Early in the morning, crisp rain.

The sky was gray and slightly pale, and in the drizzle, the soldiers of the Zhao battalion came out from several camp gates.

"Mr. Qian, there are still nearly 1,000 people, and they have come from the northwest and southeast battalions, and at the latest, a quarter of an hour later, the assembly will be completed." Song Houzhen, who was wearing a helmet and armor, walked quickly in front of Guo Ruke and clenched his fists slightly. He was dressed in a well-conditioned set of armor, and the smooth armor was already covered with a dense layer of small droplets of water due to moisture.

Guo Ruke nodded solemnly and expressed his understanding. Speaking of which, he has also fought fiercely with Yuan Taojun many times, and it is precisely because of his excellent performance against these stick thieves that he has the opportunity to stand out, and since then he has gradually stood out from the ranks. Therefore, after receiving the military order to attack Yuan Tao this time, he did not slack off at all, and in a complicated mood, he was unusual, and he did not smile with an iron face.

After a half-day discussion yesterday, Zhao Dangshi and the middle and high-level of the army finally finalized the action of crusading against Yuan Tao, that is, with the 3,000 people of the front battalion of the first army with the strongest combat effectiveness of the whole battalion, as the main force, led by Guo Ruke, the commander of the army, to attack Yuan Tao's main village located in the Longgui Temple in the mountains west of Yingshan.

Song Hou Zhencai turned around and left, and a soldier under his hand came to report: "Mr. Qian, the left battalion has been opened." ”

Guo Ruke was stunned and muttered, "Move fast, hurry up and eat wine?" ”

The left battalion of the old army has been abolished, and the "left battalion" mentioned here is the left battalion of the first army. In this crusade against Yuan Tao, Zhao Ying was not the only one who went out to fight, as an auxiliary army, 2,000 people from Qin Jin's filial piety department were also on the march. At the military meeting, although the basic situation of the intrigue between Yuan Tao, Yang Kexin, and Li Xiaoshan was basically determined, they were not afraid of 10,000 but only in case, if Yang and Li were really loyal and brave and desperate to save Yuan Tao, then it would be difficult to win with Guo Ruke alone. Therefore, in order to prevent accidents, Qin Jin was sent to respond with filial piety, and his duty was to keep an eye on Yang Kexin and Li Xiaoshan, who were close to the left, as long as the two had the intention of reinforcing Yuan Tao, they would immediately block the matter. For Zhao Ying, time is running out, so this battle, even if it eventually evolves into a global melee and bloody battle, must be fought. These 5,000 people are the core combat strength of Zhao Ying's current battle, and they have poured out, which shows that Zhao Dangshi attaches great importance to this battle.

"This savage surnamed Qin, when he hears about the war, he is really happier than the New Year." Guo Ruke shook his head and slowly walked towards the army. Since his real "military career" started with Yuan Tao, then for Yuan Tao, there must be an end.

The news of the attack of Zhao Ying's army soon reached Yang Kexin's ears. Because Zhao Ying's sphere of influence was extremely wide, and he had the absolute upper hand in controlling information, by the time he learned of this, Yuan Tao's headquarters in Longgui Temple had already begun to contact and engage Guo Ruke's vanguard troops.

"Coming, coming, coming......" Yang Kexin kept pacing back and forth in the main hall, and when he was under the spell, he seemed to have words in his mouth, as if doing so would relieve his tension.

Several henchmen sent him down, and mobilized all the troops to keep him in a state of readiness at all times. He is now faced with a choice, even if he has been prepared for this choice for a long time, but when it really comes up, he still feels at a loss - can he save Yuan Tao or not?

According to common sense, as a pivotal general in Yuan Tao's army, Yang Kexin's purpose in stationing here is to respond to the main village, and he should have rushed to the aid at this time. But this is just an ideal state, people don't kill the heavens and the earth for themselves, even if Yuan Tao has the "grace of knowing the encounter" in him, and the catastrophe is coming, he still has to think about one issue first: his own safety.

Save Yuan Tao, of course, but what kind of situation will you be in after sending troops?

The answer given by Yang Kexin himself is four words - more evil and less auspicious.

Ji, needless to mention, is to repel Zhao Ying, save Yuan Tao, and return to the army in triumph, everyone is happy; There are three sources of murder.

The first and most important thing is that Yang Kexin is not sure to defeat Zhao Ying. What is the origin of Zhao Ying? At the beginning, he broke through the encirclement of the officials and troops of Sichuan, Chu, and Shaanxi provinces, and squeezed out the sharp stubble among the crowds. Zhao Dangshi himself started from scratch, and in just two or three years, he jumped to the same name as Li Zicheng and others. What kind of goods is Yuan Taojun, Yang Kexin knows better than others, the number of wheels and the quality are all inferior, and the only one who can rely on them is only a few dangers. However, looking at the large-scale infiltration of the Zhao Ying scouts into Yingshan County in the near future, they must have already figured out the doorway to the topography of Yingshan County, and the Daxing sword soldiers were completely prepared this time, so it is doubtful whether the danger that Yuan Tao relied on still has a full effect. As a result, before the battle, Yang Kexin beat the drum in his heart.

The second, equally important, is also an open secret, that is, Li Xiaoshan's department, which is on guard against each other with his own army. Who is Li Xiaoshan? At least in Yang Kexin's opinion, he is really a man who looks down on the wolf, and joining hands with him is tantamount to seeking skin with the tiger, if it weren't for the pressure of Yuan Tao above, the two of them would have parted ways early in the morning to find a place to go. At present, Yuan Tao is suffering, and it is not only he Yang Kexin who bears the responsibility of the horns, but also Li Xiaoshan. However, it can be seen from the soldiers' reports that Li Xiaoshanbu has not moved at all so far, which is very suspicious. Why didn't he move? He doesn't move, he moves first, what are the consequences? The more Yang Kexin thought about it, the more he didn't dare to think about it, and a deep worry came to his heart, and Li Xiaoshan's cunning and greedy ugly face seemed to have appeared in front of him, as if he was just waiting for his army to leave, he would open his bloody mouth and devour him. In this regard, Yang Kexin has already had a countermeasure, it is very simple, just play the game of wooden man, Li Xiaoshan does not move, he will not move.

The third place is nearly 100 miles away from the northern end, and the hidden danger is neither Zhao Ying nor Li Xiaoshan, but the troops of Zhang Zuokai, the deputy general of Sichuan. Since Yuan Tao reused Yang and Li, and his power was reopened, the former Sichuan Fu Wang Weizhang personally sat in Baoning Mansion, and at the same time sent Zhang Zuokai to fight against the lair of the stick thieves in Bazhou. Zhang Zuokai won consecutive battles, Yuan Taojun was embarrassed like a water dog under his continuous blows, lost his nest for several years, and fled south in a hurry, Zhang Zuokai was also promoted to deputy general in Sichuan because of his merits. This person has been encouraged, the fighting spirit is more and more intense, all the way to pursue Yuan Tao's army to Yingshan County, there is a great momentum to level all the stick thieves in northern Sichuan in one fell swoop, if it is not for the camp mountainous, the terrain is difficult and dangerous, I am afraid that without waiting for Zhao Ying to attack, Yuan Tao and others have died in the hands of the official army. In addition to this, there is one more thing that has to be mentioned. On the same day, when the news of Wang Weizhang's resignation came, the stick thief Neiben congratulated him, thinking that he could take advantage of the vacuum period of the handover of Sichuan and Fu to return to Daba Mountain. Unexpectedly, Xia Shiheng, who temporarily took over Fubiao's northern Sichuan military preparation, was a ruthless man, and 1,500 people in Sichuan Fubiao worked closely with Zhang Zuokai's troops under his command, and the garrison was tighter than Wang Weizhang's time. Let's ask, with such a strong enemy in the north, even if Yuan Tao's army can retreat from the Zhao camp in the end, what can he do to resist the officers and troops who are very likely to come to take advantage of the fire and rob when the people are sleepy and lacking?

Based on the above three considerations, Yang Kexin is really very pessimistic about this battle - defeat, death; Win or die. Counting and counting, I really can't escape the word "death".

"Hita Immortal Banban!" The more Yang Kexin thought about it, the more wrong it became, and the resentment in his stomach became a clump, like a thousand pounds pressed on his chest, and he couldn't help but slam his fist on the table at hand, and the table "creaked", and it was a small pit.

Since he gave his life to Lord Yama to beg for a living, what kind of danger has Yang Kexin never seen? said that it was light to wander between life and death, and many times even he himself thought that he was dead, but he finally survived. But death is death, and not once was he so uncomfortable, or hopeless, as he is now. Many times, even if he dies, he dies clearly, and he dies without regrets, and it is worth it to have a group of brothers who fight side by side to die together. However, now, he felt unprecedented helplessness, he only felt that no one around him could be trusted, the official army was the enemy, Zhao Ying was the enemy, and even Li Xiaoshan and Yuan Tao had unknowingly become potential enemies.

Who else can I trust? Who else can be relied on? Who else is my friend who will lend a helping hand in my most difficult moments? Yang Kexin asked himself three questions in a row, without exception, and the answer he gave was a pitiful word - "none".

Then the situation is very clear, being in this whirlpool, it is not so much that he is tied to Yuan Tao's army to fight against Zhao Ying, but that he is the only one, against everyone including Zhao Ying, Guan Jun, Li Xiaoshan and so on.

With only this little strength of his own, a hammer?

Thinking of this, Yang Kexin couldn't help but smile dumbly. He laughed, it was a bitter smile, it was a mockery. Smile bitterly at yourself, laugh at yourself, and the object is also yourself. I have fought for most of my life, and now, in the end, I am confused about who to fight for and what to fight.

So, where do we go from here?

Thinking of the end, there are so many thoughts in my head, the more I rationalize, the more chaotic I am, the more I rationalize, and it is almost impossible to sort out the cocoons one by one. Therefore, Yang Kexin cut off everything and simply threw himself this decisive question.

will ask this question, which shows from the beginning that Yang Kexin can't answer himself. It's just that he actually already has a preliminary idea in his heart - he doesn't want to fight for Yuan Tao anymore. Fight those bad battles, confused battles, fight back and forth to the end, there is no result, no hope.

"I'm gone!" Yang Kexin suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the ground.

The ground was cold, and the chill hit him, and he couldn't help but get up. At this time, I felt a fresh fragrance behind me, smelling the fragrance and knowing people, I didn't look back and knew that it was Konu coming.

"What are you going to do?" Yang Kexin still sat with his feet apart, drooping his head and saying in an urn, "The main hall is important, how can your woman come if she wants to?" ”

Unexpectedly, Ko Nu opened his mouth and said, "The slave is here to bring tea to the general." Although the military situation is urgent, it is necessary to take care of the body. ”

Her voice is crisp and tactful, very good, Yang Kexin said casually, he didn't mean to be angry with her, but at this time, when he heard Ruoying's concern, the bad mood was slightly relieved. There was no one around, such an environment made him substitute for the scene of the bedroom, and he blurted out his thoughts to Konou almost habitually, as always: "I have made up my mind, Yuan Tao is not saved, let him fend for himself." ”

Konu said "oh", carefully handed the tea bowl on the table, and then walked lightly, walked to Yang Kexin's side, also sat down, leaning on his shoulder: "Yuan Tao is the master, why don't you save it." ”

"Save him in vain, but put himself in it." Yang Kexin thought it through and said coldly.

Konu said: "Then if Yuan Tao is defeated and dies, what will happen to the general?" ”

"How? He Yuan Tao doesn't feed Lao Tzu to eat, so Lao Tzu can't leave him? The world is big enough to gallop. Yang Kexin rolled his bull's eyes and shouted with a big grin. But Chonu could clearly feel that surrounded by strong enemies, Yang Kexin's confidence was obviously insufficient when he said this.

"The slave guesses, if Yuan Tao is not saved in this battle, no matter which side of Zhao Ying or Yuan Tao wins, the general can only fly away."

Yang Ke said in the news, hesitated for a moment, swallowed his spit and said, "What you said is good. ”

"That being the case, it's a loss-making business. As the saying goes, 'it's good to enjoy the shade under the big tree', and the general's family is not wealthy, and it may not be easy to be self-reliant. Perhaps it was because of today's special situation that Konu was uncharacteristically and kept talking.

It's just that what she said has not been refuted by Yang Kexin at all, Yang Kexin is now like a person who has fallen into the water, he actually hopes that someone can stand up and get an idea for himself who has been hanging in for a long time.

"There is some truth in what you say...... "I have to admit that Kono's analysis is in place. If you don't save Yuan Tao, this is Yang Ke's new tone, no matter who tries to persuade him, he will not waver again. But he made this decision largely out of whim. In such a short period of time, he didn't think about how to deal with himself after not saving Yuan Tao. And this is the crux of his distress.

The general once said that Zhao Dangshi is a first-class hero today, and a mainstay who can stand side by side with King Chuang and the Eight Kings, and is by no means comparable to Yuan Tao's clown. Now that Yuan Tao is on the left and Zhao Dangshi is on the right, since he has decided to draw a line with Yuan Tao, why not turn to Zhao Dangshi? The Zhao camp is huge, and with the general's heroic talent, wouldn't it be easy to gain a foothold in the Zhao camp? Kono said earnestly, sincerely. She wants Yang Ke to die newly, but not now. Because she knows that now she can't do without Yang Kexin.

It is true that Yang Kexin was rude and savage, and she also killed her husband, and she used to hate this ugly man immensely. However, until the current moment of life and death, she will still have compassion. It's not so much that she has feelings for Yang Kexin, but that she finds that she has subtly relied on this man. Even if this man doesn't love her at all and only uses her as a plaything, he is the only person who can provide her with safety and security now, in short, to each according to what he needs.

Yang Kexin naturally doesn't think about it so much, in his world, his women are all in love with him, so if Konu says this now, he must be thinking about him wholeheartedly.

"Defecting to Zhao Ying, it's not that I haven't thought about it. It's just that Li Xiaoshan is staring at the side, and I can't move. Yang Kexin said with scruples. His strength is inferior to Li Xiaoshan, his self-protection is acceptable, and the attack has no chance of winning.

"The general said before coming to the main hall, and the soldiers and horses of the Zhao battalion also arrived nearby. Thinking that if the general attacked Li Xiaoshan, the people of Zhao Ying would not sit idly by. ”

Yang Kexin glanced at her, with surprise in his eyes. He couldn't have imagined that Konu, who had always seemed weak, would be more decisive than him at this critical moment. In fact, he didn't know that Konu had already put his future on this war. She was desperate to get rid of Yang Kexin and even kill the beast that had defiled her body with her own hands, and to start it all, she had to seize this crucial turning point.