戌時.

The lights in the Tongcheng County Yali had been extinguished, and only one room had a faint firelight beating.

Under the faint light of the fire, it can be seen that there are three figures in the room, gathering together and talking quietly.

"I have already received news that this morning Ninghou Mansion suddenly increased its troops in Anping County, and there are currently almost 20,000 people, and Qinglong, the guardian envoy under Ninghou's command, is the commander."

"Fortunately, the adults asked us not to act rashly, if we are stupid during the day, a few people will go straight to Anping County, and we will have to fold it inside."

"General Fu is right, the guardian envoy Qinglong is a famous great master in the world, he has been on the battlefield and killed the enemy in his early years, and he is far from being comparable to other people in Ninghou Mansion."

These three people are Wang Cheng and Lingzhou General Fu Yi and Wu Feilong, the captain of the Imperial Forest Military Academy.

Fu Yi and Wu Feilong were both wearing black robes with cloaks.

The three of them gathered around a table, and a sand table was placed on the table, which simulated the topography of Yicheng County and Tiandu Prefecture.

Wu Feilong frowned and said, "My lord, the Guangling army has been basically wiped out by us, and the Lingzhou army is now in our hands, where did Ninghou get the 20,000 people?" ”

"Tiandu Mansion has a large population and is the largest county capital in Lingzhou, larger than Yicheng County. It has twelve counties under its jurisdiction and the capital of Tiandu. There are nearly 1,000 county soldiers in each county, and there are 3,000 soldiers in Ninghou Mansion, as well as a private guard, Xuanwei, so it is not difficult to gather 20,000 horses. Fu Yi said.

Wang Cheng nodded and said, "Ning Hou has been stationed in Tiandu Mansion since the sixth year of Zhaowu, and now four years have passed. In the past four years, he has continuously cut off dissidents, condensed Tiandu Mansion into an iron plate, and firmly held it in his own hands. He can still take out 20,000 horses, and it is far from the limit. ”

Lingzhou has a population of seven or eight million, and this is only the official statistics, if you count those homeless people and servants of high-ranking families, there are at least 10 million people.

Not to mention raising 20,000 horses for so many people, it is more than enough for 100,000 horses.

Wang Cheng continued: "Ning Hou has been secretly planning for many years, since the largest force in the rivers and lakes of Tiandu Mansion was destroyed, all the rivers and lakes forces were subdued by Ning Hou, and the people in these rivers and lakes forces were pulled out to practice for a few days, and they were all good in the army. ”

After Wu Feilong and Fu Yi heard this, they nodded in unison.

"Your Excellency is right! The Jianghu forces in Tiandu Mansion are not counting those third-rate ones, there are dozens of first-class second-rate sects combined, and thousands of Jianghu martial artists add up, which is a force that cannot be ignored. Fu Yi said in a deep voice.

"Then how should we fight this battle?" Wu Feilong still frowned.

Wang Cheng stared at the sand table and muttered: "Actually, at this moment, what tricks and tricks are useless. I know their every move, and they know our every move, so we don't need anything in this battle, all the 60,000 troops are pressed, and the first battle is a decisive battle! ”

"The first battle is a decisive battle?"

Wu Feilong and Fu Yi were all stunned, and they were shocked by Wang Cheng's courage.

"Not bad!"

Wang Cheng nodded and said, "We can't wait!" Waiting any longer may only be against us, and once we gather all the armies to the west, our superiority in strength will be lost! ”

He looked at the two of them and said, "I have already sent someone to inform Old General Gu, at this moment, Old General Gu has already led a large army to rush here, and he will be able to arrive here soon." Rest for half the night, tomorrow the rooster crows, and our whole army sets off. ”

"Junhou, in case Ninghou's people come from the east and outflank our back road, let's ......" Fu Yi looked worried.

If according to Wang Cheng's idea, everyone is pressed up, there will be emptiness behind them. At this time, as long as Ning Hou sent a few thousand men and horses to kill them from behind, he would trap them in front and back, and they would be in danger at that time.

Fu Yi wanted to continue, but was blocked by Wang Cheng's words.

"No whatever!"

Wang Cheng said categorically: "There can't be any if!" Since I, Wang Cheng, have made a move, I haven't thought about leaving any way back for myself, and we will win this battle! ”

After Wu Feilong and Fu Yi heard this, they couldn't help but look shocked.

Wang Cheng stopped talking nonsense, pointed to the sand table, and explained the arrangements and dishes of tomorrow's war.

The two listened very carefully, after all, it was a matter of life and death for tens of thousands of people, and if one detail was not done well, the whole situation was likely to collapse because of this.

"If there are any difficulties, you can talk about them now, and once the war starts tomorrow, it will be too late to say anything." Wang Cheng said.

Wu Feilong shook his head, it was the first time for him to have so many soldiers and horses, and he was still a novice, just what Wang Cheng said he would do.

"The last general has no objection, it's just that with such a large-scale mobilization of troops and horses, it is difficult for us to hide from the west, and there are still many people from Ninghou in Yicheng County." Fu Yi said worriedly.

"Therefore, when you go back, you will have to transfer troops overnight, and the army cannot be placed in those two counties, so you will grieve the brothers for one night, and you will have to spend the night outside." Wang Cheng said.

Fu Yi heard that Wang Cheng wanted to make a time difference with the west, or he wanted to be one step ahead of the other party.

In this way, even if the secret spy spreads the news to the other side, it is estimated that it will be an hour or two later, and at that time, their army is probably already in the city, and it is already too late for the other side to think of any small moves, so they can only fight a decisive battle with them.

This is the fighter!

It can also be said to be a conspiracy, an inexplicable existence, and can only be desperate with integrity.

"You will follow what I just told you, move the army to those two places overnight, rest for a few hours, and as soon as the morning dawns, the army will immediately march and go straight to Anping County!"

As he spoke, Wang Cheng slapped the county seat of Anping marked on the sand table and crushed it into powder.

The expressions of the two suddenly became extremely serious, and they saluted in unison: "Order!" ”

"Without further ado, you guys go back and get ready at once!" Wang Cheng said.

The two of them turned and walked away without any fuss.

Not long after they left, Tang Jian and Gu Xin hurriedly walked into the courtyard.

After Wang Cheng heard the movement, he immediately summoned the two into the room.

The two men were covered in blood, some of which had not yet dried up, apparently having just experienced a major battle.

Looking at the blood stains on the two of them, Wang Cheng hurriedly asked the two of them to get up and gave them a big pill.

After both of them had taken the Great Returning Pill, he asked, "How could you be so badly injured?" ”

Tang Jian and Gu Xin glanced at each other, but Gu Xin opened his mouth and said: "General Yu, Tongling Town is indeed as the general expected, completely controlled by Ning Hou's people, and even Li County Commander and Ge County Lieutenant have long been bought by Ning Hou. ”

"Sure enough!"

Wang Cheng was not surprised by this result, it was not that he could see through everything, but that Tongling was too important.

Most of Ning Hou's armor was provided by Tongling, and if he was Ning Hou, he would also hold this place firmly in his own hands.

Li Xiao has been a county magistrate in Tongcheng for so many years, but he was not destroyed by Ning Hou, so there is only one explanation, Li Xiao has long been bought by Ning Hou, and it is not at all what he said, he was threatened.

"What about the two?" Wang Cheng asked.

Gu Xin said: "It has been marked and killed." ”

He immediately explained: "As the general expected, there were people from Ninghou among the 800 county soldiers, and when Lord Tang led his army to attack the city, they made a lot of noise, disrupted Lord Tang's attack, and caused many brothers to be shot and killed. Later, after entering the city, they killed people at will, created panic, and marked them as a last resort. ”

"If Master Gu hadn't made a decision this time and killed those troublemakers, I'm afraid our battle would have been even more difficult." Tang Jian spoke for Gu Xin.

Wang Cheng felt the crampedness and uneasiness of the two, he waved his hand and said, "You have done a good job, those who plot rebellion, you will be killed." ”

Tang Jian and Gu Xin put their minds at ease, after all, they killed the imperial court officials, which was a matter of losing their heads.

"What about the casualties of the brethren?" Wang Cheng asked.

Tang Jian lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "Of the 1,100 brothers, more than half of them were killed or wounded. ”

"So many casualties?" Wang Cheng frowned.

Tang Jian said: "Tongling Town has a martial arts sect guard in the Xiaocheng realm, and there are many other martial artists. ”

"No wonder!" Wang Cheng understood.

He was very clear about Tang Jian's strength, this was an ancient warrior with great qi and blood, and his cultivation had broken through to the martial master for many years, and he could compete with a martial arts master in the realm of Xiaocheng.

However, he saw that Tang Jian seemed to have suffered a lot of losses, so he was a little curious about the identity of that martial sect.

His mind quickly swept over the high-end combat power in the Ninghou Mansion, and finally fixed on a few people, and said, "Do you know what weapon he uses?" ”

"The weapon he used was a pair of brass gourd hammers." Tang Jian said.

"It's him!"

Wang Cheng immediately knew the identity of that Wuzong, it was the General Zhu who was in charge of guarding the Tiandu Mansion.

This person was a character who competed with He Yiming at the beginning, and his real strength was even higher than that of He Yiming. Without the help of the hidden weapon Flying Crane Divine Needle, Crane Yiming was not his opponent at all, after all, he was also a famous ancient warrior.

When he escaped from Ninghou Mansion, it was General Zhu who stopped him, and at that time he had already entered the strange state of qi and blood perfection, and the "Golden Body Technique" was also practiced to the second level, even so, he couldn't help the other party, and finally relied on the edict to hit him hard.

"What you met was a strong man hidden under Ning Hou's command, and it was normal that you were not his opponent."

Wang Cheng comforted Tang Jian a few words, and then asked, "By the way, how is the situation in Tongling?" ”

"The mark stopped that Wu Zong, Lord Gu personally led a thousand cavalry to kill, the defenders of Tongling Town couldn't stop it, and they died, and that Wu Zong didn't hold on anymore, and led the rout to escape." Tang Jian said.

Wang Cheng nodded secretly, although General Zhu's strength was strong, he was dragged by Tang Jian, and the longer the time, the more his subordinates died, and in the end, he was left with a light commander, and if he didn't go, he had to go.

He continued, "You go back and rest first, there is a big battle waiting for us tomorrow." ”

Tang Jian and Gu Xin were stunned and immediately realized something.

"General, are we going to war with Ning Hou?" Tang Jian was very curious.

Wang Cheng didn't say anything, raised his hand, and asked the two to retreat to rest.

Outside the window, the night is dark.

Wang Cheng is not resting, he is still waiting for someone, waiting for a vital person.

It didn't take long for a person to stride into the county office, and he immediately got up and went out to greet him.

I saw that an old man was walking into the courtyard with his head held high, his beard and hair were all white, but his momentum was terrifying, and there was no twilight on his body, it was Gu Yanzhang, the former general of Zhenxi.

"Old General!"

Wang Cheng hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, grabbed Gu Yanzhang's hand, and said happily: "The time has not passed, the old general has arrived as promised, and his bravery has not diminished back then!" ”

Gu Yanzhang withdrew his hand, arched his hand, and said, "The military order of Wu'an Hou has arrived, how can the old man be late?" ”

"Please!!"

Wang Cheng stretched out his hand, welcomed Gu Yanzhang into the room, and closed the door casually.

As soon as Gu Yanzhang entered the room, he was attracted by the sand table on the table, pointed to the sand table and said, "This is ......"

Wang Cheng took over and said, "The old general guessed well, this is the topography of Yicheng County and Tiandu Mansion, and it took Wang Cheng several hours to simulate it on this square inch. ”

Gu Yanzhang stared at the sand table and sighed: "This thing is really a battlefield weapon, with the help of this thing, the opponent's movements and even every move will be hidden." ”

He couldn't help but recall the great wars he had experienced before, and said: "My Great Zhou has fought with Xia Guo countless times, because I can't figure out the movements of Xia Guo, I have been attacked many times, I can't prevent it, and I don't know how many brothers have died. ”

"With this weapon today, he will come to the battlefield again one day, and my Da Zhou will definitely take the lead, and the soldiers will not have to die in vain. Wu Anhou's initiative is the blessing of thousands of my soldiers, and I should worship the old man. ”

After that, he bowed solemnly to Wang Cheng.

Wang Cheng hurriedly helped him up and said, "The old general is serious. ”

Gu Yanzhang got up, stared at the sand table, and suddenly spoke: "Marquis Wu Anhou has decided to fight to the death with the men and horses of Ninghou Mansion tomorrow?" ”

Wang Cheng did not answer directly, but said with a smile: "The old general is really like a god, and Wang's plan can't escape the eyes of the old general." ”

He didn't tell Gu Yanzhang about the specific plan in advance, it was a matter of the war situation, and he couldn't just say it in the letter.

"Ning Hou has been entrenched in Tiandu Mansion for many years, and all the forces in Tiandu Mansion have been subdued by Ning Hou, and it is too easy for him to pull out 100,000 horses. If we keep waiting, it will only become more and more unfavorable to us. Rather than waiting for the fighters to be delayed, it is better to take advantage of their unpreparedness and press the whole army to have a greater chance of victory. ”

Gu Yanzhang said Wang Cheng's thoughts in a sentence, and then said: "In this case, the old man thinks that without further ado, our army should quickly approach Anping County, cut off all small movements in the west, and force them to fight a decisive battle!" ”

"The old general's words are exactly what I want!"

Wang Cheng smiled, and continued: "However, it is good to lead the army forward and hand it over to Wang Cheng, the old general has worked all the way, and he will rest for the night." ”

Gu Yanzhang was unhappy, and said, "Does Wu Anhou look down on the old man? Don't look at the old man who is nearly eighty years old, the old man can still eat a bucket of rice and ten catties of meat at a meal. It's not that the old man is boasting, even if he is against the great grandmaster, the old man can fight him for hundreds of rounds. ”

Wang Cheng didn't doubt his words, Gu Yanzhang was a great grandmaster more than ten years ago, and he had guarded the defense line west of the Great Zhou for decades and killed many Xia generals.

However, he himself didn't know how many injuries he had suffered and how much blood he had shed, although they were all cured, he also left a lot of root causes, and his qi and blood were far inferior to those of the young great grandmaster.

Wang Cheng saw that he was resolute, and he didn't want to wipe his face, so he said, "Okay! Then tonight, I will work hard for the old general, and Wang Cheng will personally press the battle for the old general. ”

"Order!"