When Xiao Jiu was in Lingshui County, the Qingzhou Mansion also issued a series of orders one after another, preparing to move the army westward to crusade against Xiao Jiu.

On the eve of the Qingzhou Army's expedition, Wenjie's Yang County and the remaining six counties of Qingzhou began to collect grain on a large scale as military funds.

Although the entire Qingzhou government was not affected by the drought, the people under its rule were living in difficulty because of the high taxes levied one after another.

Just when the Qingzhou Army was ready to go, a regional hot war also broke out in the Naoli area of Kyoto.

……

Outside Wuhua Pass, south of Kyoto Zhili, a large number of Wanzhou soldiers gathered at this time, and it is roughly estimated that there are 40,000 or 50,000 people.

When the Wanzhou army set out from the county government, it did a good job of secrecy, and it only took seven or eight days to rush from the mountain road to the outside of Wuhua Pass.

All the grain and grass needed for the march were hoarded in advance in the granaries built along the way.

Faced with this group of Wanzhou troops, which could be said to have appeared almost instantaneously, the defenders of Wuhua Pass were surprised as if they had seen a ghost.

But without waiting for them to express any emotion, the Wanzhou army that rushed to attack began to attack the city almost as soon as they saw it.

As soon as the defending generals sent the enemy attack documents to Kyoto, the city gate was opened by the traitors in the defenders.

The Wanzhou army, which had been prepared for a long time, instantly poured into this small city, which was not fortified, and for a time the fire in the city was raging, and the whole city was in chaos.

This group of Anhui soldiers entered the flock like wolves, and began to massacre the people and rob property, and those who dared to resist were directly stabbed without any hesitation.

Listening to the bursts of crying in his ears, Zhang Wei, the governor of Wanzhou, was expressionless, and rode slowly across the arms of the soldiers coldly.

In many cases, it is not that he is cold-blooded, but he just wants his group of soldiers to work for him, and he must pay the corresponding price.

In order to stimulate the fighting spirit of the Wanzhou army, before arriving at Wuhua Pass, Zhang Wei ordered them to be allowed to plunder for three days after breaking through Wuhua Pass.

It was in these three days that Wuhua Guanyi and its subordinate villages and towns instantly became purgatory on earth.

When faced with a small number of mountain bandits, these village names can resist or give up some of their possessions to protect themselves.

But when faced with this group of well-trained Wanzhou troops, all resistance was in vain.

Along the way, the Wanzhou army raped and plundered, and many people were displaced and became refugees.

After the loss of Wuhua Pass, Kyoto also responded quickly and temporarily dispatched a large number of forbidden troops to the vicinity of Kyoto to defend against the military disaster.

When the news reached other nearby states and counties, everyone was secretly gearing up, secretly looking for an opportunity.

The northern border is in trouble, but the Kyoto court is as quiet as ever.

During this period, except for Emperor Qin Yu, who held a palace meeting, he has been hiding in the deep garden of the palace city.

For a while, these important ministers in the court lost their backbone, and they began to move around secretly to discuss countermeasures.

Just when all parties in Kyoto were surging undercurrents, Yun Bi, the commander of the forbidden army, was standing beside Qin Yu, waiting for his order.

"All ready?"

Emperor Qin Yu's voice slowly came into Yun Bi's ears, making Yun Bi feel a thrill all over his body.

"It's all set."

"It's just, isn't it a bit risky for the emperor to do this?"

Listening to Yun Bi's slightly worried tone, Qin Yu smiled slightly and shook his head slightly.

"If I don't take my body as bait, how can I catch a big fish?"

A slightly self-deprecating tone slowly came out of Qin Yu's mouth, and Yun Bi knew that Qin Yu had already made a decision in his heart, so he got up and retreated, no longer persuading.

After Yun Bi came out of the palace, he arranged for several henchmen to rush to the direction of Huya Pass and Jizhou in the north with two teams of cavalry.

Looking at the distant shadow of his cavalry, Yun Bi was a little distracted.

The Wanzhou mutiny was actually expected by the emperor as early as possible, and even since the governor of Wanzhou had just plotted to rebel, he had already received the news.

But Qin Yu has been standing still, just waiting for Wanzhou to send troops to Kyoto.

Previously, Wang Meng of Huya Pass had already received a secret edict from the emperor and a number of the emperor's cronies, and when there was a change in Kyoto, he would lead troops to escort him.

This time, Qin Yu used himself as a bait to lure the Wanzhou army into Beijing was a risky move.

If the thousands of forbidden troops in Zhili and Huya Pass could not hold Kyoto, the entire Great Xia would be overthrown.

The final decision was made by the two states of Jizhou and Yuzhou.

If Jizhou and Yuzhou don't want to be annexed by the gradually rising Qingzhou and the Wanzhou that holds the court hostage, the best choice is to lead the army to King Qin.

Of course, the power of this choice is in their own hands, and the life and death of Emperor Qin Yu also depends on the will of heaven.

Just when the Wanzhou army began to attack Zhili, the 40,000 Qingzhou army formed by the seven counties of Qingzhou also arrived in Yangjun and was ready to go.

After everything was arranged, Lu Yaoliang, the governor of Qingzhou, issued a notice to brand Xiao Jiu and his Xiao Zi battalion into rebels, ready to fight against him.

Xiao Jiu didn't have too much surprise and nervousness after getting the news, and began to arrange defensive deployment in an orderly manner.

Three days later, the mighty Qingzhou Army marched from Yang County to Lingshui County on the border and swore to fight the thieves.

On the eve of the arrival of the Qingzhou army in Lingshui County, Xiao Jiu summoned all the sergeants of the Xiao Zi battalion and the backbone of the militia in various towns and towns.

On the temporary high platform in front of the county office, Xiao Jiu's face was reflected red by the firelight, and the scene was silent for a while.

Xiao Jiu adjusted his thoughts and said in a deep voice with an expressionless face.

"Brothers, folks."

"I don't need to say more, I think everyone knows the news of the upcoming arrival of the Qingzhou Army."

As Xiao Jiu spoke, the already quiet atmosphere became even more depressing, and everyone looked at Xiao Jiu intently.

Xiao Jiu looked at the Dao Dao gaze that converged on him, felt that his breathing was a little short, and took a deep breath and continued.

"If you fight, you will die."

"But you must know that the current situation in Lingshui County is not easy to come by, and all of this is not given by others, but by yourself."

"What do you think of someone who wants to pluck the fruit that belongs to us and let you go back to the old days?"

As soon as the words fell, a militia youth named Kuroko in the crowd shouted directly at the top of his voice.

"Whoever wants us to go back to the old poor days, we are desperate with him."

With the hoarse shouts of the sunspots, the atmosphere of the scene was instantly mobilized.

"Desperately, kill him as a son of a bitch."

All kinds of foul language and invective continued to sound, and the mood of the militia in various localities had been mobilized, and their morale was high for a while.

They didn't feel anything when they were used to living a poor life before, but since Xiao Jiu took charge of Lingshui County, they have all learned to resist oppression.

If this group of people returns to the kind of life that is inferior to livestock, they will definitely pick up farm tools and fight each other.

Xiao Jiu looked at the angry militiamen with flushed faces, and the mood and tense nerves that had been suppressed were slightly relaxed.

Yes, with these people as their backing, what do you have to worry about, will it be worse than the days before when you were a bandit?