After Lu Zheng captured Bingzhou, Tan Lei actually retreated back to the capital. The reason he gave was that Su Zhi came from Jiangnan, and the capital might be unstable. He had to stabilize the situation in the capital first before he could defend the enemy from the north.

In fact, his real intention is of course not to face Lu Zheng's Liaodong Iron Cavalry. He hopes that Cao Weiming will stand in front, and even hopes that Lu Zheng will attack Hebei first. In this way, Tan Lei will quickly send troops to fight Lu Zheng in Hebei.

I have to say that Tan Lei was right, but he had to do it wrongly, but Cao Weiming was wrong. Cao Weiming was a person who was changing his mind when he saw Tan Lei retreating, how could he take it? He immediately retreated to Hebei and couldn't hide. This time, Tan Lei's situation suddenly became embarrassing.

Lu Zheng's army was approaching. As the strongest force in the Central Plains, Tan Lei could not turn a blind eye, nor could he escape. He immediately sent troops from the capital again, and he came to Hebei in person to meet with Cao Weiming.

After the two met, Tan Lei said, "Brother Cao, it's time for us. We can't do it if we don't fight to the death! I don't know who Lu Zheng is? This time he is coming with great force and strong strength. If you and I don't work together, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Cao Weiming said: "Brother Tan, you are the master in the Central Plains. Cao is the only one who follows you. This is how you say, Cao will die in a sea of ​​fire. As long as the surname Lu is in trouble, I, Cao Weiming, will be willing to make a fortune!"

Cao Weiming's chest was slapped, but how could Tan Lei take his words seriously? Tan Lei also understood this situation. Instead of relying on others, it was better to rely on himself. There was no way to hide from this disaster. He could only go out and fight Lu Zheng for a while before talking.

As he thought of this, he said, "Brother Cao, the enemy is very morale, and the outcome of our first battle is particularly critical. Lu Zheng took Bingzhou with confidence. It can be foreseen that he will soon be able to take Miaocheng and Huazhou. Miaocheng and Huazhou are lost, and our Central Plains will be completely opened.

It is a thousand miles away from Bingzhou to the capital. We must not let Lu's surname be like a nobody in this thousand miles of raid. If that is true, you and my brother will be ridiculed by the world!"

Cao Weiming nodded. Although he was very cunning, he also understood the priorities of the matter. It was good that he and Tan Lei had conflicts of interest, but the enemy was in front of him, and the interests of the two were the same.

If Lu Zheng doesn't leave, the Central Plains cannot be peaceful. Cao Weiming occupied the land of Hebei, which is the granary of the Central Plains. If Lu Zheng really goes straight to the south, Hebei may be his first choice!

In this case, he cannot be too scammers. As long as Tan Lei really makes up his mind to fight, he must also give up. Otherwise, if Lu Zheng really succeeds in going south, the first person who suffers is most likely Cao Weiming.

It has to be said that the external pressure is very strong. The atmosphere of the meeting between Cao Weiming and Tan Lei is very harmonious, and the relationship between the two sides has been quickly consolidated and sublimated.

Both of them were heroes, and they were both from leading troops. They were both very skilled in military affairs. Tan Lei and Cao Weiming asked the generals on both sides to join together, and then they killed chicken heads, burned incense and prayed to the soldiers to form an alliance. The oaths were that they did not ask for birth in the same year and month, but wanted to die in the same year and month. This time, the two of them would never withdraw their troops if they did not win.

After this ceremony, Tan Lei became the eldest brother and Cao Weiming was the second brother. The two of them determined their brotherly relationship and no longer divided them. Instead, they combined the army into one place and unified the dispatch and command. This made the momentum soar.

The news reached Henan. Long Zhaoyan, Henan, was very happy. He immediately sent an imperial envoy to work hard and granted two golden beauties, Tan Lei and Cao Weiming respectively. Long Zhaoyan issued an order in the name of the Dagan Dynasty, and appointed Tan Lei as the General of Zhenyuan and Cao Weiming as the General of Fuwei. The two claimed to be leading 300,000 troops, and wanted to hunt the Central Plains with Lu Zheng.

Tan Lei and Cao Weiming's army quickly advanced northward. The two went north from Cangzhou, passed Wangzhou, Beizhou, and then to Tanzhou. After arriving in Tanzhou, Tan Lei ordered the army to enter the city and then promoted the tent to discuss matters:

"Just just received the news, Lu Zheng came in full force and had already taken Miaocheng. His soldiers were aimed directly at Huazhou. Huazhou is now under my control. This is a place that military strategists must fight for!

For the sake of the present, we should first let the cavalry advance north quickly, and we must first consolidate the defense of Huazhou. We must never let Lu Zheng easily take Huazhou!"

Cao Weiming frowned slightly and nodded, "Yes, Huazhou is indeed deadly. When Song Wensong went south, he occupied Huazhou and then went to Central Plains! This time Lu Zheng wanted to use the same trick again, so we must be on guard!"

Tan Lei looked around and shouted, "Dear generals, my second brother and I want to kill a general as a pioneer, and take Huazhou as a key gate first. Do you dare to ask who dares to be a pioneer?"

When Tan Lei said this, several generals immediately stepped forward and asked for battle. Tan Lei laughed and said, "Okay, okay! This time our army went on a war, and the morale was high. The generals were brave enough to ask for battle. If I have such soldiers in the court, why worry about the thieves in Liaodong not being defeated? Second brother, you will choose the general, and you and my brother will issue military orders together!"

Cao Weiming said: "Brother, Huazhou is the largest city below Miaocheng. This place controls the Central Plains in the south and Bingzhou in the north. Its strategic location is extremely critical. In such an important position, ordinary generals may not be able to defend it. I am willing to lead 30,000 troops to Huazhou in person. I must build a defense in Huazhou and prevent Lu Zheng from making any progress!"

Tan Lei was slightly stunned for a moment, then he stroked his hands and said, "The second brother is really a hero! Since that's the case, there is nothing to say. The second brother can bring you more than 10,000 cavalry. I will allocate more than 10,000 cavalry to the second brother, and a total of 30,000 cavalry quickly entered Huazhou. The second brother must remember that the cavalry is in hand and the city is not protected. If Lu Zheng dares to come, you must dare to take attack as the defense!"

Cao Weiming immediately clasped his fists and said, "I can save you the money, but if you have any difficulties, I will ask my elder brother for help. Huazhou City is broken, and I am willing to land on the ground!"

Seeing Cao Weiming so passionate, Tan Lei was quite touched. He knew that Cao Weiming was not a good-looking guy. This time he volunteered and was really willing to give up his attitude. Now that the Central Plains is facing such a crisis, he cannot tolerate selfishness this time, and he must do it!"

"Second brother, don't worry, if you guard Huazhou, I will go out to Beizhou. You and I will attack Huazhou from both sides. If Lu Zheng retreats, we will defend the enemy. Although his Liaodong army is coming in a fierce manner, the rear is uneasy, and the food and grass are the most difficult. It is extremely unfavorable for him to confront us for a long time!

Therefore, we seem to be on the defensive, but if we defend well, Lu Zheng will have no way to attack the Central Plains. After we spent two months, he would have to go back in shame, because once he was consumed for a long time, his food and grass would be exhausted. In addition, after the winter in Liaodong, it would be frozen for thousands of miles, so he would have no way back!" Tan Lei said.

All the generals were excited about Tan Lei's statement. It has to be said that Tan Lei is indeed a famous general on one side. When the two armies were fighting, he studied the pros and cons of both sides in a thorough manner.

Lu Zheng came from Liaodong, and all the cavalry were strong and came in a fierce manner. However, Lu Zheng came from afar, and the food was insufficient. In addition, Lu Zheng's soldiers could not stay in the Central Plains for a long time, because once time went by, the north was frozen and the cavalry would be difficult to fight. By that time, Lu Zheng would fall into a passive position, so time was the key. As long as Tan Lei and Cao Weiming could defend, Lu Zheng would have to return in vain!"

Seeing that everyone's morale was rising, Tan Lei said again: "Lu Zheng's gamble this time was a desperate bet. It seemed that he was sure to win, but in fact it was just a big bet! Everyone knows that when he sent troops to the Central Plains, the water route in Jiangnan had been cut off, and the food route from the water route in Liaodong had been cut off!

Another grain channel in Liaodong is our Central Plains. When my second brother was deceived by Lu Zheng, how could he provide him with food? Without food in Liaodong, even if Lu Zheng's army could retreat to Liaodong, he was afraid that half of his 100,000 troops would starve to death at the beginning of next spring! In this way, Liaodong will inevitably collapse!

After a war, the Northwest Song family was damaged. It is estimated that they will recover slowly in a year and a half. At that time, we and the Northwest Song family can fight to the north and point directly to Liaodong. The conquest of Liaodong is just around the corner!"

"coax!"

Tan Lei said this, and many generals applauded. It turned out that Tan Lei had many Liaodong children. Since Tan Lei's troops left Liaodong, they have never been able to return. They have been wandering outside for a long time and are doing business that is so bloody. Who is not homesick after a long time?

Under such circumstances, Tan Lei drew a big pie for them, which allowed them to see hope of going home, which undoubtedly greatly boosted morale.

Seeing that the morale was available, Tan Lei was overjoyed and immediately ordered troops for Cao Weiming. Then Cao Weiming led 30,000 cavalry to head straight to Huazhou day and night.

When he arrived outside the Huazhou city, he met an army head-on. Seeing that the army was dressed as the Liaodong army, he was shocked and said angrily: "The Liaodong army has already arrived at Huazhou. Could it be that Huazhou has been lost?"

When the army followed the army looked at the army horse, he immediately said: "Don't panic, the prince is not very large. This treasury is all light cavalry. It should be the scout of the Liaodong Army. Huazhou should still be in the hands of our army!"

When Cao Weiming heard this, his heart calmed down a little, and then he was furious and said, "Okay, this Liaodong scout is so arrogant. A mere 100 people dare to go deep into the city of Huazhou. I'm really looking for death! Come on, bring me a thousand soldiers and horses and destroy these Liaodong mixed seeds!"

When the strategist heard this, he hurriedly said, "Prince, it is important for us to occupy Huazhou first for the current plan. The scouts come and go like the wind. We don't need to bother them, because it's not good if a few cavalry delayed the plan!"

Cao Weiming smiled and said, "Although you make sense, you don't know how to use troops. The first way to use troops lies in morale! The morale of the first fight determines the victory or defeat. These few hundred people can just sacrifice flags for me. If you can win this battle, I will have great hope in the Central Plains!"
Chapter completed!