Early in the morning of 17 May, the whole army of Xiaozhou ran out of food early, and the whole army headed east.

Under He Quan's strict orders, the Xiaozhou army almost gave up everything except armor, weapons, dry food, and water, and the herald took He Quan's edict and the documents of the political hall to order the counties along the way to provide supplies.

Cao Ke in the city also said goodbye to Cao Jinghui, and more than 100 guards around him chased forward. As for yesterday's assassination and tax expulsion, the temporary Luo Yang Taishou dealt with it, and Cao Ke didn't have the energy to take care of such things anymore during the war, and there was the lord of Luoyang County, even if it was a pretense, it was extraordinary.

Soon out of the city gate, Nanzi Jian Xia Yunjie was personally escorted by Cao Ke to the Beijing Division, but the heads of several small officials had been hung directly on the city tower, and the county notices also began to spread to all counties, townships and villages. Lan Jiuheng, the city defense commander of the temporary county lieutenant, bowed down and stood on the side of the road until King Zhao's horse team completely disappeared from sight.

The army went all the way out of Luoyang County and entered Fushan County of Liangzhou, then passed through Sanchuan County, then passed through Helian County, and then entered the territory of Huizhou after Shang County, more than 900 miles from east to west.

Zhang Xiyang rode on a horse, followed closely by Cao Ke, the king of Zhao, but he couldn't help but look back from time to time, Cao Ke couldn't talk about being happy or hating in his heart, his ninth sister was born with a national color, some people said that the birth of the ninth sister was a continuation of the crown princess. Cao Ke was very displeased when he heard it, and even his father, the crown prince Cao Yin, didn't like the ninth sister very much.

Therefore, the crown princess only has two children, one is the eldest son Cao Ke, and seven years later had this sister, but she died in childbirth, which made Cao Yin, who has always been very affectionate with the crown princess, dislike Cao Jinghui from the heart, but Emperor Zheng Cao Ju did not think so, the reason is that Tianyunzi, the national teacher on Qingcheng Mountain, once said that this woman is extraordinary and will be able to leave a great talent for Da Zheng in the future, and if it is operated properly, it will be enough to continue the power of Da Zheng for another 200 years.

Cao Ju was convinced, and Cao Yin scoffed.

Even Cao Ke himself is extremely complicated about this sister, on the one hand, because his father doesn't like it, he doesn't say much, and later knows that his mother is even more self-blaming for being unhappy because of herself, Cao Ke can't bear to look at it, but when he thinks of his mother, he feels that it is more or less related.

Cao Ke cares about Dazheng's rivers and mountains, and Cao Yin also cares, but Dazheng's rivers and mountains are quite stable, but the eternal separation of heaven and man is the fragrance of daily worship like a cloud, and it has never been cut off.

Cao Ke sometimes thinks that maybe the ninth sister marries a good family, even if the heavenly jade leaf is unknown, it is unspeakably expensive.

Looking back, it happened that Zhang Xiyang looked back at the already invisible Luoyang County City, and a bold idea suddenly popped up in Cao Ke's mind.

Tianyunzi's prophecy He had heard his father mention it today, a woman can continue to be famous for two hundred years? Although Da Zheng Bingwei has had some surprises in recent years, it is okay.

Think about it again, Zhang Xiyang has been beheaded in less than a year and a half in the army, and he has more than 30 levels, and he once shot the enemy commander with an arrow, even if he is a battalion commander in charge of more than 2,000 people, it is all bright armor, and there are always guards around him who sacrifice their lives to each other, not to mention the commander of more than 300,000 troops, but this kid is an arrow.

And he is only seventeen years old in recent years, two years younger than himself, and he is already a hundred people in the team, how long has Da Zheng not appeared such a genius?

After the meritorious service, his father can be said to be a figure who used his life to save the building from the general, and every one of the former subordinates who was transferred out of the Fenzhou Army did not take care of it, like the late Wu Quan, as well as Su Shuai in the southeast, and now He Quan.

The more Cao Ke thought about it, the more he felt that as long as this kid could survive, the future would definitely not be simple.

Although it is only a team of 100 people now, it seems so small among the nearly 2 million people in the entire 4th Battalion, 5th Army, and 21st State Guard, but it is only 17 years old, as long as he makes meritorious service, he will definitely be rich and noble in the future.

Well, it's two years older than the ninth sister, but it's quite suitable.

"Xiyang."

"What does Your Highness command?" Zhang Xiyang hurriedly turned around when he heard Cao Ke's call.

Cao Ke's riding skills are still almost hot, and he is still a little bumpy in talking on the bumpy horse, "I must work hard when I go to Huizhou, and I will give you as many opportunities as possible to make meritorious contributions, you have to climb up, and as soon as possible, you will be crowned as soon as possible, and in Dazheng, as long as you use your life, you will not be treated badly." ”

Zhang Xiyang understood after a little thought, and in just one day, even the horseman knew that this young man who had just arrived actually fell in love with the lord of Luoyang, and there were a lot of jokes and ridicules.

Hearing Cao Ke's hint, Zhang Xiyang was very excited in his heart, patted his chest and shouted: "Your Highness, rest assured, you will definitely fight bravely, make more military achievements, and never retreat." ”

This sentence made the guards next to him laugh, and some encouraged: "Baby, work harder, have a few more first-level military achievements, the old brothers are waiting for you!" ”

After saying that, there was another burst of laughter.

Cao Ke and others set off later than He Quan and others, but the overall speed was when there were fewer people, and they caught up with the rear guard of the Xiaozhou army in less than half a day.

The sergeants loosened the belly straps on the horses and took out bean bags, salt water, and so on.

Cao Ke led the people to slow down, and the dust flying behind him gradually sank, and he went directly after asking He Quan's Zhongjun tent.

"General He." Naturally, the relationship could not be renewed when someone was there, and after Cao Ke entered the account, He Quan just ordered someone to hang up the map.

"Your Highness."

"How many miles have you traveled today?"

"Back to His Royal Highness, the horse traveled sixty miles and walked five miles, and now the sun is full, wait for the sergeants to eat some dry food, feed the horses, rest for a while and then go on the road, it is estimated that they can camp and rest in Liangzhou tonight."

He Quan took the baton handed over by the soldier and pointed at it and said, "At present, we are here in Liuyi, and we will walk forty miles to Fushan County. ”

Cao Ke followed the baton and drifted his eyes over, and then extended to Qingcheng County, Huizhou, and asked, "At this speed, how long will it take for us to reach Qingcheng County and take the nearest road?" ”

"The official road from Fushan County to Shang County is about nine hundred and forty miles, and it will take almost eight days at the current rate, but it will definitely be unbearable for the war horse to march sixty miles a day, so the last general feels that the time can be relaxed to nine days."

"And here." Saying that, He Quan moved the baton to the east: "Qi County and Zongbei County, it will be about fifteen miles to go to Qi County, but Qi County needs to cross Qi water, and with the carrying capacity of the nearby ferry, it will take at least six hours and half a day for these nearly 20,000 war horses and small 5,000 armor soldiers to cross the river all." ”

"Half a day is a little too long." Cao Ke directly denied: "What if you go to Zongbei County? ”

"Although Zongbei has to walk an extra fifteen miles and needs to cross two small mountains, it can be reached two hours faster than walking Qi County, so that after nine days, after passing Shang County, turn to Zongbei and then point obliquely to Qingcheng County, less than four hundred miles of road, it will take less than three days to run with extra effort."

"So twelve days?"

"It may not take 12 days, but it will take 11 days at the earliest."

"Then let's follow the fastest, the Jingren captured the three counties has been the news four days ago, before the soldiers did not move, but once they move, it will be the tiger down the mountain and the wolf out of the stream, Zhoushan Ningchong County will be lost in less than two days, and after twelve days, I don't know where the Jingren Bing Peak will advance, so we must be fast, this still needs to be explained to the soldiers when we need to come down, we must rush time."

Cao Ke picked up another baton and fixed the position in Qingcheng County: "Here, right here, where Qingcheng County is located, we must drag the Jingren to the east of Qingcheng, and I think that Huizhou can tolerate the worst." ”

He Quan nodded and said: "Yes, not to mention that there are two gold mines in Qi County, there is a royal horse farm in Dongguo County, which breeds good horses for Jiyou, and there is also a Kuilong Soldier Mansion in Qingcheng County, all of which are not lost." ”

"And after Zhangnan County, it is a horse Pingchuan, if Zhangnan loses, then Liangling and Liangling are in danger of soldiers, and now the main force of Lingzhou Wei is still following Su Shuai on the front line in Haizhou. This risk cannot be taken, we need to push forward as much as possible, and it is best to keep Zhangnan County. ”

Cao Ke asked in a deep voice, "But we don't have enough troops. Qingcheng is the limit. ”

He Quan shook his head and said: "Your Highness's words are wrong, there is no limit for Da Zheng's soldiers, and there is no limit for Xiao Zhou's army. ”

"The lack of troops is indeed a problem, but now there are thousands of recruits in the Kuilong Soldiers' Mansion, they are lacking for the four battalions and five armies, but for the state guards, the difference is to see blood, and the soldiers trained in my Dazheng Eight Soldiers' Mansion will fight a few battles, that is, they will be first-class elites, but the number can be too small, and it is not easy to provoke."

Cao Ke asked: "Gu Gu knows that the recruit training of the Eight Great Soldiers Mansion takes one year to graduate, and it has only been more than three months since the last graduation, right?" Lone means that the soldiers defending the city can relax the requirements, mobilize the common people, veterans, and three shifts of service, as for the recruits, do they wait? ”

He Quan said with a smile: "Your Highness doesn't know, on the one hand, my big Zheng soldiers are strong and strong, but on the one hand, because of the rewards and punishments, the armor is strong, on the other hand, the Bafang Military Mansion must not be ignored, the registration must be a good family, the entrance test needs to lift the stone lock, and then run around the school field five laps and then pass the obstacles, these must be completed within an hour, a complete set can be brushed down a lot of people, and the unqualified ones in the drill process can be brushed down at any time, every year the eight military mansions have tens of thousands of people have passed the initial test, However, every year, there are only two or three thousand people who can be qualified to distribute each state guard and even each battalion from the eight major military palaces, and the maximum time is not enough to 50,000. They were all like wolf cubs. ”

Cao Ke suddenly realized: "I see, General Xie He instructed." ”

He Quan hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Your Highness is serious, all of this has rules and regulations, Your Highness only needs to see it at a glance, and only I, Da Zheng, have the strength to pick new recruits and train recruits in all the countries in the world. ”

After a slight pause, He Quan continued: "Your Highness has ambitions, and the general naturally can't spoil the fun, now I am afraid that a lot of militia Ding Zhuang has been mobilized in the entire territory of Huizhou, these people can't go out of the city to fight, but it is more than enough to defend the city, supplemented by the teaching of veterans, many cities can be protected." In this way, we can completely mobilize Mengjun, Xikou County, Yunhai County, Qi County, Zongbei County and other counties and state guards, city defense battalions, and important places to prepare for the remobilization of veterans, how can these people add up to 30,000, all concentrated in Qingcheng County, as long as Qingcheng does not lose Najing, at most then take Wan'an, Beili, Nanli, Zhangbei, Qinghe five counties, but the more place he occupies, the fewer troops can be used, and the final initiative is still in our hands. ”

"After that, it can be agreed according to the operation, after the thunder blow, the Xiaozhou army will be reduced to zero, and the frenzied attack will harass the enemy, His Royal Highness will sit in Qingcheng, there are more than 30,000 people to guard Qingcheng County, as long as the materials are enough to guard for ten days and half a month, it is not a problem, at this time, the reinforcements of Liangzhou Wei, Youzhou Wei and the Northeast Battalion have already arrived. At this time, there are more than 100,000 armored soldiers alone, and he is the one who should be in a hurry. ”

Cao Ke listened to the practice and nodded, although it was dangerous, but the victory rate was still there, and he couldn't help but praise: "General He is worthy of being a warrior of the country, he is meticulous and not bold, and he really opened his eyes." ”

He Quan shook his head and smiled: "I don't dare to do this. Then he pointed to the door with his chin: "Most of the things in the general's mind were taught by his father." It's just a pity. ”

Cao Ke said: "It is a blessing that the dynasty can have a brave man like General Zhang, and its heroism is also the misfortune of the dynasty, but fortunately we still have a chance to show his face." ”

"Zhang Xiyang, come close."