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On the way to Guiyang City, An Rushan and others were worried that Cui Feng's army might not be able to capture Guiyang City when they arrived, which would be difficult to deal with.
Their worries seem to be justified. There are 5,000 troops in Guiyang City. If they fight to the death, it would not be surprising that they can hold out for two months, let alone two days.
But it turned out that An Rushan and the others' worries were completely unnecessary.
It’s not that the defenders in the city cannot resist, it’s that they simply don’t want to resist.
The 20,000 Shuixi troops had just arrived at the west of Guiyang City and were setting up camp when the defenders in the city opened the gates and surrendered.
It turned out that Ma Liu had gathered his troops at the East Gate and sent people to issue an ultimatum to the defenders in the city. Outside the West Gate, the assistant official Tang Yue played a trick again and brought people to the West City to welcome An Rupan with great fanfare. On the surface, the two sides were fighting fiercely.
The defenders on the city wall saw this and felt that this was a serious matter. There was a tiger in the east and a wolf in the west, and now the tiger and the wolf were in cahoots with each other. There was no reinforcement outside Guiyang City. How could they still hold on
After Chen Ruizheng and Zhang Yao received Ma Liuliang's ultimatum, they thought again and again and felt that they should not hold on any longer. What if the city was breached before He Tengjiao could reach them? Wouldn't they be killed by Ma Liuwan
Under Zhang Yao's repeated urging, Chen Ruizheng finally decided to open the gate and surrender. In order to show solemnity, he asked people to find a few white sheep and personally led them to the east gate.
Leading sheep out of the city is a surrender ritual handed down from the Spring and Autumn Period. The subtext of this action is: It's all my fault. I made my comrades come all the way here. I am guilty and I will be punished. Comrades, you have worked hard. I don't have anything good to treat you. I will get a few sheep to comfort you.
The Zuo Zhuan, Xuan Gong 12th Year, records: The Prince of Chu besieged Zheng and conquered it in three months. Duke Zheng bared his clothes and led a sheep to meet him, saying: "I am not worthy of heaven and cannot serve the king. I have made the king angry and even my city suffer. This is my fault. How dare I not obey your orders?"
In this cold winter, Chen Ruizheng and Zhang Yao each led a sheep. They went out to surrender with their upper bodies naked, which cannot be said to be insincere.
But there are people who are more "real" and more "substantial" than them.
Chen and Zhang were leading the sheep and walking slowly. Before they reached the east gate, Qian Zhan, the captain guarding the east gate, had already opened the city gate with his soldiers. They took off their armor, threw away their swords and guns, and ran out of the city to embrace the future.
Ma Liuliang led his men into the east gate and met Zhang Yao and Chen Ruizheng halfway. General Ma had no idea what the two guys holding sheep meant. He immediately ordered them to be kidnapped.
It was Chen Guimin who explained it. General Ma finally understood the meaning and said, "Okay, you surrender now."
Although Ma Liuliang was a bandit, he knew very well that his real opponent was not the defenders in the city, but An Rupan outside the city. After he controlled Chen Ruizheng, he immediately asked Chen Zhongmin and Zhang Yao to come forward to appease the defenders in the city, and dispatched his own troops to take over the various city gates.
Everything happened too fast, and An Rupan's wishful thinking was all in vain. He was furious and kept Tang Yue in the army while sending soldiers to the city gate, claiming that he wanted to enter the city to help defend it, but was sternly rejected by the Qin army.
Mu Kui, one of An Rupan's men, urged him to attack the city immediately while the Qin army had just entered the city and had not yet moved.
An Rupan resisted the urge, saying that he had not yet established a firm foothold. This was probably just wishful thinking, and if he failed to capture the city, then even his disguise would be gone.
An Rupan decided to continue to show goodwill to the Qin army and wait patiently for the best opportunity.
Two days later, General Cui Feng, the General of the Southern Expedition, arrived at Guiyang Prefecture with an army of 10,000. With flags flying and black clothes and dark armor, the army looked extremely majestic. An Rupan's heart was pounding when he saw it, and he appeared to be more submissive on the surface.
Cui Feng and Ma Liuliang are old acquaintances, but they cannot be said to have any close relationship. On the contrary, Cui Feng used to look down on Ma Liuliang, who was full of banditry.
However, this time Ma Liuliang was unstoppable. His three thousand troops conquered most of Guizhou at a miraculous speed. Now even Cui Feng did not dare to underestimate him anymore.
When He Tengjiao hurried to Guiyang, Cui Feng immediately gathered everyone to discuss the matter of entering Yunnan.
In order to appease the military morale in Guiyang, Chen Ruizheng and Zhang Yao were also invited.
Long Guangsheng, a captain of Yebushou stationed in Guiyang, said to everyone: "According to the news we have received, Liu Wenxiu has already captured Zunyi, and his intention to go south to Guiyang is very obvious. At present, An Kun controls Wujiang Pass, and Liu Wenxiu cannot come for the time being. However, although the Xi'an family of Shuixi appears to be submissive, we have to guard against him making trouble. If he colludes with Liu Wenxiu and leads him to Guiyang, it is hard to say what the situation in Guizhou will become. Now, the loyal marquis Qin Liangyu is attacking Luzhou while Liu Wenxiu's main force is heading south. If the loyal marquis can capture Luzhou, he can go straight to Chishui and respond to Guiyang."
Cui Feng thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say whether the Marquis of Loyalty can conquer Luzhou and when. We can't put our bets on her. Has Sha Dingzhou responded in Yunnan?"
"General, Sha Dingzhou is also ambitious. He already knows that our army has entered Guizhou and intends to attack Yunnan. On the surface, he has agreed to serve our king as his leader, but he does not want our army to enter Yunnan. In other words, once our army enters Yunnan, there will be a battle with Sha Dingzhou."
Tang Yue said: "If this is the case, Guizhou cannot be in chaos. We must ensure that the post roads are unobstructed, otherwise our army will be isolated and unable to continue. General Cui, I suggest leaving 5,000 troops to garrison Guiyang, and temporarily send fewer troops to Yunnan."
Chen Ruizheng quickly interrupted and said, "General Cui, please allow me to join the army in the expedition to Yunnan to repay the King of Qin for his kindness."
Cui Feng did some calculations in his mind. Ma Liuliang and Chen Guimin had a total of 4,000 soldiers. He himself brought 10,000 soldiers. Chen Ruizheng originally had about 5,000 people in Guiyang City. In total, there were 19,000 people.
In addition, Song Ping in Shuidong still has a thousand troops, and there are a small number of garrisons in Duyun, Liping and other prefectures, but those troops are already very weak to maintain local stability and it is impossible to withdraw them.
Chen Ruizheng himself expressed his willingness to join the army to fight in Yunnan, which is naturally the best.
However, the combat effectiveness of the more than 5,000 troops under his command remains a question mark. Cui Feng does not want to transfer troops to Yunnan that would waste food and fodder and be of no help in combat.
However, Chen Ruizheng must be taken to Yunnan. His 5,000 troops can be left in Guiyang and Chen Guimin can be commanded to garrison there. This way, the soldiers and generals can be separated, which is a safe bet.
Cui Feng nodded to Chen Ruizheng to show his approval.
At this time, Ma Liuliang, who was in high spirits, laughed and said, "Didn't An Rupan express his willingness to submit to our Great Qin? Why should we be polite to him? First, let him give up Wujiang Pass and we will send troops to defend it. Second, let him send 10,000 troops to follow us to attack Yunnan. If he doesn't agree, we will take the opportunity to destroy him first to eliminate future troubles."
He Tengjiao stroked his long beard and said, "General Ma's words are very reasonable. It is not appropriate to leave Wujiang Pass in An Rupan's hands. Moreover, his 20,000 troops stationed outside Guiyang City are more likely to become a threat."
Cui Feng smiled coldly and said, "Mr. He, you should go and invite An Rupan into the city. Well, tell him that the King of Qin has a reward and ask him to come and claim it."
He Tengjiao knew that Cui Feng was determined to deal with An Rupan first. If An Rupan was truly loyal, he would have no reason not to enter the city. If he insisted on not entering the city, it meant that he must have something to hide, so there was no need to be polite to him.
He Tengjiao had nothing to say. Among the people present, he was the most suitable person to pay his respects to Rupan. The fact that a scholar from the Zhanshi Mansion came personally fully demonstrated the sincerity of the Qin Dynasty. He stood up, bowed, and left the city with twenty guards.
Cui Feng then said, "If An Rupan refuses to enter the city, we will take action tonight and strive to destroy his 20,000 troops outside the city in one fell swoop, once and for all. How should we fight this battle? What ideas do you have?"
Tang Yue replied: "General Cui, it is unlikely that An Rupan will enter the city, and he will definitely be on guard against our attack. It is probably unlikely to attack him at night."
Chen Ruizheng's mind moved, and he said, "General Cui, I have an idea."
"Master Chen, please speak."
Chen Ruizheng had just surrendered and was afraid that his position would be unstable, so he spoke his mind without reservation and in a low voice.
When Cui Feng heard this, he couldn't help but clap his hands and said, "Okay, good idea, let's do it."
After the decision was made, Ma Liuliang's angry curses were soon heard in the capital. The sound was so loud that it could be heard in half the street, and the soldiers standing guard outside all looked at him sideways.
After a while, Chen Ruizheng stormed out of the government office, his steps staggering and his face flushed purple. Tang Yue followed him out and tried to persuade him, but Chen Ruizheng seemed to have been greatly insulted. No matter how Tang Yue tried to persuade him, he chased him for half a street, but he ignored him and walked away in anger.
He Tengjiao went to the Xi'an Rupan military camp outside the city and invited An Rupan to come into the city to accept the reward from the King of Qin. It stands to reason that An Rupan had already expressed his willingness to submit to the Qin Dynasty, and if the King of Qin had given him a reward, he should have come into the city in person to accept it.
But he had something to hide, so how could he dare to enter the city? In a hurry, he couldn't find any other excuses, so he claimed that he was not feeling well... ... ..
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ps: I was just a few votes away, but I still couldn't get to the monthly classified votes. Oh, God! Oh, earth! I'm dying... ... ...
I wailed a few times, wiped my snot and tears, and turned back to writing and updating honestly. Dear parents who provide me with food and clothing, and dear brothers and sisters, if it is convenient for you, please give me a few monthly tickets.
Finally, I would like to say weakly: Please give me your monthly vote!
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