Chapter 2 Chapter Eighteen

We were on a light boat, and the two soldiers who rowed the boat and Lian Baice were all experts. Although Cao Wendao and I were not very skilled, we were strong enough. The speed of the boat was very fast, and in just a split second, we were already close to the boat. . Is it really Deng Canglan?I'm still a little worried.At this time, it was already more than ten zhang away from the boat, and the sound of weapons clashing could be vaguely heard.I stood at the bow of the boat and said loudly, "I am General Yokono Chu Xiuhong. Is General Deng in front?" The wind blows from north to south, and my voice must reach them.After a while, another bright spot flashed over there, Lian Baice shouted: "Exactly! Commander, that is General Deng!"

Like us, Deng Canglan must have come to survey the water potential at night.I am afraid that he is too close to Dongping City because he is proficient in water warfare, and he will be chased after being discovered by the snake man.I said: "Come over and help General Deng!" Cao Wendao shouted: "Follow orders!" But Lian Baice said: "You can't get closer than ten feet. If you are entangled by a snake man, we will also be in trouble. Turn the boatman upside down!" Snake people are born with water skills and have such great power. Even if the water temperature is too cold, their power will be greatly reduced, and they are still not something we can deal with.I said: "You can't just ignore death, get your weapons ready, let's go." Now I am glad that I brought Cao Wendao instead of Qian Wenyi.Cao Wendao's archery skills are much better than Qian Wenyi's, and Lian Baice is a rare archer. With them by my side, they have attack power from far and near.

I pulled out the Baipi knife, stood at the bow and stared at the front.Now the sound of the water is more urgent, the sound of the collision of knives and guns can already be heard, and two ships on the water ahead can be vaguely seen.Those two boats were small boats, and the one to the north was probably Deng Canglan's.As I was watching, Lian Baice suddenly said, "Controlling, don't get close!" Now the distance is more than ten feet away, because the sky is too dark, I still can't see clearly, I can only see three or four people on the small boat standing intently, for some reason, but not rowing.I said, "Why don't they row?"

Lian Baice said: "Most likely there are snake people in the water, General Deng and the others can't tell the difference." I looked in the middle of the boat, and there was a rope tying the boat inside. The rope was not too long, it was only five or six feet away. If I threw it at them, it would be out of reach now.I said, "Come closer, get closer." Saying this made me a little apprehensive.Lian Baice didn't say anything, he stretched out his hand and gestured to the two soldiers paddling, then he stuck it on the side of the boat and listened, and said, "There are five snake men in the water. Fortunately, it's not too many. "

Even if there are only five, we and Deng Canglan's people will not exceed ten, and we will still not be the opponent of the snake man.I wound the rope into a loop and put it on my arm, stood up and said loudly: "General Deng, did you hear what I said?" Deng Canglan's voice came over the water: "General Chu, if you have no strength, don't approach, go back immediately!" I smiled and said: "A man who is greedy for life and afraid of death, you see it!" I said it bravely, but I was still a little worried in my heart.My idea was to throw the rope over and let them tie the bow and we'd haul them over.It's just that although the rope is thick and heavy, it's not easy to throw it straight.I took off the meteor hammer on my waist, although I was a bit reluctant, but this time it was the only way I could do it.I tied the meteor hammer to the end of the rope, drew a few circles above my head, and shouted: "Catch it!"

I was also practicing the meteor hammer a lot at the time, and within five steps, I could hit a hundred hits.Five steps is about ten feet away, and now it is five or six feet away. I just need to throw it into the boat.As soon as I threw the meteor hammer, I shouted: "Go on!" The meteor hammer flew towards Deng Canglan's boat with the sound of the wind, and the other hand quickly put the rope ring. Now it's a little closer, only about four feet away, and now you can clearly see the figure on the boat in front of you.When the meteor hammer flew out, it was facing Deng Canglan's ship, but it was about a foot away from their bow.I know that once the meteor hammer falls into the water, I can only take it back and throw it again, but I don't know if there is still this chance, the snake man must have discovered our intention.His heart was sinking, but he saw a person on the boat flying forward and grabbed the meteor hammer.

it is good!I just felt that the rope sank, and I was waiting for applause, but before the applause came out, a knife light suddenly flew out of the water. The light of the knife swept towards the man's arm.If the snake man in the water cut at the rope, I wouldn't worry about it. The rope is not very tight, and it may not be able to cut the rope with a single knife, but if it cuts at the man's arm, the man will have to abandon the rope.I was about to take it back and throw it again, but the man let out a scream, but the rope was not loose, on the contrary, it was stretched even tighter.

This knife cut off the man's right arm, but the man stretched out his left hand again, and even grabbed the broken arm and the meteor hammer in his hand! I don't know who this person is, and the voice is not Deng Canglan, probably a soldier of the Navy Corps.The soldiers of the Water Corps were so tenacious and tough that I admired them so much that I was stunned.At this time, Cao Wendao shouted: "Controller, tie the rope!" He and Lian Baice shot an arrow at the same time.The two arrows shot out close to the surface of the water. The distance between them was only a few feet at this time. Both of them were excellent archers. Two arrows hit its head.Although the snake man was strong, but he was hit by an arrow so critically, how could he survive? With a sound, a long body surfaced immediately, and he patted weakly.

Although the water legionnaire lost an arm, the rope held on.I hastily tied the rope to the stern of the boat and said, "Row quickly, row quickly!" The two soldiers lifted their oars and landed, a rope was stretched straight and left the water, Deng Canglan and the others were shocked by the pull, they staggered, and the boat was dragged back by us.I kept my eyes on the water surface, for fear that some snake man would suddenly appear and cut off the rope.Just as he was watching, Lian Baice suddenly shouted: "Control, there are snake men coming, two!" I also heard the sound of water, but it was so dark that I couldn't tell where it was coming from.I yelled, "Look at the water, shoot it as soon as it comes out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound on the water, and a snake man suddenly appeared.The snake man appeared too suddenly, appearing suddenly from the black water, it was like a nightmare.I was taken aback by surprise, before I realized it, Cao Wendao and Lian Baice had already fired arrows at the same time.The two of them fired arrows almost at the same time, but Lian Baice's hand trembled, and he fired three arrows in a row, which was unusually fast, faster than me firing one arrow.As soon as the snake man's head came out of the water, an arrow pierced his brain and killed him instantly.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "Okay!" Lian Baice was still facing the enemy, and put three more arrows on the bow, saying: "There is one more in the water, be careful." I said, "Hold on to that rope, and forgive it for not being able to get through." With Cao Wendao and Lian Baice, two excellent archers, the snake man would be shot to death as soon as his head appeared on the water.At this moment, the two soldiers paddling were desperately paddling, dragging Deng Canglan's boat to the north bank, but they didn't know why Deng Canglan and the others didn't paddle.I stood at the bow of the boat with a long voice, and was about to call him loudly. I just opened my mouth but before I could say anything, I heard a sound of water in my ears, but my eyes went dark. A snake man suddenly broke through the water, charged straight up, holding a big knife in his hand, and slashed at me! I was scared out of my wits.This snake man has been lying down and diving under the water until now, if we are beheaded by it, then Deng Canglan and the others will be flanked back and forth, and if they want to escape again, it will be impossible.But the snake man came so suddenly that he couldn't escape even if he wanted to, Cao Wendao and Lian Baice both screamed in shock, I gritted my teeth, and desperately raised my knife to slash at the snake man.I can't stop this snake man's knife anymore, now I have no choice but to face it head-on, to kill the fish and break the net.After this knife, my knife can probably cut the snake man's heart, but the snake man's knife can also cut my head in half, but I can't help thinking about it at this time. Unexpectedly, as soon as I raised my saber, it was dark again in front of my eyes. Cao Wendao jumped up, hugged the snake man, and suddenly fell into the water.The snake man didn't expect such a change, he was thrown by Cao Wendao, half of his body was thrown back, but the knife in his hand was slashed sideways, brushed past my body, and was slashing on the side of the boat.The strength of the snake man was astonishing, the knife penetrated deeply into the wood, if he used more strength, he might cut the boat in half.The knife penetrated too deep into the wood and was bitten tightly by the gap, but the snake man still refused to let go, desperately clutching the handle of the knife, but half of his body was already hugged by Cao Wendao and fell into the river. With a "bang", the cold river water splashed up.In the water spray, I saw that the snake man was still holding the knife in one hand, this kind of opportunity is really once in a thousand years, and the knife is slashed and passed by.One of the snake man's forelimbs was cut off by me with a single blow, and there was another sound of the river water, like a pot boiling, it must be the snake man struggling in pain.I was worried about Cao Wendao's safety, and I didn't care about anything else. I swept my left hand into the river and grabbed the snake man by the tail. The snake man's lower body wrapped around me. The river is cold and cold, and the snake man's combat power has been greatly reduced in the cold, and his strength is much weaker than usual. When I met the snake man for the first time, I was caught by the snake man. He was so tight that he had no power to fight back, but at this time there was still room for a counterattack.Even so, I was still staggered by the snake man and almost fell into the water.I was in a critical situation, but I felt someone hugging my lower back, but it was Lian Baice who saw that I was in a critical situation, and dragged me suddenly. I was caught by Lian Baice, I felt certain, my courage increased greatly, and I took advantage of the situation and squatted down.The snake man is so powerful that a small boat was tossed to and fro by it, but it couldn't pull me into the water for a while.I didn't wait for it to make any further moves, the Baipi knife suddenly pushed forward, and pierced into the snake body.Under the pain, the snake man pulled violently again, the strength of this pull was astonishing, if Lian Baice hadn't held me tightly, I would have been pulled into the water.I don't care about anything, Baipi knife can break the hair, and I cut it forward desperately. This knife cut a long hole in the snake man's body, and a stench came to my nose. All the viscera of the snake man were squeezed out from the opening.I didn't care about everything, and slashed wildly with my knife, only to feel that the force of the snake man's entanglement with me was getting weaker and weaker, and finally let go of me and slipped into the water. As soon as the body of the snake man fell into the water, I rushed to the side of the boat and shouted: "Cao Wendao! Cao Wendao!" I was terrified in my heart, not knowing how Cao Wendao would live or die.Just as I yelled, suddenly there was a "squeak" from the water beside the boat, and a human head emerged from the bottom of the water. I was so shocked that I almost swung my knife to chop it off. When I took a closer look, it was Cao Wendao.His lips were pale and bloodless, and he couldn't help trembling. I was surprised and happy, put the Baipi knife into the scabbard, grabbed his shoulder, and shouted: "Old Cao, come up quickly! Are you okay?" ?” Cao Wendao was already exhausted, his body was soaked in water, and it was even heavier. I lifted it, but I couldn't move it.Lian Baice rushed over to help me catch Cao Wendao, and the two of them pulled Cao Wendao onto the boat with their strength at the same time.As soon as he got on the boat, he just opened his mouth wide and couldn't stop panting, clasped his hands on his shoulders, and after gathering his composure, he smiled at me and said, "Controlling is really a man of two lifetimes." Cao Wendao was fine, I was more excited than saving Deng Canglan.I grabbed an oar and shouted: "Row quickly, let's talk when we get back!" At this time, we were too close to Dongping City, God knows if the snake man would attack aggressively.Cao Wendao took a rest and grabbed an oar to paddle.While rowing, I looked at Deng Canglan's boat behind, they were also rowing desperately, and I could only hear the sound of the river rising and falling, like a golden drum. There are more than ten feet away from the shore, and two small boats are flying towards us.In the darkness, I heard Qian Wenyi say loudly: "General Chu, is that you?" His voice was rough and broken in the river wind, but to my ears, it was like the sound of heaven.I stood up and shouted: "Qian Wenyi, come quickly, General Deng is here!" Hearing the sound, Qian Wenyi rushed over and escorted our two boats to the shore.After Deng Canglan landed, I walked over and saluted, and said, "General Deng, the rescue came late, I hope the general will forgive me." I am the same general as him, but he is the commander of the water army, and his real power is much greater than mine.He returned a salute to me and sighed: "General Chu, this time is really thanks to you. I will send the injured brother to be treated first, and then I will thank General Chu." I don't have much contact with Deng Canglan, and he doesn't talk too much, but he has a very generous nature and a very good reputation.I bowed again and said, "I have to go back and change my clothes, so I'll take my leave first." After all the tossing just now, the shirt on my body was also wet a lot.Back in the camp, I sent Cao Wendao back to my big tent first, seeing that although he was shivering from the cold, he was fine, so I felt relieved and went back to my tent to change into a battle robe.Although today's on-site survey was not very effective, but seeing that the water potential in winter is very slow, using the method Lian Baice said proved that it is completely feasible to build a pontoon bridge.I sat down at the table, took out the box of carving knives, and thought about it while carving a horse randomly.Thinking even more, the curtain was raised, and a guard came in and said, "General Chu, General Deng, please see me." Deng Canglan really came!I put down the carving knife and said, "Please hurry up! By the way, make a pot of tea and serve." The guard had just left when Deng Canglan came in through the curtain.He also changed his clothes and looked extremely refined.When he saw me, he saluted and said, "General Chu, Deng Canglan will never forget the kindness of helping you today." I supported him and said: "General Deng, please sit down, I have something to tell you, please sit down." Deng Canglan sat down, saw the carving knife on my table, and said, "So General Chu still has this kind of elegance?" I smiled and said, "Just relax. By the way, General Deng, one of my subordinates proposed a strategy to defeat the enemy. The general thought it would be feasible. I want to hear what General Deng thinks." Deng Canglan also smiled, and said, "General Chu, let me guess? Are you going to build a floating bridge?" I was taken aback, and said: "General Deng, so you thought of it too!" Deng Canglan nodded, and said: "I have thought about this plan a long time ago, but the troops were insufficient at the time. The water was always in a hurry, and Bi Wei was a muscle. I was afraid that he would be self-defeating. Now that General Tu's reinforcements have arrived, the troops are already sufficient. , the weather is beautiful, and the water is slowing down day by day, it is time to use this strategy." I was speechless to myself.Deng Canglan has the reputation of being the number one in water battles. Although I personally feel that he is inferior to Li Yaotian, his reputation is indeed well-deserved.He sighed, and said again: "These days I have been measuring the water potential every day and night, and I have roughly drawn the places where floating bridges can be built on the river. It's just that I also underestimated the snake man. Tonight is too close to Dongping City. If it wasn't for General Chu's rescue, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back. Sigh, it's really not enough. General Chu, you also went to measure the water situation?" Although he is self-effacing, I really admire him so much in my heart.He is not worthy enough, I thought that the strategy of building the pontoon bridge was a wonderful plan conceived by our army, but Deng Canglan had already figured it out.I said: "General Deng, if you build a pontoon bridge, it will be much easier to start from the upstream." Deng Canglan was a little moved, patted the table, and said: "Exactly! General Chu, I only know that you are proficient in land warfare, so you are also proficient in water warfare!" I blushed a little at what he said, and said: "Where is it that I want, it is the idea of ​​one of my generals named Lian Baice." Deng Canglan said: "Lian Baice? Wasn't he the defender of Dongyang City back then? So he is under your command now." I was taken aback again, and said, "General Deng, do you know him too?" Deng Canglan smiled and said, "I've heard about this man, and it's said that he knows the art of war quite well, but when Dongping City was defeated, this man's whereabouts are unknown. General Chu, you really have the ability to know people, and you deserve the appreciation of Lord Wenhou." His words were too polite, and I was a little embarrassed, but I was also a little proud.At this time the guard brought tea, I poured a cup and said: "Although the tea is mostly served to see off guests, this cup is to replace wine with tea, to respect General Deng." These words are not all polite, Deng Canglan is indeed a famous general in this world.Deng Canglan picked up the tea and said with a smile, "You are welcome, General Chu." After drinking a cup of tea, Deng Canglan said: "General Chu, with your help this time, the chances of regaining Dongping City in this battle are a little bit stronger. It is too late today, and I will propose this strategy in the meeting tomorrow. Please General Chu correct me." On the second day, Deng Canglan immediately asked Tu Fang to hold an emergency meeting.Only Tu Fang and our generals can attend this meeting.At the meeting, Deng Canglan finally spoke out his plan, and even praised me a lot, saying that he and I came up with this plan together, which made me feel quite uncomfortable. When Bi Wei looked at me, his eyes were full There is jealousy that cannot be concealed.When Tu Fang heard this plan, he was overjoyed, and after discussing it, he felt that it was very feasible.Deng Canglan has been preparing for this matter for a long time, Lian Baice said that there are not enough boats, he also thought of the strategy of weaving bamboo rafts instead, and has already prepared a large number of bamboo poles, enough for use.After deliberation, everyone decided to prepare for the matter immediately.But it is still not easy to build a floating bridge. Although Deng Canglan observed the water potential and drew a very detailed map, no one dared to guarantee the construction of the floating bridge. After the meeting, I rode back to camp.As soon as they entered the gate of the camp, they could only hear the sound of shouting inside.It was Cao Wendao and Qian Wenyi leading the soldiers to practice, and on the other side Chen Zhong and Lian Baice also led a group of people practicing axes and arrows.It's just that Qian Wenyi led some soldiers to practice stabbing with swords and guns, while Cao Wendao and some soldiers followed Tang Kai in punching with bare hands.When they saw me coming back, they all stopped. Cao Wendao and Qian Wenyi came over and bowed to me, and said, "General, how did the discussion go?" I got off my horse, handed the horse to the guards, and said, "General Tu has already agreed to this plan." I looked at the soldiers Cao Wendao led, and said, "Why are you training your fists?" Cao Wendao smiled and said, "Controlling, he survived a near-death last night, and the general felt that it was not enough to only practice swords and guns. Once the weapons are gone, wouldn't he be slaughtered by others? General Qian said that brother Tang's iron-slaying fist is so powerful , I want to learn. You don’t need to learn Brother Tang’s level, but if you know three tricks and two moves, even if you are unarmed, you won’t be powerless to fight back.” I nodded and said, "Brother Cao is very true. In the military academy, the art of warfare is heavy on swords and spears, while the art of fists and feet is light. This is indeed a bit biased. It's just that Brother Tang's iron-cutting fist is very complicated. How have you learned it?" Tang Kai hurriedly said: "General Chu, at the beginning Zhou Dudu taught me a simplified set of Iron Slashing Fist. There are only nine moves, which are used in a row, and the power is not small. It is suitable for use in the army. I taught General Cao and them This way." When I was in Wuyang City, I also learned a little bit of Iron Slashing Fist from Tang Kai. Although I feel that I am not as good as Tang Kai, my boxing skills are not bad, and I can cut off branches as thick as fingers with one palm.Hearing what Tang Kai said, I said, "Really? Iron Fist still has these tricks?" Tang Kai nodded, and said: "Zhan Tie Fist was originally a boxing technique passed down by Zhou Dudu. I heard that there are nine ways of mountain, water, wind, fire, thunder, sky, sun, moon, and Luohu Jidu, but Zhou Dudu only passed it on to me. The first six roads and the last three roads are only people who don’t know them anymore, and they’ve become a thing of the past.” When he talked about Zhou Nuo, he still respected him as the “Captain” and his voice was not very embarrassing.I know he is still very loyal to Zhou Nuo, and Zhou Nuo was killed by me and Cao Wendao, and now he is my subordinate, so he must be very conflicted.I was afraid that he would think about Zhou Nuo again, so I hurriedly changed the conversation: "Is there still water?" Tang Kai's eyes lit up suddenly, and said: "This water fist is suitable for use in turbulent places like ships. If it is on the water surface, this fist method is very suitable." But the light in his eyes flashed and then disappeared. , and sadly said: "It's just that this style of boxing is very complicated, and I can't learn it for a while." I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Tang, you should compile these boxing techniques. Shadow Zhanying Saber and Zhantiequan are the two pillars of Xifu Army's martial arts, and they should be carried forward." Tang Kai nodded again and said, "Yes." While we were chatting, there was a commotion at the gate of the camp. A soldier came over hurriedly, bowed to me, and said, "General Chu, some civilians have come outside and said they want to join the army." There are quite a few people who want to join the army. Now that the war is raging, especially Dongyang City has become the front line. Most of the civilians in the city have fled to the rear. Those who stay in the city are mostly fearless men. Things are easy to do, and you can have enough to eat after joining the army, so people often come to join the army, but this is the first time for me to vote.I said, "Really? I'll go and have a look." I took Cao Wendao to the gate of the camp.As soon as I got to the door, I saw a dozen or so people surrounding the sentry on duty, saying something. When the sentry saw me, he came over and saluted, "General Chu, these few want to join the army." I walked up and looked at those people.Although these people are not very tall, they are all very strong.I smiled and said, "Do you want to join the army?" A person came out more and more, bowed to me, and said: "General Chu, little Feng Qi, I have met General Chu." This Feng Qi is very thin, even a little thin, no matter how you look at it, he doesn't look like he can go into battle.I was a little skeptical and said: "Mr. Feng, it is a dangerous thing to be a soldier. Do you know how to use weapons?" Feng Qi smiled faintly, and said: "General Chu, ten of us brothers live as hunters, and have all learned some martial arts. Please rest assured, General." The other people are all very strong, but this Feng Qi doesn't look like a capable person.I said: "Mr. Feng, the strength of the snake man is extraordinary. I think your body is thin, and it seems that you are not suitable for being a soldier." Feng Qi paused, and said: "General Chu, I'm not very powerful, and I'm not good at stabbing with swords and spears, but the general doesn't know, I have another ability, which is probably very useful on the battlefield." I was very interested and said, "What ability?" Feng Qi said, "Slingshot." I was startled.The slingshot is a toy that children often play with. Is this also considered a skill?Feng Qi also seemed to see my doubts, and said: "General Chu doesn't believe it, please try it." He took out a slingshot from his arms. He reached out and took out a stone pill from his waist, and said, "General Chu, show me a target." I looked around and said loudly, "Lian Baice!" Lian Baice was teaching the fifty archery soldiers to practice their bows, when he heard my cry, he came over and said, "General Chu, what orders do you have?" "Bring a target here." After the target was brought, I said, "Just shoot at the target and see." This is the archery target, placed a hundred paces away.Feng Qi said: "General Chu laughed, my slingshot can only shoot dozens of steps, it's too far away now." One hundred steps, for those who practice archery, it only takes a few days to shoot.Hearing what Feng Qi said, Lian Baice curled his lips slightly, and said loudly to a soldier, "Get closer." When the target was fifty steps away, Feng Qicai said: "Okay!" He weighed the stone ball in his hand, put it on the holster of the slingshot, and shot it out suddenly. With a "snap", the target made a sound and even shook.Feng Qi turned his head and said, "General Chu, please take a look." The archery target is made of wood, and usually the arrow can be inserted into it. Feng Qi's projectile is actually embedded in the wood. It seems that the strength is not too small.This is of course a skill, but this kind of skill is not very useful on the battlefield.I hesitated, and asked, "Can other people know how to shoot a slingshot?" Feng Qi was stunned, and said: "They don't know how to do this. But they all practice swords, and their swordsmanship is not bad." fencing?My heart moved, but there was no abnormal expression on my face, I just said: "The skill is really good. It's just that the hunting harvest is not so good now, right?" Feng Qi sighed, and said: "In the war, all the beasts ran away, and now I really can't get anything, so I want to join the army to eat. Anyway, I have a dead life. It is better to die in battle than starve to death." I said: "However, being a soldier is precarious. You have this skill, and you can live as a hunter. You should go to the imperial capital to find something to do." He gave out ten gold coins and said, "I'll give you these as travel expenses." Feng Qi was greatly disappointed and said, "General Chu, you don't want us to be soldiers?" I smiled lightly and said, "A soldier is a weapon. I hope that I will never fight again. If you really want to join the army, please go to the imperial capital to serve. No recruits are recruited before the enemy." into his hand.Feng Qiyuan opened his eyes and looked at me, but he didn't know what expression was in his eyes.After sending the ten people away, Cao Wendao said anxiously, "I really don't understand the control system. Although Feng's ability is flashy, it is somewhat useful. Why not him?" At this time Feng Qi and the others had already walked out of the camp gate.Looking at their backs, I whispered: "Brother Cao, you don't know, I think I will meet them again." Cao Wendao asked in surprise, "What do you mean?" "Is there any Orion in Dongyang City?" Cao Wendao didn't know what I meant, so Lian Baice suddenly interjected: "That's right. Dongyang City is mainly based on farming, and there are very few wild animals. There are very few hunters living nearby." Cao Wendao said, "He didn't say he lived nearby, so what's the matter?" I looked at Lian Baice, and Lian Baice smiled, then looked at me, and said: "General Cao doesn't know something, if they are really hunters, wouldn't it be very suspicious to stay in Dongyang City right now? There is no prey in this area. If they really want to join the army, the troops of General Deng and Bi have been stationed here for so long, and they would have voted long ago. The Qianfeng Battalion is just a road of reinforcements. They don't look for others, but It's very strange to find the vanguard battalion to join the army. Besides, I haven't heard of Orion's sword." Cao Wendao was startled, thought for a while, and said, "Yes, their whereabouts are indeed a bit suspicious. Could it be that they came with us?" I nodded and said, "There is a lot of dust on their clothes, don't you think they are wearing thick clothes?" Although the weather is cold now, Dongyang City's climate is much warmer than that of the Imperial Capital.When Cao Wendao heard what I said, he suddenly realized, and said, "Exactly! So, they just rushed to Dongyang City from the north." "If you want to join the army, it's much more convenient to do so in the imperial capital. They rushed all the way to Dongyang City, but they only wanted to join the Qianfeng Camp. Do you think there's nothing suspicious about this?" Cao Wendao thought for a while, then said, "Then who are they?" I said: "Although I'm not sure now, Feng Qi said that they are good at using swords. Those who use swords are mostly members of the legal system, but they are obviously not from the two schools of legal systems. They have hatred against me and are good at wielding spies For the sword, I'm afraid, there is only a black-clothed death squad that Lu Gongxing trained for the second prince back then." After the second prince's rebellion failed, the death squad also surrendered, and the death squad escaped.Although I'm not sure, this Feng Qi may be a member of the Death Squad.Cao Wendao shouted: "Control, since you know they are so suspicious, why don't you take them down and torture them?" I sighed: "What's the use of taking them down? They probably want to kill me to avenge Lu Gongxing. Alas, based on this loyalty alone, I can't bear to kill them." I just said it, but I saw Lian Baice's face was a little embarrassed, and I knew that my words touched him a lot.If Qian Wenyi is here, I'm afraid my words will make them worry too much.I took Lian Baice under my command, and Shao Fengguan said that Lian Baice was a snobbish person and should not be used.Although I don't think so, but I feel a little grudge in my heart, the words just now were indeed meant for Lian Baice to hear. Cao Wendao also sighed: "Tongzhi, your conscience is too good, alas." I smiled wryly to myself.After letting them go back, I went back to my room to rest.Lying on the chair, I secretly thought about what happened just now.My conscience is too good?Maybe, maybe not.I have been born and died so many times, and now in the forward camp, only Cao Wendao has never betrayed me, even Chen Zhong, because he was subordinate to Xing Tiefeng, he fought against me.If you want to survive, you have to use more of these tricks.It's just that the more I use this kind of trick to win over people, the more I feel like I'm losing myself. It's not easy to be single-handedly.This is too difficult. In the next few days, the whole army is preparing to build a pontoon bridge.The weather is still cold now, and the snake people rarely move, and never take the initiative to attack, but after all, spring is coming soon.As spring turns warmer, the snake people will definitely attack again, and it will be even stronger to attack Dongping City at that time.As soon as the weather warms up, the Snake People will have Dongping City as their stronghold, and they will go north again after being supplemented by fresh troops. The empire will be in danger again, so no matter what, they must retake Dongping City before the end of winter. The outcome is here.However, now it seems that every battle is a battle of life and death.Indeed, we have failed too much and too badly, and we can no longer withstand another big blow.If there is another defeat like that of the Southern Expedition Army, even if Marquis Wen can recruit hundreds of thousands of soldiers to join the army, the confidence of mankind will be gone. Must win!Everyone thinks so. Day by day passed, and it was three days in a blink of an eye.In the past three days, the materials for the pontoon bridge have been almost prepared, and it was time to attack, but unexpectedly, the weather was not good. There was a strong wind yesterday, and the waves on the river suddenly became much larger. It rained in the morning, and the boats dared not sail After going out, it is naturally more difficult to build a pontoon bridge, so the whole army, which is already ready to go, is told to wait for the weather to change. For the past three days, Shao Fengguan's Wind Corps has been extremely busy, setting off every day to observe the snake man's movements.Usually he would ask me to have a drink or two together when he was free, but these days he didn't drink at all, and I couldn't see him. The weather is so bad today, we are all hiding in the camp and waiting for orders.Li Yaotian and I drank wine a few times, but we have a soft spot for their Juluo Island barbecue.Although you can't get stone slabs here, iron slabs are easy.He took an iron plate and burned it hot on the charcoal stove, cut a pot of mutton and ate it while grilling it by himself.I don't have much alcohol addiction, so I just took a small glass of wine and sipped it slowly, which was meant to be meaningful.While eating and drinking, a guard walked in and said, "General Chu, General Deng is here." General Deng?I was stunned for a moment, and couldn't remember who it was.At this moment, Deng Canglan walked in.I was taken aback, jumped up quickly, went forward to salute, and said, "General Deng, why are you here?" Deng Canglan was wearing a coir raincoat, and he hung the coir raincoat aside, saying: "General Chu, I am an unexpected guest, did you not disturb your elegant mood?" I smiled and said, "How dare you. Come here and serve General Deng a set of bowls and chopsticks." Deng Canglan sat across from me, and I poured him a small glass of wine, but he was not polite, and put a piece of mutton on the iron plate.The iron plate was burning hot, and as soon as the sliced ​​meat was placed on it, there was a "sizzling" sound immediately, and the flesh turned brown.He dipped the mutton into the seasoning, put it in his mouth, and said, "General Chu, how are you preparing for these few days?" I said: "Don't worry, General Deng, our army is waiting for an order. I just don't know when the rain will stop." Deng Canglan smiled slightly, and said: "The rain will stop when it gets dark, but it will turn into snow. This snow is not heavy, and it will stop in the middle of the night." I said: "It turns out that General Deng is good at watching the sky. Then we have to attack tomorrow." Deng Canglan put down his chopsticks, suddenly looked at me with burning eyes, and said, "General Chu, I'm still a little apprehensive about this battle. To attack Dongping City, there must be a heroic general as the vanguard." My heart skipped a beat, and I let go. Chopsticks, said: "General Deng, I will not say polite words, do you want the vanguard battalion to take the lead?" Deng Canglan nodded, and said: "The vanguard army must be extremely sharp, breaking through the snake-man defense line in one fell swoop, and the follow-up troops can continue to enter the city. Otherwise, the vanguard will be stuck, and the troops behind will not be able to advance, and even retreat at that time." I can't go down. But," he hesitated, thought for a while and said: "The vanguard must have suffered heavy losses under the Snake Man." I smiled lightly and said: "Don't worry, General Deng, I've thought about it for a long time. Although the vanguard battalion is not good at water warfare, when it comes to land warfare, the last general dare not belittle himself. As long as the vanguard troops can rush to the city, I will definitely be able to break through and open the city. Let the large forces rush into the city." Deng Canglan also smiled heartily, raised his cup and said, "I know that General Chu will live up to the great trust. What was said in Lord Wenhou's secret letter is true. General Chu is brave and invincible, and can strategize. He is one of the top generals in the world. material." Marquis Wen praised me so much!However, this word of praise was also in the secret letter to Deng Canglan, but he didn't send me any secret letter. It seems that in the mind of Marquis Wen, I am not as important as Deng Canglan.I was happy again, and my heart was a little depressed, but my face remained calm, and I said: "Lord Wenhou's ridiculous praise, the end general is ashamed." Deng Canglan said: "Alright, General Chu, gather your troops immediately and get ready to go!" I was taken aback, and said, "What?" It was raining now, and I never thought that the attack would start at this time. Deng Canglan said: "Because of the rain now, the sky is very dark. When the rain stops, it will start to snow again. At this time, the wind and waves on the river are the smallest, and the snake man did not expect us to attack suddenly in this weather.是个千载难逢的良机。楚将军，前锋营现在立刻搭建浮桥，等天黑时便能完成，到时趁天降瑞雪，蛇人战力降到最低点时，一战成功。” 我有些犹豫，道：“屠将军知道么？”我是属于屠方直接统辖的，照理邓沧澜指挥不动我。邓沧澜微微一笑，道：“屠将军已在我的主船上了。” 屠方也在他船上？我心头微微有些不悦。看来我仍然没被当成主将之一。不过现在也不是恼怒的时候，我猛地站了起来，道：“末将遵命。” 邓沧澜也站了起来，道：“兵贵神速，此时水军团已在上游江上待命，你立即赶来，商议奇袭细节。” 他拿起蓑衣披到身上，我跟着他出去，在门口对亲兵道：“快去传令，将钱曹两位将军唤出来。” 邓沧澜朝我扬了扬手，道：“楚将军，我在江边等你。” 他刚走，钱文义跟曹闻道已急匆匆地跑了过来。曹闻道的盔甲还有点不整，道：“统制，怎么了？” “立刻点兵出发！” 我也不多说什么。钱文义和曹闻道都有诧异之色，但他们都没说什么话，马上跳去点兵。前锋营五千人训练最为精整，只不过一瞬，五千人已经列队排好。等队伍排好，他们两人上前，道：“楚将军，前锋营整队完毕。” 我跳上了马。雨不是很大，冰冷的雨点落在身上，很不舒服。我抹了一把额头的雨水，看了一眼整整齐齐的前锋营。雨中，这支队伍如铁铸的一般，动也不动。我喝道：“出发！” 前锋营驻地离江边并不远，我们向西走了一程，刚出城，便见以前选定的浮桥出发点上已聚集了大队战船。岸上扎了些临时营地，只是里面空空的什么也没有，看来只是让人临时避避雨而已。把前锋营带进去，一个传令兵过来道：“前部横野将军楚休红么？” 我拍马上前，道：“我是。” “屠将军与邓将军在飞鹄上等你，请楚将军随我来，全军先入帐中歇息，已经备好了馒头牛肉。” 我让钱文义和曹闻道领军退入那些临时营帐，自己跟着这传令兵上前。这艘飞鹄号正是当初毕炜增援东平城时的旗舰，现在是水军团邓沧澜的座船了。经过几个月，这艘庞大的战船已经变得旧了许多，钉在船头的“飞鹄号”三字已失去了当初的光泽，可威风仍是不减。 在船头，我跳下马，跟着那传令兵走上船。一上船，只见船头已张了一幅很大的罗盖，屠方、毕炜、邓沧澜三人正站在罗盖下商议什么。我走上前，行了一礼，道：“末将前部横野将军楚休红听命。” 屠方抬起头，道：“楚将军，你来了。请坐。” 一个士兵端了一把椅子过来让我坐下。一坐好，只见桌上放了一张大大的地图，画的正是江面形势。屠方道：“楚将军，邓都督已将事宜向你说过了吧？” “末将明白。” 屠方看了看我，道：“此役最为危险，但只要成功，首功便是前部的。楚将军，一切都看你的了。” 我站了起来，道：“末将万死不辞。” 屠方扫了我一眼，又向邓沧澜道：“好，邓都督，老朽立刻点齐地军团其余三部前来接应楚将军。今日一战，定要成功！” 他站了起来，邓沧澜和毕炜也都站起来，道：“定要成功！” 屠方又向我道：“楚将军，余事邓都督会向你说明，我先去点兵，酉时全军进攻。” 他刚走，毕炜也道：“邓兄，我也先下去点兵了，火军团就暂时由你统领。” 邓沧澜点点头，道：“好，后军就仰仗毕兄了。” 毕炜对我仍然爱理不理的，看来还在妒忌我。等他走了，邓沧澜向我交待了奇袭的整个计划。我告辞时，邓沧澜低声道：“楚将军，努力。” 我点点头，道：“是。” 浮桥已经搭了近一里。现在风已经小了，江面上仍然有些浪，浮桥的进展一下变得慢了。我看着水军团的士兵忙忙碌碌地搭建浮桥，小声道：“还要多久浮桥才能搭完？” 邓沧澜看了看天，道：“此时已近江心，现在浪还大一点，等雨停后就会风息浪止，到时就快了。楚将军，最后一段得靠你们边搭浮桥边前进了。” 我点了点头，道：“是，只是，浮桥这么窄，我们怎么攻上去？” 浮桥宽有丈许，可以并排站三四个人，也不算太窄，但一次只能三四个人爬城，要对付城上的蛇人是完全不可能的。邓沧澜淡淡一笑，道：“楚将军放心，我已准备好了水云梯，只消浮桥能靠到城墙边，一次总可以同时有两三百人攀上墙去。” 两三百人登上墙，仍然不会是城头蛇人的对手，因此邓沧澜才要我的前锋营打头阵吧，现在所有的部队里，前锋营的攻击力是数一数二的。只是这一仗，前锋营只怕又要有极大的伤亡，怪不得邓沧澜在那些临时营帐里准备了大量的馒头牛肉，让那些注定要战死的士兵做个饱死鬼吧。我心中一阵混乱，道：“邓将军，我先下去了，一旦出发，马上来叫我吧。” 我刚要下船，邓沧澜忽然道：“楚将军，请保重。” 我淡淡一笑，道：“蝼蚁尚且惜命，我当然知道保重。” “这一战，前锋营只怕伤亡会极大。” 我站住了。邓沧澜说得倒很老实，我道：“我知道。” “胜利只有用鲜血才能换来。楚将军，只要此战得胜，沧澜愿为楚将军挽辔执鞭，至死无悔。” 我苦笑了笑，道：“这倒不必了，前锋营的勇士并不是为你而战的。” 走下船时，我心里又是一阵乱。想想方才自己对邓沧澜不免太无礼了，不过我倒对他没有恶感。在整个军中，前锋营大概称得上是战斗力最强的部队，对于邓沧澜而言，自然要将最强的部队作为先锋，才能杀开一条血路，夺取胜利。他可能在心里觉得对不起我，所以才会说什么挽辔执鞭的话，那意思是说只要我回来，他定不会与我抢功，就算做我部下也在所不辞。原本我对他要前锋营当先锋总有些微词，现在想来，的确只有前锋营最适合。 此时已过正午，可是天却越来越暗，便如黄昏。冰冷的雨点打在脸上，像一些细小的刀子刺入我的皮肉，微微地刺痛。 我不是为某个人而战的。在心底，我喃喃地说着。