The Grandmaster Strategist

On October 6, the seventh year of Longsheng's reign, Pei Yun, the commander of the Xuzhou camp, marched south from Bian and Si to attack Sikou.

——"Zi Zhi Tong Jian·Yong Ji San"

On October 5th, at the Chuzhou camp in Huaidong, the night was already dark, but the Chinese military tent was full of singing, laughter, singing and dancing. Luo Louzhen, the chief general of Huaidong in Southern Chu, was having a banquet with his generals. Inside the tent, more than a dozen people The dancer was dancing gracefully. Her thin gauze clothes and vaguely exposed snow-white skin made the drunken generals in the tent and the sergeants guarding outside the tent stunned and drooling. Luo Louzhen, who was sitting at the top, hugged two pretty girls aged sixteen or seventeen on his left and right, raising his head and laughing from time to time. The two girls smiled charmingly and poured wine and dishes for him. From time to time, one girl would use red wine. With wine flowing between his lips, Luo Louzhen accepted all comers and beat the time to the dance music drunkenly. Few people could notice that in fact, his eyes only occasionally glanced at the dancers. Luo Louzhen had no interest in these women who were free to be picked. Most of his attention was on the generals. Several high-ranking generals were also accompanied by gorgeous girls, while those of the middle and lower-ranking generals focused all their attention on those gorgeous dancing girls. Luo Louzhen smiled proudly. He had a handsome appearance and strong martial arts skills. The only thing he lacked was the talent for military strategy. After getting support from Shang Weijun, he moved three times a day and took charge of the Chuzhou camp. In order to consolidate He put a lot of effort into gaining power and position, using money and beauty to win over those arrogant and powerful generals. He squeezed out those truly talented generals to avoid endangering his status. Relying on money, beauty and the military power in their hands, the Chuzhou camp was solid. At least it wreaked havoc on Huaidong and was unstoppable.

Luo Louzhen was somewhat self-aware at the beginning. He knew that compared with the Lu family, who had been serving as generals for generations, his foundation was too shallow. Although he understood Shang Weijun's intention to support him in dealing with the Lu family, he never dared to offend the Lu family. In addition, he just firmly controlled Huaidong and obeyed Shang Weijun's orders. Shang Weijun also knew that the Lu family should not be taken lightly, so it was really easy for Luo Lou to live in peace in Huaidong. As for Dayong's threat, he originally cared about it, but there has been no movement for seven or eight years. In addition, he was surrounded by villains who were good at flattering. He had already become distracted. Basically, he had forgotten the power of Dayong's cavalry. .

Just when Luo Louzhen felt a little exhausted, a soldier hurried in and said: "General Qi, a letter has arrived from General Lu."

Luo Louzhen said lazily: "What can happen? Let the messenger come in."

The soldiers hesitantly glanced at the rotten scene in the big tent and did not dare to raise objections. General Lu Can was the most powerful general in Southern Chu. It was really rude for Luo Louzhen to ignore his envoy like this. Besides, I heard The general manages the army very strictly, and it would not be appropriate for the envoy to see such a scene. However, the soldier knew that if he spoke out, he would probably be punished by Luo Louzhen, so he had no choice but to take the order and lead the envoy into See.

After a while, the envoy strode in. His eyes froze when he saw the scene in the tent. He gave a military salute and said: "The last general, Lu Qun, has sent a letter on the order of the general, asking General Luo to check it." Followed. A young sergeant who came in behind him showed no emotion and then saluted.

Luo Louzhen waved, and a soldier stepped forward to take the letter and presented it to Luo Louzhen. Luo Louzhen laughed after reading it and said: "The general is too worried. This was not eight or nine years ago. Now I The army occupies the Yangtze River, Huaihe River, Shuzhong, and the natural danger of the Yangtze River. The Yong army wants to be able to travel freely as before. That is whimsical. I have accepted the general's wishes. Please report back to the general. The general has been ordered by the king to be in charge of Huaidong military affairs. , I don’t dare to slack off at all. As for what the general said in the letter, I understand it. But when it comes to reinforcements, there is no need. I, the 70,000 people in Huaidong, can’t deal with the Yong army’s attack? "

The envoy was a general of the Lu family. Seeing that Luo Louzhen's words were lukewarm and contemptuous, he couldn't help but feel angry and wanted to get angry. The young sergeant next to him gently tugged on his shirt. , the envoy endured anger and said: "In that case, please give the general a letter of reply so that the general can take it back."

Luo Louzhen said impatiently to a scribe at the banquet: "Huang joins the army.

You write a reply letter to the general for me, and ask him to take it back when you're done. "After saying that, he pointed at the envoy, his expression was very arrogant and rude. This time, the young sergeant's expression also changed, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

After taking the reply letter, the envoy and the young sergeant turned around and left the tent. Until they left the camp gate, they still heard the ethereal music coming from the camp. The young sergeant said coldly: "You must tell dad when you go back. If Luo Lou really If we guard Huaidong, Yong's army will definitely march in, so let dad prepare to clean up the mess."

Lu Qun sighed and said, "Don't worry, Major General. The Major General already knows who Luo Lou is. This time we came here to deliver the message just to do our best. The General will definitely have a solution to the matter that will follow. The Major General will go after meeting with the soldiers." Shouchun, General Shiguan who guards Shouchun is strict by nature. The general's military order requires you to arrive before the 12th. If you disobey the military order, I'm afraid he will slap you."

The young sergeant couldn't help but look slightly moved, and restrained the urge to touch the place where he was being tortured. He had just been tortured by the military and then rode a horse for several days. This feeling was not pleasant.

At this time, in the Chuzhou camp, Luo Louzhen was driving away the envoy. He was in high spirits. Seeing that the generals at the banquet were already feeling itchy, he laughed and said, "That's it. We have already enjoyed the singing and dancing. Let's all have fun together." This was what the generals had been waiting for for a long time. Seeing Luo Louzhen walking out of the tent with the support of two girls, a general who could no longer bear it rushed toward a dancing girl. When the senior generals walked out of the tent with their gorgeous maids in their arms, the sound of lewdness came from the Chinese military tent, which was supposed to be handling major military matters.

Luo Louzhen returned to his sleeping tent with satisfaction, made a fuss, and then fell asleep. Just after the third watch, suddenly a soldier hurried in and said: "General, the Prime Minister's envoy wants to see you." When Luo Lou woke up from his sleep, he was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. Although it was human nature to make fun of himself, if Shang Weijun's envoy saw him in such a state and said a few words when he went back, he would definitely be under the influence of the prime minister. Face, his power and wealth were all given by Shang Weijun, and he married Shang Weijun's niece, so he would never dare to offend Shang Weijun. He quickly asked his soldiers to hide the two girls in another tent. He quickly washed his face with cold water and went to welcome the envoy in person. However, the envoy simply ignored Luo Louzhen's smell of alcohol and the aroma of rouge pollen on his body. After handing Shang Weijun's handwritten letter to Luo Louzhen, he hurriedly left.

After opening the letter, Luo Louzhen felt as if a basin of cold water was poured over his head. It clearly stated that Yong's army might invade Huaidong in the near future, and he was asked to guard Huaisikou without any waste of fighting and to retreat from the enemy.

In fact, when Shang Weijun wrote this letter, he still did not believe that Yong's army would launch a large-scale southern expedition. In the past seven years, Yong's army had been stubborn, which gave Shang Weijun the illusion that the defense line in central Sichuan was also impregnable. Coupled with the backing of the Yangtze River, Shang Weijun now fully believes that the 400,000-strong army of Southern Chu can protect half of the country south of the Yangtze River. Compared with the sudden shock of the year, he does not dare to think of marching north to the Central Plains, but it is absolutely difficult for Dayong to go south. The idea has been deeply ingrained, not only him, but also the officials of Jianye are probably not wary. Because Shang Weijun not only did not agree with Lu Can's letter, he even felt disgusted with it.

A few days ago, Lu Yun's disappearance for many days had already been discovered by Shang Weijun. Shang Weijun even knew most of Lu Yun's actions in Chang'an. He had originally intended to take the opportunity to blackmail Lu Can and further seize military power. However, his confidants advised him that since there was no conclusive evidence in this matter, it was better to put it aside for the time being and wait until he got evidence of Lu's collusion with the enemy before launching another attack. Therefore, Shang Weijun only strengthened his surveillance on Lu. However, if Lu Can had not been living in the Jiangxia Camp, barely able to leave the house, and keeping silent about the affairs of the Southern Chu Dynasty, and even Lu Yun had not been sent directly to the camp, Shang Weijun would definitely have made some articles about this matter.

In Shang Weijun's view, since the Lu family and Chang'an are secretly communicating with each other and have constant exchanges, if Dayong really intends to march south this year, it will be impossible for Lu Yun and Lu Can's two confidants to return safely from Chang'an. To save others, even he would leave Lu Yun to coerce his father, so Lu Can's scaremongering was probably to fight for military power. Even now, Yong's army is attacking at Jiameng Pass. In Shang Weijun's view, it is nothing more than a deterrent. After all, the tribute issue has indeed brought Dayong's face down, and unlike Jianghuai Jingxiang, Jiameng Pass has been under attack for many years. Although there was no battle, it was not very peaceful. Besides, maybe Yu Mian was ordered by Lu Can to falsely convey military information. Even if not, with Jiameng Guan's natural barrier, couldn't he stop Yong's army? What's more, the current main army of Nan Chu, 30,000 people under Yu Mian's command in Jiamengguan and 50,000 people under Rongyuan's command in Xiangyang, plus 60,000 people each in Jiangxia Camp and Jiujiang Camp, a total of 200,000 are directly under Lu Can's command. Under the control, although the 50,000 defenders of Huaixi are not under Lu Can's jurisdiction in name, the commander-in-chief Shi Guan is a general promoted by Lu Xin and has always respected Lu Clan. Even Jianye's 100,000 forbidden troops also include 40,000 forbidden troops. In favor of Lu Can, the remaining 60,000 forbidden troops are not very powerful. Without the 70,000 Huaidong army, even a change of dynasty is not impossible.

However, for the sake of caution, Shang Weijun still wrote a letter to Luo Louzhen. After all, it is good to be prepared. With the geographical location of Huaisikou, if the Yong army really attacks Huaidong, it should not be a problem to stop the Yong army's offensive. , he also specifically reminded Luo Louzhen that if he defeated Yong's army, he should not pursue it, so as not to anger Dayong and provoke Dayong's entire army to attack, which would mean victory but also defeat.

Naturally, Luo Louzhen didn't know Shang Weijun's original intention. On the contrary, because he still had some understanding of Lu Can's abilities, coupled with Shang Weijun's power, he immediately believed the news that Yong's army might march south. He thought For a long time, Dayong Huainan Jiedushi Pei Yun was stationed in Xuzhou. Originally, he was targeting Huaidong more. He followed Bian and Si from Xuzhou and bore the brunt of his Chuzhou camp. Thinking of this, he said angrily: "Where is the general's letter? Where did you throw it? Get it to me quickly."

A soldier quickly presented the letter that Luo Louzhen had originally ignored. Luo Louzhen opened the letter with trembling hands, and soon saw the paragraph that he cared about the most. The original cliché became the most precious words.

"To defend the river, you must first defend the Huaihe River. To the east of Huaihei, Chuzhou, Sizhou, and Guangling are represented. They can cover Yangzhou and Liyang with their wings. If these two places are lost, Jianye will be in danger. The general will camp in Chuzhou and Beiying in Sizhou. , Nanying Town Guangling, Huaisikou has no worries, but Sikou is the key point where the Si River flows into the Huaihe River. On the side of Chuzhou, the Yong army went south. If it did not pass through Sikou, it would not be able to invade Chuzhou. If the general listens to my advice and deploys heavy troops to suppress Sikou, we can ensure the safety of Huaidong."

After reading the letter, Luo Louzhen shouted: "Immediately raise the account, raise the account, this general wants to mobilize troops."

The guard said in shock: "General, Vice General Zhou, Huang Shenjun and other generals are all drunk."

Luo Louzhen frustrated his hands anxiously and cursed deliberately, but he also knew that he was the culprit. After thinking for a long time, he said: "Go to Sun Dinglai." The soldier was stunned for a moment, and Luo Louzhen had already kicked him. He raised his sleeping tent and said loudly: "Go quickly." The soldier rolled away and crawled away. Sun Ding was originally a very talented general, but because of his upright temperament, he offended Luo Louzhen many times, and Luo Louzhen demoted him from a partial general to a captain. However, Luo Louzhen still had some eyesight after all, and knew that this person was talented, and he always He was not expelled from the Huaidong Army, but just ignored him, and even comforted him sometimes. When the critical moment came this time, he naturally thought of this person.

Not long after, Sun Ding came in to meet him. This man was less than thirty years old. He had a majestic appearance and did not look like a person from the south of the Yangtze River. He had just lived in Huaidong for several years and was depressed and frustrated, so he had a cold expression. When he entered the tent, he said to Luo Lou Zhen turned a blind eye to the aroma of alcohol on his body, bowed and saluted: "Sun Ding comes to the general to ask for his orders."

Luo Louzhen forced himself to be calm and said: "This general will give you five thousand men. You immediately lead the army to Sikou and take over the defense there to guard against the Yong army's invasion."

Sun Ding was stunned. He was a captain and could only lead a thousand men. How come Luo Louzhen actually gave him five thousand men.

Luo Louzhen said again: "The matter is urgent. I will temporarily promote you to the position of partial general. After we find out what happened to Yong's army, I will report it to the court so that you can match your name and reality."

After hearing this, Sun Ding understood in his heart that Yong's army must have made a move. Luo Louzhen only thought of himself when there was no one in the battle. However, he didn't mind. If he had the opportunity to make military exploits, why not do it. This Luo Louzhen Although he is jealous of talents and talents, there is some advantage, that is, his military exploits were taken away by him, and at least he can't escape the position of general. So Sun Ding immediately accepted the order with dignity, went out to the camp and ordered five thousand sergeants. One of the five thousand sergeants was led by him, and he was always trained strictly. The other four battalions were barely usable. There was no cavalry in the Chuzhou camp, and Sun Ding led it. Five thousand men and horses, dressed in stars and moons, headed for Sikou. Because Luo Lou really neglected Sikou, only 500 people were stationed there. If the Yong army invaded, there would be no chance of holding it. Sun Ding was very anxious when he thought of this and hurried to Sikou.

As we approached Sikou, we could already see the garrison barracks of the Nanchu Army here. It was dawn and it was dim. Sun Ding ordered his soldiers to inform the captain of the Sikou garrison. He saw that his soldiers were patrolling and keeping vigil outside the camp. The sergeant stopped him for questioning. Sun Ding suddenly frowned and became suspicious. Originally, if it was a garrison, it would be most reasonable to have sergeants patrolling at night, but Sun Ding knew that Captain Hu, who was currently guarding Sikou, was a man who was greedy for life and afraid of death. The military discipline was very loose. If he did not take turns guarding Sikou, it would be easier to get promoted. Moreover, Dayong has not done anything in the past seven years. This person will never come to this dangerous place. If it is his camp, with his ability as a close soldier, I am afraid that no one will notice him even if he reaches the camp gate. Looking at the Si River and Huai River not far away, and then at the silent camp, Sun Ding suddenly had a strange idea. He gently handed down the military order and asked the sergeants to organize their armor and weapons, and then he took a dozen A bodyguard with excellent martial arts skills walked slowly towards the camp gate.

Before he could reach the camp gate, a handsome young man in a long uniform and five or six sergeants hurriedly came up to meet Sun Ding and said, "You must be Mr. Captain Sun. Our captain suffered from the cold yesterday, and we can't do it now." Get up, my subordinate Tian Cheng has been ordered to come and greet the captain."

Sun Ding's eyes fell on the young man. There was nothing wrong with his accent, clothing, and speech, but his heart became more and more chilling. If Captain Hu had such a talent, he would be extremely lucky. There was also this young man's face. His expression was one of pride and confidence, not the numbness and confusion that could be seen everywhere in the Huaidong Army. More importantly, this young man had a faint scent of blood, which Sun Ding would never ignore. of. He took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible: "In that case, please lead the way."

The young man turned around and was about to start, when Sun Ding suddenly drew his sword and slashed at him. This sword was like a lightning strike, and it was a sneak attack from behind. It was impossible for the young man to avoid it, but unexpectedly, the young man seemed to have been prepared for it, and he moved toward him. Then he fell down, very violently, but when his back was less than a foot away from the ground, he suddenly stopped, as if he was stuck on the ground diagonally. Sun Ding slashed with his sword, and the young man's body straightened up, and he drew his sword to fight back. "Zheng" was heard from the sword, and Sun Ding was shaken back a step. The young man had escaped from the control of his sword, and the other sergeants spread out, vaguely surrounding Sun Ding and a few personal guards.

Sun Ding sighed and said: "What a great iron plate bridge. It is the authentic secret of Shaolin. Who is your Excellency under General Pei Yunpei, the military commander of Huainan?"

The young man raised his eyebrows and said loudly: "Since you have seen through it, I might as well say it bluntly, I am Du Lingfeng of the White Camp, and General Pei is my junior uncle."

Although Sun Ding had expected it, he still looked miserable. The Baiyi Camp was founded by Pei Yun himself. People in the world are often unruly and unaccustomed to military regulations and national laws. Pei Yun established the Baiyi Camp to recruit talents and join him. The campers were very lightly restrained, and they only needed to tell Pei Yun to be disarmed and return to their fields. If they wanted to achieve fame, they could also officially join the army. The skills of the people in this camp are all above the first-class, and there are only eighteen people at most. Because of Pei Yun's status, most of them are outstanding disciples of Shaolin or other famous sects. If they appear, it means that Pei Yun has a strong influence on Sikou. It is inevitable. These people must have been ordered by Pei Yun to secretly remove the Sikou garrison and prepare to support Yong's army going south. Sun Ding felt very bitter in his heart.

But Sun Ding was also an outstanding soldier after all. He immediately figured out one thing. Since Du Lingfeng deliberately lured him into the camp, it meant that the Yong army here was insufficient in strength, so he still had a chance to return to Sikou. Thinking of this, Sun Ding raised his arms and shouted: "Kill!"

Following his shout, the Nanchu army attacked the barracks. The handsome young man cut off the rear in person and retreated to the camp. Hundreds of people poured out of the barracks and lined up to greet them. They dared to line up against the five thousand enemy troops. , Sun Ding also admired them in his heart, but it would be better if they did not leave the camp. He only needed to surround the camp and use fire attacks to win.

Amidst the shouts, the two armies began a bloody battle. Both sides knew the importance of Sikou, and no one hesitated at all. Sun Ding couldn't help but worry about this confrontation. Apart from his own thousand sergeants, , the remaining four thousand were basically unfamiliar with the battle formation, and their martial arts skills were not good enough to be of any use. Although they were large in number, they could not effectively compress the enemy's formation. Although the enemy army was small in number, they were all brave and good at fighting. Du Lingfeng was also extremely brave and killed several Nanchu warriors in a row. For a while, the battle situation was actually tied together. Sun Ding was worried about the arrival of reinforcements from the Yong Army, and couldn't help but frown. He wanted to fight quickly, but unexpectedly he was entangled instead. After thinking about it, he mobilized two hundred sergeants from his battalion and asked them to shoot arrows on the outside. These sergeants were familiar with water warfare, and their bows and arrows were naturally not weak. As a result, Yong's army gradually weakened. Just as Sun Ding When urging the sergeants to prepare to destroy this Yong army. The surrounded Yong army suddenly cheered loudly. The shouts became louder and louder, as if coming from a distance. Sun Ding was startled. He looked up and saw that the sky had turned white. He subconsciously looked towards Surabaya and saw flags waving. The boat covers the river, and the banner on the bow is fluttering, with a big "Pei" on it.