On the dark night, five thousand Tang army cavalry ran along the south bank of the Yellow River, with stars flying above their heads. Under the faint starlight, five thousand cavalry sailed towards the east on the vast snow-covered ground.

At the front of the team, Xu Shiji's eyes were quiet and thoughtful, his lips stretched into a straight line, and it seemed as if he had made some decision.

He looked up at the surroundings. Under the night sky, the scenery around him seemed a little blurry. There were villages, trees, and in the distance were black and rolling mountains. Although it was difficult to distinguish the scenery in the night, he still judged that he had passed by Sanlin Town, Lingchang County, here several times.

Xu Shiji pondered for a while, suddenly remembered something. He held his horse and said to the deputy general Luo Ziyu: "I will go to Lingchang County for at most an hour. You will lead the army here to wait."

Luo Ziyu nodded and turned around and shouted to the soldiers: "Stay on the spot for an hour!"

The soldiers dismounted and rested. Xu Shiji, with two hundred personal guards, turned his horse's head and ran towards Lingchang County ten miles south.

Lingchang County is very small, with only more than a thousand families. It has no strategic position here, and naturally there is no garrison. There are only more than a hundred township soldiers. Under the command of the county magistrate, it was already two o'clock and the city gate had been closed. Xu Shiji used ten taels of silver to bribe the defenders to open the city gate. He rushed into the city with two hundred cavalry.

Xu Shiji did not look for the county magistrate. The county magistrate here was ignorant and did not know the world's affairs. He went to the city for about a hundred steps, and then he found his own goal, an inn.

A tattered lantern was hung at the entrance of the inn, swaying in the wind, and the faint lights flickered and darker. The words "Each slab" were written on the lantern. Under the reflection of the light, it was seen particularly clearly at night.

It was here. Xu Shiji turned over and got off the horse, walked up and kicked open the door, and walked into the inn. A night-time man heard the sound of kicking the door. He ran out, but saw a large group of soldiers walking into the yard. He was so scared that he shivered and stammered, "Customer... Do you want to stay in a hotel?"

"Is your shopkeeper Xu Afu?"

"yes!"

"Call him out to see me."

"Wuro, who is it?" The lights in a room were on, and the voice of a middle-aged man came.

Xu Shiji heard the voice and raised his tone and said, "It's me, your fourth master. Can't I hear my voice?"

The room was silent for a moment. Suddenly, with a 'Ah!' sound, followed by the sound of dressing and the voice of a woman, the door opened. A fat middle-aged man rushed out like a wind and plopped! He knelt in front of Xu Shiji and cried loudly. "Young Master, you are finally back."

The middle-aged man was an old servant in Xu Shiji's family. He followed Xu Shiji to Wagang and served as one of the four whistles of the Wagang Army. After Xu Shiji fled from Luokou City, he lost contact with him. Later, he heard that he was demoted to Lingchang County and was responsible for the message transfer point in Lingchang County. This inn is a message transfer point in the Wagang Army's location in Lingchang County.

Xu Shiji felt a little sad and hurriedly helped him up. "Afu, I have been asking for information about you, which has caused you to be wronged in the past six months."

Xu Afu wiped away his tears, "I didn't suffer any grievances. Please go to the living room to sit there! It's warmer there."

"Damn it, get up quickly! It's the young master who is here, go to cook ginger tea."

He shouted viciously into the room and ordered the mate to arrange for the soldiers to rest. Then he led Xu Shiji into the living room. Xu Afu lit the light and was busy burning the charcoal basin. Xu Shiji stopped him and said with a smile: "I have something important. I will leave if I ask you something."

"What do you want to ask, just say it!"

Xu Shiji pondered for a moment and asked, "Who is the head of Liyang City? You should know!"

"I know this, it's Sun Daqin, Sun Changle."

"So it's him!"

Xu Shiji knew that this person was one of Zhai Rang's four fierce men. He was known as the Iron Snake's ever-changing, and he was a powerful general with great martial arts skills.

Xu Shiji thought about it again and asked: "Should his mother be in Weicheng County?"

"I don't know much about this, but he is from Boss Zhai's family. Logically, his family should be in Wagang, not Luokou."

"I see."

Xu Shiji sighed and said, "Afu, I thought you would be implicated by me. I have always been worried about you!"

Xu Afu's tears came out again, and he lowered his head and said, "Li Mi ordered Fang Xuanzao to clean up the young master's subordinates. I was going to be convicted, and Brother Shan pleaded for me, so he was demoted to Lingchang County. I had no place to go, so I could only live a gangster here, and it would be a day to live."

Xu Afu knelt down and begged: "Young Master, please take me away! I don't want to stay here, I don't want to work hard for the Wagang Army."

Xu Shiji quickly helped him up, "Get up quickly, don't do this!"

Xu Shiji thought about it, took out a famous post from his arms and handed it to him, "There is an address on the famous post. Take your wife to Taiyuan. My father, wife and children are there. They will arrange you well and follow me in the future and live a quiet life."

Xu Afu took the famous post and was very grateful, "Thank you, young master!"

At this time, Xu Afu's wife brought in a bowl of ginger tea, "Young Master, please drink ginger tea."

"Thank you, sister-in-law, I'm leaving!"

Xu Shiji stood up, took the ginger tea and drank it all, and smiled and said, "See you in Taiyuan!"

Xu Shiji and his men left the inn, turned over and ran towards the city gate. Xu Afu stood at the door and watched them walk away. He sighed and turned around and told his wife, "Let's pack up! Go to Taiyuan early tomorrow morning."

...........

Xu Shiji left the city gate and soon returned to the army camp. Although he had been running for a day, he was not tired at all. He ran back to the camp and ordered: "Go out immediately and go to Weicheng County to rest."

He understood the meaning of the general manager asking him to take down Liyang City within three days, and he had no idea of ​​letting him attack the city. He was once the fourth leader of the Wagang Army and the veteran of the Wagang Army. If he took down a Liyang City, he would have to rely on bloody battles, and he would be ridiculed by the world.

Tomorrow is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month. He wants the soldiers to have New Year's Eve dinner in Liyang City no matter what, but it is still two hundred miles away from Liyang City, and the pressure is very great.

Five thousand cavalrymen boarded their horses and continued to march eastward.

It was dim and five thousand Sui cavalry arrived in the west of Weicheng County. This was the hinterland of the Wagang Army. The Wagang Village was ten miles southwest. If it were last year, they could not enter here. However, since Zhai Rang's death, Li Mi ordered to give up Wagang Village in order to divide the emotional support of the Wagang Army soldiers in the past. The Wagang Village, which was once prosperous, fell silent. Only a few thousand old and weak stationed here. Weicheng County was the capital of the heyday of the Wagang Army, and it was also abandoned. Weicheng County also had only more than one thousand old and weak stationed. The guard was named Song Jianpu, who was also Zhai Rang's old subordinate. He was not valued by Li Mi and was demoted to guard Zhai Rang's tomb.

Xu Shiji handed over the war horses to his personal soldiers, slowly walked to a large tomb, staring silently at the tombstone, with only six words engraved on it, "The Tomb of Wagang Zhai Rang".

Incense candles were lit in front of the tomb, and a narrow ditch was filled with incense ash. It can be seen that countless people had come here to worship the old master. Zhai Rang founded the Wagang Army, and he was the soul of the Wagang Army. Since Li Mi killed Zhai Rang, although the Wagang Army came alive, attacked Luoyang and ordered the heroes of the world, it lost its soul. The Wagang Army was no longer the Wagang Army with 400,000 soldiers, but Li Mi alone. Everyone was lost. I wonder where the Wagang Army would head?

Xu Shiji knelt down slowly in front of the tomb and whispered: "Brother Zhai, the fourth brother is here to see you. Although when we are together, I always complain that my brother has no ambition and has no long-term vision. But today I know that it is me who is wrong. It is me who is too shallow and cannot understand the general trend of the world. Our Wagang Army has no chance to win the world. Brothers, you can still start and end well and go home to farm. Following Li Mi will only destroy the entire Central Plains. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers will fill the corpse ditches. Brother Zhai, the fourth brother confesses guilt and apologizes to you!"

Tears surged out in Xu Shiji's eyes, and he kowtowed three times. He raised one hand and said solemnly: "I, Xu Shiji, swear here, I will do my best to save the lives of thousands of Wagang soldiers so that they can start and end well. Brother Zhai, beg your spirit in heaven to protect me!"

Xu Shiji wiped away the tears from his eyes, stood up and strode away.

...........

Half an hour later, five thousand cavalry arrived at the foot of Weicheng County. There were only one thousand old and weak soldiers in Weicheng County. They looked at the five thousand cavalry rushing towards the murderous intent from afar, and arranged neat cavalry formations one mile below the city. The war horses were vigorous, the armor was bright, the spears were like forests, the red flags were like clouds, and the momentum was majestic and mighty, which scared the soldiers guarding the city to look like earth.

The city guard general Song Jianpu ran to the city when he heard the news. The formation in front of him was shocked. They had not seen such a powerful cavalry for a long time.

"General Song, their battle flag is the Red Flag, is the Sui Army in Luoyang?" a captain asked nervously.

"Impossible! How could the Sui army in Luoyang have so many war horses?"

Song Jianpu shook his head and denied it. At this time, he saw a black eagle on a big banner. He blurted out, "It's the Northern Sui cavalry!"

The soldiers on the city were in an uproar. It turned out that Yang Yuanqing's army was coming. Was the Wagang army destroyed?

Song Jianpu was shocked and suspicious. He had never heard of something happening in Luokou City. How could the Northern Sui army come here?

At this time, a cavalryman rushed over and shouted loudly: "Is there General Song Jianpu on the top of the city?"

Song Jianpu was stunned and asked loudly: "I am Song Jianpu, what's the matter with you?"

The cavalry replied: "We are passing by here. My general is an old friend of the Wagang Army. I want to talk to General Song."

After the cavalry finished speaking, he opened the bow and shot a letter to the top of the city. A soldier picked up the letter and ran to Song Jianpu. Song Jianpu held the letter and asked again: "Who is your general?"

"My general's surname is Xu, and he once sat in the fourth position of the Wagang Army. You all know him."

"Fourth Head!" The veterans on the city wall exclaimed.
Chapter completed!