The arrival of Wu Jun broke the temporary calm of Shanzhou and Pushui.

No one thought that Chang Yuchun would be able to use this method to easily enter the country.

The first to learn the information were Sainchi Tahu and Wang Baobao.

Sainchi had just joined forces with Wang Baobao, and the troops sent to Giethoorn had just set out.

After hearing the military report, Sain's first reaction was: "Don't you want to die in Chang Yuchun?" Or did he conclude that the battle would be won? If he crosses the Yellow River without pulling out Xuzhou first, once he is defeated, how can he retreat? Even if he can withdraw Yidu first with the Yan thief, if he wants to return to Jinling, he still needs to go through Xuzhou before he can go south! Or is he planning to emulate Han Shin and fight against the odds? ”

Zhao Heng squeezed his eyes, pondered for a long time, came to a conclusion, and said: "Zhu Yuanzhang is cautious in using troops, and he will never use dangerous tricks unless he has to." Chang Yuchun disregards Xuzhou and drives straight in, there must be a plan! ”

Wang Baobao asked, "What's the picture?" ”

"......, it's hard to say." Zhao Heng paused, asked Saiyin Chi, and said, "The public came to Shanzhou and passed through Henan along the way. Wu thief Xu Dabu, where is he now? ”

The route of Saiinchidahu's march from Linfen was: first go south to Jiangxian County, then bypass Taihang and Wangwu Mountain, and go straight west. Along the way, it passed through Xiuwu (now Jiaozuo, Henan), Weihui (now Xinxiang, Henan), and then passed through Daming Road, passed Caozhou, and entered Jining Road. Xiuwu and Wei Hui belonged to Zhongshu Province in the Mengyuan Dynasty, that is, they were under the jurisdiction of the belly, but not far to the south, after crossing the Yellow River, it was Henan Jiangbei Province.

Henan Jiangbei Province, as the name suggests, south of the Yellow River and north of the Yangtze River.

In other words, that is to say, Sainchi is equivalent to sticking to Henan, running through from west to east. He had personally experienced it, and he knew more about the war situation in Henan than Wang Baobao and others who only got the news from the military newspaper. He replied: "Wu thief Xu Dabu, known as 200,000, went out of Jinling, passed through Haozhou, with Miao Tycoon and Zhu Ying as the vanguard, and went northwest. When I entered Jining, his outpost was about to reach Shenqiu. ”

Wang Baobao's mind turned quickly, and when he heard this, he said: "He is obviously the main force along the way. But since the army, it has not yet reached Shenqiu, in other words, that is to say, there has been no major engagement with our Henan defenders. The main force is not in a hurry, but the partial division is impatient and rash. ......, hehe, Mr. Zhao, why did 'Chang Yuchun drive straight into Xuzhou regardless of Xuzhou'? Yes, Wu thief does have a plan! Zhu Yuanzhang's plan was clearly to defeat our Shanzhou first, so as to hit the morale of Henan, and then take advantage of the opportunity of his profit and decline to conquer the city. ”

One of them chimed in, saying, "That's not all! ”

Everyone went to see it, and saw that it was Cai Ziying who came with Sain Chida.

He talked eloquently: "A few years ago, although because of the defeat of Longwan, the puppet Han Chen thief suffered heavy losses. However, I heard that he did not collapse because of this, but instead recruited troops to replenish the army, and there was a lot of momentum to regain his strength and then fight with the Zhu thief. The pressure on Jinling is not small. The Zhu thief was cunning, and although he sent a large army into Henan, he had not officially launched an offensive so far, and there was also this reason. ——, sit and watch Jining's victory or defeat, if the Yan thief wins, he will attack Henan on a large scale; If the thief is defeated, he can also retreat calmly. At the same time, having this army in Haozhou and other places do not move, it will also put pressure on Chen Youliang, forcing him not to act rashly. ”

His analysis was linked to the Henan battlefield and Chen Youliang. Everyone thinks so.

Yan Sixiao was also present, and suddenly realized, and said: "Kill three birds with one stone." It echoed the Deng thief, so that our Henan garrison did not dare to rush to the aid of Shanzhou; It can also suppress Chen Youliang and prevent chaos in the rear. Moreover, if the Deng thief wins, he can also take the opportunity to invade Henan. ......, in this way, it is no wonder that Chang Yuchun ventured lightly. Because in the end, whether Jinling can get Henan depends on Jining! The Zhu thief is really cunning! ”

Analyzing so far, it seems that the reason for the rush of Chang Yuchun has been found. But Zhao Heng subconsciously felt that it was not so simple. The more he couldn't figure it out, the more his eyes crowded. While squeezing his eyes hard, he muttered to himself, "Is it just because of this?" ”

Yan Sixiao's train of thought had already turned to another place, and he suddenly sneered and said, "But it's no wonder." ”

"What's the wonder?"

"No wonder Deng Thief went south despite the lack of logistics, and the main force gathered in Pushui, wanting to fight with me! But he has long known that Chang Yuchun has this plan and can easily cross the Yellow River. Hmph, what? Did he think that with the joint efforts of just 5,000 Wu thieves, he would be able to win this battle? Inevitably, it's too much to underestimate us. ”

Sainchi shook his head and said, "That being said, Chang Yuchun and Feng Guosheng are both Wu thieves, and Cai Qian and others are also brave; Moreover, the military horses they bringed, listening to the banners, were also elite Zhu thieves and Huaisi soldiers. Fang is erosive today, and the first chaos is from Huaisi. The people of the place are good at martial arts, and they have been fighting for a long time, and they have all survived a hundred battles and died lightly and murderously. The general will be fierce and not to be underestimated. ”

"Then, now the Yan thieves have lined up in Pushui, and the Wu thieves will be able to arrive in two days. When their two armies meet, the sound is bound to be loud, how should our army respond? Or is it as the public said before, 'close the city without fighting, and use the old teacher'? ”

Earlier, Sainchi replied to the strategy given by Timur of Chakhan to deal with the enemy, saying that the best strategy was to close the city without fighting. However, the premise of this strategy is to only face the Yidu Yan army. Now, with the addition of Chang Yuchun. The Yan army has been supported by the elite of the 5,000 Wu army, so is it still suitable to use this strategy?

Sainchi was silent in thought.

Cai Ziying said: "'Closing the city without fighting, using the old teacher' is certainly the best policy. However, just like Yan Gong said, now that the Wu thieves are coming, 'when their two armies meet, the sound will be loud'. Looking at our army on the other hand, after the defeat of Juye, the disturbance of Chengwu, and the loss of Jinxiang, the morale of our army is inevitably depressed. Although the three armies were slightly revitalized because of the arrival of Linfen reinforcements, in the face of the two strong enemies echoing from the south and the north, if they 'closed the city without fighting'? ”

"How?"

"I'm afraid it won't be good for the recovery of the army's morale!"

"So, what does the gentleman think it should be?"

"'Closing the city without fighting, with the old division', of course, should be followed. In terms of the current situation, it is true that this plan is the only way to achieve victory. Thinking that the swallow thief will be proud of his victory, and seeing the Wu thief, he must have a light heart. I closed the city and waited for it, he was 'arrogant' and I 'struggled', and the battle was overcome. ”

"Not bad."

"But the problem is in 'I am proud of me'."

"How so?"

"The thief is already arrogant, but our army has not yet 'struggled'!"

"How can we 'work hard'?"

Cai Ziying waved his sleeves and said categorically: "You have to fight!" ”

He is second only to Zhao Heng's advisor, and he has a good relationship with Sai Yinchi, so it is not too strange for everyone to propose this in such a resolute tone at this time.

Sainchi replied, "What do you mean, sir?" ”

"Take advantage of the opportunity when the Wu thieves have not arrived, and my reinforcements have only arrived, choose the generals of the battle, use the brave soldiers, and fight with them! As long as we win, the morale of our three armies will certainly be boosted. When the three armies cheer up, they will naturally 'work hard'! Then close the city, wait for the deep ditch and high base, wait for its elders, and wait for the opportunity to fight. ”

"I often meet a spring warrior, Wu thief Fang crosses the river, and the momentum is very sharp; Zhao Guo is heavy, and the swallow thieves have been arrayed, and the defensive position is very strong. 'Fight with one', who should I fight against? ”

"If you want to get the swallow thief, you need to go through Jinxiang first. Although Jinxiang is small, it is also a city. The siege cannot be quickly defeated, and once it cannot be quickly defeated, it is easy to fall into a stalemate. Holding each other is not good for me. Although the spring is fierce, it is a newcomer and unfamiliar with the geography; and a long march, the soldiers will be tired. Moreover, although he is famous, our army has not fought against him, and we are not afraid of him. Two thousand elites, a small battle, enough to win. ”

"What are the odds?"

"Yan and Wu are two thieves, with the same name, and they are both pseudo-Song ministers; However, before that, there was no contact. This is the first time they have teamed up. Zhao Guo and Chang Yuchun don't know each other and don't know each other, it's like two strangers working together to do things. Everyone, please think about it, two strangers, working together, because they don't understand, so no one can trust anyone, let alone fighting, even if it is an ordinary small thing, it is expected to be difficult to do well. What's more, between the battle arrays, in the land of life and death, thousands or thousands of people live and die in a single thought? There is no geographical advantage, and no one is harmonious, in the next assertion, take the spring, the victory must be carried out! ”

It is worthy of being a first-class military advisor, and his analysis is reasonable and well-founded.

Spring often comes, there is no geographical advantage, no one and no one; Life is sparse, and the ally is a "stranger". When the foothold is not stable, if you fight with the Yuan army, there is a great possibility of defeat.

"Our army is better than Wu thieves, and he often loses courage in Chunding, and he is not familiar with Zhao Guo, and he is a guest army; After our army closes the city and recuperates enough energy, he will definitely not dare to act rashly as long as he looks at it with the garrison of Sheephorn. Subsequently, our army attacked the Yan thieves in the north. With my 'struggle' and the enemy's 'pride', it is easy to win! This policy is called 'first south and then north'. Then, our army defeated the swallow thieves again, broke it, and then took advantage of the courage to go south. I often encounter 5,000 people in the spring district, and there is no way back, how can it be like a turtle in an urn? ”

Sain replied with a sudden clapping of his hands, cheering, and said, "Sir's brilliant plan! Asked Wang Baobao and Zhao Heng, "What do you think?" ”

Wang Baobao frowned, he had fought with Zhao Guo several times, and he knew Yan Jun very well, although he heard Cai Ziying say the truth, and from the analysis of common sense, it was indeed the case. But, somehow, he was always a little uncertain, and after thinking for a moment, he was silent. - Sainchi was his biological father, and he could not think of a suitable reason to oppose it, and it was not good to refute the "clever plan" he approved in front of the generals.

And Zhao Heng was still wondering why Chang Yuchun dared to take the risk of going lightly, and he was thinking about whether there was a reason, but he didn't answer.

If you don't speak, you will be deemed to have agreed.

"In that case, let's do as the gentleman does. The Wu thief has crossed the river and will arrive soon, and he cannot delay ....... Sain Chida suddenly stood up, looked forward to the generals on the left and right, and asked, "Who dares to go out of the city and fight with Chang Yuchun in the spring?" ”

……

It's the middle of summer, and the weather is changeable.

The weather, which had been sunny for many days, quietly picked up the wind from the afternoon. First, the hot wind, and not long after, gradually cooled, swept over the river water in the south, and there was still a little moisture. Towards evening, the wind became stronger, swaying the aquatic plants in the distance, the trees in the distance, and gathering clouds, gradually becoming gloomy.

This wind, swept away the heat for many days, making people feel relaxed.

On the north bank of Pushui, the Yidu Yan army camp.

Whenever a large army is encamped, it must not be far from the river, but it must not be too close to the water.

Far from the river, the draft is inconvenient, and if it is suddenly besieged by the enemy, it is likely that it will be defeated due to the lack of water. Too close to the water, it is not conducive to the deployment, "the army is wet, the water has no pass, the rain is counted, it can be irrigated and Shen (sinking)", if it is not good, it will be flooded by the Seventh Army; And because the moisture at the water's edge is too heavy, it is not good for the body of the soldiers. The short-term garrison is good, but the time is long, and it is easy to have epidemics, "where the army is good and evil, Guiyang is low, and the health is practical, and the army has no diseases, it is said that it will win."

"Good is high and evil is down", that is, to choose to camp in a high place; "Guiyang and cheap yin" means not to camp in a damp place. In this way, the soldiers will not develop all kinds of diseases, which is an important condition for victory.

Therefore, although the camp of the Yan army was stationed on the bank of Pushui, there was actually a certain distance from the river.

Because the infantry and cavalry of the Yan army accounted for almost half, the battalion type chosen by Zhao Guo was the "Glaive Battalion". This camp style was invented by Li Jing in the Tang Dynasty. The Chinese army was in the center, and the two armies were divided into two wings, with dangerous backs, and towards the ground, forming a half-moon shape protruding forward. It is mostly used in dangerous places, such as backing the hill and facing the plain. Speaking of which, it does not apply to the case of camping against water.

It's just that Zhao Guo changed this "camp style" slightly. The wings protrude forward and are extended to the sides. The infantry was on the left, and the cavalry was on the right. The Chinese army is behind. All three armies stood facing the water.

And because this battle was mainly attacking, defending secondary, and there was a river in front of it, therefore, Zhao Guo chose a relatively simple "wooden shed battalion" in terms of fortification.

The wooden shed camp, that is, the fence camp, "because the enemy is forced to build a fortress; Or because of the danger of mountains and rivers, more stones and less soil, not to build a plate, but to build wood for the fence. Fang Yuan is high, buried deep with the potential, the roots of the wood are repeated, and the gap is filled. The inner weight is short for the pavilion road. The outer pillar grows four feet out of the female wall, all of which are painted with mud. The trench outside the fence is two zhang wide and one zhang deep. Build a war tower every 100 steps in the wooden fence, and set the watchtower to visit from afar."

This kind of camp, although relatively simple, is the most common in war, with a ditch outside, a fence inside, a tower, and a medium defense.

The tent of the commander of the Chinese army, the wind rustled, blowing up the tent, and crackling.

Zhao Guozheng was discussing military affairs with the generals, and when he heard the wind, he stopped slightly, looked at the camp outside the tent through the gap where the tent was rolled up, and said: "The sky is cool and cool, and it is in battle. Ladies and gentlemen, the weather was hot, but suddenly the wind started in the afternoon, and even God was helping us! ”

Tong Shengyang, Monk Li and all the generals were there, including Gao Yanshi, who had just arrived from Yuncheng, and Qing Qianxing, who was camped at Tankou Station, also sent a deputy general, as well as Fu Youde and others. Of the front-line armies, only Yang Wanhu's department in Jinxiang now had no one to participate in this meeting. ——,This is an order given by Zhao Guo, because Yang Wanhu is at the forefront, so he is ordered to concentrate on guarding the palace.

In addition, there are two others, one in his thirties, and the other in his twenties at most. Judging by his clothes, he does not look like a person in the Yan army; Looking at its appearance, it is also very vivid. Moreover, although the two of them are not very old and their military positions are not too high, they are above Tong Shengyang, and their rank is only below Zhao Guo, sitting on the guest seat.

These two are none other than the envoys sent by Wu Jun Chang Yuchun. The reason why Zhao Guo summoned the generals was because of the arrival of the two of them. These two people, one is Chang Rong and the other is Lan Yu.

Zhao Guoxiao said to the two of them: "Chang, often participate in politics, use strange tricks, bypass, bypass Xuzhou, it only took one night, to cross the Yellow River, long, long drive straight in, to Jining." No, I won't tell you anything, it's really beyond my expectations! Ho, how fast! ”

Chang Rong and Lan Yu are both Chang Yuchun's henchmen, Zhao Guo knows a little about their names, and knows that one of them is Chang Yuchun's brother-in-law, and the other is Chang Yuchun's brother-in-law, and he is very polite to them.

Hearing his words, Chang Rong and Lan Yu glanced at each other.

Before coming to the Yan army camp, they also did some understanding of the generals of the Yan army, and knew that Zhao Guo was Deng She's important minister, so his attitude was also very modest, and he was not proud of his identity because of the helper, and he did not underestimate him because of Zhao Guo's stammering. Chang Rong's military rank is high and he is also old, so he replied and said: "The Xuzhou guard general is weak, he was once a defeated general under my general, and it was just luck to be able to cross the Yellow River overnight." Don't dare to be praised by adults. The adults went deep alone, conquered the giant field, defeated Wang Baobao, and killed him with courage; Today, he has made persistent efforts, and the division has gone south, lined up in Pushui, and the edge is directed at Shanzhou, which is even more powerful. ......, in fact, the last general had heard of the prestige of the Lord for a long time as early as Jinling. ”

Zhao Guo smiled, picked up the tea bowl, signaled, and said: "Two or two generals rode lightly without an entourage, crossed the enemy territory, and came to our military camp. After hard work on the road, please drink a bowl of tea first to quench your thirst. Seeing the two of them drinking water, he continued, "Chang and Chang participate in politics and cross the river with strange schemes, and they are both wise and brave, worthy of the famous generals under the command of Wu Guogong." I am even fortunate to have your army to help you fight! I will send you two here to teach me. Although Wang Baobao was defeated, his strength still exists, such as now there is more Linfen to help, which cannot be underestimated. What is Chang Gong's plan? Please, please speak up, and I'll listen to you. ”

Chang Rong and Lan Yu came to see Zhao Guo, naturally to discuss how to fight together.

Chang Rong hesitated for a moment, looked at Tong Shengyang's generals, knew that the military situation was like fire, decided not to be polite anymore, said bluntly, put down the tea bowl, arched his hand, and said: "My lord is too polite, our army is far away, one is not familiar with the terrain, and the other has never fought with Wang Baobao. Before leaving the city, the lord of my family had an explanation, and whenever there was a battle, everything was only the head of the adults and horses. The word 'wonderful strategy' is really not to be taken seriously. ”

"Hmm."

"Still, there's a little bit of a point."

"Please, please."

"Wang Baobao is young and promising, Sain Chidahu, Yan Sixiaoyuan is a general, and Zhao Hengsu is called wise. Wang Baobao's department, the Henan army is a victorious division, in the past, when Chakhan Timur attacked my Bianliang, this army was the main force. There is also the Caozhou Army, although it is a local garrison, but it is notoriously fierce and daring. and the 'Spear Army' and 'Ironclad Army' led by Sainchi Tahu, which are the elite descendants of Chahan. Although the adults have the victory of the giant field, but as the adults said, the strength of the Tartars still exists, and the lord of my family thinks that he should not be careless. ”

Before the words fell, there was a person diagonally opposite, and a heavy voice occurred: "Hmph! Looking up, it was Tong Shengyang. Zhao Guo glanced at him, stopped him with his eyes, let him swallow what he wanted to say, turned his face, and said with a smile: "General, the general is very true!" I don't know what else Wu Guogong has to say? ”

"My lord thinks that the Tartars are newly defeated and their morale is low, and now that reinforcements are coming, they will definitely look for an opportunity to fight in order to restore the morale of the army. And in this opportunity-seeking battle, nine times out of ten, our army will be selected. Because of our long march, we were tired and sparse. If the Tartars win this battle, their morale will be restored, and the rest of the battle will inevitably be stalemate. Therefore, the last general waited for this time to meet the adults, because he wanted to make an agreement with the adults, if the Tartars really sent an army to take me, the adults would help him and attack him; If my lord is wrong and takes your army, then our troops will also come to the aid and attack them. In this way, the first victory will be easier, and it will be easier to fight again! ”

"Wu, Wu Guogong is high, it should be like this!"

Zhao Guo did not hesitate at all, immediately agreed, raised the tea bowl, and said: "Military law, it is forbidden to drink alcohol during war." I will replace the wine with tea, and make an alliance with your ministry! Chang Rong, Lan Yu, and the generals of the Yan army also raised their tea bowls at the same time, and they all drank it all.

Putting down the tea bowl, Zhao Guo continued to talk with Chang Rong and Lan Yu, and couldn't help but think in his heart: "The lord only came to the military yesterday, and the analysis said that it was the same as Wu Guogong. Sure enough, the world's wise people often see the same thing! It's just that....... ”

He looked at the desk quietly, and there were many official documents piled up on it, and Deng She's letter was among them. At the end of the letter, Deng She wrote: "Tartars are not unwise people, and they should first take the spring in order to seek a victory, and this common sense is also known to everyone." We must not prevent them from using this to deceive our army. When the opportunity comes, the general needs to think deeply! ”

The wind is as cool as water, and the twilight is deep.

The Yan army camp, which stretched for more than ten miles, was filled with smoke. A little rain or two, falling from the sky.