The middle-aged man shouted: "You rebels! You must not die a good death! You must not die a good death!"
Yang Peng ignored him and turned around to check on the woman and child. Only then did he discover that the woman was actually only eighteen or nineteen years old. She was dressed in the clothes of a maid and had a delicate face. Her face was pale with fright, and her lips were trembling; and the child in his arms looked like four or five years old. He looked frightened, was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and had blood stains on his body, but he didn't seem to be injured.
Yang Peng asked: "Little girl, who are you?" The girl was shocked and came back to her senses. Looking at Yang Peng, his eyes were full of vigilance, and said: "You, who are you?" Yang Peng smiled and said: "Don't be afraid, I am a good person, I will not hurt you!"
When the girl heard what Yang Peng said, she thought that the person in front of her had saved her and her little master's lives just now. The vigilance and uneasiness in her heart immediately turned into gratitude. She knelt down with a plop and said, "Thank you so much." Thank you for saving me!" Although she knelt down and knelt down, she still held the child tightly in her arms.
Yang Peng helped the girl up, pointed at the crazy-looking middle-aged man controlled by the secret guard, and asked: "Who is he? Why did he want to kill you?" The girl glanced at the middle-aged man, with tears in her eyes. With a look of fear and confusion, he subconsciously shrank behind Yang Peng and cried: "He, he is the master, he..." Yang Peng was very surprised, frowned and asked: "He is the governor of Daozhou. Cao Tong?"
The girl nodded and said in fear: "Master, he killed all the ladies, and he also wanted to kill the young master! I, I..." At this point, she suddenly rolled her eyes and fell down, but even though she fell , but still hugged her young master. Yang Peng quickly checked her condition and found that there was nothing serious, she just fainted. At this time, the young master finally came to his senses and cried loudly: "Mother, mother..."
Yang Peng ordered several secret guards to take the two of them down. He stood up and walked in front of Cao Tong. Cao Tong glared at Yang Peng and yelled, "Treason! If people don't punish you, God will punish you!"
Yang Peng frowned and said: "Zhao Song was unethical and made the people miserable and foreign invaders invaded. You actually killed your own wives and concubines for such a royal family, and you also want to kill your own children!"
Yang Peng glared and said: "We are born as Zhao ministers and die as Zhao ghosts. Since we can't protect the country for Your Majesty, we must die to be loyal to Your Majesty! You rebellious ministers and traitors, I just wish I couldn't kill you!"
Yang Peng felt speechless, shook his head and sighed: "What a loyal dog, a loyal slave of the Zhao family!" Cao Tong shouted and suddenly rushed towards Yang Peng. However, as soon as he moved, he was pushed back hard by the two secret guards who were escorting him! Although Cao Tong couldn't pounce on Yang Peng, he still screamed loudly with all his teeth and claws: "Yang Peng, even if I were a ghost, I would never let you go! Even if I were a ghost, I would never let you go! As a minister, you have rebelled against your superiors. You will not die well, you will not die well!"
Wang Kai was so angry that he clasped his fists at Yang Peng and said, "Master, kill him!" Cao Tong shouted sternly, "I will repay your kindness with death, and the mountains and rivers will be filled with blue snow! I deserve to die, and I deserve to die!"
Yang Peng shook his head and said: "What he did before was just his duty as a minister of Zhao and Song Dynasties, and it is not a crime. As for the act of killing his wife and concubines, that was before our army occupied this place, and it is not our responsibility. Come and take care of it. Let him go." Wang Kai was very depressed, and the two secret guards who were holding Cao Tong let him go.
Cao Tong originally thought that he would definitely die, but he didn't expect that the other party would let him go. He couldn't help but feel unbelievable. Then he opened his eyes and shouted sternly: "Yang Peng, don't play tricks, kill him if you want!"
Yang Peng was too lazy to talk nonsense to him and said: "Throw him out." The two secret guards responded, immediately picked up Cao Tong and ran outside. Cao Tong felt that his dignity had been insulted and yelled.
Yang Peng saw a bloodstain on the corridor extending all the way to the back hall not far away. Thinking of what the maid said just now, he frowned and walked along the bloodstain. After a while, I came to the back hall and saw four gorgeously dressed women of different ages lying in a pool of blood. Everyone had a look of extreme horror on their faces. Yang Peng sighed and murmured: "Is this loyalty? He is clearly a beast! Confucianism has turned people into beasts, and they should have been eliminated long ago!"
There were rapid footsteps outside the door. Yang Peng turned around and saw the two secret guards who had just escorted Cao Tong to you running over. The two of them saluted, and one of them said: "Master, that Cao Tong was outside the gate and died after hitting his head on a stone lion!" Yang Peng snorted and said, "This kind of person died cleanly!" Then he asked: "That one Little girl and child, where have you placed them?" Another secret guard clasped his fists and said: "Reporting to the master, the two of them are temporarily placed in the wing of the government office." Yang Peng nodded, "Let them live there for the time being. Here. When the receiving officials arrive, let them handle it." "Yes." In Yanyun, all orphans and elderly people who have no one to rely on will be put into official institutions for care.
Yang Peng left Daozhou and headed south, aiming directly at Wuwang Mountain. This Wuwang Mountain, at the southernmost edge of Jinghu South Road, is the remnant of Linhe Mountain. It is the only way to enter Guangxi from the middle line of Jinghu South Road. According to the intelligence sent by the scouts not long ago, there were 10,000 Song troops guarding Wuwang Mountain, and the guard was Cao Yong, who had escaped from Dingzhou.
Turning to Tanzhou, the Ninth Army of Yanyun led by Han Bing stormed Tanzhou. Tanzhou's 10,000 Song troops resisted desperately, but they fell in just two days. Yanyun's army broke through Tanzhou and surged in. The city of Tanzhou was in chaos. Officials, nobles, and common people were rushing to flee outside the city. Some people took advantage of the chaos to rob homes and rob houses.
Cao Yong's wife and children saw the fall of Tanzhou and the chaos. They were panicked and didn't know what to do. At this moment, a group of officers and soldiers from the imperial court suddenly broke in and entered the lobby. Mrs. Cao originally thought that her husband had sent her to pick up her and the children, but when she saw their ferocious looks, she couldn't help but feel worried and asked, "Who are you? How dare you break into Marshal Cao's mansion without permission?" "
The leading officer snorted coldly, clasped his fists toward the sky and said, "According to His Majesty's order, we are here to take Marshal Cao's family to Guangzhou! Come on, take them away!" The officers and soldiers immediately stepped forward and suppressed everyone in the Cao family. Mrs. Cao was furious and shouted: "Are we prisoners? I want my master to fight with all his strength for the Zhao family, but how dare you treat us like this?" The officer said coldly: "The situation is urgent now, so there is nothing else to worry about! Let's go!" Then he led the officers and soldiers to escort the young and old of the Wu family out. The officers and soldiers shouted and dragged them, and they were not polite at all to the Wu family, just like treating prisoners!
A group of people came out of Cao Mansion. At this moment, someone suddenly exclaimed: "No, it's Yanyun War Cavalry!" Everyone was startled and quickly looked in the direction that person was looking, and saw a heroic and stunningly beautiful warrior. The female general led a group of war horses and rushed over, and everyone's expression changed immediately.
Seeing that there were many officers, soldiers and civilians in front of him, Han Bing immediately waved his hand, and the warriors roared and rushed away, surrounding them. When the officers and soldiers and the Cao family saw the mighty Yanyun warriors surrounding them, they were so frightened that they were at a loss. The officers and soldiers no longer had the momentum to shout and arrest people in the Cao family.
Han Bing stood out from the crowd, looked at everyone, and shouted: "Those who surrender will not be killed!" The officer immediately knelt down and shouted: "We surrender! We surrender!" When other officers and soldiers saw this, they quickly knelt down too. Come down. However, everyone in the Cao family still stood and did not kneel down.
Seeing Mrs. Cao's extraordinary demeanor, Han Bing couldn't help but ask: "Who are you?" Mrs. Cao's mind was racing. She wanted to hide her identity and deceive these Yanyun troops, but then she thought about it and all the officers and soldiers surrendered. It is impossible to hide the identities of these people. As soon as he thought about this, he walked up to Han Bing's horse, gave a slight blessing, and said neither humble nor arrogantly: "To tell you the general, the old woman is the wife of Marshal Cao Yong!"
Han Bing was surprised. Then Mrs. Cao turned around and pointed at the other people and said, "They are also the family members of General Cao Yong." Han Bing turned over and dismounted, clasped his fists and said, "It turns out to be Mrs. Cao, disrespectful!" Mrs. Cao replied: " I don't dare!" Seeing that this female general seemed to respect her very much, she couldn't help but feel relieved. Han Bing glanced at the officer kneeling on the ground and asked puzzledly: "Since they are the family members of Marshal Cao, why are the officers and soldiers of Zhao Song escorting prisoners as if they were escorting them?"
Mrs. Cao couldn't help but become angry. She looked at the officer and said, "I have to ask the general!" Han Bing looked at the officer. The officer swallowed his saliva and said hurriedly: "This is what your Majesty and the Grand Master meant! They were worried that Marshal Cao would defect to the enemy, so they sent a special person to lead people to Tanzhou to take Marshal Cao's family to Guangzhou. Let Marshal Cao not have any objections!"
Mrs. Cao was extremely angry and said angrily: "My master is loyal to the officials, but I didn't expect that the officials would be suspicious of my master! It's really chilling!" The officer was speechless.
Han Bing said to an officer next to him: "Take those officers and soldiers down and keep them under guard." The officer clasped his fists in agreement and immediately called his men to take those officers and soldiers down.
Mrs. Cao looked at Han Bing curiously and asked, "The general must be one of King Yan's wives, right?" Han Bing smiled and nodded, "My name is Han Bing." Mrs. Cao suddenly realized, " I have long heard that Princess Han Bing helped King Yan conquer the east and west, and made countless contributions. She is a heroine who cannot be compared with other women. When I saw her today, she certainly lived up to her reputation!" Han Bing smiled slightly.
Mrs. Cao asked calmly: "I wonder what Princess Han Bing wants to do with us?" Han Bing glanced at the 'Cao Mansion' not far away, pointed there and asked: "That must be where you live, right? "Mrs. Cao glanced in the direction of Han Bing's finger and nodded.
Han Bing said: "The war is not over yet. For the sake of safety, it is better for you, Mrs. Cao, to stay home!" Mrs. Cao nodded and said: "Of course." She glanced at Han Bing and said, "I just don't know about the princess. What do you want to do with us?" In fact, Mrs. Cao was not worried about herself, but about her children. Since Cao Yong had always been an enemy of Yanyun's army, Mrs. Cao was worried that Yanyun would not let his family go.
Han Bing saw Mrs. Cao's worries and said: "Mrs. Cao, there is nothing to worry about. Our Yanyun Army will never harm any innocent people! Your safety is guaranteed under Yanyun's rule!"
After hearing such words, Mrs. Cao could not help but feel relieved, but she was not completely relieved. Han Bing ordered everyone in the Cao family to be brought back to the mansion, while she led her troops to continue to destroy the remaining enemies. The battle lasted for more than half an hour, and Tanzhou City gradually calmed down.
Mrs. Cao stood on the attic in her backyard and saw Yan Yun's army cleaning the battlefield. Some people were patrolling, but no one broke into people's homes. The whole city seemed very calm, and the terrible scene she originally expected did not appear. Mrs. Cao felt much relieved and turned back to the bedroom. Several children happened to come to see their mother, and they all looked worried. When they saw her mother, they ignored her and started talking in all directions. Mrs. Cao frowned and said, "Don't panic!" The children stopped talking. Mrs. Cao looked at her eldest daughter and said, "You tell me."
The eldest daughter hurriedly said: "Mom, now that the Yanyun Army has occupied Tanzhou, what should we do?" The children looked at their mother eagerly, hoping that her mother would come up with an idea.
Mrs. Cao sighed, "Under this situation, what can I do? What I'm most worried about now is your father!"
The children frowned, and one son said: "The Yanyun people will definitely use us to blackmail my father to surrender! As a man like my father, I will definitely not agree! If this happens, the Yanyun people will definitely become angry, and we, we are dead. !" Everyone's expressions changed. The daughters couldn't help but cry, while the sons looked sad and pale. Mrs. Cao frowned and shouted: "What do you look like! Don't forget, you are the children of Marshal Cao, how can you show such a cowardly look! If you die, you will die. How can you embarrass your father? How can you make your father look embarrassed? The Cao family is humiliated?"
The children couldn't help but feel ashamed, but they couldn't help but be afraid of the terrible consequences.
Mrs. Cao could not help but feel a sense of love in her heart, sighed and said: "If our family is really doomed this time, there is no way! No matter what, mother will always be by your side! "The sons were silent, and the daughters began to sob again.
The people in Tanzhou City, even those who believed that things would be better under Yan Yun's rule, were all trembling with fear. At a time when the situation is changing drastically, everyone has a feeling of being in a stormy sea, with no protection for their wealth or life. The day passed in fear and anxiety, and the night passed in fear and nightmare.
Early the next morning, the roosters in the city crowed, and the people dragged their tired bodies to their feet. Immediately, all the people saw an extremely shocking scene. They saw that the victors Yanyun soldiers were all curled up sleeping on both sides of the street. Looking around, until the city gate, huge snores echoed in the streets! The common people had never seen such an army before, even storytellers had never heard of it. The common people could not help but burst into tears. The vigilance and worry in their hearts about Yan Yun's army disappeared in an instant!
When Mrs. Cao heard the servant's report that all the soldiers of Yanyun Army were sleeping on the street, she felt unbelievable and immediately ran to the attic. Looking around, I saw Yan Yun soldiers sleeping all over several main streets. Mrs. Cao's eyes blurred for a moment, and suddenly she understood. She understood why the Yanyun Army could rise in a small place like Yanyun, why it could sweep the world in just a few years and become invincible!
Yang Peng led the Eighth Army to arrive at the foot of Wuwang Mountain. Seeing the rugged and steep Wuwang Mountain with wooden fences like walls, densely covered with flags, and well-organized troops, he couldn't help but sigh: "Cao Yong is really not simple! On Jinghu South Road He was defeated so miserably, but he was still able to keep his footing!"
The commander of the Eighth Army Corps said excitedly: "Master, attack!" The generals of the Ming Cult all called Yang Peng the leader.
Yang Peng looked at the dangerous situation of the mountain and the military stronghold located in it. He slowly shook his head and said: "The terrain is too dangerous! The mountain road is too narrow! In such terrain, let alone ten thousand people guarding it, it is just one person." With a thousand people, it's hard for us to attack the mountain with just stones!" Si Xing's heated mind was calmed down by Yang Peng's cold water. He took a closer look at the terrain in front of him and felt that King Yan was right, so he frowned. He nodded and asked, "What should we do now?"
Yang Peng said: "Since it is difficult to fight, let's stop fighting for the time being. The army retreated ten miles to the stronghold and waited for news from other directions!" "Yes." The army immediately retreated ten miles, backed up the mountains, and set up camp based on the news. The soldiers of the Song Army on the mountain couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief when they saw Yan Yun's army retreating.
Yang Peng camped at the foot of Wuwang Mountain and waited for Xiangxi in other directions. Groups from Shi Liancheng and Han Bing came one after another. The march on both sides was also very smooth. Shi Liancheng attacked the states and counties west of Jinghu South Road, and most of them did so without a fight. Han Bing, on the east side of Jinghu South Road, except for the capture of Tanzhou, spent little effort. In addition, the subsequent capture of states and counties was effortless. In the process of various armies sweeping across the entire Jinghu South Road, the Mingjiao believers played a very important role. Many prefectures and counties were either incited by the Mingjiao believers to seize the land before Yanyun's army arrived, or they were persuaded by the Mingjiao believers. The state and county officials surrendered in Kaicheng.
However, Shi Liancheng's advance to Xixi Cave was hampered by the difficult terrain and the obstruction of the Song army; while Han Bing advanced to Yanshou Yinkeng at the junction of the Luoxiao Mountains and Nanling, but was unable to advance. It seems that Cao Yong has made arrangements for the worst outcome long ago, and has deployed troops and horses in key and dangerous places in Nanling Wanzhong Mountain. Although Yan Yun had great momentum all the way, it was difficult to break through the barrier of Nanling Ten Thousand Mountains for a while.
Yang Peng received the reports from Shi Liancheng and Han Bing and couldn't help but think about it. He was considering whether to attack Nanling Wanzhong Mountain now or end the battle temporarily. If the battle ends at this time, it will undoubtedly give the Song army a chance to breathe, but even if it is attacked at this time, I am afraid it will not reduce much losses. After all, Cao Yong has already arranged it at Nanling Wanzhong Mountain, and he is in a hurry at this time. The attack also leaves us with little energy to stabilize the place for the time being. We are afraid that there will be some turmoil, which will make it more energy-intensive to restore the place later. It is better to suspend the attack and digest the fruits of victory first! Play slowly and steadily, now the initiative is completely in your own hands, there is no need to rush! Maybe taking it slow will yield unexpected gains!
Thinking of this, Yang Peng decided to suspend the attack, so he wrote two orders and ordered the heralds to be sent to Shi Liancheng and Han Bing respectively. Immediately, Yang Peng led the Eighth Army Corps and retreated to Jianghua County, which is dozens of miles north of Wuwang Mountain and on the south bank of the Tuo River. He ordered Si Xing to stay on the spot and not attack rashly. Then he led the guards to leave Jianghua County and rush to Tanzhou. Along the way, we did not see many fleeing people, and the entire Jinghu South Road situation seemed relatively calm.
A few days later, Yang Peng and his party entered Tanzhou. At this time, Tanzhou didn't look like there had been a big war not long ago. Most of the shops on both sides of the street are open for business, and there are many pedestrians on the street. People's faces do not have the kind of panic that they should have after a big war.
Yang Peng and his party arrived outside the magistrate's office. Cao Hu, who was working in the government office, suddenly received a report from his subordinates that King Yan was coming. He was startled and quickly led everyone in the government office to go out to greet him. When he saw Yang Peng and his party, he quickly saluted and said: "Greetings to King Yan! I didn't know that King Yan arrived at a distance to welcome him, so please forgive me!"
Yang Peng smiled slightly and led everyone into the lobby. He walked to the top and sat down, while everyone else stood respectfully at the bottom of the hall.
Yang Peng smiled and said, "Master Cao, are you still used to being the governor of Tanzhou?" Before Yang Peng left Dingzhou, he appointed Cao Hu as the governor of Tanzhou, and as the governor, he was responsible for handling all government affairs on Jinghu South Road. .
Cao Hu said with a smile: "Fortunately, although many things were complicated, there was no big trouble at last! Fortunately, there were many officials transferred from the Central Plains by King Yan to fill in the various places, otherwise the subordinates would be extremely busy and would only I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it!" The 'officials transferred from the Central Plains' mentioned by Cao Hu are actually the reserve officials prepared by Yang Peng in advance to accept the south. Some of them were selected from all over the Central Plains, and the other part were from universities. Selected in. During this period of time, the Yanyun Army was attacking the city at the front, while the reserve officials were taking over the states and counties at the back. Precisely because of their presence, the states and counties occupied by the Yanyun Army were able to quickly restore order, and social order was restored. Life returns to normal in the shortest possible time.
Yang Peng smiled and said: "You are too humble! I came all the way and found that the situation is very good! The entire Jinghu South Road has basically returned to calm, and there has been no trouble!" Cao Hu said with admiration: "This is not Credit goes to my subordinates! It’s because Yanyun’s army has strict military discipline and makes no mistakes wherever it goes, making it extremely popular among the people! In this way, there won’t be any trouble, and order will naturally be easily restored!”
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
