Chapter 91: The beacon smoke slowly burned Rongzhou
The green smoke curled up, and a figure walked out.
Dian Wei, who was standing guard outside the tent, looked at the swaying brazier and then glanced inside the tent. There was also a sigh of relief on his ferocious face. Then he straightened his expression and looked around seriously.
In the big tent, Guan Yu pursed his lips slightly and his eyes became moist; Zhang Fei stared at his eyes, took half a step forward excitedly, and called out in a low voice: "Brother!"
The figure wearing the imperial uniform and the seal slowly turned around and looked at the two brothers in front of him. He felt as if he was in a trance from another world. Seeing the faces of the two brothers again, the sadness in his heart welled up again. Unfortunately, he could not shed tears in his eyes.
"Bei... I can see my two brothers again, and all the regrets in this life are gone."
Liu Bei stepped forward and cupped his hands, then hugged Guan Zhang directly, his voice choked with sobs: "I heard that my second brother was defeated and died. , I cried heartbroken for my brother! I vowed to fight to the death with the Soochow rats and avenge my second brother, but my hatred for my brother blinded my reason... In the end, I failed... I'm sorry for my brother, Yunchang and Yide, and I couldn't avenge you!"
"Third brother...How did third brother die?" Guan Yu wiped away his tears and looked at Zhang Fei. The latter cried louder: "Second brother, before I could avenge my second brother, I was killed by Xiao Xiao and had my head cut off like my second brother!"
"Third brother!"
< br>Guan Yu hugged Zhang Fei and cried loudly again. He raised his fist and beat his chest, "Eldest brother, third brother... But I lost Jingzhou, and you also followed me... It's too late!!"
"Yun Chang, don't blame yourself. There are no perfect people in the world!" Liu Bei patted the two of them on the shoulders and said in a gentle voice: "Jingzhou is just a place, how can it be compared with my brothers. Now that the brothers are reunited, it is better than anything else. Don't cry. Come on, Yun Chang and Yide don’t cry anymore!”
In the tent, Su Chen looked at the three brothers hugging each other and crying and laughing. He was also happy in his heart and left the tent silently without disturbing them! Come outside.
Walking in the camp in the night breeze, Dian Wei followed behind.
“Suddenly, I feel that it is a joy to have them appear in this world, not only to show their former talents and make up for their regrets, don’t you think so? "
Dian Wei stood a step behind, his thick beard spread out, and he grinned. He agreed with Su Chen's words in his heart. The moment he woke up and saw Cao Cao, it seemed that everything he had lacked was gone. Filled up in an instant.
That feeling cannot be experienced by others.
"Okay, let's go and have a rest. We will swear an alliance tomorrow and we should go back to Rongzhou." Su Chen walked past the patrolling soldiers and turned to go to the resting camp.
Dian Wei did not leave, he still followed behind and guarded the camp.
The bonfire burned quietly, and speckled sparks rose up in the blowing night wind and floated into the night sky. Under the same night, in the northwest of Rongzhou, in the pass connecting the grassland, every household had already turned off their lights.
In the darkness, there were still torches swaying on the city tower, illuminating the figures on horseback entering the city gate below.
Three thousand Xirong cavalry, wearing fur coats and hats, holding spears and scimitars at their waists, formed three columns and drove their horses through the city gate. They went from the houses in the gate to the east gate and exited. To the south there is the boundary of Rongzhou.
Among the troops advancing like a torrent, someone stopped their horses by the roadside and looked back at the West Tower above.
Shouting in Yan Guo dialect that is not smooth: "Thank you General Qi for letting me wait for Xirong to enter the pass. I will not let down the Qi family. Xirong will kill more of your people, haha!!"
On the city tower, Qi Youhu, the youngest son of the Qi family, was about to rush down with his weapon, but was pulled down. He shouted: "Let me go, I'm going to go down and kill him!"
Qi Xuan held his brother tightly, with an expression of indignation on his face.
"Young tiger, no, what did dad give you?"
"He only cares about his official position and his loyalty for generations!" Qi Youhu moved the hand holding him and turned his head towards the tower. The figure from behind yelled: "The common people can't be saved, and the loyalty of this piece of shit will never be cleansed for the rest of my life! It would be strange if the ancestors of the Qi family could hear and recognize you. The loyalty of the Qi family has been completely destroyed in your hands, this bullshit The imperial court, the bullshit emperor——"
Qi Xuan hugged his third brother and shouted over there: "Brother, please say something too!"
Qi Wei pursed his lips tightly. Lips, he turned to look at his father. The shoulders of the figure with his back twitched slightly, as if he was trying to suppress his emotions. He clenched his fists, faced outside the city gate, and spoke in a low voice.
“Qi Wei, Qi Xuan, take your brother down to rest.”
The two sons looked at each other, sighed, and pulled the struggling Qi Youhu away from the top of the city. The latter struggled and twisted, screaming and even yelling at his father downstairs!
"Qi Baoguo, the court pushed you to the front... The Qi family is responsible for the crime of letting the Xirong people enter the country!"
"You are getting more and more confused!"< br>
"...This court is hopeless, why are you still guarding it, helping the enemy to kill your own people, you can sleep and eat!!"
"Qi Baoguo—— ”
His son's last voice disappeared at the top of the city. Qi Baoguo closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. His fists were filled with powder pressed from the walls. He turned around and walked to the other side, looking at the rear group of Xirong people. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself. hand.
The night is sinking, and the white color of fish belly is gradually appearing in the east.
On the ground below where the flying birds passed, decaying grass was splashed with dust. In the gradually emerging spring day, figures on horseback, filled with the smell of blood, entered the northwest boundary of Rongzhou more than a hundred miles away overnight.
On the way there, they looted a place called Yanshan Ranch, killed the soldiers and shepherds inside, stripped off their clothes and vented their anger, and then hung them from the beams.
The blade with the remaining blood grazed on his sleeve, Xie Cheya licked his lips, looked at the vast woods, fields, and undulating mountains, and took a deep breath.
"The place of the Yan people is so beautiful, with a beauty that is different from the grassland."
The Xirong cavalry gathered around him, looking at the place where the smoke was rising, and laughed out loud, this will be their hunting ground .
In front of the field of vision is the morning breeze blowing through the fields.
The farmer who did not leave after receiving the warning stood in the field and saw a series of figures on horseback standing on the northwest hill looking towards this direction. He quickly dropped his hoe and turned around to run towards village.
As soon as I entered the village, I shouted: "The Xirong people are coming——"
There were only a dozen households in the village. After receiving the notice, ten households left first to seek refuge in Yunqi Dacheng.
There are not many villagers coming out of their homes right now. At first they probably didn’t believe what they said, and they were even more reluctant to leave the crops they had just sown. At this time, when they heard the news brought back by the villagers, everyone’s expressions changed. Everything turned pale.
"Have you seen clearly? Could it be the soldiers and horses of the imperial court."
"How many people are there?!"
The man panted and shook his head, "It's hard to see clearly, but they are all densely packed with cavalry, and they are all wearing fur coats. They are definitely not the imperial army."
As they spoke, they noticed that the ground beneath their feet shook slightly. Faces showed panic, and someone shouted: "Run away!" More than 20 people fled in panic, rushed home to pick up their children or valuables, and rushed to the small road outside the village. Go, outside the village, the Western Rong cavalry sent out a barbaric "whoop" that spread across the fields and woods, and poured into the village like a tide. Those who had no time to run were caught up by them, slashed to death, and set fire to the houses.
When the black smoke rose, the groups of cavalry whizzing by spread out like a carpet on the field, like a sweeping torrent swallowing up villages one after another. They encountered a small group of patrolling Rongzhou soldiers. The horse rushed forward and started shooting on horseback, disrupting the opponent's formation, then dividing and crushing them, killing the soldiers, cutting off their heads and tying them under the horse's neck, and continued to advance.
The beacon of warning is lit.
After hearing the news, waves of soldiers came to reinforce them, but another wave was defeated by the Xirong cavalry in the middle of the way, and they were chased like rabbits on the plains.
The mighty three thousand Xirong cavalry passed through the rudimentary defense line in the northwest and rushed straight to the border of Yunqi County. At this time, most of the people outside the city had rushed to the city. Yunqihou's two sons had already begun to make preparations to defend the city. , the youngest son Wu Zixun rushed among the big houses in the city to tell each other, and asked people to bring letters, and quickly rushed to Lingzhou and Ding'an City in the south.
The Fang family, located in the city, originally planned to move away with their family, and did not want to join the rebels. But after hearing the barbarian cavalry entering and wreaking havoc, the old people at home were shocked at first, and then they were silent for a moment, and called the people who were preparing their luggage into the front hall.
"Although I don't like rebelling against bandits, I can't tolerate being bullied by barbarians!" Fang Wenye looked at everyone in the family gathered in the hall, separated the young and strong, stood aside, "Organize the nursing home at home The servant immediately went to the village outside the city and burned the grain that could not be moved away. He could not give the barbarians any advantage."
Although some people were afraid, no one disobeyed the old man's words. There were hundreds of direct relatives, men, women, and children in the family. More than thirty young and strong young people were separated, leading guards and servants, pulling donkey carts, horse-drawn carriages, and carts, holding various weapons in their hands, and clamored to leave the city.
Hurry to Ding'an, it will take another day.
At this time in Qizhou, the sound of war drums on the city tower resounded throughout the wilderness.
Dong...dongdong..dongdongdongdong——
Several war drums are lined up on the left and right of the tower. Soldiers are shirtless and waving their arms. The drumsticks are beating like raindrops on the big cowhide drum. up, and go further in the direction with the wind.
In the wilderness far away from the city tower, flags are flying.
Eight military formations of 5,000 people were lined up one after another, and tens of thousands of figures stretched around the high platform in front. On that high platform, the voice of Marquis Chang Ling rang out for a while.
"...In today's world, treacherous ministers are in power and cowardly kings are holding the country. The drought has just passed and everything is in ruins. At this time, the cowardly kings are assassinating the loyal and good. Just last night, they sent assassins to kill the princes in the streets."< br>
As the steps went up, Chang Ling Hou Duan Jin stood in armor, his voice gradually changed from low to angry.
"...Who is he as an emperor?! With all his dirty methods, we and our ancestors fought to kill the country of Yan with swords and guns! The emperor of a country is despicable and shameless. Since he ascended the throne, he can I have done a good thing for the people, and I have bought a winter coat for the soldiers of Dayan——"
His voice paused, and he stood on the high platform, the wind was blowing, and his impassioned voice spread Go further.
"...Today, we, the loyal men of the eight states, gather here to prosper our country and the people, and offer three sacrifices to swear an oath. We will fight for the sake of the people, rise up the division, and challenge the court. A thief, a foolish and unprincipled king!”
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The voice echoed passionately across the sky and the earth. Flags were flying all over the sky. The soldiers slapped their swords and shields and roared. In an instant, the sound of killing was like overwhelming. The waves swept across the land, and the sound reached the sky.
After that, Duan Jin read out the duties of the eight states' soldiers and horses on the high platform. The wind blew through his helmet and tassels and swayed. He held the command arrow in his hand and looked at the smoke and swords and guns below.
Then, throw the command arrow into the sky.
"The soldiers and horses from various states have returned, and we will choose a day to launch the Northern Expedition!"
His voice echoed above everyone's heads.
......
In the Ding'an military formation, Su Chen looked silently at the shouts from the high platform in the distance, and then sent Li Jue to pick up the order arrows. Generals from other formations also went over.
Behind him, Guan Yu looked around, stroking his beard and raising his head, slightly lost in thought.
"Such a scene reminds Guan of the time when he attacked Dong Zhi..."
Zhang Fei next to him did not answer him, but stared at the plump figure not far away. The latter became impatient with being stared at. He turned around and waved his hand, "Look what Dong did. I couldn't see the scene when you were asking for me."
Ahead, Su Chen turned the horse's head back and issued an order.
"Gather up the camp and prepare to break camp and return to Ding'an!"
The news of the camp breakup began to pass, the desolate horns sounded in the sky, and battalions of soldiers and horses walked out of the military camp to assemble and reorganize , Dong Zhuo and Li Jue rode in front of the battle.
Guan Yu stroked his beard and closed his eyes, reminding in a low voice. Zhang Fei, who was still looking at Dong Zhuo, said in a low voice: "Third brother, don't look at it. The world in this world is different from before. Dong Zhuo also died once, and so will you and me." After a while, it was already gone. "
Then he placed his brother's memorial tablet on his lap, shook the reins, touched the horse's belly, and followed Su Chen in front. Zhang Fei looked at Dong Zhuo and snorted, and also urged the horse to run wildly. stand up.
On April 18th, the oath of battle had been completed. The army left Guqiu, turned westward, and returned to Rongzhou.
On the way at this time, fast horses were coming through the mountains and forests, and in their hands was the news of Xirong's entry.
The first person to get the news was Wu Huizhi, the Marquis of Yunqi. When he saw the news, it was already the next day. When he saw that it said that Xirong was entering the country and wreaking havoc, he thought someone was playing tricks on him. From the summons, the order He learned from his mouth that a group of 3,000 Xirong people had entered Yunqi and were heading south to attack Ding'an. He hurriedly handed the news to other commanders and sent them to the Xiliang army behind as quickly as possible.
His Majesty's Cavalry galloped through the mountain road in front, running from one side of the team lined with flags to the guarded figure in the middle. Su Chen was talking to Fang Xuejun when he received the message from Yun Ai's Ling's Cavalry. The look on his face Her expression quickly faded, and the woman beside her seemed to feel that the man's emotions were disappearing in an instant.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly.
Su Chen threw the note on the horse's back casually, "No, I just have some minor troubles." Then he sent someone to find Dong Zhuo and asked, "Do you have enough food for long-distance raids?"
"Where to fight?" Dong Zhuo also said simply, "If you don't have enough, just ask the army in front to borrow it."
"Yantang Pass."
Su Chen stroked the mane of the war horse and said softly: "Such an important place cannot be left to others, otherwise we will be attacked from the back and belly in the future. Anyway, they are all out, so why not just fight."
< br>He turned around and looked at the two figures coming forward on horseback, holding knives and spears.
"Generals Guan and Zhang, do you want to try leading the soldiers and horses of this world to fight in a battle?"
(End of this chapter)