Clear sky, bright sun, white floating clouds, black and white mountains and forests, silver rivers. Everything in winter seems so peaceful and comfortable.

Wei Zheng stood on the city tower, looking at the frozen Zhuanshui River, his face expressionless.

After the failure of the ambush of the leopard army, Chu Feiyan did not say a word and rushed to Changshan with the main force. Now there are only 5,000 men and horses in the entire Nulu City, and 2,000 men and horses in Anxi City. Although there are not many troops, defending the city is different from besieging the city, and these men and horses are enough.

The Leopard Army practiced their horses all day in the Liwu camp, showing no sign of preparing to attack. According to the reports of the scouts, the enemy practiced the tactics of combined infantry and cavalry attacks every day, as if they had no intention of attacking the city, and so far they have not been seen transporting a single siege equipment from the rear. Could it be that the Leopard Army gave up attacking Nulu City?

The news from Changshan is very bad. Bai Huan, the leader of the Yellow Turban Army, has not been completely solved because the supply problem has not been completely solved, and his troops have not yet stayed at the foot of Taihang Mountain and have not arrived at the battlefield.

Feng Yi, the Taishou of Julu County, who restrained the Yellow Turban Army in Handan, heard that Guo Dian's troops were retreating step by step, so he hurriedly retreated to Gaoyi City and divided his troops to rescue. After Guo Dian received reinforcements, he immediately launched a counterattack and beat the Yellow Turban Army back step by step. Zhang Niujiao's troops have now retreated to Zhending City.

Due to Zhang Niujiao's prestige and Chu Feiyan's strength, although the leaders of the Yellow Turban Army temporarily bowed their heads to Zhang Niujiao, the contradictions between them were not resolved at all, and there was a lack of sincere trust and tacit cooperation between the various troops. Now the situation of the Yellow Turban Army is becoming more and more severe, and if it continues like this, I am afraid that something will happen.

Due to the re-opening of the war between the Yellow Turban Army and the official army, the displaced people near Zhending City had nowhere to stay, so they had to brave the bitter cold and go north to rush to Zhongshan Kingdom, which had no war for the time being. Now there are tens of thousands of displaced people in and around Nulu. The bodies of displaced people who died of starvation, freezing and disease can be found everywhere.

Wei Zheng ordered his subordinates to set up 10 stoves in the city and 10 outside the city, and cook gruel once in the morning and once in the afternoon to relieve the victims, so as to minimize the deaths of the people. This is also the only time that the Yellow Turbans can help them.

"My lord, the gruel in the morning is gone, but at least half of the people have not eaten it, and the refugees are clamoring outside the city, what should I do?" The grain release officer in charge of disaster relief hurriedly ran up the city wall, knelt in front of Wei Zheng and said.

Wei Zheng retracted his gaze overlooking the Huanshui River, and said with a wry smile: "What do you say?" What can I do? ”

"My lord, put some more food out. In recent days, more and more homeless people have flocked to the city, and no matter how much food is mixed with water, it is not enough to eat. The grain keeper pleaded in a low voice.

Wei Zheng slowly squatted down, looked at the painful face of the grain release officer, and said helplessly: "Once the official army attacks the city, it is not a matter of one or two days, but a matter of dozens of days and months. What did the soldiers eat at that time? Do you drink water to get by? ”

"My lord, if this continues, tens of thousands of people will die inside and outside the city. My lord, can you bear it? They are all poor, just like us, and they are all the same. The grain keeper shouted.

"Nope." Wei Zheng threw down a sentence stubbornly, and walked down the city wall without a head.

Under the city gate and on the streets, there were fleeing homeless people, all dressed in rags and hungry, and the screams of the old people and the cries of children were terrible. Wei Zheng's heart twitched for a while, he could barely control his feelings, and wanted to open a warehouse to release grain. But he didn't have that right, and he didn't have that much food.

"Drive them all out of the city, and drive them all out." Wei Zheng suddenly turned around and shouted to the attendants behind him.

The attendants were stunned.

"My lord, get them out, and more people will freeze to death during the night. Your Excellency......" exclaimed a bold squire.

"Order the soldiers to disperse all over the city at once and drive all the displaced people away." Wei Zheng glanced at the guard coldly, and said again without any emotion.

"My lord, you want them to die." An older attendant shouted.

"If the official army comes to attack the city now, so many people are crowded in the city, and they can't even find the way to carry weapons, how can they defend the city?" Wei Zheng was silent for a moment and continued, "Perhaps, we won't live for a few days. ”

The attendants were silent.

The city of Nulu suddenly descended into madness.

The soldiers in the city reluctantly drove away the refugees, and the refugees in the city naturally did not want to leave the city. Outside the cold city, there is no warm clothing, no food, and it is strange not to die. The city was in an uproar. As soon as the refugees outside the city heard that the Yellow Turban soldiers were going to drive them away, they were worried that the Yellow Turban soldiers would close the city gate at any time, so everyone hurried to the city. When I went outside the city during the day, I mainly wanted to make a bowl of gruel to drink, but I was crowded in the city, and I couldn't drink it anymore.

For a time, inside and outside the city, under the city gates, and on the streets, there were dense crowds of people everywhere, making noises, screams, and deafening. The soldiers guarding the gates, fearing that they would be killed by the angry outcasts, retreated to the corridors of the city walls.

It didn't take long for the gates to be completely blocked. Those who are outside the city will come in, and those who are in the city will be driven out. Several streets leading to the city gate were blocked by the crowd.

The refugees were squeezed and had nowhere to stay, and began to climb up the walls along the corridors. The Yellow Turban soldiers defending the city were still holding knives and guns at first, but they were pushed backwards by the surging crowd and could not gain a foothold. The crowd suddenly found the mouth and immediately climbed quickly from both sides of the gate to the city wall. If you don't leave the city gate, you will probably be squeezed to death.

The towers of the city were gradually filled with refugees, and they continued to stretch to the walls on both sides. The Yellow Turban soldiers were helpless in the face of unarmed refugees. There is no way to live if you can't eat enough, and now you are not even allowed to stay in the city and sleep at night, how can you live.

Suddenly, the refugees outside the city seemed to have gone mad, and they cried out for their lives, ran, and fled from the woods, hills, and flat ground hundreds of paces away. When they saw that the entrance to the gate was blocked, they turned around and ran along the moat. Some of the refugees near the city gate rushed away because of fear, although they were inexplicable; Some were dazed and staring blankly, not knowing what was going on.

The ground began to tremble, the snow on the dead grass began to tremble, the snow began to fall from the branches, and in the distance, a faint and loud roar could be heard.

A fiery red panther flag suddenly rushed into people's eyes.

Wei Zheng sat in the study of the mansion and looked at the documents sent by Fan Li.

Fan Liang led 2,000 men and horses to guard Anxi. Due to Fan Li's wrong method of luring the enemy, it directly caused the failure of the Chongyun Mountain ambush operation. Chu Feiyan didn't blame him, not even a word of scolding. Chu Feiyan looked up to the sky and sighed. Leaving An Xi and leaving Nulu, he didn't say a word. Fan fence guards Anxi, guards the government and guards Nulu, all of which he arranged in advance. He didn't say a word the whole time, and his expression was depressed. Fan Li was in pain and blamed himself all the time.

Wei Zheng was awakened by the sound of footsteps rushing from far and near. He involuntarily tensed, and his heart suddenly skipped a few beats, then a few more beats.

Wei Zheng laughed self-deprecatingly. The more you fight, the less courage you have.

"My lord, the Leopard Army has come in......"

The roar passed through the courtyard, through the windows, and rushed into Wei Zheng's ears.

Wei Zheng's mind suddenly went blank and froze.

All of a sudden loss of sound was in his ears, and only the beating of his own heart could be heard clearly, and all at once, like the sound of war drums, heavy and deep, the sound struck hard in his heart.

Like frightened wild horses, his guards slammed open the door with a "boom", bringing in a bleak cold wind.

"Adult ......"

Wei Zheng's face was pale, and he glanced at him calmly, still holding the bamboo slip in his hand.

"Adult ......"

"My lord, the leopard with a cavalry army suddenly appeared at the West City Gate. We were driving out the displaced people, and there was chaos inside and outside the city, and there was no defense. Now they've made their way into the West Side. As if he hadn't heard, Wei Zheng looked down at what he was doing.

"My lord, let's go, we still have time to get out."

Wei Zheng glanced up at him again and said slowly, "You guys run away." I'm so tired, so tired. ”

Li Hong stood on the city tower, looking at the homeless people in and out of the city, listening to the miserable and helpless screams, his heart was dripping blood.

Fighting, this is the consequence of fighting, this is the consequence of the Yellow Turban Army. Is this kind of scene what the Yellow Turban Army wants to see, is it what Zhang Niujiao likes to see? Li Hong really felt that he couldn't answer.

Zhang Chun's anger, the contempt of the judge, kept tumbling in his mind. The people who joined the Yellow Turban Army were poor because they were unjust, and because they were a cheap race, so they had to fight. And is it right to kill the Yellow Turbans? Is it fair? So why are some people born noble, rich, and can do whatever they want; And some people are born lowly, poor, and humiliated. Why are people in the world different? Why can a rich person exploit a poor person? Why can a powerful person be free to ravage and slaughter the lowly? Is it true that people are already divided into high and low before they are born?

Li Hong didn't understand. He was a slave himself, he knew what poverty was, and subconsciously he thought the Yellow Turbans had done nothing wrong. But the reality is cruel, the Yellow Turbans did not use any effective means to improve all this, on the contrary, they were like locusts, burning and looting everywhere they went, destroying all this with extremely bloody and cruel means. As a result, the poor people became poorer, and the oppressors of them took up butcher's knives more fiercely and slaughtered them wantonly.

The Yellow Turbans violently destroyed out of hatred, destroying not only themselves, but also their enemies, and even more so this unjust world. The sky is dead, and the yellow sky should stand. Now the sky is dying, and Huang Tian is dying. In the end, it was the innocent people and thousands of untouchables who bore the consequences of this destruction.

Is the Yellow Turbans doing the right thing? And it is indeed right. It has taken revenge, it has vented its hatred, it has taken revenge on the unjust God. Is it wrong? It is indeed wrong. All its gains are based on the suffering of millions of people, on the lives and blood and tears of innocent people, and together with the enemy, it has pushed countless people into a darkness that is even more catastrophic, a darkness with no end.

The Yellow Turban Army has been preparing for more than ten years and has been planning for a long time, why is there no way to improve the lives of the people through violence, but only a means to destroy everything through violence? Zhang Jiao, Zhang Niujiao are not ordinary people, their intelligence and force are very outstanding, why didn't they think of this step? Or did you think of it but didn't have time to do it?

Probably the enemy was too ruthless and didn't give them time and a chance at all. Think about Huangfu Song killed more than 200,000 of them, and himself, killed more than 100,000 of them. Think about the resolute and stubborn face, the deep-rooted and unshakable thoughts, and think about how many powerful bureaucrats and gatekeepers in the world are like the trial. Ren Huangturban's army has three heads and six arms, and he only has the ability to parry, and he has no power to fight back.

Li Hong suddenly felt that he had no ability to change all this in front of him. Millions of people in the Yellow Turban Army are powerless to shake this unjust sky, what can they do? He is a speck of dust in the world, a speck of dust that disappears with the wind, a speck of dust that is small and has no effect. Whether it is the people, the Yellow Turban Army, the bureaucrats of the world, or the Han Kingdom, how much does it have to do with themselves. Li Hong was suddenly disheartened and no longer had any thoughts.

"People's ......"

The shouting woke Li Hong. He withdrew his mind from his contemplation and looked at Xian Yufu.

"People, the city of Nulu is under our control. Sima Weizheng of the Yellow Turban Army surrendered, more than 2,000 soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army were captured, and the rest took advantage of the chaos to escape. ”

"How are we losing?" Li Hong asked eagerly.

"There are no losses." Xian Yufu said with a smile, "Lord Captain is clever, we took down the entire Nulu City without a single knife or shot. He gave Li Hong a thumbs up in admiration, "Fighting behind you, I can't accept you." ”

Li Hong pushed his hand away, hugged his shoulders and said with a smile: "Brother Yu Xing, don't praise me first, discuss one thing with you, do you think it's okay?" ”

Xian Yufu looked at him vigilantly, touched his three locks of long beard, and asked, "You say." ”

"Open the warehouse and release the grain."

Xian Yufu groaned for a long time. He looked at the refugees outside the city and said in embarrassment: "People, if you run out of food, how can you solve the problem of the army's salaries and supplies?" Lord Muguo of Jizhou knows that you have conquered Zhongshan and captured Nulu, and must think that we have captured a large amount of loot from the Yellow Turban Army. In the case of Jizhou's financial constraints, I am afraid that he will not allocate any more military salaries and food to us. ”

Li Hong asked strangely: "Is it wrong for me to release grain for disaster relief?" Why didn't he give me pay and food? Jizhou doesn't have it, can he ask the court and the Son of Heaven? ”

"Zimin ......" Xian Yufu broke away from his hand, faced him, and said solemnly, "The situation is different now, whether it is Jizhou or the imperial court, the finances are very tight. Because of the war, whether it is the Yellow Turban Army or us, the consumption of materials has increased exponentially. Do you know how much a grain is worth now? ”

"So what do they do? Watching them starve to death? Li Hong pointed to the refugees under the city and yelled.

"People, we can cook a little gruel every day to help them, just like the Yellow Turban Army. That's all there is to it. Xian Yufu knew Li Hong's temperament, although Li Hong lost his temper, he didn't care and insisted on his principles. He is now engaged in the work of Youzhou Mansion, and there are some things he has to be responsible for.

"Somebody will starve to death." Li Hong shouted.

"Without troops, more people would starve to death, you know? Last winter, more than 100,000 people starved to death in Jizhou. is the famous Huangfu General, didn't he open a warehouse to release grain? ”

Li Hong asked in surprise, "Why?" ”

"Because they are full, they will soon join the Yellow Turban Army to fight us." Xian Yufu said confidently.

Li Hong scolded: "Fart." There are old people, women and children, how many strong men are there? Open the warehouse and release the grain. ”

Xian Yufu was anxious, grabbed him, and said loudly: "If you do this, someone will immediately write to the court, accusing you of sympathizing with the Yellow Turban Army, or even colluding with the Yellow Turban Army." Now when the imperial court encounters this kind of thing, it generally doesn't ask about it, and catches it first. ”

Li Hong was furious, raised his hand and roared: "I will release the grain, who dares to arrest me!" ”

"Order the troops, open the warehouse and release the grain!"

Wei Zheng saw a soldier with a disheveled hair striding into the courtyard. This person is tall and mighty, and there is a fierce murderous aura all over his body. His clothes were thin, and his leather armor was worn out and pudding.

Wei Zheng's heartbeat suddenly intensified. Is he the guard next to the leopard, who came to interrogate him? Then he heard the fierce soldier and the guard at the door of his study laughing loudly, as if they were familiar with each other.

Wei Zheng gently opened the door.

"I'm Li Hong, and I'm here to find Sima Xuxu."

Wei Zheng was taken aback. He's the leopard.

After hesitating, Li Hong had already strode in. Wei Zheng hurriedly wanted to kneel, Li Hong grabbed his shoulders and said with a smile: "Excuse me, I still have something to ask you." ”

This attack on Nulu City, Li Hong has been planning for a long time.

Zhao Yun and Zhang He were both familiar with the terrain and roads of Zhongshan Kingdom, and the more than 100 soldiers that Li Han brought out from Changshan Country were all locals, and their speaking accents and habits were the same as those of the locals. Li Hong took advantage of the fact that they would not be suspected, and asked Zheng Xin, Tie Yue, and Lei Zi to rush to the county town and village near Nulu City with them, and instigated the homeless people along the way to gather all of them to Nulu City to beg for food. Once Nulu City is overcrowded, the vigilance of the Yellow Turbans will decrease, and Zheng Xin and the others will be able to find an opportunity to seize control of the city gates.

Li Hong ordered the two divisions of Yushi and Xian Yuyin to still be stationed in the Liwu camp, and went out of the camp every day to train and paralyze the scouts of the Yellow Turban Army. He secretly rushed to Nulu City with Xian Yufu and Yan Rou. Considering that after capturing the city gate, he might have to engage in street battles with the Yellow Turban Army, so Li Hong deliberately brought the Yan Zhao tribe, which was mainly supplemented by infantry.

Li Hong and Zheng Xin made an appointment to launch a surprise attack around the time of the morning meal, when the refugees were at their most chaotic and orderly. What he never expected was that at this time, Wei Zheng ordered the soldiers to drive the refugees out of the city. The extreme chaos of the scene did the Leopard Army a great favor.

The Leopard Army did not fight bloodlessly and occupied the city of Nulu.

"Twice, why are you so lucky?" Wei Zheng sat opposite Li Hong and said with a wry smile.

"Twice?" Li Hong asked strangely, "When did we fight again?" ”

"In Chongyun Mountain, Chu Shuai ambushed 50,000 horses, just waiting for you to pass."

Li Hong shivered all over his body, and a chill rushed from his vest to his head. His face became very ugly.

"If it weren't for Fan Li, a stupid guy who took the people with him, you dare to say that your troops are no more than Chongyun Mountain?"

Li Hong smiled bitterly. Good luck, really good luck.

"I'm looking for you just for this fence."