In front of the Jin Wu Guards' gate, there was a market. On both sides of the road, there were small buildings of different heights. There were many lanterns and banners, and most of them were brothels and wine shops.
It was noon, and the sun was scorching. The banners hung listlessly, and a few soldiers were eating and drinking in the tavern. There were also women in red dresses sitting under the green eaves, sewing and mending clothes. The clothes in their hands were mostly military uniforms.
Most of these women were prostitutes. The best prostitutes in Luoyang were all at the Teng Wen Fang. Those who lived near the barracks were all old prostitutes. Sometimes, they would take up sewing jobs, and other times, they would open the door and entertain guests on the couch. The soldiers who frequented this place were all poor and didn't have much money, so they could only earn a few copper coins to spend.
Under such a scorching sun, the sound of hooves could be heard. The hooves were not hurried, and the drunken soldiers in the tavern looked over. Suddenly, they saw two horses slowly approaching. Although they missed each other by a horse's body, their steps were in perfect unison. The two people on the horses were dressed in military uniforms, and their leather armor was black, as though it was cast from black iron.
The woman who was sewing at the top of the building raised her head to take a look. When she saw the general's face, she couldn't help but be stunned. For a moment, she was lost in thought. "What a handsome young general with red lips and white teeth! Aiya! In a moment of carelessness, the needle pricked her finger, and a drop of blood flowed out. The woman hurriedly sucked her finger into her mouth, and as she watched the handsome young general slowly pass by, she actually felt shy like a young girl.
The Jin Wu Guards had been stationed here for many years, and the military camp was surrounded by mud walls. The gate was also a tall and majestic stone base, and was made of wood. On top of the gate, there was a main and two side eaves. In front of the gate, there was a flat open space, and houses were not allowed to be built here. To the right of the gate, there was a stone archway, and on it were four big red words: "Jin Wu Guards".
To the left of the gate, there was another stone archway, and the color of the stone was still very fresh. On it were four big words: "Duke of Hanoi". It seemed like after Wu Yizong took control of the Jin Wu Guards, he toppled the original archway and replaced it with his own title. The two stone archways were fifty steps away from the huge and majestic gate, and it was very grand.
As the Chamberlain of the Chamberlain of the Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia was a permanent military camp, there weren't any tents inside. Looking in from the gate, one could see that there were many buildings on both sides of the road. However, as soon as they entered the gate, they saw a spacious activity area on both sides. There were many instruments placed on it, some made of wood and some made of earth.
Yang Fan recognized them at a glance. They were the Wooden Horse and the Earth Horse. Unlike the Dragonguard, the Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia wasn't entirely composed of cavalry, but they still had their own cavalry. If they had cavalry, they would have to be trained. As for horses … To be honest, a horse was more valuable than a soldier's life, so how could they be ridden at any time?
Even if the cavalry was given a warhorse, they didn't have the right to ride it at any time. The control was as strict as the weapons going in and out of the armory. How could the soldiers practice horsemanship? It was on these earth horses and wooden horses that he practiced the standard movements of mounting and dismounting a horse.
The difference between the army's direct line of descent and the miscellaneous troops, as well as the distance between the army and the Emperor, could be seen here. The people of the Thousand Horsemen Battalion could ride horses if they wanted to practice horsemanship. Since when did they need to use fake horses as a substitute?
However, the Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia didn't have such conditions. If a warhorse was injured or sick, it wasn't something that the Imperial Servant Monastery could change at will. At this moment, there were a few soldiers who were bare-chested and wearing a pair of trousers. They were exercising on the back of the Wooden Horse and Earth Horse that had long been polished smooth.
The guards at the gate were enjoying the shade when they suddenly saw two well-armored generals approaching on horseback. They couldn't help but stand properly.
The guards didn't know who they were, so they stood properly. They glanced at the two horsemen and saw them standing in front of the gate. One of the very young generals raised his head to look at the words on the gate before slowly lowering his head to look at them. The young general didn't look old, but his eyes were sharp and spirited. It made the guards even more uneasy.
At this moment, another general beside the young general said, "Quickly report to the Grand General of the Chamberlain of Imperial Insignia. Just say that Guide Lieutenant General Yang Fan of the Thousand Horsemen Battalion and Field Marshal Xu Liang request an audience!"
Only then did the guards at the gate realize that the other party was from the Thousand Horsemen Battalion. Their original uneasiness was instantly replaced by a kind of disdainful hostility. One of them glanced at the two coldly and said, "Wait!" Then he walked unhurriedly into the camp.
Under the scorching sun, Yang Fan rode steadily on the gate, not moving an inch. It was as if both he and his horse had become cast iron.
The time it takes for a stick of incense to burn passed, then two, but Yang Fan still didn't move. Sweat slowly trickled down his chin and lightly dripped onto his breastplate. The disdain on the faces of the guards at the gate grew more and more intense. They lazily returned to the shade and started chatting and laughing, no longer paying any attention to Yang Fan and Xu Liang.
After a full hour, the reporting colonel dragged his spear and slowly walked back. He said to Yang Fan, "The Grand General has something to say. Would General Yang please dismount and kneel to the Marshal's tent to meet him!"
Yang Fan raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice, "I am the Guide Lieutenant General. Although my position is lower than the King of Hanoi, how dare you humiliate me like this?"
The colonel grinned and said, "If General Yang is unwilling, then please leave."
Yang Fan said, "But what about the thousand horsemen captured by Grand General Wu?"
The colonel said, "Those people have offended Grand General Wu and interfered with the Jin Wu Guards' work. They have been punished by the Grand General. You want to bring them back? No way!"
Yang Fan said, "Even if the thousand horsemen are in the wrong, it is not the Jin Wu Guards' turn to punish them. This is not the execution of military law, this is the indiscriminate punishment! "
The colonel laughed, "So what if it is? You can either kneel and beg our Grand General to be merciful or you can leave! "
Xu Liang raised his horse and it took two steps forward. The frightened colonel hurriedly took two steps back and shouted, "If any of you dare to trespass the camp, the Grand General has orders to kill without mercy!"
As soon as the colonel finished speaking, a troop of soldiers suddenly charged out from the gate. They formed a formation on both sides of the gate and pointed their spears at Yang Fan.
Yang Fan said sternly, "If it is to save my brothers, why should I kneel? However, my knees are worthless but the dignity of the thousand horsemen is not to be offended! The Emperor's thousand horsemen would rather bleed than humiliate their dignity! "
The colonel laughed and wanted to say something but Xu Liang had already raised his hand and with a bang, a firework exploded in the sky.
The scorching sun was high up in the sky and the sky was bright. Although there were not many fireworks, the sound was not soft. The sound of the firework was followed by the sound of people shouting and horses neighing in the distance. In just a moment, smoke and dust could be seen billowing. A large army turned into three torrents and rushed over from the two rows of houses.
In the middle was a general wearing a black helmet. He was tall and sturdy, with thick eyebrows and a wide mouth. He dismounted from his horse and galloped forward. The spear in his hand shone with a bloodthirsty light. It was Chu Kuangge. Behind him were the horsemen, each of them pointing their spears forward like a gust of wind.
On the left, there was a group of soldiers and horses. The person at the very front was holding a snow-white Zhanmadao, like an arrow that had just left the bow. The soldiers behind him formed groups of three and advanced in an arrow formation. This person was Maqiao. He had been in the Dragon Guard for many years and was the best at cavalry battles. The soldiers he led were also the best at cavalry battles.
On the other hand, the army on the right side was different. The one leading the army was Huang Xuchang. This former commander of the Hundred Cavalry Brigade had been in the Emperor's control center for a long time and had seen the nobles and generals every day. He saw them bowing and scraping in front of the Emperor all day long, so he really did not have any reverence for them. Thus, he held a horizontal saber in his hand and shouted arrogantly, looking even more powerful than Chu Kuangge. Of course, his soldiers followed suit, and the formation looked a little messy.
They galloped forward and quickly shortened the distance between them and the gate.
Eight hundred steps …
Five hundred steps …
Three hundred steps …
The earth trembled. The thousand horsemen that were galloping as fast as lightning did not have the slightest intention of stopping.
The soldiers in front of the gate were dumbfounded. The halberds in their hands involuntarily drooped down. One of the captains was muttering to himself, "The thousand horsemen have gone mad, the thousand horsemen have gone mad …"
"Run!"
Someone beside him pulled him back in the spirit of brotherhood. Captain Zheng, who was in a daze, turned his head and saw that most of his brothers had already run away. He hurriedly ran to the left and right as well. He wasn't that crazy to use his own body to block a thousand crazy cavalrymen.
Other than the one hundred men on duty in the palace, the entire Thousand Horsemen Battalion was mobilized. Like a broken dam, they charged into the main camp of the Jin Wu Guards and rolled forward along the main road. Yang Fan and Xu Liang were bypassed by the soldiers and stood motionlessly in front of the gate.
The billowing dust gradually dissipated, revealing the figures of Yang Fan and Xu Liang. Other than them, there was no one else at the gate. The thousand horsemen had charged into the Jin Wu Guards and the soldiers guarding the gate had fled. Xu Liang let out a breath that he had been holding in for a long time and took a step closer to Yang Fan. He asked worriedly, "General, is it really alright to charge into the camp?"
Yang Fan was silent for a while before he slowly said, "The people must be saved! The camp can only be charged! A hundred men is a charge, even if they turn out in full force, it's still a charge. Rather than causing a small ruckus, why not make a big one? Rather than making a fool out of himself, why not make a fool out of himself. I think that our current actions are more in line with His Majesty's taste! "
Xu Liang rolled his eyes. He was asking if something would happen to him. Wasn't this the same as not saying anything?
… …
Wu Yizong was wearing a pair of underpants and enjoying the shade under a large tree. He was lying on a lounge chair drowsily when a soldier suddenly rushed over and shouted, "Mutiny! They're charging into the camp! General, leave quickly! "
Wu Yizong jumped up in shock and cried out, "Mutiny? How can there be a mutiny? This general has never been short of soldiers' pay! "
The colonel replied, "It's not our men, it's the Thousand Horsemen Battalion! The thousand horsemen are charging forward and the entire army is in chaos. General, leave quickly, those thousand horsemen seem to have gone crazy. It's hard to say what they won't do. "
Wu Yizong treasured his life the most. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done such a shameful thing back in Hebei. Once he heard that it was dangerous, he jumped up naked and wanted to hide in the bushes. The colonel didn't know whether to laugh or cry and said, "General, how can someone hide in such short bushes?"
"Quick! Quick, quick, help me up the tree! "
Wu Yizong suddenly saw that the large tree he was enjoying the shade was lush with leaves and was suitable for hiding. Furthermore, it was unlikely that the enemy would search the tree, so he hurriedly shouted to the colonel.
Immediately, the reporting colonel squatted down and let Wu Yizong step on his shoulder. He slowly carried Wu Yizong up the tree. Wu Yizong stepped on the fork and climbed up the tree in a flurry. He then poked his head out from the leaves and anxiously ordered, "Leave quickly and move the chair away!"
The colonel hurriedly moved the chair and ran away. Suddenly, there was the sound of galloping horses in the distance. Wu Yizong quickly retracted his head back into the leaves and grinned maliciously, "Yang Fan! You're the one who delivered yourself to me … "
Before he finished speaking, Wu Yizong suddenly felt a strange itch at the back of his neck. He stretched out his hand to grab it, and a colorful insect appeared in his hand. It was still struggling with its claws and fangs. Wu Yizong was so scared that he screamed and fell down from the tree …
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