The sky and the earth were dark, without any stars, and drizzle was falling. It was mid-autumn, and the weather should have been hot and sultry, but under the sea breeze, there were waves of light chill.
"Brother, why haven't Lao Yang and the others come to take turns? I'm so hungry." asked a young soldier wearing a green robe.
"He's a bastard. He must have overslept again. I won't hide it from them this time, just to see what the boss wants to do to them." The commander in armor said angrily.
The soldiers nearby also yelled and cursed. It was not a good job to guard the harbor at such a bad night. Especially except for a few small tents, there is no cover around.
Under Cao Cao's instructions, the Yanzhou Army besieged Qu County with heavy troops. Xia Houyuan and Li Dian wanted to completely destroy the port and prevent the Qingzhou Army from landing on sea ships. But under the management of the Mi family, Qu County's seaport became the best port in the entire Han Dynasty.
I just don’t know how it compares with Su Shi’s Willow Su Di.
Not only is there a good breakwater, but also the berths for docking ships are built with high-quality stones. The war was relatively tight, and the Yanzhou Army could only set up sentries along the coast. If there was any enemy situation, troops and horses from Qu County would be mobilized to fight.
A group of sergeants passed by in the distance. The one in front held a dim torch, and the figures behind them were blurry.
"He just came!" The chief cursed, and he raised his voice and shouted: "Everyone in front of me stopped!"
"Guotou! Guotou!" The person holding the torch in front of the soldiers also shouted. This is asking about the slogan for night patrols.
The commander heard the slogan correctly, so he ordered his subordinates to gather together and prepare to change defenses. He was about to ask the other party why it was too late, when a dozen black figures pounced on them from behind.
Cold light flashed. In a matter of seconds, these Yanzhou soldiers had their throats cut or their neck bones broken before they even had time to shout. The attackers were all agile and vicious.
That team of fake Yanzhou soldiers were naturally Yuan Xi's elite shadow guards. The leader holding the torch at the head couldn't help but be impressed after seeing the skills of the dozen sword-wielding men in black robes.
These shadow guards are also elite through brutal training and actual combat, but when it comes to the skill of the surprise assassination just now, the opponent's skill is even better than theirs.
"There are three batches of checkpoints in the first two hundred steps!" a man in black robe said coldly.
These elite soldiers from the Qingzhou Army didn't say anything. They made a few gestures and then pounced on the next prey.
A quarter of an hour later, a bonfire was lit at the berth on the shore, and vague shadows of ships gradually appeared on the sea. Under the guidance of more than a hundred tiger guards and dozens of black-robed shadow guards, the two largest ships docked at the shore.
The plank ladder was lowered. More than six hundred Qingzhou soldiers disembarked from the ship in an orderly manner. Then the large ships slowly left and gave up their berths to the next batch of ships.
Guan Hai, who had a beard on his face, rushed to get out of the boat. After he stepped on the ground, he retched violently for a while. Then he cursed: "Damn the wind and waves, even if I have to fight my way out alone, I'm surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Yanzhou soldiers. I won't take the boat anymore. I'm going to fucking suffer."
"Guan Hai, you are not afraid of losing face in front of your subordinates!" Guo Huai, who was following him, laughed and scolded.
Guan Hai wiped his mouth and raised his long knife and said, "Whoever dares to laugh at me, chop him up!"
"Haha, Guan Hai, your words are quite heroic." A clear laughter came from behind.
"What turtle..." Guan Hai stopped before he could finish his scolding and stammered: "Young General! You, why are you coming down too!"
Yuan Xi was neatly dressed, followed by Xu Chu and a group of tiger guards, as well as Jia Xu, who looked reserved all day long.
"Guan Hai, you are rushing to get off the boat first. Can't I follow you?"
Guan Hai opened his mouth and lowered his head. It was not a glorious thing to be so dizzy that he couldn't stop vomiting.
Guo Huai then suggested: "Major General, the Yanzhou people will find us soon, why not raid their camp first and catch them off guard!"
Yuan Xi nodded. Said, "Mr. Wenhe and I have exactly this plan. Instead of blocking the Yanzhou Army to protect the ships behind us from landing, it is better to take the initiative to attack the Yanzhou Army camp. Firstly, it can prevent them from counterattacking the port, and secondly, it can cooperate with Xuzhou in Qu County military."
"I'm going!" Guan Hai asked for his orders, "Let me lead people to fight the Yanzhou bastards. They have been attacking us at night for a long time."
"I'll go too!" Zhou Cang also asked.
Yuan Xi nodded and said, "The horses at the back are about to be unloaded. We must gather a thousand horses to attack the Yanzhou Army camp. We have already contacted Qu County, and they will take the opportunity to break out and attack."
"Fortunately, the young master is well-informed, otherwise we would not be able to land in Qu County. But according to the news, if there are more than 10,000 enemy troops, we must be prepared to quickly withdraw south to Pidi." Jia Xu analyzed said.
"What are you afraid of what he will do? Aren't there tens of thousands of us?" Guan Hai said unconvinced.
"The general doesn't know. There are tens of thousands of us on board. Landing will not be possible in a short time. Guo Fengxiao and Zhang Junyi led a sea ship to Guangling to land. We only have four to five thousand soldiers. Shore. According to the previous plan, just escort the soldiers and civilians of Xuzhou in Qu County to Xiapi. There is no need to fight." Jia Xu replied.
Yuan Xi was secretly glad that the secret guards in Donghai County, Xuzhou, sent back to Qingzhou the news that the Yanzhou Army was besieging Qu County, which was spied on by the Shadow Guards. It happened that Yuan Xi led his troops to gather in Donglai.
If you can't land in Quxian, there is still Guangling to choose from. But Qu County is the foundation of the Mi family. Although Mi Zhu moved his family and most of his property to Xiapi after the last battle in Xuzhou, the Mi family has a huge business and still has many properties in Qu County.
After discussion by Yuan Xi and others, they decided to break the siege of Yanzhou Army and sell this favor to Mi Zhu.
The first batch of thousands of war horses landed ashore, and Yuan Xi summoned five hundred tiger guards and more than five hundred guards and knights. In addition to Guo Huai and Guan Hai, the accompanying generals were also Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao.
As for another part of the sea ships, they were led by Guo Jia, Zhang He, Zhao Yun and Zhang Xiu, carrying soldiers south to Guangling. Xu Huang, Tian Yu, Hao Zhao and others assisted Tian Feng in preventing the Yanzhou Army from attacking Qingzhou.
More than a thousand Qingzhou Army elites quickly gathered and rested for a while. After eating some food in a hurry, they regained their strength. Taking advantage of the night, they wrapped their horses' hooves and rushed towards Qu County, ten miles away.
Yanzhou Army Camp.
Because it was drizzling and the weather was cool and pleasant, all the soldiers of the Yanzhou army went to rest early, and the soldiers who were on night duty also relaxed due to exhaustion. And the crisis is approaching quietly.
When marching and camping, in addition to posting soldiers near the fence of the camp to watch, a hidden sentry is usually set up a hundred steps in front of the camp.
These sentries carry war drums and horns, and they will immediately beat the drums and blow the trumpets to warn them if there is any enemy situation.
The formation of the camp is also particular. A circular camp is usually set up in the open area, and the surrounding small camps form a ring to protect the Chinese camp in the middle. If there is a river or high ground, a moon-shaped camp will be built. The main camp of the Chinese army is backed by a dangerous place, and the small camp forms a semi-arc to protect the Chinese army.
Because they wanted to besiege Qu County, the Yanzhou army had to camp around the city wall, so the camps would inevitably be relatively loose. There are not many Xuzhou troops in Qu County. If they break through and counterattack, the Yanzhou army will have time to assemble and counterattack.
Because there was always a shortage of military rations, Xiahou Yuan was also anxious to capture Qu County as soon as possible. This way, there were fewer soldiers guarding the port, which gave the Qingzhou Army an opportunity to sneak attack.
More than a dozen shadow guards have been active in Qu County for a period of time and are familiar with the terrain here. Dozens of tiger guards also cooperated with them in hunting down the hidden sentries around the Yanzhou military camp.
During this period, another group of soldiers on night duty arrived at the port, leaving little time for Yuan Xijun.
After the sentries cleared the fence and removed it, Yuan Xi ordered more than a thousand elite cavalry to attack the Yanzhou military camp. Guo Huai and Guan Hai took the lead and sprinted like spearheads because they had a deep feud with the Yanzhou army. Zhang Liao and Tai Shici each took soldiers as two wings and quickly tore apart the Yanzhou military camp.
The cone formation is the most suitable formation for impact and thrust. It emphasizes that the cone's forward curve must be sharp and thick to break through the enemy's defense line. The two wings are as sharp as blades and can cut the enemy in half.
This military formation is one of the "Ten Formations" summarized by Sun Bin on the basis of his predecessors. Originally an infantry combat array, after the rapid development of cavalry in the Han Dynasty, the military array was also used in cavalry combat.
Research by later generations of scholars has shown that the combat power of regular cavalry that can use combat arrays is far superior to the irregular cavalry of nomadic peoples. Once the cavalry uses battle formations to coordinate and cooperate in combat, they will exert more powerful combat power.
For example, the Tang Dynasty cavalry led by Li Jing and Li Ji, the war gods of the Tang Dynasty.
This is also the case in the Han-Hungarian war. Although the Han cavalry was at a disadvantage in individual combat capabilities, in large group operations as a whole, the Han army often had the advantage to defeat the Hun cavalry.
More than a thousand cavalry is not many, but these thousands of cavalry are all the elites of the Qingzhou army. They are skilled in bow and horse, and are agile and fierce. This sneak attack was also very sudden, even the well-trained Yanzhou Army was caught off guard.
Fortunately, it was drizzling at this time, so we couldn't set fire to the tents, otherwise the night attack would be more effective. But it was also rainy weather, and the Yanzhou Army could not see how many enemies were attacking.
Fear stemmed from the unknown. The soldiers of the Yanzhou army could hear the sound of fighting. They had no courage to resist when the cavalry suddenly rushed out.
More than a thousand cavalry galloped across the Yanzhou Army's camps. The soldiers who were attacked were immediately scattered and confused.
In fact, the killings of more than a thousand cavalry were not many. They relied on the impact and maneuverability of the war horses to disrupt the Yanzhou Army. Without orders, the soldiers in a camp cannot move around at will. They have to wait for the general's order.
At this time, the night was dark, and the generals did not dare to attack without permission. They just ordered to stick to the camp, which also gave more than a thousand elite cavalry a chance to defeat them one by one.
Many torches were lit on the wall of Quxian City, and the rapid sound of war drums and horns sounded, giving the Yanzhou Army an even greater fright. The guard general asked the soldiers to open the city gate, and more than 3,000 Xuzhou soldiers rushed towards the Yanzhou military camp.
Xia Houyuan and Li Dian worked hard to organize their soldiers to form formations. But the so-called defeat was like a mountain. Without being able to clearly see the enemy's situation, the generals of each camp with their soldiers withdrew from the camp and assembled in the open space to the west.
The sky was brightening, and the Yanzhou military camp was in a mess. Xia Houyuan. Li Dian looked at the Xuzhou Army and Qingzhou Army converging together with resentment and annoyance. During the battle last night, many of their soldiers fled, but what was more serious was that most of the food was robbed by the enemy and sent to Qu County.
It was no longer possible to storm Quxian in a short period of time. The only way in front of Xiahou Yuan was to retreat to Tancheng. Moreover, they also face the risk of being robbed and killed by enemy troops along the way.
It's dawn outside Qu County.
The magistrate of Quxian County sent three troops, totaling more than 3,000 people. The general was a military commander. After the Yanzhou army withdrew from the camp, he immediately found Yuan Xi.
"I have seen the Major General, but I didn't expect that the Major General could personally lead his troops to come to the rescue. I also asked the Major General to give instructions on whether to pursue the Yanzhou Army." Army Sima said.
"There are many soldiers in Yanzhou. When they come to their senses at dawn, it will be difficult for them to know that we have few soldiers. You immediately ask the soldiers to move all the food in the camp into the city, and burn it immediately if it cannot be moved." Yuan Xi ordered .
The army commander took the order and left, while the Xuzhou army soldiers next to him were among the soldiers. There was also a general in armor who caught Yuan Xi's attention. In Yuan Xi's opinion, the attire of the general and the soldiers next to him were slightly different from the other Xuzhou soldiers, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
"Who are you?" Yuan Xi walked over and asked.
"Have you forgotten, Major General? I'm Mi Wei from the Mi family." The general in armor said calmly. He is in his twenties, has a strong build and looks quite determined.
Yuan Xi suddenly remembered that he was the leader of the Mi family soldiers who desperately protected Mi Zhen and Wei during the last attack on Qu County. No wonder he looked at Yuan Xi strangely.
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I remembered you. You were loyal to protect the Lord and never retreated from the fight. You are a man."
Mi Wei had complicated thoughts. Yuan Xi had made great military exploits at a young age and was already the object of admiration among aspiring young people at this time. In the early days, Mi Wei also admired this young hero from the bottom of his heart.
But in the last battle of Xuzhou, Yuan Xi led the Qingzhou army to loot and loot, and even the mistress and young master were kidnapped, which made Mi Wei feel a deep sense of shame.
"You're so complimentary, Major General. I'm just sticking to my mission." Mi Wei said lukewarmly.
Yuan Xi didn't care. After all, he was not on the same level. He asked, "How many are there in the Qu County defenders and the Mi family soldiers?"
"The county captain of Qu County is Mr. Huang Yun, and he has two thousand soldiers. Our Mi family, together with other families, has recruited more than 3,000 soldiers. Among them, our Mi family sent two thousand troops." Mi Wei replied lukewarmly.
Yuan Xi was secretly surprised. He knew that the Xuzhou clan was very powerful, but he didn't expect it to be so powerful. The Mi family's soldiers alone are equivalent to the local state and county garrison. And the influence of wealthy families among the soldiers of those states and counties must not be small.
Yuan Xi didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he asked his subordinates to help carry food. At this time, another 3,000 Qingzhou soldiers who landed ashore also rushed outside Quxian City. At dawn. Xia Houyuan and Li Dian saw clearly the reality and reality of the enemy and were so regretful that their intestines turned blue.
But it was too late, the Qingzhou Army and Xuzhou Army had already retreated to Qu County. They can only save some food that has not been burned out.
The Army Sima led the Qingzhou Army to garrison in the south of the city, while Yuan Xi and a group of personal guards were taken to the government office. Huang Yun, the county captain of Qu County. He took a dozen local powerful squires and went out to greet Yuan Xi.
It's embarrassing to say that the last time Yuan Xi led the Qingzhou army to attack Xuzhou, those powerful squires also suffered a lot. But times have changed, and the former enemies have become allies today, which makes the gentry and gentry very embarrassed.
Huang Yun was a county captain promoted by the Mi family, so he was naturally extremely polite to his son-in-law. Under his guidance, the attitude of other squires towards Yuan Xi and others was quite acceptable. After all, they have to rely on the Qingzhou Army to save their wealth and life.
Because there were rumors at this time that the Yanzhou army not only looted money, silk and food, but also killed people if they encountered resistance. It is very obvious that the only people who will stand up to resist are the powerful nobles with weapons in their hands, so they are also included in the targets of the Yanzhou Army's massacre.
Huang Yun, the county lieutenant, hosted a banquet in honor of Yuan Xi and others, and the wine was full of wine. The gentry and squires also returned to their usual luxurious and dissolute nature, and they frequently talked and flattered each other.
"General Yuan is really a young hero. He burned all the food to see how the Yanzhou barbarians besieged our Qu County." A squire in his sixties with a shiny face said with a smile.
"Come on, come on! Let's toast to the Major General again and thank him for saving his life." Huang Yun raised the wine baron and said.
Yuan Xi had a drink with everyone, and then said: "This year's grain harvest is poor, and the Yanzhou army has blocked Langya again. I can only lead more than 10,000 troops to Xuzhou, but there are more than 20,000 Yanzhou soldiers outside the city alone. " Yuan Xi paused when he said this.
