On the sixth day of April, the military branch reached an agreement with the Dongyi people and decided to cross the Dongyi territory and go south. The next step was naturally a journey. In the process, Qian Tang was ordered to leave the team first and come to the western region of Dongyi.
He had two tasks. One was to supervise Li Ziqi's fulfillment of his promise to transfer back some of the people who had fled from Dengzhou to the western region of Dongyi and were converted into slaves. The other was to contact the gang in reverse on Yan Qing's behalf.
Because of the previous mission, direct contact was impossible. The news first reached Cheng Zhili, the acting general manager of Dengzhou. Then the person actually responsible for delivering the news to the west was Zhuge Dewei, one of the two battalions left behind among the seven battalions of Dengzhou.
One of them came over at this time. I really don’t know whether he was squeezed out by Chief Cheng Zhili and Chief Cheng, or because he couldn’t bear the loneliness.
This journey, from Izumo to Dongjun, was a complicated journey of nearly two thousand miles, not to mention the change of messengers in the middle. Therefore, by the time Zhuge Dewei arrived at Hakuba, Dongjun, after traveling day and night, half a month had passed, and following him
Also arriving at the same time is the summer rain that gradually spreads from east to west.
As for Baima at this time, it has become a gathering and distribution center for soldiers and horses from all walks of life. Countless soldiers and horses from all walks of life crossed the river from Hebei and prepared to disperse to various places.
Frankly speaking, the rain in early summer was intermittent and not very heavy, and it did not affect the movement of the army. However, the army seemed to have made preparations for the next rainy season early. Many Hebei troops stopped here in Baima to collect reeds, and then
It was unprepared to make coir raincoats, bamboo hats and shoes with the guidance and guidance of local soldiers and even the people in the East, because Liuhe boots were quite suitable.
In fact, when Zhuge Dewei came to Baima, East County, the patrol led by him led Dou Xiaoniang into the city. When he saw the first big shot, the people around him, including this big shot, happened to be knitting raincoats.
"We don't have much grasshoppers, and we don't have time to find them. I can only teach you a trick, remember it clearly. The grasshoppers are mainly used on the shoulders, chest and back, and straw is used in other places."
The speaker was the newly appointed commander of the General Tomb Tower, the so-called Dou Lide and Dou Longtou. He was dressed in cloth, with his hair bald and a bun exposed. He was standing on an earthen platform in Baima Port City in the drizzle.
Go up and teach him to carry the coir grass and imitate him out of curiosity.
"Straw cannot be used for a long time. It will rot after being exposed to a few rains and will have to be replaced. But according to Shan Longtou and the others, if you go south, there will be more rice planting in Jiyin and further south, so there will be no shortage of straw.
"Why shoulders and chest and back? Let me ask you, what is the simplest style in iron armor? Is it an iron crotch? Yes! You can make a wider crotch according to the iron crotch to cover the armor, and the rest
Place filled with straw
"Wait a moment, you guys make up your mind first, Xiao Gao, are you here to teach Leader Zhuge?! Is the person coming here Brother Zhuge?"
Moreover, Zhuge Dewei watched for a while and wanted to say hello, but the other person was busy, so was he, and he felt that the other person was behaving a little strange, so he only glanced at him and hurriedly reined up his horse and headed to the south side of Baima City.
As a result, he didn't think of trying to curry favor with the leader of the largest mountain in Hebei Province, but instead they called him "Longtou".
"Brother Dou!" A lively person like Zhuge Dewei knew how to call him. He immediately stopped and shouted enthusiastically, and then took the initiative to dismount his horse to greet her, causing Miss Dou behind her to stand helplessly. "Brother Dou, why are you here? Why are you here?
Are they your troops in Taichung?"
"No, our main task is to guard Xue Changxiong at General Ling Xingtai. We only sent two battalions of soldiers here, and they left the day before yesterday." Dou Lide blurted out. "These are soldiers from Xingtai in Yecheng, mainly Han Erlang.
Many of the new recruits under my command were reformed from Wuyang County. I'm afraid that they will be squeezed out and no one will care about them. But it's not just for this reason that I came here. I also want to hear the chief's final plan.
Bottom."
Zhuge Dewei nodded repeatedly, with only one word of admiration in his heart. Although Hebei must have a mountain, why is it Dou Lide, not Gao Shitong, and not someone else? Isn't it because of this motivation? However, this leader Zhuge has always been
It is also different from other people. It is precisely because he is aware of the other party's political ambitions and wooing intentions that he feels that he might as well keep a distance from the other party because with this kind of person, the other party has gained power.
The rebel army may not be able to lift all boats, but if the other party is suppressed inappropriately by Chief Zhang, they will be implicated.
But precisely because of his determination, Zhuge Dewei became even more affectionate in his words: "I used to say that Brother Dou is the Optimus Prime of us Hebei people. Now that he has become the leader, he can't forget everyone. We should keep in touch more."
right."
Dou Lide narrowed his eyes, smiled, and was about to speak.
Unexpectedly, Dou Xiaoniang, who had led Zhuge Dewei into the port city, had already become impatient. Seeing the opportunity, she quickly interrupted: "Dou Longtou, I brought leader Zhuge in from the port city because there are many soldiers here.
In order to cover people's eyes and ears, they have to report important situations to the chief, how can you stop them halfway?"
Except for Chen Bin, Dou Lide didn't lose his temper with anyone. He was especially shy towards his daughter and wife. He just nodded quickly: "I was also going to see the chief, let's go together."
Dou Xiaoniang was so angry that she could only hold her forehead and wipe it, and then rode a horse to lead the way. But Dou Lide also found a horse, and took the opportunity to hold Zhuge Dewei's hand, and chatted behind the horse.
Only then did Zhuge Dewei know that this port city surrounding Baima Jin was the first place where the gang started to attack. It was here that Xu Dalang and Zhai Erlang's group sent troops, first killing the captain of Dongjun, and then
Taking advantage of the situation, they leveled Baima City without any bloodshed, and almost surrendered the entire Dongjun Prefecture, which was regarded as taking down the first foundation of the gang.
That is to say, there are two big leaders and three leaders in this mere city. According to Dou Lide's words, there are two more people who are gradually gaining fame and meritorious service in the gang. I am afraid that Xu Dalang will also be able to make a difference in the future.
The leader of the bodyguard is Yuan Cong who came in carrying a pole during the Baima Juyi event that day. This is easy to understand. Just like Wang Xiongdan and Jia Runshi are to Zhang Xing, their qualifications have increased, and it is said that they have also caught the eye of Chief Zhang.
; In addition, there is a man named He, who can be regarded as Yuan Cong who acted righteously that day. He was promoted purely based on his qualifications and experience in government affairs.
"Brother Zhuge, think about it. There is a saying behind Emperor Bai's punishment monument that the world is too big, so it is necessary to rule the world with written laws. Our gang has really gone through the process again. This territory is a
When I was older, I really discovered that to govern a locality and a country, scholars are indispensable, as well as officials with swords and pens, but we are really lacking in this aspect.
"These are the sources of the leaders of the gang. These are the descendants of the Eastern Qi officers in the East. They are both good at civil and military affairs, but they are all leading troops. There are not many Dengzhou Rebels, Hebei Rebels, and Hejian Generals who are good at writing.
It is precisely for this reason that General Manager Chen can be of great use, and Li Shu and his gang can never be dispersed. The remaining ones are mostly descended from local officials, but they still feel that they are not as good as their own family in terms of use.
"The man named He just took advantage of this. He is Yuan Cong and can be trusted. Even though he was just a clerk at the beginning, he served as county magistrate for two terms without making any mistakes. This time he was transferred to the clerk's department. Everyone said
, take a moment to slow down and exercise your horizons, if there is another expansion next time, I will probably become a prefect."
"It should, it should." Zhuge Dewei could only say this, but his words became dry. "I am Yuan Cong."
"That's not true, but we Hebei people also have a lot of students, but our qualifications are far behind those in the east."
"Who says it isn't?"
The latter part was dry, but in the front there were many people around, otherwise Dou Xiaoniang, who was leading the way on horseback, would have turned around and rolled her eyes so that others would not know. How could she not know that her own father was seducing others?
The hooker was impatient, so he came closer.
However, if you use your official position or rank in the gang to seduce this person, does that mean this person is also an official fan?
Is Xiao Su also a fan of officialdom? If he is a fan of officialdom and his own father is also a fan of officialdom, how will he live in the future?
Just as I was thinking about it, I turned a corner after entering the city and came to an intersection. I suddenly saw a group of people approaching on the side street. They were all tall and big horses, with their armor in high gear. The three people in the lead were riding abreast. They were all tall and tall.
The one in the middle is not wearing armor, but is wearing a green belted military robe with a broad red forehead. There are also several whale bones on the forehead, and he is carrying a steel spear; the one on the left is wearing light leather.
The first man is wearing a light yellow smock, and has a green forehead, which is also inlaid with whale bones, and only hangs a thin waist knife; the one on the right also has no armor, but is wearing a simple white robe, and he is riding on his side.
There is a large iron bow, and there is also a forehead wrapped with whale bone, also white.
Finally, the three of them all had white short cloaks on their shoulders, and four flags were raised and spread out in the drizzle behind them. From left to right were Wu, Dan, Wang, and Liu, almost covering the entire street.
Duan looked like a hero in the world.
Dou Xiaoniang did not dare to neglect, she immediately got off her horse, took the initiative to get out of the way according to the military hierarchy, and then bowed her hands in salute.
When the three people on the opposite side first saw Dou Xiaoniang at the front, they just nodded and came to the front. They found that Dou Lide and Zhuge Dewei were both there. They all dismounted first and then stepped forward to talk.
Shan Tonghai, Wu Jingfeng, and Wang Shuyong surrounded Dou Lide and Zhuge Dewei for a while to greet and inquire about Liu Heifu. At this time, Dou Xiaoniang noticed that Liu Heifu was also wiping his red forehead.
Seeing that there were many people there, I stopped here to talk to Dou Xiaoniang.
Liu Heifu was a local gangster in Qinghe who was sponsored by Dou Lide before the Three Expeditions. Naturally, he knew Dou Xiaoniang, and he naturally had countless things to talk about.
In fact, at first, Liu Heifu showed off his new weapons and costumes, and Dou Xiaoniang was able to deal with it, but when it came to military affairs, she disliked Chief Zhang for being weak and unwilling to fight a big battle, and insisted on waiting for Li Ding to come over.
She became anxious, but her father was not the only one talking nonsense here. A group of leaders and big bosses were talking nonsense, so she had no choice but to keep silent.
Fortunately, the conversation among the few had not subsided, and the rain began to intensify first, so they headed towards the county together.
At this time, Dou Lide and several others were walking in front, but Dou Xiaoniang was at the back. However, she took the opportunity to remove the forehead wipe and secretly hid it. When this thing became popular in the gang at the beginning, she also followed it.
But for some reason, when she saw the scene just now, she felt that this thing looked silly.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and everyone arrived at the county house. The two leaders and several other leaders entered together, but Dou Xiaoniang was still stunned in the rain. It turned out that she had just discovered that her father's clothes, which had always been ridiculous, were not wet.
It was clear, and like the others, there was a slight glow on the shoulders, as if the elixir had been condensed.
She originally wanted to be surprised by this, but with Liu Heifu's experience as a gangster, she felt that there was nothing to be surprised about. However, she was a little unwilling to do so, so she stamped her feet and turned to the stables.
On the other side, the four generals, Dou Lide, and Zhuge Dewei entered the back hall of the county mansion, where a quarrel was breaking out.
Or to be more precise, a person was losing his temper, while the surrounding leaders, countless clerks, and soldiers, including Chief Zhang Xing, were all just listening to this man's wanton scolding.
"I don't care who came up with this idea. If Wang Yi joins the army, you'd better transfer him to be a general. Anyway, he has no military future. If he is a leader or something, you'd better check if he is.
Sima Zheng and Sima Huada’s spies!
"Set up a large camp at the junction of Qiao County and Pengcheng County?! Do you hope that this will deter the Imperial Army from entering the core territory of the gang, or do you hope that this will facilitate a decisive battle?"
"Of course it's both." Seeing Xu Shiying and Xu Shiren not talking, Shan Tonghai couldn't help but jump in to answer. "If they were frightened, they would follow Sima Zheng's old road from the south of Daying and take the Huaihe River.
It's best to go back west; if we want to forcefully enter our territory and our troops are concentrated, we can quickly hit them with more strikes and less contact, eat some of the soldiers and horses, and scare the rest away."
There was no way, this plan was discussed between him and several leaders of Jiyinxingtai, and then reported to Xu Shiying through Xu Shiren.
Li Ding, the one who just lost his temper, looked at Shan Tonghai and understood. Then he looked at Zhang Xing who was silent and sneered: "The problem with this plan is not that it has any effect, but that
It is a fatal failure in itself! As long as the camp is placed in the sight of the Forbidden Army, it becomes a piece of meat!"
"Li Longtou is saying that if we set up a large camp and deploy our troops, we will lose our mobility, and the other party will come to cut off our retreat, eat up the cities around us, and try to surround us?" Xu Shiying tried to understand.
"If that's the case, how can we be afraid of them? Bai Hengqiu led a hundred thousand soldiers and couldn't crush us. If he comes to eat us, we can defeat them!" Liu Heifu opened his hands and said in a loud voice. "Let's fight.
A big battle, a river of blood! Didn’t Li Longtou say that? This will increase our prestige and even Huainan can be taken down."
Li Ding was not angry this time. He had no need to be angry with people like Liu Heifu. He just looked at Zhang Xing, and Zhang Xing turned his attention to Xu Shiying.
Xu Shiying was silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke under Zhang Xing's gaze: "No matter how Li Longtou ridicules, I say that if we have to fight a war, we must fight a war with no retreat, and set up a big camp to lure them here.
In fact, attacking is somewhat feasible. It is always a plan, but it may indeed be disastrous, especially when we have to worry about the possibility of Sima Zheng joining them to join the siege. In short, if Li Longtou hates this plan so much, he must have a better idea.
, then why not let everyone listen to it?”
"It's not that I have a better idea, but that setting up a camp will force out all of the opponent's biggest advantages and give up our two biggest advantages. So, any other idea will be better
Okay!" Li Ding was reminded by Zhang Xing's gaze and looked around. Realizing the resistance of everyone around him, he finally regained his composure and began to tell the key to the problem. "Let me ask you, what is the biggest characteristic of the Dongdu Forbidden Army?