Thunder rolled in from the distant horizon.

In the tent, everyone turned their heads and looked through the cracks in the tent into the twilight sky full of clouds. Sun Zhu said in a low voice: "'In winter, thunder and snow are blowing. It's only been a few days since it was clear, and maybe it's about to snow again. "The wind swept through the cracks in the tent, whizzing in, rolling up the generals' cloaks, and making people feel like they were in an ice cave. It was quiet in the tent, and no one spoke. Only the documents on the desk were rolling in the wind, making a "hulala" sound. Although the sound is not very loud, it is very clear to the ear.

Chahan picked up the dice, rubbing silently, and his slender eyes were spinning around on the chessboard, not knowing what he was thinking. He stretched out his free hand, stroked the three white hairs on his left cheek, suddenly smiled, and was about to speak, when suddenly the thunder was mixed with several earth-shattering loud noises, and the desk seemed to tremble slightly. The generals looked at each other.

Sun Zhu changed color in shock, got up in a hurry, held down the case, and asked in a panic: "Is it because the parapet wall of the camp has collapsed?" Unhurried, Chahan dropped the dice, clapped his hands and laughed, and said, "Another four, another five." Sir, you're far behind. Ha ha. Stretching out his hand to signal him to sit down, he glanced at the generals, and said slowly: "Why be alarmed? And don't be impatient. The old man expected this, but it was not my parapet wall that collapsed. It's just that the red thieves pulled the artillery out of the city, and they all used it together, messing with my mind. ”

The former Song Suxun said: "For the way of the general, you should first cure the heart." Mount Tai collapsed in front and the color remained unchanged, and the elk was happy in the left eye, and then it could control the interests and harms, and it could treat the enemy. "The chief general who leads the troops, fights on the battlefield, and to put it mildly, a word can decide the life and death of ten thousand people; To put it more seriously, the rise and fall of a country can be determined in one fell swoop. The city must be deep. The so-called prime minister's temperament is not only the prime minister's temperament. Generals need more grace.

Chahan's stability and unchaos calmed the hearts of the generals a little.

After a while, someone from outside the account came to report. Sure enough, as Chahan judged, those loud noises were not the collapse of the parapet wall of the camp, but indeed Dunshe concentrated all the artillery in the city in one place, and released it at the same time as trebuchets and other objects, which is why it caused such a great momentum and made people shake the mountains in an illusion.

Sun Zhu asked, "How is General Guo?" ”

"General Guo is unstoppable, with the help of the handsome Sa Lu Zi, he leaps over the ravine, like walking on the ground. The morale of the three armies was greatly boosted, countless casualties were killed, and the red thieves retreated slightly. The red thief puppet Yan Wang repeated his old tricks, beat the drum himself, and transferred Monk Li into battle, clashes with 500 cavalry, and tries to divide and surround General Guo. The war is raging. ”

"One blow, then decline, three and exhaustion. The momentum of the red thief has gradually declined. ”

"Why did the lord say this?"

"Thinking about the red thief general in Yidu City, Monk Li is the first. Heavy generals, how can they move without permission? But now the battle has only been more than half an hour, but Xiao Deng actually sent him to fight, which shows the fierceness of the battle on the front line. It can also be seen that the morale of the red thief has gradually declined. As long as Monk Li is repulsed, the red thief will no longer be able to fight for at least a few days. ”

The sunset outside the tent is gradually sinking in the west. As night fell, the guards lit torches and candles. The shadows of the fire were staggered, reflecting the back of Chahan, stretched over the cowhide tabernacle.

He groaned slightly, and even pointed out three generals and colonels with more than 1,000 households, and gave an order, saying: "It's night, and the red thieves can't fight for long." Ling Er and the other three led three thousand elites, that is, they were put into battle. The two fought with Monk Li, and one person was left to feign fraud to rob the city gate in order to force the red thieves to withdraw. Give you two hours. The old man is waiting for the good news! ”

The three generals bowed down to the order and withdrew from the tent.

Soon, the drums and horns of the assembled army came and went, and the shouts pierced the chill and spread far away in the night. The light of countless torches flickered outside the tabernacle. The Chahan army was strictly disciplined, and the assembly time was not long, and 3,000 people set off in full gear. Listening to the sound of neat footsteps, the camp returned to silence.

Sun Zhu said: "My lord, your judgment is good, but the red thief may be declining. But these days, our army has not had night battles with them. There were also times when there was a fierce battle for the night. Moreover, this time, Xiao Deng beat the drum again, which shows his determination to break through. Two hours? The lord only wants to hear the good news in two hours, will the time be a little short, a little too much? ”

Chahan smiled and said, "If the old man has any doubts, please ask the gentleman to explain them." This is the responsibility of the gentleman. If the old man is undoubted, then it is the responsibility of the old man to decide. Why should you be suspicious, sir? Ha ha. Come and play chess, come and play chess. Waiting for you for a long time, you still refuse to take this step! I'm so anxious. "Euphemistically tell Sun Zhu, you just need to play chess with the old man. If you don't, don't ask those questions again. Originally, Chahan played chess to stabilize the army's heart, but Sun Zhu's asking questions here is not beautiful. It is likely to have the opposite effect.

When Sun Zhu heard this, he was also a smart person, and he immediately woke up. After all, he was concerned about the war, although he woke up, he was still absent-minded in chess, and it didn't take long for Chahan to lead by more than half a game. After a game of chess was played to the end, Sun Zhu was defeated. Chahan smiled slightly and said, "I can't get enough of it." One more plate! ”

Sun Zhu's heart floated with a sentence, "sacrifice your life to accompany the gentleman".

He thought to himself, "Outside there are fierce drums fighting, and it's a stone's throw away. The lord prefers to play chess with candles in the tent. That's it, I've really become a 'sacrificing my life to accompany a gentleman'. I had no choice but to reorganize the chess game, listening to the shouts in the distance while listening to the distant shouts and rejoicing, and at the same time starting to play again.

The sound of killing on the front line became louder and louder, and waves of military reports continued. Time passed little by little, and the generals in the tent could not sit still.

Chahan seemed to be immersed in the chess game, ignoring foreign affairs. Even if a military report came in, reporting the number of kills and casualties, he would at most snort casually. One game of chess is scattered, and another game. The red candle is not very bright, and someone picks it out. It wasn't until the fourth game that the military report was delivered again.

"Report, in the previous battle death of General Xiao, the first rank was obtained by Fu Youde. General Guo fought desperately, repelled two red thieves one after another, and finally snatched back General Xiao's head. Monk Li, the head of the Red Thief Canal, took the opportunity to extinguish the torch, and the army went deep into the flank. Liu and Li 2,000 households were the rear wings of General Guo, and they couldn't resist and were defeated by him. The defeated soldiers fled to the trench outside the camp, and the men and horses fell into it, filling it up in a moment. Monk Li trampled on his horse, and General Guo was successfully divided and surrounded, and he saw that he was about to approach our battalion! ”

Outside the camp of Chahan, there are several long trenches dug, all of which are two zhang deep and three zhang wide. Liu and Li 2,000 households were two of the three generals who received the order, and their subordinates of nearly 2,000 people were defeated by Monk Li with 500 cavalry, and fled to the place where the long trench was located, and fell into it. Although the messenger only said a few words, the tragic situation of the men and horses falling into the air and crushing each other was as if before his eyes.

Chahan didn't raise his head and asked, "Where are the artillery stones of our army?" ”

"It's been moved to the front and it's being released. But among the red thieves, there are many grenades, and when they are thrown, they can explode a piece, and all of them are iron and gravel, and all of them are injured or killed instantly. As far as firearms are concerned, our Central Military Commission is really at a disadvantage. ”

Gao Yanshi, Li Zifan, and others at the foot of Mount Tai used grenades many times, and the Yuan army of Tai'an had already reported this information to Chahan. It was also found out what Haidong called this thing, that is, "grenade". To say that this thing is just an improvement on the rudimentary mines of the time, it is not too difficult to imitate, but it has not been obtained in real life, and it cannot be referenced. Even a mine, Tsakhan had never seen what it was. Second, the Chahan garrison is outside, and there are very few skilled craftsmen. Therefore, the messenger said: Compared with firearms alone, Haidong has a slight advantage.

If firearms are slightly inferior, then you can only work bravery.

Chahan no longer only sent some well-known generals such as Xiao Bailang, Liu, and Li Qianhu, and pointed out one person in the left row of the seat, and said: "General Han, you and Guo Yun are known as 'Guo Han'. Since General Guo is on the battlefield, why don't you go? That is, lead 300 cavalry to compete with Monk Li! ”

Han Zhar, who is good at using spears, and the pikemen he brings can be described as an elite army under the command of Chahan. When Chahan first came to prominence, he was called "the lancer squire". The use of spears is also an old tradition in his army. When Han Zal heard this, he sang a promise, and strode out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the night is vast, and the layers of frozen clouds are silent, spreading the night sky, hiding the crescent moon. The stars dimmed. The torches that filled the camp were shining with stars, as if the stars had fallen into the camp. Han Zhar turned over and got on his horse, looking at the front of the camp in the distance, and Yidu City was in flames. And between these two fiery cities and camps, arrows and stones flew like locusts.

Hong Jixun put up Kong Ming lanterns in the city again, flying high in the wind, and the candlelight reflected the white lanterns, little by little, scattered over the entire battlefield. Han Zal stared at it for a while, and when the cavalry was assembled, he withdrew his gaze. He didn't boost morale either, but just said one word succinctly: "Go." ”

Three hundred cavalry, galloping, with black flags, broke through the night, rushed out of the camp, crossed the trench, and rushed to the battlefield where the fierce fighting was even fiercer. Of course, he won't understand that Hong Jixun cast Kong Ming lanterns, but it was not just for the sake of looking good, it was of practical significance. It's a signal, it's a calling. Dunshe's command was conveyed: All messengers who were outside the city, from all places, should now come and rush into the city.

At the foot of the mountain, in the forest, in all directions, more than a dozen messengers, either on horseback or galloping, walked out of the hidden place. If Yidu is compared to the sea, it is like a hundred rivers returning to the sea. And if the Chahan camp isolated in the middle is compared to the sea, it is like the eight immortals crossing the sea. They showed their own powers, some disguised, some picked up the path, took advantage of the night, blended into the enemy camp respectively, and advanced towards Yidu.

Intelligence is the eyes and ears of war. Even if they don't succeed in breaking through this time, at the very least, they will have to create an opportunity for the messengers outside to enter the city. Then, according to the development and changes in the external war situation, a new corresponding strategy can be formulated. The messenger stalked in the darkness of the night, and the lights were bright in the tent of Chahan.

After all, Sun Zhu couldn't hold back the doubts in his heart, and listened to Han Zha'er roll the army out of the camp, he secretly glanced at Chahan twice, and said, "Dare to ask the lord, why is he willing to send General Han until now?" Although Fu Youde is not brave, he was quite brave in the last tunnel battle. Monk Li was known as a fierce opponent earlier, and Xiao, Liu, and Li Zhu were clearly difficult to be their opponents. But why did General Han and Guo Yun go to war together without starting? ”

Chahan smiled and asked rhetorically, "What do you think is the reason, sir?" ”

"But because of ,......。" Sun Zhu picked up a chess piece, tapped it with his fingers, and said tentatively, "Take me under the donkey, and on the other side." Do you take me above you, and do you do not do it among them? ”

"Haha. Sir, the confidant of the old man! First use our army's subordinates to grind away the sharp spirit of the red thief. Then we will use our army's upper swords to strike at them. Although Xiao Deng is brave, how can he be wise? When the two armies face each other, they should put the calculation first. This is also the reason why the old man said that the Haidong Red Thief will be about to blow up, and then decline, and exhaust in three ways. ”

Haidong's military horses went out of the city to break through, and it was inevitably the time to go all out at the beginning. Chahan temporarily avoided his front and used Xiao Bailang and others to grind out their sharpness. Then, when it is about to decline, send a brave general to fight. It is enough to get twice the result with half the effort. "Guo Han", "Guo Han", as for why Guo Yunxian, who is as famous as Han Zal and ranked above Han Zal, sent out first, but because he was worried that Xiao Bailang and others would not be able to control the overall situation, so he had to have a heavy general first. This can be described as "relaxation".

Chahan stroked his beard and smiled, looked at the chess game, and said: "At this point in the battle, there are no brave generals in Yidu City. Let's look at Xiao Deng, how to deal with the old man's clever move. Sun Zhu groaned and said: "Xiao Deng is not weak, although he is young and old, his personality is still 'quiet', but after all, he is young. Less is brave, and from the perspective of his subordinates, his countermeasures are nothing more than four words. ”

"What four words?"

"Personally in battle!"

"What the gentleman sees is the same as the old man." Chahan clapped his hands and laughed, and he added, "It's not just because Xiao Deng is young and brave. If he really wants to break through, Fu Youde and Monk Li are already in decline, even if he is unwilling to fight, he is ready to shoot and has to send it. It is a last resort and must be done. "Call the herald and instruct," that is, pass the old man's order, order Guo Yun and Han Zhar to fight together. If Xiao Deng goes out of the battle, the one who can win the first place will be promoted to two levels! Capture it alive and get promoted to the third level! ”

The herald is out of the account with the front foot, and the military report at the front is with the back foot.

"The puppet Yan King Deng thief, summoned the concubines in the house, poured wine and dipped armor for the thief army at the head of the city, selected two hundred Haidong old pawn warriors, and handed over his sword, and ordered him to go out of the city to support Monk Li. And ordered the three armies to shout in unison, promising that if the battle was won, everyone would be rewarded. The morale of the Red Thieves suddenly rose, and their cries shook for miles. ”

Chahan smiled and said, "I have heard for a long time that Xiao Deng is good at raising his wife and daughter. I didn't want to fight today, but I actually gave out a concubine and poured wine for the soldiers to boost morale. It's up to him to think of it. He shook his head again and again, and said, "What a wonderful person!" What a wonderful person! ”

In the Southern Song Dynasty, there was Liang Hongyu, beating the drum Huang Tiandang to help her husband. The morale of the Song army was therefore high. Deng She's move can be regarded as a living experience. You must know that this concubine's relatives are usually not good friends, let alone subordinates, and even Shangguan is difficult to see. Deng She's concubine, when he fought in the middle of the night, he picked up a wine spoon in his hand and poured wine for the soldiers at the head of the city, and the morale of the encouragement can be imagined.

Chahan smiled closely, quietly resolving the embarrassment of his misjudgment. Listening to what he said interestingly, all the generals in the tent couldn't help laughing. Chahan said, "He acted so amusementingly that he put his concubine on the city for my army to see. The old man must not be an adult. That is, he ordered the soldiers and horses in front of him to shout, and taught him to rest assured, and when he was defeated, his wife and old man raised him for himself. ”

Deng She used concubines to boost morale, and Chahan also used his own way to give back to him, and also used this to boost the morale of his own army. The messenger who delivered the military report held back his laughter and took the order to go out. In less than half an hour, the shouts of the front-line Yuan troops faintly entered the tent. Chahan greeted Sun Zhu and said, "In the battle ahead, Guo Yun and others rushed to kill. Mr. Elegant man, why bother? Let's play chess again. ”

In the front of the Yuan army, thousands of people shouted in unison: "My handsome man has a saying: Tell him the red thief Xiao Deng, the old man already understands the meaning of you letting the concubine in the city." After you are defeated and die, I will raise your wife, and you don't have to worry about it. "At the head of Yidu City, when the generals heard this, they were all angry.

Deng She looked up to the sky and laughed, and said, "This Chahan is also planning to lure me into fighting in person. If he wasn't afraid of the might of our army because of the emptiness inside, why would he make such a decision? This is a manifestation of his poor skills. Ridiculous, ridiculous. Why are you angry? It is our army that wins in sight! "I also ordered the three armies to shout together.

The bottom is against each other, and the top is scolding. The fire was blazing, and the night was deep.

In the battle under the city, several horsemen suddenly rushed out of the Yuan array, detoured the oblique side, and ran to the front of the door. The guards at the gate saw where they came from, and let them go straight into the city. There was no time to dismount, so he urged his mount to gallop up the castle tower along the road, and two or three knights rolled off the saddle together and bowed down in front of Dunshe.