When the first ray of sunshine pours down in the morning, Suqian's city walls, houses and streets appear warm orange-red.

On this seemingly ordinary morning, Chang Kuan, wearing a neat military uniform, walked onto the street with his hands behind his hands, inspecting the bricks, tiles, plants and trees in the city, and strode towards the west city gate.

This ordinary morning was destined to be extraordinary for Chang Kuan.

Chang Kuan was the deputy commander of the Suqian garrison. Han Yi, the orthodox leader, suddenly fell ill three days ago. Not only could he not get out of bed, he even had difficulty speaking.

As a result, the military power of the City Guards was passed to Chang Kuan somewhat "accidentally".

In addition to his position as deputy commander, Chang Kuan also has a little-known identity, that is, Wang Youhe's brother-in-law. Wang Youhe seems to be an honest businessman, but in fact he is the second-in-command of the underworld sect Yuding Sect.

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As one of the eighteen gangs of the Jingnan League, Yudingmen carried out the task of instigating rebellion near Zhu Di's march route according to Hua Yuxi's instructions, and Suqian County, located east of the Suishui battlefield, was one of their main targets.

Chang Kuan walked up to the gate tower in the west of the city, put up a pergola with his hands, and looked at the official road outside the city.

"Is there anything unusual outside the city this morning?" he casually asked the elementary school next to him.

"No." One of the primary schools replied, "It has been quiet for many days. This is not the only way for Yan Ni to go south. They will only leave us if they are stupid."

"Really?" Chang Kuan smiled slightly and stopped asking. He only told the primary school in the city to be careful.

Not long after, he saw a black line-like team slowly appearing from the end of his sight.

"This is..." A junior high school student exclaimed and hurried to Chang Kuan's side to report: "Report to the deputy commander, there seems to be enemy troops in the distance. Are you ready to meet them?"

"Enemy troops?" Chang Kuan narrowed his eyes, "What flag are they flying? Why can't I see clearly?"

Two scouts on horseback rode out from the city gate and ran towards the direction of the incoming army. They quickly ran back and raised their heads at the foot of the city to report back: "Deputy Commander, the flag of the incoming army says 'Yingtianxin'"

"Army" is a four-character word."

"Yingtian's new army?" Chang Kuan secretly laughed in his heart, but remained calm on the outside, "Are they one of our own? Why haven't I heard that there is such an army under the general's command?"

"They are one of our own." A higher-ranking leader beside him explained with his hands, "The deputy commander does not know that this Yingtian New Army is an elite force trained by Wei Guogong himself and is not under the control of the general. I heard that they

Recently, I also rushed from the capital to Huaibei to participate in the battle. There are reports that they defeated the enemy army in Qimei Mountain. I don’t know the specific situation. If it is true, then Wei Guogong has made a great contribution."

Chang Kuan glanced at the little leader and said doubtfully, "Then why are they here?"

The little boss seemed to want to take this opportunity to show his judgment on the overall situation, so that the newly promoted boss would appreciate his talent: "It is said that Wei Guogong's soldiers are like gods, and many people cannot guess his intentions in advance.

General Jumo deduced that he expected Yan Ni to retreat soon, so he sent troops to the Suqian area in advance so that he could ambush Yan Ni on his way back."

Chang Kuan asked again: "Will the enemy's retreat pass by us?"

The little leader was even more proud. He simply drew his long sword and drew on the bricks of the city wall: "If the enemy wants to retreat, they must either pass through Xuzhou or take the way to Shandong. General Chen and his army are deployed in Xuzhou. If you want to avoid them, take this way."

Shandong, then..."

As he spoke, he drew an arc, and finally drew a circle at the position representing Suqian, smiling without saying a word.

"So you are saying that Wei Guogong had the first clue about the enemy plane and guessed that Yan Ni's retreat would be through Shandong, so he took the lead in sending people to set up an ambush." ​​Chang Kuan once again looked at the approaching team at the city wall, pretending to be suddenly enlightened, "So you say

Come on, if Wei Guogong can really destroy Yan Ni, this team will probably make great achievements."

The little boss heard that Chang Kuan believed his words and said excitedly: "That's right."

"Hurry up and arrange it, open the city gates and welcome the friendly troops into the city." Chang Kuan stretched out his hand and patted the battlements. "We will also take five hundred stones of grain from the warehouse and give it to them for supplies. Hey, in this way, when we arrive,

When it comes to rewards for merit, we in Suqian also have a share."

"Yes!" The little leader's face flushed with excitement, and he strode down the tower.

Lanqiao set out at nightfall yesterday, leading a 30,000-strong surprise attack team, secretly crossed the Suishui River, and marched eastward along the north bank.

His team of 30,000 people is composed of his original Huairou Battalion, Feng Yeling's Changping Battalion, plus elites allocated from other departments of the Yan Army. Not only is its combat effectiveness superior, but its military discipline and execution ability are also

Excellent.

In accordance with the pre-arranged arrangement, the surprise attack team flew under the banner of Yingtian New Army and arrived at Suqian City early the next morning.

Xu Huizu formed a new army in the capital area. Although he had a certain reputation, except for the last operation to pursue Feng Yueming and others to the south bank of the Huaihe River, there was no actual combat. Therefore, almost no one in the cities in Huaibei had seen this army with their own eyes.

The legendary team.

The battle at Qimeishan quickly spread the name of Yingtian's new army throughout Huaibei. Although the defenders in Suqian had never seen them, they would not be too surprised if the new army really appeared.

Coupled with the internal support of Yudingmen and Chang Kuan, Lanqiao's surprise attack team could not only pass through Suqian smoothly, but also obtain some supplies of food and grass.

The city gates opened to the left and right, and Chang Kuan led several followers to walk out the door in small steps and bowed to greet them.

Lan Qiao looked arrogant and did not dismount, but thanked Chang Kuan for his hospitality.

"I know that Suqian is a small city, and I have no intention of disturbing the people. As long as Lord Chang is willing to let us pass through the city and avoid taking a few unnecessary steps, I will thank Lord Chang on behalf of my general."

"It is an honor for me to serve Duke Wei."

Saying that, Chang Kuan stepped aside, Lan Qiao put his legs under the horse's belly and took the lead into the city.

His troops adhered to military discipline and formed neat four-row columns after entering the city, without causing any harm to the common people along the way.

The people were a little scared at first, but later they felt it was a novelty and gathered around both sides of the long street to watch.

The procession entered from the west gate and walked through West Street to East Street.

The five hundred stones of grain that Chang Kuan prepared to "show filial piety" were already parked outside the east gate, waiting for them to "accept them".

Suqian's East Street, also known as East Market, is the busiest place in the morning.

Countless vendors set up stalls along the street, some selling all kinds of breakfast snacks, as well as handicrafts and gadgets. The sound of shouting was mixed with the rising smoke and water vapor, making it full of fireworks.

"General, please try the buns I made. The ones with red bean filling are very sweet."

A crisp female voice came from the roadside.

Lan Qiao turned around and saw a tall girl wearing inconspicuous folk girl clothes standing behind a stall selling steamed buns.

The cages on the stall were stacked so high that white steam kept coming out of the gaps.

The girl was wearing a bamboo hat, and Lan Qiao couldn't see her face from the horse. But she boldly shouted to the general, which immediately attracted the attention of other vendors around her.

Some are curious, and more are jealous.

The girl didn't take it seriously at all. She lifted the bamboo cover, wrapped a basket of steamed buns in oil paper, and handed it to Lan Qiao with her hand raised high.

Her sleeves fell down by half an inch because she raised her hands, revealing a pair of white and delicate wrists.

On one of the wrists, tied with a red rope, was a small, round, crystal-clear stone, with orange-red and milky-white colors intertwined, like a dense mist.

Lan Qiao was so distracted that she was almost speechless. When she took the bun, she looked like a slut and lightly touched the back of her hand.

The girl's delicate body trembled, then she lowered her hands shyly and said nothing.

It wasn't until the army marched out of the city that she turned to a deserted alley and took off her bamboo hat.

Wang Youhe, the second head of the Jade Cauldron Sect, walked out of the darkness and asked respectfully: "Hua, don't you want to say a few more words to Marshal Lan?"

"In troubled times, people cannot help themselves."

The girl shook her head gently: "Now that Suqian is about to happen, it's time for me to leave. Please take care of yourself and block out the news as much as possible."

"May I ask Hua where are you going next?"
Chapter completed!