Chapter 560 Being caught up
"Send people to chase him. I must find him alive or dead. No matter what, Liu Xiu must be brought back to me. I am waiting to take Liu Xiu's head to the prime minister to claim the reward. I must not let Liu Xiu get away!" Zhao Fan said without hesitation. Liu Xiu was the leader of the rebels. Even if he had captured Yiyang City, he would still be blamed by the prime minister if he let Liu Xiu run away.
"Yes, I will lead people to chase him immediately and bring Liu Xiu back!"
"Send more troops and spread the word that no matter who catches Liu Xiu, they will be rewarded heavily. Not only will they be rewarded with silver, but they will also be promoted." Zhang Meng added on the side, just to increase the motivation of his subordinates to search for Liu Xiu. Nothing is as attractive as getting promoted and making money.
Sure enough, the subordinate's eyes lit up when he heard Zhang Meng say this, and his voice became louder: "Yes, I will arrange it immediately."
Not long after Liu Xiu and his talents evacuated Yiyang Prefecture, they were caught up. It was because they evacuated too hastily and were not prepared in advance, so the pursuers followed their tracks and caught up so quickly.
"My lord, there are pursuers behind us. Why don't we split our troops into two groups? I will lead one group to lead the pursuers away."
Liu Xiu knew that this was not the time to be hypocritical. If he fell into the hands of the court, he would end up miserably. He nodded and agreed: "Be safe and take care! Liu Xiu has remembered your kindness in protecting each other. If there is a day, Liu Xiu will definitely repay you!"
The pursuers were almost catching up. Liu Xi had no time to delay. After saying this, he took another group of people and left along the trail.
Han Yu originally estimated that Yiyang City could still hold out for a day or two. Although Liu Xiu, Yin Shi and others were not as good as him in military tactics, they were on par with Zhao Fan and should not be so useless. However, he heard the news of Yiyang City's fall when he was halfway there.
"How could it be so fast! Is there any inside story?" Han Yu asked with a frown. He knew the abilities of Liu Xiu and Yin Shi, so he asked this question. In fact, he had already guessed the reason.
"It was the traitor Liu Kuan who colluded with the enemy's suggestion lurking inside, took advantage of the chaos to open the city gate and let the enemy in. We were already in a losing position, so we were naturally defeated. In the end, the lord quickly retreated with his confidants and the remaining troops, so he did not fall into Zhao Fan's hands. However, Zhao Fan is now sending people to hunt down the lord. What should we do now, lord? Should we continue on our way?"
Zhai Li roughly described the cause of the incident, and then asked Han Yu about his plan. In fact, he always felt that Liu Xiu was not very good. Even if he had some skills and tolerance, he was still not as good as Han Yu. What's more, there were things that happened later. Zhai Li was even more dissatisfied with Liu Xiu. He just didn't understand why the master gave up his own advantages and did not become the master himself, but chose to follow Liu Xiu. It was not worth it at all.
It's just that he couldn't guess the master's mind, so he could only choose to follow. Now that things have come to this point, Zhai Li actually didn't want Han Yu to choose Liu Xiu. At the beginning, Liu Xiu still had some strength, but now it's nothing at all.
"You don't have to test me. Since I have decided to follow Liu Xiu, I have my reasons. Liu Xiu is a man of great fortune. It won't be wrong for us to follow him." Han Yu naturally couldn't tell the real reason, but he hinted at something vaguely.
Zhai Li couldn't fully understand what he said, but he already understood Han Yu's attitude: "Yes, I understand. So, sir, what should we do now? Yiyang City has been broken, and I don't know where the lord has escaped to. There is no point in continuing to travel."
Han Yu pondered for a while: "Bring the map."
After studying and pondering on the map for a while, combined with Liu Xiu's temperament and the pros and cons, Han Yu pointed to a place on the map: "It's here. We can't go to Yiyang City. If we go here, the lord will probably forget this direction. Let's go there immediately."
Han Yu's estimate was indeed accurate, because the general direction of Liu Xiu's escape was exactly where they were. In just one day, Han Yu found Liu Xiu.
When Liu Xiu was found, he was being besieged by a pair of soldiers sent by Zhao Fan. Liu Xiu and his subordinates fought bloody battles, and the situation was extremely tragic. I'm afraid they had already gone through countless fierce battles. If Han Yu didn't arrive, they would soon be unable to support themselves.
It can be said that Han Yu's arrival was a timely rain for Liu Xiu. Han Yu led his subordinates to kill the soldiers sent by Zhao Fan, and then he saluted Liu Xiu and was defeated.
"My subordinates are late to rescue, please forgive me, lord!" Han Yu did things, and he would do his best. At this time, he was absolutely respectful to Liu Xiu, full of submission and guilt, although everyone with a discerning eye knew that this was not Han Yu's fault.
Liu Xiu was really moved, and his heart became more settled. He quickly helped Han Yu up, with an expression of unprecedented happiness and trust. He didn't expect Han Yu to be loyal to him at this time. At this time, he no longer had any capital for Han Yu to follow him.
"What Xiuqi said is wrong. If there is anything wrong, it is my fault. I should not have listened to the slander of the villain and stayed away from you. I did not recall you in time, which led to the current situation and the loss of Yiyang City. I thought that Xiuqi you might be disappointed in me and would not be willing to follow me anymore, but I did not expect that you would treat me the same as before. Even in such a critical moment, it was you who arrived in time to save our lives. Otherwise, we would have died in the hands of these people today." Liu Xiu said with great emotion
"This is what Han Yu should do. I, Han Yu, have always kept my word and kept my promise. Since I have chosen the lord, I will never look back! I just hope that the lord will no longer doubt me in the future. Although Yiyang City has been broken, there is a saying that 'there is no need to worry about firewood if the green mountains remain'. Han Yu will definitely assist the lord with all his heart and help the lord to make a comeback. If I break this oath, I will be struck by lightning!" Han Yu solemnly swore an oath. No one saw the angle, and a faint arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.
In fact, it was not such a coincidence. He just happened to arrive so timely? Of course not! However, Han Yu did not deliberately arrange it or create trouble. He just controlled the speed of their journey. The timing was just right. Sometimes it is better to arrive early than to arrive early. Only by doing the most appropriate thing at the most appropriate time can you get the greatest gratitude. His first step went very smoothly.
"Okay! Xiuqi said it well! I was deceived by treacherous villains before, but now I can see the people around me clearly. From now on, you and I are brothers. Let's build the country together, share happiness and hardships, and no longer have any doubts!" Liu Xiu also said immediately. Although he did not swear an oath, his words were full of sincerity. They were words from the bottom of his heart. No matter why Han Yu chose him, he chose to believe Han Yu.