In the twelfth year of the establishment of the Southern Qi Dynasty, April 25.

A shocking piece of news swept across the entire territory of Huaizhou from north to south.

The army of Dongyang Road in Beiyan approached Huaizhou, 20,000 soldiers and horses were stationed in the north of Panlong Pass for more than 30 miles, and the main force of more than 50,000 people looked at Huaizhou to secure the defense line, the battle was about to break out, and the situation was tense instantly.

The Huaizhou Governor's Mansion, the Thorn History Mansion and the Warp Weaving Department sent an urgent report to the capital almost simultaneously.

Although it did not cause widespread panic, after the news spread, prices in the six prefectures within the territory all rose to varying degrees.

The response of the Huaizhou Assassin Mansion was very timely, not only posting the notices of Anmin that had been prepared long ago, but also ruthlessly killing chickens and monkeys with a few leading merchants.

More than a dozen heads fell to the ground, and prices temporarily stabilized within a few days.

Some people's restless hearts were like being poured with ice water, and they seemed to remember at this time that Yao Zhong, the assassin who sat in Taixing Mansion, was by no means a pedantic and deceitful Taoist gentleman.

The response of the Huaizhou Seventh Army was equally swift, and the Guangling Army guarded the ancient roads of the Shuangfeng Mountains to prevent the Northern Yan army from launching a surprise attack from the Moyang Road in the west.

The Feiyun Army was stationed in Wuhe County, Baoying Prefecture, which could not only support the Panlong Army in the northwest direction at any time, but also go north to support the flank of the Lai'an defense line.

The Taixing Army was still stationed in place, responsible for assisting the Assassin Mansion in maintaining internal stability, and at the same time being on standby as a reserve army.

The Pingshan Army, the Lai'an Army and the Zhenbei Army formed the Lai'an defense line, using a large number of villages, forts, and cities on the border to form a well-layered defense system, coupled with the dense water network and rivers in the territory, which was enough to make the Jing Dynasty Iron Cavalry unable to give full play to the advantages of high mobility, and could only rely on the strong attack of the infantry to advance step by step.

The Lai'an defense line sheltered the northern border of Huaizhou, and built an impregnable wall with the Panlong Pass in the northwest corner, which made the puppet Yan and Jing Dynasty troops suffer greatly before the establishment of the military seven years ago.

This time they made a comeback, and what stood in front of them was still a hard bone to gnaw, because in the past six years, the Huaizhou Seventh Army has still maintained a strong combat power under the command of Xiao Wangzhi, the governor of the capital.

The Huaizhou Governor's Mansion, located in Lai'an City, is busier than in the past, and almost everyone walks with the wind. But there was not the slightest panic on their faces, only a calm and solemn expression.

In the festival hall, the staff and Xiangzan had all retreated, and Xiao Wangzhi stood by the sand table with his hands in his hands, and his tiger eyes were shining.

There was a person standing opposite the sand table, it was Su Buqing, the inspector of the Huaizhou Warp Weaving Division, who bowed his head slightly and said respectfully: "Yu Dadu, the Warp Weaving Department has launched an operation three days ago to arrest the suspected pseudo-Yan and Jing Dynasty's fine work in Huaizhou. This time, we adhered to the principle of preferring to catch mistakes rather than let them go, so as to prevent these people from fishing in troubled waters in the rear after the outbreak of war. ”

Xiao Wangzhi glanced up at him, and said, "Su Jian School has worked hard. ”

He knew very well that if it weren't for the approaching war, the Warp Weaving Division would not be in such a hurry, because those suspected of being meticulous were already under surveillance. I didn't catch them before, because most of these people belonged to low-level fine work and did not have too high value, and it was right to put a long line to catch big fish and dig out their superiors.

But the situation is very different now, once the two sides are fighting on the border, the damage that can be done in the rear will be multiplied, and cutting off these branches will deter the deeper hidden ones, and at the same time make them impossible to connect together.

Su Buqing said humbly: "This is the duty of the lower officials. ”

He is so respectful to Xiao Wangzhi, not only because the other party is a general from the second grade, but more importantly, he very much agrees with Xiao Wangzhi's judgment of the current situation - if Daqi can't advance the Northern Expedition, he will definitely not be able to hold half of the country by relying on the Hengjiang moat alone, and a corner of peace will only be a lingering breath.

Xiao Wangzhi stared at the Lai'an defense line on the sand table, and said lightly: "The next focus of the Warp Weaving Division should be on the major prefectures, especially the protection of Yao Thorn History. Zhang Junsi in the north is good at tough battles, but our army's defense line is harder than his bones, and it is difficult for the Jing Dynasty cavalry to play a role here. Generally speaking, Wang Shidao of the Prosecutor's Office is more worthy of vigilance, and he must have made a plan to attack in Huaizhou in advance. ”

It stands to reason that the Warp Weaving Department is an independent and privileged yamen, and although it has the duty to cooperate with the actions of the military, it is not under the direct jurisdiction of the Governor's Office.

Su Buqing's face was not different, and he responded calmly: "Please rest assured, the lower officials have already ordered the internal guards before they came, and ordered them to be responsible for protecting the officials in various places, and Taixing Mansion is the top priority." There is another thing, the lord ordered the subordinate to convey it to the governor. ”

Xiao Wangzhi said: "Let's talk about it." ”

Su Buqing glanced at the logo on the sand table, and said slowly: "Lord Tiju asked the lower officials to activate the fine work lurking on the pseudo-Yan Dongyang Road, and let them find out the whereabouts of the elite army of the Jing Dynasty as much as possible." ”

Xiao Wangzhi muttered: "In this way, Qin Tiju suspects that the pseudo-Yan Dongyang Road is not the focus of this offensive? ”

The territory bordering Huaizhou in Beiyan is Dongyang Road in the north and Moyang Road in the west.

If there are no Jing Dynasty soldiers in the army of Dongyang Road, it means that they are likely to be just a cover in this battle, after all, relying on the puppet Yan army to break through the Lai'an defense line is tantamount to a fool's dream.

Su Buqing said admiringly: "Lord Tiju does have this intention. ”

He briefly recounted the clues sorted out by the general office, focusing on the anomaly on Moyang Road.

"Feint to attack Huaizhou, but take Jingzhou?" Xiao Wangzhi turned his head to look at the topographic map along the river hanging on the west wall, and said calmly.

After the Yuanjia Revolution, the Southern Qi were able to allow the Jing Dynasty to return without success, and maintained the balance of power in the ensuing six-year war, relying on Huaizhou in the north of the Yangtze River and Jingzhou in the middle reaches of the Hengjiang River.

These two extremely important strategic points are like two hard fists, controlling the middle and lower reaches of the river, turning this vast river into a real moat.

Relatively speaking, Jingzhou was more important to the Southern Qi Dynasty, because the first part of Jingzhou was located in the north of the Jiang, and the north and south were connected to control both sides of the Hengjiang River, so that the naval warships that the pseudo-Yan had painstakingly built could not go down the river, so naturally they could not threaten the downstream area.

Su Buqing thought about it and said: "If the pseudo-Yan Dongyang Road is just a bluff, and the Jing Dynasty mobilizes the elite to Moyang Road, then it is indeed possible to attack our Chaojingzhou." Now that the situation is tense and the north and south are cut off, it is very difficult for the people of the lower officials to pass on the news, but please rest assured that the lower officials will complete this matter as soon as possible. ”

Xiao Wangzhi said approvingly: "Then please ask Su to inspect the school." ”

Su Buqing heard his intention to expel the guest, and also knew that the metropolitan governor was busy with military affairs, but he still stood in place, coughed lightly and said: "Dadu Governor, the subordinate has a matter of his own opinion, and I also ask the metropolitan governor to forgive the crime." ”

Xiao Wangzhi's gaze condensed slightly: "What's the matter?" ”

Su Buqing said: "Xiaguan found a good seedling in Guangling Mansion, named Lu Shen, who is the only son of the wealthy businessman Lu Tong. Previously, the Lu family was framed by the pseudo-Yan Xiaozuo, but Lu Shen was smart and calm, and assisted the Warp Weaving Division to crack the other party's conspiracy. Because of this achievement, the Lord Tiju personally ordered him to be the warp weaving department, and allowed the subordinate officials to train him, and let him spy on intelligence in the territory of Pseudo Yan in the future. ”

Xiao Wangzhi was silent.

Su Buqing didn't know what he was thinking, and said after consideration: "Lu Shen seems to have the intention of joining the army, and the subordinate told him that the army and the warp weaving department could have been transferred to each other. If he can make great contributions in the north, he can also be transferred to the border army in the future, and he does not have to start as a pawn. ”

He did not deceive Lu Shen, whether it was transferred from the border army to the warp weaving department or vice versa, there were precedents in the past.

Of course, he should have asked Xiao Wangzhi in advance, but this time the time was too tight, and he received a series of urgent orders when he returned to Huaizhou from Yongjia, and he could only stay in Guangling for half a day.

This matter can't be pretended to be someone else's mouth, so Su Buqing had to save a step.

Xiao Wangzhi was silent for a moment, and said slowly: "If he doesn't want to, don't force him." ”

Su Buqing responded, and immediately felt a shock in his heart.

Xiao Wangzhi gave face to the foot weaving warp division on the face, and did not pursue his self-assertion, but in fact, he added an extremely powerful talisman to Lu Shen.

Su Buqing suddenly remembered that Lu Shen sent Li Chengen to the Governor's Mansion to report the news, and he was successfully summoned by Xiao Wangzhi.

You must know that this Metropolitan Governor has always been unhappy to welcome the fortunate people, Li Chengen and a firm nursing home, why can he enter this Metropolitan Governor's Mansion?

Could it be that Xiao Wangzhi has known Lu Shen for a long time?

Wrong...... The humble smile of the middle-aged businessman appeared in Su Buqing's mind, Xiao Wangzhi mostly took care of Lu Shen because of Lu Tong's relationship!

Xiao Wangzhi opened his mouth and asked, "Is there anything else going on with the Su Inspection School?" ”

Su Buqing suppressed the shock in his heart, bowed and saluted: "The lower official retires." ”

After he retreated, Sima Huang Xianfeng stepped in.

Xiao Wangzhi asked, "Does Xiao Hong have a reply?" ”

Huang Xianfeng responded: "Back to the Metropolitan Governor, the major general has arrived in Guangling five days ago, and now he is inspecting the armaments of the Guangling Army, and there is no news for the time being. ”

Xiao Wangzhi bowed slightly, he looked at the topographic map along the river hanging on the wall, his eyes fell on a certain area, and finally turned to look at the northern border to secure the defense line on the sand table, and muttered to himself: "Feint to attack Huaizhou and take Jingzhou?" How could Qing Yugong be so stupid? ”

He shook his head, his gaze becoming more and more contemplative.