On 1 September, Li Congjing ordered Gao Xingzhou to be the forward general of the right army, and led the Hengchong army from Jianzhou to the west. After two days of marching, the army arrived in Longzhou. On September 4, the Hengchong army captured the city of Longzhou Prefecture and defeated the troops of Li Yun, the general of Xichuan.

On 5 September, Li Congjing issued another military order, with Huang Fulin as the former general, and led the Longxiang army to set off from Jianzhou, beat Li Congjing's handsome banner, and made great fanfare along the way, pretending to be the main force, and marched south. On 9 September, the Longxiang army and the southbound Hengchong army joined forces outside the city of Mianzhou, and the next day, the two armies attacked the city.

On the night of 10 September, an urgent distress letter was delivered from Mianzhou to Langzhou via Zizhou and presented to Li Shaobin.

The letter for help was originally escorted by a team of elite cavalry, but when the letter was delivered to Li Shaobin, only the last three of the first twenty or so people remained, and the remaining dozen or so died on the way.

Two days ago, the vanguard of the left army of the Wang division entered the border of Langzhou. In accordance with the order of Marshal Li Congjing, according to the map drawn by the military intelligence department, Meng Ping sent hundreds of elite rangers to scatter all over Langzhou first, like a chessboard, intercepting and killing Dongchuan rangers, and blocking all large and small roads.

When Li Shaobin received the letter for help from Mianzhou, he was receiving the general of Xichuan, that is, Zhao Tingyin, the assassin of Hanzhou.

Zhao Tingyin was ordered by Meng Zhixiang to lead 10,000 Xichuan troops from Suizhou and arrived in Langzhou City on this day.

"The main force of the thief army has arrived in Mianzhou?" Li Shaobin was shocked when he read the contents of the letter.

Zhao Tingyin was also surprised, because according to Meng Zhixiang's speculation, the main force of Wang Shi would have come to Langzhou. But he didn't ask, because he just said someone would ask for him. Sure enough, Li Shaobin stared at the person who delivered the letter and asked, "Can you see it clearly?" How many soldiers and horses did the thief army have? ”

"Looking at its formation, there are no less than 50,000, and there are Li Congjing's king flag, official flag, and handsome flag, there will never be a mistake!" The messenger replied, with a fear on his face that had not faded, and he did not know whether he was afraid of the army outside the city that he suddenly saw in Mianzhou that day, or the danger of being intercepted and chased on the way to the next day.

Li Shaobin's face changed, and he said, "This shouldn't be!" ”

Zhao Tingyin also said, "It really shouldn't." ”

They say the same thing, but with different meanings.

Zhao Tingyin asked Li Shaobin, "Why does Li Shuai think it shouldn't be?" ”

Zhao Tingyin looked at him and said, "Ben Shuai has received a report from the rangers, and the Hundred Battles Army has entered the Langzhou territory. Since the Hundred Battles Army is here, Li Congjing should also come. ”

After speaking, he asked again: "Why does General Zhao think that it should not be?" ”

Zhao Tingyin replied: "Because Meng Shuai once said that Li Congjing will definitely send the main force to Langzhou. ”

"That's why?" Li Shaobin frowned.

"Isn't that enough?" Zhao Tingyin asked rhetorically, "The last general will lead a large army to help, and this is the reason. ”

Li Shaobin's heart was sour, and he didn't know whether he was envious or jealous, "General Zhao is convinced of Meng Shuai. ”

"It's just because Meng Shuai never missed it." Zhao Tingyin said as a matter of course, and then he showed a strange look, "Could it be that the Dongchuan soldiers are not convinced of Li Shuai?" ”

Li Shaobin snorted coldly, raised the letter in his hand and said: "However, right now, Li Congjing has arrived in Mianzhou!" ”

"The last will not believe." Zhao Tingyin said.

"Don't believe me?"

"Could it be that Li Shuai believes it?"

"Why don't you believe it?"

"Whether Li Shuai believes it or not, the last general doesn't care." Zhao Tingyin looked at Li Shaobin and said, "The last general only cares about what Li Shuai will do next." ”

Li Shaobin was silent.

Zhao Tingyin didn't urge, and when he was talking to Li Shaobin, he stood up, and then sat down again. Everyone was feasting and drinking before, but on the desk in front of Zhao Ting's invisibility, the wine, meat and food were not bad, he poured himself a glass of wine and drank it unhurriedly.

Wang Hui, who had retreated from Langzhou since Jianzhou, got up and hugged his fist at Li Shaobin at this time, and said: "Longzhou has a strong defense, and it is also a fortress, but it can't stop the thieves' division from attacking for two days. If there is a mistake in Mianzhou and Zizhou is in danger, our army should immediately return to help. ”

"The Dongchuan Army returned to aid Zizhou, and Langzhou didn't want it?" Li Shaobin didn't speak, and Zhao Tingyin had already spoken first, which showed that his heart was not as relaxed as he appeared.

"Zizhou is the foundation of Dongchuan, how can it be compared to Langzhou!" Wang Hui said decisively, and then changed his words, "Of course, if it is outside Mianzhou City, it is not the main force of the thief army, then it can be seen that Li Congjing has ulterior motives. ”

"What's the point?" Zhao Tingyin asked.

"Sound to the west." Wang Hui said.

"Oh?" Zhao Tingyin raised his eyebrows.

"Li Congjing must lead the main force to attack Langzhou." Wang Hui said.

"Not bad." Zhao Tingyin's heart was slightly relieved, "The Hundred Battles Army has arrived in Langzhou, and Li Congjing should have come to Langzhou." ”

"Therefore, the top priority is to clarify the situation and distinguish whether the main force of the thief army has gone to Mianzhou or Langzhou." Wang Hui concluded.

"Not bad!" Zhao Tingyin drank another glass of wine, his eyes brightened, "This matter is not difficult, just send more rangers." Langzhou is not far from Jianzhou, and the scouts will be able to find out the facts all the way to Jianzhou. ”

"But there's a problem." Wang Hui said suddenly.

"What's the problem?" Zhao Tingyin immediately asked.

Wang Hui looked at Li Shaobin and stopped talking.

Li Shaobin naturally understood what Wang Hui meant.

Zhao Tingyin saw the demeanor of the two clearly, and fell silent, he also understood what Wang Hui meant.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

The main force of Dongchuan is in Langzhou, not to mention Mianzhou, even the defenders of Zizhou are not very many.

It will take time for Langzhou to find out where Li Congjing's main force is.

But there is no time in Mianzhou.

Mianzhou's defense will not be stronger than Longzhou, the rampage army captured Longzhou in two days, how long will it take to capture Mianzhou? Moreover, no matter where Li Congjing's main force is, it is certain that outside Mianzhou City, there is more than one army that is rampage.

From Langzhou to Zizhou and Mianzhou, the march will take several days. Even if it is a fine ride, it is not a day to reach.

"When you set off from Mianzhou, there was a team of people, but now there are only three people left, and the others are all folded on the road?" Li Shaobin had heard the messenger say this question, but at this time he asked the messenger again.

"Yes!" The messenger replied, "After entering the border of Langzhou, he was intercepted and pursued by several elite cavalry. ”

Li Shaobin was silent again.

Wang Hui knew what Li Shaobin was thinking.

He said: "I have heard that the Hundred Battles Army is very good at using rangers, but whenever they fight, they will send a large number of rangers to open the way, hunt down the opponent's scouts, and control the main road, so that the transmission and transmission of the opponent's military information cannot be smooth. ”

"So what?" Zhao Tingyin asked with a calm face, "Isn't there a fine cavalry in our army?" ”

Wang Hui said in a deep voice: "Even though our army has many elite cavalry, there are few generals who are good at this way. In any case, it will take more time to find out where the main force of the thief army is. ”

Zhao Tingyin bowed his head solemnly.

The situation remains uncertain, but at least one thing is certain.

The situation is very unfavorable to Langzhou and Liangchuan.

Li Shaobin gritted his teeth secretly, "Li Congjing, this guy is treacherous and cunning!" ”

Zhao Tingyin didn't answer, he didn't have the habit of complaining to others.

"There will be a plan in the end, which can break the current predicament!" Wang Hui said suddenly.

Li Shaobin and Zhao Tingyin's eyes suddenly focused on his face.

Wang Hui lost in Jianzhou and retreated to Langzhou, which made Li Shaobin extremely angry, and wanted to kill him and boost the hearts of the army. Now is the time for him to make amends.

Wang Hui said: "Right now, there is only one way to go: to break through a hundred ingenuity!" ”

"What do you mean by that?" Zhao Tingyin is actually more anxious than Li Shaobin.

"Attack the Sword State!" Wang Hui said categorically.

Li Shaobin was surprised, and Zhao Tingyin pondered.

Wang Hui continued: "Right now, Langzhou has nearly 30,000 of my two Sichuan heroes, which can be used!" If the main force of the thief army is in Mianzhou, and there is only a hundred battle army in Langzhou, then I have 30,000 tigers, and it is not difficult to break the hundred battle army, and then I will be able to drive straight into and attack Jianzhou! If it is done, it can destroy the rear of the thief army, and it will be defeated; If it doesn't work out, the thief army can also be sent back, and the siege of Mianzhou will be relieved by then! ”

"What if the main force of the thief army is not in Mianzhou?"

"If the main force of the thief army is not in Mianzhou, our army can at least protect itself. Even if the war is unfavorable, it is impossible to retreat to Langzhou! ”

Li Shaobin's eyes lit up, and he praised it again and again, but Zhao Tingyin did not echo this opinion, but shook his head and said, "No." ”

"No?" Wang Hui was not happy, "Why not?" ”

"If the main force of the thief army is in Mianzhou, it is good, if it is really in the area of Jianzhou and Langzhou, our army will inevitably fight with it." Zhao Tingyin sighed.

"Field battles are field battles, is it possible that I am really afraid of him Li Congjing?!"

"No, no."

"Why not?"

"Meng Shuai has said first, don't fight with the thief army." Zhao Tingyin said.

"Meng Shuai said that he can't, so he must not do it?" Wang Hui was about to laugh angrily.

"Meng Shuai can't say it, naturally it must not be!" Zhao Tingyin said solemnly, seeing that Li Shaobin and Wang Hui's faces were not good-looking, and then said: "Before leaving, Meng Shuai had an order that if we fought with the thief army in the field, our army would be defeated. If you want to win, you must rely on the city. ”

"Laugh and talk!" Wang Hui flicked his sleeves and sneered, "I thought that there were many warriors in Xichuan, and Meng Shuai was even more talented, but I never thought that I was so cowardly, and I didn't even have the courage to fight with the thief army!" ”

Zhao Tingyin sneered, looking at Wang Hui's eyes, he did not hide the sneering look at all, "Do you laugh at it, General Wang, who was defeated by the thief army in Jianzhou, really doesn't know?" ”

"You"

"Why did Li Zhao lose, the three battles in Jianzhou, what was the situation in each battle, did General Wang have to say more?" Zhao Tingyin's tone became colder, and it seemed that he was not without complaints about the death of Li Zhao, the destruction of the Xichuan tribe, and the battle situation of Wang Hui alone.

"What does General Zhao mean by this?"

"What does General Ben mean by this, doesn't General Wang know?"

"That's it!" Li Shaobin interrupted the argument between the two, "How to arrange the war, the general has already been decided, and the two of them don't have to fight anymore!" ”

Li Congjing stepped into the border of Langzhou.

Behind him, followed by Wang Sitong, the commander of the Tiger Guards, and Li Congzhang, Li Congke, and Shi Jingjiao, who were all commanded by the Feiyun Army.

The Feiyun Army left 5,000 soldiers to guard Jianzhou, which means that Li Congjing led nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses behind him, plus the 100 battle troops who were one step ahead, and this time he entered Langzhou, and he did bring the main force.

30,000 soldiers, to break through Langzhou City, which has the same force garrison, is inevitably insufficient. But Li Congjing is full of confidence.

Why?

Li Congke asked these two words.

"The defenders of Langzhou will definitely go out of the city to meet the battle." Li Congjing smiled faintly, "The siege may not be able to take Langzhou, but the field battle will definitely defeat the thief army, so as to further capture Langzhou City." ”

"If the defenders of Langzhou can go out of the city to meet our army, our army will naturally be able to defeat them in one fell swoop. But why is the marshal sure that Li Shaobin will not defend the city? Li Congke was puzzled.

"The war in Mianzhou has started, and seeing that Zizhou is not guaranteed, Li Shaobin urgently needs to open up the situation. To open up the situation, is there a better strategy than to rush to Jianzhou? Li Congjing said with a smile.

"Could it be that Li Shaobin would be so arrogant that he would be able to win the battle when he encountered our army in the field?" Li Congke asked again.

"It doesn't matter." Blue sky and white clouds, Li Congjing looked into the distance, "The important thing is that Li Shaobin has no choice." ”

"No choice?"

"If he guards Langzhou, even though Langzhou can be guaranteed, but on the front line of Mianzhou and Zizhou, there are 20,000 troops that I have really fought in, and it will definitely not be able to hold - not to mention, Gao Xingzhou and Huang Fulin have come out, but it is a battle of 50,000 troops. All in all, there is not much time left for Li Shaobin, and what he needs now is to fight for every minute. Otherwise, the time will be long, once Zizhou falls, he will have no way to live, and no matter what he wants to do at that time, it will be too late. Li Congjing said, "Besides, Li Shaobin must think that even if he is invincible in the field battle with our army, he can still retreat to Langzhou City." Therefore, Li Shaobin will definitely rush to Jianzhou in order to disturb my rear, disrupt my deployment, and probe my reality. ”

"I see." Li Congke expressed his deep admiration, "The handsome man is strategizing, and the temple is exhaustive, I admire it!" ”

"What a strategy, the temple is exhaustive!" Li Congjing smiled casually, "Ben Shuai is just bullying less with more." ”

Li Congke smiled and said, "The big handsome said it was funny." ”

"It's not a joke." Green waters and green mountains, Li Congjing said with a smile: "In the past, when he was a general and a vassal commander, whenever he was fighting, he often used to have fewer enemies and more, so he was in crisis step by step, and he was worried about it. After speaking, he asked Li Congke, "Do you know why?" ”

"Why?"

"To bully more than less is to bully others. It's always much more enjoyable to bully someone than to be bullied! Li Congjing laughed.

Li Congke naturally laughed too.

After laughing, Li Congjing waved his hand, "In the final analysis, Meng Zhixiang and Li Shaobin raised troops to commit treason, and vainly wanted to challenge the entire empire with one place, which was originally to find death and beating." Since they have this Yaxing, how can Ben Shuai disappoint the fun, how can he not let them know how painful the whip of the empire hurts and how much it can kill people! ”

After he said this, the rangers of the Hundred Battles Army in front reported that the traces of Li Shaobin's army had been found.