But he said that Zhongshi Dao led 40,000 troops, left Yanmen Pass, and traveled south at starry night. He wished he could transform into two wings and fly to Bianliang City at once.
Unexpectedly, people's hearts are not as good as God's will. The more anxious he is, the more God wants to oppose him. Heavy snow falls for days, turning the mountains, deep paths, and passionate hearts pale.
The army walked on frost and snow, and only traveled more than ten miles a day before they were exhausted. Many soldiers caught cold and saw more and more illnesses. The old man's heart was burning, and he fell ill.
You must know that this old gentleman is seventy years old this year, and he may still be in good spirits on weekdays. Once he falls ill, all his old injuries will recur, making it difficult for him to even sit up.
Even so, Zhongshi Dao refused to stay for a day. He called everyone to sit in front of the bed, took a strong breath and said in a low voice: "The last time the Liao soldiers reached Bianliang was during the later Jin Dynasty. Since the founding of this dynasty, How have you been here since then? This is a great shame for a military man. I am old and incompetent. I am glad that you are still healthy. If I die of illness, please do not let me die. I beg you to carry my coffin. If I don’t see Bianliang surrounding me, I will not be able to rest in peace. also."
After speaking, tears rolled down his face, and he coughed up blood and stained his beard red and white.
The generals were so excited that they returned to their camps and told the troops: Mr. Zhong is ill and is dying. He is still worried about his country. Why should we be afraid of a mere frost and snow? Do it urgently.
When the three armies heard about it, everyone was moved by it, so they endured the cold and drove through the snow. On this day, the heavy snow finally stopped and they arrived at Jincheng.
To the southeast of Jincheng is the Taihang line, to the west is the Taiyue Mountain, and to the south is the boundary between Mengzhou and Huaizhou.
In other words, if you go forward, you may encounter Liao soldiers at any time.
Although Zhong Shidao was rushing all the way, he was a veteran general who knew his troops well, and he knew that haste makes waste. Seeing that the distance to Bianliang was getting closer, he was not in a hurry for success, and wanted to rest his troops and horses for three days before proceeding again. Set off.
After only one day's rest, Yao Xing came alone.
The patrol soldiers heard that it was Bianliang who came out to ask for help, and quickly brought him to the Zhongshi Road Office.
Yao Xing was shocked when he saw that the old general was sick and torn apart. However, the military situation was so intense that he had no time to ask more questions. He hurriedly untied his armor, took out the imperial edict from his arms and presented it to him.
Zhong Shidao took a look and his expression became even worse: "Liao soldiers...have crossed the Yellow River?"
He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Come here, summon the generals to discuss matters!"
The discussion was short, and after a few hours, 40,000 Song troops left the city.
According to Zhong Shidao's original idea, he would have fought a decisive battle with the Liao army on the north bank of the Yellow River, relying on the Taihang Mountains.
However, Bianliang troops were already approaching the city, so they had no choice but to rescue them first.
On the way, Zhongshidao couldn't stand the bumps and fell into a coma. The generals were in confusion for a while, and decided to seize the pontoon first, and then Zhengzhou, forming a horns with Bianliang, and then decided how to use troops based on the specific situation.
Lieutenants Qu Ke and Ma Zhong led three thousand troops, went down the Qinshui River, and captured the pontoon bridge in one fell swoop.
Unexpectedly, when the army was crossing the bridge, the Liao soldiers on the north bank suddenly came out with thousands of troops. The leading general was none other than Xiao Qian!
The Song army was shocked, Zhong Shidao was unconscious, and there was no one to take command. All the troops rushed to cross the bridge, and countless people were squeezed into the river.
When they reached the other side, there was a burst of gongs and drums, and another 10,000 soldiers and horses came out from Zhengzhou, intercepting the Song army and killing them.
At this point, both the north and south sides were blocked by Liao soldiers. .
It is said that the total number of Liao soldiers may not be more than that of the Song army, but one side plans ahead and the other side lies behind, so the morale is naturally very different. Moreover, one side has a tight formation, and the other side has difficulty in looking at the head and tail, making it increasingly difficult to resist.
In the melee, Zhongshi Dao Youyou woke up and heard the sound of killing. His heart suddenly suddenly burst out. He had a burst of strength from nowhere. He forcibly turned off the stretcher, grabbed a horse, struggled to climb up, and rushed around. When I saw it, my heart suddenly felt cold.
"The people of Liao...the siege of Bianjing is a lie!" Zhong Shidao said tremblingly, gritting his teeth: "Their purpose is to destroy my troops from the beginning!"
When the veteran general wanted to understand, he heard the Liao soldiers from the north shout: "Marshal Xiao Qian, the commander of the Liao soldiers, is here, why didn't Mr. Zhong surrender earlier?"
The Liao soldiers in the south also called out: "The king of the southern courtyard of the Liao Dynasty and the privy general Yelu Dashi are here. Mr. Zhong will die quickly!"
"Alas!" Zhongshi Dao shook his head: "I missed the country! That's all, that's all!"
The old general gritted his teeth and shouted loudly: "Where are Qu Duan, Wang Yan, Zhang Jun and Liu Qi?"
Several young generals responded in unison: "The general is here!"
Master Zhong pointed southward: "You four, I want to point you to a dead end, do you dare or not?"
When Yao Xing heard this, he looked over and saw that among the four generals Lao Zhong ordered, Zhang Jun, the eldest, was only thirty-five or six, Qu Duan and Wang Yan were both in their early thirties, and the one named Liu Qi was only twenty-three. From the looks of the four, judging from their clothes and armor, they all hold low-level positions such as deputy general and captain.
I immediately knew in my heart that this was the bravest of the young generation of the Western Army.
The four generals clasped their fists in unison: "But for the sake of the country, I am fearless in life and death!"
Zhong Shidao nodded and said: "Okay! With a thousand men each, go south and kill through this army, and go straight to Bianliang!"
Yao Xing hurriedly said: "Shuai Zhong, Yao knows this road best and is willing to be a guide."
Although Zhong Shidao didn't know him well, he knew that since he sent him out to ask for help, he must be brave and brave, so he immediately agreed.
Yao Xing and the four generals clasped their fists as a salute, led the four generals across the bridge in a hurry, rectified their troops and horses briefly, and then rushed towards the Yelu Stone Formation.
Zhong Shidao shouted again: "Han Cunbao and Wang Wende, the two military envoys, will lead their own troops and horses to block the Liao army on the north bank and allow our army to cross south."
Han and Wang looked at each other and saw the sadness in each other's eyes. They nodded and said: "I will obey the general's order!"
Each leads his troops and kills behind them.
When the Song army crossed the river and was ambushed, they were in a panic. But when they heard that Zhongshi Dao had woken up and issued orders one after another, they struggled to regain any morale.
The Liao army had 80,000 soldiers, and Wu Yanguang led 50,000 in Bianliang. There were only 30,000 soldiers on both sides of the strait. The Song army was not defeated, but even held a stalemate for a while.
Xiao Qian sneered while directing the fight. He looked upstream frequently and suddenly saw countless firelights flowing down the water, and he couldn't help but laugh.
However, he discussed with Yelu Dashi and sent two generals, "Fangri Rabbit" Xie Wu and "Xuri Rat" Xu Wei, with a thousand troops and nearly 10,000 civilians under escort. They cut down countless large trees upstream. Put weeds and dry firewood in the middle of the boat, pour it with kerosene, and when you hear the sounds of fighting downstream, you light a fire and let it go down the water.
Zhong Shidao was concentrating on directing the battle when he suddenly heard a loud noise. He looked back in shock and saw countless crudely made fireboats floating down the water. He was stunned on the spot and murmured: "That's it, that's it. Zhong is incompetent and I feel guilty." nation!"
He spit out a mouthful of blood, raised his head and fell down.
The generals Qu Ke and Ma Zhong hugged them quickly.
The fire boat rushed down, and the 300-foot floating bridge collapsed in an instant. Nearly two thousand Song troops on top fell into the water together. After a few ups and downs, they disappeared into the turbid waves.
As soon as the pontoon bridge was broken, the Song army was separated from the north and the south. A few brave generals on the south side forcibly opened a gap and led more than 10,000 people to fight out. The rest were once again surrounded by Yelu Dashi, and no one could escape.
The 20,000 Song troops in the north were completely defeated. Han Cunbao and other Jiedushi envoys, knowing that there was no point in fighting anymore, broke out with their own troops and rushed into the mountains.
During the melee, Qinghe Tianshui Jiedu envoy Jing Zhong was beheaded by Xiao Ganjiang, and more than 10,000 Song troops died in the battle.
One day later, Yao Xing's five generals fought a battle with Wu Yanguang's troops and forced their way into Bianliang. They counted the men and horses. Of the 40,000 King Qin's troops, only more than 4,000 were able to survive.
Zhao Guan's family had been waiting for the Jin people to come for a long time. Unexpectedly, they waited and waited for a group of their own family members, only four thousand in number. In a rage, they dismissed the old husband who didn't know life and death from his post as a citizen, and sent a letter to the sea to arrest him. He arrested Yousi and asked him about the crime of defeating the army.
Immediately, he secretly summoned Kui Xiangyang, the commander of the Imperial City Department, and ordered him to sneak out of the city at night with the imperial edict, gold medals and general seals, and rush to Yanmen Pass to temporarily take over the post of guard general, open and close the gates, and invite the Jin soldiers to enter the pass to destroy the Liao Dynasty. !
Kui Xiangyang received the order and ordered twelve masters from the Imperial City Division to accompany him. He went out of the city at night, performed light skills, and left silently. He walked along the river for dozens of miles, grabbed a fishing boat, and crossed the river. The Yellow River bought dozens of fast horses in Mengzhou and galloped away to Yanmen Pass!
There are different teachings: the general is dedicated to serving the country, and the ever-changing plan is for water and fire. Sitting in the isolated city with no way out, suddenly there is a message that a door opens in the dangerous pass!
(End of chapter)
