I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 952 An unexpected gain
“Is this right?”

"Nearly 40,000 troops were wiped out in one battle?"

The next day, in the east of Yuzhong City, Cheng Gongying's army suddenly didn't know where they were.

At first, there were only a few Qiang riders with disheveled clothes and hurried looks who occasionally ran over on the mountain road ahead.

At that time, Cheng Gongying and others did not take it seriously. After all, the Qiang people were used to being free and undisciplined. It was normal for some of them to desert during a fight.

However, when more and more people fled all over the mountains and plains, Cheng Gongying finally couldn't hold it anymore.

He sent out scouts to chase and intercept the soldiers, and captured several deserters. When he asked them questions, he could not believe his ears.

These Qiang riders all said the same thing: they were all defeated with one strike.
"Three thousand knights fought a desperate battle against forty thousand Qiang cavalry?"

"And then, they defeated the enemy in one battle, and King Jiang Ge of the Qiang died immediately?"

All the generals under Cheng Gongying's command looked pale.

They thought that the general might have some powerful skills, but to be so powerful was a bit too outrageous.

With 40,000 of you, can't you ride and shoot and move around?

Is there any need to fight with others with knives?
Of course, this is easy to say.

Before the real fight, the Qiang people never thought that they could be defeated so easily even though they were ten times more powerful than the enemy.

In the face of such a bleak ending that could not be foreseen, which commander would order his army to adopt a cowardly attitude, thus emboldening others and destroying his own prestige?
But no matter what, the fait accompli could not be changed. Especially when the scouts reported that the vanguard of the Han army was following the fleeing soldiers and was already thirty miles away, the Liangzhou soldiers suddenly panicked.

"withdraw!"

Cheng Gongying gritted his teeth and ordered:
"Order the entire army to return to Yuzhong to set up defenses immediately!"

"General, are we not fighting anymore?" the deputy general was stunned.

"Fight!" Cheng Gongying almost roared, "They couldn't stop 40,000 Qiang cavalrymen, so are we, the 10,000 men, going to die?!"

He jumped on his horse and said without hesitation: "The whole army retreats! Quickly! We must return to the city before the Han army!"

The 10,000 Liangzhou soldiers felt as if they had been pardoned. The rear team became the front team and they immediately began to retreat.

Go back to the city, come back to the city quickly!

As long as they enter the city, what can the three thousand cavalry do to them?
You know, Yuzhong is the gateway to Jincheng. As long as they guard this place, they can still play a role.

It’s just that ideals are full and reality is skinny.

When they arrived at the city, something Cheng Gongying never expected happened.

"what?!"

"Not opening the city gate?"

"Say it again, you bastard?"

Cheng Gongying was furious.

On the top of the city wall, Magistrate Li leaned out half of his body and said with a slight stammer:
"General Cheng, please forgive me! Lord Han has ordered that the gates of Yuzhong be closed to prevent spies from the Han army. No one is allowed to open the city."

"Fuck your mother's fart!"

Cheng Gongying was so angry that he was shaking all over. He flicked his whip and pointed at the army behind him and said:

"You don't even recognize me, Cheng Gongying?"

"My army just passed by the gate of your county yesterday, and there was a damn spy!"

"The Han army is thirty miles away now. If you don't open the gate, do you want my 10,000 brothers to die outside the city?!"

Facing Cheng Gongying's roar, although County Magistrate Li felt a little scared and shrank back, he still shook his head like a rattle.

No matter whether you threatened him or spoke nicely, even if you begged outside the city, Magistrate Li's attitude never wavered.

Open the door?
Don't even think about it!

"That's not right, General."

At this time, seeing the stalemate between the two sides, Cheng Gongying's deputy general suddenly reminded: "Shouldn't Yang Qiu be in charge of Yuzhong? When will it be the turn of this bastard county magistrate to come out and answer?"

Cheng Gongying suddenly came to his senses when he heard it: "Yes."

"Where's Yang Qiu?"

Cheng Gongying shouted to the top of the city wall:

"Call that guy out to me. I want to talk to him in person!"

At this moment, the county magistrate in the city finally fell silent.

Yang Qiu was the garrison commander of Yuzhong, or more accurately, he was one of the dozens of princes in Liangzhou, a staunch ally of Han Sui, commanding four thousand elite troops, and was on par with Cheng Gongying.

And this County Magistrate Li was just a rascal sent by the Luoyang court. How could he have the right to speak in charge?
"Where's Yang Qiu?!"

"Why is he hiding? Is he harboring second thoughts and afraid to see me?!"

Cheng Gongying's roar had just died down when suddenly, a black, round object fell from the top of the city wall.

The thing fell to the ground with a plop, bounced twice, and rolled to Cheng Gongying's side.

It would have been fine if he hadn't looked at it, but when Cheng Gongying saw it, he was stunned - that was the head of Yang Qiu he had mentioned!

"hiss--"

Cheng Gongying gasped and staggered back two steps. When he looked up again, he saw that the county magistrate on the city wall had also stopped pretending and had actually hung up a blood-red flag with the word "Han" on it!

At this time, Magistrate Li no longer had any trace of his previous cowardice and fear. He held his head high and shouted:

"The imperial army is coming, and the traitor General Yang Qiu has been executed by our loyal men. If you, Cheng Gongying, know what's best for you, you should surrender. Otherwise, Yang Qiu will be your fate!"

"Fire arrows!"

Following Magistrate Li's order, arrows rained down from the top of the city wall. Cheng Gongying's personal guards hurriedly raised their shields to protect themselves, but several of them were still shot and fell to the ground.

"Withdraw! Quickly withdraw!"

Cheng Gongying was in a hurry and retreated to a safe distance under the cover of his personal soldiers.

He looked at the Han flag on the top of the city wall and finally understood - the owner of Yuzhong City had already changed!
Cheng Gongying looked as pale as death, and couldn't understand why the situation had developed to this point.

After all, Yang Qiu was a powerful general and the lord of Yuzhong City. How could he have such a misfortune and be harmed by a bastard sent by the imperial court?
This is totally unacceptable!

At this moment, under the fluttering Han flag, the figure of an old man vaguely appeared beside County Magistrate Li.

Cheng Gongying narrowed his eyes and took a closer look. It turned out to be the former Grand Marshal Cui Lie who had been treated like a guest of honor by them before!

That’s right, Cui Lie, he is the real driving force behind the change of ownership of Yuzhong.

After Cui Lie was "exiled" to Liangzhou by Su Yao, he soon gained the respect of many princes and aristocratic families in Liangzhou because of his past prestige and firm anti-Su stance.

Therefore, Cui Lie not only did not suffer much during this exile, but after arriving here, he was treated as a guest of honor in every city he went to and was treated to delicious food and drinks.

Cui Lie himself did not do anything strange. Thanks to the close relationship between his granddaughter and Su Yao, Cui Lie was often the first to get the latest information on personnel appointment and dismissal policy changes, as well as troop movements, etc. in the Luoyang court.

Therefore, after Cui Lie entered the city, he held banquets and preached, exhorting people to be good. He also talked about the court's policies and the latest changes in the capital. He was very popular among the princes and aristocratic families from all sides, and his style was quite similar to that of the philosophers who traveled around the countries during the Spring and Autumn Period.

However, beneath this seemingly carefree appearance, Cui Lie, who was unwilling to spend the rest of his life in Xiliang and could not bear to see his granddaughter suffer with him, was actively planning in secret.

Having dealt with Su Yao before, he knew very well that the guy would never allow these Liangzhou princes to become powerful and lawless.

Therefore, Cui Lie used his reputation to divide and win over a group of Liangzhou nobles who were dissatisfied with Han Sui's current rule.

When the news came that Su Yao's army had broken through Xiaoguan, he immediately seized the opportunity and chose to launch a mutiny in Yuzhong.

The reason is very simple. This place is not like Jincheng, which is Han Sui's old nest and has strict control. At the same time, Yuzhong is the most important gateway to Jincheng.

After arriving here, he teamed up with the county magistrate to invite Yang Qiu, who was anxious to deploy defenses, to come on the pretext of having urgent military intelligence to share.

In the side room of the county government office, several Jinyiwei masters who followed Cui Lie and protected him secretly suddenly attacked.

Yang Qiu, a man who had been a powerful figure in Liangzhou for many years, who in history surrendered to Cao Cao, fought wars in the east and the west, and was eventually appointed a general and a marquis, died inexplicably at the hands of a few small soldiers and his followers were taken over by them.

(End of this chapter)