Chapter 257: Returning safely

That night, clouds were still shrouded in the sky, without the moon, the earth was pitch black, and the Yan army camp was quiet. It seemed that after a day of fierce battle and a day of march, the Yan army soldiers fell down exhausted. They were not aware of the arrival of danger, and only the guard post patrolled the tower. Three miles away from the camp, He Fu looked at the Yan army camp anxiously and excitedly. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After yesterday's fierce battle, He Fu had discovered the weakness of the Yan army, that is, the cooperation of the Yan army was not tacitly matched.

Although their cavalry was sharp, their soldiers and infantry could not effectively cooperate with the cavalry. He knew that this was not a command problem, but insufficient training. The court army also had this problem. However, the number of large soldiers in the court was 200,000. This was the difference in number, which was enough to make the court army defeat the Yan army in the end. He Fu knew very well that the King of Yan also discovered this problem, so he was eager to return to Peiping, hoping to rely on the advantages of the city to resolve his disadvantages. Now He Fu was very excited, and he had found a way to defeat the Yan army.

But what made him anxious was that Li Jinglong's army had not arrived yet. It was already the second update. Even if their march was not as fast as the cavalry, it was still time to arrive. He looked south from time to time and anxiously waited for Li Jinglong's attack signal.

The mantis stalked the cicada, and the oriole was behind him. He Fu led 10,000 cavalry to wait anxiously, but he didn't know that behind a hill five miles away, a raid army composed of 50,000 cavalry had quietly approached, just like a group of wolves sneaking near the prey. The 50,000 cavalry stopped the war horses behind the hills and tied the reins, trying not to let the war horses neigh. The elite of the Yanshan Iron Cavalry was fully reflected at this time. The 50,000 cavalry was like five people, with neighing movements and firmly controlling the murderous aura. They were ready to charge at any time.

King Yan Zhu Di was still wearing a golden helmet and a golden armor. He stood on the hills and stared at the front with his eyes. The night was too dark and he could not see the situation of the enemy, but he could feel that the prey had entered the net. His prey was two, one was the general Ping'an who almost killed him, and the other was the deputy general He Fu, who was excellent in command. As long as these two people were removed, the 600,000-strong army of the court would be a sick tiger with its minions removed and could be slaughtered by him.

‘Three sounds of cannons!’ Zhu Di murmured a few words. He looked at the sky and turned around and asked, “When is it now?”

"Report to Your Highness, it's the second update now."

In the second update, Li Jinglong's army should have arrived from a common sense. He immediately ordered: "You can fire a cannon!"

After a moment, three dull cannon sounds came from the hills, which were particularly far away in the quiet darkness. You could hear them ten miles away. Suddenly, the shouts of killing sounds shook the sky. An overwhelming army came from the front towards the Yan army camp, and the flames shone into a sea.

He Fu was about to send someone to visit the situation, suddenly three dull sounds of cannons came, and then shouted killing sounds shook the sky. There could be vaguely seen endless fires pounced on the Yan army camp in the south. He Fu was overjoyed. He turned over his horse, waved his sword, and shouted sternly: "The time for the Ming Dynasty men to be loyal to the emperor and the court is here. Kill the camp! Capture the King of Yan alive."

"kill!"

Ten thousand iron cavalry rushed towards the Yan army camp like a sharp steel knife.

"Brothers, kill the King of Yan and reward the silver and kill it!"

On the other side of the camp, the roar of the general Ping'an echoed in the night, and there were also ten thousand cavalrymen, rushing towards the Yan army camp with thunder.

On the hill, Zhu Di showed a cruel smile, and he said coldly: "If you take He Fu, the head of peace, you will be promoted to the third level, and you will be rewarded with tens of taels of gold. If you capture two people alive, you will be rewarded with double the bounty!"

Fifty thousand cavalry were like a black ocean. After silence, they suddenly burst out with murderous aura. The dense sound of horse hooves hit the ground, as if the earth was trembling. They swung their swords and murderous aura swept through the heavy night.

In Hejian Prefecture, in the camp by the Liaodong Army, several scouts rushed towards the camp like lightning.

In the commander's tent, Li Wei was sitting in front of the sand table and pondering. Several aides were discussing the possible consequences of the Battle of Bazhou in a low voice. The Yan army was 400,000 and the imperial army was 600,000. They just learned about the battle situation on the first day. The two armies were tied, and they also learned the details of the battle from the scout's information. Due to the slow cooperation between the Yan army's infantry and cavalry, the Yan army was led by the general Ping'an to two, which eventually led to the high mobility of the Yanshan Iron Cavalry, and the court army finally gained a little upper hand.

It can be said that in this battle, firstly, the command strategy of deputy general He Fu was very correct, trapping the Yan army's cavalry at all costs, and secondly, the general Ping'an and Yonglie were very good. It was his sharp charge that successfully cut off the Yan army's infantry and cavalry.

But everyone was discussing the dramatic scene that happened at the end. The coach Li Jinglong actually let the King of Yan go away in front of everyone, which made everyone puzzled.

At this time, Shao Wenda walked to Li Weizheng and whispered: "Sir, I think Li Jinglong lets King Yan go before the battle, probably has another intention."

Li Weijing nodded and said, "I am thinking about this too. Sir, tell me what you think."

"I think the problem is most likely to be Han Qianjiao, the undercover agent of the King of Yan. Think about it, sleeping in the same bed with the King of Yan for so long, is that that woman just collecting information? What kind of pillow wind will she blow, and she will definitely persuade Li Jinglong to leave a way out for herself. Moreover, my subordinates have carefully read Li Jinglong's investigation files. In the record, Li Jinglong's interest in any woman will not last more than five days, but Han Qianjiao has been following him. This shows how important this woman is to him. Since this is the case, Han Qianjiao's persuasion to him will not be ineffective. So I dare to assert that Li Jinglong let the King of Yan go before the battle must be his show of kindness to the King of Yan, but it was just borrowing the emperor's imperial edict."

Li Weizheng sighed in a low voice and said, "You make sense. I also feel that Li Jinglong is a two-faced man. He wants to be the mainstay of Zhu Yunwen, but he also wants to leave a way out for himself. If he steps on two boats like this, he will definitely be used by the King of Yan. I think the 600,000 imperial army will be in danger."

"What should I do if sir?"

Li Wei was not speaking, and he stared at the capital. After a long time, he said to Shao Wenda: "There are more than 80,000 troops stationed near the capital, and there are 70,000 troops in Yangzhou. These 150,000 people are the last barrier of the court. If I am not wrong, once Li Jinglong is defeated this time, Zhu Yunwen will definitely transfer troops from Huguang back to defense. In that case, Lan Yu's pressure will be reduced. How can he not use this opportunity to march into Huguang? So I consider going to march into Huguang in front of Lan Yu."

Shao Wenda was surprised, "Has sir finally decided to intervene in the Ming Dynasty civil war?"

Li Weizheng nodded slowly and said, "I have been waiting for the opportunity. If Li Jinglong is defeated this time, I can gather at least 200,000 defeated troops in the imperial court. My army will reach more than 600,000. I can show the strength of the imperial court a little."

Speaking of this, Li Weizheng pointed at Huguang with a long wooden pole and said with a smile: "Besides, Huguang is a prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty. I have this place. I can defend against the blue jade and sit in the big place, reduce the pressure on Zhang Yi from Hanzhong, and retreat, and at least save some strength for the Ming Dynasty."

At this moment, a report from a soldier came from outside the tent, "Sir, the latest battle situation in Hebei is here."

"Come in!"

A scout, a hundred households strode into the camp, bowed half a kneel, and handed over a report of the situation: "Sir, the King of Yan deceiving his retreat, leading the court's army to pursue him. He Fuhe attacked the Yan army camp on Christmas Eve and was trapped. He Fu died in battle. General Ping'an fought a bloody path, and his whereabouts were unknown."

"What about Li Jinglong's main army?"

"Report to the Lord, He Fu and Ping'an each led 10,000 cavalry to attack the Yan army camp at night. At that time, Li Jinglong's main force was still a hundred miles away."

There was silence in the tent. After a while, Li Weizheng sneered: "Li Jinglong betrayed He Fuhe Ping'an."

He turned around and ordered: "Transfer my order and sent a hundred scouts to intercept Ping'an on all the way south. He was the first to discover the traces of Ping'an, and rewarded a thousand taels of silver. If he caught Ping'an, he rewarded five thousand taels of silver, but under no circumstances would he be harmed."

Qing County, Hebei Province, is where the Tuo River flows into the Grand Canal, and is an extremely important transit station along the canal. On both sides of the canal, hundreds of huge warehouses are out of sight. When they are prosperous, there are boats in the canal, and merchants are constantly traveling. Tens of thousands of coolies carrying cargo are supported on the dock. However, since the rebellion of the King of Yan, the busyness here is no longer visible. The merchants and tourists fled to the south, and the boats are gone. The coolies took their families to the Yangtze River Basin to make a living. The two sides of the canal have become deserted, and the status of Qing County has plummeted...

That afternoon, a team of about a hundred Ming cavalry came from the north. Most of them were injured, with miserable expressions and exhausted the war horses. They were the generals in their thirties, eight feet tall, with a tiger-backed and bear-waisted waist, dark skin, like half a black tower. His forehead and left arm were wounded, and gauze wrapped around him. This person was Ping'an, a powerful general who came out of hundreds of thousands of troops of the Yan army.

At this time, his eyes were filled with sadness and anger. He was going to the court to sue Li Jinglong for colluding with the King of Yan and betray them. He and his subordinates were almost injured. He came from Bazhou and walked for five days. Ping'an was finally exhausted.

At this time, he saw a county town appearing in front of him, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Is Qing County ahead?"

"General, Qingxian is ahead." A soldier replied.

Ping'an sighed. After walking for five days, they had only walked less than 300 miles. If this continues, Li Jinglong would have been defeated by the time he arrived in the capital.

"General, do we want to go to the county town to rest?"

Ping An looked around and saw a restaurant not far ahead, and said, "Go to eat something first, then decide on the recovery of physical strength."

Everyone was hungry, so they rushed to the restaurant. In the restaurant, a waiter heard the sound of horse hooves and hurried out. However, he saw a group of retreating cavalry coming. He couldn't help but complain in his heart. It was too late to run away. He had to bite the bullet and go forward and smile, "Mr., are you here to have a meal?"

"Take out all the food you eat in your restaurant!"

The sound of peace was like a thunderous sound, which scared the waiter to tremble. He turned his head to run to the restaurant and shouted, "Shopkeeper, if you want your life, take out all the food."

At this time, there were several merchants in the restaurant, all of which seemed to be in the same group. They also heard the sound of horse hooves and looked outside. At a glance, they saw Ping'an's tall figure and the famous large iron spear. Not only were the merchants not afraid, they were surprised in their eyes.

More than a hundred cavalrymen dismounted and walked into the restaurant. They immediately filled the small shop. Ping An sat down and took a sip of tea, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought. His personal soldiers walked to several merchants and slapped the table and said fiercely: "We have already booked it here. Get out quickly, otherwise, throw you all out."

Several merchants were so scared that they packed up their things and ran away. They walked more than a hundred steps. They discussed in a low voice, leaving three people to keep an eye on them, and the other two galloped south on horseback.

More than 100 people swept all the food in the restaurant. After dinner, they rested for another hour and recovered slightly. Ping An threw down a piece of silver. More than 100 people set off. In order to arrive at the capital earlier, they did not go to the county town to rest, but continued to rush south.

After walking for another day and one night, they arrived at Cangbei Station, which was more than thirty miles away from Cangzhou. Ping'an saw that everyone was so tired that they couldn't speak, so he said, "I won't leave tonight, so I'll rest at the station."

The people at the post station were almost gone, and only two officials were left. When the army arrived, they did not dare to neglect them, so they immediately boiled water and cooked them and tidied up the bed. The cavalry were already exhausted, and they ate a little bit of food, and then fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, Ping'an was suddenly awakened by a dense sound of horse hooves. "No!" He jumped up, grabbed the big iron spear and rushed outside the house. He heard that there were at least tens of thousands of cavalrymen in this sound of horse hooves. He rushed to the post station and was stunned. He saw that the fire outside the post station was bright, and the black army surrounded the post station and the war horses they were tied to the post station were gone.

"General, it seems to be the Ming army." A personal soldier quietly reminded Ping'an Road.

Ping An suddenly realized that this was not the army that King Yan came to pursue them, but the army of Ming. He let go of his heart and asked loudly: "Whose troops are you?"

At this time, a young general walked out of the fire and smiled at Ping'an and said, "General Ping, do you know me?"

In the fire, Ping An saw that although the general was wearing ordinary iron armor, he wore a golden helmet, showing his noble status, and seemed a little familiar. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly remembered and said in surprise: "Are you Li Weizheng?"

"Yes, it's me. I've been waiting for you for a long time." Li Wei was getting news that the scout found Ping'an in Qing County, so he immediately led his army to intercept him. His camp was on the seaside east of Cangzhou. He rushed for a day and finally intercepted Ping'an at Cangbei Station.

Ping An was puzzled, and he asked in a deep voice: "General Li, what is your intention to lead the army to intercept me?"

Li Weizheng smiled faintly and said, "I am here to save General Ping's life."

"Save my life?" Ping'an became even more confused. He asked quickly, "What do you say?"

"General Ping may not know that after you and He Fu's sneak attack on Yan camp, Li Jinglong sent 800 miles to report to the court that he told the court that you two did not listen to the order of the commander general, led their troops to attack without authorization, destroyed his plan, and demanded severe punishment on you."

Ping An was furious and pointed at the north and paused his feet and cursed: "Shameless villain, it was clearly because he colluded with the King of Yan and betrayed us. He even turned the tables. I don't believe that the court would believe his nonsense?"

Li Weizheng sneered, "General Ping, I'm afraid that when you arrived in the capital, Li Jinglong was defeated. At that time, in order to save his life, he would naturally put all the blame on you and General He Fu. He is Huang Zicheng, the emperor's most trusted person, twice. In order to hide his recommendation, will he let the emperor believe you? Besides, who is Li Jinglong, the son of Li Wenzhong, the royal relative, the emperor gave him a sling of the sky, and personally gave him a cart pusher. How favored is this? If the emperor believes in your words, isn't it equivalent to slapping himself? Think about it yourself, will the emperor add the blame to Li Jinglong? You always have to hold the responsibility accountable for defeating the war. Li Jinglong has already taken the initiative to sue you. You cannot bear this responsibility, who will bear it?"

"This..." Ping An lowered his head, and a look of pain flashed in his eyes. He knew that Li Wei was right. After the previous defeat, the emperor still let Li Jinglong be the head coach. It can be seen how much he believed in him. How could the emperor choose himself between himself and Li Jinglong? He went to the capital and really went back to die.

Seeing that he had already understood, Li Wei sighed and said sincerely: "General Ping, I'm not in the dark. The two managers in the post station are also my people. If I want to capture you alive, I just need to put some medicine in your diet, but I don't want to do that. I just want to have a good talk with you to let you know your situation."

Ping'an looked up at Li Weizheng blankly. After a while, he asked hesitantly: "Do you want me to join the Liaodong Army?"

Li Weizheng nodded and said, "I know very well that those three cannons were leaked to the King of Yan in advance. Just because you didn't take him seriously in the battle the day before yesterday, he wanted to use the King of Yan to get rid of you and General He Fu. You have no evidence to prove that he colluded with King of Yan, but he can accuse you of fighting without authorization and destroying his strategy. This is a matter of conclusion. In the world, only I can clear your grievances. Pacify General, I cherish you as a talent. I really hope that you can join the Liaodong Army and work with me to eliminate King of Yan, Lan Yu, pacify the world, and also have a bright sky in the Ming Dynasty. Are you willing?"

Ping An was moved. He pondered for a moment and said to Li Weizheng: "Sir, can you let me think about it?"

"Okay! I'll wait for you."

Ping An turned around and walked into the post station. At this time, Li Wei shouted behind him: "A real man stands between heaven and earth, and should make unparalleled achievements and be remembered in history. How can he die in depression?"
Chapter completed!