Chen Chong stood on the city tower and looked at the retreat of the Xiongnu army. Tens of thousands of troops moved into formation together, but there was no tacit understanding among the troops. There was a clear distinction between each ministry. Even though they were far apart, there were still many disputes. Han Xian took off his trousers and smiled at Chen Chong: "Hu'er has experienced little war after all. If such a large army is unbalanced, it will be difficult to end well if it breaks into chaos. Chen Shijun, I think Hu's army is just a show-off, and there is nothing to be afraid of."
"Don't underestimate the enemy." Chen Chong pointed to the wolf flag flying by the Huns in the rear formation. Han Xian looked at it and knew that it was the military flag of King Xiutu. However, he saw that under the wolf flag, the military formation was neat and orderly, slowly like a forest, and the forwards turned to the rear. , consciously distanced themselves from the army when turning, and the soldiers and armor were in order, which was quite majestic. Han Xian felt awe-struck when he saw it and stopped laughing.
Chen Chong went down to the city tower and ordered a military meeting to the scouts beside him. After the military coup in Meiji and the arrival of Wen Hong, Qin Yilu and others in Quyu, Chen Chong was now in charge of all matters in Xihe. While reporting the Xiongnu rebellion to the imperial court, Chen Chong summoned some Bingzhou County soldiers still stationed in Lishi, totaling more than 8,000 people. Except for Wei Yan, other students such as Xu Shu and Meng Jian accompanied Yang Hui to sit in Lishi.
Regarding Han Xian, Chen Chong's original intention was to persuade him to leave. In this way, he can kill two birds with one stone, he can continue to show his goodwill to the Bai Bo rebels, and he can also prevent Bai Bo from repeating the battle. Han Xian had no intention of leaving, so he sent most of his troops back across the river, leaving only a hundred people close to him. He smiled at Chen Chong and said, "How can Han be so willing to leave when he has never seen Longshou use his troops?"
In this case, Chen Chong naturally agreed happily, but he also asked: "I heard that many of the rebels had contacts with the Xiongnu. Maybe Han Shuai can tell me which King Hu came to him?"
Han Xian did not answer directly, but pointed at the sky with an unpredictable smile. Chen Chong immediately realized that among the Xiongnu tribes, only King Zuoxian and the direct lineage of the Chanyu had herded Xihe, and the Baibo army could only take the Qiangqu Chanyu route. Now that Qiangqushan is dead and Yufuluo is missing, it is obvious that this has also caused the Baibo army to have an uncertain attitude and doubts about whether to cooperate with King Xiutu and others. This is naturally good news for the Han army.
Those who came to the military meeting were all officers above the military rank and generals in the governor's office. There were Wu Meng for Zhang Yang, Governor Liu Gu, Dian Jun for Wei Yue, Gong Ma for Wei Fu, Army Sima Zhang Liao and others. Although the Huns took the initiative to retreat today, the actual combat power of the Huns who advanced first made them feel awe-struck. Everyone looked solemn and thought about the strategy to defeat the enemy in their hearts.
When Chen Chong saw everyone gathered, he spread out the map of Xihe on a big table and set the tone for the conference: "Now that the Xiongnu rebellion is a foregone conclusion, Governor Zhang died in a national disaster and the annexation of the state is in danger, although I urgently rushed to the meeting in two months We are building Quyu New City, but our troops are stretched thin, and we are not able to defend ourselves, let alone attack the enemy. Therefore, in this military discussion, I think we should focus on defense for now, but defending does not mean defending the city, nor does it mean defending to death. How can we do this? To curb the barbarian offensive, everyone is welcome to express your opinions."
Yang Chou, the commander of Zhang Yang's army, said: "Your Majesty, although our army occupies a dangerous position and the enemy is outnumbered, it is not a long-term solution. Quyu is a small town after all. It is okay for us to defeat Hu's army here, but it will definitely not work if we are trapped in this city. It is better to After spending ten months here, we gave up Quyu and retreated to Zhongyang, using the two counties of Shangdang in Hedong as assistance, waiting for the imperial court to send troops, and then slowly plan for it."
Army Sima Zhang Liao came out and scolded Yang Chou loudly: "Marquis Yang is too cowardly. Although the Hu people are powerful in numbers, they are just slaves after all! How can they compare with my strong men who are good at fighting? Now our army is in There are more than 7,000 people in Quyu, more than 8,000 people in Lishi, and more than 6,000 people in Yonghe. The elites of Bingzhou have gathered here. Although there are only 20,000 people, they can defeat Hu Hou once said: "One Han is worth five Hus!" , Hu’s army is no more than a hundred thousand at most. Your Majesty, if our army gathers the whole army and fights with them to the death, the outcome is not yet known!"
Zhang Liao had a golden voice, and coupled with his majestic appearance and powerful figure, Yang Chou lost his momentum for a while and could not make a sound. He could only sigh secretly, lowered his head and returned to the queue without saying a word, waiting. Chen Chong makes a choice.
Chen Chong did not immediately respond to the two arguments. Instead, he turned to Han Xian and Zhang Yang and asked, "County Magistrate Han and Zhang Yang, what do you two think about this?"
Han Xian stroked his beard in silence and motioned to Zhang Yang to speak first. Zhang Yang did not shirk, and stepped forward to close the map of Xihe County, and sighed: "Your Majesty, what is happening now is not a matter for one county in Xihe, but a matter for three counties in Bingzhou. Since the Hu people moved to Bingzhou, the country has been in full swing. There are only three counties in the city, and among the three counties, Taiyuan is the most important. The cultural relics and features of Bingzhou are all here. Now Xihe has gathered officers and soldiers from the three counties to defend it. What about Taiyuan? Please note that there are 20,000 soldiers from the counties, and there are more people in Taiyuan. , Taiyuan is currently empty, and if the barbarians send a partial army to attack it, the whole county of Taiyuan will inevitably fall, and the morale of the army will be unstable, so we cannot fight for a long time!"
These remarks were really inspiring. Many of the officers present were from Taiyuan. After hearing this, they could not hide their confusion. They turned their eyes to Chen Chong and all stepped forward and said: "Please give me your order. We are willing to fight with Hulu." Fight to the death!"
Chen Chong was unmoved and continued to ask Han Xian, "Is County Magistrate Han still silent?"
Han Xian laughed and reopened the map of Xihe County. He ran his fingers back and forth along the river and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is still asking me for advice at this time. I'm afraid it's not against our Baibo Army. According to my subordinates, Hu Jun is now It seems that the military discipline is lax, but it is not due to war orders, but because of the different intentions of the people. The Hu people have been riding and shooting all year round, and they are skilled in bow and horse. If our army fights with them in the field, the Hu people and horses are as fast as the wind, and it may be difficult to achieve victory. . As for the experience of siege, the Hu people probably don’t have any experience at all. The commander previously focused on defense. In my opinion, this is correct. However, as Zhang Cheng said, there is a high probability that Taiyuan will fall."
Chen Chong nodded slightly, then he looked around at everyone and concluded: "It is true that what County Magistrate Han said, our current situation is like this. Now Xihe can be defended but not attacked, and Taiyuan is in danger. But you still need to know that everyone is with you. Don’t the Hulu have no feeling of hometown? The Hulu rebellion is caused by their refusal to do corvee service. How can they be willing to fight? That’s why today we broke off hundreds of troops in front of the city and withdrew to rest."
"It is not conducive to our army to defend the war, let alone to the Hulu. If Huliba leads the army southward, as long as he stops moving forward, the army will inevitably be in chaos, and the chaos will be eliminated. By then, what will be the difficulty for us to capture Taiyuan again? ? Small impatience will mess up the big plan. The emperor surrendered to Hongmen, but he had the victory of Gaixia. Shizong lost his Mayi, but still built his business in Mobei! Every king must first save his family, and he must first leave his family, and hope that all Be careful in your military thinking!"
The sparse response from the officers made Chen Chong quite disappointed. King Xiutu didn't have enough prestige among the Xiongnu army, so why didn't he himself? If he were still in the Dongping Army, he would naturally not focus on defense. As a military commander, he must make decisions based not only on the enemy's situation, but also on his own actual situation.
Decisive battle is absolutely out of the question, but harassment is possible. Chen Chong was determined to order a siege on the first night of the opponent's camp. Zhang Liao's previous request for a battle was rejected by him, but his courage was commendable, and he could take the lead in the night attack. Thinking of this, Chen Chong immediately ordered: "Zhang Sima, do you dare to fight at night?" Kill Huying?"
Zhang Liao said with a smile: "As long as you give the Liao 800 warriors, the Liao can come and go as they please." Chen Chong immediately recruited 800 warriors from the army to cooperate with Zhang Liao in a camp.
Eight hundred people, all equipped with good horses, marched along the previously built wooden road to Bailing. According to Chen Chong's request, Zhang Liao marched along the ridge of Bailing. Except for Zhang Liao who led the way, holding a torch, all the soldiers behind him followed the front row in the dark. The ridge is mostly made of loess, and the mountains are covered with dead trees. Eight hundred people are slowly moving forward following a ball of fire on the ridge, like wandering spirits chasing wildfire.
After advancing quietly for two hours, the officers and soldiers saw the Huns' camp in the distance. The felt tents spread from the roadside to the mountains, and the flags were flying in the wind like a forest. The area near the camp had been cut down cleanly. From a distance, you could see the smooth and matte sand in the dark night, and the square in front of the camp. A busy scene.
In front of the camp, freshly cut dry wood was piled up everywhere. Many barbarians clung to the dry wood like ants, using simple hammers and chisels to peel off the skin of the dry wood. The strange aroma of various resins filled the air everywhere. Upon seeing this, Zhang Liao said to his followers: "The Hu people have cleared out everything and set up part of the camp on the ridge. I don't think they can succeed in attacking the camp this time and achieving great success."
"Then I will report the situation here to the envoy, and we will return the same way?" The personal attendant thought deeply and asked.
"No, a real man traveled hundreds of miles at night, how can he come back empty-handed?" Zhang Liao objected, so he ordered his men to collect thick branches everywhere. Eight hundred people rode their horses to the edge of the forest, leaned against the trees, and tied the branches and leaves to the tails of their horses. The eight hundred people were divided into two teams, the front and rear. The front team pulled out their knives and got ready to go. The back team was slightly behind. No one held two thick branches and lit them as torches.
After the rear team was ready, Zhang Liao straightened his posture and shouted: "Come into the formation with me!"
The Hun soldiers in front of the camp at the foot of the ridge saw smoke billowing straight from the ridge, followed by a fire dragon that was neither long nor short. They couldn't judge the situation for a while, so they could only ask the craftsmen in front of the camp to retreat first, while standing at the entrance of the camp. Gather your troops to prevent the camp from being overrun.
Unexpectedly, when Zhang Liao's cavalry was about to confront them, they actually drew a strange arc and killed only a few skirmishers who had not yet had time to return to the team. Then they took a detour and got stuck between planed dry logs. He swung his sword at the barbarians in a slashing motion, and the red horse underneath him also neighed. The Huns soldiers had not had time to assemble, so they could only respond with a hail of arrows, but the reaction was obviously too slow. In addition to injuring a few cavalry, Zhang Liao's front team had already begun to retreat.
Then the team rushed over and threw hundreds of torches directly into the pile of wood. Many of the planed dry wood were flammable pine wood. Almost in an instant, a raging flame ignited in front of the camp, and the wood was ignited. The crackling sound of burning continued, and then the figures of the Han cavalry were drowned.
Not long after, the Hu army from the mountain ridge came down to the ridge to rescue them almost immediately. However, the fire cut off the road. Even though there were not many casualties, the Huns were unable to do anything with Zhang Liao's 800 cavalry, leaving him alone in the camp. Come and go as you wish.
When Zhang Liao returned, Chen Chong welcomed him off his horse. Seeing him taking off his armor and resting, but only sweating slightly, he couldn't help but sigh: "Sima is really a hero. If there are 800 warriors in Bingzhou like the king, why worry about the Huns causing rebellion?"
Zhang Liao washed his face with clean water. Hearing Chen Chong's sigh, Zhang Liao replied with a smile: "It's a pity for you, I have a good friend Lu Bu Gao Shun who is in the Shangdang. He is brave and brave. After the war, I will recommend him to you."
