The Grandmaster Strategist

The Northern Han army was trapped in the field and fought hard for more than ten days. They tried to break through, but were blocked by the Yong army who fought to the death. However, the Yong army was unable to break the Northern Han army's formation despite their eagerness.

On April 18, the Northern Han army ran out of food and killed horses for food. At dawn, they divided their troops to break out and the battle was decided.

——"Zi Zhi Tong Jian Yong Ji III"

What is a heroic stranger, what is a desperate situation? Long Tingfei sighed softly. After years of fighting, he has never been in such a dangerous situation. However, Long Tingfei was surprised to find that his mood had not fluctuated at all. From the moment he realized it, The moment he was besieged by Yong's army, he clearly heard the sound of the tight string in his heart breaking. He is really too tired. Over the years, he has almost single-handedly supported the overall situation of the Northern Han Dynasty. There is an endless stream of enemies on the opposite side, and they are tenacious. He is not arrogant in victory and not discouraged in defeat. It is almost hard to grind away. He lost his edge and fighting spirit, and the confidant general who relied on his arm was dead and betrayed. Now he is alone, and he has personally dragged the lovers who formed an alliance into a desperate situation. I am afraid that his own path has already been taken. At the end, Long Tingfei knew that there would be no hope of escape this time.

The Yong Army's ambush and the regrouped Qi King's cavalry, more than 400,000 troops trapped 100,000 Northern Han troops in the wilderness. There is no absolute difference in combat power between the two sides, and it is absolutely impossible to break out without paying heavy sacrifices. Qinzhou's terrain is narrow, and the only way to break through is in the direction of Jishi and Zezhou. However, if they break out in the direction of Zezhou, Long Tingfei and others know that they will have no chance to return to the Northern Han Dynasty. Occupied a strong position, and their own options were extremely limited. Under this situation, Long Tingfei and Lin Bi personally planned several breakouts for more than ten days. Unfortunately, because they intended to use the entire army to break out, they were defeated by Yong's army every time. Blocked, the flesh and blood of countless soldiers were left in the air, the water was whimpering, and blood flowed into rivers. In the increasingly tight encirclement of Yong's army, even the soil was soaked with blood.

Sitting on the ground in a simple tent, the dim light of the torch shines on Long Tingfei's thin and haggard face. Compared with the heroic appearance in the past, Long Tingfei's expression now is indifferent and lonely, only his slightly blue eyes His beautiful eyes are still shining with light, but those who are interested can see that unlike the arrogance of looking down on the world before, the light in his eyes is full of understanding of the world and inexplicable sadness.

There were footsteps outside the tent. Long Tingfei did not raise his head, but still looked at the simple map drawn by Xiao Tong himself, which recorded the Yong Army's defense plan that the scouts in the army risked their lives to explore. Someone walked into the camp and stood in front of him. The figure was drawn out by the fire, and the shadow blocked the map in front of Long Tingfei. Long Tingfei frowned slightly and raised his head. The flickering firelight reflected in the depths of his eyes, and the figure of the coming person was also reflected in his eyes. Wearing dark green armor and a large cloak with brocade and golden phoenix, that person was Lin Bi.

Lin Bi also looked a lot more haggard. Her once bright and beautiful appearance had become more weathered, her clothes were stained with blood, and her status as a golden branch and jade leaf was now stained with blood. Long Tingfei felt sad in his heart, and he said lightly: "Princess Bi What's the matter?"

Lin Bi shook her head gently, sat opposite Long Tingfei, buried her head in her hands, and said after a long time: "Just now, Yong Jun sent a letter to my camp with a bow and arrow."

Long Tingfei said calmly: "It must be to persuade them to surrender. I have received a lot of letters like this in the camp these days. If I hadn't tried every means to boost morale, I'm afraid our army would have been in chaos."

A cold light flashed in Lin Bi's eyes, and she said: "It's not to persuade us to surrender, but to tell our army that the barbarians invaded Daizhou with great momentum. My second brother Lin Cheng'er led the army to attack. Unfortunately, he fell into the barbarian army's trick. The second brother fought tooth and nail to bleed his way out. , carrying more than ten arrows, died outside Yanmen Pass. My father's old illness relapsed, and the army was leaderless."

Long Tingfei only felt that his heart was shaking. It was such a vicious scheme. Regardless of whether what was said in this letter was true or false, the morale of the Daizhou army would definitely be shaken. He said weakly: "This may be a trick of the enemy."

Lin Bi smiled faintly, but her smile was full of sorrow. She said coldly: "I also hope that it is the enemy's conspiracy, but even if it is a conspiracy, it has succeeded. Now the officers and soldiers in my camp are already panic-stricken. That is my third brother Cheng." Mountain,

The fourth brother Chengyuan also lost all fighting spirit. What's more, I'm afraid this news is true. This letter was specially written to me by King Li Xian of Qi. Unlike other letters, it describes the events of Daizhou in great detail. Li Xian will not lie to me. . "After that, Lin Bi handed a letter to Long Tingfei.

Long Tingfei took the letter and read it ten lines at a glance. As expected, the military situation of Daizhou was written very clearly and in detail. If even Lin Bi felt that there were no flaws, then it was probably true. He put down the letter dejectedly and said: "You But with the decision made, if Daizhou Army wants to surrender, I won’t blame you.”

Lin Bihuo stood up and said in a cold voice: "The Daizhou Army has never done anything treacherous. The dispatch of troops this time was decided by public consensus. How could there be any changes on the battlefield? Since the establishment of the Daizhou Army, we have only perished together and never bowed our knees." Regarding surrendering to the enemy, even if I surrendered to the Northern Han Dynasty in the past, I never said a word of surrender."

Long Tingfei's expression became solemn, and he stood up and said: "I have already expected that the princess is determined, but those words were just words of temptation. I am the general in charge of the army, and the morale of the army is the most important. Please forgive me, Bimei."

Lin Bi looked somewhat gentle and said: "But the matter has come to this, and we need to deal with it. We must make up our minds to break through the encirclement regardless of sacrifice. If there is any further delay, I am afraid that I will not be able to control the morale of the army."

A cold light flashed in Long Tingfei's eyes, and he said: "I was also about to invite you to come over to discuss the breakout. We have been fighting many times in the past few days. Bi Mei should know that Yong Jun will never let me go. Whenever When I led the army to charge into the formation, Yong's army blocked our army regardless of sacrifice. If Daizhou's army charged into the formation alone, Yong's army responded by luring the enemy deep. If Bimei had not been decisive, I would have been trapped by the enemy's siege. It can be seen that the Yong Army's main target is Long and the main force of the Qinzhou Army, but there is room for the Daizhou Army. So I have carefully planned a new breakout plan, and I need your full assistance, Bimei."

Lin Bi was speechless. She couldn't see what Long Tingfei said, but no matter how brave the Daizhou army was, there were only 15,000 men. Even if the Yong army was merciful, it would be impossible to break through the Yong army's formation. She raised her head slowly and said in a calm and understanding tone: "You want me to cover the Qinzhou Army's breakout on behalf of the State Army."

Long Tingfei smiled lightly and said: "With the strength of the Daizhou Army, it is impossible to cover the Qinzhou Army's breakout. The Yong Army only needs 50,000 elite troops to stop the Daizhou Army from charging into the formation. If I take the opportunity If we lead the main force to break out, the Yong Army will definitely encircle it with all its strength. If it is not exhausted, even if the Daizhou Army is released, the Yong Army will not let our army break out. Bi Mei should understand that her loyalty to the Northern Han Dynasty, Our army is far superior to your army, so the Yong army will take the Qinzhou army as its main target."

Lin Bi did not speak. She listened quietly, waiting for Long Tingfei's explanation. Long Tingfei continued: "So I decided to divide this breakout into three waves. You will lead the Daizhou Army in the first wave, from the northeast. To break through the encirclement, Yong's army will definitely use the same methods as before, try their best to lure Daizhou's army into the siege and separate our two armies. Then I will lead 20,000 fine cavalry and many flags to charge from the north. Yong's army will definitely do everything possible. If they can stop me, then the Lu brothers will lead the main force of our army to break through from the northwest. During this period, they will divide their troops to Qinshui to destroy the powerful crossbow trebuchets of the Yong army blocking the river and help the navy army to get out of trouble."

Lin Bi felt a chill in her heart and said: "You want to use yourself as bait to lure the main force of the Yong army into siege, so that the main force of Qinzhou can break through."

Long Tingfei Su Rong said: "Only in this way can the main force of the Qinzhou Army be preserved. Long's ineffective fighting has affected the soldiers of the three armies. If he continues to risk his life, how can he have the face to see the king? Yong's army is surrounded on all sides, with the largest number of troops in the north. There were only more than a hundred thousand, but once our army fell into a bitter battle, the other three sides attacked from behind, which prevented us from breaking through. This time I personally charged into the battle, luring the enemy's main force to trap me with all their strength. With the strength of the Lu brothers, Brave, the chance of breaking through is very high, and once the Yong army mistakenly thinks that the Daizhou army is to cover my breakout, the siege of Bimei will inevitably weaken, and the chance of Daizhou army breaking out is also very high, with the life of a certain Long and 20,000 The sacrifice of the Guards in exchange for the main force of our army to break through is worth it. However, if Bimei is the first to break through, the losses will inevitably be heavy, so I need to discuss it with you first."

Seeing Long Tingfei's indifferent expression when he talked about his life and death, Lin Bi's delicate body was shaking. The man in front of him was his fiancée. Unfortunately, his family and country were in danger. Both of them were generals leading troops, so they spent less time together and more separation. When they met for the first time, they only talked about military affairs, and rarely talked about personal affairs. However, Lin Bi had already regarded him as a lifelong partner, and now she had to part ways, how could she bear it. At this moment, she was no longer the "Princess General" admired by the army and people of Daizhou, but just a miserable woman who was about to lose her lover.

Holding back the tears in her eyes, Lin Bi whispered: "You are so generous in dying, but what about me? Do you still remember that our wedding is at the end of this year?"

Long Tingfei's expression changed, and there was a look of ecstasy on his brows. This time he asked the Daizhou Army to send troops. Lin Yuanting made an additional request, that is, the marriage of Long Tingfei and Lin Bi could not be postponed any longer. The king of the country made the decision. According to the date, if Yong's army retreats, the end of this year will be the wedding day for the two. On that day, Long Tingfei was secretly happy. If Yong's army could retreat, then he would have a face to welcome the bride. But now it seems that the two are actually destined to have no connection, and there is no possibility of a relationship.

Long Tingfei was cruel and said: "Bi Mei, it's not that Tingfei broke the contract, it's just for the sake of his family, country and society, Tingfei doesn't dare to be greedy for life."

Lin Bi covered her face and staggered back, leaning against the wall of the tent, her body trembling slightly. Although she did not cry out, her suppressed sobs were even more heartbreaking. Even though Long Tingfei was heartbroken, he couldn't bear it. He strode forward and took Lin Bi into his arms. Lin Bi buried her head on Long Tingfei's chest, and her soft cries echoed in the tent. Long Tingfei He could feel a warmth on the shirt on his chest, and he knew that it was Lin Bizhu's tears soaking through the clothes. He hugged Lin Bizhu's delicate body tightly with the severe pain in his heart. At this time, the torch was burned out and the tent was dark. The only sounds in the small space were the breathing of the two people and Lin Bi's low sobs. In the darkness, Long Tingfei, a famous general who had always been so high-spirited in front of others, also shed tears sadly.

After a long time, Lin Bi gently broke away from Long Tingfei's arms and said softly: "Now that I have decided, I will go back and make arrangements." Long Tingfei did not speak. He listened to Lin Bi opening the curtain and leaving the tent, and listened to Lin Biyuan. As he walked away, he clenched his fists and said in a cold voice: "While a man is still alive, if he can't repay the kindness of his father by repaying his father's kindness, and if he can't protect his wife, even if his shirt is stained with blood, how can he have the dignity to live in this world? .”

Suddenly, a weak singing sound came to Long Tingfei's ears. After a while, the singing became louder and louder, and he could hear it very clearly. Long Tingfei listened carefully, but the singing came from the Daizhou Army barracks.

"Dark clouds are pressing down on the city, and the city is about to be destroyed. The armor's light opens towards the golden scales of the moon. The sound of horns fills the autumn sky, and the swallow branches are covered with purple at night. Half a red flag is near the Yi River, and the frost is heavy and the cold drum can't make any sound. Repay the king with gold The purpose of the stage is to guide the Jade Dragon to die for you."

This war song is the favorite song of the Daizhou Army. The Daizhou Army usually fights against the barbarians when the autumn is high and the horses are fat. They hold arms to protect their hometown and occupy Yanmen to fight against the Hu cavalry. Although it is sung at this time, It was inconsistent with the time and place, but it rekindled the fighting spirit of Daizhou Army.

The singing was hoarse and hard at first, probably due to the bloody battle between the Daizhou Army and the dry mouth and cracked lips. However, it became louder and louder as the singing progressed. At first, there were only a hundred people singing, but later on, more and more people joined in. Finally, in addition to the Daizhou Army, the Qinzhou Army also began to sing. Just like thousands of rivers flowing into the sea, the songs converged into a majestic torrent. In the singing, the Northern Han Army, whose morale had been weakening for many days, reunited into an invincible The strong team.

The sad look on Long Tingfei's face was wiped away, and he slowly tied up his armor. His battle robe was like fire, and his handsome face was like ice. He walked out of the tent. The decisive battle is tomorrow. Where can there be love between children? time.

After walking out of the tent, Long Tingfei looked around and saw the bonfires dotted under the dark sky. The air was full of the smell of blood. In addition to the singing all over the field, he could also vaguely hear the sound of the sergeant groaning in pain while thinking carefully. Looking at the chances of success or failure of the breakout strategy, while listening to the desolate and heroic songs of the troops, and the cold silence of the still chilly spring night, Long Tingfei felt very clear in his heart. He knew that it must be Lin Bi who ordered the Daizhou Army to sing the familiar military song. He came here to boost morale. He was very grateful and hoped that Lin Bi could break out tomorrow. He knew in his heart that the danger Lin Bi faced was only lower than his own. The greatest possibility was that both of them would die in the chaos tomorrow.

At this time, Xiao Tong walked closer. In just ten days, he had become thinner and looked haggard. In addition to working hard to spy on the enemy's military situation, he felt very guilty. Since the Yong army attacked Qinzhou this time, He was defeated many times, and his secret spies were killed and wounded numerous times. The failure to detect the enemy's movements immediately during this ambush was also one of the reasons. Xiao Tong hated himself countless times for being incompetent and derelict in his duties. As a result, in today's crisis situation, Xiao Tong was forced to do so under internal and external pressure. Tong describes the impairment as such.

He walked to Long Tingfei's side and said uneasily: "General, my subordinates just met the princess and said that you have decided to break out."

Long Tingfei said calmly: "Yes, you will assist the Lu brothers in their final breakout. I will explain the detailed arrangements during the military meeting later."

Xiao Tong said: "General, you are the commander-in-chief of our army. How can you put yourself in danger? Let others do the job of luring the enemy. You might as well select people with a similar figure to you from the army and wear your clothes and armor as bait." , and if Daizhou Army is used as the main force to break out of the encirclement, the general will have a great chance to seize the opportunity to break out of the encirclement."

Long Tingfei said calmly: "I am the commander-in-chief of the three armies. If I don't take the lead, how can I inspire the soldiers to die? As for letting Daizhou Army make sacrifices, let's never mention it again. Daizhou Army does not need to send troops, but now it is because of If we help our army and fall to death, if we do something ungrateful, how can we have the face to meet the elders of Daizhou?"

Although his tone was indifferent, every word was like a steel knife carved on a rock. After hearing this, Xiao Tong knew that his mind had been made up, and there was no room for change. He also knew that everything Long Tingfei said was true. , and only by his own action can he induce the main force of Yong's army to dispatch. He sighed secretly, and Xiao Tong bowed down and said: "General, please allow your subordinates to break out with you."

Long Tingfei glanced at Xiao Tong and said: "Why bother? Although you have suffered setbacks this time, it is because the enemy's scouts are really powerful. If we talk about spies in the Northern Han Army, you are the best. Best, if it had been anyone else, I'm afraid we would have become deaf and blind a long time ago. Don't feel too guilty. This defeat has nothing to do with you. I didn't even think of the enemy's plan to lure them into an ambush. The temple has already lost a lot, which is why we suffered today's defeat. Xiao Tong, this time you must obey my order and follow the Lu brothers to break out. The three brothers' army is mediocre. I am very worried. You have been by my side for many years, and you have been influenced by it. If they make some progress, only with you accompanying them can they ensure that they can break through smoothly."

Xiao Tong was silent for a long time and said: "I obey my orders." He had already made a decision in his heart. He would serve his crime and be useful, and he would do his best to help the Lu brothers break out of the encirclement. Even if he died, he would have to wait until things calmed down in the future.

Seeing that he had agreed to break out with the main force of Yong's army, Long Tingfei said happily: "Okay, it's almost the third watch of the sky. You can tell me to go down and make food at the third watch and break out of the encirclement at the fifth watch. Let the army leaders see me first. "

Xiao Tong's heart skipped a beat and said: "General, our army has run out of food. Because the general has been thinking about military aircraft in the tent, his subordinates did not report it."

Long Tingfei smiled coldly, how could it be reasonable to not report such a major matter related to military aircraft? He had great prestige in the army, and sergeants had long reported to him secretly, and the generals of the Qinzhou Army had secretly discussed matters. If not, he would not have decisively decided to break out tomorrow morning. He originally wanted to give Xiao Tong a few words, but seeing Xiao Tong's anxious expression and thinking that tomorrow would be the day of farewell, he did not want to reprimand him too much and just said lightly. : "I understand. Kill all the injured horses and extra horses for the troops to eat."

Under Long Tingfei's cold and indifferent gaze, Xiao Tong felt like he was breaking out in a cold sweat and retreated. After dinner, each battalion had run out of food. The generals discussed in private that they must break out of the siege tomorrow only by sacrificing some of their men to charge into the battle. There is a possibility of a successful breakout, but the relationship between the Qinzhou Army and the Daizhou Army is indifferent after all, so they both want to force Long Tingfei to agree to sacrifice the Daizhou Army to ensure that the main force of the Qinzhou Army can break through, but they are worried that Long Tingfei will not. I just wanted to take advantage of the lack of food in the army to fight, but I never thought that Long Tingfei would make up his mind and sacrifice himself to give the main force of Qinzhou Army and Daizhou Army a chance to break through.

The injured or intact war horses neighed loudly, with eyes as big as copper bells showing a look of disbelief. The long sword cut off the horse's neck, and blood flowed out. When the heavy body of the war horse dumped the dust, the Northern Han army slashed the horse to death with the sword. The sergeant suddenly dropped his long knife, threw himself on the horse corpse and cried bitterly. Several sergeants picked him up and pulled him aside, but there were also tears in their eyes. For them as cavalry, the war horse is their closest friend. In order to raise the war horse well and establish a tacit understanding with the war horse, they almost eat and sleep with the war horse. It is incomprehensible to kill the war horse. Generally speaking, Only when a war horse is seriously injured to the point of being irreparable will it be killed, and eating horse meat is not allowed. But now they have to kill a large number of war horses. Some of these war horses have been slightly injured, and some are even intact, but have lost their owners. For the Northern Han army who wants to break out, they only need to retain enough war horses. Okay, the remaining war horses can only be killed and eaten. The horse meat was cut off, and in addition to giving the troops a full meal to prepare for the breakout, the rest was made into dry food. After all, it was not certain how long the breakout operation would last. The entire military camp was filled with a tragic atmosphere. The excitement of killing their beloved horses with their own hands made the eyes of all the Northern Han soldiers turn red, filled with flames and grief.

After eating what was probably the last war meal, the Northern Han army began to reorganize the army. Looking at the camp, which was still neat and orderly despite the setbacks, Long Tingfei stood in front of the camp on horseback, with various troops behind him. The military generals have finished their work and are just waiting for the general's order to set off. Long Tingfei looked calm, as if he was not going to die, but just going to a banquet invited by a friend. Hearing the familiar sound of horse hoofbeats and the crisp sound of bells, Long Tingfei raised his sword eyebrows and turned his head with a smile. Sure enough, it was Lin Bi riding over surrounded by Daizhou Army guards.

Lin Bi came to Long Tingfei's Pegasus and wanted to say something, but found that she had nothing to say, as if all her words had been spoken last night. She stared at Long Tingfei's thin and handsome face almost wantonly, and she didn't know what to say. While sleeping, a drop of tear fell down. Long Tingfei saw Lin Bi's slightly red and swollen eyes at a glance. He wanted to stretch out his hand to comfort her, but finally did not do so. He just saluted on the horse and said: "This breakout requires the bravery of Bi Mei. Ting Fei I can't thank you enough. The country is in danger, and Bi Mei is the honorable princess, so she still needs to work hard to share the king's worries."

Lin Bi turned her face away, and after a long time she said in a calmer voice: "General, take care, although it is dangerous to break out of the encirclement, but the general is very powerful, if God is willing, maybe we can meet again."

Long Tingfei smiled slightly and said: "It's almost dawn, Bimei is the first wave of people to rush into the formation, please be ready to go."

Lin Bi galloped away and said loudly: "Lin Bi obeys your order. General, take care of it." When the horse turned towards the Daizhou Army formation, Lin Bi took the opportunity to look back. Although the distance was already far away, Lin Bi saw it at a glance. Long Tingfei's light blue eyes, as deep as the sea, contained sorrow and blessings. She had never seen so many emotions in those eyes, and at the moment when their eyes met, that kind of deep affection But she suddenly disappeared without a trace. Lin Bi's body trembled. If the female guard beside her hadn't helped her in time, she would have almost fallen off the horse.

Before she could break free from those light blue eyes, she had already seen the hunting flag of the Daizhou Army. Lin Bi's heart was shocked. She immediately gave up all distracting thoughts, took off her silver gun, raised her arms and roared, The clear howl like a phoenix echoed in the sky for nine days. The officers and soldiers of Daizhou Army were greatly excited and they also roared loudly. The overwhelming roar shattered the last trace of darkness before dawn.