When Zeng Guozhong and others retreated, the sound of killing in the front camp in the rear was shocking, and fierce battles were raging. Zeng Guozhong looked back at the battlefield, how could he rest assured in his heart. From a distance, he saw several groups of torches gathering towards the front camp in the back camp of the middle camp, and realized that reinforcements from the other two camps were about to arrive, and he was even more uneasy. Finally, I couldn't help but run to Song Jiangong's side and asked, "General Song, let's just leave?" General Liu, what should they do? Can you break through? ”

Song Jiangong glanced at Zeng Guozhong and said with a smile: "General Zeng, if General Liu hears what you say, he will be very unhappy." You're questioning the skill of his cavalry. ”

Zeng Guozhong hurriedly said: "This is not what the humble position means, you see, the reinforcements of the middle camp and the rear battalion are all daring to go to the front battalion, I am worried that they will rely on the strength of the crowd and trap General Liu and them." ”

"You think too much, if General Liu wanted to retreat, he would have rushed out a long time ago, he was waiting for us to safely escape from the opponent's attack. They rushed through the camp to attract the attention of the other party. Moreover, the other side also has cavalry, so we are not out of danger if we don't get close to the left of the city. If our cavalry withdraws, the opposing cavalry comes to entangle, and a large number of infantry arrives, it will be difficult for all of them to get out. The farther we go, the more reassuring General Liu becomes. If we drag on for a moment, General Liu and the others will be in more danger of being surrounded. Got it? Let's hurry up and get on the road. Song Jiangong said with a smile.

Song Jiangong's words made Zeng Guozhong and the others understand, and their nerves tightened. I forgot about the fact that Li Guangbi also had tens of thousands of cavalry. If the cavalry is chasing, it will be a bad thing. At the same time, the two also understood why the soldiers and horses led by Song Jiangong were not only carrying longbows on their backs, but also carrying crossbows and crossbows, which was precisely to deal with the possibility of cavalry raids. It turned out that they were so thoughtful.

At that moment, everyone did not dare to delay, and continued to run out of the land of two miles quickly, and when there were only less than two miles left from Tongzhou City, Song Jiangong finally gave an order. A soldier fired three green flares into the sky, which was a signal to inform Liu Jun that the infantry had successfully escaped and that you could evacuate with peace of mind.

The next moment, the fire in the front camp of the enemy army was blazing, and the sound of explosions was incessant. The cavalry of the Shence Army obviously sacrificed a weapon of destruction...... Grenade. Bullet, this is a sharp weapon to break through the gap. With a violent explosion, the cavalry burst out of the gap on the southeast side and rushed out. Like a dragon out of the abyss, it got rid of the bite of countless ant-like infantry around it, and rushed out of the enemy's front camp and left.

One of the opposing cavalry came late from the middle camp and tried to catch up with the opponent at the end. But the cavalry of the Shence Army ignored them at all and left the battlefield directly. The enemy cavalry and dense infantry shouted and pursued in the rear, but how could they catch up. In addition, they did not dare to chase too far, for fear of being ambushed, and chased them out of the land for several miles, so they died down.

When Song Jiangong, Zeng Guozhong and others led the infantry to arrive outside the east gate of Tongzhou, Liu Jun's cavalry had already arrived at the city. In order to prevent the enemy from chasing down the city and taking advantage of the opportunity of the soldiers and horses entering the city to attack the soldiers and horses at the city gate, the defenders of the Shence Army above the city wall were in full formation, with bows and crossbows. Liu Jun's cavalry also cruised outside the city to protect.

After half an hour, all the soldiers and horses entered the city, the gates were closed, the drawbridge was raised, and everything was calm.

……

When the battle in the camp in front was in full swing, Wang Yuan watched the battle while telling Gongsun Lan and A Luo about the causes and consequences of all this.

"Last night, Zeng Guozhong secretly went into the city to ask to see me, which surprised me a lot. I was thinking about how to deal a further blow to Lee Kwang Pik before the siege, and God gave me this surprise. With my people in the enemy army, it's a lot easier. ”

"Originally, the plan I discussed with Zeng Guozhong was to make Zeng Guozhong and them defect before the battle, which would be much simpler. But I always thought it wasn't a big enough hit. I don't lack Zeng Guozhong's soldiers and horses, even if I defect before the battle and suddenly kill 10,000 or 20,000 of them, I can't change the situation of the battle. In that case, why not play a big one. Therefore, the plan to burn grain was released. ”

"Of course, compared to the battle before the battle, the plan to burn grain is too risky, but the rewards are also extremely rich. If the military rations in Li Guangbi's army can be burned, it will be a devastating blow to Li Guangbi. That's more than killing 10,000 or 20,000 enemies. However, the difficulty in this plan lies in whether Li Guangbi can successfully enter the storage yard of grain, grass and materials in the middle camp. Otherwise everything is empty talk. Fortunately, Zeng Guozhong told me that there was an old man named Wang Changling who was in charge of logistics and military supplies in the other party's front camp army, and he was willing to defect, so this plan was logical. ”

"The whole purpose of the project was to blossom inside and burn the grain and grass stored in his army. As soon as the military rations were cut off, the army's morale was in turmoil, and that was the beginning of Li Guangbi's defeat. But the premise is that it has to wait for the people sent to blow up the mountain road to deliver the news. The logistics channel cannot be blocked, and it will not help to burn their grain and grass, they will quickly replenish it. So, I've been waiting for news from the mountain passage. If the news doesn't come, I will never do it. I don't care about waiting any longer. Anyway, there is a nail wedged in the enemy's army, and it will be destructive at any time. I'm not in a hurry. ”

"The news of the blockage of the mountain road came a little late, and I thought I wouldn't be able to do it tonight. Because it was too late, it was impossible to arrange all the actions. But fortunately, the news of the blowing up of the mountain road was received before dark, and the plan was successfully implemented. Two hours ago, I asked you to watch the good show of the princes of the Beacon Fire Show, which was not just to amuse the enemy army, but to send a signal to Zeng Guozhong that they could do it. Of course, I do want to make you happy. ”

Of course, these three flares may also cause trouble for Zeng Guozhong and them. After all, it alarmed the soldiers and horses in the battalion. Wait until they fall asleep again before proceeding with the plan. But I guess it doesn't hurt. After all, it can't be perfect, and the blame is only on the enemy's rumors, like a frightened bird. ”

"Although I haven't seen the details of the operation, based on the results of my discussion with Zeng Guozhong, I think I can guess it as well. Wang Changling had to go to the grain and grass material yard in the middle of the night every day to receive grain, grass, vegetables and vegetables for the soldiers and horses of the front battalion for a day. Zeng Guozhong and Qian Gaozhi would select some capable soldiers and horses to pretend to be logistics soldiers and horses, and follow Wang Changling into the yard to set fire. Before the fire broke out, some of the defectors would secretly remove the rejected horses outside the southwest corner of the camp that Zeng Guozhong and Qian Gaozhi were in charge of. And there is no trapping in the horse pit, because Zeng Guozhong and Qian Gaozhi did not dig the trap at all, they are just making a show. As for how to prevent the news from being revealed, that was Zeng Guozhong's business. I guess it's pretty simple, just let the soldiers they trust pretend to dig. This must be done before the fire, because when the fire is together, the rest of the soldiers and horses will be alarmed, and it will not be done. ”

"After the fire broke out, there must have been chaos in the enemy camp, and Liu Jun led 10,000 soldiers and horses to rescue them, and they walked through that unimpeded passage. Song Jian's power crossbowmen went to meet them. As long as there is no accident, taking advantage of the chaos of the fire in the other camp, they will definitely be able to save them. Of course, bigger surprises are not ruled out. I also talked to Zeng Guozhong about this, he is willing to take this risk, not afraid of dying tonight, then there will be no problem. ”

"Of course, the greatest danger of the whole program is not the risk in action, but a basic starting point. That is, Zeng Guozhong is a question of whether they can be trusted. If Zeng Guozhong took advantage of the fact that I had fought side by side with him in Yangzhou to gain my trust and set a trap for me, then tonight might be a night of heavy losses for my Shence army. After Zeng Guozhong left last night, I also analyzed it with Liu Jun, Zhao Qing, Tan Ping, and Song Jiangong. In fact, everyone is not completely sure, because after all, they don't know much about each other. ”

"I'm willing to take the risk not only because of the huge payoff, but also because of the conversation I had with Tsang last night. When I learned from Zeng Guozhong, it turned out that the reason why Ruoyu was able to escape from Yangzhou was the result of Zeng Guozhong and them turning a blind eye. And Zeng Guozhong was able to accurately tell the situation when Ruo Yu was hiding in Miss Jiang Qiaoqiao in Cuifang Building, which basically dispelled my doubts about him. Although Song Jiangong reminded me that maybe he was using this to win my trust, I didn't think there was any need to do that when he was in Yangzhou, after all, it was their chance to make meritorious contributions. The fundamental reason why they did that was because of me, because they were righteous, because they valued the friendship I had with them when I was in Yangzhou. So I'm willing to believe them. Facts have proved that this is completely our own suspicions, and several of them are iron-clad men, absolutely reliable. ”

"The reason why I didn't tell you about it is because it needs to be kept secret, and because I don't want you to bother. I know that you have been very worried since the enemy army overwhelmed the border. So much so that Ah Luo had to come to Tongzhou when she was pregnant, saying what to live and die together. I asked you to come to the play tonight, which is to tell you that the 300,000 soldiers and horses under the city are not in the eyes of my Wang Yuan at all. I just saw Lee Kwang-pil as a joke. ”

Wang Yuan ended his tirade with a smile, and Gongsun Lan and A Luo also suddenly realized. The two were in a good mood and praised repeatedly. After a night of freezing and a night of wind, I finally saw this big drama and got such a perfect explanation, but there is nothing to complain about.

Ah Luo held the battlements and looked at the enemy camp with a killing sound and a burning sky, and said happily: "Erlang, does that mean that if we burn their grain and grass, Li Guangbi will retire?" He can't go to war hungry. ”

Wang Yuan shook his head and smiled: "That's unlikely." ”

"What? He still dares to attack the city? Arlo was surprised.

Wang Yuan said: "With my understanding of him, he will never withdraw his troops, after all, he still has so many soldiers and horses on hand, how can he fight to the death." Not to mention anything else, he always thought that he was better than me, and if he lost this battle, he would never have a chance to prove himself, so he would definitely fight to the death. Besides, this fire may not be able to burn all their grain and grass, so it is unrealistic to think, I only hope that six or seven percent of them will be burned, which is the best result. So, Lee Kwang-pil still has his last few days of struggle, and this will be his last madness. ”

……

Li Guangbi stood quietly in the early morning light. His face was stained with a few black dusts, his helmet was slightly crooked, revealing a few strands of scattered gray hair, and the whole person looked a little tired and depressed.

In front of him, the yard that had been hoarded with a lot of supplies, grain and grass was in shambles. After the incineration, the embers smoked, and the wind blew and the sparks lit up, and from time to time flames appeared. There is a pungent smell of burnt burning in the air. It could have been the smell of the boots on your feet being scorched.

The ground after being scorched by the fire was unusually hot, and you could feel the soles of your feet slightly hot when you stepped on them. The air around is hot, and when the cold wind blows, the air is hot and cold, giving people a strange feeling.

Groups of soldiers with blackened faces carried the sand with heavy footsteps to bury the embers, the only means of extinguishing the fire they could use at the moment. Because there was no water source in the area where the camp was located, the army's water was transported from a waterhole in a valley in the north, seven miles away. The water stored in the army at the time of the fire was useless, and the emergency water truck pulled water from the mountain valley to save it had little effect, which perfectly explained what it means to be a drop in the bucket, and far water cannot solve the near fire.

In such a situation, the fire cannot be effectively contained once it has started. In desperation, the soldiers had to brave the flames, desperately dig a fire ditch temporarily, and dismantle all the tents and facilities downwind, which stopped the spread of the fire. Those who have already caught fire can only be buried with sand and rocks to reduce the fire.

Even with such urgent emergency measures, most of the entire grain and grass yard was burned, and the fire spread to the inside of the camp, burning more than 500 tents. The huge middle camp was burned by the fire from the middle, a huge black hole, like a desperate one-eyed black hole staring at the sky.

Li Guangbi never went to the front camp to direct the battle, and he knew that the cavalry that rushed into the camp was only taking advantage of the fire to loot, not a signal for an all-out war. What he cares about most in his mind is how much food he can salvage, and that is the key. Under his personal command, the soldiers did desperately grab a lot of grain and grass. Originally, there was a hoarding of grain and grass for the whole army for 15 days, and a whole 200,000 stone people ate the grain chewed by the horses, and snatched back three stones, plus thousands of stones of grain that had to be piled up with sand and soil because of firefighting. These 30,000 stone of grain were only enough for the army to eat for three days, but it was better than burning them all.

All the other spare armor and weapons, the nearly a million arrows in the tents, the firewood and charcoal used by the whole army, and even the hundreds of fat pigs and hundreds of sheep in the fence were all burned into a pile of char in this fire. The fire also killed more than 400 guards in the yard and hundreds of soldiers and horses who came to collect food and grass from the rear camp. The quartermaster of the rear battalion also died in the fire. Soldiers involved in the firefighting also burned hundreds of people.

All in all, this is a huge disaster. And all this was planned by Wang Yuan, which made Li Guangbi's entire army fall into a crisis in an instant.

Li Guangbi, who was standing in the fire, was sweating from the heat, and his face was red. But his heart was cold. Of course, he knew what it all meant. This may mean that the huge army led by himself three times the enemy's size will completely collapse under the city of Tongzhou.

With the sound of horses' hooves, Dong Yuanshu galloped over with more than a dozen former battalion generals who had lost their armor and dismounted their armor. At the edge of the charred field, Dong Yuanshu got off his horse.

"Where is Li Shuai?" Dong Yuanshu asked one of Li Guangbi's personal soldiers.

"Right there." The soldier pointed at Li Guangbi, who was standing in the ashes.

Dong Yuanshu saw Li Guangbi at this time, Li Guangbi's whole body was in a mess, and the armor on his body was also crooked, not at all the usual neatly dressed appearance, so he saw his back just now, but he didn't recognize it.

Dong Yuanshu straightened his armor and walked towards Li Guangbi. When he came to Li Guangbi's side, he bowed his head and bowed in fear: "The lowly Dong Yuanshu has seen Li Shuai. ”

The cavalry of the Shence Army attacked the front battalion, killed and wounded nearly 6,000 soldiers and horses of the front battalion, and retreated. Li Guangbi knew that Dong Yuanshu was coming, but he didn't want to deal with him at all.

"Humble ...... Humble and incompetent, he failed to completely annihilate the enemy troops in the battalion and let them ...... Ran away. Zeng Guozhong, Qian Gaozhi, and Wang Changling, the three traitors, who were surrounded by 4,000 rebels, also fled to the traitor Wang Yuan's account. Humble and incompetent, humble and deserving of death, please Li Shuai to condemn himself. Dong Yuanshu cautiously stammered the report.

Li Guangbi did not say a word. didn't even glance at Dong Yuanshu, only looked at the pile of ashes emitting green smoke beside him. Li Guangbi's attitude also made Dong Yuanshu even more uneasy. The rebel generals came from the front camp under their own tents, and he failed to catch them and leave them, but let them retreat with their whole bodies, even Dong Yuanshu himself felt that his sins were intolerable, and he felt that things were not good from Li Guangbi's silence, and he felt a murderous aura.

"Dong Yuanshu, you have betrayed the trust that the marshal has placed in you. The commander promoted you from the Praetorian Guard, and put you in command of the front camp of a hundred thousand troops. You tell me, what did you give back to Ben Shuai? In three days, more than 30,000 soldiers and horses in your front battalion were killed and wounded. was killed by Wang Yuan's cavalry in your front camp a few times back and forth, as if entering a no-man's land. You say, "What use do I want from you?" Li Guangbi spoke coldly.

"The lowly position deserves to die, the lowly position deserves to die, the lowly position has failed the cultivation of the marshal, please punish the marshal." Dong Yuanshu's face was as dead as ashes, and he fell to his knees