This time, the eldest grandson Wuji really "wronged" Li Jiancheng. Cheng Mingzhen camped in Niutou Mountain, which was far away from the main battlefield, and was not on his orders at all. Not only that, he didn't even see Cheng Mingzhen's face this time, and sent Shi Haoyan, the commander of the army under his command, to complete the handover of grain and grass.

In his heart, he doesn't like Cheng Mingzhen, but he doesn't have too much ill will towards this young general. Although he took the initiative to show favor last time and was rejected, it swept his face. But then the news that the envoy of the Qin Wangfu was also sent out of the house made his psychology greatly balanced. Immediately afterwards, Xiong Kuohai, Wu Tianxi and others repeatedly performed miraculous feats, for the sake of the two of them, it was not good for him to find trouble with the Zhaozhou camp again.

Of course, occasionally someone takes the initiative to be angry for the crown prince, and he can't rely on him Li Jiancheng. Besides, that time didn't really knock Cheng Mingzhen down, but let him get a lot of benefits because of his proper response. Since then, the attitude of the East Palace to the Yuzhou camp has formed a tacit understanding, not supporting, not overly suppressing, and leaving it to fend for itself.

According to Li Jiancheng's plan, the merger of the Zhaozhou battalion, which only has about 5,000 people, into his command will not help much. Although Cheng Mingzhen is both civil and military, his scheming is too deep, and he may not be as easy to use as Wu Tianxi and Xiong Kuohai. It is better to order a single independent battalion and hang it next to it for a few days. Seeing that the big war was imminent, the Zhaozhou battalion, which had only 5,000 people, could not share the pie, and with a heart for meritorious service, maybe Cheng Mingzhen might give in to himself. And even if he defected to Shimin's side, it would not have much impact on the forces of the East Palace, and now even Luo Yi, the general of Huben, saw the situation clearly and moved closer to him with the Youzhou army. One more and one less junior like Cheng Mingzhen has nothing to do with the overall situation.

However, he never expected Cheng Mingzhen to set up camp in Niutou Mountain, thirty miles away. The passage at the foot of the mountain is the only way from Taiyuan to Yanmen, and its strategic position is not insignificant. But there is more than one road to the north in Taiyuan County, and if Liu Wuzhou wants to withdraw to Mayi, he can also choose to tie himself to Zhoushan to wear Loufu, or go to Jingle from Shaoliang Mountain, and he doesn't have to hang himself from a tree. In that case, the whole battalion of the Zhaozhou battalion would be watching a big battle with their eyes on the sidelines, saying that they would capture the flag, and they didn't even get the opportunity to shout and cheer.

Even if Liu Wuzhou is crazy, he must pass by the foot of Niutou Mountain. With only 5,000 troops of the state can cut off its retreat? At that time, the Turkic tribes crossed Yanmen to come to help, and under the attack of the two phases, Cheng Mingzhen took his sons of Zhaozhou to pounce, I am afraid that he will not even be able to bubble up, so he will become a ghost under the knife of the Turks.

"This surnamed Cheng is crazy if he wants to make meritorious contributions!" After looking at the map for a long time, Li Jiancheng came to the only conclusion. Cut off the passage between Taiyuan retreat to Yanmen and Loufan counties, close the door and beat the dogs, and eliminate Liu Wuzhou in one fell swoop. He also had this idea, but there were too many roads that needed to be blocked, and it was quite difficult to implement. Second, the captain Chi Jingde under the command of the other party had the courage to be unstoppable, and the Tang army divided the forces too much, which gave him a chance to be powerful.

Since it was concluded that Cheng Mingzhen was gambling with no certainty, Li Jiancheng didn't want to worry too much. There is really no need for him to waste too much energy for a person who doesn't know what to do, for the sake of Wu Tianxi and Xiong Kuohai, if the Zhaozhou battalion encounters any danger in the future, at most send a team of cavalry to relieve the siege, and he will be benevolent and righteous, and he can explain to all parties.

Thinking like this, he took his gaze back from the map, looked at the verdant mountains on the horizon, and asked in a low voice, "Has the messenger to Chang'an returned?" After so many days, it is supposed to be time to come! ”

"I have come back, and the reply letter from the princes of the court has also been brought back, and Wei Xima is sorting out and filing. It can be presented to His Highness tonight! Donggong Jun Sacrificial Wine Wei Ting took half a step forward and responded with a smile.

As the battle between the crown prince and the king of Qin turned from dark to light, the courtiers were also divided into two distinct factions. or in front of the army to give advice, or to run up and down in the court. Almost every three to five days, the messenger would return with a large bag of letters. These letters sent to Li Jiancheng are often handed over to the crown prince to wash the horse Wei Zheng to read first, prioritize the priorities, and give suggestions for dealing with them, and then they will be presented to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for him to make the final decision.

Wei Zheng's writing is flying, and he is known for his decisiveness. Therefore, Li Jiancheng relied on him very much, and was willing to respect his opinions most of the time. But today, Li Jiancheng waited a little impatiently, frowned, and asked in a low voice: "How many letters are there, why don't you pick the most important ones and send a few letters first." What is the attitude of His Majesty? Are the two new Jieyu satisfied with the gift? ”

"Your Majesty has no response to what the crown prince has played!" The military conspiracy sacrificial wine Wei Ting frowned, and responded in a low voice, "There is no reaction to King Qin's slander. The two Jieyu were very happy, boasted of filial piety in His Royal Highness, and promised to say more good words in front of His Majesty! ”

Wei Ting disagrees with the many methods used by Li Jiancheng to compete for favor in recent times. He believes that since His Majesty has not yet made clear his intention to change the candidate for the crown prince, the best strategy for the East Palace to respond to all changes is unchanged. Like now, it is another proof that King Qin plotted to kill Princess Pingyang, and he bribed the harem concubines with heavy gifts, not only can not suppress the limelight of King Qin, but will give His Majesty the Emperor a bad impression that the prince has neither the measure nor the plan to succeed.

But most of the people in the East Palace didn't think so, they couldn't tolerate King Qin's increasingly arrogant behavior, and they wished to knock him to the ground immediately. Wei Ting argued with everyone in public several times, but he couldn't convince everyone. Expecting the prince to be able to distinguish between right and wrong, who would have expected that it would be related to the issue of the inheritance of the picturesque country, and the prince would have been in a mess for a long time, and he couldn't come up with a stable and long-term plan at all.

Ignoring the unhappiness in Wei Ting's words, Li Jiancheng smiled and continued to ask: "What about Lai Guogong, is there a reply?" ”

Lai Guogong said that since he was given the surname by His Majesty, he did not dare not repay him. As long as the Tang Dynasty has a place to get him, he will go to the soup and go to the fire, and he will not hesitate! Wei Ting thought about it and replied helplessly.

"This little fox!" Li Jiancheng was so angry that he slapped the table hard. Lai Guogong Li Shiji (Xu Maogong) has been at home since he fled back to Chang'an under Dou Jiande last year. Li Jiancheng guessed that this person had been leading troops for a long time, and he must not be used to living a life of idleness, so he deliberately vacated the position of the head of the right leading army under his command and prepared to recruit him to serve in the mountain. Unexpectedly, Li Shiji refused to accept this stubble, and prevaricated with a few ambiguous words. What is the grace of the surname, what is going to the soup and the fire, isn't the premise all the words "Tang Dynasty"? If my father was willing to take the initiative to send him under his command, why did he bother so much in secret?

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't need to be angry!" Wei Ting smiled and admonished in a low voice, "Although Duke Lai Guogong declined His Highness's kindness, he also showed that he would not lean towards King Qin's side. Weighing the two phases, what did His Highness not lose? ”

"Humph!" Li Jiancheng snorted angrily. High-ranking officials, good fields, beautiful houses, and future exhibition prospects, what they can give is far above the people of the world. I don't know why, King Qin's side is gathering more and more talents, and his momentum is becoming more and more vain, but his own side is dwarfed and left far behind.

"Your Highness, the minister has a word, please consider it!" Wei Ting sighed and continued.

"Let's say, there's no need to beat around the bush, Lone is not a person who can't listen to the advice of the ear!" Li Jiancheng waved his hand and responded with a smile.

As the saying goes, instead of envying the peaches of your neighbors, it is better to plant your own trees. King Qin's command is certainly full of talents, and His Royal Highness here, Feng Li, Xue Wanche, Wu Tianxi, and Xiong Kuohai all have the courage of ten thousand people. Du Yan, Wei Zheng, and Xu Shixuan can also be called the talents of wind music. There is also the King of Yanjun (Luo Yi), and the King of Boling (Li Zhongjian) can be cited as foreign aid, as long as His Royal Highness dispatches it properly......."

"What Wei Saijiu said is very true, and he is actually very clear in his heart!" Before Wei Ting finished speaking, Li Jiancheng interrupted impatiently. What he needs is not a superficial comparison of the strength of the two sides, but a hearty victory. Only by letting King Qin's side receive a heavy blow will his heart be more steady, and he will not be as empty as he is now, always suspicious.

Seeing that Li Jiancheng couldn't listen, Wei Ting had no choice but to smile and close his mouth. Not wanting to make his henchmen feel cold, Li Jiancheng pondered for a moment and continued to ask, "How is Wu Tianxi's Mo Dao team recovering?" ”

"Eighty percent of the combat strength has been restored, and it can be pulled into the field at any time!" Wei Ting thought about it and responded in a low voice.

"What about General Xiong, how have you trained the lancer?"

"It's already worth fighting!"

"Oh!" Li Jiancheng nodded lightly, and finally showed a satisfied expression on his face, "Count it up, the two of them are still recommended by Manager Cheng to Gu." Loneliness cannot be left unrewarded. You send more men and pay careful attention to the movements of the battalion. In case of any danger, immediately send troops to the rescue! ”

"Obey Your Highness's orders!" Finally seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was willing to think about others regardless of his previous suspicions, Wei Ting immediately surrendered his life. "However, Wei thinks that His Highness needs to make more preparations!"

"What?" Li Jiancheng paused for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Did Mo Feiwei see anything wrong with the sacrificial wine?" ”

"Your Highness Mingjian!" Wei Ting pointed to the location of Niutou Mountain on the map, and introduced with a smile, "General Cheng's camp is too far away from us and King Qin. He only has 5,000 soldiers and horses under his command, how can he be so arrogant when he sees it? ”

"You mean, Cheng Mingzhen is ready to take the bait. Lure Wei Chi Kuroko out? Li Jiancheng was shocked, turned his head, stared at Yutu and asked.

"I'm afraid it's not bait. It's that General Cheng is a little too big this time. He tried to drag Wei Chigong with his own strength and create an opportunity for His Highness and King Qin to break through Fenyang! Wei Ting thought about it and said solemnly.

"This Cheng madman, he's really crazy!" Regardless of whether he could sulk at Xu Maogong's refusal to solicit him, Li Jiancheng put rice chips in the military tent, scolding while calculating the gains and losses of the war.

In the more than two years since he fought against Liu Wu and Zhou Jun, he had never tried to face Wei Chi Jingde with such a small number of troops. Including King Qin's side, if he only brought 5,000 people, he would not dare to pick up Wei Chi Jingde's tiger whiskers. Although the black guy was not born in a family of generals, his ability to grasp the fighter was extremely keen. He and the King of Qin forced Liu Wu and Zhou's army into a desperate situation several times, and at critical moments, it was Wei Chi Jingde's black man who led the light cavalry to battle, or tore a gap in the encirclement at the weakest point, or defeated the Tang army that was too protruding, which always made Liu Wu Zhou turn evil into good fortune.

In order to deal with the outlier of Wei Chi Jingde, he and King Qin used all means. To put it mildly, Wu Tianxi's heavy armor Mo sword team was specially established to deal with Wei Chi Jingde's light cavalry. And King Qin's side also put on a nirvana combination of Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie and Luo Shixin. But Wei Chi Heizi's cunning was far from what people expected, and when he encountered the slow Modao team, he immediately left without a fight. always makes Wu Tianxi eat farts in the dust. And when encountering the interception of Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie and Luo Shixin, he bullied Qin Shubao's weakness of being twenty years older than himself, and every time he picked up the other party and attacked alone. Although Qin Shubao's martial arts are not under Yu Chi Heizi, his body bones are old after all, and his endurance is far inferior to that of young people. The slightest negligence made Wei Chi Jingde stand out of the encirclement and leave laughing.

is such a strong martial artist, sharp-eyed, and cunning guy, Cheng Mingzhen actually tried to deceive him out of Fenyang City with the strength of the Zhaozhou Battalion and completely solve it. I don't know if the surname Cheng is suffocating in the ravine of the party, or if he wants to make meritorious service and wants to go crazy. If you don't get it right, he will illegally drag Wei Chi Jingde back, but he will be defeated by the other party. dragged down the morale of the army and buried the good situation in front of him in one fell swoop.

Thinking of this, Li Jiancheng couldn't help but feel anxious, "Then what do you say we should do?" He was ordered to withdraw and immediately move closer to the main camp. Or do you divide your forces to support him? ”

"Send a few more suspicious soldiers out of the camp and copy them in the two directions of Lou Fu and Lishi! The number of people does not need to be too much, the heavy infantry is the mainstay, about 10,000 is enough! The military advisor sacrificed wine Wei Ting thought about it and suggested in a low voice.

"You mean....... "Li Jiancheng is not good at changing in battle, but he has accumulated some experience in leading troops for so many years. Listening to Wei Ting's resolute words, a glimmer of light gradually appeared in front of him.

"Yes!" Wei Ting nodded slightly. "Just let Wu Tianxi and Xiong Kuohai lead the army. They have all fought with Wei Chi Jingde, and they know each other's catties. Liu Wuzhou's army was demoralized, and Wei Chi Jingde urgently needed a clean victory to boost the morale of the army. Fighting Wu Tianxi and Xiong Kuohai, he can't guarantee that he will retreat with his whole body. However, what is the strength of General Cheng's side, for a while, everyone is not clear. If I were him, I would also pick up a bet in the direction of fewer people! ”

"Then let's ignore Liu Wuzhou and go straight to copy Wei Chi Jingde's back road!" Li Jiancheng laughed, and the troubles caused by the stalemate between the enemy and us for many days were swept away.

"If Liu Wuzhou goes out of the city to rescue, Fenyang will be lost!" Wei Ting also smiled, "At that time, either His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will send troops to rescue Cheng Mingzhen, or take the opportunity to storm Fenyang, you can get twice the result with half the effort." Losing Fenyang, Liu Wuzhou could only retreat to Lou Fu and Ma Yi. There are many ruined cities in those two counties, and I am chasing after him, and he has no way to survive except to escape into the desert! ”

For the bright prospects described by Wei Ting, the prince is very much looking forward to it. After thinking about it, he said with a smile, "This Cheng is famous, and he is bold." I didn't make it clear to the lonely family in advance. In case the lonely family can't guess his intentions, under the onslaught of Wei Chi Heizi, I'm afraid that even if the whole army is not wiped out, there will be only a few people left! ”

"Maybe he's overconfident in his own strength!" After thinking about it, Wei Ting analyzed with a smile, "Perhaps, he firmly believes that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the King of Qin can see his intentions, and contact him in advance, but it is easy for Wei Chi Jingde to see the flaws." But in any case, before Wei Chi Jingde hands him over, our army must not make any changes! ”

"I'm afraid that King Qin's side will think the same way!" Li Jiancheng nodded, and said secretly in his heart. He didn't think that the second brother Shimin's ability to grasp the fighter was worse than his own. In fact, after being vigorously strengthened, the abilities of himself and King Qin were almost comparable. But if King Qin's side and his own side made up their minds to hold their troops for the time being, the pressure on the Zhaozhou battalion would be amazing. If you don't get it right, all the 5,000 soldiers and horses will have to be sacrificed to victory.

It was Cheng Mingzhen's voluntariness, and since he had made his choice, he should have expected this price a long time ago.