I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 780: Su Yao lures the snake out of its hole, and a fierce fight breaks out on the Sushui River (6K chapter)

"This is a plan to wipe out the entire family! This is truly a plan to wipe out the entire family!"

"Which damn strategist gave the general such a vicious plan?"

"Brother Wei, this is the good man you voted for."

"Are you only concerned with your own career advancement and wealth, without caring about future generations?"

At the gathering of the top families in Hedong, leaders of the Wei, Fan, Yang, Pei and other aristocratic families gathered together, and Wei Ji was directly besieged and questioned.

The reason is very simple. As Su Yao's order was issued, Hedong County and Henei County acted quickly, and a storm against the aristocratic families swept in.

As an official in the General's Office, Wei Ji was entrusted with an important task because of his contribution in surrendering the city and his status as a representative of a local aristocratic family. He was responsible for investigating the farmland and the number of escaped and hidden households in the Mesopotamian region.

This is undoubtedly a very offensive task.

But Wei Ji still worked diligently.

He was well aware that land and population were the foundation of the country. The importance of this task was not only related to the court's tax revenue, but also to the subsequent implementation of military and civilian settlements.

As a result, Wei Ji quickly organized an inspection team consisting of trusted clansmen, local officials and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and began to measure and register land from house to house. Holding measuring tools, they carefully recorded the area, location and owner information of each piece of land.

But of course, this work did not go smoothly.

Many wealthy and powerful families were resistant to the inventory operation. They either concealed the area of ​​their land or lied about the use of the land. Some even tried to obstruct the work of the inventory team.

However, Su Yao was naturally prepared for this.

He used the power of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to crack down severely on those aristocratic families who refused to cooperate with the investigation. For a time, many children of aristocratic families were arrested, their property was confiscated, and their land was confiscated.

This series of harsh measures made the powerful families feel unprecedented pressure.

They began to realize that Su Yao was not joking and was really going to attack them.

At the same time, under the leadership of Wang Ling, the Jinyiwei also launched a severe crackdown on the powerful families.

They went deep into the countryside, collected evidence, and severely punished those children of wealthy families who oppressed the people and acted tyrannically.

For a time, the reputation of the Jinyiwei spread throughout the streets and alleys of Hedong County and Henei County.

Those children of noble families who were once arrogant and domineering have now become cautious, fearing that they might accidentally violate the laws of the court.

Wang Ling knew very well that the crackdown campaign was not only to strike a blow against the arrogance of the powerful families, but also to deter potential rebels.

He personally led the team into the lairs of the powerful families and arrested the culprits who had committed heinous crimes one by one.

Thanks to his efforts, many powerful families were brought to justice, their property was confiscated, and their land was distributed to landless people for cultivation.

This series of actions made the common people applaud, but also made the powerful families feel unprecedented fear.

However, all this naturally caused extreme opposition from the aristocratic families, and thus those who had always had their own ulterior motives gradually united their actions.

This time, although it was the young master of the Li family who took the lead in inciting, all the major families soon reached a consensus.

They did not expect that Su Yao's actions would be so resolute and decisive, and go straight to the root of the problem. With his left hand, he used the imperial examination to break their monopoly on the official selection channel, and with his right hand, he directly started with the land to disintegrate their economic foundation.

If they don't make a strong response, they will not be worthy of calling themselves a local ethnic group.

In mid-June, at Anyi in Hezhong, there was a parade ground outside the city.

"General, you should know that everything has its limits, and too much is as bad as too little."

After seeing Su Yao and Sima Lang coming, Wei Ji finally couldn't help but give some advice.

"From what Bo Ju said, could it be that you know something about the recent abnormal behavior of the aristocratic families?" Su Yao's eyes flashed.

"General, you are too kind."

Wei Ji quickly shook his head to deny:

"My Wei clan advocated the surrender of the city, but now it is resisted by the Hedong family. How can I know the situation?"

"I just have some guesses, but I think it's probably right."

"Oh? Then what is your guess? Tell me and let me discuss it."

Su Yao smiled slightly, staring at Wei Ji sharply, secretly calculating the other party's reaction in his heart.

As the most prominent family in Hedong, although the Wei family has been isolated by other families because of its surrender, it is still deeply rooted. Su Yao does not believe that Wei Ji would be unaware of this turmoil.

Wei Ji paused, took a deep breath and said:
"The general has killed Dong and suppressed the rebellion, and his power has shocked the world. The princes and noble families in various places must be afraid and dare not easily become an enemy of the general."

"But your reform this time is too radical."

"Especially the land reform policy, such as surveying the land and investigating the households that had escaped from the government and hidden from the government, directly touched upon the fundamental interests of the local aristocratic families."

"Moreover, the Jinyiwei acted too radically, and the general hated evil and was extremely hostile to evil. He would punish anyone who saw injustice with severe punishments. Countless people had their homes confiscated and were beheaded. How could this not cause fear and rebellion?"

"Therefore, in order to protect their own property and lives, the local aristocratic families will boycott and oppose at all costs."

"The fact that they are suddenly acting in unison and moving forward and backward together is probably just the beginning. If we don't restrain our actions in the future, I'm afraid they will make even bigger moves."

"Bigger moves?" Su Yao narrowed his eyes slightly and asked excitedly, "Are they going to rebel?"

Wei Ji was shocked when he heard this, and quickly waved his hand to explain: "General, please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that they really want to rebel, but it is very likely that they will unite to resist the court's policies, or even secretly collude with the princes to create trouble for the general."

"Oh?" Su Yao raised his eyebrows slightly, with a hint of amusement in his tone, "Then according to Bo Ju's opinion, what will they do next?"

Wei Ji groaned for a moment, then slowly said, "The general's army is now at its peak, so they naturally dare not easily become enemies with the imperial court."

"But Hedong and Henei counties are located at the junction of the Central Plains and Bingzhou. If they secretly contact the remnants of the Baibo Army, or collude with other forces that are dissatisfied with the general, and cut off the general's food supply at a critical moment, the general's army will be in trouble."

"In my opinion, the general should postpone the clearing of the fields for now and focus on the Baibo bandits."

"At present, the Baibo bandits still occupy half of our Hedong territory. As long as we take down the Baibo bandits, there will be a lot of unowned land."

"Then the military settlement problem will be solved naturally. There is no need to fight with the local noble families."

Su Yao pondered for a moment after hearing this. Wei Ji's remarks were not beyond his expectations.

"What Bo Ju said makes sense." Su Yao said in a deep voice, "The Baibo bandits are indeed a problem that our army needs to solve urgently, but the land investigation cannot be shelved."

"Land and population are the foundation of a country. Now Ma Teng has come from outside the Great Wall, intending to take over our Bingzhou, and other princes are also eyeing us covetously, and may stir up trouble at any time."

"If we cannot resolve the hidden dangers in Hedong and Hanoi as soon as possible and stabilize the rear, how can this general go north to meet the enemy with peace of mind?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Ji secretly admired Su Yao's foresight. He knew very well that every word Su Yao said made sense. If the internal troubles could not be solved as soon as possible, external troubles would surely follow.

"What the general said is very true. I am short-sighted." Wei Ji said with a folded hand. "However, since the general has decided to continue the land reform, I dare to make a suggestion. I hope the general can make some adjustments to ease the relationship with the aristocratic families."

Su Yao smiled slightly and said, "If you have any good ideas, please feel free to tell me."

Wei Ji pondered for a moment and said, "The general can set up a buffer period to give the noble families some time to adapt to the new policy. At the same time, the general can give certain rewards and preferential treatment to those noble families who actively cooperate with the court as encouragement."

"In addition, the general can also send envoys to various places to explain the policies to the princes and noble families who are dissatisfied with the court, and win their understanding and support."

Su Yao heard this and nodded silently.

He knew that although Wei Ji's strategy could not solve the problem directly, it could ease the conflict to a certain extent and buy more time and space for the implementation of his policies.

"Bo Ju's plan is brilliant. I will order someone to do it right away." Su Yao nodded and said, "However, I will not be lenient towards those aristocratic families who are stubborn and openly resist the court's policies."

Upon hearing this, Wei Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew Su Yao's character very well. Although this general was young, he was extremely decisive. He would never show mercy to those who dared to challenge his authority.

"The general is wise." Wei Ji said with a salutation, "Then I will continue to be responsible for the land inspection, and will do my best to help the general solve his problems."

Su Yao nodded slightly and said, "Bo Ju has worked hard. After I pacify the Baibo bandits, I will definitely reward you according to your merits."

After saying that, Su Yao left the training ground with Sima Lang and arranged for Sima Lang to be responsible for the appeasement.

Sima Lang was a famous scholar in Henei and was quite popular. He could solve many troublesome problems.

However, Su Yao was very clear that this strategy would only delay the problem and would not resolve the conflict.

In the mansion of the governor of Anyi County.

When only Wang Ling, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were there, Su Yao immediately changed his expression:
"Use both kindness and force, force comes first!"

"Without the power of thunder, blindly showing favor will only be seen as a cowardly act in the eyes of the villains."

"Therefore, while Boda and others are adopting the policy of appeasement, we should also adopt thunderbolt measures, never compromise, and severely intimidate those noble families and villains."

"We must use thunderous means to let those noble families know the majesty and determination of the court, and make those who dare to resist pay the price in blood!"

Su Yao's eyes were firm and cold; his voice echoed in the county magistrate's mansion, making everyone present feel an invisible pressure.

Even Wang Ling, who has been in power recently and has seen many big scenes, couldn't help but shudder:
"May I ask, General, what should we do?"

"Right now, those noble families are secretly fighting against us and don't give us any reason to do so openly."

"How about I arrest the person first and then look for evidence?"

"Although direct action can intimidate them temporarily, it is not a long-term solution." Su Yao shook his head slightly, and his eyes swept across everyone deeply. "What we need is an opportunity to make them surrender completely."

Wang Ling frowned when he heard this, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "General, do you mean to lure the snake out of its hole?"

Su Yao smiled slightly and nodded in praise: "Yan Yun is indeed very smart. That's right, we just want to lure the snake out of its hole and let those noble families reveal their true colors."

"But, General, how do we do this?" Zhang Fei scratched his head and asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Su Yao pondered for a moment, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes: "We can start with the Baibo thieves."

"Bai Bo thief?" Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

Su Yao explained: "Although the Baibo Army is now seriously injured, their remnants are still alive, and they have these unclean relationships with these Hedong families."

"As long as we capture the Baibo bandits, their previous connections will inevitably be exposed, which will be enough to severely punish a group of dishonest aristocratic family tyrants."

"At the same time, without the support of the Baibo bandits, their only hope is to collude with Ma Teng and other princes." "As long as we keep the pressure on them, they will definitely make mistakes."

"Yanyun, your mission is to send more Jinyiwei personnel to keep a close eye on those noble families and investigate their correspondence. Don't miss any clues."

"Whether we can catch them this time depends on your intelligence. Do you have the confidence to complete this mission?"

"Don't worry, General!"

Wang Ling cupped his hands and accepted the order excitedly.

In recent days, his Jinyiwei have been almost idle.

Now after listening to Su Yao's arrangement, he was very excited:

"I just don't believe that all these noble families will just sit there and wait for us to destroy their power."

"Okay!" Su Yao nodded with a smile, "We will also create opportunities for you here and cooperate with the action."

After that, Su Yao turned his gaze to Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Hou Cheng and other generals:

"We have been organizing our army for many days. Now it is time to deal with the problem of the White Wave Bandits."

"Within three days, I will lead the army to cross the Sushui River and attack Baibo's lair."

"Do you have any other questions?"

problem?

That's right, Su Yao had kept Bai Bo here for nearly half a month. It was not because he had forgotten about the Baibo bandits, but because after the Baibo bandits burned the ferry, Su Yao's army had no boat to cross the river.

Therefore, after taking Anyi and rectifying the local internal affairs, Su Yao once again arranged for Guan Yu to be responsible for building the ferry to prepare for the final decisive battle.

Now, apparently everything is ready, and the two-pronged approach has arrived:

"Don't worry, General. The ferries are all in place. We are ready to go, just waiting for your order!" Guan Yu said with a bow, his voice firm and powerful.

Su Yao nodded with satisfaction, his eyes flashing with determination and coldness: "Okay, then it's settled."

"Three days later, the army will set out to attack the Baibo bandit's lair!"

Following Su Yao's order, the entire county magistrate's mansion was suddenly filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere. Generals such as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei accepted the order and began to make intensive preparations for the upcoming decisive battle.

Three days later, at the beginning of the morning, on the banks of the Sushui River, Su Yao led his army and was ready to go.

Three thousand elite cavalry and two thousand infantry soldiers under Su Yao gathered on the east side of the river. They were wearing bright armor, their horses were neighing, and they were in high spirits.

"Let's go!" Su Yao gave an order, and the army boarded the ferry in a mighty manner and headed towards the Baibo bandits' lair on the other side of the Sushui River.

While crossing the river, Su Yao stood at the bow, staring with sharp eyes at the land on the opposite bank occupied by the Baibo bandits.

The tens of thousands of Baibo bandits stationed on the other side of the river had obviously also noticed the movements of Su Yao's army. They all took up their weapons and were ready for battle.

However, facing Su Yao's elite troops who were as fierce as wolves and tigers, their hearts were filled with fear and anxiety.

"do not be afraid!"

On his warhorse, General Hu Cai held up a broadsword and encouraged the morale of his troops:
"Although General Su Yao is brave, he only has 5,000 soldiers and they came across the river."

"Last time, we were attacked halfway across the river and were caught off guard."

"This time, the offensive and defensive situation is different. We have the advantage of the terrain and are well-rested. How can we fail?"

Hu Cai's encouraging voice echoed in the battle formation, trying to inspire the fighting spirit of the Baibo Army soldiers. However, despite his loud voice, the soldiers could not hide their fear and anxiety.

The last time they fought against Su Yao, the Baibo Army suffered a crushing defeat. The bloody scene is still vivid in our minds.

Now, Su Yao led his army to attack again, and it seemed that he was more fully prepared, which made the Baibo army soldiers nervous.

Hu Cai, who was in charge of guarding the river, was well aware of this, so he did not plan to wait for Su Yao to cross the river before launching a counterattack. Instead, he launched a naval attack when the vanguard of Su Yao's army crossed the river.

Navy, that's right.

The Baibo Army rose from the Baibo Valley, with a force of over 100,000 men. The most important reason why they were able to quickly wreak havoc in Hedong and even extend their tentacles to Taiyuan was that they controlled the river water.

Among the Baibo Army, a considerable number of people were pirates who were proficient in water and good at sailing.

After occupying Hedong, they took advantage of the abundant local water resources and formed a large navy, relying on many rivers including the Sushui River, posing a great threat to the imperial army.

One of the major reasons why Wang Yi had to retreat to Anyi was that he had lost control of the Sushui River.

Therefore, when facing Su Yao's army's crossing of the river, Hu Cai immediately decided to use this navy to give Su Yao a head-on blow.

"Pass the order down, the navy attack, hit hard!" Hu Cai gave the order, and his voice echoed along the river with unquestionable determination.

Following his order, the Baibo navy moved quickly. One warship after another sailed into the river like an arrow from a bow, and the Baibo soldiers on the ships, armed with spears and bows, rushed towards Su Yao's ferry with great momentum.

"No, there's an enemy attack!"

On Su Yao's ferry, a sentry suddenly shouted, his voice full of fear.

Su Yao frowned when he heard that, and quickly looked towards the river, where he saw hundreds of warships heading towards their ferry. The Baibo soldiers on the boats were drawing their bows and arrows, ready to shoot.

"Oh, there are navy soldiers?"

Su Yao sneered, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

He knew very well that he must not retreat at this time, otherwise it would boost the morale of the Baibo Army and bring him even greater trouble.

"Pass the order down, all ferries speed up and make sure to cross the Sushui River in the shortest possible time!"

As Su Yao's order was issued, the soldiers on the ferry speeded up their rowing, trying to cross the Sushui River as quickly as possible.

However, the Baibo Army's navy will not let them succeed easily.

"Fire the arrow! Fire the arrow!"

At a command from the naval leader Cheng Yu, the Baibo Army's navy began a round of close-range shooting.

For a moment, arrows rained down on Su Yao's ferry, and the soldiers on the boat raised their shields to block the attack.

"General, this is not a solution!"

Guan Yu narrowed his eyes and immediately asked for a fight:
"I am willing to lead the army to intercept and buy time for the general to cross the river."

In the last round of attack, Guan Yu, who was good at water battles, already had an idea of ​​what was going on.

This group of pirates is not an ordinary group organized in a hurry. If left unchecked, the army crossing the river will suffer serious losses.

The only solution now is to allocate part of our forces to delay and disperse the enemy ships.

Su Yao naturally noticed this, but:

"I come!"

Su Yao shouted loudly, bent his bow and drew his arrow, like a god of war, with an awe-inspiring aura.

As he was speaking, an arrow streaked across the sky like a meteor, accurately piercing the throat of a Baibo soldier, and blood gushed out instantly.

"Ah!" The soldier screamed, his body fell backwards and fell into the river, splashing water.

This arrow not only demonstrated Su Yao's amazing archery skills, but also greatly shocked the Baibo Army's navy.

"The great general's divine arrow!"

"The general is mighty!"

Su Yao's soldiers shouted loudly, and their morale was greatly boosted.

"Quick, disperse!"

Cheng Yu's face changed drastically and he shouted:
"There's only one archer. Can he kill us all?"

"Keep up the pressure, continue the attack - whoever kills the enemy general will be rewarded with a million gold coins!"

Cheng Yu knew very well that Su Yao's archery skills were extraordinary, but he was obviously more confident in his naval brothers.

The imperial army was brave in land battles, but they were clearly a bunch of losers on the water.

As long as they pressed forward with all their forces and engaged in a melee, those confused elite soldiers of the imperial court would be hacked to pieces like pigs and sheep.

They had done this countless times before when fighting against the Hedong Army.

Nothing is different now.

You see, the imperial army didn't dare to engage in battle with them, but just rowed towards the other side with their heads down.

Isn't this just knowing that you are no match for your opponent?

Facing the sparse rain of arrows, Cheng Yu excitedly ordered the entire army to attack.

However, he soon discovered that something was a little bit wrong.

The imperial army that crossed the river ignored him.

But one person came to kill him.

“Fly, fly up??!”

As the Baibo Army soldiers exclaimed, Su Yao, dressed in a red robe, rode his warhorse into the air, drew a graceful arc under the dazzling sunlight, and crashed into their warships with a thud:

"Hahaha!"

"I'm here - go to hell with the trash!"

A large number of human eyeballs fell into the Sushui River.

Su Yao's sudden arrival was like a flash of red lightning, instantly causing uproar in the Baibo Army's navy.

His warhorse landed steadily on the deck, its hooves splashing up wood chips, and then, before anyone on the boat could react, he held up his sword and unleashed an irresistible storm of blood and gore.
(End of this chapter)