"Duan Tong, you have been in the Central Plains for so long and you don't have many friends?" Hu Yanlan, one of the Four Mastiffs, rode on a horse and took the initiative to approach Duan Tong, who was also a member of the Four Mastiffs, and asked aloud.
Unlike the other four mastiffs, who were scorned by Tibano and ignored by Qi Guoxie, Huyanlan seemed to value Duan Tong who took the initiative to flee from the Central Plains to Beiyi. He only felt that this person was extraordinary. .
Duan Tong was a little confused: "Why did Mr. Huyan suddenly ask this? Oh, who in the world has no friends?"
"Since you also have friends and connections in the Central Plains, why can't you even find out the whereabouts of Bieqi?" "Bieqi" is the name of the Northern Yi people for the daughter of the Great Khan, that is, Meng Qianya.
Duan Tong breathed a sigh of relief and said: "There was indeed a trace of the princess some time ago. She first went to Tiandao, then to Tangmen, and also visited some other small sects in the Central Plains. After that, she disappeared. Got the news."
"Why is this?" Hu Yanlan was a little curious.
"Princess met Zhang Zongbai." Duan Tong said lightly.
Hu Yanlan's eyes widened and she took a breath of cold air: "What! Don't you see Zhang Zongbai!? Then..."
"I don't know. It should be fine. Zhang Zongbai is not a bad person. He has been practicing for decades, and his Taoist heart is beyond what you and I can imagine. Moreover, killing evil will affect his ascension. I don't think he will It’s only right that you take action against the princess.”
Hu Yanlan nodded when he heard the words: "That makes sense. It seems that Brother Duan is quite knowledgeable about the Central Plains!"
Duan Tong ignored his indifferent compliment and asked: "Where are our 150,000 troops going now? Didn't the Great Khan even tell you?"
"Me? Hahaha, I just know a few words and read a little bit. I don't understand about marching and fighting." Hu Yanlan shook her head and refused. She didn't know whether she really didn't know or was unwilling to tell him.
He didn't say anything, and Duan Tong didn't ask any questions, so he just followed.
After walking for more than half a day, a Beiyi spy came on horseback. Before he could speak, Hu Yanlan raised his hand and shouted: "I understand, you can go down first."
The Beiyi spy didn't say much. He leaned slightly toward Hu Yanlan and Duan Tong, turned around and left.
When Duan Tong saw this, he didn't ask any further questions. Someone would naturally tell him what he needed to tell him.
The army continued to move forward for a short distance. When Hu Yanlan saw old man Duan Tong sitting on his horse with a calm look, he couldn't help but smile: "Brother Duan is quite calm."
Duan Tong also grinned: "With Master Huyan as the backbone of the army, my heart has long been in my stomach."
"I won't hide it from you, brother Duan. We are going to attack Dingliao! This decision was told to me personally by the Great Khan. For fear of leaking the news, I have never dared to say it, so I am telling you now, brother Duan."
"We must have reached a fork in the road. The spy just came to report, right? Master Huyan needs me to do something, but please give me instructions." Duan Tong said very respectfully.
"Hey! Between you and me, we are talking like this. The Great Khan ordered us to attack Dingliao, but we still need to send a force to pretend to attack the other two places. My martial arts skills are mediocre, and I need more efforts from you. Yes." Hu Yanlan smiled extremely politely.
Duan Tong nodded: "Well, where do you need me to feign attack?"
"I will give you 10,000 troops. How about you lead the troops to attack Anxi?" Hu Yanlan asked, "Northland can also be used, it's up to you."
Duan Tong smiled and said: "Let's just Anxi, but if this happens, if Master Huyan has something to do in Dingliao, I won't be able to support him."
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, you can just go." Hu Yanlan turned around and shouted: "Hu Yantuo, you lead 10,000 troops to follow Master Duan and follow Master Duan's orders!"
"Yes!" came a response from the army behind him.
"Huyan..." Duan Tong thought about this surname silently in his heart, and he already knew it in his heart.
The two said goodbye, and Duan Tong led 10,000 troops and set off directly towards the northern border of Anxi. Hu Yanlan led an army of 140,000 people and headed east in a mighty manner.
Duan Tong led the army and looked at the Hu Yantuo next to him. He saw that he was tall and burly, far from the wretched Hu Yanlan, and he couldn't help but feel suspicious in his heart.
"General Huyan, are you...really your surname is Huyan?" Duan Tong couldn't help but ask.
"The general's surname has been Huyan for decades! Hahahaha!" Huyantuo was extremely generous and laughed loudly.
Duan Tong couldn't help but ask: "How dare I ask... Sir Hu Yanlan... are you related to the general?"
Huyantuo said casually: "That's natural. Master Huyanlan is my brother-in-law. In the Chinese language, when his wife came to my Huyan family, she took the surname Huyan."
When Duan Tong heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little funny: "Master Huyan still has such past events!"
"Master Duan, you are from the Central Plains. I don't know. We also have various tribes in the Northern Yi. Before the Great Khan unified the tribes, they were all equally powerful. My brother-in-law's tribe was defeated by my Huyan tribe. What a coincidence. Unfortunately, almost all the members of their tribe were killed, and just when our warriors were about to kill him, my sister caught his eye and recruited him into my Huyan tribe."
Hu Yantuo did not shy away from telling Duan Tong all these secret past events.
"Oh~ So that's it. Master Huyan is really lucky." Duan Tong chuckled and agreed.
The two laughed and walked away. Huyantuo told all the embarrassing things about how Huyanlan was groveling in the Huyan tribe, which made Duan Tong laugh all the way.
On the other side, Hu Yanlan led the army to the east for a while and then ordered the soldiers and horses to stop.
"Lord Huyan, why did you stop the army and not advance?" A general stepped forward and asked.
Hu Yanlan turned his head. He knew this person. He was a general under Qi Wukuoxie. Among the four mastiffs, only Qi Guoxie was the most loyal to Meng Mulie Khan, and it was known to everyone. Of course, this does not mean that others are not loyal, but that everyone has reached a consensus that no one will be more loyal than Qi Guokuoxie.
Qi Wukuoxie is like this, and his generals are even more like this. His generals are also the backbone of the Northern Yi who support Meng Mulie. It can be said that with Meng Mulie around, others have no thoughts of rebellion, but with Meng Mulie supported by Qi Wukuoxie, others can only think of fawning over him.
"General Mimuma, to be honest, the Great Khan gave me an order to attack Anxi, so I can't leave anymore. If I leave, I will delay the opportunity to fight." Hu Yanlan said very politely.
Mi Mu Ma looked at Hu Yanlan with some suspicion: "Then why did Master Huyan just ask Master Duan to pretend to attack Anxi? Master Duan has gone. If we can't attack, wouldn't the enemy be on guard?"
Hu Yanlan laughed loudly: "Hahahaha, general, haven't you heard of the saying in the Central Plains? If you call it false, it will be true, and if it is true, it will be false! Lord Duan is attacking by force or feinting. The enemy can tell at a glance. If I really When we arrived at Dingliao, the enemy had already been prepared. The official roads in the Central Plains are fast and convenient, and our marching speed could not keep up with the military situation of the Central Plains people."
"Then Mr. Huyan deliberately asked Mr. Duan to feint to attack Anxi. We stayed aside. After the feint attack, the Anxi defenders relaxed their guard and we took it down in one fell swoop?" Anyone who can follow Qi Guokuoxie will not be a fool. Hu Yanlan figured it out after a little digging.
Hu Yanlan smiled and said: "What the general said is true. Today I will come up with an anti-empty city strategy, hahahaha."
After hearing this, Mi Mu Ma stopped asking questions, nodded, and returned to the military formation, obeying Hu Yanlan's next move.
"The army will camp on the spot, and then send scouts to the north behind Duan Tong's troops. I will report on the situation in Anxi ten times a day!" Hu Yanlan shouted to the herald in the Beiyi army, and the herald followed suit. Following the order, many scouts and spies were sent to inquire for information in the direction of Duan Tong's army.
The place where the two armies bid farewell was not far from Fengcheng. After walking for a while, Fengcheng's tall city outline could already be seen on the endless grassland.
"Master Duan, Anxi is a thousand miles away from Fengcheng. We might as well stay here for a few days. How about attacking the city after my brother-in-law arrives at Dingliao?" Huyantuo may seem tall and burly, but he also has a delicate side.
Duan Tong shook his head: "It's really commendable that the general can consider the geographical area, but the general only knows one thing and doesn't know the other."
"Oh? I wish... I wish it... Hey, Mr. Duan, stop being so pretentious and tell me quickly." Hu Yantuo was a little anxious.
Duan Tong said seriously: "It is true that it is a thousand miles from Anxi to Dingliao. But if we attack the city a few days later, how can the information from Anxi be sent out in time? When the military information from Anxi is sent to Dingliao, Dingliao will If Liao sends troops to help again, won't Lord Huyan have to wait for a while?"
"We might as well attack now. When Anxi's request for help reaches Dingliao, Lord Huyan may not be able to arrive. Waiting for Dingliao to dispatch troops and horses to rescue, while Dingliao is empty, Lord Huyan can capture it in one fell swoop!"
Hu Yantuo tasted it carefully, nodded and said: "Master Duan is right. Then let's attack the city now?"
"General, wait a minute. We are attacking the city now. We can only attack the north side of Fengcheng. The soldiers and horses in the city are defending the city. We only need to defend the north side. At that time, our army will not be able to shake the hearts of Fengcheng. This is not a good idea. Why don't you attack the east and west sides of Fengcheng again? Allocate some troops to create an illusion of siege in the city."
"When the people in Fengcheng are upset, our army will be surprised again and catch them off guard. Only in this way can we arouse Anxi's fear and let him send orders to Beidi and Dingliao to call for reinforcements."
After hearing Duan Tong's eloquent talk, Huyantuo nodded repeatedly: "Okay, then let's follow Master Duan's plan. Where is Master Duan going?"
Duan Tong thought for a while and said: "To the east of Anxi is the Northland, and reinforcements will come from here. I will take three thousand soldiers and horses to the east city gate! If someone in the city delivers a message, I can seize the opportunity to let him go. "
Hu Yantuo agreed: "Okay! Mr. Duan is still thoughtful, so I will divide Mr. Duan's 3,000 troops and send a general of 2,000 troops to Xicheng. I will bring 5,000 myself and attack from the north!"
Duan Tong smiled: "This is the best!"
After discussing how to divide the troops, Duan Tong led his troops and was about to leave. Hu Yantuo quickly shouted from behind: "Master Duan, although we are feigning an attack now, if we capture the West City, Master Duan still needs to seize the opportunity! This credit is enough for you and me to share equally! Hahahaha!"
Duan Tong smiled again, this time a little coldly: "That's natural."
