"Report——"
"Report to the lord, the Beiyu army has been spotted twenty miles ahead!"
Eight thousand Shuqi, led by Xu Mu, had not yet reached the river bank. All of a sudden, there were exploratory scouts reporting urgently.
"Where is the number of battalions?" Chao Yi said calmly next to Xu Mu.
"At least over 10,000, all from Beiyu Cavalry Camp."
"Humph." There was no fear on Chao Yi's face. Of course, there is still a truce now and peace talks have been held. Otherwise, he would really dare to detach five thousand cavalry to charge and kill.
"My lord, General Chao, the people leading the army are none other than Beiyu's Shen Tuguan, and the newly promoted military advisor Liu Chen."
"Good luck." Xu Mu smiled lightly, then turned his head and looked at the puppy Fu who was following him.
"Han Xing, I order you to detach a thousand cavalry, in the name of camping, to explore the terrain on the river bank and prepare for the future. Remember, when camping, camping is the first priority."
Puppy Fu smiled, he naturally understood what his lord was talking about.
"My king is very close to you. Don't worry. If anything happens, I will be there soon."
"Please don't worry, my lord."
"Go ahead."
Xu Mu turned his gaze. As previously discussed with Dongfang Jing, his real purpose is not to show off his power or to win over and provoke others. It was just a pretense to explore the river bank at the junction of Lizhou and Sizhou. You know, by the middle of the year, if the surprise attack is successful, this place will most likely be used to receive sea ships.
"Then everyone, please follow me and meet the new military advisors from Beiyu."
"I would like to follow my lord!"
A group of old team members all spoke calmly. The knife comes and the blood goes, just like their lives, which have long been tightly tied to the Xishu regime.
…
"General Shentu and Military Advisor Liu are ready to arrive." Scout Colonel Shen Chong raced back with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
He had met the King of Shu, and he seemed polite at first glance, but he knew very well that if he went to the battlefield, he would not be able to come back.
"Very good." Shen Tuguan spoke solemnly. In Western Shu, there are only two people he is most taboo on now, one is the lame man, and the other is the King of Shu.
If a person like this is not careful, he may be taken advantage of.
"Commander Liu, in my opinion, Xu Mu, the king of Western Shu, has made as much concessions as the great conspirators. I must be careful, Commander Liu. There may not be a war, but we will definitely find out the people of Shu this time." intention of."
Liu Chen, who was beside him, seemed to have frost and snow that could not be melted away on his face. He looked extremely cold and cold, and nodded lightly.
Shen Tu Guan turned around and faced forward without any further hesitation.
"Command the flag! Follow me and intercept the Shu people!"
Not long after, behind Shentu Guan, ten thousand cavalry troops led out of the camp quickly followed suit.
On the other side, Xu Mu, who was riding a horse, occasionally turned his head and looked at the nearby mountains while moving forward.
As we approached Sizhou, the terrain suddenly became a little uneven. Different from Lizhou's flat river, the border between Sizhou and Lizhou, close to the river bank, is full of peaks and mountains.
"Chao Yi, what do you think of the terrain here?"
"It is not suitable for cavalry attacks." Chao Yi thought for a while and said, "This area is not a battleground for military strategists. If there is another war, I am afraid that the decisive battle will have to be in Lizhou. After all, Beiyu relies most on its own bow cavalry."
Chao Yi's words were simple and clear. In mountainous terrain like this, throughout the ages, most people would not choose to start a war here unless forced by the situation.
Of course, as the same saying goes, the battlefield is changing rapidly, and sticking to the rules is useless.
"Lord, the Beiyu army is waiting in front of us." Just as Xu Mu was thinking, another scout came back in a hurry.
Xu Mu looked calm and did not issue an order to stop the march. Instead, he asked Chao Yi to continue leading the troops forward.
If it looked like this in wartime, I'm afraid it would be an encounter.
"My lord has an order, keep moving forward!"
Eight thousand Shuqi, like a long snake, continue to meander forward.
Not long after, after hearing the sound of galloping horse hooves, the armies of both sides began to encounter each other at the junction not far from the river bank.
tread.
Shen Tuguan looked ahead, frowned, and raised his hand to have someone wave the flag. Not long after, the Beiyu Cavalry, numbering ten thousand, slowly stopped.
Xu Mu smiled and ordered Chao Yi to stop the army temporarily.
"King of Shu, it is polite for a certain Shen Tu Guan." Shen Tu Guan stepped forward, cupped his hands and cupped his fists.
"General Shentu, it's easy to say." Xu Mu also clasped his fists, "In the Spring Battle, I admire General Shentu's demeanor very much."
"The King of Shu is so complimentary." Shentu Guan's demeanor remained unchanged, "I want to ask more, what is the reason why the King of Shu came to our territory of Beiyu Province with great fanfare? I, Shentu Guan, receive the salary of Beiyu and eat from Beiyu. Please don’t blame me, King Shu, for the rice grains.”
Xu Mu raised his head and looked at the old friend in front of him. Before Old King Yuan died, he had a happy cooperation with the person in front of him and beat Dongling Zuoren to escape.
But now, it's the opposite.
"I told you earlier." After recovering his thoughts, Xu Mu spoke seriously, "In terms of the peace talks, I, Xi Shu, want to return the counties east of Lizhou to Beiyu. So, I, the king, come here this time, I want to instruct these political officials to hand over the situation."
Shen Tu Guan frowned and said, "King Shu, you and I are both smart people, why should you be like this?"
"If General Shentu doesn't believe it, I can't do anything about it." As he said that, Xu Mu calmly turned his eyes and looked at the silent young scribe beside Shentu Guan.
He may still remember his face, but in this situation, things have changed.
"A certain Shen Tu Guan, as a general of Beiyu, if the King of Shu goes forward, then I will have to fulfill my duties first. I will be offended!" Shen Tu Guan said in a calm voice and slowly raised his hand.
Not long after, the Beiyu Cavalry Camp of ten thousand people began to divide into two wings, trying to intercept the Shu army's front path.
"I dare to ask General Shentu, is it possible to start a war?" Beside Xu Mu, Chao Yi stepped out in a deep voice, his voice cold.
"Chao Yi of the wolf clan, others are afraid of you, but I, Jin Zhong, am not afraid of you!" In the Beiyu formation, another tall cavalryman caught the horse's belly, beat the horse out, pointed at Chao Yi and shouted angrily.
"Chao Yi, if you don't come here, I will fight with you!" In an instant, another young general from Beiyu came out with his gun lowered.
Chao Yi smiled and did not move immediately. He was still waiting for his master's order.
In the previous Spring War, each of their colleagues, Pao Ze, died in the battle, and there was an irresolvable blood feud between the two sides.
But even then, Xu Mu remained motionless. He understands very well that Beiyu now needs more time for peace talks than Xishu.
This time, it was obviously to provoke Liu Chen, but in fact, the secret thing was a step that Xi Shu had to do. Xishu needs to control all information about the location along the river bank.
As Xu Mu thought, not long after, Liu Chen, who was riding a horse, raised his head coldly and finally rode out slowly.
"General Shentu, all generals, stop using the Shu people's aggressive tactics."
…
