Deng Chengzhi came to the door, but he couldn't enter. The guards in the courtyard stopped him.

According to custom, the day after this cave house is to go to the church. Usually at the time of the fifth watch, a table is used to hold the mirror table, put a mirror on it, and look at the hall to worship, which is called: "The bride worships the church." "Worship the hall, but also "worship the elders and relatives, each has colored satin, skillful work, shoes and socks for the offering, which is called a reward; The elder will be replaced with a horse to return it, which is called a congratulatory reply." This is probably the origin of the "kowtow" in later generations.

Wang Jianyun, a native of Yingchuan (i.e., Xuchang) in the Tang Dynasty, has a poem: "Two cups of wine and six relatives are happy, and the bride of my family should visit the church." That's it. It's just that Deng She has no relatives in this life, so the gifts of "congratulations" and "congratulations" are also exempt.

When Deng Chengzhi came, it was exactly five watches. Deng She and Luo Guannu got up early, and the maids prepared the mirror platform, mirrors and other things, and they were also preparing to worship the church. Therefore, the guards outside the door stopped Deng Chengzhi. When Deng She heard him coming, he knew that there must be another front-line military report coming, but he was not in a hurry, and said to Luo Guannu with a smile: "Anu, the time is coming, come and worship the church." Luo Guannu responded shyly, and the two knelt in front of the mirror.

"The bride worships the church", but not only the bride worships the church, but the groom also has to worship together. Deng She and Luo Guannu and his wife, along with the singing of the ceremonial lang, looked up and worshipped. ——, that etiquette lang, but he came before Deng Chengzhi.

Although this "chapel" ceremony is simple, it is the most important etiquette for couples to get married. It means that the bride has officially become a member of the male family, and at the same time, it also has the meaning of kneeling down to heaven and earth and announcing the ancestors. Very serious. Deng She was meticulous and serious. What was going on in his mind at this time? Are you thinking about his relatives in this life, or are you thinking about his relatives in the previous life? What can be seen is that his expression is solemn and solemn, but as for his inner thoughts, it is unknown.

Worshiped the church and sent off the ceremonial lang. Deng She knew that Luo Guannu hadn't slept well last night, so he instructed the maid to wait for her to sleep, make up for a while, push the door out, and go to see Deng Chengzhi. The night has not gone, the sky is still dark, and the lanterns in the courtyard are shining. The morning breeze gusted, and Deng Chengzhi stood in the courtyard. Seeing that Deng She had just come, he was busy bowing down, and he said, "I wish my father a happy wedding." Deng She smiled: "Your own family, you don't have to be polite." ”

Deng Chengzhi got up, took out a stack of documents in his sleeve, presented it to Deng She, and said: "There are military reports from the front line. Dunshe caught it and watched. Deng Chengzhi took a lantern and illuminated it for him. With the help of the light, Deng She glanced at ten lines, and soon the general newspaper read it, his face was happy, and he said: "Okay! Good! ”

"All the armies on the front line have moved to the city of Jinan. And dedicated an army, copied Jinan's back road, and cut off the connection between Jinan and Gaotang Prefecture. Looking at the current situation, Jinan has actually become an isolated city. Yesterday afternoon, the three generals Yang, Guo, and Fu, after successfully annihilating the Tartars who went out of the city, used Liu San's strategy to coax the city gate of Jinan with 'defeated pawns' at night, although they did not succeed, but they also had a big blow to the morale of the Tartars. The deployment of our army has been completed, and the morale is like a rainbow; The Tartars were trapped in the lonely city, and their morale was low. Li and Bi Zhushuai were full of confidence, and they both issued military orders, saying: Within five days, Jinan will be conquered. ”

"Jinan City, the guard general Guan Bao is also a famous general. On that day, he swept across the southeast coast of our country with thousands of men and horses, as if he had entered a no-man's land. Although Jinan has become a lonely city, the trapped beasts are still fighting. Not to be underestimated. Spread our military orders and teach the generals on the front line to be cautious. Don't be greedy for merit, don't grab merit, and don't compete for merit. Don't say five days, as long as Jinan can be conquered within ten days, I will count each of them as a great achievement. ”

Although the start was good, Deng She remained calm, thought for a moment, and said: "When the generals left the city before, I had a military order. Ordered the front-line battalion armies, with Monk Li as the main body, supplemented by Bi Qianniu. Pan Xianji is his advisor. This battle is a great deal of importance and far-reaching impact, and it must not be lost. You will reiterate this by sending me another military order. If any of the generals do not obey the orders of the lord and act lightly, they will be killed! ”

Deng Chengzhi took the order awe-inspiringly.

The Haidong armies that participated in the war this time were all veterans of the Five Yaya, and they were all elite; And among the generals, there are many brave ones, such as Yang Wanhu, Guo Conglong, and even Wang Guoyi, who was just transferred from Liaoyang, and Hu Zhong, who was originally under Zhao Guo, and so on, all of them are outstanding in war and kill people like hemp, and which one is not an unruly person? Although Monk Li is old enough, and Bi Qianniu and Deng She are close enough, Deng She is still a little worried, afraid that the two of them will not be able to suppress the scene.

After turning around twice and walking a few steps, the more he thought about this problem, the more uneasy he became, he looked up at the sky, turned his head to look at Deng Chengzhi, and said: "Monk Li is too straight, and his temperament is a little irritable. Bi Qianniu is not good at words. But there is still a need for people who can speak well and have prestige in Haidong to go and reconcile. ”

Who should I choose? He thought about it, and suddenly remembered someone and said, "Where is Yang Xingjian now?" "How did Deng Chengzhi know? He hesitated for a moment and replied, "It's still early, should it still be in the house?" ”

Yang Xingjian, Luo Guoqi and Fang Congzhe successively sent envoys, and he went to Taizhou. Taizhou Fang Guozhen, occupies only three counties, and more coastal, although the country is rich, the storage is not as good as the west of Zhejiang. First, it may be this reason; Second, probably because Haidong is too far away, and the stakes with Taizhou are not too deep, so Fang Guozhen hung up high and did not agree to borrow grain. However, Yang Xingjian did not return in vain.

Following Zhang Shicheng's example of transporting grain to Dadu, it was the old practice of sending grain from western Zhejiang and Taizhou from Taizhou. He asked Fang Guozhen to borrow more than a dozen big boats. A while ago, the grain lent to Haidong by Zhexi, so it could be transported so quickly, and all of it was transported to Yidu in just over half a month, but there was no lack of credit for Fang Guozhen.

Yang Xingjian was originally the prefect of Jinan, and this time he attacked Jinan, he had asked for his life many times, and wanted to go with the army. It's just that he is very familiar with the internal situation in Jinan, and the General Administration Department is studying intelligence, and for the time being, it is inseparable from his assistance. Therefore, Dunshe never let him out.

Now that the war has started, relatively speaking, the internal intelligence of Jinan is not very important, and it should be time to let him out. Deng She immediately gave an order and said: "Jiaojixian Academy drafted an order and ordered Yang Xingjian to rush to Jinan on the same day. Deng Chengzhi asked, "In what name?" Deng She didn't think about it and said: "I still have the title of prefect of Jinan, plus the governor of the front line, and I have the right to counsel the military aircraft and outline military affairs." ”

"The right to counsel military aircraft and outline military affairs" is false; "Governor of the front line", this is the truth. A discerning person can see at a glance that the title given by Deng She is clearly for him to coordinate the generals.

Yang Xingjian once partnered with Yang Wanhu, and performed well in the previous Jinan War, which was quite recognized by the army; He had also been in an army with Zhao Guo at the foot of Huabuzhu Mountain, and he was also familiar with Hu Zhong, and he went on the orders of Deng She this time, and Bi Qianniu would definitely respect him. Hong Jixun and Zhao Guo can't be taken lightly because of their own responsibilities. After all the calculations, if you say "coordinating the generals", he is still the most suitable.

Deng Chengzhi took the order and wrote it down, saying: "Father is wise. Today, our army has taken Jinan by surprise and has gained the upper hand militarily. The father sent Lord Yang again, and the generals must be reconciled. The military is excellent, and the generals are harmonious. Moreover, Li, Yang, Guo, and Fu are all brave. Then in this battle in Jinan, our army will win. ”

Deng She smiled and said, "Ah Zhi, how did you learn to pat on the back?" The two smiled at each other. He had his own guards, retinues, etc., and immediately received the order and went to Jixian Temple.

In a short time, the decree was delivered. Deng She saw it, made sure that it was correct, and ordered the palm seal to be stamped with the treasure seal of King Yan. Handed over to Deng Chengzhi. Deng Chengzhi took the order, but he didn't leave, the topic changed and he talked about another thing. He asked, "Father, I don't know if you have seen Fang Congzhe in the past two days?" ”

Fang Congzhe accompanied the envoys from all over the country in the State Guest House, of course Deng She had never seen him, and asked, "What?" ”

Deng Chengzhi replied: "The Yidu branch is not far from the State Guest House, and yesterday, I met him on the road. Listening to him, it seems that he wants to come and ask to see his father. About the people in the guest house came out of town to make some unusual behavior. Deng Chengzhi's words immediately attracted Deng She's attention and asked, "What abnormal performance?" ”

"It seems that our army's capture of Jinan has been known to the envoy."

Haidong sought to capture Jinan, although it was extremely secret. But since yesterday's battle, a day and a night have passed. Jinan is not far from Yidu, and the news is transmitted very quickly. And these messengers from other places, their lords were originally many of them planted in Yidu. For example, Zhu Yuanzhang, so why bother to get together, isn't it just going and coming, just came to Yidu again a month ago? Therefore, after thinking about it, it is not surprising that the envoys were able to learn about this matter so quickly.

Deng She frowned slightly and said, "I know about this matter. Go ahead, and look at your face, and you will not sleep all night. You will be given half a day off in the morning to have a good rest. As for the branch, Tong Shengyang cannot leave the army, and he can teach Liu Mingming to replace him for the time being. In addition, you go and find Li Shousheng for me. ”

Deng Chengzhi responded: "Yes." "Take a few steps back, turn and leave.

Deng She took his hands in the courtyard and fell into deep thought.

The war in Jinan, as Deng Chengzhi said, after a series of secret and sufficient pre-war preparations, Haidong has now taken the lead, and the troops also have an advantage, and all the generals are brave, when Yang Xingjian was ordered to set off, after arriving, and then he coordinated the generals, although the guards in Jinan City are Guanbao, but it is expected to be absolutely difficult to resist. In other words, that is, the key to this war is not actually the war, but the war. Although it was just yesterday, after a small twist and turn, but Haidong is now obviously laid out, no need to wait until after the war, at this time it can be concluded that Jinan will undoubtedly win this battle.

The temple counts, more wins, less counts not wins. Now that the victory is in hand, Deng She's contemplation at this time is certainly not for this. However, because he was reminded by Deng Chengzhi, he began to shift the focus of his thinking to the envoys in the State Guest House. What is the military? In the final analysis, military is only a means, but it is still politics at the root. The battle of Yidu has just passed. In the blink of an eye, Deng She took the initiative to start a war with Chahan again. If this news comes out, it will inevitably attract the attention of the southern heroes again.

In this way, can we take advantage of this opportunity to expand Haidong's influence and create public opinion to lay the foundation for Haidong's next action?

Within 10 days at most, Jinan should be recovered. After the recovery of Jinan, King Xiao Ming's order to go southeast of the sea will definitely be brought up again by Liu Shijiu. Ruochahan was indeed restrained by Polo and did not launch a counterattack. So, what excuse does Haidong have to refuse King Xiao Ming's holy decree? There's only one way, and that's to strike first. Use all kinds of means to create a situation to come out. Create a favorable situation for Haidong. It's not that I'm Haidong resisting the decree, but that the situation dictates that there is no way to obey the decree.

In contrast, this seems to be the only best way to go. However, how can this situation be created? We have to start with all the envoys from other places.

It was very cold in the early morning, and Deng She was pacing around the courtyard in a big hat. Faintly, the morning sun unfolded in the east. The sky is shining, and the dawn is about to break. The wind was cold overnight, and the bluestone slabs laid out in the courtyard were full of dew, and the trees, flowers and plants in the corner of the courtyard gradually revealed their outlines. Deng She turned his head to look and saw that behind the clouds, a bright red morning glow erupted. The night has passed, and the morning sun has risen in the east. The guards and retinue worked to extinguish the lanterns. Someone outside the hospital came to report: "Li Shousheng and Fang Congzhe ask to see." ”

……

In the city of Jinan.

The rising sun sprinkled the whole city with its light. The sunlight cast out on the clouds, and the sky took on a bright agate red, dazzling the entire city, as well as the mountains and rivers near and far. Looking out from the top of the city, yesterday it was empty, but now it seems that countless camps have been raised on the ground overnight. Continuous, flags like a forest. From time to time, there are scouts, scouts and horses in and out, galloping like flying.

The cool morning breeze, with the breath of the wilderness, rolled up the city and came to the nose. In ordinary times, this would surely make people feel refreshed and refreshed. At this time, looking at the overwhelming Haidong camp, the soldiers on Jinan City were all as white as earth. The timid are even double-stranded.

Guan Bao is also like Deng Chengzhi, who didn't sleep all night. It's just that the two of them, one is worried about the military newspaper, and the other is worried about the city defense. Guan Bao brought in 100 guards, patrolled the city, and transferred to the shed. Five or six followed. Sit down separately. Guan Bao asked, "Is there a response from the messenger sent last night?" ”

Last night, not long after Guo Conglong and the others retreated, Guan Bao sent three or four messengers one after another to Gaotang Prefecture to report the emergency. But without exception, so far I have not seen a single reply to it.

One of the men on his left side replied, "The red thief has also laid down a group of military horses behind my city. The reason why the messenger sent out of the city by the general did not hear back is that it is estimated that it failed to break through the interception. The last general came from the west of the city. On the west side of the city, I saw from afar a banner of the red thief who had intercepted my messenger. The last general sent a horse to look at it, but he saw that the word 'square' was written on it. ”

"A 'square' word?" Guan Bao frowned, thought for a while, didn't have any impression, and asked, "Among the Red Thief Army, which thief will be surnamed Fang?" ”

"It should be Fang Mihan."

"Fang Mihan?"

"This person is not very old, although he is not known for his bravery in the Haidong Army, he is known for his steadfastness and hard work. From a small pawn, one step at a time, it has now risen to a thousand households. Now under Yang Wanhu. Earlier, during the Battle of Yidu, the last general attacked Jinan with the young marshal and fought with him. "The name of this person is Fuxiannu. Previously, Wang Baobao captured Jinan, and he was one of the auxiliary generals. At that time, the Haidong general guarding Jinan was Yang Wanhu, so he was familiar with Yang Wanhu's generals. After finishing speaking, he added, "In addition, the last general heard that Guo Conglong was originally his subordinate." ”

"'Down-to-earth and hard-working.' Do you mean that with him to intercept and kill in the west, it will be difficult for our army to break through with a strategy? ”

Puxian Nu said: "For the fighter, he is not afraid of the enemy's courage and wisdom. The enemy is brave, I can outwit it; Enemy intelligence, I can win. There is only one kind of enemy, which is difficult to deal with. That is no courage and no wisdom, but down-to-earth and willing to work. He obeyed the orders of his superiors as he did, and did not dare to transgress them in the slightest, nor did he change them in the slightest. It's like a turtle shrunk in its shell, and it's really hard to start. This Mihan, in terms of the experience of the last general to fight him, he is this kind of person. It is said that long before the Red Thief conquered South Goryeo, he was punished by the Deng thief once for violating military discipline. Since then, it has been more of a guideline. ”

Not to mention that Deng She was fine, as soon as Deng She was mentioned, Guan Bao couldn't help but be angry, blurted out, scolded bitterly, and said: "Deng Thief is really cunning!" ......, he actually took advantage of his wedding day to send an army to attack our city. took advantage of the day of his wedding, and released smoke earlier, saying that Liu Shijiu went to Yidu to urge him to go south. Fucking traitors, going south, going south, they took me Jinan instead! ”

Deng She can be planted in Jinan City, and Guan Bao can naturally be placed in Yidu. A while ago, Liu Shijiu was ordered to go to Yidu, and there was a rumor that King Xiao Ming wanted to make Deng She go south. It happened to coincide with Deng She's wedding. Double* played out, Rao is a famous general of Guan Bao, but he is inevitably fooled because of this.

On the right side of his seat, a general said: "Deng thief is treacherous, and the world knows it. However, our army was unprepared, and he fell for his plan. Now, the army of red thieves is pressing the border, and has cut off our army's foreign aid, general, will be safe? "The questioner, Guo Yun is also. This one is also a fierce general in the Chahan army. During the war, Yidu was quite sharp.

"Now that the Yellow River is civilized, it is inconvenient to travel with Gaotang Prefecture. Even if the red thieves didn't cut off the foreign aid of our army, if they wanted to wait for the garrison of Gaotang Prefecture to come to their rescue, it would take more than ten days for them to come. Now, although the messengers of our army can't get out, but the red thieves are pressing the border, and the momentum is very strong, Gaotang Prefecture and me are only separated by a water, and sooner or later we will know, that is, within two or three days at most, maybe they will prepare and send reinforcements. Now that the situation is like this, there is no other way. If you want to ask the general's countermeasures, there is only one word. ”

"Dare to ask the general, which word is it?"

"Guard."

"Shou?"

"Hold on to the city and wait for reinforcements. There is a lot of food in our city, enough to feed the three armies for several months. Moreover, the city of Jinan is strong, although there are many red thieves, and the number of our army is also quite large, it is expected that it will be difficult to overcome quickly. As long as we can hold out for ten days and a half months, the reinforcements from Gaotang Prefecture will arrive. When the reinforcements arrived, the defenders in our city echoed with the reinforcements inside and outside,......, and at that time, everyone, I had a metaphor. ”

"How?"

"It's like eating sugar cane."

"What does that mean?"

"Sweet in the back!" Although Guan Bao was very angry because of Deng She's deception, he was still full of confidence in defending the city. The generals looked at each other. Puxiannu said: "The general's plan is really clever." However, in the west of our army and on the banks of the Yellow River, there are now red thieves guarding it, and I think that the reinforcements from Gaotang Prefecture can be prepared in three or two days, and if you want to cross the river, I'm afraid it won't be too easy, right? ”

"How can this be true? Yan Pingzhang, the guard general of Gaotang Prefecture, is brave and good at fighting, resourceful and wise, and is known as a prestige in our army. And his deputy Han Zal, together with General Guo, is also known as 'Guo Han', and he is also a fierce man, and his pikemen and cavalry are enough to be called the elite of my northern land. Ladies and gentlemen, do you think that Yan Shenzheng and General Han are actually no match for Mihan, one of the red thieves? ”

Yan participated in politics and was named Yan Fengxian. A man of warlike warfare in the tent of Eksaham.

Seeing that Guan Bao was angry, Guo Yun, Pu Xiannu and others didn't dare to argue with him anymore, and they all said: "What the general said is very true. ”

Although Guo Yun is brave, he is not a person who does not learn and does not know, he is familiar with the "Book of Han", which can be called both civil and military, as everyone answered in unison, after careful consideration, he still said: "General, the enemy who has come to attack me today, a rough estimate, no less than tens of thousands. And Yang, Guo, and Fu are all fierce generals among the red thieves. Not to be taken lightly. The reinforcements from Gaotang Prefecture, although as the general said, may come within ten days. However, in the opinion of the last general, our army must not have a rear hand to prevent it. ”

"Prevent what?"

"What if Yan Shenzheng and General Han learned the news that our army was besieged later, and if the speed of his response was a little slower? Vulgar cloud: It is better to seek others than to seek yourself. From the point of view of the last general, our city also needs to be prepared in advance. ”

"What are you going to prepare?"

"If the red thief is strong, it will be difficult for our army to support ,......。"

"How?"

"The last general thinks that the general should set the direction of our army's breakthrough as soon as possible."

"The direction of the breakout? Are you talking about abandoning the city? ”

"The last general is courageous, but those who use the army must not ignore the back road. In this matter, it is indeed necessary to prepare in advance. ”

Guan Bao took the case and shouted: "Bold! You're really daring. Before the battle, the first word goes. This sin of fear of the enemy. If you follow military law, you are disturbing the morale of our army. Cut according to the law! With a "boom", the short sword was unsheathed. Puxian slaves and others all changed color, and hurriedly got up, bowed down, and pleaded for Guo Yun.

"That's it. And for the sake of the generals, spare your life. If you dare to say such things again, you will not be spared! ”

Guo Yun thanked him.

Guan Bao softened his tone, looked around at everyone, and said: "Everyone, Jinan is very important to me and Jinji, needless to say, you are also very clear. When the battle of the capital is so tragic. After more than a month of hard fighting, our army finally captured Jinan. What is Jinan? Is it just a city? Jinan, the gateway to Yidu is also. As long as Jinan is still in the hands of our army, the Yidu red thieves will not dare to act rashly. Forward, our army can easily benefit from the capital; Retreating, our army can also ensure the stability of Jinji. Why did the marshal send me to guard this place? Why did the commander send you to help me? From this, it is enough to see the importance that Dashuai attaches to Jinan. Ladies and gentlemen, since we have the credibility of the handsome, how can we not share the worries of the Lord? ”

All the generals said: "Yes!" ”

Guan Bao held a sword in his hand and handed down the general's order: "From now on, comrades of the three armies, hold the city!" If you dare to say anything more, whether it is a colonel or a soldier, behead! ”

The sun was rising and there was a commotion outside the city. I only heard the sound of horns and drums, and the crowd shouted to kill. But it was Haidong who began the offensive.