July seventeenth.
Outside the Phoenix Valley, the tall and tall Yang Wenqian stood on the hillside for a long time. His handsome face looked a little ferocious because of the blood stains, and his eyes were bloodshot.
From the morning of July 15th to now, twenty-four hours have passed, two full days, and Yang Wenqian has only slept twice, for only one or two hours each time.
It has been twelve hours since the Imperial Army sneak attack on the Forbidden City in the early morning of July 16th. Although the defenders were retreating steadily, they could not be completely conquered. Fear, despair, excitement, hope and other emotions surrounded Yang Wenqian. heart.
Yu Wenying, who was standing aside, didn't urge him. It was already time, and Yang Wenqian had no way out unless he was willing to be cut into pieces by a thousand cuts.
Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, Yang Wenqian personally led hundreds of soldiers, covered with arrows, and with the shield hand in the lead, they rushed straight to the front of the formation.
Being able to be won over by the prince, although Yang Wenqian was not outstanding in military strategy and had no particularly outstanding military exploits, he was a fierce general in the formation. He held a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right hand. Between advancing and retreating, he had already cut down five soldiers in a moment. Six defenders.
"Yang Wenqian!"
With a loud shout, a long sword was thrust towards his face, and with a coaxing sound, Yang Wenqian was holding a shield with one hand after all. The shield was knocked to the ground without any suspense, but he did not panic, and stepped sideways to pass, with the long knife in his right hand. Stab the opponent's thigh that is not covered by armor.
In the midst of lightning and flint, one person rushed forward and the other retreated. Yang Wenqian had broken through the formation and entered. The guards around him cheered loudly. The one who was forced to retreat was Wei Chigong, the most famous brave general in Tiance Mansion.
Of course, Yuchi Gong had been in battle again and again since the early morning of yesterday. He was injured in many places. He was exhausted and at the end of his strength. Moreover, he was better at horse fighting than infantry fighting.
Li Shimin, who was watching the battle from behind, was helpless. There were too few available troops, and Yang Wenqian went into battle in person, so he was obviously bound to win.
As a last resort, Li Shimin signaled to pass the order, and the generals on the left and right, such as Su Dingfang, Cheng Yaojin, Duan Zhixuan, Hou Junji, etc., retreated one after another, keeping in line with Yuchi Gong who was forced to retreat.
Yang Wenqian was overjoyed and was about to order the whole army to attack fiercely when he saw a dozen warriors coming upstream with their swords drawn. The strong man at the head shouted loudly and cut off the two pursuing soldiers in half with their swords shining like snow.
The stumps and broken arms fell everywhere, and large amounts of blood spattered, cutting off two bodies at once. No matter how good the knife was, it was useless. Kan Ling suddenly threw out the Mo Dao in his hand, and took another one handed by the guard. He ran towards Yang Wenqian with his Mo Dao.
Yang Wenqian's expression changed slightly. Three or four of his guards raised their shields. The sound of metal and iron was heard. Two of his guards were knocked back and retreated. The other two guards had turned into gourds.
Kan Ling kicked the man blocking the way and struck again with his sword. This time, blood splattered everywhere, but Yang Wenqian was already protected by many soldiers.
"What a pity." Although Li Shimin felt sorry, he also knew that as the rebel commander, Yang Wenqian would not lack personal guards who would fight to the death even if he went into battle in person.
After a while, Yang Wenqian slowly retreated. The rebels drew their bows and released arrows from both sides, releasing a wave of arrows, forcing Kan Ling to return to the formation.
"Retreat?" Ling Jing asked in a low voice. The entrance to the valley was less than two miles away, and most of it was already occupied by the rebels. If they did not take the initiative to retreat, but were forced to retreat, it would probably lead to a rout.
"Wait a little longer." Li Shimin shook his head, "It's best to wait until noon."
If we retreat to Cuiwei Hall, even though Cuiwei Hall has been surrounded by dismantled red bricks, and a trench is even being dug around it, we won't be able to defend it for long.
Just like if Chang'an City was breached, no matter how strong the imperial city was, it would not be able to hold it for long.
Ling Jing's heart was pounding. If you, Li Huairen, don't come, you will wait to collect the body for King Qin. By then, you will be dead... Zhang Zhongjian reckons that it is unreliable. Once King Qin dies, it's hard to say what Qu Tutong's attitude will be. You If you are lucky, you may even go back to Lingnan.
On the hillside outside the valley, Yang Wenqian looked a little excited, "Seeing that King Qin is not far away."
"It can be seen that the defenders are not strong enough." Yu Wenying said with a smile: "There are only six to seven hundred soldiers in total. Two to three hundred died in the battle yesterday. If we fight again today, we will die!"
Indeed, Li Shimin couldn't afford to redeem his son. The rebels suppressed the imperial army from beginning to end, and the losses were not heavy. They still have nearly a thousand troops.
"However, it is better for Wen Qian not to go into battle himself." Yu Wenying said sternly: "Among the battle formations, King Qin is the best at choosing opportunities to rush into the formation."
Yu Wenying doesn't care about Yang Wenqian's life or death, but if this person dies, it will be difficult for her to control these rebels, and her success will be ruined.
Yang Wenqian nodded in agreement. Although he had never been under Li Shimin's command, King Qin always chose the best time to charge the battle with elite cavalry, either frontally or on the flanks. Xue Ju, Song Jingang, and Dou Jiande were all defeated in this way.
However, the first three waves of offensives today could not break the formation. Yang Wenqian personally led the troops to boost morale. He just forced General Wei Chigong to retreat and advanced the battle line a hundred steps. It can be said that the overall situation has been decided.
The key to victory or defeat is time.
Yang Wenqian thought as he turned back and looked south, "I don't know if there are any messengers going to Jingzhao."
"There shouldn't be, right?" Yu Wenying's eyes flickered. He kept Wei Zheng's rush to Renzhi Palace and the messengers to Chang'an and Ningzhou secret.
"Not necessarily." Yang Wenqian shook his head and said: "Yesterday's sneak attack caused chaos at the entrance of the valley. The King of Qin may send his cronies to Jingzhao to ask for help... and Qiao Gongshan reported it, His Majesty and the King of Qin may also send messengers to Jingzhao the day before yesterday and yesterday."
"It's only over a hundred miles away. Shangfanfu soldiers should be able to arrive tomorrow, and the forward Qingqi may be able to reach Renzhi Palace before dusk today."
"I bet the Crown Prince Yu Chang'an will not fail to take action." Yu Wenying's eyes flickered. He knew that King Qi had already arranged an ambush to intercept the messenger, but he didn't know if he could succeed.
After Yang Wenqian was silent for a moment, he said fiercely: "We will fight in even if we risk our lives!"
A quarter of an hour later, more than 300 rebels entered the valley entrance again. Su Dingfang, Duan Zhixuan, Hou Junji and other generals who were already bruised and bruised were fighting on the front line in person. There were really not many troops left.
After a fierce battle for a long time, the three most courageous generals, Su Dingfang, Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong, joined forces to take the risk. At the cost of Su Dingfang being hit by an arrow in the shoulder and Cheng Yaojin being stabbed in the left arm, Qin Qiong killed the leading general. The rebels were barely repelled.
But a quarter of an hour later, another three to four hundred rebels came to kill. This time, the whole line was shaken, and they were forced to retreat continuously. The red brick shield had no effect. If Kan Ling hadn't dragged Mo Dao and hacked him to death in succession. With seven or eight soldiers, Li Shimin could only be forced to go into battle himself.
Li Shimin's face showed bitterness, he looked back at Cuiwei Palace's defense line, and whispered: "You go first."
Ling Jing, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others walked back silently. Su Dingfang, Cheng Yaojin, Chai Shao and other generals also gathered silently. Some soldiers from behind brought in war horses that had never been used. .
At this moment, in a dense forest on the east side of Saga Mountain next to Jushui, Liu Hei'er tied the reins to a tree trunk, took out bean cakes from the bag with one hand and fed it to the war horse, and slowly stroked the horse's hair with the other hand. .
Liu Hei'er didn't think too much about it. He went south from the grassland, first attached to Liang Shidu, and then to the Tang Dynasty. He experienced too much in just one year. Now the tribe has settled in Lingzhou, and letters from his uncle and brother are all It is said that the conditions are not bad and the rewards from the court are generous, which shows that King Wei Si still has credibility.
Liu Heier stayed in Sun Moon Lake to serve as the commander of King Wei Si, but he knew very well that he was different from other people and the other commanders of the personal guards. His position, trust, and closeness were all very different.
But Liu Heier could vaguely sense that Alang had a lot of trust in him. Considering that His Majesty and King Qin were now in Renzhi Palace, and the Crown Prince was in Chang'an, he felt that this trust probably came from his father Liu Bicheng.
My father was seriously injured and died of illness in Tongwan City, but ultimately, he died at the hands of the Tang Prince Li Jiancheng.
Liu Heier can almost guess his Alang's position.
Glancing at the bodyguard not far away who was staring attentively at the mountain opposite, Liu Hei'er became very curious. After settling in Sun Moon Lake, he heard that Alang's knowledge was extremely mixed, and this telescope was an example.
However, the real role of this telescope is very limited, such as today, but it is not very useful on the battlefield, especially on the grassland.
There are cavalry on the grassland, which can be seen with telescopes. Through the vibration of the ground, experienced veterans lying on the ground can judge the direction and the approximate number of troops and horses.
"I didn't find it." On the west side of Saga Mountain, Fan Shiyi took out his binoculars and looked carefully. On the narrow road, except for Wang Junhao and twenty horsemen escorting a carriage, he walked forward leisurely. Okay, nothing unusual was found.
"So far today, two or three batches have been intercepted and killed." The guard who had been watching nearby had his lips so dry that his skin was peeling. He took a sip of water from the bamboo tube. "On the south side of Juyuan Bridge, the hidden On both sides of the road, Brother Junhao is too risky."
"Shut up!" Fan Shiyi scolded, "It doesn't matter, they are all wearing bright light armor and carrying shields."
The personal guard stopped saying anything and stared intently with his telescope. Wang Junhao drove his horse forward slowly, holding a horse pole on the horse's back in his left hand and a shield in his right hand. His eyes kept scanning for any possibility on both sides of the road. 's hiding place.
"This is..." Under a cliff on the south side of Juyuan Bridge, an extremely majestic man scratched his chin and murmured in a low voice: "Could he be a scout... It doesn't look like that."
Indeed, there were no scouts with horses and shields. They looked like they were escorting some important person or item.
But no matter what it is, it must be going to Fangzhou. If you go to Fangzhou at this time, it must be going to Renzhi Palace.
"Do it."
Wang Junhao, who had been keeping his ears pricked up, heard the sound of the strings and immediately shouted and raised his shield. Although he failed to stop all the sneak attacks, one of the guards was pierced by a long arrow in the shoulder. The arrow was so powerful that he knocked the guard off his horse. The other arrows were stopped by the raised shield.
Dozens of strong men jumped out from the roadside on both sides, all holding knives and guns. Wang Junhao did not hesitate. He raised the horse pole high in his hand and used his legs to drive the horse forward. He slowly lowered the horse pole and pointed directly at the big man in front.
The face of the majestic and powerful man changed drastically. He was definitely not an ordinary person who could rush into the battle at such a short distance at a high speed... Indeed, although Wang Junhao did not have the ability to lead an army, he could not lead the army independently in the battles of Jingzhou and Yuanzhou. Li Shan would have a capable person beside him. Experienced veteran.
But when it comes to rushing into battle, as the nephew of Hebei's number one general Wang Fubao, Wang Junhao is not much worse than top generals such as Su Dingfang, Xue Wanche, and Yu Chigong.
In the blink of an eye, the horse in Wang Junhao's hand effortlessly knocked away the big man at the head, swept left and right, and broke out of the formation. However, the guards behind him did not go so smoothly. Only four or five people rushed behind Wang Junhao. After leaving the encirclement, the other guards were stopped.
In such a short distance, it is difficult to speed up the horse quickly. In this case, riding a horse is at a disadvantage. But what the other party did not expect was that the remaining fourteen or five guards jumped off the horse without hesitation. , with the shield facing outwards, forming a small defensive formation, protecting the two injured guards in the middle.
"Lift the chess, lift the chess." Fan Shiyi roared, jumped off the boulder in one stride, and walked quickly down the mountain.
In the dense forest on the east side of Mount Saga, a guard holding a telescope shouted loudly: "Raise the flag."
Liu Heier grabbed the telescope to confirm, untied the reins, mounted his horse, turned around and said, "Try to capture him alive."
"Yes." Dozens of guards responded in unison.
The majestic man's face was ugly, not because he saw that the carriage was empty, but because he hesitated whether to kill these dozen people or chase the four or five cavalry who had escaped. But what he didn't expect was that Wang Junhao broke out of the encirclement. Instead of escaping from Juyuan Bridge, he reined in the reins and turned back, staying dozens of steps away, wandering back and forth uncertainly.
Obviously, they are preparing to fly a kite. If you dare to come, I will urge the horse to stay away. If you dare to attack those dozen people, I will support you from the outside to prevent you from using all your strength.
Wang Junhao showed a sarcastic smile, bent down and took out a big bow, set the bow and fired an arrow. After the bow string sounded, a big man fell to the ground with an arrow in his chest without any suspense.
The majestic man said in a low voice with a cold face: "Go get the horse."
It's not that there are no mounts, it's just that in an ambush here, the horses are of little use.
But the next moment, the majestic man's whole body was shaken, and he turned his head to look to the south, with a look of despair in his eyes. Within his sight, nearly a hundred cavalry were galloping towards him, with the force of thunder, and the ground was shaking with the hammering of their horse hooves.
There are cliffs on both sides of the road, and there is no place to run. There is a place to run near Juyuan Bridge, but Wang Junhao and four personal guards were guarding there, and a dozen personal guards who were supposed to form a defensive formation were also killed. Come out and hold your opponent back.
After that, it was easy. Nearly a hundred cavalrymen bulldozed them. The majestic sword in Liu Heier's hand flew away the majestic man led by him. Some of the dozens of men knelt down and surrendered, some resisted desperately, and some ignored Wang Junhao's life-threatening bow and arrow. Escape from both sides of Juyuan Bridge.
"No need to chase." Liu Heier called to Wang Junhao, who was unwilling to give up, and mouthed at the tied up majestic man, "He is the leader."
Wang Junhao glanced at it and said, "Well, I think I've seen it somewhere before."
Two quarters of an hour later, Li Shan, who was standing on the Juyuan Bridge, looked at the majestic man and showed a sincere smile, "It turns out to be Brother Yuwen."
Phoenix Valley dozens of miles away.
Yang Wenqian saw a well-dressed cavalry slowly marching out of the battle from a distance. He was frightened at first, and then he was ecstatic. If the King of Qin had always chosen the opportunity to charge into battle and won, today he was obviously forced into a desperate situation and rushed into battle.
This is called returning light.
