Li Jingjun went all the way north, easily captured a pass in Jinshan Mountain, entered a canyon called Bayan, and continued to advance.
The Bayan Canyon is an extremely long canyon mountain road, and it is also the dividing line between the central and southern parts of the Great Lakes Region. To the south is the southern grassland of the Great Lakes Region, and to the north is the headquarters of the Xianbei Prairie named by Murongbei. It is a military base that goes from south to north. thoroughfare.
The entire canyon is hundreds of miles long, but at its widest point it can only accommodate more than thirty people riding abreast. This does not mean that the Bayan Canyon is a thin line of terrain. On the contrary, it is very spacious inside and the mountains on both sides are relatively high. It's gentle, but the mountains on both sides are severely weathered, and stones have fallen down over the years. Therefore, both sides of the canyon are filled with sharp gravels and large rocks as big as houses. Only the bottom has been cleared by past generations of herders to create a smooth path. If the cavalry forcibly opened it, If the formation is moving quickly, I'm afraid it won't take long for the horses to be useless.
At night, 10,000 soldiers camped overnight in the south of Bayan Ridge. Achi came to the Chinese army's tent and said to Li Jing: "General Li, I just heard from a scout captain that Bayan Town is very close to here, otherwise Seize it and use it as a foothold?”
Achiyuan is the eldest prince of Yiwu. He has been following Yang Ji since his father surrendered to Tutunshe during the Sui Dynasty and moved to Beijing to retire. He is tall, burly, and extremely powerful. He uses a Mo Dao as a weapon. , is a powerful warrior. But don't think that he is an unintelligent person just because he looks tall and thick. In fact, he was trained by Tutun as his successor, so he is considered a second-rate talent in Liangzhou with both civil and military skills.
Li Jing was actually thinking about this issue too. It was only over twenty miles from here to Bayan Town directly ahead, and it was over thirty miles to Chele Town, the east gate of the north entrance of Bayan Canyon. What I am thinking about now is which town to capture first, or simply divide the troops again and capture the east and west towns at the same time. But the problem is that he still doesn't know how many defenders there are in Chele Town.
All decisions must be made after the scouts come back.
"General Li, the scout is back." At this moment, a soldier shouted outside.
Li Jing was overjoyed when he heard this. He immediately stood up, faced a few dusty scouts, and immediately asked: "How many troops are there in each town?"
The scout replied: "For General Li, there are a thousand troops stationed in Bayan Town and a thousand troops stationed in Chele Town. The commander of the two towns is called Qi Bi Zuoyi."
"It's him!" Achi said in surprise.
Li Jing turned around and asked, "Do you know him?"
"I know you!" Achi nodded and introduced to Li Jing: "This person is a member of the Yiwu Zhenmohe Khan of the Qibi tribe. Because the Tiele tribes were violently conquered by the Western Turks, they raised troops to resist the Western Turks. However, they suffered a bloody suppression and returned to the Western Turks. In order to weaken the strength of the Qibi tribe, Bujia Khan forcibly moved the Qibi tribe into the Great Lakes area. A few years ago , he has always had business dealings with us and visited Yiwu City many times."
"That's a coincidence." An idea flashed through Li Jing's mind. If they could recruit Qi Bi to surrender, then they would be able to defeat the enemy without a fight and capture the two major military towns in Bei Valley without spending a single soldier. Thinking of this, Li Jing asked the scout: "Which military town is Qibi doing the Yi?"
The scout cupped his hands and said, "According to the inquiries made by Bei Shi and others, Qibi's tribe is in the northwest of Bayan Town, so he has stayed in Bayan Town for a long time."
"I understand, let's explore again!" Li Jing ordered.
"Here!" The scout bowed and retreated.
Achi glanced at Li Jing and suggested: "General Li, why don't we divide our forces into two groups? You lead the main army to capture Chele Town, and I will recruit Qibi to surrender. What do you think?"
Li Jing actually thought so too. He hesitated and asked, "Is it enough to give you two thousand soldiers and horses?"
"Two thousand is enough!" Achi smiled: "The opponent only has a thousand soldiers with backward equipment, and their so-called military town is just a few fences. As long as our two thousand elite soldiers carry the banner of the king, the opponent will definitely I was so frightened that I knelt down and surrendered.”
"Early tomorrow morning, we will divide our troops to capture the second town." Li Jing was deeply touched by A Chi's last words.
In the last war, Yang Ji was worried that Zhang Xutuo and others could not suppress Qu Tutong, Liu Quan, Zhang Dinghe, and was a little worried about their abilities, so he asked Li Jing and Dugu Pingyun to leave Tingzhou. He ran to Ganzhou to help Zhang Xutuo guard Datong City, which also prevented Li Jing from participating in the bloodbath.
After the war, although I heard that Yang Ji and others were killing brutally, it was one thing to hear people say it, but it was another thing to personally participate in it. Li Jing did not understand the cruelty. It was not until he entered the Great Lakes area that he learned that Yang Ji The prestige and evil reputation of Ji here far exceeded that of the Sui Dynasty. When these people heard that Yang Ji's Liangzhou army was coming again, almost all of them were so frightened that they fled.
This also made Li Jing finally realize that in the last war, Yang Ji broke the backbone of the Great Lakes District with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Otherwise, how could the usually tough foreigners be so afraid?
Early the next morning, the two armies parted ways.
Achi led 2,000 Yizhou cavalry towards Bayan Town. Less than two miles away, Yihuo soldiers caught up with them on horseback, shouting from a distance: "General Achi."
A Chi turned around to look, but it was Li Jing's personal soldier who quickly reined in his horse. When they got closer, he asked loudly: "What's the matter?"
"General Li asked us to tell the general that being careful can make the Ten Thousand Year Ship, and don't underestimate the enemy's carelessness." The fire chief saluted and said: "Don't fall into the enemy's tricks and ambush."
"I know, go back and tell General Li and ask him to relax!" Achi said.
"Here." The fire chief turned the horse's head and flew away with his soldiers in the dust.
"General Achi, in fact, General Li's worries are not unreasonable." The person who spoke was Achi's deputy general Li Shimo. This general is the son of the famous general Li Jing. His father is a very visionary and knowledgeable man. He knows that Yang Ji will take over There must be big moves coming down. For those who are capable, ambitious, and determined, Liangzhou is definitely the best place to make meritorious deeds, so he sent his son over.
He looked around, frowned and said: "Although the mountains here are gentle and the mountain roads are wide, there are sharp rocks everywhere. In order to protect the horses from harm, our army's only way is to march in a 'long snake formation'" . If the enemy makes loud noises at a certain key point, our army will be in chaos; what is even more worrying is that if the enemy attacks in sections, our army will inevitably focus on one and lose the other, and cannot take care of both the beginning and the end."
Achi said: "The other side only has a thousand people. If they come to ambush us, who will defend the city?"
"If he is the last general, he will definitely come to this mountain road to ambush, and then use the terrain to annihilate the invading enemies, instead of guarding the military town that is destined to be lost." Li Shimo finished calmly and said to Achi: "There are no enemies. It’s over; why do we need to defend the city anymore?”
When Achi heard this, he turned off the engine. He thought for a moment and ordered several teams of scouts to explore the way ahead. Then he loudly said to the general: "Send the order and tell the brothers to be careful, lest the wife at home cannot bear the loneliness and bring her with her." You use the money you earned with your life to become someone else’s concubine, while your parents and children have no one to support you.”
"Hahahaha!" All the officers couldn't help laughing when they heard what he said was funny.
Li Shimo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he had to admit in his heart that Achi's communication method was very popular in the army and was far more effective than teaching and speaking out.
. . . . . . .
Although there are only a thousand soldiers in Bayan Town, the general Qibi Zuoyi is a general who is good at fighting. The reason why Bujia Khan forcibly moved him here was to cut off Qibi Ge Leng's arm. Unexpectedly, Murong Bei Pingkong gained another veteran. At this time, he was listening to the scouts report to him on the situation of the Sui army in the Chinese army's tent.
"General!" the scout said: "The invading enemy has about two thousand cavalry. This army is fierce and well-equipped, with superb war horses. It is not at all like the tired army that came from afar. However, their general does not seem to be from the Sui Dynasty. .”
Qibi Zuoyi asked: "How can you see it?"
"I know some Chinese characters, and their battle flag has the word Tutun written on it." The scout glanced at Qibi Zuoyi and reminded: "As far as I know, Tutun is the surname of the original country of Yiwu."
Qibi Zuoyi nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and then asked: "Do you know this person's appearance and weapons?"
"This man is tall and tall, holding a strange weapon that looks like a knife but not a sword, and looks like a spear but not a spear. It is said that it is a horse spear, but it seems not, because its blade is longer and wider than a horse spear."
"That's called Mo Dao, also called Pai Blade. Keep exploring!" Qibi Zuoyi couldn't help laughing. The surname "Tutun" is too rare. Even though there was this surname in the Sui Dynasty, it was not found in Yangji. The general with the Tutun surname who led the troops under his command was just Tutun Achi. Based on his appearance and weapons, he concluded that this person was Tutun Achi.
"yes!"
Looking at the scout's leaving figure, Qi Bi Zuoyi thought for a while and then came up with a plan. He called a captain and told him a few words.
The captain was stunned when he heard this and said hesitantly: "General Qibi, if Tutun Achi doesn't buy it, won't we die without a burial place?"
Qibi Zuoyi shook his head and said calmly: "I know Tutun Achi very well. He has a straightforward and bold temperament and doesn't have so much scheming. Just go ahead and do it!"
"Yes! I'll go and make arrangements right away." The captain had no choice but to nod and leave quickly.
Qi Bi Zuoyi looked outside, the smile on his face disappeared, and there was a trace of deep worry in his eyes.
. . . . . . . . .
In order to maintain the combat effectiveness of the army, Achi did not arrive at Bayan Town until the evening. He could see the low city wall from a distance. It was exactly as the scout said, the city wall was only more than ten feet high.
Achi couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. His guess was not wrong. The Bayan Canyon was not a strategic location for the entire Great Lakes region. It mainly protected Murongbei's Xianbei Prairie and the entrance to these two towns. It is impossible to cultivate it tall and thick.
However, Achi also knew that the Sui army's merit list was always based on the order, rather than the height of the city wall or the number of enemy troops. As long as they captured Bayan Town, they would have won the first victory of the left army. .
At this time, a scout galloped up on horseback and saluted from a distance: "Report to the general, General Bayan has come to ask for surrender."
Achi was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly and said: "As expected, Qibi Zuoyi is indeed a man who knows the current affairs. He knew that they were no match for our army, so he surrendered. Hahahaha, Let them surrender."
"Wait a minute!" Li Shimo rode forward, stopped A Chi's horse, and shouted anxiously: "General, wait a minute."
Achi glanced at him unhappily, frowned and said, "General Li, do you have any questions?"
"I'm worried that they are cheating, so it's better to be careful. It's better to ask clearly." Li Shimo persuaded Achi and asked the scout: "Who is the other guard? And how do you plan to surrender to me, the Sui Dynasty?"
The scout quickly said: "Let us report to General Li that the opposing guard is a captain of thousands named He Jia. They are willing to come out and abandon their weapons and surrender."
Li Shimo asked again: "Where is Qibi doing the Yi?"
"It is said that he has gone to Chele Town for inspection." The scout told the news he had found out one by one.
Seeing that Li Shimo had nothing to say, A Chi next to him said in a long voice: "General Li, do you still have any questions?"
Li Shimo couldn't think of a reason. Thinking about the scene of surrendering along the way, he thought that the opponent's surrender was because he was frightened by the great power of the Sui Dynasty, so he said: "The general has no doubt, but the general feels that there is no big deal in being careful." wrong."
"General Li is very worried. But you have underestimated the impact that the king had on the Great Lakes region last time." Achi puffed up his chest and said proudly: "I used to be a foreigner. Thanks to the king for not giving up, I will I am included in the first-class Han people. This is the kindness of the king and my honor. I know well the feelings and thoughts of the foreigners. These people have always been fearful of power and not grateful. Only by killing them will they be obedient to you. Post, and these people are obviously afraid of being killed."
After saying that, Achi whipped his horse fiercely and led his army to gallop forward.
Outside Bayan Town, the surrendered soldiers were already kneeling on the ground. Their weapons were piled together. The leader was a naked man. This must be the He Jia the scout was talking about. There were two soldiers beside him. Each took a tray. On one tray was a troop deployment arrow, and on the other tray were several large sparkling gold bricks.
When He Jia saw A Chi running from a distance, he shouted loudly: "General He Jia has always admired the power of the Sui Dynasty. He knows that Murong Bei is no match for the Sui Dynasty. He is willing to surrender to the Sui Dynasty. I hope the general will grant his permission."
"General He, please get up quickly. Since you are sincere in surrendering to me, Sui Dynasty, I will report the truth to the general and the King of Wei. I will never treat you badly. Just be open-minded." Achi laughed, and he did not He didn't look at the gold on the plate, but his mind was filled with allusions to the Central Plains people's surrender, and he felt that he couldn't lose the face of the Sui people. At this time, he saw He Jia's naked upper body and thorns on his back, and the soldiers were far away, so he led a group of personal guards to ride close to him, dismounted and took off his shirt. Plan to help the landing general and put it on him.
However, as they approached He Jia, their feet suddenly became empty, and more than ten people suddenly fell into the trap under the turf.
The Sui army soldiers were shocked by the sudden change. Many people rushed forward to rescue Ah Chi, but Qibi Zuoyi had been prepared. He led dozens of archers to rush forward and pointed their bows and arrows at Ah Chi in the pit. Chi, and Qibi Zuoyi shouted sternly at the Sui soldiers: "Whoever dares to come up, I will order him to be shot to death!"
"Li Shimo, lead your troops to retreat five miles away, and don't bother me! This is my order, you must evacuate immediately!"
Achi shouted loudly in the trap, and his voice echoed through the trap and reached Li Shimo's ears from a distance.
This was actually a method that Achi came up with in a hurry. He knew that he had fallen into the enemy's trick and the soldiers were helpless. What if the enemy in turn asked them to lay down their weapons and surrender? Simply let them withdraw first and preserve their own strength before discussing anything else.
As for himself, Achi is not worried. He knows that after he falls into the hands of the enemy, these prairie people will not execute him, just because this is the rule of the prairie people. The fundamental reason is that the population is priceless and the prairie people are scarce. After they fight After a battle, they usually work hard to treat the wounded in order to increase their number of slaves.
But killing prisoners rarely happens.
What's more, he was not a big shot in the Sui Dynasty, so I believe Qibi Zuoyi would not kill him to discourage him.
Facing this scene, Li Shimo was helpless. Although the enemy was unarmed and it was a good opportunity to defeat the enemy, the general had already fallen into the hands of the enemy. He really did not have the courage to ignore the general's life and death.
He thought for a moment, then waved his hand and said: "Withdraw troops five miles!"
