Chapter 159 First Meeting Qiu Jing
After a check, it was found that the Zhou army led by Zhang Xuanyu had a total of 30,000 infantry and cavalry when it set out from Danzhou, but now there are only more than 10,000 people left.

Zhang Xuanyu and Ma Renjie had previously sent 5,000 cavalrymen. Yan Feishi and Zong Huaichang were on a hurried march, and thousands of people fell behind. They were besieged by the Khitan army for half a day at the mouth of the West Gorge, and suffered more than 10,000 casualties.

In fact, if Zhao Ji had not led his army to provide timely assistance, according to the course of history, these 30,000 people would have been wiped out.

Generals Yan Fei Shi and Zong Huaichang knew this very well, so they were both very grateful to Zhao Ji.

When Zhao Ji returned with his troops, the two generals, regardless of their official rank or seniority, personally led their troops to greet him, showing their sincerity.

Yan Fei Shi had seen the three general flags of "Yang", "Zhang" and "Zhao" with his own eyes, but now he saw only Zhao Ji leading the army, which made him feel strange.

"General Zhao, why are you alone here? I wonder where General Yang and General Zhang are now?" Yan Fei Shi asked somewhat inappropriately.

Zong Huaichang secretly thought that this Yan Fei Shi was too straightforward. The way he asked this question sounded like he was blaming Yang Xuanji and Zhang Jiujie for not coming to their full support.

So he quickly tried to smooth things over with a flattering smile: "Thank you very much, General Zhao, for saving my life. If it weren't for your efforts, the 20,000-man army would have been wiped out, and the two of us would have died."

Zhao Ji was not as suspicious as Zong Huaichang, and instead explained, "General Zhang Jiujie stayed behind to guard Danzhou, and General Yang Lao led the infantry to follow behind. I took advantage of the situation and led three cavalry units to help."

"This is all part of our job, the two generals don't have to worry about it. It's a pity that the cavalry was exhausted, allowing Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong to escape unscathed."

Yan Feishi and Zong Huaichang looked at each other and smiled bitterly: "General Zhao is so courageous and brave. We are thankful that we are alive. How dare we even think about chasing him?"

Zhao Ji shook his head regretfully and talked about business: "Generals, we cannot stay here for long. I came here in a hurry and don't have much food. Now the army should withdraw immediately and meet with General Yang to discuss the future plan. What do you think?"

Zong Huaichang nodded hurriedly: "General Zhao's argument is absolutely correct, and we have no objection."

So the three of them reorganized their troops and turned south, where they met Yang Xuanji's infantry on the way.

Along the way, Yang Xuanji gathered a lot of stragglers and lost soldiers from the Yan bandits Shi and Zong Huaichang's troops, about a thousand people in total, which was good news.

"Danzhou is too far away. It would be better for the army to go to Pingzhou City nearby to recuperate." Yang Xuanji suggested after learning about the battle situation.

Yan Fei Shi and Zong Huaichang were overjoyed when they heard this, and hurriedly said, "General, that's a good idea! We have no objection."

The two of them actually had this idea a long time ago, but Zhao Ji had previously said that he wanted to meet up with Yang Xuanji first. Since they were defeated generals, they were inevitably inferior to him, so they did not dare to disagree.

Moreover, Yang Xuanji's troops were on the road after all. If they fled to Pingzhou City without any care, if the Khitans came back to attack them, they would be suspected of betraying their allies.

Now that they have joined Yang Xuanji's troops, it would be most appropriate for Yang Xuanji himself to make this suggestion.

The only one who was hesitant about this suggestion was Zhao Ji. After all, the governor of Pingzhou was Qiu Jing. In the Shen Di Yuan plot, this guy did the deed of preventing Wang Xiaojie's army from entering the city.

But now the Khitan rebellion obviously did not follow the script, but went to another timeline, and everything became chaotic and unpredictable.
-
Zhao Ji still led the cavalry as the vanguard, Yang Xuanji led the fresh troops to guard against the Khitan in the rear, and the remnants of the Yan bandit Shi and Zong Huaichang's troops were sandwiched in the middle. More than 20,000 people marched towards Pingzhou City together.

When it was dark, the army finally caught a glimpse of the outline of Pingzhou City.

Yang Xuanji made all the arrangements and sent a messenger on horseback to inform Pingzhou Governor Qiu Jing of the impending arrival.

But it was already late, Qiu Jing was very cautious, repeatedly confirming that the city was really under the Zhou army, not some Khitan army, and then he dared to let the army into the city. However, Qiu Jing's actions almost made Zhao Ji think that he was going to defect, and Zong Huaichang was also very angry. Yang Xuanji, on the other hand, quite recognized Qiu Jing and thought he was right.

At least Qiu Jing responded well after the army entered the city and calmed the army's emotions, so there was no further disturbance.

Pingzhou City faced the Khitan directly and was located on the front line, so a lot of military supplies were transported there. The city had long been under militarized control, and the areas outside the city were also fortified.

If we put aside our prejudiced views and look at Qiu Jing, we will find that he is truly a capable official. He has already prepared all the necessary military supplies and has properly settled the army.

The defensive fortifications of the entire Pingzhou City were also well built. Yang Xuanji and Yan Feishi inspected the city from the top and could not find any faults, and they praised it repeatedly.

Zhao Ji only watched coldly as Qiu Jing dealt with Yang Xuanji fluently, secretly fearing him. Qiu Jing was a powerful character, even more difficult to deal with than Liu Jin from Youzhou before.

"Governor Qiu, there is something I don't understand. I wonder if you can answer it?" Zhao Ji suddenly spoke, interrupting the communication between Qiu Jing and Yang Xuanji.

Qiu Jing was speaking freely when he was suddenly interrupted by Zhao Ji. He was a little surprised, but he still responded politely: "General Zhao, please speak. I will tell you everything I know."

Zhao Ji pointed to the intact city walls around him and asked, "Pingzhou is blocking the Khitan's path southward, but the Khitans chose to go farther and spare Pingzhou to attack Tanzhou? Why is that?"

Qiu Jing looked calm and responded appropriately: "How do the Khitans use their troops? How do I know what they are thinking? Besides, the Khitans also besieged the city and attacked it several times. It was only because I led the Pingzhou army and people to resist vigorously that Pingzhou was saved."

"Oh, so Governor Qiu can be said to have made contributions in defending the city?" Zong Huaichang said in a sarcastic tone.

Qiu Jing smiled calmly and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "As a governor, I have the responsibility to defend the territory. I can't say that I have done anything meritorious. And I have already said that it is all the credit of the military and civilians who fought hard."

Zong Huaichang sneered and asked relentlessly, "Then let me ask you, the Khitan army ambushed in your Pingzhou territory, why didn't you report it? You sat back and watched my army of tens of thousands trapped in the Xixia Stone Valley, almost annihilated, what was your intention?"

Only then did Qiu Jing realize that the generals in front of him had bad intentions and were clearly trying to put some of the blame for the defeat on him.

He looked aggrieved, and spread his hands and said, "My fellow generals, the Khitans are powerful, and the few troops I have are not enough to defend the city. How dare I send troops out of the city? If we lose Pingzhou, it will be a serious crime."

"I have sent out scouts to investigate, but they have all come back empty-handed. What else can I do?"

Yan Fei Shi was honest and upright. He sighed and said something fair: "It is indeed not the fault of Governor Qiu. Zhang Xuanyu was greedy for merit and acted rashly. He did not inform Pingzhou in advance. Governor Qiu could not predict the future and was indeed powerless."

Qiu Jing nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and thanked him by bowing his hands: "General Yan is right."

Zong Huaichang glanced at Yan Feishi speechlessly, thinking that he was ignorant. After suffering such a huge defeat, if you don't share the blame with others, can you bear it yourself?

Yan Feishi obviously had his own ideas. He punched the city wall angrily and said angrily, "If you want to blame someone, blame those two bastards Zhang Xuanyu and Ma Renjie!"

"If it weren't for these two people's greed for merit and recklessness, if it weren't for their inexplicable military orders, how could I have suffered such a great defeat!"

"Military order? What military order?" Zhao Ji couldn't help but feel confused.

(End of this chapter)