Prince Ji brought a lot of information, some of which was difficult to adjust. Wei Jing, Ji Huan and others were unraveling the information while ordering people to verify its authenticity.

Facts have proved that Prince Ji's words were true. Based on these reports and discussions over the past few days, a new round of war strategies has been specifically agreed upon.

Fighter planes arrive.

At the same time that Wei Jing sent Shao Qing away, the new war strategy had already begun to be implemented.

Zhang Yong, Fan Qing and several other generals received orders to lead their troops out of the camp last night, ostensibly to wait for an opportunity for a surprise attack, but in reality their intention was to disrupt the enemy's line of sight and serve as a cover for the subsequent large-scale advance.

How intense can this kind of battle be?

Xu Cang, a brave general who had experienced hundreds of battles, actually died in this battle?

“I was fighting him.”

The one who spoke was Fan Qing, who arrived later. He frowned and said, "When the battle was in full swing, the horse under his crotch suddenly stumbled."

Caught off guard, the flaw was revealed.

Fan Qing's blade had already swung down, and at that moment the force of the blade could not be retracted. Facing the enemy, it was impossible for him to stop, and he killed Xu Cang with one thunderous blow.

As a general who had also fought bravely on the battlefield, Fan Qing was not very happy about dying in such a way, even though he had killed the enemy general.

Of course, under normal circumstances, he would not feel sorry for them, let alone rush to the commander-in-chief's tent to rescue a few enemy generals and Zhang Yong.

"My Lord, do you think that messenger could be Xu Cang?"

Looking at all the people under Prince An's command, Zhang Yong only knew one person, Xu Cang. He always suspected that it was Xu Cang who delivered the letter to them.

"I once heard him say that he could write with both hands."

Zhang Yong murmured, "Could it be that Prince An noticed something and made arrangements in advance to kill him?"

In the past, Xu Cang and Zhang Yong had been colleagues for many years and had partnered together more than once. He knew Xu Cang's abilities. Mistakes made by warhorses are real, but he simply couldn't believe that Xu Cang would die from a mere sudden mistake made by a warhorse.

"Please forgive me."

Ji Huan came over with big strides and just heard the last sentence: "This messenger may not be Xu Cang."

"Besides, the messenger's purpose may not necessarily be to assist us."

"Bo Yan is right."

Wei Jing said in a deep voice: "This person's identity is unknown, and his purpose is unknown. But any letter he conveys must not be trusted lightly."

Every advance and every retreat involves hundreds of thousands of troops and even the entire Central Plains war situation.

As to whether it was Xu Cang, he did not comment.

Times have changed. No matter what happened in the past, we are now in a hostile relationship and there is no point in saying more.

He was stern in his admonition, and Zhang Yong understood it. He collected his thoughts and responded in unison with Fan Qing and the others: "We will obey the orders of our lord!"

Wei Jing nodded: "Disrupt the enemy and confuse their sights, and continue to act according to the plan."

Once the heat is low, we will advance in full force.

Zhang Yong took a deep breath and stopped thinking about Xu Cang: "I will obey your orders!"

Whether it is true or not, the person is dead and everything is over.

…

Allied camp.

“Brother Xu!!”

Compared with Zhang Yong's slight sadness caused by his suspicion of the messenger, the grief of generals such as Chen Ang and Tang Yan was much more real.

They came out of Qiejia together, experienced the bloody breakout when Quyang was besieged on Gushan Mountain, and fought their way from Jingzhou to Jizhou back to back, forming a life-and-death friendship.

Seeing Xu Cang dead, Chen Ang roared in grief, rode forward on his horse, killed Fan Qing and retrieved Xu Cang's body. Men don't shed tears easily, but they do when they are sad. All the elderly people from Jingzhou present had tears in their eyes.

"Brother Xu, don't worry. As long as I am alive, I will take care of your people."

Chen Ang burst into tears, his hands trembling as he closed Xu Cang's bloodshot eyes.

Prince An was also sad, but he finally cheered up and comforted his ministers and generals: "I will send someone to transport Shuying's coffin back to Jizhou first, so that he can be buried in peace."

On the battlefield, life and death are commonplace. No matter how sad you are, you cannot dwell on it. Xu Cang was hurriedly wrapped up, and everyone sent his coffin out of the camp. They also had to force themselves to continue their military duties.

Prince An's sad and gloomy expression only lasted until he entered the tent. As soon as he and Wei Xu returned to the middle tent, his face suddenly changed.

"This Xu Cang is a bargain for him."

The person was specially sent to wrap him up and put him in a coffin and transport him back to Jizhou. He also provided relief to his clansmen. How could a traitor deserve such treatment?

But in order to stabilize the morale of the army, Prince An had to do it.

His eyes were sinister and he gnashed his teeth: "Such traitors should be ground to dust and ashes scattered!"

At that time, King An ordered that all ministers and generals must conduct a thorough search. When the results came out, he was both relieved and angry.

Fortunately, Guo Huai, Chen Ang and others who had followed him for many years were loyal and honest without any abnormality.

However, what made me angry was that there was something really wrong with Xu Cang.

A dagger that Xu Cang treasured was found in his tent.

This dagger was awarded to Xu Cang by the King of Qi himself when he led the Northern Chu Army to defeat the Tatars for the first time. Xu Cang made great contributions.

Prince An recognized it at a glance; it was something that Wei Jing had carried with him in the past.

From the northern border to the southern border, from Jingzhou to Jizhou, traveling across the country for five or six years, this dagger was still kept intact by him.

Xu Cang indeed missed his old master.

It is obvious who the traitor who leaked the information is.

Prince An wanted to tear the traitor into pieces, but he knew the friendship between Chen Ang and others and Xu Cang, and he knew that no sudden disturbances should occur at this moment. He could only suppress his anger and give the traitor a good treatment for sacrificing his life on the battlefield.

Prince An angrily struck the long table with such force that even the cup of tea that Wei Xu pushed over to him jumped.

He picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp, suppressing his anger, "Although it's a bargain for the thief, but the traitor has been eliminated after all."

At least we don't have to worry about anything anymore, and even the deployment of troops is restricted.

Wei Xu was always neither arrogant when he won nor impatient when he lost, and his expression did not change much. He raised his eyes to look at Prince An and said that. Then he refilled the cup of tea for the two of them and took a sip.

"After several days of stalemate, the King of Qi has made another move." He judged: "There should be a major war in the near future."

The Allies cannot afford to lose again. If they suffer another major defeat, they will be completely at a disadvantage.

Prince An looked gloomy, staring at the large map of the region hanging on the wall, "The enemy's forces are temporarily superior, we should take advantage of the terrain to attack them."

…

The two warring parties each plotted their own moves, and a war was brewing.

The front line was filled with smoke, but Shao Qing and his party had already entered the pass and arrived at Guangyin City.

Jiu'er was angry. When she was taking a nap, her mother disappeared. She cried for a long time and searched for her in every room. In the end, she couldn't find her mother, so she fell asleep sobbing. She didn't want to talk to anyone these days and just stared out the door.

When she saw Shao Qing, she struggled to get down from her wet nurse's arms, spread out her little feet, rushed forward, hugged her mother's calves, and burst into tears.

"Be good, don't cry, my dear."

Shao Qing felt extremely distressed, picked up her daughter and kissed and coaxed her, "Next time, mother, take our Yu'er with you, okay?"

"Dad misses you too. He said he'll take you out to play tomorrow. He asked you to be good and obedient."

The little girl cried for a long time and was finally coaxed into silence. She hugged her mother's neck tightly, fearing that she would disappear if she was let go.

Shao Qing gently stroked her back, took the handkerchief handed over by the wet nurse, wiped her little face clean, and then turned around: "Look, grandma is back, and this is my cousin."

Sun and Yang Shu entered the room later. Sun hurried forward to coax her granddaughter, while Yang Shu was helped to sit on the armchair at the side of the hall.

He looked at the crying little girl with a smile.

Her eyebrows and eyes are like her mother's, but her lips, nose and chin are like her father. She has a delicate yet heroic appearance, but is still a fair and tender little girl with some baby fat.

The little girl looked at him with her clear almond eyes, but didn't seem very interested and leaned back into her mother's arms.

Yang Shu smiled and gave her a jade pendant as a gift. The little girl was too lazy to take it. Shao Qing took it and hung it on her wrist, saying with a smile: "Your cousin gave you a gift, why don't you pay attention to him?"

"No problem."

Yang Shu was also tired from the journey, Shao Qing smiled and said a few words, then quickly asked someone to help him to the prepared yard.

Sun followed.

She turned around and said to Shao Qing, "I have at least let go of most of my worries."

Sun was so happy that she could have both her nephew and her son-in-law. "When His Highness returns with a great victory, then we will really have both."

Who says it’s not?

In fact, it's not just Sun, Shao Qing too. If they can completely defeat the Allied forces this time, she will finally be able to put her mind at ease after years of ups and downs.

"Yes!"

While Shao Qing was hugging and coaxing his little girl who had become much more clingy, he was eagerly awaiting the battle report from the front.

Finally, news of another great victory came.

On the fourth day of May, Prince An Zhou Hong led his troops to raid Chen Qi and Liang Dan who were returning.

However, Wei Jing had already sent Zhang Yong and Fan Ya to lead troops to raid the allied camp, making a feint to the east and attacking in the west, burning the allied food camp, and then personally led the army to intercept King An Zhou Hong who was returning to support and launched a major battle.

The fierce battle lasted until midnight, and the allied forces were defeated. Prince An Zhou Hong and others urgently gathered their troops and fled to the north. Wei Jing led his army in pursuit.

The Allied forces suffered heavy casualties while chasing and fighting, and their numbers had dropped by more than one-third. They retreated all the way to Gangling on the eastern foot of Yunyi Mountain west of Panshui. Taking advantage of the terrain, they managed to stop their retreat and stabilize themselves.

Wei Jing led his army in pursuit all the way, and when they reached Gangling Mountain, he suddenly stopped his horse.

The Gangling Mountain is not a steep place, but it rises gently. A main passage slopes upwards and is very open at the bottom. However, according to the sentinels, it becomes narrower as it goes up, with the top being only a dozen feet wide and lined with strange rocks on both sides.

If the passage is narrow and there are many obstacles, it is easy to set up an ambush; if it is located at a high point, it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

This Ridge is backed by the surging Pan River in the east, the steep Yunyi Mountain in the north, and there is no road in the northeast. The only way out is in the southwest. To the south is the main passage in front of Wei Jing; to the west, there are only two relatively narrow paths, about seventy or eighty miles apart.

This Gangling Mountain is somewhat similar to Lonely Mountain. Although it is easy to defend but difficult to attack, it can be used as a respite for the allied forces. However, if Wei Jing leads his troops to station at the foot of the mountain, it will be extremely difficult for them to come down.

At this time, dusk was gradually falling and the red sun was about to disappear behind the mountains.

With the last rays of sunlight, I looked up and saw the flat and wide main passage extending upward, turning the corner in the distance and disappearing into the dark green mountains.

A large number of refugees lived in Gangling, which was surrounded by mountains and rivers. They were frightened and scattered by the sudden appearance of the army. Now there were still a few refugees rushing down from the main passage, who were frightened again by the dark army and fled into the dense forest in panic.

At this time and place, we should surround and trap them.

After looking at the regional map, Wei Jing looked around and ordered to set up camp on the spot.

He then ordered Fan Qing and Chen Qi to lead 70,000 soldiers each and march 70 miles westward. They were to set up camps and guard the exits of the other two routes. If there was any movement, they were to report back immediately on horseback.

The Allied forces now have about 200,000 to 300,000 troops. Under normal circumstances, 70,000 soldiers are certainly not enough to resist. But isn’t this a crossing? No matter how many soldiers and horses we have, we won’t be able to deploy them all at once.

All Wei Jing needed was to block the allied forces for a period of time. As soon as he received the report, he would immediately lead his troops to the scene.

After all, Prince Ji had only been in the army for a short time, and he did not completely trust him, so he did not want to split up the army.

Tents were quickly set up, bonfires were lit, and patrolling guards were in an orderly manner.

Wei Jing dismounted and strode into the inner tent, followed closely by Ji Huan, Zhang Yong, Han Xi and other ministers.

"My lord, the allied forces can't hold out for long. It will take five to eight days at most, or two to three days at least. We must break out."

The Allied forces were defeated and fled, abandoning all their baggage. How much food and fodder could they carry?

Two or three hundred thousand soldiers and horses is not a small number to be consumed in one day. Everyone knows that they can't hold out for long and the Allied forces must break through.

Therefore, Wei Jing chose to besiege instead of attack. The terrain is unfavorable, and a head-on attack will result in casualties.

By now, the war between the North and the South has entered its final stage. Once the remaining Allied forces are surrounded and annihilated, the world will be at peace. The ministers were in high spirits, discussing the possible breakout routes for the Allied forces.

"I think that the two roads in the west are narrow and take a while to enter and exit. Unless there is a plan to hold back our army, the allied forces should break out from the main road. ..."

Ji Huan stared at the topographic map for a long while, stroked his beard and was about to continue talking, but was interrupted by a newspaper.

"My Lord!"

The person who came was Huang Meng from the Sentinel Cavalry Battalion. He came hurriedly with a puzzled look on his face and reported: "Many cow hoof prints were found on the main road leading to the top of Gangling Mountain."

Cow hoof prints?

The main road at the top of Gangling Mountain is the open and smooth road in front of the Qi army camp. It is the one we saw just now and the one where the allied forces escaped not long ago.

In other words, these cow hoof prints were left by the Allied forces.

Everyone looked at each other.

Cows did appear on battlefields in ancient times. But people soon discovered that horses had better endurance than cows, and cows were an important labor force in agricultural societies, so how could they have extra ones for use on the battlefield?

You won’t see cows on the battlefield now, but they may appear occasionally in logistics transportation.

Everyone went to take a look and found that there were indeed quite a lot of them. They were messy and fresh, with a large part of them covered by horse hooves and human footprints, but it could be judged that there were quite a lot of them.

Zhang Yong frowned: "I'm afraid the allied forces have more food and grass."

So many cows can pull a lot of grain carts, but compared with an army of 200,000 or 300,000, it is still not enough. Therefore, although Zhang Yong frowned, he did not feel annoyed.

Ji Huan thought more about it. He looked at the cow hoof prints, then raised his head to look at the open main road that was rushing down diagonally. He said to Wei Jing, "My lord, we need to move our camp a little bit."

He was on guard against the Allied forces using cattle to clear the way.

These ordinary cows, even if they are a large group, cannot break through the siege of 500,000 troops. But it's okay to cause some chaos. By moving the camp slightly, we can avoid the possible attack of the cattle.

Wei Jing nodded: "Pass my order and move the camp immediately."

This area is hilly, and there is a gentle slope below the ridge before it gradually rises. He looked around and chose the bottom of the hill on the left as the place to set up camp for the army.

"Order the archery battalion to stand behind the camp gate and be ready to respond at any time."

Double preparation.

Wei Jing looked up. At this time, dusk had completely enveloped the sky and the earth. Under the last bit of red glow of the sunset glow, there seemed to be smoke from cooking on the top of the distant Gangling Mountain.

He lowered his eyes.

The two or three hundred thousand allied troops who fled tried to escape, and the battle under the Gangling Mountains was the final battle between the North and the South.

Prince An, Wei Ping, is a vicious villain with evil intentions. His plans of many years have come to nothing. He must be extremely angry and unwilling to accept the fact. Let's see what tricks this villain can come up with.