across the Quartet

On the north side of the Zhaonan Great Wall, the defenders' camp was brightly lit; the news Gai Nie brought back lifted the spirits of the entire army.

Sima Shang was overjoyed.The few days of fierce fighting had exhausted Zhao's few defenders. This time, sending an envoy to deliver a letter was only intended to be a test, hoping to shake the hearts of the generals of the two countries, each to preserve its strength and refuse to attack with all its strength.Unexpectedly, the two armies fell to Zhao Guo's side overnight.Gai Nie, is he really a lucky star sent by heaven to protect Zhao Jun?

"This matter is not the work of my subordinates." Gai Nie said calmly, "The Han and Wei countries have suffered from the Qin State for nearly a hundred years, and countless soldiers and civilians died under the Qin army's iron cavalry. The country’s resentment is not less than that of Zhao country. It’s a pity that their monarch is short-sighted, and his courtiers have different intentions. They are willing to cede land to serve Qin and fight for Qin with all their strength. However, there are still many warriors in the two armies who are willing to fight to the death. This Sanjin The Hezong plan was proposed by the Korean generals."

Others were happy to hear this, but Zhongshan Lang felt uncomfortable: in his opinion, soldiers risk their lives on the battlefield just to gain fame and fortune; Everyone else is a villain, but he is a gentleman—either too stupid or hypocritical.

He snorted, raised his head and said to Sima Shangjin: "General, I always feel that this matter is too strange. As the saying goes, the Koreans are very deceitful; the two countries of Korea and Wei just fought fiercely with our army a few days ago, bleeding a lot, now But suddenly said to unite, is it really so easy? The general is a little worried, is this a trap set by the three kingdoms of Qin, Han and Wei? Our army is small, and we can resist the attack of the three-nation coalition only by relying on strong walls; How can we know that our country is planning to collude with Qin to lure our army out of the city wall and annihilate it in one fell swoop?"

Ge Nie stood up "huo" and said anxiously: "Never. The South Korean coach I met is not a person who doesn't know right from wrong; he said before I submitted the secret letter that Qin Guocai The biggest threat of the Three Jins, if he helps Qin attack Zhao, it is tantamount to annihilating Guo. What's more, he killed the envoy of Qin in one fell swoop, which is always true."

"I don't doubt Brother Ge's words." Zhongshan Wolf gave him a meaningful look, "However, Ge Da said that he witnessed the Qin envoy being killed by the Han people. If this is also a plan jointly decided by Qin and Han Wei Woolen cloth?"

"How could the Qin people have expected that I would sneak into the enemy's camp tonight, and deliberately send an envoy to die?"

"This, this..." Zhongshan Lang was at a loss for words, and he scolded Ge Da in his heart for pretending to be honest, but he didn't expect to be so glib.He didn't argue with Ge Neduo, turned his head and continued to express emotion to Sima Shang: "The last general still thinks that this Han general is very suspicious: if he intends to deceive us, then our army will be wiped out as soon as we leave the city gate." ;If he has not deceived us, then he is deceiving his lord to attack Qin with the army he used to join Qin to attack Zhao. How can such a person be trusted if he even intends to betray his own lord?"

Gai Nie frowned, and retorted: "Those who betray the king are not necessarily disloyal. Xunqing, a Confucian in our country, once said that the so-called ministers of the country follow the way and not the king. The king's decision may not really benefit the country; those who can resist The king's life, the importance of stealing the king, and the thing against the king, the danger of the country, the removal of the king's humiliation, and the meritorious deeds are enough to make the country's great benefits, which is called a blow. For example, Xinling Lord steals amulets to save Zhao, kills the general and wins the army; Although this act betrayed the king of Wei, it is the righteousness of the world to save Handan from the fire and water. As Zhao people, how can we accuse him of betraying the monarch?"

As soon as these words came out, Zhongshan Wolf could only grit his teeth and remain silent.After all, if Lord Xinling hadn't led troops to rescue him back then, the State of Zhao might really have ceased to exist.The reason why Mr. Xinling has such courage is not so much for morality, but rather because he has a thorough understanding of the situation, and has insight into the close relationship between Zhao and Wei.

Sima Shang let out a long sigh, walked up to Gai Nie and patted him on the shoulder, saying: "What you said is indeed reasonable. Even the king of a country may not see farther than his subjects. If Han Wei also has such People of insight, that’s what we must unite with. However, just in case, we can’t completely follow the other party’s plan, so as not to be controlled by others.”

"The general means—"

"Gai Nie, tonight you lead five hundred knights, leave the city through the corner gate, and join the Koreans. If it is confirmed that Han Wei intends to join Zhao Kangqin, then send out a signal, and I will immediately lead the army to respond."

"Subordinates obey!"

Sima Shang didn't express another meaning, but just looked at him with worried eyes.Ge Nie nodded understandingly.He knew very well that if tonight's plan was indeed a trap by the other party, then Sima Shang would not send troops to rescue, but would instead close the gates of the city and hold on to the walls to ensure that the Great Wall would not be lost.At that time, there will be a strong enemy in front, and there will be no retreat in the back. Gai Nie and the 500 people he led will be in a desperate situation of isolation and helplessness.

If he chooses to believe in Wei Zhuang, he must bear the risks and responsibilities involved.

The war is coming.

It's a night full of mist, and the moon is covered by melancholy clouds.Five hundred Zhao cavalrymen crossed the Zhangshui River along the pontoon bridge, quietly approaching the place where the Han army was stationed.

The sentries and patrols on the other side had already been withdrawn, the gates were wide open, and tens of thousands of infantry were waiting in formation inside the camp.The soldiers were armored and sharp, their faces were painted with vermilion, and they formed an array like fish scales. Although there were no chariots and horses in the formation, and they did not raise banners, they still looked extremely military.

A figure like a leader straddles a horse and stands in the front, with a heavy black cloth wrapped around his head, only his eyes and nose and mouth are exposed; unfortunately, Ge Nie can still recognize him at a glance from the imposing manner around him and a strand of white hair that accidentally leaked out. his identity.His eyes wandered past Gai Nie's back, and the corners of his mouth were raised ironically.

"Only so few people?"

"Sorry. The main force of our army should not be dispatched together, so as not to attract the attention of the Qin people. General Sima will lead the army to respond later."

"Hmph, I'm afraid I still don't have enough trust in our country." Wei Zhuang said with a smile, "but you are a mere centurion, and it is really difficult to win the trust of the Chinese army. If I really have other intentions, you I'm afraid he has already been regarded as a dispensable abandoned child."

"It's not..." Gai Nie wanted to explain something, but Wei Zhuang waved his hand impatiently, "Such a few people are enough. Bring things up."

The pawns spread out from left to right, revealing a narrow path—four wrestlers came forward carrying a huge copper vat, and most of the viscous and smelly reddish-brown liquid was swaying in the vat.

"This is the blood of the chicken mound that was just slaughtered."

Ge Nie nodded, ordered the knights to dismount, and smeared their faces with the blood of sacrifices; and then distributed the [-] Zhao army flags they brought.Wei Zhuang ordered Gongsun Wuxie and hundreds of people to stay in the camp, planted these flags in conspicuous places, and then set fires everywhere, shouting loudly, making it look like a disorderly army.

Wuxie hesitated and said: "If the Qin people lead troops to rescue the Han camp, wouldn't they discover the mystery here?"

Wei Zhuang showed a winning smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure they will never come to rescue."

There are not a few quicksand members who have quietly infiltrated the South Korean army like Wu Shirt.The reason was that there was a young son Xin from a concubine in South Korea. He was tall and strong, heroic, and won the favor of the monarch. Wei Zhuang advised him to use gold and silk to make friends with the lieutenants and soldiers, and at the same time, he kept sending eyeliners to Prince Xin.Young Master Cheng thought so, so he entrusted Wei Zhuang with full authority over the matter, and gave him a lot of money and treasures as activity fees.Of course, what Wei Zhuang bought in the end was his own prestige from his own connections, and those who were inserted were also people from Quicksand, so there was nothing he could do about it.

Not long after, both armies were ready; Wei Zhuang gave an order, and more than [-] Korean infantry followed closely behind [-] Zhao cavalry, and rushed towards the Qin camp with all their strength.

At about the same time, in the tent of the Qin army, Li Xin of the Chinese army was reading an emergency document at night with the lights on.

This is a battle report sent by the courier from the north in a hurry, written by the former general Yang Duanhe himself.As mentioned in the letter, it was probably the false general Wang Jian who led [-] cavalry out of Taiyuan to take Langmeng, and encountered the main force of the Zhao army led by Li Mu near Fanwu. The two sides fought and each gained something.Later, when Li Mu's ambush was exhausted, our army lost slightly more than Zhao's army, and had already retreated ninety miles to camp; but Li Mu stood firm and did not pursue.General Wang thought that Zhao's army was still strong and powerful in this battle, and that it was too late to defeat Zhao in the first battle, so it would be better to retreat calmly and wait for Shangqing Dunwei's activities in Handan to be rewarded before sending troops.In addition, the coalition forces on the south bank of the Zhangshui River have been at a disadvantage in attacking the city for a long time, and if the stalemate continues for a long time, I am afraid that the two countries will have disagreements, so it is better to withdraw their troops as soon as possible.

The more Li Xin watched, the more he frowned, and finally he held the silk book in his hand. He beat the case hard with his big fist, and said to himself: "The army is dispatched, how can it be returned in vain? I think that when Lord Wu An led seven The lone army of Wan Jiashi went deep into the city of Yan, repeatedly attacked and failed, and held a stalemate for several months. In the last battle, they broke the city, went down to Yanying, burned Yiling, and forced the king of Chu to move the capital. What a great achievement; now our army is here. For more than ten days, there is no food and grass for future troubles, but you are anxious to retreat, what is the reason for this?"

His chest was heaving and breathing, and it took him a while to calm down.Then I thought again, Yang Duan and this letter are just exhortations, not a military order from a fake general; if our army takes advantage of these few days to break through the Great Wall of Zhao in one fell swoop, wouldn't it be a rare feat for Chen Bing to go to Handan City!Thinking of this, Li Xin suddenly felt blood rushing up his throat, wishing he could immediately raise his sword and straddle his horse, and rush out of the camp to fight.

The grease on the lamp is about to burn out.He glanced sideways at the hourglass in one corner, and it was almost midnight.

At this moment, some vague and noisy human voices gradually came into the ears, which seemed close but far away, like the pine waves on a distant mountain.

"Report-"

Before he could listen, a Qin soldier came in panting, and knelt down in front of him.

"The Zhao people attacked the Han camp overnight, the Han army has already been defeated, and they are retreating towards our army!"

"What!" Li Xin jumped up and hurried out of the big tent.He climbed up and looked into the distance, but saw the flames of the Han camp to the east, countless swaying shadows running and shouting among the military tents, and an unknown number of red Zhao army flags fluttering in the raging flames.

"According to the news from the spies, Zhao Guo's defense on the front line of the Great Wall is no more than a thousand troops. It's really brave to send troops to attack at night." He gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "But even so, the Koreans are too much Vulnerable."

"Report—general! The Wei camp to the west was also attacked, and the camp is on fire!"

"What!" Li Xin was furious, "How many people have come from Zhao Kingdom!! There is enough energy to divide the troops to attack Han and Wei...Could it be that the intelligence of the scouts was wrong, and the strength of Sima Shang's troops far exceeded our expectations..."

"General, Han and Wei are retreating, do you want to divide the troops to rescue?" the general asked urgently.

"Save them? Hmph." Li Xin looked at the flames, squinted his eyes and said coldly, "If the Zhao people plan to lure the main force of our army to rescue them twice, leaving our camp empty and trying to take advantage of the chaos, we will be led by them Walking away with a nose - the so-called enemy's will is scattered, and it is an old-fashioned strategy to take advantage of it involuntarily."

What Li Xin won't say is that he has always looked down on the combat power of the Han and Wei armies, and he never regards the two countries as allies; even if their entire army is wiped out, there is no pity.However, this kind of thinking hit Wei Zhuang's arms.

In fact, Wei Zhuang's plan is very simple in detail: the Han and Wei armies first made the illusion of being attacked and defeated, and then the infantry, led by the Zhao cavalry, successively attacked the Qin army's camp; In addition, Zhao people painted their faces with animal blood, and Korean people also painted their faces with animal blood. In addition, the night was dark and the fire was shaking. From a distance, I didn't know how many red-faced and fierce soldiers rushed towards them with shouts, and Qin Jun was immediately shocked. He mistakenly thought that the Zhao people came with thousands of troops, and they lost in morale first.

Although Qin's army is strict, its soldiers often sleep in full armor and rest on their pillows. As soon as they hear the warning, they go out of their tents to meet the enemy; , into chaos.

After the first wave of arrow rain, most of Qin's soldiers had no time to react. The five hundred Zhao cavalry had already rushed into the formation, taking advantage of the huge advantage of riding against each other, condescending and slashing vertically and horizontally. For a while, the Qin camp screamed Constantly, flesh and blood flew everywhere.A brave general wearing a white feather rushed to the front; he was wearing a red cloak, blood-stained heavy armor, his face was scarlet, and a long halberd pierced left and right, as if entering the land of no one, truly like a god of death .

Li Xin was commanding the whole army to defend against the enemy, and when he turned his head, his eyes were firmly attracted by this man.Gritting his teeth, he shouted loudly, "Come on, let me know your name!"

The man turned his head, his black eyes were shining brightly, like flying stars in the cold night; his lips seemed to move, but no sound came out.

Gai Nie was very troubled, it seemed like a good opportunity to make a name for himself, but if he shouted "Ge Dashi, the centurion of Zhao Zhi!", he felt that it would not be able to deter the enemy; besides, his junior brother was so close at hand. , if he yelled like that, maybe he would be ashamed, angry, and annoyed, and he would simply stab himself in the back——

With a halberd, he knocked back several knife and axemen who were rushing from the side, and at this moment, a hoarse and old voice deliberately yelled out on his behalf: "General Zhao, Daijun Taishou, Wu'an Lord Li Mu is here! ! You wait to die quickly!!!"

Gai Nie immediately knew it was the voice of his junior brother.It's a pity that Wei Zhuang is now dressed in black, and he has abandoned his white horse. He is mixed with the chaos army, as if he has merged with the night; and this cry is also from the dantian, and it is transmitted far away by internal force, making it impossible to recognize where he is at the moment place.

Li Xin was so angry that his seven orifices were full of smoke—not to mention when Li Mu practiced the art of rejuvenation, just judging from the battle report, this person was still fighting with old general Wang Jian in Fanwu two days ago, how could he still have the ability to travel thousands of miles every day and have a clone? The ability to change form is not possible!

"You little thief, don't try to confuse the crowd with your gossip, and disturb our army's morale!!" He drew his sword out of its sheath, and roared, "Let me bring my horse!"

"General! General!" Another sergeant rushed over with his face splattered with blood, and hurriedly reported: "The water in the stables, the horses are startled!!"

"What!!" The blow to Li Xin was even greater.War horses are extremely valuable no matter which country they are in, and the stables in the camp have always been guarded day and night by heavy sentries; at this time, the fire is on fire, no matter how you look at it, it seems that someone deliberately did it.Could it be that our army has also mixed in with their spies!

He was right.As early as an hour ago, Wei Zhuang sent an assassin with excellent lightness skills in the quicksand, called Wuming, to sneak into the Qin camp, and released the dozen or so people who would be beheaded and sacrificed to the flag the next day. Han and Wei deserted.These people survived a desperate situation, naturally they were very grateful and willing to die for it; Wuming led them to lurk near the stables, and when they heard the sound of killing in the camp, they took the opportunity to set fire to the horses, panicked and fled in all directions.

Chaos, chaos, chaos.This is the effect Wei Zhuang wanted.He knew very well that the combat power of the Han army was not considered strong among the armies of the Seven Kingdoms, but the enemy was the sharp warrior of the Qin State who was known as the number one in the world; only by relying on the chaos of the opponent was the guarantee of victory.

Of course, the [-] cavalry led by Gai Nie were really strong, which made him envious and jealous, which he could not and would not bother to admit.Although most of Zhao's people are not very skilled in martial arts, and even the senior brother himself is only wielding a long and stupid halberd, without the peerless halberd and sword shining across Kyushu; It is extremely practical to divide the encirclement and cooperate with the infantry's attack.

At night, the south wind suddenly blew up, and the fire fought against the wind, and the wind helped the fire. Seeing that this bloody battle has intensified to the point of flames: the number of soldiers on both sides is decreasing, corpses are piled up everywhere, banners are broken, and the sound of mourning fills the ears. Splashes of blood shattered the sky; in front of the large tent of the Chinese army, Li Xin's eyes were bloodshot, and he waved his sword, loudly urging the whole army to attack.

Suddenly, wolves sounded from all around Qinying, and the shrill howls shocked everyone in the fight.

"What is this?" Wei Zhuang asked after splitting a Qin soldier in two with his sword, and jumped onto Gaine's horse.

Gai Nie breathed a sigh of relief, and explained: "Our army includes the royal family of Zhongshan Kingdom and the descendants of the Baidi people. He not only mastered the wolf taming technique passed down from his ancestors, but also invented a set of wolf voices to send messages. The secret method is more reliable than beacon smoke and semaphore. As soon as he spreads the news, reinforcements will arrive soon."

Wei Zhuang replied thoughtfully.Not long after, there was indeed the sound of horseshoes beating drums from the north, and it was Sima Shang himself leading the army.Li Xinxin knew that the situation was over, so he led the remnant soldiers to retreat to the southwest in the direction of Yecheng.Wei Zhuang and Gai Nie teamed up to cover up the kill from behind for a while. Since the Koreans were almost all infantry, Gai Nie's side was also short of men and horses, so he still failed to catch up.

"Damn Wei Bao." Wei Zhuang gritted his teeth, "This guy has two heads. Although he set fire to the camp and caused chaos, he didn't send troops to block the Qin army's way at all."

Gai Nie stared at the flames in the west, and said, "If you let the Qin people go, it will be bad for South Korea."

Wei Zhuang glanced at him, then suddenly turned his horse's head, and went away along a small road to the southeast.