"Journey to the West"

Author: Scarlet Polyp

Chapter 13 Success or Failure Turns Empty

Thirty miles west of Chang'an City, Maoling of Fufeng County, Maoxiang Houfu.

"Fourth brother, does Lord Liu really say that?" Dong covered his mouth and chuckled lightly, and asked Ma Daidao opposite.

Ma Dai is twenty-six years old this year, tall, with a tiger's back and a bee's waist, sword eyebrows and sideburns, and he is born heroic. He was originally a brother of Ma Chao, and was adopted by Ma Teng after the death of his parents when he was young, and now he is the fourth in the Ma family. Listening to his sister-in-law's question, Ma Dai couldn't hide his excitement and replied: "It's not, it is said that Lord Guangluxun (Guangluxun Liu Ming) was so angry that he rushed to the crown at that time, if it wasn't for the court, I'm afraid he would have pulled out a knife and cut off the two adults Xin and Hua at that time." Mr. Xiaozhi, do you say yes or no? ”

"Hehe, how can you really cut it, Lord Liu, how can you not tell the difference between the importance of this?" Shi Fazheng, the commander of the Zhenbei Army, took a sip of tea soup and sighed, "Good tea。。。。。。 Guangluxun Liu has always been in the same breath as the great general Zhao, and as soon as Liu said this, the attitude of the DPRK and Chinese military in supporting the increase of troops was very clear. Although the prime minister did not express his position today, the matter of the Western Expedition was originally made by his support for the emperor, so the opposition of the court and the central government was insignificant. Judging from what the emperor said to his wife the day before yesterday, the holy decree of ordering the western army to advance westward may come down in the near future, so we should be prepared. ”

Dong pondered for a moment, raised his hand and saluted Fa Zheng; In this way, everything depends on Mr. Xiaozhi's scheduling. The concubine immediately instructed the house to prepare, and Ji Yue (Ma Daizi) accompanied Mr. to Jincheng. ”

Fa Zheng and Ma Dai quit Dong's and walked to the vestibule garden, and saw Ma Piaoxu instructing Jiang Wei and Ma Cheng to practice martial arts in the garden - saying that it was guidance, in fact, it was just Piaoxu practicing guns with two rookies: I saw that Ma Cheng had already been picked up with a wooden stick in the field, squatting aside to watch the excitement, and although Jiang Wei was weak, he was still struggling to support it.

The rise of the Ma Piaofu War danced a wooden stick like a dragon out of the water, and used all the stunts such as pressing, hitting, smashing, sliding, picking, collapsing, and piercing the Ma family's gun, and forced Jiang Wei into a corner step by step, while saying proudly: "Xiao Wei, how many times have I told you, you usually have to work harder, do you have to be the wind in your ears?" Why is the strength in the hands worse than last month? If you dare not respect the teacher's order, I will teach you a good lesson as a teacher today. Jiang Wei didn't answer, gritted his teeth, and tried his best to resist Ma Piaofu's attack, but he couldn't cover his whole body, and his arms and legs were hit a few times from time to time.

Ma Dai nodded again and again, and said: "Piao Fu has been immersed in the Ma family gun for six years, and the moves have been completed, and what is lacking is only strength and experience against the enemy. Although Xiaowei's qualifications are good, he is just getting started, how can he be an opponent. I have to pull the point, otherwise the fluttering will not be light or heavy after a while, and it will not be good if it is broken. ”

Fa Zheng said: "Hehe, I don't think it may be, this son is determined and has extraordinary strategies, and he must have a plan to resist the hard frame so hard today." ”

As soon as the words fell, the situation in the field had changed: Piao Xu was quite impatient with Jiang Wei's endless entanglement, and took a step forward to enter the palace, and stabbed out like thunder. Jiang Wei saw that it was menacing, but he didn't resist, he flashed to the side with his stick, and said secretly: It's ridiculous that you are playing this kind of cleverness with this girl. Just as he was about to make a "slippery" word decision, he changed the stick to whip Jiang Wei's weakness, but he felt a strong force coming from the stick, and the shock of the tiger's mouth was almost uncontrollable. It turned out that the stick that was stabbed just now happened to hit the wall! Jiang Wei waited on the side, picked up the floating wooden stick, put the sticks in the sky, stood still, and said complacently; "Sister Piaoxi, I have conceded."

"You, you, you... You mean. Ma Piaofu was so angry that his apricot eyes widened, and he pointed at Jiang Wei with a trembling hand. I kindly taught the Ma family marksmanship, this kid didn't work hard not to say anything, and he used this kind of unseemly means to lose his face! Thinking about it, my eyes turned red, and tears swirled in my eyes, as if they were about to fall.

"Good, good, what a strategy to fight against the wall and lure the enemy in. Drifting, the two armies are facing each other, and the most important thing for the general is not the high martial arts, but the use of the art of war in the chest. In terms of mastering the combat terrain, you have already lost to Jiang Wei in this battle, are you still not convinced? Fa Zheng clapped his hands and cheered, and walked over with Ma Dai.

"Sir!" Piao Fu didn't follow the way, grabbed Fa Zheng's cuffs and shook them from side to side, "We're not fighting, we're practicing martial arts." This little slippery head always wants to be so opportunistic, how can he practice martial arts well, and how can he become a general in the future? ”

Fa Zheng smiled, turned his head and said to Jiang Wei again: "Xiao Wei, this plan is good, but think about it, if you are on the battlefield and Piao Fu is holding a spear in her hand, can you still use this strategy?" I've been hit so many times before, I'm afraid I'm already bleeding out, right? If you don't sharpen your marksmanship now, no matter how wise you are, it will not be in vain if you are stabbed through by someone after you go into battle in the future? So although you lost, you didn't win either. ”

Jiang Wei broke out in a cold sweat when he heard this, and he was busy making amends to Piaofu. He gave eloquence and softened, and coaxed the girl into tears and laughed in three or two sentences, and waved his hand generously: "If you lose, you lose, Miss Ben can't afford to lose?" But you haven't practiced the basic skills well, wait a minute, give me half an hour's horse step, and swing the gun a thousand times! Turning his head, he saw Ma Cheng gloating on the side, glaring at his younger brother, "You are even worse, you have practiced for a few years, and you are not even as good as Xiao Jiang who has just started, let me tie it together!" ”

"Fluttering is really harsh! Look like a master. Ma Dai touched the fluttering ground and said lovingly.

"Fourth uncle, it's not interesting to fight with them, can you come and practice with me?"

Ma Dai picked up the wooden stick on the ground, stuffed it back into Piaofu's hand and said: "Hehe, let's go another day, the fourth uncle is going to accompany Mr. Xiaozhi to Jincheng soon, and when the fourth uncle comes back, he will accompany you to practice, and pass the whirling gun to you." ”

Piaofu's eyes lit up, and he took Ma Dai's hand and said happily; "Fourth uncle, are you going to Daddy's camp? People haven't seen their dad for more than half a year, so it's okay to let the family go together! ”

Ma Dai knew that he was going to prepare for a real big war, how could he take a girl's family to adventure? So he shook his head again and again, and didn't agree anyway. Seeing that the fourth uncle was soft and hard, she went to seek Fa Zheng, but it was the same result, she snorted, and was about to launch a "tear offensive", but was picked up by Ma Cheng Jiang Wei on the side and walked out. The strength of the two boys was added together, and the girl couldn't struggle for a while. Seeing this, Ma Dai and Fa Zheng looked at each other and smiled, both of them breathing a sigh of relief.

Piao Xu was carried out of the garden by the two younger brothers, and the boss was dissatisfied, knocking on Ma Cheng's head and saying, "You dare to collude with Xiaowei to deal with me." Don't you want your sister to see Daddy so much? ”

Ma Cheng was beaten, hugged his head and shouted: "Sister, how dare I, it's all Brother Jiang's idea." ”

Piao Xu cast a dissatisfied gaze on Jiang Wei, Jiang Wei smiled: "Can't you see it yet?" The fourth uncle and Mr. Fa went to Jincheng this time, obviously to help. These days, rumors are flying in Chang'an City, and in my opinion, the emperor is going to send the Ma family's Zhenxi Army to increase troops in the Western Regions. You said there was going to be a war, would they still agree to take you there? What's the use of talking too much? ”

"How can I be as smart as you!" Piao Fu pouted stupidly, "Smart man, since I can't hide anything from you, do you have any way to let me go with me this time?" ”

Jiang Wei leaned in and whispered, "Hehe, what's so difficult about this, it just has to be like this." "Oh, that's a good plan."

Ma Cheng saw the two whispering and said aggrievedly beside him; "Sister, I'm going too!"

"What can you do?" Piao Xu knocked on Ma Cheng again, crossed his waist and counted him, "Your martial arts are not as good as mine, and your head is not as flexible as Xiao Wei, do you want to be a burden?" Give me a good horse to practice my gun! ”

The Western Regions, two hundred miles west of Shule City.

What happened in Chang'an, thousands of miles away, Zhao Guang, who was in Shule, naturally didn't know anything about it. Although the situation in Shule City has been stable these days, and martial law has been lifted, he is even busier - the news of the Guishan army brought by the resting man Alda gave the two commanders of the Western Expedition a headache, and in order to distinguish the truth from the false, he ordered Zhao Guang to take him to the west of the city to seek the enemy. For several days, the vanguard rode 200 miles deeper, but the Kushan army still did not see a trace. Zhao Guang simply asked the team to settle down by a small lake, and took turns to send detectives out to search in the area of Green Ridge.

The small lake is not large, but the crystal clear water of the lake is extremely beautiful against the distant mountains and the lush forests around the lake. Zhao Guang sat by the lake, feeling that his heart, which had been irritable because of the constant fighting and fighting these days, gradually calmed down in this lake and mountains. After Hyun, who had been tense, relaxed, he felt a little sad in his heart: what a beautiful scene it would be if he could sail on this lake with Haiya。。。。。。 In the midst of his thoughts, his mind was interrupted by a somewhat strange tone.

"My lord, this lake is beautiful, isn't it?" Zhao Guang looked back and saw Adar, Zhao Neng, and a Qiuzi interpreter coming over. The resting young Adar is a cheerful and outgoing person, and he has no consciousness of being a prisoner - within a few days of joining the team, he is very familiar with several Qiuzi interpreters, and through the help of the interpreters, he has even communicated with many soldiers of the vanguard - this section is learning Chinese with Zhao Neng, and after a few days, he can not only understand some daily conversations, but also can already use some simple words to form sentences, and his learning ability makes Zhao Neng admire.

Adar walked to Zhao Guang's side, picked up a handful of water from the lake with both hands, and said: "Water, is life, we travel on the way, we also pass through here, drink water, rest." ”

"Oh? So the place where you saw the Kushan army shouldn't be far from here? Why haven't we found out yet? Zhao Guang stared at Alda's eyes, trying to catch a trace of panic and hesitation in them, but he was disappointed, Alda's eyes were as clear as the surface of the lake. After understanding what Zhao Guang meant, Alda said through the interpretation that the Kushan army was mostly infantry, and the movement was relatively slow, and they could complete the road on horseback for two or three days, and the Kushan people would have to walk for more than ten days, but according to his calculations, the army was only a day or two away from here at most.

At this time, there was a commotion from the campsite not far away, and He Chong hurriedly ran over and said; "My lord, the madman has returned, and he seems to have spotted the enemy's tracks." Zhao Guang and the others hurriedly ran into the camp, and saw Tuoba Fengzheng gulping down the water brought by the soldiers, and the mount next to him was already trembling a little on his legs, panting, and sweating like a spring.

Zhao Guang stepped forward to hold Tuoba Feng's shoulder and asked, "Did you find it?" How far is it from here? ”

"Back to my lord, I saw it. When his subordinates arrived, the enemy's army had basically walked out of the range of Green Ridge, and it was about half a day's journey from here, his grandmother's! Tuoba Feng scolded, signaled the soldiers around him to fill himself with a bowl of water, and gestured, "The team leader is not bottomless, and the number of black pressure is unknown, I'm afraid there are really 100,000 people!" Although most of them are infantry, there seem to be some behemoths at the back of the team, and I don't know what kind of monster it is! ”

"It's hard work, you take a break. Don't just drink water, eat something to fill your stomach. Zhao Guang turned to He Chong and said, "Order someone to release a signal to recruit the other scouts, we must leave here as soon as possible and return to Shule." ”

He Chong took the order and left, Zhao Guang cast a grateful look at Alda, but saw Alda muttering something to Tianlengshen, and he didn't care, so he went to prepare for the camp. Zhao Neng had a heart and asked the translator; "What is Alda talking about?"

The interpreter also seemed to be surprised: "My lord, he is talking about 'war elephants'!" It was the most terrifying army in the Kushan Country, and the little ones had heard of it, no wonder they were walking so slowly! Zhao Neng was well-informed, but he had indeed heard of this kind of animal that only existed in the southern barbarian land, and he frowned, faintly worried in his heart.

After the vanguard was assembled, they rushed back as fast as they could. It took more than two days to complete the journey in a day and a half, and in the evening of the next day, the team saw the earth-colored walls of Shule City.

The scene inside the city surprised everyone, the city gate and the main streets of the city were lined with heavily armed soldiers of the Western Expedition, and the atmosphere was tense. Zong Ma ran close to the camp of the Western Expeditionary Army, but found that the situation inside was chaotic: I saw the soldiers running around with weapons, armor, food packs, and water jugs, busy with their own affairs, and after everyone entered the camp gate, no one came up to help inform them.

Zhao Guang was anxious, and hurriedly grabbed a soldier who looked like a soldier who ran past and asked, "What happened to the big camp, why is it like this?" Where is Pang Shuai? ”

The soldier bowed his hand apologetically, and said; "Sima Dashuai was assassinated on the street today, and now he doesn't know whether he is alive or dead. Ling, Wang, Yan, and Guo (Sima Yi's four generals, Ling Tong, the captain of the Yue Cavalry, Wang Ling, the general of Fenwu, Yan Ba, the general of Wuwei, and Guo Huai, the supervisor of the army) just gathered the team and said that they were going to slaughter the city to take revenge. ”

"Huh?!" The bad luck came again and again, Zhao Guang only felt cold and dizzy with his hands and feet, took a deep breath, and then calmed down and said in a deep voice; "This official is Sima Zhao Guang of the Changshui Battalion, take me to see Pang Shuai, there is an important military report!"