It was dusk again, and the sun in the west was like a great ball of fire that was about to be extinguished. **Soak! Book. The blood-like sunset passed through the top of the mountain and was reflected on the surface of the Zhengshui River in front of Guancheng, making the entire water surface seem to be stained with a layer of rust.

On the tall west tower of Guancheng, the head of Guancheng and Gong Meng of Qi County frowned, looking at the dim earth under the setting sun.

In the Central Plains and the entire southeast, as long as the name Meng Rang is mentioned, no one does not know. In the wave of peasant uprisings in the seventh year of the Great Cause, he raised troops after Zhishilang Wang Shu in Qi County, and later joined Wang Bo and once occupied Changbai Mountain in Jinan, with great momentum.

However, the rebel army later encountered Zhang Xutuo, the first fierce general of the Great Sui at that time, and scattered them. After that defeat, he took a few old brothers to fight in Jianghuai, occupied Xuyi County, and took Duliang Mountain as the base, and soon gathered more than 100,000 horses. As a result, he was first defeated by Wang Shichong of Jiangdu, and he had to retreat to Shandong. After Wang Shichong went north to King Qin, Qu Tutong, who failed to fight with the Wagang army in Henan, led his troops and horses to retreat into Shandong.

The Qu Tutong brothers entered Shandong, and his good days came to an end. He was first defeated by the Qu Tutong brothers, and then retreated to Shandong Dayozawa. But not long after, the Qu Tutong brothers surrendered to Hebei, and the Hebei general Li Jing led the army south to suppress the rebel armies in Shandong and Huaibei. He was beaten again and had no power to fight back, so he had to flee all the way to Xingyang, and was recommended by his old brother Wang Bo to defect to Li Mi, the Duke of Wei.

Li Mi treated him well, respected him as a senior, gave him the position of chief steward, and added the title of Duke of Qi County. Let him garrison Xingyang County to govern the city, take the esophagus city, and recruit his former subordinates. After staying in Guancheng for more than a year, he gradually regained some strength. Now there are more than 30,000 soldiers and horses under his command. If it weren't for the fact that Xingyang had fled to other places due to the continuous military disasters, he would have been able to recruit more soldiers and horses.

The sunset is infinitely good, just near dusk.

The setting sun at dusk cast a golden glow on his face.

Meng Rang once thought that he might be able to make a comeback in the Central Plains and gallop again.

However, when one of his subordinate scouts sent him an urgent report from Luokou. He finally understood that the world was changing too fast.

The urgent report was written very concisely and clearly, but Meng Rang still didn't dare to believe it.

Scout military intelligence, yesterday Wei King Li Mi and Chen Kefu fought in Luokou. First, there was a water battle, and as a result, the Wei army's 10,000 water army was wiped out. And among this fallen sailors, there is his old friend Wang Bo. It is said that Wang Bo was on the boat when he was pierced through the heart by a powerful weapon fired by the Hebei army, ten thousand arrows, and died on the spot. And immediately after. The Hebei army joined forces with the Jianghuai army and fought a decisive battle with the Wei king's army at Luokou, and the battle lasted from night to noon the next day, resulting in a great defeat for the Wei king. Tens of thousands of horses were lost.

After reading the news, he didn't dare to believe it. The rest is a sense of loss.

Since the seventh year of the Great Cause, rebels have risen up in various parts of the Central Plains. Although the imperial court continued to conquer and suppress, this Central Plains world was the world of their righteous army. They attacked the city and broke the county, killed the officials and rebelled, and their momentum was like tea and fire. But after so many years, Yang Guang died, the court was in chaos, and the Central Plains was ruined.

But these people who threw their heads and spilled their blood were not praised, and no one called them heroes. The bureaucrats of the world all looked at them with disdain, and only cursed them with the most insulting words, calling them bandits and thieves. Even ordinary people, when they look at them, have hostility in their eyes.

In the dead of night, Meng Rang was always disturbed by such a result and couldn't sleep.

Standing on top of the high city tower, Meng Rang let out a long sigh, feeling a burst of weakness and paleness. As the sun set, in the afterglow of the setting sun, a group of people and horses in front of the city gate were leaving the city. These draggers, big cars and small sedan cars are all wealthy families in the city. The news of the battle in Luokou had reached the city in the afternoon, and those well-informed wealthy families were all rushing to pack up and leave here. …,

As for where these people are going, Meng Rang doesn't know. He couldn't help but wonder, although the world is big, where can these people flee to?

The panic of the people who left the city also spread to the rest of the people, and more and more people left. Many people did not understand why they were leaving, but some instinctively chose to flee after hearing that the war was approaching. As for where they could flee to the poor people, who had nothing to lose, or maybe it was a good thing that the Hebei army came, they didn't have the heart to think about it.

Meng Rang's eldest son, Meng Cheng, was fully armed and walked over anxiously.

"Father, we must close the gates of the city at once, and the people of the city are now in a panic, and they are all scrambling to get out of the city. If we continue like this, tomorrow morning, there may not be a single citizen left in the city. Without these people, how can we, the 30,000 men and horses, survive guarding an empty city? Moreover, the brothers below are already panicking, and now the news that the Hebei army is about to fight is spreading everywhere. If they don't stop it, maybe the sergeants will start to flee as well. ”

Although Meng Rang's subordinates belonged to Li Mi of Wei, in fact, Li Mi only allocated a piece of territory for him. It's okay to let them garrison, and it's okay to say that it's okay to let them go to the esophagus city. Anyway, after Li Mi threw them here, except for a small amount of equipment supplied, the rest of the grain, grass, equipment and other things didn't care about them at all, and everything depended on them to figure it out.

Meng Rang's father and son have traveled to too many places over the years, and now they finally have a stable life, and there is such a big city of their own, Meng Chengcheng doesn't want to run anymore. But if all the people in the city have fled, and they remain, who will they find to collect taxes, collect grain and grass, and make equipment and armor? When defending the city, who will you find to help defend the city?

Meng Rang's face was full of waves, and he said calmly, "Who is spreading the news of the arrival of the Hebei Army?" ”

Meng Cheng said helplessly, "Now in the city, all kinds of rumors are flying all over the sky, although my son sent people to arrest those who spread rumors, but he can't control it at all, there are rumors everywhere, and he doesn't know what is true and what is false." Now it is rumored everywhere that the Hebei Army has already fought, and at noon it is still rumored that the Hebei Army has just taken the Tiger Pass. But by now, there have been rumors everywhere in the city, and the Hebei striker has occupied Xingyang County. ”

Meng Rang smiled indifferently, and he didn't know what kind of mood this was an expression of his mood.

"Cheng'er, don't underestimate those wealthy businessmen, these people are better informed than us. Dad will tell you the news, in the afternoon, Dad did receive an urgent report, saying that Huang Junhan surrendered the Hebei Army in the Tiger Prison Pass, and the Hebei Army had taken the Tiger Prison Pass without a single soldier. Moreover, the letter also said that the commander of the Hebei Army who entered the Tiger Prison Pass at this time was Chen Kefu, the king of Chen. ”

"It can't be!" Meng Cheng's face turned pale, and he waved his hands in a panic and said loudly.

"When I first received the letter, I thought it was impossible. Chen Kefu couldn't have just fought with Li Mi in Luokou yesterday, and only won a victory, but before the real victory, he suddenly rushed to the tiger prison today and took the tiger prison. However, the reaction of these wealthy families in the city today made Dad have to believe that all this is true. ”

"How is this possible? How is this possible? Meng Cheng just repeated it over and over again, at a loss. What he had just heard reminded him of the time when their 100,000 allied army with Wang Bo was defeated by Zhang Xutuo. Later, the 100,000 soldiers and horses in Jianghuai were defeated by Wang Shichong, and then they were defeated by the Qu Tu brothers, and Li Jing fled like a lost dog. Now that Chen Pojun is here, do they still have a way to live?

"Report!" One of the cavalrymen rushed towards him with an urgent message in his hand, shouting loudly. …,

"Report to the manager, Xingyang County's emergency military situation is urgent!"

Meng Rang stretched out his hand to take it, took it apart, and showed a hard smile on his face.

"It's coming, it's coming, the day has finally arrived!"

"Father, what's the situation?" Meng Cheng asked.

"Chen Ke is back. Xingyang reported urgently, just now, Wei Daring of Xingyang County, with his 3,000 subordinates, had already surrendered Kaicheng as soon as he saw the banner of the Hebei Army. Now, Hebei's 3,000 forward light cavalry has come straight to Guancheng, and Chen Kefu is leading 20,000 troops to follow. ”

"Father, we are not the opponent of the Hebei Army, we can't even beat Qu Tutong and Li Jing, and now that Chen Pojun is here, we are not opponents. Father, let's abandon the city and flee! ”

Meng Rang smiled slightly, "Escape? The world is so big, and where is there a place for us. Cheng'er, it's not the year of the great cause anymore. The Sui Dynasty has been destroyed, and we, the rebels who destroyed the Sui, have no place to stand. For example, today, all the powerful people on all sides regard us as chaotic ministers and thieves, and they want to calm down and hurry up. Now, apart from Li Mi, how can there be a righteous army? Now it seems that Li Mi will eventually lack self-protection, and we will have no way to escape. ”

"Then, then, let's surrender Chen Pojun. The brothers have been fighting for so many years, and they are tired of it. Let's simply surrender Chen Pojun, and from then on disarm and return to the field. ”

Meng Rang sighed, "Son, we have been fighting against the Sui for seven years, and it has been nine years now. Over the years, we don't know how many people have been killed who should have been killed and those who should not have been killed. His hands were already stained with blood, and now how could he wash his hands and go ashore. Now that we surrendered to Li Jing in Shandong, there may still be a way to live, but now, Chen Kefu is anxious to take the heads of our rebels to stabilize the hearts of the people everywhere, and at this time, how can he let us go. ”

"But Tiger Prison, Huang Junhan, Xingyang Wei Daring, didn't he all surrender?"

Meng Rang stretched out his hand to pull out his sword, Changfeng was in his hand, and sighed, "Son, how can death be so terrible." Only now, my father feels that the past nine years have been like a big dream. The Central Plains is devastated, and the people are fire and water, and there is also a sin we have created. The curtain of the world's struggle for supremacy has gradually come to an end, and a new benevolent lord has been born. After all, we people have committed too many sins. Son, let us pick up the sword in our hands again today and ask for a vigorous return! ”

The remnant sun is like blood, in the afterglow of the sunset in the west, the dust is like smoke, the banner hunting, the sword light is better than the snow, and thousands of knights are rushing wildly! (To be continued......)