.

Zhang Xutuo led his elite troops to travel day and night, climbed the canal, and quietly arrived at Fangshan.

After arriving in Fangshan, Zhang Xutuo was not in a hurry to advance, but just sent troops to block Fangshan to prevent the bandits from attacking Luokoucang.

Although he was anxious, he was not anxious. The years of wars made him know that courage can make you live, but impulse can only make you die.

Among the grassland, there are many heroes and even talented people hiding among them. Zhang Xutuo knew that Zhai Rang and Li Mi could attack Jindi Pass, and he could not be ignored. Now that the bandits gathered 100,000, he only had 20,000 elite soldiers. Although he was not afraid at all, he should be careful and careful.

Fangshan is in the south of the Hulao in Yanshi, and is in a triangle with Yanshi and Hulao, while Luokoucang is in the triangle.

Most of the grain in Jiangnan was stored here. Luokou Cang is the largest warehouse in the world. Bandits can gather so quickly. The sufficient grain and grass in Xingyang Cang is an element. When Zhang Xutuo thought of this, he decided to win steadily. The Luokou Cang must not be taken away by bandits.

Xingyang City is east of Fangshan Hulao. Fangshan Hulao, plus Xingyang City, it is also a triangular force. Thinking of this, Zhang Xutuo's spirit is slightly refreshed. Hulao City is high and thick, with a very concise terrain, with sufficient soldiers and food. Now Pei Renji is guarding him, so he has no worries. If there is another surprise soldier at this time...

Thinking of this, Zhang Xutuo frowned slightly, and his eyes were cast from afar to the three generals beside him.

Luo Shixin, Qin Shubao, and Cheng Yaojin were all silent, looking into the distance, with a silent expression...

They rarely have such silent times. Zhang Xutuo sighed a little and thought to himself that these three people were loyal to him, but if they continued to fight like this, they would be a little tired, let alone them.

Tiredness does not come from the body, but the deep sorrow in the bones.

Yang Guang did not change his strategy for governing the country. This was destined to be an unwinning war. So what if he wins? Zhang Xutuo looked a little dazed when he thought of this...

"General, there is a spy in front of you to repay you." Luo Shixin said loudly.

A horse ran towards the distance, and the soldier immediately flew out of the horse and shouted: "General Zhang, the military information in front of him is here to report."

The spy presented the document. Zhang Xutuo opened his eyes and frowned. Luo Shixin asked, "General, what's wrong?"

Zhang Xutuo handed the document to Luo Shixin and sighed softly, "Three more counties in Xingyang County were conquered. Now, except for Xingyang City, the other counties in Xingyang have been conquered. Xingyang is already an isolated city. Bandits are rampant and even appear in front of Hulao Pass. Most of the thieves in Henan depend on Wagang this time, and the momentum is huge. According to the military information in the front, there are Wang Deren, Peng Xiaocai, Meng Rang and others who rely on the rebellion. The bandits are now more powerful than before we set out, and they cannot be ignored."

Luo Shixin frowned when he heard this. Wang Deren, Peng Xiaocai and Meng Rang mentioned by Zhang Xutuo were both former enemies, and they also had tens of thousands of troops to disrupt the Central Plains.

Although the three of them are now out of the way, they are all giant thieves who are in trouble. Now they are all relying on Wagang, which is really a headache.

Seeing Zhang Xutuo worried, Luo Shixin comforted: "General, don't worry, the two cities of Xingyang and Hulao are in good condition. As long as you calmly defend, the bandits will never do anything."

Zhang Xutuo pondered and said, "I am not worried about this, but that bandits are everywhere in Xingyang. Most of our troops cannot act secretly, just because the bandits escape again and cannot be eradicated. Shubao, Yaojin, what are your tricks?"

In the past, Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin responded positively when discussing military aircraft. Today, the military situation came, but the two were a little absent-minded.

When he heard Zhang Xutuo ask, Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin came over and shook their heads. Qin Shubao said, "General. This time the bandits are so powerful. They occupy Xingyang Cang again, and there is no worries about food and grass. We should not underestimate the enemy. According to Fangshan, follow the old rules and attack, and the bandits will be defeated."

Cheng Yaojin also nodded, "The bandits have many forces, but they are not strong enough to resist the attacks of the elite soldiers of the Great Sui Dynasty. I also think it is best to win in a steady manner."

Zhang Xutuo nodded, "Shubao, Yao Jin, what you said coincides with what I think. But now there are many bandit soldiers, with sharp heads and cannot be judged by reason. Although the regular soldiers are good, the losses are huge..."

"Where is what the general thinks?" the three of them asked at the same time.

Zhang Xutuo said in a deep voice: "Xingyang, Fangshan, Hulao is in a triangular state, and Xingze is behind Xingyang. Although the bandits are strong, they dare not move Hulao for the time being. They can only plunder near Xingyang and disperse one day, and the people will be out of water and fire one day. According to my thoughts, if one person can go straight to Hulao and lead two thousand light cavalry out of the city, go down along the Yellow River, and use strange troops to occupy Xingze, forming a front and back attack with us, and quickly attack the bandits besieged Xingyang. The enemy soldiers will be defeated in panic."

All three of them nodded, but were silent.

Zhang Xutuo's face was even more bitter and he murmured: "Only one general needs to lead thousands of elite soldiers...who can bear this responsibility?"

The three generals were still silent, and Zhang Xutuo actually became silent.

The mountain wind blows, which is quite cold. The marching flag is waving in the wind, and the word "Zhang" on it looks lonely and infinite.

Fangshan, where 20,000 troops were stationed, suddenly became silent. The soldiers stationed in the distance did not look at Zhang Xutuo and others, but looked at the direction of the northeast in a little sad.

There, after crossing the plains, crossing the rivers, breaking away from the bandits' many obstacles, we will reach the place where their souls and dreams are lingering.

Zhang Xutuo brought 20,000 elite soldiers this time, almost all of them were the elite soldiers who followed him to fight in the east and west.

Most of these soldiers were from Qi County. They followed Zhang Xutuo for many years, experienced many battles, and shared life and death. They had seen almost any scene.

They are not afraid of life and death slaughter, bloody bandits. They used to be just to protect their families and relatives, but now their relatives are too far away.

Zhang Xutuo was silent, the three generals were silent, and the soldiers were also silent, but Zhang Xutuo was not the only one who was thinking like a tide. A sad feeling suddenly surged in his heart. He had encountered this situation before.

When he was attacking the Supreme King, there were many bandits, and the Sui army was out of food and could not last for a few days. No matter how hard you fight the elite soldiers, if there was no food and grass, it would definitely not last for a few days. Zhang Xutuo, the famous general of the Sui army, understood more than anyone else that the troops were sent to the right and the odd victory. He thought about his plan and pretended to evacuate and led the bandits to attack, but he left people to rush to burn the Supreme King's food and supplies. Once the bandits were exhausted, they would naturally be defeated. Then he led the army to counterattack and win a complete victory.

But his plan was good, and asked who would go. No one responded to the generals. Later, Qin Shubao and Luo Shixin finally stood up and led elite troops to attack. When Li Jing came, they finally defeated the thieves of the Supreme King. The three generals were all people he trusted very much, and they would not be unable to hear what he meant. Zhang Xutuo thought of this and sighed, "Who..."

As he glanced at the place where Qin Shubao looked away, Luo Shixin lowered his head.

"If the general doesn't mind my old Cheng being reckless, I can go to the Huzhu to ask for troops." Cheng Yaojin said suddenly.

Zhang Xutuo was slightly happy, but more sad. He did not blame Qin Shubao and Luo Shixin. He suddenly felt guilty towards them.

"Yaojin is thick and thin, so it can be a big responsibility." Zhang Xutuo was excited. "I will write a letter with my own hands. Yaojin Light Cavalry went to Hulao to lead troops down the Yellow River and take a detour to Xingze. If it goes well, we can attack and besiege the thieves in Xingyang in four days..."

Zhang Xutuo squatted down, first drew the detailed deployment on the ground, then returned to the tent to write a letter and handed it to Cheng Yaojin, and smiled and said, "Yaojin, you shoulder the heavy responsibility. If this matter is done, you should remember the first merit."

Cheng Yaojin smiled. "I don't want to make a contribution. I just want to go back to my hometown as soon as possible after quelling the bandits."

After saying this, he turned over and galloped towards the north Hulao Pass. Zhang Xutuo looked at his back silently until he disappeared. Bao was looking at himself. When he saw Zhang Xutuo turn around, he looked away. Zhang Xutuo asked strangely, "Do you have something to do?"

Qin Shubao shook his head, but Luo Shixin asked, "General Zhang, what can Li Mi do if he defeated Zhai Rang from Wagang?"

Zhang Xutuo was slightly stunned. It seemed that he had never considered this issue. After a long time, he said: "I just said that bandits are bandits. They burn, kill, plunder and do everything. We are soldiers of the Great Sui Dynasty and should protect the peace of the people."

Luo Shixin wanted to say something, but finally changed the topic, "General, let's have a meal."

Zhang Xutuo nodded and ordered him to go down to cook. When the rice was ready, Zhang Xutuo went to patrol the camp first. He saw three soldiers and five people eating silently, and he found a group of people to come over and squat down.

When the soldiers saw that it was Zhang Xutuo, they stood up one after another and whispered: "General..."

Zhang Xutuo waved his hand and told the soldiers to continue eating. He took a rice bowl, shoveled the rice by himself, picked up the chopsticks made from branches, and ripped the rice with everyone.

The soldiers looked at Zhang Xutuo with admiration and respect in their eyes. If Zhang Xutuo removed his armor and mixed it among them, he would be no different from an old farmer. Zhang Xutuo was extremely famous, but he was really good at these soldiers. It was commonplace to eat with everyone, so it was natural.

The soldiers regarded Zhang Xutuo as a general, as a friend, as a father, as well as a brother who shared life and death...

Zhang Xutuo ate half a bowl of rice and saw a soldier next to him who was quite young. He just ate a few bites of rice and asked softly, "Why don't you eat?"

The soldier was shocked and started to pick up the rice in big mouthfuls, but he ate too fast, and the rice choked in his throat and coughed repeatedly, and the rice in his mouth sprayed all over the floor.

Others looked at the soldier without fear, but were somewhat silent. Zhang Xutuo walked over and patted him gently on the back. The soldier was flattered and put down his job. Finally stopped coughing, but his face was flushed, "General..."

Halfway through his words, he stretched out his chopsticks to pick up the rice grains on the ground, and they were sent to his mouth one by one. Others only had the recognition in their eyes, and there was no wonder.

Zhang Xutuo actually poked out the chopsticks and picked up a grain of rice on the ground, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

The soldier wanted to cough again, but finally held back and said, "General, I've eaten this."

Zhang Xutuo smiled, "It's okay, you're very good. You know that this food cannot be wasted. After he finished speaking, his eyes also became turbid, and a smile appeared on his sad face, "You are all very good."

The soldiers' eyes were filled with tears. You looked at me, I looked at you, and Zhang Xutuo again, excited...

Zhang Xutuo stood up slowly, nodded, turned around and was about to leave. A soldier suddenly shouted, "General, can I ask you something?"

"You said." Zhang Xutuo turned around and looked at the soldiers like a kind father, full of encouragement.

"We have been leaving our hometown for too long. When will we turn back?" The soldier mustered up the courage, but when he saw Zhang Xutuo's very tolerant gaze, he couldn't speak, "I...I...I...I really want to... go home, I miss my relatives very much."

He said a few words. He used all his strength, but there were tears in his eyes.

The soldiers beside him were also silent, looking at Zhang Xutuo, some looked at the soldiers talking, some bowed their heads, and some were silently flowing cold tears on their faces.

They followed Zhang Xutuo and were invincible, but after all, they were also human beings and had feelings. They also miss their helpless parents, their expectant wife, and their hungry children. The soldiers expressed the voices of too many people here.

Zhang Xutuo did not blame him, but just sighed softly, "I'm sorry for you..."

The soldier was shocked and knelt on the ground with a gurgling sound. He knelt on the ground, "General, I am not dissatisfied, you are not sorry for us. If you had not opened the warehouse and released grain, the people of Qi County would not know how many starved to death. Our lives and our family's lives were given by the general. The general's great kindness and virtue will never be forgotten!"

"We will never forget the great kindness of the general." The soldiers around him knelt down one after another and said in unison.

Old Zhang Xutuo's eyes were filled with tears, and he reached out to help the soldiers, one by one, as if he was looking at his own children.

When Qi County opened a warehouse and released grain, Zhang Xutuo's words flashed through his mind, it felt very far away, but it seemed like it was in front of him.

That year, Yang Guang went to the Goryeo. Qi County had a heavy tax and encountered famines, and grain was expensive. He even had to exchange for the same amount of copper coins. The people ate tree bark, ate grass roots, and the line of life and death. Zhang Xutuo could not wait to report the situation to Yang Guang, and the people could not wait. Zhang Xutuo did not wait for Yang Guang's imperial edict. He had decided to open the warehouse and release grain. All the officials of Qi County knew that the emperor was extremely suspicious, and the charge of opening the warehouse privately was equivalent to rebellion. They advised Zhang Xutuo not to act rashly, so as not to cause any disaster. Zhang Xutuo said in front of Qi County that the emperor was too far away. If he asked for an order, he would not know how many people would starve to death. Opening the warehouse and releasing grain, I did it alone. If the emperor blamed me, I would bear it on my shoulders and I would not be willing to die.

It was precisely because of Zhang Xutuo's persistence and responsibilities that countless people in Qi County were spared from starvation. Because Zhang Xutuo fought bravely, he insisted on the rear of Yang Guang's conquest of Goryeo. After Yang Guang learned about this, he not only did not blame him, but instead comforted him and rewarded Zhang Xutuo. Most of these soldiers were in Qi County, and their parents, brothers and sisters survived because of this. They were naturally grateful to Zhang Xutuo. The rice that the soldiers coughed and sprayed out was too funny in the eyes of ordinary people. But how could they know that these grains of rice were more expensive than gold in the eyes of soldiers.

Zhang Xutuo helped the soldiers up one by one and sighed: "We have indeed left for a long time, and it is normal for you to care about your family. After defeating the Wagang people this time and lifting the siege of Xingyang, I will definitely take you back to Qi County to protect your home."

Everyone said in unison: "Thank you General!"

Although Zhang Xutuo is old, his waist is straight and straight, but his expression is even more sad. He has a grain of rice on his mouth. He swallows it gently, and it feels full of bitterness!

"Zhang Xutuo is going to fight Zhai Rang, Li Mi is starting to fight." Xiao Buyi looked at the slightly yellow leaves on the tree and whispered: "I heard that the Wagang is so powerful this time, it is extraordinary, I'm afraid it will be tragic again."

"This is a good thing. We occupy Xiangyang City. Although the traffic is now blocked, the news will one day reach Yang Guangdi's ears. If Zhang Xutuo has time, he will not come to hit you. But now, we have some time to buffer." Pei Beiren whispered softly beside Xiao Buyidi.

But Xiao Buyi had a hint of sadness on his face, "No matter what, I always respect Zhang Xutuo and don't want to be enemies with him."

"Even if he wants to kill you?" Pei Bei asked softly.

Xiao Buyi smiled bitterly and said, "If he wants to kill me, I have to kill him. This is natural. But afterwards, it is wrong for him to do nothing, and I think about it. I think it's good to do it. The only mistake is that we have different positions and are born at the wrong time. Otherwise, I might be very good friends with him, and I like to make friends with people like him."

Pei Bei said, "But he wants to kill you, I will kill him. It's a pity that I can't kill him. It's a pity that I don't have the strength of Miss Pei. If she makes a plan, it's impossible to kill Zhang Xutuo. But Zhang Xutuo is a pillar of the Sui Dynasty. How could Miss Pei kill him? Alas..."

In a few simple words, Pei Bei said firmly. Xiao Buyi was moved and gently held her hand, "We don't need to do it now. Zhang Xutuo is already an enemy of bandits all over the world. I don't want you to take risks. Besides, no matter how high martial arts are in this world, it can't beat people's ambitions. I don't know how Zhang Xutuo... would lose?"

Xiao Buyi had doubts in his tone, but Pei Bei ignored his deeper meaning and nodded, "I also hope that the one who lost is Zhang Xutuo. After all, if Wagang wins, Zhang Xutuo will be defeated, Xingyang is defeated, Jiangnan and Dongdu must be sealed, Yang Guang is in Jiangnan, so he cannot turn around. He is trapped in Jiangnan. The world's chaos has been completed, so he is powerless to turn the world, but Zhang Xutuo...he may not necessarily lose!"

Xiao Buyi's lips sneered, "Zhang Xutuo's winning or losing is no longer our business. Even if he wins Wagang, he is too far from Xiangyang to take care of us."

"Then you asked Xu Shiji to take Zhai Rang to Wagang. Are you ready to let Zhai Rang go? Did you let Zhai Rang take into account the current situation? You know that Zhang Xutuo wants to kill you, so you have prepared for Zhai Rang and Li Mi to restrain Zhang Xutuo, but you can have enough time to develop? Otherwise, Zhang Xutuo will keep chasing you and you will have no time to develop at all." Pei Bei suddenly said, with a strange expression.
To be continued...