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In the next few days, Shen Ruoyu either discussed at the general's place, stayed up all night, or closed his door, except for Zhong Kexi to deliver food, no one was seen, but he didn't say a word to Zhong Kexi. The spy report came from the pen %fun %pavilion www.biquge.info that the Yan army was resting in Cangzhou, and at the same time, the generals in Cangzhou and the captured baggage were loaded on ships one by one and transported to Beiping by the canal.

On the first day of November, Sheng Yong suddenly ordered the officers and men of the three armies to prepare for the line, load the grain cart, and set off the next day, and the soldiers marched to Dongchang in two ways, one route was led by the general Sheng Yong, the veteran He Fu and the generals Zhuang De and Chu Zhi accompanied him, and the 100,000 Ma Bu army went by land; The other road followed the left general Shen Ruoliao, the generals Chen Hui, Sun Lin, and Tang Li, also 100,000 soldiers and horses, and traveled south by boat, and the two armies went to Dongchang to meet together. Another 20,000 soldiers were left to stay in Texas with the Texas guard general Ge Jin.

In the early morning of 3 November, the army was fully equipped and ready to go. Shen Ruoyu led the crowd first, out of the West Gate of Texas, and headed for the canal. After traveling ten miles, he suddenly ordered to turn around and go south, and the army hurried towards Gaotang.

The accompanying columns will not be puzzled. Shen Ruoyu didn't care to explain, but said that he was going to cross the Mache River and Gaotang, and he must rush to Dongchang before sunset.

In the evening, the two armies arrived at the foot of Dongchang City at the same time and camped in the west of the city according to the order. Yuan Yu, the general of Dongchang, went out of the city to meet the army and prepared a rich wine and food to reward the army. After the army settled down, he went to the big tent of the Chinese army with the generals to listen to the order.

To his surprise, the 200,000 troops had all arrived, He Fu, Chen Hui and other generals were all there, but there was no trace of the general Sheng Yong in the entire camp, and only Shen Ruoyao was the only one who sat in the general position in the big tent.

Yuan Yu opened his mouth and asked, "Where is the general?" ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "It's still in Texas." ”

"Texas?" Yuan Yu was puzzled.

Except for He Fu, the generals were all as confused as Yuan Yu: "When we set off this morning, the general suddenly ordered us to follow General He Fu and go straight to Dongchang; After arriving in Dongchang, everything must be ordered by General Zuo. I'm just inexplicable. General Ho, what the hell is going on? ”

"Also, as I said yesterday, we will take the water road, and the general will lead the troops to take the dry road; As a result, General Shen suddenly changed his route to take the dry road, I don't know what the reason is? Tang Li questioned.

Chu Zhi also asked, "Why do you want to camp in the west of the city?" The camp is surrounded by water on three sides, and one side faces the city, once the enemy army sneaks up, you can't advance, you can't retreat, isn't it to be trapped here? ”

Before Shen Ruoyu could open his mouth, his face turned red first. Sitting alone in the big tent of the Chinese army, he didn't even dare to think about this situation a few days ago. What's more, these generals are all from the army, all of them have countless military exploits, and they have rich experience on the battlefield, needless to say, he can also see that everyone doesn't take him seriously, and they have to come over to Xu Huizu to listen to the order.

He Fu suddenly said: "Why doesn't General Zuo show what the generals have entrusted him?" ”

Shen Ruoyu was slightly stunned, thought about it, took out a cloth bag from behind him, put it on his lap and untied it, took out a slender rosewood box and opened it; Bright yellow silk satin, holding a sword inlaid with a gold carved dragon. He hesitated, then carefully pulled the sword out of both hands.

"Generals, do you know what this is?"

The generals looked at each other. Chen Hui said in a low voice:

"Could it be...... Shang Fang Sword? ”

"How is this possible! How could the great general easily transfer the Shang Fang sword given by the Son of Heaven to others! Tang Li shouted.

Shen Ruoyu asked He Fudao: "Does General He know why these are?" ”

He Fu shook his head and smiled: "He Fu knows a little bit about it; It was not until this morning before his departure that the general suddenly told me in private that he wanted me to lead the crowd over on his behalf, and said that he had already discussed with General Zuo about the strategy of breaking the Yan army, and from now on, all military affairs in Dongchang would be subject to General Zuo's orders, and there would be no problem. He kept the seal of the general, and he has handed over the sword of Shang Fang to General Zuo, asking us to do our best to help, and not to be suspicious. ”

"How can we not doubt this?" Tang Li said stupidly, "What is the reason for the general's move, General Shen will tell us?" ”

Shen Ruoyu thought for a moment, his face full of sadness.

"I can't say it yet, because—because ......," he paused. The major event of military aircraft cannot be easily leaked. The reason why I hid it from the generals is not that I can't trust you; It's just that...... The risk is too great, once the news leaks, let King Yan notice-"

"If you can't believe it, you can't believe it, so why should General Zuo prevaricate." Tang Li said angrily, "When Cao Guogong was a general before, wasn't he just as suspicious. I'm afraid that if this suspicion continues, it is unknown that this terrifying river will become a second Baigou River. ”

He Fu hurriedly shouted: "General Tang is rude!" ”

Shen Ruoyu lowered his head and was silent for a while, thinking about how to answer. However, the conclusion that comes out of thinking is that the defense is useless; At least for now. He looked up and glanced at the generals in the tent. When the generals saw his indifferent eyes, they couldn't help but feel a pang in their hearts, and they had never seen General Zuo look like this, so they thought they were angry. No matter how young and incompetent he is, he is also a legendary martial arts master, with an invincible father in the world, and holding the sword of Shang Fang, there is still something to be afraid of.

Shen Ruoyu was indeed a little annoyed. He stood up, expressionless, and said coldly:

"All of you go back and get some night's rest. From tomorrow onwards, the soldiers will be trained every day without fatigue. No one is allowed to leave the camp without permission; Even if you enter Dongchang City, you must report it in advance. If the military order that the general has already affirmed is violated, it will be dealt with in accordance with military law. ”

In the early morning of the next day, Shen Ruoliao walked around the camp and watched the soldiers exercise breakfast and morning; Then, invite He Fu and Chen Hui to Dongchang City to have a look, leaving the rest of the generals to guard the camp.

Yuan Yu led General Zuo and others to walk around the city wall to check the city defense. The topography of Dongchang is quite similar to Jinan, with a high view, a horse and a flat river, and the eyes are extremely boundless; The waterways are complex, the reeds are lush, and the moats are wide and deep. Shen Ruoyu had heard that Dongchang was a rare water city north of the river, with beautiful scenery and many scenic spots. Dongchang Lake, which is several times larger than Daming Lake in the city, communicates with the river outside the city, rippling and rippling; There is still the ancient city of Liaocheng in the Northern Song Dynasty on the island in the center of the lake, and there is also the newly built Dongchang Building in the Hongwu period in the city, which can be said to be comparable to the second floor of Yellow Crane and Yueyang. However, he had no intention of looking at the scenery. The general is in Texas, and now the 200,000 army in Dongchang is in his hands; Once there is an emergency military situation, there is no general to rely on. He is full of minds, and now it is all about the defense of the great army, and the coming big war.

After walking the city wall, it was already afternoon. The group returned to the camp for lunch. At this time, the Malay newspaper reported that the Yan army had arrived in Texas in the morning and was now attacking the city.

When everyone heard this, they were silent for a while. Yuan Yu opened his mouth and asked:

"Texas city defense, better than Dongchang? Do you want to go back to the rescue? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "The height of the city is similar, the grain is abundant, there is not as much water as Dongchang, and the defenders are twice as much." With the presence of the great general, there will be no problems. King Yan's attack on Texas is equivalent to having been earned by the general. Texas is unprofitable, and the Yan army will not stay for long, and it will inevitably go south in the future. ”

"What do you mean that you have been earned by the general?" The generals were at a loss.

Chen Hui said: "Why don't you take advantage of this time to go back to Texas and hit it on both sides, and be caught off guard?" ”

He Fudao: "The Yan army will not stay in Texas for a long time, so we must be quick to send troops, and the sooner the better." But now the troops are dispatched, and they will not arrive until dark at the earliest; Either they will attack the Yan army camp in the middle of the night, or they will fight again tomorrow. If we fight again tomorrow, the Yan army will be prepared, and I will fight against him with 200,000 people, and the result will be unpredictable. ”

"I think this trick is good," Chu Zhi said, "set off immediately, rush to Texas after dark, and use the night to cover people's eyes and ears, and then attack the camp at night." ”

Sun Lin said: "General Zuo, give the order!" ”

Shen Ruoyu was taken aback and came back to his senses. He had already understood, but it seemed that he had really felt the seriousness of the problem at this moment. Now the general is at war with the Yan army in Dezhou, Shang Fang's sword is in his hand, the 200,000 army is in his hand, and the generals are on standby, waiting for his life.

When Jinan defended the city, he still had to obey Sheng Yong and Tie Xuan's arrangements in everything, although he worked hard, he didn't have much responsibility, which was very different from this time; In the past, in the palace, with the twelve guards and guards, although the responsibility was heavy, it was thousands of miles away from the battlefield, and now it seems that it is almost a matter of sprinkling the door, which is too simple.

It seems that his words can now decide the life and death of 200,000 people and the survival of the temple. As if not as if, but absolutely.

He opened his mouth, but the generals were taken aback.

"Hold still."

"Still? Why? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Do you generals, do you know why the general handed over the Shang Fang sword to me?" Earlier, in Texas, the general had already set a detailed plan for the Battle of Dongchang, and before leaving, he told me to act according to the plan and not to change it easily, so I was relieved to bring 200,000 people over, and he himself stayed in Texas. This general's order cannot be violated. ”

The generals couldn't help but scream. Tang Li said angrily: "We attacked the Yan army camp at night, but we won the battle. Wherever there is a reason on the battlefield to act exactly according to the plan, it is always improvised. If you don't move here and miss the opportunity, what kind of strategy is it to use troops? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Improvisation, that refers to when the military situation is unexpected. General Tang thought that the Yan army was attacking Texas at the moment, and the general didn't think of it in advance? He didn't plan to attack from both sides, he had his own vision. ”

He Fudao: "General Shen, you just said that the Yan army's attack on Texas is equivalent to being made by the general-how did the general plan it?" Can you answer the questions you had yesterday when you sent out the troops and marched to them? ”

"That's right; No matter how good the general is, he should let us all know that he can do things. Zhuang said.

Shen Ruoyu thought for a while and replied, "It's okay; Now that the Yan army has attacked Texas, it doesn't hurt to say it. In the former, the general said that the soldiers were divided into two roads, I took the water road, he took the dry road, and he would meet here, and let General Ge Jin lead 20,000 soldiers to stay in Texas, all of which were false. First: when the army leaves Texas, Texas is empty; It was claimed that only General Ge Jin was defending the city, so that there was no one to defend the Yan army in Texas, but it was a trick to lure the troops in order to frustrate their spirit. King Yan had been defeated by the general in the siege of the city before, and this time he was even more unclear about the truth and fiction, and the general personally defended Texas, and he would be defeated. Second: the general takes the dry road fast, then he goes to Dongchang first; I took the waterway slowly, and then to Dongchang, and the waterway could not be reached directly, so it was a delaying tactic to prevent the Yan army from attacking halfway. so that the king of Yan thinks that I am taking the waterway, so that he may have time to go to Texas first, and then come and fetch me; And when I was about to be taken, the general's army by land was again difficult to meet for a while. In this way, the Yan army must attack Texas first; And I actually took the dry road, and waited until King Yan found out that he was deceived, and at this moment my army had already arrived in Dongchang. Third: Now my 200,000 troops are here, and the general is in Texas; It's a trick to lure the soldiers. King Yan hates me to the bone, and he will want to destroy me, and once he learns that the general is not with the army, he will have the heart of despising the enemy, and he will definitely attack with his army. In this way, the Yan army could be lured into the pre-set battle between the Duke of Wei and the general; The Yan army has been attacked for a long time and has been deceived repeatedly, while our army is waiting for work, and there are many important towns around Dongchang in response, and the general and Wei Guogong and Tie Shangshu are also attacking from the outside at this moment, ambushing on all sides, and defeating the Yan army in a battle. ”

When the generals heard this, they were silent for a moment; Sun Lin asked:

"What is the purpose of camping in the west of the city?"

"This -- it is not yet possible to say in the open. When the time comes, I will tell the rank generals. ”

Tang Li frowned and said, "What does the general mean, our 200,000 troops are sitting here waiting for the Yan army to come?" Great generals are also mediocre; We sneak attack the Yan camp, attack on both sides, and the victory can be determined in one battle, saving much trouble; Even if we wait until the Yan army comes to Dongchang to fight with us in the future, we don't know if we can win. What kind of vision is this? ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Commander Tang, attacking the Yan camp at night, the Texas defenders don't know anything, and they can't be counted as a two-sided attack at all. Besides, my army is not in Texas, and the general is here, could it be that King Yan has been on the battlefield for a long time, so he doesn't know how to prevent me from attacking from two sides? Even if he occasionally relaxes, how can our army predict that it will be tonight? If it weren't for tonight, I wouldn't be able to sneak attack, so I might as well stay here. Moreover, as long as the general sees the right time, it is enough for the 1,000 elite soldiers of the Texas garrison to go out of the city and attack at night, so why bother me to drive 250,000 miles to the city? I was ordered by the general to garrison Dongchang with the commander of the army, and I was waiting for work; Now the army has just set up camp, and just after half a day, it has to get up and return to the army, running 250 miles, working and mobilizing, just for one thousand elite soldiers is enough to accomplish things, but the 200,000 army is not sure to attack the camp. The general may not be far-sighted, but he is always a hundred times stronger than this set of logic. ”

Tang Li was angry, but he couldn't find the words to argue for a while. 何福busy says:

General Zuo is right. Haste makes waste; If there is an opportunity for a sneak attack, the general will not let it go. We are here to fight and wait for the Yan army. ”

There was no further objection.

For three days in a row, the Yan army had been attacking Texas; Shen Ruoyu did not receive any news from the Texas general. He knew that the Texas garrison was strong and sufficient, and he believed in the general's ability; However, there was no news for three days, which still made him uneasy. originally thought that when King Yan found out that Sheng Yong was in Texas, he would immediately move south, and his stay in Texas would not last longer. He began to wonder if he should really send all the men back to help. Every day, he either inspected the camp or walked around the Dongchang city defense, looking around, and not confiding his uneasiness to anyone.

On the afternoon of 7 November, the spy sent a report to the Dongchang camp: the Yan army bypassed the city of Dezhou and moved south in the morning and pounced on Dongchang. Shen Ruoyu didn't have time to think about it when he received the report, and the second spy report arrived: the general saw the Yan army leaving, led his troops to chase after him, was hit by an arrow and fell from his horse, and was rescued back to the city by his subordinates. The Yan army then turned around and chased back to the city of Texas.

Shen Ruoyu was shocked when he heard the news, grabbed the collar of the patrol cavalry, and shouted:

"What?! The general fell from his horse with an arrow?! ”

"Yes. After King Yan personally broke off, he opened his bow and shot continuously, and the general led the troops in front, and the arrow fell from his horse. ”

"Where's the injury??"

“…… The subordinates don't know. The subordinates saw with their own eyes that the general fell from his horse and was rescued back to the city by his soldiers, and the Yan army chased back to the city. At that time, we had been discovered by the Yan army, so we had to flee quickly and come back to report the news. ”

"Go back and explore again! Be sure to find out the situation of the Texas defenders, the general is wounded! ”

He took the order and departed. Chen Hui got up and said:

"General Zuo, the general was injured, and the Yan army recovered the city of Dezhou, and Dezhou was in danger; Let's go back to the rescue; Even if it's just a matter of dividing the troops. I asked myself to lead 20,000 men to Texas to relieve the siege. ”

Zhuang De and Chu Zhi stood up at the same time: "I'll go with General Chen!" ”

Shen Ruoyu looked at the generals and was very depressed. Previously, if it weren't for the fact that Sheng Yong had already made a plan and knew that he only needed to act according to the plan, he wouldn't have dared to accept Shang Fang's sword at all and lead an army of 200,000 alone. Now that such a change has occurred, how should he deal with it; All possibilities, any consequences, must be faced and borne by him.

Perhaps, subconsciously, he wished for today; After all, who can guarantee that everything will go according to plan? However, now is not an exercise under the Purple Mountain after all, so there is no need to worry about failure. Adaptation is easier said than done. What did he think at the beginning, he would respond to Sheng Yong so boldly to pick this thorny beam?

Shen Ruoyu didn't dare to think about these things, for fear that thinking too much would make him mess up. He spoke:

"Don't move yet; Let's wait for Texas to report. ”

"What? Why? Zhuang De exclaimed.

"The situation in Texas is not yet known, and we can't act rashly."

"Do you have to wait until the Yan army breaks through Texas to be known?" Tang Li asked rhetorically.

Although Shen Ruoyu had a reason, he looked around at the generals' expressions, but it was difficult to speak, and he knew that he was always unconvinced by these people, so he simply didn't bother to say it, but said:

"Let's wait for the report. No one is allowed to leave the camp without permission; For those who violate the order, don't blame me for being merciless. ”

Half a day passed in anxiety. Very late, Luo Cai came back and reported that the Yan army had attacked Dezhou again, and the defenders of Dezhou held on as before, and there was no general on the city defense, nor did General Ge Jin. The Yan army's offensive was not very urgent.

"General Zuo, how is it now?" Chen Hui asked.

Shen Ruoyu looked at He Fu. Throughout the day, from beginning to end, the veteran He Fu did not say a word. There was something strange about him.

"General He, what do you see?"

He Fu looked at the generals and said slowly: "Fiction and reality, truth and falsehood are difficult to distinguish. It's better to stand still. ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "I mean the same. If the Yan army really wanted to break through Texas, it should take advantage of the general's injury to step up the siege of the city; Or, if King Yan wants to use Texas as a bait and let me send troops over, he will set up an ambush in the middle of the road, and he will strengthen the offensive. But now the Yan army's offensive is not as good as before, and there must be a reason. ”

"But what about the general? What about Texas? ”

Shen Ruoyu pondered for a moment.

"King Yan had already gone south, but because the general was hit by an arrow, he turned back to the city of Dezhou, but he didn't seize the opportunity, and only delayed the attack, in order to find out the truth and truth—"

He stopped suddenly. For a moment he stood there motionless, his eyes flickering.

The generals waited for a while, but there was no movement. He Fu Nahan asked:

"General Shen?"

Shen Ruoyu came back to his senses and said with a smile: "We don't need to send troops, as long as we wait patiently for the Yan army here." Texas will be fine. ”

"This ...... How so? ”

"If the general is lightly injured, the city defense of Texas is worry-free; If the general is seriously injured, it is even more unprofitable for Texas to slow down the attack, otherwise it will delay time and the general will recover from his injury. King Yan will not be ignorant of the stakes. If the general's arrow wound is fatal and in danger, it is beyond my control. Even if the Yan army occupies Texas, it doesn't matter much. A few months earlier, the Yan army had also occupied Dezhou, and Jinan had to be discarded after its defeat. Since the Yan army has been raising its troops, although it has won several victories, it has never left heavy troops to defend its gains; The cities of all sizes were really broken, and the soldiers went to the court to guard them. So far, all of them are still only Beiping and the surrounding towns. The Yan army took Texas, and I still have 200,000 troops waiting to fight here, and if this battle is won, then Texas and Cangzhou can be recovered. What's more, from the current point of view, the Yan army has no intention of taking Texas at all, and is grinding in Texas, just testing the truth and reality, and will soon go south again. ”

The generals looked at each other. "General Zuo is so sure?"

Shen Ruoyu said: "You will find out in a few days." We still obey the order of the great general, and only wait patiently here for the decisive battle. ”

Tang Li shrugged his shoulders: "I hope the general doesn't regret it on the sickbed at the moment, how can he rest assured that General Zuo will bring the troops over." ”

With that, he got up and walked out of the tent. The generals also left, all shaking their heads and sighing suspiciously. Shen Ruoyu had no choice but to ignore it. Then he realized that everyone had left, but He Fu was still there. He looked up.

"General He has something to say to me?"

He Fu smiled mysteriously and approached.

"General Shen isn't very sure about his judgment?"

He Fu saw through himself. Shen Ruoyu suddenly felt that his cheeks were a little hot.

He Fudao: "According to the soldiers, at present, although conservative, it is a prudent move. King Yan is scheming, and there must be tricks; Our army has few soldiers, and it is not the best policy to divide the troops and run back and forth. ”

Shen Ruoyu sighed: "General He really knows my heart. Originally, I had read very few military books, and I had even less experience in actual combat. It's really ...... to be there at the moment, and it's a big responsibility No resourcefulness, and no confidence. If it weren't for the general's plan, how dare I bring my troops over? Now that he is about to change and does not know how to deal with it, he still needs a lot of advice from General He. ”

"From the point of view of the last general, General Shen is scheming, although he is young, he has seen people, how can it be said that he has no resourcefulness. But faith is insufficient. For the general, he must first establish authority, and then he can have faith, and then he can serve the public. Although the current general has Shang Fang's sword in his hand, occupies the position of the left general, and acts as the general, he has no prestige. According to He Fu's opinion, the general should first stand up; With the talent and virtue of the general, it is not difficult for Weili to win the trust of the generals, and it is easy to serve the public. If the general is not confident, how can he be powerful? As for experience, the general is extremely talented, and with little training, he can rely on his experience. More importantly, generals need not be afraid of defeat; The general is neither jealous and jealous, but also self-serving, nor indecisive, without assertiveness, although there is a defeat, there is no reputation to be ruined. ”

Shen Ruoyu smiled bitterly: "I'm not for fame, it's just that the lives of the 200,000 army and the safety of the Son of Heaven are all in my hands, how can I afford to lose this battle." ”

He Fu said with a smile: "Even the King of Yan often loses battles; The last generals also often have defeated battles. Since the Northern Expedition of the imperial army, Yu Zhending, Beiping, and Baigou River have all been defeated, and the two commanders have lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and the Yan army has grown stronger, but it is still entangled in Shandong and cannot beat the Yellow River. Victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, and the battle of Dongchang today is not enough to determine the world, and the general's mercy is valuable, but you must relax and not let caution restrain yourself. Since ancient times, once you have achieved success, you will win the battle, and it will inevitably be full of corpses; Necessary sacrifices, regardless of victory or defeat. ”

Shen Ruoyu was silent for a while and sighed softly. General He advised, and the younger generations benefited a lot, and they were very grateful. However, everything is clear, and what is done is like wading into the mud, and I can only continue to strive for it. General He will have opinions in the future, and he hopes to give advice. ”

He Fu hurriedly saluted: "Don't dare to be, don't dare to be." General Zuo is so courteous, how dare he not serve his life! ”