After passing Xiangcheng, there were no rebels stationed for nearly three hundred miles. This area is extremely barren, a lot of land has been deserted, and there is not even a single plant in sight for a section of the road that is more than fifty miles away. Sandy land is not common in Shandong Road, and one-third of Shannan Road is desert.
Three years ago when Xie went to Chang'an, when he passed by here, it was not so desolate. In just three years, the desert has swallowed up all the officials. Fortunately, the width of the desert from north to south is not very large, so you don't have to worry about getting lost if you find a direction and go straight forward.
During the nearly 300-mile journey, there were only three villages encountered along the way, but because of the barrenness, this place did not suffer any military disasters. People in the Central Plains often say that they rely on mountains to eat mountains and rely on water to drink water, but there is nothing to eat near the desert. Even in places that have not been desertified, crops cannot be grown in dry and hard land.
Fang Jie observed that the people in several villages were actually refugees who moved here. They would rather starve to death than be involved in military disasters. This shows that in the minds of the common people, the pain of natural disasters and earth disasters is actually easier to accept than military disasters.
After crossing the desert, Fang Jie asked the team to stop for a rest. He asked his soldiers to unfold the map, squatted on the ground, pointed and said, "This map was surveyed and issued by the Military Department of the Sui Dynasty. It’s not clear further east here. The march can only rely on scouts, and the map is of little use.”
Zhuo Buyi nodded: "Further ahead is the area heavily guarded by the rebels, and it is getting closer to Xiangcheng. There are few rebels on this road, and it has nothing to do with Li Yuanshan's transfer of all the troops in the rear. If you go east, you must be cautious in every move, and try not to reveal your whereabouts."
Fang Jie pointed to a location on the map and said, "About 300 miles away from Xiangcheng, there is a Xingcang Mountain where you can hide. I plan to take the troops there and then settle down. Send scouts to Xiangcheng to inquire about the news. Our troops are not strong enough to affect the battle situation, and I don't think too much of myself. We have only one goal, and if nothing happens that I expected, I'd rather take people back the same way immediately."
Wanyan Chongde said: "But before that, we have to worry about food and grass."
He looked back at the shriveled food bags hanging on the horses of the cavalry: "Our current food and grass can last for two days at most. If we can't find any more supplies, I'm afraid we will starve to death on the way even if we turn around now." gone."
Fang Jie said, "I've been thinking about this for the past two days."
He sat cross-legged on the ground and said: "From the information collected by the people in Feiyupao in the past two days, there must be a rebel camp within a hundred miles. The outpost is too small to meet our food and grass needs. It is best It is possible to mobilize a relatively large team. But once it is mobilized, the thoughts I said before will have to be changed.”
"Once we attack the rebels, Li Yuanshan's ideas will definitely be aroused in this area. So it will be difficult to hide our whereabouts... If you are not careful, you may not be able to reach Xingcang Mountain."
Wanyan Chongde hummed: "So you still have to be cautious, but don't worry too much, the cavalry under Li Yuanshan are all in Xiangcheng, and the wolf cavalry of Kuoketai Menglie are also there, within a few hundred miles you can find There are no enemies who can catch up with us. So it’s not difficult to fight and leave.”
Fang Jie smiled: "This is the second plan I thought of. If we can't hide it, we simply don't hide it."
While he was talking, the travel-worn Chen Xiaoru came back with a team of flying fish robes. Seeing his chapped lips, he knew that he had suffered a lot these past few days. Fang Jie untied the water bag and threw it to him, Chen Xiaoru took it and poured half of the bag in one breath: "General, I have found out that Sui County is ninety miles ahead. Although it is not a big county, there are quite a lot of troops stationed there." , and... the subordinate also found out a secret."
"explain!"
Fang Jie said anxiously.
"The subordinates led people to observe in Sui County for a day. At first, they didn't pay attention to it. Later, they discovered that the rebels stationed in Sui County were different from what we had seen before. When we were lurking, we happened to see the rebels going out of the city for training. There are almost 10,000 rebels stationed in a small county, and they are the elite of the rebels! After careful inspection, the equipment of these rebels is far better than what we have encountered before. Not only are the leather armor uniforms uniform, but also The queue was also neat when traveling, obviously well-trained."
"The elite under Li Yuanshan's command?"
Fang Jie frowned: "This place is at least five hundred miles away from Xiangcheng. How can there be Li Yuanshan's elites in this place? At this time, Li Yuanshan's elites are not in Xiangcheng, but behind Xiangcheng?"
Zhuo Buyi pondered for a while and said: "If the information Chen Xiaoru inquired is correct, then there is a big doubt. We just came from Fengcheng, and Li Yuanshan transferred at least 25,000 rebels from Fengcheng alone. The rebels in the counties and counties in the rear have also mobilized a lot, so many troops have been transferred to the front line, why do the elite rebels still stay behind Xiangcheng?"
"I'm going to Sui County to have a look."
Fang Jie stood up and patted the dust on his body: "The team is here to rest and arrange the rangers. If any rebel scouts find us, we will kill them. If we don't find them, we will let them go. Your Highness, you are in charge. I Take Feiyupao, and you will definitely be back before noon tomorrow at the latest, since there are 10,000 elite rebels in Sui County, there will be no shortage of food and grass!"
"Juexiao, be careful."
Wanyan Chongde exhorted: "After all, it's not a mob."
Fang Jie nodded: "Wait for my news."
After he finished speaking, he got on his horse and rushed out with a hundred cronies.
…
…
The northwest is mountainous, and the farther north you go, the more desolate it becomes. Sui County is the closest county to the small desert, and it looks extraordinarily prosperous in comparison. There are many earthen cities in the northwest, and I don't know what secret method was used to build them. The walls of the earthen cities are actually stronger than those built with green bricks.
Looking at the past, it was a khaki.
This is the season when green and yellow are not picked up, and the northwest is already desolate, so it makes people feel that there has never been green here.
Suixian is located in the middle of a plain with a radius of 200 li. Of course, this plain is also relative. At least you can't see any towering mountains, but because of this, you can't see the road in front of you when the wind blows, and the sand is blown up into the sky by the wind, trying to paint the whole world with color.
Fang Jie and his men stopped a dozen miles away from Sui County and found a high slope to shelter from the wind.
"With such a strong wind, you don't have to worry about the scouts of the rebels finding out. Even if you walk face to face, you won't be able to see each other within twenty steps."
Chen Xiaoru spat out the sand in his mouth, feeling as if his lips were about to be cut by the wind.
Fang Jie covered his mouth and nose with a black scarf, leaned on the soil slope to rest for a while and said: "Chen Xiaoru, you bring everyone and wait here. I will bring a few people to find a way to Sui County. It doesn't matter if the inquirer comes or not." News, we will leave the city before dawn tomorrow morning. If we don’t come back after dawn, we will go up with fireworks. There is no terrain to refer to, and we will inevitably miss our faces.”
Chen Xiaoru hurriedly said: "It's better for the subordinates to bring people into the city, the general will be here later."
"If I had the mind to wait for the news, I wouldn't come by myself."
Fang Jie tidied up the black scarf, looked back at Shen Qingshan and Mu Xiaoyao and asked, "How is it?"
The two women wore hats and put down their gauze scarves. The sand was not easy to get in but the wind was also uncomfortable. But at any rate, people who practice cultivation are much stronger than ordinary people.
"no problem."
The two nodded at the same time.
"Yan Kuang, Nie Xiaoju, Big Dog, plus the two of you, the six of us will enter the city."
After Fang Jie gave his orders, he didn't ride his horse, and the six of them walked towards Sui County and galloped in the wind. Fortunately, the cultivation of the six people is not bad, and running with the wind, they can float two meters more than usual when they jump up. It took less than half an hour for the six of them to run for a distance of more than ten miles, and they arrived outside the city of Sui County.
Nie Xiaoju handed the rope on his shoulders to the big dog. The big dog tied one end of the rope around his waist, then took out the pair of steel claw gloves and put them on. After moving his arms twice, he grabbed the dirt wall and climbed up. The wind whistled, blocking the sound of the steel claws clasping the earth wall. The weather was just right for sneaking in.
The city wall of Sui County was two feet long. Because he was afraid of alarming the rebels on the wall, the big dog climbed for nearly ten minutes before reaching the top of the city wall, and his movements were extremely slow. He poked his head out of the battlement hole to see, and found that there was no shadow of the defenders on the wall. The wind was so strong that the defenders might have gone into the house to take shelter. After the big dog went up, he tied the rope and put it down. Fang Xie and the others followed the rope and quickly reached the top. Then do the same, and then climb into the city along the city wall.
When we arrived in the city, the wind seemed to be a lot less, and the sight line was much better.
"General, where are you going?"
Nie Xiaoju asked with her waist bent.
"Explore the situation in the city first, and find a place to stay. Don't spread out, and then split up when you find a place."
After Fang Jie gave the order, he rushed out first, and ran forward against the base of the wall. No one could be seen on the street, not even the patrolling soldiers. After all, this is still the rear of the rebel army, and the four doors are closed, so it is expected that the defenses will not be strict. When Fang Jie was crossing the alley, he went into a house to have a look, and came out soon after.
"no one."
He frowned, and then asked everyone to scatter and look for the yard to sneak in to have a look. After a while, everyone came back here.
"Most of the courtyards are empty, and no people are seen."
"The courtyard where the subordinates entered lived in rebel soldiers."
Nie Xiaoju lowered her voice and said: "There are not many people, it is estimated that the patrolling soldiers entered the courtyard to avoid the wind."
"What about the people?"
Da Quan was surprised: "Could it be that there is not a single citizen in the entire county, all of them are soldiers?"
Fang Jie pointed to the yard next to him and said to go in first, then jumped into the yard. Everyone entered the house, and it can be confirmed that no one has lived in this place for at least a month. The room was full of dust, the windows were not closed, and the sand on the dilapidated wooden table was as thick as a finger.
"There are only rebels in the city and no civilians. I don't think it's a good sign."
The big dog squatted down and spat out the sand in his mouth.
Fang Xie was silent for a while and then said: "The soldiers patrolling while the wind is strong are lazy, go out separately, mark the outside of this yard, and come back before dark to gather together. First, check if there are other soldiers in this city. There are no people living in the place. Second, it is best to find out where the rebels are hoarding food and grass. Third, find out where the rebel guards live."
After Fang Jie gave the order, he said, "Two people, be careful and try not to kill anyone."
Everyone nodded, Fang Jie asked Nie Xiaoju to be in a group with Yan Kuang, he was in a group with Da Quan, Shen Qingshan was in a group with Mu Xiaoyao, and after a short rest, they turned out of the yard and chose a direction respectively. They quickly disappeared from each other's sight.
Fang Jie leaned down and rushed forward, thinking about where the people of Sui County had gone. If this is just a barracks, then what is the purpose of Li Yuanshan leaving this team