Chapter 1009 No choice

Chapter 1009 No choice

Chapter 1009 No choice
Fan Xi came from the south city.

When passing through this place, there were well-laid foundations, half-built gardens, houses and palaces on both sides of the street.

This situation made Fan Xi feel a little sad.

These are all the people's hard-earned money, but not a single cent was used for military warfare, and the whole thing was used for enjoyment.

Looking at the soldiers setting up tents on the open ground, Fan Yi secretly guessed what they were thinking.

"Mr. Fan, please follow me to the city wall." Suoxun, the Licao official who was leading the way, said in a low voice.

"Okay." Fan Yi nodded and quickly followed.

Several people followed one after another and soon climbed up a city wall.

This building is named "Qingyang Tower". It is the east gate of the south city, and the gate is called "Qingyang Gate".

There were many braziers and torches burning on the city wall, illuminating the surroundings.

The soldiers stood solemnly around and looked at Fan Xi and his group in silence.

No one was a fool. When their superiors ordered them to prepare a hanging basket and send people out of the city, they had already guessed some of the details.

If Zhang Jun was determined to fight to the death, would he send people out of the city?

As long as someone is sent out of the city, it means one thing: Zhang Jun still wants to talk.

If they were smarter and analyzed and reasoned, they would know that Guzang was in a precarious situation and there was no hope of defending it, so they needed to contact the Liang people in advance and discuss the terms.

"Changshi, it's done." A military school student came over and pointed to the tied ropes and hanging basket and said.

Fan Xi nodded, and when he was about to shoot the ball into the basket, he looked up at the outside of the city.

The Liang army camp in the east of the city was brightly lit and heavily guarded. There were faint sounds of horse hooves outside, which were obviously the cavalry patrolling back and forth, chasing away those who came too close to spy.

Fan Xi no longer hesitated and stepped into the basket.

The sergeant stepped forward, lifted it up with all his strength, and then carefully lowered the basket little by little.

Soon, the basket fell to the ground.

Fan Xi walked out and looked around carefully.

It was pitch black all around. With the faint light coming from the top of the city wall, Fan Yu could vaguely see black coagulated blood, as well as broken spears and swords. It seemed that a great battle had taken place here.

"They've been guarding the city all the time, but they don't even guard the city walls. I don't know what kind of war they're fighting." Fan Xi sighed.

He looked again at the dark city wall in the distance on the east side. That was the "Military Exercise Field" in the east city that had been conquered by the Liang people.

Fan Xi remembered that there were many Xianbei people living outside the small towns on the east and west sides, but now he didn't know where they were.

These Xianbei people were registered civilians who depended on Guzang, and were mainly responsible for taking care of the pastures and gardens on weekdays.

Yes, outside the East and West small towns are wide and flat grasslands, where originally a large number of livestock were grazed, so these two small towns are also called the East and West Gardens.

When the battle was about to begin, these Xianbei people fled with their livestock, but it is not known whether they escaped successfully.

While he was thinking, two followers came down one after another.

After some groping, the two of them successfully lit the torch and then looked at Fan Yi.

"Go!" Fan Xi strode forward without any fear.

The follower quickly followed, his hand stroking the hilt of the sword at his waist, more to give himself courage than to prepare for any eventuality.

What can the three of them do if they fall into the vast sea of ​​Liang soldiers?

After walking for dozens of steps, some rangers soon discovered them and approached them.

"Don't do it." An attendant stepped forward, bowed, and said loudly: "We are the envoys from Zhang Liangzhou, and we have important matters to discuss."

The Ranger looked at them in silence.

In a moment, several more riders came forward and surrounded them.

The two followers were a little uneasy, but Fan Yi was calm and just stood there, watching quietly.

"Take them into the East City." The cavalryman seemed to be a junior officer. He waved his hand and gave the order.

"Messenger, please follow me." A knight turned his horse's head and said loudly.

Fan Xi followed silently.

After walking a few dozen steps, they soon arrived at East City.

The knight went forward to negotiate, and a basket was lowered from the top of the city wall. The three men were lowered into the city one by one and then placed in a house.

This house was very familiar to Fan Xi. It was where his lord temporarily stayed when he watched the soldiers reviewing their military performances.

The courtyard was densely dotted with sentries, and there were several large flags placed in the corners of the wall, with words faintly visible on them: "General Duan of the Right Cavalry Guard".

It turned out to be a palace soldier!
The East City is not big, and can only garrison three to five hundred cavalry at most. The general of the Right Cavalry Guard is a third-rank official, and he was so reckless as to take the risk, only a hundred steps away from the South City of Guzang. His courage is truly extraordinary.

Of course, from another perspective, the chief officer being in the front can better observe, mobilize and command the soldiers under his command, which is a very practical benefit.

There is a reason why Shao Xun was able to succeed.

The troops he personally trained wanted to make achievements and had a strong desire to fight. It was ridiculous that Song Ji still hoped to hold out for a few months and wait for the Liang army to retreat. Now it seemed unlikely.

Without food and fodder, these soldiers would probably squeeze oil out of the bones of the surrounding tribal herdsmen to support their continued siege. There were also many young men wearing linen clothes in the courtyard. If nothing unexpected happened, these were the soldiers of the government, and at the moment they were busy with their own affairs.

Someone was feeding night grass to the horses.

Someone is trimming a horse's hooves.

Someone was picking firewood.

Some people were collecting damaged equipment and loading them onto carts, but they didn't know where to transport them.

As for the palace soldiers - thunderous snoring could be heard from the houses on both sides. Except for those on night duty, most of them had fallen asleep to conserve their energy.

Well-organized, busy but not chaotic, everyone has their own duties, and the fighting spirit is high...

With such troops, it is no wonder that they can sweep across the entire north.

******
It was not until dawn that someone led Fan Xi to the central army camp.

It is not known whether it was intentional or accidental, but many people from Liangzhou came to Jin Zheng’s tent.

At a cursory glance, Fan Xi saw the Liang general Beigong Chun, the Yanzhi chief Ji Yan, the Fuhan guard Xin Yan, the former chief clerk of the shogunate Ma Yu, the cavalry commander Xin Yan, the son of Jia Mo (Zhang Shi's brother-in-law) Jia Zhuang, the leader of the Lushui Hu Juqu Zha, the Tuoba Xianbei leader Tuoba Tuijin, and the former commander of the Yansha tribe Yan Ding.

When he saw Yan Ding, Fan Xi was stunned. He seemed to have some impression of him, because this person had tried to make a living in Liangzhou and had also visited his house, and they had met once.

The Yan family is considered a big family in Tianshui and Wuwei.

Zhang Shi was assassinated by Yan Sha. But the Yan clan was fine, after all, they were an old noble family that had rebelled with Han Sui in the late Han Dynasty. Yan Xing even married Han Sui's daughter and successfully jumped ship to the side of Cao Wei.

Yan Sha had a good relationship with Han Pu during his lifetime.

We may not see each other when we look up, but we will meet each other when we look down. Those trivial things of our ancestors are nothing. Maybe the Han and Yan clans, and even the Bian clan of Jincheng, the Ma clan of Dunhuang, and the Beigong clan of Wuwei will join hands in the future to give Shao Xun a big blow, just like Bian Zhang, Han Sui, Ma Chao, Yan Xing, and Beigong Boyu rebelled against the Later Han Dynasty.

"Greetings, General Jin." Fan Xi retracted his gaze and bowed to Jin Zheng.

Jin Zheng did not let him sit down. He looked him up and down with a dangerous look and asked, "I heard that Chief Secretary Fan has been to Luoyang and was treated with great courtesy by the emperor?"

"Yes." Fan Xi replied, not knowing what he meant.

"Since you have seen the emperor, why don't you surrender?" Jin Zheng asked, playing with a tiger talisman.

"I was promoted by Zhang Xiping and assisted his descendants. I dare not betray my integrity," Fan Xi replied.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"According to the orders of the Palace Master, protect the people of Wuwei."

Jin Zheng suddenly laughed and said, "You guys are full of talk about morality, but you are actually thieves and prostitutes. If you want to surrender, then surrender. Why are you talking so much?"

After these words were spoken, everyone in the field felt a little uncomfortable.

They surrendered, more or less, with a set of self-consistent logic. But if we look deeper, can this self-deceiving reason really stand up?
Jin Zheng, you can just scold Fan Xi, why do you have to bring us along? Don't we have any shame?
Of course, Jin Zheng didn't care about their resentment at all. He just looked at Fan Yu and said, "If Zhang Jun had come to the court earlier, he would have been a guest of honor at the emperor's table. But why did he provoke such an unreasonable provocation? Haven't you heard that people who cut themselves off cannot be tolerated?"

"General, that's right." Fan Xi said, "However, when a wise king governs the world, he must forgive the wrongdoers and settle the grievances, and bring peace to the people. My master was deceived and lost his way for a while. Now, in order to stop the war, he is willing to return to the court. In this way, the reputation of his father and grandfather will be preserved, and the loyalty between the monarch and his subjects will be strengthened."

"This is not something Zhang Jun would say." Jin Zheng sneered and said, "I sent troops to capture four cities in a row, but he still refused to surrender. Are you trying to deceive both sides?"

Fan Xi's expression remained unchanged, and he said, "General, why are you hesitating? Before I left, my lord once said that since the Liangzhou troops were attacked, the generals and soldiers have not cared about danger and sacrificed their lives. This is indeed a heroic act. However, there are many casualties. If this continues, I am afraid that many pavilions and barriers will be abandoned and the border will not be peaceful. He also said that the people have been suffering since the spring war. When they were tossed and turned, their cries shook the sky. Every time I think of this, I can't bear it. A benevolent person should take the safety of the people as the basis, not take pride in fighting. Now the crime is only committed by me. For the sake of millions of people, why should I care about my life?"

Jin Zheng laughed loudly, and the officers of the Liang army in the tent also laughed.

It sounds better than singing, but isn't it because they are surrounded on three sides and have lost all confidence that they are willing to surrender?

The Liangzhou nobles present had different reactions.

Those who had grudges against Zhang Jun, such as Xin, Jia, and Yan, were laughing uncontrollably.

The Hu chieftain laughed awkwardly.

Beigong Chun, Ma Qian, Ji Yan and others smiled bitterly.

There are also those with blushing faces, in short, there are all kinds of mentalities.

After Jin Zheng finished laughing, his expression darkened.

The laughter in the tent gradually died down.

Jin Zhengyong said with a slightly regretful tone: "Zhang Jun still has some influence from his father and grandfather. His Majesty has ordered that you surrender as soon as the army arrives and you will be assigned to another position. If you surrender before the city is captured, you will not lose your wealth. You report this, and I will wait for one day today. If there is no reply, I will lead the army to attack the city."

He didn't say what to do after the city was captured, so Zhang Jun had to figure it out on his own, but it wouldn't be a good thing anyway.

Fan Xi frowned slightly when he heard this.

The conditions were not bad, but not great either. However, he knew very well that with so many Liangzhou nobles sitting here, there would be soldiers to attack the city. Moreover, if they were used to persuade them to surrender, it might have a good effect.

"I have another word for you." Jin Zheng said, "Zhangye County has surrendered, and Jiuquan, Xihai, Dunhuang, Jinchang, Gaochang and other counties are blocked from the outside. There will be no reinforcements coming here. It is up to you to decide where to go."

Fan Xi bowed and said nothing more. He returned to Guzang City that day and reported everything he had encountered.

At this time, the private soldiers of the wealthy families in the south city came out and welcomed the Liang army into the city.

Fortunately, there were walls, towers and gates separating the three cities, so the riots did not spread to the central city and the north city for a while.

But such an incident was itself a serious blow to morale, whether for ordinary soldiers, shogunate generals, or Zhang Jun.

He actually had no choice.

(End of this chapter)