It has been many days since the Youji coalition army crossed the river and headed south, and the battle situation is still chaotic. Not only did they fail to seize the opportunity to defeat the bandits, but they also failed to grasp the enemy's strategic direction and true purpose.

Under such circumstances, Lu Yao ordered Shen Jin, the chief general of the Liao Army, to lead the main force of the Liao Army to reconnoiter to the east under the banner of Lu Yao himself. If this move really induces or forces the Central Plains bandits to take corresponding measures, then the bandits' troop allocation and intentions will also be revealed, and the main army gathered in Baima can calmly face the battle. Even if the thieves did not respond, the Duliao army could at least set up a stronghold in the central region of Yanzhou to form enough depth for the subsequent war.

The reason why Shen Jin was used to shoulder this important task was that Lu Yao had both political and military considerations.

From a political point of view, sending Shen Jin to lead the army eastward was completely Lu Yao's helpless move.

In the past, when he was in the state army, Shen Jin was the right-hand man of Chen Yong, the captain of the Yue Cavalry, and the trust he received was comparable to that of ordinary generals. When Liu Yueshi formed the Jinyang Army in Jicheng, he was one of the few senior officers under Lu Yao, and his status was second only to Xue Tong. Shen Jin was a little unruly in his bones, and with such qualifications, Shen Jin almost didn't have to take anyone in his eyes. In the process of going south with the army this time, he had a very unpleasant quarrel with the begging generals in Jizhou because of this temperament. It's just that, I don't know what Shen Jin thinks, he even connected in the army, planning to kidnap Li Yun, the commander of the Jizhou Army!

This bold idea frightened everyone who heard about the Youzhou Military General, so the news was reported to Lu Yao almost without stopping. If it weren't for Lu Yao's long-term friendship, and his scruples that it would not be easy to mess up his position before the battle, he was afraid that he would immediately send someone to kill Shen Jin and report it.

In this case, it is not suitable to keep Shen Jin in the Chinese army in any case. Let him meet with the generals of the Jizhou army again, who knows what new incidents will arise? In this case, it became an inevitable choice to lead the army eastward and avoid further conflict.

Lu Yao's status is getting higher and higher, his power is getting wider and wider, and the army under his command is getting bigger and bigger, but he seems to have more and more obstacles to think about, and many times it is difficult to be as decisive as he was back then.

Fortunately, if you consider it from a military point of view, it is appropriate to use Shen Jin to take on this role: the martial arts group that followed Lu Yao rose up in countless bloody battles, and the generals who could emerge were all heroes in the army. Compared with those people, Shen Jin was not as majestic as Xue Tong, and his martial arts were not as good as Liu Xuan. But to be able to become one of the main generals of the Six Armies in Youzhou, Shen Jin also has his own uniqueness.

Shen Jin has a straightforward personality, does not like to be restrained, and is the best way to mix with the soldiers under his command in Su Ri, even if he is sometimes outrageous, he is still very loved by the soldiers. Therefore, his tenacious and tenacious will to fight was completely carried out and penetrated into every soldier. He and his subordinates usually form a group and twist into a rope, and in wartime, they can naturally converge into a sharp blade that crumbles and cannot be broken.

It should be said that Shen Jin's Duliao Army is the army under Lu Yao that is most capable of fighting tough battles and is most suitable for facing difficult situations. Shen Jin is indeed a very suitable general for this role.

Lu Yao planned military and political affairs, and he had to consider everything properly, lest there be any omissions, as a general with troops, Shen Jin's ideas were much simpler.

Some time ago, he was driven to the point of madness by the trivial matter of crossing the river by the army, and when he heard that there was a military operation, he immediately led his troops out with joy.

In Shen Jin's view: The battle of the Youji coalition army crossing the river in the south was not mentioned by Lu Yao's personal command; After crossing the river, it was Mai Zeming of the right army of Duliao who attacked Wating; Now it is the main force of the Duliao Army Headquarters led by himself that is advancing eastward. The two tactical vanguards are actually from the Duliao Army, which is really a rare honor. As a highly qualified general, he has failed to establish decent meritorious service in Daijun, Bashang and other places, which must be that General Pingbei can't look past it, and intends to let me make meritorious service, Lu Daoming misses the old after all, and the old brothers in Bingzhou are not thin!

Since the main general thought so, the more than 2,000 people who were the main force of the Liao army were all crying for battle, just like a tiger. Relying on Pushui to cover the flanks, they first advanced to the northeast, to the vicinity of Weicheng, and then to the east; In less than two days, he traveled more than 60 miles. Until between the two cities of Puyang and Lihu, Shen Jin gave an order, and the whole army slowed down and prepared to camp.

At this time, the situation of the collapse of the army of the Shogunate of the King of the East Sea was already clear. The position of the Liao army was an important part of the encirclement line of the Central Plains thieves and robbers against Juancheng half a month ago; It is also the area where the scouts searched for the traces of the thieves in every possible way after the Youji coalition army crossed the river. The Liao army traveled all the way, except for the stragglers all over the mountains, there was no change along the way. It seems that all of a sudden, the thieves are all in the dirt and never come back up.

The only suspicion seems to be......

Shen Jin straddled the horse, lightly tapped the saddle bridge with the scabbard, looked forward, and looked past the stragglers who were moving out of the way in front of the iron cavalry of the Duliao army like a wave, and reached the dirt hill in the distance.

The earth is very long, like a giant snake crawling on the enemy, and the head and tail are not in the rising rain and mist, and it is not clear to see. He waved his hand to summon the village guide, raised his knife and pointed: "Where is that?" ”

"General Qiyu, in that place, there was a ditch connecting Pushui and the Guzi River in the Han Dynasty, although the ditch has been diverted, the embankment still exists, because it stretches for twenty miles from north to south, so it is called Twenty Miles Gang."

"Twenty miles of ......," Shen Jin nodded. The counties of Puyang, Dong'e and Jiyin in central Yanzhou have been rich in water systems since ancient times, and after repeated changes in the river channels, the abandoned embankments or riverside highlands left behind are as undulating as mountains, dividing the plains into countless fragments. These dikes and highlands are not steep, but they are often adjacent to large lakes and lush forests, making it difficult for outsiders to find out.

This kind of terrain is different from Hebei and Youzhou, even if there are three or five times more scouts under Zhu Sheng, who can guarantee that among these hillsides, ravines and forests, there will not be a sudden slaughter of soldiers and horses?

Lu Yao was very jealous of Shi Le, the leader of the Central Plains Bandits, and Shen Jin couldn't be clearer. He himself participated in the two encounters with Shi Le in Jinyang and Yecheng, and knew the power of this thief. Although there is no trace of the thief now, Shen Jin can only be more vigilant, and he will not relax at all.

"You, you, and you! Each took thirty horsemen and carefully figured out the front and back of the twenty-mile hill. Today we will camp with our backs to the mound, and you will see the position of the camp. Shen Jin pointed at the generals under his command with a long knife, and assigned tasks one by one: "You, take a hundred horsemen to disperse the rout soldiers in this vicinity, lest these guys block the road and get in the way...... By the way, you don't have to drive them all away, if you are strong, you can leave a few of them and send them over there to cut down trees......"

He rolled his eyes, and said: "Let those Jizhou people go with you, send them some work, don't let them be idle!" ”

The subordinates naturally knew that their general had been at odds with the Jizhou army recently, and the officer bowed down to receive the order and said with a smile: "You can't count on the people of Jizhou to kill the enemy and fight, and it is very suitable to be a coolie...... Who told them to come with a dead face? Ha ha! ”

Shen Jin glared at him: "Just understand it in your heart, what do you do when you say it?" Just go! ”

When his subordinates received orders one after another, Shen Jin glanced at the back of the team and couldn't help but sneer: "Jizhou people, hum ......"

Although he lowered his voice, the foul language blurted out still made Ni Yi, the general next to him, frown. Ni Yi coughed dryly, took half a step forward on the horse, and persuaded in his mouth: "General, you just have to think about these words in your heart, what do you do when you say them...... The lord has commanded......"

"Good ......," Shen Jin hurriedly raised his hand and motioned for Ni Yi not to continue. He knew that his deputy had always regarded Lu Yao as a god, but Lu Yao had half an order, and he couldn't wait to carry it out to the fullest: "Jizhou people are friendly troops...... I understand ......"

Neither of them thought that at this time, Lu Yao, who was in the big tent of the coalition army, also shook his head with a wry smile: "These words, think about them in your heart." Brother Chongde, why do you say it so clearly......