The flags were rolling and the clouds were covered, and the sound of hooves was like thunder, shaking the ground.
A majestic elite of the Liao army was marching at a steady speed in the desolate wilderness pointing directly at Zhuozhou. In front of it was a high royal flag, which was the flag of the Xi Wang Xiao Qian who made countless people in the Liao Kingdom change their minds after hearing it. As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, he does not sit steadily in the middle army and command everything like other generals, but is at the front of the team because he needs to grasp the trends ahead at the first time instead of passing the news through soldiers and horses. .
This allowed him to immediately spot the hundreds of cavalrymen who were approaching in a panic, and he recognized them at a glance as Xiao Sixun and others who had been ordered to go to Zhuozhou to recruit the Ever Victorious Army. Just looking at these people coming north in a hurry, Xiao Qian had already guessed what kind of results they would bring. This made his already cold-faced face darken. At the same time, he raised his right hand and ordered the whole army. Stop for now.
When they saw the elites from Daliao coming, Xiao Sixun and others relaxed for a while. Along the way, they were really worried that they would be chased by the victorious army from behind, but now it's good and they are finally safe. But after seeing the banner of King Xi flapping in the wind, everyone still had a look of apprehension on their faces.
Xi Wang Xiao Qian was famous for his strict military discipline and clear rewards and punishments in Liao Dynasty. Now that he and others have failed and returned, how will he deal with the situation? Although they felt uneasy, Xiao Sixun and others quickly dismounted from their horses and knelt down carefully in front of Xiao Qian who was sitting on the horse. He lowered his head and shouted: "Xiao Sixun, the lower official, pays homage to King Xi. I'll wait for you soon." I was able to successfully persuade the ever-victorious army to surrender, but I have failed King Xi, so I ask King Xi to punish him severely." When he said the last few words, his voice was trembling.
Xiao Sixun, who had an arrogant and aggressive attitude in Zhuozhou City before, now looked so humble. He looked so humble and cowardly, and there was no trace of his original magnanimity. But even so, Xiao Qian didn't react much. He just sat upright on his horse and looked at everyone from a high position. After a while, everyone felt the invisible pressure like a mountain and their whole bodies were about to collapse. He Then he opened his mouth.
"Xiao Sixun, what guarantee did you make to this king when you invited yourself to go to Zhuozhou? Didn't you say that your trip south will be successful? You also said that you can put your head as a guarantee, and you will live up to my trust this time? Why? Now it brings me such a result? Huh?"
Xiao Qian's voice was just like his serious face, hard and astringent, like files being filed back and forth in people's ears, making the atmosphere on the scene become more and more solemn. It also made Xiao Sixun's body tremble more and more violently, but he did not dare not to answer. He could only force himself to raise his head and look up at Xiao Qian in front of him: "King Xi Rongzhen, the reason why the official failed is really because of the people of Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty. People actually sent envoys to Zhuozhou to recruit the ever-victorious army. But Medicine Master Guo was even more greedy and capricious, so much so that his success failed... "
With a little fear and reluctance, Xiao Sixun finally told what happened in Zhuozhou City. To his surprise, Xiao Qian did not interfere when he was listening to him talk about the cause and effect, but just listened quietly. Even until he finished telling the story, the cold-faced King Xi remained silent.
After a long while, he focused his eyes on Xiao Sixun's face again: "So
You ran away in a hurry because you saw that this was impossible? Can't even grasp what the final outcome will be in the city? "
"Xiaguan... Xiaguan was worried that he would not be able to report the changes in the city to King Xi in time. Only then, just now..." He could not continue what he said to excuse himself, because Xiao Qian in front of him was staring at him with only one glance. In a short time, his thoughts were completely gone.
Xiao Qian looked at him for a while, and then suddenly asked: "Do you know where you went wrong?" This question obviously did not require Xiao Sixun to answer, and he immediately gave the answer: "You are wrong in three ways. The first is that we underestimated our enemies. Whether it is Guo Yaoshi or the Chang Shengjun, although they have been defeated by me many times, in the final analysis they are our Daliao's most serious concern. How can we be intimidated by just a few words from you? From the beginning, your attitude has been a big problem, causing the whole plan to fail from the beginning. Of course, the person you should not underestimate the most is Sun Tu, who is a person that even Dashi Linya attaches great importance to, but you I want to use some banchao method to deal with him, I really don't know how to live or die.
"Secondly, since there are still Jurchens in Zhuozhou City, you should put safety first and not be in a hurry for success. The best way is to cause conflicts between Song and Jin Dynasties, so that we can benefit from the sidelines. But you are better , actually took the risk to attack, so that he fell into passivity.
"Third, this is also the most serious mistake you have made. You should not have come back at this moment. The situation in Zhuozhou is unclear now. You can stay in it as the envoy of Daliao, so that you can play a decisive role in the next war. The key to success or failure. But you, because you were timid and afraid of death, you actually ran back, causing us to be completely unaware of the changes in the city. Xiao Sixun, do you know your guilt?"
After finishing the three charges, Xiao Sixun was already sweating profusely. Only then did he realize that he had made such a series of mistakes in Zhuozhou, and just listening to the other party's solemn tone, his punishment this time would definitely not be light. As a result, his trembling became more intense, and he immediately kowtowed again and said: "I know my mistake, I know my crime. Please ask King Xi to give me a lighter sentence and give me a chance to redeem my merits."
"Since you have made some minor contributions and brought back an important piece of information, I will treat you leniently. Come on, take down Xiao Sixun, beat him with a hundred military sticks, and tie him in front of the army. Show it to the public for three days. Others, each with fifty batons, will execute immediately!"
Hearing such a punishment, Xiao Sixun's whole face turned pale, and he became brave again, kowtowing and begging for mercy: "King Xi, please spare my life. I know I was wrong, and I am willing to take the punishment and make meritorious service. I will go back to Zhuozhou right away... "But Xiao Qian in front of him ignored him at all. He just kicked his horse and rode past him. At the same time, the soldiers on the left and right came up quickly, pushed down all the hundreds of people kneeling on the ground, and stripped off their clothes. They also took out military sticks that were as thick as arms and covered in black paint. Without saying anything, they hit them hard on the back.
In just a moment, bursts of screams rang out among the Liao army, causing the expressions of many surrounding soldiers to change. These military sticks are much harder than ordinary boards. Usually, a few dozen sticks can knock someone unconscious, so Xiao Sixun would be so frightened after receiving these 100 sticks. It would really be a matter of life and death.
Yes.
But since Xiao Qian gave the order, no one dared to intercede for Xiao Sixun and the others. The cold-faced King Xi's tiger whiskers were not something that subordinates dared to touch easily. What's more, his face now looks particularly gloomy. He looks far away to the south and murmurs softly: "Sun Tu and Wanyan Wushu? I didn't expect that these two enemies would appear in Zhuozhou City at the same time. This is unexpected. It saves me a lot of effort, at least this time I can get rid of a thorn in my Daliao side."
Thinking of this, he completely ignored the sound of beatings and the increasingly fainter screams behind him. He pointed his riding crop forward and shouted: "Pass my order to the whole army." Set off immediately. Now that civil strife has just broken out in Zhuozhou, I will launch an attack before their military morale is stable and their preparations are not ready!"
"Ouch!" As the howls started, the Liao army, which was moving slowly, suddenly accelerated, and Xiao Sixun and the others who were halfway through the execution were finally thrown on horseback. I will remember this punishment. Just wait for the army to stop and then make up for it. For the current Liao army, getting to Zhuozhou as soon as possible is the top priority!
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"Xiao Qian, also known as the Cold-faced King Xi in the Liao Kingdom, is a rare famous general in the Liao Army today." As a rebellious figure in the Liao Kingdom, Dong Kuang, who had fought against Xiao Qian many times, regarded this person Nature has an extremely deep understanding. When Sun Tu asked, he prepared his words and evaluated it as objectively as possible.
"This man governs the army very strictly, but at the same time he is the most fair. Not only will his close associates be severely punished if they violate the law, but his own brother also had his legs broken with a military stick for violating the military law. As a result, the whole Xi clan army was greatly affected. He is called a well-deserved king by them. At the same time, this person is also the most cunning and unpredictable in his military use. He can often predict the enemy before he can predict the enemy, and he will show off surprise troops when you don't expect it. If I want to fight in Yueya Valley that day, I will I suffered a great loss at his hands. If hundreds of soldiers had not fought to the death of the rearguard, I would have died there." When talking about the original defeat, in addition to the deep-seated hatred in Dong Kuang's eyes, there was also some unspeakable sadness. fear.
"Also, he is even more ruthless in his actions. He often uses any means to pursue his goals, and he is most bloodthirsty. There are almost no survivors among his men, and killing is easy for him." Dong Kuang said, and then I added in my heart that if it was Xiao Qian who led the army to surrender by Yaoshi Guo that day, I am afraid everything that happened later would not be the same.
In Dong Kuang's narration, Sun Tu had a better understanding of Xiao Qian, and the fighting spirit in his eyes became more intense: "It seems that this man is bold and warlike, and his military skills are unique. He is indeed a young man." He has some powerful enemies. And since he uses his troops strangely and treacherously, he will definitely be on guard against his enemies using the same methods to deal with him. Suspicion and caution are naturally engraved in his bones."
"That should be it." Dong Kuang nodded in agreement.
"So, let's start with this point to fight him. At least we have to delay some time, reduce the pressure on defending the city, and wait until our reinforcements from the Song Dynasty arrive!" Sun Tu suddenly said something that made Dong Kuang confused. Come. But he didn't mean to explain more. He just smiled and said to Dong Kuang: "You should have already mastered the geographical routes of dozens of miles around Zhuozhou. I need a few guides to help my officers and men of the Qingzhou Army make arrangements..."