Chapter 366 Ambush on all sides
Between Yecheng and Huguan at the foot of the Taihang Mountains, there are rolling mountains, deep ditches and high barriers, and many forked roads, making the road difficult to navigate. At this moment, the night was not yet deep, and the sound of horse hooves came from the mountain road. It sounded like muffled thunder in the distance, and boomed far away, and it was a group of majestic cavalry. In the middle, on a tall horse, sits a handsome young man with a golden helmet and golden armor. He is galloping with great momentum, showing his superb riding skills.
The sky was getting darker and darker. A general behind him suddenly rode forward and said to the young general: "Young Master, the darkness is too dangerous at night. It is better to camp on the spot. At this speed, we can reach Yecheng tomorrow. ." The voice is smooth and deep, and one hears it as someone who is full of vitality.
The young general shook his head and said: "General Yan, after we have passed the Niutou Canyon ahead, it is not too late to find a local residence to stay." After hearing this, General Yan sighed helplessly in his heart. The young master was a neat person, but he was spoiled by his wife and could not sleep. Being used to the wilderness, he had no choice but to cheer up and ride behind the young master to protect him.
General Yan was none other than Hebei General Yan Liang, and the young master he spoke of was naturally Yuan Shao's favorite third son, Yuan Shang. Yuan Shang is a handsome and charming person, he is always pampered and pampered, and he is the most admired son in Yecheng. With the fourth and third sons of the Yuan family, and Yuan Shao sitting in the prosperous and powerful Jizhou, Yuan Shang's future is bright.
In this expedition to merge the states, Yuan Shao's eldest sons Yuan Tan and Wen Chou first led troops to resist Gongsun Zan. Yuan Shang was afraid that his eldest brother's military achievements would eclipse his own, so he went to Mrs. Liu and made repeated requests, and finally persuaded his father to let him lead the troops to attack Shangdang. Unexpectedly, before Shangdang could capture it, Yecheng encountered war. I heard that Yuan Xi had died unexpectedly. Yecheng was besieged by 200,000 Montenegrin troops and attacked day and night. It was in danger, and his father had recalled Yuan Tan. I heard who would save him first. Whoever comes to Yecheng will inherit his father's position and become the heir apparent.
Therefore, Yuan Shang traveled day and night, and it took only three days to lead the cavalry back first. After passing Niutou Canyon tonight, there is a big town behind it. It is less than a hundred miles away from Yecheng. We can reach Yecheng tomorrow, and I think it will be much faster than Yuan Tan.
Yuan Shang was immature, but Yan Liang was an experienced soldier. Although he knew that the Black Mountain Army was on the other side of Yecheng, Yan Liang still insisted on escorting Yuan Shang here personally. As night fell, Yan Liang ordered to light torches and move forward.
Niutou Canyon is on the only way connecting the Taihang Mountains and Yecheng. The bottom of the canyon is flat and dry, and it is no more than twenty miles long. It has become an important passage in and out of the Taihang Mountains. Normally, Yuan Shao would send heavy troops to guard the city, but at this moment, all of them were deployed to defend Yecheng. During the battle, the entire Niutou Canyon was lifeless.
As the name of Niutou Canyon suggests, the mountain road out of the mountain bifurcates into two branches, shaped like two horns, hence its name. One of the two horns leads to the outskirts of another big city, Handan, and the other leads to Yecheng. Between the two horns, there is a hill that is not too high. In the middle of the hill, a hill rises, like a cow's nose, and there are two small lakes. , like two eyes of a cow, the scenery is quite pleasant.
On the tip of the cow's nose, on the top of a cliff, stands a statue-like figure. If you look carefully, you will see that this man is tall, handsome and has a majestic appearance. He is none other than Chen Long, the leader of the Qinglong Army who has transformed into Qiongya Dragon Pearl. At this moment, Chen Long looked in the direction of Huguan, and finally spotted a flash of fire in the hazy night, and quickly rushed towards the bifurcation of the canyon road.
Chen Long whistled and quickly retreated into the darkness. On the high ground among the rocks on the left side of the Yecheng Passage, lurk five thousand archers led by Taishi Ci. In the grass on the right side of the road, there are ten thousand heavily armed sword and shield men led by him, and in the valley leading to Handan, There was also an ambush of 10,000 cavalry led by Fu Tong.
On the canyon road leading to Yecheng, Zhou Buji personally supervised the soldiers to dig dozens of trenches and pits, and set up obstacles such as trees and falling rocks. As long as Yuan Shang's cavalrymen fell on their backs in the dark night, Taishi Ci would first wait for him with several rounds of arrow rain. , then Chen Long's troops came out to harvest heads, and finally Fu Tong completely blocked the escape route behind the canyon. The one hundred special soldiers led by Lu Chang were dedicated to capturing the enemy leader, the third son Yuan Shang.
Chen Long didn't know that Yan Liang existed in Yuan Shang's cavalry unit, so there was no arrangement for Yan Liang. Theoretically, 25,000 men ambushed Yuan Shang's more than 10,000 cavalry, and the terrain was absolutely advantageous. Yuan Shang was in danger this time.
The torchlight was getting closer and closer, and the loud rumble of the cavalry's hooves on the ground could be heard. This cavalryman under Yan Liang was definitely the elite of the Jizhou Army. Except for Wen Chou, who had an infantryman who could compare with him, Yan Liang's cavalry swept across Jizhou without encountering an enemy.
The torch light reached the bifurcation of Niutou Canyon and headed straight to the Yecheng passage on the right without stopping. The strange thing is that there seems to be a small group of torchlights that broke away from the main group and headed towards Handan. Chen Long, who was watching from a distance, was shocked. Yuan Shang was sending people to Handan. Was it to move troops to rescue Yecheng? No, Handan's soldiers had long been transferred by Yuan Shao to control the northern line of Yecheng, so that they could have something to do if the city was broken. Escape route to the north. So why did Yuan Shang send people to Handan?
Chen Long thought for a moment and then suddenly realized that what Yuan Shang was most worried about was that Yuan Tan was one step ahead of him and returned to Yecheng to rescue him. To get to Yecheng, you must first pass through Handan. Yuan Shang sent people to the northern front to investigate his eldest brother's southward retreat. Thinking about it, my heart tightened, hoping that this team would not collide with Fu Tong and expose the ambush in Niutou Gorge.
Yuan Shang's troops continued to advance along the canyon passage, and were no more than a few hundred meters away from Chen Long's pocket formation. Suddenly, several angry shouts and screams came from the darkness, and with the echo of the valley, they clearly reached the valley on this side.
As a top general, Yan Liang had extremely sharp ears and eyes. Even among the hooves of thousands of troops, he still keenly captured the screams coming from the direction of the Handan Passage. Yan Liang's heart sank, and a long thunderous hiss sounded from his mouth. The whole army immediately braked. At this time, the first horse was less than a few feet away from the trap dug by Zhou Buji.
Before the sweaty Yuan Shang next to him could ask a question, Yan Liang shouted loudly: "There is an ambush! The whole army immediately retreats and exits the valley! The guards extinguish the torches and follow me to protect the young master!" shouted The sound was as high as the clouds and resounded throughout the valley. Yan Liang's entire army immediately changed. Their horse heads turned into pony tails, and the entire army retreated crazily towards the way they came from.
It turned out that Fu Tong was lying in ambush in the dark night and did not expect anyone to take the Handan Pass. By the time Yuan Shang's cavalry team entered the valley, it was too late for the army to escape. The two sides collided. Although Fu Tong cut through the mess quickly, he still There was quite a commotion and Xingzang was completely exposed. Fu Tong made a prompt decision and ordered the entire army to attack to prevent Yuan Shang's cavalry from retreating.
When Chen Long saw that the cooked duck was about to fly, he let out a loud roar and informed Taishi Ci on the opposite side to let go of arrows. The arrows immediately started raining down. Yan Liang's rear team was immediately in bad luck, and all of them fell to the ground. After three rounds of arrow rain, Yan Liang protected Yuan Shang and ran out of the shooting range. Taishi Ci stopped his arrows and Chen Long immediately called out. The ten thousand sword shield soldiers immediately came down the mountain and rushed towards the chaotic Jizhou cavalry at the bottom. Chen Long knew that Yan Liang had followed Yuan Shang to conquer the Shangdang, so he turned to Lu Chang and said, "You should be careful when arresting Yuan Shang, the fierce general Yan Liang is by his side!"
If you want to know what happens next, listen to the explanation next time.
