Soon after dawn, the rangers came back to report.

The Goryeo people in the mountain pass are still building fortifications, and the horses risk death to sneak in front of them, and carefully distinguish them, and there are many false banners. Up to two thousand people are visually inspected. Guan Jiangqi learned that this road of military horses came from Tokugawa, Yunshan and other cities in the west of Shanxi.

The frontal enemy's front-line camp was built seven or eight out of ten, and the general's flag was unfurled, with the words "Deputy Marshal of the Northwest" written on it. Climb the mountain and look at the enemy camp from afar to the line of Dingzhou, and there is no trace of the enemy for follow-up reinforcements.

Deng She summoned the generals, and then on the city tower, found a place to shelter from the rain, and held an emergency military meeting. In a few words, he spread out the map, picked out the arrows, and went to the mountain pass and the front, and said: "If the information is correct, the enemy in the mountain pass is from Zhucheng in Shanxi, and the frontal enemy is from Xijing and Pyongyang, so it can be seen that the enemy is attacking in separate ways. ”

- The deputy marshal of the northwest, as the name suggests, is the official position in charge of the military affairs in the northwest of Goryeo; Its seat of government is in Pyongyang, Seokyung, and the army it brings is also a garrison in Pyongyang.

"It takes a long time to mobilize the two-way coalition forces, communicate and compile. And our army conquered the twin cities in only seven or eight days. "One is that the mountain pass is lost, and it is difficult to escape its responsibility, and the other is afraid that the city will be broken, and it is difficult to save his life. Luo Guoqi changed his previous style, didn't care about the water on the ground, squatted in front of the map, pulled and looked at it carefully, and was the first to take the initiative to ask, "General, could it be that the Koreans are in the old place?" ”

"Coupled with the time for our army to move north, cross the river, and go south from Yiju, it is more than enough for the Goryeo people to mobilize the two-way coalition army."

"The general means ,......"

There are many flags in the mountain passes, and what I am afraid of is that Deng She ran at night last night; Now that it has occupied a narrow position and has the upper hand, there is no need to set up any more doubts. Deng She said: "Perhaps, as early as when we were stationed in Yizhou, the Koreans had taken precautions and started to move. Although they didn't know what we were aiming for, they made it easy for us to conquer the Twin Cities. But as soon as the news broke, their previous preparations were naturally used. ”

He analyzed the Tao at the head, his expression was unmoved, and he blamed himself in his heart. In the end, he was inexperienced, not vigilant enough, and when the enemy did not come, why didn't he think of it!

Luo Guoqi said: "Five thousand on the front, two thousand on the mountain pass, seven thousand people are not enough to break my twin cities." ......" gasped, and hurriedly tilted his head and asked, "General, has the army in Dingzhou reported?" "Seven thousand men are not enough to break the city, but it is enough to stalk and intercept the six thousand troops and horses of the twin cities, so that they cannot help Dingzhou.

All the generals thought of this, and all of them changed color. Twin Cities Aid Dingzhou, one day by taking the South Avenue; The trail crosses the mountain pass, crosses the mountains and mountains, and detours the long road, which takes about three or four days. There is no third way.

The wind gradually subsided, and the rain did not lighten. Huge dark clouds, overlapping and overlapping, pressed the sky very low, as if it were about to collapse. Although the sky is bright, it is still not clear in the distance, the black and dark, and the wheat seedlings in the fields are very verdant.

Deng She did not answer Luo Guoqi, and looked south in silence for a moment.

The enemy situation gradually became clear: 2,000 enemies in the mountain pass, 5,000 enemies in the front; There is no backup from the enemy on either side. Based on the current intelligence synthesis, the possibility of the Koreans attacking the twin cities can be ruled out. Its intention of guarding the mountain pass and building the front of the camp is obvious, when it is to besiege the twin cities, it is convenient for the main force to calmly attack Dingzhou. If he had listened to Wenhuaguo's words last night, sent an army, and took advantage of the enemy's initial arrival, combined with wind and rain, to seize the mountain pass, maybe he would have succeeded. But now, with the enemy fortified and the sky bright, two thousand enemies are stationed in dangerous passes, and it will be difficult to deal with.

But Dunshe has no regrets. Last night, the enemy's position was unknown, and he attacked rashly, which was the act of a foolish general. Therefore, it can only be said that the suspicious plan of the Goryeo people last night was very successful, and it cannot be said that his countermeasures were wrong.

He was not discouraged by this, and when he encountered a strong enemy, his spirit was uplifted: "General Luo is right, the main direction of attack of the Koreans is in Dingzhou, and it is nine times out of ten. Dingzhou City must have been besieged last night. General Li sent a letter, but I don't know if he can reply. Ladies and gentlemen, what is the solution? ”

"Seven thousand people are partial divisions, and the main force of the Goryeo people attacking Dingzhou is at least 20,000. The Dingzhou army stopped at 5,000, and the city was only broken, so I was afraid that it would not last long. Luo Guoqi racked his brains, thought about countermeasures, and said, "In the opinion of the villain, our army needs to confirm the news immediately; Open up the road and rush to help Dingzhou. Otherwise, Dingzhou will be lost, and the twin cities will not be guaranteed. ”

Wen Huaguo snorted: "Nonsense! "Squatted down too.

"What does General Wen think should be?"

Wen Huaguo's thick radish fingers pointed to the south of the map: "I still need to say!" Fall out of the city, fight with him for a dog day! Korean talents come overnight, and the front camp may be built steadily, but the back will definitely not be. It's not difficult to defeat this group of bastards! ”

"Falling out of the city? General Wen is not afraid that the enemy in the mountain pass will take the opportunity to hide behind? If Dingzhou is not saved, you and I will not be able to save our heads first! Luo Guoqi changed the principle of discord with Wen and Chen Dingniu, resisted and opposed, and said to Deng She, "General, the villain thinks that the best strategy is to leave a few men and horses to defend the city, and block the frontal enemy with a strong city."

"The main force went out of the West Gate, with the momentum of thunder, broke through the mountain pass in one fell swoop, and took a small road to aid Dingzhou. The villain speculated that there were 5,000 elite soldiers in Dingzhou, and the broken city should be combined inside and outside, and the damage to the city wall should not be large. ”

Deng She nodded and agreed with Luo Guoqi's inference: "General Chen has a tough personality and is calm in handling things, although Dingzhou is new and has the help of the Han people in the city, it can be safed for the time being." ”

He frowned, looked at the map carefully, Luo Guoqi's suggestion, he had thought about it, but he always felt that there was something missing, and it was not very reliable: "The 2,000 people in Goryeo guard the mountain pass is narrow and difficult to break. Even if it is broken and marches repeatedly, it will become the end of a strong crossbow when it reaches the city of Dingzhou. ”

Zhao Guo interjected: "The Korean people's combat power is not strong, as long as Dingzhou can be defended, our army is solid, although it is strong, and at the end of the crossbow, they are also tired for a long time." "He doesn't usually talk much, and when he encounters nervous situations, he often stutters.

Wen Huaguo patted him on the shoulder: "Dog's day, the words are reasonable." ”

"What's your opinion?" Deng She asked Zhao Guo.

"In the villain's opinion, General Luo is reasonable. Only, only, even if our army successfully reaches Dingzhou, the enemy in front of Shuangcheng is only twenty or thirty miles away from Dingzhou, and it will be able to rush to the aid in half a day. There are not many military horses in our city, and we can't stop or intercept them. It's hard to say whether you'll win or lose. "If you increase your troops, you will increase your strength like the Koreans, but you still can't break the siege.

Hit the head with the tail, hit the tail with the head, hit the head with the tail. The Koreans are in a formation, which can be regarded as a long snake formation. To break this formation, there is only one way, to divide and encircle, cut off the connection, and break it separately. But now, there is no geographical advantage, and the army is insufficient. If you don't find another way, there is no hope of breaking the formation.

Where's the path? In everyone's minds, two words came to mind at the same time: strange soldier.

But, where did the strange soldiers come from?

For a while, everyone was silent. All eyes are fixed on the map, bothering to think.

The rain shelter was hastily built, and the rain dripped down the crevices and fell to the ground, adding to the cold. Dunshe's armor and clothes were already soaking wet, because of emotional tension and concentration, but there was no cold. His gaze wandered back and forth on the map, constantly looking.

Wen Huaguo squatted sullenly and stood up suddenly. Bumped into Ha Guangxiu, who was standing behind him, leaning his neck to look at the map, and with a sigh, Ha Guangxiu sat on the ground.

Deng She's heart moved, and he glanced at He Guangxiu. A plan came to mind dimly, but he was not in a hurry to speak. He lowered his head again and looked at the map carefully. Xu Xu asked: "General He, how are the waves of your attack on the island?" ”

"The island is next to the shore, and the waves are not big." He Guangxiu hurriedly got up from the ground, her buttocks were wet, and she didn't have time to shoot, so she hurried to answer Deng She's question.

"How many ships are there in total?"

"One hundred and ten."

Speaking of which, Wen Huaguo, Zhao Guo, Luo Guoqi, and Lu Qian and more than 12 people guessed Deng She's intentions. Wen Huaguo laughed: "From Shuangcheng to the sea, to Dingzhou dozens of miles away, this is a fast road." I just don't know if the Koreans have any precautions. ”

Luo Guoqi said: "There are not many Korean naval troops, and the coastal coastline is long. One hundred and ten small boats, divided into several batches, to hide in the rainy night, it should not be a problem to find a leak to mix up. ......, I'm afraid, our strange soldiers have no chance to go to sea at all. He explained, "The head-on enemy is menacing. Coming without attacking, putting on a posture of blocking the road and intercepting reinforcements, the villain thought that they were very likely to have ambushes at the port of the sea. ”

Wen Huaguo glanced at him: "Luo Xiucai, you are too cautious. Thinking that Lao Tzu followed the old master, how did three or four hundred people crisscross the banks of the Yellow River? Afraid of wolves in the front and tigers in the back, no wonder you, an official, are getting lower and lower. ”

Luo Guoqi smiled dryly and looked at Deng She. Deng She pondered repeatedly, frowned, and looked at the rain curtain outside the shed.

Zhao Guo's gaze followed him closely, watching him ponder and guess that it was difficult. Compared with other generals, he has the best relationship with Deng She. The two have been playmates since childhood, Deng She is precocious, and he is better than him everywhere, and he admires and admires him. The two have different statuses, and he has always been willing to consider himself a servant.

At present, the Lord is worried about humiliation. He couldn't hold back: "Villain, willing, willing to lead the army across the sea and share worries for the general." ”

Dunsher shook his head. Luo Guoqi's analysis is reasonable, the enemy came prepared, and he will definitely not be careless and let himself go to the sea. If you can't be surprised, you will lose the meaning of the surprise soldier. On the contrary, it will startle the snake and make the enemy see clearly his own reality and reality.

So, what to do?

The raindrops fell on the shed, and the sound of fried beans couldn't stop. When the water is soaked, the air is cold and humid. The crowd stopped talking and waited for him to decide. Deng She thought about it from beginning to end, but couldn't find a feasible way to crack it. But he was not in a hurry, paced, and continued to ponder.

As the number of battles he commanded increased, he made great strides in calming down. The more setbacks he encountered, and the more powerful enemies he defeated, the more convinced he was that there was no end to the sky. For every difficulty, there must be a way to solve it. Failure and success, separated by a wall. The only difference between the victors and the vanquished is that one has found a way to crack it, and the other has not.

If this road doesn't work, let's put it aside. Dunsher remembered again.

Ignore the difficulties for a moment and assume that there is no invincibility by the sea. After the strange soldiers successfully crossed the sea and ambushed the enemy in Dingzhou. The main force successfully broke through the West Mountain Pass and made a long detour to aid Dingzhou. As soon as the appointed time came, the two armies came out together, one positive and one strange, and the city of Dingzhou responded.

And, the enemy on the opposite side of the twin cities, as Zhao Guo said, heard the news and returned to help, and the elite soldiers of the twin cities were exhausted, and it was difficult to stop them. Under the city of Dingzhou, the two sides fell into a melee, outnumbered, and it was difficult for our army to win quickly. Don't talk about defeat, once the stalemate is reached, enemy reinforcements can be sent again at any time. And our army, the army has no reinforcements, and there is not enough food. Self-defeating also.

Deng She stopped and paused slightly.

How to win?

There is only one way to win: a quick victory. How to solve the problem quickly? Going around and around, going back to the beginning, and coming by surprise. It's just that I think more thoroughly at this time. It is not only necessary to take the two places by surprise, but also to find ways to reverse the disadvantage of insufficient troops and the division of the two places. Crack down on the long snake array laid by the enemy.

Long Snake Formation? A thought suddenly flashed through Deng She's mind. After looking at the generals who were looking at him intently, he was not in a hurry to speak, lowered his head and walked a few more steps, thought clearly, and then smiled, and said, "I want to make a move, listen to your opinions." ”

At the moment, say your thoughts one by one. When everyone heard this, Wen Huaguo clapped his legs and applauded, Zhao Guo and Lu Qianshi nodded in agreement, Luo Guoqi let out a sigh of relief, and his heart was lifted for a long time, and he suddenly fell. His admiration came from the bottom of his heart: "The general is wise. With this strategy, it is not difficult for Lijun to break it. Everyone discussed for a while, each with additions, and perfected the details.

After the plan was agreed, all kinds of countermeasures came naturally.

Deng She ordered repeatedly: "Yes, Zhao Guo selected 500 people, and brought more strong bows and crossbows; Out of the city and across the sea. If there is an ambush by the sea, so and so; If there is no ambush on the seashore, so and so on.

"With that, Wen Huaguo, Luo Guoqi, and Lu Qian12 led the army and horses of the headquarters, and allocated a section of the headquarters of the general, totaling 4,500 thousand people, to attack the mountain pass at night. The enemy is the army of Zhuchengzhou and County in Shanxi, and it is not elite. It's still a coalition army, and there will be gaps in cooperation. Carry three cannons, more bows and arrows and other equipment, be sure to break it.

"Landing, Lu Qian12 transferred a team of cavalry to strictly guard the mountain pass and the passage to the south, and the Goryeo rangers and messengers were not allowed to let go.

"The pass is fifty miles away from the enemy to the south. Tonight, the wind and rain are blowing, our army is attacking the mountain pass, and it is well arranged, and I dare not say it for a long time, at least for the time being, I can protect the Li army in the south and do not know. Ben will personally sit in the twin cities, return the favor with the other way, and also learn from the Koreans last night, with great fanfare, showing the enemy that the enemy is empty, so that they think that the main force has not yet left the city. ”

The congregation will take the order.

Deng She said: "Capture Yongping, our army has never encountered such a dangerous situation. The enemy came silently and divided me into two places. Ladies and gentlemen, putting death and living after life is about the present. ”

swept over everyone's faces one by one, slowed down his voice, and said: "General Wen is brave, fighting in the past, pulling out the strong and destroying the sharp, and invincible; General Luo is careful, I look at your department, and the exercises on weekdays are the most neat; General Lu's cavalry is like the wind, two major battles, and outstanding feats. In the end, his eyes fell on Zhao Guo, the two of them knew the roots, they didn't need to talk nonsense, and said simply, "General Zhao is sensitive in his words and deeds, thick and strong." ......" raised his voice and was impassioned, "The enemy is strong and I am stronger, and the enemy is sharp and I am sharper." Ladies and gentlemen! In this defeat, you and I have no way to retreat; This victory, Goryeo is in my pocket. Don't dare to work hard! ”

Everyone promised in unison: "Swear not to disgrace your life!" Wen Huaguo asked, "When will you start?" ”

General Li said that he would send the Dingzhou military report back within one day. You go back to straighten out the army and horses first, and whether General Li sends a military report back or not, we will go out together at the end of the night. ”

——

1, state and county armies.

"The military system of Goryeo is probably imitated by the Tang Dynasty. If the soldiers are scattered in the state and county, what do they mean? …… There are no state and county armies. ”

2, 戌.

Seven to nine p.m.