In Chengzhou City.
Wang Shao was sitting in a hut next to the city gate, drinking wine. Besides the wine, there were also a sheep's head, a plate of sheep's liver, and a sheep's hoof on the table.
Generally speaking, people who are demoted should be given half salary. Wang Shao's treatment would not be so good.
But not only could he afford to eat, but he also supported more than a hundred confidants, dozens of wives and children, and dozens of servants at home.
Although he had no worries about food and clothing, and local officials were polite to him, the depression and melancholy in his heart had nowhere to go.
As the sun sets, bells ring in the distance, and businessmen come from afar.
Wang Shao raised his head and glanced at the caravan, letting the smoke kicked up by horse hooves on the roadside billow, and he drank another glass of wine.
Wang Shao's eyes were solemn, he looked far to the northwest and continued to drink.
After a while, a group of cavalry galloped towards the city gate. The soldiers at the city gate stopped them. The cavalryman yelled and cursed: "I have an urgent message. How dare you stop me?"
The soldier said: "No galloping is allowed at the city gate..."
"Who made the rules? I have to whip him!" the cavalryman yelled.
"I decided." Wang Shao smashed the wine glass, walked from the Zhailu to the city gate, and scolded with a sharp look in his eyes, "Do you want to whip me?"
Seeing Wang Shao's extraordinary momentum, the other party hesitated for a moment and did not dare to answer.
Wang Shao said: "When I first commanded the army, I could kill not just dozens, but hundreds like you!"
After Wang Shao finished speaking, his followers all laughed.
"This old man is so dizzy, do you still think he is a businessman?"
"What are you dreaming about!"
When Wang Shao heard the words "Jinglue Xianggong", his face showed a gloomy look, and then he smiled wryly at himself.
But the leading cavalryman seemed to remember something and asked, "Could it be that you are the deputy general manager of the king?"
Seeing that Wang Shao did not admit or deny, the other party's expression changed and everyone jumped off their horses to see him and said: "The villain has eyes but does not recognize the superior."
Wang Shao was very silent and waved his hands and said: "Although Wang is now demoted to the city gate official, the rules cannot be changed. What message are you going to deliver here?"
The other party said with a respectful look on his face: "The prince knows that Mr. Zhang Jinglue sent troops from Hezhou City yesterday and went straight to Tabaicheng!"
Wang Shao was startled when he heard this and grabbed the other person and said, "Is this serious?"
The other party was frightened by Wang Shao's ferocious look and said: "How dare you lie to the prince with how many lives a villain has?"
Wang Shao was startled when he heard the words, and his expression turned into contemplation. Then he seemed to remember something and put down the cavalryman. He quickly ran into the hut and drew something on the ground with a straw stick.
Everyone looked at each other in shock when they saw this scene, and then boldly followed Wang Shao inside to see what the other party was painting.
But there was a large plate of sand on the ground, with cities, rivers, mountains, and roads marked on it. Wang Shao was already squatting in front of the sand map, holding his head in his hands, looking thoughtful, and murmuring something. Words about how to march and use troops.
"Raja?"
"Raja?"
The other party asked, but Wang Shao didn't notice at all, completely immersed in the sand picture in front of him.
Seeing this scene, everyone felt that this man was pitiful.
Everyone looked at each other and silently exited the Zhailu and mounted their horses together.
The leader smiled at the people around him and said, "I am an extraordinary person, that's all."
The crowd burst into laughter, then rode off with their horses and whips raised.
At this moment, Wang Shao was still squatting in front of Shatu and kept mumbling to himself for a long time. No one else could hear what he said clearly.
Only a few words that were repeated repeatedly could be heard clearly.
'I also thought he would miss his old relationship. "
"I, Wang Shao, have no hope of rebirth in this life."
…
Under the white city, Muzheng and Guizhang were sitting together in a tent.
Inside the tent, each of their followers was holding a sharp knife, looking at each other with a bit of vigilance and unkindness in their eyes.
Guizhang took his time and said: "I heard that there was a Han named Ban Chao. When he was on a mission to other countries, he united with the other king to attack the Huns. Unexpectedly, the Huns' envoy also arrived at this moment. The king of this country was swinging between the Han and the Huns. ."
"What do you think this Ban Chao did? He actually led his thirty-seven men to kill more than a hundred Huns envoys. Finally, he said to the king, you see, the Huns envoys are all dead, so you have no choice but to follow our Han emperor. "
Mu Zheng looked livid after hearing this, and then said: "Zhi Yuan is not an ordinary messenger."
Guizhang said: "So what? I killed Jing Sili and made enemies of Song Dynasty, but how did I make enemies of Song Dynasty? Not because of what Mu Zheng said. Now you want to negotiate with Song Dynasty , do you want to ask me what I mean?"
Mu Zheng said angrily: "I, Mu Zheng, have never thought about negotiating with Song He. I only receive Zhiyuan out of respect."
Guizhang laughed and said: "Admiration? A dead monk is more worthy of admiration than a living monk. Well, let's not talk about this. I think the Song army will send troops in these few days."
Mu Zheng thought to himself, nonsense, if you kill Zhiyuan, the Song army will definitely raise troops to fight.
When the two sides were arguing, Yiqi suddenly came to report.
"The Song army in Hezhou City has moved! They are coming to Tabaicheng!"
"What?"
Guizhang and Mu Zheng were all shocked.
Guizhang said happily: "It's been three months, and the Song army finally sent troops!"
"How many soldiers are there in Song Dynasty?"
The scout said breathlessly: "There are many scouts from the Song Army, but we also saw many Song Army flags in the south and north of the city!"
"Trash!" Guizhang yelled angrily, "Try again!"
Mu Zheng lowered his eyes. He knew that once Zhiyuan died, he could only rely on Guizhang. However, most of his subordinates respected Zhiyuan. Because Guizhang killed the other party, the two sides had already formed a deadly feud. But now the Song army attacked We can only discuss it again.
Mu Zheng said: "It's useless for me to argue with you about Guizhang. If you don't doubt me, let's just establish a grammar and fight the Han people together!"
Grammar is an oath.
The Tubo people attach great importance to their oaths of alliance.
When Mu Zheng said this, most of Guizhang's suspicions were immediately eliminated.
…
Along the criss-crossing streams and sparse and vast grassy beaches, the soldiers and horses of the Song Army marched along the dirt road. The herds of yaks they encountered were frightened and dispersed. After the herdsmen restrained the yaks, they saw that the Song Army was in strict discipline and passed through without any offense.
After Zhang Yue swore an oath to worship the flag in Hezhou City, he led the Song army's main force of 15,000 people out of Hezhou City and headed straight from Yanjing Valley to Tabaicheng to find the enemy for a decisive battle.
These are elite soldiers transferred from the Northwest Five Routes, and there are another 30,000 to 50,000 civilians escorting grain and grass to Hezhou and Tabaicheng.
Zhang Yue drove his horses to a small hill. It was very reluctant to call it a hill. From Hezhou City to Tabaicheng, it was a grassland with minimal fluctuations.
Zhang Yue stationed his horse on a hill and watched the army march from a distance.
Marching on foot over a distance of dozens of miles is a great test of the quality of the troops. Scenes like the Huang Wei Corps in the movie The Final Battle are already classics.
The cavalry is fast, the infantry is slow, and the baggage troops are even slower. How to coordinate them is all an article. It's not something that someone like Zhang Yue, who is an armchair strategist, can know.
In the Song army, only veteran generals like Zhang Shouyue could make appropriate arrangements.
Cai Jing on the side couldn't help but sigh: "Our army is so powerful, it is really spectacular!"
Xu Xi smiled and said: "All the elite soldiers of the five northwest routes are here. The Liao and Xia Kingdoms can be defeated, not to mention the mere Mu Zheng and Guizhang!"
When Zhang Yue saw this, he drove his horse down the mountain. Hundreds of cavalrymen were resting aside. When they saw Zhang Yue's commanders, they all stood up.
When Zhang Yue saw the number, it turned out to be hundreds of proton troops led by You Shixiong. Seeing the strict discipline of the proton army, Zhang Yue nodded.
When You Shixiong saw Zhang Yue arriving, he stepped forward to pay homage and said, "See you, Commander-in-Chief."
Zhang Yue asked You Shixiong, "Uncle Jing is a martial artist?"
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, Xiaguan is a martial artist. He was a disciple of Hengqu when he was young."
Zhang Yue said: "You and Chu Dao (Wang Hou) are both scholars and it is not easy for you to join the army. I will rely on you in this battle."
You Shixiong said: "The commander-in-chief will dispatch you at any time."
Zhang Yue nodded and was about to move forward when You Shixiong said: "Commander Qi, there will be Qiang scouts ambushing us nearby. You must not be too far away from the army."
】
Xu Xi said on the side: "There is a vast plain here, how can the Qiang people ambush?"
You Shixiong said: "This place looks like a flat plain, but there are many meadows hidden. The Qiang people know the terrain very well. If they hide in them to ambush our generals, they will be unable to prevent them."
Zhang Yue nodded and said, "I understand, I will just listen to you."
While setting up camp that night, chaos suddenly broke out.
After the military camp was tense for a while, a soldier came to report and said: "Gui Zhang sent troops to hide in the meadow and ambush our army. Zhang Qian's tent lost dozens of people, and Zhang Qian was almost injured by him."
Everyone was relieved when they heard that Zhang kept his promise and nothing happened.
I also lamented that the Tibetan people are really cunning.
If a general like Zhang Shooyue is defeated as soon as the war begins, it will undoubtedly be a big blow to the morale of the army.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yue couldn't help but feel afraid. Things on the battlefield were unpredictable, and even a small change could ruin a battle that was already a sure win.
Are there still fewer armies capsized in the sewers throughout the ages?
Although I am a lion fighting a rabbit this time, I should not be careless. A well-trained and organized force can definitely prevent accidents.
Zhang Yue said to his left and right: "I'm glad I listened to what Uncle You Jing said!"
The Song army arrived at Tabai City at noon the next day.
Muzheng and Guizhang did not defend the city. Instead, they built three fortresses under Tabai City and gathered troops for defense.
This scene reminded Zhang Yue of the time when Jing Sili's Xihe First Army fought with Guizhang. Guizhang also arranged 20,000 troops into three strongholds to attract the Song army to attack.
In the end, Jing Sili attacked for dozens of rounds but failed to break through the walled city. Instead, he was defeated by Guizhang's troops.
However, when Zhang Yue saw that Gui Zhang was establishing a foothold in the city, he obviously had a clear intention to defend and wait for the Song army to attack, so that he would not attack while his footing was not stable.
So Zhang Yue was not anxious and simply went to camp in front of Gui Zhang. Both sides left the fortified city and squared off face to face, looking for a strategic decisive battle.
The two armies are ten miles apart.
When the army was setting up camp, Zhang Yue led the generals to hold the first military meeting after contacting the enemy, and inspected the terrain. In other words, he set a foothold for the future war.
The military discussions were generally in this way, with Wang Hou and Wang Hou talking, and the others mainly listening.
Zhang Yue has served as the military commander for several years. Although he is no longer ignorant, he does not have the talent to lead troops, and most of the time he can only sit in on the sidelines.
Compared with the officials and Jiang Gong, Zhang Yue never acted on behalf of others or micro-managed things he didn't understand.
He completely delegated the decision-making and deliberation power of war to the generals and staff. It is not necessary to rely solely on one person, as long as it is a collective decision-making that has been fully discussed, it can be adopted.
This is completely opposite to what Wang Shao did.
But with Wang Shao here, Zhang Yue saves trouble. Without him, he can't rely on anyone in particular.
To be fair, Zhang Yue actually wanted to be a hands-off shopkeeper. It's a pity that Wang Shao didn't know the word "patience" and was resentful of himself, so he couldn't use it anymore.
As a veteran, Zhang Shouyue has rich experience, and Zhang Yue absolutely respects the other party's opinions in his heart. However, seeing Wang Hou defeated after a few words of discussion, Zhang Yue also felt that something was wrong.
Zhang Shouyue said: "Below Tabai City is a grassy beach. It looks endless, but in fact it is full of ravines and crisscrossing streams. There are also reed meadows where troops can ambush. If the troops and horses attack lightly, they will be easily hit. Vol."
Xu Xi asked: "Can our army reach Lizhai?"
Zhang Shouyue shook his head and said: "As we approach Lizhai, what should I do if Guizhang attacks the grain road behind me? This is all grassland, and our army is not familiar with the terrain, so we should take care of the grain road first."
Listening to Zhang Shouyue's words, the military generals all followed his lead. As for Xu Xi, Wang Hou and others were far inferior to each other in terms of battle formation experience, so they had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.
At this moment, Zhong Shidao and Zhang Kai were not here... Zhang Yue asked You Shixiong on the side: "Uncle Jing, what do you think?"
You Shixiong, who had been silent all this time, said: "According to my opinion, Guizhang is repeating his old tricks and waiting for us to attack. If this means that we have fallen into his scheme, I think it is better to let him attack."
Zhang Shouyue said: "You mean to wait for our army to capture Cuozhu City and cut off Guizhang's retreat?"
You Shixiong said: "That's exactly it."
Zhang Shouyue muttered: "It is not possible to attack the city by mistake. Even if it is possible to attack it, Guizhang does not have to retreat."
You Shixiong said: "Gui Zhang will definitely retreat. If the city is built by mistake, there will be no danger to defend Yigong City. Yigong City was Wen Buqi's
Welcome to the place where Guizhang’s headquarters is located. Guizhang learned that the fall of Cuozhu City would probably lead to a decisive battle with our army. "
Zhang Shouyue was speechless.
Zhang Yue was secretly happy and asked Zhang Shouyue: "What do you think, old general?"
Zhang Shouyue thought for a while, and finally relaxed and said: "General, you can try this strategy!"
Zhang Yue nodded and said: "Then let's do this. In addition, we will send an order to the whole army to capture Guizhang alive. Those who are in trouble will be rewarded as governors and given one hundred thousand guan in money!"
…
After setting up camp that day, the Song army sent envoys to challenge Guizhang.
Guizhang did not reply, but killed the envoy of the Song army again, and sent the headless body of the envoy of the Song army back on his horse.
Neither the Song Army nor the Fan Army were willing to take the initiative to attack. The initiative in the war was not decided by the inside, but by the outside.
Guizhang had already asked Dong Felt for help, and Dong Felt urged Leng Jipu, another Qingtang and Tibetan general who was as famous as Guizhang, to send troops to Baicheng to reinforce Guizhang in a decisive battle with the Song army.
However, Leng Jipu and Guizhang have always been at odds with each other, and they both obeyed and violated Dong Xiang's orders.
As for the Song Army, they also sent out Zhongshi Dao, and Zhang Kai attacked the wrong city. The news is unknown now, but the partial divisions of the Song Army that had previously surrounded and suppressed the Nanshan Tibetan tribe have now arrived all the way to Tabaicheng.
As for Tabaicheng and the three fortresses built by Guizhang, the Song army continuously sent scouts to inspect the enemy's strength and the terrain of the battlefield.
Guizhang and Mu Zheng also sent their elite troops to intercept and ambush the Song army scouts.
In such small-scale fighting, both armies suffered dozens of casualties every day.
Such a battle is also the first-class way to evaluate the strength of the two armies. On the premise that the casualties are similar, the Tibetan tribe has the advantage of being in a good location and waiting for work. Therefore, Zhang Shouyue and other generals can easily conclude that the Song army's individual combat effectiveness is better than Ghost chapter, the conclusion of wooden recruitment of soldiers and horses.
This is also to be expected.
But this kind of fight is just the prelude before the big war.
At the foot of Tabai City, the Song army's soldiers gathered more and more, increasing to more than 30,000 people. The Song army that encircled from the south and north set up strongholds along the two wings of the Song army's eastern camp, forming a siege of Tabaicheng from a distance.
Although there were many soldiers and horses, the Song Army was short of food supplies. The Song Army Food Road from Hezhou City to Tabaicheng was filled with an endless stream of carriages and horses transporting military supplies.
The confrontation lasted for five or six days. The Song army was preoccupied with waiting for Gui Zhang to attack, and Gui Zhang was also preoccupied with waiting for the Song army to attack.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but think to himself that if Wang Shao saw this scene, he would definitely laugh to death. Both armies lacked initiative and it was a complete game of novices pecking each other.
Zhang Yue thought to himself that he was not good at using troops, so at least the probability of making mistakes on defense would be less than on offense.
Now he just needs to wait for an opportunity!
…
At the foot of Tabai City, Mu Zheng became more and more anxious and said to Guizhang: "The Song Army's soldiers and horses are twice as many as ours, and their soldiers are stronger than ours, but they refuse to fight to the death. They huddle in the stronghold and put on a show." The state of defense."
"You, Guizhang, are also an extremely shrewd person, full of tricks and bad intentions. Is it possible that you are completely helpless in front of Song Jun?"
Gui Zhang had a gloomy face. He set up three fortresses to lure the Song army to attack. He had a little geographical advantage, but he did not expect that the Song army would not even give him this geographical advantage.
Guizhang sneered and said: "The Song army just relies on the fact that they have many soldiers and enough food to fight me in the city. What kind of heroes are they?"
Gui Zhang thought of Jing Sili. He at least sent troops to attack in an upright manner, but the Song army in front of him refused to fight you and was waiting for you to attack.
Mu Zheng said: "Now 80% of the tribes in Hezhou have surrendered to the Han people. You and I are trapped under Tabai City. We are short of both food and soldiers. I don't think we can win this battle!"
Gui Zhang said: "What are you afraid of? As soon as Leng Jipu arrives, we will order our troops and horses to kill him!"
Mu Zheng said: "Leng Jipu? How many days will it take for him to arrive?"
"Not far."
"Report!" But one person said with a cry and panic: "There is news that the Song army broke through Cuozhu City and is now attacking Baoyigong City!"
When Guizhang heard the news, his expression suddenly changed.
His entire family is in Yigong City, and the belongings of his military generals are all in Yigong City.
At this time of sudden change, Gui Zhang said in a deep voice: "The only choice is to fight now, otherwise once the news comes out, my troops will collapse before the Song army fights. Mu Zheng, you'd better surrender to the Han first. I One man leads his son to break out of the siege."
Mu Zheng scolded: "What are you talking about now? Either we defeat the Han army in front of us together, or we die here together."
…
March 5, the sixth year of Xining.
Guizhang and Mu Zheng led more than 10,000 Tibetan soldiers to leave the walled city that had been built for several months and attack the Song army.
