Chapter 326 Hu Sanniang, shot by an arrow
Zhe Keqiu looked puzzled, and was about to ask for advice when he saw Yang Changxiao saying to the left rear guard: "Gentlemen, do you think General Zhe's physique is similar to that of Governor Guo?"

"Ok?"

"The commander has a sharp eye. I don't think the difference is too great."

When Lu Junyi stroked his beard and agreed, Guo Qizhong had a bad feeling. Then he heard Yang Chang's shout, and he understood and struggled excitedly.

"Guys, help me take off his armor."

"You can kill me if you want, why humiliate me?"

"I'll borrow General Guo's armor for you. I'll return it to you after I break through Yanmen Pass!"

"Traitor!"

Guo Qizhong cursed excitedly: "You used Zhe Keqiu to impersonate me to gain access? You think Marshal Wushi can't see through it? Forget this idea!"

"I gave you face?" Liu Tang was furious. He raised his hand and slapped him in the face, saying, "Do I need you to comment on the actions of my general?"

"Your lieutenant?"

Guo Qizhong was slapped until the corner of his mouth was bloody. He responded coldly: "You are full of bandit spirit. Even if you put on official robes, you are still thieves. My Guo family has been a famous family for generations. How can we associate with thieves? What a joke!"

"So what about the Guo family? Did they not betray the Golden Dog? Did they want to bring honor to their ancestors? Pah! They are worse than me, the peasants."

"All right."

Yang Chang stopped Liu Tang and shouted in a deep voice: "No need to waste words, take off your armor and take it away."

"Yang Chang, you will not succeed, you will not succeed. No..."

When Guo Qizhong was escorted out of the tent, Yang Changcai laughed and joked with everyone: "This guy is guilty, so he is anxious and afraid."

"Haha."

"General."

Everyone was laughing, except Zhe Keqiu, who looked embarrassed. He stopped Yang Chang and reminded him, "Actually, what Guo Qizhong said is right. Wu Shi is not an ordinary person. Even though I look very similar to Guo, I am not him after all. It is futile to pretend to be him."

"Don't worry about changing your clothes. I will personally disguise you. In the end, even if it can't be said that it is exactly the same, it will be similar."

"This"

"Don't worry, the general's disguise skills are very powerful, just wait for your meritorious service."

Hearing Yang Zhi's reminder, Zhe Keqiu looked at Yang Chang with a complicated expression and added softly: "My family is trapped in Datong. I remember that the general promised not to let me show my face in public, so as not to expose my identity and affect my family. You are now..."

"Who asked you to show up in public? Aren't you supposed to pretend to be Guo Qizhong?"

"Ah? That's right."

Zhe Keqiu suddenly realized, but after rolling his eyes, he swallowed his saliva and continued: "Even if I dress up like this, I will be exposed once I open my mouth. This plan is always..."

"Guo Qizhong is a man of integrity and is unwilling to surrender, but the soldiers around him are different. There are always people who want to survive, so you just need to follow, and someone will cooperate with you to win the level."

"Really? Then I'll be relieved."

Hearing what Yang Chang said, Zhe Keqiu's worries were slightly relieved, but he couldn't help but remind him: "By the way, if I really manage to open Yanmen Pass by pretending to be him, then Guo Qizhong's family..."

"Are you worried that his family will be implicated? I don't really care about Guo Qizhong. I'm just giving him a chance to surrender and be treated well for Guo Ziyi's sake. If he doesn't know what's good for him, I won't force him."

"No."

Zhe Keqiu looked at the people around him and reminded them in a low voice: "It is because you are the descendant of Guo Ziyi that I am afraid that it will affect this plan and the reputation of the Taiwei, and that people will say that you are unscrupulous in order to gain the city."

"Fame? Ha."

Yang Chang raised his hand and sneered, saying coldly: "On the battlefield, everyone has their own methods. Who cares if it's an open or secret plot? If it succeeds, it's a good plot. Besides, we didn't implicate civilians. If the Jin people deal with his family afterwards, that's their own problem. So what? Can't the descendants of Guo Ziyi die?"

"No, it's not."

"Go change your clothes and armor first, I'll be here soon."

"Yes"

Zhe Keqiu left in response, and Yang Chang then sighed to everyone: "No matter how powerful a person is in this world, he cannot guarantee his descendants for thousands of years. The only thing he can do is to be himself and have a clear conscience."

"Yes."

"Makes sense."

"Brother is right. Our ancestors are only as good as our ancestors. It's useless if we don't strive to be better."

Amid the sighs of the crowd, Yang Chang came out of the tent and disguised himself for Zhe Keqiu.

The [Eye-Catching Technique] he picked up earlier was basically used for disguise. It was far from the magic he imagined, but it was also a very practical skill that could make the disguised person look almost real.

Half an hour later, a group of five to six hundred people carrying the Guo-shaped flag hurriedly headed for Yanmen Mountain in a panic, while Yang Changze led his troops to follow from a distance.

The reason why Yang Chang did not fly over the pass to seize the gate was that Yanmen Pass was not a single pass, but a unique military defense system that relied on the rugged terrain of the mountain and connected to the Great Wall. It was not that one could advance unstoppably just by taking the pass.

Although the Yanmen Pass of this era did not reach the ultimate state of "two passes, four entrances and eighteen narrow passes" in the Ming Dynasty, it was still a chain of mountains and cliffs, and if one was lucky enough to break through one point, there would be many more.

Yang Chang was not familiar with the terrain of Yanmen Pass, and Wu Shi had already made preparations in advance, so he did not want to alert the enemy.

While Shi Qian and Yang Zhi were working together to capture the city, Yang Chang blocked the enemy at the foot of Yanmen Mountain and eliminated a dozen scouts, causing an intelligence interruption at Yanmen Pass. He did not know that Guo Qizhong had been captured.

Zhe Keqiu disguised himself as Guo Qizhong and led the "defeated soldiers" to escape back to the various gates and passes of Yanmen Pass. With the help of the astute Shi Qian as a reminder and the cooperation of Guo Qizhong's personal soldiers who had rebelled, they captured seven passes overnight, including the most important Xixing Pass.

The next day, Zhe Keqiu and Yang Chang, with two groups of people working together, lured monsters from the front and dealt damage from the back, and continued to advance smoothly into the hinterland of Yanmen Mountain until they encountered the Jin general Duo Ang Zhilie.

Duo'ang Zhilie was located on a higher terrain and accidentally discovered the sound of fighting at the pass ahead. He then forcefully demanded to verify Guo Qizhong's identity. How could Zhe Keqiu dare to enter the pass alone?
Yang Chang has already taken over most of the strongholds at Yanmen Pass. Even if he is discovered, he will continue to attack and break into the city. He replaces Zhe Keqiu and Shi Qian to form a "flying thief duo" and slowly eliminate the strongholds one by one.

Fortunately, the terrain of the Yanmen Mountain Valley is narrow, and Wu Shi stationed his main force in Shuozhou, north of Yanmen Pass. The total number of troops stationed in various places in the mountains was less than 10,000. Yang Chang led the army to break through the pass and captured the gate without encountering a fierce battle.

Although Yang Chang opened the way, the valley was narrow and the traffic was slow. It took him five days to capture the entire Yanmen defense line.

At the foot of the mountain, Marshal Wushi, who was at the Jin army camp, heard that all the passes had been lost, so he led his troops to retreat to Shanyang, Shuozhou (now Shuo County), leaving Yang Changshan on the top of the mountain to catch the wind.

Leaving now?

Yang Chang stood on the top of the mountain and looked out. He saw that the land north of the Great Wall was covered in yellow. The Jin army was retreating calmly before his eyes, seemingly not worried about being pursued.

Yes, although it looks very close from the mountain, it takes a long time to walk down to the bottom of the mountain. His northern expedition was extremely fast this time, and the process was like watching a progress bar on a movie. If he went too fast, the nutrition would not keep up, and if he continued to pursue, he would not be able to guarantee supply.

The mountain breeze blows on my face, bringing the cold wind from the north, making me feel cool and refreshing.

Yang Chang's current cultivation level is such that he is not afraid of the severe cold or the scorching heat, but the people around him do not have this ability. Even Liu Tang, who has not had enough killing, did not clamor to chase down the mountain at this time.

Seeing him frowning and thinking, he seemed to be conflicted about the advance. After all, he boasted that he would defeat the Jin army in the west in one fell swoop and completely defeat it until Yunzhong was captured, but now the situation has changed.

Firstly, the grasslands in the north are vast, and continuing to advance would cause the supply line to collapse. If they fought in the Jin territory to support the war, the horses they brought would not be enough for guerrilla warfare. Secondly, Yang Chang was worried about the war in Pingbei, and felt that the Yanmen Pass had been closed, so it would not be too late to advance after dealing with the risks in the rear.

"Captain, we have not yet established a firm foothold in Xinzhou and Daizhou. It may not be a good idea to rush north. Why don't we stop here?" "Hmm?"

Seeing Yang Zhi coming forward to advise, Yang Chang listened without commenting, and said: "You are right, but since ancient times, people cannot stand without trust. I had an agreement with Yelu Yudu before to help him take Yunzhong and restore the Liao Kingdom. I don't want to break my promise."

"Even if we have such an agreement, we should not rush into it. Yelu Yudu is a military commander and should understand our difficulties. The commander has been using ships to transport food to the outside of Yanmen Pass and has to recruit civilians to transport it. How can we rush now? Besides, the weather outside the pass is cold and the soldiers are wearing thin clothes. It is not easy to go out of the pass to fight now. It is best to wait until the end of next spring."

"Yeah, are you cold?"

When Yang Chang heard Yang Zhi's reminder, he realized that he did not feel the same way.

Liu Tang nodded in agreement: "It's a bit cold on the mountain, but it might be better at the foot of the mountain. If you continue to go north, I will support you."

"I am not a stubborn person. Since the weather has turned cold, it is not suitable to continue to go north. Daizhou and Xinzhou also need stability. So I will guard Yanmen Pass and continue to go north next year."

"What the commander said is very true."

"Yes, it's better to be steady."

When everyone saw that Yang Chang listened to the advice, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Especially the newly surrendered Zhe Keqiu, who was shocked by Yang Chang's terrifying strength along the way. He was afraid that Yang Chang would ignore the truth in order to seize Yunzhong, but he was relieved and a little disappointed at the same time.

His family was under house arrest in Datong. The later Yang Chang went out to the north to fight, the later he would be reunited with his family. But even so, he could not encourage the troops to go against his will.

As they would have to march north again the following year and the Jin army in the west was still a threat and there was a danger of retaking Yanmen Pass at any time, Yang Chang left his original troops in Daizhou, under the command of Lu Junyi, the highest-ranking official, and rode alone to Pingding Army.

Of course, Lu Junyi was not suitable to be the main general, and Yang Chang asked him to take his place at the front line, which was just forcing him to do something.

Yang Zhi, Liu Tang and Shi Qian were all unable to act on their own, so they all stayed behind to assist Lu Junyi in guarding the border and putting each person's work into practice.

Before leaving, Yang Chang gave instructions to all the generals one by one, and shook Yang Zhi's hand emphatically, saying solemnly: "Yanmen Pass is handed over to you. The Yang family generals became famous for resisting the Liao here. I hope the general will live up to the glory of his ancestors."

"Don't worry, Commander. I will do my best."

"Well, then I'm leaving."

When Yang Chang clasped his fists and left, he saw that Zhe Keqiu was hesitant to speak, guessing that he was worried about his family, so he stopped and called Shi Qian over, instructing him: "Choose some of the hundreds of Night Owls under your command to learn Khitan and Jurchen, and then let them go out to collect intelligence."

"Yes."

"If there is a chance to sneak behind enemy lines, tell Yelu Yudu that Yunzhong will be taken next year. Also, find a way to contact General Zhe's family."

"it is good."

Zhe Keqiu was deeply moved by what he heard, but unfortunately he was a little slow to react. Before he could say thank you, Yang Chang rode away on his horse.

In September, there are gusts of northerly wind outside the Great Wall.

Although it is cool in autumn inside the Great Wall, the temperature is still higher.

Yang Chang rode non-stop along the way, only to see that Daizhou and Xinzhou were sparsely populated. It was not until he entered Taiyuan that people began to move around on the ground.

The fields are bustling with activity; it is the busy autumn planting season.

Yang Chang was originally anxious to rush to Pingding, but he did not want Dai and Xin states to waste the season, which would be unfavorable for the front-line troops to replenish on the spot. So he stopped at Yangqu on the way and ordered Tao Zongwang to lead the team north to guide farming.

It was already the eighth day of September when we arrived in Pingding.

At that time, only Ou Peng stayed behind, and the rest went to Leping County. It was said that they were fighting a decisive battle with the Jin army.

Yang Chang rode his horse day and night without stopping, and originally wanted to let the Jade Lion Zhaoye have a good rest, but when he heard the word "decisive battle", he became worried and decided to make the horse suffer a little more.

On the afternoon of the eighth day, Yang Changxing arrived outside Leping City. He saw the smoke dissipating from afar, and he finally felt relieved.

There is no trace of the Jin army's black flag, it seems the enemy has retreated.

The commander of the north gate recognized Yang Chang as Li Kui who had blocked the road during Pingding. While he went out to greet him personally, he also sent someone on horseback to report to Sun An and Li Yanxian.

When Yang Chang saw the 'Black Whirlwind' he had trained, who was coming out to greet him with high spirits, he chatted with him about the recent wars with great interest. Unfortunately, Li Kui was not of high enough rank and didn't know much. He only talked about how many battles he had participated in, and how many generals he had killed and how many merits he had won.

After listening to what the black man said, he was sure that Sun An had given him many opportunities. Unfortunately, he lacked strength. Although he was brave on the battlefield, he had no record of killing any generals and making great contributions.

I have accumulated a lot of skill symbols during this Northern Expedition. If there are any left over for upgrading the Liangshan brothers, I might as well reward him with [Mastery of Spear and Stick]. Otherwise, he will not be able to become famous no matter how hard he tries.

Yang Chang was just thinking this when he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves inside the city. Looking up, he saw Sun An, Li Yanxian and others urging their horses to go outside the city to meet them.

Soon, everyone gathered.

A group of big men came out to greet them. They surrounded Yang Chang with more enthusiasm than the women, and rushed to report to him the progress of the battle.

It turned out that it was Zhao Fujin who swung the sword and slashed at the Jin army formation from the Pingding City Tower, knocking out thousands of people in an instant, thus starting a major counterattack.

After all, Talai had the advantage in military strength, and even in the face of Zhao Fujin's magic pressure, he was able to fight and retreat slowly. He fought with the defenders in Pingding and Leping for five or six days until "Little Dragon Girl" ran out of magic power and withdrew.

"Exhausted of mana?"

Yang Chang was shocked when he heard this. He was shocked that Talan had learned how to consume the "magician's mana" after summarizing his experience. If the Jin army continued to resist, wouldn't the defenders suffer?
Wait, Talan could keep pestering for five or six days, maybe even longer. And his sudden withdrawal in the middle of the struggle could not be related to Xie Ye’s murder?

Oh my god, luckily I acted decisively.

"Don't worry, Commander. The Second Madam said that she will recover after a few days of rest. She is in the city right now."

"I know." Yang Chang nodded and asked, "Are Sanniang and Qiongying with her?"

Sun An shook his head and replied, "The first and third wives are still fighting outside. They used a trick to force the Jin army general Wushu (Wanyan Zongbi) into Shenglong Valley, saying that they wanted to capture him alive and present him to the Grand Commandant."

"what?"

Yang Chang was shocked when he heard this and said excitedly, "I have already told them not to pursue desperate enemies. How dare they act on their own? Wushu is definitely not an ordinary person. Sun Xin, didn't I ask you to remind him? How could this happen?"

"I said, Madam San..."

Sun Xin was halfway through his words when he felt that his defense was useless, so he changed his words and said, "My wife is also with us. She has a lot of experience in the martial arts world, so there shouldn't be any problems. Besides, both of your wives are very strong."

"Yes, especially the third lady, who is very skilled in martial arts and once injured Wushu with a flying stone."

Li Yanxian admired Sun Xin's killing of the enemy and stood up to speak for him, but was interrupted by Yang Chang before he could finish his words.

"I have been too indulgent towards her. I will definitely punish her severely later. Sun Xin, do you know where Shenglong Valley is? Take me there now!"

"okay."

Zhaoye Yushi had just had a rest when he was pulled out by Yang Chang to work overtime. He followed the instructions and ran towards the southeast of the city. He had only run about three miles when he saw Hu Sanniang, Qiu Qiongying, and Gu Dasao all appear in his sight.

Has Wuzhu been captured?

Wait, there’s an arrow growing out of Sanniang’s right arm?

(End of this chapter)