Several cavalrymen rushed to Luochen, and the cavalry of the patrol team bowed, and then automatically dispersed and alerted. Now Luochen leads the guards to attack, and is in a combat state. Luochen has issued a clear order. Seeing the lord in the combat state, there is no need to be more polite. The messenger didn't seem to know, but turned over and dismounted, knelt on the ground, and said loudly: "My lord! General Huang Zhong has an urgent letter!" The word "Huang Zhong" fell into the dust and he knew that something had happened in Jingzhou. Busy order: "Read!"

The messenger was shown to Xu Da before, but this time he was at a loss, and Yan Qing next to him picked it up and read: Lord, Zhuge supervises the country: Liu Biao, the prefect of Jingzhou, Liu Jingsheng, died last night, my minister Heard it this morning. By the time the letter was sent, the Cai clan's forces were moving rapidly, and Liu Bei was now pacifying the rebellion against Liu Lin, the prefect of Jingling. Cao Cao's troops have gathered in the south, and it can be judged that he has heard of this. The situation in Jingzhou has changed greatly, and I hope the lord will give specific guidance. First, whether to send troops to attack the forces of the Cai Group. 2. Whether to directly send troops to occupy Jingzhou land. 3. Whether it is in direct conflict with Cao Jun. Fourth, whether to support Liu Bei. Huang Zhong, on a certain day in a certain year, urgently transferred to Chang'an and Shuofang. Advise Zhuge Adviser to upgrade this letter to urgent.

"General Xu Da has already read it. Because the situation is urgent, he has to formulate a suggested order first. Then send me to report to the lord." Chuan Bing said. As he said that, he gave Luo Chen a copy of Xu Da's letter to Huang Zhong.

Luo Chen brought it over and flipped through it a little:

Huang Zhong: Since the lord is away and the situation is urgent, I would like to give you Mr. Fazheng’s suggestion as follows. You can take appropriate measures according to the suggestion: immediately send troops to attack 290 and attack Cai’s group; do not confront Cao’s army head-on; you can occupy key towns close to Yizhou, But not too much; support Liu Bei when Cao's army doesn't arrive, and stop assisting Liu Bei after Cao's army arrives. In addition, you have urgent discretion, so the above is only a suggestion, you can make your own discretion according to the actual situation and your own understanding. Your letter has been sent to the Prime Minister Luochen as soon as possible, and the final instructions will be in accordance with the order of the Prime Minister Luochen. General Xu Da, on a certain day of the month, was transferred to Shangyong.

Yan Qing leaned over and was shocked when she saw this line of text. These decisions were very important, and Fazheng dared to make suggestions without authorization. If Luochen affirmed it, it would be fine. If Luochen denied it, then Fazheng would confuse people and delay military affairs. Fazheng gave four suggestions in a row, and I have to say that the cost of this suggestion is very high.

He secretly glanced at Luo Chen to see his expression. Luo Chen's face was expressionless, and he seemed to be thinking, maybe Luo Chen needed to discuss with his core advisors... But Luo Chen didn't hesitate, after a little pondering, he was about to make a decision: "Send my order to Huang Zhong and Xu Da: First, Fa Zheng Second, Huang Zhong has discretion and can make his own decisions if the situation is urgent. Third, Ming Fa is going south immediately to Huang Zhong, and I plan to appoint him to Liu Bei for a period of time. counselor.".

Chapter 117: Steppe Desert

Luochen's decision was quite bold, even bold enough to break common sense. How could he send his counselor to someone else's home? All of Fazheng's suggestions were adopted, and Fazheng was directly dispatched to the southeast. It was a bit like appointing Fazheng as an imperial envoy. However, it also stated that Huang Zhong had discretionary power, and the army was mobilized, and the military power was ultimately in the hands of Huang Zhong. .

"Why did Fazheng go to Liu Bei's place to be a counselor?" Yan Qing couldn't help asking. This order seems very strange... Of course, it is not without precedent. For example, in the battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, Luo Chen once sent Xu Shu to Yuan Shao as a counselor. But the situation at that time was that the whole world knew that Luo Chen had formed an alliance with Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao was powerful, and his advisors were like clouds. But this time the situation is subtly different. This time, the power of Luochen and Liu Bei is seriously unequal. There are not many advisers around Liu Bei. What's going on here? Will Liu Bei be suspicious? Can Fazheng be convincing? How does the outside world see it? Did Liu Bei even join the Luochen Group?

Luochen just smiled and did not answer, as if he had his own reasons. In fact, Luo Chen couldn't quite explain the reason for this decision, just to allow Liu Bei to successfully form an alliance with Sun Quan and replicate the Battle of Chibi. However, there is still an important hurdle in the Sun-Liu Alliance, that is, Liu Bei lacks a Zhuge Liang. what to do? Did Luochen let Zhuge Liang be Liu Bei's assistant? Zhuge Liang is now well-known all over the world. He is Luochen's supervisor of the country, and the number one minister at the military division level. How could he go to Liu Bei's place... His identity is seriously inappropriate. Luochen had to choose another counselor, something was better than nothing. The counselor Zhongfazheng has the most thorough research on the Southeast War situation, and seems to be the most suitable, and Fazheng is not very famous, and it is not so easy to attract attention when it is overshadowed by the brilliance of famous ministers such as Zhuge Liang and Zhang Juzheng. As for the specific strategy, Luochen is familiar with the Three Kingdoms, and should be able to remind Fazheng.

There was a staff officer beside him who took a shorthand note of the order, and took a moment to rewrite it twice, and Luo Chen signed them one by one.

"This order is top secret. Change to a messenger from the Imperial Guard. You can go back to Shuofang and rest for a while, and then you can return to Shangyong." Yan Qing ordered the messenger.

"Understood." The messenger obeyed the order, but he seemed a little disappointed, as if he really wanted to experience the treatment of an express messenger again.

"The cavalry team in front has already reached the entire desert." Yan Qing reminded Luo Chen. The soldiers in front kept coming over to give feedback. "There is a message nearby that it is the only water source in the surrounding area. It is recommended to camp here at night."

"Okay." Luo Chen nodded in agreement. "How far are Chang Yuchun and Lu Bu from us?"

"The messengers will find Chang Yuchun's troops if they walk north for three or four hours. Lu Bu's cavalry will have to go further north, and their advance formation is pincers."

"How many days are there in Wuwei County?" Luo Chen asked while taking out the map.

"According to the current speed, it should take five days to arrive." Yan Qing replied fluently.

The dust just nodded, indicating that he understood. From Shuofang to Wuwei and Zhangye, the elite cavalry advancing at such a high speed would have to run for about ten days. This time, the northern Xiongnu battlefield is really huge, far exceeding any battlefield in the Central Plains. He suddenly has a strong desire for wireless communication, so that his army will not be so slow to transmit information, but the possibility is too small... After all, electricity and magnetism... These two things are really not capable of ancient technology. manageable.

Luochen and Yanqing rode slowly to the stream, and the 20,000-odd imperial guards also camped according to cavalry detachments, forming a mutual defense and horns. At the same time a large number of patrols and sentries were sent out. It should be said that there are no people in the junction of the grasslands and deserts, and as for the army, it is difficult to hide. According to the investigation of the patrolmen who were scurrying around in the vast grassland during the day, there would be no other army in this area at all. However, in line with the principle that there should be no slack in the slightest, Yan Qing still ordered many patrols to be dispatched. And according to the habit of the Guards, one should also maintain a high degree of vigilance when sleeping, even if the sound of human footsteps is very light, it can be detected and quickly wake up. As for weapons, that is always at hand.

The sky is about to twilight, the red sunset on the grassland slowly sinks, and the golden light sprinkles on the dark yellow sand and the dark green grassland. There was no other movement except for the little smoke and the clanging sound of the army burying the pot to cook. Even a little smoke from the army's cooking quickly melted into the swirling sand in the desert. If someone looked at it from a distance, they wouldn't notice that there was a huge army camp here. But if you get closer, you will find out. After all, there are a lot of tents and horses... So when this cavalry force is marching in the desert, the most important task is not to hide itself and not let others find it. The goal is too big, as long as it is closer will always be found. It is to find others before they find themselves, so as to seize the initiative and destroy the enemy. A large number of sentries and patrolmen wandered around the vast perimeter just to find the enemy. Of course, according to the feedback, there was no sign of any Xiongnu soldiers at all.

The world finally dimmed, and there seemed to be many small animals unique to the grasslands moving around in the semi-darkness. Luochen even saw wild sheep in the grasslands, and many animals that he did not know.

The soldiers started a fire, and the rations were roughly warm. Yan Qing walked around with a short bow and brought a big mole, so he started roasting the meat on an open fire. Soon there was a smell of meat in the camp, and other soldiers followed suit, so a large number of small wild animals in the grasslands were captured.

When the sky and the earth returned to darkness, all the firelights were consciously extinguished (Zhao's). In the darkness, there were still the sounds of soldiers gnawing at flesh and bones, whispering conversations, the sound of horses snorting, and the snoring of some soldiers who were already asleep. Luochen's meal was delicious. Although he didn't take a bath for a few days, he didn't complain. Probably this was his first time visiting the front line in person. In the past, although I cared about the suffering of the soldiers, that was from an outsider’s point of view. Only when I led the soldiers on the front line, ate, lived, and slept with the soldiers, could I truly mingle with the soldiers and know what they needed, what they thought, what they hated, and what they longed for. , what do you miss...

After Luochen finished eating in the dark, Yan Qing had already fallen asleep beside him. Luochen touched the kettle and was about to drink some water, but it was gone. Originally, Luochen had to call the service guards, but this time, there were sounds of sleeping breathing all around. Luochen really didn't want to disturb them, so he did it himself... Fortunately, the stream was very close to his central tent. .

Chapter 118 Eyes

The terroir of the Western Regions is unheard of in the past. In the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian had a strategy of reaching far, and Ban Chao had the ambition to become a marquis, and finally he could make meritorious deeds and conquer the outer regions. From the subduing of military power and the temptation of money and bribes, all of them offer Fang Qi, accept love, walk with bare tops and elbows, and face the emperor in the east. Therefore, the officials of Wuji were set up, and the duties were divided;

- "Book of the Later Han, Volume 18"

Like the general cavalry detachment command tent, the fallen Chinese army command tent is not very conspicuous. In a pile of tents, it is simply too ordinary to be ordinary. Inside, staff officers, guards, service personnel and other personnel fell asleep, and Yan Qing fell asleep beside him.

Luochen took the small bucket and got up slowly, Yan Qing woke up immediately. I saw Luo Chen holding a bucket. "Is there no water? Why did you ask the lord to do it yourself." He was about to kick the guards up. But Luochen stopped him: "Just in time to go out for a walk...I also look at the grassland night scene." Seeing Luochen say this, Yan Qing followed Luochen out of the tent.

The air outside is really clear, and although it is approaching summer, there are still bursts of chills. The temperature difference between day and night in the steppe desert is quite large. Several guards who were staggeringly alerted outside the tent found someone walking out of the tent with a bucket, followed by another person. After careful confirmation, it turned out to be Luo Chen, and they were all surprised.

"My lord, wait here, I'll go and fetch water for my lord..." A guard ran over. Luochen just smiled and waved his hand: "No need, carry out your guard duty, we just go out for a walk." "Master, pay attention to safety..." The guard sang a promise and retired.

The camp was quiet, and Luo Chen held the hilt of his sword and walked across the camp to the stream. Patrol soldiers gathered in the tent camp from time to time, and it seemed that they found someone walking through it. When they found out that it was falling dust, they were all surprised. Luo Chen waved his hands again and again and whispered to them to continue the mission.

The creek ran shallowly in the grass, and a small amount of sand sank to the bottom like a filter. This section of the stream should be an internal flow, and as it flows, it dries up and disappears. As for why it is produced, it is probably because the surrounding water is easy to collect. The terrain here is low-lying, and the water source is rainwater and groundwater.

Luochen took the bucket and lowered his head to get the water. Somehow he glanced by chance and noticed what seemed to be a pair of green lights not far away. Luochen was startled. Although he had been in the battlefield for a long time, it was the first time he was commanding a battle in an unfamiliar desert. Luochen got up and took a closer look. Sure enough, a pair of green lights and green eyes emitted a faint glow. What's this? Some kind of creature on the prairie? Luochen's heart beat a little faster, and this scene was a little weird. What's more, Luo Chen clearly felt that the pair of faint eyes seemed to be staring at him tightly. The distance between Luo Chen and the pair of eyes was not easy to measure. It was probably not far away, so he could see clearly. Chu.

Luo Chen felt a little hairy in his heart, and he involuntarily held the hilt tightly. Of course, he can put his **** together at any time, shout "explode", and instantly send out a powerful small explosion. But Luochen still held back. At this extremely quiet moment, he suddenly shouted, and then the creature disappeared for no apparent reason. Could it be that he was too nervous? It didn't help to figure out what the **** was going on with those eyes staring at him.

"What's wrong?" Yan Qing, who was beside him, finally noticed something was wrong. He saw Luo Chen, who had squatted down to get water, suddenly stood up, and then kept his still posture, staring at something without blinking. Yan Qing followed Luo Chen's eyes and was shocked. Luochen felt that he involuntarily took a step back, and then instantly drew (badj) a short arrow. This is Yan Qing's conditioned reflex. Paradoxically, the creature seemed to see clearly what was going on here, and when Yan Qing drew out the short arrow, those faint eyes suddenly turned around, and then left silently and quickly.

Only Luo Chen and Yan Qing were left in the distance. Luochen felt that the palm of his right hand was already sweating. To be honest, the moment those eyes turned around and left, Luochen almost used his explosion technique. Even if he blew up this creature, he could still get some information, which was better than it left silently. And Luochen strongly felt that this was not an ordinary wild creature, but... It seems that although this idea is a bit absurd, it seems to be peeping at the camp of the fallen army, and this creature belongs to a spiritual team.

However, there are too many secrets in the grasslands and deserts, and these secrets do not seem to be discovered by shouting or under an open fire, but outsiders who must blend into the darkness and the mysterious tranquility of the deserts and grasslands. to feel the secrets.

"Looks like a wolf, but..." Yan Qing seemed to be in a state of shock, and his speech was a little awkward. He was still holding the short bow tightly in his hand, but at the critical moment, his body was placed in front of Luo Chen's side like a conditioned reflex, as if To protect Luochen at any time, this makes Luochen quite moved.

Luochen knew what he wanted to say, these eyes seemed to be wolf eyes, or almost presumed to be wolf eyes. Only the wolf's eyes emit a faint green light. Then he appeared here at night drinking water, moving quickly and silently. This all points to a plausible explanation that the creature is a wolf. If Luochen used an explosion, and there was a wolf lying there after the fire, Luochen would not be surprised at all. But these eyes are obviously different, and they seem to have a kind of spirituality, even close to human spirituality. Those eyes were staring at him faintly and tightly, as if they were watching, thinking, their eyes were calm and alert. These are the eyes of an ordinary prairie wild creature. They clearly have eyes with high IQ and high spirituality. Luochen has seen other wild wolves in the Central Plains and even in the Xiongnu Grassland. Although their eyes are bright, they are animal-like and alert, and lack human spirituality.

Luochen's heart beat faster, and now he is still full of energy, the surroundings are so quiet that there is no sound, and those eyes have already disappeared without a trace. Fallen Chen calmed down and didn't say anything about it, but simply said, "Go back."

The two drank water and went back to the camp in silence. Although Luo Chen was tired, he still did not fall asleep immediately, and those faint eyes kept appearing in front of him. .

Chapter 119: Wolves

Early in the morning, the east side is slightly bright.

After so many years, Luochen was still not used to the ancient timekeeping, it was too vague. Zhang Heng probably felt the same way, and he built a simple mechanical watch, which became a must-have for falling out of the house. So until now, he is still used to the timing method of five o'clock and six o'clock.

Luo Chen put on his coat and hat, took his saber, and walked out. There are already buried pots for cooking in the camp, and the fog is lingering. I don't know if it's cooking smoke or fog. The air is clear, even showing precious moisture. When the sun comes out, these moist dewdrops and water vapor will evaporate quickly, and the desert will be extremely dry by then, and the lips will be chapped. Soldiers flocked to the stream to fetch water as soon as possible. If they didn’t take it for nothing, they wouldn’t take it for nothing. Anyway, when the sun came out, the stream water would evaporate a lot. Only at night would there be groundwater to replenish it. All kinds of drinking utensils in the army were filled to the brim for a while~.

Yanqing knows Luochen's eating habits, and usually only eats coarse grains in the morning. Yan Qing brought some barley cakes, and Luochen simply ate them, then drank some stream water. The water is still clear. As they were eating, the commanders of the cavalry detachments gathered in the central tent.

Although Luochen's command system did not easily change the ancient military system, it made a big change in the higher-level command method, that is, the army of 20,000 people was divided into four detachments. Each team has 5,000 people, and the four detachments cooperate with each other and move forward. Each detachment sends a large number of patrol units to be responsible for their own patrol areas.

This is a regular meeting in the morning, mainly to stipulate the direction of today's action and summarize some of the usual actions of yesterday. Yan Qing simply planned the route for today. The Guards will enter the desert today, and the first priority is to prevent the wind and sand. Most of the soldiers are from the Central Plains in the north and have no experience in long-distance running in the desert. The soldiers prepared as much armor as they could imagine, such as stuffing cotton in the gaps of their helmets... As for the water issue, the military utensils are all full, and a large number of sealed buckets in order to confine the desert belt are in the military baggage and are pulled by a cart , have not opened the barrel to use. Fortunately, in the past, there was always a place with a water source to camp on the grasslands. So water should not be a problem, as for dry food, it is well prepared in advance.

The two thousand people in Luochen moved briskly and did not consume a lot of materials, so it was relatively easy to cross the desert. Maybe Chang Yuchun and Lu Bu's men would be more difficult, and I don't know if they have enough water.

"Send a messenger to look at the situation of Chang Yuchun and Lu Bu, and ask them if they are short of water, or what materials they are lacking." Luo Chen ordered. Immediately, a staff officer sent someone to execute it.

"Yesterday's patrol situation... Did you find anything unusual?" Luo Chen asked.

"No." The captains of these detachments reported that they had not found anything. "The hundred-mile grassland desert, with such a large radius, I didn't even see a single person, so there is absolutely no large army stationed nearby, not even a small team."

"Where's the team? Like a team of three or four people? Can you make sure that you will find it?" Luo Chen asked so carefully for the first time. It seemed that he was suddenly very concerned about the security patrol of the army.