Meng Aocao had only a few people on this trip, and there were thousands of soldiers and horses in Cao's camp in the old city of Qingtan, and the number of outnumbered people was too great. So, after finding out some information, Meng Aocao judged the situation and decisively chose to evacuate. Cao Ying also sent dozens of horsemen to chase after him, but he never approached and then returned. Qingtan City is sixty miles away from Zaoyang County, Meng Aocao galloped more than halfway, and settled in the old city of Chungling on the way, but met Han Gon.

Compared with the dilapidated Qingtan Old City, the old city of Chungling, which was built in the Han Dynasty, has a longer history, but because it is close to the county seat, it has the advantage of being a barrier, but it is more complete. After Meng Aocao reported the military situation in the old city of Qingtan, he learned that Han Gon had also received news from the south and came to the old city of Chungling to prepare in advance for the enemy.

"Command, does the lord know?" The horse galloped for thirty miles, and Meng Aocao, who had been bumpy all the way, was already sweating profusely, and walked side by side with Han Gon on the wall of the old city of Chungling, and the whole person was wet as if he had just been fished out of the water.

Han Gon's eyes were like torches, staring at the mountains to the south and said, "When I left the back country, I was already sending a horse to deliver an urgent report, and I think the lord should have received the letter now." He also said, "There are 200 horsemen left in the back village to guard by Lao Lian, this Lingling City is in a critical terrain, and there are city walls to defend it, in my opinion, it is the best place to resist the enemy." ”

The old city of Chung Ling is located at the northern foot of the Dahong Mountain, which is an important passage from the mountains to the plain from the south to the north. The circumference of the old city wall in front of you is less than two miles, and the height is less than one zhang, but if it is used reasonably, the defensive effect should not be underestimated.

"I have brought the remaining 800 brothers to Chungling, and each of them has five days' rations. This city is small, and it is not difficult to defend it. Moreover, our army is a horse army, and it is very fast, and it is difficult for the enemy to abandon our army if he wants to go around the city. Han Gon said in a solemn voice, and immediately asked, "Old Meng, Qingtan City is a person from Cao Cao's old camp?" ”

Meng Aocao responded: "Yes, I have seen it roughly, all of them are horsemen, and the armor is complete." It is difficult for other battalion leaders to have such a fine horse. The ranger saw the flag, and it was estimated that it was Li Rugui and Wang Kehuai. ”

Han Gon nodded, silent. He was also a rogue soldier, and he knew that the most elite troops in the rogue were often the old battalion soldiers who were in charge of the plate, and these old battalion soldiers were basically armored iron cavalry. It is common sense to look at the strength of a rogue family, not to look at the number of its foot soldiers, but only to look at the number of its elite riders.

Luo Rucai, as one of the only few giants in the world, is naturally strong in his own strength, or it is really difficult to subdue the countless camps of all sizes under his hands. As everyone knows, its elite cavalry is divided into five battalions, which are managed by Zhu Yangmin, Li Rugui, Yang Chengen, Yang Jinshan, and Wang Kehuai, and above the five battalions of the Ma Army, there is a henchman Zhao Yingyuan who is in charge of the old battalion Ma Bujun, and his uncle Luo Dain and nephew Wang Long are his arms, and these people assist Luo Rucai to form the core team of Cao Ying. If the capture of Qingtan City this time was only the rest of the miscellaneous troops who depended on Cao Ying, Han Gon was actually not worried, but the matter of Li Rugui and Wang Kehuai leading troops was almost certain, which means that Cao Ying was determined to go north to meet Zhao Ying this time.

"Five Days' Bread...... Is it enough? Meng Aocao was in a state of uneasiness, looking at the cavalry of the Feijie Battalion who were fishing back and forth under the city wall, his chest helmet rising and falling with his rapid breathing.

Han Gon's face was pale, and he said, "Even if it is not enough, it will be difficult for my battalion to defend this city alone for more than five days. ”

The clouds of the river are rising and the sun is sinking, and the mountain rain is about to come, and the wind is full of buildings.

In the big tent of the Chinese army in the Zhao camp of Lutoudian, Zhao Dangshi waved his hand and asked the soldiers of the Feijie battalion who came to pay the military information to retreat.

"I guessed earlier that Cao Cao had repeatedly harassed Chengtianfu in order to go north, and now he took advantage of the fact that the Zuo family army returned to Henan and Shiping Camp came to Zaoyang, and the thief's heart did not die, and he came secretly." Several senior generals of the Zhao battalion were present in the tent, and Hou Dagui shouted first.

Xu Hui also said: "Cao Cao has hit a wall a few times, but he also learns to be obedient." I know that the faction department will return to Henan and do the plan to divert the tiger from the mountain. ”

In July, a large number of rogue gangsters entered Henan from Huguang and ravaged Xinyang, Luoshan and other places, and the officials and soldiers speculated that it was likely that Luo Rucai would not succeed in Chengtianfu and return to Henan. In order to prevent the two giants of Cao and Hui from combining, Zhang Renxue, the general soldier of Henan, and Zuo Liangyu, the general soldier of the aid and suppression, entered the army, and the prime minister Xiong Wencan also supervised the army in Yexian, and ordered Miao Youcai, Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong and other support. However, the seemingly powerful "Cao Ying's re-entry into Henan" was actually a plan that Luo Rucai came up with, and the main body of this branch was only a miscellaneous army such as Shen Wandeng, the king of Shunyi, although there were many people, the combat effectiveness was extremely low. In the end, even though Shen Wandeng and others had no choice but to surrender, the officers and soldiers also noticed the abnormality, but it was too late to react, and Luo Rucai had already taken advantage of the divergence of the officials and troops to lead the main force from Chengtianfu to the north again.

"Cao Cao and Luo Rucai are known for their cunning, but the officials and armies of Chu and Yu were negligent this time, but they were put on the table." Guo Ruke said with a smile, "Lord Xiong mobilized the people, turned out all the family backgrounds, and in the end, he worked hard and paid for it, which only increased his laughter." ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "The arrogant soldiers will be defeated, Zuo Liangyu and others have won many battles, and it is inevitable that they will be proud and complacent. Although it was a tactical victory, it was a complete defeat strategically. Cao Bu was able to break through the shackles and go north again, like a fish swimming into the sea, and I don't know how much more work it will take to clamp it down again. ”

Hou Dagui smiled and said: "Fortunately, it's not too late to make amends, with my Zhao Ying, this leak can be plugged in time." Then he said, "It's just a Cao Cao, let's not be afraid of him if we are in good spirits." ”

"Old Hou, this is wrong!" After Hou Dagui finished speaking, Zhao Dangshi suddenly said.

"Bad? What does the lord mean? In addition to our army, there are other officers and troops in Xiangyang Mansion, and several places are mutually supportive, he came to enter the prison, and it is easy to get in and difficult to get out! Hou Dagui was puzzled.

Zhao Dangshi looked around at everyone at this time, and said loudly: "Everyone, this situation is not simple, don't take it lightly." Before the Han unification system sent people, Commander Pang also sent information, saying that there was an abnormal movement in Tang County in the north. Now entrenched in Tang County is the Hui camp, these two battalions are hundreds of miles apart, but they can act in unison within a day or two, presumably in private they have already colluded and acted together. Since they have a plan against our battalion, we must not ignore it! ”

As soon as these words came out, the discussion in the tent stopped. Hou Dagui's face changed, and he leaned forward and asked, "Is there any movement in Xiying?" ”

Zhao Dangshi shook his head: "There is no one in Xiying. ”

Hou Dagui breathed a sigh of relief and muttered: "Tang County is in the north, Qingtan City is in the south, the enemy comes from both sides, and our battalion is attacked on its back." ”

The tent gradually returned to quiet, Zhao Dangshi thought for a moment and said: "Two months ago, the Hui Battalion and others began to assemble in Tang County, and a few days ago, it was discovered that the total number of the three battalions of Lao Hui Hui, Ge Li Yan, and Mixed One Hundred Thousand was about forty or fifty thousand. Although Cao Ying's battalion in the south suffered successive losses, its vitality was not injured, and its strength was at least 20,000 or 30,000. These two battalions came together, and the purpose was obviously our battalion. With less than 10,000 people, our battalion had to face nearly 100,000 enemies, and the pressure was not insignificant. "It is said that it is 100,000, but the generals are well aware of the structure of the rogue combat power, and no one will take it seriously. But no matter how it shrinks, Huiying and Cao Ying have strong strength after all, and the two battalions joining forces is definitely a challenge that Zhao Ying has never had.

The generals discussed for a while, Xu Hui cleared his throat and said with a calm face: "Since the Cao camp in the south has been in trouble, presumably the north will return to the camp in the next two days." I don't know what happens under the Lord's will? "Based on the multi-party intelligence before and after, it can basically be determined that the fact that Huiying and Cao Ying colluded, the enemy came from both sides, and it was difficult to achieve two-front flowering only by relying on the strength of Zhao Ying, so it must be emphasized, Xu Hui and Zhao Dangshi have gotten along so far, and they have a very tacit understanding.

Zhao Dangshi turned his eyes to look at Chang Zeyu and Mu Gongchun, who were sitting on the left and right, and said to everyone: "You should all know that no matter how many foot soldiers there are in the rogue, in the end they will only be a papier-mâché tiger. And in the horses, it is even more important to ride the old camp. The second battalion of Hui and Cao has been able to crisscross for many years, and what they rely on is nothing more than the old battalion elite cavalry that cannot be beaten by iron. ”

At this point, the generals nodded yes. The rogues rose up, focusing on raiding horse gardens everywhere, and the number of horses often far exceeded that of the official army. The reason for this lies in the fact that horses can help Liukou improve their combat effectiveness in a short period of time, and like Zhao Ying, there are very few battalions that can calm down and have the patience, conditions, and skills to train the infantry step by step. For example, Gao Yingxiang, the leading king of Chuang, relied on tens of thousands of mounted iron horses under his command to establish his hegemony, and Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, Ma Shouying, Luo Rucai and other giants were all judged by the number of elite horses. This is also the crux of why even if Zhao Ying won in the early days, he was never truly respected and feared by the rogues.

"It is to fight with the Hui and Cao two battalions, as long as the main force is defeated, the rest of the trees will fall and scatter, and there is nothing to worry about." Zhao Dangshi continued, "Looking at the two battlefields in the north and south, the south is the Dahong Mountain, which is mountainous and hilly, and the north is the fertile plain, compared to the north plain, there is no doubt that the northern plain is more suitable for the horse army to gallop. The threat of the Ma army in the north is very great, and in my opinion, this battle will be fought first in the north and then in the south. In the south, the mountains and cities are the most important, and in the north, they concentrate on dealing with the camp first. When the camp is defeated, it is not too late to turn around and fight Cao Ying. ”

Xu Hui echoed: "What the lord said is extremely true. Returning to the camp seems to be a large number of people, but in fact, there may not be many soldiers who can fight. Gather the elite of our battalion, the victory or defeat is unknown. ”

"Not yet known?" Hou Dagui glanced at Xu Hui, "Xu Tongzhi strongly advocated less bows and knives and more firearms, and conscientiously presided over the training in the past two and three months. Why is it that listening to what Xu Tongzhi said at the moment, he is a little lacking in confidence? ”

In the past few months, below Zhao Dangshi, the military presiding officer in the battalion is Xu Hui, and although Hou Dagui is nominally respected, he does superficial work such as going to Chengtianfu to contact friendly troops. Hou Dagui didn't say it, but in his heart he actually thought that Zhao Dangshi deliberately favored Xu Hui and gave Xu Hui a chance to increase his influence in the army, which was both jealous and dissatisfied. At this time, of course, he seized the opportunity and ridiculed Xu Hui in public.

Xu Hui's face did not change and said: "It is up to people to plan things and things to succeed in heaven, we are waiting for all personnel, how dare we talk about the number of victories and defeats." In ancient times, there were many examples of defeating more with less and defeating the strong with the weak, which one predicted the outcome in advance? ”

Zhao Dangshi said loudly: "It's too early to say victory or defeat now. Our army has been training according to the new system day after day, but after all, the time is still shallow, and although the scale exists, everything is difficult to predict without actual combat. ”

Guo Ruke also said: "Firearms are indeed artifacts, but they need to be accompanied by appropriate tactics to maximize their effectiveness. Now, in addition to the Feijie battalion, the three battalions of our battalion have a total of 5,000 foot soldiers, and they have returned to the battalion to be strong for many years, and the western camp should be between the two camps. There are more than 3,000 people in the elite cavalry camp in the west camp, so the number of people returning to the camp may be around this number. With 5,000 new infantry soldiers against 3,000 cavalry, even if there is the advantage of the home field, if you don't make good use of the conditions and lose your prudence, I'm afraid it will inevitably make mistakes. How to maximize the sharpness of our camp firearms is what we should consider carefully at the moment. ”

Zhao Dangshi, Xu Hui and others all nodded yes, and Hou Dagui did not reply when he heard it.

Guo Ruke continued: "My subordinates once led troops to aid Tang County, and paid attention to the terrain and landforms along the way, so I have some ideas here. ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "What is Guo's opinion? ”

Guo Ruke stood up, walked to the huge map hanging in front of the left, and pointed: "The back camp originated in the northwest, and there are many herdsmen and horse thieves in the department, and the mastery of horses is really the best among the heads of each camp. Our army had few cavalry, and the only horse battalion resisted the enemy in the south, and fought in the plain of Zaoyang with infantry and the horse army returning to the camp, and it was difficult to ensure that they would not suffer a big loss. Saying that, he looked at Xu Hui, Xu Hui's face was very grim, "Although our infantry has a way to deal with the horse army, but that is only the next step." ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "Yes, it is naturally good to adapt measures to local conditions, but it is the best policy to put yourself in the advantage and put the enemy in disadvantage in advance." The so-called anticipation of the enemy's aircraft first refers to this principle. ”

Guo Ruke continued: "What the lord said is. When his subordinates led troops to aid Tang County, they passed by Tangzi Mountain, which was connected with Tateshan Mountain and other associations, and was located in the east of Huyang Town. Huyang Town to the north, is the plain of Tang County; To the south, it is the plain of Zaoyang County. From Tang County to Zaoyang County, it is most convenient to go to Huyang Town, and Huyang Town has also become a throat place. ”

"But the west of Huyang Town is also a plain, and it is biased to say that the throat is wrong." Hou Dagui said.

Guo Ruke replied: "I know. But from Tang County to Zaoyang County, taking Huyang Town is the main road, and there are more supplies along the road. If you take a detour, most of the rice fields in the western plains may not be easy to walk in, and the ridges are intertwined and the paddy fields are muddy. Returning to the camp to plunder, if there is no suddenness, he will not be willing to seek the near and far, and do not go other ways. Then he said, "My intention, let's enter Huyang Town first, where there are quite a lot of mountains, the terrain is undulating and rugged, so it is very advantageous to fight with Huiying first." ”

Hou Dagui said unrelentingly: "I'm not afraid of 10,000, I'm afraid of what if, I'm always resourceful, if you really take a detour, what will you do?" ”

Guo Ruke responded: "It's okay, if you go back to the camp to the west, sooner or later you have to go back to the east, if you don't spare it, you will go all the way to the southwest, and you will soon hit the Shiping camp at the mouth of the double ditch." Whether you go west first and then turn southeast, or go south through Huyang Town, you will pass through Cen Peng City. This city is thirty miles northeast of the county, it is a small old city, with city walls. Our battalion can send troops to squat in advance, and it will be like a nail, and it will inevitably nail the back to the camp. ”

Hou Dagui listened, and was silent.