In fact, when he first received Meng Zhong's fake letter in the name of the tyrannical kite, Zhai Zhang was a little skeptical.

Because the fake letter was sent to Zhai Zhang in the form of a personal private message, and Zhai Zhang felt that his friendship with the violent kite had not yet reached the point where the two exchanged private messages, at most it was a public letter exchange, that is, a letter with "Wei Da Sima Zhai Zhang" and "Han Da Sima Storm Kite" as the letterhead.

However, due to Meng Zhong's familiarity with the violent kite, his tone of forging the violent kite is too similar, and the "violent kite" in the letter is simply easy to deploy the armies of Wei and Han, so Zhai Zhang did not suspect that the Qin people were forgery, after all, it is impossible for the Qin people to probe so clearly.

And he didn't think about it at the time, in addition to the storm kite knowing these things, Meng Zhong of Fangcheng also knew these things, so that after receiving the false letter, he sent the letter to Yangguan suspiciously.

However, on the way, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it became, and he always felt that the "Storm Kite" in the letter was too conceited - you must know that the Storm Kite is about the same age as Gongsun Xi, and he is more than half a hundred years old, and the Storm Kite itself is not the kind of very radical commander, so it stands to reason that he will not say such exaggerated words as "defeating the Qin army in one fell swoop".

And these words, if they were placed on Meng Zhong, would be very suitable, so Zhai Zhang deliberately tested it, but he didn't expect that he was really flattered.

Yes, after seeing Meng Zhong's speechless appearance, Zhai Zhang had already concluded that the false letter in the name of the violent kite was obviously written by Meng Zhong.

"Is it really Fang Cheng Ling?"

"Ah Zhong?"

Everyone in the room, like Qu Yuan, Xiang Yu, Le Xu and others, all turned their heads to look at Meng Zhong.

It's no wonder, after all, only Meng Sui knew about Meng Zhong's forgery of the letter of the tyrant kite, and Xiang Yi and Le Xu didn't know how to round the scene.

"Meng Zhong, you ......"

Tang looked at Meng Zhong directly, not knowing what to say.

You must know that forging letters in the name of others is not a moral thing, but considering that Meng Zhong has a good relationship with him, and Meng Zhong's purpose of forging letters and deceiving Zhai Zhang to Yangguan is obviously also to defeat the Qin army, Tang Zhi didn't know what to say.

Seeing that Hengzhu couldn't dodge, Meng Zhong simply admitted it, and said to Zhai Zhang: "Please forgive the sin, but there is no malice in the subordinates, but I just want to defeat the Qin army as soon as possible...... In the lower opinion, the alliance with the Chu State and the breaking of Wei and Han are the only eastward expansion strategy of the Qin State at present, so I think that the Qin State will never give up this war easily. Although Da Sima has your considerations, he thinks that if this one drags on any longer, the Qin State will inevitably increase its troops to the land of Wanfang, and then Wei and Han will be dragged into the quagmire of war, and it will be difficult to get out......"

“……”

Zhai Zhang's fingers tapped on the table in front of him, carefully pondering Meng Zhong's words.

In fact, Meng Zhong's words had been mentioned as early as in his previous war report, but Zhai Zhang did not take it, after all, just like Meng Zhong said, Zhai Zhang also had his considerations, for example, the threat from Zhao's side was intensifying, and Wei did not want to stimulate Qin too much, so according to Zhai Zhang's proposition, he was more inclined to make Qin retreat - on the other hand, Meng Zhong's proposition and suggestion were too radical, and it was likely to intensify the war between Qin and Wei.

But then again, what Meng Zhong said is not unreasonable.

After pondering for a while, Zhai Zhang suddenly asked, "So, the civil strife in the Chu State is actually related to you?" ”

Hearing this, Meng Zhong was silent for a moment, then nodded and said: "The inside story, forgive me for not revealing it, so as not to expose that person, but ......"

He acquiesced.

Hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Zhai Zhang's eyes.

He originally thought that Meng Zhong's strategy of taking the opportunity to counter the Qin army this time was just a flash of inspiration, but he didn't expect that it was this Meng Zhong who was secretly manipulating from beginning to end.

Whether it is Sima Cuo and Bai Qi of the Qin army, or the violent kite of South Korea, or he Zhai Zhang, they have all become the pawns used by this kid to defeat the Qin army.

"This kid...... It's much more powerful than that guy from Gongsun Xi."

Zhai Zhang thought quietly.

Seeing Zhai Zhang meditating with his eyes closed, Meng Zhong immediately clenched his fists and said: "Da Sima, one thing is one thing, it is true that forging the letter of the tyrannical kite is not in the next place, but in the current situation, there is indeed a great chance that the Qin army will be severely damaged, and it will be ......."

Suddenly, Zhai Zhang raised his hand to interrupt Meng Zhong, only to see this veteran open his eyes and look at Meng Zhong, and suddenly asked, "How sure are you that you will inflict heavy losses on the Qin army?" ”

Meng Zhong was stunned, although he wanted to exaggerate, but under the gaze of Zhai Zhang's sharp eyes, he finally said truthfully: "Sneak attack on Wancheng is sixty percent sure below; But if the granary of Wancheng is really burned down by our army, then there is a 100% chance that the Qin army will be defeated! ”

"Sixty percent...... What?'

Zhai Zhang stroked his gray beard and pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Go ahead!" ”

"Huh?" It may be that the surprise came too suddenly, and Meng Zhong didn't react for a while: "What does Da Sima mean?" ”

I saw Zhai Zhang snort coldly, and said with an elusive expression: "Since the old man has been deceived by you to Yangguan, can he still turn around and return?" Speaking of this, he said in a deep voice: "If you can't hit the Qin army hard, the old man will not be spared!" ”

If you can't hit the Qin army hard, you won't be spared?

So what if the Qin army was hit hard? Forget about it?

Meng Zhong blinked, took advantage of the situation, and bowed his hand: "Please rest assured, Da Sima, you will definitely be able to inflict heavy damage on the Qin army in the future!" ”

"I hope so!"

Zhai Zhang stroked his beard and nodded.

Because of Zhai Zhang's relief, today's banquet can finally continue, and with Tang Zhi, Xiang Yu, and Le Xu persuading them to drink, the atmosphere is also harmonious.

After nightfall, Zhai Zhang refused to live in the city and was determined to return to the army outside the city, so Meng Zhong took Le Xu Xiang to send Zhai Zhang and Tang Zhi.

After returning to the army, Tang Zhi tested Zhai Zhang and said: "Da Sima is not angry today, it is really out of expectation. ”

"Humph!"

Of course, Zhai Zhang guessed that Tang Zhi was testing his impression of Meng Zhong, and he didn't care, and said lightly: "If the old man is twenty years younger, no, ten years younger, the old man will definitely teach him a hard lesson, even if there is Xihe Confucianism standing behind him, but now...... And he went. ”

The last sentence is full of helplessness about the years.

Tang Zhi listened very unpleasantly, of course he understood what Zhai Zhang meant by this, and hurriedly said: "If Da Sima Mo wants to say such a thing, I think that my lord, your body is still healthy, and you can still carry the burden for my Wei State...... Although I am optimistic about Meng Zhong's kid, but that kid is still young, how can you think about everything like you, an adult? ”

"Hahahaha." Zhai Zhang laughed heartily, then shook his head and sighed: "No, old man...... Old. After that, he looked up at the moon in the night sky, and said with some emotion: "Considering the ground, it is true that the old man has indeed considered many things, but today I saw that kid Meng Zhong, and saw him conceited that he would definitely be able to inflict heavy damage on the Qin army, and the old man realized that the old man was really old, and he no longer had the vigor of his youth......

It is true that Zhai Zhang is also a veteran of the three dynasties in Wei, as a descendant of Zhai Huang, the famous minister of Wei Wenhou period, he was born in Wei at the end of King Wei Hui, and then assisted King Wei Xiang, the son of King Wei Hui, and then to the current King of Wei, Wei Yun, this period of time, is the period when Wei State turned from prosperity to decline, Zhai Zhang witnessed him Wei State from the old overlord who dominated for a hundred years, to the point where he needed to unite with Korea to resist Qin today, and his heart was naturally full of unwillingness.

This unwillingness is because of the weakness of the Wei State.

It's a pity that he is too old, and at most he can only shelter the Wei State from the wind and rain, but he is unable to open up territory for the country anymore.

"Are you surprised that the old man forgave that Meng Zhong today?" Zhai Zhang asked Tang Zhidao.

"Yes." Tang Zhi nodded, thought for a while and said, "Meng Zhong's actions today, although the intention is not bad, it is indeed difficult for people to accept......

"It's nothing." Zhai Zhang stroked his beard and said, "As long as he can inflict heavy damage on the Qin army, the old man can laugh at this matter." ”

"Really?" Tang Zhi asked in surprise.

Hearing this, Zhai Zhang frowned and asked, "Do you not believe the old man's words?" ”

"No, no." Tang Zhi hurriedly explained: "Of course, I believe that Da Sima's mind can laugh at what Meng Zhong's kid did today, and what surprises me is that Da Sima is really ready to adopt that Meng Zhong's proposition?" ”

Hearing this, Zhai Zhang stroked his beard and stopped talking.

As Tang Zhi said, in fact, until this moment, Zhai Zhang was still a little worried about Meng Zhong's proposition: just like Meng Zhong said, uniting Chu and breaking Wei and Han is the only eastward strategy for Qin now, in this case, even if he Wei State hit the 100,000 Qin army in one fell swoop, will Qin give up?

No! This will only intensify the war between Qin and Wei, because as Meng Zhong said, this is the only way for Qin to advance eastward, and even if it is a defeat, Qin will not give up easily.

Considering the losses of the Wei army, Zhai Zhang chose a more prudent method, that is, to wear down the patience of the Qin State, and extend the battle to one year, two years, and three years, until the Qin State itself lost patience.

But at the same time, Zhai Zhang also realized that compared to the young and vigorous Meng Zhong, his ideas were indeed too weak - if he was twenty years younger, I was afraid that even he would look down on his weak ideas.

This is also the reason why Zhai Zhang did not blame Meng Zhong today, he saw in Meng Zhong's body, what their generation looked like when they were young, and he also knew that his Wei State was now in urgent need of a young and vigorous general like Meng Zhong.

Pang Juan...... It's a shame. ”

Coldly, Zhai Zhang said regretfully.

Tang Zhi was stunned, and didn't understand why Zhai Zhang suddenly mentioned Pang Juan at this time.

Of course, he knew that Pang Juan, the general of Wei in the middle of King Wei Hui, was Zhai Zhang's predecessor, and he had led his Wei army to sweep through the surrounding countries, and no one was his opponent, but unfortunately, at the age of thirty, he died on the battlefield and died under the calculations of Tian Ji, a famous general of Qi State, and Sun Bin, a military advisor.

Since then, Wei's strength has plummeted.

Although many people in the world today blame Pang Juan for the weakening of Wei, believing that Pang Juan's two defeats against Tian Tan and Sun Bin led to the sharp weakening of Wei, in fact, the weakening of Wei actually had little to do with Pang Juan, mainly because of the diplomatic problems of King Wei Hui.

To put it bluntly, that is, King Wei Hui wants to restore the situation of Wei dominating the Central Plains when his ancestors were in power, fighting this year and that next year, making too many enemies and lacking trusted allies, so that the Wei army fought back and forth, exhausted to cope, and was finally attacked by the Qi army.

Sun Bin's strategy of "encircling Wei to save Zhao" sounded good to take advantage of his unpreparedness, and it was just a sneak attack to say that it was ugly, Pang Juan didn't know in advance that the Qi army would sneak attack Daliang, and if he was prepared and unprepared, Pang Juan would naturally be defeated - let Pang Juan know the movements of the Qi army in advance and try to see who attacked whom.

Because of this, the Wei people never mentioned that it was Pang Juan who caused the decline of their Wei state, and they would only regret Pang Juan's death.

After thinking about it, Tang Zhi asked Zhai Zhang: "When Da Sima mentioned Pang Juan at this time, did he think that Meng Zhong was like Pang Juan?" ”

Zhai Zhang shook his head when he heard this, and said with a smile: "Pang Juan, but he is not as calm as Meng Zhong, as far as the old man knows, he is conceited and arrogant, and he can't bear to be defeated by Sun Bin twice...... In the old man's opinion, this Meng Zhong is afraid to be even better than Pang Juan, but it's a pity that ......"

Tang Zhiben was stunned when he heard Zhai Zhang praise Meng Zhong so much, but he suddenly heard the second half of Zhai Zhang's sentence, and subconsciously asked, "It's a pity?" ”

"Ahh Zhai Zhang nodded and said with emotion: "It's a pity that he is not from Wei, but from Song......"

"That's it?"

Tang Zhi was stunned for a moment, and said with a smile: "Zhang Yi is still from Wei!" Gongsun Yan is still a Qin person! ”

"That's different." Zhai Zhang stroked his beard and said: "Zhang Yi defected to Qin because he couldn't get the opportunity to display his ambitions in Wei, and Gongsun Yan defected to my Wei State because Zhang Yi robbed him of Qin's position, and he wanted to take revenge on Qin and Zhang Yi...... But do you know why Meng Zhong defected to my Wei Kingdom? He is here to protect the Song State with the help of the power of my Wei State...... Got it? He's not doing it for ambition, or for status and power......"

"This ...... Doesn't this better reflect that kid's love and righteousness? ”

"Huh." Zhai Zhang smiled and said, "The old man doesn't deny it, it's just that the old man is always worried that he won't stay in Wei for long...... Now that my Wei State is close to the Song State, he stayed in the Wei State, what if he turns against the Song State in the future? I can't guarantee that this son will not become my enemy of Great Wei...... You can imagine the same, if this kid becomes the enemy of my Wei country......"

"......" Tang opened his mouth, his face changed slightly.

In his opinion, if Meng Zhong became the enemy of Wei and got rid of Zhai Zhang, who he did not evaluate, there would be almost no one in Wei who could compete.

At least he can't compete.

At this time, Zhai Zhang patted Tang Zhi's shoulder and said with a smile: "Therefore, you also have to fight for luck, compared to that Meng Zhong, the old man still hopes to be a real Wei man and shoulder the heavy responsibility of my Wei country." ”

Tang Zhi hugged his fists in flattery, but immediately his face showed a little embarrassment: "Da Sima's words, but like a thousand catties of heavy burden, the ground is out of breath......"

"Then carry the weight forward!" Zhai Zhang laughed.

Tang Zhi grinned and smiled bitterly.

Early the next morning, Zhai Zhang and Tang Zhi got up early, and when Meng Zhong came to his army, he immediately ordered the army to march towards Yangguan.

Yangguan was only a day's journey away from Yeyi, and before dusk that night, Zhai Zhang's army arrived at Yangguan.

After instructing the generals to station the troops on the spot, Zhai Zhang and Tang Zhi, under the leadership of Meng Zhong, visited the pass of Yangguan, and then inspected the Wei army in Fangcheng, including the cavalry under the command of Menghu and Huahu.

As for the cavalry, Zhai Zhang has been dealing with Zhao Guo for so many years, so he naturally knows the power of the cavalry.

Although, like most people in the world, Zhai Zhang did not think that cavalry could play any role in the frontal battlefield, he knew very well that cavalry was simply a good hand at harassing enemy troops.

When inspecting the cavalry, Zhai Zhang said to Meng Zhong: "At the beginning, the old man proposed to the king that our Wei State should also follow the example of Zhao State to build a cavalry, but he was ridiculed by Gongsun Xi's unscrupulous husband...... How did the horseman know how powerful the cavalry was? ”

Hearing this, Meng Zhong didn't know how to answer, firstly, Gongsun Xi was deceased, and it was not very appropriate to think badly about the dead, and secondly, he had a very good relationship with Gongsun Xi, Wei Qing, Dou Xing and other old ministers of Gongsun Xi during his lifetime, so naturally he could not say bad things about Gongsun Xi in order to cater to Zhai Zhang.

Fortunately, Zhai Zhang also complained and complained, and after a few words, he shifted the topic to the cavalry under Meng Zhong's command, although he didn't know how to train a cavalry, but the mental outlook of these cavalry, he could still see it.

He observed that these cavalrymen were highly trained soldiers who had participated in battle.

During this period, Tang Zhi also recognized Cao Chun and Cai Cheng.

Once upon a time, Cao Chun and Cai Cheng were only brigade commanders under Tang Zhi's command, but now, they have mixed up with Zuo Sima's military position, which makes Tang Zhi's face bright.

Who made the original backbone of Fangcheng's Wei army a soldier of his Hanoi army, not a soldier of the Hedong army?

So, he introduced Cao Chun and Cai Cheng to Zhai Zhang: "Da Sima, this is the deputy generals of Menghu and Huahu, Cao Chun and Cai Cheng, who were previously brigade commanders under my command, have now been promoted to Zuo Sima......"

Sure enough, when he learned that the backbone of Fangcheng's Wei army was all Wei soldiers of his Hanoi army, Zhai Zhang was very happy, and rarely encouraged Cao Chun and Cai Cheng, which flattered the two.

may be because of this, Zhai Zhang's impression of Fang Chengjun is also a little better, after all, Fang Chengjun can be regarded as his brother army of the Hanoi Army.

After a brief inspection of the soldiers of the Fangcheng army, even Zhai Zhang couldn't help but praise Meng Zhong for his good governance of the army.

However, given that more than half of Fangcheng's Wei army were Chu, this still made Zhai Zhang a little worried.

Seeing this, Meng Zhong explained: "These Chu people defected to my Yeyi and obeyed the laws of our Wei State, which is no different from the Wei people. In order to protect their homeland, they will also fight bravely. ”

Seeing Meng Zhong's insistence, Zhai Zhang didn't say anything more, but just told Meng Zhong to be vigilant.

That night, Meng Zhong held a banquet in the Wei camp in Yangguan and once again entertained Zhai Zhang, Tang Zhi and other generals.

Originally, since there was a banquet, it was time to drink to cheer up, but Zhai Zhang, a stubborn old man, said that alcohol was not allowed in the army, so everyone had to drink instead of wine - no way, as soon as this person opened his mouth, who would dare to object?

Because there was no wine to cheer up, the banquet ended hastily that night, everyone filled their stomachs, and looked at Zhai Zhang with a blank eye, but in the end they were disappointed to return to their respective armies, only Zhai Zhang and Tang Zhi stayed behind and discussed specific tactics with Meng Zhong, Meng Sui, Zheng Zheng, Le Jin, Meng Hu, Hua Hu and others.

At that time, Meng Zhong said to Zhai Zhang: "Da Sima, the matter of the sneak attack on Wancheng is going to be handed over to Meng Hu and Hua Hu, although these two are brothers in Xia, they are brave in battle and are deeply respected by the soldiers, so they can take on this responsibility." ”

Hearing this, Zhai Zhang looked Meng Hu and Hua Hu up and down.

It's not that he doesn't trust Meng Zhong, it's just that the matter of sneaking up on Wancheng is crucial, and it is related to whether his Wei army can inflict heavy damage on the Qin army, and Zhai Zhang naturally can't take it lightly.

So he shook his head and said, "It's not that the old man doesn't believe in these two little brothers, but this matter is very important, so let's leave it to Tang Zhi." ”

As soon as he heard this, Meng Hu was dissatisfied, and said with a big grin: "Old man, don't you believe us? I am Menghu, but I am the number one fierce general in Fangcheng......"

"Hu!"

Seeing that Meng Hu actually called Zhai Zhang by the old man, Meng Hu immediately opened his mouth to stop it, and everyone on the side couldn't help but be stunned.

After all, in today's world, few people dare to call Zhai Zhang an old man.

Of course, Zhai Zhang is a lot older, no matter how he says it, he won't be like a milky little hairy child like Meng Hu, plus he guessed that this guy didn't have any scheming as soon as he saw Meng Hu, and said after laughing: "That's it, let Tang Zhi accompany you on a trip, and the credit will go to you, okay?" ”

Meng Hu glanced at Zhai Zhang with a strange expression, and said, "As long as I defeat the Qin army, I don't care if I don't take credit or not." ”

Hearing this, the smile on Zhai Zhang's face was even worse: "Then there is nothing to argue about." ”

In the laughter of everyone, Meng Hu blinked his eyes and agreed with Zhai Zhang's statement.

Seeing this scene, even if Meng Zhong, Meng Sui and the others didn't feel a little envious, at least they couldn't get along with Zhai Zhang like Meng Hu.

is worthy of being a guy who lacks a heart, and he can mix everywhere.

The next day, March 13, Meng Hu and Hua Hu each led 1,000 cavalry, plus Tang Zhi's 3,000 foot soldiers, set out from Yangguan and headed north.

In order to disguise the real purpose, this army was not dispatched at the same time, for example, a total of 2,000 cavalry under the command of Menghu and Huahu were divided into a group of 20 cavalry, divided into 100 teams, and a dozen teams were sent every once in a while, using the method of breaking up into parts to reduce the vigilance of the Qin army's scouts as much as possible.

And the 3,000 foot soldiers led by Tang Zhi also pretended to defect to Wu Ying's military camp in Yingshan in the north to prevent the Qin army from learning the true purpose.

But even so, the movements on Yangguan's side were still known by the Qin army scouts, and they quickly reported it to the Qin general Bai Qi.

"Report! There is a group of about 3,000 foot soldiers in Yangguan who defected to the Wei camp in Yingshan in the north, which is suspected to be reinforcements from Yingshan! ”

"Report! For some reason, Yangguan suddenly sent dozens of cavalry teams to wander around the surrounding area to block our army's scouts! ”

After learning these two news, Bai Qi frowned and pondered.

Yangguan suddenly reinforced the Wei camp in Yingshan in the north, which made Bai Qi feel a little confused, after all, his Qin army had not yet launched an offensive against the Wei camp in Yingshan on the north side that was garrisoned by Wu Ying.

But thinking about it carefully, Bai Qi felt that this matter made sense, after all, Meng Zhong had always been very worried that his Qin army would cross Yingshan and Yinshan and sneak attack Yeyi and Wuyang.

In contrast, the appearance of those dozens of cavalry made Bai Qi feel a little wrong.

Dozens of cavalry, carefully calculated, this is already more than a thousand cavalry, right?

"It seems that Meng Zhong has already expanded the cavalry......

Bai Qi thought secretly in his heart.

But it's not right to think like this, shouldn't the cavalry of Fangcheng be dragged by Hu Yu in the area of Yeyi and Yuncheng right now?

Could it be that the cavalry under Menghu's command was actually close to 3,000 people? Or is Hu Yu already defeated?

As soon as he thought of this, Bai Qi suddenly frowned.

Thinking about it carefully, since February this year, Hu Yu sent someone to report to him that he was preparing to go to Yeyi to launch a sneak attack, and since then, Bai Qi has not received any news from Hu Yu.

For a month, there was no news.

"Is it ......?"

Bai Qi suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.

And at this moment, a soldier suddenly walked into the barracks, and his expression was different and he hugged his fists and reported: "Bai Shuai, General Hu Yu asked to see, he ......"

Seeing that the soldier wanted to speak and stopped, his expression was different, and Bai Qi's heart suddenly sank to the bottom.

Hu Yu was supposed to harass the rear of the Wei army in Yeyi and Yuncheng, but at this moment, he suddenly appeared in his military camp in person, and the cavalry of Fangcheng was wandering around his Qin military camp again, isn't this enough to explain the problem?

Thinking of this, Bai Qi let out a long breath, and his face was very ugly.

“…… Call him, come in! ”