Chapter 580 Chapter Three

"Actions must be prepared for war, and stops must be fortified." After three days of marching, Yang Gongqing and Kou Zhong's 5,000 vanguard troops finally arrived at Cijian.The right guerrilla general Guo Shancai, the guard of Cijian, was overjoyed to welcome him. After deliberation, it was decided to rely on the city to build a stronghold to strengthen Cijian's defense. Because it was backed by a strong city, it was dangerous to rely on, so the offensive "Yanyue Camp" was established. Thousands of people, and then divided into left and right wings, each with five thousand people, facing the plain.They also dug trenches in front of the Yanyue camp, five feet deep, two feet wide at the mouth, and two feet wide at the bottom. Because the mouth is larger and the bottom is smaller, enemy soldiers and horses will suffer greater damage if they fall into it.

The Tang army had not yet begun to attack the city, but only set up a wooden village on a hilly highland two miles away from the city, and built a large number of buildings to prepare for Li Shimin's army before attacking the city. It is estimated that its strength is between 10,000 and 15,000. Yang Gongqing and Kou Zhong led their own troops to the front to observe the enemy. They observed the situation of the enemy camp from a distance from the top of a small hill about half a mile away from the enemy camp. The sun sets on the western mountain, and the sky and the earth are boundless.

Yang Gongqing sighed: "Just looking at the layout of the enemy's camp, you can see that Luo Shixin, Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie are generals who are good at the art of war. It's a pity that they surrendered to Li Shimin. Otherwise, if they can be used by me, the chances of winning will be greatly increased." Kou Zhong nodded in agreement, the key to setting up a camp is to achieve the two major military goals of "self-strengthening" and "strangling the enemy".It is not only a campsite and headquarters, a safe shelter, a supply station for storing food, grass and equipment, but also a military fortress that focuses on strategic points and prevents the enemy from invading.

The opponent was able to occupy a high ground, choose a key pass, and set up a camp in the four-way connection between Cijian and Xin'an. This not only poses a threat to Cijian, but also prevents them from advancing into Xin'an and recovering lost ground. law, choose the place first". On the other side of Yang Gongqing, his number one confidant young general Ma Chang said: "They are setting up a square camp. Judging by its layout, it should be able to withstand attacks from any direction, and they can support each other. There are battalions and teams in the camp. There is a purpose for the team. If we launch an attack on them, we will play in their hands and welcome them."

Kou Zhong looked at the enemy camp standing on the high ground that stretched for nearly half a mile. There was smoke everywhere in the camp, and he could see the enemy riding out of the gate. He pointed to them and said with a smile, "Attacking the village is only a little better than attacking the city. Huh?" ! Isn’t that Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin?” Yang Gongqing and Ma Chang looked intently, and sure enough, they saw Qin Cheng among the knights pulling out from the gate of the village one after another. Kou Zhong felt all sorts of emotions in his heart, thinking to himself that if these two "brothers" led troops to attack, he should turn around and leave, or use his own sword skills to take this opportunity to kill these two fierce generals. middle?The latter thought made him shudder, how could he be so cruel.

Ma Chang shouted in a low voice, "Come on!" Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin from the gate of the distant village came out in a row, rode their horses and rushed down the hillside, galloped on their horses, and rushed straight towards the hill where they were standing, without a single follower. Yang Gongqing's group of nearly a hundred soldiers immediately became tense, and they put their hands on the sword and bowstring, waiting for the leader to issue an order. Kou Zhong sighed inwardly, and said in a deep voice: "Don't do anything, they trust me, Kou Zhong, I'll see what they have to say."

With a clip of the horse's belly, he ran down the hillside to meet them, leaving Yang Gongqing and others behind. The two sides quickly approached. Cheng Yaojin shouted from a distance: "Good boy! You have been reduced to being the vanguard of that bastard Wang Shichong, do you still have the face to see us?" The two sides reined in their horses and reined in to meet each other nearby. Qin Shubao leaned over from the horse, clasped Kou Zhong's hands tightly, and said solemnly: "Brother, come to our side!" Kou Zhong smiled wryly, "You seem to know me only today?"

Cheng Yaojin urged the rider to come to the other side of him, stretched out his right hand to grab his left shoulder blade, and said angrily: "Believe it or not, I will destroy you, damn it! You taught us how to resist Wang Shichong, but now you are turning up your buttocks." Going to serve Wang Shichong again, what kind of hero is he?" Qin Shubao frowned and said, "Old Cheng, let me let go of your filthy hands. How can we brothers be violent when we meet? The young commander who angered me promises that you can only go to the battlefield with one arm in the future, and whoring women can no longer show off like before. Fancy."

Kou Zhong laughed and said: "Don't say it so seriously, I will never fight back." Cheng Yaojin withdrew his big hand resentfully, but still couldn't help cursing another round of foul language. Qin Shubao sighed: "It's not that Lao Cheng and I don't understand your situation, it's just that cooperating with a despicable person like Wang Shichong will not have good results. We imagined it for you." Cheng Yaojin said angrily: "With your mere tens of thousands of young commanders, at least half of them are only suitable for nursing at home and taking care of children. It is beyond our capabilities to fight against my Tang army. If you don't believe me, you can come to our camp to see. "

Although Kou Zhong couldn't help being scolded or even insulted by Cheng Yaojin, he not only didn't think he was disobedient, but also felt the warmth of friendship in his heart, and said with a wry smile: "In this case, why don't you come to help me stir up the young commander, but go to join Li Shimin That kid, now come and count me." Qin Shubao was displeased and said: "How can you blame us? At that time, your young commander's army was ineffective, and we respected Li Jing as a good man with great ambitions to save the country and the people. A man is in the world, and he must do it vigorously. event."

Cheng Yaojin snorted coldly, and continued in a deep voice: "Looking around in Zhongtu, who can compare to King Qin who knows how to use people well and is open-minded, and those who know how to use them will come to our side and break Wang Shichong's balls together." Kou Zhong said solemnly: "If the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty is Shimin instead of Li Jiancheng, my younger brother may consider the proposal of the two elder brothers, because after all, I have also been brothers with Li Xiaozi. But now the person who can really make decisions in the Tang Dynasty It's Li Yuan, and the legal heir is that bastard Li Jiancheng, don't blame me for scaremongering, once your master loses his use value, it will be the moment when all the birds are gone, if you don't believe me, just take a long look and see if I guessed wrong." Qin Shubao sighed: "We knew we wouldn't be able to persuade you! But can we withdraw from this battle in Luoyang, because Wang Shichong has no chance at all. Luo Shixin and Li Junxian's surrender to Tang Dynasty, can't they give you a clear enlightenment?" Cheng Yaojin turned around, grabbed the reins of his horse, and said angrily: "Come on! Come and have a look at us. It's not the first day for you, Kou Zhong, to come to the army. You should have eyes to see who is here. There is a better chance.” Kou Zhong was taken aback, he reined in his horse and said, "Old Cheng, you seem to have forgotten that I am the enemy that your Tang army must kill!" Cheng Yaojin said angrily: "Who do you think I am, since I dare to invite you back to the village, of course I can guarantee your safety." Kou Zhong frowned and said, "Aren't you afraid that Li Xiaozi will blame you for cheating on the enemy?" Qin Shubao laughed and said: "If Li Shimin is such an ignorant bastard, we won't be convinced to work for him. His grandma, you, Marshal Kou, are obsessed with obsession. Let's see the truth on the battlefield. But brothers are brothers , At least you have to drink a full meal of yellow soup before fighting to the death." Kou Zhonghao was furious, and said: "Okay! But let me go back and explain to Lao Yang first, and then let you go to see if your Tang soldiers are all three-headed and six-armed, invulnerable, ha!" The earth gradually darkened. Xu Ziling sat on the south bank of a section of the Yellow River in the Guanzhong Plain and watched the sun disappear below the horizon, full of emotion in his heart. The shadows of the sails can still be seen on the three large ships that have gone far away. They are one of the fleets responsible for sending a steady stream of food and grass resources outside the pass to supply the huge army. No matter how abundant the treasury of the Li Clan is, the granary is overflowing. After years of wars and the recent Battle of Bobi, most of the Li Clan's grain reserves will definitely be consumed. The military system of the Tang Dynasty was to recruit strong men to join the army during wars, and to return to the fields in peacetime to engage in production. Except for the personal soldiers of the princes and generals who served for life, other duties were on duty in rotation.Like the current expedition of more than 100,000 troops, the loss of more than 100,000 strong men in terms of productivity will certainly have a great impact on the harvest of the crops. Moreover, to support the needs of these soldiers who have no time to produce for many years, it will have a huge impact on people's livelihood. Rich, its people still have to live a tight life, and other areas that are far inferior to Guanzhong, people's livelihood is dying, coupled with the loss of human life, the destruction of war, the destruction of law and order, the scourge of war is indeed unimaginable today. Dare to think deeply. When will all this stop? Xu Ziling suddenly thought strongly about Shi Qingxuan again, since Shi Zhixuan wanted to kill him, in order to unify the evil ways, he was no longer sure whether he would also cruelly kill his only daughter. One after another, the touching scenes of the first encounter and friendship with this beautiful woman floated in his mind, the beautiful back view of the ancient temple, the dialogue between the poor and the poor in the remote mountains, the amazing long street of the Lantern Festival in Chengdu during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the flute in the window of the Domineering Fort... She wished she could throw everything away immediately and rush to Youlin Xiaozhu to protect her, obediently guard her world where she has no disputes with the world, and ignore the vendettas and fights in the world one after another. But now he has no time to clone himself. There are too many things that need to be resolved in front of him. Fortunately, Shi Zhixuan has not recovered from his serious injury, and he has to deal with the affairs of the Demon Sect. He, Xu Ziling, still has some free time. After everything is resolved, he will immediately rush to Youlin Xiaogu. But can he really solve the wide-ranging and intricate problems that are haunting him? The appearance is solemn and deep, and the military capacity is at its peak. Entering the gate of the village, you can feel the strong defense force of the camp. It is separated by wooden fences and the high ground is dangerous. There are trenches on the outside and barriers inside. , coupled with a strong crossbow, as long as there is no shortage of food and water, even if Wang Shichong raises his army, it will take a lot of effort to capture this camp, and he will have to pay a heavy price. Tang Jun in the camp knew that his commander had invited the famous young marshal Kou Zhong back to the camp, and immediately stirred up the whole camp. However, due to the strict military discipline of Tang Jun, no one dared to leave their posts or put down their work. Seeing him, there is both awe and strong hostility. It's just that this situation has already alarmed Kou Zhong, compared to his previous young commanders, his army is nothing but a mess, he can only hope that under the continuous training of Xuan Yong, Bai Wenyuan and other generals who are proficient in the art of war, they will look a little better now. Stepping into the gate of the village and leading directly to the Zoumabing Road of the Central Army Commander, Qin Shubao said in a low voice: "Old Cheng and I sneaked here a month ago to survey the terrain and prepare for my Tang army. King Qin appointed the two of us The reason for this heavy responsibility is firstly because we are familiar with Wang Jun, secondly because we have a friendship with Luo Shixin, and more importantly, because the King of Qin has absolute trust in us, so clear about the Lord, it is worthy of our heartfelt repayment." Kou Zhong was grateful in his heart, and the two invited him to visit the camp without hesitation, in order to make a last effort to persuade him to return to Tang, but since he knew his family affairs, he had no choice but to refuse their kindness. Tonight we are still brothers, tomorrow we will be enemies who will kill each other. Cheng Yaojin on the other side said: "It's just that the location of the village was chosen after repeated deliberation. It should not be too far from Cijian, and it will be vulnerable to attack if it is too close. The so-called choosing a place to station troops can't seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. It's not a natural disaster, let's pass it on. The young commander didn't come out for the first time. Look at our siblings, they are all outstanding fighters. As for Wang Shichong's men, I don't need to say everyone Know what it is." Qin Shubao went on to say: "Today's Eastern Expedition Army was personally supervised and selected by the King of Qin. The King of Qin has his own way of selecting soldiers. The first is courage and spirit, and the second is physical strength. He thinks that those who are smart but not courageous will benefit themselves in the face of the enemy. "Those who have skill but no guts will forget their skills when facing the enemy; those who are strong but not brave will be timid when facing the enemy, and the way of defeat is also the way." The three of them talked as they walked, and the Tang soldiers in the camp all looked sideways wherever they went. Cheng Yaojin said: "Wang Shichong's army is all recruiting and surrendering soldiers. The hearts of the people are scattered and they only know how to look at the interests. We in the Tang Dynasty practiced the military system. Everyone has a family and a business. The household registration is clear. To protect the homeland, not only He is brave in battle and obeys military discipline. My brother is proficient in the art of war, of course he knows how to fight, but it is a pity to rely on Wang Shichong, a fool who doesn't know how to fight." Kou Zhong smiled wryly, "Wang Shichong isn't that bad, is he?" The three came to the open space in front of the main tent, and the guards shouted and saluted at the same time, in unison. Qin Shubao stood still and snorted coldly: "How does Wang Shichong know the soldiers? Sun Tzu's Art of War says: What is the best way to win a soldier, and what is the best way to rule. And you must rule a strong army. To know a soldier, you must know how to use people, and the book is another six: Who is it?" Appointing talents is not the first task in the army? Talents in the world are self-sufficient for a generation. Don’t worry about the world and no one, but worry about unknown people; don’t worry about unknown people, but worry about knowing people and not being able to use them. Waiting for no one. Only in this way can you throw yourself at him, like a hand with your fingers. If Wang Shichong really knows how to use people well, Lao Cheng and I will stay with him to fight side by side with you, and Luo Shixin will not surrender the city. His grandma, how many words do you need us to talk about before you wake up?" When Kou Zhong saw the Tang army he met, everyone was full of morale and fighting spirit, and he was secretly startled. In addition, although the two men's words became more and more impolite, they were all good medicine, and they spoke truthfully. He sighed: "The government military system is not without weaknesses At least one thing is very disadvantageous to King Qin, that is, the general will not specialize in soldiers. After the war is over, the general will return to the court and the government soldiers will return to the government. The country is responsible. Therefore, no matter how great your military exploits are, King Qin is invincible on the battlefield. Once something unexpected happens, it will be difficult to resist Li Yuan. If Li Jiancheng recruits Chinese and foreign masters, he will let him be slaughtered. Have the two elder brothers thought about this? The problem?" After a pause, he continued: "I'm not going to be Wang Shichong's running dog, but to borrow him to let my young commanders buy time. How many times do you have to tell me to understand my embarrassment." Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin gave him relatively wry smiles and shook their heads helplessly. There was a sound of hoofbeats, and a group of troops came galloping from the other side of the camp. The leading general was strong, handsome, and full of confidence. He laughed from a distance and said, "Shixin has met the young commander, and he always admires him." After finishing speaking, he jumped off the horse with all the generals and greeted the three of them. Kou Zhong clasped his fists and said with a smile: "So it's the well-known General Luo Shixin, I've heard of him a long time ago." Seeing that he didn't mention the betrayal of Zheng Guitang, Luo Shixin felt good about him, so he grabbed his hand and said earnestly: "Cooperate with Wang Shichong, if you want to seek skin from a tiger, the young commander is the most important person in the King of Qin. If you can help We must be treated with courtesy, please think twice, young commander." Kou Zhong smiled wryly and said, "Thank you for your good intentions. It's a pity that my younger brother has other ideas. For details, you can ask me, these two brothers who are still brothers until now." Luo Shixin let go of his hand in disappointment, and looked at Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin, who could only respond with helpless bitter smiles. Luo Shixin frowned and said, "Forgive me for speaking bluntly. War is a contest of military power between the two sides. Defending a city and attacking a fortified position, and killing a fortified one depends entirely on the morale of the general. Now Wang Shichong is a private person, and he only values ​​the generals of the same clan. The soldiers have no fighting spirit. Young Marshal Kou He is a smart person, how could he accompany him to die?" Qin Shubao said angrily: "If you are not in harmony with the country, you cannot send troops; if you are not in harmony with the army, you cannot go out in battle; if you are not in harmony with the formation, you cannot continue to fight; if you are not in harmony with the battle, you cannot fight decisively. How much more talk will the young commander want us to do? " Cheng Yaojin said in a deep voice: "Since Wang Shichong is unfair, he has no integrity at all. Without integrity, he can't get along with the public. In the end, he can only end up with hatred." Kou Zhong smiled wryly, "Are you inviting me to drink or are you taunting me?" Among the generals accompanied by Luo Shixin, someone stepped forward and moved behind Luo Shixin, pressed his sword and shouted: "After all the good words, the young commander is still ignorant of current affairs. Wait for the young general to learn how to be smart and see if the young commander is worthy of his name." Including Luo Shixin, everyone was stunned by this person's audacity. Qin Shubao showed an angry look, and scolded: "Ruan Qing, get out of here, go so far, I don't want to protect my brother, but to protect the morale of my Tang army, I don't want to give a performance opportunity to the young commander in vain , Disrupt our military spirit. Get lost!" Ruan Qing was greatly astonished, looked at the leader Luo Shixin, his face turned red and pale, he was very embarrassed. Everyone focused on Luo Shixin to see how he would deal with it. Luo Shixin said lightly: "Just wait for what General Qin says to me. I don't want to see you again." The blood on Ruan Qing's face faded, she turned around and left after saluting shamelessly. Luo Shixin said casually as if he had done something insignificant: "I don't know what to do next. Any one of them is a violation of the rules of heaven. I don't want this kind of person." Kou Zhong had to reassess this future enemy. Cheng Yaojin put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Tomorrow is the day when the sky will fall. Tonight we'll have a damn good time. The ideal is to force you into unconsciousness, sleep drunk for a long time, and miss the big day in Luoyang." Battle, ha!" Everyone entered the account happily.