Delong

Chapter 543: Wind and Frost (2)

In the darkness of the night, the autumn wind rolled, carrying the smell of blood everywhere.

After Han Erlang became an adult, he had a fortuitous encounter and rebuilt his foundation. Subsequently, his cultivation improved by leaps and bounds. Not long after the Chulong Gang deposed Tunfengjun, he succeeded in condensing the elixir. However, he was used to his previous farming skills, and even condensing the elixir could not be changed... In the darkness, he hid in a waist-deep ditch in the fields with a long sword in his hand, sticking to the soil and not moving at all, like a corpse. When a British officer who was shouting non-stop rode his horse to within five or six steps of his side, he suddenly pounced out, his long sword shining, and unexpectedly stabbed the other party off his horse!

The long sword pierced from under the armpit, and the British officer died on the spot. Taking advantage of the light from the sword just being swung, the surrounding Chulong soldiers almost shouted "Kill" in unison, and immediately joined in the hunt for the British officer's subordinates.

Apparently, this wasn't the first time this had happened tonight.

In fact, by the second half of the night, Han Erlang had personally killed thirty or forty people, including many officers. This kind of small-scale encirclement and killing was successful three or five times. On a battlefield with two or three thousand people, it was enough to change the situation.

But even so, the Chulong Army still failed to establish an advantage, and Han Erlang, who had laughed out loud before, could no longer laugh.

That's right, Wang Laowu succeeded in going around the rear. He set fire to the hastily built half-finished camp of the British army from the east side. This undoubtedly caused the British army fighting in the field ahead to fall into hesitation and chaos, and they indeed retreated. Han Erlang also successfully pressed on.

However, just as the new leader of the Chulong Gang was preparing to seize this unfinished camp in one fell swoop and secure victory for tonight, reinforcements from both sides arrived!
Two battalions of the Chulong Army arrived, one was Jia Runshi's battalion that followed behind, and the other was Wang Fubei's battalion that came from Xiuwu in the east; correspondingly, the British Army also arrived with more than 3,000 reinforcements, and arrived one step earlier, successfully supporting the originally shaken 4,000 to 5,000 people, thus still maintaining the advantage in manpower... The current situation is that the two sides have 6,000 to 9,000. The Chulong Army is slightly at a disadvantage in terms of manpower, but it had achieved a certain victory before, causing some of the British troops to become disorganized... In the end, of course, there is the out-of-control tug-of-war that is now happening.

Not only that, the scope of the battlefield was also out of control, from the original wilderness north of Qinshui all the way to the unfinished camp of the British Army, and then dispersed from the camp. In the end, both sides had no idea where the soldiers and generals were, and they just fought in chaos everywhere on the north bank of Qinshui.

In this situation, Kan Leng received a message for help and quickly determined that he was one of the battalions closest to the battlefield... but he was not prepared to send reinforcements immediately because the war had already started here.

Not only that, in the south of Xinwen City, Kan Leng stood on his horse, looked sideways for a while, and was obviously dissatisfied with the battle situation. Like Han Erlang, he couldn't laugh now.

The reason couldn't be simpler. His two thousand men were the best of the Yizi Army, and the Yizi Army was the best of the Huaiyou League. In other words, this battalion was the best of the Huaiyou League. What was the result? Such a large army faced a defeated army that hastily abandoned the city and fled. The leader was the defeated general he had encountered in Huaixi that year, but he couldn't win quickly!

How can you be happy about this?

After watching for a while, Kan Leng finally focused his eyes on a place on the battlefield, then jumped on his horse and ran away with his spear in hand. When he was more than a hundred steps away, he saw a flash of true energy there. He continued to move forward and shouted from a distance: "Are you the defeated general Hu Duwei of Huaixi? How dare you show your sword in front of the men of Huaixi?!"

When Hu Yan heard this, even though he was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but tremble. Then he clenched the scimitar in his hand and turned his head to face him: "Kan Leng! My Sima Gong and your Chief Zhang have signed an alliance. Several camps have made way for us to sit in the city. Why are you going to fight with us here? Could it be that Du Pozhen surrendered to Bai Hengqiu and deliberately made you to stir up trouble in front of the battle?"

This is a bit tricky.

However, Kan Leng was not moved at all. Instead, he sneered: "Hu Yan, everyone in the world knows that I am my adoptive father's most loyal son. Don't Chief Zhang and the leaders of the Grand Secretariat who arranged me to the front line of this battle know this? They are not afraid that I will ruin the overall situation of Dongdu and Yecheng. Why are you afraid?"

As he was speaking, the man was already approaching, and he rolled up his true energy, threw a shot, and threw it directly at the place where Hu Yan had been speaking before... Hu Yan was shocked, and quickly raised his scimitar to block, but it was a hasty response after all, and he could not compare to the other party's strong strength and abundant true energy. Although he managed to block it, his right arm was numb and out of control, and it became difficult for his true energy to circulate, and he had to change hands to wield the knife.

On the other side, Kan Leng saw that the surprise attack was successful, and calmly took a long sword with a chain from the guard beside him, and slowly advanced under the protection of dozens of fellow practitioners.

Not only was Hu Yan injured, but the guards beside him were simply unable to fight against Kan Leng's guards. They were defeated almost at the first encounter and dispersed in the darkness. Hu Yan himself could only flee with his head down, dragging his injured arm.

Kan Leng rode his horse and followed behind, holding his long sword horizontally in front of him, neither hasty nor slow.

Seeing that he was being caught up, Hu Yan suddenly took advantage of a dirt ridge to turn around and kick his legs, rolling up with his true energy, and turned over to chop at the person behind him. The person behind him was prepared and swung his long sword to block it easily, but Hu Yan had already activated his true energy at the same time, and was about to take advantage of the momentum to leap up and escape.

It was a pity that the tail of the long sword used by Kan Leng actually had a long chain on it, and an iron spike was tied to the back of the chain. At this time, he took advantage of the momentum and swung the iron spike filled with true energy, and actually entangled the opponent in mid-air, and then with just a pull, he knocked the opponent to the ground.

The guards around were well prepared. They had deliberately lagged behind before, but now they rushed out quickly. Countless chains and hooks followed them and immediately captured the enemy general.

Hu Yan knew from the beginning that he was inferior to the other party in terms of cultivation, strength, and martial arts. Even though he was captured, he did not feel much anger. He did not care about the iron spike on his waist, but just stretched his neck to look at Xinwen City, as if there was something extraordinary there.

Kan Leng also took a look, then sneered: "Captain Hu, are you looking in the wrong direction? Shouldn't you be looking to the south at this time? Or do you think that the wealth in this city can tie me down and stop me from chasing your people?"

Hu Yan's expression then hardened.

Kan Leng laughed again and again: "Hu Yan, you really guessed it right. I really don't want to chase those people. The only important thing in this march is Xinwen City. What do you mean? But you, an old friend, are fighting so hard in the front line. I would be ashamed if I didn't come to say hello... Well, you go back to the city and settle down. I still have to go to support other places!"

Hu Yan was shocked and overjoyed. At this moment, he felt relieved, but then he felt the unbearable pain in his waist and couldn't help groaning.

Kan Leng did what he said. He quickly took control of Xinwen City, tied up Hu Yan and put him under custody. Then he issued a military order, leaving hundreds of people behind to collect the spoils and control the city defenses. He also sent messengers to various ferry crossings in Yanjin, asking them to defend the city tightly. The remaining troops, regardless of the late night, hurried north to join the battle.

He couldn't just leave the north alone.

However, the battle in the north became larger and more chaotic... When Kan Leng arrived hurriedly with half a battalion of troops, Liu Heihe also joined the battle, and he brought thousands of British pursuers with him.

They really brought thousands of British pursuers. Liu Heiyu had fled with only three cavalry teams after an unsuccessful harassment. Instead, Britain sent pursuers to follow him. Of course, he did not want the pursuers to discover the large cavalry force, so he simply avoided the direction. However, he found a large-scale military station and pontoon bridge on the Qinshui River in the north, so he simply rushed over. However, he only had time to burn two pontoon bridges, and was unable to stop the pursuers from crossing the river and continuing to chase him.

Soon after crossing the river, he plunged into the battlefield, further escalating the melee.

No one could explain in detail the scale of this encounter. By the end, the entire north bank of the Qinshui River was in chaos, with small-scale battles everywhere and even friendly forces being accidentally injured.

First, at night, there were situations like Han Erlang's troops who withdrew as soon as the battle started, and there were also situations like Kan Leng who went away for most of the camp. Everyone was confused, but at dawn the next day, both sides further reinforced their troops, and each had a general in charge of their own side to supervise the battle - for the Chulong Army, Wang Shuyong personally went forward to lead the battle and gather the troops; on Daying's side, the veteran general Han Yingong came to dispatch.

At this point, the war became more chaotic and intense, with organized confrontations occurring extensively. Liu Heilong successfully crossed the Qinshui River, gathered the three cavalry vanguard battalions under his command, and opened a second battlefield near Shishan upstream of the Qinshui River.

This may not be accurate, because soon the two battlefields became one.

In particular, Wang Shuyong, under the reminder of Guo Jingke, quickly launched a siege on Wencheng on the other side of Qinshui River, which caused a complete melee on both sides of Qinshui River.

What is even more bizarre is that by the evening of the second day, the commanders of both sides were a little nervous, fearing that one of their troops would be surrounded, so they each ordered their troops to withdraw. As a result, their attempts to control the situation also failed... because at this time the troops of both sides were already intertwined, and the process of both sides' troops executing military orders to retreat instead catalyzed a new round of chaotic encounters.

On the third day of the battle, September 25th, both sides spontaneously sent fresh troops to rotate and reinforce the front line, which led to the third large-scale melee.

To be honest, no one cared about this encounter at first, and some were even eager to try it, but now, considering the casualties and various strange reductions in just a few days, both sides began to panic.

Without a main general, without strategy, and without coordination, are we going to consume each other to an unbearable point?
"What do you mean?" That afternoon, at Linqing Customs, a light rain began to fall. Zhang Xing, who had just arrived here, noticed that the atmosphere was wrong as soon as he stepped into the chaotic public housing in the city.

"Wang Wulang is a little nervous." Xu Shiying, who arrived at the place half a day earlier, raised his head from behind the desk and said succinctly. "He feels that the situation is too chaotic and he is afraid that he will lose his troops without knowing why."

"Is there such a danger?" Zhang Xing asked seriously.

"I don't think so." Xu Shiying said calmly, but then looked at his deputy Ma Wei. "Because now it seems that not only we are in chaos, but also Great Britain..."

Ma Wei, who was obviously a little tired from traveling for days, took over the conversation and explained in detail: "In terms of time, they arrived at the evening of the 20th. We sent troops at noon on the second day and fought on the evening of the 22nd. There was only a difference of two days. Considering that they built a large camp in the most important Heyang City-Jiuwen City area, and even failed to take Xiuwu, Xinwen, and Wencheng, it can be seen that there was no extra arrangement. They just spent time setting up camps and besieging Heyang. Therefore, they did not expect us to come so quickly. The current battle line can also explain the problem. Wencheng, which is close to us, was lost and taken away by them, but we actually took Anchang City, which is behind Wencheng."

"It can only be said that there is no major danger so far." Zhang Xing breathed a sigh of relief and found a bench in front of the table to sit down. "But no matter how chaotic it is, it can always be slowed down. The enemy's military strength should be superior at the moment, right? If we concentrate our forces to attack the north bank of Qinshui River regardless of everything, will we suffer a great loss?"

"Probably not." Ma Wei smiled bitterly. "Chief, do you know how many camps we have deployed in the area of ​​Qinshui?"

Zhang Xing said nothing.

"I've been counting here for half a day, but I still can't figure it out, but at least twenty battalions have been confirmed to participate in the battle." Ma Wei was obviously trying to report the sequence of the commanders of each battalion, but he got stuck and gave up. "This does not include the two patrol battalions that had already dispersed and fought, the two military law battalions that went to the battlefield to control the situation, and the four reserve battalions stationed in Hanoi Banjun and Jijun to transfer logistics."

"Almost 50,000 people." Zhang Xing came to his senses halfway through. "We came too fast, too many people... and according to the information Liu Heiyu passed on, Sima Zheng is in Heyang City. It's unlikely that my father-in-law will abandon the Heyang camp and cross the Qinshui River to attack us. Is that what you mean?"

"Yes." Ma Wei continued with a wry smile. "But it's not just that. Think about it, Chief. We threw out nearly 70,000 people. They fought with us for two or three days. How many people did they let go? I just counted the intelligence here. Han Yingong, Bai Liben, Dou Qi, Sun Shunde, Cui Hongsheng and other generals of the First Guard have already joined the battle. I can see that there are five people with the surname Xue in the second-level flags... The battlefield is really full!"

Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, then asked again: "What do you think?"

Ma Wei did not respond but looked at Xu Shiying.

The latter replied without hesitation: "The terrain is too narrow. We can't really launch a large-scale battle without cleaning up the mess, so we must first gather the troops and maintain the front line to see if we can capture Wencheng. Then, we will establish a position with Wencheng and Anchang on the other side of Qinshui as support, closely monitor Heyang, and wait for the opportunity to fight."

Ma Wei also nodded: "There was actually such a thing in the original plan, but I definitely didn't expect there would be such a battle."

"We were also confused." Xu Shiying replied. "In this kind of war, we actually underestimated the fighting spirit of both sides."

"That's right." Zhang Xing also became serious. "This is a battle that will determine the fate of the world. Even if we have arrangements in the north and south, it will not affect the main battlefield in front of us. As the saying goes, if you win, you win, and if you lose, you lose."

Several people around, including Qin Bao, Wang Xiongdan, and Xu Jingzu who had remained silent, nodded seriously.

Then, just as they were about to join the discussion, Xu Shiying suddenly stood up and said, "We can't stay here. I'm going to go to Qinshui first. Chief Wang will go with me. Chief Qin will stay here to protect the Chief Guard and Ma Fenguan to sort out the military situation. Tomorrow, we will wait for Chief Yuchi and the others to gather together, and then move to Xinwen City."

Zhang Xing also stood up and said, "No need. Let's go together. Qin Bao will lead the White Cavalry to protect us. The team will also pack up immediately. Wang Xiongdan will follow behind to protect us. We will settle down in Xinwen City tonight... There is no big danger now, but it will be more reassuring if we can get to the front line sooner."

Xu Dalang naturally had nothing to say. For a battle of this scale, it was absolutely necessary for Zhang Xing, as the commander-in-chief of the entire army, to go to the front line. Especially according to Liu Heiyu's intelligence, Bai Hengqiu and Sima Zheng were both in Heyang at that time, so it was even more necessary for Zhang Xing to go.

Upon hearing this, the people around naturally took action together. It was one thing that the follow-up troops had just entered the city, but the Military Affairs Department and Wang Yi's troops who came with Xu Shiying had only stayed in Linqing Pass for about an hour. But there was nothing they could do. They knew the chaos and urgency of the front line better than anyone else. They could only pack up the things they had just arranged under Ma Wei's command and prepare to rush to the front line.

However, Xu Jingzu, a confidential clerk who also arrived early, suddenly remembered something and hurriedly stopped Zhang Xing inside the Linqing Pass.

"Chai Yu...an old friend from Jing'antai, Dongdu?" Zhang Xing was a little surprised. "I do know a few people with the last name Chai, but there is no such person as Chai Yu, right?"

"We should meet the Chief." Ma Wei also ran out to remind him. "It's not about being polite... it's that our relationship with Dongdu is complicated. If we don't plan to attack Heyang by force, but just want to repel the Guanxi army, then it's best to leave some room for Dongdu... But we are in a hurry. The day before yesterday and yesterday, we had already attacked the Dongdu army in Wencheng and Xinwencheng. Chai Yu ran away from Xinwencheng and was controlled by the leader of Dalu in Yanjin."

Zhang Xing thought what the other party said made sense, so he immediately nodded, but did not dismount.

While they were talking, a soldier had already gone to fetch someone. After a moment, a person was indeed led out from the warehouse on the side of the city wall.

Zhang Xing looked at the man from a distance and smiled: "You are just in your early twenties, right? When I was in Dongdu, it was already seven or eight years ago. How old were you then? How did you meet me? How did you serve in Jing'antai?"

In fact, even Qin Bao frowned as he looked at this man.

That person was Chai Yu, the customs officer of Xinwen City. As he was being led forward, he hurried over to say, "I am young, and my uncle may not remember me. I am really an ordinary kid, but my father has been a regular inspector at Jing'an Terrace for a long time. When my uncle and Uncle Qin entered Jing'an Terrace together, I often heard about your demeanor at home..."

Zhang Xing and Qin Bao looked at each other instinctively starting from the word "Chang Jian", and instantly realized who the other was.

Zhang Xing also dismounted and said with a smile: "So, he is indeed the son of an old friend...Chai Changjian and I are truly like close brothers. When Yue Niang's father killed the Minister of Justice, it was your father who helped to stop Yue Niang's wanted list...Our whole family remembers this incident."

Chai Yu was relieved, but he did not care that his hands were tied before he came up and banged his head on the ground.

Qin Bao got a signal from Zhang Xing, and stepped forward to untie the rope and pulled the man up... But as soon as he let go, Chai Yu knelt down and kowtowed again.

Zhang Xing had no choice but to speak directly, "My dear nephew, since we are old friends, as the leader of the Chulong Gang, I have the power to grant amnesty. I will grant you amnesty. Rest for a night and go home from Yanjin tomorrow... I will also try my best to take care of the people you are accompanying, so we can go back together."

Chai Yu was overjoyed, but he still kowtowed: "As Uncle Hu said, my uncle is indeed respectable, but I didn't know the situation last night. After the breakout, Uncle Hu was the last one to leave. Now he has disappeared... I hope my uncle will help me."

Zhang Xing was obviously stunned: "Could Uncle Hu be Hu Yan?"

"Of course."

Zhang Xing was speechless for a moment... There was no way. He wanted to say that Hu Yan was also his closest brother. However, even Chai Changjian, who was just a bribery target that day, became his closest brother. This Hu Yan was a real old superior and old brother, but it was not appropriate to call him a closest brother. Moreover, he was also shocked by the news that Hu Yan was captured. Finally, when he reacted, he was shocked again by his own shock.

It's not that my brain is twisted, but I am really confused about myself.

In the past, he would blurt out the words "close brothers" regardless of whether they were true or false, but now, he actually had the dignity to care about these words?
It turns out that the chief is the one who is in charge.

In fact, Xu Shiying looked at Zhang Xing twice more, so he naturally knew who Hu Yan was.

After a long time, he recovered and said seriously: "You go back first, don't worry about Lao Hu... In battle, swords and guns are cruel. If he is alive, I will naturally heal his wounds and set him free. If he dies, I will also arrange his funeral after the war."

What else could Chai Yu say but to kowtow repeatedly.

This small episode made Zhang Xing take it to heart. When he arrived at Xinwen City that night, he naturally became busy. Xu Shiying and others went to do reconnaissance overnight, while Ma Wei, Xu Jingzu and others laid the military-clerical system. Zhang Xing also talked with the leaders who were rotated off and inquired about the situation.

After a conversation, they naturally knew that the battle ahead was indeed a mess with heavy casualties. As long as they joined the battle early, each battalion had lost more than a hundred people. However, according to these people's description, the casualties of the Guanxi people were not less than theirs, and were even more. However, there was no collapse and casualties of the organized unit. This was because the Guanxi people had a large number of troops, and the Chulong Army was also good at coordinating between multiple battalions... Zhang Xing also believed this, and Xu Shiying should have observed it personally anyway; in addition, he obviously noticed that almost everyone was still eager to fight. Some people thought that they should repeatedly reorganize the troops and fight on both sides of the Qinshui River. Others thought that since Chief Zhang was here, they should gather the troops and go to Heyang for a decisive battle. No one said that they should stay put.

Zhang Xing comforted them one by one, and then went to the camps inside and outside the city to check on the wounded, to comfort the doctors from Huaibei, and to talk to the soldiers on duty.

After making sure that morale was high and the loss of personnel did not overly affect the military spirit, he returned to the city and discussed the issue of reinforcement with Ma Wei. He dispatched a large number of reserve battalions to assemble in Ji County. Finally, he wrote a letter to Yecheng... Then he and Qin Bao went to visit Hu Yan, who they knew was still alive on the way.

When the three of them met, there was no extra emotion, and the atmosphere was even a little awkward.

Zhang Xing and Qin Bao could only ask about the other party's injuries first, while Hu Yan blamed the other party without knowing the seriousness of the matter. Didn't he know that with him being here, how could he let Kan Leng, an outsider who had an old grudge against him, be the vanguard, provoking a war and causing casualties?

The atmosphere became increasingly awkward.

Why?
Of course it was because he really didn't know Hu Yan was here. To put it bluntly, Chief Zhang now has half of the country of Bai County on his shoulders, and he has tens of millions of soldiers and civilians in his heart. How could he care about who an irrelevant city guard is, and what grudges he has with any general on his side?
There were 25 battalions participating in the battle in the past few days, and dozens of battalions were fighting or preparing to fight outside. Which leader didn't have his own story? If he really cared about these, his brain would have exploded long ago.

Even further, what if they knew? Would they arrange for Kan Leng to be the last one to act?

What a joke! Kan Leng is fighting for the Chulong Gang and the Ming Dynasty with his weapons on his shoulders. No matter how close your personal relationship with him is, you, Hu Yan, are still from another camp!

Qin Bao first started to argue for a few words, and then Zhang Xing, who was sitting on the edge of the couch, spoke helplessly: "Brother Hu, we are two families now, there is no way to say this. If you are willing to surrender, as a brother, I will mediate between you, how about it?"

Hu Yan, who was lying on the couch, turned pale due to blood loss, but he still maintained a certain calmness. He was silent for a moment, and did not respond directly. Instead, he looked at Qin Bao who was standing in front of the couch: "Qin Erlang, when Zhang Sanlang rebelled in the East Territory, you had a life-and-death friendship with him, why did you wait two or three years before going?"

Qin Bao was embarrassed for a moment, but still replied seriously: "Because I didn't have a broad vision at that time, I always thought that if my family could make a name for themselves, comfort my mother, have a house and money to keep my wife safe, and have a horse and a gun to let myself gallop, then I would be at ease... But I forgot that this personal peace could not withstand the shaking of the world, and the peace of a corner of the country could not cover the suffering of the world. That's why I made up my mind to help my third brother stabilize the world no matter what."

"Eliminate the tyrannical Wei and stabilize the world. I've heard it so many times in recent years." Obviously because of his injury, Hu Yan took a deep breath and his face became grim. "It can be seen that even you only want to stabilize the world, but because the Wei Dynasty has done you a favor and given you a comfortable home, you have no intention of eliminating the tyrannical Wei..."

Qin Bao was about to explain, but Hu Yan raised his hand to stop him: "I know you have great principles. If you really say them out loud, I can't defend myself. I just want to use your experience to tell Zhang Sanlang that my situation can be compared to your thoughts back then... Zhang Sanlang, I am much older than Qin Bao, and I have many more wives and children at home than he does. Naturally, I have many times more desire to live a comfortable and mediocrity life than he does. What's more terrible is that after Sima Erlang came to Dongdu, although everyone said that he couldn't last long and felt that he had no future, these few years were the most comfortable years in Dongdu in the past ten years... And this added up to my unwillingness to move, which is ten times stronger than his back then."

Qin Bao fell silent immediately.

Zhang Xing pretended to be confused: "Since Sima Zheng is so upright, why not ask him to send your family over?"

Hu Yan looked at Zhang Xing in shock for a moment, and couldn't help laughing: "Zhang Sanlang, you really don't understand... I came to Dongdu in my prime, my children grew up in Dongdu, and Dongdu is now so peaceful... Now it's my turn to be lucky, I have known you for a long time, and you don't want to kill me, why should I surrender?"

Zhang Xing also smiled: "Is Dongdu so peaceful?"

"Just as Qin Erlang said, a small corner of the country and a private family can still make people feel at ease." Hu Yan said seriously.

Zhang Xing had nothing to say, so he could only nod and stand up: "Brother Hu, please take a rest. Tomorrow we will go to Linqing Pass to see how your injury is. Once you are well, you can return to Dongdu and enjoy your life!"

Hu Yan tried his best to bow on the couch.

After leaving the house, he couldn't fall asleep for a while, so he went to the brightly lit local government office and explained to Xu Jingzu who was on duty there... After Xu Jingzu agreed, he took the initiative to remind him: "Chief, the Eastern Capital is a small place. Sima Zheng has shown a little benevolence, and the people below are loyal to him. I'm afraid it's the same in Guanxi."

"That's right." Zhang Xing nodded in agreement. "There are still few people in this world who have ambitions and aspirations. Most people just muddle through. If they can live a little better than in the past few years, they will be able to settle down... However, with Cao Che here and the collapse of the Wei Dynasty, all places have been properly annexed in the past few years. How can life not be better than in the past few years?"

Xu Jingzu is Xu Jingzu after all. Seeing this, he smiled again: "It's good that the chief understands it. However, the families will have a war next. A war will consume people's hearts. And our hearts are much stronger than theirs... What the chief said before the war was absolutely right. We want to create the destiny. Even if these people are a little popular, how can they compare with us?"

Zhang Xing just nodded.

It's all true, and it's all right, but you can't create destiny just by reason. Which of the Four Emperors who are proving the Dao doesn't want to use weapons to decide? And now that it's time, we should focus on weapons.

I am like this, and so are Bai Hengqiu and Sima Zheng.

In this way, Zhang Xing fell asleep in the second half of the night. He slept until the morning and felt refreshed. He personally rode his yellow horse to the front line to inspect, prepare to gather the troops and adjust the battle line.

At this time, in the Heyang City camp, Bai Hengqiu, who had already retracted his supernatural powers, was studying some strange military equipment with the generals in the camp.

"I can guess that this is a carved horse mask, but what is this?" Guanxi veteran Zhao Xiaocai squatted down regardless of his posture and picked up a deformed and unclosed small iron ring with a look of surprise on his face. "I have been a general for 30 years and have never seen this thing... Is it a decoration on some armor?"

More than a dozen generals of all ranks in the surrounding area came forward to study it, but they were still confused after studying it for half a day. Even Bai Hengqiu, who was sitting behind the desk, was confused, but he did not show it.

After a while, a lieutenant general called Xin Qilang spoke from afar: "Why not find a prisoner to ask?"

"There are not many prisoners, and they are all in the village by the river." Bai Hengqiu's nephew-in-law, the military supervisor Zhang Yue, blurted out.

"Why not escort him here?" Bai Hengqiu asked coldly.

Zhang Yue did not dare to neglect the matter and quickly saluted with a serious face: "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, this is because there are no bandits above the rank of captain among the prisoners. According to common practice and military law, it is useless to bring them here."

Bai Hengqiu became more serious: "More than 100,000 people from the two families have been fighting for three days, but not a single officer has been captured?"

"Yes." Zhang Yue became more cautious. "Your Majesty, there were casualties, and there were many, but no prisoners."

Bai Hengqiu's face turned pale, but he had nothing to say.

Seeing this, the deputy commander Bai Hengyuan hurriedly came to persuade the emperor: "Why bother with such a small matter? It's a chaotic battle, and it's not easy to clean up the battlefield without encirclement and annihilation."

Bai Hengqiu finally gave his cousin, the first great general of the royal family, some face and nodded slightly.

Zhao Xiaocai below had already thrown away the ring, and picked up an iron plate again. He looked at the words on it, and was surprised, but did not speak again.

Bai Hengqiu had already noticed it, and immediately asked, "General Zhao, don't try to cover up anything just because I lost my temper. I'm not Cao Che... Having experienced the previous dynasty, who dares to imitate him?"

Zhao Xiaocai nodded immediately, then stood up and handed the iron plate in his hand to the imperial desk, saying in a complicated tone: "Your Majesty, the number plate of Chulong Zei has actually become a regular soldier in the reserve camp."

Bai Hengqiu touched the iron plate and took a look at it. Sure enough, it was clearly engraved with "Wang Dahe, a member of the Chulong Gang and a regular soldier in the reserve battalion directly under the Grand Secretariat." Then he turned over the back and saw a string of numbers "two seven seven three two two" engraved on it... He couldn't help but be shocked.

People below couldn't help but start discussing.

At this time, word came from outside that the frontline general Si Qinghe had arrived. Si Qinghe immediately bowed respectfully after entering: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the front line. I dare not neglect it and will report it to Your Majesty...Zhang the bandit has arrived. His red flag with the word 'Chu' on it should be from Xinwen City, where he arrived last night. His left wingman Xu Shiying has also arrived, and his right wingman Xiong Boyan, who joined the battle the day before yesterday, has also arrived at the Qinshui front line. It seems that they are going to abandon part of the battlefield in the north and gather at the foot of Wencheng."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the tent couldn't help but make a noise.

There was nothing they could do. Although they were amazed at how fast and determined Zhang Xing came, they couldn't say much. They could only say that Wencheng could not be saved.

"Wencheng is definitely not safe." Bai Hengyuan analyzed, pinching his beard. "Since the enemy has gathered, Wencheng is isolated behind the enemy formation. Zhang Xing, Xiong Boyan, Wei Wenda are also there. I don't know if Niu He is there. It will be easy to take down this city... I think we should also quickly withdraw our troops. The key is to control Henei City and block the stone mountain in the north. According to the original plan, we can lure him to our formation and see if he dares to fight for Dongdu."

"General Bai said it well," Dou Qi interrupted. "We had a plan before. If the Chulong Army came slowly, we would control the Qin River, hold them off, and calmly capture Heyang. But since he came so quickly, we should abandon the Qin River, lure him across the river, put them in danger, and see if they dare to fight... As for Wencheng, it was taken in the chaos, so let him take it."

When everyone saw the emperor nod, they all agreed.

Soon a military order was issued, ordering Han Changmei and Han Yingong, two brother generals on the front line, to gather their troops and head to Hanoi and Shishan respectively. At the same time, the troops in Wencheng were ordered to evacuate quickly and return to the main force.

After everything was arranged, Bai Hengqiu stood up personally, ready to gather the troops to the front line and control the battle line, also to prevent Zhang Xing from gathering experts to encircle and kill the Guanxi soldiers at the front line.

Naturally, everyone was speechless.

However, when leaving the tent, Si Qinghe actually recognized the ring that none of the generals in the tent had recognized before: "This is the victory ring, and I haven't seen it for many years."

All the generals asked for advice, and since they were about to go out to fight, Si Qinghe couldn't play it safe, so he explained directly: "It's like a bracelet worn on the hand. It's the custom in Shu. It's usually given to soldiers after the Baidi Temple is consecrated. It means to ask for protection in battle and return victorious."

All the generals laughed in amazement, thinking it was ridiculous, and spent a long time studying this thing.

Some people even mocked directly: "It's OK to make number plates for soldiers, but what's the point of making this? Shu land is here, can the White Emperor pass us by to protect them? Isn't the Black Emperor laughing at you in the sky? With this iron, it's good to make a few armor plates."

Everyone agreed.

But some people were uneasy, because according to what they had inquired about Zhang Xing, he was probably not someone who did not know the importance of the matter. In addition, the armor of the Chulong Army was well-equipped during the battles in the past few days, and it was not fake. Instead, each camp had its own unique equipment, with ghost masks on the face shields, carved vests, tassels on swords, embroidered edges on cloaks, and so on. This victory ring might be the result of which leader was from Shu.

If you really care about that, it actually means that they are well-equipped and have high morale.

But no one said it.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Knowing that Zhang Xing would personally lead the troops into battle, Bai Hengqiu also personally led the central army out of the camp at noon. He then gathered the troops that had been scattered on both sides of the Qinshui River one by one. His main goal was to give up control of the opposite bank and the eastern section of the Qinshui River in order to reduce the number of troops.

It may be that the Chulong Army was also doing something similar, and the soldiers and generals below could not help but understand each other. Although fighting and conflict were still inevitable, the intensity was much less, and there were no unnecessary pursuits and infiltrations.

Both sides were busy for a whole day, and by the afternoon of the next day, they had basically gathered their troops together, and there were no longer any isolated troops or cities left.

Of course, Wencheng also became the front-line command hub of the Chulong Army, and the new Wencheng across the Qinshui River was the rear base camp.

Correspondingly, the Guanxi Army did the same. While their main camp remained encircling Heyang City, they moved their command center to Jiuwen City on the east side of Xiaoji River, allowing them to confront the Chulong Army without any obstacles.

"Does Bai Hengqiu mean to fight us?" Ma Wei suddenly asked after hearing the intelligence.

"What do you mean?" Wang Shuyong was puzzled. "Hasn't he been fighting with us?"

"I mean his strategy for this battle." Ma Wei pointed to the Guanxi military camp that seemed to be visible to the west. "Is his strategy to lure us across the Qin River, fight us, and destroy us... He doesn't have to destroy us, but just defeat our main force and drive us back to protect Yecheng. Then Heyang City or Dongdu will be scared, right?"

"By defeating us, he wants to conquer Dongdu and decide the two heroes in one battle?" Zhang Xing thought for a moment, then smiled. "That makes sense... But isn't he afraid of losing his teeth?"

Although Zhang Xing believed it at the first moment, the others found it unbelievable. Their reasons were the same as Chief Zhang's: Why do they think they can defeat us?
"In that case, let's go out and challenge them early tomorrow morning." Zhang Xing made the decision without hesitation.

Xu Shiying, Xiong Boyan and Ma Wei had no objection, and generals such as Wang Shuyong were even more delighted... The first three actually knew Zhang Xing's strategy. He did not expect to win in one battle. After all, the north had not yet launched the attack and the advantage had not yet been established. Moreover, according to the previous discussion, the longer it dragged on, the greater the advantage of Hebei would be. Therefore, the strategy of the Chulong Army here was a little conservative. As long as it could ensure that Dongdu was not annexed by Guanxi, it would be acceptable.

However, the more this is the case, the more they cannot be conservative in their actions. Instead, they must show their power and try to win here. Even from a small tactical perspective, the Chulong Army arrived two days late and their camp was not yet ready. At this time, they should take the initiative to push forward, buy time, and consolidate their position.

Therefore, there is nothing wrong with Zhang Xing’s strategy.

You want to kill us in a field battle here, but we also want to kill you!

Everyone had no objection, so they went back to prepare their troops.

The next morning, smoke filled the sky above the simple camp that the Chulong army had set up behind the river behind Wencheng. Although the Guanxi army was a little surprised, they were still angry and excited after they realized what was happening. They quickly started cooking, checking the soldiers and equipment, and preparing for a battle in broad daylight.

In the morning, the Chulong Army held its routine "meal under the corridor" after the military meeting... The original intention of this was that in the previous dynasties, the economy of the capital was developed and prices were high, and the central government provided catering subsidies and benefits to take care of the low-level officials and guards directly under it. However, in the Chulong Army, due to frequent meetings and certain guiding ideologies, it developed into a specific ritual custom. It not only expresses the equality of officers and soldiers, but also serves as a place for informal communication before and after meetings.

However, on this day, everyone was talking about the war that was about to begin. They were all very excited and had no other thoughts.

Seeing this, Zhang Xing did not say anything empty talk, but just followed the procedure. After the meal, he called up the troops and dressed himself up, wearing a yellow horse, black armor, and a bright red cloak. He then raised a red flag with the word "demotion" on it. He asked Niu He to be his guard, and Qin Bao and Yuchi Rong to be on the left and right wings of the Tabai Cavalry. He also appointed Xu Shiying as the commander of the central army, and Xiong Boyan holding a large flag in the center and serving as the military supervisor. Then he appointed Wang Shuyong as the commander of the left wing and Xu Shiren as the commander of the right wing. There was no rear army, and they surrounded the governor Wencheng with horses, and sent the four battalions of the cavalry under the governor Liu Heiyu as a detachment to march along the Qin River.

The number of battalions led by each unit varied, but if we only counted the troops that could quickly join the battle after crossing the Qin River, including the garrisons in Wencheng and Anchang, there were a total of 28 battalions, with more than 50,000 people.

The Chulong army deployed its troops and marched out like a force of fish and dragons, which early alarmed the Heyang camp opposite. Almost at the same time, the Guanxi army also marched out in large numbers to form a battle array... Both sides tacitly arranged themselves in the area between the rivers which was only forty miles wide, and before noon, they slowly advanced forward.

Not counting the scouts, the forwards on both wings of both sides quickly came into contact and engaged in battle.

At the same time, the central army and the rangers of both sides obviously maintained restraint. The cavalry brigade of the rangers, led by Liu Heiwei, cruised slowly, waiting for the opportunity to fight, while the central army advanced cautiously until the two sides were several hundred steps apart, then stopped and took up their respective formations.

Just as they stopped, messengers were sent out from both sides, ignoring the fact that the two wings had already started fighting outside their field of vision, each trying to persuade the other to surrender!

Frankly speaking, both sides were speechless. This father-in-law and son-in-law were really idle... Can we start fighting right away?! Even if the central army didn't move, the two wings would extend to the central army and start a large-scale battle!

The envoys turned back in boredom. However, just when everyone was sharpening their hands, ready to start today's battle, to see whether it would be a fight between generals or formations, and when to activate the Qi formation, someone with more free time appeared.

The autumn afternoon sun was bright but not hot. Suddenly, in full view of everyone, a huge sun rose out of nowhere over the western river channel behind the Guanxi Army.

Even though everyone in the Chulong Army knew that Xue Changxiong was dead, they could not help but be stunned when they saw this scene, and for a moment they thought that it was General Xue who came to help.

But soon, amid the anxiety of both armies and under the cold gaze of their commanders, the light at the edges of the sun slowly faded and turned into a golden-armored giant dozens of feet tall.

Then, the giant came along the bank of the river. His movements seemed slow, but in fact they were extremely fast, causing some noise and hesitation in both armies.

"Send an envoy to the other side and tell them that I want to have a chat with Lord Bai in front of the battle line, and ask the Heavenly King and the Great Leader Wei to come over." Zhang Xing quickly put away his cold expression, smiled slightly, gave the order, and then turned back to look at Niu He. "Is Sima Erlong a Grandmaster?"

Niu He looked at the giant approaching quickly and nodded slowly: "It can only be like this... I am no match for him at all! It's only been a few years?"

Zhang Xing was speechless and could only rein in his horse to wait. But a moment later, before Xiong Bonan arrived, a rider came from the opposite side, surrounded by several white riders, and shouted from a distance: "Chief Zhang, His Majesty the Great British Emperor invites you to have a chat in front of the battlefield!"

Zhang Xing was speechless... Actually, it's not impossible to chat before the battle, especially regarding the Dongdu, but the situation between Zhang Xing and Bai Hengqiu; Hebei and Guanxi; the Qulong Gang and Guanlong; the Ming Dynasty and Britain has reached a certain point, so there is no need to chat.

Just now, both sides sent an envoy to humiliate each other, which can be regarded as a kind of procedure for declaring a war, which is a substitute for this kind of chatting before the battle.

If you really want to talk, with your skills, what can it matter if you shout at each other from hundreds of steps away?

Back to the present, there is really nothing we can do now. Sima Zheng came here to disrupt the situation, but he did not immediately attack the Heyang camp that surrounded him. He must have something to say. After he, the leader of a camp and a grandmaster, appeared and stood between the two armies, who could not listen to him?

Since Sima Zheng was here and his safety was guaranteed, Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment and simply selected a few more generals in the central army to let them go together to broaden their horizons.

Sure enough, when the golden-armored giant saw that both sides had established their positions, he simply turned into a long rainbow, arrived in a moment, and then dissipated between the two armies. Zhang Xing and Bai Hengqiu, wearing a golden-armored dragon cloak, also rode their horses to lead the crowd forward. They walked until they were more than ten steps apart, and tacitly formed a triangle with Sima Zheng who was standing there, before stopping.

Then, Zhang Xing bowed to Sima Zheng on his yellow horse and said, "Sima Erlang, I haven't seen you for three years. You are still as elegant as ever, and your cultivation has reached a higher level. There are great masters in their thirties, and it cannot be said that there have been no masters in ancient and modern times, but they are enough to look down on the world."

Having said that, he kept silent.

Seeing that the other party ignored him and the situation was strange, Bai Hengqiu simply twirled his beard and remained silent.

Seeing this, Sima Zheng stood on the ground with his hands behind his back and said with a smile: "Zhang Sanlang, you usually talk a lot, why didn't you even say hello to your father-in-law when you saw him today?"

"Although he is my wife's adoptive father and a hostile bandit chieftain, he is a dead man, so why waste time talking to him?" Zhang Xing answered proudly. "I came here just to see Sima Erlang."

Bai Hengqiu was followed by several generals and a dozen Qijing guards. They all got angry when they heard the words and were about to yell and curse. Some even jumped with fear when they heard the word "foster father". However, Bai Hengqiu raised his hand slightly to stop the noise: "When two armies meet, the winner wins and the loser perishes. He regards us as dead, so why should we regard them as dead too? Why should we bother about it?"

Sima Zheng smiled and said, "It seems that both of you have made up your minds to fight to the death. I just don't understand why you two families want to fight to the death in Henei County under my jurisdiction? Can't you fight in Jin or Hebei? Lord Bai, didn't you capture the seven cities and three forts including Jiyuan, and kill many of my subordinates? Chief Zhang, although you came two days late, Xinwen City and Wencheng are now in your hands. Where are the garrisons and soldiers? Don't we have an alliance?"

Bai Hengqiu sneered and was about to answer, but when he heard the other party's last question, he stopped and waited for Zhang Xing to speak.

Zhang Xing was not panicked at all. "It is precisely because of the alliance that we came to help Sima Erlang. Otherwise, Yecheng is so close to us, how could we arrive two days later than them? As for the soldiers and garrisons of the two cities, they hastily mistook us for invaders from Guanxi. If they did not take action, they would be seized by the Guanxi bandits, so they temporarily controlled the two cities... But don't worry, although there were some misunderstandings and injuries among the soldiers and civilians of the two cities, I have properly settled them afterwards. After a while, they will return to the Eastern Capital from Longqiu Pass."

Sima Zheng waited patiently for the other party to finish speaking, and immediately nodded: "I believe that Zhang Sanlang has properly resettled the soldiers and civilians of the two cities, but now that things have come to this, I am the lord of Dongdu, the one who made a covenant with you in the past. I tell you clearly that the covenant between us is a non-war agreement, not a military alliance. You should not occupy my city and hurt my soldiers and civilians... Please withdraw now, otherwise I will regard you as a breach of contract."

Zhang Xing nodded immediately: "Okay, whatever Sima Erlang says is true...but we are irreconcilable with Guanxi, so please send your troops first...as soon as your troops arrive, we will give up the city."

Sima Zheng looked at the massive Guanxi Army camp not far away and was speechless for a moment. He was keenly aware that he should not engage in verbal dispute with Zhang Xing. He came here to make a political statement.

After hesitating for a moment, Sima said solemnly: "You two, I came here to say that since the war has started, we can only fight with swords... I came here to give you two old friends one last chance. If you withdraw your troops now, I am willing to live in peace with both families. Otherwise, both families will bear the swords of my Dongdu."

Zhang Xing and Bai Hengqiu remained silent.

Sima Zheng's words might sound cowardly and childish at first glance, but the two parties involved knew full well that it was Sima Zheng who saw through them.

Bai Hengqiu seemed to have surrounded Heyang and was preparing to swallow up Dongdu, which was actually the case, but the strategy he designed was to intimidate Dongdu by defeating the Chulong Army and then turn around and force it to surrender, rather than directly attacking the Heyang City fortress which was directly guarded by a grandmaster who had built a tower in Dongdu.

Zhang Xing is similar. He never wants to fall out with Dongdu. He has a backup plan in the north, and has long-term diplomatic efforts and economic penetration into Dongdu. What he seeks is to unite with Dongdu, consume Guanxi here, and of course consume Dongdu as well.

But now, Sima Zheng told them not to even think about it.

Besides, at this point, who would really retreat?
The army was so pressed that it couldn't retreat even a single step.

So, the result is already determined.

"I originally wanted to unify the world, and this trip will start with the annexation of the Eastern Capital. How can I retreat?" Bai Hengqiu thought for a moment, and after realizing that there was no room for maneuver, he made a straightforward announcement.

Zhang Xing sighed: "Sima Erlang, I can't retreat either."

Sima Zheng saw that the purpose of declaring war had been achieved, smiled, and bowed to say goodbye.

Bai Hengqiu was also preparing to ride back to the battlefield.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xing suddenly spoke before Sima Zheng said goodbye: "But Sima Erlang, I still want to tell you that the Chulong Gang will definitely win this world. I hope you don't misjudge."

Sima Zheng and Bai Hengqiu were one underground and one on horseback, one facing each other and turning around. Upon hearing this, they all shook their heads.

"I have evidence, right here." Zhang Xing suddenly dismounted, ignoring the fact that he was only a Grandmaster, and went to hold the hand of the Grandmaster Lita of the enemy camp. "Sima Erlang, can I spare you a moment to introduce the generals of the gang that I just hastily gathered in the central army?"

Sima Zheng was stunned for a moment, but out of curiosity, he nodded and let the other party lead him forward.

Bai Hengqiu and several of his accompanying generals also looked back sensitively. They knew it was necessary to pay attention to this information... To put it bluntly, if a real fight broke out, Bai Hengqiu would be able to hit the target with every chess piece he threw.

"You don't have to dismount, I'll just introduce you..." Zhang Xing said, pointing to a man. "His name is Han Erlang, he doesn't have a proper name, he was born in a farmer's family in Qinghe, he was a fugitive after three expeditions, he first became a thief from Zhang Jincheng, he became a captain or something, when Zhang Jincheng was defeated he escaped, and then he became the deputy commander of the county with Cao Shancheng, the governor of Qinghe, after Cao Shancheng was defeated, he led his troops to join the Chulong Gang. He didn't practice when he was young, but when we broke into the Liyang warehouse and he was transporting grain, he suddenly had an adventure, he successfully built his foundation in his twenties, when Bai Hengqiu came out of Hongshan and joined the Hebei government troops to besiege us, when we advanced to Qinghe, he pretended to surrender to the Seventh Guardian Ji Zeng, drank poisoned wine together to deceive Ji Zeng into being poisoned, killed Ji Zeng, then followed me south to Wohe, north to Beidi, participated in the dethronement of Tunfeng Jun, now he has condensed his elixir... what do you think of him?"

Sima Zheng looked Han Erlang up and down, expressionless, and nodded in approval: "This is a great hero, a hero loved by heaven and earth."

"His name is Murong Huailian." Zhang Xing continued to point to the next person. "Does Sima Erlang know which family he is from? If you do, I won't introduce him."

Sima Zheng shook his head and smiled: "How can you not know the Murong family? They are descendants of a famous family and the son of a general."

Murong Huailian quickly bowed on his horse.

"Yes, he is from the Hejian camp. He has been fighting with us for several years and only officially joined the gang last year." Zhang Xing nodded and continued to point at a person. "This guy is Guo Jingke. Sima Erlang should have heard of his name, right?"

"I've heard of it. It should be someone with seniority in your gang, but I don't know the specific reason." Sima Zheng nodded.

"He is more than a senior member of our gang. When I rode across Gushui River and established Chulong Gang in Jiyin, he was one of the first leaders. He was born as a horse trader and was a contributor to the establishment of the gang." Zhang Xing said with a smile. "But he has a big problem, which is greed... Most of the leaders who joined him would become big leaders, but he has been floating up and down because of this problem, and is still an ordinary leader now."

Many of the generals from Guanxi laughed out loud, and Guo Jingke was embarrassed to death.

Zhang Xing disagreed: "I'm praising you, don't be ashamed."

Guo Jingke was puzzled, and Sima Zheng also found it strange.

"His name is Huang Pi, and he is still the temporary leader. He is a street scoundrel. His parents died early, and he and his uncle traded donkeys. As a result, the donkeys were blackmailed by local officials, and the uncle and nephew were drafted into the army. They surrendered to Zhang Jincheng, and we surrendered after their defeat. We are my first batch of personal guards..."

The generals from Guanxi were still laughing behind him, and Huang Pi looked at them coldly. Sima Zheng became more and more confused, but he knew that Zhang Xing would explain sooner or later, so he did not ask and just nodded.

"His name is Lu Changheng. Sima Erlang must know him, right?" Zhang Xing pointed to the next person.

Lu Changheng saluted Sima Zheng solemnly on his horse, and Sima Zheng was silent for a moment, then returned the salute to his old subordinate seriously, and then nodded gently: "Old Lu, swords and guns have no eyes, take care, take care."

"His name is Feng Dan, he is also the temporary leader, he is the fifth son of the Anle Feng family, and the son of Feng Wuyi." Zhang Xing pointed to another person. "He was promoted from county magistrate, because he worked in the logistics of the Hejian camp before, and he is leading the troops this time."

Sima Zheng bowed slightly with a restrained expression, and the latter returned the greeting. The generals from Guanxi in the distance also looked at him seriously.

"His name is Cheng Mingqi... He was born as a county official in Hebei Province. He first joined Li Silang, who discovered him. Later, he served under Sisi and was once swept into the Dongyi tribe. He was a great leader who defeated the Dongyi tribe and returned...

"His name is Hao Yide... He is a prominent Hebei tycoon and leader of the rebel army...

"His name is Sha Dasheng. He is a river sand trader in Woshui. He was born in the Huaiyou League. He joined us after his brother Sha Datong died..." Zhang Xing introduced the nine accompanying leaders in one breath, including the temporary leader, but did not introduce the three accompanying masters. Then he finally asked Sima Zheng beside him. "Does Sima Erlang understand?"

Sima Zheng was a little confused... He actually vaguely realized something, but couldn't grasp it.

On the other side, the Guanxi generals knew what was happening even though they didn't recognize them. Bai Hengqiu reined in his horse for the second time and turned around to announce to the generals accompanying him: "You understand, don't you? How can this rabble be a match for our famous generals? We will definitely win this battle."

The generals from Guanxi responded in unison, looking very proud.

I am really proud. I can still tolerate the righteous army, and the foundation-building by chance is also an explanation, but what about the greedy horse dealer, the donkey dealer whose uncle died, and the sand digger whose brother died? What are these? And they are introduced seriously.

The Guanxi generals reined in their horses and turned back. Sima Zheng hadn't reacted yet, so Zhang Xing simply pointed at their backs and said, "Sima Erlang, just look at these Guanxi generals and you'll know... There's no need to introduce these people. Even a northerner like me knows their names... Sun Shunde, Dou Qi, Zhao Xiaocai, Zhang Jin, Cui Hongsheng... There's actually one person I don't know. Who are the last two?"

Every time Zhang Xing called out a name, someone would rein in their horse and look back. Even those who were not called out in time slowed down their horses.

When pointing to the last two people, Zhang Xing got stuck, and the two simply turned around.

"They are General Bai Hengyuan and General Si Qinghe." Sima Zheng introduced them in turn.

"I remember that Bai Hengyuan was the governor of Nanyang, and Si Qinghe was the governor of Yizhou. Is that right or not?"

"Yes."

"Sima Erlang, don't you understand yet?" Zhang Xing urged.

Sima Zheng was silent for a moment, opened his mouth, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"Go!" Bai Hengqiu realized something and gave the order directly, then turned around and reined his horse back to the battle formation without any hesitation.

The generals from Guanxi also followed.

"Let me tell you, this is why our Chulong Gang will definitely win." Zhang Xing sighed and his voice became louder. "These Guanxi generals were generals 20 years ago. It's not that they are incompetent, nor that they are old, but that Bai Hengqiu doesn't know how to use people from other places!

"This old thief Bai Hengqiu has been hanging around in Guanlong all his life. Even if he becomes a Grand Master, he still can't change. He has a role model in his mind for everything he does. He has a way of thinking about the court, military affairs, and even the world. It's engraved in his mind! So when he chooses generals, he thinks he must choose from these people, and when building the system, he must learn from that model... He can't change!

"But our Chulong Gang is different. We have inherited the Dongqi regulations and established a new system. We are inclusive and can use anyone! Moreover, these people are not without ability. They were pushed here to meet you by their own talents and the times.

"So, don't underestimate us because we have the same number of soldiers and the same national strength as the Guanxi bandits. In fact, we can use ten times more strength than them! When they run out of strength, they run out of strength, but we have endless energy!"

Sima Zheng looked at Bai Hengqiu's back, then at the Guanxi veterans who instinctively turned their heads to look back, and then at Zhang Xing and the other generals behind him. His heart was filled with anger, but it turned into an angry remark: "That does make sense, but even if your Chulong Gang is reborn, what does it have to do with me?"

After saying this, the man flew into the air and returned to Heyang.

Zhang Xing was stunned for a moment, then he jumped onto the yellow horse and quickly returned to the battle.

On the other side, Bai Hengqiu returned to the battle first, his face livid, and he shouted on the spot: "Is there anyone under the age of 30 who has never been a general in the imperial court? Is there anyone who would like to be my vanguard?! Is there anyone?!"

The generals around him were all in awe, especially the so-called famous master general who had followed him. How could they not know that Bai Hengqiu was still provoked by Zhang Sanlang's words? But shouldn't the great master follow his own way? Why should he waver?
Luo Fang and Xue Liang were both there. The two brothers looked at each other, and then looked at Ma Kai, one of the Twelve Guardians behind them. This guy is just thirty years old this year, so he can still hang around. But when Ma Kai was about to step out of the line, Bai Hengqiu stopped him, "You don't count! Is there anyone that Zhang San doesn't know?!"

But what is even more disturbing is that after shouting for half a day, the Chulong Army has already started to move, but still no one here responds.

Just when Bai Hengyuan was about to persuade Bai Hengqiu to put the important things first, a young general in a white robe stepped out from afar, bowed, and shouted: "Your Majesty, although I am not a Lieutenant General, I followed the Central Army out of Chenguan Pass three days ago, and saw the sunset over the long river from afar. I was lucky enough to condense the elixir. Please promote me to Lieutenant General, and I am willing to be the vanguard!"

Bai Hengqiu was overjoyed and asked from a distance: "Come forward and tell us your name, hometown and age!"

"Xue Ren from Hedong! Twenty-three!" The general, carrying a large bow, trotted forward and bowed.

Bai Hengqiu was even more surprised when he saw the other person's figure. He reached out and pressed his hand on the other person's shoulder: "My Fulong Guards and you! Help me crush those rabble in Guandong!"

On the other side, Zhang Xing certainly did not have the luck of recognizing heroes in front of the White Emperor. He stood on the ordinary yellow horse and glanced left and right. Guo Jingke seemed to be still angry, but he ignored him and directly drew his scimitar and issued a military order:
"All troops, move forward and start the battle!"

PS: I recommend a historical novel from the late Han Dynasty, "Liu Xie: Let me see what happens to you!"

Original words from the author: I am still young, but I have a good foundation in history and writing skills, and I have more than 200,000 words in manuscript. I am sure the book will be completed. It is a pity that it is buried in the sea of ​​books. Please help collect and read it.