The twisted gold-threaded ruby bracelet was very beautiful, with extremely delicate craftsmanship. However, considering it was from Huo Tingshan, Pei Ying didn't really want it. She looked up and was about to decline, but after he caught her eye, he actually turned around and walked away.
Huo Tingshan was a military general with a tall and imposing figure. Without deliberately slowing down, he took long strides with each step.
In just a short while, he had already put some distance between himself and Pei Ying.
Pei Ying called out to him from behind, but Huo Tingshan just continued walking forward as if he couldn't hear her.
Pei Ying frowned slightly.
This guy's ears were selectively deaf.
There was nothing she could do but take the brocade box back to her camp first.
After she returned, Meng Ling'er soon came back too. The little girl must have run back as her cheeks were flushed. Pei Ying poured her a glass of water. After watching her gulp it down, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
After drinking the water, Meng Ling'er said, "Mother, I just saw a lot of soldiers outside organizing the military rations and polishing their weapons. Are we going to go to war soon?"
Pei Ying nodded. "It'll be within the next couple of days."
Meng Ling'er mumbled, "No wonder Mr. Gongsun told me just now that he'd stop the classes after today's session and resume them in a few days. So the army is going to set out on a campaign!"
"Mother, do you think we'll go with them?" Meng Ling'er asked curiously.
Pei Ying smiled and said, "Of course we'll follow the army, but we'll stay at the rear. Wherever the military rations are stored, that's where we'll be."
The granary was at the very rear and heavily guarded. After the vanguard troops set out, there was no safer place than near the granary.
Meng Ling'er nodded as if she understood but not really. Just as she was about to tell Pei Ying what she had learned today, her eyes accidentally fell on the beautiful box on the table.
The box was wrapped in red brocade, with a small and unique silver clasp in the center.
Meng Ling'er was immediately attracted to it. She picked up the small box and opened it. When she saw the twisted gold - threaded ruby bracelet inside, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Mother, this bracelet is so beautiful!"
Each transparent ruby was connected by thin twisted gold threads. The number of gold strands wasn't too large, so it didn't look bulky or dull. The small round - cut rubies looked extremely charming even in a place with ordinary lighting.
"Mother, where did this bracelet come from?" Meng Ling'er took out the bracelet and compared it to her own wrist.
Seeing that she liked it, Pei Ying said, "It was sent by another state. If you like it, dear, you can wear it."
That man had said it was from Yanzhou. Things from other states that ended up in his hands were mostly gifts. Since he had given the bracelet to her, it was up to her to decide what to do with it.
Pei Ying didn't think it was inappropriate to pass it on to her daughter.
"Thank you, Mother." Meng Ling'er happily put on the ruby bracelet.
Huo Tingshan had said that the army would set out as early as tomorrow or at the latest the day after. In fact, that very night, the Youzhou army set off.
It wasn't just the Youzhou army. Troops from Yanzhou and Sizhou also started to move.
Not long ago, they had received a battle report from the front. Yuanshan County, where the governor's mansion of Jizhou was located, was being attacked by all the Blue Turban Rebels. It was on the verge of falling. And Huang Muyong, who had already returned to Yuanshan County, had been accidentally slashed during the battle with the Blue Turban Rebels and was said to have had his right arm severed.
Yuanshan County was in danger.
All three states had the same thought in mind. They wanted the Blue Turban Rebels to exhaust the Jizhou army, but they didn't want the Blue Turban Rebels to occupy Yuanshan County, a place that was easy to defend and hard to attack.
Now that the battle situation was reaching a climax, it was the right time to send in troops. They could arrive before the Blue Turban Rebels breached Yuanshan County, surround the rebels under the city gate, and wipe them out in one fell swoop.
Apart from Yuanshan County, there was another place that needed to be attacked, and that was Changping County, the stronghold of the Blue Turban Rebels.
With the current military strength of the three states, it wasn't difficult to attack both places simultaneously. The difficult part was the distribution of troops.
Who would go to attack Yuanshan County and who would go to attack Changping County?
Actually, there were advantages to both. Changping County was the Blue Turban Rebels' stronghold. According to the intelligence, the Blue Turban Rebels had all gone out, so there probably wouldn't be many troops in Changping County, and it should be relatively easy to capture.
If they took the stronghold, they could claim to the outside world that they had wiped out the Blue Turban Rebels, because everyone in the world knew that the Blue Turban Rebels had been entrenched in Changping County for a long time.
Going to Yuanshan County also had its corresponding advantages.
There was the governor's mansion of Jizhou in that county. Since the previous governor had lived in Yuanshan County, it had always been the power center of Jizhou.
If compared, this place was like the "master bedroom".
There were still some Jizhou troops left in Yuanshan County. If they went there at this time, although they would encounter the main force of the Blue Turban Army and might have to endure a bitter battle, they could also give the Jizhou army the impression of being like divine soldiers descending from the sky, which would be beneficial for enhancing the prestige of the state army.
At the same time, there were some troops in Jizhou dispatched by the imperial court. Wiping out the Blue Turban Rebels under the "witness" of the imperial court, if they insisted on saying that they had wiped out the Blue Turban Rebels, it seemed that others couldn't do much about it.
In short, there were advantages to attacking both counties.
To decide the direction of the army, the three states had held several meetings, and finally they reached a result.
The armies of Youzhou and Sizhou would go to Yuanshan County to surround the main force of the Blue Turban Rebels. The Yanzhou army would go to Changping County, the stronghold of the Blue Turban Rebels.
Huo Tingshan wasn't surprised by this result.
Comparing the two counties, Yuanshan County, the so - called "master bedroom", was actually more important at present. Don't underestimate prestige. An army without prestige couldn't stand firm outside.
If Tan Jin were still in power, the Yanzhou army would definitely have chosen to attack Yuanshan County. But unfortunately, the one in power now was Hu Lan.
A man who got his position through connections, with big but not very practical ambitions. It was quite normal for him to choose to go to Changping County where the Blue Turban Rebels' forces were weak.
After the plan was finalized, they set off on a night march.
Normally, there was a curfew, but when it came to war, they didn't pay attention to such things. Sometimes a night attack could achieve unexpected results.
The armies of Youzhou and Sizhou set off.
Although they were called a joint army, they didn't stay close to each other. After putting some distance between themselves and the Sizhou troops, Huo Tingshan ordered the two thousand cavalry in his army to change back to high - bridge saddles and stirrups.
"Report!"
Just as they finished getting ready, a scout came to report.
Huo Tingshan was re - tying the belly strap of Wu Ye's saddle. "What's the matter?"
The scout said, "Your Excellency, the number of cooking pits found ahead is abnormal. It's far fewer than what the main force of the Blue Turban Rebels should have."
Huo Tingshan stopped his action of tying the strap. "Are you sure you counted correctly?"
The scout raised his voice. "I led my men to count three times. There's no mistake."
An army without food would be weak, and military rations couldn't be cut off.
Therefore, in military campaigns, it was common to roughly estimate the number of the enemy's troops based on their military rations.
And to figure out the "amount of military rations", one could count the number of remaining cooking pits or the frequency of smoke rising from the cooking fires.
Of course, these methods weren't completely accurate. Some armies would do the opposite and deliberately create false impressions to deceive their opponents.
But did the Blue Turban Army have a reason to do so?
As everyone knew, the main force of the Blue Turban Rebels had gone to Yuanshan County. Everyone expected there to be a large number of Blue Turban troops in Yuanshan County. There was no need for them to go through all that trouble.
Unless, the main force of the Blue Scarf Army is not in Yuanshan County!
There are only two places in this area that are easy to defend and difficult to attack. If it's not in Yuanshan County, then it must be in the headquarters, Changping County.
Huo Tingshan pondered for a moment and then loudly ordered, "Pass on my order. Tell the soldiers in the East and West Armored Camps to remove the high-bridge saddles and stirrups and make sure to hide the equipment well."
The order was quickly passed down. After they were re - equipped, the Youzhou Army set off again.
The strange situation of the Blue Scarf bandits' cooking pits soon spread among the Youzhou Army. The high - ranking generals all had complex feelings.
It was as if they had gathered all their strength, ready for a big fight, but then the enemy made a feint and ran away.
If they couldn't catch the main force of the Blue Scarf Army, they wouldn't be able to earn military merits. And without military merits, would the fragrant soap be out of reach?
How depressing!
However, amidst their depression, there was also a bit of schadenfreude.
Since they couldn't encounter the main force of the Blue Scarf Army, it would be the Yanzhou Army that would meet them.
With Hu Lan's leadership ability and the unresolved contradictions within Yanzhou, it was estimated that the Yanzhou Army would have a tough time this time.
Just as Huo Tingshan had speculated, on their way to Yuanshan County, they only encountered three small groups of Blue Scarf bandits.
When the army reached Yuanshan County, looking around, this core county of Jizhou was in a state of desolation. In front of the city gate, there was a large area filled with broken halberds and arrows. The land was dyed red with blood, and there were still uncollected corpses lying on the ground.
"Looks like the battle here was quite fierce before. It's quite something that the Jizhou Army managed to hold the city until now," Qin Yang stroked his chin.
"Alas, my chance to fight the Blue Scarf rebels is gone," Xiong Mao still had the matter of exchanging military merits for fragrant soap on his mind.
Qin Yang patted him on the shoulder. "Although we won't encounter the main force of the Blue Scarf Army this time, it's obvious that those people from Yanzhou won't be able to handle them. In the end, it'll still be up to us."
The army of Sizhou also noticed the strange situation of the cooking pits, but like the Youzhou Army, they also kept silent and didn't send anyone to inform Yanzhou.
The Chu royal family was getting weaker and weaker. It was obvious to everyone that the world would soon be in chaos. Those with military power would surely be the ones with a chance to compete for the throne.
If a powerful military - holding colleague was weakened, there would be one less strong competitor in the future.
The armies of Youzhou and Sizhou almost arrived at Yuanshan County at the same time. When the soldiers on the city wall saw the huge military banners of the two sides, they quickly reported to their superiors.
Soon, the drawbridge over the moat was lowered, and the armies of the two states filed in.
Previously, they had received a battle report saying that Huang Muyong had his right arm cut off. But when Huo Tingshan actually saw him, he found that the man was just a bit thinner and his arm was still there.
The previous news about Huang Muyong's broken arm was false.
Huo Tingshan's eyebrows twitched slightly. Seeing that Huang Muyong was more obsequious to them than before, he understood.
It was very likely that Huang Muyong had spread the news that the main force of the Blue Scarf Army was pressing on the city, that he had his arm cut off, and that Yuanshan County was about to fall.
He was on the verge of collapse and knew that the armies of the three states wouldn't come until the last moment, so he resorted to spreading false news.
"General Huo of Youzhou, Commander Liu, to be honest, the Blue Scarf bandits are very powerful. That Dream Fulfillment Master seems to have the power to move the heavens," Huang Muyong said with a worried face.
"Oh? What kind of power to move the heavens?" Huo Tingshan became interested.
Huang Muyong looked solemn. "He can make the Earth Dragon turn over."
Liu Baiquan was shocked. "Make the Earth Dragon turn over? How is that possible?"
There had been an incident of the Earth Dragon turning over a few years ago. The situation was extremely tragic. In an instant, tens of thousands of men and women were crushed to death, the river was blocked, and fields, houses, cattle, and sheep were all buried.
This kind of power of the gods was invincible. Once encountered, one could only admit bad luck.
Huang Muyong looked exhausted. "Please believe me. What I said is not false. Ten days ago, during the battle with our army, the Dream Fulfillment Master really summoned the Earth Dragon once. But that Earth Dragon was not very big. It just passed by here without causing too much chaos."
Liu Baiquan's face showed fear. Others might not know, but he had witnessed the Earth Dragon turning over.
At that time, he was just a young boy. When he was returning to his maternal grandfather's home with his mother, they passed by a small county and encountered the Earth Dragon turning over. Fortunately, it happened during the day. If it had been at night, he might have died in that small county.
More than forty years had passed, but Liu Baiquan still clearly remembered the scene of the huge trees crashing down. The brick - and - tile houses seemed to turn into fragile paper, and with a gentle push from an invisible giant hand, they instantly fell apart.
That kind of deep - seated fear, just a slight recollection of it now, made Liu Baiquan turn pale.
"Ridiculous," someone scoffed, standing out from the crowd.
Both Huang Muyong and Liu Baiquan paused. The former's face looked a bit bad. "General Huo of Youzhou, do you not believe what I'm saying?"
Huo Tingshan tapped his fingers on the table twice. "I really don't believe it. If this Dream Fulfillment Master is really like the rumors say, a semi - immortal who can call the wind and rain, draw talismans, and summon the Earth Dragon to do his bidding, why would he bother attacking Yuanshan County? Why not just attack Chang'an directly?"
Huang Muyong was at a loss for words. After a moment, he managed to say, "Maybe a semi - immortal is not a real immortal, so his abilities are limited."
Huo Tingshan said casually, "Then he's just a mortal body that can bleed and die. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Huang Muyong's face changed several times. Finally, he let out a long sigh. "Why doesn't General Huo believe me?"
Huo Tingshan didn't want to discuss the matter of belief with him. He directly asked about the battle situation in recent days.
Huang Muyong didn't hide anything about this. Even if he didn't say, the two of them would find a way to find out. So he began to tell the story.
When he received the news of the death of the governor of Jizhou, he rushed back to Yuanshan County overnight. He integrated the Jizhou Army and the imperial army to resist the Blue Scarf Army together.
At first, the enemy was stronger, but the gap in strength was not too large. What really changed the battle situation was the Earth Dragon turning over.
Huang Muyong said with a sigh that after the Earth Dragon turned over, the morale of the Blue Scarf bandits soared, while the soldiers of Jizhou were in a state of panic and had no morale at all.
Without morale, the battle couldn't be fought. After that, they could only defend behind the closed city gates.
"Thanks to the arrival of the two of you. Otherwise, the people of Yuanshan County would be in great danger. On behalf of the people of Yuanshan County and the soldiers of Jizhou, I thank General Huo of Youzhou and Commander Liu," Huang Muyong showed his gratitude, almost in tears.
Liu Baiquan couldn't stand his words as if he were the master. He immediately said, "General Huang, you're being too polite. All the people under heaven are one family. We are all subjects of the emperor. It's our duty to relieve the emperor's worries. There's no need for thanks."
Huang Muyong's grateful expression froze.
The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward.
Finally, Huang Muyong clumsily changed the topic. "By the way, why are there only the two of you? Where are the people from Yanzhou?"
Huo Tingshan said meaningfully, "Cavalry Captain Hu heard that the Blue Scarf Bandits had mobilized all their forces to besiege Yuanshan Commandery. He was extremely angry and said that those Blue Scarf rebels were extremely arrogant. He wanted to teach them a lesson, so he led the Yanzhou Army to Changping Commandery, intending to destroy the Blue Scarf Bandits' lair and avenge General Tan."
Huang Muyong felt even more embarrassed.
He was the one who had ordered the spread of those false rumors. Now the Yanzhou Army had gone to Changping Commandery.
Given the ferocity of the Blue Scarf Bandits, it was easy to imagine that the Yanzhou Army was in great danger...
Huang Muyong's embarrassment was hard to hide. Seeing this, Liu Baiquan belatedly realized that those rumors were probably deliberately spread by him.
Liu Baiquan accused, "Grand General Protector of the Nation, you've done this thing rather dishonorably. You've really put Yanzhou in a difficult situation."
Huang Muyong thought to himself, "What a joke. If I hadn't done so, how could I still be here drinking tea with you now?" But on the surface, he showed an apologetic look and said, "It's my fault. However, since things have come to this, the only thing we can do now is to mend the fold after the sheep have been stolen. Please, the two of you, immediately send your troops to attack Changping Commandery, relieve the siege of Yanzhou, and eliminate those Blue Scarf rebels."
Liu Baiquan frowned, as if deep in thought.
He had indeed come to Changping Commandery to exterminate the Blue Scarf Bandits, but not entirely for this reason. If he followed what that Huang Muyong said, wouldn't his Sizhou Army become a blade in someone else's hand?
Currently, the main forces of the Blue Scarf Bandits hadn't left, so there must be a large number of troops in Changping Commandery. Moreover, it was a place that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. In addition, that Dream Fulfillment Master had extraordinary skills.
Just thinking about it, Liu Baiquan felt that there were numerous difficulties.
However, someone agreed.
"Alright," Huo Tingshan replied.
Liu Baiquan's pupils suddenly tightened, and he was greatly shocked.
Huang Muyong was overjoyed and quickly got up to bow. "I thank General Huo of Youzhou and General Liu."
Liu Baiquan looked ashen, feeling as if he had swallowed a fly.
He didn't want to go. The Earth Dragon's Flip was simply a nightmare in his life. He didn't want to encounter that Dream Fulfillment Master who could control the Earth Dragon at all. But unfortunately, Huo Tingshan had agreed...
After one night, they finally assembled the troops.
Before the army was about to set off, Liu Baiquan found Huo Tingshan. "General Huo of Youzhou, it would be too conspicuous for the two states' armies to go to Changping Commandery together. How about we go separately?"
Huo Tingshan squinted his eyes.
Liu Baiquan's heart skipped a beat. He thought his intention had been seen through and felt a moment of being exposed.
However, the next moment, he heard Huo Tingshan say, "Okay, then let's go separately."
Liu Baiquan was overjoyed.
After the two leaders made the decision, the flags fluttered, and the iron cavalry set off. The two armies went their separate ways.
...
The golden sun slowly sank again, and the sky was covered with a layer of grayish - black. As the sun set, the shadows of the trees intertwined, and there seemed to be a strange color added to the mountains and fields.
"General, it's only a dozen miles away from Changping Commandery," Qin Yang looked up at the sky and couldn't help but feel excited.
For the attacking side, the night was a good cover. It was more convenient to attack the city at night than during the day.
"Report, urgent report!"
Someone on a flying horse caught up from behind.
The person coming was a scout who belonged to Qin Yang's battalion and had been sent by Huo Tingshan to follow the Sizhou Army.
Seeing the person from his own battalion rushing back in a hurry, Qin Yang's eyebrows twitched violently, and he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
"General, the Sizhou Army has fled," the scout said.
Qin Yang felt like he wanted to grind his back teeth for a moment.
Xiong Mao and the others were greatly shocked.
"Fled?"
"A deserter on the battlefield? That Liu Baiquan is really a coward, worse than a pig or a dog."
"This man is so afraid of the Blue Scarf Bandits? Fortunately, the general sent a scout. Otherwise, we would really have been badly hurt by those stupid people from Sizhou."
"General, what should we do now?"
After everyone chattered, they all looked at Huo Tingshan. They saw that his expression was calm, without a trace of surprise, as if he had long known that the Sizhou Army would retreat.
Huo Tingshan looked in the direction of Changping Commandery. His long and narrow eyes were extremely deep. "Changping Commandery is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It's not impossible to launch a strong attack, but the price to pay would be very high. I think it's actually a good thing that the Sizhou Army has retreated now."
"Good thing?" Xiong Mao stared at him in disbelief.
Although the Sizhou Army was not as brave as their Youzhou Army, it was always good to have an ally when dealing with the notoriously fierce Blue Scarf Army.
"The arrogant army is bound to be defeated. What we need to do now is to make the Blue Scarf Bandits in Changping Commandery even more arrogant."
Huo Tingshan began to assign tasks. "Xiong Mao, wait for another two hours. After the news of the Sizhou Army's retreat spreads to Changping Commandery, you will follow me and continue to move forward. We'll go to the bottom of Changping Commandery to provoke them in a shouting match. Qin Yang, you lead three hundred people to a place one mile away from Changping Commandery and leave traces of weapons being dragged on the ground and chaotic cart ruts. Sha Ying, I'll hand over all the cavalry from the East and West Armor Camps to you. After they are equipped with stirrups and high - pommel saddles, you ambush them five miles away and wait for the Blue Scarf Bandits to fall into our trap."
After following Huo Tingshan for so many years, after receiving these instructions, everyone understood his plan.
Since Changping Commandery was easy to defend but difficult to attack, they would make the Blue Scarf Bandits come out on their own.
"We will surely live up to the general's trust."
"We will surely live up to the general's trust."
After quickly dividing the army, Huo Tingshan led Xiong Mao to continue moving forward.
Soon, they arrived at Changping Commandery.
The sound of the iron cavalry's hooves was quite loud. Coupled with Xiong Mao, who had an extremely loud voice, it was no exaggeration to say that his voice was like a bell. When he shouted in the provoking match, it was both loud and unpleasant, and the people on the city wall could hear it even with their ears covered.
When Xiong Mao first started the provoking match, Dong Fei, the Dream Fulfillment Master and the leader of the Blue Scarf Army, was drinking and celebrating.
Today, the Yanzhou Army had foolishly come to their doorstep and had been completely wiped out by him. Just now, he had received a tip - off that the armies from Youzhou and Sizhou, which were originally going to Yuanshan Commandery, had changed their route and were coming here to attack Changping Commandery. But on the way, the Sizhou Army had suddenly changed its course and retreated.
After learning this, the Dream Fulfillment Master laughed loudly to the sky and immediately asked someone to bring more fine wine.
"Brother, will the Youzhou Army come?" Dong Zhong, the younger brother of the Dream Fulfillment Master, raised his head and took a gulp of wine.
The Dream Fulfillment Master disdainfully laughed and said, "Most likely not. Since Sizhou has retreated, if they come, they will be isolated and helpless. Just watch me cut them into pieces."
Just as he finished speaking, there came strange and vulgar shouts from outside. Words like "old brute" and "thieving donkey" were quite offensive.
The Dong brothers' faces immediately changed.
Dong Fei smashed the wine jar. "Who is being so presumptuous outside?"
A Blue Scarf guard quickly entered and reported, "Report to the master. The Youzhou Army has reached the city. They are now provoking us in a shouting match. One of my brothers said that it seems General Huo of Youzhou has also come."
"Oh?" Dong Zhong was surprised. "General Huo of Youzhou has come? Are you sure you didn't misidentify?"
The Blue Scarf guard hesitated a bit. "My brother said that there was a person who looked very much like him, but since it's getting dark, it's not very clear."
Dong Zhong burped and turned to the Dream Fulfillment Master. "Brother, let me go and deal with these barbarians from Youzhou."
"Okay, teach them a lesson." The Dream Fulfillment Master then added, "Be careful. Beware of tricks. I'll be waiting for you to return while the wine is still warm."
Dong Zhong laughed heartily. "I'll definitely be back before the wine cools down."
Dong Zhong strode out.
*
Under the city gate.
Xiong Mao had been shouting in the provoking match for a quarter of an hour. Then, according to Huo Tingshan's plan, a man on a horse came from behind in a hurry and rushed to the front of the battle line.
Xiong Mao stopped shouting insults. No one knew what message the guard had delivered, but there was a stir in the Youzhou Army.
It seemed that the morale of the army was wavering.
From the perspective of the Blue Scarf Army, the Youzhou Army should have received the news of the retreat of the Sizhou Army.
Dong Zhong had already reached the city wall at this time. Seeing this, he couldn't help but sneer, "The enemy's morale is in disarray. They are nothing to be feared. Come, follow me into battle."
Seeing that the city gate below was about to open, Huo Tingshan led his troops and ran.
Dong Zhong was stunned at first. He never expected that without even engaging in battle, the enemy would flee in a panic. Immediately, he felt both proud and disdainful.
The famous Youzhou Army is just like this?
It's really overrated.
Dong Zhong shouted loudly, "All generals, listen up! Follow me in pursuit!"
After chasing for about a mile and seeing the discarded weapons and chaotic cart tracks, the last trace of doubt in Dong Zhong's heart vanished.
However, when he had chased for about five miles, the sound of hoofbeats came from the front. Dong Zhong took a closer look and saw that the enemy had turned back.
He was about to sneer when he saw a group of soldiers on horses in the distance all take out a bow and arrow from behind.
Holding the bow in the left hand and nocking an arrow on the string with the right hand, they even took both hands off the reins of their horses.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The long arrows cut through the air with a cold wind. Some hit the Blue Scarf soldiers, and some hit their horses.
For a moment, people and horses fell, and there were screams everywhere.
Dong Zhong was extremely shocked and couldn't understand why all the Youzhou soldiers were so strong that they could clamp the horse's body with their legs. But at this time, there was no extra time for him to think.
"Follow me and kill!" Xiong Mao took the lead and rushed forward. Holding a long knife in one hand and a short sword in the other, wherever he passed, it was like a terrifying hurricane sweeping across, knocking a group of Blue Scarf soldiers off their horses.
Huo Tingshan also joined the fight with his long knife in hand.
No, it couldn't be called a fight. It should be said to be a one - sided massacre.
In front of the Youzhou Army equipped with stirrups and other equipment, the Blue Scarf Army was as soft as dough and was at the mercy of the enemy.
Xiong Mao had long had his eye on Dong Zhong. At this moment, in his eyes, Dong Zhong was not only the enemy leader but also -
Madam Pei's soap!
Until his neck was cut off by a knife, Dong Zhong still didn't understand how he had lost.
After Dong Zhong's death, this group of Blue Scarf soldiers retreated steadily and were soon completely wiped out.
Huo Tingshan sat on Wu Ye and picked up the body of a Blue Scarf soldier with his long knife. His eyes swept over the soldier's clothes and the blue scarf on his head.
"Let's all be Blue Scarf bandits tonight," Huo Tingshan said with a smile.
Soon after, the Youzhou Army transformed into the Blue Scarf Army and swaggered back.
*
Changping County.
The Blue Scarf soldiers guarding the city saw a group of cavalry approaching in the distance. The clothes were familiar, and they were also wearing blue scarves on their heads. Without much thought, they ordered the city gate to be opened.
Today, they had first defeated the Yanzhou Army, then scared away the Sizhou Army. Now, facing the Youzhou Army that already had the intention to retreat, wasn't it a piece of cake?
"Creak." The heavy city gate was pushed open.
Huo Tingshan looked at the gradually opening city gate. His thin lips slowly curled up, showing a blood - thirsty smile.
The cavalry quickly filed in under the cover of the night. After they had completely entered the city, the burly man at the front shouted loudly, "Kill them all!"
"Kill!!"
"Kill!!"
"Kill!!"
Changping County was suddenly in great chaos. The Youzhou cavalry, disguised as Blue Scarf bandits, charged straight in.
It was like a pack of tigers breaking into a sheepfold. Fire and blood filled the air. The bodies hit by arrows fell heavily to the ground and were trampled to a pulp by the horses' hooves.
A round object was thrown forcefully onto the city tower. When it fell, the Blue Scarf soldiers on the tower found that it was actually the head of Dong Zhong, the younger brother of Dream Fulfillment Master.
"Dong Zhong is dead. Surrender quickly!"
The city tower became even more chaotic.
Changping County was in chaos for more than two hours. The number of Blue Scarf soldiers killed was countless. Dead bodies were lying everywhere on the streets and on the city tower guarding the gate, and the blood flowed like a waterfall.
Sha Ying led a small Youzhou team to finish off the remaining enemies to prevent anyone from feigning death.
Qin Yang went to arrange for the captives, while Huo Tingshan led Xiong Mao to search everywhere. But after searching one place after another, they couldn't find Dream Fulfillment Master, the bandit leader.
"General, there's no sign of him here either. Could it be that Dream Fulfillment Master has escaped?" Xiong Mao frowned and said.
It was quite possible. Changping County was quite large, and there was more than one exit.
Huo Tingshan clicked his tongue lightly and said, "He's lucky to have escaped."
Next, they cleaned up the battlefield and counted the spoils.
Huo Tingshan planned to look for Dream Fulfillment Master's treasure house. This was Dong Fei's stronghold. That guy had fled in a hurry and must have left a lot of treasures behind.
However, just then, someone shouted anxiously from behind,
"General, urgent report! The rear camp has been attacked by Blue Scarf bandits!"
Huo Tingshan suddenly turned his head and asked, "What did you say?"
The guard, who had obviously come from the rear, had galloped all the way to Changping County and then rushed into the room. He was out of breath. At this moment, he took a deep breath and repeated what he had just said.
Huo Tingshan strode out of the room while asking, "When did the attack happen?"
The soldier replied, "An hour ago."
Xiong Mao said in surprise, "General, I'm willing to lead the troops back to relieve the rear camp."
"I'll go back. You guys stay here and guard Changping County well," Huo Tingshan said without looking back.
Xiong Mao looked at Huo Tingshan's back and was a little confused.
It was a fact that the rear camp had been attacked, but with the strength of the troops there, it might not necessarily be in danger.
Maybe Chen Yuan, who was left there, had already led the men to deal with it. Sending some people back casually would be enough. Why did the general have to go there in person?
Xiong Mao scratched his big head and couldn't figure it out.
Huo Tingshan led his troops out of the city. As Wu Ye galloped, the night wind kept blowing past. It was bitterly cold, but it was not as cold as the man's eyes.
Just now, the soldier had reported that the rear camp had been attacked.
The attackers were the Blue Scarf Army.
But he didn't think so. Changping County had been captured, and the time of the attack on the rear camp didn't match, nor did the location.
Dream Fulfillment Master had escaped, but he must have fled south and couldn't have gone north, or he would have run into them.
If it wasn't the Blue Scarf bandits, then it was -
Sizhou!
It was Sizhou pretending to be Blue Scarf bandits.
The Yanzhou Army had been wiped out. In Liu Baiquan's view, his Youzhou Army would probably never return.
Attacking his Youzhou Army's granary at this time was not only to prove to the world that the Blue Scarf Army was fierce and that his Sizhou Army's change of route on the battlefield was not a retreat but a strategic move to preserve strength, but also an attempt to weaken his Youzhou Army so that he would be unable to compete for the unclaimed land of Jizhou.
What a double - edged sword move.
But Liu Baiquan probably didn't expect that he had captured Changping County.
*
Pei Ying didn't expect that the rear of the camp would also be unsafe.
They were attacked at night.
It was in a mess outside, and the whole army was on high alert. Pei Ying and Meng Ling'er were awakened by the noisy sounds of fighting.
"Mommy, it seems that there are enemies coming in," Meng Ling'er couldn't help but shrink into Pei Ying's arms.
Pei Ying patted her daughter's back and said, "It should be okay. There are heavy troops in the army, and they won't succeed."
But as time passed, she didn't know how long it had been. She just felt that gradually, the sounds of weapons clashing and fighting outside seemed to be getting closer.
"Madam Pei," someone said outside.
Pei Ying recognized that it was Chen Yuan's voice and quickly replied, "Captain Chen, what's the matter?"
Outside, Chen Yuan said, "It's quite chaotic in this area. I'd like to invite Lady Pei and Miss Meng to move to another military tent."
Probably afraid that Pei Ying would be worried, Chen Yuan added later, "Please rest assured, madam. It's just a small group of bandits causing trouble. It's nothing serious."
Pei Ying felt relieved and said, "All right. Please wait a moment, Captain Chen. My daughter and I will come out soon."
After the mother - daughter pair tidied themselves up, they walked out of the tent.
Once out, Pei Ying noticed that torches were lit all around. With her good eyesight, she also saw someone lying motionless on the ground not far away, with a long arrow stuck in their chest.
Pei Ying's face turned deathly pale.
There were not only Chen Yuan but also a dozen or so soldiers from Youzhou beside him. Seeing Pei Ying and her daughter, Chen Yuan pointed in a direction and said, "Lady Pei, Miss Meng, this way, please."
The two were escorted by the Youzhou soldiers to move.
However, just as they passed a few tents, a small group of men with blue scarves around their heads suddenly rushed out from somewhere.
Chen Yuan and the escorting Youzhou soldiers quickly stepped forward to confront the enemies. With a few clangs of their swords, they were fast and ruthless, slashing those men down.
Just as Chen Yuan was about to put away his sword, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a blue - scarved man with a dagger, trying to approach them under the cover of the tents.
Chen Yuan took out the short knife from his waist and was about to throw it, but at this moment, a long arrow came even faster than him. With the sound of breaking wind, it seemed to carry the force of thunder and lightning, directly piercing through the chest of the blue - scarved man and pinning him to the framework of the tent behind.
The sound of galloping horses drew near.
As if sensing something, Pei Ying looked up in that direction and was slightly stunned.
She saw a man on a horse leading the way, followed by a group of cavalry. The thickest night in the sky was gradually fading, and a ray of dawn pierced through the dark curtain and shone on the earth.
It was already dawn.
The dawn light fell on that tall figure. His blood - stained black armor glowed dimly, as profound and heavy as his temperament.
Pei Ying watched as he nimbly dismounted and strode towards her.
