Chapter 154: Zi Yang Military Advisor
The rain continued throughout the day, and the gates of Huangbai City were tightly closed.

After all, this is a grain storage and transportation city. Only Liang Xing's troops and their families live in the city, with no other civilians.

In the military camp inside the city, as Liang Xing's head was circulated, the officers and soldiers in the camp also surrendered their weapons.

Black Bear did not dare to delay. While sealing up the equipment, he immediately began to streamline the officers and soldiers in the camp.

Those who were willing to stay would continue to serve in the army, and those who were unwilling would be registered as civilians.

He also repeatedly assured these people of their military status, which dispelled the doubts of most people.

Rather than being ordinary people who pay taxes and serve in the army, they would rather be the general's followers.

If they become the general's followers, only the general can bully them; but if they become the registered citizens of the counties and prefectures, there are too many people who can bully them.

No matter how hard and dangerous the life of the soldiers was, they still had armor and weapons in their hands and were able to resist.

This is the blood and tears understanding of the surviving people after the chaos in Guanzhong.

We must master the use of force and not rely on the kindness of others for our safety.

When the climate was normal and resources were plentiful, people like Dong Zhuo and Li Jue could still think about court affairs; but when there was a severe drought, in order to stabilize the army, these people could only choose to plunder the people.

Not many people died at the beginning of the drought; most people died in the chaos and escape caused by the army's looting.

The military camp first cleared out a group of people who were unwilling to serve in the army, and then Black Bear cleared out those who were physically weak and over the age of 30, and temporarily organized them into auxiliary soldiers under his control.

At the same time, he also gathered all the existing military officers, and all of them, as long as they were team officers and above, were placed under house arrest in Liang Xing's mansion.

Only Liang Xing's mansion can make these military officers feel at ease.

After all, no matter how you look at it, Liang Xing’s mansion doesn’t look like a suitable place for mass executions.

After removing these three groups of people, there were barely more than 1,300 people left in the military camp in the city.

According to the old method, each team consisted of 100 men, and they would elect their own supervisor and military officers at all levels; then they would distribute battle flags, with their hometowns and names written on them.

Finally, someone was sent to copy it into a military register, in triplicate according to tradition.

Black Bear no longer needs to be personally responsible for this kind of work. The accompanying Qingzhou heavy armored infantry can take care of everything and implement it.

As for the guards in Liang Xing's mansion, these people are definitely the best among the Huangbaicheng garrison in terms of their physique and martial arts.

But we can't just leave it alone, and it's not good to arm ourselves.

Time was running out, so they had to eliminate the military officers and Liang Xing's relatives, and reorganize the rest into four auxiliary troops of 100 men.

Black Bear was busy reorganizing the army almost the entire day.

In the afternoon, the rain stopped a little, but the sky was still cloudy.

This kind of weather is not suitable for the army to march out, so there is no need to worry about Linjin.

Even the Gaoling garrison fifty miles away was not suitable for movement.

It was also because of this rain that the changes in Huangbai City were unknown outside the city.

A new opportunity was presented to Black Bear. Should he attack Ma Wan in Chiyang City nearby, or return to Linjin as planned and attack Hou Xuan?

With Liang Xing's head and Li Kan's seal, it would be easy enough to order Pang De to send troops northward to cut off Ma Wan's retreat; but if he did so, there would be unexpected changes in Linjin.

After thinking it over again, Black Bear issued transfer orders to Pang De stationed in Maoling and Liu Ye stationed in Gaoling at the same time.

He also sent messengers to carry Liang Xing's head to Maoling to see Pang De, and then to see Liu Ye; the opposite was true for Li Kan's seal, which was first sent to Liu Ye and then to Pang De.

As long as the Guanzhong troops sent by Liu Ye arrived to assist in the defense, he would be able to escape and return to Linjin alone.

There is a road heading south from Huangbai City, and two groups of messengers went south together.

After crossing the Baiqu wooden bridge, one group of messengers headed straight to Maoling in the southwest, while another group of messengers turned to Gaoling in the east.

Thanks to the construction of Guanzhong by the Qin State and the Western Han Dynasty, there are many cities near Chang'an.

There was often a city every twenty or thirty miles; along the highway, the ruins of various villages were connected to each other.

However, most of the cities were empty, and the people living in them did not even need to farm outside the city. They could be self-sufficient by growing crops just by reclaiming the ruins within the city.

The messenger rode his horse at a light gallop without any intention of saving horsepower, and arrived at Gaoling in about three quarters of an hour.

The men and horses were exhausted, so the messenger jumped off his horse and shouted to the city: "I am the messenger of General Zhenbei!"

The guards looked at each other in bewilderment. The leading officer did not recognize the other party and leaned forward to observe: "The general is in the east, how come you come from the west!"

"General Zhenbei has already conquered Huangbai City!"

The messenger shouted: "Let me into the city! Am I going to kill myself?"

"It's late, I can't open the door!"

The military officer responded and immediately ordered the guards on both sides to lower the prepared hanging basket.

The messenger handed the horse to his deputy, moved his bumpy and sore legs and limped towards the basket, barely lifting his legs to enter the basket.

A dozen defenders pulled the thick hemp rope, and the basket slowly rose.

The messenger lay in the basket holding up the official document: "Here is the document!"

Seeing that he was tired, the guards pulled him out of the basket and carried him to the county government office on a stretcher.

When the messenger arrived, Liu Ye was playing chess with Zhang Ji.

After having his hair shaved, Zhang Ji now wears a black turban. After being rescued by Zhong Yao, he works in the office of the Inspector of the Imperial Guards.

As a native of Gaoling, he was assigned by Zhong Yao to come to Gaoling to assist Liu Ye in doing some work.

With Zhang Ji's assistance, Liu Ye felt much more relaxed.

It is raining today. The two have been playing chess and drinking since this morning, talking about heroes all over the world, and having a great time.

They just all kept in sync and didn't talk about black bears.

Soon, the messenger was carried to the outer hall on a stretcher. Liu Ye walked around the wooden screen to see the messenger and asked curiously, "Why did you come from the west?"

"I followed the general to conquer Huangbai City, so I came from the west."

The messenger handed over the document, along with a silver seal: "Yesterday... Military Advisor, I am thirsty."

"Haha, I'll go get you some wine."

Liu Ye heard the other person's accent and barely recognized that he was someone from the original fleet.

He turned around and went behind the screen to get a half-pot of wine, and handed the copper pot to the other party, who put his mouth to the spout and sipped it down.

The messenger drank the wine in the pot and said happily, "Yesterday, Li Kan asked for surrender and the general crossed the Luo River to attend the banquet. Unexpectedly, Li Kan suddenly changed his mind and attacked the general, and was beheaded by the historian Wen Gong."

Liu Ye observed the silver seal, puzzled: "How could Li Kan be so unwise?"

"I don't know either. It's possible that the fleet crossing the river is from Linjin. Li Kan thought that our army had no boats and there were only more than 300 people accompanying the general on the north bank. He took advantage of the fact that the general had few soldiers and the army on the south bank would find it difficult to cross the river to rescue him, so he suddenly launched an attack. He never expected that Tai Shi Wen Gong was so brave and fierce." The messenger grinned and handed the empty wine jug to Liu Ye's guards.

At this time, Liu Ye checked the clay seal of the official document and saw that it was indeed stamped with the seals of General Zhenbei and General Huya. He then opened the seal and took out the silk book inside.

This is a document for mobilizing troops. The silk book is written in simplified Chinese characters by Black Bear and is also stamped with two general seals.

Only with this silk book could Liu Ye mobilize 5,000 Guanzhong soldiers in the city to leave.

This was what Black Bear repeatedly requested before the troops went out. Without his order, no one could leave the city, in order to avoid field battles.

The messenger saw that Liu Ye's expression changed slightly, and said, "Please ask the military advisor to send a messenger to present Li Kan's seal to Pang De in Maoling."

"Well, the general has already written it in the letter. Go and have a rest. When the weather is clear, I will arrange a vehicle to take you to Huangbai City."

"Yes."

The messenger lay down again. For him, his mission in this war was over.

Peaches were too precious, and unless there was an urgent combat mission, it would be impossible to restore his strength and the abrasion on his thigh.

Watching the messenger being carried away, Liu Ye lowered his head to look at the silk military order in his left hand, and then at Li Kan's silver seal in his right hand.

If the messenger and the official document did not lie to him, he would be able to see the head of Liang Xing sent by Pang De from Maoling when he woke up tomorrow.

Thinking of the various methods Black Bear used when he traveled around the world, Liu Ye restrained his expression, walked around the screen and entered the inner hall.

Zhang Ji was slightly drunk and stood up to greet him: "Zi Yang, is this the commander of the Zhenbei Army?"

"It is a transfer order written by the general himself, ordering me to send 2,000 soldiers to station in Huangbai City."

"Huangbaicheng?"

Zhang Ji was surprised: "Liang Xing raised an army and joined the General of Zhenbei?"

"Liang Xing is dead."

"Could it be that Liang Xing's troops rebelled and attacked and killed Liang Xing?"

Zhang Ji used his own knowledge to analyze the sudden situation in front of him. Liu Ye had no expression on his face: "It was the general who personally led the elite soldiers to attack Huangbai City on a rainy night, captured and killed Liang Xing, and forced his people to surrender."

As he spoke, Liu Ye handed the silver seal in his hand to Zhang Ji, who took it with both hands, thinking it was Liang Xing's general seal.

Zhang Ji looked at the seal and recognized the four words "General of the Central Army" without carefully looking at the prefix title.

Liu Ye sat down, and Zhang Ji also sat opposite him: "So, the general wants to attack Ma Wan from both sides."

"No, the general is going to conquer the candidate."

After Liu Ye finished speaking, he looked at Zhang Ji with a surprised expression and said, "You can't imagine Derong, Ma Wan and Hou Xuan are also unpredictable, and Yuan Changgong and Duan Zhongming are also unpredictable. After defeating Hou Xuan, Weibei will control Pubanjin, and Weinan Gan Xingba will guard Tongguan and Fenglingdu. From now on, the gateway to the east of Guanzhong is secure, and the general can calmly deal with the enemy in the west."

"Zi Yang..."

Zhang Ji frowned, "Zi Yang is saying that Li Kan has already joined the Zhenbei General?"

"This man is dead."

Liu Ye looked at the seal in Zhang Ji's hand and said, "He tried to attack the general during the peace talks and was killed by the historian Wen Gong. Afterwards, the general personally led the elite cavalry and sneaked to Huangbai City at night, attacked and killed Liang Xing in his residence. De Rong will be able to see Liang Xing's head tomorrow."

"Zi Yang is joking."

Zhang Ji obviously didn't believe it and thought Liu Ye was just joking with him with a stern face on purpose.

Liu Ye was younger than him and had a bohemian personality. He had made some jokes while drinking and playing chess during the day.

Zhang Ji got up and went to the study, dipped the silver seal into ink, and gently placed it on the palm of his hand.

Judging from the title on the silver seal, it was not Liang Xing's Lieutenant General for Suppressing Bandits, but Li Kan's Lieutenant General for Establishing Righteousness.

After seeing it clearly, Zhang Ji broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes widened and he immediately woke up.

He also stood up suddenly and reacted immediately. Once the black bear ate the candidate, the interference from Hedong would be completely blocked.

Duan Wei of Niyang in the north followed Zhong Yao's advice, raised his troops and held his ground, with no intention of intervening in the war.

There is also Yang Qiu stationed in Meiyang in the west. Among the generals in Guanzhong, he is the one who is more inclined towards the Xudu court. Since Jian'an, he has sent people to Xudu every year to pay tribute and pay homage to the emperor.

Mei County near Meiyang was garrisoned by Zhang Heng, the weakest general among the group. Zhang Heng relied on Yang Qiu just as Liang Xing relied on Ma Wan.

Among those influenced by Zhong Yao, Duan Wei in the north is the strongest, followed by Yang Qiu and Zhang Heng.

There are also Cheng Yin and Cheng Yi, who are stationed in Chencang and Yong County respectively. They also stick together for warmth, far away from Chang'an, and are blocked in the west by Yang Qiu, lacking a sense of presence.

Duan Wei had no time to intervene now. By the time Black Bear devoured Li Kan, Hou Xuan, Liang Xing, and Ma Wan, the army under his command would have swelled to 30,000.

By that time, Duan Wei would re-examine his relationship with Zhong Yao.

Can the four Yang Qiu tribes in the west unite to stop the invasion of the black bear?

If the four armies of Duan Wei, Yang Qiu, and Yan Xing's army under Han Sui who have already entered Guanzhong were combined, they might be able to confront the Black Bear.

As long as the power created by the black bear subsides, the situation will be stable.

I am afraid that when all parties are in turmoil, Black Bear will strike while the iron is hot and occupy Guanzhong.

By that time, the Xudu court would really have to consider how to enthrone and appease the black bear.

Zhang Ji's thoughts were churning, and he immediately turned to look at Liu Ye: "Since Zi Yang has official business, I will take my leave for now."

"Not urgent."

Liu Ye folded the silk book on mobilizing troops and put it into his sleeve. He turned his head to look at the screen and called softly, "Someone come here."

Immediately, the guards on duty outside the door rushed in, walked around the screen and entered the inner hall, bowing: "Here!"

"Zhang Derong is drunk, send him back to his residence and do not interact with outsiders."

"Yes!"

Two guards immediately stepped forward and tried to grab Zhang Ji's arms. Zhang Ji struggled and shook off his sleeves, frowning at Liu Ye and saying, "Zi Yang, why are you like this?"

"I am leading the troops to suppress the bandits. I also ask De Jong to treat me as a military advisor. Otherwise, if you disrespect the morale of the army and invite the general to punish you, I will not be able to save you."

After Liu Ye finished speaking, he went to see the captain of the guards. The captain of the guards gave a cold look to the two Guanzhong soldiers. The two guards immediately pulled one of Zhang Ji's arms each and escorted him out in a handcuffs.

The chief guard heard the footsteps fade away and asked in a low voice: "Military advisor, this person may be suspected of spying on military secrets."

"He came to investigate secrets, and I took this opportunity to keep him in check. We can each get what we need. There is no need to persecute him."

Liu Ye said as he walked towards the side door and entered the inner room: "Put on my armor, I am going to the camp to read the general's transfer order."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)