first minister

The slowly falling maple leaves are like longing, and they must be saved before winter comes.

The sound of hooves passed through the smoke, and a cavalry team of 500 people arrived in front of Sishui Pass.

Looking at the huge word "Yue" on the flag on top of the city, Xiao Fengshan's heart sank.

Hurrying slowly, Xia Jingyun did not make such a stupid mistake after all, and gave up Sishui Pass, the most important pass in the world.

He waved his hand, and the deputy general next to him stepped forward and shouted in a deep voice: "We are officers and soldiers of Longshou Prefecture, heading to Zhongjing to be sealed. Please switch on and off quickly!"

boom!
On the city wall, an arrow shot out and was nailed two feet in front of his horse.

A cold shout came from the top of the city, "Go forward, this arrow will be ruthless!"

Xiao Fengshan looked at the garrison generals on the city wall silently, turned his horse's head, "Retreat five miles to rest! Wait for backup, scout and be alert!"

Seeing the cavalry retreat, Yue Pingwu on the city wall breathed a sigh of relief.

The name of a person, the shadow of a tree, Xiao Fengshan’s reputation as a man of both civil and military skills is absolutely true. He, Yue Pingwu, thinks that he is just a middle-aged man. Although he has the support of the most powerful people in the world, there is always the possibility of losing in a real fight. He can make the opponent It is the best thing to retreat when faced with difficulties.

Before coming, Xia Jingyun had told him face to face that although generals have the right to adapt to the situation when they are on the battlefield, the first priority in garrisoning this time is to resist the enemy. He is not required to kill many enemy troops, as long as he defends Sishui Pass. That is a great achievement!
Therefore, even though he watched this small team retreat, he had no intention of using the soldiers and horses in the city to eat up this small team.

Xiao Fengshan slowly led the team for a while, looked at the pass behind him with no intention of pursuit, sighed, increased his horse speed, and rushed towards the place where the remaining cavalry were meeting.

In the evening, the vanguard of the British army also arrived.

In the military tent, two men sat opposite each other.

When they left, one of them was the emperor's uncle who held all the power and was the deputy prime minister of the court;
One is the head of the nobility, the most powerful military official, and a vaguely powerful minister.

Now they meet again, they are the thief Lu Rusong and the thief Xiao Fengshan.

Only the soldiers and horses behind them have power, and the future that supports their struggle has been captured by the thieves in Zhongjing City.

"Xiao Sanlang, what's the plan?"

After this change, the British princess became a lot haggard. Although he was not decadent, but without the nourishment of power, the old age could not be suppressed from his body and posture.

Although Xiao Fengshan is still as calm as a mountain, his original vigor has also disappeared a lot, and he has returned to the silent and stubborn look he had when he was in Longshou State.

He did not speak directly, but asked: "In the British public opinion, what plan should we make?"

The British Duke glanced at him and said, "Today, do you and I still need to be on guard?"

Xiao Fengshan shook his head, "Just because you don't want to be defensive, I want to hear the British father's thoughts first, and then think about any omissions in my original thoughts, because I think I should be better than you on these things."

The British duke pursed his lips silently, as if hypocritical polite words sounded better.

But this was not the time to be pretentious. He pondered for a moment and said: "In my opinion, the best strategy is to retreat to Langya Prefecture, and use the three prefectures of Langya, Jiuhe and Baili as the foundation to gather the righteous people of Hebei Thinking that this is the foundation of a great cause, I will fight against the imperial court and plan for the follow-up."

"The central strategy is to transfer from Langya Prefecture to Yanyuan Prefecture, pass through Changzhi and Jinzhou to Hukou, approach Puban, and take over the land east of Hedong. On the one hand, it will overwhelm Guanzhong, on the other hand, it will seize cities and territories, and at the same time it will also intimidate Zhongjing. "

"The next best option is to fight at the Sishui Pass, trying to break through and march directly to the gates of Zhongjing City. However, the Sishui Pass is a natural hazard. You and I, 5 to [-] people who can run rampant all over the world, are afraid of being attacked. Just leave them all under Sishui Pass."

The British Duke had obviously thought deeply about it, and his knowledge in the military was quite good, so what he said was quite reasonable and well-founded.

Xiao Fengshan listened silently and did not hide it anymore, "Let me talk about the best strategy first. Now that the righteousness of the world is not with us, retreating to Langya State will only delay death, and it will definitely be death, because once we choose to retreat, those who are waiting and watching will In the eyes of others, it shows that we no longer have the confidence to win quickly."

At this point, he sighed, "Speaking of which, I have to admire this young man Xia Jingyun. I only realized after the fact why he was willing to take such a big risk and sneak back to Beijing, because the general trend at that time was between you and me. , as long as we are given enough time, they will never be able to make waves. He must seek opportunities for quick victory, otherwise it will be difficult for them once we gain control of the world."

He looked at the British Duke, "Besides, do you really think that good things will come of us if we go back? Will the people from Langya, Jiuhe, and Baiyang wholeheartedly surrender to us? Maybe when we lead our troops back, we will be able to fight at the border." What awaits us is not a pot of food, but a strong army of fortified cities waiting in full formation."

The British Duke was speechless. It was obvious that Xiao Fengshan's words had touched his heart.

Or perhaps, he himself was suspicious of such a situation, but he still deceived himself and others and refused to believe it.

At this moment, Xiao Fengshan ruthlessly exposed him, and he had no way to refute.

"What about the middle policy?"

Xiao Fengshan also shook his head, "The reason for the plan is that most of Yanyuan Prefecture's elite troops are on the northern front line, and the rear is empty. We can drive straight in, but what will happen to all this when we reach Puban?"

He tapped the table lightly, "We also have to face the obstacles of the river, the natural dangers of Tongguan, and the expedition. Are you sure these soldiers are really willing to follow us like that? Can the logistics really keep up?"

The British Duke was silent. The troops under their command were temporarily formed by the imperial court and were not as loyal as the Longshou Army was to Xiao Fengshan.

If we really take them around to fight, it is really hard to say how much of the team will be left.

He raised his head and looked at Xiao Fengshan, "Then the only option is the last resort?"

Xiao Fengshan sighed, "If you and I still want to make a difference, then this is the only way. If you retreat, you can become the king of a place, enjoy wealth and honor for three to five years, and then die and your family will be destroyed. But only by breaking through this barrier, Entering Zhongjing will lead to a long-term success."

The British duke also sighed. It seemed that in difficult moments, sighs always came more frequently.

Xiao Fengshan continued: "Don't forget, we don't have much food and supplies. We can't go hungry in the war. Without a stable source of military rations, why should we fight in all directions?"

"But Sishui Pass is not easy to break!"

Xiao Fengshan's expression suddenly became sharp, "It's hard to attack, but you can only attack! In any case, now we are fifty thousand against ten thousand, the advantage is mine! As long as we find a way to lure Yue Pingwu out of the city, we will have a way to break through the city. !”

The British duke pondered for a moment and nodded heavily, "Okay!"

At night, a part of the rapid marching team broke away from the main army and rushed to the front of Sishui Pass. Xiao Fengshan and Lu Rusong had more than 1 soldiers.

The momentum quietly grew stronger, and morale became stronger.

Set up camp, cut off water transportation, plunder food, and repair siege equipment.
The whole camp was a lively scene.

Looking at the lights of the camp opposite, Yue Pingwu left the city wall worriedly. After inspecting various parts of the city defense, he did not go back to his residence to rest. Instead, he summoned the generals to discuss matters.

At least judging from this diligence, Xia Jingyun is not trusting anyone.

"Everyone, now Thief Lu and Thief Xiao have indeed led their troops back to attack our Sishui Pass. What do you think?"

Yue Pingwu showed an attitude of asking for advice humbly, and because of the changes in the court, the generals under his command consciously stood on the side of the court's justice and actively made suggestions.

As Xiao Fengshan said, the general trend and great righteousness may seem illusory, but in fact they can determine many things.

"General, Sishui Pass is surrounded by natural dangers and the city is towering and solid. As long as we can't hold on, there will definitely be nothing they can do."

"But the general has a different view. There is no invincible Guancheng in the world. If it is true as Liu Xiaowei said, as long as the troops are gathered to defend, the rebel army will not be able to advance. Then how can there be any reason to change dynasties in the world? This It is not that Sishui Pass has not been attacked before. Now the bandits are so powerful that if we don’t make more preparations and just think about defending with the strong city and the strong pass, I’m afraid I will regret it later!”

"Then according to Colonel Zhang's opinion, what should we do?"

"First send out scouts to investigate the surrounding terrain and the enemy's camp defenses, and then look for opportunities to proactively attack at night or attack, catching the opponent off guard. Once a roar or commotion occurs in the camp, the enemy's danger will be solved."

"What if you lose?"

"As long as you find a good opportunity and catch yourself by surprise, how can you lose?"

"Again, what if? This is the gateway to Zhongjing. If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"

"Why is it that I am the one who has to bear the burden? The general summoned us to discuss matters, and we should speak freely, just as you said, so who dares to speak? Besides, if we defend the city, isn't there the danger of the city being broken?"

"OK OK!"

Yue Pingwu stretched out his hand and pressed it, and said slowly: "What you said makes sense. Whether it is defending the city or attacking, it is actually to repel the enemy. Our main purpose is also to repel the enemy. Please think about the specific strategy carefully. , be more vigilant tonight, and when the war breaks out, let’s make changes as the opportunity arises.”

"General."

At this time, an old lieutenant who had not spoken much asked, "Will the imperial court send us reinforcements?"

Everyone suddenly woke up. Yes, if the imperial court sends another [-] or [-] reinforcements here, wouldn't there be a lot of room for tactics?
"Before I came here, Mr. Xia promised me that there would be reinforcements, but he didn't say how many reinforcements there would be."

Yue Pingwu pursed his lips, "But don't have too high hopes. The road from Yunmeng Prefecture to Zhongjing has not yet been opened. Zhongjing is an isolated city. The imperial army and patrol camps must not move. The Yulin outside the city , Huben must also guard against possible enemies from the west, north and south, so it is impossible to send too many people."

He looked at everyone and said, "We must also be considerate of the imperial court. Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, and so many noble people in Zhongjing City always need someone to protect them. Mr. Xia does not dare to risk the disapproval of the world and get us so much at once." Multiple people.”

"Hey, even three to five thousand will do!"

"Okay, stop talking and get busy! After all, we have such a strong Sishuiguan City. If we can handle this matter, it will be a great achievement for us!"

After all, we are in the army, and everyone complained loudly. After hearing this, they all clasped their fists and said solemnly: "Yes!"

Yue Pingwu sighed after seeing everyone off. He wanted to make some preparations but didn't know where to start. He was about to climb up the tower to take another look and do some futile efforts to make himself feel more comfortable. A sentry came over and said, "General , someone came, saying he was a messenger from Beijing."

Yue Pingwu nodded, "Please come quickly."

The sentry hesitated and said: "But they all carry weapons and refuse to disarm. The younger ones dare not let them in."

Yue Pingwu waved his hand, "It doesn't matter. Wherever he is, you can quickly bring me to meet him."

Soon, Yue Pingwu, escorted by a group of soldiers, came to Guancheng on the other side and saw a team of more than ten people.

Someone in the team also saw Yue Pingwu's figure and said loudly: "General Yue, Sir Xia has a letter for you!"

Yue Pingwu ordered: "Let the soldiers be on guard, open the city and let them in."

The city gate slowly opened a gap, and the team of more than ten people entered the city.Looking at the soldiers on both sides, who were in sharp attire and ready for battle, the leader did not feel nervous at all. He took out a secret letter from his arms and handed it to Yue Pingwu's personal guard, "Please give it to General Yue to read it."

Yue Pingwu took the envelope, checked the paint, took out the letter paper and looked at it, his expression suddenly changed.

[I am Jiang Yuhu, please do not make any announcement. 】

He suppressed his expression, looked up, and saw a familiar and admiring face among the entourage behind the messenger.

He immediately said in a deep voice: "Your envoy, please come to my residence and give detailed instructions."

The soldier on the side hesitated and said: "General."

"The general has verified that there is no problem with them, so you can rest assured."

Yue Pingwu waved his hand and after speaking, he personally led the group to their residence.

In the room where he lived, Jiang Yuhu sat down directly on the main seat and said, "I will take over the defense of Sishuiguan City next. Does General Yue have any objections?"

Yue Pingwu hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "My little military god is on top, the general will never complain!"

Jiang Yuhu nodded, "You have worked hard here for a few days, and I took away your military power and your credit with just one sentence. It seems a bit unkind."

Yue Pingwu knelt down on one knee and said, "The little army god must not defeat the general. Now that the two thieves Lu Xiao have arrived, it is the general's blessing to be able to obey orders under the little army god."

"Let's do this, I'll give you some compensation."

Jiang Yuhu said: "For these two days, you will be here to see how I prepare the army for war. Take care, I will only teach you once."

If others had said this, Yue Pingwu would probably have turned around and left, spitting, but the person opposite was Jiang Yuhu, whose skills were passed down from the old army god. He, Yue Pingwu, could learn a little bit of it, and he would probably win the title of a famous general in the future. He was immediately overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Xiaojunshen!"

Jiang Yuhu was not polite, "Now, go and get the roster of the defenders in the city. At the same time, get the roster of the horses, weapons, food, grass, and equipment in the city."

Yue Pingwu opened the door and pretended to be giving orders. Soon, Yue Pingwu's guards came back with a lot of documents. Jiang Yuhu directly took his guards to read them and kept giving orders at the same time.

"This list of war horses is not detailed enough. It is divided into three categories: excellent, medium and inferior. Count the numbers of each and ask the horse breeder to fill it out again."

"The roster of defenders will also be revised again. Those who have fought more than three battles will be listed separately. Those who have only undergone training and have not been on the battlefield will also be listed separately."

"The number of each type of city defense equipment must be detailed and re-calculated. Also, it must include the remaining city defense items that can be used urgently after the conventional equipment is used up. This is just a rough estimate."

One night, the entire city of Sishuiguan was in a state of hustle and bustle. However, this hustle and bustle did not bring any panic, because this kind of inventory of family assets made the people who handled it feel at ease. a bit.

When the dawn light shone again, Jiang Yuhu continued to be busy with extraordinary energy. He waved his hand towards Yue Pingwu and said, "Go to the city wall. Their infantry will definitely attack first when they arrive. Now just defend and don't leave the city."

Yue Pingwu looked at Jiang Yuhu and felt both ashamed and excited. He was ashamed because he had been here for two days and was not as familiar with this city as Jiang Yuhu was in just a few hours. He was excited because he had found out the family background. , I feel more confident, and with figures like Xiaojunshen sitting in charge, this battle will definitely be stable!
On the other side, in the camp of Lu Xiao's coalition forces, large troops have gradually gathered.

With the supplies of infantry and baggage, the entire military camp became more and more like a real big camp.

Xiao Fengshan even arrogantly set up his camp three to five miles in front of Sishui Pass, making it clear that he wanted to surround this pass that defended the capital.

According to the plan made by Xiao Fengshan and Lu Rusong yesterday, the sky was brightening, and huge teams gathered in the vast open space in front of Sishui Pass, kicking off the siege.

The soldiers of the Lu Xiao coalition formed a square formation, like a group of hungry ants, and like a suddenly rising black tide, they swooped towards the towering Guancheng without fear.

On the city wall, the defenders held their breath and stood ready, holding the weapons in their hands tightly, their knuckles turning white from the exertion.

Rolling logs, crossbows, and feather arrows were fired in unison, and the soldiers attacking the city seemed to be walking through a violent storm.

There were also arrows like rain behind them, and the sharp arrowheads, with the sound of piercing the wind, were pointed directly at the defenders on the city wall.

Arrows continued, and people kept falling.

But in the breathtaking sound of war drums, in the collision of blood and fire, everyone has forgotten themselves and only has their own goals in their eyes.

The soldiers who besieged the city desperately tried to climb the city wall along the ladder. Some people were constantly knocked down, and others kept filling their vacancies;
The defenders guarded each crenel with concentration, repelling every attempt of the opponent, using swords and axes to chop, rolling wood to make gold juice, using all kinds of martial arts, and using all kinds of weapons, in order to defend their positions. .

After an unknown amount of time, finally, Ming Jin's voice came out from the coalition camp to withdraw his troops.

After leaving corpses all over the ground, the incoming coalition forces retreated like a tide.

In a tacit agreement, both sides sent civilian men to collect the bodies.

The sun was blazing in the sky, and there was blood under the city wall.

In the military camp of the Lu Xiao coalition, Xiao Fengshan looked at the lieutenants in front of him and ordered: "When you go down, let the soldiers take turns to rest and play in the camp, pretending to be lazy and undefended, but loose on the outside and tight on the inside. After today Yue Pingwu and others must be panicking due to the brutal battle, as long as we show a completely defenseless posture, we may lure them out."

He pressed the case number and said, "As long as they come out, we may be able to solve the case!"

The deputy general took the order and left. Lu Rusong looked at their backs and asked, "Is this okay?"

Xiao Fengshan pursed his lips, "We can only give it a try, and we must do it quickly. The longer we delay, the worse it will be for us."

Lu Rusong also had a sullen face, looking in the direction of Guancheng and remaining silent.

I don’t know whether I am thinking about how I got to this point, or whether I am thinking about the possibility of breaking through and entering Beijing.

But Xiao Fengshan's plan was indeed correct. At this moment, in the city buildings in Guancheng, a group of guards were caught in a small dispute.

"With only 1 people, how many times can we withstand such desperate attacks by them? Not long after the battle started today, the rebels had already climbed onto the city wall. If the reserve team hadn't seen the opportunity quickly and killed them, I’m afraid I’ll break the barrier on the first day!”

"Then what can we do? Is it possible to go out and fight with others in the wild? We 1 people can't win even if we lean on the city wall. If we go out, won't we risk death?"

"That's different! It's precisely because our advantage in today's war is not as great as imagined, so the other side is also sure that we don't dare to fight, you see!"

The young captain pointed to the rebel camp not far away, "The rebels are almost completely defenseless at the moment. If we can take them by surprise and send a thousand cavalry, we might be able to instantly trigger a commotion in their camp. Once chaos and panic spread, these tens of thousands of people will trample on each other, and the rebels will collapse, and maybe we can decide in one battle!"

Everyone followed his gaze and saw that the camp was indeed scattered and completely unprepared for their attack.

The distance of three to five miles, if the cavalry had picked up the speed of their horses in advance, they would only arrive in a blink of an eye, and they might really have a chance.

A school captain said: "We lost nearly a thousand people in today's battle. I'm afraid we won't be able to defeat them if we use force."

When the young captain heard this, he immediately turned around and said, "General, I would like to lead two thousand cavalry and go out of the city to fight!"

Before yesterday, Yue Pingwu might have really agreed after struggling, but now, he didn't need to struggle. He thought for a moment, "No rush, it's still early, let's observe again to see if they are real or not." It’s fake, let me think about it again!”

Everyone had no objections when they heard this. They wanted to make meritorious deeds, so it would be fine to be more prudent.

Yue Pingwu hurried back to his residence and told Jiang Yuhu about the situation.

Jiang Yuhu raised his eyebrows, stood up directly, and led the people to the top of the city.

On top of the city, he looked into the distance and saw that the rebel camp was indeed unorganized. The camp sentries outside were also very relaxed. There were people sitting on the ground leaning against the fence, chatting and resting.

He looked at it intently for a moment and suddenly smiled, "They are just pretending to lure you into fighting."

Yue Pingwu was stunned, but the young captain beside him refused to accept it, "Why do you say that?"

Jiang Yuhu didn't even look at him, and said to Yue Pingwu: "Look at these seemingly idle sentries, but none of them has left their posts. Once there is a change, they can immediately resume their functions. And the camp is scattered but not chaotic, each of them has their own duties." Outside his own camp, there was no sight of blocking the roads in the camp. The most important thing was that he was a senior general from a family of military generals, a Yizhou man who had fought with the Wudang Army and was known for being both civil and military. Zhou Mu, do you only have this ability to run the army? Don’t they even know how to control this?"

He snorted coldly, "It's just taking advantage of your fear and greed."

Seeing Bu Xia on the side retorting carelessly, Yue Pingwu secretly complained and said repeatedly: "When we know about it, we will definitely guard the city and stay behind closed doors to make their plot fail."

Jiang Yuhu shook his head, "No need. If he takes the initiative to reveal such a good opportunity, why should I not use it?"

Yue Pingwu was stunned, "Didn't you just say that it was false?"

Jiang Yuhu said matter-of-factly, "For you, it's a trap, but it's different for me. A man wanted to catch a rabbit, but a tiger came. What do you think his fate will be?"

Yue Pingwu's heart was filled with inexplicable passion.

"He will die."

Jiang Yuhu said lightly and patted Yue Pingwu on the shoulder, "Order a thousand cavalry to follow me to attack, and the rest will guard the city."

After speaking, he strode away.

Yue Pingwu quickly and respectfully agreed.

Seeing Jiang Yuhu striding away, the young Colonel Zhang looked unhappy, "Who is this person? His tone is so loud!"

Yue Pingwu twitched his lips, and an old captain beside him said slowly: "Colonel Zhang, who did you say you admire the most in your life?"

"He used to be the old military god, but now he is the young military god, Mr. Jade Tiger, who has the air of a military god."

The old captain looked at Jiang Yuhu's back with emotion and said softly: "That is the little military god."

Captain Zhang's pupils were so trembling that he couldn't even close his jaw.

Immediately he knelt down and said, "General, please give me your order to lead a thousand cavalry and follow the little military god into battle!"

Seeing the determination on the face of the cavalry captain: "If you don't agree, I'll jump off here", Yue Pingwu laughed and said, "Okay!" (End of this chapter)