On the 22nd of the first lunar month, it was already snowing, and the wind and snow blocked the view. Yang Anxuan had to order a stop. According to the report of the scout, the horse-drawn sledge was still more than 20 miles away from Qicheng.
Yang Anxuan originally planned to launch an attack on the Xia army besieging the city at Shenshi, but now he could only resign himself to fate.
He put a woolen felt blanket over his head to keep out the cold, and even put one on his horse. When the snow fell, it quickly turned into a vast expanse of white. Even if he got closer, it was not easy to see that there were more than ten thousand Yong troops lurking on the Jinghe River.
Two thousand pairs of sledges, each with two horses, pulled half the baggage and half the people. There were 8,000 soldiers on the sledges, plus four thousand light cavalry, totaling 12,000 people, stretching for five or six miles on the Jingshui River.
They were not far from the Xia Army camp and did not dare to light a fire to make rice. The Yong Army soldiers gnawed on dried meat and cooked fried noodles. If they couldn't swallow it, they grabbed a handful of snow on their bodies.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and such weather also had its advantages. Xia Jun's reconnaissance cavalry could only wander around for a few miles, and then returned to camp to avoid the wind and snow. No one thought that Yong Jun would appear in such weather.
There were no trenches dug or walls erected around the Xia army's camp. Countless felt tents were spread out around the lacquered city, blocking all sides of the city. Helian Guang's big tent was guarded by the tents.
The big tent was steaming with steam. Large pieces of mutton were placed on the table on a two-foot-long copper plate. The rich aroma of kumis exuded a strong aroma, and there was a sound of swallowing in the tent.
He Lianhuan was having trouble swallowing. He was defeated by Fu Hongzhi in Qicheng more than a month ago. His father Khan was furious and sent several brothers to help him.
As the eldest son, He Lianhuang knew clearly that his father was raising a son like a wolf, and he watched as the brothers who came to his aid were grinding their teeth around him.
Glancing at the two brothers who were feasting and drinking beside him, He Lianhuan felt cold in his heart. If he lost power, these two people would probably be like He Lianlun and come to drink his blood and eat his flesh.
Originally, his father Khan had a preference for his fourth brother Helianlun. This time he captured Fu Hongzhi and showed his face in front of his father Khan. I am afraid that he is even more interested in seizing the heir.
Father Khan ordered his sons to seize Xinping County, and he, Helianchang and Helianman besieged Qicheng, while Helianyan, Helianlun and others sent troops to plunder everywhere and ignored Helianjuan's recruitment.
If Qicheng cannot be captured as soon as possible, Father Khan will become more and more disappointed with himself, and his command may be lost.
Without the support of soldiers and horses, the crown prince's position would not be preserved. Qicheng was like a hard bone stuck in his throat, making it difficult for him to sleep or eat well.
He Lianhuan slammed the boning knife in his hand on the table, and shouted to Helianchang and Helianman who were immersed in eating: "You two, don't just eat. Helianlun has already occupied Quyi, and Helian Yan and the others joined forces to form a force. Father Khan sent an envoy to reprimand him. If Qicheng cannot be captured within five days, He Lianlun may take over Yu's position as commander of the army." Helianchang threw away the stick in his hand nonchalantly. , said: "Brother, don't worry, He Lianlun and the others only have 12,000 soldiers and horses, they can't compete with us." He Lianhuan said coldly: "I am not afraid of them but afraid of Father Khan. Once Father Khan is convicted, I will also How timid." He glanced at Helianman who was still biting the mutton. Helian snorted: "If Helianlun gains power, your good days will come to an end." Helianman raised his head and said, "Brother Don't worry, I will personally attack the city tomorrow and capture Qixian County for you within three days." He Lianhuang raised the cup in his hand and laughed and said, "The Han people say that brothers who work together can cut off gold. Tomorrow I will lead the army to fight for the enemy. The sixth brother is pressing forward and must capture Qixian County." At the beginning of Youchu, the snow stopped and the sky became dark.
Yang Anxuan ordered the sledge to be hitched and continued towards Qicheng. After the snow stopped, the moon showed its face, and the moonlight reflected the snow, giving off a faint light.
Shen Qingzhi led a group of men and horses to clear the way and walked along the river ice. There were reeds and grass on both sides of the river, so he would not lose his way.
At Xu's hour, the outpost saw the light of fire, and the dark figure of Qicheng was looming under the moonlight. Yang Anxuan ordered a rest. After trekking in the snow for an hour and a half, the horses and soldiers were a little tired.
The horses pulling the sledge untied their nooses and fed them fried soybeans, oats and rice wine, and the soldiers also began to eat and rest.
There was silence all around, except for the rustling of food and the snorting of war horses. The dried meat was frozen hard and his cheeks hurt from biting it. Yang Anxuan took the rice wine mixed with water and swallowed the chewed meat scraps with difficulty. After a while, his body warmed up.
The place where they were stationed was more than three miles away from the nearest Xia Army tent. The wind was blowing north and Qicheng was in the northwest. Occasionally, one or two short horse neighs were blown away by the wind, so there was no need to worry about them being transmitted to the Xia Army camp.
At the time of Hai Zheng, the fire in the Xia Army camp gradually extinguished, leaving only a few stars. Seeing that the soldiers were almost rested, Yang Anxuan began to gear up and mount their horses. Four thousand horses, plus four thousand horses pulling sledges, and eight thousand light cavalry were ready to go.
Yang Anxuan held his long spear high and shouted: "Blood for blood."
"Blood for blood", the roar resounded throughout the world without any concealment. The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, trampling on the foot-high snow, and rushed towards Xia Jun's camp.
The sound of horse hooves woke up Xia Jun, and the roar carried by the wind carried endless murderous intent. He Lianhuang, who had already fallen asleep, was frightened and ran out of the tent. He was covered in fox fur and asked: "Where is the noise?" The guards were frightened. The ground report said: "The Yong army is attacking." He Lianhuang broke out in a cold sweat and asked: "Where did the Yong army come from in this ice and snow? Why didn't the scout cavalry find it?" The sound of fighting could be heard from a distance, and the guards led the troops. He came to the war horse and urged He Lianhuang to take shelter.
He Lianhuan got on his horse and loudly ordered: "Withdraw to the northern camp and prepare the army for war." The horn sounded, and the Xia troops mounted their horses and galloped towards the north.
Yang Anxuan had already led his troops into the camp, with spears flying in his hands and screams that could not be heard without end. At the top of Qixian City, someone woke up Pang Binzhi, who was sleeping in his clothes.
Pang Binzhi quickly came to the city wall, and the shouts of killing could be heard clearly at the top of the city. Pang Binzhi excitedly slapped the wall and said in a hoarse voice: "The reinforcements have arrived."
"General, do you want to go out of the city?" Someone suggested: "Avenge General Fu." Sparks danced in Pang Binzhi's eyes. Just as he was hesitating, Zhao Fangji came over after hearing the news. Hearing the shouts of killing outside the city, To Pang Binzhi: "The situation at night is unclear, it is better to be safe and wait until dawn." Yang Anxuan galloped in the summer cavalry and led his army to kill from the tents in the east of Qicheng to the west of Qicheng. His body was covered with blood.
Not many Xia troops could be seen in the camp. The sound of horns came from the north. It seemed that Xia troops heard the horn call and gathered in the north.
Yang Anxuan raised the long spear in his hand and shouted: "Drink the blood of Hu Lu tonight to pay homage to Mr. Fu's soul in heaven." Shen Qingzhi took the lead in leaping on his horse, brandishing his sword and shouting loudly: "Kill Hu Lu."
"Kill Huru", the roar and the war horses merged into a torrent, and continued to rush towards the north. Two miles north of Qicheng, He Lianhuang looked at his subordinates who were in a state of panic. Nearly half of the soldiers were not wearing armor, some did not even have weapons, and some simply did not even ride horses, panting and panting.
The sound of horse hooves came like a surging tide. He Lianhuan aroused his ferocity, brandished his scimitar and shouted wildly: "The prairie men are all eagles and fierce wolves, come with me to tear those Han slaves into pieces." He urged his mount, He Lianhuan was the first to rush out, followed by countless Xia Qi
"Ho ho" shouted, following him towards Yong Qi. Under the pale moonlight, two black torrents collided, and the sounds of people shouting, horses neighing, cries of pain, and crashing were mixed together, turning into rolling thunder that rushed and exploded on the ground.
A little bit of light flashed under the moonlight, but it brought endless darkness. Helianbobo founded the Xia Kingdom. He had more than 100,000 light cavalry under his command. However, the number of troops stationed in the royal court and directly under his command was only 30,000. The other troops came from tribes that relied on him, large and small. These tribes usually grazed and lived on the grasslands. When the war broke out, Helian issued a recruitment order, and the warriors of the tribe came to fight with their own horses and weapons.
Helian Huang was the crown prince of the Xia Kingdom. Helian Bobo asked him to lead an army to seize Xinping County and gave him 20,000 troops, of which 5,000 were elites from the royal court.
However, He Lianhuang was severely defeated by Fu Hongzhi, nearly half of his troops were lost, and more than a thousand of the royal court's elite were killed or wounded.
When they besieged Qicheng again, He Lianchang and He Lianman each brought 3,000 soldiers and horses, and Helian Guang's men barely managed to gather another 20,000 troops.
Just now Yong's army attacked at night, and Xia's army fled in a hurry. Although the casualties were not large, many soldiers did not carry weapons or ride horses. The number of people following He Lianhuang's charge was only about 10,000, which was similar to the number of Yong's army.
The Xia army was mostly composed of tribal warriors who had been familiar with riding and shooting since childhood. He Lianhuan had confidence in these warriors.
When they meet on a narrow road, the brave wins, and the swords collide with each other. Xia Qi was horrified to find that the scimitar in his hand was cut off by Yong Jun's sword, and the shining edge continued to strike towards him with undiminished power.
Outside Chang'an City, Helian Bobo fought with the Yong army and found that the weapons were inferior, so he ordered Chigan Ali to forge precision weapons. Chigan Ali forged the Dragon Bird Sword and also forged a batch of weapons that could be called precious blades.
However, Chigan Ali just ordered the craftsmen to hammer repeatedly with manpower. This was inefficient and the number of good soldiers created was limited. He could only equip more than a thousand personal guards around Helian Bobo, but even the soldiers of the Royal Court could not satisfy the replacement. outfit, not to mention the warriors in the tribe.
The men in front fell to Yong Jun's swords and guns one after another. Xia Qi realized the gap in equipment and did not dare to directly touch Yong Jun with his weapons. He could only rely on his dexterity to dodge and fight back, but was suppressed by Yong Jun.
Pang Binzhi felt that the city walls were trembling slightly. Tens of thousands of war horses beat the ground at the same time with an astonishing force. The roaring like a tide could not be a disguise sent by the Xia army to lure the enemy.
Unable to hold back the boiling blood in his chest any longer, Pang Binzhi said to Zhao Fangji: "Brother, you must guard the city strictly. I will lead the army to fight out of the city and call for reinforcements." Zhao Fangji heard the sound of killing outside the city shaking the sky. It really didn't look like a lie. , warned: "Brother, be careful." Half a quarter of an hour later, the east gate of Qicheng City opened, and Pang Binzhi led only 800 light cavalry to fight out of the city. The moonlight was hazy, and for a while it was difficult to tell who was the friend and who was the enemy.
Shen Qingzhi led his army to fight with Xia's army not far away. When he saw the light of torches in Qicheng, he knew that the defenders in the city were coming out and ordered people to lead them.
After a while, Pang Binzhi led his army to the front of Shen Qingzhi and shouted loudly: "General Ningyuan Pang Bin came to help me. May I ask which general led the army to help?" Shen Qingzhi immediately raised his sword and responded loudly: "My lord, my lord. I have come to avenge General Fu, and I am killing the enemy in the battle." When Pang Binzhi and others heard that their lord was coming, their blood boiled and they fought bravely to be the first.
The number of eight hundred people was not large, but Yong Jun and Xia Jun had been fighting for more than half an hour. The addition of this new group of troops boosted the morale of other Yong cavalry.
The cry of "Revenge for General Fu" resounded throughout the world. The warriors of those tribes realized that the situation was not good, and many secretly rode their horses away from the battlefield and fled into the distance.
Wang Maide noticed the changes on the battlefield and hurriedly caught up with Helian Huang and said: "Your Highness, the Yong army is in great momentum. It's better to stay away for a while." Helian Huang said angrily: "If you run away again, I'm afraid my father will be punished. ." He Lianchang rode his horse over from the side and shouted loudly: "Brother, the Yong army's weapons are sharp and the soldiers suffered heavy casualties. Run away while it's dark." As he spoke, a cold arrow shot from He Lianchang's side. Shooting in front of the door, Helianchang was so frightened that he reined in his horse, then let go of the reins, and the horse ran towards the distance.
He Lianhuan saw Qingqi running away from him, and with a sigh, he rode his horse and fled north.
