The Grandmaster Strategist

Lin Tong, the princess of Hongxia County, is the youngest daughter of Lin Yuanting, the Marquis of Daizhou, and the sister of Princess Jiaping. The princess has always been favored by the princess, and her parents and siblings regard her as a treasure. However, the princess loves martial arts and often goes out alone to hunt with a bow and knife. In the first year of Emperor Yong's reign, in the twenty-fourth year of the Northern Han Dynasty, Princess Jiaping went to Qinzhou to help in the war. The barbarians were in a hurry to attack Yanmen. Shi Yuanting was seriously ill, and his second brother Chengyou died in the battle. Daizhou had no master, and the master stepped forward. , led the people to fight against the barbarians. Although the master was young, he was as majestic and brave as his father and sister, so he was supported by everyone as a general to fight against the barbarians.

——"The Biography of Princess Hongxia in Yongshi"

Lin Tong, dressed in red, stood on the top of Yanmenguan City and quickly handed down military orders to resist the barbarians who were attacking the city fiercely. Although they did not have enough siege equipment, they were still able to defeat the city with their bravery and skill in fighting and their numerical advantage. This put huge pressure on Yanmen Pass. In order to effectively kill the enemy, Lin Tong accurately chose the time to throw the rolling water and rocks. The enemy's attacks became more and more fierce. Although the barbarians were good at riding and shooting, they had also learned the skills of siege after years of fierce fighting with the Daizhou Army. The use of ladders and catapults gave them a greater chance of breaking through, and even Some barbarians who were good at lassoing used ropes to climb the city. Lin Tong could feel that the barbarian forces were getting stronger and stronger in the past few days. The barbarian tribes in the entire grassland must have gathered together to cooperate to attack the city, break through Yanmen Pass, march straight in, and loot everything to tide over the shortage of rations this spring. Finally, the barbarians who had suffered heavy losses began to retreat, and Lin Tong breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that it would not be long before the barbarians would regroup their forces and come to attack. Even so, they finally got a short rest, which was enough to comfort them.

After many days of hard fighting, Lin Tong's beauty has been reduced, but her expression is very calm. In order to boost her morale, she has not stepped down from the tower for three days and nights. Her red dress is like a flame, always burning on the city. , inspiring the troops to fight bloody battles. Ever since his elder brother was ambushed when leaving the city and was killed by an arrow in front of the pass, his father has been ill. His eldest brother Lin Chengyi only knows how to fight. His army is rough and impulsive. The generals in the army are worried about this and have no choice but to respect Lin Tong. The main general. This was originally an expedient measure, but who knew that Lin Tong supported the overall situation with his delicate body, and commanded the battle in a sound manner, no less than a veteran of hundreds of battles. Therefore, within a few days, the soldiers and civilians of Daizhou had already defeated Lin Tong. As the coach who can replace Lin Bi.

Speaking of which, although Lin Tong has never commanded a battle before, she is intelligent by nature, likes riding horses and archery, and is very interested in battlefield battles. Although her parents and siblings have a tacit understanding not to let her experience war, she usually comes to She likes to follow Lin Bi everywhere, so she is very knowledgeable in military strategy. After the East China Sea incident, Lin Tong grew up suddenly and became very attentive in military strategy. In addition, he accompanied Lin Yuanting to command at Yanmen Pass a few days ago. With his talent, knowledge and humility, Lin Tong became a qualified commander in a short period of time. . Even if there were some minor oversights, they could be made up for with the help of the uncles and brothers of the Daizhou Army. Moreover, Lin Tong was born with agility and had a very good grasp of the battlefield, which made Princess Hongxia famous. Of course, Lin Tong had no intention of caring about this at this moment, and she didn't even realize that everyone had regarded her as her sister's substitute. She was just trying hard to think of how to deal with the barbarians.

Dragging heavy steps, Lin Tong, regardless of fatigue, patrolled the city, inspected the defenses, and expressed condolences to the injured sergeants. After finishing the military affairs, she found a place to stand, leaned against the city wall, sat down, and wrapped her cloak around her body. , hugging his knees with his hands, preparing to take a nap. Not long after, Lin Tong had fallen asleep. At this moment, she naturally didn't know that there was a pair of eyes watching her silently.

The sergeants and minzhuang who guarded the pass were divided into two rounds. This round, they all went down to rest, and the sergeants and minzhuang who came up to guard the pass began to accept defense. Daizhou Minzhuang was also trained according to military standards and organized into a team. Everything went on in an orderly manner. In progress. There is a team among them that is a little different. Their actions are obviously a bit sloppy. This is a militia group from another county recruited by the Daizhou Army. Every year when the barbarians invade, the Daizhou Army will recruit young men from other counties to join the army and use the art of war. The first reason for restraint is that there are barbarian spies among them.

Secondly, in order to enhance their combat power, these people will be organized into military brigades, with veterans from Daizhou serving as corps commanders. Those who are brave will go to the pass to defend against the enemy, while those who are weak and incompetent will carry milk and water below, and will be responsible for commanding and monitoring their deputies. The state veterans are all experienced battlefield warriors. These people can be cowardly and greedy, but they have absolutely no chance to perform the duties of spies.

This small group of about a hundred people is a very brave young man among the young people recruited this time. He is not afraid of going into battle to kill the enemy, so he was sent to Guan to assist the defense of Daizhou soldiers and civilians, and is responsible for commanding these people. The history of the hundred-man team is named Lin Yuanchong. He is thirty-nine years old this year. He is a descendant of the Lin family in Daizhou. In terms of seniority, he is the uncle of Lin Bi and Lin Tong. Although his military strategy is mediocre, he has fought bloody battles for many years. , is an outstanding junior officer, and very careful. He is most suitable for commanding and monitoring these brave and brave people from other counties. He directed everyone to start setting up defenses. Although it was a bit chaotic, it was still within an acceptable range. Besides, these people were all good players, and guarding the defense for a while could play a big role, so he was quite satisfied. His eyes accidentally fell on an ordinary-looking young man, and Lin Yuanchong frowned slightly. This young man, Wang Dalang, was the person he paid most attention to. Although his performance in the past few days was remarkable, and although he was brave, he could not compete with him. Compared with the warriors of Daizhou, he has neither excessive fear nor abnormal excitement about killing. However, with the perception of many years of fighting, Lin Yuanchong always feels that there is a faint dangerous aura in him, which makes him approach this person every time. There is a depressing feeling all around.

I secretly paid attention to this young man without leaving any trace. In fact, if I look carefully, I can see that this young man's facial features are all delicate and handsome, but somehow they are combined to become ordinary and ordinary, and there is also a feeling of being downcast. His complexion is fair and he seems to be a little weak. , but his slightly rough skin and agile and powerful limbs let people know that he is not a weakling. Although he is inconspicuous on weekdays, he often performs outstandingly in battle, obeys military orders, assists his companions, and is able to defeat enemy warriors. These are the characteristics of people who have had a military career. He is usually taciturn, but at critical moments his words often have the effect of inspiring people. All this cast a layer of confusion on this young man who came to Yanmen a few days ago and was drafted in the name of visiting relatives and friends.

Of course, Lin Yuanchong would never believe that this young man was a spy of the barbarians. He only saw his razor-sharp skills when killing enemies and the calmness with which he assisted him in commanding everyone. Unless the barbarians were all fools, they would never send such a person undercover. Rather than letting him lead the charge. Seeing the young man holding the horizontal sword and sitting there to rest with his eyes slightly closed, this was inconsistent with his identity. Only warriors who have experienced battles understand that they need to try their best to maintain their physical strength in any leisure time, unlike the other few. Chu'er looked out nervously, worried that the enemy would attack. Lin Yuanchong withdrew his gaze. No matter what the identity of this person was, as long as he was not a spy of the barbarians, it didn't matter. As for the future, the barbarians had to be driven away before he had time to think about it.

Although his eyes were slightly closed, everything around him was reflected in his heart, and he was looking at the person he was interested in through the slit of his eyes. Chi Ji was not as calm as he appeared on the surface. Just using some small disguise methods and slightly modifying the facial features made the originally handsome appearance lose its luster, deliberately not showing off its edge. Although for the sake of combat, it is inevitable to show some color in this hundred-person team, but I believe that commanding all Lin Tong of the Yanmen garrison would not notice a small outsider. In this way, Chi Ji infiltrated the Daizhou Army and Lin Tong's side. He naturally knew that no one was suspicious of him, but he knew a little about Daizhou and knew that as long as he did not show signs that he might be a barbarian spy, no one would be suspicious of him. He questioned himself in detail and smiled slightly. After the barbarians retreated, even if the Daizhou army wanted to settle accounts with Qiu Hou, it would no longer matter. If Lin Tong was still alive at that time, even if he killed himself, he would have no regrets. If Lin Tong died, Chi Ji felt a pain in his heart and believed that he would definitely follow her. In this case, why should he be cautious everywhere? Anyway, although the young master hopes that he can go back to see him alive, Chi Ji himself has no such extravagant hope. When Qiang Zi came to Daizhou, he could be said to have betrayed the young master in a sense. As a Eight Horseman, he would regard the young master's wishes as his own. The moment he chose to fight alongside Lin Tong , his position as the leader of the Eight Horses has been shaken. What's more, Dayong will not let the separatist regime of Daizhou go, Yong's army will definitely suppress Daizhou, and Chiji himself definitely does not want his sword to be stained with the blood of his beloved and his relatives.

After a while, Chi Ji was awakened, and it was his turn to go up and monitor the enemy's situation. He stood at the gate, staring into the distance with burning eyes, while his hands were doing the same thing repeatedly, taking out the sharp arrows from the quiver beside him. , took a gourd from his waist, then took out a square towel, and took out a pair of deerskin gloves from his arms to put on, then poured out the black liquid from the gourd, soaked the square towel, and wiped the arrow with the square towel. His movements were agile and light. After he processed the arrows one after another, the arrowheads appeared gray and black. When he was doing this, several young men around him tacitly blocked the eyes of others until he finished. these jobs.

Just as he tied the gourd back to his waist, a pleasant and slightly hoarse voice came from behind and asked, "What are you doing?" Chi Ji's heart trembled, but his movements did not lag at all. He turned around and prostrated, "Little man Adding poison to the arrow."

Lin Tongfeng said with a puzzled look in her eyes: "Why bother to quench the poison? Our warriors, whose arrows can kill the enemy instantly, quenching the poison is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but of little use."

Chi Ji said in a changed accent: "The villain is not from Daizhou. Although he can shoot arrows, he is not strong enough. He often penetrates the enemy's leather armor and is no longer able to kill people. Therefore, quenching poison on the arrows is also This will increase the possibility of killing the enemy."

Lin Tong suddenly said: "That's it!" She said with interest: "Who are you and how can you make poison? It's very troublesome to quench poison like you, but there is a way to make a large amount of poison and quickly make poisonous arrows. Get up and talk. , stop kneeling."

After hearing the words, Chi Ji calmed down, stood up, lowered his head and said: "The villain Wang Dalang is a wandering doctor, and he also knows some medical skills. This poison is prepared by the villain. It will seal the throat when it sees blood. It is just used." It is also very troublesome to quench the poison on the arrows. The poison cannot last long, so the villain will quench the poison now. The princess needs a lot of arrows to guard the gate, and making poisonous arrows is indeed time-consuming and laborious. However, as far as the villain knows, Daizhou Bow and Arrow Workshop There is a lot of paint everywhere, and the paint is inherently toxic. If the princess asks people to dip bundles of arrows into the paint and then dry them, if such arrows hurt someone, the wound will be itchy. It’s swollen and difficult to heal.”

Lin Tong heard something in his heart and looked carefully at the young man in front of him. Although he spoke neither humble nor arrogantly, he lowered his head and lowered his eyebrows and did not even glance at himself. He seemed to be a very reserved person, but the words he spoke were It had a hint of murderous malice, which made people feel cold. They couldn't help but say: "You raise your head."

Chi Ji slowly raised his head, and Lin Tong looked at his face. A trace of confusion flashed in her eyes. The face in front of her was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember it. She was about to ask another question when the guard behind her said: "Jun Lord, General Qi is here." Lin Tong relied heavily on his father-in-law and turned around to greet him. Halfway through, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration in her mind, and she remembered that this boy's appearance was 90% similar to the person in her mind. It was just the difference in expression, demeanor, and eyes and brows that made her unable to remember for a moment that the appearance was so similar. That person couldn't be Chi Ji. Lin Tong paused in his steps. For a moment, Lin Tong smiled sarcastically, how could it be Chi Ji? The great Yong tiger swallowed the mountains and rivers, and the Marquis of Chuxiang was full of glory. He would definitely serve his master and have a bright future. How could he come to the crisis-ridden Daizhou and... The barbarians were fighting. Besides, since that man had the ability to hang out in the barbarians of the Northern Han Dynasty, he must have some ingenious skills. How could he appear in front of me with a face that was 90% similar to him, and he didn't even change his last name? Why should I have to think so wildly?

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Tong stopped, turned around and asked, "Wang Dalang, do you have any siblings?"

Chi Ji looked a little confused and said, "Back to the princess, I have no brothers or sisters."

Lin Tong said sadly: "Really?" She turned around and continued to walk forward. She quickened her pace, raised a smile, and took a few steps to meet General Qi. She smiled and said: "Uncle Qi, can you please preside over the arrows?" Are the arrows painted black?”

Looking at Lin Tong's agile back, a faint smile appeared on Chi Ji's lips. Before setting off this time, the young master once told himself that if he went to the battlefield, he would not be able to pay attention to the disguised appearance anytime and anywhere, rather than being seen through. To disguise yourself and treat yourself as a spy, it is better to just change some details of your appearance, and then deliberately change your tone and behavior. Sure enough, even Lin Tong, who was most familiar with him in the Daizhou Army, just became suspicious, and immediately stopped thinking about his identity because he had too many "flaws". Although Lin Tong would easily recognize him if they were together for a long time, Chi Ji believed that Lin Tong might have a grudge against him and would deliberately avoid him. Although he felt a little proud, there was also a touch of regret in Chi Ji's heart. So far away, there is nothing more disappointing than this.

Half an hour later, when the lacquer-tempered poison arrows were half ready, barbarians appeared outside Yanmen Pass, covering the sky and covering the sun. After Chi Ji issued the warning, a cold light flashed in his eyes. Judging from the totems and costumes of the barbarian army this time, all the eight major tribes on the prairie had arrived. This time, the barbarians were ready to start a general attack. The barbarians lined up according to their tribes. One of the tribes suddenly set up a golden flag with the black wolf totem on it. Under the flag, a handsome young man wearing a yellow King of Khan costume raised his arms, and then an earth-shattering cry came from outside Yanmen Pass, "Big flag" Long live the Khan, long live the Great Khan!" Thousands of people shouted in unison, causing the Yanmen to close and everyone turned pale. The golden wolf flag and the cry of long live the Great Khan showed that the various ministries that had been separated after the Central Plains army defeated the grassland Khanate in the early years of the Eastern Jin Dynasty were reunited. The emergence of the new Khan King showed that the barbarians were bound to win Daizhou this time. Chi Ji could estimate that the barbarian army in front of him numbered 60,000. He remembered that when he was running around among the tribes on the grassland, the tribes had indeed begun to reconcile. The handsome young man was originally Wanyan Najin, the chief of the Gele tribe. He has a prominent reputation on the grassland and is known for his wisdom, determination, and bravery. However, most of the chiefs in other tribes are of the same generation as his father. Chi Ji never expected that he could unify the grassland. Now that the barbarian Khan's court has been rebuilt, Daizhou is just their first target. Chi Ji was thinking nervously when the sound of a falling weapon came from beside him, but it was a big man who was with him who looked pale and was intimidated by the barbarian's voice. Lost in spirit.

Chi Ji frowned and looked around. Even the Daizhou Army could not help but look panicked. Just as he was thinking about how to boost morale, Lin Tong jumped onto a wall and pointed at the Barbarian King Banner and said loudly: "Are you all scared? These barbarians have scared you out of your wits. Listen, behind Yanmen Pass are our family members. The Daizhou warriors standing here wielding swords, your parents, wives and children are all here. Looking at you from behind, now the imperial court is fighting for territory with Dayong. We have no reinforcements outside Daizhou and are empty inside. No one can protect us except us. If the barbarians are allowed to break through Yanmen Pass, Daizhou will turn into a hell on earth. Could it be that You men are not as good as me, a little girl who goes into battle for the first time. Even if we die, we will die first, which is better than watching our fellow villagers die under the butcher's knife."

Lin Tong's fiery anger and heartfelt words made everyone look ashamed. General Qi raised his arms and loudly said: "The princess is so brave, how can we, a noble man, still be greedy for life and afraid of death? Unless I Every man in Daizhou died, otherwise the barbarians would never be able to break through Yanmen. If you fight to the death, you will be invincible if you have me." Everyone was in great spirits, and they all shouted loudly: "If you fight to the death, if you don't retreat, I am invincible." Cheng The sudden surge of momentum made the barbarians who were shouting long live look at each other and couldn't help but stop shouting.

At this time, under the king's flag, the trusted Khan King Wanyan Najin raised his hand, and a guard handed over a huge bow as tall as a person. Wanyan Najin rode his horse out into the battle, and everyone felt their eyes blurred. Yan Najin had already gone out into the battle alone. He galloped to a position five hundred steps close to Yanmen Pass. He opened his bow and fired an arrow while breathing. Three wolf-fang arrows were linked end to end, shooting towards Lin Tong who was standing high up like a phantom. Almost in an instant, the first wolf fang was close to Lin Tong. Lin Tong turned over and avoided the first wolf fang. He pulled out his sword and wanted to block the second wolf fang. The wolf fang was extremely powerful. Lin Tong I just felt my arm go numb, that wolf fang actually shot through the hundred-smelted steel knife, but the third wolf fang was less than ten steps away from Lin Tong, but Lin Tong could no longer move his body, seeing the wolf fang It was about to penetrate Lin Tong's delicate body.

As everyone screamed, as if they had traveled through endless time, a feather arrow suddenly appeared and hit the wolf tooth arrow, but the force was obviously far apart. The feather arrow bounced back and fell, and everyone's hopes were in vain. I couldn't help but lament at the same time, but who knew that at the moment when the first feather arrow rebounded, the slightly misaligned wolf fang was shot into the arrow body by the second feather arrow, and then the third, fourth, and until the fifth arrow. , the five feather arrows hit the powerful wolf fang one after another with almost a slight distance apart. Water droplets penetrated the stone. The wolf fang arrow finally changed its direction and passed by Lin Tong's cheek, bringing up a wisp of blood. Plunge deep into the city wall behind.

Although these five arrows are not powerful, their accuracy and speed are rare in the world. Not only did the Daizhou army resound with thunderous applause, but also the voices of praise came from the barbarians outside Yanmen Pass. Lin Tong fell to the ground, and several personal guards were already protecting her with heavy shields. Lin Tong didn't care about the slight scars on her jade cheeks, and stared blankly at the young man who was dozens of steps away with his bow ready to go. Five Arrows, no matter what changes he made to cover up this time, Lin Tong had already recognized his identity. Two lines of clear tears fell, and they were dried by the wind as the Yanmen closed in an instant. Lin Tong shouted softly but firmly: "Chi Ji!"

Chi Ji smiled bitterly. After his identity was revealed, he no longer needed to hide it. He took out a pill from the treasure bag at his waist, crushed it, wiped it on his face, removed the small amount of disguise medicine, and then smiled calmly. He said: "Princess Hongxia, I haven't seen you for many days." With his handsome appearance and a handsome, slightly cynical smile, he was instantly transformed and stood out from the crowd. Everyone couldn't help but exclaimed, such a change in the fish and dragon made them feel like a dream.

Only Lin Tong said without any surprise: "Why are you here? Dayong has the upper hand, why do you need to be an undercover agent? What is your master's agenda?"

Everyone looked at Chi Ji in shock, and the gratitude in their hearts immediately turned into doubts. He was Dayong's secret spy. Now that Princess Bi was fighting against Dayong, how could this person have any good intentions? The requisitioned young men standing next to Chi Ji retreated, and the Daizhou army slowly surrounded him. However, this man had just saved Lin Tong, and those people were hesitant and unwilling to take action immediately. They all turned to Lin Tong. Tong looked away.

At this time, Wanyan Najin, who had been taken back to the main formation by his personal guards, flashed in his eyes. Although he was far away, the man standing alone at the top of Yanmenguan City was clearly someone he knew. He was tall The voice said: "Who do you think this king is? It turns out to be Mr. Wang, the miracle doctor of Bole. Although you are also from the Central Plains, you have become famous in our grassland. In the past, on the vast grassland, the chiefs of all tribes treated you like a guest. You are not from the Northern Han Dynasty. Rather than being treated as an enemy above, it is better to come and serve under my king. I am willing to treat you like a brother and a brother, and I will treat you like a brother and sister. I will treat you with glory, wealth, and women, gold and silk, and you can take them as you please. What do you think?"

He was openly inviting surrender, with a hint of provocation in his tone. Even the young men from other counties who were not originally hostile could not help but tighten their swords and look at Chi Ji with a lingering look.

Chi Ji smiled bitterly, turned around and looked down, and said loudly: "Chief Wanyan, I came to your Gele tribe in the past and was treated well by you. I healed your beloved horse for you and you taught me the art of riding and shooting. You We are friends, and our friendship is not shallow. However, personal feelings cannot harm justice. I was originally from Southern Chu, and now I am a citizen of Dayong. I have nothing to do with Northern Han, but whether it is Dayong, Northern Han or Southern Chu, I am The Central Plains lineage, the Han family's orthodoxy. If you, the Khan, were to travel to our Central Plains today, I would treat you with courtesy and treat you like a distinguished guest. But now that you are sending your army south to invade my Han family's land, you are my sworn enemy. However, thinking of the old friendship, I would like to advise King Khan that now our Central Plains is about to be unified. Although King Khan is brave, he is not the enemy of our great Yong. If King Khan really cares about the grassland tribes, it is better to stop fighting to prevent his ambition from becoming ashes. , the grasslands flowed into rivers of blood.”

Wanyan Najin sneered and said: "It has not been a day since the Central Plains fell apart, and now there are civil wars one after another. Where can I still have the strength to stop my army from going south? I am not greedy. As long as I take over Daizhou, you people in the Central Plains will be unable to stop me. Iron cavalry is enough, if you don’t surrender, don’t blame this king’s men for being ruthless.”

Chi Ji smiled coldly, took out an arrow, broke it into two pieces, and said loudly: "Today I break the arrow to swear that you and I will never be righteous. Even if King Khan comes to attack Yanmen, I will die under King Khan's arrow." I will die without any regrets, but if King Khan dies in my hands, don’t blame me for being unjust."

Wanyan Na's golden sword eyebrows were raised, and he said loudly: "You are seeking death, no wonder I, the king, started to attack the city!" At his order, the barbarian army rushed towards Yanmen Pass.

After Chi Ji said these words, he looked back. He was worried. He didn't know whether these people could accept him and fight alongside them. When he turned around, a bag of feather arrows was thrust into his hand. He saw Lin Yuanchong's enthusiastic expression. Smiling, looking up and looking around, everyone's eyes were filled with warmth. Chi Ji felt tears filling his eyes, but he was unable to speak. Everyone looked at Lin Tong. After all, whether Chi Ji could stay or not still had to be decided by Lin Tong. Lin Tong turned away and said calmly: "If you don't go to defend the city, the barbarians are coming." Chi Ji felt excited and held the bow and arrow tightly, tears rolling down his face.

At this time, Wanyan Najin sighed softly. He knew Wang Ji quite well. When they met in the past, he felt that this man was extremely talented. Unfortunately, although he was ambitious at the time, he was unable to blatantly force himself to stay on the grassland due to lack of strength. The miracle doctor Bole, whom everyone respects, can only be accepted with friendship. This time, he took advantage of the severe disasters in various ministries and took advantage of the hoarded food to control them, forcing them to make blood alliances, rebuild the Khan's court, and restore the glory of the Wanyan family in the past. However, Wang Ji had disappeared without a trace at that time. Just now, Wang Ji rescued Lin Tong and ruined his move to establish his power. In his heart, he was angry and wanted to use the conflict between him and the Yanmen defenders to destroy this person, so as not to cause negative consequences to his plan to attack Chengzhou. Impact, but unfortunately it fell short. Don’t the people of the Central Plains like fighting among themselves the most? Wanyan Najin thought a little depressed.