The ambush lasted less than half an hour, but was as intense as any tough battle. Although it was dark and the tragic scene could not be seen, the wails and moans of wounded soldiers could be heard for miles around, which made the hair stand on end of those who heard it.
Luo Hu led the Zhenshan camp to break through the encirclement and march away. Gao Qi did not dare to stay long to send orders to withdraw to Puzhou. He was both physically pained and horrified when he counted the injuries on the way. More than half of them were injured!
In other words, more than a thousand people were killed and injured!
You are so cruel!
Luo Hu, who broke out of the encirclement and left, was obviously still unsatisfied. He retreated more than ten miles to the north and made sure that the officers and soldiers were not chasing him. After that, he rested on the spot and took stock of the damage. He actually lost one-third, which was almost 300 cavalry. Compared with the officers and soldiers, The damage was only a few, but Luo Hu was already gnashing his teeth angrily. If he hadn't been ambushed by officers and soldiers at night, he would have lost at most a hundred cavalry and eaten up those officers and soldiers.
Although I was unwilling to do so, I could no longer walk alone at night rashly, and only waited until daybreak to find the place again.
It was almost early in the morning when Gao Qi returned to Puzhou. Li Yan had not yet fallen asleep, so he asked him to describe the ambush in detail, and Gao Qi did not hide anything.
It's Luo Hu!
Another existence that surprised Li Yan. He knew that the one sent by Li Guo must be an elite force, but he did not expect it to be Zhenshan Camp, because he felt that Zhenshan Camp should be used on the edge at this critical moment, that is, Tongguan. there.
But he didn't expect Li Guo to use the knife to stab him in the waist.
Gao Qi managed to save his life. Li Yan naturally knew how powerful Zhenshan Camp was. With the same strength, it could be said to be almost invincible in the world. He also knew how brave Luo Hu was. Even Chang Yu was almost defeated by him several times. died.
Fortunately, the ambush was at night, which made it difficult for him to use his hands and feet. If it were during the day, the ambush point would not have any terrain advantages. Gao Qi's more than 3,000 troops were really not enough to destroy Zhenshan Camp.
"There have been talented people from generation to generation. Now these juniors are getting more and more powerful. Few people can hold them down. If this peace negotiation fails, it will become a serious problem for the court in the future. Eunuch Chang alone is afraid..." Gao Qi Shaking his head and sighing, Li Yan hummed and said: "The imperial court is also very lonely. Not to mention Wu Sangui and others, even the commanders of the Dongchang Guard can take charge of their own affairs under his training!"
"Luo Hu is so brave and invincible that no one can stop him. The one who can stop him is not here. Li Shuai must find a way to capture him. In this way, even if we fail to defeat Dali, capturing this guy will be a great achievement." , can also be used as a bargaining chip.” Gao Qi was also very scared at this time.
Li Yan chuckled: "Without Butcher Zhang, why don't we eat pork anymore? Although Luo Hu is brave, he is not invincible!"
Gao Qi was stunned for a moment: "Is Commander Li planning to use his army to kill him?"
"Our soldiers and horses are all on the other side, and Puzhou can only have a few thousand left. We may not be its opponents openly or covertly." Li Yan shook his head: "Since you can't do it, drag him with you."
Dragging him... Gao Qi understood immediately.
When Li Guo sent Luo Hu to harass the rear of Puzhou, it must have been for cooperation. For example, if he wanted to regain the capital, and if a force of troops caused trouble in Puzhou, it would be impossible for Li Yan to concentrate his energy and troops on the capital.
It's just that Li Yan was more skilled and attacked Dali first, and gathered a large army to attack Tongguan, which left Li Guo with no time to think about the imperial court. In this way, Luo Hu's Zhenshan Camp became a guerrilla force.
What are the advantages of the guerrillas? They are highly mobile and the Zhenshan Battalion's combat power is off the charts. You really can't stop them, and you can't catch up with them.
But he also has shortcomings!
Not enough food and grass!
A man is like rice and steel. No matter how elite the troops are, no matter how powerful the soldiers are, he still has to eat.
How much food and fodder can a mobile unit carry?
Where will the logistics come from?
Go grab it?
Other rebel troops might have looted the villages and towns around Puzhou, but Li Yan was sure that Luo Hu's Zhenshan Battalion would not be able to do this.
Therefore, he concluded that once Luo Hu learned that he had not attacked the imperial court, and that Dali was still besieged, and there was a lack of food and grass, Li Yan would not be able to let him come and go as he pleased, even if he could not stop him and catch up. You have to grind him, and he will leave automatically at this time.
Luo Hu is not afraid of being alone. He has courage and strength, and he has invincible strength and momentum when fighting alone.
However, no one is afraid of going hungry!
In addition, he heard that Dali and Tongguan were under siege. How could he, who was eager for the savior, play hide-and-seek with Li Yan here in Puzhou? He would have hurriedly crossed the river to help.
Therefore, Luo Hu has nothing to fear!
"Then let him act recklessly outside Puzhou City?" Gao Qi frowned, and Li Yan raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Of course I can't, I have to teach him a lesson."
But how to teach this rebellious but brave bandit?
If the army were in Puzhou, Li Yan would naturally adopt the siege strategy of a sea of people. However, at this time, Puzhou only had a few thousand soldiers and horses responsible for defending the city, and they could not all be sent out to do it. If there were less, Luo Hu would be killed.
So you have to use your brain.
"Let him go back from wherever he came from. Just dig a hole and wait for him on the way back!" Li Yan was a little confused, but Gao Qi seemed to understand but didn't understand.
Just as Li Yan and Gao Qi were discussing how to dig a pit to bury Luo Hu in Puzhou City, Ma Huabao and others a hundred miles away finally received Li Yan's military order.
There is no criticism, after all, this is not the time to discuss merits and demerits.
"Li Shuai said, if you can't eat fat sheep, catch rabbits. Rabbits are in the north." That's what the messenger said. Ma Huabao and others understood it instantly.
There is no ability to attack Dali in a short period of time, and a forced attack will be in vain, but it is meaningless to only siege without attacking, which is a waste of time, and our own side does not have that much time.
So, let's go north and hunt some little rabbits on the northern line.
Chengcheng County, Heyang, Hancheng!
A hundred miles to the north of Dali County is Chengcheng County, then dozens of miles to the northeast is Heyang, and dozens of miles to the northeast is Hancheng. If you can't take the middle road, then go to the north road. What's more important is the strength of the northern line at this time. It is empty, and once Hancheng is captured, it can even be said that as long as the thieves besieging Hejin hear the news of the attack on Hancheng, they will immediately withdraw to relieve the siege of Hejin.
Killing two birds with one stone again.
This makes Ma Huabao and the others admire them very much. People who can be called handsome people are very smart. If a plan fails, they will make another plan. They always follow the plan one by one. They even doubt that if they want to fight Dali Failure to capture the northern front immediately had already been in Li Yan's plan.
Just do it. The failure to capture Dali made Ma Huabao and the others lose their face. They were also holding fire in their hearts. Just when they were worrying about how to atone for their sins, this opportunity came. They must seize it as early as possible and as soon as possible. .
Several people stayed up late to discuss how to capture the three cities, and soon came up with a resolution to divide their forces into three places to attack at the same time.
This is not because the opponent is underestimated, but because the opponent is too small.
The three palm-sized small counties are empty of troops, with no more than a few hundred at most, and there is absolutely no possibility of foreign aid in a short time. However, they have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and attacking them one by one would be a waste of time, so they decided to divide the troops at the same time. Capture.
Of course, in order to be absolutely sure, especially to prevent the bandits in Dali City from discovering their intentions and sending troops to rescue, Zhang Guozhu was also put in charge of the rear to prevent the bandits from exploring and severing the relationship between the two places.
The soldiers were very fast. Although the soldiers and horses were exhausted, Ma Huabao and others still felt that the sooner and faster the better, so when the sky was slightly bright, they broke up the camp and divided their troops. Wu Weiying of the Shenji Battalion led his troops east and retreated to Chaoyi City. After all, there is no need for his big sword to deal with those small counties.
