"No … it can't be!"
Wei Zhen finally regained his senses and hurriedly said, "Admiral, before the army headed north, Governor Wang had already guessed that this might be a trap by the Northern Barbarians. Hence, he had sent out a large number of scouts to search around Taiyuan, but to no avail. It was precisely because of this that Governor Wang was certain that the Northern Barbarians had really escaped, and thus ordered the army to head north.
I had previously discovered that the Northern Barbarians were short of food. Perhaps, the thirty-five thousand Northern Barbarians had also fled north due to a lack of food, and did not head south. The words of the refugees cannot be trusted, and they did not see all of them! "
Wei Zhen's words were somewhat reasonable.
"Admiral, could it be that the Northern Barbarians were lucky enough to snatch the food, and not from the large Shanxi households? They really are short of food, and not have any ulterior motives. This is just a smokescreen to facilitate their quick escape. "
Li Rusong thought of another possibility.
Xiao Ruxun looked at Li Rusong, then looked at Wei Zhen. After thinking for a while, he opened his mouth and said, "No matter what, military affairs cannot be left unattended. I have decided to lead the army south, and rendezvous with Governor Wang before making other plans. General Wei, where should your troops go?"
"Under the Governor's orders, we will head north, and reclaim Pingxing Pass before thinking of other plans."
Xiao Ruxun nodded his head. "I have already sent five thousand troops to reclaim Pingxing Pass. I am worried that we do not have enough troops, and it will be difficult to reclaim it. You should lead the army north! I will lead the army south. "
Wei Zhen was stunned for a moment, and then nodded his head.
"Yes!"
The two armies then split up. After cleaning up the battlefield, Li Rusong asked Xiao Ruxun in astonishment, "Admiral, the movements of the thirty-five thousand Northern Barbarians are very strange, and we have lost track of them. If we were to split up, I am afraid that if something happens, it will be difficult to fight the enemy!"
Xiao Ruxun shook his head.
"Let's not talk about whether the Northern Barbarians are in Shanxi or not. The commander-in-chief of this battle is still Governor Wang. Although I have the title of admiral, my position is below Governor Wang. With His Majesty's special permission, it is already an exception for me not to be under Governor Wang's control. If I forcibly mobilize Governor Wang's troops, I'm afraid that Governor Wang will be unhappy. At this critical moment, we should not start another internal dispute."
Li Rusong immediately understood Xiao Ruxun's intentions.
He was only an independent frontline army, not the commander-in-chief of this battle. The implications of this battle were too great. The commander-in-chief was a civil general, not him.
"Let's head south quickly! I've always suspected that the Northern Barbarians might not have returned to the north, and that they're still hiding somewhere in Shanxi. They're plotting something big. "
Hearing Xiao Ruxun's words, Li Rusong also felt that this matter was very serious, so he quickly reorganized his troops and prepared to head south together.
At this moment, dozens of miles east of Taiyuan, in the Taihang Mountains, a small village in the mountains was suffering a tragic disaster.
The terrifying Northern Barbarians had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and suddenly descended on their small village. This small village of only a thousand people was instantly destroyed. All the men were killed, and the young women were left behind for the wild Northern Barbarians to play with.
The poor women were no match for the countless Northern Barbarians. After being humiliated one after another, they all died tragically. Before nightfall, there was no sign of life in the village.
"Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha! Military Advisor is really my lucky general! Ahahahahaha! Those stupid Han people, they actually didn't notice us! Hahahahaha! "
Bare-chested, Lalik sat on a warm brick bed that had already been lit. He gulped down horse meat and drank wine, patting Liu Xi's shoulder from time to time. He was very appreciative of Liu Xi's contribution in giving him advice and suggestions.
"It's my honor to be able to work for Your Majesty, but Your Majesty must remember not to let the soldiers set fire. Otherwise, if the Ming Army's scouts find out, our many days of patience will be wasted."
Liu Xi said in a low voice with a flattering tone.
"Hahaha, I know, I know. I've already given the order. If anyone dares to set fire, I'll roast them and eat them! Hahahaha! Military Advisor, do you really think that there are so many treasures in Taiyuan City that are worth more than these rations? "
Liu Xi nodded.
"In the end, we still have to leave this place and go to the West. We can just take some of these rations with us. If we take all of them away, our speed will be very slow. Although the Ming Court lacks rations, it doesn't mean that the countries and tribes in the West also lack rations. As long as we have money, gold and silver, we can buy anything. The rations will run out, but the money can be saved.
The main families in Taiyuan City all have unimaginable wealth. The gold and silver that they have accumulated over hundreds of years are all hidden in their homes. There are also countless beautiful women waiting for Your Majesty to take them. "
Tulik could not help but wipe away the saliva at the corner of his mouth as he fantasized about the glittering gold and silver treasures and those delicate and tender Han girls.
"Good, good, good. It's not in vain that I trusted you so much! Military Advisor, after we conquer Taiyuan City, you can choose the gold and silver treasures first. You can choose the women first! I'll make the decision for you! "
Liu Xi's face was filled with joy. He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Hahahahaha …"
Tulik's crazy laughter reverberated in this originally warm little house.
"Your Majesty, the main force of the Ming Army has already moved north. Taiyuan City has already allowed the residents to go out and harvest and also allowed the refugees to leave. This is the best time for us to attack the city. If we seize the opportunity to break through the defenses of Taiyuan City in one fell swoop, everything in the city will belong to Your Majesty. The Ming Army will not be able to react in time. By the time they come back to their senses, we will have already left."
Tulik nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes! We have already left! Hahaha! Military Advisor is still the best. What a good move of using a borrowed knife to kill someone. You have already gotten rid of that woman's personal guards. That woman is no longer a threat. I don't have to worry anymore. Hahahaha! This time, when we go back, the world is big and we can do as we please! "
Looking at Tulik's arrogant appearance, Liu Xi felt a sense of mockery in his heart. This simple-minded idiot with well-developed limbs. If he had not schemed for him so many times, would he have been able to get to where he was today? There were very few people who knew the specific location of the large cave where the large families in Shanxi stored their grain, and he happened to be one of them.
The large and small grain caves in the mountains not only contained grain, but also had an extremely wide space and ventilation. He arranged for all of Tulik's men to be hidden in them. Although many of the Ming Army's sentries had come and searched the mountain paths that people could pass through, it was impossible for them to know the exact location of the hidden grain caves that had been disguised to the extreme.
After deceiving the sentries, Tulik's main force was completely safe. The main force of the Ming Army quickly left Taiyuan City. Such a large Taiyuan City only had twenty thousand men and horses left to guard it. They also allowed the residents to go out of the city to harvest. That stupid defending general, this was practically a path to death.
The generals of the Ming Army would not think of what his goal was because they could not put themselves in his shoes and think about the problem from his point of view. Thus, they would not be able to find his weakness.
Furthermore, it was impossible for them to know of his existence. They did not know about these grain caves, so they did not know how he had deceived everyone and brought the main force of the Northern Barbarians outside of Taiyuan City.
They could only watch helplessly as he completed this magnificent feat.
As for the Liu family in Taiyuan City, it was you who planned it.
You made me do it, but you were so greedy. You did not expect that the Northern Barbarians would be even more greedy!
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