To die before accomplishing the mission will make the hero cry for a long time.
Zhang Shenjian just wanted to vent Ni Lu's anger, he never expected such a sudden change.
Facing Yang Zaixing's shot, he had no way to dodge it and could only watch the spear about to pierce his chest. At this critical moment of life and death, he was unwilling to give in and cried out in grief.
At this moment, a shout suddenly came from the mansion: "Spare his life."
The call came at just the right time. Yang Zaixing suddenly heard the sound and twisted his wrist, changing the direction of the spear instantly. At the same time, his body turned upside down, dragging the spear away, and instantly returned to the door of the mansion. Then he turned around and looked at the person who came.
"Plop"
There was a sound of falling behind him just now. Without looking, he knew that it was the sound of Zhang Shenjian who had escaped the disaster falling.
Three people walked quickly into the mansion. The first one was wearing a moon-white robe, had dark black hair, and looked very elegant. It was Yan Keqiu.
To the left of Yan Keqiu stood a man who was seven feet tall, wearing coarse linen clothes and a ghost mask. He looked very majestic. He had a long sword on his waist and a spear in his hand. Just standing there, he was like an eternally standing mountain, unshakable.
The man on the right was the one who had just shouted. He was over six feet tall and as strong as an ox, holding a knife in one hand. It was Chen Gong, but he seemed a little worried, and was looking at Zhang Shenjian with concern.
Zhang Shenjian, who was sitting on the ground, looked up and saw the concerned face. He immediately exclaimed, "Brother Chen, why is it you? Is this your residence?"
Seeing that he was fine, Chen Gong smiled slightly, bowed to Yan Keqiu, and said frankly: "Haha, Brother Zhang, you are joking. This mansion is the new residence of my master. Chen is just a guard."
Following the direction of Chen Gong's bow, Zhang Shenjian looked at Yan Keqiu, but a ripple arose in his heart. Who was so bold as to hire Chen Gong as a security guard
Although Chen Gong was down and out, he was still a veteran in the army. This scholar actually dared to take him as his servant. He was really bold.
However, with the lesson just learned from Yang Zaixing, he did not dare to act rashly. With the help of two guards, Zhang Shenjian stood up, walked to Yan Keqiu, and said with a bow, "I am Zhang Shenjian, the commander of Gaoyou Town. I am sorry to ask for your advice. What is your name?"
Yan Keqiu's ability to see the big picture from the details is not something that ordinary people can match. At the beginning, he was able to infer Zhu Li's identity just from Zhu Li's name combined with the fragmentary information he knew. Now, how could he not see the resentment in Zhang Shenjian's heart
But he didn't care. He was also a man of status. If he hadn't been bad at business and ended up on the streets, he would have been a very decent person. After his family fell into poverty, no one would believe him even if he told them his identity.
Now it seems that this identity can still be used. He looked Zhang Shenjian straight in the eye and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "General, your name is so great that it has awakened the deaf and dumb. I have long admired your name."
"I dare not trouble the general to ask for advice. My name is Yan Keqiu. My father, Yan Shi, used to be the judge of the Jianghuai water and land transportation. It's just that I am not talented. Now I can only rely on my father's protection. I'm sorry to bother you, general." Yan Keqiu introduced himself calmly.
Gaoyou is an important town in Huainan. Anyone who can serve as a town commander here must at least be a middle town commander, which is equivalent to an official rank above the seventh grade. However, the position of a transportation judge can be of high or low rank.
Since the An-Shi Rebellion, the court's finances have mostly relied on Jianghuai. Therefore, the Jianghuai Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner was generally controlled by important officials in the court, usually the prime minister himself.
Although the Judge of Transport is an assistant to the Salt and Iron Transport Commissioner, it is often said that if Yan Shi is still alive, he is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister, even Zhang Shenjian would not dare to ignore him. Therefore, as the son of Yan Shi, he is naturally qualified to talk to Zhang Shenjian.
Upon hearing that the other party had such a background, Zhang Shenjian did not dare to take it lightly. If the mansion was bought by a merchant, he would burn it down at will. However, the mansion was bought by the man in front of him, so he could not burn it down no matter what.
However, to his surprise, Chen Gong was actually the other party's servant and seemed to be very respectful to this man. This also made Zhang Shenjian certain that Yan Keqiu and his group were definitely not Lu Yongzhi's accomplices.
Feeling relieved, it seemed that he had no choice but to retreat. However, it was obviously humiliating to leave in such a disgraced manner, and he was considering finding a way out.
"I have said before that if Brother Zhang really wants to deal with Lü Yongzhi, I will definitely help him. Now that Brother Zhang's army has finished its oath and is about to set out, I am willing to follow Brother Zhang to Jiangdu. What do you think?"
Fortunately, the heavens reward those who work hard. Chen Gong's sudden voice gave Zhang Shenjian a chance to back off. He quickly said in surprise: "It is what you wish. I dare not ask you. Brother Chen, you are too polite."
Seeing the other party agreed, Chen Gong was very happy. He then turned to Yan Keqiu and pretended to be sincere and said, "My lord, I have an unwelcome request. I have a hatred with Lu Yongzhi that destroyed my family and exterminated my clan. Now is a heaven-sent opportunity for me. Please allow me to go and take revenge. If I survive this time, I will leave my body to repay my lord for saving my life."
Upon hearing this, Yan Keqiu seemed to hesitate for a moment, then said readily: "Then go ahead. I'll let Zaixing and Guimian go with you so that we can take care of each other."
"Thank you, my lord." Chen Gong bowed and expressed his gratitude, seeming very grateful. He then called Yang Zaixing and Zhu Li and walked towards Zhang Shenjian.
Zhang Shenjian suddenly had more generals and was no longer obsessed with burning down the mansion. After exchanging a few polite words with Yan Keqiu, he took the three of them out of the city.
After the show was over, Zhu Li, Yang Zaixing and Chen Gong successfully joined Zhang Shenjian's team.
Zhang Shenjian was very happy about the three people joining him. He already knew a thing or two about Chen Gong's skills, and he should be on par with him. But Yang Zaixing was different, he was definitely a master. As the saying goes, it is easy to get thousands of soldiers, but it is difficult to get a good general. How could he not be excited to get such a brave general under such a predicament
After returning to the army, Zhang Shenjian personally explained the misunderstanding to Bi Shiduo and Zheng Hanzhang. In desperation, the two men hurriedly ordered people to find two animals, slaughtered them in public as a sacrifice, and then ordered the army to set off.
After entering the military camp, Zhu Li, Yang Zaixing and Chen Gong immediately put on armor. With the help of Zhang Shenjian, each of them was given a strong horse. Yang Zaixing looked even more majestic in armor, and his nature as a fierce general was obvious. Zhang Shenjian was delighted, while Bi Shiduo and Zheng Hanzhang were skeptical.
Bi Shiduo rebelled and joined forces with Zhang Shenjian and Zheng Hanzhang to attack Jiangdu.
Gao Pian was horrified upon hearing the news, and immediately started smashing things in the place where he was practicing Taoism. He was furious and pointed at Lu Yongzhi, who came to complain, and cursed him, calling him extremely incompetent and asking him to find a way to quell Bi Shiduo's rebellion on his own.
Lu Yongzhi was also very depressed. He finally found some time today to complain to Gao Pian about Bi Shiduo. However, before he could finish reading out the charges against Bi Shiduo, he received the news that Bi Shiduo had rebelled and was marching towards Jiangdu.
At this time, what else did Lü Yongzhi have to say to Bi Shiduo? He had been so humiliating and degrading to Bi Shiduo some time ago.
Bi Shiduo, the two sides are mortal enemies and will not stop fighting until one dies.
After returning to the mansion, Lu Yongzhi immediately mobilized his troops and vowed to fight the rebels.
He ordered several trusted generals, headed by Dong Jin, Xu Kan and Lu Chen, to lead 10,000 guards of Taoxie and 20,000 palace soldiers to go fight.
Shaobo is a small town located north of Jiangdu and south of Gaoyou.
There are many lakes on the outskirts of the town, including Ailing Lake, Xingsi Lake, Xingdang Lake, etc., which have Shaobo Lake as their source. They guard the town like pearls, with clear blue water and fertile fields all around.
The rebels, under the command of Bi Shiduo, and the suppressing army led by Dong Jin, met unexpectedly in the wilderness of Shaobo due to the choice of route.
This is an encounter battle. We have to fight. When two brave men meet on a narrow road, only the brave will survive. Both sides understand this truth. Such a battle will test the general's ability to adapt to changing circumstances to the extreme.
As everyone knows, the Taoxie Guards are the most powerful army in Yangzhou. What's more, in addition to tens of thousands of Taoxie Guards, Dong Jin also has 20,000 elite palace soldiers. The combat effectiveness of the palace soldiers is not much worse than those led by Bi Shiduo. In a direct comparison of military strength, Bi Shiduo has no chance of winning.
The two sides were 500 meters apart, ready to go, and all they lacked was a military order. Seeing that the war would break out in an instant, Bi Shiduo, with a gloomy face, frowned and had not yet come up with a countermeasure.
Behind Zhang Shenjian, Zhu Li, who was wearing a ghost mask, winked at Yang Zaixing. Yang Zaixing understood and without waiting for Bi Shiduo and Zhang Shenjian's orders, he rode out on his horse, holding a sword and waving a spear, and rushed out of the camp.
This sudden scene was beyond Bi Shiduo's expectations and also beyond Dong Jin's imagination.
Yang Zaixing didn't care about the suspicion of these people at all. He rode his horse to the middle of the battlefield, held his spear horizontally, and shouted loudly: "I am Yang Zaixing, a brigade commander under General Zhang. I have heard for a long time that Yangzhou's Taoxie City has elite soldiers and brave generals. At this time of great opportunity, I would like to use the spear in my hand to test the weight of Taoxie's brave generals. I wonder who of you rats in Taoxie City dares to fight?"
These words aroused the restlessness of Dong Jin's subordinates. "Who dares to fight?" Just this one sentence was very rampant. The contempt was like a thunder, which struck these arrogant soldiers and generals hard in their hearts. Faced with such naked provocation, how could these generals in Yangzhou, who always prided themselves on their bravery, endure it
This sudden scene also made Zhang Shenjian confused. He didn't understand what Yang Zaixing was doing. Yang Zaixing claimed to be the commander of a brigade under his command, but he had never conferred any official title on him. Although he had this intention for a long time, he had been hesitant.
Now, this guy has directly imputed an official position to himself. Even if Zhang Shenjian denies it now, it is too late. Zhu Li and the other two have always been following him. Who would believe his denial
Yang Zaixing's behavior also puzzled Bi Shiduo and Zheng Hanzhang. They looked at Zhang Shenjian suspiciously. In response, Zhang Shenjian could only smile bitterly. Even if he explained, would these two believe him
Without mentioning the doubts of the rebel generals, the generals who were responsible for suppressing the rebellion were also hesitant. Dong Jin had some talent as a commander and was deeply trusted by Lu Yongzhi. This time, when he was ordered to suppress the rebellion, Lu Yongzhi still appointed him as the commander-in-chief and put him in charge of the three armies.
Now he is confronting Bi Shiduo with superior military strength. According to common sense, it would be most advantageous for him to say nothing and just rush forward to start a battle.
But Dong Jin is not only a qualified and wise commander, he is also a fierce general, so he will be concerned about reputation, momentum, and the impact on his side. If the other side challenges them to fight, if they do not fight, does it mean that they are afraid of the other side