The person who sent troops from Liangzhou into the Zhuanglang Valley was Ding Shaoyin, commander of the Liangzhou Guards.
Under the orders of Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, he led three thousand troops from Liangzhou Guards, left Gulang Gorge, settled in Anyuan Post City, and monitored Zhuanglang Guards City from a distance.
Ding Shaoyin knew in his heart that the governors of the three sides were not confident enough to launch a decisive battle with heavy troops at Zhuanglang River, so all he did was monitor from a distance and had no plans to invade.
However, during this period of time, he found that he had missed the best opportunity to recapture Zhuang Langwei.
Because on the second day after he settled in Anyuan Post City, the Tang soldiers who had gone to the vicinity of Wu Sheng Post reported back that the Mongolian troops in Zhuang Langwei had withdrawn from the city in a large scale.
But at that time, Ding Shaoyin, on the one hand, because of Hong Chengchou's order, and on the other hand, he was worried that it was the enemy's trick to lure the enemy, so he did not send troops immediately. By the time he reacted, it was already too late, and he could only watch the Tatar soldiers transporting them inside the city day by day. With the baggage, the number of Zhuang Langwei garrison visible to the naked eye increased.
It was not until news of the capture of Lanzhou City reached Gansu that Hong Chengchou moved from Liangzhou Guard to Gulang Gorge and issued an order to march to Ding Shaoyin.
But the situation has changed at this time. According to the reports from the Tang soldiers, there are at least 6,000 troops stationed in Zhuanglang Guard City at this time, which is far beyond the ability of Ding Shaoyin's headquarters. It is unwise to attack the city by force.
Fortunately, Hong Chengchou was very diligent in allocating materials to this army. These 3,000 men and horses were all the flag troops of the Liangzhou Guards, equipped with 900 horses, chariots, artillery, and sufficient rations.
The enemy is outnumbered and we are still holding on to the fortified city.
Ding Shaoyin's idea was to proceed step by step, first to ensure that his own side would not be annihilated due to an ambush, secondly to lure the Tatar soldiers out of the city to fight in the field, and then rely on their stronger field capabilities to defeat their main force and then seize the city.
His thoughts were very clear, but as he slowly and slowly approached Zhuanglang Guard City, the defenders in the city did not take the bait and were indifferent to his temptation.
Even if he marched in danger and sent out a thousand households to lead the banner army to bypass the acropolis and go south, the defenders in the city would not be fooled.
He looks like an iron bastard.
The twenty-third day of the first lunar month of the seventh year of Chongzhen.
The genius had just dawned. On the hillside eight miles north of Zhuanglang Acropolis, Ding Zizhen, the eldest son of Liangzhou Guard commander Ding Shaoyin, led Tangqi to look at the Acropolis from a distance. He frowned tightly as he watched a convoy entering the city from the south.
Youtangqi stepped forward and reported: "Major General, it's five hundred again."
Ding Zizhen nodded to show that he knew. He shook his head and sat on the stone, staring at the Acropolis in confusion. He seemed to be talking to himself or asking for answers from his entourage: "Twelve days, seven armies with vehicles Food and grass are coming to the city, what do they want to do?”
Ding Zizhen couldn't figure it out no matter what. He couldn't figure out the purpose of moving troops here, and he couldn't figure out the significance of moving troops like this.
No matter what, the number of defenders in Zhuanglang Guard City increased visibly to the naked eye. Military flags were placed all over the city, and more and more soldiers were changing defenses every day.
Moreover, these grain transport teams are not Tatars. Judging from their attire, they are all Han soldiers. Liu Chengzong relied on his elite veterans from three sides to dominate Hexi. The movements of this team have already affected people's hearts.
Faced with this situation, the officers of the Liangzhou Army, including Ding Zizhen's father Ding Shaoyin, believed that there were only three possibilities for the Marshal's Mansion.
Either they are mobilizing heavy troops to fight the Gansu frontier army in a decisive battle in the Zhuanglang River Basin; or they are going straight to Guanzhong to block the Gansu army; there is also a slim possibility that the seven grain transport teams, which are only four to five hundred in size, It's to seduce them.
But this may be too low. After all, my family knows their own affairs and they are all officials of the Wei Institute. They know the capabilities of their flag army.
To say that the Liangzhou Guard Flag Army, which has been guarding the border for generations, cannot fight is to tell lies. However, there is indeed a gap between the Guard Flag Army and the elite battalions in many aspects such as training, equipment, age, etc.
At least in Ding Zizhen's eyes, he didn't think Liu Chengzong's elite troops needed to use the trick of luring the enemy to fight them.
But to say that this is not a temptation, it is also unreasonable, because Ding Zizhen just led a group of servants and thousands of households to lead an army southward across Zhuanglangwei, and the defenders in the city were indifferent. Even the reinforcements of the grain transport team today have not changed. There are still five hundred people.
This made Ding Zizhen, a reserve hereditary military attache who was only 19 years old, smell something different. When he got the news he wanted to know, he immediately rushed back to the Liangzhou Army's camp in the north of the river valley.
When he returned to the camp, his father Ding Shaoyin was summarizing the information that Tang Qi had detected in the southwest mountains, pushing out the information drawn on the simple map, and said: "Tang Qi detected that there is a group of soldiers stationed at Xi Datong River Fort, but the number of soldiers is not yet known. He was born in a mountainous area and is very cunning with firearms. He injured several of my pond riders and was not easy to approach."
Ding Shaoyin didn't seem worried about this.
Because the Liangzhou Guards officers were extremely familiar with the terrain of the Zhuanglang River Basin. The terrain of two mountains sandwiched by a river, with the imperial court's Songshan defense system to the east and the West Datong River Fort where Chieftain Lu used to be to the west.
If the battle starts here, the mountains to the west need to be more alert to the Liangzhou army than the river valley. Even if they don't send anyone to investigate, they can just guess that there will be an ambush in the mountains.
Just like the imperial court would set up an ambush in Songshan.
Of course, Songshan does not require an ambush. In a narrow sense, Songshan in the northwest refers to Maomao Mountain connected to Wushaoling. It is named after the lush pine trees on the mountain.
But in military terms, Songshan does not just refer to the Songshan Fort at the southern foot of Maomao Mountain, but a defense system that reaches the Songshan border of Liangzhou and Ningxia in the north, the Zhuanglang River in the west, and the new Songshan border in the north city of Lanzhou in the south.
This system is centered on Songshan Fort and covers Sishui Fort on Liangzhou Road, Tumen Fort, Dajingying City, Peijiaying Fort, Abaling Fort on Dajing Road, Hongshui Fort, Sanyanjing Fort, Daliutang City on Lutang Road, There are ten defensive castles including Xiaolutang Fort and Suoqiao Fort.
There are also three support castles for garrisoning troops from north to south: Yongtai Yingcheng, Zhenlu Fort, and Baoding Fort.
Since the beginning of its establishment, this defense system has used ten defensive castles as the front line, three support castles as backup, and two side walls as blocking, forming a flexible defense front facing the north.
In comparison, the forts in the east mountain are denser than those in the west mountain, and it is easier for the garrison to attack the river valley.
Ding Zizhen clasped her fists and said, "Father, today I saw that the enemy army sent 500 more troops to Zhuang Langwei. Do they want to fight us in the river valley?"
"It's trivial. I hope to have a decisive battle in the river valley."
Ding Shaoyin didn’t think so because a decisive battle in the river valley would be good for him. He just hoped that the war would be far away from his hometown: “It’s a pity that the Hong army is superior. Now the Marshal’s Office only wants to plot Gansu, whether it’s over the mountains or into the valley. It’s all mediocrity, but it’s a pity that Lanzhou has been lost.”
Having said that, Ding Shaoyin still shook his head and said: "Right now, we still need to lure the enemy as soon as possible. Regardless of Tatars or Fanzi, we are a chariot camp. We are not afraid of them when we fight in the river valley. It has been delayed for a long time. The shadow of the famous tree has made me worried. The sergeants cannot bear it.”
Ding Zizhen asked: "Is father worried about Ying Xiao?"
Ding Shaoyin nodded, stood up and walked around the table, sighing: "Liu Chengzong's victory over the five-town coalition is still strong, but the flag army is too nervous."
Ding Zizhen thought for a while and then asked thoughtfully: "Father, I have a guess today. Seven armies have entered the city in succession, each with 500 people... Is it possible that the Tatar soldiers in Zhuanglangwei City have already entered the city?" They ran away, there are only these Han soldiers in the city, are they planning to empty the city?"
Ding Shaoyin asked back: "The Tatars ran away?"
"Yes, if these 3,500 Han troops are sent in for reinforcements, they should not be indifferent to my more than a thousand soldiers marching south. I have seen that Han Khan is the best at using troops to suppress others. Whenever he sends out troops, he will do his best to defeat the small ones with more troops. Why are you so cautious this time? There is probably a scam inside."
Ding Shaoyin thought about it for a while, but he didn't agree with this point of view, but it didn't dampen his son's enthusiasm.
Being good at thinking is a good thing. When the eldest son turns 20 next year, he plans to retire. Then it will be Ding Zizhen's turn to be the commander. It is absolutely impossible not to think about anything.
But he immediately asked: "You mean, the city guard will use Dong Zhuo's story again to increase his troops during the day and sneak out at night?"
Ding Zizhen nodded heavily.
"It's easy for people to get out, but you have also seen the ruts. Since the 12th, the vehicles of the seven grain teams have been heavily loaded, but the grain has not been shipped out. Calculated in terms of grain and grass alone, the city's grain stock has exceeded ten thousand stones, but there is no more. Soldiers to defend?"
Ding Zizhen shook his head: "This is what I can't understand. If there are seven thousand troops in the city, they will not sit back and watch us go north and south; if there are not so many troops in the city, it is easy for people to escape, but the food cannot follow... …The officers and soldiers don’t even have enough food and grass, so even Han Han wouldn’t be so wealthy.”
If he hadn't said it, a general with Ding Shaoyin's seniority would definitely not think about it from this perspective. After all, this kind of thing is too risky, and normal people would not think about it in this direction. Only gamblers can do it.
But after Ding Zizhen said this, Ding Shaoyin couldn't help but think about it in this direction. Once he thought about it, he couldn't sit still.
Tens of thousands of stones of grain, grass and baggage were thrown into this city without enough troops to guard it. What does that mean?
Ding Shaoyin said: "Since you brought up the matter, don't sleep tonight. Go over and keep an eye on the defenders in the city. If anyone really goes out, we will take away the credit. The city is always safer than the car camp. Not to mention that we can also give the banner army a few good meals.”
The advantage of the car camp is that it is difficult to collapse after forming a formation. Normal troops will run if they cannot defeat the enemy, and they will collapse as soon as they run away. This is because running is safer than fighting.
The formed car camp itself is safer than the outside, unless there is no backup, but relatively speaking, a complete car camp leaves enough time for friendly forces to rescue.
They have enough water and food to last for thirty days without the food channel. If the war horses are killed, they can last for another ten days.
Of course, few armies can survive until there is no grain left before collapsing, but even so, the normal independent operation time of the car camp is more than 20 days.
Twenty days were enough for the reinforcements to come from Jiayuguan.
But what Ding and his son didn't expect was that they had no time to explore the reality of Zhuanglang Acropolis. Just when the father and son were discussing whether Zhuanglang Acropolis was empty, an urgent report from the rear interrupted the conversation.
It was a soldier from Ningxia Tang who came with an urgent message: "General Ding, urgent order from the military gate."
The first time Ding Shaoyin opened the letter, he glanced at Ding Zizhen, causing him to ask: "Father, what's wrong?"
Ding Shaoyin closed the letter and sighed, then turned around and said, "You were right. The army ordered me to march quickly to capture Zhuang Langwei. Six thousand captives from the Marshal's Mansion rushed into Songshan. You can see for yourself."
Ding Zizhen received the letter and saw that the letter stated that the night before yesterday, the defenders of Songshan Fort urgently reported that six to seven thousand Japanese soldiers had attacked Songshan Fort. The fort was well prepared but failed.
However, Ma Peiliang, the garrison of Zhenlu Fort who saw the beacon fire that night, led 400 troops to rush for reinforcements. He was ambushed and failed to form a formation, so he was charged by the captive cavalry and died in the garrison. Zhenlu Fort fell that night.
Although Ding Zizhen had previously made a guess about the number of defenders in Zhuanglang Guardstown, when he saw his guess confirmed by the battle report, he still widened his eyes in surprise, swallowed his saliva and said: "Both Zhenlu Fort and Lanzhou have fallen, I'm afraid Baoding Fort can't be saved either." .”
Following this urgent report, the Liangzhou army immediately broke out of camp, loaded carts with cannons, and drove towards Zhuang Langwei.
at the same time.
Zongjing Xiaoliu stood at the top of Zhuanglang Wei City, stretched out his waist while watching the rising sun, and shouted to his subordinates: "It's time to change defenses. Brother Dao, make a move."
The Hehuangxiang soldiers who had just finished unloading the food immediately went to the city after hearing the order. One man pulled the rope and started walking on the city wall.
Behind each person is a long wooden board, on which stand five scarecrows wearing flag army armor and red lacquered helmets with the word "Yong" on their heads.
Since the 12th day ago, Xie Erhu and Ahai Daiqing led the Mongolian troops from Yongxiebu Camp and Khalkha Camp to sneak into Songshan. Zongjing Xiaoliu has been guarding the city with Brother Dao every day in fear.
Liu Chengzong was not afraid of the Gansu army, and the Gansu generals were still afraid of Liu Chengzong, but for Jing Xiaoliu, the Hehuang Township military commander, he was really afraid of the serious Gansu border troops.
In the forty-seventh year of Wanli, Qi Bingzhong, the previous Qi chieftain who left Hehuang, was the commander-in-chief of the Gansu army. Xiong Tingbi used his Gansu generals and his troops to be brave and good at fighting, and asked the Gansu army to aid Liao.
Six thousand border troops followed the general army from Gansu and arrived in Liaodong. During the battle of Guangning, Sun Degong's adultery exposed the Gansu troops in the rear, and all of them died for their country.
In the end, none of the six thousand Gansu soldiers returned to their hometown.
After the Jisi Incident in the second year of Chongzhen, these descendants of Gansu people who died in Liaodong continued to follow Mei Zhihuan, traveling hundreds of miles a day to the capital to serve the king, staying at night without entering ordinary people's homes, and walking with no money for six full months. Bailicai mutinied, and after the mutiny, a large number of people came to the capital, King Qin.
And during these twelve days, Jing Xiaoliu led 600 soldiers from Hongchengzi, 60 miles away, to transport food to Zhuanglangwei. He left on the first day, and had to rest for the next day, so he still had enough to eat and drink. foot.
If the 600 rural soldiers under his command could be as loyal, brave, hard-working and hard-working as the Gansu border troops, he would dare to fight 3,000 with 600.
Fortunately, Jing Xiaoliu didn't know what Gansu's army was afraid of, and seemed to be frightened by his empty city strategy.
However, as the trumpet sounded at the top of the city, and a dark shadow appeared at the top of the city, pressing towards the city gate, Jing Xiaoliu knew that his good days were over.
At this moment, he himself couldn't tell whether he was happy or sad. What he was happy about was that the enemy was attacking, which meant that Xie Erhu's tactics were successful.
What's sad is that because of the heavy baggage in the city, he can't abandon the city and escape this time.
Jing Xiaoliu's face was calm. He turned around and looked around at the Danxia-like ink painting in the distance. Finally, his eyes looked at the rising sun. He should have been dead long ago. Jingjiagou was plundered by the army that year.
The nervous country soldiers ran past him, and beacon fires rose into the sky behind them. He just slowly took out a handful of fried noodles from his waist, pinched a piece of dried meat, chewed it a little and swallowed it with water. Holding the handle of the knife tightly at his waist, he turned around and raised two fingers to the chief executives who came to ask for advice.
"In two days, we have captured a fortress in Songshan for the commander-in-chief. When the war is won, we will be promoted to officers and nobles. I kindly ask you to follow me to defend the city for another two days. If reinforcements will not arrive after twenty-four hours, you can mention I surrender my head in order to survive, please be patient until then."
Jing Xiaoliu looked at the five hundred presidents: "Fight with them!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Good evening!
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