Chapter 19 Chapter 3 King of the Army VI

Late at night, in the Lijun camp at Shangyang Pass, a large tent was still brightly lit.A young general named Xie Xuan played chess with Ying Wuyi Wenping. "Today, the city was right for a while. We dispatched a hundred-man team, and twenty-five people were killed or injured." Xie Xuan said casually during the long exam. "Twenty-five Thunder Riders were killed or injured?" Ying Wuyi was taken aback, "This is not a small loss. How about the enemy's damage?" "One died and one was injured." "how so?" "I met the general star in northern Shanxi, Gu Yueyi."

"I've heard of this name before, it seems that there is no one worthy of a great reputation." Ying Wuyi nodded. "My lord seems to be very pleased with the emergence of strong fighters in the enemy's camp, just like the kid I met in Qingpingyuan." Xie Xuan smiled. "It's like playing chess. If the opponent's chess strength is too weak, it's not fun. But if the opponent's chess strength is too strong, it's not fun. Just like playing chess with you now, I feel that it's getting more and more difficult." "I used to give in to the prince, but now I don't give in. It's not that my chess skills have improved."

"I've been lied to by you for so many years. I always thought that I could beat you on the chessboard if I just made one more move. Who knew it was just your trap. If you were Bai Yi, where would you go next?" Ying Wuyi also asked. Don't be angry, he really lost too much to Xie Xuan's subordinates, and he also knows the temper of this subordinate. "The pass is steep. With the strength in Bai Yi's hands, he will not attack by force. If it were me, it would be nothing more than cutting off the waterway, setting fire to the city, and poisoning the three poisonous tricks. Then I would lure the prince out of the city for a decisive battle, using Chu Weiguo's heavy armored spearmen and If Xiyan's wooden shield trap can kill the prince, then our army will be demoralized and will definitely be defeated."

As if he was used to talking like this, Xie Xuan stared at the chessboard and talked without the caution that a courtier should have.Ying Wuyi nodded, and tapped a chess piece on the board: "You said that the mechanism of Xiyan's wooden shield can really seal our army?" "The art of military formation, Bai Yi crowns Donglu, and has no opponent. Xi Yan and him said that he relied on the extensiveness of miscellaneous knowledge. The mechanism he designed, if he wants to break through head-on, I am afraid it is absolutely impossible, but," Xie Xie Xuan smiled, "Even if Tang Jun's wooden shield wall is fully unfolded, how long can it be? If you go around, Xiyan can't seal the Thunder Cavalry."

"Then tell me about your three poisonous schemes." "Before I set off, I had already consulted the files about Shangyang Pass. The structure of this pass is extremely ingenious. The water source is underground spring water, which can only be obtained by digging a well 30 feet away. It is also necessary to spend a year and a half exploring the terrain in the surrounding area. Setting fire to the city was the method used by Emperor Qiangwei to attack. After that bloody battle, the houses in Shangyang Pass did not use wood, and I ordered all the flammable baggage Hiding in the ground, as for poisoning, it is usually put in the water," Xie Xuanbu said with a slap in the face, "If you want to use poison to win, Bai Yi still has to find the spring vein first."

"According to what you said, our army is as safe as a mountain, so don't worry?" Ying Wuyi followed suit. "But those three strategies are all on my mind. Since Bai Yi is known as the number one general in the world, there must be a move that I can't match!" Xie Xuan suddenly picked up a chess piece and smashed it firmly on the chessboard, with a loud bang , "My lord lost!" Ying Wuyi was startled, and hurriedly looked at the chessboard. Xie Xuan smiled and pushed the chessboard: "It's the king's strength to break through the siege by fighting alone in the middle game. Unfortunately, at this time, there are swords and guns raging in all directions. Even if the king is a mad dragon, I don't believe that thousands of troops can't trap you to death!"

"Don't move! I'll watch again!" Ying Wuyi took no time to pay attention to his wild words, and hastily protected the chessboard pushed by him, for fear that the fallen chess pieces would move and they would never be able to play again.He stared blankly at the endgame and thought hard, while Xie Xuan smiled leisurely with a relaxed face. After a long time, Ying Wuyi flicked his finger, and the chess pieces fell back into the wooden box. "Lost again." The overlord of the generation also had a slightly frustrated expression. He liked playing chess most. "With Wang Ye's chess strength, it should be obvious that this game is desperate three moves early, and the last few moves of Wang Ye can be described as a cornered beast." Xie Xuan sneered, and his judgment was merciless.

Ying Wuyi was not angry either: "Your chess strength is much higher than mine. If you go to the battle, ten of you are not in my eyes, but on the chessboard, you are a goshawk and I am just a hare. But goshawks fight rabbits, and hares also have it." A stroke of the eagle." "Of course it's a gamble at the moment of life and death, but it's not necessary to fight so fiercely until the last moment." Ying Wuyi rolled his eyes, and his eyes suddenly became sharp: "You have something to say." Xie Xuan nodded: "Received the flying pigeons from the scouts this morning, Hua Ye's 30,000 wind and tiger cavalry are ready to go, ready to march into the apocalypse at any time. Now they are fighting against the 20,000 red brigade led by Liu Xiang at the entrance of Dangyang Valley. If Xiang doesn't move, Hua Ye won't either. Liu Xiang can't charge into the formation, but he is a rare strategist in formation, but if he wants to block Hua Ye, he may be beyond his power. If he is defeated, he can only retreat to the west. , trying to return home from the small road at the end of the Thunder Eye Mountain Range, the loss will be extremely heavy."

Ying Wuyi nodded: "The ugly tiger is indeed a strong opponent," "That's right. The four famous generals in the Eastern Continent, one dragon, one tiger, one leopard and one fox, are each good at winning. The ugly tiger Hua Ye is not moving now. His bet is that the 'Dragon General' Bai Yi can defeat the prince." Come on. At that time, if he launches an offensive again, he can strangle Liu Xiang's army and the prince's remnant soldiers together." "Then who are the rest of the parties betting on?" "Among the princes of the allied forces this time, only Xiatang, Chun, and Chuwei were the ones who really invested their money. Xiatang gambled on the contract with Chuwei's offensive and defensive alliance, and Chuwei gambled on expelling the prince and then controlling Tianqi City. , the remaining few are just betting that the Chu Wei Army and our army will lose both. They have the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos."

"It seems that our opponent is not a piece of iron." "But the prince must be clear," Xie Xuan said with a smile, "Although there are conflicts among them, none of them wants to let us leave Shangyang Pass easily! The reason why the princes agreed with the prince to occupy the Shangyang Pass as the guardian of the apocalypse was when the Suoheshan League was held. The imperial capital is because they can take the opportunity to trap the prince in the imperial capital. They have been waiting for this day for a long time, and the 70,000 army is about to destroy the city."

"Go ahead." Ying Wuyi suddenly smiled. "Just like this chess game," Xie Xuan pointed to the end game, "The prince's chess strength is not weak, and the killing power in the middle game is still higher than that of his subordinates. But the layout of the prince is a mess. Although he regained a little advantage by virtue of the fierce battle in the middle game, But it can't make up for the loss in the overall situation. The prince has always used troops like this. Back then, he occupied Tianqi City with only 5,000 thunder cavalry. The use of troops was extremely dangerous. Although the battle was a big victory, our army was trapped and lost the momentum. Now The country was in turmoil, and the prince had to abandon the imperial capital and return to the country. The original risky move was in vain. The situation has changed in the past three years. Although the name of the prince's overlord has been established, it has not occupied half of the ground. It works..." Xie Xuan held on to the topic: "Anyway, we are facing the six kingdoms of the Eastern Continent at this time, and there are so many famous generals in the opponent's battalion. Our chess is not easy to play." After thinking for a moment, Ying Wuyi nodded: "I have thought about what you said. But when I occupied the imperial capital, I didn't expect the situation in the country to get out of control. Zhen'er's ability to govern the country really disappointed me. Unfortunately, the teacher is not here. gone." What Ying Wuyi was talking about was his teacher, Li Tong, a veteran official from Liguo.In the past when Ying Wuyi went to war, there was Li Tong in charge of the country, so the rear was stable.After Li Tong's death, Ying Wuyi lost her strong support and had to entrust her eldest son, Ying Zhen, with a heavy responsibility.However, Ying Zhen still couldn't satisfy his lion-like father after all. "Actually, you can't blame the eldest son. Even if there is still Li Xiang in charge of the country, the prince has been away for so long, the ambitious courtiers below will still make some moves, but they are not as arrogant as they are now." Xie Xuan's face is serious, "Has the prince ever thought about it?" Why, when the prince leaves the country, all the officials bow their heads, but once the prince leaves, the courtiers in the country all become reckless?" "Go on!" "Because the courtiers are more afraid of the prince. The means of governing the country are kingly, gentle, and far-reaching. But the means of the prince," Xie Xuan said coldly, "are just domineering!" "Overbearing?" Ying Wuyi stared at Xie Xuan, with an indescribable coldness in his eyes, as if he was holding back his anger. "Overbearing!" Xie Xuan did not flinch in the slightest. Suddenly, Ying Wuyi smiled, got up and walked slowly to the tent door, lifted the curtain and looked outside.It was already midnight at this time, and the warriors of the Li Army stood quietly in the shadow of the street houses with their halberds in their hands. A torch was fired every ten steps, extending into the distance into several long and thin lines of fire, cutting vertically and horizontally. Open the dark pass.The banner on the wall in the distance vibrated in mid-air, and the cavalry beat their clappers, shouted and galloped across the wall, giving orders to the infantry defending the city.A gust of night wind blew so fast that Chongjin's robe seemed to be blown through. "When we left the country, it was just a small country in the southern wilderness. The world called us the southern barbarians. The most powerless princes in the world were our Ying family. At that time, we couldn't afford to pay homage to the ministers of Tianqi City every year. The state treasury was used. Year after year, the money was borrowed, and the money was not repaid. Every spring famine, people starved to death. When my great-grandfather paid homage to the emperor during the Spring Festival, the emperor threw money specially made in the palace, and he was trampled to death by the crowd fighting for it. "Ying Wuyi laughed softly, "But I have been on the throne for 20 years, and our country was born out of nowhere to dominate the Eastern Continent! If it weren't for the strangest soldiers and the most dangerous road, who would have imagined that we Nanman would have such a day? " "Manage carefully?" Ying Wuyi laughed suddenly, "Xie Xuan, do you think I will die of old age as a rich man?" Xie Xuan's complexion changed slightly, he left his seat and stood up. "When a man is born in this world, he should ride his horse freely, and if he points at it, he will be accepted everywhere!" Ying Wuyi shouted, "It is inevitable that people will die, either on the bedside or by the sword. I am forty years old this year. At the age of two, can I see that the whole world is a day when I leave the country?" Ying Wuyi and Xie Xuan looked at each other, and the tent was eerily quiet for a moment. After a long time, Xie Xuan suddenly had a serious face, lifted his battle clothes and half knelt on the ground: "The lord treats each other frankly, Xie Xuan is very grateful. Xie Xuan has a merciless request, and I hope that the lord will sit on the Taiqing Pavilion one day and give Xie Xuan Willow Academy." Ying Wuyi was slightly taken aback.Liulin Academy is the most famous academy outside Tianqi City Guoxue Hall. Even when he occupied Tianqi City, he did not dare to humiliate the gentlemen, so the sergeants were strictly prohibited from entering and harassing.For rewards, Xie Xuansu was free and easy, but tonight suddenly begged for rewards from Liulin Academy, and Ying Wuyi was momentarily at a loss. "If the prince is defeated, Xie Xuan will follow the prince and die under the sword." Xie Xuan laughed. "Liulin Academy? Is that the only place?" Ying Wuyi was a little surprised, "I can give you something else." "It's a memorable place," Xie Xuan smiled, "The other rewards are all from the Lord." The two returned to their seats. "Speaking of which, what has Bai Yi been doing these two days?" Ying Wuyi asked suddenly. "Yeye plays the flute in the open space outside the city. It is said that he plays it very well. Many of our sergeants are waiting for Yeye to listen to his flute." "Blowing the flute?" Ying Wuyi was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "If I'm not mistaken, now we are surrounded by 70,000 troops in Shangyang Pass, shouldn't it be me blowing the flute every night to show my calmness Is it?" "Perhaps Bai Yi wants to say that he is not in a hurry to break through the city. The besieged flute is to show the enemy calmness, and the besieged flute is to show the enemy calmness. Each has its own string song, and each listens to its own elegance," Xie Xuan said with a smile, "But the prince doesn't know how to play the flute." "Xiao, you can always listen to it. It's interesting. Come with me tomorrow night to listen to Bai Yi playing the flute." August 21st, late at night. The pale gray walls of Shangyang Pass were reddened by the flames.On the plain facing this grand pass, two hundred and fifty steps away is the coalition's repelling horses and the fence. In front of the fence, there are bonfires every ten steps, illuminating the surrounding area brightly.The soldiers of the coalition army leaned against the fire and took a nap to keep warm, and the six-color flag occasionally fluctuated in the wind. The archers of the Li army passed by the city in a group, and they faced each other for half a month. The infantry of the Li army couldn't bear the sleepiness, so they huddled in twos and threes in the shadow of the battlements to sleep.The commander who led the archers didn't speak, but strode up and slapped the helmets of the infantry hard.The pawns woke up one after another, not daring to look at the angry commander, they lowered their heads obediently and returned to their respective positions.They were all familiar with this irascible commander, Zhang Bo, the commander of the Lei Qi You Army, and they knew that it was useless to complain about anything in front of him.What's more, it was not easy for Zhang Bo. For half a month, Zhang Bo patrolled the city every night with a knife, and walked around the long city wall for five miles. "Sleep! I was beheaded in my dream!" Zhang Bo growled in a low voice. Behind his huge body flashed a young man in black cavalry armor. The young man waved at him: "It's useless to be angry. There must be a reason why so many people are so sleepy. What shift are you on?" The sergeants didn't dare to be negligent, they also recognized Xie Xuan, although this general was in charge of the Leidan camp and rarely went down to the camp to talk with ordinary soldiers, but he was as famous as Zhang Bo, and was Ying Wuyi's right and left hand. "Speaking of three shifts, but they are often pulled up to the city at night, and I don't know how to arrange them. I have to be on two shifts a day. It's a mess." Wiped his mouth.Li's army is mostly soldiers recruited from the southern barbarian frontier. Two things, one is wine and the other is a knife, they must be brought with them, even if they lose their heads, these two things cannot be lost, so only strong alcohol is banned in the army, and light alcohol is not suitable for these For soldiers, it is like clear water. "That's it." Xie Xuan nodded. "What?" The heavily armored figure suddenly stood behind Xie Xuan. "My lord!" The soldiers at the top of the city stood up in surprise and bowed together. Ying Wuyi waved his hands, making them stand up, and looked at Xie Xuan: "How?" "The communication between the battalions is not smooth. It seems that no one can figure out who is on duty in the city." Xie Xuan waved his hand, and a Lei Dan flashed out behind him. "Take your horse and run around the top of the city. Calculate which battalions are on duty tonight and how many people there are. After you get back, report to me." Xie Xuan said. "Yes!" Lei Dan pulled a war horse, and the sound of the horse's hooves disappeared. "Can he figure it out?" Ying Wuyi smiled. "My man, I have confidence," Xie Xuan also smiled, "Before he joined the army, he was a fruit seller, and he would know the approximate number of fruits in a box. If you want to count, there is probably no one in Lei Qi who is better than you." his." "When does Bai Yi usually come?" Ying Wuyi walked to the edge of the battlement. "It's coming as soon as you say it." Xie Xuan pointed to the distance. Ying Wuyi looked around, and in the distance below the city was the infantry of Chu Weiguo in defense. The front of the position was covered with antler fences, and a row of torches lit up the banner of Flame Rose.But at this time, a misty white shadow approached very quickly in a place beyond the reach of the torches behind the formation.It was a very elegant white horse, with its mane and tail spreading out as it ran, like a wild horse running on the wasteland.The man on horseback was dressed in white, with his sleeves flying. The neat formation of the Chu guards was suddenly cut off, as if cut off by a knife. From the gap in the crowd, the white horse passed by, and then bypassed the antlers and the fence. Soon, it approached to the wall of Shangyangguan. Four hundred paces.Immediately, the knight shook his clothes and got off his horse. He neither held a gun nor a sword, and vaguely hung a flute across his waist. "If his demeanor of walking alone is placed in Tianqi City, those nobles and ladies will probably scream?" Ying Wuyi smiled. "Yes, if he steps into Tianqi City, the people will burn incense and milk to greet him, and there will be some delicate daughters of noble families lining up to throw themselves into their arms. If we enter the city, every house will be closed, if it is not for the prince With a sword in your hand and a strong horse, everyone will shout and beat you." Xie Xuan smiled. Ying Wuyi spread his hands: "No way, you said, I am a country prince, if I want to defile the emperor's palace with a countryman's dirty butt, what kind of treatment do I want?" At this time, Bai Yi put his horse to graze in the back. He took out the flute around his waist and stroked it. He paced alone with a slow pace. Bai Yi stopped in his tracks, and the sound of the flute rose slowly, as if water waves overflowed, rising slowly from a very low place until it reached the height of the city wall of Shangyang Pass.The night in August was not cold at first, but when Bai Yi's flute sounded, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a lot suddenly. Ying Wuyi frowned: "Xie Xuan...what song is he playing? Why haven't I heard it before?" Xie Xuan lowered his voice: "My lord said he could listen to the flute, but he was used to the sound of my wife's flute. My wife's nine-section flute was the best for a while, but the books are all from northern Shanxi. The grace involved in the killing field. Four of the six masters of silk and bamboo are in the imperial capital. Feng Linwan's "Liu Shangying" prince knows it, Mo Zixu's Paiguan, Zuo Yanlong's "Sashouxiao", Basheng Don’t you know about Cicada’s ‘Broken Konghou’?” Ying Wuyi shook his head. "Among these four, except for Feng Linwan, who is young, the rest are all national players in the past 20 years. Madam's nine-section flute is mastered by Mr. Yuan Han, and Mr. Yuan Han is also known as the four from the imperial capital. Emperor Xi is a second-rate emperor. Yes, if you want to talk about literary talents, they are the first-class among the first-class. Not to mention the royal family, there are only three or two people in the Dayin Manchu Dynasty who dare to talk about music in front of Emperor Xi. Emperor Xi once said that most of the emperors in the world get most of the music. It is said that four of the six families are in the imperial capital." "He has a peerless talent in folk art, which was one of the reasons why he didn't want to kill him at first, but this idiot bumped into the knife." Ying Wuyi shook his head. "After all, Bai Yi is also a branch of the royal family, and he came under the banner of King Qin. At this time, before the two armies, he naturally wants to flaunt his identity. He plays the tune of the imperial capital. He is graceful and upright, and has the character of a gentleman." Xie Xie Xuan silently clapped the time in his palm. "Are you going to say that I'm a country vassal from Nanman?" Ying Wuyi squinted at this subordinate who seemed to be immersed in the music, "How do you hear him playing?" "If you want to say that the national players are definitely not as good, but they are also disciples of the national players. It sounds like Zuo Xilong's upright spirit, probably inherited? This song is called "Slow Blowing Red", which was originally played by the musicians at the banquet. The melody that adds to the fun is very leisurely and lazy, but in his hands, all the redundant changes have been omitted, and it is lonely and far away, with a hint of sadness." "Sorrow?" Zhang Bo squinted his eyes, "He is the number one general in the Eastern Continent, and surrounded us with an army of 80,000. Why is he sad?" "Some people will not worry if you give them a pot of wine, but some people will feel sad even if they own the world." Xie Xuan smiled, "Actually, the so-called sorrow is nothing more than the inability to chase people in the past and the heart of the present. Uneasy, the unknown of the future, this is an eternal worry, and it will not change. But Bai Yi's flute, fortunately, has a chill in addition to the sadness, like a sword in a sheath, not exposed, but has its own integrity! " The flute sound suddenly stopped! Ying Wuyi was stunned for a moment, and saw Bai Yi, who was bowing his head playing the flute, raised his head from a distance. "Turn off the lights! Bai Yi is famous for his bows and arrows!" Xie Xuan didn't wait for the sergeant to make a move, and slapped the last lantern next to him with his palm. The sergeants around were startled, they drew their swords almost at the same moment, and the moon shone coldly. "It's at least two hundred and fifty steps away from him. It might not be possible to hit him even in the daytime. What are you talking about?" Zhang Bo growled in a low voice. Ying Wuyi stood in the darkness, motionless. Xie Xuan tried to adjust his breathing.He didn't know why, but the moment he met Bai Yi's gaze, he felt a cold thorn piercing his back, as if it was an arrow that had pierced through him.Under the twilight of the stars and the moon, he glanced at Li Gong beside him. Ying Wuyi's expression remained unchanged, and he looked out of the city with interest. "Is Bai Yi lucky? His Highness Li Gong is listening to the flute on the tower, right?" Bai Yi suddenly called out. In the silence, Ying Wuyi chuckled a few times: "General Bai played very well. My subordinate Xie Xuan said that in "Slow Blowing Red", you can hear the pure sound of gold and iron. A general." His voice was not very loud, but it was deep and dignified, carrying a smile that spread far away in the cool night. "The number one general in the Eastern Continent does not rely on flute playing well," Bai Yi paused, "Within seven days, lead troops to break through the city!" When everyone was in a daze, Bai Yi had already got on his horse and galloped towards the camp of the Chu Wei army, while his shout still echoed in the air.looked at each other. "Xie Xuan, today is August 21st, right?" Ying Wuyi was thoughtful, and turned to look at her most trusted assistant. "My lord remembers well." "The decisive battle within seven days will be August 28th..." Ying Wuyi tapped her palm with a whip, and walked up and down the stairs to the tower, talking to herself, "Hurry up and go back to Jiuyuan, maybe in time for Madam's birthday. " Xie Xuan froze for a moment, then smiled: "I forgot." "My wife's birthday, what do you remember?" Ying Wuyi said casually without looking back. Zhang Bo took a few steps forward in a daze, looked at Li Gong's back, and then at Xie Xuan with a smile on his mouth: "You and the prince are still in the mood to talk nonsense, what's the use? Bai Yi said that the city will be destroyed in seven days, but in the end How are we going to break the city? Are we waiting for Bai Yi's knife to strike our necks?" Xie Xuan smiled wryly and shook his head: "The opponent is the number one general in Donglu, how do we know his strategy. If my military strategy is better than his, wouldn't I be the number one general?" "Then...then what nonsense are you talking about!?" Zhang Bo's eyes widened. "Since I don't know, I have to talk about Fengyue." Xie Xuan spread his hands. "Talk about Fengyue, lest I have a subordinate who keeps saying that I am a country prince." Li Gong's voice came. Zhang Bo stood there stunned, "I don't understand what you're talking about! It's just that you don't do it!" Xie Xuan looked at his back with a smile on his face that never faded. The sound of horseshoes approached from far away, the Lei Dan who had gone out to turn the city just now had returned.He got off his horse and half knelt down: "The statistics are complete. At this time, there are a total of 125 battalions of sergeants on duty in the city, about 13,000 people. The number of people who should be on duty is only 9,000." "Sure enough, I'm too nervous. I can't wait to drive everyone to the city. Pass my order and redefine the order of duty. Each brigade of the red brigade is divided into four teams. Two teams defend, one team rests, and one team waits in the camp. Life! Those who should not be on duty should stay in the camp, those who should sleep should sleep, and those who should be waiting for orders should not go to the city. Pay attention to water and fire. The guards of the stone cannons will be sent with additional manpower. You will support us for at least seven more days...if we are not dead by then..." "yes!" "August 21st...the number one general in the Eastern Continent...do you really have such confidence?" Xie Xuan turned his head and raised his head, seeing a crescent moon hanging sadly in the dark night sky, as sharp as a wolf's fang.