Zhigu Village.
Yan Ming, a subordinate of Li Yun from the Qunmu Station and the local supervisor, was walking under the tall stockade wall.
As he walked, he heard the rumble of cavalry galloping in the distance, and the shouts of enemy sentries one after another.
After all, Zhigu Village is just a lonely fortress, and the number of Dinghai navy fighting here is also limited. After more than ten days of fighting between the enemy and ourselves, the sentries of the Bohai and Khitan people became more and more active day by day, and had already entered the distance visible to the naked eye from the watchtower.
Fortunately, after the beginning of spring, the water volume in Lushui increased a lot, and the wetland area around Zhigu Village was expanding every day, which hindered the enemy's approach. The navy used small boats to transport capable manpower and repeatedly counterattacked. Yesterday, he almost killed the leader of the Khitans, Yelu Kechoubal.
At this time, a group of Khitan sentries were galloping around in the wetlands, and the Dinghai navy elite cavalry in Zhigu village also rushed out from time to time to drive them away.
Both sides were not as capable of riding and shooting as the Mongols, so they often fought at close range. Even standing under the village wall, you can hear the crashing sound of the bow being fired gradually replaced by the clang of the sword slashing and colliding.
Hearing this voice, Yan Ming was a little nervous, as if his whole body was numb and his hands were trembling.
He turned slightly sideways and looked at a merchant next to him who had been stationed in Zhigu Village for a long time, making sure that he felt the same... It might be difficult for others to understand their feelings, but merchants could understand each other.
They have been among the high-ranking families in Zhongdu since they were young. For decades or even hundreds of years, their family has become accustomed to groveling, accustomed to being insulted, and is content to get a little bit of gossip from the fingers of the nobles. Falling food.
The so-called nobles include Jurchens, Khitans, and Bohai people. In short, everyone is superior to Han'er. Even if Yan Ming works for Ding Haijun, he still has to be polite to the big shots in Zhongdu most of the time here in Zhigu Village. The fear, respect and obedience to nobles are the instincts engraved in his and many businessmen's bones.
But the officers and soldiers of Dinghai Navy had no such sentiment at all. The officers and soldiers only had their own side and the enemy in their eyes, and they could only kill the enemy and win the victory.
Yan Ming subconsciously looked up and saw many people gathered on the dark wall of the village, and almost all the soldiers on guard were already in place. It was obvious that they were not nervous, but cheered or complained loudly.
"Okay! Cut down another one!"
"Be careful! Be careful! Ouch!"
"Hurry up! Chase the armored one! Hurry!"
Yan Ming could tell that those shouting loudly were mostly auxiliary soldiers with Shandong accents. The auxiliary soldiers may have had military experience before, but they had rarely fought in serious battles, so they were particularly excited every time they saw fighting. The regular soldiers are all veterans of the battlefield, so they need to be much calmer. In addition, Chen Ran recently recruited a small number of defeated soldiers from Beijing Road, and the defeated soldiers are also very experienced.
Just as I was thinking of this, the sound of hoofbeats sounded in the distance in the street. Liu Ran, who was a soldier in the Beijing Road defeat, rode his horse and rushed to the bottom of the village wall in one breath. Then he got off his horse and ran up.
What happened?
Yan Ming was stunned. He kept a relaxed expression on his face and said to the merchants beside him: "Our army's morale is high and the city is strong. How can we accomplish anything with the rabble outside!"
It is Yan Ming's responsibility to stabilize the mood of the merchants so that they can continue business after the war. The warriors generally kept a respectful distance from the things he was busy with all day long, and the same was true for Liu Ran. At this moment, he climbed up to the top of the city in three steps and two steps at a time, and found Chen Ran, who was wrapped in a cloak and huddled in a corner with his eyes closed to meditate.
When Liu Ran approached, Chen Ran immediately opened his eyes, patted his cloak and stood up.
"What should I say? Is everyone okay? Where is your little friend...that Zhang Pingliang?"
"Two of them died, and the one who was seriously injured may not be able to be saved. Zhang Pingliang was lucky. The arrow did not damage the muscles, bones, and blood vessels, and only the flesh suffered."
Last night, Liu Ran and a team of experts sneaked out from the east of Zhigu Village and went to Liukou to receive the envoy sent by the main force of the Ding Navy. The envoy took a small boat and passed through the Khitan army's defense line at night. However, when he joined Liu Ran and others to retreat, he was discovered by the Khitan army sentries stationed at Liukou. The group fought and retreated, resulting in many casualties.
This time, the Ding navy cavalry was trying to expel the Khitans who were chasing Liu Ran and his party.
"Qian Ju..." Liu Ran stood next to Chen Ran and suddenly showed a bit of hesitation: "When I went to Liukou last night, I bumped into a Khitan. He was from the army of Linhuangfu Road and served in the army. His place is also close to me, and I know his people."
"What a coincidence."
"He secretly told me something."
"What's up?"
"Envoy Guo Xuan was defeated in Liangxiang. It was a big defeat!"
Before Chen Ran could answer, Liu Ran lowered his voice and continued: "I heard that Guo Xuan's envoy raised tens of thousands of troops and joined forces with Hebei's Xuanfu envoy Pusan Anzhen to go north. As a result, they were cowardly led by the Tatar Khan himself in Liangxiang. Xue's army attacked. Anzhen's army in Meng'an, Hebei, collapsed, and he himself was captured by the Mongols! Ambassador Guo... Ambassador Guo's side is even more troublesome. I heard, I heard... "
】
Chen Ran nodded: "The reason why the envoy urgently sent the envoy is for this reason."
"How's it going in Liangxiang? Are we really at a disadvantage?"
Chen Ran said calmly: "The Meng'an Muke army in Hebei is a waste. They were defeated by the Mongols in one battle. It is true. Our navy did not suffer a loss and even killed many people in the Xue army. However, Mr. Without the cover of the Hebei Army, the battle was ultimately at a disadvantage. Based on various considerations, Ambassador Guo Xuan had indeed led his troops to retreat. By now, the Tatar Khan should have led his troops to catch up."
Liu Ran gasped.
Ever since he witnessed the ferocity of the Mongols in Linhuang Mansion, Liu Ran didn't think anyone in the court could turn the tide. He bumped into Ding Haijun at Zhigu Village and witnessed this army's vitality and performance several times. Only then did he regain his expectations for victory, and even cheered up and actively served Ding Haijun.
Now it is suddenly said that the navy has lost?
Chen Ran said that Ding Haijun killed many people in Qie Xue's army, but Liu Ran was not too concerned about this. The Mongols are now powerful, with tens of thousands of cavalry coming in overwhelming numbers at every turn. Even if they kill hundreds or even thousands, it doesn't matter to the overall situation.
The key is that the Ding navy retreated, and they retreated in front of the Mongols!
Liu Ran has been in the army for many years and has seen a lot. He knows that since ancient times, it has been easy to attack but difficult to retreat. After losing the battle and being forced to retreat, it was even more difficult to preserve their strength and avoid the annihilation of the entire army.
Even when the Jin Kingdom was established, several famous generals of the Wanyan clan had tragic records of losing troops and generals when they retreated several times. Those generals who are famous enough to go down in history are still like this. How can Guo Ning, who has suddenly risen, be defeated without chaos and in an orderly manner? Just gathering the morale of the army is more difficult than reaching the sky!
What's more, the Mongolian army relies on the strength of its cavalry and is the most terrifying enemy since ancient times. At this time, it was Genghis Khan himself who led the army to pursue Ding Haijun!
Liu Ran felt his heart beating rapidly. He had been in Zhigu Village for some time, and felt that he was taken care of by Ding Haijun. He also got along well with the officers, commanders, and soldiers of Ding Haijun. He also knew how generous Ding Haijun was to the soldiers and civilians, just like a legendary king's master. At this time, seeing that the navy was going to suffer a big loss, he couldn't feel at ease.
"If the Ding navy wants to retreat, it must march along the west side of the Lugou River. If we mobilize the fleet to break through Liukou, we can go for reinforcements! Qianji, even if he goes slowly, he can still gather the soldiers, but it is not always possible Let the Black Tartars kill people freely! Let's..."
He suddenly stretched out his hand to grab Chen Ran's robe and talked a lot.
"Don't worry." Chen Ran rarely saw this calm young man so impatient.
He patted the back of Liu Ran's hand with some emotion: "I have followed Guo Xuanshi for a long time, and I know that he will never suffer a loss on the battlefield. When you think he is going to suffer a loss, it must be someone else!"
Liu Ran couldn't help but be stunned.
"However, you are right about one thing. The soldiers and fleet must be prepared to attack at any time. But it is not to meet the defeated troops."
Chen Ran pressed the handle of the knife with his other hand and said with full confidence: "The Great Khan of the Tatars is seeking death! The envoy has issued an order. After he wins all the way, we will immediately capture Liukou and control the Caohe River!"
