Chapter 183 Xuchang and Luoyang

Chapter 183 Xuchang and Luoyang

Chapter 183 Xuchang and Luoyang

On July 19, the army, which had rested all night, left Feixiang, turned southeast and pursued the enemy.

Shao Xun suddenly received news that almost on the same day he defeated Lu Ping and Li Le, Gou Xi defeated Jisang again in Yangping and killed thousands of people.

Having been defeated on both the northern and southern fronts, Ji Sang's luck had indeed run out and it didn't look like he could turn the situation around.

At this time on the post road, the morale of the Silver Spear Army, which had won a great victory, was high. Whenever they saw Shao Xun riding past, they would cheer spontaneously.

Shao Xun was happy with them.

The private soldiers that I spent five years and all my efforts to train have finally taken shape and can go into battle and win. This huge sense of satisfaction is enough to make anyone intoxicated.

The Yamen Army was somewhat indignant.

In the Battle of Feixiang, they were responsible for the flanking mission and did not get any chance to attack. They only fought a favorable battle at the last moment. However, the greatest credit for this battle went to the Silver Spear Army, which they had always looked down upon. Therefore, everyone was dissatisfied and held a ball of anger in their hearts.

If you feel unhappy, you will naturally vent it out.

Three days later, they arrived in Guantao County without any obstruction.

There were only a few thousand volunteers in the city, and the people were in panic.

The auxiliary soldiers spent a day making some simple ladders, and that night they launched a surprise attack, climbed over the wall and entered the city.

The bandits were in disarray and most of them fled in disarray.

On the 21st, they continued eastward, pursuing the enemy all the way without stopping.

On the 23rd, they received news during the march that Shi Le had come south from Qinghe to rescue Jisang, but was severely defeated by Gou Xi, with more than 10,000 casualties. The two gathered the remaining troops and fled hastily to Qinghe.

So the army changed direction and headed towards Qinghe.

On the 25th, the Yamen Army defeated the remaining rebel forces of Kui'an and Tao Bao, and the two men fled with only a few dozen cavalry.

On the 26th, they recaptured Qinghe County and continued northward, pursuing the enemy without stopping.

At this time, Liu Yu finally arrived at Yecheng slowly.

The Ye Palace was dilapidated and difficult to live in. Fortunately, there were many empty houses in the city, so there was no problem of finding a place to live.

"The palace was burned down by a bunch of unknown thieves, and I don't know when it will be restored to its original state."

"If Yan Guo were here, he might even go to pay his respects and offer his condolences."

"Haha, Yan Guo is an idiot."

"Have you read Yanguo's military report? It simply praises Shao Xun as the best general in the world."

"Didn't General Gou Dao fight well? He captured and killed more people, which was a greater achievement than Shao Xun. Ji Sang's 50,000 bandits have basically been dispersed. I heard that Ji Sang fled south to Chiping Muyuan, which was to seek death. Shi Le led hundreds of cavalry to the north, and I don't know where he was going."

"Before we know it, the rebellion in Hebei is finally going to be quelled."

As everyone was arguing, their expressions were somewhat complicated.

The two men without any family background led the troops and defeated the bandit army one after another, sweeping Hebei province like autumn wind sweeping away leaves.

But before them, Nanyang Wang Mo lost control of the situation and fled to Xuchang and then to Chang'an. Xincai Wang Teng was even more miserable, only one of the four father and son survived, and the family was almost destroyed.

Among all the kings, the only one with some ability was probably King Hu of Fanyang. Unfortunately, he died suddenly at the age of 37, otherwise there wouldn't have been so many heads and tails.

Whenever they think of these things, everyone feels a little uncomfortable.

It is even more distressing when you consider that Zhang Fang, the former number one general in Guanxi, also came from a poor family.

How come in this world, there are so many ignorant and lowly people popping up?
"I have sent someone to Xuchang to report Hu Wu Fuzhi's victory." Liu Yu, who had been looking at the map, suddenly looked up and said.

"Xuchang?" Someone was puzzled.

"Jisang was defeated, and the Grand Tutor has left Guandu and returned to Xuchang." Liu Yu explained: "The overall situation in Hebei has been determined, and there will be no more changes."

"What about us?"

"We can't leave yet." Liu Yu shook his head and said, "The remnants of the King of Chengdu are active in Guangping. The Grand Tutor has ordered us to march north to wipe them out."

"Then Shao Xun..."

Liu Yu's face darkened.

In fact, he didn't know the situation on the front line very well, and Hu Wufuzhi's victory report was exaggerated and could not be fully believed. But when he saw Shao Xun chasing the bandits, he knew that their casualties in the Feixiang battle were not heavy, so they had spare energy and confidence to pursue the fleeing enemy, which means that they were now a victorious army with high morale...

Obviously, the purpose of consuming Shao Xun was not achieved.

On the contrary, he may have seized a large amount of supplies and captured many defeated soldiers and craftsmen. His strength was even greater than before the war, making him even more difficult to deal with.

"Let's wait for the response from the Grand Tutor." Liu Yu sighed.

He was really worried that if he didn't handle this matter well, he would fall out of favor with the Grand Tutor and let someone else take his place - the Grand Tutor had recently been very impressed with the Imperial Secretary Pan Tao and was thinking of inviting him to join him, so Liu Yu felt a sense of crisis.

After hearing what Liu Yu said, everyone shut up.

No matter how many conspiracies and tricks you use, will it work if someone wins a great victory? Thinking of this, I felt a little frustrated.

"Shao Xun is near Qinghe now, right?" Liu Yu asked.

"Yes."

"Did he say what he was going to do?"

"Pursue Shi Le to the north and swear to kill this beast."

"Huh?" Liu Yu shouted in surprise, and said to himself, "How strange. Ji Sang and Shi Le were defeated and their tribes were scattered. Ji Sang fled south to Chiping, and Shi Le fled north to Anping. Why did Shao Xun abandon Ji Sang and chase after Shi Le? Could it be that Shi Le's value is higher than Ji Sang?"

Everyone looked at each other, somewhat puzzled.

Yes, why? Ji Sang's head is much more valuable than Shi Le's.

"Tell them to stop while they are ahead and march west to Xiangguo to block Shi Chao and his men's escape route to the north." Liu Yu gave the order: "The rest of the troops, follow me north to Guangping to wipe out Sima Ying's former troops."

"Yes." Everyone responded.

******
When the victory report reached Xuchang, the Taifu's health was not good again.

He read Hu Wufuzhi's military report again and again, and became increasingly unhappy. He secretly decided to kick this man to Yanzhou this year and let him be a great minister who only talked all day long, and never enter the court again in his life. "Grandmaster, you should calm down at this time." The chief clerk Guo Xiang, who was sitting opposite him, reminded him softly.

Sima Yue sighed and nodded slightly.

After winning the battle, even if you don't like it, you have to hold your nose and give rewards. After all, the imperial guards were not going to be dispatched, and Shao Xun led the army to the battle out of "gratitude". He even brought his private troops with him, and no one could blame him. It would be unreasonable for you to treat him harshly at this time.

"What did Shao Xun do in Qinghe?" Sima Yue suddenly asked.

"According to Liu Qingsun's investigation, he sent people to donate money and grain and recruit craftsmen," Guo Xiang replied.

Sima Yue snorted coldly.

Shao Xun really didn't even bother to cover up. It seemed that he was not very interested in chasing the remaining enemies, but more in getting benefits.

"Write a letter to the military commander Wang Yan and say this..." Sima Yue cleared his throat and dictated a few words. He then asked the secretary Sun Hui to polish and copy the letter and send it to Luoyang.

After sending the letter, Sima Yue felt weak and a little dizzy.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Ask Tian Zhen, Bo Sheng, and Li Yun to come to Xuchang to see me."

"promise."

"Yecheng has been recovered. Who is the best person to guard it?" Sima Yue asked again.

He no longer had much confidence in the abilities of the princes. Moreover, there was no suitable candidate for the prince to go to Yecheng—even if there was one, they might not be willing to go.

"Taifu, perhaps you can write to Wang Sikong to ask for advice." Guo Xiang did not dare to express his opinion on this matter and could only push it to Wang Yan.

Sima Yue nodded.

In fact, he already had a candidate: Zhongshu Ling He Yu and Zhongyu, He Qiao's younger brother, one of the Twenty-Four Friends of Jingu Garden, who was known for his integrity.

Celebrities and famous people may be able to control Yecheng.

"General Gou Dao, don't delay." Sima Yue said, "Since we have already found out that Ji Sang has fled to Chiping, we should lead our troops south to search for him. After we capture him, we don't need to ask for permission, just crush his bones and scatter his ashes."

"Yes." Guo Xiang's heart trembled. The Grand Tutor was so cruel and vindictive to the enemy who killed his brother and nephew.

He was a little scared. For the first time, he felt that being an aide to the Grand Tutor was not a good thing. But he was reluctant to give up the wonderful taste of power, and was hesitant for a while.

The letter from the "Baifu" in Xuchang was delivered with the highest standards, with horses but no drivers changing along the way. It was presented to Wang Yan's desk just after nightfall the next day.

Guo Xiang also included some personal ideas in the letter, including some of his new annotations on Zhuangzi.

After reading it, Wang Yan did not comment and gave it to his daughter Wang Huifeng to keep.

Wang Jingfeng sat there bored and yawning.

Wang Yan looked at her with disgust and cursed: "Apart from your looks, you are really useless."

Wang Jingfeng had no idea what kind of misfortune had befallen him. He stood there in a daze for a moment, his mouth pouting.

Wang Yan turned his head and sighed.

Wang Huifeng read the letter carefully, with no expression on his cold face.

Wang Yan secretly admired her. After all, she had been a crown princess and had some bearing. It was a pity that she was not a man. What a pity.

"What do you think?" Wang Yan asked.

Wang Huifeng shook her head and said, "How can my daughter, a woman, get involved in such an important matter?"

"I just want to hear your opinion." Wang Yan said patiently.

Wang Huifeng pondered for a moment and said, "Shao Xun is very talented, just like Zhang Fang of Yongfu, who overshadows many other scholars. This will surely cause dissatisfaction among the famous scholars of Yuefu. The Grand Tutor himself does not want to reward Shao Xun highly, and the position of prefect is almost impossible. Then, we can only give him gold and silk rewards and titles."

"Hmm." Wang Yan stroked his beard lightly and nodded.

In fact, he felt that Sima Yue was too narrow-minded and not good at controlling his subordinates. Once he hated someone, it would be a mess and it would be too ugly.

Sometimes, Wang Yan wanted to run to Xuchang to talk to Sima Yue and ask him to take it easy.

I still want to benefit from you, so don't mess around.

"To be fair, Shao Xun's contribution was not enough for him to be a county marquis unless he captured Ji Sang. But I heard that Ji Sang went to Chiping, where Gou Xi's army was stationed, so he must have missed the opportunity to achieve this achievement. Therefore, the highest titles are Ting Marquis and Xiang Marquis." Wang Huifeng continued, "However, there are many troubles in all directions now, and there may be indiscriminate titles. Even if Gou Xi captured Ji Sang, he could only be a county marquis in the past, but now it is uncertain, he may be a county marquis. Then, it is unreasonable for Shao Xun, who is second in military merit, to be a Ting Marquis."

In fact, in the early years of the Guo Dynasty, Du Yu was awarded the title of county marquis for his contribution in destroying Wu.

Of course, this is normal.

At the beginning of the founding of the country, the titles were generally more stingy and strict. As time went on, they became more and more relaxed. In the late period of the dynasty, it was common to confer titles indiscriminately.

"Hu Wu Fuzhi said that Shao Xun is a good soldier. What do you think?" Wang Yan asked again.

"My daughter doesn't know much about military affairs." Wang Huifeng shook his head and said, "But Shao Xun rushed hundreds of miles to attack Liu Qiao and killed five thousand Xianbei in Chang'an. He doesn't seem like a mediocre person. It's true that he defeated Ji Sang and broke through the enemy. His private soldiers with silver spears should have some combat power."

Wang Yan walked around the room for a long time, stroking his beard.

Wang Jingfeng stretched out of boredom, revealing his beautiful figure.

Wang Huifeng sat quietly, fiddling with the letter gently.

Wang Yan stopped.

To be honest, he was a little tempted.

It would be a bit difficult to act arrogantly and abuse power in Luoyang without the support of capable troops.

The Grand Tutor doesn't want Shao Xun. Can I try to win him over privately?

He hesitated about this idea because Shao Xun seemed a little difficult to control and too domineering.

But he was very famous among the imperial guards, and Wang Yan saw it with his own eyes.

Being able to fight and win battles at the same time is even more rare - it must be said that Shao Xun struggled for five years and created great united front value with his outstanding performance. Even Wang Yan began to target him.

"Let's test the Grand Tutor's attitude first." Wang Yan made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)