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"Nayan Su Wei is seriously ill, and Duan Wenzhen, the secretary of the Ministry of War, is critically ill!" When there were no outsiders on his side, Li Yuan's back was lifted again. The house leak happened to rain overnight, since the conquest of Liao, the ministers who could let Banzai listen to a few words of advice get sick and die, and now the rest of the court are either visionary or people who tend to be inflammatory. For an unlucky guy like Li Yuan, who the emperor doesn't want to see, everyone can't hide, who wants to exchange views on the battle situation with him!

"Huangmen Squire Pei Ju has been favored recently!" The eldest grandson Shunde saw that Tang Gong was worried about the matter of giving advice to the emperor, and reminded him in a low voice.

Hearing this, Li Yuan felt bitter water begin to rise in his throat and eyes. Pei Ju, the squire of the Yellow Gate, was born in the Pei family in Hedong, and made great contributions to the emperor's acceptance of Zen and the current enthronement. This person knew that His Majesty the Emperor had lofty ambitions, so he made suggestions one after another to conquer the Turks, conquer the Khitan, and conquer Gaochang, and expand the territory. Under his advice, the Great Sui Emperor succeeded to the throne for ten years, and almost every year he raised troops to crusade against the country that was not subordinate, squandering the national strength to the limit. This eastward expedition to Goryeo is also what Pei Ju has always advocated. Asking him to remind His Majesty the Emperor of the risk of defeat is tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger!

"Pei Jusu is treacherous, skillful and attached, and is an out-and-out villain. But villains are often better at judging the situation than gentlemen. He likes the famous horse Zhuyu, Tang Gong voted for his favor, and then he knows the situation, with his person, he may not be willing to be a lonely minister loyal to the country in Liaodong. Besides, in the future, this person will also be a help! Chen Yanshou thought about it and echoed the proposal of the eldest grandson Shunde. (Note 8)

"That's all there is to it!" Li Yuan sighed and said. No matter how reluctant he was in his heart, he had to go and see Master Pei today. Even if it is not for the 300,000 Eastern Crusade army, it must be for his son and the future of the Li family.......

The eight hundred grain guards quickly assembled, and the excitement in their hearts was far higher than the fear when they heard that their joints were itching to the front line.

In order to avoid confusion in the army's mind, Liu Hongji strictly ordered his generals not to leak out speculations about unfavorable military conditions. "That's speculation, not necessarily true. If the delivery of grain and grass is delayed because of rumors, you know what the military law will do! He shouted to a few friends who were usually close friends.

"Yes! Rest assured! All the generals and colonels involved in the grain transportation agreed in unison. Liu Hongji has won the expectations of everyone, and at the critical moment, everyone is willing to work with him to tide over the difficulties.

Li Yuan used the power at hand to recruit the war horses to arrive later, along with the war horses, as well as Li Jiancheng and Qian Jiulong, Li Mansion guard Fan Xing also brought twenty personal soldiers to follow Jiancheng, this is the first time that the prince of Tang Gong has carried out military affairs alone, and they will swear to protect his safety.

Li Wan'er and Li Shimin also rushed over before the departure of the army, and they and their brother Jiancheng have been inseparable since childhood, so they specially rushed to see off their brother. Both of them wore military uniforms and looked heroic and thin-haired. As soon as he entered the barracks, Li Shimin rushed to the soldiers who were ready to go, holding the reins in one hand and the lance in the other, as if he was the commander of this expedition. Li Wan'er rarely showed a little bit of the gentleness of a little daughter, walked to Li Jiancheng's side, and whispered: "Brother, be careful on the road, and pay more attention to the woods, valleys and other hidden places on both sides along the way. The Goguryeo people are unwilling to surrender, and there must be some diehards who will wait for an opportunity to move! ”

"Don't worry, we ride in pairs, and there are mostly Pingchuan between here and Maqishui!" Li Jiancheng nodded and comforted with a smile. For the first time, he led all the way alone, and he didn't know the bottom of his heart. However, as the courage of an army, you have to pretend to be magnificent no matter what.

"It's good if my brother has an idea!" Wan'er gave her brother a smile, rode her horse, approached Liu Hongji, and advised: "Brother Liu, you should be careful." I know you're strong in martial arts, but it's ...... to lead troops into battle."

"Alright, I promise to send your brother and your brothers back safely!" Liu Hongji interrupted Li Wan'er's words aggressively. He was very happy to be able to do a little bit for the Li family. As for the danger along the way, for him who has been on the road for many years, it is just an appetizer. No matter how fierce the Goguryeo people are, are they more fierce than the horse thieves and Turks on the side plugs?

Li Wan'er flattened her mouth and protested against Liu Hongji's self-defeating hero. Turning her head, she saw Li Xu, and the smile on her face slowly dimmed.

"Brother Zhongjian!" Li Wan'er shouted in a low voice, she wanted to say two words of advice like to Liu Hongji, but suddenly found that there were no suitable words to express her meaning.

Li Xu is only a few months older than her, and Wan'er is a little reluctant to treat him as an elder brother like she treats Liu Hongji. But apart from treating him as an older brother, the girl's family couldn't find any other way to express their concern for a while. After thinking about it, he finally lowered his voice and muttered like a gnat: "Be careful yourself, come back safely!" ”

"I know, you and the people should be careful!" Li Xu's answer was even more marginal than Li Wan'er's advice. The two looked at each other, smiled, and gently staggered the horse's head.

Five hundred men, two thousand horses, and 10,000 stone of life-saving grain and grass rushed to the east. Compared with the 700,000 troops under Liaodong City, this number of people is very small, except for a few pairs of reluctant eyes, almost no one pays attention to their whereabouts.

"I wanted to say......" Li Wan'er stood on a high slope, looking at her brother and everyone in the distance, thinking silently.

"You promised to protect me! Promised! She broke off a willow branch and thunderbolted, and the ground was dusty.

In order to ensure that the military rations could be delivered in time, the messenger sent by Zuo Yiwei's general Yu Wenshu was a capable general who had followed him for many years. This person has a single name, a Zhong character, strong martial arts, and a very good ability to recognize the way. Despite this, on the first night, the food delivery team only drove out more than 100 miles.

It's not that Liu Hongji and others didn't rush hard, but that there was no kind of wide and straight galloping road in Goguryeo that was common in the Great Sui. All the roads in Liaodong are stepped on by people, and there are no roads at all in some places, and they are all naturally formed by the trend of mountains and rivers and the direction of water flow. In some places, it looks as smooth as a mirror, but the food protection team has to go around in a big circle. Otherwise, according to Yu Wenzhong, the leader of the way, it was a swamp that no one had ever walked on, and only wild beasts had been seen entering, and no living creatures had ever been seen coming out.

Towards dawn, the group set up camp on the sunny side of an unknown hillside. There is no need for Liu Hongji to order to be careful of fireworks, no one still has the heart to make a hot meal to eat. Almost as soon as they heard the horn of rest, the soldiers immediately fell apart like rotten crabs. After a while, thunderous snoring sounded all around.

"We only brought five stones of grain on each horse, and the soldiers were all lightly armed, and they were tired like this. Most of the Eastern Expeditionary Army were foot soldiers, but each person had to carry three stone of military rations......" Looking at the soldiers lying around, Qian Jiulong couldn't help shaking his head.

Baili is "urgent", and he and Fan Xing, another general of the Li family, are also tired and weak. Because of their face in front of the juniors, the two did not fall down immediately after dismounting. While tidying up his bags, he waited for Li Jiancheng to move his muscles. At this time, Li Jiancheng, who was leaning on them, was so tired that he couldn't walk, his legs were apart, and every step was a dignified figure.

"This, if it goes on like this, but, no, the daytime march, also, you may encounter Goguryeo rangers! No, no need to fight, let's, we're defeated! Li Jiancheng staggered around a few times and said with a sigh of relief.

"Let everyone recuperate and rest before leaving. When marching during the day, try to control the speed as much as possible, not be too hurried, and be vigilant as you go. If you encounter a small group of Goguryeo people, you will disperse the matter. If it's a brigade of Goguryeo people standing in the way, just rush over! Liu Hongji frowned and suggested.

This is a common tactic for horse thieves to deal with the encirclement and suppression of the official army and the caravan to deal with the interception and killing of horse thieves on the grassland, although there will be certain losses in the process of charging, but with the speed of the war horse, most of the men and horses and baggage can be preserved. Going deep into the unpredictable with a lone army is also the best choice to survive.

After listening to Liu Hongji's words, the excitement in the hearts of Wang Yuantong, Qi Poning and others was swept away. Everyone was not qualified to participate in the deliberations of Li Yuan and his henchmen, and they all thought that sending food for this time was as simple as going out for a walk, so when Liu Hongji ordered troops during the day, they followed him in vain. I never thought that this way of going out to relax would be so difficult to walk, and scattering and scattering would scatter my life into it.

"Liu, General Liu, Brother Liu, I, brother, brothers have never fought!" Qi Poning had the thickest skin, and he staggered forward, gently pulled the corner of Liu Hongji's clothes, and reminded.

"Tomorrow morning, I will bring a hundred veterans in front, and after the regiment that Zhong Jian led him is broken, the people from the Li Mansion will protect both sides of the horse team. You people, hide in the middle of the horse caravan and tie your legs to the belly of the horse. As long as you don't drop your mount or get shot by a stray arrow, you'll be fine! Liu Hongji shook off Qi Poning's hand, took a branch, and gently drew a schematic diagram of the distribution of troops on the ground.

At this moment, it is no longer possible to let those who do not want to participate in the war return to Liaodong, only to avoid losses on the road as much as possible. Among the cavalry of Li Xu's department, there were one hundred newly replenished government soldiers, and their combat effectiveness was slightly stronger than that of the grain protection army, so Liu Hongji arranged them at the front of the team. The more than 20 guards sent by the Li Mansion were all good, but the number was too small, so Qian Jiulong and Fan Xing could only take half of them to protect the flanks. Among the people, Li Xu's riding skills are the highest, and the arrows are also the most accurate, and after he leads the army, the rearguard troops are ..... the most likely to get out safely.

Liu Hongji, who has been a horse thief for a few months, has rich experience, and quickly came up with a marching plan according to the characteristics of the people in the headquarters. Qian Jiulong and the others were originally a little worried that the newly appointed general of the Che Cavalry was inexperienced and would not be able to command such a large group of recruits. After listening to Liu Hongji's proposal, all worries immediately disappeared, and he secretly admired Tang Gong Li Yuan for employing people, and at the right time, he actually sent an expert who knew how to use horse thief tactics.

"Brother Hongji, I will be a pioneer side by side with you!" After listening to Liu Hongji's proposal, Li Jiancheng took the initiative to ask for help.

"Zigu is the commander of the first army, whether the army's heart can be safe, and whether we can walk back to Huaiyuan Town smoothly will all depend on you. So, you can't take risks yourself, and the easier you behave, the more helpful you will be! Liu Hongji shook his head and rejected Li Jiancheng's request.

Li Jianwei wanted to take the lead, but he didn't expect Liu Hongji to think so long-term. Looking around, seeing that Qian Jiulong, Fan Xing and the others had no objections, they had no choice but to nod and accept Liu Hongji's arrangement.

Several core figures discussed it again and added some details. Then he sent his own soldiers to call the officers above the team and quietly assigned the task. The next day, after everyone had enough spirits and breakfast, the grain team marched forward again. Several of the main officers dispersed and tightly guarded the perimeter of the grain convoy. Seeing the change in formation, everyone understood that this trip was not a tour of the mountains and rivers, and they all felt that their faces were pale, and even the arm holding the reins stiffened.

Fortunately, this place is still close to Liaodong City, and the nearby Goguryeo people were all afraid of the Sui army, and they did not dare to come forward to cause trouble. Occasionally, a small group of rangers appeared on the left and right of the team, and when they saw the smoke and dust brought up by the war horses, they could not judge the reality of the grain transport team, and they all avoided it from a distance.

After walking for two hours, everyone's nervous mood gradually calmed down. The Goguryeo people in the capital are timid, and they may not dare to touch the tiger whiskers of the army. Wang Yuantong, Qin Ziying and other chicks who had never been on the battlefield also gradually turned rosy, and they joked with each other while walking forward in the middle of the team.

"Lao Qi, they all say that the women of Goguryeo are very lewd, why haven't I seen them come out to welcome Wang Shi all the way?"

"300,000 singles have passed over, how many women have also been divided, where is there still soup left for us!" Qi Po replied with a salivating face.

The men burst into laughter, frightened, and stood up, talking about the benefits of Goguryeo women in several private dormitories near Huaiyuan Town, and shouting that they must follow the army to Pyongyang this time, take out a few women from the Goguryeo royal family, and taste what it tastes like.

Zhong Xinding said proudly, but Liu Hongji, Qian Jiulong and other old rivers and lakes became more and more frightened. According to common sense, it is understandable that the army will detour behind enemy lines for thousands of miles, and it is understandable not to attack the cities along the way, and some manpower should still be put in key areas in case of unforeseen needs or used to ensure logistical supplies. But the food guard team walked for another half a day overnight, and there was not a single temporary stronghold established by the Sui army along the way. This scenario is a bit strange. It stands to reason that Zuo Yiwei's general Yuwen has been in the army for decades, and it is impossible to make such a mistake.

In the afternoon, the food guards were cooking in a valley. While everyone was not paying attention, Liu Hongji secretly called Yu Wenzhong, who was in charge of leading the way, to his side, and asked in a low voice about the layout of the Eastern Expeditionary Army along the way. After listening to Liu Hongji's question, Yu Wenzhong also frowned, looked around, and replied in a very small voice: "Near the place where we camped last night, there was originally a temporary camp. There were more than 500 soldiers in it, and when I came back to deliver the letter, I changed horses there. But when I passed by there this morning, it was so flat that I couldn't even see the wooden fence. After turning over the beam in front, there is also a fortress upstream of the black bone water, at the current speed, we can reach the ...... in the evening"

"Why didn't you say it earlier!" Without waiting for Yu Wenzhong to finish speaking, Liu Hongji frowned and reprimanded.

"I, I'm afraid that speaking out will affect the morale of the army!" Yu Wenzhong also knew that the situation was not good, and muttered to Liu Hongji in a low voice.

The other party is a member of the Yuwen family, even if Liu Hongji is angry, there is nothing he can do about this person, he looked at the nearby forest that has grown for tens of thousands of years and the mountains that seem to have never been inhabited, sighed, and continued to ask: "How far is it from the camp next to Ma Yanshui after turning over the mountain beam in front of you?" I'm asking how long it will take to get there, don't tell me the shortest distance! ”

"I crossed the beam in front of me, and then turned south along the valley, and came to the black bone water. Walking along the east bank of the river, at the current speed, two days, at most, three days, you can reach Hutou Mountain next to Maqi Water. There is a stockade nearby, the locals call it Bo Fen, which is the starting point of the Great Wall of Qin, and we still have 1,500 soldiers stationed there! It shouldn't change hands anytime soon! Yu Wenzhong hesitated for a moment and replied cautiously.

"Fifteen hundred?" Liu Hongji couldn't cry or laugh. On the map given by the Great Sui military, there is no such location as Bo Fan at all. But through the map that Li Xu asked the Khitan hunter privately, he knew the general location of Bo Yan. This place is forty miles downstream of the Black Bone City, and if the Goguryeo people send troops from the Black Bone City, they can kill the Bo Shan Village in half a day.

"Didn't you completely annihilate the defenders of the Black Bone City at the beginning, why didn't you take advantage of the situation to take down the Black Bone City?"

"At the beginning, Lord Liu Shilong advocated that the soldiers should be fast, thinking that there might still be enemy troops in the Black Bone City, and they might not be able to be easily captured by us, once it could not be captured for a long time like Liaodong City, it would destroy Your Majesty's arrangement. Therefore, we only took Bo Fan in order to receive the triumph of the army! ”

Hearing this, Liu Hongji's face became even worse. The main generals of the Nine Route Army are all veteran generals who have fought for many years, and they actually listen to the command of a civilian official and do not leave any way back for themselves. If he is a general of Goguryeo, where is he still fighting, sending people to seize Bo Biao, and then dismantling the pontoon bridge of Ma Qishui, and then blocking the west bank of the river to prevent the Sui army from turning back, within half a month, 300,000 soldiers and horses will definitely be wiped out!

When I was anxious, I heard a commotion near the Chinese army. Liu Hongji was worried about Li Jiancheng's safety, so he quickly turned his head and asked what happened over there. After a while, Wang Yuantong walked over with a handful of green and faint things, and as he walked, he smiled and offered treasures: "Gu Yazi, we dug up Gu Yazi, over there, under the ground, you can dig everywhere!" ”

After that, he put a handful of moldy grains in front of Liu Hongji's eyes, which were wet and exuded a sour smell. A few of the shells have grown new shoots more than three inches long, and business is booming.

"It's the Great Sui Army Rations!" Someone muttered something in a whisper, and the words were full of surprise.