Chapter 1310: When to Wait

The Eighth Army of the Great Song Dynasty Forbidden Army was stationed in Dengcheng and inside and outside the city, and the three armies were all in combat readiness, with guns not leaving their bodies, horses not unsaddled, and they were lined up on standby. However, more than half a day has passed, and no orders have been handed down, but from the state of sortie to the state of standby, you can sit down and rest, but you are not allowed to move on your own, and lunch is also dry food.

The soldiers were on high alert for a long time, and they were tired and even more tired, sitting or lying down in the assembly area, whispering in groups of three and two, talking about important actions. However, the commanders, the captains, and the captains who led the troops did not know anything, nor did they understand what to do. Some people inquired about joining the army and Marquis Yu, who were familiar with each other in the military department, but they were also silent and refused to reveal a word.

'Got, got, got...... A hurried sound of horses' hooves came from far and near, and a scout with a red flag on his back did not dismount in front of the camp, but drove straight to the town's tent.

"This is the fourth wave of sentinels today, I don't know what news it brings?" The veteran soldier in the camp muttered as he looked at the departed war horse. They knew that it was a capital offense to run horses in the camp on weekdays, but the scouts and signal soldiers who transmitted emergency military information in the war were not among them, and the frequent entry and exit of the sentinels in and out of the commander's tent obviously had important military information.

"Brother, do you know what's going on?" An old soldier with a bearded sideburns paced over and asked quietly.

"I don't know, last night I suddenly issued a general order, ordering the whole army to prepare for the battle, we thought we were going to Gucheng to reinforce your three divisions!" The veteran knew from his badge and armband that he was a member of the Third Division, and said with a smile.

"We also received an order last night to let them return to Dengcheng in the starry night, and everyone thought that you were in a hurry and came back to rescue you. But after I came back, there was no, and I sat here all morning. The bearded veteran said with a wry smile.

"How's the battle going over there in Valley City? Your division and the Seventh Army have been attacking together for more than 20 days, and it should be over! The veteran of the 1st Division who stayed in Dengcheng patted a piece of log he had made and asked him to sit down and talk.

"I haven't used a gun in the past few days, and every day I dig trenches and forts along the river, and pull cables to block boats. The Seventh Army fought a few battles, but only occupied a few villages on the other side of the river and stopped, and the ferry has not yet been captured. The bearded soldier stretched out two palms full of blood blisters for him to see, and smiled helplessly.

"What kind of battle is this? I can't figure it out, we have artillery, and we can block the river by building a few batteries along the river. When he was in Qiongzhou, Ali Hague used thousands of warships to attack Qiongzhou, and His Majesty led the troops of our two divisions to destroy the ships with ballistas, and blocked them on the beach, without even seeing the city. The veteran of the first division said indignantly.

"Disrespectful, disrespectful, I don't know if my brother is from the old first division or the second division? I'm from the old division. The veteran of the first division asked, of course, the first division in his mouth is not the current Eighth Army and the First Division, but the first division of the Qiongzhou Palace Guards back then.

"I am from the second division, that is, the left military camp of the Shuaifu Army back then." The bearded soldier returned the salute.

"That's really a senior, but according to my brother's qualifications, he should be a commander, why is he still a team leader?" Military age in the army is seniority, and the veterans of the first division are more and more respectful and authentic.

"I'm stupid, I can't read a few words, I can't command a battalion, so I've been leading troops below, which is good." The bearded soldier smiled and said disapprehantly, "After entering Jiangnan, I also let our veterans who have completed their service retire to the locality, but I don't want to go, so I want to be a soldier happily, and I applied to stay, and I was transferred to the Eighth Army when the army was expanded." ”

"I should retire this year, I was reluctant to do so, but now I don't want to stay when I look at the Eighth Army, and I will go home to farm in a few months." The veteran of the 1st Division sighed.

"The Eighth Army can be regarded as an old forbidden army, but Gucheng is such a small city, with 40,000 or 50,000 people, and it can't be captured in the past month, which is incomprehensible. At that time, we only had less than 3,000 soldiers in Qiong, where did we have such a good weapon in our hands, let alone armor, but Your Majesty dared to take us to fight Guangzhou, and even beat the city. I think the commanders of the Eighth Army are not bold and dare not fight a tough battle. The bearded veteran sighed.

"Brother, transfer you back in a hurry, can you hear any rumors?" The two of them got closer and closer, and the veteran of the first division leaned closer and asked softly.

"This ...... I heard some rumors earlier, saying that Jiang Shuai was seriously injured and could not serve on the council, and His Majesty was going to come to Jingxiang in person, but then there was no follow-up, which suddenly recalled us, I think we have to go forward to meet Your Majesty? The bearded soldier looked left and right and replied softly.

"Oh!" The veteran of the first division was surprised, but then he realized his situation, and when he saw that no one was paying attention, he said softly, "If you come to Jingxiang from Huaibei, you must take the road of Suizao, and now Fancheng has been lost." If what the elder brother said is true, the holy car is likely to be blocked in Fancheng. In the morning, the sound of artillery in the east was faintly heard, and it sounded for a long time, and it was very likely that the holy car had arrived and was attacking Fancheng. ”

"Bastards, the holy car was blocked in Fancheng, only thirty miles away, but they sat idly by, and refused to send troops to meet it, do they want to rebel?" The veteran frowned when he heard this, and said angrily.

"Don't be impatient, brother. Seeing that they are also not well-intentioned, we can't ignore the safety of Your Majesty, we have to try to ensure the safety of the holy car, I don't know how many people my brother can contact. The veteran of the first division held down his beard and said softly.

"When Huguang expanded the army, many veterans were transferred from the Jiangdong Fifth Army and the Imperial Protector Army, but at most they served as first-class commanders. Although we do not have the right to transfer troops, these people are the people who directly lead the troops, and if there is a change, it can still play a role, and we should inform those reliable people in case of accidents, how about it? The bearded veteran pondered for a moment, although he also had doubts, he still chose to trust his comrades-in-arms who were also from the old department.

"Okay, let's contact secretly, as many as we can, if not, we will forcibly go out of the camp to Fancheng to meet us!" The veteran of the first division thought about it and made up his mind.

"In this way, we will act separately and secretly contact the reliable people in the Eighth Army, especially those from the Imperial Protectors, who are the most loyal and trustworthy to Your Majesty!" The bearded soldier said.

"Well, our reliable people tie a white scarf to their right wrist as a mark so as not to cause accidental injury." The veterans of the first division were more thoughtful, and after saying that, they got up and left one after another......

…………

Zhang Ba paced anxiously in the tent, and more than a dozen senior officers above the capital of the Eighth Army of the Forbidden Army were also frowning, their eyes either following him around in the tent, or thoughtfully wandering out of the world, no one spoke, only the sound of his heavy footsteps and sighs from time to time.

"Zhang Dutong, you have that idea, do you want to go or stay? The whole army has already been assembled, and it has been standing outside for almost four hours! The first division was under control, and Zhang Huai got up and said.

"Now we are in a dilemma!" Zhang Ba asked him to sit down, spread his hands and sighed again, "Who would have thought that Shi Bi's gang was such a waste, Fancheng was not defended for a day, and it was broken in only half a day." ”

"It's not Shi Bi's waste, it's really our incompetence!" The three divisions are all in charge, and Song Lian pouted.

"The Song capital is under control, how can we talk like this, we have no water army to support, and we are alone, facing the enemy attack of Nanyang and Xiangyang, how to hold it, and move the army closer to the Seventh Army so that the two armies can rely on each other and form a suppressive trend against the enemy." Zhang Huai was not angry.

"Hmph, Your Majesty has moved thousands of miles from Tianfu, only with two brigades of soldiers, marching day and night for nearly a month, and walking across the road from the enemy, why have you not been afraid. And in Jingxiang, we only had a day's rest to conquer Fancheng, and we couldn't even take a valley city with the strength of the two armies, so how could we suppress it! Song Lian snorted coldly and replied.

"Don't argue anymore when both of them are in charge, the Imperial Front Army is the elite of the whole army, and the combat power is not comparable to us. And His Majesty's courage is even more unprecedented, how dare you and I compare, let's think about the present! Zhang Ba frowned and stopped the argument between the two.

Zhang Ba knew very well in his heart that Zhang Huai, who was in charge of the first division, had followed him for many years in the old Huai Army, and had always been regarded as a confidant. The second division was under the command of Song Lian, which was adapted from the original Huaien Army and was included in the Eighth Army when it was expanded. As for the three divisions under the control of Ma Ling, it was the old department of the Weisheng Army, and the original leader Qin Linfeng was executed by His Majesty for corruption. After they were incorporated into the Eighth Army, they did not get along with themselves, and it would not do them any good if they made trouble again.

As for Shi Bi, Zhang Ba hated itchy. He knew that after he had the right to lead the various armies of Jingxiang, it was against His Majesty's will to attack Xiangyang by using the strategy of a long siege. At that time, he thought that he was the most senior, and Jiang Cheng could not be a director, so he could blackmail the emperor into making him the head of Jingxiang Road. But he didn't expect that the emperor would work tirelessly to conquer thousands of miles in person.

After learning the news, Zhang Ba wanted to disturb the situation in Xiangyang and make the battle situation out of control, and finally had to help himself to stabilize the situation. And he can take advantage of the situation to capture Xiangyang, and he has to reward himself for his merits. didn't expect that he had laid out the game, Shi Bi's goods didn't cooperate, and repeatedly gave up the fighter plane he made for him, and let the car drive directly to Fancheng City.

Zhang Ba miscalculated repeatedly, and he also understood that he was in an embarrassing situation now, and the crime of not welcoming the holy driver was enough to bear. Therefore, he transferred all the Eighth Army to Dengcheng because he thought that once Shi Bi attacked the camp at night, or sent troops to cut off the westbound road, he could take the opportunity to save the driver and plug the emperor's mouth first. What is hateful is that Shi Bi is arrogant and disdainful. When he learned that His Majesty was preparing to attack Fancheng, he thought that he would assist when his attack was unfavorable, and recapture Fancheng in one fell swoop, which would always atone for some sins.

So early this morning, Zhang Ba sent scouts to Fancheng to inquire about the situation, and once he found that the defenders' attacks were weak, declining, or entering a stalemate, he immediately led the army to reinforce. It's a pity that all I waited for was good news, the defenders were extremely brave, and the defenders of Fancheng had no power to fight back......

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