Ji Han Liu Zhang

"What do you think, sir?"

After a few words with Ma Teng, it seemed that they had agreed to withdraw the troops, but Han Sui did not act alone. He asked Cheng Gongying for his opinion. To be honest, Cheng Gongying's opinion was the only one in the tent that Han Sui thought was worth listening to.

Looking around the tent, the people sitting on the side where Ma Teng was located were Ma Xiu, Ma Tie, and Pang De, a brave general under Ma Teng. As for Ma Chao and Ma Dai, they had gone somewhere else for some business.

On Han Sui's side inside the tent, there were Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing. Among them, only Cheng Gongying was known for his wisdom and strategy, which was beyond the reach of others, so Han Sui asked Cheng Gongying for his opinion.

Cheng Gongying listened to Han Sui's question, stroked his beard for a while, and said: "It is cold and icy, it is useless to mobilize troops. If we are not prepared, we will be defeated by Gan Ning. What the general said is right. We should withdraw the troops first and then discuss it."

Yan Xing intervened, and said worriedly, "If we retreat, the Shu army will occupy Lueyang. When we come here to capture Lueyang again next year, the Shu army will have reinforcements rushing here. By then, we will have no geographical advantage, and we will be defeated by the Shu army."

"Captain Yan, don't worry." Cheng Gongying comforted Yan Xing after hearing his concerns.

At this time, everyone's eyes in the tent were focused on Cheng Gongying, waiting for him to give an explanation. After all, after Cheng Gongying's words of comfort, there must be a follow-up plan.

"Liu Jiyu has been the governor of Yizhou since the first year of Xingping. It has been three years until now, the first year of Jian'an. In these three years, there has been no year without battle."

"In the first year of Xingping, Liu Jiyu quelled the unrest in Ba County and conquered the southern barbarians. In the second year of Xingping, Liu Jiyu drove out the rice bandits and occupied Hanzhong and Wudu. In the first year of Jian'an, which is this year, Liu Jiyu led his troops from Chencang to capture Guanzhong."

It seemed as if he was recounting Liu Zhang's great achievements, but in fact it was just a prelude.

Here Cheng Gongying continued the above words, calmly and calmly explaining to Yan Xing: "There have been wars in Shu for three years. Although Shu is rich and the people are prosperous, it is now exhausted. I think Liu Jiyu will not be able to send troops to Liangzhou until next summer harvest, or before the grain of Shu is transported to Guanzhong after the summer harvest. Even if he does, there will only be two or three thousand troops. Why? Because there is no food!"

"The food and fodder must be sent before the troops move. This is the truth of the military. Without food, there are no troops. If Liu Jiyu forced his soldiers to come here when he was short of food, we would win without fighting."

Cheng Gongying declared with confidence and solemn vows.

"So, let's lead our troops away, avoid this cold winter, and rest for a winter. When the spring comes next year, we will send troops here again... Then we will have several months to take back Lueyang and seize Guanlong Road. The reinforcements that Gan Ning hopes for in Lueyang City will take several more months to arrive. This is our chance."

Yan Xing's eyes rolled as he listened. After thinking for a moment, he bowed to Cheng Gongying and said with emotion: "I am awakened by your words. I have no doubt about withdrawing the troops."

Yan Xing was amazed, while Ma Teng, Han Sui and others were impressed. Ma Teng nodded repeatedly while Han Sui nodded in agreement.

The night wind blew and the snow fell silently, and then the second day came.

When Gan Ning, the commander of Lueyang City, walked out of the city gate tower, what he saw was the overwhelming whiteness of snow. The clean and spotless sky and the earth covered with snow everywhere, the two reflected each other, the clouds and the ground became the same color, as if the sky and the earth were stitched together.

“It’s snowing heavily.”

Gan Ning praised loudly.

This emotional praise contained the joy in Gan Ning's heart.

A heavy snow fell, and Ma Teng and Han Sui were about to withdraw their troops. It was understandable that Gan Ning was overjoyed as Ma Teng and Han Sui were about to withdraw their troops and he could have some peace.

Otherwise, if Ma Teng and Han Sui attacked the city in the snow, Gan Ning would probably laugh his teeth off. But I think Ma Teng and Han Sui would not do such an unwise thing. After all, these two Liangzhou heroes are more or less wise.

After a moment of joy, Gan Ning shook his head and sighed. He was happy that Ma Teng and Han Sui were about to retreat, but he also felt a little regretful that he could not kill more of these bandits.

Besides, guarding an isolated city in the snow was somewhat boring, and he also hoped that Ma Teng and Han Sui would accompany him more, so that the two sides could have some fun with swords fighting.

Of course, the most important thing is that Gan Ning can achieve more military exploits. As a military general, Gan Ning's desire for military exploits is as dependent on and necessary as his dependence on and need for food and wine that provide nutrition and support his vitality.

"General Qu, since it's snowing heavily, Ma Teng and Han Sui will have to withdraw their troops." Gan Jiu came to Gan Ning's side and said to him excitedly that the withdrawal of Ma Teng and Han Sui meant that they could live a life without disputes.

"Let's observe for a while." Gan Ning did not give a definite answer. As the commander, he held a cautious attitude.

Although Ma Teng and Han Sui were very likely to retreat, Gan Ning thought it was better to observe and observe in order to avoid being humiliated later.

"Perform patrols as usual. It's better to be safe than sorry." Gan Ning instructed Gan Jiu, "The more relaxed you are, the easier it is for the enemy to take advantage of you. This is the most critical time. As long as Ma Teng and Han Sui don't retreat, we have to guard against them coming to seize the city."

"Don't worry, Commander Qu. We won't leave any loopholes for the Liangzhou bandits to exploit." Gan Jiu patted his chest and said, "If these Liangzhou bandits want to take over Lueyang, huh, that's a daydream."

"It is better to be cautious. Lueyang is an important place. As long as we have it in our hands, Ma Teng and Han Sui will be destroyed by us sooner or later. But if Lueyang is lost, it will be inconvenient to attack Liangzhou." Gan Ning listened to Gan Jiu's words, nodded, and analyzed the situation for Gan Jiu.

"My Lord, you have foresight. You asked me to capture Lueyang and Wen Pin to defend Longdi. The Guanlong Road, the most convenient road from Guanzhong to Liangzhou through Longshan Mountain, is in our hands. The land of Liangzhou is our throat."

Hearing Gan Ning talking about Wen Pin, who was stationed at Longdi on the Guanlong Road, Gan Jiu expressed his concerns: "General Qu, Ma Teng and Han Sui's army has separated a group of troops and is heading for Longdi. If Wen Pin is defeated and Longdi is occupied by Ma Teng and Han Sui, won't we be left alone?"

Gan Jiu mentioned a group of Liangzhou bandits who had gone to Longdi a few days ago. At that time, they were besieged by Ma Teng and Han Sui. There were many Liangzhou bandits who patrolled everywhere, but they did not have the opportunity to inform Wen Pin who was in Longdi, so they did not know what the situation was like in Longdi now. "Don't worry." Gan Ning shook his head and smiled calmly, "Wen Zhongye is a man of steady character and good at using troops. It is wishful thinking for a mere Liangzhou bandit to try to capture Wen Zhongye."

Gan Ning had a good impression of Wen Pin, the defeated general of Jingzhou who was redeemed by Lord Liu Zhang from the rice thief Zhang Lu. He also recognized Wen Pin's abilities, so he had no worries about Longdi.

In the morning, the north wind blew again, and then it started to snow. By noon, the snow was up to knee-high. In such bitter cold, Lueyang City welcomed a peaceful time. After all, it was impossible for Ma Teng and Han Sui's troops to attack the city in the wind and snow. The war came to an end under the wind and snow.

In the afternoon, Gan Ning stood on the top of Lueyang City, looking at the falling snow and the camps of Ma Teng and Han Sui covered by snow in the distance, with a thoughtful look on his face.

Soon, Gan Ning came up with an idea. He came to the stove on the top of the city wall, stretched out his hand towards the stove and started to warm himself by the fire. He had just stood on the top of the city wall and been blown by the wind for a long time. He felt a little cold in his body and needed to warm himself by the fire to get rid of the cold.

"Ah Jiu." While roasting the fire, Gan Ning instructed Gan Jiu beside him: "Prepare a hundred top-quality ring-handled swords made by the Pu family of Linqiong, and some tung oil to start a fire... I think it will be snowy tonight, so we should light a bonfire to liven up the atmosphere."

"Yes." Gan Jiu responded. He had roughly guessed Gan Ning's plan. Having served under Gan Ning for many years and followed Gan Ning for a long time, he understood Gan Ning's character. Gan Ning was quick to avenge his enemies. Of course, to put it bluntly, this leader had a habit of being vindictive.

If someone kicked Gan Ning once, Gan Ning would kick back ten times. If someone punched Gan Ning once, Gan Ning would definitely punch back a hundred times. So after being attacked by Liangzhou bandits for many days, Gan Jiu assumed that Gan Ning would definitely come back to fight back and would not just let the Liangzhou bandits retreat.

Tonight will be a sleepless night for Ma Teng and Han Sui, Gan Jiuru sighed in his heart.

Gan Jiu hurried down from the city wall and headed for the county treasury. A lot of military supplies had been transported from Chencang via Guanlong Road, including thunderbolt chariots, tung oil, swords, spears, shields and armor, which were all ready to use at this moment.

Time passed quickly, and as dusk approached, the snow gradually stopped. It was no longer the heavy snow like goose feathers, but instead small snowflakes the size of grains fell in a rustling manner.

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long, and night falls quickly. The moonlight tonight is hazy, which is not a good one. In addition, there are dark leaden clouds, which cover the moon from time to time, making the moonlight even darker and hazier.

However, although the moonlight was dim, it was illuminated by the snow covering the ground, making the surroundings slightly brighter. It was not completely dark and there was no sign of the way forward.

At the entrance of the camp of Shao Ge, Midang and other Qiang Hu troops, Ma Teng and Han Sui have set up their own camps with separate doors and households. Shao Ge, Midang and other Qiang Hu also set up their own camps. The three camps are clearly separated by fences and form a triangle, supporting each other. It shows that although the three families are allies, they are secretly suspicious of each other.

The two Qiang and Hu soldiers who were on guard at the entrance of the Qiang and Hu camp did not do their job - monitoring the movements around the camp, but were completely lazy and chatted enthusiastically.

Listening to the snoring coming from the watchtower above, a Qiang Hu soldier was infected. He yawned, drooped his sleepy eyes, sighed, and said to another Qiang Hu soldier: "It's snowing heavily and so cold. You and I are really unlucky to have to stay here..."

"Who said it wasn't?" As soon as another Qiang and Hu soldier opened his mouth, he couldn't hide his resentment. The resentment was so heavy that it almost reached the sky.

He complained, "Such thick snow makes it hard to walk. The Shu army will definitely not attack at night. You and I are guarding here. It's like what Han'er often said, it's a waste of effort. It's better to take a good rest."

"Forget it, it's only for these few days. I heard that the higher-ups have decided to withdraw their troops soon. After all, it's impossible to attack the city in this heavy snow." The Qiang Hu soldier who spoke first said with comfort.

"It should have been done long ago. Why raise an army in October?" Another Qiang Hu soldier still had resentment that he couldn't suppress, but he seemed to have thought of something happy, and a smile appeared on his face.

"I'm going to get married when I go back this time. You have to come and have a drink at the wedding... It's a pity that I didn't get any benefits this time. If I could capture Lueyang City and rob some rich people, I could use it as a betrothal gift, which would add some color to it."

"Of course." The Qianghu soldier who spoke first agreed readily. At this time, a cold wind blew, his nose itched and he sneezed violently.

When he looked up, he suddenly found that his companion had fallen on his back and lay in the snow with a plop.

"It's good to be young, you can fall asleep as soon as you lie down." He didn't notice or suspect anything at first, he just complained, then stepped forward, intending to help his fallen companion up, he muttered: "It's not good to sleep in the snow, don't let the things below freeze, then even if you marry a beautiful wife, it will be useless."

When he arrived in front of his companion, the Qiang Hu soldier found something wrong. His companion did not fall to the ground because of sleepiness. It was clearly because of a short-handled crossbow arrow in his companion's chest that caused his companion to fall headfirst in the snow.

"Enemy attack?!" The surviving Qiang Hu soldier had a thought in his mind, and his face became panicked. He quickly looked outside the camp and saw groups of human figures approaching the fence and the camp entrance.

The Qiang and Hu soldier wanted to shout loudly, calling his patrolling companions and his snoring comrade on the watchtower, hoping to wake up the sleeping camp and prepare for the night attack by the Shu army. However, just as the word "enemy attack" reached his throat, a flying feather pierced his throat, blocking his words.

After a muffled groan, the Qiang Hu soldier fell to the ground and died unwillingly.

The man who came for the night attack was none other than Gan Ning. He nodded to Gan Shisan, who was operating the crossbow, as a sign of praise, and then waved his hand to urge the more than one hundred elite soldiers who followed him in the night attack to charge into the camp of the Qiang and Hu.

It was a snowy night and the Qiang and Hu were unprepared. In addition, as the time to return home was approaching, their mentality became somewhat slack. As a result, Gan Ning easily defeated the Qiang and Hu camp and led more than a hundred people to kill and burn in the Qiang and Hu camp, committing all kinds of atrocities.

The flames rising into the sky fell into the eyes of Ma Teng and Han Sui who were in the camps on the left and right sides of the Qiang and Hu camp.

"Lingming, call up the soldiers and follow me to lend a helping hand." Ma Teng in the left camp was honest and straightforward. At this time, he wanted to rescue the Qiang and Hu allies, so he ordered Pang De.

Han Sui in the camp on the right squinted his eyes and looked at the flames rising from the Qiang and Hu camp. After a while, he slowly gathered a team.

At the same time, Han Sui reminded Yan Xing, who was leading the rescue team, "Don't rush into the Qiang and Hu camp to rescue them. Take your time." (End of this chapter)