As the sun sets in the west, there is a loess mountain road.
The exhausted frontier sergeant sat on the ground, drank a few sips of water, unwrapped his calves and rested.
He looked at the sun and was about to rest for a while when he suddenly heard someone saying hello behind him.
Looking back, there was a young man wearing red cotton armor and an iron bowl. His face was red from the long journey. As he walked forward, he asked: "Are you left behind too?"
As he came closer, the young border soldier looked at his uniform and helmet flag and smiled and said, "You're a member of the third team, I think you're cool."
"Hey, aren't we all like this? We were transferred to General Li's subordinates with General Liu. We have only had enough food for a few days after sending troops. We really don't have the strength. You can leave first."
"No, I heard that your team manager has a bad temper. It will be dark if we rest for a while."
The young man laughed and stretched out his hand: "Come, let me pull you up, and let's go find the general together so we can have company."
It seemed that the temper of the guards of the third team was indeed bad. The frontier soldier sitting on the ground shook his head, helplessly lowered his head and tied his calf tightly, raised his head and grabbed the hand, supported the ground with the other hand and stood up, casually asking : "Are you from the Ninth Team? I have a few colleagues in the Ninth Team..."
At this moment, the young man pulled his hand halfway and pushed back violently. The light of the knife flashed. When the guard lowered his head, he touched his waist and opened his wrist with the knife and slashed his throat.
The border soldier clutched his throat and struggled for his life, making a "ho ho" sound from his mouth. Liu Chengzong took off his helmet and sat down beside the slope. He tied the inner sleeve of his iron arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and pulled the collar of his visor to diffuse the heat.
This was the fourth straggler officer to die in his hands.
Not long after, Wei Qian'er and the Han brothers came from the rear mountain road. Liu Chengzong praised: "It's very good. He didn't say anything. The Tang soldiers continued to move forward."
Liu Chengzong's headquarters has the strongest combat effectiveness among the joint military leaders, and is also the only team that can compete with the official army in terms of the professional level and organizational capabilities of officers at all levels.
They are basically all frontier troops. Whether they fight alone or in groups, they are no different from the frontier troops.
But he was still unable to fight a large-scale battle with the army. The problem lay not with his own department, but with other departments.
Even if they are properly dispatched, their minds and the team's minds cannot keep up with their logic, they don't have their habits, and they have no ability to form a coordination with them like the officers and soldiers.
If you want to eat up other units of this official army, you can only do it from the main unit.
However, Liu Chengzong's headquarters still had a weakness, Tang soldiers.
This kind of work should have been done by Tang soldiers, but his Tang soldiers were a group of post soldiers and soldiers. They could wave flags while watching the enemy's situation and go into battle to act as cavalry soldiers. They couldn't do this kind of thing.
The Tang soldiers passed by the slope and saluted the three war gods on the slope with their eyes.
There were stragglers in front of them, so the group could not pass. A few people could only pretend to be stragglers, sneak through the close quarters, and kill them before they shouted, without missing a chance.
From noon to evening, they marched thirty-seven miles over mountains and ridges in three hours. Liu Chengzong and the Han brothers had killed twenty-seven stragglers.
There were only winding paths in the mountains, going uphill and downhill. This was almost the fastest speed they could go.
Only then did he get the chance to bite Li Bei's tail when he entered the mountain.
The two teams entered the mountain one after another. The timing of the advance was not good for the officers and soldiers. If they had set off an hour earlier, they could have walked out of the mountain road and reached the open land on the south bank of Yanhe River before the sky darkened.
But this time is very good for Liu Chengzong. It is getting dark, and most of the officers and soldiers will spend the night in the mountains.
Not long after, Wei Qian'er ran back quickly: "General, they have set up camp."
He pointed to the mountain in the distance and said to Liu Chengzong: "They can be seen from that mountain."
Liu Chengzong finally tugged on his collar. There was no mule following him. Even in autumn, he was almost dying of heat. He stood up and said, "Great, call Commander Wang. Let's go over and have a look... So many stragglers are missing. Liu Chengzong Guozhen should realize what’s going on soon.”
The commander of Wang Sentinel was Wang Wenxiu, who was the infantry commander of Guyuan Battalion earlier and defected to him together with Yang Yao in Yanchang County.
Wang Wenxiu's team was behind. After receiving the news, he brought two people over. This guy trudged through mountains and rivers as if walking on flat ground. His face was red and he was out of breath after walking such a long mountain road. When he spoke, he said in a low voice: "General, what's wrong?"
"The officers and soldiers have camped in front. Let the brothers take a rest first and gather up the stragglers. Let's go to that mountain to have a look."
Liu Chengzong raised his eyes and saw that this Pingliang man had just eaten fried noodles and drank water. His beard was covered with fried flour and was all wrinkled.
He laughed and said to Wang Wenxiu: "Thanks to them setting up camp, if the monkeys in the sky hadn't blocked the mountain pass, these people would have been nowhere to be found."
There were still six or seven miles away from the mountain pass. Liu Chengzong took a small path and climbed up the mountain and saw the military camp.
It was an abandoned village built on a mountain. The sky had darkened and the situation in the village could not be clearly seen. All one could see were the officers and soldiers setting up fires on several roads leading to the entrance of the village, and a dozen people digging narrow trenches outside.
Liu Chengzong didn't know whether the people in the village had disarmed, but most of the people outside were wearing armor.
Soon, before dark came, all the officers and soldiers put on armor.
Wang Wenxiu was happy, and he smiled at Liu Chengzong and said, "General, Mr. Liu won't be able to sleep well tonight."
Obviously, they were still wearing armor at night. It was probably after the officers and soldiers were stationed in the camp that they discovered that the stragglers had not returned.
Liu Chengzong waved his hands and said to his left and right: "Does this allow them to sleep? Shipan Shiyou, the fire is thirty steps away from the village entrance. No one else can do this. You two have something to eat and go to bed. Shoot the gatekeeper to death at night." .”
The Han brothers nodded in agreement, and Han Shipan asked: "General, do you want to get up at night to shoot an arrow and go back to sleep, or do you want to get up at night and steal camp?"
"A night attack is too dangerous. They should be prepared and just get up and shoot a few arrows."
Han Shipan nodded and said: "Okay, this is close, we will sleep here."
The two brothers were not picky about their living conditions. They found a stone to shelter from the wind, took off their cotton armor and put it under their bodies, covered themselves with two battle jackets, and lay down side by side to sleep.
Ever since the war was extended the day before yesterday, people were very nervous and few could sleep well.
Today, on the other hand, everyone was indeed exhausted. Not long after, Liu Chengzong arranged for the four sentry men to camp in a nearby hilltop to rest. When they came back, the two brothers were already snoring like thunder.
"General still not asleep?"
Liu Chengzong was sitting by the rocks on the cliff, looking at the bonfire in the army camp, lost in thought. When he heard a voice behind him, he turned his head and saw the bearded Wang Wenxiu.
He asked: "General, are you worried about the artillery mountain? It's okay. They won't fight today. Since Li Bei has divided his troops, he will wait for news here before attacking. He will fight for several days and his people will have to rest." .”
"I'm not worried about that, I'm just a little unhappy... If there is no Li Bei, I think the best time to start the war is tomorrow afternoon."
What really kept Liu Chengzong awake was the war.
But not this war, but the wars to come in the years to come.
This was the first time he considered an issue from the perspective of a battle commander, and it felt like another military chess game in his memory.
The two sides put down their chess pieces, and only when they opened them did they know who had been captured.
He has many chess pieces, but they are all small pieces. He dare not lift any of them, so he is passive everywhere.
Wang Wenxiu didn't know what he was thinking. He just looked at the army camp and said, "If we don't let them sleep well tonight, they will be so sleepy and dizzy after noon tomorrow that they won't be able to do anything."
It's a pity, time doesn't allow it.
They wanted to eliminate this official army as soon as possible and turn back to surround Li Bei.
Liu Chengzong looked to the southeast, where the mountains undulated in the darkness, and said slowly: "Tomorrow morning, when we attack them, Li Bei will also attack my troops."
The officers and soldiers here have been defeated, and the rebel soldiers there have also been defeated. He still has a chance of winning.
If the officers and soldiers here are defeated and the rebel soldiers there can withstand the morning attack, their chances of winning will be great.
Just as Liu Chengzong was thinking this, he looked across the mountain village, and the winding mountain road to the north lit up. The crowd divided into several groups, holding high torches to form several fire snakes, meandering towards the village where the government troops were stationed.
"this……"
Noisy sounds came from a distance, and Wang Wenxiu was dumbfounded: "Then the Sky Monkey people are holding on like this?"
They were too bold and had no intention of hiding their whereabouts. The bright torches illuminated the valley and surrounded the village overwhelmingly.
"Hey, let's not talk about it. Sky Monkey can do it. Look at his teams. Although they move in an unorganized manner and do not hide their whereabouts, each team does not interfere with each other. Some are pushing forward and delaying, and some are outflanking. "
Liu Chengzong clapped his hands and said to Wang Wenxiu: "Not bad!"
The Han brothers had just fallen asleep and were woken up by this. They were furious. They didn't wear any battle coats or armor. They ran over with their bows in hand and asked, "General, are the bastards here?"
"We, the monkeys from the sky are going to attack us at night. Get dressed quickly. We won't be able to sleep at night. We might as well destroy this village."
The Sky Monkey had no intention of hiding its whereabouts, and completely surrounded the local owner of the village, and even sent someone to come forward to recruit him to surrender. As a result, the man was shot to death by an arrow from the village's officers and soldiers, and the night battle started.
Then the two sides came back and forth, the monkeys in the sky were in the light, the officers and soldiers were in the dark, and their arrows were shooting back and forth.
How could Liu Chengzong see this? Just as the sentry commanders stationed in the three surrounding mountains came to inquire about the situation, he immediately gathered his subordinates and sent Han Shipan to find the Sky Monkey and connect the two departments together.
The Sky Monkey Man was standing on a big rock outside the village. There was no fire around him. He was watching the battle ahead with interest, and from time to time he sent people to send messages to each team.
This afternoon, after receiving the news from Liu Chengzong, he urged his subordinates to sleep on the spot and lie down if they couldn't sleep.
Later, they used the looted money to transport some live pigs. They slaughtered them together with the leading troops and the following people, and had a comfortable meal. Then they sent people into the mountains at dusk to search. Traces of officers and soldiers.
Not only were they not found, the ones sent into the mountains also got lost.
It was not until dark that I saw the torches lit by the officers and soldiers in the village. By that time, all the Sky Monkeys had already marched into the mountains.
It's impossible not to go in. All the meat has been eaten. If they don't let their men move, they will all be sleepy.
Fortunately, the few bonfires in this position of the army are indeed conspicuous.
The Sky Monkey's plan was very simple. More than 3,000 people were divided into three brigades, each occupying the entrance and exit of the village, and teams of hundreds of people took turns attacking.
The ones in front charge, the ones in the back shoot. If they can't get in, they retreat to form a team. The ones in the back continue to charge, and the remaining people rest while preparing for an attack by the officers and soldiers.
Whenever the village entrance is fortified, knock it open, and drive straight in. It will be considered a success.
There is no other way. The monkey in the sky is determined to set out in the evening and fight at night. He is not just crazy. He has carefully planned before setting off. Only under such conditions, the gap between his people and the officers and soldiers will be the smallest.
If left in the valley during the day, this battle cannot be fought and can only be fought at night.
But even if we fight at night, there is still a big difference between attacking the village where the government troops are stationed and the land surrounding the landlord's house.
Not long after, Han Shipan came back: "The monkey in the sky was very happy and asked the general what his orders were. His men couldn't get in."
Liu Chengzong waved his hand and said: "What are you afraid of if you can't get in? Let him transfer the people from the east and attack the two from the north and south."
"General, do you want to surround three buildings?"
"Surrounding three towers or one tower, dogs won't be fooled." Liu Chengzong laughed and said: "Gather our people, we won't use fire, attack from the tower, cut them off from the north and south, and then the monkeys will ascend to the sky." If someone else pours it into it, wouldn’t this great thing be accomplished?”
Besieging the enemy is a very common and very effective tactic, but it does not mean leaving a gap and letting others escape. Everyone knows that the gap left is a trap.
It is effective, and it is effective when the psychological defenses of the besieged people have been defeated. Even if they know it is a trap, they still want to try their luck.
Can the Sky Monkeys beat the army to the point of psychological collapse? Yes, as long as the battle lasts for an hour or two, and the attack is twelve or three times an hour, it will definitely collapse.
But the one who collapses first in such a fight must be the Sky Monkey.
Liu Chengzong's idea was that the officers and soldiers knew the trap and would never jump, but the officers and soldiers might not expect him to go in.
People's attention was drawn to the torches.
After that, Liu Chengzong stopped Han Shipan who was about to deliver the message and said: "Wait a minute, be careful when you go over there. You are wearing a black light and blindly wearing military armor. Don't let the monkeys treat you like an officer and beat you up."
Han Shipan laughed loudly when he heard this, waved his hand and said: "Don't be ridiculous, General, the monkey in the sky didn't raise the fire. I just sneaked in and looked for it for a long time. I only touched it after seeing others raising the fire to send messages there. No one outside knew about it." I went."
After hearing this, Liu Chengzong nodded and asked Han Shipan to be careful again. He thought in his heart that after this battle was over, the monkeys in the sky must be protected. How alert were the people around him?
That is to say, the officers and soldiers in the village were worried about what was behind them. If the stragglers on the road had not returned, Liu Chengzong estimated that the officers and soldiers in the village had already come out.
The four sentries carried the flags of the marshals from all directions and gathered in the mountains. They moved towards the valley to the east of the village without raising fire or making a sound.
The battle on the north and south sides continued. Wei Qian'er's Tang soldiers were in front of them to clear the way, and the monkey Liu Jiusi also sent a team to respond to prevent his subordinates from being frightened.
Soon, they arrived at Mizi Field due east of the village. The Sky Monkey ran over and reminded: "General, be careful. The officers and soldiers dug three narrow trenches at the entrance of the village, one foot wide and one foot deep, specifically to trip people's legs. I Many of my brothers tripped and fell, and some even had their legs broken.”
This news was very important. Liu Chengzong immediately asked the sentries to convey the situation, and then walked more than 200 steps across the village, waiting for the Heavenly Monkey Division to create opportunities on the north and south sides.
Three Centuries from the north charged twice with torches and weapons. The mountain road on the right was narrow and could only accommodate two Centuries. Each time they rushed to the entrance of the village, they were blocked back.
The three separated trenches were of little use during the day, but at night, especially for Liu Jiusi's rabble, in just a moment of hesitation, five or six people of a hundred-man team were shot down, and the team collapsed.
But even so, Liu Chengzong's plan was effective. In order to deal with more men rushing forward, the officers and soldiers gradually dispersed the troops guarding the east to both sides.
The opportunity has come.
Liu Chengzong clutched his bow and arrow, and the four sentry infantry lined up on the left and right, and walked out of the darkness silently.
