Yang Gongqing, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Wang Xuanshu and other generals stared dumbfoundedly at the large granary that had been turned into coke. Everyone was speechless. On the ground were lined up the burned corpses of ten granary dogs and more than a dozen guards.
This is one of the sixteen granaries in the city, but its inventory is equivalent to the cargo capacity of the other fifteen granaries combined. The fire started very quickly and produced more than ten fire heads at the same time. If there were not a high wall to separate it from other residential buildings,
It is also a cloudy and humid spring and summer, and the disaster may not stop there.
The general in charge of guarding the warehouse was kneeling on the ground, shaking and looking pitiful.
Yang Gongqing said angrily: This is impossible. I have sent extra troops to defend. How could it be burned like this without even being able to touch the enemy's shadow? At least we can put out the fire.
The general said in a trembling voice: The wells used to put out the fire were all filled with sand and stones.
Yang Gongqing was stunned and said: How can a spy transport sand and stones in?
Kou Zhong said with certainty: As long as you send someone to search, you will definitely find something like a tunnel. This must be a conspiracy of the enemy. It is best to send someone to check all the warehouses in the city.
Someone took the order right now.
Wang Xuan excused the three of them and moved them aside and said in a low voice: "This is a mistake. I just moved the real food to the camp outside the city. The food burned here is all fake food, because my soldiers are responsible for transporting the rest."
I didn’t know that the newly shipped goods were fake.
Kou Zhong was overjoyed and said: "Second Master's efficiency in doing things is truly astonishing. Did the fifty mule carts earlier carry real grain?"
Wang Xuanshu said with surprise and joy: What should we do this time if it is Zhenliang?
Yang Gongqing cheered up and said: This is called being hit by accident, also known as God helping me. Now we must do our best to search for spies. All outsiders without household registration will be locked up and interrogated. At the same time, city residents who report suspicious persons will be heavily rewarded. On the other hand, the camp will be strengthened.
To defend the warehouse, we tried to build a secret granary to store grain.
Wang Xuanshu went away happily when he saw that he had unintentionally made great achievements and would be praised by his father.
Kou Zhong said in a low voice: It seems we should go back to the Commander's Mansion to drink and celebrate to welcome Li Mi's army!
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Before dawn, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling woke up and went to the lobby of the Commander's Mansion to see Yang Gongqing. Wang Xuanshu was yawning.
Linglongjiao sat next to Yang Gongqing with a dusty look on her face and pointed at the strategic terrain map on the table.
When the two entered the lobby, Yang Gongqing looked up at them and laughed: The Wagang Army is here!
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were overjoyed when they heard this and gathered around him.
Linglongjiao said excitedly: I have contacted informants from various places and witnessed with my own eyes Li Mi's vanguard troops approaching Yanshi. If they don't stop, we will see the flag of the Wagang Army on the city wall tomorrow. I have sent more than ten troops.
Experts with excellent light skills will monitor them closely and the news will be sent back via homing pigeons.
Kou Zhongdao: What is the number of people in that army?
Linglongjiao said: "The ones who moved are the new soldiers led by Shan Xiongxin, Chen Zhilue and Fan Wen outside the city. The main force inside the city has not moved yet."
Yang Gongqing was worried and said: Li Mi wants to cheat again.
Xu Ziling asked: Did Miss Jiao sneak into the city to take a look?
Linglongjiao said proudly: No city defense can stump me, Linglongjiao, but the private houses where the army is located are heavily guarded. I am afraid of alerting others and can only observe the situation in the city from a distance. It is peaceful. It is obvious that Li Mi believes that he has a chance to win.
Wang Xuanshu asked: Are those new soldiers really as unbearable as Xuanyong said?
Linglongjiao said: Shan Xiongxin's vanguard set off at dusk at about three thousand people. Since the view was blocked by trees, I could only guess the number of soldiers from the raised dust. I knew that they were all infantry and were in the army.
Bu Su is definitely not a well-trained regular army.
Kou Zhong said in astonishment: Sister Jiao could tell so many things just by looking at the dust she raised. She was indeed a master of observing and detecting the enemy's situation.
Linglong was so delicate that he glanced at him with admiration and joy and said: If you want to learn from me, I can be your master. Every time the dust rises, it is the cavalry; the infantry is low and wide, with rolling coats. Shan Xiongxin's recruits make the dust scattered and scattered.
It means that the formation is not in order due to insufficient training. In this way, the elite army will rise up in order and be clear but not chaotic; if the army stops and the dust stops, the general will be powerful and virtuous; if the dust rises left and right, it will make people unable to follow the law.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were convinced after hearing this, and then they realized that observing the enemy was also a skill.
At this time, the soldiers came to report that they had received information sent by flying pigeons from the front line.
Yang Gongqing opened it and took a quick look at it before handing it to Linglong Jiao and said: Li Mi's troops outside the city have continued to break up camp and advance in two directions towards us, but the main force in the city is still silent. It seems that he wants to lure us to attack. If we really
If you burn the food and grass for him, you can only fight decisively as soon as possible before the food is exhausted instead of defending the isolated city.
Wang Xuanshu said: Then he can attack us with the main force and catch us by surprise.
When Yang Gongqing saw Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, their brows were furrowed and he asked: "Li Mi has been tricked, why do you have sour faces?"
Xu Ziling said: "I always have a very inappropriate feeling that Li Mi is a spy. He should know that we have a top-notch enemy detection expert like Jiao Girl on our side who is watching his march with eager eyes. If so, how can he use deception?"
Kou Zhong asked: According to what Sister Jiao saw, are the access control posts in the residential areas where troops are stationed in the city unreasonably tight?
The exquisite and pretty body trembled slightly and she said with a thoughtful expression: It is true that the patrollers are not ordinary soldiers but masters under Li Mi's command, which makes me daunted.
boom!
Kou Zhong struck the stage with his palm and sighed: What a cunning Li Mi! If I guessed correctly, he must have used tunnels and other cover to move the main force in batches to a secret camp outside the city. When we mistakenly thought that his main force was
When our army had not yet left the city, they unexpectedly attacked Shan Xiongxin's new army. He repeated the strategy he had used to defeat Zhang Xutuo, pretended to be defeated and lured us away from Yanshi, and then ambushed our army somewhere. It would be strange if we were not completely wiped out.
Yang Gongqing's expression changed and he said: Then haven't we lost the opportunity?
Kou Zhongdao: It is not necessary to secretly move 40,000 people through tunnels. It can only be done at night and cannot be done overnight. Just look at when Shan Xiongxin's army arrived and you will know how long it will take. Because Shan Xiongxin
Why did Xiongxin's new army have to wait until Li Mi's main army was ready before they dared to form a formation and wait outside the city.
Wang Xuanshu said worriedly: If we can't figure out where Li Mi's main force is, we will have to transfer everyone back to the city and stick to the previous plan, which will be useless.
Kou Zhong has not yet replied that his men should report to Xuanyong for an audience.
Xuanyong only briefly asked Yang Gongqing and others before he said solemnly: Li Mi is indeed the best conspirator of the contemporary era. He dug three tunnels in advance to move the main army to Beimang Mountain in batches. It would not have been possible unless people were suspicious.
his means.
Yang Gongqing asked nervously: Do you know where they camped?
Xuanyong said dejectedly: Shen Luoyan used her detection bird to hover in the sky to keep me from making any moves, and she set up sentries at dangerous places on the mountain road to follow her. According to my estimation, at the current speed, it will take one more night at the earliest.
It was only then that Li Mi's main force could all move to Beimang Mountain.
Everyone looked at the strategic map on the table and saw Mang Mountain sloping down from the upper left of Jinyong City to the northeast of Yanshi, covering an area of hundreds of miles. If the whereabouts of the 40,000 people could not be grasped, it would be possible to start the war from anywhere in the north.
The strange soldiers who emerged from everywhere were bewildered and frightened.
Xuan Yong said: Now no one on our side dares to act rashly, and the opponent's masters are like clouds. They can't escape as long as they show their signs.
Kou Zhong slashed with his left palm and said: First, kill that flat-haired beast! But this will only wake up Mrs. Shen.
Linglongjiao said: Leave this matter to me. I can enter Mang Mountain from the other side without following the mountain road. As long as they make fires to make food or cut down forests to open roads, there will always be traces.
Xu Ziling said: We'd better think carefully about Li Mi's secret march. It must have been well thought out and would not be easily seen through by us.
Yang Gongqing agreed: The tunnels can be dug in advance and others can be arranged properly. The Mang Mountain is spread over hundreds of miles. It is not easy to find a deliberately hidden army in a short time. And the war is imminent. If we decide first whether we should fight against the city or defend to the death. Yanshi.
Kou Zhong shook his head decisively and said: We will still act according to the original plan. Unless we cannot find his main army, we will instead hold on to the city. At least we still have one day and one night to do our best.
Yang Gongqing was silent for a long time and asked Xuanyong: What is the situation with the Wagang Army?
Xuan Yongdao: Those who stayed behind at Jin Yong were Wang Bodang's troops. Li Mi's other general, Bing Yuanzhen, guarded the two cities of Luokou. The number of troops in both cities was less than 10,000. The one who led the new troops to pretend to attack Yanshi was Shan Xiongxin, who had once fought for a The prostitute had a deep quarrel with Wang Bodang, but she was a general.
Kou Zhongdao: What about Bing Yuanzhen?
Xuanyong said disdainfully: This person has good military skills and is good at defending the city, but he lacks courage and is not a candidate for charging into battle.
Then he snorted: Shan Xiongxin, Bing Yuanzhen, etc. are all old generals of Wagang Army. Pei Renji, Xu Shiji, Shen Luoyan, and Wang Bodang, who are favored by Li Mi, are not very harmonious. So as long as they can break through Li Mi's army, Wagang can be guaranteed. The army is in a state of fragmentation, each holding its own troops to protect itself. At that time, Li Mi's troops can be surrendered without a fight by using gentle means. The question is how to defeat Li Mi's hidden troops in Mang Mountain.
Yang Gongqing sighed helplessly and said: Then I have to wait here quietly for the good news.
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Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Linglongjiao, and Xuanyong stood on a hilltop in Mang Mountain and looked around at the rolling hills. The rocks were as red as cinnabar and the peaks were strange. The scenery was vast and vast under the rain and fog, and the scenery was ever-changing and strange.
In the deep valley in the leeward direction, there are ancient trees and thick forests, and the hillside canopies canopy the sky.
The pines and cypresses and elms are tall and graceful in the dangerous places of the mountains, or they are green at the bottom of mountain streams or valleys, or they are rooted in the precipitous cliffs.
Mang Mountain is indeed a place for surprises. No wonder the Laojun Temple Fair was built on the green clouds of this mountain. But if you want to find an army of 40,000 people in this seemingly endless mountain, as Yang Gongqing said, you can only rely on luck.
Kou Zhongdao: In which direction is Laojun looking?
Linglongjiao pointed in the direction of Jinyong City and said: It is just northeast of Mang Mountain in Jinyong City and is only half a day's ride away from Yanshi, of course not including the way up the mountain.
Kou Zhongtou said: No matter what, in order to cooperate with Shan Xiongxin's troops, Li Mi could not find a place too far away from Yanshi to ambush 40,000 people. So we only need to search the Mangshan area north of Yanshi to find it. When we get a sign, we don't have much time. Let's go while the rain and fog are making it difficult to distinguish and the vision is unclear, providing us with cover!
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The rain is getting heavier and heavier. Being in the deep mountains seems like you have entered a confusing realm that is almost human. It is already difficult to know the way, let alone look for the enemy.
Under such circumstances, even Linglongjiao was helpless.
The search will be more difficult after being hacked.
Xuanyong suggested: If we don't join up with the eldest sister first and have more manpower, the chance of success will be increased.
Kou Zhong shook his head and said: If we show the enemy our method of using surprise troops to defeat surprise troops, we will be in trouble.
Xu Ziling said solemnly: How about we try our luck at Laojun Temple. In order to march quickly in the mountains, Li Mi had to transport the food for the war horses somewhere in the mountains in advance. Then there is no other place more suitable than Laojun Temple. And that place
Yao Dao colluded with Li Mi again.
Kou Zhong frowned and said: Although this speculation is reasonable, it is too inconvenient for Laojun to get up and down on something like Cuiyun Peak!
Xuanyong Juzhen said: Mr. Kou, you don’t know something. There is Cuiyun Valley under Cuiyun Peak. There are more than ten monasteries built specifically for believers from all over the place to stay or for short-term practice. There are also large dense forests.
Camping in the woods is indeed very secluded.
Kou Zhong was surprised and asked: How long does it take to go from Cuiyun Valley out of Mang Mountain to Yanshi?
Xuanyong said: There is a mountain road there, and you can get out of the mountain in at least one hour. Then there are dozens of miles of plains, grass and forests. If all the cavalry and horses are galloping, you can reach Yanshi in less than two hours.
Kou Zhong put his hands on his forehead and said with a smile: "I have taught Li Mi and Granny Shen a lesson this time! Please repay all the debts you owe me this time!"
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Laojun Temple is located on the top of the majestic Cuiyun Peak. It is surrounded by dense forests and green mountains. The cliffs on one side are steep and you can see the ravines pouring down hundreds of feet from the peak. If you can climb the peak, you can see the Yellow River to the north and the Guluo River to the south. At this moment, it is raining and foggy.
The indistinguishable ethereal space is more like an unattainable fairy cave. The person who wants to host it is actually a top figure of the evil sect.
Cuiyun Valley is located at the foot of Cuiyun Peak. The valley is open and flat. More than a dozen houses with pink walls and black tiles are clustered in the north of the valley. The forest roads are intertwined with wild flowers and luxuriant grass.
Surrounded by the yellow and green countryside, it looks like a picturesque paradise. It is even more reminiscent of evil spirits and warriors waiting for danger.
At the southern end of the valley is a large cypress and elm forest. In this kind of weather, it is difficult to detect even if there is a secret military camp hidden in the forest by looking down.
The road leading down from the valley entrance goes through the gorge and winds downwards, but it is blocked by the mountain, so you cannot see the plains to the south outside the mountain.
Kou Zhong's confidence wavered and he said: If Li Mi's army was really hiding in the valley, how could there be no sound of horses neighing?
At this time, Linglongjiao, who went to conduct reconnaissance, sneaked back with a happy face and said excitedly: As expected, the camps in the woods in the valley were full of Wagang troops, but there were no war horses, mules and other livestock. It seemed that they were hiding somewhere else to save them from climbing the mountain.
bitter.
Everyone was overjoyed.
Kou Zhongdao: Ling and I will stay here and continue to monitor you. Go back and inform the eldest sister and the general that everything will be carried out according to the original plan.
After discussing the details such as how to contact and meet up, Xuanyong and Linglongjiao happily went.
At dusk, the rain cleared the valley, and the situation in the valley was clear. From the cliff where they were, they could see tents hidden in the dense forest, and there were soldiers going back and forth between the camp and the houses from time to time.
Kou Zhong hid among the grass and trees and observed carefully for a long time before saying: "Ling! I always feel that something is wrong."
Xu Ziling, who was lying on his back, asked: Is it because we can't see Shen Luoyan's flat-haired beasts or because there are no horses in the camp?
Kou Zhong did not answer but asked: We have been harmed by Mrs. Shen so many times, almost falling into her trap every time. With our intelligence and talents, we are so useless. What is so great about her?
Xu Ziling thought carefully and agreed: You are not exaggerating. We seem to have always been at a disadvantage when it comes to intrigues, jokes, tricks, and tricks. From the time Zhai Rang was killed to the time Wang Shichong was assassinated, we never defeated her in any fight.
Kou Zhong thought hard: Do you still remember the three-capture and surrender agreement we made when we first met her? She laid a trap that was impossible for the wild old man to predict, and let us board the pirate ship ourselves like a prophet, and deliberately made trouble in the rapids of rocks. Kanchuan'er took advantage of our good intentions and thought she was restraining us while rescuing the old man. Every move showed that she knew how to figure out the other person's psychology, which varies from person to person. In this case, she should have guessed that we would come to Laojun to watch. !Why would you be stupid enough to hide here?
Xu Ziling stood up suddenly and accompanied him to look down. He said: You have to be sure that the military camp below is Shen Luoyan's plan. Nine of the ten military camps should be empty. It only takes a few thousand deceitful soldiers under the guise. We mistakenly thought that Wagang's surprise soldiers were lurking here, but the real surprise soldiers were elsewhere. This time it's bad! How can we look for it after dark?
Kou Zhongdao: We can only do our best. The real ambush place should not be too far away from Yanshi, so it should be in a similar environment somewhere nearby in the mountains. Then there is no risk of the horses being too hard or the neighing sound being far away. Come on! Go down first. We will decide what to do after we make sure we have not wronged Mrs. Shen.