The rain stopped at dawn, and the sky and the earth seemed vast and turbid between light and dark. Qi Zhuyin stepped on the muddy water, retreated from the school grounds, tied her arms, and watched her lieutenant march into the camp. He has done all the pinching and pinching, and is very prestigious in the army.
Qi Wei dismounted halfway, nodding hurriedly to the soldiers who were saluting by the roadside, walking straight to Qi Zhuyin's side, and said, "Commander, the news is here!"
"Qiedu or Bianjun?" Qi Zhuyin asked.
"Both sides have arrived," Qi Wei was not tall, he looked around and said, "Qi Du suddenly caught the rain and was washed thoroughly. The second son of the Xiao family fled in a hurry, and with 20,000 forbidden troops has already run to the border between China and Bo , It looks like I'm going to Ibaraki."
Qi Zhuyin didn't panic at all, she tightened her arms, gave a vague smile while biting the rope, and said, "The kid runs really fast."
"With the military ration case ahead and the besieging of Xiao Chiye behind, King Libei will definitely be angry this time." Qi Wei followed Qi Zhuyin and said, "If Libei is the opposite, we will go to Zhongbo Liuzhou. Adding a garrison army, Zhongbo soldiers and horses will also be managed under the command of the commander..."
Qi Zhuyin put on his coat and said, "A place as big as Zhongbo is under my name, and I don't dare to take it. I'm not in a hurry. You can tell me first, what happened to the Bianjun garrison? Lu Guangbai was in an ambush, and he went to Biansha's hometown?"
Qi Wei's rough face showed a hesitant look, and he said, "Commander, General Lu ignored the military order this time and chased the Biansha cavalry across the line. I am suspicious..."
He fell silent without saying the word.
Qi Zhuyin said: "This year's military rations have been halved, and Bianjun is not able to survive. In the name of my father, I signed an arrears with the Yan family in Hezhou, and the money was freed up to buy food for the Bianjun garrison. You Tell me what you are suspicious of? I won't listen if there is no evidence."
Qi Wei knew that Qi Zhuyin cherished the generals, and always had clear rewards and punishments. But this time he went to Bian County to investigate, and it was because he looked wrong that he became suspicious. He didn't dare to hide it at the moment, and said the truth: "Commander, I don't dare to say it without evidence. This time I went to Bian County to investigate the military situation in the past few days, but General Lu not only did not return to the camp, he even transferred the beacon tower. the guards above."
Qi Zhuyin paused at her feet. She looked at Qi Wei and said, "He also transferred the guards away?"
Qi Wei nodded, and was about to talk in detail, when he heard a commotion over there. The two turned sideways, and saw a number of new people pouring in outside the camp, surrounded by a rolled sedan chair, and were stopped by the guards.
Yingxi heard that the guards were not allowed to enter the oil and salt, so he couldn't help lifting the curtain himself, and said sharply: "Don't you know who I am? What can I do to stop my sedan chair! I am the supervisor sent by the emperor of the capital city! You! Go and report, tell Qi Shuai, I have something important to tell you!"
Qi Zhuyin looked at him from a distance and said to Qi Wei, "You go to say hello, just say I'm busy and don't have time to see him. All the eunuchs here are the same, they serve him delicious food and drink, and let him Just keep your mouth shut and don't make trouble. I'm going to Bian County now, and Lu Guangbai is not someone who can be a fugitive. Before I came back, the people who gave it to Qidu said that he was not there. The water is murky over there. If you send a letter to Qidu, you can cut it down and tell him to be honest."
Qi Wei wanted to say something, but Qi Zhuyin had already turned over.
Before she left, she looked back and said to Qi Wei, "The matter in Qidu is not settled in half a month. The marriage next month will definitely be postponed, and the red silk at home will be withdrawn first, which is all silver."
After saying that, he didn't wait any longer, and led people to bypass the welcoming sedan chair and went directly to Bianjun.
* * *
Shen Zechuan drank the medicine, and his illness gradually improved on the way. For the Imperial Army to continue to move northeast, they had to find a way to persuade Zhou Gui, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, to let go—before that, they had to get rid of the lingering chasing soldiers behind them.
"The one who is chasing after him is Han Jin," Tantai Hu curled up on the stone with his knife in his arms, "If he can't be repelled before he reaches Cizhou, he will force Zhou Gui with Qidu's orders. Directly seal the city and block us in the territory of Zhongbo."
Xiao Chiye folded his arms and said nothing. In front of them was a simple map. Xiao Chiye is not afraid to fight with Han Jin, but he has to consider the time. The longer it drags on, the less beneficial it is for the Imperial Army. Qi Zhuyin hadn't sent troops to encircle him, it was only because Qi Zhuyin was in chaos without an imperial heir at this moment. When Qi Zhuyin became a foregone conclusion and freed up his hands to mobilize Qi Zhuyin to hunt them down, the 20,000 forbidden troops would collide with the iron plate.
"It's not about hitting, but whether you can hit fast." Shen Zechuan's pale face had not returned to blood, he picked up the stone and drew a few lines on the ground, "Han Jin dares to chase so far because Dancheng is behind him. The granary in Dancheng is an open door to the eight major camps in his hands, and they don’t have to worry about food and clothing. We came here with 20,000 people out of breath. We didn’t have food and grass to support us. This problem has to be solved first.”
Tantai Hu was not used to face-to-face with Shen Zechuan, so he was silent for a moment, then looked at Xiao Chiye again.
Xiao Chiye didn't look at him and said, "If you have something to say, say it."
Tantai Hu changed his sitting position, pointed his finger to the ground, and said, "Cizhou and we are old acquaintances, let Zhou Gui borrow us some emergency food first in the name of the news jam, isn't that okay?"
"No," Shen Zechuan let go of the stone, "at this juncture, all actions mean standing in line, even if Zhou Gui may not mean that, but if he does, then in the eyes of Qi Du, he is already a rebel who finances the rebels. Party. When we pass Ibaraki, he will be detained and punished. Zhou Gui still has a family, he will never do this.”
Ding Tao looked up from the book and said, "Isn't Brother Chen going to prepare the military rations? He must be rushing to us."
"The military ration he prepared has been sent to Libei, which is the frontline food for the Libei Iron Cavalry. There is no extra part to fill the forbidden army." Xiao Chiye crouched down and looked at the map, "Even if he and Gujin come, they will still be there. I can't bring much food."
As the saying goes, the troops and horses are not moved, and the food and grass go first. Back then, Libei and Qidong were able to quickly repel the Biansha cavalry because the Biansha cavalry had no reserve baggage and could not afford it. Now that the forbidden army is in a dilemma, being caught here is equally unaffordable. It may be a way to destroy Ibaraki, but it is definitely a bad one. They spent nearly 100,000 taels of silver in Ibaraki successively to establish a relationship of watching and helping Zhou Gui for the future.
"Go back and capture Dan City," Tantai Hu pondered, "Dan City has a granary, we don't stay in the city for more, we will leave with the grain, and we can talk about everything with Zhou Gui when we arrive at Cizhou."
"No," Shen Zechuan sighed slightly, "Dan City has a military route that leads directly to Trent City and Qidu. When I turn around, I will allocate the remaining eight camps to Qidu. If you spend time on the road, the city may not be able to be captured quickly."
Tantai Hu's two proposals were rejected by Shen Zechuan. His brother Tantai Long is a good man and a general, but Tantai Hu has no one to teach him. He is embarrassed and embarrassed at the moment, but he is very convinced. He is not unreasonable, at least willing to admit that he is a rough man.
Xiao Chiye seemed to be able to understand Tantaihu's mind, raised his hand and patted Tantaihu's back, and said casually: "Retaliation against Dancheng is limited in time, but it is also a way. You used to only follow in the capital. The Eighth Battalion had a street fight, and now it's out. If you don't understand, ask more questions. There will be many places where you will be asked to lead your troops to make up your mind. Well, if you are willing to throw yourself in the face, you will have a bright future."
The dirt on the ground was messed up. Shen Zechuan looked at the sun and said, "Han Jin is a child of Hudu. He usually only races on the hunting grounds, so he can't catch up with us for a moment."
"An ambush here can rob Han Jin of food," Xiao Chiye looked around, "it doesn't even need 20,000 people."
"He's afraid of you," Shen Zechuan said, with a bit of mud on his fingertips, "he was chasing and flinching along the way. If you want to ambush him, you must first have a bait."
"I brought 500 people to wait for him here. To the east is a river of mud and sand, backed by mountains on both sides and close to the woods on the other. Tigers and 2,000 people ambushed there." Xiao Chiye wiped the mud off his fingertips for Shen Zechuan, "Ding Tao took people to eat and drink in the towns along the way tonight, and said that the forbidden army came here because I was too poor to buy food, and I couldn't get out of Zhongbo, so the people in the army were scattered, and many deserters appeared."
Han Jin was young and dealt with Xiao Chiye when the official ditch was blocked. Shen Zechuan is right, he is indeed afraid of Xiao Chiye. In fact, there are not many in the world who are not afraid of Xiao Chiye. Xiao Chiye's physique and personality made him a veritable overlord long before the autumn hunting. Nanlin Hunting Ground is a watershed. A direct descendant like Han Jin is not the eldest son at home, but is taken care of by his father and brothers. Entering the officialdom is smooth sailing. It seems to be the same as Xiao Chiye, but he has never been as high as Xiao Chiye. He may hunt down cautiously because he is afraid of Xiao Chiye, but he will definitely not miss the opportunity to defeat Xiao Chiye.
As long as Xiao Chiye gives him a flaw.
"Apart from these," Shen Zechuan thought for a moment and said to Ding Tao, "I also need to say that I am at odds with Lord Hou. We quarreled many times on the way, and it has reached the point of parting ways."
"There are difficulties both inside and outside," Xiao Chiye showed his teeth, "As much as it is miserable, just say how miserable it is."
Ding Tao quickly recorded in the notebook.
Tantai Hu was worried and asked, "Can Taozi play? Tell us here first."
Ding Tao rubbed her eyes and read with her book in her hand, "My master has been hurt so badly. I ran for my life, but I didn’t have time to clean up any houses and shops, and I didn’t take any money from the house. My pockets were as light as sheep dung balls. The master still owes thousands of taels of silver to the earring shop on Shenwu Street, and he still pays it back now. No more. Lord Shen fell ill in the rain. He was very sick, but he had no money to hire a doctor, a poor and lowly husband... uh... The Lord also abandoned my master. Now the soldiers and horses are running away hungry, I am too hungry, I was so hungry that my mouth was full of sour water. I couldn't take it anymore, so I took a few brothers and ran to the road to rob houses and make some money. We used to be sons of good people, and when we were forced to this point, we were all with the wrong person. , now have something to eat and continue on the road, to go to Dancheng to join Han Jin! Han Jin is good, Han Jin has money and food, and he has a future! The future is... "
Ding Tao read with emotion.
Xiao Chiye said: "Master thinks what you said is very good. Tiger, take off his little robe, smear his face with mud, give him three strings of copper coins, and let him hurry on the road. You don't need to go out to eat and drink, you are here. Knocking bowls along the street in the town - what are you doing looking at Lanzhou?"