When that sword flew towards Fushu Town from thousands of miles away, it was before Mr. Bailian revealed the secret.
Liuzhou is already on the verge of war.
Three officials from Liuzhou, two civil and one military, walked on the top of the city, near the side of the parapet wall, which was a little shorter than the outer wall. , riding and shooting from time to time, so as not to cause damage to the defenders of the city, in fact, it is similar to visiting the city for sightseeing, full of strong provocative meaning.
The only old man among the three was wearing a third-grade purple robe and embroidered peacock official patch. Just now, a few sharp arrows flew past the old man's head. Throwing shoes in other people's doors, if you turn around and catch the opportunity... "
Having said that, the old man paused for a moment, turned his head and smiled and looked at the young man wearing armor over the military officer's robe, "General Kou, can I have such a chance?"
Cai Junchen, who proclaimed himself the Dragon King of the Western Regions, was thrown by the King of Northern Liang to Huangnan County in Lingzhou as the sheriff. He and his wife Yu Rourou lived a life of a fairy couple.
This old man is the highest-ranking civil official in Liuzhou, the governor Yang Guangdou, and the staff in Wenshan beside the old man is Chen Xiliang, a Jiangnan Taoist who took root in Liuzhou and refused to leave.
When Qing Cangcheng noticed Liu Gui's army's intention to attack the city, there was an all-night fierce dispute in the governor's mansion. As for whether to defend or withdraw, two opposing camps evolved. The older Liuzhou officials, They all advocated keeping the green hills so that they would not have to worry about firewood, so they might as well just give up Qingcang City and go to Linyao Army Town under the escort of the Dragon Elephant Army. And the younger generation of officials, whether they were from the general family or the Central Plains scholars who went to Liang from other places, strongly demanded to stick to Qingcang City and fight for the Dragon Elephant Army's excellent opportunity to fight Liuzhou. Originally, as long as the two people reached an agreement, the quarrel would not intensify, but the problem is that Yang Guangdou, the mature and prudent governor, unexpectedly supported the defense of the city to the end, and his prestige among the refugees in Liuzhou was almost higher than that of the young feudal king. Chen Xiliang, on the contrary, proposed to transfer the governor's mansion to Linyao. As a result, the two sides were at a stalemate.
Then the new General Liuzhou entered Qingcang City at this moment.
Kou Jianghuai stretched out his hand and pressed lightly on the rough parapet wall, he didn't say any big words, and he didn't pat his chest to promise anything to the old governor.
The ancient army town under the feet of the Dafeng Dynasty used to control the vast Western Regions. As the largest army town in Liuzhou closest to Liangzhou, this city wall is just a decoration. Although it was included in the territory of Beiliang Road and urgently reinforced, It still makes Kou Jianghuai, who is used to seeing the Xiongcheng of the Central Plains, feel ridiculous. This young Liuzhou general who rushed here with a few hundred horses is temporarily performing duties in a house near the Governor's Mansion, but the huge territory is comparable to the entire old Beiliang. There are only a handful of Liuzhou in Dao that can really be used by Kou Jianghuai to dispatch troops. For example, the most deterrent force in Liuzhou today, the 30,000 Dragon Elephant Army, is directly under the Duhu Mansion. The chief general Xu Longxiang and the two Neither Li Mofan nor Wang Lingbao, the lieutenant generals, could be manipulated by him. If Kou Jianghuai dared to intervene in the specific promotion and promotion of the Dragon Elephant Army, General Liuzhou might have made it to the end. Kou Jianghuai didn't know any of the generals and soldiers of Fengxiang and Fengxiang towns in Linyao. Now he only has four thousand Qingcang troops in Qingcang City and more than ten thousand refugees recruited by Chen Xiliang. , although individual combat is not bad, and the defense of the city is barely enough, but when it comes to fighting on a large battlefield, Kou Jianghuai doesn't know what else to do besides giving Liu Gui military merit.
So he, a Liuzhou general who is determined to make a big splash in the Western Regions, is worse than a clever woman who can't cook without rice. He doesn't even have a decent stove right now.
Kou Jianghuai walked near the outer wall, looked at a cloud of dust flying away from Beimang rangers, and said softly: "The governor wants to stick to it, because he feels that this retreat will change Liuzhou from a balance of power to a situation where there is no initiative." The disadvantages that can be spoken of will affect the whole body, causing a big gap in the connection between Liuzhou and Liangzhou. The Northern Mang Southern Dynasty Army Town and Dong Zhuo's central line can continuously transport troops here, which will affect the entire Liangzhou The layout. Mr. Chen wants to retreat because he is worried that the Dragon Elephant Army will fall into a trap and will be seriously injured outside Qingcang City with Liu Gui's army. Once the Dragon Elephant Army loses its role in containing the army on the western front of Beimang... "
Chen Xiliang interrupted Kou Jianghuai's words very rudely, "Although I can't claim to be familiar with military affairs, I also know that Liu Gui can bear it until now. It must be a decisive battle. Qingcang City is the bait. I can even be sure that Liu Gui Gui's army will not attack Qingcang too quickly at first, but will only lure and force the Dragon Elephant Army to increase its strength little by little, until all the 30,000 Dragon Elephant Army fall into the quagmire. And I am not advocating that Qingcang City should not be defended, but All the officials from the governor's mansion retreated to Linyao Army Town, and Qingcang City still has me and those 14,000 people defending to the end. In this way, the Dragon Elephant Army can attack or retreat, and they won't be stuck in the quagmire and unable to get out."
Today's Chen Xiliang is dark-skinned, and he doesn't have the slightest elegance of the frail scholar in Baoguo Temple back then. To put it simply, he was a handsome scholar who might have attracted a vixen in an ancient temple on a barren mountain. Now even if there is a vixen in the world , I don’t want to pay attention to this scholar who toils all day long and his hands are covered with calluses.
Yang Guangdou, who was full of anger in the past two days, snorted coldly: "Don't talk about me in Beiliang, almost the whole of Liyang knows that in the hearts of the King of Beiliang, you, Chen Xiliang, alone are worth the entire governor's mansion!"
Chen Xiliang frowned and said, "Then tell the Longxiang Army who is in charge of the escort, I, Chen Xiliang, will also withdraw to Linyao Army Town."
Yang Guang grinned and said, "You are idiots who can become generals like Li Mofan Wang Lingbao and those who can become generals are all smart! I, Yang Guangdou, are fine if I die. If you, Chen Xiliang, die in Qingcang City, you will die at the two sides of Li Mofan Wang Lingbao." Under the eyes of the deputy general of the Dragon Elephant Army, do they still want to climb in the Beiliang Frontier Army?!"
Kou Jianghuai interrupted the dispute between the two with a smile, "Those who are good at using soldiers should not worry about victory before thinking about defeat. This is indeed a golden word in the book of war."
To be honest, Yang Guangdou is very curious that this young Western Chu survivor who almost became a general judge, according to Kou Jianghuai's temper displayed in a series of battles in Guangling Road, is not a general who cares about gains and losses at one time and one place, on the contrary, Kou Jianghuai, who is at a disadvantage in overall strength He is best at large-scale and long-distance raids, and always allows himself to occupy the superior force on local battlefields, making the entire Eastern Front of the Guangling Army battered and battered. No more, I'm afraid that he will fall into the trap on his own initiative again, and after Kou Jianghuai wiped out all the main field troops on Zhao Yi's east line, all the city passes will be completely lost, and they will be useless. Yang Guangdou originally thought that after Kou Jianghuai came to Qingcang City, he would support Chen Xiliang and the gang of civil servants in the governor's mansion who were determined to seek stability. Privately, Yang Guangdou was also worried that this was because the young Kou Jianghuai was eager to establish prestige in Liuzhou. Qingcang City offensive and defensive battle to accumulate military merit for himself.
Yang Guangdou hesitated for a while, and decided not to hide any more, and asked straightforwardly: "General Kou is somewhat sure, can you tell me the truth?"
Kou Jianghuai looked at the Beimang camp in the distance, "If Qingcang City is just Qingcang City, and all variables are only inside and outside Qingcang City, without outside interference, and the soldiers and horses on both sides are these people on the surface, then I only have one We can make the situation in Liuzhou better."
Chen Xiliang smiled wryly and remained silent.
Kou Jianghuai continued: "The situation in Liuzhou is different from the east line of Guangling Road where I was at the beginning. There, it seems that there are many cities with many passes, but they are all dead, just like a chessboard. The generals of the Guangling Army have gone to a dead end, as if there is no soul without a city. In Liuzhou, it is very different. This is a battlefield that is destined to be determined only by the cavalry. It's a small variable, but Liu Gui's hidden backhand is a big variable, and it's also a matter of rescuing fire from afar, and the key is to see who enters the battlefield to reinforce our own at the most appropriate time."
Kou Jianghuai pointed to the east, farther to the east than Liu Gui's army camp, "The real variable is actually in the hands of our North Liang. As long as Liangzhou has 10,000 cavalry troops rushing to Liuzhou, it doesn't need to be a big snow dragon." It doesn’t need to be Qi Dang’s six thousand iron stupas, as long as it’s the most common Liangzhou border cavalry army, that’s enough.”
Yang Guangdou shook his head and said: "Although I advocate defending Qingcang City to the death, I also know that Qingcang City's survival will not wait for the Liangzhou cavalry to come after hearing the news. We can only rely on Qingcang City's 14,000 people and There are 30,000 dragon and elephant troops outside the city, plus at most seven or eight thousand cavalry troops drawn from Linyao and Fengxiang towns."
Kou Jianghuai laughed and said: "Anyway, we are already in the situation of defending Qingcang City. It is not a bad thing for us to think more about it."
Kou Jianghuai turned his head and smiled at the worried Chen Xiliang: "In order to calm people's hearts, so as not to collapse in a single battle, I was going to trouble Mr. and those refugees, young and strong, to 'lie about the military situation', and said that the Beiliang border iron cavalry is on the way. , as long as Qingcang City persists for five days without being destroyed, Liuzhou will not even have a foothold for a barbarian from the North Mang."
Chen Xiliang's face was a little angry.
Kou Jianghuai deliberately turned a blind eye, and asked with a smile: "Why, sir, can't bear it? Do you think it's against your heart? In fact, it's easy to think about it from another angle. Since Liangzhou reinforcements have to defend the city, high morale is better than morale. If you are depressed, you will save a lot of people from dying. Sir, you don’t want Qingcang City to be invaded within a day or two, and the 14,000 people scattered in all directions can withstand the red-eyed Beimang army’s sword attack several times? Sir, you are serious. Readers of the Eight Classics may not know much about military affairs. The battlefield with the most dead and the fastest is often not during the siege, not when the cavalry collides or the cavalry breaks the infantry, but the massacre of the city after the city is broken, and it is in the wild chasing and killing the rout."
Chen Xiliang asked two questions, "General Kou is willing to fight to the death with Qingcang City? Are you really willing to die in this western military town?"
Kou Jianghuai seemed to be suspected of avoiding the important and neglecting the minor, and said in a flat tone: "I, Kou Jianghuai, came to Liuzhou and won the battle as a Liuzhou general. I am not afraid of death, but at the same time I cherish my life."
Chen Xiliang bid farewell and left.
Kou Jianghuai smiled and didn't care.
Yang Guangdou did not follow Chen Xiliang down the city, and sighed: "General Kou should be able to see that Chen Xiliang has already regarded Liuzhou and Qingcang City as his home, why should he sprinkle salt on his wounds. And with Chen Xiliang Once you have a bad impression of someone, it may be difficult to change it for the rest of your life. General Kou is not doing a one-shot deal in Liuzhou, he is here to make contributions. If that is the case, why do you still have a bad relationship with Chen Xiliang?"
Kou Jianghuai asked back: "Is Chen Xiliang just a gentleman who would rather be straight?"
Yang Guangdou shook his head and said, "That's too much to look down on him. Chen Xiliang may not be the next Li Yishan. Compared to Xu Beizhi, who has a prosperous official career in Lingzhou, I am more optimistic about Chen Xiliang."
Kou Jianghuai stretched out his hand and slid over the slightly hot arrow stacks on the wall, and said softly: "The intelligence that Liuzhou sent to Liangzhou is just to obey the fate of the people, I am betting that there is such a person in Liangzhou who has insight... In short, this time Liuzhou will either lose completely, or make a lot of money."
Yang Guangdou said with emotion: "As long as I have another half a year to build a rough beacon system on the southern line of Liuzhou, I won't be so passive. It's a pity that time doesn't wait for me!"
Kou Jianghuai's eyes were complicated. No one knew what this General Liuzhou, who took over the hot potato as soon as he took office, was planning.
…
The camp of the Dragon Elephant Army stationed in the south of Qingcang City is different from Liu Gui's army, which is full of resentment and undercurrents, and it is also different from the hesitation in Qingcang City.
From top to bottom, the entire Dragon Elephant Army didn't have any distracting thoughts. Last year, it drove straight into Beimang, almost sweeping across most of Gusai Prefecture, and beat the four military towns of Wazhu Junziguan and Ligu Maolong to death. Had to go into battle in person, but still lost about 5,000 elite private troops. In the early spring of this year, they even ate up more than 8,000 Qiang cavalry troops known as the ghosts of the desert in one go. Before Xu Longxiang entered the Dragon Elephant Cavalry Army, Li Mofan, the deputy general, and Wang Lingbao, the scar-faced son, were already the sole generals of the frontier army. In the past ten years, how many battles have they not fought against the barbarians of the Northern Mang
The black-clothed boy was sitting on a small soil slope, and beside him lay the astonishing black tiger. It dozed lazily, shaking its body occasionally, and it was just a big cloud of dust and yellow sand.
Li Mofan and Wang Lingbao were standing not far away with their horses, and the scarred faces with fierce looks asked softly: "Look at the situation, the barbarians from Beimang will start fighting tomorrow. We must fight this battle, but how should we fight it? Old Li, do you have any rules?"
Li Mofan's war horse is like a mobile arsenal, not to mention an iron gun hanging on it, there is also a riding bow, two light crossbows, and a halberd bag full of short halberds, and Li Mofan himself hangs a sword. After hearing Wang Lingbao's inquiry, the deputy general of the Dragon Elephant Army, who has always had mixed reputations in terms of character, said in a bad mood: "Scheme? The 30,000 Dragon Elephant Army are all cavalry, isn't it the same as riding against horses and riding against each other? What kind of tricks did you play? The old man Liu Gui made it clear that he was using Qingcang City as bait to catch the big fish of our Dragon Elephant Army, so let's bite the hook, but we have to tear the fisherman into the water and tell them that it is not so easy to catch chestnuts in the fire , it is easy to become a firecracker."
Wang Lingbao laughed and said: "We, Lieutenant General Li, also have moments of nervousness. In the past, when you talked about how to use troops, you were very logical. You can't wait to use every cavalry force wisely. If I don't interrupt, You can talk hours without breath."
Li Mofan's face was gloomy and he did not refute.
Wang Lingbao leaned over and asked quietly, "Are you worried that you won't be able to stop Tuoba Bodhisattva?"
Li Mofan shook his head, "The combined strength of the two sides is about 150,000 troops. In such a huge battlefield, a great master of martial arts is not that important. Tuoba Bodhisattva who has no say in this army on the western front of Beimang, even if he participates in the battle, although he can It affects the battle situation to a certain extent, but it cannot really decide the battle situation.”
Wang Lingbao rolled his eyes and said: "Then what are you worried about? It's not like you don't know what the cavalry troops in the four towns of Gusai Prefecture are like, unless old Liu Gui used heavy armored infantry as the central army and set up a formation to resist horses. Then put all the cavalry on the two wings, and use this most rigid turtle-headed turtle tactic to deal with the Dragon Elephant Army, and we will have no chance to speak."
Li Mofan still shook his head, "Such a Bei Mang casually picks up a mediocre general who would copy the style of play mechanically, so it's not Liu Gui."
Wang Lingbao was also a little irritable, and suddenly remembered something, and asked curiously: "The general of Liuzhou surnamed Kou said that we would leave him five thousand elite troops, and they were not allowed to use them no matter what the situation. What's the way? Are you really agreeing to him?"
Li Mofan said helplessly: "Anyway, the general has already agreed, so you just do it."
There was a long silence.
Wang Lingbao suddenly laughed and said, "Old Li, I didn't expect that none of the civil servants in Qingcang City went to Liao in the end. Do you think that in this world, we are the only ones in Beiliang who have such a situation? But it's really not me. Wang Lingbao has no conscience, as long as he thinks that these officials who play with words and ink may show up at the top of the city to learn how we bend bows and shoot arrows, it makes me want to laugh."
Li Mofan also had a smile on his face.
Wang Lingbao touched the scar on his face subconsciously, and asked again: "Old Li, how many years have we been fighting side by side?"
Li Mofan was stunned for a moment, but only replied: "Forgot."
Wang Lingbao laughed, "I forgot too."
Anyway, many years.