has become a demon

"Nine Palaces Formation." Zhang Xiquan snorted, "What kind of child's play to fool people."

"As we all know, in the plains, when infantry meets cavalry, it is almost an unsolvable situation." Xie Taichu ignored his sarcasm, and only said, "If you walk, you will be chased by the cavalry. The infantry team will also be eaten away by the speed and longbow of the cavalry. This is why once the side wall is breached, they can also approach Lingzhou within a few days."

Bu Xiangming sighed: "Ganzhou in Ningxia has suffered greatly from the Mongolian cavalry, and the nation on horseback is not in vain."

"Once you enter the hinterland of the Central Plains, the terrain is flat and there is no danger to defend, especially in Xuzhou. If you change other generals, you will definitely lie dormant in Xuzhou to wait for reinforcements. Zhou Wenyan can't. Although he is Wuhou, he is both civil and military. In his early years After concentrating on research, the Nine Palaces Formation was evolved from Hetu Luoshu."

While speaking, he walked slowly to the side of the sand table with a cane in hand, and drew a formation on the sand table on the west side of Xuzhou City.

"The main camp of the Nine Palaces is a nine-square grid-shaped camp, mainly composed of heavy armored infantry, equipped with guns, halberds, forks, and armor weapons, divided into nine squares, and the brave and skilled participants will be the commanders. The nine squares It can fight independently or in coordination. Excluding the Jiugong army, two armies were placed on each of the north and south wings. The front side of the two wings is infantry, and the rear side is a firearms battalion equipped with three-eyed guns. There are about 5000 people in a phalanx. Zhou Wenyan has deployed 11 people here. There are nearly [-] elite Chinese soldiers in the rear, waiting for opportunities."

"What kind of powerful formation do I think, isn't it just 10,000+ infantry? It's not like I haven't encountered it before." Zhang Xiquan said, "Since the Chinese army is behind, we rushed straight into the formation and took Zhou Wenyan's head. Win or lose."

"General Zhang wants to take the Chinese army directly, which way should I go?" Xie Taichu asked him.

"Middle road." Zhang Xiquan said loudly with his hips akimbo.

Xie Taichu shook his head: "General Zhang lost."

Zhang Xiquan was startled, looked at the sand table again, and after careful consideration, he felt that the Nine Palaces Formation was a bit more mysterious, and he deduced several possibilities in his heart, but was completely overthrown by himself.

There was a moment of silence.

"When we were in Lintao, Shang Zhijun, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi, led [-] infantry, but our left army's [-] cavalry beat them to pieces." Zhang Xiquan said, "I didn't expect the infantry to be rearranged. To have such power. This Zhou Wenyan is really extraordinary."

While speaking, the sound of war drums beating came from the sky.

King Su led all the people out of the tent and watched from the hillside. In the distance, under Xuzhou City, the 10,000+ people in the Nine Palaces phalanx fluttered with flags and drums, and there were soldiers clapping their shields in unison.

"Zhou Wenyan called the battle, I have to wait, if I don't, I will lose my momentum." Zhang Xiquan bowed and cupped his fists and said, "My lord, the last general Zhang Xiquan is willing to lead the left army to attack its northern flank. Let's try his depth first. Explore the way."

Tao Shaochuan had prepared Ling Jian to serve King Su long ago, and now he has taken Ling Jian and King Su.

King Su gave the arrow to Zhang Xiquan and said: "General Zhang, please be careful and go back quickly."

"Order!"

Zhang Xiquan had to be ordered to step down, and Tao Shaochuan moved a chair for King Su to sit, King Su shook his head.He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes involuntarily looking for a familiar figure in the crowd.

Soon, he saw Xie Taichu.

Xie Taichu stood outside the crowd, holding a cane, looking up into the distance.

Ever since Yulin found out about his illness and that he was in danger, he was filled with the anger of being deceived, and traveled day and night like crazy, rushing to Xuzhou as if he had seized the city.

Xie Taichu used his own life to force himself into a situation where he could only win, a situation where he could only win again and again.

He knew that he could not retreat, let alone lose.

Those who are concerned, their lives hang by a thread.

Any retreat becomes the blade that cuts off the last line...

It was almost August at this time, and the days finally became hot, and the warm wind brought heat waves towards everyone's pavement.But even so, Xie Taichu, who was outside the crowd, was still so lonely and cold, just like when we first met in the capital that year.

Who can sit with him?

The breeze and the bright moon are the home and country of the world.

Only without him...

King Su felt sad.

After a while, hundreds of battle drums sounded in King Su's camp, and the gate of the camp opened, and Zhang Xiquan led the left cavalry army ready to go down the hillside to salute King Su.

King Su nodded.

Watching the Zuo army go all the way, they killed Zhou Wenyan's army in a mighty manner.

When he looked back again, he saw Xie Taichu leaving quietly with some difficulty on crutches.

Following King Su's line of sight, Xiao Jiang also saw Xie Taichu leave, so she leaned over and asked, "Do you need me to invite the Taoist priest back?"

Zhao Yuan shook his head.

Seeing his disappointed expression, Xiao Jiang couldn't help but asked again: "I see that the priest's body has become thinner these days, will you escort him back?"

Su Wang just wanted to go back to him.

There was a commotion on the battlefield, and Zhang Xiquan's team was about to rush into the north wing.

"The battle situation is changing rapidly. This is a big matter, and the rest will be discussed later."

At this time, Zhang Xiquan led the team and was already close to Zhou Wenyan's Northern Wing Army. There were still hundreds of steps away. The infantry of the Northern Wing Army crouched and hid behind the shields. Guns, attacking in rounds, the first row of three-eyed guns retreated to reload, and the second row followed.

The three-eyed blunderbuss was very powerful, and before it got close to the northern flank, the cavalry in the front row of Zhang Xi's army had suffered large-scale casualties one after another.

"Press it up, and their firearms won't be able to shoot!" Hundreds of households in the vanguard shouted one after another. They have experienced hundreds of battles and are not afraid of death. Cavalry, row after row of cavalry and horses to the end, but this team did not flinch, and continued to press down on the mud and blood.

As they approached, they shot arrow feathers and landed among the infantry, killing many of the soldiers behind the armor.

Finally, after hundreds of casualties, they rushed into the infantry of the Northern Wing Army.

At this time, the iron cavalry of the cavalry stepped on the shield of the infantry, and then the bows and arrows shot out one after another.But the situation didn't improve. I thought the infantry was defeated because of this, but this infantry was far beyond imagination.

The [-] soldiers on the north wing quickly surrounded the two legions, let go of the road in the middle, and let Zhang Xiquan's troops rush in. Then the two legions did not escape, but surrounded them from behind.

Zhang Xiquan just felt that it was not good. Looking back, there was no way to come.

The pitch-black animal-faced shields wrapped the infantry layer by layer, and the reloaded firearms battalion faced them less than a hundred paces away.The firearms battalions lined up on both sides quickly closed, and thousands of firearms faced the first row of cavalry.

Within the tight encirclement of the enemy army, the advantage of cavalry's flexibility and mobility disappeared.

Became a living human target.

"Retreat!" Zhang Xiquan yelled, "An Hebing, you lead someone to break the rear! The other ministries retreat for me! Retreat!"

Looking from the high ground of King Su's army, one could only see thick smoke billowing in the distance, and after a while, some troops were heading back in a panic, as if they had taken advantage of it.

"Lao Zhang's situation is not good." Bu Xiangming said, "I'm afraid I've lost my mind. My lord, the last general will go to meet him!"

"You go, be careful in everything." King Su said.

After Bu Xiangming led the crowd out of the camp, King Su said to the herald officer: "Mingjin withdraws troops."

After another half an hour, Zhang Xiquan's retreated troops were counted. Six hundred horses were lost, and nearly 500 soldiers were killed or injured, including two hundreds of households.The An Hebing team in charge of the breakup did not survive.

Zhang Xiquan knelt down and pleaded guilty: "This subordinate has committed the crime of underestimating the enemy and dereliction of duty, please punish me severely!"

He was stabbed in the shoulder by a long spear, and there were still traces of being hit by the firecrackers on his face, and there was a trace of shame in his embarrassment.

King Su said: "What is the crime of General Zhang? Get up, go down to rest earlier, He Jun will go with you, and make up the preparation. Don't think too much."

Zhang Xiquan burst into tears, choked up and kowtowed: "Thank you King Su!"

After Zhang Xiquan left, King Su sat down for a while, got up and said to Tao Shaochuan, "I'm going to concentrate on the strengths of the Taoist Dao, you don't have to follow."

Tao Shaochuan was already moving, but he stopped immediately after listening to his words.

Only Su Wang went to the back camp alone.

After Yulin, Zhao Yuan and Xie Taichu slept in separate tents, apart from military affairs, they didn't like to communicate in private.

Sometimes it's useless to talk too much, so I don't want to talk anymore.

Xie Taichu's tent was in a quiet and remote place at the back, when Zhao Yuan opened the curtain and entered, he saw Xie Taichu sitting on a marching chair, with a chessboard and another chair in front of him.

The moment Zhao Yuan opened the curtain, he had already fallen into Xie Taichu's sight, as if he had been looking in the direction of the curtain, as if he had been waiting for his arrival.

"Zhang Xi all attacked the Northern Wing Army and withdrew." Zhao Yuan was stunned for a moment, remembering his purpose of coming, he turned his eyes away from Xie Taichu.

"Zhang Xi is completely defeated."

"Yes, I'm a little embarrassed." Zhao Yuan said.

"Zhou Wenyan's formation can advance or retreat, attack or defend. The nine palaces in the middle, the two wings seem not weak, but if you go straight to the north wing, you will be surrounded by them flexibly, and the lightning tactics of the cavalry cannot be used. Not only the North Wing, the South Wing, no matter how you try, this is the result... This is what Zhou Wenyan deliberately did."

"Is there a solution?" Zhao Yuan asked again.

Xie Taichu coughed twice, staring at Zhao Yuan's face closely, refusing to look away, after a while, he stretched out his hand to touch the chess piece, and said to Zhao Yuan: "Your Highness wants to clear up the confusion, would you like to talk with me? Like in Ningxia , like in Zhang Liangbao..."

The chessboard is used as the universe, and the black and white chess pieces discuss the situation of the battle.

Zhao Yuan suddenly thought of the small courtyard in winter.

The firewood is drying outside the house, the stream water from the beginning in the water tank is covered with a layer of thin ice, bacon is smoked on the warm never-extinguishing charcoal stove, and warm tea and hot porridge are placed beside the nest.

Every night, on the narrow bed in the low room, there would be a person hugging him from behind, giving him endless tenderness.

I thought it was the beginning of countless hopes.

But now the alienated distance shattered that hope.

Zhao Yuan was in a daze, and sat down beside the chessboard after a long time.

I saw Xie Taichu grabbed a handful of chess, put it in the center of the chessboard, and said to Zhao Yuan: "Your Highness, please 'guess first' [Note 1]."

Zhao Yuan hesitated for a moment: "Shan."

Xie Taichu raised his hand, he only had a white chess piece in his palm, he said to Zhao Yuan: "Your Highness has won, Your Highness will go first."

Zhao Yuan fiddled with the white chess jar for a while, raised his hand to drop the chess and the star, he suddenly smiled, raised his head and asked Xie Taichu: "You and I guess first, is it because I have never won? Every time, who is the first mover? It's all about you who have already made the ending, and whether you can guess right or not, it's up to you to decide?"

"Your Highness, do you want to know the answer? Or do you want to know how to break the Nine Palaces Formation?" Xie Taichu followed his son.

"I want to know."

Xie Taichu smiled: "If that's the case, play this last game of chess with me."

[Note 1] Guess first: Go terminology.It is a method used in a Go game to decide who moves first.In ancient Chinese Go, the seat system was implemented. The black and white players each placed two pieces at the diagonal star positions (diagonal star layout), which is the seat system, and the white side goes first.