The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 312
Two days later, Murong Yanchao was in the army, and Hou Zan arrived with an official book.

Murong Yanchao accepted the order, held the emperor's book and read it again and again, feeling secretly annoyed.

Later, Houzan waited until the army had fought all the way to the south slope of Liu Zipo, and when it was about to capture the south slope camp, he led the Longwu Army and came with the euphemistic name of supporting the front line in accordance with the official order. The purpose of military operations is actually to share the credit.

Murong Yanchao knew that in the eyes of the officials, he was always a vassal general, not as good as Houzan, a general of the imperial army who was a close minister of the emperor, and he would not be able to monopolize the credit for countering the rebellion.

It's just that the success of the previous battles in defeating the enemy was far less than the capture of the southern slope camp. The officials sent Houzan to share the credit at this time. The intention was really chilling.

"The officials have said that I hope General Murong will not have other ideas. I am here only to assist General Murong and ensure that the army successfully captures the southern slope camp. The officials have given us five days. After five days, the officials will We need to climb up to the south slope of the camp and overlook the rebel camp in the north." Houzan said calmly.

Murong Yanchao snorted coldly: "Since the government has an order, I should obey it. The battle to capture the Nanpo camp will be left to the general who will take full responsibility. If you need any help, just ask me."

"Thank you, General Murong, for your support!" Hou Zan pretended to be grateful, "The last general is here, accompanied by the Longwu Army, and there are sufficient soldiers and horses. It is enough for General Murong to provide the necessary military support. The last general has already sent people to go. Explore the terrain and launch an attack on the south slope camp when you are ready."

"Then I wish the general behind you a great victory! I am waiting for good news at the foot of the mountain!"

Murong Yanchao clasped his fists, his dark face half-smiling, raised his military robe and left the tent.

Houzan watched Murong Yanchao go away, slowly put down his hand, and cursed in a low voice: "Barbarian breeder! You are so arrogant! Sooner or later, your handsome position will belong to me~~~"

~~~
At the Yejun camp in Beipo, Yao Yuanfu rushed to Chigang to greet Guo Wei, leaving only Zhu Xiu and He Fujin to guard the camp.

In the military tent, Zhu Xiu and He Fujin discussed countermeasures around a newly constructed sand table terrain map.

Pan Mei opened the curtain and strode in. She said with a military salute: "General He, we have found out who the imperial imperial army sent to take charge of the attack on the Nanpo camp."

"Oh? But Murong Yanchao came to attack in person?" He Fujin asked enthusiastically.

Pan Mei grinned and said, "It's not Murong Yanchao, it's the former Flying Dragon Envoy, now the bodyguard's pro-army Ma Bujun Du Yuhou, and the Longwu Army Deputy Commander Houzan."

Zhu Xiu frowned, not expecting Liu Chengyou to hand over such an important war to Houzan to preside over it.

He Fujin was stunned and said angrily: "How dare you, a foolish king and an ignorant boy, to despise our army so much and send a traitor with a background of cruel officials to attack the camp. He clearly doesn't take Ye Jun and Duke Guo seriously!"

Pan Mei sneered murderously: "The emperor's son is really confused. If this country does not perish, then God is short-sighted! Let it be better for the Hou Zan Tongjun, let him go and never return!"

He Fujin said hurriedly: "According to the plan, we will give the Nanpo Camp to the Imperial Guards. Only in this way will Hunjun and Murong Yanchao garrison Liu Zipo. You must not ruin Duke Guo's plan."

Zhu Xiu shook his feather fan and said with a smile: "The Nanpo camp can be given to the imperial court, but the treacherous Houzan must die! Please allow me, General He, to lead the vanguard to participate in the Nanpo war. I swear to take Houzan's head!"

He Fujin asked strangely: "Why, you and Na Houzan have an old grudge?"

"Before, he served as deputy envoy of the Changyi Army and also served as Liuzhou Liu. He had some old grudges with me. Now we will settle the old and new accounts together and send him back to the west!" Zhu Xiudao.

He Fujin smiled and said: "In that case, you will lead your troops and wait for the opportunity to take action, but one thing is that you must not ruin the commander-in-chief's plan. The Nanpo camp must be given up smoothly."

"General, I will obey your order!" Zhu Xiu saluted and left with Pan Mei.

On the afternoon of the next day, Houzan led the Longwu Army and the rest of the Forbidden Army, a total of more than [-] people, and began to storm the south slope camp. The two sides repeatedly charged and fought on the hillside road more than two miles long.

The defenders of the southern slope camp relied on the advantage of the high ground and used bows and crossbows to defend tenaciously and repelled waves of fierce attacks. The Forbidden Army suffered heavy casualties.

Hou Zan was red-eyed, regardless of the fatigue of the soldiers, and tried his best to urge the attack. Anyone who dared to retreat even half a step would be killed without mercy.

After killing more than a dozen of Dutou who were flinching, the soldiers of the imperial army charged desperately, and finally broke through the camp after sunset.

The guard general of the Nanpo Camp was He Fujin's adopted son. He Jifan, the tooth general of the German army, was also a fierce general who was not afraid of death. He received He Fujin's instructions early. Before the war was over, he led most of the defenders to a route that had been surveyed. Nice hidden path to detour down the hill.

Houzan led the imperial army to attack the camp on the south slope and found that the Ye army had completely withdrawn. After a search, they also found the hidden road down the mountain. However, it was steep and difficult to walk, and it was night. Houzan did not dare to risk the pursuit, so he had to He sent people to guard the mountain road, took over the defense of the camp, and at the same time sent people down the mountain to the Chinese army's imperial tent to report the good news to the officials.

In the middle of the night, the forbidden army had basically controlled the camp on the southern slope, replaced the dragon flag of the imperial court, extinguished the fire in the camp, re-fortified the damaged part of the camp, transported food, grass and weapons to the mountain, and rushed to build the emperor's camp, ready to welcome the official Luan into the camp.

Houzan decided to go down the mountain to greet the officials in person, and led more than fifty soldiers out of the camp and rushed down the slope.

Compared with the north slope, the terrain on the south slope is slightly gentler, with several rolling hills and several mountain valleys that no one has ever set foot on.

Under the dark night, in a low-lying col, a team of more than a hundred people was quietly dormant. It was Zhu Xiu, Pan Mei, and Shi Xiangwen.

The thump of horse hooves could be heard on the hillside, which was particularly clear in the dark night.

"Here we come!" Pan Mei pulled out the Yanling Saber and shouted.

There were subtle sounds of drawing swords, and at Zhu Xiu's signal, several black figures crawled out of the col, signaling to the brothers who were ambushing in secret.

Shi Xiangwen was lying on the leeward side of the withered grass slope with a heavy iron rod in his arms, wrapped tightly in his large coat, and was sleeping soundly. Zhu Xiu shook him vigorously to wake him up.

After several shouts to approach, the cavalry led by Houzan rushed down the slope and arrived near the low-lying pass where Zhu Xiu and his men were ambushing.

"Get up!" Pan Mei's roar suddenly sounded under the moonlight at night.

The horse ropes covered with grass were suddenly tightened, and the horses rushing from the slope were firmly tripped and fell to the ground with a neighing sound, accompanied by screams and screams.

There was a sudden collapse, and many soldiers on the spot were crushed by the heavy horses, their leg bones were broken, and they were wailing in agony.

"Kill!" Pan Mei took the lead with her sword and led her men out of the col.

Shi Xiangwen carried a heavy stick and walked staggeringly with his mountain-like figure. In the dark night, he saw the giant swinging his stick, and many figures were thrown away and fell to the ground, vomiting blood.

Houzan's equestrian skills were quite good. He was riding a horse and was protected by all the soldiers in the center. When he rushed down the hillside, he saw the men and horses in front of him tripped and fell. He knew that an enemy was ambushing him. He was so excited that he jumped off his horse and rolled down the grass. The slope rolled out a large distance and hit a dead tree. His whole body was hurt by stones and was extremely painful.

Encountering an ambush at night, and not knowing how many enemies there were, Houzan was too frightened to show his face. He ignored the pain all over his body and planned to escape from the battlefield first.

"咲"~
Suddenly, a cold arrow came from nowhere. The force was a little weak and the accuracy was not good enough. It flew past him. Houzan broke out in a cold sweat. Looking back, he saw a figure halfway up the slope holding a bow and arrow. He cursed in annoyance and prepared to take out the arrow and shoot again.

"Is it you!?" With a little moonlight, Hou Zan could clearly see the face of the person who came, and it turned out to be Zhu Xiu, which immediately made him shocked and angry.

Zhu Xiu unfurled his bow and nocked an arrow as expected, aiming at Houzan and shooting again. This time, his accuracy was much better, and the arrow shot out and went towards Houzan's chest with a whooshing sound.

Houzan was so frightened that he hurriedly jumped to one side, narrowly escaping again and again. Seeing that Zhu Xiu was unprotected, he pulled out the short knife from his waist and rushed down the slope with a roar.

Zhu Xiu took aim for a long time, but still couldn't get it right. He cursed angrily and gave up.

This guy is quite smart and knows how to avoid arrows by taking diagonal paths. It seems that he often escapes for his life under the crossbow.

Zhu Xiu stood down from a high position and watched Hou Zan rushing towards him with cold eyes. He could already clearly see that his face was looking ferocious and pale under the reflection of the moonlight.

Another sharp arrow was shot from Zhu Xiu's back. It was powerful and precise and difficult to prevent.

Houzan screamed and fell to the ground. When he looked down, he saw an arrow hitting his thigh, and the arrow cluster pierced into his flesh.

The severe pain caused him to lose the ability to move. He lay on the slope looking at the visitor with hatred in his eyes, hugging his thighs and breaking out in cold sweat.Pan Mei ran over with a stiff bow and whistled proudly at Zhu Xiu.

Zhu Xiu curled his lips and looked at the boxwood bow in his hand with disgust. He felt that it wasn't something wrong with him, it must be that the bow was not suitable for his hand.

Houzan cursed angrily, and all the eighteen generations of Zhu Xiu and Pan Mei's ancestors were greeted.

"How dare you make such a noise!" Pan Mei was furious. She swung her Yanling knife and stabbed Houzan in the chest mercilessly, killing him on the spot!
"Bah! Killing you makes my knife dirty!" Pulling out the knife dripping with blood, Pan Mei cursed in disgust, wiped the blood on the corpse's robe, and sniffed to confirm that it was completely dead.

"The dog is showing off his power in Jingzhou, and now he has a bad temper!" Pan Mei laughed.

Hu Guangyue rushed over excitedly with a sword in hand: "Young Envoy, most of the enemies have been wiped out. There are still a few who escaped down the mountain in a chaotic battle. Do you want to send someone to chase them?"

Zhu Xiudao: "No, just count the casualties, take your brothers and go down the mountain immediately."

Hu Guangyue responded and hurriedly made arrangements.

After a while, a group of people quietly disappeared on the south slope, leaving only dead bodies on the ground.

At dawn, a fast horse galloped into the former army camp down the slope.

Before Murong Yanchao could get up, he was awakened by the noise outside the tent.

Murong Yanchao cursed a few times with a dark face, and asked his bodyguard to let someone come in to check in.

A scout knelt down in panic: "Commander Qi, something bad happened. Houzan, the deputy commander of the Longwu Army, was killed on the south slope last night!"

Murong Yanchao was putting on his armor under the care of his bodyguards. Hearing this, he was startled, his black face suddenly became frightened and angry, and he rushed forward, grabbing the scout and lifting him up, regardless of the fact that his armor was still on. "You say that again? "

The scout sergeant wept and mourned: "Last night, General Houzan led his army into the camp on the southern slope. In the middle of the night, he suddenly said that he would go down the mountain to meet the official's holy driver. He only led more than fifty personal guards down the mountain. Unexpectedly, he was in a low-lying area on the half slope. He was killed in the forest. It seems that the enemy was ambushing there early."

Murong Yanchao's bloodshot eyes widened and he asked angrily: "What's going on at Nanpo Camp?"

"The camp on the south slope is safe and under the control of our army!"

Murong Yanchao breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the scout soldier away: "Get out!"

All the generals who entered the account looked at each other, this thing was really weird.

Houzan had obviously successfully captured the southern slope camp, but he didn't expect to be ambushed and killed by the enemy when he went down the mountain in the middle of the night.

Could it be that the rebels ambush Houzan in order to avenge the capture of the camp?

But since the Nanpo camp was abandoned, the rebels should organize a counterattack. How could they ambush Houzan?

Murong Yanchao was pacing with his hands behind his hands, feeling restless.

He was not angry about Houzan's murder, but worried about how to explain it to the officials.

Hou Zan was a confidant of the official family. He did not die in the battle to attack the camp, but died on the way down the mountain after the war. This thing is weird no matter how you put it.

"Pass the commander's military order to immediately break up the camp and go up the mountain and station the camp on the south slope. At the same time, we will closely monitor the movement on the north slope. If there is any movement of the Ye army, report it immediately!"

Murong Yanchao ordered angrily.

He wanted to rush back to the Chinese army's imperial tent in person and explain to the officials about Houzan's death.

At the same time, we must quickly stabilize the defense of the south slope camp to prevent the Ye army from counterattacking.

If the Nanpo camp falls into the hands of the Ye army again, the officials will definitely vent their anger on him.

~~~
At noon, the Chinese army's imperial tent was stationed in a place called Zhao Village.

This unknown small village is remote and poor. Perhaps it has experienced too many wars. The people in the village are not afraid of the army stationed nearby. They continue to chop firewood and cook as usual. They go to the fields with hoes to check the growth of wheat. They turn over and freeze. Hard land.

Liu Chengyou was sitting in the imperial tent enjoying lunch. He received an urgent report from the former army last night and learned that Hou Zan's attack on the Nanpo camp was progressing smoothly, so he put his heart back into his stomach.

I woke up late this morning, but my mood and energy are really good.

Li Ye, Nie Wenjin, and Guo Yunming surrounded him to serve tea, soup, and food. Nie Wenjin also talked about the march map, showing that he was very familiar with military affairs.

"Report to the officials, General Murong wants to see you!" The eunuch's voice sounded outside the tent.

Liu Chengyou stopped holding the spoon to drink the soup and asked in confusion: "What is General Murong doing when he comes back?"

As soon as the words fell, Murong Yanchao, Hou Yi, and Jiao Jixun hurriedly entered the account.

"Three generals, these are~" Liu Chengyou's heart sank when he saw the serious expressions on the three people's faces.

Murong Yanchao knelt on one knee and said sadly: "I would like to report to the officials, General Houzan died in battle last night!"

Liu Chengyou shuddered, and the hot soup spilled on his hands. It was so hot that he dropped the jade bowl to the ground.

Li Ye hurriedly took the handkerchief and came forward to wipe it.

"What happened?" Liu Chengyou was shocked.

Murong Yanchao told the general story with a look of sorrow on his face. Liu Chengyou's face was ashen and he sat on the brocade couch without saying a word.

Li Ye stared at Murong Yanchao closely and said in a strange tone: "Why didn't General Murong send troops to rescue him at that time?"

Li Ye's tone was full of suspicion, as if Murong Yanchao had deliberately killed Zizan.

Murong Yanchao suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "The enemy's ambush target is obvious. According to the on-site survey, there are about a hundred people. This group of people has been lurking on the south slope for a long time. There are many mountains on the south slope, so it is difficult to manpower it." aware.

General Houzan went down the mountain again in the middle of the night without sending anyone to notify the general. "

Li Ye wanted to ask what else, but Liu Chengyou waved his hand to stop him and said, "The traitor is cunning and strikes hard, and he will hit with one hit. General Murong is not to blame for this."

"Thank you, sir, for your understanding!" Murong Yanchao bowed down gratefully.

"Pass my decree and set off immediately for the Nanpo Camp. I will defeat the rebels and avenge General Houzan!"

"I will obey your orders!"

Murong Yanchao originally wanted to dissuade the officials from rushing to the Nanpo Camp, but now he couldn't say it.

Hou Yi and Jiao Jixun exchanged glances and were secretly delighted. The officials' holy troops were stationed in the camp on the south slope to confront Ye's army from north to south, which meant that the time for the final decisive battle was getting closer.

(End of this chapter)