Fang Yuan ordered all the generals to retreat, and changed their guards according to the instructions, leaving only Li Zongze alone.

All the generals were dispatched to this battle, and the only one was Li Zongze, and Fang Yuanti didn't mention it, as if he didn't exist.

Li Zongze was a fiery person, he was ignored by Fang Yuan like this, the dignity of the soldier made him very embarrassed, thinking that Fang Yuan was still holding a grudge before he participated in Hou Fangyu's conspiracy, he was busy kneeling in front of Fang Yuan, and opened his mouth to ask for battle, "Regent, I know that I committed the crime of death last time. However, if the regent still trusts me, he should arrange for me a chance to atone for my sins. Otherwise, arrest me and go to military justice! ”

Fang Yuan looked at him silently, walked up to him with his hands behind his back, and didn't help him up, but sat on the ground beside him, "Zong Ze! You, Jing Jie, and Chigutai are the oldest generals in our army, and they have followed me since I first arrived in Jiangnan, how can I not trust you?! ”

He held the talisman in one hand, gently patted Li Zongze's shoulder with the other, and said with a sigh, "I have a military mission that I want to give to you, but I am worried about your safety, and I am reluctant to let you lose a general, so I will keep hesitating!" ”

Li Zongze laughed and said, "Regent, the horse leather shroud is the best destination for soldiers, what task, the regent will say it directly!" ”

Fang Yuan added strength, pinched his shoulders and said, "Zong Ze, before I blitz Li Zicheng and return with a big victory, you must defend Suqian to the death. People are in the city, and people are dead in the city. ”

As soon as Li Zongze heard this, he knew that this military task was to resist Sun Chuanting's new-style Ming army at the forefront. It is difficult to predict whether Sun Chuanting will raid Fang Yuan's rear during Fang Yuan's blitzkrieg attack on Li Zicheng. If Sun Chuanting really started a war, it would inevitably be a thunderous blow to break through the Huaishui defense line of the Xuanjia Army, so as to go down to Huai'an and Yangzhou in a battle, and advance the battle line to the Yangtze River.

The first to bear the brunt is Suqian, in Fang Yuan's opinion, under Sun Chuanting's onslaught, the small Suqian is almost a place of death, so he is reluctant to leave the fierce general Li Zongze in Suqian.

Li Zongze didn't see the slightest fear, and said loudly, "Regent, are you overestimating the combat strength of the Ming army, there are 30,000 defenders in Suqian, 100 large and small artillery, and it is not difficult to defend one or two months!" ”

Fang Yuan said in a deep voice, "There are no 30,000 defenders in Suqian, I will send 20,000 Xuanjia soldiers to other battlefields, and there are only 10,000 soldiers left for you to defend Suqian!" ”

Li Zongze was stunned on the spot, in Fang Yuan's military arrangement before, he did not assign the 30,000 defenders of Suqian to be transferred to other places. Although he didn't know what Fang Yuan's purpose was for suddenly transferring the 20,000 soldiers in Suqian, if he only left a mere 10,000 defenders in Suqian, and it was a non-elite army, then Suqian would really be in danger, and he would die for life!

Fang Yuan saw that he suddenly fell silent, and continued, "Zong Ze, if you don't want to garrison Suqian, I can transfer you to besiege Fengyang City and transfer Gan Hui to defend Suqian. ”

Li Zongze was dissatisfied before, mainly because Shi Lang, Gan Hui, and Zhang Ying, the Zheng generals, were promoted too quickly, and they were all compared to these veterans. Now Fang Yuan mentioned that Gan Hui would replace him to gnaw this hard bone, obviously in Fang Yuan's mind, Gan Hui was far more talented than him, and he was worthy of entrusting him with a heavy responsibility.

Li Zongze was angry and anxious, proud all his life, and said loudly, "If Gan Hui can keep it, I can keep it!" 10,000 is 10,000! ”

Fang Yuan stared at the scar on his face again, as well as his indomitable resolute gaze, squeezed his hand tightly and said, "Zong Ze, Suqian will be handed over to you!" If you really die in Suqian, I will treat your family well and be prosperous for the rest of your life! ”

Li Zongze half-knelt on the ground, drew out his war knife, drew a long cut on his arm, and did not frown, letting the blood drip on the battle robe, on the ground, "Regent, if it weren't for following the regent, Li Zongze would still be a horse bandit who makes a living by looting, smuggling, and watching the eyes of the Fan family." After following the regent, he can be regarded as living like a human being. If there was no regent, there would be no Li Zongze today, this life was given by the regent, and this time it will be returned to the regent! ”

Li Zongze had already reported his mortal intention to stay in Suqian, Fang Yuan suddenly had an ominous premonition, and wanted to explain a few words to him, but the words came to his lips, but he felt that it was very redundant, so he swallowed it back.

After Li Zongze took the blood alliance oath and retired, the more Fang Yuan thought about it, the more he felt that it was inappropriate, he paced back and forth in the meeting hall, and suddenly ordered Hu Qi to say, "You go and call Gan Hui and Zhang Ying!" ”

Gan Hui and Zhang Ying arrived outside the conference hall almost at the same time to wait for Fang Yuan's summons.

Fang Yuan asked Gan Hui to enter the council hall and ordered, "Commander Gan, has Fengyang City still made a sneak attack out of the city these days?" ”

Gan Hui replied truthfully, "Since the last time I was hit by the plan and was annihilated by our army of more than 30,000 people, I have never left Fengyang City. ”

Fang Yuan nodded secretly when he heard this, since Ma Shiying and Huang Degong did not dare to go out of the city again, there was no too deadly threat to the defenders. Leaving 40,000 defenders under Fengyang City, but ordering Li Zongze to guard Suqian with 10,000 troops is also a bit redundant, so he explained, "Commander Gan, if Sun Chuanting really starts a war with our army, your focus is still on rescuing Suqian." The waterway of the Grand Canal is controlled by our army, Suqian is on the east bank of the canal, you can secretly observe the battle situation on the west bank, and once the battle situation in Suqian is really tight, you will immediately rescue. ”

"Li Zongze is the general of our army, I don't want him to fold in Suqian City for nothing!"

Gan Hui asked rhetorically, "Regent, if Sun Chuanting's offensive is very fierce and he needs to cross the river to rescue Suqian, he will inevitably draw troops to besiege Fengyang City. Fengyang, wai, or not?! ”

Fang Yuan stared at the two cities of Fengyang and Suqian on the sand table, and fell into deep contemplation.

After a long time, he looked sideways at Gan Hui and said, "If the battle situation develops to the point where Fengyang and Suqian can only choose one or the other, then keep Suqian and abandon Fengyang!" is here, Fengyang can fight back; If the person is gone, it is really gone! ”

Gan Hui was slightly stunned, and then he was secretly moved, at least in Fang Yuan's opinion, the lives of the generals and soldiers under his command were far more important than just a Fengyang City, this is the real love of soldiers and generals. Compared with the previous Zheng Sen, for the sake of a Hangzhou city, he actually gave up his fierce general, which of the two is the pearl, it is clear at a glance.

Gan Hui was secretly glad that he had abandoned the darkness and turned to the light before, Chong Fangyuan knelt on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Regent, please rest assured, as long as I, Gan Hui, am still alive, Li Zongze will be safe and sound!" Suqian can't be lost! ”

Fang Yuan helped him up, laughed and said, "Commander Gan is really my right-hand man, take back all the unlucky words for me, I want you all to be safe and sound!" After this victory, we were drunk for three days and three nights! ”

Gan Hui retreated, and it was time for Zhang Ying to enter.

Zhang Ying didn't know why Fang Yuan suddenly summoned himself and Gan Hui back, and finally waited for Gan Hui to retreat, so he hurriedly entered and asked, "The regent summoned me, but there is urgent military affairs?!" ”

Fang Yuan nodded and said, "I will transfer the 20,000 Xuanjia soldiers in Suqian to your command, and the 30,000 troops who will go to Huguang this time will be 30,000 troops. ”

Zhang Ying looked at him in amazement and asked, "Didn't the regent say before that this battle was a beheading operation, and the soldiers were not much more expensive, so why did you send 20,000 more soldiers?!" ”

Fang Yuan approached him and whispered with a solemn expression, "Because, these 20,000 soldiers are a trick to confuse Li Zicheng, as well as Li Yan and the Red Lady!" ”

Zhang Ying was taken aback when she heard this, and asked in a lost voice, "Regent, you mean that the red lady is here to deceive her?!" ”