Tian Kai said: "Liu Tongzhi is right, Yang Zhishuai has always been clever, using soldiers like a god, when he led us on an expedition and crossed the Yellow River three times, I was dizzy, I could only follow in a daze, and I didn't even know how to win a few battles. After I came back, I thought about it carefully, and then I had to admire Yang Zhishuai, his use of soldiers is really unusual? ”

Chen Yichao said: "Then why does Yang Zhizhi have to stand still and stick to it without fighting? Now that we have adapted to the climate of Guangnan, the sick soldiers have all recovered, and the Guangxi army has been reorganized, everything that should be prepared has been prepared, and if he has any clever plans, he should start to implement them. Why is there still no movement? ”

Wang Chip said: "Maybe it's because the time hasn't come yet, right?" ”

Chen Yichao snorted and said, "The time hasn't come yet?" When do you have to wait, it's the middle of April, it's a good time to send troops, and in a few more days it will enter the middle of summer, and the heat will be hot to death, how can you send troops to fight? Is it so hard to say that it is not ripe until after the cool autumn in September? ”

Tian Kai and Wang Chip looked at each other, and they couldn't answer for a while. Liu Fuwu waved his hand and said: "Okay, okay, everyone don't fight, we just follow the order now, we have to train well before the battle, everyone will go back to rest after eating, and we will continue training in the afternoon." ”

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Because the Song army was closed for days, and the Manichaean army did not have any good siege methods for a while, so after attacking for more than a month, Zhong Ziang ordered all men and horses to withdraw, Zhong Zhenxian and Chen Ziming led the army to retreat to Wuhua County, Zhao Cao retreated to Tengzhou, Lai Wenzheng returned to Yicheng, and then returned to Guizhou together, met Zhong Ziang, and discussed the next step.

In fact, before this dispatch, Zhong Ziang did not have much confidence in his heart, for fear that he would encounter the repeated attack on Hengshan or Renxiu County last year, and he would be successfully attacked by the Song army repeatedly. Now it seems that the Manichaean army has obviously learned the lessons of the past, although this time the troops did not get down from one city or one place, but the Manichaean army has almost no losses, and focuses on protecting the team transporting grain and grass, so it did not let the Song army succeed in a sneak attack, compared with before, Yijing is much better.

Moreover, from a formal point of view, the Song army always hid in the city and refused to defend, and did not dare to engage the Manichaean army, obviously avoiding the Manichaean army. This is because of the propaganda in the Manichaean occupied areas, at least there is something to boast about, and it is also very good for raising the morale of the Manichaean army. Therefore, Zhong Ziang also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and his confidence was much more sufficient.

But what's next? Do you continue to attack the Song army or retreat? Zhong Ziang didn't have too many conclusions in his heart for a while. Because Zhong Ziang also knew that although the Manichaean army's field combat ability was strong, its siege ability was very poor, and the Song army refused to defend without fighting, and the Manichaean army did not have much way, and the strong attack and losses were too great, and there was not necessarily any good result.

But if the two sides continue to hold each other like this, the cost of Manichaeism is too great, and an army of 10,000 people needs at least 40,000 or 50,000 people to ensure logistics, and now Manichaeism cannot afford to spend it. But this is like this, the army is not fighting, and Zhong Ziang feels a little unwilling, so after the main generals of the three roads returned to Guizhou, Zhong Ziang immediately gathered leaders at all levels to gather. And put forward their own ideas, and everyone discussed them together.

Zhong Zhenxian said first: "Sect Master, this time the subordinates who sent troops found that the Song army was simply afraid of me like a tiger, and they were so frightened that they closed the city without fighting. At this time, our Holy Sect should increase its forces and continue to attack. ”

Chen Ziming also said: "The subordinates also think that they should continue to attack. Collated and published in ωар.ㄧбΚ.Сn"

Zhong Ziang listened noncommittally, his mind was still clear, and he was not carried away by this apparent victory. It may be true that the Song army did not dare to fight a field battle with the Manichaean army, but this in no way means that the Song army was afraid of the Manichaeans. The tactics adopted by Yang Yan were undoubtedly correct, that is, in view of the weakness of the Manichaean army, which was not good at attacking the city, he refused to defend the city, lured the Manichaean army to attack the city on a large scale, and waited until the Manichaean army had lost its troops and demolished the generals, and then launched a counterattack after the men and horses were tired and demoralized, and then launched a counterattack, and then the Manichaean army could be defeated in one fell swoop. Fortunately, with the lessons of last year, these armies did not go to storm the city, otherwise the result is really hard to say.

Zhong Ziang's eyes fell on Lai Wenzheng, obviously Zhong Ziang still attaches great importance to Lai Wenzheng's opinion.

At this time, Lai Wenzheng also said: "Sect Master, my subordinates also think that it is right to continue to march, after all, my Holy Sect only occupies a corner of Guangxi now, and it will be detrimental to my Holy Sect to continue to fight against the Great Song Dynasty." ”

Before sending troops this time, Lai Wenzheng was strongly opposed to sending troops, but the current situation is obviously much more optimistic in Lai Wenzheng's heart than before the dispatch of troops. Moreover, Lai Wenzheng also knew in his heart that for the current Manichaeism, it was like sailing against the current, and if it did not advance, it would retreat, and it would be impossible to sit firmly in Guangxi. The only way to do this is to continue to expand the territory.

"Oh." Seeing that Lai Wenzheng also changed his attitude, Zhong Ziang was a little surprised, but what Lai Wenzheng said was also reasonable, and the consumption must not be able to consume the Great Song Dynasty, so he said: "Mr. Lai's opinion is that it should be attacked on a large scale?" ”

Lai Wenzheng shook his head and said, "No, siege warfare is still the weak point of my Holy Sect, so you must not attack rashly. ”

Zhong Ziang frowned slightly, and said, "Then what is Mr. Lai's opinion?" ”

Lai Wenzheng said unhurriedly: "Sect Master, although the siege battle is the weak point of my Holy Sect, it can be strengthened through training. Therefore, the opinion of his subordinates is that it is better to maintain the current offensive situation, while continuing to exert pressure on the Song army, looking for opportunities, and perhaps the Song army itself will expose its flaws. On the other hand, you can also strengthen the training of soldiers' siege ability, and make more siege weapons, and wait until the soldiers' siege ability has improved and the equipment is sufficient, and then attack on a large scale. ”

Zhong Ziang laughed and said: "Mr. Lai, you are really my Zhong Ziang's Zhuge Liang, and you will never let me down." ”

At this time, Lin Yongxiang also came out and said: "Sect Master, my subordinates think that there is a big thing that should be done before sending troops. ”

Zhong Ziang said: "What's the matter?" ”

Lin Yongxiang said: "My subordinates think that the sect leader should be the king first, and then send troops, so that he can justify his name." ”

Lai Wenzheng frowned and said unhappily: "Director Lin, didn't the sect leader say before this time that the matter of claiming the king should be delayed, why do you propose to ask the sect leader to be the king now?" ”

Sun Ji said: "Mr. Lai, before this time the army was dispatched, the sect leader said that the king should be slowed down, didn't he not claim the king at that time?" But now the situation is different, from this dispatch of troops can be seen that the prestige of our Holy Sect is far away, the Song army is frightened, hiding in the city and not daring to come out, it is a good time for the sect leader to be king, not to be called king at this time, let alone when. ”

Jiang Yiju also said: "Sect Master, subordinate night stargazing statues, crape myrtle is dark, and the golden qi is rushing, just in response to the Song Dynasty should be destroyed, and my holy sect should be prosperous." Not long ago, the yellow dragon appeared in the South China Sea, and the red light in the south of Guizhou City was several feet the day before yesterday, reflecting half of the sky. Rice has two spikes, and the pillar is long Ganoderma lucidum, all because when my holy religion should be in heaven, the leader should be worthy of the world, so he is born auspicious, and the leader cannot go against the sky. ”

Saying that, the three of them knelt down together and said in unison: "The sect leader must not go against the sky, it will lose the hope of the world." ”

Zhong Ziang was silent after hearing this, Lai Wenzheng was about to speak, Chen Ziming had already taken the lead, and said: "Sect Master, subordinates also think that the Sect Leader should be the king first, and then send the army. ”

Zhong Ziang said: "What is this for? ”

Chen Ziming said: "As Mr. Cailai said below, we must look for opportunities and wait for Song Jun to reveal his flaws. But the subordinates think about it, we can't just wait for the opportunity, and we must also work hard to create fighters. ”

"Oh." Zhong Ziang nodded, Chen Ziming was indeed very reasonable, so he asked: "Then as the Wing King sees, how should we create opportunities by ourselves?"

Chen Ziming said: "Now that the Song army is closed to the city without fighting, it is nothing more than trying to lure our army to storm the city, and we can't wait so passively now, we should find a way to lure the Song army out of the city, so as to eliminate the Song army in one fell swoop." ”

As soon as he said this, all the people present became interested, and Lai Wenzheng also knew that if he could really lure the Song army out of the city, it would naturally be good to fight the Manichaean army head-on, and he still had considerable confidence in the field combat ability of the Manichaean army, but was Yang Yan so easy to coax out? Looking at Chen Ziming's current appearance, it seems that he is confident, and it seems that he really has a way.

Sure enough, Zhong Ziang immediately asked, "Then does the Wing King have any good plans?"

Chen Ziming smiled slightly and said, "The subordinates have their own way, that is, the sect leader is the king." As long as the sect leader is the king, then Yang Yan will naturally fight. ”

Hearing him say this, everyone present was a little inexplicable, Zhong Ziang's eyebrows raised, as if he wanted to say something, but he endured it again. Zhao Cao said: "Wing King, what does it matter if the sect leader says that the king and Yang Yan don't fight?" Can you be clear. In fact, his sentence was exactly what most of the people present wanted to ask. Hearing him ask, they all looked at Chen Ziming again, waiting for his answer.