Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

In front of a ridge at the corner of a river bend, there was a temporary camp where people and horses were stationed.

The soldiers on the riverside were busy fetching water for their horses. Several wind-shielding tents in the camp were filled with camp soldiers resting and eating. There were more than a dozen armed guards standing around a small tent in the center, obviously protecting the big shots inside. .

There were several burly and strong generals in military uniforms sitting in the small tent. Some were still eating barbecued meat with biscuits, and some had finished eating and were holding clay pots and sipping the buttermilk inside.

"My Lord, we are still fifty or sixty miles away from Shangfeng City, but it is less than an hour before dark. Even if we arrive at night on the night journey, it will already be late at night. We are all exhausted, so why not just rest for the night? Will you continue on your way tomorrow morning?"

After a general finished his meal, he looked at the general sitting above and made suggestions.

The general did not answer immediately, but turned to look at a middle-aged man next to him who was wearing a military uniform but had a scholarly temperament, with a look of inquiry.

The middle-aged man put down the wooden chopsticks and meat-cutting knife in his hands, swallowed the food in his mouth, and then said: "The army only listens to the name of Duke Hejian. If the Duke asks about his humble position, he will boldly advise him to come to the town as soon as possible." The safest.”

After hearing this, the general couldn't help but look puzzled, and frowned and said: "Yesterday, I received a new message from Li Xianhe. The army of the Duke of Hanoi is still stationed in Liangzhou. The Qinzhou territory I saw along the way is also sparse in people and horses, and it is difficult to form an array. Wu. Changxing has not been hindered so far, so the defense in Fengcheng must be weak.

After traveling day and night for several days, the people and horses were indeed exhausted. Why did Hongye insist on speeding up? Is there something I don't know about that I need to be deeply afraid of? "

This general's name was Wang De, who was granted the title of Duke of Hejian County. He was also a founding general who was born in Wuchuan and had great merits. This middle-aged man was named Han Bao. Although he was not a military commander, he was recruited as a staff member when Daxingtai was guarding Xiazhou. After He Bayue was killed, he strongly advised Daxingtai to go south and take over the army. Wu is now one of the important staff members of the Tai government and a confidant of Da Xing Tai.

Such a pair of them cooperated to lead the troops straight to Qinzhou when Dugu Xin's army was marching westward and Qinzhou town was empty. Naturally, they had great meaning and must have received Daxingtai's instructions.

Although Wang De was born as a warrior, he was careful and careful. Although he was the leader of the trip, he also fully respected the opinions of Han Bao, a confidant of Daxingtai.

When he saw that Han Bao had a cautious attitude that he couldn't understand, Wang De couldn't help but feel secretly suspicious. Could there be some key factors in this trip that he didn't know about?

After hearing this, Han Bao said sternly: "The Duke of Hanoi's army is stationed outside. According to common sense, the defense in the town must be empty. But now one of the people left behind in Qinzhou is Li Boshan. When predicting the situation, we cannot follow the usual rules.

Li Boshan, this disciple, had an astonishing number of demons and talents when he was in Taifu. His past deeds must have been heard by Lord Hejian, and the Lord treated him well. If not... Well, in short, there is no room for error in this trip, it is best not to Give it too much time to adapt, otherwise variables may arise again. "

Wang De frowned even deeper when he heard this.

He originally thought that Han Bao was so nervous because he was worried about what other arrangements Dugu Xin had, and he was also full of fear of Dugu Xin, who was far more talented than him. However, he did not expect that it was just because of a young man like Li Tai.

As the fastest rising star in junior high school in recent years, Wang De has certainly heard about Li Tai's fame and deeds. He was even present when Zhao Gui was slapped in the face in Baishui last year. On the one hand, he disdained Zhao Gui's embarrassing performance. , on the other hand, they were not dissatisfied with Li Tai's behavior of stepping on their old man Wuchuan to ascend to the throne.

It's just that they rarely interacted with each other, so he didn't bother to express any attitude. In short, he had heard of Li Tai before but didn't have much of a cold. He couldn't say he was disgusted, but he definitely didn't have any feeling of closeness or friendship.

At this time, when he heard that Han Bao suggested that the troops continue to drive their tired bodies through the night because Li Tai stayed in Qinzhou, Wang De felt a little dissatisfied, so he said in a deep voice: "Halfway through the journey, the target is already in sight. If there are any changes, It may be very small. Besides, even if we are prepared to go to Fengcheng, we still need Jingwang Shili to take a rest for the night and hit the road at dawn."

After hearing what Wang De said, Han Bao stopped making any further comments. He knew that Wang De was not feeling well, not only because of his making a fuss, but also because of his mission. Dugu Xin's pacification of Liangzhou was certainly meritorious, but Daxingtai did not reward his merits and blocked his way back, which was a bit lax.

Of course Wang De is not a close confidant of Dugu Xin, otherwise he would not be sent to carry out this task. However, the relationship between them as townspeople is also very subtle. There are conflicts of interest and competition for fame and status, but apart from that, they also have a kindred spirit.

Han Bao was not from Zhenren, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with what Daxingtai did.

In the Battle of Heqiao last year, Dugu Xin and others abandoned the army and fled, leaving Daxingtai on the battlefield. This made them, the subordinates of the Bafu, feel that these old Wuchuan party and other Yi old people were a factor of instability. There must be checks and balances to ensure the stability of the hegemony.

This time Dugu Xin pacified Liangzhou, and his prestige was even greater. In addition, the new Liangzhou governor Shi Ning came under his command, and almost the entire Longyou was controlled by one hand. If it continues to develop, it will have the reality of a separatist regime even though it does not have the name of a separatist regime!

Moreover, the reorganization of the six armies of the Bafu has been very effective. Whether it is external attacks or internal defenses, these old troops are no longer the only ones to rely on. It is natural to impose restrictions, which can not only maintain the stability of the country, but also protect their reputation. .

But Han Bao also knew in his heart that if his trip to Long failed to achieve the expected results, it would intensify the conflict between Dugu Xin and other Long right forces and the Bafu. Although Wang De didn't care about the young man Li Boshan, he still couldn't rest assured. He suggested that Wang De might as well send a team of scouts to the direction of Shangfeng City to check if there were any abnormal signs.

Wang De did not refuse this. After sending out the scouts, he ordered the soldiers to set up camp. After receiving this order, the officers and soldiers in the battalion couldn't help but burst into joy and gratitude. The last time they had enough sleep and food was a few days ago when they were in Wonju before setting off.

Han Bao chatted with Wang Deqian for a while about the steps after arriving in Shangfeng City, and then got up and walked into his tent to undress and fall asleep.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but he heard the shouts of his attendants in a daze. He stood up from his sleeping mat and walked out of his tent. Soon he saw a soldier under Wang De's tent standing in front of him. Outside the camp, my heart strings suddenly tightened, and I asked quickly: "What's the matter?"

"My lord has asked Han Shi to come to the account as soon as possible to discuss matters."

The soldier quickly crossed his hands and whispered. After hearing this, Han Bao did not dare to neglect. He glanced at the dark night sky and walked quickly to Wang De's camp.

At this time, several generals and commanders in Wang De's tent had been summoned. Seeing Han Bao enter, Wang De said to him in a deep voice: "None of the scouts sent during the day returned..."

"So Qinzhou still has a strong military force?"

Han Bao was also shocked when he heard this. It should be noted that a complete scout team has a clear division of labor, each performs its own duties, and its mobility must be guaranteed. If you want to completely intercept a scout team of more than ten people, you will need at least several times the ranger team.

Wang De sent out more than one scout team. After the first team failed to deliver the echo message within the prescribed time, he sent several more teams one after another, but all of them disappeared without a trace.

This means that the sight and hearing of their troops and horses are restricted. At least a thousand cavalry troops are active around them, so that they can completely outflank and intercept the sent scouts.

And these thousands of people must at least be proficient in riding skills, no less than the most elite soldiers under Wang De's command. After all, those who can serve as scouts are definitely not the old, weak, sick or disabled!

"Could it be that Lord Hanoi knew about this and sent elite soldiers back to the town in advance to guard it?"

One of the generals said uneasily.

Wang De and Han Bao all shook their heads after hearing this. They had arrived in Yuanzhou many days ago, and immediately set off south after receiving the battle report from Li Xian. There was no way Dugu Xin could grasp it in advance. They sent elite soldiers to intercept their whereabouts. Moreover, Li Xian's reports continued every day, so it was impossible for thousands of elite cavalry to break away from the army and hide it.

If Liangzhou hadn't returned to the army, it would have been Qinzhou's remaining forces. But they all know how many troops are left in Qinzhou. There is absolutely no such a formation, unless something else happens during this period.

"Hongye, do you think it's possible that this is Li Boshan... But where did he recruit strong soldiers?"

Although Wang De still couldn't believe it, it was obviously the most likely scenario.

All the scouts disappeared without a trace. This was obviously not a matter of luck in catching them by chance. It can only be said that the other party had clearly grasped every move of their group and had enough power to deal with them.

Han Bao was not in the mood to care about Wang De's previous refusal to follow his advice. He only saw that the other party was so confident in his defense and counterattack that it made no difference whether they arrived half a day early or half a day late.

"The only plan for now is to stay still for a moment. Hold on to the camp and wait for dawn. Whether it was Li Boshan's fault or not can be verified by yourself."

Han Bao sighed secretly in his heart and answered in a dry tone.

When Wang De heard this, he didn't have any better ideas for a while. In such a situation where the enemy is in the dark and we are in the clear, any further actions will only expose more flaws, so he passed this order to the entire battalion.

The most innocent ones were the soldiers in the camp. They thought they could have a good sleep by stopping here for the night, but instead they had to stand in the camp fence with swords and guns and the cold wind blew all night.

We managed to survive until dawn. Fortunately, no accidents happened outside the camp. Soon the rangers who went out to investigate quickly came back and reported that the scouts who had not returned last night had been tied up and abandoned in a valley several miles away. Although each of them had some injuries, their lives were not affected. The person who abandoned them here even thoughtfully covered them with a layer of felt to keep out the cold.

After taking these scouts back to the camp, Wang De and Han Bao made some inquiries and each looked embarrassed. After a while, Han Bao suggested: "The troops can advance slowly, but Duke Hejian and Bao should first go to Shangfeng City to meet Li Boshan to avoid misunderstanding."

After Wang De heard this, he lowered his head in silence for a while, then nodded stiffly.