The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 309
The next day, outside the main camp in the suburbs of Qili, more than a hundred corpses of Forbidden Army soldiers were lying on the ground. Scattered arrows inserted diagonally into the soil could be seen everywhere, and there was a bloody mess.

The area more than ten feet outside the trench was filled with arrows, all shot from above the walled city.

Pan Mei held her jacquard knife upside down and sat astride the horse. Her body was covered in blood, and blood was still dripping from the blade of the big knife.

After a fighting, the vanguard army also suffered dozens of casualties and hundreds of wounded. The soldiers were silently collecting their own corpses.

In front of Pan Mei, there was another head wearing a helmet, and dark blood was flowing all over the ground.

That's the head of Xu Hetong, the Imperial Marquis of Yu.

At noon, Pan Mei led his troops to appear outside the camp on time. After shouting and yelling at his throat, Yu Hou, Xu He of the Forbidden Army, invited the troops to leave the camp.

The two armies fought outside the camp. In less than fifty rounds, Xu Hetong was beheaded by Pan Mei. The morale of the Forbidden Army was demoralized and the formation was in chaos. The sound of gold was sounded urgently on the wall, and the remaining Forbidden Army had no intention of fighting anymore. , returned to camp in panic.

Pan Mei wiped off the blood on her face, sneered and stared into the walled city.

When she saw Murong Yanchao angrily climbing down the watchtower, ready to mount his horse and fight in person, the camp gate had just opened and the suspension bridge had not yet been lowered. Pan Mei opened her throat and shouted: "Yan Kunlun is here, brothers, retreat!~"

With a whoop, the vanguard soldiers turned around and ran away. The cavalry followed the infantry, discarding flags and weapons all over the place, and fled across the mountains in just a few moments.

Murong Yanchao was full of anger and had nowhere to vent. He knew clearly that the enemy was playing a trick on him, but he sent people to fight twice and lost two generals, which in turn dampened his own morale.

Murong Yanchao went out to fight in person, but the hateful red-faced and bearded thief didn't give him a chance at all. He fought dozens of rounds yesterday, and then hurriedly led his troops to retreat.

What was even more abominable today was that he escaped completely before he even left the camp, without even giving him a chance to fight head-on.

"Expand the search area to a radius of ten miles. No villages, towns, mountains, forests or wild areas are allowed to be spared. We must find the hiding place of this rebel army!"

Murong Yanchao ordered angrily.

Several generals looked at each other, and one of them bravely said: "Such a large-scale search requires too much manpower. Commander, please think twice."

Murong Yanchao glanced at everyone fiercely, no one dared to say anything more, so they had no choice but to follow the order and leave.

~~~
Jiao Jixun was busy counting the grain and grass that had just been shipped from Kaifeng today and had no time to go and watch the battle.

Hou Yi also stayed in the military tent and did not show up in the name of feeling itchy.

After Jiao Jixun planned to convene the quartermaster to discuss matters, he would visit Hou Yi's military tent. He knew that Hou Yi was deliberately making excuses not to see Murong Yanchao. He also wanted to talk to Hou Yi about yesterday's conversation. .

Jiao Jixun held his knife and walked towards a tent. A man pushing a cart passed by him, pushing a cart full of grain bags.

The civilian husband suddenly stopped the cart and quickly approached Jiao Jixun.

Jiao Jixun was thinking about something when he suddenly became alert. He clenched the handle of the knife and turned around to look.

The civilian husband's rough palm pressed Jiao Jixun's hand that was about to draw the sword, and whispered: "I don't mean any harm, please don't worry, General Jiao!"

Jiao Jixun stared at him warily and found that this man was in his 20s and had an average appearance. Judging from the posture of his attack, he seemed to have considerable martial arts skills.

"Who are you? How dare you block my general's path?" Jiao Jixun said coldly.

The civilian husband was Hu Guangyue in disguise. He cautiously glanced around with his peripheral vision, clasped his fists and whispered: "Shuai Guo of Yedu greets General Jiao!"

Jiao Jixun's eyes shot sharply, it turned out to be a member of the Northern Army!
"You are so brave, aren't you afraid that the general will arrest you as a spy?" Jiao Jixun sneered.

Hu Guangyue chuckled and said, "If General Jiao wants to arrest me, why bother talking to me here?"

Jiao Jixun stared at him, snorted coldly, and slowly let go of the hand holding the knife: "Tell me, what do you want from me?"

"To be honest, before meeting General Jiao, I already visited the old general, Duke of Lu!"

Hu Guangyue's smile was intriguing, "The attitude of Duke Lu is much better than that of General Jiao."

Jiao Jixun's face was dark. It seemed that his guess was good. Hou Yi had been secretly communicating with Guo Wei for a long time. No wonder he expected someone to come looking for him in the past two days.

Hu Guangyue looked around and spoke quickly: "The situation in the court is in chaos, and people of insight are looking for a way out for themselves. Why does General Jiao have to draw the ground as a prison? He only needs to take one step forward, and the scenery he sees will be very different!"

Jiao Jixun looked at him in surprise and found that what this man said was quite interesting.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Hu Guangyue chuckled and said: "There are too many people here and it is not the place to talk. If General Jiao is interested, my master will be waiting for General Jiao at the second watch tonight, west of the camp, under the flag gate pole!"

Jiao Jixun frowned deeply and said suspiciously: "Who is your master?"

Hu Guangyue smiled slightly: "My master said that when he was in Jingzhou, General Jiao still owed fifty thousand rock salt and failed to pay."

Jiao Jixun was startled, and suddenly said: "You are Zhu Xiu's person!"

Hu Guangyue clasped his fists and smiled, pushing the cart away with his head down.

In the camp, as far as the eye could see, there were all the civilian workers in short brown uniforms, all busy carrying grain packages. In just the blink of an eye, Jiao Jixun lost sight of Hu Guangyue.

He never expected that Zhu Xiu would send someone to contact him.

Looking around, he found that no one was paying attention, so Jiao Jixun continued walking to the military tent as if nothing had happened.

After discussing matters with the quartermasters with great concern, Jiao Jixun hurried towards the military tent where Hou Yi lived.

Opening the curtain, the beam of light came through. Hou Yi sat by the charcoal basin, looked back, and said with a smile: "The results are just in time, the boys below sent me a roasted pheasant, let's try it together!" "

Jiao Jixun smiled bitterly and moved a mazaar to sit aside.

"The Duke of Lu is really in great spirits!"

Hou Yi pulled out a short knife from his leggings, cut into pieces a roasted golden pheasant, and handed him a fat chicken leg.

"No matter when, life has to go on, and people cannot do without food and drink."

Hou Yi laughed, and like a magic trick, he took out a bottle of wine from the bag, pulled out the stopper and drank a few gulps, then took big bites of the fragrant barbecue.

Hou Yi handed the wine to Jiao Jixun. Jiao Jixun shook his head and looked at the chicken drumstick in his hand. He really had no appetite and put it back in the basin.

Hou Yi didn't force himself and just drank and ate meat as he pleased.

"What exactly does Guo Wei want you and me to do for him?" Jiao Jixun, who had always been calm, lost his composure this time and asked straight to the point.

After Hou Yi finished chewing a chicken leg, he rubbed his fingers with a towel, wiped the greasiness with a towel, took another sip of wine, then wiped his mouth and said: "Needless to say, you can guess what Mr. Guo is thinking.

Murong Yanchao stationed his troops in the seven-mile suburb, seemingly timid and fearful of the enemy, but in fact it was the safest strategy besides defending Kaifeng City.

The imperial soldiers and horses were stationed in the suburbs of Qili. If they did not move, Duke Guo and the Ye army would be unable to do anything in a short time. If they continued to attack by force, the Ye army would surely suffer heavy casualties.

Only by finding a way to get Murong Yanchao to march into Liu Zipo, and the two sides fight decisively at Liu Zipo, can Duke Guo and the Ye army find a good opportunity to defeat the enemy. "

Jiao Jixun said in a deep voice: "So Guo Wei wants you and me to make suggestions in front of the officials to encourage Murong Yanchao to join the army?" "That's right!" Hou Yi nodded.

Jiao Jixun couldn't help but said: "Duke Lu, has he ever thought about it. If Guo Wei is defeated and the court investigates the culprit, once this is found out, the lives of you and my whole family will be in danger!"

Hou Yi smiled and said: "It's all betting, why not choose the side with a better chance of winning? Do you really think that Murong Yanchao will be Guo Gong's opponent? Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, Zhe Congruan, Li Hub, Li Zhu None of the vassal commanders like Jun came to serve the king, so do you still think Liu Han can be saved?"

Jiao Jixun was silent.

"What's more, with the constraints of Li Ye, Nie Wenjin, Guo Yunming and others, it is impossible for Murong Yanchao to gain the trust of the officials. The officials are suspicious and fickle. As long as he loses, Murong Yanchao may not even be able to keep his position as commander." Hou Yi sneered.

Jiao Jixun thought for a long time, and finally sighed: "I'm going to see Zhu Xiu tonight."

Hou Yi clapped his hands: "That's right! If you have any performance requirements, you can submit them to Mr. Guo through this person. Mr. Guo is reasonable and tolerant and will definitely treat me well."

Speaking of Zhu Xiu, Hou Yi became a little interested: "This person is a popular person in front of Guo Gong. In the future, you and I may rely on him to say a lot of good things in front of Guo Gong. I am an old acquaintance of this person. After meeting, Let’s catch up on old times and introduce me to you if you have the opportunity in the future.”

Jiao Jixun smiled bitterly: "The old acquaintance is true, but there is no friendship at all. Not only is there no friendship, there may be some hatred."

Hou Yi's eyes widened: "How can you say this?"

Jiao Jixun sighed: "My son, who was born as a concubine, previously married the daughter of the Xue family in Jingzhou. The Xue family and Shi Kuangwei were fighting for power. They promised me to lead troops to Jingzhou to support the Xue family in exchange for the salt and profit. Because of this matter, I formed some quarrels with Zhu Xiu and Shi Kuangwei."

"Alas! The results are confusing!" Hou Yi shook his head, "When I was in Fengxiang, I had heard of the name of the Xue family in Jingzhou. The two brothers were ambitious and coveted the position of Jiedushi of the Shi family. At that time, I could see that, There will definitely be an internal conflict in the Changyi Army in the future.

Shi Kuangwei and Zhu Xiu will definitely hold a grudge against you for intervening in the Changyi Army's power struggle.The Xue family is just a wealthy family in Jingzhou, with some money and silk, and an in-law relationship with the Dingnan Army, so there is no need to stand up for them because of their achievements."

Jiao Jixun said helplessly: "At that time, who would have thought that Zhu Xiu's son would be here today. If it wasn't for him, the Zhangyi Army might have changed hands by now."

Hou Yi sighed: "This is called time and destiny! One moment, another moment! Back then, you were the commander-in-chief of Fengxiang Army and led the army to suppress Jingzhou. Now, you and I, two bad old men, are asking Zhu Xiu in turn. Speak good words in front of Duke Guo to save your life."

Jiao Jixun was also full of helplessness. Who could have imagined the situation today in Jingzhou more than two years ago.

"How is your Xue family's daughter-in-law doing now?" Hou Yi asked with concern.

"This woman is naughty and domineering. She has been married for many years without giving birth to a boy or a girl, and she is also squandering money. Knowing that her natal family was wiped out by Zhu Xiu, she cried and made trouble. She had to force my son to come to me to avenge the Xue family. My son was so annoyed that he quarreled with her for several days and then sent her away with a divorce letter."

"Have a good rest!" Hou Yi clapped his hands, as if he was also angry at himself.

"If the young master is not yet married, there is a niece of the same age in the old man's family who can be promised to the young master." Hou Yi patted his chest and acted as an impromptu matchmaker.

Jiao Jixun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He cupped his fists and said, "Thank you so much, Duke Lu, for your kindness. A few years ago, my son married the niece of the young minister of Dali Temple. Now he has given birth to a son."

"Haha~ Congratulations!" Hou Yi didn't take it seriously and did not continue to worry about the marriage of the youngest son of the Jiao family.

Hou Yi warned: "No matter what, when you see Zhu Xiu tonight, you have a good discussion with him. The old grievances in the past are not a big deal. You and I are still of some use in the eyes of Guo Gong. I believe Guo Gong will treat us fairly." .”

Jiao Jixun nodded silently. At this point, he couldn't help but hesitate any longer.

For the sake of the safety of his family and his own future and prosperity, even if Zhu Xiu ridiculed him and humiliated him in every possible way when they met tonight, he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

At the second watch, in the west of the camp, the night was dark, and a military flag fluttered in the night wind.

The moonlight was obscured by thick dark clouds, and some afterglow shone, making the originally dark night stained with a layer of white frost, making it look very cold.

Jiao Jixun stood under the flagpole, and there was a flickering light in the distance, which was the temporary resting place for patrolling soldiers.

Jiao Jixun found that this place seemed empty, but in fact it was very hidden. Very few people passed by during the day, and not even a ghost was seen at night.

A faint sound of footsteps came from the night. Jiao Jixun looked back and saw a tall figure in black robe walking towards him.

Behind him, followed vaguely the person he had seen during the day.

"One or two years, General Jiao will be fine." The chuckling voice was quite familiar, and Zhu Xiu lifted his cloak, revealing a smiling face.

Jiao Jixun was slightly in a trance. He still had the same young and handsome face, which was more mature than two years ago. There were also some short green beards on his lips, and his voice was slightly deeper.

"Zhu Shaolang" Jiao Jixun clasped his fists, but didn't know what to say next.

Zhu Xiu smiled slightly: "I won't say much more. General Jiao can attend the appointment on time tonight, which shows that he is sincere in his heart. I will truthfully report General Jiao's sincerity to Mr. Guo!"

Jiao Jixun's lips moved: "Thank you."

It seemed that Zhu Xiu's gentle attitude surprised him, and Jiao Jixun felt that this situation was a bit unreal.

"General Jiao and General Hou only need to do one thing. When the officials come to the army, they will try their best to encourage Murong Yanchao to enter Liu Zipo, and then at the critical moment, they will lead their troops to change flags, cooperate with the rebel army to eradicate traitors, and advance to Kaifeng! "

Jiao Jixun nodded silently. Guo Wei's request was pretty much what he expected.

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "When the situation is settled, Duke Guo will definitely not treat the two old generals badly! When we arrive at Liuzipo, if General Jiao is worried, I can find a way for you to meet Duke Guo first."

Jiao Jixun smiled bitterly and said: "Jiao has no merit in his body, and he really has no face to see Duke Guo. It is better to wait until the rebels break the formation, and then Jiao goes to apologize to Duke Guo in person!"

"That's fine." Zhu Xiu nodded with a smile.

Hu Guangyue took a step forward, took something and handed it to Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu spread his palms and said with a smile: "I think General Jiao should recognize this hairpin."

Jiao Jixun took it and looked at it suspiciously. He was shocked and suddenly looked at Zhu Xiu, his eyes full of shock and anger.

Zhu Xiu's expression did not change, and he said calmly: "General Jiao's family now lives in Caochang Lane, with no worries about food and clothing, and no one to disturb them. They are also protected by a few of my subordinates. No matter how chaotic Kaifeng City is, I promise to General Jiao that we will definitely Take good care of everyone in your house."

Jiao Jixun gritted his teeth and shouted: "No one knows about that other house. How did you find it?"

Zhu Xiu smiled, did not answer, and bowed slightly: "I'll say goodbye, General Jiao, take care!"

Jiao Jixun hurriedly took two steps forward and said in a low voice: "Jiao is willing to surrender to Duke Guo. Please don't embarrass Jiao's family! I will definitely give you an explanation for what happened in Jingzhou back then!"

Zhu Xiu looked at him in surprise, and said with a smile: "General Jiao didn't think that I would take that little thing to heart, right? General Jiao, don't worry, I have no other intentions, so don't worry too much."

Jiao Jixun hesitated: "Do you really not hate me?"

Zhu Xiu shook his head: "The events in Jingzhou were all caused by the Xue family. Now the Xue family has been destroyed, and all the past has disappeared."

After a pause, Zhu Xiu's eyes narrowed a bit: "If General Jiao feels bad about it, just pay me the fifty thousand kilograms of salt from now on. Haha~"

Zhu Xiu chuckled, said goodbye, and disappeared into the dark night with Hu Guangyue.

Jiao Jixun stood there, holding the exquisite and small hairpin tightly, and let out a long sigh.

This is his little granddaughter's hairpin. He personally put it on his little granddaughter on her birthday last month.

In this way, the villa located on Caochang Lane is already under the surveillance of Guo Wei.

It turns out that it is not up to him to choose whether to surrender or not~~
(End of this chapter)