Sitting on the bed, Wang Shichong was obviously in better spirits than he was this morning, but his eyes were still listless as he looked around at everyone standing beside the bed and said: This expedition is really related to our success or failure. It is the biggest regret of my life that I cannot participate in person.
Yang Gongqing hurriedly said: Your Excellency, please rest assured that I will live up to your trust with Master Xuanshu and the Kou brothers as my assistants. I will teach Li Mi that he will never be able to recover from his defeat. After your Excellency recovers, he can once again lead his subordinates to conquer the north and south to unify the world.
Wang Shichong pondered: Although we and Li Yuan are in Guanxi and Guandong, the situation is similar. We are restricted by Li Mi and cannot go west; he has to deal with Xue Ju and his son in Longyou all the time. So now both sides have to compete with the times.
Let's see who can consolidate the strength first and quell the immediate troubles to have the chance to achieve unparalleled achievements.
This time Kou Zhongshang heard Wang Shichong discuss his situation. He knew that Wang Shichong could not help but rely on him now, so he was allowed to hear such confidential information.
At this time, besides him, there were only five people beside him: Wang Xuanying, Wang Xuanshu, Yang Gongqing, Lang Feng, and Song Mengqiu. It was obvious that this was no ordinary meeting.
Wang Shichong sighed: Xue Ju was born in a wealthy family and always loved to make friends and spend money like water. Unless this kind of - [Yi Kua] son has always been smooth sailing, it will be difficult to persevere in the face of setbacks. Once he surrenders, Li Yuan will immediately increase his strength, so we must
We must attack Guanzhong before this happens. Therefore, the battle with Li Mi must be fought decisively, otherwise victory will be equal to defeat.
Kou Zhong couldn't help but admire Wang Shichong with admiration. This analysis showed that he was indeed a man who was proficient in the art of war and had a far-sighted vision.
Wang Xuan responded, "But Xue Renguo, Xue Ju's son, is brave and good at fighting. It seems that he should not be willing to surrender."
Wang Shichong took two breaths urgently, and Kou Zhong lost another shot of Qi to him before regaining his energy and said in a deep voice: Unfortunately, his opponent is Li Shimin, who is both wise and brave. Unless Li Shimin dies, his father and son will never escape the fate of defeat and surrender.
.
Yang Gongqing first said: Xue Ju's rise of troops was just a matter of time. Unlike your Excellency or Li Yuan, who was a general before the uprising, he went to fight in the world; or like Li Mi, Du Fuwei, and Dou Jiande, whose territory was fought back. At that time, because of his family wealth,
Fu Fu bought a school lieutenant in Jincheng and came to serve as a great cause. In the 13th year of his reign, Longyou robbed Jincheng and ordered Hao Yuan to recruit thousands of soldiers and hand them over to him to command and suppress the bandits. Little did he know that with this army, he would start a business, open warehouses, help the poor, and become a king.
.Jianji is located near the Western Border and has no rivals. If the place where he raised his troops was Kanto instead of Kansai, he might have been annexed by others. So what your Lord said is true.
Wang Shichong said: Tonight when you go east to Yanshi, you must not make any publicity. You are responsible for commanding the commander's seal and tiger talisman and commanding the entire army. Xuan Shu is the deputy division commander and Zhong is the military adviser. The three of them must cooperate sincerely and take advantage of Li Mi's contempt for us to fight against him.
If we can win, we must take advantage of the victory and pursue it. If we can go to Luokou again, the two towns of Hulao and Li Mi will be gone. The only thing left is to die in battle or surrender to the world. This is what I, the king, have in my pocket.
He became more and more excited and coughed again.
Lang advised: We will definitely implement your instructions. Why don't you rest for a while? Wang Shichong said diligently: "Shuni's marriage to Guanxi will be carried out according to the original plan. Do you have any objections to this?"
Kou Zhong saw everyone looking at him, confused and embarrassed, and said hurriedly: "Everything is as ordered by the prince."
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Kou Zhong returned to the lobby and Xu Ziling was chatting with Chen Changlin. Seeing Kou Zhong arrive, Xu Ziling said happily: It turns out that Brother Changlin comes from Nanhai County. His family has been engaged in maritime trade for many generations. Listening to his words is better than traveling thousands of miles. There are many strange customs in many places. I guarantee you didn't listen.
Passed.
Kou Zhong secretly felt ashamed that he and Chen Changlin could not even speak ten sentences together. He quickly joked: Brother Chen is not a relative of Lao Huang! We are all from Nanhai!
Chen Changlin showed that he was a serious man and replied: Brother Kou misunderstood! Nanhai refers to the sea coast in the south of our country. There are more than ten counties on the coast. Our Nanhai County and the Hainan faction's Zhuya County are separated by more than 20 days of boat ride. Kou Zhong sat on the other side of Chen Changlin and said, "What kind of place is there in the vast ocean? In those days, foreign merchant ships often came to Yangzhou. The appearance and clothes of those people were very strange."
Chen Changlin said: My family does business with Persians and cannibals.
Kou Zhong couldn't help but ask: Why didn't Brother Chen stay in Nanhai County to make money from outside, but came here after thousands of rivers and mountains?
Chen Changlin's eyes shot out with flames of hatred and he said in a deep voice: Who would want to leave his hometown unless he had no choice but to say this? Brother Kou, please forgive me.
Kou Zhong was moved and asked: Is it related to Shen Faxing?
Chen Changlin was shocked and said: Brother Kou is really good at guessing right. Although it is not directly related, Shen Lun is his son and he cannot escape the blame.
Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong exchanged glances and lowered their voices: What did Shen Lun do to Brother Chen that was so outrageous?
Chen Changlin sighed and said: Shen Lun caused the destruction of my family and the death of my family. How can I vent the hatred in my heart if I don't take revenge?
Kou Zhong was about to call the guards to report: Everything is ready, gentlemen, please move forward!
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Twelve warships filed out of Luoyang City and sailed along the tide of Luo River to Yanshi. Because they were flowing eastwards with the current, the ships were very high and flowed for many miles.
Along the waterway from Luoyang to Yanshi, there are sentinels on commanding heights on both sides of the river to monitor the waterway, so there is absolutely no problem in terms of safety.
In addition to Yang Gongqing and Wang Xuanshu, Linglongjiao was also accompanied by Linglongjiao, who was responsible for spying on the enemy.
After boarding the ship, this Kucha beauty took refuge in the cabin and had to carry it into the room for her even the whole night.
Xu Ziling was not interested in socializing with Yang Gongqing and hid indoors to meditate.
After the meal, Yang Gongqing said worriedly: Li Mi was the best at using deceitful soldiers, and he often didn't know he had fallen into the trap until he went to war. Do the Kou brothers have any clever plans to deal with it?
Kou Zhong smiled and said: Zhao now wants to see who is the best at deception. Now our most important task is to detect the exact location of Li Mi's main army so that we can make plans calmly. I have made an appointment with Zhai Jiao to send someone to the Yanshi meeting. By then I will be able to clearly grasp the reality of Li Mi's death. The person who killed Li Mi was actually Zhai Rang's daughter.
Wang Xuanshu was puzzled and said: But since Feng Yao Dao knew about Zhai Jiao, he would naturally remind Li Mi of something bad and we might fall into his scheme.
Yang Gongqing also agreed.
Kou Zhong laughed and said: "The problem is that even I don't know which of the old generals of Li Mi's Wagang Army is in Cao's camp and his heart is in Han. Li Mi had better doubt every old general and put everyone in danger. Then At that time, once Li Mi suffered a defeat, he would be immediately disheartened and the Wagang army would be torn apart, leaving Li Mi without the capital to make a comeback.
He paused for a moment and said harshly one word after another: So we only need to win one big victory and Li Mi will never have a chance to turn around.
Wang Xuanshu's eyes revealed an expression of admiration and he said: Brother Kou has a different set of brilliant views on everything. Yang Gongqing was still relieved and said: Our total strength is only 20,000, although they are all elites from the old Sui Dynasty's battle formations. Compared with Li Mi's army of hundreds of thousands, no matter how much his troops were reduced in the battle of Tongshan and Yuhuahua, he was still far superior to us. He may not be able to lose this battle, but we are even less able to lose than him. .So he must be prevented from cheating to have a chance of winning.
Kou Zhong calmed down and said: In this regard, the general can be absolutely assured. There is a man named Xuanyong under Zhai Jiao. This man is good at the art of war. He has followed Zhai Rang for a long time in the past and now he has been working with the Wagang soldier general who is still secretly loyal to Zhai Rang. I have contacts, so I know the movements of the Wagang Army very well. I guarantee that Li Mi can’t hide it from us even if he swings his butt left or right. Hee! Everyone has been busy these two days, so why not go back to the room to rest as soon as possible, because he may not even sleep after arriving in Yanshi There is no time!
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Kou Zhong pushed open the door and walked in. He slumped down with his arms bent beside Xu Ziling who was meditating on the bed. His feet were still touching the ground and he let out a breath and said: "Didn't you always practice lying down before? Why do you want to learn to meditate cross-legged now?"
Is it more satisfying than practicing while sleeping?
Xu Ziling opened his eyes slightly and said: Why have you been wronged again and you are frowning with resentment?
Kou Zhong smiled bitterly and said: "I'm sorry, I'm just worried!" Only now do I know that even though Li Mi suffered a huge loss in the battle of Tongshan, his strength is still far superior to ours. This battle may be a repeat of the battle between Jingling and Dad.
!And I have to try my best to put on a high profile of victory and comfort others. It is really not easy to be a strategist.
Xu Ziling smiled and said: Isn't it in the book of war that soldiers should be more valuable than more valuable? And after a fierce battle, Li Mi's brave generals and sharp soldiers will be killed and injured, and the soldiers will be discouraged. However, our army is desperate to fight to the death. As long as the strategy is appropriate, avoid the important points.
Hitting lightly will secure the winning ticket.
Kou Zhong smiled bitterly and said: This is what I am most worried about. Zhao's handling of the assassination. I thought I was sure of it, but in the end, I still missed a move and was taken advantage of by Li Mi. From showing the enemy's weakness to being weak to the enemy, if there is no weakness,
With a clever plan that works, there is no need to fight this battle.
Xu Ziling's eyes widened suddenly, shining brightly, and said in a deep voice: We will definitely win this battle, because Li Mi would think that Wang Shichong was seriously injured and was in trouble, and the soldiers were disorganized and had no fighting spirit, so he despised him. Under the current situation, Du Fuwei
The allied forces of Shen Faxing and Jiangdu can attack Jiangdu at any time along the old road of Yuhuagu. Dou Jiande intends to go south. The Li clan also has to deal with the army of Xue Ju and his son to the west. Whether Li Mi can capture Luoyang in time is the key to conquering the world. Therefore, Li Mi wants to win.
The heart of Luoyang is more anxious than the ants on the wok. Do you understand that this is the one who escaped?
Kou Zhong sat up suddenly and said, "Good! But what should we do if Li Mi blocks our army's way back to the east capital and sends elite troops to the west of the river to attack the east capital?"
Xu Ziling said calmly: How can Li Mi still have such patience? At that time, we only need to hold Yanshi firmly and hold Li Mi back and cut off his supply route. Plus, Luoyang is a well-known fortified city in the world that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Under a long battle,
It will only make the army after his tragic victory even less interested in fighting. Therefore, I can be sure that unless he doesn't come, he will definitely use the strategy of establishing his power in one battle to boost morale and then take advantage of the momentum to seize the Eastern Capital in one fell swoop.
Kou Zhong slapped the bed and shouted: Insightful!
He sat up suddenly and said to himself: I hope Zhai Jiao will not disappoint me. Let Li Mi's extraordinary soldiers become ordinary soldiers, then we can avoid the important and underestimate the invincible Wagang army.
He slapped Xu Ziling's broad shoulders vigorously and praised: Brother! You can do it!
Xu Ziling said calmly: You don't have any free time at all, and you will miss something that is bound to happen.
Kou Zhong was stunned for a long time and said: What you said is really a wake-up call. Remember that day at the head of Jingling City when we were facing my father’s army attacking the city, I realized the idea of treating the entire battlefield as a chessboard in terms of life and death.
Is it? If a chess player wants to win, he must make a decision and then lead the opponent by the nose. Now Li Mi seems to have the upper hand, but the game is set up by us. It only depends on how he enters the game.
Xu Ziling said solemnly: Shen Luoyan is the best at eavesdropping on military intelligence. Don't forget that the roster we stole from her house has her spies everywhere.
Kou Zhongse changed his mind: What should we do?
Xu Ziling said slowly word by word: If you want to use surprise troops to defeat Li Mi's surprise troops, you must not use Wang Shichong's soldiers. Only Zhai Jiao and her people can become surprise soldiers.
Kou Zhong was shocked and said: Good son! You are indeed yours. But after hearing Zhai Jiao's tone, the only one who is willing to follow her now is how Xuanyong's hundreds of men can resist Li Mi's army.
Xu Ziling smiled and said: I don't believe you are trying to trick me and you can't do anything about it.
Kou Zhong said awkwardly: You should know that I love listening to your analysis of the art of war. The most important thing is bluffing. On the battlefield, people are so nervous that they even forget their parents’ names. Therefore, if there is a head-on confrontation with hundreds of people, they may not even have a hair on the other side.
He couldn't pull it out; but he had more than enough to burn the granary of his back camp. Now everything is ready and all he needs is the east wind. Zhai Jiao!
Whether you can avenge your father this time depends on whether you can live up to your expectations!
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The next day, the warship arrived at the dock outside Yanshi City. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling put on masks and pretended to be ordinary soldiers and sneaked into the city.
They took off their military uniforms to reveal the clothes of traveling merchants underneath, and followed the agreement to search for the secret message left by Zhai Qiao. Half an hour later, they met Xuanyong in a private house in the east of the city.
Kou Zhong was surprised and said, "I didn't expect Brother Xuan to be here in person. What's the situation like?"
Xuanyong welcomed them into the house and sat down, then said: "Li Mi, Jin Yong is constantly gathering troops, and it seems that he will attack Yanshi at any time. Kou Ye's strategy of luring the enemy has taken effect."
Kou Zhong was overjoyed and said: "I want this Zhao to come here but not leave."
Xu Ziling said in a deep voice: Don't rejoice so early.
Xuan Yongtou said: What Mr. Xu said is true. Li Mixian knew that his sister was watching, so not only was the city strictly prohibited from entering or leaving the city gates casually, but sentries were widely set up outside the city to prevent spies from watching, which kept us in contact with the secrets inside the city.
Communication difficulties are quite a headache.
Kou Zhong frowned and asked: How is Li Mi's current situation?
Xuan Yongdao: Li Mi defeated Yu Wenhua and after that he had strong soldiers and good horses, many of them died, the soldiers were tired and sick, and they were tired of fighting. Therefore, soldiers of far inferior quality had to be transferred from various places. Therefore, although there were still a hundred thousand soldiers, they were mixed among the good and the bad.
Kou Zhong said happily: If this is the case, if we can take advantage of his exhausted troops to move south and attack before their positions are hidden, and then use surprise troops to surprise Li Mi's rear, then Li Mi will be attacked from both sides. Li Mi will be defeated without a fight.
Xuan Yong sighed and said: The problem is that Li Mi is good at using deceitful troops. If we can't figure out his marching route and abandon his main army and accidentally hit the auxiliary vehicle, we will step into the trap he has set. Then it will be our turn to suffer.
Xu Ziling said: Brother Xuan seems to have no confidence in spying on the enemy's military situation!
Xuan Yongdao: After Li Mi learned about his sister, he became suspicious of all the generals who had a close relationship with Dalongtou and refused to allow them to participate in this military operation and even transferred them to other places. Now the only people Li Mi trusts are Shen Luoyan and Xu Shiji.
, Wei Zheng, Pei Renji, Wang Bodang, Shan Xiongxin, Cheng Zhijie, Chen Zhilue, Fan Wen and others make it difficult for us to start.
Kou Zhong cursed fiercely: I really want to kill Ke Feng Yaodao immediately.
Xu Ziling said: Brother Xuan, is there really nothing he can do?
Xuanyong smiled and said: He has Zhang Liang's plan and I have a wall ladder. Li Mi can only watch out for a few leading generals who are related to Da Longtou, but he can't go to Da Longtou's old troops in the army. Although they are not qualified to participate in Li Mi's secret military
The conference can provide us with precious information from the dispatch of its soldiers.
Xu Ziling wondered: Wasn't it difficult for Brother Xuan to communicate with the city just now?
Xuan Yongdao: That's true. We have always used carrier pigeons or hidden letters in bottles to send them out of the city through culverts. But because Xu Shiji sent people to monitor closely, we dare not continue in the old way. But there is always someone who has to go to the city.
If you are doing business outside, you can hide the letter in a designated place and let us get it. Otherwise, you will be betraying the trust of the two gentlemen.
Kou Zhong appreciated it and said: Brother Xuan must have spent a lot of energy and effort on this.
Xuanyong showed a carefree expression and said: First of all, we know that Li Mi's army is divided into four divisions and three divisions, stationed in three wooden villages outside the city. Each division has about 20,000 people, most of them are recruits and soldiers who have not been trained enough. The old and the weak.
Only the 40,000 people stationed in the city were the elite soldiers who followed Li Mi to conquer the world. The army was led by Cheng Zhijie, Xu Shiji, and Pei Renji.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were in high spirits at the same time.
The former looked at Yanshi with strange eyes and said: Ha! Li Mi wants to repeat his old trick again! The 60,000 soldiers of the Third Division can only be used as a cover to attack Yanshi. It must be this powerful force of 40,000 soldiers.
Xuan Yongtou said: The key to victory now lies in whether we can grasp the whereabouts of these 40,000 people. In the past, every time Li Mi fought with people, he would use accurate information to surprise the enemy with surprise troops, or use tricks to lure the enemy. When he was retreating to a certain place, he suddenly attacked with an ambush. The army that pretended to be defeated then turned around and attacked Zhang Xutuo. This was how Zhang Xutuo was eaten by him.
Kou Zhongsurong said: "I have to leave this matter to my sister and brother Xuan, but my heart is sinking. This woman is so cunning and scheming that she is not easy to mess with."
Xuan Yongtou agreed and then smiled bitterly and said: Another problem is that Shen Luoyan also knows your actions very well, making it difficult for you to cheat. Once there is a head-on confrontation, the outcome will be unpredictable.
Kou Zhong exchanged glances with Xu Ziling and lowered his voice and said: It depends on sister and brother Xuan. Only you can become a rare force that Li Mi cannot control. If you can teach Li Mi to mistake it for another secret force of Wang Shichong, he will be able to shake it. The enemy's confidence adds to their defeat.
Xuanyong was stunned and said: But we only have two hundred people! I understand! These two men are really brave people. Xuanyong admires them.
Kou Zhong concluded: The only way to win now is accurate military information. We are waiting for the good news from Brother Xuan.
Xuan Yong said: Master Kou, can you get me a pass so that I can go in and out more easily?
Kou Zhong stood up and said: Not only do I want to get a pass for you, but I also want to take you to say hello to the soldiers guarding the city. If necessary, you can come to see me directly to avoid disturbing the military situation.