Chapter 210 Chapter Seven

Yang Gongqing, Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Wang Xuanshu and the generals stared dumbfounded at the large granary that had turned into ashes, and everyone had nothing to say.On the ground were the burnt unrecognizable corpses of ten barn dogs and more than a dozen guardsmen. This is one of the sixteen granaries in the city, but the stock is equal to the combined volume of the other fifteen granaries.The fire started quickly, with more than a dozen fire heads at the same time. If it weren't for the high wall separating it from other dwellings, and the cloudy and humid spring and summer season, the disaster might have been more than that.

The general in charge of guarding the warehouse knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, with a pitiful expression. Yang Gongqing said angrily: "This is impossible. I have sent more troops to defend. How could it burn like this without even being able to detect the enemy's shadow? At least the fire can be put out." The general said in a trembling voice, "The wells for fighting the fire have all been filled with sand and stones." Yang Gongqing was stunned and said: "How can the spies transport sand and stones in?" Kou Zhong said with certainty: "As long as you send people to search, you will definitely find something like tunnels. This matter must be a deliberate conspiracy by the enemy. It is best to send people to check all the warehouses in the city."

Someone took orders at the moment. Wang Xuanshu moved the three of them to the side, and said in a low voice: "There is a mistake in this matter, I just moved the real grain to the camp outside the city, and all the food burned here is fake, because it is all done by my own soldiers. Responsible for delivery, others do not know that the new shipment is fake." Kou Zhong was overjoyed and said: "Second Young Master's efficiency in handling affairs is really astonishing, are those fifty mule carts carrying real food?" Wang Xuanshu nodded in surprise and joy: "It's the real food, what should we do this time?"

Yang Gongqing cheered up and said: "This is called hitting the vice car by mistake, also known as God helping me. Now we will do our best to search for spies, all outsiders without household registration will be locked up for interrogation, and at the same time, city residents who report suspicious persons will be rewarded. On the one hand, strengthen the defense of the barn, and try to build another secret granary to store grain." Wang Xuanshu saw that he had made a great contribution unintentionally and would be appreciated by his father, so he went happily. Kou Zhong said in a low voice: "Looks like we should go back to the commander's mansion to drink and celebrate to welcome Li Mi's army!"

Before dawn, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling woke up and went to meet Yang Gongqing in the lobby of the commander's mansion.Wang Xuanshu was yawning.Linglongjiao was sitting next to Yang Gongqing with a dusty face, pointing and talking to the strategic terrain map on the table. The two stepped into the lobby, Yang Gongqing looked up at them, laughed and said, "The Wagang Army is here!" Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were overjoyed when they heard the words and surrounded them. Linglongjiao said excitedly: "I have contacted the eyeliners from all over the world, and I have personally witnessed Li Mi's vanguard troops approaching Yanshi. If we don't stop, we will see the Wagang Army's flag on the city wall tomorrow. I have already Send more than a dozen players with excellent lightness skills to monitor them closely, and the news will be sent back by carrier pigeons."

Kou Zhongdao: "Which army is moving, how many people are there?" Linglongjiao said: "The ones moving are the recruits led by Shan Xiongxin, Chen Zhilue, and Fan Wenchao outside the city. The main force inside the city is still silent." Yang Gongqing said worriedly: "Li Mi wants to cheat again." Xu Ziling asked, "Has Miss Jiao sneaked into the city to check?" Linglongjiao proudly said: "There is no city defense that can stop me Linglongjiao, but the civilian houses where the army is located are heavily guarded, I am afraid of intimidating others, so I can only observe from a distance. Perfect."

Wang Xuanshu asked: "Are those recruits really as miserable as Xuan Yong said?" Linglongjiao said: "Shan Xiongxin's vanguard has about 3,000 people, and they set off at dusk. Since the sight is blocked by trees, I can only guess the number of soldiers from the dust raised, knowing that they are all Infantry, and the troops are not disciplined, it is definitely not a well-trained regular army." Kou Zhong was stunned and said: "Miss Jiao can see so many things just by looking at the dust raised by it, she is indeed a master at observing and detecting the enemy's situation."

Linglongjiao won his admiration, and she gave him a happy look and said, "If you want to learn, I can be your master. Whenever the dust rises, it's cavalry; infantry is low and wide-clothed. Shan Xiongxin's recruits make dust Scattered and irregular means that the formation is not organized due to insufficient training. If it is an elite army, the dust will rise in strips, clear but not chaotic; It makes people unable to follow the law." Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were overwhelmed when they heard this, and only then did they realize that watching the enemy is also a science.

At this time, the soldiers came to report and received the information sent by flying pigeons from the front line. After Yang Gongqing took a quick look at it, he handed it to Linglongjiao, and said, "Li Mi's troops outside the city have already moved towards us in two directions, but the main force inside the city is still silent. It seems that he wants to lure us to attack. , if we really burn his food and grass, we can only fight decisively as soon as possible before the food runs out, instead of sticking to the isolated city." Wang Xuanshu nodded and said: "At that time, he can attack us with the main force and catch us by surprise."

Seeing that Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were frowning deeply, Yang Gongqing said in surprise, "Li Mi has already been tricked, why are you making sour faces?" Xu Ziling said: "I always feel a little inappropriate. Li Mi has the potential to be a spy. He should know that a top-notch enemy scout like Miss Youjiao on our side is watching his marching. If so, how can he use deception? ?” Kou Zhong asked: "According to what Ms. Jiao saw, are the gate guards in the civilian housing area where the army is stationed in the city so strict that it is unreasonable?" Linglong's delicate body trembled slightly, showing a thoughtful expression, nodded and said: "That's true, the patrollers are not ordinary soldiers, but the masters under Li Mi's command, which makes me daunted."

"boom"! Kou Zhong slammed his palm on the stage and sighed: "What a cunning Li Mi! If I guessed correctly, he must have used tunnels as a cover to move the main force to a secret camp outside the city in batches. When we When he mistakenly thought that his main force had not yet left the city and rushed to meet Shan Xiongxin's new army, he repeated the strategy of defeating Zhang Xutuo, pretending to be defeated and leading us away from Yanshi, and then ambushing our army somewhere. It would be strange if we were not completely wiped out." Yang Gongqing's face changed: "Then we have lost the opportunity?" Kou Zhongdao: "This is not necessarily the case. To move 40,000 people secretly through tunnels, it can only be done at night, and it cannot be done overnight. Just look at when Shan Xiongxin's army will arrive, and you will know what is needed. How much time. Because Shan Xiongxin's new army has to wait until Li Mi's main force is ready before they dare to form an formation outside the city and wait." Wang Xuanshu said worriedly: "If we can't figure out where Li Mi's main force is going, we will have to send everyone back to the city to stand firm, and the previous plan will be useless." Kou Zhong hadn't answered him yet, so his subordinates came to report and Xuan Yong asked to see him. Xuan Yong only asked Yang Gongqing and others a few questions, and then said with a solemn expression: "Li Mi is indeed worthy of being the most outstanding conspirator of our time. He was able to dig three tunnels in advance and move the main force to Beiman Mountain in batches. If it wasn't for the villain's heart If there is suspicion, it is impossible to detect his means." Yang Gongqing asked nervously, "Do you know where they camped?" Xuan Yong said dejectedly: "Shen Luoyan circled the sky with her scouting bird to keep me from moving rashly, and she set up sentries at dangerous places on the mountain road, so she couldn't follow. According to my estimation, at the current speed, At the earliest, it will take one more night for Li Mi's main force to move to Beiman Mountain." Everyone looked down at the strategic map on the table, and saw that Mang Mountain slanted down from the upper left of Jinyong City to the northeast of Yanshi, stretching for hundreds of miles and covering an extremely large area.If you can't grasp the actions of those 40,000 people, after the battle, you will become a surprise soldier who can come out from any place in the north, and you will be confused and shocked. Xuan Yongdao: "People on our side dare not act rashly now, and the other side is full of masters, as long as they show their signs, they can't escape even if they want to." Kou Zhong slashed his left palm horizontally, and said fiercely: "First of all, we must kill the flat-haired animal, alas! But this will only wake up Mrs. Shen." Linglongjiao said: "Let me handle this matter. I can enter Mang Mountain from the other side. I don't follow the mountain road. As long as they light a fire to make food, or cut forests to open a road, there will always be traces." Xu Ziling said: "We'd better think about it first. Li Mi's secret march must have been well thought out, and we won't be able to see through it easily." Yang Gongqing agreed: "The tunnel can be excavated in advance, and other arrangements have to be made. Mangshan Mountain is hundreds of miles away. It is not easy to find a deliberately hidden army in a short time, and the war is imminent. Why don't we decide first?" It's time to fight against the city, or stick to Yanshi." Kou Zhong shook his head resolutely and said: "We will still act according to the original plan, unless we can't find his main force, then stick to the city instead. At least we still have a day and a night to do our best." Yang Gongqing was silent for a while, and asked Xuan Yong: "How is the situation of the Wagang Army?" Xuan Yongdao: "Wang Bodang's troops stayed behind in Jinyong, and Li Mi's other general, Bing Yuanzhen, guarded Luokou. Both cities had less than 10,000 troops. It was Shan Xiongxin who led the recruits to pretend to attack Yanshi. There was a deep quarrel with Wang Bodang because of fighting for a prostitute, but he himself is a general." Kou Zhongdao: "So what about Bing Yuanzhen?" Xuan Yong said disdainfully: "This man has good military skills and is good at defending the city, but he lacks courage, so he is not a candidate to charge forward." Then he said with a cold snort: "Shan Xiongxin, Bing Yuanzhen, etc. are all old generals of the Wagang Army. They have never been on good terms with Li Mi's favored upstarts like Pei Renji, Xu Shiji, Shen Luoyan, and Wang Bodang, so as long as they can break through Li Mi's army , to ensure that the Wagang Army will fall into fragments, each supporting its own troops and defending itself. At that time, as long as they use gentle tactics, Li Mi's various ministries will surrender without a fight. The question is how to defeat Li Mi's hidden army in Mangshan." Yang Gongqing sighed helplessly and said, "Then I can only wait for the good news quietly here." Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, Linglongjiao, and Xuan Yong stood on the top of a hill in Mang Mountain. Looking around, the mountains stretched all around. Sure, it's so strange. The deep valleys in the leeward wind are full of ancient trees, standing upright on the hillsides, covered with canopies. In the dangerous places of the mountain, the pines and cypresses and the elms are beautiful and straight, or accumulate greenery at the bottom of the mountain stream, or take root on the cliffs and precipices. Mang Mountain is indeed full of beauty, no wonder Laojun Temple was built on the top of Cuiyunfeng on this mountain, but if you want to find an army of 40,000 in this seemingly endless mountain, just as Yang Gongqing said , can only rely on luck. Kou Zhongdao: "Which direction is Laojun looking at?" Linglongjiao pointed in the direction of Jinyong City and said, "It's just to the northeast of Mangshan Mountain in Jinyong City, and it's only half a day's ride from Yanshi, not including the way up the mountain." Kou Zhong nodded and said: "In any case, in order to cooperate with Shan Xiongxin's troops, Li Mi can't find a place to ambush too far away from Yanshi, and 40,000 people are not a minority, so we only need to search Mang in the north of Yanshi. In the mountainous area, there must be some signs. Time is running out, and the rain and fog are indistinguishable, and the vision is unclear, providing us with cover, let's go!" The rain is becoming more and more dense. Being in the deep mountains, it seems to have entered a blurred realm beyond the world. It is difficult to identify the way, let alone find the enemy. Under such circumstances, even Linglongjiao was helpless. After dark, the job of searching will be even more difficult. Xuan Yong suggested: "If we don't meet up with Missy first, we have more people, and the chance of success will also increase." Kou Zhong shook his head and said: "If the enemy finds us, the method of using surprise troops to control surprise troops will be ruined." Xu Ziling said in a deep voice: "Why don't we try our luck at the Laojun Temple. In order to march quickly in the mountains, Li Mi must transport the food for the war horses somewhere in the mountains in advance, then there is no other place that is more suitable than the Laojun Temple. And the demon way there is in collusion with Li Mi." Kou Zhong frowned and said, "Although this conjecture is reasonable, it's too inconvenient for Laojun to go up and down on Cuiyun Peak!" Xuanyong said in a huge shock: "Master Kou, you don't know something. There is a Cuiyun Valley under Cuiyun Peak. In the valley, there are more than a dozen Buddhist temples specially built for worshipers from all over the world to stay or do short-term practice. There is a large dense forest, if you camp in the forest, it is indeed very hidden." Kou Zhong was pleasantly surprised: "How long will it take to get out of Mang Mountain from Cuiyun Valley to Yanshi?" Xuan Yongdao: "There is a mountain road there, and it takes at most one hour to go out of the mountain. Then there are dozens of miles of plains and grass forests. If there are all cavalry, and fast horses, they can reach Yanshi in less than two hours." Kou Zhong applauded Qing with his forehead and said with a smile: "I have taught you this time, Li Mi and Mrs. Shen! You owe me your debts, please pay them off this time!" Laojunguan is located on the top of the towering Cuiyun Peak, surrounded by dense forests and green mountains, with steep cliffs on one side, and you can see gullies pouring hundreds of feet down from the top of the peak.If you can reach the top of the peak, you should look north at the Yellow River and south at Luoshui.At this moment, in the misty sky where the rain and fog are indistinguishable, it is more like an unattainable fairy cave, and the person who wants to host is actually a top figure of the evil sect. Cuiyun Valley is located at the foot of Cuiyun Peak. The valley is open and flat. More than a dozen houses with white walls and black tiles are clustered among the trees in the north of the valley. It is surrounded by green and yellow fields, which looks like a painting. It is indeed a paradise for escape from the world. At the mouth of the valley at the southern end is a large cypress elm forest. In this weather, even if there is a military camp hidden in the forest, it is difficult to detect it. The road connecting the valley mouths is the road down the mountain. It goes through the gorge and winds down. However, it is blocked by the mountain, so the plains to the south outside the mountain cannot be seen. Kou Zhong's confidence was shaken, he said: "If Li Mi's army is indeed hiding in the valley, how come there is no horse neighing?" At this time, Linglongjiao, who was going to reconnaissance, sneaked back with a happy face, and said excitedly: "As expected, the tents in the forest in the valley are full of Buwagang troops, but there are no horses, mules and other animals. It seems that they are hiding him elsewhere. place, saving them the pain of climbing the mountain.” Everyone was overjoyed. Kou Zhongdao: "Xiao Ling and I will stay here and continue to monitor. You go back and inform the eldest lady and the general respectively, and everything will go according to the original plan." After discussing again and agreeing on how to contact and meet up and other details, Xuan Yong and Linglongjiao happily went. At dusk, the rain cleared and the valley was unobstructed.Looking down from the cliff where they were, camps could be seen in the dense forest, and there were soldiers coming and going between the camp and the houses from time to time. Kou Zhong hid among the grass and trees and observed intently, after a long time he said: "Xiaoling! I always feel a little inappropriate." Xu Ziling, who was lying on his back, asked, "Is it because Shen Luoyan's flat-haired beasts are missing, or because there are no horses in the camp?" Kou Zhong didn't answer but asked instead: "We have been harmed by Mrs. Shen so many times, almost fell into her tricks every time, and we are so useless with our intelligence, what do you think she is so good at?" Xu Ziling thought about it carefully, and agreed: "You are not exaggerating. If you talk about conspiracies and tricks, we seem to have been at a disadvantage all the time. From Zhai Rang's killing to Wang Shichong's assassination, we have never won her. of." Kou Zhong thought bitterly: "Do you still remember when we first met her, we made an agreement to capture three times and surrender? She laid a trap for Mo Cheng, a 'wild old man', and let us board a pirate ship like a prophet. Deliberately capsizing the boat in the rocky rapids, using our kindness to think that we are restraining us when saving the elderly. Everything shows that she knows how to understand each other's psychology differently from person to person. If so, she should have guessed that we will Come to Laojun and have a look! Would you be so stupid to hide here?" Xu Ziling got up suddenly, looked down with him, and said in shock: "You are right, the barracks below must have been planned by Shen Luoyan, nine out of ten barracks should be empty, as long as a few thousand The deceitful soldiers under the guise can make us mistakenly think that Wagang’s strange soldiers are here, but the real strange soldiers are elsewhere. This is a bad time! How can we find them after dark?” Kou Zhongdao: "We can only do our best, the real ambush should not be too far away from Yanshi, so it should be in a similar environment in a nearby mountain, so as not to worry about the horses working too hard or neighing far away, Come on! Go down and find out first, and make sure we have not wronged Mrs. Shen before deciding what to do."