Shi Le sent Peach Leopard to attack Chen Wu, in fact, it was a plan to paralyze Wang Mi and delay the eastward advance, but he only discussed this matter with Zhang Bin and instructed Peach Leopard, but others didn't know at all, and thought it was just an ordinary encounter.

At the beginning, he sent Taobao to collect some grain, grass and equipment left by Gou Xi in Cangyuan, and secretly instructed before sending troops, saying that you should find a way to conflict with Chen Wu and take the opportunity to storm Pengguan, but don't really fight down, and also need to write a letter asking for help, saying that Pengguan is strong, and it is difficult to get down in a hurry, and I want to send reinforcements to go - let's just try to spend as much time as possible, and wait to see Wang Mi's movements.

So today, when I received a letter from Peach Leopard asking for help, Shi Le's surprise was completely pretended. But then the letter was delivered, and Pei should have opened it to read it—the words were very simple, but there was no need to explain them—and Shi Le realized that he had really lost the battle when he dared to love the peach leopard!

Originally, including Zhang Bin, no one took Chen Wutai seriously, although the reconnaissance cavalry was reported, Pengguan and its nearby areas were surrounded by more than 100,000 people, but most of them were the families of the generals and the people who followed, and the winning soldiers were probably less than one percent - "beggar thieves", the homeless group, just like the Yellow Turban Army of the Later Han Dynasty, although there were many people, the combat effectiveness was not seen to be many.

Therefore, Shi Lecai sent Taobao to lead 3,000 Hu cavalry over, believing that he would be able to defeat Chen Wu easily, but if he attacked the fortified position by cavalry, it would definitely not be possible, and he had to ask for reinforcements. The peach leopard also relaxed his vigilance because of this, thinking that this trip was equivalent to an armed parade, and he would not encounter any strong resistance, who knew that as soon as the two sides clashed, he would suffer a big defeat.

Pengguan is located in Kaifeng County, Xingyang County (this Kaifeng is not Kaifeng, the location is probably near Zhuxian Town in later generations), the surrounding terrain is flat, there are no mountains and rivers, and there is no possibility of building a pass. But this place is the traffic artery of Yan and Yu into the division, and there is a large swamp formed after the Langdang Canal break in the northwest of Kaifeng City, which is called Pengze, so it is only when the road is established, and Ze is protected, and it is named Pengguan.

The peach leopard expelled Chen Wu's sentry and went directly into Pengze. Recently, it happened to rain for a few days in a row, and the Langdang Canal was overflowing, and the area of Pengze was wider than before. Chen Wu took advantage of this opportunity to set up an ambush, besieged on all sides with an absolute superiority of troops, and the peach leopard was defeated, and he retreated for thirty miles in a row before he barely restrained the team, counting the losses, and it was more than thirty percent!

Tao Leopard wrote very clearly in the distress letter that although most of Chen Wu's troops were poorly equipped and their combat skills were not good, he had a unique personal guard force, less than 2,000 people, with excellent weapons and a strict formation, which was not much different from the regular Jin army. In addition, the "beggar thieves" all hate the Hu people deeply - because they came out of Bingzhou, and their hometowns were occupied by the Hu people, so they naturally did not share the sky - and they charged as if they were not dying, so they suffered defeat.

Shi Le couldn't help but be furious when he heard Pei Gai finish reading the letter, and immediately stood up with a few cases: "I should go in person to take the head of Chen Wu Xiaozhu!" "Then waved his hand at Pei Gai, go, I'll take you to the battlefield!"

Pei Cai hurriedly stretched out his hand to stop him: "The lord is slow-Chen Wu is a small enemy, Wang Mi is a big trouble, how can the lord abandon Mengcheng and attack Chen Wu in person?" Send a general to help General Tao. ”

Shi Le glanced at Pei Gai obliquely: "Pei Lang, about the peach leopard going west, did Zhang Mengsun tell you anything?" Pei Gai shook his head: "I didn't say it." I still heard about it from Cheng Zi from afar. "What do you mean? According to the inference of the aftermath, could this be some kind of ploy set up by you and Zhang Bin? This Zhang Bin really didn't reveal it to me.

Shi Le snorted, and said in his heart that I was going to beat Chen Wu, but Pei Gai asked me to be careful of Wang Mi...... This little guy is really very sensitive, he is a available talent, I don't know when he will be able to really devote himself to me like Zhang Mengsun...... In fact, according to Zhang Bin, Pei should have returned to his heart, but he always can't let go of the stinky frame of the door valve's disciples, so this matter is more difficult to do, and I won't be shy to cater to that reader...... He is still the top reader.

Originally, I was worried that he would use the excuse of going to his brother and lead Pei Shi to run away, but seeing that he agreed so quickly to only write a letter and not go in person, maybe I was suspicious...... Well, let me ask him what he thinks about the current situation.

At that moment, he slowly sat down, supported himself with his hand, pretended to tilt his head and thought for a while, and then asked Pei Gai: "If I don't go in person, Pei Lang thinks that what general should be sent, and how many soldiers and horses can be led to defeat Chen Wu?" ”

Pei Gai grinned and spread his hands: "I am a scholar, and I don't practice war, why should the lord ask Yu Blind?" and summoned Zhang Mengsun to come, and had his own ideas. "Shi Le said that of course I have to consult Zhang Bin about this, but I also want to hear your opinion first-it doesn't matter, whether you understand it or not, just say it, I won't blame it.

Pei Gai thought for a while and replied: "Chen Wu has been in Pengguan for many years, and the former lord and Liu Yao, Wang Mi and others jointly attacked Luoyang, and I didn't see him send troops to scratch the flank of our army. In this case, there is no need to rush to attack Pengguan - the lord wants to go east, Pengguan is in the west, why care? Send thousands of old soldiers to it, and just hold it across Pengze. ”

"If you don't want to Kepeng Pass and take Chen Wu's head, why send troops to go there again? Why don't you summon the peach leopard back? ”

Pei Gai asked with a smile: "Does the lord have the intention of going hand in hand with Wang Mi to seek Qingzhou?" "Shi Le said that you haven't seen the letter that Liu Jun carried, Wang Mi clearly set a trap and waited for me to drill, how could I go to Qingzhou with him and put myself in danger?" In this case, do you want to fight Wang Mi? The soldiers are fast, why not rush and still stay in Mengcheng? Shi Le said that it was all Diao Ying and others who advised him that the preparations for sending troops were not yet complete, so he could not move for the time being.

"In this case, we should paralyze Wang Mi, and pretend to cooperate with him to the east, and at the same time delay time, and when our army is fully prepared, we will deliver a thunderous blow!" Pei Cai's consequences were the antecedents, and he began to talk eloquently, "So how to delay time?" I thought that General Peach was defeated, and it was the right time. The lord can pretend to be angry...... "Oh, in fact, it can't be considered hypocrisy, you were really angry just now-" That is, he sent troops to help General Tao, in order to relieve Wang Mi's suspicions. ”

Shi Lexin said amazingly, if you didn't lie, really Zhang Bin didn't pass the tone with you, then this step-by-step guessing and analysis can actually coincide with Zhang Bin - I damn it, if Lao Tzu has two Zhang Mengsun next to him, then there is nothing in the world? ! At the moment, he hurriedly asked: "In this case, stop sending thousands of soldiers to go, and An can relieve Wang Mi's doubts?" ”

Pei Gai secretly stuck out his tongue, and said in his heart that I wanted to be left, and the preface and back words were a little contradictory. was slightly stunned at the moment, and decided that it would be better to tell the truth, so he leaned over: "This is my thoughtlessness, and I ask the lord to forgive me." However, if the lord and father-in-law lead a large army to attack Pengguan, I am afraid that Wang Mi will be in a hurry and will not be able to deal with it. When how to deal with it, please also ask Mr. Zhang Mengsun. ”

Pei Gai honestly admitted his mistake, but Shi Le couldn't help but glance at him, smiled slightly, and said closer: "This is Zhang Mengsun's plan, so that I can pretend to be tied up in Pengguan, but I can delay time to watch Wang Mi's measures." Pei Lang didn't know in advance, which led to some omissions in his words, so he didn't have to care. Thousands of soldiers are insufficient, and the increase in tens of thousands of people can relieve doubts, but I don't know who should be the general? ”

Pei Gai said: "I heard that the generals under the command of the lord are the ...... General Kong knows how to advance and retreat best" Shi Le "haha" laughed, saying that Kong Chang is the most slippery, you can say it clearly, what else "know how to advance and retreat", and smear him with powder-" Pei Lang's meaning, Kong Chang is cunning, but he can lead the army to hold on to Chen Wu without falling into his tricks again? ”

"As the lord said."

"Does Pei Lang still want to accompany him to inquire about Brother Ling's news?"

"Please ask General Kong to inquire about the news of my brother, and if it is indeed in Pengguan, I will make a district at that time."

Pei Caixin said that a few months ago, I really thought about running away to Pengguan to find my brother, but now that you are sending troops to attack Pengguan, why should I lead my aunt to go to that place of death? Am I crazy? Even if you don't mean to kill Chen Wu, if we flee to Pengguan, maybe you will really increase your troops and attack as soon as you are angry...... I'm only here to test your mind—if you want to go, the time has not yet come.

——————————

Shi Le summoned the generals, pretended to be angry and asked Pei Gai to read Taobao's letter for help again, and then patted a few cases, and planned to personally lead the army to help. Right Chang Shi Diao Ying hurriedly persuaded and said: "Ming Gong should not despise Pengguan, although this pass is small, it is just Pengze, easy to defend and difficult to attack - especially not suitable for our army's northland cavalry to gallop, and the defeat of General Tao is also due to this." Chen Wu Xiao Kouer, if the Ming Gong goes in person, the victory is not happy, and if he suffers some setbacks, it will damage his prestige. Please also send troops to reinforce, Ming Gong is still sitting in Mengcheng, commanding the overall situation as well. ”

So Zuo Sima Gou Xi and Wang Zan, who was engaged in Zhonglang, both invited their generals to go, but they were vetoed by Shi Le with a wave of his hand: "Chen Wu Xiaozhu, why is the general of Lao Dao growing out of the horse?" In the end, it was decided to take Kong Chang as the main general and Zhi Quliu as the deputy general, lead his headquarters cavalry, and add 5,000 foot soldiers to Pengguan to reinforce Taobao. Before leaving, Shi Le pretended to grit his teeth and grit his teeth fiercely: "If you can't take off Chen Wu's head, you don't have to come back to see me!" ”

Of course, the true intention of this dispatch of troops has already been explained to Kong Chang, Zhi Quliu and others in private.

That night, Gou Xi invited Wang Zan to his residence, and after three rounds of drinking, he couldn't help but sigh. Wang Zan asked him why he was unhappy, and Gou Xi said: "Today, Ming Gong did not let us wait for the generals to attack Pengguan, and he clearly doubted me. ”

Wang Zan said that we have just descended, and he can't trust his heart yet, which is a very normal thing. Gou Xi shook his head: "When the Ming Dynasty was born, he ate and slept together for several days, talking about the general trend of the world, and the situation was as good as Zhang Liangye, who met Han Gaozu." However, I said that he was going east to Qingzhou, but he gave up because of Wang Mi's tricks, and since then, he has begun to alienate me......"

Wang Zan also wanted to persuade him, but was stopped by Gou Xi with a wave of his hand. Then Gou Xi moved closer, lowered his voice and asked, "Zhengchang, is Qing willing to succumb to a shepherd slave for a long time?" ”

Wang Zan was taken aback when he heard this, and quickly picked up the wine glass to cover his face. After a long while, he slowly put down the wine glass and sighed: "Jin is about to die, the situation is like this, what can I do!" ”

Gou Xi said that Zhengchang, don't be too decadent - "Wang Pengzu (Wang Jun) is in Youzhou, Liu Yueshi (Liu Kun) is in Bingzhou, Jia Yandu (Jia Kai) is in Guanzhong, and Jin may not be wiped out." Moreover, the generals of the Han Dynasty, such as Liu Yao, Wang Mi, etc., as well as the Ming ...... The shepherd slaves did not belong to each other, and there were many filthy ones. If we are out of the control of the herdsmans, even if we are not able to save the sky, we can still divide one side and be Liu Xuande, and we may not have the opportunity to compete in the Central Plains......"

Wang Zan lowered his head and did not speak. Gou Xi sighed: "It's a pity, I persuaded that shepherd slave to attack Qingzhou, just to make him conflict with Wang Mi, so as to make things happen." It is true that he is about to meet Wang Mi's sword soldiers, but he refuses to let us lead an army of his own, like this, how can we succeed? Can you teach me? ”

Wang Zanxin said that you have been holding back for a long time...... After pondering for a long time, he slowly shook his head and said: "Now that we have surrendered, the Jin soldiers are bold, and the Hu people can't use it, even if the Taoist generals lead an army by themselves, I am afraid it will be difficult to get rid of it...... The man is in control. If you have an unyielding will, you can only go alone, find a place to defend yourself, and then slowly gather your subordinates in order to ...... the future."

Gou Xi nodded and said, "What Zhengchang said is exactly what I want." ”

"But where does the Tao want to go?"

A faint smile appeared on Gou Xi's lips: "In the past, I was a lieutenant in the Northern Army, and I followed the king of the East China Sea to conquer King CD (Sima Ying) Yu Ye, and I knew a little about the geography of Hebei. Now when fleeing to Hebei, based on Yecheng, or Handan and Xiangguo, Pengzu (Wang Jun), the king of Beihe, and Liu Yueshi (Liu Kun) in the west, blocking the river as a trench. Shi Lezi and Wang Mi competed, and the two tigers competed, and there must be an injury, and even the survivors could not chase me in a hurry. And when Jizhou is pacified, you can join forces with Wang Pengzu to cross the river to attack Shile, or join forces with Liu Yueshi, and cross Taihang and scratch Pingyang - this Han Guangwu industry also! ”

When Wang Zan heard this, he was noncommittal - he said in his heart that when you had soldiers and generals, didn't you think about going to Hebei? Now that he is alone, he wants to go to Hebei to achieve the "Guangwu industry", what are the chances of winning? But that's it, I'm also very uncomfortable under the Hu people, so it's better to run away with you first.

"If you want to build a foundation and build a career, you urgently need talent ......"

"I have secretly said to my brother (Gou Chun), is I willing to help each other?"

Wang Zan said that of course I will follow you, otherwise once your brother escapes, do you think Shi Le will still believe me? Can he spare me? But—"There are few generals." ”

"I think it's long up, who else can be encircled?"

Wang Zan thought for a while and replied: "Pei Wenyuo's son was forced to surrender to Shile in order to save the princess of the East China Sea. And Pei Jingsi saw that he was at Wang Pengzu's place, if he got an appointment, he would be able to make the Youzhou soldiers come to greet us......"

Pei Jingsi is the grandson of Pei Qian's third brother Pei Hui and the son of Pei Kai - Pei Kai is Pei Fei's own uncle - Sima Yue signed it as the Yuzhou Assassin and Beizhong Lang General, who lost the battle with Wang Mi not long ago and was forced to go north to Youzhou Assassin Wang Jun. Wang Zan said that we can use Pei Gai's family influence, and ask Pei Xian to help move Wang Jun and help us gain a foothold in Jizhou.

Gou Xi pouted: "I'm afraid that Pei Wenyue has really lowered his beard, and Encore can use it?" ”

Wang Zan arched his hand and said: "Praise, please go to explore his heart, or his will is not strong, and it is not known......"