Three Kingdoms

The autumn rain was more sluggish than lingering, and gradually stopped at dawn.

Outside the south gate of Jincheng, Yan Xingduan sat on his horse, letting the black cloak behind him rustle in the strong wind in the wild. Hundreds of soldiers, neatly dressed, lined up in formation, just waiting quietly.

Yan Xing's heart was not as calm as his appearance.

Ma Chao is back?

And we have to meet under the Golden City?

Did Ma Chao know something? Or is it just a coincidence? If Ma Chao knew about it, why did he dare to come to Jincheng? Wasn't he afraid of actually taking action? If you say you don’t know, then why don’t you go into the city instead of meeting outside the city?

Time was running out, Ma Chao would arrive soon, and the conclusions of Yan Xing's analysis were somewhat contradictory to each other. At the same time, Yan Xing was not the kind of person who could come up with thousands of plans just by thinking about it, so he decided to do it. He could only make the simplest arrangement. He met Ma Chao outside the city, and then set up an ambush inside the city to see if he could lure Ma Chao into the city and either capture or kill him...

Is this plan good? Maybe it's not that good. Is it bad? It's not that bad, but the problem is that this is the best solution Yan Xing can think of.

Hundreds of Yan Xing's soldiers, also wearing armor and cloaks, stood behind Yan Xing on horseback. In their eyes, some were blank, some were indifferent, and some were panic-stricken.

Originally, Han Sui and Ma Teng, although they were like Ming Jing in their hearts, they still did quite well on the surface. They drank and had gatherings from time to time and talked about brotherhood. It was difficult for the soldiers under their banner to distinguish the true from the false. Many of them The people in Zhichangzi are convinced that many people in the Han Sui and Ma Teng armies have become close and call each other brothers. Now, Han Sui's son-in-law has to deal with Ma Teng's son. This matter will inevitably make these people Somewhat difficult to accept.

The general's order has been issued, so what?

Many people can only hold the handle of the knife and say, "Brother, brother, you can't blame me," while their hearts are pounding, waiting for the final result to come.

Yan Xing also knew this, so when he received the news that Ma Chao was coming with great fanfare, he began to prepare. While informing his subordinates to reassure him, he also transferred some of his direct relatives out of Jincheng and went to various places to get close or neutral. If Ma Chao used a trick to slacken his ambition, and took the opportunity to gather the Qiang people outside and attack the city, forcing all the six or seven thousand soldiers under Yan Xing's direct control into the city, then it would be a big deal.

After the military alert was completed and the people were somewhat calmed down, Yan Xing led a hundred guards out of the city and waited for Ma Chao to arrive at the appointed time. If he brought too many guards, he seemed guilty. If he brought too few, he was afraid that Ma Chao would take the opportunity to attack. The guards are under the city, so no matter what the situation is, they can handle it.

As for Ma Chao's appointment outside the city rather than inside the city, he probably didn't mean to be wary of Yan Xing. All in all, in Yan Xing's view, Ma Chao may have known something, but it may not have been confirmed yet, so in Jincheng Making an appointment should be a kind of test, and then make corresponding judgments based on Yan Xing's actions.

Therefore, the most important thing now is to be stable.

No flaws should be revealed. Of course, if Ma Chao could be lured into the city and then captured in one fell swoop, that would naturally be the most ideal result.

If Yan Xing had followed his own ideas, he would never have chosen to fall out with Ma Chao under such circumstances. Since Han Sui was not dead, as long as Han Sui showed up, Ma Chaozhou would not be able to continue to seduce the Qiang people. There is no need to spend so much time doing this or that, but the problem is the Han family in the family...

Even if Yan Xing ordered the whole government to shut up, how much effect would it have if Yan Xing ordered the whole government to shut up? Han had always made the decision about the personnel in the government office, and although she had chosen people who could support and lick her, she didn't know whether these people were sincere or not, so after yelling, she was in a good mood. , but as for the impact and consequences, Yan Xing came to wipe her ass.

Anyway, it’s not just once or twice, I’m used to it.

Speaking of Han, she was actually pretty good when she was young. When Yan Xing was still a poor boy, when the two met their eyes, Han even ignored Han Sui's repeated orders and even publicly stated that she wanted to follow Yan Xing. , secretly tried every means to get some food and clothing from home to Yan Xing. If Yan Xing didn't want it, Han would also lose his temper, so Yan Xing had to coax and coax, and it became a habit.

It's just that the friendship between the two people gradually became indifferent after being coaxed again and again. Now, all that remains is the responsibility of being a father and a husband.

Various thoughts were swirling in his mind, which made Yan Xing, who was waiting there, feel a little irritated. He squeezed the riding crop in his hand again and again, and finally just let out a long breath and waved the riding whip in the air. , the ears of the strong green satin horse under its crotch stood up and its hooves tensed in reflex, only to find that the owner on the horse was pulling the reins and had no intention of rushing out, so he could only snort and scratch a few times. Lowering the hoof indicates dissatisfaction.

"Coming... coming!" The guard on the side suddenly said, causing a commotion.

Yan Xing took a closer look and couldn't help but swipe the horsewhip, and cursed: "Where are the eyes! What are you talking about!"

It turned out that someone was indeed coming, but it was not Ma Chao, but a group of ragged Qiang people. When these Qiang people slowly came closer, they suddenly started wailing. A group of people fell in front of Yan Xing's horse and talked about the tragic events that happened to their tribe under General Zhengxi.

Yan Xing frowned and listened, then suppressed his impatience, interrupted Yak Qiang's words, waved his hand and said: "We will talk about this later, I have important things here, you go first... Well, go first Waiting aside."

There are soldiers lurking behind the city gate, and it is not good to be exposed after all.

"Go away! Do you hear me? Don't block the road!" The guard cursed and drove these Yak Qiang people aside.

After another moment, Ma Chao's flag appeared in the distance, and soon a group of people and horses appeared in sight. Yan Xing's guards, who were waiting somewhat impatiently, couldn't help but let out a low roar, and the horses began to become restless, but they were stopped. The owner strangled it hard, and could only snort, scratch its hooves, and make an uneasy neighing sound.

The black flag of the Ma family finally appeared here, with a black background and red stripes, and a big word "horse" on it. At the same time, seven or eight other big flags appeared, with some names that Ma Chao inherited from Ma Teng. The horns were hunting and rolling together in the wind, and they had a bit of momentum.

Under these flags, there are dozens of cavalry, all of them are agile men, wearing helmets and armor. At a glance, you can tell that they are strong soldiers who fought from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Their momentum is completely different from that of ordinary soldiers. .

Yan Xing's fingers holding the riding whip turned slightly white, and the guards waiting in formation behind him also stared with wide eyes, just looking at the scene in front of him. Although these Yan Xing's guards are considered powerful in Jincheng, they are still far behind when facing the last elite embers like Ma Chao who fought out from the real military formation.

With every flip of the horse's hooves and every moment of time passing by, Yan Xing had the urge to raise his hand to give an order and give the order to attack. The riding whip in his hand was almost sweat-soaked, and more than a dozen of his confidants The direct bodyguards had already moved forward involuntarily and guarded him, but they just held their breaths and waited for his orders.

A voice continued to swirl in Yan Xing's heart, seeming to remind him of the approaching danger, "No, no! Enter the city quickly, close the city and defend it. This Ma Chao has bad intentions. Don't let him approach!"

But reason told Yan Xing that he could not issue this order. Not only was the previous ambush completely useless, it was also a warning to Ma Chao. This meant that Yan Xing and Ma Chao could only fight each other face to face. In a battle of strength, even if you win in the end, you will probably have to pay a lot of price.

Do you follow your heart or take a gamble?

Staring at Ma Chao and others who were getting closer and closer, Yan Xing saw that they did not hold the weapons in their hands, so he relaxed slightly and exhaled. Maybe the situation is not bad, and things still have to end from beginning to end. Since the ambush arrangement has been made, it cannot be changed overnight. Maybe I am just scaring myself. Ma Chao may not know it yet. If he can really lure Ma Chao into the city...

Time seems very short, but also seems very long.

Just when Yan Xing could still manage to restrain himself and his subordinates were about to pull out their weapons, a long voice of orders suddenly came from Ma Chao's queue. The knights holding flags in front reined in their horses with one hand, and lined up in a row. The strong horse neighed for a long time and gradually stopped a hundred meters away, sending clods of soil flying. The cavalry behind them also stopped one after another to make way for a path.

In the passage, Ma Chao's figure was revealed, with a white horse and a golden gun. The men and horses were in good spirits, and they slowly moved forward surrounded by several guards.

Yan Xing and others at this end of the Jincheng gate seemed to be relieved in unison. Slowing down the horse's speed means that at least at this moment, it is impossible to fight, which means that Ma Chao may really be here to test. If he handles it well, he might really be able to lure him into taking the bait...

The distance between the two sides was a hundred steps. Ma Chao moved forward and laughed at Yan Xing: "Brother Yan, why did you look like this when you saw someone coming? Could it be that you don't welcome me? There are only dozens of brothers here, no?" Are you even afraid of this?"

Yan Xing was embarrassed for a moment. He was a little nervous and forgot to say hello...

"Ah haha... What are you talking about? Welcome, welcome! Brother Ma is going through a tough time right now. Why don't you go to the city and let me take care of you? I wonder if Brother Ma will appreciate it?" Yan Xingxu He reached out towards the city and said with a smile.

"Enter the city?" Ma Chao stretched his neck, glanced in the direction of the city gate, and said, "Brother Yan, there must be some ambush in the city gate, right? This Hongmen Banquet boy can't stand it..."

"Haha, it's a joke, you and I, brothers, what's the difference between a big door and a big door..." Yan Xing laughed, "Brother Ma, don't listen to the villain's slander and ruin the friendship between brothers!"

"Oh? Really?" Ma Chao said with some confusion, "Then why did you send people to my tribe to spy on me?"

Yan Xing felt relieved when he saw Ma Chao questioning him. Since he was willing to ask, it meant that he would not take action immediately, so he said, "Brother, how can you say that! I saw you haven't come back for a long time, and I missed you, so I sent someone I just asked a few questions in the past, how can it be said to be peeping! If you put it this way, if the people in your tribe come to Jincheng to purchase items, it can also be said to be peeping in Jincheng? "

Just as Yan Xing was talking, he suddenly heard a warning sound coming from the city wall behind him. Just when Yan Xing and others looked back subconsciously, they heard Ma Chao yell.

"Do it!"

As Ma Chao shouted, the cavalry following him jumped up one after another, pulled out the javelins that had been prepared for a long time from the side of the horse, rushed a few steps in front of the horse, and then threw it fiercely!

Yan Xing subconsciously pulled out his sword and chopped off several spears thrown at him with a swing. However, the guards around Yan Xing did not react so quickly. Suddenly, several people were hit by the spears. Blood spurted out, and he fell off his horse with a scream.

The Yak Qiang who were standing aside just now seemed to be very miserable and harmless. At some point, they had quietly touched the sides of Yan Xing and others. They took out the short blades hidden on their bodies and rushed towards them. , it was precisely because of the Yak Qiang's abnormal behavior that the soldiers on the city found it and raised the alarm. Unfortunately, Yan Xing and others' attention was all on Ma Chao, and they were suddenly approached by these Yak Qiang people. Get out of body!

A Yak Qiang man was stabbed in the chest by Yan Xing's guard. Blood mist spurted out, making a whistle-like sound, and the land was dyed red in the blink of an eye. However, more Yak Qiang men took advantage of Yan Xing's waiting time. Due to human negligence, some have even gotten into the belly of the horse!

A short blade is more convenient than a long weapon when you are at close range. Human legs and horse legs are almost exposed. Even if the skin of the war horse is slightly thicker, it cannot withstand the sharp cutting, and it jumps with a neighing sound. , the formation became more and more chaotic.

In just a few tens of steps and a few breaths, Ma Chao and others had already thrown two rounds of javelins, and then crashed in. The horses were intertwined with each other, and people were fighting each other with swords and guns. Kill and dye everything around you red. From time to time, screams could be heard, and the legs of horses and people trampled the blood-stained land into mud. The place where they were laughing and talking just now turned into a killing ground for Shura in the blink of an eye.

The soldiers on the top of the city were shouting something wildly, but mixed in with the screams of people and the neighing of horses, they were like broken pieces of cloth, so light that they could not be heard clearly.

Yan Xing stared at the charging Ma Chao and was about to shout loudly to let the soldiers who were ambushing in the city rush out. However, he suddenly saw billowing smoke and dust rising behind Ma Chao's figure. He couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his heart. This Ma Chao is not just the people in front of him. , this, this is about to attack the city!

Through the figures of Ma Chao and others who came to kill, Yan Xing saw three tall plumes of smoke rising in the distance. He didn't know how many knights were urging their horses to run towards here, and the thunderous sound of horse hooves also sounded. It came faintly...

"Go there!" Ma Chao swung his spear, killed Yan Xing's guard in front of him, and showed a cruel smile at Yan Xing, "Brother Yan, don't go!"