On the night of the 16th, the Queshan battlefield, which had been fighting fiercely for a day, fell into silence.

The official army retreated fifteen miles to set up camp, while the Hebei rebels rushed to Li Fengyun on the south bank for help. According to the agreement, under the cover of night, Li Fengyun transported food, grass, weapons and soldiers of the 18 regiments of the Cavalry Army to the other side to ensure that the Hebei rebels could last longer in Queshan.

That night, Zhang Xutuo and his generals gathered in the commander's tent to discuss the battle, and the atmosphere was very serious.

The scouts scattered in all directions all returned, and the first news made everyone feel heavy. After completing the siege of Licheng, the white-haired thieves began to support Hebei thieves, not only with food and grass weapons, but also with the army. This allowed the official army to encircle and annihilate Hebei thieves, seize Queshan, and then form an internal and external response with the Licheng defenders, basically failed, and the possibility of realization was slim, because the official army did not have an absolute advantage in terms of military strength, and the number of food and grass weapons they brought was very limited. If they did not have the support from Licheng, it would not last for a few days, and this battle would be difficult to continue.

The second news came from the battlefield of Licheng. More rebels came from the southern part of Licheng. Now Licheng is surrounded by rebels and the connection between the defenders in the city and outside the city has been completely cut off. At this moment, the defenders in the city cannot even convey the message.

It is obvious that the battlefield of Zhongchuan Water has changed. In order to attract King Yang Nan of Qi to Licheng, the white-haired thief has ordered his army to evacuate the Zhongchuan Water. In other words, King Yang Nan of Qi will soon be in front of Licheng. This news is very bad for Zhang Xutuo, so bad that he can't help but hope is the navy in the upper reaches of the river.

The third news comes from the front line of the river, from Zhua. Based on the information reported by multiple scouts, the navy attacked the Hebei thieves who tried to cross the river from Zhua. The heibei thieves were defeated and fled along the north bank of Luoshui. However, the navy did not follow and chase, and did not even chase out the Zhua Di realm. This further confirmed that the navy was unwilling to have a head-on conflict with King Yang Nan of Qi, and even unwilling to share the blame for Zhang Xutuo's loss of control of Qilu. In this way, Zhang Xutuo had to fight alone.

The fourth news comes from Zhangqiu and Linji. The bandits in Changbai Mountain are besieging Zhangqiu, and the North Pirate Army has also surrounded Linji, and the two counties are in danger.

As news from all parties followed, the debate became increasingly fierce.

Some people believe that King Yang Nan of Qi is coming and is going to fight fiercely with the white-haired thieves at the city of Licheng. Licheng is not at risk of falling, but the main army is in danger of being out of food. Therefore, the most urgent task is to get a batch of food. For this reason, it is recommended to kill a "returning the horse" and attack Linji and Zhangqiu overnight to catch the rebels in Qilu off guard. This can not only solve the urgent need for shortage of food, but also rush to support two cities, and also kill the thieves to make contributions. It can be said that three goals will be achieved at one stroke.

However, some people think that this plan is inappropriate. The main army attacked Linji and Zhangqiu, which was equivalent to ignoring the safety of Licheng. It was putting the cart before the horse. The correct countermeasure should be to divide the troops into two groups, continue to stay in the Queshan battlefield, and provide support to Licheng. Cross the Luoshui River overnight and enter the city. Then, taking advantage of the defeat of Hebei thieves, the morale is low and panic, and give it a fatal blow to wipe out the Hebei thieves. This will not only easily build the achievements of suppressing the thieves, but also replenish the lack of food by seizing spoils.

Some people, because they could not see the political game hidden behind the battle situation in Qi County, insisted on attacking Queshan and used a frontal attack to restrain the rebels. They just waited for the troops of King Yang Nan of Qi to come to Licheng and formed a cross-border attack with Zhang Xutuo, and the rebels would be defeated, and in this way, all crises would be resolved.

Zhang Xutuo listened in a deep ear and never spoke. Qin Qiong and other generals knew that Zhang Xutuo was in a difficult situation. Whether it was the King of Qi Yang Nan or the Jiangzuo people in the navy, they regarded Zhang Xutuo as the "fish belly" and bullied him wantonly. The white-haired thief who had seen all this was even more bold and reckless, trying to fish in the muddy waters and rob the fire. As a result, Zhang Xutuo was trapped in a "death situation". Now the battle situation in Qi County is like a fish net, and Zhang Xutuo is the fish in the fish net, and no matter how hard it is, it is difficult to escape the disaster of destruction. The generals could only express their own opinions and analyze the interests clearly. In the end, Zhang Xutuo had to make the decision. However, Zhang Xutuo seemed to have lost his sense of duty, lost his fighting spirit, and was helpless, and could not decide for a long time.

As Zhang Xutuo's son and the "young master" of this army, Zhang Yuanbei had to remind his father at a critical moment, "It is related to life and death. If it should be broken, it will be broken, otherwise it will be troubled."

Zhang Xutuo sighed, looked up at Qin Qiong, and asked, "What are the plans of Qin Bingsi?"

Qin Qiong knew what Zhang Xutuo meant, and sighed and bowed, "I am all from Qilu, born and raised here. In the end, as long as I can bring my brothers home safely, I can be considered worthy of my fellow villagers. As for personal honor and disgrace, I am insignificant and insignificant."

The generals in the tent looked at each other and heard the meaning behind this sentence at the same time. No matter how decision Zhang Xutuo made, the most important thing is that his own strength must be preserved. No matter how the situation in Qilu changes today, it is difficult to change the chaotic fact. The rebels in Qilu cannot be pacified in an instant, and King Yang Nan of Qi cannot always control Qilu. The more chaotic the situation is, the more beneficial it is to Zhang Xutuo, the local military and political chief, because no one dares to take over this mess, and no one dares to drift this muddy water. Therefore, as long as Zhang Xutuo firmly controls the army in his hands and possesses good strength, even if he becomes a "chess piece" in political games, he is still a "chess piece" that cannot be underestimated and will inevitably be valued by the Holy Lord, Dongdu, King of Qi, Navy and other forces. This is enough and is enough to maintain vested interests.

Qin Qiong was implicit, but Zhang Xutuo understood it, nodded, and asked again, "If the situation continues to deteriorate, the Qin Bingsi's wish may be difficult to realize."

"In fact, the situation has been deteriorating." Qin Qiong said bluntly, "Although Ming Gong worked hard, worked hard and tried his best, he still did not see any signs of improvement. Therefore, he felt it was necessary to reflect on whether our strategy of suppressing rebellion was wrong, or some other reason had tied our hands and feet. At least, we must figure out why the thieves repeatedly suppressed unfairly? Why are the more and more rebels suppressed? If we cannot find the reason, no matter how hard we try, no matter how many we kill, we cannot reverse the situation.

Zhang Xutuo thought for a moment and asked, "Have Qin Bingsi ever reflected on it? Have you ever found the reason why the more rebels are suppressing more and more?"

Qin Qiong smiled bitterly and shook his head, refusing to answer. He did reflect and explore the reasons why the thief is becoming more and more rampant. This not only involves the complex political struggle in Dongdu, but also involves the inherent hatred of the people of Guanlong and Shandong. Although natural disasters exist objectively, man-made disasters are the real cause of the spread of disasters. As long as man-made disasters are not eliminated, the disasters will not stop. Man-made disasters broke out due to political struggles and became increasingly fierce due to conflicts. With Qin Qiong's humble status and weak strength, there is no solution to it. Zhang Xutuo is the same. Although his status is higher than Qin Qiong and his strength is greater than Qin Qiong, he is still an ant-like existence, still a drop in the ocean, vulnerable in the face of stormy waves.

Because of this, Qin Qiong faced today's dilemma and faced with Zhang Xutuo, who was still fighting with trapped beasts, could only remind Zhang Xutuo with words that this army was composed of native Qilu people, and Zhang Xutuo and other senior officials of the county government were all from Guanlong, which is a contradiction in fact. In other words, Zhang Xutuo's control over this army was limited. When the situation deteriorated to a certain extent, the army was in a dilemma because of Zhang Xutuo.

Zhang Xutuo will inevitably lose control of this army. This is an obvious crisis. Today's cooperation between the two sides is based on profitability. Once there is no profit, can the two sides continue to cooperate? Will the Qilu people be willing to fight for Zhang Xutuo? Don't even think about it. Even if Qin Qiong himself is willing to continue fighting to repay Zhang Xutuo's kindness for his kindness, his subordinates, his Qilu brothers, will never be unconditionally loyal to a Guanlong person.

"What countermeasures can Qin Bingsi have to solve this crisis?"

Qin Qiong was unwilling to answer, but Zhang Xutuo pressed step by step. At this moment, as Qin Qiong said, Zhang Xutuo was in a difficult situation. Not only the Holy Lord and Dongdu, but also the King of Qi Yang Nan and Donglai Navy, various rebels, and his army. Once this army betrayed Zhang Xutuo at a critical moment, Zhang Xutuo would have completely finished playing and had no chance to struggle. Therefore, only by tying his own interests with the interests of this army, he would have the capital to fight the beasts.

Qin Qiong was silent. Zhang Xutuo's eyes were bright and aggressive. The generals' eyes drifted back and forth on the faces of the two, but they were mostly stuck on Qin Qiong for no reason. At this moment, it was Qin Qiong who represented their interests, not Zhang Xutuo, a native of Guanlong.

"The most urgent task is to preserve strength." Qin Qiong finally spoke, "The battle of Zhongchuan Water has proved that the strength of the white-haired thief is enough to fight with us. King Yang Nan of Qi has ulterior motives and is not trustworthy at all. Donglai Water Commander is sinister and cunning, and is good at both sides and does not offend him. If Ming Gong continues to trap Qi County, he will inevitably have a head-on conflict with King Yang Nan of Qi. As a result, he is killed by him with a knife and is defeated by the white-haired thief. Therefore, his countermeasure is that Gong Ming must turn defense into offense, jump out of the trap, and turn from passive to active, and then form a tripod with King Qi and the navy, and reverse the current crisis in one fell swoop."

Zhang Xutuo's expression changed slightly. After a moment of thinking, he suddenly realized. His eyes were filled with surprise and he suddenly had a new understanding of Qin Qiong's talent.

The generals in the tent also fell into deep thought. Some had already realized it and thought about it, while others were confused and anxious.

=
Chapter completed!