Caodian is a small market town with only a thousand households. Tens of thousands of border troops suddenly came in, and they looked like they had come down from the battlefield. Most of them were stained with blood and exhausted. The local officials in Caodian were immediately shocked.

I was shocked, pitifully, he was just a small ninth-grade official. Any officer who randomly ran out of this army would be much higher than him. Although generally speaking, if the civilian official level is the same as that of the military attache,

Naturally, it's half a level higher, but there are so many fourth- and fifth-grade people here that it can't hold up. If a school captain comes out randomly, he is from the lower or upper seventh-grade, which is taller than him, a ninth-grade person who has just entered the stream.

Cao Yu shouted that he was unlucky. What frightened him even more was that there were no troops stationed around Caodian. This army came from Lucheng, two hundred miles away from Caodian. And from the looks of it, they were still fighting.

For those who retreated after losing the battle, what kind of battle could they fight in Lucheng? It was nothing more than the Mongolians coming from the desert.

In terms of administrative area management, Cao Yu was still a direct subordinate of Lucheng. Seeing Sima Rui's general flag, Cao Yu immediately went to see Sima Rui in fear.

The Lucheng border troops did not enter the town, but they still caused great panic in Caodian.

"No need to be too polite. Now I need 50,000 kilograms of grain and some pigs and sheep to reward the army. The brothers are all exhausted." Sima Rui waved his hand and said to Cao Yu, who bowed sadly.

Cao Yu was shocked and said, "General, Caodian is just a small place with thousands of households. The general wants fifty thousand kilograms of food at once. It is really difficult for a subordinate to raise the money in a short period of time!"

Sima Rui snorted, "Master Cao, I'm not discussing with you, but ordering you. I want to see these things before dark today. Could it be that you want me to send troops to get them for myself?"

Cao Yu froze for a moment. He understood what Sima Rui meant. What would be the consequences if the army was allowed to fend for itself, especially if a group of defeated soldiers entered the town?

"Yes, your Majesty. Your Majesty, I will go immediately to raise funds. I will definitely deliver food and military supplies to the camp before dark." Cao Yu said loudly.

Seeing Cao Yu withdraw, Sima Rui's mood was extremely bad. She Wenzhuang sat silently on one side, both of them were silent. Now it can be clearly seen that this time the Meng people were fooled.

The Mongols first threatened Sima Rui and Wu Siyuan with smuggling arms, and asked Sima Rui to send troops to cooperate in suppressing the bandits. After Sima Rui's army left Lucheng, they then used a strong army to sneak attack Lucheng. The Mongols had been planning for a long time, and they were actually inside Lucheng.

So many internal agents were dispatched.

Wang Zhuang, Ding Jian and others were also very angry. When Feng Congyi was there, he and the Yingzuiyan horse bandits were in close contact. As soon as the Mongolian army came out, Lucheng would get the news and immediately strengthen the security and close the city gate to guard it.

The Yingzuiyan horse bandits attacked everywhere in the desert, burning, killing and looting, forcing the Mongolian army not to attack with all their strength. The two families looked after each other and kept Lucheng safe for decades. Unexpectedly, after Feng Congyi left, just a year later, Lu

The city then changed hands.

The Mongols won a great victory this time. Not only did they completely defeat the Yingzuiyan horse bandits and solve their worries, they also captured the city of Lu that they had been trying to capture for decades. Once Lu city was lost, they could penetrate hundreds of miles inward.

, there will no longer be any danger to defend, and the other two border cities, Xiangshan Fortress and Anqing City, which are hundreds of miles away from Lucheng, and are located on both sides of Lucheng, are facing the danger of being attacked face-to-face. If they do not want to be completely annihilated,

, then retreat became an inevitable choice. It can be said that once Lucheng was lost, the frontier was lost.

Just as Shen Feng said, Sima Rui is really waiting for someone from the court to chop off his head. "Wang Zhuang, Ding Jian, you go down first to restrain the soldiers and rectify military discipline. I'm tired and want to take a rest." Sima Rui Rui waved his hand and said to several battalion generals that the first battalion still doesn’t know what the situation is like and whether it can save some vitality to escape. If the first battalion is completely destroyed, the blow to this army will be from From inside to outside, it’s all-round.

Wang Zhuang, Ding Jian, Qu Lu, and Qiao Zifang clasped their fists and left the tent. Only Sima Rui and She Wenzhuang were left in the tent.

"Wenzhuang, what should we do now?" Sima Rui looked at Shewenzhuang and asked.

"General, the situation has deteriorated. We have lost Lucheng. In a flat and undefeable place like the border fortress, the troops we have are simply unable to compete with the Mongols, so we can only retreat backwards," She Wenzhuang said.

Sima Rui said worriedly: "I know that in the wilderness, the current Lucheng border army is unable to fight against the Mongolian cavalry. Just look at Qiao Zifang's second battalion and was defeated by three hundred horse bandits. However, If I retreat blindly, will the court let me go? Losing territory, losing troops, losing generals, any one of them can kill me."

Shewenzhuang was silent for a moment and said: "General, now we can only retreat. The few troops in our hands are the life-saving capital of the general. We have to retreat to Tanzhou. The governor of Tanzhou is the uncle of the general. Not only are there strong There are still 50,000 Tanzhou soldiers to rely on in the city."

Sima Rui sneered, "Uncle? What about uncle? I lost a lot of generals and retreated to Tanzhou. I'm afraid uncle will throw me out. At this time, he won't say a word for me. Take care of everything for me. It means he has to take responsibility, how can he agree?"

"We are both from the Sima clan, and our bones are broken but our tendons are still attached!" She Wenzhuang said: "It was Lord Sima Ren who recommended the general to be the border general of Lucheng. If you are thrown out so easily, Lord Sima Ren will How can you exonerate yourself? Therefore, by protecting you, General, you are protecting yourself. What's more, you have more than 10,000 subordinates who are absolutely loyal to you. These people have fought in wars and seen blood, although they are not as good as Meng Ren. , but it is much stronger than the Tanzhou soldiers. How could Lord Sima Ren fail to see this, so Lord Sima Ren will definitely do his best to cover it up for you."

"If I retreat all the way to Tanzhou, it will be like the fall of nearly a thousand miles of frontier. How can I cover it up?" Sima Rui shook his head.

She Wenzhuang smiled and said, "We know that it is thousands of miles away. Not everyone in the imperial court knows that much. Most of these places are deserted and extremely poor. Originally, they were dispensable places in the minds of the big men in the imperial court. As long as Sima Lord Ren will cover for you. If someone in the court speaks for you, then this matter can be temporarily blocked. The general retreats to Tanzhou to recharge his batteries until one day, and then fight back to Lucheng. That is A great achievement in regaining the lost territory.”

"I am in the imperial court, how can I have a backer?" Sima Rui said in embarrassment.

She Wenzhuang smiled and said: "The general is confused. Isn't the great prince your backer? You helped him get so much money, and now something happens, how can he not help? Now you and him are on the same line. Grasshopper, and you have another card in your hand, this card can also save you from danger!"

"What card?"

"Chen Feng!" She Wenzhuang said. "General Sima, do you know who is the enemy of Shen Feng?"

Sima Rui shook his head, "Uncle didn't tell me clearly."

She Wenzhuang smiled and said: "I have been under Master Sima Ren for a long time, but I still know a thing or two about this matter. Although I don't have the details, I also know that this Shen Feng can definitely make the Cao family, which is now in full swing, treat you like a king." Maintain one or two.”

Sima Rui suddenly jumped up, "It is the Cao family that has enmity with Shen Feng. The Cao family that the current prime minister Cao Yi belongs to?"

She Wenzhuang nodded, "Yes, it is the Cao family. The current prime minister Cao Yi also has a younger brother named Cao Dan."

Sima Rui shook his head, "Cao Dan, I have never heard of him. If he is Cao Yi's brother, he should be famous. Why is he so unknown?"

She Wenzhuang said with a smile: "Cao Dan, you don't know? You can't possibly not know about the famous Eunuch Cao, right?"

Sima Rui's mouth opened wide, "Eunuch Cao, Cao Dan? They are the same person. How could a member of the Cao family purify themselves and enter the palace to become an father-in-law?"

She Wenzhuang shook his head and said: "I don't know the specific situation very well, but I heard Lord Sima Ren vaguely tell me that this matter has a lot to do with the Lucheng cavalry generals Yanda and Shen Feng. At that time, Cao Dan wanted to To make money for himself, he came to Lucheng to join the army, but he only came for half a year before he hurried back to Shangjing. Before he returned to Shangjing, Yanda was executed, and Shen Feng rebelled and became a horse bandit. It was said that this happened at that time It was very sensational, but because the Cao family was so powerful, the matter was suppressed. After returning to Beijing, Cao Dan entered the palace and became the father-in-law. Lord Sima Ren may not be very clear about this matter, because at that time The relationship between Dai Viet and the Mongols was tense, and hundreds of thousands of troops were gathered in Lucheng. The general in charge of the troops was the current military commander of Dai Viet, General Guan Pengju. General Guan should be very aware of this matter."

Sima Rui was shocked, "So, Cao Dan becoming a father-in-law is closely related to Shen Feng? How could he become a father-in-law?"

She Wenzhuang shook his head and said: "Because of the time limit, not many people know the inside story of this matter, and those who know the details are also silent because it involves the Cao family and General Guan. You know, In the past twenty years, the Cao and Guan families, both civil and military, have been the backbone of Dai Viet!"

Sima Rui nodded and said: "In other words, Shen Feng has enmity with the Cao family, and even with the Guan family. If this is the case, if I capture Shen Feng, these two families will owe me a favor, so Maybe you can speak for me."

"That's right!" She Wenzhuang nodded and said, "Write a detailed letter to Lord Sima Ren about the current actual situation in Lucheng and the matter of capturing Shen Feng."

"Very good. This way, I will be safe."

"General, you must say in your letter that although you fell into the Mongols' trick, you still have more than 10,000 soldiers who are capable of fighting and are planning a counterattack to recapture Lu City."

"What does this mean?" Sima Rui was startled, then suddenly realized, "I understand, this is to show my uncle the strength I have now, because he will never allow me to do this kind of thing. thing."

She Wenzhuang nodded, "The invasion of the Mongols has been planned for a long time. It is an indisputable fact that a full-scale war broke out between the Mongols and Dai Viet. At this time, how could Lord Sima Ren look at you, general, taking this belonging to the Sima family with you?" If more than 10,000 soldiers go to die, they will naturally destroy you and quickly withdraw to Tanzhou to assist in the defense, because once Lucheng is lost, Tanzhou will be the next frontline against Mongolia."

"High!" Sima Rui gave a thumbs up to She Wenzhuang, "Uncle, you are really giving me an advantage by having you as my staff."

She Wenzhuang chuckled, "Sir Sima Ren has many staff, and I am just one of them who is least valued."

Sima Rui laughed, "Uncle, he made a mistake."
Chapter completed!