The wind subsided, but without delay, the fire was already rolling like clouds. The camp, grain, grass, timber, as well as the reeds and willow trees by Luolong Beach were all set alight.
Let's say that when it comes to this, if you put aside some things, just from a rational point of view, this does not seem to directly lead to some consequences. After all, although the Dongyi people lost their camp, they still had an absolute advantage in the number of troops, even before the battle.
There are already a considerable number of troops wearing armor.
Moreover, there is not much loss in high-end combat power.
In contrast, the incoming Dengzhou Army traveled a long distance. In this case, a melee between the two sides might not be possible.
But what about actually?
In fact, the Dongyi people collapsed unilaterally.
The soldiers trampled on each other and scrambled for the first place, and the fire rolled, often engulfing the fleeing soldiers in the sea of fire. And those grassroots officers who did not have Ningdan were like chickens and dogs before they were trampled by the fire, with no power to protect themselves.
The masters, faced with the flames and the rout, had no choice but to turn around and flee, panicking and choosing their way out.
Amidst the screams of killing and the beeping sound of flames engulfing the wood, Bai Yousi, who had some blood stains on his body, stood on the watchtower in front of the original Chinese army camp, searching for something in all directions, not caring that the lower floor of the watchtower was already on fire.
Suddenly, he turned his head and looked at a burning wing. He saw the roof collapse and fall, sparks arose, but a red light came from behind.
But Bai Yousi remained motionless.
"General Manager!" The red light fell below the watchtower, and it was Ma Ping'er. His face was flushed by the firelight, and he was holding a head in his hand. He actually trembled a little when he opened his mouth. "I killed a general!
My Lihuo Zhenqi was obscured by the firelight, so he didn’t pay attention and was hit in the knee by an arrow from me, and then he succeeded! He only heard the person next to him say his surname was Xiao!"
Bai Yousi praised him greatly: "Ping'er is so skillful!"
Of course, it is worthy of praise. It is really rare for one person to kill another person in the Ningdan Formation, even if it is a sneak attack.
However, the next moment, Bai Sanniang was obviously stunned: "You have condensed the elixir? When did you condense the elixir?"
"Actually, I felt that it was almost done when I was fighting Longgu Mountain City." Ma Ping'er's face was still red and his voice was still trembling. "But it was only just now that I dared to try to leap."
Bai Yousi smiled: "Good thing!"
"Of course it's a good thing." Ma Ping'er took courage. "Manager, are we victorious?"
"nature."
"I mean, can we go home? There will be no obstacles if we go forward! Just move forward?" Ma Ping'er asked urgently from below.
"No." Bai Yousi on the watchtower answered very simply. "There will most likely be obstacles in Luolongtan! And it's likely to be a huge obstacle!"
"That doesn't matter, because the reinforcements from the gang will arrive soon." Ma Ping'er did not hesitate. "We will be together again by then! I am not afraid that the Grand Master will come in person!"
"Well said." Bai Yousi smiled slightly, but then raised his head to look into the distance.
Ma Ping'er followed the other person's gaze, but saw only a sea of fire and nothing.
But Bai Yousi narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly rose up, but there was no trace of brilliance on his body. He just flew through the fire like an arrow from a string.
On the other side of the fire, separated by half a military camp, Gao Qianqiu, who had just landed, was panting... He and a few others first tried to join forces to stop Bai Yousi but failed. The fire started and the troops fell into chaos. At this time, another mistake was made.
The huge mistake he made was to order the generals to flee in all directions in an attempt to reorganize the troops. As a result, not only did the troops fail to regroup, but the generals also fell into crisis.
There was fire everywhere, and all the raiding troops were fearless, as if they were possessed by evil spirits.
Except for White Snake, all the generals on the other side seem to be Condensing Pills and Chengdan. This is not consistent with the intelligence. The key is that these people, regardless of their level of cultivation or martial arts, are chasing after White Snake.
They fought, but the generals of the Eastern Victory Army who had lost the opportunity to join forces did not dare to fight, and fell prey like rats and insects.
Gao Qianqiu escaped from Cao Ming, whom he had previously disdained.
Cao Ming was really incompetent, he was really empty-handed, and he noticed it as soon as they fought, but his senior deputy commander didn't dare to fight with him, so he could only run away in confusion.
How did the situation that was fine in the afternoon turn into what it is now? I wasn't just paranoid and overthinking, I just thought the other party was tempting me to attack, but unexpectedly I fell into a trap and waited for the other party to surprise me!
Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly noticed a gust of wind, and couldn't help but turn around, as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and stood there stunned - it turned out that the white lady had reached behind her with a sword at some point.
Gao Qianqiu first staggered back a few steps, but then his face became tense, and he took a few steps forward with the knife in hand: "White Lady, do you know there is a big disaster ahead?"
"You can guess even if you don't know." Bai Yousi had no unnecessary expression on his face.
"That's true." Gao Qianqiu took a deep breath. "Then you know that if you break my South Camp and kill me, even if the Governor has a plan, he will not let you go in the end?"
"I didn't know before, but now I know." Bai Yousi remained calm. "But so what if I know? How can a person who returns home from a desperate situation be worried? How can he put his life in the hands of others?"
"Yes, yes." Gao Qianqiu nodded repeatedly. "It's good that you know, it's good that you know..."
The next moment, he exerted all his cultivation, mustered up all his energy, and struck the woman in front with all his strength. A huge amount of weak water energy rolled out, as if a huge black wave was thrown out of thin air.
It suppressed the flames that were burning fiercely a few feet away. Not to mention, when the zhenqi wave came into contact with the burning barracks, a burst of water vapor even rose on the spot.
But these are meaningless.
Gao Qianqiu looked at Bai Yousi with a desperate look as he flexibly turned up and down in his usually devastating waves of energy, like a butterfly and as light as a swift. When he turned around on the tip of his knife,
The long sword was handed out smoothly, but it happened to be inserted into his throat.
It looked like Gao Qianqiu's weak water energy didn't exist at all.
The iron sword fell to the ground and the long sword was retracted. Deputy Marshal Gao wanted to say something, but he could only kneel to the ground with his hands on his throat. When he raised his head and fell, he only saw two blurry full moons.
Bai Yousi stood there, looking at the corpse in front of him, and his originally calm face relaxed inexplicably.
Frankly speaking, she was a little tired and worried, and this kind of worry and fatigue had always existed. It existed from the day she encountered the strange wind, and it deepened as she got closer to Luolongtan. In fact,
She is also worried about the possible results. This fear is not only about the life of an individual, but also the responsibility of the leader. It is the responsibility of the 10,000 Dengzhou troops, 10,000 boatmen, 78,000 to 80,000 prisoners, and the refugees in possible crises.
weight.
However, after just a moment of loosening, Bai Yousi returned to her original indifferent expression, and then squeezed out a smile - this is what Zhang Xing taught her. If you don't know how to show leadership, keep your face expressionless, and then smile from time to time.
Just fine.
The fire burned for only one day and was extinguished because of a timely autumn rain.
This is not good, because it will make the march more difficult... You know, tens of thousands of westbound troops are still at Longgu Mountain.
In fact, the difficulties encountered in the past few days were more than imagined. The rain, the harassment by the remnants of the Dongyi South Camp, and the pollution of the river channels in the long Gobi Desert all made it difficult for the team to move westward.
The most outrageous thing happened on the third day, the day after the rain arrived. A team of about 2,000 people who stayed in the east of Longgu Mountain took advantage of Longgu Mountain to cut off the main group while the core members of Dengzhou had not yet arrived.
A riot broke out during the turn back, and they fled eastward.
Regardless of the reason, it must be that the disappearance of the main force of the Dengzhou Army triggered rumors, and then a rain gave them a chance to escape.
As for the conflicts within the team along the way, the worries and dissatisfaction of a few people about the future, and the blind obedience and uneasiness of the majority, needless to say.
When Bai Yousi heard the news, he was neither angry nor surprised. He just smiled and asked Wang Fubei to lead his troops to catch up. If he could catch up within three days, he would catch up. If he couldn't, he would turn back to show his attitude.
.
In addition, he had made clear arrangements before, gathering military supplies, building military depots along the river, and turning back to pick up the troops, including sending Qian Tang to the west to look for Zhang Xing, and sending Miao Hailang to go out to sea again to guide the troops. It is said that they have arrived in Dengzhou.
The East China Sea fleet from Dalaoshan came to respond in an orderly manner... which actually made people around them more and more admired.
Not to mention that Bai Yousi successfully got through the last step to Luolongtan in the mid-autumn before the rain, but Dengzhou on the other side had a windless and rainless mid-autumn.
"There is no Mid-Autumn Festival in Dengzhou?" Zhang Xing obviously felt a little strange about the red-background banner with the word "deposed" rolling slightly in the wind.
"It cannot be said that there is no Mid-Autumn Festival. How can there be no festival in the middle of the first slack month after the autumn harvest?" Qin Bao leaned over to comfort the spotted beast on his crotch, and then said something. "It's just that the customs are different from those in Dongdu.
Same... Third brother Zhongqiu from Dongdu, do you still remember? The government wants to distribute rice and cakes to people over sixty years old..."
"I remember, I remember." Zhang Xing, who was riding in front on a yellow gelding, nodded repeatedly. "I made this in Taili...the cakes must be thick. Hu Heishou also reminded me that all cakes must not be bigger than Zhongcheng's."
"
Qin Bao was stunned for a moment, and then continued: "Yes... As for Dengzhou, the main purpose is to offer sacrifices. Generally, the three lights and four emperors are worshiped, especially the two moons among the three lights. The white moon ensures a good harvest, and the red moon guarantees a good harvest.
The moon guarantees peace... We also need to make cakes, but the cakes should be round, as round as the moon, not thick."
"Guanxi also eats cakes, but they are not thick cakes, but small cakes. Red cakes and white cakes are stacked and eaten together." The person who interrupted was an unexpected and reasonable person, named Zhang Shiniang, but Li Dingzhi
My wife, who had been assisting Master Qianjin in building hospitals and medical schools in the Guohe area of Henan... Now I heard the news and knew that I was going to take care of my sworn sisters, but I came here lightly and couldn't wait to get there."
"It seems that Hebei is the same." Su Jingfang, who came to greet him from the destination ahead, took advantage of his wife's words. "I have eaten them all."
"The biscuits from Guanxi are sweet, while the biscuits from Hebei are salty." Xiong Bonan reminded seriously.
"This is true." Zhang Shiniang agreed.
"The South is a phoenix boat race." Bai Jingang, who had been somewhat silent since that day, blurted out.
"People in the south race phoenix boats on all festivals, and people in the north compete on dragon boats on all festivals." Not sure whether he wanted to ridicule or just want to talk to Bai Jingang, Cheng Zhili intervened again.
When the topic reached this point, everyone couldn't help but talk about it. The result was that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, there were customs in various places, but they were all different.
"That's right, that's right." After listening for a while, Zhang Xing nodded repeatedly. "The time is here, and it is after the autumn harvest. How can we not miss this time? When this incident is over, we will make a new decision.
This etiquette... does not mean revising the date and month, but making these festivals official. This day is a festival, and then everyone eats salty mooncakes of the same size. There are also holidays, New Year holiday, Qingming holiday, Dragon Boat Festival holiday, etc.
There is a holiday for the Double Ninth Festival, a holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival... ten days for the Chinese New Year, and five days for the rest, so we don’t miss ten days of rest.”
Xiong Bonan was speechless: "Are there too many holidays...and what kind of holiday is the Dragon Boat Festival?"
"No, no, no." Zhang Xingzai raised his hand and waved it repeatedly, pretending not to hear Dragon Boat Festival's question. "It's too little. If you ask me, I can add one more day of rest in the last ten days of every month...
Don’t underestimate the importance of taking a vacation. The effects of consumption and relaxation are actually better than we think. Just to boost morale, it’s as good as eating on the porch.”
Several people in the conversation wisely closed their mouths when facing this hand... As for the rest of the entourage, they were just listening around... Only Zhang Shiniang nodded along.
In this way, everyone kept changing the topic and walked for a while. When they turned a hill, a large permanent building complex that was actually familiar suddenly appeared in the field of vision. However, Zhang Xing turned to the side of the road and reined in his horse.
Stationed at the foot of the hill, many of the people accompanying him stopped their horses in panic.
"Forget it." Zhang Xing pondered for a moment on the horse and gave everyone a rather speechless expression. "I wanted to ask Hu Yan and Hu Heishou about the current situation, but in the current situation, all the brothers are waiting in front, why bother with an outsider?
?”
After saying that, he started riding again and moved forward.
Everyone had no choice but to follow.
A few steps further, we came to the Dengzhou Camp...or rather the forward base camp for the three expeditions against Dongyi... Seeing the person coming, the leaders waiting here also came to greet him.
When the two sides met, they had just dismounted and before exchanging greetings, Ma Wei couldn't wait to say: "Chief, ten battalions of the twelve battalions have arrived here, Li Zida's battalion is at the port of Dalaoshan on the southeast side, and Cao Chen's battalion has gone straight to Luolongtan. In addition,
In addition, two of the four garrison camps in Dengzhou are here, and all the vajras are also ready."
Seeing Manager Ma come up to talk about business, the accompanying and waiting leaders could only become solemn. Chief Zhang couldn't suppress his enthusiasm for work, so he just glanced at the empty place that housed 20,000 to 30,000 people.
He immediately nodded and led his horse into the camp on foot: "How is the morale of the troops and their equipment?"
"They are all relatively complete." Ma Wei continued to introduce. "After all, I have rested for three or four months. The soldiers have been replenished and the equipment is complete... In fact, it is just rest and recuperation, which is enough for this purpose. It is just because I want to go to Luolongtan.
, there is still some fear, we have done some comfort."
Zhang Xing continued to nod: "What are they afraid of?"
Ma Wei was obviously taken aback, and then immediately explained: "Three eastern expeditions have failed, so naturally we are afraid."
"What's more specific?" Zhang Xing handed the war horse to the sergeant in front of the stable inside the camp gate and turned around to ask. "What are you afraid of? Afraid that there are hundreds of miles of wasteland on both sides of Luolongtan without supplies? Or are you afraid of the Dongyi people?
The army, the Grand Master? Are you afraid of the real dragon?"
Ma Wei was silent for a moment, and no one around him responded. After a moment, the Wangyi department manager in charge of this operation slowly said: "I'm afraid!"
"Then how did you comfort him?" Zhang Xing watched as the yellow gelding was sent into the stable and headed towards a place in the camp with ease, and people around him followed suit.
"I told all the leaders to tell them in turn that our fundamental purpose this time is to respond to Director Bai of Dengzhou, not to take the initiative to fight." Ma Wei said as he walked. "Secondly, it is to fight, Dongyi
It is impossible for a man to be the overlord of the country. In all likelihood, it is a pursuit or interception force of 20,000 to 30,000 people. At most, it is a pursuit force, an interception force plus a naval force landing from the mouth of the river... And that's it.
In general, we are not afraid of them; as for the Grand Master, I have also said that we have the Thirteen Vajra, King Xiong and Manager Bai, so we are not afraid of them."
Zhang Xing nodded again and again: "That's what it says...where's the real dragon?"
"A real dragon... I think even if we might encounter it, we shouldn't tell the sergeants." Ma Wei told him frankly.
"That's right." Zhang Xing started climbing. "That's right. There is no need to tell them. Telling them will only cause the soldiers to become suspicious and suspicious. Not to mention that they will not be allowed to go up if they actually encounter them. These twelve
The purpose of the camp of soldiers and horses is to provide support, not to let them deal with the real dragon... It is us who deal with the real dragon."
"Will the real dragon really come out?" Wang Shuyong, who had just arrived, was obviously curious.
"It's unlikely, but we can fight just in case." Zhang Xing continued to climb. "And I have to tell you some facts... Manager Bai was involved in Dongyi, and it is most likely related to the Supreme True Dragon.
Therefore, the situation when we encounter the True Dragon Supreme this time is definitely not an 'in case'."
The people behind him were obviously stagnant, and even the climbers were slowing down a bit.
However, soon someone followed him, but it was Liu Heifu who imitated those Dengzhou teenagers and wore colorful blouses. He took a few steps forward and said loudly: "If you ask me, I should have met you a long time ago."
!How powerful our gang is now. Even if Xue Changxiong and Luo Shu haven't taken it down yet, the territory includes the entire Eastern Territory, the entire Huaibei, and most of Hebei. At this level, there are some things that cannot be avoided! There is no falling dragon today
Tan meets the Qing Emperor and goes to fight the Beidi tomorrow, why not go and pay homage to the Black Emperor? When the time comes to dominate the world, the chief will be called Lu Lu Zhizun!"
"That makes sense." Zhang Xing turned around and smiled. "If I were the land supreme, then our leader Liu would also have the demeanor of a true dragon."
The surrounding people laughed for a while, and everyone followed, but Liu Heifu himself was obviously stunned. He didn't know what he thought of, and he didn't say anything again when he followed.
It was Mang King Kong who spoke: "Actually, brothers, you don't have to panic... Times are different. The Supreme Being will not show up in person. At most, he will show his face and say a few words. Normally, it will be windy or rainy.
, where can we really take action? I guess the most likely would be for Fenshanjun and Bihaijun to show up."
"What if the king who separated from the mountains and the sea showed up?" Zhang Xing came to the top of the slope and stopped to ask. "We have to make a calculation based on the worst situation."
Everyone nodded hurriedly, and stood on the small slope according to their status as members of the gang, and then looked at Mang King Kong, who had obviously shaved his head recently (maybe he shaved it with his own Qi).
"The true dragon is like this. Don't think that the true dragon is invincible. Is the true dragon strong? It is indeed strong, and it is strong in that it understands human nature and is beyond the reach of human beings." Mang Kingang, as a semi-professional,
It's quite conclusive. "Everyone knows that understanding human nature is beyond the reach of human beings, but it doesn't mean fighting, but a certain ability... For example, to divide the tiger, it means to go through the mountains to separate the field; and to avoid the sea, to conquer the sea and rise the tide.
; And the most common thing for mortals in the North is to swallow the wind, which is to swallow cold current; and the Huyun Lord, to summon the clouds..."
Many people suddenly understood, and many people seemed to have known about it for a long time.
"Think about it, everyone, if Fenshanjun had an earthquake, would Ningdan really be afraid? It would be like flying. And there are many swamps in Luolongtan, surrounded by deserted beaches, so what if there is an earthquake?" Mang Jingang said
Let’s continue the explanation. “On the other hand, if the tide rises, you have to be on guard against the sea-preventing king... Besides, the sea-preventing king is under the imperial edict from there, so we must be more careful when we send troops.”
Everyone was talking about it. After all, the issue of the rising tide of Bihaijun was really impressive among the previous three expeditions. Only Zhang Xing, who opened this topic, was a little lost in thought at this time, but he didn't know what he was thinking.
After a while, the person came back to his senses and asked: "What if the tide rises? Can we be prepared?"
"There are two strategies, but they are both general." Ma Wei said immediately. "One is to follow a few small rivers and take advantage of the rising water in autumn to transport some small boats into Luolongtan. The other is to send some sea boats from the sea.
...The latter is the main method, concentrating the ships from the East China Sea and Langya. This is why Li Zida, the leader, went to Dalao Mountain, but overall, the ships are still insufficient, especially when the main purpose is to deal with nearly 100,000 captive refugees.
, it seems to be a drop in the bucket, barely enough to carry our dozen or so battalions if necessary."
Zhang Xing nodded.
"Actually, there is no need to worry too much." Xu Shiren suddenly interrupted. "If the Dongyi people use troops and the two sides fight on the beach, and the enemy and we are mixed, how will the tide rise? If the Dongyi people do not use soldiers and forcefully summon the real dragon to rise, it will be a natural disaster.
It’s normal, let’s just do our best and obey fate… Why do we have to compete for superiority?”
"What Xu Daxia said makes sense." Cheng Zhili also interjected. "We are going to pick up people, and we are not trying to imitate the dead emperor who wants to destroy people... Why do we have to move the earth and call out the real dragon? Not to mention imitating the previous imitation.
My son's life and death are at risk!"
Everyone nodded in agreement, this is indeed the truth.
Zhang Xing thought for a while and felt helpless: "If the tide really rises, there is nothing we can do...these are the sea ships. The sea ships on the Hebei side are the Dengzhou Army abandoning the fleet in Dongyi this time, and the sea ships in Xuzhou are even more
It was left in Dongyi during the Three Expeditions... We have tried our best, so there is no need to worry. But what if the tide does not rise and the real dragon appears? "
Everyone looked at the bald head again.
Mang Kingang touched his bald head and responded sincerely: "A true dragon, regardless of self-realization or magical powers taught by the Supreme Being, is actually just one body, its own body... A true dragon's body is not as simple as flesh and blood. His body shape is
It is the size of the manifestation of his own true energy, and the tail of a fish can swim, the antlers of a deer can tell fortunes and misfortunes, and he has many magical powers."
Xiong Bonan was obviously taken aback: "Is that just that?"
"Isn't this enough?" Mang Kingang was obviously speechless.
Xiong Bonan spread his hands: "I can also manifest dozens of feet of true energy, and I can also fly. You have also seen Sima Zheng's giant..."
"Does the King of Heaven know how big the real dragon is?" Mang Kingang became more and more speechless.
"If you really reveal your true form, there are even Baizhang." Zhang Xing interjected. "Maybe it's bigger, I can't remember, but it's comparable to a hill...a tiger head, antlers, a snake body, an eagle with four talons, and a bird tail with three branches.
.”
There was silence for a moment.
??????55.??????
"This is Fenshanjun..." It was Bai Jingang who broke the silence. "Chief, have you seen him?"
"I've seen it before." Zhang Xing raised his hand and pointed to the northeast. "On the same day, the second expedition escaped from there, and it happened that the tiger came out from there... and we met face to face."
"Chief, this is not the time..." Ma Wei tried his best to remind.
"Of course, but again, I have to make some calculations in my heart." Zhang Xing looked at Mang King Kong and asked. "Fengshanjun has been hit by an earthquake, and he still has more than a hundred feet of his true body, how can he care about it?"
"If you want to plot against a giant dragon that is more than a hundred feet tall," Mang Kingang suddenly said. "Actually, according to what the Heavenly King just said, there must be twelve or three Heavenly Kings who are of the same mind."
"It's a pity that we only have one king." Zhang Xing replied quietly. "Including Manager Bai, there are only two..."
"Mr. Bai can defeat three of me by one person, just like Sima Zheng." Xiong Bonan said sincerely. "The thirteen Vajras combined together are equal to three of me... If the others can equal three or four more of me..."
"That's not how the account is calculated." Mang Kingang explained helplessly. "Our formation is for defensive resistance at most. Besides, we can resist the three kings, but we may not be able to withstand the combined attack of ten kings... As for the rest of the people, even everyone
If we have enough strength together, how many of them can stabilize the formation in the air? How could a real dragon land on the ground and touch you?"
"Then there's nothing we can do?" Zhang Xing thought thoughtfully.
There was no response.
To be honest, by now, most people have realized that Chief Zhang may have had a psychological shadow on the tiger when he was a vanguard, so he couldn't let it go, so he asked this question. However, everyone also
I feel that Chief Zhang is a little over-concerned. He only went to meet Manager Bai. Even if there are some real dragons and gods in the middle, they will not fight... At most, everyone is worried about the rising tide. If this is the case, it will be regarded as a natural disaster.
On the contrary, I don’t have many thoughts.
"Chief, let me tell you, we are taking Luolongtan South Road. The most troublesome thing is the tide, followed by the earthquake... Compared with these natural disasters, if the real dragon really fights us, there will not be too many casualties.
, the worst case scenario is to run away." Mang Kingang reminded him at the right time. "When you have the ability, you will naturally have to differentiate yourself. If you don't have the ability, it will just be a natural disaster, there is nothing to think about."
"That's good, that's right." Zhang Xing thought for a moment and waved his hand, which was quite magnanimous. "I shouldn't think too much about anything. Our main task this time is to provide support. We should take this as our priority."
Let’s talk about the marching arrangements.”
"We won't go to the garrison camp." Ma Wei regained his energy and tried his best to speak. "Twelve battalions of soldiers and horses, the vanguard is Cao Chen's cavalry camp, has already set off, the rest are divided into three groups, all the way to the north and along the way
Take a river route, all the way from Dalao Mountain in the south along the coast to guard the ships, and then the large forces will set off from here... I think that the north road will be mainly Fan Bao and Fan Lihua, and the south road will be Jiawugen Camp to support Li Zida.
The rest will ride step by step, starting from here and heading eastward."
"Okay." Zhang Xing nodded. "That's the military plan. It's appropriate for Ma to take charge of the affairs."
At this point, everyone around came to see Chief Zhang, waiting for his order.
But for some reason, Chief Zhang did not give the order, nor did he continue to say anything. Instead, he stood on the hillside, staring into the distance, and his eyes were not only focused on the continuous building in the northeast, but also on the world.
To him, the mountains that are sudden, majestic and of great significance are natural to him, including the deserted plains at the end of the horizon that disappear in the east, the hills in the southeast, and the sea, they are all within sight.
After a moment of pause, Zhang Xingfang laughed, then looked around and said, "Everyone, do you know why I came here as soon as I came in?"
Everyone was naturally puzzled, even if Qin Bao behind him knew it, he would not interrupt at this time.
"During the Third Expedition, the main force on land and water in front was defeated, with hundreds of thousands of troops lost, and the whole army was depressed. But that day I was at the foot of this slope, guarding with a sword as a regular inspector of Fulong Guards. I guarded until dusk, and suddenly a man
Officials from the Ministry of Justice who were on official business in Zhan'er camp came over and found Wang Daiji, the minister of the Ministry of Justice. They said that Zhou Xiaoming's navy was defeated at the front, and his son Zhou Xingfan complained that he wanted to kill officials and rebel. Wang Daiji was a calculating man, so he came to see me.
I killed the man with one blow, but disturbed the emperor on the slope."
Zhang Xing spoke eloquently, and everyone around him was fascinated.
"Then I stepped forward to prevaricate, saying that I saw a crane flying from here. I couldn't hold it back for a moment and made a noise... As a result, I was defeated. The emperor directly rewarded me with the position of prefect of Wu'an County... From then on
From then on, I knew I had to rebel!"
Everyone was excited and wanted to continue listening.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Xing stood there, but closed his mouth, paused for a long time, and then looked at the mountains, seas and plains in front of him and exhaled: "Brothers, today we stand where Cao Che and the dignitaries of the Wei Dynasty stood. Although
The momentum is much worse, and the camp is empty, but we are finally standing up... So, you have to remember that you can't put your hopes on some cranes... Let's go! Don't delay, send troops immediately!"
The generals solemnly declared their orders and returned to camp one after another.
At this time, Qin Baofang took a step forward and asked in a low voice: "So, third brother is not going to go to the mountains?"
"I won't go." Zhang Xing narrated calmly as he walked down. "When we get old and retire, we can have more adventures. Now we should focus on business every moment."
Qin Bao restrained his complaints about "retirement" and quietly followed the other person.
In the afternoon, all the soldiers and horses of the eleventh battalion had gathered. Then Fan Bao and Fan Lihua, brother and sister, went out of the north gate first, and Jia Wugen went out of the south camp... Zhang Xing also got on the yellow horse, packed the armor and hung it on the back of the horse, and then
Then he watched the front army of the Chinese army group, that is, Wang Shuyong's troops, leave the camp.
But at almost this time, at some point, someone gradually looked towards the northern sky. From there, there seemed to be a dark cloud drifting towards here.
Zhang Xing also quickly noticed this scene, and then he quickly realized what it was. He had seen this scene many times, and it was a normal natural phenomenon - a large group of crows.
Before winter, crows gather together, often forming huge clusters of more than 10,000 crows. Judging from their location, they should come out of the mountains in the northeast and go to the surrounding fields to forage collectively.
Very reasonable.
However, even though everyone knew this truth, they still fell into some strange emotion when tens of thousands of crows flew over the camp and circled around the slightly dilapidated Dengzhou Camp for several times before leaving.
"Pass this on so that all the sergeants know that this is Black Emperor protecting us." Zhang Xing gave instructions to Ma Wei on the horse, and then glanced at a battalion of soldiers who were passing by him and stopped in shock.
Horses... This is Su Jingfang's camp. Some of the sergeants are tall and prominent, with slightly red skin. They are obviously from Hongshan... Then without hesitation, they beat their horses and led their own flags out of the camp, heading east.
Go to the deserted beach.
Let's say that Luolongtan is a strip-shaped or even fan-shaped marsh depression. It is essentially like a river. It comes out of the mountains in the north and enters the sea in the south. Then many rivers flow into the middle, and the width expands rapidly. The narrow part is tens of miles and the wide part is
For hundreds of miles, there are flooded saltwater and freshwater swamps... In the past, the relationship between freshwater and saltwater was relatively stable, and it was considered an independent ecological system. It was a group of salt-alkali swamps... This kind of terrain is very common.
, it is Douzigang on the north side of the mouth of the river, but Luolongtan is larger.
However, in the past one or two decades, due to the Three Expeditions, salt water has risen several times, which has directly destroyed the ecology of this area. Even the surrounding areas, due to repeated immersion in salt water, have become barren shoals where vegetation cannot survive, and there are only a few rivers.
There is still some life around, but it's just reed swamps.
This is also the reason why Bai Yousi went along the river before.
However, there is a broad road on the west side of Luolongtan... How did it come about? You don't know, it was built by Cao Che.
It can't be compared with the official road, but it is much more convenient than the channel along the river on the other side.
Zhang Xing Zhongqiu set out on the second day, and within four days, he arrived at the core area of Luolongtan, which is the swamp area where the ecology has been destroyed.
At the same moment, Bai Yousi, who was on the other side of Luolong Beach, arrived at Wang Fubei.
The latter brought her a "surprise".
"Did you catch someone?" In the drizzle, Bai Yousi looked at the head that the other person was carrying, and was a little surprised. "How did you catch him? Where did you catch him?"
"We just chased them along the road." Wang Fubei was puzzled by the other party's reaction. "They hid in Fuling, but I caught up with them and quickly defeated them... It's a pity that many people dispersed along the way.
, we can’t bring the whole thing back.”
Bai You thought for a while and nodded: "Well done! But you really didn't see the Dongyi people's pursuers along the way, nor did you see any troops gathering and controlling the checkpoints along the way?"
Wang Fubei was stunned for a moment and realized the problem, then slowly shook his head: "No."
"Then things will be simple. They will definitely intercept us in front." Bai Yousi made a judgment.
"That's right." Wang Fubei also woke up at this time. "If they want to let us go, they will definitely set up troops early to occupy the level that I conquered and abandoned... There must be an obstacle ahead!"
"How wide was our Luolongtan back then?" Bai Yousi suddenly asked in the drizzle.
"It's the widest in front, about 2670 miles?" Cheng Minqi interjected.
"Thirty miles a day means nine to ten days?"
"Yes." Cheng Mingqi reminded.
After receiving the reply, Bai Yousi turned around in the rain, looked at the queue of troops that had not yet fully arrived, and made a decision: "Don't rest anymore, let's set out in the rain today! Throw away the extra food and baggage, and pack lightly.
You must know that if you are too late, things will change!”
Several leaders around, starting from Wang Zhen and ending with Ma Ping'er, all looked at each other and nodded.
Even Liu Yanshou, a Dongyi native who didn't understand the rules, nodded in approval.
Then Bai Yousi looked at the other person again: "King Qi, Sanlang must be on the other side already. You should go there quickly and inform him of the situation all night long so that he can prepare for battle."
Cao Ming stood in the rain and seemed a little embarrassed. He nodded after hearing this, then turned around and left.
Seeing the other party summoning his energy and riding a horse to disappear in the rain, Bai Yousi hesitated for a moment, but still turned around and proposed a plan to the Dengzhou leaders: "I have an idea...should the brigade be split up and march in multiple directions?
?After all, once the fight breaks out, we won't be able to worry about them... At that time, we can move as much as we can, and the teams on both sides will not be in danger even if they are intercepted by the Dongyi people, and we and the supporting troops will not be in danger.
How about taking this as an early warning and focusing on fighting them...?"
"It's feasible." Wang Fubei was the first to agree.
The others were obviously still thinking, but Wang Zhen was a little impatient. He immediately waved his hand after hearing this: "Stop thinking about it. At this time, if you have an idea, do it if you can. Thinking too much and calculating too much will be useless...
Just do it!”
As soon as this statement came out, Cheng Minqi, Ma Ping'er and Yan Qing also agreed.
After the plan was made, the 100,000 people were divided into ten groups, and they set off in the rain that afternoon... Frankly speaking, there were many problems. Many people complained about rushing in the rain, and the route was also a bit confusing. Military orders were requested to throw away excess food.
It was not completely executed... However, as the captured heads of the fleeing team were hung under the trees by the river, the team set off in a big way under strong pressure.
Two days later, that is, the seventh day after Zhongqiu, August 22nd, the weather was fine, and Cao Ming met Zhang Xing.
On August 23rd, in the light rain, Bai Yousi and Bai Yousi met Cao Chen's Qingqi. The two parties successfully communicated and tried to discuss adjusting the route for rendezvous. However, Bai Yousi's team was too scattered and unable to adjust, and the route was curved due to the weather.
, due to scattered troops, insufficient supplies, non-combat attrition, low morale, etc., Bai Yousi's marching speed here was far lower than the previously estimated thirty miles per day... He only traveled about sixty miles in three days.
.
In fact, it was not only Bai Yousi but also Zhang Xing. As soon as both parties entered the core area of Luolong Beach, they realized that when the water level was high in autumn, the water in the entire beach rose and the swamp area expanded, so that the distance between
is the distance, and the route is the route.
For a distance of two hundred and seventy miles, the actual distance may be increased by half.
Therefore, when the two sides successfully contacted each other on this day, the distance between the main forces of the two sides was more than a hundred miles. The actual distance may be two hundred miles, but because Cao Chen's cavalry battalion entered the beach early to inspect, the sentry cavalry from both sides had frequent exchanges.
, communication became smoother, and no Dongyi troops were seen.
On August 24, the brothers Fan Bao and Fan Lihua received military orders, abandoned their boats, abandoned the river route, and patrolled further north in Luolongtan to ensure that the westward marching team was completely covered. This also meant to be alert upstream.
On August 25, the two parties communicated again, and both realized a problem, that is, Miao Hailang had disappeared... At this time, even if Miao Hailang had an accident and drowned in the sea, we couldn't think so.
However, at this time, there was no chance to adjust the route to avoid the southern coastline, and both sides had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue moving forward.
On August 27, it rained again. We set up camp last night, and the main forces of both sides were only thirty miles apart.
After setting off, although both Zhang and Bai were eager to see each other, they remained unchanged. Zhang Xing even took the initiative to slow down and asked all troops to slow down and prepare to complete the U-turn before contacting the opponent at noon. However, Zhang Shiniang this time
As a non-staff member, I got there as soon as possible.
When everyone who returned to the west saw Zhang Shiniang's arrival, they knew that it was no lie that they would join forces today, and their morale naturally became stronger.
So far, no large Dongyi troops have been seen.
"Siniang, are you still thinking about avenging your eldest brother?" In Luolongtan, at the northernmost point of the army, a full fifty miles away from the main force, Fan Bao, who received the military order to stop advancing and stay on the spot, seemed a little bored.
After military duties, he stood up in the drizzle and suddenly asked his sister beside him.
Fan Lihua was silent for a while, obviously a little confused: "I don't know, if the entire gang is the enemy, then all my relatives and friends who are alive now, starting with you, second brother, are all members of the gang; but if one person is the enemy,
The eldest brother committed suicide... and he just wanted to take revenge. The current situation of the gang is beyond the reach of me. Even the Grand Master can't suppress it."
"Does that mean letting go?" Fan Bao continued to ask.
"No." Fan Lihua said frankly. "I still feel a little awkward in my heart. I still feel that I can't let my eldest brother die in vain... Maybe one day the gang will be in trouble and there will only be a few people left, I will still take action."
"No way." Fan Bao looked up at the gloomy sky and responded quietly. "When that day comes, you must be thinking more about revenge for your relatives in the gang."
Fan Lihua was stunned for a moment.
"Actually, I have the same thoughts as you, that's why I thought of this." Fan Bao sighed.
Fan Lihua was really speechless.
After a while, Fan Bao suddenly asked again: "How did Su Jingfang get recruited as his son-in-law by Dou Longtou? Didn't you care?"
Fan Lihua was stunned and said after a while: "What do I care about what he does?"
Fan Bao nodded and asked again: "There are so many young leaders in Hebei, which one do you like?"
Fan Lihua was still speechless and could only shake her head for a while: "I haven't even taken a fancy to it."
Fan Bao was still calm, as if he was not the grumpy person under Zhang Xuguo back then: "It's better if you don't like him, otherwise I'll match you and you'll cause trouble again..."
"Which one are you talking about?" Fan Lihua was really confused.
"Jia Runshi." Fan Bao was frighteningly frightened. "I am a fellow villager who knows the basics... We are still the direct descendants of the chief, isn't it good? Jia Wugen is also here this time. We talked about it in the Dengzhou camp."
Fan Lihua felt that her head was about to explode. She was about to have an attack when she saw a rider coming from the north in the rain. It was her lieutenant Guo Sanlang who had protected him when he left Hebei. She quickly became solemn and took the initiative to greet them.
Bu: "Third brother, why are you in such a hurry?!"
"The Dongyi people are here, the sentries and cavalry are gathered together, at least 30,000!" The rain was not heavy, and Guo Sanlang's face was obviously sweaty. "With the banner with the word "king", it is clearly the main force of the Dongyi royal family, and it should be the Dongyi North Camp.
soldiers and horses!"
Fan Lihua immediately became nervous and instinctively looked at her second brother.
Fan Bao, on the other hand, was obviously relieved when he heard this: "This is easy to handle... I have been worried for many days. I have been waiting for a long time. I am not afraid of them! The whole army put on armor, gathered, and slowly marched south. Si Niang led two or three hundred
The elite go north, harass and obstruct, and send out sentry riders to inform the people in the south about the situation here."
After receiving the military order, Fan Lihua felt as if she had gained a backbone. She immediately summoned a cavalry team from her own camp and her brother's camp, put on their armor, and gathered three hundred cavalry to go north.
The troops also prepared under the coordination of Guo Silang, formed a loose front, and slowly retreated southward. There were dozens of sentries and cavalry, and they fought their way southward.
The distance was quite far, and by the time the news reached the banner with the word "Deposed", the gang's main military formation had already begun to turn around. The people returning to the west also saw the military formation here from a distance and cheered, but Zhang and Bai had not yet met.
.
It was at this time that Fan Bao's messenger arrived.
"Chief, should we divide our forces to block the attack, or concentrate our forces to counterattack?" Ma Wei asked nervously.
"I think we should divide our troops to block the attack." Zhang Xing thought for a moment and gave the answer. "The reason for dividing the troops is because it is only in the north. It is not sure whether there are Dongyi naval forces in the south. The blocking is to prevent the opponent from fighting and quickly deciding the outcome.
, but the tide rose instead... King of Heaven, what do you think?"
Xiong Bonan, who was under his banner, nodded immediately.
Ma Wei did not hesitate and turned around to deliver the order.
And Zhang Xing continued to move forward... After walking for about half an hour, he passed the main army formation of the headquarters that had begun to turn and divide the troops. He saw a group of troops in the opposite team who were obviously well-organized, but they were all on foot, but there were people around them.
There were many sentry riders going back and forth... one of them, wearing plain clothes and carrying a sword, was his wife Bai Yousi.
Seeing this, Zhang Xing got off the yellow gelding and walked up to meet him.
When they arrived, the people around them were already cheering, but Bai and Zhang were obviously restrained. The two sides just greeted each other with serious expressions, and even felt a little nervous.
"The main force of 30,000 Dongyi people has arrived from the north, and five battalions have been sent to resist." Zhang Xing opened his mouth, but it was just business. "Sisi came from the east, what do you think of the Dongyi people's fighting strength?"
Bai You thought for a while and told him seriously: "It's just an ordinary fighting force. Along the way, I just feel that Cao Che really deserves to die."
Cao Ming, who was following Zhang Xing, didn't have a black face, but just sighed.
"That's good." Zhang Xing nodded and looked at the other party's left arm that had been released from the hanging but was obviously bandaged. "Is the injury serious?"
"It's not serious, it just hurts a little when I use it." Bai Yousi raised his arm and said frankly. "But it's a little strange. It's just a flesh and bone injury. It won't last for many days."
Zhang Xing nodded and finally couldn't hold it back: "Have you ever missed me?"
Bai Yousi finally smiled: "I really miss you."
The people around, even Zhang Shiniang, had no choice but to lower their heads and pretend not to hear. Unexpectedly, everyone pretended not to hear, which inevitably made the surrounding area seem quiet, which was incompatible with the noise and excitement outside.
However, Zhang Xing was so thick-skinned that he just pretended not to know that the others were pretending not to know, and continued to ask: "Sisi thinks that when we go back this time, it will only be the 30,000 Dongyi main force?"
"There must be more." Bai Yousi immediately shook his head. "I know what Sanlang is thinking... I also think you guessed it before, but so what? Now that we are together again, we are not afraid of the True Dragon Supreme!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another sentry arrived in the slightly stronger autumn wind. However, news came from the southern coastline that a navy had arrived from the sea. The gang's fleet fled in panic from a distance, but the navy did not pursue it to the end.
It just continued westward a little further and moved closer to the shore.
The key point is that there is a huge dragon boat in the navy, which is particularly conspicuous.
Obviously, they have to concentrate their superior forces and use the power of the Grand Master to capture them all in this dead place with swamps for hundreds of miles in front and back.
It seems a little unexpected. Whether it is Zhang Xing or Bai Yousi, including Xiong Bonan and other generals who are marching eastward to support the generals, and Wang Zhen and other generals who are returning westward, they all have one thought at this time - that's it?!
I have helped you to this day, so why fear this kind of thing?
PS: Everyone makes a fortune every day
Recommended book: "Reviving the Ming Dynasty, Starting from the Ascension of Nanjing"