Delong

At the end of spring, when the stars and the moon were dark, above the city of Licheng, guard Han Erlang was extremely nervous, looking into the distance in a daze.

But after such a distance, and in the middle of the night, whether it is Gaotang in the south, Zhangnan in the north, or Boping in the southwest, it is impossible to see clearly. The distance is just pitch black.

Han Erlang was a little tired, but he had to force himself to think.

There is no way, as a person who came up from the bottom but has no tyranny to rely on, he is very clear that the troubled times are not his ladder to prosperity, he does not have the capital, he has been trying to survive from the beginning.

At the same time, he is only clear-headed, but he is not too smart, and he can't see clearly the strategic situation, and he doesn't know where the tide is going, so he has repeatedly fallen into crisis.

Unfortunately, there are not many people who can negotiate... Zhang Lao Wu is practical and capable, but his mind is so dull that he can't discuss with him at all... This group of people still relies on him A person's mind turns.

Of course, it is wrong to say that there are a group of people at this time. He is a deputy captain, leading thousands of troops with spears, wooden shields and leather armors, and he is in charge of the entire county.

In the past, he was also a big figure in the eyes.

But this made Han Erlang feel overwhelmed even more, because it meant that he was responsible for the lives of more people.

Everyone is the same, they are all living people. The living people in Qinghe Township all have fathers, mothers, wives and children... If there is no one, that is still a life, so how can you throw it away?

Forcibly suppressing redundant thoughts, Han Erlang withdrew his eyes from the distant night, turned around and squatted in the corner between the city wall and the wooden board house under the surprised eyes of the night watchman behind him, and began to sort out the things he had done seriously. All information and cognitions known:

For example, in the comparison of the combat power of the two sides, how many soldiers are there on your side, and how many soldiers are there from the Dragon Gang?How many condensed pills in Qinghe County, how many condensed pills and Chengdans did the other party have?Which army is stronger?

Then where are the positions of both sides, where is the distribution of troops, and where are the main generals?
Where are the reinforcements?
These things are actually not many, and the answers are very simple. Han Erlang soon identified three key questions:
For starters, there's no sign of the fabled reinforcements showing up.

As the defender of one of the four cities on the front line, he only received a military report four or five days ago when the Long army had just besieged the city, saying that the four neighboring counties and Dongdu had reinforcements, allowing him to guard the city with peace of mind. Until today, there has been no movement, but there have been some bad rumors.

And without reinforcements, it means that there is a huge gap in strength between the two sides in this battle. My side is behind in all aspects, and there is basically no hope for the battle situation.

Secondly, just this evening, the sentinels reported that there was a troop of no less than ten thousand people, including fellow villagers from Qinghe, and even the "Dou" flag of Dou Lide from Zhangnan. The distance of five miles in front of the city was quickly crossed... There was no camp at all, and there was no defense at all, just galloping to Zhangnan County in the north.Why?
Finally, not to mention Zhangnan, which is the most important, there was such a big commotion, and Boping in the southwest has not responded at all since evening. He has not waited for Cao Shancheng's military order.

This is not the style of Mr. Cao Fu.

Only consider the first question, in fact, things are still uncertain.

Putting the first question and the second question together, there are only two possibilities—either the imperial reinforcements arrived, and Dou Lide and the others flew over to stop them, or Dou Lide wanted to break through Zhangnan quickly, or even Zhangnan surrendered directly.

And if the third question is added, then the possibility of imperial reinforcements is basically ruled out, because if that is the case, there will definitely be a military order to make him respond. There should be one for blocking, delaying, and chasing.

Therefore, the answer is ready to come out - Zhangnan is gone, and the situation in Boping is not good.Han Erlang, who realized the seriousness of the problem, crouched in the shadow of the battlements and didn't get up for a quarter of an hour before shouting under his breath: "Where is the fifth brother? My leg is numb, let him come and give me a hand."

The sentry soldiers on the top of the city gate tower on the side immediately responded, turned around and shouted down,
Zhang Laowu immediately got out from the gate tower, then looked for Vice Captain Han, and helped him up.

"Your Majesty has military orders." Han Erlang continued to speak under his voice. "Don't make any noise, don't let everyone make a lot of noise, and don't light too much fire. You go in person, call the barracks one by one, let everyone get up, and prepare the dry food, drinking water and torches that I asked everyone to prepare on weekdays. Follow my orders and walk in groups according to the order I said earlier...」

Zhang Laowu didn't know why, so he just nodded.

And Vice Du Weifu of Han grabbed the opponent again: "Some of the generals of those teams are still convinced by me, and some have never been convinced. If someone forces you to ask you, just tell the truth, it is the governor who wants us to retreat to the back Go to a safe place... but be careful that there are cavalry from the Dragon Army on the road, and they are afraid that the Dragon Army will attack the city upon hearing the news, so we are preparing to set off at this time."

At this time, Zhang Laowu came to his senses a little bit, nodded again, and went to do it seriously.

When Han Erlang left the city, he also took a team of guards and headed towards the county government in silence—this is not his residence. Those who are here are still the Licheng Wang county magistrate's family.

When he came to the county government office, he stopped the guards, asked someone to give a notice, and then entered the backyard alone, but explained a little to the county magistrate Wang who got up hastily, and was frank:

"That's how things are. Zhangnan is almost impossible to keep. If you don't retreat to the side and back here in Licheng, you will definitely be surrounded... What does Mr. Wang mean? Come with us? If you go, Pack up now, don’t bring any heavy things, and don’t worry about extra servants, it’s best to only bring your family and a few animals, and bring enough food and drink.”

The county magistrate Wang only wore his middle clothes, and stood beside the brazier in the courtyard with his hands folded, silent for a long time.

Han Erlang thought about it for a while, then bowed his head in the dark and said slowly: "If Lord Wang wants to stay, then he can stay too, and I will leave the two teams of local soldiers to you, so it will be convenient at that time. "

County magistrate Wang was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly sneered: "Mr. Cao's family has been attending these two years, and the exams are serious, and the most important one is whether the handling of bandits is strict...for this, the next door Zhang County Magistrate Wei of Nanxian County two years ago just because the bandits in Gaojibo never harassed Dou Lide's hometown, he guessed that Dou Lide had become a bandit, and then killed the whole family until only one daughter and a distant nephew remained... ···Although I guessed it right in the end, I asked Vice Captain Han, what would happen if Dou Lide returned to Zhangnan now, if he could stay with Wei County Magistrate and his family? And although I have never killed a big bandit like Dou Lide, neither have the small bandits. Don’t kill me, can the Dethrone Dragon Gang tolerate me?”

After Han Erlang finished listening, he was also a little helpless. Hearing the uncontrollable movements outside, he could only sigh: "Mr. Wang County, this is not the time to put on airs. What do you think? Let's talk about it. It's convenient for you, I won't delay...」

County magistrate Wang once again glanced at this local countryman whom he had never looked down upon. He knew that what the other party said was reasonable, but he gritted his teeth and said his original intention: "I will go with you, but I will not go with you to see Cao Cao. Fujun, when you arrive in Qi County tomorrow morning, you continue to march to Boping in the southwest to find Cao Fujun, but I want to go to the city to rest for a while, and then I will go to find my own way of life in the morning."

Han Erlang came to his senses, and immediately responded: "Yes, not only that, I can also hand over the two local teams of Qixian County to Wang Xianjun, and the county monarch will take them with him, so that he can protect his own home and let them disperse directly when he leaves. Drive home and seek a way out."

County magistrate Wang glanced at this person again and again, and finally nodded emphatically: "I don't want you to have such insight."

In this way, Han Erlang was well prepared and made their own assignments. In addition to letting the two teams of county soldiers from Qi county follow the county magistrate Wang, he also found two teams of three hundred county soldiers from the local area, with two team generals and six teams. The gang leader made it clear, let them protect the old grain in the treasury, keep the law and order in the city, and even if it's not good, they have to wait for their own side to leave, quietly disperse and go home in the early morning, and don't cause trouble for no reason.

The six captains of the two teams are all locals, but they know the good and the bad, and know that this is the best result, but they are just grateful.

Then, in the middle of the night, Deputy Captain Han and County Magistrate Wang took the remaining 2000 soldiers to the depths of Qinghe County, but they retreated to the southwest.

There is no way, since Zhangnan sees that there is no way to explain it, then the dethrone dragon army will inevitably follow the Qingzhang River to take Wucheng along the road, and then further take down Qinghe City, the county government. At this time, the only way of life seems to be in the southwest.

It is to go to Qi County in the southwest first, and then go south to Boping to find Cao Shancheng.

Of course, the intention of County Magistrate Wang is obviously that he wants to go another way. He wants to separate from the army here in Qixian County and go directly west to Qingping or Qingyang to see if he can escape into Wuyang County from Tangyi or Qingquan. Just jump out.

Besides, under normal circumstances, the marching speed of the medieval army mainly composed of manpower and livestock carts has an approximate speed. It depends on the road conditions, the state of the army, and the size of the camp. It is about [-] to [-] miles a day.

However, this is an average, a general speed based on the background of long-distance marching and the standard of land accompanying behavior.

As for the specific cavalry and light infantry marching in a hurry, or in the case of supply stations along the way and water transportation, it is easy to break through this limit in a short time.

Especially when it is necessary to rush and seize the target in the face of battle, there are often jaw-dropping marching speeds and distances.

And just one day and one night at the end of spring, apart from the short and violent battle that broke out in Gaotang City, the entire Qinghe, in all directions, was full of such desperate and extremely fast marches.

Han Erlang led his troops to set off in the middle of the night, carrying torches, dry food, drinking water, and armor on their backs. By morning, they had arrived in Qi County, [-] miles away from Licheng.

Dou Lide set off at noon, and arrived at Licheng, which is [-] miles away from Gaotang, in the evening, and then his family was so homesick, they didn't stop for a moment, and in the middle of the night, they traveled for more than [-] miles, and they had already entered the territory of Zhangnan.

At this time, Zhai Qianying and Shang Huaienying who accompanied him had fallen behind, and Cheng Ming, who was also from Hebei, came up to persuade Dou Lide. Although the official guards in Zhangnan County had already surrendered, if the army was too scattered, the other party might rise up. Yixin, he should camp on the spot, and wait until tomorrow when the whole army is assembled and prepared, and then march down to the city to accept surrender.

Dou Lide thought so, so he stopped marching.

On this day, they traveled more than eighty miles.

In contrast, although the cavalry of the Dragon Gang marched faster, the distance was not too long. They ignored Chiping, who already had a tacit understanding, and went directly through the southern border of Boping County, and arrived before the evening of the same day Under Liaocheng, the outflanking was completed.

The total distance is only eighty or ninety miles.

The ones who moved the slowest were the most powerful troops in the middle of the Dragon Gang...but they were not to blame, because they had plenty of time, and with a distance of forty or fifty miles, they would definitely be able to reach the city of Boping that night.

However, there are always accidents in a perfect plan—in fact, it’s hard to call it an accident, because Zhang Xing and Shan Tonghai talked about it from the beginning, and the Dragon Gang lacked experience in long-distance raids and outflanking, especially large-scale raids. The experience of the cavalry is copied.

Specifically, there are two points.

First, the cavalry of the Dragon Clan was too fast, and the infantry was too slow, and the two sides did not have an all-round cooperation experience, which directly led to the lack of connection between the two, leaving a gap;
Second, for the first time, the cavalry of the Dragon Clan marched at a high speed. There were countless stragglers and lost people. Although the general direction was correct in the end and they regrouped, many people scattered on the way, too far north. So much so that they crossed the protection range of the Sentry Cavalry Battalion and disturbed Cao Shancheng in Boping County.

Cao Shancheng immediately realized that no matter what happened to the reinforcements and Gaotang, Boping was about to be surrounded.

So, he made a move that not only slapped Zhang Dalong's head judgment, but also couldn't be said to be a real slap in the face - after seeing a large group of cavalry bypassing Boping, he immediately led the remaining thousands of county soldiers to leave and was about to be encircled The county seat of Boping was transferred to Qi County, tens of miles to the north, where he used to be the county magistrate.

Zhang Dalong said that he would not escape, indeed he would not, Cao Shancheng never thought of leaving Qinghe County, he chose to go to Qixian County to continue to wait for news from Gaotang and Licheng, but this does not mean that he saw the knife coming over They didn't even hide.

As a result, that night, the main force of the [-] dethroning dragon army in the middle was completely empty!

And Mr. Wang Xianjun and Deputy Han

The captain was in a mansion in the county seat of Qi County, and was a little caught off guard when he saw his immediate boss, Cao Shancheng, Mr. Caofu.

"Zhangnan?! Dou Lide, a native of Zhangnan, brought 1 people across Licheng and ignored it, going directly to his hometown in Zhangnan?!"

Even Mr. Cao Fu was mentally prepared, he couldn't help turning pale in his own hall when he heard the words, and then laughed instead of anger.

"I got it, I got it! My captaincy and county magistrate have all voted for thieves! But I don't know at all?! Zhangnan, Wucheng, Qinghe, Chiping, Boping...Gaotang ! Is March all for nothing?!"

Just as Mr. Wang wanted to comfort him, Cao Shancheng shook his head again: "No, it's not that three months of hard work will be empty, it's three years of hard work that will be empty... When the bandit army broke out, I was alone in Qi County. The bandit army fought more than a hundred battles, I thought the situation was gradually cleared up, but I didn't expect that in the end, the whole city of Qi County was alone!"

County magistrate Wang immediately shut up. It is one thing to say that he failed to jump off the ship, but another is that the mansion, who had been a little too tense a few months ago, was obviously greatly stimulated, and his state was abnormal.

At this moment, he can only hope that Vice Captain Han, who has always been quite upset with him, will not sue him temporarily that he is going to flee to the west, otherwise, God knows what Cao Shancheng, who is in such a state under such a situation, can do.

In fact, beside him, the current county magistrate Zhao of Qi County just remained expressionless and silent early on, as if he had seen something a long time ago.

"How many soldiers did you bring from Licheng?" Cao Shancheng, whose eyes were bloodshot, suddenly seemed to regain his clarity.

"Two thousand... There are too many left behind on the road, especially the local soldiers in Licheng, who hide in the city and can't come out." Deputy Captain Han gave Wang Xianjun a nervous look instead.

"Not bad." Cao Shancheng was silent for a moment, then nodded repeatedly. "That's right. Marching forty miles in one night, three thousand soldiers bring out two thousand, I can't... I hurriedly brought out three thousand soldiers from Boping, and discarded the five hundred who lured the enemy under my banner , or only reached more than 1000, and half of them scattered on the road... How did you do it?"

Han Erlang answered seriously: "I usually ask them to prepare dry food, drinking water and torches."

"You thought you would lose this battle from the very beginning?" Cao Shancheng narrowed his eyes.

Han Erlang hesitated for a moment, and said the truth: "Your Majesty, I got used to this during the three campaigns. At that time, everyone wanted to escape, but those who fled hastily and early were caught and killed. I had no choice but to make preparations to escape, to run away depending on the situation, and then I escaped, and I have been preparing like this all the time, relying on this to survive.”

Cao Shancheng was silent for a while, and asked inexplicably, "Is the three-legging very hard?"

"It must be hard work, but the main reason is that I'm afraid of death...the last two times I died, who dares to move forward?" Han Erlang obviously didn't want to start this topic, but he could only deal with it. "Going forward is death, running away is also dead, so why not run away and try."

"Since it's so natural, do you hate me?" Cao Shancheng continued to ask. "I killed many people like you who fled back that day. Aren't the people Zhang Jincheng imprisoned all like this?"

"How can you hate Fu Jun?" Han Erlang replied seriously. "Zhang Jincheng was also a murderer. It was Mr. Cao who dealt with him, allowing us and the people of Qinghe to live a stable life again... I was not killed as a surrendered soldier. I am grateful to Mr. Cao from the bottom of my heart. , if Mr. Cao Fu wants my life, I have nothing to say."

Cao Shancheng was slightly comforted, and nodded: "That's good, that's good. In the end, there will be an honest and capable person following me, which will save a lot of worry... I'm too tired, let's take a break Rest, the military and political affairs in the city will be handed over to you."

As he said that, he ignored the two county magistrates at all, and went directly back to the back house where he lived for an unknown number of years.

In this way, the time came to the afternoon, because Zhang Dalong took Gaotang easily last night, it was actually Zhang Dalong who arrived at the city of Qi County one step ahead of the chaotic middle army.

Then, he ordered Xue Sijiang to be sent into the city, and asked Cao Shancheng to open the city and surrender before this time tomorrow, and to kill him immediately.

Of course Cao Shancheng ignored him.

But Zhang Xingbai was bored, waiting for the army in the middle to gradually

When they gathered in the city, they were picky and picky again, and wrote a bullshit public announcement in vernacular - "On the Death of Cao Shancheng", and then asked someone to copy a few copies, one for file, and one for Xie Minghe Then, posted it in the city.