Because the main force of the rebel army suddenly intensified their scouting efforts, the messenger Fan Zigai sent to communicate with Wei Xuan failed to return to Luoyang City in time to deliver the news. Taking advantage of the cover of night and taking advantage of the complex terrain in the Mang Mountain area, the camp took advantage of the trail and returned to Luoyang to deliver Wei Xuan's reply. Just like this, the Luoyang messenger was almost discovered by rebel scouts twice.
It was also because the speed of the journey was not fast at night, when the messenger returned to Luoyang City, which was more than 60 miles away, it was already the early morning of the next day, and the sky was already bright. After reading Wei Xuan's reply full of angry words, and learning from the messenger that a large amount of food and grass had been transported to the main camp of the rebel army, Fan Zigai and Huangfu Wuyi jumped up in surprise at the same time, and exclaimed in unison: : "How is it possible? We have already robbed Yang Ni's food and grass, how could there be food and grass sent to Yang Ni's main camp?"
"The villain dare not lie. The rebel army's food and grass arrived at the Mangshan battlefield. The villain saw it with his own eyes." The messenger reported to Fan Zigai what he had seen and heard on the Mangshan battlefield. Huangfu Wuyi was stunned and tongue-tied when he heard it, and after finally recovering, Fan Zigai of course immediately ordered to summon Chen Yingliang, Liu Changgong, and Huben Lang He Lanyi, who was in charge of scouting affairs, to the imperial city to discuss matters.
In a short time, all three parties involved were declared into the imperial city, among them, only Chen Yingliang and Liu Changgong who were in charge of combat were better off, they were not reprimanded by Fan Zigai, but He Lanyi, who was in charge of scouting the Beacon Tower, was beaten by Fan Zigai and Liu Changgong. Huangfu Wuyi teamed up to scold a bloody head, and the grumpy Fan Zigai even asked the guards of the Imperial Army to take He Lanyi down, and was going to take He Lanyi under the knife to severely enforce the military law. , "The general did not dereliction of duty, the general did not dereliction of duty! In order to monitor the rebel team in Jin Yongcheng, the general sent out all the most reliable personal soldiers, and monitored the scouts so that they would not be lazy!"
"Then how did the rebels get to the Mangshan battlefield?" Fan Zigai roared, "Since you didn't dereliction of duty, how did the rebel team succeed in transporting food? Could it be that the rebels' grain carts have wings, flew over?"
"This... I don't know about this last general." He Lanyi was sweating profusely and said in a crying voice, "Could it be that the traitor's food team was transported to the Mangshan battlefield by a small road? But it's impossible. , the general also arranged scouts on the path?"
"Impossible." Liu Changgong, who has some experience in food security, said, and interjected: "General He, I am not throwing stones into a well. It is absolutely impossible to transport grain by small roads. Grain carts are no better than infantry. No matter how steep and rugged the path is, infantry can do it." Marching fast, but it is absolutely impossible for grain trucks to travel fast on the small road, no matter how exhausted the peasants are, it is impossible to march seventy miles in one day."
"General Liu, what are you doing here?" He Lanyi cried out on the spot, and said loudly: "I have cut off more than a dozen official roads, and even demolished two bridges. Even if the scouts I sent out No matter how incompetent, the traitor's food and grass can't be transported from the official road!"
"Two generals, please stop arguing." Chen Yingliang, who had been planning all this time, suddenly said, first stopped the dispute between He Lanyi and Liu Changgong, then turned to the messenger who was also present, and asked, "My lord, where were you at that time?" On the Mangshan battlefield, did the rebel grain transport teams I saw transport grain with mules and horses, or with manpower?"
"Mules and horses transport grain." The courier replied truthfully, "It's a very large convoy, at least six or seven hundred vehicles, and all the vehicles are loaded with grain and grass."
"That's right." Chen Yingliang nodded, turned to Fan Zigai and Huangfu Wuyi and cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, General Huangfu and General He were wronged. The carts of the Thieves’ Grain Team are not loaded with grain or grass.”
"It's not food? What is that?" Fan Zigai was taken aback.
"Mud, gravel, maybe some thatch leaves will be stuffed in to save energy." Chen Yingliang said with a sneer, "I can be sure that after Yang Xuangan learned that the food and grass had been robbed, the rebels found out that our army was desperately destroying the road. To give him a chance to transport food smoothly, he took a risk and deliberately arranged a fake food team to transport food into the camp, creating the illusion that he had enough food and grass, forcing and inducing our Daxing reinforcements to fight as soon as possible! Because our Daxing reinforcements cannot supply Consumption of food and grass will only lead to a dead end!"
Fan Zigai and Huangfu Wuyi were stunned again, but Liu Changgong came back to his senses first, and shouted: "Yes, that's the truth! Hundreds of grain trucks transported grain from Jinyong City to the Mangshan battlefield, such a big commotion, Even if our scouts are all a group of pigs, they will definitely be able to find them easily! Besides, the road has been destroyed by us, and it is impossible for the thieves to send food and grass to the Mangshan battlefield so quickly! Things must be the same as Chen Jishi guessed. The grain carts are all fake!"
"One more thing." Chen Yingliang added: "The reason why the villain inquired about how the rebel team transported food was because he was worried that the Yang rebels would take advantage of the abundance of manpower to carry food on the shoulders and backs from the small road. There may be negligence, allowing Yang Rebels to get lucky! But the food truck is absolutely impossible, just like what General Liu said, no matter how exhausted the civilians are, it is impossible for Yang Rebels to be in such a short period of time. In a short period of time, hundreds of heavy grain trucks will be transported from the road to the Mangshan battlefield, because this is absolutely impossible!"
Ever since he met Chen Yingliang, Fan Zigai, who always liked to stand upright, sat on the chair for the first time, put his hand on his forehead and lamented: "What a cunning traitor Yang Ni! The old man almost fell into the trap, that Wei Wensheng Old man, nine times out of ten I have fallen for it too!"
Hearing this, the faces of the messengers who sent the letters back and forth suddenly changed greatly, and Huangfu Wuyi's also changed, he stood up quickly and coughed and said: "Fan Liushou, don't be careless, send someone to contact Wei Shangshu immediately, and tell the situation. He, tell him not to fall into the trap! Don't be fooled by Yang Ni, and rush to Yang Ni's main force for a decisive battle."
Fan Zigai agreed, jumped up and was about to write a letter, when the messenger who had just returned from the Mangshan battlefield said timidly: "Fan Liushou, it's too late, Wei Liushou has already fallen into the trap, he already ordered to stop strengthening the camp yesterday morning, let The army is fully preparing for the battle, and this morning we will face off against the main force of the rebels. Counting the time, at this time, the Mangshan battlefield has already started fighting."
With a soft bang, the brush in Fan Zigai's hand fell to the ground, his wrinkled old face was full of horror, Huangfu Wuyi was also speechless, and Chen Yingliang cried out loudly, "Oops! Two rounds of defeats in a row have greatly demoralized, and the enemy's situation is unknown." Going out of danger, or fighting a desperate decisive battle, Wei Shangshu may be in danger again this time!"
Fan Zigai's face sank like water, and after he bowed his head for a long time, Fan Zigai raised his head and asked Chen Yingliang with a serious expression: "Yingliang, can we do something for Wei Wensheng? Wei Wensheng is not only an important official of the court , or the old man’s good friend for many years, the old man can’t watch him lose again without being indifferent, is there any way you can help him?”
Chen Yingliang, who has always been resourceful and resourceful, was rarely hesitant. He hesitated for a moment before answering: "My lord, if you want to relieve the pressure on Wei Shangshu, the only way is to take the risk and send an army to the Mangshan battlefield. Hit Yang Ni's main force from behind, even if they can't win, they can force Yang Ni's main force to split up, so that Yang Ni's main force can't concentrate on attacking Wei Shangshu's team."
This time it was the turn of the two generals, Liu Changgong and He Lanyi, whose complexions changed drastically, and they quickly lowered their heads together, not even daring to breathe out, for fear of being called by Fan Zigai to carry out this death mission. Fortunately, Fan Zigai, who had suffered several times of risky battles, has calmed down a lot now, and did not rush to send troops to fight immediately, and asked Chen Yingliang: "Didn't you say that the terrain around Mangshan is complicated, Shouldn't you be fighting?"
"It's not suitable to go to war, but now we have to take a risk." Chen Yingliang replied in a deep voice: "Wei Shangshu was left behind in Daxing, and one of the few important court officials in the Sui Dynasty. It has had a huge impact on the morale and fighting spirit of the imperial court's counter-insurgency army. It is difficult for our Dongdu army to explain in front of the emperor. What is even more frightening is that if Wei Shangshu unfortunately dies in battle or is accidentally captured, there will be no leader in Daxing Guanzhong. If the army takes advantage of the momentum to enter Guanzhong, the consequences will be unpredictable!"
Fan Zigai nodded, admitting that what Chen Yingliang said was reasonable, and knowing that he chose not to save him now, if Wei Xuan really died in battle or was captured, it would be difficult to explain to the moody Emperor Sui Yang in the future, so after gritted his teeth, Fan Zigai still decided to take a risk, turned to Liu Changgong and He Lanyi and said, "You two, who would like to lead 3,000 troops to accompany Ying Liang out of the city, and go to the Mangshan battlefield to reinforce the guard's team?"
Liu Changgong and He Lanyi lowered their heads even lower together, just scolding Chen Yingliang for making bad ideas in their hearts, and Chen Yingliang rushed to say: "Fan stays behind, there is no need to send another army, let the villain lead the Nationalist Army to Mangshan alone It is enough to support Wei Shangshu on the battlefield."
"You only brought four regiments to reinforce Wei Wensheng?" Fan Zigai was taken aback.
"Soldiers are expensive, not expensive." Chen Yingliang replied: "Although the strength of the four regiments is not large, if they are well commanded and have good tactics, they can still play a decisive role on the battlefield. Also, there are troops with few troops. The advantage of being less, at the very least, I can be flexible and move forward and retreat freely. If the adults stay behind and send me the rear army, the villain will have to consider the safety of the rear army when fighting, but will be tied up and lose sight of the other."
"Ambition!" Fan Zigai praised, and after a moment of calculation, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, the old man will let you take the Bao Guojun to the Mangshan battlefield. If you need any preparations, just ask."
"Each person in the Baoguo Army is equipped with a horse, and each person has two days of dry food and horse feed." Chen Yingliang replied: "The Mangshan battlefield is more than sixty miles away from Luoyang. If you go to the battlefield on foot, it will take a huge hit on the soldiers' physical strength Influence, it is not conducive to combat. In addition, there are a lot of cavalry in Yang Rebel's team, if the villain's team does not have horses, it will be very disadvantageous in terms of army mobility, so the villain needs horses to travel."
"Of course the horses of the four regiments are fine." Fan Zigai agreed without hesitation, and then asked doubtfully, "But before, your team has always fought on foot, so you suddenly let the soldiers mount the horses, is that okay?"
"About this point, I must thank General Huangfu for his precautions." Chen Yingliang bowed his hands to Huangfu Wuyi and said, "I have learned about the horsemanship of the Baoguo Army before, and the soldiers told me that the infantry of Youwuwei Although not equipped with war horses, they have all received riding training at the request of General Huangfu. Although they are not able to ride horses to fight, they can still ride horses. Moreover, many members of the national army team are from Youwuwei The cavalry has better riding skills and can fight directly on horseback. I don’t want all the soldiers to fight on horseback this time, as long as they can ride on horseback.”
"There is such a thing." Huangfu Wuyi coughed and testified to Chen Yingliang: "After I took over Youwuwei last year, I was worried that the cavalry would die on the battlefield and lose their expensive horses in vain, so I asked the infantry to take turns practicing cavalry. I didn't expect to be able to use it today."
"That's good!" Despite the risk of losing a lot of horses, Fan Zigai, who holds Dongdu's finances and wealth, didn't even bat an eyelid, and immediately pointed to Liu Changgong and ordered: "Immediately prepare the horses of the four regiments, Pick as good a horse as possible to report to the national army, two days of dry rations and refined horse feed, and prepare it for the old man within an hour!"
Liu Changgong hurriedly clasped his fists and agreed, but Chen Yingliang said: "Fan Liushou, don't be in such a hurry, two hours, just be ready within two hours, the villain plans to leave after two hours."
Fan Zigai was slightly taken aback, and just about to ask why, Liu Changgong, who also said that Chen Yingliang was being considerate of him, hurriedly said: "Brother Yingliang, don't worry, these are all ready-made, one hour is enough, it won't take two an hour."
"General Liu misunderstood. I'm not worried that you won't be able to prepare dry food for the horses in time." Chen Yingliang shook his head and explained: "I want to beat the traitor Yang with a time difference. It's about two hours in the morning and two hours later. It is planned to arrive at the Mangshan battlefield in about three hours, and it will be the time of You. Yang's rebel army is almost exhausted after fighting for a whole day, and they have not had time to eat dinner. The whole army is hungry, thirsty and exhausted. In this state, our army will launch an assault again, which will greatly increase the chances of winning."
"So that's the case." Liu Changgong suddenly realized, and said with a smile, "Brother Yingliang, how did your brain grow? You can even consider such details, and your calculations are too precise."
"Ying Liang is diligent and motivated, reads a lot, and likes to use his brain in everything!" Fan Zigai scolded: "Then you trash, what else do you do besides drinking and playing with women?"
Liu Changgong shut up embarrassingly, and Chen Yingliang was afraid of being jealous, so he hurriedly pointed to the messenger who was still at the scene and said, "Fan Liushou, the villain still wants to invite this adult to go out with me. He is familiar with the situation on the Mangshan battlefield and can Help me a lot."
"Chen Jishi, the villain is a civil servant, how can I help you?" The messenger said with a sad face: "The villain finally came back from the Mangshan battlefield, and he is not even out of breath."
"Forgive me, my lord." Chen Yingliang cupped his hands and said sincerely: "I know that you are tired, but for this adventure, you must have someone who is familiar with the battlefield as a guide. The situation, so this time I must trouble you to accompany me on the expedition."
The messenger looked mournful, saying that he didn't want to take the risk for the third time to go to the Mangshan battlefield where there are tens of thousands of rebel main forces. Fan Zigai pointed at him without hesitation and said, "You follow Yingliang to the Mangshan battlefield and return triumphantly." When you come back, the old man has a great reward, and I will give you a promotion, no, two promotions!"
Hearing the great reward promised by Fan Zigai, the messenger's expression became a little better, and he also sang his promise and accepted the task of accompanying Chen Yingliang to the expedition. After asking Chen Yingliang if he had no other request, Fan Zigai hesitated for a moment with a complicated expression, and then said to Chen Yingliang: "Yingliang, although I am a little sorry for Wei Wensheng's old age, I still have to tell you that you have arrived at Mangshan Mountain. On the battlefield, you can do whatever you can, and you can’t do anything, you have to bring the Nationalist Army back as soon as possible, Luoyang, the eastern capital, can’t live without the Nationalist Army.”
"Please don't worry, my lord." Chen Yingliang clasped his hands and replied, "This matter is also related to the villain's own head, so the villain will naturally act cautiously."
"Very good, then you can go." Fan Zigai nodded and sighed, "Lead four regiments to attack the main force of the unknown rebel army. I hope you can surprise me this time."