Chapter 144: Forced Appearance

In fear and trembling, the Prefect of Guanghan, Shang Hong, woke up early and left the Prefectural Office to go on an inspection tour of the four cities.
Before reaching the Eastern City, Shang Hong heard a loud noise and became suspicious, so he hurriedly made his way to the top of the city wall.
Under the guidance of the city guards, Shang Hong saw that the Chief Officer Zhuo Gui, who was supposed to be garrisoned in Chengdu, was leading several thousand Chuan troops and standing outside the city alongside the enemy general Wei Gao.
"Chief Officer Zhuo, why did you surrender to the enemy?" Shang Hong was shocked in his heart, but couldn't believe it. He shouted loudly towards outside the city.
"Liu Bi colluded with the treacherous Shi Chaoyi, assassinated General Gao, and further brought calamity to our people in Sichuan by inciting the Dongchuan army. Such traitors should be executed by everyone. I am supporting General Yang Wu'an, which is in accordance with the imperial decree. Where does the talk of surrendering to the enemy come from?" Although Zhuo Gui's face looked a bit unpleasant, his voice was quite loud. "Prefect Fei and General Xiao are both loyal men of Sichuan, why don't they follow the imperial decree and the will of the people of Sichuan, and join forces to punish the traitors?"
Although Shang Hong had the intention to refute, he looked at the situation outside the city and held back his words.
After a pause, Shang Hong asked with a hint of difficulty, "Are you here to reinforce Luo City as ordered?"
"Exactly." Zhuo Gui nodded, "I have led ten thousand men, all of whom have surrendered to General Wei Gao."
There was an uproar on the city wall, and the guards looked at each other with despair in their eyes.
Shang Hong's mind went blank for a moment, and he slowly turned around, meeting the gaze of the commander, Xiao Pei.
Xiao Pei's face was also filled with disappointment and pessimism.
One hour later, Shang Hong and Xiao Pei surrendered and opened the city gates.
Locheng, the last gateway to the north of Chengdu, has officially fallen into the hands of Wei Gao.
As the news spreads, panic rises in Chengdu. Many noble officials secretly send envoys out of the city in an attempt to contact Wei Gao's army and cooperate from within. The city also sees an exodus of people.
Although Liu Bi ordered the city to be closed and martial law to be imposed, it was of no use in dealing with the chaos in the city.
After "deadlocking" with Bai Maolin for 32 days, including Han Cheng and Bai Zhenjie who knew about Yang Cuo's plan, many generals from the Sichuan Army and even the Tang Army requested Yang Cuo to launch a real attack.
Patience is severely tested in a stalemate with someone.
What is even more unbearable is the arrogant and insulting remarks made by Baomaolin when he is in a position of power.
He sent three letters to Yang Cuo, mocking me for my false reputation with sarcastic words.
Yang Cuo didn't feel much when he saw it, but Yan Zhen and other generals were almost furious and repeatedly requested to go to battle.
The military forces led by Lu Sigong, who was also "deadlocked," encountered a similar situation.
On this day, a pigeon landed in the Tang army's camp - General Wei Gao successfully crossed the Yinping Pass and has already captured Jiangyou, Fucheng, and Mianzhu. He is currently attacking Luocheng.
"Mianzhu has been captured, and General Wei is attacking Luocheng?" After reading the thin silk in his hand, Han Cheng suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring wide open, the veins on his forehead bulging, and a look of astonishment mixed with ecstatic joy on his face.
Yang Cuo nodded and confirmed the accuracy of the news to Han Cheng.
Bai Zhenjie, who has always been calm, hastily took the silk book from Han Cheng's hand and started reading it eagerly.
Other prominent officers from Sichuan, who were initially shocked, also regained their senses. Although their bodies made no movement, their gaze turned almost fervent as they looked towards Han Cheng and Bai Zhenjie.
Compared to them, the Tang officers who had already been informed of the news appeared to be calmer, but their joy was completely unhidden in their eyes.
Of course, half an hour ago, their performance was not better than Han Cheng and others either.
Due to the need to conceal Wei Gao's surprise attack, Yang Cuo has not revealed the true plan since the beginning of the war, and only a few people know the situation, including Lu Sijing, Han Cheng, and Bai Zhenjie.
In the previous month of progress of the war, many Tang military commanders complained to Yang Cuo, directly admitting that they have never fought as weakly as they are now, after following me to fight in the north and south.
What they want most is to fight with Baimaolin with all their strength.
Of course, some cunning generals suspect that I might be using some tricks, but after probing, Yang Cuo has never revealed anything.
And in the midst of these days of stalemate and torment, a miracle appeared suddenly, causing boundless joy.
"Hahaha..." Bai Zhenjie lowered the silk book in his hand, looked up at the sky, and burst into laughter. His gray beard trembled slightly with the hearty laughter.
"The brilliance of Yang Wu'an's military strategy is truly awe-inspiring. Han Cheng is in admiration!" Han Cheng's eyes gleamed, his hands folded, and he said cheerfully.
Bo Zhenjie contained his laughter, passed the silk book to the eagerly waiting others. He respectfully bowed to Yang Cuò, "Yang Wu'an, this old man is also in awe!"
Yang Cuo stepped forward and held up Han Cheng and Bai Zhenjie with one hand, smiling and saying, "If it weren't for the full cooperation of these two, I might not have been able to achieve such great success."
At this moment, the group of Sichuan generals who had finished reading the embroidered book couldn't help but cheer with joy.
Feeling the genuine joy and excitement from deep within, Yang Cuo's face showed a faint smile, but his mind was already pondering the next battle.
韦皋的进展如此顺利，成都恐怕已经陷入到空前的慌乱之中。
In a state of panic, Liu Bi is very likely to summon soldiers and horses from the front line for reinforcement.
Among the three routes of soldiers and horses, Liu Bi can hardly rely on Huang Qi's route, and Wei Gao is also capable enough to deal with it.
Compared to Li Changzong, Bai Maolin is closer to Chengdu on this route, so he should be the first to return to relieve the siege.
From the moment Bai Maolin retreated, the real confrontation with him began.
For quite a month, the "brother" was arrogant and it made Yang Cuoguo very upset!
Very upset!
From Chengdu, a galloping shooting star, made Bai Maolin feel like falling into an ice cave.
Even though it was still early winter, he felt his body trembling constantly.
Unexpectedly, Tang Jun's elite troops sneaked into Lucheng, and they were also just a step away from Chengdu.
Although Baomao Lin is arrogant, he is not without intelligence.
He vaguely guessed that he seemed to have fallen into a trap.
Being able to block the enemy leader, Yang Cuo, for more than a month, is probably not his own "credit", but a deliberate "deception" created by the enemy to conceal the surprise attack.
He thought he was clever, but he didn't realize that he fell completely into his opponent's trap.
But there was something else that chilled Baomaolin's heart even more.
Over the past month, he had mocked, laughed at, and provoked Yang Cuo in various ways, such as in words and letters.
The words spoken were extremely harsh and offensive.
No matter how tolerant a person is, it is impossible to tolerate such humiliation and ridicule, yet Yang Cuo actually endured it.
The content implied behind such endurance is even more disturbing.
At this moment, Baimaolin had completely lost his ambition to become famous and was only thinking about how to save his own life.
Changing sides was basically hopeless, so he could only follow Liu Bi down a dark path to the end.
"Take it step by step..." Weary, Bai Maolin placed the Jianshu on the desk, her gaze vacant as she muttered to herself.
That night, Bai Maolin gathered her troops under the cover of darkness and retreated towards Chengdu.
The lurking scouts from the Wolf Tooth Battalion had already sensed it when Baomaolin started to take action.
Two hours later, the empty camp of Baomaolin's feigned suspicion formation was taken by the Tang army in one fell swoop.
Although knowing that if Xichuan falls into the hands of the Tang Dynasty, the balance of power between the two sides will become more unbalanced, and the days of Shi Chaoyi will become increasingly difficult to endure, Xu Shuji, who is in charge of military and political affairs in Luoyang, still has no solution to the ongoing Xichuan war.
The Yan Army has no way to take any substantial countermeasures against the military actions of the Tang Dynasty, and the so-called ceasefire agreement is secondary. The most crucial point is that the Yan Army no longer has the strength to engage in a battle with the Tang Dynasty, at least for now.
The comprehensive war at the beginning of the year lasted for over half a year, which greatly weakened the morale of Shi Chaoyi and it will take some time for him to recover.
In addition, Shi Chaoyi now needs to focus on the battle against Li Huaixian.
My side is unable to take action, so we can only rely on the help of others to restrain.
But Hengzhou has already fallen into the hands of Li Baochen, Xue Sunchen has submitted to the Tang court, and Shizhou is currently in the midst of internal turmoil and civil war, so there is no available help to be found.
Stay in the Yan Army's spies in Xichuan, although they can spread some rumors to stir up trouble, at most they can only make the situation more confused, and cannot play a real role.
"Xichuan is already powerless!" In front of Pinglan and others, Xu Shunji helplessly and frankly said.
"The Tang court made a brilliant timing decision..." Ping Lan nodded. "He knows that His Majesty must resolve the issue of Li Huaixian's banditry as soon as possible, with no time to spare for Western Sichuan."
"Lord Ping, are you being too pessimistic?" Shi Chaotai expressed doubt and said, somewhat puzzled, "In terms of strength, although Liu Bi is not as powerful as the Tang Court, Sichuan has the advantage of geographical terrain. The dangerous terrain of the Shu Road, even if it is impossible to retreat from the enemy, defending it may still be possible, right?"
"Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. What is advantageous can also become detrimental, and vice versa," Xu Shuji sighed bitterly, explaining to Shi Chaotai, "I'm afraid Liu Bi may rely too heavily on the perilous Shudao and become careless, thus potentially leaving exploitable opportunities."
"The person leading the military attack on Xichuan this time is Yang Cuo. Yang Cuo's strategy is unpredictable. He seizes opportunities at the right moment, regardless of conventions. As long as he identifies an opportunity, he is likely to take risks and use unconventional tactics. He will launch surprise attacks and enter Shu."
“可恨细作还未能传回战况进展，否则就可以从中猜出一二了！”平洌叹气说道。
史朝泰心下黯然，沉吟了片刻，向许叔冀问道：“许公，严畴那里还没有消息？”
"Not yet!" Uncle Xu shook his head.
Uncle Xu's original intention was to use Yan Chao to lure out Yan Zhuang, but after more than a month, Yan Chao was still wandering in Hengzhou, while Yan Zhuang was nowhere to be found.
"It has been over a month and there have been no abnormal signs. Shouldn't we let him come back? The Yans have been causing trouble for several months now. If we continue, it may lead to instability among the people." Shi Chaotai frowned and deliberated.
Yan Shi is a prominent family in Cangzhou, with numerous members serving in positions in the Luoyang government. They have a wide network of contacts.
If the relationship with Yan Shi deteriorates, it will undoubtedly have a significant negative impact on the rule of Shi Chaoyi.
"Yan Zhuang has a poised and patient demeanor, and I want to draw him out. It requires some patience! In fact, Yan Chao has been in Hengzhou for a month, and he is still safe and sound, which already indicates a few things," Xu Shuji slowly stated, while stroking his chin with his long beard. "You can rest assured, I have made arrangements to ensure that Yan Zhuang will have nowhere to hide."
He detected a hint of mystery in Xu Shuji's words, and Shi Zhaotai felt uneasy about it, but he held back his words.
Under the "protection" of Li Baochen, Yan Zhuang, who was hiding in Anding County, had been keeping an eye on his younger brother and felt hesitant in his heart.
In fact, on the fifth day after Yan Chaojing entered Hengzhou, Yan Zhuang had already received the news.
Feeling emotional, Yan Zhuang does not dare to recognize his brother who is so close.
At this point, Yan Zhuang actually knew that his secret identity could hardly be kept from Shi Chaoyi, but the consequences of admitting or not admitting were completely different.
If he admits it, the Yan family will have to follow Shi Chaoyi's orders, forcing Yan Zhuang to continue being an informant or trying to get Hengzhou into Shi Chaoyi's hands.
If he doesn't admit, speculation can only be speculation, and Yan Shi has reason to refuse Shi Chaoyi's request.
Even with Yan Zhuang's great wisdom, he couldn't help but be a little confused when faced with a difficult issue related to family affection.
Let Yan Chao stay in Hengzhou for over thirty days unharmed, he himself has already realized his mistake.
But now, instead of making up for it, he has fallen behind, so he simply turns a deaf ear and pays no attention.
Li Baochen also understood the difficulties of Yan Zhuang and tried to alleviate the situation in his regular reports to Chang'an.
However, Yan Zhuang could not maintain his composure.
A shocking news came, almost petrifying him.
A defeated Khitan cavalry rushed into Hengzhou and happened to encounter Yan Chou.
Among Yan Chou's group of six, four were killed on the spot, he himself and one follower were severely injured.
After the Khitan riders passed by, Yan Zhuang carefully arranged for his scouts to confirm that there was no one hiding nearby to spy on them, and then he rescued Yan Chao.
No matter how calm he was, Yan Zhuang couldn't ignore the fact that his beloved younger brother was seriously injured.
However, upon seeing his second older brother and barely managing to stay alive, the first thing Yan Chao said was, "Second brother, you shouldn't have saved me!"