Youdao is——
Rolling clouds cover the moonlight,
The surging tiger warriors swept away the dust.
Thousands of horses coming from the west roar together,
The success or failure of the ages depends on one person!
The book continues from the last chapter, and it talks about "Leopard Head" Lin Chong, who led five hundred tiger riders under his command, took advantage of the moonlight, stepped out of Tongguan, and headed towards the Xixia people's camp.
Speaking of these five hundred tiger cavalry, they are no small matter.
Several years ago, Hu Yanzhuo failed in his expedition against Liangshan, and a batch of iron armors and vests fell into the hands of Liangshan. Lao Cao asked Lin Chong and Hu Yanzhuo to use them as a basis to train a heavy cavalry.
Later, Guan Sheng came to attack and during the stalemate, the tiger cavalry stood out and killed the officers and soldiers one by one.
Later, when Lao Cao helped Shi Xiu steal the emperor's concubine and lured the Taiwei Gao Qiu, it was Lin Chong who led hundreds of tiger cavalry to defeat the enemy and achieve great success, and finally avenged the blood feud with his own hands.
By this time, the Liangshan Tiger Cavalry could be regarded as a first-class powerful army throughout the Song Dynasty.
When Lin Chong went on an envoy to the Kingdom of Jin with Cao Cao and watched the battle between the resentful army and Lou Shi's troops, he realized that there were mountains beyond the mountains. The tiger cavalry that he thought were powerful could not compare with the elite Jurchens.
After returning to the mountain, he practiced harder and harder. In addition, Liangshan was getting bigger and bigger at this time, and there was no shortage of financial resources and horses. He and Hu Yanzhuo selected the best from the best, kept improving, and trained three thousand tiger cavalry, with a combat prowess comparable to that of Liangshan. In the past, it has become more and more successful.
Last year, Cao Cao crossed the sea to conquer the Liao Dynasty and selected 5,000 warriors, including 500 tiger cavalry. They were drawn from the 3,000-strong army. Most of them were elite veterans who had been with Lin Chong for a long time. They had an iron will to fight and outstanding skills. It is never an exaggeration to praise a tiger among tigers!
Lao Cao moved to fight in Youyun and regarded the tiger cavalry as an important weapon. After several bloody battles, he never used this army to lead the battle. His kindness and support were the highest among other armies.
It was not until today that Lao Cao really played this trump card in order to destroy the Xixia Dazhai in one fell swoop and also to frighten the Zhongshi and others.
These tiger cavalry have been charging for a long time, and once they are truly unsheathed, their sharpness will be thrilling.
Look at each of them, with calm expressions and smiles at the corners of their mouths. They don't look like they are going to fight in battle, but like they are visiting someone else's house. Each of them pulls his horse covered with horse hooves and walks slowly along the narrow path.
But I am happy that the moonlight is like water, illuminating the paths in front of the pass, making life clear.
The Yellow River and the Wei River merged again, and the stormy waves crashed on the shore, covering up the slight sound of people and horses.
After walking forward for several miles, the road gradually widened, and we could vaguely see a large camp in the open area ahead, along the Wei River.
Lin Chong raised his spear, and all the troops stopped in unison. Without giving any orders, they each took the armor carried by their horses and helped each other put it on.
After putting on the armor, get on the horse, gently pull down the ghost-like iron mask, and breathe evenly.
Within a moment, five hundred armored men on horseback were breathing and breathing together, and the air was swirling like a giant beast lurking in the dark night.
Lin Chong also pulled down his mask and looked at the enemy's stronghold with his heart still.
At this moment, the man who was honest and tolerant despite his superb martial arts skills was no longer the same person as before.
Those ordinary, weak, struggling, contradictory... emotions belonging to ordinary people have long since dissipated unconsciously.
Lin Chong suddenly realized that at some point, he seemed to have transformed from a person into a piece of iron.
At some point, all the dregs were beaten away and turned into a sharp steel spear.
Under the spear's edge, a ball of red tassel looks like fire, but it was tied by the hands of Princess Tianshou Dalibo when she was stationed in Youzhou.
Under the mask, Lin Chong smiled slightly, his eyes shining brightly.
He followed the crowd's rhythm, took a deep breath, and suddenly shouted: "Brothers Tiger Cavalry, follow me... to kill the enemy!"
A large dark cloud moved in, covering the moonlight, and the sky and the earth suddenly became dim.
In this dim moment, the sound of hooves sounded like thunder.
In such a large camp, more than 20,000 Xia troops woke up from a nightmare, just then they screamed out, and then fell asleep under the light of the sword.
The moment when the killing sound exploded.
On the wall of Tongguan City five or six miles away, Mr. Xiaozhong looked worried: "Commander Wu, I'd better go quickly. After all, General Lin only has 500 men. If something goes wrong, he will lose his spirit."
Cao Cao waved his hand and said: "Commander Zhong, it's not that Wu underestimates you, the talented Western Army. It's just that your army has been fighting back and forth, with repeated setbacks, and its morale has long been withered. If there is a big war at this time, there will be a lot of damage, so you are delayed. Set off, wait for Lin Chong to arrive to determine the victory, and you will take advantage of the situation to cover up and kill, so that you can use the heads of the Xia people to rebuild the vigor of the Western Army."
Mr. Xiao Zhong sighed: "How come I don't know what Commander Wu wants? I'm afraid that General Lin has few soldiers. After all, although Xia's army is a partial division, there are still 20,000 soldiers..."
Cao Cao smiled, caressed Zhong Shizhong's vest and said: "Commander Zhong doesn't know something. My brother Lin Chong has gone through many hardships in the world, and now he has been tempered into steel. His character and martial arts have become great. People call him "Little Zhang Fei", and I think it's true." That’s it. That’s it, the time is almost up, please ask Commander-in-Chief to send out troops!”
Zhongshi nodded and led more than 20,000 soldiers and horses in his headquarters to rush out.
In half an hour, Shi Qian came running like smoke. Without entering the door, he walked along the city wall, climbed up like a monkey, and landed in front of Lao Cao.
With a joyful smile on his face, he said: "Brother, what do you think about the failure of the Xixia gang? Mr. Xiao Zhong just insisted on defending, but it turned out to be an excellent strategy to lure the enemy. The two armies were so close inside and outside the pass. He actually They dared not even send scouts, but they killed the Western Army and did not dare to leave. Who would have thought that a ruthless man like Coach Lin would be killed!"
He said with a look of shock: "Instructor Lin showed his real skills today, just like Marquis Huan was reborn!"
He jumped and gestured: "The gate of his camp is so tall and thick. Coach Lin hit his face with a spear, and it exploded. It was like being hit by a stone cannon. The spear started to dance, and in front of him it was like a stone cannon." How can there be a general? Several Xia generals in bright clothes came to kill them all, one by one with a spear, and no matter how many people came behind, they were all killed like a wall. It was like the words from the storyteller's mouth: God Buddha makes it easier!"
He said and laughed: "Brother, is your Daolin coach Shazhe? He rushed back and forth for two rounds, and then went straight out of his back camp, blocking the Xia army's retreat. At this time, Mr. Xiaozhong led The Western Army came to kill, one on both sides was killed and the other blocked. I estimate that some of them escaped into the mountains and jumped into the water, maybe a thousand escaped, and the rest either died or surrendered."
He is quick-tongued and speaks clearly and neatly. In a few words, he outlines a great victory.
After hearing this, all the generals were filled with envy, wishing that they were the ones leading the army.
Li Huai couldn't help but say: "Commander, the Jishan Army's five thousand cavalry are worthy of use."
Cao Cao looked at him and smiled and said: "Brother, don't you know? Your iron cavalry is just like the chain of iron horses that Hu Yanzhuo trained in the past. They sit in groups of three and swing on the flat floor. Although they are invincible, how can they walk on such a small road? You and me Don’t worry, your troops have a bearing on the success or failure of our trip. Once we succeed, haha, no one in the world will recognize you!"
He knew Li Huai's intentions and hid in Woniu Mountain incognito for two years. He expected to shock the world when he came out. Unexpectedly, the Lou family and the Song family were like enemies, and they fought each other for a while, forcing him to escape and escape. Seeing Lin Chong's mighty display of five hundred cavalry, he was naturally eager to fight.
However, Cao Cao's ability in painting cakes had already reached the level of proficiency. With a few words, Li Huai laughed and wished he could spread his wings and fly to Xingqing Mansion.
In this battle, Lao Cao was prepared to attack but not prepared, and the Xixia soldiers were defeated. The dead were piled up in the valley. The Song army was too lazy to bury them. They counted the heads and pushed them into the water to feed the fish.
More than 8,000 prisoners were taken back to Tongguan. Lao Cao called Wang Wende: "You escorted these 2,000 people to Luoyang to offer prisoners. On the one hand, they will boost the morale of the people in the city, and on the other hand, they will call me officials worthy." My brother is happy, and the third time I asked Liu Jiedu to take good care of him, if Jin Liao invades, he will be used as a dead army!"
In this battle, more than 10,000 people were beheaded and 8,000 were captured. The Xixia army outside the Pass was almost completely wiped out. Even when the Western army was at its peak, it was a rare victory.
Although Wang Wende has a bad mouth, he is willing to convince others. He has long transferred his worship to Mr. Xiao Zhong to Lao Cao.
Now that he was assigned to escort the prisoners, wouldn't he know that this was an excellent opportunity to show his face in front of the emperor?
Although he did not participate in this battle, he could clearly hear Shi Qian's narration. If the emperor asked, he would inevitably ask Lin Guanwangdai to explain in detail how his family went in and out seven times.
Thinking of the beautiful scenery in front of the emperor, I almost couldn't close my mouth with laughter and thanked him repeatedly.
Lao Cao took out the money accumulated in Tongguan and rewarded all the soldiers who participated in the war. There was thunderous joy and morale.
Mr. Xiaozhong also showed a long-lost smile, clasped his fists and said: "I have only served one brother in my life. Now that I see Commander Wu using troops, I know what it means to thunder for nine days! Thanks to General Lin for his unparalleled bravery - Commander Wu, don't worry, I will go to Taiyuan this time." , I will definitely convince my brother to rely on General Lin’s advice at critical moments.”
Lao Cao said happily: "If this can be done, why should the Xixia and Jurchen people care about it?"
On April 25th, Xianggong Xiaozhong led the army across the river from Fengling, bypassed the western foot of Zhongtiao Mountain, and planned to attack Taiyuan along the line of Hezhongfu, Jinning Prefecture, and Fenzhou with great fanfare.
There are twenty-three roads in the territory of the Song Dynasty. To the west of Tongguan, there are two roads bordering Xixia. One is Qinfeng Road and the other is Yongxing Military Road.
Those on Qinfeng Road have now lost most of the two roads to Xixia, and they are already bordering Hedong Road.
The Qinfeng Road is in the Gansu area, the Yongxing Jun Road is in the Shaanxi area, and the Hedong Road is in the Shanxi area.
Two days after the planting division left, Lao Cao set off.
He has more than 30,000 soldiers and horses under his command, 20,000 of whom are Jishan troops, including 5,000 Jishan cavalry.
Ten thousand are the Western Army under the command of Zhongshi.
There are also more than two thousand Liangshan elites who followed him to fight in Youyun.
Lao Cao pulled out more than 2,000 elite troops from the Western Army, and together with his own Liangshan Army, formed a vanguard of 5,000 troops and led them personally.
He also sent four generals, Hua Rong, Qu Duan, Wang Yan and Shi Qian, with 500 troops as scouts to open the way first.
Li Zhu, Gongsun Sheng, Li Huai, and the Erma brothers were in charge of the central army.
The entire army left Tongguan and marched westward along the Wei River. In two days, they conquered Huazhou and Weinan one after another. They both stole the city and attacked with cavalry. Not a single Xia army in the city escaped.
On the third day, the soldiers came to Jingzhao Mansion, which is Chang'an. When the soldiers and horses in the city saw them, they cried bitterly. After both sides verified their identities, they opened the door and let Cao Cao enter the city.
It turns out that Xixia attacked this city for more than ten days but failed to defeat it. Unwilling to delay, they abandoned it and left. There were only more than 2,000 soldiers and horses in the city, most of them were injured, and they did not dare to attack. They have been guarding it till now.
The two generals guarding the Jingzhao Mansion were brothers. They were Wang Yan's old troops when he was in the Jingyuan Army. They were very happy to meet each other.
Among them, the elder brother Wu Jie is the third general of the Jingyuan Army, and the younger brother Wu Lin is the general of the squadron.
Both of these brothers were in their twenties. When Xixia invaded Shaanxi, the Wu brothers led the rest of the Jingyuan army to help. However, this army was repeatedly mobilized, and the remaining soldiers were either old or weak.
Halfway through, they happened to encounter Wanyan Wushu's troops, and they were killed and defeated.
The two brothers led the remaining soldiers and desperately escaped across the Wei River and hid in Chang'an City. They survived. Fortunately, the Jin soldiers did not pursue them.
A few days later, Xixia troops arrived, and the whole city was in panic.
Wu Jie summoned officials, prominent families, and heroes in the city to make a generous speech: This ancient capital of the Han family can be broken but cannot be surrendered.
Relying on the Jingyuan Army under his command, his brothers led the city's defenders, Qing Zhuang, etc. to defend the city.
Wang Yan talked with the two and learned that Bianliang had fallen and that Lao Cao was planning to attack the Xixia Imperial City. The two of them were angry at first, then shocked, and finally passionate. They both said: "After Liu Fa's death, I will never see such a hero again. My brother Although you are dull, how dare you not fight to the death to follow?"
Then he asked Wang Yan to lead the two of them to meet Lao Cao, and he was willing to go with him.
When Lao Cao learned about the heroic feat of the two men in defending the city, he also admired it and said with a smile: "You brothers are true heroes of the Han family. Now that I am going to carry out the "I will kill you no matter how far away" move, how can I not take you with me?"
Animal husbandry is developed in the northwest. Since Lao Cao left Tongguan, he has successively recruited many horses, mules, and carts as far as Chang'an. The entire army has more than 30,000 people, and there are no walkers. He left Chang'an the next day, traveling at starry night, and rushed along the south bank of the Wei River.
After leaving Chang'an, he traveled more than a hundred miles a day and arrived in Baoji County in three days.
At this point, the west side of the Weishui River penetrates deep into the mountains, with steep cliffs and no path.
Wang Yan advised: "We might as well cross the river to the north, from Fengxiang Mansion to Long County, to Jingyuan and Zhenrongjun, and then we can get out of Liupan Mountain."
Cao Cao shook his head and said: "This road has been lost to all the cities. Although it is closer, it is not conducive to keeping secrets. I want to turn south and go to Fengzhou first, bypass Qishan, and arrive in Qinzhou."
Qinzhou is also located in Tianshui.
Wang Yan looked at the map carefully and said in shock: "Unexpectedly, Commander Wu, who is from Shandong, can actually understand the geography of this place."
Cao Cao sighed and said: "This is the old way Zhuge Wuhou came out of Qishan. Don't I know?"
Wang Yan was confused and just said that he dropped his book bag, so he didn't ask any further questions.
Cao Cao summoned Huang You: "Xiao Zhong has been serving as the military envoy of Qin Feng for a long time. You have been with him for many years. You are naturally familiar with this place and can be your guide."
The troops turned south and marched around the mountains. After nine days and a circuit of more than 400 miles, they went out and attacked Qinzhou with a surprise attack. They recovered Qinzhou in one day and captured tens of thousands of horses.
Qinzhou was the seat of the Tea and Horse Department of the Song Dynasty, and 90% of the country's military horses were obtained from this place.
Lao Cao was overjoyed to get these horses. He immediately replaced all the tired and fat horses along the way. He cheered up and personally selected three thousand elites, one person and three horses. Only Shi Wengong, Hua Rong, Shi Bao and Shi Qian were the four. The general will follow him and rush to Lanzhou to kill him without stopping.
His three thousand people did not enter the city or stay overnight. Except for Lazarus, they all ate and drank on their horses. Even if they were sleepy, they would just hold the saddle and doze off.
A journey of more than 600 miles was reached in just two days, and the remnants of the Xixia army that had been defeated by Qinzhou were far surpassed.
There are different teachings:
There is nothing more beautiful than the sound of iron hooves, and more pleasing to the eye than the sound of iron hoofs. He clearly invaded our country without asking how far he was, and he raised his head and leaped on his horse to break through the golden city.
(End of chapter)
