The southeast vein of Yanran Mountain, Qionglong Ridge.

A large Wei military camp is located on the right bank of the source of the water in the garden, under the Dome Ridge.

Tuoba Tao walked around the big tent with a sad face and an anxious expression, and the generals who were standing on both sides of the army also sighed one by one.

Baba Daosheng walked in with a tired face and reported: "Your Majesty, forty-five more cases of sick people have been found today, and now the soldiers in the camp are already panicking, if this continues, it will not take ten days and half a month for the entire army to not be defeated by the epidemic, and the soldiers will be frightened by the epidemic and flee in all directions!" ”

Tuoba Tao immediately said to Baba Daosheng: "Ting Weiqing, you must appease the sick well, and the generals must also stabilize the hearts of the army, we must not be chaotic at this time, we have to stabilize our position, I have sent eight hundred miles of expedited horses to Mo Nan and the East Route Army, so that they can send the medical hall and transport medicinal materials as quickly as possible!" ”

"Wait for you to understand!"

At this time, Cui Hao hurriedly walked in with a letter and reported: "Your Majesty, King Yongchang has sent a letter, saying that the East Route Army also had an epidemic a few days ago, but after diagnosis and treatment, the spread of the disease has been controlled, and the patients are recovering!" He also said that he had sent Zhao Junsheng, the commander of the logistics baggage battalion, to escort the grain, grass and medicinal materials, and also brought the medical officer! The letter also included their prescription for curing the disease, let's use this prescription to see if it works, the medical officer and the baggage team are coming as fast as they can! ”

"Show me!"

Tuoba Tao immediately took the letter and read it quickly, and immediately handed the letter to Baba Daosheng: "Immediately decoction according to the above prescription to a few patients to try how effective the medicine is, and at the same time separate the patients from the healthy soldiers according to the letter to prevent infection, go quickly!" ”

"Yes!"

The next day, the condition of several patients who took the medicine did not continue to deteriorate, and according to the patients themselves, they felt much better, which showed that the prescription was effective, but the army did not carry many medicinal herbs, and only a small number of patients.

Tuoba Tao saw that the prescription was effective, and ordered to send 3,000 cavalry to the east to join Zhao Junsheng's team, and first transport the medicinal materials over to ease the urgent need.

Tuoba Tao and his entourage generals were greatly relieved, and the morale of the officers and men of the various armies gradually recovered.

Now that the epidemic has been brought under control and gradually eliminated, and the task of striking down on the Rouran people is again placed in front of Tuobatao, he summoned the generals and said: "Zhuqing, although our army has marched smoothly since crossing the desert and captured countless people, it has not actually killed and captured many worms. ”

King Changle and the general of the left chamber, Su Xijing, stood up and hugged his fists and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers think that the worms have been frightened by His Majesty's army and fled in all directions, and they are lying in the valley, and they should be divided into troops to recruit and search!" ”

Su Xijing's mother is Princess Huayin, Tuoba Tao's father Tuoba Hei got the help of his sister Princess Huayin to kill the usurper Qinghe King Tuoba Shao and ascended the throne, Tuoba Shao was grateful to his sister, so he named her son Su Xijing as the king of Changle, so Su Xijing and Tuoba Tao are cousins.

Hua Mulan stood in the column of military generals, thought about it, stood up and hugged her fists and said: "Your Majesty, the last general thinks that he should quickly send troops over the Qionglong Ridge to the north and directly attack the Khan's Court!" ”

"No!" Hedong Gong and Zongzi Army General He Duoluo stood up against it and said to Tuoba Tao: "Your Majesty, when the army set out on the expedition, it was already agreed with King Yongchang that the two armies would meet in the Khan's Court, and now the East Route Army of the King of Yongchang is still in Gonglushui, if our army attacks the Khan's Court alone, I am afraid that it will be ambushed by the worms!" ”

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

"The minister also seconded it!"

For a time, Da Xi Guangliang, the general of the Shuzi Army, Xi Jing, the king of Changle, Tuoba Chong, the king of Chen Liu, and the general of the ranger army, Le'an Wang Tuoba Fan, all stood up to agree with He Duoluo's suggestion.

Tuoba Tao thought about it, and immediately ordered: "Okay, if this is the case, then divide the troops to recruit and search!" Hedoro, you lead the army of the sect to the west; Da Xi Guangliang led the army to the south; Su Xijing led the soldiers and horses of the left wing to the northeast, Tuoba Fan led the rangers to the north, and the armies divided their troops to search, and sent people to report the battle situation to me in time! ”

The four of them stood up together and saluted: "Obey the order!" ”

Waiting for the four of them to leave, Hua Mulan couldn't help it, and stood up again and hugged her fists and said: "Your Majesty, now that the soldiers and horses of the four armies have been sent out, only the Yulin Army and the Guardian Army are left by Your Majesty's side, the strength of the troops is less than 10,000 people, and the escort force is too thin. ”

If the camp is moved south for more than 100 miles, the west is the garden water, and the grassland in the east is sandwiched between the garden water and the millet water, this area has been explored many times by the Wei army scouts, and the Rouran army has not been found, it should be relatively safe, and Mulan's consideration is not unreasonable.

Tuoba Tao didn't care, smiled and waved his hand and said, "General Hua is too worried, you are also a strong general who has won consecutive battles, how did you become so timid?" Now that our army is attacking from all sides, the worms will have nothing to hide, they can't hide, where do they dare to attack my royal car? Okay, all of you go down! ”

The ministers and generals of the army saluted and withdrew.

······

Khan's Court, Khan's Tent.

"Qiyu Khan, according to the report from the spies, the Xianbei people are attacking everywhere, 10,000 horses are going to the northeast, 3,000 people are going south, 3,000 people are going west, and 10,000 horses are coming in the direction of the Khan's Court in the Qionglong Ridge!"

Da Tan frowned when he heard this, and said to the ministers in the tent: "Ben Khan still wants to fight with Pi Li before and after the Wei Lord, but now that they are scattered, I am afraid that this plan will not work!" Also, now that there are 10,000 soldiers and horses coming to the Khan's court, could it be that the Lord of Wei wants to defeat Ben Khan's army with these 10,000 horses? ”

Minister Er Mianzhi Luo stood up and pressed his right hand to his chest and said: "Khan, if the Lord of Wei leads the army to come, it will be easy to do, we can continue to retreat north, and go around with them in this desert steppe, they have nothing to do with us, but now they divide their troops to search, then our people, cattle, sheep and horses will suffer, this is to shake the country!" ”

Everyone present knew that the herdsmen of Rouran people all over the country had dragged their families and brought cattle, sheep and horses to hide in the valley ravines, if they were searched by the Wei army everywhere, they would definitely not be able to escape, without the people, herdsmen and cattle, sheep and horses, Rouran would be greatly injured, and it might not even be able to recover for a hundred or ten years.

Tuoba Tao's move can be described as not ruthless, and Da Tan and the ministers and marshals present have no good way to deal with it.

Da Tan held his forehead, his eyes showing a fierce light: "Lord Wei is going to force Ben Khan to fight him in a decisive battle!" ”

At this moment, a handsome man walked in quickly to report: "Qiqi Khan, there is a person outside, who claims to be the personal guard of Qi Lifa Pi Lixian, and Hu Hehan wants to see the Khan!" ”

"Huhehan? Let him in! Da Tan immediately raised his hand and ordered.

A Rouran warrior was searched all over his body outside the Khan's tent and let him in, "Kuhehan meets the Khan!" ”

Da Tan saw that he was embarrassed, as if he hadn't eaten a full meal for many days, his clothes were ragged and unkempt, so he frowned and said, "How did you get like this?" Where is Pilison now? ”

Suddenly, Hehan knelt down and cried bitterly: "Khan, Tong Lifa was attacked by the Wei army on the way to the Khan's court with his army, and he was defeated and surrounded, and committed suicide!" ”

"What?" Da Tan was so shocked that he couldn't help but stand up, his face turned white in an instant, "How can this be?" Why did the Wei army also appear in the east? Tell Ben Khan clearly! ”

Hu Hehan endured his grief and told the story in detail.

Da Tan and all the ministers and generals in the tent realized the seriousness of the matter.

Princess Tuzhen said with a solemn face: "I understand, Lord Wei is not sending out the whole army to attack the Khan's court now, but dividing his troops to search, not forcing the Khan to fight a decisive battle, but waiting for their soldiers and horses on the eastern route to attack us from both sides, wanting to annihilate our main force in one fell swoop, so that the chances of victory are greater!" ”

Da Tan didn't mean the words of the true princess, but cried bitterly: "Pi Lixian, my brother, why are you dead!" ”

For Pi Lixian, a cousin and cheap stepson, Da Tan is very fond of him, and he handed over the military and political power of the entire eastern grassland to Pi Lixian, which can be said to be how much he relied on him.

"Ahem!" The minister of state, Er Mianzhiluo, coughed twice, and said to Da Tan: "Khan, the death of Pi Lixian, we are all very sad and sad, now that the strong enemy is on the side, I am in danger of being destroyed if I don't know if I am Rouran, and please cheer up the Khan, lead the Rouran warriors to defeat the Xianbei people, and reorganize the prestige of my Rouran people!" ”

Wu Hulu also said: "Khan, the minister is right, now is not the time to be sad, the top priority is how to deal with the Wei army!" ”

Da Tan was persuaded by everyone, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, put away his sadness, and said to everyone: "The Xianbei people's two-way army is coming, and the comers are not good, do you have a way to deal with it?" ”

The second son, Wu Ti, frowned when he saw Princess Tuzhen, and then let go, obviously thinking, and asked, "Tuzhen, you have always been smart, do you have a way?" ”

Da Tan also looked at Tuzhen and asked, "Tuzhen, you are the wise man of our Yujiulu family, you must have a way, right?" ”

Princess Tuzhen pondered for a moment and asked the minister in charge of military intelligence collection, Afuganwu: "Who are the leading generals sent by Lord Wei to attack from all sides?" ”

Afuganwu replied: "To the south is the general of the Zongzi Army, Hedoro, to the south is the general of the Shuzi Army, Da Xi Guangliang, to the northeast is the general of the left chamber, and to the north is the general Tuoba Fan of the right chamber!" ”

Hearing this, Princess Tuzhen tapped her head lightly, stood up and saluted Da Tan and said, "Khan, since the army of Pi Lixian has been destroyed, our previous plan has to be abandoned, and now we have only one strategy that is feasible, that is, to defeat the two armies of the Xianbei people!" Fight Lord Wei first, and then fight King Yongchang's Eastern Route Army! ”

Da Tan and the ministers and marshals in the tent all had hope in their hearts when they heard this, and Da Tan asked eagerly: "Niece, what strategy do you have, tell me quickly!" ”

Princess Tuzhen smiled: "Khan, this Khan's court is not a place to stay for a long time, we should go!" ”

Da Tan and the ministers all looked at each other.