Ma Xintian frowned slightly and said, "Since Zeng Ying will definitely come again, we have to prepare carefully." ”

Wang Huan got up, came to the sand table, and looked around at the crowd: "Everyone come here, let's go through it together." ”

Everyone in the hall hurriedly passed, Wang Huan stretched out one hand into the sand table, and pointed: "The official road in the Black Valley has been blocked, if you want to dredge it, it is not possible, the amount of soil and stones in that narrow valley cannot be dug up in half a year." ”

Everyone nodded in agreement: "What the adults said is extreme. ”

Wang Huan said again: "But Zeng Ying has suffered such a big loss, it must be impossible to just wait for the mountain, according to what you said, this person has a narrow personality, he can't stand the grievances, and he will definitely retaliate as soon as possible, the Black Valley is not passable, which way will he go?" ”

His fingers followed the Dansha lines representing the Yangtze River on the sand table, wandered all the way, and finally settled on the round stone with "Xituo Town" written in small block letters, and said in a deep voice: "He has no other way but waterways!" ”

Wang Huan's sand table, with cinnabar for the river and soil for the mountain, as for the city, it is replaced by large and small round stones, the big stone represents the big city, the small one is the small city, Xituo Town, a town inhabited by thousands of people, uses the smallest stone, the words written on it, almost with a magnifying glass.

Everyone nodded one after another: "Zeng Ying is the only way, there is no other way to go." ”

"Zeng Ying has suffered such a big loss, he will definitely tear off the last fig leaf, and in anger and shame, he will never take into account the prestige of his stepmother again, and brazenly attack Tusi City directly from the waterway."

"In this way, the pressure on my stepmother's side has increased sharply, and the number of her soldiers and horses may be about the same as ours, but I don't know how well the two deputy commanders have trained." Wang Huan was a little worried.

Ma Wannian also became anxious, and blurted out: "Then I will go back to Tusi City immediately, report to my grandmother, and make plans as soon as possible." ”

Wang Huan tapped his fingers lightly on the sand table table, and he had a sense of moderation, which was his signature action when thinking, and the habit he developed in later generations could not be changed, and he kept it after crossing over.

Knuckles knocked on the wooden table, making a slight "aggressive" sound, Wang Huan said slowly while knocking on the words: "Yang Zhan is blocked in the Black Valley, and he has to return to Chongqing Fucheng to report to Zeng Ying, and then prepare the boat to go down the river, regroup and come along the river, come and go, there is no ten days and half a month to get it inappropriate, you leave today, the stepmother has about ten days to prepare." ”

Ma Wannian immediately clenched his fists, waved at Wang Huan and the people in the hall, and rushed out of the door to accuse the crime, shouting outside the door like a burning buttocks: "Hurry up and give me the fastest horse, I have something to go first!" ”

As soon as he left, the atmosphere in the hall became even more depressing, and the joy of winning the battle was blown away from everyone's hearts like a strong wind, replaced by a sad bleakness.

"The next time Zeng Ying attacks, he may bring more people than this time, with his personality, if he doesn't burn the stone pillar Tusi City to the ground, and dismantle the Wanshou Valley, he won't stop, the Tubao Zhai Silver Mine, and my family business will be difficult to protect." Ma Chongming's face turned a little pale, and some rumors he had heard from his businessman friends made this fat man who regarded money as his ancestors very frightened, and naturally thought of what would happen if Zeng Ying's army occupied the stone pillar.

Ma Xintian and Xu Tiezhu looked at him with disdain, Ma Xintian didn't speak, Xu Tiezhu was much more straightforward, pouting and saying: "Then it's better for you to simply surrender to him, maybe you can keep the industry and family wealth." ”

Ma Chongming's mind was full of thoughts, and he subconsciously replied: "No, no, no, that Zeng peeling is notoriously cruel, and he is not merciful to the rich, unless he took refuge in him at the beginning, and now he surrenders, it has ......."

After saying a few words, he suddenly came back to his senses, looked at Xu Tiezhu and Wang Huan with a panicked face, and exclaimed: "Ah? What nonsense are you talking about? How could I surrender, I am dedicated to Wanshou Valley and Tusi City, Lord Wang Mingjian, my Ma Chongming's family business is all in Shizhu, it is impossible to do that thing of collaborating with the enemy and betraying the enemy, it is absolutely impossible! ”

Xu Tiezhu smiled and said, "Just kidding, what are you doing in such a panic?" Could it be that there is a ghost in his heart? ”

Ma Chongming was furious and shouted: "You are talking nonsense! What the hell am I doing? I act above board, I have a naked heart for Wanshou City, the sun and the moon can be seen, if you don't make it clear to me today, I'm not done with you! ”

Wang Huan looked at the two arguing with tears and laughter, frowned and said to Xu Tiezhu: "Tiezhu Hugh wants to talk nonsense, the horse head people have made a lot of contributions to buying and selling grain and grass in my valley, how can they take refuge in Zeng Ying?" ”

He glanced at Ma Chongming meaningfully, and said: "And the Matou family has all the business in the stone pillar, and what can happen if he surrenders to Zeng Ying, who specializes in picking the skins of the rich?" When the time comes, the end will be worse than what I waited. ”

Speaking and listening, Wang Huan's words sounded like persuasion, but when they fell on Ma Chongming's ears, they were full of warnings, the fat man was stunned, and he smiled to himself with an embarrassed expression, but it was even more ugly than crying, and he said in his mouth: "Yes, yes, Lord Wang is reasonable." ”

Just now, he was still thinking about how he could keep the Wanguan family business if the stone pillar couldn't stand it, but he was so frightened by Wang Huan that he disappeared immediately.

Wang Huan frightened and frightened Ma Chongming, and then stopped Xu Tiezhu's further sneer with his eyes, knocked on the table and said in a deep voice: "Since the road from the Black Valley has been cut off, and there is no passage to threaten me from the front, then in addition to the mine and Tuntian, we must train a military horse as soon as possible in case of urgent need." ”

Ma Xintian looked at Xu Tiezhu and Ma Chongming arguing coldly just now, and then spoke: "What the adults said is extremely true, but military training is not something that can be achieved in one day, even if it is according to the method of adult military training, I am afraid that it will not be about half a year, and I dare not call it a soldier who can fight." ”

Wang Huan's military training method, in later generations, is also a three-month recruit period to train queue discipline, and it takes another year of training to be called a soldier, he said that half a year to become an army, are exaggerated.

"In half a year, Zeng Ying has knocked down the entire stone pillar, right?" Ma Chongming couldn't help it again, and said with a white face.

"That's not it, it depends on how many people Zeng Yingken invests." Wang Huan smiled coldly.

"Didn't you just say that Zeng Ying's next attack will definitely bring more people than this time?" Ma Chongming hurriedly said: "This time it's 10,000 people, next time I'm afraid it's 20,000 people, or more." ”

This was said by Ma Chongming just now, and everyone was also convinced, Zeng Ying had to invest 10,000 people and a lieutenant general who had experienced a hundred battles in Wanshou Valley, which only had about 100 soldiers and horses, to attack Tusi City, where Qin Liangyu commanded the troops, and the number of troops did not increase but decreased, which was not in line with his character.

Wang Huan sneered, and said with a calm face: "That's not necessarily, after all, Zeng Ying is facing more than one enemy, in the west of Chongqing Mansion, Zhang Xianzhong has not moved for a while, is the Great Western Kingdom just like this?" ”

Ma Xintian was stunned for a moment, and said in surprise: "Zeng Ying has been fighting continuously since he took Chongqing Mansion and Kuizhou Mansion from the hands of the thief, but there has been no major war in the past two months, and both sides are in a stalemate, so Zeng Ying dared to send 10,000 people to attack my Wanshou Valley, but Lord Wang, since the thief has not moved for so long, how can he assert that he will attack Zeng Ying again in the near future?" ”

Wang Huan said with a smile: "Zhang Xianzhong's tiger and wolf generation, the ambition of the hero, how could he be willing to be taken away by the coyote-like Zeng Ying to take away the two prefectures and thirteen counties?" He didn't move for another reason. ”

He pointed to the piece closest to the west on the sand table and said: "The original intention of the Great Western State is to be hidden in the middle of the Sichuan, to imitate Liu Bei in the Three Kingdoms according to Shuzhou, and Cao Aman to seize the world, last year Li Zicheng fought in the east and west, and it seemed that he was about to enter Beijing to occupy Daming Jingpu, and the country was about to change hands, if Zhang Xianzhong did not hurry up to find a base to establish a country, I am afraid that in the future it will either be eaten and annexed by Li Zicheng, or end up wandering around and finally becoming a bandit." ”

"That's why Zhang Xianzhong hurriedly entered Sichuan, occupied the CD but unexpectedly entered the customs this year, drove away Li Zicheng, Azig also killed him directly in Huguang, and the Dashun regime that once occupied half of the world collapsed, so that Zhang Xianzhong's strategy changed, from occupying Shuzhong to having the idea of absorbing Li Zicheng's original territory."

"So this year, he shrank his forces and hoarded in western Sichuan, wanting to capture Hanzhong, go out of the Meridian Valley to conquer Guanzhong, and occupy Shaanxi, intending to occupy the land of horse breeding, connect Guanzhong and Shuzhong, expand the sphere of influence, and fight against the Tartars."

"But unexpectedly, although Li Zicheng died, his subordinates did not collapse, and now Hanzhong is still firmly in the hands of his subordinate general He Zhen, this person is good at war, and there is geography, Zhang Xianzhong has suffered a big loss in his hands in the past few months, and the soldiers have been defeated, but even the city wall of Hanzhong has not been stepped on, and the troops have withdrawn."

"Zhang Xianzhong suffered a loss in the west, and when he returned to CD, he naturally wanted to find someone to put out the fire, and Zeng Ying, who took advantage of his opportunity to occupy his two mansions, was naturally the first to be beaten."

"So everyone, compared to us, who is the greater threat?"

Wang Huan asked with a smile.