Chapter 320 Fuse, Lu Junyi

Xie Ye led his troops south along the Hutuo River and arrived at Zhangzhuang before dusk to set up camp for the night.

Another twenty miles away is the border of Xinzhou.

Not looking down on the opponent is a quality of a good general.

Since Yang Chang started fighting against the Jin army, he has never been defeated. How can we dare to underestimate such a man?

Although Xie Ye boasted in front of others, he was actually cautious in private and did not take the risk of traveling at night.

The temporary camp had just been set up and Xie was sitting in the central army tent to rest, closing his eyes and waiting for dinner, when he unexpectedly received an uninvited guest.

Zhe Keqiu happened to retreat to this place in the north. Wendihampreet saw that he entered the camp alone and did not look like he had betrayed the Jin Kingdom, so he took him to the central army to see Xieye.

"Marshal, General Zhe requests to see you."

"Who?"

"Zhe Keqiu General."

"Hmm? Come in!"

Xie Ye sat up with a start, staring at the door with his deep eyes until Zhe Keqiu was led in by Wendy Hampritt.

"Marshal, I have failed to live up to expectations and lost cities and territory. I am here to apologize."

"Losing cities and territory? Did you do it on purpose or unintentionally?"

"what?"

Zhe Keqiu was shocked when he heard this, thinking what was the problem? He immediately clasped his fists and explained: "Marshal Rong, although Dingxiang City is strong and I have a lot of troops, we can't resist the internal support."

"Stop!" Xie also got angry when he heard the word "internal response". He immediately waved his hand to interrupt and frowned and asked: "But Yang Chang's main force is in Xiurong. Even if Dingxiang has internal response and collides with the enemy to open the city, can't General Zhe stop it? What do your soldiers do?"

"Is Yang Chang's main force in Xiurong? Did he send more troops?"

Zhe Keqiu muttered to himself, clasped his fists and continued to defend himself: "I also led my troops to fight hard, but I was indeed at a disadvantage in terms of military strength. Yang Zhi and Lu Zhishen were both very brave. If I hadn't seen that the situation was hopeless, I would not have withdrawn from Dingxiang."

"Yang Zhi? Not Yang Chang?"

"Yes, if Yang Chang came in person, I would have suffered more casualties, but Yang Zhi is also a fierce general, not to mention Lu Zhishen, this monk once uprooted a weeping willow tree."

"understood."

Xie was also a little confused after hearing this, mainly because Zhe Keqiu's report was very different from what Xi Shi said. He needed time to think about it, so he left Yang Zhi and Lu Zhishen aside and continued to ask related questions.

"You said you were at a disadvantage in terms of military strength. Can you tell me how disadvantaged you were?"

"The enemy has about 15,000 troops, and I only have 12,000. With 500 garrisons, we could have fought, but we had to use the city as a barrier. We didn't expect that the city gates would be opened by an insider."

"An insider, right? Can you tell me his name?"

"Hmm?" Zhe Keqiu was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head bitterly and replied: "There was more than one person inside. At that time, the three gates of the east, west and south were all open. I didn't think I could stop them."

"How many more people are there?"

Xie had not expected such a response, so he suppressed his anger and stood up, facing Zhe Keqiu and questioned: "Dingxiang has so many traitors, why didn't you surrender to the enemy earlier or later, but waited until General Zhe left before choosing to betray our Great Jin Kingdom, don't you think there is something wrong?"

"Isn't it because Chief Yang didn't come before?"

Zhe Keqiu gave the answer as he should, but when he saw Xie Ye's expression was not right, he added hastily, "It may also be related to He Quan. He was promoted by Tong Guan to be the general guarding Xinzhou a few years ago. He served in the same period as many generals and officials in the city. He once incited people under the city of Dingxiang, but I did not pay attention to him at that time."

"He Quan? The garrison commander of Xinzhou?"

"Marshal, you don't know that when Marshal Nianhan went south to attack Song, He Quan surrendered Xinzhou to the Jin Dynasty. He later followed the army to the south and lost contact in Liaozhou. It is estimated that he surrendered to Yang Chang at that time."

"Your idea is quite innovative."

Xie Ye glanced at Zhe Keqiu meaningfully, and immediately asked him a crucial question, "Did you suffer heavy losses in Dingxiang? How many of the twelve thousand soldiers are left?"

"Three or four thousand people were killed, and there are still eight thousand left."

"Oh? A loss of 30% of the troops? Wendy Hampritt, General Zhe left in a hurry, and the army is probably short of rations. Let them have our dinner tonight first. If it's not enough, ask the kitchen to make more. Don't leave out a single soldier. Do you hear me?"

"The last general takes command!"

Seeing Wendy Hampritt's loud response, Zhe Keqiu hurriedly clasped his fists to Xiang Xie and said, "Marshal, there is no need to do this. How can we take over the host position? Or..."

"It's settled. You go first."

"General Zhe, please."

"Eh"

Zhe Keqiu could not refuse the kindness, so he followed Wendy Hampritt away, while Xie Ye paced back and forth in the tent.

Xi Shi wrote a military letter suspecting Zhe Keqiu of collaborating with the enemy, and this man really lost the city of Dingxiang. However, his family was in his hands. Wasn't he afraid of being exterminated for betraying the Jin Kingdom?

Compared to Yelu Yudu's troops who were all intact, Zhe Keqiu lost three to four thousand men. If we verify it after the meal, it will be difficult to determine who the traitor is.

Just wait patiently and the truth will come out sooner or later.

After waiting for about an hour, Wendy Hampritt followed the food delivery soldiers into the central army to report on Zhe Keqiu's military strength.

After hearing this, Xie also frowned and looked at the bread on the table without any appetite, so he got up and went to the door of the big tent to look at the sky.

At that time, the clouds were so thick that the stars and the moon were invisible, and the whole earth was pitch black.

"The clouds are so thick that I can't see my hand in front of me. How can I see clearly?"

"I persuaded Zhe Keqiu to surrender. If he really betrays the Great Jin, it will set a bad precedent."

"What do you think?"

"install?"

Xie Ye was originally talking to himself, but suddenly turned around to ask himself. Wendy Hampritt was stunned. After a while, he scratched his head and replied, "I don't understand those twists and turns, but Zhe Keqiu feels real to me. Marshal, why don't you observe him for a while?"

"That's exactly what I meant."

"By the way, according to Zhe Keqiu's previous description, Yang Zhi led 15,000 men to attack Dingxiang, so Yang Chang himself must have stayed in Xiurong. Since he had to take care of the safety of the Pingding Army, he probably wouldn't have sent too many troops to Xinzhou. Do you think there is a possibility that Yang Chang took over Xiurong with the help of the insiders in the city and 5,000 men?"

As soon as Wendy Hampritt finished speaking, he saw Xie Ye waving his fist excitedly.

"With the help of an insider, what can five thousand people do?"

"The combined strength of the Yelu Yudu and Yelu Tushan tribes exceeds 25,000."

"No, if the Liao soldiers leave without fighting, with Yang Chang's powerful ability, it is not certain."

Xie was also shocked by his own speculation and shut up. Seeing this, Wendy Hampritt reminded him in a low voice: "According to the Marshal's analysis just now, the traitor in the army is not Zhe Keqiu, but..."

"How can we convict people without solid evidence? Moreover, these two are not ordinary surrendered generals. They have many connections behind them."

"My humble opinion, Marshal, please do not pay attention to it. I don't know what to do next."

"Hmph." Xie Ye sneered, "Yang Chang has been conquering cities and Xinzhou easily in recent days. I'm afraid he is too happy and will be sad. He doesn't know that a disaster is coming."

"What disaster?"

Wendy Humpritt scratched her head again.

Xie also pointed at the other party, then pointed at himself and said with a smile: "Yang Chang has taken Xinzhou, but his foothold is not stable. If I lead a large army to surround Xiurong, and there are really only 5,000 soldiers in the city, then the bandits can be defeated."

"That makes sense." Wendy Hampritt nodded and added, "We can also use Xiurong to besiege Dingxiang, Shiling Pass, and even Yangqu."

"That's what I mean."

Xie nodded happily, and then said earnestly: "This is just a guess, and we need to send troops to verify it. You are the most powerful general under my command, so lead your troops to travel overnight and go to Xiurong as soon as possible to confirm the enemy's strength. Do you remember the portrait of Yang Chang? Remember not to fight him when you meet him."

"As the commander, Yang Chang will not be the first to go into battle. If I encounter other people, should I negotiate with them? This can delay time and help me understand the enemy's strengths and weaknesses."

"Yes." "Also, Zhe Keqiu is familiar with Xiurong, why not let him..."

Wendy Hampritt stopped talking when she saw Xie Ye frowning and shaking his head.

"Zhe Keqiu is still under suspicion, so taking him with you would be like hanging a knife behind your head. You'd better go on your own. Don't force yourself if you can't win. Wait for me to lead the main force."

"Yes!"

That night, Yang Chang held a banquet in the lobby of the provincial government to reward the meritorious soldiers.

He usually wasn't in a hurry to hold a celebration banquet, but Dingxiang had been captured, indicating that Xinzhou had been taken back from the Jin people. The news was delivered by Shi Qian himself in the afternoon, so it was worth holding a banquet to celebrate.

The only fly in the ointment was that the news of Elder Zhizhen's passing reached the ears of Flower Monk Lu Zhishen. He asked Shi Qian to ask Yang Chang for leave and rushed to Mount Wutai that day, saying that he wanted to go back to Wenshu Temple to take a look.

Yang Chang was preoccupied with something and was not in a good mood at the banquet, so he went back to his room early to rest.

He didn't sleep much that night, thinking all night about what to do next. The main reason was that the northern part of Xinzhou was not geographically favorable, and if he didn't continue to advance, he would easily be attacked.

If he was not in Xinzhou, Xiurong, Dingxiang and Shilingguan might be attacked, so all three places would need garrisons, but Yang Chang did not have so many soldiers at the moment.

As for Xinzhou, which had just been recovered, it was necessary to leave troops to maintain local stability. If we continue to advance northward to recover Daizhou, even fewer troops will be available, and we will have to rely mainly on Yelu Yudu at that time.

According to Yelu Yudu, the Jin army in the west has nearly 100,000 troops, which is not easy to kill even if they are 100,000 pigs. In short, if you are too eager for success, you will become more and more passive, so Yang Chang is once again in a dilemma.

The next morning, Yang Chang woke up unexpectedly late.

He was just getting off the bed and starting to change his clothes when he noticed two people coming outside the room, one with a heavy breath and one with a light breath.

"Where's the general? Hasn't he gotten up yet?"

"Ah."

"Brother always gets up early, why is it so late today?"

"Shh, be quieter."

The sound of the conversation outside the house was very low, but it did not prevent Yang Chang from figuring out the identities of the people who came. It turned out to be Liu Tang and Shi Qian.

He quickly put on his clothes and rushed forward to open the door.

"You guys? Something wrong?"

"Yes, Shi Qian, it's your turn!"

"Captain, the Night Owl Army went out for scouting early this morning and discovered traces of Jin cavalry near Chenghou Mountain in the north. There are about 10,000 soldiers, and I'm afraid they are coming for Xiurong."

"The number of his troops is close to that of Zhe Keqiu's defeated soldiers. No matter what his purpose is in approaching Xiurong, we should strike first. How about letting me go and meet him?"

Seeing Liu Tang's eager face asking for the battle, Yang Chang smiled and shook his head in response: "From the situation at Shiling Pass, Zhe Keqiu and Yelu Yudu have the same idea. They want to preserve their troops as much as possible. They will never come to Xiurong after being defeated in Dingxiang. Moreover, he does not have so many cavalrymen, so this team is the Jin soldiers from Daizhou."

"What about the Jin soldiers from Daizhou? I can kill them just as well."

"If they are all cavalry, it will be difficult for us to retain them. We should wait and see what happens."

"General."

Shi Qian took the opportunity to call Yang Chang to stop him, clasped his fists and said, "Xiu Rong has too few soldiers at this time. Do you want me to go back to Dingxiang and ask General Yang to bring reinforcements?"

"never mind."

Yang Chang waved his hand and refused, "We can't do anything with just over 10,000 cavalrymen. If we rush to send reinforcements, we will be easily ambushed."

"Oh"

"Let the Night Owl Army explore again. We are afraid that this is just the vanguard of the Jin Army. We should not expose our true strength yet."

"Yes!"

Shi Qian received the order and went ahead, while Yang Changze and Liu Tang left the provincial government office together to inspect the city defenses at the four gates.

At the turn of Chen and Si, the beautiful north gate.

When Yang Changxing arrived here, he personally encouraged the craftsmen to speed up the progress and repair the city tower that was burned the night before. At the same time, he climbed up the city wall and looked to the north to see if the Jin army had arrived in Xiurong.

Looking from a high place, there were no cavalry in sight.

Just as he was wondering, Yang Chang suddenly felt someone approaching. He turned around and saw Shi Qian, the flea on the drum, running towards him in a hurry.

"what happened?"

"The situation is not good. The cavalrymen from Chenghou Mountain have been lingering in the nearby Xiurong village, as if they are trying to spy on us."

Before Shi Qian finished speaking, Liu Tang started to curse: "These bastards are so treacherous!"

"do not do that."

Yang Chang frowned and waved his hands, saying sternly: "War is a matter of each party's own methods. How can we be the only ones to scout and not allow others to scout?"

"Then we just sit there and watch?"

"The situation has changed. I can't just stand by and watch. I have to take the initiative."

"Take me with you!"

Seeing Liu Tang's excited face, Yang Chang responded with a smile: "I will allocate a thousand cavalry to you, go out of the city immediately to harass the Jin army, but you have few soldiers and cannot start a war rashly."

"What if the other party invites a general to fight?"

"If it's just a fight, you can dampen his spirit, but remember not to get carried away!"

"I save it!"

Liu Tang patted his chest, clasped his fists and bowed to Yang Chang, then went to organize his troops and prepare to leave the city.

Shi Qian looked at Liu Tang's back, twirling his mustache and sighing with a smile: "With the guidance of the general, Brother Liu Tang's martial arts are now much better than before. I guess he can chop off a few more heads."

"There are people outside the world, and there is a sky outside the world."

Yang Chang looked solemn and said, "Although Liu Tang has become much stronger, the enemy's strength is unknown. How can we determine victory or defeat too early? In fact, I should go there myself."

"The Grand Commandant has to stay in Xiurong, how can he do everything himself? Besides, according to the scouts' report, those Jin soldiers are all covered in armor, and they must be on guard against your magic arrows. If you go out in person, you will definitely scare the enemy away. Brother Liu Tang is enough."

Shi Qian stated seriously, which made Yang Chang smile. He replied happily: "Although you are flattering me, my words are true. It's just that when facing the enemy, we should always go all out. It's better to give Liu Tang an insurance policy."

"Get insurance?"

"Haha, I asked General Lu to go with us to provide Liu Tang with insurance, which means that there will be no mistakes."

"I see. With Mr. Lu here, things will be more stable."

Following the guidance of the Night Owl Army, Liu Tang soon arrived at Laohuai Village in the northeast of Xiurong and encountered the main force of Wendyhampreet.

Through his visits, Wendyhampreit has preliminarily learned that the soldiers from Dingxiang did not return to Xiurong, and Liu Tang brought a thousand cavalry to cause trouble, which indirectly shows that Xiurong does not have many soldiers and horses.

Kill these thousand people first? Give Yang a warning? Or don't alert the enemy?

While he was hesitating, Liu Tang rode up to the front of the battle formation, raised his sword and shouted arrogantly: "I am General Liu Tang, is there anyone here to die?"

"Red-haired ghost Liu Tang?"

"How's your martial arts?"

"He should be pretty average, anyway, far inferior to Lu Zhishen and Wu Song. But he was the one who chopped off the eldest prince's head under the city of Yangqu!"

"hiss"

After hearing the whispers around him, Windyhampreet's eyes flashed coldly. Then he clenched the mace in his hand, rode out on his horse and went straight for Liu Tang.

"I come!"

(End of this chapter)