Chapter 24 Section five

Gu Yueyi and Cheng Kui galloped up to the banner of Flaming Rose, the main formation of the Chu Wei Army. Bai Yi, Xi Yan, Gang Wuwei and Fei An had already gathered here with their entourage.Battalion after battalion of more men and horses was completed and gathered towards the banner. The armies of more than 30,000 people in various countries have been assembled and arranged in a four-way defensive circle. The outer row is spearmen. There are archers, and behind them are infantry who are ready to attack melee at any time. The cavalry is surrounded and protected in the center. "Such a big fog?" Cheng Kui was panting, and looked at the surrounding whiteness with wide eyes, "Is there an earthquake? Could it be haunted?"

"General Xi," Gu Yueyi bowed on the horse and saluted Xi Yan, "Are the horses in your camp also frightened?" "It's not that they're frightened, it's that all the horses are crazy. Thanks to the news from General Gu, they can be quieted by plugging the ears of the horses. Otherwise, our defense has already fallen apart. If Duke Li goes out on a light cavalry, he will have to let him chop and kill." Yan returned the salute with a calm expression, "General Gu, both the Jin and Northern armies of Chun State will fight with cavalry this time, with the most horses. Are there still disturbances in the camp?"

"To appease thousands of war horses, I'm afraid it can't be done in a short time, but three or four thousand people have already gathered, all brought here to help General Bai defend." Gu Yueyi raised his sword eyebrows and looked into the mist, "But so The thick fog, I am afraid that Ying Wuyi will not dare to move out easily." "That makes sense." Xi Yan nodded. At this time, the sergeants of Chu Wei put out an array of spearmen and archers, and set up firewood piles every 30 steps around the square circle, and poured water on the firewood piles for cooking of butter, lit.The blazing fire immediately shot up into the sky, illuminating the surrounding area brightly, and the fog seemed to be thinning, but only a few dozen steps away, still only the hazy figure could be seen, and the face could not be seen clearly.

"It would be much better to have a fire," Gu Yueyi said, "Where did you get the wood in a hurry?" Xi Yan smiled, shook his head helplessly, and looked at Bai Yi who was not far away: "General Bai said that at this time, the fire must be lit first to calm down the army. So I finally brought a few wooden towers from the camp, and all of them were destroyed. He chopped it up and set it on fire." Gu Yueyi was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "However, a few wooden towers are not enough for defense, but they are the best choice for lighting. For ordinary soldiers, they can't recognize the flags and emblems without seeing them, and they can't be deployed. The tens of thousands of vehicles we collected People are like a mess. What General Bai said is true."

Xi Yan still smiled: "He is a good person, and he is used to burning firewood in my house." Bai Yi didn't seem to hear what the two of them said, but quietly stared at the blazing fire outside the formation, as if thinking about something. Cheng Kui held a pair of sabers, the tip of which seemed to drag down the sides weakly, looked around, and frowned.He was a rough man, and he was seldom so serious that he looked a little eccentric. "General Cheng is the one who is most familiar with warhorses among us. Chunguo's horse farm is also famous as the best horse farm in Donglu. With General Cheng's experience, what kind of things will disturb the horses?" Gu Yueyi asked. road.

Cheng Kui thought for a while: "Natural disaster." "A natural disaster?" "Earthquakes, ground subsidence, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis will all frighten the horses. One summer, the war horses in several horse farms along the coast were frightened, bit their grooms, jumped out of the fence and fled to the nearby mountains. It took a lot of effort to collect the horses back. That was the year. It rained heavily in Chuliaohai, and the ocean current from west to east was high. Those who saw it from a distance said that the wall of water was ten feet high, which is a rare thing. The surrounding fishing grounds and nearby farmland were washed away, and the seawater was still flowing back from the river mouth, and several nearby towns were hit by disasters. It was the mermaids in central Fujian who set up a magic circle to drive the flood, and our country suffered heavy losses. I was one of the people who were sent to collect horses at that time. Standing on the hillside and watching the horse farm under my feet being washed away, I was terrified, thinking that the horses saved me Me." Speaking of horses, Cheng Kui talked eloquently with a serious look.

Gu Yueyi praised: "General Cheng is a cavalryman, and he is also a horse lover." "Before I followed the general, I was a groom." Cheng Kui said sincerely.The general he was talking about was Hua Ye, the famous general of Chun Kingdom, who was also the commander of the capital who promoted him from a groom to the Wind Tiger Cavalry Army. "There won't be a tsunami here, let alone a volcano. Could it be an earthquake?" Gu Yueyi turned to Xi Yan. "Since Shangyang Pass was built, it has not collapsed or been damaged for hundreds of years, because the land here is solid, and there has never been any record of an earthquake in history books." Xi Yan shook his head, "I have a feeling, what is it?" coming soon."

Cheng Kui trembled all over, and turned to look at Xi Yan: "I also feel...something is coming, but I can't explain the feeling." Gu Yueyi shivered slightly, but he didn't say anything, but the vague uneasiness in his heart was no different from that of Xiyan Chengkui, and that uneasiness still lingered after the horses calmed down, and it became more and more serious. getting stronger. "What is it?" he asked himself in a low voice. "It's something like a natural disaster." Xi Yan whispered. Gu Yueyi glanced at him, and saw that this free and unrestrained Xi Yan was looking at the southwest with indifferent and majestic eyes.

He was taken aback. At this time, everyone heard the sound of the zither accompanied by the horseshoes at the same time. At this time, inside Shangyang Pass, in Lijun's main tent, Ying Wuyi and Xie Xuan faced each other, playing chess without saying a word. The two move like flying, playing fast chess, one player must follow up immediately when the chess piece is settled, otherwise it will be regarded as a push and surrender.Ying Wuyi's skill in slow chess is far from that of Xie Xuan's, and he can occasionally win by chaos in fast chess, so he likes fast chess. Play fast chess.However, after Bai Yi's seven-day agreement, Xie Xuan almost never disarmed to patrol the battalions to guard against the attack of the coalition forces. Apart from playing fast chess, the two of them had no other entertainment.

Ying Wuyi knew that the opportunity was rare, so his chess strength was more fierce than usual, and he pressed forward step by step. Seeing that this game could be won in the middle of the game, it was a victory he had never had before playing chess with Xie Xuan in his life. Overjoyed.Xie Xuan was helpless, from what he thought, fast chess was not the right way, but he also knew that the master wanted to win, so he could only bite the bullet and fight hard. "Xie Xuan, I never thought you would have today!" Ying Wuyi laughed. "My lord just deceived me that I was not quick-witted. If I played slow chess with a cup of tea, I wouldn't make two big mistakes in a row. At this time, my lord's middle game has already been broken by me, and there is nothing left." Xie Xuan said.

"Winning at slow chess is also winning, and winning at fast chess is also winning. You are a smart general, but your brain is half a beat faster than others. When you encounter problems, you always think first. Is this your weakness?" Ying Wuyi was still beaming. "Yes, a slow mind is also a weakness, but," Xie Xuan changed his words, "it is right that the prince's brain is slower than Xie Xuan's." "How to say?" Ying Wuyi was puzzled. "Warrior's victory is in the swing of the sword. It is too late to think about it. You can only rely on the sharpness you have practiced hard. The general wins in a while, and the flag is waved. It is right or wrong, and the result will be seen immediately. The princes will win in ten years. , Ten years, ten autumn harvests, a generation of soldiers grow up bravely, can change the national strength of a country. And the emperor's decisive victory is only one decision in his life, and it is irreversible if he makes a mistake." Xie Xuan said slowly. "One decision in a lifetime?" Ying Wuyi frowned, "How should I say it?" "For example, Emperor Fengyan is a rare emperor who is a hero. He marched northward twice, and the strategy of marching formations has been handed down. Even today's famous generals will applaud after seeing it. The seven tribes of the barbarians were defeated by him. The princes who were willing to support the Northern Expedition also had to donate money and food. He can be called a master of strategy. However, he made a big mistake in his life, so the two Northern Expeditions of the Fengyan Iron Brigade not only failed to enrich the country and strengthen the people, but also left the treasury empty. " "What big mistake?" Ying Wuyi was a little displeased. He was the master of war, and although he despised the Bai royal family, he had a lot of admiration for Qiangwei and Fengyan, two tyrannical emperors. "There should be no northern expedition at all. With Dayin's national strength, even if Xuesonghe won at that time, it did not mean that he could capture the northern capital in one fell swoop and unify the north and south for generations. At that time, half of the men in the seven tribes of the barbarians could go to the battlefield , and the wolf soldiers in the northern part of Shuobei have not yet put aside their hostility with the Qingyang tribe. Assuming that all these forces rushed to Emperor Fengyan, even with his peerless dominance, Dayin's princes went bankrupt, and they were nothing more than a fight with the barbarians. In the end, both sides will suffer, and if we finally get the grassland, I am afraid that we will have to drive out the barbarians, so what is the use of the land obtained? The land obtained is not suitable for farming, and can my Donglu people graze?" Xie Xuan shook his head, A piece slowly landed on the chessboard, "Fighting for a lifetime is nothing more than gaining the title of an overlord." Ying Wuyi was fascinated by this, and couldn't help but hold on to the chessboard and think: "Then, in your opinion, the Northern Expedition is not right? But if there is no Northern Expedition, given the strength of the barbarian Qingyang tribe at that time, relying on the prestige of the tiger and leopard cavalry and the Iron Buddha, Huairou may not be effective either." "In the era of Emperor Fengyan, unifying the world is nothing more than a dream. There is no need to fight or be gentle. Let Beilu stand on his own and leave it to his descendants to conquer in the future. With Emperor Fengyan's talent, being a Taiping Emperor will make the country stronger. Being strong is not a problem. The fault of Emperor Fengyan is that he wanted to unify the world from the very beginning. No matter how subtle the subsequent methods are, the goal is still wrong. The emperor, if you keep your head down and be the tortoise emperor, you can think clearly and choose slowly, slow brains are not wrong, but quick hands are useless." Xie Xuan smiled. "It's hard to become the emperor, but you want to be the Taiping Emperor, and you say that the tortoise emperor is also a strategy, how can people be reconciled?" Ying Wuyi shook his head. "But if the emperors of all dynasties are Emperor Qiangwei, who will provide him with food, grass and soldiers to fight bloody battles at Yangguan one after another?" Xie Xuan gestured, "The prince is gone." Ying Wuyi looked at the chessboard and was stunned for a moment. He had already pinched a chess piece in his hand and figured out what to do, but now he couldn't move.Xie Xuan was stuck in the key point between his two lands impartially, he didn't pay attention to this position at first, and was beaten in a hurry. Xie Xuan looked at him without saying a word, watching him rub his hands together for a long time, and finally, unwillingly, he took the chess piece back into his palm. "You turned into a fox," Ying Wuyi pointed at Xie Xuan's nose, "I can see it, you lead me to talk, you just want to think about this move slowly. I was deceived by you, I also want to slowly Come to think of it, winning or losing this game doesn't count, you played a trick." Xie Xuan laughed loudly: "My lord can see it, but Xie Xuan is just a wise general, and it doesn't hurt to play tricks. And Xie Xuan hopes that the lord has the wisdom of an emperor. Think slowly, Xie Xuan is patient. " "I don't accept the loss of this game. The allusion of Emperor Fengyan you just said, I give you five points." Ying Wuyi continued to lower his head and stare at the chessboard thinking. A Lei Dan entered the account silently and knelt down: "My lord, there is a heavy fog outside the city." "Big fog?" Xie Xuan thought for a while, "In mid-autumn, fog is not uncommon, and 70,000 troops besieged the city, burning firewood every day and night, flying ash and dust, and it is more likely to fog when there is a lot of water." "Yes!" Lei Dan got up to leave, but hesitated, "But..." "What a thick fog! What a thick fog!" The curtain was lifted, and Zhang Bo strode in, complaining all over the place, "It's really a hell of a weather!" "It's really that thick of fog?" Xie Xuan was taken aback for a moment. He had just returned from the city, and thought that the fog couldn't be too thick, but according to Zhang Bo's words, it was an extremely rare weather. "There was no one on the other side of the city gate. I almost bumped into the well fence when I was going down the city." "Is there really heavy fog?" Ying Wuyi raised her thick eyebrows, "Hold the chessboard down, let's go out and have a look." The three went out side by side.As soon as he got out of the tent, Xie Xuan was stunned. There was only a faint mist floating around the big tent, but when he looked at the city wall facing the south of Shangyang Pass, he saw the thick mist like a curtain of water coming from the towering The top of the city wall that entered the clouds descended like an extremely wide waterfall.The nearly 10,000 defenders on the city wall were completely invisible, only the torches in their hands could still be seen, surrounded by a warm halo. "When did this fog come?" Ying Wuyi frowned and looked out. "Just now, in an instant, I was blown to the edge of the city wall." Zhang Bo said. "It's very heavy fog." Xie Xuan said in a low voice. "Of course it's important. You don't need to say it. Anyone with eyes can see it." Zhang Bo dismissed it. "I mean heavy." Xie Xuan took a deep breath, "General fog is light and rises upwards. Zhang Bo, how often have you seen fog hanging down like a water curtain?" He turned to Ying Wuyi: "I can't smell any special smell, it doesn't seem like the enemy army is using the poisonous miasma of the secret way. But no matter how you look at it, it's not an ordinary weather." "My lord, the fog is thick, it's better to go out of the city to make a surprise attack!" Zhang Bo said, he put the topic of why the fog is so heavy behind him, and was eager to try. "What is Bai Yi doing?" Ying Wuyi asked. "Looking from the city, it seems that there are many fires lit, and they are probably trapped by the fog, which just exposed their positions!" Zhang Bo said. "That's Bai Yi saying that he is ready," Ying Wuyi nodded slightly, "He is indeed a famous general, Zhang Bo, if I give you five thousand Thunder Riders, I will let you go out of the city for a while now to kill, are you willing? willing?" "This subordinate will definitely live up to the prince's expectations!" Zhang Bo was overjoyed. "Then do you want to light a torch?" Zhang Bo was taken aback: "Torch?" Ying Wuyi kicked him in the crook of his knee, and sneered: "If you light a torch, the enemy will shoot a rain of arrows and your formation will be disorganized. If you don't light a torch, the cavalry gallops, and there is no guarantee that the ones behind will not hit the ones in front. , before rushing in front of Bai Yi, I was defeated. Xie Xuan said that I am a martial artist, and I have to thank you, with you as a thoughtless person, I am not the most thoughtless martial artist in Liguo." Zhang Bo's leg strength was extremely solid, he stopped immediately, scratched his head: "My lord is entertaining me again..." Ying Wuyi put his hands behind his back and prepared to pay back the bill, and pointed at Xie Xuan casually: "I wanted to amuse him on the chessboard, but he amuses him. Now if I don't amuse you, I can only sulk." At this time, Ying Wuyi heard the majestic roar of a steed behind him, he was startled, and turned around abruptly.On the hitching post in front of the tent, his charcoal-fired horse shook its long mane and neighed towards the air, and then it struggled to rein, facing southwest, with its two front hooves standing like a lion, obviously extremely vigilant. Very disturbed look.Almost at the same time, the long neighing of war horses could be heard from all over Shangyang Pass, but it was far less than the high-pitched roar of the Charcoal Fire Horse. Xie Xuan also saw it, and felt a slight chill all over. "So..." Ying Wuyi pondered, "Then it's no ordinary fog, maybe that person came?" Zhang Bo frowned tightly and did not speak. "Xie Xuan, you lead the Lei Dan battalion, prepare your horses, and get ready to welcome him in the city!" Ying Wuyi whispered. "yes!" "Slow down!" Ying Wuyi stopped Xie Xuan with a wave of his hand, "Go Zhang Bo, Xie Xuan, you stay and continue playing chess with me." He was still talking about playing chess, but his face no longer had the ease of the game, it was as cold and expressionless as if it had been frozen. "Yes!" Zhang Bo agreed. "Be respectful! Don't take it lightly!" Ying Wuyi added. "Yes!" Zhang Bo left quickly while pressing the knife. Ying Wuyi turned around and returned the account to Xie Xuan, who cautiously followed behind him. Ying Wuyi stopped suddenly, turned her head and looked at Xie Xuan coldly: "We still have to play a game of chess, and we have to play it gracefully, and wait for that person to come in to see. I want that person to see. I, Ying Wuyi, I won’t be overjoyed just because he comes to help me, and I won’t reject him, but if he expects me to bow to him for the sake of the world, he will underestimate Ying Wuyi. I can also win the world with my sword!”