Chapter 159 Please take a detour

Chapter 159 Please take a detour

Chapter 159 Please take a detour

The night was as dark as ink, with dark clouds hanging low, covering the stars.

In the darkness of night, the vanguard scouts galloped along the winding road at such a speed that it seemed to tear the night apart.

The horse team was silent, and the torches flickered gently in the team.
The whistling of the wind mixed with the sound of horse hooves and the clashing of armor and traveled far away.

In the forest, the wolves, tigers and leopards that were quietly lying in the grass waiting for their prey suddenly raised their heads, their emerald green eyes swaying from side to side.

Soon they let out a dissatisfied roar and then disappeared in a flash.

More than a thousand soldiers, under the cover of moonlight, galloped along the newly built road in Liaodong. In less than half an hour,
They had already reached the predetermined position to block the enemy.
Located in Duanmu Forest, less than 20 miles south of Sanwanwei,

This is one of the few open areas between Sanwanwei and Tielingwei.
This place was originally covered with lush forests, but due to the construction of Sanwanwei and Tielingwei,
Most of the trees here have been cut down, leaving only a small part of the roots buried underground, so the nearby military and civilians called it the Broken Wood Forest.

The reason why Lu Yunyi was waiting here was,
First, the terrain here is open and flat, which is conducive to cavalry fighting.

Second, this place is the three-way intersection leading to Sanwanwei, and it is also the only way to go.

Waiting here will get you twice the result with half the effort.

Liu Heiying came closer, his expression cold and his dark face looked fierce in the darkness:

"Brother Yun'er, the scouts have been sent out. As soon as the Tieling Guards arrive, we will definitely defeat the enemy first."

"Very good, let the brothers cheer up, we may resort to violence."

Liu Heiying's eyes widened: "Do they dare to take action?"

“It’s hard to say, the smugglers are so daring, they are beheaded either way, so it’s only right that they fight.

But it’s better not to do it if you can avoid it.”

Liu Heiying nodded in agreement:

"Brother Yun'er is right. If we take action,
The Liaodong Commandery may intervene, and then our goal will be exposed."

Lu Yunyi was prepared for his purpose to be exposed.

He has already blocked Liaodong inside and outside for more than ten days, which has greatly increased the chances of victory in the war in the Northeast. Even if he is exposed, it does not matter, as it is already a move to add bricks and tiles.

But Lu Yunyi felt it was a bit of a pity.

The rank of the front army scout unit was still too low, and he could bully others in front of the guards.
But in front of the Commander-in-Chief, he could only call himself a subordinate.
Especially the Liaodong Military Command, whose military chief is the current Runan Marquis Mei Yi, who is undoubtedly a descendant of the founding heroes and has enormous power.

Not only does Mei Yi possess power himself, his younger brother Mei Yin is also the husband of Princess Ningguo. He is highly regarded by the current emperor and has been sent abroad many times to handle state affairs.

This further demonstrates Mei Yi's immense power.

If he asked about the purpose of the front army scouts' visit, Lu Yunyi would have to tell the truth.

Time passed, it was midnight, the sky was getting darker,
Because most of them were hidden in the darkness and made no sound, the sounds of insects and birds chirping began to rang out again.

Lu Yunyi hid in the darkness, sitting on his warhorse, without moving.

I was always thinking about the omissions in the Northern Expedition and the neglected areas in the Northeast War and how to make up for them.

At this moment, Liu Heiying came hurriedly, with an excited look on his face:
"Brother Yun'er, they are coming, five miles away, more than 2,000 people,

There were 300 cavalrymen, the rest were infantrymen, and there were also more than 20 large carts, but no one knew what was inside them.

"cart?"

Lu Yunyi frowned, the absurdity in his heart was beyond words.

Are the people in Liaodong particularly stubborn?
Since smuggling is not possible, why are the soldiers from the garrison transporting the goods?
How audacious.

With a long sigh, Lu Yunyi ordered:
"Light the torches and gather the troops."

As soon as these words came out, the messenger started running.
Soon, torches lit up one after another, and the broken woods were covered with a warm orange-red color.

Not far away, more than 2,000 soldiers of Tieling Guard were marching rapidly on a roughly paved official road.
The leaders were Commander Liu Xian and Assistant Commander Zhao Zunian. They rode on tall horses and were in the center of the team.

The Duzhihuijianshi was one of the three-rank officials of the Duzhihuishisi, with four people in charge, responsible for the specific implementation of military and political tasks.

Now, the guards want to mobilize soldiers.

At least the consent of one of the deputy commanders of the Military Commandery must be obtained, and a detailed military report must be submitted to the Military Commandery for record.

Therefore, although Liu Xian, the commander of Tieling Guard, was also of the third rank, the two were in a superior-subordinate relationship and were under the command of Zhao Zunian.

As they were marching, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from the front. The two drowsy people suddenly looked forward with sharp eyes.

A messenger came hurriedly:

"Sir, we found more than a thousand fully armored cavalrymen in the broken woods two miles ahead."

"what?"

Liu Xian, the commander of Tieling Guard, had a slightly changed expression, his brows furrowed, and his heart was filled with absurdity.

More than a thousand cavalrymen suddenly appeared in the wilderness?
Zhao Zunian, the deputy commander, looked at the messenger calmly and asked:

"Who and what unit?"

"Reporting to the Lord, they claim to be the scouts of the Northern Expedition Army, and have come to Liaodong to persuade the King of Liao and others to surrender."

Liu Xian frowned slightly, his eyes full of confusion.

However, a hint of realization and a hint of doubt flashed across Zhao Zunian's face.

If I remember correctly, there were indeed more than a thousand soldiers who came from the north a few days ago, but the reason for entering the Liaodong Sanwanwei was to transport military equipment.

"Go and see."

Zhao Zunian gave the order in a deep voice, urged his horse forward, and rushed forward.

Liu Xian did not hesitate and waved his hand: "The whole army, move forward quickly!"

After the military order was issued, the speed of more than 2,000 garrison soldiers not only increased, but Liu Xian also followed immediately.

Soon, the two hurried to the Broken Wood Forest.
When he saw the dense torches and the fully armored soldiers in front of him,
The faces of both of them changed and their speed slowed down immediately.

The guards around also rushed over and protected the two of them in the middle.

The two glanced ahead and soon saw the young general at the front with a calm face.

Under the light of the torch, we can see that the man is about twenty years old, with a handsome face.

His face had the cracked skin that was unique to cavalrymen, and he was smiling as he looked at them with great interest.

Liu Xian was the first to speak: "Who are you and why are you blocking the official road?

Call your family members here. If you delay our army, can you bear the consequences?"

The voice reached Lu Yunyi's ears. He put away his smile, took out the brass trumpet, and shouted:
"I am Lu Yunyi, the lieutenant general of the Northern Expedition Army. I have come to Liaodong on the orders of the general to persuade the King of Liao, the King of Huining, and Marshal Duoyan to surrender."

Liu Xian and Zhao Zunian glanced at each other and frowned slightly.

Liu Xian was also unceremonious, he raised the whip in his hand and pointed it at Lu Yunyi:
"I don't care who you are, get out of my way. If you delay the military affairs of the Command Headquarters, you will be in trouble!"

After saying this, Liu Xian waved his hand and shouted:
"All troops clear!"

But the next moment, an orderly voice suddenly sounded,
I saw more than a hundred longbows appearing on one side of the densely packed torches in front, and even some black muskets mixed in!
Liu Xian's face suddenly changed.
The soldiers who were about to take action looked at each other and dared not move forward.

Lu Yunyi's face was calm and his voice was even:

"Prince Liao, Prince Huining, and Marshal Duoyan are fighting against the remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. Please do not interfere and let them fight."

Liu Xian frowned slightly, obviously realizing something. His face was cold and his tone was grim:

"You are just a lieutenant general, and you are so arrogant here. Do you want to interfere in the military affairs of the commander-in-chief?"

Lu Yunyi ignored him and looked at the man next to Liu Xian and asked:
"May I ask which Lord Dusi this is?"

Zhao Zunian's face was solemn. He pondered for a moment and answered loudly:
"I am Zhao Zunian, the deputy commander of the Commandery. Are you following the general's orders? Do you have a handwritten order?"

Lu Yunyi turned his head away, and Guo Quan rushed over and took out the warrant he had prepared long ago from his arms.

When Zhao Zunian got closer, he was stunned for a moment and narrowed his eyes.

He suddenly felt that the soldier in front of him looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. He took the warrant and asked before opening it:
"Are you a soldier from Liaodong?"

"Reporting to the Lord, no, it is not the case, but I have seen the Lord last year in the Dusi." Guo Quan's face was calm and he waited there.

Zhao Zunian's eyes were deep, and he was lost in thought.
Soon he was startled and his eyes widened slightly. He remembered,

He looked at Guo Quan again. This young man was tall, with broad shoulders and long arms, and looked somewhat like Marquis Wu Ding.

"Are you Guo Quan? Lord Wuding is your father?"

"Yes, sir."

When Zhao Zunian heard the answer, his expression changed again and again.

Liu Xian also realized something, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.
When Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding, was stationed in Liaodong, he mainly cracked down on smuggling trade to Korea.
Although they were heading north on this trip, it was also smuggling.

A trace of annoyance flashed through Zhao Zunian's mind. He was a deputy commander of the Dusi, so he would not be afraid of a young boy.
But the power left by Wu Dinghou in Liaodong was still strong.

If he gossips, there might be trouble.

With a sigh, Zhao Zunian opened the handwritten letter and saw the words written in a flowing style.

[The former army lieutenant general rebuked the chief officer Lu Yunyi, and was temporarily in charge of all matters related to the surrender of the Liao King, the Huining King, and Marshal Duoyan. No one could stop them, and they must be held accountable.]
Below are the seals of the General who Conquers the Enemy, the Lan Yu seal of the Marquis of Yongchang, the Tang Shengzong seal of the Left Deputy General and the Marquis of Yan'an, the Guo Ying seal of the Right Deputy General and the Marquis of Wuding, the Geng Zhong seal of the Left Lieutenant General, the Sun Ke seal of the Right Lieutenant General, and the Wang Bi seal of the Marquis of Dingyuan of the Front Army.

Seeing this series of seals, Zhao Zunian's expression changed again and again.

The seals of several generals of the Northern Expedition Army are all here.

Even though he was a third-rank commander, this was the first time he had seen so many seals packed together.

Moreover, this military order is too general.

As a senior general, he naturally knew what this meant.
The more detailed the military order is, the less room for maneuver and the less autonomy the executors have.

But this military order, in addition to the troops,
There were hardly any specific orders, which meant a great deal of autonomy.

Zhao Zunian's face was gloomy to the extreme. He glanced vaguely at the more than a thousand soldiers in front of him, and felt even more annoyed.

This military order could not scare him.

But the thousand fully armored soldiers before him represented an insurmountable gap.

In the military, strength is everything.

The soldiers behind him were all from the newly built Tieling Guard.
Although they were stronger than the thirty thousand civilian soldiers, they were not much stronger.
They were all military households who had moved here from the impoverished areas of the Ming Dynasty. They were all pale and thin, and were no match for the elite soldiers before them.

Zhao Zunian had also fought on the battlefield for many years, and could keenly sense the elite spirit of the soldiers in the front, especially the action of raising his hand to shoot arrows without hesitation.

In contrast, Liu Xian ordered to continue advancing, but these guards stopped without further orders.

Comparing the two, the gap is obvious.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Zunian closed the order and handed it back.

After taking it, Guo Quan hurried back and also drew out the long sword from his waist, with a serious face, ready to go.

Seeing this scene, the corners of Zhao Zunian's mouth twitched slightly, and he dared not act rashly.

After a moment's silence, Zhao Zunian smiled and looked at Lu Yunyi, his voice warm:
"General Lu, since you have the order from the general and the other military officers,

The Commanding General will not interfere with your many actions in Liaodong.

But please, General Lu, do not interfere with the troops of my Metropolitan Command, how about that?"

The smile on Zhao Zunian's face faded little by little, and his voice gradually became cold:

"We are here to carry out the military duties of the Commander-in-Chief's Office. Please, General Lu, make way for us to pass."

Lu Yunyi looked calm and spoke quietly:
"The 50 miles along the Sanwanwei route is the combat area of ​​the front army scouts. Please take a detour."

The voice was flat, with a tone that kept people at a distance.
Xu Zengshou on the side widened his eyes, became excited, and clenched his fists.

As if he was just as majestic.

Anger flashed in Zhao Zunian's eyes, and his rough hands clenched violently. He took a deep breath and continued:
"The Sanwanwei is a newly built garrison of the Liaodong Military Commission. It is under the overall jurisdiction of the Liaodong Military Commission within a radius of 100 li.

When did it become the battlefield for the front-line scouts? We are going to Sanwanwei to perform military duties, please let us pass."

The atmosphere suddenly became solemn. The cold wind from Liaodong blew gently, bringing with it the fragrance of the earth and blowing away into the distance, but it could not take away the tension among the soldiers.

"No, please take a detour." Lu Yunyi still looked the same as before.

But the soldiers around him had narrowed their eyes, their feet firmly fixed on the new reins, and their fingers exerted force, pulling the bowstring little by little, and the sharpness of the arrow became more and more obvious under the light of the fire.

An unprecedented sense of crisis loomed over the hearts of the Tieling guards, forcing them to take a step back and look at each other in bewilderment.

This made Tieling Guard Commander Liu Xian angry and he shouted:
"What are you retreating for?"

As he spoke, Liu Xian suddenly pulled out the long sword in his hand!

But the next moment his face changed slightly, and he felt a little regretful.

He heard a swish sound behind him, and the soldiers of Tieling Guard also drew out their swords!

The pupils of the soldiers in the front scout unit dilated slightly, and the bowstrings were pulled straight forward without any hesitation.
The wailing sounds of longbows rang out one after another!
Liu Xian's pupils suddenly contracted, and his face turned pale.
A trace of anger flashed in Zhao Zunian's eyes, and he turned his head and shouted at the soldiers behind him:

"What are you doing? Put away your swords!"

When the soldiers put away their swords, the longbows that the scouts in the front army had pulled back gradually.

Although the solemnity in the air had not dissipated, it had eased a lot.

Zhao Zunian was breathing rapidly, his eyes hidden in the darkness almost spitting fire. He looked at Liu Xian and asked:

"Can we bypass the Broken Woods?"

"Sir, are you retreating just like that?" Liu Xian widened his eyes in disbelief.

"The enemy is strong and we are weak. Can your two thousand soldiers defeat them?" Zhao Zunian said in a low voice, somewhat disappointed.

He still had a vague guess in his mind, and a haze appeared in his eyes:

"The remnants of the Northern Yuan Dynasty that caused chaos in Liaowang County may have been instigated by the army to cause chaos in Liaowang County.

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that the Liaowangjun started a war and someone from Liaodong came to block it. "

"What!!" Liu Xian was shocked after hearing this, and a chill suddenly surged in his heart:
"Sir, are we still going? I hope nothing will be missed."

Zhao Zunian's face was gloomy. Thinking of the many people who had not returned, his heart sank, thinking that the matter might have been leaked.

He gritted his teeth, his face, in his forties, full of ferocity:
"Go! How can I not go? If the King of Liao falls like this, then the truth will be revealed.

Think quickly about whether there is a way to bypass him and not get entangled with him.

As long as the King of Liao survives this disaster, we still have room for maneuver.
At least some evidence can be destroyed calmly, and the situation is still in our hands.
But if the King of Liao falls into the hands of Lu Yunyi,
We don’t know what the Liao King will say then, and by then we’ll both be finished!!”

Liu Xian's breathing suddenly became rapid, and his body trembled slightly.
It feels great when you make money, but you feel extremely scared when death is approaching.

He said quickly, "Go around the broken woods. It's a mountain road and a little harder to walk on, but we have soldiers here who can clear the way."

Hearing him say this, Zhao Zunian looked at Lu Yunyi, snorted coldly, and turned back without saying hello.

"Turn around and take a detour!" Liu Xian also shouted loudly, and the soldiers felt relieved.

The front army became the rear army and slowly moved back the way they came.

Lu Yunyi looked at their backs, his face grim, and said calmly:

"Send some people to follow them. When they head north, we will stop them in time. They think they can break through with only two thousand soldiers. What a joke!!"

"Yes!" Liu Heiying responded and waved his hand.

In an instant, ten soldiers jumped off their horses.

He took some dry food and water, put down his spear and longbow, took only a long sword and rushed into the darkness, following.

(End of this chapter)