everything was normal around them.
After Yang Qingyuan heard the scout's report, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he took the monocular telescope from the subordinate's hands and began to observe the situation of the Sangmuguan defenders.
After observing for a long time, Yang Qingyuan put down the monocular and said with emotion.
"This Yao Ge is really good at running the army. The defenders on the city wall are tall and meticulous!"
"Oh, if only this person could have lowered his head a little, he wouldn't have been sent to Sangmuguan!"
After finishing his emotion, Yang Qingyuan waved his hand suddenly and ordered the army to continue advancing towards Sangmuguan.
At this moment, Liu Zhongcai looked at the army in the distance, gradually approaching Sangmuguan, his heart became more and more anxious, and a thin stream of sweat broke out on his forehead.
Because his next task is to lead Yang Qingyuan and other generals to Sangmuguan.
In the city, swordsmen and axemen have already been ambushed. When Yang Qingyuan and other generals enter the city, they will be chopped into pieces in an instant.
"Calm down, Liu Zhongcai, you have to calm down. You must not let them see any flaws, otherwise, everything will be over!"
Liu Zhongcai thought this, then took a deep breath and warned himself in his heart.
Gradually, the 40,000-strong army commanded by Yang Qingyuan had arrived less than five miles away from Sangmuguan.
Later, Liu Zhongcai took the officers who had launched the rebellion with him earlier, escorted by Ming troops dressed as personal guards, to greet him. (End of chapter)
