Accompanied by the sound of the horn, the Xia army's warship quickly broke through the beacon tower and arrived at the outskirts of Jinan City in a moment.
Zhang Hao and Wen Yang, who were in charge of attacking the city, each led their troops and landed as quickly as possible when the warship docked. Perhaps due to insufficient troops, Cao's army on the top of the city did not come out to intercept.
Just watching the enemy troops rush all the way to the city.
Wen Yang glanced casually at the top of the city. The guards on the top of the city were pale and trembling. Their morale was at a low point. If it weren't for a figure sitting on the top of the city, these 30,000 Cao soldiers would not have the courage to defend the city.
"Cao Rui..."
Wen Yang's eyes were immediately attracted to the figure on the top of the city. The figure was young and handsome, and he could maintain a certain level of composure even in the face of strong enemy pressure.
Moreover, the qi energy on his body and the city formation are closely integrated, almost becoming one body.
The Qi of almost the ninth-level human realm, coupled with the city formation, can withstand the bombardment of the generals of the earth realm. For Wen Yang, he needs to be more serious in order to defeat him.
"General Wenyang, His Majesty has ordered a quick victory, let's take action together!"
Zhang Hao shouted loudly.
"Okay, let's take action together!"
Wen Yang did not refuse, and the two of them approached the city wall with their soldiers and horses. Without waiting for the routine bows and arrows from both the enemy and ourselves, they directly aroused the energy of the military formation to join them, jumped into the air, and withstood the suppression of the Jinan City formation, heading towards Cao Rui bombarded.
boom! boom!
The city defense formation can increase the strength of the generals and soldiers guarding the city wall, and can also suppress and weaken the enemy generals, giving the weak a chance to resist the strong, but the formation is not omnipotent.
After encountering an attack that exceeded its limit, the formation was helpless.
I saw Wen Yang and Zhang Hao standing in mid-air, each waving their long spears in their hands. It seemed like a simple thrust, but it contained a powerful and sharp edge.
Two sharp rays of light were like shooting stars, slamming towards the city.
Click! Cracks appeared in the barrier formed by the city defense formation. Cao Rui seemed to be a little stunned. He only focused on mobilizing the formation and had no intention of fighting back when facing Wen Yang and Zhang Hao's attack.
Wen Yang and Zhang Hao saw this and took action again.
Accompanied by the sound of the barrier shattering, the city defense formation finally shattered after resisting the bombardment of two top warriors. Zhang Hao had already fixed his eyes on Cao Rui.
The moment the formation was broken, he rushed in front of Cao Rui against the rain of arrows subconsciously released by Cao's soldiers at the top of the city.
Swish
Zhang Hao waved his long spear, but Cao Rui's hands and feet seemed to be sluggish, and he was knocked to the ground by his move.
"Something's wrong..."
Zhang Hao's face changed slightly and he strode forward. Even if Cao Rui was a little weaker, he was not so weak. When he walked to Cao Rui, who was lying on the ground, he immediately noticed something unusual.
A powerful energy was flowing out of him, and as the energy passed, the other person's face was constantly changing... as if he had changed his appearance.
"The golden cicada sheds its shell and takes the fake as the real thing?"
Wen Yang slowed down a little and followed Zhang Hao closely. He also saw this scene, his eyes flashed, and he blurted out subconsciously.
In his memory, before his death, the Prime Minister Zhuge Liang of the Shu Han Dynasty left a force of energy to rest on the wooden man. When he retreated, he used the fake wooden man to scare Sima Yi so much that he did not dare to pursue him, thinking that he had been hit again. Zhuge Liang fled in a hurry.
Now Cao Rui left a substitute, disguised as himself with his own soul energy.
If the Xia army's offensive was not that strong, Cao Rui would appear from a hiding place to take over the defense. If he was unable to stop him, he would take advantage of the stand-in to attract the enemy's attention and escape quickly.
This is essentially the same as Zhuge Liang's strategy of using a wooden man to confuse Sima Yi.
"Isn't he Cao Rui? The son of a thief is deceitful and destructive!"
Zhang Hao gritted his teeth, his anger rising, and he was about to grab the substitute for questioning. Unexpectedly, when Cao Rui's soul energy disappeared, the substitute seemed to have lost its roots. His face was dull, his eyes were dull, and his soul was gone.
When the two of them saw this, they suddenly had a clear understanding.
Cao Rui's golden cicada escapes from the shell, and the method of inhabiting the soul will cause irreversible damage to the substitute, and it will cost a life to use it. Zhuge Liang can be replaced by a wooden man, but Cao Rui must use a real person.
"Cao Rui must still be nearby now. We will immediately send troops into the city to search for him."
Wen Yang said in a deep voice.
The two of them talked casually on the city wall, but Cao's army on the top of the city was shrinking and did not dare to attack. Their military morale was not very good to begin with. After seeing "Cao Rui" being knocked to the ground, they became even more angry. It's a lack of fighting spirit.
Afterwards, without any disturbance, the soldiers and horses led by Wen Yang and Zhang Hao quickly took over the city and searched for Cao Rui in the city, looking for clues.
A warship in the distance.
Wang Jing saw the two men capture the city with his own eyes, and he couldn't help but smile. However, the military report that came later made his smile fade a little.
"Cao Rui used the golden cicada to escape from his shell and disappeared?"
Wang Jing frowned slightly.
Cao Rui and Cao Pi are the leaders of Cao Wei in Qingqi. If Cao Rui can be captured, with Cao Rui's cooperation, the Xia army will have the opportunity to surrender the cities along the way without a fight.
Without Cao Rui, Xia Jun would have a lot of troubles along the way.
However, if you don't catch it, you won't catch it. With the current strength of Cao Wei's rear, it is impossible to compete with the Xia army's front. Cao Pi immediately recruited soldiers by force after learning about the Xia army's raid, which was of no avail.
The soldiers who were recruited temporarily were like a mob in front of the elite.
After Jinan City was taken, Wang Jing had no intention of going in to take a look. He landed directly with his troops and horses, and asked Zhang Hao to search for some horses inside and outside the city. Together with the horses obtained from Cao's army camp in Dingtao, he started to take the land route. Head to Qingzhou.
After taking the water route to Jinan, if you want to attack Qingzhou, you need to attack by land. Qingzhou is located in the middle of the Qingqi land. Although it is connected by waterways, the waterways are winding and winding, which is not conducive to large-scale warship navigation...
"Your Majesty, Jinan is now our army's retreat. We must leave a general to guard it and guard against warships and prisoners in the city..."
After landing, Yang Kan looked at the warships on the river bank and reminded him with some worry.
Thousands of the Xia army's warships are staying in Jinan. These warships are related to whether the Xia army can return by water normally. If something happens to the warships, Wang Jing will have to lead his army to travel thousands of miles across mountains and rivers to return to Daxia. .
"Well, let Yang Dayan stay!"
"Call Wen Yang and Zhang Hao, give them two more hours. If they can't find Cao Rui, forget it. If we capture Qingzhou, it doesn't matter if only Cao Rui is left!"
Wang Jing said casually.
Yang Kan was silent for a moment, wondering if he should say a good word for Yang Dayan. It seemed that after Yang Dayan joined, he was reused for a period of time, but because of his personality, he was not liked by the emperor. Later, there were more and more famous generals in Daxia, and Yang Dayan became even less important. First he entered the Demon Suppression Department, and then he was sent to a local place to suppress bandits...
Even if a large army is recruited to participate in the war, the military orders they receive are not the kind that can make great achievements.
He carefully observed Wang Jing's expression. It seemed that His Majesty didn't pay much attention to Yang Dayan, and asked him to stay and guard the retreat. It was just a subconscious order.
Thinking of this, Yang Kan felt even more sad for Yang Dayan. It would be okay if His Majesty was angry, but the key point is that His Majesty had not cared about him for a long time, and letting him stay behind was a subconscious act...
It has become the emperor's subconscious mind not to put it to great use.
Even if Yang Kan wants to say a nice word for Yang Dayan, he doesn't know what to say... Guarding the retreat and guarding Jinan is also an important task, but the chance of meritorious service is very small, and it cannot be said that the emperor deliberately suppressed it. Bar?
Two hours later.
Wang Jing commanded the army and marched eastward.
Wen Yang and Zhang Hao spent two hours but found no trace of Cao Rui, so they could only leave with the army reluctantly, leaving the task of finding Cao Rui to Yang Dayan.
"General Yang, Jinan is very important. It is also a great achievement to protect the army's retreat... And about Cao Rui, Brother Yang will continue to send people to search. If he can be captured, I will personally
Please give me credit in front of His Majesty! "
When about to leave.
Yang Kan noticed Yang Dayan's expression, so he stayed behind the army and said a few words to Yang Dayan.
Yang Dayan's original arrogance has long been worn away over the years. After receiving the military order to stay behind, he looked a little disappointed. He had previously thought about joining the army to attack Qingzhou and meritorious service.
I never thought that I would not even have a chance to go to Qingzhou.
"Thank you, General!"
Yang Dayan sensed Yang Kan's kindness and held his hand in gratitude. Within the Great Xia Dynasty, he, who was born in the Northern Wei Dynasty, had few close friends except Yuan Ying. He was not rejected by other generals, but he was also unable to get along with others and come together to become members of the same faction.
Now that he felt Yang Kan's kindness, he couldn't help but feel a little warm in his heart.
Yang Kan patted his shoulder and turned to follow the army.
Wait until the army disappears.
Yang Dayan cheered up and turned back to the city. At this time, there were still 15,000 soldiers and horses in Jinan City, and 3,000 white-ear elite soldiers were guarding the warships in the water village outside the city.
Other soldiers and horses entered the city to guard the surrounding areas.
"Come here, bring all the officials from Cao Wei in Jinan to the government office, and interrogate them one by one. If anyone reveals clues about Cao Rui, he will be punished and have meritorious service, and will be given the opportunity to continue serving as an official in our Daxia!"
Yang's big eyes flashed with cold light, and he called his personal guards to give the order.
The guards immediately went to deliver the order.
After His Majesty led his army to leave, Jinan was dominated by him. The life and death of Cao Cao's officers and officials, prisoners, and the people in the city depended on his thoughts.
If Yang Dayan still had the same mentality as when he first arrived, and had not worn away most of the cruelty and violence from the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it is estimated that the officials and people in Jinan City would definitely suffer.
After Yang Dayan gave the order, he went to the government office to wait.
While arranging Jinan's defense, they also sent out a large number of scouts and set up spies within a hundred miles around, just in case.
About half a day later.
The personal guards came back to report, wrote down some clues given by the Cao Wei officials' hard thinking, and sent them to Yang Dayan.
"Read it to me!"
Yang Dayan was already impatient to wait. He was illiterate before and often sat and listened to others read documents to him. He would also dictate when replying to letters or presenting memorials, and let others write for him.
During these years in Daxia, he forced himself to read and write, and he was no longer illiterate, but his calligraphy and writing did not improve much. The original habits have not changed.
The personal guards were already familiar with his style and immediately began to recite.
Read for a moment.
Yang Dayan also knew what Cao Rui had done in the city before the army came to Jinan. Just when he was inferring where Cao Rui might be hiding based on clues.
He suddenly heard a clue and immediately raised his head.
"What did you say?"
The guard was frightened and trembled suddenly, and quickly replied: "Back to the general, the Jinan soldier Cao Li said that before our army arrived, Cao Rui had mobilized hundreds of elites, and also took away many weapons from the arsenal and granary, escorting Madam Zhen is leaving the city..."
Yang Dayan's eyes flashed.
"Mrs. Zhen? Could it be that Queen Wen Zhao?"
The guard replied: "Yes, he is talking about Mrs. Zhen, who was posthumously named Empress Wen Zhao. During this period, Mrs. Zhen has been following Cao Rui in Jinan and disappeared not long ago."
"So, Cao Rui sent someone to send Queen Zhen away... Now Cao Rui is nowhere to be seen. It is very likely that he has left the city and is hiding with Mrs. Zhen."
Yang Dayan made a judgment.
He pondered for a moment, suddenly raised his head, and ordered in a deep voice: "Hundreds of elite soldiers can leave the city without leaving any trace. Send the order and dispatch a battalion of three thousand soldiers and horses to search for the other party's traces along the four directions. If any people can provide information, we will reward you." Daughter of gold!"
Thousands of gold! It is a thousand gold crystal coins from the Daxia Dynasty.
This is a great reward.
The guard did not hesitate and immediately went out to deliver the order.
boom! The city gate opened, and three thousand soldiers and horses rushed out of the city, dividing into four directions to search for clues. In an inconspicuous two-story attic near the city gate, a figure looked carefully towards the city gate. He was Cao Rui who hid all his aura and hid after the city was broken.
"Why did the Xia army suddenly send troops out of the city?"
Cao Rui frowned and pondered, feeling a little uneasy deep in his heart. But now he can only hide carefully, not daring to show anything. Even if he is a little anxious deep inside, he can't do anything.
The sky gradually became gloomy, and the pale red sunset covered the sun.
"Report..."
"The guerrilla general of Fuhuying found the clue that Cao Jun was leaving the city and sent a fast horse to report it!" A strong Xia army soldier returned to report the news.
Yang Dayan had been sitting in the government office waiting for news. Hearing this, he stood up suddenly and asked, "In which direction did those hundreds of Cao's troops go?"
"north!"
The soldier replied immediately.
There must be a brave man under the heavy reward, and the three crystal coins of the Daxia Dynasty have been spread to the Central Plains. Even the people under Cao Wei's rule know that the gold crystal coins of Daxia are comparable to gold.
One gold crystal coin can support a family of three for more than half a year. One thousand gold crystal coins can make most people's hearts flutter.
The person who provided the clue was a local powerful man under Cao Wei.
Only in this way can a powerful place have enough people to act as eyes and ears to inquire about the situation around their home.
"Deploy a thousand elite soldiers immediately, and I will pursue them personally!"
"After I leave the city, General Zhou Fang will be in charge of the army..."
Yang Dayan couldn't wait. After giving the order, he immediately put on the armor and stomach, waited for the elite soldiers to gather, and immediately led the troops out of the city.
A thousand soldiers and horses came out of the city.
Once again attracting the attention of Cao Rui who was hiding nearby...
