Delong

Chapter 545: Wind and Frost (4)

"Our Chulong Army was completely defeated in this battle! Especially the right wing, which was completely defeated!"

Inside and outside the city of Wen, the lights were on, and people were digging trenches, setting up fences, transporting supplies and wounded soldiers, boiling water, cooking, and even controlling the battlefield, fighting for equipment and corpses... It was a busy mess!

Even so, the Dragon-Chu Gang still insisted on their tooth-sore tradition - holding a meeting after the war.

There were more than one meeting. The logistics department was holding a meeting, the commanders and soldiers of each battalion were holding a meeting, and the leaders were naturally holding a meeting. As for this ear-shattering golden advice, it was shouted out by the great leader Liu Heiyu at the leaders' meeting.

After he finished shouting, you know what, the originally somewhat depressing atmosphere in the backyard of Wencheng government office was immediately broken.

"Liu Heiyu!"

Jia Runshi stood up without hesitation and scolded. "How dare you decide the outcome? Where were you when we were fighting so hard today? If you had turned around earlier and joined forces with us, would we have suffered so much?!"

"Jia Runshi, you are in the center of the army, how did you suffer any harm from me?" Liu Heiyu didn't care that the other party was Zhang's direct descendant, and he immediately pointed out the other party. "If those leaders of the right wing think that I ruined the situation, they should stand up and say, when did our Chulong Gang not allow people to speak? Do we need you, a fellow villager, to replace us?!"

This statement was too straightforward and Jia Runshi was unable to hold back his words.

The people who were called out, that is, those who came from the lower reaches of the Jishui River, and now the leaders assigned to Xu Shiren's command, also had mixed expressions. But Xu Shiren looked unhappy. He never refuted Liu Heiyu from beginning to end, and it was obvious that he had his own ideas... Seeing this, although he didn't want to cause trouble, Fan Bao still stood up and scolded: "Captain Liu, let me ask you, if the four cavalry battalions in your hands can come back early to attack the right wing with us, how can Xu Longtou support it independently?"

Liu Heiyu had been waiting for this sentence, and immediately pointed at the other party's nose and taunted him back: "This is exactly what I want to ask. I was ordered to lead the cavalry to patrol. Shouldn't the first choice be to steal the camp while you are in a fierce confrontation with them? Even stealing the camp on the surface to lure Han Yingong and Han Changmei to come to the rescue and then ambush, or simply stealing Hanoi County City and Shishan! What was the result? How could I wait until you were in a fierce confrontation, but instead I knew that only Xu Longtou's camp was left in the rear? I finally went back to rescue Xu Longtou! How can you ask me in this situation?! Even if you can only leave a little more battalion like the left wing and the central army to form a pincer attack with Xu Longtou, I will come back to eat more Western bandits. Would you be so talkative tonight?!"

Fan Bao was speechless for a moment, and the leaders on the right wing all looked livid.

"Alright!" Xiong Bonan listened for a long time, and finally frowned and said when he saw the atmosphere was tense. "Just talk, don't blame your colleagues... If everyone scolds each other and shirks responsibility, how can the meeting go on? The chief is inspecting the wounded and the camp fortifications, and he hasn't come back yet, so we should pay more attention to the loyalty of our colleagues!"

Liu Hei laughed dryly and spread his hands first: "The Heavenly King is right. I was the one who said something hurtful. I am wrong, but some words have to be said even if they are covered in honey... We have lost this battle! We came with great momentum, but almost the whole situation collapsed. We can't cover up this matter just because the Chief brought a few Grandmasters to hold the scene... If we keep doing this, even if we win the world, people will only say that we held the Chief back and made the new Mandate of Heaven take many years to build."

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy. Most of the leaders participating in the war were still angry, but a few of them lowered their heads. Several high-ranking officials, including the two temporary leaders Wang Shuyong and Xu Shiren, had frighteningly ugly expressions from beginning to end.

Of course, there were also people like Kan Leng who had made great contributions and were willing to watch the fun, leaning against the wall at the edge of the yard to watch the show.

"It's true that we didn't fight well, but it's not the case that we lost." After a pause, Xu Shiying's voice suddenly sounded in the corridor.

"Of course we have to tell the outside world that we won..." Liu Heiyu remained silent, but Xu Shiren finally found someone suitable to talk to and expressed his attitude.

Everyone knew that Wang Shuyong was fine. He still had some strength, and he suffered a lot in his later counterattacks. Moreover, the temporary leader was increasingly unwilling to compete with Xu Dalang, so he didn't say anything. But Xu Shiren was really in danger today, and he was really angry.

"It's not about the outside world, we really didn't lose this battle." Xu Shiying looked at the other party in the corridor and explained seriously. "From a big strategic point of view, we came here to confront each other, and we just need to hold the situation; and just talking about this battle, our losses may not be more than theirs..."

Xu Shiren was slightly stunned: "There are a lot of gains in the back?"

"We're still calculating, and there are still sporadic clashes between the two families on the battlefield. I'm afraid we won't be able to get a clear count until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow... However, I can see it clearly from the rear in the central army, and the rear has the advantage after all." Xu Shiying said solemnly.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is thanks to Deputy Commander Xu's proper command." Xu Shiren also restrained his expression slightly to compliment.

"That being said..." Xu Shiying did not show any modesty, but continued to frown. "It is true that our troops are weaker than theirs, otherwise how could they have been pushed into the battle line? We were helpless to be pushed into the center of the army and then counterattacked."

This made me feel less angry again.

"It's not necessarily that our troops are weaker than theirs...but today's situation is more due to the uneven strength of our troops and the uneven combat effectiveness of each battalion." At this time, a voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard. It was Zhang Xing, the chief of the Chulong Gang.

When everyone heard he was coming, they all stood up, even Kan Leng became solemn - although he had heard about the dragon claws and dragon wings today, he was still shocked after seeing them with his own eyes.

"The chief is right, but if that's the case, there's really nothing we can do." Seeing Zhang Xing find a bench in the middle of the yard and sit next to him, Xu Shiren immediately changed his attitude and agreed. "We want to fight a big war, or fight on multiple fronts, so we have to expand our army. Unfortunately, the battalion system is the foundation of our gang and cannot be easily changed, so it has come to this... As for today's battle, it's a very good situation if we can hold on. In the future, when the new battalion leaders have gained experience, they won't be afraid of anything."

When he said this, it didn't sound like a response to Chief Zhang at all. Instead, he was speaking to Chief Zhang next to him and comforting the leaders around him.

After hearing this, even Liu Heiyu, who was the most valiant before, just opened his mouth and said nothing.

"Since we know it's a weakness, we have to correct it. We can't just do it anyway, especially when it comes to military matters involving lives." Zhang Xing waved his hand. "It's like our soldiers, especially the new recruits, are not as good as the soldiers from Guanxi who have been in Guanxi for more than a hundred years, so we came up with the strategy of one man with three arrows, which worked very well this time... As for the problem of different combat power of each battalion, the Military Affairs Department and Wang Yi's department also realized it a long time ago, otherwise they wouldn't have designed a backup plan with the elite troops in the front to maintain the support and the battalions in the rear to follow the command and cooperate... But if you ask me, it's still insufficient."

"There's nothing we can do about it." Liu Hei said angrily and anxiously. "Firstly, we have new soldiers anyway. Secondly, even if we want to increase the number of battalion commanders who have led the troops well, that's something we'll have to do in the future... And I've said before, the battalion commander system is our foundation. Even I know it can't be changed easily."

"Indeed, some of them are flawed, and there is nothing we can do about it." Zhang Xing nodded in agreement. "But this time, the tactics of Deputy Commander Xu and Division Commander Ma are really excellent. We should at least design them from an organizational perspective to maximize the advantages of this tactic... What I mean is, let's not say that the big leader can command the nearby leaders. How about setting up a marching general and division commanders and establishing a command relationship between the battalion commanders, following the system before the violent Wei Dynasty?"

The surroundings were inexplicably quiet, and in the quiet there was a hint of uneasiness. Even Liu Heiyu just touched his nose.

There is no other reason. Wang Shuyong and Xu Shiren are both temporary leaders. Anyone can give orders, so this thing does not matter. Liu Heiqiu seems to need this the most, but he is good at scheming and has obtained the command and independent action rights of the cavalry early on, and has long become the de facto chief of the cavalry... Therefore, they do not actually care about this. On the contrary, the leaders below, who make up the majority, are certainly tempted, but most of them have performed poorly today. Who does not worry about becoming a stepping stone for the chief of the march?

Will he lose the command and personnel power of the battalion?

"How far is the Chief prepared to go?" When this thought came to mind, it was Xiong Bonan who asked the question first.

"First, it is the same as the rules of the Former Wei Dynasty. It is only a temporary measure. It is established only when there is a war and will disappear after the war. Second, the regulations should not be too large, otherwise it will lose the original intention of tactical coordination. Three to five battalions can have one general manager or deputy manager." Zhang Xing said. "Third, since we want to strengthen the connection, we can't just be a figurehead... When the marching general manager is in place, he has the right to compile statistics and reports on the performance of the battalions under his jurisdiction, including the military merits and losses of the team commanders and the generals in preparation for battle, and the promotion and demotion. As long as there is a marching general manager above, it must also be signed by the marching general manager."

At this point, people in the courtyard could no longer hold back and there was a flurry of discussion around the torches and braziers. Everyone understood that this system of having a general manager and those in charge of different divisions was going to be implemented for real.

Even several senior leaders smiled. No matter what, if they wanted to be the leader in the future, they had to start from this step first, as long as they came from the army.

For a moment, Liu Heiyu, Xiahou Ningyuan, and Wang Xiongdan were all proud, which was in stark contrast to the rest of the leaders' uneasiness. After all, Chief Zhang's prestige was unquestionable, and when he said this in the army, no one could refute it.

There was only one Kan Leng in the courtyard at the moment, and he was determined to make things clear with the other party. He was a guest army and had made military achievements in this battle, so he did not want to be under anyone's jurisdiction... However, he changed his mind and thought, if the overall situation was like this, it would be difficult to refuse. Then should he let Wang Xiongdan be the chief steward above him?
Just as he was thinking about it, Zhang Xing, who was sitting in the center of the courtyard, continued to speak: "As for the specific candidates, I mean, we should listen to everyone first. Whoever you believe in can be discussed later and disclosed to the Heavenly King... But even so, I have to remind you that military affairs have their specialties. It is impossible for everything you report to be true. The Heavenly King, Xu Zongguan, Ma Diguan and I will make a decision at night. In the end, there will definitely be adjustments. When Xu Zongguan really announces it, it must be implemented according to military law. No discounts can be made!"

Kan Lengxiao got the key and wanted to speak.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xing did not stop talking: "But before that, let me make a recommendation... No matter what, the great leader Kan Lengkan, who has the most merits today, must be a marching commander."

Everyone was in an uproar and looked at Kan Leng. The latter was caught off guard... but he soon realized that the other person was trying to win him over. However, he was alert and at the same time, he couldn't help feeling a bit sarcastic. How could he be someone who could be shaken by a mere reputation?

If that’s the case, why not take advantage of the free space?
With this thought in mind, the man simply accepted it proudly: "Chief Zhang, give me three or five battalions, and I can make it strong!"

The generals around were speechless upon seeing this - it's not that they despised him because he was an outsider. The Huaiyou League had already sent three batches of spearmen, and their combat effectiveness was pretty good, so they didn't need one more. But this guy was so straightforward and too arrogant. Even if the Huaixi soldiers had indeed made great contributions today, it still made people uncomfortable.

When Zhang Xing saw the other party's reaction, he laughed, then stood up and looked around, saying confidently: "Brothers, we can't really say we won today's battle, but there's no need to be depressed about it... Why don't you look at the heroism of Chief Kan and learn from him?"

The surrounding leaders looked at Kan Leng with increasingly unfriendly eyes, but Kan Leng, noticing the attitudes of these people, remained motionless.

Zhang Xingze took the opportunity to say, "Brothers, in my opinion, although we have our shortcomings, such as weak soldiers and uneven combat power, we do have our strengths, that is, our generals dare to fight and lead the troops, which is not disbanded? Who in the yard today did not personally fight in the battlefield? Just like the leader Feng Dan, who broke his leg in the first battle and personally covered the rear. Now he is captured, we must bring him back no matter what. We have already sent someone to negotiate, so let's use Xue Ren to exchange him. Although he is powerful, he is nothing compared to our brothers!"

This was a high-sounding statement. Even if one really felt that exchanging Xue Ren for Feng Dan was not worth it, one would just suppress one's thoughts and nod in agreement.

"Moreover, our soldiers are also great. Although they lack combat experience and skills, they are united and disciplined." Zhang Xing's voice became louder and louder. "Given today's situation, if it were other troops, they would have collapsed during the retreat. We were able to hold on and not collapse, and then counterattack in the center. It's not because of luck, but because our soldiers know that the Chulong Gang and the Ming Dynasty are one with them, so they dare to fight and are willing to fight!"

"What the chief said is true, these soldiers are all good!" Han Erlang stood up. "Such good soldiers, if they fight two more battles, they will be stronger than the soldiers on the other side! How can you dislike them?!"

It was one thing that these words touched upon certain people, but it was also true that they were sincere and high-sounding, which attracted cheers from many leaders, and Zhang Xing also immediately applauded in approval.

Immediately, the chief continued to encourage, "There is one more thing. I just saw it from the captured weapons. Their equipment is actually not as good as ours."

People around them are inevitably surprised.

Xu Shiren also said solemnly: "I don't see any weakness in their equipment."

"It's not weakness, but I've seen a lot of captured items, and except for certain elite soldiers, the ordinary soldiers of the Guanxi Army have almost no decorations on their bodies." Zhang Xing said seriously. "To put it in a positive way, this is their pragmatism, but we are all soldiers, how can we not know that as long as a troop has a desire to win and wants to fight, they always want to make their armor different from others and brighter... Everyone, either their economic foundation is not as stable as ours, or the soldiers are too harsh to enforce the law."

"Not bad!"

"That's what I mean!"

"now it's right!"

"In fact, it's not just about the foundation. In this battle alone, our logistics and reinforcements should be more capable than theirs!"

"The further back we go, the easier it will be to fight!"

The atmosphere in the courtyard finally became lively.

Not to mention how Zhang Xing used the "ten wins and ten losses" strategy to boost morale on the spot, on the other side, Xue Ren, with a broken leg and his arms tied, was lying in the "dormitory" of Tabaiqi in the west of Wencheng with a mixed feeling... He was very excited the whole time.

That’s right, Xue Ren has been very excited.

He was excited that he had stood out from the crowd today and had been promoted to the rank of General of the Central Army, and that he, as the king of a country, had snatched the Xue flag from another General of the Central Army on the spot to become his own vanguard, and from then on he was famous in Guanxi. He was also excited that he had charged into battle repeatedly, breaking through the formation and suppressing the generals, and had a great time. He was even excited about his last arrow in the air... Even if he did not kill or injure the chief and achieve a miraculous feat, the fact that he had three masters and a grand master, who were also the two most powerful people in the world, fight against him in person was enough to make him indescribably excited!
Even now, with his leg broken and placed here, he is still excited!

He was just thinking that Zhang Xing would come to persuade him to surrender later. If he was only offered a leader, he would hesitate for a few days before agreeing. If he was offered a big leader, he would agree now... and then ask the other party not to make it public and allow him to return to his hometown in Hedong to pick up his family... By then, if he was offered a leader, he would never come back and would go straight to the Guanxi military camp; and if he was offered a big leader, he would discuss it with his wife before making a decision.

Of course, this excitement did not last long, and he became even more excited because it was still noisy and busy outside. Yuchi Rong came with a dark face to drag him away - he tied him up from the thighs with a big red cloak and rope, then tied his body from the top of his head, and dragged the cloak out of the house directly. Seven or eight white cavalrymen followed on both sides, and they did not help to lift him.

Xue Ren could certainly understand Yuchi Rong's rudeness. Chief Zhang summoned him so early, obviously because he was eager to recruit talented people. This black guy fought with him for an entire afternoon and was unable to catch up with him. Later, he retreated. He must hate him to the core, so it is normal for him to seize the last opportunity to take revenge.

This was just the last bit of hardship in my life. Didn't I suffer before? Soon I would be the big boss! From entering the hall to becoming an important official, it only took one day!
With this excitement, Xue Ren realized that he was dragged out of the city, thrown onto a donkey cart, and driven through the battlefield that had become rugged and complicated because of the war, rolling over bloody depressions and clanking armored soldiers. Then, with some obviously impatient conversations, he suddenly realized one thing - he was exchanged back to the Guanxi Army!
It was obviously a good thing, but Xue Ren felt cold all over. As the squeaking sounds of the wheels came together, he struggled to get up from the ox cart, leaned sideways with his shoulders shrugged, and tried to look at the person on the opposite cart - that was a general of the Chulong Army who was obviously injured and pale due to blood loss. He was leaning on the cart and also looking at him, but his expression was listless.

I seem to have some impression, but I don’t know the basis.

But no matter what, Xue Ren didn't understand what kind of person was worth exchanging for a one-in-a-million brave like himself?
How could the Chulong Gang be so ignorant of heroes?
The cloak was untied, the rope was cut, and Xue Ren struggled to sit up. Looking at the people from the Chulong Gang who turned their backs and walked away without hesitation, he really couldn't help but turn his head and ask the general riding on the horse behind him: "Who is that person, how could he easily replace me?"

The general on horseback, Liu Yishi, the eldest son of Liu Yangji, Bai Hengqiu's trusted general and the General of the Central Army, naturally felt that the other party was rude, but he knew that this man was favored by the emperor, so he didn't care about it, so he replied in a muffled voice: "Feng Dan, the fifth son of the Feng family of Changle, was shot in the leg by someone on our side today. He was captured when the last wave of the front line was shaken."

Knowing that he was just a defeated general, yet he happened to be from a famous family, Xue Ren's hands, which were holding the armrests of the carriage, began to tremble with anger.

This situation was not resolved until the brightly lit central military tent - the White Emperor came down personally, encouraged and praised him for his performance today, used his true Qi to straighten his broken bones, and then watched with his own eyes as the military doctor bandaged the splint, and also found a master of Dan Ning with the Changsheng True Qi to help him heal his leg injury, so that he could continue to attend the meeting.

That’s right, the Kansai Army is also holding a meeting.

"Where were we just talking about?" After taking care of Xue Ren, Bai Hengqiu, the great master, actually looked a little tired for a moment.

"Oh, speaking of formations." Bai Hengyuan, who had stood with his hands behind his back and watched the battle coldly, came to his senses and quickly joined in. "I saw clearly in the central army today that we were actually a sharp arrow formation and did attack, but we can't say that the Dragon Destroyer Army was just passively taking the beating, because they were actually a crane wing formation, which means they kept changing their formations to defend... From this point of view, the Dragon Destroyer bandits are actually very pragmatic. They came aggressively at the beginning, but they knew that they were weak, and because it was flat ground, they made this formation. It's just that the trick they played at the beginning was too big, and we suffered a loss, so we ignored their formation, and then we returned empty-handed."

"So what do you mean?" Bai Hengqiu asked with a frown.

"Of course we need to adjust the formation." Bai Hengyuan said solemnly. "The Crane Wing Formation is most afraid of not being able to expand its formation. As long as we can bypass their main formation and send a separate force to attack their flank, we won't have the situation today where the arrows enter the formation but cannot break through..."

"Will the next formation of the Dragon-Destroying Bandits be the Crane Wing Formation?" Si Qinghe seemed a little puzzled.

"As long as they are still focusing on defense, the Crane Wing Formation is still very likely." Bai Liben explained, but he also raised his own questions. "How can the special forces spread out? The battlefield is so wide, just between Qinshui and the river, and they are also prepared. That Liu Heiyu has been patrolling the flanks with four battalions of cavalry."

"That's easy. We can either concentrate our cavalry and defeat the enemy cavalry head-on, and use the cavalry's advantage to complete the flanking attack... or, we can use our advantage of controlling Shishan and Henei County City to send troops from the other side of Qinshui River to attack them by surprise. They must have enough pontoon bridges in Anchang, so we can cross the river from there and complete the flanking attack." Bai Hengyuan said with certainty.

"It makes sense, but there are still some problems." Liu Yangji twirled his beard and said, "If we take a detour, the journey will be long and the noise will be loud, so it will be hard to avoid being discovered. If they discover us, they will burn the pontoon bridge. And if we fight the cavalry in person, it seems appropriate, but the place is too narrow. Even if we quickly defeat the enemy cavalry, how can we really reach the enemy's flank? In Qinshui, there is Anchang City in the north as a fulcrum, and the Chulong Army is about to set up a large camp, so there will be no room for a flank attack."

"General Liu's words do make sense, but shouldn't we fight now?" Bai Hengyuan sneered. "If we don't win a complete victory, how can we force Zhang San to take action? If Zhang San doesn't take action, how can we draw out your majesty's divine power and take over the world?!"

Liu Yangji also laughed: "Manager Bai said this as if I don't want to fight. If I don't want to fight, why would all 23 men in my family come here together? Isn't this to find the best way?"

"Of course I know that General Liu is loyal and brave, but the current situation is that, firstly, the battlefield is cramped, and secondly, the Chulong thief is by no means an easy person to deal with. We can't always think about demanding perfection and blaming him." Bai Hengyuan paused and said earnestly.

The central army tent also fell silent instantly, but Liu Yangji clearly disagreed: "So, are we defeated today? Do we have to change our strategy?"

Bai Hengyuan said solemnly, "Old Liu! It's not that we lost, but although the opponent is at a disadvantage, they are very self-aware and defend well. I am afraid that if we continue to fight like this, we will only gain the advantage but will not be able to truly determine the outcome. Then we will not be able to achieve any success and it will be a waste of our efforts."

Liu Yangji also made his position clear: "Then I disagree with Chief Manager Bai. Since we have taken advantage, why bother to fight? If we really fail, we will be the ones to be embarrassed."

At first glance, this statement makes sense, it's just a difference in standpoint, but in fact it is strange, because when Bai Hengyuan gave the plan, he also gave the reason, that is, the overall victory or failure of this battle... As the commander of the central army, he is responsible for the large-scale expedition of the Guanxi Army to Chenguan this time. He can't have an army of 100,000 and then go back with nothing. If that happens, the Guanxi Army will return empty-handed overall. But in contrast, Liu Yangji did not respond to this core issue, but only emphasized taking advantage, which inevitably makes people feel superficial.

Many people even instinctively suspected that Liu Yangji was resentful because he did not get the command of the central army, so he took the opportunity to pick a fight with Bai Hengyuan.

However, the problem is that there is a great master emperor sitting above him, and this emperor has been a minister for decades and has been struggling in Guanlong for decades. Doesn’t he understand all these things? But why, why didn’t this emperor, who is so perceptive, express his opinion?

He did not support Bai Hengyuan, nor did he scold Liu Yangji. He just sat there with a gloomy look, as if thinking about something.

The people below also had their own thoughts and attitudes, but when they saw this, they restrained themselves.

As if realizing that the atmosphere was not right, Bai Hengqiu glanced at the people in the tent, and finally set his eyes on the young man who was still lying on the couch: "How about it, General Xue, do you have any ideas?"

Xue Ren was stunned for a moment before he realized that he was being talked about. He quickly struggled to sit up and said, "I think we can send a special forces team to attack the enemy from the flank. I am willing to lead the vanguard!"

Bai Hengqiu shook his head and laughed, causing the others to laugh along: "How can I let you restrain your horse and fight? You are willing to do so, but neither am I... Rest for a while, and when your legs are healed, you can go to the battlefield again. When you go to the battlefield again, you must be accompanied by the three thousand armored cavalrymen, and the remaining fifty Fulong Guards will also serve as your officers."

Xue Ren thanked him again and again, and his heart was truly filled with tears of gratitude.

As for the rest of the generals who were laughing along, they all put away their expressions and looked at each other, each of them feeling emotional in their hearts - it seemed that the White Emperor had also found his own Mo Yun Golden Winged Dapeng.

Maybe they had discussed it for a long time before Xue Ren came in, or maybe they had just finished a big battle and were not in a hurry to decide on a strategy for the next one. Soon, tonight's meeting ended with this stalemate.

All the generals dispersed, Xue Ren went to rest, while Bai Hengqiu stayed in his own central military tent and set up a chess game - it was not because he was bored, but as his cultivation became more and more advanced, especially as his status as a grandmaster was completely consolidated, his chess skills gradually became as magical as Taoist Chonghe's throwing of wooden sticks, allowing him to sort out the existing information and thus think and judge some things.

Of course, he is not a god after all, so he cannot discuss information he is not aware of, let alone guess people's minds out of thin air.

For example, this time, he ran into difficulties as soon as the war started because he underestimated the strength of the Chulong Army and Sima Zheng's determination.

Besides, there was nothing wrong with Liu Yangji's statement today, and it was even logical, because long before the battle started, Liu Yangji had privately found him to oppose sending troops to Ji County, and instead suggested going out of Wuguan, or simply going to Hongnong... In a word, avoiding the main force of the Chulong Army and trying to forcibly annex Dongdu.

The reason was very direct. As a member of the surprise attack on the Chulong Army before entering the Pass, and a general who suffered the most losses, Liu Yangji determined that the Chulong Army was in a difficult situation. In his words, if the attack failed, the situation of Eastern Qi and Western Wei would be doomed when it came again, so he had to keep fighting! Without five or six battles of 100,000 people, the death of several grandmasters, dozens of Chengdan Ningdan, and hundreds of thousands of heroes, it would be impossible to overturn the situation. It would be a foolish dream to want to achieve success in one battle.

In other words, Liu Yangji not only believed that the Chulong Army was difficult to defeat, but also extremely difficult to defeat. So instead of doing so, it would be better to avoid the Chulong Army's edge and seize the Eastern Capital from a position that the Chulong Army could not reach.

Attack the weak first, integrate your strength, and then attack the strong.

Back to the present, this guy's intention after this battle is very clear. Since he has realized the strength of the Chulong Army, don't think too much about it. Just try to gain the advantage. It would be best to confront for ten days or half a month, say his intention, and then turn back to Henan to cause trouble for Dongdu.

how to say?

Putting aside the fact that Liu Yangji was frightened by the Chulong Gang, as it stands now, he actually guessed right.

The Chulong Army was indeed difficult to defeat, which almost made Bai Hengqiu's plan to defeat the Chulong Army and then disintegrate and intimidate the Dongdu Army fail right from the start.

Just as he was thinking about it, Bai Hengqiu suddenly stopped playing chess, put down the chess pieces, removed the chessboard, and asked his personal guards to bring two cups of tea... After the tea was brewed, a man was led to him, bowed respectfully, and it was Bai Liben, the only general in the Bai clan who had followed him to start the rebellion from the beginning.

Bai Liben finished his greetings and sat down as requested. He took a sip of the tea at just the right temperature and put it down immediately. He then said solemnly across the table, "Your Majesty, there is something that I cannot say in public just now. But as a subject and a general, I have to say it. But even if I say it here, it will still cause resentment..."

"Then tell me." Bai Hengqiu said nonchalantly. "What kind of rift could there be between us, the emperor and his subjects?"

"Well then." Bai Liben said solemnly. "Your Majesty, the Chulong Army has expanded to such an extent, but it is still enough to resist us. Of course, it is because of their strict discipline, brave soldiers, complete weapons, and solid logistics, but in addition to that, they have another obvious advantage in today's battle..."

"You mean the White Rider?" Bai Hengqiu asked. "I really shouldn't have sent Fu Long Weilang away today, but I was so angry at the time that I couldn't keep calm, not to mention Xue Ren, this unexpected gain? Do you believe it, he can make a pill in just one or two years? And he can defeat any ordinary pill master?"

"I believe you, but that's not what I'm talking about." Bai Liben also sighed, and then directly gave his thoughts. "Your Majesty, I think our central army commander is far inferior to the enemy's central army commander!"

Bai Hengqiu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "You mean to say that my cousin, the Prince Rui of Daying, who has been in the army for decades, served as the governor of Nanyang for many years, and once competed with me for the foundation of the Bai family, is not as good as a guy who seems to be less than 30 years old, born into a powerful family in the East, and has been a gangster for many years... Xu Dalang?"

Bai Liben said more seriously, "Yes, and this is exactly why Your Majesty didn't notice it on the battlefield... The thief Zhang San angered Your Majesty with his talk of talent, which blinded Your Majesty and made him unwilling to think about such things."

Bai Hengqiu finally calmed down and said, "Speak."

"Your Majesty, I charged fiercely today. After entering the battle formation, I saw with my own eyes that it was the people on the general platform who were in command. The few armies that were crushed in the middle army were all commanded by the general platform himself." Bai Liben said seriously. "So far, it may be attributed to Xiong Boyan, and even to the fact that the Chulong Gang had a bunch of military clerks to assist. But later I asked the captives and found out that the strategy of one man with three arrows was personally promoted by Xu Dalang, including the organization and logistics of the entire army. He was in charge of the overall situation. Xiong Boyan never cared about the specific military affairs, but only dealt with military discipline and internal affairs of the gang. It can be seen that Xu Dalang's position as the general manager of military affairs and deputy commander of the Daxingtai is worthy of the name... As for the credit to the clerks and the military officers, it should be the good military officers and clerks raised by Xu Shiying."

Bai Hengqiu obviously heard it, but he didn't express his opinion for a long time.

Bai Liben didn't know what to say.

The king and his ministers held each other for a moment, and Bai Hengqiu suddenly spoke up: "If you were to be the commander of the central army, would you be better than Bai Hengyuan?"

Bai Liben quickly shook his head: "I have no experience in such a large-scale military formation, and it is not appropriate to change the commander at this point."

"Then Xu Dalang has experience?" Bai Hengqiu was obviously dissatisfied.

Bai Liben hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head and said, "I know that Your Majesty is still concerned about what Zhang Sanlang said at noon, but please forgive me for being frank. The Chulong Gang is indeed full of talented people... The reason why I think Xu Dalang is so powerful, in addition to what I said before, is it not because he is so young and it is his first time to command such a large army, but he can achieve such a level? Your Majesty, this Xu Shiying is just like Xue Ren, both are geniuses!"

Bai Hengqiu fell silent again.

Bai Liben didn't even dare to raise his head.

After an unknown amount of time, the Great British Emperor suddenly spoke: "I have made up my mind. Prepare the troops and rest for three days. We will fight again in three days. Bai Hengyuan will still be the commander. You will lead the cavalry to the inner side of Qinshui River. At the same time, let Han Changmei go to the outer side of Qinshui River. You must expand the military power so that the Chulong Army cannot take care of both the north and the south!"

Bai Liben could only respond.

Nothing happened that night, but the next morning was even busier. After all, it was dark yesterday, and many things had to be piled up at the moment - large-scale exchange of prisoners, clearing the battlefield, and further transfer of the wounded to the rear.

There was a small episode in the middle. The Chulong Army actually took the initiative to send a medical team of more than 100 people, saying that they were from Huaishang Hospital and were willing to provide free treatment to the Guanxi Army.

This shocked the Guanxi army greatly. While they rejected it sternly, they also talked about it a lot.

Some people think that the Chulong Gang is demonstrating and reminding the Guanxi Army that there are still two great masters behind them who have not moved! Then it triggered a big discussion within the organization. Some people complained that Wei Shengji was just a name without substance, and he could not take the last step, even Bai Sanniang could not get past him. And for some reason, the one from Taibai Peak did not move. At the same time, more people felt that the emperor was too defensive against the old masters, not letting Yu Jieluo come first, letting Tu Wanchanglun come and then putting him in the rear camp, thus wasting combat power in vain... In this war, we must fight with all our strength!

But some people think that the demonstration is a demonstration, but it is not a demonstration of the power of the Grandmaster. After all, if the thoughts of cultivation are not on the same path, how can a Grandmaster easily go to such a battlefield where both sides fight to the death? Therefore, the leader of Qianjin is just running a hospital honestly, and people are counting on this to become a god! The Great Siming of the Demon Guards may take action, because now it seems that the Dragon Destroying Gang should have been invited to dethrone Tunfengjun, and the Demon Guards owed the Dragon Destroying Gang, so they received the name of the Dragon Destroying Army and should help the Dragon Destroying Gang take care of their hometown in Hebei... It's just like the one from Taibai Peak, although he won't come out easily, he will help Daying to look after Guanxi.

So the Chulong Gang sent a doctor just to say that their logistical and medical support was sufficient, sufficient enough that they could allocate more than a hundred military doctors to demonstrate and thus shake the morale of the Kansai Army.

But some people think that it may not be a demonstration, but a trick.

Because these military doctors are actually the people of Qianjin Sect Leader, and Qianjin Sect Leader is counting on this to achieve enlightenment, so they really want to save both sides, while the Chulong Army is playing hard to get, using the advantage of Qianjin Sect Leader's hospital being under their jurisdiction to place these doctors in a unified place, making them look like the doctors of the Chulong Army... They want these doctors to be feared by the people of Guanxi, and then many lives will be lost in vain, and the Chulong Army will also have more than a hundred military doctors.

While the middle and lower ranks of the army were attracted by this incident, the senior officials of the Kansai Army who had already made a plan were paying attention to another move by the Chulong Army on the opposite side.

At this time, the Chulong Army and the civilians who arrived later were building a camp on a large scale. The camp was extremely complete. Although the wooden fences, trenches, camp passages, watchtowers, and high platforms were not yet formed, they obviously had everything they needed... This was certainly not a good thing, but it was expected. In fact, the Guanxi Army's camp was even better than that, otherwise the Chulong Army would not have been able to seize Wen County.

However, the areas that the Guanxi Army leaders paid special attention to at this time, that is, the areas where the camps extended to the rivers on both sides, the Qinshui River, and the areas further west of these areas, did not see much movement, except for the construction of artificial earth slopes - this was of course a sign, as if they were preparing to build some watchtowers, arks and the like, and even some branch camps, but it was really okay, because this kind of building could not stop large troops, and branch camps could only be built after the central camp was completed.

On the second day, just when the Guanxi Army had begun to reorganize its troops, a bad phenomenon occurred. Although no camps had been set up on the artificial slopes, people had already started digging trenches and piling up deer antlers.

The top brass of the Guanxi Army did not have any unnecessary discussions about this. It was not that the White Emperor lost his temper and decided on a strategy, and the people below did not dare to say a word. Rather, they said that the troops were already preparing, and after the distribution of weapons would be completed tomorrow, they would issue a declaration of war to lure the enemy's main force into fighting again the day after tomorrow. Although the trenches and deer horns were troublesome at this time, there was nothing they could do. At worst, they could just dismount and move them away when the time came.

Moreover, if the cavalry of the Chulong Army was really defeated, wouldn't their own civilians who stayed behind have to help carry the antlers?

This silence with a certain strange balance inside lasted for a day, and then another day passed, and it was the last day of September. It rained a little in the morning, and the Guanxi Army began to carry out the final personnel deployment and weapon configuration according to the plan... It was on this day that the Guanxi Army's scouts witnessed a miraculous project.

It was only a dozen miles away, but almost in front of the Guanxi Army, the Chulong Army built a city overnight!
A huge city that is more than ten miles long and encompasses the entire Chulong Army!

"Nonsense!" Bai Hengqiu, who was writing a declaration of war himself, gave his judgment without even looking up after hearing the report. "If the Dragon-Destroying Army built a city... It's not impossible, but I can't have failed to notice it... They have indeed continued to build fortifications and camps from last night until now, but it's the same as the previous two days, and they didn't use any Qi formations, so how could they have built a huge city?"

The officer who came to report turned pale and did not dare to reply. He just looked around at the generals around him.

Bai Hengqiu noticed something and put down his pen.

Bai Liben understood what he meant, turned around and left the central army tent, leading a hundred cavalrymen out of the camp... but after less than half an hour, he hurriedly turned back.

"What do you mean?" Bai Hengqiu's face was grim, because within the half hour that Bai Liben went to investigate personally, more than a dozen groups of scouts came to him with reports, all saying that a big city had been built.

"It's a trick." Bai Liben saw it clearly and answered straightforwardly, but even he was obviously absent-minded. "It's a great trick."

Upon hearing this, Bai Hengqiu could no longer hold back and stood up and walked out of the tent, because even if it was a trick, he could not understand it... When he got outside the tent, he noticed something and was shocked. He led many senior generals out of the camp and arrived at the general platform where they fought the day before. When he got here, even an ordinary Condensed Pill could easily visually perceive the "huge city" opposite!
Then they all looked at Bai Liben, hoping that he could explain clearly and make sure that this was just a deception.

"It's a paving stone." Bai Li knew that he had to appease the generals immediately. Seeing that Bai Hengqiu did not stop him, he spoke quickly. "The paving stone prepared by the rear is very thin, only one foot wide, with rammed earth inside and wooden boards nailed on the top, bottom, left and right, just like a box. It was transported here from the rear and directly erected like a fence... The gentle slope, trenches and fences they built two days ago were not built randomly. As long as the paving stone is pressed up, from a distance, it is obviously just a layered trench and fence, but the slope makes the upper and lower parts connected at first glance, just like a huge city wall. Both sides are like this, and the large camp in the middle is mainly Wencheng, and it can be connected again. From a distance, doesn't it look like a huge city?"

After hearing the explanation, everyone knew what was going on, but no one said anything to comfort them, and no one laughed at the Chulong Army for only being able to play tricks.

In fact, some people have already reflected on this.

"Logically, this is just a trick." After a while, Liu Yangji spoke again with a dark face. "It's just as ridiculous as their three arrows per person... But is it really ridiculous? How many of our elite soldiers were killed by their new recruits with three arrows per person? And this, when the rain stops in the afternoon, will the soldiers in the camp be frightened when they see this? How will our cavalry attack from the side tomorrow? Will they hit the bricks? These are fine, but what really makes me uneasy is, what does it mean that they can transport so many bricks here at this time? It means that they have been scheming and have put these things in the warehouse a long time ago, waiting for this time! And how much time did it take to prepare so many bricks? How many livestock did they have to mobilize to transport them here?! Not to mention the civilians, the civilians can't move these!"

These words are full of sarcasm, but I don't know who they are directed at.

"Not only that." Bai Liben whispered. "It's one thing to think of this method, and it's another to make so many buildings by yourself... But when they first started building the camp, they made provisions for these buildings. And how to build those gentle slopes, trenches, and fences so neatly is not something that a bumpkin can do. There must be guidance from a master craftsman."

"He Xi is here." Someone interrupted. "It must be He Xi. That Feng Duan is also his student, an expert in civil engineering..."

"What's the point of saying this?" Bai Hengqiu suddenly felt relieved. "Go back and appease the soldiers, tell them it's just a trick, and postpone the battle tomorrow."

Everyone was relieved.

However, just as a group of senior generals were about to step down from the platform, they saw more than ten riders coming from the Chulong Army's camp, holding the white flag that had been used by both armies in recent days. They could not help but frown and stop.

As expected, the dozen riders came to the general platform left on the battlefield and shouted from afar: "Brothers of the Guanxi Army, please stay. My chief has a letter of challenge to your king. It's just right to take it! It will save you trouble!"

The generals looked at each other in shock, but still asked a young General to jump off his horse early to receive the declaration of war.

After a short while, the letter of challenge was delivered to the White Emperor. The Grand Master stood in the drizzle and opened the document. He read it for a moment and seemed to feel dizzy. He looked up at the "huge city" in the distance, then looked down again. After reading for a while and confirming the content, he finally flew into a rage: "You little brats are bullying me too much!"

As he said this, he threw the declaration of war into the mud pit below, then turned around, mounted his horse, and rode away, followed by his personal guards and low-ranking generals.

Liu Yangji, however, was the senior, so he calmly lowered his head to pick up the letter of challenge, took a look at it, and then passed it to Bai Liben, and explained to Bai Hengyuan and the others: "The Chulong bandits have increased their forces! He Xi is indeed here, Xie Minghe is here, Shan Tonghai is here... The bandit Zhang San listed the new leaders in order of their cultivation, qualifications, and the battle records of the camp, and also introduced the leaders who were replaced... He also said that he would not bully the old and weak, and that he would only use thirty battalions to fight us... Finally, he scheduled the battle to start tomorrow."

The people around were stunned when they heard this. Bai Hengyuan only smiled bitterly and said, "This is to shake us! The giant city shakes the ordinary soldiers, but this declaration of war is to shake us, the commanders!"

"That's right." Liu Yangji put his hands behind his back and turned his head to look at the huge city in the drizzle, thinking. "That's right, it's to shake us."

PS: Thanks to JackChenYL for the second alliance...I am grateful.

By the way, I'd like to add an obituary notice: our cat Xiaoyu passed away. She had cerebellar herniation, which is basically a terminal illness for cats. It took many days to diagnose the disease. I didn't want her to suffer any more, so I euthanized her and cremated her. Xiaoyu was a good cat when she was alive, and I miss her very much.