The second spring rain in Hebei was not heavy, but it rained repeatedly throughout the whole day. By evening, the earthen trenches between the trapped camp of the Deposed Dragon Gang and the coalition camp were already muddy... ...This forced Zhang Xing, Jia Runshi and other attendants who were waiting here as agreed, to lie in a mud nest.
It was literally lying in a nest of mud.
Zhang Xing took the lead, and seven or eight of the core elites of the Deposed Dragon Gang, including Jia Runshi, leaned on the earth barrier without style, allowing mud and water to flow through the gaps in their leather armor, leaving their entire backs stained.
As the rain pattered, Zhang Xing chatted quietly with these people in the mud nest:
"Xiao Liu joined the army, are you married? I heard many people in the camp making fun of you."
"No, I will go back and get married after the war this time." Xiao Liu joined the army and quickly answered after hearing this. "She has lost her parents a long time ago, and she has already agreed."
Zhang Xing was silent for a moment, and could only nod his head: "Very good, I will join in when the time comes."
Xiao Liu naturally thanked him for joining the army, and the others also laughed and said that they wanted to join the army.
Zhang Xing was helpless and quickly changed the subject: "Cui Yuchen, what about you?"
"I'm not getting married." Cui Erliulang, who was a little huddled in the cold, was stunned and quickly shook his head.
"I'm not saying whether you want to get married or not." Zhang Xing asked seriously. "Do you have anything private to do when you go out this time?"
Cui Twenty-sixth Lang was stunned again, and then obviously hesitated. Zhang Xing just looked at the other party without moving.
Seeing this, Cui Yuchen had no choice but to say in a low voice: "To be honest with you, chief, if I can go out this time, the Cui family in Qinghe will definitely be destroyed. Although Cui is the elder brother and is powerful, but in the end he It belongs to the Xingyang branch. I have to take responsibility for the big and small houses in Qinghe, especially the small houses, to gather the children of the clan and prevent them from being separated..."
"Good ambition." Zhang Xing could only say this, but he looked at Jia Runshi again.
Upon seeing this, the latter immediately took the initiative and said: "I have nothing private to do. I have a father at home. I just want to be at ease and serve the chief."
"Are you twenty too?" Zhang Xing obviously disapproved. "It's almost time to think about marriage. Do you have anyone you like?"
"Nothing." Jia Runshi could only say one sentence and then chose to shut up and soak in the rain.
Chief Zhang didn't tire of it, and actually asked these people one by one about their marriages. Those who were not married asked when they would get married. If you are married, ask if you have any children? If you have children, ask them if they have built a foundation?
After some questioning, eight out of ten people became chatty. Zhang Xing knew that the current situation was worrying, so he comforted him again, saying that after today's incident, he would definitely be able to break out.
And hearing the comfort, these people were actually quite cheered up.
"When the time comes, I will spend all the salary and salary increases I have saved over the past few years, and invite all the military documents at the Zhufeng Tower outside Jiangling City to have a drink together!" Xiao Liu was particularly excited to join the army.
Seeing this, Zhang Xing became more and more panicked, but he was still tough on his words and just nodded in agreement: "This is natural."
Just as he was talking, Zhang Xingxiu finally went up, and suddenly he heard someone coming in and shouting loudly from the inside of the fence behind the earthen fort on the opposite side, asking the soldiers on duty to go back and eat in shifts. Then there was a faint echo in the fence, and then It was the sound of the friction of armor and water, then laughter, comforting sounds, and finally the sound of footsteps.
When the original troops on duty were far away, the sound of another person's footsteps gradually became clearer. It was someone coming towards the earth fort. When this person came to several unguarded earth forts and trenches, he couldn't help but whisper. Come and ask: "Chief Zhang? Chief Zhang?"
Zhang Xing did not ask Jia Runshi and the others to bring the person, but turned around and climbed onto the muddy and slippery earth barrier, waving to the person who came, namely Zhang Gongshen.
Zhang Gongshen hurried over and almost slipped in a ditch when he came to him, but Zhang Xing held him up.
After the two settled down, Zhang Gongshen, who was covered in water, immediately spoke: "Chief, as I said before, I only said that the Deposed Dragon Gang wanted to send someone to talk. I didn't say it was you. Manager Luo has already agreed."
"Then we're already three-thirds sure about the matter." Zhang Xing immediately laughed and hugged the other party's shoulders with one hand.
Zhang Gongshen, who was originally nervous, relaxed instantly and nodded.
In this way, Zhang Gongshen led Zhang Xing and his party across the layers of earthen barriers and trenches and entered the fence. Here waiting for a group of soldiers who were obviously more elite. It was Luo Shu who sent people to greet the "envoy", and Zhang The chief's attachés also showed their real role at this time... They began to observe the structure of the camp along the way, check the layout of the outposts, and estimate the distribution of the camp's troops.
In response, Zhang Gongshen and Zhang Xing consciously slowed down their pace, and slowly walked towards the camp as if chatting.
In fact, after they crossed the first layer of fence, no one cared about this group of people. They just thought it was Zhang Gongshen, a local general from Youzhou, who was inspecting the camp together.
Of course, this calmness and calmness changed when they entered Luo Shu's Chinese army camp, because Bai Xiangui, who was waiting here, recognized Zhang Xing... However, although this chief confidant of Luo Shu was obviously He was panicked, but not at a loss. He just quickly moved into the Chinese army's tent.
"General manager, we fell into Zhang San's trick, and he came in person!" Bai Xiangui said simply and directly.
Luo Shu, who was just sitting casually at first, was suddenly startled and stood up on the spot. He wanted to speak, and the body-protecting energy in his body began to stir. However, he soon came to his senses and hurried forward to the tent door.
At this time, a voice came from outside: "Mr. Luo, long time no see! Has Young Master Luo come here? I wonder how far his cultivation is?"
These words were like reminiscing about old acquaintances from other camps, and they were quite magnanimous. Luo Shu laughed dryly, continued to greet him, and stood at the tent door. Seeing that the other party let go of Zhang Gongshen's hand and reached out, he had no choice but to reach out to catch the other party. They walked a few steps in together, then turned back again. Seeing that Bai Xiangui and Zhang Gongshen had driven away the other guards, soldiers, and others in the tent early, and even Zhang Xing's entourage was also outside, he felt relieved: "Chief Zhang, you are so brave!"
"What's so scary about me?" Zhang Xing sneered and said disapprovingly. "I have the Fulong Seal myself, and King Xiongtian and Thirteen Vajras are both here. Even if Bai Hengqiu comes over, what do I have to worry about?"
Luo Shu was startled for a moment and wanted to let go, but he did not let go. Instead, he grabbed the opponent's hand and sat down side by side behind his case. Then he took the opportunity to withdraw his hand: "If you say so, this army of more than 100,000 people Internally and externally, doesn’t Chief Zhang come and leave whenever he wants?”
"That's true." Zhang Xing sat down and looked around again. "Is there any food or wine? My camp has run out of food and supplies, and the journey has been miserable... Give some to my entourage as well."
"Serve the food, but don't serve the wine yet. Get some hot porridge, and serve the wine later. Don't forget to go outside." Luo Shu glanced at the other party's obviously dirty leather armor, and immediately turned back to give the order, and when the porridge was served, They were all brought by Zhang Gongshen himself. Zhang Xing took them directly, but he asked out of curiosity. "Chief Zhang, since you can come and go with ease, why don't you leave? If you have cultivated properly, why are you still covered in mud?"
"Why?" Zhang Xing held the bowl of porridge and spoke softly with a low eyebrow. "These over 10,000 men are the elite of the gang. If they disappear, wouldn't they have to start all over again in Hebei? Or even if the balance within the gang gets out of control, they will have to start a new business?"
"Why is this so?" Luo Shu thought for a while and analyzed it carefully. "Chen Bin, Wei Xuanding, and Dou Lide all obey you, but something bad happened here. If you go out and bring the masters of Ningdan and above to the large corps in the plains, won't you be able to grasp the situation in Hebei? What's more, the current situation, Li Shu is convinced by you, even the commanders and deputy commanders below are able to gain momentum, which shows that you are very popular in Hebei."
"That's not the case." Zhang Xing was silent for a moment, lowered his head and finished a bowl of porridge before speaking seriously. "Although I had no choice but to divide the troops back then, but now I have left a huge flaw...that is, the large army group cannot be used as a blow by Bai Hengqiu from the beginning to the end. In other words, as long as I After the collapse here, Bai Hengqiu can easily defeat the large army there as long as he drives away the Taiyuan and Wu'an armies."
Luo Shu thought for a while and nodded slowly... He was a man who knew soldiers, and of course he knew Guan Yu. The problem here is that the Deposed Dragon Gang must concentrate its elite and add the Fu Long Seal to force Bai Hengqiu back. And once the elite of the Deposed Dragon Gang collapses, even if the high-end combat power escapes, they will not be able to set up a large formation over there. It will be impossible to hinder someone, and they will naturally be defeated. 33
Moreover, there is also the factor that it is difficult for the large corps to move, including the need to take the initiative to respond when the Dragon Gang needs to break through.
"If that's the case..."
"If that's the case..." Zhang Xing said slowly. "If one of our Deposed Dragon Gang fails, the whole situation may be ruined. At that time, all the territory in Hebei will be taken away by Li Ding and Xue Changxiong. But I don't know if the counties of Jijun, Hanoi, and Wuyang will be taken away. If you harvest it yourself, you still have to divide it how you want... But no matter what, the overall situation in Hebei must be generally attributed to the Bai family."
Luo Shu remained silent.
Zhang Xing also continued to say: "Moreover, the Bai family's situation is not just Hebei. With Jin and Jingxiang in hand, even if the eastern capital is attacked, there is also the overall situation of Guanxi... .Jiangdong has never been successful. If this is the case, Bai's world is almost at hand."
"That's right. Even though the Cao family is dead, the Bai family still has a destiny." Luo Shu finally sighed quietly.
"On the other hand, I am not boasting. As long as I can escape with these people and leave a situation for the Deposed Dragon Gang, the situation in Hebei will not belong to the Bai family. By then, Hebei, East Border, Beidi, and Central Plains , Jianghuai, and Jiangdong all have a bright future, and the general trend of the world is uncertain." Zhang Xing ignored the other party's expression and just continued his analysis.
"Even if there is a future, that is also the future of the Deposed Dragon Gang. What does it have to do with me?" Luo Shufu laughed again.
"I thought so too." When Bai Xiangui and Zhang Gongshen were surprised, Zhang Xing also laughed. "If I can really escape this disaster and come back to life, then I have my own thoughts on the general trend of the world. It is destiny. The Three Glory and Four Imperial Guards will also take care of us, the Deposed Dragon Gang, right?"
Luo Shu seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
"If we lose, the Bai family will seize all the power in the world, and it will be difficult for the others to reverse it. If we win, I will depose the Dragon Gang and bring it back to life, thus regaining two points of the world's destiny. But other than that, there are some things that I still have to say clearly." Zhang Xing finally said He raised his hand to pick up the wine bottle on the table and poured two glasses of wine calmly. "From the perspective of the Youzhou Army, if the Bai family takes over the world, it will no longer be possible to stand on its own. It will have to gradually become a vassal and then be annexed. Moreover, because the people from Hebei are attached to the people of Guanlong, I am afraid that they will be subordinated from now on. If you are small, you will not be able to turn over for several generations; and if the Deposed Dragon Gang survives and takes away two points of luck, in fact, the Youzhou Army will also be able to come back with one point of luck... Because here in Hebei, it seems that fish and dragons are mixed, and the princes are divided. , in fact, there has always been a trace... before it was the official army and the rebel army; after this war, it was the people of Hebei and the people of Guanlong."
Luo Shu still smiled and remained silent.
On the other hand, Bai Xiangui and Zhang Gongshen almost had their own thoughts, and then the former took the lead to persuade: "General manager, what Chief Zhang said makes sense."
The latter also immediately reminded: "General manager, if Bai Hengqiu returns without success and the Deposed Dragon Gang escapes, then here in Hebei, it will be the two Hebei forces, the Deposed Dragon Gang and our Youzhou Army, who deal with Xue and The Li family is the main force in Guanlong. In this way, the Deposed Dragon Gang is certainly coming back to life. We can also take the opportunity to integrate Youzhou, advance into Hejian, and then go north to sweep the north... At that time, follow the example of the Black Emperor from north to south. It's not a bad thing to achieve hegemony by destroying the dead, why should we suffer from the anger of the Guanlong people for half a lifetime?"
Luo Shu still smiled and said nothing.
At this time, Zhang Xing grabbed the opponent's hand and asked: "Mr. Luo, even if we don't consider the local justice of the locals and outsiders, and the future of Youzhou you lead, you are a local hero. Don't you know that hundreds of people have gone before you?" The ups and downs of Hebei in the past year?"
"Of course I know, but so what?"
"Now that you know it, why don't you think about it for yourself?" Zhang Xing frowned and asked.
"Why should I consider myself?" Luo Shu laughed and tried to withdraw his palm again. "Is Chief Zhang threatening my life? Will the Deposed Dragon Gang escape from me tonight?!"
"Where are Mr. Luo thinking?" Zhang Xing continued to hold the other person down with one hand, but took the initiative to let go with the other hand. He then picked up a glass of wine on the table and brought it to the other person's chest, speaking sincerely. "I mean, a real man is born in the world, with great ambitions, covering all the world. Even if there is a chance of survival, he should strive to be the first in the world. How can he live in depression for a long time and be willing to be a dog and horse for others?!"
Zhang Xing clearly felt the opponent's wrist suddenly jump... He knew that the matter had become six points.
Even Bai and Zhang, who had already interrupted in the tent, held their breath at this time.
Luo Shu was silent for a long time.
The pros and cons of the matter and the direction of the situation were made very clear in just a few words after Zhang Xing arrived. Zhang Xing did not even need to say it. In the past few days, he had also discussed it clearly with Bai Xiangui and others, including the gains and losses. The accounting for his future was pretty good... However, he had to admit that the accounts he and his cronies settled were not as clear as Zhang Xing's.
In particular, when the others were settling accounts with him, they did not settle the accounts from the perspective of their own ambitions.
Even Bai Xiangui never asked what he wanted to do? How do you say that?
A man born between heaven and earth, how can he live in a state of depression for a long time? These words made his heart feel numb just now!
After an unknown amount of time, Luo Shu reached out to take the wine glass from the opponent's hand, and slowly asked: "If Bai Hengqiu finds out, our Youzhou Army will be destroyed first."
"No." Zhang Xing knew that the matter had become ninety-nine points. "Once decided, I will send four groups of troops to break out from the Dongdu Army Camp on the other side of the river in the southeast, Feng Gong Camp in the north, Manager Luo in the northwest, and Wang Chenkuo in the southwest... The number of people who can leave from here ranges from six to seven thousand to three or four thousand. The number is not large. Bai Hengqiu may not know where to pursue him. At that time, you will see the situation and pretend to pursue and take the opportunity to evacuate... ..Also, I will let the army and Li Shu feign attack together as a cover."
"Both Feng Gong and Wang Chenkuo also agreed?" Luo Shu asked with narrowed eyes.
"No, only Feng Gong agreed. Wang Chenkuo, like the other side of the river, is preparing to break out. Let's see if he, a bandit, dares to risk his family's wealth to fight me." Zhang Xing raised his glass of wine and said with a magnanimous smile. "Even Mr. Feng, to be honest, he actually said that he may not be able to guarantee that the county soldiers in the camp are safe... But at this time, can you still care about this?"
Luo Shu nodded and asked again: "When?"
"Tomorrow night and early morning, but tonight I will take advantage of the rain to release dozens of people from your place and send orders everywhere. After they leave, I will go back."
"Where are you coming from?"
"Look where Bai Hengqiu is, I'm going to hold the Fu Long Seal to deal with it." "What about after the breakout?"
"Of course we will meet east together. I will ask Sanniang to lead the team to meet me, and Li Shu will also ask him to lead his troops to move east quickly from the bank of the river, avoid Bai Hengqiu, and join the large army."
"What if Bai Hengqiu still pursues him?"
"Of course it's the life and death of our Deposed Dragon Gang...but it's not a bad idea if Manager Luo comes to help us." Zhang Xing said sincerely.
"Last question..." Luo Shu smiled again. "Although it is unlikely, what if Bai Hengqiu drives our Youzhou Army to pursue the Deposed Dragon Army that escaped from us?"
"Life and death matter." Zhang Xing also paused. "Life and death are determined by fate. If that's the case, it means that all the other soldiers and horses are alive... It's better than the best situation I thought."
"Not bad, not bad." Luo Shu, realizing that he had nothing to ask, nodded slowly, but after pondering for a moment, he picked up the drink in his hand and drank it down. "A gentleman's word!"
"It's hard to chase a horse!" Zhang Xing also drank the glass of wine in his hand and showed the empty glass to the other party. "Li Xue will not be destroyed, depose the Dragon Gang and share Hebei with the Youzhou Army!"
"Let's go to Hebei together!" Luo Shu also showed the empty cup.
After making the agreement, Zhang Xing stood up without hesitation, walked out of the tent, and then gave instructions one by one.
There are some deviations from Luo Shu's words.
Messengers did indeed begin to be sent out, and there was an endless stream, but in fact, in order to prevent leaks, there were not many messengers who really knew the relevant secrets. There were only five people, and they had received preliminary information in advance. They could set off immediately after hearing the news:
Among them, a messenger went to Bai Yousi to inform the other party that the real breakout direction here was from northwest to north. Bai Yousi was asked to immediately take a boat with military supplies and set off north from the mouth of the river to Zhangshui and Hutuo in the north. The river and sanggan water jointly enter the sea mouth, and then go upstream to connect;
A messenger went to the army, asking Wei Xuanding, Chen Bin, and Dou Lide to immediately send troops to storm the city, knocking on the mountains to shake the tigers, and also serve as a cover, and then quickly retreat before the morning of the next day:
A messenger went to Ji County and asked Li Shu to launch an attack tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and continue to harass:
There is also a real messenger, none other than Su Jingfang. If he had followed the agreement, then he should have set out as early as noon to go to the mouth of the river in Wudi County, where the army is stationed, to look for Bai Yousi... .In other words, this one is the real key messenger, while the first two messengers are more like some kind of insurance;
The last messenger...or guide, is Zhang Gongshen. He has not set off yet, but once the breakout begins tomorrow, he will immediately go north to find the northwest supporting troops for the Deposed Dragon Gang.
Chief Zhang pretended and kept giving orders and dispatching envoys in front of Luo Shu, while Chief Luo just watched quietly as the other party issued orders in his large Chinese army tent until the matter calmed down and Zhang Xing was ready to leave.
"Chief Zhang." At this time, I don't know if he was feeling anxious after the enthusiasm retreated. When Luo Shu stood up to say goodbye, he didn't know what to say. He hesitated for a moment and suddenly asked. "Where is my nephew Qin Erlang now?"
Zhang Xing was in a daze for a moment, then laughed: "I don't know... I can't say he was locked up in a dark prison!"
Luo Shu just nodded casually. How could he care about his wife's nephew? In fact, just after making a big decision, when I came back to my senses, I gradually became so confused that I was at a loss.
Of course, Qin Er was not locked up in a dark prison, but his situation was the same as being in prison, or even worse.
In fact, just when Zhang Xing was being surrounded, Qin Erlang may also have encountered the most difficult period in his life... The injury on his pipa bone caused by Cao Lin's attack has not been relieved in the past few days. , On the contrary, it is getting worse day by day. The true energy cannot circulate, the muscles and bones cannot move, and it is like a disabled person lying in the Guanshi Inn behind Longqiu Pass, suffering.
And on this day, news came from around Longqiao Pass that Li Ding's headquarters team had actually entered Shenyuan Pass from Southeast Road.
After hearing the news, regardless of the fact that it was already dark, and of course because of the large-scale departure of the deposed dragon army from outside, Longqiao Pass guard general Shang Shi led only one person to escort out of Guancheng, preparing to rush back to Dongdu City overnight to welcome him. .
However, when a group of people passed a certain intersection in Guan City, the mounts on the crotch of the guard, Master Shang, and his students suddenly became timid.
Master Shang and his students were stunned for a moment, and then they were overjoyed and looked at the old man beside them: "Mr. Zhang, I was worried that I didn't have a meeting gift for General Sima. Now I actually met a top-quality dragon colt in Guan City. Isn't it right? God willing?!"
The old man, who was Zhang Shizhao, seemed to have something on his mind, but he answered absentmindedly: "God's will is unpredictable."
Some people died, but not completely...
