Chapter 857 Cut off the robe and abandon the beard!

While the fierce battle was in full swing in Heyi County, Xiaode County, less than a hundred miles away from Jinyang, was also very lively...
Looking at the fireworks rising in the county town and the slowly opening city gates, Wang Muzhi, who personally led 10,000 troops in a night attack, couldn't help but smile complacently.

As the saying goes, if you have a plan, I have a ladder. Your Fengwu Army can bribe the soldiers of my Yunbing Army to open the city gates.

I, Wang Muzhi, can use your own tactics to return the favor. I will first quietly place the Yunbing army soldiers in the city, and when you think you have taken the city, I will let them attack the city gates and open them from the inside.

Thinking of this, Wang Muzhi no longer hesitated and immediately called out to the Yunbing Army soldiers behind him:
"Brothers of the Yunbing Army! Kill all those damn Fengwu Army bastards!"

Listening to Wang Muzhi's words and looking at the open city gates of Xiaode County, the soldiers of Yunbing Army were also very excited. They rushed to Xiaode County one after another, fearing that they would not be able to gain any military merit if they were late.

Just when Wang Muzhi was feeling proud of himself and was calculating when Chen Wenzhao would lead his troops to withdraw, he suddenly heard deafening shouts of killing from Xiaode City, followed by the sound of countless firearms roaring the next second.

Wang Muzhi was stunned when he heard the voice. Before he could figure out what happened in the city, he saw two Fengwu Army cavalry units suddenly rushing out from both sides of Xiaode City.

"A reward of 1,000 taels of silver will be given to anyone who kills Wang Muzhi!"

"Long live the Fengwu Army! Long live Marshal Ye!"

"It's time to serve Marshal Ye!"

･･･････
･･･････
These Fengwu Army cavalrymen shouted slogans and were unstoppable like heavenly soldiers and generals, charging straight towards the Yunbing Army outside the city.

At this time, the soldiers of the Yunbing Army who stayed outside the city were all thinking about how to livelily after taking Xiaode County. They never thought that they would be suddenly attacked by the cavalry of the Fengwu Army.

Therefore, they were caught off guard and could not organize any effective resistance or counterattack, and their army formation was quickly broken through by the Fengwu Army cavalry.

Seeing these ferocious Fengwu cavalry charging towards his central army, Wang Muzhi was reminded by the surrounding lieutenant generals and guards. He realized that his confident plan had been seen through by the Fengwu Army, and they had set a trap for him.

Wang Muzhi, who understood everything, felt very ashamed and felt that he had failed Shangguan Hongyuan's trust in him. He immediately let out a long sigh.

"Master Prime Minister, Mu Zhi has failed to live up to your trust!"

After he finished speaking, Wang Muzhi, who felt that he had no hope of survival, drew out the long sword from his waist and committed suicide to apologize. However, before he put the long sword on his neck, the captain of the personal guards beside him, Wang Xiaofeng, quickly snatched the long sword from Wang Muzhi's hand and anxiously persuaded him:
"Governor, as long as you are alive, we will not lose!"

“You must not die now. If you die now, Jinyang will be leaderless and the Fengwu Army will definitely take advantage of the opportunity...”

At this time, another trusted general of Wang Muzhi, Lieutenant General Zhao Wenbin, came over and said anxiously:

"Governor, I will lead my troops to stop the Fengwu Army! Please leave quickly!"

“Wenbin! You…”

Wang Muzhi was also very moved after listening to Zhao Wenbin's words. He knew that by staying behind to cover the retreat at this time of disastrous defeat, Zhao Wenbin had already put his own life and death at risk.

Looking at Wang Muzhi's excited expression, Zhao Wenbin spoke with great enthusiasm:

"Governor, let's meet in the next life! I will still be with you in the next life!"

As soon as he finished speaking and saw the Fengwu Army getting closer, Zhao Wenbin led his troops forward without waiting for Wang Muzhi to reply.

Looking at Zhao Wenbin's tall back, Wang Muzhi felt as if his heart was being torn apart by a knife, and his eyes were filled with pain. At this time, the captain of the personal guards, Wang Xiaofeng, could not help but urge him:
"Governor, please leave! The Fengwu Army is too fierce. General Zhao and his men won't be able to hold out for long!"

After listening to Wang Xiaofeng’s words, Wang Muzhi, who was shrouded in shame and humiliation, finally gave up the idea of ​​committing suicide. He couldn’t let Zhao Wenbin’s sacrifice be in vain, so he and Wang Xiaofeng, along with dozens of personal guards, left the army and fled in the direction of Jinyang...
Seeing that their commander had already fled, the soldiers of the Yunbing Army, which was already doomed to defeat, had no desire to continue fighting. Those who could run immediately ran to the rear, and those who could not could only kneel on the ground, trembling in fear, and praying that the soldiers of the Fengwu Army would spare their lives.

Seeing this scene, Xun Ke, the commander of the Third Army of the Fengwu Army, who was in charge of this operation, immediately smiled and ordered his men beside him:

"The Marshal has instructed us not to kill any more people if victory is certain. Let us start recruiting people to surrender. Once our army has completely taken over Yunbing, we will rely on these young men to build Yunbing!"

"And we must not let Wang Muzhi get away. We must find him alive or dead! If we catch him, I will ask the Marshal for credit for you!"

"Yes! I will follow the commander's orders!"

Under Xun Ke's order, hundreds of Fengwu Army soldiers chased in the direction of Wang Muzhi's escape. Because it was dark, they could not see the surrounding situation clearly, so in order to remember Wang Muzhi's characteristics, these Fengwu Army cavalry shouted as they chased:

"The one wearing the robe is Wang Muzhi! Don't let him get away!"

Wang Muzhi, who was fleeing under the protection of his personal guards, heard the shouts and screams coming from behind him. He did not dare to think too much and immediately took off his armor.

After running for a while, another Fengwu Army cavalryman saw Wang Muzhi and immediately shouted again:

"The one with the beard is Wang Muzhi! His head will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!"

Hearing this, Wang Muzhi shuddered in his heart, and immediately cut off the beard he had grown for many years...
As the Fengwu Army was getting closer, Wang Muzhi had no time to feel sorry for his beard. He only regretted that he had not been born with a pair of wings and could not fly back to Jinyang immediately.

Wang Muzhi was not afraid of death, but he was afraid that his death would cause the Yunbing army in Jinyang to be leaderless, and the Fengwu army would have the opportunity to capture Jinyang. Although he was far away from Luoan, the power center, as the Yunbing governor of the Luoan court, Wang Muzhi was very clear about the situation of the court. He knew that the Luoan court was in a precarious situation due to internal and external troubles. If it encountered any major storms, the court would probably collapse!

The fall of Jinyang and the direct attack of Fengwu Army on Guanzhong would be a huge storm that could cause the Luoan court to collapse!
If this happens, Wang Mu will never be able to atone for his sins even if he dies!

Therefore, he must return to Jinyang as soon as possible to organize the military and civilians in Jinyang City to deal with the next offensive of the Fengwu Army!

Wang Muzhi only led 10,000 men into battle because he thought it wouldn't take too many troops to capture Xiaode County with the help of an insider. Now it seems like this was a blessing in disguise. Given today's situation, even if he had sent out all of Yun Bing's troops, failure would have been inevitable.

The only difference may be that more soldiers and horses were lost····························

Even though these ten thousand men were killed, he still had more than thirty thousand soldiers in the city. Even though most of them were young and strong men who had just been drafted into the army, there was still hope of defending the city, so he couldn't die now!

Perhaps God also heard Wang Muzhi's thoughts and felt sorry for his situation, because it started to snow lightly. Under the cover of the light snow, the Fengwu cavalrymen who were chasing behind found it even more difficult to determine where Wang Muzhi was going, and they lost their way while chasing him.

Seeing the shouting and killing sounds behind him gradually subsided, Wang Muzhi felt a little relieved, but he still did not dare to let his guard down and continued to run towards Jinyang with gritted teeth. He would be safe only when he returned to Jinyang...

･････････････
･････････････
Just as the Fengwu Army was advancing in full swing in Yunbing, their Marshal Ye was in Yijing, immersed in the land of tenderness.

Holding Pei Zhixiu's soft little hand, Ye Mingsheng was looking at Ye Jingxuan in front of him with a smile. At this time, little Jingxuan was shaking his head and reciting:
The rain has stopped as I lean on the railing with my hair standing on end. I look up to the sky and howl with great passion. Thirty years of fame and success are now dust and dirt, eight thousand miles of journey are now clouds and moon. Don't wait until your hair turns white and you feel sad for nothing.

Jing Kang shame, still not snow.When will the courtier hate it?Drive a long car and cross the Helan Mountain.Aspirations hungry for Hulu meat, and laughed and thirst for Xiongnu blood.Be from scratch, clean up the old mountains and rivers, overturned Que.

Although he had memorized it very well, it was obvious that Xiao Jingxuan was still a little nervous and he recited the words a little haltingly.

Although Xiao Jingxuan's recitation was not perfect, Ye Mingsheng still patted his head lovingly and said:
"Jingxuan, you memorized this poem very well. Did your mother teach you to memorize it?"

Little Jingxuan shook his head without hesitation, then faced his father's gaze and spoke in a baby voice:

“Mother never taught me this. This was when I went to play with Brother Jingren. I heard Mr. Gu composing this poem to Brother Jingren. I listened for a while and memorized it…”

As soon as these words came out, Ye Mingsheng's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he asked again:
"If that's the case, do you know what this song Man Jiang Hong means?"

Facing his father's question, Xiao Jingxuan thought for a while before answering:

"I remember Mr. Gu said that the general meaning of Yue Wumu's poem is the grief and indignation over the Central Plains falling into the hands of the enemy country, as well as the lofty ambition to encourage himself to continue working hard and make contributions to the country!"

"Mr. Gu also said that you, Dad, are the modern-day Yue Wumu. It is because of you, Dad, that the Great Zhou Dynasty has not fallen into the hands of the enemy. However, there is still a traitor named Shangguan Hongyuan in the world, so you still need to work hard to get rid of the traitors as soon as possible, return a bright and clear world to the people, and create a peaceful and prosperous era!"

Hearing this, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but smile. He pinched Xiao Jingxuan's chubby little face and said
"When it comes to serving the country and the people, your father is still slightly inferior to Yue Wumu, but I will never be Yue Wumu!"

Xiao Jingxuan nodded as if he understood what his father said. Seeing this, Ye Mingsheng asked again:
"Jingxuan, you performed well. Tell me what reward you want?"

After saying this, Jingxuan hesitated for a while, then looked at Ye Mingsheng expectantly and said:

“Dad, can you give Brother Jingren a holiday? He said last month that he would take me to the back garden to catch fish and make grilled fish for me, but he is always locked up in a small room by Auntie to study, and I still haven’t eaten the grilled fish he made…”

Feeling the childlike sincerity in Jingxuan's eyes, Ye Mingsheng was slightly moved, and immediately instructed Ye Cheng outside the house:
"Take Jingxuan to the Madam and tell her that I'm giving Jingren a day off today. Ask him to go to the back garden and catch some fish for Jingxuan to grill!"

"Yes!"

Ye Mingsheng knew that he would become emperor in the future, and his sons would all become princes, although he had his own plans for the succession of power.

But no one can predict what will happen in the future. In order to avoid fratricide in the future, Ye Mingsheng is preparing for the worst and is cultivating the brotherly relationship between Jingren, Jingcheng and Jingxuan!
Hearing Ye Mingsheng's order, Xiao Jingxuan was very happy. After thanking his father at Pei Zhixiu's request, he jumped towards An Miaoyi's yard under the leadership of Ye Cheng.

After Ye Jingxuan left, Pei Zhixiu beside him also realized Ye Mingsheng's intentions, and gently took Ye Mingsheng's arm and said:

"My husband, you've worked hard!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng patted Pei Zhixiu's hand and said with a smile:

"Jingxuan is a very intelligent child. At his age, Jingren was only memorizing some enlightenment books such as the Three Character Classic and Hundred Family Names. He could only look after one sheep and herd two sheep. Xingtong happened to study with Jingren, so let Jingxuan go too. The three siblings can keep each other company!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, Pei Zhixiu seemed to be moved, but after hesitating for a while, he shook his head and said:
"Jingxuan is just a little clever, that's all! It's good for him to read books at home alone!"

Regarding Pei Zhixiu's refusal, Ye Mingsheng also understood her true intentions and said:
"I'm here! There's still law and order in this Ye Mansion that can't be overturned!"

Pei Zhixiu shook her head slightly when she heard this, and Ye Mingsheng was very helpless seeing this.

He knew that Pei Zhixiu didn’t really want Gu Sansi to teach Jingxuan, she just simply didn’t want to cause trouble··························

(End of this chapter)