In the third year of Xingqing of the Song Dynasty, in late May, in the territory of Xixia, there were nine bends in the Yellow River.
The sun is shining high, the summer is scorching, and there are few people on the post road. Next to the post road, there are only a few surviving ruins, and human bones are scattered everywhere on the rolling hills, making the wilderness even more desolate.
In a ruin next to the post road, two young men were crouching among the rubble. One of them was holding a telescope in his hand, and they were carefully looking into the woods to the west of the post road.
The forest is located next to the post road at the foot of the mountain. The mountain is towering, forming an oval valley bottom. The trees are full of shade, which is perfect for enjoying the cool weather in summer.
On the post road more than a hundred steps away from the woods, there were hundreds of grain trucks piled up, densely packed and blocking the post road.
However, it was a hot day, it was in the wilderness, there were few pedestrians, and it was wartime. I was not worried about affecting traffic or being robbed by bandits.
Moreover, the Mongolian army attacked the city and captured the territory, and the Xixia soldiers and civilians suffered very few casualties. Where did the bandits come from? You should die early!
"Wang Ying, it seems that this is a Tatar grain truck. It should be transported from Hexi to Yingli City."
The scout who spoke put down his telescope and saw that his face was thin and he was only in his early twenties. His homespun clothes blended in with the surrounding land. His cheekbones were slightly prominent, showing the stubbornness and heroism of a man from the northwest.
Yingli is an important town on the Nine Bends of the Yellow River, a transportation hub connecting Hexi and Xingling. No wonder there are Mongolian troops stationed there.
"Commander Li, it's too hot. Will the Tatars leave soon? We have to go back and report to General Cao."
The dark and muscular Wang Ying stared at the woods, motionless.
This place is not far from Yingli City, and there are no other big cities around. It has been more than a year since the Mongolian army invaded Xixia. The food and grass in Yingli should be exhausted and they need to be transported from Hexi.
"Have you memorized the number of people, vehicles, horses and woods?"
Li Shou was still uneasy and continued to ask.
"There are five hundred Tatars, more than a thousand war horses, two hundred and sixty grain carts, and eight or nine hundred civilians. The Mongolian soldiers have two or three bows, hundreds of arrows, ropes, knives, iron rods, and iron rods. Bones and other things.”
Wang Ying said, Li Shou also remembered clearly.
"Let's go back and recover!"
Li Shou climbed up carefully.
The two of them were dressed the same, with hats made of willow branches on their heads and homespun clothes, both of which were used as cover-ups.
With the help of a telescope, the two of them can clearly see the situation in the distance three or four miles away without getting too close to reveal their whereabouts.
"Wang Ying, don't call me commander in the future. I'm just an ordinary scout in the army now."
Li Shou said, his expression darkened.
"Commander Li, what happened in Jiezhou was a sneak attack by the Tatar army. Don't be sad. We must work hard to avenge Wang Yu, Fang Da, and all the brothers and people in Jiezhou!"
Wang Ying comforted Li Shou, but felt uncomfortable in his heart.
The Mongolian army made a sneak attack on Jiezhou City, but only a few of them escaped. Because the people of Jiezhou were massacred, Li Shou was promoted from the deputy commander of Jiezhou to the bottom, Wang Ying was also demoted, and the two became ordinary scouts in Lu Wende's army.
"Commander, why don't you lead some people here to keep an eye on it, and I'll lead them back."
Wang Ying volunteered. Li Shou has been in a bad mood recently, and he also wants to make Li Shou worry about it.
"That's fine. You can take someone back to report it, and I'll take someone here to keep an eye on it."
Li Shou nodded. If there weren't too few scouts coming out, only a dozen or so, he would have led them alone.
Ever since the city of Jiezhou was destroyed, he had been thinking about making meritorious service and atone for his sins, and he felt proud and proud.
Wang Ying and his men tiptoed out of the ruins and ran south for four or five miles, twisting and turning, and entered the deep valley overgrown with weeds in Weijing Mountain.
"Five hundred Mongolian troops, two hundred and sixty grain trucks..."
Upon hearing Wang Ying's report, deputy commander Cao Erxiong was also shocked and broke into a cold sweat.
He led 2,000 troops from Lanzhou, crossed the Yellow River, and passed the Roulang Mountain. The purpose was to capture Yingli in Jiuqu of the Yellow River and control the surface of the Yellow River. The road was calm and calm, and he was about to lead the army forward and wait for an opportunity to capture Yingli, but he heard the news.
What if the Mongolian army encountered him, disturbed the Mongolian army in Yingli, and besieged him from all directions, wouldn't he be surrounded, or even besieged and annihilated.
The Mongolian army's grain trucks should go to Yingli, so as not to worry about grain supplies. Isn't this God's will?
"Wang Ying, how is the terrain around the woods? Can you get close?"
Cao Erxiong asked in a deep voice, his heart already itching.
"General, the Tatar cavalry are all in the woods. The woods are in the shape of deep valley pockets. As long as the official road is guarded, the Tatars will have trouble escaping."
While Wang Ying was talking and drawing, Cao Erxiong gathered the generals and immediately gave the order.
At three quarters of noon, the weather was sizzling hot. In the woods beside the post road, about five hundred Mongolian cavalry were chatting and laughing, sitting on the ground, leaning against the trees to enjoy the cool air, sitting or lying down, whatever was comfortable for them.
To the east of them, eight or nine hundred civilians gathered in a pile. They were unkempt and tattered, and they were all resting in panic. Everyone was quiet and did not dare to make a sound for fear of alarming the Mongolian cavalry.
The weather was too hot, so many Mongolian soldiers took off their armor, hoping to feel cooler.
Wang Ying led the troops to sneak in from the side of the valley. Everyone was cautious and soon approached the woods. Seeing the sneaking Song Army, many civilians opened their eyes wide.
"Shh!"
Wang Ying put her finger on her lips and made a gesture of silence. The common people knew this well, many of them remained silent, and many even closed their eyes.
It is your own fault and you will not survive!
Judging from the reactions of the civilians, we also know how much they hate the Mongolian army. This place is only thirty or forty steps away from where the Mongolian troops rested.
Wang Ying and all the grenadiers of the Song Army moved gently and unscrewed the iron caps of the grenades, opened the fuse, and ignited the fuse of the thunder.
"What's wrong?"
The fuse burned "呲呲", and while the Mongolian cavalry was taking a rest with squinted eyes, someone suddenly shouted.
"Everyone get down!"
Wang Ying shouted at the peasants, took a few steps, and threw the smoking Thunderbolt in his hand with all his strength.
The civilians lay down one after another, and the grenadiers of the Song army dropped bombs together. The thunder smoked and flew towards the Mongolian army in the woods like raindrops.
The grenadiers threw the first grenade, without looking at the effect, and continued to throw bombs. After three rounds of grenades, Wang Ying and all the Song Army pikemen stepped over the civilians and rushed into the woods with guns.
At the same time, countless Song troops appeared from all directions and surrounded them.
The artillery of the Song Army was set up on the official road one after another, blocking the exit of the woods.
"all!"
Loud noises like thunder came one after another, smoke columns billowed in the woods, and they were shrouded in endless thick smoke. The screams of the Mongolian army and the neighing of war horses filled the woods.
When the wind blew away the gunpowder smoke, the Song army's spearmen and the remaining Mongolian army met on a narrow road.
"prick!"
Wang Ying shouted loudly, his spear trembling like a poisonous snake, and he knocked over the Mongolian cavalry on the opposite side with one shot.
The pikemen stabbed each other with their spears, and there were countless spear heads. Blood was dripping in an instant, and several more Mongolian soldiers were stabbed to death. The Song army came from all directions, with spears firing round after round, killing the remaining Mongolian cavalry on the spot. The scene was a mess of flesh and blood, a mixture of iron and blood.
The Mongolian army risked their lives to escape. They relied on the cover of trees, used each other's horns to shoot arrows frequently, and immediately shot down several Song army spearmen.
"I'll go! Grenadier!"
Cao Erxiong was furious and shouted loudly.
The grenadiers lit grenades one after another, and dozens of grenades flew, surrounding several Mongolian troops. After loud noises, the Mongolian army fell to the ground, with countless bodies lying bloody and bloody.
Some Mongolian cavalry tried to escape on horseback, rushing out of the woods and meeting Song soldiers coming from all directions. The Mongolian army relied on their superb cavalry and archery and fired arrows desperately. Although they killed several Song soldiers, they were overwhelmed by the opponent's surging counterattack.
A Mongolian knight shot down two Song cavalry, but several knights from the other side still ran quickly. The knight dodged one person's spear, but was stabbed under the horse by iron rods and spears from the left and right.
The sound of "whoosh" continued, and the Song army's crossbowmen fired their crossbows and arrows. The Mongolian knights on horseback were shot down one after another, like hedgehogs.
The Song army's spearmen formed groups of two or three and fought hard. The Mongolian army in the woods was divided and surrounded, and was constantly killed by the Song soldiers. The fighting area became smaller and smaller, and the isolated Mongolian army was killed one by one. , bloody and abnormal.
"rush out!"
The Mongolian generals took the lead. The Mongolian cavalry went straight to the official road to the west. They fired arrows in a continuous stream. The Song artillerymen fell down, and a gap suddenly appeared on the official road. The Mongolian cavalry took the opportunity to rush up from the slope. After entering the official road, he fired arrows and killed the Song soldiers who were fleeing in panic on the way.
"I'll fuck you, uncle!"
Li Shou and another Song soldier suddenly appeared on the opposite side of where the Mongolian cavalry rushed out. Li Shou held up a shield and hung a bundle of smoking thunderbolts around his neck. His abdomen was bleeding profusely and his eyes were red. Another Song soldier was limping, holding a smoking thunderbolt in each hand. He howled on the second day and ran into the Mongolian cavalry and horses together.
The violent explosion was earth-shattering, flesh and blood flew everywhere, bloody arrows were shot, war horses screamed, the Mongolian cavalry and their horses were overturned one after another, and the official road was littered with scattered pieces of meat and human organs.
"Artillery! Fire for me!"
"Grenadiers, are all dead?"
Cao Erxiong roared loudly and his eyes turned red instantly.
The artillery roared and shotguns flew. The Mongolian cavalry on the official road and at the entrance of the official road were beaten and staggered. Dead bodies of men and horses were piled up in layers on the official road and on the slopes of the woods. Their death and injuries were tragic, like a hell on earth.
The artillery bombarded violently, and the sky-shaking thunder followed. The Mongolian cavalry suffered heavy casualties. They retreated in fear and fled deep into the woods. In the end, they were blocked by the steep hillside and could not climb. They could only turn around and face the enemy. Resist tenaciously and make a last ditch effort.
After the Song Army's artillery, crossbows, and thunderbolts were harvested, the pikemen took over the battlefield. As time passed, the battle soon came to an end.
Many Song soldiers opened their eyes wide when they saw dozens of Mongolian soldiers throwing away their weapons, kneeling on the ground, shouting randomly, and some even kowtowed.
"Did the Tatars also surrender?"
A young Song Bing asked curiously.
"What's so strange about this? Tartars are humans too, not rocks. If they are shot with a cannon, they will still be bloody and bloody!"
The older veteran pretended to be serious.
"Tie them all up! Clean the battlefield and shoot the dead and alive. Don't let any news leak out!"
Cao Erxiong led his soldiers up and waved his hands. The Song soldiers stepped forward and tied up all the surrendered Mongolian troops.
After the battle, the Song army began to clean the battlefield. Some people were on guard outside, and medical officers came up to treat the wounds of the wounded.
In a sneak attack, even though the enemy was outnumbered, a hundred soldiers were killed or wounded.
"What a pity, brother Li Shou!"
There was no joy of victory on Cao Erxiong's face.
"Li Shou..."
Wang Ying hugged his head and cried. After being comforted by the soldiers, Wang Yingcai stood up with choked sobs.
Li Shou and another Song soldier were killed in battle. They didn't even leave a body behind. How could they explain this to their wives and children?
"Brother, get up, can you speak Chinese?"
Wang Ying wiped away her tears and called up a man squatting on the ground with a dark complexion. This man was in his forties and had a Han Chinese bun. He should be a Han from Xixia.
"Yes, yes!"
The civilian husband smiled apologetically and nodded repeatedly. He looked at Wang Ying and asked cautiously:
"Master Jun, are you Xia Jun, or..."
These officers and soldiers were so fierce that they killed all the Mongolian cavalry without any deserters.
Is this the official army of Xixia?
"Brother, we are the army of the Song Dynasty and have already crossed the Yellow River. Let me ask, where did you escort so much grain?"
Wang Ying asked with a pleasant look.
"The Song Dynasty... the army... fought... across... the Yellow River..."
The middle-aged man looked at Wang Ying in shock, and it took him a long time to react.
"Return, to the military master, these grains were transported from Shatuo to the Tatar camp in Yingli. There are more than two thousand Tatar soldiers there and three to four hundred surrendered troops, a total of two thousand five hundred Most of the Tatar cavalry live in the Tatar camp outside the city. Only the officials and a small number live in the city!"
The middle-aged man told everything he knew and didn't know.
"Only two thousand five hundred people?"
Wang Ying was a little disappointed. There were only 2,500 people, and 5,000 Song soldiers were sent to attack. Lu Wende was still too cautious.
After fighting in a small-scale field battle, his comrades died tragically, and his fighting spirit was completely aroused.
Only 2,500 people?
The middle-aged man was secretly surprised. The Tatar cavalry were like wolves and tigers, killing Xixia corpses all over the fields, leaving no one inhabited for thousands of miles. These Song troops have such a strong tone!
"Two thousand five hundred people live outside the city..."
Wang Ying's words made Cao Erxiong ponder for a moment and look at the officers beside him.
"Brothers, what do you think we should do? Should we wait for the army to come up?"
Lu Yuanting's three thousand soldiers behind him were still forty or fifty miles away.
"General, there are only more than 2,000 people, and they are still outside the city. Let's do it!"
"When the army comes up, if the news leaks out, all the previous efforts will be wasted!"
The officers talked all over the place, and everyone's eyes were blazing, as if they had seen their charming new wife whom they had not seen for three months.
"General, I have an idea. Transporting food is done by day and night. How about this..."
Wang Ying thought for a moment and spoke out.
