Guo Meng hurriedly sent someone to send Lu Ze to the military tent.

"Be sure to send someone to take care of Master Hou! No surprises! ”

Guo Meng wiped his cold sweat and commanded, only to notice that he had lost his helmet on the side, his face was covered with blood, his hair was scattered, and the commander of the earth and the sky was looking at him with resentment.

"Hmph, is Zhou Luhou's first favorite general so capable? The Commander has really seen it. The man scolded.

Guo Meng held back his anger and didn't bother to argue with the man.

The man's name was Zhou Zao, and after Liu Bang attacked Jingju, he joined Liu's army. During the early dispute between Liu and Lu, Zhou Zao followed Lu Ze. In this battle, Zhou Zao made another contribution and attacked Linjiang Geshi.

After trying to attack Yufu City, he heard the news of Gongao's death and took the opportunity to go straight to Gangneung. I thought that I could take Nanjun by taking advantage of the situation, but I encountered the strong obstruction of Gongwei and Wang Ling, and Nanjun has not yet been fully controlled.

But if there is more time, Zhou Zao is confident that he can Dingnan County without Yingbu's help.

Who knew that there was a fire in the backyard, and Zhou Zao, who was rushing to the front, had to travel a long way back.

Zhou Zao thought that Guo Meng was weak-hearted, raised his chin and said, "The 10,000 people brought by Zhou Luhou this time will be handed over to this commander, and Commander Guo will quickly return to the defense of Micang Road, but don't be opened by the Qin army to enter Bashu!" ”

"Micang Road is just a feint, five thousand people are enough to resist the defense, and there will be no loss." Guo Ting said coldly.

"If Commander Guo doesn't want to leave, he will personally take care of Zhou Luhou as atonement. After the commander took more than 30,000 Bashu soldiers to kill Li Xin, Commander Guo took Zhou Luhou into Zitong. Zhou Zao said disdainfully.

Guo Meng frowned slightly, "Commander Zhou should not think that Li Xin is an ordinary person, if there is no help from below, it will be bad for Bashu to delay the time in Zitong!" ”

"How Li Xin lost to the Chu State back then, he will lose to the Chu people again today." Zhou Zao had no fear, "A defeated general who has been heavily activated can actually scare Commander Guo a lot, and there is no need for such a cowardly general to participate in the war." ”

"Zhou Zao, you...!"

"There are some things that I hope Commander Guo will think about, although Commander Guo is the first favorite general of Zhou Luhou, but the reward that Ding Fu has received in the past is no less than that of Commander Guo. If this battle is lost, Commander Guo should know what the consequences will be. ”

Zhou Zao said, reaching out to take Guo Meng's helmet and put it on his head.

"If this commander is defeated, whatever Zhou Luhou does!" Guo Meng grabbed Zhou Zao's wrist and said decisively, "If you win, all the merits of the battle will go to the commander of Zhou, how about it?!" ”

"Exploits? Even if Commander Guo wins, he will only be guilty of the crime, and he has not completely resisted it. I shouldn't have thought about war feats in the first place. Zhou Zao replied with a sneer.

Guo Meng gritted his teeth secretly, this Zhou Zao made it clear that he didn't want to give him any chance!

As the first powerful minister outside the Lu family, he can actually fall into the trouble of being subordinated by Jingju!

"Zhou Zao, if you want to take the opportunity to take the position, you have to distinguish the time, right?!" Guo Meng glared and shouted, "If this battle is lost, as soon as the Qin soldiers and reinforcements arrive, Bashu..."

"Don't bother with Commander Guo!" Zhou Zao interrupted, "Zhou Luhou has already given Li Xin a tactic, and if you fight to the death outside the city, Commander Guo can just watch the victory of this commander." ”

Guo Meng couldn't cry or laugh for a while, "Li Xin has already occupied Zitong City, and his strength is not as good as the Bashu army, how can he go out of the city to fight?!" ”

"Zhou Luhou guesses that Li Xin will definitely fight, and Commander Guo doesn't have to doubt it."

Zhou Zao squinted his eyes and looked at the west, hundreds of cavalry were in front, ready to fight.

Guo Meng was suspicious, so he had no choice but to wait with Zhou Zao.

"Don't worry, Li Xin has his concerns, he will definitely fight! And... Defeat is inevitable! ”

When the time came, Li Xin's 20,000 infantry slowly drove out of Zitong City and marched towards the Bashu army.

Lu Matong, who was on Li Xin's left, looked puzzled, "The king said that Lu Ze is still in trouble in Linjiang, wouldn't it be good to refuse to defend Zitong." When you go out of the city, you have to fight more with less, can you fight? ”

"Refusing to defend Zitong is self-defeating." Li Xin looked ahead and said, "More than half of the army are Bashu people. After a long time, the Bashu soldiers who have just surrendered will definitely give birth to chaos, and maybe they will capture us alive and others, and open the city to Lu Ze. ”

"Even so, this battle is also a battle between the Bashu people, are they going to do it?"

Lu Matong secretly looked back at the faces of the Bashu soldiers, all of them worried, as if they had no intention of fighting. Lu Matong didn't dare to guarantee that they would not defect before the battle.

"Heh... Commander Lu is not worried. Li Xin said with a smile, "If the king doesn't let Commander Lu bring the troops of Great Qin to support, this commander really has no choice, and now it will be different!" ”

Lu Matong didn't understand what he meant, and turned back to carefully look at the arrangement of the military formation. The archers are on the flank, the infantry is in the middle, and there is nothing special about it.

The only difference is that Li Xin arranged all the Qin soldiers in front of the battle, and the Bashu army in the rear.

During the conversation, Zhou Zao's battle column gradually appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

"Hahaha... Li Xin, you are not too bold, you really dare to fight! Zhou Zao said with a long halberd and a smile, "Today is your death!" You are destined to die at the hands of the Chu people! ”

Li Xin's expression moved slightly, and Zhou Zao's words touched his weakness.

The battle against Zhai State, although it was not a defeat, it was not a victory. Li Xin's last impression of the war was still when Xiang Yan's army attacked the camp and killed his five lieutenants.

"Hmm-" Li Xin took a deep breath, "Don't talk nonsense, this place is too small, wait for a retreat, and then fight to the death in a wide place!" ”

Zhou Zao and Guo Ting glanced at each other, not knowing what Li Xin meant.

When the overlord of the princes, Duke Wen of Jin, was in exile, he was treated by King Chu Cheng with courtesy, and promised Chu Jin that he would take the initiative to "retreat" if he was fighting.

Hou Chong'er really fulfilled his promise, but when he retreated, he tied his index finger behind the chariot, pretending to be flustered and causing the careless Chu army to enter the ambush circle, and the battle of Chengpu broke the Chu army.

"Did Li Xin read the Art of War and read his mind confused?" Zhou Zao frowned and said, "Ordering our army to retreat, wouldn't it give our army a chance?" When it comes to familiarity with the terrain of Bashu, how can Li Xin compare to us? ”

Guo Meng thought for a long time, but he didn't understand the true meaning, "So I'm not afraid that he will retreat to the city after being defeated, and it is not impossible to retreat..."

"Wait! What is that? Guo Meng caught a glimpse of the strange blade in the hand of the Qin army in front of him, and couldn't help but be stunned, "It looks like a knife is not a knife, it looks like a halberd is not a halberd... Could it be that this thing has to go to the open to exert its power? This is the reason why Li Xin asked our army to retreat?! ”

Zhou Zao was also secretly suspicious in his heart, but Guo Meng said this first, and Zhou Zao suddenly felt disgusted.

"What's this? There are too many strange blades in the world, isn't there a halberd in Bashu? This must be Ziying's faint gentleman, who researches it indiscriminately on weekdays. Zhou Zao chuckled, "Li Xinsu is conceited and has extraordinary ability, and he must have thought that he could destroy our army in an open place." The Commander did what he wanted today! ”

"Commander Zhou can't be careless! The Qin people are cunning and must not leave them any chance. Guo Meng said hurriedly.

Zhou Zao didn't care, "The Qin army must have been recruited by Ziying not long ago, and it can't compare to the soldiers of Bashu who have experienced the Great War." Even if there is a trick, it is useless in the face of absolute strength~"

The feeling of uneasiness in Guo Meng's heart gradually intensified, "Zhou Zao...!" ”

"Pass the book to the commander and order, and the whole army will retreat." Zhou Zao ignored the dissuasion, turned the horse's head and shouted.

The front line of the rear army infantry changed to the rear team and retreated, and the cavalry of Zhou Zao pressed the formation to prevent Li Xin from taking the opportunity to sneak attack.

Guo Meng had no choice but to retreat with Zhou Zao.

As the Bashu soldiers retreated, the murderous aura in Li Xin's eyes became slightly stronger.

"The king said to Commander Lu that this...'Mo Dao' is for cavalry, right?"

Lu Matong fiddled with the Mo knife in his hand, a little suspicious, "The king did say it, but the horses of Bashu are too short, and they are different from Qin Di, and I don't know if it is feasible." ”

"Try it and you'll see!"

The Bashu army was tired, Li Xin deliberately asked everyone to retreat, and before the battle, the Bashu army was a little tired. Although it was winter, but wearing heavy armor, it was almost noon, and the people of Bashu were getting more and more tired. Zhou Zao sat on horseback and did not realize the seriousness of the problem.

The first house has arrived, and the two armies are opposed. Qin Bing looked at the retreating enemy army, and already felt in his heart that this battle would be won, and he was ready to attack, and he was impatient to make a move.

"Zhou Zao, give five thousand people under you, and go down to contain the Qin soldiers holding strange blades." Guo Meng couldn't help but remind, "Let these strange soldiers have nothing to do, is the way to win!" ”

"There's no need for this~" Zhou Zao grinned and smiled disdainfully, "The last famous general of the Qin State should always let him die by showing his strategy, so as to show the prestige of our army." As a general, he should be good at dealing with the rapid changes on the battlefield, and the commander has his own countermeasures. ”

"If... If you are defeated, the Commander will not atone for you! ”

Guo Meng knew that he couldn't say anything about Zhou Zao, so he could only clear up the relationship and keep it for the time being. The road to follow Liu Bang all the way into Qin was too smooth, not only Zhou Zao, but also the Bashu generals had long despised the Qin army from the bottom of their hearts.

This is one of the reasons for Ziying's great victory, and perhaps it is also the reason for Zhou Zao's defeat today...

"Hahaha... Guo Meng, you rambled all the way, and finally said what was in your heart. This battle has nothing to do with you! Zhou Zao laughed wildly, "The whole army listens to the order, and whoever beheads Li Xin will be rewarded by the commander of the Marquis of Bingming!" Kill! ”

The Bashu army, which was a little depressed, ignited their fighting spirit and went straight to the Qin army with a halberd.

When the Bashu army was halfway through, Li Xin waved his hand violently, and the wing archers raised their bows and shot arrows.

"Is that what it will be? There's nothing new about it. Zhou Cang said with a smile, "The cavalry raided the flanks, and the infantry met the enemy head-on." ”

"It's a good idea, but the bows and arrows are all shot in Linjiang, and without the archers, this can't be held!" Li Xin smiled evilly, "Mo Daoist met the cavalry and acted according to the previous plan. ”

The calm clearing was filled with the sound of killing, and the Bashu armies on both sides were hesitant, but when they saw each other, they forgot the identity of their fellow villagers, and brandished their blades and slashed at each other.

Li Xin deliberately still let the Bashu soldiers wear their original battle clothes, and they couldn't distinguish friend or foe when they fought together.

Guo Meng didn't bother to pay attention to the chaotic battle situation, and while dodging the rain of arrows, he stared at Mo Dao Hand.

Hmmm-

Several Bashu cavalry marched close to the archers, trying to pierce the chest of the blocking Qin infantry. I saw Qin Bing wielding a Mo knife far longer than a halberd from a distance, and slashed down diagonally!

The pony and the cavalry are like blood bundles connected together, splashing blood, and even the men and horses are cut in half!

"This is? Made of fine iron?! Guo Meng's eyes widened.

He knew that Lingyan was helping Ziying, but at that time, he only thought that Lingyan was pitiful for Ziying and lost the country, so he helped build the city.

And at this moment, he is still helping Ziying to attack Bashu? That's not just pitiful.

"What the hell are you thinking about the Spirit Burn?! Our army is no match for the sword of fine iron. Guo Meng scolded.

"More than that..."A chill gradually grew in Zhou Zao's heart, "Qin Bing wielded this knife, and he was able to cut down the cavalry in a row, I'm afraid it was not only because of his great strength, but also because of the great effort!" ”

The two watched as the cavalry was slaughtered one by one, and the archers of the Qin army had no scruples to shoot the Bashu infantry with arrows. From time to time, Lu Matong raised his Mo knife and showed off to the two.

"Guo..."

Zhou Zao wanted to ask Guo Meng for help, but saw that Guo Meng's brows were tightly locked, and he seemed to have no choice.

"It doesn't matter... Anyway. Zhou Zao endured the panic and comforted himself, "Our army can have an advantage in strength and will not lose to the Qin army." Even if both sides lose, Ziying in Chengdu becomes a lone army, which can be regarded as a conspiracy to destroy the Qin State! It's always good for Bashu! ”

"I'm afraid it's not that simple..."

Guo Meng shook his head in horror, the longer the battle lasted, the more the fatigue of the Bashu army became revealed.

"Damn, it's really treacherous enough!" Zhou Zao knew that he couldn't wait any longer, and when he saw that the rain of arrows stopped suddenly, he was about to rush forward with his halberd and straddle his horse to boost morale.

Guo Meng grabbed the reins of Zhou Zao, "Commander Zhou can't do it, even if you revive your morale, you can't change the chaos." At present, the only way to turn the tide of battle is to attack the heart! ”

"What is Commander Guo's plan?!" Zhou Zao said excitedly.

Guo Meng didn't answer, so he stepped forward and shouted loudly, "Zhou Luhou returned to Bashu today to expel the tyrannical Qin!" All the soldiers must have been threatened by Li Xin, and they quickly killed Li Xin, and Marquis Zhou Lu forgave you for your innocence! Kill Guo Ting and double the reward. ”

The relationship between Guo Meng and Lu Ze is well known to everyone in Bashu, and for a while, more than half of the Bashu army began to waver in their hearts, and slowly put down the halberd.

The Bashu soldiers in the Qin army may have come from the Jiangyoushu garrisoned by Lu Juan, the remnants of the Worm Da, and the remnants of Chen He and Guo Ting's battle in front of the Golden Bull Road.

Among this group of people, only Chen He, Lu Xuan's soldiers are still dissatisfied with Liu Bang and Lu Ze!

Lu Matong was dumbfounded, and the Bashu infantry beside him looked at him with murderous aura.

Most of the Bashu soldiers who Li Xin deliberately helped him preserve his strength also began to defect.

"Commander Li, what should I do at this moment?!" Lu Matong said hurriedly, clutching the Mo knife to guard against the sneak attack around him, "If it is Wang Shang and Doctor Chen, these two liars may be able to win that guy..."

Li Xin also began to look around nervously for a while.

"Those who have a heart for Liu Bang, quickly retreat to Zitong Mountain with this commander!!"

Without waiting for the soldiers to reply, Li Xin turned around and retreated, and Lü Matong took the opportunity to capture a horse with no one, and the Qin people fled after him.

The people of the Lu clan are the best at buying people's hearts, and the remaining small number of Bashu people who are committed to Liu Bang saw Li Xin fleeing, they also didn't care about their position, and they surrendered to Guo Meng together.

The battle situation was instantaneous, and Zhou Zao was overjoyed for a while.

"Li Xin has already fled, Commander Zhou will quickly take the Hou Ye to occupy Zitong City." Guo Meng reminded.

"Good, good!" Zhou Zao shouted again and again, "All the generals quickly chased the Qin army, and the tired refused to defend Zitong City, but they could still fight again and kill with the commander to Zitong Mountain!" Drive! ”

Zhou Zao thought that the victory was in his hands, and rode his horse to chase after him, but he didn't notice that Guo Meng stretched out his hand to stop him.

"It's good for Commander Zhou to surround Zitong Mountain, don't chase deeply! Beware of deception! Guo Meng shouted. Zhou Zao had already disappeared. "What are you in a hurry?! Idiot! ”

Guo Meng wanted to watch the rude Zhou Zao die, but Zhou Zao had too many troops, Guo Meng didn't dare to let Lu Ze lose anything, and patted the horse's ass to follow closely.

Running forward and back, the Bashu cavalry has almost no horses to ride, and the road that has just deliberately retreated has to run back with great effort.

Li Xin's army in front entered Zitong City without sending anyone to guard the city gate, and went straight to Zitong Mountain.

Thirty miles away, the exhausted Qin army fell on the slope of Zitong Mountain, holding the blade and panting.

Guo Ting and Zhou Zao rushed across the horse, but they were afraid that Li Xin would take the opportunity to fight back, so they didn't dare to chase too closely.

"Phew... A thousand soldiers in the rear are stationed in Zitong City... The rest of the army followed the commander to capture Li Xin... And the dead Qin general who provoked with a strange blade! Zhou Zao gasped and commanded.

"Commander Zhou can't be careless, Li Xin could have closed the city gate and refused to defend it, but he didn't do so, presumably he deliberately lured me to Zitong Mountain." Guo Meng reminded anxiously.

"Zitong Mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack... There is no difference between defending the city and guarding the mountain. Zhou Zao said, "There is no shortage of water in Zitong Mountain, if the Qin army is stubbornly defended, it will become a thorn in the side of Zitong City, and it must be captured quickly!" ”

"Although the words are reasonable, but defending the city is not better than guarding the mountain..."

"The whole army obeys orders... Full speed to Mt. Zitong! ”

Without waiting for Guo Meng to finish speaking, Zhou Zao didn't want to delay the fighter, so he patted the tired pony and continued to move forward.

"Alas!"

was interrupted twice by important words, Guo Meng was slightly angry, and faintly felt inexplicably bad.

By noon, the weather was a little scorching, and the Qin army on the hillside repaired with Li Xin uncovering his armor.

"Phew... It was a big mistake for Commander Li not to garrison Zitong City just now, I am afraid that our army will be trapped in the mountains. Lu Matong complained.

"Hehe... The mountain of Bashu is different from the mountain of Qindi, there is water under it, there is no shortage of prey in the mountain, and those who are sleepy cannot die. Li Xin said with a smile.

Lu Matong looked at Li Xin's smiling face and said slightly angrily, "The king sent his subordinates to help, but I didn't expect that it was to rush to the aid of the Bashu soldiers. ”

"If this commander said that the rebellion of the Bashu soldiers in front of the formation is expected, does Commander Lu believe it?" Li Xin put away his smile and said.

"I don't believe it."

Li Xin was speechless for a while, and his plan today was still the same as the child and the baby had done to him.

Ziying often used allusions from later generations to coax Li Xin, saying that it was an ancient thing.

He also has to see if the two people's methods of 'back then' that Ziying said can work.

"The Bashu army, they are chasing!" Lu Matong suddenly shouted, and tens of thousands of Bashu soldiers at the foot of the mountain dragged their bodies and 'ran'.

"Hahaha... Sure enough, the first plan failed, and the 'empty city plan' of the person with the strange surname was indeed not something that could be borrowed at will. ”

Although the strategy failed, Li Xin expected it, so he simply had a follow-up move.

Li Xin looked at the tired Bashu army, and then looked at the Bashu pony and Mo knife beside him, and was sure that the second plan was feasible.

"Commander Lu, have you ever heard of a person named Xiahou Yuan?"