Chapter 39 Chapter Thirty-Nine

Night fell.The army slowly marched towards Xinfan. Zong Yao rode on the horse, savoring what her adoptive father said the day before.No matter what the reason was, Li Jian was indeed suspected of delaying the battle when he attacked Langzhou, so he should be punished logically.Zong Yao even regretted letting Uncle Li's father escort those villagers by himself.Sometimes, those in command of the three armies often make improper appointments, so he would rather believe that Zhang Yuhou was eager to fight, not Li Jian's fault.At first, he felt that his adoptive father would rather kill a few surrendered leaders than pursue these things in order to repay Li Jian for saving his life; at this moment, he suddenly realized that neither he nor Zhang Zao was as good as his adoptive father in employing people. .If Li Jian is killed, the army's morale will be at ease, but giving Li Jian 12 points of trust can win the heart of another general!No wonder Zhang Yuhou, who used his adoptive father at the beginning, was also willing to obey his orders.To be handsome, one must not only know soldiers, but also know people!

"Zong Yao, what are you thinking?" In the silence, his father-in-law He Yiyang's call brought his thoughts back to reality. "Oh, it's nothing...I'm thinking about how to deal with Shan Xingzhang." "Well, it's time to think about it. This battle with Shan Xingzhang is no small matter. Are you sure that the two armies can defeat him before the battle?" Zong Yao was stunned for a moment, not knowing what his father-in-law meant, and said, "I have never fought against Shan Xingzhang, but the battle is just life and death. As long as you let me fight, I will definitely try my best to pick him off the horse!"

"Shan Xingzhang is definitely not the idle person you imagined! Ten years ago, he had the reputation of 'the number one warrior in Xichuan'. When the old man Zuo Gao built Luocheng in Chengdu, he also built the city in Meizhou and the five counties. He is good at leading troops, his arms are superior, and he doesn't care about his life when fighting..." He Yiyang sneered, "You, he is far worse than you!" After hearing this, Zong Yao said calmly, "Nevertheless, when the two armies are fighting, it is not the general who decides the world. If he is as you said, he can't attack with force, he can outsmart him."

"Hehehe..." He Yiyang laughed, "You can teach me...you don't even think about it, if you can beat the mountain with a gun, why would Wang Situ send Zhou Boya to fight with me? Haha, Wang Situ is shrewd in employing people Ah!" He Yiyang's words touched Zong Yao's heart, the luck of a good general lies in meeting a wise master, not to mention Wang Guangtu is his adoptive father.He Yiyang said again: "When I worked for the imperial court in the early years, I had some friendship with Shan Xingzhang. Although this man is brave in battle, he lacks resourcefulness and is still arbitrary. This time, we will seize his weakness and kill his vigor! When you arrive at Xinfan, you will fight against him immediately, and then you must defeat some of his generals and force him to fight in person."

"Father-in-law, don't worry." "Well, but you have to remember that if it's a one-on-one duel, you are not his opponent. Before the two armies, you must be careful. If you fight with Shan Xingzhang, you can just lose. Mr. Boya has another plan!" "Little son-in-law understands!" Zong Yao said so, but she secretly said in her heart: Father-in-law thinks highly of this Shan Xingzhang, if I kill him on the spot, I will have no opponent in Xichuan. It was just after dawn that Meizhou Inspector Shan Xingzhang walked out of the army camp in full armor. Three days ago, he learned that Wang Jian's brigade had come to kill him.It was a day of fresh and foggy weather, and you could see the mountains of Pengzhou in the north when you looked up.Shan Xingzhang turned his neck. He didn't sleep well last night.I don't know if it's the humid climate here or the nuisance of Wang Jian and his gang of rats.He was a battle-tested general in Xichuan, so he naturally didn't pay attention to Wang Jian and others who raised troops in the Central Plains.Right now he is thinking about how to kill the enemy soldiers as soon as possible and rush to Pengzhou to rescue Yang Sheng.

"Report! We have found out that the enemy army is about 20,000. The commander is He Yiyang, the forward is Wang Zongyao, and the deputy is He Linze!" Shan Xingzhang turned his head to look at his confidant Zhang Yuting: "I heard it right, why didn't he come from Wang Jian? This is what..." He suddenly forgot the name and surname reported by the military academy, "What?" "Bing Inspector, He Yiyang!" "Oh, yes, this He Yiyang...why is it so familiar?" "Your Excellency, have you forgotten?" Zhang Yuting stroked his goatee. He was from Dongchuan, and he was born in the army. He has been reused since he followed Shan Xingzhang.The clever Zhang Yuting has now become Shan Xingzhang's right-hand man, "This He Yiyang is a local, and he has lived in seclusion in Mianzhu for nearly twenty years..."

"Oh!" Shan Xingzhang's heart sank.He suddenly came to his senses, the enemy commander turned out to be an old friend of his more than 20 years ago. "How could he follow Wang Jian..." Shan Xingzhang said to himself. "My lord, do you want to ask this old man to meet?" "No! The two armies are fighting. There are no old friends, only enemies." He pressed his helmet habitually, "Send the order, line up! Prepare to fight." It's time to beat the drums. Shan Xingzhang sat on the horse, looking at the front of one of his own generals to fight the opponent.After three rounds, Fang heard a scream, and his general fell under his horse.From a distance, the tiger general immediately in front of the opponent's formation is young, wearing bright silver armor.Shan Xingzhang happened to be looking at the sun, and the dazzling light refracted by the armor made him a little bit blind.He turned his head and asked Zhang Yuting: "Who is that person?"

"That person is Wang Zongyao!" Shan Xingzhang clenched his fists and made a rattling sound. "General Yu Rang, go meet me with Wang Zongyao's head!" "The last general obeys!" Then, a black war horse rushed out of the camp on the dust. I saw Yu Rang waving a pair of double hooks and killing Wang Zongyao.Wang Zongyao unhurriedly drew out his spear and threw a hook away... At the thirtieth round of the battle, another ray of sunlight shone through Shan Xingzhang's eyes. Before he could see what was going on, Yu Rang dropped a hook and was defeated. Come on.The opposing camp was jubilant, calling out his name Shan Xingzhang in unison.

"Trash!" Shan Xingzhang yelled. "My lord, let the last general fight!" Zhang Yu pleaded for orders. "Forget it! If you continue to bear the burden, won't Wang Zongyao, a young child, become arrogant!" After finishing speaking, he wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, "Come here! Carry my crested axe!" Shan Xingzhang swung the big ax twice in his hand and shouted loudly.The sergeants in the formation immediately flashed out of a passage, yelling loudly, but saw a horse rushing towards the front of the formation of the two armies.Behind him came the sound of the Shu Army's rumbling drums and cheers.

Zong Yao saw a black-faced fierce general fighting out from the opponent's neat team, holding a long axe, and thought to herself, I have finally waited for you, and I, Wang Zongyao, will meet you for a while today.When he wanted to stop, he waved his spear to urge his horse forward. The two main generals met each other in the first round, Zong Yao was fierce and aggressive, and the first shot went straight to Shan Xingzhang's throat.Shan Xingzhang saw that this Wang Zongyao's methods were so fierce, he quickly dodged to the left, and turned the long ax in front of him to knock Fei Zongyao's gun.Unexpectedly, Zong Yao's shot went and was quickly retracted, Shan Xingzhang swung the ax empty, and then turned his horse to take a closer look, Zong Yao's second shot went straight to his throat.

Shan Xingzhang couldn't help being so angry that he let out a strange cry of "Oops", and turned over to the right side of the horse's back... Zong Yao saw that Shan Xingzhang lost his center of gravity, and couldn't help being overjoyed, and quickly pulled out the tip of his gun and pressed it to the left... Shan Xingzhang had expected Wang Zongyao wanted to keep up with the spear, and handed the ax to his left hand like flying. With a backhand swing, he slashed directly on the tip of Zongyao's spear.The horse retreated several steps in a row, Zong Yao came back to his senses, looked up, Shan Xingzhang's big ax followed closely from the left... After more than 20 rounds of fighting, Zong Yao gradually felt the strength Some were helpless, but Shan Xingzhang became more and more courageous as he fought.Suddenly, Zong Yao remembered his father-in-law's confession that he didn't need to defeat him on the battlefield in this battle.Although somewhat unconvinced, he could only act according to military orders.After thinking about it, Zong Yao feigned a shot and retreated back to the battle after being defeated. When Shan Xingzhang saw that Wang Zongyao was defeated, he hurried after him.General Wang Zongyao of the Yongping Army passed through the formation, and immediately joined the team, lined up with shields, and fired random arrows.Shan Xingzhang raised his ax and knocked the flying arrows, while retreating.I thought to myself, this group of court troops are nothing more than rats, such a majestic Yongping army has no opponents of their own, so they can't help but feel depressed.I wanted to go to Pengzhou earlier, but I was afraid that these Wang Jian's troops would disturb me, so I ordered heavy troops to be stationed outside the Dongzhai Gate. Zong Yao was a bit annoyed at the defeat, but just in time for He Yiyang's promotion, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the big tent. He Yiyang saw that the generals gathered neatly and solemnly, and nodded with satisfaction: "Generals, you are summoned today to prepare for tonight's fire attack..." Wang Zongyao's heart skipped a beat, and he said hastily: "This...we only launched troops during the day to see the tent, and we will attack with fire tonight. I am afraid that we are not prepared enough, so is it too hasty?" He Yiyang laughed loudly: "This plan was decided by Mr. Boya. Mr. Boya is familiar with military tactics, how could he not know that fire attack must be prepared first?" Seeing Zong Yao's doubts, Zhou Xiang explained: "General, don't be suspicious. The plan of attacking with fire is hidden from you, because you are afraid that after you learn the truth, you will not use all your strength to fight Shan Xingzhang. If Shan Xingzhang wins today, he will surely He is proud, and he will definitely guard his camp with heavy troops, but he doesn't know that he has neglected the precautions of food, grass and luggage. I heard from He Yuanwai that Shan Xingzhang was careless and arrogant. Looking at his employing people, it is true——50,000 The army was entrusted to Yu Rang, a warrior, to raise food and escort it. However, today when the two armies are fighting, they are fighting against you with Yu Rang, which shows that their employment is inappropriate. This provides a good opportunity for us to launch a fire attack!" Seeing that Zong Yao's doubts had been dispelled, Zhou Xiang asked his subordinates, "General He! Have you ever had all the firearms?" He Linze cupped his fists: "According to the master's orders, we are ready!" "General Zong Bi! Have you prepared properly for the five hundred defeated soldiers in disguise?" "complete!" Zhou Xiang said to himself: "'Sun Tzu said: When the time is, the sky is dry. When the sun is on, the moon is in the skip, wall, wing, and Zhen...' Today is the dry day of the first month, and the moon is in the chasm. In the night, it must be dry." There is a north wind blowing." After finishing speaking, Zhou Xiang turned his head and nodded to He Yiyang, indicating that everything was in order, and only waited for the commander to issue an order. He Yiyang slapped the table and shouted, "Okay! All generals obey orders!" The general Shi Dunsheng in the tent sat sideways, straightened his upper body, held the sharp knife on his waist, and made a sound of "咵咵", waiting for the command of the general. "Zhang Qianyu and He Linze obey orders. I will give you two and three thousand troops to lie in ambush ten miles north of the enemy's camp. When we see three rockets as signs, we will quickly attack their food and grass and set fire to the enemy's camp!" "General Wang Zongbi! But if you see a fire in the north of the enemy camp, you can lead 500 people to rush into the enemy army, disguised as the Shu army to disturb the army's morale. When Shan Xingzhang flees north, you can go back quickly. I will personally go outside the gate of the enemy camp Dongzhai." Accept you!" "Wang Zongyao, you led five thousand people and ambushed on the only way to Xipu. If Shan Xingzhang really risked his life to take this road, he would fight with blood. Even if he doesn't die, the whole army will be wiped out!" ... He Yiyang dispatched the errands of the generals one by one according to the discussion with Zhou Xiang.He ordered his family to lead 10,000 people to attack the mountain at night. Here, Shan Xingzhang learned that He Yiyang was indeed attacking the camp every night, and he secretly rejoiced that he had already prepared.In the darkness, the torches of the two armies were suddenly lit, and they fought in the east of the Shu army's stronghold.This battle was extremely brutal, and the shouts of killing echoed in the Chengdu Plain for a long time.When the battle between the two armies reached a fever pitch, He Yiyang decisively ordered his men to launch three rockets with sound into the northern sky. Zhang Qianyu, who was ambushing outside the Beizhai, saw the signal and immediately led his troops to the Shu army's grain village.Shan Xingzhang neglected to take precautions on the north side, and the Shu army collapsed in the first battle.He Linze set fire to the whole Liangzhai with the kindling that had been prepared, and ordered the archers to fire rockets into Dazhai.Afterwards, Wang Zongbi led his troops into the enemy camp, and the camp of the Shu army was in chaos. When Shan Xingzhang heard the chaos in his village, he turned around and saw that the army village was already in flames... At this moment, Yu Rang suddenly saw that his face was covered with mud, and he crawled under Shan Xingzhang's horse: "General, the last general is negligent... ...I missed it..." Shan Xingzhang regretted that he had used the wrong person, and now that he killed Yu Rang, he couldn't save him, so he looked up to the sky and sighed: "If the sky kills me, Shan Zhang?" Yu Rang cried and said: "The last general will die, and now it is like this, we can only rush out, and regroup after dawn!" Shan Xingzhang nodded with tears in his eyes, raised his phoenix axe and shouted to the general: "Today we have been plotted by the thieves, if you want to live, follow me and go directly to Pengzhou..." "No! No! General!" Zhang Yuting dismounted from his horse and firmly grabbed one of Shan Xingzhang's thighs: "...Wang Guangtu knew that the general's 50,000 troops sent troops to Pengzhou, but he sent He Yiyang to intercept and kill us. He himself has not shown up yet. The camp is on fire tonight, food and grass have been burned, he must ambush heavy troops on the Pengzhou road, once he leaves, it will be impossible to return!" Shan Xingzhang looked up to the sky and shouted loudly: "I can't go north to Pengzhou, why would He Yiyang let me flee south? If I go to Chengdu, there will be no ambush?" Zhang Yu said with tears in his eyes: "Yu is so bold that I ask the general to change his horses and armor. I am willing to take the place of the general and lead three thousand troops to the north. If He Yiyang knows, he will have a large army to pursue and take precautions against the south. The general can lead his own troops, False way to Xipu, retreat to Guangdu, in order to make a comeback!" Shan Xingzhang was so moved that he couldn't express it in words. He got off his horse and stroked his shoulder, and said, "You have been with me for ten years. If you go north this time, it will be a rare life..." "General..." Zhang Yuting knelt and wept, "I will die for the general, and Yu Jing will die with no regrets... Time is running out... General... More armor, get on the horse..." Shan Xingzhang gritted his teeth, changed his armor with Zhang Yuting, got on another horse, looked back at his comrades-in-arms and generals for many years, his eyes were filled with tears.He gritted his teeth and led Yu Rang to the path to Xipu... After breaking up with Shan Xingzhang, Zhang Yu ordered someone to bring a big axe, put on Shan Xingzhang's armor, ride on Shan Xingzhang's mount, and lead the troops to open the way to Beizhai, and went straight to Pengzhou.Three thousand troops rushed out of Xinfan not far away, and met Jin Hui and Li Shitai leading troops to intercept and kill them. Li Shitai was repeatedly defeated by Shan Xingzhang in Xinfan before, this time he got the opportunity and wished he could annihilate him in one fell swoop.And because of Zhang Zaozhi's death, Jin Hui also held his breath and wanted to vent.The 3,000 men and horses led by Zhang Yuting and the thousands of Shu troops fleeing to the north fought a desperate fight with the Yongping Army.On the one hand, the defeated army fled in a panic, and on the other hand, the army eager for revenge stood by and waited.This supposedly evenly matched fight turned into a massacre due to the difference in time and place.Overnight, tens of thousands of Shu troops were wiped out!Shan Xingzhang's elite blood-stained Xinfan, who has been in business for many years, has a dead body forty miles.Zhang Yuting also died in the chaos... This night, Shan Xingzhang galloped without looking back, only hoping to get to Guangdu as soon as possible to rest for a while.Along the way, recalling that the defeat of the 50,000 army was caused by a fire, I couldn't help feeling regretful.Fleeing to the fourth watch in one breath, the shouts of killing behind him have long been heard.Zhang Zhang let out a long breath, freeing up his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.He asked his subordinates where they were.The subordinate replied, five miles ahead is Xipu. "Xipu..." Shan Xingzhang was startled, this place was overgrown with trees, it was an easy place to set up an ambush. "Let's go! Quickly evacuate this place and go to Guangdu!" As soon as the voice fell, there were shouts of killing from both sides.Wang Zongyao has been lurking here for three hours, and finally waited for Shan Xingzhang to arrive, and he gave an order to lead his troops to intercept and kill.The two armies fought fiercely again, and they fought until the light of day.Although Shan Xingzhang cited a defeated army, there were more than 30,000 people who encountered obstacles, or rushed to the death, or collapsed under the leadership of the military academy.Shan Xingzhang saw that he could not command the rest of the troops, so he ordered each of them to commit suicide and meet at Huanhuazhai, Chengdu. Wang Zongyao tried his best to stop Shan Xingzhang's team. Under the light of the torches, the two escaped and chased, killing twenty miles along the way.The rest of Shan Xingzhang's army was almost wiped out. With a big axe, he cleared the way and hacked and killed while fleeing alone.When it was dawn, he finally got rid of Wang Zongyao's pursuit.He looked around dejectedly, only a hundred or so remnants of defeated soldiers followed him to the death, and looked at the battle robes on his body that had already been stained red with blood, he couldn't help feeling extremely sad. Traveling to Huanhuazhai, I finally saw more than 20 groups of people led by Yu Rang and others, and the lieutenant generals fled.After counting, the 50,000 Shu soldiers left less than 20,000 overnight.Shan Xingzhang felt that he had no face to go to Chengdu to meet Chen Jingxuan, so he could only lead the rest of his troops to the south. According to Zhang Yuting's order, he temporarily stationed troops in Guangdu. A big fire made the north of Chengdu gradually calm down.Wang Jian saw that Pengzhou could not be captured for a while, let alone Chengdu, so he decided to take Qiongzhou first!There are two routes from Chengdu to Qiongzhou: one via Chongzhou and Shuzhou, and the other via Guangdu and Wuyang.After thinking about it, Wang Jian worried that if Shan Xingzhang was not removed, it would be a serious problem.So he decided to attack Guangdu first, and then go down to Qiongzhou.In December of the first year of the Dragon Age (889 A.D.), Wang Jian sent Wang Zongkan to continue to confront Yang Sheng in Pengzhou, and he personally led all the main forces to go south. "Have the reinforcements from Chengdu arrived?" Shan Xingzhang felt a little desolate as the war was approaching.After Zhang Yuting's death, he suddenly felt that there was nothing around him, and at the critical moment, there was not even a single person who could give him advice. "General Song Xingneng's 70,000 troops will arrive in three days!" "Three days? Damn! Wang Guangtu will be here in three days!" Shan Xingzhang heard that Song Xingneng was beaten to the ground by a young man at Sima Bridge, so he couldn't help but sneered at him.He sighed: No one left!There is indeed no one in Chengdu!At this time, Wang Jian's army was less than forty miles away from Guangdu.Song Xingneng's 70,000 reinforcements may be too far away to quench their thirst.Although he still has more than 10,000 people, most of them are disabled and exhausted soldiers!At this moment, he could only cheer up and tell the three armies to prepare for the battle. Wang Jian sat alone on a piece of bluestone in the village, scratching back and forth on the ground with a branch tightly grasped in his hand.After all, Song Xing's ability to have an army of 70,000 is a heart problem.After defeating Wang Zongbi, Song Xingneng stationed troops in Xindu and Mengyang, and all the troops in Xichuan were assigned to him.Song Xingneng is talented, otherwise Chen Jingxuan would never have entrusted him with such a heavy responsibility.Even though he lost the battle that day, he could see it clearly—Zong Bi was too risky, and winning was too fluke.Now going to Qiongzhou, it is not too difficult to cross the barrier of Shan Xingzhang. After all, the first battle of Xinfan has seriously hurt the vitality of Xichuan's number one fierce general.But if Song Xingneng is not on guard, if he fails to win Canton within a few days, he will face the danger of being attacked from both sides. "What are you thinking, my lord?" Zhou Xiang had already sat beside Wang Jian before he knew it. Wang Jian said nothing, and drew a word "Song" on the ground crookedly with a branch. "The lord is worried about Song Xingneng?" "Yes, he has more people than us. The battle of Xinfan hurt Shan Xingzhang's vitality, but the battle at Sima Bridge only frightened Song Xingneng. I'm thinking about turning around and fighting Song Xingneng for real. If he loses, there will be no one to use in Chengdu..." Wang Jian raised his head, wanting to see Zhou Xiang's opinion. Zhou Xiang shook his head: "No, it is easy to defeat Song Xing, but it is difficult to take Chengdu. Although Shan Xingzhang was defeated, his family fortune is still there, and it will be even more difficult to deal with him after he has recuperated." "Are you saying that we should take advantage of the victory and pursue Shan Xingzhang first?"