Yingzhou.

A gloomy sky enveloped this border town.

The cold wind roared in and hit the city wall hard, as if it was angry that it was blocking the way.

The banners on the city wall crackled, and the few border troops gathered together, but stared warily at the vast plain ahead.

To the north of Yingzhou is the Khitan, and no one dares to be careless when the Khitan comes in; to the east is Goguryeo, whose ambitions are not limited to a day or two, let alone relax.

"Look, someone is coming." A sergeant suddenly shouted.

Others looked forward one after another. Even those who were huddled under the city wall to hide from the wind stuck out their heads and tightened their weapons. A team leader also got up and scolded: "It's a dog's day with white hair, it's freezing to death."

I got it, be careful!"

On the snow-covered plain in front of them, two people came slowly on horseback. Nothing unusual could be seen. However, in this snowy weather, it was expected that no one would go out. The sudden appearance of the two people made people wary. When they got closer, they looked like Turks.

The Turks are in the west of Yingzhou, so it’s strange that two people are here.

The team shouted loudly: "Stop, who is coming?"

The two cavalrymen stopped slowly, and one of them shouted: "Captain Xue's old friend, whose surname is Luo, please let me know."

It was Luo Zhang who shouted, and the other person was Qin Huaidao.

In order to avoid exposing his whereabouts, Qin Huaidao let his troops rest in a valley not far away and only brought Luo Zhang over. The governor of Yingzhou was Xue Wanshu, a military general.

The eldest brother, Xue Wanshu, and the fifth brother, Xue Wanbei, were also very good. Their father, Xue Shixiong, followed Luo Yi in the uprising and later defected to the hidden prince Li Jiancheng.

After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, several brothers retired. Li Erdeng was grateful for the talents of Xue Gate's military generals, and reactivated him regardless of past suspicions. In the fourth year of Zhenguan, Xue Wanshu served as the governor of Yingzhou, a position he has held since 1989.

With Luo Yi's affection, Qin Huaidao brought Luo Zhang over.

On the top of the city, the team heard that they were the governor's old friends, and there were only two of them. Unlike the enemy, they did not dare to neglect, so they hurried over to report the situation.

Luo Zhang looked back at Qin Huai and said, "Uncle, is it really okay?"

"If there is a problem, we will fight it out." Qin Huaidao said with a smile, not very worried in his heart. Qin Qiong did not participate in the Xuanwu Sect incident. Even if Xue Wanshu still had hatred in her heart, the debt was not her fault. As for

Luo Zhang, his ancestors Luo Yi and Xue Wanshu's father were of the same generation, and they were on their own, so they didn't have to worry.

Luo Zhang didn't think too much, the worst he could do was kill him.

After waiting for a while, a team rushed out of the city. The leader, a captain, stepped forward alone, raised his hands and said: "Sima Xue Feng, the governor of Xiaying Prefecture, came here to greet me on the order of the governor. I don't know which old friend came all the way.

?”

Luo Zhang glanced at Qin Huaidao, crossed his horse's legs and said, "Luo Mansion, grandson of Luo Cheng, son of Luo Tong, Luo Zhang."

"It turns out it's General Luo, please!" the other party said politely.

"The whereabouts are kept confidential." Luo Zhang reminded.

The other party was startled, but he responded quickly. He nodded, glanced at Qin Huaidao, and without asking any questions, quickly returned and said to the people around him: "The alert is lifted, and we, our people, return to the city!"

The group turned around and returned to the city, no one asked any questions.

Qin Huaidao observed these border troops and issued orders and prohibitions, which was good. He then entered the city and walked along the main road. The houses were closed along the way. It was too cold and he was unwilling to come out. Soon he arrived at the Governor's Mansion.

The gate of the Governor's Mansion was a little deserted. There was not even a sentry. It was too cold. But it was different when entering. The guards were heavily guarded. The soldiers' eyes were calm and motionless. This showed how strict Xue Wanshu was in running the army. Soon, the group came to the inner hall.

He was led into a side room.

There was no one in the side room, but a hot brazier was burning. The temperature was completely different from that outside.

The two of them were not polite and sat down around the brazier. A voice came from outside: "Hahaha, it's so nice to have an old friend come to visit. Let's warm up a pot of good wine and stew one over."

Immediately afterwards, the door opened, and a middle-aged man entered the room. He was tall and burly. His eyes fell on the two of them. He didn't recognize either of them and asked: "Which one is my old friend?"

According to seniority, Xue Wanshu is twice as old as Luo, and can be regarded as Luo Zhang's grandfather. Luo Zhang quickly stood up and saluted: "My junior Luo Zhang, I have met Grandpa Xue."

"Hahaha, he looks a bit like that kid Luo Tong. Do you have a token?" Xue Wanshu asked bluntly. The mountains are high and the roads are far away. It would be embarrassing if word spread about an impostor.

Luo Zhang also understood. He took out a piece of the imperial edict and handed it over: "Captain, this is the secret edict given to you by the Holy One."

Xue Wanshu was startled, and quickly took it over to take a look. The familiar font, the familiar big seal, and the familiar silk paper could not be fake. She reacted suddenly and looked at Qin Huaidao: "Who is this?"

"General Dingyuan Qin Li, Qin Huaidao." Luo Zhang explained.

Qin Huaidao stood up and saluted solemnly: "I have met the governor."

According to rank, Qin Huaidao was in the fifth rank, and his rank was lower than that of the other party. He should be greeted first. However, Qin Huaidao had a higher title and was the commander of this operation. Xue Wanshu did not dare to entrust him with it, so he solemnly said: "Xue Wanshu, the governor of Yingzhou, has seen Yiguo."

Sir, the defense change document from the Ministry of War has already been received, but the imperial edict..."

The Ministry of War changed defense documents, but the imperial edict was to fight against the Khitans, so Xue Wanshu was a little confused.

"The governor has misunderstood." Qin Huaidao explained: "The purpose of changing the defense documents is to deceive others and cover the coming of the army. The real purpose is to fight against the Khitans. The governor only needs to guard the camp to prevent the Khitans from jumping over the wall and Goguryeo taking advantage of the situation. There is no need to pay attention to the rest.

"

"That's great. I've long seen that something is wrong with those grandsons. However, it may not be a good idea to send troops at this time of year. Heavy snow has blocked the grassland, making the roads difficult to travel and causing many inconveniences." Xue Wanshu reminded.

"Thanks to the Governor for reminding us that the road is indeed difficult, but it is not impossible. We can take the enemy by surprise and attack them unprepared. Once the war starts, the pressure on Yingzhou will double. If the Governor cannot hold on, the consequences will be unpredictable. We hope we can prepare in advance.

"Qin Huaidao reminded.

"Don't worry, I'm sorry. General Qin is such a promising young man. He has the spirit of his father. He actually dares to send troops under such ice and snow. I admire him. I wish the general immediate success. There is nothing I can do without ambiguity."

Xue Wanshu praised.

The war is imminent and the opportunity is rare. No one wants to take part in it and take credit for it.

Qin Huaidao waited until he said this and said bluntly: "Captain, I have two things to do here today. First, I want to ask the Governor to give me a distribution map of the Khitan tribe. Second, I want to arrange a guide."

"This is simple, wait a moment." Xue Wanshu hurried away.

"Uncle?" Luo Zhang called softly.

"It doesn't matter. Governor Xue has no ill intentions. The war is about to begin. Once our army fails, he will be implicated to some extent. Once we win, he will get some credit. So he has no choice but to cooperate. Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Luo Zhang secretly wrote it down.

The two waited for a while, and Xue Wanshu hurried over and handed Qin Huaidao a map. It looked very crude, and those who were not familiar with it quickly noticed something. Qin Huaidao just said: "Can you please bring over those papers from the governor?"

Xue Wanshu was a little surprised, but still hurried away.

Qin Huaidao picked up a piece of charcoal, broke it into small strips, and sharpened it to a finer point. Just as Xue Wanshu came over with some papers, Qin Huaidao picked a larger one and spread it out on the table. He put Xue Wanshu's map in front of him and said: "Captain

, could you please tell me about the map, using the top as north to determine the direction, where are the mountains and water, how big are they, and their respective trends, please explain them one by one."

Xue Wanshu looked at Qin Huaidao curiously. This request was a bit too much. However, seeing that Qin Huaidao spoke sincerely and for the sake of fighting, she suppressed her dissatisfaction and began to explain. When she saw Qin Huaidao sketching a brief mountain and terrain map in two or two times,

Finally, I immediately realized that I thought my map was not detailed enough.

However, compared with Qin Huaidao's painting, my own painting is indeed not detailed enough. I continue to explain where the mountains are, how high and long they are, what their characteristics are, how they go, where they are connected, how many branches the river has, which tribes are gathered together, and what are the

How many people there are and what their combat effectiveness is, all of them are carefully told.

Having served as the governor of Yingzhou for eight or nine years and being a famous general with real talent and learning, he would naturally have a thorough understanding of the Khitan situation.

Qin Huaidao listened and drew, while keeping the information in his mind.

Gradually, a sketch, usually a landscape painting, appeared on the paper. This was no longer a simple map, but more like an aerial sketch, with mountains, rivers, land, rivers and tribes all presented one by one.

Very detailed and thorough.

After more than half an hour, the whole picture was finished.

Xue Wanshu couldn't wait to pick up the picture and admire it. He praised it and said: "General Qin is a great talent. With this picture, his march will be safe. I have the audacity to beg for a copy. I wonder if it is okay?"

"The Governor is too polite. What's the difficulty? It won't take much time to draw another one. However, Governor, can you give these papers to me?" Qin Huaidao said, pointing to the remaining papers.

"No problem, I'll go get some more for you, General Qin." Xue Wanshu agreed and hurried away. As a general, he knew very well the importance and significance of that map, which was hard to find.

They were all soldiers guarding the territory, and Qin Huaidao saw that Xue Wanshu was a good person, and he might have to ask others to cooperate later. If he didn't mind drawing another one for the other party, he treated it as a romantic relationship, so he took out the largest piece of paper and started drawing.

Not long after, Xue Wanshu hurried over, holding a lot of paper and looking at it with eyes full of expectation.

The redrawing speed was much faster. Someone came outside to report that the food was ready. Xue Wanshu did not want to interrupt the painting, so she motioned for people to bring the food in and set it up, and called Xue Feng from before to accompany her.

After waiting for a while, Qin Huaidao finished the painting and said with a smile: "Commander, please take a look. Fortunately, I did not disgrace my order."

"Hahaha, great. With this map, why should I be afraid of others? General Qin, I owe you a huge favor. I would like to thank the general for the map on behalf of the Yingzhou soldiers." Xue Wanshu saluted solemnly.

Xue Feng was a little surprised. After seeing the map, he exclaimed: "This...is this a map of the Khitan territory?"

"That's right, this is an appearance map. It's better-looking, easier to use, and more intuitive than a map. With this map, the governor no longer has to worry about the people below not understanding it when dispatching troops." Xue Wanshu said excitedly: "Come on, come on,

Feng'er, this is Duke Yi of Qin, General Qin, and General Qin, this is the old master's nephew Xue Feng, whose courtesy name is Ziyu, who serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Governor's Office and joins the army."

"Xue Feng has met the general!" When Xue Feng heard about Duke Yi, he didn't dare to trust him, so he hurried to greet him.

"Xue Canjun is polite." Qin Huaidao returned the greeting.

Xue Wanshu looked at Qin Huaidao with satisfaction and added: "General Qin, Feng'er is the most familiar with the Khitan terrain. How about letting him be the guide?"

"Then I'll help you." Qin Huaidao didn't expect Xue Wanshu to ask his nephew to be his guide. It seemed that the map just now was working.

"Feng'er, General Qin has been ordered to attack Khitan. This matter is top secret and cannot be spread outside. From now on, you are the guide. You must not act recklessly. You must obey General Qin's orders. If you don't obey, I will chop off your head myself. I understand.

"?" Xue Wanshu solemnly warned.

Xue Feng's expression changed, and he quickly agreed: "My nephew understands, and he will definitely live up to his trust!"
To be continued...