The sky gradually brightened, and Zhu Man reported to our Zhangwang Ye secretly, the sky was just bright, seeing that our Zhangwang did not raise the account, the Qing army generals led by Niyahan, Shushu, Eqi and Mu Cheng'e came to the Shuai tent to ask for a meeting, asking our Zhangwang Ye to withdraw immediately, so as not to be surrounded by the fat army and suffer heavier losses. The result was naturally and unexpectedly for the Qing army generals, our prince Zhang actually rejected this timid and cowardly escape plan, and resolutely decided to stay put, looking for an opportunity to continue to attack Taiping City.

"Lord Wang, forgive the slave for being blunt, continue to stay under this Taiping City, I'm afraid it's not appropriate." Nyahan insisted: "The defenders of Taiping City are well fortified and well-fortified, even if they attack head-on at any cost, they will not be able to succeed overnight. And our army is surrounded by Wu Dog in Taiping Mansion, Jiangning Mansion, Wuhu and Fanchang, and the most correct choice in one blow is to flee immediately, otherwise, once the Wu Dog army of all walks of life makes adjustments and encircles our army on all sides, then our army will be in danger. I also hope that the prince will take the surname of the officers and soldiers of the three armies and order the withdrawal of the army as soon as possible. ”

"I hope that the prince will take the surname of the soldiers of the three armies and order the withdrawal of the army as soon as possible." More than a dozen Qing army generals knelt down on one knee together and clenched their fists to ask for orders.

"Did this king say that he didn't plan to think about the surnames of the soldiers of the three armies?" Prince Zhang snorted coldly, waved his hand and said: "This king let the soldiers of the three armies stay here, not only for the sake of their surnames and lives, but also for the sake of their future and future, but also for the sake of the Qing Dynasty!" No one needs to persuade him, the king has made up his mind, and the whole army will continue to stay here, seize the time to prepare siege equipment, and wait for the opportunity to attack Taiping City again! ”

"Lord Wang-!" The Qing generals screamed together.

"Shut up!" Prince Zhang slapped the table and shouted angrily: "Zhu Man, tell these minions, what is the first military order?" ”

Zhu Man was a little hesitant, but when he saw our Prince Zhang, he slapped the table again and glared at him, and Zhu Man, who was loyal to Prince Zhang, finally replied: "Go back to the prince, if you disobey the order, you will be the first in the army!" ”

"Did you hear that?" Prince Zhang viciously shouted at the mite Qing generals: "Staying under the Taiping City is the king's military order, and if there is anyone who violates the collision, no matter who it is, it will be beheaded immediately!" ”

The mite Qing generals had no choice but to agree honestly, and did not dare to persuade our Zhang Wang Ye to withdraw from the army, but fortunately, Zhu Man suggested that Zhang Wang Ye let the Qing army strengthen the camp while rushing to build siege weapons, and build temporary fortifications to prevent the Fat Army from raiding, and our Zhang Wang Ye can still listen to Zhu Man's words a little, and immediately agreed, and explained that the Qing army will act according to the plan.

Therefore, in the surrounding crisis, our prince Zhang resolutely let the main force of the Qing army on the western front stand still under the Taiping City, and make every effort to build siege weapons, and build temporary fortifications to stabilize the camp in order to make a long-term plan. And the fat army team in Taiping Mansion City is really afraid of our Qing Dynasty God of War, Prince Zhang, and refuses to take a step out of the city to say anything, let alone stop the Qing army from camping, and the two armies are safe for a while.

In the face of such a temporary calm situation, our heartless Prince Zhang is happy to be free, and there is no need to worry about it. The experienced generals such as Niyahan and Shu Shu became more and more worried and frightened, because from the evening of 17 May to the evening of 19 May, almost two days and two nights passed, and there was no news from the Leer Jin army stationed in Fanchang, and the scouts and meticulous work sent to Fanchang to reconnoiter the situation were also lost in stone, and none of them came back to report the situation.

It was so dark that when it was close to the second watch, Chen Rui, the envoy of the Fat Army, really led a team of unarmed people to send 100,000 taels of silver to our Zhangwangye, and also brought a bag of jewelry to Zhuman, a close confidant of Zhangwangye, and our Zhangwangye also met Chen Rui again.

During the conversation, Prince Zhang had to follow Sima Yi to ask Chen Rui about the recent situation of the Fat Army, and Chen Rui truthfully replied that the recent situation of the Fat Army was not very ideal, except for the Western Front, the other three fronts were in a bitter battle, especially the Yangzhou Battlefield on the Northern Front and the Chongming Battlefield on the Eastern Front were in urgent need of reinforcements, so Chen Rui begged Prince Zhang to fulfill his promise not to prevent the Fat Army from returning to Nanjing, and guaranteed that the remaining half would definitely fulfill the contract, and there would be heavy thanks afterwards. Our prince Zhang naturally agreed, patted his chest and promised to give way absolutely and let Fat Lu return to his teacher.

In the end, Chen Rui tentatively asked Prince Zhang to withdraw his troops immediately and return to Ningguo Mansion, and proposed that if Prince Zhang withdrew his troops in advance, the fat army could also sponsor some more silver for Prince Zhang's mansion. It's a pity that our prince Zhang is not so stupid, and immediately snorted coldly: "Withdraw the troops immediately? The king immediately withdrew his troops, so the remaining 100,000 taels of silver, does the king still want to get his hands on it? Go back and tell Lu Yifeng that if you want this king to make way, you can bring the silver first! Chen Rui was speechless, so he had to honestly promise to convey Prince Zhang's decree to Lu Fatzi, and when he saw that the silver count was completed, he said goodbye.

sent soldiers to escort Chen Rui out of the camp, and Zhu Man, who was quite honest, was also suspicious, and couldn't help but remind our prince Zhang: "Lord, this matter is too evil, right?" Lu Yifeng's dog thief was really willing to hand over 200,000 taels of silver to buy the road, begging us to let them pass through the Taiping Mansion, this is the first time the slave has heard of a strange thing, there shouldn't be any tricks in this, right? ”

"What tricks can there be? Even if there is a trick, how can it be hidden from the eyes of this king? Prince Zhang said triumphantly: "As for you haven't heard of such a thing, that is, you, a dog minion, are lonely and unheard, in the Battle of Changping, Fan Ju used gold to bribe the ministers of Zhao to spread rumors, and encouraged King Zhao to exchange Zhao Kuo for Lian Po; In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang bribed Yang Song with gold and silver, and let Yang Song speak ill of Ma Chao in front of Zhang Lu, forcing Ma Chao to surrender to Liu Bei; During the Song Dynasty, Liu Quan bribed Lü Wende with a jade belt, deceived Lü Wende into allowing the Yuan army to build a camp in Lumen Mountain, and cut off the Song Dynasty's rescue road. It's a pity that this king is not King Zhao, not Zhang Lu, and not Lu Wende! ”

"The slave has never read, I really don't know, or the prince is knowledgeable, and he is more knowledgeable than the slave." Zhu Man nodded honestly and admiringly--this is also the most crucial point that our Prince Zhang can regard Zhu Man as his only confidant.

"It's good to understand that." Our prince Zhang was even more proud, and lowered his voice and said: "And with the current situation, Lu Yifeng's dog thief has to buy this king, the most powerful thing in the Wu dog army is firearms, but firearms are not as good as swords, swords can be reused if they are blunt and sharpened, and firearms can no longer be used if they are used, Wu Gou's main force is attacking Fanchang and Hagigang, no matter whether they win or lose, firearms and ammunition must be almost consumed." In addition, Wu Gou's Yangzhou and Chongming are in a hurry, and Lu Yifeng's dog thieves are in a hurry to come back, if we don't seize this opportunity to beat the water dogs, won't we become fools like Niyahan, Shu Shu and Eqi? ”

"The slave understands that the prince wants to take advantage of the fire to rob." Zhu Man nodded vigorously and said: "First deceive Wu Gou, let Wu Gou believe that we will give way, and when Wu Gou's main force returns to the division and passes through Taiping Mansion, we will fortify on the north bank of the Guxi River, block Wu Gou's retreat road, and use the favorable terrain and Wu Gou's eagerness to retreat, severely damage Wu Gou, and drag Wu Gou's retreat." ”

"Dog minion, have you been hanging out with those idiots of Niahan for a long time, and you have been fooled by them?!" Prince Zhang suddenly started a fire, and a burst of chestnuts knocked on Zhu Man's head, and scolded in a low voice: "Taiping City is on the bank of the Guxi River, and there is a water gate on the Guxi River, we fortify along the river, what should I do if the main force of Wu Dog enters the city directly from the water gate of Taiping City?" ”

"The minions really didn't think of that." Zhu Man rubbed his head and asked, "Then according to the prince's opinion, what should we do?" ”

"This prince is familiar with military books and has a deep understanding of Tao strategy, so he naturally has already thought of a way." Prince Zhang said even more proudly: "Anyway, you just wait and see when the time comes, this time, this time, I must give Lu Yifeng a big surprise to the dog thief, Yixue's hatred of Jiujiang back then!" ”

On the morning of 19 May, a scout of the Qing army sent to Fanchang fled back to the Qing army camp on the bank of the Guxi River with his wounds, bringing the news of the defeat of the Qing army in Fanchang and Digang together, and also the news that the main force of the Fat Army had returned to Taiping Mansion at noon on 18 May after a short rest.

It's just because the fat army scouts are frantically hunting, killing, encircling and suppressing the Qing army scouts under the leadership of Lu Fatzi's old lackey Kong Fanlin, this Qing army scout who escaped back by luck did not spy on the accurate news that Leerjin, Ghent Baturu and Galkhan and others had died in battle, nor did they find out how much defeat the Fanchang Qing army had suffered and how many troops were left, just to see the fat army's military flag planted on the head of Fanchang City and seize Fanchang City, but the movements of more than 20,000 Qing army sailors and army troops did not know anything.

Things have come to this point, and it has also come to the moment when the commander's decisiveness and command ability are extremely tested, our prince Zhang made a quick decision, and immediately ordered to reward this scout, arrange for his own soldiers to take him down for rest and treatment, and asked him not to divulge a word to other Qing generals and soldiers, so as not to shake the heart of the Qing army. Then Prince Chang quietly warned Zhu Man, who accompanied him to meet the scouts, that he was not allowed to divulge a word to Niyahan, Shu Shu and others, lest these cowardly dog minions be shocked and shake the morale of the army, and ruin the great affairs of Prince Zhang.

Immediately afterwards, hearing the news that a scout had returned from Fanchang, timid minions such as Ni Yahan, Shu Shu and Mu Cheng'e also had to rush to the big tent to inquire about the news, and our prince Zhang told these cowardly minions with a very bright look in the demeanor of an actor, "Good news!" Shuncheng Baylor withstood the attack of Wu Gou's main force in Fanchang, although he paid a heavy price, but also caused huge casualties to Wu Gou's main force, cutting off the heads of several Wu Gou generals, and Wu Gou's artillery and rockets did not continue to bombard Fanchang City, if nothing expected, it should be Wu Gou's ammunition is about to run out. ”

"Really? That's great! ”

"It's really good to be obedient to Lord Belle! This time we finally had a little easier. ”

"It's really amazing to be obedient to Lord Belle, relying on Fanchang's ground-breaking fence, he can actually withstand the main force of Wu Dog."

Since Pangu opened the world, it is probably the first time that the commander of the army has told such a big lie to his subordinates, and he never dreamed that Prince Zhang would deceive his own Niyahan, Mu Cheng'e and Eqi and other generals are all overjoyed, cheering loudly, and they all praise Leer Jin is really worthy of being the pillar of the Qing Dynasty, relying on the groundbreaking enclosure of Fanchang, he can withstand the full onslaught of the main force of the Fat Army for so long, and he can also consume a lot of ammunition and troops of the Fat Army, and win valuable fighters for the main force of the Qing Army!

"And." Prince Zhang raised his hand to stop the noise and cheers of the generals of the Qing army, and said loudly: "There is one more thing, this prince must tell you, considering that it is very difficult and difficult for Shuncheng Baylor and Ghent Baturu to fight against the main force of Wu Gou, so this king has sent an order to Shuncheng Baylor and Ghent Baturu, asking them to abandon Fanchang and Digang, which have no value to guard, to retreat to Tongling, induce the main force of Wu Dog to pursue Tongling, and also induce the main force of Wu Dog to divide troops to save Taipingfu, and our army took the opportunity to encircle the point to send reinforcements, and severely damaged the partial division of Wu Gou to aid Taiping City. ”

"The prince is wise!" Ni Yahan and the others were really convinced this time, and saluted one after another and said: "It is still the prince who has thought carefully, and he has inherited the army in the hands of Belle Ye and the main force of Wu Dog has fought one after another, and he will definitely suffer heavy casualties, and continue to fight against the main force of Wu Dog, which will only make Lord Belle sacrifice in vain, and let Lord Belle retreat to Tongling, which can not only preserve the vital force, but also induce the main force of Wu Dog to divide his troops, killing two birds with one stone, which is indeed clever." ”

"Lord Wang, please rest assured, since Wu Gou's ammunition is almost exhausted, then we don't need to worry too much, when Wu Gou's return division comes to Taiping Mansion, the minions will definitely go all out to kill the enemy and strive to annihilate Wu Gou's tired army!"

"Fortunately, the prince didn't let us withdraw our troops." There are also Qing army generals who sighed: "If we had withdrawn our troops yesterday and received the news that Lord Belle had bitten Wu Gou's main force today, it would not only make the soldiers run away in vain, but also miss the fighter." ”

Listening to the cheers and rejoicing of the generals of the Qing army, Prince Zhang's henchmen were inevitably a little pale, but they had always been in awe of Prince Zhang, and they didn't dare to tell the truth, but our Lord Zhang waved his hand even more vigorously, and shouted: "Don't hold on to it, pass on the news of Shun Cheng Baylor's defeat of Wu Dog in Fanchang, boost the morale of the soldiers, and then let the soldiers prepare for the field battle with Wu Dog, and when Wu Gou returns to the side division of Taiping City, he will teach Wu Dog a good lesson to this king!" ”

"Cover!" The generals of the Qing army agreed to hug their fists together, happily bid farewell and left, and went to the camp of the Qing army to spread and publicize the news of the victory of Leerjin, to boost the morale of the Qing army, and to let the Qing soldiers get ready, and when the fat army returned to the 'partial division' of Taiping City, they immediately took advantage of the fire to rob!

The generals of the Qing army left happily, but as soon as they left on their front feet, Zhu Man, who knew the inside story, immediately rushed to Prince Zhang like a frightened rabbit, and said with a pale face trembling: "Lord Wang, are you joking?" Do you know what the consequences will be if you say that? ”

"If this king doesn't say that, will those dog slaves have the courage to fight Wu Gou?" Prince Zhang said triumphantly: "If Zhuge Liang hadn't degraded Cao Ying's 830,000 army to worthless in front of Sun Quan, Sun Quan would have dared to make up his mind to fight Cao Ying to the death?" Will there be a later fire to burn Chibi? ”

"But Fanchang has been taken by Wu Gou, and the life and death of Lord Shun Beile are unknown, how many troops are left in our Fanchang and Ogigang, and how big the casualties of Wu Gou's main force are, we don't know!" Zhu Man trembled and said: "Now we are already alone, if we intercept Wu Gou'......s main force and return to Jiangning, the battle situation is slightly unfavorable, and it will be a catastrophe that will never be recovered." ”

"Don't worry, Wu Gou's troops and ammunition consumption must be a lot, otherwise why would Lu Yifeng's dog thief have to pay for the road?" Prince Zhang waved his hand again, and said easily: "Don't worry, you are the king's confidant and favorite general, this king will not harm you, and when the war with Wu Gou starts, you will still lead the supervision team and the reserve team, and when the straw bales of Niyahan have almost consumed Wu Gou, you will rush up again to pick up the credit - but this time you have to supervise the battle, no matter how critical the situation is, you are not allowed to let those dog minions take a step back, and you must annihilate Wu Gou's main force in one go!" ”

"Also, the real situation of the Fanchang battlefield is absolutely not allowed to be leaked to the outside world! For the time being, don't send scouts to Fanchang to investigate the situation in Leerjin, as long as you send scouts to Lianzigang ten miles north of Wuhu to garrison, and immediately call the police with wolf smoke when they find that the main force of Wu Gou is coming. Remember, dog minion, this is the king's decree, and you must not disobey it! When the main force of Wu Dog is annihilated, this king will defend you in front of the master! ”

As a result, under the skillful instigation of the benefactor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the morale of the main force of the Qing army, which failed in the attack on Taiping City, was quickly re-high, and a few annoying flies such as Ni Yahan, Shu Shu and Mu Cheng'e were not urging Zhang Wangye to withdraw and flee for his life, but while waiting patiently, he reorganized the army and prepared to intercept the 'partial division' of the fat army, which was seriously consumed and exhausted by ammunition. At the same time, the fat army in Taiping City also closely monitored the movements of the main force of the Qing army, and reported the movements of the main force of the Qing army to Lu Fatzi who was on the way back to the division at any time.

In order to allow the soldiers to have time to rest and recover their strength, Lu Fatzi walked slower than when he went back to Taiping Mansion from Fanchang this time, and set off from Fanchang on May 18 to return to the division, and returned to Wuhu City on the afternoon of May 19. It was not until the early morning of May 20 that Lu Fatzi led the main force of 36,000 Fatzi Army from Wuhu to Taiping City, 30 miles away.

Just over halfway through the hour, the Qing army scouts arranged by Prince Zhang in the area of Lianzigang finally discovered the movement of the main force of the Fat Army, and immediately reported to Prince Zhang with a wolf smoke signal. And Prince Zhang finally took action, immediately beat the drums and beat the generals, told the Qing army that the enemy was coming, and told the Qing army generals that the fat army was returning to Taiping City day and night this time, and marched more than 100 miles in less than eight hours, and they were very tired up and down, and although the Qing army scouts had not had time to find out how many fat army troops there were, there was definitely not much! The generals of the Qing army once again believed in the truth, and their morale was even higher, and they fought together to meet this tired enemy.

"It's good, just have confidence." Seeing the morale of the Qing army generals, Prince Zhang couldn't help but be very proud of his morale-boosting tricks, and shouted again: "The generals listen to the order!" ”

"The last general!" The Qing army will clench their fists together.

"Leave two thousand troops to guard the camp!" Prince Zhang shouted again: "The rest of the whole army immediately left the camp to cross the Guxi River, and rushed to Maoer Mountain, eight miles south of Taiping City, to line up and intercept Wu Gou's reinforcements!" Annihilate this Wu Dog army with all your might! ”

"The whole army crossed the Guxi River?" Several Qing army generals were taken aback, and hurriedly reminded: "Lord, the Guxi River is not a small river ditch, and the bridge across the river is covered by the bow and arrow of Taiping City....... ”

"But Guxi River, how can we intercept Wu Gou's partial?" Prince Zhang asked angrily: "Wu Dog Taiping City has a water gate on the Guxi River, but we are only intercepted by the Guxi River, what should we do if Wu Gou enters Taiping City directly from the water gate?" ”

The generals of the Qing army thought about it, and when they were about to wonder if there were any omissions in the arrangement of Prince Zhang, Prince Zhang slapped the table again and shouted: "What are you still doing?" Immediately the whole army went out of the camp to cross the river, Wu Gou had already arrived at Lianzigang, and if he didn't cross the river quickly, it would be too late! Send troops immediately, and those who delay the military aircraft will be killed immediately! ”

"Cover!" The generals of the Qing army plucked up their courage and agreed with their fists together.

(To be continued)