"This Jiangdong general is quite vigilant!" Zhang Liao listened to the news brought to him by the Xiliang Cavalry scouts. The vanguard brought by General Jiangdong had directly set up camp in a dense forest along the way. There were five thousand people in the Centaur Stove. Moreover, these five thousand people had murderous intent. At first glance, one could tell that they were not ordinary soldiers.
Originally, Zhang Liao planned to use a large-scale cavalry charge to defeat the Jiangdong vanguard troops on the plains outside the city. This would dampen the enemy's spirit and then deal with the 40,000 enemy troops. However, it seemed that this plan was not feasible.
With the obstruction of the forest, it could be said that Zhang Liao's Xiliang Cavalry could not be used. Moreover, the forest was not far from the city. Although it was a few dozen li away, it would only take half an hour for cavalry. Even for infantry, it would only take half a day. The Jiangdong General stationed his army in the forest and generously allowed Zhang Liao's scouts to scout the area. This was to let Zhang Liao know that the Jiangdong Army was coming. The enemy was in the dark while they were in the light.
"What is the banner of the Jiangdong Army?" Zhang Liao was a little interested. Who was this general?
"General, they are flying a flag with the word 'Lu' on it!" The scout reported.
"Lu?" Zhang Liao thought for a while. There was no Jiangdong general with the surname Lu. Only Huang Gai and Han Dang were famous in Jiangdong. There was no one with the surname Lu. How did this person appear?
"Surname Lu?" Zhang Liao did not know who it was but Xu Sheng seemed to vaguely know the name.
"General Xu Sheng knows?" Zhang Liao asked.
"I don't know the specifics but the Lord once mentioned a Jiangdong general with the surname Lu. His name is Lu Meng and he is about 20 years old. The Lord said that he has the talent of a general and is good at commanding troops. He can even be a general but he lacks training. If he is trained well, he can be a general. If not, he can only be an armchair strategist! "Xu Sheng told Zhang Liao everything he knew.
"Lu Meng, about 20 years old?" Zhang Liao thought for a moment. This was a young general, about 20 years old. He was one of the youngest generals in Jiangdong. No wonder Zhang Liao did not know him. Zhang Liao nodded his head in approval. There were not many young people who could be so alert and calm instead of rushing around recklessly.
Zhang Liao's army was now in a predicament. He wanted to surround the enemy and attack the reinforcements. Originally, Zhang Liao's plan was successful. Relying on Qin Feng's request for reinforcements, the 50,000 Jiangdong army sent out a vanguard. Zhang Liao was also prepared to take down the vanguard in one fell swoop. But now that they were hiding in the forest, it was difficult to do so. If they could not defeat the vanguard and defeat the enemy, it would be difficult to fight later.
"General, why don't we take Zhongcheng first and destroy the 20,000 enemies? Then we can fight with the 50,000 Jiangdong army! "Ge Jun suggested to Zhang Liao.
"That's right, General Zhang Liao. Our ballistae have plenty of ammunition. We can take Zhongcheng first and then deal with Jiangdong's enemy. Otherwise, when their main army arrives, we will be attacked from both sides." Xu Sheng was also a general, so Zhang Liao naturally took his suggestion into consideration. Zhang Liao did not immediately reply to Xu Sheng.
If Zhang Liao really wanted to take down Zhonglu City, it was still possible. Under the attack of the ballista cannons, the people in Zhonglu City were already panicking. If Zhang Liao did not bring out too many people, he would only need to bring out 8000 people to attack Zhonglu City.
As for the Jiangdong Army in the forest, so what if Zhang Liao sent reinforcements? Zhang Liao could easily send 2,000 Heavy Cavalry to stop the 5,000 infantry.
But what if they took Zhongcheng? Zhang Liao was once the commander of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry only knew how to attack and were not good at defense. It was impossible for Zhang Liao to passively take a beating.
They were besieging Zhongcheng and attacking reinforcements. They were not fighting Jiangdong's Sun Ce head on. If they continued to fight like this, their losses would be too great.
"Zhang Hu, go find a local citizen!" Zhang Liao suddenly said to Zhang Hu who was beside him.
"Find a citizen?" Although Zhang Hu did not understand, he immediately ordered his men to look for a citizen. However, after searching for half a day, they could not find a single citizen. These citizens had either hidden in the city or left Linhuai. This place was better than Yangzhou, but it was not much better.
In the end, Zhang Hu brought Zhang Liao a scout. This scout was one of the ones who delivered the letter to Jiangdong. After all, although Zhang Liao deliberately let the scout go, he still had to pretend. Otherwise, he would be seen through at a glance. How could he plan?
"Let go, let go of me!" A scout from Qin Feng's army was escorted by Zhang Hu.
"General, I am incompetent. I could not find a citizen nearby." Zhang Hu pointed at the scout and said.
"It's all the same!" Zhang Liao did not care too much about whether it was a citizen or a soldier. As long as it was a person on the way, it was fine.
"You can kill me. I will not say anything!" This scout was quite strong-willed. He didn't say anything and just turned his head away, not saying a word.
"Haha, you are also strong-willed!" Zhang Liao showed a rare smile. "It is a pity that your master is a coward." After losing Linhuai City, Qin Feng ran away immediately. Moreover, from the information given by the Jinyi Guards in Yangzhou, Qin Feng was not only a coward, but also a very lecherous and greedy person.
However, Zhang Hu did not expect that such a master would have such a strong-willed subordinate. He originally thought that Qin Feng's subordinates would be like the thousands of young masters in Linhuai City.
"You still don't want to talk when you are in our tent!" Zhang Hu stepped forward and kicked the soldier's body. Although Zhang Hu was only a second-rate general, his strength wasn't small. The scout felt a sweet taste in his mouth as blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth.
"Even if you beat me to death, I will not talk!" The scout struggled and shouted.
"General, this brat is stubborn. Do you want me to take him down?" Ge Jun asked Zhang Liao. His intention was to take the scout down and interrogate him before bringing him up. It would be easier for him to talk if he was tortured.
"No need!" Zhang Liao shook his head. He did not have much time. If he were to torture him, it would be too late.
"It is good to be strong-willed. Don't worry, I will not let you betray your master. I just want to ask you a simple question!" Zhang Liao lowered his body and approached the scout.
"Hmph!"
"If you can answer my question, I will let you go! If you are still stubborn, then you can go to hell! It is still possible to find another scout. I don't believe that everyone is as stubborn as you! "Zhang Liao said to the scout.
"Hmph, I will not talk. You are an executioner, a butcher. If I tell you military secrets, it will only lead to the massacre of the people along the way. I will not tell you. What is there to be afraid of in death!" The scout spat out a bloody phlegm. Fortunately, Zhang Liao was quick enough to avoid it.
"Massacre the city?" Zhang Liao listened to the scout's words. He finally understood why the scout was so stubborn. It was because of the massacre.
"When did our general say that he would massacre the city?" Zhang Hu retorted.
"Sigh!" Zhang Liao stopped Zhang Hu from speaking. They did not say that they would massacre the city, but Qin Feng did. This Qin Feng must have spread the news that Zhang Liao's army was going to massacre the people along the way. This caused the people along the way to panic. At the same time, it also caused the people along the way to have a common enemy. This Qin Feng was really a character. In order to protect himself, he could fabricate such words. He knew how to use people's hearts. Just like when Lao Cao attacked Xu Province, Tao Qian said that Lao Cao was going to massacre the city. This caused the people of Xu Province to defend the city with all their strength. Liu Mang's army was also not a good person. After all, Liu Mang's army had a precedent of massacring a city. Therefore, Qin Feng could use this precedent to his advantage.
No matter how Zhang Liao explained, the scout would not believe him. This scout must be a local. Otherwise, he would not treat Zhang Liao like this.
Zhang Liao did not need Zhang Hu to explain whether or not he was going to massacre the city. What he needed was this scout. This scout was a local. This was the most important thing.
"As I said, I'm Zhang Liao. What I want to ask you has nothing to do with the cities along the way. I just want to know the weather during these days. You just need to tell me when was the first time it rained in the cities along the way! As long as you tell me, I will let you go. I believe that your mother must be in the cities along the way. Do you have the heart to let your old mother die before her own child? "Zhang Liao patiently said to the scout of Qin Feng's army.
"Mother? How does he know? Zhang Hu and Ge Jun on the side thought that Zhang Liao was making this up. You don't even know him. How do you know if he has a mother or not?
"Mother!" When Zhang Liao said this, the scout seemed to really think of his mother.
"You said that if you die, who will take care of your mother? Are you still counting on your fellow soldiers in the city? Are you counting on your greedy and cowardly lord? As long as you tell me the weather during the journey, I will let you go! I will let you be a filial son! "Zhang Liao grasped the scout's heart. He was making use of the soldier's filial piety.
Zhang Liao evoked his filial piety. The scout gritted his teeth and said, "Is this true?"
"He really has one?!" Zhang Hu and Ge Jun were both stunned. This scout really had an old mother at home! Was this Zhang Liao a god?
Of course, Zhang Liao was not a god. This scout did not have an old mother at home. It was inferred.
Although this person was a scout from Qin Feng's army, Zhang Liao could see that this person's shoes and body were all patched up neatly. This must be the work of a woman to be so meticulous. Moreover, this person seemed to be around 15 or 16 years old. In the noble clans, 15 or 16 years old would have already married, but in the common people, marriage wouldn't happen this early. Therefore, this scout couldn't be a man with a wife, so he could only be an old mother.
"Of course it is true!" Zhang Liao smiled and nodded. He was about to succeed.
"Other than the weather, you don't ask about anything else?!"
"Of course! Other than the weather, I don't ask about anything else. I, Zhang Liao, have no reason to lie to you. You are just a small soldier. Killing you is not a big deal. Not killing you is not a big deal either! "
"Good! I'll tell you! "The young scout nodded his head and said.
"It has not rained for half a month?!" Zhang Liao got the news from this scout. It had not rained for half a month. Zhang Liao looked at the sky outside the tent. The sky was clear and boundless. "As expected!"
"You said you would send me away!" The scout shouted.
"Men, send him away!" Zhang Liao waved his hand and ordered his subordinate, Zhang Hu, to send Qin Feng's scout away.
"Men, help me cut down a big tree from the nearby forest and send it here!"
Soon, a big tree that had just been cut down from the dense forest was sent over. Zhang Liao gently stroked the bark of the big tree, his branches, trunks, and leaves. His fingers were dry, only the bottom of the tree was moist.
Zhang Liao's eyes lit up. He immediately ordered, "Pass down my order. Today, the army will rest for half a day. Tomorrow morning, we will attack the enemy's camp!"
"General Zhang Liao, you already have a plan to defeat the enemy?!" Xu Sheng, Wang Wei, and the others were all confused.
"Of course!" Zhang Liao said confidently.
"Since you have a plan, why don't we destroy the enemy now and swallow the Jiangdong Army's vanguard?"
"Don't worry. The thing is not here yet. How can it be done?" Zhang Liao said to his generals.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing else! Alchemical fire oil! "Zhang Liao said calmly.
"Alchemical fire oil?" Wang Wei understood. Not only was Wang Wei good at martial arts, he was also good at using his brain. That was why Liu Mang put Wang Wei and Xu Sheng together.
"General, you want to use fire to attack?"
"Yes!"
"General, how can we use fire to attack the Jianghuai region?" The generals did not understand. Lu Meng naturally had his own plans when he hid in the forest. First, the Jianghuai region was densely forested. Second, the rivers in the Jianghuai region were developed. Third, the weather in the Jianghuai region was mostly rainy. Therefore, if they really wanted to use fire to attack, they might only be able to burn a few blades of grass.
"Haha, that's why I asked Qin Feng's scout!" Zhang Liao explained to his subordinates, "It hasn't rained for half a month. Look at this forest. Except for the foundation, the rest of it is dry. Even God is on our side!"
"But what about the rivers in the forest?" There were streams in the forest. If there was a fire, these streams could be used to extinguish the fire!
"That's why we need the alchemical fire oil!" Xu Sheng explained to Zhang Liao. Xu Sheng had seen Liu Mang use it before. The alchemical fire oil could burn on the surface of a river, let alone in a stream.
"Haha!" Zhang Liao did not refute or agree. He just smiled calmly. "You will know tomorrow!"
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