The spring sun is warm and bright,
It is brilliantly spread across the streets and alleys of Zhengzhou city.
However, in the messy streets, the occasional pedestrians have no intention of appreciating the beauty of spring.
They all had gloomy faces and walked hurriedly with their heads down.
Only the grass and trees on the street, regardless of people's gloomy and fearful mood, still flourished and sprouted extremely green branches.
A'gu, Weimingshan's personal attendant, is a young man from the grassland with thick eyebrows and big eyes.
At this moment, he looked at the gloomy spring streets and couldn't help but sigh again and again.
Agu suddenly began to miss the days when he lived on the grassland.
On the vast prairie,
Spring is always a joyful season.
After surviving the cold winter, they can roam freely with their brothers and sisters on the vast grassland covered with tender buds, herding horses and sheep.
Under the protection of the long sky, we are free from worries and sing and dance happily.
When a favorite guest comes, serve the best wine in your home.
When a nasty enemy appears, the men will draw the scimitars at their waists without saying a word.
I never have to think about so many complicated things like these Han people do.
Today, the tribesmen have seized the Han people's land, and seem to have also abandoned their own frank hearts.
He looked down at the colorful pages of paper in his hands.
These Han people had surrounded Zhengzhou City for more than two months. Although there had been no large-scale siege, the people in the city were already in panic.
All kinds of malicious rumors were spreading everywhere.
Every now and then, the Jin army would use their peculiarly shaped catapults to wrap these colorful leaflets in cloth bags and throw them into the city.
They were scattered all over the city streets.
Some nonsense was written saying that General Wei had secretly defected to the State of Jin and would open the city and surrender soon.
Or they might exaggerate and write that the ruler of Jin had sent so many more soldiers and horses that he was determined to surround Zhengzhou.
There were also some military reports, which said that Mo Yanwang, who was on the left wing of the Jin army, had led his troops to capture the counties around Zhengzhou, and was gradually turning Zhengzhou into an isolated city.
Of course, there were also leaflets inciting the soldiers and civilians in the city to open the city and surrender, stating that the Jin army had always treated prisoners well.
There are many varieties, true and false.
A Gu couldn't understand why this thing, which was obviously used by the enemy to confuse people's hearts, actually caused the army's morale to become more and more confused day by day.
The army gradually split into factions, and there were endless disputes all day long.
He really didn't want to show these things to the general again.
However, the general's orders cannot be disobeyed.
A Gu stepped into the main hall of the headquarters.
Wei Mingshan took the flyer from his hand and calmly read it page by page.
He was silent for a while, then picked up the empress dowager's edict that had just arrived from Haojing and handed it to Agu.
"Deadline for destroying the enemy?" A Gu looked at the words in disbelief. "Not only did the Queen Mother not send us reinforcements, she also asked us to repel the enemy within a deadline?"
He looked at the general in front of him helplessly.
In his eyes, the general was like a mountain. No matter what kind of difficulties he encountered, the general would always be so steady, never panic, and never get confused, and he could hold up the sky above their heads.
But at this moment, the mountain sitting motionless in front of me seemed so lonely and desolate.
"At this moment, even if I win this battle, I will be seen as a person with ulterior motives in the eyes of the Queen Mother." Wei Mingshan said slowly: "When it comes to marching and fighting, I have never been afraid of anyone. But this time, I may really be defeated by one person, a terrible enemy."
He had a gloomy face and looked out through the gate of the headquarters with a fierce look.
It seemed as if he wanted to pass through the solid city walls, cross the fields and mountains, reach the distant Bianzhou, and see the prince sitting in the palace.
The lord of Jin State was Marquis of Jin Yue.
Wei Mingshan had never actually met the lord of Jin.
I once caught a glimpse of him from a distance outside the city of Bianzhou, and he vaguely seemed to be a handsome, gentle and fair-skinned Han noble.
Rumor has it that he is so weak that he can't even ride a horse.
He should wear the Han people's loose and inconvenient clothes, and spend the whole day in their gorgeous palaces, surrounded by beautiful women, and perhaps men, living a life of drunkenness and debauchery.
But now Wei Mingshan knows that he was extremely wrong.
He thought of the battle of Bianzhou, when he had launched a fierce attack for more than a month with a force several times that of the enemy, but the soldiers and civilians in the city were united and fought to the death to defend the not-so-strong city.
He thought of the Jin general Yu Dunsu, who was seriously injured by his weapon but still stood on the city wall every day.
There was also the man in red who was covered in blood but would rather die than retreat.
What was that person's name? It seemed to be Cheng Feng, and he was even just a slave at that time.
Yes, Mo Qiaosheng was also a slave.
When Mo Qiaosheng attacked Qi County, he sent people to spread rumors in Bianzhou.
But the lord of Jin State gave firm trust to this general who was born a slave without hesitation.
From the generals who shone brightly on the battlefield to the ordinary Jin soldiers who were captured.
They are all willing to fight for their young lord on the battlefield.
At this moment, Weimingshan seemed to see the Marquis of Jin Yue stretching out his pale hand from the distant Bianzhou and strangling his neck fiercely.
He used a sinister method and attempted to take over the fertile land of Zhengzhou without bloodshed.
"You want your soldiers to take Zhengzhou without shedding a drop of blood? It may not be that easy!" Wei Mingshan gritted his teeth and said, "I really want to see what kind of person you are."
In the Chaowu Palace in Bianzhou,
Cheng Qianye was translating the secret report sent by Zhang Fu from Haojing word by word in front of the agreed book.
She copied every word she translated into the blank space on the letter paper, glanced through it, and a look of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.
Then she handed the thin page of letter to Zhou Zixi who was sitting in a wheelchair beside her.
"This Mr. Zhang is truly a remarkable man." Zhou Zixi sighed as he looked at the letter in his hand. "It seems that the Quanrong are already in chaos. It's just a matter of time before our army takes over Zhengzhou. I'm really looking forward to seeing Mr. Zhang in person soon."
Cheng Qianye smiled complacently: "Zhang Fu is a man of profound knowledge and wisdom. Zixi, you are well-read and thoughtful. You and him will definitely get along well. I am lucky to have you two by my side, so why should I worry about not accomplishing great things?"
Zhou Zixi thought of the past and lowered his eyelashes: "It is my fortune to meet you, my lord."
But he quickly adjusted his mood. "Since the Quanrong destroyed the capital and entered the Central Plains, they have been unstoppable and hard to find opponents. They have almost entered uninhabited areas. If our army can take Zhengzhou this time, it will not only expand the territory of our Great Jin. The greater significance is that it will enhance the prestige of our Great Jin in front of the princes of the world."
Zhou Zixi handed the secret report written by Zhang Fu back to Cheng Qianye: "Although the Quanrong are a barbarian tribe, their Queen Mother Mo Zang is a strong and wise person. My lord, you must not look down on her just because she is a woman. It is better to order Lord Zhang to evacuate as soon as possible."
Cheng Qianye looked at the familiar handwriting on the paper in his hand, and began to worry about Zhang Fu and Xiao Xiu.
After Zhang Fu pledged his allegiance to her, he first followed her into the war, then came to Weiguo with injuries to provide support, and then stayed alone in the chaotic court in Jiangcheng to make plans. Not only did he continuously deliver sufficient food and grass to Bianzhou, he also did not forget to make plans for himself from time to time.
Now that I think about it, just because he is capable, I am used to entrusting the most difficult and complicated tasks to him.
Not only did Zhang Fu never let himself down, he also always took the initiative to assume more responsibilities.
Cheng Qianye knew that as the monarch of a country, he should not be overly sentimental.
I can only pray silently in my heart: "Mr. Zhang, please bring Xiaoxiu back safely."
She unconsciously clenched the secret letter in her hand.
Outside the city of Zhengzhou, inside the central military tent of the Jin army.
Helan Zhen and Mo Qiaosheng were looking at the same secret letter.
The two looked at each other, excitement in their eyes.
Helan Zhen clapped his hands and said, "This Wei Mingshan is indeed the best general of the Quanrong. We, the Jin State, have suffered countless losses at his hands. Last time, even the lord was almost defeated by him. This time, he can finally see how powerful our Jin Army is."
Mo Qiaosheng recalled the time when he risked his life to escape while carrying his lord on his back, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
He Lanzhen leaned over and said, "Brother, what do you think he will do next?"
"Weimingshan is not a man who will sit still and wait for death." Mo Qiaosheng said, "I think he might take advantage of our unpreparedness and lead his troops to break out."
"That makes sense," He Lanzhen nodded, "It seems that we must take strict precautions in the next few days."
"No. We need to leave a gap." Mo Qiaosheng pointed to a spot on the map, "Leave a gap that may not seem obvious, but will definitely be visible to Weiming Mountain."
He Lanzhen looked at the spot where Mo Qiaosheng's finger pointed: "Let him go from your side, are you sure you can stop him?"
"If there is no such gap, Weimingshan is likely to withstand the pressure and insist on holding on to Zhengzhou City. If the Queen Mother Quanrong in Haojing changes her mind, all the efforts made by the lord may be in vain." Mo Qiaosheng said what he was thinking.
"He won't go through the water route he's not familiar with, nor will he face your powerful central army. The most likely option is to break through my relatively weak left route. I'll leave him a gap so he can be more confident."
He Lanzhen made up his mind: "Okay, once he leads his army out of the city, you hold him back. General Yu and I will take the opportunity to capture Zhengzhou in one fell swoop."
The two exchanged glances and saw the trust in each other's eyes.
At midnight,
A military camp of the Jin army was shrouded in silence.
Perhaps because it is not in a critical location, the huts in this camp are slightly sparser than in other places, and the defense seems a bit lax.
At this moment, most of the campfires in the camp were extinguished, and the sentry on the watchtower was yawning listlessly.
But in the silent shadow,
Yang Sheng, along with Yang Luhou and others, were dressed in neat armor, holding weapons, lying on the ground, concentrating and on alert.
Yang Luhou held the gun in his hand and felt his palms sweating slightly.
"Brother Sheng," he whispered to the people around him in the darkness, "Will the Quanrong people really break out from here?"
"All of you, come and save my dignity." Yang Sheng's eyes were shining. "General Mo put us here because we are the most powerful soldiers under his command. I am only afraid that those Rong dogs will not leave from here."
I don't know how long I waited.
In the dark night, there was a faint sound of horse hooves.
"coming."
From the thick darkness,
The unique tall and strong figure of the Quanrong people gradually emerged.
There was a man surrounded in the cavalry, he was none other than Wei Mingshan, the general of the Quanrong tribe, whom Yang Sheng had fought before.
Yang Sheng opened his mouth, a wolf-like light flashed in his eyes, he jumped up and shouted: "Brothers, follow me!"