After the issuance of the decree to allow cross-border bandit suppression, the northern counties immediately shocked. Some were happy and some were worried that strong counties could compete for resources and expand local interests, while weak counties could only be controlled by others, while the counties that were suffering from bandits were affected.

But they all expressed their support.

But whether it is support or opposition, most counties remain unmoved, and no one wants to be the first leader and keep a wait-and-see attitude. The first county to propose cross-border bandit suppression was Qi County.

Three days after the decree was issued, Zhang Xutuo, the prefect of Qi County, formally submitted an application to the Ministry of War to suppress the bandits across the border. The Ministry of War immediately approved Zhang Xutuo's application and allowed him to suppress the bandits across the border.

In late November, Zhang Xutuo personally led 10,000 county soldiers into Jibei County and launched a winter offensive. In Yushan east of Yanggu County, Zhang Xutuo defeated the leader of the bandits entrenched in Jibei County in a battle.

Han Jinluo's army beheaded 10,000 people and captured more than 30,000 people. Han Jinluo led thousands of remaining troops across the ice of the Yellow River and fled north in panic.

Zhang Xutuo did not chase the defeated army. At the end of November, Zhang Xutuo led 10,000 troops to Shouzhang County, which was only fifteen miles away from the border of Dongping County, and only thirty miles away from Liangshan where the bandits in Dongping County gathered.

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It was the cold winter season, and the south bank of the Yellow River was also a snowy world. Due to years of bandits, the hundreds of miles of Jibei County were deserted and devastated. It was difficult for officers and soldiers to suppress bandits. They were defeated repeatedly and were defeated. They could only hide in the city. The countryside had basically handed over the hand.

Give it to the rioters, and there is no one living there. The poor people die or flee, or they become bandits, and those with slightly rich families flee into the county town. The villages are broken and ruins, and wild dogs are rampant.

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Zhang Xutuo's army was stationed in the east of Shouzhang County and consisted of hundreds of large tents. At this time, Zhang Xutuo rode a horse to a hill west of the military camp, looking at the snow-covered hills and forests in the distance.

Zhang Xutuo is fifty years old this year. The years have carved deep marks on his face, but his eyes are still grim, calm and erotic, which makes the love in his life disappear with the years, but he never thought of it.

When he was fifty, the God of Fate finally favored him. Yang Jizhi was transferred to Hongnong County, and he was promoted to the prefect of Qi County for his contribution to the extermination of the bandits in Changbai Mountain and was awarded the title of Yinqing Guanglu Dafu.

In fact, he also knew that this was his apprentice Yang Yuanqing who fought for him. Zhang Xutuo only sighed in his life. He married a good woman and shared the hardships with him. He took over a good apprentice, who was young and promising.

Treat your master as your father.

The real purpose of his cross-border bandit suppression this time was to be entrusted by Yang Yuanqing to wipe out the Liangshan bandits in Dongping County. Yang Yuanqing told him very clearly. The bandits on Liangshan were not actually rioters, but his father Yang Xuangan's secret.

Yang Yuanqing did not want his father to rebel, but could not persuade him. He could only use cross-border suppression of bandits to destroy Yang Xuangan's foundation, so that he could not rebel.

Zhang Xutuo understood Yang Yuanqing's pain and helplessness very well. Between the family and the Sui Dynasty, Yang Yuanqing had no choice. He was unwilling to destroy the family nor betray the Sui Dynasty. This moved Zhang Xutuo very much. He secretly swears,

It is necessary to fulfill the reputation of his disciple and make him loyal and filial. In any case, he will never want his disciple to be guilty of rebelling against the Great Sui Dynasty forever. "Master, when will we launch an attack?" Zhang Xutuo's other disciple Luo Shixin

asked quietly from the side.

"Awaiting for news from the scout!"

As soon as Zhang Xutuo finished speaking, a personal guard pointed at the distance and shouted: "The prefect is back!"

I saw a few black dots appearing on the snowy wilderness in the distance, which was particularly clear, and the black dots were getting closer and closer. It was a few scouts who rushed towards this side at lightning.

After a moment, several scouts rushed in. They turned over and got off the horse and ran towards the hills. A scout team knelt on one knee in front of Zhang Xutuo, "See the prefect!"

"Can Liangshan intelligence be detected?"

"Report to the prefect, there are teams in Liangshan going down the mountain and moving towards Juyeze!"

Zhang Xutuo sneered, is this the bandits in the Liangshan Rebellion going to escape?

Zhang Xutuo turned around and ordered, "Where is Qin Qiong?"

Several generals were among the sidelines, Qin Qiong urged the horse out and clasped his fists and said, "I'm not here!"

"I will give you three thousand troops. You will lead your army to the Changsheng Island of Juyeze. The island is a granary of bandits. You can occupy it directly!"

"I will obey the order!"

Qin Qiong urged the horse to run away, and Zhang Xutuo said to the generals: "Tell me the order to raise an army and kill Liangshan!"

Several generals said, "Prefect, Liangshan is Dongping County, can we go?"

"Why can't you go?"

Zhang Xutuo said sternly: "I am ordered to suppress bandits across borders. The Ministry of War has not restricted my scope. Whether it is the bandits in Yushan in Jibei County or the bandits in Liangshan in Dongping County, they are all my scope of bandits suppressing bandits.

Don’t worry, send troops!”

Ten thousand troops were divided into two groups. Qin Qiong led 3,000 people to the frozen Juyeze, while Zhang Xutuo led 7,000 troops to kill Liangshan more than 30 miles away.

In Yuncheng County, people's thinking seems to be frozen to the point of being frozen, and they are unwilling to think too much about changes. For ordinary people, this has no effect and will not hinder their lives, but for a county

Yang Xuangan, the prefect, had his slow reaction, which would cost him a heavy price.

A report soldier who was riding a horse brought him a dangerous message. Zhang Xutuo, the prefect of Qi County, led 10,000 troops to annihilate the rioters of Jibei County, Han Jinluo's army, and the Qi County army was in great danger.

Killing to Zhang County.

This news made Yang Xuangan stunned for a moment. Zhang Xutuo was the prefect of Qi County, so how could he come to Jibei County to suppress bandits?

After a while, Yang Xuangan suddenly turned around and searched in a pile of documents on the table. Some time ago, he seemed to have received a court certificate.

After searching for a long time, he found a document sent by the court more than ten days ago. There was a label on the document, indicating that he had not finished reading it yet.

I remember that it was his second son Yang Rong who had a son. The news made him extremely happy, so he didn't have time to finish reading the imperial certificate. Later, the certificate was mixed with other documents, and he forgot, and he vaguely remembered it.

It seems that there is a cross-border bandit suppression, four words.

Yang Xuangan looked through the document and sat down. This document was actually a summary of many imperial edicts of the court, and was sent to various counties regularly, just like a compilation of documents, with everything in it, and information needed.

Most of them are irrelevant.

Yang Xuangan turned to page seven, and he saw the intention of cross-border bandit suppression, allowing cross-border bandit suppression in various counties. Yang Xuangan's heart seemed to fall into an ice cave. Once cross-border bandit suppression was allowed, then his si army in Liangshan

He lost his protection.

"Ming Gong!"

Li Mi rushed into the room like a gust of wind, sweating profusely, "Ming Gong, please send someone to stop Xuan Jing and not allow him to go down the mountain."

"Do not be anxious and say slowly, what happened?"

Li Mi stomped her feet in a hurry, "It's not that I'm in a hurry, it's too late if I don't stop it."

Li Mik suppressed his anxiety and said, "I just received news from Wang Bodang that Xuan Jing led the army down the mountain and headed towards Juyezawa."

Yang Xuangan was also surprised, "I did not give such an order. Why did he lead his army to leave Liangshan?"

Li Mi didn't know what to say, but he finally sighed: "It is probably because Zhang Xutuo's army arrived, which put too much pressure on him, so he had to abandon the mountain and flee."

Yang Xuangan was speechless. Although he didn't want to admit it, in fact, his cousin Xuan Jing was poor and could not command 20,000 people. The reason why Yang Xuan Jing was responsible for the Liangshan army was because Xuan Jing was the eldest son of the second uncle.

, and the second uncle controls the Yang family's financial power.

"Ming Gong, the most urgent task now is to let Xuan Jing lead his army back to Liangshan immediately. If he gets off Liangshan, he will give Zhang Xutuo an opportunity."

Yang Xuangan nodded, then called a confidant, gave him a token, and told him: "You should hurry to Liangshan immediately, intercept Yang Xuangan's army halfway, tell him, just say it was my order, let him immediately

Lead your army back to the mountain and you are not allowed to go down the mountain.”

The confidant took the token and hurried away. Yang Xuangan sighed again, "Master, I guess I can't continue this path anymore. Look at this!"

Yang Xuangan handed the letter to Li Mi. Li Mi looked at the contents and looked at the letter again. It turned out to be the letter from half a month ago. Why did he notice it now?

Li Mi was silent for a moment and said, "In fact, it may not be necessary. The key is to remain silent. You cannot let outsiders know how many troops there are in Liangshan. Like Wang Bodang, he has five thousand troops under his command, but outsiders don't know at all. Those who know it think he only has two or three hundred.

As long as the army is kept secrets well, there is no need to worry about cross-border bandit suppression."

As Li Mi finished speaking, a burst of rapid footsteps ran out from outside. Yang Jishan ran quickly, "Brother, it's not good!"

"What happened?" Yang Xuangan asked a little uneasy.

"I just got the news"

Yang Jishan said angrily: "Xuan Jing's army was caught up by Zhang Xutuo's cavalry. Xuan Jing was defeated. Countless people were killed and surrendered, and 15,000 people were wiped out."

Yang Xuangan's blood rushes and his eyes suddenly turn blood red after hearing this. After a while, he screamed, kicked his desk over with one kick, and the documents flew around.

Li Mi was quite calm. He pulled Yang Jishan outside and asked him quickly, "Where is Xuan Jing?"

The only thing Li Mi is worried about is Yang Xuanjing. If Yang Xuanjing is arrested, then Yang Xuangan’s secret will be leaked.

Yang Jishan shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I heard that he escaped first. Before Zhang Xutuo's cavalry arrived, he left the army and fled first. The army had no owner, so it was so easy to be defeated."

At this time, another soldier rushed in and bowed and said, "Report to General of the Commander, the news came from Juyeze. The Liangshan bandits were occupied by the Qi County army in the warehouse of Juyeze Changsheng Island. It is said that there are countless food and grass."

The expression on Li Mi's face froze. He glanced at Yang Xuangan's room. He didn't know what Yang Xuangan would react after hearing this news.
Chapter completed!