Jiuxi

Chapter 191 Chapter 190 [Silent Mountain]

On the seventh day of August, the sky was overcast.

It seemed like heavy rain was about to fall, but there was no movement. The dark clouds in the sky were like a heavy blanket pressing on everyone's heads.

The more than [-] Yan troops were divided into five groups and entered the Baotai Mountain area one by one. The distance between them was kept at about ten miles, so that they could expand the control area as much as possible and provide timely support to each other.Even if a certain road is attacked by the Seven-Star Army, friendly forces can come to the rescue in a very short time.

After the army entered the mountains, Xu Cun immediately sent out a large number of ranger scouts to gather intelligence together with the guides he had recruited previously. On the one hand, he cleared hidden dangers for his army's advance and avoided ambushes in certain narrow terrains. On the other hand, it also It can intimidate the grass in the mountains and destroy the opponent's morale with this high-intensity suppression.

However, it was extremely quiet in the mountains, with only the sounds of birds, animals, insects, and the sound of wind whistling through the forest.

This quiet atmosphere is too weird, as if the hunters in front have dug a trap and are waiting with bated breath for Yan Jun to step into it.

During the entire day from when the Yan army entered the Baotai Mountain area to when they marched more than thirty miles that day, the ranger scouts sent out by Xu Cun did not find any clues about the Seven Star Gang.

At dusk, the Yan army camped and rested in an open place in the mountains.

In the large tent of the Chinese army, Xu Cun was sitting on the commander's seat, frowning slightly, looking at his generals and said: "What do you think those reckless people are planning?"

Du Min, the former military superintendent, smiled and said: "General manager, this mountain is just a bunch of rabble. When have we ever seen a real battlefield attack? Now that our army is here, the troops are strong and the troops are in good order. Those people may have been frightened out of their courage a long time ago. At this moment He is shivering in his lair."

The generals roared with laughter.

Xu Cun forced a smile.

In fact, from the moment he received the military order from the Privy Council, he had a strange feeling in his heart. This bandit suppression was definitely not as simple as he imagined.

The reason is probably because the attitude of the Seven Star Gang has been very tough from beginning to end.

Faced with the request of the Yan court to recruit people, the Seven Star Gang refused without hesitation and used thunderous means to kill all the traitors, Dian Kuang and others within, without any intention of negotiating with the Yan Dynasty.This kind of no-slip approach means that either the other party is extremely stupid, or they have the confidence to deal with the Yan army's pressure.

Based on Xu Cun's personal understanding of Lin Jie, this leader of the green forest was by no means a reckless man. He must have someone to rely on if he dared to do this.

At this moment, seeing that his generals did not take the Seven Star Gang seriously, Xu Cun did not want to undermine their self-confidence too much, so he tactfully reminded: "Everyone, the Seven Star Gang is the largest gang in the Green Forest in the North, and its leader Lin Jieshen He is No. 1 on the Jianghu martial arts list, and has a large number of strange people under his command, as well as quite a few martial arts masters."

Wen Xiguang, the commander of the Left Army, coughed lightly and said respectfully: "Don't worry, manager, we will not underestimate the enemy. It's just that although these Jianghu people are brave, they have never experienced a battle. On the battlefield, relying solely on martial arts and bloody bravery Anger won't accomplish anything."

Xu Cun nodded slightly and said: "This is natural. I just hope you understand that even if these green people are not familiar with military affairs, they will never be timid. At least, they must have the courage to fight our army."

Du Min was a little embarrassed. Of course he could tell that the coach was trying to remind himself.

This man is courageous and brave, and is known for his fearlessness in leading troops in battle, so he can serve as a vanguard general.

He really looked down on the Seven Star Gang in his heart. The No. 1 martial arts list was just a joke created by idle men. So no matter how good Lin Jie's martial arts skills were, he could still move freely among millions of soldiers?

Not to mention the tens of thousands of elite troops, Du Min was confident of beheading Lin Jie just relying on the [-] heavily armored infantry under his command.

However, when Xu Cun said this, Du Min did not dare to continue arguing, so he said with a naive smile: "General Manager, I am not underestimating the enemy, I just don't want to increase others' prestige and destroy my own morale."

Xu Cun stopped talking and changed the topic: "Do you have a feeling that it is a little too quiet in this mountain?"

Wen Xiguang took over the conversation and said: "What the general manager said is absolutely true. Our army has a clear advantage. It is common sense that the Seven Star Gang does not dare to confront us head-on. However, the other party did not send scouts to gather information. This is indeed unreasonable."

Right Army Supervisor Shang Zhirong asked: "Could it be that those bandits simply don't have this awareness?"

Leading troops to fight is a profound knowledge. Not to mention commanding the enemy on the battlefield, just marching and setting up camp, looking at each other, and scouting and arranging everything requires a wealth of experience.Being able to carry tens of thousands of people from one place to another at any time without getting separated or lost during the process is a difficult task that most ordinary people cannot complete.

Shang Zhirong's words naturally make sense, but Xu Cun shook his head and said: "Don't forget, you guys, the reason why the Seven Star Gang dared to confront the imperial court was because they were related to the Southern Qi border army. According to what we know, Southern Qi Lu Chen, the captain of Huaizhou Ruishi Battalion, had already led people into the mountains. The purpose of his trip was to help the Seven Star Gang train the army. Those Jianghu people don't know the secrets of war. Lu Chen can't understand. He won't just watch us. I went into the mountains and nothing happened.”

An idea flashed in Wen Xiguang's mind, and he pondered: "What do you mean, the manager, does the other party want to deliberately paralyze our army and then attack the camp at night?"

Xu Cun said calmly: "I have studied the life of Lu Chen. Although he rose to prominence in the Southern Qi frontier army for a short time and only came to prominence last year, in just over half a year, he participated in the entire war from beginning to end. In the beginning During the Battle of Guangling, this man made his first appearance when he led hundreds of cavalry out of the city to attack the camp late at night."

Everyone looked solemn after hearing this.

Xu Cun continued: "In the battle that night, Lu Chen led his troops to attack Jingjun's flank, beheaded the generals and captured the flag, killing hundreds of people, and then calmly returned to Guangling City."

Wen Xiguang frowned slightly and said slowly: "It seems that he wants to repeat his old tricks."

Xu Cun nodded and said: "Those Seven Star Gang are reckless and ignorant of killing on the battlefield, but they are good at killing people and stealing goods, so they have to be on guard. After you return to the camp, you must make arrangements to prepare for the attack on the camp, and at the same time, prepare for the attack on the camp. Arrange light and dark sentries on the roads."

"Follow the order!"

All the generals stood up and responded.

After Du Min, the former military governor, returned to the camp, he summoned a group of confidant generals and made detailed arrangements.Although he often appears to outsiders as a reckless man, he is actually very thoughtful and agrees with Xu Cun's judgment.

As night fell, the Yan army's camps gradually returned to calm.

Du Min was wearing armor and sitting upright in the tent.

Waiting until daybreak, Du Min opened his eyes from half-asleep and asked in a slightly hoarse voice: "What time is it?"

The soldier quickly replied: "Go back to the general, it's already past midnight."

"Its daybreak?"

"Yes."

"There was no movement outside the camp last night?"

"Yes, the ministries followed the general's orders and were on the alert, but the enemy never showed up."

Du Min couldn't help but frown deeply when he heard this. When he arrived at the Chinese army's tent, he found that almost everyone else had a sleepy look on their faces.

Xu Cun's face looked a little ugly. At this moment, he couldn't help but doubt his previous view. Could it be that as Du Min said, everyone in the Seven Star Gang and that Lu Chen had been scared out of their wits and couldn't muster the courage to resist?
He quickly dismissed the idea.

"Continue to march and arrive at the first branch of the Seven Star Gang by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. After setting up camp tonight, all armies must still remain vigilant, and the soldiers can take turns on duty."

"Follow the order!"

……

About sixty miles north of the main force of the Yan army, in the first camp of the Seven Star Gang between two mountains, a group of people sat around a table.

"...The Yan army is divided into five groups. The front army has about 4000 people as the vanguard, the left and right armies have 3000 people each, the number of the center army is uncertain, and the rear army has about 4000 people. Further south, there are thousands of people transporting and protecting baggage. Named Auxiliary Soldier. The distance between the various units of the Yan Army is not very far, no more than fifteen miles at most. They adopt a step-by-step approach to build a camp and attack steadily, gradually approaching here."

Qi Lianfu, the leader of the Yin Hall, looked calm and introduced unhurriedly: "According to Brother Lu's arrangement, we did not dispatch too many people this time and only sent a few experts to investigate. Generally speaking, the Yan army was in good order when they marched. , there are also very tight guard posts at night. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, our people did not get too close."

"Brother Raoqi."

Lu Chen smiled and asked, "Where are the 3000 people from Jing's army now?"

Qi Lianfu shook his head and said: "We haven't found it yet."

The others immediately frowned.

Tao Baochun asked: "It is said that this Xiashan Army is very good at crossing mountains. Will they get into the mountains from other places?"

Qi Lianfu said: "Even if they really have such courage, they can't do it quietly. You can rest assured that the Yin cousins ​​have hidden stakes in every important place in the south, and they will never give the other party a chance to sneak in quietly. .”

Tao Baochun asked no more questions.

Everyone couldn't help but look up at Lu Chen.

Lin Xi said cautiously: "Junior brother, you said earlier that we would use guerrilla tactics this time. Can you let me lead people to raid their baggage?"

Lu Chen looked at her slightly uneasy eyes and said calmly: "Senior sister, if I guess correctly, the auxiliary soldiers who Brother Qi just mentioned to protect the Yan army's baggage are the old soldiers of Jing Dynasty."

When this statement came out, the whole audience was shocked.

Lu Chen explained: "The Yan army is marching heavily this time. Although Fengqiu City in the south has a large amount of food and grass reserves, it is already more than 200 miles away. And as the Yan army gradually penetrates deeper into the mountains, this distance will continue to lengthen. It is impossible." They have always relied on Fengqiu City to transport supplies, so they must carry enough food and grass with the army."

"Since ancient times, food and grass have been the lifeblood of an army. If we burn it down, tens of thousands of Yan troops will have no choice but to retreat in despair. If we can think of this, the enemy will naturally understand it, so during the war, The top priority is to plan for the grain and grass baggage. It is impossible for the Yan army not to be on guard, and up until this moment, Jing Dynasty's 3000 people have not shown up, so there is only one possibility. The other party is guarding near the baggage, waiting for us to sneak attack. Then catch us all in one fell swoop.”

"So that's it. I was in danger of being fooled by the enemy."

Everyone sighed, and Lin Xi couldn't help but smile apologetically.

Lu Chen indicated that it was okay, and then said calmly: "The Yan army has just entered the mountains. These days are the most heavily guarded times. We don't have to rush."

"Then according to Brother Lu's wishes, what should we do next?" Qi Lianfu asked curiously.

Lu Shensi thought for a moment and said calmly: "Judging from the Yan army's marching speed, they will be able to launch an attack on this branch of the stronghold the day after tomorrow at the latest. Please remember, this battle can only be defeated, not won!"

Although everyone did not understand the purpose of this arrangement, after Lu Chen's previous indoctrination, they had already formed a habit of obeying, and they immediately said in unison: "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)