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Chapter 391
Hearing what Xue Wanche said, Xue Wanshu, the elder brother, smiled slightly, obviously agreeing. As for Ji Chuan, Tan Zong and others also showed their approval.

Lu Chengqing, the county magistrate who had been silent all this time, said at this time: "Wen Changshi, in my opinion, General Xue's intention is a bit risky. From the north of Yanmen County, there is Liu Wuzhou, in the south of Youzhou, there is Dou Jiande, and in the south of Taiyuan. There are also tens of thousands of troops in charge of Li Tang and Jiangzhou. If we attack from all directions, it will be very powerful, but once our army's soldiers go out to fight, the surrounding enemies will be aware of it, and they may be taken advantage of."

Hearing Lu Chengqing's words, Xue Wanche immediately stood up and retorted: "If you drink water and eat, you will choke to death. How can you not take risks in a war? It's just that we should fight fast, guard the wind, and return to Youzhou immediately after the quick battle. Liu Wuzhou, Dou Jiande and the others will never react so quickly."

Wen Yanbo listened to Lu Chengqing's words, nodded, looked at Chen Xiaoyi, Wei Zhengyan said: "Lu Sima's words are very reasonable, but General Xue's plan is also good. If it succeeds, I will gain another county in Youzhou, and you will be deceived by Duke Gu." Believe me, the three of us have entrusted you with the important task of defending Youzhou, how do you two feel about this matter now?"

Chen Xiaoyi said: "Wen Changshi should make the decision."

Wei Zheng pinched his beard and said, "I think what Lu Sima said makes sense. The risk of this plan is not small. In my opinion, it's better to ask the governor of Taiyuan County Su and the boss who is still in Huaihuang Town what their opinions are?"

Xue Wanche got up immediately and said loudly: "Wei County Sheriff, the paperwork goes back and forth. If you ask the Su County Sheriff, the old man's opinion, it will take a lot of effort. How can there be time? Shanggu Gong appointed three people to sit in Youzhou , so it’s up to you to make arbitrary decisions on the spot, and if there is any mistake in the future, it’s fine to put all the responsibility on someone.”

Xue Wanche was outspoken and reckless, which made Wen Yanbo, Chen Xiaoyi and others' faces sink. Seeing this, Xue Wanshu shouted: "You bastard, how broad do you think your shoulders are? Can you handle such a big thing? Talk to Wei Junshou with this kind of tone, don't get out and lead the army stick yourself, when Shanggu Gong comes back, I will definitely join you!"

Xue Wanche's face turned red when he saw his brother reprimanding him.

But Wei Zheng didn't think it was disobedient, and said: "Xue Jishi, it's okay, my brother is right, this matter is due to my negligence, Wen Changshi, it's up to you to decide everything, Wei believes in your decision .”

Everyone looked at Wen Yanbo.

Wen Yanbo also had a look of hesitation, Wang Gui saw this and said: "I'm just here for the first time, and I shouldn't talk about this kind of meeting, but according to me, Hengshan is a must for Shanggugong to return to Youzhou from Liyang. There is no doubt that troops must be sent to rescue the road, but if a large-scale deployment of troops is necessary, firstly, it will not be possible to keep secrets, and secondly, the garrison will be transferred, leaving Zhuojun and Taiyuan empty. I think it is better to reduce the number of troops as appropriate. "

Wen Yanbo showed approval when he heard the words, and said: "Uncle Jie, it's really timely rain. Yes, sending troops to Hengshan is a must. We should take the Duke of Shanggu, King Qi, Princess Changle, and Wan Yuwa It is the first priority for the guards to return to Youzhou safely, and Hengshan can capture it, and it is the same if it cannot be captured in the future."

"promise."

Hearing Wen Yanbo's words, all the generals agreed.

Wen Yanbo also heaved a sigh of relief, it is not an easy task to be in charge of someone else, he said at the moment: "I have decided to transfer Wei Chigong, the general of the military guards, as the commander of the march, and lead [-] military guards to send troops from Taiyuan County. Through the Taihang Mountain Road, attack Jingxing County, Hengshan County. Huben Lang will assist Xue Wanjun in defending Taiyuan."

"General Xue Wanche of Hu Benlang of the Wuwei Army was the commander of the marching army, and his doctor Ji Chuan was the commander of the marching army. He led the [-] Yiwei army and sent troops from Zhuojun."

"General Tan Zong of the Xiaowei Army, Hu Benlang, and Gao Chu, the captain of Yanmen County, prepared their troops and horses, and listened to the dispatch of General Xue, the chief of the army, as backup."

Speaking of this, Wen Yanbo looked at everyone and asked, "What do you think?"

Everyone knew in their hearts that compared with Xue Wanche's five-way plan to take Hengshan, although this plan was a little less powerful, it was more prudent, and it could be attacked or defended.

There was no objection at the moment.

At the end of March, spring rains fell in Hebei, making the roads muddy and difficult to walk.

Hengshan County is bordered by the Taihang Mountains in the southwest and the Hebei Plain in the northeast. The terrain is high in the west and low in the east.

When Li Chongjiu and Xu Shiji led the Wagang North Returning Army to Hengshan County, they had to cross the mountains and ridges quite hard.

Heavy rain covered, the mountain road was slippery, and the army camped halfway.

A general was reporting to Li Chongjiu and Xu Shiji, saying: "Not long ago, a person from Zongcheng presented a piece of Xuangui to Dou Jiande. Yutong, this is a sign of prosperity. Kong Deshao said again, there is no master in the sea today, heroes compete, the king rises up in Zhangpu with commoner clothes, and the officials of the Sui prefectures and counties will all contend for the one who belongs to him. "

"Dou Jiande then listened to Kong Deshao's words, and proclaimed himself emperor in Leshou Jincheng. The servant, Liu Bin, is a member of Zhongshushe, and his wife and brother Cao Dan is the Da Xingtai, and he worships Wang Fubao, and the elegant and virtuous Liu Heikai Cheng Mingzhen is a general, and Zhang Qingte, the rebel king of Jinbei, heard that Dou Jiande was proclaimed emperor, and presented his appearance to him."

After listening to the general's report, Li Chongjiu nodded to signal the other party to retreat, and Xu Shiji couldn't help but said with emotion: "When Wei Gong was in power, Dou Jiande seemed to be submissive and paid tribute, but Wei Gong repeatedly summoned him but never came to Liyang. Now Wei Gong is defeated Therefore, Dou Jiande can't wait for Le Shou to become emperor, obviously he has long had the ambition to compete in the world."

Xu Gai said: "I heard that Dou Jiande doesn't like money, doesn't like women, and he doesn't like luxury. He breaks down the city, gains wealth, and distributes rewards to the generals. He doesn't take anything. He usually doesn't eat meat, but only eats meat." Vegetables, rice without millet. His wife doesn’t wear any clothes, and even her maidservants are no more than a dozen, it’s really rare, and she will be a strong enemy in the future.”

Guo Xiaoke on the side said: "Dou Jiande proclaimed himself emperor in Leshou, and he must be too busy to sit down now. We returned to Youzhou from Liyang, without Xia Jun's harassment, and we lived a lot of life along the way. As for the other thieves, see To the banner of my army, I have already run a long way."

Hearing Guo Xiaoke's words, all the generals nodded and came to reinforce Li Yang, because Li Mi was still there at that time, and Dou Jiande was still alive, and Dou Jiande was attacking Jizhou, so there was no major problem along the way. Breaking Jizhou, so Li Chongjiu is most worried that Dou Jiande will turn his face at this time.

Now that nothing happened, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that they would be able to rest in Youzhou in the near future, they all felt hopeful.

Seeing that the generals were optimistic, Li Chongjiu frowned and said, "Don't be careless. Even if there is no Dou Jiande, we pass through Hengshan County, which is Li Tang's territory. With Li Yuan and Li Shimin's methods, it is very likely that we will intercept our army halfway, so we need to be careful." .”

Just as Li Chongjiu finished speaking, Wang Mahan returned to the big tent covered in mud and said loudly, "Commander, the Pelican Pass ahead has been captured by our army."

Li Chongjiu asked: "Although the Pelican Pass is not as dangerous as Jingxing, it is still a key block in the south of Mount Heng. You did not have enough time to break through it?"

Wang Mahan grinned and said: "It's not that the brothers spared their lives... Well, in fact, there is not a single soldier in the pass, the door of the warehouse in the pass is unlocked, and there is food on the stove. Obviously, the defenders have not heard of it yet. , has long since escaped."
Hearing what Wang Mahan said, everyone was stunned. It's normal for the defenders to dare to defend the checkpoint and flee because their own troops are strong.

Li Chongjiu and Xu Shiji didn't take it seriously.

The next day, the army passed through Pelican Pass and entered Shiyi County, Hengshan County.

However, Shiyi County was deserted. After Li Chongjiu heard Tanma's report, the gate of the county was opened wide. Tanma ventured into the city to investigate, but found that people went to empty alleys, and Shiyi County had become an empty city.

But the millet in the fields outside the city had just been planted, but there were no people in the farmhouses or villages, not even a chicken or dog.

Hearing this news, all the generals couldn't help being surprised. Logically speaking, even though Hengshan County was plundered by Wang Xuba and Zhao Wanhai, it would not be so barren.Could it be that the people scattered when they heard the arrival of the Youzhou army, that's impossible, the Youzhou army has always had a good reputation in Hebei, and after capturing the city, they did not commit any crimes.

It is impossible for the people in Hebei not to know.

Li Chongjiu ordered scouts to inquire again, and it turned out that this was the case for a radius of fifty miles in Shiyi County.

Li Chongjiu looked at Xu Shiji and asked, "General Xu, how did you judge?"

Xu Shiji showed a dignified look, and said: "The general guesses that there are no people in Shiyi County, obviously someone did it on purpose."

"How to say?"

Xu Shiji said: "If you are afraid of being attacked by our army, you can just guard the city. Our army is just passing by, and it is impossible to stay for a few days. If you attack a fortified city, even if you capture it, you will not be able to hold it. In the counties along the way, no matter whether the Tang army is powerful or local. The bandits are all like this, and they are all in peace with us."

"However, in Shiyi County, there is no trace of people. The general speculates that it is very likely that the defenders of this county intend to harm our army. Therefore, they first moved away from the people and blocked the news from all sides, so that our army will lose its eyes and ears. In this way, it will not leak. wind."

"Afterwards, I will be an enemy general. After confirming that we have cut off our army's eyes and ears, I will lead the army to ambush nearby, just like how Dou Jiande defeated Xue Shixiong back then. He chose elite soldiers to take advantage of our unpreparedness to attack, and the attacker was caught off guard."

Hearing what Xu Shiji said, Li Chongjiu couldn't help agreeing. A famous general is a famous general. In the current situation, I can only be suspicious and speculate, but I don't know what the other party's plan is. But Xu Shiji deduced so much from the clues, as if he had witnessed it with his own eyes On this point, I am far inferior.

"Then how should our army deal with it?" With Xu Shiji around, Li Chongjiu simply hid his clumsiness and let Xu Shiji take command for him.

Xu Shiji clasped his fists and said: "Don't worry, Lord Shanggu, the new general will be sent to the account, and he has no merit, so he will make a plan to defeat this enemy army, so as to repay Lord Shanggu!"

PS: Thank you for the birthday wishes sent by several book friends, thank you.

(End of this chapter)