In order to rescue the king of Donglu Valley in the White Wolf Mountain, the three Alegu tribes on the west bank of the black water and the remnants of Mogan's enemy joined forces, attacking the ferry on the one hand, and looking for opportunities and locations to cross the river on the other hand. The big tent soldiers in the mountains are also desperately breaking through, and the casualties of the Zhao army are rising; To make matters worse, all ordnance, whether it was feathered arrows, crossbow arrows, or swords, guns, and armor, had been destroyed...... To make matters worse, because the Zhao army invested a large number of troops on the Mogan front, the activities of small groups of enemies in the area south of Mogan became more and more rampant, blocking the grain routes, ambushing the grain teams, taking the people captive, harassing the military stations along the way, and even killing the wounded of the Zhao army in transit to the rear......

On the sixth day of the first month of April, Shang Cheng came the long-awaited good news from Yanshan: Li Shen urgently spread the red flag for 600 miles, and the right army of Yanshan raised the grassland on the twenty-third day of March, and fought the first battle at Luoyanbo on the 24th, the second battle at the Zhou River on the 26th, and the third battle at the Baiyan River on the 27th. At present, the four divisions on the left side of the mountain have been scattered and escaped, and the right army is stationed on the spot to clear and suppress, and the main force will be dispatched to the west on the same day......

This paperwork couldn't have come at a better time! You must know that the current Zhao army is no longer as brave as when it first left the town and entered the grassland, and the continuous marching and fighting not only consumed a lot of the physical energy savings of the Zhao army's officers and soldiers, but also consumed their willpower. At the moment, many people are on the verge of collapse, and many times they are fighting the enemy out of one's most basic survival instincts. Shang Cheng immediately ordered to announce the news that the White Wolf Mountain Pass had blocked the king of Donglu Valley and the four thousand big tent soldiers, and at the same time announced the good news of Li Shen's victory in the Bailan River Valley! And informed the whole army that the seven brigades of the right army, 16,000 men and horses, were coming day and night to flank the king of Donglu Valley!

As soon as the three pieces of news spread, the whole army immediately became a sensation. From the banks of the Heishui River to the various fortresses of Mogan Dazhai to the White Wolf Mountain, the cheers of the soldiers can be heard everywhere. Even the dullest person understands what it means for the King of Donglu Valley and the four thousand big tent soldiers to be blocked in the White Wolf Mountain. It means a big victory, one of the few big victories since the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty! It also means enough for a person to boast of the merits and honors of his life, and it means an opportunity to glorify his ancestors and be promoted to become rich......

Encouraged and motivated by these three pieces of good news, the soldiers of the Zhao army once again burst out with enthusiasm for fighting!

However, unlike the simple and beautiful wishes of ordinary soldiers, although Shang Cheng and Guo Biao were also very happy and very much looking forward to a victory that would change the entire situation of the war, their smiles were bitter and worried, and their eyes also showed doubt and worry. There is a hint of gloom in their hearts. The good news sent by Zhang Shao from Yanzhou has arrived, why hasn't Li Shen's report document arrived yet? The good news is far more convenient than passing through Yanzhou and then forwarding Mogan through Yanzhou......

But whatever their doubts or thoughts, it's too late. The mountains and rivers are long and the road is long, even if he can contact Zhang Shao and let him secretly investigate the movements of the right army, what role can it play? What's more, even if you know that Li Shen is cheating, what can you do? Looking around at the vast sky and strong enemies, this Zhao army has no way to retreat, and it does not dare to retreat! They can only pin their hopes on Li Shen and the Right Army! Besides, Li Shen may not be as unbearable as the two of them think; They are most likely living in the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain. Perhaps Li Shen's messenger was on the way. Or, the grassland is not safe, and the messenger may have an accident in the middle of the road.

The two of them could only pay close attention to the development of the war, while anxiously waiting for Li Shen's news, and at the same time sent people to cross the White Wolf Mountain and go to the east to contact Li Shen.

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, there was no new news.

On the eighth day of the new year, there is still no new news.

The 9th and 10th ......

No news! There is no news from the right army of Yanshan! The old camp of Luhe never received Li Shen's report of victory, and Moganzhai never received half a piece of paper from Li Shen or the right army. Only Zhang Shao mentioned many times in the military documents that the right army, with the two main cavalry brigades of Ji Zhengqian and Laosan as the vanguard, had left the Bailan River Valley on March 28, and the target was the king of Donglu Valley in Baiwolf Mountain.

As time went on, it was difficult to get in touch with the Right Army, and many people realized that something might have happened. As for what happened, it is difficult to make an accurate prediction because of the lack of the situation on the eastern side of the White Wolf Mountain. Perhaps the king of Donglu Valley did not only have a few thousand tent soldiers around him, and the progress of the right army was also difficult; Maybe Li Shen had to stop halfway to deal with the trailing Shanzuo Fourth Division, after all, he didn't have a general to fight; Perhaps it was the change in weather that made the march difficult; Maybe it's waiting for the grain and grass to respond...... In short, there are any possibilities. A few have guessed one of the most terrifying possibilities, but no one dares to say it. They didn't dare to imagine what kind of outcome it would lead to, it was terrible......

Until noon on 11 April, Mogan's army still failed to make contact with the right army. Now, Shang Cheng and Guo Biao have realized that something must have happened to Li Shen's side. But what exactly happened, they couldn't tell. It may be that the right army encountered an unexpected situation and had to stop its advance, or it may be that Li Shen did not go west but expanded his gains to the north; Of course, it is not ruled out that Li Shen will not move his troops and sit back and watch the defeat of the Central Route Army. The two of them have been analyzing it repeatedly all morning, and they both feel that the last one is unlikely. No matter how arrogant and domineering Li Shen is, no matter how mad he is, he will never dare to risk killing his head and exterminating the clan to do such an angry thing! It is very possible for the main force to pursue the four divisions of the left side of the mountain to the north, but he is a person who knows the strategy of the grassland march, and he cannot and does not dare to sit back and watch the total annihilation of the middle route army, even if he is greedy for merit, he must take some remedial measures in order to get out afterwards. Here's the point: What will he do to remedy it?

After discussing and discussing, the two finally came to a result: Li Shen probably did not have the whole division to the west, but the two cavalry brigades Zhang Shao said were mostly true, and it didn't matter which two cavalry brigades they were.

"It's important to get in touch with the East Side! This is the top priority! Shang Cheng took a piece of raw cloth and said with uncontrollable tears. His headache and eye disease have completely recurred, and no matter how diligent the medicine is changed, no matter how thick the analgesic decoction is, it is not good at all, and it still hurts. Many people have seen him have seen him have a headache in the past few days. Although they didn't know what kind of torment it was, they could see the cold sweat the size of a soybean running down his cheeks and neck, the hideous expression of him gritting his teeth and gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, and they could also see him inhaling the cool air in his mouth while explaining military affairs to others...... Guo Biao couldn't bear it, and privately offered to command for him, but he refused. It's not that he is not humble, it's not that he doesn't trust Guo Biao, and it's not that he wants to hold on to power and not let go, but because Guo Biao's personality is really not suitable to be the coach in the current situation. Guo Biao can be competent in calculation and planning, but he often lacks the courage and determination to make decisions at critical moments. This is very fatal for a general who commands thousands of troops!

Shang Cheng disagreed, and Guo Biao did not insist anymore. He didn't have any opinion of Shang Cheng because of this. On the contrary, he felt that Shang Cheng's words were very frank and his evaluation was very pertinent, and even he admitted that this was indeed a shortcoming and regret in his character. That's probably why he hasn't been able to take charge on his own.

After reaching a consensus, Shang Cheng threw down a large piece of wet raw cloth and shouted outside the house: "Wen Mu! ”

Wen Mu came soon.

"Send some more people over the White Wolf Mountain to find the right army!"

Wen Mu went out to arrange without saying anything.

"Commander," Guo Biao looked at the map and said, "There are no roads in the White Wolf Mountain at all, there are old forests everywhere, even if our soldiers can climb over, it will not take a day or two......

Shang Cheng also knew that sending soldiers over White Wolf Mountain was almost like sending him to death, but he couldn't help but do it. He had to figure out what was going on in the east before he could make a decision!

"The east side should also be in contact with us, and I think we can see ...... The messenger of the Right Army. "Guo Biao deliberately concealed that name." They must be looking for us as well. ”

Shang Cheng rolled his eyelids, his red eyes swept across Guo Biao's face, then retracted them, and his gaze fell back on the paperwork in his hand. Taking the initiative to contact yourself and waiting for others to contact you are two different things. This is another view he has of Guo Biao: as a deputy marshal, Guo Biao lacks initiative; To put it more accurately, it is the lack of aggression on the battlefield! This is the same as the situation of most Da Zhao generals, they can explain to their superiors that they are doing a good job, but they rarely take the initiative to think, let alone take the initiative to act; Moreover, the more senior the general, the more obvious this shortcoming is. He felt that this was most likely due to a kind of "sequelae" caused by Da Zhao's long-term defensive position in the war with the Tuqi people......

Wen Mu is back again, and he has brought the latest news on the ferry and White Wolf Mountain. For some unknown reason, from yesterday after noon until now, the Turgitz people from both directions have not attacked. Sun Huan and Shao Chuan didn't understand which play the enemy was singing, and they didn't dare to blindly order the rework, so they were seizing the time to repair the fortress. Right now, both sides are reaching out for feather arrows, ordnance, medicinal herbs, and reinforcements......

But what can Shang Cheng take to reinforce it? More than half of his 200 guards are now at the crossing, where does he have troops to reinforce them? He didn't have any arrows, no weapons, and no medicinal herbs! There is more food in Moganzhai now, but they don't want food.

Outside, there was a sudden loud commotion far away, as if someone was laughing, and it seemed to be mixed with the cries of women and children. The horses tethered to the yard also neighed uneasily.

Shang Cheng knocked on the table and asked Bao Kan who came in: "What are you doing outside?" ”

"General Wang is leading the people of the Zhibing Division, and he is cutting prisoners."

Shang Cheng frowned suddenly: "What's the matter?" Who told them to kill the captives? ”

Guo Biao said: "I agreed. He took the copper kettle with hot water, refilled the bowl in front of Shang Cheng, and added it to his own bowl, then he frowned and said, "Yesterday, the Tuqi people attacked one of our teams to send wounded soldiers in the south, and more than 200 brothers were cut off on their heads. The enemy had dumped the heads of the brothers in a dilapidated house outside the wall of the South Wall last night, and they only discovered it during their patrols in the morning. Many of them have been gnawed by wild dogs and wolves......"

The corners of Shang Cheng's mouth twitched violently. He held the bowl and stared at the sun-scorched black mud outside the door, and did not speak for a long time. After a long time, he said very dryly: "In the future, if the wounded soldiers go to the old camp, we must send enough people to escort them." ”

"Yes." Wen Mu agreed.

All four stopped talking. Shang Cheng covered his red eyes with a raw cloth, buried his head and continued to read the paperwork. Guo Biao put the copper kettle back and stared at the map with the bowl. Wen Mu put the two newly arrived documents on the table, and put together the scattered documents one by one according to their priorities. Bao Kan retreated to the door, bent down, put one foot on the threshold, pulled out a small piece of wooden stick from the crack in the stone fence of the threshold, and scraped the dry mud from his leather boots.

The carnage in the distance continues. You can hear the clamor of the soldiers and the helpless cries of the dead. And the howls of women. There are also loud and poignant children's voices.

Shang Cheng slowly closed the paperwork he had read, squinted his eyes, and looked out with his head raised. The midday sun was unobstructed. Looking out from the door, there were several flags planted on the wall facing the command post, either green or soap. There was no wind, and the flag hung so softly. The soldiers standing guard by the flagpole were also listless. Their backs were blurred and distorted in the harsh sunlight......

In the fog of his eyes, he saw several horses leaping from between the dilapidated low mud houses, and several horsemen jumping off their horses with stiff hands, and after a few words to the guard at the door, they walked straight in. He felt that the seven-rank captain in the lead was very familiar, and he looked very much like his elder Huo Shiqi. The eyebrows and eyes are all similar, especially the appearance of Fu Fu who is full of worries and forced to smile, it can be said to be expressive! It's just that the way he walks is not like it. In his memory, it was the two years when Uncle Seventeen was the most depressed, and his legs and feet were not so entangled.

"Uncle Seventeen!" He heard Baukan shouting. "Why are you here?"

"Why can't I come? Earn military merits, of course, it is the credit earned at the front that is solid and weighty! ”

What a seventeenth uncle!

Shang Cheng hurriedly stood up and went out to greet him. Wen Mu also hurriedly greeted him out. Guo Biao didn't go out to greet him, but he also walked to the door, looked at Huo Shiqi and nodded with a smile.

Huo Shiqi no longer even had the strength to salute. Of course, no one here will be courteous to him. His eyes were bloodshot, his face was covered with dust and sweat, and the sweat flowed through his gray face, revealing dark and dry skin. The few locks of beard, which are usually neatly groomed, are also dirty and unkempt. At the moment, his legs are spread apart and can't be closed at all, let alone walking, even if he stands, he can't support it; He was completely framed by Duan Si and Bao Kan holding their arms left and right, so he didn't fall to the ground. Experienced people can tell at a glance that this is the result of a long bumpy horseback ride.

Bao Kan and Duan Si carried him around the yard. At this time, Huo Shiqi can't be stopped, if his legs and feet are not alive, he will have to lie down for ten days and half a month when he stops; Maybe you will end up with the root of the disease. As they walked, Shang Cheng asked, "Uncle, why are you here?" ”

"Faith! Letter! I have a letter in my bosom! Huo Shiqi shook his hands and struggled to get the letter in his arms.

Shang Cheng took out the letter himself, pulled out the letter with a glance of sealing and signing, and his face became extremely pale with a brush, and then became iron-blue. He slapped the envelope and the paper casually in the arms of Guo Biao, who rushed over to take a look, gritted his teeth, blackened his face, twisted his two hands together and clenched the joints, staring viciously at a small pine tree in the corner of the courtyard.

The letter was written by Zhang Shao.

"If something changes, it's a quick fix. ● Rumors of the state city well, Duanzhou seized the intersections and passes. Zhang Shao. The eighth day of April. ”

The writing was very sloppy, the strokes were sticky and dragging, and there was a large cloud of dirty ink in the middle, so it was obvious that Zhang Shao was in an extremely excited or nervous mood when he wrote this letter.

Guo Biao's head was buzzing, and it took him a long time to calm down. Pinching the letter, he frowned and tried to think of an idea, but at this time, he was shocked, anxious, angry, and worried, and he couldn't think of a feasible idea at all. He stumbled on the ground several times in a row, and finally managed to calm his mind and look at Shang Cheng. Shang Cheng's wisdom and strategy are far above him, and there must be a way to deal with this!

"Wen Mu!"

Seeing that Shang Cheng and Guo Biao both had solemn and serious expressions on their faces after reading the letter, Wen Mu knew that something big had happened, and at this moment, he listened to Shang Cheng's call, and without saying a word, he rushed into the big house and took a pen and paper out.

"Order, from now on, Sun Zhongshan Jin Huaihua Lang General; Sun Zhongshan's cavalry brigade immediately abandoned all tasks and abandoned all unnecessary supplies and baggage supplies, and moved towards Luhe at full speed; Sun Zhongshan immediately concurrently served as the commander of the Luhe Old Battalion, with full authority to command all brigades and battalions of the Luhe Old Battalion. All departments stationed in the Luhe River must try their best to strengthen the camps on both sides of the river, and erect two more pontoon bridges on the Luhe River!

"Order, from now on, Huo Shiqi, the transfer envoy of Yanshan Geping Daku, was promoted to guerrilla general, appointed the prosecutor of the Yinjian Capital of the Yanshan Governor's Mansion, and went to Duanzhou on business."

Hearing this, Wen Mu couldn't help but shudder, glanced at Shang Cheng in a flash, and hurriedly lowered his head.

"Order, from now on, Da Sima Guo led Mo Gan to respond to the soldiers and the people, and moved to the old camp of Luhe in the order of marching. Bao Kan, the captain of the Admiral's Mansion, held the general's sword, the commander's flag, and the commander's arrow, and followed the action of the Great Sima. All materials, grains and grasses, ordnance, medicines, clothing and other baggage hoarded in Moganzhai are not allowed to be carried, destroyed, or destroyed.

"Order, since the time of the order, the Heishui River ferry Sun Huan's department withdrew to Mogan to take over Moganzhai. All supplies at the Heishui River crossing must be completely destroyed, and no one should be left behind for the enemy.

"Ling, Shao Chuan Zheng Qibu...... The Shaochuan Division, in order, retreated to Mogan. Except for the weapons and equipment necessary for the individual, as well as food and grass, all other materials must be destroyed.

"Order, from now on, Sun Huan will be appointed as Sima of the Yanshan Central Army, Shao Chuan will be appointed as Sima Governor of the Yanshan Central Army, and all the brigades and battalions that have withdrawn to Mogan will retreat to Luhe in the order of marching." He didn't look at Guo Biao, nor did he look at Wen Mu, and he didn't even answer the pile of paper handed over by Wen Mu, and only said, "All with seals." ”

Guo Biao frowned, stared at Shang Cheng and said, "Zida, let's go." After all, you are the commander of an army, and your whole body moves when you pull a hair, if you have a slip-up......" he couldn't go on. Although they are all people who are accustomed to licking blood on the knife edge and seeing life and death, today is not as usual, and I am afraid that there will be no day when we will see each other again......

Shang Cheng shook his head. Guo Biao can't do this. Although Guo Biao has the position of a big horse, after all, he is not a member of the Yanshan Guard, and after staying for the whole army, it is impossible for the first of the generals and soldiers below to trust him. Besides, this is something that makes people willing to die, and it is not that the generals with high prestige in the army can't do it at all. When it comes to prestige in the army, he is confident that there is still a little more!

Guo Biao also understood this truth, and knew that it was pointless to talk more, so he turned his face and called a small colonel, asking him to call Wang Yi back immediately, and called a few staff officers to start preparing for the big retreat.

At this time, someone had already dragged a seat, Duan Si and Bao Kan carefully helped Huo Shiqi to sit down, brought a bowl of hot tea, and slowly fed him water. This is also an old method in the army, I am afraid that Huo Shiqi will be exhausted and thirsty for a long time and hurt his stomach, so he can only slowly blow the cool air one by one with boiling water, and take a small sip of it.

Shang Cheng came over, squatted in front of Huo Shiqi, and asked with concern: "Uncle, can your body still support it?" ”

Huo Shiqi pushed the bowl away, smiled and said, "What else can't hold up at this time?" Don't worry, as long as I don't die, I will definitely bring out the right army of Duanzhou for you. ”

Shang Cheng also smiled. He pointed to Bao Kan and said, "Lao Bao wants to go to Luhe with General Guo, and the matter over there is also important, I am afraid that someone will be disobedient, so I have to let Lao Bao go and calm the scene." Duan Laosi will go to Duanzhou with you. You don't go to Luhe and Liuzhen, go south and walk the grassland from here, and go from Mazhichuan to North Zheng Yiyi Li Shen must be there. When you see him, whatever he wants, you promise him, no matter what, you must let him send troops. ”

Huo Shiqi grinned. Li Shen dared to do this, I was afraid that it would be impossible to agree to any conditions. He looked down and thought for a moment, then asked, "What if he doesn't send troops?" But at this time, Shang Cheng had already walked away to announce his last military order.

"I now announce the new command sequence of the military order. From now on, if I die in battle, Guo Biao will take over my command; Guo Biao died in battle, commanded by Sun Zhongshan; Sun Zhongshan died in battle, and Sun Huan commanded. Bao Kan, the commander of the Admiralty's Palace, carried my general's sword and seal letter with the command post, and anyone who did not obey the order was immediately beheaded. ”

Wang Yi, who hurried back, stood in front of a group of generals, his expression was both disappointed and lost......