"drive!"
In the howling cold wind, a galloping horse galloped towards the General's Mansion on the main road in Luzicheng.
The civilian soldiers along the way all ducked to both sides, because this was the Qingzhou Army's scouting horse, which had the power to gallop in the city. Anyone who was unlucky enough to be hit would have to consider themselves unlucky.
The messenger on horseback ran all the way to the gate of the General's Mansion, stopped reining in his horse, and walked quickly towards the mansion under the guidance of the Yajun guards.
"General, there is good news!"
When the messenger was taken to the hall, he found that the hall was full of people.
The messenger took a quick peek and found that almost all the generals in the Qingzhou Army were here.
He didn't dare to look any further and could only salute quickly.
"General, good news from Pingyuan! General Fenwei has defeated Hulu Shihu's troops. The siege of Pingyuan has been lifted, and all Hulu have retreated to the west of Qinghe River."
Liu Yu smiled softly when he heard this and said to the people around him.
"The good news came out so quickly, which saved a lot of trouble."
After receiving the detailed victory report, Liu Yu read it carefully.
This was not only a victory report sent by Zu Ti, but also a secret letter sent by Liu Xun who accompanied the army, in which he wrote down the story of Zu Ti's victory.
After Liu Yu read it, he handed it to Hua Xiu and others next to him.
"Zu Fenwei is really heroic. Not only did he kill more than a thousand barbarians, but he also captured a lot of them."
Although Hua Xiu's words were complimentary, it was obvious that his thoughts were not on that.
Gongsun Sheng took the letter and after reading it, he frowned.
"Zu Ti actually recruited thousands of refugees in Gaotang? The money and food in his hands were only enough for three thousand armored soldiers. How did he do it?"
Liu Yu had already seen that Zu Ti was stationed in the east of Pingyuan City. He first established a stronghold and attracted Hulu Shihu to divide his troops from Pingyuan to attack. Then Zu Ti went out to attack the camp that night. Many soldiers in the Hulu army were sick. Due to the "blindfolded bird", it was impossible to see at all after nightfall. They were defeated by three thousand strong Qingzhou soldiers. Although they did not gain much, there were more enemy troops scattered and scattered.
However, Liu Yu was more concerned about the same issue as Gongsun Sheng.
"What method did he use to recruit tens of thousands of refugees as soldiers in Gaotang?" Liu Yu asked the messenger. Although Liu Xun mentioned this matter in his letter, he did not give much explanation.
Seeing Liu Yu asking questions, the messenger quickly answered.
"General General, Zu Fenwei defeated Shi Hu at first, and after receiving thousands of military staffs, he personally crossed the river eastward and recruited soldiers from the Gaotang refugees, all equipped with captured military staffs."
Of course Liu Yu could imagine using captured weapons to arm the newly recruited refugees, he said with some displeasure.
"The army is short of food. How can he recruit these refugees?"
At this time, there was no shortage of population in Pingyuan and Gaotang counties. A large number of refugees gathered here. As long as there was food, tens of thousands of people could be recruited.
"General Zu summoned the homeless commanders and agreed to reward the meritorious sergeants with the Wubao of Zhongtou Hu in Pingyuan County after the war."
"The Wubao that surrendered to Hu?" Liu Yu said in surprise, "Isn't that the same as looting the Wubao that surrendered to Hu?"
"That's right, General."
"What happens after that?" Liu Yu continued to ask.
"Then General Houzu recruited tens of thousands of refugees, and after crossing the river together, he defeated the Hulu troops in three battles and won three victories. All the strong men in Wubao east of the Qinghe River have been converted," the messenger said.
After hearing this, Liu Yu continued to ask.
"If this is the case, wouldn't it mean that everyone around Pingyuan City is driven by Zu Ti?"
"That's true. After Shi Hu was defeated and retreated to Qinghe, General Zu had recruited nearly 20,000 powerful militiamen from the two counties."
Hearing this, Liu Yu couldn't help but take a breath and exclaimed in his heart.
"You fierce man, this is too fierce. Although the refugees in Jizhou, Hebei Province have always been tough and have no fear of ordinary barbarians when they are well-equipped, Zu Ti was able to do it in just one month. , they have accomplished the achievement of recruiting nearly 20,000 powerful refugees. This requires not only fame and military capabilities, but also strong control capabilities. Otherwise, it will be difficult to deal with the relationship between these powerful refugees who are contradictory to each other. "
Liu Yu murmured, "No wonder! No wonder Liu Xun just downplayed it in the letter. He only said in the secret letter that he would ask the messenger face to face."
"What did Liu Xun want you to say to me face to face?" Liu Yu asked slowly.
"Uh, um..." The messenger hesitated and raised his head slightly to glance at the large number of Qingzhou generals around him. Before he came, Liu Xun had told him to try to speak to Liu Yu alone.
"Everyone here is my brother and sister, but it doesn't matter!" Liu Yu said.
The messenger kowtowed and then said.
"The marching Sima asked the villain to tell me that Zu Ti had a great reputation in Jizhou and Hebei. Now that he had just arrived in the plains, he had defeated the barbarians in succession. He was even more unparalleled in Jizhou where people were mourning. The powerful men from the two counties competed to surrender to Zu Ti. With Zu Ti's talent, even without the third battalion of armored soldiers, he can still rely on Qinghe to hold on. If time passes, it is unknown whether he will have other ambitions."
What the messenger relayed was not too surprising to Liu Yu.
Liu Xun's worries were not unreasonable. Zu Ti was able to take in the powerful refugees from the two counties for his own use so quickly, which simply exceeded everyone's expectations.
If this continues, Zu Ti may be in danger of falling out of Liu Yu's control. After all, Zu Ti's men have recruited nearly 20,000 soldiers in a short period of time.
"Therefore, it would be better for the General to act slowly regarding General Zu's request for the allocation of food, grass, and clothing."
At this time, Hua Xiu on the side spoke.
Along with the good news came Zu Ti's request for the allocation of follow-up armored soldiers, food, grass, clothing and other supplies.
"Yes, General, now that a big event is about to happen, neither the soldiers nor the baggage in Luzi City should be sent out any more."
Gongsun Sheng also commented from the side.
"Moreover, we need to send someone to replace Zu Ti and lead his army. Otherwise, if Zu Ti doesn't know the truth and raises troops without permission and a misunderstanding occurs, it may be difficult to deal with."
When Liu Yu heard this, he didn't answer, but asked a person sitting in the row on his right.
"Brother, the important matter has been decided now. If General Ancestor is deceived by a traitor and something unexpected happens, will you be able to make him stop his troops?"
Hearing Liu Yu calling him, Zu Yue, who was sitting next to him, immediately replied.
"General, don't worry, the agreement can be made."
After Zu Yue said this, cold sweat broke out on his back. He had just promised to marry his daughter to Liu Yu's nephew, but he was soon pulled into Liu Yu's secret meeting. In this secret meeting , only then did Zu Yue know that people like Liu Yu wanted to abandon the Jin Dynasty and pursue self-reliance.
Zu Yue felt that the stakes were very important, but he could not muster the courage to angrily scold these "rebellious ministers and traitors".
Just now, Zu Yue, who had been hiding as much as possible, was almost frightened to death when he heard that his brother Zu Ti had won in Jizhou and was tabooed by Liu Yu's uncle and nephew.
The original thought of being loyal to the Jin Dynasty suddenly disappeared without a trace. He only thought that if his brother raised an army to attack Liu Yu in Jizhou, the lives of his ancestor Yue and his entire family would be at risk. It's all in Luzicheng.
Therefore, when Liu Yu asked, Zu Yue hurriedly agreed as if he had been granted amnesty.
From this point of view, no matter what, even if his brother Zu Ti raises an army, there is still room for maneuver.
The next day, in Luzi City.
The winter sun has not yet appeared, and the thick fog in the early morning has not dispersed. The gray streets are empty and as quiet as water.
Suddenly, bursts of noisy sounds of people shouting and neighing exploded in the alley deep in the street, and then a large number of Qingzhou soldiers wearing armor poured out.
Just like a flood opening, the Qingzhou soldiers in full armor instantly occupied the intersections and avenues everywhere.
There were many soldiers, led by officers, rushing towards the mansions everywhere.
Soon, the cries of all kinds of men, women, and children were heard in the mansions whose doors had been smashed open by Qingzhou soldiers. In many of them, bursts of men's roars and the clash of weapons erupted.
This situation is especially true in Nancheng, where officials gather.
When the noise in the city just started, Prince Zhan Shihe Yong, who lived in Nancheng, woke up the guests at his home.
"Master Lang, it's not good, it's not good, there are many Qingzhou soldiers coming suddenly outside!"
As soon as he heard this, He Yong stood up as if being burned by fire. He didn't even bother to put on his clothes and rushed directly to the door.
"What!? Qingzhou soldiers, where are you going? They're not coming here, are they?"
When He Yong said this, he didn't know whether it was because he was too cold without clothes or for other reasons, but his upper and lower lips were trembling.
"I don't know, I don't know, but on the street outside, many Qingzhou soldiers suddenly came out, maybe thousands, and the whole street was filled up!"
The guest said nervously. As soon as he finished speaking, other guests and Buqu also discovered the situation and gathered around He Yong.
At this time, there was suddenly a fierce knock on the door of the front yard. After receiving no answer, it immediately turned into the sound of banging on the door.
"No! The Qingzhou thieves must have known about my conspiracy with the prince, and they are coming to harm me."
When He Yong heard the violent banging on the door, he immediately felt dizzy. The previous confidence that he was going to play with the "Qingzhou Thief" had all disappeared.
At this time, some of He Yong's retainers wanted to stop the fight with swords in hand, some advised He Yong to hide in secret, some suggested climbing over the wall to break out and escape, and some remained silent, but their steps began to Slid back.
Suddenly, among He Yong's guests, the one he usually relied on the most made a loud suggestion.
"There are so many thieves, they will definitely be difficult to defeat! It is impossible to hide!"
When everyone heard this, most of them felt the same way.
"So, the best way is for us to escort the master, climb out of the side wall, and quickly go to the prince's mansion. The distance between the two places is only half an alley. As long as we can run to the prince's mansion and the prince stops him, it doesn't matter. No matter how courageous the Qingzhou thieves are, they would never dare to make a mistake in front of the Crown Prince!"
When He Yong heard this, as if he had seen a life-saving straw, he immediately nodded in agreement.
With the help of many guests, He Yong quickly climbed over the side wall and ran towards the crown prince's residence under the protection of the guests.
Unexpectedly, not long after he ran away, he was blocked by a group of Qingzhou soldiers. He Yong could only turn around and escape in another direction under the protection of the guests.
He left more than a dozen loyal troops behind to block the pursuing Qingzhou soldiers.
However, after just a moment, He Yong only heard a few screams, and those few steps should have all been killed.
Fortunately, the fog was very heavy today, and He Yong and others had already run away. Because of the white fog, the Qingzhou soldiers behind them temporarily lost track of them.
Because they were secretly preparing for the uprising, He Yong and the guests were very familiar with the streets and alleys around the Prince's Mansion. Therefore, they did not get lost even in the thick fog and successfully found the back door of the Prince's Mansion.
"Sorry, Master Lang, there are Qingzhou thieves guarding the back door too!"
One of the soldiers who went to investigate immediately ran back in fear and said to He Yong who was hiding in the alley.
"It's broken, I will die! What should I do?" He Yong immediately screamed in a low voice.
"Master, don't panic. I also know a secret passage. I don't think the thieves in Qingzhou will guard it." Another soldier immediately offered advice.
"Why don't you lead the way!" He Yong seemed to see hope again.
Soon, under the leadership of this tribe, He Yong and his party arrived at a hidden corner outside the Prince's Mansion.
"Master Lang, look, this is it."
The man pointed at the corner of the wall and saw a large hole outside the wall, which seemed to be connected to the prince's residence.
He Yong looked along his fingers and saw nothing. He smelled a strong and pungent smell of urine.
"Drowning?!?!" a guest next to him said with a pale face.
When He Yong saw it, it turned out to be a tunnel connected to filthy toilets, and his face immediately showed the ferocity of wanting to kill someone.
"How dare you!" He Yong cursed angrily.
Unexpectedly, at this time, the sound of Qingzhou soldiers running and shouting could be heard in the fog not far away, and they seemed to be coming in this direction.
He Yong had no choice but to put away his murderous intention and asked through gritted teeth.
"Is there any other way?"
"No more." said the man who almost lost his life.
He Yong looked at the tall wall with hatred, and really had no confidence that he could climb over it.
At this time, the voices of those Qingzhou soldiers were getting closer and closer, and the sound of the armor blades rubbing against each other was almost clearly audible.
He Yong gritted his teeth and said to Bu Qu who offered his advice.
"You jump first!"
In order to escape for his life, Nabu did not hesitate, and jumped down with a soft 'pop'.
"Master, come here quickly, it's only up to your knees, it's okay!"
=·=·=·=
On the main road in Luzicheng, Liu Yu was fully equipped with armor. Surrounded by many Yamen guards, he kept looking at the direction of Nancheng.
There was the gathering place of the Prince's Palace and many officials and officials from Taiwan. As long as they could be frightened with thunderous means in an instant, Liu Yu could be appointed.
It’s just that God’s calculation is not as good as that of man.
"What does this heavy fog mean?"
