Tang War Military Department, the main camp tent......

"General, there's a secret letter from the marshal's side-" In the camp, Tang Zhan and Lu Jing were analyzing the next battle situation, and Lao Jiu's sudden sentence interrupted the two of them's train of thought.

"Secret letter?" Tang Zhan couldn't help asking, "Now is the time when the morale of the army is high after our army's victory, the marshal should be happy, but the secret letter is coming, which means that there is a serious and important matter, what kind of secret letter will there be at this time?"

When Lu Jing heard this, her eyes froze slightly.

"It's indeed superstition, it has the marshal's handprint on it...... Lao Jiu handed the envelope of the secret letter to Tang Zhan, and said with a serious face, "It's just that I don't know the content of the letter, according to the soldiers who passed the letter, the marshal's army came from the fast horse, which can be seen to be very important information, and requires our army to implement it-"

"How important is it to ask our army to carry it out......?" Tang Zhan muttered again, but he seemed to be a little uneasy in his heart.

Lu Jing, like Tang Zhan, stared at the letter in Tang Zhan's hand for a long time, and then said, "Fool, it doesn't matter what is written on it, let's take a look at it first." ”

Tang Zhan nodded, carefully opened the secret letter with an important symbol, slowly took out the letter, and then looked at it word by word. Without looking at a word, Tang Zhan's expression was slightly sideways, and his expression became more and more serious, which showed that he didn't think much of it was a good thing, which seemed a little weird and disturbing to the vanguard army that had won the battle not long ago.

"What is written on it?" Lu Jing didn't immediately see the contents of the letter, so he leaned over to Tang Zhan and asked.

Tang Zhan didn't say anything, after reading the letter, he slowly lowered his hand, and the letter in his hand slowly fell off. The whole person was momentarily stunned, as if he was shocked by something. The more Tang Zhan is like this. The more curious Lu Jing became, Lu Jing simply took the letter that Tang Zhan had loosened. Read the contents of the letter one by one.

Sure enough, Lu Jing's expression was the same as Tang Zhan's, and he also looked very surprised, and unlike Tang Zhan's, Lu Jing's expression faintly contained a trace of helpless anger, which was difficult for people to detect.

"What the hell is written?" Lao Jiu also asked on the side, because it was a secret letter that was passed on, so no one was allowed to open the letter privately until the commander of the army checked it. Lao Jiu, who delivered the letter, naturally didn't know.

"The marshal asked us to send troops immediately, in the direction of Xuzhou, to confront the opponent's main army head-on, and force the enemy army to the city of Xuzhou......" Tang Zhan said softly, word by word.

"What?" Lao Jiu said in disbelief, "It's ridiculous! Our army is only 20,000 horses, but the other party claims to have an army of 70,000. And the number of enemy troops is not large...... Now that the number of troops is insufficient, let us go head-to-head with the army in Xuzhou, or on the enemy's home turf, isn't this self-defeating? The marshal now let us take the initiative. What does that mean exactly?"

"Zhu Yuanzhang means ......," Lu Jing continued, "let our army move forward and hold back the enemy's Mengyuan troops, first, to give way to the Qiling Pass so that the main force of the backup can enter the pass, and second, to confuse the enemy army." Let the enemy think that our army is not only morale is high, but also outnumbered enough to take the initiative to attack. Let the enemy force retreat to Xuzhou, so that the battle situation of 100,000 or even 200,000 troops can be deployed in more places in Qiling Pass......"

"But Marshal, doesn't he know that the opponent is Yan Jitai Bazaduo?" Tang Zhan said to himself. "Even General Chang Yuchun can't defeat the 100,000 troops he leads, how can we force back the enemy army with only 20,000 horses?"

"Obviously, Zhu Yuanzhang has other ......plans for doing this," Lu Jing lowered her head and meditated, and said secretly in her heart.

"But the marshal's secret order has to be taken from-" Lao Jiu continued, "This is a secret order that is tantamount to forcing our military headquarters to a dead end, with fewer people and more enemy troops, the right time and place and no one will occupy it, if it is not handled properly, our army is even in danger of being annihilated-"

Tang Zhan was a little confused at this time, as the commander of the vanguard army, this was the most difficult problem he had faced since he joined the army. Knowing that it is a dead end, he still has to carry it out unconditionally, although he can't figure out what Zhu Yuanzhang means, but obeying orders like this is tantamount to a big risk, an adventure that carries 20,000 lives.

"Jing'er, what should I do now......" Tang Zhan covered his face with a headache and asked Lu Jing softly.

"As Lao Jiu said, the marshal's order has to be ......" Lu Jing first responded helplessly, and then said, "But the order is dead, people are alive, Zhu Yuanzhang has forced us to a dead end, it doesn't mean that we have no way to do it ourselves...... Even if it is a dead end, we can try to carve a path to survive, no matter how good his scheming is, after all, we are on his side, and he will not send us into the enemy's mouth for no reason...... Fool, you first send someone to the enemy's camp to investigate, since you are going to send troops to suppress the territory, you must first find out the enemy's military situation, and then make a decision. ”

"Now that's the only way, then I'll go and arrange the deployment first......" Tang Zhan said silently, then turned around and left the tent......

Lao Jiu didn't know what to say at this time, so he just looked at Lu Jing silently on the side.

Lu Jing turned her head and said secretly in her heart: "Zhu Yuanzhang is obviously deliberately forcing us to a dead end. The fool was born in a Tang family and was Zhu Yuanzhang's benefactor, why did Zhu Yuanzhang secretly make things difficult for us again and again, and what was his purpose? Zhu Yuanzhang was not simple, his city was very deep, and no one knew his true intentions. In his heart, he must have already had a grand plan to conquer the world, and to put it bluntly, we are just a chess piece in his hands...... Even if it is a chess piece, Zhu Yuanzhang will not ignore it, although he must have his reasons for doing this, but I am always not at ease......"

"Strategist, what should I do now?" After a long time, Lao Jiu asked on the side.

Lu Jing stood in place and thought for a long time, and let out a deep sigh from time to time, and then, Lu Jing said to Lao Jiu: "Lao Jiu, you go and organize the main force of the Five Absolute Formations, and when the troops who explore the path come back, we will send troops to Xuzhou-"

"Are you really going to send troops?" asked Lao Jiu with some suspicion.

"This is Zhu Yuanzhang's secret order, we can't help but carry it out, he is now the commander of an army. With the power of the army, even if he makes us die. We can't help but ......" Lu Jing first symbolically vented, and then resumed a serious way. "We have 20,000 men and horses in our hands, and although we face the disparity of 70,000 in the enemy's army, we are not without a way to face each other head-on...... Since we want to open up the road around Qiling Pass for the reinforcements in the rear, then our goal is to wait for the arrival of reinforcements as long as we hold back the enemy for a while, and then take Xuzhou in one fell swoop......

Lao Jiu understood Lu Jing's thoughts, and then nodded and said, "I know the military advisor." I'm going to organize the whole army now—"

After speaking, Lao Jiu turned around and left the tent......

In the morning, Tang Zhan sent the best reconnaissance troops in the army, and they infiltrated the defenders' positions in the area of the enemy's original cage lake with great speed, and in the afternoon they were included in the army and sent back the news......

And after a whole day of arrangement, the main forces in the army have all returned to the Five Absolute Formations and are ready to go out at any time. Tang Zhan was naturally at the forefront of the army, and when he received the news from the front line, his eyes were fixed on the opposite side of the cage lake. His eyes fluctuated......

"Is this true?" Lu Jing, who also got the news, walked to Tang Zhan's side after knowing the battle line ahead, and couldn't help asking, "The spy in front said. There are no defenders of the Mengyuan army at the cage lake position?"

Tang Zhan nodded lightly and responded, "Yes, it's the same as when they threatened to retreat ten miles before...... This time the defeat of Qiling Pass. Yan Jitai did not station his troops in the area of Langhu again, but directly retreated to Xuzhou Chengguan. Even at the three-way road, I didn't find the shadow of half of the Mengyuan soldiers......"

"Isn't that just right? Our army didn't have to make any effort, so they retreated to Xuzhou on their own. It has won the opportunity for our army-" Zhao Zichuan, who was in the front of the Five Absolute Formations, came up and said, "No matter what the number of troops on both sides is, as long as our army crosses the cage lake and sets up camp in their original station, it will have the capital to fight with it." As long as you hold off the enemy for a few days, and when the main army of the marshal comes, you will be able to meet the main army and take Xuzhou in one fell swoop!"

"Things can't be so simple...... Lu Jing shook his head alone, and said uneasy in his heart, "Obviously, Yan Jitai's troops did it on purpose, and the battle of Qiling Pass calculated Yan Ji Tai again, it is impossible for him not to hold grudges, and he will definitely do everything possible to make us taste the bitterness...... However, at this critical moment, Zhu Yuanzhang asked us to take the initiative, what kind of calculation did he make again? I always feel that we have been being calculated by others, not only Yan Jitai, but also Zhu Yuanzhang...... What the hell is wrong with me, why am I so nervous? Who am I afraid of, Yan Ji Tai Bazaduo, or Zhu Yuanzhang ......" Lu Jing thought, her hands in front of her trembled slightly. Compared with Yan Jitai Bazaar, Lu Jing was more worried in her heart, but it was Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Although there are many doubts, there is no way, since the marshal has ordered, our army has to ......" Tang Zhan looked at the opposite side of the cage lake, and tried to say firmly, "Brother Zichuan is right, as long as our army successfully crosses the area of the cage lake and camps in the original garrison of the enemy, there will be the capital of the first war, at least this piece of the enemy army will not be able to calculate us...... Moreover, the forward spies reported that the enemy had completely abandoned the positions of the naval army, and now that the fog had cleared for several days, we could rest assured that we would march by land on both sides of the mountain road -- as long as we reached the position of the cage lake on the opposite side, we could reorganize our troops, and although 20,000 were defeated by 70,000, it would not be so easy for the other side to take us in one fell swoop...... Since it is to delay the entry of the main support force, then we must do our best-"

The order in the army sounded immediately, and the main force of the vanguard army really marched in the direction of Xuzhou this time, and with the slow advance of the large army, the two roads on the side of the mountain were also full of soldiers of the Tang War army. And the layout of each march is also a split formation that maintains the five-absolute formation to prevent accidents......

"However, there may be another reason for Yan Jitai to give up his original station, that is, he has to do this......" Lu Jing suddenly had such a thought in his heart......

At this moment, Yan Jitai's troops really retreated to Xuzhou as Tang Zhan said, and there was not even a single soldier stationed at the narrow mouth of the three-way road. If this is not a calculation of the other party, of course, it will not be Yan Jitai's military style. However, as Lu Jing guessed, Yan Jitai seemed to be stumped by something......

At the Chengguan of Xuzhou, Yan Jitai and Li Chengsheng were discussing military affairs in the General's Mansion, and there were some important generals sitting below, including Tan Youhu and Balin Tuoeryu, who were defeated in the first battle of Qiling Pass......

"My lord, why do you want to retreat to Xuzhou, and give up the original station, isn't it equivalent to letting the main force of their vanguard army in?" one of the generals below came up and said straight to the point.

Yan Jitai compared the map on the table and said secretly: "General Ben has long said that our purpose is to hold Xuzhou, but we can't just focus on the Tang army that defeated us in World War I...... Obviously, a few days after the victory at Qiling Pass, Zhu Yuanzhang's troops must have reassembled the grain and grass, even if we hold on to the original station, if more than 200,000 troops join forces, even if it is the dangerous pass of Qiling Pass, it will be difficult to block, so what we have to do now is to retreat to Xuzhou to protect ourselves...... However, since Tang Zhan and Lu Jing calculated General Ben twice, General Ben said that he would ask them to pay for their blood debts. Even if it was to send troops to suppress the border, the vanguard must only have 20,000 horses and horses of the vanguard army. General Ben deliberately calculated, retreating to let them cross the cage lake, the main army at the three-way crossing. In front of Xuzhou Chengguan is the three-way road in the Qiling Valley, where I must make them suffer!"

"But what about the enemy's backup?" Li Chengsheng said on the side at this time, "Since your Excellency wants to defend Xuzhou to the death, even if you fight hard to wipe out all the troops of Tang Zhan, Zhu Yuanzhang's follow-up army of more than 200,000 troops will be overwhelming, how do you want to resist it?"

Yan Jitai Bazado was silent for a while, and then said: "The old way - General Ben has already sent people to Huaibei to ask for reinforcements, plus the reinforcements of Wang Xuan and Wang Xin of Yizhou, Shandong, and the main army of Zhu Yuanzhang should be able to stop Zhu Yuanzhang's main army-"

"But this is just full of conservatism, and it's hard to say if you invite someone to come......," Li Chengsheng continued, "The last time I dealt with Chang Yuchun's 100,000 army, I invited 30,000 reinforcements from Huaibei, but I didn't fight a battle. Although there was no loss of reinforcements from Huaibei, Xue Qiang, the Taishou of Huaibei, and An Chaocheng, the deputy general, were already dissatisfied with our military achievements, and the reinforcements ran away in vain, so I am afraid it will be difficult to invite them again this time. And from Huaibei to Xuzhou, there is a county in the middle, and it takes a lot of effort to pass through there...... If it is not ruled out that Zhu Yuanzhang's main force will change the target of the attack to Huaibei after recuperation, then it will be difficult for Xue Qiang on the Huaibei side to send reinforcements to support us......"

"That's ......" Yan Jitai also nodded sadly, on this point, he himself also considered. Although the last time he dealt with Chang Yuchun, he retreated from Chang Yuchun's 100,000 army without losing a single soldier, but it also took a lot of effort to mobilize Huaibei's reinforcements, and it was not so easy to use it again this time.

"What about Yizhou?" Tan Youhu continued, "In terms of the Shandong Military Department, the Wang family father and son who belong to Yizhou City are a little stronger, if they can move from Yizhou City to rescue the troops, they can still defend Xuzhou—"

"Come on, Wang Xuan and Wang Xin of Yizhou City are a wall-to-wall grass, and when the two factions in the court fight, they swing back and forth......" Another general said, "This father and son will only raise themselves with plenty of food and clothing, and even if they have more soldiers and horses, they will not come out to rescue." Count on them? Hmph......"

"I can't say that......" Yan Jitai replied, "If Xuzhou is lost, Huaibei will be isolated." Once the Shandong barrier is breached, it will probably be difficult for their father and son to protect themselves - if they send someone to ask for it, they will not send reinforcements without mercy......"

"Unless they are given a large sum of money, the father and son are not only eating inside and out, but also insatiable, it is said that they once wanted to touch the ......property of the former emperor's hero 'Qin family' in Yizhou," someone answered again.

"If you are greedy for money, you will be greedy for money, and no matter how much money you have, you can always pay it off...... But if Xuzhou is lost, the Mengyuan court will be shaken, and the account of this life will not be clear......" Yan Jitai Bazado's eyes changed slightly, and he said secretly...... (To be continued......)