As the first half of the night was about to pass, as Xiong Bonan, Xu Shiren, Shan Tonghai, Wang Shuyong, Niu Da and others came to "visit" one after another, at Xie Minghe's suggestion, the two officials in the city agreed in principle to send some drinks to the city. , torches and the like are even used as rewards for the troops.
But the effect was not very good, because the troops in the city were always in a state of panic. In the dark night, they expressed obvious resistance and disregard to the so-called military orders brought by the two officers approaching, especially the most critical Cangcheng and military camps. I chose to close the door and face it.
The deposed dragon army had no choice but to take matters into their own hands. They took some spare pyres and fire starters from the top of the city, and managed to light a few fires... It was impossible to light them. As the sky became darker and darker, The soldiers gradually became tired, and the singing became lowered. Many of the soldiers of the Deposed Dragon Army who came for reinforcements ran into the tight camp, causing unnecessary casualties. Fortunately, there were more and more masters of the Deposed Dragon Army, and they were able to take care of the situation.
But it seems that precisely because of this, the officers and soldiers decided not to wait any longer. "Let's go, while the bandit army is at its most exhausted!"
Unexpectedly, it was Li Twelve who took the initiative to suggest it. Even though this guy had just said "be able to bend and stretch", it also aroused the other people to look at him in surprise.
"Don't look at me like that." Although he didn't dare to raise the fire, the practitioners could still see the faces of everyone clearly. Li Qingchen only sighed and then explained seriously. "I wanted to fight before because I thought there was still another battle. The main reason is that only two high-ranking officials in the city have been captured. The soldiers and horses in the city must still have their own calculations, and they may not be able to cooperate with the city. In addition, it is dark and they have no place to stand, but we have the city. The stronghold...but the bandit army directly inserted itself into the walled city to establish a foothold, and the crowds gathered more and more. If they didn't leave, let alone the deposed dragon thieves, they would definitely attack in large numbers at dawn, and they would immediately, watching and singing. We are tired, these masters gathered together, maybe they can break through another wave of camps, boost their morale, but they can't kill them again and again, how can we say that our soldiers just collapsed? It's better to take advantage of some shape and go on our own The priority is to withdraw our troops."
After saying these words, several generals around him breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's okay to withdraw, but there are a few things I need to make clear." I don't know if it was because he attended a concert, but Qutuda was obviously a little depressed and looked ugly, but he still tried his best to make the announcement. "One is like what Li Twelve Lang said, the opponent has a strong army and many generals, and his strength is greater than ours, so we can't fight or delay it; the other is that the thieves have captured Liaocheng, and not only can we not save it, but we are also trying to avoid it. , need to consider for Mr. Yuanfu and Ambassador Lu..."
The people around were speechless. It was clear that the people who deposed the Dragon Army were all focused on the big stuffed bun in Liaocheng. They threw the rat trap in reverse, so they gave their subordinates a chance to escape. Why did they throw the rat trap on their own?
But now is not the time to worry about this. It will be difficult for General Qu Tu, especially after tonight, it will probably be even harder!
"Withdraw the troops. Let's worry about today's hatred tomorrow." Seeing that no one said anything, Qutuda continued to steel himself. "Just follow what I said before, pass the order down from level to level, and tell them to leave from the village." Walk through the back door and look at the stars. If that doesn't work, head to the south and follow the embankment... After dawn, everyone will gather along the embankment."
"It has to be like this." Qin Bao also just wanted to leave quickly. Qutuda nodded again and then waved his hand. Everyone got the clear military order and turned around.
At this time, Captain Huang of Wei Commandery had walked dozens of steps, but he was clearly feeling a little emotional in the dusk: "Withdrawing troops at night, even though it is a plain, and even though it is common for troops to gather and disperse... this withdrawal, But I don’t know how many more sons will be lost?”
The other few people just flashed in the dark night, but they could only pretend not to hear. Why did we send troops this time?
Save Qinghe, save that Lord Cao Mansion. What now?
Qinghe is destined to be hopeless, Cao Fujun... I don't know whether he will live or die, and then he lost a Liaocheng, a Wuyang Yuanfu Lord and Yecheng Ambassador Lu... and then it is difficult to withdraw the troops, so what else? How many men do you care about losing?
"Third brother, the official thieves have begun to withdraw." About two-quarters of an hour later, as the movement in the camp could not be concealed, Zhou Xingfan immediately came over to report. "Do you want to move?"
"You can move." Zhang Xing, who was sitting under the flag and looking up at the stars, came back to his senses and said frankly
Make a statement. "Organize troops to enter the stronghold, tear down the fence and start a fire... Then the main force will rest, and then organize a group of elites to chase after them along the river! But don't go..."
"Why?" Xiao Zhou listened calmly at first, but was immediately confused at the back.
"You don't have Ning Dan... If the person you met today was not Qin Bao, you would have died a long time ago. What's more, he is returning to the army now and will fight tooth and nail, so just let Ning Dan chase after him." Zhang Xing obviously knew that. More details of today’s battle. "As for your thoughts... How can you take revenge if you don't survive? If you really want to, focus more on your cultivation."
Zhou Xingfan stopped saying anything.
In this way, the military order was conveyed from Chen Bin.
After a while, as the Ningdan leaders cleared the way, the Dragon-Deposed Army began to try to enter the camp, quickly obtained fuel, built a fire, and then the large troops swarmed in.
When the camp was under control, the army was divided into eight Ningdan soldiers, each leading only two to three hundred men, with some mounted and on foot, and some torches, and they started to pursue them.
But these had nothing to do with Zhang Xing. He neither chased him personally nor declined Xie Minghe's invitation from the city. He just slept in the camp.
Both sides have no desire to fight, and this battle seems to be ending like this.
However, war can never develop according to the commander's vision. Even if the commanders on both sides have the same vision, there will always be some small waves.
"what happened?"
In the early morning, Zhang Xing, who had only slept half the night beside the fire outside his tent, rolled over and sat up in a daze. Then he asked in surprise - the person coming was Xiong Bonan. He should be the top commander in charge of the pursuit, but he did not turn back in the army. The situation appeared here.
"There is something that needs to be decided by the leader... I am the fastest and I will be back first." Xiong Bonan answered seriously. "Liu Heifu and Lu Dayue intercepted a large group of official thieves by the river. Wang Shuyong and Niu Da caught up from behind and suppressed them. There should be a Ningdan among them."
Zhang Xing opened his eyes, but immediately became confused: "Liu Heifu, Lu Dayue...what's going on?"
Xiong Bonan immediately realized that Zhang Xing woke up immediately because he heard that a condensation pill had been intercepted and thought it might be Qin Bao. However, he was still confused about the situation, so he suppressed his temper and explained seriously:
"Liu Heifu was behind the battle yesterday afternoon. His troops were on the left wing of the military formation. After being broken through by the army, they were isolated to the west. However, he was smart and did not come here in the evening. Instead, he took a few soldiers with him early in the morning. Baiqi gathered to the west and waited in advance at the intersection of Guandao in the west; Dalu was a naval officer, originally intended to prevent Liaocheng from escaping through the waterway. Yesterday, before joining the battle, he received a single-pass naval order, asking him to pay attention to the officers. The army fled westward along the south river embankment... After dawn in the morning, the whereabouts of the government troops and our pursuers were revealed. One of the two groups leaned against the river embankment, and the other landed from the river embankment. They landed on the road next to the river. The official road was connected, and it happened to cooperate with the pursuers to intercept a group."
Zhang Xing nodded and asked seriously: "Approximately how many people are there?" "Two to three thousand."
"Good enough...Who is that Ningdan?"
"I don't know, but maybe it's not Qin Bao. Three or four ordinary pills can't stop Qin Bao, and this person just met Wang Shuyong and Niu Da and lost his fighting spirit... But it's hard to say, maybe It was Qin Bao who took that arrow, and he might have figured it out, because he quickly asked for surrender after being surrounded."
Zhang Xing was silent for a while, and then asked: "Whether he is, King Xiongtian or you, what do you mean?"
"That person wants to see you in person. The Niuda people in front of you want to ask if you want to be treated without drawing lots?" Xiong Bonan told the whole story. "Last time, the river was blocked at Qingzhangshui When I was a lieutenant general in the camp, Chief Feng acted as a guarantee, so I didn't draw him."
Things are still different.
Zhang Xing knew very well that that time the two sides encountered each other again without fighting after a few days after the war. Moreover, the other side fought to cross the river and lost the opportunity to cross the river and then chose to surrender. This time, they were intercepted during the pursuit. One of them An impromptu confrontation.
"Does the King of Heaven know what I was thinking just now?" After thinking this, Zhang Xing suddenly sneered and looked at the other party seriously.
"I was thinking just now, if Qin Bao is unlucky and is drawn to die, how should I write a letter to his wife Yueniang... So, if this person is Qin Bao, King Xiongtian will only bring him over when the lot is drawn. If you draw him in front of me, let me see with my own eyes what his luck is, and let me give up. If it is someone else, draw him immediately on the spot, and just tell me the result directly." Zhang Xing said, and turned directly to the pit. As soon as I lay down, I actually wanted to continue to catch up on my sleep.
Xiong Bonan thought for a moment and looked at the opponent's back, then jumped into the air and headed west.
The relevant news came back in the morning, but the result was a bit disappointing - because of the outstanding performance of Liu Heifu and Lu Dayue, this pursuit was a great success, and thousands of organized prisoners were obtained, but they had already Huang Haichen, the surrendered Captain of Wei Commandery and a master of pill condensation, actually got the death lottery in the subsequent ten draws!
It is said that the seven or eight alchemy masters present were a little confused by this result, but Huang Haichen was executed in public by the deposed Dragon Gang Chief Military Judge and the Purple-faced King Xiong Bonan after he tried to escape.
Zhang Dalongtou, who was located in the western camp of Liaocheng City, even just responded after hearing the news without making any unnecessary expressions. Everyone was inexplicably shocked.
By noon, the situation gradually stabilized. The deposed dragon army began to clean up the battlefield, and the subsequent troops began to take over Liaocheng. Different from the fleeing officers and soldiers, because they had a secret agreement with Yuan Baocun, and Yuan Baocun and Lu Daobin maintained their relationship last night. With some dignity, Liaocheng's troops also maintained restraint, so they did not encounter any killings here.
The two sides obviously handed over the city in a semi-peaceful manner.
At this time, Xie Minghe also sent someone again to ask Zhang Xing to go to the city and talk to Yuan Baocun and Lu Daobin face to face. It was definitely necessary to talk, but Zhang Xing only pushed back and said he was not prepared enough.
Moreover, he really studied the ceremonial guard. He summoned all the leaders brought by this sweep of Qinghe, and asked Wang Xiongdan and Jia Runshi to prepare the guard of ceremonial, select prisoners, capture, and even others The head of Huang Haichen, who had just died, was not forgotten either.
From the looks of it, there really needs to be a ceremony for entering and exiting the city.
Everyone was a little confused at first. After all, they had been with this leader for a long time and knew something about his temper. They just felt that this kind of behavior was not Zhang Dalongtou's usual hobby... But soon, by the afternoon, A cavalry arrived belatedly from the east, but the generals suddenly realized.
Without him, Wei Xuanding, the leader of the deposed Dragon Gang, who was somewhat dusty, had arrived. "We can talk about anything."
Zhang Xing explained this in the camp. "Anyway, let him recognize the reality... Wei Gong can just talk, I will just sit outside the city."
How could Chief Wei not know about Zhang Dalongtou's kindness? He nodded hurriedly and said that he had been prepared for a long time and looked confident.
Zhang Xing said no more, just waved his hand, and many of the gang's masters and leaders who had worked hard all night yesterday cheered up, gathered soldiers and horses, seized and captured prisoners, set up a guard of honor, and surrounded Chief Wei into the city. .
It is necessary to give Chief Wei a strong momentum.
In this way, on the afternoon of the first day of summer, Wei Xuanding, dressed in commoner clothes, returned to Wuyang County, Hebei Province, where he had always dreamed, entered Liaocheng, and met his former master Yuan Baocun.
Frankly speaking, before Taoist Wei entered the city gate, he had a strong desire. It was the feeling that he didn't care about the overall situation or the consequences, and I would only worry about it if I felt comfortable today.
Zhang Xing was obviously indulging him and even adding fuel to the fire.
However, when he saw Yuan Baocun standing inside the city gate, waiting for him cautiously with bloodshot eyes, and then he looked half hesitant and half embarrassed when he saw him, Chief Wei had had countless assumptions before. , I couldn’t help but feel funny at this time.
As a result, he paused on his horse, then turned over and dismounted, saluted in a manner that was neither humble nor haughty, then smiled and stretched out his hand, saying:
"Mr. Yuan, you are well."
With such demeanor, the leaders behind him, including Wang Shuyong, who knew the other party's details and his previous sharp character, were almost dumbfounded.
"Wei...Wei Gong!"
Compared with Wei Xuanding, Yuan Baocun was obviously at a loss. For a moment, he didn't know whether to salute or step forward to shake hands. He just blushed and shouted.
The shouting was not clear enough.
Wei Xuanding, on the other hand, still calmly stepped forward, held the opponent's hands, and then said sincerely behind the door: "After three years of separation, Yuan Gong's style remains the same."
Yuan Baocun also became somewhat sober at this time. He knew that the other party's temperament was wrong again, and he thought he was going to be humiliated, but he couldn't help but be surprised:
"Why is your style still the same? It's obviously a change of style. Back in Wuyang, when you were in poverty, I was on top of you. I often saw you getting angry and losing your temper, but I had always been calm. At that time, I was secretly proud of myself, thinking that I was arrogant. You are extraordinary, your Excellency has a fierce temperament. But today the situation has reversed. I am the prisoner and you are the master, but it is me who behaves erratically and your Excellency is so angry... Wei Gong, tell me, is this so-called style, is it a person's own style or is it a person's own style? What about the current situation and the style of the official position?"
Wei Xuanding was silent for a moment and nodded seriously: "Yuan Gong is right. At that time, I also thought that I had great ambitions and great talents but could not realize them. Times have changed, and I think it is ridiculous... In the end, we are all just mortals, and in troubled times, You must be careful not to be afraid." Yuan Baocun nodded heavily.
Wei Xuanding turned around and greeted Xiong Bonan: "King of Heaven, I have been friends with Duke Yuan for many years, and I can explain everything thoroughly... Let everyone disperse. Except for the gifts I brought, all the rest should be packed away." stand up."
Xiong Bonan saw it interestingly, so he nodded and left. Only when he turned around and saw the gift brought by Wei Xuanding, he was slightly speechless.
In this way, the rest of the people dispersed and were busy. Wei Xuanding and Yuan Baocun joined hands on the city wall. They shook hands and talked in the south-facing river breeze on the city. They first told some stories about the past, then talked about some experiences, and finally chatted for some time. After all, it is inevitable to face reality.
"Mr. Yuan, you see, as spring turns to summer, the fields are flourishing. Although there is a little mess due to the battle, if we can clean up quickly, we can still have a good result." Wei Xuanding pointed to the battlefield in front of him, The field where the camp is located, a little reminder. "Our Dragon Gang won the battle at the beginning of the year, but we only focused on restraining ourselves, just for the sake of stable spring farming in southern Hebei. It finally showed up, right?"
Of course Yuan Baocun knew what the other party meant, but he still couldn't help but respond sincerely: "Wei Gong, let me say one more thing. It is of course very important to get the millet seedlings and spring plowing at the right time, but is this enough? Now that summer is here, Do we still need to prevent droughts and floods, and do weeding and insect removal during the day? Who can say for sure what will happen in the future? How can there be corn in the urn?"
"Mr. Yuan is right." Unexpectedly, Wei Xuanding did not directly refute. "Don't say that you have worked hard in the summer, but if the weather is good one year, the weather will be good next year?"
Yuan Baocun was slightly startled.
"But Mr. Yuan, why don't you work hard to cultivate the land for this?" Wei Xuanding suddenly changed the topic. "Because there may be droughts and floods in the summer, shouldn't we stop doing it in the spring? Or is it wrong to say that we should cultivate in the spring? Let me tell you, if things are done in a down-to-earth manner, even if there are no results later for some reason, it shouldn't be said that they were in vain. It's hard work, or you don't accept the credit... Right, it's right!" Yuan Baocun remained silent.
"I prepared a gift for Duke Yuan." Taoist Wei didn't care when he saw this, but turned around and said hello.
After a moment, while Yuan Baocun was stunned, someone brought up a corpse wrapped in white cloth but still unable to conceal the fishy smell.
"This is the body of Cao Shancheng in Qinghe." Wei Xuanding still held the other person's arm with one hand and pointed to the body with the other. "He didn't die in battle, but he was scolded to death by our Zhang Longtou! The article scolding him is also in my arms."
With that said, Chief Wei took out another piece of blood-stained paper from his arms, and unfolded it in the slightly numb hands: "Please take a look at it, Mr. Yuan."
Yuan Baocun was held by the other party with one hand and holding half of the Xuebulaji paper with the other. He was obviously flinching, but he could only force himself to say, "Wei Gong is very different after all."
Then, he lowered his head to look.
After reading it for a while, he sighed again against his will: "What a great article, no wonder I scolded Mr. Cao to death."
"It's not a good article, but it's better than one hit." Wei Xuanding corrected him seriously. "Mr. Yuan, Cao Shancheng is not corrupt, capable, and persistent. He can be regarded as a talent by any means, but he is as strong as a bull and has gone in the wrong direction... I just want to ask Yuan Gong one thing." , there are so many people in the world, but
Belongs to Wei? "
Yuan Baocun fell silent, then shook his head firmly: "No."
"That's it." Taoist Wei sighed as he held the opponent's wrist. "I know where Yuan Gong is hesitant. As a member of the former royal family, we have a lofty vision, and our Deposed Dragon Gang seems to be very powerful. In fact, it has only been two years since the storm started. We may not have the last laugh, and we may even be defeated quickly in another two years. ....But what's the matter? How about deposing the Dragon Gang? Duke Yuan will take his time to see it, but there is one thing that is clear, but it is as natural as plowing the fields in spring and needs no words... That It means that the people of the world do not belong to Wei. Therefore, no matter what, it is absolutely right for us to fight against the violent Wei! And even a tough man like Cao Shancheng knew this truth when he died. No matter how outstanding he was, it was only because he was single-mindedly fighting for the violent Wei. Wei tried his best, so he could only commit suicide in shame."
At this point, Taoist Wei let go of the hand holding the paper, held the other person's wrist, and spoke more sincerely: "Mr. Yuan, it's time to plow in the spring!"
Yuan Baocun's wrists were pinched, and he couldn't help but let go of his strength. He saw the paper notice rolled by the wind, flying directly from the city head, towards the messy fields in front of him. He also couldn't help but let go of his strength, and then came to report on the spot. :
"What Mr. Wei said is true, the spring is for plowing! But in my hands, Wuyang County will never serve the Wei Dynasty again!" Wei Xuanding laughed on the spot: "In this way, we can be considered to have renewed our relationship. Let’s forget about the Haruhi incident of deposing the Dragon Gang.”
Yuan Baocun smiled more and more bitterly, but looked at his wrist and asked: "It is a wise saying to plow in spring, but since I have agreed, let me ask one more question, Xuan Ding, from whom did you learn these methods in the past two years? Shake hands again, There are corpses again, they are pressing forward every step of the way, without letting anyone take a breather."
Wei Xuanding glanced at the dilapidated camp in the west of Liaocheng, blinked his eyelids, and spoke crisply and very coolly: "It's all learned from the experience of crossing the river barefoot that day."
Yuan Baocun was greatly moved.
"The first day of the lunar month: The snake is lying in the mud, neither male nor female. In the end, don't accept anything."
On the west wall of Liaocheng, two middle-aged people from the Yuan and Wei Dynasties were shaking hands and chatting and reminiscing about the past. On the wall of the east city of Liaocheng, Ambassador Lu and Xie Minghe were also having a great time.
"What do you mean?" Xie Minghe looked at the wooden sticks at his feet, confused.
"A snake crouching in the mud is not a king." Lu Daobin leaned over to pick up his precious wooden sign and smiled. "Didn't you test the situation? Isn't this accurate?"
Xie Minghe thought for a moment, then twirled his beard and nodded: "Accurate! Your divination is indeed extremely accurate! The biggest issue in the current situation is whether you will or not!"
Lu Daobin was pleased with himself.
PS: Thank you for the reward from Mr. Xiong (Niu) Lai.
