The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 526: Besiege Wei to save Zhao? Draw the snake out of its hole?
Upon hearing this, Murong Ke, the leader of the Murong tribe, turned pale and slammed the bronze wine jar in his hand onto the table. The goat milk wine splashed on Xu You's white front, leaving a stain.

"What a vicious warrior!" Murong Ke's eyes were as bright as lightning. The jeweled scimitar on his waist was already half an inch out of its sheath. He looked at Xu You coldly and snorted, "You want my men to block the sword for you?"

The candlelight in the tent suddenly shook violently, and more than a dozen of Murong's personal guards pressed the hilts of their swords at the same time. The unhealed arrow wound on Duan Rilujuan's face was still bleeding, but at this moment he drew his sword with a grim smile, and pointed the tip of the sword directly at Murong Ke's nose: "When you looted Youzhou last year, you were not so timid!"

Ke Bineng suddenly slammed the table and stood up, the seven-treasure belt around his waist clashing with a sound like the sound of swords clashing. He grabbed Duan Rilujuan's wrist holding the knife, and pressed Murong Ke's shoulder with his other hand. Xu You noticed that the Chanyu's knuckles were white, and it was obvious that he had used all his strength.

"We haven't even heard the sound of Tang's horse hooves, but our own swords have already drawn blood?" Ke Bineng's voice was not loud, but it made both sides relax their tension. When he turned around, the nine wolf-tail braids behind his head swept across Murong Ke's livid cheeks, and he shouted coldly: "Order, the entire army will turn northwest and take the Baidao Mountain Gorge."

Xu You's pupils shrank suddenly - this was clearly a detour to attack Yunzhong! He hurried forward and stopped him, saying, "Chanyu, if Wei Yan takes this opportunity..."

"Let him burn it." Kebineng grabbed the silver knife used to cut meat from the roasted lamb leg, thrust it hard into the location of Yanmen Pass on the map, and said loudly, "Send a message to the Tuoba tribe, and tell them that this Chanyu allows them to divide the Duan tribe's pasture." The tip of the knife scratched across the sheepskin map, leaving a streak of oil, just dividing the Duan tribe's territory into two.

Duan Rilujuan was struck by lightning, her golden earrings dangling in the flames, and she cried out, "Shanyu! Our tribe has been loyal to us for generations."

"So your people's deaths will not be in vain." Ke Bineng pulled out a silver knife, picked up a piece of mutton with the tip of the knife and handed it to Duan Rilujuan's mouth. The gravy dripped on his trembling beard. He pointed at the map and said, "After we take over Yunzhong, you men of the Duan tribe can challenge for the spoils at will."

Make a feint to the east and attack in the west, besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.

This is the Han Chinese way of fighting. Kebi Neng decided to follow the Han Chinese way of fighting, give up some of the Xianbei tribe's interests, and then attack the Central Plains, forcing the Central Plains army to retreat and seek support.

Suddenly, a rapid eagle cry was heard outside the tent. The personal soldier opened the tent and entered, holding the eagle still flapping its wings. Ke Bineng untied the copper tube of the eagle's leg, and the paper that fell out contained information about Wei Yan's army.

"The Tang army has divided its forces." Ke Bineng glanced at the piece of paper, then said proudly: "A guy named Zhao Yun appeared in the Central Plains, leading 10,000 people into the grasslands, leaving only the old, weak and sick at Yanmen Pass."

Murong Ke suddenly laughed out loud, his gold-plated front teeth reflecting the firelight, and he said proudly: "Wei Yan is courting death! My army is willing to be the vanguard, and we will break through Yanmen within three days!"

But Ke Bineng had taken off the golden wolf-head seal from his waist, which symbolized his position as the leader of the alliance, and pressed it heavily on Murong Ke's palm.

"Okay! I will personally lead the main force to feint an attack on Yunzhong. If your army can capture Yanmen, then... " Kebineng suddenly drew his knife and cut his palm. The blood dripped on the golden seal and spread a dazzling red. It fell on the palm of the opponent's hand. He said loudly: "After we capture it, everything will be up to you to choose."

The tent was suddenly in an uproar.

Yanmen is empty now. If we can break into it and seize everything in it, we will strengthen our tribe. Although the old nest is under attack at the moment, it will be of no use even if we fight back now. It is better to attack Yanmen Pass honestly and seize everything from the Han people.

Xu You looked at the fanatical faces of the Murong generals and quietly retreated to the shadows. He did not think that the Murong generals could take Yanmen Pass, because he knew how solid and dangerous Yanmen Pass was. Even if there were not many people defending it now, it would be difficult to take it.

At midnight, Murong Ke's 30,000 cavalrymen rushed out of the camp like a black tide. Xu You stood in front of the camp gate and watched the last group of cavalrymen holding torches disappear into the night.

Ke Bineng's voice suddenly came from behind: "Sir, how many do you think they can come back?"

Xu You looked back and found that the Chanyu was wiping the scimitar that cut his palm with silk. The blade was as smooth as new, without a trace of blood. "Yanmen Pass is not so easy to take, and this is obviously a trap." Xu You smiled bitterly.

He understood that he had seen through the plan, and Ke Bineng had also discovered the problem, but in this situation, Ke Bineng had no way to deal with it.

He could only throw out a bait and let Wei Yan swallow it, so as to save his own tribe and the main force of the Xianbei.

Ke Bineng sheathed his scimitar, the sound of metal friction like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue, and said calmly: "Once Wei Yan eats the bait of the Murong tribe, we will be safe."

Three hundred miles away, on the tower of Yanmen Pass, Hao Zhao looked at the stars in the distance that flickered like fireflies, and suddenly sneered: "Do the Xianbei people really think that I am made of mud and will allow them to attack me?"

He turned around and ordered his guards, "Tell Zhao Yun to turn back. We will eat the Murong tribe first."

The north wind was like a knife, cutting off the last warmth on the grassland. Murongke's 30,000 cavalrymen stepped on the yellow grass waves, and the sound of horse hooves rolled like thunder to the south. He rode on his warhorse, biting a grass stem with his gold-plated front teeth, and his eyes flashed with greed.

"Chief, Yanmen Pass is ahead." Deputy General Murong Lie pointed to the outline of the city wall vaguely visible among the mountains in the distance.

Murong Ke spat out the grass stems and sneered: "The Han people think they are safe hiding behind the city walls? Let them know today that the men of the grassland are not to be trifled with!"

He raised his scimitar high, and the blade drew a dazzling arc in the morning light: "My men, take down Yanmen, and you can take all the gold and silver treasures! You can choose any Han woman you want!"

Thirty thousand cavalrymen let out earth-shaking roars, like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.

On the tower of Yanmen Pass, Hao Zhao was wearing iron armor, and his stern face showed no sign of fluctuation. The guard beside him swallowed nervously: "General, the enemy is coming fiercely, and we only have 5,000 defenders."

"Why are you panicking?" Hao Zhao snorted coldly, "The city wall is ten feet high and five feet thick, with plenty of rolling stones and wooden beams, three hundred crossbows, and a hundred barrels of kerosene. Murong Ke wants to break through? Let him pay with his life!"

He turned to the messenger and said, "Light the beacon fire and inform General Zilong to proceed according to the plan."

As three thick black smoke columns rose into the sky, a horn response was faintly heard from the distant mountains.

Murongke's vanguard had rushed to 300 steps in front of the pass. Suddenly, a mechanical sound was heard on the city wall, and hundreds of crossbow arrows poured down like a rainstorm. The Xianbei cavalrymen who were in the front were thrown to the ground, and screams were heard one after another.

“Disperse! Disperse!”

Murong Lie shouted and ordered the troops to change their formation. But the second and third waves of arrows followed one after another, and each crossbow arrow could penetrate two or three cavalrymen, nailing them to their horses.

(End of this chapter)