Yingzhou.

A gloomy sky shrouded the border city.

The cold wind howled and slammed against the walls, as if angry at the way of it.

The pennants on the city walls crackled, and the few border troops leaned together, but they stared vigilantly at the vast plain ahead.

To the north of Yingzhou is the Khitan, and the Khitan came in with the intention of moving, and no one dared to be careless; To the east is Goguryeo, and the ambition of the Goguryeo wolf is not a day or two, let alone relaxed.

"Look, there's someone coming." A sergeant suddenly shouted.

The others looked ahead, and even those who were cowering under the city wall to hide from the wind poked their heads out, clenched their weapons, and a team member also got up and scolded: "The white-haired day of the dog's day, Lao Tzu has froze to death, be alert!" ”

On the snow-capped plain in front, the two came slowly on horseback, and they couldn't see the abnormality, but this snowy weather was said to be no one traveling, and the two people who suddenly appeared made people vigilant, and they stayed closer, dressed as Turkic, and the Turks were in the west of Yingzhou, and it was strange for two people to come.

The team shouted: "Stop, who's coming?" ”

The two riders slowly stopped, and one of them shouted: "Xue Dudu's old man, surnamed Luo, I hope to report it." ”

It was Luo Zhang who shouted, and the other person was Qin Huaidao.

In order to avoid the exposure of his whereabouts, Qin Huaidao let the troops rest in the valley not far away, and only brought Luo Zhang over, the governor of Yingzhou was Xue Wanshu, a military general, the third Xue Wanjun was named the Duke of Luguo, the fourth Xue Wanche married Princess Danyang, and the Duke of Wu'an County, the eldest Xue Wanshu and the fifth Xue Wanbei were also very good, and his father Xue Shixiong followed Luo Yi to revolt that year, and later voted for the hidden prince Li Jiancheng.

After the change of Xuanwumen, several brothers retired, Li Erdeng was grateful for the talent of the Xue Men generals, regardless of the previous suspicions, re-activated, Zhenguan four years Xue Wanshu served as the governor of Yingzhou, so far eight or nine years.

With Luo Yi's incense, Qin Huaidao brought Luo Zhang over.

At the head of the city, when the team heard that it was the old man of the governor, and there were only two of them, unlike the enemy, they did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly ran over to report the situation.

Luo Zhang looked back at Qin Huai and said, "Uncle, is it really okay?" ”

"If there's a problem, let's just kill it." Qin Huaidao said with a smile, he was not very worried in his heart, Qin Qiong did not participate in the change of Xuanwu Gate back then, even if Xue Wanshu still had hatred in his heart, that account would not be counted on his head, as for Luo Zhang, the ancestor Luo Yi and Xue Wanshu's father were of the same generation, and they were their own people, so they were not worried.

Luo Zhang didn't think too much about it, it was a big deal to kill it.

After waiting for a while, a team rushed out of the city, and the first lieutenant stepped forward alone, and said: "Sima Xue Feng, who is in the Governor's Mansion of Xiaying Prefecture, came to greet him on the order of the Governor, I don't know which old man came from afar?" ”

Luo Zhang glanced at Qin Huaidao, pinched the horse's leg and said, "Luo Fu, the grandson of Luo Cheng, Luo Zhang, the son of Luo Tong." ”

"It turned out to be General Luo, please!" The other party said politely.

"Whereabouts are kept secret." Luo Zhang reminded.

The other party was stunned, but reacted quickly, nodded, glanced at Qin Huaidao, didn't ask much, quickly returned, and said to the people around him: "The vigilance is lifted, your own people, go back to the city!" ”

The group turned around and went back to the city, and no one asked.

Qin Huaidao observed these border troops, ordered and forbidden, but it was not bad, followed into the city, walked forward along the main road, closed the door along the way, it was too cold, and he didn't want to come out, and it didn't take long to come to the governor's mansion.

The entrance of the Governor's Mansion is a little deserted, there is not even a sentry, it is too cold, but the entrance is different, the guards are strict, the soldiers are calm, and they do not move at all, it can be seen that Xue Wanshu governs the army strictly, and soon, the group came to the inner hall and entered a wing room under the guidance of Xue Feng.

The chamber was empty, but the brazier was blazing, and the temperature was very different from the outside.

The two of them were not polite, and sat down around the brazier, and a voice came from outside: "Hahaha, the old man is visiting, it's not too fast, go warm a pot of good wine, stew one." ”

Immediately afterwards, the door opened, and a middle-aged man entered the room, tall and burly, his eyes fell on the two of them, one did not know, and asked, "Which one is the old man?" ”

According to the generation, Xue Wanshu is twice as good as Luo Zhang, and he is considered Luo Zhang's grandfather, Luo Zhang hurriedly got up and saluted: "Junior Luo Zhang, I have seen Grandpa Xue." ”

"Hahaha, it's a bit like that kid from Luo Tong, but there are tokens?" Xue Wanshu asked bluntly, the mountain is high and the road is far away, in case an imposter spreads, it will be embarrassing.

Luo Zhang could also understand, and took out a holy decree and handed it over: "Dudu, the secret decree given to you by the Holy Lord." ”

Xue Wanshu was startled, and hurriedly took it over to take a look, the familiar font, the familiar big seal, and the familiar silk paper could not be fake, so she reacted suddenly, looked at Qin Huai and said, "Who is this?" ”

"General Qin Li of Dingyuan, Qin Huaidao." Luo Zhang explained.

Qin Huaidao got up and saluted solemnly: "I've seen the governor." ”

According to the level, Qin Huaidao is five grades, the grade is lower than the other party, and the salute should be the first salute, but Qin Huaidao's title is high, and he is the main general of this operation, Xue Wanshu did not dare to hold it up, and he also solemnly saluted: "Xue Wanshu, the governor of Yingzhou, has seen the Duke of Yiguo, and the document for the change of defense of the military department has already been received, but the holy decree is ......."

The military department is a change of defense document, but the holy decree is a war against the Khitan, and Xue Wanshu is a little confused.

"The Governor misunderstood." Qin Huaidao explained: "The change of defense documents is to cover people's eyes and ears and cover the army's coming, the real purpose is to fight against the Khitan, the governor only needs to guard the Yingzhou to prevent the Khitan dogs from jumping over the wall in a hurry, Goguryeo can take advantage of the fire to rob, and the rest does not need to be ignored." ”

"Great, the old man has long seen that something is wrong with those grandsons, but I am afraid it is not good to send troops at this time, the heavy snow has sealed the grassland, the road is difficult to travel, and there are many inconveniences." Xue Wanshu reminded.

"Thank you Governor for reminding you, the road is indeed difficult, but it is not impossible, at this time the war can be taken by surprise, the attack is unprepared, once the war starts, the pressure on the camp will double, if the governor can't hold on, the consequences are unpredictable, and I hope to prepare early." Qin Huaidao reminded.

"Don't worry, the old man saved, General Qin is really a young man, with the style of a father, he dares to send troops under such ice and snow, the governor of Pontus admires, I wish the general success, what can the governor of Pontus do, there is no ambiguity." Xue Wanshu praised.

The big war is imminent, the opportunity is rare, and no one wants to participate in it and take credit.

Qin Huaidao waited until these words, and said bluntly: "Governor, there are two things to do today, first, I also asked the governor to give me a map of the distribution of Khitan tribes, and second, arrange a guide. ”

"It's easy, wait a minute." Xue Wanshu hurriedly went.

"Uncle?" Luo Zhang shouted softly.

"It's okay, Xue Dudu has no malicious intentions, the big war is coming, once our army fails, he will be somewhat implicated, and once he wins, he will take some credit, so he has no choice, he can only cooperate, understand?"

"Got it!" Luo Zhang secretly wrote it down.

The two waited for a while, Xue Wanshu hurriedly came over, handed Qin Huaidao a map, it looked very simple, and he quickly saw something if he was not familiar with it, Qin Huaidao just said: "Please also ask the governor to come over those papers, okay?" ”

Xue Wanshu was a little surprised, but she still hurried away.

Qin Huaidao picked up a piece of charcoal and broke it into small strips, sharpened it thinner, just as Xue Wanshu came over with some paper, Qin Huaidao picked a large one and spread it out on the table, put Xue Wanshu's map in front, and said: "Dudu, can you please tell me about the map, and use the top as the north to determine the direction, where there are mountains, water, and how big, respectively, and explain them one by one." ”

Xue Wanshu glanced at Qin Huaidao a few times with some curiosity, this request was a bit excessive, but seeing that Qin Huaidao's words were sincere, and it was for the sake of fighting, he suppressed his dissatisfaction and explained, and after seeing Qin Huaidao sketch a brief topographic map of mountains and rivers in three or two times, he immediately reacted, this is disgusted that his map is not detailed enough.

However, compared with Qin Huaidao's paintings, his own is really not detailed enough, and he continues to explain, where the mountains are how high and long, what are the characteristics, how to go, where to connect, how many forks the river has, which tribes are gathered, how many people, and what the combat effectiveness is, all of which are carefully explained.

has been the governor of Yingzhou for eight or nine years, and he is a famous general with real talent and learning, so he will naturally understand the Khitan situation.

Qin Huaidao listened and drew while keeping the information in his mind.

Gradually, a sketch generally appears on the paper, which is no longer a simple map, but more like an aerial sketch, the mountains and rivers, the land, the river tribes, one by one, Xue Wanshu's eyes lit up, and he said more and more meticulously and thoroughly.

After most of the hour, all the drawings were drawn.

Xue Wanshu couldn't wait to pick up the picture and look at it, and praised it: "General Qin, with this picture, the march is safe, the governor of Bendu is cheeky and begging for a copy, I don't know if it's okay?" ”

"The governor is polite, what's so difficult about this? It won't take much time to draw another one, but can you give me these papers? Qin Huaidao pointed to the remaining paper and said.

"No problem, the old man will go and get some more, there is General Lao Qin." Xue Wanshu agreed and hurriedly went, as a general, he knew too well the importance and significance of that map, and it was hard to find money.

They are all soldiers defending the land, and Qin Huaidao sees that Xue Wanshu is good, and he may have to let the family cooperate later, so he doesn't mind drawing another pair for the other party, so he should make an incense and draw the largest piece of paper and draw it.

Not long after, Xue Wanshu hurriedly came over, holding a large pile of paper and looking at it beside her, her eyes full of anticipation.

The speed of repainting was much faster, someone outside came to report, and the food was ready, Xue Wanshu didn't want to interrupt the painting, so she motioned for someone to send the food in and put it away, and called the previous Xue Feng to accompany her.

After waiting for a while, Qin Huaidao finished painting and said with a smile: "Governor, please take a look, fortunately not to disgrace your life." ”

"Hahaha, great, with this picture, the old man is not afraid of others, General Qin, the old man owes you a great favor, and the old man gives the picture to General Xie, the general of Yingzhou." Xue Wanshu saluted solemnly.

Xue Feng was a little surprised, and when he saw the map, he exclaimed, "This ...... This is the content of the Khitan realm? ”

"That's right, this is a face map, better than the map, easy to use, and intuitive, with this map, the Pontus Governor will no longer have to worry about the people below not being able to understand." Xue Wanshu said excitedly: "Come on, Feng'er, this is General Qin Liqin, General Qin, General Qin, and this is Xue Feng, the nephew of the old master, Ziyu, and the Governor's Mansion Sigong joined the army." ”

"Xue Feng has seen the general!" As soon as Xue Feng heard about Yiguo Gong, where did he dare to hold it up, he hurried to pay a salute.

"Xue is polite to join the army." Qin Huaidao returned the salute.

Xue Wanshu looked at Qin Huaidao with satisfaction and added, "General Qin, Feng'er is the most familiar with the Khitan terrain, is it good to have him as a guide?" ”

"Then there is labor." Qin Huaidao didn't expect Xue Wanshu to let his nephew be a guide, it seems that the role of the map just now has been brought into play.

"Feng'er, General Qin was ordered to attack the Khitan, this matter is top secret, no spread, from now on, you are the guide, you must not act recklessly, obey General Qin's orders, if you do not obey, otherwise the old man will personally cut off your head, understand?" Xue Wanshu solemnly admonished.

Xue Feng's face changed, and he hurriedly agreed: "My nephew understands, and he will live up to his trust!" ”

After speaking, Xingzhong became inexplicably excited and attacked the Khitan, this was a great opportunity for meritorious service, and he instantly understood the deep meaning behind Xue Wanshu's arrangement, and saluted Qin Huaidao: "Xue Feng is at the mercy of the general." ”

"You're welcome, go and prepare, leave at any time, and don't leak it." Qin Huaidao admonished.

"Obey!" Xue Feng hurriedly went.

"Remember to let people feed the horses of General Qin and the others, and ask for the best concentrate." Xue Wanshu admonished, and then added gratefully to Qin Huaidao: "This kid is also a little brave, he wants to enter the Khitan and make contributions, and now that the opportunity has come, he naturally can't ask for it, and more General Qin will be fulfilled!" ”

"I'm the one who should be thanked."

"Hahaha, the two of you came from afar, how about we talk while eating?"

"It's fine." Qin Huaidao was not polite.

The three of them sat down, Qin Huaidao saw that there was still wine, and bluntly refused: "Xue Dudu, forget about the wine, leave immediately after eating, this time I came over in addition to the map is the guide, and I have to help the governor, both of them have been completed, and I will report to the saint in the next decision, and ask for credit for the governor." ”

"It's serious, it's not easy to fight, but do you still need some dry food or something?" Xue Wanshu asked.

"If you can, prepare some salt, and pay for it later."

"It's all for the court, whatever silver taels you want, the Governor's Mansion will help you prepare." Xue Wanshu hurriedly said, how could such a good opportunity for meritorious service be missed.

"So, there is a Laudu."

"Hahaha, when I see the outside, eat meat, eat meat, there is nothing to eat in Yingzhou, but there is a lot of meat."

"Hahaha, if the people of Chang'an hear this, they will die of hunger!"

The two complimented each other, said kind words, and met each other very happily.

After the meal, Qin Huaidao got up and left, and when he came to the door, the horse was still chewing something in his mouth, with a satisfied expression, Xue Feng was ready, and there were two horses holding a few large cloth bags, which were bulging inside, Xue Feng came up to salute and said in a low voice: "General, holding the green salt, is it enough?" ”

The white salt did not come out, the green salt is one of the best salts in this era, so much is worth a lot, Qin Huaidao said to Xue Wanshu gratefully: "Governor, thank you for your great kindness, the future will be long!" ”

"Hahaha, you're welcome, you need to send someone to inform you at any time." Xue Wanshu smiled with satisfaction, knowing that the favor was sent out, this incense love was concluded, and the old man was very relieved.

The three of them got on their horses and hurried away.

Out of the city, the group galloped on horseback, and soon came to a valley.

In the valley, countless war horses were resting on the ground, people were leaning on the back of horses, caged their bodies, warming each other, they were so cold that they didn't want to speak, they were a little depressed, and the vigilant Yulin Army saw the three of them, and immediately sent the news back, and Zhi Zhi Sili and Cheng Chumo and others came up one after another, and everyone looked at Xue Feng curiously.

Qin Huaidao introduced everyone one by one, and when everyone heard that it was Xue Wanshu's nephew, they all saluted.

After Xue Feng heard that all of them were the dukes of the country, he was so frightened that he returned the salutes one by one, in this era of strict etiquette and humility, the title of the duke of the country was unattainable and unspeakably expensive.

Inexplicably, Xue Feng's heart became excited, so many generals participated in the battle here, it can be seen that the imperial court attaches great importance to it, if he follows to make some military achievements, not to mention the marquis and worship the generals, at least there is no problem in increasing the promotion of officials, and there are more ambitions in his heart, and he can't wait to go to the battlefield with a knife immediately.

"An Guogong, brothers, let's talk." Qin Huaidao shouted and came to a depression to squat.

The depression is much less windy, everyone gathered together, seeing Qin Huaidao take out the map and spread it out, everyone's eyes lit up, and they all became excited, and they couldn't help but exclaim: "A map with a good image, with such a precise map, this battle has a few more chances of winning, general, this map is a little peculiar, where did it come from?" ”

"The governor of Yingzhou dictated, and this will be drawn."

"The general's talent!" Stubborn and thoughtful said from the bottom of his heart, as a veteran who fought hard, he knew too well the importance and role of this map.

Qin Huaidao pointed to a tribe in the east and said, "Duke Anguo, dare to fight?" ”

Please be as good as the agitation!

He also knew that Qin Huaidao was agitated, but he said indifferently: "The general's order is that all the Turkic men are good at fighting, and no one will back down. ”

"In this way, Ben will give you this work." Qin Huaidao said with satisfaction and looked at Xue Feng.

Xue Feng took over the topic knowingly: "General, this is a Khitan medium tribe, there are more than 2,000 households, and there are no less than 1,000 people who control the strings, and they have some combat power, and they can be reached in about an hour from here." ”

Qin Huaidao smiled with satisfaction, this guide is good, and looked at Zhi Zhili: "An Guogong, if it is handed over to you, no one is allowed to run away, how are you going to fight?" ”

"The tribe of two thousand households is not small, but it is too simple to eat something, you only need to sweep to the scouts along the way, suddenly kill, and concentrate your forces to kill them from the middle, you can kill most of their troops, form an extreme panic, and then turn around and kill back, and there is no pressure to annihilate them all." Stubbornly and confidently, this kind of battle has been fought too many times in the past, and he is sure.

Qin Huaidao also knew that this seemingly simple method of warfare was really effective, and if he suddenly came out and was caught off guard, it could not only greatly kill the opponent, but also form a panic, once a person panicked, his combat effectiveness would plummet, and there were not many people who had the courage to resist when he turned back.

But there will be a lot of losses on his side, Qin Huaidao didn't want to have too many casualties, and asked: "An Guogong, how many losses will there be in such a fight?" ”

"There is no immortal in war." Stubbornly said, although they are all their own people, there is no way to bring them, after many years of fighting, they have long been used to it, and even numb.

Qin Huaidao asked: "This general has made a military order in front of the saint, as few deaths as possible, An Guogong, you are the old Jiang of the battlefield, tell me, if you play according to your style, how much will you be damaged?" ”

"At least a hundred, close to two hundred." Obsessively thought about it and said.

When Qin Huaidao heard such a big injury, he decisively gave up this tactic, stared at the map for a while, and suddenly remembered the cavalry and archery tactics of the Mongols in later generations, which can be regarded as the peak tactics of light cavalry, with three cores, one surrounding, but running circles, and the third is projectile, to put it bluntly, it is to use horsemanship in the periphery to constantly move rapidly, shoot opponents from a long distance, and give full play to the advantages of good riding.

Purely in terms of archery in the fast movement of horseback riding, nomads really have no opponents.

A bold tactic comes to mind.

After pondering for a moment, there was absolutely no problem, Qin Huaidao said: "An Guogong, the biggest problem with your battle method is that after rushing over, someone sneaks up on you from behind, and the damage is not small, right?" ”

"That's true, the army rushes to kill, attention is in front, the frontal enemy is not afraid, but it is impossible to shoot all of them to death, there are always a lot of fish that slip through the net, once the back sneaks up, such as causing damage, the general can have a better way to solve it? Please also advise. "Stubbornly asked, it is naturally better to be able to die less.

"There will be a law, wait a minute." Qin Huaidao picked up a piece of paper as he spoke, took out a piece of charcoal and drew it, without a satellite map in his hand, it was not easy to understand empty words, he could only draw them, so as to facilitate his understanding of the combat intent.

Everyone looked at it curiously when they saw Qin Huaidao sketching out the appearance map near the tribe in three or two times.

It wasn't until this moment that he completely believed that the map was drawn by Qin Huaidao, and he had some inexplicable expectations in his heart, maybe this time he could really make immortal feats, and he could have fewer clansmen.

After drawing for a while, Qin Huaidao asked Xue Feng: "Xue can join the army to supplement." ”

"The terrain here is higher, here is a steep slope, the war horse will fall to death if it rushes down, and there is ...... here" Xue Feng pointed to the drawings and added details, these details can often affect the battle, Qin Huaidao listened carefully and revised carefully to ensure that nothing went wrong.

It didn't take long for a detailed partial picture of the appearance to be ready.

Qin Huaidao pointed to the map and said, "An Guogong, the team set off in an hour, and arrived here just in time for dinner at dusk, and people at this time are the most relaxed and suitable for raiding." ”

"That's right, everyone eats with bowls, no one has a knife, and the effect of the raid is better." Zhi Sili agreed, but he didn't expect Qin Huaidao to know how to choose this time, and he wondered in his heart, this is a newcomer who has never been on the battlefield?

Qin Huaidao continued: "An Guogong, you must make it clear to your department, and launch an attack at the same time, a thousand people rush down from the west, that is, this gentle slope, the terrain here does not affect the sprint of the war horses, but helps to accelerate, a long snake formation rushes to about a hundred meters away from the tribe, the projectile attack, the speed does not decrease, rush to the south, run around the tribal camp, the projectile cannot stop, is there a problem?" He pointed to a map and a location.

"No problem, but I'm afraid a thousand people are not enough." Obsessed with the power of thought looked at the map and reminded.

"Of course not enough."

Qin Huaidao pointed to a position in the east and said: "Another thousand people rushed down from here, the same throw, the same do not rush into the tribe, the same use of a long snake formation to rush down, wait close to the tribe about 100 meters after the speed does not decrease, to the north, and then around the tribe, the two attack troops can form a head and tail situation, the tribe is surrounded, while quickly turning in a circle, while throwing, just like two giant pythons tighter and tighter, until the tribe is hanged alive." ”

"This tactic is the strangulation of two snakes!"

"Tell me, this tactic is good?!"