Chapter 18: Use the power of water to confuse Zhang Rou's troops; attack with fire to repel the Mongolian army
Last time, we mentioned that after the Mongolian army defeated Xiangyang City, they then occupied Suizhou. The imperial court sent Meng Xian to lead his army to regain the lost territory. Guo Jing and Huang Rong tried their best to recruit deserters in the mountain stronghold. When they heard that Meng Xian was leading his army, they decided to lead the elite soldiers of the mountain stronghold to greet the Song division.
Guo Jing and Huang Rong disguised themselves and mingled with the beggar gang led by Yeluqi. On this day, when they marched to Huangzhou, they met Meng Xian's team camping here. Guo Jing asked Yeluqi to come and see them.
Meng Xian was overjoyed when he heard that a group of nearly 10,000 volunteers had arrived, and found out that they were led by Yeluqi, the leader of the Beggar Clan, and Guo Polu, the son of "Northern Hero" Guo Jing. They lined up and went out of the camp to greet them in person. They were slightly disappointed to see that although Yeluqi and Guo Polu were very impressive, they were just young men. Meng Xian knew that the previous leaders of the Beggar Clan were heroes with strong martial arts skills and loyalty to their country, so it would not be a bad thing to have their help. Therefore, the heroes of the Beggar Clan were organized into the army as a battalion and were subordinate to the Pioneer Battalion. He sent Yeluqi as counselor of military affairs. Yeluqi happily agreed.
Let us also say that after the Mongolian army occupied Xiangyang City and Suizhou, they showed off their power and were arrogant, preparing to use the remaining power of victory to attack the Song Dynasty. So they made rafts in the Zhijiang and Jianli areas and prepared to cross the river south.
The Mongolian army was so powerful that Meng Xian could not think of a foolproof strategy for a while. One day, while discussing with the generals, they could not come up with any good plan. Seeing Yeluqi smiling and saying nothing, he asked him:
"Leader Yelu, you have fought against the Mongolian army in the north. Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"
Yeluqi cupped his fists and said:
"As the saying goes, 'When a strong crossbow is at its end, its power cannot penetrate Lu's silk; when the wind is weakened, its power cannot lift a bird's feathers.' At present, the Mongolian army is at the end of its strong crossbow. Although it looks powerful, it is actually not terrible!"
Hearing this, Meng Xian was overjoyed and said:
"What our army wants is this kind of heroism. The Mongolian army is so powerful that it is frightening to hear. Before our army defeats the enemy, the confidence of the army has not been established, and it will be difficult to conquer the enemy. What should we do?"
Yeluqi muttered:
"Coach, don't panic, let Xiaoke think about it for a night, and I will discuss it with you tomorrow."
Meng Xian praised him for his kindness.
Yeluqi returned to his camp, gathered everyone, and recounted the worries of Commander Meng Xian to the heroes. Huang Rong said:
"The Mongolian army is very powerful with the power of victory. If they blindly respond to the enemy, they will suffer harm. Although they are extremely brave, ferocious and brave, and are famous for their bravery and good fighting skills, they do not understand the art of war. For today's The only way to plan is to set up more suspicious soldiers so that the Mongolian army does not dare to underestimate it. Moreover, the Mongolian army is tired of attacking from a distance and lacks food and grass, which is not conducive to a long war. Our army can only wait and wait for the Song army to regain its morale, and then wait for opportunities to counterattack, and then we can succeed. . During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the former Qin Fu Jian attacked the south. At that time, he saw the vegetation on Bagong Mountain and thought it was the Eastern Jin army. In the end, Xie Xuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty defeated the army with a small number and fled. The idiom "the wind is roaring and the grass and trees are all soldiers" comes from this."
Yeluqi was overjoyed when he heard this, and everyone decided upon it after discussion. The next day, Meng Xian invited him to the commander's tent to discuss matters. Yeluqi said:
"The Mongolian soldiers have always been tough and look down on our Song army. Now that they are outnumbered and we are outnumbered, it is not appropriate to fight with force, but to outmaneuver them wisely."
When Meng Xian heard this, he found it quite agreeable and asked:
"What Hero Yelu said is very much in line with my opinion. But at this moment, what is a strong opponent and what is a wise victory?"
Yeluqi talked eloquently:
"I have the natural danger of the Yangtze River, and the Mongolian soldiers don't know whether we are real or not. The general can send soldiers to put up more flags. During the day, the soldiers can change the color of the flags and uniforms and circulate around. At night, they can set up torches to shine on the river and connect them for dozens of miles. Let the Mongolian army Not knowing the strength of our army, we thought we had an ambush here and did not dare to advance rashly. The Mongolian soldiers rushed thousands of miles away, which is conducive to a quick battle. We waited to see what happened and waited for the opportunity. As long as we waited until the Mongolian soldiers slacked off a little, we could make a big move. Ambush him!"
Yeluqi's analysis was very clear and logical, which shocked everyone. When Meng Xian heard this, he was overjoyed and immediately ordered the arrangement.
The next day, the Mongolian soldiers looked across the river and were horrified to see reinforcements from the Song army. I saw the Song army patrolling, often with teams of different costumes, and flags planted all over the southern hillsides and dangerous places. It was approaching noon, and smoke was everywhere, with no end in sight; at night, the south bank was brightly lit, stretching for dozens of miles along the coast, illuminating the river as bright as day. He hurriedly reported to the coach Zhang Rou. Zhang Rou climbed up and looked far away, secretly shocked! In this formation, the Song army was no less than millions of people. Zhang Rou ordered the Mongolian army not to act rashly and wait for the opportunity before advancing.
The two sides held a stalemate for about ten days, and neither side stood still.
Let's say that Meng Xian followed Yeluqi's instructions every day and deployed suspicious soldiers to confuse the Mongolian army. If the stalemate continued like this, Huang Rong could see the dangers involved. Huang Rong said to Yeluqi:
"The Song army's bluff will be discovered by the Mongolian army sooner or later. If the Mongolian army seizes the opportunity, it will be detrimental to our army. For the current plan, we can take advantage of the Mongolian soldiers to be a little slack and use surprise troops to sneak attack the Mongolian army camp to win by surprise!"
Yeluqi asked respectfully:
"Mom, please tell me how to use the surprise weapon?"
Huang Rong smiled and said:
"Judging from the current situation, we can follow the example of Zhou Yu burning Red Cliff in the late Eastern Han Dynasty."
Yeluqi slapped his head and said as if he was enlightened:
"Okay, we can attack with fire."
Yeluqi excitedly broke into the commander's tent and asked to see Meng Xian. Meng Xian was seen in the tent, frowning, as if he was worried. Seeing Yeluqi asking for an audience, he hurriedly stood up to greet him and asked:
"Leader Yelu, I was about to send someone to invite you, but I didn't expect you to come uninvited."
Yeluqi asked:
"The coach is looking for me, what do you want me to do?"
Meng Xian expressed his worries, and the general idea was the same as what Huang Rong said. They were afraid that the Mongolian army would discover the Song army's bluff and be overpowered by it.
Yeluqi smiled and said:
"For this plan, we and the enemy are unknown. We can take advantage of the Mongolian army's slight slackness and send out surprise troops to attack it."
When Meng Xian heard this, he was very happy and said:
"Tell me carefully, what does it take to be considered a surprise soldier?"
Yeluqi smiled and said:
"It's a small thing, but for today's plan, we can also imitate the story of Zhou Yu's burning of Cao Cao's millions of troops, and use fire attacks to burn them to pieces."
Meng Xian frowned and said:
"I also thought of using this method. In the past few days, I went up to a high place to look around. I saw that the Mongolian army was neat and marching in unison. There were also powerful figures in the enemy army who were familiar with military books and well-versed in history. They seemed to also be interested in fire attacks. Being on the defensive, just fabricating rafts, which are less likely to catch fire, it seems difficult for a fire attack to succeed.”
Yeluqi scratched his head and said:
"Coach, please be patient. Please allow me to think it over tonight and get back to you tomorrow."
Meng Xian waved his hand and said:
"I hope Leader Yelu will take more care."
Yeluqi said goodbye and returned to the camp. He conveyed Meng Xian's words to Guo Jing and Huang Rong. Guo Jing looked at Huang Rong, waiting for her clever idea. Huang Rong said:
"What's so difficult about this? It's the same now. Although we don't have Pang Tong's chain plan to let them connect the ships together, nor do we have Huang Gai to show off the "bitter meat plan" to pretend to surrender and convince them. Fortunately, we also have a surprise force now. ah?"
Everyone was puzzled when they heard this. Huang Rong smiled and said:
"We disciples of the Beggar Clan, all of whom have unique skills, plus some martial arts warriors who came to help, the total number is no less than five thousand. This strange army is not subject to military orders, attacks the enemy camp, and comes and goes freely. This is what Mongolia What the army is afraid of. In Huang's humble opinion, our army can let the Beggar Clan disciples and martial arts patriots sneak into the other side and set fire to the Mongolian camp. The ships here are waiting strictly. Just wait for the fire on the other side to cause the enemy camp to panic, and the Song army will send troops. Attack fiercely and attack from both sides to achieve success!"
Guo Jing shouted:
"This is a great plan!"
Everyone agreed and the matter was discussed. The next day, Yeluqi reported this strategy to Meng Xian. Hearing this, Meng Xian frowned and said:
"This is a very good plan, but it only allows the heroes to take such a strange risk and sneak into the Mongolian military camp to set fire to it. How can I bear it?"
Yeluqi stood up and said with emotion:
"The Mongolian army marched south, and the people of the Central Plains were plunged into dire straits. Every time they thought about it, they had trouble sleeping and eating. The disciples of the Beggar Clan were loyal and righteous, and went through fire and water without fear of life or death. I am willing to lead this group of loyal men to sneak into the enemy camp and set fire to defeat them. The Mongolian army contributed a small amount..."
When Meng Xian heard this, he was overjoyed. The two of them had a good plan. They agreed to use fire as a signal to attack the Mongolian military camp from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Yeluqi returned to the camp and conveyed the coach's wishes to Guo Jing, Huang Rong and other heroes. When Guo Jing heard this, he was inexplicably excited and eager to give it a try. He had the potential to fly across the north bank immediately.
Huang Rong smiled and said:
"It's not easy to set fire to the Mongolian military camp. The Mongolian soldiers are very defensive, so it may not be easy to defeat them." After finishing speaking, he looked at Guo Xiang and said with a smile:
"The second girl has the experience of setting fire to a Mongolian military camp. Let him and his daughter talk about the characteristics of the Mongolian military camp."
Guo Jing gave a very detailed explanation to the martial arts heroes about the formation, flags and checkpoint arrangements of the Mongolian army.
After Guo Jing finished speaking, Huang Rong smiled and said:
"Where's our Miss Guo? Why is she silent now?"
Guo Xiang laughed and said:
"In a sneak attack on the enemy camp, too many people should not go there, as this will easily expose the target. And setting fire to the camp tent is not an option. Xiang'er thought that we could follow Brother Yang's method of burning the Mongolian army's grain garrison in Nanyang. If we want to sneak into the enemy camp, It must be done by burning the Mongolian army's food and grass. Even if it fails, the Mongolian army will be short of food and retreat without a fight."
Guo Xiang remembered that when she was sixteen, Yang Guo gave her three gifts, one of which was to burn the Mongolian army's food and grass to make them retreat without a fight. Guo Xiang has fresh memories of this incident, and still feels sweet when talking about it. Huang Rong smiled and said:
"Now that girl Xiang has come to the point! But Zhang Rou is by no means an easy person to deal with. After several confrontations, he will definitely deploy heavy troops to protect the food and grass. Let alone setting fire nearby, it will be even harder to get close."
A rough voice said:
"Persia in the Western Region is rich in stone paint, which is black in color and ignites instantly when exposed to fire. Guo Daxia is invincible in shooting. If he ties cotton and linen to an arrow, pours stone paint on it, and burns it into a rocket, even if it is five hundred steps away. , and can easily burn its food and grass." Everyone looked at it, and the person who made the suggestion was Wu Jingfeng, the elder of the Eight Bags of the Beggar Clan. Elder Wu is an outsider who practices kung fu. He is unparalleled in the world. He has a big sword and is even more impeccable in dancing. He created his own "Thirty-Six Stances of Jingfeng", which is unrivaled in the martial arts world. He is also good at smelting iron and is a famous forger of the Beggar Clan. A master of sword making.
Huang Rong was very happy when she heard this, but then she frowned and said:
"Although Elder Wu has reached the pinnacle of martial arts and has few rivals in the world, to go to the enemy camp, he must have excellent self-lighting skills. What can I do if this is the case?"
When Wu Jingfeng heard Huang Rong mentioning his shortcomings, his face was ashamed, but fortunately his face was dark and it didn't show up. Then he coughed lightly to cover himself up and said:
"In the past, when the old beggar had a good fortune, he had some in his pocket. Hero Guo can take all of it with him."
Hearing this, Guo Jing smiled and said:
"This is great. You can choose a few archery masters to accompany me to burn the food and grass!"
At present, several martial arts heroes who were good at riding and archery were willing to go. Guo Jing asked Wu Dunru, Wu Xiuwen and Guo Polu, who had taught him how to ride and shoot, as his right-hand men. He also selected the one with the best light kung fu among the martial arts heroes who were good at riding and shooting. Those who go together.
Then, Guo Jing and Huang Rong planned carefully. Guo Jing led the two brothers Guo Polu and Wu to set fire to the north; Yeluqi led the left and right guardians of the beggar gang, Elder Liang and Elder Shen, to the east to set fire; Guo Xiang led two eight beggar gang members, Chen Chen and Wang Yang, to set fire to the east. Elder Bao set fire to the west, and Huang Rong led a group of female warriors and Elder Wu Jingfeng, who was not good at light kung fu, led a group of heroes to respond. It was agreed that after setting the fire successfully, they would all gather in the east. Wait for the army from the south to invade, and then attack the enemy camp together.
The plan was decided. Yeluqi sent people to collect two boats from the people and crossed the river at night fifty miles downstream. When the heroes arrived on the other side, it was already Haishi. Huang Rong saw that the sky was dark, so she pulled Guo Xiang and secretly put the soft hedgehog armor into her hand. Guo Xiang insisted on letting her mother put it on. Huang Rong glared and ordered softly:
"Xian'er, listen!"
Guo Xiang had no choice but to take it obediently, find a secluded place to put it on, put on her night clothes, and followed Guo Jing and his entourage as they walked quickly to the west. Just after midnight, I arrived near the Mongolian military camp. I saw that the Mongolian military camp was brightly lit, soldiers were shuttled back and forth, and the defense was very tight. Guo Jing took advantage of the Mongolian army's shift change and waved his hand, and everyone sneaked in quietly according to their own directions. As soon as Guo Xiang, Chen Chen, and Wang Yang came to the west, they saw a fire starting in the east, and then Guo Jing and his son also started a fire in the north. Without thinking, Guo Xiang whispered: "Set fire!" Upon hearing the order, the two Beggar Clan elders lit fires and set fires everywhere. Suddenly thick smoke spread everywhere. The Mongolian army woke up from their sleep, grabbed their weapons and rushed over. Guo Xiang urgently ordered, "Get out!" He took the two elders of the Beggar Clan and jumped towards the east.
When I came to the east, I saw Yeluqi and the two elders of the Beggar Clan being surrounded by Mongolian troops in the middle of Gaixin. They were rushing from left to right. There were countless Mongolian troops overlapping each other. Without thinking, Guo Xiang led the two elders to rush in. Guo Jing and Huang Rong from the north and east also rushed to respond. The three teams attacked together and rescued Yeluqi and others.
Suddenly, the warships from the south bank rushed over together with loud shouts. The Song army commanded by Meng Xian reached the north bank and rushed into the enemy camp. When the Mongolian army was frightened, four sneak attack teams had united together. The Beggar Gang disciples, led by the young and old of the Guo family, forced their way in from the east.
That night, a north wind blew. The wind took advantage of the fire, and the fire assisted the wind. It only made the Mongolian army burnt and miserable. Meng Xian's army defeated 24 Mongol villages and burned more than 2,000 boats and rafts. The Mongolian army was forced to retreat in panic, retreating a hundred miles north, still terrified and inexplicable.
There is poetry to prove it:
Thick smoke rises along the Yangtze River,
The fierce battle in Chibi happened again.
If the unjust teacher invades from the south,
Failure is always instantaneous.
Exactly: The Yangtze River Fire Attack is happening again, and unjust enemies always suffer disaster. If you want to know the result, please listen to the breakdown next time.
