Xu Liang immediately went to Hong Chengchou, the prefect of Pingliang, to inquire about the composition of the army on this expedition. Then I felt that it was wrong.

It is said that the specifications of this expedition should be quite high, the governor of the three sides is in command, and there is also the prince of the Qin mission to supervise the army, such a high-end expedition, and the subordinates equipped with should at least be the chief military officer, and the commander and envoy should lead the troops. However, it turned out to be not. Xu Liang found out clearly from the flickering rhetoric of Governor Hong that the army composition of the Li Jiajun who went out to encircle and suppress Maling this time included 4,000 soldiers led by Li Ying, a guerrilla general directly under the Governor of Wu, 3,000 soldiers led by He Renlong, the Qingyang garrison, and 2,000 soldiers led by Long Feng, the Qianhu official of Andong Zhongwei, in addition, Xu Liang's 3,000 Liang army, plus 2,000 soldiers from the pro-military camp of the Governor's Palace, a total of 14,000 soldiers.

None of the general soldiers of the general town arrived, not even the deputy general soldiers, and none of the officers above the commander of the guard went. Even Ye Yanqing, the commander of Anton's central guard, was not on the expedition, because it was said that he had broken his foot during training a few days ago and could not ride a horse.

That's weird! However, no matter how Xu Liang asked, Governor Hong was talking about him left and right. Fortunately, Governor Hong went out with Governor Wu.

Xu Liang waited at the inn for two days, Xing Zhongshan and Hu Xiaoyong brought 3,000 Liang troops to Pingliang City, and after leaving the troops outside the city, Xing Zhongshan and other Liang generals entered the city to meet Xu Liang.

Xu Liang personally went out of the city to count the army, and according to the deployment, ordered the Liang army to be stationed next to the guards of Longfeng Qianhu, the central guard of Anton.

After waiting for two more days, He Renlong, the general of the Qingyang garrison, arrived with his troops. Governor Wu then ordered the expedition.

It was the first time for Xu Liang to go out to fight with the large army of the Ming army, and he saw the pro-military battalion of the Governor's Mansion fighting a guard of honor, and he was the first to pull out, followed by the Guyuan soldiers of the guerrilla general Li Ying, the Qingyang soldiers of the Qingyang garrison He Renlong, the guards of the Anton Zhongwei, and Xu Liang's 3,000 Liang army, which were at the end of the line. The army was lined up in a long line, stretching for three or four miles, the flags were waving, the dust was flying, and the rear army could not see the front army. Along the way, thousands of people gathered around the road, watching the Ming army march in amazement.

The army marched for three days and reached the vicinity of Feng County in Hanzhong Province. After the army was stationed that night, Governor Wu raised his account and summoned all the leading generals to discuss the tent.

Governor Wu sat in the middle, the prince of Dongchang and Hong Chengchou of Pingliang sat on the left and right, and the generals sat in two rows. Xu Liang's seat was still at the bottom of the door.

There is only one issue, the way to play this battle.

"Now our army is 14,000 people, and it is reported that Li Ting, the descendant of the Wei family, has gathered about 10,000 people, occupying the area of Maling and occupying the mountain as the king. Tomorrow, our army will be able to reach Maling and meet the Li family's army in a short manner. How to attack the mountain, do the generals have a good strategy? Governor Wu said slowly.

"Hehe, Lord Governor said with a smile," Qingyang garrison He Renlong grinned and said: "My Ming army, strong soldiers and horses, more than 10,000 thieves, what kind of tactical tactics do you need, my lord gave an order, I He Renlong was the first to lead the troops to kill the mountain, and I will kill it without leaving a piece of armor, and there will be no corpse left!" ”

Governor Wu nodded, and praised He Renlong: "He Garrison's martial arts are extraordinary, and the prestige of He Maniac has been heard about it before he came, and when I saw it today, he was really brave!" ”

"Hey, hey!" He Shoubei shook his head, proud. Xu Liang sat at the end, and when he heard Governor Wu praise He Renlong, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. If Governor Wu really listened to He Renlong's construction, and killed him into the mountains regardless of it, and the two armies tore them apart, wouldn't Feng Suqin, who was trapped in the Li family's army, be very dangerous? If you can't get it right, you are hacked to death by a small soldier who doesn't have long eyes, so won't all your busy work be in vain? Xu Liang was secretly anxious, but he had the lowest rank and the smallest official position in this account, and before the official asked, how could he have the right to speak.

"The garrison is brave, then brave," the prince of Dongchang sat with a golden knife, holding hot tea in his hand, blowing on the tea in his mouth, and his voice was neither yin nor yang: "It's just that when our family went out of Beijing, the emperor specially instructed our family to capture Li Ting, the descendant of the Wei family." Kill the mountain as recklessly as the garrison lord, what if you hurt the descendants of the Wei family? ”

He Shoubei snorted coldly, and pouted disapprenorovingly: "In front of the two armies, the swords and guns have no eyes, if Li Ting unfortunately dies, then it is also her life, and she can't complain about others." ”

"Huh?" The prince raised his eyebrows and said: "What the emperor wants is the living Li Ting, He Shoubei presents Li Ting's corpse, how can he deal with it in front of the emperor?" ”

He Renlong choked, was asked for a while, and saw the cold on the prince's face, he couldn't help but be annoyed in his heart, and snorted coldly, "Then according to the prince's opinion, how should this battle be fought?" ”

When Governor Wu saw the king, He and the others were angry, and hurriedly came out to play a round game, and the mud waved at He Renlong and said: "What He Shoubei said just now is not a bad idea. However, this expedition, we are on the orders of the emperor, and the prince is a popular person in front of the emperor, and the prince has to make the decision. ”

Wang Gonggong nodded with satisfaction, glanced at He Renlong, put down the teacup, and said faintly: "If you want to capture that Li Ting alive, in our opinion, our fourteen thousand soldiers, we might as well surround this Maling for the time being, as long as our army guards the exits everywhere and does not let the Li family army break out of the encirclement, in a few days, the Li family army in the mountain will run out of food and grass, and it will inevitably be tied!" ”

When the generals in the tent heard this, they all disagreed. There are more than 10,000 thieves, and in ordinary times, only two or three thousand Ming troops can kill the other party, not to mention that now 14,000 Ming troops are dispatched, if they only besiege and do not attack, it will take ten days and half a month for the Li family army not to surrender, wouldn't it make people laugh?

Governor Wu groaned, not agreeing for a while. After the prince finished talking about his plan, he was waiting for Governor Wu to express his agreement with him, and then he saw that Governor Wu was frowning and silent. The prince's face was a little ugly.

The generals in the account, Qingyang garrison He Renlong disdained the bad idea of the prince, and the rest of the generals were all looking at the nose and the nose, sitting in danger and not saying a word. Hong Chengchou, the prefect of Pingliang, seemed to be very interested in the teacup in front of him, and took it in his hand and looked at it carefully.

Suddenly, a voice came from the side of the tent door.

"The lower officials think that the prince has a very good plan!"

Everyone in the tent was surprised, followed the sound, and saw Xu Liang, the magistrate of Zhenyuan County, who was sitting at the door of the tent, stood up and said loudly.

When Xu Liang said this, Governor Wu and Governor Hong both looked at him with frowns. Seeing that someone finally agreed with his opinion, the prince was overjoyed, and even the little magistrate who looked at the blue official robe was much more pleasing to the eye, and he took out what he thought was the gentlest tone and asked, "You sesame official has some knowledge." Then tell me, what is good about our plan? ”

Xu Liang looked greatly encouraged, made a group gesture to everyone in the tent, and said solemnly: "Ladies and gentlemen, the art of war is cloudy, the siege of the city is the bottom, and the attack of the heart is the top. If our army presses the border, but surrounds it but does not attack, it will definitely be able to create a great deterrent to the Li Jiajun on the mountain, so that the enemy will be in chaos and will break without attacking. In this way, our army can kill Li Ting, the descendant of the Wei family, without spending a single soldier! Such a good strategy, such a vulgar person as Xia Guan would never come up with it, and only a far-sighted and strategist like Wang Gonggong can come easily! ”

"Hehe, haha!" Wang Gonggong was very happy to hear this, turned to look at Governor Wu, and said, "What does Lord Wu think?" ”

Governor Wu's two eyebrows were about to be squeezed together, and he groaned, looking up and seeing the prince's eyes glowing coldly, staring at himself, he sighed in his heart, and said: "Then according to the plan of the prince, tomorrow morning, the soldiers will surround Maling!" ”

Xu Liang listened, and finally let go of his hanging heart.

Then, Governor Wu arranged the task of besieging the mountain to the leading generals of all roads, and under the construction of the prince, Qingyang garrison He Renlong was responsible for guarding the road into the mountain, while Xu Liang's task was a sheep intestine path into the mountain south of the Maling Mountains. When the meeting ended, He Renlong's face was so gloomy that he could squeeze out water, and his gaze at Xu Liang was quite unkind.

Xu Liang returned to the Liang army camp, gathered Xing Zhongshan and Hu Xiaoyong and the five generals in the army, and told him the plan to besiege the mountain. The five generals ordered the battalion to rectify military affairs, leaving Xing Zhongshan and Hu Xiaoyong.

Xing Zhongshan said: "General, since you want to surround the mountain, I'm afraid you have to surround it for a few days, but there is nothing on the side, but our army does not bring much food and grass with the army, and it will be okay for three or five days, but I am afraid that it will not work for a long time." ”

Xu Liang said with a smile: "General Xing is too worried, the governor has set a plan to encircle the mountain, and naturally someone will prepare grain and grass." ”

Xing Zhongshan and Hu Xiaoyong exchanged glances, and their faces were a little ugly. Hu Xiaoyong sneered and reported: "The general doesn't know anything, and the last general is worried that even if Governor Wu will raise grain and grass, it won't fall on our Liang army." ”

"Why is that?" Xu Liang exclaimed.

"There is one thing that the last general has not reported to the general," Xing Zhongshan said in a deep voice: "Since Pingliang set out on the expedition, General Xing heard that other armies can receive grain and grass from the prefect's yamen for ten days, but when the last general brought people to the prefect's yamen to collect it, the people from the government did not distribute it, and the official who put the grain said that our Liang army is not a regular court army and is not included in the distribution of grain and grass. ”

When Xu Liang heard this, his face changed, and after thinking for a while, he said to Xing Zhongshan and Hu Xiaoyong: "I'll find a way to deal with the grain and grass, and I'll surround the mountain first." After speaking, he said the worries about Feng Suqin's situation in his heart.

Xing and Hu heard that Xu Liang's move was for the safety of Mrs. Xu, and they had no objection at the moment, and the three of them carefully agreed on the arrangements for encircling the mountain before leaving.