Lu Xiang wrapped his wounds and cursed. He scolded the Youzhou people for a while and forgot about the blood feud with the Hu people. He also sent armored sword soldiers to the Hu soldiers, which would be a disaster for China in the future. After a while, he scolded the battle for being a bad one.
, in Hebei, how can we fight without cavalry?
Many of the heroes present were also not very interested, and they more or less thought the same way as Lu Xiang.
At this time, Zhang Dan and Dong Fang opened the tent and entered.
As soon as he came in, Dong Fan cursed at Lu Xiang:
"Huaji, are you really not afraid of death under military law? Are you actually chattering in the big tent?"
The one with flowery arms is Lu Xiang.
Lu Xiang met a Yue man named Li Gan when he was in the Suijun Academy. At that time, this man was in the Central Guards Army system, and like Lu Xiang, he was recommended to learn literacy.
Li Gan was eager to read, but Lu Xiang was not interested in this. He objected to the tattoo of a pig-shaped dragon on Li Gan's back. Later, he also found a good person who knew this and tattooed a peony on his arm.
The bushes were full. Every time he captured an enemy's head, he would put a flower on his arm. From then on, the army called him Big Flower Arm.
At this time, Dong Fang called Lu Xiang "Hua Arm" instead of calling his name, so he knew that he actually did not really want to blame Lu Xiang, because "Hua Arm" was a good name for Lu Xiang and a symbol of his outstanding martial arts.
Lu Xiang also knew that, so although he was scolded, he didn't panic.
He was so angry just now, of course, not because he was shot in the back. When a warrior is on the battlefield, his scars are his martial arts. What makes him angry is that the arrow was shot on his arm with no chance of death. From now on,
This beautiful peony bush would look ugly if it were full.
However, he didn't dare to say any more. He just took a peek at Zhang Dan in front of him and saw that the commander's face was not good, so he didn't dare to worry about bad luck at this time.
So, Lu Xiang muttered and retreated.
Dong Fang tidied things up a bit, and the warriors present returned to the order of an accomplished master.
Although Zhang Dan was a generous man, he was the one who attached great importance to military discipline, so he waited until all the generals were in line to be silent before he took his seat. Then Dong Fang, as his deputy, sat on Zhang Dan's side.
After looking around at the generals present, Zhang Dan said in a deep voice:
"We have gathered everyone together today to discuss whether we should defend the stronghold in this battle or go out to fight the Yan soldiers in the field?"
As soon as these words were said, Xie Bi, who was always known as a wise general in the Youjun system, frowned and asked:
"Commander, we don't have to make this choice. Before the main force of the Yan army goes south, we can retreat to the south of the Hutuo River and join the base camp. At that time, the disadvantages our army encounters now will become the disadvantages of the Yan soldiers.
.Once our army uses the Hutuo River as a defense line, and the enemy lacks boatmen, how can the cavalry cross it? And once the Yan soldiers have no cavalry, how can they dare to go south? Even if they go south, they will only risk their own death."
Xie Bi's statement won the approval of most knowledgeable generals in the army.
Yes, why do they have to fight Yan Bing here? The sky is brighter when they take a step back.
It was just Xie Bi's words that made Shi Shenshang, the chief of the Marshal's Department of the Right Army, frown, but he had never been willing to express his stance first, so he remained silent for the time being.
Seeing Xie Bi say such words, Zhang Dan was not surprised. He asked:
"Now the four thousand elite cavalry of the Yan soldiers are at Sanhe Pavilion. Once they know that we are going to cross Hutuo south, do you think the Yan soldiers will not attack us halfway across the river?"
Xie Bi was silent for a while and said frankly:
"So I am willing to lead my troops to cover the retreat south."
All the generals present knew that Xie Bi was a man of his word. His life was saved by the king. In terms of loyalty, courage and righteousness, he could be said to be the best in the army.
Even some generals who were transferred to the Youjun system later heard a secret.
Even before the Battle of Jize, Qingzhou Qushuai Jisun at that time also coerced Zhang Shuai, and then used this to coerce the right army to join them in the decisive battle with the Han army. When the other generals were panicking, Xie Bi said:
"These soldiers are General Chongtian's soldiers, not Colonel Zhang's soldiers."
With just one word, the army was pulled away, and Zhang Dan was forced to fall into the hands of Ji Sun.
It's a shame that Sun Ji didn't kill Zhang Dan and let Zhang Dan go back, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
But even so, everyone has to admit that it was Xie Bi's overall view that preserved the strength of the Right Army. He entered the battlefield at the end of the Battle of Jize and finally defeated the main force of the Northern Army, winning the biggest victory since the founding of the Right Army.
of victory.
Therefore, at this moment, all the generals in the Youjun system believed that Xie Bi really thought so and planned to do so.
He will use his 2,000 elite troops to cover the main force of 13,000 men as they retreat south.
So when Xie Bi said these words, even Zhang Dan fell silent.
At this time, someone suddenly asked:
"What about the thousands of people at Sanhe Pavilion?"
It was Pan Zhang who spoke. At this moment, he stared at Xie Bi with red eyes and repeated:
"Let me ask you, if we withdraw, what will happen to the thousands of people in Sanhe Pavilion?"
Xie Bi stopped talking at this time, but his meaning was very clear.
It all depends on Mikaotei's own destiny.
Because Xie Bi knew very well that as they retreated south to the Hutuo River, the Hutuo River would become the confrontation line between them and the Yan soldiers for a long time. Therefore, the Taishan Army staying in Sanhe Pavilion on the north bank had absolutely no reinforcements.
And what will be the result without reinforcements? That is, all these thousands of people will die!
But Xie Bi did not dare to say these words. He was not really fearless.
The Taishan Army had been fighting for so many years, but when had a thousand-man force been wiped out? Xie Bi did not dare to bear this responsibility.
Pan Zhang also understood, but he was unwilling to give in and finally asked:
"Can we really not hold our Wulitun defense line?"
Xie Bi frowned and explained to Pan Zhang:
"The Wulitun defense line we are building now has a total of eight Dazhai on the periphery, all surrounding the Wulitun Dazhai. There are corridors connecting each village, and the villages can quickly support each other. So simply use
In terms of defense, there are more than 18,000 soldiers in our army who can hold swords. Relying on this chain of strongholds, we can resist Yan's 50,000 soldiers. Although it is difficult, it is still possible."
Pan Zhang's eyes widened when he heard this, but Xie Bi then said:
"However, this is only in terms of defense. The biggest problem of our army now is the shortage of food. Originally we could use summer millet in the wild to alleviate it, but this time we failed to grab food. The entire army's reserves can last for ten days at most. Ten
In the future, as long as the pontoon bridge on the Hutuo River behind is not erected, all of our 20,000 soldiers will starve to death without being killed by the Yan soldiers on the opposite side. So, Pan Zhang, do you dare to gamble with the lives of 18,000 of the entire army? Yes.
Three thousand people die, or eighteen thousand people die, let me choose, which one will you choose?"
Pan Zhang was scolded by Xie Bi, but he could not retaliate.
He and Xie Bi had not dealt with each other for a long time, but he also knew that the three thousand people Xie Bi mentioned at this time, except for the thousand people from Sanhe Pavilion, the rest were the two thousand people under Xie Bi's command, including Xie Bi.
Pan Zhang, such an arrogant man, couldn't hold back at this time and burst into tears.
He really regretted, why did he go to Xianyu Pavilion to collect millet? Why did he go back to Wulitun Camp. If he was still in Sanhe Pavilion at this time, even if he died, he would die with his brothers instead.
Now I am living in such shame.
So Pan Zhang opened his mouth and was about to say that he would stay behind the camp for Xie Bi.
But at this moment, a voice came from above:
"I'm willing to bet."
Xie Bigang was still scolding Pan Zhang, but unexpectedly the voice came from behind.
He turned his head in confusion and glanced at the serious Zhang Dan. He was not sure that the words just came from his mouth.
He shouted tremblingly:
"Adan, are you crazy? You and I both know that giant boats can be built on the South Bank now, so how can we build pontoons? So you are not gambling, you are obviously going to die!"
Zhang Dan looked straight at Xie Bi and said:
"We cannot withdraw, we must die on the north bank."
Xie Bi completely didn't understand Zhang Dan's stubbornness at this moment, but he knew that his stubbornness would definitely ruin the survival of the entire army, so he was desperate and wanted to persuade him again.
Zhang Dan stopped Xie Bi and said solemnly:
"Abi, you don't need to say anything. You said that we should withdraw from the south of Hutuo River to Zhending. I know you are right. You said that three thousand lives should be exchanged for the survival of the whole army. I also know that you are right.
But I know that what is more important than whether what you said is right or not, or what is more important than the lives of 20,000 people in our army?"
Xie Bi murmured:
"Something more important?"
Zhang Dan had already stood up and walked into the robes below.
He looked at the familiar faces. These people trusted him and even saved his life, but at this moment they might die because of their own decisions.
All this moved Zhang Dan and said:
"Yes, there is something more important than our lives. That is our great cause!"
He pointed to the Hutuo River in the north of the camp, where endless water vapor was blown by the river wind all the way to the tent.
Zhang Dan pointed there and said emotionally:
"That is the Hutuo River. It is the last line of defense for us to attack Youzhou. Back then, the Zhongshan people could rely on this Hutuo River to defend against the Zhao people's attack for a hundred years. But do we have a hundred years? Our Taishan Army is seizing the day and night. Now, let's take advantage of Jiumen
Feng Xun, the idiot in the city, did not realize the importance of Hutuo and put us on the north bank. But this time, if we withdraw to the other bank, next time we will face the cunning Lu Zhi. When the time comes, he will give us another
Is this an opportunity?”
Zhang Dan looked around again, seeing that everyone still didn't understand, and said again:
"Some people may say, isn't it just a strip of water? Let's take over all of Jizhou first. Then we can take care of the north later. I told the king so before. But the king told me that the importance of Jizhou is very important.
, it seems that the focus is on Jizhou, but in fact it depends on Youzhou. As long as Youzhou cannot be captured, it means that the capture of Jizhou is in vain. With the strength of the cavalry, the Yan soldiers can plunder us overnight. And as long as we attack
Go down to Youzhou and annihilate the Zhenbei Army, the only large-scale army in Hebei, and the whole of Hebei will be able to spread the message."
"This is what the king always said, the harder the road is, the faster it is."
"So you think we can withdraw?"
At this time, Pan Zhang, Luo Gang and other generals shouted:
"cannot!"
However, the turbulence of the generals could not shake Xie Bi's reason. He only asked:
"No matter how logical the principles are, they must be implemented in terms of food. Without food, there is no way we can fight fiercely and come to the base camp to come to our aid."
But who knew that Zhang Dan smiled slyly, pointed in one direction and said:
"Who said we have no food? Look, it's all there!"
After saying that, all the generals looked towards where Zhang Dan was pointing, which was the Jiumen City not far away.
…
In the Jiumen City, there is a temporary county government office.
Our Feng Xun is seeking divination from the fortune tellers in his house.
At this moment, an old shaman was burning a piece of cow bone, and then he shook his head and told the nervous Feng Xun:
"It is unlucky. In the past, Zhou Dynasty died with a sword. It was called a disease day, and military strategists were afraid of it."
Although there are three year names in the world this year, according to the heavenly stems and earthly branches, this year is indeed the year of Jiazi. Therefore, Feng Xun was greatly depressed when he heard the criticism of this famous wizard.
Reluctantly and with a bit of fear, he asked for advice:
"Then how to turn danger into good fortune?"
Wu Jin stopped talking, just silently gathered his clothes, and retreated to the monastery, leaving his apprentice and Feng Xun to continue the investigation.
After a while, Feng Xun left a large sum of money to ask the old fortune teller to make a ritual ceremony, and then returned to the mansion with a gloomy look.
As soon as he came out, a heroic military officer next to Feng Xun couldn't help but said:
"Prime Minister, if you don't ask the heroes about their affairs while guarding the city, how can you ask the ghosts and gods for fortune-telling? Not to mention that the old fortune-teller looks like someone who is after money and food. He said that Zhou was killed by Jiazi. How can you not hear Zhou's words?
How can martial arts prosper with Jiazi? Instead of relying on ghosts and gods, it is better to be humble, inspire heroes, and work together with one heart, and the nine gates will naturally be as solid as gold."
The person who said this was Guo Zhao, a hero of the county. After Feng Xun moved his army to Jiumen, he took the lead to defect to his sect and became an accountant.
However, Guo Zhao's advice was not praised by Feng Xun, but was reprimanded by him:
"Then who is Zhou Wu? Who is the Taishan Army outside the city?"
At this moment, Guo Zhao did not dare to speak anymore, sweat dripped from his forehead, and he hurriedly stepped aside.
Feng Xuanye did not pursue Guo Zhao, but sighed behind Guo Zhao's back:
"At this point, only ghosts and gods can respond to me."
Some people may be wondering why Feng Xun is so depressed and has no fighting spirit? Hasn’t his reinforcement Zhenbei Corps already gone south? There are still three thousand men and hundreds of thousands of grains in the city. Isn’t it very simple to defend it?
?
But these are outsiders' opinions, but insiders know the reason for Feng Xun's anxiety day and night.
There was an internal enemy force in the city, but Feng Xun couldn't find it.
If the former is just a problem, then the latter is a big problem.
It turned out that when Zhang Dan and Dong Fang of the Taishan Army attacked the outer stronghold of Jiumen, their troops broke into the city that night, and at that time they were mixed up with the traitors and spies.
Originally, it was very easy for spies to be exposed when they were lurking in the city, because there were always soldiers patrolling to assassinate and check Fu Jie's identity.
Therefore, if spies want to lurk, they must have a place to hide and a supply of water and rice. Only powerful families in the city can meet the requirements of Taishan Army's spies.
Although I don't know what reason the powerful people have for doing this, it doesn't stop Feng Xun from doubting them.
And how did Feng Xun know that there was a spy lurking in the city? He was the one who had spied on the generals under his command before, and then was tricked into him.
At this time, Feng Xun began to doubt the generals below again, because he did not believe that the Taishan Army only tried to instigate a few to rebel. And if there were really many people, but so far, only one or two people had taken the initiative to report. Does this mean that many people have been instigated to rebel?
Feng Xunhuo felt like he was sitting in the crater of a volcano, with no sense of security.
In a bad mood, Feng Xun naturally had little patience with people around him like Guo Zhao.
Finally, Feng Xun was escorted by Guo Zhao and other guards and left the house to inspect the city again. It can be seen that Feng Xun was not confused and knew who he had to rely on.
But after Guo Zhao sent Feng Xun off, he secretly crossed the wall at night and met someone.