General~~~"

A ride like a fly, from the north to gallop, is struggling to find the whereabouts of the eight hundred stragglers Huang Zhong suddenly spirit, finally have news? In the early morning, Huang Zhong led his army into Suixian, but found that the eight hundred stragglers had already led and far away, the whole Suixian has become an empty city.

But soon, Huang Zhong found that the situation is not right.

This ride is from the north, and is not the scouting horse he sent, fixed his eyes carefully look, this is not Lord Qin's brother-in-law Wen Ren? How to make such a mess! Hair disheveled, clothes tattered, and also covered with spots of blood, as if just rushed out from the chaotic army.

(PS: Some readers suggested that Li Yan, Wen Hire's appearance time is too early, I hope to provide the exact year of birth and death, the evolution and the Three Kingdoms Zhi seem to have no record, anyway, the swordsman is not found)

Wen Hire horse rushed to Huang Zhong heel, hands fiercely strangle the reins of the horse, the war horse ate pain suddenly stand up, the hind legs stirred the ground a series of two bounces before the momentum of the rushing stopped. Huang Zhong's gaze is awe-inspiring, don't want to Wen Hire a small age, a strength is not small, riding skills are superb, is a buildable material.

"Wen Ren, you are not in Fuyang to protect Lord Qin, how to come to Suixian?"

Wen Ren looked miserable and said with a sobbing voice: "General, the big event is over!"

"Don't panic, tell us slowly."

Huang Zhong looked awe-inspiring, Wei He and Cai Mao also heard the news and gathered over.

Wen Ren gave a long sigh and told the scene that happened last night, Huang Zhong three people listened and immediately sucked in a breath of cold air, all eyes showed fear! This Ma Yue, the end of the cunning extraordinary, everyone thought that after he attacked Suixian, will certainly follow the trend south to Jiangxia, but did not expect to shake a gun and kill back to Fuyang.

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Wen Ren said gloomily: "brother-in-law is very sick, trapped in the county office can not move, I highlight the siege, Lord Zou and hundreds of soldiers have been trapped in a heavy siege, think ...... has been unfortunate."

"Ugh!"

Cai Mao stomped his feet heavily, his face was full of chagrin.

Wei He turned to Huang Zhong and said morosely, "General, please quickly order the return of the division to Fuyang!"

Cai Mao hurriedly dissuaded him, "Wait, if we really go back north, how do we know that this is not another trick of Ma Yue? If the eight hundred stragglers turn back south to attack Jiangxia again, what will happen?"

Wei He gave a stifled grunt and said, "That is the business of Jiangxia people, not us Nanyang people!"

Cai Mao turned pale and roared, "Wei He! Don't you forget that I am also from Jiangxia."

Huang Zhong's face twitched and almost gnashed his teeth as he roared, "Pass the order, change the rear group to the front, and return to Fuyang!"

Cai Mao said morosely: "You want to go back, I do not accompany."

Huang Zhong coldly said, "The Lord does not bully the guests, your honor please leave.

A few moments later, Huang Zhong and Wei He led 2000 Nanyang soldiers back to the north, while Cai Mao led 1000 Jiangxia soldiers to continue south to rendezvous with Li Tong and Zhao Ci's troops in the area of Yu Lu.

Another whole night's march, the next day in the early morning, when Huang Zhong rate two thousand exhausted Nanyang soldiers rushed back to Fuyang, waiting for them is another undefended empty city! The four gates of Fuyang City were wide open, the crow was silent, the market was deserted, and the chickens and dogs were not heard.

"What's going on? Could it be that there is a fraud?" Wei He looked astonished and said in a deep voice, "Why don't you put a small team of soldiers into the city to investigate?"

"Well!" Huang Zhong answered and ordered, "The army rests outside the city, the three soldiers do not undress, do not leave their swords! Wen Hire listen to the order."

Wen Ren steered his horse forward and said in a deep voice, "The last general is here."

"Lead the army 200, go to the city to scout out if there are any stray pirates in ambush."

Wen Ren clasped his fist and bowed, and said in a loud voice: "The last general obeys the order."

Wen Ren received the order and ordered 200 soldiers to enter the city through the south gate of Fuyang, and by this time, the 800 stragglers, dressed in onyx, had already arrived 10 miles east of Wancheng.

These days, Fuyang between the official army and the bandits repeatedly changed hands, the people in the city although not suffered from the bandits tea poison, but has been chilled, although at this time know that the imperial army back to kill, but no one dares to open the door to meet. The official army has arrived, rather know that the bandits will not follow and kill into the city? The court's army has been defeated twice by the roving bandits, how do you know there won't be a third time?

The city was searched by Wen Ren, so he ordered the forced arrest of a dozen innocent people, and under torture, he found out that the 800 stragglers had left a long time ago, as to where they were going, the whereabouts of Qin Jie, Zou Jing and others in the city, but three questions. The poor little people, how do you know such military matters?

Huang Zhong had to give up, but the army did not dare to enter the city stationed, only outside the city to set up camp, one side to strengthen the security side sent more scouts to scout around, to the next day at noon, the scouts began to send back a shocking news - Wancheng fell! This news really let Huang Zhong, Wei and two people were astonished.

Wancheng is not like Fuyang, Fuyang is just a small county, but Wancheng is a high and deep county, with a full 1,000 elite Nanyang soldiers stationed, and the captain Zhang Xun sitting in town, even under siege by hundreds of thousands of yellow turban bandits, but also enough to support for several months, Ma Yue's eight hundred bandits are not heavenly soldiers, how can they capture Wancheng in one night?

Huang Zhong, Wei and the first reaction of the two is that there is fraud? When the remnants of the army who fled from Wancheng brought them another piece of bad news, Huang Zhong and Wei believed it! It was really a bolt from the blue, Lord Qin Jie had actually died, damned Ma Yue thieves, even fraudulent city with Lord Qin's coffin, such a deceitful thing, only Ma Yue such shameless bandits to do it.

Wei and face with a worried look, said: "Han Sheng brother, Wancheng has fallen, the Lord has died, things can not be done. Only the counties of Echingyang are defenceless, and may be attacked by the bandits at any time, if there is any mistake, our way back is finished! Why not lead the army back to the canton to hold, waiting for the court to send a new governor, and then make a plan?"

Huang Zhong nodded silently and sighed: "That's all, that's all we can do."

......

The situation in Wancheng gradually calmed down, Guan Hai and Pei Yuan Shao's figures appeared at the same time outside the office of the governor.

"Bo Qi, you are looking for us?"

Ma Yue nodded and said, "Old Pei, take a hundred or ten brothers with you to collect all the eliminated weapons, extra instruments, and ironware seized from the rich households."

"Collecting iron weapons? What is this? Bo Qi, the men's weapons are already good enough, there is no need to build more."

"Shut up and do what you are told to do."

"As ordered."

Pei Yuan Shao shut his mouth, although reprimanded by Ma Yue, but did not think at all.

"Old Guan, you also bring more than a hundred brothers, bring me all the blacksmiths within a hundred-mile radius of Wancheng."

"As ordered."

"Also, these days to assign the brothers to learn riding, within ten days, all must learn to ride, otherwise, when the army is transferred, do not blame me to throw him in Wancheng and wait for death."

When Ma Yue's words fell, Pei Yuan Shao wondered, "What, we have to move? Stay in Wancheng, it is a big city, it is easy to defeat, what a pity to abandon it? In fact, even if it is Fuyang, I think we should leave our men and horses behind to guard it, at least it will be a retreat."

Ma Yue said coldly, "There are only a thousand people in total, so how many people can be left if we divide our troops here and there? Can we defend it?"

"Not enough people can recruit soldiers, there are many people nearby, as long as they burn their houses and rob their food, they have to follow us if they want to live, they can gather tens of thousands of people within a few days, hey, Marshal Zhang and Commander Liu did this before."

Ma Yue glared fiercely at Pei Yuan Shao and said morosely, "So, Zhang Man Cheng, Liu Pei and the rest of them are dead!"

Pei Yuan Shao's head dropped, flattened his mouth and had nothing to say.

Ma Yue frowned and patiently explained, "I'll tell you why you can't do that! Zhang Mancheng, Liu Pei set, indeed, can gather tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people in a short period of time, but that is not an army that can conquer and fight well, but just a group of rabble. In addition to wasting food and shouting a few words of bravado, what else can they do? Zhang Mancheng, hundreds of thousands of people besieged a few thousand official troops stationed in Wancheng, fought for months, tens of thousands of deaths to defeat, that can also be called an army!

"Moreover, once the scale of the team is huge, the court will pay attention to it, and then condemn the world's elite Han army to suppress, what can we do to resist? With those rabble? How did Bo Cai of Yingchuan lose? Nanyang's Zhang Mancheng and how dead, Jizhou's Zhang Jiao Lao Dao think also half dead."

"So, learning from Zhang Jiao, Zhang Mancheng and Bo Cai, there is no way to live, now, our only way to live is to become a roving bandit! As long as the team is not too large, the court will not pay attention to it, will not condemn all the elite soldiers and strong generals to suppress, we have a way to live."

Volume II: Eight Hundred Rangers and Smoke

Chapter 44: The court and the public are shaken (above)

Luoyang, the great general's residence.

These days He Jin old feeling frightened, a few days are reluctant to go to court, the matter even alarmed the emperor, in the West Court naked swimming (artificial hot springs, ah, let the eunuchs boil hot water poured in the pool, and then ordered hundreds of court ladies to strip naked, into the water with the bath) in addition, busy also sent eunuchs to come to greet.

On this day, the snow was falling rapidly in Luoyang, He Jin was leaning against the fireside drowsy, suddenly awakened by a rush of footsteps, startled back, only to see the curtain lifted, General He Miao had panicked and ran into.

Once He Miao saw He Jin, he immediately fell to his knees and sobbed: "Brother, father is in danger!"

He Jin was astonished and got up from the tiger skin mattress and said, "Second brother, what are you saying?

He Miao knocked his head to the ground and said in a panicked voice: "Big brother, the Nanyang stragglers have resurfaced, my younger brother was unable to receive them, my father ...... has fallen into the hands of the thieves."

He Jin said sternly: "Is it life or death?"

He Miao fearfully said: "Still alive."

He Jin breathed a long sigh of relief, his expression eased down, went forward to pick up He Miao and said, "As long as father is still alive, there is something to be done, second brother quickly get up, tell us slowly."

He Miao climbed up and followed He Jin in to sit by the fire, and said with palpitations, "I was ordered by big brother, and did not dare to be slow, so I ran to my home in Fuyang with Lieutenant Yuan Jue at the rate of 500 officers to prepare for my father's return to the capital, but I did not expect to meet the messenger sent by my father to Luoyang to report to big brother just after they had passed Luoyang."

He Jin frowned and said, "The messenger sent by father, is he here?"

He Miao said gloomily, "The messenger had three arrows in his back, and he died after saying that there was a change in Fuyang."

"What did the messenger say before he died?"

"The messenger said, Fuyang County magistrate Chen Zhen gullible trust puisne Cao Li Yan, recklessly advancing, the result of Li Yan defeated the Makema slope, but by the 800 stragglers to take advantage of the false Fuyang, the magistrate Chen Zhen, his father and a large and small officials from the evasive all fell into the hands of the bandits."

He Jin said, "I hate Chen Zhen, I hate Li Yan, a coward, who put my father in danger, I swear to kill him, swear to kill him."

He Miao said in a low voice: "In fact, the loss of Fuyang is not all the fault of Chen Zhen and Li Yan, but Qin Jie, the governor of Nanyang, is even more guilty."

"Qin Jie? What do you mean by that?"

"Since Zhu Jun defeated the main force of the Yellow Turban in Nanyang, a remnant of the Yellow Turban fled to the area of Jing Mountain, had been surrounded by Qin Jie rate of Nanyang soldiers, but did not think, Qin Jie carelessness, but the remnants of the Yellow Turban took advantage of the night to escape, all the way to Fuyang, before the defeat of Li Yan, the loss of Fuyang."

"This is the reason!" He Jin hated, "Qin Jie pikeman! The previous loss of the county Wancheng, if not for the castrati to stop, I have been killing for a long time, how come this loss of Fuyang? Hateful! Annoying! This time I swear to kill him, swear to kill him!"

He Miao sighed tersely and said, "Brother, there is no need to be angry, Qin Jie has been dead for many days."

"Uh ......"

He Jin was stunned again and looked at He Miao blankly, wondering how much more shocking news He Miao had not told him, and then he said, "Second brother, say what you have to say, hiding and trying to hurry me to death?"

He Miao turned his head toward the door and said in a stern voice: "Bring it up!"

Chaotic footsteps sounded, the door curtain lifted, two strong Han soldiers have escorted a more strong man into the angrily, the man is big and thick, sharp-eyed, a glance can be known from the three mountains and five mountains of reckless heroes, followed by another Han soldiers, holding a wooden box, but I do not know what is contained inside?

He Jin said with awe, "Second brother, who is this person?"

Without waiting for He Miao to say anything, Zhou Cang had already replied: "I am Zhou Cang from Niutou Mountain, and now I am a small chief under Ma Yue, the leader of the eight hundred stragglers."

He Jin changed color and said, "So he is a bandit, how can he not be taken out and chopped up! Second brother, how can you bring him into the house? Aren't you afraid that the castrati will find out and take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble?"

He Miao said, "Brother, you can't kill him, if you kill his father, he'll die! Let's hear what he has to say."

Zhou Cang gave a cold snort and continued, "On the order of the chief Ma Yue, I have come to Luoyang to present General Qin Jie, the head of the governor of Nanyang, a seal and ribbon of the governor of Nanyang, and a letter from your father's family, and to tell him that if he cannot drive 2,000 horses to Nanyang within ten days, he can wait for your father's corpse to be collected."

"You!"

He Jin shouted, dry pointed at Zhou Cang, eyes killing machine, but this a kill word actually did not shout out. Although He Jin is a butcher in Nanyang, he has a reputation for filial piety. One day, his father was suffering from sore disease and was dying, so he Jin even ambushed and sucked it, and got three pellets of thick blood, so his father's disease was over.

Zhou Cang was unafraid and said sternly: "What am I? If you want to kill, you can kill, I have no fear."

He Jin's face changed again and again, finally let out a long sigh, waved his hand and said, "That's all, take him down with me and guard him well, do not escape."

"Yes, sir."

The two Han soldiers bellowed and escorted Zhou Cang away. The Han soldier holding Qin Jie's head glanced at He Miao, who saw that He Jin had no interest in admiring Qin Jie's head and waved his hand, so the Han soldier followed with the wooden box.

He Jin, with his hands behind his back, was in a hurry like an ant on a hot pot, and said with a sad face, "2000 horses! The bandits have a big mouth. By the way, what is the name of this group of bandits? What is the name of their leader?"

He Miao replied: "Brother, this group of bandits call themselves the 800 bandits, there is a flag, make a fuss, as for the bandit chief, surnamed Ma Yue, the epithet Bo Qi, claiming to be the descendants of the Fubo general Ma Yuan."

He Jin said: "Eight hundred stragglers? Ma Yue Ma Boqi? General Fubo descendants? What an absurdity! But if they fall into my hands, they will be lynched!"

He Miao stood to the side and answered yes, not daring to answer.

He came in and walked around a few times, suddenly stopped and asked, "Second brother, who else knows about this?"

He Miao said, "In addition to the lieutenant Yuan Jue and the three personal guards, there are also a number of local officials such as the Luyang order who know about it."

He Jin face swept a trace of ruthlessness, said: "immediately kill the three personal guards, and send people to assassinate the Lu Yang order and other people who know, as for the lieutenant Yuan Jie, is the first son of the Secretary of the Yuan Feng, Yuan family four generations of three dukes, the deep roots of the court can not be lightly touched, I will personally visit the door, Yuan Feng has always hated power eunuchs, forgive willing to help!

He Miao said: "What does big brother intend to do?"

He Jin sighed, "2000 horses, how can we raise them at one time? Even if the horses are collected, how dare you really send them to the 800 bandits? This is to collaborate with foreign traitors, the great crime of destroying nine clans! Father can not be saved, we have to kill all those who know, so as not to incur the reputation of disloyalty and filial piety."

He Miao said: "Brother can not, my brother met the thief Zhou Cang in Lu Yang, has already waved through the city, crossing the two counties of Nanyang, Renan several counties, many people who know, too late to kill."

He Jin looked up to the sky and sighed: "Save also can not, not save also can not, such as what to do?"

......

Sikong Mansion.

Yuan Feng was enjoying the snow and writing in his study when he heard the sound of armor outside the door.

Yuan Feng said: "My son is back? Did you welcome old master He back?"

Yuan Shu replied, "Master He was caught in the hands of thieves and could not be saved."

Yuan Feng was shocked and said, "Why is that?"

Yuan Shu then met He Zhen messenger and Zhou Cang, Yuan Feng listened to a little thought Shi said: "My son's life is in danger! Although the general has the name of filial piety, but is actually a cold-hearted person, now can not save the old master, will certainly kill all those who know in order to silence, in order to maintain his loyalty and filial piety name."

Yuan Shu said: "No matter, the thief chief Ma Yue is also not easy to deal with, this thief has already responded. The people of the two counties are not aware of the captivity of the old man, and no one near or far is unaware of it.

Yuan Feng said, "Is this really true?"

"Yes."

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Yuan Shu blinked his eyes and laughed, "Father, it is true that the eight hundred stragglers are not related to my Yuan family now, but soon they will be."

The first time he saw Yuan Jie's expression, Yuan Feng had an understanding and said, "Now that Qin Jie is dead and the position of governor of Nanyang is vacant, does my son want to seek the position of governor of Nanyang?"

Yuan Shu said in a loud voice, "Exactly, I would like to ask my father and my uncle to submit a report to the emperor to make this happen."