Miao Shang followed Xu Shu to the Wild King. From a distance he saw smoke and dust surrounding the city, flags fluttering, and the Han army surrounding the Wild King like an iron barrel. No wonder no one asked for help in the past few days.
When the troops and horses arrived, Ma Dai and Li Yan entered the tent. When they heard that Xu Huang had been captured and the Wei army was defeated, all the generals were happy. Miao Shang was worried that the people in the city were uneasy, so he asked to enter the city first.
Xu Shu said to Ma Dai: "The wild king is already in my pocket. I have ordered Meng Qi to take advantage of the victory to capture Wen County. If General Ma wants to support him, he can go."
Ma Dai clasped his fists and said, "Sima Yi plotted to kill the three uncles and also massacred 100,000 Xiliang troops. The general is thinking about revenge day and night. I will take the Xiliang army to avenge this revenge myself."
Xu Shu nodded and said, "That being the case, if the guard general offers the city later, the general can leave without entering the city."
Ma Dai also knew that Xu Shu was jealous of others, so he knelt down and said, "Thank you so much, military advisor."
Xu Shu helped Ma Dai up and said with emotion: "You and I are friends of life and death, why should we say thank you? Now that we have settled our grudges, the Xiliang army should work together to make contributions to the country and restore the glory of our ancestors."
"Yes!" Ma Dai bowed deeply, turned around to deliver the order, and stopped again when he reached the door of the tent, asking: "The Sima clan has a deep hatred against us, but the lord has strictly ordered to kill innocent people indiscriminately, let alone kill captives. If Sima takes the initiative to surrender, what should we do?"
Xu Shu chuckled and said: "Wen County is the seat of Hanoi. The city is strong and guarded by Xu Huang's son. It will not take a day to destroy the city. It is important for the general to send troops first. We must not let the Sima tribe get wind of it and run away. I will take care of the rest. Have your own opinion.”
Ma Dai's heart tightened, and he hurried out of the tent and ordered all the Xiliang troops to get ready. The enemy was right in front of him. If they escaped, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Xu Shu stared blankly at the curtains blown by the wind, with deep eyes and a hint of worry in his brows, but when he saw the figure flashing at the door, he instantly regained his clarity.
Li Yan quickly stepped in and reported: "The defenders in the city have learned that the situation is over and have opened the city to surrender!"
"It's just as I expected!" Xu Shu nodded slightly and went out to the tent with Li Yan.
When they arrived outside the south city gate, they saw that the flags on the city had long been taken down, the city gate was wide open, and a group of officers and soldiers were walking out quickly following Miao Shang, all of them looking uncertain.
The county magistrate Chang Gui knelt on the ground, sweating profusely: "I'm going to see General Xu."
He was besieged for several days. Since the Han army did not call for war or attack the city, they did not even have a chance to surrender. They could only wait for reinforcements every day.
Unexpectedly, it was Miao Shang who was waiting for them to enter the city alone and persuade them to surrender. This made Chang Gui regretful. If he had known this, he should have taken the initiative to open the city regardless of his face. Just to save some face in the county, he turned this good thing away. Give the credit to Mouchamp?
What made him even more uneasy was that when Xu Shu was arrested, he was just a little scribe. He saw Shan Fu kill Liu Wei with his own eyes, and testified before letting Xu Shu be punished, fearing that he would take the opportunity to retaliate.
But it was obvious that Xu Shu had long forgotten that he was a little person. He raised his hand and said with a smile, "Don't panic. General Liu has always been kind and loving to the people. As long as he still harbors feelings for the Han Dynasty, he will never harm innocent people."
All the officials stood up as if they had been granted amnesty. Accompanied by Miao Shang and guarded by soldiers in bright armor, they entered the city in a mighty manner.
Chang Gui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Xu Shu's back as he walked away. He was still so familiar, but suddenly out of reach, and he was filled with emotion.
The murderer back then seemed to have become a hero of the prosperity of the Han Dynasty, and his reputation was spread all over the world. He fulfilled his duties and worked hard every day, but in the end he was just a small county magistrate. Why is the gap between people so big?
"Is it because I haven't met the Ming Master yet?" Chang Gui was startled, dropped his sleeves and followed quickly.
Everyone came to the government office, with Miao Shang taking the lead. Officials of all sizes met again, and Xu Shu ordered him to issue an announcement to calm the people. It was the time of spring plowing, and the people were all happy to be exempted from taxes this year.
In less than half a day, the murderous atmosphere in Yewang City, which was at war with each other, disappeared, and was replaced by joy in the city. Chang Gui brought out all the old wine stored in the mansion to reward the Han army officials.
Xu Shu raised his glass and said with a smile: "Although I was in trouble in the river in the past, it was a blessing in disguise. Fortunately, I have been favored by the general, and I have fulfilled my life's ambition. Today I revisit my old place. I am filled with emotion. I will drink with you all and I will not return until I am drunk." .”
All the officials were overjoyed. They all knew that Xu Shu was Liu Qi's right-hand man, and they all toasted to him. If they could take this opportunity to gain trust, their future would be bright.
Xu Shu was even more excited. When he was drinking to his heart's content, he danced with his sword and sang loudly during the banquet, as if he had returned to the time when he was fighting swords in the world and drunkenly drinking to the end of the world.
The Yewang City rewarded the three armies, but the Xiliang Army outside the city showed no mercy and resolutely ran toward the southeast with the afterglow of the setting sun.
…
At this time, Wen County was experiencing mixed joys and sorrows. The good news was that the Sima family, the largest aristocratic family, was marrying Sima Kui, the fourth son of the family. There was a big banquet in the mansion, and there was an endless stream of guests, friends, and celebrities, and there was a lot of joy and laughter.
The worry was that Cao Cao was defeated, the war in Hanoi was tense, and the soldiers and people were uneasy. Xu Huang lost to Ma Chao in the front line, which made everyone even more worried.
The eldest son Sima Wang took the opportunity to return to his hometown to visit his relatives and wanted to persuade Sima Fang to move his family to Wei County. Ma Chao stared at him like a wolf seeking revenge, and the whole government was frightened.
But Sima Fang resolutely refused to comply. The Sima family is a descendant of Chongli, the son of Gaoyang. He inherited Xia Guan from generation to generation as far back as the Shang Dynasty. In the Zhou Dynasty, he was renamed Sima. King Zhou Xuan bestowed Sima as the family name.
Our ancestor Sima Yan followed Xiang Yu to destroy the Qin Dynasty, was granted the title of King of Yin, and established his capital in Hanoi. The Sima family has lived here for generations, how could they leave their hometown in his hands?
Sima Fang had eight sons, who were named "Sima Bada" at that time. He was strict in educating his children. Even after the children became adults, they were still in awe of Sima Fang. They would not dare to enter if he was not ordered to do so, and would not dare to sit down if he was not ordered to do so. Don't dare to ask.
Sima Fang was determined not to move. Although Sima Wang was anxious, he was helpless. Even though he was the eldest son, he did not dare to force the clan to move.
He also understands that the Sima family has been an official for nearly a thousand years, and despite the changes of dynasties and changes in mountains and rivers, it has always remained standing. It is precisely because of its deep foundation that once it leaves this place, it will be like a duckweed without roots. Without the efforts of two or three generations, it will no longer be possible. It is difficult to regain glory.
However, in order to regain Chang'an, Sima Yi did not hesitate to plan and destroy 100,000 Xiliang troops. Such a blood feud led to Xiliang assassins sneaking into the house for three years to take revenge.
Although the guards of the Sima family are all experts, it is inevitable that there will be oversights. Several family members were killed, and people in the house were panicked and did not dare to go out easily. Now that Ma Chao has made a comeback and the Xiliang soldiers are fierce, how can they not guard against it?
The day after the wedding, Sima Wang had no choice but to bite the bullet and come to visit his old father again and persuaded him: "The Xiliang thieves are even more cruel than tigers and wolves. This time Ma Chao's troops entered Hanoi, they must have come for revenge. The sword was hanging on his neck. He must not stop Avoid, I hope father will think twice."
"Hmph, how can Ma Chao be such a reckless person?" Sima Fang flipped through the Dahan magazine bought in Luoyang and stroked his beard: "I am an important official of the imperial court, serving the late emperor. I also had a close friendship with Liu Jingsheng in Luoyang, even though Liu Qi came here , I also want to pay him a visit, I’m sorry he doesn’t dare to make any mistakes, so you don’t have to worry.”
