After returning to Tuzhong in Lingzhou, Yan Zhong asked: "Why don't you recruit Fu Qian and Yang Hui? There are many heroes in Liangzhou who admire Zhuangjiehou, and many Huns have been favored by Duke Fu. If you can get these two
The help of one person is enough to equal the strength of thousands of troops."
Chen Cheng smiled and said: "It won't be too late to invite the Huns after we defeat them."
Yan Zhong said: "How can we wait for the Huns to be defeated before we start the conquest?"
Chen Cheng replied: "If we can win, we can conquer the two of them as the icing on the cake. If we can't win, why not preserve Mr. Fu's bloodline?"
Yan Zhong shook his head and said: "The prince is magnanimous, but he is too kind to a woman."
The group of people quickly returned to Lingzhou, and the candidate was already waiting for him at the city gate. Chen Cheng asked Yan Zhong to take Yan Xing to arrange the crossing of the river, and asked Zhao Yun to escort Liu Qian back to the house. He jumped down and asked: "
Have you found a place to ambush the Huns?"
The candidate came closer, lowered his voice, and said: "There is no sign of the Huns within fifty miles to the north from the east bank of the Yellow River."
Chen Cheng paused and asked, "What's going on?"
Hou Xuan said: "I don't know, but I sent people to secretly cross the Yellow River and found that there were fighting in many places on the west bank, and many villages were burned by the Huns."
Chen Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "Could it be that the Huns were determined to take all the land and people west of the Yellow River first, so they withdrew all the troops in the east to the west?"
The Huns' light cavalry obscured the entire battlefield, keeping his vision in the fog of war. Until there are more reliable sources of intelligence, everything can only be based on guesswork.
The candidate said: "That's probably the case."
He said to Chen Cheng: "Although the land reclaimed in the west is not as much as in the east, the grain reserves everywhere are enough to support the Huns for several months. If they can be ruthless and kill all the captured people, the Huns can last longer.
time."
Chen Cheng frowned and thought hard for a while, then said: "Since the Huns have withdrawn to the west, then you can cross the river with me. By the way, are there any ships suitable for water battles in the county?"
The candidate asked: "My lord, do you want to advance both by land and water?"
Chen Cheng nodded and said: "Yes, if we can put a powerful crossbow on a large ship and then sail along the river, then we don't have to worry about the right wing when fighting the Huns."
The candidate shook his head and said: "There are some fishing boats and ferries nearby, but there are no warships."
"Why? I think the water surface of the Yellow River is wide, which is suitable for naval forces to move freely."
The candidate smiled and said: "My lord, I don't know. The Yellow River freezes every winter, and war horses can run on the ice. When it doesn't freeze on weekdays, there is a long stretch of shallow water on the shore. Big ships can easily run aground.
, it is too small and cannot hold many people, so it is of little use, so there are few traces of navymen on the river."
"So that's it," Chen Cheng said, "I didn't know the reason unless the county captain told me. How many soldiers and horses do you have under your command? How many infantry and cavalry are there?"
The candidate said: "There are two thousand people in total, half on foot and half on horseback."
Chen Cheng said: "Let each of them bring five days' worth of food, and then go to the west bank together to get it all."
After thinking for a while, he added: "After all the troops and horses are transported to the west, you organize the ferries and fishing boats, and so on, and so on."
After hearing this, the candidate cupped his hands and said, "No!"
More than two hundred fishing boats and ferries went back and forth between the two docks in a constant flow, transporting soldiers and horses to the west coast in waves. Many boats did not have time to wait for the dock, so they rushed directly to the shallow water, waiting for the soldiers to jump.
After entering the river, paddle back to the east bank.
The boatmen and fishermen all knew that this was to resist the Huns. In addition, Chen Cheng opened the Lingzhou treasury and dropped a large amount of copper coins, cloth and salt, so they worked very hard and were busy from morning to night.
Stop, even if this is the case, we can only transport more than 20,000 people across the river in one day.
Although Yan Zhong was in charge of the whole process, Yan Xing was also busy helping with various matters.
"Have you thought it over carefully?" Yan Zhong took a moment and whispered to Yan Xing: "Now the enemy is facing us, and the prince is short of capable generals. If you stay here with me, you will only have hard work and nothing."
Credit goes."
Yan Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead and said: "My uncle also has no one in his hands. If I don't help him, can those local powerful men really hand over all their money and food so easily?"
Yan Zhong twirled his beard and said, "That's true."
After nightfall, torches were lit on both sides of the Yellow River, and the boatmen continued to transport troops to the west bank. However, the river was fast and it was difficult to see clearly in the dark. Even if there were some torches, they were still not as efficient as during the day. After two consecutive trips,
After the accident, Chen Cheng had no choice but to suspend the transportation of troops.
It was not until dawn the next day that troops and horses were transported again. The troops that had been transported were gradually gathered under the leadership of officers at all levels. The troops here crossed the river in large numbers and made a lot of noise. After the people on the west bank heard about it, they sent
A lot of food came, and some people volunteered to help them lead the way. Some people even joined in by bringing their own dry food.
These people's martial arts are very good, but they are only good at small-scale battles, and they do not have armor. The most important thing is that they are not trained and do not know the orders of the army. They can only be used for defense, but are not suitable for taking the initiative. However, the Huns
The combat effectiveness is not too strong, and it would be good to have more people.
While the soldiers were still crossing the river, the Huns' front had already advanced dozens of miles southward along the river. Most of the villages and stockades along the way were reduced to scorched earth. The food and livestock in the villages were plundered, the old and the weak were slaughtered, and the young and old were slaughtered.
The strong men, women and children were divided up by each tribe.
Lian County is the largest and strongest fortress in Beidi County against the Huns. After this fortress is lost, the hundreds of miles of fertile fields in the south will no longer be able to stop the Huns. Except for a few who are very strong and can see the opportunity early and return
Except for Wubao, which resisted resolutely, as long as the Huns were determined not to fear casualties, the other villages would be breached in a matter of hours.
Listening to Tan Ma passing on the general information one after another, Chen Cheng, Yang Qiu and Cheng Yi in the big tent all looked solemn. However, it was expected that the Huns would come and kill them. Now as long as there is a little more time, the soldiers
They can all be in position. Although the Huns have many soldiers and horses, their equipment is better, so the outcome of the fight is only a 50-50 split.
"Report!"
The messenger rushed in again and said loudly: "Li Qiang, a native of the country, wants to see you."
Chen Cheng asked: "Li Qiang? Who is that?"
Li Kan stood up and replied: "He is one of my tribesmen, and he has cultivated some fields in front of him."
Chen Cheng said "Oh" and said, "Let him come in."
A middle-aged man with fresh blood on his body walked in under the leadership of the soldiers. As soon as he entered the tent, he knelt on the ground with a bang. Li Qiang kowtowed heavily on the ground and said loudly: "The Huns are sixty ahead.
Here, we are besieging Zhuangzi, please kindly ask the general to send troops to rescue."
"Sixty miles?" Chen Cheng pondered for a while, then looked at the other people in the tent. Cheng Yi shook his head, while Yang Qiu folded his arms in front of his chest and sneered.
The candidate sighed and said to Li Tao: "It's not that we don't want to send troops to rescue. It's because the army has not gathered yet and is too far away. Half of us are infantry. If we only use cavalry, then our troops will be even less."
.”
Li Qiang said anxiously: "The Huns' troops are all attacking the village. If the army takes the opportunity to cover up and kill them, they will definitely win a complete victory!"
He shouted to Li Kan: "Chief, you can't care about our life or death!"
Li Kan: "This..."
Naturally, he wanted Chen Cheng to send troops to rescue, but he also knew that Chen Cheng only had a little more troops than Cheng Yi. This was only available after local heroes had defected to the army. If Yang Qiu and Cheng Yi did not agree, President Chen Cheng would
It was impossible to fight the Huns' nearly 100,000 troops with more than 10,000 people. And half of the 10,000 people were infantry. By the time they arrived sixty miles away, the day lilies were already cold.
Li Kan looked away in embarrassment, but Chen Cheng suddenly said: "What Li Qiang said makes sense."
Cheng Yi was stunned and said, "What sense does this make?"
Chen Cheng said: "I originally thought that the Huns would continue to waste time in Lian County, but I didn't expect that they would take the initiative to kill them. In this case, it is better for me to bring a small number of troops to weaken the enemy's spirit, so that the army can take the opportunity to reinforce
Camp, waiting for the Huns to crash."
Li Qiang said blankly: "A small number of soldiers and horses cannot break the siege."
Li Kan coughed, pulled Li Qiang over and said, "The generals are discussing things, so please stop talking."
Li Gang looked at Li Kan, then at the armored soldiers and generals in the tent. His chapped lips moved, but he didn't say another word.
Cheng Yi shook his head and said: "The idea of fortifying the camp is a good one. The Huns are all light cavalry, and they might be able to kill them here at any time. It's okay to go out to explore the enemy's situation, but there is no need for General Chen to lead his troops to fight in person. You are
The leader of an army is not a vanguard officer. If there is any damage, the tens of thousands of troops here will be scattered."
What he said was not an exaggeration. If Chen Cheng knelt down, if nothing else, those Qiang and Hu leaders and Han powerful people would probably withdraw to the east coast, and Cheng Yi would probably not be willing to throw his capital in the north. Still.
With Yang Qiu, he was reluctant to rescue Lingzhou in the first place. If he wasn't afraid of losing the hearts of his few people, and also afraid that Cheng Yi and Chen Cheng would join forces to take over Fuping City first, he wouldn't have brought his troops here.
Cheng Yi sighed in his heart, Chen Cheng is really a man of chaos. The situation in the North is in chaos. The powerful people in Lingzhou built their own cities and each had strong troops. Within a few days of getting into his hands, they were gathered together.
. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous and resentful. If Yan Zhong could support him unequivocally, he would be no worse than Chen Cheng.
Chen Cheng smiled and said: "I'm not boasting. When it comes to martial arts, the two generals are no match for me even if they fight together."
Cheng Yi looked shocked, but Yang Qiu stood up and said angrily: "Julu Hou is too arrogant!"
Chen Cheng said: "I'm not telling you...well, I'm just telling a fact. If General Yang doesn't believe it, we can make a point."
Xiliang is much more vulgar than Luoyang. Those who can gain a foothold here are either Han Sui, a traitor who kills his companions as if they were eating, or Ma Teng, a warrior who actively participated in the rebellion. Yang Qiu has been able to dominate the north for several years, so naturally he can
Not a good bird. Although he was forced by Lingzhou Hao to return to Fuping, his essence has not changed much.
So, before Chen Cheng finished speaking, Yang Qiu was angry and angry, and he shouted: "Then make signs!"
He rushed forward, pulled out the sword from his waist, and stabbed Chen Cheng. The space in the big tent was not big, and the distance between the two people was even shorter. Now there were elbows and armpits, and everyone inside and outside the big tent
As soon as he reacted, the sword had already pierced Chen Cheng's chest with a cold light.
Then everyone's eyes flashed, and there were two crisp "dang-dang" sounds. When they looked again, Chen Cheng had already stood up, and the long sword in his hand was pressed on Yang Qiu's neck. Yang Qiu was pressed by the long sword and fell to his knees on the ground.
There was still an expression of shock and confusion on his face.
He raised his head and shouted in disbelief: "How is this possible?"
Chen Cheng shook his head and thought: Why do these villains like to say this after they fail? Um, is Yang Qiu a villain now?
He patted Yang Qiu on the shoulder with his long sword and asked, "How?"
The expression on Yang Qiu's face changed several times, and finally he lowered his head and said in a low voice: "You are indeed very powerful."
Chen Cheng laughed, moved the sword away, returned it to the sheath neatly, turned to Cheng Yi and asked, "What did General Cheng say?"
The look of surprise on Cheng Yi's face hadn't dissipated yet. His body relaxed and he said slowly: "Marquis Julu is right. Even if I go with Yang Qiu, I will not be your opponent."
