"Guo Weizhong's department has arrived at Xiaohongya, and before tonight, the camp should be repaired."

"The scouts of Makeminiang Mountain reported that they found a thief army marching in the direction of Shenquan Village, about 400 horsemen. However, two or three percent of them are party attire. ”

"Han Xianggong, Li Taiwei, Wulong Village urgently reported that the two villages under Jingyiling are being attacked by thieves. The number of the thieves should be in the thousands. ”

"The first part of the thief army is resting in Ningjia Village, and its strength is less than 1,000 people."

Since the first two days, hundreds of divination thieves have crossed the defense line of Jialuchuan and attacked the interior of the Jinning army to plunder. From that day on, more and more thieves came from afar.

The defense line formed by the fortresses in the Jialuchuan River basin was like a thin piece of paper under the iron hooves of the diviners, which was broken through in a blink of an eye and trampled underfoot.

In the city of Jinning, there was a shortage of soldiers and rumors. The most exaggerated is even rumored that the seeds of Xiazhou have been defeated and pondered, and there are 30,000 party items and the Obstruction Coalition Army, which are coming to the Jinning army. Believe it or not, the number of people who crossed the Yellow River from the Jinning army to Kehuzhai on the other side has increased several times in the past few days.

It wasn't until yesterday afternoon that Han Gang led 500 cavalry across the river to settle down a little. However, it is still the crossing of the river that should be crossed, and it has not changed because of the arrival of Han Gang.

However, the current Jinning City Yazhong is orderly in chaos. The generals and officials who came in and out of the public hall were all in a hurry, but there was no trace of panic.

Han Gang, Li Xian, and more than a dozen generals who were gathered around the sand table in the hall were all focused now, and even had a faint excitement. watched the little officials follow the military report and insert small flags of different colors on the terrain sand table made of beeswax.

Han Gang stared down at the sand table without raising his head: "Zhang Shizong, the people who entered Shenmu Village [now Shenmu, Shaanxi] to take refuge temporarily, have they settled down?" ”

The middle-aged general, who had just entered the hall, bowed down and replied busily: "Yu Jingluo, before coming to Jinning, the people of the two villages of Deshenggou and Yuzhuang have been settled, and the food and accommodation have been properly arranged. When this battle is over, they can go back to rebuild the village. Rest assured. ”

"That's good." Han Gang nodded, straightened up, and swept his sharp gaze over the generals in the hall, "Right now, the thieves are messing with my Hedong, and the people of Jinning and Linzhou are being disturbed. The commander was about to send troops to suppress the people, and at this time, he would never allow any act of taking advantage of the opportunity to make profits and plunder the people. The officers and soldiers suppress thieves for the people, but don't become robbers among the people. ”

Immediately, it was a sound promise. From the orders of the envoy, no general dared to ignore them to his face.

"Li Ying, can the left part of your ninth general be stationed under the Guxue Ridge before tomorrow? There is only one commander stationed on this road, which is really a little uneasy. ”

A thin and tall general said respectfully in front of Han Gang: "After a little understanding, there are only three commanders in the last general's Ninghe Fort, and after one commander is separated, there will be two commanders left......"

Li Xian interjected on the side: "The terrain of Ninghe Fort is dangerous, and the soldiers and horses under the command of the three commanders stationed in Tuntun can hold it for seven or eight days under the offensive of 10,000 enemy troops. But the divination people never attack the city, even if there are only seven or eight hundred people guarding the fort, they don't have to worry about being breached. ”

Han Gang and Li Xian expressed the same opinion, and Li Ying naturally didn't dare to say anything: "The last general will send someone back to inform him." But ......"

"But what?" Han Gang asked.

"There is not enough food in the Cave Xue Mountains, and there is also a shortage of food in the Ninghe Fort. It is not difficult to transfer defense and troops, but how about the rations of men and horses? ”

Han Gang turned to look at Li Xian: "I know ......"

"I'll arrange it now." Li Xian said, from the group of bureaucrats standing by the wall behind him, he ordered one person to deal with it.

After Li Xian ordered the generals below, Han Gang breathed a sigh of relief. Li Xian said with a smile: "This time, it is difficult for the divination person to fly. ”

Han Gang shook his head: "Now it's just a few major passages blocked, and there are still many mountain trails, so there is no way to lock them all." ”

"I picked up a bargain for the thief." Li Xian scolded: "If it weren't for the fact that the official army was dedicated to guarding the north of Jialu River in order to join the Mida Cave, they would not have let the thieves pick up this bargain." ”

Han Gang looked at the map and sighed at the same time. The main force of the Hedong Army was stationed in the line from Midadong to Jinning City, and the northernmost to Shenmu Village in Linzhou, and several walled forts were all on the north side of Jialuchuan. Most of the locations where the obstructors wantonly plundered were on the south side of the Jialu River. It is indeed a loophole and a bargain.

However, after the divination people got in, Han Gang thought about it again, and finally did not order the four forts along the Jialu, Oolong, Shenquan, and Ning River to tighten the fence, but secretly ordered the forts in front of him to enlarge the opening a little more. At the same time, he also sent people to inform the villages and tribes inside Jialuchuan to beware of blocking thieves, and if they can't resist, they can retreat into the villages to temporarily avoid the edge.

In the past few decades, the Divination Cavalry from the northern grasslands, like a swarm of locusts, swept away the tribes that could be raided in the Land of Silver Summer. They are hungry and thirsty for the next fat lamb. At this time, when I heard that there were villages that could be plundered on this side of the Jialu River, they all poured over like ants that smelled the smell of honey.

On the south bank of the Jialu River, all the way to the Yellow River, there is such a large piece of land. The east and west are less than 100 miles, and the north and south are only 50 or 60 miles, and three or four thousand, or even five or six thousand, are pouring in at once. But for Han Gang, who wants to catch all the thieves, gathering the robbers is the most convenient time to start.

followed Han Gang and knew a lot about his plans. Huang Shang looked at the small yellow flags on the sand table that represented the obstructors on the south bank of the Jialu River, and sneered: "There are so many like flies, and I don't know the reason for working together." ”

"Brother Mian Zhong is confused, isn't this the usual tactics of thieves? Don't think of them as forbidden armies, just a bunch of bandits who have made alliances. He didn't produce and made a living by plundering, and in the winter, when there was no food in his house, he would find a rich man to grab it. If you only grab one place, it is not enough to divide the spoils, of course, you have to rob them separately. The loot will never be given to anyone else. Now that they have seen that some of their fellow tribes have made a fortune, how can the rest curb their greed? What is the leader of the wise people, but what about the people below? Zhi Keshi smiled beside Huang Shang.

The friendship between the two has gradually improved these days. I didn't care about Zhe Keshi's slightly offensive words, but just sighed: "There are thieves in every eye, there are thieves in the north and in the west, and there are thieves and thieves who obstruct divination, but there is no upright opponent." ”

"Do you want to learn Xu Xi's words, if Wang Shi doesn't drum up, he won't be in a column?" Zhi Keshi said with a smile, "It is impossible to have it after Song Xianggong." ”

Huang Shang sighed with emotion: "After "The Art of War" came out, it was gone. There is no righteous war in the Spring and Autumn Period, is Meng Ke's words for no reason? ”

Although Zhi Keshi had read Mencius, he couldn't remember the details, "We are officials, and they are thieves." It is a matter of course for officers and soldiers to suppress thieves. Isn't it righteousness? ”

It's just Han Gang's staff, and the two of them are standing by the wall on this occasion, whispering and no one cares.

On the side of the sand table, Han Gang and Li Xian had already finalized the last bit of the plan.

Li Xian turned around and looked at the generals: "After making so many preparations, now the divination thief has been locked up in this small place on the south bank of the Jialu River. The officers and soldiers surrounded them, which is called closing the door and beating the dog, but don't let the dog run away! ”

Han Gang smiled and corrected: "It's to close the doors and windows to fight flies, don't miss any of them!" ”

"No!" Zhang Shizong, Li Ying, Miao Chang and other generals hugged their fists and replied loudly.

Zhe Keshi and Huang Shang looked at each other, could it be that Han Gang heard their discussion?

Han Gang didn't know the whispers of his two staff members at all, and turned to Li Xian: "The army alone is still not enough to wipe out all the thieves, and when the thieves are dispersed, the remnants of the thieves will be eliminated, and the security armor in the township is the most suitable person." Not a single one is missed, and without the support of the people, it cannot be done. ”

What Han Jingluo said is very true. Bandits are rampant, and many villages have been forced to flee their homes and into the mountains these days. However, the people of Hedong are all brave, and once the thieves are defeated, they will inevitably come out to chase and kill. The bow and arrow club of the Jinning Army is also famous in Hedong. ”

Han Gang looked back, and Jia Kui, the commander of the Jinning Army, was listening with his ears pricked up behind him, "Jia Kui, this matter will be handed over to you." The people must be well organized, and no reward shall be withheld. ”

Jia Kui hurriedly replied: "I understand below, don't worry." ”

Li Xianzhong looked down at the sand table again, and the point of his sight fell from the flag-dense Jialuchuan all the way north, Linzhou, Fuzhou, Fengzhou, and all the way to the other side of the sand table. Looking at the white wooden frame on the edge of the sand table, it seemed to be looking at the vast wilderness of Shangjing Road in the Liao Kingdom: "If everything goes well, the West Hindrance Bu will be a big injury." In this way, there has been an opportunity for the North to block divination from then on. Can the Northwest Road Recruitment Division of the Liao State and the Obstruction of the Great King's Mansion be able to stop the army of the Northern Divination? Li Xianhu sneered, "Even if you can't win against the Khitans, you can add a little trouble to Yelu Yixin." The back road is in chaos, see how he quells the rebellion? ”

This time, most of the thieves in the west will be eaten in one fell swoop, so that the north can take advantage of the situation. Nail a nail in Yelu Yixin in Shangjing Road in Liao State, Han Gang and Feng Congyi agreed a few days ago on the plan, and he had also discussed it with Li Xian before. sent someone to send a letter to Li Xian urgently, and won his approval. Otherwise, it would never be so easy to get Li Xian to agree to further open up the Jialuchuan defense line.

However, in Han Gang's view, the plan is classified as a plan, and the actual operation may not be so smooth, "Whether this thing is successful or not depends on luck, and it would be best if it could have it." But that's not the main purpose, to eliminate this group of obstruction bandits and make them pay for their bloody debts! ”