Li Ding's choice to send troops immediately was a very risky move because the autumn harvest was imminent.
Even the warlord with the least strategic vision, or even the most short-sighted bandit, when facing the crops that are about to be harvested all over the land, can't help but think, should we harvest the crops before sending out troops?
In this part of Hebei, there has been war for nearly four years, which can be regarded as a turmoil. Among them, only one Zhang Jinscale dared to send troops while stepping on the crops that were about to mature. But even Zhang Jinscale was ready to leave at that time because of the war disaster. As a result, Qinghe, who had insufficient crops in the fields, went to the plains to "eat".
Then he was praised by Zhang Xing, Li Ding and Cao Shancheng one after another.
Therefore, there are many problems when sending troops at this time.
We must consider the issue of military morale. The soldiers and horses of Wu'an County are okay. Are the soldiers and civilians of Xiangguo County willing to abandon their family land to fight?
To consider the issue of marching, Li Ding and his military auxiliary team had only conducted a large amount of reconnaissance and intelligence gathering on Xiangguo County, but Zhao County only conducted some routine and ordinary reconnaissance, and the march and combat itself Damage to crops must also be considered.
In addition, the most critical point is that we must pursue a quick victory, because once the war is delayed and the autumn harvest is delayed, it will trigger a series of political, military, economic, and diplomatic problems, which may even backfire on Xiang who just swallowed the well. Country and county.
But, so to speak, Li Ding still chose to send troops.
Because he knows that the weather is fair, and the problems he faces are similar to those of the other side. If this is the case, if he sends troops at this time, the other side will definitely be caught off guard. This is the most anticipated enemy situation in the battle. What's more, if he can quickly defeat the opponent in this gap before the autumn harvest, the opponent will have a harder time organizing reinforcements because of the autumn harvest... This will give him a post-war diplomatic and political operating range.
The last and most important point, Li Ding did not say, but Su Jingfang vaguely guessed that sending troops at this time was also a good opportunity to get rid of the interference of the Deposed Dragon Gang.
Zhang Xing's almost extreme attitude towards the autumn harvest would also make the Deposed Dragon Gang give up unnecessary actions and let Li Ding do his own thing.
Mr. Li didn't want to be angry again.
The decision was made, and since he was taking advantage of the few days before the autumn harvest, Li Ding would naturally not delay.
Su Jingfang was still responsible for sneak reconnaissance in advance and determining the location of the attack target, while Li Ding led the 5,000-strong army leader Su Mu and the three generals of Gao Shisheng to wait for news at the Longgang camp. Zhang Shiniang and deputy captain Wang Chenxu led two cadres from Wu'an. Everyone hurriedly caught up, and Fan Lihua, who had just been ordered to go to Zongcheng, was also hurriedly recalled.
Within a day and a half, Su Jingjiang received news overnight that five cadres of the Youzhou army, led by Deng Long, the seventh lieutenant general of the Youzhou camp, were stationed in Yingtao. The county guard Zhang Dunli and three cadres of the county soldiers were stationed in Zhao. The county governs the old city of Pingji, three miles south of the city.
Half a day later, Zhang Shiniang and Wang Chenxu also arrived at Longgang.
Immediately, Li Ding did not hesitate and ordered the entire army of seven thousand to go north and attack Zhaojun.
For Li Ding, a small military and political group that had just gotten a chance to start, this battle was tantamount to an overwhelming force.
Facts have proved that Li Ding's determination still worked.
The army suddenly entered Zhao County and went straight to attack Baixiang, the core of the southern part of Zhao County. Baixiang County was caught off guard and everyone was at a loss, let alone any precautions.
As a result, Su Jingfang's small vanguard unit went straight into the city under the banner of the Wei Dynasty, and briefly controlled the city gate. The people in the city thought it was from the county to reinforce the city defense. Then Li Ding sent his troops to the city, and then escaped with Zhang Shiniang. After entering, he found the county magistrate. The county captain and the county magistrate tried to appease him, but announced to Baixiang County that "the Youzhou Army has invaded, and he has led his troops to provide support. It only takes half a day for logistical supplies."
The people in Baixiang County were immediately "convinced" and honestly opened the warehouse and cooked a meal of stale rice. Then they watched Li Ding lead his large army to the north, but they could only sit in the city - even though the army was in short supply, Li Ding still stayed. The Gan people, led by Wang Chenxing, blocked the city and surrounding arteries.
And then, after leaving Baixiang and crossing Baishui, Li Ding, who could not travel more than five miles, faced a crossroads on the official road.
"The west side is higher
Yap. "Su Jingfang pointed to the west intersection.
"I'm not going." Li Ding, who was fully dressed in military uniform, blurted out while riding on his horse without even looking to the west.
Su Jingfang, who had expected this, had no unnecessary reaction, but pointed to the intersections to the north and east in turn: "To the northeast is the Lishui River, a tributary of the Zhuozhang River. The Lishui River runs northwest and southeast... upstream, That is to say, to the north of us is where the old city of Pingji and the former county government are located, and where the governor Zhang Fujun is. There are three thousand Zhaojun soldiers, a distance of one hundred miles; downstream, that is to the east of us, is Ying Tao, which is also The Youzhou reinforcements are there. They are there not only to guard against us, but also to guard against Xue Changxiong. Five thousand soldiers, including three thousand cavalry... fifty miles away,
Li Ding was silent for about three or four breaths, and then gave a reply: "Go north, the whole army will drop their baggage, take a day of dry food and drinking water, march hard, and get the flat thorns!"
Zhang Shiniang, who was in military uniform, rarely said a word or even showed any unnecessary expression. Su Mu and his son looked at each other without saying a word, and Fan Lihua was even more excited.
The only one who was obviously uneasy was the newly surrendered Gaoshi Province, but when he saw that the other generals were speechless, he did not dare to have any more unnecessary discussions. The plan was settled, and the next step was to test the effectiveness of the Wu An soldiers that Li Ding had trained for more than two years.
See how they travel long distances.
It was autumn, and the weather was relatively mild, but it was still very challenging to travel light and long distances. After only twenty miles, stragglers began to appear.
Su Jingfang and Fan Lihua each led more than a dozen riders to check on the stragglers. If they were indeed weak, or had minor injuries caused by heavy loads or falls, they would arrange them on the spot and let these people gather at the intersection to watch each other and wait. The intersection continues to be blocked while rescue operations are underway.
And if they are pretending to be injured or exhausted, they will be executed on the spot according to Li Ding's request.
When they marched twenty miles, these non-combat casualties were only a few sporadic people, and there were no deserters among them. But by forty miles, the non-combat casualties quickly climbed to three digits, and a full eleven people were executed. , hanging his head by the roadside. In the afternoon of this day, after the sun set due west, she also marched quickly for about sixty or seventy miles towards the rear. After getting Li Ding's permission, Fan Lihua beheaded a team general and three team leaders.
The remaining one hundred and forty-six people drew lots on the spot, and an additional fifteen people were killed by the eleventh draw.
This is used as a punishment for the whole team of soldiers trying to "get lost".
But even so, the attrition of the entire army began to rise rapidly at this time, and as the sun set in the west, it was conceivable that it would be dark in more than half an hour. How to stop this situation then?
"Master, what if there are only two or three soldiers left in the army after dawn tomorrow?" Su Jingfang was obviously panicked. He was still a young man after all.
"It doesn't matter." Li Ding, as always, had his share of leeway in military operations. "You go and lead the way. The intersection ahead is eastward, across the fields. The entire army will cross the Nishui River before dark. Tomorrow morning, we will only march north from the other side of the Nishui River.
Su Jingfang was stunned for a moment, then realized what he was doing and walked away on horseback.
After he reluctantly forced the governor's troops to cross the river before dark, Su Jingfang finally realized that although this move could effectively prevent the Wu'an sergeants from actively escaping at night, it also came with huge risks - if the information about the troops was discovered while they were marching, they would probably be intercepted. Youzhou army and Zhaojun soldiers are attacking from both sides!
Of course, this risk does seem trivial compared to the imminent separation of troops at night.
It was already dark. After crossing the river, Wu Anzu was ordered to rest on the spot along the Lishui embankment. However, he was not allowed to light a fire. He only slept with his clothes on, and then drank water and ate dry food.
In the dark night, resentment among the troops gradually arose, but at this time, Li Ding's rewards, punishments, and training of the troops in the previous two years, including the killing of an entire team before, had obviously had an effect.
No one knows whether resentment and fear will defeat discipline and trust, or whether discipline and trust will defeat resentment and fear. They can only wait quietly.
With Zhang Shiniang by his side, Li Ding sat there all night, listening to low-pitched complaints for half the night... One thing to say, this night, even Li Ding began to waver a little about his troops, but he There is no way back now
, this is his army and his family foundation. He is working hard for his ambition that has been hidden for decades.
It was impossible for him to escape from Yang Shen's camp with Zhang Shiniang holding hands as he did five or six years ago.
Therefore, what was Yu Guan thinking? At least on the surface, Li Ding acted very calm, so calm that Zhang Shiniang's eyes shone when she looked at him.
At the fourth watch, the sky began to light up slightly. Li Silang ordered the troops to get up and eat and drink water for two quarters of an hour. Then the whole army continued northward and must reach Pingji, twenty-five miles away, before noon.
Before the troops were about to set off, Su Jingfang rode over and informed his mentor: "Master, there are still five thousand soldiers!"
Li Ding was determined. He knew that he had three points in hand in this battle.
But soon, there was another small twist - some soldiers couldn't help but disobey military orders and went to the river to get water last night and drank the river water, which caused some of them to have diarrhea. And this can't help but make the Wu'an generals below Li Ding worry about whether this phenomenon will expand, because they really don't know how many people have fallen into the river.
Of course, the final facts proved that this was just a false alarm. After the troops set off, only a handful of people were left to guard the riverside. Most of the people completed the attack with the general Li Ding in the morning and arrived at Pingji City.
Similar to Longgang, Pingji, the old city located three miles south of the county city, was actually reduced to a subsidiary city outside the new city and actually assumed the role of a military fortress. Both Chen Taishou of Xiangguo County and Zhang Taishou of Zhao County chose to summon the county soldiers and hide among them after sensing the military crisis.
As for Li Ding's Wu An soldiers, they were discovered when they were still five miles away from Pingji City, and were quickly conveyed to the governor Zhang Dunli who was in Pingji City.
After breakfast, Zhang Dunli, who was checking the army's armaments in Pingji City, was stunned for a moment, and immediately concluded from the marching direction that this was the Youzhou Army making trouble. They may feel that this support delayed the autumn harvest and wanted to compensate, so they formed There was noise and commotion.
This is a very common thing, especially in the government-military system under the land equalization system. Over time, there are groups of rural party members inside, and it is easy for officers to be supported together, and even the superiors are not able to do it because of their cultivation. If there is a local advantage in force, it is difficult to actually use force.
In the Youzhou Army, which has many heads and many legs, such incidents are the most common.
As soon as he thought of this, Zhang Dunli, who was dressed in official uniform, immediately twitched his beard and frowned and said: "Go and tell these Youzhou soldiers that if you want to get the reward, you must return to Hentao first. Then go and look for General Deng Long and Deng for me. If If you find it, ask him to come into the city to talk. If he can't leave the army, ask him for me what's going on? Why did this happen suddenly? Even if you want a reward, you should wait until after the autumn harvest. Now the treasury The house is so clean, what should I give him? Don’t the people below know that he doesn’t know? Have I ever treated him badly? And if I can’t find him, I have to come back and report quickly.”
In this way, the messenger issued the military order, set off immediately, took the initiative to meet them, and then left never to return. At the same time, the "Youzhou Army" did not stop at all and continued to move northward.
About three miles away, other sentry cavalry sent out later came back and informed them of the strangeness of this army - instead of making noise or looting along the way, this army came straight to the city with great momentum. Not only that, although the total number is right, there are also cavalry, but compared with the 3,000 cavalry of the Youzhou soldiers, the proportion of cavalry in this army is too small.
Zhang Dunli, who had returned to the old government office hall in the city and began to put on his armor, immediately had a buzz in his head, but he immediately explained in the hall: "This must be because the Youzhou Army took pity on the horses and sent people to tell them that I am willing to donate personal funds. Give me a little reward."
I don’t know who to explain to.
The second round of messengers was sent out, but it was also gone forever.
Soon, the officers in the city came to report, telling them that the soldiers and horses were not stopping at all and were in strict formation. They were already in sight at the top of the city. It really didn't look like the Youzhou Army came to ask for rewards.
Zhang Dunli fell silent and didn't say anything again. His armor was half-dressed and stood there - the upper body of the full set of Mingguang armor had been put on, but the armor skirt had not yet been put on, which made Zhang Fujun sitting there look a little funny.
But no one pressed him or urged him, because just like him, the people in Pingji City were also at a loss. No one knew what was going on? In fact, riots have already spread from the north to the city.
But soon, someone else came to report, and they were the first wave of messengers sent out.
This seemed to make everyone in Pingji City relax, including Zhang Dunli and Zhang Fujun.
"Fu-kun!"
The messenger had obviously just traveled a few miles back and forth on horseback, but at this moment he was out of breath and collapsed in front of the hall. He could only speak fluently. "Governor Li of Wu'an County asked me to bring a message to Fu Jun. He will attack the city a quarter of an hour after arriving at the city... Surrendering at this time will have the friendship of colleagues. Even if Fu Jun returns home with his family and property or He can live in peace, and the county soldiers here can also be saved. If he encounters the prince again after attacking the city, the chickens and dogs will not be left behind, and the county soldiers will also kill him in protest. Please think twice, prince!"
Zhang Dunli had vaguely guessed that it might be Li Ding before, but he still couldn't believe it and didn't want to believe it. Now that he knew it, he should have reacted, but his mind was still full of confusion, shock and fear, so much so that he said after a while Speechless.
But after the people around him realized what happened, they couldn't let the prince continue to lose his temper.
"Master Fu, no matter what, come to the city and take a look."
The captain next to him, Qi Ze, tried his best to persuade him. "If the enemy army comes from afar and is exhausted, then defend for a while. The general will do his best. But if the enemy army is strong and the prince is unwilling to resist, the general will be willing to do his best to protect the prince's family and prevent the other party from breaking his promise. Act of."
Zhang Dunli nodded, stood up with all his strength, supported by the guards around him, and headed straight to the north of the city regardless of the fact that the Lord's lower body was not yet wearing armor. When they arrived on the north city wall, Li Ding's five soldiers arrived just in time, but they were forming formation in the north of the city.
Zhang Dunli held his hand on the battlements to look at it, and saw that the other side obviously lacked the golden drum... Of course, it was impossible to carry so many bulky objects on such a long-distance attack... But he insisted on carrying the flag. At this time They are all unfolded, of different sizes and colors, but they are either dancing or standing still in the morning sun.
With the continuous operation of the flags and without any golden drums, the 5,000-man army that arrived along the official road calmly settled down and formed a neat large square formation under the city. The soldiers in the square formation are either standing or sitting, which is the outer defense, and they take the opportunity to rest and wear leather armor inside. Moreover, the spears, swords, shields, and bows and crossbows are arranged in an orderly manner, and the front, rear, left, and right are clearly defined. Smooth internal passages are also formed between the small and medium square arrays.
Then Zhang Dunli saw the flags of the central generals slowly gathered together with their horses, and the huge character "李" swayed in the breeze of the autumn morning.
"What can I do?" Zhang Dunli looked pale and turned to look at Qi Ze beside him.
"It's all Fu Jun who makes the decision." Although he was covered by his helmet, Captain Qi Ze's face turned pale when he witnessed the scene below the city. "But I must tell Fu Jun one thing... Li Fu Jun said he arrived It is no lie to launch an attack after a quarter of an hour. With such discipline and neat military formation, as long as a master breaks through the city gate after a quarter of an hour, the whole Wu'an army can go into battle, and they can even directly climb the city with ropes from all sides... ...If the Lord wants to defend the city, he must now order someone to put down the thousand-jin pendant at the city gate, and then the entire army will be deployed on all sides!"
Zhang Jiaoli opened his mouth and wanted to speak.
At this time, there was a commotion in the city, and Zhang and Qi hurried to see it. But he saw Li Ding moving the flag forward, and then a general in bright light armor and a red cloak rode a maroon horse, escorted by a female general in leather armor, and came straight to the city in front of the formation.
They arrived in a moment, and the two sides were only a few dozen steps away. Zhang Dunli could clearly see that it was Li Ding, the governor of Wu'an County who he had met several times before. As for the woman next to him, although she was stunningly beautiful, he couldn't care less.
Seeing the latter coming to the city, Qi Ze reminded him in a low voice again: "Master Fu, ask him where he came from. Did he take a detour from Xindu? Was Shou Tao surrounded by the Hejian army from Xindu?"
Zhang Dunli's mind was still a little confused. After hearing this, he just mustered up the courage and said instinctively: "Master Li Fu, where are you from? Is Shou Tao being surrounded by the Hejian Army from Xindu?"
"No." Li Ding responded calmly. "Although war is never tiring of deceit, today's matter was done by my family and did not rely on the soldiers, horses and roads between the rivers...
...Shou Tao was not surrounded either... I rushed all the way from Baixiang to get here. "
Qi Ze's expression suddenly changed.
"Then..." Zhang Dunli reacted slightly at this time, but he couldn't help but be overjoyed. "Then you are throwing yourself into a trap? If the skinny General Deng leads the cavalry from the state to help, you will be buried under the city."
"That's why I will attack the city with all my strength, attack the city immediately, and attack the city with all my life. If you don't surrender, I will definitely order your whole family to be executed, and no chickens or dogs will be spared, as a deterrent." Li Ding raised his head. He answered calmly, as if he was asking what to have for lunch today.
Zhang Dunli shook his head, and the little bit of blood that had originally recovered quickly disappeared.
But soon, he asked with almost instinctive resentment: "But Master Li, why is this so? You and I are both imperial officials, each guarding a county. Why do you want to invade my territory for no reason? Carry out random killings?"
As soon as he said this, Zhang Dunli summoned up a lot of courage in an instant, and wanted to clarify the truth in front of the battle, so that the other party would walk away in shame. He also instantly remembered countless materials, famous quotes, and principles in his mind, ready to use them. In other words, ever since he heard that the other party had annexed Xiang State, he had been thinking about this deduction in his mind, thinking about refuting the other party to shame after meeting.
Unexpectedly, Li Ding didn't laugh or get angry when he heard the words. He just held his head high and continued to answer seriously: "In troubled times, how can we allow others to sleep soundly on the side of the bed?"
Zhang Dunli felt a lump in his chest, and all the truth was choked back.
Li Dingze said nothing but looked up at the sun and waited quietly. On the top of the silent city, the one who broke the silence was Captain Qi Ze, who asked again in a low voice: "Master... should you surrender or fight? The battle cannot be delayed any longer, so immediately put down the Thousand Jin Pendant to block the city gate. .....I’m afraid that Mrs. Zhang has already become a pill, and I really can’t resist it.”
Zhang Dunli just said nothing.
Qi Ze wanted to speak, but when he lowered his head, he saw two factions of his own family were fighting, barely standing by holding on to the battlements. This local strongman was a so-called rebel during the two years of chaos in Hebei. The captain of Zhaojun was silent for a while, then suddenly turned his head and ordered: "Open the city gate and tell Lord Zhang to invite Lord Li to come in."
Zhang Dunli glanced at this person but said nothing.
The officer next to him was quite right. Seeing this scene, he hurriedly left.
As soon as the officer left, Zhang Dunli felt relieved, but he grabbed Qi Ze and said, "Captain Qi will accompany me down to greet him."
Naturally, Qi Ze had nothing to say and hurriedly came to help him, but he quickly reacted and pointed at the other person's lower body and said, "Master Fu, do you want to put on your armor skirt?"
Zhang Dunli was stunned for a moment, and then felt awkward for a moment, but at this time the door was already opening downstairs, so he couldn't help but sigh: "Forget it, please help me take off the armor on my upper body, I am not a person who wears armor."
Qi Duwei followed the good deeds.
At noon, after entering Pingji City and settling in for a while, Li Ding immediately wrote a letter asking for help with Zhang Dunli's seal and ribbon, and then sent someone to ask for help from Ying Tao Deng Long, begging the other party to quickly come to Pingji City for a two-sided attack. Wu An's soldiers, who were extremely exhausted after the attack, were defeated in one battle, and Li Ding, the leader of the rebellion, was captured alive.
But if he arrives too late, Li Ding may not be able to invade Pingji City, and that will be difficult.
