That night, the army's night attack failed. The next day, the two sides did not fight again. Early in the morning, the top brass of both armies also confirmed the news that Chanyuan City was broken by Qu Tuda and Niuda fled westward.

.

By this time, the army was naturally hit hard. The excitement brought by the previous undefeated scene in the battle formation could not be said to have been wiped away, but there was not much left.

However, what is interesting is that the officers and soldiers were not completely happy here, and even broke up on bad terms again.

The reason couldn't be simpler. The army was worried that after Qu Tuda broke through Chanyuan, he would have no scruples and arrive at the battlefield quickly. However, the generals in the Hejian camp were generally worried that after Qu Tuda broke through Chanyuan, he would get enough perfunctory results.

With meritorious deeds, they will no longer go eastward... just like that person who took the head of a leader and then lay down.

This can be considered a sincere conclusion drawn from a heart-to-heart comparison.

In short, the situation among the senior government and military officials on this day was basically a continuation of the chaos since yesterday. With everyone having their own agenda, the situation not only did not ease, but became even more chaotic and tense.

This made Xue Changxiong even more distressed.

However, he did not stop various military affairs despite being anxious, angry, disappointed and uneasy. In the morning, Luo Shu and Li Li led the Youzhou Army to leave the battlefield as planned and advance to Yangxin in the east, stationed there, and ordered the demolition

The "backbone" military order was also sent out last night.

And just after the Youzhou Army left, a man suddenly invited Xue Changxiong in private.

"Let him come in!" Xue Changxiong thought for a moment, and although he was a little irritated, he still decided to come and listen, because what happened in the past two days highlighted this person's reliability and sincerity.

After a moment, a person entered the small tent belonging to Xue Changxiong's personal family at the back of the Chinese army's tent. It was Cao Shancheng, the prefect of Qinghe.

"Mr. Cao Fu, what can I tell you?" Even if it was a private meeting, Xue Changxiong was really perfunctory, and he didn't even make a gesture to sit down.

"I have a military suggestion and a strategy. Please give it to the general." Cao Shancheng also didn't pay attention to this and just handed it over directly in the small tent.

"you say."

"Please general, please divide your troops to make a detour, pass through Douzigang from the west, and attack the rebel army's flank." Cao Shancheng's calculation was straightforward.

Xue Changxiong paused for a moment, then shook his head and laughed: "Mr. Cao Fu is really persistent."

"Perseverance is necessary. Cao's determination to wipe out the thieves, restore peace to Hebei, and regain peace in the world has not changed day by day since he saw Zhang Jinscale's slaughter. There must be something in this world.

Rules and order, otherwise the soldiers and civilians will suffer heavy casualties, and the bones will be laid out in the fields." Cao Shancheng continued to lean forward and answer sincerely. "However, this time's strategy is actually very different from the previous one."

Xue Changxiong thought for a while, then sighed in the seat behind the table, and then raised his hand slightly to indicate: "I believe these are the words from the bottom of my heart, Mr. Cao Fu, who truly has the world in mind... Please continue to speak.

.”

"That's it." Cao Shancheng stood up straight and explained seriously. "As far as our army is concerned, the current situation is that the chessboard camp facing the opponent head-on has actually encountered resistance, or it has made no progress, so that it seems that

Without the prospect of this battle, the morale of the army was shaken, so there was an urgent need for breakthroughs and results. As for the enemy, although they were able to hold on at this time, they could not withstand the defeat of Chanyuan. I don't know whether the imperial armies on the western front could

They will come to attack from both sides, so even if you are holding on on the surface, there will definitely be hesitation and panic on the inside..."

"So, sending troops at this time may not have miraculous effects?" Xue Changxiong finally listened.

"It's more than that." Cao Shancheng took a step forward and continued to speak next to the table. "General, have you ever thought about it. If we are more careful, we can use the cover of moving large logs in the city behind us to separate and send a main force of elite troops there.

Then we gather from the rear, launch a surprise attack from Lujiao Pass in the west of Douzigang, and then ask the general to use the banner of General Qu Tu. Whose army will they think this is? And what reaction will they have?!"

"It's interesting!" Xue Changxiong suddenly clapped his hands, then pointed to a chair nearby and said, "Tell me more about it!"

"There is no need to go into details, some things can be revealed as soon as they are said." Cao Shancheng raised his head and faced him. "General... The reason why I asked you to meet in private today is that I only learned about General Qutu's victory at Chanyuan during the military meeting just now.

It is a strategy that arises in response to the situation; secondly, there are many people talking, and at this time, I have already said that this matter should be kept secret as much as possible and carefully concealed; thirdly, I actually know that the previous strategies of asking for raids around Douzigang were all wrong.

Being refuted, not only did the general feel that it was not necessary in terms of military affairs, but the general also doubted that the reinforcements from the various armies on the west route were deployed from the east capital, and there was a possibility that someone would become a new leader of Hebei with the support of Cao Zhongcheng. And this time I want to make it clear.

With the general, let's divide our troops here. The general can use the river soldiers to do this, and I can be the leader and deputy general."

The third article obviously made Xue Changxiong feel slightly embarrassed, but it was only awkward for a moment before the Hebei marching commander started thinking seriously.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that what the other party said made sense.

From a military perspective, whether to divide the troops or not is just a matter of choice.

But the problem is that now the two heavily armed groups are concentrated around Ban County, north of Douzigang and south of Maface River. The possibility of a large-scale breakthrough in a short period of time has actually been lost. So it is not a bad idea to take some risks and divide the troops to open up a new front.

No. If you take into account the military mentality of both sides and launch an attack disguised as Qutuda, it may be really effective.

In addition, there is another thing that Cao Shancheng doesn't know, and that is what is going on in the east. Xue Changxiong only said that there were some bandit troops arranged by Zhang Xing to harass the Bohai Sea, and asked Luo Shu and Li Li to go to Yangxin for cooperation.

We were on guard against the possibility of the rebel army marching eastward, and did not dare to publicly mention the direction of the rebel army's arrival in the state. They might rush to get there before the end of the cold flood season, which meant that they would provide massive support within a few days.

Therefore, his desire to open up the situation was actually more urgent than Cao Shancheng imagined.

For political reasons, although the other party's words were obviously full of resentment, it seemed to be true.

Moreover, there is something that Cao Shancheng did not think of or simply did not say, that is, if he attacks from the west in the name of Qu Tuda, even if it is not completely effective, it can still play an excellent urging role - let Qu Tuda

Tu Da and others should not hesitate to move forward, so they asked reinforcements from all over the west road to come quickly.

Even, considering how difficult it is for thieves to attack, including the complexity of the entire battle situation, Xue Changxiong must consider the possibility of a long-term battle. And if it is a long-term battle, it is most direct to divide the troops from the north to the south to trap the thieves, and cut off the most direct route from the east.

, the most effective support route, that is, around Lujiao Pass on the west side of Douzigang, becomes very necessary.

In a word, at one moment and another, Xue Changxiong was not only tempted, but also directly convinced to a considerable extent.

As soon as he thought of this, General Xue picked up the straight knife on the bed in front of him and patted the table in front of him with the scabbard. As soon as the table rang, a bell outside the tent also rang inexplicably. When he heard the sound, he immediately

Several armored guards came in to salute.

"Go and call Chen Sima." Xue Changxiong immediately ordered.

Hearing this, Cao Shancheng also breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Chen Bin was Xue Changxiong's deputy and think tank in daily handling of military affairs. He called this person here, firstly, to get his final opinion; secondly, if this person did not object,

If so, you will probably directly ask the other party to help arrange and implement it.

"My subordinates think it's feasible." After hearing this, Chen Bin just thought for a moment and then directly expressed his agreement. "But there is one thing... Who should the actual coach use? The fourth general or the seventh general? Or the third general? The general

Can't it be the manager who goes there in person?"

Xue Changxiong smiled, but immediately became embarrassed.

Cao Shancheng, on the other hand, still had the magnanimity to think about the overall situation at this time, and immediately suggested: "In name, under the banner of General Qu Tuda, but judging from the strength of the thief, it is best to have a master of Chengdan in charge, so that we can take action."

In order to achieve the best shock effect and self-protection ability, as for the number of major generals, there is no harm in sending a few more, but the overall situation must still be respected."

“This is natural.”

, I might as well wait for General Qu Tuda... As for Chen Sima and I, we are mainly afraid that the two brothers will be dissatisfied with each other."

"If the major generals don't go, the general manager is worried that they won't march properly, right?" Cao Shancheng shook his head, but immediately moved away from the topic. "But let me, if you have to choose one of the major generals,

person, you should still choose General Xue Wanbi... The four generals are among the generals who have the highest cultivation, the best martial arts, and the most determination to fight. To be a vanguard general on the front line and to command in separate directions, he must be the one, and the others

Will not work."

A look of embarrassment flashed across Xue Changxiong's face, then he thought seriously for a while and finally nodded.

Because it is.

Chen Bin still had no need to express anything, he just agreed.

It is said that Xue Changxiong liked his younger son very much. While the eldest son was held hostage in Jiangdu, he vaguely regarded the seventh Xue Wanquan as the successor to the Hejian Camp. However, the other Xue brothers have been dissatisfied with this, especially

Xue Wanbi, the fourth child with the most outstanding abilities, did not dare to express his dissatisfaction with his father and could not talk to the seventh child about the matter because his eldest brother was still alive in Jiangdu, but he hated Chen Bin, Xue Changxiong's confidant.

people.

Since the beginning of the war, Chen Bin has been ridiculed and attacked by Xue Wanbi many times, but it is not really because of Chen Sima's mishandling.

But Chen Bin still agreed, not because he was generous, but because he still hasn't been able to get over what happened yesterday. He probably will only deal with Xue Changxiong before this battle is over, and everything will go according to the other party's wishes.

coming.

"How many people do you think we should send?" Xue Changxiong continued to ask after seeing that the matter had been decided.

"I'm afraid it won't be effective if we send too few. The core force must at least exceed the size of General Qu Tuda, and it must have a strong military force... I thought it should be four Zhonglang generals, preferably five, and 15,000 elites...

...It is only appropriate to mix the soldiers from Qinghe County led by me and the soldiers from Pingyuan County led by Lord Qianfu." Cao Shancheng said solemnly. "General manager, Lord Qianfu's anger yesterday was justified, but he never thought about it.

, if the thief is not eliminated in a day, the whole county of Pingyuan will be poisoned, so he will be angry... In short, he will turn around sooner or later, not to mention that his subordinates will only know the topography of Douzigang better than other tribes.

.”

"You can't use him." Xue Changxiong waved his hand. "This is not because I'm stingy, but it's such a big deal. It affects the success or failure of hundreds of thousands of troops. The military situation is strict. With his resentment yesterday, even if it's for his own good,

He shouldn't be allowed to go... You can let his soldiers from Pingyuan County go back to Ande or Jiangling, just to transport the big wood, and then you will take them as guides, and he himself must stay here with me to take care of me personally."

Cao Shancheng sighed. He wanted to defend Qian Tang again, but he was more worried that the plan would fail and things would not be accomplished, so he simply stopped mentioning the matter.

But Chen Bin just skipped this topic and continued: "If this is the case, how about letting Ande's three generals directly participate in this battle? The troops from Ande, Pingyuan, and Jiangling will follow us.

There are only four generals and one Chengdan general, plus two county soldiers..."

Xue Changxiong hesitated for a moment: "Are the troops still too few?"

"If we don't move too many troops, wouldn't it be dangerous in the camp?" Even though Chen Bin was not prepared to do anything disobedient to Xue Changxiong, he couldn't help but feel a headache at this time. "We have divided the Youzhou Army.

Yang believed that, together with Leling's troops and horses, another 15,000 troops were transferred out at this time, plus the casualties in the previous few days, there were actually only about 30,000 elites from the Hejian camp left, and there were still

We need to allocate some more troops and horses to suppress Ande City, which is the most critical place... we can’t have any less.”

"That's not necessarily the case." Xue Changxiong said disapprovingly. "The rebel army has twenty-five battalions and fifty thousand people. But as you have also seen, their combat power as an organized unit is actually not as good as ours. They can barely hold on when they defend."

Just hold on. At this time, we have lost casualties in consecutive days of fighting, plus the garrison of Banxian County and Pingchang County. Even if it happens, how many people can fight? Moreover, we still have mountains, camps and countless auxiliary troops.
To be continued...