first minister

Lieyang Pass, four days after the Beiliang people left, the Daxia envoy also embarked on their return journey.

But this return trip is fake.

Because he needed to grasp the situation in Beiliang as soon as possible and maintain communication with Yelvshi at any time in order to complete this major plan to determine the fate of the north and south, Xia Jingyun did not plan to return to Zhongjing directly, but would quietly continue to wander around Qingchuan Pass.

Lang Yukun, the minister of Baiyunbian and Honglu Temple, will lead a large force to return south, in order to prevent the people of Beiliang from being alerted by their continued stay.

On the way from Lieyang Pass to Qingchuan Pass, Bai Yunbian and Xia Jingyun were sitting in a carriage together.

Bai Yunbian looked at Xia Jingyun, "The reckless man went to Yuyan State, how is the situation?"

Xia Jingyun did not dwell on the issue of his title, and said softly: "Didn't news come yesterday that Dongfang Ping's five-pronged expedition against Xia resulted in countless plunders and massacres of many of my people in Daxia."

"Bah! I get angry when I mention this. Fortunately, he was once my prince of Great Xia. His behavior is worse than that of a foreigner! He deserves to be cut into pieces!"

Mr. Bai maintained the dignity of an angry young man as always and angrily complained about Dongfang Ping.

Xia Jingyun also felt that this was the case. If you have the ability, come towards the army and massacre civilians. But since you are the enemy, don't have too much moral illusions about the enemy. He said calmly: "Prince Jing has gone After arriving in Yuyanzhou, my eldest brother is also here. With the two of them working together, Dongfang Ping will not be able to escape. When the time comes, we will settle accounts with him together."

Bai Yunbian hesitated and said: "But now Dongfang Ping not only has more than [-] Eastern Army troops, but now it has attracted thousands of elite Harriers and Eagle Riders, and there are more than [-] Swift Army soldiers who can do dirty work. Read the military newspaper Your cousin only has about [-] troops, and that reckless man only has [-] troops."

"So what if there were [-] absolutely elite cavalrymen in Beiliang?" Xia Jingyun smiled, "And according to my guess, my cousin's troops were mainly infantry, and he was also the main force on the surface. He should be able to raise troops. Go north and directly attack the big city of Yuyan State to attract the main force to contain Dongfang Ping. Since King Jing sneaked in secretly and would not reveal his whereabouts, he would probably adopt a surprise attack strategy, either joining the battle at a critical moment or directly attacking Dongfang Ping. Flat empty rear.”

Bai Yunbian couldn't help but snort after hearing this, "You're very reasonable, as if you really know about military matters. How many military books have you read?"

Xia Jingyun smiled slightly, "Brother Lexian, the real genius generals do not learn the art of war, because they know that soldiers are unpredictable and water is unpredictable. It is enough to know the basic strategies of running an army."
-
  Yuyanzhou, Fanyang County.

Xia Yunfei's soldiers and horses arrived outside Fanyang County after two days of slow trekking.

He did not immediately order an attack on the city wall, but began to set up camp in the open space outside the city and organize siege equipment.

In the Chinese army's tent, the soldiers looked worried, "General, will the Swift Army suddenly attack?"

Xia Yunfei looked at the terrain map calmly, "Didn't we send scouts and police sentries?"

"What if their army comes directly?"

"will not."

Xia Yunfei spoke, but did not explain too much.

If Dongfang Ping cannot encircle them, they will not take action.

Once the encirclement is successful, it's time for them to launch a thunderous offensive.

In this battle, he was the bait, and what he wanted was to use himself and his soldiers to catch the big fish Dongfang Ping.

The fishing rod was held in Jiang Yuhu's hand.

Can Jiang Yuhu do it?

Is it worth the gamble?

The answer is obvious.

He opened the curtain and walked out, beginning to inspect the camp's defenses.

All this was also seen by Dongfang Ping at the top of Fanyang City.

After guessing that Xia Yunfei already knew what he was thinking, he gave up the idea of ​​secretly controlling the city defense and stood up openly to preside over the entire war.

Beside him, Governor Fan Yang, who was guilty of his illegal activities, tried hard to earn some performance points for himself, and whispered: "Your Highness, they are setting up camp now and their foothold is unstable. Why don't we send troops to attack them?"

Dongfang Ping didn't even look back, "There's no rush."

have to! Not right!

Prefect Fan Yang was worried, but Dongfang Ping had no intention of wondering what one of his subordinates was thinking. He just looked at the huge camp opposite and the people inside who were working as hard as ants, feeling both excited and nervous.

By capturing this army, he will be able to carry with him the might of his victory and purge Swift State into a piece of iron;
  With this army in hand, the Langya State will be wide open and easily accessible;
  With this army, he can control two states and dominate Hebei, and his future will be bright and bright;
  By eating this army, even if he offended Beiliang and Daxia at the same time, he would still have the possibility and confidence to survive in the cracks and build a country's foundation.

But the prerequisite is to capture this army.

This army was led by Xia Yunfei and had defeated his army with fewer men.

His hands pressed against the cold city wall, veins popped out, and murderous intent surged in his heart.

"Report!"

The messenger came quickly, "Your Highness, General Xu and the others are here!"

Dongfang Ping's expression condensed, and he turned around and hurriedly walked down the city wall.

In the lobby of the Taishou Mansion, which is now the temporary combat command center of the Yuyan Army, a deputy general reported to Dongfang Ping: "Your Highness, General Mo and General Tong each led five thousand people to take positions on the left and right of the Xia Army. General Huyan led five thousand. The Falcon Cavalry has cut off Xia's army's return route, and the rest of the troops have also arrived at the designated location in accordance with His Highness's instructions!"

"it is good!"

Dongfang Ping patted the armrest of the seat and said, "Thank you for your hard work, this time will be a success!"

All the generals in the room also looked excited and spoke one after another.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, we have completed the siege this time, and Xia Yunfei will not be able to escape!"

"The shame of the initial defeat will definitely be wiped out this time!"

"His Highness has created such a great situation with his clever calculations. If we make mistakes again, we will have no choice but to commit suicide and apologize! Don't worry, Your Highness, there will be no return for disciplining Xia Jun this time!"

Dongfang Ping nodded repeatedly, his excitement was palpable, and he immediately led everyone to discuss the battle strategy.

After some discussion, Dongfang Ping said: "In that case, let's prepare according to the arrangement just now!"

Everyone stood up and agreed with a roar.

Dongfang Ping's gaze swept across their faces, "With this victory, gold and silver, beauties, fields, official titles, wives and children, and eternal inheritance will all be at your fingertips!"

"Everyone, when we meet again, it will be after the great victory! I am waiting for you! Waiting to celebrate for you!"

"Here!"

After everyone left, the fanatical look on Dongfang Ping's face gradually faded and turned into solemnity.

Judging from Xia Yunfei's performance today, he knew that this battle was not going to be easy, and he thought about his own appearance. So why did he choose to send troops here?
  A mere Langya Prefecture shepherd, with the support of Xia Jingyun and the Queen Mother behind him, could he really be so afraid?
  What is he relying on?

Dongfang Ping instinctively felt a little uneasy.

But after thinking about it, he couldn't figure out what might go wrong.

Forget it, no matter so much, in the face of absolute strength, in the face of real fighting with real swords and guns, all plots and tricks are useless.

As long as you defeat Xia Yunfei, you will naturally know what he thinks, or it won't matter what he thinks at that time.

With this thought in mind, he summoned his personal guards and ordered: "Send out the scouts for thirty miles, oh no, fifty miles, to detect all possible reinforcements!"

After the personal guards took the order and left, he felt a little more at ease.

All he needs to do now is to try to devour Xia Yunfei's troops.
-
  At the same time, in the Daxia Army's military camp, Xia Yunfei was also discussing matters with his lieutenants and captains.

He, who was usually taciturn, looked at the people in the tent and said slowly: "Everyone, originally, we should have waited for the court to slowly restore calm, then gathered the army and set off to recapture Swift State with a thunderous crushing force, but here we are. At this time, we raise our troops and march north to take the initiative to fight. This battle is difficult, but we must fight it. Do you know why?"

Everyone didn't answer, and looked grimly waiting to hear what their general would say next.

"Because the thieves dare to invade our Daxia territory and massacre our Daxia people. As soldiers of Daxia, and the people support our soldiers with taxes, we have the responsibility to protect the territory and the people. How can we sit back and do nothing?"

Xia Yunfei's expression suddenly became excited, "Dongfang Ping colluded with foreign thieves and harmed the people. He committed a heinous crime. Should we attack him? Should we face the difficulties despite all the difficulties?"

"That's right!" Everyone finally burst into roars.

Xia Yunfei continued in a deep voice: "Now that the world is in turmoil, it is the time for our generation of warriors to use force. I have already become a prince based on my military merits. Don't you all have the heart to make contributions? This is difficult, but it is also something you will never encounter in your life. Several opportunities! Don’t you want to have a wife and a son, and shine on your family? Don’t you want to proudly tell your children and grandchildren about your heroism in bloody battles in the past when you are full of children and grandchildren in your later years? "

"Think!" The flames of hope were dancing in everyone's eyes. Xia Yunfei continued: "Anyone who died in this battle will receive double the pension! I personally supervise it and will never be greedy! For the disabled, I will be responsible for ensuring that every brother is properly accommodated! I hope you will follow me and work hard for me. Xia Jiangshan, for the sake of the people of this land and for his lifelong ambition, win this difficult battle!"

"I am willing to listen to the general's orders!"

The uniform shouts, flushed face, and blazing eyes told Xia Yunfei that the battle was high-spirited and the military morale was available.

Xia Yunfei nodded, "Next, I'd like to trouble you all, summon all the troops, comfort each other, make sure to ensure the fighting spirit and morale of the brothers, and tell them that this battle is for the country, for ourselves, and even more for the sake of those behind us. Homeland relatives!”

"Here!"

Everyone followed the order and left. The bodyguard couldn't help but praise: "General, I used to think that you were good at military strategy but slow at speaking. I didn't expect you to hide it!"

Xia Yunfei shook his head and chuckled, "I learned it all from Erlang. I used to think that eloquence was useless, but now I realize that it's not that eloquence is useless, but that bad eloquence is useless. It's useless because it's not spoken correctly."

The guard wanted to praise him a few more words, but Xia Yunfei stood up and said, "Let's go, follow me to patrol the camp."

Night came quietly amid this confrontation.

In the pitch-black night, the lights of the tent flickered on and off, as if they were under the weak protection of this small world.

The sergeant on duty was wearing a thick winter coat, and he felt that the wind was getting in through every gap in the clothes, and then doing evil in the seams of the bones.

But Xia Yunfei's comfort was still effective. The sentries looked around attentively, wary of any disturbance.

There seemed to be dark clouds floating in the shadows in the distance.

Suddenly, a firework exploded in the night sky.

With that fleeting light, the sentries saw in front of them the enemy troops that were quietly attacking and ready to attack!
  The black clouds became real in the moment after the fireworks, the iron hoofs struck the earth with a dull sound, and the iron cavalry accelerated and charged forward.

"Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

The sentries from the east, west, and north suddenly shouted almost in unison.

The soldiers in the camp who had been ordered in advance to sleep in their clothes immediately rushed to their positions under the shouts of the generals.

The horses, ditches, and snagging ropes on the ground;

Bows, arrows and javelins on archery towers and slopes;
  Then the infantry shield formation and gun formation;
  Layers of defenses were built around the camp.

The fierce cavalry composed of the Swift Frontier Army and the Falcon Cavalry rushed in from the east and west sides and slammed into the fortifications built by the Wolf Fang Army.

People were thrown onto their backs, and the screams of war horses and the miserable howls of people instantly ignited the silent night sky.

The bowstring banged, and sharp arrows were thrown out, drawing graceful and unseen arcs in the air, and landed on the intruder.

Xia Yunfei was wearing armor and holding a spear, standing in front of the military tent, watching silently, with no joy on his face, because Yuyanzhou's attack could not be blocked like this.

Sure enough, after paying the price of more than a hundred lives, the cavalry on both sides had already rushed through the immobile and changing defenses. They lay on their horses, holding small shields in their hands, rushed to the camp gate, and The shield array collided again.

The spear thrust through the gap in the shield, sending a piece of flesh and blood flying everywhere.

In front of the camp in the north, a total of [-] Yuyanzhou infantry troops marched in neat steps and came in formation.

Xia Yunfei walked to the drum in person, picked up the drumstick from the drummer's hand, and struck it hard.

The drumbeats, which were more powerful than before, immediately boosted the morale of the soldiers of the Wolf Fang Army.

What made them even more excited was that their own cavalry, which had been preparing for a long time, rushed out of the quietly opened camp and faced the enemy with the waving of the flag on the Chinese flag tower.

The battle became fierce and stalemate in an instant.

The Swift Army, besieged from three sides, was rushing in like a surging tide.

But the Wolf Fang Army holding on to the camp is like the rock in the wave. It seems to be submerged by the tide, but when the wave passes, it still reveals its tenacious figure.

Dongfang Ping sat on the city wall and watched the fighting in the camp in the distance, calmly for two hours.

In the night, he sighed softly and said, "Go down and withdraw your troops. Send a message to the generals to come to the city to discuss matters."

Not long after, the Swift Army retreated with its troops, and it really faded away like the tide.

And the military camp of the imperial court really existed tenaciously like a rock in the waves.

About an hour later, in Fanyang County City at dawn, Dongfang Ping looked at the generals and said with a smile: "Why are you crying and looking sad?"

A lieutenant stood up and apologized, "Your Highness, it's the junior general who is so incompetent that he failed to capture the opponent even in a night attack!"

"Hahahaha!" Dongfang Ping laughed twice, making everyone laugh. "You guys are so optimistic!"

He looked at everyone, "Who are you facing? He is not some mediocre idiot, but Xia Yunfei, who came from the Wudang Army, defeated Xiao Fengshan, killed Murong Hu in formation, and was made a marquis for his military merits at the age of twenty-three! You guys still Do you really expect to win them in just one battle?"

Everyone's expressions changed slightly, and Dongfang Ping continued: "Why do I want to attack at night tonight, and why do I have to surround three men and one missing one? What I want is to create panic in the night, so that his soldiers will panic and change from holding on to fleeing. Once the team's formation is Collapse, let alone Xia Yunfei, even if Jiang Yuhu comes, it will be difficult to save him."

"But, Your Highness, we have failed!"

Dongfang smiled flatly, "If you can't win in one battle, then let's fight again. After all, Xia Yunfei led only the Spike Army, and the damage in the battle exceeded a certain amount. No matter how much it was, it would be useless, and they would be defeated. Wait for them Once defeated, all you have to do is cooperate to divide them and slaughter them! In your opinion, can they continue to fight like this?"

Everyone's eyes lit up, and the dark clouds in their hearts disappeared.
-
  "General, if there is another battle like this, I'm afraid we won't be able to withstand it."

In the large tent of the imperial army, after the battle damage had just been counted and the wounded and defensive measures had been arranged, all the generals gathered together to report the situation to Xia Yunfei.

Xia Yunfei looked at the numbers on the paper in his hand, and his heart was also solemn. The damage in the battle just now reached [-]%.

The Wolf Fang Army was able to withstand it without showing signs of collapse, which is already much better than the ordinary local army.

But after all, he only led them to train for a few months. The improvement of military discipline and ability was limited, and it was not as good as the real Wudang Army. It was thought that once the battle loss exceeded [-]%, there was a great risk of collapse, and the battle loss exceeded [-]%, then It will inevitably collapse, and it will be difficult for the gods to save it.

Could Dongfang Ping not see this?

Will he be given a chance to breathe?
  The answer is equally obvious.

Xia Yunfei was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: "First collect the corpses and treat the wounded, and then comfort the soldiers and record the military merits. In tomorrow's battle, I will personally lead the Wudang Army to attack, and I will attack instead of defend! Kill as many casualties as possible Enemy, reduce the losses of our guards."

The general will fight to the death and the three armies will fight for their lives, how can they survive one more battle?

"General! You can't do it!"

All the generals spoke in unison. Some were sincerely worried about Xia Yunfei's safety, while others were thinking that if something happened to Xia Yunfei, could Jianning Marquis Xia Jingyun let them go?

Xia Yunfei shook his head firmly, "I've made up my mind, everyone, we can't afford to lose this battle! Are you willing to risk your life with me?"

When the generals saw this, they couldn't help but feel a little moved. They nodded immediately, "General, please don't worry!"

After everyone left, Xia Yunfei walked out of the tent and looked at the horizon with solemn eyes.

Master, where are you?

When he was at a loss, he couldn't help but think, what would Erlang do if he was in a situation like mine?
  Xia Yunfei pondered silently, and suddenly his mind moved. He called his guards and said in a deep voice: "If the war is a little unfavorable by then, you can lead a group of people and shout in the camp!"
-
  The day slowly passed halfway, and when the afternoon slowly came, everyone woke up to the aroma of food, and a battle was about to begin again.

Dongfang Ping slowly walked up the tower. Although he wanted to risk the stone and win the battle with his own hands, he was afraid that he would become Xia Yunfei's target, follow in the footsteps of Murong Hu, and eventually become the key to turning the tide of the war. Therefore, I still chose to watch from the city wall.

However, even without him, on the battlefield below, we have [-] cavalry and [-] infantry, surrounded on three sides. Xia Yunfei only has more than [-] people, mixed with many civilians and servants. The advantage is all in my hands. I tested it clearly last night By defeating the opponent's combat power, victory is certain.

He looked at the solemn military camp from a distance of two or three miles, imagining himself patrolling it as a victor, and then riding south to take control of Langya State.

But things in the world are often like this. Since ancient times, there is only so much passion and hatred, and good dreams are the easiest to wake up from.

Just when the battle was about to break out, just when he seemed to hear the song of victory, a panicked voice hurriedly came to the top of the city, came to his side, and knocked everything to pieces like a blow to the head.

"General! Guangyang County urgently reported that a large group of unqualified cavalry passed by Guangyang County and went straight to the state city! They intend to surprise the state city!" (End of this chapter)