Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 530 Drawing the sword and looking around at a loss

Where to go?

Gao Huan actually already had the answer in his mind.

Sima Ziru suddenly asked for a meeting, and Gao Huan invited this good friend who had followed him since the Six Garrisons to the secret room.

Sima Ziru has experienced a lot of changes.

The two of them had been through hardships together for a long time. When they fled from the Six Towns, although they were in a very miserable state, they had never been so desperate.

At that time, the world had just begun to fall into chaos, with good and bad people rising up. Gao Huan had great ambitions and believed that he could rise from the troubled times. No matter how difficult the times were, Sima Ziru never lost faith.

But what about now?
The outcome of the world's situation is about to be decided, and Gao Huan is on the wrong side.

Since ancient times, what will be the consequences of standing on the wrong side? Sima Ziru, who was well-educated, knew it best.

The two were silent for a long time, and then Sima Ziru spoke:
"He Liuhun."

Gao Huan remembered that no one had called him that for a long time. Even the most rebellious Dou Tai had gradually changed over the years and started to refer to himself by his position.

Sima Ziru was humble and polite by nature, and attached great importance to hierarchy. He started by calling Gao Huan "He Liuhun". Gao Huan realized that this conversation was unusual.

He leaned forward and Sima Ziru said:

"Gao Lang, the time has come to see the outcome of the world's situation."

Gao Huan also nodded. What Sima Ziru said was also what he had been thinking about in recent days.

"General Tianzhu has retreated to Bingzhou. The next step is to take Jizhou. If Duke Su conquers Jizhou, it will become a situation where the dragon is trapped."

Gao Huan let out a long sigh.

Bingzhou’s natural barrier is both a fortress and a cage.

Moreover, Bingzhou's resources are limited, and relying solely on one state is not enough to control the world.

Once Jizhou, the heart of the Central Plains chessboard, is controlled by Su Ze, then Hebei, Qi, Lu, and Henan will all fall under Su Ze's control.

No matter how capable Erzhu Rong is in fighting, can he really use one state to fight against the entire north?
Su Zekun also trapped Erzhu Rong to death.

Gao Huan also faced the same choice.

If he surrenders now, he might be able to have a chance to live a life of leisure and wealth. With his old relationship with Su Ze, he can also become a wealthy man.

If he waited until Su Ze conquered Jizhou before surrendering, the situation in the world would have been determined by then. If he surrendered then, he would probably lose even his status as a rich man.

Gao Huan fell into confusion.

Sima Ziru said:

"Gao Lang, I know you are unwilling to accept this, but the world situation has come to this point. It is useless to be unwilling."

Gao Huan let out a long sigh. He was just a small envoy back then. He was very happy to have a meal and wine. At that time, he definitely could not have imagined that he would have the status he has today.

But human desires are like this. As their desires continue to grow, Gao Huan becomes increasingly dissatisfied with his current status and wants to climb to a higher position.

He betrayed others several times because the original system could no longer meet his growth needs, so he resolutely left.

But now the world situation is about to enter its final chapter, and I have chosen the wrong team, and I will never have the chance to choose again.

Just as Sima Ziru said, given his relationship with Su Ze, he might end up as a rich man.

Gao Huan gritted his teeth and finally said:
"An envoy is needed to go to Lord Su and ask for surrender."

Sima Ziru immediately said, "Ziru is willing to go!"

Gao Huan said:

"In this case, we must have some merit before we can surrender, such as the Eight Khitan Tribes?"

Sima Ziru nodded and said:

"exactly."

Gao Huan said dejectedly:

"I'm afraid that when people talk about me, He Liuhun, in the future, my reputation won't be much better than Lu Bu's."

Sima Ziru was also dejected. He even felt that Gao Huan was overthinking it. He was just a small local warlord who had struggled in Liaodong for a while. He was afraid that he would not even be qualified to be recorded in history books. At most, he would be mentioned in Yuwen Tai's biography in the future as a footnote to Yuwen Tai's achievements.

But Sima Ziru sighed softly, this was already the best choice for his group.

Sima Ziru did not dare to delay and immediately set out for Shangdang.

After Su Ze captured Jingxing, he quickly marched towards Jinyang.

But Su Ze was not in a hurry, because there were people who were more anxious than him.

Erzhu Rong rushed all the way from Fukouxing to Jinyang. He wanted to return to Jinyang before Su Ze attacked. When he arrived in Jinyang after such a rapid march, he was exhausted, most of his armor was lost, and one third of his horses were killed.

However, Erzhu Rong received news that after Su Ze broke through the Jingxing Pass, he did not speed up his advance, but slowly repaired this ancient Qin and Han Road and built another pass in the Jingxing Pass, named "Niangzi Pass". Is Su Ze making fun of him?
Erzhu Rong didn't know that Niangzi Pass also had a story, but it was a story from later generations.

When Li Tang started his rebellion, Princess Pingyang of Li Tang led her troops to garrison here. Princess Pingyang's troops were known as the "Women's Army" at the time, and were later named after this.

There is probably no Li Tang in this world anymore, so Su Ze gave this pass this name as a commemoration of his travel through time in his previous life.

Although Erzhu Rong was angry, he could do nothing to Su Ze at this time.

The Xiurong area north of Jinyang kept sending letters asking for help. Su Ze's brother-in-law Dugu Xin kept moving south from Yanmen Pass and invaded the Xiurong area.

The elite troops under Erzhu Rong were all from Xiurong, so Xiurong had to rescue them at this time.

In addition to the threat from the north, Pingyang (Linfen), an important town in the south of Bingzhou, was also being attacked fiercely by Yu Jin.

For Erzhu Rong, the top priority now is to rescue Xiurong and stabilize the morale of the army.

His only chance to break the impasse was to defeat Su Ze's army on three fronts in one fell swoop, and then change the situation with a huge military victory, just like he did when he defeated Ge Rong.

But can Su Ze give him this opportunity?

Erzhu Rong inexplicably thought of Xiang Yu.

Xiang Yu was never victorious on the battlefield. Every time Liu Bang saw Xiang Yu, he would wear full armor and hide behind the city wall. All the battles that Xiang Yu personally commanded were always victorious.

But such a Xiang Yu was besieged little by little by Liu Bang, and finally surrounded by enemies on all sides at Gaixia, he drew his sword and committed suicide.

Don’t think about these unlucky things!
Erzhu Rong forced himself to calm down, and after briefly handling government affairs in Jinyang, he immediately led his troops to Xiurong.

But when he arrived at Xiurong, he saw the ranch in a mess. A large number of people and livestock had been looted, leaving only charred tents and dead grass.

But just when Erzhu Rong set out, Dugu Xin had already led his troops back to Yanmen Pass, leaving Erzhu Rong no chance for a decisive battle.

When Erzhu Rong looked at the solid walls of Yanmen Pass again, he felt as if he was about to draw his sword and look around, feeling confused.

I have drawn the sword, and it is the sharpest sword in the world, but I don’t know where to swing it?

(End of this chapter)