The night was as dark as ink, the moonlight was blocked by thick clouds, and the dim lights in the tent flickered.
After Xue Mang put away his musket, his eyes were as bright as a torch and he quickly walked out of the tent.
Now, taking advantage of the chaotic news about the army, it is reasonable to incite the men who were originally under Wang Shan to return to serve Her Royal Highness.
"General Zhu and Guo Yan had a disagreement and fired at each other with muskets, killing both of them!" Xue Mang's voice echoed in the silent night air, resounding throughout the entire military camp.
The news spread like wildfire through the military camp.
The soldiers were panicked and talking, and the originally quiet military camp fell into chaos.
Xue Mang took the opportunity to stand on a high place and shouted loudly: "The court is ignorant and treacherous. How can I continue to work for such a court? Her Royal Highness is our true destination!"
However, not everyone is convinced by Xue Mang's words.
Guo Yan's confidant Li Mo walked up to Xue Mang with a sinister expression, "Xue Mang, don't try to confuse the public with your monstrous words! Don't think that I don't know what you have done behind your back. You and Zhu Zhenhai have already had an affair with Her Royal Highness the Princess. Collusion. She is a traitor, how can we surrender to her? We should be loyal to the court and defend the dignity of the Song Dynasty to the death!"
Xue Mang sneered and said, "The dignity of the Song Dynasty? Our officials are currently conspiring with Jin Gou and Da Xia to attack Her Royal Highness the Princess. Do you dare to ask about the dignity and existence?"
Li Mona allowed him to make more excuses and directly called his troops out of the camp. The two armies quickly formed a confrontation outside the camp.
Although Xue Mang's subordinates are not many in number, they are all elite men.
Li Mo's army was large in numbers, but many of them were hesitant and wavering.
Just as the two sides were at war with each other, the rumble of horse hooves suddenly came from the distance.
King Xin Zhao Zhen was seen galloping in with a hundred thousand horses, and their arrival instantly changed the situation on the battlefield.
Zhao Zhen was wearing armor and holding a long sword in her hand. She glanced coldly at Li Mo's army, and finally settled on Xue Mang.
"General Xue, you did a good job." Zhao Zhen's voice was low and powerful, "These traitors should have been punished long ago!"
What Zhao Zhen brought was not only the numerical advantage, but also the 3,000-person Fire Gun Team.
The arrival of the Fire Gun Team instantly plunged Li Mo's army into panic. They had never seen such powerful firepower, and their hearts were filled with fear and uneasiness.
Zhao Zhen was not in a hurry to launch an attack, but gave Li Mo two choices: "Submit yourself to Her Highness the Princess and forget about the past; or I can dismiss you and return to your hometowns."
Li Mo's face was ashen, and he knew that he had no way out.
But he was still unwilling to surrender like this. He tried to resist and look for a glimmer of hope.
However, the reality is cruel. When he saw the army he belonged to falling down one after another under the fire of firecrackers, the hope in his heart was completely shattered.
"I surrender!" Li Mo's voice echoed in the night sky, full of helplessness and despair, "I just ask that your highness spare my life!"
Zhao Zhen looked at Li Mo coldly, with a trace of disdain flashing in her eyes.
But he did not break his promise, but ordered to stop the attack and accepted Li Mo's surrender.
After the surrender, Li Mo and his men were temporarily placed in the military camp. Although they lost their freedom and dignity, at least they saved their lives
For Xue Mang and Zhao Zhen, this victory is just the beginning.
Zhao Zhen stood on Hulao Pass, and the scenery in front of her was like a magnificent picture.
Inside the pass, tens of thousands of troops were ready to go, with flags and banners, armor clanking, and a rainbow-like momentum.
Outside the pass, there are more than 200,000 horses that he has just surrendered. Although their morale is slightly low, they are still a force that cannot be underestimated.
He took a deep breath and effortlessly disintegrated the coalition forces of Guo Yan and Zhu Zhenhai. It was inevitable that he would feel a little excited and aroused in his heart.
"Go down with the order and send someone to inform Her Royal Highness the Princess and ask her to accept these surrendered soldiers." Zhao Zhen said in a deep voice. After dealing with the surrendered soldiers, he led more than 50,000 troops and took advantage of the momentum to cross Hulao Pass and march towards Luoyang, Xijing.
In Kaifeng City, Zhao Yingluo received the news from Zhao Zhen, with a long-lost smile on her face.
If Luoyang, Xijing, can be recaptured, it means that Kaifeng has another security barrier.
"Okay! Okay! Okay!" She said three good words in a row, and the joy in her heart was beyond words. The emperor's brother Zhao Zhen did not disappoint her.
Zhao Yingluo came to Jiangsu on horseback.
She looked at the uneasiness and fear in the eyes of these former enemy soldiers, and understood what they were thinking at the moment.
"I will let go of what you have done before. From now on, if you want to be my private soldier, don't have any second thoughts; if you don't want to be my private soldier, I can also give you some land and just pay four dan as a rent every year."
Her words were like a reassurance, instantly dissipating a lot of the fear and uneasiness in the hearts of the soldiers.
They looked at Zhao Yingluo with a little more awe and respect.
Among the more than 200,000 soldiers, 150,000 were once Wang Shan's people.
They had no choice but to be recruited by the imperial court, and now they had the opportunity to become Her Royal Highness the Princess's private soldiers, so they naturally chose to do so.
However, the 70,000 to 80,000 men originally belonging to Guo Yan were not unanimous in their opinions.
Some of them were moved by Zhao Yingluo's proposal, while others still had doubts.
At this moment, Guo Yan's former deputy general Hu Zhongda stood up.
He walked up to Zhao Yingluo, clasped his fists and saluted: "General Hu Zhongda is willing to lead five thousand men and horses to serve Her Royal Highness the Princess! I hope Your Highness will take her into her arms!"
Zhao Yingluo's eyes narrowed slightly. She had long seen that Hu Zhongda was quite prestigious among everyone, and it turned out to be extraordinary when she saw him today.
"Okay! From today on, you will be my subordinate. After I capture Luoyang, you will be promoted to the commander of the capital!"
Hu Zhongda was overjoyed when he heard this, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
With Hu Zhongda taking the lead, other hesitant soldiers also expressed their willingness to surrender to Zhao Yingluo.
Zhao Zhen looked at this scene with a flash of approval in her eyes.
He walked to Zhao Yingluo and whispered: "Sister Huang, what should we do next?"
Zhao Yingluo glanced at him and said, "These surrendered soldiers have just returned, so don't send them into battle rashly yet. And I have more important things for you to do."
Zhao Zhen frowned slightly, "Sister Huang, please speak."
Zhao Yingluo said in a solemn tone: "I want to recruit talents from all over the world to serve me in the Song Dynasty, and Luoyang, Xijing, is where talents gather. Although we occupy Luoyang City now, our foundation is unstable and the people are not attached to it. I hope you can Recruit talents for me and consolidate our foundation."
Zhao Zhen's heart trembled when he heard this. He understood Zhao Yingluo's intention.
If you want to stabilize the situation in Luoyang City and even the entire Song Dynasty in a short period of time, you must have enough talents to assist you. As the capital of the Song Dynasty, Luoyang, Xijing, had many literati, so it was a good place to recruit talents.
"Yes! My brother will do his best to recruit talents from all over the world for Her Royal Highness the Princess!" Zhao Zhen said with clasped fists.
"Remember, you must be courteous to virtuous corporals and treat others with sincerity." Zhao Yingluo warned.
"Brother Chen understands!" Zhao Zhen nodded in response.
