In the blink of an eye, another five days have passed. Starting from Luokoucang, Zhang Xutuo's counter-rebellion army headed eastward. The target was directly at Wagang. However, the distance from Luokoucang to Wagang was not short. And on the way to Xingyang Before the messenger came back, Zhang Xutuo also ordered a slow march. He waited until the messenger came back. After receiving Yang Qing's guarantee, Zhang Xutuo ordered the entire army to speed up. Now they have passed the Sishui Pass and will soon arrive at Niuzhu. mouth.
Niuzhukou, also known as Niuzhuji and Caishiji, is one of the three major mouths of the Yangtze River. Also because of the dangerous terrain, it has become an extremely important military strategic place. As early as the time of the late emperor. The imperial court set up a military camp to guard it at Niuzhukou. It was easy to defend but difficult to attack. It was also right on the river and strangled the Yangtze River. It can be said to be a battleground for military strategists.
When the counter-rebellion army arrived at Niuzhukou, it was already evening. Needless to say, the army must have rested here tonight. Zhang Xutuo glanced at the Niuzhukou military camp camped on the riverside from a distance. At this time There were a few fires flickering in the camp. It seemed that the soldiers stationed in the camp had also begun to rest. Zhang Xutuo nodded. When he went south to Henan this time, he also stayed at Niuzhukou. The guard general was also familiar with him. Dangzhi said to Qin Qiong beside him: "Uncle Bao, you go first. Go to the camp to say hello."
Zhang Xutuo's behavior can be regarded as a sign of worldliness. Although Zhang Xutuo was a famous victorious general in the Sui Dynasty, this was his family's territory after all. He, a dragon crossing the river, could not forcefully suppress others' local snakes. Qin Qiong was not Luo Shixin's fool. As soon as Qing heard Zhang Xutuo's words, he nodded repeatedly. He immediately ordered twenty or thirty people and rushed towards the military camp in front of him.
Soon, Qin Qiong and others arrived at the gate of the military camp. They heard a shout from the front: "Who is it? The military camp is an important place. You are not allowed to trespass. Why don't you stop and get off your horse?"
"The counter-rebellion army. General Qin Qiong. The counter-rebellion army is conquering Wagang. They passed by here and came here to borrow a place to rest." Qin Qiong pulled the reins and stopped his mount. He faced the two people at the entrance of the military camp. A guard sergeant shouted loudly.
"Ah." Hearing Qin Qiong announce her home, there was an exclamation immediately from the door of the military camp. It seemed that she was frightened by the name of the counter-rebellion army. But soon, another shout came: "General, wait a moment. I will go and inform my general right now."
Qin Qiong didn't speak. He just nodded slightly and came to Niuzhukou. Their counter-rebellion army was the guest. To be a guest, you must know the rules of being a guest. This is why Zhang Xutuo sent Qin Qiong to do this. Instead of It was because Luo Shixin was sent. Not long after, a small group of troops could be seen faintly appearing at the gate of the military camp. They walked towards Qin Qiong. The leader laughed. He clasped his fists at Qin Qiong and said with a smile: "General Qin, don't leave. You're fine."
"General Cheng." Qin Qiong also got on his horse and walked towards the general. This general named Cheng was the general who commanded the garrison at Niuzhukou. The last time the counter-rebellion army passed by Niuzhukou, it was also General Cheng. The receptionist. The two of them had met once before. Qin Qiong walked up to General Cheng, saluted him, and said: "The general is here on the orders of the commander-in-chief. I will bother General Cheng again tonight. "
General Cheng is about forty years old. He is quite strong and has an ordinary appearance. However, he has a very forthright personality. After hearing Qin Qiong's words, General Cheng burst out laughing and said, "General Qin is so polite. Everyone." They are all serving the Holy One. Why bother? Marshal Zhang is annihilating the rebels for the country. The soldiers of the rebel army are also running around. It is so hard. Cheng is just doing his meager efforts. It is not worth mentioning. Haha. Come on. Please invite Marshal Zhang to enter the camp."
General Cheng's answer was naturally expected by Qin Qiong. Qin Qiong nodded and gestured to a soldier behind him. The soldier immediately rushed back to notify Zhang Xutuo. Soon, Zhang Sutuo led the counter-rebellion army to the military camp. Of course, there are not many vacant tents in this garrison camp. Naturally, it is impossible for the 50,000 counter-rebellion army to just garrison in the military camp. They can only be in the military camp. They set up camp outside. Only Zhang Xutuo came to the gate of the military camp with Jia Wuben and some soldiers.
After General Nacheng saw Zhang Xutuo, he quickly walked up to Zhang Xutuo, bowed deeply to Zhang Xutuo, and shouted: "I will see Marshal Zhang at the end."
Zhang Xutuo was not a bully. He immediately dismounted and stepped forward to help General Cheng up. Then he smiled and exchanged greetings with General Cheng. Under the leadership of General Cheng, he walked into the military camp. Qin Qiong and Jia Wuben also Following closely behind, Qin Qiong glanced behind him and said to Jia Wuben with a smile: "Master Jia, where are General Pei and Shixin?"
"Haha." Jia Wuben smiled and said, "The commander-in-chief ordered General Pei to stay in the army to handle military affairs. As for Shixin, I don't know what happened to this kid. He suddenly wanted to swim in the Yangtze River. Now he only has I'm afraid it's gone into the Yangtze River."
Hearing Jia Wuben's words, Qin Qiong couldn't help but laugh. This was really Luo Shixin's temperament. He turned his head and glanced in the direction of the Yangtze River. He saw that the Yangtze River looked so calm and peaceful under the cover of night. The size of the shore was large. Different stones outline the twisted river bank. Jia Wuben looked at Qin Qiong's expression and asked curiously: "Uncle Bao, what are you worried about?"
Jia Wuben saw through what he was thinking. Qin Qiong was also stunned. But soon he smiled bitterly and said: "Well, I don't know if I am too worried about it. I just feel a little uneasy about this expedition. .I don’t know what went wrong. Also, there is still no news about Zhang Qingyu from Tianyinmen. I don’t know what happened.”
"Yeah." Jia Wu didn't expect Qin Qiong to suddenly mention this matter. His mind immediately recalled what Zhang Xutuo said to him when he was in Luokou Cang. This matter was urged by the Holy Emperor's decree. Zhang Xutuo did not tell others, especially the two young generals Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin. In Zhang Xutuo's view, it is natural to be loyal to the Holy One. He trained Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin for the Sui Dynasty. Talent. Therefore, Zhang Xutuo did not want the two generals Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin to be dissatisfied with the Sui Dynasty. Thinking of Zhang Xutuo's good intentions, Jia Wuben couldn't help but feel bitter in his heart. But he still had to show it on his face. He showed a relaxed expression and said to Qin Qiong: "Uncle Bao, you are thinking too much. The commander-in-chief and I have planned this battle many times. It will be fine. As for Zhang Qingyu, he is the one who saved you once before. The deputy general of Xingyang City. Well, this person is very skilled. Nothing will happen to him. Besides, he is also a martial artist after all. He may not be able to stand the constraints of the military, so he left first."
"I hope so." Qin Qiong frowned. As for the relationship between Tianyinmen and Wanhe, Qin Qiong only told Luo Shixin. Even Zhang Xutuo didn't tell him. And from what Zhang Qingyu said to Qin Qiong before, Qin Qiong only told Luo Shixin. The fight between the Yinmen and the Xiaoyaomen. Qin Qiong felt that Zhang Qingyu would not leave casually. But what Jia Wuben said made sense. Qin Qiong had no way to refute. He could only nod in agreement. At this time Only then did Qin Qiong realize that the two of them were chatting. Zhang Xutuo had already walked into a tent under the leadership of General Cheng. And there was no one around them. Qin Qiong couldn't help but be stunned and smiled bitterly. Then he said to Jia Wuben: "Master Jia, where are the commanders and the others?"
"This..." Jia Wuben also reacted. But looking at the densely packed tents in front of him, in this dark night, the tents all looked the same. He couldn't distinguish them clearly. In desperation, Jia Wuben He could only spread his hands to Qin Qiong and said, "Let's look for them one by one."
Qin Qiong nodded. This is all that is left now. Perhaps it is because it is already dark. There is no one in the military camp. There is only a faint firelight coming from the tents. Qin Qiong and Jia Wuben want to find someone to ask. Asked, but couldn't find it. The two wandered around the military camp for a long time, but still found nothing. Finally, Qin Qiong pointed to a tent next to him and said, "Master Jia, let me go in and ask." After that, Qin Qiong said He got directly into the camp.
But what Qin Qiong never expected was that just when Qin Qiong got into the tent, suddenly, a cold light flashed in front of his eyes. Qin Qiong instinctively ducked back and felt a chill coming from the bridge of his nose. A slight stinging sensation came, but a single knife passed across the bridge of Qin Qiong's nose. Fortunately, it only scratched a layer of skin.
"Who is it?" Qin Qiong immediately pulled out the iron whip hanging from his waist and waved it forward, directly blocking the steel knife. At the same time, Qin Qiong also took a closer look and saw seven people standing in the tent. Eight soldiers wearing armor, each holding a steel knife, stared at Qin Qiong closely, with evil expressions on their faces. As for the one who attacked him, it was a man who was not tall and had a gentle look on his face. The man's face was pale and beardless, but his mouth was pursed tightly. His eyes were shining, full of murderous intent.
Seeing such a group of people appearing in the camp, Qin Qiong immediately became alert and shouted in a deep voice: "Who are you?"
The soldiers seemed a little surprised when they saw Qin Qiong. However, the murderous intent on their faces did not diminish. On the contrary, it was the man who had just attacked Qin Qiong for the first time. He glanced at Qin Qiong and then at Jia Wuben, who was alone outside the camp. The expression on his face immediately changed. He put away the steel knife, cupped his fist and saluted Qin Qiong, and shouted in a deep voice: "This villain is just a soldier resting here. I don't know that the general came here. He acted recklessly and offended the general. Please forgive me, General."