Chapter 73

In the Fufeng Commandery, it was already spring, but there was no sign of vitality here; instead, it remained desolate and bleak. It was the season for outings, yet there were few people outdoors.

The people of the Three Auxiliaries were truly unfortunate. For nearly a decade, the Liangzhou rebels had been causing trouble, and many civilians had suffered greatly. Those who had the means had long since moved away, while those who did not could only live cautiously.

Finally, after being safe for most of last year, the Liangzhou rebels returned before the Spring Festival. One can imagine how helpless the people felt. Fortunately, there was an army stationed here, and later, Huangfu Song led a large force to support, preventing the people from losing hope.

But as a battlefield, one can imagine the atmosphere around.

In the large camp near Chencang County, the banner with the character "Han" fluttered weakly in the wind.

The entire camp, with tens of thousands of soldiers, had been restless these past few days. The news of the Great Qian's divine soldiers suddenly capturing Luoyang had spread far and wide, and the Great Qian had even helped spread the news, making it even more rapid and extensive.

In places like military camps, such news that could shake the morale of the troops should have been strictly restricted. However, after the news surfaced, Huangfu Song, apart from strictly ordering the troops not to relax their vigilance against the rebels in Chencang, did not prohibit the spread of the news, so all the soldiers had already heard it.

With the capital occupied and the emperor and his ministers' fates unknown, the soldiers naturally felt uneasy. After all, the army needed supplies from the court, and now that the court was occupied, could they still continue the war?

Moreover, many of the soldiers were from Luoyang or the Three Rivers. In such a situation, how could they be at ease?

Fortunately, Huangfu Song had high prestige and could still control the army and boost morale. He had previously repelled a rebel attack led by Han Sui, who had also learned of the news.

Huangfu Song's army was not in good shape, and neither were the rebels led by Han Sui. The Great Qian's mysterious and powerful capture of Luoyang was not good news for Han Sui and his men. Therefore, they were also considering their next moves and did not launch a full-scale attack on Huangfu Song.

In the main tent, a tall, middle-aged general with a slightly graying head and a face etched with the marks of time sat behind a desk, his brows furrowed in deep thought. This was the Left General, Huangfu Song. In the tent were various officers and clerks, all with different expressions, but all somewhat uneasy.

"Is it almost time?" Huangfu Song suddenly asked.

"Sir, there are about two incense sticks' worth of time left," the chief clerk Liang Yan replied.

"Uncle, do you think what the envoy said is true? I mean, that the King of Qian is a celestial being who can use mysterious magic to teleport his army to various places. Also, the envoy said the King of Qian will personally visit the camp to see you. Is this a sign that they want us to surrender?"

A younger general stood up, somewhat hesitantly, and spoke. The others exchanged glances, sharing his unease. They had all been pondering these matters.

Regarding the Great Qian and the mysterious King of Qian, anyone with a bit of status and knowledge could not help but be curious, but the more they learned, the more mysterious and unbelievable it seemed. However, they had all seen the King of Qian's deeds and had their own opinions.

Putting aside other things, with the Great Qian being so mysterious and powerful, how should they, the armies fighting outside, proceed? It seemed that the Han dynasty was about to fall.

The capital was occupied, and the emperor and his ministers were mostly captured. This situation was almost a national collapse. Even if there were still several provinces under the Han, including the Han royal family, they did not believe these royal relatives could revitalize the Han.

Last year, Zhu Jun, along with Huangfu Song and other famous generals, besieged the Great Qian. At that time, the court had done its best to support them, but the results were still bleak. Zhu Jun, the governor of Yuzhou, and Dong Zhuo, the former general and governor of Hedong, were both directly defeated.

Not to mention others, just Huangfu Song, whom they all knew very well. This greatly admired general returned in disappointment, and one could imagine how powerful the Great Qian was. Especially in recent days, seeing Huangfu Song's worried expression, they knew that even the commander was uncertain.

Thus, they, as subordinates, naturally felt even more uneasy.

"In a while, we will all know!" Huangfu Song's expression was calm, his gaze sweeping over the people present. He, who was known for his strict discipline, had no mood to deal with their varied thoughts. In fact, Huangfu Song himself was very hesitant and unsure of what to do.

In Jingzhou's Nanyang Commandery, Huangfu Song had personally fought against the Qian army led by Huang Zhong, leaving a deep impression. At that time, he understood why, after meeting Zhu Jun, his old friend looked so weary and helpless.

At that time, he had heard Zhu Jun recount various intelligence about the Great Qian. Zhu Jun even mentioned that this might be the last chance, and if they could eliminate the Great Qian at all costs, there would still be hope. Otherwise, the Great Qian would sweep across the land.

He did not want to believe it, but Huangfu Song, who deeply understood Zhu Jun, knew that everything might be true. This left him in a state of confusion. Especially after Zhu Jun's desperate attempt failed, facing the Great Qian army alone was truly tormenting.

It was Huangfu Song's resilient character that kept him from giving up, but he was already deeply affected.

A few days ago, when he received Zhang Hao's letter, Huangfu Song was actually somewhat angry. He thought Zhang Hao was trying to persuade him to surrender, which was an underestimation of his loyalty. But after hesitating, Huangfu Song still read the letter. It did not mention surrender, but only said that Zhang Hao would visit him on a certain day to solve some problems together, to avoid the unnecessary sacrifice of loyal soldiers.

The letter also mentioned that Zhang Hao would bring his army and asked Huangfu Song not to misunderstand, as he intended to directly crush the反复无常且给凉州乃至关中带来巨大灾难的凉州叛军。

说是不要误会，但黄甫嵩很清楚，如果到时候自己的答复不符合对方的心意，对方的大军不会只针对凉州叛军。

黄甫嵩犹豫了一阵，最终还是没有对使者说出不用接触直接交战的话。他清楚大乾的实力，而这次大乾神兵天降的表现更为神秘可怕，再怎么对大汉忠诚，黄甫嵩都知道这次大汉可能要彻底落幕了。

他自己可以不顾一切为大汉尽忠，但其他人呢？那些忠心追随自己的将士们呢？

如果只是单纯面对强敌，黄甫嵩不会顾忌，哪怕将士们损失巨大，他依然狠得下心。但如今情况不同。大汉就要灭亡，没有了效忠对象，将士们即使全部牺牲，又有什么意义？只会让亲人们伤心乃至受到影响。

之前就是考虑到这个问题，黄甫嵩才没有在军营内禁绝各种消息，他的想法是，哪怕死，起码让大家死得明白。

大汉到了如今这种境地，黄甫嵩自觉不能替众多将士做主。所以他压下了自己的心意。

让他稍微有些意外的是，信中还提到乾王不仅会亲自前来，还会直接来军营中拜访，虽然不是单刀赴会，但也不会带多少护卫。这无疑表达了诚意和善意。

千金之子坐不垂堂的道理很多人都明白，黄甫嵩想到这位乾王的那些传说，恐怕除了诚意之外，也是因为这位乾王有足够的底气自保吧？

自那天接到信后，黄甫嵩其实一直在犹豫一件事，如果乾王真的独自来军营，那么是不是要做些什么？如果真的能够擒拿斩杀乾王的话，那么大汉或许还有希望，但其中风险太大，以往果断的黄甫嵩都有些犹豫不定。

注意到周围属下眼中的忐忑，黄甫嵩心中叹息一声，

“去将使者请来，时间差不多了，我们出营去看看。”黄甫嵩起身说道，

一行人出了大帐，直接来到了大营前，而营内诸多士兵这时候也都感觉到了情况的奇特，在各自军官的号令下，小心戒备着少不得彼此对视间心中猜测着。

“黄甫将军不必如此小心，既然王上说了要亲自和你谈一谈，那么王上根本不必耍什么手段。说实话，也没有那个必要。王上不过是胸怀宽广仁慈，不希望你们一众赤胆忠心的将士牺牲在朝代更迭的混乱中。”

那名身材瘦削的使者面带微笑地说道，颇有些洒脱不羁。只不过他这番做派，对于注重军令的军人而言可是不怎么讨人喜欢。他倒是不在意这些人的态度，说完只是微笑等待着。

“三刻了！”长史梁衍这时候报时道，这个就是使者带来的约定时间了。

话音刚落，众人就看到远处一面巨大的水波似的门扉出现，在淡淡的涟漪中，几台奇异的钢铁怪兽自其中驶出，紧接着大批的骑兵秩序井然地行出，迅速列成一个巨大的军阵。

那令人侧目的钢铁怪兽不说，只是后面那些军人全身的甲胄以及表现出来的纪律性就让皇甫郦等人面容有些僵硬。他们很清楚，军械精良纪律严格的军队是何等的可怕。

这还是他们第一次亲自看到大乾军队的情况。

后续的火炮以及其他各种奇特军械也让这些老军人们看得目不转睛，很多曾经有所耳闻，但这还是第一次见到……

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Since the day he received the letter, Huangfu Song had actually been hesitating about one thing: if the King of Qian really came to the camp alone, should he do something? If he could capture and kill the King of Qian, the Han dynasty might still have a chance, but the risk was too great, and even the usually decisive Huangfu Song was uncertain.

Noticing the unease in his subordinates' eyes, Huangfu Song sighed inwardly.

"Go and invite the envoy. It's about time. Let's go out of the camp and see," Huangfu Song said as he stood up.

The group left the main tent and went directly to the front of the camp. The soldiers in the camp also felt the unusual situation and, under the orders of their officers, were on high alert, exchanging glances and speculating.

"General Huangfu, there's no need to be so cautious. Since the King said he would personally talk to you, there's no need for any tricks. To be honest, there's no need for that. The King is broad-minded and benevolent and does not want you and your loyal soldiers to be sacrificed in the chaos of a changing dynasty."

The slender envoy smiled and spoke, somewhat carefree and unrestrained. However, his manner was not very popular with the soldiers, who valued military discipline. He did not mind their attitude and simply smiled and waited.

"Three incense sticks' worth of time!" the chief clerk Liang Yan reported, which was the agreed time the envoy had mentioned.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone saw a huge, wave-like portal appear in the distance. In the faint ripples, several strange steel beasts emerged, followed by a large number of cavalry marching out in perfect order, quickly forming a massive military formation.

The steel beasts alone were impressive, but the discipline and armor of the soldiers behind them made Huangfu Song and the others' faces stiff. They knew how terrifying a well-equipped and disciplined army could be.

This was the first time they had personally seen the Great Qian's army.

The subsequent artillery and other various strange military equipment also caught the attention of these old soldiers, many of whom had heard of them but had never seen them before...

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