Chapter 399: Extraordinary People, Extraordinary Things
In fact, the reason why Su Ling dared and Lin Bulang to sneak attack the west gate of Bohai Sea was not only because the skilled men were brave and had no other choice, but also because Su Ling was gambling.
Where is this? The home base of the Jin Dynasty's most powerful force on paper - General Shen Jizhou. It is the most prosperous city in the entire north except the imperial capital Longtai.
In normal times, Bohai City cannot be attacked by just anyone, let alone as easily as Su Ling.
Su Ling was able to stir up the entire Bohai West City Gate on his own, but it has not been discovered yet. There are three reasons for this:
First, this is wartime. According to common sense, during wartime, there should be more guards at the gates of each city than in normal times. But Bohai City is special because it is far away from the battlefield and is in the center of the rear area, facing the flames of war on the battlefield. Almost There is no threat here.
Jiu Zhang is too far away from the Bohai Sea, and Jiu Zhang is Xiao Yuanche's territory. Shen Jizhou's army blocked Xiao Yuanche's army in Jiu Zhang like a gate, so it is impossible for Xiao Yuanche to It will not threaten Bohai City, the city in the heart of his heart.
Some people would say, isn't Shen Jizhou afraid that Xiao Yuanche will send his light cavalry to make a detour and attack Bohai City directly? To be honest, Shen Jizhou is really not afraid.
Why? The so-called light cavalry detouring to attack Bohai City can only be based on theory. First, the road is far away, and the light cavalry does not carry much baggage and cannot support it to the Bohai Sea. Even if it is really possible to support it to the Bohai Sea, then the people and horses will be exhausted, and the combat power will be exhausted. There are not many; secondly, the city has high walls and thick defenses. Putting aside all factors, the light cavalry really has a smooth road, and the troops reach the city. It is simply a dream to attack Bohai City, which has been run for more than ten years, by light cavalry alone. Third, there is a mountain called Tangling around Bohai City, and the Bohai Sea is behind it. The sea is endless, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In addition, around Bohai City, there are two acropolis on the left and right, which are always guarding the Bohai Sea. Once something happens to the Bohai Sea, the left and right acropolis All the troops on the guard city were sent out, and the three roads were surrounded.
It is precisely because of the above that Shen Jizhou and Xiao Yuanche competed in the fertile fields outside the old city of Zhang this time, so they dared to mobilize almost all the available troops in the entire Bohai Sea, and had the confidence to remain with the very few troops in the Bohai Sea. In his opinion, The safety of the Bohai Sea is of no concern; it is as solid as gold and there is no threat to it from any force.
However, Su Ling and Xiao Cangshu entered the Bohai Sea secretly, and with the help of Li Qitan and Wen Fanghua, why did Su Ling dare to go deep into the heart of Shen Jizhou? The bet was that Shen Jizhou's elite All the troops and horses are gone, and the Bohai Sea is empty.
The two people in Bohai are divided, and each has his own agenda. The Bohai forces on Shen Jizhou's side seem to be monolithic, but in fact they are working in separate camps and fighting on their own. If it is normal, it will not be so prominent, but when it comes to war, Just like a dam that has been in disrepair for a long time and leaks everywhere, the Bohai Dam is now riddled with holes and is in danger of bursting and collapsing at any time.
Let’s talk about the superior Shen Jizhou first. He should not be suspicious when employing people. If there is any doubt, he will not use them. However, he made a big taboo. He doubted two people during the war, when he should not shake people’s hearts. These two people They are Wen Fanghua of Lanhai Pavilion and Qian Chao of Pingshisi, who hold two important positions. Wen Fanghua can still be healthy. After all, the influence of Jianghu forces on the temple is limited, and its foundation is still unshakable.
But Qian Chao is different. What is the existence of the Xingshi Division? It is one of the three major underground intelligence assassination organizations in Dajin, together with Xiao Yuanche's Shadow Division and Qian Zhongmou's Hongshaoying. The war is not only a battle of formations, but also The number of troops and horses being fought, and whether the baggage is supplied in time, are actually the key factors, which are the transmission and spying of intelligence and military information. Because many of the military decisions and military strategic deployments made by superiors and counselors come from these Intelligence in the dark. The importance of the Demon Division is like one of Shen Jizhou's eyes.
Although this eye is now more or less red-eyed, Qian Chao is more or less disloyal. But after all, he has not fallen out with Shen Jizhou openly, and no matter what he does, he still fights Following the banner of General Zun's orders, not only that, before Qian Chao was surrounded by the bamboo forest, the Sprite Division was still delivering confidential information to Shen Jizhou and the front line.
Therefore, the correct approach is that even if the superior Shen Jizhou knows that Qian Chao has ambitions, he cannot really take him down at this critical moment. Instead, he should comfort him and win him over with kindness. This can protect the whole situation. As the war continued, Shen Jizhou's intelligence continued to flow.
In fact, this kind of approach is not unknown in history. In Su Ling's previous life in the ancient Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, in order to appease Han Xin, made him king, which was a good example of this method.
If you offer kind words to comfort Qian Chao and promise benefits, then Qian Chao dares not to obey his orders? When the battle ahead is determined and Shen Jizhou turns around, he will sharpen his sword and attack the pigs and sheep. Then Qian Chao will have no choice but to be at his mercy.
Regrettably, Shen Jizhou did not act like this, but resorted to a cunning strategy. When the war was at its most tense, he gave Chunyong a secret order to wipe out all the forces of Wen Fanghua and Qian Chao. This was tantamount to cutting off one of his arms and killing Wen. , leading the two of them to push towards Su Ling's camp.
The result of the enmity is also obvious. In the battle of Zhulin, the three families worked together. Chunyong spent a lot of effort to defeat Gao Gan and angered Lu Kuang. In the end, he failed to capture any of Su Ling, Wen Fanghua and Qian Chao. one person.
Regarding this mistake, maybe Shen Jizhou was too arrogant. Seeing that his hundreds of thousands of troops forced Xiao Yuanche to hide in Old Zhang, he became a little arrogant, thinking that the overall situation was settled, so he made frequent mistakes and couldn't wait. to capture the unstable factors in the rear.
Of course, he had another miscalculation. He didn't expect that Su Ling would leave the Jiuzhang front line without anyone noticing and insert himself into the Bohai City like a knife.
Su Ling'er's bet was that there were variables in the various forces in the Bohai Sea, and he could take advantage of them.
Third, Shen Jizhou improperly hired people. If the military and political commander stationed in Bohai is a great talent, we can make a detailed analysis based on the specific situation of Bohai City. Seeing Su Ling stirring up trouble in Bohai means that Shen Jizhou Even if we do not take action for the time being, Qian Chao and others will not rebel. However, the person entrusted with military affairs is Chun Yong; the person entrusted with official administration is Xu Guangdou.
Both of these two men were greedy for money and profit, and were keen on intrigues and intrigues. In order to report the strength of the halberd guards, Chunyong provoked the city patrol battalion and the captain's battalion to attack. As a result, one died and the other fled, and the halberd guards were also seriously injured. Xu Guangdou was even more greedy and greedy, selling his official position and getting titles without concealment, and was rampant and arrogant.
If Shen Jizhou appoints these two people, how can Bohai be safe? It also provides Su Ling with room for performance that he could not even imagine.
Su Lingsan's bet was that all the military and political commanders left behind in the Bohai Sea were mediocre, driven by selfish desires and forgetting the overall situation.
Fourth, Shen Jizhou was too grand, and he was so happy about his success. In fact, Xiao Yuanche's available troops were only less than 150,000. Shen Jizhou was entrenched in the north, and his 200,000 troops could stabilize Xiao Yuanche. If he was commanded properly, the three armies would be able to use their lives. , Xiao Yuanche is no match at all.
However, Shen Jizhou had a long-standing problem of relying on the Four Generations and Three Dukes to show off and rearrange faces. He thought that Bohai City was far away from the battlefield and would be safe, so he used almost all the available troops and horses. As a result, Xiao Yuanche was tenacious. , Shen Jizhou's army was several times larger than Xiao's, but it was unable to engulf it and was even more likely to be in a stalemate. As a result, there was a negative consequence. Bohai was in an awkward position of lacking troops for a long time.
This is also the reason why Su Ling is causing trouble in Bohai to such an extent that Bohai's available troops are less than 5,000, and is still being led by Su Ling. It is also the direct reason why the West City Gate is such a strategic point, and guarding it with troops is like child's play.
It's not that we don't defend, it's that we have no troops to move.
The west gate is not a very important place and naturally has the fewest soldiers. The other soldiers must be guarded in the other three cities.
Although this is correct, once the west gate is attacked, Bohai City is vast and the three gates are too far apart, so it is impossible to go to the rescue immediately.
This is the reason why Su Ling can march in danger. If Bohai City's troops now exceed 10,000, Su Ling may not be able to change the situation no matter how hard he turns his hands to make clouds and rain.
Su Lingsi's bet was to contain the frontal battlefield and leave Bohai City empty.
Therefore, the reason why Su Ling can stir up troubles in Bohai and make Bohai City a mess is not because of how powerful he is.
No matter how strong an individual is, they are insignificant in the face of war.
Of course, Su Ling's personal intelligence and foresight, as well as courage and courage are also very important.
The above four points are all Su Ling's bets. What needs to be congratulated to him is that he, a big gambler, won all four bets, while Shen Jizhou lost all four bets.
Only modern people like Su Ling who do not follow common sense dare to make these four bets. If it were anyone in this era, even if they knew the stakes involved, they would not act rashly.
In fact, Su Ling had made these matters public in Jiuzhang a few days ago and made it clear to Xiao Yuanche, Guo Baiyi and Cheng Gongjun.
A man as strong as Guo Baiyi is also hesitant. However, who is Xiao Yuanche? He is a man of heaven! Not only does he fully support him, but he also allows Xiao Cangshu to accompany him. - In fact, Xiao Cangshu doesn't have to come, but Xiao Cangshu doesn't have to come. Yuan Che's move was to show his determination to his subordinate generals to urge Su Ling to make his trip.
Su Ling can take this risk, this bet can be made! Save your lives, I, Xiao Yuanche’s son, will accompany Su Ling to make a bet!
Therefore, Xiao Cangshu followed Su Ling, and Xiao Yuanche's camp reached an agreement on this matter. No matter how meaningless it was, Su Ling could have no worries and do whatever he wanted in the Bohai Sea!
Of course, Su Ling is not stupid. Before Bohai in the future, everything is his deduction and guess. Once this kind of bet is lost, the loser will be his life.
However, Su Ling had a reason to come to the Bohai Sea. He understood that his trip to the Bohai Sea was related to Xiao Yuanche's final victory or defeat in the next frontal battlefield. If he didn't go, Xiao Yuanche would most likely lose, and he If he goes and all his plans come true, then Xiao Yuanche can completely defeat Shen Jizhou's army in one battle.
Once Xiao Yuanche wins, from then on, no one can compete with Xiao Yuanche in the entire northern territory of the Jin Dynasty!
In private, Su Ling's wife Zhang Zhiyue has a vengeance with the Shen family for killing her father and mother, so she must avenge her. In public, Xiao Yuanche, the backstage Su Ling relies on for the time being, cannot collapse.
Therefore, he must go on this trip.
Facts have proved that up to now, the overall trend of Bohai City has been calculated by Su Ling, and Su Ling has been right in his bets so far.
Perhaps, the balance of victory has tilted towards Su Ling from the very beginning...
Now, there is only the last difficulty - to highlight the west city gate, and then restore the old Zhangzhou in one day!
...... ......
The heavy rain in Bohai City is still there, but those who died will never hear the magnificent sound of rain.
The door of the West City Gate Tower Hall was slowly pushed open by Su Ling, and a creaking sound came from the dark night rain, like a sigh from the ground.
Su Ling and Lin Bulang did not rush in. Instead, they stood in front of the threshold and carefully looked at the people in the building.
The wind and rain hit, and the two of them seemed unaware of it.
As soon as the door opened, Su Ling and Lin Bulang smelled a strong smell of alcohol at the same time. The smell of alcohol filled the entire hall, and even if the strong wind from outside poured in, it could not eliminate it at all.
Lin Bulang whispered: "Sir, you guessed it right. The people here...are really drinking in front of the drunken army. They should be killed! They are not afraid..."
Su Ling pouted towards the corner of the building and said, "Drinking too much? I'm afraid I ate that yellow soup as food..."
Lin Bulang immediately looked there, and sure enough he saw a mountain of wine cans piled up in the corner. The wine seals had all been removed. It was obvious that the wine cans and jars were as tall as a person and could not fit in the corners. They were like a hill.
"How much did they drink?..."
Su Ling smiled and said in a low voice: "It's best this way. I'm afraid they will be drunk to death, otherwise it will be a bit troublesome for us to move..."
Having said that, you should step into this building first.
The strong smell of alcohol made Su Ling frown and feel nauseated.
The main hall was not very deep. Su Ling and Lin Bulang walked forward slowly. Everywhere they could see military attachés stumbling around. Almost everyone was stumbling around. Many of them knocked down the tables and tables in front of them when they were drunk.
The remains of wine and soup were also staggered here and there, and spilled all over the floor.
Some of them were already drunk and unconscious, holding a large wine jar in their hands. The remaining wine in the jar flowed out and wet the floor.
The whole hall, including the military attaches and soldiers, were all in the same situation. They were completely drunk, fell asleep, and fell unconscious.
Even after Su Ling and the others opened the palace door and walked in for a long time, no one noticed.
It turned out that when Duan Xing was drinking with everyone, he did not let the more than a hundred soldiers in the palace drink. However, by the end of the drink, these military attaches, including himself, were drunk and unconscious.
These soldiers had been waiting with greed for a long time. How could they bear it when they saw that their officers were so drunk that they even lost their human form?
After the last military attache turned over and passed out drunk, the more than a hundred soldiers rushed forward, each took the wine jar, knocked off the seal, and poured the wine into his own mouth.
Without the control of their superiors, these soldiers are like wild horses that have escaped the reins. Anyone who does not drink down is not a hero!
After three strikes, five divided by two, the miasma was poured out. In just a moment, these more than a hundred soldiers followed in the footsteps of their officers. Now they were lying in a pile on the left and countless on the right.
Therefore, when Su Ling and Lin Bulang were killing people outside, none of the drunk cats inside heard them.
Su Ling finally felt at ease, and he and Lin Bulang walked straight in, heading towards the tall military commander sitting on the bench at the highest point of the hall.
That person was Duan Xing. At this moment, Duan Xing lowered his head and leaned back uncontrollably, leaning on the back of the bench to avoid falling to the ground.
Su Ling and the others could hear the loud snoring very clearly even though they were still some distance away from him.
Su Ling and Lin Bulang quickened their pace and approached Duan Xing.
He was only a foot or two away, and he was already in front of Duan Xing. At this moment, Lin Bulang was already slowly twitching the long sword at his waist.
The sharp edge of the long sword gleamed faintly at his waist.
At this moment, Duan Xing, who was sitting on the bench, suddenly raised his head in a daze. His drunken eyes saw that the door of the hall had opened at some point.
In front of him, two soldiers dressed as city gate guards were walking towards him.
In an instant, Duan Xing sobered up a little.
only
He still felt top-heavy and his body was leaning forward uncontrollably.
"Bang -" Duan Xing pressed hard on the corner of the bench's handle with his hand, and then managed to stabilize his body.
His eyebrows raised, his drunken eyes widened, and he shouted in a deep voice: "Bold! Who are you! You broke into the building without reporting! Do you want to die!"