The sun sets in the west.
Zhou soldiers disappeared into the distance in embarrassment, leaving behind their chariots, horses, flags, armor, and weapons all over the place.
The deafening shouts of the crowd resounded throughout the sky.
Liu Taozi looked coldly at Yang Zhong who disappeared in the distance, without any joy of victory.
Liu Taozi still failed to retain Yang Zhong. This guy was too decisive. He did not engage in battle with Liu Jun, but retreated when they met. He even maintained his organizational strength during the retreat and was not scattered.
His breakout was completely different from Liu Taozi's. Liu Taozi took the lead and used his strength to tear apart the enemy's formation, and then broke out. Yang Zhong divided his troops into three groups and retreated in a roundabout way. Every time, it felt like he was going to attack from the side.
Attacking himself forced Liu Taozi to slow down, but as soon as he slowed down, he immediately went around and distanced himself. The three cavalry relied on this roundabout to walk their dogs, allowing the general to escape successfully.
Liu Taozi thought carefully about Yang Zhong's tactics. These are things that have never been recorded in the art of war books, and are not something ordinary people dare to implement.
But it is very effective. If it can be used in large-scale army battles, can it treat the enemy's large army like a dog?
Podoro appeared next to Liu Taozi with a smile, holding several heads in his hand and passing by.
"Agan! This time I am the first to do the most harm!"
Later, he felt a little regretful, "What a pity, we still let this old thief Yang Zhong go!"
"This old man runs so fast. If I could cut off his head, no one in Zhou Dynasty would dare to invade him for five or six years!"
Liu Taozi stared at the hillside in the distance without speaking.
Under the hillside, Yang Zhong was panting and gathering his defeated troops. He was covered in blood and was trembling violently again. Several generals who followed him on the expedition were also in a state of embarrassment at the moment, each of them suffering varying degrees of injuries.
Everyone was a little silent when they heard the thundering cheers coming from the other side of the hillside.
A trace of surprise also flashed across Yang Zhong's face.
This terrifying morale was what he had heard when he followed the white-robed Chen Qingzhi on the Northern Expedition. He had heard such cheers resounding throughout the sky.
Li Mu was a little uneasy at this moment, "When we first met, this guy's ability to lead troops in battle was only ordinary. Today's tactics of marching and pursuing are no less than those of many generals. The two stages of his charge just now were your last."
A common tactic, right??”
Yang Zhong suddenly laughed, "This little brat dares to use my tactics to attack me."
"I learned this when I followed a general on an expedition. Unexpectedly, now someone has learned it again. Wait until next year. I will definitely ask him for an explanation and let him see his tactics!!"
"withdraw!!!"
After Yang Zhong gave an order, the generals who had been silent at first raised their heads, regained some courage again, and quickly left the place.
Yang Zhong said it very easily, but while riding a war horse and staring into the distance, his expression was extremely complicated.
This little kid is progressing so fast!!
Could it be that I am really old?
Why can't my son be like him?
The cold wind blew the trees on both sides of the road, swaying slightly.
Several wild dogs swung their tails, gathered around, and gnawed on something.
The evil bird made a sharp cry and flew through the air, causing the wild dogs to raise their heads one after another, with pieces of meat hanging from the corners of their mouths.
"Whoosh~~"
The arrow flew out, and the vicious dog was immediately pierced through the body, twitching and falling to the ground. The other vicious dogs whimpered and fled in all directions. There were more and more arrows, and the wild dogs were killed one by one.
The scouts then put away their arrows and continued to explore the road.
Liu Taozi led the army and walked on the official road. The official road was exceptionally flat. The knights escorted the carriage and took the trophies that Yang Zhong had worked so hard to capture. They followed Liu Taozi arrogantly and slowly moved towards Shuozhou.
.
There are more and more bodies on both sides of the road.
There are men, women, old people, children, Qi people, Zhou people, and Turks.
The killings destroyed everyone equally, even the intruders were not given any special exception, and they were also turned into cold corpses.
The farmland in the distance that was supposed to have a good harvest was now in ruins, trampled by horse hooves, and deliberately set on fire.
The Zhou people did not want to see a strong and vibrant frontier, so Yang Zhong divided his troops to attack various places, focusing on destroying production.
From Jinyang to Beishuo, then to Yan and Anzhou.
The village was burned down, the farmers were killed by the intruders, and the women and children were kidnapped.
Black smoke was billowing everywhere, and it had not stopped for several days.
The injured old horse pushed his master who had stopped moving with his head, and finally sat beside him in despair.
As soon as Liu Taozi advanced a certain distance, the scout led several people to this place in a hurry.
He was an official from the nearest village and town, and he was accompanied by two other township officials.
The country official was old and injured his leg. He limped to Liu Taozi with a cane and bowed before him.
The village official raised his head, he wanted to congratulate Liu Taozi on his victory.
But when the words came to his lips, he couldn't say them out. His whole body was just trembling.
Liu Taozi looked at the black smoke in the distance.
"How's it going?"
The village official stretched out his hand and pointed to the home in the distance, "that"
He couldn't say anything, he just whimpered again, his voice was like the wild dog that was shot just now.
He gestured with his hands, trying to speak, and took several deep breaths, but the words still failed to come out, but tears kept falling. Finally, he covered his face with his hands and cried in pain.
Liu Taozi looked at the soldiers behind him, "Distribute food and relieve the victims."
The joy of victory on the faces of the soldiers was much washed away at this moment. Potra's face was full of solemnity. He nodded and led the soldiers to go quickly.
Liu Taozi looked at the village official who was crying bitterly.
"There won't be a next time."
The young man who was following the village official came out at this moment, "General, there was a group of people passing by earlier. They said they were angels and they are waiting for you in Wuchuan. Before they left, they told us that if we encounter the general leading his troops passing by, let us inform you.
.”
Liu Taozi's brows jumped and she looked at the soldiers on the side, "Go and send someone to tell them that the angels will come to Shuozhou to see me."
"only!!!"
Liu Taozi led the knights to move forward. After marching for a long time, they finally arrived at Shuozhou.
Shuozhou is much better than other places. The impact of the war has been controlled in some areas. At least the area around the government is safe and there has been no looting.
When Liu Taozi arrived in Zhaoyuan, Gao Yan and Tian Zili were not here.
Those who came out of the city to greet him turned out to be Lu Qubing and He Bacheng.
In addition to the two of them, there is another acquaintance, Liyang County Lieutenant Dugujie.
Lu Qubing stood on tiptoe. The moment he saw Liu Taozi's cavalry appear, he trotted forward to greet him. The others did not dare to do this and hurriedly prepared to kneel down and greet him.
Liu Taozi reined in his horse and stopped, looking at Lu Qubing who was running over quickly. Several knights around him raised their crossbows, and Podoro motioned for them to put them down.
"General Taoliu!!"
Lu Qubing gave a standard salute, but then quickly raised his head and looked at Liu Taozi, "You're not injured, are you? I heard that you went to the hinterland of the Puppet Zhou Dynasty? Where is Yang Zhong? Have you caught him?"
When we first met, he asked a series of questions.
Liu Taozi was not surprised at all. He turned over and dismounted, and the knights dismounted one after another.
"No problem. Let's talk after we get into the city."
Lu Qubing knew that now was not a good time to chat, so he quickly held back his words and followed Liu Taozi towards the city.
"Meet General Liu!!"
He Bacheng and Dugujie hurriedly performed prostrations to see each other.
They didn't dare to be as casual as Lu Qubing. They were trembling with fear when facing Liu Taozi.
The main reason is that Liu Taozi's current reputation is too loud.
This was a ruthless man who defeated Yang Zhong twice and defeated more than 100,000 Turks with more than 3,000 fine cavalry.
Well, although there are some inside stories about these two things, the results of the battle are real. Being able to fight is one factor, and his own power is also an important factor. Everyone can see that Liu Taozi has gradually become the largest player in the country.
This trend is already a bit dangerous for the military leader. He is heading in the direction of a certain Tianzhu general. Who dares to be disrespectful?
"Brother Heba, you are here."
He Bacheng's heart was extremely complicated at this moment.
I remember that at the beginning, Liu Taozi was still a general under his command. Although he took the upper position in every meeting, he was nominally his subordinate. However, in just a few years, he had transformed into a most important general in the country.
He Bacheng was not jealous at all. When Liu Taozi was General Anxi, he was still a little jealous, but now that he was the governor-general with real power, He Bacheng no longer felt any jealousy at all.
Having offended King Shunyang and many nobles, after He Bacheng returned to Yecheng, Gao Yan transferred him to work at the Secretariat, with the intention of cultivating him.
But Gao Yan soon became seriously ill, and He Bacheng faced a lot of revenge. He was not accepted, and even his uncle became more and more distant from him.
Until this time, he couldn't bear it anymore and chose to defect to Liu Taozi directly.
"General!!"
He Ba Cheng saluted again, and Liu Taozi helped him up, "Brother He Ba, you don't have to be like this. I've heard everything. If you hadn't informed me in time, I would have fought Yang Zhong on an empty stomach. Now that I can retreat from the enemy, I won't be able to defeat him."
It’s because of Brother He Ba’s contribution.”
"Thank you, General! I don't dare to take any credit, I just want to be able to follow the General and serve him!"
Liu Taozi nodded, "I will report to the emperor and re-promote you to the rank of general, and you will be in charge of the important frontier town."
He Bacheng's eyes turned red and he wanted to pay his respects for the third time, but Liu Taozi held him back.
Liu Taozi looked at Dugujie on the side and said, "Dugu County Lieutenant."
"General!!"
He Bacheng hurriedly said: "General, Lord Dugu was dismissed from his post in Liyang and has nowhere to go. I led everyone in Cheng'an to flee to Liyang, and Governor Shi asked Lord Dugu to lead his private soldiers to protect us."
"When the emperor left Yecheng, Governor Shi asked Dugu Jun to escort us to Shuozhou. Dugu Jun made many meritorious deeds along the way and defeated many thieves and rebels. He just escorted many old and weak people here."
Dugujie looked at Liu Taozi eagerly.
When Liu Taozi was in Liyang County, the relationship between Dugujie and him was relatively close. Later Liu Taozi left and Gao Yan came to power, he began to replace the lieutenants from various places with Han people. He, a Xianbei man, was in bad luck.
He was dismissed and had nowhere to go, so he stayed in Liyang. Fortunately, Shi Yao was promoted and served as the prefect. He thought about his relationship with Dugujie and took more care of him so that he could continue to live in Liyang.
Dugujie wanted to run to Liu Taozi more than once. It can be said that he had friendship with Liu Taozi, but the gap between their identities became wider and wider.
How could he, a white man, have the dignity to seek out friendship with a third-grade general?
The two sides are not that close.
He had no choice but to waste his time in Liyang, thinking that he would just die of old age in such a muddle-headed way. Who would have thought that he would meet He Bacheng leading Liu Taozi's fellow villagers in Cheng'an to flee to Liyang for refuge.
After learning about this from Shi Yao's mouth, Dugujie immediately jumped up. Along the way, he tried his best to protect everyone. This was his only chance to catch up with General Liu again.
Hard work paid off, and he finally succeeded in escorting her and appeared in front of Liu Taozi again.
After He Ba Cheng finished speaking, Dugujie hurriedly said: "General He Ba over-praised me. When I was in Liyang, I received the general's kindness thanks to him. This time I am just repaying the favor."
Liu Taozi said: "I accept Lord Dugu's kindness this time. I wonder if Lord Dugu would be willing to deign to serve as a general under my command?"
Du Gujie was overjoyed, "Thank you so much, General!!"
Liu Taozi then led a few people into the city, with Shuozhou officials following behind them, and Podoro leading the knights to the school grounds to rest.
The city is quite peaceful, there are not many people, but there are no traces of the war. There are still some brave people standing in the distance and looking at this place.
Everyone walked into the official office and sat down separately.
After Liu Taozi sat down, she looked to the side, Lu Qubing.
Lu Qubing immediately said: "King Pingyang and Tian Changshi are in Sandui City in Sizhou at the moment. King Lanling has led troops to Jinyang, and King Pingyuan and General Hulu have also led troops back."
"Hu Luguang sent someone to meet with King Lanling and inquire about the situation."
"But King Pingyang has not come near yet. He has set up camp alone and has no contact with other kings. King Pingyang sent envoys to him, but they could not see him."
"The Prime Minister has taken over the government, and Prince Zhao and others are assisting him in participating in the government."
Lu Qubing immediately explained the current situation to Liu Taozi.
Gao Zhan has been completely placed under house arrest, and Gao Jun is in charge of government affairs. However, the forces in the country are not completely unified. Duan Shao and Hu Luguang, the two leading generals, are not yet subordinate to Gao Jun.
Especially Duan Shao, who has not yet had any interaction with the new imperial court.
Lu Qubing whispered: "Although a great event has been accomplished, King Pingyuan still cannot take it lightly."
"The King of Pingyuan leads Jinyang's elite. Moreover, he is very good at fighting and has a great reputation in the army. Even General Hulu, I dare not say that he has a chance of winning against him."
"The general should go to Jinyang early to meet with King Pingyuan and let him understand that we are not causing rebellion."
Liu Taozi nodded, "The army will rest for the time being. I will set off for Jinyang tomorrow."
"To cure the illness, Shuozhou will be left to you for the time being. You can pretend to be the governor of Shuozhou. The autumn harvest must not be delayed."
Lu Qubing was stunned, do you want to appoint the governor yourself? At least pretend to do it?
Liu Taozi looked at He Ba Cheng and Dugu Jie, "General He Ba, you stay in Shuozhou for the time being. The war has just ended and bandits are at their most rampant. There must be no chaos in Shuozhou."
"only!!"
"General Dugu, follow me to Jinyang."
"only."
Liu Taozi also asked the local officials to follow Lu Qubing's arrangements and not to violate them. The officials dared not say anything, so they all accepted the order.
The current officials in Shuozhou were all promoted by Liu Taozi. What's more, Liu Taozi's appointment had spread throughout the country. These people had heard the news more or less, and knew that they would definitely be with Liu Taozi in the future.
Bound together and obeying his orders.
It wasn't until decisions and arrangements were made that everyone left in batches. In the end, Liu Taozi was the only one left with these three people.
It was quiet inside the house, Lu Qubing stopped pretending, his whole body relaxed and he looked contented.
"Obviously I taught you, but now I don't even dare to call Brother Taozi. Just when I rushed out to see you, the knights around you almost shot me."
"Your official position has really skyrocketed. I have heard that the governor of Hengshuo, the general of Wei, the governor of the six states, and the Duke of Zhenxiang have all reached the end of your career. If you continue to be promoted, you can only
I’m going to be crowned king and pay homage to the Third Duke.”
Listening to Lu Qubing's words, He Bacheng and Dugujie both lowered their heads, neither smiling nor not smiling.
Liu Taozi glanced at him, "Why, Mr. Lu doesn't want me to be crowned king?"
Lu Qubing laughed and said, "Does General Liu want to arrest me and treat me for disrespect?"
Liu Taozi smiled.
He Bacheng and Dugujie were both shocked.
Lu Qubing made a few jokes before he became serious, "Brother Taozi, the matter with Prince Pingyuan is really difficult to handle."
"When the Zhou people retreated, if King Pingyuan took the opportunity to attack fiercely, Hu Luguang might not be able to compete with him. King Lanling would definitely not be able to defeat him, and Lou Rui of Yecheng would not fight him either. He can do it at any time by himself.
Change the whole situation!”
"King Pengcheng and King Pingyuan are not close, and they must be resolved as soon as possible."
"However, King Pingyuan is not reckless. He also knows right from wrong. As long as he understands that the current situation is the best choice, and lets him know that King Pengcheng has no intention of ascending to the throne, we can appease him."
"In addition, there is no peace in Yecheng."
"Everyone has different ideas, but because there are powerful enemies on the side, they reluctantly come up with a compromise. King Pengcheng wants to use you as his backer, thinking that with you here, the ministers will not oppose him, but
With King Pingyuan here, your deterrence is not as good as it was when Yang Zhong was still there."
"If Yang Zhong withdraws, I'm afraid there will be big chaos in Yecheng soon!"
"I still hope that you can settle in Jinyang as soon as possible and appease the Pingyuan King. Only in this way can Yecheng be pacified."
Lu Qubing stroked his chin again, "If the unrest in Yecheng is inevitable, then you should take action directly and kill these people who are causing harm to the country and the people first!"
Liu Taozi was stunned and looked at Lu Qubing, "When did Mr. Lu become so decisive?"
"After the indiscriminate killing of angels from Yecheng in Cheng'an."
Chapter completed!