The chess that Chahan is playing is not Go, nor chess, but backgammon.

Shuanglu probably originated in India, and later introduced to China, and was already popular throughout the country during the Tang Dynasty. By the Southern Song Dynasty, Shuanglu was almost extinct in the area south of Jianghuai, but it was still popular in the north under the rule of Liao and Jin. There is a Yuan generation, the north and the south are mixed, and the double land is popular throughout the country. It is a kind of "talent play", especially at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, up to the court, down to the people, very popular. In Guan Hanqing's famous "A Branch of Flowers", when it comes to his skills, there is "Shuanglu".

Backgammon is both a chess game and a chessboard, which is rectangular. Players are divided into black and white, and each side has twelve ways. There is a door in the middle, and there are six roads on the left and right sides of the door. Sixth, Lu Yintong, the name of "Shuanglu", that is, from this. The rules of the game are similar to those of later generations of flying chess.

Fifteen horses on each side. During the game, the dice are thrown first, and the chess pieces are walked with points, with the white horse returning from right to left, and the black horse returning from left to right. The first to move all the pieces is considered a victory. Guan Baolai entered the account and waited respectfully on the side. There was no one in the tent, except for the opponent who played chess with Chahan, only two personal soldiers stood around, pouring tea and water from time to time.

The opponent who played chess with Chahan, named Sun Zhu, was one of the masterminds of Chahan, about fifty years old, with a very peculiar appearance, a wide mouth and thick lips, and prominent eyes, which at first glance looked like an ape. There are still a few strands of long beard left in the partial life, pretending to be a chic posture. At this time, when he saw Guan Bao coming in, he smiled and said: "I haven't seen you for many days, General Guan's face is full of red light, presumably there must be a big victory in Laizhou?" ”

In front of Chahan, Guan Bao did not dare to be presumptuous. He peeked at Chahan and said respectfully, "It's just a small victory." ”

Chahan didn't seem to hear of it, and all his energy seemed to be on backgammon. Just when he rolled the dice, he put it in his hand and shook it, and threw it gently, and the two dice turned around a few times, stopped steadily, and together, it was an eleven. The higher the number, the better, of course. He laughed, picked up the chess piece and took a few steps. After a long time, he turned his head to look at Guan Bao, and asked, "How is the battle situation in Laizhou?" ”

"The handsome man is like a god. The last general abandoned the city and feints, and the red thief really pursued him. It's a pity that before the Haidong reinforcements completely entered our encirclement, the Xu Jizu Department hit the front first crookedly and crashed into it. As a result, less than four thousand were killed. The first gangster of the Red Thief Canal was very cautious in using his troops, and the last general saw that although he was not chaotic, he did not continue to chase and kill. Failing to take advantage of the situation to recapture the city of Laizhou is really incompetent. I am willing to ask the commander to punish him! ”

"Less than four thousand?"

"Check the first level, a total of more than 3,800."

The Haidong military horses killed and wounded by Guan Bao were only more than 2,000 people in total. Or even kills and wounds. He reported to Chahan more than 3,800 heads. There are more than a thousand extra heads, and I don't know where he came from. It can only be said that no matter how strict and shrewd the officials are, they can't stop their subordinates from "having countermeasures".

Chahan bowed his head slightly, and said: "With 2,000 people in ambush, you can behead more than 3,800 people, although you can't take advantage of the situation to recapture Laizhou, it's not bad." Merit can be credited once. The old man asked you, did you say that the red thief Zhang Xiao'er is cautious in his use of soldiers, although he will not go in chaos. But how to be cautious? ”

"When it's time too. His front army entered the ambush circle of our army, and the rear army immediately changed formation. Change the formation of the enemy and not show haste. When the last general was bravely covering the kill, he charged the flank of our army with his cavalry, which was clearly prepared in the morning. The battle lasted until dawn, and the last general saw that he was still in order, so he was cautious in his use of troops. ”

"How's the Red Thief reinforcements going?"

"This time, the reinforcements of the red thieves from Haidong, the last general has already reconnoitred clearly. Up to 10,000 people. However, judging from Zhang Xiao'er's desperate struggle for Laizhou, maybe they will have a second wave of reinforcements coming. If the general's guess is correct, and their second reinforcement will definitely go to the coast of Laizhou. ”

"Mr. Sun, what do you think?"

"Haidong reinforcements will definitely not be the only one. General Guan is right. The minister also thought that within ten days at most, they would definitely have a second group of military horses. Sun Zhu put down the chess pieces, picked up the tea, took a sip, and said, "The name of Zhang Yu'er has also been heard by the ministers." This person has been in Guanbei for a long time and is one of the important generals of Haidong. This first batch of 10,000 reinforcements was only the front troops, that is, they were led by him himself. It can be seen from this that the commander of the second batch of Haidong reinforcements, which will come in the near future, will obviously have a higher status. Chen dared to assert that it was either Chen Hu or Wen Huaguo. It can be inferred from this that the number of red thief reinforcements in the second batch will definitely be greater than that of the first batch. At least 20,000 people. ”

"That is?"

"Two batches of red thief reinforcements, a total of about 30,000 people. In about 10 days, it may all arrive. ”

"Won't there be a third batch?"

"The total number of men and horses in Haidong is at most more than 100,000 people. Deng Thief had brought 20,000 or 30,000 into Yidu earlier. They can scrape together another 30,000 people to help, according to the minister's estimate, this is already their limit. You must know that outside the Liaodong Gate, there are still Polo tigers eyeing you. Haidong is the foundation of the Deng thief, and he will not transfer all the military horses to fight the lord in a decisive battle. Therefore, as long as there are 20,000 red thieves in the second group to help, there will definitely be no third group of red thieves coming. ”

"Polo?"

Speaking of Polo, Chahan frowned slightly. Although he is in Shandong, his eyes and ears are all over the northern country. Since Polo Timur led his troops out of the Saiwai, he has been stationed in Yixing Prefecture. Earlier, he used the excuse that food and salary were not sufficient, and later he used the excuse that it was snowing heavily and the roads were difficult to travel. All in all, hesitant to move forward half a step.

The little abacus in his heart was clear to Chahan.

Say what the road is hard! Isn't it just to preserve strength? Earlier, Polo and Dunshe had had a battle at Chahannaor. In that battle, Polo Ming showed victory on his face, but he actually suffered a little loss. How could Chahan not know this? Speaking of which, Polo is afraid of suffering another loss, and his attention is actually the same as Tian Feng's, just sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight. And that's just one of them.

We have to dig deeper. Why is Polo afraid of losing again? Why does he want to preserve his strength? It's not for Chahan!

The Liaodong occupied by Deng She, a bitter cold land. Even if it is defeated, what is the use? Is it comparable to Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Henan and other places occupied by Chahan? Here he fought with Haidong, his strength was greatly damaged, and then he saw Chahan annex Shandong, and his influence was even higher. Under the advantages of one and the other, will there be any way for him to go in the future? Even if you are a fool, you know what to do now!

Sun Zhu guessed what he was thinking at this time from Chahan's complexion. smiled and said, "Is the lord worried about Polo?" ”

"Polo inherited his father's Yu Wei, according to the Jin Ji and Datong land. The son of a family who thinks he is a hero, in the eyes of the old man, is just a yellow-mouthed child. When it comes to Wen Taowu's strategy, he can't even compare to my family's insurance. What is there for me to worry about such a person? "Chahan is sunburning.

"Then, why is the lord frowning?"

"What the old man is thinking about is not Polo." Chahan arched his hand to the north, and continued, "It's the Son of Heaven." Sun Zhu thought for a moment and said, "What does the lord mean? ”

Chahan said: "Even if Polo is incompetent, he is the family of Mongolian heroes. There was no need to finish the words, as soon as he started, Sun Zhu and Guan Bao immediately understood what he meant. Chakhan is a man of lust. First of all, this identity is not as good as Polo. The area where the two of them bordered each other used to have frequent frictions. With Chahan's military might, would Polo have the courage to do so without the support of the capital?

Sun Zhu said: "The minister understands. The Lord is not worried about the present, but about the future. ”

When will it be in the future? In the future, when Chahan wins in Shandong. To be precise, it should be when Chahan is about to win in Shandong in the future. If at that time, the Son of Heaven suddenly issued an edict summoning Polo back to Datong. Chahan can't get away from Shandong far away, Polo goes back to Datong, what is it like? It's like putting a tiger in front of Chahan's house. How can this not be a cause for concern?

Moreover, Chahan's concern is not unfounded. There were people in the Polo court, and there were people in the court of Tachahan as well. Just a few days ago, news came from most of the capital, saying that Polo's people have been very active recently, and they have gone through the doors of many high-ranking officials in the court, and pretended to be the hand of the official, and handed the Yuan Emperor a fold. It is vaguely rumored that the content on the excerpt is nothing more than making a fuss about the identity of the Chahan Semu people. Admonishing Emperor Yuan, it is better to take back the Jining lands from Chahan's hands and transfer them to the Polo garrison.

Chahan has used troops for several years, thanks to Jin and Ji to give his army, and become strong. If Emperor Yuan really made this will, why not take the tiger's mouth? It's simply shaking the foundation of Chahan in disguise. Compared with plotting to seize Shandong, this is the biggest trouble for henchmen.

Sun Zhu pondered for a long time and said: "Now that the sea is boiling, I still have half of the country, and it is gradually showing the color of Zhongxing, all of which are the work of the lord." The Son of Heaven will not fail to see this. Moreover, the lord's loyalty to the emperor is well known to the world. There are many wise people in the DPRK and China. Judging from the minister's expectations, although Polo pretended to be an official and confusing his excuses, even if his words were wild, the emperor would not necessarily be provoked by him, and he was willing to agree to his unreasonable demands. ”

Chahan shook his head and said nothing.

There is a saying: the merit is high and the lord is shocked. Chahan raised troops with only a few Confucian students, and in just a few years, he reached 100,000 soldiers, covering most of the provinces of Shaanxi, Jin, Hebei and Henan. The power of the soldiers is there, and the heroes are intimidated. Not to mention the high power of the master. I'm afraid that in the eyes of Emperor Yuan, he is almost the same as Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang in Jiangnan. Attacking the stronger side and supporting the weaker side was a common means for emperors to control their courtiers.

Chahan could almost have said that even without Polo's drill camp, the emperor would have attacked him first sooner or later. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, although he was full of worry, his expression did not reveal too much, and he said to Sun Zhu with a smile: "It's time for Mr. to go." See luck? ”

Sun Zhu picked up the dice in response, turned it around, and threw it on the case. The two dice roll around and settle down, one three, one five, and together they are an eight. He smiled: "But it's not as good luck as the lord." ”

"Haha." Chahan stroked his beard and smiled, very happy. He turned his head to look at Guan Bao, who was staying on the side, changed the topic, and asked, "Abao, since Laizhou has been lost, the old man is here to ask you." In your opinion, after the arrival of Haidong reinforcements, what kind of counteroffensive deployment will the red thieves make? ”

"The last general thinks that after the arrival of Haidong reinforcements, the counteroffensive deployment of the red thieves is expected to come up with no two strategies."

"Which two strategies?"

"Or save Yidu, and fight my main battle. Or fight Tai'an and Jinan, and cut off our army's retreat. ”

"What's the best policy?"

"If it is the Polo army besieging Yidu right now, it will naturally cut off its retreat. It's a pity that our army is not Polo, so the best strategy should be to find me for a decisive battle. ”

"But why is that?"

Guan Bao replied: "The combat strength of the Polo army is not strong, and if the retreat route is cut off, there will be chaos in the army, and the siege of Yidu will not be solved." The Red Thief can even take advantage of the opportunity to attack inside and outside, and may be able to win a big victory. Therefore, the last general said that if the siege of the city was the Polo tribe, it would naturally be cut off as the way to retreat. "The combat power of the Polo army is indeed inferior to Chahan, Guan Bao didn't mean to despise it, but he just pulled it over to make a comparison.

"Our army is far superior to Polo's combat power. Do you think that the Red Thieves have the ability to fight our army? ”

"It is precisely because our army's combat strength is far superior to Polo that the last general thinks that the best strategy of the red thief should be to find my main force for a decisive battle."

"Oh?"

"As Mr. Sun's analysis is suitable, the total number of red thief reinforcements is only 30,000, if he wants to fight Jinan and save Tai'an, there are 20,000 people in Jinan City alone, and there are more than 10,000 people outside Tai'an City. Whichever he chooses, it is obviously difficult to win quickly. Rather than this, it is better to simply do your best to fight my main force. ”

"Outside the city of Tai'an, although there are more than 10,000 people in our army, but inside the city, there are thousands of Chen Yutou's subordinates. The red thief went to fight Tai'an, and he could cooperate with the inside and the outside. How can you conclude that he will not be able to win quickly? ”

"Although there are thousands of Chen Yutou in Tai'an City, there are also tens of thousands of my main force outside Yidu City." Guan Bao's implication was that if Haidong reinforcements went to rescue Tai'an, the Yuan army of Yidu could copy it.

Chahan said again: "What if he goes to fight Jinan? Although there are 20,000 people in the city of Jinan, there are also nearly 10,000 people outside the city. Guan Bao said: "The marshal left Zhao Guo and didn't fight so far, isn't he waiting just in case Haidong reinforcements arrive?" If he really wants to fight Jinan, it will be just like he went to save Tai'an. Of course, the main force of my Yidu can also run from the back in the same way. ”

"In Yidu City, Deng thieves are quite good at fighting. If you mobilize my military horses outside the city as you like, aren't you afraid that he will take the opportunity to break through? ”

"Da Shuai has been fighting with Deng Thief for half a month. When the last general returned, he saw that many of the Yidu city walls passing by were dilapidated and incomplete. Even if the Deng thief is good at fighting, it is estimated that the army is exhausted until now. It may not be easy for me to take the city, but it is not easy for him to come out. There is no need for more, there are only 20,000 horses outside the city, and the last general will dare to guarantee that he will definitely not have the courage to take a step out of the city! ”

Chahan laughed, stood up, and stretched out his hand to mess up the game.

Sun Zhu was surprised, smiled, and said, "Lord? ”

But when Guan Bao was talking, the two of them threw the dice a few times. Sun Zhu, who was at a disadvantage, somehow suddenly came to the time, throwing several big points one after another, as if he had a posture of turning defeat into victory. Chahan's move to mess up the chess game is clearly a trick.

However, Chahan is Chahan, even if he cheats, he has nothing to say. He sighed, and by extension, said meaningfully: "The world is like chess, and it is difficult to predict. After a pause, he raised his eyebrows, turned to generosity, and continued, "......, Abao, what you said is indeed good. However, the premise is that there is no guarantee that Yidu will be conquered as soon as possible. The old man doesn't take it. ”

Thinking back then, Jin Ge Iron Horse swallowed thousands of miles like a tiger. Although Haidong came to reinforce the army, Xiao Deng Cheng was the opponent. Chahan still has no less energy. Despite the worries of Polo, even though the war has stalled. He was still full of faith. Haidong reinforcements are coming, which seems to be an opportunity for Yidu. But just as the world is like chess, it may also be his chance to break the stagnation and achieve a quick victory. He said to Sun Zhu: "Mr. Sun, tell Ah Bao about the decision we discussed." ”

"If you want to solve it quickly, there is only one best strategy."

"What?"

"It's like looking up in the mountains."

"Ambush?"

"Yes, yes."

"Where the Red Thief reinforcements will choose, our army doesn't know yet. If you want to set up an ambush, may I ask you, sir, where should you set up an ambush? ”

"Why should the general ask about this? The general should ask yourself. ”

"What do you mean by that?"

Sun Zhu and Chahan looked at each other and smiled. As soon as the smile was put away, Chahan Zhengse said: "Guan Bao receives the order!" ”

Guan Bao knelt on the ground and said, "Please show the marshal." ”

"Our army is up and down, and you are more familiar with the southeast coast. From now on, all the sentinels and horses of our army in the southeast will be handed over to you. Where there is a shortage of manpower, the elite can be drawn from each battalion. But there is one point, Yidu to the north, Jinan to the west, all roads, forks, and dangers, must be the eyes and ears of our army. Whether it is Laizhou, or Wendeng, or other places, wherever there are red thieves' activities, any wind and grass, the old man must know clearly! ”

Guan Bao suddenly realized, no wonder Sun Zhu said that he had to ask him about the location of the ambush. As long as the movement of Haidong's reinforcements is known in advance, things will obviously fall into place. He awe-inspiring the order and said, "But please rest assured, the last general will set up a net of heaven and earth." ”