On a hillside of Guangrao Langqiu Mountain, Zhu Yuanzhang held a telescope and observed the situation on the other side of the Zihe River.
Because according to Zhao Erhu's information, Lu Jiude's more than 20,000 people were hiding in the dense forest opposite.
But after observing for a long time, he neither saw a human figure nor heard a horse neighing. Except for the occasional few unknown birds flying up, there was no other sound.
He was silent for a while, then looked at Zhang Huang and said, "Zhang Qing, how many troops do you think can be hidden on the other side?"
Zhang Huangyan was originally observing the situation on the other side. Hearing this, he hurriedly put down his telescope and bowed: "The last general has never led troops, so I can't tell clearly at the moment."
"However, the general will see that although this dense forest is large, it is a bit reluctant to hide 20,000 people. Moreover, there are often birds in the forest, and their calls are not too panicky. Judging from the range of the birds, if there are soldiers in the forest, the number of people There should be about four thousand people!”
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "Yes, if 20,000 people entered the forest, the birds would have been scared away. Moreover, they were here yesterday, and they were not an ambush. They could not be silent. It seems that something happened!"
Zhang Huangyan heard this, hesitated for a while, and then said: "Your Majesty, if there are only three or four thousand people in the forest, I'm afraid they are all Lu Jiude's cronies... Could you... think about it again? ?”
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Why, are you worried that Lu Jiude will not obey the order?"
Zhang Huangyan glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang and said solemnly: "It's not terrible that Lu Jiude disobeys the order. What the general is worried about is him...him..."
"Are you worried that he has disobedient intentions and will plot to kill us?"
Seeing Zhang Huangyan's hesitant expression, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled again.
Zhang Huangyan's body trembled slightly, and then he said respectfully: "Your Majesty is the True Dragon Emperor and is respected by all people. How can Lu Jiude dare to be so presumptuous?"
"The general is just worried about his soldiers. After all, they are all rough men. It would be bad if they collide with His Majesty!"
Zhu Yuanzhang heard this and knew that Zhang Huangyan had not yet returned to his heart, so he tried again: "It doesn't matter, we have suppressed the Li thieves and killed the rebels in the capital. There are only thousands of soldiers and horses, but we haven't taken it to heart yet."
After a look of perseverance flashed across Zhang Huangyan's face, he said resolutely: "Your Majesty, the general should not slander your close ministers. It's just that Lu Jiude knew that Guo Sheng was in Linzi, but he still divided his troops to pursue him. It shows that he did not defend the city. heart of."
"Not long after Lu Jiude left, Guo Sheng led his army to besiege Weifang, completely ignoring Lu Jiude's troops. The general felt that there must be collusion between them."
"If your Majesty goes there rashly, I will be worried that not only will you not be able to seize his troops, but you may be controlled by Lu Jiude. Your Majesty, please think again!"
After he finished speaking, he knelt down again to plead guilty.
After Zhu Yuanzhang laughed for a while, he personally helped Zhang Huangyan, who was looking at a loss, and said with a smile: "Zhang Qing, as a member of the Imperial Guard, you are also our close minister. If you have anything to say, please speak out."
"As long as you serve us faithfully, even if you make a mistake, we won't blame you!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Huangyan thanked him repeatedly, and then advised him: "I know that your majesty is wise and has already thought of this, so he shouldn't say anything."
"It's just that Lu Jiude is no longer trustworthy. In addition, there is an elusive enemy soldier, and the situation is too dangerous."
"Your Majesty has a body of ten thousand gold, and you must not venture into danger lightly. Therefore, I boldly ask for orders to pass on the order and seize Lu Jiude's soldiers. Please give me your permission!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and was about to speak when he heard a rush of footsteps coming from a distance.
He looked for a voice and saw Zhao Erhu running over in a hurry.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I... have... found out clearly that Lu Jiude's five thousand soldiers and horses are hiding in the dense forest on the other side of the Zihe River!"
After Zhao Erhu bowed and saluted, he panted again.
"Five thousand people, not more than 20,000 people, where are the others?"
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and asked.
Zhao Erhu took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Originally there were more than 20,000 people, but because Zhang Daren and others got the news that Guo Sheng was attacking Weifang, they suggested returning to the army."
"But after Lu Jiude discussed with the doctor Ma Shaoyu and the deputy commander Zhang Youcai, they believed that Guangrao is more than two hundred miles away from Weifang. A long-distance attack will not only lose combat power, but also be easily ambushed by Guo Sheng."
"Therefore, they decided to adopt the method of besieging Wei and rescuing Zhao, attacking Linzi where Guo Sheng stored grain and grass, forcing him to return for reinforcements, and then wait for work and attack him halfway."
"Although Zhang Daren and others had objections, after Shi Kefa left, Lu Jiude became the commander-in-chief of the army, and deputy commander Zhang Youcai also supported this method. They had to bring three thousand troops to lure the enemy, while Zhang Youcai brought More than 10,000 people went to Shuipo Village to set up an ambush."
Zhu Yuanzhang sneered and said, "Is there any food and grass in Linzi City?"
Zhao Erhu shook his head and said: "It's not clear yet, but it is possible that Guo Sheng has been resting in Linzi City before going to Weifang."
"It's just that when he left, he only left more than a thousand people to defend the city, and it didn't look like he had food and grass."
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at the dense forest opposite and said, "Are all the soldiers and horses in the dense forest Lu Jiude's?"
Zhao Erhu nodded and said: "Except for Zhang Daren's thousand men, the others are now led by Zhu Ji and hidden in the dense forest."
"Moreover, there are many crossbowmen and gunmen ambushed at the entrance. If our people hadn't been alert, they might have died there."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said: "It seems that Lu Jiude is quite a person. We underestimated him before."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhang Huangyan and said: "Zhang Qing, you immediately select a hundred elites and follow us to deliver the order!"
Zhang Huangyan heard this, hesitated for a moment, then knelt down and persuaded: "Your Majesty, Zhang Youcai has more than 10,000 people, and they are also the subordinates of Shi Shangshu. Should we go to another place to convey the order, and then send troops to attack Guo Sheng?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "No, if we don't use Lu Jiude to suppress that mysterious army, what should we do if the opponent suddenly comes out from behind during the battle with Guo Sheng?"
"Moreover, Zhang Youcai has no intention of defending the city, and his soldiers and horses have no fighting spirit. If he doesn't find a few heads to sacrifice to the flag, how can the soldiers fight to the death?"
Although Zhang Huangyan knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was right, he thought that they only had more than a thousand people in their hands, while Lu Jiude had five thousand people under his command. Plus the mysterious troops and horses, the number might exceed ten thousand.
With more than a thousand people fighting against ten times the enemy, just thinking about it made him uneasy.
Especially since Zhu Yuanzhang is the emperor today, if something goes wrong, he will definitely become the sinner of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, he kowtowed and remonstrated: "Your Majesty, if you are worried about the other party's sneak attack, the general can persuade Zhang Daren to let him..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Zhu Yuanzhang's cold eyes and couldn't help but stop.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him coldly and said in a deep voice: "Zhang Qianhu, do you understand what orders and prohibitions are?"
When Zhang Huangyan heard this, his body trembled slightly, and then he kowtowed and said: "The last general takes orders!"
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction, helped him up again and said, "Okay, hurry up and make arrangements!"
Zhang Huangyan's mood fluctuated several times during this moment, and then he understood why the power of God is unpredictable.
But when he felt Zhu Yuanzhang's warm and strong hands and saw the admiring eyes of the other party, he felt excited again.
He calmed down, bowed and saluted, and walked quickly down the hillside.
"Zhao Erhu, you lead the others to sneak in from the left side of the dense forest, including 600 recruits as suspects, but don't make too much noise!"
"Then you hide the two hundred members of the Jinyi Guards who are skilled in musket shooting and assassination in the dark, and let them wait for opportunities to kill the unruly people."
"As for you and the remaining three hundred Jinyi guards, you will lurk five hundred meters away from Lu Jiude's tent. By then..."
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhang Huangyan's back, then turned back to warn Zhao Erhu.
After Zhao Erhu wrote them down one by one, he hurried to make arrangements.
Half an hour later, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Huangyan had arrived in front of the dense forest.
After they stopped their horses two hundred meters away, Zhang Huangyan glanced at the dense forest in front of him, and then said loudly: "Zhang Huangyan from the Qianhu Family of Jinyiwei has been ordered to come and ask Fengyang Supervisor Lu Jiude to come out to receive the order!"
But his roar was silent except for frightening a flock of birds.
Zhang Huangyan glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang secretly, and after receiving the signal, he called loudly twice, but there was still no response.
Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang winked at the five tiger warriors beside him, and the five men rushed into the dense forest like cheetahs.
After a while, the sound of firecrackers was heard in the forest.
Zhang Huangyan heard the sound and wanted to rush in for rescue, but was stopped by Zhu Yuanzhang.
Soon, three tiger warriors ran out quickly, and then they heard a rough roar: "Where did the thieves come from? They dare to pretend to be angels. Are they tired of living?"
As the roar subsided, Zhu Yuanzhang saw a burly man with a beard rushing out with more than a thousand people.
But even though the man had an angry look on his face, he ordered his troops to form a defensive formation.
Some people died, but not completely...
