Liu Yu led the army to attack all the way forward, successively conquering Gaoyang, Beixin, and Fanyang, and marched to Zhuocheng in the middle of this month.

According to Shang Shutai's arrangement, they must take Zhuocheng in the middle of this month, and then rush to Jicheng to meet the Zhenbei general Li Hongbu, but Liu Yu is difficult to do, he only has 20,000 people, and in the face of several times his own rebels, he is powerless, and can only fight wherever he goes. Liu Yu believed that as long as Li Hong could quickly hit Jicheng and put the rebels in a situation where they were defending the enemy on their backs, the rebels would have to withdraw. But the development of the battle situation was beyond Liu Yu's expectations, the rebels were suddenly vulnerable, and they were defeated in successive battles, and within half a month, they retreated from Hejian Kingdom to Zhuojun. Liu Yu's confidence increased greatly, and on the one hand, he urgently wrote to Jizhou Mu Yang Qi to supervise the transportation of grain and grass, and on the other hand, he commanded the army to storm Zhuocheng.

At this time, Wei You, who had already returned to Liu Yu's side, hurriedly dissuaded him, and he said to Liu Yu, there are only 20,000 people in the hands of the adults, and they have lost two or three thousand along the way, if the losses in Zhuojun are too large, what will happen to attack Jicheng in the future? General Zhenbei's army will soon reach Jicheng, as long as Jicheng is attacked, the rebels will immediately abandon Zhuocheng and retreat, so it is better to postpone the attack and preserve its strength. Liu Yu followed his advice and stopped the attack.

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After Zhang Chun and Su Fuyan's army was attacked by Zhao Yun near Handan City, although they were hit hard, it was not that they did not have the strength to fight again, and the reason why they chose to retreat was mainly because the food and grass could not be supplied after several months of fighting in the south, and the Karasuma soldiers were homesick and the army's heart was fluctuating, and they couldn't do it if they didn't retreat. After returning to Youzhou, the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army discussed together how to deal with the counterinsurgency army of the imperial court that was about to go north. Zhang Chun said that Liu Yu and Yang Qi on the Jizhou side suffered serious losses, and it was difficult to gather enough troops to go north in the short term, so there was nothing to worry about, and it was only Li Hong, the general of Zhenbei, who was worried. Li Hong's strength is strong, and his subordinates are like a cloud, if he kills from the direction of Shanggu, the situation is very unfavorable to the Great Yan Kingdom. However, Li Hong's army went north to Youzhou, and there was a fatal place, that is, the supply of grain and grass was very difficult, and Li Hong had to quickly return to the division with Liu Yu to get the replenishment of grain and grass. Therefore, he thought that he could defeat Li Hong by resolutely blocking Liu Yu to the north.

At the beginning of this month, just when Liu Yu began to attack Youzhou, Murong Feng's subordinate Xiong Ba came to Jicheng.

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When Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju raised troops in Feiru, Liaoxi, in order to increase their strength and prevent the Hu people from attacking them from behind, they formed an alliance with the Karasuma people and the Xianbei people successively. Right Beiping, the Karasuma people in western Liaoxi and eastern Liaodong were headed by Qiu Liju, the king of Bailang in western Liaoning, and the Xianbei people in the central and eastern parts were headed by Murong Feng, and the three parties negotiated for a long time in western Liaoning, and finally reached an alliance condition that once the Great Yan State of the Yellow Turban Army occupied the three prefectures of You, and Hebei north of the Yellow River, the Xianbei people would own Shanggu, Yuyang and the northern part of Youbeiping County, that is, the northern and southern borders of Dayan Mountain belonged to the Xianbei people, and the Karasuma people completely owned the two counties of Liaodong and Liaodong vassal states, and the northeast of Liaoxi was also owned by the Karasuma people.

Zhang Ju didn't agree at that time, he felt that Hu Ren's request was too much. Zhang Chun tried his best to persuade him, saying that this was just an expedient measure, once the Yellow Turban Army occupied You, Bing, and Hebei Prefectures, the entire Great Han Kingdom would be in the bag, and compared with the entire Great Han Kingdom, what was this land? In the future, when the country is strong, you can still drive the Hu people out. Zhang Ju still didn't agree. Zhang Ju's protégés and disciples are numerous, Liaoxi Taishou Liu Shi is his former official, he single-handedly rebelled, Zhang Ju's strength in the Yellow Turban Army is very large, without his support Zhang Chun is difficult to make a difference. Zhang Chun gritted his teeth in desperation, and said that after the incident, you will be the son of heaven of the Great Yan Kingdom, and I will be the prime minister, how about it? Zhang Ju couldn't resist such a temptation and agreed.

Murong Feng has never come forward, and negotiated an alliance with the Yellow Turban Army on the condition that the Eastern Xianbei Lord Micah and Murong Feng's subordinate Hao Shuai Xiong Ba. Murong Feng disagreed with Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun's proposal to build the country, and sent Xiong Ba to find the two of them several times, saying that it was meaningless to build the country in a hurry, but would anger the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army in various places. The Youzhou Yellow Turban Army marched south to fight, requiring the strong cooperation of the Taihang Mountain and the Montenegrin Yellow Turban Army, and if the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army in the two places refused to send troops to help because of this matter, Zhang Ju Zhang Chun's plan might fail. But the two refused Murong Feng's dissuasion.

The Yellow Turban Army was defeated repeatedly, and in Zhang Chun's view, it was because there was no strong regime and leader, and the generals of the various departments did not contact each other and fought separately, and they were defeated by the Han army one by one. He wishfully believed that as long as he held high the banner of Taiping Road in Youzhou, with his prestige in the Yellow Turban Army, and a solid base area, the Yellow Turban Army from all over the country would definitely rise up and respond. But he was wrong.

After several years of bloody rain, after countless battles and deaths, the officers and soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army have completely given up their worship and obedience to the teachings of the Taiping Dao, and they have seen clearly through their own blood, tears and lives that the peaceful and prosperous world is just an ethereal dream, which is just an unattainable dream. Today, they are just fighting for survival, they have no tomorrow, what is the so-called Great Yan Kingdom in their eyes, it is not as good as a bowl of rice in their hands. Once the dream is awakened, no one will look for it anymore.

Zhang Chun suffered the consequences of his ideals and ignorance, he was ruthlessly abandoned by Zhang Yan, Yang Feng and a group of young Yellow Turban Army leaders, except for Bai Huan, Wei (pronounced sui) Gu and other Yellow Turban veterans, no one was willing to sacrifice their lives for the dream that had been shattered.

Zhang Chun was once heartbroken by the betrayal of Zhang Yan, Yang Feng and others, these people are Taiping Dao, the Taiping Dao seeds cultivated by the great sages and good teachers, but now these seeds that have been pinned on by the great sages and good teachers have not only not germinated and blossomed, but have become the executioners who strangled the Taiping Dao, and the Great Yan Kingdom created by his own efforts for the Taiping Dao has become a joke. More than once, he knelt on the ground and wept bitterly, he looked up at the sky and cried out in a mournful voice: "Great sage and good teacher, open your eyes and see what your disciples are doing? Why don't you bless yourself in the Heavenly Spirit? ”

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Xiong Ba's arrival gave hope to the Yellow Turban Army facing difficulties. The Huns have rebelled, and it is also a big rebellion of the entire tribe, and the head of the Xianbei king and the northern Xianbei lord Tuoba Feng have begun to attack Yanmen Pass, and the state is in danger.

"As long as the adults persist in Youzhou for a few months, the situation will definitely be reversed." Xiong Ba said to Zhang Chun, "As soon as the annexation of the state is lost, the Gyeonggi capital of the Great Han State will face the threat of the Huns and Xianbei people, and at that time, the emperor of the Great Han State will definitely order the leopards to come back to help in order to protect Luoyang." As soon as the leopard leaves, Youzhou will be worry-free. ”

Zhang Chun smiled and nodded again and again. Zhang Ju also asked happily, "Does Lord Murong Feng have a way to deal with it?" ”

"Step by step." Xiongba said with a smile, "Our marshal said that if you want to preserve the strength of the Great Yan Army, you must not fight with the leopards, let alone covet the benefits of the city, you must always retreat, and when the army withdraws to Liaoxi, it will be difficult to supply the grain and grass of the Han army." The Han army had no food and grass, so it had to stop. As soon as the leopard is gone, our army of more than 100,000 can make a comeback, and Youzhou is still His Majesty's. ”

"After the leopard returned to the state, our king and the Huns had already returned to the steppe, and all that was left for the leopard was a ruin. The leopard wants to quell the rebellion of the Huns and stabilize the border counties in northern Xinjiang, and it will not be able to recover in a few years. However, His Majesty and the Prime Minister can use the past few years to consolidate Youzhou on the one hand, and contact the Yellow Turban Army in various places on the other hand, and when the time is ripe, they will go south again to attack Jizhou and drink the Yellow River, which is to capture Luoyang and overthrow the Han Kingdom. ”

After careful discussion, Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun agreed to Murong Feng's suggestion. They immediately ordered Zhao Cheng, the general stationed in Zhuo County, to lead his troops to retreat, and at the same time organized manpower to transport a large amount of looted property to Feiru in Liaoxi, but at this moment, they received the news that Li Hongbing, the general of Zhenbei, had left Juyongguan. The leopards came out of the country a full five days earlier than they had predicted, which caught them off guard.

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After Li Hong left the customs, he led the army to Changping City quickly.

Li Hong ordered Xianyu Yinbu to attack the West City Gate, Huaxiong to attack the East City Gate, and Wenchou to attack the South City Gate. Because the north city gate is near the river, Li Hong sent Chang Gong to lead a feint attack.

"Zilong, you lead Liu Ming and Yan Wudaunt to immediately attack Lucheng and cut off the retreat of the rebels." Li Hong pointed to Lucheng on the map and said, "After occupying Lucheng, immediately burn the pontoon bridges on the Baoqiu River and the Gushui River." ”

Zhao Yun looked at the map and asked, "My lord, are we still participating in the Battle of Jicheng?" ”

"When the rebels are defeated and flee, there is enough for you to kill, what are you anxious about?" Li Hong said with a smile, "Each person has two horses, bring more grain, grass and weapons, and ten days later, no matter whether there is news of our victory in Jicheng or not, you will lead your troops south to attack Yongnu City." ”

"After you occupy Lucheng and cut off the retreat of the rebels, the rebels still have two directions to retreat, one is to the north to Yuyang, and the other is to the south to Yongnu. From Yongnu, it is possible to quickly rush to Liaoxi, so the rebels will definitely retreat from the direction of Yongnu. Li Hong advised, "Don't fight to the death, just delay their retreat." ”

Zhao Yun, Yan Wuxing, and Liu Ming took the order.

"Ziyu, you took Nie Xiao, Jiang Wu and Liu Bao to the south overnight and rushed to the vicinity of Jicheng, and if you see what to kill, you will scare them first and disturb the hearts of the rebels."

Yan Rou said worriedly, "Won't it backfire if adults do this?" There are many rebels, and if they hold the city, we will be in trouble. To conquer Jicheng, it is not a matter of one or two days. ”

Li Hong shook his head and said: "Defending the city is a dead end for the rebels, as long as they withdraw to Liaoxi, they will have the possibility of holding on." Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun will not be so stupid, they will definitely preserve their strength and retreat as soon as possible. ”

"The tighter we press, the faster they will withdraw. No matter what the cost, we will defeat the rebels in the shortest possible time. Li Hong nodded and said, "The longer you stay in Youzhou, the more dangerous it will be in Bingzhou, so it's better for us to go back early." ”

Yan Rou bowed down to receive the order.

Li Hong looked up at the sky and shouted loudly to the heralds: "Tell Lord Xianyu and ask him to urge all the troops to attack with all their might, and be sure to take Changping City before dark." ”

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Wen Chou looked anxiously at the battlefield in the distance, his handsome face turned red, and his mouth kept scolding. At this time, Xian Yufu came over with a group of guards. Wen Chou hurriedly greeted him and said happily: "It's just right that the adults are here." Your Excellency is here to command, and I will personally lead the people to attack the city. ”

Xian Yufu scolded with a smile: "I haven't fought for a few months, and my hands are itchy?" No way. Then he looked at the battlefield and asked, "Zijun, have you attracted the rebels to the left city wall?" ”

"Yes, I asked Wu Xiong to attack the left wall continuously to attract the rebels." Wen Chou replied, "Now the rebels have suffered heavy losses, and their forces are basically concentrated on the left side of the city wall. Zhang Zhen led two hundred-man teams and was about to start attacking the right side of the city wall. ”

Xian Yufu nodded appreciatively, "In order to stop the army from moving south, the rebels have laid down heavy troops in Changping City, and it is indeed very difficult for us to take this city before dark." Zijun, look at ......" He turned his head and was about to talk to Wen Chou, but found that Wen Chou was no longer by his side, and was running towards the city wall with a few personal soldiers.

"Zijun, if you dare to attack the city, I will cut you."

Wen Chou turned around and beckoned to him, shouting loudly: "My lord, wait a while, and watch me take Changping City." ”

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The dense roar of long arrows suddenly shot to the right side of the wall.

Zhang Zhen roared, took the lead, and galloped forward with the siege soldiers. The soldiers crossed the moat along the ladder bridge and quickly erected ladders.

"Brothers, go to the ......" Zhang Zhen held his shield high, brandished his sword, and was the first to rush up the ladder. The arrows on the city wall suddenly poured down like rain, Zhang Zhen was not afraid, and struggled to climb to the top of the city wall, at this time several spears pierced at the same time. Zhang Zhen roared in anger, his sword flew, and he immediately cut off four spears, but three more spears pierced his shield. Zhang Zhen couldn't stand on his feet and fell on his back.

At this moment, a big hand suddenly grabbed Zhang Zhen's ankle in the air and forcibly carried him upside down in the air. Zhang Zhen fixed his eyes and was startled. Wen Chou held a shield in his left hand, biting a knife in his mouth, and carrying himself in his right hand. Wen Chou glanced at the frightened Zhang Zhen, Zhang Zhen understood, opened his mouth and let out a loud shout, and at the same time, Wen Chou used all his strength to throw Zhang Zhen to the top of the city wall.

Zhang Zhen soared into the air, like an eagle spreading its wings, and flew down the city wall. The rebels defending the city were dumbfounded, and watched Zhang Zhen leap up, with a shield in his left hand and a knife in his right hand, roaring and killing. The two rebel soldiers were caught off guard and were cut down in a pool of blood by Zhang Zhen one by one. Wen Chou rushed up, knocked a defender out of the city wall with a shield in his hand, and then slashed another person in the air.

"Killing ......" Wen Chou and Zhang Zhen are one left and one right, just like two hungry tigers descending from the mountain, calling forward, blocking the invincible, there is no one under them, the blood is pouring everywhere the two pass, the broken arms and stumps are flying up and down, and the screams are coming and going. The soldiers of the Han army followed closely behind, jumping on the city wall one after another, running left and right, fighting bloodily, and the battle was unprecedentedly fierce.

The defense of the right wall of the southern city was rushed to pieces in the blink of an eye, and the rebels were killed and wounded, and no one survived.

"Brothers, kill the past, kill the past......" Wen Chou ran wildly towards the left city wall, while raising his sword and shouting wildly, nearly a hundred soldiers were full of fighting spirit, roaring like thunder, all raising their swords high, and roaring away. Zhang Zhen rushed down the city wall with dozens of people, slashed all the way, and quickly opened the city gate.

The suspended bridge fell with a shocking bang, and the soldiers gathered outside the city gate cheered in unison and swarmed in.

The southern gate fell, and the defenses of Changping City collapsed. The rebels were in great confusion and fled in all directions, and 3,000 surrendered disarmed.

On the morning of the next day, Shanggu County Taishou Zuo Ying led 500 county soldiers into Changping City. After resting for a day, the army of the Northern Expedition continued southward.

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The iron cavalry of the Han army suddenly killed Jicheng, which shook the rebels up and down, and no one thought that the Han army had just entered the pass, and the iron cavalry would arrive under the city.

Karasuma Iron Rider originally wanted to leave in two days, but now it's good, and he can't leave. In order to transport all these goods, the Karasuma tribes immediately gathered 30,000 iron horsemen to go out of the city to block the Han army. Yan Rou did not engage them, he led a large army around Jicheng, and when they encountered the retreating convoy of the rebels, they rushed to kill them, when they encountered Karasuma's brigade of iron cavalry, they avoided them far away, and when they encountered a small group of enemies, they swarmed up and killed them cleanly. Su Fuyan, the king of the cliff who was responsible for leading the army to block the attack, was so angry that his lungs exploded.

The next day, the news of the fall of Changping City reached Jicheng. The Han army broke through the city of Changping in only half a day, and this news shocked the rebels, and everyone was in danger and demoralized. There are all kinds of rumors in the city, some say that the leopard brought an army of 100,000, some say that the leopard brought an army of 200,000, in short, no one wants to stay in Jicheng, everyone wants to leave here as soon as possible and go back to Liaoxi.

Changping is only more than a hundred miles away from Jicheng, and the army of leopards is about to arrive.

Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun quickened the pace of retreat, the carts transporting treasures and silk silk kept going out of the city to the east day and night, and the rebel officers at all levels also sent their families and belongings to retreat with them, and the chaos inside and outside Jicheng was extremely chaotic.

But at this time, an even more terrifying news came, Lucheng fell, the pontoon bridges on the Baoqiu River and the Gushui River were burned by the Han army, and the retreat from Lucheng was blocked.

Zhang Ju was furious and blamed Zhang Chun for his unfavorable command. Lucheng is related to the life and death of the army, how can you not send heavy troops to defend it? Zhang Chun also regretted it. He focused on the direction of Juyongguan and Zhuocheng, and really ignored the defense of his rear. He only arranged a thousand people to garrison in Lucheng, and he lost a lot because of a small loss.

Zhang Ju asked the general Xian Yuchen to immediately lead his troops to recapture Lucheng. Zhang Chun stopped. He said it would take time to retake Lucheng, but there was no time now. There are three roads to withdraw to Liaoxi, and although the nearest one is blocked, the road to Yuyang and to Yongnu is still unblocked. It is too far to return to Liaoxi by detouring to Yuyang, and only to withdraw from the direction of Yongnu. Zhang Chun immediately ordered Xian Yuchen to take 10,000 troops and 5,000 Karasuma iron cavalry to immediately rush to Yongnu to garrison to ensure the safe retreat of the army and property.

Zhang Chun sent people to Zhuocheng again, asking the general Zhao Cheng to hold Zhuocheng, and he was not allowed to retreat without an order, and at the same time ordered Liu Shi to gather a large army and prepare to go out of the city to block the Han army.

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