The letter was written by Amu. He led his men to wait on the top of a gentle mountain outside the city. He dug a hole in front of the formation and set up a gun and shield formation. The archers and crossbowmen in the rear were fully prepared to give the Caizhou Mule Army a head-on attack that wanted to sneak up the mountain to camp. After a heavy blow, the mule army was almost completely wiped out. Wang Wanwan led his army to retreat temporarily, and General Zhang Yougong immediately pursued him with his light cavalry.
"Oh, Amu is so powerful." Xiao Qingxue read it again after reading it, especially how Amu used the terrain to fight. The more she watched, the more powerful she felt.
Zhou Shiliu was not convinced: "I can fight too."
Xiao Qingxue didn't want to quarrel with him, so she said perfunctorily: "Yeah, you can do it too."
Zhou Shiliu's face turned red with anger. He's not so worthless, okay?
Zhou Shiliu stormed away.
"Maybe Chuzhou will be captured by Amu and General Yi in two days." Xiao Qingxue said happily.
"Are you so confident in Amu?" Xiao Luolan looked at her daughter with a smile.
Xiao Qingxue nodded heavily: "I believe him."
The third day.
Xiao Luolan received the news of Wang Wanwan's defeat from General Yi. Tuoba Mu took advantage of the victory and pursued him. Wang Wanwan retreated again and again, and directly hit the main city of Chuzhou. The troops and horses from the three states under his command were defeated like a mountain. , a beehive swarmed toward Luzhou and Xuanzhou. The soldiers guarding the city opened the door and surrendered. Chuzhou Mu Ze was imprisoned like Zhenzhou Mu Ze.
"What I said is right, Chuzhou was really defeated by Amu and the others." Xiao Qingxue was wearing a round collar robe and was learning swordsmanship from Duke Xiao. Chen Fu looked at Madam Xiao's messed up swordsmanship without eyes.
Zhou Shiliu, who was on the side, said coolly: "Chuzhou was conquered by Yi Fan, Zhang Yougong, and Tian Jian. It is not the credit of Tuoba Mu alone."
"Of course I know!" Xiao Qingxue glared at Zhou Shiliu and continued practicing her sword.
Mr. Xiao was giving instructions. Magistrate Shen was in a good mood and came to see his old friend again with a bottle of wine. Xiao Qinghe was playing the piano under the pavilion and accompanying his cousin. Chen Cheng couldn't stand it anymore and played a trick for Miss Xiao. Regarding swordsmanship, Xiao Qingxue's eyes lit up and she practiced sword fighting even more vigorously.
"Qingxue's understanding is commendable." Xiao Gong looked at it and stroked his beard.
Chen Fu, who was holding the sword, twitched at the corner of his eyes. When he was practicing swordsman, he was much more talented than Miss Xiao, but he didn't get such praise from the teacher.
Xiao Luolan covered her lips and smiled. Her daughter has never learned martial arts since she was a child. Now she is practicing swordsmanship. Xiao Luolan has no objection. She just treats it as a physical exercise.
After practicing the sword, Xiao Qingxue wiped her sweat and felt a little strange. Xun Langjun, who was often with Magistrate Shen, was not here today, but she didn't take it to heart.
I only vaguely heard County Magistrate Shen say something while chatting with Duke Xiao, that the Prime Minister of Xun County was sick and was resting at home.
It turned out that she was sick. She remembered that Xunxian Cheng was still strong and healthy last time she saw him.
Chapter 251
It was a sunny day, and you could clearly see the bubbles forming on the corners of Cao Heilong's mouth. His eyebrows twitched in pain, adding to his anxiety. He really couldn't think of any way to capture Xuzhou, and Zhou Youzhou's order Not only that, he was so anxious that he couldn't sleep well for several days.
In other words, since arriving in Xiaopei, he has been on tenterhooks. The Pang Peng Army in Xuzhou is also an elite one. mound. He has always respected the Duke of Wei.
There are many Pang Peng troops stationed in Xia Pi. In recent days, Cao Heilong followed General Jin Benjin and fought with them for no less than five times. Perhaps the opposite side felt the trouble of the Ghost Tuqi. The soldiers and horses between Dapeng City and Xia Pi were united. , Xiaopei faced pressure from two parties alone.
The only good news is that Yi Fan has gained control of the two states of Chu and Chu. From this point of view, the war situation is not too bad. Cao Heilong feels that if Zhou Youzhou changes his mind and sends troops to Daizhou, he may win a greater victory. Why be obsessed with Xuzhou? Cao Heilong only thought about these words in his heart and did not dare to say them out.
Cao Heilong followed General Jin Benjin and other generals to the hall where the meeting was held. All the soldiers were wearing armor and their swords were at their waists. In the hall, Zhou Youzhou was also wearing armor, and the atmosphere was solemn.
The generals took their seats one by one.
Zhou Xu spread out the map and glanced at Cao Heilong.
Cao Heilong was excited in his heart and was ready.
"I called you here today mainly to talk about an old incident. Cao Heilong should also know about this. In the second year of Yongxing, the Holy Emperor sent Xuzhou soldiers to assist King Jingnan in putting down the rebellion in the Longwei Kingdom." Zhou Xu said slowly, he Yesterday, I visited the people of Xiaopei and learned from a lot of messy and useless news about an unfinished incident of the imperial court six years ago.
Cao Heilong was stunned for a moment. Wasn't the second year of Yongxing six years ago? He recalled hard that it was the second year after the current Holy Emperor ascended the throne. The Longwei Kingdom in the far south was no longer willing to be a vassal of Dachu. King Jingnan of that area was short of troops, so he asked the Holy One to send troops. The Holy See saw that Xuzhou's soldiers were capable, so he asked the Xuzhou Jiedushi to recruit troops and horses to assist King Jingnan.
"In the second year of Yongxing, Xuzhou observation envoy Pang Si took a thousand Xuzhou soldiers to the Longwei Kingdom in the southwest to aid King Jingnan." Zhou Xu knew at a glance that Cao Heilong didn't know much about this matter, and might not be as good as him. Know more.
"Soldiers transferred from abroad like this are usually replaced every three years, and then someone else will take over. After three years, they can return home."
"As far as I know, those Xuzhou soldiers have not returned home for six years, and the imperial court's rotation order has been delayed."
"At this point, Pang Taiqiu, the military governor of Xuzhou, was in charge of Xuzhou soldiers alone."
After Zhou Xu finished speaking, he thought of a white-haired old woman Xiao Pei met. Her eyes had long been blind due to excessive tears. Her voice was hoarse because she missed her son who went to the southwest day and night. Her hands trembled. Showing Zhou Xu the letters sent home by her son, she took the trouble to say over and over again that her son wanted to return home. As the old woman cried, Zhou Xu took away the letters and assured the old woman that his son would definitely come back. .
"Don't those Xuzhou soldiers want to go home?" Zhou Xu asked the generals in the hall, and seemed to be asking about the Xuzhou soldiers far away in the southwest. He didn't believe that those Xuzhou soldiers didn't have grievances, and that Pang Si, who had been deceived into going to the southwest, was not allowed to return to Xuzhou. …
"My lord wants to let Pang bring those Xuzhou soldiers back to fight a civil war with the Xuzhou soldiers in the city." Jin Ben said, he seemed to have guessed his lord's thoughts.
"We need to plan more carefully." Zhou Xu said.
Before leaving, Cao Heilong was no longer so anxious, as long as he had a way, he was afraid that Zhou Youzhou would fill this place with endless lives.
Zhou Xu looked at the pile of family letters on the table. The letter was written by a man named Chang Luan who asked someone who could read in the army to write it. The fonts and handwriting of the early family letters were beautiful, and the words in the letters were very simple to facilitate the interpretation of the country people. Simple, as can be seen from the letter, this Xuzhou soldier named Chang Luan was very filial to his mother. His mother was in poor health, so all the money he saved was sent home.
It's a pity that the only son joins the army and the sick and old mother is alone at home. How can she live well?
The next few letters were written by Chang Luan himself. After he became a centurion, he learned calligraphy in the army, and the handwriting was barely recognisable. The feeling of returning home in the letter was so strong that it was so long that the letter was stained with tears.
And based on his words, it seems that he doesn’t know that his mother is blind...
Zhou Xu tapped the edge of the table with his fingers and asked Jin Ben to find a yellow ear from Xiaopei Post to deliver the letter.
When Huang Er came, Zhou Xu asked Huang Er if he knew Chang Luan, and he expected it to be good. Chang Luan was indeed a famous filial son. The Chang family's aunt was illiterate, so Huang Er would occasionally reply to her letters on her behalf. Most of the things were shoes and socks made by the Chang family's aunt herself. Unfortunately, Chang Luan never received anything made by his mother since the Chang family's aunt went blind from crying.
"I said, you write it." Zhou Xudao.
Huang Er only agreed, and Zhou Xu asked Huang Er to tell Chang Luan that the Chang family's aunt was seriously ill and blind. He said that he didn't have much time left, and he might never see his son again for the last time.
After Huang Er finished writing, he broke into a cold sweat. Fortunately, Zhou Youzhou was not as scary as the rumors said. He would kill people and behead people at every turn. After he retreated, he packed the family letters in a bamboo tube and hurriedly delivered the letter.
Because many of the Xuzhou soldiers stationed in the southwest were local young men near Xuzhou, letters were exchanged over the years.
"After a few more days of attacking, you can lead a group of people to attack Songzhou." Zhou Xu said to Jin Ben, "Can you capture it?"
Jin Ben looked at the map. Songzhou didn't have much reputation, but it had Tongji Canal on the waterway and official roads on the land. It was thousands of miles away from Chang'an and far away from Luoyang, but it was very close to Xuzhou, about two hundred miles away. It only takes a day and a night to get there, and the cavalry is faster.
"Yes!" Jin Ben said solemnly.
"You are ambushing in Songzhou. When Chang Luan and the others come, you will follow them." Zhou Xu continued: "I will go to Daizhou to visit Wushuang General for a while."
"What about Cao Heilong?" Jin Ben asked.
"Of course he is still here. How can we all evacuate? If I give up Xuzhou too quickly, Wei Yanshan will definitely become suspicious, and the generals will have to keep a few people here." Zhou Xu squinted his eyes. In short, He is determined to go to Xuzhou.
Half a month later, in a border town far in the southwest, a centurion received an urgent letter from his hometown.
They were all from the same hometown, and there was no war. Everyone in the army gathered together. People who knew how to read often read it to those who didn't know how to read. The centurion was no exception. He opened the family letter and rubbed it with his weather-beaten hands. The corner of the clothes was carefully opened with great joy.
Then he knelt down and cried bitterly, bursting into tears.
The words in the letter were like digging into his heart, liver, flesh and blood, making him so painful that his hair and beard were all stretched out, and he couldn't stop howling.
The soldiers present were surprised and hurriedly came forward to watch. Someone read it out loud. It turned out that Centurion's old mother had been blind for a long time and her health was not as good as before. Fearing that her death was approaching, she wrote her last letter to the Centurion, Everyone in the camp had tears streaming down their faces and looked south. For a moment, all they could hear was weeping.
The long-suppressed homesickness finally broke out and was out of control. Chang Luan was furious, climbed to a high place, and shouted with both arms: "The imperial court has no faith. We have been stationed here for more than six years and are not allowed to return home. You are not allowed to return home." Mother, wife and children?"
As soon as this statement came out, Xuzhou soldiers turned against each other.
"I want to go home today, who wants to go home with me?" Chang Luan shouted loudly.
"Going back together! Going back together!"
"I!"
"And I!"
"I want to go home too. I think my father and mother still have my wife."
"I've been here for several years, but my brat still recognizes me as my father?"
"Let's go back together, I've had enough of this shabby place!"
"We want to go back to Xuzhou!"
"Go back to Xuzhou!"
The wave of shouting broke through the military camp. Pang Si, who learned the whole story in the military tent, lowered his head, as if he had not heard anything, only his fingers trembled slightly. He didn't want to go home, but there was no order from the court, and it was always not good to return privately. He hesitated. He hesitated for several years, but now the public was furious. If he objected again, he might not be able to suppress these fierce soldiers. After thinking about it for a while, Pang made up his mind to take advantage of the empty defense in the city to rob a wave before leaving.
From then on, Xuzhou soldiers returned north to Xu. Pang was afraid of being held accountable by the court, so he used the money robbed from the treasury to recruit troops. The team returning to Xuzhou grew larger and larger.
No one can stop a soldier from returning home.
This belief made them unstoppable.
Chapter 252 "War"
Xuzhou City.
Pang Taiqiu stared at the Xuzhou soldiers outside the city who were clamoring to go home with cold eyes. In his ears were the persuasive words of the lieutenant beside him. He was simply asking him to open the city gate and welcome back Pang and Pang's men who had not seen him for more than six years as soon as possible. Those Xuzhou soldiers below, but he finally drove Pang out of Xuzhou City, how could they let him come back? So even if the soldiers below the city shouted loudly, his expression was still as cold as ice.
"The Youzhou soldiers have not retreated. How can you ensure that there are no Youzhou soldiers among the rebel soldiers brought by Pang Si?"
"What's more, Pang and others returned north without permission before the imperial court issued the order of rotation, recruiting troops and horses along the way. They can be regarded as rebels. If I open the door and let them in, you and I can afford to be punished by the Holy One. "
The continuous questioning made the deputy general turn pale and silent. He was extremely disappointed and unwilling. Why couldn't he be let in? Did General Pang think he didn't know that Zhou Youzhou was currently fighting with Taiyuan soldiers in Daizhou? Now the only one left behind in Xiaopei is Cao Heilong.
The lieutenant general looked at the Xuzhou soldiers below, and he could still see many familiar faces from before. Their tone gradually changed from joy, excitement, and eagerness at the beginning to anxiety, anger, panic, and anger!
They wanted to go home, and the lieutenant general knew in his heart that among those soldiers, there was even the only son of his brother who died in the battle, who was his nephew. More than six years ago, he originally wanted to give his nephew a beautiful resume. He came back to get a salary increase, but unexpectedly, three years had passed, but the court kept delaying him. Now that he finally came back, he was turned away by his relatives.
"Finally..." Pang Si looked at Wei Guogong and Liu Hui and Liu Jianjun beside him, his tone was more serious, and he held his hands and said: "Xuzhou is now dominated by the Duke of Wei and Liu Jianjun. It is the Duke who decides what to do. How can one ruin the great mission of defeating You just because of one's own selfishness?"
The deputy general and some Xuzhou generals did not speak.
Wei Yanshan wore a green robe with big sleeves, elegant and rustling. He looked at the soldiers below who were getting more and more angry and shouting, but he didn't show a trace of emotion.
Liu Hui's withered face was sallow and he said displeasedly to the lieutenant: "Those traitors below returned north privately without the holy order. Do they still have the law in their eyes? I think it's better to collect arrows and kill them." It saves them from making trouble day and night."
The deputy general glared at the eunuchs and supervisors, and the hand holding the knife clacked loudly: "They are also Xuzhou soldiers."
"That was before, now they are just rebels causing trouble!" Liu Hui's voice became particularly sharp when he raised his voice. He was a supervisor sent by the Holy Emperor to Jiangnan Road, but after several battles, the actual victory was not much, Shou, Luzhou and Luzhou are still controlled by Zhou Youzhou's people, and Guangling has not taken it back. Although Taiyuan has taken over several counties in Hexi, it immediately fell into the wave of Youzhou's counterattack. Now Zhou Youzhou has personally gone to the front line of Daizhou to supervise the battle. .
A person's name, the shadow of a tree.
Liu Hui always had a bad feeling in his heart. Can Daizhou really be saved? If Daizhou was lost again, wouldn't they lose greatly? Liu Hui became furious when he thought of Chuzhou, which had already been lost.
If those rebels are allowed to enter Xuzhou City now, if any trouble is caused and Xuzhou cannot be saved, then half of Chu will fall into the hands of Zhou Manzi!
The Holy One originally wanted both sides to suffer losses, but now it's better, but it seems that one family is the only one! Even if he dislikes the Duke of Wei, he still has to plan something for the Holy Emperor, so he must not let his Xuzhou soldiers enter the city.
