Xu Shiji looked at Weicheng County with complicated eyes in the team, the county seat that once pinned all his hopes and ambitions, has gradually blurred and faded away in his memory, like the fading shell of a cicada.

Although he was only twenty-three years old, he was the youngest general in the Sui army, but he felt that he had gone through vicissitudes, his heart was gradually becoming old, Xu Shiji sighed softly, he felt that he had lost his passion for a long time.

At this time, the city gate opened, and a soldier rushed out, rushed to the Sui army, and asked loudly: "I'm looking for General Xu!" ”

"I'm here!"

Xu Shiji urged the horse out, he glanced at the soldier and recognized him, "You are Wang Xiaomazi." ”

The soldier was so excited that he stepped forward and knelt in front of Xu Shiji, "The fourth master, it's me!" ”

Xu Shiji took a deep breath, 'The fourth master, this title is already far away, he smiled softly: "Do you have anything to look for me?" ”

"General Song, please go to the city for a while!"

Luo Ziyu, the deputy general next to him, immediately stepped forward, "General, you can't enter the city, it's too dangerous." ”

Xu Shiji shook his head, "If you want to take Liyang City, I have to enter Weicheng County, there are five thousand spirit horsemen, forgive them for not daring to do anything, you just wait for me here, I will be back soon." ”

Xu Shiji turned around and waved his hand to his soldiers, "Follow me!" ”

He took more than 100 personal soldiers and followed the soldiers to the city, Xu Shiji had just entered Weicheng County, only to see hundreds of veterans kneeling down with brushes, "Four masters!" Many people burst into tears, and some even cried bitterly, the grievances they have suffered for more than half a year have been poured out with the appearance of Xu Shiji at this moment.

Xu Shiji hurriedly turned over and dismounted, walked to the middle of the veterans, and said to everyone: "Thank you old brothers for remembering me, but now I am not the fourth master, I have nothing to do with the Wagang Army now, I only hope that you old brothers can get a good death, be able to farm and support their families, and be able to have children and grandchildren around their knees, then I have no regrets." ”

The veterans were extremely moved, and shouted: "Four masters, take us all away!" ”

At this time, the main general Song Jianpu came over and arched his hand: "General Xu, don't come unharmed?" ”

Xu Shiji also bowed his hand and smiled: "I came this time, and I want to trouble General Song." ”

"You're welcome, please come with me."

Song Jianpu took Xu Shiji into a room not far away, there were only the two of them in the room, Xu Shiji immediately asked, "Is Sun Changle's wife in Weicheng County?" ”

Xu Shiji was very nervous in his heart, if Sun Changle's wife was not in Weicheng County, then his plan would have failed, although it stands to reason that she should be in Weicheng County or Wagangzhai, but Sun Changle is also very likely to take his wife to Liyang City in private, this speculation has been pressing on his heart like a stone, making him uneasy for the past two days, at this time Xu Shiji looked at Song Jianpu, his heart was full of expectation and nervousness.

Song Jianpu joined Wagangzhai in the eighth year of Daye, and he can be regarded as a veteran, he understands Xu Shiji's nervousness, but he has his own ideas.

"Sun Changle's wife is in Weicheng County, and I have already sent someone to pick her up, but.

Speaking of this, Song Jianpu paused, and he said meaningfully to Xu Shiji: "But I hope that the four masters can lead the brothers to build Wagang again and revitalize the former majesty of the Wagang army." ”

Xu Shiji was stunned, he didn't expect Song Jianpu to say such a thing, and after a while, he smiled bitterly, "Does General Song think this is possible?" ”

"Nothing is impossible, now Wagangzhai and nearby states and counties are in my hands, there are thousands of troops, and there are more old departments that miss Brother Zhai, no less than 100,000 people, as long as the four masters raise their arms and shout, and play the banner of revitalizing Wagang, I believe that there will be countless old brothers to defect, the four masters, and now Li Mi is being dragged by Yu Culture and Pengcheng County, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, let's do it!"

Song Jianpu stared at Xu Shiji with blazing eyes, his eyes were full of eager anticipation, Xu Shiji still shook his head, "My wife, children and father are in Taiyuan, how can I leave them behind and fall into the grass for Kou ....."

"Four masters!"

Song Jianpu became excited and shouted loudly: "The eldest husband should put the world first, what can not be given up, as long as the four masters become a hero, will Yang Yuanqing really kill your wife, children and father?" Fourth, you must listen to my words today, I, Song Jianpu, am willing to support you as the new master of Wagang! ”

Song Jian brushed out the long knife, put the knife on Xu Shiji's neck, knelt in front of him on one knee, stared at Xu Shiji, and said viciously in a tone that could not be refused: "Four masters, you must agree!" ”

Xu Shiji lowered his head and was silent for a long time, "Have you ever thought about the five thousand cavalry outside the city?" They are only loyal to Yang Yuanqing, I am only the general who leads the army, and it is impossible for them to rebel against me. ”

"You can let them go, my Sun Changle's wife will hand it over to them, I know that you are going to take Liyang City, so let them go and take the city by themselves, and the four masters will stay."

"Alright! I asked the soldiers to send Sun Changle's old lady out of the city, and if I stayed, maybe I could fulfill Brother Zhai's last wish and reconvene the old brothers. ”

Song Jian was overjoyed, he kowtowed three times to Xu Shiji, "This is my apology to the four masters, after the incident, I will donate blood and wine to make amends in accordance with the rules of Wagang." ”

He stood up and shouted, "Come on, send Sun Changle's wife out of the city!" ”

Xu Shiji's personal soldiers escorted a carriage out of the city, Xu Shiji stood at the head of the city, looking at the five thousand cavalry to turn around and go north, and gradually disappeared, he turned around and walked to the city, the head, the city under the thousand old and weak soldiers have lined up neatly, and Song Jianpu and his dozen subordinates are clustered behind Xu Shiji, they hold the handle of the knife, with doubts in their eyes, Song Jianpu wants to force Xu Shiji to make a heavy oath, he will believe in Xu Shiji's sincerity.

"Brothers!"

Xu Shiji's voice was not high, but everyone could hear it clearly, "I, Xu Shiji, want to ask you, are you willing to revive Wagang with me?" ”

"I am willing to serve the four masters to the death!" A soldier raised his arms and shouted, and all the soldiers shouted, "I am willing to die for the four masters!" ”

Everyone's eyes were full of expectation and eagerness, they longed for Xu Shiji to take them back to the heyday of the Wagang Army, Xu Shiji sighed secretly in his heart, why no one was willing to retire and return to the field, why did they have to loot and kill?

The knife on Xu Shiji's body has been taken away by Song Jianpu, he is barehanded, and dozens of his own soldiers are standing a hundred steps away, and there are no weapons, which is the condition for sending Sun Changle's wife out of the city.

"Four masters, you can make an oath, the brothers are looking forward to it!" Song Jianpu urged on the side.

Xu Shiji glanced down, he was standing just above the Yongdao in Shangcheng, only one zhang from the height of the Yongdao, he slowly raised his arms and knelt down on both knees, and everyone knelt down with him, including Song Jianpu, who also knelt down.

At this moment, Xu Shiji jumped from the bag of three Song Jianpu soldiers and jumped off the corridor, and before everyone could react, he jumped up again, jumped from the corridor and rushed into the more than 1,000 soldiers.

The sudden change stunned everyone, Song Jianpu was the first to react, he pointed at Xu Shiji and shouted: "Catch him!" ”

More than 300 of his own soldiers rushed down from the city and rushed towards Xu Shiji, Xu Shiji had already grabbed a spear, he waved his spear, knocked over two soldiers in a row, and shouted: "Brothers, Song Jianpu is Li Mi's spies, arrest him!" ”

More than 1,000 soldiers looked at each other, no one knew which of them to listen to, and the soldiers remained motionless, as if they were bystanders, when Xu Shiji's eighty personal guards rushed up, they had already seized their weapons, and fought side by side with Xu Shiji, and the two armies were mixed together under the city walls.

I don't know who shouted, "Listen to the words of the four masters!" ”

More than 1,000 soldiers woke up like a dream, shouting together to kill Song Jianpu, outside the city, 5,000 Sui cavalry killed again, Song Jianpu saw that the situation was not good-, he turned over and rushed out of the city, Xu Shiji ran two steps, raised his arms and threw the spear, the spear was strong, flying dozens of steps away, 'poof! , stabbed from Song Jianpu's back heart, the tip of the spear leaked out from the chest, Song Jianpu screamed, rolled off the horse, and died on the spot.

Song Jianpu's death stopped the melee in the city, Song Jianpu's personal soldiers put down their weapons one after another, squatted on the ground with their heads in their hands, at this time, Luo Ziyu wanted to lead the cavalry into the city to help the battle, but a Xu Shiji's personal soldiers ran out of the city and said to Luo Ziyu: "General Luo, General Xu asked the Sui army not to enter the city, he can solve the chaos in the city." ”

In the city, Xu Shiji was full of tears, and shouted passionately to the veterans for the second time, "Everyone is a veteran of the Wagang Army, let's think about it, how many of the three thousand veterans who started with Brother Zhai back then?" Most of them died in battle, what did they get? There is nothing but the destruction of the family and the separation of the wife, brothers, lay down your arms! Go back to your own home, maybe your wife and children, your old father and mother are still waiting for you, go home! Don't die on the battlefield anymore, the era of the Wagang Army is over! ”

More than 1,000 veterans looked at Xu Shiji silently, 'Dangchang! I don't know who was the first to lay down the spear, followed by the second and third, and more and more soldiers laid down their weapons.

At noon the next day, Xu Shiji led 5,000 cavalry to Liyang City, and he sent people into the city to deliver a letter to Sun Changle, together with his mother's token, and ordered his own soldiers to help Sun Changle's old lady trembling on the war horse, so that everyone in the city could see it.

Xu Shiji knew that Sun Changle was a well-known filial son in the Wagang Army, and the use of coercion and lure might not work, and only by using his mother as a hostage could Sun Changle surrender.

Five thousand cavalry lined up outside Liyang City, they had been waiting for almost half an hour, there was still no movement in Liyang City, and the deputy general Luo Ziyu was a little breathless, "General Xu, could it be Sun Changle who surrendered?" ”

Xu Shiji bit his lip tightly, the manager only gave him three days, he pressed his future and reputation on this move, he spent a day for this, if he couldn't take it, he would become the laughing stock of Sui Jun, Xu Shiji's heart was extremely nervous.

"Hold on!"

He said in a low voice, which was also to tell Luo Ziyu, "No matter what, he will have another reaction." ”

Time has gradually passed an hour, just when the Sui army was already a little impatient, and even Xu Shiji himself was about to despair, suddenly a personal soldier pointed to the city gate and shouted: "General, look, the city gate is open!" ”

The gate of Liyang City slowly opened, the drawbridge was lowered, and a group of Wagang soldiers walked out of the city with white flags, and the person who was the leader was the main general Sun Changle, in the face of filial piety to his mother and loyalty to Li Mi, he finally chose the former.

Xu Shiji was so excited that he almost shouted, and the five thousand defenders of Liyang City surrendered to the Sui army on the last day of the first year of the Great Sui Jiye.