Chen Hongyi pushed open the door and came in as he spoke, Liu Jian and Li Xiaofei got up to greet him, Chen Hongyi motioned for the two to sit down: "The current situation in Xiangyang is not good, according to Xiao's intelligence, it is Hou Tianzhou who moved in the reinforcements of the Black Flag Khanate, otherwise Hou Tianzhou's rebels will not be able to shake Xiangyang City." Our march along the Han River was supposed to be the fastest, but the enemy also knew it, so there would be enemy scouts and ambushes on both sides of the Han River. If we make a detour through Suizhou, rush to Xinye, and cover the past from behind the enemy's back, we can relieve the siege of Xiangyang. Even if Xiangyang City is captured by the enemy, our army can cut off its food route" Liu Jian looked at the map drawn in the camp tent and looked at it for a while: "This road is indeed the best choice, but do we want a team of men and horses to feint from Hanshui to confuse the enemy", Chen Hongyi waved his hand: "Our army does not have an advantage in numbers, and if we divide our troops, we will weaken our strength, and the loss from the Hanshui feint is large, and I don't want my soldiers to die in vain." The most important thing on the battlefield is strength, and strategy is only useful when there is not much difference in strength, and the disparity in strength is too great, and any strategy is in vain. Don't be superstitious about scheming, self-styled merit will kill us."

On the first day of October, Chen Hongyi and Liu Jian led an army into Suizhou, and Suizhou Taishou Chen He led the city's Chinese armed army. Chen Hongyi looked at Chen He, who was dressed in a robe: "Chen He, if Hou Tianzhou comes to attack Suizhou tonight, can you defend it?" ”

Chen He was taken aback: "Uncle, Hou Tianzhou is attacking Xiangyang, how can he come to attack Suizhou?" ”

Chen Hongyi scolded: "If you were under my account, you would have been beheaded a long time ago, Suizhou is only a hundred miles away from the front line, you are so lax, do not organize the army to fight, strengthen the city defense, if the enemy suddenly attacks, Suizhou City will be lost in your hands!" ”

Chen He was very frightened, and said hesitantly: "Suizhou has few soldiers, and there are no unscrupulous generals, and I don't have any ability to fight.

Chen He knelt down as he spoke, and Chen Hongyi looked at Chen He: "Nian has been working hard in Suizhou for many years, and the enemy army has not yet attacked, I will not punish you, I will leave two people with a hundred elite soldiers to help you defend the city and assist our army in raising food and grass."

Liu Jian pulled Chen He up, and Chen Hongyi patted Li Xiaofei and Zhang Sheng on the shoulders respectively: "You two will take fifty cavalry, forty archers, and ten craftsmen to stay, remember, you must hold Suizhou City, and don't believe any news from the enemy." In addition, after ten days, all the family members will be sent back to Jinling, and we must be prepared for this battle."

Li Xiaofei and Zhang Sheng were ordered to stay, and Chen Hongyi and Liu Jian continued to lead the army forward.

Xiao Qian Hongrui followed Li Xiaofei to live in the post house in the city, and went to assist Chen He in counting the grain and herbal materials and households in the city for several days. Li Xiaofei led craftsmen to inspect the city defense, and requisitioned the people in the city to raise the city wall to make horses and rolling wooden stones. Zhang Sheng led ninety Chen Jiajun to train the three thousand soldiers defending Suizhou City.

On the 10th day, the soldiers who returned to the city to deliver the news said that after Chen Hongyi and Liu Jian captured Xinye, they did not attack Xiangyang in the south, but went to Yingchuan in the north. Chen He hurriedly found Li Xiaofei and Zhang Sheng to discuss: "King Han and my uncle did not rescue Xiangyang but went north to attack the city and plunder the land, the enemy army is bound to recapture Xinye, and I am afraid that when the time comes, I will also attack our Suizhou City." Before my uncle left, we were told to hold on to Suizhou, but now he himself has led a large army to avoid the main force of the enemy, and to be honest, I am not sure that I can hold Suizhou City."

Zhang Sheng laughed twice: "I once took five hundred people to hold on to the field for ten days, and now we have soldiers, food, city walls, and people, if Lord Chen is afraid, he can follow his family and return to Jinling together." Li Taishou and I have to stick to the end", Li Xiaofei took over: "How can we speculate about the hussar general's soldiers, we listen to the general's order to stick to it, Lord Chen can take his family to retire temporarily, and after Suizhou wins this battle, he will come back to be Taishou."

Chen He smiled bitterly: "If I escape, what will be the face of my uncle Chen Jiajun, I will stay."

As the three of them were talking, the government officials reported outside: "Qi Chen Taishou, there is a team of people from outside the city, claiming to be the envoy of the Great Khan of the Black Flag Khanate, and he wants to enter the city to see the Taishou."

Chen He was about to let the messenger let people in, but Zhang Sheng hurriedly stopped: "The situation is unknown, how can we open the city easily, let's go to the city tower to see the situation."

Chen He knew that something was wrong, the horse team of the Black Flag Khanate had arrived under the city of Suizhou, so most of Xiangyang had already been lost, and I am afraid that behind the envoy was the tens of thousands of cavalry of the Black Flag Khanate.

When the three of them arrived at the castle tower, they looked up and saw that only three men had come from outside the city, riding horses and carrying a wolf-headed banner, carrying a scimitar at their waists and holding bows in their hands. The man in the middle raised his hand and shot an arrow into the middle of the plaque of the tower. The soldiers on the tower stretched out their bows and arrows at the man who shot the arrow. The man threw his bow and laughed: "You Central Plains people are really useless people, in this case, why don't you open the city and surrender as soon as possible." ”

Zhang Sheng quietly took a spear from behind his back, threw it with a whoosh, and stuck it in front of the three horses. The soldiers in the city clapped their hands and applauded, but the three people in the city did not even blink their eyes.

The man in the middle smiled again: "It seems that I am wrong, at least one of the Central Plains people is useful." Well, my friends, I am here to bring peace to you, your army has been wiped out in Yingchuan, and now only you are left in this lonely city. With that, the two men on the left and right threw a few things down from their horses.

Everyone on the city tower saw clearly, a handsome flag of Chen Hongyi, and two bloody heads rolling on the ground. The man in the middle pointed to the head and said, "I have sent you back your Han Wang Hussar General, you can go out of the city to meet you yourself, we are leaving", after saying that, the three of them turned around and went north.

Chen He sat on the ground and couldn't speak, and Zhang Sheng and Li Xiaofei also fell silent.

At this time, the soldiers who escorted their families came to ask for instructions about leaving the city, and Li Xiaofei waved his hand: "Take Lord Chen back to Jinling together, take the east gate, and walk as fast as possible."

Zhang Sheng looked at the two heads in a daze, and the soldiers around him were also deflated, and when he thought that even the invincible Chen Hongyi was killed, they all lost their fighting spirit.

The soldiers took Chen He away, Li Xiaofei stood up and looked at the two heads, and decided to send someone to converge. As soon as the city gates were opened, the three cavalrymen of the Black Flag Khanate, who had left earlier, rushed over. Before the soldiers who opened the door could figure out what was going on, they were slashed to the ground by a scimitar. Then, there was smoke and dust in the distance, and the Black Flag Khanate brigade arrived.

Li Xiaofei witnessed all this on the city tower, and hurriedly shouted: "Quickly block the city gate, quickly release arrows, and quickly throw rolling logs."

Zhang Sheng also reacted, snatched the spear from the hand of a soldier and jumped into the city gate, landing on the first person to rush into the city, knocking him to the ground. Zhang Sheng stabbed out with a tumbling spear and poked the second person off the horse.