Chapter 170 Disturbance in Bianliang
To the south of Gaoliang River, on an empty hill, Xiao Yan held his sword in one hand and put the other hand behind his back, standing quietly facing north.

The snowflakes mixed with raindrops that fell from the sky were very cold, but even so, the rain and snow did not soak his cloak. Instead, they dissipated along with the burning evil spirit and were blown away by the wind when they were still an inch away from him.

The bad guy who was in charge of leading the horse behind him sighed secretly, but he just did his duty conscientiously, scanning the surroundings vigilantly and waiting for Xiao Yan's order at any time.

At the foot of the hill was the camp where Xiao Yan and his men had been stationed for the past two days. However, the entire camp seemed to be in a hurry, as they were ready to move out. There were thousands of prisoners of the rebel army in the camp, and they were all organized into civilian laborers. Now they were busy in the rain and snow, and they dared not complain at all.

Standing on this hill, you can see that the Gaoliang River, which is several miles away and wide and long, has formed a thick layer of ice. It shines dazzlingly under the gray sky, just like a silver belt against the solemn sky.

As the saying goes, "A white horse faces the clear water and crosses the river on ice. Soldiers must be placed near water, and it is better to have many stoves when moving camps." In this extremely cold weather, although people are shivering from the cold, it is indeed a rare opportunity to cross the river, and even the effort of building a floating bridge can be saved.

For Xiao Yan, this natural barrier in the south of Youzhou that blocked the enemy had become a good thing that could be advanced or retreated. But for the Yan army on the north bank, it was like a thorn in the throat.

The size of the Yan army reached more than 200,000, among which there were good and bad people, like bandits. Many of them considered themselves bandits and were engaged in looting. Therefore, naturally, many troops were unrestrained and disobeyed military orders and extended their formation to the vicinity of Gaoliang River, so that they could cross the south at any time and make a fortune in Zhuozhou and other southern prefectures.

But up to now, there is almost no Yan army camp on the north bank of Gaoliang River. There are only the ruins of the hastily moved camp and some pots and pans that were not taken away in time, scattered all over the ground.

Ever since Xiao Yan moved his camp here two days ago, the Yan army on the north bank of Gaoliang River has been fleeing in a hurry as if they were afraid to see him.

No one is a fool, let alone the leaders, big and small, who have accumulated some wealth in this chaotic army. Everyone is an ambitious person, and the fact that ambitious people can survive until now is enough to show that their brains are not stupid.

None of the rebel troops that crossed the river to plunder and loot were able to return intact. In other words, the troops and horses that crossed the river to the south were either completely wiped out south of the Gaoliang River, or only a few lucky ones survived and escaped.

But almost no one who escaped could explain what was in the south. Some said that there were tens of thousands of Liang troops in the south, who had already laid a huge net and knew all their whereabouts. Some said that although there were only a thousand people in the south, there was a group of elusive killers who would often take down anyone they targeted in an unexpected moment.

By the end of the evolution, it was rumored that not only tens of thousands of Bianliang imperial guards, but even the legendary Xuanming Sect had all poured into Hebei.

Therefore, the entire rebel army that was slightly closer to Gaoliang River, after seeing Xiao Yan's camp appear on the south bank of Gaoliang River, all withdrew their camps and fled to the north, for fear of becoming cannon fodder for the Yan army in the south.

Xiao Yan had already prepared to cross the river, but the troops on the north bank were too weak. Now standing on this hill, he could not even see the shadow of the rebel army. It was extremely empty.

Naturally, he was the one who sent people to release the news about the south, in order to prevent the rebel army from continuing to move southward, but to make them circle around Youzhou, which would make it much easier to deal with them later.

At this moment, footsteps suddenly sounded behind him, and a few bad guys greeted him politely: "Mr. Han."

Xiao Yan did not turn around and continued to stand there. However, just before the people behind him were about to salute, he spoke first: "How are the preparations for moving camp going?"

Han Yanhui withdrew his bowing gesture, then put his hands in his sleeves and said solemnly: "According to the lord's military order, I have ordered people to clear the ten miles of the north bank. There is almost no trace of the Yan army. The camp has been packed up and can be moved at any time."

"Yes, I always trust Zang Ming (Han Yanhui's pen name) in his actions."

Han Yanhui was not pleased with the compliment. Instead, he looked quite serious and said, "My lord, I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

"That's it."

"I think that now is not a good time to cross the river. Even if the rebel army is really vulnerable, there are still more than 100,000 people under the city of Youzhou. Excluding women and children who cannot fight, there are still 50,000 to 60,000 young and strong people."

Han Yanhui cleared his throat and said, "General Yuan has only 2,000 Dingbadu soldiers, but they can only maintain order in Liu Shouwen's place. The rebels are almost acting independently. The more than 100,000 Yan soldiers are just obeying Liu Shouwen's command on the surface. If the rebels are threatened at that time, it is also a question whether they can still be controlled by Liu Shouwen. Our army has less than 2,000 combat soldiers, and even more than a thousand of them are Mobei cavalry. How can we press on step by step like this?"

After that, he added: "I don't doubt the Lord's use of troops, but the disparity between the enemy and us is too great, just like a tiger stuck in a quagmire. No matter how brave it is, it can hardly pose any threat to the cattle and sheep on the shore. In my opinion, the Lord should accumulate some more troops..."

Xiao Yan did not interrupt him. After listening carefully, he smiled mysteriously and said, "Who said I only have 2,000 soldiers?"

"But..." Han Yanhui was stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously said: "My lord, do you have any other backup plan?"

"My two armies are right in front of you, how can I not move?" Xiao Yan said with a smile.

Han Yanhui thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "My lord, this is not the right time to attack Ding Badu and Yichang Army. It is not the right time to kill Li Zhen. Youzhou cannot be conquered yet. If Youzhou is conquered, Ding Badu and Yichang Army will not be able to survive. How can we surrender to Liang and then to Yan..."

Han Yanhui had thought about this problem many times. According to Xiao Yan's plan, if he wanted to completely turn Dingbadu and even the Yichang Army into Xiao Yan's private army, the most important point was not to let the Bianliang court interfere in the reorganization of the army. Under this premise, the chaos in Hebei occurred.

However, if Youzhou City was breached, Ding Badu and the Yichang Army would have only two outcomes. Either they would fight a fierce battle with the Yan Army under the banner of serving Zhu Liang, not to mention the losses. They would just treat it as a training exercise, but the results would certainly be unsatisfactory and it would be difficult for Xiao Yan to get the credit.

But if the two tribes surrender to the Yan army, how will they behave under the banner of Daliang in the future? The two tribes were the Yan army before, and now they surrendered to Liangzi. If they surrendered to Yan again, they would have no place in the eyes of the Bianliang court in the future, so they should not be in a hurry to break the city.

Xiao Yan laughed, and after a long pause, he spoke softly.

"If Youzhou had not been conquered, why would Bianliang be anxious? If Bianliang was not anxious, why would they agree to let me reorganize the troops in Hebei into an army?

If Youzhou had not been conquered, the imperial court would not have been anxious. If the imperial court had not been anxious, how could Li Zhen's head fall to the ground?"

Han Yanhui was stunned for a moment, then stroked his beard and remained silent.

His master is too hard-hearted and his plans are too far-reaching.

According to his idea, Li Zhen's plan might just be a chess piece used by Xiao Yan to disrupt the rebellion in Hebei. After using him, he might still be able to save his life. After all, this is a person who is capable of stirring up the political situation in the court.

But in the eyes of his general Xiao, the Bianliang Li Gong may have become a dead chess piece since he entered Youzhou, and he had no intention of letting him return alive...

It’s the time and the fate.

Perhaps this Mr. Li knew something and had some key evidence that could kill Xiao Yan directly.

But who cares?
Zhu Wen on the throne and all the dignitaries in the court only have Youzhou in their eyes, and only this Youzhou that can defend against the Hu people and control the northern border!
After taking over Hebei, Zhu Wen could use this as an excuse to offer sacrifices to heaven and appease the Taimiao.

Even though he did not come to this throne in a very decent manner, it was enough to overpower all gossips with this achievement, and it also brought too much legitimacy to his throne. This emperor was born with strong soldiers and horses!
At this juncture, Zhu Wen had even made preparations to comfort Hebei and had the idea of ​​unifying the country and making his mark in history.

Youzhou is not only an important military town, it is also like a choke point for Li Keyong, enough to make this one-eyed man who has fought with Zhu Wen for most of his life unable to sleep.

Since ancient times, the unification of the world has always been from north to south. Taking Hebei gave Zhu Wen, who was already over fifty years old, the dream of becoming an emperor of a unified country.

no doubt.

Whoever loses Youzhou loses his head.

Han Yanhui thought about it, and while he was sighing, he was also very excited. He clasped his hands and said solemnly: "My lord, you are far-sighted, and I can't match you."

"It doesn't matter."

Xiao Yan smiled, held the knife and walked to the highest point of the hill. He looked as far north as possible and spoke softly.

"After all, who could have guessed that Youzhou would be broken so quickly?" At the foot of the hill, a horseman came from the north bank with all his strength. When he saw Xiao Yan's figure from afar, he jumped off his horse and half-knelt in the snow.

"Captain, there is news from Gong Yangzuo at the front..."

"The Yan army has entered Youzhou City."

Han Yanhui's face turned serious. He was wondering why Xiao Yan was waiting on this hill so early in the morning and asked him to prepare to move the camp. It turned out that arrangements had been made long ago.

He took a deep look at the bad guys wearing hats on his left and right.

These bad guys are so awesome...

"My lord, what can I do?"

Xiao Yan smiled, lifted his cloak, turned around and walked down the hill.

"Is the food Feng Dao has transported enough? Ask the kitchen to prepare a few hundred more pots. My soldiers will be here soon."

"Here."

Han Yanhui followed closely behind, with nothing but admiration in his heart.

"correct."

Xiao Yan suddenly stopped, looked back and smiled.

"Get ready to receive the imperial decree."

"Here!"

------

Compared with the continuous snowy days in the north, the sky in the Central Plains has gradually warmed up, and some sunlight can be seen from time to time.

But today, dark clouds rolled up in the sky, piled up rapidly, and formed hideous and strange shapes in people's sight, drifting from north to south.

Bianliang, inside Chongzheng Courtyard.

Jing Xiang, dressed in a purple robe, stood in the corridor with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the view of the sky. After a moment, he shook his head and sighed.

"A storm is coming..."

As he had been standing here for a long time, the officials passing by all moved aside silently, fearing to disturb the thoughts of the envoy.

But as soon as these words were spoken, a shrill voice standing nearby took over the conversation in a slightly flattering tone.

"With Prime Minister Jing here, what kind of wind and rain can disturb the sky of Daliang? Let's see, Prime Minister Jing is too worried about the country and the people, and through this celestial phenomenon, he saw that the situation in Hebei to the north is unstable?"

Jing Xiang turned around and saw two eunuchs accompanying a figure walking towards them. The figure in the middle was also dressed as a eunuch, but his clothes were of much higher standard and more expensive than those of the two eunuchs.

When the eunuch saw Jing Xiang coming, he bowed politely with his whisk in his hand and said, "I heard that Prime Minister Jing wanted to see me, so I rushed here without stopping..."

"Eunuch Ding has been promoted again?" Jing Xiang did not hold himself in high esteem. He smiled and helped the eunuch up, saying, "How high has the position been, Eunuch? This speed of promotion really makes me jealous."

Ding Zhaopu was flattering and extremely polite: "No, no, I am a eunuch, but I was lucky enough to be appreciated by your majesty because of my cleverness. I can't compare to a loyal minister like Jing Xiang."

Jingxiang waved his hand and just smiled.

Afterwards, he did not return to the official residence, but stood in the corridor with his hands behind his back, and asked: "Eunuch Ding went to Hebei. From what he said, the situation in Hebei is very difficult to describe?"

Ding Zhaopu did not answer immediately. Instead, he winked and waited until the two young eunuchs behind him were standing guard at a distance before he sighed.

"To be honest with you, Prime Minister, although we only crossed the Yellow River and did not go deep into Hebei, Hebei is really a mess..."

After that, he pointed his finger at Jing Xiang and said, "As far as I know, just because Lord Li did not send out rewards in time, the surrendered soldiers in Hebei refused to obey orders, and the Lulong army rebelled on the battlefield, forcing Kang Taibao to have no news until now, and Wang Yanzhang, the military envoy who had just made contributions, and others are even less known to be alive or dead. Tsk tsk tsk, the momentum of the Yan army has spread to the Yellow River, and I dare not enter Cangzhou City..."

Jing Xiang had a calm expression, listened quietly, and asked, "What's the reaction from Xiao Jieshuai?"

"General Xiao is not doing well either." Ding Zhaopu said, "Although I brought the imperial edict, asking General Xiao to return to Youzhou to help Li Gong in his rebellion, I can see that General Xiao is probably resentful. If I hadn't stopped him, he might have returned to Bianliang by now..."

"How does Marshal Xiao Jie evaluate the Yan army?"

"This..." Ding Zhaopu was a little embarrassed.

Jing Xiang narrowed his eyes, "Sir, just be frank. There are only you and me here. I came to ask you a question on the orders of His Majesty. I will take responsibility for everything."

"That's not what I meant." Ding Zhaopu was a little cautious and whispered, "Marshal Xiao just said that the Yan army is actually vulnerable. It's easy to quell the rebellion, but it's hard to appease the hearts of the surrendered troops in Hebei. He had already suggested to Lord Li in Youzhou that we should wait for more than a month before sending troops to quell the rebellion, but Lord Li was impatient. At that time, the surrendered troops in Hebei were not motivated and did not receive rewards in time, which led to the rebellion of the Lulong army, the great power of the Yan army, and the rebellious troops..."

After hearing this, Jing Xiang put his hands behind his back, pondered for a moment, and then let out a long sigh.

Ding Zhaopu observed the expression and whispered, "Marshal Xiao also complained to us, saying that Lord Li blamed him for distributing the Youzhou treasury without authorization. He said he felt guilty about it, and he was in a hurry to go south this time, just to apologize to His Majesty..."

Jing Xiang shook his head, not knowing whether he had seen through Xiao Yan's trick or what, he just said: "Since Eunuch Ding is familiar with Xiao Jieshuai, I'm afraid he will have to do some hard work and run errands in the future."

"No, no, this is our family's job." Ding Zhaopu bent down.

Jing Xiang thought for a moment and then prepared to speak.

At this moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard hurriedly outside, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps coming inside.

But he is also a eunuch.

His face was a little nervous, and he just said in a hurry: "Respectful Prime Minister, Respectful Prime Minister, His Majesty summons you to the palace!"

Jing Xiang's eyes narrowed slightly.

(End of this chapter)