"It'll be good to come back, it'll be good to come back."
In the early morning mist, smoke, and water vapor on the river, Zhang Xing was indeed a little surprised when he heard that Cui Suchen had turned back, but when he saw him, his color was normal and his words were simple. "Do you have any military information to report?"
"Yes." Cui Erlang didn't waste any more nonsense, but simply gave a brief report on the military information he knew. "My great-uncle Cui Tuan is indeed a master master and has an old relationship with Bai Hengqiu. He has decided to bring the Cui family of Qinghe and Shi Huaiming together to plot a rebellion. At this time, they should have jointly taken down Wucheng; in addition, there will be soldiers from Dongdu. The horses crossed the river from the lower reaches to the Qinghe River in the county, perhaps joining forces with Wucheng; the Wucheng defenders were taken to Liting City by their subordinates. When they heard that Chief Dou and the soldiers and horses of the 14th Battalion were parked at the junction of Pingyuan and Qinghe, they directly came back."
Zhang Xing listened carefully and remained calm: "I already know that the war is coming. I will go to rest quickly and then get up to sort out the documents. If there are no documents by then, I will directly wear armor and join the battle."
Cui Erlang glanced at the surrounding situation and immediately walked away.
Cui Ershiliulang followed and turned around. Regardless of the soldiers around him, he couldn't help but come up to him in the hazy night and asked: "I'm responsible for such a difficult journey, and I can definitely be said to be extremely benevolent and loyal. Chief, did you just say a few words to dismiss me?"
Cui Erlang looked back at this clan brother and subordinate, speechless: "There is going to be a war soon. The survival of the Deposed Dragon Gang, the ownership of the entire Hebei, and worst of all, the life and death of these elites in the gang are right in front of us. If at this time the Chief You have to hold me to greet me and cry with gratitude for half an hour. I'm afraid there is no chance of winning this battle... Just follow me and rest first, and then you can either do paperwork or fight in armor, and don't get involved in the rest."
Cui Erliulang was bored, and what happened yesterday made him somewhat awe-inspiring, so he just shut up.
On the other side, next to Zhang Xing, there was of course King Understanding.
Xu Shiying watched Cui Suchen leave, then turned to Zhang Xing: "Chief, Cui Erlang abandoned his family and returned here under such circumstances. He is loyal and righteous. Even if the war is imminent, even if there are one or two The possibility of being a spy should give you some comfort, right?"
Zhang Xing looked at Xu Shiying, his expression remained unchanged: "It's okay to say whether I'm a spy or not. The key is that we and Cui Erlang have their own opinions. He has great ambitions and will help the world with us, the Deposed Dragon Gang." If you talk about personal friendship and power and future to such a person, you will underestimate him."
Xu Shiying was slightly startled and shook his head, but he didn't know whether he was denying it or expressing emotion: "It should have been similar when the ancestor of the Cui family risked everything to go from Qinghebei to meet Emperor Taiwu of the Great Zhou Dynasty, right?"
Zhang Xing did not refute this time. In fact, Chief Zhang was obviously pretending just now.
He was obviously surprised by Cui Suchen's appearance. With his eyes closed, he could think of something that he had done that was in line with classical feudal aesthetics. Moreover, combined with some of the other party's previous words and expressions, he knew to some extent that this was a possibility. A higher-level behavior that even Cui Erlang himself is difficult to realize... Cui Erlang obviously made his choice for his own political ideals, rather than out of loyalty to the Deposed Dragon Gang and himself or some kind of loyalty with his colleagues. .
This is a true politician, at least one who has the qualifications and willingness to become a politician.
Therefore, Zhang Xing will only be more pleased and even grateful.
But having said that, the spy suspicion that still cannot be completely cleared, the calm and cruel character necessary in wartime, and the approaching of the most deadly war still allow Zhang Xing to avoid too much emotional catharsis.
To put it bluntly, if we were defeated in the battle today and fled into exile, we might not have the chance to see each other again in this life!
"Dou Lide stopped at the county boundary..." Zhang Xing suddenly spoke.
"It should be that Mr. Wei and Deputy Commander Chen arrived together, and the three of them decided." Xu Shiying said seriously. "Although the military order is to go to the general's mausoleum, the military order also says that these three people together have the right to self-determination... It may be for this, or it may be that Xue Changxiong suddenly accelerated."
"Why don't you tell me? I'm afraid Wei Gong and Dou Lide won't be able to suppress Deputy Commander Chen." Zhang Xing sighed. "The large corps still came over, which ruined the arrangement... I sent a military order and told Chen Bin not to come over. This is my intention... I will sign it after I finish writing it."
The first half of the words was told to Xu Shiying beside him, and the second half was actually followed by the staff clerk. Therefore, Xu Shiying nodded, while the staff officers and clerks on the side had already gone back to inform Ma Wei who was on duty at the main account.
Several people left, but Zhang and Xu did not wait. Instead, they left the cooking place and headed to the outside.
Xu Dalang didn't know what Cui Suchen had touched him, but he actually took the initiative to speak on the road: "If Manager Cui has no personal feelings and is only here for the public property of the world, then Manager Chen may be forcing the army to come closer just for the sake of being the chief. Right? Ever since he came here, this person only has eyes for the chief, and he gradually regards the chief as his lord."
"It's not that exaggerated, but it does have some tendency." Zhang Xing answered as he walked, without any taboo. "So I have to warn him... I'm afraid he'll make a fool of himself."
At this point, Zhang Xingfu paused again: "The reason why I use Dou Lide is of course that he is indispensable in Hebei Province and the command of the field soldiers, but I also want to use his different stance to suppress Chen Bin... ...Deputy Commander Chen has absolutely good intentions toward me, but it may not be in line with the overall situation, while Dou Lide is the opposite."
"That's what I'm worried about." Xu Dalang immediately responded in a low voice. "Chief, in this situation, there is no need to hide some words. I'm afraid Dou Lide is not a public-spirited person. If we are surrounded and he and Mr. Chen get into trouble, it's not Wei Gong and Dou Lide who can't suppress Chen. Deputy Commander, and Wei Gong cannot handle them both by himself, something will go terribly wrong by then."
Zhang Xing slowly shook his head: "If our side is surrounded, it can only mean one thing. We can withstand today's battle... But what you said makes sense. You can take care of one thing after another so that they can have fewer differences. ... Doulide will never be a traitor. The most he wants is to seize power. What do you think is the biggest and most recent dispute between the two of them?"
"Of course it's the location of the large army, whether to attack or not, and the direction of the attack."
"What about other than that?" Zhang Xing suddenly stopped because there was a main camp in front of them and there were many people there. "Be specific."
"Cheng Zhili..." Xu Shiying also stopped and gave the answer. "Since Cui has rebelled and Shi Huaiming has been swept away, what will Cheng Dalang say?"
Zhang Xing was silent for a moment and immediately replied: "Cheng Zhili must have nothing to do with Cui's behavior today. His roots are his fellow villagers. Marrying Cui's daughter is not to become Cui's son-in-law, but to elevate the family... ...But to be honest, if the enemy army really advances to the plains, I will still be a little worried. No reason can compare with the free thoughts of the people. According to the truth, Cui Erlang will not come back at all."
Xu Dalang was silent for a while, and suddenly shook his head: "Forget it, it's useless to think about this kind of thing anymore. Under heavy pressure, no one knows who's thinking, and it all depends on the individual... The chief doesn't need to think too much. "
"I think so too." Zhang Xing looked at the other party and nodded. "The current situation is like this. If you are loyal and brave and face difficulties, you must keep it in your heart and not let others down. And if...then even if it is going to rain and my mother wants to get married, you don't have to think too much."
Xu Dalang nodded, and then the two of them entered the stronghold in front.
The leader of the village, Jia Yue, immediately came to greet him with his sword in hand. The two sides stood together. Before they could speak, a document came over first and handed over the military order document compiled by Ma Wei. Zhang Xing took it and signed his name on the wooden floor with his strength. Commonly used marks, then hesitated, and added a sentence next to it: "Be careful with internal rumors to prevent people's hearts from being shaken."
After finishing writing, he handed over the document and looked at Jia Yue in the dim morning light: "How are the preparations in the camp?"
"Everything is fine." Jia Yue, who had always been a man of few words, spoke rather simply, but soon revealed some different attitudes from before. "Have you contacted me from the north?"
"Contacted." Zhang Xing answered seriously. "Manager Xie went. He said that every family would go. In addition, I also asked Bai Peixiong and the others to go with my formal letter for help."
Jia Yue nodded, but unexpectedly, he shook his head again: "I'm afraid that the distant water cannot save the near fire..."
"Something is better than nothing." Zhang Xing said his mantra. "Taking a step back, at worst, when the whole army flees, there will still be someone to support them."
Jia Yue nodded and asked again: "Can the Fulong Seal Committee really defeat the Grand Master?"
"It definitely has an effect, but it's hard to say how effective it is." Zhang Xing was honest. "And I made an agreement with King Xiongtian. If I use it in vain, I will let him come."
At this point, Jia Yue still had something to say. He hesitated and said seriously: "You still have to go north, Zhang Sanlang, your destiny is in the north!"
Xu Shiying raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at Zhang Xing.
Zhang Xing's heart moved slightly, but he responded slowly: "Maybe so, I will have to go there sooner or later, but now, only today, destiny is here!"
Jia Yue nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I know what's important. Since I'm here, I have no second thoughts. I have never fought without giving my best."
Zhang Xing nodded, said no more, and continued to walk around the camp for half a circle before preparing to leave.
However, looking east at this time, the glimmer of light was already very obvious across the clear Zhang River. So, Zhang Xing and Xu Shiying, plus Jia Yue and the officers in the camp, stopped at a place that was only about ten feet tall. On the high civil platform, no one opened their mouths, but looked to the east together.
After just a moment, I saw a red thing appearing behind the mist, water vapor, and clouds. It was as red as fire and like a budding flower.
The two of them, including several attendants, stood still, holding their breath, quietly watching the fire burn through the clouds, watching the flowers bloom on the horizon, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
But with just one breath, as the sun rose, the field of vision suddenly broadened, and except for Zhang Xing, many people were shocked by it.
Without him, everyone realized at this time that what had twisted the sun into flowers before was none other than the steam and smoke from Dongdu Camp on the other side of the river. And because they were not far apart, the smoke and water vapor from the soldiers and horses on both sides of the strait condensed directly into a ball in the sky. Not to mention that, everyone looked down the clouds, and sure enough they saw another major reinforcement coming from the clouds - just south of the Deposed Dragon Army camp, there was the Taiyuan-Wu'an coalition camp.
The plume of smoke and vapor there was almost as much as the total number of soldiers and horses of Dongdu and the Dragon-Deposed Army on the other side of the river.
It may be a bit ridiculous to say this, because the two big and thick ones belong to others.
"If we fight today, there are two key points." At this moment, Xu Shiying suddenly spoke, attracting the attention of everyone around him. At the same time, he drew a line in the air with his hand, pointing from the edge of the camp to the core of the camp. "The first is the first battle. Can we seize the opportunity, set up a large formation, and protect the camp... We have never tried this, and we don't have time to try it. We don't know if it will work. If it doesn't work, we have resisted it today, but we have lost it. If we lose the camp, once we can't hold on, it will only be the result of defeat and breakout; the other one is in the center of the formation, there is nothing to say about this, we must block the British attack!"
Zhang Xing didn't say anything, just stared at the clear Zhangshui to the east in a daze.
But it was clear that he heard clearly.
In this way, with the sun, we had breakfast and the generals gathered together with drums beating. Ma Wei once again explained the latest revised defense plan. The generals who were ready also obeyed the orders and went to various camps to wait quietly for orders.
The Deposed Dragon Gang entered a state of combat readiness early. The Dongdu camp on the other side of the river was bustling with people. Troops were coming and going, but they never left the camp. In sharp contrast, the larger Taiyuan-Wu'an coalition military camp was hidden due to the number of people. It was noisy, but the troop dispatching was obviously more streamlined - starting from the morning, the coalition forces began to move out of camp in an orderly formation.
The distance between the two sides was less than ten miles, and the practitioners did not mention it. The sentry and horsemen came and went and reported clearly. There was a battalion coming out. They formed a line first, with golden drums, flags and horns, armor and weapons and horses lined up. Then they moved forward one or two, and then the other battalion came out. .
Messengers kept coming and going, and the news spread from the front to the camp of the Deposed Dragon Army, and was then transferred from the center of the plum blossom petals to all the petals.
It was not until noon that the final news came that the Taiyuan-Wu'an coalition camp had sent out ten battalions, with each battalion having 3,000 soldiers. There were no figures from the Wu'an army among the generals of each battalion. It was as if the entire Taiyuan army was dispatched, but only three thousand soldiers were sent out. The queue of three or four soldiers advanced slowly towards the camp of the Dragon-Deposed Army.
And because the formation of 30,000 people was so open, after the formation was successful, the outpost of the Dragon Army could already see the smoke and dust from a high place with the naked eye.
The smoke and dust rolled straight towards the Deposed Dragon Army camp.
By now, everyone knows that today's battle is inevitable.
What is worth mentioning is that the Dongdu army, separated by a clear Zhang River, mostly gathered on the embankment on the other side of the river to watch the battle from a distance, and had no intention of building a pontoon bridge to engage in battle.
Of course, it is also true that a large number of soldiers and horses flowed down the river under the banner of "Ji".
About half an hour later, Taiyuan soldiers and horses arrived nearby, and their formations dispersed slightly. The Dragon-Deposed Army did not take the opportunity to attack and kill, but still guarded the fences and trenches, watching the opponent organize their military formations.
At this moment, a horse galloped over and headed straight for the Deposed Dragon Army camp.
And soon, Zhang Xing, who was chatting with the surrounding generals and clerks on the artificial earth platform in the center of the plum blossoms at the rear, got the news.
"They want to fight in front of the battle? Ningdan versus Ningdan?" Zhang Xing was slightly startled, then laughed. "What a plan!"
There was laughter all around.
It's indeed a good plan.
Let us also say that in a world with true energy, dueling in front of the formation is in a certain sense consistent with the science of war, especially dueling at the level of condensation, which is more ornamental, and the ornamental performance directly stimulates morale, often in small-scale battles , a general's duel can easily determine the outcome of a battle.
However, according to the feedback from the battle the night before, the Taiyuan soldiers and horses should be in their early twenties with masters of the Condensation-Chendan realm, and each battalion should be equipped with one and one pair. In comparison, there are only Zhang Xing, Xiong Bonan, Wu Jingfeng, Xu Shiying, Xu Shiren, Wang Shuyong, Jia Yue, Niu Da and other masters of Ningdan or above in the Deposed Dragon Army. Wang Xiongdan and Zhou Xingfan are both close to Ningdan. At the level of Dan, Cui Suchen is a literary cultivator.
In fact, in order to ensure combat power, in addition to leaving necessary personnel, Zhang Xing almost racked his brains to leave as much combat power as possible. Dou Xiaoniang, who is close to the realm of Ningdan, was temporarily promoted to prepare to general In order to do his best to maintain the operation of a small-scale zhenqi formation.
But now, the other side wants to challenge each other... Frankly speaking, no one dares to underestimate the elites of Guanlong and Jin on the opposite side. The outcome is only a 50-50 split.
However, the death of the Taiyuan Army and the loss of one Ning Dan will not affect the overall situation, but the deposed dragon gang is missing one Ning Dan, which may expose a flaw in the formation of more than 10,000 people.
Obviously, the other party had already seen through the military preparations and deployment of the Deposed Dragon Army.
Amid laughter, Zhang Xing reviewed the logic of the war so far:
The first step was to march into Jijun and open Liyangcang. The main force of the deposed dragon army marched to the southwest corner of Hebei;
In the second step, Dongdu counterattacked. The Grand Master, Taichung Cheng of Jing'an, and Emperor Cao Lin led the last elite force of Dongdu to land in Hanoi County and try to counterattack;
In the third step, Grand Master Zhang Bofeng appeared and organized the Red Mountain Conference, which gave the Dragon Dragon Gang the opportunity to retreat, and formulated a basic strategy of luring the enemy deep along the Qingzhang River, choosing the opportunity to fight, and leaving if they could not fight;
In the fourth step, Taiyuan Bai Hengqiu had been waiting for a long time. He also used the window period of the Red Mountain Conference to formulate a whole series of plans and quickly put them into action... including the diplomatic wooing of Xue Changxiong, the old enemy of the Deposed Dragon Gang, and the Cao Lin's ambush, coercion and coercion of Dongdu's troops, and Li Ding's hostage eventually quickly evolved into an siege and assault on the Deposed Dragon Gang;
Step 5: After receiving the news, which was only four or five days ago, the Deposed Dragon Gang fell into a serious situation where they did not dare to flee or fight. At this time, Zhang Xing had no choice but to make a choice... Although it was done with assistance It is not a choice, but it does have a rational direction, that is, to put aside the burden, and choose an elite unit to establish a careful Zhenqi military formation strategy from different levels of combat concepts, such as pure and simple master duel to the decisive battle of the whole army. to cope;
The sixth step is to face the battle now;
Step seven,...
Thinking of this, Zhang Xing suddenly realized that as the head coach of the entire army, he could not simply calculate today's battle as if this battle was successful. He must take the success of defense in this battle as the premise and consider the overall situation, including various future developments.
From this perspective, it is best to win this battle with enough force to be able to frighten the enemy and facilitate subsequent efforts to find a turning point.
After thinking about this, the chief only spoke to the generals who had just fallen silent: "Although he wants to take advantage, we can't show weakness, otherwise he will think we are afraid of him! Among the big leaders, which one of you is going to meet the enemy?"
Xu Shiying turned around in surprise after hearing this, but she happened to meet Zhang Xing's gaze.
Zhang Xing didn't think much when he saw this, and pointed at the opponent with his finger: "Since Chief Xu has this intention, let's watch you defeat the enemy!"
PS: I’m really ashamed, but don’t worry, I will be saved from the confinement center hell in one week.
(End of chapter)
