Three thousand miles in exile

Zhou Chan discussed with the eldest prince for a long time, and finally the eldest prince ordered Zhang Taining to lead 1 people to spy on the Yan army.

At the meeting, Zhang Taining asked for 3 people, but in the end the eldest prince only gave 1 people. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was the first prince's blow to him. Who didn't sigh in his heart that he was worthy of being the son of Emperor Xuan?

The general of the Zuozhen army was in the account, Zhang Taining called his cronies to discuss the matter.

Left deputy general Chen Zhishan was filled with righteous indignation. "How can 1 people lure the enemy to go deep and then retreat? The Yan army claims to have 30 cavalry! Send 1 cavalry casually, and our [-] people will die without a place to die!"

Zhang Guangsheng, the right guard, said: "After leaving Yangbeiao, there is a flat river here. If you want to deal with the Yan army, you have to send at least [-] cavalry, and then leave [-] infantry to cover the ambush at Yangbeiao. [-] cavalry will have to take out [-] as bait, which is too expensive."

The lieutenants talked a lot, and most of the opinions were that [-] cavalry should not be allowed to fold here. In this case, they must find other ways to lure the Yan army into Yangbeiao.

"There will be a plan in the end." At this time, the right deputy general Zhao Wuguang, who was always known for his resourcefulness in the Zuozhen army, stepped forward.

"Send someone to release the news that the eldest prince is going to hunt in Yangbeiao, and then find someone to pretend to be the eldest prince and appear outside Yangbeiao. Regardless of whether the Yan army believes it or not, they will send troops to spy on the truth. As long as the Yan army sends troops to the eldest prince's order It's done."

"You mean to make a formality?" Chen Zhishan's eyes lit up.

"That's right, if the Yan army comes to attack, you can leave some people with their tails cut off, and then withdraw from Yangbeiao and return to Furongpingding. If there is no meritorious deed, the matter will be over."

As for the soldiers who were left with their tails docked, it didn't matter whether they lived or died.

"This plan is feasible." The generals agreed one after another.

Zhang Taining, who had been silent all this time, said. "The old man leads the team himself."

Zhao Wuguang hurriedly wanted to dissuade him, but Zhang Taining raised his hand to interrupt him. "If the old man doesn't go, how can the Yan army believe that the eldest prince is in Yangbeiao? Even if the Yan army still doesn't believe it, the presence of the old man is enough for the Yan army to send troops."

The strategy was proposed by himself, Zhang Taining wanted to lead the troops himself, so Zhao Wuguang naturally couldn't stay behind. "General, please let the last general accompany you!"

Zhang Taining nodded, and sneered when he thought of something. "And let Fang Cuo, the old boy, come with him."

That afternoon, the entire Cenzhou camp was bombed, and Zhang Taining ordered Fang Cuo to send [-] troops to accompany him on the expedition.

Fang Cuo knew that he would go to the battlefield sooner or later, but he didn't expect this to be the case.

The relatives of Fang's nephews and nephews urgently discussed, and Liu Zhan laughed when the list of the final expedition came out. None of Fang's nephews was on the list. Fang Cuo only brought one trusted aide and 1000 soldiers, and the remaining [-] soldiers were drawn from the six counties. I don't know how it was allocated. Liu Zhan has been assigned a quota of [-] people. He can choose to lead the troops himself or let thousands of households under his banner lead the troops.

Liu Zhan's choice is. "I'll take it myself, Da Zhuang, you come with me."

Cao Zhuang was overjoyed. He couldn't wait to go to the battlefield to make meritorious deeds. Everyone else came to ask for a fight, but Liu Zhan turned them back. Liu Zhan chose 1000 brave men and [-] archers from the [-] people who went to the battle. Guo Donghu and Wei Chenggui were accompanied by a hundred households. , Li Futian.

Li Xiaolian asked strangely. "Brother doesn't bring cavalry?"

"Three hundred cavalry is not enough for the Yan army's iron cavalry to fit between the teeth. You see, General Zhang only brought one thousand of the ten thousand cavalry, and this thousand cavalry is enough to escape."

Several people didn't understand, Liu Zhan didn't want to say more, he felt a little uneasy in his heart.

The next day was bright and the 1 soldiers for the battle had assembled. Zhang Taining ordered the [-] people to leave Furongpingding and enter the plain like a long snake.

The area between Furong Pingding and Yangbeiao is about a dozen miles away. Liu Zhan has seen this section in the Northern Border Regional Chronicles, and the eldest prince wants to fight the Yan army here.

About half an hour later, the army arrived at the outskirts of Yangbeiao. When he saw the bushy and hilly area in front of him, Liu Zhan suddenly understood where his uneasiness before departure came from.

This is a natural ambush battlefield!

Who can guarantee that the Yan army did not ambush in advance?

"Fang Cuo, bring 2000 people in to investigate." Zhang Taining naturally wouldn't go in.

Fang Cuo didn't dare to leave his cronies, so he took his own thousand soldiers and ordered another thousand soldiers. It happened to be Liu Zhan who ordered.

Liu Zhan's face was as black as ink, and he was fighting to the death with his superiors, but in the end, the chain tricks ended up on his own head. Liu Zhan was in a terrible mood.

Naturally, Fang Cuo would not really be a striker, and it was Liu Zhan's thousand soldiers who finally explored the way.

The team of 2000 people entered the bushes. Liu Zhan spread the soldiers as far as possible, and used knives to cut through the bushes to make a way.

The trees on the plain are not tall, but the weeds are strong and some can be taller than people. The further you go, the muddy your feet. Soon Liu Zhan and his party passed the first stream, and the scouts in front reported it. Yan Jun.

Fang Cuoru was granted amnesty and immediately sent someone to report to Zhang Taining.

Liu Zhan cupped his hands and asked. "General, shall we continue to move forward?"

Fang Cuo thought for a while, he didn't want to go deeper, but he was a little apprehensive when he thought of Zhang Taining's ferocious appearance like a hob. "Go three miles further."

The scouts continued to disperse the investigation.

Going forward for another three miles, there is an abandoned village ahead, and at this moment, arrows rain down from the sky!

"Withdraw!" Liu Zhan shouted without hesitation.

Arrows rained down on the muddy soil, and the team in the bushes became a mess.

"There is an ambush! Retreat! Retreat!" Fang Cuo panicked.

Fang Cuo and his two hundred guards were the only ones in the team riding horses. The arrow rain almost all went towards him, and dozens of people fell down in a wave of arrow rain.

"Protect the general and retreat!"

"Quickly report to someone!"

In the chaos, no one noticed that the 1000 men under Liu Zhan had disappeared.

Liu Zhan immediately rolled into the bushes to avoid the first wave of arrows, and then he quickly disguised himself, smeared the mud on his face and body, and folded branches and leaves to hang on the helmet and armor. It took only a dozen seconds before and after. and he remained one with the bush.

At this time, the Yan army all set their eyes on the panicked Fangcuo team, and the rain of arrows chased them endlessly. Liu Zhan crawled forward in the bushes, and the rustling sound in the surrounding bushes was covered by the sound of killing. Climbing all the way to a distance of about several hundred meters, Liu Zhan quickly gathered soldiers dressed in the same clothes as him.

"Boss!" Wei Chenggui's face was so blurred that he could only see two eyes.

Liu Zhan ordered. "Immediately back out and lurk for a mile. You send a few people out to recruit people, and you can't act rashly without my order."

At this time, Fang Cuo led the remaining hundred cavalry soldiers to flee back along the road he had opened when he came, and thousands of Yan soldiers were immediately chased out of the abandoned village.

Liu Zhan's heart raced. "Chenggui, call ten people to follow me, and the rest are on standby one mile away. If something happens, go deep into the forest as planned!"

Liu Zhan took ten people and went back to the outskirts of the village where Yan Jun was hiding. As expected, there was no one here!

No wonder there were not many arrows and rain, no wonder they could easily hide in the bushes, there were not many Yan troops here, and the Yan troops didn't want to set up an ambush in Yangbeiao!

"Not good! Zhang Taining has been tricked!"

Unless there are wings, Liu Zhan has no way to notify Zhang Taining at this moment.

Fang Cuo was chased back by the Yan army. The Yan army shouted and shouted, and the arrows rained down, creating the illusion that the large army of the Yan army was in Yangbei Col. Zhang Taining had expected that Fang Cuo would flee back. He gave an order coldly.

"Protect the eldest prince! Return to camp!"

According to the original plan, as long as the Yan army chased out of Yangbeiao, they would kill their carbines, and then the [-] cavalry left at the top of Furongping would immediately rush down to join them.

These [-] cavalry are Zhang Taining's hidden game, they can support large troops, and they can also come down to rescue him in a critical moment.

However, Zhang Taining miscalculated a bit, the main force of the Yan army in this battle was not inside Yangbei Col, but outside Yangbei Col!

Just when Zhang Taining led his army into Yangbeiao, the Yan army bypassed Yangbeiao!

The Yan army sent [-] iron cavalry!All cavalry!

Listening to the distant shouts in the depths of the bushes, Liu Zhan felt a chill in his heart, and he clenched his fists. "Assemble, follow me to follow Yan Bing's back route."

The Yan soldiers with about 1000 people chased the Chu army to the periphery and stopped chasing them. Then they guarded the periphery of Yangbeiao, throwing cold arrows from time to time to prevent the Chu army from retreating into Yangbeiao.

The 1000 men under Liu Zhan were crawling forward in the bushes. These Yan soldiers never thought that there were Chu soldiers behind them, and these Chu soldiers disguised themselves as tree men, and these tree men suddenly jumped out of the bushes Yan Bing died on the spot with a knife.

Liu Zhan's soldiers have all gone through field training, how to hide themselves and how to sneak attack, they have also undergone harsh combat training, both physical and psychological quality are much better than Yan Bing.

At the same time, the Yan army's iron cavalry was rampaging in the infantry formation, and the Chu soldiers were in a mess. How could Fang Cuo's miscellaneous soldiers be able to resist the Yan army's iron cavalry? Pentium down.

This is the first time since the Northern Expedition that the iron cavalry of the Yan army and the cavalry of the Chu army faced each other head-on.

At this time, more than half of the Chu soldiers on the battlefield were dead or injured.

Zhao Wuguang said without hesitation when he saw that his side's situation was over. "General! Please retreat!"

Why Zhang Taining is willing to retreat but he can't ignore his foundation, the [-] cavalry under his command is the foundation of his foothold in the Chu army!Fang Cuo's miscellaneous soldiers will be lost if they are lost, but the five thousand cavalry are the elite of the Zuozhen Army and must not be lost here!

Liu Zhan, who was hiding in the bushes, saw the cavalrymen of the Chu Army retreating to protect Zhang Taining from a distance, and leaned against him. "Retreat to the depths of Yangbei Col! Let's go now!"

At this time, there is only one dead end for running out of the jungle. The only way to survive is to hide in the depths of Yangbei Col and wait for the Yan army to retreat before returning to the camp.

As soon as the cavalry withdrew, the remaining infantry of the Chu army either ran or scattered in all directions. The iron cavalry of the Yan army was like an eagle catching a chick in a chicken chasing the defeated Chu soldiers.

"What a fucking wretch!" Liu Zhan cursed and led his men to quickly hide in Yangbeiao.

How could such a scheming and selfish army regain the Cangxia Plain?

Liu Zhan finally understood it. He thought Zhang Taining was a general worth following. Today, it seems that the character of the general back then has long been weathered in the day-to-day intrigue. At the same time, Liu Zhan also understood a truth. Who can be alone in this big dye vat?

In the camp of the Chu army, the eldest prince was furious when he heard the news of his defeat.

Zhang Taining knelt outside the tent of the Chinese army to plead guilty.

There were many reasons for the defeat in the first battle. One was that the eldest prince deliberately reduced 3 people to 1. Zhang Taining did not know enough about the Yan army's iron cavalry and the other was that he did not know enough about fighting in the plains.

But no one would review the reasons for the defeat. The purpose of the eldest prince to suppress Zhang Taining and teach him not to dare to stand up has been achieved, and Zhang Taining's purpose of using miscellaneous soldiers to protect the elite has also been achieved. It doesn't matter whether the spying succeeds or fails.

The next day, there was sleet and sleet in northern Xinjiang, and long icicles froze on the tents. It was cold in April, and the volatile climate in northern Xinjiang made the soldiers from the south a little unbearable. In addition, the news of yesterday's defeat shocked the soldiers. They are all a little sluggish.

General Zhou Chan sent someone to clean up the battlefield, but General Zhong Lang, the leader of the team, brought back good news.

"Report to the general! The Wuyuan county captain killed the enemy at the level of [-], and led his soldiers back!"

Zhou Chan stood up abruptly. "Is this true?"

"It's absolutely true! The head of Yan Bing is here! Among them are one captain, three people from thousands of households, all with badges and seals!"

Zhou Chan gave a big shout of hello. "Go and invite him in! Also, go and tell the First Prince!"

Outside the camp of the Chu army, Liu Zhan led a thousand personal guards and hundreds of Chu soldiers who had been taken in during hiding and came back with three carts of heads. The soldiers were covered in mud, and the blood and mud mixed on the armor and frozen into ice. It's very sad to see.

The eldest prince and the generals have been waiting for a long time in the main account of the Chinese army.

Liu Zhan took off his helmet and hugged it with his left hand, and knelt down on one knee in front of the main tent of the Chinese Army. "The young general pays his respects to His Royal Highness, the great general, and all the generals."

The eldest prince's joy was beyond words, and he came to Liu Zhan in two steps in three steps and was about to help him up. "Please get up."

Liu Zhan knelt in panic and took two steps back. "The young general's body is filthy, the eldest prince's body is rich..."

But the eldest prince insisted on helping him up, with the appearance of being generous and courteous to others. "You owe much to Da Chu, how can you be filthy?"

The eldest prince held Liu Zhan's wrist. "Come in, my Highness wants to hear you explain the whole process." After walking two steps, I remembered something and immediately arranged loudly. "Come here, go and serve the hot wine warmed by His Highness to Lieutenant Liu to warm up."

The wine that the eldest prince drank was of course a high-quality wine, but Liu Zhan didn't have the heart to taste it. He quickly went over what he wanted to say in his heart.

Of course he couldn't tell the truth.

Those waist badge seals are also fake, but they are not fake, because these waist badge seals are all from the Zhoushukou Canyon battle. As for the waist badges, will they not match the numbers?In this era without internet, who would go to Yan to testify?Liu Zhan wiped out three thousand Yan troops in that battle, and it's time to take credit for this.

Liu Zhan reported the cause and effect of Yangbeiao truthfully, but the plot after being attacked by the Yan army was deleted and changed, and the number of Yan army's more than 1000 people was also increased to more than 3000 by him.

Fang Cuo also fled back from the First Battle of Yangbeiao. When he heard Liu Zhan say that there were more than 3000 Yan soldiers in ambush, he was shocked immediately!

Afterwards, Zhang Taining shifted responsibility for the Battle of Yangbeiao on him, saying that he, the striker, took the lead in the defeat, and he only led 2000 men at that time. Liu Zhan said that Yan Bing had more than 3000 people, and the number of Yan Bing was more than him. Zhang Taining underestimated the enemy and only asked him to bring 2000 people in to investigate!

Fang Cuo's back straightened instantly.

Similarly, the First Prince's mood improved a bit.

Yan Jun's leader's waist badge is printed on the letter, and no one will question Liu Zhan's words.

In the end, the object of discussion of the generals changed from Liu Zhan to Zhang Taining, all accusing him of aggressiveness and misjudgment.

Liu Zhan lowered his head, his dark pupils were like a deep pool without any emotion.

"Don't mention the past." The eldest prince showed generosity at the right time, and he looked at Liu Zhan. "You are brave and resourceful in marching and fighting at a young age. You are really inferior in the Cenzhou Military Committee. Bring all your people to the command of my highness."

Liu Zhan was overjoyed and kowtowed to thank him.

Zhou Chan added: "The position of county lieutenant is not considered popular in the army. If you make your first contribution, you will be rewarded as a deputy lieutenant and assigned to the eldest prince."

Liu Zhan thanked him again in surprise.

On the same day, the first prince’s soldiers killed [-] enemies, and the badges and seals they captured were urgently delivered to Beijing for [-] miles. As for the nearly [-] Chu soldiers who died in the battle, there was no mention of it, and there was also no mention of it in the victory report. And Liu Zhan's name.

After leaving the tent of the Chinese army, Liu Zhan saw Zhao Wuguang waiting there.

"There are really more than 3000 Yan soldiers ambushing in Yangbeiao?" Zhao Wuguang stared at him with naked scrutiny.

Liu Zhan clasped his fists and said tiredly. "The young general dare not lie."

No matter how Zhao Wuguang questioned him, Liu Zhan never dared to lie.In the past, Liu Zhan might still be jealous of Zhao Wuguang, but now that he is under the command of the eldest prince, even if Zhao Wuguang really wanted to arrest him and torture him, it is impossible to move him now.

When Liu Zhan returned to the camp, Li Xiaolian greeted him immediately. "Brother!"

Several personal soldiers hurriedly helped Liu Zhan remove his armor, and someone went to boil hot water, and Li Xiaolian brought a big bowl of broth. "Brother, the eldest prince gave us broth, drink some to warm your stomach."

Liu Zhan glanced at the bowl of broth with a few grains of meat floating in it, and the so-called gift was like bad water in his eyes, just like those in the Chinese army tent.

"Xiao Lian, go tell the brothers, I know everyone's credit, and the brothers who died will be compensated according to the rules set by Mr. Song. After packing up the corpses, find a place to bury them. Remember to leave a mark in the future... in the future Let us bring them home after our triumph."

Li Xiaolian clasped his fists solemnly and agreed.

According to the original plan, Liu Zhan wanted to win Zhang Taining's appreciation first, but the plan couldn't keep up with the changes. The battle of Yangbeiao made Liu Zhan see clearly the shortcomings of Zhang Taining's group.

They are indeed capable and powerful, but they were imprisoned by their birth, or imprisoned by themselves. In order to maintain the foundation and maintain Zhang Taining's power in the Chu army, everything they did was for their own interests. They themselves did not know their own interests. Behavior is no different from the clan.

How does Liu Zhan, an outsider, integrate into such a group?Even if he was accepted, he would just turn into the same face as them. This is what Liu Zhan is most shameless about.

Therefore, he took another path and chose another path that was ten times more dangerous.