Lord Xinling dispatched a car from the soldiers to transport the corpses in the square to the rocks behind the city. In order not to attract the attention of the city, they deliberately chose to take a detour from a secluded area outside the city. Then return to the city and enter the city lord's mansion.
The mansion has two courtyards. The outer courtyard is where guests rest, and the inner courtyard is naturally assigned to Lord Xinling. The guards of the two gates are guarded by military soldiers.
Lord Xinling said: "The sky is getting brighter. I dare you to ask sir to discuss the military situation so that we can make plans for tomorrow."
Zhang Noi said: "Mr. Fan has a good military skills and is familiar with geography. We can make an appointment to discuss it together!"
Mr. Xinling said: "It's just what I want. There are also Mr. Guo, Mr. Cao, Mr. Jin,... Mr. Zhang please choose a few more, and they will all go to the back hall. Oh, Mr. Xiahou is also invited."
Several of the disciples around him were not familiar with military affairs and resigned on their own accord; two or three people were left who were willing to participate in the discussion. Zhong Yue also said goodbye: "I am secretly hiding in the military formation and dare not hear about it. I will leave for now and wait for my order!"
Lord Xinling said: "Sir, I should not trouble you because of your hard work. But today's affairs are different from usual. There are not only military matters but also general affairs. Please listen to me, sir!"
Zhong Yue said: "Your Majesty invites you, don't you dare to disobey me!"
Entering the backyard, the guards led by Mang Shen were already on duty in the backyard. Seeing Lord Xinling and others entering, Mang Shen was about to go to the upper room to invite him. Lord Xinling said: "I have invited a few gentlemen to join the army and they will arrive soon. Please set up a lamp in front of the hall and draw some water."
As Mang Shendao took out the lamp and refueled it, he said: "This city is very poor, and there is not much oil in the house. Just now Mr. Zhongyue asked for the lamp, but he has already used up several percent of it. Now the oil can only light three or five lamps."
Zhong Yue said: "The moon is very bright tonight. We might as well discuss the moon in front of the steps. Wouldn't it be great! A lamp is enough!"
Lord Xinling said: "Sir, I am not as good as you!"
Not long after, Zhang Ye invited some retainers who were good at military affairs, about ten of them. Lord Xinling ordered Mang Shen and others to guard the second door and took the guests to sit down in front of the lower steps of the hall. Lord Xinling saluted from his seat and said, "Wuji is incompetent. It is extremely inappropriate to disturb Mr. Xi's dream."
All the guests returned the greeting: "How dare you!"
Lord Xinling said: "Wuji asked for orders to go out of the city and supervise the defeated army. Sirs, can you teach me!"
Zhang He said: "I think this defeat is very strange. General Mangmao's army just came out, but he met the Qin army out of Beimang, and we had no news of the Qin army's army before. Logically speaking, such an army cannot advance in advance. No action was taken. Why didn’t we notice it at all?”
"The Qin army acted strangely, and it's the only one that's weird!" Lord Xinling agreed.
"Our army suddenly met the Qin army. The soldiers were damaged, but the civilian army remained unmoving. This is two strange things." Zhang Noi said.
Zhong Yue said: "As soon as your Majesty left the capital, assassins followed him like a shadow and went deep into important places. This is three strange things."
Lord Xinling said: "Mr. Zhongyue thinks that the assassin's method is not the method of military formation, but the skill of a knight. I have lost my morality to this extent! What's more, it's Nie Zheng..."
Zhang Ye said: "The assassin's thing is indeed strange, especially since the king has already acted quickly and violently, but still fell into the trap and was in danger. There seems to be something behind the scenes that the ministers and others cannot predict. Coupled with the military changes, it is difficult to understand Measurement."
Lord Xinling said: "We will discuss the matter of the assassin later. Let's talk about the current military first! We have set up defenses according to General Mangmao's advice. What do you think, sir?"
Zhang Noi said: "The key to military affairs is to reward morale. Now that we have been defeated for the first time, I am already frustrated. If the Qin army suddenly arrives tomorrow, the outcome will be unpredictable!"
Lord Xinling said: "That's exactly what I want you to teach me!"
Zhang Noi saluted from the seat and said, "What do you think Mr. Fan has to say?"
Mr. Fan was also dressed as a scholar. When he saw Zhang Yue asking him, he bowed to him and said: "I am not talented, so I have to ask you questions, and I dare to make small suggestions. I observe that the army is marching in a measured manner, and you must have a plan. The matter is. If it is urgent, I dare to ask your superiors to give instructions, so that I can act accordingly."
Lord Xinling said: "I have no idea, this is the strategy of General Mangmao. General Mang thought that the Qin army could only carry grain for ten days, and our army relied on the abandoned city and the small town to form horns with each other. It should be able to survive.”
"How many days can our army survive with food?"
"This...General Mang didn't mention it."
"This civilian army is not from around Daliang, and they are not bringing food to fight to protect Daliang. Where do they come from, and where do they go to fight?"
"This army comes from about 500 miles away from the country where the harvest this year has been poor. Your Majesty has also allocated 15,000 soldiers as the backbone, with a total strength of about 100,000. They are not in one place, but actually gathered from all directions. Initially, they went to Nanyang to take advantage of the food."
"Your Majesty knows everything!"
"General Mangmao said so."
"When we were setting up camp, I vaguely heard that the top priority tomorrow is to detect the movement of the Qin army. What is the movement of the Qin army today?"
"General Mang said that the Qin army has not made any major movements in the past two days, but the dust behind the camp is flying, as if they are preparing for a large-scale attack."
"Our army was defeated for the first time, and Qin's best strategy was to follow him, so why did he stand still?"
"General Mang said that he might be waiting for reinforcements or raising food and fodder."
"I don't think we can wait until dawn before setting out sentries. I ask a few gentlemen to help me and personally lead a sentry to detect the forward sentry. Only when the Qin army's movement and whereabouts are known can we make plans."
"In that case, please make arrangements, sir."
"I am on the road, and I am quite friendly with the postman of Masan. I dare to invite you to go with me."
"allow!"
"Zheng Anping, who followed the young master out of the city, can't do it," Zhong Yue suddenly said, "...he was wounded twice because he was guarding the young master. He was seriously injured and may not be able to endure the hard work along the way."
"Then let Mr. Zheng stay. I will go and make arrangements immediately." Mr. Fan stood up from his seat and went out to negotiate with Mang Shen.
Zhang He said: "The most disturbing thing is that this time the Qin State sent troops, your Majesty didn't know anything about it beforehand. What is Mr. Guo's advice?"
A guest from the seat replied: "I have sent a letter to inquire about it, and I replied that Qin is just recruiting according to routine, and there is no big move."
"The two armies have already met, but the sentinel said there is no big move! Really..." A retainer sneered from the side. Zhang Ye said: "This shows that the actions of the Qin army are extraordinary!"
At this time, a retainer said: "What do you think the Qin army is planning? Mr. Guo said that the Qin army did not actually dispatch, only one brigade attacked with a partial division, which is not a big plan!"
Lord Xinling said: "General Mangmao said that in terms of killing methods, the opponent is either Ranghou or Wu'an Lord, not a brigade of partial troops! The plan seems to be not small. Therefore, in today's urgent situation, we should stick to the way of Daliang. As long as The beams were unmoved, and the rest were all suffering from scabies."
Zhang He said: "If Marquis Rang or Lord Wu An leads the army, who can stop us?"
Lord Xinling said: "If you can't stop it, you have to destroy its majesty! In the end, as long as the soldiers are intact and retreat to the Great Wall, Zhongzhong, and Daliang for defense, the Qin army has nothing to fear."
Zhang He said: "If this is the case, we will fight Qin in bloody battles. The civilian army is not worthy of this task!"
Lord Xinling said: "This is what Wuji deeply expects from you gentlemen! These civilians and soldiers are all hungry people. They can only store food for a few days and need to be fed at home. If they return empty-handed, it will inevitably lead to chaos. They will fight against Qin in succession. , then only when we save the nation and show compassion for survival, we will be safe."
All the guests cupped their hands and said, "I will accept your invitation!"
