Chapter 285: The Hand in the Dark

Chapter 285: The Hand in the Dark

Cui Hong led the army to arrive in time. In order to catch up with the emperor, he also left part of the army and only brought 4,000 elites forward at full speed, finally catching up with the battle of Aocang.

It was noon, and since Chai Yue led the army into the war, the two sides had been fighting fiercely for more than three hours. The Chu army received two reinforcements, and finally surpassed the rebels and the black-headed army in numbers.

Shangguansheng's army was at the end of its streak, and with the chaos in the rear, when they saw the newly arrived flag of the Chu army, the exhausted bandit army suddenly felt hopeless. First the black-headed army, and then the Suwei rebel army, turned around and fled.

Chai Yue also saw the reinforcements, and before it was too late to discuss with the emperor, he quickly ordered his soldiers not to pursue, but to move to both sides, leaving a passage for Cui Hong's army, and the latecomers would chase northward.

After a long period of rapid marching and fighting, the Chu army was more tired than the rebel army and had no spare energy to pursue.

Han Ruzi understood Chai Yue's intentions, and immediately sent someone to send orders to Cui Hong, telling him not to stop, to march forward directly, and be sure to completely defeat the Shangguan Sheng rebels.

The newly arrived Chu troops passed by one by one, and they had also experienced a period of rapid march, but to the warring parties, they were new forces.

Four thousand reinforcements were thrown into the battlefield. Cui Hong brought many generals, ceremonial guards, officials, eunuchs and advisors to visit the emperor. When the trip was over, several people fell off their horses. Others were helped by soldiers to get off their horses, but their feet were unstable, and they knelt down from a distance.

Han Ruzi felt guilty, but he didn't have time to pay attention to the etiquette of monarchs and ministers. He greeted Cui Hong and said, "Shangguansheng is just outside Aocang City.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, the minister has already ordered that Shangguan Sheng must be captured." Seeing that the emperor was still not at ease, Cui Hong said a few words, and led the generals into the battlefield to personally command the pursuit.

Han Ruzi was a little relieved, and then he said to the civil servants and eunuchs who were kneeling on the ground: "Everyone is flat, so there is no need to hold ceremony."

Liu Jie, Zhang Youcai and Loach did not follow. They stayed in the rear army as ordered by the emperor to monitor the Tan family who were traveling together.

After chatting with the civil servants, Han Ruzi returned to the army and arranged post-war affairs with Chai Yue.

This was a tragic battle, with many casualties on both sides, and even the most elite southern and northern armies basically lost their combat effectiveness.

Chai Yue suggested camping on the spot and making plans after a day or two of rest, so as to protect Ao Cang by the way.

Cui Hong's army was sweeping the battlefield. Because they failed to form a siege, there were many rebels and blackheads fleeing. The 4,000 soldiers could not catch them all at once. They could only choose key targets to pursue, especially Shangguan Sheng, the emperor and the general Cui Hong. It has been ordered that whoever catches the rebel leader will be a great achievement.

Nearly an hour later, there were no more living rebels or black-headed troops on the battlefield. The Chu army could set up camp with peace of mind. Some stayed in the city, and some set up tents outside the city. Everything was provided by Aocang City.

Han Ruzi summoned the defender of Aocang.

Although Ao Cang was important, Shou Ling was only a rank seven petty official. Qiao Wanfu had served for many years without any faults, and was favored by the emperor in a battle.

The timing of Ao Cang's army going out of the city to attack the rebels was very appropriate. Qiao Wanfu could be regarded as brave and resourceful, and Chai Yue also thought he was quite talented.

When summoned to the front, Han Ruzi was a little disappointed. Qiao Wanfu's name was bold, but he was a middle-aged man with a short stature and an unremarkable appearance. He was in his forties. 's clerk.

But when the man came, he couldn't say nothing. Han Ruzi praised a few words in general and handed Qiao Wanfu to Chai Yue, but he had already come to the conclusion that Ao Cangjun's timing was probably an accident.

As evening approached, Shangguan Sheng was still not caught, Cui Hong was still arranging the hunt, Han Ruzi was extremely tired, and finally went to the city to rest. He wanted to rest for a while, but he fell asleep as soon as his head was on the pillow. It took a long time, but it couldn't really replace sleep, he had to take a good sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was still bright outside. Han Ruzi thought he had only slept for a short while, but after a while, he suddenly woke up. It was early morning and he slept all night.

Han Ruzi sat up, only to feel a sore back, and nowhere to feel comfortable. He couldn't help humming a few times, and the eunuch's question immediately came from outside: "Your Majesty is up?"

Han Ruzi hummed, and two eunuchs pushed in the door, one helped wash and the other served and dressed.

Only now did Han Ruzi have the opportunity to observe his residence. The room was not big, and the decoration was not gorgeous. The tables and chairs were outdated, but extremely clean. It stands to reason that this should be the best room in Aocang City. Han Ruzi speculates that Qiao Wanfu is probably a poor official. Even if he has no other skills, he should be promoted one or two levels.

While eating, Han Ruzi ordered the generals to be summoned.

The King of Donghai lived next door and came to eat with the emperor. He looked tired and seemed to have not slept enough. He glanced at the emperor from time to time, and when the eunuch was not around, he whispered: "It's good to be the emperor, I used to rely on it. Relying on robbing and relying on tactics, there is no need to say anything now, there are a group of people who are desperate for His Majesty."

He was also jealous of his uncle Cui Hong's timely arrival.

Han Ruzi laughed a few times. If it was the first time to become emperor, the performance of Cui Hong and others would definitely be a symbol of loyalty in his eyes, but now he sees it very clearly. These behaviors are also the "habits" of the court. The power used for him is still a few people such as Chai Yue.

Aocang City Yamen is very shabby, the lobby is an ordinary room, even the emperor's ceremonial guards can't fit, Han Ruzi simply ordered the chairs to be taken out, his back turned to the lobby, and the civil and military officials, guards and eunuchs gathered in the courtyard. Behind him, the guards were standing on both sides. The guards stood outside the gate. The flags fluttered, almost covering the entire yard.

The accompanying civil servants and military generals lined up to enter, knelt down and kowtowed, and said in unison, "I will wait to see Your Majesty."

Han Ruzi was surprised that he did not arrange all this. The only decision he made was to move the chairs out of the lobby. The whole ceremony was ready-made, especially the uniformity of the ministers, which was likely to have been rehearsed in advance.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites followed, probably to their credit.

But this was not what Han Ruzi wanted now. Although the entire court ceremony was brief, it took nearly two quarters of an hour before the generals had a chance to deal with it.

Cui Hong had the highest position, so he was the first to speak.

The Su Wei rebels had completely disintegrated, and Shangguan Sheng had not been caught yet, but a team of Chu troops had already found his trace and had been chasing him, and they could bring him back at any time.

The Chu army captured a lot of prisoners, interrogated them overnight, and finally figured out the origins of those black-headed troops. They were a band of bandits, the main force was from Yunmengze, and they gathered more than a dozen cottages to jointly form the black-headed army, which started a month ago. They sneaked into the mountains outside Luoyang City in batches, and three days ago decided to attack Aocang together with the Su Wei rebels.

The leader of the Black-headed Army is Luan Banxiong, who calls himself a "God-given General" and has a great reputation in the Yunmengze area. , and handed all the black-headed army to Shangguan Sheng.

The King of the East Sea stood beside the emperor, and when they heard the word "Saint Army Master", the two looked at each other and thought of the watcher.

What irritated Han Ruzi even more was that the black-headed army had sneaked in from Yunmengze to the north a month ago.

Yang Feng may have overestimated the power of the watchmen, but one thing is very accurate. There is indeed a power that is making waves in the dark. For them, the more chaotic the Great Chu, the better.

There was also a piece of news that made the emperor and his ministers feel uneasy. The British king did not stay with Shangguansheng, and disappeared together with the Holy Army division, like a hostage exchange for the Black Head Army.

The King of England himself is not to be feared, but falling into the hands of the warlocks of the rivers and lakes is likely to cause big trouble.

The Chu army continued to stay in Aocang City for repairs.

That afternoon, Chai Yue asked to see the emperor and solemnly recommended Qiao Wanfu, "This man is not from the military. He studied literature in his early years, and he joined the army in the middle of his career. He has been serving as a civil servant in the army. When he arrives, he will entertain the food givers, discuss the situation in Kanto with them in detail, and know the east of Luoyang, especially the state of Qi, very well."

Han Ruzi summoned Qiao Wanfu for the second time, but this time he just didn't hear it.

Qiao Wanfu was a little nervous in front of the emperor, did not dare to raise his head, stuttered a little, and talked a little long-winded. He introduced the situation in various places in Kanto in detail, and finally came to the conclusion: King Qi's rebellion is inevitable and will happen sooner or later. , Although Shangguan Sheng failed to lead his troops to flee to the East China Sea, no matter whether he was alive or dead, there was still chaos in the Eastern Realm of Great Chu.

The conclusion was sensational, but Han Ruzi didn't quite understand the reason. After asking a few questions, he sent Qiao Wanfu away. Chai Yue kept watching, and then stepped forward and apologized: "Qiao Wanfu is too nervous and didn't explain clearly, wait a minute. I'll talk to him again."

Han Ruzi smiled and said: "No hurry, in short, I have to send the King of the East Sea to the country, take Qiao Wanfu with me, and stay for a while, by the way, I will go to Qi State, I want to see, why is it necessary to the east of Da Chu? There's a mess."

Chai Yue stepped down, and he had to arrange an official position for Qiao Wanfu.

In the evening, the Chu troops who were chasing the defeated soldiers returned one after another, and one of them brought back the head of Shangguan Sheng.

Shangguan Sheng refused to surrender, and led dozens of guards to the last battle.

Han Ruzi personally checked the head and confirmed that it was correct, feeling a little regretful in his heart.

Soon, another team of Chu troops returned to the city and captured a prisoner with a name and a surname. Han Ruzi immediately ordered him to be brought, and he wanted to personally interrogate him.

The watcher Lin Kunshan had been following Shangguansheng all the time, but when they were fleeing, they separated, and entered a nearby mountain with a group of black-headed troops.

Those who know the current affairs are Junjie, and those who look at the air are Junjie. As soon as Lin Kunshan saw the emperor, he knelt down, walked on his knees, and said in a very urgent tone: "Your Majesty is still here? The Holy Army and Baoxi are both in Luoyang. Inside the city!"

(If there is no accident, at 2:00 pm next Saturday, the "Ruzi Emperor" will be closed on the front page of the conference. Please ask for a monthly ticket in advance, and hope to stay in the top ten in the historical classification this month. The third day is a bit embarrassing, let's share it, tomorrow There will be two updates with next Sunday, thank you for your support.)