Chapter 125 Crossing the River
The horses' hooves galloped over the hills, leaving a long trail of shallow prints in the grass.

The armor plates were covered with morning dew, which was blown away by the wind.

From afar, you can see the smoke rising from the western end, swaying in the summer breeze.

A cavalryman rode over and as soon as he saw Xiao Yan's sharp eyes, he wanted to dismount and pay homage.

"Meet the military envoy..."

"No need to be polite. Return to camp and tell Wang Yanzhang to prepare to cross the river and march west."

"Here!"

Xiao Yan looked a little exhausted, his armor was covered in dust, but his eyes were still bright and murderous intent was evident in his glance.

There were only a dozen riders following him, but each rider rode two horses. They galloped all the way from Yuyang to the banks of the Beishui River. All of their mounts were covered in dust and had lost a lot of weight.

Serikika was also among the knights. At this moment, all his powerful skills had been sealed by the surrendered minister, and his face turned pale.

Fu An was in charge of guarding her. He was chewing a grass stem and rode forward: "Captain, I think this Hu girl is not very honest. It is better to chop her off to avoid trouble in the future."

His voice was loud and Shiri Qixiang heard it clearly.

But she was not afraid, and there was even a mocking look on her face: "If you hadn't used your numbers to bully the few, how could you, the southern barbarians, have trapped me? You people from the Central Plains are always good at plotting and scheming. If you hadn't deceived the queen, how could you have the chance to be so proud?

"And you, the southern commander, are capable of all kinds of shameless deeds and have a vicious heart. How dare you shamelessly say that you have captured the king? You..."

There was a bad guy nearby who was listening silently. He immediately rode over on his horse and whipped him in the face.

"Snapped."

Bright red blood oozed out, and blood also appeared at the corners of Shili Qixiang's mouth, but he just smiled viciously and glanced at them, as if he wanted to get something out of his mouth: "Just wait, when the queen and the king return to the grassland, I will definitely send 10,000 cavalry south to cut off your heads!

"Kill me! I'm watching you from heaven!"

But from beginning to end, Xiao Yan didn't even look at her, he just pointed forward with his whip: "Shuliduo is still of great use to me. Using force blindly will only backfire. I need to give her some sweetness."

Fu An was too lazy to care about the Hu woman. Shili Qixiang was captured in Yuyang and didn't know that the situation in Mobei had changed. However, she knew that Yelu Abaoji had fled to Liaodong, so she regained confidence. Therefore, no matter how the bad guys tortured her, she refused to reveal any details of the Mobei Army.

But the bad guys in the Yanzhou branch have long been the most direct descendants of Xiao Yan, and they are most aware of the current situation. They just watched this Hu girl talking nonsense.

Fu An increased the speed of his horse, only half a body length behind Xiao Yan, and whispered, "Li Mang of Youzhou sent a letter saying that Li Cunxu's offensive was very fierce... He conquered Zhuozhou and Yizhou, obtained a large number of siege equipment, and drove prisoners to attack the city. He himself swept through the wilds, successively conquered more than 20 strongholds of wealthy families, and forced them to offer military supplies, so he no longer had to worry about baggage."

He paused and continued, "Youzhou City is too large, and the soldiers left behind alone are not enough to defend it. Li Mang is worried that Youzhou may not hold out until you return."

"..."

Xiao Yan frowned. Judging from the news in the letter, Li Cunxu seemed to be crazy, as if Hebei was the only thing in his eyes.

He sent people south a month ago to ask Yang Shihou to lead his army to attack Luzhou. Luzhou was the gateway to Taiyuan and was enough to shake the foundation of Jin State, but even in such a crisis, Li Cunxu did not return.

"No hurry. The grain stored in Youzhou is enough to support 10,000 people for two years. I have sent a letter to Li Mang, ordering him to retreat to the inner city when necessary. The outer city wall is too wide. After shrinking the defense line, it may be able to hold out for another half a month."

After hearing this, Fu An hesitated and whispered, "I'm afraid Liu Rengong won't be able to hold on to the end..."

"If he falls into Li Cunxu's hands, he won't have a good ending." Xiao Yan said coldly, and gave the horse a heavy squeeze: "Don't say too much, we have to see the truth."

Behind her, Shili Qixiang, with bloodstains on her face, saw that the two men ignored her. She became even more furious in humiliation and was about to curse when she saw a cold light flying from Xiao Yan's fingertips, instantly stopping her mute point.

During this time, a horn sounded from the front. In a moment, several riders came out of the camp gate and galloped to meet them.

At the front, the figure in indigo clothes was riding the fastest, but as she got closer, she slowed down, pursed her lips, and fell behind the crowd.

Wang Yanzhang grinned, dismounted from his horse with a group of generals, and saluted from a distance.

"See the envoy!"

"Xu..."

Xiao Yan stopped his mount and looked up. He first saw Ji Ruxue biting her lips in the distance, as if she was upset.

He smiled faintly, nodded at her imperceptibly, and then lifted the reins slightly.

"It is a great honor for you all to be stationed here. When I return to Youzhou, I will reward you according to your merits and I will make sure that you will not let me down for your sacrifice."

"You are joking, my envoy. No one lives in our big house in Yuyang yet. We haven't had time to move all the treasures we have sealed up. If you give me more rewards, my small house won't be able to accommodate them all!"

All the generals seemed extremely happy and started shouting. In addition to the rewards, Xiao Yan had returned to the camp, which gave them some reason to feel relieved.

The number of soldiers and horses in the Beishui camp approached 20,000, and among them there were several factions, including Dingbadu, Yichang Army, Yandi New Soldiers, etc. Whoever led them would be rejected by the military leaders below. Only Xiao Yan's ability was obvious to all, and he had been gradually accepted and recognized by the generals.

Even the generals of the Yichang Army who had surrendered would feel embarrassed but also awed.

Xiao Yan did not forget about them and pointed at them with the reins.

"You were once caught up in the Liu family's civil war, but after all, you all served your own masters. I have already killed Liu Shouguang and will not pursue you. This time when you settle in Beishui, you should also behave yourself.

"Although the commander may have misunderstood you, I will explain it to you. This time when we go back to Youzhou to suppress the Jin bandits, we will offset our merits and demerits, and those who have made contributions will also be rewarded."

All the generals of Yichang Army, whether they were sincere or not, all performed the ceremony.

"The military envoy's great kindness must be repaid with his life."

Fu An stood on his horse beside them with his chest hunched, just scanning the scene with his mask on.

The scene before us is more than just a simple greeting.

When Xiao Yan returned, the generals came out of the camp to welcome him, which was more like a "surrender of loyalty". Regardless of whether these generals admit it or not, Xiao Yan has become the most powerful military leader in Hebei in the past six months. At least in this Beishui camp, he has won the hearts of the soldiers. Anyone who dares not to leave the camp to express his attitude will have his head hung on the gate to bask in the sun the next day.

He glanced at everyone with cold eyes, and if he saw anyone making any small move, he would secretly deal with it for Xiao Yan.

Moreover, the news of Li Cunxu's invasion had been gradually revealed to the generals in the past few days. They all followed Liu Rengong to fight against Li Keyong. The Jin people's entry into Hebei was bound to overthrow their foundation.

And right now, in the entire Hebei province, the only one who can compete with Li Cunxu is Xiao Yan!
If you don't sell your life to Xiao Junshi, how can you expect the people of Jin to give you meat to eat?

……

After the greetings, the generals escorted Envoy Xiao into the camp.

Although he wanted to have a good talk with Ji Ruxue, it was not a good idea to ignore the other generals in this situation. The girl was not a person who did not know the general situation. She fell behind the other generals just now because she did not want the situation to become cold. Now she returned to the camp early because she did not want Xiao Yan to be distracted by her.

The camp was already in full swing, but the camp, which had only been set up a few days ago, was about to start moving west again. The soldiers were in high spirits, and they began to pack up as they came and went. The officers also came and went, constantly shouting orders, asking the soldiers to move faster.

On the banks of the Beishui River, the war horses and pack horses were all taken out by the cavalry to drink water and feed themselves. Beishui was hundreds of miles away from Youzhou, so they had to march quickly and make preparations for the war. On the shore, the rangers lazily lay on their horses, holding wild grass in their mouths, but their eyes were fixed on the Mobei camp on the opposite bank. As long as there was any movement on the opposite side, they could immediately notify their own men and horses and be on guard at any time.

Smoke was already rising from the entire camp, as soldiers were prepared to eat and drink their fill before heading west.

Xiao Yan stood on the watchtower, gazing at the opposite bank with empty eyes. After a moment, he went downstairs and returned to the big tent.

Wang Yanzhang followed behind and whispered, "If you want to go back to Youzhou to help, I'm afraid you'll have to fight with the Mobei barbarians first."

He didn't know the situation in Mobei, and although he was surprised by the order to advance westwards that the cavalry had passed on earlier, he didn't think the Mobei army could stop them. In the past two days, he had built two floating bridges upstream and downstream.

But what was strange was that even though the bridge was built right under the noses of the Mobei Army, they didn't react at all, and didn't even fire a single arrow.

"Don't worry, they are not a threat."

Xiao Yan took off his cloak, pointed at the hanging map with the handle of his knife, and lightly tapped on the word "Youzhou": "The current threat is only Li Cunxu."

A group of people with helmets and tassels came forward.

"You are all generals in the camp. I trust you and will not lie to you. The baggage in the camp is not enough for us to drag this battle for too long, and our foundation is still in Youzhou. If Youzhou is occupied by Li Cunxu, not only will the morale of the army be frustrated, but the weapons, baggage, etc. in Youzhou may also be lost..."

This was something everyone knew, so all the generals nodded in unison.

Xiao Yan paused and continued, "But more importantly, most of Ding Ba's soldiers are from Youzhou, and their families are all in Youzhou. Li Keyong has been at odds with Yan in recent years, and I think you all know that if the city is breached, it will probably be a disaster."

These words were spoken with even greater solemnity, and for a moment the tent fell silent.

The Jin army was originally a mixture of Hu and Han people, and they were always extremely arrogant. They would massacre the city and turn Youzhou into a wasteland if they had a disagreement.

Wang Yanzhang stroked his beard, and a cautious expression appeared on his face. The generals of the Yichang Army who were born in Cangzhou seemed to feel the same way, and their expressions were solemn.

"Fuck him!" General Ding Ba cursed, "This is our own business in Yan, but the Jin people want to interfere. If they block our retreat and harm my wife and son, I will fight to the death with them!"

"That's right. If the Jin people want to interfere, then we'll chop off the hand that extends out!" Wang Yanzhang, who was afraid that the world would not be in chaos, said: "Doesn't Li Cunxu boast that he is a good fighter? Brothers, let him see what it means to be a good fighter!"

"So what about Li Cunxu? When we were fighting with our swords, he was probably still breastfeeding!"

They forgot that Xiao Yan was also young, and after they scolded each other one by one, their morale actually rose a little.

Xiao Yan waited until they had vented their anger before he said, "No matter what, Li Cunxu cannot be underestimated. So we can't be slow in coming back for help. Li Cunxu is now pinned down at the gates of Youzhou, so there shouldn't be many Jin troops left in Zhuo and Yizhou. I intend to send a cavalry general to see if we can take the two states back and disrupt their morale. Who can go?"

"It can only be me." Wang Yanzhang grinned, clenched his palms, and said murderously: "Military envoy, give me a thousand cavalrymen. As long as one person can ride two horses, I will clear the way for you."

Xiao Yan ignored him and turned to look at the others: "Are there any people from Zhuo and Yi states?"

There was some commotion in the crowd. Many people wanted to take over the military order, but perhaps because most of them were generals from Youzhou, no one stood up for a while.

After a long time, a tall figure stood silently in the corner.

"I was stationed in Zhuozhou..."

Everyone turned around to look in surprise, but they were all startled for a moment, and then fell silent, avoiding his gaze and not looking at him.

Wang Yanzhang also smacked his lips and looked at Xiao Yan.

The latter smiled and asked, "General Yuan, are you sure you can bypass Li Cunxu's army and reach Zhuozhou?"

Yuan Xingqin's cheeks looked a little thin, and his originally strong body now looked like only a skeleton was left.

That day, Liu Shouguang was shot by Xiao Yan, and he was ready to die. But Xiao Yan spared his life and gave him important positions, keeping him by his side to advise on military affairs.

Having survived the war and having witnessed Liu Shouguang's attitude towards him during those days, he survived in silence and no longer sought death.

Hearing Xiao Yan's question, Yuan Xingqin did not make a promise, but said in a deep voice: "I heard that Li Cunxu is as good as his father, so I dare not boast. But I know the terrain of Zhuozhou well, and I will do my best to make this happen."

Wang Yanzhang curled his lips and turned around and said, "Military Envoy, leave it to me. You know my ability."

Xiao Yan's eyes were sharp, he just stared at Yuan Xingqin without saying a word.

The latter clasped his fists and remained silent, feeling a little discouraged.

Unexpectedly, after just a moment, Xiao Yan smiled and said, "General Yuan is a talented general. I feel relieved to leave him to you."

Then, he said loudly: "Pass this order, Dingbadu will send 1,500 elite cavalry, each equipped with three horses, and hand them over to General Yuan for deployment."

At the entrance of the tent, a bad guy holding a tiger talisman came down as ordered.

Wang Yanzhang opened his mouth wide, glanced at Yuan Xingqin angrily, and snorted heavily.

The latter was also a little stunned, but he didn't say much, just bowed again and retreated. But during this time, he also glanced at Wang Yanzhang, his eyes were a little sharp.

He had been living in the camp for a month and had long heard that this Wang was Xiao Yan's favorite general and was quite capable.

Whether one has the ability or not depends on his military achievements.

------

The generals received their military orders and dispersed in a hurry.

Only Wang Yanzhang followed behind Xiao Yan, saying with a bitter face: "Military Envoy, don't look down on me. Even if I can't get through Zhuozhou, I can still block Li Cunxu's retreat. You also gave him three horses each. Don't we, the Longxiang Army, need to run to get going?"

What he said was a bit exaggerated, but this wave of more than 4,000 mounts were gone. Moreover, he was a cavalry general in the Central Plains, and he had been under Zhu Youzhen's command for many years. He had never fought such a rich battle, which made Yuan Xingqin hate him even more.

"I have another important use for you."

Xiao Yan did not explain much, he stopped and then looked towards the Mobei camp in the west.

“Maybe we are lacking everything right now, but the thing we lack the least is a mount.

"Wang Yanzhang, have you ever led the people of Mobei?"

The latter was stunned for a moment, opened his mouth in astonishment, and asked in confusion: "A person from Mobei?"

But before he had time to ask questions, Fu An came over from the west.

“Captain, the queen.

"Crossing the river..."

(End of this chapter)