As he spoke, Zhao Hanzhang appeared to be confident. His eyes moved back and forth between Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan did not say anything. They only looked at Zhao Hanzhang with a smile on their faces.
Princess Jincheng felt that the atmosphere was a bit stifling. She asked, "Cuckoo, they are about to start the military election. Why don't you agree immediately?"
Zu Zan explained, "Because it's past midnight, it's tomorrow. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo must have worked hard to welcome us. They haven't rested yet. In a while, they will arrange a place for us to rest. They are going to compete tomorrow. They are looking for the right opportunity."
"Ah?" Princess Jincheng opened her mouth in surprise. When she looked at Zhao Hanzhang, her eyes were unkind. This is too evil. How can you take advantage of others?
Zhao Hanzhang was stared at by everyone. He lowered his head and whispered, "Why don't … why don't we wait a little longer? When we came, the generals said that military matters are extremely urgent. If we don't move, we will lose the initiative. I will go back and tell them that we will compete tomorrow afternoon. "
"How can you be like this? We came from afar and were welcomed outside the capital. You find an opportunity to scheme against us. What do you want us to do? Do you want us to constantly blame ourselves for implicating Xiao Bao and Cuckoo? "
Princess Jincheng angrily questioned. Yi Tang Puzan, who was being hugged by Zhang Xiaobao, did not know what was going on. But since his mother was angry, he was also angry. He stared at Zhao Hanzhang.
"No, I don't mean that." Zhao Hanzhang shook his head vigorously. He continued to discuss, "Wait for two days. Two days. What do you think, Military Governor Wang?"
"Not bad. Before the battle, you plan against the enemy. Good strategy." Wang Juan smiled and praised. Zhao Hanzhang felt that this sentence was very harsh.
Wang Juan continued, "There's no need to wait. Once we enter the city, we will immediately start the military election. The military matters are extremely urgent."
"Huh?" It was Zhao Hanzhang's turn to be dumbfounded.
When they came out, the generals had just rested for less than an hour in order to study this plan. It was estimated that Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had to accompany Ancestor Chi De. Even if they heard about the military selection and immediately went to rest, they would not be able to sleep well.
However, he did not expect that Wang Juan would directly compete with him. If the generals slept for two hours, it would be better if they did not sleep just now. Right now, they were sleeping comfortably. If they got up and put on their clothes, they probably would not even have time to wash up.
"The generals just fell asleep," Zhao Hanzhang said.
"In an extremely urgent situation, when faced with an emergency, one should not move. If the army is negligent, one will lose the initiative." Princess Jincheng reacted and repeated Zhao Hanzhang's words with a smile.
Zhao Hanzhang slapped his forehead and said, "Oh my God, this is so tough. As expected, those who plan to win should plan first. Our opponents are Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. Why didn't I think of this?"
"Haha ~!" When Li Longji heard this, he suddenly laughed and said to Zhao Hanzhang, "Since that's the case, I ask that the generals not delay the military plans. This Emperor will also go. Wasn't the location chosen at the Hibiscus Garden? In an hour, this Emperor will wait there for the generals to arrive."
Turning back, Li Longji asked Ancestor Chi De, "Do you want to rest or go together? You don't have to go to the posthouse or the Foreign Affairs Office to rest. Let Xiao Bao send people to arrange for you to stay in the Joy Residence. As for the others, except for the servants, the rest of you will be stationed in the barracks outside the city. "
Ancestor Chi De glanced at Princess Jincheng and said, "I will go to the Hibiscus Garden. This servant will bring people to stay in the Joy Residence first. When I am tired, I will come back."
Princess Jincheng nodded. If it was just their family, they could all go to the Hibiscus Garden. However, there were many attendants, guards, and Tubo specialties that would follow them. Someone had to stay and take care of them.
Reaching out to take the child who was still reluctant to leave Zhang Xiaobao's arms, Princess Jincheng said, "Husband, you can go by yourself. I will arrange everything. I think that the people in Xiao Bao and Cuckoo's families can do it well."
Ancestor Chi De touched his son's head and said with relief, "Of course. Who doesn't know that the inner courtyard of Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Family in Sanshui County of the Tang Dynasty is the most intimate. When your son is hungry, remember to ask someone to arrange food."
The group of people just entered the city and went on with their own business. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan sped up and rushed to the Hibiscus Garden. Li Longji, Ancestor Chi De, and the others also followed.
Zhang Xiaobao followed an order from the inner courtyard. The inner courtyard immediately rushed to the mansion at the fastest speed to go back to get things.
The most anxious person was Zhao Hanzhang. It was impossible for all the generals to sleep together. They all returned to their own manors and families. He could only send out a large group of people to spread the news, telling the generals who were sleeping to get up quickly and those who were not asleep to come out directly.
When Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan arrived at the Hibiscus Garden first, they took a hot bath and let the people in the inner courtyard massage them to relax. Some of the generals were cursing and swearing, some were walking on the road with ugly expressions, and some were being carried to the Hibiscus Garden by their family members in a daze.
No one dared to delay. The Emperor had said that it would be an hour, so it must be an hour. Otherwise, it would be delaying the military.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Hibiscus Garden, they met many people. They accused and scolded each other, saying that the other person's idea was not good. They did not admit that they also participated in it.
All the generals had arrived. Sure enough, in less than an hour, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's people also arrived. They ordered the people who went back to deliver a large stack of paper. With a single glance, one could tell that it was printed material. They were currently distributing it. Everyone on either side of the two was given a thick stack. There was even a sticky note on the top to make it easy to read.
Li Longji asked for a stack and read it together with Zu Zan and Gao Lishi.
There were names written on the sticky notes. The first name was Zhang Shougui. Li Longji flipped open the topmost sheet, which was used to prevent abrasion, and revealed the contents.
'General, Zhang Shougui, rich in military experience and quick wit. He is adept at using opportunistic tactics to break the enemy. With him taking the lead and attacking first, his attacks are bound to be sharp. In order to achieve his goal, he can circle around the enemy's army and throw the enemy's formation into disarray with one strike.
However, he has plenty of offense but not enough defense. He has plenty of courage but not enough stability. In the face of an unexpected situation, he has a poor grasp of the overall situation. He is good at joint attacks and surprise attacks.
'Savant's Pavilion gives out five hundred strings of string of coins for free. He has been there many times to eat. He likes to eat mutton and drink strong wine. When the strong wine is served, he drinks it from a small cup. Thus, he has a strong personality and is attentive to details.
'Give him a voucher. When he buys our goods, find someone to bargain with him. Even though he knows the price, he continues to lower the price. When he is not willing to sell, he will turn around and leave. If he is not willing to sell, he will turn around and buy again at the lowest price we just agreed on.
This shows that he is conceited and full of schemes. If you encounter him, you can use a small scheme to lure him into the trap. Then, you can beat him at his own game and find a loophole to break through. After breaking through, you can use a small scheme to trick him again. After that, you can surround him and force him to defend, leaving three loopholes for him to break out of the encirclement. Then, you can delay the attack and disrupt the overall strategy of the generals. '
Li Longji and the other two read. Even before it finished, they all shivered.
"Y-Your Majesty, there's more at the end." Gao Lishi reminded Li Longji to turn the page.
Li Longji was not in a hurry to turn the page. Instead, he looked at Zu Zan. Zu Zan happened to look at him at the same time. He swallowed twice and said, "At that time, Tubo did not complain at all. This should be written by Xiao Bao. I understand now. Cuckoo is in charge of the military formation, while Xiao Bao is in charge of the enemy generals' likes and dislikes."
"That's right. I was puzzled at that time." Li Longji raised his head and looked at Zhang Shougui, who was yawning not far away. He shook his head and said, "I was puzzled as to why Xiao Bao and Cuckoo became so generous and specially gave free vouchers and vouchers to the generals. So that's why. Truly, there is no good wine and no good banquet."
When Zu Zan heard Li Longji's words, he thought of the pair of hawksbill turtles that he had received earlier. Those things were indeed valuable, but they were definitely not a good gift. In the future, he would have to take care of them carefully. He would probably have to find water that was similar to seawater and raise them until they were fully grown.
When that time came, he would probably not be able to continue staying in Tubo. He would have to take the money and find another place to live a good life. If he really did not have enough money, he could sell one and it would be enough for several lifetimes.
Looking at the report, Zu Zan suddenly thought of something and said, "If that's the case, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo's intelligence network is extremely fast and detailed. They probably have people in all kinds of industries."
When Li Longji heard this, he paused for a moment and said, "That's right. Their intelligence network is even more powerful than the Great Tang's. It's so powerful that they know what I eat, where I sleep, and what I say every day.
The more it is like this, the more at ease I feel. If someone wants to scheme against me, they will know. Even if someone breaks into the palace, they will find the right place to rescue me. Who would dare to poison me? I probably don't know. They have already made a move. Isn't that right, Lishi? "
Gao Lishi quickly said, "Your Majesty, you are more or less right. Sometimes, I will also leak information to them. For example, when the small countries in the southwest send tributes, I will first tell them what the tributes look like and let them see if they can hurt Your Majesty.
Also, when the imperial kitchen cooks new dishes, such as the dishes learned from the Savant's Restaurant or Xiao Bao, I will carefully compare them. If the imperial kitchen cooks the dishes themselves, I will also tell Xiao Bao and let him see if long-term consumption is bad for the body. "
When Zu Zan heard the conversation between the two of them, he knew that there was a misunderstanding. Perhaps they wanted him to sow discord. He was wronged. He did not mean that.
At the same time, he inwardly sighed. It seemed that the other party's plan to sow discord was not going to work. The two of them had spoken too clearly. They did not guard against Xiao Bao and Cuckoo.
This was especially so when it came to Gao Lishi. He dared to admit that he had leaked information, and he had even taken the initiative to do so. Li Longji acted as if this was a matter of course. This was not just pampering, but pampering.
For a moment, Zu Zan regretted what he had just said. Perhaps Xiao Bao and Cuckoo would soon hear about it. What would the two of them think?
Zu Zan opened his mouth to explain, but he helplessly gave up. The more he tried to explain, the worse the situation would become. He could only hope that Xiao Bao and Wang Chong would be magnanimous and not make a fuss.
Li Longji did not continue to say anything. He raised his hand and casually flipped to a page. The label on this page said 'Jia Shishun'. The page he turned to was the third page written about Jia Shishun. It said:
'Jia Shishun, good at defense. His defense is almost impregnable. If you encounter him, you should take a detour and make him lose his strategic position. If he leads an army to attack, you should meet him head-on. Force him to defend and set his position. Cooperate with others to isolate his army.
He likes to drink wine, but he does not like to drink light dishes or a small plate of nuts. He can also drink two catties of wine himself. His appetite is heavy. He is willing to eat salty food. He likes to eat noodles as his staple food. He always has to use his chopsticks to circle the noodles twice before slowly putting them into his mouth. This shows that he has a lot of thoughts and does not like to move forward.
On the way to Jili Prefecture, the generals carried out a sand table simulation. In autumn, Jia Shishun led 1500 men to guard an important mountain peak. He arrived first and ordered his men to cut down trees and pile them on the mountain. He also dug a hole and filled it with water.
At that time the enemy was a young general, Wang Zhongsi, less than twenty years old, leading ten thousand men. They surrounded him and attacked first. Jia Shishun looked down from above and threw stones. After a long time the attack failed, he attacked with fire. However, Jia Shishun had ordered his men to cut down trees. The fire was not strong enough to reach the top. Jia Shishun then ordered his men to take off their clothes and wet their faces.
He also ordered his men to light the smoke and take advantage of the wind to smoke the enemy's encirclement. The troops at the bottom of the wind were in chaos. He ordered his men to beat the drums to make a strong attack. The enemy at the bottom of the wind was alert with the smoke, but he ordered his men to cover their faces with wet cloth and quietly went down the mountain to attack the enemy's smoke. The enemy slacked, he killed countless and returned to the top of the mountain.
Ten days later, the young general, Wang Zhongsi, led his troops to retreat. He lost three thousand men and delayed the opportunity. Therefore, when he encountered Jia Shishun, he defended and did not attack. He attacked and forced him to defend. '
Finished reading, Li Longji and the other two looked at each other in dismay.
"Your Majesty, when you went to Jili Province to play, did you take the sand table with you?" Zu Zuzan asked. He knew that Li Longji went to Jili Province because he heard Li Longji's story. But he did not know that Li Longji took the sand table with him.
"Not only did I take it with me, the entire third floor of the ship was used to calculate the sand table. At that time we agreed that there would be a military expedition on the way, the generals could not wait any longer.
Who would have thought that as soon as we boarded the ship, Xiao Bao and Cuckoo kept talking to me about national policy and all kinds of strategies. I was confused listening to them. Later on, when I finally understood, the ship had arrived at the destination, so there was no need to compare.
Tell me, how could I not listen? Is national policy more important, or is the military expedition more important? When it came from Xiao Bao's mouth, how could I not be 120 percent alert? Also, when it came from the two of them, not only did I have to listen, I also had to ponder.
If the generals wanted to carry out the military selection, who would dare to come and interrupt the two's plan, one after another? They were often busy until dawn. They were working so hard, yet they still forced them to carry out a military expedition that was not considered too important. What was the meaning of this? Do you want to harm the country and the people? "
Li Longji roughly told Zu Zuzan about what happened on the ship. He imitated Zhang Xiaobao and spread out his hands. "That's why we can't compare. Then, the generals should familiarize themselves with it first. Who knew that the attack and defense records of their sand table were also taken by Xiao Bao to study?
Do you know how happy I was at that time? The two of them supported me to go on a trip. They would rather pay for me to see the scenery over there. At the same time, they also asked me to help them get the Xinluo people to join the Tang Empire and form a county.
At that time, I was already very impressed. Xiao Bao was indeed different. A plan within a plan, a chain of plans. I went out for a stroll, and there were so many benefits. It was not a wasted trip. I did many things and learned many things. "
"But you only realized today that his plan had not been revealed, right?" Zu Zuzan asked Li Longji with a sympathetic look.
"Yes, no wonder when they came back, they had a military and civilian reunion. It was to delay. After so many days, I reckon that Xiao Bao had already studied all the generals. Hmph, a bunch of fools.
They still want to scheme against Xiao Bao and Cuckoo. Let's see what will happen when the two armies are set up tonight. Today, I have seen it for myself. Attacking from the outside is not based on the soldiers. Victory in a war is not only about the military, but also other auxiliary and calculations. "
Li Longji shook the paper in his hand that had information written on it. His gaze swept across the generals who had yet to recover.
Zu Zuzan nodded emotionally. "Yes, sometimes people will die if they don't fight at close quarters. Cuckoo is a sharp knife. When she really moves, it will definitely dye the mountains and rivers red. Xiao Bao is a poison that kills without a trace. When he has the help of the knife, he can do many things secretly.
In the end, people realized that not many people actually died under the knife that needed to be guarded against at all times. The poison is the most vicious. It is colorless and tasteless, and it kills the throat upon seeing blood.
One plays an open scheme, and can meet force with force at any time. The other plays a conspiracy, and will constantly pester you. I really don't understand how the two of them can be together. Why the two of them … Sigh …! "
"Why in my Tang Empire, right? My luck is good. Wait a while more. I really can't bear to let the people who just arrived carry out the military selection immediately. It's too much of a bully, even though they asked for it. "
Li Longji said happily. He was a virtuous emperor. Otherwise, how could he have Xiao Bao and Cuckoo help him? Who was the one who said that he wanted to suppress them? Who said a lot of bad things and hated that he couldn't kill the two families? Who were they? He would deal with them one by one later.
While the three of them were feeling sad for the generals, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan finished their massage. They were in high spirits, smiling modestly and peacefully, and came to the resting place of the generals.
The generals were continuously drinking tea to refresh themselves.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, over here." Li Longji called out.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan walked over and looked at Li Longji, waiting for him to speak.
"Show mercy." Li Longji waved the paper in his hand and said.
Wang Juan glanced at it and replied, "Xiao Bao and I will definitely do our best to make them lose. Even if they win by a fluke, we will let them know what it means to lose eight hundred of your own men to kill a thousand of your enemy. Don't think that you can slack off just because you have advanced weapons.
There are many cases of the weak winning against the strong. Once we lose to a nation, they will have a certain attitude of contempt for us. "
Zhang Xiaobao nodded. He knew. Back then, he and Wang Juan had read a history book from more than a hundred years ago. It said that because the United States had lost two wars in a row, one against North Korea, and the other against Vietnam, even though China's military strength was not that great at that time, its citizens were not afraid of the United States. They were not afraid of the United States like the Japanese, who had been dropped two atomic bombs on them.
Thus, he said, "I'm the same as Cuckoo. We will do our best to win and not give anyone face. If we let them win today, we will hurt them tomorrow."
"Oh! Alright, then you guys will do your best. But this thing that you guys obtained seems to have violated the rules of the game. "Li Longji waved the paper in his hand again.
"This is not a game. This is war. The rules of war are for victory. Without rules, those who can't bear to kill civilians almost got wiped out." Zhang Xiaobao looked at Zu Zan as he spoke.
Zu Zan nodded silently. He knew what Zhang Xiaobao was talking about. When the Tang Empire's army came, they did not touch the village and were reported. But when Cuckoo's logistics team came, it was really bloody. But who could they blame? If they did not touch the embankment, would they be able to take revenge so ruthlessly?
Li Longji also remembered. At that time, he just wanted to give some credit to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang family. He did not expect them to really fight. He just wanted them to join in the fun. After organizing the logistics team and taking out the money, he could persuade the other officials to promote them.
But he did not expect that the logistics team could not only allow the Tang Empire's army to move smoothly in the Tang Empire's territory, but they also received his order. Under the situation where they knew the situation, they resolutely went out according to the order and took the position of commander with the identity of the logistics team. They gathered the defeated soldiers and then went on a campaign to attack the Great Wall.
Thinking of this, Li Longji stretched out his hands and rubbed Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan's heads. He said, "Beat them. Beat them hard. Incompetent generals will tire out thousands of soldiers. This is a Military Selection for you, but also a selection for them. I will not let them see this information."
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan looked at each other and smiled. They nodded at the same time and turned around to invite the generals to start the Military Selection.
When the generals saw Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan come over, they were speechless. These two were too bad.
"Eh? Lord Pei, aren't you in charge of the Ministry of Personnel? Are you here to watch the fun? "Zhang Xiaobao saw Pei Guangting, the Minister of Personnel, and asked in surprise.
Pei Guangting's eyes were red. He was sleepy and said listlessly, "I used to be a doctor in the Ministry of Military Personnel. I'm old now, so I have to do my part."
"You're not old. You're in the prime of your life. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in the same position as the Secretary of the Secretariat. That … it's about to start. Shouldn't everyone be in their positions?"
Zhang Xiaobao was still smiling. He had long since known that Pei Guangting was one of them. This time, the other side was full of awesome people. They had sent out their strongest lineup, and they had also gathered all the intelligence. It was just that the other side had schemed in the middle of the night and deliberately provoked them.
Wang Juan was also observing. There were quite a few people. Zhao Hanzhang, Zhang Shougui, Jia Shishun, Yang Sixun, Xiao Song, Du Xian, Gai Jiayun, Cui Xiyi, Wang Zhongsi, Yu Wenrong, and so on. They really thought highly of her. From the looks of it, even the battalion commanders of a battalion had titles.
Zhang Xiaobao followed Wang Juan's gaze and looked at Yu Wenrong. Before he could ask, Yu Wenrong said, "I'm just organizing the logistics. I don't know how to fight a war. I don't know how to arrange rations or keep accounts."
"Oh, this can be considered a national mobilization. Lord Li Linfu didn't come?" Zhang Xiaobao couldn't help but admire the other party. To be able to put down his pride and ask the administrator to organize the logistics, Li Linfu's organizational skills weren't bad. There shouldn't be a lack of people who were also good at keeping accounts.
"Lord Zhang, I'm here." As expected, a voice came from behind. Li Linfu stood up and waved his hand.
Zhang Xiaobao also waved his hand. "I really was afraid that someone would be missing. In any case, there aren't many things to do in the Great Tang right now, and communication is convenient. Since we have nothing to do, let's play together and have some fun.
Logically speaking, we can begin now. However, I would like to introduce an important existence to everyone. He is Shuiyun. In the sand table, you must acknowledge his existence. Shuiyun, come down and let your colleagues take a look. "
Zhang Xiaobao shouted to the sky, and the sky responded with an eagle cry. Then, Shuiyun's figure appeared. He circled twice and found a branch with better branches. Once again, he flew high into the sky and swooped down. He grabbed the trunk with his claws and broke it with a crack.
This was not the end of it. The water cloud adjusted its two claws, then took the trunk into the air and swooped down again. It directly pressed the broken part of the trunk into the middle of a small ditch nearby, where the ice and the ground were in contact.
Shuiyun flew up and slowly landed on the branch he pressed on the ground. It was very suitable.
Everyone was already used to this. Shuiyun was just making a place for himself to stand. Even if he chatted with someone one day and asked if they had eaten in the morning, it was very normal. There were many birds that could talk.
However, everyone still looked at Zhang Xiaobao with jealousy. That was because Shuiyun had a wife, Hong Luan, who was almost as smart as him. She could give birth to litters of children. All of them belonged to Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan.
"General Shui is coming down. What I want to say is that he will fight with us. In the sand table, we must take him into consideration. How smart he is will be the extent to which the generals on the sand table will acknowledge him. Is that okay?"
Zhang Xiaobao explained what he meant.
"No, Shuiyun is too smart. It's not fair." Zhao Hanzhang, who was still sore all over, objected.
Zhang Xiaobao looked at Li Longji and asked him to speak up for him.
Li Longji thought for a moment and said, "How is it fair? You use guns and radios, while Cuckoo uses cold weapons. This is unfair in itself. Can you say that there won't be an existence like Shuiyun in the places you fight in the future? "
Zu Zazan chimed in, "That's right. Firecrackers can be bought at will in the Great Tang. Can you guarantee that when people from other countries come and buy a large number of firecrackers, they won't make simple guns for war? Can't other countries buy a lot of firecrackers and use them as explosives? "
Zhao Hanzhang didn't say anything. Indeed, who said that firecrackers couldn't kill people? He looked at the others, hoping to get some help.
The others lowered their heads and pondered. Then, Zhang Shougui stepped forward and said, "Okay, we acknowledge Shuiyun. But you and Cuckoo can't receive the signal after stealing our radios and deploy according to the message inside.
You have to acknowledge this. We use a separate encryption system. If others get it on the battlefield, they can't translate it.
Also, when you get guns and cannons, you can't use them proficiently because you haven't practiced. Although we know that you are more proficient in this, you are not playing the role of people from the Great Tang, right? "
"That's right. Even if we get the radios on the battlefield, there won't be people outside to relay information to us when we fight on the sand table. When we fight with the cannons, they will even explode.
The captives will also be captured according to the previous rules. Neither side can get anything out of them, and they would rather die than submit. Are there any other changes? If not, let's begin. "
Zhang Xiaobao agreed with Zhang Shougui's view. He repeated the rules and asked the others.
The generals looked at each other, but none of them proposed any new changes. The rules were more or less done, and if there was a need, a panel of referees would be in charge.
The only regret was that they couldn't test it in actual combat, because what happened in actual combat was outside the rules. But there was nothing they could do about it. They couldn't really fight.
Seeing that no one wanted to add anything, Li Longji said, "Since that's the case, We will begin the military election. We will also be a referee. If there is a major dispute over fairness, We will personally rule. Let's enter."
Whether the generals were sleepy or uncomfortable, they all went to their respective positions.
Zhang Xiaobao, Wang Juan, and the others did the same. The large group went to their own rooms. Each person had their own room. Only when their armies encountered each other could they gather together to discuss matters.
In the middle of the countless small rooms was a large sand table. It was the sand table of the Jiangnan Circuit, and many people in charge of relaying information to the various rooms were ready.
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