Liu Xiu's 300,000 reinforcements rested for three days to regain their strength. After breakfast on the fourth day, the marshal ordered the drums to be beaten and the tents raised.

Liu Xiu's 300,000 reinforcements rested for three days to regain their strength. On the fourth day after breakfast, the marshal ordered the drums to be beaten and the tents to be raised. When the drum of the case is sounded, all the generals wear their helmets and armor, their robes are belted, their belongings are tied, and their clothes are neatly dressed; when the drum of the second drum is sounded, the ax hand , the binding hand, the middle officer, the flag officer, The Grain Supervisor, Si Chenguan and a group of generals gathered in the tent; the three-way drum sounded, Liu Xiu and Li Shuye raised the tent, Yao Qi led the generals Erlang to salute the marshal: "Yao Qi, the vanguard of the Fourth Route General Seal, led the generals See the marshal. "Li Shuye said: "Generals, please stand aside." Everyone moved aside. Liu Xiu said to Li Shuye: "Marshal, in the past Gujia's soldiers were trapped in Kunyang City, and Gucai went to Sanjiang to move reinforcements. Now it has been two years before the reinforcements have arrived. There is a saying that rescuing soldiers is like putting out a fire. Gujia dare to ask How does the marshal mobilize his troops to break through his Wang Mang million soldiers, and rescue the trapped soldiers?"

Sanjiang Marshal Li Shuye said: "Qiansui, if our troops can defeat Wang Mang's soldiers, , the two groups of Han soldiers from inside and outside are united, and the momentum will be restored. The Han army can take Tongguan and go straight to the imperial capital to capture Wang Mang and restore the Han Dynasty. If the battle is defeated, the trapped soldiers will not be rescued. If the city is trapped, Wang Mang's soldiers will have to go down to Sanjiang. Not to mention destroying Wang Qiao and restoring the mountains and rivers of the Han Dynasty, even Sanjiang is afraid of being defeated. Victory or defeat is a common thing for military strategists. Only victory is allowed, the security of the country is at stake. I have neither the talent of Han Xin nor the talent of music management, so I am willing to die and serve for a thousand years. I really don’t dare to take on this important task.” Liu Xiu listened to the commander Du De’s words, and although he agreed that Li Shuye would not miss military and national affairs, he did not have the talent to win the war! Now he only has 300,000 soldiers. But without a marshal who is good at using troops and is victorious in every battle, he still can't get out of the siege! Liu Xiu frowned and was helpless.

Li Shuye said: "A thousand years old, I will never shrink from the enemy. If someone can mobilize these 300,000 horses to rescue the enemy and kill the enemy, I, Li Shuye, am willing to obey the order and go through fire and water, even if I die." Liu Xiu said: "You have a loyal and righteous heart. I knew it, but this was a difficult matter for the Gu family. Liu Xiu had no choice but to retreat. Li Shuye did his duty and sent a general to patrol the camp to inquire about the military situation and to prevent the enemy from attacking the camp at night. Although the camp was guarded like an iron barrel, Liu Xiu was in a dilemma, fearing that the soldiers in the city would starve to death, which made him restless. , Sleeping and eating uneasily. After several days, Liu Xiu was very worried and haggard. The general, the vanguard and the generals were also in a hurry, and they were helpless for nine days. After dinner on the tenth day, Liu Xiuzheng was talking with Marshal Sanjiang in the back tent when he suddenly saw the chief flag officer on duty entering the tent and kneeling down. The commander hurriedly asked, "What do you want to report?" : "Report to Chitose, Marshal, that there is Yan Ziling of Fuchun Mountain in Nanyang outside the camp gate asking for an audience. "When Liu Xiu heard that Yan Ziling had arrived, his sadness suddenly disappeared, his brows lit up with joy, and he said to Li Shuye: "Commander, the hermit Gao Xian Yan Ziling is here, and his family has nothing to worry about. Please send orders to your family, sound cannons and drums, and arrange a team to welcome you. "Li Shuye had also heard about Yan Guang's name for a long time, and immediately sent an order, ordering two hundred soldiers and generals to prepare for the formation of the Magi. The preparations were made outside, the cannon sounded, and the troops arrived outside the camp gate. Wild geese lined up. Among them, Yao, The four vanguards, Ma, Cen and Du, surrounded Marshal Liu Xiu and stopped their horses to look across. They saw a Taoist, an old warrior and a young warrior standing opposite, pulling three or four horses. He has a pine-shaped crane bone, a handsome expression, and an extraordinary appearance. He has a white face, kind eyes, a straight nose and a square mouth, and a black beard. He wears a nine-beam Taoist crown, a blue silk Taoist robe, a silk ribbon around his waist, and white socks and shoes. The old warrior has a body of nine feet, a tiger's back and a bear's waist. His face is like an ancient moon in the Three Autumn Period, with slight wrinkles, sharp eyebrows and tiger eyes, a plump nose, high cheekbones, a four-character square shape, and a gray beard on his chin. , full of energy. Wearing a light yellow satin duck tail scarf with an elephant trunk knot on the top door. On the upper body, he wears a light yellow satin jacket with short arrow sleeves, a yellow velvet rope cross loop, and a palm-wide colorful silk tie at the waist. Luan belt, a pair of sharp blades under the ribs, and a red silk coat on the lower body.Wearing green satin boots, wearing a hero's cloak. The boy was about twenty years old, eight feet tall, with a slender waist and clasped shoulders. The face looks like powder, white but red, red but moist. Two character-shaped eyebrows are inserted diagonally into the temples, a pair of clear and bright eyes, a hanging nose, a four-character mouth, and large ingot ears. Wearing a pink satin Wu Sheng Gongzi scarf on the head, gold rims are placed around it, colorful hydrangea flowers are embroidered on it, and double hanging lantern spikes are hung with wishful hooks. He wears a plain satin jacket with short arrow sleeves and a pink velvet rope cross-bracelet. He wears a white silk coat on the lower body, eight treasures are embedded in the silk belt around the waist, and a sword is carried under the ribs. Under her feet are two plain satin flower boots, with large golden butterflies trembling on the top. They are covered with a plain satin embroidered hero's cloak.

This old Taoist is the hermit of Fuchun Mountain in Nanyang, Yan Guang Yan Ziling. He is a native of Xinluo County and has a nickname of Kuangnu. He has been well-known since he was young. He is eager to learn, reads a lot, and is knowledgeable about the past and the present. However, he does not covet fame and wealth. He only likes to travel and enjoy the scenery. He was born in troubled times, so he hid in Fuchun Mountain. Liu Xiu studied with him when he was living in seclusion in Nanyang. The old warrior's surname was Ma Yuan, with the courtesy name Zhenyuan. He was the descendant of Zhao She, the general of the Kingdom of Zhao. His family had been high-ranking officials during the Warring States Period, and they had been serving as generals for generations. The young man's surname was Kou, his given name was Xun, and his courtesy name was Ziyu. Han Guangwu and Liu Xiu revived the Han Dynasty for the second time, all relying on the power of this Ma Yuan . Later, he became an official of General Fubo and was awarded the title of Marquis of Xinxi. Ma Yuan's daughter was later betrothed to Liu Xiu's second son, Emperor Yongping, and was later canonized as the Empress of the Palace. This is something.

Yan Ziling knew about it since Wang Mang's hundreds of thousands of soldiers besieged Kunyang. He knew that with Deng Yu's talent, Wang Mang's soldiers would not be able to defeat Kunyang; but that Deng Yu wanted to destroy Wang Mang, but he was too ambitious but not powerful enough. Therefore, Yan Ziling wanted to learn from the Zhang Liang Zhang Zifang of the Western Han dynasty, and give Liu Xiu a marshal who could prosper Liu, destroy Mang, and be victorious in every battle, so that he could destroy Wang Mang and restore the country of the Han Dynasty. In this way, he went through all kinds of hardships to visit Ma Yuan. This Ma Yuan lived in Maoling, Fufeng, Shaanxi Province. One of his ancestors was named Ma Tong. He made a lot of contributions in the Han Dynasty and was awarded the title of Marquis of Chonghe. Ma Yuan's great-grandfather was named Ma Heluo. He was an official during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The traitor failed to murder the prince, and Ma Heluo was implicated. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dismissed him as a civilian, and the Ma family made a living from farming. After Ma Yuan was born, his parents died early, leaving him alone, so he worked as an errand in the local county government. Later, the government sent him to liberate the prisoners who had been sent to the army. He couldn't stand the suffering of the prisoners, so he used kind words to persuade them to change their ways, and then he released the prisoners. Ma Yuan was guilty and did not dare to return to the Yamen, so he fled into the mountains.

One day he walked to the foot of a mountain and saw that the mountain was lush and uninhabited. The path up the mountain was winding, overgrown with weeds, and jagged with strange rocks. Ma Yuanshun felt tired after walking five or six miles along the trail, so he climbed up on a big rock to rest. When I looked up, I saw the white clouds in the sky changing, the wilderness was endless, the sky was blue, and the fields were vast, and I felt very desolate in my heart. I could vaguely hear the howling of wolves and the roar of tigers, and I felt very sad when I remembered that I was alone and wandering outside. Suddenly there was a flute sound carried by the wind. Ma Yuan felt strange: Where did the sound of the flute come from on this barren mountain? He followed the sound of the flute and searched for it. As he got closer, the sound of the flute became clearer and clearer. It sounded high and low. It sounded really sad and miserable. When I found them, I saw dozens of sheep grazing on the ground, and a shepherd was playing a piccolo. I saw that the shepherd was more than nine feet tall, with a face like purple jade, clear eyebrows and bright eyes, a straight nose and a square mouth, and three locks of black hair under his chin. He was full of energy. Ma Yuan went over to pay tribute to the shepherd. The two of them knew each other by their first names, and it turned out that they were family friends.

This person's surname is Ren Mingzhong. His ancestor was a minister of the same palace as Hou Matong, who had the same interests. They once worshiped as an alliance. When Ma Yuan asked, he learned that Ren Zhong was unwilling to compete for fame and fortune in the world, and lived alone in the mountains, herding sheep for a living. Ma Yuan had nowhere to go, so he stayed in the mountains and lived with Ren Zhong. Ren Zhong was more than ten years older than Ma Yuan, so Ma Yuan called Ren Zhong his brother. In a small three-room thatched cottage, the two brothers herded sheep together during the day and Ren Zhong practiced martial arts at night. Ma Yuan saw that Ren Zhong was very skilled in martial arts and asked Ren Zhong to teach him. Ren Zhong agreed, not only teaching Ma Yuan martial arts, but also letting him read military books and strategies. Time flies, the sun and the moon fly by, and the two of them have been together for more than three years without knowing it. Ma Yuan practiced martial arts very hard and practiced Sanjiu in winter.During the summer practice, he learned horse-stepping, archery and eighteen types of weapons, and became proficient in everything, especially the marksmanship. Not only that, he has read all military books such as "Tai Gong's Art of War " and "Thirteen Chapters of Sun Wuzi" by heart, and has understood all the mysteries in the books. Ren Zhong saw that Ma Yuan was smarter and more studious than himself, so he taught him everything he had.

When there was nothing to do, he taught Ma to use rocks as soldiers and arrange his troops in formation. Ren Zhong used sheep as troops to attack the formation he had set up. Work hard every day, and before you know it, another two years have passed. Ma Yuan's meritorious service can kill defenders, lead ambushes in battle, and can be used in civil warfare, armed warfare, horse warfare, infantry warfare, chariot warfare , and water warfare. He can win in defeat, escape from death, and be victorious in every battle. Ren Zhong loves Ma Yuan's talent, and Ma Yuan appreciates Ren Zhong's kindness, and the two get along very harmoniously. Ma Yuan intended to accompany Ren Zhong to spend the rest of his life on the mountain, but Ren Zhong persuaded Ma Yuan to come down the mountain and become a wise ruler in troubled times, and rule the country in peace. He told Ma Yuan: "Now that the treacherous ministers are in power and dominate the court, the world will be in chaos for a long time. Brother, you have such talent, you cannot bury it in the mountains. I will send you down the mountain tomorrow, and you will have a day to stand out in the future. Please listen to me. I feel relieved now." Ma Yuan was so grateful for Ren Zhong's kindness that he couldn't bear to leave.

Ren Zhong tried hard to persuade him, but Ma Yuan had no choice but to agree. Ren Zhong gave Ma Yuan a suit of armor, a thousand-mile horse, a tassel gun, a pair of meteor hammers and dozens of taels of silver. Ma Yuan cried and bowed to the ground, thanked his brother for his great kindness, and kowtowed three times. The two talked all night, and when the sky was bright, Ren Zhong prepared a meal and wine for Ma Yuan as a farewell party, and then sent Ma Yuan down the mountain. The two parted in tears, and Ma Yuan got on his horse and walked along the road.