In the early morning, the twin moons, one white and large, one red and small, are still high and facing each other, which allows considerable visibility under the night. We are here on the south side of the Deposed Dragon Army Camp, twenty miles southwest of Pei County. , although the soldiers had already rested, the huge military camp and night duty activities, coupled with the hot weather, filled the entire camp with a certain atmosphere of restlessness or vitality.
This shows that the night-time silence order is not enforced strictly enough.
At this time, several leather-armored sentries with bells hanging from their waists came flying towards them, arriving directly at the side gate of the camp, and then shouted out the password for tonight.
The visitors were Bai Peixiong and Xiao Hong. Even though they were not accustomed to the local environment, and even though they were generals and captains of the Jia Yue camp, their specialization in ice, weak water energy, and excellent equestrian skills still made these three from the North. The samurai took on the task of scouts and messengers of Jia Yue Camp... But these few masters of Qijing, after arriving at the military camp and dismounting, had no time to check their identities and report military information. Instead, they each received a large bowl of iced herbal tea with added sugar. The salt water was poured down, and then he came back to life, but he was asked to quickly take care of the horses.
At this time, we just went through the procedures, showed our military badges, verified our identities, and entered the camp.
As soon as they entered the camp, they were greeted by someone, and then they found Jia Runshi, who led them to the Chinese army's tent.
It was said to be a large tent of the Chinese army, but it was not entered... In fact, along the way, all the sergeants and officers of the battalion only had large tents and slept with them open, and the bonfires were also placed far away, for fear that they would burn. ...After arriving at the tent, the three of them followed Jia Runshi around, and saw Chief Zhang and Chief Bai, one dressed in gray and the other in white, standing in the open space beside the tent looking at the moon in surprise, chatting about something, and adding The last wave of cold air came out of nowhere, and I was surprised in my heart. The anxiety I had been feeling all the way before was inexplicably suppressed.
"So, it's just a random battle? There is no winner or loser on both sides?" Zhang Xing asked after listening carefully. "The losses are not much?"
"That's it." Bai Peixiong's tone was also a little helpless. "I met them yesterday evening. There was a river bend in the west of Xiao County. Leader Shan led them across the river. There was a forest to the south of the river bend. The view was blocked. I didn't know that the army was coming from the east. Of course, The officers and soldiers didn’t know that we were crossing the river in the west. It was late afternoon and the heat was still there. People on both sides were walking a long way. When they saw the woods at the bend of the river, they all headed into the woods. As a result, they bumped into each other in the woods. There was a hasty battle, and then Leader Shan and Leader Liang organized a few hundred knights and rushed from the outside of the forest with armor on. Three Condensation Pills also appeared on the opposite side... Each tried a few moves and couldn't get it, so they took advantage of the darkness. Everyone retreated, and the camp was set up in the middle of the night."
"No one has any intention to fight." Zhang Xing nodded in response.
"That's what I mean..." Bai Peixiong nodded, and then continued to speak, but he was a little careful with his words. "Big Boss Shan also asked me to tell the chief one thing, that is, crossing the river may be useless."
"how to say?"
"Since the beginning of the month, the water flow everywhere has been getting smaller and smaller, and there are more and more shoals. Even in a big river like Bianshui, there are shoals everywhere that you can directly wade through." Bai Peixiong explained. "This time when we crossed the river, they just looked around. When I came back, I specially picked a place to verify it. It was indeed true... Therefore, it doesn't mean much if you can't cross the river, because the Bian River is smooth everywhere."
After Zhang Xing heard this, he was stunned for a long time and could only wave his hands: "Thank you for your hard work, White Bear and Dahong Xiaohong, let's go and rest first."
Bai Peixiong and Xiaohong had no choice but to surrender.
As soon as the people left, Chief Zhang Da looked at the moon and became distracted. Bai Yousi didn't know what to say, and the previous chat was interrupted.
In other words, if you encounter a top smart opponent in a war, it is of course difficult to judge the opponent's strategic and tactical intentions, but if you encounter a bad and stupid opponent, it will be... even harder to judge.
Zhang Xing is considered a smart man, and Sima Zheng is certainly not stupid.
However, the first confrontation between these two young heroes as commanders was full of incompetence, loss of control and clumsiness from the beginning.
The main reason is of course the horrible weather. This is the hottest time of the year, and this year there is a general drought and lack of rain north of the Huaihe River. This makes war horses and people suffer from heatstroke frequently, and the armor wears on the body for an hour. Being tortured, the scouts could only go out in the morning and evening. A master of the Ice Qi Qi Meridian who had access to the Conception Vein tried his best not to let himself sleep comfortably. The biggest effect was to cool down everyone's herbal tea and sour plum soup.
In a word, the limitations on troop capabilities and military activities are very large.
Secondly, the start of the war was rather unexpected. Everyone knew that the Deposed Dragon Gang's rule over Langya was unstable from the beginning, but suddenly something like this broke out, forcing both sides to rush into action. It is also true that they acted hastily.
But at the same time, more and more soldiers and horses from both sides gathered together, and battle capital inevitably emerged with the deployment and movement of both sides' forces.
After all, no matter how clumsy and hasty the actions of both parties are, this is the friction between the largest group of rebels in the world and one of the most powerful and last heavy-armed groups in the imperial court. Just friction may cause landslides. It's cracked, so no one dares to neglect it.
In this case, the development of the battle situation will often have a ridiculous but powerless result.
Just like what Bai Peixiong reported.
On June 16, that is, yesterday morning, as Xiong Bonan led a large number of stragglers and reinforcements to the front line and slightly strengthened the troops, the Liuxian camp quickly passed a discussion and ordered Shan Tonghai to lead an army of five thousand Leaving the triangle formed by the Bian River and the He River, we crossed the Bian River and camped on the south bank to open up a new front and increase the threat to Pengcheng (the base of Xuzhou).
After all, although Pengcheng is located at the intersection of Bian River and He River, the city itself is on the south bank of Bian River.
From the perspective of military planning, this matter is undoubtedly full of decisiveness and courage. In the past, it was the winner of the battle.
And Xuzhou's adjustment of subordinates was also very appropriate. As soon as the follow-up reinforcements arrived, they immediately sent out sufficient reinforcements, including three masters of elixir condensation, to go west along the Bian River, preparing to fill the defensive space on the south bank of the Bian River. This was also watertight. .
At this time, the two sides suddenly met on the south bank in the evening. In theory, it should be a drama where the brave would win.
But the fact is that neither family has any determination to die, and neither party wants their outstanding son to lose his life easily in this state.
What's even more ridiculous is that just after crossing the river, we found that the significance of crossing the river has been greatly weakened - if the Bianshui River and the Heshui River can calmly allow large troops to pass through any battlefield section, how about opening up a new front line?
"We can let Shantong Hai withdraw."
Early in the morning, everyone taking advantage of the cool morning breeze had not yet finished eating before the tent. Xu Shiying, who had read the military intelligence report, gave suggestions in front of the long table that was put together. "Let's see if the opponent will take advantage of the situation and come west from the south bank of Bianshui River to seize this gap. If so, it means that the opponent is not very clear about the situation of Bianshui River. At that time, we will concentrate our troops and horses to cross Bianshui River and eat this force."
"It's feasible." Zhou Xingfan immediately expressed his agreement.
"That's it!" Wu Jingfeng couldn't wait to agree to this plan.
"We have to fight no matter what!" Liu Heifu couldn't wait.
"I don't think it's necessary." Zhai Qian hesitated for a moment, rarely taking the initiative to express an objection that was different from everyone else's. "It's too hot and the soldiers are too tired. There's no need to bother."
"Boss Zhai." Wu Jingfeng explained patiently. "This is not a toss-up, Xu Da... Xu Dalang means that now we have control over the large-scale passage of Bianshui River, but the officers and soldiers may not have control, so we used Shan Dalang's troops to retreat as a bait... He It’s good if we fall into the trap, but if we don’t fall into the trap, we won’t lose anything.”
"I know what Xu Dalang means." Zhai Qian replied in a low voice. "Isn't it just a bet? Betting on whether the officers and soldiers know the water conditions... But what I mean is, not to mention that the officers and soldiers are fighting locally, they probably know it already. Even if they don't know, there is no need to bother like this!"
"How do you say this?" Just opposite, Wu Changzai, who looked like a hill, suddenly put down his bowl and raised his eyebrows to ask.
"What can I say?" Zhai Qian was not afraid at all. "Everyone with the Ningdan facing upward, once the body-protecting Qi is opened, you are not afraid of anything, but you may not know what the sergeants below are like. Now I don't dare to ask the sergeants to stop talking at night, for fear that they will be uncomfortable with the heat. Ying Xiao ran away directly... So, Chief, what I mean is that it is so hot now, if you can save one thing, you will have one less thing to worry about. Don't bother anymore, just confront each other here and wait for Langya's partial division to succeed!"
"Be careful!" Xiong Bonan said seriously before Wu Changzai spoke again.
Zhai Qian was slightly startled, but after looking at Xiong Bonan and Wu Changzai, he immediately nodded and shut up, and the manic and depressive mood at the beginning was gone.
"I actually think so too." After Xiong Bonan paused, he glanced at Zhang Xing, who was silently lowering his head to eat, and then continued to speak. "I followed from behind and was responsible for picking up the brothers who had fallen behind. I really felt that it was too difficult for the brothers... Let alone the ordinary sergeants. You see, the horses were in charge of the surrounding horses. Although the body was weak, it was not that weak, and He still had some cultivation, so what happened? Didn’t he carry him back to the city the day after he left Fang Yucheng? I came from behind, but he wanted to follow. After walking for half a day, he collapsed again and was sent back... …”
"He has a problem with alcoholism and is afraid of heat and cold." Liu Heifu leaned sideways on the table and couldn't help complaining about his new fellow countryman. "I also drank alcohol back then, but I stopped drinking it after I realized it was bad for my health."
Regardless of Liu Heicheng's interruption, the opposition of Xiong Bonan and Zhai Qian was clear. These were the two big leaders, especially Xiong Bonan's prestige. Moreover, what he said was not unreasonable. Jingfeng and Wu Changzai also lost a lot of momentum and didn't know how to argue.
Immediately afterwards, the other leaders expressed their opinions one by one. Among the twenty or so people, seven or eight people opposed it, and seven or eight people agreed, making the situation evenly matched.
At this time, everyone naturally looked at Chief Zhang.
But Chief Zhang Da, who had just finished breakfast, did not respond. Instead, he looked back at Xu Shiying like a puppet without any opinion.
Xu Dalang was silent for a moment and responded seriously: "We still have to fight."
The two parties with clear opinions cheered up and frowned, but with different postures, they all listened with bated breath.
"First let me tell you the premise that I have mentioned many times. Lord Sanhui, we are all hot together, and we are tired together. Our difficulties must also be on the opposite side. Is this okay?" Xu Shiying came to ask the leaders at the table seriously. .
There were a few scattered echoes around him.
"Then there are three reasons. First, their difficulties are more difficult than ours and greater than ours; second, their ability to withstand difficulties is smaller than ours." Xu Shiying continued. "In other words, we really have to worry about the collapse of military morale. The more they collapse, the faster they collapse... In the end, if Xuzhou doesn't come hard, let them divert their attention and mobilize their troops. , it’s very difficult to succeed as a partial master.”
"I didn't understand the first two of the three points." Zhai Qian said one thing after another. "Isn't it said that it would be better to have military equipment and soldiers on the opposite side? We are still worried about food?"
"What we are comparing now is the morale of the sergeants below." Xu Shiying looked at the other party and explained seriously. "The reason they say they have more difficulties than us is because they respond passively. This has been proven. As long as they are prepared, they will not abandon three major counties in a row..."
"That's true..."
"As for their ability to withstand difficulties, it's not just about the military equipment and the quality of the soldiers, but also other things...what? Let me ask you, what should you do if you want to be a soldier with all your heart?" Xu Shiying talked eloquently and gave the answer without waiting for anyone to speak. "In my opinion, we should not talk about righteousness at this time, but ask these soldiers to ask themselves whether there is a better future as soldiers here, whether there are fair rewards and punishments, and whether there is anything they can leave to future generations. Is it the so-called legendary thing? And there is no one in the world who can do this better than our Deposed Dragon Gang!"
Zhang Xing's eyelids twitched, and then he became genuinely confused.
"The Wei Dynasty is going to die. I couldn't tell it was normal three years ago. I couldn't tell it two years ago because I wasn't smart enough or courageous enough. Since last year, I couldn't tell it. It was probably because I was stuck in this mountain. ...In other words, the soldiers in Xuzhou and Jiangdu can live day to day without knowing where their future lies, while our soldiers all have hope."
"As for the fairness of rewards and punishments, it's really hard to say, because Sima Zheng has an excellent reputation. Not only did he reward and punish the sergeants fairly, he was also rare in treating the common people's taxes and corvees fairly. On this point, we are evenly matched... But please note that this is the Xuzhou Camp The soldiers and horses of Jiangdu are like this, but the reinforcements from Jiangdu that are about to arrive may not be like this."
"There is also the matter of inheritance. For people like the lowest sergeant and team leader, they can't worry about anything else for the time being. The fairness of granting land is the biggest inheritance. Logically speaking, Sima Zheng's place should be the same as us, but Mo Forgot, the main force of their sergeants is Dongdu warriors, who are garrison soldiers from Kansai. He wants to pass it on to the world, but he can't do it in Xuzhou... On this point, we have a complete victory over them."
"All in all, our sergeants are definitely more tolerant than theirs! If we are really overwhelmed by the weather in this battle, they will definitely collapse first."
"Finally, let's talk about food. We are short of food, but what we are short of is overall food. Is it just for the past few days? Is it for this war?"
It feels a bit like winning ten times and losing ten times.
Zhang Xing watched with Xu Shiying's words, the opponents gradually died down, and the supporters gradually became eager to give it a try, somewhat with emotion.
As for Chief Zhang's personal attitude, it is self-evident from the moment he asked Xu Shiying to speak.
However, the reason why he agreed to actively seek war was not because he felt that his side had so many advantages, but because as the chief, he had no choice but to have difficulties - drought and food. The more the weather was like this, the more he had to save food, and the most important thing was to save food. The best way is to end this battle as soon as possible, and to end this battle, we never expect a big breakthrough here, but to continue to create pressure according to the original plan and create more and better things for the partial division. Opportunity.
Therefore, Zhang Xing thought for a while and gave a reply: "What Xu Dalang said makes sense. Since there is a fighting opportunity, we still have to overcome difficulties to fight."
Xiong Bonan and Zhai Qian were silent, and the military plan was carried out.
However, the controversy over the "eating in front of the tent" also fully illustrates the problem, because this simple military plan itself has no obvious loopholes. It is just seizing new information to try to lure the enemy. In other words, the main reason for forming objections is The reason has little to do with military success or failure itself.
Opponents generally worry that grassroots soldiers will not be able to maintain their combat effectiveness in such weather.
Therefore, although Zhang Xing insisted on the battle plan, he could not help but feel a strong sense of uneasiness - for a moment, he felt that he was playing Yuan Shao in Guandu, Cao Cao in Chibi, and Fu Fu in the Battle of Feishui. Strong.
If you insist on going your own way, you will fail miserably.
But just like many times before, Zhang Sanlang was uneasy in his heart, but he was extremely resolute in his actions. After eating, the military order was already issued.
Shantong Haidong might be a mess in matters, but he has always been a decisive and brave man in the military. Therefore, on the 17th, he received the military order at noon. In the afternoon, he had just crossed the river all day and had to do it immediately. He led his troops to abandon the camp and returned to the south bank of Bian River.
At night, Liuxian County received a message from Shan Tonghai that the army had seized the abandoned camp of the Dragon Army on the south bank of Bian River!
Moreover, Shan Tonghai had also obtained information about three pill condensation masters on the other side at this time. They were Yuan Lizheng, the first Ying Yanglang general on the left wing of Zuo Tunwei, and Zhang Qianda, the second Ying Yanglang general on the right wing. The leaders were It was Zhao Xingmi, the number one eagle on the left wing of the right imperial guard, Yang Lang.
In addition, there should be a General Ying Yanglang who is not Ningdan and a supervisor, named Sima Shida and Niu Fangsheng respectively.
"That's right!"
Under the spotlight, Xu Shiying quickly received feedback from his staff and then reported to the leaders. "The staff and clerks checked the intelligence... These people included soldiers and horses from Xuzhou Fangzhen and soldiers and horses directly from Jiangdu, but they were all stationed near the entrance of Si River to Huaiyang in Huaiyang... They went north along the Surabaya River and arrived in Xuzhou , and was sent to the west side without any problems.”
"Zhao Xingmi is actually a master of elixir creation. He is from Hebei. He was moved to Guanzhong to live in Guanzhong after condensing elixirs in his early years. He mainly depends on the Sima family." Bai Yousi suddenly said. "Zhang Qianda was born in the Zhang family in Hedong, and was the guard of the saint in Jiangdu; Yuanli was the nephew of Yuanbaocun, the former royal family; needless to say, Sima Shida was the third uncle of Sima Zheng, the saint. Son-in-law; Niu Fangsheng is the eldest son of Niu Xianggong, Nanya, Dongdu."
Everyone was stunned for a long time.
Zhang Xing sighed and looked around: "Everyone, this is Guan Long's strength, and this is why I am cautious when fighting... Zhao Xingmi is the leader Xu Shiren who has not returned, and Zhang Qianda is the untalented Zhang Changgonghuo. As he came down, Yuan Lizheng was the Murong Zhengyan who had not yet matured... And there were no fewer than fifty or sixty similar people in Jiangdu! The Wei Dynasty had only been founded for more than 20 years, and even if he had just ruined the world, It's gone, but some of its atmosphere and skeleton are still left! Even if the sky collapses or the tower collapses, people can be killed!
"This battle must be fought quickly. We must not drag it out here. Otherwise, even if we win in the end, we will be consumed by the essence accumulated by the Wei Dynasty in the early stage!"
At this point, the generals were already in awe.
Zhang Xing paused for a moment, but his tone inexplicably softened: "When the war starts...according to the original plan, we will send out troops tonight by the moon. I will go in person, and King Xiongtian will stay behind. If you stay here, you must be extremely careful, because there is Liu County on the other side. It’s Sima Zheng!”
Xiong Bonan stood up and took the lead in handing over his hand: "I will obey the chief military order."
Zhai Qian, Xu Kaitong, Ding Shengying and other left-behind generals quickly got up and accompanied them.
On the other side, the generals who went out to fight were obviously stunned for a moment, and they were at a loss for a moment. Bai Yousi smiled, then stepped out, took the lead and handed over his sword and said: "I obey the chief military order."
Generals Wu Jingfeng, Wu Changzai, Jia Yue, and Xu Shiying also surrendered.
Zhang Xing sat there motionless, glanced at the generals on both sides, hesitated for a moment, and then asked Xiong Bonan: "King Xiongtian, do you want to leave another Ningdan? How about leaving Jia Yue and his camp behind?"
"It's not bad, just keep your deposed flag." Xiong Bonan responded calmly. "That's what I visualize."
Zhang Xing nodded: "The King of Heaven should be holding the flag."
After saying that, he stood up and went to the outside. Behind him, the leaders who were selected for the battle included Bai Yousi, Wu Jingfeng, Jia Yue, Wu Changzai, Xu Shiying, Wang Xiongdan, Jia Runshi, and Fan Bao. , Liu Heifu, and Tang Bairen all followed suit.
The soldiers of the 16th battalion here actually sent the 8th battalion to the side division. The strange situation was reversed in an instant.
PS: Thanks to my old book friend Little Flying Carpet for the tip.
(End of chapter)
