The people sent by Dunshe to inspect the movement outside the city did not find anything unusual for three days in a row. But just when everyone wondered if Deng She's judgment was wrong, on the night of the fourth day, Chahan's abnormal movement was finally discovered.

He took advantage of the night to transfer part of the Yuan army deployed in the east of the city to the south of the city. There are two shallow and narrow ferries that Hong Jixun and Ji Zongzhou said about the vacant lot. And the part of the Yuan army that was transferred away walked secretly, as if they didn't want to attract the attention of the city. When Deng She and Hong Jixun heard the news, they hurried to the city to watch. Hong Jixun looked at it for a long time, made a judgment, and said, "I want to cover it!" ”

Deng She didn't make a judgment, he pondered for a while, and just said, "I'll see it tomorrow." "Explain to the person in charge of checking the movements of the Yuan army, and keep a firm eye on the movements of the Yuan army. The next day, the man came to report that the Yuan army had been sent by Chahan to pile up dirt and mountains.

When Deng She heard this, his spirits were lifted and he smiled: "That's it." Then my messenger to the southeast will be deliberately indulged in the city by Chahan. ”

Someone was puzzled and asked: "Last night, the Yuan army wanted to cover up, why didn't the lord make a judgment." And now, after hearing that the Yuan army has gone to pile up dirt and mountains, can I be sure that my messenger must have been deliberately put into the city by Chahan? The mountains of earth were piled up, and they were designated as Chahan for the siege of the city. Perhaps, he is really short of manpower, so he transferred people from the east of the city to the north of the city to help? And my messenger entered the city, maybe he didn't do it on purpose. ”

"It's not uncommon for tens of thousands of troops to set up camp, move one or two troops, and change the camp. Although he was sneaky last night, he didn't necessarily want to cover it up. Maybe there are other secret uses for that Yuan army, and it is not known. Perhaps my messenger's entry into the city, then, was not intentional on his part.

"But now he is making a big splash and using the Yuan army to pile up dirt and mountains. There are tens of thousands of Yuan troops in the south of the city, is there still such a small number of manpower? It's clear that there is nothing to disturb yourself. Sneaking last night, and making a big splash today, this is what I want to cover. Then my southeast envoy must have been deliberately put in by him. ”

An order was immediately issued to summon the civil and military ministers.

Not long after, Hong Jixun, Xu Jizu and others came.

Dunsher spoke his judgment, and everyone agreed. Deng She said: "The enemy situation is clear, and my messenger entering the city must be a deliberate indulgence of Chahan. I summoned you here to discuss how to send troops out of the city and back to the southeast. Mr. Hong, as you said the day before yesterday, you can do what you can do? ”

Hong Jixun's plan is very simple.

He said: "In order to make a plan, we must first understand the purpose of Chahan's deliberate release of my messenger into the city. Continued Jizu said: "Do you need to say more? The purpose of the Tartars, of course, was to lure our army out of the city. Hong Jixun bowed his head and said, "Not bad." But why did he want to lure our army out of the city? ”

Continuation of the ancestor said: "It's nothing more than to consume the strength of the defenders in my city. ”

Hong Jixun said: "This is one of them. ”

"I want to hear about it."

"The consumption of our army's strength is the first, and the confidence of our defenders is the first. I will certainly not have many troops going out of the city to the southeast, so what is the use of him destroying my three or five thousand men? As I expected, after he had wiped out our army out of the city, he would certainly have placed the corpses of our fallen soldiers outside the city, so as to completely cut off our army's hope of relying on foreign aid. Then the morale of our army will be greatly damaged. If there is no help from without, the city will be lost. This is for the siege of the city, and the psychological war is for the top. ”

Deng She agreed, and said, "Not bad. ”

Hong Jixun said: "Attacking the heart is the goal of Chahan, and destroying my army out of the city is the means of Chahan." How to destroy our army? The only way to do this is to set up an ambush. He still asked Deng She to spread out the map, pointed to the map with the handle of the fan, and said, "My lord, please see, if our army wants to go out of the city to the southeast coast, it must go to the east." ——,And the vacant thing that Chahan has vacated for us is also in the east of the city. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider which direction our army will leave the city. The only way to go out is the east gate.

"And if you want to go through the east gate, there is a mountain here in the east of the city, which is a necessary place. If Chahan had set up an ambush, he would have chosen it. The minister's plan will be calculated, without it, two words: avoid.

"How to avoid it? When our army went out of the city, we did not need to rush east, but first went north and bypassed this valley. Then turn back and head east. As long as you bypass this valley and go further east, you will find a flat river. Even if there is still a siege of Chahan, our army is full of cavalry out of the city, and it is enough to rush through. ”

In the past few days, while paying attention to the movements of the Chahan army, the city is also busy selecting the army out of the city. Deng She's choice was all cavalry.

Everyone looks at the picture and ponders. Ji Zongzhou asked a question and said, "Our army can go north first and bypass the valley in the east. But there is one thing, if it is as Mr. Hong said, Chahan must have an ambush outside the city. Can he set up an ambush in the valley to the east, but will he also set up an ambush in the north? ”

That's right, Chahan deliberately let Haidong messengers into the city, obviously to lure Haidong's army out of the city. Can Hong Jixun think of making a detour to the north first, will Chahan not think of it?

Hong Jixun said: "Chahan is in the north of the city, and there may be ambushes." However, in the north of the city, there are south* and north*, and the gap between the two waters is not wide. Even if he was ambushed, the number of ambushed troops would not be too many. ”

"The number of ambush troops is not large, but there are ambush troops."

Hong Jixun made a color and said: "The two armies are fighting, how can there be a perfect strategy? Ancient as Han Xin, there is still a battle against the water. is as brave as Xiang Yu, and has broken the cauldron and sunk the boat. If the strategy of the Wenchen strategists alone can win the battle, then what is the use of the generals? The lord said: The brave wins when they meet on a narrow road. It's time too! ”

Deng She applauded and said: "Mr. Hong's words should be revealed!" ”

He stood up with his sword, his eyes were focused, he looked at the generals, and said: "Today's benefits are surrounded, and the southeast road is extinct." Without reinforcements, a strong enemy is invincible. This sincerity is in danger of survival. Mr. Hung's plan has been decided. The military general is mighty. Generals, who has the courage to lead the army out of the city and back to the southeast? For me to do this feat of breaking the kettle and fighting against the water! ”

Following Jizu and Monk Li, all the generals drew their knives in their hands, took a step forward with a brush, half-knelt on the ground, inserted the knife in front of their feet, and said: "The last general is willing to go!" ”

Deng She smiled happily and said, "I'd rather be a centurion than a scholar!" I knew that there was not a single misbreed in the Lao Tzu Army. He rarely used foul language, but suddenly he burst out, which had a very morale-boosting effect.

This task of going out of the city to the southeast and reopening the passage with Haidong can be described as an important task. You should not be careless in choosing a school. However, Deng She already had a plan in his chest, so he nodded to his step-ancestor and said, "Pingzhang is familiar with the terrain and can be the main general." ”

Xu Jizu was not only familiar with geography, but also had many of the original garrisons in the southeastern coastal states and counties. Although most of the southeast coast has now been captured by Guanbao, many of the garrisons have escaped. Send the successor to the ancestors, and maybe collect some remnants of the defeated generals to strengthen the momentum. Therefore, the position of this lord must be him.

He has also been in the army for many years. In the earlier battle of Yidu, he was defeated by Deng She, not because he was not brave enough, but purely because Wang Shicheng was not in the city at that time, and the dragons were leaderless. He is a talented general, but not handsome, lacks the ability to coordinate the overall situation, and can't hold down the position, so he lost. But if you talk about charging into battle, give him a clear goal and tell him to do it, there is still no problem.

At this time, when he heard the order, he was unequivocal, held his head high, and responded to the order.

Deng She looked at the other generals again, his eyes stopped at Guo Conglong, and said, "This way is far away and dangerous. You can't do without a brave general. From the dragon, take you as the deputy general of Pingzhang. "Supplemented by Guo Conglong.

It is good that Xu Jizu is Mrs. Wang's own brother, but when it comes to such a major matter, he has not been new for a long time, even if Deng She believes him, Hong Jixun and others can't help but be skeptical. Therefore, in order to reassure the people in the city, they had to choose another close confidant Yong General to assist him.

Zhao Guo, Tong Shengyang, Deng Chengzhi, and Yang Wanhu were not in the city, and Deng She did not have many people available at hand. There are only a few people in Monk Li and Guo Conglong. Monk Li is the chief general of the Dingdong Army, and he is the main force defending the city, and he must not move. In this way, only Guo Conglong can be sent.

Guo Conglong took the order awe-inspiringly.

Deng She slowed his tone, beckoned the two of them to take two steps forward, and said, "There are many foot soldiers in the city, but there are few cavalry. I don't have many horses to give you two. Try your best to draw, but there are only 3,000 horsemen. After the two of you arrive on the southeast coast, you don't have to rush to recover the lost ground first.

"There is Liu Yang's navy along the coast, and if the southeast is lost, he will definitely not go far. Remember, be sure to get in touch with him first. At the same time, it is necessary to try to gather the rout as much as possible in order to increase the momentum. When everything is ready and sure, then you can fight. Four words for the two of you: no haste, no impatience.

"You are the only army and horse that can be sent in my city. If you succeed, then I will be saved. If you lose, then I am in trouble. If Yidu is in danger, then Polo will mention that the army will advance eastward, and then our Haidong will also be in danger. The two of you are really at stake.

"When you leave the city, don't forget that the fathers and elders in the city look at each other. From the dragon, you once ascended to the king of Goryeo first, captured the king of Goryeo, and shook the east of the sea. A few days ago, he rushed into battle, and his reputation spread far and wide among the 300,000 yuan army, which made the Tartars frightened. It is advisable to be brave and keep going! Pingzhang, in fact, I should call you brother-in-law. As the commander of the first army, you have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. We're a family, and I don't need to say more. You have to be cautious and double. Deng She smiled, patted the shoulders of the two of them, and said, "I'm in Yidu, waiting for your good news!" ”

These words, the front admonishment, the middle encouragement, and finally with emotion. What else is there to say about Jizu and Guo Conglong? It's already after death!

Dunsha took out his own armor and gave it to both of them. Guo Conglong's war horse was injured in the battle two days ago, and Deng She led his mount to him again. Wait until nightfall, and continue and Guo lead the army out of the city. Deng She even personally led Hong Jixun and Monk Li and sent them to the city gate.

Every soldier who left the city rode past Dunshe's front of him. Dunshe smiled and nodded at everyone. What a glory it is for the coach to see him off in person! Although Deng She didn't say a word, it was better to be silent than sound at this time.

With a cold star on your head, you will face the road ahead with many dangers. The three thousand people were in high spirits, and under the gaze of Deng She full of high hope, they went out of the city at night and drove their horses across the river. The thunder was deep. Looking at the night from afar. Looking back, the city towers. Leaving the city alone is the safety of the two places. The heavy responsibility is on the shoulders, and the soldiers are moving forward bravely.

Deng She and Hong Jixun waited for them to leave the city, and then climbed to the top of the city, watching them fade away.

For a time, no one spoke, and dozens of civil and military officials just stood quietly on the city tower and watched, and no one spoke. There was silence. Looking around, the night shrouded the wilderness. The Yuan army, which was camped for dozens of miles, circled the city for a week. The fires are dotted far and near, like the stars falling in the sky.

Xu Jizu and Guo Conglong crossed the river smoothly. Someone exhaled softly. There is a forest by the river, and although it is winter, the leaves are almost gone, but the trees in the night still obscure everyone's sight. Soon, it will no longer be possible to see the troops leaving the city. But they still stood there watching, and no one offered to leave.

It seems like a long time, and it seems like only a short moment has passed.

Suddenly, someone felt that the head of the city seemed to move, and then a dull sound came into the ears from a distance. Everyone hurriedly stared at each other, and in the night, on the other side of the river, on the east side of the forest, far away, there were fires looming one after another. It seems that a lot of firearms are being fired at the same time.

The night was too deep, and I couldn't see clearly through the river and the forest, and I couldn't see anything. Even how far the place was from the city could not be discerned at once. Only the light of the fire, tearing through the night, appeared and disappeared. Then I heard shouts of killing in the distance. In the crowd, someone moved his steps uneasily.

The Yuan army really had an ambush.

In everyone's minds, a question inevitably came up: Didn't Hong Jixun say that the ambush would be in the eastern valley? But how come it is not far from the river! They are anxious and look far away. Some were on tiptoe, others were so nervous that they were sweating profusely. Monk Li opened his mouth slightly, his eyes unblinking, staring straight in the direction from which the shouting came from. It was as if I had seen something. In fact, he didn't see anything except the dark night, and subconsciously pulled out half of the waist knife and sent it back to the sheath casually.

Ji Zongzhou's throat kept squirming, mouthful after mouthful, struggling to swallow saliva. He is not as tall as Monk Li, and with Monk Li's action of drawing his knife and returning the sheath, his shoulders will block his vision from time to time. He moved a little away, and was blocked by Hong Jixun in front of him.

He was nervous and nervous, and he was not stupid enough to dare to offend Hong Jixun, so he had to his toes and look into the distance as much as he could from Hong Jixun's shoulder. For a long time, my eyes were sore and painful. But like Monk Li, he didn't see anything.

Looking at it from afar is a physical task. Ji Zongzhou is a weak scholar again, and after standing for a long time, his calves and stomach cramps. His spirit was all in the distance, and he didn't watch out, so he couldn't help but tilt to the side and almost fell. Thanks to Zhang Yu being by his side, Ji Zongzhou stretched out his hand and pressed his arm.

I only heard two sounds, "plop" and "plop". But Zhang Yu didn't know when, his legs had already been weak, and he was barely able to support it. At this time, he was suddenly under heavy pressure from Ji Zongzhou, and he was in a hurry, and finally couldn't support it. Two people fell together.

When Dunshe heard the sound, he turned his head to look at it, and without saying anything, he turned his head back. Ji Zongzhou's face was flushed, and he said in his heart: "I'm ashamed." "Peeked to see Hong Jixun. Only the side can be seen. Seeing that Hong Jixun also seemed to have an anxious and worried look, but in terms of overall appearance, he could still be called calm. A white scarf, a folding fan shakes gently. Almost at the same time as Deng She turned his head, he frowned slightly, and also glanced at Ji Zongzhou and Zhang Yu. Immediately, he turned back and spoke to Dunshe in a low voice. I don't know what to say.

Ji Zongzhou and Zhang Yu hurriedly got up, didn't bother to clean the dust on their clothes, and reluctantly entered the train. Zhang Yu also saw Hong Jixun's statement, but he reacted differently from Ji Zongzhou, took a sip, and thought in his heart: "What are you pretending to be chic and calm." Don't you be afraid, in the cold winter of the moon, what kind of fan are you shaking on such a cold day! 'Want to cover up'? You're the one who wants to cover up! ”

Before Zhang Yu surrendered, as Tian Jialie's minion, he scolded Deng She. Although Deng She did not blame, he did not blame in the past. But he wasn't used much either. said that he was given an official who was a member of the Yidu Division, but it was actually equivalent to a fictitiousness.

Yidu left and right Sili, up to Langzhong Luo Li Lang, down to the capital of the country Yong'an, Liu Mingjiang, no matter whether the official rank is higher than him, or the official rank is lower than him, they don't take him seriously, they only don't see it. Why isn't there a fire in his heart? Especially Hong Jixun on this dog day, he has only been in Yidu for a few days, and he has actually reprimanded him several times. It's all because of trivial things! Moreover, every reprimand was not in private, it was all in front of others, even in front of Dunshe.

If he really did something wrong, forget it. However, Hong Jixun made it clear that he was picking a bone in the egg, and said that last time, just because when Deng She convened the meeting, Zhang Yu's position was slightly not aligned with the people on the side, so he was scolded by him. What is this called?

At the beginning, Zhang Yu felt very aggrieved and wondered.

He was aggrieved because for some reason Hong Jixun always stared at his faults. He wondered, it was for another aspect. Hong Jixun is quite big, a close confidant of His Royal Highness King Yan, and his right-hand man. It is not an exaggeration to say that if he stomped his feet, the entire Haidong would tremble. But there is a saying: not in his position, not in his politics. No matter how big his official is, even if he is below one person and above ten thousand people, he is not the person who is left and right in Yidu, and he is not the chief of Zhang Yu. Furthermore, he wasn't even a person from Yidu. Haidong right. On what basis to reprimand the officials of Yidu?

Zhang Yu was aggrieved, he wondered. Studied but cannot comprehend.

Until one time, he chatted with Ji Zongzhou and raised this doubt. How many years have Ji Zongzhou been rolling in the officialdom, first as an official of Meng Yuan, then as an official of Wang Shicheng, and now as an official of Haidong. After three masters, the official is still getting bigger and bigger. Proficient in this. For the sake of his former colleagues with Zhang Yu, I mentioned him a little bit.

Listening to your words is better than reading a book for ten years. Zhang Yu suddenly realized. The reason why Hong Jixun repeatedly reprimanded him was that it was obvious that he had taken a fancy to him and the official position of the secretary of the department.

I heard that Hong Jixun was originally from Shuangcheng and had a high prestige among Haidong scholars. Many came to him and went through his way. The protégés are all over the Liao and the sea. I also heard that he had presided over the reform of Haidong's government administration several times, and he had already taken the opportunity to install many cronies. Maybe the generals don't have much contact with him, but just among the civil officials in Haidong, they really respond to each other.

He is already like this in Haidong, Yidu is far richer than Haidong, and how can he turn a blind eye to such a fertile place? Naturally, you'll want to get involved. And if you want to intervene in Yidu, the best choice is to clean up Shicheng's demote, and then replace him with his people. His people are all old Haidong people, and their roots are red, as long as they don't do too much, it is expected that Deng She will not object. Best of both worlds.

Looking at Shicheng's demotion, the highest position now includes the successor, Liu Qi, and Ji Zongzhou. Their official positions are too high, and they have their own power, so they are not easy to move. Others are too low. There's no need to fuss about it. It's more than that, and it's just Zhangyu. The official position is not too high, but it is not low, which is just suitable as the first gun.

The more Zhang Yu thought about it, the more annoyed he became, although his background was not as good as Ji Zongzhou's, and his intelligence was not as good as Tian Jialie's, but he was also a talented Meng Yuan, and he was also known as an eloquent and wise man. But why are you willing to put down your body and willingly join the army and become a thief, isn't it just for glory and wealth? Why are you willing to let go of your dignity, scold Deng She and lower Deng She, isn't it also for the glory and wealth? But Hong Jixun didn't understand his hardships at all. He gritted his teeth and hated it, thinking in his heart: "But don't force people to hurry!" ”

He's really an official fan. The originally frightened and anxious emotions have calmed down a lot because of such a moment of distraction. A burst of anger erupted. Deng She didn't know what Hong Jixun said, just turned his head again, and Sect Ji Zong Zhou stepped forward, glanced at Zhang Yu's indignant appearance, a little strange, and asked casually: "Why does Wailang look like this?" Is there anything wrong with you? ”

Zhang Yu was startled, his anger disappeared, and he didn't dare to look at Deng She and Hong Jixun, bowed his head, and said, "The minister is fine." ”

"Why are you so angry?"

"Richard Hankou and I Yidu, it's really hateful! He stole my China for a hundred years, and drove my Han people like dogs. Hatred is as deep as the sea! Now the lord is in response to the heavens, raising troops in Haidong and recovering China. But not only did he not know how to obey the command, but he even invaded. and I have taken my people captive, and I have harmed my loyalty. Every time the minister thinks about it, he is always filled with righteous indignation, and he can't wait to eat his flesh and sleep his skin. Therefore, the right person is angry and gnaws his teeth. ”

The "China" in his words does not refer to the whole country, but to the ancient meaning, borrowing from the Central Plains.

Deng She was surprised and thought: "Although this person is weak and inferior, Huayi is quite meritorious. Judging people by their appearance, they lose their sons. Don't be fooled. His opinion of Zhang Yu suddenly changed greatly, and he praised him: "Good! Good! "To all humanitarians," the outsider is righteous and awe-inspiring. Ladies and gentlemen, you can be an example. ”

Hong Jixun looked Zhang Yu up and down carefully, as if he suddenly didn't know this person, and saw him trembling and creepy, so he smiled contemptuously and said to Ji Zongzhou, who approached him: "Lord Ji, you have been in Yidu for a long time." Can you feel how far away the battle is from my city? ”

"The river is seven or eight miles away from the city, and the forest is seven or eight miles away from the east of the river, so there must be more than ten miles of land."

"More than a dozen miles. has not yet left the camp of the Yuan army. Hong Jixun frowned and thought for a moment, and said, "Perhaps, what Xu Pingzhang and Guo Qianhu met was not an ambush of the Yuan army, but a patrol team of the Yuan army." ”

It is impossible for an ambush to be placed in a large camp. If you want to put it in the camp, if you have a slight mistake, the camp may be broken. The gains outweigh the losses. And camping is also troublesome. It is expected that Chahan will not make such a decision.

Monk Li walked over, agreed with Hong Jixun's analysis, and said, "It's possible. Maybe it's just a patrol that happens to the Tartars. He added, "The Tartar patrols, which I have been carefully observing for the past two days, are often few in number, at best, a hundred or dozens of people. It's easy to rush through. ”

Ji Zongzhou said: "If that's the case. So, what was that loud bang just now? The minister thought that it was clearly a trebuchet. None of the artillery would have been so powerful. Will the patrol team of the Yuan army still patrol with trebuchets? ”

Deng She and Hong Jixun looked at each other and smiled. The loud noise, they knew, was not from the trebuchet. Before sending his step-ancestor and Guo Conglong out of the city, Deng She had specially instructed Cui Yu of the Ordnance Lifting Division to transfer several special large mines to them. Just in case. If you really encounter the siege of Chahan and can't get around, you can use this to break the enemy by surprise. The large mines, filled with a lot of gunpowder, were made of iron on the outside, and there were fragments in them, which could be buried in the ground or ignited at hand. Once lit and cast, the sound is earth-shattering.

As if to prove their guess right, the flares from the distant firebolts thinned out, became less and less, and then vanished. The shouts of killing gradually faded away, and finally became inaudible. The night was quiet again.

And in this whole process, the other camps of the Yuan army didn't seem to react, until the firelight and shouts disappeared, and only then did I see a few troops rushing out of the camp to support. They all lit torches and snaked like snakes. Before they arrived at the place where the battle had just begun, they got the news that the Haidong cavalry had rushed out and returned the same way. It didn't work at all.

Hong Jixun said with a smile: "Chahan old thief! There must be a volt. But it's difficult for him to play this play as if it were real. The cold wind blew on his face, and he shivered. Deng She took off his cloak, put it on him, and said with a smile: "Sir is not tolerant of the cold, please go back to the city first." Here, it's good to have me watching. ”

Xu Jizu and Guo Conglong have broken through, what else is there to see?

Deng She said: "Since you come to the city, you must not inspect the guards." Moreover, our army has only broken through for a long time, and it is still unknown whether Chahan has made a move. If you look at it for a while, it's also a way to be stable. ”

Hong Jixun is indeed cold. In the past few days, his sleep time has been decreasing, and he has less than an hour a day. To think something through. Now that I finally sent the army out of the city, I really can't hold on. He no longer resigned, made a salute, and let Deng Shesend guards to help him go down and return home.

Deng She saw him walking away, smiled at everyone, and said, "Our army has already left the city. Ladies and gentlemen, you must have been tired after a hard day's work. Go down to the city and go back. "They were commanded to retreat. Only Monk Li and Ji Zongzhou did not leave, and accompanied him to continue to look into the distance, and inspected the guards by the way.

The night was cold and cold.

Outside the city, the marshal's tent. Chahan was reading a book. The tent was opened, and he suddenly came in and said, "Captain." As the commander expected, the red thief went to the east ferry and went to the north. ”