By the way, let me introduce the relationship between the Xuzhou Tao family and the Shouchun Yuan family. In fact, the old Tao family not only had a good relationship with Yuan Shu in the past, but they were also staunch allies. Especially when Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's brothers were fighting, the Old Tao family was firm.

They sided with Yuan Shu, helped Yuan Shu send troops to attack Yuan Shao, and helped Yuan Shu fight for Yanzhou. Although they failed miserably and both Yuan Shu and Tao Qian suffered a great loss, they could be regarded as forming a friendship of iron and blood.

Logically speaking, Tao Qian supported Yuan Shu so much. Even if Yuan Shu was not grateful to Tao Qian, he should still give Tao Qian some respect. But no one expected that our General Yuan Er did not know whether it was because of water in his head or underdevelopment of his brain.

After Xia Shouchun became the shepherd of Yangzhou, he actually gave himself the title of Xuzhou Bo and planned to annex the five counties of Xuzhou. In this way, Tao Qian, no matter how good-tempered and weak he was, couldn't bear it anymore and had no choice but to

Gritting his teeth, he severed his alliance with Yuan Shu and turned against Yuan Shu.

Now that his face was completely broken, General Yuan No. 2 naturally no longer had any scruples. Sun Jian's old subordinate Lu Fan instigated Yuan Shu to take advantage of the situation and send troops to rob Guangling. Although Lu Fan's true intention was still questionable, General Yuan 2 did not hesitate to send the troops.

Sun Ce, who was about to become the little overlord of Jiangdong, ordered him to lead an army of eight thousand in the eastward expedition, preparing to take advantage of Tao Yingnan's expedition to Zuo Rong, which would inevitably hurt both sides, and take away the territory of his former allies.

Now that the background introduction is over, let’s get back to the subject. In order to slow down the advance of Sun Ce’s army as much as possible, and to gain more space for tactical detours, after the Junzi Army left Guangling City, they immediately started to look at the long-distance attack that was almost unparalleled in the world.

The family's magic weapon was used, and the horses were galloping all the way. They marched westward at full speed without changing horses, and they covered a hundred and ten miles in just five hours. It was the first time that they had rotated horses for a long-distance attack. Tao Ji, who was so energetic, originally wanted to run two more times.

After thirty miles of rest, Tao Ying decisively stopped him and ordered Junzi's army to stop and rest, preparing to wait until dawn before setting off westward.

"Second brother, the soldiers and horses are very strong. Let's go another twenty miles, shall we?" Tao Ji suggested: "Second brother, don't you mean that the further away from Guangling, the better we can fight Sun Ce's son?"

Isn’t it better to seize the time and walk an extra twenty miles?”

"You are not familiar with the terrain, so be careful." Tao Ying shook his head and said, "Third brother, neither you nor I have been to the west of Guangling. We are not familiar with the terrain in this area. We rely on the sun, moon, stars and spiral needles (silk hanging

(original compass) to determine the direction, and today happens to be August 30th. There is no moon in the sky. If you go too deep into the dark night, it is not only easy to get lost, but also accidents."

Tao Ji looked around and found that his vision was really poor after dark today, so he nodded and said: "Okay, then I will arrange for the night guard and scouts. Second brother, you should go to bed early and don't get exhausted."

Tao Ying agreed, and then ordered: "Third brother, ask our scouts to look for guides. When they encounter local farmers or mountain residents, they must be polite and polite without intimidation, and then invite them to come to me. We must fight guerrilla warfare."

, it’s very important to be familiar with the terrain.”

Tao Ji accepted the order and left, but Tao Ying did not rest immediately. He ate some dry food and bacon in a hurry. Tao Ying lit an angry wind lamp, unfolded the sheepskin map and studied it under the lamp. From this barely detailed map

Judging from the rough map, the western part of Guangling is indeed a good place to fight guerrilla warfare. There are many hills and woods, and there is no shortage of gentlemen troops quickly crossing the plains. At the same time, Chushui River, Chi River and Nushan Lake had a large flow in later generations.

None of them exist, and it is very suitable for the Junzi Army to use its ability of rapid attack.

But everything has its pros and cons. The hilly terrain also requires the Junzi Army to have a good understanding of the terrain and roads. Especially in the southwest, there are more mountains and forests. Compared with the Guangling hinterland, which has a relatively open terrain, this area is simply surrounded by mountains.

There are countless roads, large and small, dotted with streams, woods and hills, which is extremely complicated. If the Junzi Army wants to fight guerrillas on such terrain and effectively contain and harass Sun Ce's army, it will inevitably face many severe tests.

After frowning worriedly, Tao Ying turned his attention to the border between Guangling County and Jiujiang County. At this location, there is a small county called Dongcheng. In terms of reputation, this small county in Dongcheng is the territory of Xuzhou.

But it is four hundred miles away from Guangling, and only more than three hundred miles away from Yuan Shu's base camp Shouchun. After Zuo Rong's rebellion, this county has long lost contact with the Xuzhou Governor's Office, and now it is not known whether it fell into Yuan Shu's hands.

Like the ancient city, it was snatched away by a mountain king to make a lair, but this small town happened to be stuck on the path of Sun Ce's army, and it was the only way for Sun Ce to advance eastward.

"How about a trip to Dongcheng?" Tao Ying suddenly thought and thought in his mind: "Dongcheng is the only way for Sun Ce to pass through, and it is also the throat of Sun Ce's food supply. Take the time to go to Dongcheng so that you can understand it in advance.

The local terrain and various conditions. Also, since Dongcheng is the county seat, no matter how dilapidated it is, there must still be some people and families. There should be able to find guides who are familiar with the terrain in this area, which is better than looking for a needle in a haystack in the mountains and forests.

.”

Thinking of this, Tao Ying considered another important question, which is where Sun Ce has been now. Has he arrived at Dongcheng or crossed Dongcheng? He rushes for four hundred miles without knowing the terrain. If he is not careful in a narrow area,

What to do if you encounter Sun Ce’s main force?

But after a second thought, Tao Ying couldn't help but laugh a little, knowing that he was too cautious. It is true that Sun Ce is a first-rate general in the world, and he must understand the principle that soldiers are valuable and quick, but Sun Ce's 8,000 troops cannot all be cavalry.

, how could Yuan Shu, who was as weak as a chicken, hand over so many cavalry to Sun Ce, who was not a henchman? How far could a mixed team of infantry and cavalry march in three days? Besides, Yuan Shu clearly wanted to use him to conquer the south.

Zuo Rong took advantage of the opportunity, and he definitely hoped that he and Zuo Rong would lose both sides in the fight, and then he would reap the benefits, and it would be impossible to risk his life during the march, so the possibility that Sun Ce's army has reached the East City and crossed the East City is very small.

After coming to this conclusion, Tao Ying, who was actually more suspicious than Uncle Liu Huang and Cao Lao, did not make this decision hastily. Instead, he first summoned the five generals of the Gentleman Army such as Tao Ji and Nian Bin, gave them instructions, and arranged

Nian Bin led a group of gentlemen and light cavalry to change into the flag of Zuo Rong's rebel army and go ahead to prevent a sudden encounter with Sun Ce's main force, and then announced a direct attack on the east city. Tao Ji, Nian Bin and other generals agreed together and carefully remembered Tao Ying's message.

Advice.

"Wait." Just as he was about to let the generals go down to rest, Tao Ying suddenly remembered something and hurriedly added: "Generals, taking this opportunity, I will announce a new military discipline. From now on, before we engage in battle with the enemy,

When using bows and arrows, you must stir them in horse dung and coat them with horse dung before shooting at the enemy."

The five generals of the Junzi Army looked at each other, and Tao Ji asked curiously: "Second brother, why are you coating the arrows with smelly horse dung?"

"Arrows are murderous weapons." Tao Ying said without changing his expression and his heart not beating: "We, the Gentleman Army, are teachers of benevolence and righteousness, teachers of morality. We go into battle to kill the enemy only out of helplessness, so we use the most bows and arrows, and the best arrows.

Apply some dirty stuff and wash away some of the murderous air, lest others say that our gentleman army does not live up to its name, and it is unbecoming of a gentleman to hold a murderous weapon without concealing it."

"Second brother, you're a nerd again." Tao Ji complained, "What kind of murderous spirit? If the army doesn't kill the enemy, can it still be called an army?"

"That's right." Nian Bin agreed, "Let's just say the arrows are coated with the smell of horse manure. Iron arrowheads are also easy to rust and cannot be recycled after being used a few times."

The remaining three gentlemen and hundreds of generals also objected and refused to carry out Tao Ying's strange military order. Tao Ying had no choice but to get angry and said: "You idiots, do you want me to speak clearly?

There are a lot of tetanus germs in the feces, and the arrows are coated with horse feces. As long as the enemy is shot, even if the enemy does not die on the spot, he will easily be infected with tetanus, which is difficult to treat, and the wound will worsen and die! This is the Xiongnu expedition to the Qin Dynasty (Rome)

The trick is only slightly less effective than applying aconite poison to arrowheads. We couldn’t find that much aconite to make poisonous arrows, so we had to use horse dung instead!"

"So that's it." Tao Ji patted his thigh and suddenly realized, "This is a good idea. Second brother, why didn't you tell us before?"

"I originally wanted to tell you when we fought against Zuo Rong, but considering that most of the Zuo Rong rebels were from Xuzhou, I changed my mind. But for Sun Ce, huh!" Deputy Director Tao snorted, and then scolded

Said: "You idiots, I tell you to read some books and don't listen to me. We are an army of gentlemen, teachers of benevolence and righteousness, teachers of morality. We can do some things, but we must say them beautifully. What kind of emotion?

Love, righteousness, morality, we must always talk about it. Only in this way can we look like moral gentlemen and be in line with our status as a gentleman army."

While chattering, the peaceful night passed quickly. The next day, when the sky was bright, the Junzi Army immediately set off again. Nian Bin led a group of light cavalry, pretending to be Zuo Rong's defeated soldiers, and Tao Ying led the main force to follow three miles away.

, galloping all the way to Dongcheng at full speed. This journey lasted for half a day, and at close to noon on the second day of September, the Junzi Army also entered Dongcheng County. It was less than twenty miles away from Dongcheng County. Tao Ying was preparing to let the army rest and dispatch

I quickly went to Dongcheng to investigate the situation, but something unusual came from ahead.

"Report——!" The messenger from Nian Bin's team rushed to Tao Ying and reported loudly: "Young master, our scouts found an enemy scout team five miles ahead with the flag of Yuan Shu's army. General Nian

Could you please tell me whether to engage in battle?"

"Damn it, you're a step too late." Tao Ying's heart sank and he quickly ordered: "Tell Nian Bin to continue to disguise himself as a defeated soldier and come into contact with the enemy scouts, seize the opportunity to grab two tongues, and then withdraw to join me.

"

The soldiers followed the order and left, while Tao Ying led the main force of the Junzi Army to move to the rear of the hills, using the mountains and forests to cover their movements. At the same time, they prepared for battle to prevent the front team from being seen through by Sun Ce's army. Fortunately, after a while, Nian Bin's

The front team withdrew smoothly without attracting a large group of pursuers. At the same time, they also brought two Sun Cejun prisoners to Tao Ying. It turned out that Nian Bin sent someone to the Sun Cejun scout team to falsely claim that his army was Zuo Rongjun.

After the defeat, the scouts of Sun Ce's army believed it true and urgently needed to know the current situation of Guangling County. They also volunteered to lead Nian Bin and took this "Zei Rong defeated army" to see General Sun Ce's army. Nian Bin took the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, killing three and capturing two.

The rest of Sun Cejun's scouts fled back to report the news.

Since Sun Cejun's scouts had escaped, Sun Cejun's brigade would definitely come to kill him immediately. Time was urgent, so Tao Ying didn't think much and immediately interrogated the two Sun Cejun scouts on the spot. However, these two prisoners were much more powerful than Sun Cejun.

Overlord Zhifeng not only did not confess honestly, but also threatened Tao Ying: "Thieves! Let us go immediately if you know the truth, otherwise, as soon as General Sun's army arrives, we will kill you all.

net!"

Tao Ying was not angry. He just pulled out his sword and cut off the right arm of the scout who yelled the most fiercely. Then he asked him: "Do you want to tell me? How many Yuan Shu's troops are there in Dongcheng? Who is the general? When did he arrive in Dongcheng?

?”

"There are millions of troops in the east city! Dog thieves!" The broken-arm scout was very brave and continued to curse.

With three swipes, Tao Ying cut off all the remaining hands and feet of the amputated scout. Then he turned to another scout, licked the blood on the knife edge and asked with a ferocious smile: "Boy, it's your turn, do you want to tell me?"

"I say! I say!" Seeing how ferocious Tao Ying was, another scout was so frightened that he almost peed his pants and said quickly: "General, we arrived at Dongcheng an hour ago. The forward is Old General Huang Gai and Huang, and the deputy is

Mr. Zhou Yu, Mr. Zhou, there are more than 2,000 people in the vanguard, and now General Huang and Mr. Zhou are making announcements in Dongcheng City to appease the people."

"Zhou Yu?!" Tao Ying was shocked, and then Tao Ying quickly asked: "What about Sun Ce's son? Where is he? When can he arrive in Dongcheng?"

"General Sun is thirty miles behind us and will personally escort the food and fodder before heading out." The scout replied tremblingly, "We will probably arrive at Dongcheng before this evening."

"Sun Ce, son, personally escorted the grain and grass? How much grain and grass did you bring? Do you need Sun Ce, son, to escort the grain and grass personally?" Tao Ying asked.

"I don't know the specific amount of food and grass." The scout shook his head. Seeing Tao Ying's face sinking, the scout quickly added: "A lot, a lot. I don't know the specific amount, but I heard from several generals that we will do this this time.

We must be prepared for a protracted war. The road from Shouchun to Guangling is not easy to walk, and the transportation of grain and grass is not easy, so we brought a lot of grain and grass."

"It seems like at least a month's worth of food and fodder." Tao Ying thought in his mind, then chopped down the scout who confessed honestly, and quickly ordered: "Tear off all the helmets and weapons of these two prisoners, and remove all valuables from them.

Take them all away, make it look like the bandits are killing people and taking money, and then retreat to the south!"

The officers and soldiers of the Junzi Army followed the order, and Tao Ying dipped his finger in blood again, and wrote crookedly on the naked corpses of the two unlucky scouts: "My son Sun Ce, we have given you away in Guangling, don't chase me, otherwise you will only ask for it."

Trouble!" After writing these bloody words, Tao Ying immediately mounted his horse and led the army southward. When Tao Ji next to him asked what the meaning of these words was, Tao Ying replied: "I wrote it in the tone of Zuo Rong's remnant army. Just now

Nian Bin used the reputation of Zuo Rong's remnant army to contact the enemy. Now I will leave a letter in the tone of Zuo Rong's rebel army to strengthen this impression on the enemy."

"Oh, I understand." Tao Ji clapped and smiled: "Second brother deliberately let the enemy think that we are just the remnants of Zuo Rong's army. The enemy will think that we are insignificant and will not send troops to pursue us."

"Idiot!" Tao Ying scolded with a smile, "You happened to say the opposite. I deliberately left the letter, but actually I wanted the enemy to divide their forces and hunt me down! Think about it, more than a hundred of Zuo Rong's remnants of the army on war horses are so weak.

But there are more than a hundred war horses to snatch, so those idiots under Sun Ce’s son are still chasing after them with red eyes? But they definitely don’t send many pursuers, wouldn’t they just give us the opportunity for ants to chew on the bones?”

Tao Ji was a little dumbfounded. After thinking about it carefully, Tao Ji suddenly came to his senses and praised: "Second brother, you are so cunning. Yes, if it were me, I would encounter more than a hundred people who were defeated on the battlefield."

The cavalry must be robbing his mother!"

"It's not enough, we have to make some illusions." Tao Ying thought about it for a while, then turned to Nian Bin and ordered: "General Nian, all of your more than one hundred war horses, take off the sackcloth and let the horses pull them on the ground casually.

, other war horses and horse dung must be collected and buried deeply to prevent the enemy from judging our true strength." Nian Bin agreed, and quickly commanded his subordinates to follow the order, deploying the Gentleman Army with only more than a hundred riders.

Illusion.
To be continued...