Novoland: Eagle Flag Chapter 3: Shangyang Blood Five

Late at night, in the Lijun camp at Shangyang Pass, a large tent was still brightly lit. A young general named Xie Xuan played chess with Ying Wuyi Wenping.

"The city was right for a while today, and we lost hundreds of people." Xie Xuan said casually during the long exam.

"Hundreds of casualties?" Ying Wuyi was taken aback, "How about the enemy's damage?"

"One died and one was injured."

"How could this be?"

"I met the general star in northern Shanxi, Gu Yueyi."

"I've heard of this name before, it seems that there is no one worthy of a great reputation." Ying Wuyi nodded.

"My lord seems to be very pleased with the emergence of strong fighters in the enemy camp, just like the kid I met in Qingping Plain." Xie Xuan smiled.

"It's like playing chess. If the opponent's chess strength is too weak, it's not fun. But if the opponent's chess strength is too strong, it's not fun. Just like playing chess with you now, I feel that it's getting more and more difficult."

"I used to give in to the prince, but now I don't. It's not because my chess skills have improved."

"I have been lied to by you for so many years. I always thought that I could defeat you on the chessboard as long as I made a further move. Who knew it was just your trap. If you were Bai Yi, where would you go next?" Ying Wu Yi was not angry either, he really lost too much to Xie Xuan's subordinates, and he also knew the temper of this subordinate.

"The pass is steep, and with the strength in Bai Yi's hands, he will not attack by force. If it were me, it would be nothing more than cutting off the waterway, setting fire to the city, and poisoning the three poisonous tricks. If the armored spearmen and Xiyan's wooden shield mechanism can kill the Lord, then our army will lose its morale and will undoubtedly be defeated."

As if he was used to talking like this, Xie Xuan stared at the chessboard and talked without the caution that a courtier should have. Ying Wuyi nodded, and tapped a chess piece on the board: "You said that the mechanism of Xiyan's wooden shield can really seal our army?"

"The art of military formation, Bai Yi crowns Gaidong Liu, and has no opponent. Xi Yan, however, said with him that he relied on the extensive knowledge of miscellaneous knowledge. I am afraid that it is absolutely impossible for the mechanism he designed to break through head-on, but "Xie Xuan smiled, "Even if Tang Jun's wooden shield wall is fully unfolded, how long can it be? If you go around, Xi Yan can't seal the Thunder Rider."

"Then tell me about your three poisonous tricks."

"Before I set off, I had already consulted the archives about Shangyang Pass. The structure of this pass is extremely ingenious. The water source is underground spring water, which can only be obtained by digging a well 30 feet away. If Bai Yi wants to dig out the spring veins, To say the least, it will take a year and a half to survey the surrounding area. Setting fire to the city was the method used by Emperor Qiangwei to attack hard. They are also ordered to hide in the ground, and as for poisoning, they are usually put in the water," Xie Xuanbu said, "If you want to use poison to win, Bai Yi must first find the spring."

"According to what you said, our army is as safe as a mountain, so don't worry?" Ying Wuyi followed suit.

"However, those three strategies are all on my mind. Since Bai Yi is known as the number one general in the world, there must be a move that I can't do!" Xie Xuan suddenly picked up a chess piece and smashed it firmly on the chessboard. There was a loud bang, "My lord lost!"

Ying Wuyi was startled, and hurriedly looked at the chessboard.

Xie Xuan smiled and pushed the chessboard: "It's my grandfather's strength to fight alone in the middle game, but unfortunately, there are swords and guns raging in all directions at this time. I can't trap you to death!"

"Don't move! I'll watch again!" Ying Wuyi paid no attention to his wild words, and hurriedly protected the chessboard pushed by him, for fear that the fallen pieces would move and the game would never be played again. He stared blankly at the endgame and thought hard, while Xie Xuan smiled leisurely with a relaxed face.

After a long time, Ying Wuyi flicked his finger, and the chess pieces fell back into the wooden box.

"Lost again." The overlord of the generation also showed a slightly frustrated expression. He likes to play chess most.

"With your master's chess strength, you should have seen that the game was hopeless three moves earlier, and your last few moves can be described as a cornered beast." Xie Xuan sneered, and his judgment was merciless.

Ying Wuyi was also not angry: "Your chess strength is much higher than mine. If you go to the battle, ten of you are not in my eyes, but on the chessboard, you are a goshawk and I am just a hare. But the goshawk fights the rabbit , the hare also has a fight against the eagle."

"Of course you might as well take a gamble at the moment of life and death, but there is no need to fight so fiercely until the last moment."

Ying Wuyi rolled his eyes, and his eyes suddenly became sharp: "You have something to say."

Xie Xuan nodded: "Received the flying pigeons from the scouts this morning, Huaye's 30,000 wind and tiger cavalry are ready to set off and enter the apocalypse at any time. Now they are at the entrance of Dangyang Valley and the 20,000 red cavalry brought by Liu Xiang When the brigades fought against each other, Liu Xiang didn't move, and neither did Hua Ye. Liu Xiang couldn't charge into the formation, but he was a rare strategist in the formation of troops, but he was beyond his power to block Hua Ye. If he was defeated, We can only retreat to the west and try to return home from the small road at the end of the Thunder Eye Mountain Range, and the losses will be extremely heavy."

Ying Wuyi nodded: "The ugly tiger is indeed a strong opponent,"

"That's right. The four famous generals of the East Sixth, one dragon, one tiger, one leopard and one fox, can be said to be good at each game. The ugly tiger Hua Ye is not moving now, and his bet is on the'Dragon General' Bai Yi Can defeat the prince. When the time comes, he will attack again, and he can strangle Liu Xiang's army and the prince's remnant soldiers together."

"Who are the rest of the parties betting on?"

"Among the lords of the allied forces this time, only Xia Tang, Chun, and Chu Wei were the ones who really invested their money. Xia Tang bet on the contract with Chu Wei's offensive and defensive alliance, and Chu Wei's bet was to expel the prince. And then to control Tianqi City, the remaining few are just betting that the Chu Wei Army and our army will lose both. They have the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos."

"It seems that our opponent is not a piece of iron."

"But you need to be clear," Xie Xuan said with a smile, "Although there are conflicts among them, none of them wants to let us leave Shangyang Pass easily! The reason why the princes agreed with the Lord to use the apocalyptic The identity of guardian envoys occupying the imperial capital is because they can take the opportunity to trap the father-in-law in the imperial capital. They have been waiting for this day for a long time, and the 100,000 army is about to destroy the city."

"Go ahead." Ying Wuyi suddenly smiled.

"Just like this game of chess," Xie Xuan pointed to the end game, "my grandfather's chess strength is not weak, and the killing power in the middle game is still higher than that of his subordinates. But the layout of the father-in-law is a mess. The fierce battle regained a little advantage, but it could not make up for the loss in the overall situation. The father-in-law has always used troops like this. Back then, he occupied Tianqi City with only 5,000 thunder cavalry. The use of troops was extremely dangerous. Although the battle was a big victory, our army was trapped , but lost the general trend. Now the country is in civil strife, and the father-in-law has to abandon the imperial capital and return to the country. The original risky move was in vain. The situation has changed in the past three years. Although the name of the father-in-law was established, he did not Occupy half of the field. Even if the father-in-law's second move can work..."

Xie Xuan held on to the topic: "Anyway, we are facing the six countries of the East at this time, and there are so many famous generals in the opponent's battalion. Our chess is not easy to play."

After pondering for a moment, Ying Wuyi nodded: "I have thought about what you said. But when I occupied the imperial capital, I didn't expect the situation in the country to get out of control. Zhen'er's ability to govern the country really disappointed me. It's a pity that the teacher is gone."

Ying Wuyi was talking about his teacher, Li Tong, a veteran official from Liguo. In the past when Ying Wuyi went to war, there was Li Tong in charge of the country, so the rear was stable. After Li Tong's death, Ying Wuyi lost her strong support and had to entrust her eldest son, Ying Zhen, with a heavy responsibility. However, Ying Zhen still couldn't satisfy his lion-like father after all.

"Actually, you can't blame the eldest son. Even if Li Xiang is still in charge of the country, the prince has been away for so long, the ambitious courtiers below will still make some moves, but they are not as arrogant as they are now." Xie Xuan looked solemn, "Grandpa Have you ever wondered why the courtiers bowed down when the Lord left the country, but once the Lord left, the courtiers in the country all became unrestrained?"

"Go on!"

"Because the courtiers are more afraid of the father-in-law. The method of governing the country is kingly, soft, and far-reaching. But the method of the father-in-law," Xie Xuan said coldly, "is just domineering!"

"Overbearing?" Ying Wuyi stared at Xie Xuan, with an indescribable coldness in his eyes, as if angry.

"Overbearing!" Xie Xuan did not flinch in the slightest.

Suddenly, Ying Wuyi smiled, got up and walked slowly to the tent door, lifted the curtain and looked outside. It was already midnight at this time, and the warriors of the Li Army stood quietly in the shadow of the street houses with their halberds in their hands. A torch was fired every ten steps, extending into the distance into several long and thin lines of fire, cutting vertically and horizontally. Open the dark pass. The banner on the wall in the distance vibrated in mid-air, and the cavalry beat their clappers, shouted and galloped across the wall, giving orders to the infantry defending the city. A gust of night wind blew so fast that Chongjin's robe seemed to be blown through.

"When we left the country, it was just a small country in the southern wilderness. The world called us the southern barbarians. The most powerless princes in the world were our Ying family. At that time, we couldn't afford to pay homage to the Lord of Tianqi City every year. , must use the treasury. Years of borrowing money, year after year, still not paying, and every spring famine, people will starve to death. When my great-grandfather paid homage to the emperor during the Spring Festival, the emperor threw money specially made in the palace, and he was actually robbed by the crowd Stepped to death," Ying Wuyi laughed lowly, "But I have been on the throne for 20 years, and our country has emerged to dominate East China! If it weren't for the strangest soldiers and the most dangerous roads, who would have imagined that we in Nanban have the same situation? day?"

"Manage carefully?" Ying Wuyi laughed suddenly, "Xie Xuan, do you think I will die of old age as a rich man?"

Xie Xuan's complexion changed slightly, he left his seat and stood up.

"When a man is born in this world, he should ride his horse freely. Wherever he points, he will be obeyed everywhere!" Already forty-two years old, can I see that the whole world is a day when I leave the country?"

Ying Wuyi and Xie Xuan looked at each other, and the tent was eerily quiet for a while.

For a long time, Xie Xuan's face was serious, and he lifted up his battle clothes and knelt on the ground: "My lord treats each other frankly, Xie Xuan is very grateful. Xie Xuan has a merciless request, and I hope that my lord will sit in the Taiqing Pavilion one day , give Xie Xuan the Liulin Academy.”

Ying Wuyi was slightly taken aback. Liulin Academy is the most famous academy outside Tianqi City Guoxue Hall. Even when he occupied Tianqi City, he did not dare to humiliate the gentlemen, so the sergeants were strictly prohibited from entering and harassing. For rewards, Xie Xuansu was free and easy, but tonight suddenly begged for rewards from Liulin Academy, and Ying Wuyi was momentarily at a loss.

"If the father-in-law is defeated, Xie Xuan will follow the father-in-law and die by the sword." Xie Xuan laughed.

"Liulin Academy? Do you only want that place?" Ying Wuyi was a little surprised, "I can give you something else."

"It's a memorable place," Xie Xuan smiled, "The other rewards are all up to the Lord."

The two return to their seats.

"Speaking of which, what has Bai Yi been doing these two days?" Ying Wuyi asked suddenly.

"Yeye plays the flute in the open space outside the city. It is said that he plays it very well. Many of our sergeants are waiting for Ye to come and listen to his flute."

"Blow the flute?" Ying Wuyi was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "If I'm not mistaken, now we are surrounded by a hundred thousand troops in Shangyang Pass, shouldn't it be me who blows the flute every night? To show calmness?"

"Maybe Bai Yi wants to say that he is not in a hurry to break through the city. The flute under siege is to show the enemy calmness, and the flute under siege is to show the enemy calmness. Each has its own string song, and each listens to its own elegance , "Xie Xuan said with a smile, "but the father-in-law doesn't know how to play the flute."

"Xiao, you can always listen to it. It's interesting, come with me tomorrow night to listen to Bai Yi's flute."

September 21st, late at night.

The gray walls of Shangyang Pass were reddened by the flames. On the plain facing this grand pass, two hundred and fifty steps away is the coalition's repelling horses and the fence. In front of the fence, there are bonfires every ten steps, illuminating the surrounding area brightly. The soldiers of the coalition army leaned against the fire and took a nap to keep warm, and the six-color flag occasionally fluctuated in the wind.

The archers of the Li army passed by the city in a group, and they faced each other for half a month. The commander who led the archers didn't speak, but strode up and slapped the helmets of the infantry hard. The pawns woke up one after another, not daring to look at the angry commander, they lowered their heads obediently and returned to their respective positions. They were all familiar with this irascible commander, Zhang Bo, the commander of the Lei Qi You Army, and they knew that it was useless to complain about anything in front of him. What's more, it was not easy for Zhang Bo. For half a month, Zhang Bo patrolled the city every night with a knife, and walked around the long city wall for five miles.

"Sleep! I was beheaded in my dream!" Zhang Bo growled in a low voice.

Behind his huge body appeared a young man in black cavalry armor. The young man waved his hand at him: "It's useless to be angry. There must be a reason why so many people are so sleepy. What shift are you on?"

The sergeants didn't dare to be negligent, they also recognized Xie Xuan, although this general was in charge of the Leidan camp and rarely went down to the camp to talk with ordinary soldiers, but he was as famous as Zhang Bo, and was Ying Wuyi's right and left hand.

"Speaking of three shifts, but they are often pulled up to the city at night, and I don't know how to arrange them. I have to work two shifts a day, which is messy." , wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Li's army is mostly soldiers recruited from the southern barbarian frontier. Two things, one is wine and the other is a knife, and they must be brought with them. You can't lose these two things even if you lose your head. Therefore, only strong alcohol is banned in the army. Light alcohol is not suitable for these For soldiers, it is like clear water.

"That's right." Xie Xuan nodded.

"What?" The heavily armored figure suddenly stood behind Xie Xuan.

"My lord!" The soldiers at the top of the city stood up in surprise and bowed together.

Ying Wuyi waved his hands, making them stand up, and looked at Xie Xuan: "How?"

"The communication between the battalions is not smooth. It seems that no one can figure out who is on duty in the city." Xie Xuan waved his hand, and a Lei Dan flashed out behind him.

"Take your horse and run around the top of the city. Calculate which battalions are on duty tonight and how many people there are. After you go back, report to me." Xie Xuan said.

"Yes!" Lei Dan pulled a war horse, and the sound of the horse's hooves disappeared.

"Can he figure it out?" Ying Wuyi smiled.

"My man, I have confidence," Xie Xuan also smiled, "Before he joined the army, he was a fruit seller, and he would know the approximate number of fruits in a box. No one beat him."

"When does Bai Yi usually come?" Ying Wuyi walked to the edge of the battlement.

"It will come as soon as it is said." Xie Xuan pointed to the distance.

Ying Wuyi looked around, and in the distance below the city was the infantry of Chu Weiguo defending in an array. The front of the position was covered with antler fences, and a row of torches lit up the banner of Flame Rose. But at this time, a misty white shadow approached very quickly in a place beyond the reach of the torches behind the formation. It was a very elegant white horse, with its mane and tail spreading out as it ran, like a wild horse running on the wasteland. The man on horseback was dressed in white, with his sleeves flying.

The neat formation of the Chu guards was suddenly cut off, as if cut off with a knife. From the gap in the crowd, the white horse passed by, and then bypassed the antlers and the fence. Soon, it was close to Shangyang The Guancheng Wall is no more than four hundred paces away. Immediately, the knight shook his clothes and got off his horse. He neither held a gun nor a sword, and vaguely hung a flute across his waist.

"If his demeanor of walking alone is placed in Tianqi City, those nobles and ladies will scream, right?" Ying Wuyi smiled.

"Yes, if he enters Tianqi City, the people will burn incense and milk to greet him, and there will be some delicate daughters of noble families lining up to throw themselves into their arms. If we enter the city, every house will be closed, If it weren't for the lord, you are strong and strong with a sword in your hand, everyone would probably call for beating." Xie Xuan smiled.

Ying Wuyi spread out his hands: "I can't help it, you said, I am a country prince, if I want to defile the emperor's palace with the countryman's filth, what kind of treatment do I want?"

At this time, Bai Yi let the horse graze behind him, he took out the flute from his waist and stroked it, and paced alone, with slow steps.

Bai Yi stopped in his tracks, and the sound of the flute rose up, as if water waves overflowed, rising slowly from a very low place, until it reached the height of the city wall of Shangyang Pass. The night in August was not cold at first, but when Bai Yi's flute sounded, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a lot suddenly.

Ying Wuyi frowned: "Xie Xuan...what song is he playing? Why haven't I heard it before?"

Xie Xuan lowered his voice: "My father-in-law said he could listen to the flute, but he was used to the sound of my wife's flute. My wife's nine-section flute was the best for a while, but the books are all from the northern Jin Dynasty. , is not the grace of the hero Pingshe. Four of the six masters of silk and bamboo are in the imperial capital. Feng Linwan's "Liu Shangying" father-in-law knows it, Mo Zixu's Paiguan, Zuo Xilong's "Sashou" You don’t know about Xiao’ and Basheng’s ‘Broken Konghou’?”

Ying Wuyi shook his head.

"Among the four, except for Feng Linwan, who is young, the rest are national players in the past 20 years. Mrs. Yuan Han's nine-section flute is mastered by Mr. Yuan Han, and Mr. Yuan Han is also known as the four from the imperial capital. Emperor Xi wants to be an emperor , is second-rate, but it is the first-rate among the first-rate when it comes to literary talents, not to mention the royal family, there are only three or two people in the Dayin Manchu Dynasty who dare to talk about music in front of Emperor Xi. Emperor Xi once said that all emperors in the world get their music. More than half, that is to say, four of the six families are in the imperial capital."

"He has a peerless talent in folk art, which was one of the reasons why he didn't want to kill him at first, but this idiot bumped into the knife." Ying Wuyi shook his head.

"After all, Bai Yi is also a branch of the royal family, and he came under the banner of King Qin. At this time, in front of the two armies, he naturally wants to flaunt his identity. He is playing the tune of the imperial capital. .” Xie Xuan clapped the beat silently in his palm.

"Are you going to say that I'm a country vassal from Nanban?" Ying Wuyi squinted at this subordinate who seemed to be immersed in the music, "How do you hear him playing?"

"If you want to say that the national player is definitely inferior, but he is also a disciple of the national player. It sounds like Zuo Xilong's upright spirit, probably inherited? This song is called "Slow Blowing Red", which was originally a musician in the banquet The tune I played to cheer me up is very leisurely and lazy, but in his hands, all the redundant changes have been omitted, and I am lonely and far away, with a hint of sadness."

"Sadness?" Zhang Bo squinted his eyes, "He is the number one general in East China, and surrounded us with an army of 80,000. Why is he sad?"

"Some people will not worry if you give them a pot of wine, but some people will feel sad even if they own the world." The present heart is restless, and the future is unknown. This is the eternal sorrow, and it will not change. But Bai Yi's flute, fortunately, has a chill in addition to the sorrow, like a sword in a sheath, not exposed, but has its own Qing Gang!"

The sound of the flute suddenly stopped!

Ying Wuyi was stunned for a moment, and saw Bai Yi, who was blowing the flute, look up from a distance.

"Light off! Bai Yi is famous for his bow and arrow!" Xie Xuan didn't wait for the sergeant to make a move, and slapped the last lantern next to him with his palm.

The sergeants around were startled, they drew their swords almost at the same moment, and the moon shone coldly.

"It's at least two hundred and fifty steps away from him. Even in the daytime, it may not be possible to hit him. What are you talking about?" Zhang Bo growled in a low voice.

Ying Wuyi stood in the darkness, motionless.

Xie Xuan tried hard to adjust his breathing. He didn't know why, but the moment he met Bai Yi's gaze, he felt a cold thorn piercing his back, as if it was an arrow that had pierced through him. Under the twilight of the stars and the moon, he glanced at Li Gong beside him. Ying Wuyi's expression remained unchanged, and he looked out of the city with interest.

"Is Bai Yi lucky? His Highness Li Gong is listening to the xiao on the tower, right?" Bai Yi suddenly raised his voice.

In the silence, Ying Wuyi chuckled a few times: "General Bai played very well. My subordinate Xie Xuan said that in "Slow Blowing Red", you can hear the sound of gold and iron. The first general in East 6."

His voice was not very loud, but it was deep and dignified, carrying a smile that spread far away in the cool night.

"The No. 1 general in East China does not rely on flute playing well," Bai Yi paused, "Within seven days, lead troops to break through the city!"

While everyone was in a daze, Bai Yi had already got on his horse and galloped towards the camp of the Chu Wei army, while his shout still echoed in the air. looked at each other.

"Xie Xuan, today is September 21st, right?" Ying Wuyi thought thoughtfully, and turned to look at her most trusted assistant.

"Grandpa remembers well."

"The decisive battle within seven days will be September 28th..." Ying Wuyi tapped his palm with a whip, and walked up and down the stairs to the tower, talking to himself, "Hurry up and go back to Jiuyuan, maybe you can still catch up with Madam birthday."

Xie Xuan froze for a moment, then smiled: "I forgot."

"My wife's birthday, what do you remember?" Ying Wuyi said casually without looking back.

Zhang Bo took a few steps forward in a daze, looked at Li Gong's back, and then at Xie Xuan with a smile on his lips: "You and your father-in-law are still in the mood to talk so much nonsense, what's the use? The city, but how do we break the city? Are we waiting for Bai Yi's knife to slash our necks?"

Xie Xuan smiled wryly and shook his head: "The opponent is the number one general in East China, how do we know his strategy. If my military strategy is better than his, wouldn't I be the number one general?"

"Then...then what nonsense are you talking about!?" Zhang Bo's eyes widened.

"Since I don't know, I have to talk about it." Xie Xuan spread his hands.

"Talk about ***, lest I have a subordinate who keeps saying that I am a country prince." Li Gong's voice came.

Zhang Bo stood there in a daze, "I don't understand what you are talking about! You just don't do it!"

Xie Xuan looked at his back with a smile on his face that never faded.

The sound of horseshoes approaching from far away, the Lei Dan who went out to transfer to the city just now has returned. He got off his horse and half knelt down: "The statistics are complete. At this time, there are a total of 125 battalions of sergeants on duty in the city, about 13,000 people. The number of people who should be on duty is only 9,000."

"Sure enough, I'm too nervous, and I can't wait to catch everyone to the city. Pass my order and redefine the order of duty. Each brigade of the red brigade is divided into four teams. Two teams defend, one team rests, and one team Waiting in the camp! Those who should not be on duty should stay in the camp. Those who should sleep should sleep, and those who should be on standby should not go to the city. Pay attention to water and fire. The guards on the arrows and stone cannons will be sent with additional manpower. You will support for at least seven more days...if we are not dead by then..."

"Yes!"

"September 28th...the number one general in East China...do you really have such confidence?" Xie Xuan turned his head and saw a crescent moon hanging in the dark night sky, sharp as a wolf's teeth.