Chapter 41: The Beauty Moves the King's Heart

  "See General."

  Li Meng, Wang Fang and more than a dozen military officers came forward, bowed their heads and saluted Luo Zheng.

  "Thank you for your hard work."

  Luo Zheng waved his hand, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth before quickly disappearing. He pointed with his whip at the several Western Liang cavalrymen who were catching up to the horse carriage behind him, asking: "Who is in this horse carriage?"

  Li Meng immediately came forward and whispered a few words in his ear.

  Luo Zheng's brow furrowed instantly, displeased: "How dare you violate military rules? You little brat, do you think your life is too long?"

  "General, brothers are completely good intentions, absolutely not intentionally offending military discipline."

  Wang Fang also nodded repeatedly beside him, "General, don't worry about it for now, take a look first and if you're not satisfied, my brothers will let him go again."

  "Everyone has rushed here, and if you let her go now, where can a weak woman like her go? Damn it, you bunch of bastards dare to give me trouble, I'll settle the score with you when I have time."

  Li Meng and Wang Fang couldn't stop laughing, but they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

  Although General's tone was unpleasant, there wasn't much anger in it, and he obviously hadn't really gotten angry.

  Luo Zheng urged his horse forward, and with a whip lifted the carriage curtain to reveal a beautiful face, slightly pale with alarm.

  "What a beautiful woman!"

  At that moment, Luo Zheng's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but secretly praise him in his heart.

  No wonder Li Meng and Wang Fang dared to be so bold as to kidnap this woman and give her to themselves. Although there are many beautiful women in the world, a beauty with both good looks and temperament is as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn, and whoever encounters one will not let her go.

  Even if it's oneself, one would probably have to think of ways to marry back home.

  Although Luo Zheng's heart was racing, he still furrowed his brow and said: "Military rules are like mountains, how can this general lead the way in breaking them?"

  A small school shouted loudly: "General, this is a concubine, not a woman, how can it be considered a breach of military discipline? Hehehe, General, you can rest assured and go to the bridal chamber with the little girl, brothers will never have a second word."

  The rest of the military schools and the surrounding soldiers also followed suit, creating a very lively atmosphere.

  Luo Zheng still felt it was inappropriate, if he started this himself, how could he restrain his subordinates in the future.

  Even if it is the unanimous opinion of all the soldiers, but if someone else breaks the military rules and gets punished again in the future, people will still not be convinced.

  Luo Zhenluo thought for a moment, and immediately came up with a compromise. He said loudly: "Since it's everyone's heartfelt wish, General will accept it. However, military rules are set by General himself, how can he lead the way in breaking them? So, when General takes a concubine in Jizhou, all soldiers will be given a one-day reprieve, and only for that day, no further offenses will be allowed."

  "Thank you, General!"

  The troops and soldiers responded with thunderous applause, and the atmosphere suddenly became enthusiastic.

  The soldiers who were far away didn't know what was going on, but as the news spread from mouth to mouth, they soon understood and immediately joined in the shouting and yelling, their eyes gleaming with lust, eager to rush to Ji Province and have a good time with some women.

  The next day, Luo Zhen led his army to cross the river and head north.

  Over a hundred fishing boats made ten trips back and forth, just to transport the 7,000 Western Liang Iron Cavalrymen to the northern shore.

  Li Yang, the large military camp of Jizhou.

  "It's terrible, sir."

  General Pan Feng hastily rushed into Han Fu's large tent, vigorously waving his arms and loudly shouting: "Just now Cao Cao sent someone to report that Luo Zhen led 7,000 Western Liang iron cavalry from Cangting across the river to the north, killing their way to Ji Province."

  "What?"

  Han Fu jumped up in shock and exclaimed: "The Xiliang rebel army did not return to Luoyang, how could they have killed their way into Jizhou?"

  "Pan Feng hastily said: 'Cao Cao sent someone to say that Lu Xun's little son is likely to lead the army from Jizhou to kill into Youzhou, and then go out of the pass from Daijun, bypassing the Great Desert, passing through Hetou, going south to Hedong, and directly returning to Guanzhong.'"

  "This..."

  Han Wei was taken aback and her eyes widened in surprise, she really hadn't expected this.

  "Your Excellency, if we let the Western Liang rebels invade Hebei Province, then all will be lost."

  Han Fu's machine was quick-witted and had a chill, immediately thinking of the key point, cold sweat on his forehead came down immediately.

  In Hebei Province, powerful and wealthy families stand like forests, and only those with exceptional talent and strategy can stand firm.

  Han Fu entered Jizhou not long ago, and originally, he was in a state of friction with the local gentry and aristocratic families.

  If the Xiliang rebels were allowed to slaughter Ji Province and turn it upside down, the trouble would be truly great.

  Pan Feng also understood this point, so he was a bit anxious and flustered.

  "Han Fu cursed: "That damned Luo Zhenxiao, instead of taking the main road through Central Plains, he had to take a detour and run all the way to harm our Ji Province. And that Cao Cao, it was all his idea, if not for the various lords surrounding him, would Luo Zhenxiao have gone out of his way to kill his way into Ji Province? It's infuriating me, truly infuriating me!"

  "Master, what should we do now?" Pan Feng hastily asked.

  "Hurry, order the three armies to cross the river and head north quickly. Also, dispatch a fast horse to the vicinity of Guantao. If you find the Western Liang army, be sure to meet with Luo Zheng in person. Our army will absolutely not be an enemy of theirs. Please spare no effort to show mercy, do not bring disaster to our Ji Province."

  "Understood," Pan Feng said hastily, "I will go and attend to it at once."

  "Go quickly."

  Ye City, the capital of Jizhou Province.

  Zhang He entered the side hall and bowed his hands to Tian Feng: "I don't know what Mr. found me for?"

  Tian Feng's face showed a worried expression, he paced back and forth several times before saying in a low voice: "Just now, the Yuan City commander sent someone to report that 7,000 Western Liang rebel troops have crossed the Yellow River and are heading north, killing and plundering everywhere within the borders of Ji Province."

  "What?"

  Zhang He was shocked and disbelieving, saying: "Now that the vassals have retreated from Tiger Trap Pass, the Western Liang rebels did not head south to return to Tiger Trap Pass. How could they still have invaded Ji Province? Is there some reason for this?"

  Tian Feng nodded and said, "Although the vassals have retreated from Tiger Trap Pass, they still resent this Western Liang cavalry to the bone. The reason why Governor Zhang has not returned until now is that he is surrounding and blocking this Western Liang cavalry, wanting to eliminate them before feeling at ease."

  Zhang Heng suddenly said: "So it was!"

  He paused, then said inexplicably: "But Ji Zhou is north of the Yellow River. If we enter Ji Zhou and return to Luoyang, there are only two roads. Hu Guan is guarded by Zhang Yang, and Liyang is even more difficult to pass through. Isn't this a case of Western Liang's rebel army walking into a trap?"

  "Incredible divine light flashed in Tian Feng's eyes as he said, 'When I first heard the news, I also had doubts. According to messages from various sources, the commander of this Western Liang rebel army, Luo Zheng, is extremely brave and strategic, and would never walk into a trap voluntarily. The only explanation is that Luo Zheng never intended to take the route through Puyang or Luoyang back to Luoyang, otherwise it wouldn't make sense.'"

  Zhang He exclaimed: "If we don't go through Tongguan and Liyang, what other road can we take to get to Luoyang?"

  Tian Fengdao said: "There is still a way, General, don't rush, think carefully."

  Zhang He thought for half a day, suddenly changing color and saying: "If we abandon the Hu Pass and Liyang Road, then only the northern route to Youzhou is left. From Daijun, exit the pass and enter the Great Desert, then go south through the Yellow River Bend and return to Guanzhong. Can the Western Liang rebels really take such a long detour?"

  Tian Feng smiled and said, "Why can't the Xiliang rebels take a detour? This road is far, but it's still relatively safe. At least it's easier than breaking through the layers of nets set up by the various lords. Now that summer has arrived and the grass is lush, the northern tribes are busy grazing their horses and don't have time to launch a large-scale raid southward. It can be said that this is the best opportunity to leave the pass."

  Zhang Heng pondered for a moment, then said in a steady voice: "Sir, are you planning to have the rear general defeat this Western Liang rebel army?"

  Tian Feng shook his head and said, "They are all cavalry, coming and going like the wind. Once things don't go well, they will retreat far away. Our army is all infantry, with only a few thousand soldiers. It's not easy to defeat them."

  "Indeed, sir, what you say is extremely correct."

  Tian Feng smiled again: "However, although we cannot fight hard with them, the military law says that the top soldier defeats the strategy, and the second one attacks the strong. Our army may not be able to fight hard with the Xiliang rebels, but if we set up a clever plan, it is possible to defeat them."

  Zhang He said: "I don't know what plan you have, can we defeat the Western Liang rebel army?"

  Tian Feng loudly said: "The Western Liang rebel army has been burning, killing and looting all the way since entering Ji Province. If it is as I expected, the Western Liang rebel army should go north from Guantao, Qingyuan to Zhaojun, then enter Changshan from Zhaojun, and go north from Zhending to Zhongshan into Guangchang. General, you only need to bury a ambush in the place they must pass through, wait for them to be unprepared, and lead the army to kill out, then you can make achievements."

  Zhang He furrowed his brow and said: "I've heard that whenever the Western Liang army arrives at a place, they always send out scouts in all directions. It's probably not easy to set up an ambush."

  Tian Feng puffed out his chest and said with confidence: "If it were regular ambush troops, they would naturally not be able to get past the scouts of the Xiliang rebels. However, I have a method that can deceive the Xiliang rebels' scouts and allow our ambush troops to deliver a fatal blow."

  Zhang He had long been aware of Tian Feng's intentions and, upon hearing this, happily said: "I wonder if the gentleman has some excellent strategy to teach me?"

  Tian Feng whispered in Zhang Heng's ear, and Zhang Heng was overjoyed. He immediately exclaimed repeatedly, "I'll go prepare right away."

  "General, don't delay."

  Tian Feng solemnly said: "At present, the Western Liang rebels are slaughtering the Ji Zhou aristocracy. If we cannot defeat them at Luan City, I fear that the Ji Zhou aristocracy will suffer a disaster of extinction. Time is pressing, General, you must remember to quickly defeat this branch of the Western Liang rebels."

  "Sir, rest assured, I understand."

  Shejiu, Yuan Shao's large camp.

  General Yan Liang hastily stepped into Yuan Shao's large tent and cupped his hands in respect: "I pay respects to the lord."

  Yuan Shao hastily waved his hand and said: "No need for formalities. Have you found out any news about the rebel army of Xiliang?"

  Yan Liang hastily said: "I've already investigated, the other day Luo Zhen led his troops to advance to Xuchang, and unexpectedly took advantage of the night to force a crossing of Dongping Lake, killing back to Fan County overnight. Not only did he kill Qiao Mao by surprise, but also made Cao Cao wait anxiously in Dongping for half a day."

  "This..."

  Yuan Shao was taken aback and immediately said in a stern voice: "This Luo Zhen is indeed a troublesome little boy!"

  Yan Liang said, "My lord, the Western Liang rebels have already marched north to Cangting, crossed the Yellow River and entered Jizhou. Cao Cao has led his army back to Chenliu. What should our army do? Should we pursue them?"

  Yuan Shao thought for a moment, then suddenly revealed a hint of an unfathomable smile and said: "Since the Xiliang rebels have already invaded Hebei, what's the point of our army pursuing them? Moreover, Governor Han Fu of Ji Province has strong troops and capable generals, he will surely defeat the Xiliang rebels."

  "This..."

  Yan Liang scratched his head, really couldn't understand why his own master would have this attitude.

  Yuan Shao waved his hand and said: "Gongji has worked hard on military affairs, go down and rest!"

  Yan Liang hastily responded with a "yes" and retreated with great suspicion in his heart.