It is impossible for the real dragon gods to fight, because since the rise of the Trinity Orthodox Church, the real dragon gods in the world have gradually moved away from the hinterland of the Central Plains. Even if there is such a fight, it is usually between the imperial dragons and the war situation in the border areas. It is used to clear the area in times of crisis. It is said that the cost of using it is also very high. The few real dragon gods who appear in the hinterland of the Central Plains basically just tell people's fortunes and rarely take action.
Therefore, Li Ding, Wei Xuanding and others immediately realized based on the situation before and after the meeting that it was the great masters who took action, and it was the mortals' own top combat power who directly started the fight.
As for why everyone is so angry, first of all, it is of course that the fight between the great masters is very serious and has far-reaching consequences. Any result will directly affect the situation in Hebei and even the general trend of the world; secondly, the results have too many directions. , it is impossible to predict; finally, and most importantly, among the three great masters who appeared at the meeting, except for Cao Lin, whose position was clear, the other two great masters did not have a clear position. They just knew the result of the action. It's hard to guess where the situation will go.
Wei Xuanding and others were especially nervous. After all, from the perspective of the Deposed Dragon Gang, none of the three great masters clearly sided with the Deposed Dragon Gang... Cao Lin was a sworn enemy, and even if Old Master Zhang had an excellent demeanor, it was clear that dissidents, and Chong and Taoist priests knew nothing about it.
To sum up the matter, the matter is very serious, but the specific situation and future direction are unknown.
The only thing that can be done now is to quickly inform Chief Zhang Xing of the news and return as soon as possible.
"General Manager Xie has a high level of cultivation. Immediately cross the broken road to see Wang Xiongdan and Zhou Xingfan. Tell them not to wait for us and take the soldiers and horses back immediately... I, Branch Manager Ma, and Branch Manager Cui will go back from the east road." Wei Xuanding thought about it. As soon as he thought about it, he immediately gave instructions to Xie Minghe.
Xie Minghe naturally had nothing to say. He just nodded, then spread his wings like a giant crane and walked straight over.
At this time, Wei Xuanding just handed over to Li Ding: "Master Li, this matter is very important, let's take the first step."
Li Ding had nothing to say and could only nod.
In this way, Wei Xuanding, together with Cui Suchen and Ma Wei, and escorted by Dou Xiaoniang and his patrolling cavalry, gave up their original route and hurried eastward, not forgetting to temporarily release several cavalry to deliver the message first.
Watching everyone from the Deposed Dragon Gang leave, Li Ding thought for a moment and felt confused. Finally, he sighed and looked back at the washed-out road. He could only put down many thoughts: "How many landslides are there that affect the road? Where are they all?”
"Sixth place, it should be Sixth place from the outside. I don't know if there are any more in the enclosed mountainous area." Su Jingfang hurriedly answered. "As for the location, three are on the southern section of the official road of the north-south passage under Hongshan Mountain, two are in front of Fukou, one south and one north covering Fukou Xing, and one is on the road leading to Fukou in front..."
Li Ding's heart moved slightly: "Most of the landslides are around Fukou, and then the access road to the south?"
"Yes." Su Jingfang immediately woke up. "Master suspects that the great masters fought at Fukou? That Jinwu Guard?"
"That's almost it!" Li Ding blurted out. "Send people to the south, across Wei County, to Ji County and Hanoi to inquire about the military situation. At the same time, mobilize people to open a road quickly, dig out the Fukou first, and find the Jinwu Guards at the Yecheng Palace first!"
Su Jingfang immediately responded and left.
Not to mention how Li Ding dug the mountain to clear the road, on the other side, Wei Xuanding and Cui Suchen, escorted by Dou Xiaoniang, rushed eastward. They arrived at the camp of Zhang Xing, Xu Shiying and others that night and saw Zhang Xing.
At this time, Zhang Xing also knew the news about the battle between the great masters. Moreover, he also knew another news and informed Wei Xuanding, Cui Suchen and his party.
"This is wrong." Wei Xuanding, who was extremely tired, became confused after hearing this. "If Qu Tuda did not withdraw with his troops the day before yesterday, everything would make sense. But the question now is, if Cao Lin's army was officially dispatched and entered Ji County, why did Qu Tuda lead his troops the day before? Leaving Jijun and returning to Hanoi? Are they crazy? Thousands of troops have to go back and forth?"
"That's the problem." Zhang Xing had no choice but to answer. "Dozens of senior ministers and clerks are racking their brains and can't figure out why. I'm also a little uneasy..."
"But we can't ignore this matter." Wei Xuanding thought about it and took it seriously. "When something goes wrong, it must be the key to the matter."
"Not bad." Zhang Xing nodded. "More sentries have been deployed. If Duke Wei has an idea, feel free to tell me, but for now it's better to go and rest first. The same goes for Cui and Ma, and my lady is also going to rest."
Wei Xuanding thought about it for a while, but couldn't get it right, and he was really exhausted, so he handed over his hand and left. Cui Suchen next to him also handed over his hand and left. On the other hand, Ma Wei and Dou Xiaoniang, one sat in the tent and the other stood in the tent. At the door, each of them thought for a while, but couldn't figure it out, and then said goodbye and left.
The next day, the 28th of the first lunar month, at noon, Wang Xiongdan and Zhou Xingfan arrived with their base camp.
So far, the seven battalions of Xu Shiying, Wang Shuyong, Jia Yue, Xu Shiren, Niu Da, Zhou Xingfan, and Wang Xiongdan have gathered in the narrow area north of Qingzhang River at the junction of Wuyang County, Wu'an County, and Wei County. , plus Wei Xuanding, Xiong Bonan, Wu Jingfeng, Cui Suchen, Ma Wei, Jia Runshi and other leaders.
Among them, the fifth battalion of Xu Shiying, Wang Shuyong, Jia Yue, Xu Shiren, and Niuda originally stayed here to provide support. Wang Xiong's birth camp was actually Zhang Xing's direct battalion, and followed Zhang Xing to Hongshan and hurriedly evacuated. Zhou Xingfan's camp was not here to welcome Zhou Xingfan himself, but because the army establishment here needed a cavalry to support him.
After the seventh battalion was reunited, Zhang Xing ordered the troops to follow the original plan and go northeast along the Qingzhang River, close to the Qinghe River and the plains to avoid the sharp edge.
In fact, the remaining battalions of soldiers at this time have basically retreated to Qinghe River, but they are all south of Qingzhang River.
Wei Xuanding also chose to separate here and go to Wuyang County to govern Guixiang. After all, since Cao Lin sent troops and the Deposed Dragon Gang took the initiative to retreat, there was an explanation for where Wuyang Yuanbao was stored.
According to the results of the previous discussion, if Yuan Baocun wants to stay, then let him. If he wants to leave, then retreat to Liaocheng with Wei Xuanding first, and then discuss other matters.
The troops set off in a hurry, and the army began to retreat in an orderly manner, just as they had come.
It was early spring, everything was recovering, and the temperature was warm. Except for Wang Xiong's camp, which was already marching hastily, the rest of the troops marched smoothly. Before the afternoon was over, they had already walked a small twenty miles, and the speed was really good.
And while Zhang Xing was thoughtfully riding his yellow gelding, Xu Shiying rode up to catch up with Zhang Xing: "Chief, I have an idea."
Zhang Xing was slightly surprised: "Is there any change to the military plan at this time?"
"It's not a military plan, it's about Qu Tuda's return." Xu Shiying spoke casually on the horse. "I thought of a possibility... to let the general who went out take the core troops back to the main camp, and then set off again. Could it be that the coach was worried that the general would not carry out the order, so he was on guard? But it was later canceled for some reason. Take this precaution!"
"Why be on guard, and why be relieved?" Zhang Xing immediately asked.
"Cao Lin was injured first and hesitated whether to withdraw or march... and finally decided to march!" Xu Shiying gave his own speculation. "That day when the Grand Master fought... Although we don't know the final outcome, Cao Lin was probably injured."
"That's our chance." Zhang Xing smiled, but shook his head. "But it's a pity that based on what I know about Cao Lin, he will never do something like this. If he withdraws his troops, he will withdraw directly. If he wants to march, he will march."
Xu Shiying immediately shook his head: "Then I don't know."
"However, inspired by you, I thought of another possibility." Zhang Xing suddenly sneered at Huang Pingma. "That means the one who asked Qu Tuda to go back and the one who marched may not be the same person... Is there a possibility that Duan Wei went back first and wanted to withdraw his troops, and then Cao Lin went back and ordered the march again?"
"This is somewhat possible." Xu Shiying nodded. "But if this is the case, there will be nothing to say about Qutuda going back."
Zhang Xing also sighed: "We can only send more sentries."
Besides, Zhang Xing and Xu Shiying are the two people with the best military sense in the Deposed Dragon Gang. Together with dozens of staff, they have tried their best to make decisions, but they still have not guessed the truth of the matter... There is nothing we can do about it. Because they didn't know Bai Hengqiu's entry into the game at all.
This guy has been sitting in Taiyuan for three years, like making layouts in a chess game or like a spider laying a web. At this time, he suddenly left in person, which was really beyond everyone's expectations.
Not knowing means not knowing, and not knowing means guessing incorrectly.
Just as Zhang Xing led the main force of the Seventh Battalion of the Deposed Dragon Gang to retreat along the Qingzhang River according to the original military plan, on the other side, Bai Hengqiu also personally supervised the division and led the main force of 30,000 Dongdu to continue to attack Ji County. The territory was driven northeastward, and the speed was astonishing.
During the march, Bai Hengqiu did not display his own banner, and strictly prohibited the main generals from revealing information. He continued to use Cao Lin's banner, and then asked Duan Wei to come forward to preside over the march of the troops.
To be honest, at this time, compared with the troops below, these informed generals were not very nervous, because they generally believed that this trip was not for war at all, but Bai Hengqiu would lead them north to capture the void. Yecheng, recaptured Wei County, and then transferred from Fukouxing back to Taiyuan, where he completed the reorganization and served the British government again.
This conjecture is not only based on human nature, but also has military basis. Specifically, the direction of their advance is too far north, and at the same time, there is no guard set up along the river to prevent them from being bypassed by the main force on the south bank of the Deposed Dragon Gang. Later, food was cut off.
In addition, requiring the troops to march quickly and ignoring some logistics seems to be evidence.
Of course, it is true that there is no shortage of food everywhere around Ji County at the moment, so the latter reason can only be regarded as a conjecture.
"Continue marching. We will stop when we reach Tangyin today. We will continue marching tomorrow. Don't go directly to Wuyang. We must go north to Wei County, go straight to the south bank of Qingzhang River, and then go down the river." In the evening, he changed into a military uniform and was riding a horse. Bai Hengqiu, who was marching, suddenly turned his head and described tomorrow's march plan in advance to Duan Wei and Zheng Shanye, Qu Tuda and others beside him.
Duan Wei frowned slightly: "Still don't take precautions behind you?"
"Yes." Bai Hengqiu responded simply.
"What if things don't work out? For example, if the mountain road is blocked and Li Ding doesn't move, and we pursue it alone, the army will collapse halfway..."
"It doesn't matter if the mountain road is blocked, I can just open it up myself." Bai Hengqiu answered without hesitation. "We must bring the troops here anyway... So, I will explain tomorrow's route now and leave immediately."
Duan Wei was startled for a moment, then gritted his teeth and nodded.
Bai Hengqiu also looked at Zheng Shanye and Qu Tuda, who were obviously nervous: "Don't be alarmed, generals... I'm going to pull out the Jinwu Guards, and then join you, and then I will take the opportunity to subdue Li Ding. At that time, we can drive Li Ding's troops eastward and cross the river to pursue the three thieves Zhang!"
Zheng Shan and Ye Qutuda suddenly understood. Not only did they understand the other party's plan, but they also understood why there was no need to be careful behind the scenes.
If Bai Hengqiu pulls out the Jinwu Guards and forces Li Ding to surrender... there is no need to even use the word "surrender" at all, because Li Ding's compromise is almost inevitable... then the two counties of Wu'an and Xiangguo will be able to surrender. After that, they cleared the Zhang River to sweep away the dragon army.
Seeing that the two of them understood each other, Bai Hengqiu did not stop at all, but directly put on his armor and flew into the air, heading northwest with a ray of white light.
When the time came in the evening, Zhang Xing led the Seventh Battalion of the Deposed Dragon Gang into the border of Qinghe, and then set up camp on the spot.
An hour later, Duan Wei led the main force of Dongdu to arrive at Tangyin, and then surrounded the city and set up camp.
At midnight, Wei Xuanding left Guixiang City, Wuyang County, almost alone, and headed to Liaocheng overnight after his efforts to persuade him failed.
At the same time, Wu'an County soldiers had already dug through two obstacles at Fukou, and were letting people take turns to dig out the last landslide. Li Ding also retreated to Wu'an County to rest first.
Time went on, and at dawn on the 29th of the first lunar month, the last collapse was cleared.
Half an hour later, the news was carried by Pegasus to Wu'an County, which was twenty miles away. Li Ding no longer hesitated and immediately ordered Su Mu, who had been waiting in front, to lead three thousand troops in first to control the Jinwu. Guard, but must not cause a fight, and he himself will soon follow.
Another half an hour later, the sky was bright and the spring breeze was picking up again. Li Ding, who had not even had time to eat, had already led his personal guards to the original innermost collapse site. At this time, he suddenly became inexplicably vigilant.
"Why didn't your father send a messenger to greet him?" Li Ding stopped here and turned to look at Su Jingfang beside him. "Is he so arrogant?"
Su Jingfang was startled for a moment and immediately shook his head: "Even if my father is a little confused, the herald will remind him of the rules... Do you want me to go and take a look?"
Li Ding remained silent and looked around. He became serious after just a moment: "No need... Listen carefully. There are only the movements of civilians and auxiliary soldiers nearby, but there is unusual movement in the valley. Either there is no one there. Either your father encountered a real dragon and was too frightened to say anything."
After saying that, he rode straight forward.
Su Jingfang nodded, feeling inexplicably flustered, but he hurriedly followed, and the surrounding knights also galloped away.
About half a quarter of an hour later, they came to a valley intersection, and Li Ding reined in his horse again.
At this time, Li Silang already knew that there was a huge scene waiting for him ahead... Without him, there were no soldiers left behind at the entrance of the valley. Even the Jinwu guards had fled from the other side of Fukou, and Su Even if Mu chased after him, he would not be so stupid. At the same time, Li Ding clearly heard a different kind of noise in the wind. It was not messy or harsh, but something like breathing and The sound of waves rolls in the spring wind.
He was sure that there were many people in the valley, but these people had been ordered or controlled and were not allowed to move or speak without permission.
Su Jingfang also noticed the problem, and he looked at his master slightly nervously.
After listening for a while, the latter immediately reined in his horse and ran away - unlike Zhang San who often got into trouble, Li Si was never a person willing to gamble his life.
But at this time, the true energy was billowing in the valley, and a relatively familiar voice sounded like thunder through the terrain of the valley: "Li Silang is indeed on time! If things happen in Hebei, you should take the first credit!"
Li Dingru was struck by lightning and turned his head in shock. His mind was racing and he thought about many things. However, knowing that he could not escape, he instinctively turned towards the valley.
And in the next moment, all his thoughts came to a halt and his movements became stiff, because as he turned around the mouth of the valley, he witnessed a scene that he would never forget:
Tens of thousands of troops, densely packed, filled the entire valley, and almost everyone was wearing armor, with Lie Rui at his side, flags, golden drums, and curtains interspersed among them, well-proportioned and neatly arranged... Li Ding clearly remembered that this place was originally There should be a barracks, but the barracks is gone... What makes people even more speechless is that Su Mu's troops and flags are also among them.
Li Ding would not blame Su Mu. He knew that the other side had no choice, not only because the opponent's strength was several times that of the thousands of soldiers Su Mu brought, but also because the army in the valley sat under a large banner with the word "white" on the high platform. a person.
That person was none other than British Gong Bai Hengqiu, the one who had just called him.
Forcibly suppressing the vibration, Li Ding turned over and dismounted from his horse while his mind was racing, bowed and handed over the "white" banner, and then took long but slow steps forward.
The British Duke, who was fully armored and wearing a long sword, no longer deliberately intimidated the opponent. Instead, he directly stepped down from the high platform with his sword and led dozens of generals to take the initiative to walk towards Li Ding.
The two met in the midst of thousands of troops. The surrounding troops had already relaxed when Bai Hengqiu called out to Li Ding, and then became noisy... After all, they were not an iron army, they were just temporarily intimidated by the Grand Master's military discipline... But , this does not affect the conversation between the two.
As the two sides approached, Bai Hengqiu stretched out his hands to shake them. Li Ding did not dare to disobey, but he shook hands with force and shook his head, and asked with all his strength: "Why did the British Lord do this?"
"The Wei Dynasty is ruthless, and there are thieves like the Deposed Dragon Gang who are causing trouble, so that the world is in chaos. I stayed behind for Taiyuan, and I was recommended by the heroes of the Jin Dynasty. I have temporarily mastered the power of the Jin Dynasty, so naturally I will make a difference... The Deposed Dragon Gang attacked Yecheng accompanied the capital, and Liyangcang was destroyed, causing trouble to the world, and it is time to eradicate it." Bai Hengqiu held the opponent's hands and smiled calmly. "Or, until now, does Mr. Zhang San still think that he can escape the attack of the world's righteousness? Now that Cao Lin has left, I will do this on his behalf!"
"Uncle Cao Huang..." Li Ding was confused.
"Uncle Cao Huang is gone." Bai Hengqiu sighed slightly. "They were injured and fled across the river, so the main force of Dongdu is now assigned by me to pursue Zhang Xing with Duke Duan! They are eager to kill the thieves and march quickly. They will enter Wei County today, and they will be at the border of Wu'an County tomorrow Join us."
Li Ding instantly realized what was going on that day... Old Master Zhang didn't look like he was going to pursue Cao Lin after the meeting. It was probably Chong and Taoist priest who teamed up with the British Duke to defeat and injure Cao Lin. ... But soon, he was awakened by the other party's subsequent narration.
"How many people did the British Lord bring?" Li Ding asked seriously.
"Thirty thousand, all of them are the troops I built in Taiyuan, and there are 8,000 people, led by Han Yinggong, who will follow soon." Bai Hengqiu said with a slight smile, and at this point, he became more and more sneer. "Those people in Dongdu have long been drained of their spirit. Some think I just want to devour them, and when they enter Wei County, I will take them back to the Shangdang from here; some others believe that I am going to deal with Zhang The three thieves, but they only thought that I was going to drive away the tiger and devour the wolf, and only use them to deal with the deposed dragon thief... As everyone knows, since I have to make up my mind to deal with Zhang San, I have come to Hebei in person, so how can I leave any room? ? Normally it’s just planning and layout, but when it’s time to make a move to win, how can you still hide behind it? You also need to calculate who is whose soldier? Planning is necessary, but it can’t be done without being aboveboard and open-minded. It’s a big deal.”
Li Ding nodded slightly, convinced.
"So." Bai Hengqiu held the opponent's hand and spoke frankly. "This round of encirclement and suppression of Zhang San's thieves... a total of 38,000 of our Taiyuan Army, 3,000 of Wei County's Jinwu Guards, 30,000 of the main force of Dongdu, 20,000 of your troops, 30,000 of the Hejian Camp, and 20,000 of the Youzhou Army ...This beast must be eradicated!"
Even though Li Ding thought he would no longer be surprised, he was still confused when he heard these words: "Hejian Camp...30,000?"
"Yes, Duke Huai Tong sent my letter to Duke Xue during the meeting." Bai Hengqiu answered calmly, as if he had the pearl of wisdom in his hand. "He has already agreed... I still know him well. Since he agreed, he will immediately send troops to attack Zhang Xing's back. There will be no less than 30,000 troops."
Li Ding nodded slowly. In fact, he had already thought about the fact that Xue Changxiong was late for the meeting that day... As for Youzhou, as long as this situation is achieved, a cunning thief like Luo Shu will definitely come and sell it.
"But..." Li Si came back to his senses and asked earnestly. "Don't you worry about the situation in Kansai, Sir?"
Bai Hengqiu sighed when he heard this: "How can you not care? That's why I took advantage of Old Master Zhang's seven-day opportunity to make up his mind to use all his strength to attack Hebei first... Li Silang, I don't expect to wipe out the whole country at once." Dragon Gang, but as long as they chase Zhang Xing alone, kill him, and defeat his direct subordinates, it will be considered a worthwhile trip."
Li Ding nodded and asked earnestly: "But what if I can't kill him? What if he escapes?"
Bai Hengqiu smiled and shook his head: "Taking it a step back, he is really lucky. He can escape with his life and go to the sea to Dongyi and Beihuang. That's okay... Don't you still have Li Li? Shiro?"
Li Ding was confused.
"Li Silang." Bai Hengqiu looked at the other party seriously, and his words became more sincere. "Li Silang, compared to these people, I still trust you more... If Zhang San escapes, I will hand over all the counties in Hebei to you. With your talents, you have won these places. How can Zhang San come back?" Really? Besides, I have to go to Guanxi to deal with the Wu clan, and someone must be the master of Hebei for me. Mr. Xue is old after all."
This plan seemed to be the best situation that Li Ding had thought of long ago. However, the combat power to annihilate the Dragon Gang was changed from Cao Lin to Bai Hengqiu, and the 30,000 soldiers became 140,000!
However, for some reason, Li Silang couldn't be happy even though he had somehow gotten the situation he wanted most...and he was sure it wasn't because of the resentment caused by Bai Hengqiu's intimidation.
He, Li Silang, doesn't have so much unnecessary pride.
Besides, now that things have happened, he himself is under control, and his territory and troops are actually under siege. Can he still cope with it? Just go with the flow.
But he just couldn't be happy, and even felt inexplicably depressed.
"In this case, let's ask the British Lord to reorganize the overall situation of Hebei!" After a moment of silence, Li Ding still bowed his head honestly.
"Okay!" Bai Hengqiu laughed up to the sky and let go of his hand.
Li Ding stood sideways and glanced at Su Mu and his son who were following closely behind him.
At the same moment, Zhang Xing, who had just left camp and set off, received an urgent document from Chen Bin. The document came from Xindu. The news was three days ago - on the 26th, Xue Changxiong had just turned back and urgently assembled the Hejian camp. The remaining main force, totaling 30,000 soldiers, has unknown movements.
"This is coming for us!" Ma Wei, who was accompanying the army, immediately made a judgment. "They want to cooperate with the Dongdu army from the north and south. They want to follow the Qingzhang River and attack us from up and down!"
No one argued back.
Xu Shiying sighed: "This way, some things make sense. Cao Lin was injured in the battle between the Grand Masters. Duan Wei didn't know the details and wanted to leave directly, so he gave the order without permission, but Cao Lin got it during the meeting. Xue Changxiong’s promise... so after taking over the situation, he immediately ordered the entire army to pursue him!"
Still no one refuted it.
At this time, in Dongdu City, Li Qingchen, who arrived last night and rested at home for a night, also returned to the black tower and was stunned on the spot.
"On the morning when Twelve Lang left, there was lightning and thunder, and it hit the black tower and caught fire, and it ended up like this..." The voice of the black shou next to him was almost inaudible. Obviously, this black shou also Know what this situation might mean.
Li Qingchen looked at the crumbling and obviously dilapidated black tower. He felt a tightness in his chest, but he forced himself to ask: "Have Luo Fang and Xue Liang come back? Have they met Cao Zhongcheng? What cultivation level do they have?" Faster than me."
"The first eunuch and the second eunuch arrived yesterday." The black ribbon became more cautious. "But after arriving, they became a little angry, and then left in a hurry...it was said that they were going to find Zhong Cheng."
Li Qingchen was stunned for a moment and suddenly stared at the opponent's figure: "After the tower caught fire, Zhong Cheng didn't come back?"
Hei Shou nodded.
Li Twelve Lang's eyes slowly moved to the tower, and he felt his head was shaking for a moment, his limbs were weak, and a fishy sweet taste poured into his throat, and then he fell directly to the ground.
