Chapter 62 Betrayal
As soon as the Sui army reached the Yellow River, they received bad news: the governor of Puzhou abandoned the city and fled, and Puzhou city fell into the hands of the King of Han. Yang Su was shocked.

You must know that Puzhou City is backed by mountains and faces the river. It is a strategic point between Qin and Jin. It has been an important military location since ancient times. It was also the main city where they were preparing to fight against the King of Han. They didn't expect it to be lost like this.

Yang Su and others thought that the Han Wang rebels were so brave, could they be all heavenly soldiers and generals?
But after hearing the ashamed admission from the governor of Puzhou, they realized that the whole mighty city had been opened by fraud.

It turned out that although Puzhou had vaguely heard that the King of Han was going to rebel, the imperial court had not yet issued an edict to suppress the rebellion. Although martial law was imposed, no troops were deployed to guard the city.

Yang Liang's general Pei Wen'an was also a treacherous and sinister person. He led more than a hundred elite cavalrymen to guard dozens of luxurious carriages, which were full of fierce soldiers. He also ordered the carriage drivers to dress up as palace maids and wear veils on their heads.

When he arrived at the city gate, he shouted, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Han has been ordered by the Emperor to take his family back to the capital. Open the city gate immediately and order the Governor of Puzhou to come and welcome the Prince!"

The captain guarding the city was still a little hesitant, but after being persuaded by the insider Pei Wen'an had already contacted, he ordered the city gates to be opened wide, and sent someone to notify the prefect, and he also hurried down the city tower to greet him.

Looking down from the city gate, one naturally couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman, but how could one not tell when coming down? But it was too late. The person in charge was Pei Wen'an, and he ordered the rest of the people to enter the city and head straight for the governor's mansion.

Then he said to the stunned captain of the city gate: "If you open the city gate, even if I spare your life, you will be punished with death if the court investigates. Only by following His Royal Highness the King of Han can you not only survive, but also be rewarded with merit and be awarded a title!"

"Then the captain of the city gate also rebelled." The governor of Puzhou gritted his teeth and said, "This thief must be tortured to death!"

Inside the big tent, Li Jing, who had been listening silently, said, "At most, there are only a few hundred cavalrymen, and the Han king's vanguard must be very far away. It is impossible for them to attack the city so quickly. If the governor fought desperately and summoned soldiers to retake the city gate, Puzhou City would not be lost at all."

The governor of Puzhou flushed and glared at Li Jing as if he was the murderer of his father: "This happened suddenly and I was completely unprepared. Who are you? How dare you speak so brazenly here? You..."

Although he was staring at Li Jing, his eyes were always on Yang Su. Seeing that his face was getting colder and colder, he quickly turned back and bowed: "Your humble official knows that losing the city is a dereliction of duty no matter what. I am willing to be escorted back to the capital to plead guilty to Your Majesty."

He had served in Your Majesty's palace in his early years and knew Your Majesty's character well. He had also collected many rare treasures in the past few years. Although the city was not defended, he did not leave any of these treasures behind when he fled. As long as he wins in the end, I believe Your Majesty will understand his difficulties.

Li Jiancheng also disliked this man. He had no friendship with the King of Han and he had also attacked him during the fight for the throne. If he was really succeeded by the King of Han, Liu Shu's fate would not be far from his.

He stepped out of the line and bowed to Yang Su, saying, "Please, Marshal, execute the criminal who abandoned the city and the land!"

The governor said in a trembling voice, "Is it Master Li? Master... Your father and I once drank together?"

Li Jiancheng ignored him, and the others also left. Without Puzhou City as a foothold, they would be passive, and the probability of being killed on the battlefield would naturally increase greatly. How could they not hate it?

This is what Yang Su was waiting for. A provincial governor is not an ordinary soldier. He can kill him whenever he wants. Moreover, it is such a sensitive time now, so it is best to follow public opinion and report it to His Majesty in this way without breaking any taboo.

Yang Su said: "Take him out and behead him!"

Li Jiancheng stepped back and fanned the air in front of his nose. Before this guy was dragged away, he had a big bowel movement and successfully disgusted them before he died.

Everyone looked unhappy. After all, they did not have as many soldiers as the enemy. It was easy to say that the weak could defeat the strong, but to implement it still depended on the right time, place and people.

The King of Han suddenly seized the opportunity and successfully occupied Puzhou. The Sui army only had one person left, so the King of Han was rebelling without any justification. If the King of Han relied on Puzhou City to advance, the capital would be threatened. Since they had few soldiers, they could only defend themselves and wait for the local troops to gather.

But the prerequisite is to be able to delay the war. In many cases, wars are fought with momentum. If the King of Han continues to be so successful and surrounds the capital with his troops like a hot knife through butter, the emperor who has just ascended the throne may not be able to appease the Guanlong nobles in the capital.

The newly built capital is undoubtedly extremely difficult to break through. As long as it is commanded by a general with some ability, it will not be difficult to resist the King of Han for several months. However, compared to attacking from the outside, it is very likely that he will open it by himself.

The Yang family is in power on all sides, and those family forces that failed in the fight for the throne will certainly want to revive. What contribution can compare to Conglong?

Li Jing said, "General, since the King of Han has just occupied Puzhou, there must be many officers and soldiers who are unwilling to rebel. We should immediately send troops to recapture Puzhou City."

If it was an ordinary battle, or if he had enough troops, Yang Su would definitely do so, and he did have the opportunity. Not to mention the people in Puzhou City, even the officers and officials in the King of Han's 300,000 troops would be forced to surrender.

It is only natural for the crown prince to ascend the throne. The King of Han has no justification for rebellion. As long as they can be intercepted, the rebels will soon fall apart.

But he couldn't take the gamble now. If he used up all his troops but failed to recapture Puzhou City, the situation would be turned upside down.

Yang Su had no choice but to refuse and could only order the troops to prepare to withdraw. If the King of Han advanced, they would retreat and defend the pass.

.........

The King of Han had not yet received Pei Wen'an's victory report, and had never expected that he could occupy Puzhou City so quickly. He had just led his army out of Jinyang, preparing to attack Puzhou.

As soon as the Prince of Han left, Dou Luyu united a group of officials, officers and aristocratic families who were unwilling to join the enemy, and directly surrounded the Prince of Han's palace, forcing Zhu Tao, the governor of Jinyang who was left behind by the Prince of Han, to abandon his evil ways and join the light.

Zhu Tao was outnumbered and could only come out to persuade him: "You are the uncle of the king. When the king conquers the world, you will be the uncle of the king, and you will be extremely rich and powerful. Others will be fine. How can you betray the king?"

Dou Luyu said: "My family has received great favor from the emperor, how can we follow the enemy and betray the country? Don't say anything more, just surrender immediately."

"The king's army has not gone far. Once they get the news, they will surely launch a counterattack. You will not be able to hold on. Aren't you courting death?"

"Of course I know I can't hold on, but as long as I can delay for a few more days, the court can calmly mobilize troops to wipe you out. A real man defends his country, so why should he fear death!"

Zhu Tao had no choice but to ask Princess Doulu of Han to come out. Princess Doulu of Han came out in tears and could only look at her brother with pleading eyes.

Dou Luyu's expression did not change at all. Not only did he not withdraw his troops, but he angrily scolded his sister for not dissuading the King of Han.

...............

(End of this chapter)