Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 455: The Fall of Yizhou
In the hall, Zhao Zhen met Guan Sheng, and he was indeed a man of extraordinary appearance.

He was eight feet five or six feet tall, with a long beard, eyebrows reaching his temples, eyes looking up to the sky, a face as red as a date, and lips as if painted with vermilion.

Guan Sheng bowed to the ground and said, "I have heard of your great reputation in my hometown for a long time. Today I am honored to meet you. I beg you to accept me as a recruit. I am not talented, but I am willing to lead the troops to help you eliminate the bandits in Qingzhou and keep the area safe."

world log
Name: Guan Sheng (Hero, the Heavenly Brave Star.)
Nickname: Da Dao (military wielders of Da Dao are often proud of this nickname)

Race: Terran

Reputation: 100 (Puzhou Fame)
Occupation: Military commander

Sub-career: None

Level: Level 5 and Level 9 (Strength 69, Commander 60)

Attributes: Strength 62, Constitution 63, Agility 50, Spirit 30
Skills: Sword-dragging stratagem level 6 (pretend to be defeated and return, force +6), cavalry combat level 4 (horse combat, constitution +4), duel level 2 (competition and comparison of skills, constitution +2).

Commander skills: Fighting General 5 level (fighting generals before the battle, morale +5 if winning, morale -5 if losing), Charge 4 level (leading by example, morale +4), Shouting 3 level (fighting in adversity, morale +3), Persuading Surrender 2 level (persuading the enemy with reason and emotion, enemy morale -2)

Martial Arts: Sword (Great Mastery, using a broadsword weapon increases force +6, Spring and Autumn Sword Techniques)
Equipment: Green Dragon Crescent Blade (Level 4, imitating the blade used by the righteous and brave King Wu'an, made entirely of Guanghan Iron. Features: Sharpness +4, Sturdiness +)

Mount: Red Hare (Level 3)
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Zhen went down the stairs and helped Guan Sheng up.

"General Guan, please stand up. I have heard of your name many times, but unfortunately I have never had the chance to meet you. Now that you have come to me, I will be able to wipe out the Qingzhou bandits. I will hold a banquet today to welcome you."

"I am not worthy of the title of general. I am just an inspector. How dare I boast? These days, I have met the commanders with my two brothers Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen. Their martial arts are not inferior to mine. Sir, your Liangshan Province is indeed prosperous." Guan Sheng said.

Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "There are talented people in the wild, and I can use them. All of you brothers have the heart to serve the country and the people, but unfortunately you have no way to do it. Now that we are gathered together, it is also a blessing. The people of Liangshan Prefecture live and work in peace and contentment, thanks to the contributions of you brothers."

At night, there was a lot of fanfare to celebrate Guan Sheng's surrender.

During the dinner, Tang Bin couldn't help but sigh: "After so many years, my brother is still a small inspector. If I had known this, I would have recommended my brother to come here."

Zhao Zhen asked, "Do you also know Brother Guan Sheng?"

Tang Bin said: "I am also an officer of Pudong, how can I not know the [broad sword] Guan Sheng."

Xiao Rang laughed beside him: "My lord, it seems that it is destined by heaven. We are gathered here to help you, to promote justice and to keep the peace in this area."

Everyone laughed when they heard it.

That night, everyone returned drunk.

On the second day, Zhao Zhen held another banquet to entertain Guan Sheng.

During the banquet, Zhao Zhen said, "There are still a number of war horses in the state that can be used. Brother, you can be the commander of a battalion. I will transfer Brother Xuan Zan from the Golden Spear Battalion to be the deputy commander. How about you call this battalion the Dingyuan Battalion?"

After hearing this, Guan Sheng hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

Zhao Zhen immediately wrote a military order, and ordered his military advisor Zhu Wu to arrange horses and armor, and Guan Sheng and the other two to go to the barracks to select soldiers. The station was also in the South Camp.

It took three days to complete the deployment and prepare the troops. It was the New Year's Day, and Zhao Zhen was thinking about taking Cheng Wan'er and other wives and concubines back to the main world. The sudden arrival of a messenger interrupted Zhao Zhen's plan.

The messengers were Wu Yong, who was stationed in Xintai City, and the Gou brothers from Yuanbi Village. There were two letters in total.

After reading it, Zhao Zhen asked the messenger to go down and rest. Zhao Zhen looked at the two letters in his hand, asked Zhao Ji to find Zhu Wu and Xiao Rang, and asked Zhao Xing to invite Liu Hui Niang.

Soon, the three of them came to the hall. Zhao Zhen said, "Everyone, military advisor Wu Xuejiu received a secret letter from Yuanbi Village Gou Huan, saying that the Qingzhou bandits had attacked Yizhou City yesterday and killed Yizhou prefect Gao Feng. Military advisor led 2500 people from Jianrui Left Camp and 2500 people from Mountain Camp, with Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Jie Zhen and Jie Bao as generals, crossed the mountains, joined forces with people from Yuanbi Village and Zhuhu Mountain, and intercepted the Qingzhou bandits who were robbing the people. The letter asked us to go and support them. What do you think of the arrangements?"

Xiao Rang said, "We agreed that the land of Yizhou would be given to us. It seems that Song Jiang did not keep his word."

"We must not let them take away Yizhou's wealth and people. What use is there for us in an empty city? Sir, Xuejiu has nearly 10,000 people there, and Commander Lu and others are brave enough to resist 10,000 men. There is no need to rush. Xintai only has two battalions of cavalry now, and Commander Zhao Xin has a battalion of soldiers, so we must be more cautious."

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Shouzhang County is now in the hinterland. Please ask [Putian Diao] Li Ying to lead the deputy general Shi En to Xintai to lead the generals. Shouzhang County will recruit 500 people from Hongyan to garrison."

Zhu Wu said: "In this case, Xintai City is safe. Who is going to visit Yizhou Prefecture?"

Zhao Zhen said: "I will lead the personal army camp, through Xianyuan and Sishui, and take the left and right guard camps, 1500 cavalry, nine generals, from Pingyi, along the banks of Junhe River, through Feixian County, and directly into the rear of Yizhou Prefecture. We will attack the Qingzhou bandits from both sides. The military advisor will then recruit civilians to transport food and grass from Pingyi. Taking this opportunity, we will also occupy Feixian County."

"Dai Zong and Li San will pass on the military orders. Then please ask Senior Brother Gongsun to follow and go to the army to prepare for any eventuality."

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After some discussion, Zhao Zhen signed the transfer order and then went to the small military camp on the left side of Baishi Manor to inspect the troops and ask them to leave the camp.

By the time the generals from the South Camp heard the news and rushed to ask for battle, Zhao Zhen had already gone far away.

Chen Liqing said to Hu Sanniang, "Sanniang, why didn't the master take us with him? If we don't go up to fight, why should we train the troops so hard?"

Without mentioning how Hu Sanniang comforted Chen Liqing, let's just say that Zhao Zhen joined Bian Xiang, Yang Zhi and others and braved the wind and snow to go to Yizhou Prefecture. When passing through Fei County, the county magistrate of Fei County checked Zhao Zhen's identity token. Since he was sent by the [Vanguard of the Eastern Capital] and was the key to the fall of Yizhou Prefecture, the county magistrate of Fei County, Le Yao, did not dare to stop him. Not only did he reward the soldiers, but he also took the initiative to raise food and grass and recruit young men, only asking Zhao Zhen to leave a battalion of soldiers and horses to help protect the county.

Zhao Zhen scolded, "Now we don't know whether Gao Zhifu is alive or dead. If we don't do our best to save him, and the general finds out, how can we not be in trouble?"

Seeing Le Yao's worried look, Zhao Zhen continued, "Don't worry, County Magistrate Le, there are more soldiers coming. We will naturally leave a battalion of soldiers to help you defend the city. Besides, we will go to Yizhou Prefecture to fight, so we will naturally not let the Qingzhou bandits come over."

After hearing what Zhao Zhen said, Le Yao felt relieved.

After resting for a night, Gongsun Sheng, Zhao Zhen and others continued to rush towards Yizhou Prefecture.

Lü Fang and Guo Sheng came back with a report that there were no defenders on the city wall of Yizhou Prefecture. The Qingzhou bandits did not station any troops there after they captured the city. They simply emptied the city wall and forced the people to transport money, food, and cloth. All the young and strong men in the city were conscripted.

After hearing what the two said, Zhao Zhen did not hesitate and immediately led his troops into the city.

Looking at the people who were dodging and hiding, Zhao Zhen posted a notice to reassure them and had soldiers shout along the streets, saying that the governor of Liangshan Prefecture had led troops to rescue, and that the Qingzhou bandits had been intercepted on the road, and the people in the city would be rescued soon.

After initially stabilizing the people's hearts, Zhao Zhen left behind a hundred cavalrymen to lead the young men recruited from Fei County to guard the city. Zhao Zhen and others left the city from the north gate and rushed to the place where the Qingzhou bandits were confronting Wu Yong and others.

When Zhao Zhen arrived, he saw two camps roughly pitched in the wilderness beside the official road. It seemed that Wu Yong was only guarding the camps and was not in a hurry to fight.

(End of this chapter)