"General, Mr. Auxiliary Machine, please hurry up and go south." Xi Jian pulled out a secret report from the Imperial Guards from his sleeve: "General, King Yan Murong Chui killed Ding Ling leader Zhai Bin, and Zhai Bin's nephew Zhai Zhen succeeded him as leader. He led Ding Ling to attack Murong Chui's camp at night. Now the Yan army has withdrawn from the siege of Yecheng, and the main force of the army is hoarding in Changle..."
Xu Zongwen thought for a while: "The reason why the march has been slow these days is because we have to escort the prisoners of the Yan army. We have to find a way to deal with it. Since Murong Chui has evacuated Yecheng, it seems that he will not attack Yecheng again in the short term. .”
"Didn't you say that a Yan army had already moved south? Who is the general in charge? Where is it now?"
"After Xingyang and Dangyin were captured by our army, Murong Chui sent Murong De to lead his army south to Dunqiu. At the moment, both his and Murong Chui's armies should be in Changle."
"General, how about killing all the prisoners of the Yan army and silencing them?" Xi Jian always used any means to achieve his goals.
Xu Zongwen frowned and shook his head: "No, it is unlucky to kill prisoners. Since these people have put down their swords, there is no need to impose criminal laws. Xianbei people do not respect etiquette, justice and shame. Our Master Wang still needs to be called benevolent and righteous."
"After all, they are foreigners and don't understand these things. We are a country of etiquette!"
Xi Jian advised again: "On the battlefield, why should a general talk about benevolence and righteousness?"
"Sir, are you trying to say that I am a woman?" Xu Zongwen smiled awkwardly but politely.
Xi Jian lowered his head slightly: "I don't dare, I just obey my orders."
"If we meet on the battlefield, I will never let any enemy go, but killing prisoners is the behavior of those who bully the weak, and it is the behavior of cowards! Killing one is a crime, whether it is a civilian or a commoner."
"Killing prisoners is not meritorious. If soldiers want to gain military merit, they can rely on their own ability to go to the battlefield and take the enemy's head."
Xu Zongwen's tone turned cold: "And I didn't let them go without any reason. This could be used to show the strength of our army to the Yan army and cause turmoil within the Yan army..."
After having a warm relationship with Xiaozhuang, Xu Zongwen let go of the hundreds of captured Xianbei knights, and threatened that he would bring an army of 100,000 with him this time, vowing to compete with Murong Chui!
The Xianbei knights had their horses, weapons and armor confiscated, and they could only kneel on the ground one by one to thank Xu Zongwen for not killing him.
After Murong Ling and Xiaozhuang left, Xu Zongwen led 3,000 people to the bank of the Yellow River without stopping. On the way, he sent an order for Pei Qing and Shen Yu to rush from Dunqiu and Wei County to meet at the Bailang Ferry on the bank of the Yellow River.
"The war opportunity has arrived and will disappear in a flash!" Xu Zongwen summoned General Xu Bu and immediately began to make arrangements for the war.
"Mr. Auxiliary Machinery and Mr. Keeper led five hundred troops to guard the warship, and the Wanjun Divine Crossbow was placed on the deck of the warship."
The Wanjun Divine Crossbow takes up too much space. If placed in the Queyue Formation, it would probably occupy a lot of space, so Xu Zongwen hid this powerful weapon on the warship.
"In this battle, Shen Yu will lead Queyue Formation and be responsible for commanding the entire army."
"promise!"
"Zheng Lue is the forward. I will put a total of 3,000 people from the crossbow battalion, pikemen and the temporary chariot battalion under your command to be responsible for the frontal defense of the Queyue Formation."
"promise!"
"Tian Luo, Zhang Gui, you two each command two thousand troops to ambush here..." Xu Zongwen pointed to the map and arranged the combat tasks in an orderly manner.
When Pei Qing handed Murong Chui's letter of war to Xu Zongwen, Xu Zongwen received the news that Murong Chui was leading 50,000 cavalry south from Changle.
Murong Chui's arrival was so fast that it was beyond everyone's expectation.
On the north bank of the Yellow River in Puyang, there is the White Wolf Crossing.
Xu Zongwen spent a long time preparing the Queyue Formation. Murong Chui invited Xu Zongwen to meet him before the battle. Xu Zongwen defied all opinions and met with Murong Chui in front of the two armies' formations.
"Your Majesty, I have admired your name for a long time. Xu Xiao is looking forward to seeing you today!" Only when Xu Zongwen saw Murong Chui, whose beard and hair were all white, and his tiger eyes were shining, did he know what it meant to be old and strong.
Murong Chui said with a faint smile: "The general is heroic and has the style of Great Sima Huanwen. In my lifetime, the Jin army made many northern expeditions. Only you and Huanwen were able to break through Luoyang and drink from the Yellow River. You are young and promising!"
"Your Majesty, I, Xu Xiao, am lucky enough to be where I am today because of the opportunity and the remaining power of Governor Xie. My talents are not even close to those of Governor Xie, so how can I compare with Sima Huan?"
"On the contrary, the king has a great reputation, resounding throughout the north and south. He has won many battles for decades without a single defeat. I really admire him very much and have admired him for a long time. It is said that seeing is better than hearing a hundred times. Today I saw the king's appearance, majesty and domineering. I will have no regrets in this life!"
Under Yecheng, Zhai Zhen had just raided Murong Chui and the Yan army was defeated. Then he retreated to Changle and had the current meeting at Dunqiu.
Xu Zongwen deliberately said that Murong Chui had no defeat, which was actually a satire that he had just been defeated in Yecheng and would go downhill in the future.
Murong Chui had kept a low profile in the Qin Kingdom for more than ten years, speaking only a few words to everyone he met, and only listening to the unspoken words. How could he not know that Xu Zong was referring to the article and openly mocking him?
But Murong Chui didn't care, he admired Xu Zongwen very much, as if he saw himself in Xu Zongwen when he was young, so arrogant, so confident, a proud man of heaven!
"I am in my sixties, my teeth and hair are falling out, and my reputation is all in the past many years ago, not worth mentioning."
"On the other hand, the general was young and weak, but he killed Fu Rong, recaptured Xuzhou and Qingzhou, defeated Zhang Zhi one after another, shot and killed Mao Dang, captured Fu Lang and Fu Hui, and restored the old capital of the Jin Dynasty, Luoyang. Each of these is remarkable. These are not things that ordinary people can do, but the general has done them all by himself. This is the real young and promising person who should be the world leader!"
"If I have a talent like a general under me, I will definitely entrust him with a big responsibility. Even if he is granted the title of a prince, it is not a big deal. But Jiankang only gives you, general, a small position as a heroic cavalry general. Isn't this right? Has it chilled the general’s heart?”
Facing Murong Chui's olive branch and the prince's temptation, Xu Zongwen looked calm.
"I originally thought that the king is both wise and brave, and a hero who dominates the battlefield, but I didn't expect that the king is also a eloquent and sharp-tongued lobbyist."
Xu Zongwen thought to himself: As the only inheritor of nine-year compulsory education in this era, how can I be complicit with thieves like you whose hands are stained with the blood of my colleagues? Title? The five thousand years of rich historical knowledge in my mind is something you can never imagine. You still want to seduce me into corruption and become a traitor? It is impossible to work for barbarians...
"I can't say my merits by myself, but can only be rewarded by the king. Otherwise, wouldn't it be confusing the rules and damaging to the country? If someone under the king's command has made great achievements but takes the initiative to ask for rewards from the king, I wonder how the king would feel?"
"What a sharp mouth!"
"It seems that the general is going to fight to the death with me today?"
Xu Zongwen was filled with indignation and said loudly: "Jin Zuo was destroyed by the Hu people, and both cities fell into the hands of the Hu people. In the past sixty years, we, the Han people in the Central Plains, have died tragically at the hands of the Hu people in countless cases, and we will not stop dying? Yes, your Majesty is right!" I really want to fight you aliens to the death!"
"Hu Yun has not lived for a hundred years. Your Majesty, if you are willing to lead you Xianbei people to withdraw from the Central Plains, return to Liaodong, and become vassals of our Jin Dynasty, I, the Emperor of Jin Dynasty, may allow you to become king outside the Great Wall and spare the lives of your entire family."
"Otherwise, for those who dare to stay in Han Dynasty, I, Xu Xiao, swear here that I will do my best to drive out the barbarians and restore China as long as I am alive!"
Xu Zongwen's meaning was very clear. Not only did he resolutely refuse Murong Chui's solicitation in front of the battle, but his attitude toward the Yan Army's battle was unprecedentedly tough!
"General, you have such a great ambition! Then let your subordinates see the real chapter!" Without saying anything, Murong Chui left on horseback. He had nothing to say to Xu Zongwen.
