At the end of February, the stars reced, and the night was as dark as ink.

Outside the east gate of Wancheng, the fire in the Jizhou military camp was dim, and tens of thousands of soldiers stayed awake all night, waiting in formation.

The gate was closed, nearly 20,000 war horsemen stood behind the gate, and 100,000 infantry soldiers followed.

Directly behind the gate, Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and Yuan Shu stopped and stood in the shadow of the gray firelight. Behind the three of them, dozens of cronies, generals and strategists also stood still, holding their breath and silent.

They seem to be waiting for something, or the time has not yet come, so they don't hold their ground for the time being.

Somehow, these three princes formed an alliance and united the three forces tonight, as if they had a serious plan.

Time passed little by little, but there was silence in the huge Jizhou military camp. All the war horses are hooves and feet, and they don't light torches, only a few wind lanterns are hung on the tower of Yuanmen City, swaying with the wind, flickering and bright, and the light is very dim.

Nearly 120,000 horsemen stood quietly behind the gloomy gate, trying not to make a sound, making people mistakenly think that the entire camp had long been rested.

The evening breeze blows, the flags are rolled in the wind, and the night provides them with a natural protective color.

The night is dark and the wind is high, and the sky is beautiful.

After half a month of open and secret fighting, the seven princes who coincided with the meeting did not back down from each other, nor did they compromise, and they were always in a stalemate and could not reach a consensus. As a result, the dispute in Wancheng has entered a white-hot stage, and a storm has finally brewed, and tonight this stalemate battle will be divided into winners and losers, so as to end this senseless attrition and confrontation.

"Ahem!" A light cough broke the silence under the gate. Maybe he waited in silence for too long, Yuan Shu couldn't hold it back, and his throat was dry and uncomfortable. I couldn't help but clear my throat and make a sound.

"Don't be silent on the highway, bear with me a little longer, and I'm sure the scouts will get back soon." Yuan Shao frowned with a displeased expression and reminded Yuan Shu in a low voice.

Yuan Shu rolled his eyes disapprovingly when he heard this, his eyes squinted coldly at Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, and he muttered softly to Cao Cao beside him, "Where did Meng De get the news?" Is it true that the three of them have secretly formed an alliance to try to harm us and others? ”

Cao Cao turned his head to glance at Yuan Shu when he heard the sound, and then withdrew his gaze. Sitting on horseback, he whispered in a very firm tone: "Brother Highway doesn't have to doubt the accuracy of the news, just wait and see." At present, our troops and horses are already in one place, which is enough to deal with any sudden battle. Not afraid of any sneak attack or provocation. Other words. Be prepared, and it's always good to be cautious whenever and wherever you are. Therefore, Brother Highway does not need to be impatient, calm down and wait for a while. If they don't come to rob the camp tonight, we can take the initiative to attack and take advantage of the situation to break them all; If possible, they could be annihilated in one fell swoop. Once and for all, cut off the aftermath. ”

Yuan Shu's expression moved, and a sneer appeared on his face. He said softly: "I haven't seen you for a few years, but I didn't expect Meng De to become more calm and spicy, decisive in killing, calm, and more demeanor than in the past!" ”

Hearing that there were words in Yuan Shu's words, implying sarcasm, Cao Cao's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he turned his head to look at Yuan Shu, with a faint smile on his face.

"Brother Highway has won the prize. Since the end of the Chen Liuhui Alliance, you and I haven't seen each other for five years, and this time Wancheng is entangled in trivial matters, and there is no time to reminisce about the past. The years have passed, and in the past five years, Cao has suffered repeated setbacks, and Yanzhou has fallen twice, so that Cao almost has nowhere to stand. Fortunately, the generals under his command used their lives, and all the soldiers worked together, and finally came out of the shadow of the fiasco, regrouped, and regained the foundation again. Today, Cao finally has a place to settle down, and he has not wasted all these years of hard work in the southern and northern wars, so he can breathe a sigh of relief. ”

Speaking of this, Cao Cao paused and complimented: "To be honest, Cao is indeed very envious of Brother Highway, and he is ashamed of himself, and he is willing to bow down." In the past five years, the highway brother fought from Nanyang to Yuzhou, and then seized most of the counties and counties of Yangzhou. Nowadays, the highway brother has taken Yuzhou and Yangzhou into the bag, and the soldiers are strong and strong, and the strength is becoming stronger and stronger, and the prestige is resounding all over the world. Seeing that Brother Highway has made such a huge achievement, Cao is happy for Brother Tai in his heart, and he really admires it, which is amazing. ”

Knowing that Cao Cao's words were insincere, Yuan Shu was very useful in his heart, and he couldn't help but show a smug smile on his face, and unconsciously put his previous doubts behind, and didn't care how Cao Cao learned about Liu Bei's secret alliance and the joint robbery of the camp tonight. At this moment, Yuan Shu was completely immersed in complacency, complacent. Speaking of which, he and Cao Cao have known each other for many years, and whenever there is a dispute before, he has never had the upper hand, and Cao Cao has always won. Tonight was his first victory, and Cao Cao bowed to the wind and took the initiative to admit defeat, which was undoubtedly a brilliant victory for him, and it was worth rejoicing.

"Click!"

The sound of horses' hooves suddenly rose, and Yuan Shu and Cao Cao, who were whispering, were shocked when they heard the sound, abandoned distracting thoughts, and stared at the scouts who entered the camp through the side gate with a stern expression, listening attentively to the report he brought back.

"My lord, there is a brigade of soldiers and horses in the southeast, they don't light torches, they don't play flags, and they are now rushing towards our army's camp!" Riding a horse and galloping in front of Yuan Shao, the scout flew off his horse and reported urgently.

"Sure enough!" Yuan Shao's expression changed suddenly, he groaned deeply, waved his hand to signal the scout to retreat, turned his head to look at Cao Cao and Yuan Shu, and said in a deep voice: "As Meng De said, their three forces really secretly formed an alliance and tried to join forces to attack our army's camp. If they succeed tonight, you two will not escape the doom, and then they will defeat you together. If this is the case, we will definitely be defeated and flee, and from then on, the Son of Heaven and the hundred officials will completely fall into their hands, and then the Son of Heaven will be blackmailed to order the princes, which is extremely unfavorable to us and will be completely passively beaten. ”

After a pause, Yuan Shao's words changed sharply, and he said sharply: "The matter has come to this point, we must not hesitate, immediately send troops, and strike first." ”

"What Brother Ben said is extremely true, Cao is willing to listen to the dispatch, and give orders quickly!" Cao Cao answered.

Yuan Shu didn't say much, and immediately bowed his head in agreement. See it here. Yuan Shao gave an order: "Open the gate, and the generals will listen to the order and annihilate the invading enemy." Straight to Liu Bei's camp! Kill--"

With a loud "clang", the Jizhou army camp was opened, and then 20,000 war horses rushed out of the camp, and 100,000 infantry troops swarmed out of the camp.

In a short time, the army met thousands of oncoming enemy troops. In the face of the mighty 120,000 troops, more than 5,000 enemy troops were almost crushed, and then the army rushed straight to Liu Bei's camp outside the south gate.

―――――――――――― small dividing line――――――――――――――

Dead. The mountains and forests are secluded.

On Wollongong, more than 200 miles away from Wancheng, on the bank of the stream deep in a bamboo forest, I don't know when more than a dozen temporary tents appeared. It's the middle of the night. The servants had already fallen asleep after a busy day, and only a tent built next to a stream pool still had a faint light, and a figure who was writing at his desk was reflected on the curtain.

These tents are the tents where Li Li, Guo Jia, Kong Ming and more than 100 servants live temporarily, until now. They have been camping here for five days.

The hermitage built for Kong Ming is located in a clearing on the west side of the stream. It's not too small to build seven main houses, a pavilion corridor across the stream, and plans to build a few wings to the east of the waterhole. When all the construction is completed, it is a quiet and secluded courtyard, with pavilions and water pavilions, and the water pavilions are still natural, completely wandering in the idyllic atmosphere of beautiful mountains and rivers. It is extremely suitable for seclusion and study, self-cultivation. Have fun.

After five days, the thatched house has taken shape. The main body of the main house and the wing house have been erected, the corridor and pavilion across the waterhole have also been completed, and the rest is the topping and decoration of the house, as well as the trivial aftermath, which is estimated to be completed in three or four days.

This is the first time Li Li has built a house by himself, leveling the foundation, going up the mountain to cut wood, and building a wooden house, completely by himself, working with the servants every day, and even he works harder and more than the servants. In contrast, Guo Jia and Kong Ming are very idle, one is an on-site commander, the other is a project supervisor, the division of labor is clear, and the cooperation is very tacit.

Maybe it's to think about it, or to feel the joy of labor, after five days of heavy work, Li Li not only doesn't feel hard, but feels very fulfilling, in a good mood, carefree, smiling every day, and always has a sunny smile on his face.

During the day, he worked with Kong Ming and others, but in the dead of night, Li Li had to deal with some extremely important or thorny military and political affairs. After all, the government affairs that were still sent to him at this moment were not trivial, or the promulgation of government decrees, the appointment and dismissal of officials, or the transfer of generals, these were all major matters that required his personal instructions to take effect, and they could not be sloppy at all, let alone slack.

Therefore, Li Li was busy until late every night to rest, and when he was little, he was more likely to finish handling government affairs at dawn. This kind of hard work is inhumane, only Guo Jia, who often stays up late with him, knows how hard Li Li works every day, the greater the power, the greater the responsibility, and behind the infinite scenery is hidden the diligence and hard work that ordinary people can't imagine.

"Whew!" A gust of cold wind blew into the camp tent, making Li Li, who was thinking about it at the desk, look up suddenly, but saw Guo Jiaxing rushing in, his cheeks were slightly red, and he was very excited, as if he had brought good news.

"Lord, the fight has started, and the fight has finally started!"

"Huh?" Li Li was still immersed in the government affairs on the desk, and was stunned when he heard it, and said in surprise: "Who fought with whom?" Isn't it Zicheng and Zhongkang who are competing in martial arts? ”

"Ugh!" Guo Jia was stunned, he was choked lightly, and after being stunned for a moment, he smiled dumbly and said, "Has the lord forgotten that General Li Zhi has been hiding in the shadows, and he is not allowed to appear at will unless necessary?" What's more, General Chen Zhi was trained by him, so how could he fight with his boss all night? ”

Li Li immediately understood, and laughed loudly: "Wancheng! It turned out that Feng Xiao said that the seven princes of Wancheng had fought. Hehehe! ”

"Exactly." Guo Jia nodded happily and continued: "Wancheng has completely turned the sky upside down tonight. The princes from all walks of life fought hard, and more than 200,000 soldiers and horses fought and fought, and the fight was a mess, the sky was dark, and the firelight stained half of the sky red! However, not all the princes of the Seven Roads participated in the battle, and only six princes really participated in this melee tonight??????"

―――――――― To be Continued ―――――――――――――― (To be Continued......