Aspiring to the Ten Kingdoms

Shazhou is closed at four gates.

Yin Chongke went first on Qingqi, without carrying any siege equipment, but just stationed outside the city.

Lieutenant General Deng Cunzhong walked around Shazhou and reported to Yin Chongke with a bit of gloom.

"General, the Guiyi Army is like a tortoise. We only have a thousand people, and we have come from a long way. They dare not go out to fight. They are too cowardly."

Yin Chongke smiled lightly and said, "Rang Yanzhang is right, the Guiyi Army really dare not fight our army."

Mu Yanzhang smiled modestly, but did not speak.

Deng Cunzhong was a little depressed and even more unhappy, cursing: "A group of shrinking turtles..."

Yin Chongke ignored Deng Cunzhong. As someone who had experienced it, he could understand Deng Cunzhong's feelings, and also saw that there was a certain contradiction between his most trusted deputy and Mu Yanzhang.

Moreover, this situation cannot be changed, and it is also a common phenomenon in the entire Dayu court.

The military camp has always been a place where strength and military merit speak for themselves.

Whoever has the ability and who has made great contributions will have the loudest voice.

This phenomenon is very practical in troubled times, but it is not very practical now.

The world is peaceful, and the chances of obtaining military exploits are far less than before. It is inevitable that the latest batch of officers cannot show the merits of being able to hold the scene.

As Yin Chongke's most trusted deputy, Deng Cunzhong has followed him for many years, fought many battles, and performed very well.

Mu Yanzhang has no merits, but he belongs to another situation.

Luo Youdu, as a later generation, has already seen this point. The Dayu imperial court began to teach soldiers in the army to learn theoretical knowledge a long time ago, and opened a military academy to make up for the shortcomings of actual combat with theory.

Mu Yanzhang was one of the first batch of high-achieving military students to graduate from the Dayu Military Academy.

Mu Yanzhang was assigned to Liangzhou by virtue of his excellent grades and became Yin Chongke's assistant officer, with a status comparable to Deng Cunzhong.

Deng Cunzhong was naturally dissatisfied, he had military merits and survived many times, so why should Mu Yanzhang be equal to him?

Just by reading a few books?
Yin Chongke still had the heart to mediate at the beginning to resolve the conflict between the two, but after seeing no results, he stopped paying attention.

If you don't want to be persuaded, it depends on who of the two is more capable.

Military strength is always the truth to consolidate the status of a general.

Yin Chongke said with a smile: "Our mission this time is not to attack the city, but to prevent Cao Yanlu from escaping after hearing the news. There is no need to force a fight. It will depend on the situation when the commander's army arrives."

Just as he was talking, news came from outside that Suo Weikang, a Shazhou tycoon, asked to see him.

Yin Chongke asked Deng Cunzhong and Mu Yanzhang to stand on the left and right, and asked Suo Weikang to come in.

Suo Weikang was a burly man, but after stepping into the military tent, he immediately bowed his head and said: "Suo Weikang has seen the distinguished general of the heaven..."

Yin Chongke said with a sullen face: "Are you here to represent yourself, or Cao Yanlu, a brother-killing traitor?"

Suo Weikang hurriedly said: "General, I have both. If I hadn't received Cao Yanlu's permission, I would not be able to leave Shazhou City, but my Suo family hates Cao Yanlu's murder of his brother. I only hate that I am not strong enough to fight for the court. , specifically to serve as an emissary to explain, to surrender to General Shang.”

Yin Chongke moved slightly in his heart, and said, "What's the situation in Shazhou now?"

Suo Weikang said: "People are panicking. The general came so fast that most people in Shazhou don't know what happened. Cao Yanlu is still lying to the people in the city, saying that the Murong clan colluded with the Ganzhou Uighurs to commit crimes. The general said It is really hateful to become a soldier of the Uyghurs in Ganzhou. We dare not speak out about this, and we have discussed in private. Tonight, we will work together to open the west gate of Shazhou for the general, and help the general take the city."

Yin Chongke said, "How many people are there in total?"

Suo Wei Kang Gong said: "A total of 2000 scattered people are not comparable to the army of the Celestial Dynasty. They are all heroes who are loyal to the imperial court."

Yin Chongke thought secretly.

But Mu Yanzhang said: "Who are you joining hands with?"

Suo Weikang said: "Besides my Suo family, there are also Xue, Si, Cha, Hu, and Lian families."

Mu Yanzhang nodded slightly, but did not answer.

Knowing what he meant, Yin Chongke said: "You are loyal in your intention to come, and I will know. You go down and listen to the news. Let me discuss it for a while before making a decision."

Someone sent Suo Weikang away, Yin Chongke glanced at Deng Cunzhong and Mu Yanzhang, and asked, "What do you think?"

In fact, Yin Chongke still favors Deng Cunzhong in his heart. After all, he is a confidant whom he single-handedly pulled out, with absolute trust, and an existence that can completely entrust his back.

But he had to admit that Mu Yanzhang was really easy to use.

Mu Yanzhang, who was born in a military academy, has complete basic knowledge, not to mention marching formations, strategic thinking, and even a certain understanding of topographical mapping.

Deng Cunzhong hurriedly said: "It's worth a try."

But Mu Yanzhang said: "This subordinate suggests that it's better to hold back."

Yin Chongke said in a deep voice: "Do you suspect that there is fraud? Didn't you say that since the death of Cao Yijin, the Cao family has become unpopular due to the succession problem, and they cannot gather their forces in one place, and they are separated from each other. Thinking about it, I will not advance or retreat with the Cao family. As far as I know, the Shazhou Suo family is deeply rooted, second only to the existence of the Zhang family in the past, if it were not for the turmoil that occurred, the Cao family would not have taken advantage of it."

The Suo family in Shazhou was as powerful as the Zhang family back then. When Zhang Yichao raised his army, the Suo family was Zhang Yichao's most powerful assistant, so the two families became in-laws.

Later, the Zhang family was in turmoil, and the Suo family Suo Xun stole the seat of the Zhang family and became the commander-in-chief of the fourth generation of Guiyi army.But in the end, because of unpopularity, the Cao family picked a cheap one...

The Suo family also lost control of the Guiyi army because of this, but the centipede is dead but not stiff, and the Suo family is still one of the powerful in Shazhou.

Mu Yanzhang said: "This statement is true. General, the Suo family's heart of surrender should be true. He wants to make meritorious deeds in order to consolidate the position of the Suo family. But it is because he wants to make meritorious service that his subordinates feel that this matter is important." different."

Yin Chongke asked blankly, "What do you mean by that?"

Mu Yanzhang said: "Shazhou is powerful, except for the Cao family, the five surnames of Suo, Zhang, Li, Chunyu, and Tuoba are the top. Suo Weikang said that Xue, Si, Cha, Hu, and Lian, some of them belong to the family. I have never heard of it before. It can be seen that Suo Weikang did not really gather Shazhou tyrants, but gathered a group of forces with good relations with him, and wanted to take the credit for himself."

Yin Chongke understood, and said with a smile, "This is also human nature."

Mu Yanzhang nodded and said: "It is indeed human nature, so my subordinates dare not gamble. The Suo family has a great career, and they are powerful in Shazhou for hundreds of years. Their roots are here, and they can't escape. Your Majesty has always been against Hexi used an aggressive strategy to show off the strength of our Dayu here, bragging that Dayu is invincible. Our strength is already strong, and over time, the idea of ​​Dayu being invincible has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The Cao family is unstable, and the Suo family Such a powerful family is naturally unwilling to live and die with the current Cao family. The small family is different, as long as there are enough benefits, so what if I give up the Shazhou family business? I, Dayu, can chase them to the ends of the world for them?"

"If the Suo family contacted Zhang, Li, Chunyu, Tuoba and other surnames today, this matter can be accomplished. But only the Suo family is not qualified."

Yin Chongke kept nodding his head, and said, "That makes sense, in your opinion, why don't you stand still?"

Mu Yanzhang said: "That's right, the general thought that at this point, safety should be the top priority. As long as the follow-up troops of the governor arrive, Shazhou won't last long."

Deng Cunzhong was a bit unwilling, and said sullenly: "What a great opportunity."

Yin Chongke also intends to make a big contribution. With the development of the times, anyone with a discerning eye can see that there will be fewer and fewer opportunities to make contributions.

Mu Yanzhang is the best example: some of the latest batch of low-level officials in the imperial court have been promoted not by military merit, but by theoretical achievements.

However, as a veteran general in the army, Yin Chongke resisted the temptation and made a decision.

He asked Suo Weikang to go back to wait for the opportunity, and told Cao Yanlu that there was a misunderstanding, and asked him to go to Bianjing to explain in person.

That night!

In Mu Yanzhang's sleep, he was suddenly awakened by the piercing sound of the golden gong. He rushed out of the big tent with a bit of panic, but saw the front camp on fire, and the shouts of killing were resounding in the flames.

Night raid?

Two words flashed in Mu Yanzhang's mind, and everything became clear in an instant.

Just as he thought, Suo Weikang was just a pawn, not only to lure them to fight, but also to pride his own heart, telling them that there were intrigues in Shazhou, each with their own thoughts, just to let them relax their vigilance, the other party had planned it from the very beginning. Please enter the urn and attack the two strategies at night, the purpose is to use their thinking of underestimating the enemy.

Looking at the flames in the distance, Mu Yanzhang thought everything through. Hearing the piercing shouts, the coping methods he learned in the military academy flashed through his mind. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. Come out, my mind is inexplicably blank.

Through systematic study, Mu Yanzhang has a very high military quality, but their situation is different from that of Cao Bin and Pan Mei. The two of them did not lack initial military achievements. What is lacking in earning merit and qualifications is a record that proves that one can stand alone.

Dayu has reached today's size, and there is no such thing as small fights, or if he doesn't move, he will move like thunder.

Therefore, Mu Yanzhang and his group don't even have the opportunity to hone with the big brother in the army.

A true rookie, tonight is his first battle.

Mu Yanzhang, who had excellent grades, thought more than once that he would command the army with certainty, enter seven times and exit seven times, with all manner of majesty, but when it came time to go into battle, he seemed to be forgetful and couldn't even make a sound.

When Mu Yanzhang was nervous, Deng Cunzhong had already led more than ten people to the front camp.

Dayu's soldiers were well-equipped and well-trained. Facing the enemy's surprise attack, although they inevitably fell into short-term chaos, they would not be easily defeated. Instead, they organized themselves in twos and threes to launch a counterattack.

Their counterattack effect is not obvious, but it can effectively delay a certain period of time.

Deng Cunzhong appeared on the frontline battlefield. There were not many people, but it was a banner that brought together the soldiers who were fighting separately and organized an effective resistance.