"Kill the enemy and make achievements, now is the time!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

"Kill all these traitors, leaving no one alive!"

The organized killing began. The Qingzhou soldiers led by Dian Wei were bloodthirsty at this moment, and showed no mercy to the rebels who dared to resist.

After several rounds of iron-blooded suppression, the battle was soon declared over, and the flag of the Yanhan dynasty was once again raised on the city wall of Fei County.

The rebel leaders were basically identified and beheaded in public.

Que Xuan, who claimed to be the emperor, was also tied up like a dumpling and escorted to Cheng Yu and Guo Jia.

Cheng Yu was the supreme commander of this war, so he was the only one who could make the decision on how to deal with Que Xuan.

"Are you Que Xuan?"

Cheng Yu glanced coldly at Que Xuan, who was forced to kneel on the ground, with a gloomy expression.

Que Xuan laughed bitterly: "Que Xuan is just a name. At this point, why do you have to ask such a question?"

Although Que Xuan admitted it frankly, Cheng Yu still sent people to verify it several times before confirming Que Xuan's identity.

In fact, Que Xuan’s real name is not Que Xuan at all, but his original name has completely lost its meaning after he became Tao Qian’s pawn.

Cheng Yu looked down at Que Xuan with a cold tone, and asked, "Did Tao Gongzu send you to attack Taishan County?"

Que Xuan wanted to die quickly, so he confessed: "Yes."

This answer confirmed Cheng Yu's previous guess.

It turned out that the traitor Que Xuan was a puppet created by Tao Qian. His claim to be emperor was fake. His real purpose was to take the opportunity to harass Yanzhou and avenge the fall of Pengcheng and Xia Pi.

In order to get more information, Cheng Yu asked again: "Did he say that he would send reinforcements to support us?"

Que Xuan knew that he was going to die, so in order to die more easily, he revealed all the inside information he knew: "Yes, he said that as long as I can attack Mount Tai, I can advance, if I can't advance, I will defend or retreat, and he will send troops to support me."

Que Xuan had no idea of ​​any more news.

It was obvious that he was just a discarded pawn thrown out by Tao Qian.

Even if Que Xuan could finally return alive, Tao Qian would definitely kill him as a sacrifice to avoid giving others a chance to criticize him.

Dian Wei was filled with righteous indignation when he heard this: "This Tao Gongzu is really not a good son. He actually cooperated with the rebels. How is this different from rebellion?"

Cheng Yu was much calmer: "Now the world is in chaos, and the princes are rising up. Who really takes the court seriously?"

After all, the one who controls the imperial capital Luoyang right now is not the little emperor who is just over ten years old, but Wang Jing who dominates the Central Plains with absolute military force.

Who among those who are ambitious does not want to achieve great things and compete for supremacy in the Central Plains?

Therefore, even the weakest princes might not be willing to submit to the Luoyang court controlled by Wang Jing.

"Que Xuan, you call yourself the Son of Heaven. This act of rebellion is unforgivable."

Cheng Yu immediately called a group of soldiers and said, "Come here, take him down and chop him off, and hang his head for everyone to see!"

"Yes!"

"Hahaha, kill me, kill me! I don't want to live in this dark world any more!"

Que Xuan let out a hysterical cry, as if life was playing a joke on him. At the peak of his powers, the executioner cut his sword and everything came to an abrupt end.

Dian Wei did not quite understand Cheng Yu's actions: "This man is colluding with Tao Gongzu, why not send him to Luoyang and announce it to the world, so that everyone can know Tao Gongzu's ugly face?"

Cheng Yu shook his head and sighed, "It's useless. Que Xuan is just a tyrant and a traitor, while Tao Qian is a famous scholar in the world. We don't have any solid evidence. With just a traitor's confession, we can't do anything to Tao Qian, who came from a Confucian school."

As for the treatment of Que Xuan, they simply chopped off his head and put an end to it all to avoid trouble.

On the other hand, Chang Xi and others, who thought that the attack on Fei County would involve a bloody battle outside the city, were simply dumbfounded.

They stood there in amazement, and did not come to their senses until the city was broken.

It was the first time that a mechanical creation like the stone cannon appeared in front of them, and the shock it brought was unprecedented. How could a group of bandits coming out of the mountains have ever seen the power of civilization and technology?
On weekdays, apart from drinking, eating meat and playing with women, what they are best at is swinging big knives to chop people.

Killing is the only talent they are good at and can be proud of in their miserable lives.

However, in the face of the terrifying destructive power of the stone cannon, their little tricks were simply not worthy of being put to use.

Even Wu Dun, who had always been arrogant and self-conceited, now looked at Guo Jia with completely different eyes and attitude. Before the battle started, he thought that the government army needed his assistance, so he repeatedly spoke ill of Guo Jia in front of him.

But just now, the huge stone cannon smashed around, not only smashing the city wall of Fei County and the hopes of the rebels, but also smashing the only remaining pride in Wu Dun's heart.

Even without me in this battle, Cheng Yu could easily capture Fei County. It would just take a little more effort.

Wu Dun walked up to Guo Jia and bowed his head, saying, "Master Guo, I apologize for any offense I have caused you."

Guo Jia turned around upon hearing the voice and glanced at Wu Dun with a sidelong glance: "Oh, look at your humble look, are you finally willing to give in?"

"Yes, I am convinced. I am convinced wholeheartedly."

Wu Dun sighed. He knew that his plan to gain more benefits through a tough stance was now completely shattered, because he could see that if he did not show his docile side, his future would be very bad.

If I were to be on Guo Jia’s blacklist, I’d probably die without even knowing how!

From the very beginning, his little trick could not be hidden from Guo Jia, who was good at observing people's hearts.

Everyone has their own little calculations. Guo Jia didn't care about Wu Dun's little moves. He thought silently in his heart: "Although Wu Dun and Yin Li are unruly, they really want to surrender. All the previous things are just to sell themselves to the higher price before surrendering. This is human nature."

"As for Changba, he seems to be obedient, but in fact he has ulterior motives and ulterior motives. He can be killed or released. The only thing we cannot do is to keep him by our side, otherwise he will cause trouble sooner or later."

In recent days, Guo Jia has been acting with the Taishan bandits, nominally in command and dispatch, but in fact he is secretly observing the conduct and character of Chang Xi, Wu Dun and Yin Li, in order to determine who can be recruited to surrender and used for his own purposes, and who is not trustworthy and should be guarded against carefully.

After a period of observation and testing, Guo Jia also determined that Wu Dun and Yin Li were rough people with bad tempers but very straightforward, and they said everything they said.

Only Chang Xi, who appears rough on the outside but is vicious and cunning on the inside, is difficult to subdue.

Therefore, Guo Jia made a decision immediately. After the battle, that night, he secretly called Wu Dun and Yin Li over and asked, "Are you two willing to follow my master and plan great things together?"

Wu Dun and Yin Li had experienced the defeat in Dongguan, and were now homeless and helpless, so the edges in their hearts had been worn down a lot. They knew that they were not cut out for great things, so they began to think about finding a wise leader and making a living.

Therefore, as soon as Guo Jia opened his mouth, the two of them immediately bowed to the ground: "We are willing!"

"Very good. When this is over, you will follow me back to meet the Lord."

Guo Jia was very satisfied with their attitude. Although Wu Dun and Yin Li were not particularly outstanding in terms of talent, they could at least be ranked among the third-rate generals and could still do odd jobs.

As Wang Jing's territory becomes larger and larger, now is the time to recruit people, and it would be great to have more talents available.

Wu Dun and Yin Li looked around but did not see Chang Xi. They immediately understood.

Guo Jia only recruited them, but did not recruit Chang Xi!

The two men came up with ideas instantly. Wu Dun was bolder and volunteered, "Guo Jijiu, how about we set up a plan to kill Chang Xi and then annex his troops?"

Guo Jia glared at him with disdain, and said in a contemptuous tone: "You are just playing the piano. Now that we are all in the same camp, why would I do something that would make my relatives sad and my enemies happy?"

It was really not a good time to kill Chang Xi. Although Guo Jia himself did not care much about his own reputation, he could not ruin Wang Jing's reputation.

He invited Chang Xi to fight, killed him after winning, and annexed the enemy's troops. If this kind of thing were to spread, who would dare to come to help in the future?
Wang Jing was not a short-sighted person like Yuan Shu. He could not do such a thing under any circumstances, otherwise the generals under him would inevitably become disloyal.

From this point of view, Wu Dun's suggestion is a completely bad idea.

What's more, Guo Jia also felt that it was a waste to let Chang Xi die like this.

Although Chang Xi is unruly, he still has some value. We can squeeze him dry and then kill him with justification. This is the best way to make the best use of people and things.

Wu Dun and Yin Li were driven away by Guo Jia, and then Guo Jia called out Chang Xi who was eavesdropping on the side and looked at him with a smile: "You heard what I said just now, what do you think?"

Chang Xi was furious, his eyes were red, but he couldn't utter a word.

After all, he and Wu Dun were just drinking buddies. When things were beneficial, they stood shoulder to shoulder and called each other brothers. When things were not beneficial, they would naturally stab each other in the back.

Chang Xi was prepared for this kind of thing.

But when the time came, I was still very angry, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

And the culprit behind all this was standing right in front of him, and he even wanted to draw his knife and chop Guo Jia to death on the spot.

But he didn't dare, not only because Guo Jia was always followed by several skilled secret guards, but also because of Guo Jia's identity.

Now he is in Wang Jingjun's territory. If he really wants to kill Guo Jia, he cannot leave Fei County.

Guo Jia didn't care about Chang Xi's anger, let alone his thoughts. He smiled and pointed out a clear way for him: "Taishan, you can't go back. But I can make the decision and secretly support you to gain a foothold at the junction of Qingzhou and Xuzhou. Whether it is weapons or food, I can provide you with it, provided that you show your value."

Facing Guo Jia's burning gaze, Chang Xi hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "What do you want me to do?"

"Of course I want you to go back to your old job. Aren't you the best at robbing and robbery? You don't need me to teach you, right?"

Guo Jia looked as if it was a matter of course, as if he was not worried that Chang Xi would not agree.

As for Chang Xi, an ungrateful person like him, it is better to let him go and let him harm others than to keep him around.

For example, the Donghai County of Xuzhou governed by Tao Qian, where Tancheng is located, has a population of up to 1.5 million, and the county is plagued by serious land annexation. After Chang Xi arrived there, he was able to easily gather a large number of troops. With his abilities, he might not be able to capture cities and strongholds, but he would have no problem making Tao Qian sleep uneasy.

Therefore, Guo Jia’s meaning was very clear. I can give you food and weapons, but as for manpower, you can go to Xuzhou to find it yourself. There are refugees everywhere there.

Chang Xi thought about it and nodded: "Okay, then it's a deal!"

In his opinion, after the previous turmoil, Xuzhou's current situation has shown signs of instability, so it should not be difficult to form a team.

Even after Tao Qian's death, maybe he could take advantage of the opportunity to occupy Donghai County and be the master of his own house. Wouldn't that be happier than being a dog for others?

Langya County, Dongguan County.

A young general wearing black armor and a red cape fluttering behind him walked up to Chen Deng and said, "Brother, when can we go to the battle? Staying in the county town all day is really wearing out one's patience."

"You, you, can you be more calm?"

Chen Deng was helpless as to what to do with his second brother Chen Ying.

Although he was born into a scholarly family, Chen Ying liked to wield swords and guns since he was a child, but he didn't like reading. In his previous battle in Dongguan to expel the Taishan bandits, his performance could only be described as mediocre and not outstanding.

But Chen Yingren was addicted to it. After defeating Chang Xi, he felt it was not satisfying enough, and wanted to attack Mount Tai with Que Xuan to fight against the world-famous Wang Jingjun.

Fortunately, Chen Deng was not as impulsive as him. He quickly stopped the matter and said that they should wait for the opportunity and must not act impulsively.

But how could Chen Ying have such patience?
It has been nearly ten days since Que Xuan attacked Taishan County. Chen Ying waited and waited, but still did not see the opportunity for battle that Chen Deng mentioned, so he became anxious.

Chen Ying came here today hoping to persuade Chen Deng to allow him to send troops.

Chen Deng was just worrying about how to dissuade them when suddenly a scout came running outside the door to report the military situation on the front line: "Captain Diannong, the troops of Fei County were defeated, Que Xuan was beheaded, and Cheng Yu, the governor of Rencheng, led 10,000 main forces and is approaching the border of Xuzhou."

"Is this true?"

When Chen Ying heard the news, he was immediately shocked.

Chen Deng was also shocked and frowned, wondering: "How could Que Xuan be defeated so quickly?"

Although Tao Qian had not informed Chen Deng about Que Xuan's identity and strength, Chen Deng was so smart that he could guess some of the situation.

Therefore, he had no expectations for Que Xuan's success.

What Chen Deng wanted before was just to hope that Que Xuan could delay for a while to consume Wang Jing's strength and create internal unrest in Yanzhou, so that those restless families and powerful families in Yanzhou would have the opportunity to cause trouble.

Unfortunately, Que Xuan was defeated so quickly that Tao Qian was unable to use many of his combos before the battle ended.

Chen Gong was still extremely surprised by this. After all, Que Xuan had clearly attacked Yanzhou's weak link with great momentum. If he was given some time, he would be able to quickly draw in a large number of refugees and plunge the entire northern part of Yanzhou into war.

If they take the opportunity to advance, they will be able to seize a lot of territory, plunder people, property and food, and stabilize the internal situation in Xuzhou through military victory.

However, just when everything was planned, Que Xuan died.

This was extremely frustrating. Chen Deng paced back and forth in the county government office, constantly thinking about the current battle situation and how to proceed.

Chen Ying, however, waved the sword in his hand and shouted, "Brother, why think so much? Let's fight. Are we afraid of them?"

"No, as Sun Tzu's Art of War says, if you know yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. We don't know the combat effectiveness of Cheng Zhongde's troops or the specific military situation. If we rashly choose to go to war, it will be tantamount to death. For now, the top priority should be to consolidate the defense line. We must not lose the big picture because of small things."

Chen Deng's mind was still clear and he did not send out troops rashly.

In Chen Deng's view, the Huaipu Chen family is a prominent family in Xuzhou. It can be said that the fate of the family and the interests of Xuzhou have long been deeply tied to each other, and they share honor and disgrace.

If we risk launching an attack at this time, even if we win, we will only gain a small profit.

But if we were defeated and the enemy took advantage of the situation and attacked Xuzhou again, it would be a catastrophic disaster.

Now Tao Qian's condition is getting worse, and Xuzhou really can't withstand such turmoil.

Chen Deng did not move his troops, while on the other side, Cheng Yu led the main force, while Guo Jia and Dian Wei each led a small force, and the three parties swept the remnants of the rebels along the Wushui River and finally met at Yuting.

An army of 10,000 set up camp on the spot and built temporary fortifications, looking ready for a great battle at any time.

Cheng Yu sent out scouts and quickly collected information about the military trends in Xuzhou.

"The captain of the agricultural department, Chen Yuanlong, led 8,000 soldiers and horses and stationed in the Linyi area. It seems that he is strengthening the city wall and has no intention of advancing on us."

The information brought back by the scouts made Cheng Yu and Guo Jia frown.

It was obvious that they were trying to bait and fish, but their opponents were not fooled.

Guo Jia could not help but sigh and said, "Chen Yuanlong of Xuzhou is really worthy of his reputation. I thought he was only good at managing the country and benefiting the people, but I never thought he was so proficient in marching and fighting. Things are going to be difficult."

Cheng Yu was also troubled by Chen Deng's decision to wait and see: "This man was able to defeat Chang Xi, so he must be a man who knows military affairs. Now he is defending Linyi City and refusing to come out. I'm afraid it will be difficult for our army to break through for a while."

When attacking Fei County, some parts of the giant stone cannon had suffered considerable wear and tear. At the same time, the mountain roads from Mount Tai to Langya were rugged, making the transportation of large engineering equipment very difficult.

Guo Jia observed the map and sighed again: "I think Chen Yuanlong is well aware of our army's weaknesses, so he deliberately chose Linyi for defense."

Linyi City is adjacent to the Mengshan Mountains, with a very complex terrain structure and huge geographical advantages.

Guo Jia put himself in Chen Deng's shoes and thought that if he were in Chen Deng's position, he would definitely divide his troops to guard the strategic passes, strengthen the official walls, and defend. (End of this chapter)