"Of course, we don't need to worry, Youzhou has already started to deliver grain and grass to us. Presumably, almost now, the baggage team has begun to enter the border of the state. Li Chenfeng talked about the problems that needed to be solved in front of the military formation, "In addition, it is the replenishment of the soldiers' armor and equipment, and the arrows are okay, but we have to transport other materials from the east, after all, the things we use and the things we capture are still different." ”

Qin Daolin and Xue Qinglan both nodded secretly, the armor and equipment of the Xiaoguo Army are all arranged by the Logistics Department, and there is a unified forging of the armor department, which is not comparable to the armor equipment in this state. used, the things that the soldiers lost and lost, still need to be supplied from the rear.

"In the end, we have captured a lot of horses, and we need to start training our soldiers as cavalry. According to the lord's words, the towns, cavalry and infantry of each town and town army should meet the standards of two cavalry and three infantry. Therefore, I also need the soldiers of each department to select soldiers who can ride horses from among the soldiers who can ride horses when replenishing new soldiers. ”

Qin Daolin said with a smile: "Since Li Shuai has thought about it so carefully, then we don't need to worry too much. Next, let's train the soldiers. ”

…………

Dingxiang Mansion, Chengle County. This is the center of gravity where Cao Gang's troops are stationed, and it is also the key point to resist the Xiaoguo army. The topography of Dingxiang Mansion presents a long and narrow trend from north to south, and this Chengle County is located in the center of Dingxiang Mansion. It can be said that here is a link between the north and south counties of Dingxiang Prefecture, and if this place is not lost, the north and south of Dingxiang Mansion are protected by wings. If this place is lost, the Dingxiang Mansion waist will be truncated. Therefore, Cao Gang, who personally led the army to fight against the Xiaoguo army, was stationed in this city.

"Lord, since the defeat of the Xiaoguo army three days ago, the Xiaoguo army in various places has retreated to the three eastern counties, and we have been defending the city, and we can no longer take advantage of the field battle outside the city. Are we starting to march eastward, preparing to attack the city? With a great victory, it poured down. Wu Benlang said in a deep voice. It was quiet for three consecutive days, which made Cao Lie a little anxious. Now that the Xiaoguo army has captured the land of the two prefectures and has gained a firm foothold in the northern part of Bingzhou, it will be more and more difficult to expel the other party if it continues like this.

Cao Gang looked at the map, sighed, and replied to the officers under his command, "What you think in your heart, General Ben also understands it very well. Do you think I'm not worried that this Xiaoguo army has completely taken a foothold here? The Xiaoguo army was much more south than the Turks. After all, although the Turks plundered here, they had to return to the steppe in the end. The prefectures and counties in the north of this state have always been the world of my Cao family. But when the Xiaoguo Army arrives, it will eventually exterminate my Cao clan and replace it with the banner of the Zhao clan. ”

"Now that the Xiaoguo Army has retreated back to the three eastern cities, do you think I don't want to pull out these three places immediately? However, we only hurriedly dispatched our soldiers, but we did not have all the siege equipment. Moreover, the Turks were not good at attacking cities, and it was always us who attacked them in the end. If our losses are too severe, we will not be able to suppress the Turks in our territory. In addition, the Yong army in the south of Bingzhou will also take advantage of the situation to counterattack, and by that time, the Cao clan will also be finished. ”

The Northern Army of Bingzhou was stationed in the northern part of Bingzhou, and it was originally a border army to defend against the northern grassland peoples, so there were a lot of things to defend the city, and there were no siege equipment. Now that it's time to use it, Cao Gang also feels that he has ignored too many things on weekdays. Now, except for the things that are in a hurry to order the rear to build siege equipment, the rest can only wait.

If it weren't for the Xiaoguo army entering the territory of Bingzhou, Cao Gang would even be able to suppress the more than 100,000 Turkic troops in the territory with more than 100,000 regular soldiers and tens of thousands of garrisons in his hands. He could even force the Turkic army to leave the annex in order to gain popular support. It's a pity that at this moment, the Xiaoguo army, which can be said to have helped him, came to his doorstep.

"Let's take a look, the land of these three counties and five cities, especially the three cities in front, although they are not close to each other, but can they not echo each other, we attack the city, and the flanks will be threatened. In fact, the other side can use our siege to raid our rear land. Do you think the Turks will really intercept this Xiaoguo army? They will only allow this Xiaoguo army to break through the city, and then take advantage of the situation to attack, take revenge and plunder the city, and carry it out at the same time. ”

Glancing at the generals around him, Cao Gang continued: "How can they be willing to be taken away by the Xiaoguo Army who took away most of their initial harvest? Now, they wish that the Devils had broken through our city and then entered after it. Not only can you take revenge, but you can also take advantage of the situation to loot the city. After all, even the siege was spared. ”

"By the way, what's going on with the soldiers now?" Asked about this, Cao Gang couldn't help frowning slightly. To say that now, the external enemy is naturally the Xiaoguo Army, but internally, Cao Gang is also as big as a fight. Because of the alliance with the Turks, the already unscrupulous Turks are now even more arrogant. What followed was the suffering of the people under his jurisdiction, so the people were naturally extremely dissatisfied with him.

Cao Gang may be able to ignore the dissatisfaction of the people for the time being, but the soldiers under his command have also begun to become a little unstable. Speaking of which, it's no wonder that others, almost all of the soldiers and soldiers in the northern part of the state are from the north of the state. How could these soldiers turn a blind eye to the looting of their families and the destruction of their homes by the Turks?

"Lord, there is a trend of instability in all the departments below, especially now that the Turks have intensified and unscrupulously attacked the people in our territory, these soldiers have been shouting in the barracks all day long, and even many soldiers want to kill them and teach the Turks a good lesson. Moreover...... What's more, some soldiers began to discuss in private, is it ...... Is it better to surrender the Xiaoguo army directly......" Cao Lie said in a low voice. He is not only a general of Wu Benlang, but also a relative of Cao Gang, so among the more than ten officers, he is out, and no one else dares to answer this question casually.

"Damn it......" Cao Gang slammed the table and said hatefully. He knew very well the hearts of the soldiers, but at the moment, he could only cooperate with the Turks, not against the Turks.

"Lord, should we consult with the Turkic Xue Khan. Let his people be more disciplined. Let him not forget that they can plunder here because of our indulgence. If all the soldiers under our command are in chaos, and the northern army of Bingzhou is gone, let the Xiaoguo army be the master here, and at that time, it will not be his Turkic tribes that invade south, but the Xiaoguo army will go north and enter the grassland. Cao Feng, the lieutenant general of the Protector Army, said in a deep voice.

Cao Feng used to go east to Youzhou with Cao Gang, and fought with the Xiaoguo army for the southern parts of Youzhou. Although it failed, it also made Cao Feng see the power of the Xiaoguo Army. It is also because of this that he has always been in favor of Cao Gang's cooperation with the Turks. He knew very well that with the army in his hands alone, he would not be able to defeat the Xiaoguo army.

"General Cao's words are reasonable, and his subordinates think that they can go and negotiate with the Turks, and they should have a higher attitude. The Xiaoguo army is not only our enemy, but also the enemy of the Turks. Judging from the style of the Xiaoguo Army, if the Xiaoguo Army is really allowed to occupy this place, he Turks will definitely not be able to escape. At that time, the host and guest will be translocated, and it will not be this annexed state that will be attacked and invaded, but his Turkic steppe. If they still know the severity, they should pay attention. Many officers said one after another.

Cao Gang nodded, glanced at Cao Feng approvingly, and said, "Very good, General Ben will warn this Turk." The various ministries stepped up preparations for war, Cao Feng, and asked the logistics craftsmen to step up the construction of siege equipment, the sooner the better. All the ministries are going down and ready to put it! ”

"My subordinates understand!"

"Subordinates take orders!"

…………

"Li Shuai has arrived!"

A shout, accompanied by a burst of footsteps. Li Chenfeng walked into the main hall surrounded by several personal soldiers, and the officers and colonels at all levels sitting on both sides stood up one after another to salute. Li Chenfeng sat in front of him, looked around, waved his hand and said: "Sit down, tell everyone a good news, I just received a reply from the lord, the lord has completed this mission, and he can be invincible behind the enemy." Not only did the tribe where the Turkic Khan belonged be ransacked, but the lord went all the way south, and many tribes were also killed by the lord, and now the lord is not far from the state. ”

"The lord has asked us to start an operation now, and on the front, there is this Dingxiang Mansion as the main force to attract the main army of the Northern Army of Bingzhou. One operated from Mayi Province, interspersed from the south to the east. First, cut off the possibility of the southern Yongjun forces going north. Second, it also cut off the route of the northern army to flee south. ”

"The third way is the 100,000 cavalry of the main office, who will go straight down from the north of Bingzhou, kill the northern provinces of Bingzhou, and spread the news of the Xiaoguo army into Bingzhou as quickly as possible. Let the people everywhere know that the Xiaoguo army has entered the land of Bingzhou with more than 300,000 troops, defeated the Turks, and now, come to rescue the people of Bingzhou. Let the people everywhere open the city gates and accept the help of the Xiaoguo Army as soon as possible. ”

"Now the Middle Route Army is the land of the three counties and five cities of Dingxiangfu, we don't need any changes for the time being, we just need to attract the Northern Army of Bingzhou unknowingly. Then, the South Road can start the action. This operation is dominated by the third and seventh towns. ”

Li Chenfeng said, glanced at everyone present and continued: "Now that the training of the various armies is nearing the end, I guess you all can't wait because of the patience of these few days. When the main lord's army arrives, we will be able to fully mobilize. When the time comes, the Turks will be defeated, and we will not completely clean him up with a single northern army. As he spoke, Li Chenfeng's gaze swept to Lin Jun, the commander of the Logistics Department on the west side, Lin Jun was the grain and grass officer of the Logistics Department, who was in charge of all the logistics of the army, and all the departments needed to receive it from here and directly distribute it to the departments.

All, there are problems with grain and grass, and Li Chenfeng is about to ask these people, "Captain Lin, how is the preparation of grain and grass transplanting." ”

Although the officers of the Logistics Division exist separately in the army, they are not under the direct control of the commanders of the ministries. However, in the army, they still have to cooperate with officers at all levels to be responsible for various affairs, and they cannot disobey orders. So when he heard Li Chenfeng's inquiry, he immediately stood up, bowed his hand to Li Chenfeng, and said, "Back to Li Shuai, our army currently has 100,000 quintals of grain and grass. At this time, the grain and grass from Youzhou have also been contacted by us, so we don't need to worry about the grain and grass problem for the time being, although we have accepted a lot of soldiers, but our grain and grass have always been a reserve oil for two months. Therefore, even if the grain and grass do not arrive in the rear for two months, we will not have a problem. ”

"As for the armor and equipment, we have already dispatched 100 large catapults, 300 medium-sized catapults, 500 crossbows, 5 million bows and arrows, and more than 1,000 usable transport vehicles from the rear arsenal to ensure the needs of the army."

Li Chenfeng nodded after hearing this, and said, "Very good, in this way, we don't need to worry about things outside of the reign war." Fighting is the only thing we need to worry about, and victory is our only requirement and purpose. ”

"Xue Qinglan, the general of the third town town army, and Yang Hu, the general of the seventh town town army!"

"The subordinates are here!" The two responded in unison.

"This time, the Southern Route Army is dominated by your two towns, and there are 50,000 new baggage troops composed of baggage teams and people's husbands, as well as 50,000 new baggage troops composed of soldiers from the prefectures. The total is 1440,000 men, and your goal is to cut the connection between the northern army and the southern Yong army as quickly as possible, that is to say, you have become the dividing line between the two divisions. Until we completely defeat the northern army of the state, you cannot let the northern army of the state go south, or the Yong army in the south go north. This time, with General Xue as the principal and General Yang as the deputy, the two of you must cooperate well. ”

"Yes! Subordinates receive orders! The two of them said hurriedly with happy faces. Leading the way alone, how can the two of them not be happy. After being depressed here for a long time, now that they can finally act, they are naturally overjoyed.

…………

After Cao Gang's strong rhetoric, the Turks restrained a lot under the strict orders of Xue Jian Khan. It also made the soldiers of the northern state under Cao Gang much more stable. For a while, Dingxiang Mansion stabilized slightly, which made Cao Gang a little uncomfortable.

Xiao Guojun's impassivity can't help but let Cao Gang be careful. Xiaoguojun's style of acting, that's not just admitting defeat like this. But no matter how he investigated, the Xiaoguo army just held on to the city and didn't make any plans. As for the situation in the Turkic steppe, it was naturally impossible for him Cao Gang to know.

After Zhao Xun received Li Chenfeng's report, he learned about the situation of the merger of the state, and also learned of Li Chenfeng's achievements in the land of the merger. He immediately ordered the 120,000 cavalry to open up the four arrows. The two are separated by more than 50 miles, and they go down the trend. In the place where he went, if the tribe he encountered participated in the raiding of the south and the state, then Zhao Xun asked the army to destroy the tribe, loot the population and livestock, burn it, and continue south. If not, the Han slaves of the Qi tribe were rescued, and some of the livestock were claimed to spare their lives. At the same time, he also let the news of breaking the royal account of the Xue Ne tribe spread to the various tribes, and let them go south to report and communicate.

In the case of the Xiaoguo army's approaching the land of annexation, Zhao Xun already had more than 300,000 war horses, more than 700,000 livestock and more than 300,000 people in his hands. Among them, 130,000 Han Chinese people, and the rest were all captured by the Turks. Almost all of them were young women and children. This can be regarded as avenging the past revenge of these Han people, as soon as he saw what happened to the Han people in various tribes, Zhao Xun didn't feel that there was anything wrong with what he did.

The more than 100,000 cavalry of the Xiaoguo Army crisscrossed the Turkic steppe and exterminated the royal tent of the tribe where Xue Pinch Khan was located, and finally reached the state and the ears of Xue Pinch Khan.

Hearing this news, Xue Jian Khan couldn't believe it, and completely believed that the Turkic cavalry that had been summoned was a false message. In addition, it was not the knights of his own tribe who transmitted the information, so Xue Jian Khan directly beheaded the place and did not believe the other party's words. However, he still sent people north to check the intelligence.

But then the same information came from a succession of informants, including his tribe's cavalry. Then he learned that there was still one way for the Xiaoguo army, and about 100,000 cavalry had entered the grassland.

Upon learning the certainty of the news, Xene Khan held back the anger in his heart and finally made the difficult decision to immediately withdraw his army north.

He knew that in the north, more than 100,000 cavalry of the Xiaoguo Army were marching mightily, carrying this great victory, to kill here. If he didn't evacuate in time, then they would face a total of more than 300,000 Xiaoguo troops. Although he didn't know that more than 100,000 of them were the new pawns formed by the baggage team and the people of the Xiaoguo Army, the more than 300,000 Xiaoguo soldiers were no longer something he could resist. Even if they add the Northern Army, they are not opponents of the other party.

Therefore, Xue Jian Khan did not greet Cao Gang, but directly left behind the captured population and property, took the grain and grass, and killed it from the northwest of Bingzhou, headed north, and entered the grassland, intending to stagger with Zhao Xun's department.

In fact, Zhao Xun had no intention of fighting with these more than 100,000 Turkic cavalry. He knew that these more than 100,000 Turkic cavalry were now fleeing for their lives. If it is really intercepted head-on, it will only make the opponent fight to the death, and when the time comes, it will be a lose-lose situation. This is not a good thing for Zhao Xun. After all, even if all the more than 100,000 cavalry ran back to the grassland, it would not be a big threat to Zhao Xun.

Now Cao Gang is very anxious, and the news of the Xiaoguo army's actions in the south of his jurisdiction has arrived, and the Xiaoguo army's actions in the south are almost close to the Taiyuan Mansion and Jinzhong Mansion of the Yongjun forces. These news can't help but make him cautious.

"Why didn't the Turkic cavalry move? In these places, the Xiaoguo army is completely attacking the city. And the southern region is also a place where the Turkic cavalry is plundering, so don't they have any response to the actions of the Xiaoguo army? Cao Lie said angrily. The Xiaoguo army is very rampant in the southern regions, and now in the southern areas of each province, some prefectures and counties have fallen into the hands of the Xiaoguo army.

"Yes, if we go on like this, the Xiaoguo army will surround us from the south." Hu Weilang said in a low voice.

"Report ...... Lord, General Cao Feng urgently reported that after all the Turkic cavalry was assembled, they had already headed for Shuozhou Mansion and Wuyuan Mansion in the northwest, and it seemed that they were preparing to leave the land of Bingzhou. According to General Cao Feng, for some reason, they had abandoned the people and goods they had plundered...... "Just as Cao was about to send someone to question the Turkic Xuene Khan, new news came from the rear......