"I've said it a long time ago, those yellow robes and the like are not worth mentioning!"
"When I was near Liyang, I killed Fan Yi with a small number of people and killed him. Huang Fazhu was so frightened that he did not dare to leave the city for three days!"
Changsun Honglue was riding a big horse, proudly bragging about his bravery to the knights behind him.
Along the rugged country road, a group of knights were marching at full speed.
On both sides of the road are villages that have long since become ruins.
The farmland cannot be seen as farmland, and the village cannot be seen as a village. Black shadows occasionally flash across the village. If you look closely, you can see a few drooling wild dogs. Seeing so many knights,
They whimpered, turned and fled, hiding in the dense forest in the distance.
There are lonely corpses rotting on the side of the road, and the insects are having a carnival.
These more than a thousand cavalry formed a long snake formation and passed quickly on the road.
Their destination is Dongguan.
After the news of Liu Taozi's victory over Wu Mingche spread, Lu Qian and others immediately decided to send troops to recapture Dongguan. It would be best to join Liu Taozi to siege Liyang.
Changsun Honglue volunteered to serve as a pioneer and open the way at the front.
The two knights listened to Changsun Honglue bragging about his military exploits. They looked at each other and just nodded in agreement.
General Changsun liked this one.
I have never won many battles, and I have never lost many brags.
General Changsun is a native of Jinyang, a decent national nobleman. However, he is not the first generation and does not have much combat experience.
Of course, if it is placed south of the river, this is enough.
When Wang Lin was taken away by Liu Taozi, Lu Qian was very worried about this, but General Changsun directly humiliated Wang Lin and Liu Taozi, thinking that they were not worth mentioning.
Now that Huang Fasu was preparing to retreat because he was afraid of Liu Taozi, this man began to feel that Huang Fasu was not worth mentioning.
In fact, Huang Fazhu was not mentioned once. The last time he led troops to attack, he took the initiative to invite troops to attack.
As a result, they were beaten so disoriented that the temple's defenders deployed around Hefei were almost defeated by the opponent.
If Liu Taozi hadn't provided timely support, Hefei might have surrendered.
The two knights also knew General Changsun's character, and they always believed only 10% of what he said.
Changsun Honglue was indeed extremely excited at this moment. He had underestimated Huang Fazhu before and was almost completely destroyed by the opponent.
But the situation is different now. The general attacked Wu Mingche in Guabu and wiped out his entire army. The Chen people were shocked and had no fighting spirit. According to reliable intelligence, there was a mutiny in Huang Fasu's army, leaving behind a lot of baggage.
No, he fled back to Liyang overnight and prepared to withdraw to the country.
Changsun Honglue quickly sensed a fighting opportunity again.
Isn't it possible to hit Huang Fazhu in this state casually?
Lu Qian was still a little worried about Huang Fazhu, so he asked Changsun Honglue to clear the way ahead to ensure safety. However, Changsun Honglue just wanted to recover the city as soon as possible and regain the stolen supplies.
The crisp sound of horse hooves continued for a long time.
Until Chang Sun Honglue led the knights through here.
In the dense forest to the west, Chen Bing lay down among the shrubs, with tall trees hiding their figures.
They just watched motionless as Chang Sun Honglue and his army passed by them. When the two sides were closest, they could even hear the conversation of those people.
They were hidden enough, and the other party had no intention of exploring the dense forest, so the two sides were just separated.
Huang Fazhu looked at the advancing cavalry calmly.
Sure enough, as he expected, the enemy rushed to regain the city. Lu Qian probably didn't want Xu Du to join forces with him easily?
Huang Fazhu looked at the generals on the left and right, "Let the soldiers everywhere not act rashly and listen to my orders. Without my orders, even if you see Lu Qian passing by, you are not allowed to attack!"
"only!!"
Huang Fashu set up a huge ambush circle on the opponent's only route. His troops were hidden in the dense forests to the west, the hills and ravines to the east, and even among the ruins and the farmland in the distance.
After the opponent's vanguard passed, another army took a long way around, preparing to attack its rear.
Huang Fazhu was extremely serious about his work, and he even considered whether Liu Taozi would come to support him.
A separate army was also specially arranged. They did not participate in the ambush and were only responsible for guarding Liu Taozi.
But his enemies were obviously not so well prepared.
After Changsun Honglue passed by, it took another hour or so before the enemy's army gradually appeared on the road.
The State of Qi actually had a large army stationed south of the river, but most of this army was forcibly recruited from the local area, and there was no support from the military government of the Puppet Zhou Dynasty. This resulted in the combat effectiveness of these armies generally being low, compared with the army in Hebei.
Get up, one is in the sky and the other is on the ground.
This was also the case during the previous war between Zhou and Qi. Zhou basically suffered no losses south of the river. Only Heluo gave them a slight headache.
Although Lu Qian did not get along with Wang Lin, he was sitting in Yangzhou, which really caused some trouble for the southerners. He had certain abilities to integrate various states and counties for his own use.
Qi Bing lowered his head and passed slowly on the road.
The soldiers' eyes kept glancing left and right, not searching for enemies, but for prey.
The Puppet Qi Dynasty had its own tradition. When the army went out on an expedition, there was always no grass growing, whether it was within its own territory or the enemy's territory. This was the case, and they carried out destruction, killing, and looting along the way, and even the generals took the lead in doing so.
It's a pity that the ruins on both sides don't look like they have any prey.
They can only move on.
The front army passed smoothly, and the Chinese army appeared later.
From their clothes, it can be seen that this Qi army is a coalition force from different regions. The tacit understanding between them is not high, and the formation is messy.
Lu Qian was in charge of the Chinese army.
At this moment, he was riding a tall horse and looking into the distance with a solemn face.
He didn't like Liu Taozi, not just him, most of the officials south of the river didn't like Liu Taozi.
Although Liu Taozi came to support this time and saved their lives, Lu Qian believed that Liu Taozi had other motives. He ordered his subordinates not to call Liu Taozi a general, and often wrote to Jinyang.
The act of impeaching Liu Taozi does not matter whether Jinyang can gain this.
Now that Huang Fasu was about to retreat, Lu Qian also felt that this was a good opportunity.
He needed a victory to retain the forcibly gathered army. As long as he could retain these people, he might be able to leave hope for Da Qi south of the river in the future, and one day he could take the emperor from Jinyang.
Then he drove Liu Taozi to the outside of the Great Wall to revive the Qi Dynasty.
Lu Qian raised his head, thinking about family and country affairs.
Just as he was passing by the dense forest, the sound of Chen Ren's war drums suddenly sounded in the dense forest.
The war drums of Chen people are smaller than those of Qi people, but the rhythm is faster.
The rapid drum beat was like raindrops.
The war drums suddenly sounded, and the army was in an uproar. The soldiers were shocked and took up their weapons. The generals began to put on their armor.
"kill!!!"
Huang Fazhu roared angrily and took the lead to fight out of the dense forest.
The ambushes everywhere rushed out together, and Chen soldiers of different sizes appeared on the left and right.
The Qi army was in chaos. Lu Qian had always been popular, but his experience in fighting was far from enough. He was confused when he saw the enemies coming from all over. He didn't know how to command at all. He just ordered his soldiers to form formations.
Raise the flag and let the ministries fight back.
Without specific orders, the generals can only fight on their own, and there is no way to counterattack.
The two sides were fighting, and the Qi army was attacked during the march. The army was in chaos and could not find its enemy, its general, or itself.
On Chen Bing's side, the tactics were clear, and their most elite sergeants came all the way to attack the Chinese army where Lu Qian's banner was.
There was no one around Lu Qian except his own soldiers to protect him.
When these southern soldiers appeared on the left and right, Lu Qian no longer had the intention to command, so he drew his sharp sword and prepared to break out.
However, Lu Qian is not a strong general.
Although the soldiers resisted fiercely, they could not stop the enemy's advance.
When several sergeants rushed from both sides, pulled Lu Qian off his horse, and knocked down the flag, the victory or defeat was decided.
The Qi army fled in all directions, abandoning their troops and armor. Huang Fashu ordered the soldiers to continue chasing and killing. The road was in a mess.
Lu Qian was tied up and kneeling aside, his hair disheveled and his armor stripped off.
In the distance, there were more prisoners, but the fate of these prisoners was much more miserable than that of Lu Qian. Chen Bing vented his anger on them, beating them from time to time, and these people were tied to each other.
He got up, but didn't dare to move, just wailed.
Lu Qian's face was dull, and two soldiers stood behind him, grabbing his shoulders tightly and forcing him to kneel down to Chen Ren.
A group of knights came running wildly. Huang Fazhu jumped down from his horse quickly. He was covered in blood. After dismounting, he wiped his face slightly and walked quickly towards here.
When he came to Lu Qian, he immediately frowned and reprimanded: "Mr. Lu is a famous scholar, who allows you to humiliate him like this?! Let go!"
The two soldiers quickly let go.
Huang Fazhu looked into the distance again and cursed angrily: "Since the enemy has surrendered, why should we beat and humiliate them again? Order the three armies not to humiliate the prisoners!"
The soldiers in the distance quickly retracted their hands, and the prisoners looked in the direction of Huang Fazhu, full of gratitude.
Huang Fasu helped Lu Qian up with a smile, and then directly untied the rope from his body.
"Gong Lu, your visit to Yangzhou made us extremely sad and we have not dared to go north easily. At that time, I really wanted to meet you, and today I finally have the opportunity."
Lu Qian looked at the person in front of him. Huang Fasu had an easy-going and elegant appearance, more like a Confucian scholar, not the kind of reckless man.
"Since we have been defeated, let us follow the general's orders without further explanation."
Huang Fazhu looked at Lu Qian, sighed, and then shook his head: "A general, a famous scholar, and a member of a wealthy family, why do you want to die for Beihu?"
Lu Qian raised his head and said, "The general said that my lord is Beihu, but we said that the lord of the general is the Southern Barbarian. The general is also a famous scholar and comes from a rich family. Why does he serve the Southern Barbarians?"
"I have a loyal heart, and it is useless to say more!"
Huang Fazhu said calmly: "My lord is now in Jiankang, waiting for news of my victory, but where is your lord?"
"Liu Taozi is causing trouble in the country, evading the emperor, and usurping the throne. It is known to the whole world. Why doesn't Lu Gong go to attack Liu Taozi to show his loyalty to the emperor?"
Lu Qian's face changed greatly, but Huang Fazhu hurriedly explained: "I didn't want to humiliate Duke Lu, so that Duke Lu would know that the Lord of Qi sent an envoy here to make an agreement with us not to fight each other anymore, and to join forces to deal with the Zhou people.
."
"We had already accepted it, but Liu Taozi in the north is really a traitor in your country. He has already captured the north of the river, and Qi is in name only. We have no choice but to send troops to prevent Liu Taozi from reaching out to Henan."
"Liu Taozi is cruel and ferocious. If he is allowed to get the land in Henan, it will definitely harm one side and make the people miserable. Our Lord is kind and does not want to see the miserable situation on the other side, so he sends troops to fight."
Lu Qian laughed, "That's a good excuse for you guys."
"Are you trying to persuade me to surrender?"
Huang Fashu shook his head, "I know what Mr. Lu is like. These words are not intended to attract surrender, but to join forces with Da Qi."
"What do you mean?"
"I know that Mr. Lu was deeply favored by Emperor Qi Wenxiang and was determined to help the world. As for us, we also hope to continue to maintain harmonious relations with Qi and do not want Liu Taozi, a cruel Hu, to gain power."
"My Majesty wanted to send an envoy to contact the Lord of Qi before, but the envoy could not reach Jinyang."
"If Mr. Lu is willing, we are willing to join forces with Da Qi to attack Liu Taozi."
Lu Qian was stunned, a trace of hesitation flashed in his eyes.
Huang Fazhu accurately caught this subtle change in expression. He chuckled and did not let Lu Qian answer, "This is not a place to talk about important things. Let's leave first!"
He ordered the troops to withdraw, and everyone immediately began to leave the battlefield.
Huang Fazhu helped Lu Qian get on the horse and walked side by side with him.
A lieutenant general hurried over and asked: "General! The enemy's army has been defeated by us. Hefei is right in front of us, and it is undoubtedly an empty city. Why not take Hefei but evacuate?"
Huang Fazhu pointed sternly at Lu Qian aside, "I attacked Hefei just to see this man. Now that he has seen him, why attack Hefei? It's just an empty city. How can it compare to such a talented person?"
The deputy general stopped talking and turned to leave.
Lu Qian sat on the horse and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Everyone walked on the road in a leisurely manner. Huang Fashu stopped talking to Lu Qian about big things and started chatting about everyday things.
"Speaking of which, our ancestors still had friendship."
"During the Later Han Dynasty, your family's ancestor Lu Zhigong and my family's ancestor Huang Wangong were both virtuous officials who devoted themselves to the country. At that time, they were still the king of the Han people."
Although Huang Fazhu did not say it directly, he said between the lines that Lu Qian assisted the Hu emperor and lived up to the reputation of his ancestors.
Lu Qian didn't care much about this. If they had to debate orthodoxy, the two could debate it all day long.
Before dark, they arrived at Dongguan. Changsun Honglue originally occupied Dongguan, but when the Chinese army in the rear was attacked, he fled with his army.
Everyone was stationed here, and Huang Fashu personally sent Lu Qian to rest before returning to his study.
In the study room, there was already someone waiting for him.
This person is none other than the military advisor general Pei Ji.
"how?"
"I think Lu Qian is also a little shaken."
Huang Fazhu sat down directly next to him and gently stroked his beard, "However, the Northern Expedition is difficult to carry out. I'm afraid His Majesty's edict is already on the way, asking us to go back."
Pei Ji felt helpless, "Wu Mingche is too arrogant. He always despises his enemies and has to wait until he loses before he wakes up. This has been the case several times in the past. With his character, even if he did not fail this time, he will not wake up in the future."
It will definitely be a huge defeat."
"It's a pity that his defeat has delayed the Northern Expedition."
Huang Fazhu said seriously: "Liu Taozi."
"Um?"
"We must get rid of Liu Taozi as soon as possible and use any means necessary to get rid of him. If the south of the river belongs to him, no one in the world can compete with him."
Huang Fazhu said: "The big, noble, and powerful families south of the river will not easily accept Liu Taozi going south. If we can get Lu Qian's help, we can join forces with these people to deal with Liu Taozi."
"I even want to join forces with the Zhou people. If they have Turks to help them, if possible, send our ships all the way north to contact the Xi people and the Khitan people outside the Great Wall."
Pei Ji was stunned. He looked Huang Fashu up and down, "General Huang? You want to join forces with the Zhou people??"
"Liu Taozi is more terrifying than the Zhou people."
"Why did the general say that?"
"Liu Taozi only occupied the land of Hebei. No matter the population, land, or army, he was far inferior to the Zhou people and their emperor Yuwen Yong."
Huang Fasu interrupted Pei Ji rudely, "General Pei doesn't know something. When I was in Jiangnan, I sent people to inquire about the other side and asked about the situation of the officials here. I know why these officials are so opposed to Liu Taozi. Therefore, I also know why Liu Taozi is our biggest enemy."
"He has just occupied Hebei. At this moment, we must spare no effort to recruit Qi, Zhou, Turk, Xi, and Khitan, and recruit everyone to deal with him. We must not give him a chance to slow down and develop. Otherwise, No one can stop him alone."
Pei Ji still felt that what Huang Fashu said was a bit too exaggerated.
Liu Taozi is strong, but in terms of overall national strength, the Zhou people are a formidable enemy.
Pei Ji slowly said: "But have you ever thought about it, just like what the general said, if many parties join forces to eliminate Liu Taozi, then the Zhou people will definitely benefit in the end. When the time comes, the Zhou people will dominate the north, what will we do? What to do?"
"Divide Qi."
"We still have the strength to fight."
Huang Fasu looked at Pei Ji and said, "General Pei, are you willing to submit a letter to the emperor with me?"
Pei Ji suddenly hesitated, "No matter Zhou, Qi, or Liu Taozi, we can't believe it. Everything depends on the change of the situation."
Huang Fazhu didn't ask any more questions, but just picked up the documents beside him.
Chapter completed!