After gaining the support of several veterans, Luo Yi began to arrange for the return to the army. The first priority at the moment is not to compete with the enemy for a while, but to ensure that the Boling army does not cross the Sanggan River and break into the nest of Youzhou. After the annihilation of the troops and horses on the Eastern Front, the initiative in the battle situation has been firmly grasped by the other side. At present, the Youzhou army not only has to block Li Xu's path before he advances north, but also has to be on guard against Lu Qin catching up from Yi County at any time and stabbing everyone in the back again.

In order to retreat more calmly, Luo Yi arranged the time of pulling out the camp in the second half of the night. During the free time when the soldiers were preparing separately, he summoned several veterans and Qin Ji, who had returned from defeat, to his special account and consulted the specific course of the battle between the rivers from the beginning

"Tell me the details of the battle, tell me everything you know! How did Cheng'er lose, didn't you say in the afternoon that he didn't make any major mistakes? Looking at Qin Ji, who was full of apprehension, Luo Yi ordered as kindly as possible.

"At the beginning, I always thought that my opponent was Zhao Ziming......" Qin Ji thought about it and started hesitantly. Does this make the marshal feel that he is shirking his responsibility? He was a little scared, and his heart was beating like a small drum.

"Alas! You go on, don't save face for the old man! Luo Yi sighed, and his temper suddenly became extremely soft. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to admit that Youzhou's military was strategically ill-prepared first. From the very beginning, everyone firmly believed that Li Xu had died, so the entire Eastern Front did not send any veterans to take charge. When Li Xu adopted the strategy of avoiding the real and making up for the false, the weak links of the entire battlefield were immediately caught by him.

"After the Li thief crossed the Hutuo River, he forcibly marched more than 60 miles on the first day and killed the Hulu Valley, which was less than 30 miles away from Shucheng. The young marshal discussed with everyone and decided to send ......" Qin Ji looked at the expression of his clan brother, and then looked at Liu Yifang and Fan Hengda, the two old generals, and said hesitantly.

"Youtu!" Luo Yi waved at the pro-credit force and ordered.

Several civilian staff members hurriedly turned over the one about Hejian County from a large pile of maps, and put it in front of Luo Yi. The map specially designed for the Great Sui army was drawn in great detail, but the gourd valley still only used two earthworm-like curves and three text representations, and it was impossible to see its specific shape clearly.

"That place is said to be a flare-shaped place, and it gets narrower the further you go inside!" Seeing Luo Yi and the others frowning, Qin Ji hurriedly revealed what he knew. "At that time, the Li thief camped on the slope of the mountain a little bit inside the valley mouth, close to the mountain stream at the bottom of the valley!" He untied his girdle and folded it into the wings of the valley. "The young marshal and the others thought that the man surnamed Li was tired from afar, so they sent General Shen Jiong to lead two thousand soldiers and horses to ........"

"Nonsense!" Fan Zhongmou snorted coldly and unceremoniously interrupted Qin Ji's statement. "The other party is a general who has fought a tough battle for six years, will he not be wary of your little tricks? Underestimate the enemy's carelessness, underestimate the enemy's carelessness, and die innocently! ”

At the mention of the dead word, his eye circles began to turn red again. Rao has fought for half his life, and he is used to seeing blood flow in five steps, and when it is his turn to lose his loved ones, no one can still keep a calm mind.

"It's not to rob the camp, it's just to harass! The major general wanted to make the surname Li sleep restlessly. We were already very careful, and even immediately sent people to Pingshu and Lucheng to give orders, so that the defenders of the two places could move closer to Shucheng as soon as possible! Qin Ji didn't think that Luo Cheng and himself had failed because of pride, and raised his voice to defend himself. The real situation at that time was that everyone paid full attention to the news of the arrival of that surnamed Li. In his memory, he had never seen Major General Luo Cheng so careful with any of his opponents.

"Yes, I did. But there is still a fluke in the heart of fame! Liu Yifang sighed and said bluntly. If he was in Luo Cheng's position at that time, he would definitely not seek to win, but to maintain an undefeated stalemate. But his age is close to half a hundred, and Luo Cheng is just a weak-crowned teenager.

The different ages and experiences of both parties lead to different coping strategies. When encountering opponents who are stronger than themselves, Liu Yifang and Fan Zhongmou, these battlefield veterans, do not seek complete victory, but seek undefeated first. The strong-blooded youngsters will do whatever it takes to knock out their opponents and prove their skills.

Therefore, Luo Cheng's reaction cannot be miscalculated at all. It was only luck that was wrong, and it was luck that allowed him to meet an opponent that even a veteran general who had been famous for many years might not be willing to meet when he was unprepared. It was luck that hurt his self-esteem and caused him to dare not turn back after the defeat!

"We ......." Qin Ji was trained to have a fever on his face, and looked at Luo Yi with a wince, waiting for the other party's instructions.

"Forget it, let him continue!" Luo Yi, the chief manager of Youzhou, also sighed and ordered in a low voice. "Shen Jiong must have been wiped out, this kind of terrain," he pointed to the sash on the table. "It's easy to get in, but if someone blocks it from behind, it becomes a stuffy pot, and no matter how hard it is, it can be cooked badly."

"Great handsome Mingjian! The last general, the last general, and so on have done their best at that time! Qin Ji lowered his head very embarrassed and responded with a gnat-like voice.

"Forget it, you can go on!" Luo Yi sighed again and repeated the order.

"Yes!" Qin Ji agreed in a low voice, "The next day, the news of Shen Jiong's capture came from outside. The enemy army took the opportunity to attack the city, and the major general closed the door without fighting! ”

"You should go out of the city and fight, even if you lose, you can calmly return to the city!" Qin Yong slapped the table with hatred. "Even if Shen Jiong brought more than 2,000 ducks, they had to catch a small half a night. When I arrived at the city, I was exhausted! ”

"Brother Qin, don't be angry. In fact, even if you and I are present, and I hear that the troops of the night attack are all exhausted, my confidence will definitely be hit, and I no longer wonder if the other party will be bluffing! Liu Yifang shook his head lightly and dissuaded.

"Alas!" Qin Yong let out a long sigh, his face full of regret. There is no need to listen to the next battle, just through the first two contacts, the gap between the generals of Youzhou and the generals of Boling has been completely exposed. They are definitely not Li Zhongjian's opponents, even if they mention twelve points of caution, the ending will not be much different. Luo Yi wanted to understand the detailed process of the war, nothing more than hoping that the Youzhou Army on the East Road would be defeated, and at the same time, it would also cause great losses to the Boling Army, so that after withdrawing from Yi County, the Tiger Horse would still have the opportunity to carry out a surprise blow to Li Xu's troops. And the most likely result of the battle between the rivers is that the soldiers and horses of Youzhou are all wiped out, and the soldiers and horses of Boling are only injured by the fur!

"Everyone felt the need to be cautious, so they didn't lead the troops out of the city to meet them. And at the head of the city, wolf smoke was lit, so that the brothers who had withdrawn could be alert in time and not be exploited by the surnamed Li. As a result, the defenders of Pingshu and Lucheng did not rush back in time! Qin Ji's face became more and more red, and blood almost oozed from under his skin. The enemy's bluff tricks, he and Luo Cheng also saw it. But when they saw it, the enemy had been repairing under the city for a day and a night.

"It's a heart-to-heart battle!" Luo Yi sighed. If he and Li Xu were to change places, while crossing the Hutuo River, he would definitely send light cavalry back to the vicinity of Shucheng to capture the messengers in the city one by one. In this way, it can not only effectively prevent the Youzhou army scattered in the three places from gathering at Luo Cheng's location, but also create panic for the defenders in the three places at the same time.

But he didn't want to interrupt Qin Ji's narration anymore, he just wanted to listen to the entire battle process calmly. Cheng'er really didn't make any mistakes, his only shortcoming was that he had too few opportunities to be on his own. Thinking of Pingsu's meticulous care for his son, Luo Yi secretly regretted it. If he, as a father, had been more conscientious and had thought more long-term, he would have put his son on the steppe two years ago and let him follow General Bu to fight the Turkic wolf cavalry. The eagle under the wings of an eagle is the safest, but it can fall out of mid-air when it is out of sight of its parents.

Early the next morning, the enemy made two feints. Then they headed north, and the major general, fearing that the brethren who had come to their aid would be blocked in the middle of the road, had to lead the army out of the city to meet them. The last general led 3,000 soldiers to defend in the city, thinking that the young general would be able to rush back quickly, but after more than two hours, the enemy army tightly surrounded the city! Qin Ji lowered his head, still with a bit of panic in his voice. He was very reluctant to recall that battle. It was a nightmare for all the soldiers who remained in the city. The enemy attacked from all sides, and instead of reinforcements, the commander had not heard from him.

"As soon as it was dark, a group of reinforcements under the eastern city wall rushed into the battlefield from behind the enemy with torches and killed them. General Cui, who was defending the city wall on that side, hadn't closed his eyes for two days and one night, and he was so tired that he couldn't even tell the identity of the other party, so he ordered someone to open the city gate! ”

When you open the gates, it's all over. The enemies who were killed and "killed" by the "reinforcements" all got up from the ground and rushed into Shucheng with the "reinforcements". In an instant, the entire county was captured. Cui Huaisheng was captured, Lu Xingshen was killed in battle, and Zhao Quanzhong committed suicide. When the enemy general walked to the bottom of the Xicheng watchtower with Luo Cheng's handsome flag, Qin Ji had no choice.

"So, haven't you seen the young marshal get out of danger with your own eyes?" With some unwillingness and some expectations, Liu Yifang asked in a low voice.

"The surname Li and the generals under his command all testified that the young marshal did not die in battle. After the young marshal was defeated by them, he first wanted to return to Shucheng, but found that Shucheng was besieged and had to go south again! Qin Ji thought about it and responded. I believe that the surname Li will not lie. There's no need for him to lie to me anymore! ”

"There's really no need for him to lie to you!" Luo Yi gritted his teeth with hatred. This is exactly what Li Zhongjian is clever about, he deliberately let Cheng'er go south so that he could be sent to Dou Jiande. Then the old man went south to find trouble with Dou Jiande, and he happened to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight! ”

"Both General Liu and General Fan were killed in battle. The one surnamed Li collected the bodies of the two of them and buried them on the hillside outside the city with the rites of a general! Not daring to look at the disappointed gazes of the two old generals Fan and Liu, Qin Ji added in a low voice.

This is an unexpected answer. After middle-level officers like Liu Dexin and Fan Zhongmou died in battle, the heads could just be passed around, on the one hand, to hit the morale of the Youzhou army, and on the other hand, to increase the prestige of the Boling army.

Respect your enemies, even if they hate them. This is the mind that only the famous generals of the ancients have, and Li Xu did this, which fully proves that he is above board. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that this move may be famous, but at least this will not make the hatred between Youzhou and Boling deeper.

"General, let's make peace with Li Thief!" Liu Yifang looked at Fan Hengda, who was as strong as himself, with red eyes, and recalled the suggestion he had made in front of everyone in the afternoon.

"Luo understands the thoughts of the two of you!" Luo Yi sighed and pushed away the map of Hejian and put the map of Zhuojun in front of everyone. "Ziyi, Evergrande, everything you two have done for Youzhou today, Luo will never forget. But at present, the initiative of the war situation is no longer in our hands. Even if we make peace, we don't have much chips in our hands to exchange with Li Xu! ”

He pointed to the hundreds of miles of plains surrounded by Laishui, Sangganshui and Juma River, "This area is the gateway to the south of our Youzhou, and it was not easy to take it down, if it is peaceful, Li Xu will definitely ask for it back." After returning Gu'an, Zhuoxian and Liangxiang, the next time we go south, we can only go around the east of Lushui. If these places are not returned to him, the surname Li has already gained the upper hand, how can he cede the land and sue for peace! ”

"If we fight again, we may not be able to turn the situation around!" Liu Yifang pondered for a moment and analyzed in a low voice. "When the news of the defeat on the Eastern Front spreads, it will definitely deal a huge blow to the morale of our side. And I waited to turn around and attack Li Xu, and then sold it to Lu Qin. If the troops are divided into two ways to fight, except for you, the commander, the last general will not know who is still the opponent of Li! ”

"Ziyi, don't you dare to fight Li Xu?" Luo Yi was moved, and his eyes stared straight at the face of his confidant Ai Jiang.

"It's not that I don't dare, but I can't bear this heavy responsibility! The last general is already in a mess right now. Even if there is no chaos, he may not be able to deal with the surname Li. Liu Ziyi nodded, his eyes calmly facing the coach. If the general wants the last general to lead the troops to break off and resist Lu Qin and Liu Hongji, you personally lead the tiger to ride to fight Li Xu, and the last general may be able to support it for a while. But if he lures Dou Jiande to Youzhou again, will we still have a chance to turn over? ”

"Indeed, as long as Li Xu cuts one or two pieces of fat from the river and throws them to Dou Jiande, it is enough to make him tempted!" Fan Zhongmou's words sounded like people's hearts plummeted.

Now is the perfect time for other forces to intervene in the war. And any force joining in will help the Boling Army, which has a natural advantage in "morality" and has temporarily gained the upper hand in military strength. This is not because of how extensive Li Xu's connections are, but because it is human instinct to reap the maximum benefit at the lowest price.

"I also think that we should negotiate peace with the Boling Army!" Shi Qinyong, the elder who had been listening most of the time, walked to the map and whispered in favor of Liu and Fan's opinions. "But I don't think we don't have chips in our hands to exchange with Li Xu, he has always had no ambition!"

"It's not that there is no ambition, it's that there is no strength. Only when a person's strength reaches a certain level will ambition be revealed! Luo Yi shook his head and smiled bitterly.

He doesn't think he's an ambitious man either. But there was a moment when the Central Plains were like an egg that had been shelled......

"He should know that he doesn't have the strength to swallow Youzhou alive, otherwise he wouldn't let the young general go south!" Qin Yong shook his head and denied Luo Yi's pessimistic view. "I thought that by letting the major general go south, he was creating trouble between Dou Jiande and Youzhou. And if he has the strength to annex Youzhou, he naturally doesn't want more people to come and share the soup. As for Dou Jiande, this person may not be willing to make enemies with us too much, even if he doesn't treat the young general politely, at least he won't let the young general make a mistake on his own turf! ”

"Really?" Luo Yi frowned and asked. It was perhaps the most comforting thing he'd heard in a day, albeit wishful thinking.

"As it should be. He had seen a kind of stool with only three legs, but it was as steady as a four-legged one. For the whole of Hebei, our Youzhou is one leg, Boling is the second, and Dou Jiande is the third. Any one that is too strong will upset the balance of the situation. Previously, Dou Jiande helped Li Xu deal with us because we were the strongest. At present, the strength and weakness are reversed, we are afraid that Dou Jiande will enter Youzhou, and Dou Jiande may not be afraid that after Li Xu breaks through Youzhou, he will turn his head and attack him! As long as our Youzhou envoy takes the lead in reaching a settlement with Dou Jiande, Li Xu naturally doesn't dare to force people too much! Qin Yongyue said that the more fluent his thinking became, and in the blink of an eye, he had clearly analyzed the relationship between the three parties to be wary of each other and contain each other.

"I can't imagine that I, Luo Yi, have fought for half my life, and in the end I need to ask a group of thieves for help!" Luo Yi sighed loudly, and his voice sounded extremely lonely.

"If the general wants to do something extraordinary, he must endure extraordinary humiliation!" Liu Yifang exhorted.

"You say, what is there in my hand that can make Dou Jiande look at it?" Although reluctant, Luo Yi had to bow to reality.

"Reputation! And the land! Qin Yong quickly gave an answer. Dou Jiande now urgently needs to get rid of his status as a bandit. You elected him to be in charge of the river as the governor of Youzhou, and he must be very happy to accept it! As for the land between the rivers, he can grab as much as he can. Those guys won't support us anyway! ”

"Then what bargaining chips do I use to make peace with Li Xu?" Luo Yi sighed and asked again. At present, he is still unwilling to abandon the county towns on the south bank of the Sanggan River. I don't want to give up the opportunity to go south to win the championship. He just needed a little time to catch his breath, a little time to regroup. When the Youzhou army recovers from this blow, the entire Hebei will still tremble under the feet of the tiger horseman.

As a confidant, Qin Yong understood Luo Yi's mood very well at this moment. Smiling, he stepped forward to find the location of Huairong and Liyang Mountain on the map, and said in a low voice: "Although the land occupied by the Xue family's father and son is very barren, it also belongs to Zhuo County. Liu Wuzhou and the Turks are eyeing it there, so instead of holding it in our hands and causing trouble, it is better to transfer it to others. ”

He didn't need to make his words too clear, and everyone present had a knowing smile on their faces. If the Turks took advantage of the weakness to attack the Central Plains, it would be a suitable choice to go through Huairong. For many years, the reason why the Turks did not dare to use this as a breakthrough to go south to herd horses was because they were afraid of the existence of the tiger and the iron horse.

If the Tiger Iron Rider stood by and watched......

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