"My sister-in-law in Xiangyang fell off the carriage and was seriously injured." Brother Yan hesitated when he said this, and added: "The messenger brought the news. Do you want to go back and check it out?"
My head suddenly buzzed. Regardless of how I felt about her, she was my first wife after all. While Yinling and I were enjoying our happy life outside, she was supporting the whole family alone in Xiangyang. Since God finally let me enjoy this blessing of having two wives, I must also let my wife enjoy the happiness they deserve, even if I feel a little uncomfortable. In fact, it is really painful to split one's heart into two. But some people in the world think this is quite good, and even think that the more beautiful wives and concubines, the better. But in this way, how can he know the meaning of true love? This is not love, but yin.
I wish I could split myself in two with a knife, so that I don't have to be distracted or sad. I don't need to be like this now, with half of my heart following the silver bell, and the other half flying back to Xiangyang.
I tried to calm myself, closed my eyes, and calmed my breathing. Facing the brothers who wanted to comfort me, I could only say, "I need to wait until things here are settled before I consider returning to Xiangyang."
When I returned that day, I kept using the heavy crossbow until I shot down the thin willow tree outside the camp.
The next day, the news that Yan Yu had a homosexual tendency began to spread in the market. From this point on, it can be said that Yan Yu's misfortune was difficult for me, but it was easy for him to arise within the family.
That afternoon, Tian Jian and Chen Ying arrived here with the Mingzi new army.
On the third day, Yinling came back and I told her everything. She also told me to go back and that I didn't need to worry about this place. There was something strange in her words. I waited until the battle was over, but I was not the same person I was at that time, because at that time I just wanted to finish the battle and go back, instead of hoping to win without fighting.
On the fourth day, the spy reported that there was an internal conflict in the bandit camp! It was said that Yan Yu had a rift with Zhou Xin during the luncheon, and finally fell out. There were few people in the camp who supported Zhou Xin, so Zhou Xin could only lead his men to escape and surrender to our camp nearby.
The big tent was very lively. It was obvious that things were not developing in the direction that was most favorable to our army, but in the direction that I hoped for the most. However, my presence made everyone quiet down. I think it might be because I looked unhappy. Yin Ling had to come out and let everyone continue talking to ease the atmosphere. Although everyone continued to talk, their voices were not as cheerful as at the beginning. I felt uncomfortable letting everyone be like this. I don’t know why I was always a little depressed, so I decided to speak: "Zhou Xin has few people, which shows that Sun Jian does not trust Zhou Xin either. Therefore, if the people under their command are determined to go against us and do not have to listen to Zhou Xin’s orders, it means that we must fight this battle."
After saying that, I immediately stood up and challenged Brother Yan to a fight: "I have no more worries now. I want two thousand soldiers. Within two days, I will be able to defeat Yan's army, capture the head of this villain, and put an end to the Jiangdong incident."
"Uh, Zirui, let's wait for Zhou Xin to arrive. He will be here in two hours. You see, the shadow of the flagpole outside the door is pulled to the direction of the camp gate, so he should be here. Let's listen to him talk about the true and false situation of Yan's army, and then it will be better! If we need to take action, E Huan, Song Yudong and others are closer, so don't be anxious." Unexpectedly, this was the first time that I was anxious, but Brother Yan was not.
"No need for that. I think Yan Yu is a fool, like a weed. I don't think he can defeat my two thousand soldiers. Two thousand are enough. I will be able to raise his head in his camp tomorrow morning." I was a little anxious, but unfortunately, none of the brothers here dared to stop me; but fortunately, there was someone next to me who could stop me.
"Zirui, I know how you feel, but as you always say, you have to be worthy of the lives of two thousand soldiers." It was also the first time that Yinling loudly scolded me in front of everyone in the big tent.
I was very unconvinced, but I still sat down. I knew I was wrong, but I didn't want to think it was my fault. It was the first time I didn't want to admit my mistake, but I still accepted it.
For two hours, I kept looking at the slowly moving shadows of the poles in front of the camp. I felt irritated and naturally sweated all over. From time to time, I went out to check the situation on the road. It seemed that the people in the big tent were affected by me. Even the discussion of strategies to defeat the enemy was cautious. There was no lively atmosphere at all.
This made me even more uncomfortable, so I just walked away and looked around.
The weather was very hot, but all the soldiers, whether they were standing guard or on sentry duty, were dressed meticulously. Seeing all this, an invisible pressure forced me to close the collar of my clothes that I had torn open.
God was really cruel, not even a breeze was given to me, which made me feel even more depressed. I walked around the camp gate, feeling extremely irritable.
Yinling hasn't come out yet. She must have understood what I was thinking and wanted to leave me alone.
I walked to the shade of a tent, and saw a few soldiers sharpening their arrows in the shade outside, which gave me the idea to ask some questions.
"You need to sharpen so many arrows?" I pointed to the neatly arranged pile of arrows behind them.
"Yes, when we came here, the arrowheads were damaged and had some green copper rust. Take them out now and polish them carefully?" He misunderstood the question I wanted to ask, but it reminded me of another thing, but I didn't pay attention to it when I held it in my hand a few days ago. I picked up a polished arrowhead and took out an unpolished arrowhead. After careful observation, it was indeed bronze. However, it was a little different from my previous carved feather iron arrowheads. These arrows were equipped with some convex three-sided and thick arrowheads. This made me mutter in my heart. I don't know if this has a killing effect. I still think that the thin and pointed iron arrowheads of my carved feather arrows are more lethal.
"With just a few of you, why are you sharpening so many arrows?" I asked the question again using different words.
"Yes, we were the only ones assigned to the job." Once again, they successfully misunderstood my question.
"How many arrows are there here?" I had no choice but to ask in a roundabout way.
"About 10,000."
"Then how long do you plan to grind it? You don't need so many, do you?"
"Okay, that'll be enough for today. We can grind more than a dozen arrows in half a minute. As long as we keep working, eight people can grind more than ten thousand arrows in six hours. But it's just ten thousand arrows, which is not enough. We have more than two thousand brothers using crossbows, and these arrows are only enough for them to shoot five arrows." After hearing these words, I was touched, but the next words made me realize more.
"It would be better to let all archers sharpen their own arrows." I thought my idea was very smart.
"We thought so at first, but we were specially selected to sharpen this because we are skilled at it and will not break the arrow shaft or wear out the arrowhead, so we are specialized in this."
I left with great gratitude. What a simple and profound truth! How come I had never thought of it, or thought of it but never paid attention to it
Yes, all the complicated and arduous work must be done from the beginning. If you are frivolous and impatient, and cannot start from the beginning, how can you achieve great things? But the sum of things is far from being as simple as the sum of things. Some things will make things better, while others will make things a mess. How can the gains and losses in this be easily taken lightly
"Zirui, come with me." I don't know when the lady appeared in front of me. I was not aware of it until she called my name.
She waved and asked me to follow her. Although I didn't understand why she was looking for me, I had no reason to go against her, so I followed her.
After a while I arrived at her tent, she pulled up the curtain, sat down facing me, and said to me: "Zirui, today, I need a few words from you. When we were in the mountains, my father asked me to point out your strengths and weaknesses at any time, saying that you had not experienced all the things in the world, and although you have a good foundation, your form is not yet determined. It is best to get more guidance." Her expression was a bit strict and unkind, so I had to quickly say something to her to ease the atmosphere.
"Madam, don't mind... Yinling, don't be polite to me, just speak frankly. In fact... in the past ten years, when have you ever been polite to me?" In the end, we both laughed.
"Zi Rui, you are always steady when facing big things, but you are so disorganized this time?" Yin Ling didn't intend for me to talk, so she continued: "Therefore, without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles; without accumulating streams, one cannot form rivers and seas. Wen Sheng is a dull and impatient person, but he never slacks off, and even reads a volume when he eats. Yin Ling and others listened to his military talk. Although his plans and strategies were not brilliant, they were very neat and rigorous. And your talent, although not perfect, is also top-notch, but you can't work hard on the details, can't calm down and act, and are always troubled by worries in your heart? You... How can you not make people anxious?"
"I'm grateful for your advice." My action might have surprised her, because it made me more aware of my own problems: "I have done too little. I have been praised too highly from the beginning. It is time for me to do some basic things. I have too much and done too little. I don't know how few people there are in the audience when I am on the stage. I thought I could sympathize with the suffering of the people, but can I really do so?"
Yin Ling was a little surprised, but I had already stood up and took out a money bag in my arms, but there was no money in it. There were only two pieces of rags: "You think I can always understand the suffering of the people, and I always think so, but what have I done? Have I made any changes to the livelihood of the real people in the world? No, I have done nothing. I have lived, but I have not done anything. Do I know what the people are doing now? I don't know when to plant rice seedlings, when to harvest, where is dry and where is flooded, I don't know what the people lack the most at home, I don't know, what the people want the most now?... Uh... I think I know this... Madam, come with me to the big tent quickly, I'm afraid Zhou Xin is here."
Yinling didn't seem to move, so I just walked away, just calling her, with my hands outstretched, waiting for her to put her hand in mine.
The hand in mine gave me a tight squeeze, I didn't look back but I thought she was smiling because I was smiling too.
Zhou Xin didn't waste any time in appearing at the entrance of the big tent at the same time as me. I thought things were starting to go in the right direction, and I couldn't explain why but could only be grateful.
During the ceremony, Yin Ling pinched me again and whispered in my ear, "My dear husband, please forgive me for being upset these days. I haven't told you some things yet. Please listen to me now, okay?"
"It's okay, it's just that tonight a husband and wife will bully their wife." Poor Yinling has always trusted me, and this time she fell into my trap.
"You are a bad guy with an undying lust, I will do as you say." He had a smile on his face, totally unaware that he had been tricked by me.
After some greetings and some small talk, he was led into the tent and began to talk.
"Lord Zhou Xin, it's not that I don't believe you." I want to praise Yin Ling, not just because she is my wife. This is a straightforward statement, but I want to take the initiative into my own hands: "But it is indeed suspicious. Why did you lead troops from Jiangbei and bring your family's secret order to take Jiangdong with Zhu Jun, but in the end you were driven here by your own soldiers? This is not a false surrender, it is difficult for everyone to believe it."
The soldiers nearby were either too active or had made some arrangements, and they came over almost immediately, and as soon as they received the order, they took the man down.
Zhou Xin's expression changed slightly, and he finally closed his eyes and said, "Since I already know, there is no need to say more. Please accept the death."
I was shocked. I didn't expect that the other party would use the same trick to trick Zhou Xin into surrendering to trick us. I thought it was too simple. No wonder Brother Yan and the others were not in a hurry. Why didn't they tell me
"But how do you know that you have become a discarded pawn?" However, Yin Ling had obviously begun to set a trap for him to slowly get in. Seeing Zhou Xin looking over, Yin Ling continued, "In terms of strength, how can you with more than 3,000 soldiers and horses fight against our 20,000 people. Even if the army is of similar strength, do you think Yan Yu will be..." Yin Ling looked at me and continued, "... a match for my husband, Xie Zirui, the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun of the Han Dynasty? It's not that Yin Ling overestimates my husband. My husband has defeated Dong Zhuo, Donghu, pacified the Shogunate, and subdued Jinfan. His ability to lead soldiers and defeat the enemy is unmatched in the world. You should know Yan Yu's weight. In fact, even if those fierce generals from Jiangbei... come, I'm afraid they won't be able to do it." Yin Ling looked at me again. The look in her eyes clearly asked me to say something. I knew I should brag a little, but this time I was more "calm and alert", which made Yin Ling a little overwhelmed.
"Brother Xin, this time Sun Jian and Sun Jing may not come, Ling Cao and Zhou Tai may come, right? Last time, those thieves in Jiangdu plotted to attack me. Considering that they were still sympathetic to the people, I didn't want to bother with them, so I let it go. This time, they want to cause discord between Zhu Jun, us and the Zhou family, and they will definitely kill you in our hands or the hands of the Lu'an army so that they can benefit from it. Who am I? Marquis Ping'an Fengyun, why should I be afraid of these tricks? You are not the mastermind, so just leave, you don't need anything. Anyway, the three thousand soldiers may be killed tonight. "It's a pity that these people are heroes. I really don't want to let them go. Also, Brother Zhou, go back and report to your family and let them inform General Zhu to let him take care of some of his men. These people have evil thoughts and need to be guarded against. Hey, why are you making trouble at this time of year? How about the farmers' farming? Go away? Go away? If you don't leave now, when I kill Yan Yu, even if I can't bear to kill you, it will be difficult for you to stand under Zhu Jun. Go early and I will do it later."
"Thank you for your kindness, Marquis Ping'an Fengyun. I am concerned about this, but you are wrong." Zhou Xin was silent for at least half a while, Yin Ling was a little angry, and I immediately realized that my quick wit might be a little "big" this time, so I hurried to make amends. During this period, I was a little too calm: "Wrong, so what? In fact, many times, even if the reasons are different, the final results are the same?"
"Your Excellency is very open-minded, not comparable to most people. However, I have no way out now. Please give me some convenience." Zhou Xin sighed for a long time and straightened his body, as if he had made up his mind to die. Yin Ling could only look at me, as if thinking, now you can do whatever you want. But my mind was spinning rapidly. On the surface, I was still unusually relaxed, but at this moment, I had become extremely serious: "As an abandoned child, you really have nowhere to go. If you are willing to join me, I will give you an identity, and you may achieve great things in the future. You don't have to look at other people's eyes and can stand before the ancestors of the Zhou family." I didn't know whether it was better to do it in person or secretly with him alone, but I could only be a little evasive in the court at that time. Yin Ling nodded slightly, as if to indicate that it was okay, and finally she didn't do anything bad.
“This…” He looked at my position.
I immediately understood the problem. I was not even the leader here, so I had no worries about shooting arrows at random. But he had to consider his own life and property.
"Oh, General Zhou Xin, don't hesitate. Although I hold a high position here, he is actually the biggest person in Jingzhou and he has the final say." Brother Yan said this very "loyally" and I believed it.
"Zhou Xin was already a dying man. Since he can have a fairly good life and it does not disgrace my ancestors, I will return to Jingzhou." After saying this, he stepped back a few steps and saluted us all. I returned the salute, and then everyone either saluted or learned the salute.
Zhou Xin then told us about Yan Yu’s military deployment, but he did not tell us about his relationship with Jiang Bei.
If things were so simple, then I or someone else would be able to roam freely in Yan Yu's camp, and there would be no need for me to describe this matter so hastily.
"Zhou Xin is lying. At least, he is still faking his surrender." Yin Ling told me seriously, "Husband, it seems that your approach is wrong. I asked you to say a few words, why did you take on the whole thing yourself?"
"I know." I lowered my head, took off my armor, stretched my body, took the towel from Yinling's hand and wiped the sweat off my face and neck. I felt much better. "I mean, I know he's lying, but I think my way might be better."
Actually, I don’t know now why I said so many things, maybe it was because they didn’t tell me and I was a little angry, or maybe I was too confident at the time.
"You think you can just bluff these people? Do you think this is just a child's play?" Yin Ling began to look a little angry: "Look, what should we do now?"
"Are you angry?" I was really afraid that she would be angry. It might be caused by the trauma of my childhood.
"No." The expression on her face told me that she didn't mean what she said, so I quickly hugged her in my arms.
"I will take him to the battle, and after he wins, I will not pursue his mistakes and make him convinced; this is better than intimidating him now but having other intentions in his heart."
"But... uh, sorry." Yin Ling realized that her voice was too loud, so she hurried a little and hid deeper in my arms: "Zhou Xin comes from a famous family. Wouldn't he have some grudges against people like us from Jingchu? I don't think he can be used for a long time. Although your words are a little evasive, everyone can still hear that you mean to use him. If you don't use him at that time, it will be more troublesome."
"I want to use him." I smiled, "Tell me about your situation in the Zhou family."
This was a long conversation. The Zhou family didn't have any pomp and circumstance. Yinling, who entered under the identity of Princess Ping'an, was not treated with any special courtesy. She was just received with a little respect. In the end, Yinling stressed the seriousness of the matter. They didn't care. They just wanted to be the emperor, and they would not hesitate to betray their son. However, this was a good response. However, Yinling told me that this conversation would offend the Zhou family a little bit. Moreover, she had met several generations of the Zhou family. She thought that there was a 13-year-old boy named Zhou Yu who would have great prospects in the future and might become our enemy. Come to think of it, it will only take a few years for this person to come out and become our enemy. But I'm not too worried. I'm more concerned about the present. So, I won't offend him. I decided to accept Zhou Xin. However, Yinling was skeptical, so I had to convince her.
"What do you think of his appearance? Is he like the other members of the Zhou family?"
"A young man from an aristocratic family who is worried and has a lot on his mind, especially one who lacks confidence, doesn't really look like that kind of pride."
"Yes, do you know? Since he was born to a concubine, he was born without the same courtesy as other children. In the past, when Shuliang He died, his concubine Yan was not even allowed to enter the mourning hall for sacrifice, and his son was not included in the genealogy. Later, when his son wrote, people knew what family Confucius belonged to. Of course, Zhou Xin may not be able to compare with Confucius, but his talent is not mediocre, and he is a member of the Zhou family after all. If I can use him, it will be beneficial. Madam, if I want to subdue this person, this may be the only way." Of course, to be frank, I am just reckless and coincidental beforehand, and clever with excuses afterwards. It's just that I didn't have an excuse for messing up this matter, and it's just a theoretical remedy after I have done something according to my ideas.
"You are always right. I don't want to argue with you. It's so hot, let go and go to sleep." She felt helpless.
"No, we have other things to do." I put on a smirk.
"Is there anything else?" She naturally looked puzzled.
"Didn't we talk about the husband bullying his wife this morning?" I looked innocent.
"Then we will...ah, you big bad guy." She suddenly realized the problem here, and when she saw my hand coming up, she struggled: "Ah, what are you doing with your hand?"
"Voice."
“Hey, hey, haha, big bad guy… good husband…” My opponent’s softening did not make me restrain myself, because I felt I needed to respect Yinling’s address to me: big bad guy.
However, I was not very happy. There was always a feeling of guilt in my heart, perhaps towards Yinling, or perhaps towards Pei.
Late that night, I was woken up by someone outside the tent. I didn't sleep well that day, so I woke up as soon as they called me. The person who came informed me that it was time to set off. I kissed my wife who was still sleeping, dragged my clothes and armor to put on, and kissed her again, and found that she woke up because she kissed me back. Perhaps I will never be able to solve the problem of making my movements louder.
"The Mingzi new army will follow you. The other side doesn't know yet that you are coming. They set out from the side of Dongtianmu Mountain an hour ago led by Chen Ying and Tian Yan. You, **, and Zhou Xin will lead 500 light cavalry to join them. Also, Xiangzi has received the news, and Ye Jian is with him." Brother Yan has some concerns for me.
"So... you've already decided." I was a little surprised again.
"I'm sorry, you've been a little irritable lately, so we have to settle this matter among a few people. Don't blame us, it's your wife who asked us to do this so that you can be quiet. But you should also have thought that these soldiers are still rookies and can't win this battle."
"Well, that's right. I'm sorry, but I guess it was all in vain. But, brother, I'll still accept this guy named Zhou."
"I know, I know. You can go there when the time comes to have some fun."
Many people couldn’t understand what we meant at that time. I’m afraid only classmates could have such a tacit understanding.
I mounted my horse with all the generals, and soon joined forces. I set out with two thousand new Mingzi troops on a full-moon night. ** was a little excited. He had never fought a battle with me before, and he was always dawdling with his fork. Every time I looked at him, he would smile foolishly. In fact, I wanted to tell him that he didn't need to be so nervous, and it was nothing for him.
With the help of the moonlight, I can get to know my new subordinates. At least I can see that the clothes of the new Mingzi army are not neat. Theoretically, you can tell without looking that their appearance cannot be neat either, so I have no complaints. And from the hair crowns on some of their heads, there are obviously Baiyue people from the mountains, which reminds me of the group of people of Panlong Cave Master. But once I looked back, I saw a guy in red clothes in the team, and the name came to my mind. I bowed to a group of generals on horseback around me, and left to look into the team.
I guess, at least there is a pair of eyes watching me from behind.
As I got closer, I dismounted and scraped my body against the saddle. Apparently, my horsemanship was mediocre to begin with, and now it was even more rusty. I ignored the pain and just smiled, saying to the young man in red in front of me, "Mingzi!"
"Ah, General Jia, are you tired?" His voice was very dialect-heavy, but I could roughly understand what he meant. He just wanted to pay attention to me. I have heard this several times. I also know that they can understand us when they speak our Chinese.
"Why are you here?" I said with a smile, "I just came here after I grew up."
"Ah, Mom asked Mom to come here, to follow the army to kill the enemy." This sentence was difficult to answer. I had heard polite words before, but I didn't understand this sentence at all. I tilted my head, trying to understand better, but it was still an older person next to me who said, "His mother asked him to come here, to follow the general to fight bad guys, bandits and so on."
Later, I had a long conversation with him. After the Battle of Mingzi, my reputation in the mountains reached its peak. Many mothers thanked me for sending all their children. When Chen Ying was recruiting soldiers there, some mothers sent their children here. This is almost unimaginable for the Han people. I believe that unless there is a situation like fighting Dong Zhuo, it is difficult for so many mothers to send their children to the battlefield. These barbarians are really lovely.
He was still young, and in his tribe he was considered an adult, so he wore red. Now he was just wearing a sleeveless jacket to show his soldier status. He was quite excited to see me talking to him, and he didn't have the restraint of us Han people, and he really dared to ask me anything. For example, I had fought in such and such a battle, and where I wanted to go now, and of course I needed some translation from the locals. I was a little moved by the latter question, but I still told him honestly, regardless of the difference in our status, that my wife was seriously injured and was in my hometown, and I wanted to finish the battle as soon as possible and go back to see her. He sensed something, so he stopped talking to me.
I don't know what the mentality of those who have three wives and four concubines is like. But I have two wives, which makes me very miserable. How can my heart be divided into two halves
I rode my horse to the front of the team again. I only brought Tianlang with me because I think my old brother is more convenient in a fight. It's just that it's a bit difficult to wear Lingxi Armor in this weather. Fortunately, it's still night and there's still some wind. I don't know how to deal with it tomorrow morning. Sometimes I carry Tianlang on my shoulders just to use Tianlang's arm to cool my hot neck.
Jiangdong is known as a water town, and it is indeed worthy of its reputation. There are countless rivers to cross along the way. Fortunately, there are also many bridges, so our army was not delayed.
Zhou Xin said nothing all night, just occasionally looking at the army behind him.
The sky gradually brightened. It was the coolest at this time of the year. A few gusts of wind blew from the east, making me feel comfortable and relaxed for quite a while.
Zhou Xin finally couldn't help it. He was hesitant to talk beside me, always looking for an opportunity to ask me something, but firstly, I turned a blind eye, and secondly, no one else said anything, so he was like a dog biting a hedgehog - he couldn't do it. But he finally found a breakthrough, and our child named Zhang became his target. Soon they talked together, but Tian Jian quietly listened beside them.
I know what he wants to ask. Our main force here is the newly recruited soldiers. They haven't been trained yet. Isn't it a joke to fight with others? In fact, he should have thought that our remaining troops are five times that of Yan Yu. Excluding several thousand naval forces, it should be very simple for us to set up an ambush. If we are not worried about the reinforcements from Jiangbei behind us, we will have more troops in ambush.
This army is certainly not the main force of the annihilation army. We don't even plan to use this army. This time we just let them practice. But if he wants to ask. Even if I don't use it, we will have a big-mouthed honest man who will tell him the answer, and this honest man doesn't know what we are going to do. Tian Jianze's face was calm. In fact, he was the one who came up with this bad guy. He actually used **, a simple and extremely lustful good boy who basically slept with beautiful women, to drug Zhou Xin.
Looking at the gestures of the good boy, it seems that the critical moment has come. It seems that the brothers have successfully "educated" him, and he seems to understand me more thoroughly than I do. Zhou Xin obviously needs to do some analysis on this person's flattery mixed with swear words, but there is one thing he will definitely extract from it and understand clearly, that is, I am really good at fighting, and I am very powerful.
So, when he understood, he would definitely come to ask me, and I had naturally thought about how to fight this battle on the way, and even thought of how to do it, which seemed more in line with my personality and more able to control him. It can't be in vain, if it wasn't for you, we would have fought Yan Yu a long time ago, as long as you weren't there, getting rid of Yan Yu would be as easy as catching a turtle in a jar, there's no way to catch it.
"To be frank, Brother Xin, there must be something wrong with the formation you arranged for Yan Yu. He will most likely change it in the end." I hung up the Tianlang and gestured with my hands while saying, "The army is camped across the river and stretched too far, making it easy to be attacked from both sides and unable to take care of each other. So, even though our scouts have told us that Yan Yu is indeed camping like this, I still have to tell you. When you get to me, he will still use your trick. By then, Yan Yu will most likely gather his troops on one side, while the other side will be empty, or there will only be some guards for show."
"We will walk slower during the day and take frequent rests, so we will reach Xiazhai, 20 miles away from them, in the evening. Oh, did you see the wooden kite in the sky? This is Mr. Tian's idea. Wherever the wooden kite falls, it means Yan Yu has arrived. There are dense water networks here, and we can block the bridges and shoot arrows, making it easy for everyone to defend but difficult to attack." I am very dedicated, and every word I say is sincere and well-founded.
"A wooden kite can be used in this way? It really opens my eyes. I have heard of it before, but now I see it. It is really a blessing... Do you have any brilliant plan to defeat the enemy in battle?"
"A few days ago, we pretended to attack him to make him restless. We beat drums at night to make it look like we were going to attack. In fact, we were letting the army rest and gather strength. We would then attack when the enemy became paralyzed."
"Then how should we deal with the opponent's attack?"
"That's what happened on the first day. Our army has many powerful crossbows, so we will reinforce the camp on the first day." Well, this person began to doubt me because I didn't seem to be very powerful and didn't seem to have any ability. But the following sentence is a typical bragging and intimidation to explain why the tactics are so simple: "Yan Yu has only 3,000 people, and it may not be a problem for me to defeat him with 500 Mingzi soldiers. He doesn't dare to come, even if he may have Zhou Tai and others under him, he may not have the courage. Do you know why we specially transferred the Mingzi army here? During the Battle of Mingzi, I found that the Mingzi people, especially the barbarians in the mountains, didn't know they were human beings when they fought. Fierce, uh, fierce, uh, cruel, these words can all be used, and you will understand when the battle starts. I relied on 500 Mingzi people and 5,000 Xiliang people to the second Our reinforcements arrived seven or eight hours ago. Think about it, we are fighting against the Xiliang people. I would have died by then, and everyone knows this. You see that the team behind is a little chaotic, and you will know when the fight starts. Otherwise, why would we only bring them out? It's because they are the best fighters. To be honest, I am now very afraid that Zhou Tai and others won't even find their bodies. Now Tian Lixia is busy, and when we don't know if anyone on the other side can see through our plan, the simplest way is to send the most ferocious, brutal, fierce and vicious troops to win the battle as quickly as possible with the least losses. This is the principle, and I will implement this principle."
I was very calm, without any emotion at all, and only added a sigh at the end.
"Your Excellency really loves talents." He found a question that was not too embarrassing to ask.
"Yes, who wouldn't love such a real talent? Uh, Chen Ying, the weather is getting hot, let's take a break quickly. If we rest down there, we won't be able to walk anymore." I suddenly thought of an idea. It would be strange if he didn't believe it.
"Mingzi, step on the fire and show it to the generals." I smiled at him, and this smile contained the most laughter.
Soon, Mingzi's dance on the red stone shocked Zhou Xin. Then, as I wished, ** sat on the ground and blew on his burned and smoking soles of his feet, which further proved that we were not playing tricks. I think in his heart, the shock of Mingzi people was too great, a group of people who were not afraid of even the burns of fire.
"Aren't you afraid that he will ask other Mingzi people and eventually reveal the truth?" I don't know who asked me this later.
"First, he doesn't understand the southwestern dialect of Jingzhou, let alone the language of Mingzi; second, even if he understood, the people of Mingzi also passed on the stories between me and him, and I often only know my 'real' deeds from their mouths. I deleted the mythical parts and told the rest to others to show my 'humility'; third, I have to be extremely simple and unpretentious, appearing too real, of course this has a lot to do with my thick skin." I always answer in an unusually leisurely manner.
It's hard to imagine what he was thinking at the time, but I only need the final result, so I will make the time a little simpler. And I also have to consider that he will spread our actions through some means. Then it is obviously more reliable to show more terror in military force than to show the exquisiteness of strategy. Besides, we are not serious here at all. Soldiers are indeed treacherous.
As I wished, we arrived at our expected location in the afternoon. Our scouts reported that the enemy was still motionless, but seemed to be increasing their vigilance.
When we set up camp, there was no movement. So, there must be a scene like this in our camp:
He smiled at him: "He's dead."
That night, after dinner, the camp let everyone rest while they began to order the cavalry ambushed on the hill outside the camp to start beating drums. Soon after, they received a military intelligence report like this: "The enemy has rushed out in full force, ignoring where I beat the drums, and is charging straight at our camp!"
Zhou Xin was right next to me at that time!
I didn't panic. I knew that the more it got like this, the less panic I would have. At least on the surface, I could always control myself.
"How many horses?"
"A few hundred light cavalry and more than two thousand infantry."
"Go back quickly and let them attack the camp directly. Set them all on fire." I tried my best to stay awake. After sending the scout to pass the message, I gave the order directly: "Everyone get up, don't make any noise, don't light a fire, set the crossbows in the camp, sharpen the weapons and wait. At most, they are here to cause trouble."
The last sentence was for Zhou Xin to hear. How could he keep the main camp and send out all his forces without attacking us? Suddenly I thought that Zhou Xin was not a fool. How could he not understand this? I was being childish.
Quickly gather the brothers together and let them lead their troops to guard one side of the village. They are not allowed to go into battle, but only need to hold their ground. Especially the leader needs to be warned. Fortunately, he is honest enough and just keeps his head down.
A few days ago, Song Yudong and E Huan had ambushed several thousand cavalrymen thirty miles around his camp. So, when Yan Yu and his men set out, our scouts would find out and report back, and they would set out immediately. It is very likely that this group of enemies that I have not met yet would not even see us and would be robbed and killed on the way.
In fact, I was not an important role in this battle. They made all the decisions from beginning to end. I was just a sign to scare people. So after the defense was completed in the northern village and everyone sat down to rest and prepare, I suddenly became very frank with Zhou Xin.
"Actually, I don't have to do anything in this battle." I felt that I had said something wrong, but after thinking about it, it might not matter: "All the strategies may have been decided before you came."
Zhou Xin realized something. He looked at me, but his face was still full of melancholy.
"When I came, the situation was already like this. The reason why it is like this now is that we have been constantly plotting to create dissension between you, just because I think you are a talent and sincerely want you to be used by Jingzhou and achieve something. Don't let your family despise you or abandon you by your master. I asked them to burn down your camp, which means that you will have no contact with them from now on. You are a detourist, and you don't have the glory of the Zhou family. I don't think you want to go on like this? You are being driven around by others for your own life, and sometimes you may even be abandoned by others. For example, in this battle, Yan Yu has no chance of winning. If I am not mistaken, I even think that he pretended to attack us, but fled along the river to the north to Taihu Lake."
"You can think that the reason they want me here is because I have been the leader of almost all the large-scale battles in Jingzhou so far, and I have more experience in facing enemies than them. In fact, I'm not lying to you, the reason is just that I want to come."
"Actually..." He finally made up his mind: "Yan Yu and I didn't have any conflicts at all. He listened to us in everything. So, this plan was actually made by me. I pretended to have a conflict and got out of it, but I didn't expect that the wife of the Marquis would see through it in an instant."
"Yes, my first teacher is my wife." I was happy. This time I was really happy. I knew I succeeded.
We began to talk about everything, including those famous people of the time, and attacking them became the first thing we did in real and sincere cooperation.
As expected, no one from Yan Yu showed up in front of us. Song Yudong's people came to tell me that he had E Huan attack Yan Yu halfway, and Yan Yu and his men were indeed retreating to the Taihu Lake.
Yan Yu and his men could not withstand the cavalry attack of E Huan, who was known as the "Evil God". They were quickly dispersed and could only flee for their lives. Ye Jian and Pan Xiang had been waiting by the lake. As soon as they received the news from Song, they immediately landed and attacked. By noon the next day, most of them had been wiped out, and only Yan Yu and a few other leaders were not found.
This time I have to mention myself. I wanted to see my brothers, so I asked Tian Jian and Zhou Xin to take a rest, and then set out to the lake to continue searching in the cool evening, just as a training exercise. I took dozens of light cavalry to see Xiangzi and the others. I haven't seen them for a while, and I really miss them.
The reason why I need to be mentioned is because I actually got a credit in the end.
On the side of the road, I saw a rice field that was trampled and flattened. I was a little annoyed. But I thought I couldn't blame E, so I stopped, picked up the bag, and walked along the ridge. I saw a very inconspicuous thatched adobe house in the field. I thought about asking the owner for compensation. Suddenly, someone flashed through the crack of the door, and seemed to see me and immediately disappeared into the door. Since I didn't know this person, I naturally thought he was the owner. I shouted, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!"
"Who are you? This is my field. Take whatever you want from the field. Don't come over." The "master" asked fearfully in the house.
This is natural. Anyone who sees such a tall and strong man with thorns all over his body coming over would probably be afraid.
"The rice has fallen (到已到), I want to speak loudly (严驭)..." I wanted to speak loudly without any bad intention, just to compensate you for your rice.
But things always happen by chance. Suddenly, I heard a noise from inside, and then I heard a sound from behind the house. I knew something was wrong, so I quickly rushed over. I was taller than him, so I rushed to the back of the house within ten steps. I saw a man just climbing out of the window, trying to escape. I rushed over in two steps, grabbed his collar with a slap, and threw him against the wall. The wall might be old, and I was strong, so I smashed a big hole and "ate" the man inside.
I was groaning in my heart, thinking that I had lost a lot of money, but I didn't slow down and kicked the wall open. I had to pay for the wall anyway, so it didn't matter if the hole was bigger. But the house couldn't withstand my kick, and the whole house collapsed, leaving only a cloud of smoke and dust that made me cough.
As soon as the smoke and dust cleared, the cavalrymen surrounded them.
Looking closely, he saw traces of movement in the thatch on the ground, so without any hesitation, he reached in and dragged the man out.
Everything ended just like that. This person was Yan Yu. He hid in an unmanned thatched mill nearby, and actually found a change of clothes inside, waiting for night to escape. Unfortunately, his horse seemed to be used to bullying others, and he drove it away and trampled on other people's rice. I found him and caught him.
In this battle of Jiangdong, I can easily take credit for it.
It was the midsummer of the first year of Chuping, and I was eighteen years old.