It was late at night when we returned to the barracks.But when he walked to the door, he could still hear some voices coming from inside. Cao Wendao, Zhen Yining and I jumped off our horses at the gate of the camp. Two soldiers on guard came to lead the horses. I said, "What happened? Why don't people rest?" After the snake man's sneak attack failed, he didn't come to attack the city again today, so the vanguard battalion and the wolf soldiers took this opportunity to rest. I can't think of anyone who is so energetic and stays up so late. A soldier curled his lips and said, "It's General Ren. The sixty of them are still moving things."

My complexion darkened, and I said, "Why didn't you help them? General Ren made a lot of contributions along the way, don't you guys still have opinions from different families?" The soldier said anxiously: "Control, no. We also said that we would help him move, but General Ren doesn't want us to move, and even the militiamen don't want us to move, so there is nothing we can do." Although Ren Ji's troops are under my command for the time being, he is Bi Wei's direct line after all, and I have no way to command him anymore when we arrive in the city.Although Ren Jin's sixty people were also arranged in my battalion, he separated several of his camps and did not mix with the vanguard battalion and wolf soldiers.I looked at Cao Wendao and Zhen Yining, and said, "Let's go and have a look."

Ren Ji's barracks are lined up at the corner of the camp, which can be said to be a camp within a camp.Ren Ji was instructing his subordinates to carry things.There are no more than sixty of them in total, and thirty thunder crossbows have to be removed from the ship and reinstalled, which is enough for them to work for half a day.When I walked to the gate of their camp, Ren Ji had already seen me, put down his things and came up to me, bowed to me and said, "Chu Tongzhi, don't you rest yet?" I looked at them.Although there were few people on their boat, there were a lot of things. Two soldiers were carrying a big box over carefully.I said, "General Ren, why don't you want help?"

Ren Ji bowed again and said: "Chu Commander, please don't be overwhelmed. The final general will be ordered by General Bi. These thunderbolt crossbows must be kept well and must not fall into the hands of others, so I dare not work for your army." I was a little displeased and said: "Are you still afraid that the Qianfeng Battalion, the wolf soldiers and the traitors will fail?" "The general dare not." Ren Ji probably heard the displeasure in my voice, but he still said calmly: "As a soldier, the general only takes the orders of the chief as the most important thing. Please forgive me."

I also bowed to him and said, "Since that's the case, General Ren, you should be busy. It's thanks to General Ren's efforts to help me this time. Thank you very much." A soldier like him is a bit rigid and unflexible, but he is indeed a good soldier.Just as I was about to leave, Ren Ji suddenly said behind me: "Commander Chu!" There was some hesitation in his words.I turned my head and said, "General Ren, is there anything else?" Ren Ji thought for a while and said: "General Chu, I heard that you and Zhang Yuanwai are old acquaintances. You must have known that I brought the landmine. I hope you will keep this matter a secret and not spread it to the outside world. The more secret this weapon is, the better it will be. Alright, otherwise if the news leaks out, I'm afraid it will be hard to get any miraculous results."

I smiled and said, "Got it." After walking for a while, I whispered to Cao Wendao: "Ren Ji is really rigid. No matter how secret the weapon is, the snake man has already suffered it, how could he not know." Cao Wendao looked behind him, and said in a low voice: "General Chu, is it possible that General Ren is afraid that there will be a traitor from the snake man? Could it be that the snake man really has a traitor arranged in?" He probably didn't know about Gao Tie Chong when he was in Gaojiu City.I was about to say that the snake man would have traitors, but Zhen Yining suddenly said: "Actually, he is trying to hide the truth from the Second Crown Prince."

Zhen Yining's voice was very soft, but I couldn't help but tremble all over. What Zhen Yining said was right, Ren Ji was not afraid that the news would leak to the Snake Man, but rather that he didn't want the second prince to know that he had such a powerful weapon.I couldn't help but sighed, and couldn't speak for a while.I thought that although the two princes were fighting, they should always be united when dealing with the snake man. It seems that this is just my wishful thinking.The second prince asked me for a long time, and Ren Ji asked me not to spread the news about the flat land mine, I am afraid it is all based on the dispute between the two princes.I'm afraid that there will still be friction between these two forces in the future.

But what is Shao Fengguan's attitude?Did he really break with Marquis Wen and join the Second Prince's side? I looked at the sky.The moon is round, the clear light shines on the road, and the snoring of soldiers can be heard from time to time in the barracks, adding to the tranquility.But behind the tranquility, there seems to be an undercurrent surging. Since the snake man failed in the sneak attack, his whereabouts have been very strange. Most of them are besieged but not attacked. Occasionally, they will retreat when they are defeated. Ren Ji installed the thunder crossbow on the archery tower and didn't use it much. Not used.Although defending the city became less and less difficult, I was still a little uneasy.Discussing with Qian Wenyi and the others, they all felt that the snake man should use the old technique of besieging Gaojiu City back then.But Gaojiu City has very little food and grass, and it is beneficial to besiege the city, but Dongping City has enough food and grass. The siege of the snake people is really useless. Could it be that the leader of the snake people made a wrong decision?

On the 20th, the brigade led by Bi Wei should have arrived.This day the snake man attacked for a while and then retreated. Looking at the retreating back of the snake man, my doubts became more and more intense.I handed the gun to the soldier beside me, turned around and said to Cao Wendao who was standing beside me: "General Cao, do you feel a little strange?" Cao Wendao was taking off his helmet. He heard my words, and said vaguely: "It's a bit strange. However, the snake people are raw, maybe they really thought wrong. After they broke through the Gaojiu City, I'm afraid this way After repeated trials and failures, it makes sense to use it again.”

I shook my head and said, "I don't know. I think it's best to tell General Shao and ask him to be careful, maybe there will be some changes in the snake man." Cao Wendao took off his helmet, put it under his armpit, looked at the soldiers around him, and suddenly said: "General Chu, I'm really a little surprised. Judging from the current strength of this vanguard battalion, Wuhou's original 100,000 The army really shouldn’t be able to defend for forty days, there are only more than forty thousand horses in Dongping City, and now they have guarded for so many days.”

He wasn't asking me, but I couldn't really tell.The outcome on the battlefield is sometimes really unreasonable, and the difference may not be more than a thin line. It is not that Marquis Wu did not have a chance of winning at the beginning, but it was only a mistake that led to the failure.But now all the armies have regained some confidence, which is not a bad thing. I took off the heavy armor, put on the outer robe again, and said: "General Cao, please let someone inform the third commander, so as to restrain him, I will come to see General Shao and the second prince." The Vanguard Battalion took time out for training these days.The combat power of these thousand people is not inferior to any strong army, but because it is a patchwork army, the integration of various ministries is very problematic.When I was training the troops, I thought that if Wu Wanling was here, I would be able to get twice the result with half the effort.When it comes to bow, horse, sword and gun, Wu Wanling is not as good, but he is really good at rectifying military discipline.These days, I lead the army myself, and after studying the half of "Victory Soldiers" every day, I realized that when training soldiers, military discipline is more important than individual combat strength in a sense.A group of ordinary soldiers with strict discipline, the overall combat power is far more than the sum of individual combat power.In the past, both Marquis Wu and Shen Xiping ignored this point, so although the Dragon Scale Army had the highest attack power in the world, it was still not as good as the more disciplined Vanguard Battalion. I jumped on my horse and walked towards Shao Fengguan's Chinese army.After a battle ended, the soldiers in the city were changing guards. Whether it was the second prince's reinforcements or Shao Fengguan's defenders, their order was also very orderly. It seemed that they also discovered the importance of military discipline. When I arrived at Shao Fengguan's camp, I jumped down, let the guards at the gate pass by, and followed him in.As soon as he entered the camp, he heard the second prince's voice saying: "General Chu is here? It's just right." The second prince is here?It was only when I entered that I found that the second prince and Shao Fengguan were sitting in front of the desk with wine glasses in front of them, as if they were discussing something.I knelt down and bowed, and said after seeing it: "Your Highness, General Shao, Chu Xiuhong has something to report." Shao Fengguan didn't know why, he seemed to avoid me all the time, when I said that, he held the wine glass and didn't say anything, but the second prince said: "General Chu, what's the matter?" "Your Highness, General Shao, the Snakeman has besieged the city for a long time, but the offensive is not strong. The general thought that there might be fraud in it." Shao Fengguan shook his hands slightly, put down his cup, looked at me and said, "General Chu, how did you see that?" "At the beginning, the last general was defending Gaojiu City with Lord Wuhou, and the snake men at that time were also like this. Whenever the attack was difficult, they retreated. Until later, a large number of snake men assisted and wiped out the 100,000 troops in the city. I'm afraid the snake man will repeat his old tricks." Shao Feng looked at the cup and murmured: "If that's the case, it's easy to handle. The snake people must have miscalculated this time, and I'm afraid they didn't have this idea." The second prince smiled and said: "General Chu is too worried. Gaojiu City is surrounded by plains, isolated and helpless, and the siege of the snake man can be effective. Dongping City has Dongyang City as its corner, and supplies come from there. If it is transported by water, the snake people will not be able to attack it if they surround it for two or three years." I raised my head and said: "Second prince is clearly aware. But the general is worried, the original intention of the snake man is not to capture Dongping City, but to take the opportunity to contain my army here, but the main force is sweeping the southern provinces, so what should I do ?” Before the second prince said anything, Shao Fengguan's hand moved again, even knocking over the wine glass.He stood up a bit in a loss of composure and said, "General Chu, do you think so too?" Only then did I notice that as soon as I said this, even the second prince's face changed a bit.I made up my mind and said, "The general thinks that it is a little puzzling for monsters like snake people to point directly at Dongping City by the river with a single army. Even though there are many snake people, there are not many people after all, but Dajiang The southern provinces have no longer formed an army since Cang Yuegong rebelled. If the snake people want to consolidate the rear, they must first prevent our army from going south, then wipe out the southern provinces, and then gather a large army to attack the city. It can't be done overnight, so the snake people deliberately invaded Dongping City, making the emperor pay full attention to the safety of Dongping City, I think, the main force of the snake people is actually scattered in the southern provinces, not here." As soon as I finished speaking, Shao Fengguan slammed the table, stood up, and grabbed my shoulder.I was taken aback, and I only thought what offended my words were, but I didn't expect him to lift me up by the shoulders, turned to the second prince and said, "Your Highness, General Chu coincides with me, what else do you have?" Doubt?" The second prince was still sitting, picked up his cup, looked at the front with some blank eyes and said: "This matter has too much to do with me. I am notorious and have nothing to do with it. If I make a wrong estimate, the consequences will be disastrous. General Shao, you should sit down and sit down." Come down and talk about it." He turned his head and said to me: "General Chu, you can also sit down. Hehe, these days, you are the first one to explain this matter to us. Your military rank is not high, but you are courageous Not too small." In a hurry, I knelt down again and said: "Chu Xiuhong knows that the official is inferior and the position is small, it is really offensive. But these things are like bones in the throat, and I can't express it quickly. I hope His Highness and General Shao will forgive me." Shao Fengguan patted me on the shoulder and said, "What's the crime? If the city is captured by the Snakeman, any military rank will become a pile of meat in the Snakeman's stomach. General Chu, you have something to show, and I'm a kid." I'm watching you." He said this a little bluntly, as if he was saying that the second prince is also a person with an empty stomach, and the second prince was a little displeased and said: "General Shao, sit down." Shao Fengguan was a little confused at this moment, saluted and said: "Your Highness, please forgive me for being rude at the end." Although he is the main general of Dongping City, his status is quite different from that of the second prince.I haven't met Shao Fengguan a few times before, and today I can be regarded as sitting face to face.Shao Fengguan's appearance is also plain, with a few beards, not like Deng Canglan's elegant style of Confucianism, nor like Bi Wei's resolute and brave style, very ordinary.This is probably the reason why he was not liked by Marquis Wen and finally turned against Marquis Wen.Thinking of this, I am a little proud.Marquis Wen doesn't have a bad impression of me, and I probably belong to the handsome one. The second prince waited for me to sit down, asked someone to add a wine glass to me, and said: "General Chu, just now you said that the southern provinces have no organized army, and there is still a flaw in what you said. In the southern provinces, there is still a force quite strong." It is a considerable and well-established army, but now there is no news, so I don’t know what’s going on.” I said: "Your Highness must be referring to the 20,000 private soldiers of the Lord of Wuyang, right?" The status of Wuyang City is quite special. Although the owner of Wuyang City has no official or job, he has 20,000 private soldiers.I heard that because Wuyang City is close to the sea, most of the private soldiers are sailors. Although they are not part of the official army, they are not regarded highly by the imperial armies, but private rumors say that the 20,000 private soldiers are well-equipped and powerful, so Cang Yuegong During the rebellion, the lord of Wuyang City did not agree or oppose, and Lord Cang Yue also watched the changes quietly and let them take their course.It's just that the strength of the private soldier is unknown. The Second Crown Prince said: "Exactly. Just now, General Shao and I were guessing what the intentions of the Lord of Wuyang City are, whether he is still the same as when Cang Yuegong rebelled, Wuyang City remains neutral, or has it been destroyed by the snake man, the size of the city All were slaughtered, and there are no survivors." I was about to say that I should probably remain neutral, because the lord of Wuyang City once sent Zheng Zhao as an envoy to get in touch with Marquis Wen.But Marquis Wen had the intention of killing Zheng Zhao again. He didn't know whether the Lord of Wuyang City could still remain neutral after this incident, so he still didn't say anything when it came to his lips.The Second Crown Prince also didn't pay attention to my hesitation, and still said: "It's a pity that there is no news about the reprimand, and I really don't know what the Mayor of Wuyang wants." I interjected: "Your Highness, the Snake Man has not yet used a large army to attack Dongping City. Does it mean that the southern provinces have not yet fallen into their hands?" It was only a few days ago that Zheng Zhao arrived in the imperial capital. He escaped from the west of the city, and the journey was farther. He must not have arrived in Wuyang City yet.What's more, Zheng Zhao restrained me that time, but he didn't kill me to vent his anger. It seems that the Lord of Wuyang City will not decide to break with the empire. The snake man is different from Cang Yuegong. The second prince nodded and said, "That makes sense." He picked up the wine glass, and suddenly sighed: "The catastrophe fell from the sky, and the lives of the people were devastated. Alas, I really don't know when this world will come to an end." His words were very peaceful, but this simple sentence made me grateful for a while.When those ministers and generals talked about the war one by one, they always said that they wanted to make the empire safe and sound, as if no matter how many people died in the war, they should.The second prince himself is also the crown prince, but he said such words, which really touched me unexpectedly. Shao Fengguan put the wine glass to his mouth, drank the remaining wine in the glass, and said loudly: "Your Highness, the Tianshou Festival is coming soon, the last general will discuss, I wonder if Your Highness has made a decision?" I don't know what suggestion Shao Fengguan made, I looked at Shao Fengguan inexplicably, but Shao Fengguan ignored me at all, just looked at the second prince.The second prince also picked up the wine glass and took a sip, then suddenly slapped the desk with his palm, and said: "Call all the generals to discuss this matter immediately." After the second prince finished speaking, he probably saw me looking blankly at the side, smiled and said: "General Chu, you don't know, General Shao proposed to send troops from the city to attack the snake people." Going to attack the snake man!The plan was startling.In Gaojiu City, since Shen Xiping died in battle, Marquis Wu never had such thoughts.The attack power of the snake man is too strong, no one is so bold and arrogant, even the king of life-killing at that time, Chai Shengxiang, never dared to say that he would send troops to attack since he fought the snake man head-on. The battle with the snake people can only be based on defense.After Dongping City was besieged, it has been behind closed doors all the time. I didn't expect Shao Fengguan to have such an astonishing proposal at this time, and he couldn't help saying in shock: "Second Prince, this matter needs to be discussed in the long term..." The second prince smiled and said: "It is precisely to discuss this matter." He ignored me and clapped his hands. A guard came in and knelt down and said, "Your Highness." The second prince took out a token from his side and threw it down: "Immediately call the leaders and generals of all armies here to discuss matters, and ask people to set up seats here." The guard went out after receiving the order, and the second prince picked up another glass of wine and smiled, "General Chu, you can sit down." When discussing matters, a general like me is naturally not qualified to sit next to the second prince and Shao Fengguan.I knew it was useless to say it at this time, so I stood up and bowed silently, then walked to the back.At this time, several guards came in to arrange the seats, and I picked a seat in the corner that matched my status and sat down.Shao Fengying's camp is very large, so it's not a problem to have dozens of people sitting there, but what the second prince is talking about is the leading generals of each army, and now I'm one of them.If the army led by Bi Wei arrives, I probably won't be eligible to participate again. There are now about 40,000 people in the city, and those who come to participate in the military meeting are all generals above the commander.Shao Fengguan's garrison in Dongping City has 13,000 to 4,000 troops, and another 4,000 to 5,000 are stationed in Dongyang City. The officers there can't come here now, and only a dozen commanders in Dongping City, plus the second prince's When the twenty commanders arrived, there were more than thirty people in the camp.Lu Gongxing came very early, he saluted the second prince after he came in, saw me sitting in the corner, came over and sat next to me, and whispered: "General Chu, are you here early?" Lu Gongxing has always been my officer, and now his military rank is one level higher than mine. I stood up and bowed to him: "General Lu, sit down." After Lu Gongxing sat down, he whispered, "Do you know what to discuss?" I whispered: "General Shao is going to send troops to attack the Snake Man." My voice was very low, but Lu Gongxing's body shook, as if he was taken aback, he said, "Really? In such a hurry?" I nodded and didn't finish.Lu Gongxing murmured: "Sure enough, there is such a decision, no wonder the second prince has ordered me to step up training the cavalry these few days." I wanted to say something, but I heard the second prince say: "Since everyone is here, let's start." The second prince stood up, glanced at us, and said loudly: "Dongping City has been standing up to now, exactly thirty-three days. During these thirty-three days, you have worked together to face difficulties and be loyal to the country. Dongping City is still as strong as a rock." , are all relying on the strength of everyone here." His voice is calm but loud, and every word and every sentence can be heard clearly.But I couldn't help but blush a little, because the second prince said "relying on the strength of everyone here", that includes me, just defending Dongping City, I really didn't make much effort.The second prince's words made me feel ashamed. The second prince said again: "However, these days, the city has been surrounded by powerful soldiers, and it cannot be defended. Even if the snake men cannot break through the city, it is difficult for our army to win. General Shao discussed with me before, and today, it is necessary to go out of the city In a battle, the only way to win is to turn defense into offense, what do you think?" I was a little dazed when I heard it, and looked at Lu Gongxing on the side, but suddenly found a sneer on the corner of his mouth, which seemed to be sarcasm.My heart skipped a beat, and I whispered, "General Lu, actually, it won't be too late to discuss this matter after General Bi Wei's reinforcements arrive." Lu Gongxing didn't turn his head, just moved the corner of his mouth slightly, and said softly: "It will be too late then." This was exactly what I expected, originally I was still suspecting that I was judging a gentleman with the heart of a villain, but Lu Gongxing, who is an important general of the second prince, also said the same, so naturally I expected it well.The second prince wanted to go out of the city to fight in such a hurry, just before Bi Wei's reinforcements, so he didn't want Bi Wei's reinforcements to share the credit.It seems that Shao Fengguan really turned to the second prince's side to raise this proposal. What the second prince said about the catastrophe and the loss of life, I think he has a heart of benevolence, but now I feel that the second prince also has his words but no deeds. In his mind, the lives of soldiers are not as important as this great contribution .Going out of the city to attack the enemy now, even if you can win, the loss will be great, but the second prince didn't think about it at all, maybe he didn't think about it.He probably thinks that once Bi Wei's reinforcements from the prince's lineup arrive, and then put forward this proposal, the credit will be attributed to Bi Wei instead. It is better to take a risky attack before Bi Wei arrives. After a lucky success, he will complete the battle. In the name of success, the accusation of the entire Dongping City navy annihilated before can also be wiped clean.Next, the second crown prince ranked as the second crown prince will move up to the next level, and switch positions with the crown prince's first crown prince, which will be more certain. Thinking of this, I couldn't help feeling a little angry at Shao Fengguan.Although the second prince claims to be familiar with military books, he has never been on the battlefield.Shao Fengguan was listed as one of the four generals of "Earth Fire Water Wind". He had battled for a long time, so he naturally understood the priorities, but how could he propose such a risky proposal to favor the second prince?Is he really taking the lives of soldiers as a joke? I was a little far away from the second prince's seat, and when I looked over, Shao Fengguan, who was sitting under the second prince's hand, looked somewhat strange.Perhaps, he knew that such a plan was too risky, and he was also blaming himself.However, he knew that the feasibility of this proposal was too low, so he still wanted to propose it. I really don't know what he is at ease.It's a good thing if this operation is successful, if it fails, the Second Crown Prince will at most lose his position as Crown Prince due to a wrong decision, but Shao Fengguan may lose his life. Looking at Shao Fengguan, I suddenly thought that Shao Fengguan asked the second prince if he had thought about it, so it seems that when I asked to see Shao Fengguan, the second prince was also considering the feasibility of this matter, so I am afraid that I came in at this time to say something The snake people wiped out the remaining power of the empire in the rear, so that the second prince decided to adopt this proposal? I can't help being a little dumbfounded.The second prince is so aggressive, it seems that I also played a role in fueling the flames.So, if this attack is defeated like Shen Xiping's at that time, will I be regarded as the first culprit of the defeat? Just as I was thinking about it, I heard the second crown prince mentioning my name. I pricked up my ears and heard him say, "General Chu Xiuhong, the commander of the vanguard battalion who recently came to help, also spoke to me. It is said that the snake man is trapped and cannot attack. There must be a deep meaning. This statement seems to be good. If our army can't defend, I'm afraid it will delay the opportunity of the battle and let the snake man grow up, and it will be even more irresistible. The top priority is that our army must send troops to attack. A generous gift for the festival!" As he spoke, his voice became louder and louder.I remembered that the prince's eloquence is quite good. Even though the two brothers are very different, they are on par with each other in terms of speech. At this moment, all the troops in the tent stood up at the same time and said loudly: "The last general waits for his wishes. Fight to the death with the Snakeman!" The atmosphere in the tent had been instigated by the second prince, everyone was whispering to each other, and many people showed a tragic look on their faces.In their minds, the battle with the Snake Man was now at its last moment, and even if they died in this battle, it would be worth it. Shao Fengguan's strategy was to divide the 3,000 cavalry into two teams to charge together at night, and after entering the snake man camp, divide the troops to left and right, and charge out from both sides of the snake man camp.The difference from before is that this time the infantry only responded behind the formation and did not participate in the charge, so that the cavalry could give full play to its mobility and flexibility.Three thousand cavalry, it would be delusional to say how much the battle results will be, but the snake man is not fast, and usually travels in chariots. Set fires everywhere, and withdraw as soon as you succeed.This is the strategy mentioned in the "Seven Essentials of the March" of "steaming into the camp with iron cavalry, rushing forward with a strong wind, and disrupting the enemy's mind". In all fairness, this plan is not impossible at all. Xiaosheng's.Compared with the results of the battle, once they take the initiative to attack and win, the morale of the city defenders will be greatly improved, and the greater advantage is that the second prince can make a big contribution.Compared with the expected results, the latter reason must be more attractive to the second prince. I meditated on this plan, trying to see if there was anything incomplete.Judging from what the second prince said, Shao Fengguan's plan was comprehensive and there was nothing to criticize, but I always felt that something was wrong.I know that the plan belongs to the plan, and the implementation may not be as smooth as imagined. When it comes to the battlefield, it changes rapidly, and I will not follow the art of war.As planned, the 3,000 cavalry troops will rush in together, separate in the camp, form a scissors-like formation in the snake-man camp, kill a circle on the left and right, and then gather together and rush back. The two cavalry troops on both sides may not be able to keep pace. If one side is stopped by the snake man and the attack is frustrated, it will inevitably make the other cavalry army become a lone army, and the infantry will only be in charge, and the snake man will be able to defeat both sides. Three thousand people are afraid that the whole army will be wiped out in the snake camp.It's just that the morale of the army is so high now, if I raise such an objection, I'm afraid it will be considered self-defeating. I opened my mouth, but finally didn't say it. When the camp quieted down, Lu Gongxing suddenly stood up and said, "Your Highness, there is one thing that is unclear at the end. According to the plan, the two cavalry armies will advance side by side, and they can meet at the gate of the Snake Man camp. Army, to separate the two armies, wouldn't they be defeated by each of them?" I couldn't help clapping my hands secretly.What Lu Gongxing said was exactly what I was worried about and dared not mention.Lu Gongxing is the second prince's lieutenant general, so if he were to mention it, the second prince would not be furious if he thought about it, maybe he would think about it again. Before the second crown prince could speak, Shao Feng said, "General Lu, there is a saying in the art of war: 'Make a decision before moving, and never slack in battle'. Since the city was besieged, the cavalry army has been useless, just like a sharp knife, eager to use it. , and the snake man only said that our army dare not go out of the city to fight. We will definitely strengthen our vigilance, and then this trick will no longer work.” Lu Gongxing said: "There are less than 40,000 soldiers in the city now, so it is unwise to allocate 3,000 to take such a big risk. Your Highness, I think it is better to discuss this matter in the long run." Hearing what he said, I couldn't help but sigh to myself. Lu Gongxing is well versed in the art of war, but he is the son of the minister of the Ministry of War, and he has probably never tasted the trap of others in his life, so Shao Fengguan set a trap in his words and obediently jumped into it.Shao Fengguan spoke without any scruples, but I found that his eloquence was quite sharp, and the last sentence was so grand that it could be justified.The fact is true, once Bi Wei's reinforcements arrive, the snake people will definitely strengthen their vigilance, but now they are somewhat lax.It's just that these words are based on the premise that this attack can be won, and Lu Gongxing will fall into a trap, so it makes people feel that it is better to wait for the reinforcements to arrive before attacking or to attack now.The second prince agreed to this matter again, Lu Gongxing said this, as if he was against the second prince, and probably dispelled the second prince's last hesitation. Sure enough, the Second Crown Prince said: "General Lu, when the two armies meet, the brave will win. You don't have to be too cautious, so as to delay the opportunity of the battle. However, you can also refer to what General Lu said. This matter should be done sooner rather than later, and an elite soldier must be responsible." He glanced down, and the generals stretched their necks one by one, but he heard the second prince say: "General Chu Xiuhong of the forward battalion!" Hearing the second crown prince calling me, I felt a "squeak" in my heart, went out and knelt down in the tunnel and said, "The last general, Chu Xiuhong, obeys the order." "The vanguard battalion is full of experienced warriors, and most of them are cavalry. You, General Chu, will be in charge of the left charge." I lowered my head and said, "I obey." As I said the words, I couldn't help but panic in my heart. Judging from the composition of each battalion, Dongping City is located on the south bank of the Great River. The soil here is loose and not suitable for horses to run. The defenders in Dongping City are not good at cavalry, so Shao Fengguan will offer such a strategy. He is also sure that he will not charge It's his subordinate.The Vanguard Battalion was the one that fled back from the Nanzheng Army. Under the final attack of the Snakemen, the Nanzheng Army couldn't even escape from the Reebok Battalion, the number one infantry. Most of the people who fled back were cavalry. From a perspective, such a task is indeed only suitable for the forward battalion.As soon as I answered two words, I immediately said: "It's just that the general has something to report. This time, our army came by boat to help Dongping City. Although most of the 3,000 people are cavalry, a single horse is enough." Did not bring." The Second Prince said: "General Chu, don't worry about this. Dongping City has 5,000 war horses, which are useless these days. They are just for this purpose. In addition, I will personally lead the right assault army in this battle." As soon as he said this, Lu Gongxing yelled "Ah", he walked out of the queue and knelt beside me and said, "Your Highness, you are a rich man, and you will think that His Highness will directly lead the troops to charge, that is absolutely impossible .” The second prince shouted: "I am a general of an army, and I must be the first soldier. I am not afraid of swords and guns. Why not? General Lu, you step back." Lu Gongxing didn't retreat at all, raised his head and said: "Your Highness, the last general thinks that His Highness should strategize and issue orders, and you must not put yourself in danger." The second prince frowned, his nose twitched a little, and he shouted: "General Lu, you mean that this king wants to charge himself, is that brave or foolhardy?" "The last general dare not. But the last general is ordered by the emperor to help His Highness, so I have to say this. Your Highness, you must not go into battle in person. This matter should be entrusted to a wise and brave general who is prepared." The second prince let out a long breath and shouted: "Lu Gongxing, you mean that this king is unprepared for his wisdom and courage?" His voice was very loud, and he called Lu Gongxing by name, it seemed that he was really angry.The Second Crown Prince was probably familiar with military books, he was conceited that he knew soldiers, and he was young and energetic. Lu Gongxing insisted on his own opinion, which annoyed him very much, and his words were not polite.But Lu Gongxing said neither humble nor overbearing: "Your Highness, the last general dare not be rude. But the last general followed Marquis Wu's southern expedition and fought for thousands of miles. With Marquis Wu's ability, he never put on armor to go into battle. What's more, for the way of generals, There are fighting generals and strategic generals, His Highness is responsible for commanding the three armies, which is far more important than leading an army to charge, I hope His Highness think twice." The second prince glared at him, but was speechless.Marquis Wu was the prince Shaobao back then, and he also taught the second prince the art of war. No matter how arrogant the second prince is, he would not dare to think that he is stronger than Marquis Wu now, at least he would not say so in front of others.After a while, he let out a breath and said, "Okay, Bian Zhen!" A general walked by and knelt beside us and said, "The last general, General Bian Zhen, obeys orders." "General Bian, you will lead the right charge army, and join forces with General Chu to attack the enemy. It is not too late, the two generals will hurry to prepare the army and horses." After finishing speaking, he flicked his sleeves and said loudly: "The rest of the generals, except those who defend the city directly, are all waiting to join me in the battle. This battle must be successful, and failure is not allowed." I sighed secretly, but dared not say a word.Originally, I was looking forward to the second prince, but it seems that the second prince is still a reckless young man, too impulsive.Now, I can only hope that Shao Fengguan's plan will be more perfect and can be completed smoothly. When we got back to camp, it was almost dark.This matter is too urgent, I immediately summoned Qian Wenyi, Yang Yi, and Xing Tiefeng, the three commanders of Qianfeng Battalion, to explain this matter.They were startled by the plan at first, but they also felt that the plan was quite strict and there would be no big troubles, especially Xing Tiefeng, who was quite eager to try.Seeing them like this, I can't say anything more, otherwise it will appear that I am timid. We immediately went to gather the soldiers and prepared to bring the horses to practice. As soon as we got out of the tent, we saw Tao Changshi rushing towards me. As soon as he came to me, he knelt down suddenly and said, "Chu Tongzhi, I heard that you are going to attack the snake man." camp?" I helped him up and said, "General Tao, how do you know?" "I just heard what the messenger said. Chu Tongzhi, Tao Mou is willing to act as a forward, driven by the controller." I pondered for a while, and said: "That's fine, General Tao, please order two hundred people to temporarily fill the forward battalion." The forward battalion only has more than 1,300 people. Fifteen hundred people, two hundred less.I originally wanted to draw two hundred more wolf soldiers to help in the battle, but I was afraid that Tao Changshi would not agree, since he proposed it himself, it was just right.Hearing that I agreed, his face was filled with joy, and he saluted and said: "Thank you, I'll go get some troops right away." The military horses in Dongping City are all raised in the east of the city.Dongping City occupies a very large area, but the 5,000 army horses also occupy a large hay field. I brought 1,500 people to the horse farm, and I met Bian Zhen leading the army out.Like me, he is also a general, probably an important general under the Second Prince's command.When he saw me, he just nodded his head as a greeting, and left with his fifteen hundred people. I walked into the racecourse and showed the order issued by the second prince to the soldier in charge of the horses. He opened the door and said, "General, please go and pull 1,500 horses yourself." For one or two horses, the groom will do it for him, but if there are 1,500 horses and the groom needs to lead each of them, I'm afraid it won't be able to be done until tomorrow morning.I looked at the sky, the sun had already set, and it was getting dark. I turned my head and said to Qian Wenyi and the others who were following me: "Quickly tell the brothers to lead the horses and pay attention to order." I was a little worried that it would cause confusion when leading the horses. In the past, I only led a hundred soldiers from the Vanguard Battalion. Later, when I entered the Dragon Scale Army, there were only two to three hundred soldiers, but now there are a total of one thousand and five soldiers.If the horses were all messed up, the battle might as well be over, I was just dying, so I watched them go in with a little unease.Unexpectedly, although the vanguard battalion was put together in pieces, it was in order when they entered, and each of them took their own horses and lined up to wait in the stockyard.这些士兵不少都是陆经渔的部下，象曹闻道当初还是陆经渔铁骑中的，骑术都相当不错，更难得的成军不过十天左右，现在却象是久经训练一般，一个个笔直地站着。 一上马，军容威武了许多。我看着那些士兵一个个极快地牵马，不禁欣喜地对曹闻道说道：“曹将军，前锋营现在已大有强兵风范了。” 曹闻道看了看一边骑在马上正在指挥士兵列队的甄以宁道：“统制，此时实是多亏了甄参军。他年纪虽小，却很有一套，这两天我们都是按他所订规程训练，看来已初见成效。对了，统制，你自己怎么不去牵马？” 我抓了抓头，不禁有点苦笑。我光顾着看他们牵马，却忘了自己还没有马。我道：“是啊，我马上去挑一匹。” “统制，我和你一起去吧。” 曹闻道说完，将马缰绳扔给边上一个护兵，和我向马厩走去，一边小声道：“统制，你觉得这次出击，真能有胜算么？” 他也对这次出击不太有信心啊。我苦笑了一下，道：“箭在弦上……”话还没说完，突然马厩中一阵混乱，几个士兵大叫起来：“当心！外面的当心！”我吓了一跳，却见从马厩中冲出一匹黑马来。 这匹马也并不特别高大，全身乌黑，四蹄上却长着雪白的毛。我浑身一震，惊叫道：“乌云压雪！” 从这匹马的毛色来看，正是《名驹谱》中的第三品“乌云压雪”。《名驹谱》是军中流传的一部相马谱，教人相马用的，不过并不很实用。那本谱中记载了十八品名驹，上中下各六品，主要是按毛色来分。乌云压雪是上品中的第三品，但是实际上很少有书上所说的那样毛色奇怪的马，几年前，马监中曾经搜罗来一匹马，毛色完全符合《名驹谱》中的第一品“朱顶照夜白”，但那匹马除了样子好看，根本没一点名驹的样子，吃得不少，可跑得比驴子还慢，走上五六里路便气喘吁吁，和《名驹谱》中所说的“追风逐电，日行一千五百里”差得太远了，一时《名驹谱》也成了笑柄，没人再拿那当真了。我曾经看过一遍，也只当那是说着好玩的，但眼前这匹乌云压雪冲出来时神骏非常，正是有点名驹的样子。 曹闻道的眼也一下直了，道：“真是漂亮，不知跑得快不快。” 象是回答他的话，那匹马一阵长嘶，一跃而起，一下子竟然跳过了四五丈远，周围的士兵都发出一阵惊呼。那个管马的士兵却叫道：“怎么把这家伙放出来了，快点，快把它拉住！”但是这匹马一冲出马厩，哪里还抓得住，在当中的空地上转了转，不时咆哮，几个冲上去的士兵也不敢靠得太近，根本拉不住缰绳。 我看着这匹马不禁有些入迷。龙鳞军的金千石有匹好马叫“飞羽”，那匹马又驯良又神骏，虽然毛色不上《名驹谱》，却绝对不比那些说得天花乱坠的名驹逊色。这匹乌云压雪性子要暴烈许多，可神骏却不下于飞羽。 我转头对那个士兵道：“这匹马给我吧，我要了。” 好马人人想要，我真有点怕被哪个士兵牵走了，那可真要抱憾终生。那士兵叫道：“可是，那马太凶了，将军你……” 我没理他，已冲了过去。这时一排士兵已经围成一个大圈，将那马围在圈中，正在慢慢缩小，马却在圈中焦躁不安，不时踢着地面。我还没走到，这马又是一声暴叫，猛地一跃而起。这一次跳得更高，竟然跳过了两个士兵头顶。 马是向我这儿跳过来的，如果被这匹马踩中，那可真要被踩死不可，边上的士兵发出了一阵惊叫。我看着马在空中向我直扑过来，身子一侧，闪过了马头，趁马的两蹄刚踏到地上，双足一跃，便想跳到马背上。 裸马不好骑，但这马已经上了辔头，应该还能应付。哪知我的指尖刚触到马背，这马象是通灵一样，身子猛地向一边一扭，一下子成了背着我，两蹄却猛地蹬过来。 这匹马的力量极大，踢中人的话，那真个象被一柄铁锤打中，不死也要重伤。我的两手本想按着马背，现在成了按向后臀，根本闪不可闪，边上的士兵又是一阵惊叫，当中曹闻道的声音最响。 现在我双足腾空，根本闪不开。要是我这个前锋营统制在尚未出发时先被马一蹄子踢死，那几乎要成了个笑话了。就算没被踢死，那士气也会低落到底谷，再谈不上出征了。我咬了咬牙，眼角看着马蹄，双腿尽力一缩。马在蹽蹶时，两条后腿必然也会一缩，我的机会正是在那极短的一缩间。我看着马蹄退后，两脚则刚好踩到马蹄上。这一连串动作拿捏得恰到好处，要是稍一错开，那马蹄便会将我的腿也踢折的，现在马一蹬之力尚未完全用力，倒是等如这马将我踢起来的一般，我只觉脚心一疼，似乎脚骨也被踢断，人箭一样向前射去，两手在马后胯上一按，重重地坐到了马背上，前胸刚好在马脖子上一撞。 这一撞让马也有点受不了，它又大叫了一声，两腿一弯，似乎想把我甩下来。但是我一上马背，那就由不得它了，两臂一把环着抱住马脖子，脚底虽然仍然疼痛，也顾不得了，拼命夹住马的两肋，死也不掉下去。这马见甩我不下，只在拼命打转，一边嘶叫。我不管它怎么动，只是拼命将两臂箍紧。坐在马背上，就象是在大风浪中一样，眼前的人影纷至沓来，忽高忽低，地上又是着火一般，灰土直崩起来冲上我的脸，依稀还能听到曹闻道的叫声，眼前也看到他，只是一闪而过，不知到底在叫些什么。 转了一阵，这马也许也有些累了，动作慢了些。我看准机会，一手摸索着摸到了马缰，一抓到手上便用力一勒，这马护痛之下，又是一阵暴叫，猛地人立起来。但我已有防备，两腿用力，还生怕会掉下马背？左手揽住了马脖子。马又是转了几个圈，才慢慢地停了下来，但仍在喷着响鼻，似是大不服气。我心知此时定要降伏它，不然这马的性子会越来越烈，以后更要降不住了，手中也不容情，拼命地拉着缰绳，马嘴里也被我拉得流出血来，恐怕是马唇被我这般大力拉得破了。 又转了几圈，这马渐渐地缓和下来。也许它也知道要是再使性子，我更不会让它好受，不再乱跳。这马到这儿便是初步收伏了，以后再慢慢溜弯指挥，以这马的力量和速度，定是一匹神驹。我骑在马上，说不出地自得。 这时，曹闻道过来道：“统制，你真是厉害，这等悍马也降得住。” 我心中一阵得意，正待夸上一句口，那个养马的士兵却脸色煞白地在一边叫道：“将军，当心！这马还不曾服！” 他话音刚落，马又突然间一声暴叫，猛地人立起来。这会前蹄抬得更高，两条后腿几乎是和马背呈一直线，我根本没有防备，两腿也没夹紧，人登时滑了下来。幸好那士兵喊时我已有了些警觉，两腿猛地一夹，此时却坐到了马后胯上。那马却猛地发力向前一纵，我知道此时只消一松手便会摔下来，要降伏这马成了一句空话还只是事小，摔下来后恐怕要连浑身骨头都摔得粉碎。我两手一用力，两掌贴在马肩上，人也贴上马背。 现在我不是骑在马上，而是伏在马背上的。还好别人也看不清我的样子，不然我现在定是面色煞白，脸色难看到极点。马已在向前冲去，几乎象离弦之箭，这等快法，实在有些匪夷所思。但现在却不是赞叹这马跑得快的时候，马跑得快一分，那我也就危险一分，我两手紧紧贴着马肩，不时移动腰部，几乎是在马背上向前爬，先前的豪气已一扫而空，代之以一阵沮丧。 这马的性子这么烈，恐怕要降伏它也是句空话，不然以这马的神骏，早被人点走，也不会被牵在马厩中让我来选了。我在马背上象一条虫子一样挪动，只觉风声过耳，眼前的城墙却越来越近。 这马是向城墙冲去的。马城在城中占了很大一块地方，但终究有限，一眨眼地功夫，马便跑完了跑道，将前锋营的士兵抛在后面。而十几丈高的城墙，那绝不是马能跳得过去的，这马以如此快的速度奔来，真会一头撞死在城墙上么？要是在城墙上撞成一滩肉饼，那还不如被马踢死呢。 但城墙在我眼中已如排山倒海一般压来。从马上看过去，好象不是我撞向城墙，而是这城墙以雷霆万钧之势压向我的身上。这时我已爬上前一点，左臂已能揽住马脖子，但还用不出力来，正在惊慌失措，马却猛地一侧身子，贴着墙根跑起来。 一匹好马，除了奔跑迅速，转向也要灵活。战场上瞬息万变，一匹马若是转向不灵，那么马上将领就象有十分本领也只剩五分了。这马迅如闪电，转向时也丝毫不减速，实是匹一等一的好马，可惜就是性子太烈了，现在我没有降伏它，自己却已经被它收拾得十足十，可说让它降了。我在马上已是头晕目眩，几乎不知身在何处，这一转弯更是让我在马背上歪了一歪，又向一边溜下一些，现在只是拼命地贴在马上不让自己掉下去，突然间，耳边响起了一个人的话语：“人马合一，心神相通，身不驭马，亦不为马驭。” 尽管在马上，我也只觉周身都是一震。这几句话该是驭马的至理名言，也不知是我从哪儿看来的，现在千钧一发之际突然想起来。可是“人马合一，心神相通”，说说容易，我又如何跟这马心神相通法？我都不记得哪儿看来这两句话了，当然更不记得该如何人马合一，心神相通。 这时，突然耳边又响起了那人的话语：“凝神静气，心观天地。” 心观天地！这四个字象是突然间在我两眼间开了个天目。百辟刀的刀铭也说“唯心不易”，现在我在马背上，自己先惊慌失措，根本没法凝神静气，哪里还谈什么心观天地？身周的事也看不清了。但那个声音却好象一根灵巧的手指，将我乱成一团的思绪一下理顺，虽然仍是眼花缭乱，但周围的景物一下清晰起来，我都可以看清城墙上一块块向后飞驰的城砖了。 Be calm.我把自己粗乱的呼吸慢慢调匀。马还在沿着城墙跑，现在又到了一个拐角处，仍是一个急转弯，但此时我觉得自己身轻如燕，身子在马背上轻飘飘的，好似全无重量，从掌心，透过马的皮肤鬃毛，传来这匹马的心跳。按理马的心脏一直在跳，我也该一直都应该能感觉到，但直到这时，我才感到了这马也是匹有血有肉的生灵，不是块暴戾的石头。 我的呼吸越来越和缓，说也奇怪，掌心感到马的心跳初时也急如繁鼓，慢慢地也和缓起来，也慢慢地和我的呼吸一致，就象有一根管子将我的心跳与马的心跳连到了一起。这等感觉极是奇妙，一瞬间我几乎忘了自己是骑在马上，好象自己就是这匹马一样，正在路上飞奔。 人马合一，那已不是驭马了。当人与马合二为一时，岂不是能由着人的心意，不用马缰也能骑马了？现在这匹马的速度仍然没有放慢，可是我却几乎感觉不到坐在马背上有起伏之感，马缰松着，也仅是拿在手上而已，大概不用也可以。我心中一喜，但看着手中的马缰，却不敢放掉了试试，只是轻轻一抖。这动作很轻，但马却象明白我的心意，身子一侧，跑了个小圈，折而重新向城墙跑去。 这回，和方才那次惊恐万状根本不同，我好象完全可以感觉马的步调，连马蹄踏上地面都能感觉出来。 现在，可以说是初步的“人马合一，心神相通”了吧？我又惊又喜，一时有些不知所措。 突然，我耳边响起了“哧”的一声笑。这笑声似乎有点赞许，也有些讥讽。 如果说耳边响起几句话，那还可以说是我看到过。听到这样的笑声，实在有些怪了。我吃了一惊，手又是轻轻一抖，马一下站住了，我抬头向上看去。 这马当然不会说话，周围也没人。要有人说话，当然只有在城墙上。但城墙有十多丈高，就算有人说话，哪里会象在我耳边说的一样？只是我好象也根本没想到这点，只是抬头望去。 刚抬起头，便觉一缕阳光射入眼底，让我眼前一花，可是我好象依稀看见，就在我头顶的城墙上，有个人靠着雉堞，正在上面看着我。我忙伸手搭了个凉篷再往上看，却只是空荡荡一片。 这时两个人骑马冲了过来，正是钱文义和曹闻道两人。曹闻道隔了老远便叫道：“统制，你没事吧？” 我将马带得距城墙远一些，再往上看。但墙头空空荡荡，看不到人。这段城墙是北墙，再外面便是大江了，隔着厚厚的城墙也可以听到外面的江声。江流不息，别的便什么也听不到。 曹闻道正在大赞我的驭马本领，大概见我正注意城墙，便道：“统制，怎么了？” 我道：“刚才你们见到城墙上有人么？” 他和钱文义两人一怔，也不知我为什么注意墙头。钱文义也手搭凉篷向上望去，道：“怎么了？我们也没注意。” “没什么。”我带了带马，道：“去吧，我还得给这马上副鞍鞯。” 我没有跟他们说，我刚才在眼睛一花时，依稀看到的那个人。 那该是个老者。身材矮小，因为我觉得他大概比雉堞的缺口处还高不了多少。是个老者固然有些奇怪，更奇怪的是——也许是我多疑，但那张脸，我做梦也忘不了，那是一张尖嘴猴腮、奇丑无比的脸。