Zeng Yixing's face was like a knife and axe, hidden in the bright light helmet, and the cold wind blew the blue-black body around the strong body, and the shaking placket was like the water waves in Xia'axi.

In the last few days of the year, the Jiangning Third Route Army, nearly 100,000 horses, crossed Xia'a Creek and invaded the territory of the East China Sea. Among them, Fan Wenlong led 40,000 soldiers and horses of the Fan tribe to cross Xia'a River from the northeast of Cuiping Mountain, wedged into the middle of the soldiers and horses of Zeng Yixing and Chen Pre, and bullied the right flank of the 60,000 East China Sea soldiers led by Chen Pre.

Zeng Yixing was not easy at this time, he was facing one of the most elite combat forces in Jiangning, the Green Guards led by Zhang Xu. Although the Green Guards did not cross the river in a big way, they also sent elite troops to build several barriers on the north bank of Xia Axi.

Ma Duanlin said: "General, the Qingwei Army has crossed Axi in these days, and we can't hesitate any longer." If Governor Chen can't withstand the pressure of Xu Ruyu, Fan Wenlong, and Mei Liting's three-way army, and moves his troops back, Fan Wenlong's troops can quickly turn west and surround our troops in Dingyuan with the Green Guards. ”

Ma Duanlin was the secretary of the march, he was poor when he was young, studious, sent food to Zeng's family, was recruited as a military official, and accumulated merit and moved to the secretary of the march, which was quite important to Zeng Yixing.

Zeng Yixing sighed lightly and said: "We retreat first, and then we will retreat to Dingyuan, but let Zhang Xu and Fan Wenlong join forces, if the governor has not retreated, then the pressure on the right wing will only be heavier." ”

Zhang Jidao commanded the troops to move westward, responded to the left flank of the governor, or wedged between Guangling and Hailing, and reversed the back road of the middle base army led by Mei Liting, and there was nothing to be done about it if he wanted to come to Jiangning, so he was forced to choose a decisive battle between Dingyuan and Longyou. Although Jiangning claims to have 200,000 soldiers and horses, but the elite combat power is only more than 100,000, and our East China Sea has 180,000 elites. ”

Zeng Yixing did not respond, if there was no contradiction between Zhang Jidao and Chen Pre, he only needed to send all the elite soldiers to guard Dingyuan, protect the back road for himself and Chen Pre, and naturally he was not afraid of Fan Wenlong and drove straight in.

Ma Duanlin saw that Zeng Yixing was silent, knowing that he was uncertain between retreating and not retreating, and was secretly worried. However, the determination of the East China Sea to fight a decisive battle with the Jiangning army in the south was not firm, which made Ma Duanlin especially worried. If the commander is not strong-minded, how can he make the soldiers use their lives and be high-spirited? If you fall into a situation where you can't retreat and you have no chance of a decisive battle, the East China Sea will be in danger at that time.

On the third day of January of the following year, the Qingfeng cavalry wandering between Guangling and Hailing suddenly disappeared, and on the same day, Zeng Yixing got the news that Qingfengwei had left Jiangning, and there was no hesitation at the moment, Yu Siye led 30,000 soldiers and horses to withdraw from the barrier north of Cuiping Mountain and the Qingwei army, and went to the northeast, and then withdrew into Dingyuan City in the northeast corner of Baishi Mansion.

At the same time, 30,000 Qingwei troops crossed Xia'a Creek, joined up with the Fan soldiers and horses led by Fan Wenlong, and pressed towards the right flank of Chen's headquarters from the southwest.

On the banks of the water, the cold trees are still swaggering in the wind.

Xu Ruyu finally led the army across Xia Axi and invaded the territory of the East China Sea, Yi Fengchen learned of the news, but it was a mixture of joy and sorrow, looking at the waves of Jinshui, Yi Fengchen resolutely said: "Quickly invite Zi Yangqiu and Pan Yue to the mansion to discuss the matter of borrowing the road." ”

Yi Xingzhi said in surprise: "Isn't my father afraid that Jiang Ning will get the Huo clan's city in Jingbei and consolidate his power?" ”

Jiangning's special envoy Zi Yangqiu has been staying in Jiangjin City for more than a month to discuss with the Yi family about Huo Qingtong's borrowing.

In Yi Fengchen's heart, he naturally knew that Huo Qingtong led 40,000 remnants of the army to borrow from Jiangjin, and he would not make any extraneous branches. Yi Fengchen was worried that Jiang Ning would gain the Huo clan's city in Jingbei, and his power would be further consolidated. Jiang Ning will not fight with Nanping for the time being, and the edge will inevitably add to Jiangjin and Donghai, so he has been pushing Tang this matter.

It's just that the situation has changed by this time.

Yi Fengchen said: "Jiang Ning has just swallowed Yuejun, but he is forced to launch an offensive against the East China Sea without waiting. Although Xu Ruyu had been deployed as early as the end of spring, I still had a trace of doubt in my heart. ”

"What are my father's concerns?"

"What is Xu Ruyu's purpose this time? If Xu Ruyu wanted to swallow the East China Sea in one bite, it was impossible not to mobilize the soldiers and horses of the Fengling battalion. After the end of the battle in Xiangyue County, the soldiers and horses of the Fengling battalion were stationed along the Qingjiang River, and Xu Ruyu was very likely to transport the troops of the Fengling battalion from Qingjiang and Jinshui to Baishi. If this is the case, then Huo Qingtong's borrowing from my Jiangjin is just a false shot from Xu Ruyu. ”

Yi Xingzhi gasped and said: "Xu Ruyu really has a unique way of using troops, constantly moving the troops on the north bank of the river to the west, attracting the troops from the East China Sea to the northern area of Baishi Mansion to fight him in a decisive battle. The East China Sea may have thought that a decisive battle there would be beneficial to the East China Sea without any harm, but he didn't know that Xu Ruyu could also use the warship to quickly transfer the soldiers and horses of the Fengling battalion to Baishi. At that time, Donghai will face all the elite combat power of Jiangning, and it is impossible to be undefeated. Jiang Ning really has the ambition to swallow the East China Sea in one fell swoop. The father had already seen through this matter, so why didn't he mention it to his son? ”

Yi Fengchen sighed lightly and said, "The subtlety in this is not what I am aware of. ”

Yi Xingzhi looked up at his father, surprised and didn't know why.

Yi Fengchen said: "Nanping's secret envoy arrived in Jiangjin the night before, and the subtlety of this is what he said. Okay, but you can't guess who this Nanping secret envoy is? ”

"Who?"

"Qin Ziqing, that is, Qin Zhongshu, who is becoming famous in Xuancheng, failed to seek a job in Jiangning, but he didn't expect to vote for Nanping."

In September, Yi Huaxi sent an envoy to Jiangning, met Qin Ziqing several times, and was particularly impressed. Although Yi Fengchen has the heart to solicit, he also knows that such a crazy will not be used by a medium-sized family like the Yi family. Later, it was discovered that Qin Ziqing had fled from Jiangning, and when they met, Qin Ziqing turned into a secret envoy of Nanping.

Yi Xingzhi secretly sensed the unpredictability of the world, and said: "Jiang Ning can tolerate such a talent to be in his family? ”

Yi Fengchen said: "The white-bearded old man who came to Jiangjin with Qin Ziqing is very likely to be the great sect of Jinghu, Ji Sixian, so it can be seen that Nanping took a lot of effort to take Qin Ziqing there. ”

Yi Xingzhi asked, "Why did Nanping send a secret envoy to tell me about this?" ”

Yi Fengchen said: "Nanping is most afraid of Jiang Ning. He also said, "Nanping and Jiangning are competing for dominance south of the river, so there is a gap for my Yi clan to survive." ”

Yi Xingzhi sighed secretly and said, "If Xu Ruyu really wants to transport the soldiers and horses of the Fengling battalion from Qingjiang and Jinshui to Baishi, how will Jiangjin deal with it?" ”

Yi Fengchen said: "Huo Qingtong has an invitation to borrow the way, and I Jiangjin might as well allow it." If Huo Qingtong led 40,000 remnants of the army to quickly withdraw from Jingbei, then Jiangning would need tens of thousands of troops to fill in Pengze, Raozhou and other places; Xu Ruyu naturally couldn't transfer the soldiers and horses of the Fengling battalion to Baishi to participate in the battle. If Huo Qingtong delays and does not withdraw from Jingbei......" Speaking of this, Yi Fengchen seemed to have made a great determination and said fiercely, "I, Jiangjin, will not hesitate to tear my face with Jiangning, and I will also block the Jinshui waterway. ”

Yi Xingzhi said: "Although the soldiers and horses of the Fengling battalion can be blocked outside the decisive battlefield, with Xu Ruyu's ability to use troops, Jiangning may not be defeated on the Baishi battlefield." If Xu Ruyu defeats the main force of the East China Sea in one fell swoop, how will I, Jiangjin, deal with myself? ”

Yi Fengchen said: "The East China Sea is not full of incompetents, but seeing Zhang Jidao leading the main force of the infantry battalion to avoid the main battlefield and look for fighters to the east, it can be seen that Zhang Jidao is not defenseless. Chen Yu was unable to form a superior force in the northern border of Baishi, which would only force Xu Ruyu to retreat one after another, and there was no possibility of a decisive battle. Xu Ruyu's calculations, this time it will probably fall into the void, even if it gets hundreds of miles of floating land, what is the use? After speaking, he paused for a moment, sighed lightly, and said, "It's just that from now on, Jiang Jin and Jiang Ning have no room for relaxation." ”

At the same time that Xu Ruyu led the Fourth Route Army to cross Xia'axi from Baishi and invade the territory of the East China Sea, Yi Fengchen agreed to Huo Qingtong's request to lead 40,000 remnants of the army to borrow from Jiangjin, and there were no harsh conditions in the past. The route was the same road that Xu Ruyu took when he led two hundred Qingyan troops and more than a thousand subjects to cross Hengshan.

Ziyang Qiu's eyes were as deep as autumn water, falling on Yi Fengchen's face, and said: "Why did Yi Gong agree to the request to borrow the Tao at this time, and agreed on the limit of ten days, don't you feel a little hasty?" ”

Yi Fengchen said indifferently: "Jiang Ning and Jing Xiang have already discussed giving up the city, and they must be very well prepared. He looked sideways at Pan Yue, the envoy of the Huo clan, and said, "The 40,000 troops of the Huo clan have been detained in Jingbei for several years, and the soldiers are eager to return to their hometowns, so they probably don't want this time to be delayed in the future, right?" ”

Pan Yue was short, about thirty-seven or eighteen years old, with a dark complexion and slightly squinted eyes, and he couldn't figure out why Zi Yangqiu had a dissatisfied look at this time. In the future, against Nanping, Jiang Ning and Jing Xiang will help each other greatly, and Pan Yue does not want to have any gap with Jiang Ning because he is eager to return to Jingxiang.

Pan Yue opened his eyes slightly and said, "I have lived in Jiangjin City for more than a month, and I am really reluctant when Gong Yi suddenly asked me to leave." ”

Zi Yangqiu and Pan Yue's move deepened the speculation that it was easy to seal the dust. Yi Fengchen said: "The road at the eastern foot of Hengshan Mountain, Jiangjin is only open until the middle of January, and the Huo family misses such an opportunity, so let's borrow it from another house." ”

If you don't borrow from Jiangjin, you can only kill back to Jingxiang from the north of Nanping. Pan Yue's face changed slightly when he heard Yi Fengchen's tough tone.

At the moment, Ziyangqiu did not stay in Jiangjin for more, so he said goodbye and left.

Yi Fengchen sat upright in the hall, and heard the black-clothed secret whistle report "Ziyangqiu went out of Jiangjin City, and only sent his deputy south along Jinshui to Wuzhou, while he crossed Jinshui and went to the northeast of Baishi", his face became heavier, and he said to Qin Ziqing, who was kneeling on the left seat: "As Qin Gui expected, Xu Ruyu completely controls the situation in the entire Baishi, Liyang and even Jingbei, otherwise Ziyangqiu only needs to make it clear to Wei Yu about the matter of borrowing the Tao, why do you need to go to Anyang to see Xu Ruyu in person." ”

Qin Ziqing said with a smile: "Xu Ruyu is good at pretending, and the world is mostly puzzled by him, but everything in the world can be traced, but Xu Ruyu can't hide it." Sect Chief Yi, at this time, is it believed that Xu Ruyu has the intention of transferring the soldiers and horses of the Fengling battalion to Baishi to participate in the battle? ”

Yi Fengchen nodded slowly and said, "Qin Gui is indeed talented, and Yi is not as good as others." I just don't know what kind of prediction Qin Gui Envoy has for the change in the situation? ”

Qin Ziqing said: "Huo Qingtong is very likely to ignore the agreement with Jiang Ning and lead the army back to Jingxiang, this is his only chance after all. I Nanping has no greed for the southeast, and I only hope that the southeast will maintain the current situation and not make Jiangning a big trouble in the east of my Nanping. If Jiang Ning is still greedy and does not die, Nanping can say that the Jingnan family will be pressured together. ”

In September, Yuan Longyi personally envoyed Jiang Ning, but he was humiliated and left.

Yi Fengchen thought for a moment and said: "Jiangjin will use warships to block all the main branch waterways of Jinshui between Wangjiang and Jiangjin when Huo Qingtong returns to the north by the route as Qin Gui wished. ”

Qin Ziqing laughed and said: "These waters were originally under the jurisdiction of Jiangjin, presumably Jiangning only has bitter fruits to swallow itself." ”

After Qin Ziqing left, Yi Huaxi walked out from behind the screen, his face was still worried, and said: "Nanping may not be well-intentioned. ”

Yi Fengchen said: "Rong Yanmen led the army to the west to conquer Chongqing, and he had no time to look eastward, and he didn't want to see Jiangning continue to grow, so he could only hope that the southeastern families would unite to resist Jiangning's expansion. As long as Xu Ru's strategy of swallowing the East China Sea is thwarted, the situation in the southeast will be eased, and Jiangjin will be able to get a chance to breathe. ”

Yi Huaxi said: "In September, when I went to Jiangning to watch the ceremony, although I only had a quick glance with Xu Ruyu in the main hall and did not have a deep conversation, the child felt that Xu Ruyu was not a hero. ”

"Oh......"

"Yesterday in the camp, the child re-read "The Biography of Yi'er" again, thinking that Xu Ruyu's surname is really like a house, can he really ruthlessly step on the corpse of the old man in the East China Sea? The child thought that under the fog, Xu Ruyu might have other plans, but the child couldn't see through it. ”

Yi Fengchen said sharply: "Xu Ruyu commanded the troops to invade the territory of the East China Sea, although there is no major war for the time being, but there are still few people who die in the soldiers?" Xu Ru's surname was true when he was a child, but as long as he experienced such a miserable thing, could his surname still be as pure as a child? He sighed and said, "Do you still have that water like a shadow in your heart?" ”

Yi Huaxi was speechless, stayed in Jiangning for more than a month, and had no chance to meet Shui Ruying alone, only glanced at her peerless appearance during the banquet of Jiangning's ministers. But it was that glance that made the long-hidden feelings gush out like a mountain spring.

Yi Fengchen snorted coldly and said: "Shui Ruying is an important minister of Jiangning, and everyone knows that she ties a heart to Xu Ruyu's body, so you should stop this thought as soon as possible." ”

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