At night, Yishui City Head.

Zhong Qingyuan was wearing heavy armor and a black coat woven of velvet on his back, and he climbed high and looked into the distance surrounded by a group of soldiers.

He was more than two meters tall, extremely burly, and even stronger after wearing heavy armor, standing at the head of the city like a hill, and the Yishui defenders within three zhang of him all felt cold.

This person was born in the Southern Dynasty Wuxun family, this year is only twenty four, but has followed the Wuling King to fight in the south and the north for more than five years, is a soldier saint love general, praised as the first young brave general of the Southern Dynasty, the current commander of the Black Flag Army, and is also the highest commander of the three thousand Black Flag Army in Yishui City.

Behind him stood a civil official in his fifties, thin and with a goatee, who was the concubine of the princess of Ningguo in the Southern Dynasty.

Although the Wei and Wu countries inherited the official system of the Han Dynasty, that is, the official system of the Ming Dynasty, they have remained unchanged for a long time, and many regulations such as the restrictions on honors and nobles have been different between the two countries.

The Ming Dynasty did not allow the clan relatives to hold permanent positions, but Wei and Wu had not yet unified the world, in order to balance the powerful civil and official forces, strengthen the talent pool, and allow the clan relatives and nobles to hold real positions, which will lead to the situation of the horse serving as the prefect.

"General, the Northern Dynasty barbarians are attacking the city very strangely today, will there be any conspiracy?"

At this time, it was almost autumn, and the night breeze was slightly cool, Shangguan Buda wrapped his cloak tightly and asked softly behind Zhong Qingyuan.

Zhong Qingyuan's eyelids raised slightly, and said lightly: "It's okay, keep an eye on it tonight, tomorrow at dawn, there will be my three thousand black flags sweeping the formation, and they won't be able to play any tricks, and when the prince's army arrives in six days, it will be the time to completely annihilate the enemy army." ”

Shangguan Buda said with a smile: "The prince ate 300,000 elites of the Northern Dynasty in one bite in this battle, and it is a great achievement, the general followed the prince to the east and west, and made great achievements, and he will definitely be on the rise. ”

Zhong Qingyuan glanced at Shangguan Buda expressionlessly, and said: "The elites of the Northern Dynasty who were invited into the urn by the prince this time are all elites, and you can't underestimate the enemy, if something goes wrong and ruins the prince's major affairs, be careful of losing your head!" ”

Shangguan Buda was bored, and hurriedly responded: "Xiaguan must be full of liver and brain, and he doesn't dare to have the slightest slack, please rest assured that the general." ”

Zhong Qingyuan nodded, said no more, and walked down the city with a group of black flag troops.

Shangguan Buda saw him go away, the flattery on his face suddenly disappeared, and his eyes were as gloomy as night owls.

"Phew, a dog who fights with people, and dares to talk like this to my dignified horse, what is the first young brave general of the Southern Dynasty, if it weren't for the prince to support you, you wouldn't even be as good as shit!"

"My lord is cautious, if he hears it, maybe he will be court-martialed."

The subordinate officer on the side hurriedly reminded in a whisper.

Shangguan Buda snorted coldly and said, "Are you really afraid of him?" My wife is a holy sister, so what can she do with me even if she hears it? ”

said so, but in the end, Shangguan Buda unconsciously lowered his voice, and heard the subordinate official shake his head again and again.

In addition to Shangguan Buda, there is also Zhong Qingyuan.

It doesn't hurt what he said, but in fact, he was very cautious in his heart, the strange tactics of the Beiwu Guard's siege made him a little uneasy, the so-called abnormal things must have demons, he would not think that Wei Jun would put on a big show for no reason for himself to appreciate.

Therefore, the originally planned night attack on the enemy camp was temporarily canceled for the sake of insurance and to avoid falling into a trap, thus affecting the grand strategy of King Wuling.

He felt that Wei Jun had already entered the urn anyway, and it was fat in his mouth sooner or later, so there was no need to rush to let the cooked duck fly for a while.

Throughout the night, Zhong Qingyuan was busy inspecting the defense, inspecting ordnance, horses, and logistical supplies, and did not return to the camp to rest until almost dawn.

But not long after he fell asleep, he was woken up by the noise outside the door.

"Report, General, something happened!"

The herald exclaimed outside the door, and Zhong Qingyuan's eyes suddenly widened and he jumped up from the bed.

"Someone!"

With a loud shout, four sergeants rushed into the room, took off their armor and put it on him, and the herald followed, kneeling on one knee.

"General Qiyu, the Wei army outside the city has all retreated in the night, and there is only one empty camp left!"

"What?!"

Zhong Qingyuan's pupils shrank, and he was extremely stunned.

King Wuling's army is encircling and annihilating several other people, and it will take at least six days for the main force to arrive, and only the three thousand Black Flag Army under his command are currently rushing to the aid of Yishui.

The day before yesterday, he failed to defeat the enemy in a battle, so he planned to drag the Northern Wuwei and wait until the main force of King Wuling arrived before the decisive battle.

"Quick, get out of the city and have a look!"

Zhong Qingyuan shouted loudly, and immediately led a group of men and horses to kill the Wei army camp outside the city.

Shangguan Buda and other Yishui subordinates were already waiting there, and when they saw Zhong Qingyuan coming on horseback, they hurriedly stepped forward to salute.

Zhong Qingyuan didn't see it, he didn't stop, and rushed into the camp with more than ten black flags, Shangguan Buda and his subordinates suddenly turned dark, and chased him away with the dust raised by the horses' hooves.

In the camp, the black flag reined in the horse, Zhong Qingyuan couldn't wait to jump off the horse, raised his eyes and looked around, only to see that there was a mess everywhere, except for the fence cut down at zero hour, everything that could be taken away was taken away by the Wei army, obviously the other party retreated very calmly.

"Where's the scout?!"

"The last general, Gao Yuxin, has seen the general!"

Zhong Qingyuan let out a loud shout, and a soldier in leather armor immediately sprang out from the Yishui subordinates who were trotting all the way behind, and quickly ran in front of him to clasp his fists and salute.

"You're the general in charge of the investigation last night?"

"Positive...... It's the last general. ”

Zhong Qingyuan looked the head of this forty-year-old veteran up and down, and snorted coldly: "Do you know what the crime of dereliction of duty and running 50,000 Wei troops under your nose should be?" ”

"Dead ...... Capital offense ......"

The scout replied tremblingly.

Zhong Qingyuan nodded: "Okay, since you know, you can't blame the general, drag it down!" ”

Two Black Flag soldiers immediately walked out of his side, holding the scout's arms and dragging them back.

"The general spares his life, the general spares his life!!"

The scout officer begged for mercy loudly, and Shangguan Buda saw that his subordinates were convicted, so he hurriedly ran to Zhong Qingyuan's side, took a deep breath, and before he could open his mouth to plead, he saw him wave his hand.

"Lord Shangguan has to say more, the prince has always been strict in governing the army, even if the general is a capital crime like delaying the fighter, not to mention that this matter is not over, if the Wei army really escapes, you and I will not be able to escape the blame!"

"Ahh

As soon as Zhong Qingyuan's words fell, the scout's screams came from his ears, and that person had been beheaded to show the public.

Shangguan Buda was first reprimanded in public by a junior, and then beheaded his generals, only to feel as if there were two slaps on his face, his face turned blue and white, and his teeth creaked, but he couldn't say a word.

Zhong Qingyuan didn't have the heart to pay attention to him, waved his hand to his subordinates, and immediately a soldier came over with his ear, he lowered his voice and muttered a few words, and the soldier rushed away with a slight fist.

After a while, the soldier ran back again, holding a small roll of note.

"General Qiqi, according to the secret chess left by the secret chess, this thing was found in the tree hole, please take a look at it."

"Have you checked the mark?"

"It's correct!"

Zhong Qingyuan nodded, took the note, carefully checked the lines on the paper, and made sure that there was no problem before unfolding it.

The note was only the size of a palm, and a line of small words was vigorously written on it: The Wei army has decided to return to China and retreat sixty miles east to camp.

Zhong Qingyuan's face changed, and he shouted: "Come on, immediately pass the secret chess information to the flying pigeon of the prince's camp, pass on my general order, and the whole army will prepare to move sixty miles east to bite the army of the Northern Dynasty!" ”

The herald immediately flew away, and the rest of the men quickly mounted their horses and were about to return to the camp to prepare for the battle.

At this time, Shangguan Buda ran up with small steps, rushed to Zhong Qingyuan's horse, and said loudly: "General, there are 2,000 cavalry in my 3,000 defenders of Yishui City, and I am willing to fight the Wei army with the general." ”

Zhong Qingyuan glanced at him deeply, pushed the horse's head away slightly, and said coldly: "Lord Shangguan, it's not this time to divide the military merits, there are two thousand defenders missing, how can you resist the enemy in Yishui City?" ”

Shangguan Buda was broken by his words, and his face was slightly red, but he still didn't give up, and continued: "General Zhong, the only Wei army within a radius of 100 miles is under the iron hooves of the general, and the subordinates dare to guarantee that Yishui will not be lost without those two thousand defenders. ”

Without waiting for Zhong Qingyuan to speak, Shangguan Buda leaned a little closer, and said in a low voice: "General, the lower official has not been transferred for five years, Princess Ningguo often cries that my husband and wife get together less and leave more, and now it is the year of the lower official examination, which is the critical moment for promotion, and I hope that the general will look at the princess's face and share the credit of the lower official, and the lower official will be grateful." ”

Hearing this, Zhong Qingyuan's eyes suddenly narrowed slightly, and he said angrily: "How can you teach and accept military affairs privately? Lord Shangguan, you should stick to your duty, try your best to ensure that Yishui is not lost, and the officials will be promoted by themselves, less crooked calculations, and be careful to lose all the dishes.

Pass my order, Yishui City's 3,000 defenders are tightly armed, not a single soldier or soldier can go out of the city, this will be all the words here, you are so self-sufficient! ”

After that, Zhong Qingyuan clamped the horse's belly, and the high-headed horse suddenly rushed out, followed by a group of black flags, the heavy horse's hooves rumbled on the earth, and the dust raised choked all the Yishui subordinates coughing.

When everyone in the Black Flag Army walked away, and a group of Yishui subordinates surrounded them, they found that Shangguan Buda was standing in the dust, and he didn't move, and he was already extremely resentful.

"My lord, let's go, there are still many matters that you need to preside over in the rush of the army, and the family of the general also needs you to personally inform them, there are too many things, and time is tight, if it is slow, maybe you will be punished by the iron barbarian."

Everyone knew that Lord Shangguan had folded face, and they didn't dare to speak, only Yishui Tongzhi reminded him in a whisper.

Shangguan Buda came back to his senses, and the two small eyes looked at him mechanically and did not speak.

Yishui Tongzhi still needed to be persuaded again, but when he saw Shangguan Buda suddenly take a step and walk towards the city by himself, no one paid attention to him, so the subordinates breathed a sigh of relief and followed him back.

"Royal Court!"

After walking a few steps, Shangguan Buda suddenly stopped and shouted, and an officer in his thirties hurriedly ran a few steps, came to his side, hugged his fists and said, "Uncle, what's the matter with calling my little nephew?" ”

Shangguan Buda looked left and right, and saw that his subordinates were all walking around him, and no one was approaching, so he lowered his voice and said: "You take two thousand cavalry, quietly follow behind the Black Flag Army, don't make a noise when you encounter the Wei army, and wait until the big battle starts to show up, and you must come back with a share of the credit." ”

When Wang Ting heard this, he was immediately shocked, and his head shook like a wave drum.

"Uncle let go of the little nephew, that iron barbarian just ordered the Yishui defenders not to leave the city, if I go to touch the mold now, I won't be sacrificed by him?"

Gao Yuxin's blood stains have not dried, and the head is a hundred meters behind him, there is a lesson from the previous car, how dare he defy the wind and disobey the military order?

"Useless stuff!"

Shangguan Buda scratched him and said hatefully: "The prince went out to fight and wiped out 300,000 Wei troops in one battle, so you are willing to drink clear soup for such a great achievement?" ”

Wang Ting's face changed slightly, although he was unwilling, but under the military law, he still shook his head.

Shangguan Buda said again: "The prince has an order, the local governor is the local military and political head during the war, and all the defenders must be under his control, he Zhong Qingyuan was indeed the commander when he was in Yishui City, but he went out of Yishui, and everything in Yishui was decided by me."

You are the Yishui guard, you are ordered by me to pursue the enemy, you are justified, even if you go to the prince, you can stand on your head, and his little Black Flag Army commander can still manage your head?

What's more, you are different from Gao Yuxin, you are the son of Xuan Longhou and the nephew of Princess Ningguo, as long as you don't disobey the prince's military orders, what if he dares to take you? ”

"This ......"

Wang Ting seemed to be a little moved, but he still had scruples in his heart, and he couldn't help but hesitate.

Shangguan Buda patted Wang Ting's shoulder and said warmly: "Don't you want to accept Chang Shanhou's young daughter as a concubine, with your status as a marquis's concubine, Chang Shanhou will never agree to this marriage for the rest of his life, but if he can make great contributions on the battlefield and return to Beijing to take up his post, I am afraid the situation will be very different." ”

Hearing this, Wang Ting was shocked, his face changed several times, and he finally gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, according to my uncle's words, I did it, but the little nephew still has a doubt, please show my uncle!" ”

"If you have any doubts, say it."

"Uncle, the Black Flag Army is the prince's own army, and it has always been domineering, what if the little nephew is discovered in advance, and the little nephew is not allowed to participate in the war?"

The Black Flag Army has the right to control the local army on the spot, and if it is discovered by Zhong Qingyuan and orders the royal court not to participate in the war, the reason Shangguan Buda just said will be untenable.

Shangguan Buda was stunned for a moment, and sighed: "That's it, you set off one day later, try not to be found by him, if it's really like what you said, don't have a hard top with him, just retreat, it's up to people to make things happen, and it's up to heaven to succeed, and you can only resign yourself to fate." ”

"Obey, little nephew will go and prepare now."

Wang Tingluo was about to act as soon as he clenched his fists, but Shangguan Buda hurriedly stopped him.

"It's not too busy now, it's not too late to prepare when they leave."

Wang Ting understood after a little thought, this was for fear of being seen by Zhong Qingyuan, so he would rather set off later.

"Uncle don't worry, nephew understands."

Wang Ting nodded at Shangguan Buda, and the uncle and nephew suddenly laughed.