Liu Qi also didn't expect that before Zhang Heng came to surrender, Liang Xing took the lead. This was really an unexpected gain.
After receiving the visitor, he ordered him to return to Liang Xing. As long as he abandoned the secret and turned to the light, he would be forgiven. He was asked to come to the tent after dawn and the people and horses were handed over to Zhao Yun.
The envoy returned to the camp and told Liu Qi what he had said. He also said that Zhang Fei was waiting for Wang Shuang, and he had obviously been in contact with Zhang Heng.
Liang Xing secretly said that it was a fluke. After dawn, he summoned the generals and sent an order to hand over the military power. Zhao Yun had already led the troops outside the tent and handed over the troops.
When he was about to go to the tent to see Liu Qi, Zhao Yun told him that Liu Qi had already hosted a banquet in the city and was waiting for him.
When he came to the city alone, the defenders had been replaced by Han troops. When he entered the city and came to the government office, Liu Qi personally greeted him. When he saw Zhang Heng, the two looked at each other angrily and showed no courtesy.
Liu Qi laughed and said: "Since Dong Zhuo, the Xiliang army has always been domineering, each seeking his own interests, resulting in constant internal fighting and attacking each other. The two generals can be considered untainted by the mud, and they are quite loyal."
The two of them snorted coldly at each other and turned their heads. If Liu Qi hadn't been in front of them, they would have drawn their swords to meet each other.
Liu Qi invited the two of them in, drank the wine and said with a smile: "I have invited two generals here today for no other reason than to resolve grievances."
Liang Xing snorted coldly: "I am willing to serve the general, but I don't want to be with this villain."
Zhang Heng said angrily: "Liang Xing, you are sincerely plotting against you and me, how dare you bite back?"
Zhang Fei stopped the two of them and laughed and said: "The two generals don't know General Liu's clever plan. There are many misunderstandings between them. Please listen to me slowly."
Then he told Liu Qi's plan to divorce him. After listening to it, the two of them were silent for a long time, shook their heads, smiled bitterly, clasped their fists and said, "The general has a clever plan, I admire him."
Liu Qi sighed: "This is also caused by the Xiliang army having accumulated evil for many years, internal strife and mutual distrust. It can be seen that Han Sui's troops are nothing but scattered sand, how can they be invincible?"
The two deeply agreed and toasted each other with friendly expressions. After eliminating the estrangement, they felt guilty and their friendship deepened.
Liu Qi said: "The two generals abandoned the secrets and turned to the bright side. They served the court that day. Now they have a great achievement. Do you dare to take it?"
Liang Xing and Liang Xing looked at each other and understood that Liu Qi was still going to take action against the candidate. This was the time to show his loyalty, so they clasped their fists without hesitation and said: "At the end of the day, I am willing to go through fire and water for my general, even if I die."
Liu Qi asked: "Hou Xuan has led troops to the north bank, but I have divided my troops to stop him. The two armies are confronting each other. I wonder if he can persuade him to surrender?"
Zhang Heng frowned and said: "The candidate is from Han Sui's old department, so it may be difficult to persuade him to surrender."
Liu Qi said: "The candidate has not sent troops so far. He must be waiting to see the situation in Lintao. He even wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. This shows that he is also wary of the two generals!"
Liang Xing said angrily: "This must be Han Sui's plan. He ordered Hou Xuan to come to support, but in fact he asked us to fight and annex his subordinates."
Zhang Heng sighed: "The various units of the Xiliang army have been harming each other for a long time. How can they be undefeated?"
Liu Qi smiled and said: "I would like to bring the candidate to the city for discussion first and persuade him to surrender. If he persists in his stubbornness, I will take his head. What do you think?"
Liang Xing cupped his fists and said, "I am willing to personally invite the candidates."
Liu Qi then ordered Liang Xing to invite the Hou Xuan to Lintao to discuss matters. The defenders were replaced by Zhang Heng's troops and horses, and another person was sent to report to Zhang Ren. If they saw a fire at the top of the city, they would go straight to the Hou Xuan's camp.
After eating and drinking, Liang Xing sailed across the Tao River to see the candidate on the other side. He only said that he would join forces to attack Liu Qi's headquarters. However, Zhang Heng was defeated for a while and hesitated. He asked him to persuade him together. The three of them fought together. Liu Qi If they are defeated, the Han troops blocking the road will have to retreat, and they can take advantage of the situation to cover up the enemy.
The Hou Xuan was intending to weaken the two generals. Seeing that they were unwilling to send troops, and worried that they would be passive and slack, he ordered his deputy generals to guard the camp and came to Lintao City together.
When they arrived at the government office, Zhang Heng came in. The candidate did not discuss it, but asked Zhang Heng why he passively avoided the battle and did not send troops to fight against Liu Qi earlier.
Zhang Heng's face darkened, and he suppressed his anger and replied: "I fought against Liu Qi a few days ago, and I know that his soldiers are elite and brave, so I am afraid it will be difficult to win. Liu Qi is a clan member of the Han Dynasty. Why not abandon the dark side and join the light to support the Han Dynasty?"
"Bold!" The candidate was furious and yelled: "Zhang Heng, do you dare to say surrender in front of someone? Could it be that you had second thoughts?"
Liang Xing stood beside the candidate and asked, "What should we do with these unrepentant people?"
The candidate said coldly: "Take him down immediately and behead him in public."
Liang Xing nodded and said: "What the general said is absolutely true. I have long disliked Han Sui, the old thief!"
"What did you say?" The candidate turned around in shock.
Then he saw a cold light flash in front of his eyes, and before he could react, he was beheaded by Liang Xing.
The candidate's head fell to the ground, and the guard at the door was shocked. Before he could react, Wang Shuang led his troops forward and hacked the attendant to death.
Liu Qi walked out from behind the corridor and sighed: "This thief has done many evil things and deserves to die."
That night Zhang Heng led his troops across the Tao River and met Zhang Ren. At the fourth watch, they arrived at the candidate's camp from the north.
When the deputy general saw Zhang Heng's arrival, he was a little confused. The candidate went to Lintao but did not return. Why did Zhang Heng come to the camp instead?
Just as he was about to step forward to ask questions, Zhang Heng came close to him. Without any explanation, he shot him off his horse and led his troops into the camp.
At this time, Zhang Ren also attacked from the front. Although the Hou Xuan's troops were on guard, Zhang Heng unexpectedly attacked and was attacked from two sides. The general was killed and the whole camp was completely in chaos.
Zhang Heng rushed into the camp and shouted that the candidate was dead and that those who surrendered would not be killed. The Xiliang army was inexplicable. In the dark night, no one knew how many soldiers and horses there were, and they fell to their knees one after another.
Zhang Ren and Zhang Heng led troops to surround the camp, surrendered the selected tribesmen, and escorted the prisoners to the custody of Liu Qi's camp. They marched westward along the river overnight and went straight to Horseshoe Bay. If they captured this place, they could cut off Han Sui's return.
After dawn, the Han army officially entered Lintao, changed its flags, and went out to calm the people. The grain, grass and baggage they received were enough for the entire army.
In this battle, with almost no effort, 20,000 Xiliang troops were wiped out, more than 10,000 were recruited and surrendered, the strength of the troops was greatly increased, and the morale of the whole army was high.
The generals were celebrating their victory in the city. Liang Xing saw that Zhang Heng had gone to fetch Horseshoe Bay again, and he was also eager to make a contribution. He asked for orders: "Ahead is Longsang City, which is guarded by the last general. The city is empty at this time, so we can take advantage of the situation."
Liu Qi slapped his thigh: "If you had told me earlier, I would have taken the city by now!"
Liang Xing knew that Liu Qi wanted him to seize the city, and sighed: "The general didn't know something. I left the city the day before yesterday, and Han Sui sent troops to garrison. At that time, he said that he would transfer grain and grass. Now that I think about it, I am afraid that he has done harm to me."
"Oh?" Liu Qi sneered and said, "Han Sui is capricious and has killed his companions many times. He must have a guilty conscience as a thief and save others by himself, so he is taking extra precautions against you."
Liang Xing cupped his fists and said, "Han Sui is unkind, so don't blame us for being unjust. In the end, the general is willing to take the city."
Liu Qi nodded and said: "The general has this understanding and is still a hero of loyalty. I order you to lead five thousand elite soldiers to capture Longsang City."
"Yes!" Seeing that Liu Qi trusted him so much, Liang Xing happily accepted the order and left.
Zhang Fei said worriedly: "My lord, the Xiliang army has been doing evil for many years and telling lies. Could this guy have fled back to his lair?"
Liu Qi said with a smile: "Liang Xing and Zhang Heng are still loyal to each other and still have a trace of conscience. He has killed Hou Xuan Mingzhi and has no choice."
