Zhu Xu withdrew his long sword, handed Ma Shan to the soldiers behind him, and winked at the captain on the side. The latter left in a hurry, heading towards the rear without knowing where to go.
After the sky brightened, the Qin soldiers in the distance seemed to be dizzy and had not yet woken up. After the general died in the battle, they all ran away like headless flies. There were even some who ran towards the Xiangyang soldiers!
"Don't kill me. I'm Han and I surrender."
"I am also Han Chinese, and I am from Jingzhou."
It turned out to be some Han servants. Coincidentally, among the surrendering crowd was the captain who wanted to shoot Zheng Lue with a bow!
"May I have your name?"
"Pang Bai."
"From now on, just follow me!" Xu Zongwen said lightly, not even looking at him, but Zheng Luele who was standing aside.
"Aren't you pretty powerful? Why, do you still want to shoot me to death?"
Pang Bai did not raise his head, nor did he pay attention to Zheng Lue. He just sat silently on the ground. In an instant, all his strength was relieved, like a rootless duckweed without support. No one noticed that he was quietly watching the direction Xu Zongwen left. What is a person looking at?
"Why do I always feel like there are a pair of eyes staring at me from behind!" From a distance, Xu Zongwen turned around and looked around cautiously, muttering to himself.
At noon, in Shouyang City, which lies to the north of Bagong Mountain and cannot see the end of the city wall from east to west, Xie Shi, the commander-in-chief of the Jin army, was sitting on the city tower.
At the foot of Shouyang City, Zhu Xu led the remaining 400 Xiangyang soldiers and began to enter the city. Zhu Xu was wearing a white brocade robe. The robe was already stained with blood after a night of fighting. There was also a vaguely embroidered figure with bright eyes in the blood. Eagle, the cold wind in the sky is biting, and there is still a faint mist!
At this time, Xie Shi stood up, holding the battlements with both hands, and stared at the Xiangyang soldiers returning slowly under the moat. Every face he looked at was filled with perseverance!
Although the armor of the Xiangyang soldiers was damaged and the flags were unclear, the spirit of this powerful army that had just experienced a bloody battle shocked him for a while. The sun shone on the armor of the Xiangyang soldiers, making it look very dazzling. Covering his eyes to block the reflected light, the masonry on the battlement under the palm of his other hand felt extremely cold and cool, so much so that it actually hurt him!
"It's really a strong army that can fight a hundred battles!"
Xie Shi turned around and saw that the city tower was full of soldiers wearing various colors of uniforms. Looking up, everyone's uniforms were dyed red with blood. The red flag on the city wall became more and more vivid, with the words "Three Beifu Soldiers" written on it in black. Big letters.
"Is there any news about King Fu Jian of Qin?"
The subordinate raised his hand and replied: "Go back to the Commander-in-Chief, and listen to the scouts to report that Murong Chui led 30,000 elite cavalry day and night to escort Fu Jian back to Huaibei."
"This Murong Chui is a fierce tiger. After this battle, the Central Plains will change!"
"Have all the Xiangyang soldiers who entered the city been settled?"
"Everyone has arranged to rest temporarily in Shouyang City. Zhu Shijun is still waiting below for the Governor to meet him."
The subordinate braved the wind and snow, and feathery snow flakes occasionally slid down the dark cheeks under the helmet. The snow flakes fell on the city wall and were instantly hidden in the snow.
Xie An nodded with satisfaction, looked up at the soldiers, and then said: "There is no need to chase King Qin, he must have rushed back to Chang'an!"
The soldiers replied in unison: "No!"
In Shouyang City, Xie Shi summoned Zhu Xu and others to come. Zhu Xu rushed there with Xu Zongwen, Zhang Tianxi, Xu Yuanxi and Wang Xian.
"Great Governor, I am lucky to have lived up to my command!"
"Cilun, you can make me wait easily!"
Cilun is Zhu Xu's cousin.
Xie Shi greeted people to introduce Zhu Xu to a seat, and Zhu Xu in turn introduced to Xie Shi the Marquis of Guiyi Zhang Tianxi, the Pinglu General Xu Yuanxi, and the Anfeng Prefect Wang Xian.
"Zhang Tianxi has met the Grand Governor and has always heard about the Grand Governor's civil and military strategies. He is a great hero in the world. It is better to meet him than to be famous. He is really extraordinary!"
"Your Majesty, you are so complimentary! This battle was completely won for three reasons. Ci Lun was extraordinarily courageous and determined. He spent four years in the Qin State trying to be brave. Only by collecting military information of the Qin Army can our army know the strength of the Qin Army. This is This is the opportunity to win, this is one of them; thanks to Youdu and Liu Daojian, they defeated Liang's 50,000-strong army and defeated the Qin army's front. This is the second one. All the soldiers regard death as life, and unite as one to protect their home and country. The righteous army will win. This is the third of the unruly kings. I am just arranging things in the middle and adapting to the current situation, so what credit can I get?"
Youdu and Liu Daojian are talking about Xie Xuan, the forward commander, and Liu Laozhi, who joined the army, and Wu Daojun is obviously talking about Qin Emperor Fu Jian.
"The Governor is so humble and unreliable, he is really like a benevolent person in ancient times!"
"Grand Governor, my subordinates lost the city, and I came here to plead guilty!" Xu Yuanxi and Wang Xian fell to their knees at the same time.
"Decades ago, Zhongzhou was in chaos and chaos from all directions. All the Han people died at the hands of these Hu tribes. The remaining narrow escapees were all eaten by the barbarians! Before the war, I thought about this time. This battle must be fought to the death. Victory, otherwise we will be the sinners of the Jin Dynasty!"
Xie Shi'an sat in the first place. Not far away, Xu Yuanxi and Wang Xian knelt on the ground with Xu Zongwen between them, not daring to release their breath. On the other hand, Xu Zongwen stood firmly below, motionless, like a statue.
A glimmer of light flashed in Zhu Xu's eyes, and he raised his head and replied: "At that time, the general was thinking that even if the general and all his brothers were in the Qin camp, I would not let a single Hulu cross the river!"
Everyone was silent for a moment, as if they were all immersed in the tragic past decades ago.
"Master Marquis, please take a seat." Finally, Xie Shi broke the silence. He pointed at Xu Zongwen and asked, "Who is this person with graceful demeanor and extraordinary appearance? Can someone introduce me to you?"
"Grand Governor, is this the forward commander Xie Guanjun's subordinate Sima?" Zhu Xu walked up to Xu Zongwen and reached out to pat Xu Zongwen on the shoulder.
Xie Shi regained his composure and said seriously: "This time, you were the one who caused the people of the Qin camp to fall on their backs and flee, and you were the one who offered your shield formation to repel the Qin army?"
"You are such a young hero, you can defeat me!"
"My subordinate Xu Xiao is just doing his own little bit for the sake of the Jin Dynasty. He should not be praised like this by the governor!" Xu Zongwen's attitude was very low. It was about his future. He also knew how powerful it was, so he thanked Shi Rufu for his leadership. During the conversation, he was very respectful and did not dare to slack off.
"You deserve it, you deserve it. I heard that the heroic words of expelling the barbarians, restoring China, establishing the program, and rescuing the people of Sri Lanka also came from your mouth. Is this true?"
After last night, what Xu Zongwen said had spread quickly throughout the Jin camp.
"Great Governor, I will testify that these sixteen words of motto are indeed spoken by Xu Zongwen, and they are absolutely true! The general was in the army at that time, and the four hundred Xiangyang soldiers under my account all heard them with their own ears, and they can all be corroborated. !”
Xu Zongwen almost couldn't help but laugh out loud. He thought to himself: When did these sixteen words become a motto?
"With such an outstanding talent of both wisdom and bravery, we have a successor!" Zhu Xu looked at Xu Zongwen with great joy, and his eyes inadvertently revealed a look of expectation.
Being able to get praise from Xie Shi and Zhu Xu, Xu Zongwen immediately became the center, and everyone around him was envious or even jealous of him.
"You two get up first. The loss of Shouyang is not all your fault. It is not a crime. After all, the Qin army is so large and powerful. Shouyang is a small town. It is impossible to stop hundreds of thousands of Qin soldiers. .”
Feeling that they were blessed by Xu Zongwen, Xu Yuanxi and Wang Xian frequently gestured to Xu Zongwen to express their gratitude. In response, Xu Zongwen just smiled awkwardly but politely.
"Xu Xiao listened carefully. I have appointed you as the captain, under the command of General Zhu of Xizhonglang. If you can make further achievements, I will also report your share of the merits to the court together with the other generals, and serve you in front of His Majesty and Prime Minister Xie. Show merit."
Your Majesty is Sima Changming, the current emperor of the Jin Dynasty, and the Xie Xiang is Xie An. Since Cao Cao became the prime minister, the position of the prime minister has been too powerful, and it is very likely that he will sideline the emperor and directly threaten the imperial power. In view of this, the Jin Dynasty, as a rule, is There are few exceptions where there are no prime ministers or prime ministers. The highest one is the Three Dukes, and later the Eight Dukes (Taifu, Taishi, Taibao, Taiwei, Situ, Sikong, Da Sima, and General) were added.
Among the Eight Dukes, only those who were appointed ministers had the real power to govern, that is, they belonged to the line of prime ministers. The difference between prime minister and prime minister was that the former was a formal official position, while the latter was an honorific title. In charge of government affairs, he also oversaw the military affairs of the five states of Yang, Yu, Xu, Yan, and Qing. He held military and political power with one hand, and he was the chief prime minister!
Zhu Xu quickly pointed out: "Silly boy, why don't you thank the Governor for your support?"
"My subordinates would like to thank the Commander-in-Chief. I will continue to work hard in the future to regain the lost territory for the Jin Dynasty, drive out the Tartars, and return our mountains and rivers to me!"
Xu Zongwen came to his senses and hurriedly bowed his head and cupped his hands. To be honest, he was not used to this somewhat humiliating feeling, and even felt a little conflicted in his heart. The most he just said was a few humble and flattering auspicious words, which was said to be just once. Doing things is another matter. There is still a difference when it comes to physical actions.
But every time Xu Zongwen used his peripheral vision to see the bright-faced Zhu Xuzheng showing a happy smile like an old father, he tried his best to restrain the restlessness in his heart and let all the uneasiness return to calm.
"What a good boy, you are a man, you are ambitious, I am optimistic about you!"
After Xu Zongwen was promoted to captain, he belonged to Zhu Xu. Originally, Liangzhou's military system was incomplete, and Zhu Xu allocated less than 900 men to Xu Zongwen. Xie Shi asked Zhu Xu to take advantage of the victory and march forward, saying that he had already sent good news to Jiankang, so he sent them with him. There is also a request from Shangshu for the Northern Expedition, and the court will most likely respond.
So Xie Shi handed over 10,000 elite troops to Zhu Xu's command. Zhu Xu allocated half of the original 400 surviving Xiangyang soldiers to Xu Zongwen's men, and also obtained 500 cavalry from the auxiliary general Xie Yan for Xu Zongwen. Xu Zongwen His subordinates suddenly grew to 1,600 people.
Xu Zongwen suggested that Zhu Xu cross the Huaihe River and attack Xiapi north along the Si River. The soldiers quickly deceived Pengcheng, the governor's office in Xuzhou. This march route was originally Liu Laozhi's. Xu Zongwen took the initiative and asked Ying to be the vanguard to attack Xiapi. .
