In order to win Dou Jiande's trust, Shi Wanbao introduced to Dou Jiande in a letter that the Zheng Army's counterattack in Luoyang was certainly not false news. In fact, as early as the first night of the two-front battle between the Sui Army and the Eastern Expedition, he was lucky enough to get in touch with the outside world. , in order to gain more chances to win for Dou Jiande and Wang Xuanying, Luoyang Zheng Jun did use the cover of night to launch a counterattack against the besieged Sui army camp, which caused the Sui army to suffer some losses and almost won the victory. The reason why the Sui army suffered a loss was that two ministers, Yuan Tiangang and Qu Tutong, were greedy for credit. In order to confuse the Sui army, the treacherous Wang Shichong pretended to publicly declare that he would attack the Sui army camp outside the east gate at night, and deliberately let A Zheng Army soldier who violated military law escaped from the city and reported the report. Yuan Tiangang and Qu Tutong believed the report was true. In order to gain credit and weaken Wang Shichong's defense force, they mobilized their troops to set up an ambush outside the east gate after nightfall. Circle, who would have thought that the Zheng army would attack from the east and west at the same time. At night, the east and west routes sent troops at the same time. A small number of troops pretended to attack the east, attracting the attention of the main force of the Sui army. The main force took the opportunity to attack the Sui army general Qiu Shili's troops stationed in Xiyuan, and With the elite dead soldiers in the lead, they successfully entered Qiu Shili's camp. Qiu Shili's army was completely caught off guard and was almost kicked out of the camp by Zheng Jun. The main force of the Sui army, which was deceived by Zheng Jun's partial division to the eastern front, was unable to react for a while and sent reinforcements to Qiu Shili. Zheng Jun drove straight in and directly Entering Qiu Shili's Chinese army camp, Qiu Shili didn't even have time to put on his helmet. He led his soldiers to guard the fence of the general tent and fought with Zheng Jun in darkness. As a result, although the Chinese army officers who gradually realized what they were doing came to rescue and help Qiu Shili kept the flag intact, but the outer camp that bore the brunt was more than half destroyed by the Zheng army. The soldiers of the outer camp were heavily defended. The Sui army Liu Heitao's troops who rushed to rescue were also blocked by the Zheng army and could not quickly reverse the situation. In the end, Qu Tutong personally came with the main force for reinforcements. The Zheng army soldiers then fought and retreated back to the imperial city, causing more than 1,700 casualties to the Sui army soldiers. After the war, Qiu Shili honestly went to Yuan Tiangang and Qu Tutong to plead guilty. Yuan Tiangang and Qu Tutong, who knew that they were equally responsible, also honestly sent envoys to Ben Shu to plead guilty. When the apology letter was delivered to Chen Sangliang, the fighting at Luokoucang and Hulao Pass had not yet ended. Chen Sangliang did not dare to announce it immediately for fear of shaking the morale of the army. However, after the war on the Eastern Front was completely over, Chen Sangliang Only then did he tell the news to his accomplices and lackeys, and write a letter to Yuan Tiangang and Qu Tutong, punishing them with half a year's salary, asking them not to take any chances, and to stick to the camp and surround Wang Shichong, the old fox. It's the best policy. This battle also reminded the Sui army of the Eastern Expedition that Wang Shichong's army, which was able to survive Li Mi and stage a comeback miracle under various unfavorable conditions, was indeed not boastful in terms of tenacity. He still had a little bit left in front of the main force of the Sui army. To fight back, the rear of the Sui army in the Eastern Expedition was not foolproof, and dangers still existed. So after returning to Hulao Pass, both Li Keshi and Feng Deyi, who were somewhat cautious in character, suggested that Chen Sangliang might consider solving the danger of Wang Shichong first, and then fully deal with the threat from Dou Jiande. Chen Sangliang decisively rejected the proposals of Li Keshi and Feng Deyi. Although Chen Sangliang knew very well that their proposals were truly foolproof, the war had progressed to this point. As long as Chen Sangliang was slightly negligent, he would immediately end up with him. The opportunity to kill Dou Jiande passed by. When the time comes to send troops to conquer Dou Jiande who has retreated to his lair, no one knows how much more food will be consumed and how many more people will die. A quick end to this troubled world will become far away, and innocent people will He didn't know how much more suffering he would suffer, so even though he knew that the rear could not be completely relieved, Chen Sangliang gritted his teeth and decided to continue to hold on at Hulao Pass, waiting for the opportunity to kill Dou Jiande in one fell swoop. Fortunately, Dou Jiande did not disappoint Chen Sangliang. He fell into Chen Sangliang's provocation and false surrender tactics and missed the opportunity to retreat calmly. He chose to continue building siege weapons and prepare to launch another frontal attack. Chen Sangliang understood his face-saving character and unwillingness to give up, so he decided to fight another city defense battle to consume some of Dou's army's strength and vigor, and then planned a field battle to defeat the enemy, and immediately began to repair the city defense and Rush to build weapons to defend the city and prepare for the next battle to defend the city. While preparing for the battle to defend the city, Chen Sangliang also couldn't wait to start preparations for field battles to defeat the enemy. First, he ordered the rear army and asked Qin Qiong to lead three thousand cavalry to escort a batch of military supplies and ten artillery pieces to Hulao Pass to assist in the battle. The strong mobile troops were also prepared to surprise Dou Jiande with artillery. At the same time, Chen Sangliang ordered that all the wounded horses captured from the Luokoucang battlefield be slaughtered, and the horse meat was used to improve the food and supplement nutrition for the soldiers of the Sui Army in the Eastern Expedition. All other orders were carried out faithfully. Only the killing of horses to reward the army was opposed by some accomplices and lackeys. Zhang Wansui, a horse expert who surrendered from the Dingyang Army, ran directly to Chen Shang Liang protested in front of him and said: "Your Highness, those injured horses cannot be killed. There are more than 600 injured horses, at least 60 to 70% of them can be cured and reused on the battlefield. It would be a pity to slaughter them as vegetables.". " "It's a pity, but there is nothing we can do. "Chen Sangliang replied helplessly: "Eating only food will not help our soldiers quickly recover their physical strength and replenish the fat and protein consumed in successive fierce battles. Only eating meat can allow our soldiers to quickly recover their physical strength and resume their military duties. On the battlefield, people were slashing with knives, so they had no choice but to sacrifice these war horses that still had hope of recovery. " Zhang Wansui couldn't understand the new terminology Chen Sangliang said, but still insisted: "Your Highness, you want to treat the soldiers well. The soldiers are very grateful, but it is a pity to kill these horses. The soldiers will eat less. A meal of meat is nothing. As long as you eat less meat, you can save these horses. Your Highness, why do you slaughter so many precious horses in vain just to let the soldiers eat two more pounds of horse meat. " "Human life is more valuable than horse life. One more pound of meat will give one more pound of strength on the battlefield. With one more pound of strength, our soldiers will have one more hope of survival. These war horses cannot be cured immediately and returned to combat, so why not first Save the immediate emergency. Chen Sangliang shook his head, waved his hand and said, "No need to say more, I know you have good intentions, but I have already made up my mind, so you don't need to persuade me anymore." " Zhang Wansui had a sad face, sighing constantly, and was extremely distressed. Chen Sangliang knew that he loved horses as much as his life, so he comforted him: "It's okay. We now have two horse breeding lands in Longxi and Pingliang, which can provide us with supplies every year. War horses can also be obtained from Gaochang Tubo through trade. Li Shangshu has also arrived at Shanyang City. The horse administration seal you gave me before is very well written. When Mayi is captured, I will make you a horse. Governor of the city, I want you to go to Mayi to show off your talents and train more war horses for us. When the time comes, I will support you in terms of money and food for as many war horses as you want. " Zhang Wansui quickly thanked him, but he was still extremely reluctant to part with him. He couldn't bear to see the tragic appearance of those innocent horses who had full hope of recovery and died tragically under Chen Sangliang's butcher's knife. However, in the sound of Zhang Wansui's regret, a large piece of Pieces of fragrant horse meat were also delivered to the exhausted Sui soldiers. All the Sui soldiers who had fought in many battles devoured it, each one eating more deliciously, but little did they know that Zhang Wansui was secretly wiping tears behind his back. The meat provided by the many injured horses was only enough for more than 30,000 Sui soldiers to eat two meals, and it played a minimal role in replenishing physical strength. However, the amount of money Chen Sangliang paid for this battle was beyond everyone's expectation. More than three days later, when Qin Qiong led 3,000 cavalrymen escorting artillery and military supplies to the battlefield of Hulao Pass, the officers and soldiers of the Sui Army in the Eastern Expedition were extremely surprised to see that Qin Qiong's army actually brought more than 4,000 cavalrymen. What a pig! After meeting, Qin Qiong immediately complained to Chen Sangliang: "Your Highness, are you too partial? Our rear army has more than 60,000 people, and the front army only has more than 30,000 people. Why do you ask us to send 80% of the pigs and sheep that accompany the army? Now that the front army has eaten, what will our rear army do? " "Easy to handle! "Chen Sangliang waved his claws, pointed to the east and said: "Kill Dou Jiande at the mouth of the cow and snatch all the pigs, sheep, mules and donkeys that accompany him, and I will let the rear army eat their fill! " "Of course there is no problem in killing Dou Jiande. Qin Qiong geared up and said with a playful smile: "But the emperor is not short of hungry soldiers. Your Highness, if you want the general to kill Dou Jiande, shouldn't you let the general and the former army eat pork and mutton first?" There were pickles and greens every day, and it was rare to even eat tofu once, until I almost felt like a bird was in my mouth. " Chen Sangliang laughed loudly and immediately ordered the slaughter of pigs and sheep according to the ration of one pound of meat per person to replenish the strength of the front army and Qin Qiong's cavalry. As a result, after the order was conveyed, the various camps of the Sui army quickly rang out one after another. The cheers of the generals and soldiers were all beaming, and their morale was greatly boosted. Then, Chen Sangliang, who knew some modern cooking skills, personally cooked and took the cook to make a stew for the civil and military officers above the rank of captain. Elbow, win people's hearts and show off his versatility. There are good things and bad news. Just as the Sui army officers were devouring the rare good food, the scouts outside the city sent Chen Sangliang bad news - Dou Jiande also had bad news. They were rewarding the soldiers to boost their morale. Combined with the information that Dou Jiande's army had stopped logging at noon today, Chen Sangliang and the Sui army's civil and military forces also concluded that Dou Jiande would soon launch another siege, possibly tomorrow. Attack the city. But this is not bad news at all. After coming to this conclusion, the generals of the Sui army, who were in high morale and were having a banquet, rushed to lead their troops to defend the city, even their faces. Luo Shixin, whose clothes were still wrapped in gauze, howled vaguely and asked for a fight, "Your Highness, let the general guard the front of the city gate. The general will chop off the heads of twenty or thirty thieves to avenge my teeth! " Chen Sangliang did not accept the enthusiastic invitation from the main generals to fight. He didn't even hesitate. He immediately ordered Li Keshi and others: "Cousin, General Yin, General Hao, please be respectful, Shiji, tomorrow. If the bandit army really comes to attack the city, you should go up with the soldiers who defended the city from the last battle, and try to fight better than last time. ¡± Li Keshi and others agreed, and the main generals such as Luo Shixin and Yuchi Jingde gave up after hearing this, and asked one after another: "Your Highness, why don't you let us go? Do you think we can't compete in the battle to defend the city? "General Li and the others?" "Of course not." Chen Sangliang shook his head and said solemnly: "I won't let you go up so that you can continue to rest. Only if you rest more and regain your strength can we go out for a decisive battle with Dou's army. I'm sure!" After saying that, Chen Sangliang added quickly and said with a smile: "Of course, it's no problem if you insist on participating in the city defense battle. Whoever's team fights in the city defense battle tomorrow will have a decisive battle outside the city. It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault. It¡¯s up to the soldiers who didn¡¯t fight to defend the city to leave the city.¡± Luo Shixin, Yuchi Jingde and other generals quickly changed their words when they heard this. They all said that Your Highness is wise and we should rest more and regain our strength. Chen Sangliang smiled, then turned to Li Keshi and other generals and said: "Cousin, the generals, it will be up to you tomorrow. You must let the soldiers under your command fight as bravely as last time and resist tenaciously, so that our The main force in the field rests peacefully and recuperates enough strength to face the more intense decisive battle outside the city. " Li Keshi, Yin Kaishan, Hao Xiaode and others will leave the table and stand up together, clasping their fists and singing promises, confidently guaranteeing the completion of the mission. Chen Sangliang nodded with satisfaction, and said to himself: "Dou Jiande, come on, let's fight again in the critical battle tomorrow. I'll see how much combat power your main force has left!" By Chen Sangliang Among the civil and military materials of the Liang and Sui armies, Dou Jiande indeed personally brought troops to attack Hulao Pass again in the early morning of this day. He also brought a larger number of various siege weapons than last time. The front row spread out, and the momentum was still huge. As for the Sui army, in accordance with Chen Sangliang's request, the same troops from the previous city defense battle went up to the city to fight. Chen Sangliang also continued to hand over the battlefield command to the bird thief cousin, letting him continue to be responsible for commanding the city defense battle. Then he was free to handle the mountain of military and political affairs, and he also found time to go deep into the camp to visit the wounded soldiers, express condolences to the main soldiers, and show off the superb acting skills of the Sui actor. The moat outside the east gate of Hulao Pass was basically filled in by Dou Jun in the last battle. The exhausted Sui army officers and soldiers did not waste time to re-drain it, so Dou Jun's antfu siege started smoothly this time. Much earlier than the last time, a toad truck was used to transport earth and rocks to fill the river. After completely filling in several remaining pits near the city gate and completely clearing the road for heavy siege weapons to reach Hulao Pass, Dou Jiande couldn't wait. He ordered an attack, and in the same first wave of attacks, 4,000 ant troops were invested at the east gate of Hulao Pass, which was only four miles long from north to south. At the same time, Dou Jiande naturally had to pray secretly in his heart, "Shi Wanbao, do it quickly, open the city gate, and I will make you a king!" Once again, arrows and stones were coming and going like locusts in the sky, and Dou Jun's infantry team Just like the last time, it was as turbulent as the waves. When the simple flying ladders were put up one after another on the city wall, waves of earth-shattering killing cries erupted from the top and bottom of the east gate of Hulao Pass. However, the main elite of the Sui army were not nervous or excited at all. According to Chen Sangliang's request, they all gathered in the west part of the city away from the east gate to rest peacefully. There were many main soldiers of the Sui army snoring and sleeping in broad daylight. Chen Sangliang also He was no longer as worried as last time, and was always distracted by the battle at the east gate. He led Mulan and other soldiers and only visited the soldiers camp by camp, turning a deaf ear to the cries of killing one after another. After having lunch with the main soldiers in the west part of the city, Chen Sangliang returned to the command post to handle official duties. In the midst of the busyness, unknowingly, Feng Deyi, Sun Fujia and other civil servants' deputies all left the custody room for official business. Only Chen Sangliang and Mulan were left in the room. After noticing this situation, Chen Sangliang turned back He looked at Mulan, who had been waiting behind him, and saw that although she was still standing upright, her expression was obviously tired. Chen Sangliang's conscience, which had not yet been eaten up, could not help but feel a little raw, so he said: "Mulan "Are you tired? Go down and rest. You don't have to stay by my side." "You're not tired." Ever since she returned to Chen Sangliang, Mulan has never given him a good look, and it's the same this time. He said with a straight face: "The bandit army is attacking the city, and General Yuchi is in the camp again. As the deputy general of the Chinese army, I must stay here and be ready to organize the Chinese army to join the battle." "It's okay, the bandit army can't attack the city. "Chen Sangliang smiled and said: "Our main force has withdrawn to Hulao Pass. The thieves and soldiers know this very well. No matter how hard Dou Jiande forces them to attack the city, they will never be able to do what they did last time. I was so desperate that I deliberately lured Dou Jiande into attacking, just to waste his soldiers' physical strength and consume his main force. At dusk, I took a dummy head and showed it to the city, saying it was Shi Wanbao's. We have defeated Shi Wanbao's sacrifice, and Dou Jiande will go away." Mulan rolled her eyes at Chen Sangliang and said, "Sure enough, it hasn't changed, it's still the same as before, he just likes to cheat." " Are you still the same as before?Same as before, nothing has changed. "With no outsiders present, Chen Sangliang spoke without any scruples, and said with a smile: "You always show off your face to me. I don't understand. How did I offend you? Why have you never been nice to me? " "You still have the nerve to ask me this question! Mulan's pretty face and eyes turned red, and she asked fiercely: "What happened to Shan Yingying, do you think you are worthy of me?" How do you explain it to me? " "Do I need to explain to you? Chen Sangliang said with a smile: "I helped you get a wife, and I also helped you not to be called a fake girl behind your back. You should thank me." " Mulan subconsciously held the handle of the knife at her waist. Chen Sangliang knew her fiery temper and hurriedly waved and said it was a joke. He persuaded Mulan to let go of the handle. However, seeing Mulan's coquettish look, he had not touched her for a long time. Chen Sangliang, a woman, was inevitably a little itchy, so she couldn't help but said again: "Mulan, how about discussing something? " Mulan looked at Chen Sangliang in confusion, but Chen Sangliang turned around, faced Mulan, smiled and said: "After this battle is over, Luoyang is captured and Yingying is rescued, you and her can be my sidekicks. How about the princess? " A bolt from the blue, Mulan's mouth opened wide. She was surprised to see that Chen Sangliang had even forgotten to hold the knife. Chen Sangliang took the opportunity to grab her little hand that was extremely rough due to the weapon, and said with a smile: "There is no need to be so surprised, I I have known for a long time that you are a girl. When I used your name to deceive Shan Yingying in Wagang Village, I was also afraid of damaging her innocent reputation. But I really didn't expect at the time that it would lead to these things later. I have made Yingying a widow for so many years, and I have forced you, a girl, to get married. I have to complain. As an apology, I really have no other choice but to marry you both at the same time. " The look of surprise gradually disappeared from her face, and after many questions in her mind were solved, Tsundere returned to Mulan again, turned her face away, and hummed: "Dream! " As soon as he finished humming, Chen Sangliang suddenly pulled her. Mulan was caught off guard and was pulled into Chen Sangliang's arms. Before Mulan could react, Chen Sangliang had already kissed her heavily. On the red lips, Mulan struggled hard, but she couldn't escape Chen Sangliang's clutches, and her strength became weaker and weaker The sudden sound of official documents falling to the ground in front of the door woke up Chen Sangliang and Mulan who were kissing passionately. When Chen Sangliang and Mulan looked sideways, they saw Feng Deyi already standing in front of the door, with an unbelievable look of surprise on his face. Then Mulan quickly pushed Chen Sangliang away, stood up and stood with her back to Feng Deyi. Chen Sangliang was also extremely embarrassed and didn't know how to explain it to Feng Deyi. In the end, Feng Deyi came to his senses first, stretched out his hand to pretend to grope, and said, "Your Highness, why did your eyes suddenly blur? Can't see anything? I have to go and see the doctor, and I must retire. I must retire. " As he spoke, Feng Deyi ran away and said to himself at the same time: "I didn't expect that His Highness the King of Tang Dynasty still has such a hobby. Well, hurry up and select a few beautiful prostitutes to prepare. If you have a chance, If it is presented to His Highness, there is hope of promotion and title. " When Chen Sangliang, who knew that Feng Deyi had misunderstood, was smiling helplessly, and Mulan was stamping her feet and losing her temper, Dou Jiande was roaring crazily at the east gate of Hulao Pass with blood flowing on the chariot outside Hulao Pass. "Intensify the attack! Step up the attack! Anyone who takes a step back will be killed immediately! You son of a bitch Shi Wanbao, why don¡¯t you take action? Why haven't you taken action yet? ! If you don't take action, I won't give you the title of king! "