Chapter 477 Spread
Shen Mu said happily, "The closest city to Hulao is Chenliu, which is located on the south bank of the upper reaches of the canal. It takes a day to reach Luoyang by water, and half a day by land. I decided that Hongjin would lead [-] soldiers to garrison Chenliu and defend the city. Changlin was in charge of Liangdu, and sent food from Liangdu to Chenliu by airship. If necessary, he could mobilize soldiers from Liangdu to break the siege for Chenliu. As long as Li Shiji could not block the canal, he would not be able to isolate Chenliu. Stay. Damn it, I hope our airship can have a tough chance with the Tang Army Navy.”

Xu Ziling also had to admit that Shen Mu's arrangements were impeccable strategically.

Shen Mu patted him on the shoulder and said: "I will hand over the five hundred Feiyunqi and Wuming to you, and your brother can train them for me by the way. The so-called strength of soldiers is in training, and I have taught them everything I can teach them." , they will be under your command.”

Xu Ziling nodded and said, "Okay!"

Shen Mu swept across the mountains and plains on the opposite bank with burning eyes, and said: "Since I decided to fight for world supremacy, I have never felt that the moment of success or failure is so close. As long as we can persuade Dou Jiande to cross Jiangxi, we will have a [-]% to [-]% chance of winning. I heard that Dou Jiande The outcome of the battle with Meng Haigong has been decided, the latter will only have to be beaten, one is to surrender, the other is to die in battle, the situation is definitely in our favor."

Xu Ziling said: "If you and Dou Jiande join hands to defeat Li Shimin, how will you handle your relationship with Dou Jiande?"

Shen Mu shrugged calmly and said: "Dou Jiande is quite a good person, he is benevolent and righteous, and Liu Heita, whom we absolutely trust, will assist him, so what if we let him be the emperor?"

Xu Ziling said: "This is not Song Que's expectation of you, how do you explain to Song Que?"

Shen Mu sighed: "Brothers, let me tell you the truth, now my only wish is to survive, I don't want the large group of brothers who followed me to be killed in the wilderness and on the walls of the ruined city. Other things can only be resolved in the future. At this moment, our Young Marshal’s army is not only not as good as the Tang army, it is still one or two times inferior to Wang Shichong’s army.”

"The most powerful of the young commander's army is still the experienced soldiers of Duke Yang. At present, I am trying my best to cultivate my young commander's army. On the one hand, I can avoid tough battles that will cause serious losses; It is necessary to increase their experience in marching and combat and strengthen their team spirit. Fortunately, Li Zitong gave them a touchstone, otherwise, if we encounter the Tang army as soon as we leave the army, we will be defeated after a few encounters."

After issuing an order, Wuming soared into the sky and flew straight into the sky.

Shen Mu looked up at Wuming, and said with a wry smile: "Brother! What disturbs me the most is that you are involved in this war, but you are a person who hates war. If we force you to do something you don't want to do. But since ancient times , is the history of different wars connected in series, the earliest can be as far as the "Battle of Banquan" and "Battle of Zhuolu". Xuanyuan Huangdi captured and killed Chi You in these two battles, laying the foundation for our China. Since then, Wars come and go, and the history is endless. Tangzhi fought against Xia, King Wu defeated Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States, and heroes contended for hegemony. The first emperor won the government to rule the world. Wei, Shu, Wu and the Three Kingdoms struggled with each other, the Western Jin Dynasty had internal strife and foreign aggression, the Southern and Northern Dynasties were at loggerheads, and the old Sui unified the North and the South."

"From this series of wars, it can be seen that only through large-scale wars and the shedding of blood by a large number of soldiers can the world have a period of long-term peace and happiness. The only way to peace. I am not a person who likes to kill, but because I have witnessed the horror of war, I hope that I can use force to stop force and let the people of the world have a peaceful and happy life."

Xu Ziling said in surprise: "Why do you suddenly have such a big feeling? You don't want to use it to convince me! You should know that I am a human being, and no one can change my mind unless it is something I firmly believe in. And I don't need it anymore. You spend your lips talking."

Shen Mu shook his head and said, "You've misunderstood me! I just want to say that I don't love war and killing like you, so if I can defeat the Li family, let Dou Jiande be the emperor. I believe he will be a good emperor who loves the people like a son. , can be regarded as an explanation for you, other things are secondary."

Xu Ziling was moved in his heart. With Shen Mu's aggressive character, it was very rare for him to make such a decision, and he knew that most of Shen Mu's decision was due to him.

With this mentality, Shen Mu will almost certainly be able to persuade Dou Jiande to send troops to relieve the siege of Luoyang.

Xu Ziling put his arms around Shen Mu's shoulders, nodded and said: "It is indeed my good brother! Now our goals can finally become the same!"

For the next seven days, while Shen Mu gathered troops in Gaoyou, bluffing, on the other hand, under the cover of the night, the airship continued to transport food and soldiers to Chenliu via the canal.

The heavy responsibility of governing the Young Marshal Country falls on Xu Xingzhi, assisted by Ren Meimei. Niu Fengyi and Zha Jie, who are both supervisors of the Six Departments, are still beginners in governing the country, so they are still in the stage of exploring and learning. point guide.Chen Laomou, the supervisor of the Ministry of Industry, is more than competent for his duties, and he keeps coming up with new ideas, carrying out various types of improvement projects on various cities, focusing on strengthening the defense of strategic cities.

The greatest advantage of the Young Marshal Army is that the treasury is abundant. With the full support of the Longyou Gang, Zhuhua Gang and Zhai Jiao, they have purchased food and daily necessities on a large scale, and there is no shortage.Cities like Xinde, such as Zhongli and Gaoyou, are exempted from tax for one year, and the people directly benefit, and of course they support the new master.The virtuous government that does not disturb the people, encourages production, makes the country full of vitality, and absorbs a large number of victims who migrated to the territory due to the war, so that the national strength can not be strengthened.

……

After sunset that night, Shen Mu, Xu Ziling, Yang Gongqing, and Ma Chang led a huge grain transport team composed of five thousand Yang family troops and Fei Yunqi, escorting nearly five hundred mule carts full of grain and groceries, and left Chenliu. Sent to Luoyang.He was accompanied by Wang Xuanshu and his three hundred soldiers.

The route of the march had already been drawn up. After leaving Chenliu, we turned westward, crossed the mountains to the north of Kaifeng, avoided the heavy enemy forces in Guancheng, Xingyang, and Hulao in the northwest, and took the shortcut of Songshan to the east of Luoyang. On the Yiluo Plain between Yishui and Luoshui, they sneaked closer to Luoyang under the cover of trees, and then broke through the siege and entered the city.

Because Li Shiji was confused by Gao You's bluff, and because the Tang army's defense against Dou's army was far greater than that of the young marshal's army, and because Shen Mu had no name to scout the way, he was able to avoid the enemy's sentinels and eyes and ears many times, and walked day and night without any surprises or dangers. Arrive at the east bank of Yishui.

Shen Mu, Xu Ziling, Yang Gongqing and Wang Xuanshu rode to the edge of Yishui River and hid in a dense forest on the bank to observe the ideal spot for crossing the river.

Wuming circled in the sky, scouting the situation near and far.

Yang Gongqing pointed to the densely forested place upstream and said: "I used to cross the river there, and the floating bridge facilities are still in the hidden place in the forest. If no one finds the damage, it will be ready to use after a little repair, saving us at least one night to build the bridge." The work of the bridge."

Shen Mu looked up at the sky, it was in the afternoon, but the sky was full of cumulus clouds, he frowned and said, "I'm afraid there will be a heavy rain tonight, like a river flooding, and the current is turbulent, which is quite unfavorable for us to cross the river."

Wang Xuanshu said: "Then why don't we cross the river immediately, as long as we send someone to watch the nearby highlands and act quickly, we can avoid the rain."

Yang Gongqing shook his head and said: "This matter cannot be reckless. Now we are exhausted and we don't have a few hours of rest. It is absolutely difficult to recover. Once the enemy attacks, we will be powerless to fight back. Success is in sight, we must be cautious."

Wang Xuanshu has always respected Yang Gongqing, although he disagreed with him, he had no choice but to shut up.

Shen Mu knew that Wang Xuanshu was interested in Luoyang, so he turned to Xu Ziling and asked, "What do you think, Young Master Ling?"

Xu Ziling looked up at Wuming, and said in a deep voice, "It's a bit inappropriate."

Shen Mu was stunned and said, "What's wrong?"

Yang Gongqing and Wang Xuanshu became nervous and asked questions in unison.

Xu Ziling said: "Yishui is unexpectedly calm. We have been here for half an hour, but we still haven't seen a speedboat from the Tang army patrolling the river. Is this unreasonable?"

Wang Xuanshu breathed a sigh of relief: "Since we have successfully evaded the enemy's spies, it's only natural that they were negligent in guarding against it!"

Xu Ziling said: "Mr. Xuanshu went to Liangdu today, did he go through some adventures?"

Wang Xuanshu was stunned for a moment, nodded and said: "We took advantage of the fact that the Tang army hadn't completed the deployment of the siege, we broke out at night, and quickly left the pursuers on horseback. The process was indeed very thrilling."

Shen Mu patted his legs and said: "I understand what Ling Shao means. With Li Shimin's intelligence, he should have guessed that Luoyang would ask for help from our young commander, so he will strengthen the reconnaissance in this area. We rely on Wuming's sharp eyesight for reconnaissance at high altitudes." , although we can avoid the sentry, but we can't avoid the enemy's pursuit of our hoofprints afterwards. Li Shimin can judge our route and time to Luoyang from this. When our soldiers are exhausted and we think that success is in sight, give us A fatal blow. Yishui is calm because Li Shimin doesn't want to startle the snake."

Yang Gongqing's face changed: "If Ziling's guess is correct, crossing the river will be the most dangerous moment."

Wang Xuanshu lost his mind and said: "Then what should we do?"

Shen Mu's eyes shone with divine light, and he said slowly: "The only way is to find out the enemy's assault army first, and defeat them with a thunderous force. If my prediction is correct, the enemy must be hiding somewhere upstream, and there is no name for it." It's easy to find their location. This matter is on me and Ziling, we will search along the river, and we will find it."

Xu Ziling said: "Wait a minute! Look at Wuming!"

The two looked up, Wuming was performing an eagle dance, which indicated that someone from upstream was approaching them.

Shen Mu scratched his head and said, "This is unreasonable, how could Tang Jun come here in such a big way?"

After a while, the sound of hooves was heard in the upstream direction, and it was approaching quickly.

Shen Mu frowned and said, "There's only one person, hey!" He slapped his horse out of the forest and ran upstream.

Yang Gongqing and Wang Xuanshu looked at each other, not knowing why.

Xu Ziling also showed joy, and said with a smile: "Don't panic, you're one of us." After saying that, he patted his horse and chased after Shen Mu's ponytail.

The one who came was Ba Fenghan, whom Shen Mu had been waiting for for a long time. He rode the Taklamakan and carried the Stealing Heaven Sword on his back. His demeanor was even better than before.

He was not surprised, and calmly embraced Shen Mu on horseback. Xu Ziling led Yang Gongqing and Wang Xuanshu to introduce the two parties.

Ba Fenghan looked up at Wuming in the sky, and happily said: "Seeing the Turkic Falcon in the sky, I guessed that it was a gift from Tuli. I thought you were nearby, so I purposely used the sound of hooves to attract you to meet each other."

Xu Ziling asked in surprise, "How did you know you came here to find us?"

Ba Fenghan smiled and said: "After entering the customs, I found out that you were not in Luoyang but in Liangdu. I rushed there, but in vain. Fortunately, Chang Lin told me that I knew that you were sending food to Luoyang, and I probably knew the date of your march. The route, so I chased after it, but found some interesting things on the way, I put it off for a day, otherwise I should have caught up with you last night."

Shen Mu cheered up and said, "Are you the Tang army who wants to put us to death?"

Ba Fenghan laughed and said: "Young commander is really smart, let's find a good place to talk, it's best to call Falcon back."

Shen Mu was slightly taken aback, and gestured for Wuming to fly back to his shoulder, and then galloped towards a nearby mountain with Ba Fenghan.

The five dismounted from their horses on a small hill and climbed to a high place.

Under the sunshine, the autumn wind blowing in bursts still makes people feel chilly, and the field is colorful with yellow, green and red.

Ba Fenghan pointed to the far west, and said: "About [-] Tang troops are hiding behind that mountain, all of them are cavalry, led by Li Shimin's Tiance House generals Sun Wuji, Yuchi Jingde and Pang Yu."

Shen Mu lost his voice and said, "It's actually the three of them?"

Xu Ziling, Yang Gongqing and Wang Xuanshu understood Shen Mu's shock. If it was Li Shiji who was chasing after him, it was only natural, it meant that they were out of hiding.However, Changsun Wuji and the other three are Li Shimin's personal generals, and they should stay beside Li Shimin to help him attack Luoyang, and Pang Yu is to Li Shimin what Luo Qifei is to Shen Mu, and they are responsible for intelligence investigation. Li Shimin first knew that they would transport grain to Luoyang, so he sent elites to raid their grain transport team.

Ba Fenghan said in a deep voice: "I arrived in Chenliu two hours after you left Chenliu, so the journey time was only two hours behind yours, and when I passed Kaifeng, I found that this team was thirty miles behind you. Xu Chu. I took advantage of their camp to rest and observed them closely, and found that they had eight ferocious vultures. Deal with your eagles. And their scouts are covered with leaves, obviously to deceive the eagle's eyes."

Yang Gongqing was startled and said, "There must be traitors in our young commander's army."

Shen Mu reached out and hugged Wuming lightly, wiped off his cold sweat and said, "It's so dangerous!"

Ba Fenghan said: "Yichi Jingde, Changsun Wuji, and Pang Yu are all veterans on the battlefield. The marching soldiers are separated, echoing each other, not afraid of ambushes and surprise attacks, and this area is full of plains, rivers and rivers. The dangerous terrain is available for use, unless you give up your food, no matter how you fight with them, we will definitely suffer the loss.”

Everyone felt a headache, the worst thing was that they didn't dare to let Wuming go to the sky to observe the enemy, if Ba Fenghan hadn't come to report the news, Wuming would not be spared.Since the enemy brought eight ferocious vultures, these trained vultures must be the unknown nemesis.

Xu Ziling sighed: "Li Shimin must not be underestimated. These vultures should have been trained for Turkic falcons."

Shen Mu frowned and said: "This ghost can know that I will personally deliver food to Luoyang, and his status in our army should not be too low, because this operation is absolutely confidential, and the soldiers below will only know that it is food delivery when they set off. Go to Luoyang, and let me personally lead the battle."

Ba Fenghan said: "Let's investigate this matter in the future. The most urgent thing now is how to cross Yishui without any danger or danger. At that time, if you want to fight or escape, there is a great chance of success."

Shen Mu said: "Why don't we come to build the plank road in the open, and make a plan to cross the old warehouse secretly?"

Xu Ziling understood first, nodded and said: "But the prerequisite must be that the pontoon facilities abandoned by Mr. Yang are still available."

Ba Fenghan was puzzled and said, "What floating bridge?"

Shen Mu explained and said: "The method is very simple. We unload the grain and load a similar amount of stones, and then go five miles downstream, and then cut wood and build a bridge. We will bluff until the enemy follows us, and we will stay here. People can quickly build a pontoon bridge, quickly send grain and goods to the other side, and then—ah! This method seems too complicated! Is there any better way?"

Ba Fenghan smiled and said, "What kind of wind is blowing now?"

Shen Mu said: "The wind seems to be blowing from the northwest."

Ba Fenghan looked up at the sky, and said: "If I read the sky correctly, there will be a heavy rain before midnight tonight, so we will build the pontoon bridge while the rain is dripping. It can be done. Due to the soaring water level, the pontoon bridge will be hidden under the water surface. The enemy's spies will only see that we are still cutting down trees and building bridges downstream. They will never guess that the pontoon bridge connecting the two banks will be erected early. By tomorrow night The water level has dropped, exposing the bridge deck, and we can cross the river quickly."

Yang Gongqing said: "It's just [-] mule carts loaded with heavy loads. It's impossible to cross the river in less than three hours. The enemy's horses are fast, and they are here in a blink of an eye. Our situation has not improved."

Ba Fenghan said indifferently: "So water and fire must be used at the same time. The bluff place where logging and building bridges must be half a mile away from the real crossing place. When we are going to cross the river, we will set fire to the forest according to the wind. Although there was a heavy rain However, after a day of exposure to the sun, the wind was high and the objects were dry, the fire spread rapidly and the sky was covered by thick smoke. Even if the enemy dared to attack, he would miss the opportunity because he mistook the real crossing point."

Then he slapped the Stealing Heaven Sword on his back, and his eyes shot out with divine light: "Since the initiative is in our hands, we can make a steady deployment, severely defeat the Tang army, and make them unable to cross the river to chase them."

Shen Mu patted his legs and exclaimed: "This plan is called water and fire, even if it is not recorded in Sun Tzu's book of war. It is important. Please Yang Gong take us out of the pontoon bridge first, and then study other details."

The drizzle continued.

Shen Mu smiled and said: "Veterans have the weakness of veterans, that is, they think everything is calculated, they will make estimates based on the time they used to build the bridge, guess that we will spend at least one night to erect the pontoon bridge, and then set the attack time at that time. Little did we know that we had a ready-made pontoon bridge, and when their horses were knocked unconscious by our wooden formation, it was too late to regret it."

Ba Fenghan laughed dumbly, and said: "The three of us have always been conceited and smart, but we couldn't think of such a convenient and easy method. Your subordinate Ma Chang is a rare talent, Shen Mu, you must cherish it."

(End of this chapter)

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