Yuan Tan didn't know where Xu Shu was from or even what his name was. He only knew that he was a Confucian scholar who followed Zhang Yang and ran out of Hanoi.
By the way, his identity is Zhisubu of Hanoi County.
Apart from this, there is no more information about Xu Shu.
After all, it was Zhang Yang that Yuan Tan needed to care about. As for the dozen or so people following him, they didn't even bother to take a second look.
So when Xu Shu said that he had an invention to dedicate to Yuan Tan, Yuan Tan was very surprised.
Moreover, his conclusive words can help him gain prestige on the battlefield. It sounds like this invention must be shocking.
After twisting and turning in the camp, we arrived at the entrance of Zhang Yang's tent.
At the entrance of the camp, there is an object half a person's height. The object is cylindrical, covered with tulle on the outside, with a frame of woven bamboo strips on the inside, and a bottom frame of woven bamboo strips connected below.
"What is this?" Yuan Tan looked confused when he saw this kind of thing for the first time. It didn't look like a farm tool. If it were to be used for fighting, there were no sharp blades around.
Just this thing will allow him to lead troops and make a great prestige on the battlefield in the future. Are you afraid that you have some misunderstanding about great prestige?
"Master, this thing is called a sky lantern. After lighting the fat block below, it will fly into the sky in a short time." Xu Shu knew the name of this thing, but he didn't dare to say it.
Because Lin Mo told him that this thing is called Yunwen Lantern, telling Yuan Tan the name would be difficult to stop him from thinking about it.
"How can this thing fly without wings?" Yuan Tan walked around the sky lantern, sneered and shook his head.
Don't deceive me because I am illiterate. This can happen in the world.
"Master, can you allow me to test it out?" Xu Shu asked with a smile without explaining.
Yuan Tan raised his forehead and immediately took a few steps back.
Xu Shu summoned two sergeants to pull the lamp body, which was wrapped in several layers of gauze. Although the bottom frame was woven with bamboo strips, it was made with good skill and was watertight. It was filled with grease, and more than a dozen lamps were placed at the same time. wick.
I saw Xu Shu lighting the wicks one by one. As time went by, the air inside the lamp body made of tulle heated and expanded, creating a density difference between the air inside and outside. After a while, the two sergeants felt a faint upward force rising from the sky lantern in their hands. momentum.
"Let go." Lin Mo had only demonstrated this thing to Xu Shu once. It was torn off by Lin Mo before it could even fly. Now he could only make a judgment based on that bit of memory.
Fortunately, the result did not disappoint him. Although the sky lantern was shaky, it still flew up.
This scene made Yuan Tan dumbfounded, and even Zhang Yang, who had been mentally prepared, was dumbfounded.
The soldiers around him raised their heads and murmured: "A divine thing, a divine thing. It has neither wings nor ropes to hold it, but it can actually fly."
Some sergeants even bowed to him directly.
There is no way, in an era where the mind is so imprisoned that Zhang Jiao can command millions of people with a made-up story and a few yellow talismans, seeing this phenomenon that completely subverts cognition, one will inevitably think that it is a miracle. , and even thought that Xu Shu might be the messenger of the gods.
Even Wen Chou, who was busy preparing to set up an ambush at the grain and grass camp on the other side of the camp, was so attracted by this scene that he forgot about his mission and stared blankly at the sky lantern.
"This this."
Yuan Tan was at a loss for words for a while, and all the shock in his heart was written on his face. Finally, he said with a sigh: "This sky lantern can really fly, but how can it help me show my prestige on the battlefield?"
Xu Shu smiled slightly and said calmly: "Sir, if we want to send an order to the army fifty miles away to attack or defend against the enemy, even if we send eight hundred miles of flying cavalry, we will not be able to convey the message within an hour.
If the mountain road is rugged, it may take several hours.
But after the sky lanterns are released, they can be clearly seen from miles away. Just imagine, if a sergeant is arranged to hold a sky lantern every five miles and be on standby. Once there is an urgent military matter, they will light the sky lantern in their hands. In this way, even if they are hundreds of miles apart, it only takes a stick of incense to complete the order.
Soldiers are valuable and quick, and the young master uses this to seize the opportunity. Isn't it enough to show off his power on the battlefield? "
Xu Shu's words struck home, and Yuan Tan understood the secret just after thinking about it for a moment.
Seriously.
For example, if an army is arranged in the grain and grass camp, but the opponent turns to attack the camp, and wait for the horse to run over and notify, the mountain roads in this area will not be reached in more than an hour.
If this sky lantern is used to communicate, not only will the time be greatly shortened, but it will also ignore any terrain.
What is this if not an artifact?
After reacting, Yuan Tan immediately walked up to Xu Shu, bowed his hands, "Sir, you are a great talent, I can't see the mountains anymore. Please don't blame me for being rude before!"
With this sky lantern, countless tactics of divine soldiers descending from the sky flashed in Yuan Tan's mind, and just thinking about it made his blood boil.
A person who can invent such a magical weapon deserves to be called a genius. He does not rule out that he can bring him other surprises in the future. Therefore, Yuan Tan feels that Xu Shu is worthy of such a great gift.
"Young Master's words are serious. I hope I can help you."
After Yuan Tan nodded heavily, he held Xu Shu's hand directly with a firm look in his eyes, "Sir, don't worry, after I defeat Lu, I will make you the prefect of Pengcheng!"
"Young Master, I will never forget your great kindness!"
It's such a big deal. The first move is to make the governor of the capital of the six counties of Xuzhou. Of course I have no objection, but I'm just afraid that Lin Yunwen won't agree.
The prefect of Pengcheng was the central figure, and Yuan Tan's promise was not just a cakewalk. He felt that Xu Shu was indeed worthy of sending a prefect as a gift.
Because this sky lantern is not only a strategic artifact, but also another guarantee for him to secure his position as prince.
With the ability to defeat Lu Tou, plus this magical artifact of the sky lantern, Yuan Shang still wants to seize the throne of the heir apparent? His leg was broken!
Yuan Tanzhi looked proudly at the sky lantern flying higher and higher above his head. In the night sky, it looked like a bright moon. It was shocking, magnificent, and really heart-pounding.
What he didn't know was that a scout in the dense forest several miles away also saw the sky lantern. The frightened scout hurriedly got on his horse and ran towards Lu Ying.
At the Lu camp, all the camps were busy.
Zhao Yun, Gan Ning, Zhang Xiu and others, who were preparing to attack, counted their troops and inspected their ordnance;
Gao Shun, who was in charge of staying behind, led Wei Yue to inspect the fortifications in the camp. If calculated according to the calculation during the day, once the Beiguo Army's grain and grass camp was burned down, Yuan Tan would have led his army to the camp to kill him.
The 40,000-strong army, with the help of the camp's fortifications, antlers and the like, let alone the weak defeating the strong, as long as it can be delayed until dawn and the Northern Army retreats from fatigue, there will be no second wave of offensive.
In the Chinese army's tent, Lin Mo was still having final discussions with Chen Gong and Jia Xu, both speculating and thinking of better ways.
After all, no one can guarantee that the grain and grass camp will be empty. It is also possible that the other party has laid out this situation as early as a month ago. They will first expose the location of the grain and grass camp, and when the time is right, they will use this letter to mislead themselves into thinking that they are diverted attention.
But in the end, no definite answer could be reached.
"Using troops means using danger. Isn't this what you have always said? Don't frighten yourself if you are surrounded by enemies on all sides." Lu Bu was very relaxed and comforted Lin Mo in turn.
Indeed, using troops means using risks. As long as the soldiers and horses leave the camp, or in other words, the confrontation between the two armies begins, there will be uncertainty in any move.
Lin Mo stretched and shook his head, "That's it, we have been discussing it all day and there is no result, so we won't make any changes."
"That's right."
The old father-in-law was very pleased to take Lin Mo to inspect the camp. After all, it was the Great Encyclopedia of the Three Armies. Going among the soldiers at this time was a good way to motivate them.
Before the two of them walked out of the central military tent, the scout hurried in and said, "A strange phenomenon, Marquis Wen, there is a strange phenomenon in the northern military camp!"
The scout was panting as he ran, with a look of horror on his face, and his speech was somewhat unclear.
"Tell me slowly, what happened?" Lu Bu frowned.
When the scouts reported what they saw truthfully, not to mention Lu Bu, even Chen Gong and Jia Xu couldn't help but be speechless. What kind of scene is this, a bright moon rising from the northern military camp?
For this kind of news that was beyond the scope of his cognition, it was more than difficult to accept. Lu Bu just regarded it as a fantasy and squinted at the scouts, "Deceive the people with lies, lie about the military situation, and confuse the morale of the army. Any of these is enough to keep him lying in bed for several months." .”
"Marquis Wen, I don't dare to speak nonsense, this is really true!" Upon hearing this, the scout knelt down anxiously and begged for mercy.
"My father-in-law, he is not talking nonsense." Lin Mo said solemnly, squinting his eyes.
"How did you find out?"
"That's the signal I prepared for Yuan Zhi in advance for him to use at critical moments."
Hearing this, everyone looked stunned, and then suddenly realized. No wonder he had always been confident that Xu Shu could deliver the news. It turned out that he had already made arrangements.
Chen Gong and Jia Xu thought of many ways to communicate, such as placing some specific marks in a corner of the military camp so that scouts could see them from a distance; or burying a letter while leaving the military camp to relieve themselves.
But in the end, I felt that these ideas were unreliable. After all, people with such sensitive identities like Zhang Yang and Xu Shu must have had someone keeping tabs on them secretly.
Good guy, now that I have seen the so-called signal he arranged in advance, I feel that the method I thought of before is more reasonable. Who can believe that Lin Yunwen prepared a bright moon for Xu Shu in advance.
"Then what does this signal mean?" Suppressing the shock in his heart, Lu Bu was keenly aware that this matter might not be as simple as it seemed.
"The camp is empty." Lin Mo touched his nose and said in a deep voice.
As a message, the sky lantern can only be a code word agreed in advance. It was already agreed upon when Peng Cheng said goodbye. When the sky lantern is seen rising, it means that the camp is empty and action can be taken.
"What did you say?"
Lu Bu's expression suddenly changed. No matter how slow his reaction was, he understood what this sentence meant. The empty camp meant that all the elites had been transferred out. The bait was obviously laid in the camp, but the hook was missing. This meant So, there was a high probability that the Grain and Grass Camp had set up an ambush, just as Lin Mo and Jia Xu feared.
"Oh my god, if Yunwen hadn't made arrangements in advance, I'm afraid we would have lost our troops and generals this time."
Chen Gong paused and shook his head solemnly, "I'm afraid it's not that we lost our troops, but that we become withered bones in the grave."
Jia Xu twirled his gray beard and looked at Lin Mo, nodded and said: "Yunwen's methods are indeed shocking."
Jia Xu, who usually keeps quiet, actually has a yardstick in his heart. In terms of quick wits on the spot, he feels that Lin Mo may not be able to beat him, but in terms of the overall situation, he, Lin Yunwen, is really going to be outclassed. .
Although he did not directly approve of this sneak attack on the grain and grass camp, he also had no objection, because he also felt that this opportunity to defeat the defeated national army was too rare.
Unexpectedly, the other party was so deep into the city.
If there is no permission, this will be the night of destruction.
"It's too suspenseful, almost... just a little bit close." After thinking about it, Lu Bu couldn't help but gasp for air. He didn't dare to imagine what kind of ending he would have ended up without Lin Mo's arrangement.
On the eve of the war, Yunwen repeatedly warned that the Northern Army was very powerful. He originally thought it was just a strong army, but he did not expect that there was such a master plan in the camp.
Yuan Shao's annexation of the four northern states was really not a fluke.
It is actually normal for Lu Bu to have lingering fears. Counting from the time he started assisting Pengcheng, he has gone through quite a few battles in the past two years. The most dangerous one was just a fight with Cao Cao in Anfeng. There has never been such a close call today. A situation where the three armies are brought in at once.
"I'll send the order and have the army on standby." Lu Bu let out a long sigh of relief.
"Has your father-in-law forgotten what Yuan Zhi's signal means?" Lin Mo asked with a smile.
"The camp is empty."
Lu Bu, who was still in the panic of escaping from death, thought about it and asked softly: "We will not go to the grain and grass camp, but attack the Chinese army's stronghold instead?"
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, don't miss it." If it had happened in the past, the old father-in-law would have jumped up and down and shouted to kill him. It seemed that he was really frightened.
"oh"
Lu Bu nodded slowly, hesitated to speak, and finally couldn't help but ask: "Yunwen, do you think there is a possibility that Yuan Tan deliberately made it look like he was setting up an ambush at the Grain and Grass Camp to show Yuan Zhi?"
First, the grain and grass camp was exposed, then Zhang Yang's letter to lure the enemy, and finally the ambush went around and back to the grain and grass camp. Now Lu Bu's head was in a mess, and he felt like there was an ambush everywhere he looked.
"Master Yue-Zhang, don't be suspicious, I believe in Yuan Zhi." Zhang Yang's letter is in front, and Xu Shu's signal is in the back. Based on this, Lin Mo can conclude that Yuan Tan's smoke bombs have been used up, and it is impossible to lay down three bombs in a row. There are four thoughts in it.
"Okay! In that case, we will attack Yuan Jun's camp instead, and the original deployment remains unchanged!"
"I'm just afraid it has to change."
The old scumbag who rarely spoke took the initiative to talk, "Yuan Tan still has at least 180,000 troops under his command. Even if he has to set up an ambush in the grain and grass camp, and with external support, there will still be at least about 100,000 people left in the camp. With a sneak attack of 20,000 people, I'm afraid they won't be able to capture everything at once.
If the elite troops were dragged to the grain and grass camp to return reinforcements, the outcome would be uncertain. "
The old scumbag is right to worry. There are at least 108,000 people in the main stronghold of the Chinese army. At this critical moment when a battle will determine the outcome, he cannot be completely undefended.
In other words, with so many people, they are all weaklings. After all, they are just waiting for work and ambushing in advance. It is unrealistic for you to forcefully reverse the situation of the battle with only 10,000 or 20,000 people.
"But, what do you think?" Lu Bu changed his usual impatience and patiently looked at the three of them with his arms crossed.
"Thinking deeper, since the grain and grass camp has set up an ambush, it should also include the retreat route and even our camp. They are all included in their plan."
Chen Gong took the words and said slowly: "In this battle, in addition to attacking the Northern Army's camp, our camp may also be part of the opponent's plan. After all, our elites have also been mobilized."
This was true. Lu Bu's habitual gaze fell on Lin Mo. The latter nodded solemnly, and then said: "Since it is a decisive battle, there is no need to hold back. Please lead the 50,000-strong army, my father-in-law."
Hearing this, Lu Bu frowned. Before he could speak, Lin Mo continued: "It's enough to leave more than 10,000 people at this end of the camp. I have my own way to deal with it."
As long as Yuan Jun's stronghold is destroyed, even if the opponent's elite rushes back, nothing can change the status quo. Breaking the sky is the last resort.
Therefore, this battle is a stud.
"Fifty thousand troops come out together." Lu Bu nodded slowly. Assuming that there were really 100,000 people ambushed in the Chinese army's stronghold, even a weak brigade should not be underestimated. 50,000 people are not too many.
"Don't worry, my father-in-law. Mr. Jia has also prepared a vanguard for my father-in-law. When the vanguard rushes into the stronghold, my father-in-law will definitely succeed with one strike!" After Lin Mo said this, he clenched his right fist, showing his fortitude. .
"Wen He is also preparing to lead the way?" Lu Bu glanced at Jia Xu and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
If it weren't for a few of them, I really don't know how this battle would have been fought.
Yunwen is right, Jia Wenhe is awesome, he is almost as handsome as my son-in-law.
"It's just a small skill. Compared with Yunwen's extraordinary skills, it's really like a horse than a unicorn." Jia Xu chuckled.
In terms of mutual business promotion, Jia Xu is qualified.
(End of chapter)
