Naturally, confidentiality cannot be effectively guaranteed when scouts are dispatched on such a large scale.
After all, he knows people but not his heart. Among the dozens of lobbyists sent back, there must be some who agreed in person and then turned around to inform Zhang Yan.
But Yuan Xi didn't care at all, he wanted this effect.
These prisoners who were released did not know each other or have met each other. They just knew that there were many who were released to instigate rebellion. In this way, Yuan Xi's goal was achieved.
Zhang Yan clearly knew that someone from various departments in Montenegro was being incited to rebel, but he was not sure who was being incited to rebel? This creates a situation where various departments in Montenegro are suspicious of each other, and finally strive to defeat each other!
"You bitch Yuan Zaizi, this move is really vicious!"
After Zhang Yan got the news, she gritted her teeth angrily, slapped the case and cursed angrily. Urgently summon the commanders of all ministries to come for military discussions.
After listening to Zhang Yan's words, the commanders of various departments and channels looked at me and I looked at you. I don't know what to say? Moreover, each other's eyes were a little blurry, and everyone looked like traitors, fearing that the companions standing next to them would defect to the officers and soldiers and stab themselves in the back.
For a moment, everyone was in danger, and the whole hall was silent.
Zhang Yan sat on the tiger leather chair and glanced at the Qushuai generals standing on both sides. There were more than a hundred people, big and small.
Among these people, the larger ones, such as Lei Gong, Chang Gen, Zuo Xiao, etc., all have people under their command. Others who cannot be named have different scales. Some have more than a thousand people, some have less than two or three hundred, at least One of them has only eighty people, but he also sets up his own business and calls himself Fangqushuai.
At a glance, the camp was filled with darkness, and everyone looked calm, and no one looked like a traitor; at another glance, they all looked weird, and none of them looked reassuring! Once the seeds of doubt are planted, they cannot be stopped.
After all, it is human nature to covet glory and wealth. As long as there is a way out, who is willing to fall into trouble and become a bandit? Facing the olive branch offered by Yuan Xi, some people could not resist the temptation and betrayed and surrendered their officers and soldiers. It is really normal!
"Alas... we can't fight this battle, retreat!" Zhang Yan sighed helplessly, and decided to retreat like a deflated ball.
Even Zhang Yan was helpless, and other Qu Shuai naturally remained silent. In this attack on Dingxiang, all the ministries suffered heavy losses, and people were tired of the war. Most of the Qu commanders had long wanted to withdraw, but Zhang Yan didn't say anything, and no one dared to propose it. At this moment, since Zhang Yan said to retreat, no one raised any objection.
"What General Zhaolie said is absolutely true. For now, let's retreat to Taihang and slowly look for the spies! To fight against the outside world, we must first pacify the inside. Only by eliminating the traitors who colluded with the officers and soldiers can we have a showdown with the Yuan family!"
After listening to the echoes of the commanders from all walks of life, Zhang Yan made a decision: "Send my military order to withdraw the troops at midnight tonight!"
Zhang Yan didn't know which of the tribes in Montenegro had become a traitor, but Yuan Xi did. Soon after it got dark, the prisoners sent returned one after another to report to Yuan Xi the results of persuading them to surrender.
Sima Yi wrote and made statistics. According to the reports of these prisoners, among the tribes that were lured to surrender, the strongest one was Bai Rao's old tribe Yang Feng. He had more than 4,000 troops under his command, and he was considered a powerful faction among the tribes in Montenegro.
In addition to Yang Feng, there are two commanders under Qu Shuai who have more than a thousand troops. One is named Luo Hou, who has 1,300 men, and the other is named Zhang Tianba, who has 1,100 strong men. . In addition to these three major forces, the strength of other ministries is around a few hundred people.
The reason why the names of Qushuai of various tribes in Montenegro are weird is because they are not their real names, but they are made up casually by themselves. Rebellion and uprising against the imperial court was a major crime to annihilate the nine tribes, so the leaders of these rebels changed their names and made up random names based on their own characteristics. Strictly speaking, it was more like their nicknames.
The envoy sent by Yang Feng also leaked military information to Yuan Xi.
"Yang Qushuai asked me to tell the general that at three o'clock tonight, all the Montenegrin troops will pull out of camp and retreat. Yang Qushuai hopes that Shijun can lead his troops to pursue them. Qushuai is willing to cooperate internally and externally to block the Montenegro army on their way to retreat. Shijun will then pursue them and attack from both sides. We will definitely defeat Zhang Yan!" The envoy told the truth.
"Very good. You have done a great job in persuading Yang Feng to surrender. Go down and receive the reward!" Yuan Xi ordered with a smile.
"Thank you so much, General!"
Deported the prisoners
, Yuan Xi immediately summoned Sima Yi, Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Tai Shici and others to discuss.
If what Yang Feng said was true, taking advantage of the Black Mountain bandits' retreat to attack from both sides, they would definitely be able to severely damage their opponents.
But Yuan Xi also had concerns. If Yang Feng used a false surrender strategy to lure him to pursue the attack in the middle of the night, and the Montenegro Army set up an ambush in a hidden place, they would suffer losses.
But opportunities are rare. If you are timid, how can you achieve great things? After everyone discussed it, Sima Yi proposed to formulate a plan to divide the troops to pursue and support each other.
Taishi Ci led three thousand cavalry, following behind the Black Mountain Army to attack. Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, and Yuan Mai each led their troops to advance in three lines, echoing each other's attacks and defenses.
Yuan Xi and Sima Yi led the remaining 7,000 people to the rear to support them, so that they would not be afraid of the Montenegrin army's deception.
At the beginning of this attack on Dingxiang, Gongsun Xu worked very hard. However, after suffering heavy losses in the first siege, he began to be perfunctory and only worked but did not put in any effort. This made Zhang Yan very angry with Gongsun Xu and his group. It's dissatisfaction.
Therefore, Zhang Yan did not notify Gongsun Xu in advance of tonight's retreat. Instead, he waited until the various tribes in Heishan were about to break camp before sending someone to notify Gongsun Xu and others.
In this way, Gongsun Xu's men fell behind, and the important task of cutting off the rear naturally fell on them.
It is early September, and the late autumn weather in northern Shanxi is cold.
The night is dark and windy, with the north wind howling.
More than 60,000 Montenegrin troops received Zhang Yan's order and broke out of camp to the east in the middle of the night. Suddenly, torches were swaying and the sound of men shouting and horses neighing could be heard.
"What? All the troops in Montenegro have already abandoned their camps and retreated?"
Gongsun Xu heard the news in his sleep, and hurriedly put on his armor and went out of the camp to check. In the dark night, torches everywhere were like stars in the sky, horses and chariots were rattling in the wilderness, the sky was filled with dust, and people from all walks of life were heading eastward. After retreating, only his own battalion remained unmoved.
"Zhang Yan, the bastard, is plotting against us! He wants us to give him the back seat. It's such a disgrace to the bastard!" Gongsun gnashed his teeth angrily and cursed loudly.
They hurriedly ordered to break camp and retreat. The soldiers were awakened from their sleep. They all rubbed their sleepy eyes and began to pack their bags. They didn't understand why they suddenly withdrew immediately.
But before their camp was finished, the sound of horse hooves sounded behind them, and Tai Shici led three thousand cavalry to sweep in.
Taking advantage of Gongsun Xu's men being unprepared, Wuhuan's cavalry fired a hail of arrows, killing seven to eight hundred soldiers who had not yet fully awakened.
"No, Yuan soldiers are coming. Retreat immediately! We don't need any tents or materials. Retreat immediately!" Gongsun Xu responded hurriedly.
After the Battle of Dingxiang, Gongsun Xu's tribe lost more than two people, leaving only about 4,000 troops.
At this moment, Yuan Jun's cavalry were charged and killed, and nearly a thousand people were lost. If they did not break out quickly, Gongsun Jun would probably be annihilated!
Following Gongsun Xu's order, more than 3,000 soldiers abandoned their belongings and retreated behind the torches of the Montenegrin Army. In a hurry, the army had no fighting spirit and fled eastward without any plan, just like a flood that broke an embankment. .
Seeing that the Black Mountain Army did not resort to a false surrender strategy, Taishi Ci immediately ordered people to raise fire as a signal to Zhang Liao, Zhao Yun, Yuan Mai and other three groups, summoning them to come out together to pursue the traitors.
Suddenly, four groups of officers and soldiers came out at the same time, and the shouts of killing resounded throughout the mountains and plains. Taishi Ci also continued to urge his cavalry to pursue him. Without much effort, he harvested thousands more heads and killed the thieves until the fields were littered with corpses.
Gongsun Xu knew that the situation was over, so he led Gongsun Fan and Shan Jing with more than a thousand defeated soldiers, and followed the Black Mountain Army to retreat in panic towards the Taihang Mountains.
Suddenly, there was a shout among the retreating Montenegrin army, and Yang Feng's troops suddenly turned against each other, waving their weapons to block the retreating thieves, and shouted loudly: "We have surrendered to the general, and those who put down their weapons will avoid death!"
Yang Feng's men, a total of four thousand men, were walking in the middle of the team. At this moment, they suddenly switched sides and blocked the Black Mountain Army behind them, making it difficult to pass through in their eagerness.
Seeing that Yang Feng's troops turned against the imperial court, Luo Hong, Zhang Tianba and other commanders also took action, turned their spearheads, and intercepted the Black Mountain Army behind them. Suddenly, there were seven or eight thousand rebel Montenegrin troops, and more than one thousand people behind them were killed.
The Black Mountain bandits were so determined that they could not pass even one step.
Being blocked by Yang Feng and other rebels, Gongsun Xu, who was dragged at the back, had nowhere to escape and was surrounded by the pursuers behind him.
In the chaos of the army, Taishi Ci was like a tiger in a flock of sheep, invincible. He met Gongsun Xu head-on, and the battle was unstoppable. He stretched his arms lightly, grabbed Gongsun Xu's belt, and captured him alive again. He looked up to the sky and laughed loudly: "Haha... You fell into my hands again, do you want to accept it?"
Just when Taishi Ci captured Gongsun Xu alive, Zhao Yun also led his troops to kill him. He saw Gongsun Fan bending his bow and arrow like an important general, and hit his forehead with an arrow. He fell off his horse and died unexpectedly.
Hearing that Yang Feng, Luo Hong, Zhang Tianba and others had rebelled against him, Zhang Yan was furious and returned to attack Yang Feng, vowing to eradicate this scum in the Black Mountain Army.
In the dark night, 60,000 to 70,000 Montenegrin troops were fighting each other, with more than a dozen officers and soldiers mixed in. The battle was unprecedentedly brutal. Flesh and blood flew everywhere, and corpses lay everywhere.
The fighting did not end until daybreak. More than 7,000 Black Mountain bandits who were blocked by Yang Feng and other rebels were killed in the battle, and the remaining 8,000 were captured by the officers and soldiers. Gongsun Xu's men and horses were all destroyed. One of Gongsun's uncle and nephew was captured, one was killed, and only Shan Jing escaped alone.
The tribesmen who betrayed the Black Mountain Army such as Yang Feng and Luo Hou did not fare much better. They were attacked from both sides by Zhang Yan and the bandits who were behind them. Almost all of them were killed. Yang Feng, Zhang Tianba and other commanders were all beheaded. , only more than a thousand soldiers lasted until dawn, surrendering to the officers and soldiers.
When the Black Mountain Army invaded Dingxiang, there were more than 110,000 people, but when they retreated, there were less than 40,000. After this battle, the main force of the Black Mountain Army was basically disintegrated, its vitality was severely damaged, and it was no longer able to threaten Ji and Bingzhou.
Standing on a high place, looking at the corpses of the Montenegrin Army scattered all over the field, with wolf smoke and broken Montenegrin flags everywhere, Zhang Yan couldn't help but burst into tears and beat her chest: "My Montenegrin Army, this battle was well defeated. Unfortunately, Yuan Xi, Yuan Xi, you and I are at odds with each other, and I, Zhang Yan, will one day make a comeback!"
But something dramatic happened in the end, of course it was the aftermath.
The battle is over and the smoke disperses.
Sima Yi sent people to reorganize the captured Black Mountain bandits with 8,000 lives and those who had surrendered, and asked them to clean up the battlefield, then follow them south and reorganize them again.
After this battle, Yuan Xi's army also suffered considerable losses and was in urgent need of replenishment. With a little training, these thieves can still be used as cannon fodder.
Under the hunting banner, Taishi Ci brought Gongsun Xu to see Yuan Xi, kicked him down, and yelled: "Why don't you kneel down when you see the general?"
Gongsun Xu gritted his teeth and closed his eyes in silence.
Yuan Xi snorted coldly: "For the sake of your father, Gong Sun Zan, I spared your life last time, but instead of repenting, you intensified your invasion of my territory. I won't spare your life this time!"
He shouted to the left and right: "Come on, push this guy down and kill him!"
A moment later, as the sword and ax hand rose and fell, a cold light fell, and blood spurted out from two places on Gongsun Xu's head like a spring. Since then, the Gongsun family, which once dominated the northern land, was completely destroyed and completely withdrew from the stage of history!
The night is dim and the autumn wind is bleak.
Soon, Yuan Xi received a letter from Zhang Hong's secret guard. The message in the letter was very brief. In addition to informing the alliance that the alliance was going smoothly, there was also a sentence in the letter: To take Jiangdong, the navy is in urgent need.
yes! If you want to unify the world, infantry, cavalry, and navy are all indispensable. The strength of Hebei's infantry can hardly be underestimated by the rest of the world. After several years of development, the cavalry also stood out from the rest. Only the Xiliang Iron Cavalry and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry can compete with them.
However, although the navy had a small navy led by Xu Sheng, it was far from enough. The Yellow River Basin is different from the Yangtze River Basin. The Yellow River has strong waves and fast water, which is not suitable for the development of naval forces.
Although there are masters of water warfare like Xu Sheng under Yuan Xi's command, he also has a navy army. However, the ships built in Hebei are more suitable for traveling on the Yellow River. The main responsibility of the navy is not to fight on the water, but mainly to carry troops across the river.
Of course, such a naval force cannot be compared with the Jingzhou and Jiangdong naval forces. Training a naval force is a long process. Water fighting, oar manipulation, water fighting, bow shooting, ship formation, etc. all require long-term training. Although Yuan Xi's current rule is limited to the four northern states, he must have a long-term vision to aspire to the world. Plan ahead and prepare early.
General Liu Ye suggested swimming in the water, rowing, fighting and bow shooting on the water.
Skills such as this can also be practiced in the waters of the Yellow River.
But among the existing infantry, select those who have the foundation of Fu Shui, form a team now, and start training. After expanding to the Yangtze River Basin, we can then focus on training ship formations, which can save a lot of time.
Yuan Xi adopted Liu Ye's suggestion and asked Xu Sheng to send orders to various ministries to select naval talents. There are many soldiers in the Hebei army who are originally from the south. Yuan Xili ordered all ministries to recommend and select talents with experience in naval warfare, especially those with bravery and ability to lead troops, and focused on training them as future naval generals.
Yecheng, the General's Mansion. Zhen Mi's bedroom in the backyard.
There is a saying that "a long separation is better than a newlywed". After a period of hard work, Mr. Yuan finally made the gentle and quiet Zhen Mi sweat dripping with sweat.
She leaned on her man's arm and said angrily: "Husband, it's okay. It's only been more than an hour, and I've been tortured by you twice. I really can't bear it anymore!"
"call……"
Yuan Xi breathed a long sigh of relief, turned over, rubbed his woman's breasts with his increasingly strong chest muscles, and moved his other hand on the white and delicate breasts.
After a fierce battle, the couple entangled each other and rested on the bed for a while.
"My husband looks like a frail scholar, but he is so majestic. Mi'er is impressed!" Zhen Mi said coquettishly, resting her head on Yuan Xi's arm.
Yuan Xi smiled proudly: "If I don't have authority, how can I serve you sisters?"
