Fengluan County, Daxia, in the mountains of Fengluan. Zhang Zongcheng, a lonely old hunter, is not lonely at all now. In the valley not far from his thatched house, 20,000 soldiers and horses were stationed in the capital. Under the leadership of Zhou Wu, these people practiced climbing walls and rocks like mountain apes.

Outside the thatched house, Zhou Guangji sat on a stone bench wrapped in animal skins, surrounded by a fat bear. Since Zhou Guangji had already made an appearance, he could not continue to stay in Kyoto. When he returned with Li Jianshan, Zhou Guangji stayed in Fengluan Mountain.

Ah Zhu had already informed Yutai Mingyue that he planned to give up the Lidu City, and since the Lidu City could no longer become a base camp for transporting information, Zhou Guangji planned to place the base camp on Fengluan Mountain. Now that the secret stations in various places have begun to take shape, with Xiaobai Xiaoqing and the birds domesticated in the past three years, Zhou Guangji can dispatch intelligence information from all over the country in the mountains and forests. And it's very safe here, no matter how fierce the war burns, it won't affect Fengluan Mountain.

Zhou Guangji looked at the big bear gently, don't look at the big bear's fat and strong body, but the age of the beast is already old. If it is an ordinary big bear, it has long been hiding in the mountains and forests at the moment, and it is either hunted by other fierce beasts, or it is lonely and waiting for death. Fortunately, the big bear has a high level of intelligence, and with the help of the old hunter Zhang Zongcheng, he did not fall to the point of being chased and killed by other fierce beasts.

"Big Bear, the benefactor adopted you back then, and in the blink of an eye, so many years have passed, and you are also old. It seems that we will have to rely on each other for our lives in the future. Zhou Guangji said with emotion.

The big bear snorted twice in response, Duan Lang also wanted to bring the big bear back to the capital city to raise it, but after all, it was a beast and didn't want to leave the embrace of nature. What's more, compared with Da Fei, Da Xiong can only be a burden. Fortunately, with Zhang Zongcheng by his side, they take care of each other, and Duan Lang doesn't have to worry.

The old hunter Zhang Zongcheng walked over, threw a piece of animal meat to the big bear, looked at Zhou Guangji and said.

"Uncle Zhou, you said that this kid Xiao Xiong is against the court, can this work? I'm always unsteady in my heart, that's a big sin for the nine clans. ”

Zhou Guangji was a few years older than Zhang Zongcheng, and said with a smile when he heard this, "Brother, are you still afraid of being connected?" ”

"Hey, what am I afraid of as a lonely old man, it's a big deal that the officers and soldiers are coming, and I will go into the depths of the mountains. I'm worried about the little bear, the child, and his daughter-in-law, who has just passed through the door. ”

Zhou Guangji looked at Zhang Zongcheng's worried look, and said with a straight face, "Brother Zhang, there are some things that you can't hide if you want to. Duan Lang, this child is no longer alone, as you said, he has a daughter-in-law who has just passed the door, and a group of loyal friends. In order for them to live better, Duan Lang must take on this responsibility. Don't worry, brother, although the court is huge, they are scattered. This is not the case in Lidu City, where these children trust each other and can rest assured that they will hand over their backs to each other. With this cohesion, the army is unstoppable. ”

Zhang Zongcheng smiled bitterly, "I don't understand the big truth, anyway, I'm the father of the bear, and I support this kid in whatever he does." ”

While the two were talking, they saw a guard running up from the bottom of the mountain. Zhou Guangji stopped talking and looked at the guard.

"Uncle Zhou, the scout in front has come to report, the front army of the court is marching westward, and there are still more than thirty miles to Fengluan County. The opponent had 30,000 cavalry and more than 20,000 infantry soldiers and horses, and no chariot battalion was found. ”

"Oh? So fast. Go, call Ah Wu. ”

Zhou Guangji commanded, and the guards quickly ran towards the valley. After a while, Zhou Wu, who was dressed in a strong suit, came to the grass house.

"Master, I heard from the guards that they are almost there?" Zhou Wu said.

"Well, there are still two hours to reach Fengluan County. Let your soldiers and horses prepare immediately, Zhang Qifeng's barracks are already waiting for battle on the main road leading to Lidu City, and your men and horses will block the back road as an auxiliary, this battle must be won greatly. ”

"Master, why did you let my men assist? The opponent's 50,000 soldiers and horses are not enough for me to fight. Simply, let Zhang Qifeng return to the capital, and leave it to me here. ”

Zhou Guangji's eyes glared, "It's good to let you go to war, originally according to Duan Lang's meaning, your men and horses will not move, and wait for the later stage of the war to surprise the troops." If it weren't for Mingyue Girl to intercede for you, you wouldn't even have to fight this battle. Don't be verbose, hurry up and prepare. ”

Zhou Wu smiled, quickly agreed, and returned to the valley to arrange for people. Zhou Guangji did not follow down the mountain, there were two generals, Zhang Qifeng and Zhou Wu, who led 40,000 soldiers and horses, so they didn't have to worry about the outcome of this battle. It's just that once this battle starts, it will indicate that the court and the capital city have completely torn off the mask of covering.

In the official road under Fengluan Mountain, Zhang Qifeng led 20,000 cavalry to prepare for battle. The red line that Duan Lang drew for Ma Ruzheng was Fengluan County, as long as the other party's soldiers and horses crossed Fengluan County, what was waiting for them would be this group of hell messengers.

On the east side of Fengluan County, Ma Ruzheng's forward battalion marched majestically all the way. The forward general Xu Daduo had already received the news from the generalissimo, and he knew that once he passed Fengluan County, it was likely to be the first battle of the Western Expeditionary Army. Moreover, his scouts also discovered the enemy's situation, and the two men and horses of Lidu City were already waiting in front of them.

Xu Daduo's vanguard army came to Fengluan County, and he did not give the order to enter the county seat, but stayed outside the city for a while. Xu Daduo was originally a general of the Kyoto battalion, and he himself followed Yan Facheng. But after Yan Facheng lost power, Ma Ruzheng did not suppress them, and reused them to stay in the army. In this western expedition, Xu Daduo was appointed as the forward general. Although it is reused, it is also the most dangerous role.

"Come on, send scouts, search the surrounding mountains and forests, and see if there are any soldiers and horses in ambush."

Xu Daduo is very experienced, and Lidu City has set up 20,000 soldiers and horses on the official road to block the way, and he is still not worried about this continuous Fengluan Mountain. It's just that Zhou Wu's soldiers and horses were not ambushed on the west side of Fengluan County, but waited for them at the place they passed by just now. Zhou Wu absolutely trusted the combat effectiveness of Zhang Qifeng's barracks, and only waited for Xu Daduo to be defeated, and then they intercepted from behind and annihilated Ma Ruzheng's forward army in one fell swoop.

After the scout's search, there were no soldiers and horses in the mountains and forests west of Fengluan County, so Xu Daduo boldly ordered the soldiers and horses to advance.

To the west of Fengluan County, the two armies were less than 500 zhang apart, and each set up a position. Zhang Qifeng walked out of the array with a spear in his hand and shouted loudly.

"Zhang Qifeng, the general of the left cavalry in the capital of Xiali, which general is opposite, come forward to talk."

Xu Daduo came to the front of the battle with a spear and a horse, "Xu Daduo, the general of the forward battalion of the army of the Lower Western Expedition, was ordered to go to Landu City to exterminate the soldiers and horses of the Western Vietnamese, why are you stopping here." ”

Zhang Qifeng sneered, "General Xu, we are not civil officials in the court, so don't pretend to make excuses." Who the Western Expeditionary Army wants to conquest, you and I both know in our hearts. Our soldiers in the capital city fought bloody battles to defend their families and defend the country, but they didn't expect to get this kind of end in exchange. If Delong does this, he is not afraid of the chills of the world's meritorious officials. General Xu, you should also be a meritorious minister in pacifying Xining, if Delong treats you like this, you can be convinced. ”

Xu Daduo looked at Zhang Qifeng, and his face showed a hint of ochre. Three years ago, when Tantai Mingyue went to persuade them, Xu Daduo didn't have this idea. But Yan Facheng didn't have Duan Lang's courage, although Delong didn't suppress them, but he deprived Yan Facheng of his military power, which made these people feel a little sad about rabbits and dogs.

"General Zhang, that's it, and General Ben doesn't want to say anything more. The military order is like a mountain, and it has to be done under it. I didn't expect that we had just pacified Xining, and we were going to meet the sword soldiers of Lidu City again. But I don't know, if Duan Lang and Na Tantai Mingyue knew about today's events, would they regret their original choice. ”

"There's nothing to regret, even if Dezhang was on the throne at the beginning, could he let me go of Lidu City. We asked ourselves if we had done anything to be sorry for Daxia, since the court could not accommodate our capital city, we had to find a way to live. Zhang Qifeng said sonorously.

"Good! Have the courage to admire it below. To be honest, Zai Xia is very reluctant to fight with Lidu City. It's not that General Ben is afraid of you, but I just think that you fought in Western Vietnam back then, which is worthy of admiration. However, the military order is like a mountain, and it is really helpless to go down. Xu Daduo clenched his fists and said.

"General Xu can say this, thank you below. But when he started to use his hands and guns, he didn't want to blame General Xu. ”

"Come on, show your skills, and let General Ben see if Lidu City is in vain."

"Well, I've always respected my opponents. Please! ”

"Please!"

The two of them clasped their fists and returned to their camps.

Xu Daduo looked at the opposite camp and immediately ordered, "The infantry battalion is in the formation, and the shield formation is in the front and the bow formation is in the back." The cavalry battalion listened to the order, and the opponent's battle flag showed that there were only 20,000 horses, so let the capital city see how powerful our warriors were returning from the southern theater. Charge formation, kill! ”

Xu Daduo gave an order, and the cavalry battalion formed a triangular formation, howling and rushing towards the camp of Lidu City.

Zhang Qifeng raised the spear in his hand, "Each team of soldiers and horses obeyed the order, formed a three-arrow formation, and stabbed ~ rushed!" ”

Zhang Qifeng bowed, raised his spear and ran forward. Behind him, an army of 20,000 men immediately divided into three columns. Each column of three horsemen side by side, with their spears raised, rushed forward. Unlike the court army, these people did not shout, but their silent murderous aura was still not weaker than the momentum of the other party.

The distance of 500 zhang was hedged by the two sides, and the soldiers of the two armies were soon strangled together. In just one sprint, the strength of the two sides suddenly showed a gap. The shouts of the court army were very chaotic, and on the side of the capital city, after the battle, more than a dozen commanders shouted at the same time, and the guards broke out in unison with a simple 'kill' sound. The killing duel of 10,000 or 20,000 people shouted in unison was like a heavy hammer hitting the hearts of the opposing guards.

Xu Daduo's face changed slightly, and when his eyes swept over, he found that almost all of the people who were picked off the horse were his guards. Looking back at the soldiers and horses in the capital, even if some of the guards who were hit and dismounted from their horses, they still had strong combat effectiveness under the horses. Moreover, with the shout of the word 'kill', the shouts of the court army were gradually replaced by screams.

Xu Daduo stabbed left and right, and Zhang Qifeng finally targeted Xu Daduo after three rounds of killing. Originally, there were more than 10,000 cavalry in the front line of the court, but at this time, the people and horses of Lidu City occupied the majority on the battlefield. Xu Daduo fought with Zhang Qifeng for less than five rounds before he was stabbed in the left shoulder by Zhang Qifeng. If it weren't for the soldiers rushing over, Xu Daduo was almost picked off by Zhang Qifeng.

"Retreat into the camp ~ the army retreats!" Xu Daduo covered his shoulder armor and dragged his spear, and hurriedly gave the order to retreat.

Zhang Qifeng didn't give him a chance at all, and the soldiers and horses of Lidu City stuck together with the retreating court army, and frantically rushed towards the opponent's infantry battle array.

Xu Daduo didn't see it well, gritted his teeth and shouted, "Quick, release the arrow!" ”

The commander of the infantry battalion was a little stupid, and the two sides were stuck together, which made them shoot where to go. The fighter plane was fleeting in an instant, and while the commander of the infantry battalion was in a daze, a large number of war horses rushed over. At this moment, the infantry battalion was considered unlucky, and even their own people only cared about fleeing for their lives, and stepped into the camp in a panic.

What the army is most afraid of in battle is this kind of blind panic, once a large-scale rout is formed, it can only be described as a mountain of defeat. The soldiers and horses of the capital city are harvesting life like death. Although they are all in the blood of the Great Xia nation, they are never soft in the face of enemies.

Xu Daduo saw that he was unable to organize an effective counterattack, and in his grief and indignation, he had to flee back under the protection of his own soldiers. He didn't dare to flee into Fengluan County, the small county town only had a symbolic gate, and there was not even a decent city wall around it, and he was waiting to die if he entered. What's more, the county town does not set up a military station, so it is impossible to stop the chasing soldiers behind him.

Xu Daduo fled all the way east, and he felt that as long as he passed Fengluan County, the other party should not continue to chase. After all, it is very unfavorable to the soldiers and horses of Lidu City to keep chasing it. In case the main army of the court arrives behind them, they will be caught in the net.

Xu Daduo crossed Fengluan County, and as soon as he turned the mountain road, the cavalry in front of him suddenly screamed. Xu Daduo looked at it fixedly, and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Less than three arrows ahead, rows of guards lined up neatly. From the armor and battle flags, it is obvious that the soldiers and horses of the capital city.

Zhang Qifeng, who was in pursuit, saw that Zhou Wu's army was blocking the way, and immediately shouted, "General Xu, dismount and surrender to spare you from dying." ”

Zhang Qifeng had a good impression of Xu Daduo and didn't want him to die on the battlefield. However, his shouting suddenly made Xu Daduo ashamed. As a general, he would rather die in battle than become a prisoner.

"Brothers, rush over!"

The blood on Xu Daduo's shoulder armor stained his robe red, and in the face of the cold battle formation of Zhou Wu's army, he rushed forward with his horse.

Zhou Wu's 20,000 horses were all infantry soldiers, and a row of guards pointed their longbows at the front. Seeing the defeated court army coming over, Zhou Wu waved his hand.

"Shoot!"

Whoosh~ Rows of arrows rained forward. Zhang Qifeng reluctantly pulled the war horse, he knew that these routs would not be able to break through Zhou Wu's battle formation at all.

After the first battle, Xu Daduo, the vanguard general of the court army, was killed in battle, and 50,000 soldiers and horses were killed and wounded. In addition to the soldiers and guards who fled in all directions, Zhang Qifeng captured nearly 3,000 prisoners. However, he did not take these captives to Lidu City, but let these people return to the main camp with Xu Daduo's corpse.

After the battle, the 20,000 horses led by Zhou Wu quickly disappeared into the mountains and forests. Zhang Qifeng also took his headquarters and returned to Lidu City quickly.

On the official road to the west, Ma Ruzheng looked at the remnants of the defeated generals who had returned from defeat, and couldn't help but change color after learning about the battle. He didn't expect that the 50,000 forward battalion soldiers and horses would be strangled as quickly as if someone had cut leeks. You must know that these people are all veterans who came down from the battlefield in Xining, and Xu Daduo is an experienced veteran.

Ma Ruzheng frowned, he had long known that the soldiers and horses in Lidu City were powerful, but he didn't expect it to be so powerful. It seems that he wants to reassess the combat effectiveness of the capital city. The other party was able to defeat Han Pingzi's army of hundreds of thousands, and it was not in vain.

Ma Ruzheng beckoned and called the clerk, "Imitate, report to the court, Duan Lang of Lidu City betrayed Daxia with ill intentions, and ambushed 70,000 soldiers and horses in Fengluan County to raid my forward battalion army." The officers and men of our army fought bravely, but they fell into an ambush, and the general Xu Daduo was damaged in battle, and the forward battalion lost ~ more than 30,000 people. The minister implores my emperor to announce to the world, crusade against the traitor Duan Lang, and repay the blood debt for my Great Xia soldiers! ”

The clerk quickly wrote the above table and sent it to Kyoto in an expedited manner for 800 li. The first battle of Fengluan County officially opened the prelude to the civil war between the capital city and the court. Although the two sides already knew it, this battle still shook the court.

Emperor Delong's body trembled slightly, and at the same time that Ma Ruzheng was on the table, he also received a secret report from the Heavenly Courtyard Detective in the army. Looking at the actual casualties, what made Delong's heart palpitate even more was that there was no number of battle losses in the capital city on the two copies. This can only show that Ma Ruzheng's forward battalion is vulnerable in front of the soldiers and horses of Lidu City.

Delong's hands trembled and he couldn't help but lose his mind a little, he was familiar with the style of Lidu City, and knew that this was a warning from Duan Lang to him. Could it be that there are really no soldiers and horses in this Great Xia who can fight against the capital city? Deron was terrified in his heart, but the arrow was already out of the water, so he could only grit his teeth and persevere. After this battle, either you die or I die, and Delong has no way out.