I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 765: Hanoi actively resists, Hao Meng is captured at light speed (Chapter 5K6)

In the first year of Kaiyuan, in early April, the sun was shining brightly and flowers were in full bloom.

However, in the prefectural mansion in Huai County, Henei Prefecture, a fierce dispute was breaking out among the staff of Prefect Wang Kuang.

The reason, of course, is how they should deal with the new court in Luoyang in the south.

They had received imperial edicts more than once, demanding that Wang Kuang fulfill his duties as a subject, pay the full amount of taxes, and come to the capital to pay homage.

In this regard, Wang Kuang pretended to obey but actually disobeyed, making excuses for various reasons while waiting to see the situation.

However, after several months of delay, the empress has now ascended the throne and the political situation seems to be stable. Then some kind of inspector has been sent from Luoyang. It is said that he is on tour on behalf of the emperor, and can make decisions on major matters and minor ones immediately. He seems a bit like a governor in the Western Han Dynasty, and he is a little confused about his origins.

But no matter what, the arrival of the inspector made it impossible for him to continue to be vague, and he had to make a clear decision.

So he summoned his staff to discuss what to do.

The first person to stand up was Xiang Xiong, who came from a noble family in Hanoi:

"Reporting to the governor - Su Yao has now established the female emperor, and has appointed himself as the regent of the general. He has also implemented a policy of reforming the system and suppressing local princes and aristocratic families. The whole world is about to be shaken."

"Now they are repeatedly urging us to pay taxes in Hanoi. The levies are getting heavier day by day. Not only are the people unable to bear the inconvenience, but they are also forcing the governor to report to the capital. I think they have evil intentions!"

"In my opinion, in this era of great strife, we should accumulate money and food, and recruit troops and horses to prepare for emergencies."

"You must not let them do whatever they want, or let them control you!"

Xiang Xiong was the ancestor of Xiang Xiu, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. His father, Xiang Xu, was once an official at the Palace Attendant. When Zhang Jue was in rebellion, he mocked his subordinates and said that the country did not want to raise troops. Instead, he said that as long as the generals were sent to the river to read the "Book of Filial Piety" facing the north, the rebels would destroy themselves.

Xiang Xu's wild words shocked the court. He was immediately sent to the Huangmen Beisi Prison on the charge of having an affair with Zhang Jue and was beheaded.

Because of his father's affairs, Xiang Xiong had a very bad impression of the court. After being recruited by Wang Kuang, he repeatedly urged him to raise an army and establish his own regime to compete with Su Yao.

"Mr. Xiang, you are wrong!"

Another staff member stood up and loudly refuted.

This aide's name was Zhang Mingcheng, and he was also from a prominent family in Hanoi.

Moreover, his family background is much more prominent than the Xiang family. He is a descendant of Zhang Liang, Marquis of Liu in the Western Han Dynasty. His grandfather was Si Tu and his father was Tai Wei.

Originally, his elder brother Zhang Fan despised fame, wealth and power. Seeing that Dong Zhuo was causing chaos and the whole country was about to fall into turmoil, he wanted to move to Yangzhou with his second brother Zhang Cheng and third brother Zhang Fan and their clansmen to avoid the war.

It can be said that this kind of thing was very common among the aristocratic families in the Central Plains at that time.

However, Su Yao acted too quickly. The war had just started, and before they had time to escape, Dong Zhuo was expelled from Luoyang. Everyone decided to wait and see for a while.

Zhang Cheng accepted Wang Kuang's call and temporarily served him in an attempt to achieve something in this chaotic world.

In his opinion, Wang Kuang did not have the strength to fight against Su Yao.

"General Su Yao won every battle, defeated the Xiongnu, destroyed Goryeo, killed Dong Zhuo, and defeated Yuan Shu. Who doesn't know his glorious military achievements?"

"Now he has the righteousness of the court in his hands. If the governor rashly raises an army to resist, it would be an open rebellion against the court, which will surely attract a large army to attack."

"May I ask how the governor compares to Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu? How dare you go against the imperial court and fight to the death with Su Yao?"

"Hanoi is not a remote place, it is right under the nose of Luoyang!"

Zhang Cheng's words suddenly made the atmosphere in the county magistrate's mansion tense, and Wang Kuang almost subconsciously wanted to surrender.

Although he now has nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses, he has no confidence in confronting Su Yao, who had just defeated Dong Zhuo.

However, if he yielded to Su Yao and took the initiative to go to Luoyang, then according to his previous attitude, he would most likely be dismissed from his position and transferred to an idle position to retire.

In this way, his hegemony and ambition will come to an end.

At this moment, when Wang Kuang was struggling with a headache, Xiang Xiong snorted coldly and refuted again:
"You don't have to worry, Governor. This is just Mr. Zhang's pedantic talk."

Seeing Wang Kuang and the others looking at him, Xiang Xiong proudly raised his beard and said with a smile:

"As the saying goes, man proposes, God disposes. Su Yao is nothing but a crude and arrogant warrior."

"Before that, he killed bandits and suppressed rebellions, and gained many supporters. He took advantage of the situation and rose to prominence, which is why he has such martial arts skills."

"Now, he has become so proud that he not only acts like a hen crowing at dawn, but also wants to abolish the three dukes and nine ministers, seize the military power of the governor, and even stop selecting officials!"

"How can such a traitorous and perverse person control the world and claim to be the orthodox one?"

Xiang Xiong became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes flashing with fanaticism: "If the governor can raise an army to respond to the scholars of the world and fight against the Su bandits together, then we will surely be able to achieve hegemony with a hundred responses!"

When Wang Kuang heard this, a hint of interest flashed in his eyes.

He did have great ambitions in his heart and was not willing to be just a prefect. He wanted to make a name for himself in this chaotic world.

However, he also knew in his heart that, as Zhang Cheng said, it would be no easy task to fight against Su Yao. If he failed, the outcome would be disastrous.

Wang Kuang was conflicted, while Xiang Xiong and Zhang Cheng were having an argument. Each of them held a different view and the dispute was so intense that it was even more difficult for Wang Kuang to make a decision.

Wang Kuang became more and more annoyed as he listened to the two people's argument. He knew that both Xiang Xiong's radicalism and Zhang Cheng's caution had their reasons. But the current situation made it difficult for him to make a decision.

"Enough!" Wang Kuang suddenly shouted, interrupting the argument between the two men. "This matter concerns the life and death of our county, and it cannot be decided rashly."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, then looked at Xiang Xiong and Zhang Cheng and said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, since you two have different opinions, I wonder if there is any feasible solution. Let's discuss it first."

Xiang Xiong and Zhang Cheng were stunned for a moment when they heard this, and then they began to explain their plans.

The first to speak was Xiang Xiong, and his suggestions were very direct and explicit.

"Hanoi is a great county in the world, with tall city walls and a large population."

"Now that Su Yao is aggressive, the governor can raise the banner of justice, promote a male relative to be the emperor, and start an uprising against Su."

"Su Yao's perverse actions have already aroused the dissatisfaction of the princes and noble families."

"As long as we can hold high the banner, there will be countless people following us."

"When the time comes, we will unite with other princes to fight against Su Yao. We will surely defeat him and achieve hegemony!"

Xiang Xiong spoke passionately, and Wang Kuang was almost convinced by him.

But
"The most important thing is how are you going to defeat Su Yao?"

Zhang Cheng snorted coldly, disdainful:
"War is not a game, you can't take it for granted!"

"As the old saying goes: The rafters that stick out get rotten first. Many princes in the world are indeed dissatisfied with Su Yao, but who dares to stand up and oppose Su now?"

"If the governor raises an army in such a hurry, there will definitely be many people watching from all over the world, and they are all waiting to see the result of our fight against Su Yao."

"If our battle goes well and we can stop Su Yao, that would be good."

"If we fail in the war, we will become the target of public criticism. Instead of sending troops to help us, other princes will take advantage of the opportunity to attack us and divide up our territory and power."

"By then, our passion will be used to help others. Is this what Governor Wang wants?"

Wang Kuang listened to Zhang Cheng's analysis with a frown on his face, and he became more and more confused.

He knew very well that what Zhang Cheng said was true. Although many princes in the world were dissatisfied with Su Yao, no one dared to easily step forward and become Su Yao's enemy.

Su Yao is famous and victorious in every battle. His strength is so strong that not everyone can contend with him.

Once we raise an army to fight against Su Yao, if we are not careful, we will be doomed.

However, Xiang Xiong's proposal filled his heart with desire again.

To rise up against the Soviet Union, hold high the banner of justice, and achieve hegemony, isn't this his dream?
As long as he stayed in Hanoi for one day, he would be the local tyrant who held the reins and controlled the military and political power.

But once you give in and go to Luoyang, you'll be like a dragon in shallow water being bullied by shrimps, or a tiger in the plain being bullied by dogs.

Wang Kuang knew very well that once he went to Luoyang and lost control of Henei, his power and status would no longer exist.

He was unwilling to give up everything he had worked so hard for, and even more unwilling to grow old in obscurity in this chaotic world.

Is there no way to fight against Su Yao?
Is he really that powerful and invincible?

Just when Wang Kuang was struggling with various issues, shocking news came.

"What? The general is here in person?"

"And he only brought two hundred royal guards?"

"Is there such a good thing?"

Su Yao actually dared to come to Hanoi with only two hundred personal soldiers?

After hearing the news from his subordinates, Wang Kuang was stunned.

Wang Kuang opened his eyes wide, unable to believe his ears.

Even though he was well aware of Su Yao's reputation, the fact that this great general dared to go deep into his territory with only two hundred men was a huge contempt for him!
"Is Su Yao crazy?"

Wang Kuang muttered to himself, frowning, and repeatedly asked his subordinates whether the news was true.

Soon, news from all sides proved that Su Yao had indeed brought only two hundred personal soldiers with him, nominally to inspect the local area and supervise the Jinyiwei in handling cases.

Now, according to the latest news, they have crossed the Yellow River and entered the border of Hanoi.

"Arrogant! How arrogant!" Xiang Xiong immediately cursed:

"Does Su Yao really think he is invincible?"

"What do you mean by supervising the Jinyiwei to investigate the case? In my opinion, he is here to arrest you, Lord Wang."

"But this brat must have made a mistake. Does he still think that now is the time for the imperial court to send a few soldiers and police officers to capture a local official?!"

"It's so ridiculous!"

Xiang Xiong's words were like fuel to the flames, instantly igniting the anger in Wang Kuang's heart.

"Mr. Xiang is absolutely right! This Su Yao is really too arrogant!"

Wang Kuang said angrily:
"How dare he come to my territory with only 200 men? Does he really think that there is no one in Hanoi?"

Xiang Xiong was overjoyed when he saw this, and immediately struck while the iron was hot:

"Governor, this is our chance! Su Yao underestimated the enemy, we can seize this opportunity to capture him and eliminate this great threat in one fell swoop!"

Wang Kuang's heart was slightly moved when he heard this.

He knew very well that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he missed it, he would never be able to compete with Su Yao again.

However, compared to the two excited people, Zhang Cheng obviously had many concerns:
"Let's not even mention the rumors that General Su Yao is said to be the bravest of the three armies, the reincarnation of a tyrant, and can fight against ten thousand people. His outstanding military exploits are definitely not just a matter of luck."

"Now that he dares to come here with only two hundred people, he must have something to rely on."

"If we act rashly and end up falling into a trap, everything will be ruined."

Zhang Cheng's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly plunging the county magistrate's mansion into silence.

Wang Kuang kept thinking about it in his mind, and he had to admit that what Zhang Cheng said made sense.

The imperial envoys had come in waves, but they had never actually rebelled.

What if the general deliberately released a false impression this time to lure him into rebellion and then send out a large army to suppress him?

As the saying goes, a man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. No matter what Su Yao does, it will always cause these people to make excessive speculations.

After some discussion, they came up with several guesses that were far from reality.

For example, the person who came was not Su Yao himself, but someone else who was under the banner of a general.

Or maybe there is actually a large army hidden behind Su Yao, and he is very skilled and bold, using himself as bait to set a trap in order to lure the defenders out of the city and set an ambush.

In this way, under the information asymmetry, these self-proclaimed smart people thought too much, but finally decided to wait and see:
"In my opinion, the governor can send people to investigate first to confirm the whereabouts and intentions of Su Yao and his group, and to check whether there are any ambushes following them. At the same time, urgently strengthen the county's defenses in case of emergency."

Zhang Cheng talked freely:
"If Su Yao himself hadn't come, we could have continued to make excuses and at the same time, communicate with other princes to make adequate preparations for future plans."

"If it is really Su Yao himself who comes."

As he was speaking, Xiang Xiong took over the conversation and smiled sinisterly:
"Then let's lure them into the city and then surround and kill them with our army!"

"By then, no matter how brave he is, he will be no match for four hands with two fists, and he will definitely pay the price for his arrogance."

"By then, apart from Su Yao, Governor Wang's reputation will surely reach its peak. The Luoyang court will be leaderless, and it is time for us to raise our arms and make a call!"

Wang Kuang was excited when he heard this, and felt that the two's proposal was quite reliable. He immediately sent out messengers and scouts. One group of people went to inquire about Su Yao's background in the name of welcoming the general, while the other group of people went straight to Mengjin Ferry and other Yellow River ferry crossings to see if there was a large army quietly crossing the river.

"General, are we being too arrogant by doing this?"

In a posthouse in Hanoi County, after some pretense of flattery with Wang Kuang's envoys, Sima Lang, who was accompanying him, spoke with worry:

"Wang Gongjie has repeatedly disobeyed the imperial court's orders, and his rebellious intentions are obvious."

"Now you only have two hundred soldiers with you. If they set up an ambush in the city, wouldn't we be trapped?"

Sima Lang, courtesy name Boda, was a native of Wen County, Henei. He was the son of Sima Fang, the magistrate of Luoyang, and the elder brother of the old turtle Sima Yi. He was currently serving as the Assistant Censor-in-Chief, an important position in the Censorate. He was responsible for trying difficult cases. For those difficult cases in the world, the Assistant Censor-in-Chief was responsible for judging the right and wrong of them according to the law.

This time, in addition to bringing Wang Ling's two hundred Jinyiwei, Su Yao also brought Sima Lang, the censor whose hometown was in Hanoi.

However, Su Yao just smiled slightly in response to his worries.

How could he not know Wang Kuang's ambition?
However, the imperial court had no money, and the consumption of supplies needed to dispatch a large army would increase exponentially. He came to Hanoi to make money, and naturally he could not do business that would lose money.

Therefore, Su Yao prepared to capture the thief and the leader. He took a small number of people with him and captured Wang Kuang in one fell swoop, brought him to justice, and took back the governance of Henei.

"Berda is worrying too much."

Su Yao smiled and waved his hand, his tone full of confidence:
"You have said before that although Wang Kuang is ambitious, his courage and wisdom are not enough to support him, so he is not to be feared."

"Wang Kuang has sent people to test me and sent scouts to explore the ferry. He must be worried that I have ambushes behind me, so he wants to lure me into the city."

"But, look, this is Huai County, the seat of Hanoi. How can a city like this accommodate 20,000 soldiers?"

“So my goal is not in the county, but outside the city.”

As he spoke, Su Yao took out a map from his arms, spread it out on the table, pointed to the military camp north of Huai County on the map, and pointed out his mission target.

In ancient times, cities were not as developed as they are today, and the degree of urbanization was not worth mentioning. Except for the imperial capitals such as Luoyang and Chang'an, other cities were limited in scale, and even some farmland was wrapped in the city walls.

Therefore, when the city was besieged during non-wartime, except for a few guards in the city, a large number of troops were stationed in military camps outside the city.

Now, Su Yao wanted to take advantage of Wang Kuang's hesitation period of wanting to rebel but not yet doing so, and directly attack his military camp at night, seize his military power, and then complete the counterattack.

After hearing Su Yao's plan, Sima Lang was stunned. He never thought there would be such an outrageous plan.

So, as dusk fell, Sima Lang watched in confusion as Wang Kuang's envoy was beheaded on the spot in the post station. Then Su Yao led the two hundred people and headed straight for the camp west of the city.

And there, the Hanoi general Hao Meng had just sent 3,000 soldiers to set up an ambush in Huai County at night, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out and preparing to ambush Su Yao.

But he never expected that Su Yao would come to his camp late at night.

"Open the door!!!"

Wang Ling shouted:
"General Su Yao is here in person, why don't the commanders here come and see him immediately!"

At this moment, Hao Meng was lying in the tent, enjoying the rare tranquility. Suddenly, he heard the noise outside the camp. He frowned slightly, sat up, and was secretly confused.

As a result, when Hao Meng heard the news that General Su Yao was coming in person, his eyes widened immediately:
"Why did he come to us instead of looking for the governor?!"

At first, Hao Meng thought it was fake news, perhaps Su Yao's strategy to confuse the enemy:
"Don't panic. Send someone out to investigate first to find out who is coming and what their purpose is."

The guard took the order and left. After a while, he hurried back and reported with a pale face:
"Captain, it's really General Su Yao."

"He and his team of royal guards are already at the door!"

Hao Meng's face changed drastically when he heard this.

He was also a veteran general, and he had never slacked off on defense around the barracks. So how was it possible that Su Yao could have reached the camp gate without being noticed and only be discovered?

However, now is obviously not the time to delve into these matters.

Hao Meng immediately put on his armor and assembled his troops, ready to go out of the camp to meet the enemy.

In his opinion, Su Yao only had two hundred soldiers and it was really courting his own death to challenge his camp of more than ten thousand soldiers.

Then, there is no need to waste time, just lead the army out of the camp and crush it.

However, his movements were too slow.

It takes time to mobilize soldiers late at night, and how could Su Yao give him time?

Under the watchful eyes of the night guards, Su Yao soared into the air, his figure shining in the moonlight, and he actually jumped over the village gate in one breath.

Such an appalling scene immediately left the gatekeepers speechless with shock, and they took several steps back trembling.

Then Su Yao held a knife in one hand and a staff in the other, grabbed the gatekeeper, and opened the camp gate without bloodshed:
"Open the door!"

"And where is your boss? Lead me to the way!"

Feeling the coolness of the knife on his neck, the young officer did not dare to refuse and responded hurriedly.

Then, everything happened very quickly.

The Jinyiti cavalry swarmed in and followed Su Yao straight to the central army tent.

The soldiers who were patrolling around and the soldiers who had just woken up after hearing the drumbeats were all confused and had no idea what was going on.

Immediately afterwards, Hao Meng, who had just walked out of the tent, saw a red flag rolling in and a red figure rushed over as fast as lightning.

"what?!"

"Who are you? Stop immediately!"

Hao Meng saw that the situation was not right and shouted loudly. Before he could react, he was knocked to the ground:
"Captain Hao, you are so arrogant."

"Since this general can't call you, then we have no choice but to come to your house in person."

"You, you are General Su Yao?"

Hao Meng, who was pinned to the ground, couldn't help but tremble his lips.

(End of this chapter)