Goose Three Kingdoms

Chapter 564 The dust has settled
The sky gradually brightened in the area where the two armies were fighting.

The infantry and prisoners were cleaning up the battlefield as the morning mist was about to dissipate.

The scout galloped into the camp and walked quickly to Fa Zheng and said, "Sir, there is a large cavalry force in the north, with countless men and horses."

The scout did not make any noise. Fa Zheng nodded slightly and said, "Let's explore again."

"Here."

The scout took some dry food and a water bag, changed horses, and led his companions out of the camp again to the north.

As the fog was about to dissipate, Ma Teng reined in his horse and looked down at the Chanhebi camp in the smoke to the south.

His cavalrymen gathered around him and took off their dust-proof scarves one after another.

"Fortunately, the Grand Marshal is safe."

A cavalry general sighed with regret: "Our army is still late."

"Not too late."

Ma Teng jumped off his horse and stretched his legs and feet before he felt more comfortable: "The whole army should dismount and rest now, and send an envoy to the camp to wait for military orders."

"Here!"

His chief secretary rode out of the line and led a dozen riders to gallop away from the Chaochanhepi camp.

We encountered scouts along the way, who led the way.

Soon Ma Teng led most of the cavalry into the camp. The camp continued to collect the wounded, and the area of ​​the wounded camp was expanded. Ma Teng glanced at the group of prisoners who had set up tents.

When they arrived at the central army camp, Ma Teng dismounted and saw Fa Zheng coming to greet him quickly: "Greetings, Marquis Huaili."

In the Guanzhong army, except for Hei Xiong, the Marquis of Liang, the remaining ten commanders of Guanzhong all hold high titles.

Both were under the Jian'an court system, and Ma Teng's title of county marquis was far more noble than that of General Du Liao.

Ma Teng just bowed and asked, "Where is the Grand Marshal?"

"Liu Xuande and I will lead the elite cavalry to pursue the defeated Wuhuan soldiers. The defeated Wuhuan soldiers are fleeing along the way they came, and they should be chasing towards the Zhuolu area."

Fa Zheng extended his arms and invited Ma Teng to come into the tent, and continued, "Before the decisive battle with Yuan Shang last night, the Grand Marshal sent elite cavalry to Zhuolu to destroy the floating bridge and wait for an opportunity to deploy decoy troops. These tens of thousands of Wuhuan elite cavalry have fallen into the trap and it is difficult for them to escape."

Ma Teng sat down, took off his helmet and asked again: "Did he give any instructions to our army before he set out?"

"Yes, the military letter has been sent to the direction of Gaoliu Pass. If you didn't receive it, it means that the messenger encountered the scattered cavalry of Wuhuan."

Fa Zheng said as he came to the desk, found the manuscript and showed it to Ma Teng: "This is the seal of the Grand Marshal's signature."

Ma Teng took it with both hands and read it quickly, then said, "There is no time to lose. I will lead the army to Juyongkou right away."

"State affairs are urgent, so I will not force you to stay for dinner."

Fa Zheng picked up Ma Teng's helmet and handed it to him with both hands. Ma Teng was also worried that something might happen to the army, after all, Black Bear was not in the camp.

Putting on his helmet, Ma Teng came out of the tent and showed the manuscript to the cavalry officers who had gathered around him: "Here is the military order signed by the Grand Marshal. All the troops, follow me to Juyongkou."

At this time, Fa Zheng pointed to a dozen people nearby and said, "Sir, they can serve as guides."

"Okay, prepare the banquet and wait for me to come back and enjoy it."

"Yes."

Fa Zheng agreed, and quickly helped Ma Teng and his men to mount their horses, watching this group of Yongliang warriors who came and went in a hurry.

Around noon, the cavalry corps led by Ma Teng disappeared near the camp.

At this time, thousands of Wuhuan defeated soldiers came from south to north, and the cavalry guarding the camp immediately went out of the camp to intercept and kill them upon hearing the news.

The defeated Wuhuan soldiers had no intention of fighting and were already short of horsepower, so they continued to flee in all directions.

But they really couldn't run any longer. As the two sides were chasing and fighting, Zhang Yan, who was chasing the defeated Wuhuan soldiers in the south, finally caught up.

The cavalry of both sides joined forces to encircle and suppress the enemy. By the time Zhang Yan led the infantry to arrive, the defeated Wuhuan soldiers had been taken prisoner and began to clean up the battlefield.

Fa Zheng went out of the camp to meet Zhang Yan again. Zhang Yan took the initiative to tell the story: "I have always known that the Grand Marshal is good at fighting, and I am also worried about Tadun's bravery, so I sent out many scouts to investigate various places. I saw the Wuhuan cavalry fleeing by the Sanggan River, so I sent troops to intercept and kill them. On the way, I received the Grand Marshal's military order to mobilize troops."

Then he showed the military letter to show that he was acting on orders and had no intention of watching the battle with malicious intent.

Fa Zheng took the military book and read it before returning it to Zhang Yan, saying with emotion, "General, you came at the wrong time."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Zhang Yan was puzzled. Fa Zheng whispered, "Yuan's army was defeated last night and their camp was in chaos. Yuan Shang led more than a thousand cavalrymen to flee southwards. I think he also took the Sanggan River to retreat back to Jizhou. The general came from the south and only killed a large group of Wuhuan. I think Yuan Shang must have escaped."

Zhang Yan looked at the transfer order in his hand again, thought for a while, and said with emotion: "It's really unfortunate."

Then he turned to Fa Zheng and said, "I heard that Cao Cao sent troops across the river and besieged Gao Gan in Dongwucheng, Qinghe State. They have entered the heart of Jizhou and are dividing their troops to plunder everywhere, causing great disturbance in Jizhou."

"So it's not a bad thing that Yuan Shang was defeated and fled."

Fa Zheng smiled and extended his arms to invite Zhang Yan: "General, please come into the camp to rest." "Now there are many Wuhuan cavalry in the wild, and they often plunder and burn down people's houses. Please forgive me for refusing."

Zhang Yan said, "The Grand Marshal ordered me to lead my troops north to intercept and kill the fleeing Wuhuan soldiers. Now the rebels have not been eliminated yet. Without the Grand Marshal's order, I am sorry that I cannot withdraw my troops."

Ignoring Fa Zheng's invitation, Zhang Yan immediately resigned, reunited with his team, and headed west with the captured prisoners and horses.

Fa Zheng looked at the direction where Zhang Yan's army left and didn't find it strange.

How could an experienced warlord like Zhang Yan easily surrender to him?

Fa Zheng was only a secretary-general, a strengthened chief clerk, and not the chief officer of the camp, so he could not openly take charge of or interfere in various affairs.

Early the next morning, the last large-scale group of Wuhuan cavalry arrived near the floating bridge.

The fog on the river bank gradually dissipated, revealing a nightmare-like cavalry team lying across the northern end of the pontoon bridge.

The Wuhuan knights immediately turned around and headed north. At this time, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, who were chasing them, followed Liu Bei from the left and right.

The Wuhuan people retreated to the southwest to the north bank of the Sanggan River. At this time, the defeated cavalry of Yuan’s army on the south bank were fleeing in a scattered manner.

Some Wuhuan people drove their horses into the river. The water was icy cold in the morning. Before it even covered the horses' legs, the horses, which were sweating profusely from running, became wild and difficult to control.

After dozens of Wuhuan knights failed in their attempts to enter the water, the Wuhuan people could only gather on the river bank.

As more and more pursuers gathered, the Wuhuan cavalry became exhausted and had no choice but to surrender.

Black Bear roughly estimated that he had blocked no less than 6,000 cavalrymen this time, so he said to Liu Bei who came over: "I promised General Yide that I would reward him with 5,000 cavalrymen after the battle. I will not make any selections, and General Yide will choose 50 teams later."

Zhang Fei looked at Liu Bei, who nodded slightly. Zhang Fei then rode forward and said, "I obey your command."

After Zhang Fei retreated, Liu Bei approached and asked, "Grand Marshal, do you want to keep the floating bridge, but are you going to Ji County?"

"I will not go to Ji County. I will adjust the counties later. Lord Xuande should be prepared to conquer Liaodong. If the Wuhuan in the three eastern counties refuse to submit, it will not be too late for me to send troops."

Black Bear looked up at the sun and said, "It's getting late, Lord Xuande, please go back to Ji County directly."

Liu Bei immediately breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of relief as if he had escaped from a cage.

I thought that this time they would take advantage of the situation to enter Ji County and personally capture and purge the rebellious nobles in Youzhou.

There are two completely different effects when Black Bear takes the lead and when someone else takes charge.

Rather than purging the rebels and powerful people, Black Bear cared more about treating the wounded.

After parting with Liu Bei, Black Bear led his troops northward, passing through an abandoned city in the middle of the river valley.

Here, earth was piled up to form a platform, and a city was built on the platform. The city built after Huangdi defeated Chiyou in the past was also called Xuanyuan City.

The townspeople had already fled to the mountains and fields, and the city was empty.

Black Bear came to the Yellow Emperor Temple in the city and asked Wei Kang, who was accompanying him, "What kind of sacrifice should we use to worship the Yellow Emperor?"

"I think we should gather our subjects. There are several thousand soldiers now, and even fewer entourage. If we hold a ceremony, it will not be solemn enough."

"In this battle, we killed at least 70,000 of the Hu people. How many times have we seen such an achievement since the Han Dynasty?"

Black Bear questioned, dismounted in front of the temple, and led Tai Shi Wen Gong, Dian Wei and others inside.

The temple was clean, and even Xianyu Fu's tribe, who had temporarily settled in the city, did not disturb it.

Black Bear took out a handkerchief to wipe the dust off the altar, and said to Wei Kang who followed him in: "I will leave you two thousand men to repair Xuanyuan City here and erect a monument to commemorate your achievements."

"Here."

Wei Kang bowed and saw Black Bear take out the six-sided Han sword he had been carrying and put it on the altar.

Before leaving the Yellow Emperor Temple, Black Bear said, "I will order all counties to collect ginkgo tree seeds and send them to me. Before I withdraw my troops, I will come to Xuanyuan City again and lead the officers and soldiers to plant ginkgo trees outside the city. This tree lives for thousands of years and has a beautiful meaning. You should recruit the people of the city and divide the land tax within a hundred miles of Xuanyuan City into two halves. Half of it will be used for the four seasons sacrifices at the Yellow Emperor Temple, and the other half will be used to support the elderly and children in the city who have lost their parents."

Wei Kang asked in a low voice: "What about the official salaries?"

"You come to Xuanyuan City to be an official, and you still want to eat the salary?"

Black Bear asked in surprise, and then said: "The people in the town are few, but they must follow the Guanzhong system. The amount of land and houses of families without titles cannot violate the restrictions."

"Here."

Wei Kang agreed, but there were still many details he wanted to understand, but he didn't dare to ask anymore.

I felt that this was a test for myself, and since Yang Xiu was not around, I had many concerns when thinking independently.

Unlike Yang Xiu, he was always able to grasp the key issues and make people suddenly realize.

But I also know that keeping him here is for his own good.

Although Lu Cui died, many people felt that the cause of his death was that Wei Kang did not persuade him in time and escalated the incident.

(End of this chapter)