Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 653 Zuo Ling tests Chen Zhou
"Drive, drive, follow up quickly, the rear army moves forward quickly, and the front army disperses."

"Report, Protector Zuo, Gu Ping's army is staying at the foot of Chenzhou City, unable to move forward!"

"Explore again,"

"Yes, Protector Zuo!"

The leader of the Taiping Religion's elite scouts hurriedly mounted his horse and led his men away again.

Outside Chenzhou City,

About twenty miles southeast of Gu Ping's army, there were actually 20,000 Taiping Sect troops accompanying them. They were fully equipped with armor and weapons. They were obviously elite troops.

It turned out that Chu Yiyue, the deputy leader of the Taiping Sect, had thought twice about it and was not worried about the northward pass, so he sent Zuo Ling, the guardian of the left, with 20,000 troops to follow him to see what was going on in the north. He also asked Zuo Ling to adapt to the situation when he arrived in the north. .

"Guardian Zuo, do you think those people in Chenzhou City will go out and have a fight with that guy Gu Ping? After a hard fight, we can pick up something ready-made in the back?"

Beside Zuo Ling, his confidant Zhou Xiu had a smile on his face. He took a water bag and took a sip of water while riding on the horse. He was also thinking about consuming the strength of the two people on the opposite side. What is this called? It seems to have been said by the storyteller. The mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole follows behind. This is what it means.
"What are you thinking about? Unless Gu Ping leads his troops to go north to Linshan County, the people in Chenzhou City may take action. Otherwise, they should be unmoved. The leader of Chu has already reported the information, just like the former prince's old troops, who are in contact with the county and make detailed plans. , the specific details are unknown.”

The army continues to move forward,

Zuo Ling looked at Chen Zhoucheng who was becoming more and more clear, with a smile on his face.
"The whole army speeds up and goes straight to Chenzhou City."

"Report, general, there are 20,000 troops advancing more than ten miles south. I wonder who is leading the troops?"

"Defender, what should we do? That boy Gu Ping is extremely cunning. Could it be that he discovered something fishy and ran away?"

As Zhou Xiu arranged for his soldiers to go back and report the news,

About half an hour,
The outline of Chenzhou City was seen, and the scouts sent there rushed over.
"Report, Protector Zuo, Gu Ping's troops stopped five miles outside Chenzhou City. After a stick of incense, they suddenly turned northwest and the entire army left quickly without any intention of staying!"

Zuo Ling was extremely cautious now. After all, every experience gained a wise man. The fighting in the valley was as vivid as yesterday. Among the soldiers and horses of the imperial court, there were also loyal and brave men who were not afraid of death, not to mention the elites of the imperial court, who had no money, money or food. Que, and those former prince's old subordinates are really die-hard loyalists, so they can turn over.

Think about the northwest silently, and follow the direction of the map with your finger. Wuzhou and Pingzhou in Qingchuan County are both at that location, but it is a pity that they are too far away.

"What, let's go now. There is no city in the short distance to the northwest."

Zuo Ling was startled and immediately took out the map and took a brief look. The northwest of Chenzhou was Qingchuan County. Could it be that Gu Ping didn't care about the life and death of Linshan County and escaped?

"It's not his character to run away. It's probably because he found something he couldn't do. It seems that the strength of our allies is not as simple as it seems on the surface. It's time to meet them."

"Yes, Zuo Hair Care,"

Zuo Ling touched the knife marks on his face. Although they had scabbed, the marks remained. He did not expect the officers and soldiers to be so ruthless. The battle in Luoye Valley was extremely brutal. Although his men fought back desperately, the opponent's people still attacked as fiercely as ever. Chao, almost died here.

On the tower of Chenzhou City,
Chai Qing looked at Gu Ping's troops retreating away, and couldn't help but admire him. He was indeed a strong man in the southern part of the country. He had a keen sense of smell and could detect this. It would be better if he left, so as not to waste troops on him.

Zhou Xiu suddenly became energetic. Watching Protector Zuo, he hurriedly sarcastically asked Gu Ping whether he still wanted to pursue him.

Thinking about things on my mind,

"Guardian Zuo, the people in the court, old and new, are all thinking so hard. They fight when they want and run away when they want. How many days have passed and Linshan County has not been captured. Now that I think about it, Master Chu's army should be gathered here. Bian is coming. There is not that much food in Fucheng. It is said that all the food harvested in the last season is in the official warehouse of the county. What will we do if we don't get it? "

"Yeah, what kind of trouble are they making? They won't fight or surround them. I can't understand."

A scout captain hurried up to the city tower to report. Upon hearing this, Chai Qing's eyes narrowed and he turned to the official road to the south. He vaguely saw a long queue.

"Here!"

As they were talking, Protector Zuo suddenly realized that Linshan County should already be under their control, otherwise it would not be like this. Now that they have arrived in Chenzhou City, Gu Ping's troops all collectively headed northwest, walking in a hurry.
"Zhou Xiu, immediately send someone to report the situation here to Master Chu. Let Master Chu lead the army to come quickly. They cannot let them swallow such a big piece of fat."

"Well, there are still soldiers and horses coming here. Could it be that they are the remnants of Lin Yue Mansion, and it wouldn't be right to follow them."

This is not like Gu Ping's style. If the troops are combined, both sides will benefit, but if they are divided, morale will be damaged. It is impossible for Gu Ping to arrange the march in this way. Could it be that there is a gap between the two armies.

"General, could it be that Gu Ping has set up a fascination array, using the defeated soldiers as bait to lure us out of the city, and then turn back and fight back? We have to be on guard."

Lieutenant General Jiang Yong also expressed his opinion,
"What you said makes sense. You will know after you see it. There is another situation where the Taiping Cult people lead their troops to follow behind. Otherwise, Gu Ping would not have left in such a hurry."

Chai Qing could not deny it. Instead, he thought of another situation, that is, the people of the Taiping Sect also wanted to kill two birds with one stone. They followed them, with the mantis stalking the cicada and the oriole behind, just like what the military advisor had thought before.

"The general is right, but, general, if they are really from the Taiping Religion, should we let them pass?"

Lieutenant General Jiang Yong is quite convinced, but he is still flying the banner of the Taiping Religion, and it will be difficult to handle when the real master comes.

"Humph, it's useless for anyone to come. No one can pass through Chenzhou."

"You will finally understand."

Chai Qing smiled coldly, and then the army behind him still stood there on guard.

Under the city,

Zuo Ling's troops were already three miles away from the city.

He led his bodyguards and galloped over on horseback.
"call"

"On the city, but which general is here? I am Zuo Ling, the Zuo Protector of the Taiping Sect."

Zuo Ling reined in his horse a mile outside the city and shouted at the wall.

Chai Qing, who had been waiting for a long time, also leaned over the battlements behind the city wall to look down. He saw an energetic young general holding a five-foot spear in his hand. The dragon looked majestic. It turned out to be him, Zuo Ling, the protector of the left. People from the Taiping Sect,
"It turns out that Protector Zuo is here, General Chai Qing of the East Palace Left Guard. I don't know why Protector Zuo came so quickly and what happened?"

"Disrespect, General Zuo, I'm being polite. Naturally, I was chasing the defeated general Gu Ping. Who knew that kid was running so fast that I lost my hand?"

Zuo Ling rode on a horse and opened his mouth below. His bold and bold aura made people look at him. He just opened his mouth and turned out to be chasing Gu Ping's men. Chai Qing sneered. The wind was strong, so he was not afraid of flashing his tongue.
"Guardian Zuo is a great hero, but it's a pity that his subordinates moved too slowly. If he had been faster just now, he could have been intercepted. Now that he is fleeing to the northwest, Protector Zuo will not hesitate and just chase after him."

Chai Qing didn't expose it, but encouraged him to continue to collect the money.

Zuo Ling also cursed secretly for not being the son of a man.
"General Chai, I'm a guest from afar. Why don't you go to the city and rest for a night before leaving?"

"Guardian Zuo said this to embarrass me. You and I have made an agreement long ago. Leader Chu can only come here after Linshan County is captured. But now it's earlier, so I can only offend him." Chai Qing naturally said. If you don't agree, if you let him go, the master's important affairs will be delayed.
Zuo Ling's test apparently ended in vain, Zhou Xiu behind him asked softly;

"Guardian Zuo, it seems that Linshan County hasn't succeeded yet, what should we do?"

"That's it. Since we didn't succeed, it's not our business. We retreat ten miles and set up camp and wait for news from both sides."

He raised his head and glanced at the city wall. There were many soldiers and flags standing in the dark. It was obviously heavily guarded. The former prince was really powerful. With caution in mind, he rode away.

"In that case, don't bother me. I'll camp outside the city and wait for good news."

"General, what does the Dharma Protector mean? Why did he leave?"

When Lieutenant General Jiang Yong was still dazed, Chai Qing watched the man leave with a gloomy face. He was worthy of being the Zuo Protector. I had heard of this man when he was in Jiangnan. He was really powerful.
"I know everything I want to know, how can I still stay here? Zuo Ling is a difficult character."

Chai Qing murmured with some sigh. Only Jiang Yong was confused. He knew everything, but he didn't say anything just now.

Looking at the city,

The Taiping Sect's army slowly retreated, and everything inside and outside Chenzhou City fell into silence once again.

"Sending a message to the master, Gu Ping's troops are rushing towards Qingchuan County. The Taiping Sect's left guardian led 20,000 troops here and camped ten miles outside the city."

"Yes, General."

Inside the palace,

Outside the Meridian Gate,
Wang Ziteng led a group of generals and Jiedu envoys, and Eunuch Yun, under the protection of the Imperial City Division, rushed to the outside of the capital palace.

The group dismounted,
He hurriedly checked his waist badge, put away his weapons, and then entered the palace and headed to the Yangxin Hall.

And over there at Chongwenmen,
Zhang Jinyu, on the other hand, was wandering back to his hometown, and stopped by his father-in-law's house to see how Mr. Taishan was doing.
On the left and right is Luan Jia, who has not seen the Queen. He must have gone back, and he is still thinking about Chunhe. The rich harvest is not small.
Just thinking,

Suddenly someone shouted from behind;
"Master Marquis, Master Marquis, stay, stay."

Smell the sound,

Zhang Jinyu looked back,
It turned out to be Eunuch Zhao of the Royal Horse Supervisor, Zhao Si, running over at a trot along with a few small yellow men.

Coming closer,

Without any idea, he reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"My Lord Marquis, you are walking so fast. The Zajia trotted all the way to follow you, almost all the flesh on your body was gone."

Zhang Jinyu looked at the plump eunuch in front of her. He looked left and right but didn't lose a few ounces of meat.

"Brother Zhao, what is it that makes you anxious? Or did something unexpected happen last night?"

"Oh, Mr. Marquis, it's not the case. His Majesty asked the old slave to inform Mr. Marquis that he should go to the Yangxin Hall now."

Eunuch Zhao was sweating more and more, and he didn't know whether he exercised or not on weekdays. The fat all over his body was shaking there, which made Zhang Jinyu feel a little unbearable.

"May I ask Brother Zhao, why is Your Majesty so anxious?"

Zhang Jinyu was a little curious. Didn't he see it just now? In the blink of an eye, he called again. There seemed to be nothing going on in the palace. Otherwise, His Majesty could go out for a leisurely stroll. I couldn't guess.

"Oh, Lord Marquis, let's talk as we walk,"

When Zhao Si saw Marquis Luo Yun still talking there, he became anxious and stretched out his hand to pull the Marquis towards the palace.
Zhang Jinyu had no choice but to take off her sleeves and follow quickly.
"It's so close, don't be in a hurry,"

"It's not that we're not in a hurry, it's the Anhu camp. Wang Jiedushi and the generals are waiting for orders in the Yangxin Hall. It seems that something happened in the south. The Zajia family doesn't know the details."

Zhao Si breathed heavily and said something in general, especially when His Majesty gave his instructions, his tone was very anxious. The generals must be summoned now to discuss military matters.

Zhang Jinyu squinted his eyes slightly and thought for a while. Something happened in the south. It was only more than a month ago. It was just that Lin Yue's mansion was lost. Could it be that the Taiping Sect's people moved so fast and went directly to the county seat? No way, right? !

A group of rebels and not much cavalry. Unless the imperial court formed a "transportation brigade" and sent them directly, then that's another story.

"Eunuch Zhao, take a walk, don't be anxious, just go. Besides, besides Wang Jiedu who led the generals who went south to Yangxin Hall, who else went there?"

Zhang Jinyu knew that there were many generals from the Beijing camp who were going south with them. Those who could join the prince must have been selected by him. The others were those generals from the visiting army. They were not good ones. The useful ones could not be seen yet. come out.

"Master Marquis, all the generals and commanders in the capital camp are old men among our nobles, almost all of them are old prime ministers. This time we go south, the opportunity is rare. Naturally, some people want to compete for it, even those in the capital city. Even a well-connected general looks at him warmly,"

As soon as Zhao Si mentioned this, he became excited, and the gossip in his eyes aroused even Zhang Jinyu's curiosity.
"Oh, tell me who they are first,"

"Master Marquis, first of all, the government army, Hongnong Dian Lieutenant Hu Le, what's the use of the Sizhou Guard General, Daliang City Jiedu Commander Lu Daiyuan, Hexi County Guard General Dong Dawang, Hedong County Guard General Peng Shiying, as for the Beijing Camp, I don't know what they will choose. Are you ready, but it is rumored that Wang Ren, the nephew of Jieshuai, and Jia Lian of Rongguo Mansion are going. "

Zhao Si scratched his head and thought for a long time before he could explain everything about the person. The sad look on his face made it difficult for him.

"What's the use? Hu Le?"

Zhang Jinyu was a little surprised. Why are the names of these generals so noisy? They couldn't be a bunch of idiot generals. He muttered in his mouth silently,
Zhao Si saw it and asked,

"Master Hou, what's wrong?"

"Oh, it's okay. I just feel that the generals are a bit brave."

Zhang Jinyu put it another way, first he praised him, how could he say he was a fool general, and asked tentatively,
"Oh, the Marquis still knows it well, but that's not the case. General He Yong has been a vanguard general. Dian Wei Hu Le was a school captain who accumulated meritorious service. The other three are all senior. This time Going south will definitely be successful."

Eunuch Zhao did not hear the implication of the words of the Marquis, and even made a special introduction. This surprised Zhang Jinyu. It was really good. The role of a pioneer officer is not something ordinary people can do. It is not just about building roads and bridges across mountains and rivers. To guide the army, to clear out the underlings, and to overwhelm the enemy's vanguard, what is required is both civil and military skills.

Since the generals are fine, it depends on how they go south. Wang Ziteng doesn't know if he can do it. He is afraid that he will be like Zhao Kuo and talk about war on paper. In the end, no matter what, he will be defeated. 400,000 Zhao troops were killed. It is an extremely tragic scene in the history books. .

"Then with my father-in-law's good advice, the imperial court's march south will surely succeed immediately."

(End of this chapter)