At night, Shinno Castle was like a sleeping beast, and it didn't yawn until dawn and woke up a little.

The whole city has gradually become more populated, especially the curling cooking smoke, and some people have begun to make fires to cook!

Since he got the information from the captives yesterday, Guan Xing has secretly guarded the surroundings of Xinye Castle with a team of scouts, and he has chosen a high place to overlook the entire Xinye Castle.

As the second son of the Guan family, Guan Xingzi would not simply believe that Xinye City was an empty city based on the words of a few captives.

He chose to follow the scouts and scouts to see what was going on.

Words can be made up, designed, or deceitful!

But what you see with your own eyes is the truth, and you can't fake it!

Even if he didn't sleep all night, Guan Xingyou's eyes were blazing, and at this moment, he was looking at the sky of Xinye City with his head held high, and he was carefully counting the cooking smoke above Xinye City all morning.

According to Cao Cao's policy of leaving no people in the "military buffer" zone, the people of Xinye City, and even Fancheng and Xiangyang City, have long been moved to the Central Plains.

Therefore, in addition to a cadre of coolies who served the army, there was only this cadre of soldiers left in the entire city.

It is for this reason that the smoke from the stove above the city can tell us something.

Even, it is possible to judge the specific number of defenders of Shinno Castle.

"Thirty-second, thirty-third..."Guan Xing whispered, from time to time using his sword to engrave the word "Zheng" on the stone steps... for records.

According to the ancients, there were five people in a team, ten people in a tithe, and one soldier needed to carry the stove on his back at any time and was responsible for cooking for ten people, so the curling smoke in each place can prove that there were ten defenders.

Of course, there are places where the smoke is a little thicker...

Twenty or even thirty people cook together.

This requires extremely detailed observation and a wealth of experience.

As Guan Yu's son, these... has long been taught by Guan Yu's words and deeds, and even specially trained, which is difficult for Guan Xing.

"Seventy-nine... Eighty..."

Finally, Guan Xing still read out the final number, that is, eighty cooking smokes, at most - the conclusion of eight hundred defenders!

Even if this number is higher, in fact, it may be less!

Coincidentally, Guan Xing also found a farmer who came out of Xinye City, as if he was staying to supply military supplies, and Guan Xing asked people to pretend to be a businessman to ask.

The peasant did not know exactly how many soldiers there were in the city, but they did ask for an important piece of information, there were fifteen flags in the city...

Guan Xing knew that Cao Wei's military system was extremely strict, and one banner corresponded to fifty soldiers, so it was seven hundred and fifty defenders.

Factoring in the error, that's as much as the amount of cooking smoke calculated.

Guan Xing couldn't help but calculate.

"The amount of military rations plundered each time is a thousand stones, which is enough for eight hundred men for a month, and so... Cooking smoke, military rations... In this way, the defenders are about the same as seven or eight hundred? Is this undoubtedly an empty city?'

With this in mind, Guan Xing still showed his cautious side, and he continued to instruct the surrounding Tanma, "Continue to investigate, the surroundings of this Xinye City must be checked, and General Ben will stay here for a day..."

The implication is that if there is an ambush in the new field, then the ambushed soldiers must always eat, and the meal must always be lit, and there will be cooking smoke when the fire is lit, which is an iron law...

"No!" Several scouts whispered softly, and quickly dispersed.

Finally, from the faint morning to the twilight, Cao Wei's cooking smoke for two meals a day was compared, and at dusk... The smoke from the four realms of Xinye City is very clear.

A cadre of detectives came to report one after another: "Second son, there is no cooking smoke around Xinye City... There will not be a large number of soldiers. ”

"Second son, I'm almost sure that there are at most 800 soldiers in Xinye City? And through the inquiries of some villagers, most of the 800 soldiers were old, weak, sick and disabled. ”

At this moment, a new probe horse roared over, saw Guan Xing, turned over and dismounted, and knelt on one knee: "Second son, Yancheng has also been explored according to the method of the second son, at most... Up to 700 defenders! ”

"Hehe..."

Finally, Guan Xing, who had been tired all day, finally showed a relieved smile.

"Collect the troops... Back to camp! ”

Although he dragged his tired body, Guan Xing's whole person looked quite excited, and his entire cheek was full of two lines of small words:

- "Steady! ”

- "This wave is stable! ”

…

The night was quiet, the Guan family army was in the village, and Zhao Lei was sharpening his sword in the camp.

As a general who was promoted step by step by Guan Yu from a pawn, Zhao Lei maintained the habit of Guan Jiajun's characteristics, sharpening weapons every day and preparing for battle at any time.

But at this time, Guan Xingshen was mysterious and came in very carefully.

Zhao Lei asked curiously: "Second son?" So late? What are you looking for the last general? ”

Guan Xing half-knelt down, took out a bamboo slip from his arms, and said sincerely: "I'm here to borrow troops from General Zhao!" ”

Zhao Lei was taken aback: "The second prince has two thousand soldiers in his hands, what if he robs the grain?" Isn't it enough? ”

Guan Xing shook his head, he took the initiative to open the bamboo slip and handed it to Zhao Lei, and at the same time explained: "General Zhao, look, this is the smoke and flags of Xinye City that I went to Xinye City in person today and recorded all day... As well as the analysis of the amount of grain I plundered during this time, as well as the confessions of those captives, these analyses are enough to conclude that there are only 700 to 800 Cao Wei's defenders in Xinye City, and most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled! ”

This...

When Zhao Lei looked at the bamboo slip, Guan Xing continued, "The same is true of Yancheng, the time and location of each cooking smoke, I have let people record it in great detail, and I have also depicted the location of each military flag as much as possible, including the surrounding valleys and woods, I have also sent people to investigate, if the enemy has an ambush, you can't even skip food, right?" So..."

Zhao Lei also reacted, "You mean, capture Xinye City?" ”

"No!" Guan Xing opened his mouth, "If you only capture Xinye City, then 2,000 soldiers in my hands are enough, I want to ask General Zhao to take 3,000 soldiers to attack Yancheng, in this way, I will attack Xinye City, General Zhao will attack Yancheng, so... It was expected that in one night, it would be enough to break the city! When the time comes, capture Shinno Castle and Yancheng... This is a great achievement... Even if my father knew, he wouldn't punish him, even if... I misjudged that if I didn't capture the two cities, then I could have retreated back without harming the overall situation..."

Guan Xing's reasonable words made Zhao Lei groan for a while, he pondered for a long time, and his eyes were always staring at the detailed records on the bamboo slips.

It has to be said that this record convinced him.

This is completely different from the judgment of insisting on going its own way, and Guan Xing's siege is justified and well-founded... And it's a lot of work.

Finally, Zhao Lei excitedly punched Guan Xing's body and laughed out loud, "You kid, you want to learn from your fourth brother and make great contributions to the rebel son!" However, why don't you show this bamboo slip to your eldest brother? ”

Guan Xing said with some loss: "The eldest brother is too cautious and timid, only his father's orders are obeyed, if you tell him, this plan will be over!" ”

Speaking of this, the concern blinked his eyes and said with a smile: "General Zhao also admires the fourth brother more, right?" He was as bold as an ox, and he often won by surprise, leaving him to die and come back to life. Take 10,000 steps back and say, which action did the fourth brother tell his father? I really want to tell it, Dad thought about it again and again, and the daylily was cold! I pondered these things for a few nights, and finally figured it out! ”

Zhao Lei smiled and said, "So, you just hit my idea?" I'm going to help you, aren't you afraid, I'm afraid of your father's board? ”

Guan Xing smiled, "Why did my father beat you?" Conquer Yancheng with you? Or is it because you don't take a shower in the army? ”

Zhao Lei couldn't stop laughing, "Come on, I'll do what you say this time, and I won't rob you of your credit, but... Well, if the situation changes, I will evacuate as soon as possible! Never covet an enemy city! ”

"Don't worry..."Guan Xing bowed his head heavily, "However, forget it tonight, after a day of exploration, it is not possible to be tired now." How about tomorrow night? ”

Zhao Lei nodded, he originally wanted to suggest Guan Xing until tomorrow.

At least, although what Guan Xing wrote on the bamboo slip was reliable, he Zhao Ti also had to send someone to investigate it to see if it was true.

"Then let's say okay, tomorrow I will divide your five hundred soldiers, and we will each lead two thousand and five soldiers, and see who goes down the city first!"

…

…

Panfu Chonggang, west of the vein of Taihang;

Hongfei is practiced, and the south returns to the source of Jianghan.

This is located in the southwest of Xinye City, Funiu Mountain Wollongong, where Zhuge Liang ploughed the fields eight years ago, and died in troubled times.

Here the mountains and rivers are around, the situation is endless, the dragon is singing and the tiger is standing, ready to go... Later generations said that the main peak of Funiu Mountain here is where the dragon vein is located.

Of course, it doesn't matter.

Importantly, because of the towering mountains of the Nine Mountains, surrounded by the White River, and the compact water mouth, this is a natural hiding place for soldiers.

At this moment, tens of thousands of soldiers are hiding in Wollongong, Funiu Mountain.

Zhang Liao did have a hand in leading the troops, he broke it into pieces, and all the soldiers... The old and the new are staggered, divided into multiple schools, which are hidden in this Wollongong.

This is convenient for hiding, and it is also convenient for a small range of veterans to train with new recruits, which shows that Zhang Liao's ability to command troops can be seen.

It's just that...

Training is training, eat here!

"Bang", a young soldier angrily threw the dough on the ground, he said hatefully, "It's been ten days in a row, since I secretly rushed here from Nanyang, I eat some cold food every day, in the past, General Zhang Liao didn't come, I waited to open a stove, cook some pasta, General Pang De also turned a blind eye to the past, but now... General Zhang is here, strictly inspect the stove, this... This... I just can't eat it. ”

No wonder the soldier was furious.

Angry, angry...

Originally, it was hard enough to be a soldier, but he was still caught by a strong man, but now it's good, the food is all the same bread and water, this is the life of a person?

Of course, normally speaking, bread is already a luxury, and a certain emperor in later generations... When he was a beggar, his dream was to eat one bread a day!

I can't stand it... I eat it every day.

These Wei soldiers wanted to eat rice made from a mixture of wheat, millet and rice, and if a little coarse salt, vegetables, meat and eggs could be added to it, it would be very delicious.

Because of this soldier's reminder, some soldiers thought and imagined, and tears of anger flowed from the corners of their mouths.

At this moment, Wu Chang and Shi Chang stood up one after another, wanting to appease the new recruit's emotions.

That's when ...

The sound of horses' hooves suddenly sounded, a fast horse drove on the mountain road, a knight quickly turned over and dismounted, and everyone just looked at him.

I saw two bloody heads smashed from his hands to the ground.

"Li Feng and Sun Fu opened the stove and lit the smoke without permission, but they were noticed by the two generals, Zhang and Pang, and they were beheaded in Yuanmen... Now it is rumored that the three armies will set an example! ”

As soon as these words came out...

The two heads of the bloody Linlin were gushing blood from their necks.

Now, the whole place is quiet... There was silence for a moment.

Over there...

Zhang Liao and Pang De stood on the top of Funiu Mountain.

Zhang Liao was comforting Pang De, "I can understand General Pang's feelings, you have lost your beloved son, I have lost my beloved son, you and that Guan Lin do not share the sky, and I also do not share the sky with that Gan Ning... However, justice must prevail over personal grievances, and our purpose in this battle is only to lure Guan Yu into the encirclement! Guan Lin's words, I'm afraid it's going to be the next battle. ”

"Guan Yu is okay too!" Pound said hatefully, "That Guan Lin made me taste the pain of losing my son, hmph, I will let him also taste the pain of the death of his relatives!" ”

"No!" Zhang Liao hurriedly waved his hand, "Prime Minister means to capture Guan Yunchang alive!" ”

Pound flicked his long sleeves: "The battlefield has no eyes, where can I manage those?" ”

That's when ...

"Newspaper-" A small school reported: "Yesterday, I found that the enemy army was observing the smoke of Xinye City and Yancheng!" ”

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Liao's eyes narrowed suddenly.

couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "This Guan family Erlang, is the investigation still very detailed?" ”

Speaking of this, "Hahahaha..."Zhang Liao couldn't help laughing, "It's a pity that there will be no cooking smoke in the entire Funiu Mountain Wollongong!" Zhang's soldiers can swallow 'cold food'! ”

…

…

"Whoosh-"

"Whoosh-"

Reflecting the morning light, in the mountains behind the water villa, a series of two arrows whistled out, which was a slight tailwind.

It was Huang Zhong and Old Man Huang who shot this series of two arrows.

Xiahou Juan and Zhang Xingcai witnessed this scene...

In fact, for more than a month, Huang Zhong has been experimenting with this "compound bow" every day, and Xiahou Juan and Zhang Xingcai have also watched every day.

Xiahou Juan's idea is that she wants to see with her own eyes whether this prospective son-in-law is reliable or not...

A bow? Threatened range... Five hundred steps?

Such unheard of, unseen ranges, Guan Lin he... Can he do it?

This also indirectly determines Xiahou Juan's prospective mother-in-law's impression and thoughts of Guan Lin.

Zhang Xingcai said that he was accompanying his mother, but he finally met Huang Zhong, a master of "archery skills", and pestered Huang Zhong to teach her archery for a month.

You must know that Zhang Fei is known as "taking the head of a general in the army is like probing a bag and taking things", in fact, it is true, but there is only one thing, Zhang Fei's archery and bow skills are not half a star.

This is also why, when Liu, Guan, and Zhang went to participate in the discussion of the princes of the Eighteenth Road, in the face of Huaxiong's provocation, Guan Yu was a horse archer at that time, and Zhang Fei was a foot archer.

It's strange that they can use weapons that they are not good at to show their abilities and be different!

Also because of the good foundation, Zhang Xingcai's bow skills this month have improved by leaps and bounds... When trying the "compound bow" two days ago, Huang Zhong shot 380 steps, and Zhang Xingcai also shot 300 steps!

It's just that the accuracy can't be the same as Huang Zhong.

This is already more than the longest range of bows and arrows of this era.

"Four hundred and twenty steps... Four hundred and fifteen steps! ”

A short time later, a soldier arrived on a horse from a distance and read aloud the results of Huang Zhong's two arrows.

Amazing - four hundred and twenty steps!

Huang Zhong stroked his long hair, and he sighed towards Zhang Xingcai and Xiahou Juan: "Guan Yunqi's kid is not talking nonsense, if it is a big tailwind, this compound bow is indeed possible to shoot five hundred steps!" What he said was true! ”

As soon as Huang Zhong's words were spoken, Zhang Xingcai turned to Xiahou Juan excitedly, "Mother, look... I said that Yun Qi would not lie, he said that if he can shoot to 500 steps, then he will definitely be able to shoot to 500 steps! Brother Yunqi has this talent, and he can always design incredible inventions. ”

Huang Chengyan and Liu Ye are also watching this arrow...

Huang Chengyan sighed with emotion: "Today's four hundred and twenty steps, five hundred steps when the wind is downwind, is really terrifying, this is also the limit of the range of this compound bow drawn by the cloud banner, right?" ”

Liu Ye bowed slightly, but retorted: "Old Huang, actually... Are there two other ways to push the limit? ”

"What?" Huang Chengyan was curious.

Liu Ye said carefully: "First, the composite bow itself, if according to the Yunqi drawings, in the production of animal tendons, glue and different woods and silk, a specific process is completed in a specific month, maybe it can slightly increase the tension and store the strength... Let's increase the range a little more, and second..."

Liu Ye's thinking made Huang Chengyan bow his head, and also made Huang Chengyan more curious about what he was going to say next.

Liu Ye's voice continued: "The other is to pull the bowstring farther... Gain more power from the archers..."

This was just the beginning, and Huang Chengyan shook his head, "You, the old man, agree, but the second is a little taken for granted, people's arm strength is so big, how can it be... What about pulling the bowstring farther? If it's according to the winch machine, wouldn't it be more like a crossbow or something? ”

Here, Huang Chengyan and Liu Ye are still arguing about the craftsmanship, power, and range of this "compound bow".

Over there, Huang Zhong couldn't wait to try this bow on the battlefield.

He turned his head towards Xiahou Juan and Zhang Xingcai, "Mrs. Xiahou, the old man can't wait to go to the battlefield to try the depth of this bow, and Madame can't wait to see that prospective son-in-law, right?" ”

This was meant to be a joke...

But it made Xiahou Juan's face turn red, "Old General Huang made fun of it..."

As soon as she heard that she was going to Xiangyang, Zhang Xingcaile blossomed, she hadn't seen Yunqi for a month...

Inexplicably, I always think of him when the night is quiet, this feeling is amazing, and I can't wait.

"Mother, let's go to Xiangyang City with General Huang, my daughter has learned the bow from the old general for a month, and I can't wait to try it on the battlefield?"

It's fake to try it on the battlefield, Zhang Xingcai wants to show off to Guan Linxian.

However, Liu Ye heard their conversation, until Huang Zhong was about to leave, and Xiahou Juan and Zhang Xingcai were about to leave, and hurriedly took a few steps closer.

"Is General Huang going to Xiangyang City?"

Huang Zhong bowed: "It's time to meet that kid from Yunqi!" Speaking of this, Huang Zhong looked at the beloved "Mongolian Compound Bow" in his hand and said with emotion: "Of course, this bow has your credit, but Yunqi is also indispensable!" ”

"That..."Liu Ye's eyes must have been, "Yunqi Gongzi specially explained, if General Huang is gone, he... Let me bring a word to the old general? ”

"What?"

"Dare to ask the old general to come over with his ear..."

Liu Ye also sold Guanzi...

It's just that when Huang Zhong heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned.

What does Guan Lin mean?

What is it called? He can also increase the range of the old general by twenty paces?

To know... The current 420 steps, and theoretically 500 steps downwind are already the limit... It's a very extreme number!

It's extremely difficult to take every extra step from here, let alone twenty steps...

And also...

- "Twenty steps?"

- "Twenty steps?"

Because of this sentence, Huang Zhong couldn't help but think of his son, and thought of the twenty steps he took to save his son!

…

…

(PS: It's been a long foreshadowing, and I'm finally going to the battlefield tomorrow.) ）

(Today's birthday of the children at home, I won't add more, the second half of the article has not changed the typo, and it will be changed early tomorrow!) ）

(End of chapter)