Delong

Chapter 393: The Country’s Destruction (11)

"Little San...Zhao Xiaosan, come down quickly! I beg you..."

"Changsheng...Changsheng?! Hurry down, what will you do with your wife if you die on the mountain?"

"Liu Qi from Linhe! The one who is the team leader! Did you hear that? Your parents, wife and children are waiting for you here! Get out immediately!"

In the middle of the night on the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, the entire Bowang Mountain camp was in chaos. It was only then that Xu Shiying realized that he had underestimated his serial plan... When the city fell in the evening, the news spread, and the military family members in the city had not been searched yet. When they got up, a group of sentry cavalry went directly into the city and surrendered.

But when he organized a night advance and brought his family to the foot of Bowang Mountain, everything was out of control.

Bowang Mountain is not a big mountain, but because it stands out on the Hebei Plain and its location is ingenious, Qu Tuda took it as the main camp. At night, the Dragon Gang approached, and his family members shouted in the cold wind, and soon it became a mountain. Crying and begging, and they were linked together with the restlessness and scolding on the mountain. Coupled with the severe winter, there were fire pits and braziers everywhere, and the cold wind was blowing, so it was a mess.

The situation outside was so dire that Qu Tuda, who was promoted to a general after autumn, could only sit withered in the main hall of the big village on the mountain. expression.

Besides, Qu Tuda knew from the very beginning that he was able to survive in Hebei not because of how good he was at fighting, how elite his troops were, and how many high-end combat powers he had, but because he and his subordinates were part of the Dongdu system. members.As one of the last two core strategic points of the Great Wei Dynasty, here is the Eastern Capital. There are not only great masters, but also tens of thousands of soldiers and horses recruited and armed in the past few years, as well as sufficient warehouses, which are enough to deal with surrounding threats.However, the weakness of this system is also obvious, that is, it relies too much on the deterrent power of the great master himself within a certain range.

So on the other hand, as the Wu clan went south, everyone realized that once Uncle Cao, the pillar of the Eastern Capital, moved westward, the system would become an empty tower without its main pillar. As long as someone pushes it, it will collapse Homeopathic collapse.

As for the elite of the Eastern Capital in Ji County, it was even worse, because they were hanging alone in Hebei, like a high wall without any support.

The wall is genuine, and the bricks inside are also very strong, but the structure is not good enough, maybe a strong wind can blow it.

Qu Tuda had expected that there would be such a strong wind, but he really did not expect that this strong wind would come so fast, so urgent, and he was so unbearable... First of all, the Dragon Clan was actually a little There was no hesitation at all, Cao Zhongcheng had just left over there, and this side came directly, as if he was deliberately planning; secondly, there were rumors of a mobilization of troops a few days ago, but they came to the front two days later; thirdly, the bandit army Buckle a ring, rushing, responding, and attacking one after another, making him unable to parry.

Of course, the most unexpected thing is that this scheming is too powerful. Qu Tuda has nothing to do except let his cronies light the bonfire, guard the gate of the camp, patrol the camp, and prevent the troops from escaping until dawn.

Because he can't control the main force at all.

Still shooting arrows? !

Now he is only afraid that the camp will suddenly catch fire, and the army will disperse in a rush!

"I heard from General Qian Lang that General Qu Tu has nothing to do now, but wait for the dawn?"

In the middle of the night, a person suddenly walked into the hall from outside, but it was Qin Bao who had just been here the day before yesterday. His expression was gloomy, he seemed a little tired, and the black armor on his body was inexplicably emitting a puff of white gas under the firelight.

"He's telling the truth." When Qu Tuda saw the visitor, even though he had summoned him on his own initiative, Qu Tuda was not at all happy.

After all, the situation is like this, so what if a master comes?

"So what if we stay until dawn?" Qin Bao was silent for a moment, then continued to ask.

"What?" Qu Tuda was momentarily at a loss.

"I mean, so what if we stay until dawn?" Qin Bao raised his tone slightly. "When I came here, I got the news that Chanyuan was also besieged. The big river had been frozen more solidly in the past two days. It should be that Dongjun sent reinforcements directly... The heavy troops are overwhelming, and Niu Da has been stationed in Chanyuan for a long time. Huang Yishang already had an internal response... If this is the case, if Chanyuan City is broken, or has already been broken, there will be no more soldiers and family members coming down the mountain to call for these soldiers and auxiliary soldiers. It is dark now, and they do not know that their relatives are here Where, the road is blocked by you again, maybe it can still be maintained, but when it is dawn, when you see the situation clearly, the army will only collapse, or even flee as an organization, or even mutiny."

Qu Tuda raised his head and asked seriously: "Then what can I do? Surrender? Not to mention that I am from Guanlong, and the opposite is the Hebei rebels. The key is that the world has reached this level, and it seems that no one has surrendered." Are you a serious general of the First Guard?"

"That's why the imperial court promoted you." Qin Er replied with a smile.

Qu Tuda also laughed.

After the two finished laughing, they fell silent together, but during this period, the movement outside did not stop at all, whether it was the winter wind, the shouting and begging at the foot of the mountain, or the scolding and crying in the surrounding barracks, including the brazier The sound of "bibo" did not stop.

Even, the two of them have advanced cultivation bases, and they can hear more clearly than others.

"How can General Qu Tu bear this voice?" Qin Er was the first to break the silence. "I received the message. I actually came here a long time ago, but I was frightened by the news. I stood on the ridge over there for a long time and dared not come."

"I'm older and more knowledgeable..." Qu Tuda blurted out, but stopped, and immediately corrected. "It's because you thought of your mother and wife, and you have feelings for this situation?"

Qin Bao didn't deny it, but instead suggested: "General Qu Tu is neither easy to surrender nor has any chance of winning. It will only make things worse if we procrastinate, but why don't we leave early?"

"Going is better than surrendering?" Qu Tuda smiled wryly. "A general of the guard, leading a crowd of [-], and three or four generals, soldiers, and captains, were rushed to follow by thousands of people, and then left alone...It is better to be treated as a joke by the world. When the army surrounds tomorrow or the next day, it would be best if that Zhang San also arrives, and the master of the heavenly king arrives, surrounded by more than a dozen big leaders, even if he dies, he can still get a good name."

"Let's go now, and I can take some of my followers with me, so I don't think I'm going alone." Qin Bao reminded. "Leave Dazhai behind, go back to Liyang overnight, pack up Liyang's soldiers and local families, cross Zhangshui to the west, and then take advantage of the ice-covered river to cross the river to the east... There are no people in the east, General Qu Tu's qualifications and cultivation level , family background, and official positions are all placed here, and they will surely be brought back to life... Conversely, if you leave late, you may be outflanked, and none of them will be able to escape."

Qu Tuda hesitated for a moment, and asked back, "Is it too late?"

"How do you know if you don't try?" Qin Bao answered calmly. "I have to say, I think Xu Shiying came too fast, and the main force of the Dragon Army may not follow properly... There should be a gap of one or two days, this is the last chance."

"If so." Qu Tuda asked seriously. "Can we sneak out and take the troops from Liyang and Linhe by night, and counterattack here or Chanyuan?"

"No!" Qin Bao thought for a moment and gave the answer.

"Why?" Qu Tuda narrowed his eyes.

"Because soldiers don't have the will to fight, they will have no will to fight." Qin Bao answered boldly. "General Qu Tu... Even if you win this round, what's the use? Kill a few more people who depose the dragon army, and then delay the time and be surrounded by others? The whole army will double the slaughter? In this situation, it is good to be able to escape, how can you do another murder for nothing? And it is still the murder of your own son?"

Qu Tuda was silent for a moment, nodded, and then asked again: "If this is the case, how will you deal with it?"

"I'll go back to Linhe and deal with you the same way." Qin Bao said seriously. "It's just that Linhe is a bit to the east, and the soldiers and horses there may not be able to hide in time... If we can go out, we will join forces in Dongdu; if we can't go out, I ask General Qu Tu to remember what he said the day before, that is, we will see you in Dongdu in the future." If it’s me, it’s just as if I don’t know you.”

"Okay." Qu Tuda is not a mother-in-law. After realizing that Qin Erlang had left a way for himself and only one way for himself, he stopped entanglement, responded immediately, and then got up. "You go first, I'll call General Qian Lang, and leave after setting up the situation, let's take people out as much as possible."

Qin Bao also stopped talking and went straight out.

In this way, relying on his self-cultivation, under the cover of night, wind and chaos, Qin Er calmly passed through the Bowang Mountain camp, came to the field ridge in the southwest, found his tumor-spotted leopard beast, and then got on his horse. He wanted to go back to Linhe, where he lived.

However, for some reason, just as he was riding his horse, the black-armored and helmeted man suddenly reined in his horse and stopped, then turned around and looked at Bowang Mountain.

Qin Erlang looked at the light of the fire there, listened to the sound there, stopped for a while, and then turned back.

Back in Linhe County, Qin Bao didn't pay any attention to the military situation in the surrounding areas, but immediately cleaned up the barracks next to the city wall. At daybreak, he ordered the soldiers from Dongdu to find their families and retreat to Liyang together. Then ask the county soldiers to stay behind and wait for the dragon army to surrender on their own.

After the one-hour time limit ended, almost one-third of the soldiers did not turn back.

Or to put it another way, after Qin Baoyi explained the situation, two-thirds of the sergeants returned with their family members, and even some county soldiers without family members were willing to follow. The army is rigorous, and it wins the spirit of the army.

Although there was no baggage to drag them down, the troops dragged their families and did not arrive at Liyang City, which was only [-] or [-] miles away, until the evening of this day.

Here, Qin Bao got two pieces of news, one good and the other bad. The good news is that Qu Tuda is a veteran general. General Lang led part of the formed troops and their families westward across the Qingzhang River in advance; the bad news is that at this time, military information was collected one by one, but it was confirmed that the Bowang Mountain camp was gone, Chanyuan was gone, and Linhe was gone. It's gone... Just as he guessed, after Shan Tonghai and Niu Da besieged Chanyuan City, there was an internal response to open the city at dawn, and when Shan Niu and his family followed Xu Shiying's strategy, they sent their families to the Bowang Mountain camp. , but did not expect that the Bowang Mountain camp had already collapsed because the main general suddenly left at night.

The dethroning dragon army was simply delayed by the chaotic thousands of family members of the officers and soldiers and their confession, surrender, and preparation.

Therefore, they did not take down Linhe until the afternoon.

However, this also means that Li Yang's troops are unlikely to continue westward to get rid of the pursuit - they don't have the ability to continue marching in winter nights with their families, and the distance of twenty or thirty miles means that they will be easily caught up tomorrow.

"The Defeating Dragon Army is coming too fast, we really have no other way, you guys divide the land and occupy the city, control the situation, wait until the Deposing Dragon Army arrives tomorrow, surrender directly... Surrender without fighting or destroying will not be killed." Qin Bao tried his best to arrange it. "Don't be afraid."

Several team members below looked at each other in dismay. After a moment of hesitation, one of them couldn't help but asked, "Does the captain want to leave?"

"Yes." Qin Bao answered frankly. "My mother and wife are all in Dongdu, so I always have to go there."

The person who opened the mouth nodded, but was obviously a little disappointed. He surrendered. It doesn't matter whether he relies on it or not, but they also know the other party's situation, and they are really speechless.

In desperation, the other team quickly came to ask again: "Captain, the Dismissing Dragon Gang is obviously coming to Liyang Cang. If the city is surrendered and Cangcheng is not surrendered, will we be affected?"

Qin Bao nodded: "It doesn't matter, I've made arrangements..."

Everyone was surprised for a moment.

"I was afraid that General Qu Tu and the others would cause trouble, so I told Li Canjun who was in charge of Cangcheng in advance... Tell him, if General Qu Tu has any embarrassing arrangements before he leaves, let him agree to it and deal with it when I arrive." Qin Bao said something. "You guys settle down here, I'll go to Cangcheng to have a look, there will be no delay."

The crowd was relieved.

Facts have proved that Qin Bao's precautionary measures played a role-Qu Tuda's arrangement before he left was to let Li Canjun who was stationed in Cangcheng set fire to retreat.

In all fairness, this is not good advice.

First of all, this will get the inseparable troops into trouble, and may even be suspected of betraying the follow-up troops; secondly, regardless of the fact that the follow-up troops are destined to be besieged, we have to admit that no matter which dynasty or generation burns the warehouse, it is a kind of war. Very unacceptable behavior; finally, in the case of Liyang warehouse, it is very difficult to burn it.

This is not a joke, you must know that, on the one hand, for fire prevention, there is not much fuel around Liyang Warehouse, and the trees are routinely removed, otherwise the nearby hills would not be called Bald Mountains, and this place The location is relatively sheltered from the wind; on the other hand, there are too many warehouses, and they are divided into warehouses, which are often separated by rammed earth, so you can't burn much if you want to.

Of course, even if it didn't burn much, it would be a pity if it burned, and it would definitely not be a good thing. Therefore, Qin Bao's prior arrangements still played an obvious role.

On the morning of the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, Shan Tonghai Department arrived in Liyang, and Liyang City surrendered immediately. Regardless of the safety of the city, Shan Dalang immediately went to Liyang Cang behind Liyang City, and then accepted the surrender of the defenders here, and took control of Cangcheng , took over the surrounding warehouse area.

At this time, the combat goal of destroying the dragon army has actually been achieved.

But it was too fast. No one expected that under the combination of Xu Dalang's rush and heart attack, the army of Ji County would collapse so easily. Up to this day, because of the smooth battle and the speed of the troops, the rear troops He just entered the territory of Ji County.

It’s not that there was no war. On the [-]th, Yecheng’s reinforcements, who knew nothing about the situation, tried to go south, but were easily defeated by the three cavalry battalions of Zhou Xingfan, Fan Wang, and Liu Heimei led by Xiong Bonan outside the city. Thousands of troops were lost. No reaction.

At this time, it is necessary to praise the self-contained plan that the Dragon Gang has set up in advance: the Tuntian soldiers have already been mobilized on the day of dispatching troops, that is, on the [-]th, and have followed the Chinese army to Jijun, ready to participate in the transfer After receiving the news that Liyang warehouse must be purchased at the end, the local officials of the various counties who dismissed the dragon gang also started mobilizing or notifying the people to go to Liyang warehouse to collect food according to the plan.

On the [-]th, Zhang Xing, the chief of the Dragon Clan who had heard the news of the frontline war, took Xie Minghe, Ma Wei, Cao Xi, and ten battalions of soldiers including Jia Yue, Zhai Qian, Dou Lide, Li Zida, and Wang Xiongdan to garrison the fields ahead of tens of thousands. The army arrived in Liyang.

"How is the situation?" Outside Liyang City, Xie Minghe saw Xu Shiying, Xu Shiren and others who came to pick him up, and asked from a distance.

"Excellent." Xu Shiying blurted out. "The warehouse is properly sealed, without any damage, and is waiting for the chief inspection."

Zhang Xing was startled, Xie Minghe and many other accompanying leaders were also startled.

Because this statement is too contradictory.

You must know that according to the plan, Xu Shiying and the others should open the warehouse at this time and let the surrounding people come to rescue and collect food by themselves.In fact, when they came here, they also saw with their own eyes that countless people around them had come to carry food.

Beside them, there is an endless stream of food, and although these local people are not short of food because they are backed by the garrison economy, they still have an unbelievable silence, and they can't transfer their heads... After all, no one knows, When did these elders who deposed the dragon army stop being kind?

Of course, this is going too far, and looking back, the surroundings are already like this, why is it still called "storage is properly sealed, waiting for the chief inspection"?

"Chief, when you go to Cangcheng, you will know it at a glance." Xu Shiying seemed to have expected the reaction of the visitor, and responded calmly.

Zhang Xing and others became more and more curious, so they parked the army around Liyang City, together with more than a dozen big chiefs, chiefs, and a team, almost all of them were going to ride horses from the gang's elites and guards to go further inside and be surrounded by two mountains, two rivers and one The city (Dagu Mountain, Tongshan, Dahe, Qingzhangshui Canal, Liyang Cang) sandwiched between Liyang Cang and left.

Along a wide and clean rammed earth road, only a few miles to Cangcheng.

Cangcheng is not in this avenue, but at the foot of Dagu Mountain on one side, which has been specially leveled.

After going to Cangcheng, with a high-level vision, everyone immediately noticed the problem... It turns out that at the end of the official road, the huge storage area between two mountains and two rivers has not been opened, and the endless supply of food is simply Shipped from Cangcheng.

Ever since, everyone immediately shifted their doubts.

"How much food can there be in Cangcheng?" Xie Minghe still couldn't bear it, and asked curiously as he went to the city.

"I don't know the exact quantity. Anyway, the warehouse officials from Dongdu ran away one step earlier, but if we guessed correctly, the grain in Cangcheng is enough to feed 8 people for a year." Another person who led the way ahead The big leader Xu Shiren spoke cautiously.

"How much?" Dou Lide questioned for everyone.

Surprisingly, Xu Shiren and Xu Shiying didn't say a word, but took two steps in three steps, advanced to the small Cangcheng, and the elites of the Dragon Clan behind them also entered in a single file.

Entering Cangcheng, turning up the city wall, ignoring Shan Tonghai who was sitting on the city wall motionless, what came into view was an ordinary small city with a radius of several hundred paces, which was on par with most Cangcheng, Yingcheng, and Kucheng. There is not much difference... Simple rammed earth walls, simple two rows of barracks, the only thing that attracts everyone is that there are no redundant buildings in the city, only densely packed rammed earth "tables" about a hundred and a half people high.

These rammed earth "tables" are so dense, neat, and uniform in size, and there is a small building of bricks and tiles on it, so that people's first reaction is to think that this is a permanent barracks.

Of course, they are definitely not, because everyone has seen with their own eyes that these "small rammed earth platforms" are the source of those transshipment grains. The grain was dumped directly on the ground, and the ground was full of golden grain. The people around who came to fetch the grain came in cautiously, but when they saw the grain, they all went crazy to load it. , When he went out with the burden, he became cautious again.

There is no doubt that these things are granaries.

"That's a big urn made of rammed earth." Shan Tonghai, who had been sitting on the city wall without moving, and didn't get up when he saw Zhang Xing came up, seemed impolite, suddenly looked away from the grain, and introduced it seriously. "A few of us went down to see the large circular cellar of rammed earth, narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, just like a large urn made of rammed earth embedded in the ground, with mats spread inside, full of grain, and wood on the top , Seal it with soil, leave only an opening, build a house, and leave a door... I asked, such a rammed earth urn was built according to the military rations for 1000 people for a year."

Zhang Xing didn't say a word. The leaders who came together, whether they were from Hebei or Henan, whether they were the leaders or those directly in charge, felt a little shaky for a while, and a few of them even raised their hands. , some clumsy, but impatient, to count the number of large urns of rammed earth in this small warehouse city.

"No need to count, 87, seven of them are already empty, and the remaining [-] are almost enough for all the fifty battalion leaders of our Chulong Gang to save food for a year." Shan Tonghai interrupted these people's actions again. .

But soon, under the leadership of Dou Lide, the people who stopped counting turned over from the city wall awkwardly and went to testify with their own eyes and hands, while the rest simply stood there motionless.

Zhang Xing seemed to be the only one who didn't react too much. He turned his head and looked at the huge storage area at the end of the official road in front of Cangcheng.

"Chief, this is what I meant by 'sealed and intact'." Xu Shiying also turned her head and tried to tell her seriously. "The grain here in Cangcheng was originally just a store of fresh grain for the convenience of the army. It was the new grain that was sent here every season after it was transshipped here in Hebei... and there are two large areas of old grain and a warehouse for saving money. There is a storage area for linen, a storage area for silk, and a storage area for groceries... I can't say anything else, but if there are these in the new food every season, then the food here should be enough for our entire army of the Dragon Gang For 30 years, I suspect that there are millions of stones in grain alone, but it is destined to be unclear."

"Not at all." Ma Wei suddenly reminded. "It won't be enough for us to eat for 30 years...Did Chief Xu forget the Sanzheng Dongyi Hebei side? There are still a few years of only getting in and out... Besides, even if it is corn, it can hold ten After a few years, even more than 20 years, it is basically broken and broken, so it can only be fed to pigs."

Xu Shiying opened his mouth, but nodded slightly without saying a word.

Ma Wei also suddenly shut up and stopped talking.

Besides, these leaders in Liyang Cangcheng at this time seem to be quite calm, and they seem to have mixed reactions.

But in fact, a pragmatic and intelligent person like Xu Shiying came up to play tricks; Shan Tonghai sat there, seemingly indifferent on the surface, as if he was in control, but his hands kept shaking when he spoke; Ma Wei was always open-minded, but at this moment he abruptly raised an argument...Compared to Dou Lide and Zhai Qian, who ignored it and went directly to do some tests, Xu Shiren's cautiousness was more obvious.

To put it bluntly, everyone was shocked, and the shock was unbelievable, so they were all losing their composure, and they were all trying to cover up their gaffe, which made it seem that everyone was too calm.

As for Zhang Xing, of course Zhang Xing was also shocked and lost his composure, otherwise he wouldn't have said nothing since seeing people like Xu Shiying.

However, others didn't know that Zhang Xing was accompanied by such strong shock and equally strong anger.

It was a kind of primitive anger that awakened the traverser from the mixed quagmire of difficult gang politics, confused personal goals, and the complex strategic situation of the whole world. kind of anger!
Inexplicably, when faced with the huge warehouse accumulated in the whole of Hebei for 30 to [-] years, after the Dragon Gang just completed a classic and excellent small-scale raid, they are about to face the complex situation of surging winds and clouds in the world. At the moment of the situation, Zhang Xing thought of a person, an inexplicable person——Yuan Da, that rascal who insisted on snatching his shoes.

All he wanted to do now was to keep silent, gather the last trace of true energy in his body, and stomp down hard.

Of course, Zhang Xing still maintained a sliver of reason—he remembered the dream he had, and then suddenly realized that no matter what the conditions were, he would come to take the Liyang warehouse.

Because this is what he wanted.

"Hebei's 30-year-old people's fat and people's anointment are gathered here." Zhang Xing suddenly spoke, with a calm tone. "It's time to go back!"

Xu Shiying nodded and wanted to speak.

But the next moment, Chief Zhang continued: "However, the warehouses in Yecheng are still there. If we can't take them, we can't help Hebei, and the people in Hebei have to pay back their blood, so what about Henan? The Luokou warehouse in Xingyang will also be taken down! Let the people of the world take back their own blood."

Xu Shiying opened his mouth, unexpectedly did not refute.

(End of this chapter)