Years and years ago, I have been sick. Total: two colds, hives, pharyngitis, suspected colitis, toss me badly.

——

Monk Li returned to the camp in defeat, returned to the Shuaifu, knelt on the ground, and was extremely ashamed, he said: "The last general will not notice, and he has fallen into the trick of the old thief!" The army is defeated and returns, please punish Zuo Cheng! ”

The generals in the Shuaifu gathered Xianji, and after hearing Monk Li's words, their expressions were different. Some were taken aback, some got up, some were stunned, and some sneered slightly. However, the same thing is that none of them spoke rashly, and their eyes invariably turned from Monk Li to Zhao Guo.

Ju Sheng has a special identity and has the identity of an "angel", so he sat next to Zhao Guo, sitting under him, and when he heard the words, he also turned his eyes to Zhao Guo.

Zhao Guo frowned, and asked in detail about the battle with a grim face. Monk Li answered truthfully one by one.

After listening, Zhao Guo suddenly became furious, slapped the table in front of him suddenly, pressed the knife and got up, and asked loudly: "You, before you left the city, how did Ben Shuai explain to you?" ”

"Zuo Cheng earnestly instructed that he would be cautious at the end of his life."

"Think, think that Richard's military methods are very old-fashioned, and they are by no means comparable to ordinary mediocre generals! You, you go this time, and you don't expect you to take the city; Only, just to tell you to make an outpost, to try the reality of his city. Again, again and again, don't rush in. Thousands of elite soldiers are handed over to you, no, it's only a few dozen miles away, and when you get to Caozhou City, you, do you forget Ben Shuai's words to the clouds? ”

Zhao Guo is rarely angry, and his words are full of words at this time, and he is really like thunder. All the generals in the palace trembled, Monk Li was sweating, he didn't dare to raise his head, he only kowtowed and asked for guilt, and said again and again: "The last will be guilty, and the last will be guilty." But please punish Zuo Cheng! ”

"Where are the military and military judges?"

The military judge came out and responded: "The last general! ”

"No, not obeying military orders, acting rashly, leading to a great defeat. According to military law, what is the crime? What are the penalties? ”

"If you don't obey military orders, you will be punished with a hundred military sticks and a heavy responsibility. If you are defeated by transgression, you should be beheaded. ”

"Push, push, cut!"

The generals in the Shuai's Mansion all changed color and looked at each other.

The corners of Ju Sheng's eyes jumped, as if he had something to say, but after glancing at Zhao Guo's expression, he didn't speak.

Two pro-soldiers rushed into the hall, grabbed Monk Li and walked out.

To say that this Monk Li is indeed a tough guy, he knows that he is wrong, although he is dying, he refuses to beg for mercy, he only turns his head and shouts: "The last general deserves his sin, and he will die if he dies, and there is no complaint!" I just ask Lord Zuo Cheng to read the old days, and help me take care of the old and young in the future! ”

Zhao Guo covered his face, waved his hand and said, "You, you can rest assured, your family has your own handsome to take care of." ”

The generals in the hall only recovered from the shock at this time, looking at the scene was wrong, did they really want to behead Monk Li?

Seeing that the two pro-soldiers were about to take Monk Li out of the hall, in a hurry, Hu Zhong didn't think much about it, jumped out, and shouted: "Wait! He first stopped the two pro-soldiers, then knelt on the ground, pleaded for Monk Li, and said to Zhao Guo, "My lord, although Lao Li made a mistake this time, the hero of Chahan Beidi was not wronged by his defeat; And although Lao Li was defeated, the soldiers did not suffer too much. Looking at his past exploits, the last general was brave and begged the lord to spare his life, so that he might as well make up for his merits. ”

Tong Shengyang also came out of the ranks, knelt down and said: "Although Lao Li has committed military discipline, the battle between our army and Caozhou has just begun, and it is unlucky to behead the general in the face of a strong enemy!" If Lao Li is beheaded because of this, won't he grow the prestige of the enemy and destroy his own ambition? ......, the last general also had the courage to beg the lord to spare his life. ”

The two of them were the leaders of the generals, and this one took the lead in pleading, and the rest of the generals also knelt down one after another, echoing the voice. For a while, the hall was full of voices begging for mercy for Monk Li.

Zhao Guo snorted, sat in his seat, turned his head, and ignored it.

Tong Shengyang and Hu Zhong secretly glanced at each other. Hu Zhong pouted at Ju Sheng's position, and Tong Shengyang comprehended it, so he squeezed his eyebrows and looked at Ju Sheng.

He is Deng She's righteous brother, and he can't help but give face.

Ju Sheng coughed, also stood up, and said with a smile: "I have long heard that Zuo Cheng governs the army and has strict laws and disciplines. When I saw it today, it lived up to its name. With such strict military discipline, how can our army not win every battle? ......, but my lord, even so, I think that what the generals said is not unreasonable. The ancients said: 'If a person is not wise, who can do nothing'? "Change it, good is great"! General Li is known for his fierce reputation and outstanding military achievements, and he is a member of our Haidong Tiger Generals. It's a pity to cut it off. ......, why don't you give him another chance? It is better to die on the battlefield than to die in military law. ”

"It is better to die on the battlefield than to die in military law", Guo Conglong once said something like this.

Before he joined the army, he beat up soldiers on the streets of Pyongyang, and just as Dunshe passed by, he captured him and almost beheaded him. At that time, Guo Conglong said proudly: "How can the eldest husband die in the law of the country, he should die as he deserves!" Because of this bold statement, he was appreciated by Deng She, and he joined the army, fought for Haidong, and made countless achievements.

This allusion is well known to all the civil and military people in Haidong. Ju Sheng quoted this sentence at this time, the intention is obvious, it is nothing more than to remind Zhao Guo, why not learn from Deng She and give Monk Li a chance to change?

This literati and martial artists are different, no matter what Zhao Guo's true thoughts are, only on the surface, Ju Sheng's plea is far more weighty than Tong Shengyang and Hu Zhong's plea. - He brought out the stories of Deng She and Guo Conglong! Can Zhao Guo not listen?

Sure enough, after hearing this, Zhao Guo's face softened slightly, and he was silent. Ju Sheng hurriedly gave the generals a look, and Tong Shengyang, Hu Zhong and others pleaded again one after another.

Finally, Zhao Guo motioned to his soldiers to bring Monk Li back, and said: "Let's go, that's it, since we are all interceding for you, then, for the sake of Lord Ju and the generals, spare your life!" And, go back to the army, think about your mistakes! Come and fight again in the coming day, if you violate military discipline again, you will definitely be killed! He said to the generals, "You and you all disperse, so that you can reorganize your headquarters and wait for the next day to fight again." ”

Without waiting for the generals to answer, he got up with his sleeves and turned into the back hall. The generals dispersed and didn't mention it, only said Ju Sheng, and followed him to the back hall.

The two sat down, and their own soldiers served tea. After the soldiers retreated, Ju Sheng took two sips of tea, looked at Zhao Guo, and suddenly laughed.

"Why is Mr. laughing?"

"What a show! I almost fooled me. ”

"What do you mean by this?"

"My lord didn't plan to behead Monk Li, right? If the adult really had this intention, how could he let him go so easily? At the very least, 'capital crimes can be avoided, but living crimes cannot be escaped'! But not only did the adults not kill him, but they also didn't hit him with a military stick! Isn't this a show, what is it? ”

Zhao Guo stroked the tea bowl with his hand, smiled and said nothing.

"It's just that I don't understand, what are adults doing this play for? Is it for the sake of strict military discipline? ”

"First of all, what Mr. said is not bad, Monk Li is my Haidong Tiger General, yes, is the lord's minions and hounds, how can I rashly kill him? As for why this play was made, there are two reasons. Since the victory in Jining, the army has gradually become arrogant, soldiers, the art of war: 'proud soldiers will be defeated', so, take advantage of this opportunity, I can just beat the generals. "Strict military discipline is just one of the reasons.

"Oh? I don't know what is the second reason? ”

"From the time of the attack on Juye to the present, the whole army has been fighting in Jining for more than a month, and they are tired almost every day; And、And after the great victory, people's minds return, this、This is common sense. If it is not rectified, it will not take long to use it, and the army will certainly lose its fighting spirit. Therefore, therefore, it is also a good opportunity to jump the soldiers' fighting spirit again, so that they are all eager for revenge, and the shame of this defeat. That's the second reason. ”

Ju Sheng admired it very much, and said: "My lord is thoughtful and kills two birds with one stone, although he was defeated, but because of this, he reunited the morale of the army and provoked the fighting spirit of the soldiers, which is really a clever plan!" ”

Zhao Guo smiled, picked up the tea bowl, and the two touched it lightly and drank it separately. Ju Sheng put down the tea bowl and said, "Now that the army's heart has been condensed and the fighting spirit has risen, what are you going to do next?" ”

"I'm going to discuss with my husband."

……

Here, Zhao Guo and Ju Sheng drank tea and discussed; In Caozhou City over there, Chahan and Li Weixin had just had a wine banquet.

Neither of them had drunk much and was sober. It's just that Li Weixin drank on his face, his cheeks were slightly red, and when the maids cleaned up the case, he said with a smile: "Lord, the swallow thief is not self-defeating, and he is defeated." Our army won this great victory, and the soldiers were inspired. ......, I wonder what the lord has to say about this? ”

"What is your opinion, sir?"

"Listening to the generals' words, after our army defeated Monk Li before, the lord said something, saying that the Yan thief was 'defeated but not chaotic', and it was 'the elite of Haidong, who had been on the battlefield for a long time, and could fight well'. ......, that's so right.

"There are many kinds of victories on the battlefield, including 'strength victory', 'outwitting victory', 'strength victory', and 'complete victory'. Strength wins, because the enemy's strength is not as good as mine; Outwitting is that the enemy's strategy is not as good as mine; The enemy is not as strong as me; If you win, the enemy is inferior to me, not as good as me, and not as strong as me.

"......, if it is a 'complete victory,' then it can be pursued while it is victorious, and if it is 'overwhelming,' it can also be pursued. However, if it is a 'strong victory' and there are resourceful men among the enemy generals, it is necessary to think twice, and if it is a 'outwitted victory' but the enemy's strength has not been diminished too much, it is also necessary to think twice. For generals, the first thing is to be calm, and they should not move because of small profits. If you rush for quick success, you will definitely lose. ”

Li Weixin gushed endlessly, Chakhan Timur shook his head, and when his words came to an end, he said with a smile: "What Mr. means, the old man knows!" You want to persuade the old man to stabilize and not get carried away because of this small victory. ”

"The lord is familiar with the art of war, and he uses soldiers like gods. These words do not need to be spoken, and the lord must have already known them. Zi said: 'There is no desire for speed, and there is no small profit. If you want to hurry, you can't reach it, and if you see small profits, you can't do big things'. Taking care of big things and cherishing one's life, seeing small profits and forgetting one's life, this is the behavior of mediocrity. The Lord God is wise and wise, so naturally it will not be like this. ”

Chakhan Timur laughed and said, "Whoever knows me, sir! ”

"Then I don't know what the lord is planning?" Originally, it was Richard who asked him, but after answering a few words and indirectly expressing his personal opinion, it became him asking Richard again.

Chakhan Timur said: "Our army has been holding on to the Yan thieves for a long time, and we see that the army food is about to run out. Don't hide it from Mr., in fact, the old man has long had the intention of returning to his teacher. It's just because the Zhao thief insisted on becoming a martial artist, didn't fight, and didn't leave, so the old man couldn't touch his mind for a while, so it has been delayed until now. ......, now that he finally couldn't hold it back, he suddenly went out of the city to fight me, in the old man's opinion, there are no more than two reasons. ”

"What are the two reasons?"

"Or they want to retreat, and they are afraid that the old man will follow after them, so they will tempt me; Or got the order of the Deng thief and wanted to force the old man away, so he went out of the city to challenge. ......, there are no two reasons. ”

Li Weixin nodded yes and said, "Then, what does the lord want?" ”

"Whether he wants to withdraw or force the old man away; He must be in a hurry than the old man. Therefore, it seems that he is the attacking party, but in fact, the initiative is in the hands of the old man. ......, as Mr. said, this time our army is only 'outwitted', and the strength of the swallow thief has not been damaged, so we must not act rashly. "If you see a small profit, you won't succeed in a big thing", so the old man decided to brake quietly. ”

"What do you mean?"

"Don't go out of the city, don't take the initiative to attack; Just sit in the city and see what the thief Zhao Guo is going to do next! ”

"What does the lord think he will do? Does he want to retreat, or does he want to force the lord away? ”

"Common sense, if he wants to retreat, after today's defeat, he will be sure to be worried, and he will not act rashly; And if he wants to force the old man to go, then after today's defeat, in order to stabilize the morale of the army, he will definitely come back to me soon.

"But although Zhao Thief stammered and seemed to be honest, he used soldiers in the style of Xiao Deng, and sometimes had amazing actions and did not follow common sense. Therefore, the old man speculated that if he came to attack me again in two or three days, it would be certain that he wanted to retreat and bluff; But if he doesn't move, then he obviously wants to fight the old man! ”

"If he wants to retreat?"

Chakhan Timur smiled and said, "Of course the old man wants to give him a ride." ”

"If he wants to fight the lord?"

Chakhan Timur still smiled and said, "I can't ask for it." ”

……

Zhao Guo and Li Chahan, one stationed in Chengwu and the other in Caozhou, looked at each other from a distance, with an interval of less than 100 miles, interacting with wisdom and planning countermeasures.

After two successive defeats (the other was when Richard Han rushed to Caozhou's aid and repelled Zhao Guo earlier), what will Zhao Guo do next? And after two successive victories, and at the same time when the military rations were about to run out, Richardan could still hold his breath, refused to move, and had to brake statically; In terms of scheming alone, it cannot be said to be deep, but in terms of strategy, it is really a strong enemy in the north.

It's just a pity that Li Chahan only saw Zhao Guo "quite a little Deng's style, sometimes surprising, not according to common sense"; But he didn't expect that Hong Jixun, who was far away in Yidu, would sometimes "go off the rails and make a splash", and had already set a strategy to "lure the snake out of the hole" and plan to wipe it out!

……

Liaodong Peninsula, Daning Road, after receiving the military order forwarded by Yidu and Liaoyang, from Wuping, Huihe, Yizhou, Jinzhou, Fushu and other places, respectively, the Yanjun soldiers and horses who drove all the way were like rivers rolling forward and converging on the banks of the Qinglong River.

A big banner was erected on the riverbank early, with the words "Command Division of the Great Song Dynasty Andong", but Li Ye, a famous general in Haidong who is known as the "Iron Wall of Western Liaoning", personally went out and was the vanguard of the main force of the Yan Army in Liaodong.