On the fourth day of Deng She's camp, the Taizi River, on the opposite bank.

A sentry hurriedly approached the horse, and the ferryman came out and asked, "What's the matter?" The sentinel did not reply, but jumped off his horse, jumped into the boat, and urged vigorously: "Hurry, hurry, hurry." ”

The soldiers did not dare to ask more, crossed the river in a short time, and without waiting for the boat to dock steadily, the sentinel scouted ashore, rushed all the way, and when he arrived at the gate, he unfurled the small flag in his hand, waved it high, and shouted: "One hundred thousand urgent!" Major military intelligence. Brother in the door, open the door quickly. ”

Whenever there is an important military situation, the sentry allows the camp to gallop horses. He rushed into the gate, and someone had already sent the horses, and the horses' hooves struck the quiet barracks in an instant. Countless soldiers looked at each other, and officers of all sizes looked at the direction of the tent.

Soon after the horse entered the tent, the drums of war in front of the tent were beaten, and the drums were dull and short, and they rolled over the camp like a thunderclap.

The soldiers exchanged heads: "Gathering generals? Someone said: "It looks like there is a battle going on." "Experienced officers know that often after gathering generals, they must be ordered troops, and those who are not qualified to go to the commander's tent have restrained their subordinates, forbidden them to make noise and movement, and whispered reprimands one after another.

The gathering will be drummed, and those who do not have three drums will have a hundred rods.

Deng Shesheng sat in the tent, and the temporary military judge Bi Qianniu stood next to the knife. The guards raised their guns and lined up on the opposite side, all with serious faces and erect chests. The breath of slaughter fills the tent. Deng She said in a deep voice: "Open a handsome account." ”

Bi Qianniu said: "Open a handsome account." ”

The guards at the two tent gates, one on the left and one on the right, pulled up the tent that covered it, and at the same time exerted their strength to open the door of the tent. At this time, it was noon, and the sun outside the tent was dazzling and dazzling, and the white expanse suddenly shone brightly.

As soon as the drum rested, the officers in the vicinity, and those with more than 100 households, were all counted; The second drum break, the officers in the distance, and the more than 100 households; The three drums rested, and the officers stationed outside the camp and by the river, more than 100 households.

The tent was very large, and there was no problem in accommodating dozens of people, and the officers lined up and stood in line according to the order of the thousands of households to which they belonged. Deng She swept his eyes and said, "Point general." ”

Bi Qianniu said: "Point the general." "Those who are assigned to the roster of officers and officers in charge of the roster shall be opened and named one by one in order, and the officers who have been named will be listed as promised. Dozens of names, the point was very fast, and the general replied: "There are a total of sixty-four officers from more than 100 households, all of them." ”

Bi Qianniu said: "General Yu, there are a total of sixty-four officers with more than 100 households, all of whom are available. ”

Deng She nodded, his face was as heavy as water, not angry and arrogant, he said softly: "Clear the field." ”

The tent consults with the military aircraft, and no one shall stand within a hundred paces outside the tent. Bi Qianniu turned around and conveyed loudly: "Clear the field." "The soldiers and guards inside and outside the tent all retreated, and formed a circle around the tent at a certain distance to guard them firmly.

"With a sentry."

Bi Qianniu personally led out the sentry, knelt on the ground, first kowtowed to Deng She, and then stood up facing the officers. Deng She was concise and to the point, directly pointed out the topic, and said: "Everyone, the enemy situation in Shenyang has changed, and I would like to ask this brother to tell you about the specific situation." ”

Since the last reorganization of the army, he has always adhered to strict military discipline, and through unremitting efforts, he has truly fulfilled orders and prohibitions. The information that the enemy situation in Shenyang has changed is not unimportant, but none of the officers spoke, at most, and the familiar people made eye contact.

There was silence in the tent, and the sentry said: "Back to the generals, back to the generals, the villain changed shifts to Shenyang last night." And they lay in wait all night outside the city, and at dawn this morning, they saw a strange movement of the tartars. A group of about 30,000 people went out of the east gate and marched in the direction of Dongmu Mountain. ”

After finishing speaking, he saluted again, and Deng She waved his hand to order him to retreat. He drew his saber and instructed Bi Qianniu: "Map." ”

Bi Qianniu took out the map, hung it on the back wall, Deng Sheti stepped forward, glanced at it roughly, waved the knife and pointed to the location of Shenyang, and said, "This is Shenyang." Then he pointed to Dongmu Mountain, and he continued, "Twenty miles away from Shenyang, to the east, here is Dongmu Mountain, where 15,000 General Pan are stationed. Then turn southwest from Dongmu Mountain, go down the Taizi River, stop at a place where the pattern of the camp tent is painted, and say, "Southwest of Dongmu Mountain, thirty miles; It is forty miles away from Shenyang. By the Taizi River, where our army is located, 5,000 people. ”

He withdrew his saber and, with a thud, sheathed it. Turning around, facing everyone, he asked: "Yesterday I got a report from the Liaoyang Army, the battle of Gaizhou has begun, at this critical moment, the Tartar suddenly made this move, and its intention is not Panmei, but must be in Liaoyang." Where should our army go? More than 30,000 Tartars went out of the city, and our army only had 5,000, so they went to rescue Pan Mei? Or return to Liaoyang? If you rescue Pan Mei, how to save it? Come, you who are discussed, these two things are also. ”

He walked back to his place, lifted his cloak, sat down with his saber, and said, "If you have any ideas, please feel free to speak." ”

Deng Shede's first reaction when the sentinel returned was not nervous, but a sigh. He has been camping by the Taizi River for three or four days, and the war in Gaizhou has also started, if there is no movement in Shenyang, it will be really weird. What should come, will come; It's better than what it should have been, and it didn't. At the very least, it's a relief.

But as for the countermeasures, to be honest, he has not yet succeeded. Hong Jixun, Wen, Chen, Zhao Guo, Zhang Jier, etc., are not by his side, and there are too few people to give advice. One person counts the short, and the other counts the long, so he made a decision immediately and simply gathered the generals to brainstorm. In fact, when it comes to brainstorming, this is one of his strengths.

He Guangxiu was the first to speak, touched the fake beard on his mouth, and said: "General, the enemy is outnumbered, as the general said, our army is only 5,000 people, and Shenyang has more than 30,000 troops and horses out of the city; Moreover, Shenyang is only more than 20 miles away from Dongmu Mountain, and the reinforcements in the city can arrive in half a day, and even if our army goes, it will be sent to death. ”

Deng She asked, "What do you think?" ”

"Withdraw to Liaoyang. ......, as the general said, Naha's intention to attack Dongmu Mountain must be in Liaoyang. For our army, the best strategy is nothing more than to hold on to the city. ”

One person hesitated and said: "What He Wanhu said is reasonable, but, general, Guan Pingzhang sent us here to do so that we can echo Dongmu Mountain and retreat without a fight?" ”

Yang Wanhu heaved and said, "It's for us to respond, not for us to die." We only have 5,000 people and 30,000 Tartars, how can we save them? Shenyang is an army that came out at dawn, and it is expected that at this time, it has already driven to the foot of Dongmu Mountain, and the two sides may have already engaged in battle. General, let's go now, what role can we play? The villain thought that what Lao He said was right, and it was the best policy to withdraw the army early. He squinted at the person who had just spoken, and said, "I don't believe it, even if we retreat without a fight and go back to Liaoyang, what else can Guan Pingzhang do?" Can't you bite our cock? ”

Deng She was silent, if he withdrew to Liaoyang, Guan Duo might not do anything to him, but was withdrawing the army really the best choice?

Bi Qianniu said: "General, the villain thinks that the army should be withdrawn, but how to withdraw needs to be considered clearly." ”

"Oh?"

"Don't talk about Guan Pingzhang's military order, only Pan Mei, but Pan Pingzhang's righteous son. If we don't save it, he will find out, I'm afraid it's not easy to say, right? ”

"What do you mean?"

"It's better to send a branch of the division to go to Dongmu Mountain immediately, one to watch the enemy's situation, and the other to give Guan Pingzhang and Pan Pingzhang an explanation."

Bi Qianniu followed Deng She's side, knew more about the inside story, and considered the problem not only from a military point of view. What he said was exactly what Deng She was worried about, and Deng She nodded appreciatively: "That's right." I have to give Pan Pingzhang an explanation. He thought for a while and said, "The general direction has been set for the time being, we can't do anything like hitting a stone with an egg and throwing ourselves to a dead end, the army must be withdrawn, but not now." ”

He looked at the map again, and as he was thinking, there was a commotion outside the tent. He frowned and said, "Who is making noise outside the tent?" ”

Bi Qianniu went out to take a look, looked strange, and came back to report: "General Hui, but it is Master Fang who is here." ”

Fang Buzhen, as Yao Haogu's confidant, also knew a little about the relationship between Guan Duo and Shenyang, and built his own camp by the Prince River, and it has been quiet for many days. He let go of his vigilance, and the literati's nature came out, and when he had nothing to do, he went out to wander around, visiting the water, and looking for chapters and sentences.

He was not an officer, he was not among the generals, and no one informed him, so he returned to the battalion and rushed to hear the news. Who in the tent did not know that his name was a baggage officer, but in fact he was a nail that Guan Duo put into the camp? After listening to Bi Qianniu's words, they all looked at each other.

The commotion outside the tent became more and more intense, and Fang Buzhen shouted: "Lao Tzu is a heavy official, why is he not an officer?" …… What the? Only more than 100 households are eligible? How many products are there in 100 households on dog days? What kind of official is Lao Tzu? Why is Lao Tzu not qualified? Wow, you guy, give way to the official quickly, it's a moment late, be careful that the official is going to spray you! ”

Deng She screamed bitterly, he only cared about pondering the military situation, but forgot about this goods. In desperation, he had to give an order: "Please come in." I thought, "The decision not to withdraw the troops for the time being has already been decided anyway." If he really wants us to go to the hard top of Dongmu Mountain, at most, the drama is real. ”

Fang Buzhen straightened his clothes, strode in, glanced at the generals in the tent, and waved at Deng She, and said, "I returned to the camp with my humble duties, and I heard that the general had summoned the officers, but I don't know what to do?" ”

Deng She coughed and said, "Lord Fang, please take a seat." "There were many people in the tent, except for Deng She, who had no seats. Deng She invited him to sit down, which meant special preferential treatment. Bi Qianniu moved and sat down, and Fang Buzhen was not humble, he sat down unceremoniously, staring at Deng She with a pair of eyes, waiting for him to answer.

Deng She said: "Only the right person has a sentinel report, and the Tartars in Shenyang have some abnormal movements. Repeating the words of the sentinel one by one, Fang Buzhen was shocked when he heard this, and said: "Naha out of the ,......" As soon as the words came out, he felt that it was wrong, so he hurriedly retracted the second half of the sentence, stood up suddenly, and said: "As soon as the Tartar arrives, Dongmu Mountain will definitely not be protected; Dongmu Mountain is lost, Liaoyang is single; Liaoyang is single, then I Liaodong is in danger. If the general doesn't hurry to the rescue, what kind of military discussion is there here? Although he is a Confucian student, he also knows that the soldiers are expensive and fast. ”

Without waiting for Deng She to answer, he asked, "Can the information be sent to Liaoyang?" ”

Deng She said: "At the time of receiving the report, I had already sent someone to Liaoyang to tell Lord Pingzhang. Fang Buzhen said: "So very good, so very good." He looked around and asked, "The big battle is coming, why don't you hurry back to the camp and prepare?" ”

Yang Wanhu glanced at his mouth, spat out, and said, "The general hasn't given an order, you are a little baggage, do you dare to talk about military aircraft?" ”

"You!" Fang Buzhen's halberd finger was furious.

Deng She played a round and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Lord Fang, the army will definitely come out, and Dongmu Mountain must be saved, but there are more than 30,000 troops in Tartar, and our army is only 5,000." How to save it needs to be discussed by good students. Sun Tzu said: 'The husband who wins the temple without a fight has to be counted as much.' …… More is better than nothing? 'It is a taboo for soldiers to rush into battle before they are sure. ”

Fang Buzhen suppressed his anger, sat back angrily, and said, "What does the general mean?" ”

"General Pan has taken Dongmu Mountain, and it has been nearly ten days since then, and the internal and external trenches and fortifications must have been built steadily as early as possible. Counting the troops, General Pan's headquarters had 15,000 men; The number of Tartars attacking the mountain is only twice that of him, and I can assert that in a short time, Dongmu Mountain will be safe. ”

"Shortly? How short? Fang Buzhen asked very seriously.

Deng She thought for a while and said, "As long as Shenyang does not send additional troops, at least for three days, Dongmu Mountain will be fine." ”

"Three days?" Fang Fuzhen still trusts Deng She's judgment very much, after all, he is famous, and in terms of his past exploits, he can be regarded as a famous general, "What if there are reinforcements in Shenyang?" ”

Deng She's thinking gradually became clear, and he said: "I think it is unlikely that Shenyang will send reinforcements. ”

"Why?"

Deng She smiled and said, "Dongmu Mountain is twenty miles away from Shenyang, and it is not far from Liaoyang. If Lord Fang is Lord Pingzhang, what countermeasures will you make in the face of Shenyang's repeated military dispatches? ”

Fang Buzhen was a little thorough, and said: "First, I also sent reinforcements to fight with the Tartars at the foot of Dongmu Mountain, and entangled the main force of the Tartars; Second, the main forces of Guangning and other places can even return from Gaizhou, take advantage of the emptiness in the city, and go straight to Shenyang to destroy this cancer. ”

"Yes, compared to Gaizhou, Shenyang is a greater threat. If Nahazu dares to do this, Lord Heizhang will definitely not let go of this opportunity. So, I don't think it's very likely that Naha will send reinforcements again. ”

"Even if it's unlikely, in three days, I'm afraid that I won't have time to send a reinforcement army from Liaoyang. You must know that excluding the troops in Gaizhou, there are only 20,000 or 30,000 people left in the city, and they can't protect themselves and have no spare strength. ”

Before Fang Buzhen came, regarding Duo's secret order, once there was a change in Shenyang, he must ask Deng She to fully support Dongmu Mountain. As long as Dongmu Mountain is not lost, Liaoyang will be safe. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, the three days passed quickly, seeing that Deng She was sitting still, he said: "General, the matter has come to this point, if it is delayed, there will be one more day of danger, what are you waiting for?" ”

"The enemy's situation is unknown, so we must be cautious."

"Does the general think that your five thousand men are not enough? On the Yalu River, the 10,000 people of Zheng Sanbao and Chen Hu are not people? 30,000 Tartars, with no reinforcements; Our army plus Pan Mei's 15,000 people is just 30,000, which is just evenly matched, and I have Dongmu Mountain in my hand. ”

How could Deng She not think of Chen Hu? He just didn't want to hastily turn his elite into cannon fodder for Guan Duo when he couldn't figure out the situation. Since Fang Buzhen mentioned it, it was not easy to avoid talking about it, he smiled and said: "The Yalu River is a hundred and ten miles away from our army, even if we jointly send out the army, we must contact it first, right?" ”

"Is there any connection with the general?"

"The messenger, along with the messenger who sent the letter to Guan Pingzhang, has already left the camp." While answering Fang Buzhen, Deng She recalled Fang Buzhen's exclamation, and the first sentence he said was actually the four words "Naha out of the ......", instead of first thinking about the danger of Dongmu Mountain. Savor it, there seems to be a mystery.

He subconsciously looked at the map and suddenly thought of a strange place. Since learning the news of Shenyang's departure from the army, almost everyone has subconsciously judged that Naha's intention should be in Liaoyang, and this judgment should be correct, and anyone with a discerning eye can see it. The Liaoyang army went out of the city, and this was a God-given opportunity to take advantage of the void.

The question is, how did he pick the timing so well? How did he know that Guan Duo was going to fight Gaizhou? Naturally, the mobilization of Liaoyang's military horses could not hide Naha's eyes, but it could be linked to the earlier season, Pan Mei easily took down Dongmu Mountain, and at this time, it was extremely suspicious. It's not like a confrontation between the two armies, but like Naha giving it away.

Now that he tastes, could it be that Naha's original purpose was to disintegrate Guan Duo's vigilance, so that he could rest assured that he would go out of the city and go to Gaizhou?

Dunshe couldn't figure it out. He thought about it again, although Liaoyang's main force went out of the city, there were 20,000 people and horses in the city, and there was plenty of grain and grass, even if he was trapped, it was not a problem to hold on for a while. How can Naha be sure that he will be able to defeat Liaoyang? Gaizhou Gao's slaves are only twenty or thirty thousand rabble, he is not afraid, Mao Jujing quickly pacified them, and returned with the main force? At that time, it will be as Fang Buzhen said: the inside should be combined with the outside, and the Tartars can be destroyed at your fingertips.

How could he be so confident?

Deng She still couldn't figure it out, and there were many doubts. The only thing that can be determined is that Naha must have a back hand, and he remembered a sentence: Quietly lie at the bottom of the abyss, and move above the nine heavens.

"What did the general say?"

Deng She came back to his senses, and he vaguely smelled the smell of conspiracy. He changed his mind, and was full of suspicions, in order to protect his own safety, he must meet Chen Hu as soon as possible and then make plans. He said, "I said, 'Those who are good at attacking move above the nine heavens, and those who are good at defending are hiding under the nine earths.'" General Pan can be described as a good defender, but the situation in Dongmu Mountain is dangerous, and he can't delay more, where is Yang Wanhu? ”

"The villain is here."

"Immediately send a thousand people to Dongmu Mountain, check the enemy's situation, and tell General Pan that our army will come to the rescue. As soon as Chen Hu and Zheng Sanbao's twin city military horses arrived, I sent my army. ”