"General, look! Smoke is rising from the camp!"
A military colonel pointed at the gray-white smoke and shouted.
Deng Qiang was always paying attention to the situation in the camp, and there was no need for him to remind him. Deng Qiang raised his horse high and shouted:
"Soldiers! We have been favored by our lord and we should repay this great kindness. Now our lord is not willing to use himself as bait to lure the enemy out of the city. If we don't fight to the death, we will be no different from the beasts!"
Everyone shouted in unison:
"Fight to the death and never retreat! Serve Duke Huan!"
On the other side, Deng Xia's shouts of encouragement to the soldiers also came. The two looked at each other, and then the leaders of the army came out from the rear in tacit understanding. Following Huan Xi's instructions, they bypassed the Jin army's camp and headed towards the battlefield, one on the left and the other on the right. Surround and kill.
The roaring sound of horse hooves resounded throughout the sky, even covering up the shouts of killing from the soldiers of both armies during the chaotic battle.
The earth was shaking, and no one could ignore the five thousand cavalry rushing towards them.
The officers and soldiers of the Jin army in the fierce battle were inspired and their morale soared, but the coalition forces of Wang and Yang were horrified and their hearts were in chaos.
The reason why Wang Zhuo was able to control the power of Qinzhou was because of Huanxi's Northern Expedition. Ma Qiu, who had been guarding Longyou all year round, led his troops eastward and went to Shi Bao's command.
When Ma Qiu left, he also took away the elite of the army.
Although the king has many soldiers, most of them are strong men who have been temporarily recruited by him, and their combat effectiveness varies between good and bad.
Therefore, although they used more strikes but fewer strikes, the coalition forces were unable to break through the Jin army's infantry formation.
On the contrary, the Jin army's infantry was inspired by the cavalry's reinforcements, became more and more courageous as they fought, and pushed back the front line.
Jin cavalry rushed towards the battlefield from both sides like a torrent. Wang Zhuo assigned a small number of cavalry to stop them, but they were unable to intercept the sudden advance of Deng Qiang and Deng Xia.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Yang Chu quickly ordered:
"Get out! Get out!"
He hoped to use Wang Zhuo's army to hold back the Jin army so that he could retreat calmly.
Wang Zhuo did not notice the movements of the Qiuchi people at first, until a close confidant beside him exclaimed:
"General! The Qiuchi people have retreated!"
Wang Zhuo went out according to his reputation. Because the Qiuchi people had retreated and his left wing was completely exposed, he couldn't help but jump to his feet and curse.
Huan Xi, who was watching the battle in the camp, also noticed this. He couldn't help but sneered:
"Wang and Yang each have their own agendas. During the war, their only thought was to preserve their own strength as much as possible, thereby causing both the opponent and me to lose. How can such a coalition succeed?"
Because the Qiuchi people retreated, which triggered a chain reaction, the newly recruited soldiers in Wang Zhuo's army were also defeated one after another, with a great trend of falling thousands of miles.
Even though Wang Tuo shouted at the top of his lungs in an attempt to stabilize his position, it was of no avail.
Deng Xia and Deng Qiang were previously ordered to search the battlefield for the location of the enemy's commander's flag and destroy its command center.
But now the enemy army was in chaos. Deng Xia broke into the formation and no one could stop him. He went straight to kill Wang Zhuo. Wang Zhuo was frightened and abandoned his army and ran away.
Deng Qiang was a step late. He assessed the situation and decided not to compete with Deng Xia for credit.
At the same time, he chose to let the defeated troops under Wang Zhuo go and hand them over to the Jin infantry who came from behind to cover them up.
Deng Qiang shouted loudly and led his troops to pursue Qiu Chi's army who wanted to withdraw from the battlefield.
It is no secret that Huan Xi intends to take all of Longyou. He finally managed to lure the Qiuchi people to leave the Longnan Mountains, but he could not put them back no matter what.
Behind the battlefield, Huan Xi couldn't help but praise when he saw Deng Qiang changing direction and chasing Qiu Chi's army:
"Po Hu adapts to the situation and is not greedy for merit. He is so handsome and talented!"
Deng Qiang led his cavalry to penetrate Qiu Chi's flank and attacked several times. Qiu Chi's retreat turned into a rout.
Seeing that the enemy had been defeated and the victory was determined, Huan Xi felt relieved and stopped waiting and went back to the commander's tent to change his clothes.
Previously, he used a large infantry formation to fight with the opponent and entangle the enemy. The situation was quite dangerous, but he was so surprised that he broke into a cold sweat, and the clothes under his armor were already soaked through.
After changing into clean clothes, Huan Xi no longer wore armor. He sat in the handsome tent, warming wine and drinking alone, unable to calm down for a long time.
After this battle, the first obstacle to his victory over Longyou was cleared. The next step was to see whether he could repel the enemies of Liangzhou.
Huan Xi still didn't know yet whether Wang Meng's alienation plan would work, and whether the commander of the former Liang reinforcements was Xie Ai or someone else.
There is a world of difference between the two.
As the saying goes, if one general is incompetent, the three armies will be exhausted, and this is the case for Shi Bao.
Similarly, an excellent commander can also maximize the potential of his soldiers.
Huan Xi is not afraid of Xie Ai, but it is true that he is afraid.
While he was thinking about the battle with Qianliang in the tent, he was drunk.
Huan Xi usually doesn't drink. He wrote to Huan Wen and told him that he wanted to quit drinking. But after winning a battle and feeling so happy, he couldn't hold it back and wanted to have a few drinks to celebrate.
The fighting outside had ended, and all the ministries were searching for the defeated soldiers. Deng Xia took the lead in escorting Wang Zhuo to the commander's tent.
"Lord! The general has fulfilled his mission and brought the king to the lord's tent. Please forgive me!"
In order to pursue Wang Zhuo, Deng Xia even abandoned his horse and used a bow and arrow. An arrow shot his mount, causing Wang Zhuo to fall off his horse and be captured alive by the Jin army.
Although Huan Xi drank a few drinks, his mind was still clear. He picked up the wine bottle, handed it to Deng Xia, and said with a smile:
"Ying Yuan was able to capture the enemy's general alive among thousands of troops. He should be the first to achieve this feat!"
Deng Xia was so happy that he quickly took the wine bottle, drank it down, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Happy! So happy!"
Deng Xia couldn't help shouting.
Huan Xi then looked at the disgraced Wang Zhuo, who was kneeling in the tent, completely losing his previous high spirits.
"The last general is willing to surrender, and I also ask Duke Huan to spare his life. The last general is willing to be driven by Duke Huan, so that he can do the work of dogs and horses."
Wang Zhuo repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy, but he was not as tough as Huan Xi had imagined.
Huan Xi said with a cold face:
"If my prediction is correct, Zhang Chonghua has secretly sent an envoy to Jiankang to ask for a title for you.
"Huan wanted to spare your life, but he was worried that the imperial court would entrust you with a heavy responsibility and grant you the position of Qinzhou Shepherd.
"In the next life, don't be too ambitious, and be brighter when choosing your master."
After hearing this, Wang Zhuo knew that he would definitely die, so his attitude changed drastically, and he cursed at Huan Xi. Deng Xia was so angry that he slapped him to the ground and randomly found a rag to stop his mouth.
Huan Xi was not angry. In his eyes, Wang Zhuo was already a dead man. He said in a deep voice:
"Drag him out, behead him, and let the sentry cavalry take the head to Lueyang City, and then send him to Tianshui."
Deng Xia took the order and dragged Wang Zhuo out regardless of his struggle. A moment later, there was a scraping sound outside the tent, and the headless body fell to the ground. The sentry rider was ordered to hold the head and ride out of the camp.
When Yang Chu was escorted by Deng Qiang, he caught a glimpse of the head that was quietly held in the arms of the sentry knight, but it looked ferocious.
Seeing Wang Zhuo's fate, Yang Chu was so frightened that his legs went weak and he could no longer walk. Deng Qiang ordered people to help him go to meet Huan Xi.
As soon as he entered the account, Yang Chu burst into tears and regretted:
"Yang mistakenly listened to Wang Zhuo's instigation and actually became an enemy of Duke Huan. I also asked Duke Huan to forgive Yang for his sins for the sake of being a fellow Jin minister!"
In the third year of Yonghe (AD 347), three years ago, Yang Chu proclaimed himself a vassal to the Eastern Jin Dynasty and was canonized as Envoy Chijie, General Zhengnan, and Duke Qiuchi.
Therefore, there is a saying that they are both ministers of the Jin Dynasty.
Huan Xi's attitude towards Yang Chu was completely different from that towards Wang Zhuo. Huan Xi personally untied Yang Chu, helped him up, and said with a smile:
"I have reserved a mansion for Duke Qiu Chi in Chang'an, so that Duke Qiu Chi can become a rich man and live his life in Chang'an.
"It's just a merciless request. I hope Mr. Qiu Chi can agree."
Yang Chu was overjoyed to see that he seemed to be alive. He did not care that Huan Xi wanted to send him to Chang'an for house arrest. He was afraid that Huan Xi would regret it, so he quickly said:
"Even if Duke Huan gives his orders, Yang dares not to obey them."
Huan Xi then revealed his purpose:
"Qiu Chigong attacked and killed his brother Yang Yi in his early years and appointed himself the master of Qiu Chi.
"Now that the army has been defeated in Lueyang, Huan is afraid that Qiu Chi will be in chaos, and someone will imitate your deeds, usurp power and succeed to the throne, and massacre Qiu Chi Gong's family.
"How about I send an army to escort Duke Qiu Chi back to his country and take his family to live in Chang'an? What do you think?"
Yang Chu knew that the so-called escorting him to Qiuchi Mountain to pick up his family was just a pretense.
Huan Xi's real intention was to take the opportunity to occupy Qiu Chi.
But now that I am a knife-sitter and I am a fish, Yang Chu cannot refuse.
Yang Chu was also worried about what Huan Xi said: there would be unrest in the country, and someone would take the opportunity to rise to power, kill his children and take away his wife and daughter.
Among them, the one that worried Yang Chu the most was his second brother Yang Jun.
"It's a lucky thing that I received Duke Huan's favor of not killing me. Yang is extremely grateful. Now that Duke Huan has extended his favor to Yang's family and allowed them to have a place to live, how dare Yang refuse."
Huan Xi nodded when he heard this. He turned to Deng Qiang and said:
"In this battle, Po Hu has never been greedy for merit. I have seen it in my eyes, and I will give you another job today.
"I will give you three thousand soldiers, and you will escort Qiu Chigong back to the country without any mistakes."
Deng Qiang cupped his hands and said:
"The last general takes orders."
When Deng Qiang went out to summon three thousand soldiers to escort Yang Chu to Qiuchi, the sentry cavalry also brought Wang Zhuo's head to Lueyang City.
On that day, the local powerful people represented by the Lueyang Quan family opened the city gates and went to the Jin army camp to pay homage to Huan Xi.
Quan Yi, an important counselor under Huan Xi, was from the Lueyang Quan family. Therefore, Wang Zhuo was very wary of them, and these people could not find a chance to contact Huan Xi.
Now that Wang Zhuo is dead, Huan Xi is no longer needed to attack the city.
Huan Xi's attitude was as friendly as ever, but he had never led an army to enter Lueyang City. Now that Wang Zhuo's main force had collapsed, it was time to head west and seize the city before Qianliang had gone east.
After comforting the strong men in Lueyang with good words, Huan Xi left Du Zhou to guard Lueyang, waiting for Wang Meng to send officials from Yong County to take over the city.
Huan Xi gathered the prisoners again and read out to them his land equalization policy. Everyone in the audience was stunned.
In the feudal era of small farmers, people lived off the land, so there is no need to doubt the desire of these surrendered soldiers for the fields.
Huan Xi immediately released the prisoners, distributed some food, and allowed them to return to their hometowns, waiting for the Jin army to divide the fields for them.
When all the soldiers heard this, they were all grateful for it.
