Xian and Cao suddenly retreated, Zuo Liangyu was taken aback, and then became anxious. The supply of grain and grass in the army is in short supply, and it was supposed to be to capture Fang County just after eating, take the surplus grain supply in the city, and then wait for Yunyang and Xiangyang to be transferred, and it is very accurate, but now the thief Kou Xi is gone, and it is bound to be swept away by the wind and clouds, and the walls are clear, and this victory cannot be obtained, and there is no supply of grain and grass.

In order to avoid falling into such an embarrassing situation, Zuo Liangyu couldn't care about the whole army, so he ordered Luo Dai to lead the 1,500 horse army under his command to rush in pursuit, and the two battalions of Zhang Yingyuan and Ma Yingxiang followed suit, and they lived behind Jin Shenghuan.

Luo Daibu encountered hundreds of thieves on the south bank of Zhushui at the west entrance of Qingfeng Town, and broke it up several times in the conflict, and then went west, continuously breaking through many bandits who wanted to obstruct Leopard Ditch, Qijiagou, Hot Spring Temple and other places, killing and injuring dozens of people. Returning to Zuo Liangyu, only the thief is afraid of the pursuers, and it is advisable to chase after him.

When Zhao Dangshi heard the news of Zuo Liangyu's entry into the army, he also drove from Siping Township, and rushed to Zuo Liangyu at the same time, and persuaded: "The thief is cunning, and he escapes to the mountains to the west, I am afraid that there will be an ambush." ”

Zuo Liangyu squinted at him and said, "Mr. Zhao said this strangely. As soon as my army arrived, the thieves were invincible, how could it be unusual? The thieves started at the beginning, and the troops were not enough, so they wanted to avoid my edge and slowly accumulate strength. It is the best policy for us to take responsibility for suppressing the coquettish, and it is a great mistake to strangle him in his infancy, and to allow him to sit in all directions. ”

Zhao Dangshi said earnestly: "If you insist on fighting, you can let General Luo enter the county seat of Fangxian County first, and wait for us and the rest of the army to advance together, which can ensure that nothing goes wrong." ”

Zuo Liangyu rolled his eyes and said unhappily: "It is difficult for Mr. Zhao to be a strongman. Further west of Fang County, Zhushan, Zhuxi and other places, the mountains are continuous, and there are almost no flat roads. There are many of our troops, and as soon as they enter the other place, they will be like a dragon entering a pool and a Kunpeng entering a cage, and it is difficult to play. It is necessary to use the horse army as a pioneer to drag the thieves and prevent them from entering the mountain, and then try to encircle and annihilate them. Again, "Besides, the army is not well fed, and if we delay in Fang County for one more day, our army will be hungry for one more day." The stomach was empty, and before the thieves came, our army dispersed. ”

Zhao Dangshi insisted: "Yunfu Zhao has already informed people that the grain will be transferred to be guarded by our battalion soldiers and horses in the near future, although it is not much, it is more than half a month." When the soldiers are full, it will be easy to destroy the thieves. ”

Zuo Liangyu said angrily: "No? What day is it? If a soldier starves for one more day, the odds of victory will be one point less. Take advantage of the fact that the surplus food is not exhausted now, and then give the thief a dismount! As soon as he became angry, his face was as red as pig's liver, and the corners of his eyes hung up, and his appearance was very terrifying. Zhao Dangshi saw that he didn't listen to his hard advice, and he was helpless.

On that day, Zhao Dangshi followed Zuo Liangyu into the eastern part of Fang County, and the anxious Luo Dai had already chased to Wenchanggou at the western end of Fang County. From Wenchanggou to the west, there is an endless deep mountain and old forest in Fuyan, but Zuo Liangyu received a military report from Luo Dai, saying that the back of the thieves had caught up in Wenchanggou, and under the involvement, the front of the rogues had a tendency to come back to help.

"The thieves gather in Luo Monkey Mountain, not a few miles away from Wenchang Ditch, the back of the thieves is festering, Luo Shen will ask for orders to continue to advance, and the main force of the thieves can be controlled." The Tang soldier sent by Luo Dai said.

Zuo Liangyu muttered: "Luo Monkey Mountain is actually the boundary mountain between Fang County and Zhushan County, and the road to the west is becoming more and more narrow, which is not conducive to the deployment of troops, and it is the last chance for our army to annihilate the enemy, so we can chase it quickly!" Without hesitation, he immediately asked Tangma to return to Luo Dai, and on the other hand, he transferred Zhang Yingyuan and Ma Yingxiang to support.

Zhao Dangshi drove his horse to Zuo Liangyu and asked, "I heard that Zuo Shuai is going to fight a decisive battle?" ”

Zuo Liangyu replied: "The arrow has to be sent on the string." ”

"Zhao, please respond to the rear army." Seeing Zuo Liangyu angry, Zhao Dangshi no longer has any hope of persuading him to change his mind.

Zuo Liangyu said proudly: "General Luo Shen has defeated more than ten thieves in a row, and there is no plan to behead him. The heart of the thief has been lost, and it is easy to destroy it now, and it is not necessary to work for Mr. Zhao. "But I made up my mind to enjoy the results for myself.

Zhao Dangshi had no choice but to nod and say, "Then Zhao is here to sit here and wait for Zuo Shuai's good news." ”

Zuo Liangyu didn't talk, he arched his hand coldly, and galloped away.

When Zuo's army disappeared into the diffuse smoke and dust, Zhao Dangshi immediately summoned Han Gon and instructed: "Guard the pass." No matter how Zuo Liangyu resists, as an ally, Zhao Ying still needs to be fully prepared. There are many dangers between Fang County and Qingfeng Town, and Zhao Ying occupies and deploys in advance, which can ensure that the retreat route is unimpeded.

Han Gon led Hu Ke to lead 300 people, deployed troops to Qiligou, Taohuagou and other places, turned back to Zhao Dangshi and said: "Lord, do you see that the Zuo family army is going to win or lose?" In fact, he had already sensed Zhao Dangshi's worries.

Zhao Dangshi shook his head and said, "It's hard to say." "Continued," the thief is cunning, and the thief is treacherous, neither of them is an idle person. In the past, there were feuds, and cooperation was rare, but now the situation is forced together, and we cannot take it lightly. ”

Han Gon said again: "Looking at Zuo Shuai's appearance of winning steadily, it should be no big problem." ”

Zhao Dangshi sighed and said: "Zuo Shuai is wide on the outside and taboo on the inside, you can enjoy happiness together, but you can't share hardships." At that time, my Zhao Ying was weak, and I was still able to work with him, but now my Zhao Ying is getting stronger, and in Zuo Shuai's heart, I already have mustard. "The art of knowing people, Zhao Yingzhong is incapable of the right person of Zhao Dangshi, only a few times to meet and talk a few times, Zhao Dangshi actually has a more thorough understanding of Zuo Liangyu's personality, to be honest, there is a gap in his heart.

Han Gon was silent when he heard this, he called himself a soldier and deliberately avoided politics. Although Zhao Dangshi made a comment lightly, he could feel that the impact on the future development policy of the whole camp would be huge, so he pursed his lips and stopped answering.

"Hu Keshou has 300 people guarding Qiligou and Taohuagou."

"Okay, let Lao Meng take five hundred horsemen to the front, and stay ready for battle at all times." Zhao Dangshi said solemnly, "You and I are two hundred horses." The whole army is on alert to maintain a state of readiness for battle, and those who are lax will not be forgiven without our military order! ”

This way is to follow the Zuo family army into the mountains to paddle the water, but Zhao Dangshi's attitude at this moment is more important than when Zhao Ying fought in person, Han Gon couldn't help but suddenly become nervous, and wanted to swallow saliva, but after swallowing, he found that his mouth was already dry.

Waiting for most of the day, there was no information at all, and under Zhao Dangshi's strict orders, the whole army even saved lunch, and the sword and spear were erected, and they were constantly prepared. In the middle, a captain sneaked out of the array and went to the forest to relieve his hands, Zhao Dangshi pulled him out on the spot, and whipped more than ten whips with his own hands in front of the whole army to set an example. For a while, the army was solemn, and the soldiers were silent, and after that, even the defecation fell directly into the crotch.

At the end of the day, the sun was obliquely shining, and suddenly a scout came from a distant Pegasus, almost rolled the saddle and dismounted, climbed to Zhao Dangshi's horse with his hands and feet, and said: "Zuo Shuai is ambushed, defeated, the pioneer Luo Shen will be killed, and all the armies will be defeated!" ”

When General Zhao Yingjun heard this, he was in an uproar.

"Let's go!" Zhao Dangshi gave an order, and the Zhao Ying horse army, which had been waiting for a long time, immediately moved. The sound of horses' hooves rumbled, shaking the ground.

Han Gon peeked at Zhao Dangshi, who was hurrying in the saddle, and saw that he didn't say more than half a word, not angry or angry, his face was as light as water, and he said secretly: "It's a shame that the lord has been prepared for a long time, otherwise our army will be shocked when the news of defeat comes." ”

A few miles to the west, just past the dilapidated county seat of Fang County, the vision has changed greatly. At the mountain pass, countless routs mixed with chaotic horses like thousands of headless flies ran in all directions, bringing up dust and flying, which seemed to cover the mountains in sand and mist.

Zhao Dangshi tried his best to restrain the soldiers and horses from being affected, his eyes were everywhere, and he rode into the wilderness, and when he looked at it, it was Zhang Yingyuan, the deputy general of the Zuo Xie's battalion, who hurriedly climbed him and asked, "What is the situation ahead?" ”

Zhang Yingyuan was out of breath and only said: "Defeated!" Defeated! Come on! Come on! Hurriedly said, broke away from Zhao Dangshi, and ran away with a smoke.

Zhao Dangshi was helpless, so he asked Meng Aocao to arrest a small officer who had escaped, and then asked about the situation. The little officer trembled and said: "Luo Shen will be lured by the thieves, into the dense slope of grass and trees, for a while the thieves are out, Luo Shen will be hung on the right foot by the vines, he can't go, he died in the formation, Zuo Shuai and Ma guerrilla, Jin Shen will not be able to resist, all defeated, the palace deputy General Zhang heard about it, and left without seeing the enemy!" He said even more panickedly, "There are countless thieves and horses, and there are endless mountains and wilderness, so adults should leave as soon as possible!" ”

"Is Zuo Shuai safe?"

"I don't know."

After letting the little officer go, Han Gunnai asked, "Lord, are you going or staying?" "There are fleeing routs on all sides, the Zuojia army has collapsed, and the defeat is irretrievable, and how to deal with it really needs to be decided as soon as possible.

Zhao Dangshi exhaled and said, "Regardless of the others, save Zuo Shuai first." "Zuo Liangyu is certainly domineering, but now it is very important to Zhao Ying, if he really dies, it will do more harm than good.

Han Gon took the order and left, separated Yang Zhaofeng and Meng Aocao, and marched together in three ways to search for Zuo Liangyu's traces. Han and Meng have not yet achieved results, but Yang Zhaofeng first bumped into a group of chaotic troops, and a blue-robed general had scattered his hair, and fled in a hurry, Yang Zhaofeng took a closer look, it was Zuo Liangyu, who was hit by several arrows, but fortunately, the armor was unharmed.

"Zuo Shuai!" Yang Zhaofeng stepped forward, helped Zuo Liangyu down, and replaced his mount, which had been spurred to the point of foaming at the mouth, "Mr. Zhao will answer in the rear, Zuo Shuai can go quickly!" ”

"Zuo Shuai goes first!" Protecting Zuo Liangyu was Jin Shenghuan, a general in the barracks, who helped Zuo Liangyu get on the horse, slapped the horse's buttocks, and stayed in place with dozens of horses.

Zuo Liangyu was in a daze as if in a dream, and went with another group of horse troops. Hao Mingluan, who was with the army, glared angrily ahead, and said stiffly: "There are chasing soldiers!" As far as the eye could see, following behind Zuo Liangyu, the men and horses were galloping, and nearly a hundred horses were chasing after him.

Yang Zhaofeng squinted his eyes and looked at the banner carefully, and said in a deep voice: "It's Zhang Keji." ”

Zhang Xianzhong's righteous son "Four Tigers" is the most important, divided into elite horses, the previous Zhang Guoxing and Zhang Sihu are dead, there are still Zhang Keji and Zhang Huier, and the current pursuit of Zuo Liangyu is Zhang Keji. Zhang Keji is not braver than Zhang Guoxing, but he is famous for his good shooting, and the arrows inserted in Zuo Liangyu's body are all due to him.

Jin Shenghuan was also very brave, ignoring the Zhao Yingma army, roaring like thunder, and leading dozens of his subordinates to rush out like a hurricane.

Zhang Keji was slightly surprised when he saw that there were officers and soldiers blocking the front, and then felt that there were not many people in the Zhao camp, so he stabilized his mind and whistled, and the hundreds of elite cavalry of the Western Battalion who were advancing at full speed immediately turned around and retreated more than ten steps.

But Jin Shenghuan had already killed the general, Zhang Keji took one hand, and the formation of hundreds of horses gathered from sparse to compact in an instant. Zhang Keji fired an arrow first, whistling like a short flute, and in the blink of an eye, the flying arrows in the sky swept through the air from the Xiying elite cavalry array, and shot at Jin Shenghuan and the others.

Jin Shenghuan's horse army was very well equipped, and when he saw the arrows, he didn't mean to retreat at all, and still rushed forward, and those arrows bounced off their thick armor, and the sound was like ice particles falling to the ground, failing to kill or injure a single one.

Zhang Keji didn't panic, and with another hand, the Xiying Jingqi immediately retracted his bow, forming a slightly outward arc, rubbing shoulders one after another, very dense.

Jin Shenghuan, who was galloping, saw that the Xiying elite cavalry was standing indifferent, and scolded in his heart: "The thief is looking for death!" "When the cavalry fights, the emphasis is on the impact. After nearly 100 paces of whiplash, the speed of the horses has almost been raised to the highest. Rao is Xiying has the advantage in the number of elite cavalry, but waiting to be killed like this, Jin Shenghuan is full of confidence that he can completely defeat the opponent with just one charge.

Under the emotion, Jin Shenghuan shouted indulgently, motivating the people, seeing that he was only twenty steps away from Xiying Jingqi, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of Zhang Keji's ruthless eyes, his heart moved, and suddenly thought of something, but it was too late to make adjustments.

"Not good!"

Jin Shenghuan shouted out in one sentence, "Crackling horn", and hundreds of elite horsemen of the Western Battalion took out the three-eyed guns that had been prepared almost instantaneously and shot them out in a volley. Despite its low accuracy and short range, the Three-Eyed Gun can still deal massive and dense damage at extremely close range within twenty paces. The most indispensable thing in the west camp is the three-eyed gun, Zhang Keji's horse army is even more manpower, and the elite cavalry of the west camp stands still, in order to wait for Jin Shenghuan to throw himself into the net.