"We will discuss matters of life and death later. Since you are unwilling to surrender, I will not force you." Zhou Che waved his hand: "Let us explain clearly the matter of Xu Ponu and Huangfu Chaoyi."
Xu Zhukou thought for a moment and then relaxed.
Even if he didn't say anything about this matter, it wouldn't take much effort for Zhou Che to find out.
After listening, Zhou Che fell into a brief silence.
It stands to reason that after taking the county seat, Li's Wubao will be his next target.
Because as long as the Li family is removed, the entire Hedong Empress will lose the power to confront themselves head-on.
In this way, all the counties and villages controlled by Li Guo will be defeated by the wind.
Guo Zhenyue's frontline army will also be in chaos due to the loss of its rear.
But now that Xu Ponu is here, with this mobile force, what if Li Shi comes to touch his butt while I'm beating him?
"Eat him first!"
After Zhou Che made up his mind, he discovered that Qian Hongxue was missing.
"Miss Hongxue went to meet an acquaintance." Zuo informed.
"acquaintance?"
Does Qian Hongxue have any acquaintances in Hedong?
"lead the way."
"yes."
After a while, Zhou Che came outside a room.
"Ah...oh..."
"...Ah!"
A man's wailing sound came from the door.
On the beam, a figure was tied up, covered in blood.
The crimson whip flashed in the hall, swiping across his body again and again.
Qian Hongxue stopped when she heard someone coming in.
Snapped!
The long whip dragged on the ground, leaving a long scarlet mark.
"Owner."
Qian Hongxue came up to him with a happy look on his face: "Guo Denggao!"
"oh!"
Zhou Che suddenly understood.
He walked up to Guo Denggao with his hands behind his back and asked with a smile: "Master Guo, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon."
Although the other party was wearing a mask, Guo Denggao was able to identify Zhou Che's voice immediately.
"Uh-huh——"
He tried desperately to shout, but was unable to make a complete sound due to his broken tongue. His eyes were fixed on Zhou Che, full of fear and... regret!
"Master, can you kill him directly?" Qian Hongxue walked over with her waist twisted.
Zhou Che was about to nod when he suddenly thought of Xu Ponu and said with a smile, "Don't worry, this waste can still be of some use."
Qian Hongxue was stunned for a moment, but still nodded: "Okay, I will arrange for someone to give him some medicine to prevent him from bleeding to death."
——Li's Wubao——
The defeated army brought the news back.
"Guo Denlin was beheaded!?"
Li Wangsong's face trembled in shock.
My father is dead, my brother is also dead, and they all died in Zhou Jiao's hands.
Originally, he was grateful to Zhou Jiao for not being able to make it in time, thanking him for allowing him to easily master the Li family...
But who would have thought that he would even kill Guo Denlin! ?
Li Wangbai's death was strange, but he had always been very promiscuous, so it would not be difficult to assassinate him.
Although Li Qing was somewhat prepared, he only had a few hundred people around him. He lost because he didn't expect the other party to be so bold... but Guo Denglin openly led his army to suppress it!
He looked at Li Cuiluo, with strong uneasiness in his eyes.
"Has he underestimated his enemy?" The beauty lightly opened her red lips.
"It's not like underestimating the enemy." The man shook his head, briefly described the battle, and finally said: "We are the supporting troops. We didn't get too close, but we vaguely got the news that Mr. Guo lost in the elite confrontation. of."
Li Wangsong's heart twitched: "Does that mean we've never had any head-to-head confrontations?!"
"waste!"
Li Cuiluo's pretty face turned cold.
After the mountains suddenly rose up, she breathed out again: "Brother, this thief first killed his father and Wang Bai, and now he has killed Guo Denlin."
"It seems so bold that he came to swallow the entire Hedong."
"Li's, that's where his next target will be!"
Li Wangsong felt a chill on his neck and nodded repeatedly: "I know, I know..."
The person the other party wants to kill next must be himself, the successor of the Li family!
"Then, in your opinion, should we bring everyone into Wubao and defend them, or move them to the county town for defense?"
"The situation in the county is complicated and people's hearts are divided. You must not leave."
Just as Li Cuiluo shook her head, someone rushed to the door: "The county has been lost!"
thump--
Li Wangsong sat down, his face turned pale.
"Brother, what are you doing!?"
Li Cuiluo immediately scolded her, her beautiful eyes glaring: "No matter how much noise Zhou Jiao makes, he is just taking advantage of the situation, but he will never be able to change his bastard Guizhou head nature!"
"Brother, as the direct eldest son of the Li family, are you still afraid of him?"
"Quickly gather the clan's core members into the Wubao and defend them... Also, all clan members with the surname Li will be expelled!"
After being scolded a lot, Li Wangsong wiped his sweat and nodded: "Understood, I understand! Those slaves are just picking things up, and they are most likely to rebel at this time. My fortress is strong and the warehouse is rich. As long as the people's hearts are stable, the thieves will never be able to break it." "
Seeing that Li Wangsong cheered up, the beautiful young woman's cold expression softened slightly: "Didn't you say that you found Xu Ponu leading the army to the east? Send someone to ask him for help, and then urge Zhang Boyu."
"Even if these two families fail, relying on the strength of Wubao, they can still defend until Duke Guo returns."
Li Wangsong nodded repeatedly: "What you said is absolutely true, I will do it right now!"
——West of the county city, fifty miles away, Cangshan Forest——
Huangfu Chaoyi wanted to take a detour to avoid the county town, but because of the unfamiliar terrain, he ran into this place, and the cavalry suddenly slowed down.
Xu Ponu seized the opportunity, divided his troops into two parts, advanced rapidly, and completed the outflank.
Within two hours, Huangfu Chaoyi launched three breakouts.
The whole army had a strong will to survive, and even though they were exhausted, they still showed great fighting power.
In a short period of time, the imperial army suffered over a thousand casualties, while Xu Ponu's troop strength was reduced by nearly three times.
The hilly terrain, which is not too steep, is already surrounded by a layer of blood.
"Can you still stand up?"
Huangfu Chaoyi patted someone on the shoulder.
He raised his head and glanced at Huangfu Chaoyi. He gritted his teeth and tried to get up, but failed in the end and shook his head in frustration.
Huangfu Chaoyi sighed in his heart.
This person didn't seem to have much external injuries, but due to fleeing all the way and lack of water and food, his condition was extremely bad.
In fact, the entire army, including himself, was reduced to exhaustion.
In addition to the casualties, less than half of the remaining two thousand people can still fight...
"General!"
Someone walked over quickly: "The thieves are shouting outside!"
Huangfu Chaoyi was silent for a moment, picked up a large iron-clad spear, and walked out.
"The Huangfu family is worthy of being a general for generations. It is indeed remarkable, and all the soldiers are worthy of the name of elite."
"You have rushed all the way and fought fiercely until this point. You are already exhausted. You have learned a lesson from your loyalty."
"Now that Tang Jiye and your army in the west have surrendered, why do you insist?"
The sound of shouting came in, causing a slight commotion in the army.
They had received some news along the way: Zhou Han was defeated, leaving the army behind and fleeing back, and their main force was reduced to a lone army.
Now, has the main force surrendered?
"quiet!"
Huangfu Chaoyi gave a soft drink, stood under the large shields raised on several sides, and echoed: "Don't worry about it. If you are not afraid of death, just come here. I will accompany you to the end! As for the saliva, save it!"
Xu Ponu twisted his thick eyebrows.
The enemy's tenacity and the court's elite fighting skills were far beyond his imagination.
If it weren't for the huge difference in status between the two sides, his ten thousand people might not be able to win the opponent's three thousand.
Even if we have a huge advantage, if we really continue to fight to the death, our subordinates are afraid that the casualties will be even greater...
He suppressed his temper and said: "You are Huangfu Chaoyi, right? You may not believe the situation in the west, but when Zhou Han asked you to attack Beiyang that day, didn't you understand his intention?"
"You are loyal to the Zhou royal family, but to them, you are just a dispensable victim!"
"Three thousand fine cavalry! I gave them away as I was told, tsk tsk... He is truly worthy of being a prince. I can't match this feat."
boom!
Everyone's emotions, which Huangfu Chaoyi had managed to suppress before, suddenly exploded.
"He's right... We can die in battle, but we shouldn't be thrown in by others and lose our lives in vain!"
"Yes, our labor yesterday and our death tomorrow are all thanks to him!"
"My family has been serving as officials for generations and is loyal to the royal family. Is this how the royal family treats me?!"
"The ancients said, 'If a father is unkind, his son will flee to another country; if his ruler is unrighteous, his ministers will defect to another country.' So why should we lose our lives in vain?"
"Shut up!" Huangfu Chaoyi shouted sharply: "Think about your family!"
He knew that it was useless to say anything at this time, and the only way to go was to exploit the weakness...
"Family? Haha!" Someone sneered and said, "If it weren't for my family, I would have surrendered long ago! I would have died if I had you on either side. General, if you chop me down with a knife, I would be dead. Isn't it not death if I let Xu Ponu kill me?"
Huangfu Chaoyi was furious and drew his sword: "Then I will chop you down now!"
Keng——
Behind that man, a large number of sergeants came out with swords and guns.
