Thinking of this, Zhu Li made a prompt decision and said immediately, "You guys should return to Shuozhou immediately and tell Mr. Guo that if the imperial court attacks me in the name of rebellion, let Gao Su immediately take the post of Xia Sui Yin Jiedushi in Hetao and defend Hetao to the death. Also, let Mr. Guo strengthen the defense around Shuozhou, especially the direction of Yanmen Pass, which must be heavily guarded. Remember, only defend and do not attack. You are not allowed to go out to fight even if challenged. Do you understand?"
The three ghost-faced warriors heard this and did not hesitate, and quickly said, "Yes."
"You guys should set off immediately, go ahead." Zhu Li urged again and again. The three of them saw the seriousness of the matter from Zhu Li's expression and did not dare to hesitate. After thanking him again, they immediately hid in the woods and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Let's go back to the camp immediately." Zhu Li knew the seriousness of the matter. Gao Su had surrounded Youzhou when Li Sigong went south to support the king. If this matter was exposed, with the methods used by Tian Lingzi and others, he would inevitably be charged with conspiracy to rebel. He had to prepare for the worst.
The group hurried back to the camp. Zhu Li entered the tent and immediately asked someone to call Shi Yan to discuss the matter.
In half a cup of tea, Shi Yan hurried to Zhu Li's tent. Zhu Li looked at Shi Yan and said seriously, "I'm afraid we are in trouble."
"What's wrong?" Shi Yan was stunned.
"This morning, Tian Lingzi wanted to adopt me as his adopted son, but I rejected him in person. This eunuch will never let me go. Just now, Mr. Guo sent someone to report that Li Sigong's son Li Ren has fled to Chang'an. I'm afraid we can no longer keep our secret plan to attack Hetao."
"If we add to this the dirty deeds between Li Keyong and I during the battle to suppress the Shatuo rebellion, we will most likely be suppressed by a combination of them. There may even be more people who will attack us and take advantage of the opportunity to add insult to injury." Zhu Li looked solemn and sighed bitterly.
Upon hearing this, Shi Yan's expression suddenly changed, and he became restless. He frowned and paced around in annoyance. After a long while, he said angrily, "Didn't Gao Su say that he had surrounded Youzhou, and he promised not to let the news spread to Guanzhong. Why did he let Li Ren escape to Chang'an now? A man with a woman's face is really unreliable."
Gao Su has a handsome appearance, and Shi Yan has disliked him from a long time. Now that he has made a mistake, it would be strange if Shi Yan did not blame him.
Seeing Shi Yan's resentful look, Zhu Li shook his head secretly and said, "Now is not the time to complain. Fortunately, Zhou Dewei and Meng Juehai left early, and they are probably not far from Shuozhou. Their safety should not be a problem. The Cao army's defeated soldiers who were hastily gathered by us, as well as their relatives, total more than 100,000 people. Even if there is a problem here, Shuozhou has so many troops and people. As long as we defend it strictly, there should be no problem in a short time."
"What we have to consider now is the safety of nearly 20,000 people still stationed here. These 20,000 people are elite soldiers who have experienced many battles. How could I bear it if they all died here because of me?" Zhu Li frowned.
"What can we do? At this moment, as expected, the other party has sent people to closely monitor us. Unless we break out, I'm afraid we have no other choice." Shi Yanying raised his eyebrows and said in a murderous tone.
"They haven't made a move yet, and they probably haven't made up their minds yet. If we suddenly leave without a sound, some of them will be able to escape. If I'm right, the other party's main goal is to
"I'm the target. If a war breaks out, you and I will each lead a part of our men to fight our way out of the encirclement. I'll lead them away, and you lead the others to head north directly. It's unlikely that they'll chase you, so you can naturally save some people." Zhu Li looked at Shi Yan seriously and said.
Upon hearing this, Shi Yan's face changed instantly, and she screamed like a young wife who was abandoned after being seduced: "General, what do you mean? Am I Shi Yan a person who runs away from the battlefield? The general treats me like a brother. If I abandon the general in the face of danger, am I still a human being?"
Zhu Li frowned at Shi Yan, who was throwing a tantrum like a woman, and tried to comfort her: "You have a bad temper, listen to me. I am letting you go not for you alone, but for the brothers who risked their lives to follow you and me. You and I are brothers, and if it only concerns the lives of the two of us, we will fight to the death, even if we die. But these nearly 20,000 lives cannot all die here because of our loyalty."
Shi Yan heard this, his brows drooped, and he said unwillingly: "But, but if I leave you and escape alone, how can I live in the future?"
According to historical records, Shi Yan served two masters and was devoted to them. He never betrayed anyone. If he had not been forced to do so, he might have been loyal only to Li Keyong from beginning to end. He was indeed such a person.
"What do you mean by sacrificing my only life? This is my plan and arrangement. It's not for you, Shi Yan, alone, but for the men under our command who have followed us in bloody battles until now. Do you understand?" Zhu Li couldn't help but strengthen his tone and solemnly declared.
"But, but the governor..." Shi Yan's face flushed, and he wanted to argue. Zhu Li didn't allow him to say anything else and interrupted him immediately, "No buts. With my martial arts and skills, plus the help of Yu Qilin, it won't be that easy for them to kill me."
"This matter was originally caused by me, which is why everyone has suffered. I have always prided myself on being worthy of heaven and earth, respecting my parents, protecting my brothers and sisters, and not disobeying my brothers and friends. Everything I think and do can be summed up in four words: 'have a clear conscience.'"
"If these nearly 20,000 good men died in vain in Guanzhong because of me, I would feel guilty and blame myself for the rest of my life even if I were alive. Do you understand?" Zhu Li looked straight at Shi Yan and said earnestly.
"Governor..."
"Okay, it's settled. If you return to Shuozhou safely, you must help me ask Master, Mr. Guo, Gao Su, Gao Yuan, Huo Qing, Wang and others to take good care of my parents and younger sister if anything happens to me. Be sure to convey this message." Zhu Li was afraid that Shi Yan would do something impulsive on his way back to the north. In addition, he was really worried about the future livelihood of his parents and younger sister, so he had to repeatedly and cautiously instruct Shi Yan.
"I, your subordinate, obey your command." Shi Yan responded with difficulty, bowing.
"Well, give the orders and start secret preparations tonight. We will retreat to Weishui tomorrow morning. If things go well, you will lead your men through Fangzhou, Zhou, Yanzhou and enter Suizhou. That is Gao Su's territory and it is also the nearest route. I will lead them east to Tongzhou, take the Hedong route, and then go north to Shuozhou along the Hedong Road." Zhu Li reminded again. Of course, this was his plan. As for whether he could succeed in this route in the end, it was really hard to say.
"promise"
It's a cool breeze on a June night.
The Shuozhou Army, after having a full meal,
Following Yan's instructions, he prepared everything and went to bed early.
Apart from the footsteps of the night patrol guards and the low hum of insects in the early summer, the entire military camp was silent. It was hard to tell that this was an army ready to escape to the north at any time.
According to Zhu Li's plan, he would lead only 800 of his personal soldiers eastward to Tongzhou, while Shi Yan would lead more than 2,000 Yue cavalry and more than 16,000 guards northward to Fangzhou.
The soldiers had prepared more than half a month's worth of dry food early on, abandoned all their baggage, and marched at full speed, ready to take advantage of the fact that the local soldiers in Fangzhou and Zhou were unprepared and quickly reach Yanzhou. In this way, even if the enemy had sent people to contact the local soldiers in these two states to block them, they could still take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and pass through the territories of the two states.
There was no conversation that night, as all parties were prepared.
At dawn, around five in the morning, the Shuozhou army broke camp and returned north, abandoning all their baggage and food. The army only carried some dry food with them, except for the armor on their bodies and weapons in their hands. They threw away all their burdens and fled lightly.
As soon as the Shuozhou army moved, they were immediately discovered by the scouts who were monitoring Zhu Li's movements. These scouts did not dare to delay and quickly reported to Li Keyong, Tian Lingzi and others.
Li Keyong was the first to receive the report. With a gloomy face, he turned over and sat up from the fair and tender maid. He simply put on his robe, opened the door, and said to the scout, "Are you sure that the Shuozhou army has already moved north?"
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief, I saw it with my own eyes. The Shuozhou army abandoned all their baggage and food supplies, and the entire army set out. They are now fleeing towards the Wei River at a rapid speed." The scout hastily confirmed.
Could it be that someone leaked the news? Li Keyong frowned and thought for a moment.
However, to be exact, only four people knew about their plan. Who leaked the information? Li Keyong couldn't figure out who it was for a moment, so he could only sigh helplessly.
He took out the fish talisman he carried with him, handed it to the scout and said, "Take my talisman immediately and rush to Cunxiao's mansion. Tell him to lead the Flying Tiger Army and catch up with Zhu Li. We must hold back the Shuozhou Army."
"Yes." The scout did not dare to delay and quickly took the fish token, turned around and rushed out of the courtyard, and hurried to Li Cunxiao's mansion to deliver the message.
Li Keyong himself was no longer sleepy, so he quickly called his maid to help him get dressed, and then immediately rushed to the palace to find Tian Lingzi. In the Taiji Hall, not long after Li Keyong arrived, Li Xiaochang and Li Sigong also hurried over.
When Tian Lingzi came out leisurely, it was almost six in the morning. After hearing that the Shuozhou army had withdrawn their camp and returned north without any warning, Tian Lingzi's expression darkened. He looked at Li Keyong with a bit of hostility: "Commander-in-Chief Li, if I had followed my plan and asked your fake son to lead the army to attack Zhu Li at night, he would have died long ago. How could such a change happen?"
Li Keyong could understand Tian Lingzi's anger, but he would not accept it. The Shatuo people were fierce and violent, and in this era, their direct combat power was unmatched. Upon hearing this, he immediately retorted: "Tian, you don't have to be so angry with me. Everyone agreed with my suggestion last night. Now that something unexpected has happened, you can't just blame me. The sudden return of the Shuozhou army to the north was also something I didn't expect. I'm afraid our plan has been leaked, otherwise Zhu Li wouldn't have left so easily."