Xu Ruxian was still able to keep his composure yesterday, but now he seems to have collapsed.
How smart he was, now he felt so stupid. How high-spirited he was, now he was so depressed.
He really couldn't answer the questions Zhang Ruji asked.
Then Guo Ning's troops are like a raging fire. Wherever it goes, who can resist it? Xu Ruxian wanted to reiterate that Xiyou Town and Laiyang and Zhaoyuan counties can still gather tens of thousands of people. But even if there are really ten thousand people, can they defeat Guo Ning's elite soldiers?
Brother Gao Yang, a scoundrel, always boasted about the strong soldiers under his command; Sha Tongtian, Hou Tonghai, and Liang Ziwen also had veterans who had conquered the Song Dynasty as their backbone. As a result, they collided with Guo Ning's troops and were unable to defend themselves, not to mention field operations. Just like an egg hitting a stone, it breaks into pieces in a blink of an eye without even a process.
Could it be that the troops in Xiyou Town and Laiyang and Zhaoyuan counties suddenly became more elite?
It's impossible. Those powerful figures are not as good as Brother Gao Yang. They are invincible.
Zhang Ruji was right what he said before. These warriors from Northern Xinjiang are really famous.
At least, one shouldn't be offended easily.
Xu Ruxian also wanted to say that his family had some extra arrangements around Wanyan Sala, so he would be able to do whatever he wanted. But this is even more unnecessary. If you think about it carefully, Guo Ning has soldiers in his hands and killed many high-ranking officials in Zhongdu City to get the position of Jiedushi. Does he really care about Wanyan Salara?
Even if he and Wanyan Sala fight, the foundation of Xu Ruxian and others in Laizhou will be wiped out. What will be their success or failure in the future, and what does it have to do with Xu Ruxian?
In the final analysis, Guo Ning doesn't follow the rules.
If a serious imperial envoy takes office, he must appease the local area and consider the court's relocation. In everything he does, local peace is the top priority. It is one thing to squeeze the common people, but there is no reason to overturn the powerful family.
What's more, even if you want to get rid of powerful families, shouldn't you also find an excuse to use the court's laws as an excuse? How could anyone raise an army to attack them immediately?
The ancients said that if you want to impose a crime, there is no need to hesitate. On your side, Mr. Guo, you didn't even arrange a crime, and just used the tactics of fighting on the battlefield to press him?
Local tycoons like me, Xu Ruxian, and even powerful people from all over Shandong don't take the court's laws seriously because everyone thinks that the Jin Dynasty is about to end. It was only a matter of time before everyone responded to Marshal Yang and Liu Erzu raising the flag to rebel.
But we haven’t rebelled yet! You sent thousands of men and horses with sharp swords and guns, and they cut off the heads of the platoon, and the heads were rolling?
Aren't you afraid that we will rebel?
Damn, this guy doesn't follow any rules and has no scruples. He probably has nothing to fear.
People like Guo Ning are really like evil tigers. When he wants to seize prey, whoever dares to block the way or take food from his mouth will just die.
It's a pity that I woke up too late.
It's over now.
Now that Guo Ning's troops have swept through Laizhou, they only need to capture a few prisoners and the plan to capture Yexian will be revealed. When the tiger and wolf troops from northern Xinjiang encircled Ye County, how should we respond?
Could he just rely on the more than two hundred people at hand to fight Guo Ning to the death?
It sounded heroic, but Xu Ruxian knew that it was definitely not Guo Ning who died.
These people, their wives and families are all in Qutai City. If they were told that something had happened to Qutai City, they would not have the fighting spirit at all.
It's really over.
Xu Ruxian felt exhausted and slumped on the chair, not wanting to move for a while.
Before launching the attack, he made many deductions and prepared meticulous means. But the facts proved that all those plans were useless when they encountered overwhelming military superiority and unscrupulous actions.
"Anyway...brother, we did go wrong this time!" Zhang Ruji stood firm.
Xu Ruxian covered his face and said nothing.
"Marshal Yang trusts my brother's methods, so I asked you to find a way to expel Guo Ning. However, brother, by doing this, you exposed the heroes from all over Laizhou and gave Guo Ning an excuse to eradicate them in one fell swoop. That's it. By that time, no matter what Guo Ning does next, the entire Laizhou will be free from the influence of Marshal Yang."
Speaking of this, Zhang Ruji sighed: "Not only that, Guo Ning is the military commander of the Dinghai Navy and has the power to control Dengzhou and Ninghai Prefecture! After he established a foothold in Laizhou, Marshal Yang was in charge of Dengzhou and Ninghai Prefecture. What about the layout?”
These words were harsh. Xu Ruxian raised his head: "Why, you also think that what I did was wrong?"
Zhang Ruji stamped his feet: "I thought Marshal Yang wanted to expel Guo Ning, but he didn't intend to make such a big fuss in order to expel Guo Ning! Originally, it would be best for Guo Ning to go to Yidu. If he can't go to Yidu, then he will So what if he is stationed in Ye County? Didn’t Marshal Yang say that this person is not a pure minister of Dai Jin? It’s not like we can’t test him slowly and work hard! But my brother..."
Xu Ruxian opened his mouth.
In fact, the bad thing lies in Yang An'er's words.
Xu Ruxian has been operating in Laizhou for many years, and can mobilize tens of thousands of people in emergencies. He has long regarded himself as one of the few figures on Shandong East Road, at least on par with Weizhou Li Tiequiang, Yanzhou Hao Ding and others.
Seeing that Marshal Yang's big plan was on the line, if Guo Ning controlled Laizhou, Xu Ruxian would be suppressed out of thin air. Regardless of whether Guo Ning is a pure minister of the Jin Dynasty, Xu Ruxian responded to the call in the three states of Lai, Deng, and Ninghai, as if the situation of breaking the earth and conferring a king was probably gone.
How could he endure this?
From Yang An'er's perspective, she hopes to get rid of Guo Ning as much as possible at a relatively small cost. But from Xu Ruxian's point of view, Guo Ning must be expelled no matter what!
It's a pity that it failed.
In the hall, Zhang Ruji was still sighing: "Hey, brother, why don't you listen to my advice!"
Xu Ruxian hesitated to speak, and finally just laughed twice: "That's it. Brother Xian, go and prepare the carriage and horses. Let's go... We can't even take care of the children and women in Qutai City. Let's copy it." The path, bypassing Gaowang Mountain, follows the Xiaogu River, and first goes to Juzhou to settle down..."
"That can't be done!" Zhang Ruji said loudly.
"What?"
Even though Xu Ruxian was worried, he couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Xian, didn't you propose yesterday to leave Ye County as soon as possible?"
Zhang Ruji's face was gloomy and uncertain. After a while, he came to sit next to Xu Ruxian: "That's what I thought yesterday, but I thought about it again at night and felt that it was wrong. It's okay to leave Yexian, but you can't leave like this. There has to be a proper way.”
Xu Ruxian suddenly felt a little hope in his heart.
He approached Zhang Ruji and lowered his voice: "What can I do?"
"Marshal Yang and Guo Ning have had contacts in Hebei and are not mortal enemies. No matter how the situation in Laizhou changes, the fact that Zhenzhou falls into the hands of Guo Ning is different from falling into the hands of the imperial court. After all, Marshal Yang launched a massive campaign At that time, if Guo Ning can help each other, Marshal Yang will not be at a disadvantage."
"This... Marshal Yang has this truth, but dear brother, we..."
"In this case, why do we have to fight Guo Ning to the end? Let's tell Guo Ning right now that we are convinced and admit defeat. Do whatever he wants inside and outside Laizhou. We just ask him not to quarrel with Marshal Yang, and that's it, isn't it? Laizhou If we hand over everything within the territory, including people and acres of land, and let us do whatever we want, then Guo Ning must be satisfied, and he can kill us all?"
Speaking of this, Zhang Ruji said in a deep voice: "Brother, I have specifically inquired about it. Although Guo Ning is vicious, he has never killed innocent people indiscriminately. We can still live our lives!"
Xu Ruxian shook his head repeatedly: "Brother Xian, what you said is so ridiculous! What's the difference between doing this and kneeling down to beg for mercy? This has already happened, how can we not break our faces? We cut off his food, and we still gathered the tribesmen, We need to capture his Dinghaijun Jiedu Envoy Station! Let’s go, give me some time to think about it, I may not be able to find Guo Ning’s flaw and take back Laizhou..."
"Brother, those things were all done on your own initiative."
"What?"
"Yang An'er and Guo Ning have an old relationship. Originally, the two sides were not so hostile. Brother, you can't distinguish between strong and weak, and you are too selfish. You insist on causing trouble, which leads to a fight. So, since we surrendered, Naturally, we have to hand over the culprit that caused the conflict between the two families to show our sincerity."
This is too much! Xu Ruxian raised his head in surprise: "Brother Xian, you..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhang Ruji grabbed Xu Ruxian's hair and pushed his head.
Xu Ruxian himself was not known for his bravery, and he had been pampered for a long time, but he could not escape the hands of Zhang Ruji, a scholar.
The next moment, Zhang Ruji pulled out a dagger from his waist and stabbed Xu Ruxian in the neck.
This thrust was not accurate, and the sword edge crookedly penetrated the flesh. It took several more efforts to pierce the trachea and blood vessels.
Xu Ruxian struggled desperately. He screamed loudly, moved his hands and feet wildly, and overturned the tables and chairs around him one after another.
But Zhang Ruji didn't care at all. He just pressed Xu Ruxian's head hard until he was pressed to the ground. Then he put his entire weight on the hilt of the sword and continued to thrust in.
Xu Ruxian's screams and the sound of tables and chairs overturning echoed in the empty hall. The noise was quite big. But outside the hall, no one came in to take a look.
After a while, a tall servant came in and saw Zhang Ruji's face covered in blood.
It was the blood that spurted out from Xu Ruxian's neck, splashed on his face, flowed down his face, some dripped from the corner of his jaw, and some flowed into his mouth. Zhang Ruji gasped and smacked his lips. He bared his white teeth, like a hyena that had killed its own kind, with a ferocious expression.
After a long time, Zhang Ruji's expression relaxed slightly.
He said to the servant: "I have no choice! Qutai City is lost. If we don't make a decision, something will happen to our relatives and family members!"
The servant only bowed.
Zhang Ruji added: "Mobilize all the people on my side. If any of Xu Ruxian's men are dissatisfied, kill them all!"
The servant responded and went out. After a while, screams could be heard outside the house.
Zhang Ruji gasped for a long time, feeling that the blood on his body and face slowly solidified, and the fishy smell hit his nose. He pushed Xu Ruxian's body away with some disgust and tried to get up. His feet stepped on the slippery ground stained with blood. He couldn't use any strength and staggered several times.
He found a chair in the corner of the hall and sat down, trying to calm his breathing. The hand holding the dagger kept shaking. Even if the dagger was thrown away, it was still shaking and could only be hidden in the sleeve.
When the hour was almost over, another servant came back to report: "Master, Mr. Xu's guard leader Peng Lianhu and more than 30 close followers are all dead. Others said they are willing to obey the master's orders."
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