Kui County.
How could Zhou Guitong solve the military secrets leak case that even Han Shizhong was helpless to solve in seven days? This was everyone's doubt, even Zhou Guitong's advisor had the same idea.
"Sir, we have investigated this before. There is no clue in this leak case. How could we possibly solve it in such a short time?" The lawyer sighed.
"We can't break it." Zhou Guitong said.
"What?!" The lawyer was shocked: "You promised the people seven days."
Zhou Guitong thought for a moment and said, "If the officials can't crack it in seven days, they will definitely be able to find the cause of the leak within fifteen days."
"Sir," Liu Dutou rushed in from outside at this time. "Sir, I have already visited the garrison at Hengshuigou. First of all, Hengshuigou has a crisscross of roads. Most of them are trade routes. If it is said that the secret was leaked by smugglers, it is absolutely impossible."
Zhou Guitong seemed to be waiting for this sentence. He couldn't help but show joy on his face and asked anxiously: "Oh, tell me quickly!"
Liu Du didn't hesitate, picked up the cup of tea that originally belonged to Zhou Guitong, and drank it all in one gulp. Then he wiped his mouth and exhaled comfortably. "Sir, there are sentries and covert sentries at each of the difficult-to-defend intersections in Hengshuigou. I've been in a military camp before, and I can see that these garrisons are very experienced. They choose locations that are easy to defend but difficult to attack. How could these ordinary smugglers know which roads are ambushed by the army?"
"What about the main road? Are there any Song Dynasty troops stationed on the main road?" Zhou Guitong stared.
Liu Dutou was stunned. Lord Zhou must have never been a soldier and didn't know how to fight. He had to explain, "Sir, Hengshuigou and Taoxian Town are mutually supportive. There are no soldiers stationed on the main roads. If the enemy attacks, they will be warned by soldiers wherever they go. The only exception is the main road. If the Mongols attack from the main road, they will be courting death. Because..."
Before he could finish, Zhou Guitong interrupted, saying, "Because if the Mongols attack via the main road, they'll be attacked from both sides by the garrisons in Hengshuigou and Taoxian Town. Furthermore, if the Mongols penetrate deep into the hinterland, their retreat will be cut off, leaving them in a dilemma."
Liu Dutou's eyes widened: "How did you know, sir?"
Zhou Guitong sighed: "This is exactly what I'm worried about."
"Sir, what do you mean by this?" the lawyer asked in confusion.
Zhou Guitong waved his hand without answering. "Master, go back to Qinghe Prefecture and tell the envoy that the case has been solved. Captain Liu, come with me to the military camp."
"What?" Liu Dutou and the lawyer asked in unison, both of them were still confused.
The lawyer thought Zhou Guitong was crazy for not being able to solve the case: "My lord, this is only the first day. Captain Liu just went to Hengshuigou to take a look. How can you say he solved the case?"
"Don't worry about it, Captain Liu, let's go." Zhou Guitong took a step forward.
The lawyer was the kind of person who would not give up until he revealed the answer. If he didn't tell him, he would probably suffocate to death. He stopped Zhou Guitong and said, "No, sir, you must explain clearly. Why was this case solved like this?"
Zhou Guitong sighed, "Okay, then I'll tell you. The Mongols never thought about peace. They opened up their trading post to us before, but that was because the time was not ripe for them to get along with us."
They've been gathering intelligence, all about the Song Dynasty. They've been posing as merchants or lobbyists, sneaking into our country. They've thoroughly explored every route between Taoxian Town and Hengshuigou.
"That's not right, sir," Liu Dutou interrupted him. "Even if the Mongols knew how many roads we had, how would they know where the troops were stationed?"
Zhou Guitong shook his head. "They didn't know. It was precisely because they didn't know that they swaggered straight to Kui County from the main road. This is why Kui County was ravaged. Han Shizhong was the one who failed."
The two of them became even more confused. The master scratched his head and said, "Sir, could you please explain it more clearly?"
"Look," Zhou Guitong drew a few lines on the table with his fingertips dipped in tea. "This is the main road between Hengshuigou and Taoxian Town. Han Shizhong is truly a military genius. He didn't station troops here because he wanted to lure the Mongolian army into a trap during a battle, attacking from both sides. This is an excellent military deployment, but you've all forgotten that we're at peace. We haven't been at war with Mongolia. Han Shizhong's clever plan is for wartime."
The master and Liu Dutou felt their hair stand on end. They looked at each other and saw fear in each other's eyes.
The lawyer trembled and asked, "Are you saying that the Mongols took Kui County directly from this main road, and then left along the main road in a swagger?"
Zhou Guitong nodded. "Because the Song and the Mongols coexist peacefully, there's no possibility of war between the two sides for the time being. To demonstrate the Song's sincerity, no troops have been stationed on the main roads. Han Shizhong knew that if the Mongols tried to attack from the main roads, they would be courting their own destruction. But he didn't expect the Mongols to actually attack from the main roads. Their goal wasn't to capture Kui County, but to plunder it. Their cavalry was swift, and they seized Kui County and fled. Han Shizhong's troops in Hengshuigou and Taoxian Town had no time to react."
Liu Dutou nodded and said, "I understand. It turns out there were no spies, no secrets leaked. The Mongols themselves saw through Marshal Han's deployment. They didn't intend to occupy Kui County, they just wanted to rob and flee. Therefore, all of Marshal Han's military deployments were in vain."
Zhou Guitong nodded and said, "The terrible thing is that now, both Qinghe Prefecture and Han Shizhong's army believe that there is a spy from the Song Dynasty. So, Master, you should quickly go to Qinghe Prefecture to explain the situation. Captain Liu, quickly follow me to Hengshuigou."
Everyone was very anxious and hurriedly prepared to spread the information everywhere.
The lawyer hurried to Qinghe Prefecture first, while Zhou Guitong and Liu Dutou rode their horses towards Hengshuigou.
Zhou Guitong and Liu Dutou walked side by side. Liu Dutou asked, "Sir, do you think the Mongols will attack again?"
Zhou Guitong was also worried about this problem: "It's hard to say. If the Mongols rush into Kui County again, it will be bad. Let's leave quickly!"
What you fear will come true. Before they could finish their words, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the city, and their faces changed drastically.
"Oh no! The Mongols are invading!" Someone shouted, and Kui County immediately fell into chaos.
"Wow! Wow!" The Mongolian cavalry rushed into the crowd like chasing chickens, burning, killing and looting wantonly.
Fortunately, there were not many Mongolian cavalrymen this time, only a few hundred.
"Captain Liu, go back to the yamen and organize the yamen runners to fight back!" Zhou Guitong turned his horse around and ran towards the yamen.
"Kill!" Suddenly, countless Song troops appeared around Kuixian County, with a big "Han" character on their flags. They were Han Shizhong's troops.
After all, the Mongols underestimated Han Shizhong. They could come once, but they would be foolish to rob him again.
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