The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 232: Long Spear Guarding the Tang Dynasty Soul (Part )
After deciding to come to the king's aid, the Zhao army set out quickly, but did not go directly to Luo.

Wang Zimei's idea is to control Hanoi. If the emperor is just talking big and not taking action, and just sits back and watches the princes fight, then wait. On the contrary, he will also guard Hanoi, cut off the passage of the rebels to the north and the passage of the rebels to the south, and prevent the two from joining. In short, while preserving strength as much as possible, he will prevent the powerful enemy from gaining benefits in terms of troops and territory in the war to quell the rebellion, so that the sage can focus on Henan.

Facts have shown that Wang Zimei was right.

After Wei Bo also sent troops to blockade the Heyin area and refused to allow the Jin army to pass through, Taiyuan, whose ambitions were restricted by geography, either went to war with Chang'an, Zhao, and Wei, or remained silent, or sent out a small group of troops to fight against the rebellion. Seeing that Li Keyong chose a third party and confirmed that the sage was marching to Tokyo, Wang Zimei led 20,000 people to continue to stay in Huaizhou, alert for any changes, while Xiao Xiu led 10,000 people to cross the river.

In exchange for the secession of the "kingdom", it was the custom of the Hebei vassal states that they would participate in the rebellion and serve the king without the imperial court providing them with logistics, food and fodder, and rewards, and they had to prepare everything themselves. Although the Zhao people were always wealthy, Chengde was not close to Hanoi, and the situation was unclear. Therefore, Wang Zimei, who was prepared for a long-term battle to defend the city and the blockage of the food supply route, did not give Xiao Xiu much baggage. The entire army only had one month's worth of dry food, and they had to forage for food if they had nothing to eat.

Since arriving at Mangshan, they have been eating moldy vinegar cakes. They wanted a change of taste. After such a great chaos, all the people in Henan Prefecture fled, and the fields were left unattended. The crops that were planted day and night rotted in the water during the rainy season. These days, Xiao Xiu and his subordinates were looking for wild vegetables, harvesting wheat seedlings, and chewing sour fruits to nourish their teeth while waiting for the battle to start. They were not used to the climate and soil, and they were vomiting and having diarrhea, and sighing in the village.

The fire pit under the thatched hut was burning with live firewood, and the thick smoke made every warrior sitting or lying there wave their hands and cover their faces.

Xiao Xiu looked at them and scolded them, "Is it hard to find some dry firewood? Zimei was blind to choose you guys to lead the troops. You sit there like a corpse when you report for duty in the morning, and you doze off the whole afternoon. You don't even want to heat up the vinegar cakes. I didn't suffer from the Bian bandits, but I am frustrated by you guys, a bunch of lazy dogs!"

After being scolded by him, the bare feet lying there were too lazy to move, just pretending not to hear. Some people even murmured: "Cutting wood and cooking is a disgrace to martial virtues and culture. I won't do it."

"There are tens of thousands of Shatuo cavalrymen, and I just charge at them. It's hard work, but yesterday I was peeling rabbits."

"A Xiu, are you going to ask the saint for some cattle and sheep? I am so anxious that I can't help but rob."

"I can only kill people, wash clothes and cook... I am a common laborer, how many do I need from the saint? Alas, if I was not tortured by loyalty, I would have returned home long ago! In Changshan, I wore a tall hat and a wide belt, enjoying the beauty of the world... Now I am not here to serve the king, and I have to be scolded by the bird people... Anyway, I will lie here and wait for death. If the saint wants me to do something, Ah Xiu can call me."

"Shut up!" Xiao Xiu had no way to deal with these dozen yamen masters, so he pointed and walked away. The place where he was was a small deserted village surrounded by a camp. A dozen thatched huts were used as residences by officers and soldiers, which was considered the headquarters.

Holding a piece of grass in his mouth, Xiao Xiu returned to his shabby house.

There was also an old man living inside. He was half blind, dressed in rags, and as thin as a leech. He was one of the owners. Xiao Xiu heard about his family affairs on the first day he arrived. His wife was eaten, and one of his four sons was taken into the army by Sun Ru. One joined Zhu Wen and there was no news. His two daughters-in-law were captured and made into prostitutes when the Bian army attacked Hezhong. The remaining two sons fled to other places before Emperor Li came. The granddaughter who lost her mother starved to death... He was the only burden left to look after them. From then on, Xiao Xiu listened to the old blind man's nagging all day long. He shared his food and drink with him, hanging on to his life.

He sat down next to the old man on the threshold and gave him a cake.

The old man dipped the food in water and chewed it slowly.

"Do you want to fry soybeans?"

"I'm full, I'm full, you go ahead and do your own thing..." The old man pressed his face against the stick, waved his hands quickly, and repeated in his voice: "I've had enough of living, I've had enough of living..."

Xiao Xiu chewed the soybeans and felt an indescribable feeling in her heart.

The Yellow River separates two worlds. Hebei is still shrouded in the afterglow of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, while Henan... living can be so painful.

Suddenly, a subordinate came over and said, "Report, we received a messenger who claimed to be the General of Wu Ben."

Xiao Xiu immediately stood up and went to see the messenger. The General of the Central Army was not polite and said, "General Xiao, the emperor orders you to immediately move to the north of the east bank of the Hengshui River and attack Zhu Youlun."

Considering the possibility that if you don't move, I won't move either, the saint did not notify Xiao Xiu in advance, but gave the order after the fight started.

"The saint is fighting fiercely with the rebels in Hengshui?"

"Exactly!"

"When did it start?"

"After offering sacrifices to the heavens at dawn, we crossed the river. It is now almost noon."

Xiao Xiu counted with his fingers and realized that he had been chopping for two full hours. His location was not far from Hengshui, but it would take some time to catch up, so the army had to set out immediately.

"Send the order!"

"The entire army will join the battle at Hengshui!"

"Dong, dong, dong..." A large group of Zhao soldiers in bright clothes and riding horses got up from their beds and marched south at a leisurely pace. In just half an hour, more than 10,000 Zhao soldiers, led by the messenger, arrived at a hill near Hengshui with rolling sand and dust.

Just as the witch Yuanyin predicted. The weather had turned from sunny to cloudy, the sky was dark and rolling, thunder was rumbling, purple lightning was flashing, the weather was dark as the eclipse at dusk, and a thunderstorm was brewing. In the wilderness with ups and downs, interlaced mountains and rivers, and uneven forests, colorful flags were surging like waves, and countless warriors were deployed in various formations such as circles, cones, squares, and long snakes. Small groups of cavalry and infantry ran around in between. It was as dark as a group of ants, and also like layers of raging waves.

There were cries, howls, screams, curses, clamor, gongs and drums, all kinds of sounds mixed together.

The overwhelming number of arrows in the air were like a swarm of locusts passing by.

Xiao Xiu looked into the distance and saw only steaming pools of fresh blood, and a forest of long spears, rows of armor and shields, all buried in the dust. There was no end in sight.

Xiao Xiu took one look and felt as if she was possessed by Wang Congxun. Her head felt numb, her teeth chattered, and her trembling limbs were instantly covered with goose bumps. Her pupils also began to dilate and become dull, and the whites of her eyes quickly became bloodshot; it was as if she was entering a certain mode.

The saint is really a talented killer!
With such a big plan, we just do it.

"Where is the saint staying?!" he asked the General of the Central Army.

"There!" Zhonglang pointed his whip at a certain location and explained loudly.

Xiao Xiu looked over, but saw yellow earth all over the sky, and couldn't see clearly at all! He could only vaguely see the dense black dots moving in it, and could only hear the rumbling of horse hooves, the roars and curses that covered one wave after another, and the terrifying sound of guns stabbing into flesh that made people's legs weak!

Ahhhhhh! The deafening roar of killing was heard.

Xiao Xiu was in a trance, his temples and chest were throbbing, his eyes were bloodshot, as if he would die at any moment. Behind him, the faces of the tens of thousands of soldiers who were resting, eating, and forming battle formations were as cold as ice, and none of them said a word. Only a few of the killers glared at Xiao Xiu, "You must break through the battle formation quickly! Break through the battle formation! Fight hand to hand! Charge in at once! Show your momentum! Enter the battle formation with the Longweibei Shuofang army! Enter the battle formation! Enter the battle formation!"

Officers and generals were shouting at the top of their lungs, like crazy: "Breaking through the enemy lines! Breaking through the enemy lines! After a whole morning of fighting, both the enemy and us are exhausted! Kill people! Kill people! Chop off a mountain of heads! Let a lake of blood flow! The thieves are doomed!"

Without any warning, Xiao Xiu climbed onto his warhorse, his red eyes swept around, and he let out a weird cry that didn't match his handsome appearance: "Kill Zhu Youlun! Seize the battle!"

His hoarse roar was extremely penetrating, and the soldiers exploded in an instant. Hundreds of riders had already rushed out, roaring down from the hillside like a torrent!

The irregular raindrops fell and hit the armor, making a crackling sound. Then a horse was seen rushing down the mountain. The horse's figure was nimble, with a helmet lifted and long black hair in disarray. Behind Xiao Xiu, rows of black-armored warriors followed, rumbling and moving.

Xiao Xiu just kept looking back and grinning: "Seize the formation! Seize the formation!"

Kill the wood and start!

The rebel Zhu Youlun had already detected them.

The Bian army, who were resting on the ground, built a line of defense.

One by one, the Peng cards stand tall.

Spear tips extended from the shoulders of the sword and shield warriors.

A number of slender steel knives were raised upright.

The archer squinted to measure the distance.

Soon, the Zhao cavalry approached the front. The front Bian soldiers leaned out, some with their hooks and sickles ready, and some with their bows drawn.

"Try your arrows!" Xiao Xiu and Zhu Youlun shouted almost at the same time, and each shot an arrow first. Then they heard a Zhao army mount neighing and a Bian army soldier screaming while covering his calf.

"Shoot!" The two sides shot at each other instantly.

The cavalry passed left and right in front of the formation, shooting arrows and crossbows in a simple and unpretentious manner.

The Bian army archers took turns drawing their bows. After the front shooter finished shooting, they would sit down to rest, and the ones behind them would take over. It was that simple.

The Zhao army held up rattan shields covered with mud and continued to advance.

Xiao Xiu only felt the sound of whizzing above his head. In a blink of an eye, he heard two knights who were moving at high speed beside him fall to the ground with a bang. Under the effect of inertia, their mounts flipped over on their heads! The knight who was thrown away rolled on the ground several times, curled up his body, and held his head with both hands bent towards his abdomen. The comrade who was rushing towards him suddenly reined in his horse and pulled the rope to bypass him. But the knight shouted: "Charge! Charge! Jump over me! Don't slow down! Wait for someone to come back and pull me back!"

All kinds of noises mixed together.

Xiao Xiu pushed back the arrows flying towards him while urging, "Go, go, go!"

There were several arrows hanging on the armor plates on his body.

In the blink of an eye, another rider was knocked down!
Xiao Xiu rushed to the front of the Bian army, turned his horse's head suddenly, twisted his horse's butt, and immediately rushed back! Xiao Xiu took advantage of the brief opportunity to turn around, swung his spear to open a handful of arrows, and stabbed them fiercely.

He had incredible arm strength, and with this swing of the spear, he saw a Bian soldier behind the shield had his collarbone pierced, and the tip of the spear with fascia and flesh attached to it came out from the back of his neck. Then, with a scream, Xiao Xiu grabbed the joint and lifted him up, holding it above his head and flying away.

In a flash, the frenzied warhorse had rushed out more than ten steps. Xiao Xiu swung his spear back, knocking the man on the spear back into the Bian army formation.

The Bianren fell to the ground like a meteor, creating a ball of mud. His sharp screams turned into a slow, stuttering and vague: "Ah... cough... oh..."

The little eyes stared straight at the dark sky filled with thunder and lightning.

Heavy raindrops hit my body, washing away the blood stains.

I am dead...

The little eyes were still open, and the broken fingers pressing on a piece of wild grass gently stopped trembling. He was already the man in the girl's dream.

After this man was killed, Xiao Xiu kept moving, galloping back and forth, shouting like a madman: "Charge, charge, charge!"

The Zhao army had advanced fifty steps.

Under the guidance of the yamen, the warriors in the front row shouted in unison, exerting psychological pressure: "Surrender or not! Surrender or not! Surrender or not!"

"The big thief dies, the small thief dies!"

"The big thief is dead! The little thief dies today!"

"A million-strong army is heading to Luoyang! A million-strong army is heading to Luoyang!"

"Gods and Saints above! Capture the pig monster!"

"Who are you working for? Who are you working for?!"

"You can't cross the river! You can't cross the river!"

"You actually crossed the river?! You actually crossed the river?!"

"Fall into the river and die! What can we do?"

"Those who switch sides are heroes! Those who remain stubborn are bitches!"

"You're looking for death, you're looking for death, you dare to die??? Go home, go home, go home quickly!!!"

"Let's return home and raise our voices! Let's fight back!"

Thousands of people spoke in unison, and the effect was very shocking. The sounds of rain and fighting were suppressed. The condemnation, threats, persuasion, pity, and encouragement in these voices were so obvious. The best strategy is to attack the enemy's strategy. This is all. After being shouted at like this, the morale of the Bian army changed immediately. Some people stared at a certain place in confusion and began to doubt their lives. Some people looked at the officers around them with doubts and fierceness in their eyes.

The people of Zhao would not be confused, and they scolded him without hesitation: "You rebelled against Tiangang! You conspired to usurp the throne! You are deeply sinful! You are intolerable to humans and gods! You are stubborn and stubborn! You are willing to degenerate! Kill, kill, kill!!!"

Rumble!
Along with thunder and lightning, the Zhao army's battle array sounded the exciting drums: "Boom boom boom boom..."

“The time to build a career is now!”

"Shi Xi! Forward!"

"Kill!" The endless stream of infantrymen suddenly quickened their pace, wading through waves of yellow mud: thump thump!

The archer knelt on one knee and drew his bow like a moon: whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The cavalrymen endured the dense arrows and rushed to the front of the battle array at the cost of dozens of horses, swinging their spears and stabbing fiercely: Puff Puff Puff Puff...

Ten steps! Both sides could already see each other's strange but clear appearance.

"Hoohoho!"

"Yeah yeah yeah!"

The first row of soldiers stabbed randomly with their guns. Those who could stand here were all veterans. However, even if they were skilled, even if they could defeat ten thousand enemies, it would not mean much in such an occasion. Blood and flesh flew everywhere, and in one round, thousands of lives were lost. Who dared to claim to be invincible? Who dared to claim to be undefeated? People fell down in rows, and were replaced one by one; it was also a line-up execution in the era of cold weapons.

A Zhao soldier was dragged out of the team with his intestines pierced and his armor stuck in his chest. He kicked his legs to try to break free, and turned his head to look around, as if looking for someone: I will die here as soon as I see you, does the saint know? I died for you, you must -

"Fuck you!" Another person was lifted into the air, and before he could even curse, he was stabbed into pieces by gunfire from both sides.

"Swoosh..." Arrows flew in his face, and the head of a general of the Bian army instantly turned into a hedgehog. He reached out to help his subordinates, but before he could touch them, he stumbled back and bumped into the arms of a soldier: "I... I'll leave everything to you..."

"die!"

"Hebei dog, I'll fuck your mother!
The fight on the front line is monotonous, boring and cruel.

Bang! Xiao Xiu's horse smashed into the crumbling battle line of the Bian army.

More than a dozen Bian soldiers were knocked down on the spot.

"kill him!"

But—bang!

Bang bang bang bang...! In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred riders stepped through the gate.

On the embankment, Zhu Youlun's eyes widened and rounded: "Using cavalry to trap infantry?! The Zhao thief is willing to cut himself into pieces!" But before he could say anything, his expression suddenly changed - the rumbling of horse hooves was heard in the distance.

The misty rain seemed to shudder, and then more than two thousand riders rushed out of the water curtain.

"Turkic Tartars!"

The cold rain washed over their armored horses. The beasts under their crotches ran wildly, breathing out heavy white breaths, and rolled over like a typhoon: "The Mo Li Army is coming!"

"Saint, help us!" Someone in the Zhao army shouted. They were already somewhat discouraged, but suddenly their morale was boosted. They became invincible and shouted in unison again: "You are looking for death, you are looking for death, you dare to die??? Go home, go home, go home quickly!!!"

Capture the pig demon!

Xiao Xiu stabbed the horse's butt with a knife, causing blood to splatter. He let out a long cry: "Seize the formation! Seize the formation!!"

The war horses ran wildly in the formation.

The hundreds of knights who had smashed into the formation did the same thing, and the horses began to gallop. The Bian army was in a panic, drawing troops to deal with the incoming Mo Li army, fighting with the Zhao army, and encircling and suppressing Yi Ma and Xiao Xiu.

"Brother, I can't hold on any longer, you come on!" Someone threw away his spear and turned around and ran away.

"Da da da da..." The mud flew, and the Mo Li army rushed at lightning speed, almost drawing their bows and arrows at the same time from a hundred steps away. After shooting a few arrows, the horses also soared to the limit, and the scarlet horse spears were densely aimed at the Bian army formation, and with a loud scream, they hit it!
"They've been invaded! They've been invaded!" The Bian army shouted in panic, and the long-shaken formation collapsed. Some of the warriors in the front row were still fighting with the Zhao army. Looking around, they saw people shouting and running everywhere.

"Hey, guys, sign your orders! Sign your orders!" The Zhao army's main battle formation also collapsed. Most people threw their spears to their feet, drew their swords, shouted and pushed away their own battle fronts, and swarmed into the enemy formation.

"You are shameless and will go to see the King of Hell!"

"Bitch! Is your mother a whore?!"

"Puff!" A Bian soldier who staggered to his feet was hugged from behind, his hair was pulled upright, and the blade began to saw through his neck.

Boom, boom, boom! The strong men behind were so excited that their drums beat like thunder.

"Let's go!" After slapping the officer in the face, the Bian people ran away.

"We've lost, we've lost!" The cowardly mushroom quickly spread, and one Bian army soldier after another pushed and hacked at those who stood in their way in a rage, regardless of friend or foe.

"Get out of here!" Zhu Youlun was about to mount his horse and run away, but a soldier grabbed him off his horse, kicked him away, and then rode back on.

Ling Yuzhen lingered for the rest of the line, left and right edge wounds.

The haze is used to pull two wheels and four horses, and the jade sticks are used to beat the drums.

Due to the heavy rain, Zhu Youlun's troops were defeated.

The Zhao army and the Moli army gathered their formations. The infantry and cavalry held long spears and stuck them in the mud, forming a black line in the rain and fog, watching the fleeing Bian army and the wider battlefield in the distance.

For a moment, it was quiet in the midst of noise.

Wu Zai.

(End of this chapter)