Chapter 201

As soon as the smoking order was issued, the news was delivered.

But the smoking order is not a letter, so the information that can be conveyed is extremely limited. In the Great Xiao Army, the meaning of the smoke order is as follows: one advances, two retreats, three does not move, four smokes have to be careful of fraud, and five smokes will never see each other again.

In wartime, the distance is too far, the flag order cannot be seen, the drumbeat cannot be heard clearly, and in case of an emergency, it is too late or impossible to deliver the letter, and the army will use the smoke order to confirm its status to other teams. A puff of smoke signifies that the accident is not a threat and they will move on. Two puffs of smoke meant that they had no choice but to retreat. Three cigarettes, standing still. Four cigarettes, the information is wrong, everyone be careful. Five strands of smoke are rarely used, which means there is no hope of victory, but they will fight to the last man, which is the promise before death of the army of dead soldiers. Let other troops understand the battle situation and buy time for them to retreat.

When Long Da received the news of the four cigarette order, Liang Dehao also received it.

“Where is it?”

“Shiping Mountain. The mountain is precipitous, and there is no passable mountain road. The road below the mountain coils around the front of the mountain, with two miles and one hillock, and it is impassable. Behind the mountain is the Mianjiang River. The smoke rising from the top of the mountain must not be our people.” Yin Ming replied. .

Inside the dragon tent.

“It’s Chenchen. She and Ze Qing decided to come over and got stuck.” What happened? Why did she leave Tongcheng? The information is wrong, what information is wrong?

Long Da looked at the sand table. After crossing Shiping Mountain and crossing Tieshoe Ridge, it is Shilipo. If you want to venture over the mountain, you have to come. Are the guard posts on the avenue so strict? Even spies disguised as ordinary people can’t get through? So they need a smoking order.

What exactly is the intelligence? Long Dayi couldn’t think of it for a while. He has already obtained the list of detailed operations from Ma Yongnian, and has also found out the route and strategy of Yin Ming’s army to invade Dongling. He has estimated the ambushes and frame-ups that may be carried out on the battlefield. What is wrong?

Liang Dehao was also looking at the sand table. He thought for a while: “It’s wonderful, it doesn’t look like you’re dealing with Long Dayi. You have to race against time. If you slow down a step, all previous efforts will be wasted.”

“My lord.” Yin Ming looked at Liang Dehao, waiting for instructions.

“Has everything been arranged for Tieshoe Ridge?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s do it in advance. It’s just that the plan needs to be changed.” Liang Dehao explained in this way, and Yin Ming took the order.

Yin Ming returned to the camp, and took three lieutenants to Longda’s camp: “General, I received the news that the sentry on Shiping Mountain came back to report that they had intercepted a suspected spy from the Dongling Kingdom, and the other party’s deeds were revealed. , fled to the mountain. A group of soldiers chased up the mountain. I originally wanted to report to the general after they caught someone and took them to the camp. But just now I saw a smoke order on the top of the mountain. Be careful.”

Long Da remained calm and asked, “In your opinion, what news is deceitful?”

“I asked the sentries carefully about the situation at the time, and felt that those secret operations were a bit deliberate in revealing their identities. Presumably, they were deliberately trying to distract the sentries and divert the tiger away from the mountain, so that the really important people could pass by indiscriminately.” Yin Ming said: “General, I will investigate in the city. The clues they got corresponded exactly. They tied Mr. Liang and hid in the city for a short time. They didn’t find a chance to leave the city before. Now the general and I are both in Shilipo. After all, Mr. Cui is a new official and has never dealt with such a complicated situation. , Those secret agents must have taken the opportunity to leave the city, intending to send Mr. Liang to Shilipo, and tie him to the front of the battle to threaten the outcome of the battle.”

Long Da said with a sullen face: “Since you know that Master Cui is inexperienced, and you have found clues, why don’t you stay in Tongcheng and continue to investigate, so as to rescue Master Liang.”

Yin Ming leaned forward and pleaded guilty: “The general is guilty. I didn’t find out the information carefully before. The general wanted to come back quickly to discuss with the general, but he didn’t think thoroughly. Please allow me to investigate again. The other party broke through Shiping Mountain, counting the time, in this day’s time, they should be able to reach Tieshui Ridge. They can’t pass our camp post, so they can only make a detour at Tieshoe Ridge. Maybe they will take a waterway. They find out.”

Long Da remained silent for a long time.

Yin Ming shouted loudly: “General, please allow me to lead a search team and rescue Master Liang if necessary.”

The three lieutenants also knelt down and begged for orders: “Please order the general, allow me to lead the search and rescue Mr. Liang.”

Long Da pondered for a while, and said: “People must be rescued. Therefore, call the sentry first, and wait for me to ask carefully, so that there is no omission. Then we will discuss and search.”

There was no loophole in this statement, Yin Ming hurriedly called in the sentry who was waiting outside the tent.

The sentry reported his name and position, was on duty at the sentry position, and then described the situation in detail. At that time, there was a lot of people, queuing up to pass the inspection. He noticed that two peasants were carrying a load of fodder hay, which looked quite heavy. He beckoned them over, thinking to check on them first and let the two of them go first. But the two did not move. At this time, among the two people who were being checked, a dagger fell from one of them, and the dagger was engraved with Dongling characters.

The sentinel saw it and hurriedly asked. As a result, those people raised their hands, turned around and ran towards the mountain. A group of five of them took out their hidden weapons and wounded the sentinel. So the sentinels chased after them in groups. There was chaos at the scene, and many people ran away screaming. When he came back to his senses, he found that the carriage was gone. He didn’t care about it at the time, and hurried back to report to General Yin.

But there was a smoke order from Shiping Mountain, which reminded him of the wagon full of hay.

Long Da asked: “Has there been any news that the suspicious carriage was intercepted by the guard post at the back?”

Yin Ming shook his head: “No. The sentry at the front has checked, and they won’t care too much later. And before seeing the smoke order, this one didn’t pay attention to the carriage, and only paid attention to the five people who fled. Since they have a strategy, they must Think about the way to pass the guard post later. Calculate the time, one day to catch up to the top of the mountain, and one day to detour to Ironshoe Ridge.”

The first officer showed a map, and Yin Ming pointed to the terrain analysis on the map. He suggested sending troops to encircle Tieshoe Ridge immediately, cut off the waterway behind the mountain, check the caves in the ridge, block the only way to Shilipo, and then follow the east road. Checked all the way to the road.

Careful and thoughtful, there are no loopholes. Long Dao: “At this time, it is not appropriate to carry out a large-scale search. The terrain of Tie Ti Ridge is complex, and it is very easy to hide people. If they notice the movement, it will be difficult to find them. Moreover, it would be bad if they are in a hurry and hurt Lord Liang. ”

Yin Ming asked: “The general said, what should we do?”

“Send people to surround and outflank them first, quietly, quietly, stay in the night, and lurk in.”

“It’s not easy to search for people in the dark. Holding a torch is too conspicuous, which makes it easier for them to notice.” Isn’t this giving Long Da an extra night to prepare?

“So sneak in first, don’t ask for torches and lanterns. When the day breaks, soldiers from all over the place will search together. They are caught off guard and have nowhere to escape.”

Long Da looked into Yin Ming’s eyes, and both of them had “I know what you’re thinking” in their eyes.

“Okay, then use the sunrise as a signal.” Yin Ming said, “It will save them from shouting and disturbing them.”

“Yes.” Long Dao said: “Master Liang’s safety is a matter of great importance. I will personally lead the army to search the mountain.”

Everyone discussed it, arranged the manpower team, decided on the details of the operation, and arranged for each to go.

In Tongcheng, Cui Hao nervously waited for news from all parties. But there is no news from either side. What happened to the Southern Qin Emperor at Zhonglan City? No one told him. What is Shi Lingya and Lu Sheng doing? No one told him. What happened to the Dongling battle on the front line? No message came back. Where is An Ruochen, what are you doing now? It is even more impossible for him to know this.

Cui Hao warned himself to be patient. He sorted out everything from the beginning, carefully thinking about which side won and what he should do. He even thought about killing Zheng Heng ruthlessly, so that if Liang Dehao wins and returns, no one will sue him. But after all, he was timid and couldn’t think of any reasonable excuse, so he didn’t dare to move.

Until this day, a yamen servant rushed to report: “My lord, there is an imperial decree, please accept the decree quickly.”

Cui Hao was so frightened that he quickly straightened his clothes and ran out quickly.

In the hall of the yamen, an imposing young man dressed in fine clothes stood in the middle, and beside him stood a man who looked like a father-in-law, holding a golden edict in his hand. There are two rows of brocade-clothed guards beside the two, all of them are energetic and majestic, and there are several officials standing behind them, with solemn expressions, showing awe of the young man in their standing postures.

A group of people can’t hide the travel and dust of the long journey, but the majesty is overwhelming. Cui Hao suddenly felt his legs go weak.

“Is Cui Hao the one here?” the father-in-law asked with a sharp voice.

“Sir Cui Hao.”

The father-in-law confirmed his identity and began to read the will. Cui Hao listened carefully, for fear of missing a word. After listening, I understand. His Royal Highness the third prince was named King Yi, acting on behalf of the emperor to personally investigate the border chaos.

“Liang Dehao and Long Teng, where are these two people?” King Yi asked.

Cui Hao quickly answered. He knew that no matter what happened to the two of them in Shilipo, when King Yi came, the outcome would be decided.

Empress Cui Hao broke into a cold sweat from fear, fortunately, fortunately, he was not on the wrong side. No wonder An Ruochen was full of confidence, saying that she had more bargaining chips than he could imagine.

An Ruochen lay on Zong Zeqing’s back, surrounded by ten soldiers, scattered and rushed down the mountain. She couldn’t lift her legs anymore, she was sleepy and tired, but with pursuers behind and danger ahead, she really didn’t care about the difference between men and women, and she was serious about doing important things. Zong Zeqing ran fast with her on his back.

“At dawn, we can go to Tieshouling. Then we will look for horses in the village and go around to Shilipo.” Zong Zeqing said.

An Ruochen was so sleepy that he half-closed his eyes, but he really couldn’t sleep, his head was still awake, and he replied, “General Zong, don’t you think that our escape went too smoothly?”

“Have it?”

“The sentry at the foot of the mountain gathered a team. After seeing the smoke order, Mr. Liang realized something was wrong and hurriedly sent cavalry reinforcements. If it was this formation, the mountain should be full of flames, full of torches and lanterns. At the foot of the mountain, there should have been a crowd It’s a big circle. On the road, you should see the flames.” An Ruochen was besieged at night in Xiushan, and now there are only sporadic torches in this scene, which is worse than Xiushan. It doesn’t look like the scene of soldiers searching the mountain.

Zong Zeqing paused. “you’re right.”

“It’s as if they intentionally let us go to Tieshoe Ridge.” An Ruochen said.

Zong Zeqing whistled, and the surrounding soldiers quickly surrounded him. Zong Zeqing said: “That’s right, there may be an ambush in Tieshui Ridge, we have to be careful.”

After a meal, ask for a discussion, and then go on the road.

It was dawn, and Zong Zeqing and the others stood on the outer hillside of Tieshoe Ridge. It would be a big adventure to go around this mountain to Shilipo. They were waiting for news, and after a while, two spies from soldiers came over and said that they had found the horse in a nearby village. There is nothing unusual in the village, you can enter the village. Another person sneaked over and said that he had found the code left by the first two groups of spies who entered the mountain first. There does seem to be trouble, and the signal warns of danger in the Ridge.

Zong Zeqing decided to go to the village to steal horses and take a rest. Let the spies enter the mountain to investigate first before making a decision.

Everyone was retreating towards the village when they suddenly saw three strands of thick smoke rising from the highlands in the middle of the mountain.

smoking order.

Three puffs of smoke means staying in place.

An Ruochen was surprised: “Is this telling us to stay still?”

“No. It means they are there.” Zong Zeqing said.

“Who are they?” General, or Liang Dehao. “Why did you tell us?” Who put the cigarettes?

Zong Zeqing couldn’t answer, which is really strange. But in any case, this Tieshoe Ridge cannot be entered casually.

The general beside Long Da pointed to the thick smoke and said to him, “General, there is smoke.”

Long Da instructed: “Order people to find a place to burn two more cigarettes.” Just after he finished speaking, he heard Yin Ming’s voice shouting in the distance: “General Long, come quickly!”

Long Da rode his horse over there, observing carefully all the way, it was a dense forest, a good place for Tibetans. Long Da raised his hand, and the cavalry behind him quickly divided into two sides. Long Da took a look around, got off his horse, and walked into the woods.

Walking all the way to the middle of the woods, I saw Liang Dehao.

With no expression on his face, Long Da stopped calmly.

Liang Dehao said to him: “General Long, we finally meet.”

Yin Ming stood beside Liang Dehao, and when he raised his hand, a group of soldiers appeared around him, forming a circle around the woods.

Long Da’s soldiers were outside the circle, Long Da didn’t give orders, they didn’t move.

On the periphery, more soldiers surrounded Long Da’s men and horses.

Zong Zeqing took An Ruochen and the others to find a high place to hide and observe. After a while, I saw two more puffs of smoke.

A spy asked in a low voice: “Now, is this two shares or five shares?”

“They all mean to let us go quickly.” Zong Zeqing replied.

Two shares means retreat, five shares means I will try my best to stop you from retreating.

An Ruochen was no longer tired, every nerve of her was tense. “At least we know now, they are on both sides!”

In the woods, people from both sides are facing each other.

“Long Teng!” Liang Dehao said: “When I was trapped, I found out that you were collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, intending to rebel. Now I escaped from the tiger’s mouth and led the army to kill you. Are you convinced?”

“I immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, and wrote a letter of confession and surrender, so I shouldn’t be killed, right?” Long Da agreed.

Yin Ming was not familiar with Long Da, so he was taken aback when he heard this, quite surprised.

Liang Dehao frowned: “You were naughty when you talked when you were young, and you are still the same when you become a general.”

“Lord Liang’s sudden nostalgia makes me quite sad.” Long Da responded again, of course his expression did not look sad at all.

Yin Ming glanced at Liang Dehao, then at Long Da, and shouted: “Long Teng, you intend to rebel, you deserve a death sentence. Don’t be arrogant now, you only have a thousand soldiers.” And you haven’t brought all of them with you.

“When I broke through thousands of troops alone, you were losing a battle in Liao City, boy.” Long Da gave Yin Ming a sideways glance, “Is it your turn to speak? If you have the ability, fight alone!”

“Don’t let him provoke you.” Yin Ming was about to get angry when Liang Dehao stopped him.

“Yes, you must listen to your lord.” Long Da smiled.

Outside Tiehoe Ridge, An Ruochen said to Zong Zeqing: “I won’t leave, I came here to save the general. Tell me what to do?”

Zong Zeqing naturally didn’t want to leave either, how could he live up to his title of General Huwei if he didn’t have a big fight. When An Ruochen said that, he was simply too satisfied. Zong Zeqing began to order the two spies to explore the way first, and search for it according to the code. If the previous spies entered the ridge and found something was wrong, they should still be probing. Find out the situation and lead them the way. The other three went to the village to pull horses, and charged into battle without horses. Then tell the two people to go into the forest to find the banner soldiers. If there is a war, first destroy the banner orders. Another person climbed the tree, looked at the enemy’s situation from a distance, and sent orders with a small flag in time.

Everyone dispersed.

Zong Zeqing said to An Ruochen: “You follow me.” Then he said to the remaining five people: “Remember, protect the safety of Madam.”

An Ruochen asked Zong Zeqing: “How many troops does the general have?”

“One thousand soldiers.”

An Ruochen gritted her teeth, followed Zong Zeqing and ran towards Tiehoe Ridge with a low body.