The next day, the Song army bypassed the camp again and went to harass the east and west cities of Luzhou.
This time the Song army seemed to be a little carried away. They left late and were caught by the thieves.
Another day, the rebel army reacted quickly. As soon as the Song army reached the east city, they pounced on them. Although they did not really catch up, they fired a few arrows in the direction of the enemy's escape.
At night, Duan Er was discussing matters in the camp. He looked at the generals and said, "Commander, I see that the Song army is a little forgetful and no longer as cautious as before. Generals, do you have a plan to defeat it? To avoid future troubles!"
Zhang Shou offered his advice: "Marshal, I think it is better to bury an ambush army outside the city and inside the city. When the Song army comes to harass again, the two ambush armies will attack together and destroy each other."
Duan Er said: "It's easy to bury an ambush in the city, but the east and west cities are empty and there is no dense forest to cover them. How can we ambush them?"
Zhao Tong said from the side: "Marshal, there is no need to ambush outside the city. As long as the troops are ready here, they will kill immediately if there is any movement over there without waiting for the scouts to report.
Duan Er thought for a while, then reached out and patted the commander's case: "What the two generals said is absolutely true. We will act according to this law. We must destroy these traitorous troops to relieve the hatred in our hearts!"
Fang Han said at this time: "If we really pursue him all the way, will we be ambushed by the Song army instead?"
Duan Er was stunned and thought for a moment: "There are few mountains and forests around Luzhou City. Where can the Song army ambush?"
Fang Han thought for a while and laughed at himself: "But I'm overthinking it. This kid Zhao Tong is good at ambush operations and rarely faces head-on confrontations. When I think of chasing and killing, I think of ambush."
Duan Er shook his head and said with a smile: "Privy Privy Fang, don't worry. If you want to ambush, you must rely on the right location and timing. There are few ambush places around Luzhou, and it's clear sky and daylight. Even if Zhao Tong'er is good at this, there is absolutely nothing he can do!"
After saying this, he immediately ordered the cavalry in the camp to be mobilized and deployed. The Song Army was a cavalry, and if they wanted to catch up with the Song Army, they could only use cavalry.
There were about 10,000 cavalrymen in the camp in the north of the city. Duan Er directly divided them into four teams. He only waited for two teams to ambush inside the east and west city gates early tomorrow morning, and two more teams were ready outside at any time.
In the blink of an eye, the next morning, the Song soldiers continued to harass, and the thieves acted according to their plan. One group ran out of the city gate, and another group ran through the camp in the north of the city. The Song army was caught off guard, and after only a slight resistance, they fled all the way. .
Each of the two Song armies only had more than a thousand people, but there were more than 5,000 cavalry chasing them. These thieves had been tortured by the Song army for several days. Now they were gritting their teeth and chasing after them, and they were constantly furious in their hearts to catch up. These Song soldiers are easy to kill.
Duan Er sat in the tent and listened to Tan Ma's report on the situation on both sides, and couldn't help but laugh: "Now that we have destroyed these two Song army cavalry, I think Zhao Tong will never dare to send anyone to harass him again."
The generals all said yes after hearing the words, and they all showed relaxed expressions.
But at this moment, a panicked voice suddenly came from outside the tent: "Marshal, urgent military situation!"
Duan Er looked at the tent door and frowned: "Come in and talk."
Hearing this, a soldier came in from outside. He was dressed as a scout. He knelt down on one knee and said in a hurry: "Marshal, we found the Song Army five miles north, heading towards the camp!"
Duan Er was stunned and stood up: "Five miles away? Why did you come to report!"
The soldier said bitterly: "Marshal, the younger one is the scout for these five miles. If you can't detect anything further, it is estimated that all the comrades in front were killed by the Song army. The younger one also came back to report the enemy situation when he discovered it. I guess, I guess..."
"What do you think?" Duan Er said angrily.
"The little one ran back all the way on a fast horse, but there are also cavalry in front of the Song army. They are probably coming soon." The little soldier said tremblingly.
"Cavalry?" Duan Er's expression suddenly changed when he heard this: "You mean cavalry?"
Xiaobing didn't dare to speak at this moment, he just nodded tremblingly.
"Ah!" Duan Er's face instantly turned pale, his mouth opened, and he was speechless.
Fang Han's expression on the side also changed greatly, and he said: "It's a serious matter. This kid Zhao Tong repeatedly harasses the city. He is not trying to ambush our army at all, but... to lure the tiger away from the mountain!"
Even though the generals below were born in the green forest, never read a book, and didn't know a few words, they all knew the meaning of "turning the tiger away from the mountain".
Although this is a plan in Tan Gong's strategy, it is also an allusion that everyone is familiar with.
"Prepare troops, prepare troops, prepare for battle!" Fang Han looked at Duan Er who was in a daze behind the commander's case, stamped his feet fiercely, and shouted to the generals.
At this time, the sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance outside, and the generals ran out anxiously. The Song army still had cavalry, but they had nothing.
In such an open area, there are no cavalry and no complex fortifications. Once the battle breaks out, they will have no choice but to escape.
After leaving the stronghold, they saw people shouting horses neighing and smoke billowing not far ahead. The Song army had already reached the edge of the camp's fortifications and was setting up various trenches to destroy traps and horse pits.
"Shoot the arrows, shoot the arrows!" Fang Han shouted. It was impossible to take the initiative now. He just hoped to delay for a while and wait for the cavalry to chase the Song army back.
The generals had already found their own horses and mounted them, dispersed to various places, and directed the soldiers in the camp to shoot arrows outside.
Arrows were also flying from the Song Army's side. The Daoqiao soldiers in front held up their shields to block the arrows while continuing to lay trenches.
But the camp in the north of Luzhou City is too long. Even if there are constant arrows inside, the Song army's offensive is extremely fierce outside. There are shields and wooden chariots blocking the front. In just a moment, a weak point is attacked by the Song army. .
At this time, someone in the Song army was heard shouting: "Brothers, charge in. The rebel army has no cavalry. Once we enter the camp, our world will be ours!"
Someone else shouted: "The commander-in-chief has given an order. If you kill one bandit, you will be rewarded with one pound of silver. If you kill ten bandits, you will be rewarded with five taels of silver!"
When the soldiers of the Song Army heard this, they immediately became red-eyed. At this time, it was no longer the time when money could be exchanged for one tael of silver. One tael of silver could almost be exchanged for three or four guan of money. Five taels of silver was equivalent to more than 20 guan of money, which was almost as much as one year's worth. The salary is too much.
At this time, someone shouted loudly: "The commander-in-chief also ordered that these thieves have stolen gold and silver from them. Anyone who kills them will keep it all, and there is no need to turn it over!"
This time Song Jun was not only red-eyed, but almost bulging out of his eyes. Although these veterans from Gyeonggi Province were not very courageous with guns and sticks, and many of them had never even been on the battlefield, they usually listened to books and read books. Everyone knows where to make money when it comes to war.
The fight against rebellion is the most fertile, and the rebel army has the most money, especially Wang Qing, who has almost conquered the entire territory and looted almost all other prefectures and counties except Luzhou, including gold and silver. At most, it is not comparable to that of an ordinary mountain king.
At this time, they saw a young general from the Song army who was the first to rush out. He had a silver helmet, a Su Luo battle robe, a white dragon pony on his crotch, and a silver gentian spear in his hand. He was Zhang Xian, the ninth commander of the Dragon Guard Army.
Zhang Xian brandished his silver spear, knocking down arrows one after another, and came to the front of the wooden fence. Then with a flick of the spear, he flew away the hardwood fence, and suddenly a gap appeared in the rebel camp.
The Song cavalry from the rear rushed up one after another. Although there were still arrows flying in the rebel camp, the distance was too close and the power was much weakened. The Song cavalry charged and rushed into the camp.
As the gap opened here, several more places in the Luzhou North Camp were breached, and the camp was in chaos for a while.
Zhao Tong was sitting on his horse watching the battle ahead. At this time, no one paid attention to what he was doing. The generals were all running around like headless flies. Under the pressing step by step of the Song Army's cavalry, they were at a loss to advance or retreat.
He quietly turned his horse's head and returned to the Chinese army's tent. He looked through the gap in the cowhide curtain and saw Duan Er still sitting behind the handsome case.
He thought for a while and suddenly shouted: "Marshal, the enemy troops are unstoppable. It's critical here. It's better to return to the city quickly!"
Duan Er was so frightened by his loud shouting in the tent that he trembled violently. Originally, he failed with his troops and didn't know what to do. Only now did he realize that the Song army had already entered the camp.
Duan Er hurriedly stood up and ran out of the tent. Looking from a distance, he saw that the front was covered with blood and flesh. His thieves were retreating steadily, and several generals were directly picked to death by the generals of the Song Army at this time.
Duan Er suddenly felt panic in his heart. Although he was a rogue who was not afraid of death before he rebelled against Wang Qing, after rebelling and becoming an official, he cherished his own life more and more. In the past, Wang Qing's army had mostly won battles, and he had never seen it a few times. The scene in front of you.
"General Li..." Duan Er looked at Zhao Tong and opened his mouth.
"Marshal, retreat to the city quickly. If you don't leave, it may be too late!" Zhao Tong shouted hoarsely with an anxious look on his face.
"Back to the city?" Duan Er nodded hurriedly when he heard this: "Okay, I will go back to the city now!"
Zhao Tong went to the big tent and pulled up a war horse. He handed the reins to Duan Er and said, "Marshal, hurry up!"
After Duan Er got on his horse, he looked further and saw the Song army coming like a tide in the distance. The bandits in the camp could not resist it at all, so they could not help but become even more frightened. He hurriedly said: "General Li, go and tell me this." Order, go back to the city, go back to the city!"
Zhao Tong watched Duan Er running towards the city gate on horseback, smiled slightly, and then shouted towards the front: "Marshal's military order, retreat back to the city!"
Then, he knocked the yellow horse on the butt with the iron spear pole, and the yellow horse kicked off its legs and chased Duan Er in the direction of Duan Er...
The battle did not take long, and it was declared over before even half an hour, and the Song army won a complete victory.
Before Luzhou North City, the original camp had long been broken into pieces, with blood stains everywhere. Corpses of rebel soldiers were scattered everywhere. Many soldiers of the Song Army were groping around on the corpses, not knowing what they were looking for.
Under the banner of Shuaizi in the rear, Zongze's face was solemn, and after thinking for a while he said: "Generals King Lu, please quickly lead people to meet the two cavalry, and be careful not to make any mistakes on the way."
King Lu Junyi reported to the two men that they had taken the order, each with a sentry, divided their things, and went to meet the two cavalry groups harassing Luzhou.
Zongze originally planned to follow the survivable strategy of sending two cavalrymen to harass Luzhou, and then lure the rebels to follow up and set up an ambush again. However, he later sent scouts to check the terrain east and west of Luzhou and found that there was no place for ambush, so he thought again Unexpectedly, this plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain worked in one fell swoop.
Zongze then said again: "Give me the order to clean the battlefield and retreat three miles to dig and build fortifications."
Cleaning up the battlefield is inevitable, and is usually done by the victor. There are too many corpses of the rebel army, and it is impossible to bury them, so they gather in one place, sprinkle kerosene on them, and burn them in a big fire.
At this time, the city of Luzhou was in chaos. The camp in the north of the city was defeated miserably. Only some of the remaining troops, numbering only more than 10,000, followed the retreating generals and ran back to the city.
Originally there were 50,000 soldiers in the camp in the north of the city, of which 10,000 cavalry were separated to chase the Song army. This was the only 40,000 soldiers left. This was because the bandit army in the city came out to respond, otherwise I am afraid that these people would not be left.
After a huge defeat, people in Luzhou City were panicked. Wang Qing was furious in the court hall, and Duan Er lay on the ground shivering, not daring to say a word.
"Trash!" Wang Qing pointed at Duan Er and yelled: "You bastard, you can still suffer such a defeat with your back to the city. Could it be that your brain has been eaten by a dog? Where are those cavalry, all those lonely cavalry!"
Duan Er muttered: "Everyone has gone to chase the two harassing Song armies..."
"I'm just asking you now, how are those cavalry doing now!" Wang Qing was so angry that he reached out and grabbed the inkstone on the case and hit it hard, right in the middle and on the forehead, making him say "ouch". Donate blood. It immediately flowed down my forehead.
Duan Er complained in his heart, how could he know how the cavalry was doing now, but so many cavalry should not be able to cause serious trouble. Even if there was an ambush by the Song army, they could still run away even if they were unable to defeat them.
"I...I don't know." Duan Er kowtowed hurriedly, the blood on his head stained the ground: "Maybe, maybe he is rushing back?"
"Come here, take Duan Er to prison alone!" Wang Qing was so angry that he was furious. There were ten thousand cavalry. How many cavalry did he have in total? This was the capital accumulated from one battle after another. At this moment, Duan Er ignored it and threw it outside the city. I am afraid it was not going to end in disaster.
"Prime Minister!" Wang Qing turned to look at Li Zhu: "What should we do now? Should we send a message to other states and cities to send troops to help?"
Li Zhu shook his head and sighed: "Your Majesty, the other states and cities each have only a few thousand infantry. Even if they are all sent, what will it be of much use? At the moment, we just hope that the 10,000 cavalry outside the city will come back soon. "
Wang Qing frowned: "Now there are only more than a thousand cavalry left in the city, and the infantry cannot go to respond..."
Li Zhu said: "After the Song Army's victory in front of the city, they will definitely send people to hunt down those cavalry. However, the Song Army's combat power is weak, so these cavalry may not be able to escape on their own."
Wang Qing was stunned when he heard this: "Prime Minister, is there really no other way to go and respond?"
Li Zhu shook his head and said: "There is no way. Although the Song army's cavalry exceeds our army, it is impossible to send out all of them. They also need to use cavalry to suppress Luzhou so that they can set up camp. Our army has 10,000 cavalry, and they can only send this number at most." If we go to chase them, as long as our cavalry doesn't want to fight, it won't be a problem to get at least half of them back."
"Half?" Wang Qing's eyes widened: "Prime Minister, the other party can send up to 10,000 troops, and our army also has 10,000 troops. How can it be possible that only half of them can come back?"
Li Zhu glanced at him and said: "Your Majesty, now that the Song Army is approaching the city, even if all the 10,000 cavalry return, does your Majesty think the Song Army will allow them to enter the city safely?"
Wang Qing's eyes widened when he heard this. He sat on the chair and opened his mouth, but said nothing for a long time.
(End of chapter)
