In the afternoon, in a town on the northwest side of the county town only a few miles away from Xushui, Zhang Xing led a group of armored men to stand on an earthen fence with arms akimbo, looking at the fireworks there for a while.
They all found it a bit boring.
This battle was too devastating.
We know that this Northern Expedition has been well-prepared for a long time, we know that the Hejian camp is in decline, we know that the Youzhou army was crushed in all directions from generals to soldiers, we know that the whole of Hebei, and even the north, is
I knew that Sima Zheng and Bai Hengqiu were the opponents, but it was still a bit boring to just deflect the entire army with one hand and the big surprise attack went so smoothly.
This lack of interest became even more obvious after the frontline informed "Youzhou Grand Manager Luo" that the people under the military banner might be fake.
So, after watching for a while, Chief Zhang took the lead. Everyone walked down from the wall and went to rest or be busy. Even Zhang Xing himself started to eat the second cake of the day... This time it was hot.
The cakes are used to heat soup, and there are even tables and chairs for use... The tables and chairs are ready-made in a restaurant at the intersection, and the cakes are also heated in other people's shops, using other people's chopped firewood, and just put a few copper coins as a symbol.
That's right, before the battle was over, some people started to enjoy it.
However, the dining area still continued the gang's excellent tradition. According to the rules of eating under the porch, a table was placed at the entrance of the store, and then four benches were placed. Chief Zhang just sat across the street.
Come and eat on the stool.
In sharp contrast was Li Ding. This leader came over after sorting out the newly arrived intelligence, checking the town's defenses, and issuing several targeted military orders.
After coming over, the actual planner of this battle also sat on a bench next to the square table, but did not eat. He seemed to want to say something, but felt that the time was not right... Zhang Xing was busy eating, and he was almost finished.
, naturally too lazy to pay attention to this guy's entanglement.
While he was struggling, the road on one side of the intersection started to get noisy. A few people were still well-educated. From a distance, they saw Zhang Gongshen leading a dozen riders and carrying one person. He looked like a prisoner, but he was not tied up.
What's interesting is that Ushikawa, who was just wandering around before, took the initiative to come here and then stood in the store behind Zhang Xing... It seemed that he was used to being Cao Che's bodyguard. At this time, he saw someone
The prisoners came here, just in case, and took the initiative to protect Chief Zhang.
Of course, Chief Zhang was used to acting in unison. When he saw this scene, he waved directly and invited Niu He to sit on the other side of his square table. He happened to have a chat with Li Ding.
Sure enough, when the prisoner came here, he was obviously shocked when he saw Niu He. Then he looked at Zhang Xing who was eating cakes in the middle. However, he did not bow down or salute. He just stood and tied his hands and asked: "But Chief Zhang?"
?I am Dou Ru, the general of the Hejian Camp. I have achieved special honors this time. Please give me an explanation, chief!"
Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment. He couldn't help but put down the last bite of pancake and asked with a smile: "Are you Dou Ru? Did you break the pontoon bridge?"
"yes."
"Why is this so? Don't you and our gang have a grudge against killing your father?" Zhang Xing asked out of curiosity.
"More than just revenge for killing my father?" Dou Ru said unceremoniously. "Since the gang uprising, no less than seven or eight of my Dou family's descendants have died at the hands of the gang, and they are either the backbone of the clan or close members of the clan. Zhi, our Dou family is fundamentally at odds with the gang...but it is precisely because of this that we have to do this!"
"Do you think the Hejian camp is not enough for you to take revenge? Our gang happens to be trustworthy and we want to use this special honor to escape and fight again?" Zhang Xing suddenly realized.
When many people around the intersection heard this, they thought it was ridiculous... Even Li Ding couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
"That's right." Dou Ru replied proudly. "The Hejian camp will undoubtedly be defeated. Not to mention thousands of people crossing the river, even if the whole army puts their horses and horses against each other, they will definitely be defeated. And when the time comes, if I don't want to die , I can only descend to you. But if I surrender, I have always been arrogant and not good at covering up. It will be difficult to escape... Fortunately, Chief Zhang has always been known for his kindness and trust even though he has risen from a low position. Otherwise, why would he be so powerful? In just one year, he went from riding a floating horse alone to now flying like an eagle on the river, so that he controls one-third of the world?"
At this point, Dou Ru finally raised his hands and saluted for the first time: "Chief Zhang, before the war, you asked General Manager Xie to come and say that those in the Hejian camp who are willing to surrender will be left free. But my actions today, no matter how you calculate them, will be As far as the gang is concerned, they all have merits and demerits. I would like to ask Chief Zhang if he can let me and my 23 bodyguards return to the Jin Dynasty from here west... so that we can avenge our hatred and kill our enemies with our own hands in the future?"
"It should be possible." Zhang Xing nodded calmly. "But you can't return to the west now. You can either go to Yecheng first, and then set off from Yecheng and decide where to go on your own, or you can stay here with me and wait for a month... In short, I can't Let you go to the west now to avoid causing any disturbance to the war situation."
Dou Ru was greatly refreshed: "I knew Chief Zhang was trustworthy! I am willing to transfer from Yecheng!"
Zhang Xing took the last bite of the cake, then waved his hand, and Dou Ru was about to leave.
However, at this moment, Li Ding suddenly interrupted and shouted to the other party: "Dou Balang!"
Dou Ru stood up again and calmly raised his hand to Li Ding: "Is there anything else wrong with Li Silang? Or is there something wrong with Li Longtou?"
"They're all the same... I'm just curious. Dou Balang just said that the world is divided into three parts, so I dare to ask you which three are the three in your heart?" Li Ding asked seriously.
"Of course they are the Bai family of the Western Capital, the Sima family of the Eastern Capital, and the Zhang family of Yecheng." Dou Ru sneered. "Of course, I know that Chief Zhang will definitely not recognize Zhang's statement before he takes over the world. He will only say It’s just a family name.”
Zhang Xing swallowed the last bite of cake in his mouth and began to blow on the hot soup.
"Is the Southern Xiao family not worth mentioning in your eyes?" Li Ding asked with a frown.
"What is there to mention about Nanzi?" Dou Ru said disapprovingly. "Even if we have half of the country in our hands, even if there are some heroes, we are just internally at the south of the Huaihe River, waiting for the heroes of the north to decide the winner and then annex it. That’s all.”
"That's it." Li Ding waved his hand. "Let's go."
Dou Ru, on the other hand, got excited at this time and actually stood there and asked back: "Li Silang, I'm also curious. Bai Sanniang can live in Guanxi and Hebei without distinguishing each other. How can you force yourself to stay in the gang?"
Li Ding responded sternly: "Of course it's because he has inherited the destiny of Heaven, acted on behalf of Heaven, and can achieve great goals. However, all the people in Guanxi are mediocre. They don't know either Heaven's destiny or people's hearts. They just follow the old rules and wrap up a group of people."
People are just seeking the benefit of their family and surname... Since I, Li Ding, have great ambitions, how can I associate with such people?"
"I see." Dou Ru sneered. "I thought it was Li Silang who was reluctant to part with his two counties, but he was caught by Chief Zhang."
After saying that, he left here directly under the supervision of Zhang Gongshen and a team of soldiers led by him.
But Li Ding didn't have anything wrong at all. Instead, he came to ask Zhang Xing: "What do you think of this person?"
"What?" Zhang Xing, who was drinking soup, was a little confused.
"Ability, talent, overall, how do you evaluate this person?"
"Pretty good." Zhang Xing thought for a while and nodded seriously. "Being able to understand the background of both camps, being able to seize the opportunity in a short period of time to make a decisive decision to survive, being able to deceive many people in the Hejian camp, being able to come to
To come here and talk to us... no matter how you look at it, it's pretty good."
Li Ding paused for a moment and saw that there were no other leaders at the intersection except the three people on the table, so he asked in a low voice: "How does that compare to ordinary gang leaders?"
Zhang Xing thought for a while and said seriously: "Compared with the leaders in the gang who joined the gang two years ago and have not yet become the big leaders, they are undoubtedly much higher. But compared with the big leaders in the gang,
, compared with a few young people in the gang now, they are probably not too outstanding."
Li Ding looked at the other party carefully and could only nod: "As long as you know what I mean."
Of course Zhang Xing knew what the other party meant. The essence was that Li Silang, an aristocratic elite, had always looked down upon the bastard and rich leaders in the gang, and the gang had indeed gathered a large number of leaders with mediocre qualities, all because of the current situation.
Among them, and then sank into it. At the same time, Zhang Xing himself had always looked down on those noble children because of his background.
But this time, all these things were caught by Dou Ru and Dou Balang, so he asked this question.
As for Zhang Xing's answer, it itself explains the matter - it is true that there are leaders with poor quality, but look at it, have I suppressed all these people and not let them go to important positions? Look again, let's reuse them
Are the promoted people and the young people emerging now all talents?
Naturally, Li Silang could only talk.
With this chatter, Zhang Xing finished the soup.
As soon as the soup was finished and before the bowl was returned to the owner, someone else came... It was Xu Shiying who came here in person with Hou Junshu.
"How come Deputy Commander Xu is here in person?" Li Ding frowned slightly when he saw the visitor. "Isn't the commander in charge Ma in Muxian County? Who is in charge of the main battlefield by the Xu River? Is King Xiongtian back?"
"Give Deputy Commander Xu hot cakes and hot soup." Zhang Xing showed no sense of responsibility. "Niu Gong and Li Longtou are coming too."
"The King of Heaven is still searching for the whereabouts of Luo Shu and his son. It was Chief Bai and Shan Longtou who arrived together." Xu Shiying replied calmly, taking advantage of the opportunity to put down his helmet and sit on the bench at the end of the square table. "And Xu Shui's side is not considered two people at all. The army faced each other, and as soon as the pontoon bridge burned down, the infantry formation that could still be used as a support dispersed. Now we are taking advantage of the situation to pursue and surrender. The Xushui is neither big nor small, so there are few people who drown, and they can escape. There are a lot of people... Before I came, only Bai Xiangui was under the banner of Luo Shu, plus seven or eight people leading different numbers of soldiers and horses, either backing rivers or occupying villages to resist, as were Shan Longtou and Manager Bai. Just pull them out one by one."
At this point, Xu Dalang paused for a while while pressing the soup bowl he was served, and then concluded: "I estimate that the battlefield south of Xushui can be swept away before dark... As for the Youzhou Army this time, even if it is not The Lord has lost all his strength, in fact, he has lost five or six out of ten. When we go to fight again, we can advance calmly and win without a doubt."
Li Ding nodded slightly.
Zhang Xing finally spoke, but he looked at Hou Junshu, who was a little embarrassed: "Chief Hou, this is all your fault!"
Hou Junshu stood there with his head bowed. When he heard the words, he raised his head with tears streaming down his face: "Chief Shenwei, I dare not disobey you, but I have cut off the whole army's livelihood, and I am really ashamed... and I also took it upon myself to let him go. There are hundreds of riders in this department, please take charge of the crime."
"It doesn't matter." Zhang Xing shook his head in reply. "The task I gave you is to break the bridge. As long as you break the bridge, nothing else matters. On the other hand, if you don't break it, then nothing matters... Leader Hou, You have gone through all kinds of hardships and soft-heartedness, no need to say more, our relationship, from now on, you will be the leader of the gang, you will have everything you deserve, and you will not deserve anything... But now I will give you a It’s up to you to choose the extra opportunity. Do you want to lead the army, be a local official, or serve in the public service at Daxingtai?”
Except for Xu Dalang, who was eating cakes and soup with his back to Hou Junshu, the others, including Zhang Gongshen who had just arranged for Dou Ru to return, were all staring at this person.
"I follow the chief's orders." Hou Junshu replied immediately. "What the chief said is what it is."
In fact, Chief Hou really wanted to say that he should continue to lead the troops, but as early as when he was near Xushui, he had thought about it over and over again. Chief Zhang would never let someone like him lead the troops again. What to do if the bridge is broken again?
Therefore, even if I am 10,000 times unhappy, I have already prepared this answer, and I am just reluctant to say it at this time.
Otherwise, how could we be willing to let the deputy general lead those hundreds of horses to the north?
"That's easy." Zhang Xing nodded. "I heard that you were raised as an officer from a young age, and you are familiar with the terrain of Beidi and Youzhou, so you should continue to lead the army... But now I don’t have any troops for you at the moment, so you go and rest first, and just follow my actions in the next few days.”
Hou Junshu was surprised and happy, but then he thought about letting Lieutenant General Gao and the hundreds of Youzhou cavalry go, but he regretted it and couldn't help but feel heartbroken again.
Zhang Xing also waved again and called Zhang Gongshen to come over to eat cakes and soup.
At this time, Hou Junshu had already wanted to leave and clean up. Hearing these words, his heart moved, and the heartache he just felt was suppressed. Then he turned around and stood on the edge of the store behind Chief Zhang with his knife in hand, like a bodyguard.
I don’t know if I want to wait for a chance to serve it.
However, Zhang Xingzao pretended not to see this guy.
Zhang Gongshen came over, and people were already sitting on all sides of the square table... Fortunately, the table was big, so Xu Dalang took the initiative to step aside. They each hung up a corner, put their helmets under their feet, and then came to eat cakes with their armors and coats.
, but Xu Dalang never put down the Jinglong Sword on his waist, while the Qingming Sword on Zhang Gongshen's waist was specially removed and placed on the corner of the table.
After taking two bites of the pancake, Zhang Gongshen said seriously: "Chief, I know that Luo Shu has escaped. It should be Bai Xiangui and the others who are using Luo Shu's banner now. I want to persuade them to surrender."
"Is that why you specially escorted Dou Ru here?" Zhang Xingxiao asked.
"I saw Xue Changxiong's golden sword shattering with my own eyes, and knew that the battle situation ahead was determined. In addition, because our battalion voluntarily abandoned its organization and dispersed to escape due to the attack of the golden sword, it was difficult to prepare everything in a short period of time, so I came up with this idea.
After that, I formally borrowed General Manager Bai's military order to see the chief." Zhang Gongshen immediately explained.
"I know." Zhang Xing waved his hand to signal the other party to relax. "I saw the documents you sent from Gaoyang in advance, and there is no reason to stop you from trying to persuade you to surrender. It would be a good thing if you could persuade a few Youzhou generals to surrender...
It’s just Chief Zhang, I have a few words to tell you in advance.”
When Zhang Gongshen heard this, how could he relax? Instead, he became serious: "Chief, please speak."
"Boss Zhang, you are a man of both ability and political integrity. This is why I and the gang value you. But the more you do this, the more I need to make it clear to you." Zhang Xing said calmly. "I allow you.
The reason for persuading surrender is because the military mission has been completed, or this military operation is too easy, and things can be done according to political considerations. And from a political perspective, naturally some favors can be said...I have listened to people for a long time
We have said, 'Politics without human feelings will not last long', and this is probably the case today... However, when we do these things today, we must understand in our hearts that this is politics, and once things are classified as military, the so-called human feelings will be the opposite.
Something bad will happen.”
At this point, Zhang Xing pointed to the person in front of him, who didn't know whether it was a soup bowl or a sword: "I will drink from the golden cup together, and you will drink from the white blade... We must be prepared for surrendering."
The people around him didn't interrupt, but for some reason, there was a sudden feeling of silence after these words. Xu Dalang even raised his eyes to look at the pale-faced Hou Junshu opposite.
"I know." Zhang Gongshen stood up and assured. "If you can persuade me, I will persuade you. If you cannot persuade me, I will kill you. I will never miss the official business."
"Go after eating." Zhang Xing reminded kindly.
Zhang Gong Shenfu sat down again, finished the cake and drank the soup, then put on his helmet, picked up the Qingming Sword and left... Zhang Xing seemed to have remembered Hou Junshu at this time, and called him to sit down and eat the cake.
Hou Jun Shuzhan tremblingly took his seat without mentioning it. On the other side, Zhang Gongshen left the town, took dozens of his cavalry, and headed for the battlefield in the northeast.
They had barely traveled a mile, and when the town behind them was still clearly visible, they came face to face with a full battalion of soldiers and horses. It was none other than Su Jingfang and his subordinates who had been awarded the Hundred Mile Sword at the conference at the end of last year.
The two sides met on the official road, and Zhang Gongshen naturally asked: "Chief Su, why are you going west, but there are also Youzhou troops besieged in the west?"
Su Jingfang quickly reined in his horse and waved his hands, feeling a little frustrated at the same time: "No, my camp is at the far west of the battlefield. It's just the division... It's just the military order from Li Longtou. I was told to rush forward as soon as possible to block the west side of Xushui to prevent the ghosts.
The Youzhou army fled from the west, but the battle went so smoothly. Within half an hour of blocking the west, the Youzhou army was completely defeated. I was about to go east, but another military order came, telling me to continue.
West, be a northwest flanking vanguard for the chief and the leader."
What else could Zhang Gongshen say, he could only nod his head, and then asked the other party if he knew about the several Youzhou Army strongholds that were still surrounded. After receiving the news, he hurried on his way.
As a result, just after passing this camp and walking no more than two miles, I met another group of people. They were a large group of local people supporting the elderly and children. They were returning south under the leadership of a group of sergeants and had been controlled.
At home... it is obvious that the situation has developed too fast, and the place where these people were originally hiding has now become a war zone.
Zhang Gongshen had already taken the initiative to move into the fields to get out of the way, but he remembered the behavior of some Youzhou Army prisoners after the riot last night, and couldn't help but come over to remind them, telling these people to be careful and distinguish between ourselves and the enemy.
In this way, although Zhang Gongshen was determined to save his brother from Youzhou, he actually encountered a lot of things along the way... fleeing people, injured soldiers, transferred troops, including patrols from the military law camp
The troops were enforcing military law, and the defeated Youzhou army was taking advantage of the chaos to plunder. Of course, they would inevitably encounter battles.
This was not over yet. Zhang Gongshen, who was in an increasingly complicated mood, came to the first scheduled place, but was dismayed to find that Youzhou General Zhao Bazhu abandoned the army again and left, and all the remaining soldiers surrendered to General Xu Shiren.
So we could only hurry up and rush to the place where Bai Xiangui was besieged. Halfway there, we realized that Bai Xiangui had just tried to break out of the siege. Wang Shuyong, who was in charge of the battle, had ordered to deliberately let go of the north, and now he had fled north.
Zhang Gongshen became more and more anxious. He abandoned his guards and horses, jumped up, and went to the north to search. Then he found out on the edge of Xushui that there were troops besieging a Youzhou army that was obviously still resistant.
There is still a flag of "Youzhou General Manager Luo" flying in the military formation.
Zhang Gongshen fell behind and came to find the general in charge of the siege. When he saw him, he couldn't help but be surprised and uneasy.
It turned out that the commander of the battalion who was chasing the hardest and fighting the most fiercely was Dou Xiaoniang, who had just been promoted to leader and led the troops, and the subordinates he led were surprisingly formed from the old troops who had eliminated the leaders from the entire army...
How could such soldiers fight so fiercely?
But after thinking about it, I can understand that when Dou Xiaoniang was promoted to leader, she encountered quite a few leaders who failed her. She was eager to prove herself, and her talent and ability were not bad, so it was natural.
Correspondingly, Zhang Gongshen was also worried that the other party would not be willing to cooperate.
"Do you have the military orders from Chief Zhang, Deputy Commander Xu, and the leaders?" Sure enough, there was no burqa, but the armor was covered with blood stains dried by Lihuo Qi. It was as if Dou Xiaoniang had added burqas out of thin air, and she was obviously dissatisfied.
.
"After receiving the chief's command, I am allowed to persuade him to surrender freely." Zhang Gongshen responded seriously.
"Then go!" Although Dou Xiaoniang was obviously emotional, she obeyed immediately. "I will let the troops stabilize for the time being."
While Zhang Gongshen was pleasantly surprised, he couldn't help but feel a little moved in his heart... He was keenly aware that the young leader in front of him might be the first young leader in the gang who had been fully trained at the grassroots level and then grown up.
In this regard, not even Han Erlang can compare with him, nor is he on the same level as Wang Xiongdan, Jia Runshi, and Ma Ping'er.
"It won't take too long." With this thought, coupled with Chief Zhang's instructions when he came, Zhang Gongshen immediately responded solemnly. "If I can't come back within two quarters of an hour, you will attack immediately... something is not right, I will advance
I will tell you when I escape."
Only then did Dou Xiaoniang relax a little.
After a while, Zhang Gongshen, who had lost his armor and wore only a new-style red blouse and a sword, borrowed a horse and rode alone to the banner of "Youzhou General Manager Luo" on the edge of Xushui.
When the two parties met, it turned out that Bai Xiangui was waiting here.
But Zhang Gongshen's eyes first fell on a corpse under his banner. The corpse was wearing a pair of gorgeous armor, but it was Qin Gong who also belonged to the Eighteenth Cavalry of Yanyun in the past. Bai Xiangui, who was obviously injured, stood up hard and looked at himself.
Qin Gong, who died beside him, could not hide his sadness.
Immediately, the two people who were considered the most outstanding among the eighteen riders of Yanyun began to face each other.
Zhang Gongshen suppressed all kinds of complicated emotions and spoke first, but he did not talk about brotherly feelings. Instead, he talked about it from an unexpected angle: "Xue Changxiong died. Although Hejian's defeat is inevitable, but he died so quickly, it is still
Because his subordinate Dou Ru was a vanguard and broke the bridge on the battlefield, forcing him to fight to the death alone..."
Bai Xiangui was obviously stunned for a moment. He first looked back at Xushui, who was still smoking behind him, and then looked at Zhang Gongshen, with a puzzled face: "Dou Ru?"
"good."
"Didn't he have a grudge against the gang for killing his father?"
"Chief Zhang also asked him this..." Zhang Gongshen then recounted the words that Dou Ru had said in front of Zhang Xing and Li Ding without any omission, and finally pointed out the key point. "Brother Bai, I said this is
I want to tell you, stop deceiving yourself and others... Even a noble boy like Dou Ru knows that the situation in the world is clear, and those who can compete for supremacy... At least the only one in Hebei who can compete for supremacy in the world is Gang, who has already established his mighty virtue.
The general trend has been reached, whether it is Hejian or Youzhou, they are just meat in people's mouths and are destined to be swallowed."
Bai Xiangui listened carefully and was silent for a moment. He didn't refute, but just took advantage of the situation and asked: "So, two years ago, you, Lao Zhang, realized that only help can achieve things, so you left early?"
This statement was obviously meant to be sarcastic.
"That's exactly it." Zhang Gongshen answered calmly. "When I went there before, of course there were some reasons and reasons, but I didn't understand what those reasons were... But today I have woken up... Brother Bai, let me ask you, you
What do you think we rely on to conquer the world?"
"Of course he has a big fist and a lot of energy." Bai Xiangui saw that the other party was not overwhelmed by his words at all, and even became more sincere, which in turn made him a little frustrated. "Otherwise? What if the three masters hadn't taken down Wei Dadao at once last night?
How come we don't even have a chance to fight back? If the three masters weren't there, Dou Ru is so smart, how could he dare to disobey that golden sword?"
"Brother Bai is right." Zhang Gongshen is still sincere. "And not only are the three masters helping themselves to form elixirs, but the number of elixirs they can condense is more than that of Youzhou and Hejian combined... But I dare to ask Brother Bai,
Why do these masters and heroes submit to the gang? Don't you know any of them? Don't you know the ability and courage of those people? Why don't they come to Youzhou?"
Bai Xiangui was refuted again and lost the strength to speak.
"I'm here to tell Brother Bai what's going on. That's because the gang values not only the fists, but also the system, the people's hearts, the laws and regulations, and the people in the fields." At this point, Zhang Gongshen, who had always been calm, finally felt a little calm.
He became excited. "I was just vague before, but now I have been helping for a few years. Today, I finally understand this truth... Brother Bai! If you want to do big things, you must have something upright! But Luo Shu really doesn't have this! He
You attach too much importance to deceitful ways and don’t follow the right path!”
Bai Xiangui was finally stunned, but he lowered his head and thought for a few breaths, and then tried his best to refute: "You are right, if you can persuade him well, wait for the time..."
"There is no time left." Zhang Gongshen reminded the other party. "The Youzhou Army will be dead today... Luo Shu didn't even realize this and ran away! He was so used to doing this kind of thing that he never had any carelessness in his heart.
If you care about personal gains and losses, you will end up losing everything.”
Bai Xiangui looked back at Qin Gong's body, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
"Brother Bai, please surrender." Zhang Gongshen bowed his hands and finally said these words. "Youzhou must perish, Luo Shu must perish. All previous ambitions are all vain and will never succeed... At this time,
Why don't you make a calculation for the rest of the brothers? You must know that there are still five or six places that are resisting at this time. I came here specifically to find you because I know that if you can surrender, they can also surrender."
Bai Xiangui fell silent again and again, then slowly but firmly shook his head.
Seeing this, Zhang Gongshen almost wanted to persuade the other party to leave if he didn't surrender. The remaining sergeants could be killed at most eleven, no more, no less, no less than the other party... But when the words came to his mouth, his eyes
Brushing his sword, he held it back after all.
Bai Xiangui finally looked at his former brother and said: "Old Zhang, you have your own way. I have nothing to say. Even I believe you now. Your way is more right, but I just want to ask you one thing...
It is doomed to fail, even if Luo Shu is ineffective, but the loyalty we have had for so many years when the eighteen knights gather together, is it all in vain?"
Zhang Gongshen is a smart man. He actually had a premonition that similar words would be said, and he had already thought of countless reasons to excuse himself. But when this time came, he still couldn't control himself, and burst into tears for a while, and
Speechless.
The two looked at each other for a moment. Following Bai Xiangui's slightly impatient urging, Zhang Gongshen turned around, mounted his horse and left. Just after walking a few dozen steps, he heard an exclamation from behind him, and then a cry... He wanted to turn back, but was forced to do so after all.
He endured it and did not look back. Instead, he beat his horse and slowly came out of the formation.
After it was out of the battle, within a few moments, the largest remaining force of the Youzhou Army south of Xushui formally declared its surrender. Its commander-in-chief was the actual No. 3 figure in the Youzhou Army and Luo Shu's second-in-command.
, Bai Xiangui, the leader of Yanyun's Eighteen Cavalry, committed suicide.
Time passed little by little, and the battlefield began to wrap up quickly.
Facts have proved that war is not a child's play, even if it is an extremely boring war, a one-sided war, and a very fast war, it is still cruel enough.
In the core battlefield from the south of Xushui to the periphery of Mo County, which is twenty miles long and thirty or forty miles wide, there are death and maimed people everywhere.
Don't forget, this does not include those Youzhou troops who participated in the resistance... including those Youzhou troops who were driven away by the army's deliberate indulgence... They will also be shot to death for the reason of active resistance.
Zhang Xing has already guaranteed this to Li Ding.
But it's not over yet. On the broad battlefield that is eighty miles long and fifty miles wide from Xushui to Hutuo River, as well as the outer reaches of this battlefield, many people in the three counties of Hejian and its surroundings are forced to follow the previous rules.
Experience taking the initiative to leave home for escape.
Even if the conquest turns out to be incredibly fast, it will still inevitably lead to disorder and turmoil, as well as the death, looting, and burning that turmoil brings.
It was evening. Luo Xin, who was wearing an ordinary iron crotch and a red smock, stopped at an intersection, and then tried hard to observe his surroundings... Frankly speaking, Luo Xin had an extremely difficult day.
Starting from midnight, we set out from Hejian and first checked the pontoon bridge on the Hutuo River...it turned out to be broken by Dou Ru;
Then I went to see Qi Hongshan...it turned out that he was killed by gang members and his head was hung in public;
Then he went to Gaoyang City to meet his father-in-law Wei Wenda... It turned out that Gaoyang City was easily captured by the army, and Wei Wenda was easily and quickly defeated by the three masters, and his life or death was unknown;
Then I went to Mo County to see my father... It later turned out that Mo County was also captured, and my father abandoned the army and fled from Hudian. The last main infantry of the Youzhou Army around Mo County should have been defeated by the army by this time.
to collapse;
Then, he left his father and tried to persuade his foster father Xue Changxiong to leave in time... He knew it would be difficult when he went, but he didn't expect it to be so difficult. When he was still seven or eight miles away from Hejian City, he
They met the soldiers of the Hejian camp who had collapsed on their own, and learned the news that the entire Hejian camp had collapsed. When they walked to Hejian again, they were informed by the Xue brothers that they saw the golden sword shattered on the other side of the Hutuo River with their own eyes;
This was not over yet. Knowing that Hejian could no longer gain a foothold, he wanted to leave quickly, but he still encountered a surprise attack. If you think about it, you will know that so many generals in the Hejian camp knew that the situation was hopeless, so they could only turn to the gang.
At the same time, the troops all collapsed again. How could it be possible that not many people felt that Luo Xin was a valuable commodity and were ready to give it a try?
It can only be said that Luo Xin is indeed a good player in spiritual practice and martial arts. He was unlucky when he bumped into Bai Yousi twice before. When he met Qin Bao today, it was just a failed sneak attack with a carbine, and he was later hit twice and was injured. More
The reason is that the quality and quantity of the gang's Tabaiqi are too outrageous.
However, when facing an elixir-forming master from the Hejian Army and an elixir-condensing assistant, Luo Xin, who had just entered the elixir-making process, managed to frighten the opponent and escape even though he was injured, exhausted, and depressed.
It wasn't over yet. After escaping, Luo Xin wanted to escape along the old road of Fox Lake, but in the distance he saw a purple flag hovering over Fox Lake.
Yes, the people who helped were not stupid. After realizing that Daqi was probably a fake Luo, Hudian, across the river from M County, naturally became the first search target of Xiong Bonan who arrived first...
However, Xiong Bonan didn't know that Luo Shu was so determined to escape, so early, and that such a big manager of Youzhou left without hesitation!
But something went wrong and Luo Xin's escape route from the east of the battlefield was cut off.
With no choice, Luo Xin had no choice but to turn around and head south, risking a leap across the river near the river. Then he did not dare to expose his cultivation anymore. He only killed a few patrolling military law camp knights, snatched a horse, and replaced it with an iron horse.
Wearing crotches and red smocks, we ate other people's pancakes and drank river water, then headed west, then north... in order to bypass the west side of the battlefield.
At this time, the intersection Luo Xin was standing at was an intersection more than thirty miles west of Mo County.
What he was hesitating about now was whether to continue moving forward or turn west.
Turning west, of course, needless to say, we just continue to detour until the Xushui and Xushui tributaries are full of water and go further upstream to avoid jumping across the river and attracting the attention of the gangsters... But this is a waste of time and will probably cost more
A whole day.
As for continuing forward, it is of course a shortcut, but it is not easy to take.
First is Manshui. Manshui is a tributary of Xushui, almost parallel to the main trunk of Xushui, but compared with the main trunk behind Muxian County, it is narrower and has less water flow. Then there is Xushui without full water injection. Compared with the downstream
They are also narrow...even many parts of the two rivers are covered with tidal flats and reed swamps, and many sections of the rivers do not have decent embankments and channels.
But no matter whether it is full water or low water, how narrow it is, or whether it is a tidal flat, once you jump, you will be in danger... This is only the west side of the battlefield, and no one knows where the nearest helper is?
If that Sanniang Bai comes, will there be any other consequences besides having his legs broken and being captured?
I really don’t want to suffer the third time.
There is even a county seat between Xushui and Manshui, called Qingyuan... From the perspective of administrative division, Qingyuan is under the jurisdiction of Hejian County. Who knows if the Gang took advantage of the situation to occupy it to support the battlefield?
Where are the horns?
While hesitating, a gust of south wind suddenly blew behind him, shaking Luo Xin who was covered in sweat. He also instinctively became a little nervous... He who was usually fearless soon became suspicious.
However, the irony is that he stood at the intersection, pretending that he had been reminded by the Supreme God, but he actually didn't know where the trouble was?
Is it dangerous to go west, or to move straight forward, or to stand here and hesitate to cause trouble?
Thinking of this, Luo Xin, who was extremely tired and anxious, including the increasingly unbearable pain in his back and chest, burst into tears because he suddenly remembered what happened last night when his adoptive father Xue Changxiong suddenly woke up and called him over... Looking at it now,
Didn't the foster father realize something, but he still died in the end?
At the thought of this, he was both sad and relieved, and then, in the end, his worry about his last father and the war situation defeated everything... Luo Xin finally decided to cross Manshui, Qingyuan, and Xushui to return to Youzhou.
Arriving in front of Manshui, as expected, there was a very narrow river channel in front of it. The water in the river channel was not full. The tidal flats on both sides were bulging, and there was a vague shoal in the middle. It looked like you could even walk across it.
The man hesitated again and decided not to take the risk of leaping. Instead, he took off his blouse and iron crotch, pulled his horse and tried to swim across.
It was said that it was a swim. In fact, the shoal that Luo Xin saw could actually be walked across. The water line only reached the waist, but there was more mud underneath, and occasionally there were mud pits. But fortunately, there were tall war horses to rely on, several times
They all supported the horse and pulled it out... At this time, Luo Xin could only be glad that he had taken off his armor. Otherwise, in his current state, if he got stuck in his armor, it would be difficult to get up even if he had real energy.
Halfway through the walk, that is, when he was approaching the middle of the river, the only heir to the Lord of Youzhou suddenly noticed some movement. Under the setting sun, on the road near the north bank of Manshui, there was obviously a group of people coming up from the downstream.
And it's getting closer.
Luo Xin was in the river. After all, the river bank was a bit rugged and high, so he couldn't see anyone coming, so he knew that the other party would definitely not be able to see him either... And now he had two choices. One was to hide in the river and stay still.
Wait for the other party to leave and then cross the river. It will be dark by then, so you can get through. The other party immediately used the war horse as a leverage point, and immediately used the remaining vitality to leap up and escape with all his strength.
This time the struggle did not last long, because Luo Xin was very aware of his physical condition. He was too tired, injured, and spent too much energy day and night. If he really wanted to jump up, he would not be able to hold on for a few times.
, and even if you attract a group of elixir masters, you won't be able to fall into the good category.
He even doubted whether he could really jump at this time.
However, just when the army was getting closer and closer, and it seemed that they were about to turn north to Qingyuan, the war horses that were already uncomfortable in the water seemed to be frightened, and suddenly neighed.
Immediately, after a slight commotion, several military knights appeared on the beach on the north bank, and then after another commotion, a young knight came out of the crowd, stood on the embankment, and shouted from a distance of dozens of steps:
"Which battalion are you from, brother?"
Luo Xin stiffened his body and tried his best to urge the horses to continue heading north. At the same time, he lowered his head and replied: "Liu Tou is leading the military camp and wants to cross the river to Qingyuan in the north. I just heard your movement and thought it was Youzhou soldiers and horses, so I didn't dare to go out.
The sound... was simply terrifying."
"Why are you going to Qingyuan?" More knights came up, and infantry also appeared. The leading knight continued to ask. There seemed to be a whale domino shaking on his chest as he spoke, and he also had a sword in his waist. He looked like an officer. "Why only?
one person?"
"The magistrate of Qingyuan County surrendered. The leader sent a group of us to maintain order in the city to prevent the city's government officials from looting. As a result, we encountered a defeated Youzhou army on the road and had a fight. I was greedy for war.
I was chasing a Youzhou cavalry and got away. I looked at the sky and wanted to get there quickly." Luo Xin continued to move forward slowly, and at the same time, he calmly explained the words he had just thought of while standing in the river. "You guys are here again.
Which battalion is it from?”
"We are from Leader Su Mu's camp." The cavalry leader on the shore in front continued to smile, but it seemed that he finally let down his guard. "You still have the intention to ask this? As a sergeant in the military law camp, but I missed the military flight, I'm afraid
It's a crime plus one. Not only is there no merit in this battle, but it will be reversed..."
"It's not that bad." Luo Xin remained calm. "I was injured in the battle with the Youzhou thief. This can't be faked...according to military law, injuries can be reduced or reduced..."
At this point, Luo Xin's feet suddenly slipped, and he stepped on the mud again, and then he staggered... This seemed to be okay, but with this stagger, his eyes fell on his clothes, and he felt clearly in his heart.
shock.
Without him, because of exhaustion, fear, and injury, in order to ensure that nothing went wrong during the swim, he took off the crotch of the iron crotch. When removing the crotch of the iron crotch, he also naturally removed the outer blouse, and then he actually fainted and never returned.
Put it on.
There is no blouse, but a set of extra fine silk spring dark pattern tunic. Why didn't the army ask?
He raised his head in shock, only to see that the person who had spoken to him had pulled out a gleaming sword under the setting sun, and then waved it toward him in the river:
"Fire the arrow!"
The sound of arrows and crossbows piercing the air was heard repeatedly, and within the effective armor-piercing range of dozens of steps, Luo Xin knew that he had fallen into the trap, and regardless of everything around him, he tried his best to stimulate his Dantian and work hard to form the body-protecting Qi.
Between life and death, he succeeded in an instant.
But the next moment, the war horse beside him kept wailing, and with blood and mud overflowing, it pressed on Luo Xin.
Luo Xinxin was frightened and quickly tried to push the horse away.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he exerted force on his feet, he actually fell into the mud that he had just not pulled out. Then he slipped and his lower body was pressed by the horse in the mud and river water. His upper body also fell, and he was choked with a lot of mud, water and blood on the spot.
The person on the shore, that is, Su Jingfang, was shocked when he saw the opponent's body-protecting energy flashing. But when he saw this scene, he was overjoyed. He immediately turned around and ordered continuously: "Fire the arrow! Fire the arrow! Load the crossbow! Load the crossbow."
crossbow!"
Luo Xin was shocked and turned pale. He held back the severe pain in his chest and raised his head with all his strength. At the same time, he tried his best to use his true energy from his feet... As a result, Duanjiang's true energy surged out from under the mud pit and horse corpse, but it only made his feet more rotten.
, sinking deeper.
During this period, several crossbow arrows landed on the armorless chest and shoulders, piercing the thin protective energy and driving into the flesh.
When Luo Xin reacted, he touched a Northern straight knife on his waist. When he used his true energy to try to cut open the horse corpse in front of him, an arrow suddenly shot with true energy and hit his arm. He couldn't even use the knife.
Lift.
Then there was another arrow, hitting the shoulder socket and the back of the neck. No matter how hard it was to stiffen the back and neck, the upper body also fell into the mud. Now it was difficult to even breathe, let alone use the energy to escape.
However, Luo Xin did not suffer as much as Cao Che, but he was killed instantly by random arrows.
Looking through the last ray of sunlight, the man was buried under the horse, and the blood of the man and the horse was gushing out in all directions. However, he was flowed by the water and went downstream without stopping for a moment.
Su Jingfang watched for a while, cut off his head and washed it in the river, then he realized that this was probably the death of Youzhou Luo Xin by his own hands... But he didn't know if it would be embarrassing to see Qin Bao tomorrow?
At this time, more than ten miles east, on the north side of the original town, on the Xushui River embankment that was obviously in disrepair, Zhang Xing frowned slightly: "The official road and the river embankment need to be repaired... but it is not easy to collect land this year.
I'm afraid I'll have to wait until autumn after working too hard."
"Then there's nothing we can do." Li Ding said expressionlessly.
The two were silent for a moment, with Niu He at the rear and Hou Junshu at the bottom neither speaking.
Immediately, Li Si finally couldn't bear it anymore and asked a question he had hidden in his heart before: "Zhang San, Xue Changxiong came across the river before, and then he said it was gone. You and Niu Gong could detect it together. Could it be that
Have you reached Grandmaster?"
"Probably not." Zhang Xing frowned and looked north. "It's just that during the last battle at Luolongtan, the Grand Governor of Dongyi used my body to transmit his true energy to summon Fenshanjun, and then he was very concerned about the actions and actions of these top experts.
It’s just that the changes in the celestial phenomena have made me feel more...but it also depends on the place. For example, today, on the Hutuo River side, I can perceive the situation behind our front lines more clearly, but not the rest."
Li Ding nodded without saying a word.
Zhang Xing, on the other hand, was a little helpless when this topic was brought up at this time. He spread his hands again and said: "I don't even have a clue about visualization now, so how can I talk about being a master?"
Li Ding nodded again, while Niu He from behind thought for a moment and added: "Actually, the matter of cultivation realm does not necessarily have to be done step by step. It is impossible to say that Chief Zhang is not an ordinary master, but the territory
It's big, blessed by the earth's energy, and has the majesty of the master who is the lord of the earth..."
"I've heard this statement before." Zhang Xing perked up. "But it's a bit unfair to say this, because if you really want to talk about the energy of the land and the master of the land, I clearly came up with the idea after a meeting at the end of last year.
It will become accessible, and this feeling can be felt in Luolongtan."
"It's not just the time that doesn't match up?" Li Ding still frowned. "The territory doesn't match up either. The gang had already taken over the Eastern Territory and Huaibei before. The area is so big, but you don't have any earth energy blessings? Now?
Hebei only accounts for half, and the other half has not yet been pocketed, so how can we have the feeling of a master in Hebei?"
It was Zhang Xing's turn to remain silent... When it came to conjectures, he had a lot of conjectures, but when it came to confusion, there were also a lot that he couldn't figure out.
The riverside was quiet for a moment, and after a while, Niuhe still shook his head: "I don't know the specific reason, but when Li Silang said that the land can be achieved through defecation, he could not help but conjecture... Otherwise, the saints would occupy nine points of the world.
How can you say that the pagoda collapsed on its own?"
"There's nothing more to say." Li Ding sneered and seemed to give up thinking.
"As for Chief Zhang, I'm afraid there are more than one weird places. If you insist on talking nonsense, maybe it's because Chief's obsession lies in Hebei." Ushikawa continued. "However, the most likely one is Black Emperor.
The explanation of the click...The cultivation paths of Black Emperor are self-organized and integrated. If you really want to find out, I'd probably have to visit the Black Emperor's General View by the Black Water."
Zhang Xing continued to look north and nodded: "Sooner or later, I will go."
"With such a swift attack, can we fight all the way to the north this time?" Li Ding suddenly asked.
Zhang Xing knew what the other party meant, so he asked him if he had any clue about what Zhang San was thinking about in the morning. After taking the whole territory of Hebei, should he go to the north or to northern Shanxi?
"Isn't this hard to say?" At this moment, Hou Junshu, who was standing far below the river embankment, didn't know the tacit understanding between the two above, so he intervened. "According to the current situation, we must first turn around and gather Hejian... Hejian
It's good that the army itself was defeated, but it will cost us a lot of troops to regroup carefully, otherwise it will cause great damage to the place. After reorganizing Hejian, we will go to Youzhou, but Youzhou has many large cities and there are only a dozen or so tigers in the area.
After further careful tidying up, it is estimated that summer will be over and autumn will come, and it will be better to slow down and rest for a while. As for sending out troops after autumn, they should go to the northwest to deal with it, and it is not good to enter in winter.
From the North."
"Most of what Leader Hou said makes sense, especially the last sentence." Li Ding nodded in approval. "It seems that we can't go to Beidi this time... Let's go step by step, go to Hejian first."
After receiving the recognition, Hou Junshu's spirit was obviously lifted.
"I don't know if I can go to Beidi, but I won't go to Hejian." Zhang Xing finally turned around. "I want to go to Youzhou first."
"What are you talking about?" Li Ding frowned. "Don't you know that the overall situation has been decided at this time. If you let Youzhou take a breath, it will be easier to take action."
Hou Junshu was stunned for a moment, and then when he heard Li Ding's words, his heart moved slightly, as if he had realized something.
"I know what you mean. Luo Shu is a man of skill but no virtue, and he came to power late. And Youzhou, as the leader Hou said, has a vast land and many cities, and there are also many tigers sitting on the ground. Now that we are defeated, let's take a moment.
Instead, they will disintegrate themselves." Zhang Xing couldn't help but laugh with his hands behind his hands. "But no, there is no need to waste time, just attack Youzhou directly."
It was Li Ding's turn to feel a slight movement in his heart, then he realized something and fell silent.
But Hou Junshu did not get around it: "But if we don't wait for them to disintegrate and take it by force, I'm afraid we have to press in with heavy troops, slowly uproot the cities in Youzhou, and peel them in layer by layer... In this case, it will also be time-consuming.
, why not stay in the river and rest for a while?”
"No." Zhang Xing waved his hand. "What I mean is that the large army will stay here in Hejian to collect the defeated soldiers, take over the place, and rest for a while. Niu Gong and I will lead eight battalions of soldiers and horses plus Tabai cavalry to follow.
The other side's defeated army went north... Three of the battalions occupied Gu'an, Liangxiang and Zhuoxian to ensure the passage. Niugong and I led the remaining five battalions plus Tabaiqi, heading straight to the foot of Youzhou City and the two sides of Hejian.
No delay."
"Five battalions of soldiers and horses can't even surround Youzhou City..." Li Ding sneered, but he didn't seem to be refuting.
"It doesn't matter." Zhang Xing turned his gaze to Hou Junshu and said with a smile. "In addition to the soldiers of the fifth battalion, isn't there me?"
Hou Junshu's eyelids twitched, and his heart also jumped.
Ushikawa also nodded.
Although several people present came to their senses, in the dusk, Zhang Xing still pointed at his nose without knowing anything and continued: "I am the leader of the gang. In the whole world, I am the only one who can control the intricate connections in Youzhou."
Various people made promises, but they only believed in me. Therefore, if I go to Youzhou City to block Luo Shu, not only will it not delay their internal disintegration, but it will speed up such things. By then, the main force will be in Hejian
After resting, Youzhou is already in place, so we can just go and capture it... Even if things go well, we don't have to send our main force northward, but take the opportunity to divide our forces and sweep Daijun, Hengshan, and Shanggu, and unify Hebei within one month.
Wouldn’t it be more appropriate?”
Li Ding and Niu He both kept silent. Hou Junshu wanted to flatter his horse but did not dare to speak carelessly.
Zhang Xing laughed even more when he saw this: "Before, everyone was worried that we were moving too slowly and could not unify Hebei quickly. Now, you are worried that we are moving too fast?"
At this moment, a stream of light flew from the north bank and landed here, but it was Bai Yousi with a bad expression. After he landed, he said directly: "I followed the words of the old people left in the market and found
We found the hiding place where the people who were stationed in the market were hiding in the north of Xushui... They encountered the rout of the Youzhou Army and were kidnapped, leaving more than a dozen corpses behind."
Everyone couldn't help but be awe-struck.
After a few breaths, Li Ding suddenly kicked the river embankment under his feet that had not been maintained for several years and said: "Then Chief Zhang, please go to Youzhou as soon as possible!"