Thanks to the blessing of Kan Leng's killing of the Quartet, the already unharmonious relationship between the army of Qiao County and the army of Qi County suddenly became worse. The red-eyed Luo Shixin became the laughing stock of the army. The generals of the Sui army in the county are also full of anger. Although they are not bad enough to yell at them, they also hate the Qiaojun army in their stomachs. hateful! When there is a chance, I have to avenge this revenge and vent my anger!
What made Chen Yingliang even more speechless was still to come. Given Ma Sanbao's bad reputation for playing tricks on money, I heard that Kan Leng actually won all the horses and armors of the friendly generals in the game initiated by Ma Sanbao. I think this must be a trick of Ma Sanbao and Kan Leng's joint efforts to make a thousand fat sheep! For this reason, I often laughed at the stupidity and incompetence of the friendly army. As a result, these jokes were heard by some Qi County soldiers, and then quickly spread to the ears of Luo Shixin and a large group of losers. The eyes of the county officers and soldiers immediately changed from being hateful to being damned.
The consequences of the further deterioration of the relationship were soon manifested. In the morning of the next day, because there was no large river near the camps of the two armies, the soldiers of the two armies clashed over the ownership of a small stream with clear water. If Zhang Xutuo's general, Zhang Zhizhi, hadn't rushed to the scene in time to prevent the conflict from expanding further, it would not be impossible for people to die. After the incident, although Chen Yingliang punished the soldiers under his command who provoked the incident, he also knew that it would definitely not work if this continued, so he hurriedly decided to retreat before more conflicts occurred, and prepared to lead the army back to Yongcheng.
Ordering the army to prepare to withdraw, when Chen Yingliang came to the army of Qi County to say goodbye to Zhang Xutuo, just in time for Zhang Xutuo to summon all the generals to discuss the military situation in the Chinese army tent. When he learned that Chen Yingliang had arrived, Zhang Xutuo immediately let go It was a very urgent military matter, so I met Chen Yingliang directly in the big tent of the Chinese army, and asked someone to sit for Chen Yingliang as soon as they met, and apologized to Chen Yingliang: "Chen Tongshou, forgive me, I already know what happened just now, it is The people under the old man’s account are wrong, and the old man has already punished the troublemaker by 20 army sticks, I hope Chen Tongshou remembers it for the sake of the same hatred, and don’t be wary of such a trivial matter.”
"The old general is too polite. It should be the younger generation who apologized to you." Chen Yingliang hurriedly returned the salute, and said politely: "I have also carefully asked about the situation just now, and I know that there is something wrong with us. I have also sent the person who took the lead in trouble Twenty lashes were whipped. I also ask the old general not to care about these trivial matters, which hurt the peace of our two armies."
Zhang Xutuo nodded and smiled gracefully, while He Yanyu on the side said coldly: "Chen Tongshou only whipped the troublemakers twenty times, but we beat the sticks of ten soldiers, Tongshou is indeed rewarded and punished. "
As soon as He Yanyu's words came out, anger immediately filled his face, Chen Yingliang's face was full of embarrassment, and Zhang Xutuo immediately shouted: "Shut up! This matter is over, whoever dares to mention this matter again will immediately punish the Forty Army Baton!"
He Yanyu had no choice but to shut up, but Chen Yingliang was even more embarrassed, quickly changed the subject, and said to Zhang Xutuo, "Old General, this junior came to see you. This junior is going to lead the army back to the Yongcheng garrison, so I came here to bid farewell."
"Chen Tongshou is leaving?" Zhang Xutuo was a little surprised, and hurriedly said: "Chen Tongshou, your two armies finally got together once, and the cleaning of the battlefield has not been completely completed yet, why is Chen Tongshou not here often? How many days are you staying?"
"I would like to, but I don't dare." Chen Yingliang was depressed. He knew very well that under the current situation, if his team and Zhang Xutuo's team continued to get along, the conflict would only expand, so Chen Yingliang could only He bit the bullet and said, "I'm telling you, old general, it's not that this junior doesn't want to stay for a few more days to listen to the old general's advice, it's that there are signs of rebellion in Linhuan, Qiao County, so this junior has to withdraw to Yongcheng as soon as possible, just in case. .”
"Linhuan? If the old man remembers correctly, it should be bordered by the south of Pengcheng, right?" Zhang Xutuo didn't look at the map, but asked with concern: "Is the rebellion serious? Are there any signs of large-scale civil uprising? "
"The situation is not bad, but the officers and soldiers in that area are empty and the refugees are difficult to control, so small disturbances often occur." Chen Yingliang said casually, "Old general, after the younger generation leaves, I will trouble you to clean up the Mangdang Mountain battlefield." You don’t have to distribute the captured troops to the younger generation, you just need to keep them for yourself.”
"Chen Tongshou is so generous." Mulan laughed maliciously, and said in a strange way: "Chen Tongshou took all the horses, armor and high-quality weapons away, and the pitiful food and dilapidated military tents belong to us. It’s a great thank you to Chen Tongshou.”
Hearing Mulan's words, Chen Yingliang couldn't help being angry no matter how good-tempered he was, and said angrily, "Then how does General Mulan plan to distribute the spoils? During the battle the day before yesterday, I gave up all the cattle, mules and donkeys east of the roadblock. General Mulan still feels dissatisfied?"
"Cows, mules and donkeys, are war horses expensive?" Mulan was even more angry than Chen Yingliang, and said angrily, "Without us chasing after them hard, how could Meng Rang's nearly one thousand war horses be taken by you...?"
"Shut up!" Zhang Xutuo yelled again, glaring at Mulan and yelling: "Shut your mouth! We didn't agree with Chen Tongshou on how to distribute the spoils before the war. Your spoils belong to whoever captures them. Chen Tongshou took the initiative to give us the cows, mules and donkeys that dragged the luggage, which is already a big measure, are you still not satisfied? Shut up! Another nonsense, military law! "
Mulan closed her mouth with a gloomy expression, He Yanyu and Luo Shixin and other generals next to her also looked gloomy, and Zhang Xutuo apologized to Chen Yingliang: "Chen Tongshou, don't be as knowledgeable as a child, it's an old man who is incapable of running an army. She is used to this, and the old man will teach her a lesson in a while. Don't worry, all the horses and weapons you seized belong to you, and the old man will not share with you."
"It's okay, General Mulan has misunderstood me, I know that." Chen Yingliang forced a smile, stood up again and cupped his hands and said, "Old general, if there is nothing else, then this junior will leave. After the old general has taken care of the aftermath, if If you have time, you might as well lead the army south to Yongcheng and his party, the younger generation will sweep the couch to welcome you, and you will do your best to entertain the old general's troops."
"Chen Tongshou, don't worry." Zhang Xutuo shook his head and said, "Please sit down for a while, the old man happens to have an important military matter and wants to discuss it with you."
For the selfless Zhang Xutuo, Chen Yingliang truly respected him from the bottom of his heart. After hearing what Zhang Xutuo said, he immediately sat down and asked Zhang Xutuo what he wanted to discuss. Zhang Xutuo was not polite, and asked directly: "Chen Tongshou, have you heard of Meng Haigong, the thief?"
"Meng Haigong?" An ominous premonition arose in Chen Yingliang's heart, and he reluctantly replied truthfully: "I've heard that the younger generation heard that this rebellious thief started in March last year. He has been running around in Jiyin, occasionally They also went to Liang County for activities, and successively broke through the two counties of Dingtao and Chengwu, and once besieged Jiyin County, and they were the largest group of rebels in Jiyin."
"That's right." Zhang Xutuo nodded, and said again: "But Chen Tongshou only knows one thing, not the other. The old man only found out after he became the ambassador of the Twelve Counties to arrest him and sent people to inspect. Cities and villages are not limited to Dingtao and Chengwu. In fact, the surrounding counties such as Chengshi, Jinxiang, Shanfu, Chuqiu, and Juye have all suffered from this thief. The people in these counties have worked hard to cultivate In fact, most of the food that came out fell into his pockets, but the local government was afraid of his power and would be ordered to suppress the thieves after reporting the truth, so they blamed the losses on other small groups of thieves, helping the tyrants to do evil. Meng Haigong, the thief, is getting more and more rampant, and his strength is getting stronger."
"In addition." Zhang Xutuo added: "Meng Haigong is different from other thieves. He is not satisfied with running around for food, but gathers the money and food he plundered in his hometown Zhouqiao. , and organized rioters to build castles to resist the arrest, and because Zhouqiao was located at the border of Jiyin and Liang County, the officers and soldiers of the two counties pushed each other and refused to contribute to the suppression of the bandits, so that the bandit leader finally built a strong castle , named Menghai City (historical facts, it is the current Menghai Town), gathered more than 20,000 people, dominated one side, and was ambitious, constantly recruiting surrenders and rebels, looting the village, if not eliminated early, it will cause great harm!"
"It's all built into a castle?" Chen Yingliang was a little dumbfounded, and said in surprise: "Why have I never heard of this?"
"Not long after it was built, the local government deliberately blocked the news before, so it's not surprising that you don't know about Chen Tongshou." Zhang Xutuo explained, and said: "The old man has already sent someone to investigate the situation of Menghai City. It is very strong. The city wall It is tall and thick, the trenches are deep, and the scale of the city is even larger than an ordinary third-class county town, which is amazing."
Chen Yingliang nodded, but he was not foolish enough to ask Zhang Xutuo whether he had reported the matter to Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty—Zhang Xutuo had been the ambassador of the Twelve Counties for some time, and he said that Meng Haigong's castle had just been built, which meant that Zhang Xutuo Tuo hadn't noticed that Meng Haigong was building a castle under his nose before. Once Emperor Sui Yang knew about the situation, even if Zhang Xutuo won the favor of Emperor Sui Yang again, he would not be able to escape the crime of oversight.
Sure enough, Zhang Xutuo didn't mention whether to report the matter to the court, but just smiled and said to Chen Yingliang: "Chen Tongshou, the old man has said so much, with your ability, you should have already guessed what the old man wants to say? How about it?" Are you willing to help the old man and join hands with the old man to pull out this nest of thieves? Don't worry, the old man will not treat you badly. The money, grain and military expenses of your battle across the county will be borne by the old man. Very negotiable."
Of course, Chen Yingliang had already guessed Zhang Xutuo's implication, and he didn't rush to agree or refuse. He just thought about it for a moment, and then said: "Old general, this junior wants to ask you a question, about how you plan to capture this Menghai city." removal?"
"How to attack and remove it?" Zhang Xutuo was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled and said, "Chen Tongshou's question is a little strange. The big thief Meng Haigong is defending the city. What else can I do besides attacking it head-on?"
Chen Yingliang's eyelids twitched slightly, and then he hesitated for a moment before cupping his hands and saying, "Old General, I'm really sorry, it's not that this junior doesn't want to join hands with you to break through the thieves' holes, it's just that this junior is too weak to promise Presumably the old general also knows that there are only twelve regiments of 2,500 people under the younger generation's command. This force is too weak. Even if they are all sent to the battlefield in Menghai City, they will not be of much use. The younger generation still has to take on the important task of guarding the land in Qiao County, and the strength is too insufficient, so the younger generation can only say sorry to the old general."
"Hey, Chen Tongshou doesn't need to be modest." Zhang Xutuo said with a smile, "I'm not blind. I've already seen Chen Tongshou's style of running the army. You'd rather be short than indiscriminate, right? Just the weapons of your twelve regiments Equipment, money and food, if used to form an ordinary army, even if the army is expanded to twenty-five regiments, it will be more than enough, but you would rather concentrate the money and food on these twelve regiments than expand the army. The imperial court held that your army in one county is too large, and the second is for the sake of the military strategists who are more expensive than expensive? The old man can conclude that if you are willing to lend a helping hand, Chen Tongshou, and send ten regiments north to Menghai City, the role you can play will be great. It is far better than the five thousand troops gathered by the old man from other counties!"
"Thank you, old general, for your praise." Chen Yingliang still declined, and continued to evade: "But my family knows about my family affairs, and the troops in my hands are too few, and we must ensure the safety of the seven counties of Qiao County, so I still can't promise."
Seeing that Chen Yingliang insisted on refusing, Zhang Xutuo, who had always been very kind to Chen Yingliang since the meeting, finally became angry, and said, "Chen Tongshou, can I beg you? The second county arrested the ambassador, but because he did not manage Qiao County concurrently, he had no right to command and mobilize your troops, so I beg you, please help this old man! It’s not that I can’t transfer troops from other counties, it’s a temporary transfer. It took a long time and cost a lot of money and food. At the same time, after a large number of troops were transferred from other counties and counties, it was likely to give other thieves a big opportunity. It is far less convenient and quick to borrow troops from you. Don't give up."
Chen Yingliang was extremely troubled. He knew that if he continued to refuse, he would definitely offend Zhang Xutuo, but he also had to consider other aspects. He hesitated for a while, and Zhang Xutuo said again: "Chen Tongshou, if you do this for me, This old man will definitely remember your favor, and after defeating the enemy, this old man will definitely report the truth to the imperial court and personally ask for credit for you."
Chen Yingliang was even more perplexed, and hesitated for a long time, and then put his hands together and said: "The old general's kindness, this junior appreciates it, but this junior just wants to do his best to fulfill his duty, so I'm sorry, this junior can't agree."
Zhang Xutuo's complexion finally changed, he looked at Chen Yingliang coldly and remained silent, Luo Shixin, He Yanyu, Mulan and others looked at Chen Yingliang with fire in their eyes, Qin Qiong, the only person under Zhang Xutuo's tent who had no particularly bad impression of Chen Yingliang, was also disappointed , looking at Chen Yingliang with indifference. Chen Yingliang stubbornly got up again, cupped his hands and said, "Old General, if there is nothing else, then this junior will leave. It's getting late, if this junior doesn't leave, it will be very difficult for this junior to return to the Yongcheng garrison before dark."
"Go slowly, don't send it off!" Zhang Xutuo's voice was unusually stiff.
Chen Yingliang walked away dejectedly, but as soon as he left, Zhang Xutuo's camp of the Chinese army was immediately scolded. Zhang Xutuo's face was gloomy, and he slapped the table for a long time, roaring: "I don't need his help, I will attack Menghai City by myself! Pass down the order, and clean up the Mangdang Mountain battlefield within today. Tomorrow, I will move to Xiayi to replenish food, grass and military supplies. Rest for seven days, and then immediately go north to attack Menghai City! This time, the old man will gather troops from Liang County and Jiyin County, and pull out Menghai City's den of thieves in one fell swoop!"
"Promise!" The generals of Qi County sang promises in unison, and then continued to scold Chen Yingliang for being arrogant and disrespectful to his elders.
…
Zhang Xutuo and the generals of Qi County were furious, but Chen Yingliang was extremely depressed. He was always depressed on the way back to Yongcheng with his army. Yuan Tiangang, his aide, saw that something was wrong, so he asked Chen Yingliang about the reason, and Chen Yingliang fell down. He didn't hide anything, and told Yuan Tiangang the situation frankly. Yuan Tiangang was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "Chen Tongshou, you have offended Zhang Xutuo a lot this time. We were lucky enough to get almost all the credit for this battle at Mount Mangdang, and we captured all the most important things. The important warhorse ordnance, the soldiers of Qi County are already very dissatisfied with us, and you still flatly reject Zhang Xutuo's plea, why don't the soldiers of Qi County hate you to death?"
"Of course I know this, but I can't help it." Chen Yingliang replied very depressed: "It is absolutely fine to help Zhang Xutuo with this, and this is also the best opportunity to resolve the conflict between us and Qi County's army, but Zhang Xutuo Xu Tuo answered my words, so that I dare not send troops even if I say anything."
"What did Zhang Xutuo answer you?" Yuan Tiangang recalled for a while, and quickly asked: "Tong Shou, did you say that Zhang Xutuo told you that he planned to attack Meng Haicheng head-on?"
"Yes." Chen Yingliang nodded, and replied: "It was because of this sentence that I changed my mind. I didn't want to send troops to help him. To be precise, I didn't dare to help him."
"Why?" Yuan Tiangang hurriedly asked.
"Because Zhang Xutuo's team has never fought a tough battle." Chen Yingliang replied even more depressed: "I have studied Zhang Xutuo's record carefully, and know that he followed Shi Wansui to quell the Kunzhou rebellion and followed Yang Su to quell Yang Su. During the Liangzhi Rebellion, he fought several siege battles, but none of them were under his command. Later, he served as the general guard of Qi County. Although he was invincible on the battlefield and repeatedly defeated bandits, he fought field battles every time. I haven’t fought any decent siege battles.”
"I don't know if Zhang Xutuo himself is familiar with siege warfare, but I'm sure that the troops of Qi County under his command are not familiar with siege warfare. Menghai City is a newly built city. , I am worried that if we attack from the front, the war may be protracted, so I dare not agree to anything."
"Understood." Yuan Tiangang suddenly realized, and said: "Tong Shou, you are worried that after we cooperate with Zhang Xutuo to send troops, once we spend a long time in the battlefield of Meng Haicheng, there may be problems in our empty rear, and at the same time, we will not be able to attack Meng Haicheng for a long time. It will affect the morale of our army, it will easily exhaust the army, and it is more likely that the siege will fail and cause huge casualties."
"That's the reason." Chen Yingliang nodded, and said again: "I was hesitant at first, considering whether to agree first, accompany Zhang Xutuo to send troops to Menghai City, and then find a way to break through the city in a clever way to avoid excessive consumption of the army, but I don't want to Familiar with the situation in Meng Haicheng, and basically ignorant of the enemy, I really don’t have the confidence, let alone let Zhang Xutuo fully listen to my plan and tactics, and I don’t want to take the risk, so I simply refused.”
Yuan Tiangang nodded, agreeing with Chen Yingliang's decision, and then said: "Although Tongshou's decision is correct, it's just that it will be more difficult for us to get along with Qi County's army in the future."
Chen Yingliang's face was gloomy. After thinking for a long time, Chen Yingliang ordered again: "Mr. Yuan, after returning to Yongcheng, you and Wuji will immediately collect all kinds of information about Meng Haicheng and Meng Haigong for me. The more detailed the better."
"Tong Shou, do you still want to help Zhang Xutuo?" Yuan Tiangang asked curiously.
"I don't want to help him, but just in case." Chen Yingliang said with a mournful face, "I have a hunch that this time I might have to wipe Zhang Xutuo's ass again. Except for Zhang Xutuo's twelve counties soldiers and horses Among them, the closest and strongest imperial army to Menghai City is only our army from Qiao County. I am worried that if Zhang Xutuo fails to attack Menghai City for a long time, the imperial court may order me to help, so I have to do it first. Be prepared, so as not to be caught off guard and cause more trouble."