"Where is the green mud? How can it reach the rocky mountains with nine twists and turns at a hundred steps!"
As the only way for Qinlong to enter Shu, the Qingni Ridge in Fengzhou Hechi is known as the "Qinlong barrier and the throat of Bashu". It stretches for more than 40 miles and is only a hundred miles away from Lizhou West Road to govern Mianzhou. Close it, no one can open it.
It was early morning in early winter, the weather was dry and cold, and a group of Song Army scouts gathered in a mountain depression on the southern slope of Qingni Ridge. Everyone was silent, looking north towards Fengzhou.
Deep in the woods, hundreds of war horses wearing protective gear and bridles were tied to the trees, silently. Some of the horses snorted, and a Song Army scout gently stroked the horses to keep them quiet.
The Song Army's rangers were dark and strong, wearing round helmets and steel armor. Their horses were equipped with shields, bows and arrows, and their quivers were full, accompanied by ropes and other items. Judging from the number of horses, they obviously exceeded the number of Song Army scouts.
Four years have passed since the Song Army occupied the Hexi Corridor, and the Song Army's northwest frontier cavalry has suddenly increased. War horses are no longer a rarity. Just like these Song army scouts, everyone has one person and two horses, and the horses carrying artillery and ammunition are still excluded.
Since Xixia had been incorporated into the territory of the Song Dynasty, Xia craftsmen also brought in cold forging technology. The armor they created was two-thirds thinner than the original, but it was harder and could not be penetrated by a 50-step crossbow. Even if the arrow hits the drilled hole between the armor plates, the arrowhead will be scraped back by the drilled hole, which shows the toughness of the armor and effectively protects the safety of the soldiers.
On the hillside, there were several small cannons, with their muzzles faintly pointed at the mountain road. Each Song Army scout is equipped with several grenades, and their equipment can be said to be armed to the teeth.
In the mountain forest, the trees are green, the fallen leaves are falling, the birds are singing and chirping in the branches, and the sun is blocked. It is still dusk in the day, the cold springs are tinkling, the Song army scouts are lying in the ravine, and a few scouts are holding telescopes in their hands. Looking around, motionless.
"Lieutenant Ran, the Tatar Rangers were discovered!"
Suddenly, a scout turned around and whispered. Ran Jing, the deputy general of the scout battalion who was lying in the valley, was startled. He took the telescope and looked towards the official road in the distance.
On the wide and flat official road, the clear sound of horse hooves could be heard, and then No. 100 Mongolian Army Rangers came into view, coming south along the official road in a show of force.
Looking at these Mongolian army knights roaring and arrogant on their horses, they are obviously veterans who have experienced hundreds of battles.
"These thieves are roaming freely in our land of the Song Dynasty. Damn it!"
Ran Jing said harshly and put down the telescope.
"General, how about I take people down and we attack from two sides and destroy these Tatar rangers!"
Ran Jing's younger brother Ran Pu asked for orders from his elder brother.
The Ran brothers are from Bozhou, Guizhou, and are both famous local prodigies. The Song army restored Xixia and defeated the Tatar army. The two brothers were admitted to the Jinling Lecture Hall. Since the two brothers had traveled to scenic spots and pass towns in Bashu when they were young, and were familiar with the terrain of Sichuan, they were assigned to the northwest border after graduation and served under Lu Wende, the commander of Lizhou West Road.
The two brothers are skilled in bow and horse. The elder brother Ran Jing is the deputy general of the scout camp, and the younger brother Ran Pu is the preparation general.
Historically, the Ran brothers also had another identity, that is, they were the staff of Yu Jie, the Sichuan envoy of the Southern Song Dynasty. The famous Diaoyu Mountain military defense system was the work of the two Ran brothers.
In 1259 AD, the Mongolian Khan Meng Ge personally led an army of 100,000 to attack Sichuan and reached Diaoyu City. Hezhou soldiers and civilians relied on the defense of Diaoyu Mountain to resist tenaciously. The two sides were in a stalemate for half a year. Diaoyu City could not be defeated for a long time. The Mongolian army commander Wang Dechen He was killed by flying rocks from the Song army under the city. Meng Ge was hit by random arrows from the Song army and was forced to order the withdrawal. During the retreat, Meng Ge suffered an arrow injury and died on the way.
After Meng Ge's death, the Mongolian nobles fought for the throne among themselves, and the invading troops fighting in Europe were forced to withdraw. It is said in history that Er Ran saved European civilization.
Historically, Yu Jie died suddenly, and the Ran brothers were forced to resign, showing their helplessness in serving the country.
"Vice-General Ran, there are hundreds of Tatar cavalry, and it looks like they are coming with bad intentions. I have few soldiers, how can I bear it?"
The guard, Han Shan, was mature and prudent, and hesitant.
"A hundred men versus a hundred men, there is no need to endure it any longer! No matter what, we must capture a few Tatar prisoners and take them back. If the Tatar army comes later, we will not have this chance!"
Ran Jing shook her head and made a decision immediately.
"Team A and Team C stay with Ran Pu, and Team B will follow me down. Han Shan, the artillery must be ready, seize the opportunity!"
After Ran Jing finished speaking, he and a group of scouts got on their horses and rode down the northern hillside.
The Song army scouts filed down the hillside. The Mongolian army rangers were startled at first, and then they beat their horses one after another, their iron hooves rolling, and ran straight towards Ran Jing and others on the opposite side.
As for the Song army scouts on the hillside, the Mongolian army rangers had also discovered them, but they ignored them. Apparently they wanted to kill Ran Jing's group who came down the mountain first, and then hunt down the rest of the Song army on the hillside.
The Mongolian cavalry dominates the world, and the rangers are the most powerful soldiers in the army. If the Song scouts go against them, they will be seeking death.
"Artillery ready!"
On the hillside, Han Shan's face suddenly darkened.
The Mongolian army's rangers were arrogant and domineering, and they did not take the Song army's scouts seriously.
The two gunners quickly loaded their ammunition and were soon ready.
This kind of small cannon weighs only thirty kilograms, each with ten blunderbuss. It is easy to carry and easy to operate on the battlefield. It is a sharp weapon for killing thieves. Together with the thunder, it is a favorite of the Song army's infantry and cavalry.
The Song Army scouts and the Mongolian Army Rangers came toward each other from north to south along the official road at the foot of the mountain. In a blink of an eye, they were already a hundred steps away. Both sides held crossbows in their hands, and their arrows were already on the strings.
"Kill Song Dog!"
Both sides are warriors in the army, but when riding and shooting, it can still be seen that the Mongolian army's rangers can move and retract freely. Many of them hold their bows and arrows with both hands, without using reins, and their riding skills are obviously superior. The Mongolian army's rangers screamed strangely, stretched their bows and nocked arrows, and some knights were already taking the lead in firing arrows at the Song army's scouts.
"Puff!"
The sound of artillery suddenly sounded, and the birds in the mountain forest spread their wings and flew high, filling the sky above the mountain forest.
The white steam was steaming, and the Mongolian army's cavalry galloping forward at the foot of the mountain screamed and fell down, including men and horses. The group of cavalry suddenly became much sparser.
The two small cannons covered a distance of 100 meters from the official road. The sound of cannons continued. The Mongolian army's rangers kept falling under their horses, and screams and horses hooted one after another.
"Aim and hit!"
With sweaty palms, Han Shan loaded the ammunition himself and fired at the Mongolian army's cavalry on the official road.
"Get down!"
Ran Pu mobilized his war horses and headed towards the back of the Mongolian army's cavalry from the south slope with the other two teams.
The Song army's artillery fire continued, and it seemed that it was going to attack the Mongolian army from both north and south. The Mongolian army's rangers were killed and wounded everywhere, and the official road was full of them. After a brief panic, the front line went straight to Ran Jing's B team, and the back line turned around and headed straight to Ran Pu's A and C teams.
Ran Pu led two teams downhill. One team dismounted when they reached the halfway point. Ran Pu led the other team to continue downhill and soon reached the official road.
"Hit the Mongolian army's rear wing!"
The Song troops who dismounted halfway hid behind the hillside, lit thunderbolts one after another, and threw them down from the hillside towards the official road.
A Song Army scout accidentally showed his head when he was throwing a bomb. The Mongolian army's feather arrows whizzed over and shot the Song Army scout over. The smoking Thunderbolt in his hand also fell to the ground.
The surrounding Song Army scouts were shocked and fell down one after another. Thunder exploded, causing earth and rocks to fly. Another Song Army scout was hit in the leg by a flying stone. His leg fractured immediately and he made a muffled sound.
The Song Army scouts hid themselves and observed carefully. The thunderbolts were thrown out continuously, hitting the Mongolian cavalry one after another. Soon there were pillars of smoke billowing and a bloody wind.
The sky-shaking thunder exploded indiscriminately, and smoke pillars billowed on the mountain road. The Song army's artillery fired two more rounds, and another twenty or thirty mounted Mongolian troops were killed or wounded. Seeing that the cavalry on both sides had come into contact, the artillery on the hillside stopped roaring.
"You guys come down with me! If there are fewer people, use bows and arrows; if there are more people, use thunder!"
Han Shan was a famous archer in the army. He picked up his horn bow and slipped down the hillside with several other auxiliary soldiers.
On the mountain road, there was no contact between the two sides, and arrows were flying in the air. The Mongolian army relied on its fast shooting speed and long shooting range, while the Song army relied on its tough armor and shield protection.
The sound of arrows piercing the air continued, and people on both sides suddenly fell off their horses. Although the Song army had armor and shields, several people were still shot and fell off their horses, either shot or wounded. Because most of the Mongolian soldiers were wearing leather armor, as long as they were shot, they would immediately be covered in blood and either die or be injured.
The arrows from both sides were whistling, and the bows and crossbows were firing. The Mongolian army had fewer horsemen. The two sides were approaching quickly, and they all had their swords in hand, and they were about to engage in melee combat.
Ran Jing stepped on the crossbow string to load the arrow, and when he raised it, a Mongolian knight fell off his horse. A feather arrow roared towards him. Ran Jing twisted around to avoid it, but a Song Army scout behind him was shot in the chest and knocked off his horse.
Ran Jing didn't have time to think about it, he hung up the crossbow, took off his riding spear, held the spear in his right hand, and controlled the horse with his left hand. The round shield on his left arm covered his throat and face, and he hit him like a sudden storm.
The Mongolian Army Rangers were also shocked. I thought that with a rain of arrows, the Song army would fall to pieces and be shot dead by them. Who knows, the arrows hit the opponent. Unless they hit the life gate, they would have little effect, and even if they were injured, they would be minor injuries.
Within a short distance of both sides, short axes, iron bones, iron rods, short knives and other objects were thrown out like raindrops. They collided in the air and fell to the ground. However, most of the weapons fell into the formation of both sides. There was another scream, and several riders fell down.
At a distance of a hundred steps, the cavalry from both sides arrived in an instant, and soon they collided violently. People were on their backs, horses were tumbling, blood was splattering, screams, angry shouts, and horses were intertwined, making it a mess.
Ran Jing stabbed one person with his spear, blocked an opponent's saber with his shield, and the Hexi horse charged across the enemy's side, knocking over both the man and the horse of the Mongolian army on the opposite side. An iron rod whizzed at the opponent from behind, but was separated by the Song Army beside Ran Jing's horse with a sword.
Ran Jing was frightened and angry, and stabbed the Mongolian army rider hard under the horse with his spear. Then he jumped up on the horse and shot him hard in the throat.
A Song Army scout stabbed a Mongolian Army ranger over. He had no time to dodge and was stabbed in the neck. He was chopped off from his horse.
Another Mongolian Army ranger knocked a Song Army scout off his horse and wanted to make up for it. A Song Army scout on the left and right stepped forward, stabbing and slashing, and killed the Mongolian Army Ranger under the horse.
Several Mongolian horsemen escaped from the siege by luck, but before they had time to take a breath, arrows from the Song Army roared from the hillside, and several people fell off their horses.
The two sides rushed into battle, and soon they saw the difference. The official road where they had just fought was full of dead bodies, with broken arms and legs, and the ground was covered with blood.
The sound of "pengpeng" artillery sounded, and the Mongolian army rangers who had just assembled in the front army were frightened. When they looked up, it turned out to be the Mongolian army rangers charging into the formation, and they were shot mercilessly by the Song army's artillery.
It turned out that the Song army did not completely dismount, but still left a few people behind to kill and injure the Mongolian army's rangers with the help of Gaopo Thunder.
The sky-shaking thunder continued to fall, and earth and rocks flew up on the official road. Only a few mounted Mongolian troops were left, and they hurriedly escaped from the indiscriminate bombardment of the sky-shaking thunder.
Before the advancing Mongolian army had time to rejoice, several smoking iron lumps on the hillside came towards them and fell into the cavalry group one after another. It turned out that Han Shan took the opportunity to sneak attack with his auxiliary troops.
The explosions of "Tongtong" continued, and the war horses screamed and fell. Only a dozen or so Mongolian horsemen in the front line were left. Han Shan hid behind a tree and fired arrows in succession. Immediately, two more Mongolian army knights fell off their horses.
The Ran brothers on the official road rushed to the formation and gathered together. They went straight to the Mongolian cavalry in the south. It seemed that they wanted to destroy these remaining defeated generals in one go.
The Mongolian rangers in the front army looked at each other in shock, watching as several thunderbolts struck down again, and everyone tried their best to hit their horses in order to make the final charge with the Song army.
At this time, they seemed to have little choice.
After a not-so-intense charge, a few more Mongolian cavalry escaped. Ran Jing did not pursue them, but led his men to clean up the battlefield, pushed their dead and wounded comrades onto their horses, tied up the captured wounded prisoners, and carried them all the way. Head south.
I saw the place where the fight was just now. There were many dead bodies and the ground was stained red with blood, but no one cared about it. Only the mountains were silent and the water was silent.
