Chapter 376 Chapter 379

Bai Wenyuan murmured: "There are three reasons why Cao Yinglong was able to march across Hubei. It was extremely fast and erratic. Once he encountered danger, he retreated immediately. This is the true nature of a rogue, but it can indeed help him overcome difficulties."

After a pause, he continued: "The second is to support war with war. No matter how serious the setbacks and blows they suffer, as long as they can escape, they can quickly grow by looting everywhere and recruiting mobs. One place can grab another place, no worries at all.”

Shen Mu said: "But the disadvantage is that everyone is just a combination of interests, and there is no consistent ideal. As long as the three thieves Cao Yinglong, Fang Jianding, and Xiang Batian can be killed, the sand will never be broken." Get together again."

Xu Ziling recalled how the soldiers would set fire to looting and abuse women after the defeat of the old Sui Dynasty, and said decisively: "We must wipe out all these murderous murderers, otherwise the nearby villages will be in great trouble."

Xuan Yong nodded and said: "Although it is not easy to wipe them out, it is not impossible."

Shen Mu asked Bai Wenyuan, "What other unique moves does Cao Yinglong have?"

Bai Wenyuan said: "It's just that they are good at night battles. No matter they are marching or fighting, they only choose to fight at night, so that they can appear and disappear. If they want to fight or escape, they will take advantage of it."

Shen Mu frowned and said, "How can we force them to cross the river in broad daylight?"

Xu Ziling was more active than ever, thinking: "As long as we can create a situation to let them know that the ranch army is following closely, then it's not their turn to choose day or night."

Shen Mu said: "The most wonderful thing is that Cao Yinglong never imagined that I would recharge my energy and wait for him on the bank here first. I thought that as long as I can cross the river, I can leave my pursuers and return to Fengxiang safely."

Bai Wenyuan clamped the horse's belly and said, "Follow me!" He turned the horse's head and ran back downstream.

Stopping and walking, after running for more than ten miles, Bai Wenyuan ran back upstream again. After four or five miles, Shi Fei dismounted from his horse, so that the foaming horse could rest and graze.

Bai Wenyuan observed carefully by the bank, then stood in a thicket of grass and laughed and said, "The emperor pays off, he finally found out the place where Cao thief crossed the river last time."

Xu Ziling said: "We must force the bandits to cross the river in a hurry, otherwise if we let them line up on the bank first and send people to watch from high places, it will be difficult for us to launch a surprise attack."

Shen Mu sighed: "It depends on whether the owner of the beauty is obedient and obedient!"

Turning to Xuan Yongdao: "Tonight we moved our troops here and made all preparations. Now cross the river to see that the equipment for the pontoon bridge is indeed hidden behind the other bank. Wen Yuan and I will go to meet the army at the ranch, and you and Young Master Ling will stay here .”

Then he said with a smile: "You will kill yourself if you do many injustices, villains! This time, God will accept you, and I will just help God to execute it!"

Shen Mu, led by Bai Wenyuan, who knows the way and old horse, meets Cao Yinglong's bandit soldiers who are retreating to Zhangshui. The two are on a mountainside overlooking the enemy's situation.

It wasn't until this moment that he really breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure that Cao Yinglong, as expected, immediately gave up attacking the city and retreated to Fengxiang City after learning of Xiao Xian's betrayal of the alliance.

The ranch army should not be far away.

According to the agreement, if Cao Yinglong retreats, the ranch will dispatch the whole army to follow closely behind.

Under the light of the bright moon, the bandit cavalry crossed the grassland like a long snake.

Bai Wenyuan said: "Most of the Three Bandits are infantry, and there are less than 7000 cavalry. In case of any accident, the cavalry will take the lead and leave the infantry behind."

Shen Muhu's eyes were bright, and he said in a deep voice: "The key to using troops is to observe the enemy's situation first. This is called knowing the enemy. The so-called taking advantage of doubts, taking advantage of labor to attack, taking advantage of hunger to get trapped, taking advantage of points to gain profits, taking advantage of emptiness to plunder, and taking advantage of chaos It is advisable to take advantage of the fact that it is difficult to resist, it can be restrained when it is not launched, it can be robbed when it is won, and it can be pursued when it is defeated. We have used the trick of "taking advantage of suspicion" to break their iron triangle The alliance forced Cao Yinglong's [-] troops into fleeing rats, so now we have another move to take advantage of the defeat and kill them without leaving any behind."

Bai Wenyuan said in admiration: "These words are deeply rooted in the purpose of the art of war, the young commander is indeed a pedantic heaven and man."

How could Shen Mu have the nerve to tell him that it all came from Lu Miaozi's secret book, so he had no choice but to hesitate.

Bai Wenyuan was full of praise: "The young marshal's most powerful move was to rely on coercion and profiteering, which scared Dong Jingzhen and led more than 2000 men to flee back to Yiling in a hurry, leaving them unarmed and short of food. No way. This matter cannot be concealed from Zhu Can, and it is even more certain that Dong Jingzhen is the real culprit. Who would believe that someone is willing to let the tiger go back to the mountain like this, making Xiao Xian at a loss for words. When Zhu Can retreats, Cao Yinglong has no choice but to withdraw."

Shen Mu said with a smile: "Psychologically, Dong Jingzhen thought to himself that he had indeed leaked the military information about Zhu Can and Cao Yinglong. He was ashamed, so he dared not tell his allies clearly."

Then he looked down at the enemy, and said in a deep voice: "Just seeing that the opponent's formation is not in order, and the grain trucks are all behind the rear, you can tell that they are exhausted and confused. As long as we rob their grain trucks, they will be more tired than tired." If they are hungry, they will turn into chaos and disperse, so they can only flee to Zhangshui, hoping to cross the river as soon as possible, so we can take advantage of it."

A horse belly said: "Come on!"

Xu Ziling and Xuan Yong inspected the camp and saw more than a hundred people making fake grass figurines. They asked in surprise, "What are they used for?"

Xuan Yongdao: "This is called stagnation. Because of our small number of people, it is difficult to intercept the tens of thousands of fleeing bandits. We can only use a small number of soldiers and grass dummies at strategic locations to create the illusion of a huge force and force them to attack. The enemy only dares to flee towards places where there are few people on the surface, but what is false is real, and it happens to fall into our trap."

Xu Ziling praised: "Good plan!"

When they came to the shore, thousands of soldiers were digging trenches, setting up horse pits with spikes hidden in the bottom, and covering them with mud and grass.Xuan Yong explained: "This is all designed for the enemy to cross the river in a hurry. In addition, the enemy did not expect us to ambush on this side, so it must be doomed."

Xu Ziling stopped, looked at the other side, and said in a deep voice: "The big battle is coming, how does Brother Xuan feel?"

Xuan Yong stood side by side with him, and sighed: "Since Da Longtou was killed, I thought I would never have the hope of fighting in the battlefield again! How did I know that the promotion of the young commander will not only avenge Da Longtou's deep revenge, but also give full play to his strengths. The longer I get along with the young marshal, the more I admire him. This does not only refer to his intelligence and martial arts, or his vision. The most convincing thing is his character, you never doubt that he will suspect you. And what Impossible things become possible in his hands, as if a matter of course, getting along with him is really exciting and interesting.”

Xu Ziling thought to himself, this is Shen Mu's charm, and it is also his greatest asset in fighting for world hegemony.

The sound of hoofbeats shook the sky, and under the afternoon sun, ten thousand fine riders from the ranch galloped from the ground like a tidal wave.

Shen Mu and Bai Wenyuan galloped down the slope to meet them.As the horn sounded, the ranch's [-] vanguard troops led by the second deacon Liu Zongdao and Luo Fang stopped slowly.

Liu Zongdao's one-eyed look showed a hot look, and he laughed from a distance: "Brother Zhong is good, but in just one year, you have become a young commander who is famous all over the world."

Shen Mu rode his horse to come to him, leaned over and hugged him, and said with a smile, "It's just a waste of reputation, why should Uncle Liu worry about it, is the owner in the middle army behind?"

Liu Zongdao smiled and said, "The host is here!"

I saw the vanguard army spread out to both sides, forming a passage composed of men and horses. At the same time, they drew their swords and shouted "Long live the field owner", and their morale was boiling to the extreme.

At the end of this human path, Shang Xiuxun, who was dressed in armor and full of heroism, rode a snow-white horse with no trace of hair, galloping swiftly and swiftly. The yellow shawl fluttered in the air behind her, making her look like a mortal goddess of war.

Her mount was obviously extremely fast, and a group of generals headed by the great housekeeper Shang Zhen followed behind, and they all chased very hard.Shen Mu was shocked by her celestial beauty, and was dumbfounded.

Shang Xiuxun was skilled in horsemanship, amidst the applause and applause from his subordinates on both sides, he ran faster and faster, and in the blink of an eye, he ran close like a whirlwind, and said to Shen Mujiao: "Whether your horse is a Khitan horse, let's compare the strength of our legs. "

Before Shen Mu could react, Shang Xiuxun passed between him and Liu Zongdao with a gust of fragrant wind.

Shen Mu shouted "Okay", turned his horse's head, and chased after him wildly.

Liu Zongdao, Bai Wenyuan, and Luo Fang waited until Shang Zhen arrived, then led the army and chased after the two who had become smaller.Shang Xiuxun ran for more than 50 miles in one breath, before stopping at the top of a hill. Shen Mu was more than half a mile behind, and when he came to her, the ranch army was still coming ten miles away.The sun had set behind the mountains in the west, and the afterglow dyed the sky on the horizon red.

Shang Xiuxun looked forward on the horseback and said calmly, "It's you!"

Shen Mu panted deliberately: "The owner's horse is really fast."

Shang Xiuxun shot his beautiful eyes at him, and said with a smile: "I don't mean this aspect, judging horses by horses, even Khitan horses are not as good as the breed I improved."

While feasting on the long-lost beauty, Shen Mu said with a smile, "What is the master of the game to me?"

Shang Xiuxun looked at him intently and said: "You know I'm in trouble, so you rushed here immediately, and cleverly used clever tricks to break the conspiracy of Zhu Can, Xiao Xian and Cao Yinglong. After seeing him, Not to mention putting on an air of great merit, understand?"

Shen Mu said aggrievedly: "Beauty owner, who do you think I am? It's too late for me to respect and love the owner, so how dare I put on airs."

Shang Xiuxun smiled coquettishly like a flower blooming, looked back to the front, and said coquettishly: "I haven't heard this name for a long time, and it feels a bit fresh. Uh! Let's do this! Destroy Cao Yinglong's horse thief Afterwards, I will give you [-] first-class war horses so that you can use them to conquer the world and dominate the country."

Shen Mu shook his head and said, "This is inconsistent with the ranch's rules, and it also makes people feel that the owner is involved in the vortex of this dispute. Why don't you buy horses from the owner with real money after I unearth Duke Yang's treasure?" , then no one dares to gossip about the host.”

Shang Xiuxun slightly shrugged his shoulders, and said with a charming look: "You have to pretend to be decent, Xiuxun is willing to obey orders."

Turning away from the pretty face, she looked at him with strangely beautiful eyes and said, "Young Marshal's name has been changed very well, it suits you best."

A strange feeling surged in Shen Mu's heart, and he even had the urge to hold her in his arms.Ever since Li Xiuning and Song Yuzhi, he had never had such a tantalizing feeling for a woman.

The ranch army came to the foot of the hill, and a group of generals left the team and rushed up to the top of the hill to join them. However, Feng Ge and Feng Han, the old generals who dominated the villa in Jingling, did not accompany them because they wanted to stay in Yuan'an and Dangyang.

When Shen Mu saw Sister Fu, Xu Yang, Liang Qian, Wu Zhaoru, etc., everyone was very happy and excited.Chief Deacon Liang Zhi was in charge of the ranch, and he did not come.

Shang Xiuxun was polite and courteous to Bai Wenyuan, the great hero, and after talking about the situation, he said to Shen Mu: "It's getting late, why don't we set up camp and rest, and study how to chase Cao Yinglong's bandit soldiers during dinner?"

Shen Mu shook his head and said: "The opportunity is fleeting. Cao Yinglong's brilliance is to form an army during the daytime. If we catch up, we will counterattack with superior forces when our soldiers are exhausted. When we are at night When he was resting, he marched at full speed. With this method of turning day and night upside down, he was in an invincible position. Therefore, if we want to defeat him, we must march at night. They are in disarray, and rush to Zhangshui desperately to have a chance to annihilate them in one fell swoop." Everyone in the ranch nodded in agreement, but they also had embarrassing expressions.

Shang Xiuxun said: "We have been driving for three days, and the horses and men are exhausted. Even if the people can support them, the horses will not be able to endure."

Shen Mu smiled confidently and said: "As long as people can survive, I have already prepared for it. I have thousands of high-quality war horses captured from the enemy on the way, which can be replaced. It is as convenient as changing horses at a post station."

Bai Wenyuan continued: "We are only one day away from the enemy. If we can change horses on the way, we can catch up with the enemy tomorrow night and launch a surprise attack."

Everyone's spirits were lifted, and they were even more impressed by Shen Mu's foresight.

Shang Xiuxun gave Shen Mu a charming look, and said with a smile: "You have the most tricks." Then Su Rong ordered Shang Zhen to personally select a thousand riders who are best at night and riding, and set off on standby.

Everyone hurriedly took advantage of this gap to dismount and let the horses drink water and graze. When Bai Wenyuan, Luo Fang, Liu Zongdao and other people who were familiar with the surrounding situation were studying the marching route, Shen Mu and Shang Xiuxun walked aside to talk.The beautiful host suddenly asked about Xu Ziling, Shen Mu smiled and said, "He and I both miss the host from time to time."

Shang Xiuxun said unhappily: "You still can't change your slanderous personality. Once you go, you will be like a yellow crane. People can only know your recent situation from the people who have passed by, alas!"

Shen Mu wondered, "Why are you sighing?"

Shang Xiuxun stared at the gradually dark night sky with beautiful eyes, and said softly: "You make Shang Xiuxun very difficult, Li Fanxiang has a good relationship with us, and Li Xiuning is Xiuxun's best friend since childhood. They plan to deal with Liu Wuzhou The war horses I bought from the Turks, I hope I can supply them with new breeds of good horses bred on a regular basis, what should you tell them to do?"

Shen Mu said with pity: "How can I make it difficult for the owner of the farm? If the owner of the farm has a hundred horses, he will sell fifty horses to Li Xiaozi and me, then Li Xiuning can't blame you."

Shang Xiuxun looked at him in surprise, frowned lightly and said, "Shen Mu, what kind of person are you? Are you really doing it for me? Or do you have another plan? I really can't see through you."

Shen Mu smiled wryly and said: "Sometimes I am a cunning fox, sometimes I am a stupid pig, I don't quite understand it myself. But one thing is certain, that is, no matter what I do, I will never do anything to harm the person I love. In the battle for hegemony covering the whole of China, I only have a [-]% chance of winning, while Li Xiaozi Shimin has at least [-]% of the other [-]%, and Dou Jiande will take [-]% of the remaining [-]%. Du Fuwei and Xiao Xian each take [-]%. So the host must not favor me, otherwise the consequences will be dire."

Shang Xiuxun moved and said: "Only a real hero can say such words. Since you know that you lose more than you win, why don't you join the Li family?"

Shen Mu said in astonishment: "If I, Shen Mu, are willing to submit to others and be a running dog slave, am I still Shen Mu?"

Shang Xiuxun said apologetically: "I was just entrusted by someone, so I must convey this sentence! You wouldn't have listened earlier."

Shen Mu was stunned and said, "Li Xiuning?"

Shang Xiuxun nodded slightly, and said softly: "I'll give you a letter from her, and it's on me right now."

Shen Mu was silent for a while, then said lightly: "Tear it up for me!"

After dawn, under the leadership of Bai Wenyuan.The elite ranch soldiers led by Shen Mu and Shang Xiuxun finally arrived at the small valley where the horses were changed. The horses were taken care of by more than a dozen young marshals, and all of them were in the best condition, which was in extreme contrast to their exhausted horses.

After Shen Mu and Bai Wenyuan calculated the distance and time, they decided to rest for an hour and a half.If all the soldiers were granted amnesty by the emperor, the hardships of traveling at night are not humane, and it is a spectacle that they lie down all over the valley in an instant.To make things easier for the horses, they all took off their saddles.The soldiers and generals took off their armor, dressed lightly, and sat or slept comfortably.Shen Mu went to the stream in the valley to wash his face with cold water, scooped up the water and drank more than ten mouthfuls, feeling extremely happy and beautiful.

Shang Xiuxun's elegant and clear voice sounded from behind him, and said angrily, "Are you willing to accept the letter and let me settle the responsibility?"

Shen Mu simply dipped his head into the water, Shang Xiuxun stepped forward, grabbed his vest with one hand, and stuffed the letter from his neck into his collar with the other hand.

Shen Mu said "Ouch", stood up and shouted: "Confucius once said, don't do anything wrong with etiquette; and some people say that men and women can't kiss each other. You disregard all these etiquettes and rules, it seems that I, Shen Mu, will You don't have to follow the rules."

Shang Xiuxun took three steps back, half a smile, half a smile, staring at him frantically reaching for the plain yellow letter card from the collar of his neck, but the water in his hair kept flowing, and he pouted cute little The mouth said disdainfully: "For a person like you, there is no need to obey the rules. But if you dare to disobey me, I will punish you with family law."

(End of this chapter)

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