The heavens are happy

Chapter 271
However, Zhang Wen and others, who were galloping wildly at this time, did not know that Zhang Shiyi was dead.

The only thing they knew was that Zhao Lian was shot to death at the head of Taizhou City, and that they and the others had already had a head-on battle with the Taizhou defenders. It wasn't friction, it wasn't accidental injury, it was a genuine attempt to attack Taizhou City.

While galloping on the horse, Zhang Wen was in a state of confusion thinking about how to explain to Zhang Shicheng.

How would Zhang Shicheng punish him?

But at this moment, he had no way out, after all, he was the one who led the troops to attack Taizhou City, and it was his soldiers who shot and killed Zhao Lian. He was already a mortal man in the court, and only Zhang Shicheng could protect him.

As for whether Zhang Shicheng will push him out to plead guilty to the court!
This point, based on his understanding of Zhang Shicheng, shouldn't be. After all, the court is not afraid of Zhang Shicheng for a day or two.

And this time he was also under Zhang Shicheng's order, half of the credit for attacking Taizhou and killing Zhao Lian must be placed on Zhang Shicheng's head.

Besides, for a hero like Zhang Shicheng, if he really betrayed his brothers and begged for mercy from the court, then he would no longer have the capital and ambition to fight against the court.

Binding his hands and throwing himself at the court like this is definitely not something Zhang Shicheng can do, so Zhang Wen has only one way, which is to go back as quickly as possible and tell Zhang Shicheng to make him ready.

If the imperial army really came to attack, and Zhang Shicheng was not prepared at all, it was very likely that the imperial court would wipe him out directly.

Once Zhang Shicheng is eliminated, Zhang Wen's fate will not be much better than that of Zhang Shicheng.

Thinking of this, Zhang Wen's eyes narrowed even deeper, and he raised his whip and swung it fiercely at the horse under his crotch.

Even though it was night, the sound of the cavalry marching rapidly could still be heard far away.

In Zhang Shicheng's barracks, the sentry on the archery tower had already spotted a large group of cavalry approaching. Although it was guessed that Zhang Wen and others had returned to the camp, they still had to confirm their identity at night.

So the sentinel shot a loud arrow far away, making a sound in the air.

Two cavalrymen next to Zhang Wen quickly approached him, one of them was carrying a command flag on his back, and the other held up two torches in his hand, waving the torches continuously to illuminate the command flag.

The soldiers on the watchtower saw the torch and the command flag from a distance, and quickly shouted to the guards at the gate: "It's General Zhang Wen returning to the camp, open the door!"

The soldiers outside the gate of the camp quickly moved the horse-rejecting posts, and Zhang Wen rushed into the camp at the first.

As for the rest of the soldiers, under the leadership of Chang Ying, they dismounted and returned to the camp at a slower speed.

Even though their identities have been verified, such a large-scale cavalry must take the initiative to slow down their horses from a long distance to show that they have no malice.

Otherwise, under such night conditions, it is very easy for cavalry to break through the camp in an instant, and it is easy to cause the camp to be bombed.

At this time, Zhang Shicheng was in the tent, wearing armor all over his body, his helmet was placed on the table, holding his long sword with both hands, his eyes were full of awe.

I don't know why since Zhang Wen left, he felt a kind of uneasiness deep in his heart, faintly feeling that something serious happened?

This intuition is an instinct he developed after countless life-and-death fights and narrow escapes, and it is also a barrier for him to survive in this troubled world.

"Report! General Zhang Wen asks to see you!"

Hearing this voice, Zhang Shicheng sighed in his heart. What should come is still coming. No matter what the result is, for him, he has no other choice but to accept it and solve it.

"pass!"

Zhang Wen walked into Shuai Zhang quickly, and fell to his knees with a plop while holding the helmet in one hand.

"The subordinates will die, and the general will deal with it!"

Zhang Shicheng sighed in his heart when he heard the words, and looked at Zhang Wen without saying a word.

Because of the rapid running all the way and a battle, many arrow marks were left on his armor, his hair was a little disheveled, and his face was a little pale.

"Why are you in such a panic, what happened?"

Zhang Shicheng sat down calmly while speaking, he already had enough strength to accept all bad news.

Zhang Wen broke his heart and told all the things that happened after he left the camp, including the pursuit of Zhang Shiyi, Zhao Lian's death and his decision to attack Taizhou before the battle, without leaving a single detail, so as not to interfere with Zhang Shicheng's development decision.

The expression on Zhang Shicheng's face was unusually complex, with sighs, unwillingness, anger, and deep helplessness.

"So, Shi Yi is dead?"

Zhang Wen bowed his head and said: "The battle situation was chaotic at that time. At the beginning, I saw him hiding under the city wall. Later, there were too many arrows and rolling stones, so he disappeared. I didn't see him when the general left."

In fact, Zhang Wen didn't intend to kill Zhang Shiyi on the spot at the beginning. The most ideal ending is to capture Zhang Shiyi alive, after all, he is Zhang Shicheng's brother.

Although Zhang Shicheng is cruel and bloodthirsty in various ways, he still rarely kills his own brothers. Who knows if he will suddenly turn against him.

As an outsider, Zhang Wen couldn't participate in such a brotherly fight anyway. The best result would be to capture Zhang Shiyi alive and bring him back to Zhang Shicheng for punishment.

So at the beginning, when Zhang Wen confronted Zhao Lian under the city wall, he just wanted to force the other party to give up, but he didn't expect that a small accident led to such an ending.

"Are you sure Zhao Lian is dead?"

Hearing Zhang Shicheng's calm question, Zhang Wen thought about it for a while and said, "Even if he didn't die, he was seriously injured. The feather arrow went straight into his forehead. I can see it clearly."

Zhang Shicheng nodded. He knew what Zhang Wen meant. Even if Zhao Lian was only injured, leading troops to attack Taizhou City and shooting arrows at court officials was already a crime of treason.

What Zhang Wen said also implicitly reminded Zhang Shicheng not to have illusions, thinking of seeking peace with the court, regardless of whether Zhao Lian died or not, Zhang Shicheng would be wiped out by the court.

But this is not so important to Zhang Shicheng. He himself has a previous record of rebellion, and being so feared by the court, he will rebel sooner or later.

"One arrow can directly kill Zhao Lian, who is guarding the group, in the crowd, right between the eyebrows. There is such a good arrow in the army?"

Zhang Wen heard the meaning of Zhang Shicheng's words, hesitated and said: "Maybe it's just a fluke, this is an accidental coincidence."

"lucky?"

Zhang Shicheng suddenly turned around when he heard the words, "From the day I raised troops to fight against the court, I don't know that there is absolutely no luck in this world, what a coincidence!"

"Have you found out who shot that arrow?"

Zhang Wen's forehead was faintly sweating, and he didn't care to wipe it off. He hurriedly said, "It was dark at that time, and the first few people who missed the shot have been found, but none of them claimed the credit for killing Zhao Lian!"

Zhang Shicheng said coldly: "None of them admit that they shot it by themselves? What do you think?"

Zhang Wendao: "The situation was complicated at the time. Taizhou city quickly organized an attack, and the arrows rained down. We could only order to fight back for a while, so we didn't have time to check and verify! But they are all in the army and can be interrogated at any time!"

Zhang Shicheng waved his hand and said: "There's no need to investigate. He who ordered to shoot Zhao Lian will be rewarded with ten taels of gold. If he really stands up and admits it, he will be rewarded with this gold. Anyway, we will have a good life with our backs on the court again." passed."

Zhang Wen cupped his hands and said: "It's just to continue to attack the court and act as an anti-thief again. During this period of time, with the court's back, whether it is soldiers, horses, food, grass, or weapons, it is several times what it used to be. Our strength has soared and it is not what it used to be!"

Looking at the beaming Zhang Wen, Zhang Shicheng also showed a smile on his face. He waved his hand proudly and said, "Besides, relying on the gang of wine bags and rice bags in Taizhou, what can I do?"

As he said that, Zhang Shicheng stepped forward, helped Zhang Wen, patted him on the shoulder and said, "You have worked hard this time, don't worry, you have done nothing wrong!"

Hearing this, Zhang Wen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He asked doubtfully, "Does the general mean that we attack Taizhou City directly? At this time, Taizhou City is in chaos, and the morale of the army is unstable!"

Zhang Shicheng shook his head and said, "What's the use of attacking Taizhou? Even if it is defeated, can we hold it? Don't attack Taizhou city!"

"I'm just a bandit. If I really want to take down Taizhou City, then I will be a rebel army with great momentum and a rebel! At that time, I will be the first target to be killed by the imperial court!"

Looking at Zhang Wen who was a bit puzzled, Zhang Shicheng smiled and said: "At this time Zhao Lian is dead, Li Qi must be like a frightened bird, wishing to defend Taizhou City into a big iron bucket to block us. At this time, the opportunity to attack Taizhou has been lost. We don't have enough troops to besiege Taizhou in a short time!"

"On the contrary, the attack on Taizhou is too powerful, and it is easy to attract the imperial court's attention."

Hearing this, Zhang Wen nodded, and then said in confusion: "Although there are many disadvantages in attacking Taizhou, since we have turned against the imperial court, we can't sit still!"

Zhang Shicheng said with a smile: "Such a great opportunity, of course I will not sit still!"

"Chance?"

Zhang Wen was a little puzzled, isn't this a crisis?Where is the opportunity?
Zhang Shicheng smiled and said: "Li Qi's character, coupled with the stimulation of Zhao Lian's death, this old bastard can't wait to withdraw all his hands and feet back to Taizhou City, honestly like a big turtle, he only hopes If he can defend my attack, he will definitely send all the remaining troops back to defend Taizhou City, but I am not as good as he wishes, I will not attack Taizhou City!"

"On the contrary, after the surrounding defenders all support Taizhou, all the defenses in the southeast will be empty. At that time, these places will not be trampled by us!"

Hearing what Zhang Shicheng said, Zhang Wen was a little stunned, and then he reacted again.

In this way, Zhang Shicheng completely avoided the direct confrontation of the imperial army, and looting places can quickly accumulate wealth, sweeping refugees to expand the army and territory.

At the same time, this kind of coming and going like the wind, free looting, no fixed target and fixed station, even if the imperial court wanted to attack, it would be impossible to start.

It wasn't until this time that Zhang Wen realized that Zhang Shicheng's strategic plan was worthy of being a hero in troubled times. In the face of sudden and unexpected situations, he was able to turn a crisis into an opportunity in just a few moments, which is really admirable.

Hearing Zhang Shicheng's analysis, Zhang Wen also seemed to see a bright future, and couldn't help feeling excited, his eyes lit up and said: "You give me an order, what should I do?"

Zhang Shicheng waved his hand and said: "Don't worry, if you want to attack others with a heavy fist, the most important thing is to gather all your fingers together and squeeze them tightly so that your fists will be more powerful. The most important thing right now is that we must To unite forces!"

Zhang Wenruo said thoughtfully: "You mean the second master?"

"Shixin?"

Zhang Shicheng shook his head with a smile when he heard this, and said: "Although Shixin cherishes his feathers and has been raising them, he doesn't have many cronies in the army. At this time, when the war is going on, he needs to rely on me everywhere. I'm not worried about him. !"

"That is?"

Zhang Wen had a faint guess in his heart.

Zhang Shicheng sighed: "You just said that Shi Yi didn't know whether he was alive or dead, but nine out of ten he should have died on the battlefield. Even if he didn't die, he had already taken refuge in the imperial court, and he must oppose me. Shi De has always been with Shi Yi Be good, and he has always been reckless, I don't know what he will do!"

"At this time, there are still two battalions under Shide's command? It's fine if it's normal, but it's a factor of instability when a big war is about to start. You and Chang Ying will take over the troops from the first battalion. I am afraid that the two battalions can only be handed over to Shi Xin. The rest of the army, even if they lead troops, I am not at ease. The strategy of these two men will definitely play a greater role!"

"It's my subordinates who understand!" Zhang Wen was very excited at this moment. Not only did he not receive the punishment he imagined, but he was instructed by Zhang Shicheng and found that what lay before him seemed to be a broad road, and he was reused by Zhang Shicheng again. And trust, he couldn't help being excited.

Zhang Shicheng patted him on the shoulder with a smile and said: "Your father and I are cousins. He died on the battlefield to save me. I have always regarded you as my own child in my heart. Don't worry, I will not treat you badly!"

Hearing what Zhang Shicheng said, a warm current rose in Zhang Wen's heart, and he felt a sense of accomplishment that he would die for his confidant. He forced himself to calm down, and then cupped his hands and said, "Si Ye may not really treat you well." It's not good for you, if you directly confiscated his men, I'm afraid he will make a fuss with his temper, and I'm afraid it will be a disaster at that time, why don't you invite him first and explain the truth to him in detail, if four If the master can understand the general situation, it is a good thing for the two brothers to be of the same heart, if he has a heart for the third master, then it will not be too late for you to take over his military power."

Zhang Shicheng nodded with a smile, patted him on the shoulder and said: "You are dedicated to the public and not self-interested, that's good. I really didn't misunderstand you. You fight all night and go down to rest early, so that the soldiers can have a good night's rest. Let the horses use some good fodder, and all kinds of hard work will be indispensable in the next series of battles."

Zhang Wen said with a grateful look on his face: "Thank you, General, for your concern! By the way, General, there is one thing I don't know whether I should ask."

"It's okay, just ask!"

"Why do you still have to be wary of him because I think the second master is aloof from the world?"

Zhang Shicheng smiled, and there was a strange look in his eyes, "That's because you see less and less."

(End of this chapter)