Ancestors, please don't crawl out again.

Chapter 111 Inviting the Commander to His Death

Zhuozhou.

The Imperial Advisor is surrounded.

Of course, it's normal that he was surrounded, after all, he was just a small team of two hundred people.

Moreover, it was all ceremonial procession. There were seven banners in front and various flags behind, plus a band and even maids. The only combat personnel in the middle guarding the elephant carriage was Kan Leng, but Kan Leng stayed in Zhengding. Then it was replaced by Lei Wanchun, then Lei Wanchun stayed in Zhongshan, and now it has been replaced by Wang Xiaojie...

"Khitan!"

The newly appointed Governor-General of Yanshan Circuit and Prefect of Yanshan Prefecture looked at the thousands of troops rushing towards him from the right.

An acquaintance!
Although to be precise, they are the descendants of his acquaintances.

The latter clearly intended to come over and crush them all, since their team really looked like they could be crushed.

"So, with over 50,000 troops, how did they manage to keep from laughing when they were blocking 200 people here?"

Meanwhile, Yang Feng, aboard the elephant-drawn carriage, was admiring the scenery from two other directions. Directly in front, backed by the city of Zhuozhou, stood tens of thousands of infantrymen, their banners fluttering like a forest, their fine armor gleaming in the sun. To his right, similarly arrayed, were cavalry, clearly the Youzhou cavalry. Including 20,000 Khitan and Tuyuhun troops, Liu Shouguang had mobilized 50,000 soldiers, waiting outside Zhuozhou for a decisive battle. His final opponent was a mere 200-man honor guard. The 50,000 were undeniably well-equipped and fiercely skilled elite troops—a fact later assessed by Li Cunxu: the Youzhou soldiers excelled in open field battles, while the Dingzhen soldiers were adept at siege defense.

Then, the 50,000-strong army faced a 200-person honor guard.

They were prepared for a decisive battle.

So how exactly did they manage to hold back their laughter?

however……

They really can't laugh.

Because at this moment, the Khitan cavalry had already crashed into that invisible spatial rift.

The charging army, like a sudden plunge off a cliff, collapsed forward as warhorses were beheaded and cavalrymen were cut in half at the waist. Those behind them did not have time to stop and continued forward, also being cut in half at the waist and crashing into the corpses in front.

Unable to stop, they continued their relentless march, their desperate screams echoing as they transformed into headless warhorses and soldiers severed at the waist, propelled forward by inertia, crashing into the dam of flesh and blood that had rapidly accumulated in just half a minute. Thankfully, those behind finally came to a halt. On the warhorses that had escaped death, the Khitan soldiers, who were destined to rule this land for two hundred years, stared in horror at the dam of blood and flesh before them.

This was made up of more than three thousand Khitan cavalrymen and their warhorses.

The blood was still flowing.

So much blood gushed out in such a short time that it even formed streams.

The soldiers, cut in half at the waist, screamed and tried to crawl out from the pile of flesh and blood, but could only sink deeper into it.

The battlefield was silent.

Wang Xiaojie rode forward alone.

"Wang Xiaojie, the Grand Commander of the Yanshan Road Army of the Great Tang Dynasty and the Prefect of Yanshan Prefecture, is here to escort the Imperial Preceptor and inspect Yanshan Prefecture!"

he shouted.

His voice also resounded across the battlefield through the sound system on the elephant carriage.

"You fiend, surrender your head!"

Then, a furious shout suddenly rang out from the left flank of the formation.

Immediately afterwards, a military general charged out on horseback.

He probably wanted to inspire his companions, but unfortunately, none of them followed. He glanced back at them with a look of disappointment, then turned back and resolutely charged towards Yang Feng, quickly realizing that there were no sorcery traps ahead of him...

"Come on!"

He turned around and shouted again with delight.

then……

Still, no one followed.

"You cowards!"

He roared angrily, then turned back and continued his solo charge against Yang Feng.

Yang Feng was already amused.

"He's such a simpleton!"

he sighed.

Hanhan raised his bow and arrow on horseback and fired a shot at the emperor, but before it reached him, it was blocked by a royal guard holding a plaque. Although the arrow pierced the wooden plaque, it got stuck on it. Hanhan then rushed into the guard of honor, and the musicians in front of him quickly dodged in fright, while he drew his longsword on horseback.

Many people used swords during the Five Dynasties period, but they were mostly swords similar to European longswords.

With a sword in one hand and the reins in the other, the man stood up on the back of the horse that was about to collide with the elephant carriage, and suddenly leaped onto the carriage.

But the next moment he screamed in agony.

"You must be called Yuan Xingqin. I'm curious, given your bravery, what did Liu Shouguang give you?"

Yang Feng said, holding up his teacup.

The general who had just stepped onto the elephant carriage was trembling and screaming in agony because his hand had just grabbed the bare wire that Yang Feng had deliberately used.

This should be Yuan Xingqin.

A very simple person.

He would serve whoever offered him the most, and he truly did. Liu Shouguang offered more, so he served Liu Shouguang, besieging and imprisoning Liu Rengong and single-handedly capturing Liu Shouwen. But Li Siyuan offered even more, so he recognized Li Siyuan as his adoptive father. Later, when Li Cunxu wanted him, he was immediately surprised to find that Li Siyuan offered even more, and so he served Li Cunxu wholeheartedly. This is actually a typical Five Dynasties style: excellent martial arts skills are sold to those who appreciate them; whoever offers the most, he serves, and when he does, he truly does. No one could offer him more than Li Cunxu, so he genuinely sold his life to Li Cunxu.

His screams echoed across the battlefield.

Everyone watched silently as Yang Feng stepped onto the elephant carriage, but while Yang Feng was drinking tea, a strange scream suddenly erupted from what could be considered the Yan army's top general.

Among the Yan cavalry in formation, two generals suddenly stepped forward, then turned to look at their comrades behind them.

“Brothers, Youzhou has been at war with the Khitan for generations. The Khitan are our enemies. Liu Shouguang brought the Khitan into Youzhou in order to sell Youzhou. He is so disloyal and unfilial. Why should we follow him? Today, we respectfully welcome the Grand Preceptor and drive the Khitan out of Youzhou.”

One of them roared.

"Welcome, Imperial Preceptor!"

The one next to him roared.

"Welcome, Imperial Preceptor!"

"Drive the Khitans away!"

……

The cavalrymen roared.

Immediately afterwards, the two generals turned to Yang Feng, then quickly dismounted, walked forward, and knelt before the elephant carriage.

"Your humble servant Gao Xinggui and my brother Xingzhou respectfully welcome the Imperial Preceptor!"

The one in the lead spoke with utmost respect.

"Get up. What you said satisfies me to a certain extent. From now on, work hard under Steward Wang!"

Yang Feng said, petting the little panda.

Zhao Dahao's good brother Gao Huaide's father and uncle!
In fact, Zhao Da's grandfather should also have been an official in Youzhou at this time, and his grandfather's grave is in Youzhou. He was definitely a general under Liu Shouguang, probably who came south when Li Cunxu destroyed Liu Shouguang. His father initially joined Wang Rong, but at this time his father should have been less than ten years old. As for the Gao brothers welcoming the Grand Preceptor, this was actually a normal choice. Liu Shouguang's borrowing of troops from the Khitan was very unsatisfactory to his subordinates. The main enemy of the Youzhou military governor was the Khitan, and the two sides had been fighting for more than two hundred years.

They were enemies for generations.

Historically, Liu Shouwen borrowed troops from the Khitan to defeat Liu Shouguang, but after Yuan Xingqin launched a surprise attack and captured him alive, his subordinates immediately disbanded. This clearly proves that his subordinates did not save him at all.

They might even be gloating.

Similarly, now that Liu Shouguang has borrowed troops from the Khitan, the only one in the Youzhou army willing to fight for him is Yuan Xingqin. However, Yuan Xingqin is still being electrocuted.

It's all smoking.

"You, come with me!"

Wang Xiaojie said.

After saying that, he walked straight toward the Youzhou infantrymen lined up in front.

The Gao brothers, Gao Xinggui and Gao Xingzhou, immediately followed.

And opposite them...

"The Gao brothers have already surrendered, so what's the point of us continuing the fight?"

"Welcome the Imperial Preceptor, and drive out the Khitans!"

……

The infantry there were already shouting.

Before Wang Xiaojie could even reach the front of the formation, a mass of people had already knelt in his direction. A few generals tried to salvage the situation, shouting angrily and whipping the crowd, but they were immediately dragged off their horses by enraged soldiers. The Khitans, however, dared not advance. The dam of flesh and blood before them terrified them; they couldn't even see what lay there, only knowing that if they took a step forward, they would be cleaved in two by a strange, horizontal force.

There were even quite a few that had been cut in half.

Some people didn't believe in the superstition and even went to test it, but as soon as they stepped across an invisible line, they would be mysteriously cut open.

They were completely dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, more and more soldiers in the Yan army's infantry chose to kneel down.

When Wang Xiaojie walked to the front of the formation, the vast majority of soldiers had already knelt down.

He walked straight to a general who was being held down by soldiers, took the sword that should have belonged to the general from the soldier, and swung it to behead him. Then he mounted the warhorse that should have also belonged to him, and pointed his bloodstained sword at the Khitan army...

"Kill! Kill all the Khitans today!"

he shouted.

Then he urged his horse forward.

The sound of war drums immediately rang out behind him.

"Kill! Slaughter all the Khitans!"

Gao Xingzhou roared.

"Slaughter all the Khitans!"

……

Countless roars resounded.

The infantrymen of Youzhou rose to their feet, took up their weapons, and followed their new commander, charging towards the retreating Khitan. Even the soldiers and able-bodied men defending Zhuozhou city behind them poured out to join the attack. Meanwhile, the cavalry on the other side had already charged towards the Khitan, bypassing the imperial guards, and together with the infantry from the north, completed the encirclement of the Khitan.

Wang Xiaojie thus began his great war with the Khitan, a conflict that had been interrupted for more than two hundred years.

As for Yang Feng...

The Imperial Preceptor's honor guard continued forward.

On a battlefield where fierce fighting was taking place, a guard of two hundred men escorted the elephant chariot, advancing amidst shouts of battle.

The next day, upon learning that the Youzhou army had defected and, under the leadership of Wang Xiaojie, had annihilated the Khitan army, Liu Shouguang, who was in Youzhou, committed suicide.

To be precise, he set himself on fire and burned to death.

He had nowhere to escape. Abaoji had truly been tricked by him this time. Wang Xiaojie had beheaded over 10,000 Khitans in Zhuozhou, leaving several thousand scattered, but they were hunted by the local people along the way. It was a real hunt; the able-bodied men of the villages used weapons where they had them, farm tools where they didn't, and some even used large clubs to ambush the scattered Khitan cavalry. Historically, Wang Du had rebelled in Dingzhou during Li Siyuan's reign, enlisting the Khitans' help, but the Khitans were defeated by Wang Yanqiu, Fu Yanqing, and Gao Xingzhou. When they fled to Youzhou, they were intercepted by Zhao Dejun and completely routed, essentially beaten up by the people of Youzhou.

He brandished a white stick and beat him.

In the end, only a few dozen of the thousands of defeated Khitan soldiers managed to escape back.

Therefore, at this time, Youzhou was the most resolute in resisting the Khitan.

If Liu Shouguang dares to seek refuge with Abaoji now, the latter will surely kill him.

Youzhou.

"You should commit suicide!"

Yang Feng looked at Liu Rengong kneeling at his feet, then threw the knife to him.

The latter was just brought from Da'an Mountain.

"Imperial Preceptor, it was all that beast's doing. I was forced into it."

Liu Rengong cried out.

His situation is similar to Liu Shouwen's.

He can still be considered a subject of the Tang Dynasty, so he cannot be accused of betraying the Tang. After all, Zhu Wen attacked him first after becoming emperor, so the charge of collusion with a rebel cannot be pinned on him. As for separatism, that doesn't count. He was a military governor, and he was already in a separatist state. He didn't declare himself emperor; at most, he was a bit arrogant. For example, because Emperor Zhaozong of Tang refused to grant him the title of military governor of Yichang, he directly criticized Emperor Zhaozong, saying, "I have my own banners and insignia, but I want the true character of Chang'an. Why are you repeatedly obstructing me?"

But he was ultimately a subject of the Tang Dynasty, and Liu Shouguang later became emperor. So the reason for his execution was the letter he wrote to Yelü Abaoji.

"General, you say you were forced into this, but who can prove it?"
Liu Shouguang?
He burned himself to ashes.

A true man admits his guilt and accepts punishment; that is the mark of a loyal minister. The Imperial Preceptor is merciful; he has only granted you the privilege of suicide. Why act this way?

Gao Xinggui said disdainfully.

Liu Rengong glared angrily at the man.

“If it weren’t for me protecting your brother, he would have been killed by Li Keyong long ago.”

he said angrily.

Another important reason why the Gao brothers welcomed the Grand Preceptor was that they had a blood feud with Li Keyong for killing their fathers, and they were powerful figures in Guizhou. However, Guizhou now had to face not only the Khitans but also Li Cunxu. In this choice between the Tang Dynasty and the Khitan, they clearly preferred the Tang Dynasty.

"It is out of gratitude to you, General, that I cannot bear to see you make such a mistake. General, please go on your way, and do not let your brothers look down on you!"

Gao Xinggui said, holding the knife.

Of course, Liu Rengong ultimately chose to commit suicide.

He also knew that Gao Xinggui was truly kind-hearted, after all, the Imperial Advisor only wanted him to commit suicide, not to exterminate his entire family.

As Liu Rengong took the knife, filled with resentment, and severed the carotid artery, Youzhou, which had been divided for over a century, returned to the control of the Tang Dynasty. Of the three old Hebei towns, only Weibo remained, and even then, it was crippled. The new Yanshan Road Military Governor, Wang Xiaojie, immediately began to implement the militia system and continued his war against the Khitan, carrying with him over two hundred years of hatred.

This time, we will not rest until we have annihilated the Khitan.

On the same day that the Imperial Preceptor entered Youzhou, the Emperor of Liang finally got up from his daughters-in-law's clutches and announced that he would personally lead an expedition to punish the rebels in Guanzhong.

but……

The order was given to all the provinces to assemble troops in Guanzhong.

King Yang Wo of Wu, King Ma Yin of Chu, King Qian Liu of Wuyue, and King Li Cunxu of Jin.

Even Wang Jian.

Of course, Wang Jian did not submit to him.

In fact, the Emperor of Great Shu has not yet declared himself emperor. He did invite Li Keyong to join him, but Li Keyong refused. He even issued a proclamation to the world to punish Zhu Wen, but no one paid him any attention. He also wanted his ministers to force him to declare himself emperor, but the ministers, who already knew about the new Tang Dynasty in Chang'an, ignored him. This has made him very agitated lately, as he really wants to be emperor. However, the problem is that the ministers don't want to be left with no way out. If the Grand Tutor attacks, they will still be Tang subjects, and at most one of them will die. But if Wang Jian declares himself emperor, then they will all be traitors and their entire families will die.

(End of this chapter)