Chapter 153 – Dying Further South, Dying Further North

At a post station three miles away from Changgeng City in Youzhou, a young man wearing a thick fur to protect himself from the wind and cold stood by the side of the road, with a child standing beside him, who was dipping into his mouth and flipping through a yellowed book. On both sides of the Northern Liang Road, there were many acacia willows, but this road was a little different, with only wutongs, which “know the leap and know the fall”. It is said that there is a great deal of discipline here, when the great general Xu Snapu sealed the king as a vassal, Changgeng City’s rich and powerful in order to curry favor with the so-called murderous butcher, specifically replaced nearly a thousand green wutong trees, just because His Highness the son of a phoenix in the name of the word “phoenix not wutong do not perch” well. Unfortunately, the army detoured to continue westward, Xu Snapdragon simply did not enter the city, so that those who cut the meat of the gentry a good meal is embarrassing, but with the hereditary replacement of His Royal Highness the King of Northern Liang, the new King of Liang’s beloved Huangfu Ping and promoted to the General of the State of Youzhou, became the master of the city of Changgeng, so that those who old people on the joy of every now and then with the younger generation to brag about how how they were prescient, last year, the General of Huaihua Zhong Hongwu sat in the town of the Lingshou officialdom Last year, the officialdom of Lingzhou under the control of General Zhong Hongwu of Huaihua turned upside down, but Youzhou was able to stay calm, these old men were even more proud of themselves, and Huangfu Ping did take good care of this old man’s family, and now Changgeng City has an interesting saying of “It’s not too late to flatter a horse for twenty years”.

The distant post road raised a burst of dust, the sound of hoofbeats is getting closer and closer, the young man put away his thoughts, when the first rider wearing a rare purple robe in the northern Liang territory of the official uniforms, to know the capital purple is not as good as the scarlet, that is, purple robes of the capital official’s authority is not as good as the scarlet robes but the local officials can shepherd a place. When that feudal official rolled over and dismounted and was about to kneel, the young man smiled and waved his hand and said, “In a hurry to catch the road, it is exempted. Get on the horse and talk.”

The visitor was none other than Youzhou General Huangfu Ping, and of course, the only one who could make him kneel was Northern Liang King Xu Fengnian. The two of them sat inside the carriage, Xu Fengyen’s eldest disciple Yu Di Long carefully put away the booklet and acted as the carriage driver. Sword master Mi Fengjie, who carried a long box on his back, and dead warrior Fan Xiaochai, who wore a cool sword on his waist, were the two experts escorting the carriage to the left and right respectively. Xu Fengyen and Huangfu Ping sat opposite each other, only one casually crossed his legs, the other kneeling meticulously. Huangfu Ping apologized and said, “I’ve kept Your Majesty waiting.”

Xu Fengyen did not say anything, Huangfu Ping also clear that that set of official socializing will only make the person in front of him resentful, immediately said: “According to the latest spy report, infiltrated into the territory of Youzhou’s spiderweb pole, catching flies and catching butterflies have been decapitated, in addition to the six jianghu masters of the North Mang do not know the whereabouts of the people, but also dealt with cleanly, which reversed two people, one of them is used to fish out of the six fish that escaped from the net, which one is used as a covert repatriation of the North Mang. one was used as a covert chess to repatriate North Mang.”

Xu Fengyen nodded, he will not be involved in specific matters, Chu Lushan painstakingly managed to whisk the water room even more will not go to dictate, so changed the topic and asked: “Xu Yanbing side how is it?”

Huangfu Ping replied: “still on the way to kill, then intercepted Yan Wenluan ten people, in addition to the iron rider child thirst child killed on the spot, the remaining eight people fled to the north together, six days ago, the peak of the military mountain master good offices also Rashi was the first of the rest of the masters as an outcast, for the Xu Yan Bing killed in Fengqiguan, four days ago, the North Mang demon Ah Hema died in the border of Youzhou thirty miles north, but also successfully dragged Xu Yan Bing, the good thing is that three days ago, the Guanyin Sect practiced the use of the water, but also the Xu Yan Bing, the Xu Yan Bing, the Xu Yan Bing. Well, three days ago, the Guanyin Sect Qi Practitioner found traces, only to realize that those six people actually folded back to the northwest of Youzhou’s Shooting Stream County, almost giving them an escape, and two days ago, there were two major Northern Mang masters who died under Xu Yan Bing’s guns.”

Xu Fengyin laughed softly, “Then there is only the princess grave small thoughts, big music house, that I heard is the spider web Li Mi Bi’s old lover, and following the sword qi near Huang Qing the most hopeful to become a sword fairy of iron wood Die Er, ten top masters joined together, and before the organs to calculate, and in the end ended up with such a bleak end, I’m afraid that the old crone and Li Mi Bi can not imagine it. By the way, rumor has it that Timber Diehl is very young, North Mang Jianghu has always said that he is the grasslands of Deng Tai’a, and in the escape on the way to the realm of skyrocketing, not only quickly promoted finger Xuan, Fengqiguan the last sword there are a few points of the sword fairy style, is not true?”

Huangfu Ping nodded his head and said, “Timu Dier is different from other Northern Mang experts whose realms are stagnant, his martial arts cultivation is growing by leaps and bounds, and almost every time he experiences a deadly battle, he gains something. The spies recorded that this person is at most twenty eighty-nine years old, of medium stature, but with long moss under the armpits, resembling dragon scales, rumored to be in the body of a true dragon’s qi phase.”

Speaking here, Huangfu Ping sneered: “Timu Dier’s ancestor is indeed a grassland lord, the last bit of energy of Dafeng Dynasty was tossed away by his ancestor, as for the saying of having dragon scales in armpit, I think it is the nonsense of the good people.”

Xu Feng Nian shook his head, “It’s not that simple, since Huang Qing’s qi after his death didn’t go to Yichuan Liu, it went to Tiemu Dier, maybe the Copper Man Master Ancestor’s share also went to him.”

Although Huangfu Ping was from a jianghu background, he happened to hate jianghu the most, one could even say that he hated it to the bone.

Xu Fengnian suddenly laughed, “The result is still death, who let him meet a half-step Martial Saint. I can see that Uncle Xu’s realm is also steadily climbing, this small half-step of his, compared to others who have broken through several realms in a row that can be terrifying.”

Xu Fengnian narrowed his eyes, leaned against the wall of the car, and slowly said, “The old Jianghu will soon become extinct under the iron hooves of war horses. I don’t know how the Jianghu in the future will be a scene. Until then, whether it’s the Northern Liang Fish Dragon Gang or the Hui Mountain Great Snow Ping, it’s all a flash in the pan.”

Daode Sect, Chess and Sword Music House, Tibing Mountain, Princess Tomb.

Wudang Mountain, Xu Yanbing, Sui Slanting Valley, Mi Fengjie, Wu Family Hundred Riders and Hundred Swords.

Plus the South Sea Guanyin Sect and the Western Region Rotten Mountain who could no longer pull themselves away.

How many more experts will die in Northern Liang next?

Huangfu Ping said hatefully, “North Mang but casually mobilized more than 20,000 cavalry, that Jibei plugged all eighty fortresses outside the internal relocation, this group of emboldened wine bags, capable simply Hengshui, Silver Harrier two cities also give out!”

Xu Fengyen calmly said, “Liu Yan Lang, the guard of Silver Harrier City, is a well-known wallflower, and when the wind blows in the capital, he can move even faster than the officials in the capital. With Yuan Tingshan at the border of Jibei to deliberately give North Mang a break, it’s already a done deal, so let’s not get our hopes up.”

Huangfu ping face gloomy said: “if Liu Yan Lang really lose silver harrier words, then Hengshui city is also equal to the lone hanging out of the pass, not to mention the hands of Hengshui city of the military general Wei Jingtang, or the first minister Zhang Julu a handful of to go to the army to climb up the favorite disciples, this person so many years on the north of the Liang always hold a strong hostility, and now Zhang Julu a death, Wei Jingtang self-preservation is difficult, it is even more will not be against the Ministry of the army! Now that Zhang Julu is dead, Wei Jingtang will not be able to protect himself, so he will not go against the Ministry of War, and he may withdraw more decisively than Liu Yan Lang. In this way, the gateway to Jibei is wide open, once the North Mang continued to invest troops, coupled with Gu Jiantang’s LiaoXi border troops do not move, then my YouZhou Hulukou really have the possibility of the enemy’s back, YuLuanDao the YouZhou cavalry situation is not good! When the original wandering outside the Hulukou, intercepting the eastern line of grain and grass of the North Mang’s scripture, it also became empty talk.”

Xu Fengnian sneered, “It’s fine, if Liu Yan Lang Wei Jing Tang is not willing to guard the country’s gates, let Yu Luan Blade’s 10,000 Yuzhou Cavalry go and help them do so!”

High in the sky, a divinely handsome bird of prey violently broke through the clouds and tilted to fall, the Yu Di Dragon, which temporarily acted as a horseman, raised its arm with a wide smile, it stopped on the child’s arm, its claws were like hooks, it was powerful, it was good to see that the Yu Di Dragon’s qi was so strong that it was basically a freak. This head belongs to the six-year phoenix variety of Haidongqing only from Liaodong, that year by Chu Lushan personally boiled out, sent to His Highness the son of the world. The two Liao tributes are divided into nine classes, in the two Liao hunters said as “nine deaths, rare a green” in the sea east green, three years of dragon and autumn yellow two rare varieties of the first class, six years of phoenix is even more unattainable. Xu Fengyen’s first trip to Jianghu, in addition to the old yellow and that inferior horse, there is this six-year phoenix accompanied.

Yu Di Long happily shouted master, Xu Fengyen peeked out of the curtain, took over this spear falcon, affectionately stroked its head, then untied the thin rope tied to its legs, then gently lifted his arm, the six-year phoenix spread its wings and flew up, circling a few times above his master’s head before suddenly pulling up high and flying away.

The information that came in was only three simple words: Wei Jingtang will defend.

The meaning is clear, Wei Jingtang will defend Hengshui City.

Xu Fengnian softly lamented, “The swift wind knows the test.”

After being happy, Huangfu Ping doubted: “Why does Wei Jingtang want to defend Hengshui City even if he wants to risk his life? Could it be Chu Du Gui’s secret plot?”

Xu Fengyen shook his head and said, “No matter how powerful Fushui Fang’s sleight of hand is, it is impossible to buy off a scholar like Wei Jingtang.”

Xu Fengyen thought for a moment and said, “It was probably the death of his mentor Zhang Julu that made Wei Jingtang make up his mind.”

Huangfu Ping was still indignant, “It’s a pity that only one Wei Jingtang came out of such a large Jizhou.”

Xu Fengyen said expressionlessly, “Why don’t you say that it took a huge Liyang Dynasty to produce a Zhang Julu.”

After a short silence, Xu Fengyen laughed, “Looks like you’ll have to go to Youzhou alone, I’ll go to the north of Jibei, look for Yu Luan Blade, and meet that Wei Jingtang in the meantime.”

Huangfu Ping’s heart trembled, shocked, “Your Highness, are you going to risk your own life and personally take the battlefield to lead the troops outside of Hulukou?”

Without waiting for Xu Fenian to speak, Huangfu Ping jumped off the carriage, swept his body to the front of the stagecoach road, and then flopped to his knees, not saying a word, just kneeling there.

Yu Di Long hurriedly made the carriage stop, Xu Fengyen got off the carriage and went over to help this Yuzhou general who had lost his official etiquette, but Huangfu Ping, who was once ridiculed by the official circles in Lingzhou as the “number one watchdog under Qingliang Mountain”, was unwilling to get up.

Xu Fengyen said in a deep voice: “Get up!”

Huangfu Ping flopped down on the stage road and said in a dull voice: “If Huangfu Ping doesn’t stop His Highness today, he will be killed and scolded to death by Chu Dugu, Yan Commander and the Second County Lord tomorrow! A Beiliang King who kills even tens of thousands of enemies but dies valiantly in battle is no match for a Beiliang King who is alive and well in Beiliang territory!”

Xu Fengnian frowned, “I don’t need you to remind me of this point, I know the importance better than anyone. Don’t worry, I will bring along Mi Fengjie and Fan Xiaochai, besides, although my realm is not as good as it used to be, it’s not hard to say that I can escape and defend myself. There really aren’t many top experts in Northern Mang today.”

Huangfu Ping was obviously determined to stick to his guns to the end, raising his head to look at Xu Fenian, asking, “If it is Tuoba Bodhisattva himself who intercepts and kills Your Highness, what should be done?!”

Xu Fengnian helplessly said, “Topaz Bodhisattva is on his way to Liuzhou under orders. Not to mention that you have forgotten the Xu Yan soldiers on the border of Youzhou who will soon be able to wrap up?”

Seeing Huangfu Ping still unwilling to get up, Xu Fengyen kicked him and laughed in exasperation, “Huangfu Ping, your dead remonstration is a hundred thousand miles short of the fire of Tai’an City’s speech officials. Get up.”

Huangfu Ping slowly got up, hesitated for a moment, and softly said, “Your Highness, my humble servant said something treasonous and heartfelt, you can’t die, if you die, Huangfu Ping can’t be the Gu Jiantang of Beiliang for the rest of his life.”

For Huangfu Ping’s heartfelt words, Xu Fengyen just glanced at this Youzhou general and laughed it off, then he and Yu Dilong each mounted a horse, and with Mi Fengjie Fan Xiaochai, the four riders rode far away.

Huangfu Ping did not bother to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Both sides know very well that what he Huangfu Ping really wants to talk about is not Gu Jiantang of Northern Liang, but Xu Snapdragon of Liyang Dynasty.

One day, cracking the land and sealing the king.

Huangfu Ping also didn’t mind Xu Fengyen knowing his ambition.

The four riders galloped eastward on the stage road.

Yu Di Long, whose riding skills were already very skillful, turned his head to look at the cavalcade and said, “Master, how does this Youzhou general say, what oil what lamp.”

Xu Fengnian laughed, “You want to say it’s not a lamp of oil? Who did you learn it from, senior sister Wang Sheng or senior brother Lu Yunchang?”

The child hemmed and hawed.

Xu Fenian teased, “Miss Wang Sheng? Then why didn’t you go with her to Beimang at that time?”

The child hurriedly put on a serious face and said, “She and that white fox face are going to North Mang to sharpen their martial arts, how can I drag her behind. She said that when she returns to Qingliang Mountain, she will definitely beat me and Lu Yunchang.”

Xu Fengnian contained deep meaning, “You, ah, you’ve lost half of it.”

Yu Di Long froze, “Senior sister can really practice the most powerful sword technique in Northern Mang?”

Then he couldn’t help but laugh happily to himself again.

Xu Fengnian shook his head.

Mi Fengjie, who had not been speaking much, worriedly said, “Jizhou is not Northern Liang after all, there are many lurking Zhao Hook eyes and ears, it’s better for Your Highness to be careful.”

Xu Fengnian nodded.

Mi Fengjie unobtrusively glanced at the woman’s dead soldier, Fan Xiaochai.

This Finger Xuan Patriarch did not understand why Xu Fengyen was piggybacking on her.

Mi Fengjie made up his mind to keep a close eye on her in case something untoward happened.

The indifferent Fan Xiaochai eyed ahead.

Jizhou, once belonged to the Northern Han territory.

In fact, not only the original Jizhou Han family, the Northern Han Dynasty has a long history of more than 160 years, there are too many too many families have been subjects of the Northern Han Dynasty, and her Fan family, but also generations of hairpin full of loyalty.

Xu Fengyen suddenly said: ”This time, you will go to the Fan family’s ancestors’ graves to toast, but you may not have the opportunity to do so in the future. If you finally decide to stay in Jizhou, I can promise you now, you don’t have to rush to answer, let’s talk about it when we get there.”

Fan Xiaochai violently bit her lips, oozing scarlet blood, her eyes were crazy, she laughed, “I don’t have the face to go to my ancestors’ graves to toast, since I can’t kill you, and I don’t even dare to take a shot at you, but I’ll be able to watch you die on the sands with my own eyes.”

Mi Fengjie’s famous sword in his box shook loudly and said angrily, “Fan Xiaochai! You seek death?!”

Fan Xiaochai’s shoulders trembled slightly, his laughter grew louder and louder as he sat high on his horse, his face full of disdain, “Tsk tsk, Finger Xuan expert, I’m really scared to death.”

Xu Fengnian said flatly, “Enough.”

Mi Fengjie took a deep breath, and Fan Xiaochai also immediately collected that maniacal implication.

The two of them’s mounts stalled for no reason.

The neglected one, the child Yu Di Long, glanced at the old man who reached out to support the sword case, and then at the young woman whose fingers holding the reins were a bit green, this Xu Fengyen’s great disciple secretly skimmed his mouth.

Xu Fengyen closed his eyes.

He knew that many people had already started to die at the Houkou of Youzhou.

Liyang Dynasty’s Hanlin seniors to repair the “History of Northern Han”, do not mince words, unlike the East Vietnam and South Tang deliberate disparagement of the two places, the Northern Han, especially Jizhou, especially appreciated, called “Jizhou full of martyrs”, “are generous warriors, death is not ashamed of the heroic soul”. However, after the Fan family, the mainstay of the Northern Han army, died one after another in the confrontation with Xu Snapdragon, after the Han family’s defection to Liyang and eventual decapitation, and after the veteran general Yang Shenxeng took the lead in trapping the old soldiers of Jizhou on the Guangling Road, the valor of Jizhou was exhausted, and Jizhou, like a defiantly old man in the twilight of his days, was really getting old after all.

As the sun set in the west, two men stood side by side in the afterglow at the head of Hengshui City, which was located at the forefront of northern Jizhou.

Dressed in the official uniform of the civil officials from the sun in his forties, elegant temperament, but his face has the coarse vicissitudes of living on the border for a long time, he is the Hengshui City’s guard Wei Jingtang, nine years of Yonghui’s top grade, but did not choose to use the Imperial College of the Imperial College of Beijing as a jumping-off point to accumulate popularity, first in the Ministry of the Army half a year of political observation, and then soon take the initiative to request with his seat Zhang Julu to be transferred to the borderlands, the head of the Lord only agreed to half of it, agreed to his transfer, but did not agree to! Wei Jingtang to Liaodong, so Wei Jingtang came to Jizhou, first in Jinan as a county magistrate, as the official more and more high, his jurisdiction on the side of the main government is also more and more close to the border of Jizhou, until he became the commander of the military and government of the city of Jizhou Hengshui, the fourth grade only, on the oil, as long as you do not touch the border trade, and even more than the Jiangnan side of the county magistrate, on the official authority, he was compared to the same year of that batch of the imperial examination of a few smooth wind and water The best of the best, but also too much worse. There was a fellow countryman who was only three with the same scholar, when he was young and he had a gap, in the capital, but it is a Ministry of War, so many years has been to him in small shoes, the previous Ministry of War officials to observe the border, the team had the same year of the Ministry of War colleagues brought a letter to Wei Jingtang, the letter gloatingly asked “how does it feel to be in the Northwest wind and sand”, and even threatened to let him in the border, but he was not able to do so. The letter gloatingly asked “how does the northwest wind and sand taste?”, and even threatened to let him drink his whole life in Hengqiu, a place where birds don’t shit. Wei Jingtang laughed it off, that climbed up to the capital JinSanLang of the same year probably can never understand, his eyes of the barren land of the desert border, is how the weather, and how to make a scholar to give up the pen to the military and not regret!

The young general standing beside Wei Jingtang is Yu Luanjie, the young general of Yuzhou’s 10,000-strong cavalry army.

Earlier, when the North Mang cavalry army demonstrated outside the Guan, Liu Yan Lang abandoned Silver Harrier City, leaving behind only some old and weak soldiers, and a dozen or so officials who didn’t know how to honor their superiors and were left to die. Yu Luan knife’s cavalry did not rush into the city, but stationed outside the silver harrier city, and then found that Hengshui City did not move, which is only two days ago to enter the city alone to find him Wei Jingtang, after Yu Luan knife’s men to take over the silver harrier city’s grain silo, Wei Jingtang in accordance with the rules in fact can be managed, but for this is just turn a blind eye to the subordinates, some people are wrathful, Wei Jingtang only said a sentence, “the silver harrier grain and grass We can’t move Hengshui City, take a grain of someone also want to lose their office, but instead of being the North Mang barbarians as a southern invasion, to the people willing to pull the sword to the North Mang, and how?”

The handsome and extraordinary Yu Luan Knife, who wore the ancestor’s famous sword “Da Luan” on his waist, as well as an equally eye-catching brand new Liang Knife, asked softly, “Lord Wei, I still can’t figure it out. But I still want to say thank you on behalf of Northern Liang.”

Wei Jingtang was silent, his expression resolute as he looked at the endless yellow sand desert.

Not migrating south is a sin, letting the Silver Harrier grain and grass be possessed by the Youzhou cavalry is even more of a sin. If that the Ministry of the Army to observe the government officials back to the capital to participate in a, in the folding said a few words similar to the governance of the words, is another crime.

Several crimes are punished together, already enough Wei Jingtang lost his head.

Hengqiu City, those life for life of the old brothers do not understand, some almost want to tie him directly to the Jinan, said Hengshui City have them to defend is, not lack of you Wei Jingtang a person.

But Wei Jingtang still stood here in the end.

Yu Luan Knife laughed: “Although my 10,000 horsemen’s grain and grass supply, there are some Jizhou people who risked their secret support, but if there is no silver harrier granary, today is still going to be stretched to the limit. That Yuan Tingshan can’t wait to give me some color.”

Wei Jingtang said impartially, “Although his character is like a clown, annoying people, but I have to admit that this person’s governance of the army and use of military, quite not bad.”

Yu Luan knife looked dozens of miles away from the distant rising wisps of smoke, laughed: “Wei adults, as Yu a bet with you good, today to teach you to know a good thing, Youzhou cavalry is not as good as the Liangzhou iron cavalry, but more than your Jibei cavalry but a lot stronger ah.”

Wei Jingtang seems to smile, helplessly said: “This official will wait and see.”

Yu Luan Blade turned around and was about to stride away when he suddenly turned back around and took off the Liang Blade on his waist, resting it on the city wall, and said with a solemn expression, “Lord Wei, whether you take it or not, this Liang Blade, I’m giving it to you. I, Northern Liang, honor all those who dare to die in battle!”

Wei Jingtang didn’t bother to pick up the cool sword, and asked with a smile, “Even if I am a disciple of Lord Shoufu? Even if I keep calling Great General Xu Snap a traitor to the country?”

Yu Luan Knife laughed out loud, clasped his fists violently, left the cool knife behind, and left in style.

Wei Jingtang watched this Yu Clan’s first eldest grandson, who was supposed to have a bright future in Liyang’s officialdom, walk down the city, retracted his sight, looked at the Northern Liang Blade, and said softly, “What a Northern Liang.”

Wei Jingtang looked up to the sky, his eyes full of tears, smiled and said, “Master En, in your letter you asked me if I dared to go down for a drink together, student Wei Jingtang, I would be happy to do so!”

Outside the gourd mouth of Youzhou, inside a huge handsome tent with heavy guards, the charcoal fire produced by the finest carp kiln is burning, the spring cold is all blocked out of the tent, among the more than thirty people inside the tent, half of them are clad in the high-level military armor of the Northern Mang, while the other half are dressed in the official uniforms of the Southern Dynasty’s Ministry of War, and the latter are all between twenty and thirty years of age. At this time, the vanguard of the army has taken the lead to start breaking into Hulukou, the front army of more than ninety thousand people, the main general Yang Yuanzan commanded all the troops, the main force is the North Mang general’s thirty thousand troops, the Longwai state of the major military towns of forty thousand soldiers and horses, but the real elite is the temporary leader of the South Dynasty Ministry of the Army under the command of the title of the Hong Jingyan twenty thousand Zojiran iron riders, Zojiran mountain range has always been the northern grassland horseback riding the source of the heavy ground, the steeds, but also the soldiers, the most important thing is compared to other places, the most important thing is to be more than a good horse, the most important thing is to be more than the other places. The most important thing is that compared to other places, the Zojiran iron horsemen are more obedient to discipline, and they are willing to live lightly and dare to fight to the death. In so many great battles during the Yonghui years, the bravery of Zoran Iron Horsemen was shown by many famous generals in the Central Plains, and the old chief minister of Liyang had to admit that “the barbarians here have the ancient style of Da Qin”. In addition to Yang Yuanzan’s vanguard army has driven south, the remaining 200,000 soldiers and horses are still outside the mouth of the gourd, compared to the history of nomadic invasion and plundering, this time the south to the north of the Liang is obviously more methodical. Yang Yuanzan is the nominal commander-in-chief of the eastern front of Beimang, but after Yang Yuanzan led his troops, there was not a trace of chaos in the seemingly leaderless tent, and countless military orders for the deployment of troops were accurately sent down to the various armies from here, which is attributed to Dong Zhuo, the first person of the South Dynasty’s military and political affairs, who focused on reforming the Ministry of Military Affairs and adding the post of “Shogun’s military strategist”, after he jumped to be the king of the South Courtyard. After he became the king of the southern court, he focused on reforming the Ministry of War, adding the post of “Shogun’s military strategist” and promoting a large number of young people to serve as the staff of the Ministry of War, all of whom were awarded the imperial gift of brocade clothes and jade belts, and thus nicknamed “Shogun’s military strategist”. The main, even the states hold the section order as well as Yang Yuanzan Hong Jingyan these great generals have to act according to the routine. After the start of the war, all these military machine Lang left the Ministry of War with the army, most rushed to the Eastern Front, Dong Zhuo gave them the right to “see the opportunity to act cheaply,” of course, there is no way that there is no voice of opposition in the Xijing temple, but for one thing, Fatty Dong didn’t pay much attention to it, but also shamelessly took Her Majesty’s imperial decree to use as a shield, and those who are just like a night in the center of the court. Among the young people in the center of the court, most of them are Yelu Murong two surnames, or else it is “burnt” Long Guan noble children, from the North Mang “North seven South three” A ten surnames in the young leaders, the next best is also the North Mang B big surnames, it can be said that Dong Zhuo this hand! It can be said that Dong Zhuo’s hand of promotion, almost the top nobles of Beimang to a net, so that a little spittle in the Western Capital, do not need to “will do” the South Court King personally rebuttal, has long been drowned in more saliva. Only North Mang soon realized the insidious cunning of Fatty Dong, these military machine Lang divided into two groups, one group to the eastern front, the constraints of General Yang Yuanzan, a group of General Liu Gui went to the western front, only his central line, none of them! Just the general situation has been determined, coupled with the war north of Liangzhou is destined to be the most stalemate the most bloody, to go there to reap military success is not easy, military Ji Lang behind those old cunning grandparents fathers and grandfathers, but also cooperate with the tacit understanding of pinch the nose to admit it.

Only when almost everyone thought that the Battle of Hulukou in Youzhou was only a side dish to the war in Liangzhou, Dong Zhuo, the king of the South Court, even rushed here in person to a group of military engineers. Wide as the great hall of the military tent, Dong Zhuo stood at one end of the long table in the northernmost position, the table is set with mountain ranges, rivers, cities and ponds of the sand table, Hulukou terrain at a glance, the end of the Dafeng years there is a generation of counting wonders in the writings of the slant re-differential technology, and later there is the six bodies of the cartography, after three hundred years of refinement, and after the Huanglongshi more elevation of the said that makes the sand table system art climbed to the pinnacle, so the sand plate of the present day, fine and accurate, enough to let the ancient people jaws. Accurate, enough to let the ancients jaw-dropping. In this sand table, Hong Xinjia single-handedly created the Hulukou E Fort system to get the most intuitive embodiment, three cities, six passes two hundred fortresses, in the sand table are marked, a greater number of beacons because it is too small, only those who occupy the dangerous important beacons, only to the length of the small flag performance.

Dusty South House King has just led hundreds of Dong family cavalry to this place, only drank a mouth of goat stench rather heavy crude milk tea slightly to drive away the cold, let a Guseizhou family origin of young military machine Lang began to talk about the progress of the war in Hulukou, the latter hand carrying a jasper texture of the slender pole, in a group of murderous martial arts generals also do not have any fear of the stage, in the sand plate drew a big circle, said aloud: “North Liang reuse Hong Xinjia, as of the beginning of spring this year, Youzhou Hulukou in the hands of this person camping fortress two hundred and fourteen. The matter of Liyang Daxing fortresses was born in the early years of Yong Hui ……”

Hearing this, there was soon a big grassland lord who had the idea to come to Youzhou to grab food and people and military achievements, and couldn’t help but roll his eyes and say, “Don’t talk about those uninteresting things, just say where our sons and daughters killed to Hulukou, and how many heads were chopped off, and you, this child, said it easily, and the king of Dong and we also heard it well. Every time I listen to you people who have read a book, you two mouths talk and talk, I doze off!”

Dong Zhuo didn’t even glance at that mouthy Great Xie Tick, staring at the sand table and slowly said, “Continue.”

The Grand Prairie Lord immediately shrunk his neck, not daring to make a move.

That the curtain before the military machine Lang continued: “Li Yang Daxing fortress cantonment first Jizhou Han family put forward, the initial intention is to slow down the Li Yang early to start the war of food and grass supply pressure, and then the Li Yang trend will be the town of Jizhou border troops retreat within the migration, to enrich the interior of the defense, to shorten the distance of the food, once the war started, but also can be the first to the fortress to block the sharpness of the soldiers, and then by the back of the main force waiting for the opportunity to attack. Just for more than ten years, Liyang deliberately emphasizes the two Liao and lightens Jibei, obviously intends to treat the soft persimmon of Jizhou as the gourd mouth of Youzhou, as long as our army goes south and chooses to take Jizhou as a breakthrough, Beiliang and the two Liao can start a pincer attack situation.”

The long jasper pole in the hand of the military strategist pointed to a place in the northern part of the mouth of the gourd, “The fortress of Beiliang is particularly majestic, with the big fortress circumference of more than a thousand paces, and the small fortress circumference of eight hundred paces. The big fortress Saturday hundred paces, the small fortress week three hundred. And the fortress from the amorphous, and Hulukou geographical situation closely linked to each place, dead control of the river valley main road. Walls are mostly rammed earth, and there are packaged bricks, many fortresses inside and outside several layers, but also the difference between high and low, a little inattentive, even if we succeeded in attacking the gate of the fortress, there is still a hard battle to be fought, it can be seen that the Hong Xinjia intention is sinister. Like here the hulukou fortress group, with jujube horse fortress as the core, there are green wind fortress bee rise fort within eighteen fortresses guarding, echoing each other, a total of three thousand four hundred e guards, this place will certainly produce the first battle between the two sides.”

His hand jade pole slightly to the south offset, “if the north liang hulukou only has these fortress beacon flint block, not worth mentioning, but in the ChenZhiBao as north liang capital guard, hulukou built three walls towering solid city, although far inferior to the northwest first male town of hutou city, but definitely not to be underestimated. This lying bow city built on the mountain is one of them, in fact, Hulukou northern defense line, all the fort beacons and flints are dependent on lying bow city. Unlike the fortresses’ dead guards, there are varying numbers of Youzhou’s elite cavalry stationed within all three of Hulukou’s cities.”

An Orange Prefecture’s third-grade military general laughed, “Then Youzhou also has a capable cavalry army? I thought that Yan Wenluan only had a bunch of tortoise-crawling foot soldiers under his command.”

Tortoise crawling this allusion, in the northern mang has been circulating for a long time, these twenty years, Liang Mang most of the war in Liangzhou northern line, Youzhou has always been few wolves, northern Liang infantry commander Yan Wenluan this “old” tiger in the eyes of the northern mang, there is no power to speak of, the younger generation of the northern mang generals, on the northern Liang capital Chu Lushan, or the new cavalry commander Yuan Zuozong, all still have a good chance of success, but the northern mang is not a good place. Commander Yuan Zuozong, are still quite obedient, after all, many years ago, the war in the hinterland of the North Mang a few large battles, Yuan Zuozong’s achievements are all there for all to see, and that Lu Qiuer is all the way out of the present king of the South House chased almost a thousand miles away. In addition, the North Mang iron horsemen like the wind, on the slow infantry how will look at the eye? So Yan Wenluan in North Mang has a turtle general nickname.

Dong Zhuo finally spoke up and said with a solemn face: “You all know that my 100,000-odd Dong family troops are mostly foot soldiers, but you may not know that I, Dong Zhuo, learned how to train the foot soldiers from Yan Wenluan in the beginning. Although nowadays he can boast of being the most powerful foot soldier in Youzhou, Yan Wenluan, whom you all joked about as a tortoise general, has a thousand heavily-armored iron soldiers under his hands, and his combat power is still the most deservedly the best foot soldier in the world. How is the combat power of the ‘Dong Foot Soldiers’, do I still need to boast a few words?”

Dong Zhuo raised his head and looked at the crowd, his eyes cold, “The Youzhou cavalry can’t make it to the stage? Don’t forget that the Dragon Elephant Army that turned our Guseizhou into a sieve, its old background is the Youzhou Army.”

Dong Zhuo smiled grimly, revealing a mouthful of snow-white teeth, “By the way, I forgot to tell you guys something secret, Great General Yang Yuanzan has already made arrangements for the aftermath of his death after learning that he was going to face Yan Wenluan. If you guys think that I, Dong Zhuo, am growing others’ ambition and destroying my own, that’s fine, hey, anyway, I’ll say the ugly words up front, when the time comes, whoever gets beaten up by the Youzhou defenders and gets hurt, remember to never run to me and His Majesty to complain about it.”

The armored military generals present are a little resentful, that group of military machine lang who have not suffered few eyeballs lately only feel happy, some time ago, the latter took great pains to give the vanguard generals and schools a detailed explanation of the terrain of the north of the hulukou wu fort group, the structure and distribution of troops, almost as detailed as each fort and each beacon flint, these seemingly trivial news are all the Northern Mang spies with the blood for the precious military intelligence, but then most of the army military officers were yawning and scribbling to cope with it, and in the army, they were all very happy. Yawn scribble to cope with, in their view, the Northern Mang iron horse hooves to, surrendered to kill those who do not surrender even more to kill, the war is so simple, where the need to embroider with a woman like. This kind of deep-rooted cognition, the official position is only from the sixth grade of the seventh grade of the military machine Lang can not be changed, but a moment of popularity of the South King Dong Zhuo’s arrival, all the generals are more or less a bit of a wake-up call, especially that general Yang Yuanzan arrangements for the aftermath of the account of a few Yang Yuanzan’s beloved generals are in a cold sweat.

That doubly refreshed pole-carrying military machine Lang in the eyes of Dong Zhuo under the authorization, narrated, “to continuous pieces of fortresses to block the offensive of our troops, that is only more than ten years ago Liyang dynasty hall on the childish views of the civil officials, in fact, at that time in the Jibei E Fort prototype has clearly told both sides of the two countries, in the absence of a majestic town as the core of the defense of the situation, the Liyang the so-called The idea of ‘making the Mang cavalry unable to go deeper into the trouble’ is too naive, there were not a few border fortresses in Jibei, the distance between them was 50 miles, and the near ones were 30 miles, so they were closely listed in the key points of the defense, but back then, my Mang proved one thing with countless successful raids that the fortresses were controlling the key roads, and it is true that it is just a fool’s errand to stop the flexible cavalry from going south, and the fortresses in Jizhou were full of strongholds, and it was a fool’s dream to stop them from going south. Jizhou is full of fortresses and troops, how can they dare to fight? That’s why the officials in Liyang have impeached those Jibei Wubao lieutenants, scolding them for ‘cowering when the enemy is big, not daring to fight when the enemy is small, and daring to fight when the enemy has retreated for hundreds of miles’.”

Speaking here, the military strategist lang smiled slightly and reached out to point to his own nose, “Well, this ‘kou’ that the Liyang speech masters are talking about is referring to our Northern Mang Iron Cavalry.”

The tent roared with laughter, even Dong Zhuo had some faint smiles on his face.

A prairie grassland big Xie Tick with tens of thousands of herdsmen laughed out loud and said, “Hu Yan Jun Ji, if you had spoken like this, this group of big old men wouldn’t have gotten impatient. Always say how those fortresses in Youzhou how powerful, but also do not praise our big Mang sons and daughters, we feel that reading and writing is more terrible than the beheading of the brown men, but will not be able to listen to the ears?”

Dong Zhuo came to Youzhou this time mainly to pour cold water on the eastern front generals, but there is no intention to improve the rigid relationship between the military machine Lang and the actual power of the military generals, the matter of leading troops to war, in the northern Mang, especially the northern grassland royal court, a word can be summarized, brown! Dong Zhuo, as the first person in the temple of the South Dynasty, what he wants to do is to let the brains of the South Dynasty and the force of the North Court combined, the two sides not only can not pull back, but also to try to cooperate, which is by no means Dong Zhuo daydreaming, because those who are more understanding of the essence of the war in the Central Plains, more proficient in the paper strategy of the military machine Lang, and the front-line generals is a grasshopper on a thread, in the end, we all have glory and honor, and a loss of loss, as long as Dong Zhuo stabbed through the layer of paper, both sides will be able to work together, and the two sides will be able to work together, and the two sides will be able to work together. The two sides will be able to work together, everyone on horseback to earn military achievements, horseback under the share of military achievements, the Youzhou, the North Liang a drum down, it is the same as the Central Plains of this false high elegant noblewoman clothes to strip, when the North Mang iron cavalry is like a bamboo, the Lord of the Central Plains, it should be with his majesty together with the last name of the Muyong.

Dong Zhuo subconsciously teeth knocking teeth, eyes hot, as long as the fight down the northern Liang this piece of bone, the momentum to the hands of the northern Mang, the future can resist the iron cavalry to the south, relying on what away from the Yang generals don’t want to think about, the northern Mang’s real enemy, only that a tall city in the way only. Thinking of this, Dong Zhuo towards a side table in the tent, the table has a wooden model of the three cities within the gourd mouth, from the hands of skilled craftsmen, this is the order of the Taiping order of the Xijing craftsmen to carefully create the object, there are about forty pieces, including all the important cities of Beiliang, specifically to let the frontline generals know the construction of the cities of Beiliang. The eastern line of Youzhou has eight pieces, tent temporarily put out three pieces, when the carriage bumps, which according to the Changgeng City imitation of the wooden pieces to the bumps of the broken, many military machine Lang to find that responsible for the transportation of a clan official to ask for compensation, that rely on their own last name of the Yelu guy buckle booger said love how do you want to do so, at that time behind him dozens of sturdy guards, have been drawn out of the war knife, almost a word will cut those military machine Lang! The first time I saw him was when he was in the middle of the night. Then in a few days, an imperial decree arrived, that clan member was beheaded on the spot, and the accompanying escorts were all given death! The brand new wooden pieces of Changgeng City were also sent along with it, and the minister who delivered the decree only gave a sentence to the official’s backer, ‘This thing is personally supervised by Order of the Peace,’ so that trembling General Yelu immediately dismissed the idea of crying out for his nephew’s wrongdoing.

Once again, the military strategist narrated the structure of the wooden recumbent bow for the military generals in the tent, explaining what is meant by battlements, what is meant by a female wall looking out of the corner, what is meant by a horse-faced pier, as well as the configuration of crossbows and bows, interspersed with the battles of a certain dynasty of the Central Plains defending the city.

Waiting for the dry-mouthed military engineers to finally finish, Dong Zhuo said in a deep voice: “Gentlemen, the Central Plains cities are full of mechanisms and subtle layouts, you must remember one thing, we as siege generals know more about how to defend a city, then we, the sons and daughters of the Northern Mang, will be able to live countless more lives!”

Dong Zhuo raised his arm and pointed in the direction of Hulukou, “Crouching Bow City is the first city in Youzhou, in order to pull it down, at that time, we will surely have thousands or even more than 10,000 people die in battle there, destined to not be able to return to our grassland hometown again. I certainly hope that everyone in our army can live to enter the hinterland of Youzhou, or even fight all the way to Xiangfan in their Liyang, and to the southern border guarded by that Yanzhi King, so that we can see what that sea really looks like! But that’s not realistic, people die in wars, or else Great General Yang Yuanzan wouldn’t have had the heart of certain death to fight this war.”

Dong Zhuo suddenly grimaced and snapped, “I, Dong Zhuo, have rushed here today, and in fact, I only want to say two words from my heart to all of you!”

“Even if I am to die, my Northern Mang sons and daughters will die in battle further south!”

“To die, don’t die in a Northern Liang with barren land and small territory, but die in the rich Central Plains, under Tai’an City, and on the shores of the South Sea!”

North Mang 90,000 vanguard army like a dike flood surged into Hulukou, those fortress beacon flints are like inconspicuous stones on the shoal, instantly submerged.

The northernmost fort of Hulukou, Bee Rising Fort, together with six beacon flints, and one hundred and ninety-seven Yuzhou lieutenants, with not a single feather or arrow left, died in battle.

Qingfeng fortress was broken, three hundred and sixty-two men, Liang sword all sheathed, died in battle.

White Horse Fort was broken, two hundred and thirteen people, not a single place in the fort not smoke, all died in battle.

Hulukou north of the core of the fort group, Zaoma Zhai, corpses lying all over the place, in addition to being seriously damaged by the North Mang cavalry in the corpses of the back of the angry make up a knife, no one died on the way to escape, wounds all in front of the body!

Zao Ma Zhai surrounding eighteen large and small fortresses, in addition to the southern last that chicken wall, all for the North Mang army to break through.

No one surrender.

The chicken walled village is different from other mostly built in the valley of the fortress, is located in a short mountain on top of the steep cliffs. Countless North Mang cavalry in the foot of the mountain on both sides of the fast horse, whistling like the wind. Probably in pursuit of speed, wanting to advance as fast as possible to the outside of Crouching Bow City, and did not pay attention to this small fortress that is both isolated and insignificant.

Inside the fortress, the main general, who was not even a lieutenant but only a deputy lieutenant, gathered all the soldiers together, more than two hundred and thirty people. Everyone can clearly hear the loud sound of the North Mang’s hooves trampling at the foot of the mountain, as well as the strange cries of those northern barbarians running wildly with their horses.

Chicken Wall deputy lieutenant Tang Yanchao is a tall middle-aged man, a typical border old soldier gangster, the army banned alcohol, a few times because of alcoholism, which could have long been the lieutenant of the man so in the chicken Wall consumed, every time you drink, Tang Yanchao have to brag to those mostly young subordinates when he was the former cavalry vice-commander of the Tie Shan’s personal guards, the early years of how to follow the captain general in the territory of the North Mang killed four sides. The young men in the fortress were at first surprised. The young people in the fortress at first still listen to the mind swaying, but year after year listening to those things, the ears are calloused, so every time Deputy Lieutenant Tang drunken bragging, a lot of people began to shake their heads and make a face, if Tang Yanchao did not die of drunkenness, see these little bastards behind the back of the imitation of his own accent, but not how angry, but only scolded a rabbit do not know how to honor the heroes.

Previously, even if there are Youzhou generals and colonels to patrol the fortress, but also do not wear neat armor of Tang Yanchao, unprecedentedly dressed meticulously, and even the scruffy face full beard also shaved to go, almost let a person can not be recognized deputy lieutenant adults. If it were usual, there would be some bold young soldiers to come forward to playfully say yo, vice lieutenant is quite human-like ah, why have not found a sister-in-law ah. But at this moment, the majority of people only have a heavy heart, half a smile can not be squeezed out. A few old men from the village stood beside Tang Yanchao, silently checking their armor and crossbow blades.

Tang Yanchao looked around and said in a bland tone, “Those who aren’t over the age of twenty, as well as, those who are the only ones in the family, all stand honestly where they are! Those who aren’t, step out of line!”

Not counting Tang Yanchao and the seven people on his left and right sides, the two hundred and twenty-one people in front of him, roughly looking, walked out a big half.

Tang Yanchao raised his eyes and suddenly pointed at a baby-faced soldier and laughed and scolded, “Bai Youfu, if I remember correctly, your kid is only eighteen years old, look even more than fifteen, give the old man to roll back!”

See, the deputy lieutenant adults easily end up a little “this official” frame, this only a few words, immediately revealed the filling, a mouth of an old man, deserved a lifetime can not take off the word deputy.

The soldier called Bai Youfu reddened his face and said loudly: “Father said, being a soldier and getting paid to fight is a natural thing, then going into battle to kill the enemy is also a right thing to do!”

Tang Yanchao held a hand on the waist of the newly replaced Northern Liang sword only this year, and laughed: “Then your mother didn’t secretly tell you not to really fight for your life?”

Bai Youfu was filled with embarrassment and said softly, “She really did.”

Laughter broke out.

After Tang Yanchao raised his hand, the previous silence returned.

This sub-lieutenant, who I’m afraid had never even heard of the Youzhou Assassin, said in a deep voice, “General Yan had an order earlier, asking us at Hulukou Fortress to just defend the ground to the death, without having to go out to meet the enemy!”

Tang Yanchao paused for a moment, “So this time, going out of the fortress to kill the barbarians, it is me, Tang Yanchao, who disobeyed the military order, those who stood still, stayed in the fortress, and those who took a step out of the column can also not have to go down the mountain. Right, down the mountain, this life is even handed over to the foot of the mountain, there is nothing to hide, no one is a fool! I Tang Yanchao live forty years, on the battlefield more than forty times, counting once a year are more than, this life except did not find a daughter-in-law, there is nothing to say. Those of you who are not even twenty years old little children, from living enough years, it is still early! Live well!”

Tang Yanchao pointed to the north, viciously said, “I can’t be a lieutenant, I can’t be a big official, I’m not ashamed! But the northern fortress Li Jing, Hu Lin, Liu Zhiyuan guys must have died in the war, if I hide from death, I can not afford to lose this face! Even if I can afford to lose this face, we can’t afford to lose it at Jie Ming Fortress!”

Tang Yanchao roared, “Those who are out of line, follow me! When we get to the bottom, without the military law, Tang Yanchao will have a good drink with all the brothers!”

On this day, Tang Yanchao, the deputy lieutenant of Jie Ming Village, including one hundred and forty-eight people, was the first to die in battle at the foot of the mountain outside the village.

Subsequently, the remaining eighty men, all under the age of twenty, died in battle.

Among them, Bai Youfu was stabbed through the neck with a machete by a speeding North Mang cavalryman.

He only had one thought before he died, if he could fight his way to the North Mang territory, it would be better to die over there.

Not long after, a white-haired majestic old general stopped his horse at the foot of this mountain, dismounting and looking at the bloody battlefield where the corpses were divided into two groups, the old man asked calmly to a general beside him with bloodstains on his iron armor, “How many of our party’s losses have been incurred?”

The general wiped his face hard, “The bows and crossbows of the Youzhou fortress are extremely sharp, and everyone fights to the death. I only know that we have more than 4,000 dead and even more wounded.”

Yang Yuanzan, who is the commander-in-chief of the eastern front, has a gloomy face and sighs heavily, this has not yet seen Hulukou’s three cities of the Crouching Bow City, not to mention Yan Wenluan’s elite foot soldiers ah.

Yang Yuanzan looked at the doomed empty Cocking Wall on the hill and muttered to himself, “This battle can’t be fought.”