Zhao Kuo brought five thousand people, each of whom only brought ten days of grain. If some of the soldiers were not arranged properly, they might be cut off today, so Zhao Kuo was anxious to let them enter the camp so that they could have food. But Lian Po's intention was to bring them in after breakfast. He was a little disappointed, but there was nothing he could do.
After a sleepless night, everyone was a little tired, but Lian Po was still energetic. After leading everyone into the big tent, the drums of the gathering army rang. Lian Po whispered to Zhao Kuo: "Major General, order your troops this morning!"
Zhao Kuo's heart was shocked, and all the fatigue in his body was swept away. He immediately asked all the officers he brought to line up in front of the tent. He and Lian Po stood in front of the queue, and all the guests were resting in the tent - it was supposed to be They arrayed themselves in front of the tent.
Twenty thousand people will send military envoys from different directions to report to Zhao Kuo the names of their generals, their battalion numbers, their current strength, and their garrison locations. Zhao Kuo didn't understand the situation and could only give orders one by one to strengthen the defense. He had no other instructions. Although it was just a routine matter, the twenty people's reports continued for some time.
Then it’s breakfast time. Zhao Kuo discovered that Changping was indeed half-fed. The porridge in the bowl was clear, and each person only had one bowl; the vegetables and fruits were wild vegetables and fruits picked from the mountains, which were a little bitter. Zhao Kuo's heart became heavy. This is what he faces every day, twice a day, two hundred times in about a hundred days from now to October... not to mention endless other things.
After breakfast, Lian Po asked his retainers to free up ten military camps near the main tent for the general's troops to be stationed. And arrange these five thousand people to other camps. The retainer said: "Those who circumvent the tent are all elites in the army. They must not stay away."
Zhao Kuo said quickly: "The new army in Handan can temporarily stay under Shicheng. They will move to camp as soon as possible."
So Lian Po asked several retainers to go to the valley behind Shicheng to find a clean place and set up ten camps. The doorman took the order and went.
Zhao Kuo said: "I would like to patrol the rest again."
Lian Po said: "I'm afraid it's not easy. The Qin people are coming. Young General, let's watch the ministers defeat Qin."
Zhao Kuo was shocked again. It seems that in Changping, they not only have to face two half-full meals a day, but also face a Qin attack every day. He hurriedly said: "I was about to ask for advice on how to defeat the enemy!"
Lian Po glanced at Zhao Kuo and his officers and said, "Let's take a nap for a while, otherwise there is nothing we can do to help!" Then he went out and informed the lookout: "If you see the Qin army coming out, report it!"
The tent fell silent, and Zhao Kuo felt tired and excited. Waves of tension hit his tired body, making him unable to calm down or think about problems. He looked around, and all the young generals following him also had the same expression. Zhao Kuo said: "Have a good sleep for a while. I will carefully observe the movements of Qin and study in detail the strategies to defeat Qin!"
Not long after, the lookout shouted: "The Qin army is coming out!" Zhao Kuo and others jumped up and rushed out of the tent. But he saw Lian Po already standing on an earth platform at the foot of the mountain. When Zhao Kuo and others came to the stage, Lian Po said: "I have no status, please fight!"
Zhao Kuo hurriedly said: "I wait and see!"
Lian Po ordered: "Drum beat, yellow flag!"
A white flag was raised on the earth platform, and war drums were beaten at the same time. There is also an earthen platform at the foot of the third mountain, on which three flags are raised, and war drums are beaten at the same time. Lian Po saw that there was a response there and ordered his earthen platform to stop beating drums. While watching the soldiers from each battalion leave the camp and go to the fortress, he explained to Zhao Kuo: "I have 400,000 people as five armies, each with a flag, red, yellow, blue, white, and black." He gave instructions while speaking. Show it to Zhao Kuo. The five-color flags are hung under the flagpole, and there are people guarding them. Whatever flag Lian Po orders to raise, someone will raise it.
Then Lian Po pointed to the mouth of the valley more than twenty miles away and said, "Most of the Qin people came out from there." When Zhao Kuo looked, there was no army at the mouth of the valley, so he asked, "Where is his army?"
Lian Po pointed to the mountain beside the valley and said, "Look at the ridge, there is a flag moving."
Zhao Kuo looked towards the ridge, and at Lian Po's reminder, he seemed to see the flash of the flag. Zhao Kuo asked: "Is it necessary to rush out of the battle? Is it okay to be a little late?"
Lian Po said: "The way to victory is to wait for work at ease. It is better for me to arrive first and wait for the enemy, than for the enemy to arrive without defense. You should observe the way to defend against the enemy."
The Danshui Barrier is located at the foot of the mountain. There is almost no terrain blocking the view on the earth platform. Zhao Kuo can clearly see the situation when Zhao Jun rushed to the barrier. When the Zhao army all fell on the side of the barrier at a distance of one step, the Qin army at the entrance of the valley also began to appear.
Zhao Kuo concentrated his energy and watched carefully. The first thing the Qin army came out was the banner soldiers, who set up their own gates. Then the troops from far to near filled the banners one by one. In just a moment, a large formation of 10,000 people was formed. Lian Po said to Zhao Kuo: "You are lucky, General, to watch the Qin army's formation." Then he ordered: "Grow the horn!" The trumpeter behind him immediately raised the horn, mustered up all his strength, and blew it, making a melodious sound. Not long after, the same long trumpet sound came from the foot of the opposite mountain.
There was a burning smell in the air. The Qin people did not move out immediately, as if they were arranging something. Zhao Kuo felt very uneasy. He was worried that if the Qin people concentrated their strength and made a sudden charge, he might not be able to bear it. He quietly looked at Lian Po, who looked calm, concerned and peaceful.
There was a faint sound of drums from the Qin army, and the Qin formation was shaking slightly, coming north. A horn sounded at the foot of the mountain opposite, and flags were raised one after another, notifying the troops on the Danshui Defense Line to prepare for battle. For unknown reasons, the Qin army did not attack the opposite barrier nearby. Instead, they marched several miles north and formed a good position at the front of the barrier at the foot of Danzhu Ridge. This was happening right under Zhao Kuo's nose. The platform he was on was only four or five miles away from Zhao Jun's fortress.
The defenders on Danzhu Ridge built several pavilions on the hillside, with hundreds of archers in each pavilion. These pavilion barriers are protected by the main position of Danzhu Ridge and are relatively safe. In case of failure, the defenders are allowed to abandon the barriers and return to the main position without having to defend. They are auxiliary positions of the Danzhu Ridge position. But when the Qin army approached, the soldiers on the pavilion barriers also shot arrows condescendingly, threatening the Qin army's flanks and preventing the Qin army from finding the most advantageous attack position. Ten thousand people were aggrieved and bent on a small piece of flat land between the river and the hillside, and their every move was under the surveillance of Zhao Jun.
The Qin army formed a formation one or two miles away from Danshui, and the first line was still the shield soldiers. The leader of the Qin army climbed up the hillside with flags and drums. It was already noon, and the scorching sun was scorching the earth. The first line of shield soldiers of the Qin army began to move forward, urged by the sound of drums.
Zhao Kuo asked: "Why doesn't Qin Nai shoot arrows?"
Lian Po said: "He knew that fighting would be futile, and he was afraid that the arrow would go away without returning, so he didn't shoot."
Zhao Kuo pointed at the Qin army and said, "Aren't those behind that formation archers?"
Lian Po said: "Of course. Although they don't think of it as an attack, they must use it as a battle. If Zhao goes out to attack him, he can use it." As he was saying this, Lian Po suddenly made a "squeak" sound, and Zhao Kuo followed. With a sigh, he also saw the problem. The Qin army sent out a group of 500 shield soldiers, followed by two rows of halberd soldiers. There were only 1,500 people, and the front was only a mile long. Lian Po said: "Qin Bie has a plan, so don't shoot it."
As he was speaking, an order came from below: "Don't shoot without orders!" "The halberdiers go up to the city!" So the halberdiers advanced and hid inside the wall. Seeing that the Qin army was closing in twenty or thirty steps away, a drum sounded in the Qin army, and the Zhao army also sounded the drum. The Zhao army's halberd soldiers who were lying under the wall shouted and stood up, preparing to meet the Qin army's charge, while the archers After shooting the arrow in your hand, immediately step back.
Surprisingly, the Zhao army did not greet the Qin army that was rushing over, but saw the Qin army throwing a bunch of unknown objects. Upon seeing this, the clever commander ordered "lay down", and the soldiers who did not lie down were dumbfounded. There is no damage. Due to the long distance, most things fall outside the wall, and only a few are thrown into the wall. The Qin people shouted and seemed to be about to charge, but they quickly retreated dragging the wounded.
The stench spread between the barriers. Several officers came down to see what the Qin people had thrown in, and there was a burst of vicious curses from the position.
Lian Po also seemed a little angry and said: "The people of Qin have deceived me very much!" When he was young, the ten thousand generals guarding this section sent envoys to report: "The people of Qin have thrown out dung and retreated!"
Lian Po asked: "Why throw it twenty steps away?"
The military envoy took out a bag and said: "Qin people put dung in rags, so they can be large and far away."
Zhao Kuo didn't seem to have expected that the Qin people would come up with such a trick and dig out the dung in his camp to use as weapons.
Just as the report was coming, Zhao Jun attacked again. A group of people changed, but it was still the same formation as before, but this time, after hearing the drums of the Qin army, the Zhao army's halberd soldiers did not get up, but the archers fired dense arrows. This tactic was very effective: when the shield spread out, revealing the halberdiers behind them, arrows whizzed out; although the halberdiers threw the dung of their hands and feet, many more people were injured by the arrows. After all, this was Come prepared once. Qin Jun also dragged his injured companion back.
Zhao Kuo asked: "What if we chase him?"
Lian Po said: "When I was thirty or twenty steps away, I quickly retreated, and I couldn't catch up."
The third time, the people of Qin learned the lesson and no longer used drums to give orders, but instead used passwords. Due to the long distance, Zhao Jun failed to shoot arrows in time when the command was given. After throwing out the dung, Qin Jun quickly retracted behind his shield and retreated, with almost no casualties.
The fourth time, Zhao Jun summed up the lesson in time and beat the drum in time when the Qin army reached the throwing distance, catching the Qin army by surprise and inflicting a large number of casualties on the opponent again.
During the four attacks, although the Qin army threw a lot of dung in front of the Zhao army's barrier, which was very disturbing to their mood, they also suffered casualties. In comparison, the Zhao army took advantage. After the fourth attack, the Qin army returned to the camp gate with a gold medal. The Qin army put up a retreat formation, covered it one by one, and slowly withdrew towards the mouth of the valley. Zhao Jun did not launch a pursuit, and just watched the opponent enter the valley entrance.
After the Qin army retreated, Lian Po asked migrant workers to clean up the dirt in front of the fortress and pick up all the arrows. While the migrant workers were doing these tasks, smoke curled up from the Zhao military camp, but there was no smoke in the Qin military camp. Zhao Kuo and others were still recalling the battle just now on the earth platform. Seeing this scene, they were all surprised and asked, "Why do the people of Qin have no food?"
