In the first year of Emperor Xin's reign, summer began.
"To report to Grand Master, the general arrived at the countryside early yesterday morning. The countryside was deserted and there was no trace of the strange beast. Bi Fang... The general searched all night and found no trace."
In the Taicheng camp, the great master of Dashang returned and was sitting on the throne of the coach of the Taicheng camp that had been abandoned not long ago.
The whole cold winter season trapped the army for half a year. Fortunately, Chaoge's army did not wait in vain. Taking advantage of the correction time, a large number of chariots, bows and arrows were deployed from other vassal states such as Chaoge and Northern Xinjiang.
After passing Daizong, we captured the 11th city of Waibeihai. After entering Qingyang Pass, we saw the vast Beihai Plain.
For this kind of terrain, the tank is the best war tool at the moment.
Wen Zhong even sent a special letter to urgently recruit twelve giant elephants in Chaoge City to attack the city and strive for a quick victory.
Just when Wen Zhong was full of ambition and prepared to lead his army to have a good fight with Bi Fang, Kong Xuan returned empty-handed...
"Xuan Gong, how much do you know about Bi Fang? Such an arrogant mythical beast could also run away when the situation is bad?" Wen Zhong was puzzled. Bi Fang is a symbol of the disaster of the fire, and he was also the person in front of the Yellow Emperor's chariot. Divine bird.
"It's just that Bifang can't be found. Why are all the strange beasts gone?"
Kong Xuan was not close to Bi Fang, but he still knew this naughty firebird very well. He was not a bad bird at all, and he was definitely not a good bird at all. He had the kind of playful and naughty child character, and liked him when he had nothing to do. Play with spitting fire.
Once, she accidentally set Zhang'e Mountain on fire. The fire burned the mountain and angered her good neighbor Xie. Under the sycamore tree, I surrendered to the protection of the phoenix and escaped the ferocious hunting.
Therefore, he still has a certain understanding of Bifang. This naughty kid has a temperament that never admits his mistakes. How could he escape.
"Grand Master, I have patrolled the entire wilderness, and there are quite a few blood stains of ringed dogs and crustaceans. Bifang has indeed not found them. It's just that there is a strange place in the north of the wilderness."
"The surrounding vegetation seemed to be struck by lightning, and the central area was half scorched earth and half water. It seemed that someone more powerful than Bifang had driven her away."
Wen Zhong pinched the talisman in his arms and didn't know what to say for a moment. The talisman was not used yet, so why did something unexpected happen again?
This is really strange. Bifang, who is able to fight against the divine bird from ancient times, can also make use of the power of water. What's going on? Could it be that a master from some fairy mountain came here to kill demons?
Unable to think of a specific reason, Wen Zhong motioned to Kong Xuan to take the first seat on the left, and together they waited for the news of the two armies on the left and right to be reported back.
The troops were divided into three groups. This was the strategic policy that Wen Zhong had set earlier. Like a certain young general who did not want to reveal his name, he would first capture the eleven princely city-states in the Outer North Sea, defeat Bi Fang and then join forces at Qingyang Pass.
At this moment, the middle road is victorious without a fight. As long as the left and right roads turn back, they can directly take Xiongguan and drive straight into the Beihai plain, riding horses and whipping.
At this time, the rapid sound of horse hooves came from outside the camp, which should be the order for the officer to return to the camp.
"Report!"
"Replying to the Grand Master, the four generals of the Demon Family of the Zuo Route Army sent a reply order, and our army's flag was hoisted high in the city of Zuo Route."
"Reporting to the Grand Master, General Deng Chanyu of the Right Army Army sent a reply order, and our army's flag was hoisted high in Jiucheng on the Right Army."
"..."
Wen Zhong and the generals in the tent looked at each other.
Wen Zhong boasted that it was not uncommon for other rebels to surrender after wiping out rebellions and killing the ringleaders. However, it was truly unheard of for the enemy to change their banners as soon as the army was dispatched.
"Whose flag is it?" Wen Zhong was impatient. The battle against Beihai was going through many twists and turns before they even entered the pass. He rubbed his brows and felt a little tired.
"Three flags are hung high in the city: Shang, Chong and Meng."
"..."
The generals were in an uproar and discussed.
"How is it possible? The snow has just melted. How can that man surnamed Meng be able to fly into the sky with his troops? As soon as the snow melted, our army prepared for war and mobilized supplies. In just a few days, the man surnamed Meng not only survived, but also continued to fight. Pull out the two acropolis."
"Tell me, are you a spy sent by Yuan Thief? Are you deliberately defrauding us?"
The most excited person in the camp was none other than Chao Lei. For more than half a year, he had made fun of Meng Chang in the army, comparing him to a rebel general and a cowardly villain.
The report of the present world came too quickly. There were two city-states, one on the left and one on the right. They were both Weijue city-states. Even if he and his eldest brother Chao Tian divided their forces to attack, he would not dare to boast about Haikou and say they could capture it in a month. You have to come down, but how much did Meng Chang take with him when he went out?
A thousand cavalry! Could it be that what he brought was a thousand magic gifts that would make him live longer? Can fly and fight?
Wen Zhong also had a look of astonishment. When Die Wu mentioned that Meng Chang's bloodline was very special, he didn't take it seriously. There have been so many outstanding people throughout the ages, and there are many people who became famous at a young age. They may grow up to the end, and their character and character can be improved. There are very few who have passed his level. There are many of these so-called young geniuses in every era, and only a few of them can leave their names in history.
There are no princes or nobles who do not carry some of the blood of their ancestors. Seven thousand years ago, the ancestors of these nobles are not prominent. It is insignificant to invite the lucky ones.
But your Majesty has no reason to talk nonsense. If all this is true, this young man is really a piece of jade in Chongcheng.
"You can tell at a glance whether it's true or not. Duke Xuan will lead his troops to the right, and I will lead the army to the left. Let's see how brave this number one warrior in Chongcheng is."
Taicheng is not far from Guicheng, it can be traveled in one day.
When the army arrived at the south gate of Jiu City, Hou Chang and Feng Lin had been waiting for a long time. When they saw the Grand Master coming in person, they hurriedly dismounted and fell to the ground respectfully. The soldiers and soldiers behind them also put down their swords and bowed their heads to the ground.
"Where is Meng Chang in Chongcheng? Where is Deng Chanyu, the general on the left?" Wen Zhong asked in confusion when he saw that the two generals did not come out to greet them.
"Grand Master, General Meng received good news one day ago. He has captured Qingyang Pass. He should be stationed at Qingyang Pass at the moment."
"Nonsense, Qingyang Pass is separated from here by three other cities. Even if your general is allowed to pass, it will still take more than ten days. Your general will spread the beans and attack the left. Can you still defeat four fortified cities in a row?"
Not long after Hou Chang was promoted to school captain, he was still a little timid. When he heard the Taishi's rebuke, he was so excited that he didn't know how to reply.
Feng Lin immediately stepped forward and explained: "Grand Master, when our army first arrived, Lieutenant Hou informed us that all eleven city-states in the Outer North Sea had been conquered, and General Deng had led his army straight to Qingyang Pass. He is missing now. Scout report."
"Based on the distance, at least we have reached Mocheng, so Lieutenant Hou will not tell such a big lie."
"Eleven cities, do you know what you are talking about?"
Wen Zhong was furious and kept muttering "unheard of" and "unheard of".
The dignitaries and generals of the Chaoge army behind him were also dumbfounded, unable to close their jaws.
There is no standard answer to who was the first person to conduct a thousand-mile raid, but in the life experiences of the generals, such a thing has never been heard of.
In fact, Feng Lin didn't believe it either, but he was one step ahead and had already listened to the legendary story in full. He immediately passed over the dull Hou Chang and explained the reason to the generals and grand masters.
So Feng Lin talked about the turmoil in the eleven cities...
But it is said that after Mengchang led his army to break through Qingyang Pass, Qingyang Pass deputy general Deng Zhizhong led his army to surrender. In the following period, Meng Chang used Deng Zhizhong's Beihai rebel armored cavalry as reconnaissance cavalry to penetrate into the inner and outer North Sea.
After ascertaining the true and false status of the city-states on the right side of the outer Beihai, Deng Zhizhong was used as the vanguard to go to the major city-states on the right side to call for help.
Who is Deng Zhizhong? One of the confidant generals of Beihai Marquis Yuan Futong, and his younger brother Deng Zhixiong were important guards guarding the gates of internal and external Beihai.
The main forces of each city-state went to join the alliance. At this time, the Qingyang Pass guard came to call the door. The city-state guards did not raise any suspicion. The door opened, and Meng Chang and Zhao Bing, who had put on rebel armor, filed in directly. They attacked seven cities in a row for seven days at night.
Since the creation of the Beihai Rebellion, Chaoge's army has achieved the greatest military exploits, its unbridled imagination, and its bold execution, and its disregard for the unspoken rules of war between princes. This has made Wen Zhong change his mind about Mengchang a lot. His boldness and arrogance are just like those who followed him back then. The new king, Emperor Xin, went on an expedition.
The nobles of the seven cities who were conquered, as well as the uncle who stayed behind because of his age, were dissatisfied, but the soldiers were facing the direction of the army. The uncle of Dacheng who took the initiative to rebel against the merchants and many nobles in the city were escorted to Jiucheng for custody. Deng Zhizhong desperately persuaded the others who were passive. The trapped uncle and nobles managed to capture seven fortified cities with some setbacks.
Sun Tzu said: The first step is to attack the enemy, the second step is to attack the enemy, the second step is to attack the army, and the third step is to attack the city.
It's just that this kind of behavior is not easy to evaluate. If you learn from the past and learn from others, will someone in future generations say that he has ruined the atmosphere of war? Meng Chang didn't care, winning was a good thing, losing was nothing.
Some people agree, and others will dissent. In the eyes of Chao Lei and others, this is not an honor, but a shame, a sneaky trick, and the behavior of a villain.
They are upright teachers, but they still want to carry out such sneak attacks against weak princes? Even Deng Chanyu, who likes to hurt people with hidden weapons, did not escape Chao Lei's abuse.
But for Wen Zhong, he does not reject this kind of behavior. When two armies are fighting, they stick to the old rules in order to win. Although sneak attacks are despised, they are also in order to win. Only those who can achieve their goals are true heroes. Well, the premise is that he must be one of our own, otherwise he still has to be scolded.
At least Wen Zhong believed that he could not do this himself. The Grand Master had always been upright in his military use and could defeat the enemy head-on, so there was no need for these devious tricks. Decades of traditional war thinking made him admire such young people, but he could not copy them.
Looking around, the green wheat was already heading. Wen Zhong looked at Hou Chang gently and asked in a low voice: "Why are there so few beans and vegetables? As our army marches, all we can see are wheat seeds that are unpalatable to eat?"
Hou Chang came to his senses, apologized, got on his horse, and ran towards the city with all his strength.
Wen Zhong was not annoyed. He sat on Mo Qilin and quietly looked at this sparsely populated but vibrant city.
I was previously surprised that I had not noticed the feat of conquering eleven cities. Now I opened my eyes and looked at the city carefully. The doors were not closed, the roads were clean and tidy, and the pedestrians and farmers on the road also smiled and saluted each other. Where is this place? A ruined city, if it weren't for the ten empty houses, he would have thought it was a smaller version of Chaoge.
What is even more surprising is that many of the servants and soldiers above the city are actually slightly thin tattooed prisoners and slaves.
This kid is so courageous. Although there are not many troops at the top of the city, only a few hundred people, they are prisoners and slaves after all. They are indeed young people from the mountains. He actually dares to do these things that many people dare not think of. .
The spirit and appearance of these slaves are completely different from what Wen Zhong sees on weekdays. Their expressions are still a little afraid of the military power of Chaoge's army, but even so, this group of people still straighten their backs, hold their heads high, and look at Without squinting, he looks like a bronze figurine.
Very good, it is the style of Meng Chang who likes to practice strange military formations in the military camp, and only he cares so much about these "formal" things.
Pointing to the slaves, servants, prisoners and soldiers, Wen Zhong asked: "Is this also a feat of General Meng?"
Feng Lin replied: "The general has inquired about it before. These prisoners were originally from good families in the city. They disobeyed Yuan Futong's rebellion and were thrown into prison and sentenced to tattoos. As slaves...this matter is a bit disgraceful."
"Tell it like it is."
"This...slaves have always known only their mothers and not their fathers. Therefore, a child has at least two or three biological fathers, and as many as four or five biological fathers. These hundreds of slaves all have sons at home who were taken in by General Meng. He was trained in the juvenile camp, so he joined the camp half as a threat and half as a gratitude to General Meng."
"The shameless villain actually used a child as a hostage and coerced slaves. Grand Master, we are simply ashamed to be associated with this person!" Chao Lei was furious, as if he felt sorry for these poor enslaved people.
While Chao Lei was making noise, Wen Zhong remained silent. Looking at these servants who were motionless under the power of the army, he seemed to be thinking about something.
At the south gate, Hou Chang rode his horse and whipped his whip, holding a food box in his hand.
"Master, this is made from wheat that is ground into flour and evaporated. General Meng calls it 'steamed buns'. Please give it a try, Master."
Wen Zhong looked at the "white gray stone" offered by Hou Chang with both hands, and shouted back Chao Lei, who seemed to want to come forward to continue the chatter. He solemnly took the "steamed bun", tore off a piece, put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully.
It's sweet, but a little dry, but that's a good thing. If the dry 'steamed buns' are soaked in water, they should be more filling.
Wen Zhong's eyes lit up, this is not a piece of jade, this is simply a talented farmer from our great merchant, this alone is comparable to the merits of eleven cities.
Under the continuous natural disasters of Dashang, there is another artifact that can continue the national destiny?
