The two cities were lost one after another, especially the stone cannons used by the enemy in the attack on Zhongyu City were incredibly powerful, which suddenly made the defensive pressure of Ha Yang unprecedentedly strong.

After the loss of Zhongyun City, Hu Lujin immediately recalled the men and horses assigned to the south bank, and all the troops were concentrated on the north bank for defense.

In view of the fierceness of the enemy's stone artillery offensive, Hu Lujin did not dare to concentrate all the horses in the city, but stationed along the river, camping for dozens of miles, expanding the range of the camp to reduce the power of the enemy's offensive.

Of course, he didn't dare to hide such a big thing as the loss of two cities in succession, so he reported it to Ye Du as soon as possible, and by the way, he also played back the enemy intelligence that his son Hu Luxian had learned on the south bank, especially the identity of the enemy's commander.

A few days later, a group of Yedu envoys led by Chen Yuankang arrived at the Heyang camp.

Before entering the camp gate, Chen Yuankang first confessed to Hu Lujin, who led the crowd to greet him, and then pointed to Xue Guyan in the rear and ordered: "On the orders of the prince, quickly return Xue Guyan to the capital as punishment!" ”

Several wolf-like soldiers rushed forward, seized Xue Guyan's saber and stripped him of his robe, and threw the shackles into the car, like a captured bear.

"Da Sima save my ......"

Xue Guyan knew that the guilt was inevitable, but he didn't expect that the prince would detain him like a beast in such a humiliating way and in full view of everyone.

Seeing this, Hu Lujin also looked embarrassed, and said to Chen Yuankang head-on: "Xue Guyan is not good at fighting, and he is guilty, but after all, his qualifications can be expressed, so I implore Chen Youcheng to take care of decency." ”

"Ping Qin Gong's meritorious deeds, how can you not know about your humble position? However, the defeat of the current army and the humiliation of the country, Gyeonggi was shaken and uneasy, and the prince was furious, and he only obeyed orders. ”

When Chen Yuankang heard this, he hurriedly said to Hu Lujin, saying that he couldn't do anything.

But when he saw Hu Lujin's son Hu Luxian walking into his entourage for a while, and the house slave in the team gave him another look, he reluctantly covered a curtain on the cage, although it did not change Xue Guyan's bad situation, but with this layer of curtain covering, it would not directly expose the ugly people.

Immediately, this team of men and horses divided dozens of soldiers, and did not enter the camp, and pulled the prisoner car that imprisoned Xue Guyan and returned to Yedu along the road, and the resolute posture also showed the anger of the prince Gao Cheng for Heyang's defeat.

Hu Lujin knew that the prince was also using this to express his dissatisfaction with himself, so he invited Chen Yuankang and his party into the camp with several courtesies.

After entering the account, they sat down with each other, Chen Yuankang looked at Hu Lujin and asked directly: "The prince of the world, please ask Da Sima, can Da Sima guarantee to defend the Beizhong City and never let the city fall into the hands of thieves again?" ”

When Hu Lujin heard this, his brows furrowed slightly, and he was silent for a while before he spoke: "The thieves attacked the city before, and the power of the artillery used was really amazing, and it was difficult for the defenders to deal with it. However, its strength is limited, and it is already its limit to enter the middle city, and once it sets foot on the north bank, tens of thousands of soldiers here will definitely be able to kill it......"

"Wait, what does Da Sima mean is that it is possible for the thief army to continue to advance north and reach the riverbank?"

Without waiting for Hu Lujin to finish speaking, Chen Yuankang asked again.

Although he was very reluctant to admit it, when he thought of the momentum of the enemy's attack on Zhongcheng City, Hu Lujin also had to admit that although he had tens of thousands of troops today, he really didn't dare to guarantee that he would be able to defend the northern city without losing.

And the preparations he has made now are no longer limited to the stronghold of the city, but the embankment of the river on the north bank for dozens of miles, even if the north city is smashed and smashed by the enemy's stone artillery, but he must rely on the courage to fight in the field, and do not give the enemy the opportunity to land on the river bank in its entirety.

However, Chen Yuankang was not interested in his overall tactical preparations, and after determining that Hu Lujin could not guarantee that Beizhong City would not be lost, he spoke again: "Then there is Lao Da Sima to arrange for him to go to Zhongyun City to talk to the thief general." ”

"Chen Youcheng is going to ...... Is this what the son of the world means? ”

After Hu Lujin heard this, his face suddenly changed, and he stood up from his seat, a wave of shame welled up in his heart, and he glared at Chen Yuankang and asked quickly.

"Alas, the former division was defeated, and the situation in the country was already quite unstable. Han Situ and other troops went to Henan, but there is no news so far. It was also very hard for the prince to maintain the situation in Dugi, and Hayang was lost again...... Ha Duong must not be lost, no matter what! ”

Chen Yuankang saw Hu Lujin like this, so he also stood up and looked at him and replied: "There are several blood relatives of the thief Li Tai on this trip, and the prince told me that if the great Sima is able to protect Heyang, then the thief will come to the river to kill the oath." But if the big Sima ...... The humble also knows that this situation is unbearable, but Da Sima should also understand that Heyang must not afford to lose! May I ask Da Sima, should I go to my humble position? ”

Hearing Chen Yuankang throw the question back to himself, Hu Lujin's expression was gloomy again, and he stood there for a long time before he sighed again, turned around and shook the ground to the north, and said in an astringent voice: "The minister has a negative king and an insult to the country's prestige...... Chen Youcheng came from afar, I don't know the details of the enemy, my dog Feng Lexin returned from Henan, and I can serve as Chen Youcheng's guide. ”

The loss of the two cities of Heyang is like a house leak in the overnight rain for the current Eastern Wei court, and the situation here must not be allowed to continue to deteriorate.

I have exhausted my strength here, so I can only find a way from the enemy's side. But this kind of thing of seeking peace and persuading surrender should obviously not be done by Gao Cheng, the new prince in charge of the military and government, and Hu Lujin, who is in the front line and has an unfavorable battle, is to blame.

When the letter from Beizhongcheng proposed to talk about it was sent to the desk, Li Tai was also a little confused. Although he also thinks that he is playing very beautifully here in Heyang, but the endurance of the Eastern Wei Dynasty is so much? He was so embarrassed that he wanted to solve the threat he posed by means other than combat.

However, after a little thought, he could also understand the situation and mood that Gao Cheng was facing at the moment.

As a second-generation power, except for being shot by his father when he was young because he couldn't sit on the back of a cow during the run, Gao Cheng rarely experienced an extremely dangerous situation. At least compared with his father Gao Huan, who failed to murder the boss several times and kept running away, his endurance and toughness are not far behind.

Li Tai has the perspective of a later person, and understands that this turmoil is not dangerous for the Eastern Wei Dynasty. But in Gao Cheng's view, every moment since his father's death has changed a new challenge and a new pressure.

This constant pressure process is uncomfortable for anyone, and the limits of what everyone can bear are different. Gao Cheng is a smart man, compared with his father, who is ready to fight for his life at every turn, he has more chips and more choices in his hands, so he is naturally happy to solve problems in more ways.

Not to mention Li Tai, the little butterfly in this big era, in the original history, Hou Jing has completely rebelled and switched to the two countries, and in the case of successive conquests and suppressions that have not been successfully pacified, Gao Cheng is still willing to lower his posture and try to surrender and appease Hou Jing.

Although Li Tai did no more harm to the Eastern Wei Dynasty as a whole than Hou Jing's rebellion, he was now one step away from the north bank of the Yellow River, and he absolutely needed to deal with it carefully.

But this is from the analysis of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, Li Tai himself has little demand for such a meeting.

To be honest, being able to capture Zhongyun City is already a limit for him, mainly because Hu Lujin sent people south to cut off his retreat and make him unable to escape.

Before that, even Heyang Nancheng was just an unexpected gain, in the final analysis, it was just because Xue Guyan was the first to flirt with him and lured him here step by step.

If it weren't for Xue Guyan who ran to besiege Jingu City first, he would either still be sleeping in Hanguan City today, or he would have gone to Yingchuan to pay homage to the Great General of the Universe, as for being trapped on this river bridge, he couldn't advance or retreat?

He is now at the forefront of the war, and it is always inappropriate to rashly come into contact with the enemy's envoys, and it is inevitable that he will chew on the root of his tongue if he is known. But when he saw the list of envoys sent by the other party, he couldn't help but be a little moved.

Chen Yuankang was one of the most important strategists in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and he was deeply valued by the Gao family's father and son, and Li Tai had admired him for a long time, and he did not resist seeing him.

However, if it was just Chen Yuankang, it was not worth meeting Li Tai in front of the battle, and among the key companions were his relatives who stayed in the Eastern Wei Dynasty.

This made Li Tai unable to refuse, although his relationship with the relatives of the Eastern Wei Dynasty was not very deep, but after all, the blood relationship was here. If it were because of his categorical refusal that his relatives would end up like Ho Batsheng's sons, he would inevitably be reluctant to go, unable to let go of his heart, and would also give people a feeling of being too cold.

So he immediately replied, agreed with the other party to meet at a time, and he waited from Nancheng to Zhongchuan City.

After receiving Li Tai's reply, Hu Lujin and Chen Yuankang also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and finally Li Tai did not lose his emotions so much that he completely disregarded the safety and death of his relatives and refused to communicate.

So they arranged the boat according to the time provided by Li Tai, Chen Yuankang, Hu Luxian and two Li disciples of Longxi accompanied them, escorted by more than a dozen guards with short blades, and took a small boat to Zhongyun City on the river island.

At the same time, Li Tai was already wearing armor and surrounded by all the relatives and soldiers, standing outside the north gate of Zhongyun City and quietly waiting for his relatives to arrive.

(End of chapter)