didn't wait for the third day, that night, something happened that surprised Xue Wanche.

At that time, Qin Mubai rejected Xue Wanche's proposal to go to the city restaurant to eat again, but ate a light meal and drank a little wine in the post house, and the two discussed some military matters.

At this moment, Hou Junji came to the door and took the initiative to visit Qin Mubai.

Xue Wanche was amazed: "It's really here!" Incredible! ”

"Nothing strange. I know exactly what he's thinking. No matter how much you disguise it, it's in vain. Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Someone is coming, please invite Hou Sima to sit down and prepare a seat." ”

Hou Junji came in, glanced at Qin Mubai and Xue Wanche left and right, neither saluted nor greeted, just stood in the hall so abruptly, and said flatly: "If the metropolitan governor returns to Lanzhou, can you take Hou there?" ”

"Yes." Qin Mubai agreed without thinking.

"So, Hou said goodbye." Arching his hand, Hou Junji turned around and left.

Xue Wanche was stunned, and suddenly looked unhappy and wanted to stop Hou Junji. Qin Mubai waved his hand to stop him, and let Hou Junji leave.

"This person is disrespectful, it's too rude!" Xue Wanche gritted his teeth and said, "When you enter the hall, you don't even care about the most basic etiquette, you have no title or can't do it, you are like a wild person!" ”

"The big husband is not informal, so why bother." Qin Mubai smiled nonchalantly and said, "There are no less than thousands of people who give up to me every day, what's the point?" Hou Junji is an upright and fiery person, and he can't do hypocritical and polite things. If he is respectful to someone, he respects him from the bottom of his heart. ”

"Why did he go to Lanzhou with the young marshal?" Xue Wanche said curiously.

"If it were me, I would do the same." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "If one day you want to exchange your heart and soul with someone, General Xue, what kind of person would you choose?" ”

"Of course, it's someone I know very well and can trust." Xue Wanche replied without thinking.

"Isn't that it?" Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Judging from Hou Junji's current situation, he doesn't dare to make any decisions easily. The slightest movement of him may affect his life or even his family. For me, it's just a new player in Lanzhou; But for him, it's a matter of life and death. He doesn't know anything about me at the moment, so how can he exchange his heart and soul with me? He wanted to go to Lanzhou with me, just to get close to me and get to know me. ”

"I see!" Xue Wanche suddenly realized and said, "It seems that Hou Junji is indeed not so disheartened and lazy as he seems on the surface!" He can still think about it so carefully, which shows that he has his own calculations in his heart. A person with a dead heart can't do this. ”

"So I said, Hou Junji is not reconciled, he still has great ambitions." Qin Mubai turned his wine glass and said with a playful smile, "He is like a tiger in a cage." Even if you fall asleep, you won't become a cat. As for when he wakes up, it depends on who opens the cage and when! ”

Xue Wanche nodded thoughtfully and said, "However, the person who opened the cage may become the owner of this tiger, or he may be the first to be eaten by him!" ”

Qin Mubai smiled slightly, "I'm willing to try." ”

Two days later, Qin Mubai left Liangzhou and called Hou Junji when he left.

"Is the Metropolitan Governor going back to Lanzhou?" Hou Junji said lukewarmly.

"Don't be in a hurry to go back to Lanzhou. I'm going to go to Dafeichuan first to inspect the troops there and inspect the defenses. Qin Mubai said, "Senior brother, if you wish, you can go together." ”

"Just go, I don't care." Hou Junji said lightly, "I have already been expelled from the division, don't call me senior brother, and I can't afford to climb it." ”

"Then please, Hou Sima." Qin Mubai smiled and said disapprerovingly, "Set off in half an hour, you can prepare." ”

"Hou is alone, and he can leave at any time if he has nothing to prepare." Hou Junji said, "If the governor of the capital agrees, I am willing to bring two concubines who wash and boil water for me." ”

"Whatever you want." Qin Mubai agreed casually.

Hou Junji smiled coldly and said, "You are not allowed to bring female dependents or prostitutes with the army in the army, don't you know that you are the commander of the army?" Why are you so indulgent to me? ”

Qin Mubai glanced at him sideways, and sneered: "Rules and laws have always been only used to restrain most people, not everyone. And you can be one of those few. I'm willing, how? ”

Hou Junji was obviously stunned for a moment, but immediately covered it up, smiled sarcastically, and said: "You are indeed a little generous and know some human feelings, and you are stronger than Li Jing in this regard." ”

"Rules are dead, people are alive. And the rules are made by people. Qin Mubai said indifferently, "As long as I don't touch the bottom line and violate major principles, I'm a good person." ”

"No more nonsense, let's go!" Hou Junji threw down a sentence coldly and said no more.

Qin Mubai gathered the Hundred Cavalry Guards, left Lanzhou with Hou Junji, and went to the Dafeichuan Military Region to inspect.

There are several days along the way, and Hou Junji rarely speaks. Walking and sleeping with Qin Mubai and his entourage, he is like a superfluous character, never talking to anyone, and he is lukewarm to Qin Mubai, as if he is always detached.

Qin Mubai was also very calm, and rarely took the initiative to talk to him, leaving him alone to watch quietly and coldly. He knew that although Hou Junji was cold and independent, he had been paying close attention to and observing him. Qin Mubai's every word, deed, and every move all fell in Hou Junji's eyes.

For a character like Hou Junji, Qin Mubai never dared to despise him. They have gone through the troubled times and fought for half their lives, and their bodies and minds have experienced the tempering of blood and fire, plus they have read countless people, and the city government has a deep and old eye, there is no doubt about it. In the presence of such people, any pretense and pretentiousness are futile. His ability to perceive and judge will be far beyond his imagination.

Just like when facing Emperor Li Shimin and his father Qin Shubao, don't lose a lot of sense of proportion because of playing tricks. Be natural and casual, treat each other sincerely, and do these eight words.

Along the way, Hou Junji said no more than ten sentences. What kind of evaluation he got in his mind, Qin Mubai didn't know, and he didn't want to know. The twisted melon is not sweet after all, if he really has no chance with him or does not have the leadership ability and personality charm to convince him, even if he reluctantly agrees, it will not last long, or he has a ghost in his heart.

In this case, it is better to go with the flow.

Dafeichuan has arrived.

The camp is neat and clean, and the military posture is cool. Compared to two years ago, when it was first built, it has become much better.

"Xue Wanjun's ability to govern the army is really not bad." Qin Mubai felt it.

Hou Junji smiled coldly: "But that's it." ”

Qin Mubai glanced at him and asked with interest: "Listening to this tone, Hou Sima has a lot of criticism about General Xue's camp arrangement?" ”

"What can you say about the formation of grass chickens?" Hou Junji sneered, "This kind of camp formation, a person with troops can do it, and he is only worthy of resisting the Tibetan barbarians." The formation of this camp is called 'the big rear camp after the wind', and if you meet a general who is familiar with the art of war, 3,000 iron horsemen can break its formation. ”

"Can you?" Qin Mubai asked.

The corners of Hou Junji's-for-tat mouth grinned, and he said provocatively: "Why don't you give you three thousand iron horses to try?" ”

"There are 40,000 soldiers here." Qin Mubai said, "There is no joke in the army, if you can't break the formation, what should you do?" ”

"Please behead me." Hou Junji threw out these four words lightly, brushed his face away, and said no more.

Qin Mubai took a deep breath and waved his hand: "Someone, please General Xue Wanjun come." The whole army was purged, and 3,000 iron cavalry were ordered, so that Hou Junji led the army to break the camp. ”

The hundred cavalry soldiers next to him were a little frightened, and the three thousand iron cavalry wanted to break the camp of the 40,000 army, which was almost an impossible task. Although Hou Junji is a well-known battlefield veteran, the other party Xue Wanjun is also extraordinary, how can he be so easily broken by him?

However, Qin Mubai's military order had been issued, and the hundred cavalry guards had to go to the barracks to invite Xue Wanjun and convey Qin Mubai's military order.

Hearing that Qin Mubai suddenly arrived in Dafeichuan, Xue Wanjun was both surprised and happy. But when he heard such a strange military order, he couldn't help but change his face a little: "When did the young marshal become so childish?" Let Hou Jun break my camp, and his own people will fight his own people, no matter who wins or loses, it will not be good in the end! ”

The hundred horsemen who gave the order could only smile bitterly and said: "The young marshal has always acted with opinions, not for us to figure it out. Now that he has given the military order, General Xue should carry it out! ”

Xue Wanjun had to grit his teeth, and a layer of unconvinced annoyance appeared on his face, and said: "Then carry out the military order - Hou Junji, this bastard, is really deceiving me too much!" If I don't fight for this face in front of the young marshal and thousands of soldiers, how will I, Xue, gain a foothold in the future?! - Come on, beat the drums and gather the generals, and send troops to the formation! ”

The large camp of tens of thousands of sergeants suddenly moved in its entirety. The three armies are lined up with banners and a posture of being ready for battle. The three thousand iron horsemen that Hou Jun asked for were also counted, and Xue Wanjun personally led them out of the camp and came to Qin Mubai.

Xue Wanjun rode out and ran forward, first glanced at Hou Junji coldly, and then bowed to Qin Mubai: "Young marshal!" After the soldiers and horses are reorganized, please give a military order! ”

Qin Mubai nodded and said, "Hand over the three thousand iron cavalry to Hou Junji, and you go back to the camp to prepare to defend against the enemy." ”

"What if there are dead or wounded?" Xue Wanjun glanced at Hou Junji fiercely and said in a deep voice.

"Hou Mou bears it." Hou Junji glanced back at him and said coldly, "Are people who march and fight still afraid of death and injury?" If you, Xue Wanjun, are afraid of death, you will accompany the young marshal here to watch the battle; If any of your soldiers are afraid of death, they will all go home to nurse their children. ”

"You! …… Hou Junji, don't deceive people too much! If you lose when you are young, I see how much face you have! - Young marshal, the last general will go first, and return to the camp to prepare! Xue Wanjun glared angrily at Hou Junji a few times and pulled his horse back.

Hou Junji looked at Xue Wanjun's back, sneered again and again, and said, "This kind of breaking array, can you stop me Hou Junji?" Not to mention three thousand elite iron horses, such a desolate array, I can break it even if I am a five hundred Mo swordsmen! Xue Wanjun, brave and brave, resourceful. This kind of character is not enough to be a handsome man alone, that is, a reckless man who charges into battle! ”

"Don't talk too soon." Qin Mubai smiled indifferently and said, "Sima Hou, I know that you have been in the army for many years, and you are skilled in the use of soldiers and horses, and you have won the true inheritance of your mentor Wei Gong. No matter how horses fight and fight against each other, you are not weak. Qin has not been learning from his teacher for a long time, but he is also familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of the camp formation behind the wind and his base. There is nothing surprising about this camp. But often the more ordinary things seem to be, the more extraordinary they are. Hou Sima, you have to be careful. ”

"Humph!" Hou Junji sneered again and said, "After the wind, hold the formation of its base, and the weakness is in Xun." If an elite division raids from the Sun, its army will be defeated. This time, I don't need to surprise the attack, I use the main soldiers to attack and kill from the Xunmen. The Metropolitan Governor can go and inform Xue Wanjun that Hou should retreat fifteen miles to the north, and then lead the troops and horses from Xunmen after half an hour! ”

After that, Hou Junji reined in his horse and left, without wearing armor, drew a spear in his hand, and rode away with the three thousand irons.

Qin Mubai couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "It's really crazy." But Hou Junji, Hou Junji, this big array of the camp behind the wind was personally laid by me. How could I not know the advantages and disadvantages of such an ordinary formation? If you let your 3,000 army break my 40,000 soldiers and horses, I, Qin, will find a steamed bun and kill me! ”

Half an hour later, a drum horn sounded in the army to warn the enemy.

As a rule, at this time, the army should be ready to be wound with its sword out of its sheath and arrows on its head. But on the contrary, the 40,000 troops that had just been assembled dispersed back to their respective camps, as usual, without the tension of half a lifetime of battle.

Fifteen miles away, Hou Junji immediately crossed his gun and looked at the camp in the distance with a sneer.

"Xue Wanjun, Zhi Da Cai Shu; Qin Mubai has shallow vision. Today, Hou will open your eyes and know what it means to fight! ”

In the big camp, at the place of the Xunwei fence, two rows of thick gates like carved castle walls were opened, revealing pieces of red cloth inside. Hundreds of sergeants stepped forward neatly, pulling the cloth silk apart one by one, revealing the black and cold long barrels, pointing proudly to the sky.

Qin Mubai stood in front of this row of red-clothed cannons with his hands cut on his back, leaning at the corners of his mouth with a playful expression.

Xue Wanjun said with hatred: "Hou Junji is too frivolous. Young marshal, I don't want to kill my brother with a red-coated cannon. ”

"He retreated fifteen miles, which shows his contempt for us." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Stay within ten miles, fire a hundred cannons, and let him know why I can use two hundred people to recover Dafeichuan." Let him know that in addition to cavalry and foot battles in this world, there is also an artillery battle! ”

"Just what I want!"

Hou Junji took the lead and rushed over. After a few months, the prancing horse galloped on the battlefield again, and Hou Junji couldn't help but be a little enthusiastic. Although it was not a serious battle, it was like a hungry wolf smelling a strong smell of blood, and all the fighting spirit in his bones was stimulated, and pride and wildness burst out together.

Under his leadership, three thousand iron horsemen galloped like a whirlwind and clouds.

3,000 soldiers and horses broke through the 40,000 array, this was an impossible task. But in Hou Junji's vision, this is as common as killing chickens and cutting vegetables. Marching and fighting, like holding a pickle, has almost become his instinct.

"The soldiers are not many but fine, and the soldiers are not brave but strategic. Xue Wanjun, Qin Mubai, you don't underestimate me too much! Hou Junji groaned secretly, facing the cold wind, and the corners of his mouth pouted with a mockery and arrogant sneer.

The cavalry moved extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye it was almost possible to see the large camp.

At this moment, suddenly a dazzling cloud of fiery red lightning flashed in the air, accompanied by billowing black smoke, overwhelming the sky. Immediately after, a deafening boom shook the earth!

Just three or five miles in front of the cavalry group, the landslide cracked and the gravel flew, as if the mountain had collapsed!

Hou Junji, who was moving forward with a lot of fighting intent and enthusiasm, was almost taken aback, hurriedly stopped his horse, and exclaimed: "Has the earth moved?!" ”

Looking back, the three thousand iron horsemen behind him were actually a stone's throw away from him, and they had stopped early. All the sergeants showed fear on their faces, and they were panicked and trembling!

"What's going on? What's going on?! Hou Junji shouted in shock and anger, "What's going on ahead?" Why are you stagnant? Retreating from the battle, that is a violation of military law! Is Xue Wanjun just a soldier like this?! ”

A military academy patted his horse forward, patiently arched his hand to Hou Junji, and said, "General Hou, you don't know anything. This is Dafeichuan's red-clothed Shenwu cannon in a big way. Hugh said that it was the flesh of a man and a horse, and even the gold, iron and jade would be crushed to pieces under its majestic power! …… My brothers would rather be court-martialed and at least be able to save their whole body, rather than stupidly step forward and end up with blurred flesh and blood! ”

"What do you say? What bullshit red-clothed Shenwu cannon?! Hou Junji yelled angrily, took off his horsewhip from the saddle and angrily whipped the military academy, "Come forward!" Come with me and kill! ”

The military academy neither dodged nor resisted, but stubbornly stood up and let him slack off, just looked at him coldly, and said with a glance: "The soldiers trained by Young Marshal Qin and General Xue are not cowards. The last general is not afraid of death, but death must also be worthwhile! General Hou is the commander of the three armies, and he loves soldiers like sons, how can he let his brothers jump into the fire pit alive? If General Hou wants to kill the last general, then he will do it. In any case, the last general will not allow the brothers behind to rush forward and kill a step! ”

"Boom, rumble!"

Another volley of artillery bombarded down, the heavens and the earth shook, and thick smoke billowed in front of them, like a volcano bursting out from the heavens upside down.

Hou Junji shuddered, turned his head and looked at the billowing smoke, his face was like earth, and he was stunned.

After three rounds of bombardment, everything fell silent, leaving only the east wind howling, rolling up billowing black smoke and skyrocketing dust.

Hou Junji stood on his horse, looked ahead and muttered, "It turns out that the weakest place is to use such gods and demons to defend ...... Hou Junji, Hou Junji, you really lived half your life in vain, and you are still so frivolous at your age! …… Qin Jia Saburo, there is you! Today, it is not you Qin Sanlang or Xue Wanjun who have opened your eyes, but I, Hou Junji, is the frog at the bottom of the well! ”

After walking a few miles alone, Hou Junji saw one bomb crater after another, and there were still many residual flames and a thick smell of gunsmoke.

Imagining these shells falling on him, Hou Junji had to shake his head and close his eyes, "No matter how superb the tactics are, no matter how brave the soldiers, in the face of such a heavenly might, what can I do?" ”

A string of horses' hooves sounded in the distance, and they walked alone and rode it. Hou Junji looked at it, it was Qin Mubai.

He couldn't help but move his eyes a few times, and with a slight look of embarrassment on his face, he stood still.

Qin Mubai patted him right away, looked at Hou Junji with a natural expression, and didn't speak, only stared at Hou Junji left and right uncomfortably.

"You won." After a while, Hou Junji spit out these three words, his face was a little ugly, but his eyes were still unruly, and he said coldly, "Victory and defeat are commonplace, you ...... What kind of red and what cannon, it is indeed beyond my expectations, and it can be called the king of strange soldiers. Hou was convinced. You can take this life as you like. ”

"Huh!" Qin Mubai chuckled indifferently and said, "If you can afford to lose, you can win." Hou Junji, you do have a handsome demeanor. I still have a useful place for your life, so I will leave it to you for safekeeping. ”

Hou Junji's mind lit up, and he said: "I have heard that you used this kind of mysterious artifact to beat the souls of the Tubo soldiers and horses stationed in Dafeichuan, so as to recover this place with hundreds of people, right?" ”

The facts of the Great African War in the past, and the existence of the red-coated artillery, are all high-level military secrets, and not many people know about them. Rao is a high-ranking official like Hou Junji, and he only knows about scaly claws, which is not surprising.

Qin Mubai smiled lightly and said, "To be specific, it was two hundred artillery soldiers who recovered Dafeichuan. However, with 200 artillery alone, this could not be done. It's like the blade of a murderer is only a shallow layer, but without the hilt of the blade and the power of swinging the knife, that bit of the blade is completely useless. Do you see what I mean? ”

"You want Hou to be the handle of your blade?" Hou Junji stared straight at Qin Mubai and said.

Qin Mubai nodded and said, "The ruler is short, and the inch is long." The Red Cannons are not invincible. Otherwise, there would be no Tibetan flags flying on the snowy plateau now. If you want to charge into battle and destroy the city, you have to rely on my Datang's infantry cavalry horses.

Hou Junji stared at Qin Mubai without blinking with a pair of eagle hunting eyes, suddenly sneered, shook his head and said: "Hou's life is yours, but this does not mean that I will die for you." ”

At the end, he solemnly added, "I, don't agree!" ”

"It's okay, one day, you'll say yes." Qin Mubai patted the saddle with a horsewhip and smiled nonchalantly, raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the barracks, and said, "Go back to the camp, good wine and meat have been prepared." The rumbling cannon sound of Fang Cai is regarded as a salute to welcome us! ”

Hou Junji took a long and dull breath, and stepped forward without saying a word. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Qin Mubai, and he seemed to say to himself: "I admit that you won, but I didn't lose." There was anything else that surprised me and shocked me, though. ”

"Are you surprised, are you shocked?" Qin Mubai laughed and said, "Then I did win." ”