Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 279 Cursing

"General Sun is heading to Pengcheng?" Liu Daogui was overjoyed.

Meng Gan said, "The news I learned this morning is that Huan Xiu has ordered all the armies in Yan and Xu provinces to capture and kill them."

Where is he now?

"The waterways have been cut off by Huan Xiu's navy, and General Sun has entered Beihai County from Sheyang."

"Pass on my military order: in Yanzhou and Xuzhou, anyone who dares to touch General Sun is my enemy!" Liu Daogui slapped his thigh.

At this time, the Northern Army was in a state of panic.

If they could protect Sun Wuzhong, they would be setting an example for all the Northern Army.

To be a leader, you need to have the ability to protect people.

Liu Laozhi, Sun Wuzhong, and Liu Gui all fought bloody battles against the Di and Qin dynasties and made contributions to the country and China. Although some of them brought this upon themselves, the others did not commit any major mistakes.

Huan Xuan's swift and decisive strike was actually a way of pushing the Northern Army away from his side.

Without saying a word, Liu Daogui mustered his cavalry and sailed down the Si River, heading straight for Donghai Commandery.

Originally, some people tried to intercept Sun Wuzhong, but after receiving Liu Daogui's military order, they all returned.

The title of "Commander-in-Chief of the Military Affairs of Huai and Si" was actually a very vague power. Yanzhou was considered part of Huai and Si, and Huainan to the south was also part of Huai and Si.

Therefore, these counties dared not disobey Liu Daogui's military orders.

Offending Huan Xuan wouldn't be a problem for a while, but offending Liu Daogui would mean a massive army would be pressing in on their borders in no time.

After Liu Laozhi's death, Liu Daogui became the most powerful general in the Northern Army.

"Report! He Danzhi is leading two thousand of his troops behind our army!" A scout came running from behind.

He Danzhi is Huan Xiu's man; he wouldn't sit idly by and watch something this big happen.

"I didn't look for him, but he came looking for me instead!" Liu Daogui turned his horse around. "Meng Ganzhi will lead the scout battalion to meet General Sun. The rest of you will come with me to meet this Prefect of Yanzhou!"

"Leader!"

The 1,500 riders around him roared.

The horses' hooves thundered as they galloped westward.

They caught up with He Danzhi in less than half a day.

This man was also a veteran of the Northern Army, a contemporary of Liu Laozhi, and had experienced many trials and tribulations. Upon seeing the cavalry approaching, he immediately formed a battle formation with shields in front, spears in the middle, and bows and crossbows in the rear. A cavalry force of two hundred men patrolled the northwest.

This can be considered the standard formation of the Northern Army.

Everyone remained calm and composed, showing no sign of faltering in the face of the galloping hooves.

If a real fight breaks out, the outcome is still uncertain.

Instead of being angry, Liu Daogui was delighted, determined to acquire this elite Northern Army force.

"Uu——"

The warhorses slowed down, and 1,500 cavalrymen stood in front of the infantry formation in one go.

Surrounded by Liu Zun and Xiao Chengzhi, Liu Daogui spurred his horse forward, pointed his whip at the other side, and said, "What, don't you even recognize me? Are you all going to rebel?"

As far as the eye could see, the soldiers all lowered their gazes.

"Where is He Danzhi?" Liu Daogui's reputation has grown increasingly prominent over the years, making him a leading figure in the Northern Army.

"Commander Liu, what a magnificent sight!" A middle-aged general clad in gleaming armor strode forward, accompanied by a dozen armored soldiers.

Liu Daogui, mounted on his horse, looked down at them and asked, "You acted without my orders, sending troops without authorization. What is your punishment?"

"I am acting on the orders of Lord Huan to capture the traitor Sun Wuzhong!" He Danzhi showed no fear, his imposing manner undiminished, and met Liu Daogui's gaze.

However, he revealed his weakness as soon as he opened his mouth, thinking that by bringing up Huan Xiu, he would have a powerful backer.

"You say Sun Wuzhong is a traitor, but do you have an imperial edict or a military order to send troops?"

The first level of officialdom crushes people to death.

Liu Daogui's position as the military commander of Huai and Si provinces overshadowed everything else, especially in military affairs.

Huan Xiu is currently in Guangling, and his influence is too far to reach him.

He Danzhi was taken aback.

Liu Daogui gave him no time to react, and sternly rebuked him: "You are also a veteran of the Northern Army, and you fought alongside General Sun against the barbarians. We are of the same blood, why are you so eager to kill each other? Did General Sun raise an army in rebellion, or did he commit murder and arson? How can he be a traitor? Don't make false accusations!"

Huan Xuan had a pretext when he killed Gao Su and Zhu Langzhi.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Sun Wuzhong took the initiative to flee north, and the court did not have time to convict him.

“You…” He Danzhi frowned, and the veins on his forehead bulged. It seemed that he was also an impatient person, otherwise he would not have fallen out with Liu Laozhi back then.

But the soldiers around him had shifty eyes.

The phrase "We are all born of the same root, why are we so eager to harm each other?" touched the hearts of these people.

The Northern Army soldiers were related by marriage and lived together in Guangling, Jingkou. They saw each other all the time, and after eighty years, their bond had become stronger than blood.

It was one thing for He Danzhi to defect to the Western Army, but he also had to deal with Sun Wuzhong, who was also from the Northern Army. People have their own judgment.

Liu Daogui gave him no chance, "As a member of the Northern Army, you want to kill your former comrade-in-arms? You are not worthy of being called a human being!"

The sound was as loud as thunder.

In front of so many people, they didn't give him any face at all.

The soldiers around him looked at him with disdain. He Danzhi's face turned from red to green, then from green to purple, with veins bulging on his forehead, and he gripped his spear tightly with both hands.

"What, are you going to commit treason and attack me, Liu Daogui? Come, let all the brothers of the Northern Army see who the real traitor is!" Liu Daogui still looked down at him condescendingly, urging his horse forward step by step.

Today, Liu Daogui is no longer a nobody fishing, chopping wood, and selling shoes on the banks of the Yangtze River. After years of traveling between the north and south, he has developed a commanding presence.

Moreover, every word and action I take today is guided by righteousness and reason.

The Northern Army was a separate faction and did not really obey the imperial edicts. They listened to whoever had the highest prestige and the greatest reputation.

Back then, they listened to Xie Xuan, and later to Liu Laozhi. Now, in the Northern Army, the most influential figures are undoubtedly Liu Daogui and Liu Yu, who are also from the Pengcheng Liu clan, making them the most orthodox of all.

At least one-third of the people in Jingkou's ancestors followed Liu Daogui's grandfather, Liu Jing, from Pengcheng to Jingkou to settle down and make a living.

The infantry formation slowly moved backward, exposing He Danzhi in front. "You—"

Liu Zun pressed his advantage, "People from the Northern Prefecture won't harm other people from the Northern Prefecture. If you're a true brother, come over. We'll provide plenty of good wine and meat. Why should you live under someone else's roof and suffer that humiliation!"

The infantrymen looked at each other, having witnessed firsthand the treatment the Jianwei Central Army had received over the past two months.

Comparisons are inevitable in private.

Immediately, more than a hundred people threw down their weapons and turned to run towards Liu Daogui.

"Hahaha, good brother!" Liu Zun laughed loudly, looking up at the sky.

The soldiers hugged each other, creating a lively scene.

He Danzhi was trembling all over.

Liu Daogui took a few more steps forward, "Every soldier in my Northern Army is of unyielding integrity. How could we have ever produced such a shameless and cowardly person as you? It's one thing if you want to be a dog, but you've also dragged our brothers down with you. How will you face our ancestors in the afterlife!"

Upon hearing this, at least half of the men threw down their weapons and stood behind Liu Daogui.

Life may not matter, but we cannot bring shame upon our ancestors.

"He Danzhi, do you know your crime?" Liu Daogui stared at him coldly.

Suddenly, everything became quiet.

All the soldiers' eyes turned to him.

This is a silent question.

If he had remained hidden in Pengcheng, hiding in a cowardly manner and not coming out, Liu Daogui wouldn't have been able to do much about him. But now that he has taken the initiative to stick his head out, he has only brought shame upon himself.

Liu Daogui gripped the hilt of the Marquis of Xinting's sword, his warhorse slowly approaching him. Now, even if he were to behead him, no one would have a say.

"puff--"

He Danzhi coughed up a mouthful of blood, swaying as he was about to collapse when his men caught him. "General!"

Liu Daogui examined him carefully and couldn't tell if the guy was genuinely dizzy or pretending because he sensed something was wrong. But by doing this, he was essentially admitting defeat.

The remaining infantrymen also stepped forward, saying, "General, please forgive us. We were just following orders and had no idea what was going on!"

Liu Daogui waved his hand and said, "This is none of your business. Xiao Chengzhi, listen to my order and lead the brothers back to the city. He will treat General He. The rest of you will come with me eastward to welcome General Sun."

"I accept the order!" Xiao Chengzhi bowed and stepped forward.

In a single encounter, He Danzhi was dealt with, and two thousand elite troops were recruited. Liu Daogui was overjoyed and fainted. Huan Xiu had nothing to say.

Sending He Danzhi's Northern Army up here is no different than throwing meat buns to a dog...

The Northern Army's power never came from the imperial court.

As the army marched eastward, no soldier dared to stop them upon seeing the "Liu" banner in the counties along the way; some even offered pigs and sheep as a sacrifice.

Liu Daogui was in charge of military affairs in the Huai and Si regions, while Liu Yu held the position of Prefect of Xiapi. The Huai and Si regions were almost entirely within the sphere of influence of the two brothers.

Less than two days later, they met up with Sun Wuzhong in Houqiu.

Upon seeing Liu Daogui, tears streamed down his face. "Agui, you must avenge the Northern Prefecture and avenge Daojian!"

The men around him all began to sob.

The saying goes, "When the rabbit dies, the fox grieves." Liu Laozhi had served as the chief general of the Northern Army for so many years, and all his achievements were genuine. He was not well-regarded while he was alive, but when Huan Xuan displayed his corpse in the bustling market of Jiankang, it aroused the grief of many veteran soldiers of the Northern Army.

"Huan Xuan's mutilation of Governor Liu's body is an insult to our Northern Prefecture. We will settle this score one day!" No matter what, Liu Laozhi was also a member of the Liu family of Pengcheng.

"If you can avenge your grievances, you will be the master of the Northern Prefecture! My old brothers will definitely acknowledge you!" Sun Wuzhong harbored deep-seated hatred.

Liu Laozhi had lived a life that was hated by everyone, but he never expected to have such a comrade-in-arms. He could say that his life had not been in vain.

Liu Daogui nodded heavily, "General, rest assured! Come with me back to Pengcheng first, and we'll plan our next move gradually!"

After Liu Laozhi's death, the burden of the Northern Army unknowingly fell on Liu Daogui and Liu Yu.

Anyone with a modicum of sense would know that Huan Xuan would not let the Liu brothers, Daogui and his brother, go.

Given Huan Xuan's personality, it's unlikely that he would continue to keep to himself and avoid conflict indefinitely.

Whenever someone rises to power in the Northern Army, they will inevitably be suppressed by the imperial court. This was the case with Xie Xuan in the past, and it is the case with Liu Laozhi now. Liu Daogui and Liu Yu in the future will be no exception.

From the moment they were born, the Western Prefecture and the Northern Prefecture were in opposition to each other.

Upon returning to Pengcheng, Dai Qizhi arrived with an imperial edict from the court.

"By imperial decree, Sun Wuzhong is to be executed immediately and his head sent to Jiankang!"

Though only a few words were spoken, the pressure they conveyed was as imposing as Mount Tai.

This was not an imperial edict, but a threat from Huan Xuan, and even more so, a test!
“The Governor-General must be careful; this edict is no small matter,” Dai Qizhi said solemnly.

(End of this chapter)