It was dusk again, and the sun in the west was like a big fireball that was about to go out. **《》》* The bloody sunset passed through the top of the mountain and reflected on the surface of Zhengshui River in front of Guancheng, making the entire water surface look like a layer of rust.

On the tall west city tower of Guancheng, Guancheng chief manager, Meng Rang, the Duke of Qi County, frowned and looked into the dim land under the setting sun.

In the Central Plains and the entire southeastern area, no one would know the name Meng Rang. During the seventh year of Daye's peasant uprising, he rose up in Qi County after Zhishilang Wang Bu, and later joined Wang Bo, and once occupied Changbai Mountain in Jinan, with great momentum.

However, the rebel army later met Zhang Xutuo, the most powerful general at the Sui Dynasty, and defeated them in all directions. After that defeat, he led a few old brothers to fight against Jianghuai County and occupied Xuyi County. With the capital Liangshan as the base, more than 100,000 troops were soon gathered. As a result, he was defeated by Wang Shichong of Jiangdu, and he had to retreat to Shandong. After Wang Shichong went north to serve the king, Qu Tutong, who failed to fight with the Wagang Army in Henan, led his troops to retreat to Shandong.

When the Qu Tutong brothers entered Shandong, his good days were over. He first lost to the Qu Tutong brothers, and then retreated to Dayeze, Shandong. But not long after, the Qu Tutong brothers surrendered to Hebei, and the Hebei general Li Jing led his army south to suppress Shandong, and the rebels from all over Huaibei. He was beaten again and had no power to fight back, so he had to retreat all the way to Xingyang. With the introduction of his old brother Wang Bo, he was able to join the vigorous Duke of Wei Li Mi.

Li Mi treated him well, respected him as a senior, gave him the position of general manager, and was granted the title of Duke of Qi County. He asked him to station in Xingyang County, govern Guancheng, and recruited his former subordinates. After staying in Guancheng for more than a year, he gradually recovered some strength. Now his subordinates also have more than 30,000 soldiers. If Xingyang had not been fled to other places due to constant military disasters and the people fled to other places, he would have recruited more soldiers.

The sunset is extremely beautiful, but it is almost dusk.

The dusk sunset shone a layer of golden light on his face.

Meng Rang once thought that he might be able to make a comeback in the Central Plains and gallop again.

However, when one of his scouts sent him an urgent report from Luokou, he finally realized that the world was changing too quickly.

The urgent newspaper was written very concisely and clearly, but Meng Rang still couldn't believe it.

Scouts military information. Yesterday, King Li Mi of Wei and Chen Kefu fought in Luokou. There was a water battle, but the entire Wei army was completely destroyed. In this destroyed naval army, his old friend Wang Bo. "《》" () It is said that Wang Bo was on the ship and was penetrated by a powerful weapon fired by the Hebei army and died on the spot. Immediately afterwards, the Hebei army and the Jianghuai army joined forces to fight the Wei army with the Wei army in Luokou. The battle was fought from night to noon the next day, and the King of Wei was defeated and lost tens of thousands of troops.

After reading this news, except for not daring to believe it, all he left was a vast sense of loss.

Starting from the seventh year of Daye, rebels from all over the Central Plains emerged one after another. Although the court continued to fight, the world of Zhongyuan was the world of their rebels. They captured cities and broken counties, killed officials and rebelled, and their momentum was like tea and fire. But in a flash, so many years passed, Yang Guang died, the court was in chaos, and the Central Plains were destroyed.

But those who sacrificed their lives and shed their blood were not praised, and no one called them heroes. The aristocratic bureaucrats and powerful men looked at them, but cursed them with the most insulting words, calling them bandits and thieves. Even ordinary people looked at them with hostility.

Every night when it is late, Meng Rang is always disturbed by such consequences and cannot fall asleep.

Standing on the high city tower, Meng Rang sighed long, feeling waves of powerlessness and paleness. The setting sun and the afterglow of the sunset, teams of people in front of the city gate were leaving the city with their families, and the carriages and sedans were all wealthy families in the city. News of the battle in Luokou had already reached the city in the afternoon, and the well-informed wealthy families and powerful families rushed to pack and leave here.

As for where these people were going, Meng Rang didn't know. He couldn't help but wonder, although the world is big, where can these people escape?

The panic of these people who left the city in the city also spread to other people, and more and more people left. Many people did not understand why they wanted to leave, but they instinctively chose to escape after hearing the war approaching. As for where they, the poor people who were all alone, could escape, or maybe it was a good thing that the Hebei army came, they had no intention of thinking about it.

Meng Rang's eldest son Meng Cheng walked over anxiously, fully armed.

"Father, we have to close the city gate immediately. The people in the city are now panicked and are all scrambling to leave the city. If you let this go, tomorrow morning, there may be no people in the city. Without these people, how can we survive in an empty city of Guancheng? Moreover, the brothers below are already panicking, and now there is news that the Hebei army is about to come here. If we don't stop it, the soldiers in the army may also start to escape."

Although Meng Rang's troops belonged to Li Mi of Wei, in fact, Li Mi just set a piece of land for him for them. He said that they could be stationed, and that they could be the esophagus city. Anyway, after Li Mi threw them here, except for supplying a small batch of equipment, the rest of the food, grass, equipment, and other things were ignored, and they all depended on their own to find a way.

Meng Rang and his son have been traveling to many places over the years. Now they have finally had a more stable life and have such a big city. Meng Chengzhen really doesn't want to run away anymore. But if the people in the city have run away, who will they ask to collect taxes, raise food, and build equipment and armor? When defending the city, who should they ask to help defend the city?

Meng Rang's face was covered with Gu Jing Wubo and said calmly, "Who is telling the news of the arrival of the Hebei Army?"

Meng Cheng said helplessly, "At present, all kinds of rumors are flying everywhere in the city. Although my son sent people to catch those who spread rumors, he could not control them at all. There were rumors everywhere and he didn't know what is true or false. Now there are legends everywhere that the Hebei army has already fought, and it was still rumored at noon that the Hebei army had just taken down Hulao Pass. But now, the city has been rumored that the Hebei vanguard has occupied Xingyang County."

Meng Rang smiled indifferently, not knowing what kind of mood this was.

"Cheng'er, don't underestimate those wealthy businessmen in aristocratic families. These people are more versatile than us. Dad tell you a message. In the afternoon, Dad did receive an urgent report that Huang Junhan from Hulao Pass soldier surrendered to the Hebei Army. The Hebei Army had already taken down Hulao Pass without any effort. The letter also said that the commander of the Hebei Army who entered Hulao Pass at this time was Chen Kefu."

"This is impossible!" Meng Cheng's face turned pale, and he waved his hands in panic and shouted loudly.

"When I first received the letter, I also felt it was impossible. Chen Kefu could not have had a battle with Li Mi in Luokou yesterday, and only won a victory, but before the real victory, he suddenly rushed to the Huzhu and seized the Huzhu. However, the reactions of these powerful and wealthy families in the city today forced my father to believe that all this is true."

"How is this possible? How is this possible?" Meng Cheng just repeated over and over again, at a loss. What he had just heard reminded him of the 100,000 coalition forces of their 100,000 troops and Wang Bo were defeated by Zhang Xutuo. Later, the 100,000 soldiers and horses in Jianghuai were defeated by Wang Shichong, and then they were defeated by the two brothers Qu Tu. Li Jing was driven away like a dog from a family. Now that Chen Pojun has arrived in person, do they still have a way out?

"Report!" A cavalry rushed over with an urgent report in his hand and shouted loudly.

"Report to the General Manager, Xingyang County Emergency Military Report urgently!"

Meng Rang reached out to take it, took it apart, and saw a hard smile on his face.

"Here, it's true, this day has finally arrived!"

"Father, what's the matter?" Meng Cheng asked.

"Chen Kefu is here. Xingyang urgently reported that just now, Wei Dadan from Xingyang County brought his three thousand subordinates and had already opened the city to surrender as soon as he saw the flag of the Hebei army. Now, the three thousand vanguards of Hebei have come straight to Guancheng, and Chen Kefu personally led an army of 20,000 to arrive later."

"Father, we are not opponents of the Hebei Army. We can't even defeat Qu Tutong, and Li Jing. Now that Chen Pojun has arrived in person, we are not even opponents. Father, let's abandon the city and run away!"

Meng Rang smiled slightly, "Escape? The world is so big, where can we have a place to stay? Cheng'er, it's not the Daye period now. The Sui Dynasty has been destroyed, and our rebels who destroyed the Sui Dynasty have no place to stand. Today, the powerful people from all sides regard us as traitors and want to pacify them and then hurry up. Now, except for Li Mi, there are rebels? Now it seems that Li Mi will not be able to protect himself and we have no way to escape."

"Then, then, let's surrender to Chen Pojun. The brothers have been fighting for so many years and are tired of it. Let's just surrender to Chen Pojun and then get rid of their troops and return to the fields."

Meng Rang sighed, "Son, we have been fighting against Sui in the seventh year of Daye. It has been nine years since then. We don't know how many people should be killed and what should not be killed. We have already dyed our hands and how can we wash our hands and go ashore now? Now that we surrendered to Li Jing in Shandong, there may be a way out, but now, Chen Kefu is anxious to take the heads of us, the rebels, to calm the hearts of the people in various places. How can we let us go at this time?"

"But Huang Junhan, and Wei Dadan, and he also surrendered?"

Meng Rang stretched out his hand to tilt his sword, with a long edge in his hand, and sighed, "Son, death is not that scary. Now, my father felt that these nine years have seemed like a big dream. The Central Plains are in ruins, the people are in trouble, and there is also a sin that we have created. The curtain of the world's struggle has gradually come to an end, and a new benevolent lord has been born. We have committed too much sin after all. Son, let us hold the sword in our hands today and ask for a grand return!"

The setting sun is like blood. In the afterglow of the setting sun in the west, dust is like smoke, flags are flying, sword light is better than snow, and thousands of knights are running wildly! (To be continued...
Chapter completed!