Delong

Chapter 306 Tiger Row (7)

In the afternoon, Zhang Xing sat on the high platform and continued his sit-in battle, while Zhou Xingfan stood there and took the command instead.

Following the orders of the leader Xiao Zhou, dozens of red military flags on the stage were constantly swiped and changed directions.And Fan Bao of the third battalion in the third row in front, Xiahou Ningyuan of the second battalion in the second row and Xu Kaitong of the third battalion in the front are watching the battlefield ahead in person while they keep turning their heads. Look, deploy troops in the direction indicated by the flag, or guard against death, or rush forward with heavy troops.

It turned out that the officers and soldiers came to attack for the second time, and when the real strength of both sides was revealed, Zhang Xing immediately realized that Xue Wanbi's troops were not so outstanding in combat power before. Different from the other three perfunctory.

Therefore, Zhang Dalongtou immediately changed his tactics, and chose to lure Xue Wanbi into the formation to siege before the reinforcements from the official army's rear were dispatched.

As expected, Xue Wanbi was eager to make contributions. He didn't wait for the reinforcements behind him, and took the lead in chasing Fan Wang, and directly entered an area surrounded by camps on three sides... This place is not a simple open space, but some existences similar to dilong moats. , it seems to be a defensive position, and Fan Wang even tried to organize the army here, so Xue Laosi was deceived.

However, after Xue Wanbi rushed in, he saw that Fan Wang's troops were like flowing water in the field, following these ditches directly to the left and right battalions, and then looked at the situation on the three sides, and found that the three battalions stood tall on three sides, but there was not much noise. , I didn't know that I was caught in the trick, so I hurriedly ordered the people who were chasing and killing to turn back.

But the troops can be taken away as long as they say that they can take them away. What's more, he discovered at this time that these trenches, which look like long trenches, are probably not for defense at all, but for the convenience of the two battalions on the left and right to send troops to attack and prevent his family from leaving.

Sure enough, with the sound of a drum, not only did Fan Wang's troops turn back and fight back, but the gates of the camps on all three sides were also opened wide, and the dethroning army, which was several times larger than his own, came to attack from three sides. Under the banner of the word, there is a streamer jumping up, stepping into the front of the battle for the first time.But I don't know whether the general in the battalion in the third row in front of him is a master of alchemy, or the dragon thief behind specially sent a master of alchemy to sit in the guard to prevent beheading tactics, or to entangle him if necessary.

What's more terrible is that, as Xue Laosi was struggling left and right, he kept trying to rescue the headquarters and led the troops to escape. The dragon thief general who could be seen ahead was on the stage, but someone was condescending and commanded:

If he goes to the left, the flags will point to the left; if he goes to the right, the flags will point to the right; The right and the right turn to the left, and the two battalions on the left and right will try to cut off his retreat from behind; if he retreats, the flags will all point in front of him. The former officers and soldiers were used for killing and wounding.

The more Xue Wanbi fought, the harder he fought, and the more frightened he became, how could he not know that Chu Longjun didn't expect to kill him, this Ningdan, but kept preventing him from rescuing his subordinates and giving effective command, and his subordinates were indeed in a short period of time? The interior was surrounded by a large number of divisions, and at least a thousand people were trapped in it. The shouts and killings of the Delong Army could not cover up the cries for help, roars, and even cries.

The reinforcements coming from behind were not unpleasant. Xue Changxiong saw his fourth son chasing him in from a distance, and immediately dispatched a reinforcement army without any return. It was Zhonglang General Wang Changxie who led a Biao army to come to the rescue; And Murong Zhengyan and Wang Yu on the left and right of Xue Wanbi did not hesitate, and immediately gave up the attack and came to rescue.

A few generals rushed in and met Xue Laosi. Every word you said to me persuaded him to retreat quickly.

Xue Wanbi was at a loss at first, but he suddenly heard the soldiers crying and wailing on the chaotic battlefield, but he was unwilling to leave anyway.

Zhang Dalong, who had been sitting still, saw with his own eyes that there were people coming to rescue Xue Wanbi from the left and right, but he groped into the jar under his feet again, and put one on one side, and another on the other side, and groped five names in a row. Just now, he took two from each side, then turned around and ordered:
"Boss Shan and Jia Yue, you two should send out your troops immediately. Attack from the first row between the battalions with the first from the left and the second from the right, and encircle from the outermost two battalions! Surround the three armies together! Dou Lide, Tang Bairen, you The two prepare quickly, if the former army can successfully encircle, the two of you will be behind the first two, if not, they will respond! At that time, they will all be under the command of the single chief. The auxiliary chief is also ready, and may require your Huai Xichang Swordsman pressed forward to clear the field! Wang Xiongdan also made preparations, summoned all the practitioners from the remaining ministries, and prepared to fight in battle if necessary."

Everyone immediately realized what was going on. Xue Wanbi's hesitation and the others' reckless rescue should be the biggest opportunity today... and Mr. Zhang was so weird when he drew lots, obviously he wanted to find the two Ning Master Dan led the team to blockade; the final direct point against Fu Boshi and Wang Xiongdan was to prepare for the clearing of the field and the high-end combat power confrontation when necessary.

The entire general platform became busy, and those who were named would naturally go to work, and those who were not named would no longer sit idle, but Zhou Xingfan still did not give up commanding, just staring at the battle situation ahead, as if he was going to take the place in front of him. The officers and soldiers swallowed it alive.

Standing on the general platform, Xiongbo Nanli looked at the battle ahead and said with emotion: "No wonder people say that those who know the art of war are good at playing chess, and some people say that seizing Longben is an ancient battle formation. Looking at it today, isn't this situation just like playing chess? , Duolong Wuer?"

Zhang Xing finally stood up, but he didn't take it seriously: "If the coaches of both sides can sit quietly and play chess against each other like today, it would be really simple, but let me say that the first day is just a test for both sides , if Xue Changxiong is really capable, we will have a hard time tomorrow... Is the advantage of a mere camp compared to the city wall? Xue Changxiong led the entire Hejian camp, and half of Hebei's support, without attacking The ability of the city?"

Only then did Xiong Bonan become serious.

But Zhang Dalong smiled again: "But it's okay, it should be like this today, it's our little victory."

Xiong Bonan nodded, and then asked again in a low and serious voice: "The deployment is so proper and quick, can't you really eat the soldiers and horses in front of you?"

"I'm really looking forward to it." Zhang Xing said with a smile. "After winning this battle, we have already won five points, but this is not up to us."

"That's true." Xiong Bonan also laughed along with him.

The surge of tens of thousands of troops along the established route of the camp could not be concealed. Xue Changxiong, the general manager of the Hebei march, looked ahead and was furious for a moment: "What is Xue Wanbi doing? I killed myself and fell into it out of joint, but I still want to Do you ruin so many friendly troops around you?! Chen Bin, you take this knife and bring him back! Tell him, if he commits a fool again and refuses to obey the military order, don't depose the dragon thief and chop him up, I will chop him up myself!"

As he said that, he directly threw the straight knife in his hand under the horse angrily.

Sima Chen Bin was stunned for a moment, but still got off his horse, picked up the straight knife in front of the opponent, bent down and bowed his head to respond: "This subordinate, go and invite the fourth general back!"

"Please come back?!" Xue Changxiong was really furious. "Bring it back directly! If you can't get it back, kill him!"

Chen Bin responded, turned around and mounted his horse, and led a group of knights forward.

At the same time, in the corner dozens of steps away, Pingyuan Tongshou Qian Tang, who had been watching the whole process, couldn't help squinting slightly. He always felt that something was wrong in the scene just now, but he couldn't think of it for a moment. , they can only give up, and then continue to observe the battlefield situation.

On the other side, Chen Bin brought Xue Changxiong with his saber, without any hesitation, he rushed directly to the front of the formation, passed through the first row and the third village that had already been captured, and then found Xue Wanbi... In fact, there was no need to look for Xue Wanbi at all. Immediately behind this camp, and at the same time the four generals Murong Zhengyan, Wang Yu, and Wang Changxie were all here, and they were all persuading them, while the tall, majestic Xue Laosi was like a willful Like a child, just rein in the horse and stay there.

Chen Bin took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, slammed his horse forward, and sternly shouted in the army formation: "Military order from the chief! Xue Wanbi turn back immediately, if he doesn't move, he will follow the military law on the spot!"

Saying that, he pulled out the straight knife directly.

Unexpectedly, Xue Wanbi heard the words, instead of obeying, he was furious instead, and simply raised his bloody spear, pointing at the people who came by on the spot and yelling: "The remnant of the Chen Dynasty, dare to kill me?!"

Chen Bin was dumbfounded, and then his eyes turned red. Fang wanted to speak, and Wang Yu and Wang Changxie beside him showed their true energy early. One grabbed Xue Wanbi's mount, and the other held down the opponent's long spear.

Among them, Wang Changxie, who used the weak water true energy to suppress Changqiang with a long knife, even shouted on the spot: "Xue Laosi! What are you crazy about?! Chen Sima is here by your father's order! This is the manager military order!"

"I'm not reconciled!" Xue Wanbi was startled when he heard this, and then roared with all his might.

"Is this something you are not willing to do?" Murong Zhengyan even scolded from the side, and took advantage of the situation to use his true energy to grab the opponent's cloak. "If you don't leave, if you wrap up on both sides, it's not the 2000 people who are trapped, but the five of us, four soldiers and horses, and more than [-] people are trapped!"

Wang Yu also came down from the horse to persuade: "Fourth General... This is only the first day of the battle, and we are only here to exert pressure and test. Are you going to force the general to lead the whole army to attack the bandit's camp under such circumstances? What if If you can’t win completely, that’s a big mistake.”

With Xue Changxiong's military order, the three generals had no scruples and easily surrounded Xue Wanbi, and the latter finally calmed down passively. The mount headed towards the home front in the northwest.

But as soon as the people left and the flag moved, a group of trapped soldiers and horses had managed to escape to the position where there were still two or three trenches not far behind them. At first, they thought there was still a possibility of escape. Seeing this shape, they couldn't help but Roaring vigorously, he asked, "Are the four generals going to abandon us?"

Xue Wanbi heard this, and when he looked back, tears poured down his face. He hid his face with a cloak and urged the horse to go on its own.

Seeing this shape, the rest of the generals and the army breathed a sigh of relief, and stepped up to order the troops to evacuate one after another.

Afterwards, the Xilong army quickly filled the space and took back the camp. The remnants of more than a thousand officers and troops were completely surrounded.During this process, the voice of questioning had already turned into a voice of insults, and then into a voice of pleading for surrender, but Xue Wanbi had already lost his hearing.

"Chen Sima... was wronged just now." On the way back to the army, Xue Wanbi went straight back to the formation, while the rest of the generals stayed behind to be careful. Chen Bin was in a bad mood, so he spoke to comfort him a little. "General Xue Si just felt pity for the soldiers, and he was a little jealous before."

Chen Bin, who was holding a straight knife, laughed dryly: "It's okay..."

Zhong Lang put Wang Changxi beside him, but he was not very angry: "If you want me to say, Chen Sima, you are doing it yourself... Everyone is an official of the imperial court. Big Wei is gone, Hebei belongs to the Xue family, that's why these young masters have been brought up like this!"

Chen Bin just smiled wryly: "There is no such thing, don't talk nonsense."

On the contrary, Wang Yu, another Zhonglang general, was always flattering, but he was a little embarrassed.

Several people slowed down, and together with Wang Fubei and Feng Duan, who arrived later, returned to the front of the formation to hand in the order. Only then did they find that Xue Wanbi had already been stripped naked, lying naked in front of the formation of thousands of troops, and was being ordered by the military judge. whipping.

It's also each of them.

When Xue Changxiong was condescending and glanced at the generals coldly, everyone's scalp was numb and they bowed down one after another, but General Xue just snorted coldly, reined in his horse and turned back, and at the same time ordered the whole army to retreat to the camp.

When Qian Tang saw this scene, his heart moved slightly, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only shake his head towards the executioner Xue Laosi.

Besides, it's not just Qian Tang. In the eyes of most people, Xue Wanbi is the only person responsible today.

Because in this kind of battle that can be boasted to the outside world as hundreds of thousands versus hundreds of thousands, the victory or defeat of a mere two or three thousand people in the early stage is not worth mentioning. From a perspective, the key is to use various methods to test, find the key flaws, succeed in one blow, and then take advantage of the situation to expand the results, then great things can be achieved.

Although Xue Wanbi was the bravest of Xue's family, he was unavoidably brave and foolhardy. He was too hot-headed to plan, but he was young and energetic and unwilling to admit defeat. He implicated many people for no reason, and almost caused the overall situation to be passive.

In fact, Xue Changxiong should also think so, but there is still a simple, direct but helpless point of opposition between him and the generals below.

That is, Xue Changxiong, as the coach, knows that the victory or defeat is related to the control of a large piece of Hebei's fertile land south of the Qingzhang River, and even to whether the Hejian Camp can continue to dominate the control of Hebei. I was worried that there would be a large-scale support from the east after the flood season, so I started from the beginning with the mentality of doing whatever it takes, and I also asked all the ministries to do their best from the beginning of the trial, in order to get a glimpse of the Dragon Army's plan early. flaw.

And the military leaders below him are a bit muddled.

Of course they also want to keep Hebei and drive away the Dragon Army, but at the same time, in a battle of this level, if one accidentally loses all their belongings, is Master Xue sure to make up for it?

Who is it fighting for?Why fight?Is it just officers and soldiers killing thieves?

How about Director Xue also learn from Zhang San who dethroned the Dragon Bandit opposite and write a few leaflets to explain clearly to everyone?

On the first day of the battle, Xue Wanbi's stupidity made the Delong Army win a small victory in the originally lackluster tentative battle. Two thousand vs. one thousand prisoners were killed and wounded, which was enough for the Delong Army to praise.

But the officers and soldiers were not discouraged. When they returned before the evening, they began to rest early, and at the same time, countless tribesmen began to collect soil.

Of course, Qian Tang, Cao Shancheng, and the other generals definitely didn't need to fetch soil. They went back early, but they gathered at Xue Changxiong's camp before they could disperse.

Entering the military tent, probably because of Xue Wanbi's affairs, the atmosphere is still not very good, and many generals speak cautiously.

Cao Shancheng, the prefect of Qinghe, looked at it for a while, hesitated, and decided to do his best, so he flashed out, bowed to Xue Changxiong, and said earnestly: "Boss Xue, I thought about it, it is feasible to fill the trench with soil , but the entire army’s auxiliary soldiers and civilian husbands go together, I’m afraid there will be a lot of casualties, and will it hurt morale instead? The lower officials think that it’s better to make more boards.”

Xue Changxiong was stunned for a moment, and then asked coldly in the seat: "Who told you that the soil I want is for filling trenches?"

Cao Shancheng was stunned on the spot.

"I used to pile up the mountain." Xue Changxiong didn't hide it. "I want to see if the siege method can be used against his mere Muzha camp?"

When Cao Shancheng came back to his senses, he was embarrassed for a while, so he could only turn back, and Xue Changxiong ignored him.

After a while, Xue Wanbi, who was only wrapped in a clean white silk, was dragged into the tent. Bloodstained on the silk, like plum blossoms, attracted many people's attention.

Next, Xue Laosi bowed his head honestly, and while admitting his mistakes, he couldn't help crying about what happened to the soldiers in the headquarters, and only begged Xue Changxiong to give him a chance to make a contribution.

At this time, led by Luo Shu, several generals flashed out one after another to intercede on their behalf.

And Director Xue finally followed suit, spared his son, and added 2000 people from his headquarters to supplement him.

A play is over.

All the generals went back to the camp. Qian Tang was expressionless and speechless throughout the whole process. When he came to his tent, he saw Lu Changheng and sat back on the couch. Just now he sighed and said a shocking statement:
"I also just woke up and realized that there is a huge life gate here in Hejian Daying."

"What gate of life?" Lu Changheng was extremely surprised.

"There is no reward for reward, and resentment is inevitable for punishment." Qian Tang blurted out.

"Punishment is common, but how can there be no reward?" Lu Changheng was puzzled for a moment.

"What is the reward offered by General Xue today?"

"Official position with money and silk, ten thousand taels of silver, promotion to prefectures..."

"This is the problem. Is Qianbo useful to the generals and officials who have entered the court?" Qian Tang asked seriously.

"Promote the state..."

"Which prefecture was promoted?" Qian Tang kept asking. "Can you guarantee that these Zhonglang will return to their hometown to be the prefect? ​​Or go to Guanlong Antai? Go to Beidi and Nanling to avoid disaster?"

Lu Changheng kept silent for a moment.

"Besides, it's safe to be a county guard these days and be a Zhonglang general, relying on the army town, and commanding thousands of elite soldiers and horses?" Qian Tang looked at the other party and sneered. "What do you think Cao Shancheng and I are in this camp? The new eunuch from Bohai was a little scared and didn't dare to come over. Yesterday Xue Changxiong sent someone to reprimand and persecute him... In other words, General Xue's reward is, Whoever makes the first contribution will lose his military power and end up like us lame prefects!"

Lu Changheng nodded slowly: "There is indeed a problem."

"On the other hand, if we make the first contribution, what can we do? Can we be rewarded with a general?" Qian Tang continued to laugh.

Lu Changheng was finally speechless: "How could this happen?"

"You have to ask the saints in Jiangdu, why the normal promotion and dismissal loses the meaning of reward and punishment!" Qian Tang laughed even harder. "Actually, it's not just the embarrassment of the court, General Xue himself is too embarrassing. He can neither go further to be the master of Hebei, publicly reward and punish him in his personal capacity, and he can't change the chaos of the imperial court. Avoiding the void... This is the biggest lifeline of the Hejian army. General Xue can't guarantee the future of Zhonglang's subordinates at the first level. His rewards are useless to these people. Not many people dare to listen in private, not only that, but too harsh punishment will make people easily resent."

"That's true." Lu Changheng thought for a long time before asking instead. "What about the Dragon Gang? How will Zhang Sanlang reward and punish those big bosses?"

"There is a territory." Qian Tang spread his hands in response. "This victory, Bohai Sea to Wuyang, the entire south of the Qingzhang River, is their territory. Everyone is rising, and they are rebels. The rebels have finally become the trend of Wancheng. These big bosses will turn around sooner or later... ...But it is impossible for General Xue to attack the eight counties in the east as a reward."

"But..." Lu Changheng asked with difficulty in a low voice. "Don't the generals in Hejian know the principle of helping each other in the same boat? What good will it do them if the Dragon Gang takes Hebei?"

"That's the problem." Qian Tang sighed. "They are even more afraid that they will lose their troops first, and they don't think that they will lose Hebei directly in this battle. Hebei is so big that it is enough for a while...Compared with it, the Dragon Army is a newly reorganized army. Everyone, the soldiers don't know the generals, the generals don't know the soldiers, no one will hide their secrets, and they are alone in Hebei, with nowhere to escape."

"Soldiers don't know generals, and generals don't know soldiers, is it a good thing?" Lu Changheng thought for a while, but didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry about this." Qian Tang suddenly changed the subject. "Gathering soil today is not to fill trenches, but to pile up mountains tomorrow, do you know?"

"Really?" Lu Changheng was at a loss for a moment.

"I'm thinking..." Qian Tang was inexplicably discouraged. "Tell me, in such a situation, what if the Hejian army still wins?"

Lu Changheng remained silent.

"Let me analyze it. After one day, our fate has been revealed." An hour later, after cleaning the battlefield and repairing the camp, Zhang Xing, who had just returned to the Chinese army camp, looked seriously at the surrounding camps. The leader and confidant speak amazingly. "It's just that the combat power of the troops is too average, and they don't have the ability to take the initiative to attack. They can only rely on the camp to fight. In this way, once the advantage of the camp is lost, it is very likely that the whole situation will be destroyed."

"Leader doesn't have to be so discouraged." Wei Xuanding said with a smile. "The troops are all trained. I watched from the vantage point of Ban County today, and I think our combat power is still good. If we fight for a few more days, we will win every game and the morale of the army will be cultivated. If we are familiar with the tactics, our combat power will naturally increase. The meeting is coming up, and then we will gradually be able to attack.”

Many people around echoed it. Obviously, winning a game in the daytime is still very effective in boosting morale.

At this moment, Xie Minghe suddenly took off his robe and sleeves, came out holding his sword, and handed Zhang Xing a note.

In the eyes of everyone, Zhang Dalong burned his head in the brazier beside him calmly after reading it, and then informed the surrounding leaders about the military situation: "I found out that the officers and soldiers collected the earth bags not to fill trenches, but to pile up earth mountains. Come to suppress the camp... Do you have any countermeasures?"

All the leaders looked at each other in blank dismay, there was a moment of silence in the military tent, and they were obviously caught off guard.

(End of this chapter)