The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 250 Zhu Xiu captures Yang Wudi
Yang Chonggui led the reinforcements and marched rapidly south along the Hulu River.

The little military leader who rushed back to the camp to report the news followed closely beside Yang Chonggui on horseback. The other soldiers under his command did not follow and stayed in the camp to rest.

In late autumn, the Hulu River is still flowing peacefully, with a winding channel more than ten feet wide, flowing from south to north, with undulating hills on both sides, and the hills are covered with withered and yellow alfalfa.

The Hulu River flows out from the Daisha Mountain in the southwest of Yuanzhou, flows northward, and merges into the largest tributary of the Yellow River in Ningxia, Weirushui, which is called Qingshui River in later generations.

The autumn sun was high in the sky and the wind was clear and airy, but Yang Chonggui could not feel the slightest warmth.

He held the gun in one hand, tightened the reins with the other, tightened his chin, and looked solemn. He straddled the back of the horse, leaning his upper body slightly forward, with his long and powerful legs close to the horse's belly. The whistling wind blew past his ears, and the hair on his temples Long hair flying back.

Yang Chonggui turned his head and glanced at the surface of the Hulu River. The water was stagnant. In another month, ice should begin to form along the lower reaches of the river.

When he came, he had agreed with Li Guangrui and Li Guangyan that he would return to Wuyuan before winter came, but he never thought about it.
Yang Chonggui smiled bitterly and felt a little regretful. When Li Guangrui encouraged Li Guangyan to go south to stir up trouble, he should have insisted on discouraging the two of them.
It's a pity that regretting now won't help. It's better to find a way to save people first. Yang Chonggui cheered up.

This is not an era of melee in feudal towns. No matter how much trouble the Dingnan Army and Changyi Army have, they will not be at odds with each other. Even if Li Guangrui and Li Guangyan are defeated, they will definitely be able to save their lives.

Yang Chonggui thought silently in his heart, he could feel a little more at ease.

He glanced behind him and saw that the little military leader who reported the news was three or four feet behind him and grinned at him innocently.

Yang Chonggui was startled, nodded solemnly, and said nothing.

Suddenly, he felt something was wrong.

This little military leader gave him a strange feeling.

What is he laughing at?There was no trace of panic or worry in his eyes.

As a soldier of Wuyuan Town, his top boss, General Li Guangyan of Wuyuan Town, was trapped in a tight siege by the enemy. His life and death were unknown. Shouldn't he be worried?

Yang Chonggui gently pulled the reins calmly, and the horse slowed down its running speed. The little soldier behind him caught up and kept pace with him.

Yang Chonggui glanced out of the corner of his eye and looked at the little military leader's riding posture.

Dangxiang people's saddles are different from Central Plains saddles. Dangxiang saddles are not divided into civilian and military uses. The front saddle bridge is high and the rear saddle bridge is low and gentle. When Dangxiang people run at high speed, their bodies lean forward sharply, and their lower waist and buttocks are in the rear saddle. The bridge does a quick, cushioned slide.

Although the posture is not graceful, it is more practical and can maintain the stability of the body when the horse is running at high speed.

However, the riding posture of this small Dangxiang army leader did not look like a Dangxiang person, but rather resembled a Han Chinese from Guanzhong area.

Yang Chonggui had some doubts in his heart.

"The Han soldiers in Wuyuan Town are led by three commanders. Which commander are you under?" Yang Chonggui suddenly asked, staring sharply.

Xiao Jun was stunned and said loudly: "Reporting to General Yang, this villain is under the command of He Atu!"

Yang Chonggui nodded, He Atu was indeed the Han commander under Li Guangyan.

Yang Chonggui suddenly opened his mouth and spoke a string of nasally voiced syllables with a retroflex tone, which sounded very strange.

Xiao Jun was stunned, completely unable to understand what Yang Chonggui was saying.

Yang Chonggui stared at him for a while, making sure that he had no reaction at all.

From the Dangxiang nobles to the common people, all worshiped Buddhism. This custom was often introduced into the army. The generals and officers of the Dingnan Army, whether Dangxiang, Han, Shatuo or Tubo, all believed in Buddhism.

The Dangxiang language is mainly Xiqiang. What Yang Chonggui just said is an ancient Xiqiang proverb, which means to pray for the blessing of Buddha and the safe return of the soldiers.

This sentence is well known to everyone in the Dingnan Army, and it is also what many soldiers knelt on the ground and prayed devoutly before going out for battle.

But judging from the reaction of the young military leader, he didn't understand.

"Thief! How dare you disguise yourself and lie to me!" Yang Chonggui's eyes suddenly burst out with murderous intent, and he turned his silver gun upside down and swiped at the little soldier's head.

The little military leader was alert and reacted quickly. The moment Yang Chonggui's eyes changed, he knew something was wrong. He jumped up from the horse decisively, fell heavily on the sloping embankment, and rolled down into the river with a thud.

There was a shout, the horses stopped, and the hurried party soldiers fired a burst of sparse arrows.

But the little soldier's head never came up again after falling into the water, and the gentle river surface quickly returned to tranquility.

Yang Chonggui dismounted and ran to the river bank to look around, but found no trace of the little military leader escaping.

"Damn it!" Yang Zhonggui was annoyed, this must be a person with excellent water quality.

His guess was not wrong. This group, wearing leather armor of party soldiers and under the banner of Wuyuan Suppressing Soldiers of the Dingnan Army, came back to report the news. They were pretending to be enemies.

As a result, there is no news about Li Guangrui and Li Guangyan, wouldn't it be even more dangerous?
Yang Chonggui's expression changed, and he hesitated for a moment.

The situation is unclear now, and even the enemy has not been found. If he rushes to the rescue, he may fall into a trap.

Moreover, there are enemies sneaking into the camp. If the two camps are lost, the Wuyuan soldiers going south will be wiped out.

After struggling for a moment, Yang Chonggui decided to return to the camp first, strengthen the defense of the camp, and send people back to Wuyuan to ask for help and find out the situation.

"Let's go! Go back to camp!" Yang Chonggui mounted his horse, raised his silver spear and roared.

~~~
Two hours ago, not long after Yang Chonggui led his troops to leave the riverside camp, several tents in the south camp where grain and grass were stored caught fire. The party soldiers who were left behind hurriedly organized people to grab grain and put out the fire.

The camp fell into a commotion, with thick smoke rising everywhere. Under the barren hills in the distance, a powerful cavalry army came quickly.

The party soldiers on the watchtower were shocked and hurriedly sounded gongs and drums to warn.

"Whoa~"

Two sharp arrows were shot from below the watchtower, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly stopped, and two party soldiers guarding the camp gate screamed and fell from the watchtower.

The party soldiers dressed as sergeants of the Beihu Camp previously killed the guards, forced open the camp gate, and let the Chang's Volunteer Cavalry enter the camp.

A black-faced warrior, riding a tall black horse, wielding a heavy black iron gun, roared and rushed into the camp at the head of the horse.

Several party soldiers who came after hearing the news roared and slashed at him with their swords. The big black horse neighed and kicked high. The big hooves of the bowl kicked hard into the chests of the two party soldiers. Li Chongjin swiped his big gun. The blood mist exploded, and the party soldiers fell to the ground howling miserably, covering their heads, faces, and necks and rolling on the ground.

"Hahaha~" Li Chongjin laughed wildly, raised his black gun and roared, "Kill all these bulldogs!"

Behind him, a wave of cavalry troops poured into the camp, chasing the party soldiers everywhere.

In the Beida Camp, Xue Xiuming hid in the tent with his luggage on his back and a short knife in his hand. He opened the tent curtain and looked around. When the patrolling party soldiers left, he hurriedly stepped out of the tent and walked quickly to the northwest of the camp.

That was where the captured herdsmen were imprisoned, as well as the stolen cattle and sheep. Now the two camps were short of manpower, and there were only a few people guarding them.

Xue Xiuming planned to hide in the sheep pen, and then find a chance to escape.

"Baa baa~"

Hundreds of sheep panicked at the sudden intrusion of a stranger and fled in all directions. Xue Xiuming ducked down to avoid the sight of the party soldiers outside the sheepfold.

Suddenly, black smoke rose in the direction of South Daying, and a faint fire appeared.

The call for assembly also sounded in the Peking Camp, and several party soldiers hurried away.

Xue Xiuming was holding a lamb and hiding in the corner of the sheepfold. He stuck his head out and looked around in confusion, wondering what was happening in the two camps.

The strong fishy smell rushed into his nose, Xue Xiuming endured the discomfort and patiently hid in the haystack.

After a while, he found that there was really no party soldier around. After hesitating for a while, he climbed out of the haystack, put on his bag and picked up a short knife, found a ladder and climbed over a wooden fence more than ten feet high, and tied a straw rope to the fence. Top, wrap your hands in linen, and slowly fall along the rope to the outside of the fence.

It wasn't until his feet stepped on a piece of soft hay that the big stone in Xue Xiuming's heart fell to the ground.

Behind the sheepfold was a high slope covered with withered hay. Xue Xiuming looked at it, took a deep breath, and trotted up the slope.

As long as you turn over this hillside and walk through the stream on the back, you can stay away from Beidaying.

Xue Xiuming planned to escape towards Shimen Pass and escape from Shimen Pass to Huizhou.

That area is now occupied by the Tubo people.

Anyway, it's better than staying and waiting to die.

Just when Xue Xiuming was out of breath climbing the slope, suddenly, a big flag appeared on the top of the slope, and then more and more flags appeared.

Xue Xiuming glanced at it inadvertently and froze on the spot. It turned out to be the flag of the Changyi Army that he was familiar with.

Under the military flag, a figure riding a spring horse appeared on the top of the slope. Looking down, he met Xue Xiuming with big eyes and small eyes halfway up the slope. "Eh? Isn't this Xue Sima? The war is in chaos, where are you going?" Zhu Xiu grinned with white teeth and a bright smile.

He was worried about letting this guy run away, but unexpectedly he ran into him head-on.

Behind Zhu Xiu, thousands of Changyi Army soldiers climbed over the top of the slope and descended, as dark as a spread carpet.

The dagger in Xue Xiuming's hand fell to the ground, his face was filled with death, and he was "politely" escorted down by two burly soldiers.

Zhu Xiu had no time to interrogate him for the time being, so he ordered people to imprison him.

Down the slope, Shi Xiangwen and his sergeants broke through the wooden fence and broke into the Beida Camp from behind.

"Then Yang Chonggui can really see through the person you sent?"

At the top of the slope, Chai Rong asked doubtfully as he watched the soldiers of the Zhangyi Army enter the North Camp.

Zhu Xiu felt that her hands were a little stiff, so she breathed into her palms and said with a smile, "To be honest, I'm not sure either."

He had not yet learned how capable Yang Chonggui was at this time.

Based purely on his reputation, he sent Yan Ping and his men disguised as party soldiers to report the news and lure Yang Chonggui out of the camp for rescue. The strategy was generally correct, but the implementation process was prone to loopholes.

If you are a little more careful, you can find many flaws.

"So you have two preparations. One is to send Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde to ambush in Xiashan. The other is to lead the army to seize the opportunity to seize the camp in case Yang Chonggui leads the army to return."

Chai Rong shook his head and said: "It seems that you really value this person, and you have made many arrangements just to capture him alive."

Zhu Xiu smiled, unable to explain to him.

"Invite Commander Chai to enter the camp. Once Yang Chonggui is captured, I will ask Commander Chai to comment on whether this person is worth recruiting."

Chai Rong laughed loudly and galloped down the grassy slope.

There were shouts of killing in the Beida camp, and Li Chongjin, who had calmed the South camp, also came with his troops.

Half an hour later, the remaining party soldiers in the two camps were wiped out. Zhu Xiu ordered people to clean the battlefield, collect the corpses, and restore the camp to its original appearance as soon as possible.

~~~
It was already evening when Yang Chonggui led his army back to the riverside camp. The fiery red sunset reflected in the Hulu River, showing brilliant colors.

The night wind with the coolness of autumn and winter gradually rises, the yellow sand fills the air, and the bleak atmosphere of the northwest fills the edge of the Loess Plateau.

The party soldiers walked in silence one by one, and even the war horses drooped their heads, looking listless.

Yang Chonggui looked back and sighed in his heart, this is called a soldier without fighting spirit, and his morale is extremely low.

There was no news about Li Guangrui and Li Guangyan. Not one of the more than 3000 party soldiers escaped back. No one knew what they encountered in Pinggao County. The huge fear of the unknown shrouded the hearts of every party soldier.

Yang Chonggui saw the watchtower of South Camp, shouted loudly to boost morale, and led the soldiers to speed up their pace.

The soldiers on the watchtower also noticed them and shouted into the camp. Soon, the camp door slowly opened.

Yang Chonggui felt relieved when he saw that the camp was calm and peaceful. The war horse under his crotch also spread its hooves briskly and trotted, as if he also wanted to go back to the stable to rest.

The moment he stepped into the camp, Yang Chonggui felt a chill in his heart for no reason.

A soldier from the party trotted forward with his head lowered to hold the horse for him, but he did not dismount and turned around to look around in confusion.

The atmosphere in the camp was very strange. Those "party soldiers" seemed to be casual. Some were carrying firewood, some were cleaning up the tents, and some were patrolling past. They seemed to be the same as usual, but Yang Chonggui always felt that these people were weird. Seems very nervous.

Moreover, when he glanced around, he saw that among the dozens of party soldiers, none of them looked familiar to him.

"Where is Mr. Xue?" Yang Chonggui asked loudly.

Everyone looked at each other, but no one responded.

"Ye Liwu? Where is Shule A Duo?" Yang Chonggui clenched his silver gun tightly and asked sharply.

He had only met these two party commanders before he left, and he specifically asked them to guard the camp.

Still no answer.

Yang Chonggui pursed his lips tightly, and the veins on the back of his hand that gripped the barrel of the gun bulged out. He suddenly thrust out the gun and stabbed the party soldier who was closest to him and came forward to help him hold the horse.

The man was also very nervous, subconsciously fled backwards, and pulled out the long knife at his waist.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Yang Chonggui raised his silver spear high and roared at the top of his lungs.

"Whoosh~" A shower of arrows suddenly shot out from behind a row of tents, and a large number of party soldiers brought by Yang Chonggui fell to the ground after being hit by arrows.

The soldiers in the original camp also roared and drew their swords to chop at them.

With a roar like thunder, a black-faced general rushed out on horseback, waving a black gun and killing Yang Chonggui!
"Young children of the Yang family, don't leave! Take a shot from grandpa!" Li Chongjin roared with a broken gong.

Yang Chonggui was furious and jumped on his horse to greet him with his spear.

Silver spears are like dragons, black spears are like dragons, flying and dancing, fighting fiercely together with bang bang bang bang.

Li Chongjin yelled, cheering up, and felt a chill in his heart just after the fight.

Zhu Xiu really didn’t lie to him, the pretty boy from the Yang family was really amazing!
The Zhangyi Army and the Party Soldiers fought near the gate of the camp. The Zhangyi Army waited for work, while the morale of the Party Soldiers declined, and the situation soon became one-sided.

The party troops retreated steadily and retreated outside the camp.

Another beast-like roar came. Shi Xiangwen waved a heavy iron stick and led the sergeants from the Tiger Camp armed with simple knives to rush down from the hills outside the camp, block the camp gate, and cut off the retreat of the party soldiers.

Shi Xiangwen descended the mountain like an evil tiger. His huge body seemed to be in an uninhabited land. He swept away the heavy iron rod with one stroke, sweeping away a group of party soldiers. The huge force of a thousand kilograms smashed the heads of the party soldiers, and their brains were mixed with blood and scattered everywhere. land.

Yang Chonggui glanced around in the middle of the fight, horrified that there was such a brave and powerful person in the world!
On the mound outside the camp, Zhu Xiu and Chai Rong stopped to watch the battle.

Chai Rong's eyes were full of admiration and he said: "This person is surrounded by a heavy siege, but he can still fight fiercely with Chongjin without losing. He is really brave!"

Zhu Xiu shook his feather fan and said: "If we can surrender this person, Chai Shuai will have another strong man under his command!"

Chai Rong's eyes revealed his love for talent, and he hurriedly said: "Order him to be captured alive, but don't hurt his life."

"Don't worry, Shuai Chai, I have already ordered you."

Under the fierce battle, Li Chongjin was panting and sweating profusely. He had not encountered such a difficult opponent for a long time.

Faintly, Li Chongjin knew that he was at a disadvantage. If he continued to fight, his strength would not be exhausted, and he was afraid that he would be the one who was knocked off the horse.

"Grandma's! Shi Dalang! It's you! I have to go and rest for a while!"

Li Chongjin yelled unwillingly, deflected Yang Chonggui's shot, yelled and slapped his horse to escape.

Shi Xiangwen dragged his blood-stained heavy stick and swayed towards Yang Chonggui like a hill. Wherever he went, neither the Dangxiang soldiers nor the Zhangyi soldiers dared to stop him and avoided them one after another.

Yang Chonggui felt a chill in his heart, but he also saw the way to escape from the separated crowd. He gritted his teeth and roared, brandished his gun and jumped on his horse, killing Shi Xiangwen like lightning.

He rode a horse and charged wildly. No one dared to stop him. He rushed out of the camp in the blink of an eye and stabbed Shi Xiangwen with a cold flash of silver spear.

With a "bang" sound, the heavy iron rod tilted the head of the gun. The huge force trembled and was transmitted along the barrel of the gun to Yang Chonggui's hand.

His hands holding the gun hurt, and when he looked down, he saw that the claws of his hands had burst open, and there was traces of blood flowing out.

"What a terrifying strength!" Yang Chonggui took a deep look at Shi Xiangwen and showed no interest in fighting. He took advantage of the gap and rushed past him, flying away the blocking soldiers along the way, carving a bloody path and escaping along the road to the southeast.

While running across the mound, Yang Chonggui suddenly pointed his silver spear at an angle and roared angrily at the mound: "Zhu Xiu is a thief! Yang Chonggui will definitely avenge this in the future!"

The roar echoed across the sky and the earth, shaking the whole world.

The sound of horse hooves faded away, and Yang Chonggui rode alone to the southeast to escape.

Zhu Xiu was angry and anxious. He jumped up and yelled: "Li Chongjin! I'm sorry for your grandma! Why don't you chase me! Let Yang Chonggui run away. I'm not done with you!"

A group of cavalry rushed out of the camp. Li Chongjin waved to the mound with a smile and led his men in hot pursuit.

Chai Rong smiled bitterly and shook his head. Yang Chonggui was trapped in a tight siege. He was almost certain to capture him alive, but he didn't expect that Li Chongjin dropped his gun halfway and let the enemy escape.

(End of this chapter)