Still on Zhongtu Mountain, behind the new wall, Xue Changxiong looked at the heartbreaking scene on the battlefield ahead and turned to consult.
It turned out that although one corner of the thieves' chessboard camp at the front was damaged, the other four battalions still relied on the earthen bungalows to maintain the front line and maintained a basic fighting posture with the officers and soldiers who had built bungalows on the earthen hills. Only the one in charge of the bow on the front line
The commander-in-chief of the crossbowmen has obviously changed. He has the same Duanjiang Qi and the same amazing archery skills, but his power is even better.
Not to mention the soldiers throwing torches between the battle lines, even the officers on the mountain will be killed immediately if they show their heads.
Of course, this immediately makes people think of the expected master of helping Chengdan who was exposed yesterday because he threatened Pingchang City, that is, the hero of Lu County, Xu Shiren.
"It's him." Murong Zhengyan blurted out. "He is a little older than me, but he entered the customs in the same year, and we worked together in Daxing for several years. Later, I was first sent to Guanzhou, and went to Longxi.
We met... but I still recognize the method."
Xue Changxiong narrowed his eyes slightly, his thoughts wandering inexplicably.
Speaking of which, although Murong Zhengyan was a well-known family in the world, and he himself lived in all directions during his reign, his main roots and experiences were all in Hebei. When the Eastern Qi fell, Murong Zhengyan was brought to Kansai, where he practiced with other powerful people.
The essence of "Shenshen" means to flatten the place and bring the capable people of the Eastern Qi there to centralize management and restraint.
It's just that everything in the Wei Dynasty was divided into three, six or nine grades. Not to mention the older Jin family, even here in the hometown of Dong Qi, the Murong family received a little more preferential treatment than people like Xu Shiren because of their family background.
...The transformation period is also short, and promotion is quick. Even if it is difficult to progress in career, you can return to your hometown in Hebei and settle down early.
Even if I think about it again, Murong Zhengyan clearly became the Dan Dan last year, and the gap becomes even more obvious.
It’s a standard two point five.
However, now that the Wei Dynasty is in decline, this is in the mainland of Hebei after all. Whether it is Xue Changxiong or Li Cheng from Youzhou next door, as a famous family in Guanlong, they all have to face the problem that the local forces in Hebei are ready to move.
We should also pay attention to 2.5.
Otherwise, the one who is not careful will take the lead and usurp the guest.
Of course, for General Xue, who was born in the core family of Guanlong, he would never think about such low-level stakes. But yesterday, there was a chaotic fight with Zhang San and his fellows here.
Although he didn't distinguish between opponents, he was also a little entangled in the words of the other party... It wasn't that he believed it himself. The fighting window had only passed one-third. He still had enough means, but he was just worried about the other people in the formation.
It's just that the will is not firm.
"What is that?" Just as Xue Changxiong was thinking wildly, Marching Sima Chen Bin suddenly pointed to the westernmost camp and asked. "Is it smoke? Is our fire attack effective?"
Everyone turned their heads in surprise, and sure enough they saw that the westernmost part of the first row of the rebel chessboard camp, that is, the camp closest to Ban County in a straight line, was already filled with smoke, far exceeding the small fireworks after throwing torches in other places.
.Moreover, just when everyone was looking at it, the smoke became bigger and bigger visible to the naked eye. After a while, an open flame appeared in the field of vision, which seemed to be involved in some wooden materials and buildings in the camp...
The thief soldiers in the camp also panicked... The thief soldiers in the front room even started to evacuate on their own initiative.
On the mountain, all the generals looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Logically speaking, after fighting for several days, two corners were finally chewed up, which is of course a good thing. However, the sudden effect of the fire attack seemed to be a bit unprepared, especially after yesterday's battle. Although it was not visible as a whole, it was actually
Yes, many of the senior military officers here seem to be a little languid.
"General." At this moment, Wang Yu, the commander-in-chief, reacted first and spoke. "This stronghold is filled with fireworks, and the rebel army has actually given up. When the fire clears up, it is natural to send troops forward to occupy it.
In comparison... there are only three camps left in the first row of the rebel army, which are difficult to connect. Why not concentrate our forces, break through in the center, and then take down the middle camp and isolate the other two camps. Is it convenient for the first row of camps?
All of them can be removed."
Xue Changxiong was a little surprised, but he immediately asked: "Is General Wang going?"
"Ask one of the three generals Murong, Gao, and Dou to take the lead in the frontal attack, and then send the two armies to attack from both sides without hesitation in the chessboard formation... The last general is willing to be one of them." Wang Yu did not hesitate and formally invited
war.
"Okay!"
The sixth brother, Xue Wancheng, immediately bowed his head and obeyed the order. Murong Zhengyan was caught off guard, but he could only agree quickly... After all, a fighter opportunity had indeed emerged, so we could not relax.
Moreover, who could allow himself to be a bad-mouthed person and admit that he had an old relationship with the opposite party Xu Shiren and knew the other party's methods?
Just like yesterday afternoon, the war suddenly became tense, and a large-scale offensive that was hastily organized due to a fire in the military camp quickly took shape.
At the same time, the army seemed to be aware of the problem and reacted extremely fiercely. Not only did a battalion rush to the open space directly behind the middle camp for preliminary support, the camps on both sides and the rear camps also moved their troops to the flanks in preparation for a flanking attack.
What's terrible is that the red flag with the word "Deposed" took the initiative to move forward and came to the inside of a camp in the second row, staring covetously at Xue Wancheng's troops.
Obviously, Xue Ziqi attracted Jun.
Xue Changxiong was a little uneasy, so he turned around and ordered Chen Bin: "Chen Sima, go and prepare, and arrange all the ministries to stand behind Tushan, ready for support at any time... Don't forget to let the officers with outstanding cultivation among the ministries gather forward."
Chen Bin nodded, but after taking a look at the burning camp in the west, he hesitated to speak, but finally left in a hurry.
The battle below began to become fierce. The intensity of the crossbow arrows and the volume of the shouts of killing were significantly increased. However, the officers and generals on the mountain were somewhat distracted.
After a while, inexplicably, many people began to become anxious.
"General."
At this moment, Cao Shancheng, the governor of Qinghe County, suddenly stood up and reminded him seriously, "Is there too much smoke in the burning camp?"
Xue Changxiong withdrew his gaze from his sixth son in front, turned to look to the west, and observed carefully. Sure enough, as Cao Shancheng reminded, the fire was real, but the smoke was too thick, and the largest puff of smoke did not come from
It was generated around the burning, multi-story continuous building in the front, more like it was emerging from the back of a collapsed building in the center of the camp... "What kind of backup modules were piled there?"
With supplies?" Zhonglang General Feng Duan asked in surprise.
"It's not like that." Qian Tang, the governor of Pingyuan County, squinted his eyes and replied. "No matter how much they are piled up, there should be more open flames than smoke... there is too much smoke over there."
"What do you mean?" Xue Wanbi couldn't help but ask after listening for a moment. "Are these fireworks weird? Did they deliberately set the fire to lure us? Do they want to eat Lao Liu?"
"Not that..." Feng Duan shook his head in denial. "How do they know that we will definitely send troops? But their camp must be destroyed..."
"But this smoke..."
"So, unless they are sure that there will be some results, the fireworks are just abnormal, and there is no other explanation?"
Everyone was talking about it and couldn't figure it out for a while.
But no matter what, the feeling of uneasiness has escalated to a higher level.
"Is there a scam?" At this moment, Chen Bin, who had moved troops to the rear, spoke from a distance. "General, I asked a few prisoners yesterday...one of them said that several front row camps were in the middle room.
There seems to be something unusual. Leaders often come in and out, and it takes a long time after entering... Isn't the place where the smoke is coming out today also the center of the westernmost village?"
Xue Changxiong was stunned. He who was already very alert almost stood on his head and shouted on the spot: "Why are you talking about what happened yesterday today?! How did you become a military supervisor?!"
Chen Bin lost his voice on the spot.
"Go over quickly!" Xue Changxiong immediately pointed his riding whip at the opponent. "Remove the troops on the westernmost mountain! The thieves are probably digging tunnels!"
Chen Bin was stunned for a moment, but immediately turned around and mounted his horse.
Unexpectedly, Xue Changxiong scolded him on the spot again: "What kind of manners do you need at this time? You have spent many years condensing your elixir! Would it be okay to jump over?"
Chen Bin didn't dare to say anything, and hurriedly rolled up a stream of aqua blue energy, leaped into the air, and quickly reached the westernmost earth mountain.
At this time, it was Cao Shancheng who came to persuade: "General, we have waited for hundreds of thousands of people to build these few hills. How can the other side dig in so fast in just a few days? There is really smoke in the tunnel. It is impossible to say that they are just worried.
, mistakenly burned the support inside..."
"You know what the heck!"
Can we take any chances with the situation?"
Everyone fell silent and looked towards the west one after another.
At this time, Xue Wanbi couldn't help but become anxious: "Chen Sima really made a mistake... My father-in-law trusts him so much!"
"No...even though it was a mistake, he is still loyal, reliable and capable..." Xue Changxiong waved his hands quickly, but when he said this, he couldn't help turning his head to look at the battle ahead. At this time, the general
I already regretted launching the attack rashly.
On the other side, Chen Bin came to the westernmost Tushan. He didn't say much. He just ordered the general stationed here and his subordinates to retreat in an orderly manner. Then he couldn't help but look down at the steep slope in front of the Tushan, and then on the spot
Shocked.
It turned out that on the steep slope on the south side of the earth mountain, there was actually some disintegration, and there was even a trace of green smoke looming in a certain crack.
Up to this point, how come the supervisor Sima didn't know that Xue Changxiong was right, the other party had indeed dug a tunnel, and at this time, the supporting wood below was already burning... As soon as he thought of this, Chen Bin's face turned livid, because of this
It seemed that he was guilty of laziness and dereliction of duty last night. But after everyone went back last night, Xue Changxiong didn't even hold a military meeting. All the senior generals were almost weak. Why should he expose this matter in public?
On your own head?
Moreover, he just scolded and humiliated himself in public like this?
At this time, the stationed officers and soldiers nearby also noticed that something was wrong, but they noticed it from Chen Sima's military order and his face, and then they all looked forward to take a look. Of course, there were many smart people among them who suddenly woke up and then immediately ignored everything.
Fleeing, some even shouted.
A riot immediately formed.
At this time, Chen Bin just came back to his senses, and he couldn't help but feel furious. He could imagine how Xue Changxiong, who was on a hill across the mountain, would blame himself for this incident.
But there was no time to think about anything else. At this moment, whether it was because many people fled desperately during the riot, or whether the wooden supports in the tunnel below were burned to the core, suddenly, the entire mountaintop shook on the spot.
Chen Bin was also frightened so much that he wanted to jump up.
However, neither he nor the soldiers around him soon realized that the earth mountain was just shaking for a moment and did not collapse as expected.
Only the fortifications on the top of the mountain suddenly appeared slightly crooked.
Chen Bin laughed when he saw this. He temporarily suppressed his previous emotions and calmed the soldiers a little: "Why are you panicking? I won't hide it from you. The thieves dug tunnels, but they obviously have never been a miner. Our earth mountain is also
Impregnable..."
Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, he felt that the world was spinning again, and then he found himself leaning to one side.
In panic, Chen Sima did not dare to hesitate anymore. He jumped up on the spot and walked slowly towards the rear. At this moment, he turned back in the air and clearly saw that half of the mountain was split in the middle as if cut by a knife.
Then the whole thing slid down the steep face to the south. Some buildings on the top of the mountain were torn and turned over in the process. Many soldiers were like ants being let go from the soil, but without the ants' grip, they just fell into it on the spot.
At the same time, he couldn't help but scream in fear.
Chen Bin landed on a gentle slope and was startled when he looked at the collapsed earth mountain that almost collapsed to the fire camp opposite. He was about to say something to the stunned soldiers around him. Unexpectedly, the front slipped again, and another small piece of earth turned over.
He went down and buried many wailing soldiers below.
Seeing this situation, Sima, the commander of the Nanchen Royal Family and the Great Wei Hejian Camp Supervisor, was completely heartbroken.
But it's not over yet.
The collapse of this earth mountain was like a signal. Flags were suddenly waved on the general stage of the chessboard camp in front of them, drums and horns were blaring loudly. All the camps opened their doors together, and the robbers cheered and shouted to kill the sky. Almost the whole army rushed to the stunned place.
The army invaded the front line and counterattacked.
The thief's banner formed a Zhenqi army formation on the spot, and then ignored it and rushed out from the camp to Xue Wancheng's troops together with the surrounding soldiers.
It's as if he wants to take advantage of this opportunity and try his best to cause damage.
In stark contrast, the three armies on the front line were shocked by the collapse of the mountains on their sides and rear. They were almost stunned in place. At this time, they were counterattacked by the rebel army from all sides, and almost fell.
You have to lose your footing... Seeing this scene, Chen Bin instinctively turned his head to look in the direction of the mountain in the middle, where Xue Changxiong and the generals used to watch the battle. But at this time, the mountain he was on had collapsed, and he was in the lowland.
I couldn't see clearly what was going on there. I could only see the mountains between the two. The soldiers and officers were all panic-stricken, and they were abandoning the mountains and fleeing.
Following the figures of these fleeing people, Chen Sima simply turned to the east and looked hard. Sure enough, he saw soldiers fleeing down the gentle slopes from the other mountains. There were fewer people escaping from the central mountain where Xue Changxiong was.
, and still formed a large scale. What's even more terrible is that the fleeing troops were almost pushed together with the reinforcements gathered at the foot of the mountain behind them, and the reinforcements were also timid for a while, and some were even smart enough to retreat slowly before the military order was received.
It is obvious that in a short period of time, these mountains have quickly changed from a condescending and relatively safe strike zone to a taboo place representing death for the officers and soldiers.
Chen Bin stood there stunned, feeling strong fear and shame.
Needless to say, there was no need to say more about fear. He could fully imagine General Xue's anger at this time.
After all, this man is a Guanlong military leader. Before, he had become rude because of getting along with him for a long time. He only regarded himself as a vassal. Now he is angry and attributes the inevitable losses to his family. I am afraid that he will not
I know what the humiliation will be.
As for shame... It's ridiculous to say that it comes from this fear. This is not a play on words, but to say that when things came to pass, this descendant of the Nanchen royal family clearly realized his fear of being angry at Xue Changxiong... And
He had always thought that he was from the royal family of the Southern Dynasties, that he could see things more clearly than anyone else, and that he had a higher attitude than anyone else, and that he was just going with the flow and calmly playing in troubled times.
However, when he faced Xue Changxiong's possible anger and humiliation, he was surprised to find that his first instinct was fear, which made him feel a great sense of shame.
Of course, Xue Changxiong didn't know how one of his confidants was suffering from the Nanchen aristocratic disease. He was standing on the mountain in the middle, already frustrated by the situation.
You know, the collapse of the earth and mountain is definitely not a direct casualty... He can imagine that the casualties are estimated to be less than yesterday evening's offensive, at most a few hundred people. How many people can stand on the top of the mountain?
But at this moment, under the landslide, the impact of the few casualties was seized by the thieves on the opposite side and amplified to the extreme, so that the entire army became timid and fell into crisis.
On the top of the mountain where he stood, he killed dozens of people in a hurry, but he couldn't stop the rest of the people from evacuating the mountain, let alone other places? Let alone the blocked reinforcements at the rear?
This is what really matters.
After taking a deep breath, General Xue suppressed all kinds of emotions and bloomed the "big sun" again. Then he waved the straight knife in his hand and ordered the surrounding high-ranking officers:
"Follow me down and meet the little dog in charge again!"
The surrounding officers naturally know the pros and cons... Who doesn't know what happened now? This general cherishes his life just like everyone else and is not willing to fight for it. He went down yesterday to provide cover for the Youzhou Army, and today he went down partly to
To save the situation on the front line, on the one hand, it is for the life of my own son... The reinforcements are difficult to stop for a while, so we can't just sit back and watch the other side kill our son and swallow up these three troops, right?... Due to emotions and reasons, we have to fight again.
As a result, all the generals did not dare to neglect, and they all worked hard to follow him.
Arriving at the foot of the mountain, Murong Zhengyan, Wang Yu and other generals took the initiative to gather together.
This time, Chen Sima was missing from the military formation, and two generals from the Youzhou camp were added. However, after the two sides collided face to face without any scruples, the officers and soldiers felt even more shocked than yesterday.
Thinking about it, I have an extra Ning Dan, and my opponent has an extra Cheng Dan. Although the comparison of strength is not earth-shaking, the changes are obvious... And if this is the case, wait until the rumored Wu brothers and the stronger one
When Bai Sanniang arrived, she didn't know what the situation would be like.
At this moment, everyone seemed to be able to feel some kind of helplessness in General Xue's heart, and they also understood why the general was reluctant to take advantage of his own cultivation and use his full strength to fight head-on... If both sides had tried their best
Master, you may not know who will lose!
But if that's the case, wouldn't what Zhang San said yesterday be extremely true?
However, Zhang Dalongtou was obviously not in the mood to give a speech this time. Fighter opportunities were rare. He did not expect that the officers and soldiers would take the initiative to attack after seeing the fire. So at this time, he only wanted to kill as many people as possible and cause a double blow to the opponent's morale and attrition.
.
And Xue Changxiong just wanted to save the front line as much as possible and facilitate the withdrawal of troops.
Therefore, the battle took more than half an hour to stop, and Xue Wancheng was indeed rescued. Neither side had the momentum to fight to the end.
But the casualties and chaos caused were unprecedented... After the war, the officers and soldiers organized the troops, strictly enforced military discipline, and regained control of Tushan. The army carefully cleaned the battlefield and could not stop until dark.
"The officers and soldiers have reoccupied Tushan. Should we attack them at night?" Returning to the barracks for a military meeting, the leader Shan Tonghai was very excited.
"I think it's okay." Zhang Xing's hands were all bandaged, and many of the other leaders listening under the light were also injured. "What do you think?"
However, it is obvious that the number of leaders with calm postures increased significantly during the military meeting, and the frequency of everyone's speeches also increased significantly. Therefore, when Zhang Xing asked a question back at this time, many people responded.
"I think we can fight!"
"Why can't we fight? Now the officers and soldiers are in panic, give him another blow!"
"However, the officers and soldiers also specially rectified military discipline and boldly sent troops back. They only stationed themselves on the gentle slope of the mountain. I'm afraid the defense will be tight."
"That can be fought...they have been frightened for a long time."
"Tell me, we have about a dozen less people in the formation than yesterday, but why do we feel more powerful? Is Leader Xu that powerful alone?"
"Of course Chief Xu is powerful, and the hero of Lu County is not fake, but let me tell you, the officers and soldiers are still timid and only want to get people back. Compared with the majesty of yesterday, they dare not fight with us today, so
We are at a disadvantage... What Big Dragon Head said yesterday is all true."
"I see."
"It makes some sense."
"If that's the case, then why are we still afraid of him? Just give him another shot."
"Can you give him a try without attacking Tushan?" At this moment, Dou Lide suddenly said. "If they want to defend themselves, they will probably defend themselves on the Tushan side. Wasn't the west corridor broken by them? We
Just go over there and follow the example of the first day when the leader Wang led his hundred horsemen to rob the camp."... Everyone was stunned, and the discussion became more intense, but in the end most of them looked at Zhang Xing.
"Rob the camp, rob the mountain, rob them all!" Zhang Xing thought for a while and came to a conclusion. "Spread out your troops, rob the camp, and attack the gentle slope behind Tushan... In fact, you also want to rob Tushan here.
Provide cover for the robbery camp! Send troops here first in Tushan!"
All the leaders were excited and discussed again. This time there were many people who wanted to fight... In the end, Zhang Xing had no choice but to draw lots again, but he chose the four battalions of Shan Tonghai, Cheng Zhili, Tang Bairen and Fan Bao to attack the four mountains in front of them.
The four battalions of Fu Boshi, Wang Shuyong, Zhuge Dewei and Xiahou Ningyuan went around to flank the enemy camp; Xiong Bonan and Xu Shiren led Cheng Mingqi and Shang Huaien to provide intermediate support.
Once the arrangements are properly made, all the generals will carry out their duties.
Zhang Xing also returned to his base camp to have dinner.
However, just when he returned to his base camp to finish his meal and the night attack troops were preparing to set off, Yan Qing and Wang Xiongdan suddenly came looking for him.
Zhang Xing originally thought that Yan Qing wanted to discuss who would own the battalion of Sun Xunzhi, so he didn't care, but he was frightened as soon as he opened his mouth. The leader of the left-wing gang and the commander-in-chief of the Hebei frontline stood up in shock:
"Niuda lost Chanyuan City?!"
"The current news is this...it has just been sent." Wang Xiongdan said with a serious face. "There are a few good horsemen with cultivation among the defeated soldiers who have just arrived. According to them, the leader of the cattle will obey the military order."
After Tu Da passed by, he raised his flag and attacked, intending to peck the opponent back... As a result, Qu Tuda went back and forth to Ji County several times. I don't know if he was prepared in advance or if he was really powerful. Anyway, he turned around and fought hard.
He attacked and directly defeated Niu Datou's entire army, and counterattacked Chanyuan City."
"So..." Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment and continued to ask. "Chanyuan City is lost, what about Niuda himself? Is there any news?"
"These people only know that Chief Niu failed to enter the city and fled westward." Wang Xiongdan was obviously powerless.
Zhang Xing slowly sat back behind the desk, not knowing how to respond or what to say for a moment... Niu Da was defeated and lost Chan Yuan. It was this man's responsibility, but it was also the responsibility of him as a big leader.
.
Because if you think about it carefully, you will know that with Niuda's military strength, no one expected him to defeat Qutuda. They just hoped that he would delay for a moment or two. Now that he has been completely defeated and lost the city, it seems that it should have been expected.
After making calculations, he opened his head and thought that he could make a perfect exchange.
It seems that I pursued rigor, completeness, and caution too much in the beginning.
But it seems that now is not the time to reflect on this, because no matter what, the original plan has been implemented.
Moreover, at this time, the war situation has obviously entered a critical period - Xue Changxiong and his Hejian camp have exposed their background. They are afraid of casualties and are afraid of death. They should have taken the opportunity to intimidate them, relying on their strong strength in the past few days.
Scared the opponent away, but now what if the elite Dongdu troops led by Qu Tuda arrived from the flank in time with a group of soldiers from several counties in the west of Hebei Province?
An important question here is, is Qu Tuda, the general directly under the Eastern Capital, a military leader? As the elite troops directly under the Eastern Capital, do they dare to fight to the death?… If the answer is that Qu Tuda is willing to lead this army
Wan Jing Rui fought tooth and nail to undertake the main attack mission with the greatest casualties, which is likely to trigger a chain effect, making the Hejian Camp willing to join in the decisive battle, and even lead those county soldiers to fight.
Cao Shancheng was already gearing up.
It is natural that Xue Changxiong has thoughts about the military leaders within the Hejian camp and the governors stationed in Hebei. But what does he have to worry about when it comes to reinforcements from the Eastern Capital? As long as the other party is willing to fight, he will only
Do your best to promote this.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xing felt his scalp numb.
If this is the case, he can barely hold on in the end, and the loss is enough to drink a pot. The twenty-five battalion soldiers here in Hebei will not be able to stand in front of the eastern border, and then there will be countless troubles.
"Do you want to... cover up this matter?" Yan Qing asked with difficulty.
"Can you live under cover? We can't cover up here or across the street." Zhang Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Even in his military tent, he could still vaguely feel the chill of early spring. "But we still have to try our best to hide those who escaped.
The soldiers gathered together... First verify the accuracy of the news. Was the city lost? Did Niuda escape? How much was the loss? If the information is accurate, tell all the big bosses first thing tomorrow morning! Let's see below, the boss, me and several big bosses.
The results of the leaders’ deliberations.”
"The big boss also has six people, plus Chief Wei, there are seven people...what if..." Yan Qing tried his best to remind. "What if there are one or two who are not determined?"
"There's nothing we can do about it. If they don't even have this support, then what kind of leader are they?" Zhang Xing blurted out, but paused for a moment and lowered his voice to answer. "But I understand what you mean, there are hundreds of thousands.
People's lives are here, we really can't gamble... Well, Wang Xiongdan, you go and make arrangements. After today's night attack, move the camp heads of Gao Shitong and Zhai Qian to the middle of the two rows behind."
Wang Xiongdan nodded immediately.
"That's all it can do." Yan Qing just sighed.
Zhang Xingfu thought about it again, but felt that he was too weak and his whole body ached, so he lay down directly and said nothing.
Just when Zhang Dalongtou was frightened into a cold sweat by the latest battle report, the atmosphere in the army camp was also not good.
After this battle, the morale of the officers and soldiers suffered a huge blow.
When it comes to casualties, it’s not necessarily who is stronger than the other, but the collapse of the earth and mountains and the direct burial and killing of hundreds of soldiers gave this battle a clear sign of victory or defeat. All middle and low-level officers and lower-level officers
The soldiers all believed that this battle was a disastrous defeat. Of course, the senior officers were not so confused, but the severe blow to morale of the entire army seemed to be a self-evident failure in itself.
What's even more terrible is that today's war and yesterday's war, from the cause to the process to the result, seem to echo Zhang San's decisive words yesterday - everyone seems to be unmatched, but at the critical moment, everyone from Xue Changxiong down
The military leaders were not willing to risk their lives.
If the capital is gone and you stand aside, who is willing to move?
In this case, speculation and capital preservation have become some fundamental ideas, and all losses must be calculated carefully.
Turning back to the present, after everyone withdrew, they finally stopped complaining and complaining, especially the losses of various ministries. Then, at Xue Changxiong's request, they discussed military affairs first, but then there was a natural debate about whether to continue to control Tushan...
Led by Wang Yu, quite a few generals believe that the southern slope of the mountain has been proven to be extremely steep and is very easy to be dug down. Even if they think that the other party will dig a tunnel, it is difficult to stop them... Of course, in addition, everyone has suffered heavy losses, so it is necessary to
Rest... So, it is better to give up temporarily.
However, this view was quickly suppressed, because it is easy to abandon the earth mountain, but the problem is that even if the political significance and morale impact of this move are not considered, it is also necessary to consider that the thieves can occupy the earth mountain in turn, and then consolidate and repair it by themselves.
The manpower and material resources previously spent by the government and army built a stronger line of defense.
Giving up means giving up, but giving up to the enemy is another matter. So how can we let out a large row of mountains of earth?
This is why Xue Changxiong insisted on leaving heavy troops to guard the gentle slopes of the mountain before withdrawing.
And Wang Yu and others were gradually convinced.
Then, the next question becomes how to reinforce the earth hill so that it can be tamped properly so that ditches can be dug on the south slope to prevent tunnel attacks.
"It's very simple. Why can the thieves build their houses?" There are still people in the army who have experience. General Feng Duan immediately spread his hands and said, "It's because there is earth outside the house, and it has bones and flesh... On the contrary,
Let me tell you, if you want the mountain to be stable, the easiest way is to build it on the south slope!"
"Why didn't you come before?" Xue Changxiong's face turned pale.
"I didn't expect it." Feng Duan continued to spread his hands. "I really didn't expect that before today, who would have thought that the thieves would dig tunnels and dig them so fast? Normally, there are several separate roads to dig from the front camp to the bottom of the mountain. Finally,
Burn them together... It will take at least ten days... After the collapse today, the general has been thinking, are the thieves some big leaders who went out to dig on their own? Didn't Chen Sima also say that there are leaders who go in and out of those central pages?
House. But it’s too incredible.”
"Chen Sima missed a big event!" Xue Wanbi suddenly shouted loudly. "My sixth brother was almost killed by him!"
Chen Bin's face was expressionless and his body remained motionless, waiting for Xue Changxiong to speak.
Unexpectedly, Murong Zhengyan stepped out at this time and took the initiative to explain to Chen Bin before Xue Changxiong could speak: "General, let's be honest, Chen Sima is really not to blame for what happened... Who would have thought that he was actually a thief?
The big leaders of the army, how about the leaders personally digging tunnels with the level of Ningdan?"
"Yes." Xue Changxiong also took a long breath. "If we can be so united and work hard, what do we think of mere thieves? Everyone, let me tell you, the war will only start in five or six days. The war is early, and the reinforcements are ready
Not yet... Why don't we all have a truce for a day or two? If we can calm people's hearts, clean up the situation, regroup, and win the battle, it will only take a moment."
After Murong Zheng said this, everyone nodded in agreement.
However, after nodding, Wang Yu asked again: "So, we just want to add a section on the south slope?"
"No." Feng Duan objected on the spot.
"What do you mean?" Xue Wanbi's expression changed again on the spot. "Didn't you just say it yourself?"
"It's an upper block, but now the south slope is too steep and the mountain is too high, so we have to use a large wooden block." Feng Duan explained.
Everyone was relieved.
"Then let's make a big wooden block." Xue Changxiong was also a little speechless... "The key to a big wooden block is good wood." Feng Duan had no choice but to spread his hands three times to explain. "We need big wood! Long wood! Big wood that can be used as a pillar! No.
Counting the small one on the east side, the remaining four hills were later increased in height, requiring hundreds of such large trees!"
Xue Changxiong was stunned for a moment and then came to his senses: "You mean it's too late to cut down the trees?"
"It's not just a matter of being too late." Feng Duan said with some help. "As I've learned before... when it snowed last winter, the rebels specially cut down the surrounding large trees to keep warm."
"Why did they cut down the big trees?" Some people wondered.
"Since ancient times, when defending a city, we must try our best to clear away the surrounding large trees to prevent them from being used as siege fortifications." Feng Duan continued to explain.
"If that's the case..." Wang Yu was a little frustrated. "Aren't the thieves prepared to retreat to Ban County and continue to hold on to the end if necessary? So what if we capture the Qipan Village? This battle...
"
"Don't say unnecessary words, just talk about the big trees." Xue Changxiong interrupted impatiently. "If there are not so many big trees in the surrounding forests, will we be able to make it in time? Will the big trees be transported? The ice on the river will have opened long ago."
"It's really possible." Feng Duan became more and more helpless. "First of all, you have to look for it. This is a matter of luck... After you find it, you can find someone to help you. If the road is not good and you are not facing the road, you will be exhausted. How can you determine the date?
Where is the day?"
The place fell silent for a moment.
And just when Wang Yu was about to speak at the right time and say something else.
Suddenly, General Xue Changxiong, who was sitting at the top, smiled instead: "We are confused... Isn't the big tree that can serve as the backbone just behind us? I am sending an urgent message now, and I will be lucky tomorrow if I can't say it. If I work harder, tomorrow
You can get there in the evening if you don't want to."
Everyone was surprised.
Only Qian Tang's expression suddenly changed, and he stood up on the spot to protest: "General Xue is digging his own grave with this move! Even if we are victorious, all the people south of the Qingzhang River will belong to thieves!"
The people present were still surprised, but soon some people followed Qian Tang and reacted.
Wouldn’t it be enough to go directly to Ande City, Pingyuan City, and Jiangling City to dismantle the large timber that can be used as pillars? Three big and famous cities still lack these timbers?
"Qian Fujun." Unexpectedly, Xue Changxiong was not angry at all, but just looked at it coldly. "When the saint was guarding the city in Yanmen, he demolished the entire city... You can say that the saint should not go north to Yanmen, but
Can you say that the house should not be demolished after being besieged by the witch clan coalition forces?"
Qian Tang remained silent.
"I am the commander-in-chief of the march in Hebei, and the stability of Hebei is my duty." Seeing this, General Xue continued to speak. "Today we are fighting against thieves, and we are breaking down houses in order to win... This is what I said, in front of the saint.
Even if Cao Zhongcheng is here, I feel confident that he will agree! Do you believe it or not?"
When Qian Tang heard the last sentence, he looked up to the sky and sighed, feeling a little relieved: "So that's it! That's it!"
At this point, without waiting for anyone else's reaction, Qian Tangfu solemnly handed over his hand: "General Xue, you can demolish the government office first."
Xue Changxiong nodded slightly: "Okay."
"Thank you, General Xue." Qian Tang nodded, looked around at everyone again, and still held his hands. "Everyone, I'm tired today, so I'll take my leave now." After saying that, he walked out.
"Qian Fujun!" At this moment, Xue Changxiong suddenly called the other party from behind and gave a solemn reminder. "You are not allowed to leave the camp without military orders!"
Qian Tang turned around and handed over his hands, then turned around and left. When passing by Cao Shancheng, the latter grabbed him but did not hold him back.
The matter was settled. Next, we should talk about Chen Bin's mistakes and the gains and losses of this battle. However, everything was interrupted by the sudden emergency report from outside - the thieves began to attack the officers and soldiers on the gentle slope behind the mountain in front at night.
The troops are left behind.
"Here comes the one who takes advantage."
Be prepared, just stay here and be on guard. If the enemy comes, take the initiative to fight. General Murong Zhengyan will patrol the camp to ensure that the camp is in good condition. The other generals will return to their own strongholds and are not allowed to move lightly."
Naturally, everyone had nothing to say and left one after another.
"Everyone else will go down as well. Let's stay with Chen Sima and Lao Qi." At this moment, Xue Changxiong suddenly thought of something again and suddenly called out to the two of them.
The other generals were slightly moved in their hearts, but had different reactions, but most of them hurried away together with the guards.
After everyone left, General Xue looked at his confidant and youngest son and remained silent for a long time.
Chen Bin wanted to apologize, but he was still a little frustrated, angry, fearful and ashamed, and the scene froze for a moment.
After a long while, Xue Wanquan carefully handed over his hand: "Father, handsome, do you have any explanation?"
"It's none of your business, I just want you to listen to what Chen Sima and I said and learn something." Xue Changxiong said coldly. "Chen Sima, did you see clearly those people just now?"
Chen Bin paused for a moment before responding: "I wonder who the general is talking about?"
"Anyone? Everyone!" Xue Changxiong sneered, full of energy. "The silent Luo Shu is the biggest slippery man. I treat him with all my heart and regard him as my deputy in Youzhou Camp.
, but he obviously eats several things. When he is with me, he is like Li Cheng, when he is with Li Cheng, he is like our Youzhou camp, and when he is with Murong Zhengyan and others, he is like us in Hebei... let him fight.
It's a battle, but I'm not willing to move after using a traitor among thieves as a pretext... The soldiers and horses are not moving, and individual combat is not moving. Today, I have no contribution at all in the Zhenqi formation! That's right!
Am I a fake grandmaster? Can’t you detect it?!”
"It's not just those two people from Youzhou." Chen Bin sighed after hearing this. "Although I'm not in the Zhenqi Army formation today, I can still tell that there are not many people who really sacrifice their lives and exert their strength... You can still use it as the internal injury suffered yesterday.
It’s hard to criticize harshly.”
"It's not just about the military formation, it's mainly about the military meeting just now." After Xue Changxiong said this, he stood up directly and walked around in the wide tent with his hands behind his hands. "Tell me, Wang Yu, how did Feng Duan hook up?
I have always regarded Wang Yu as a confidant, but now they join forces to force me to withdraw my troops, right? If Wang Yu is scared in front of the battle today, then Feng Duan is even more cruel... He is a siege fighter.
Master, why didn't he say that the earth mountain was not compacted enough at the beginning? Why didn't he say that the big wooden blocks were set up at the beginning? Why didn't he say that there was a lack of large wood at the beginning? Even today on the earth mountain, he really didn't see that it was burning a hole in the ground? So much so that he was forced to
I temporarily demolished the city and completely hated Qian Tang!"... "Among these people, Mr. Qian Fu is the clearest." Chen Bin could not help but sigh.
"Who says it's not?"
relationship, but I had no choice but to blame me later because of Zhang Fujun. But even so, I didn’t want to really offend him to death. I also thought that since Zhangfu Jun said that this person was trustworthy, then I
He couldn't be used anymore. Lao Qi might be able to use him in the future. But he took the last words of Zhang Fujun hanging on him before his death as a statement. He really just ignored everything and only cared about the peace of the county... Qing Qing is true.
So is pedantry!”
Xue Wanquan's heart was surging. This was the first time his father had made it clear that the Hejian camp might be his in the future, as well as Hebei, and even the whole world.
At the same time, Chen Bin also wanted to talk. He wanted to say to General Xue, no matter whether it is clear or pedantic, now that you have exposed people's last thoughts, are you not afraid of what others will do if they are cruel?
Of course, Chen Sima ended up just like Xue Wanquan beside him, saying nothing and just nodded.
"And Murong Zhengyan." Xue Changxiong suddenly stopped in front of the seat. "Who is this guy? At first I thought he was loyal and commendable, but now I realize that he is harboring evil intentions!"
Chen Bin was surprised for a moment, because he really didn't think that Murong Zhengyan was causing trouble. Although he was harboring evil intentions, his heart was not as good as his deeds. Who hasn't had bad thoughts? He has had them too. The key is to see what people have done and whether they can bear it.
live.
"Murong Zhengyan saw that you got into trouble today, but he actually defended you repeatedly in order to win over you? Isn't it ridiculous?" Xue Changxiong couldn't help shaking his head when he saw this, as if he was a little dissatisfied with Chen Bin's pretense of madness and stupidity. "What does he want to do?"
Chen Bin said nothing, but felt cold in his heart, while Xue Wanquan on the side also looked at him in shock.
"I'm asking you a question!" Xue Changxiong became even more frustrated. "You are my private person, so why are you flirting with Murong Zhengyan? And why didn't you come and see me quickly after you went to deal with the Tushan incident today?"
"Yes." Chen Bin suddenly spoke, but he was a little stiff. "What Duke Xue taught is that when subordinates make mistakes, they should take chances out of fear. This is absolutely inappropriate."
After all, the two of them had been getting along for a while. When Xue Changxiong saw the other party like this, he knew that the other party was perfunctory and avoiding important matters, so he became even more angry: "What do you look like? I entrust the secrets of the camp to you.
, you didn’t say anything about it, and you allowed them to secretly form a party. If this happens, will the Hejian camp still look like this?"
Chen Bin, who finally suppressed his dissatisfaction, felt angry again, and the shame he felt today was superimposed to a certain extent. He finally couldn't bear it anymore: "General, I am incompetent, but what about the Hejian Camp like this?"
Just me?”
"So it's me?!" General Xue understood instantly.
"Father." Xue Wanquan hurriedly came to persuade him. "That's not what Chen Sima meant."
Chen Bin replied to Qingming and quickly restrained his anger. He bowed his head and saluted with some fear: "The general has lost his composure..."
Xue Changxiong sighed, suppressing his anger, but asked elsewhere: "What happened to Bohai Prefect Zhou? I asked you to deal with it."... "That's it, Zhou Fujun replied to the letter saying that there was a thief affair along the coast.
, he suspected that they were thieves who sent reinforcements to Dengzhou..." Chen Bin also suppressed all kinds of emotions and reported quickly.
"Why are you telling me now?" Xue Changxiong's expression changed drastically.
"The main reason is that the general felt that he was making a temporary excuse." In panic, Chen Bin immediately explained. "I didn't mention it a few times before, but now I suddenly mentioned it... In addition, there should be ice on the Bohai Sea!
"
"You know nothing!" Xue Changxiong was completely furious. "There is only a lot of ice on the Bohai Sea in the north. There is very little ice in the Dengzhou Bay in the south and in the direction of Dongyi. The deep-water ports will not freeze at all... If we go from Dengzhou
Setting off from Jishui Port, we bypassed the mouth of a large river and landed, it was so easy... How could I have forgotten this?!"
Chen Bin's face turned pale.
It was still the same as this afternoon, fear and shame - but he could guarantee that he had indeed noticed the avoidance and shrinkage of Governor Zhou of Bohai County. Basically, he had a new reason every time to refuse to move.
Therefore, at the same time, he did not think that things would really be like that.
Xue Changxiong didn't bother to pay attention to any unnecessary matters at this time, and he no longer tabooed anything. He just continued to ask: "Do you have one of our troops in Leling?"
"yes."
"Immediately provide support... No, let Leling stay there and send another army... We have to find a force that can fight. Let Wang Fubei go, go to Yangxin, and block the east end of Douzigang.
." Xue Changxiong immediately gave the answer. "Go quickly!"
"Yes." Chen Bin responded simply again, and couldn't help but remind him. "Actually, there is no need for Wang Fubei. He is just defending the city. Why not let the two supporting soldiers from Youzhou who are unwilling to contribute any more go?"
"Okay." Xue Changxiong nodded immediately, but couldn't bear it. "Aren't you very smart? Why didn't you report it earlier and formulate this countermeasure?"
Chen Bin suppressed everything and just nodded casually, preparing to leave quickly.
"And..." Seeing that the other party was about to leave the camp, Xue Changxiong suddenly called out to the other party again. This time, his eyes widened and his words were stern. "Tell Governor Zhou that if I finally find out that he is avoiding military affairs,
He lied to us again and again, and I killed him with my own hands!"
Chen Bin was startled and quickly braced himself to answer.
Turning around and leaving the camp, Chen Sima took a few long breaths before relaxing. At the same time, as Xue Changxiong expected, the thieves came to rob the camp again, and a night battle broke out between the two sides again.
Chen Bin could not panic at all.
what is this?
What is this compared to the unbearable Xue Changxiong's big account?
There is no fighting tonight.
.
Grenades are afraid of water. Remind you: remember to collect after reading this
