When the drizzle started, Dou Xiaoniang once again clearly noticed the difference in climate between Huaibei and Hebei... Although they are both plains and crisscrossed by river networks, the temperature gradually rises in summer and the precipitation steadily increases. The amount and humidity of the air still made her and the Hebei Knights in her subordinate team feel obvious discomfort.
There was no other way. As a ranger, you couldn't hide in cities and camps like a large organized unit. Instead, you had to carry a raincoat all day long, sweating and getting wet, and just kept going back and forth in the wilderness.
Especially this kind of drizzle, where I don’t know whether I should wear a raincoat or not, is even more difficult.
In desperation, Dou Xiaoniang could only use her Lihuo Zhenqi to bake, so that her body could avoid moisture. As for her subordinates who did not have this level of cultivation, they did not have such good luck. Quite a few people were killed in a few days. The number of troops was reduced and they were transferred to the rear for rest and rotation.
Under this situation, Dou Xiaoniang could only think of Chief Zhang's words that day in Liyang, but she felt that the right path was for everyone to build a foundation.
However, back to the present, this errand is coming to an end, and we can take a break, because Dou Xiaoniang received news on the way that Chief Zhang was actually in Dangshan in front of us. The leader of this trip, Manager Xie, directly made the decision to turn around. , which also saves her from continuing to travel across states and counties with her people.
Arriving at Dangshan Mountain, Dou Xiaoniang immediately realized that this place had turned into a large military camp. Just looking at the flags and accents in the valley, she knew that at least fifteen or six battalions had arrived and should still be gathering, as if they wanted to borrow With the special mountain-like structure on both sides of Dangshan Mountain, it is like a city. A large army is stationed here... This kind of terrain, coupled with the increasing rain and fog in early summer, which blocks the smoke, as long as no enemy comes directly, the most is... It's just that they know there are troops stationed here.
In this situation, coupled with the dozen or so battalions on the front line, even though Dou Xiaoniang didn't know the whole picture, she also realized that the Deposed Dragon Gang was really ready for a big war.
I just don’t know if Xiao Su used his teacher’s name to become a leader. Did he come? Have you been bullied since you came here because you are an outsider?
"How many battalions of your army are here?"
Among the patrol team, the most excited person was not a member of the Deposed Dragon Gang, but a young officer who was obviously dressed differently from everyone else in the Deposed Dragon Gang. He didn't even have armor, but was wearing a brocade uniform with a red hanging. Seal ribbon, golden seal pouch, wearing a small carved warrior crown, and a long sword with a gold and silver inlaid handle, and has been releasing body-protecting energy to protect the clothes from rain... It is obvious that this is a A senior military officer in the Wei Dynasty, and of noble birth.
And this point directly led to the patrol team's rejection of this person. Even if this person came up and said that he was here to surrender, and Xie Minghe and General Manager Xie also recognized this person's surrender and value, and turned around to greet him in person, it would still be The attitude of the patrolmen could not be changed.
For example, now, no one pays attention to him at all. Even Dou Xiaoniang, who is usually quite serious, seems to be wandering. This makes this person feel excited but also a little nervous.
However, it's not that no one understands him. Xie Minghe, who is at the front of the team, knows that this person's clothes are not to show off, but to survive... This surrendered person named Bai Youbin is now most afraid of the Deposed Dragon Gang. Maybe the people from the Huaiyou League killed him indiscriminately... Think about it, even if you have the cultivation of Dan Dan, you will not die for a while, but you are in the enemy's territory and the rain is pouring. Once you are injured, you may not be able to die. It’s a good thing to eat, so I use this method to show my identity.
However, understanding is understanding, but Xie Minghe also ignored the other party... The reason is very simple. First, it is up to Chief Zhang to decide the outcome of this person. It is difficult to disclose military information without an explanation; secondly, Chief Xie went around a lot of trouble. When he came back from the circle, he knew some things from various places, but he didn't know how many soldiers there were at this time.
But that's it. In the dull mood, Youqi had already welcomed the Daxingtai documents brought by Chief Zhang, made a handover, and then retreated on his own. Xie Minghe, led by several big leaders and leaders who came out to greet him, moved there. On the main peak on one side of Mangdang Mountain is the Juyi Hall that looks like a cliff.
Arriving in front of the huge "righteousness" flag that almost stretched out from the cliff, many people in the hall knew that Manager Xie Minghe and Xie were coming, so they swarmed out to greet him, except for Zhang Xing and a few others. Xie Minghe didn't care about his temperament. After a brief exchange of hands with Li Ding and others, he followed Xiong Bonan, Xu Shiying and many other acquaintances into the hall while chatting and laughing. However, he saw Zhang Xing standing in the hall, and then stretched out his hand. Holding a person in the seat, he was talking strangely. The person being held was obviously nervous, with sweat covering his forehead. From time to time, he would look back at the tall Qin Bao behind him... Manager Xie was not surprised and did not say a word. Instead, he went straight up and found a seat to watch.
Bai Youbin, on the other hand, became more excited when he saw Li Ding; and at a glance he saw Xu Shiying's too long sword, and was frightened again; he finally suppressed many thoughts, and when he came to the hall, he saw The situation inside made me nervous... Even though someone pointed out a seat, I didn't dare to sit down. I didn't sit down until everyone else was sitting casually and it was not easy to stand out. However, I still stared at the person in the middle who was holding the person's hand seriously. , prick up your ears to find some useful information.
"Old Zhao, you know the rules. Don't look around. I'll ask and you will answer, okay?" At this time, Zhang Xing held the hand of the person in front of him, and the ice energy was slowly released.
While the opponent nodded, he also tremblingly used the red Lihuo Qi to hold the opponent's hand in a stalemate.
"Didn't the Jianghu say that you went to Dongyi? Did you go there? When did you come back?" Zhang Xing asked out of curiosity.
"I did go. I just came back a month ago." The man tried his best to answer.
"Why come back?"
"Knowing that Mr. Zhang has become a big deal, I want to use the incense on Mangdang Mountain to find a way out..."
This is so false. If you really want to find yourself, why not go to Hebei? So Zhang Xing remained silent, and the ice energy in his hand surged out at an accelerated rate, while Qin Bao also held down the man's shoulders behind him.
As soon as he became angry, the man immediately changed his words and corrected: "I really want to defect to Mr. Zhang, but I also know that I was a little unhappy with Mr. Zhang and Mr. Qin around here that day, so I haven't been able to make up my mind. I only came here today because I knew that Du Po Zhen, Leader Du, had lost Huaixi and was in trouble in Xuzhou... I thought he might be short of men to accommodate me, a person who used to go to Huaihe in the old days, so I came here."
Zhang Xing laughed: "So, do you think I can't tolerate others?"
The man was sweating profusely, but he didn't dare to extinguish the energy in his hands, and he didn't dare to take the initiative to exert force, so he could only deal with it randomly: "I feel that I am not the material for big things, and I am afraid of ruining the situation of Mr. Zhang, so... The sin is too great.”
"Then you're not afraid of ruining Lao Du's situation?"
"If it's broken, it's broken." The man replied in embarrassment. "Anyway, Alliance Leader Du has lost his foundation one after another, so there is nothing wrong with him..."
This is complete nonsense, not to mention the big bosses and leaders around, even Bai Youbin laughed, but I don't know who is laughing, or Du Po Zhen who always wants to remain independent but has been hit repeatedly. .
"Why come to Mangdang Mountain?"
"I wanted to find some old connections here. I originally wanted to find the great leader of the Great Sage King Zhenwang, but when I got to Dengzhou, I found out that he had gone to sea. I also heard that although Chef Fan became a leader, he I still take good care of my brothers on Mangdang Mountain, so I came here..." As he said this, the man couldn't help but glance at the dark-faced Fan Liuchu, who was expressionless.
"Why are you coming back now?" Zhang Xing nodded and continued to ask, but he seemed to be asking a repeated question.
"Because I know that Leader Du lost Huaixi and went to Xuzhou." The man continued to repeat the answer, but he was obviously a little uneasy, and the Qi in his hands was a little unstable. As soon as he finished speaking, he was forced to double by the Ice Qi. arm.
The man was shocked and quickly exerted his strength, but he only felt that the other party's true energy was as deep as the sea and the abyss, and he couldn't push it at all. Instead, the soreness and numbness in the place where the two true energy met on his arms was steadily going up. Increasingly horrified.
You must know that he claims to have old ties with Zhang Xing, Qin Bao, and Du Pozhen, but he does not come to look for the former, only the latter. This is because he had an affair with the former during a grudge between Mangdang Mountain and Huanshui. There was no grudge between the two, but it was the latter who had little stake in the matter that day.
Coupled with the situation at this time, he was captured as a spy, and he was in Daxantai, which had spread across dozens of states and counties. If he died, he would really die.
Thinking of this, he finally had no choice but to admit: "I am from Dongyi... I fled to Dongyi in embarrassment that day. After staying there for a few years, all the money I had was used up. I could only work as a retainer for the nobles of Dongyi. I was the governor of Dongyi. My subordinates found me and took me to see the Grand Governor. He told me that there was an opportunity here and asked me if I wanted to come back to Huaibei and find a background with Alliance Leader Du..."
"Are you a Dongyi spy?" Zhang Xing thought thoughtfully.
"How can I be considered a Dongyi spy?" The man finally collapsed. "I am a native of the Central Plains who has been with Huaishang for half my life. My reputation and experience are all here. Now that I know the opportunity has come, I can't wait to come back. As for the Dongyi people, since he has this statement, at most he can only leave a statement. , Unless the Dongyi people can really attack Xuzhou and have all the advantages, how can they be regarded as spies? Daxingtai please make a clear decision and give me, Zhao Xingchuan, a way to survive!"
Zhang Xing nodded: "If I didn't give you a way to live, I would have killed you long ago... How could I not give you a way to live?"
That person, Zhao Xingchuan, who was drinking together in the Juyi Hall that day and escaped afterwards, was overjoyed when he heard this. Regardless of the cold energy that had reached his shoulders, he tried his best to respond: "If this is the case, please just ask Mr. Zhang Order!"
"Don't worry, let me ask you one more thing. Boss Lou died in this hall that day. Boss Han was Chen Ling's man. Qin Bao, Fan Liu and I were all here, but you went to Dongyi. That week Where is the boss? He called himself Zhou Yi in the hall that day. It was obviously a pseudonym, but he didn't know where he came from?" Upon seeing this, Zhang Xing stopped caring and just asked what he wanted to ask.
"Don't Mr. Zhang know?" Zhao Xingchuan was stunned for a moment, but his anger was almost on his neck, so he didn't care much and gave the result directly. "Zhou Yi is from Dengzhou. This is not false. He just joined the True Fire Cult later... Just ask your own leader Cheng Dalang and you will know his background! As for where he is now, it is South is north, east is west, I don’t know..."
Zhang Xing nodded, without comment, and continued to ask: "Since you came here to get a teaching from the Dongyi people, would you like to get a teaching from me and go to the northwest for a trip?"
Even though Zhao Xingchuan had been mentally prepared for a long time, he was a little confused at this time: "Northwest...where?"
"Northwest, Chen Ling has created a small separatist situation in the northwest. I'm afraid he hopes that a capable Jianghuai old friend will find him so that he can relocate there." Zhang Xing followed the lead. "Besides, I don't want you to be a spy. According to your own statement, I will give you an explanation, and you will leave an explanation. Unless I send my troops to the northwest and gain all the advantages, otherwise it will be you. How about starting a business in the northwest...?"
Zhao Xingchuan felt that his arms were completely numb and even his neck felt cold. He just hurriedly responded: "It all depends on Mr. Zhang!"
Only then did Zhang Xing let go, but then he called Fan Liuchu: "Take him to rest. I will go back to Baima tomorrow and take him to Hebei on the way."
Zhao Xingchuan regained consciousness, stood up in embarrassment, bent over and coughed twice, and then left with Chef Fan.
As soon as the people left, the atmosphere around them relaxed slightly. Zhang Xing also greeted Xie Minghe, and then he and Qin Bao sat down respectively. As soon as they sat down, Li Ding, who had taken the second seat before, frowned and asked: "Is this going to happen?" Is it useful to send someone to the northwest? This person is obviously dishonest, but he is just a little succumbing to the current situation."
"I was afraid that he would leak information, so I did it casually." Zhang Xing answered frankly. "In this situation, we can't let him go south?"
"Is there still a fight in the south in this situation?" Xiong Bonan suddenly interrupted. "According to the intelligence, the Jiangdu Forbidden Army followed our advice and left along the Huai River."
As soon as this topic came up, everyone was talking about it. Bai Youbin wanted to speak immediately, but he swallowed it again. But he suddenly came to his senses. He should first see the war willingness of these senior leaders of the Deposed Dragon Gang. If you open your mouth again... If everyone agrees that they are not prepared to fight, but you take a stand and instigate war, I'm afraid you will be beaten and killed for your sincerity.
In this world, you need to survive first.
Sure enough, Bai Youbin listened carefully and soon understood something, that is, most of the people in the Juyi Hall still wanted to fight, but it seemed that they had already discussed and decided that unless the Forbidden Army took the initiative to invade, Otherwise, there would be no big fight... So everyone thought that this battle was really going to be impossible, which made them feel a little regretful and helpless.
The only thing worth noting is that Chief Zhang, who is theoretically his brother-in-law, doesn't seem to pay much attention to this discussion, but is rather lost in thought.
"It's useless to say this." Finally, Xu Shiying, who was obviously calm, or more relaxed, stopped the discussion. "Even if he really can't fight, we still have to be on guard..."
As he said that, he looked at Zhang Xing, as if to respect the chief, and asked the latter to speak.
"Not bad." Unexpectedly, Li Ding looked at Zhang Xing first and spoke. "So I still want to go to the front and see the terrain with my own eyes... If we really want to fight, we will have to make hasty preparations, and if we want to plan well, a hundred scouts can't compare to seeing the battlefield with our own eyes."
"This is natural." Zhang Xing also came back to his senses and responded seriously. "Let the King of Heaven go with you, just in case. Moreover, you, Xu Dalang, and Shan Dalang, it is best not to be together when you leave the army; when you go to the front and separate from the army, don't even gather any three of them easily. "
Bai Youbin has been in the army for many years, and he almost immediately understood that the king of heaven is Xiong Bonan, not to mention the highest level of military force, and the other four should be the candidates to be the commanders responsible for fighting the war, at least they have the right to allocate part of the main force. general.
Among them, the rest were just that. He knew who Xu Dalang and Shan Dalang were, but Li Ding, who had just surrendered, actually had the command authority, was a bit shocked.
Li Ding and Xiong Bonan each nodded and did not mention it. Xu Shiying simply took the initiative to ask what she wanted to ask: "Is the chief going back to Baima?"
"Not only Baima, but also Jiyin, Xingyang, Liyang, and Jiangling. Let's take a quick trip to see the logistics and check the defense in the north." Zhang Xingyi said.
Xu Dalang and other high-level officials also agree that it is inevitable to concentrate troops in Huaibei, but they must also guard against Hebei and Dongdu. In fact, in addition to being forced to keep important members such as Chen Bin, Wei Xuanding, and Dou Lide in Hebei, the Deposed Dragon Gang was also forced to A considerable amount of protective troops were left behind for defense and strategic deception...but this was still unsafe. Therefore, Zhang Xing went north this time. Baima and Jiyin were to check the logistics, and the following places were deliberately showing up to shock Hejian. The army and Dongdu are even unlikely to come into contact with the Jin soldiers and horses of the Deposed Dragon Gang.
"This is Bai Youbin, General Ying Yanglang of the Forbidden Army... His father Bai Hengjun died during the military uprising in Jiangdu." Xie Minghe finally spoke and pointed at Bai Youbin. "I came here specifically to vote this time."
When everyone heard his name and his father's name, they couldn't help but have different expressions.
When Bai Youbin knew that the critical moment had come, he immediately stood up and handed over his hands, and then gave a serious explanation: "Chief Zhang, all the heroes of the Deposed Dragon Gang, you are not here to avenge your father...Cao Che is heartbroken. Seeking death, my father and son remembered the kindness of the Wei Dynasty and tried their best. The situation we fell into was just God's will and there was no resentment... To this day, it is just because Sima Huada has the heart to be independent and serves in the army. Since I offended him, I was afraid that I would end up dead without a burial place, so I escaped and just wanted a way out."
Everyone was relieved when they heard that they were just avoiding trouble, not asking for troops... After all, they wanted to fight, but no one was willing to fight this war for a loyal minister and filial son of Cao Che.
It was Li Ding who still did not abide by the order in the gang and asked again: "Bai Erlang came from Xuzhou. The Forbidden Army's trip is false. Can you tell me the cultivation level, troop allocation and logistics quantity of all generals?"
"It's natural." Bai Youbin responded immediately. This was his biggest asset on this trip, but he couldn't hesitate at all.
In this way, Li Ding couldn't wait to ask questions, and Bai Youbin answered all questions. The two sides met for twenty or thirty times in a row before stopping.
"How?" Zhang Xing waited for a moment and looked at Li Silang who was thoughtful. "Any ideas?"
"Of course I have ideas, but I still have to go to the front line to take a look." Li Ding's reply was appropriate.
Zhang Xing nodded and looked at Bai Youbin: "Where's General Bai, what do you think? Can we start a fight?"
Bai Youbin hesitated and replied: "I don't know."
"If there's a fight, do you think we can win?" Zhang Xing continued to ask.
Bai Youbin opened his mouth to speak, but decided to keep a low profile: "I am just a general. How can I know the outcome of an army of 70,000 to 80,000 people?"
Zhang Xing nodded without comment, but continued to ask: "Then do you think we should fight?"
Bai Youbin suppressed the impulse caused by his usual temperament before the Jiangdu Military Revolution, and just laughed: "Chief Zhang is joking. If you don't know the outcome, how can you say whether we should fight or not?"
Zhang Xing also laughed, but then turned around and shouted into the side room of Juyi Hall: "Yu Wenshu, look, General Bai is much more cautious than you... Unlike you, when he sees me, he says, Sima Hua Da Ke Po has caused many people to think that you are crazy for wanting revenge."
Bai Youbin looked over there in shock, and saw an old friend of Jiangdu walking out of the side room. It was Yu Changnan who had come to "deliver the order" before.
Yu Changnan walked over with no expression on his face, bowed his hands in front of everyone, and said simply: "Chief, I'm sorry to be blunt, but General Bai actually thinks that we should fight, and he can fight! And he wants to fight more than anyone else! However, when people encounter great changes, they often go against their will. The old becomes the new... For example, my temperament was relatively reserved and quiet before, but after the drastic change in Jiangdu, I felt that I was pedantic before. General Bai has always been impulsive, but after the drastic change in Jiangdu, it is normal for him to be cautious."
Zhang Xing nodded and looked at Bai Youbin again: "Is this really the case?"
Bai Youbin let out a long sigh and saluted again: "As Yu Sheren said, how can you give up the revenge of killing your father? I just know that no one can shake the current situation. If you insist on talking too much, I'm afraid it will only end. I disobeyed all the heroes of the Dragon Gang and caused dissatisfaction."
"In that case, please sit down. I don't say whether we can fight in this battle or not, but we need to be fully prepared. Please stay here with Yu Wenshu to make detailed arrangements for this battle." Zhang Xing raised his hand to signal. "If we really want to fight, you two must have a miraculous effect."
Bai Youbin was very determined, saluted again and again, and returned to his seat.
But Yu Changnan came to ask proudly: "Chief, General Bai's and I's intelligence can both complement and corroborate each other. I wonder if the chief himself has the judgment to fight this battle?"
"Judgment can't be called that." Zhang Xing thought for a moment and gave the answer. "However, I do feel that this battle will take longer...because Sima Huada cannot control the Forbidden Army, nor can he control himself, and the Forbidden Army cannot control itself."
Li Ding was stunned, Yu Changnan was thoughtful, and Bai Youbin was delighted. Many people present reacted, but it seemed that most people were used to Chief Zhang, but only a few people nodded curtly.
Facts have proved that there is some truth to Zhang Xing's mysterious statement... On April 26, Zhang Xing had just left for Baima, and the Imperial Army had just left Xuzhou City. In the afternoon, a real battle occurred on the Huaibei front line. battle.
It must be noted that there was no premeditation in this battle. It was not that the main combatants like Liu Heifu deliberately went deep into the Huai River line to launch an attack, nor was it Shan Tonghai who received Zhang Xing's secret order to launch a systematic attack in private. Instead, a forbidden army did appear. Within the first-line defense zone of the Deposed Dragon Gang, a conflict occurred with the Deposed Dragon Army.
The specific location is in the small town at the foot of Panshi Mountain, dozens of miles west of Xuzhou City, and on the north side of Suishui River.
Obviously, the Forbidden Army did not feel that they were provoking or anything. As the flankers and rearguards on the northwest side of the main force of the Forbidden Army, they walked for a day in the rain, because most of the rain gear in the towns along the way was used by other flanking troops in front. The capture made them naturally focus on the town on the other side of the Suishui River. In the afternoon, they came to a pontoon bridge and a team general took the initiative to lead a team of people across the river to the small commercial market town on the other side that looked very prosperous. "Getting" the rain gear, another team followed immediately.
In response, Shang Huaien, the leader of the Deposed Dragon Gang who was stationed behind the Panshi Mountain next to this market town, ordered a counterattack without any hesitation. This leader, who was considered a direct confidant of Chief Zhang but had always had a poor record, couldn't wait to prove that he was a leader. What happened, the other party's behavior of crossing the Suishui River to plunder was enough to make him feel confident... Although there was no expressly agreed limit, Shang Huai'en, who was directly assigned to this place by Shan Tonghai, had sufficient reasons to believe that his defense zone included this small town. town.
However, the result of the battle was a bit embarrassing for Shang Huaien, and the process was quite ugly.
The Deposed Dragon Gang dispatched more than half of the battalion, 1,400 to 500 people, about a dozen teams. However, because Shang Huai'en was greedy for victory, he ordered the troops to be divided into two sides and surrounded. It took time for the plundered Forbidden Army to regroup, so much so that the Dragon Army was unable to quickly defeat the two groups of Forbidden Army that had crossed the border.
Not only that, Shang Huaien ordered only one team of people to be responsible for cutting off the retreat pontoon bridge. Instead, the reinforcements from the other side quickly crossed the river, broke through the bridge head, and forcibly picked up the two teams of people who were trapped.
The battle was fought like this because the Forbidden Army lacked cavalry and there were no masters of elixir condensation in charge. Otherwise, the Deposed Dragon Army would have made a big joke.
The battle itself can only be regarded as a so-called friction. As long as the senior generals on both sides still have sense, they will not make any decisions based on this. However, the battle process and results spread by themselves among the army. The originally nervous Forbidden Army was naturally The morale was greatly boosted, and they could not help but start to look down upon the Deposed Dragon Army. The battalions of the Deposed Dragon Army at the front were also very angry and deeply ashamed.
It is said that Liu Heifu scolded his mother on the spot, and Shan Tonghai directly sent his envoys to scold him when he learned about the specific battle situation later. Moreover, this was only the reaction of the leaders above. The sergeants and officers below would also become angry and arrogant.
These changes can easily lead to a rapid increase in the number of similar frictions.
So soon, the two sides began to compete with each other, and some people began to take the initiative to cross the border to carry out provocative battles or targeted attacks... There was no way, this was the chaos of war, two huge armies of tens of thousands of people were gradually spreading among dozens of people. Needless to say, there is no way to enforce orders and prohibitions on a front that is miles or even hundreds of miles long. Even the changes in the atmosphere of the battlefield are driven by various complex factors, so that they appear to be all kinds of strange.
All in all, on the afternoon of April 29, when Dou Xiaoniang, who had returned from rest, returned to the front line, she encountered a non-targeted ambush on the north bank of Suishui River, leaving her at a loss.
It was drizzling at that time.
PS: I came back on the night of the 4th, sorry.
