Wang Yuan took Zhao Qing and Tan Ping to the edge of the people's camp in stride, and the front was densely packed with bonfires, and within a radius of two miles, the people were densely cooking food around the bonfire. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info smoke and sparks are everywhere, and everywhere are the coughing, talking, moaning and sighing of the people.

After two days of walking and trekking on muddy ground, the people were exhausted. Their mood was also very low, and their eyes were blank and glazed, not knowing if they could hold on. Many people had blisters on their feet, and their soaked shoes and socks were baking around the campfire, emitting a foul smell.

Wang Yuan frowned and walked into the camp, and the chaotic scene in front of him made Wang Yuan speechless. Fortunately, the rebels were still far away, otherwise the thousands of bonfires in front of them would have been enough for the rebels to find their way without difficulty. On a night like this, a single firelight could be seen clearly from miles away, let alone so many bonfires.

The people, as if only for their own convenience, cut down the middle of the forest almost bare, and used the trees to burn in the campfire, which undoubtedly left a landmark to guide the rebels' pursuit. Dirt roads can harden in a few days in the sun, and there will be no trace of cars and horses. But if you leave traces of felled trees and large piles of bonfires along the way, you are not calling for the arrival of rebels.

Of course, Wang Yuan also knew that it was not Yan Zhenqing's fault. Tens of thousands of people are not something that he Yan Zhenqing can control alone, and Yan Zhenqing is unwilling to use strong means to restrain the people, so the situation in front of him is bound to happen. But if there are no pursuers, Wang Yuan is unwilling to restrain the people, the problem is that there are chasing soldiers coming behind, and Wang Yuan has to come forward to rectify the chaotic situation.

Yan Zhenqing's residence is next to a bonfire of the people. He mingled with the people, and at the moment he was laughing with a dozen old men around the bonfire, very leisurely.

Seeing Wang Yuan coming with more than a dozen personal guards, Yan Zhenqing hurriedly got up and saluted: "Why is Wang Xiangguo here?" Xia Guan is planning to meet you later to discuss the current matter. ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "It's the same when I come to see you." If things are not discussed, I can't stay. ”

Yan Zhenqing nodded and said, "Isn't that the case with the lower officials. ”

A few moments later, dozens of generals and officials gathered, and everyone sat around the campfire and began to discuss countermeasures. Everyone expressed their opinions and made some suggestions, and Wang Yuan listened silently. When everyone was almost done, Wang Yuan coughed and spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, with all due respect, you don't understand the seriousness of the problem. The rebels will catch up with us in a few days, and it will be a massacre. What's the point of you're still here discussing how to cross the river? I want to speed up the march, how to choose the right path, and what to do in case the rebels catch up, not words that don't work right now. ”

Everyone was stunned, Marshal Wang was really angry, Marshal Wang was approachable and had a kind attitude. But now Marshal Wang frowned, his face sank like water, and his words were full of dissatisfaction. As soon as the marshal became angry, the atmosphere suddenly became tense, and many people were so frightened that they didn't even dare to come out.

"Wang Xiangguo, let's leave early tomorrow morning, and the lower officials will urge the people to speed up. But you also know that the old and weak people are the majority, and they can't get up quickly. There's no way around it. Yan Zhenqing said busily.

Wang Yuan shook his head and said: "Now is not the time to love the people, now is the time to live and die, and if you don't urge the people to get nervous now, you are harming their lives." I knew that it was impossible to evade the pursuit and reach the banks of the Yellow River, but at least there had to be a marching rule. See for yourselves, what is the camp like in front of you? Messy and messy, this kind of camp would be a mess when the enemy attacked, and not only would the people themselves be unprotected, but the soldiers would have difficulty getting through if they wanted to resist the enemy. There are thousands of these bonfires, illuminating the sky so brightly that we can find our location from more than a dozen miles away. The trees weren't all cut down for firewood, they were used to build improvised fortifications and watchtowers to observe the surroundings. In the event of an enemy, the people could go into the forest and be blessed. These are the most basic marching common sense, Yan Taishou, why don't you understand? ”

Yan Zhenqing's face was ashamed, and he hurriedly said, "This ...... It's the lower official, the lower official really doesn't understand this. Although Xia Guan led his troops to defend the city for several months, Xia Guan was still a novice when he fought on the march. The lower officials are indeed soft-hearted and unwilling to persecute the people. So let them do whatever they want. Please let Wang Xiangguo calm his anger. ”

Wang Yuan said in a deep voice: "I'm not blaming Yan Taishou, everyone must be nervous at this time." Although the people are the people, they cannot be left to their own hands at this time. Since we have fled with them, we have a great responsibility. The people don't understand, we can't not understand. If you don't understand it, you have to ask about it. I know this is a bit harsh, but you and I are both responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of people, and we must not be negligent in the slightest. ”

Yan Zhenqing said solemnly: "Wang Xiangguo's admonition, the lower officials know that they are wrong. ”

Wang Yuan waved his hand and said: "That's it, Yan Taishou is in charge of logistics today, and I will personally handle the matter of marching to resist the enemy." It is by no means that he is dissatisfied with Yan Taishou, but that Yan Taishou is not an expert in this matter. Please don't mind. ”

Yan Zhenqing hurriedly said: "How can the lower official mind, it should have been taken over by Xiangguo, and the lower official will do the logistics for you." ”

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "Okay, Yan Taishou is really a gentleman with an open heart." So, I'm going to talk about a few things now, and these things must be carried out, to the letter. ”

"Please command, Marshal." Everyone said in unison.

Wang Yuan said: "First, from tomorrow onwards, the daily march must not be less than forty miles, no matter how the people shout bitterly and tired, they must not slow down. When necessary, whips and clubs should be used to supervise the march, and those who do not want to rush and sit down and slow down the march can be discarded. ”

"What? Xiangguo! This...... I'm afraid it's inappropriate. Yan Zhenqing was stunned.

Wang Yuan frowned and said, "What's wrong?" Which one do you choose, a few hundred dead or tens of thousands? ”

Yan Zhenqing opened his mouth and stammered, and sighed after a while: "That's it, obey Xiangguo's orders." ”

Wang Yuan said in a deep voice: "There are giveaways and gains, and sometimes you have to make trade-offs. If they all drag on like this, it will drag down the lives of these 40,000 people. It is self-evident which is more important. Yan Taishou, you don't have to worry about this matter, this matter will be handled by my personal guard cavalry, and leaving an infamy is also my Wang Yuan's infamy. ”

Yan Zhenqing pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said, "No, the lower officials are still responsible for this matter." They are the people of my plain city, even if they want to abandon them or whip them and admonish them, they should be the lower officials. Wang Xiangguo is thinking about the soldiers and civilians of my Plains City, and this matter cannot be infamous by Wang Xiangguo no matter what. If you want to carry it, I Yan Zhenqing will carry it. ”

Wang Yuan thought for a while and said, "That's it, just like you said." Maybe you will do this to let the people know that this is not a joke. This is the first piece. The second thing is that the people can't settle down at will, the camp needs to be divided into areas, and the people have to camp in their camp. Soldiers and horses were stationed around the people's camp, simple fortifications were set up, and night lookout sentries were set up. At the same time, night bonfires are prohibited from now on, and all rice grains will be boiled into rice balls tonight, and they will be eaten directly without cooking in the future. This will not allow the rebels to discover our location at night. General Zhao Qing was responsible for this matter. ”

"Do as the commander orders." Zhao Qing arched his hand.

"The third thing is that tomorrow's brigade will turn to the southwest and abandon the original route of march. Tomorrow, the road will be basically dry, and the traces of the march will disappear. When the rebels come here, they will think that we are heading straight south, so we will take a detour. We were supposed to rush to Jun County, but now we are passing through Qi County, so that they do not know our marching route. Of course, there is another reason for this, there is the Qishui River in Qi County, once caught up by the rebels, the Qishui River can be used as a barrier, and we may use the Qishui River to block and deal with the enemy. Ben Shuai believes that it may be inevitable to fight the rebels on the way. Since we can't dodge, the battlefield is up to us, which is more advantageous to us. Tomorrow, Tan Ping led a hundred horsemen to open the road and rushed to Qi County first, looking for a favorable crossing of the river and defensive terrain, so as to facilitate our follow-up. ”

"Do as the commander orders." Tan Ping arched his hand.

"The last thing is to respond. If we can reach the Baima crossing of the Yellow River in Huazhou, we will need a large number of boats to cross the river and get out of trouble, which will require the state capital on the other side of the river to be ready to respond. Otherwise, once you are trapped at the ferry, there is no way out. Therefore, it is necessary to get in touch with Beihai County. This matter is extremely important, and I would like to ask Yan Taishou to arrange for someone to negotiate. Yan Taishou is familiar with Beihai County Taishou Helan Jinming, it should be more appropriate for you to write a letter to someone and send it. What does Yan Taishou think? ”

Yan Zhenqing arched his hand and said, "The lower official obeys the order." ”

Wang Yuan nodded and smiled: "Okay, that's pretty much what I should say, and finally add that if you need the help of the people to build fortifications along the way, you must also do it." If you resist, don't be soft. Again, the people may not understand the seriousness of the problem, but we must know in our hearts that we can't let it go because they don't want to, which is irresponsible. When the consequences are serious and their family members die, they will not appreciate your kindness, but will curse you for your inaction and persecution, you know? ”

"Understood." Everyone said in unison.

Wang Yuan stood up, patted the dust on his body and said, "That's it, what should everyone do, go and rest early when you're done." Tomorrow morning, the road ahead is long. ”

"Congratulations, handsome."

"Congratulations to Sangkook."

Everyone sent Wang Yuan out of the camp one after another, and after Wang Yuan's figure disappeared, everyone silently turned around and looked at each other speechlessly. This Marshal Wang is not a good man, and from his attitude today, we know that he is not a person who loves the people like a son. For the safety of the large army, he will not scruple about anything, and this is precisely Yan Zhenqing's weakness.

However, although Yan Zhenqing and the others felt that something was wrong in their hearts, they also had to admit that Wang Yuan's four instructions today were very timely. Originally, everyone was a little anxious and dizzy, and they were deeply trapped in the chaotic march and helpless. Wang Yuan's words gave them direction in time and made them understand what they needed to do at the moment. What is even more admirable is that Marshal Wang even took into account the response to the march and even the response after being caught up by the rebels, which made people think clearly at once, and there was no need to bump into them like headless flies.