Zhang Yan led the army, ran wildly all the way, hurried and hurried, and finally arrived at Xiapi City.

When night fell, Zhang Yan and the others were still fifty miles away from Xiapi City, so he asked the army to stop, set up a simple tent in the field, slept for the night, and set off again the next day.

At the same time, Zhang Yan even sent scouts to reconnoiter and pay close attention to Yuan Shujun's movements.

The night went uneventful, and the next day, at dawn, a scout came back and told him what he had found.

Yuan Shu still let Zhou Kui stay in Xiapi for two days, and then led the army towards Tancheng, leaving only Liang Gang and 3,000 soldiers to defend the city.

After hearing the news, Zhang Yan couldn't suppress the joy in his heart, and hurriedly asked, "Is this news true?" ”

The scout said categorically: "This news is absolutely true, and Yuan Shu led his troops out of the city, which I also saw with my own eyes. If the lord doesn't believe it, even if he sends a few more scouts to investigate, if what his subordinates say is a little false, his subordinates are willing to let the lord cut it with a thousand cuts! ”

Zhang Yan was convinced of the scout's words, but he, who had always been cautious, sent out a few more scouts.

He ordered the army to pull out the camp and rush to Xiangxia Picheng.

By noon, Zhang Yan and the others were getting closer and closer to Xiapi City, and there were only thirty miles left. Due to the hot weather and the rapid march, the soldiers were exhausted along the way, so Zhang Yan temporarily stopped the army and rested for a while.

This time, Zhang Yan did not carry grain and grass, all the soldiers were carrying dry food, everyone sat on the ground, resting, while gnawing on dry food, there happened to be a stream nearby, and the problem of water source was also solved.

Zhang Yan simply used some dry food, and after drinking a few sips of water, he saw a scout coming from the direction of Xiapi, he immediately stood up, put the dry food and water aside, and asked, "What is the news from Xiapi?" ”

The scout answered truthfully, and the news he had found was almost identical to that of the scout who had returned in the morning.

Later, several scouts also returned, and the news they brought back was the same.

After Zhang Yan heard this, he couldn't bear it anymore, and after letting the soldiers rest for a quarter of an hour, he reorganized his troops and horses again and rushed towards Xiapi City.

In the evening, Zhang Yan galloped all the way, and finally got closer and closer to Xiapi City. This time, instead of leading the cavalry, he went with the infantry, so he walked much slower.

When there were still five miles away from Xiapi City, Zhang Yan asked the army to stop and rest, while he took more than ten personal cavalry and rode forward, riding the twilight, wanting to observe Xiapi from a close distance.

He was no stranger to the place of Xiapi, he took his entourage to the Futu Temple on Yiyang Mountain, and stood on the highest peak of Yiyang Mountain to look at Xiapi.

Xiapi under the night, is still so majestic and majestic, but Xiapi City is no longer what it used to be, and the Daxu on the city tower has already been replaced with Yuan Shu's military flag, which flutters gently under the blowing of the night wind.

Standing on the peak of Yiyang Mountain, just enough to have an unobstructed view of the situation in Xiapi City, Zhang Yan observed it carefully, and did not find anything abnormal in the city.

After that, Zhang Yan took people and left Yiyang Mountain at night, and soon returned to the station.

Zhang Yan ordered all the soldiers and horses, and did not stay for a moment, and took advantage of the night to come to the south gate of Xiapi City.

The sound of rolling horses' hooves, like thunder, sounded outside the city of Xiapi, the defenders on the city of Xiapi, hearing this sound, immediately became nervous, reflecting the cold moonlight, the guards vaguely saw that more than 10,000 soldiers and horses flocked to it.

"Xuzhou soldiers are here...... The Xuzhou soldiers are coming......"

For a while, the guards on the city wall suddenly shouted, and a military horse of the Yuan army quickly climbed the city tower and looked down at the city, but seeing that there were more than 10,000 soldiers and horses outside the city, he was in a hurry and uneasy, and immediately ordered: "Prepare the archers, don't let them get close to the city wall......

"I'm Xuzhou Mu Zhang Yan, I don't want to die and open the city gate quickly, otherwise, I won't be killed!" Zhang Yan rode his horse and took a few steps forward, came to the front of everyone, and said loudly.

At this time, a very familiar face was revealed on the city tower, it was Xiapi Taishou Zhou Kui.

Zhou Kui glanced at Zhang Yan who was riding on horseback under the city, and then looked at the more than 10,000 soldiers and horses behind Zhang Yan, and suddenly pulled out the saber in his waist, and with a "swish", he killed the military Sima of the Yuan army standing next to him, and a human head fell directly to the ground, and blood gushed out from the cavity of this military Sima and splashed him.

When the rest of the Yuan soldiers saw it, they were all taken aback, and without waiting for everyone to react, Zhou Kui made a move with his long arm, and many people kept running out from behind, raising the blades in their hands, and killing all the Yuan soldiers stationed here!

Under the city wall, Zhang Yan and the others really saw it, Zhang Yan frowned even more, and couldn't guess why Zhou Kui did this?

Just when he was puzzled, the gate of Xiapi City quickly opened, and Zhou Kui rushed out of the city with a team of men.

Zhou Kui asked people to put down the drawbridge, he asked the soldiers to stand by at the city gate, and he ran straight towards Zhang Yan, and said apologetically: "Lord, I pretended to surrender to Yuan Shu, swallowed my anger, and finally waited for the lord." This city gate has been completely controlled by me, Yuan Shu has few soldiers left in the city, please lead the army into the city to snatch several other city gates, and Xia Pi City will become the lord again! ”

Zhang Yan frowned, stared at Zhou Kui coldly, undecided in his heart, and asked: "Zhou Kui, I heard that when Yuan Shu's army arrived, you surrendered without a fight, but is there such a thing?" ”

Zhou Kui hurriedly replied, "This is indeed the case." But I was also forced to do so, Yuan Shu brought more than 40,000 troops, and there were only 1,000 defenders in the city. Besides, once Yuan Shu is angered, maybe Yuan Shu will slaughter the city, I chose to surrender for the sake of the people and in order to preserve my strength. But please rest assured, I pretended to surrender to Yuan Shu, but in fact, I have always been worried about the lord in my heart! I have known for a long time that the Lord Guild is coming, so I have already made preparations in the city, just to meet with the Lord at this time and take Xia Pi Cheng again. ”

"I see!" Zhang Yan listened to Zhou Kui's explanation and saw what Zhou Kui did, so he was relieved. He threw his hand back and shouted, "Prepare to enter the city!" ”

As soon as the words fell, I only heard a rush of footsteps from the suspension bridge, Zhang Yan and Zhou Kui looked at the suspension bridge, but saw Chen Jiao wearing the clothes of a Xuzhou soldier, and rushed over, carrying a bright and dangling long sword in his hand, with a hideous face.

"Don't listen to Zhou Kui's nonsense, he has completely surrendered to Yuan Shu, this is a strategy set up by Yuan Shu, Zhou Kui wants to lead the lord into the city, and then surround and annihilate him!" Chen Jiao took three steps and made two steps, for fear that Zhang Yan would be counted in the city, so he risked his life and warned Zhang Yan in this way.

Seeing Chen Jiao running over like this, and hearing Chen Jiao's words, Zhang Yan and Zhou Kui were taken aback.

Without waiting for Zhou Kui to react, Chen Jiao had already run to Zhou Kui's side, waved the long sword in his hand, and slashed at Zhou Kui's neck with a single sword.

With the knife in his hand, Chen Jiao thought that he would cut off Zhou Kui's head, but Zhou Kui reacted quickly, and hurriedly drew his long sword to block, and actually blocked Chen Jiao's attack.

However, Zhou Kui prevented Chen Jiao, but failed to prevent Zhang Yan.

After Zhang Yan heard this, he was furious, and stabbed out with a single shot, as fast as lightning, and a shot pierced Zhou Kui's body from behind, and the tip of the iron spear came out of his body, stained with a lot of viscous blood.

At the same time, because Zhang Yan used too much force, he pulled the arrow wound in his back, and there was a heart-rending pain on the spot, which made him grin in pain.

Zhou Kui let out a miserable scream, the weapon in his hand fell to the ground, Chen Jiao waved the long sword in his hand, and with a "swish", he cut off Zhou Kui's head to the ground, and blood gushed out from the cavity instantly, splashing Chen Jiao's face.

"Shoot the arrows!"

All the Yuan soldiers on the castle tower were revealed, and the archers who were waiting for them shot arrows one after another towards the outside of the city.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan stretched out his right hand, leaned down, gently wrapped it, directly grabbed Chen Jiao's waist, lifted it vigorously, and hugged Chen Jiao on the horse's back, and at the same time turned the horse's head, and with a loud shout, he fled behind Chen Jiao.

"There is an ambush, retreat, retreat!" Zhang Yan hurriedly shouted at Tai Shici, Niu Jin, Xu Sheng, Wang Bo and others.

As soon as his words fell, a drum was heard over there, and the ambushes on both sides of the south gate of Xiapi City were all revealed, and they were all branding torches, waving flags and shouting, and the momentum was huge.

Zhang Yan and the others fled, and the army fled for seven or eight miles in a row, and only then stopped after making sure that there were no pursuers behind.

Zhang Yan reined in the horse, turned over and jumped off the horse, saw Chen Jiao with a bloody face, and bowed respectfully: "If Ji Bi hadn't appeared in time today, I would have really believed in Zhou Kui and followed him into the city." If that were the case, I would surely die. Count it out, you saved my life, please bow to me! ”

Chen Jiao hurriedly jumped off the horse and hurriedly bowed: "The lord is such a big gift, Ji Bi can't afford it." ”

"What can't you bear, you not only saved my life today, but also saved the lives of the whole army, such a great achievement, you deserve to be worshiped by me. I just didn't expect Zhou Kui to really turn against me and frame me with Yuan Shu! It's a shame that I still trust him so much, and let him be too guarded at the moment, I ...... I ......"

"The lord doesn't have to blame himself, Lu Yao knows the horsepower, and he has seen the hearts of the people for a long time, that Zhou Kui is a person from Xiapi, since he became a Taishou, he has become more domineering, often encroaching on other people's land, and robbing people's daughters, raising dead soldiers, even his subordinate officials, are also in the same stream with him, and the whole Xiapi has already been a miasma. It is not a pity for such people to die, and he killed them today, and he also relieved the hatred in my heart. ”

"Is that true?"

"It's true. These are just a few of the crimes he committed, and they are all criminal facts collected by me as a subordinate Pi Cheng. ”

"This scum, I thought he was a talent, but I didn't expect him to be such a person, it's just strange, I looked away at the beginning!"

"The lord doesn't have to blame himself too much, now Zhou Kui is dead, but Yuan Shu is still in Xiapi, in comparison, Yuan Shu is even more of a headache, if you don't drive him away, Xiapi will never have peace. I was in Xiapi for two days, pretending to follow Zhou Kui to surrender to Yuan Shu, and I also know a little about Yuan Shu's soldiers and horses, I have a plan, I can let Yuan Shu obediently go back to Huainan! ”

"Oh? Tell me what the hell is the plan! Zhang Yan suddenly became interested and hurriedly asked.