In front of a ridge at the corner of a river bend, there is a temporary camp where people and horses are stationed.
The soldiers on the riverside were busy fetching water for their horses. Several wind-shielding tents in the camp were filled with camp soldiers resting and eating. There were more than a dozen armed guards standing around a small tent in the center, obviously protecting the important people inside.
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There were several burly and strong generals in military uniforms sitting in the small tent. Some were still eating barbecued meat with biscuits, and some had finished eating and were holding clay pots and sipping the buttermilk inside.
"My lord, we are still fifty or sixty miles away from Shangfeng City, but it is less than an hour before dark. Even if we arrive at night after traveling at night, it will already be late at night. We are all exhausted, so why not take a rest for the night?
Will you continue on your way tomorrow morning?"
After a general finished his meal, he looked at the general sitting above and made suggestions.
The general did not answer immediately, but turned to look at a middle-aged man next to him who was wearing a military uniform but had a scholarly temperament, his eyes showing inquiry.
The middle-aged man put down the wooden chopsticks and meat-cutting knife in his hands, swallowed the food in his mouth, and then said: "The army only listens to the name of Duke Hejian. If the Duke asks about his humble position, he will boldly advise him to come to the town as soon as possible."
The safest.”
After hearing this, the general couldn't help but look puzzled, and frowned and said: "Yesterday, I received a new message from Li Xianhe. The army of the Duke of Hanoi is still stationed in Liangzhou. The Qinzhou territory I saw along the way is also sparse in people and horses, making it difficult to form an array.
Wu. Chang's journey up to this point has been unimpeded, so he must have been weak in defense when he went up to Fengcheng.
We have been traveling day and night for several days, and the men and horses are indeed exhausted. Why does Hongye insist on urging us to move quickly? Is there something I don't know about that needs to be deeply concerning?"
The name of this general was Wang De, who was granted the title of Duke of Hejian County. He was also born in Wuchuan and was a distinguished general who founded the government. The middle-aged man was named Han Bao. Although he was not a military general, he had been in Daxing for a long time.
Tai was recruited as a staff member when he was guarding Xiazhou, and after the death of He Ba Yue, he strongly advised Daxing Tainan to take charge of the army. Now he is also one of the important staff members of the Tai government and a confidant of Daxing Tai.
They worked together like this, and when Dugu Xin led his army to the west and Qinzhou town was empty, they led the troops straight to Qinzhou. Naturally, they had great meaning and must have received Daxingtai's instructions.
Although Wang De came from a military background, he was both rough and subtle, and his thoughts were meticulous. Although he was the leader of the trip, he also fully respected the opinions of Han Bao, a confidant of Daxingtai.
When he saw that Han Bao had a cautious attitude that he could not understand, Wang De couldn't help but feel secretly suspicious. Could there be some key factors in this trip that he didn't know about?
After hearing this, Han Bao said sternly: "The Duke of Hanoi's army is stationed outside. According to common sense, the defense in the town must be empty. But now one of the people left behind in Qinzhou is Li Boshan. When predicting the situation, we should not follow the usual rules.
Li Boshan, this disciple, had an astonishing number of demons and talents when he was in Taifu. His past deeds must have been heard by Lord Hejian, and the Lord treated him well. If not... Well, in short, there is no room for error in this trip, so it is best not to do so.
Give it too much time to adapt, otherwise variables may arise again."
When Wang De heard this, his brows furrowed deeper.
He originally thought that Han Bao was so nervous because he was worried about what other arrangements Dugu Xin had, and he was also full of fear of Dugu Xin, who was far more talented than him. However, he did not expect that it was just because of a young man like Li Tai.
As the fastest rising star in junior high school in recent years, Wang De has certainly heard about Li Tai's fame and deeds. He was even present when Zhao Gui was slapped in the face in Baishui last year. On the one hand, he disdained Zhao Gui's embarrassing performance.
, on the other hand, he was not angry with Li Tai for stepping on their elder Wuchuan to ascend to the throne.
It's just that they rarely interacted with each other, so he didn't bother to express any attitude. In short, he had heard of Li Tai before but didn't have much of a cold. It couldn't be said to be disgusting, but he definitely didn't have any feeling of closeness or friendship.
At this time, when he heard that Han Bao suggested that the troops continue to drive their tired bodies through the night because Li Tai stayed in Qinzhou, Wang De felt a little dissatisfied and said in a deep voice: "Halfway through the journey, the target is already in sight. If there are any changes,
It may be very small. Moreover, even if we are prepared for the city to be closed down, we still need the best to deal with it. Just rest for the night and hit the road at dawn."
Hearing what Wang De said, Han Bao made no more comments. He knew that Wang De was in a bad mood, not only because of his making a fuss, but also because of his mission. Dugu Xin certainly contributed to the pacification of Liangzhou, but the big
However, Xingtai did not reward the meritorious service and blocked the return route of the pioneers. This is somewhat unscrupulous.
Of course Wang De is not a close confidant of Dugu Xin, otherwise he would not be sent to carry out this task. However, the relationship between these townspeople is also very subtle, and there are many conflicts of interest and competition for fame between them, but in addition to
In addition, there is a sense of unity.
Han Bao was not from Zhenren, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with what Daxingtai did.
In the battle of Heqiao last year, Dugu Xin and others abandoned the army and fled, leaving Daxingtai on the battlefield. This made them, the subordinates of the Bafu, feel that these old Wuchuan party and the old people were destabilizing factors.
There must be checks and balances to ensure the stability of the hegemony.
This time Duguxin pacified Liangzhou, and his prestige was even greater. In addition, the new Liangzhou governor Shi Ning came under his command, and almost the entire Longyou was controlled by one hand. If it continues to develop, there will be no name for it but the reality of it.
!
Moreover, the reorganization of Bafu's six armies has been very effective. Whether it is external attacks or internal defenses, these old troops of the town are no longer the only ones to rely on. It is natural to impose restrictions, which can not only maintain the stability of the country, but also protect their reputation.
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But Han Bao also knew in his heart that if his trip to Long failed to achieve the expected results, it would intensify the conflict between Dugu Xin and other Long right forces and the Bafu. Although Wang De did not care about this young man Li Boshan, he
But after all, he still couldn't rest assured, and suggested that Wang De might as well send a team of scouts to the direction of Shangfeng City to check if there were any abnormal signs.
Wang De did not refuse this. After sending out the scouts, he ordered the soldiers to set up camp. After receiving this order, the soldiers in the camp couldn't help but cheer and express their gratitude. They had enough sleep and food last time.
It was still a few days ago when we were in Wonju before setting off.
Han Bao chatted with Wang Deqian for a while about the steps after arriving in Shangfeng City, and then got up and went to his tent to undress and fall asleep.
I don't know how long I had slept, but I heard the shouts of my attendants in my sleep. I stood up from my sleeping mat and walked out of my tent. Soon I saw a soldier of Wang De's tent standing in front of me.
Outside the camp, my heart strings suddenly tightened, and I asked quickly: "What's the matter?"
"My lord has asked Han Shi to come to the account as soon as possible to discuss matters."
The soldier quickly crossed his hands and whispered. After hearing this, Han Bao did not dare to neglect. He glanced at the dark night sky and walked quickly to Wang De's camp.
At this time, several generals and commanders in Wang De's tent had been summoned. Seeing Han Bao enter, Wang De said to him in a deep voice: "None of the scouts sent during the day returned..."
"So Qinzhou still has a strong military force?"
Han Bao was also shocked when he heard this. It should be noted that a complete scout team has a clear division of labor, each performing its own duties, and its mobility must be guaranteed. If you want to completely intercept a team of more than ten people,
A scout team requires at least several times the ranger team to be able to do this.
Wang De sent out more than one scout team. After the first team failed to deliver the echo message within the prescribed time, he successively sent out several more teams, but all of them disappeared without a trace.
This means that the sight and hearing of their troops and horses are restricted. At least a thousand cavalry troops are active around them, so that they can completely outflank and intercept the sent scouts.
And these thousands of people must at least be proficient in riding skills, no less than the most elite soldiers under Wang De's command. After all, those who can serve as scouts are definitely not the old, weak, sick or disabled!
"Could it be that Lord Hanoi knew about this and sent elite soldiers back to the town in advance to guard it?"
One of the generals said uneasily.
Wang De and Han Bao all shook their heads after hearing this. They had arrived in Yuanzhou many days ago and immediately set off south after receiving the battle report from Li Xian. There was no way Dugu Xin could grasp it in advance.
Elite soldiers were sent to intercept their whereabouts. Moreover, Li Xian's reports continued every day, so it was impossible to conceal the thousands of elite cavalry who had separated from the army.
If Liangzhou hadn't returned to the army, it would have been Qinzhou's left-behind forces. But they all knew how many Qinzhou's left-behind forces there were, and there would never be such a force unless something else happened during this period.
"Hongye, do you think it's possible that this is Li Boshan...but where did he recruit strong soldiers?"
Although Wang De still couldn't believe it, it was obviously the most likely scenario.
All the scouts disappeared without a trace. This was obviously not a matter of luck in catching him by chance. It can only be said that the other party had clearly grasped every move of his group and had enough power to deal with it.
At this moment, Han Bao was not in the mood to care about Wang De's previous refusal to follow his advice. He only saw that the other party was so confident in his defense and counterattack that it made no difference whether they arrived half a day early or half a day late.
"The only plan for now is to stay still for a moment. Hold on to the camp and wait for dawn. Whether it was Li Boshan's fault or not can be verified by yourself."
Han Bao sighed secretly in his heart and answered in a dry tone.
When Wang De heard this, he didn't have any better ideas for a while. In such a situation where the enemy was in the dark and we were in the clear, any further actions would only expose more flaws, so he passed this order to the entire battalion.
The most innocent ones were the soldiers in the camp. They thought they could have a good sleep by stopping here for the night, but in the end they had to stand in the camp fence with swords and guns and the cold wind blew all night.
We managed to survive until dawn. Fortunately, no accidents happened outside the camp. Soon the rangers who went out to investigate quickly came back and reported that the scouts who had not returned last night were tied up and abandoned in a valley several miles away. Although.
Each of them suffered some injuries, but their lives were not affected. The person who abandoned them here even thoughtfully covered them with a layer of felt to keep out the cold.
After taking these scouts back to the camp, Wang De and Han Bao made some inquiries, and each looked embarrassed. After a while, Han Bao suggested: "The men and horses can advance slowly, but Lord Hejian
You and Bao should first go to Shangfeng City to meet Li Boshan to avoid misunderstandings."
After Wang De heard this, he lowered his head in silence for a while, then nodded stiffly.