The snow-white gulls hovered in the distance, and the lonely sail gradually disappeared below the horizon in the afterglow.

Shao Haitang looked at the wild grass growing on the opposite bank, and his eyes showed a trace of confusion as if he were in the twilight. Ji Ziheng glanced up at him, and seemed to hear him sigh slightly.

The hot evening breeze carried the fishy smell of the earth, Shao Haitang wrinkled his nose, and said: "The south bank has expanded the Qingjiang water camp again, and the combat power of the south bank water division on the Qingjiang River is second only to the Liyang water camp of the Zhu clan, and it seems that the south bank is about to completely remove the obstacles on the Qingjiang River." Ziheng, the Xuancheng Water Camp is under your control, and from now on, you will be personally responsible for the training of the Water Camp. ”

"Sir, are you saying that the South Shore will be bad for us?"

"There is a kind of person you can never guess what he thinks in his heart, Xu Ruyu spared no effort to develop the water camp in Yue County, how could his vision be limited to this small land on the south bank of Lishui. Xu Jingcheng is too far behind him. ”

When the relationship between Xiangfan and the Qingyan Army was the worst, Shao Haitang would not be as careful as he is today. Ji Ziheng was a little confused, he couldn't understand the meaning of his words, and vaguely felt that something was wrong, but he didn't know what the problem was.

"No matter how bad the relationship was in the past, the most we could do was to get out of the way of the road to Fuzhou in the east, which would alleviate the contradictions between the two sides. Now Shaozhai and Jizhai have fallen into the hands of Puji bandits, and the Baiyi forces have completely withdrawn from Wuling Shandong. The road for the Qingyan Army to enter Fuzhou to the east was completely blocked, and under this circumstance, Xu Ruyu expanded the Qingjiang Water Battalion, thinking that he intended to use the power of the Water Battalion to expand his influence to Qingjiang and Chongyi in a short period of time, so that my Xiangfan Hui would be stuck in his throat. Ziheng, did we go too far when we occupied the north bank of Lishui? ”

Ji Ziheng looked at the land that had been cleared on the north bank, and thought: When Xiangfan first arrived on the north bank, the elite combat power was as high as 3,000 people, and there were more than 25,000 people who moved people.

Ji Ziheng said softly: "Xiangfan wants to settle down in Qingjiang Mansion, but he was forced to do so at the beginning. ”

"Do you really think so?"

Ji Ziheng avoided Shao Haitang's gaze, watched the battleship of the Qingjiang Water Camp slowly sail out of the Lishui estuary, and was unwilling to evaluate the previous resolution, avoiding Shao Haitang's topic, pointing to the battleship at the mouth of the river and saying: "The Xuancheng Water Camp is controlled by me, and I also know the gap between the Xuancheng Water Camp and the Qingjiang Water Camp best." Although we have nearly 10,000 foot soldiers, the river network on the north bank is crisscrossed, and the Qingyan Army, which has a strong water battalion on the north bank, is not defended at all. The key is that in order to envelop the people of Taishan, we did not completely reorganize the villagers of Sanzhai, and the actual control of almost half of the military force is still in the hands of the old people of Yunqiao Village, Shaozhai Village, and Jizhai Village, and their attitude is very debatable. ”

Shao Haitang nodded, the expression on his face became more and more solemn, "It has become a stalemate, no one would have thought that it would be like this?" ”

Ji Ziheng wanted to say something more, a sergeant from the Xuancheng Water Battalion rushed to this side in a panic, frowning slightly, and when he walked over, he scolded lightly: "What are you panicking, what happened?" ”

The sergeant gasped, saluted Shao Haitang and Ji Ziheng, and said: "General Tian Shuqing led two large-wing ships to cruise back from Shengyunzhai, and when they crossed the Jiuqu estuary, they deviated from the central channel and detained the Qingjiang Water Camp. ”

"What?" Ji Ziheng's face changed abruptly, and he subconsciously looked at Shao Haitang's expression.

Since Shaozhai and Jizhai were raided and taken by the Puji bandits, in order to strengthen the defense of Yunqiao Village, the Qingyan Army allowed the warships of the Xuancheng Water Battalion to enter the Lishui River to patrol the defense. Deviation from the central channel is not a big deal, but the deviation at the mouth of the Jiuqu River is a matter of giving people a handle.

Shao Haitang locked his eyebrows and pondered for a moment, and said: "You and I should not come forward and let Song Tingyi go to the south bank to find Xu Boying, and try to find out the real intentions of the south bank." Jing Cheng is training in Beiling Fort, and he will be notified when the incident is resolved. ”

Song Tingyi is a veteran of the horse gang, not only has a deep friendship with Xu Boying, but also has a good friendship with his uncle Fang Wu and Jiang Youli, and it is most appropriate for him to come forward.

A few hours passed, just when the Meiyue was hanging in the air, and the lonely boat crossed on the Lishui River, Song Tingyi and his long beard were messy with the night wind, and when the boat approached the shore, he didn't have time to pay attention to the unkempt beard, and went straight to the shore. From a distance, I saw the wind lamp hanging high at the city gate, and under the wind lamp, Shao Haitang led a group of people to look anxiously here.

Song Tingyi sighed and greeted him.

"Why have you been there for so long, have you seen Boying?"

"Xu Boying is not in this village, I had a hurried meeting with my uncle and grandson Fangwu, this time Xu Ruyu adjusted the establishment of the Qingyan Army, the military and the government were completely separated, although Boying was in power, but he could not interfere in military affairs. I am afraid that this is a prevarication, I went to the military camp on the south bank and found that the Qingyan Army was recruiting reserves, and nearly 3,000 elite combat forces were gathered in the military camp in the southeast of the village.

Shao Haitang gasped, the Qingyan Army has only 2,000 foot soldiers, but the reserve can be expanded to 5,000 people immediately, plus the 2,000 Baiyi army on the south coast, the combat strength of the Qingyan Army's infantry is as high as 7,000 people, is Xu Ruyu unwilling to let the men and horses of Puji Island enter Fuzhou so smoothly. Since the attack on Sanzhai and the loss of Shaozhai and Jizhai, Xiangfan will pay attention to the situation in Fuzhou. Although there were only more than 10,000 Puji pirates who directly entered the territory of Fuzhou, after integrating the various rogues in Fuzhou and Chongyi, the combat power in the hands of Zhao Weixu was as high as 25,000 to 30,000 people. Xu Ruyu gathered an army into Fuzhou at this time, undoubtedly hitting the stone with an egg. If the army on the south bank is not for entering the territory of Fuzhou, what is it for, is it for what, is he intending to be on the north bank?

Shao Haitang's sharp gaze swept over the faces of everyone waiting here, Xu Ji, Guo Shan, Ji Ziheng, Xu Zhaorong and others all lowered their heads with solemn faces, it seemed that they all had this kind of worry more or less.

Xu Zhaorong saw Shao Haitang stop his gaze on himself, among the others, he thought that he had been with Xu Ruyu for the longest time, Shao Haitang wanted to give him a judgment by himself, but Nan'an moved frequently, who could easily make this judgment? Xu Zhaorong whispered: "If Nan'an really makes a move against us, how can Xu Ruyu not personally preside over it?" Between the words, there was a stiffness in his voice.

"It's not impossible for Xu Ruyu to secretly return to Lishui, if it weren't for us, why would the Qingyan Army need to expand the water battalion and then expand the infantry battalion?" Gao Quan is the general of the Xiangfan Society, his voice is loud, his eyebrows are narrow, and his eyes are full of coldness.

Xu Ji hesitated for a moment and said slowly: "Xu Ruyu cherishes his reputation like a bird cherishes his feathers, he will never invade my north shore at this time." The accumulation of troops on the south bank may be for the precarious situation in Fuzhou, or his purpose is on the west bank of the Qingjiang River......"

"How could he have the courage to lead the troops into Fuzhou at this time? The land on the west bank of the Qingjiang River is long and narrow, the six villages of Huaiyu Mountain are condescending, and the three river bandits are hidden in the Hongjiang River for hundreds of miles, Xu Ruyu uses soldiers like gods, but he can't cook without rice, he only covets 100,000 people on the north bank of me, where will he go to what wilderness? ”

Seeing Gao Quan so rude, Xu Ji snorted coldly, waved his sleeves and turned around, but he couldn't erase Gao Quan's domineering face in his mind, and his heart was filled with disgust, and his brows furrowed deeply. The strength of the Xiangfan Society was mainly controlled by the generals of the Fan Gang, and the generals of the Xiang Gang and the Ma Gang were mostly ostracized. Knowing this situation, it was better to join Xu Ruyu with Tingyi and Boying, Xu Ji hated and thought.

Ji Ziheng was also very tired of Gao Quan's rudeness, seeing that he was going to make a lot of nonsense, the green tendons in the temples of the mountain on the side were bulging, and he knew that if he spoke recklessly, it would cause a dispute, so he hurriedly said: "There is discord between the two sides of the strait, and the Qingyan Army suppresses the north shore in many ways, which is a fact, but the Qingyan Army will raise troops against us. Tian Shuqing crossed the Jiuqu estuary and deviated from the central channel, and collided with the battleship of the Qingjiang Shuiying that sailed out of the estuary, and the two sides had a dispute before being detained. This matter will not be set in advance, so you don't need to be too sensitive, I will officially meet with Meng Yi to resolve this matter. ”

Shao Haitang never spoke with a gloomy face, and after everyone left, he asked Xu Ji and Ji Ziheng to follow him into the Military Division's Mansion.

"Four thousand villagers in Shaozhai and Jizhai were slaughtered, and only five or six hundred people escaped, and Xu Ruyu was rescued at the right time. The Twelve Kou Alliances in the north are ready to move, and if there is any surprise, the people on the north bank will be separated, and at that time, Xu Ruyu will not need to send troops, so that our Xiangfan will become a source of water. Xu Ruyu is not as talented as his father, how can he not see this? Although the purpose of the build-up on the south bank is unknown, it will not be directed to the north bank. Shao Haitang calmly analyzed.

"What is the military advisor worried about, staring at the south bank all the time?" Xu Ji asked.

"Xu Ruyu does not use troops on the north shore, which does not mean that he does not suppress the north bank. On the contrary, from now on, the Qingyan Army will do everything possible to suppress the north bank, and if the Qingjiang Water Battalion expands by one battalion, it can completely block all the waters in Xuancheng, so where should we go at that time? Shao Haitang paused for a moment, and said the worries in his heart one by one, "Donghai County Fang Su, Zhang Zhongdao, Chang Shu Lian, Chen Zifang, Chen Jingzong and others have a close relationship with Xu Ruyu, and they strongly oppose the aid to our Xiangfan Society, and the Chen clan is very likely to use troops against Baishi Xu Bodang after the autumn, Chen Pre is to obtain the support of Fang Su and others, and ask the Yongyang army to blockade Xu Bodang in the east, and will definitely abandon my Xiangfan Society." The Puji bandits detoured to Fuzhou, threatening Yueqing City from behind, the pressure on the Yue County families increased suddenly, Xu Ruyu lost his trace in Fuzhou ten days ago, and wanted to make a move in Fuzhou, if Zhu Lianzhi felt that Xu Ruyu's role was greater than ours, then it was impossible for us to get assistance from the Zhu clan. ”

Xu Ji knew what it meant to lose the assistance of the Chen and Zhu families, his face sank instantly, and he said in a low voice: "The 150,000 mu of wasteland that has been reclaimed can barely be ripened this year, and with this cooked grain, you can eat half full this winter, but it will not support the autumn harvest next year, not to mention how to guarantee the armament and military rations of nearly 10,000 soldiers?" ”

Shao Haitang smiled bitterly and said: "Recently, 500 people from the Qingyan Army's light armor infantry battalion withdrew from Shengyun Village, and more than 1,000 soldiers from Baiyi were stationed in Shengyun Village, and at the same time, more than 10,000 Baiyi people entered Taishan near Shengyun Village to live. Alas, there are only more than 70,000 people on the south bank, but in half a year, we have more than 500,000 acres of fertile land, and it seems that we are really inferior to him......"

Ji Ziheng has followed Shao Haitang for more than 20 years, and he has never heard him say such depressing words, and he couldn't help but feel sad in his heart, and sighed: "Mr. has worked hard for Xiangfan all his life, and it is not Mr. 's fault, not to mention that things may not be incorrigible." If we can inflict heavy damage on the Twelve Kou Alliances in the north in the near future, we will not need to maintain such a huge armament, and we can also use the opportunity of disarmament to weaken the military strength of Sanzhai. It's easy to survive that year until next year. ”

"When Xu Ruyu left Lishui, he asked someone to bring Jing Cheng a letter, but Jing Cheng thought that he had ulterior motives and ignored it, and now it is too late to regret it."

Ji Ziheng and Xu Ji glanced at each other, but neither said anything.

"'The foundation is not solid, it is not suitable to be good at soldiers, according to Taishan, it can be solidified, and Taishan takes Sanzhai as the key, not to be despised', the original words are so, how to think that there is not a month, Sanzhai has lost its two. Relying on Yunqiao Village alone can only prevent the Puji forces from infiltrating Xuancheng, but it cannot control the mountain. Taishan treasure Tianhua, the product is very rich, occupy the land on the north bank of Taishan and Lishui, slowly develop to the north, this is the right way of Xiangfanhui, now Taishan has entered the Puji Sea bandits, everything is empty words. Now it is not appropriate to start the war with the Twelve Kou League, once the war starts, the grain road is blocked, how long can the granary storage be supported, a month or two months? ”

Xin'an City of Qingjiang Prefecture is still in Zhujiazhi, and the Xiangfan Huishui camp is weak, so it does not transport grain from the waterway, so it has to start from Xin'an City by land, and is escorted by the army through the Qingjiang Eup, which is full of Kou, and the territory of the Twelve Kou League, and arrives on the north bank of the Lishui River. The Twelve Kou League is composed of twelve Liukou in the south of Qingyi and the north of Xuanchengyi, once the war with the Twelve Kou League, the Twelve Kou League will spare no effort to break this grain route, at that time the Xiangfan League must defeat the Twelve Kou League before the grain is eaten, otherwise it will be in danger, unless the Qingyan army comes to the aid of grain and grass.

In the early hours of the morning, Ji Ziheng and Xu Ji had not yet left the Military Division's Mansion, and a hurried horse's hooves crossed the long street paved with bluestone, shattering the tranquility of the night. Ji Ziheng's face was as pale as a frightened bird, and he didn't know what had happened, but someone was galloping on a horse in the middle of the night.

Shao Haitang said indignantly: "Jing Cheng is back, someone specially sent the news to Beiling Fort. ”

As soon as Shao Haitang's words fell, the sound of horses' hooves stopped at the door of the Military Division's Mansion, and the knock on the door made Shao Haitang, Ji Ziheng, and Xu Ji feel tight for no reason.

Ji Ziheng immediately thought of what he was worried about, the three of them were all non-Fan gang generals, and they gathered here late at night for Xu Jingcheng to see, and it was hard to guarantee that he had no other ideas. Thinking of his father Xu Naiji's spicy method of rejecting dissidents, a drop of crystal sweat oozed from Ji Ziheng's forehead.

The door opened slowly, and the "creaking" sound of the door shaft turning was clearly heard.

"You're dizzy, and you're only opening the door now?" Xu Jingcheng's scolding voice was cold and not vicious, with a crisp sound, the horsewhip was whipped, and Shao Haitang could imagine that Lao Shao's back was already peeling open.

Shao Haitang straightened his clothes and walked out of the house with Xu Ji and Ji Ziheng, but met Xu Jingcheng's cold and emotionless gaze.

"If Gao Quan hadn't sent someone to report me, how long would you want to hide it from me?" Xu Jingcheng's gaze swept over the three of them, and walked straight into the house, Da Ma Guan Dao sat in the first seat, his well-defined handsome face was uncertain, and the cold light in his eyes was as sharp as a knife, "The south bank detains my warship and secretly gathers troops, is it possible that you want to take my Xuancheng with Xu Ruyu?" ”

Shao Hai's face was pale, and a burst of red tide suddenly surged up, he had heard the noise at the north gate of Xuancheng, and Xu Jingcheng came back with troops without warning. Although I knew that there was such a thing, it was still too early......

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