Ten thousand cavalry, this was the vanguard force handed over to Mengchang by Wen Zhong. Later, there were 60,000 troops headed by Deng Jiugong and Feng Lin as the deputy, heading for Chongcheng along the road from Beihai to relieve the danger of Chongcheng.
Mengchang went into battle lightly, changing supplies all the way through Yuncheng, Mocheng, Gucheng, and Fengyang, and rushed towards Chongcheng at high speed, fearing that if he missed it for a moment, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Behind him, in addition to the potbellied Wu Cheng, were all the new entrants, including Jiang Ziya, the Zhong family brothers, etc. Three thousand Chongcheng armored cavalry were transferred to go first, and the remaining men and horses were handed over to the Zhong family brothers and then Xu Jin.
Regarding Su Hu's rebellion, Jiang Ziya was also puzzled. What did he think about Su Hou?
Even if he got the territory, there is Chaoge's army in the south, Wen Taishi's hundreds of thousands of troops in the north, and Chongcheng's main force retreating from Chonghou in the west. How could he, Su Hu, be so courageous? Do you think that Jizhou can dominate the world?
Even if Su Hu went south to fight against Chaoge, Jiang Ziya felt that it was a good way to become a rebel. However, it was hard to understand why he went to Chongcheng to fight. He didn't know who was so heartless as to bewitch this. The clever Marquis of Jizhou.
Mengchang and others had just arrived in Yancheng when they saw people who had fled to Chongcheng with a large number of people and nobles, driving countless oxcarts and gathering in the ownerless and ruined city.
When Lu Jia saw Meng Chang's army from a distance, he immediately raised a flag to signal Meng Chang to approach. It was from the mouth of this northern Xinjiang merchant tycoon that Meng Chang learned the general behavior of the Jizhou army.
Chongcheng is still holding on, and various noble families and merchants have donated slaves and servants passed down from generation to generation in their families, struggling to guard the city walls and broken gates.
Chonghou has also left Binzhou and is retreating to Chongcheng. It is still unclear whether he can get back before the city is destroyed.
"General Meng, you must avenge us. I, Chongcheng, have shed blood for Northern Xinjiang, but Jizhou has been so treacherous, violated the oath of alliance, and openly rebelled against his lord. General Meng, you must avenge the people of Chongcheng." Old men demand justice!"
Mengchang suppressed his anxiety and kept asking people familiar with the situation about the deployment of Jizhou's army.
He only had three thousand cavalry at his disposal, and the enemy force was heavy. If he didn't plan well, he would have to pay for it just by relying on bravery, let alone rescuing Chongcheng.
After listening to what Lu Jia and others reported, Meng Chang looked a little solemn. Jizhou had about 200,000 armored men on standby. Now only 100,000 were present before Chongcheng. Leaving aside the rear troops and logistics stationed in Jizhou City, there were at least five more. The army of ten thousand people was nowhere to be seen.
Moreover, the Jizhou Army has many cavalry and chariots. If I want to rely on the advantage of thousands of cavalry to guerrilla and cut flesh, it is not realistic. As long as the enemy blocks the way forward and pursues them with cavalry, and a few rounds of arrows rain down, they will die. In front of the charge.
Mengchang's mind kept recalling the memories of various famous battles in his previous life.
He considers himself not a famous general, and the only thing that can give him a sense of security is these precious historical allusions and memories.
We must use the wisdom of future generations to confront those of today.
"Xiong Kang, you have the advantage in the sky. Go to Chongcheng quickly to check the situation of the battle. If possible, go into the city and inform Mei Wu. Hold on for three days. Reinforcements will come in three days."
Xiong Kang did not refute. They rushed all the way, supplying supplies in various cities, and tried their best to transfer before they managed to reach the 3,000 cavalry first. The fastest reinforcements were only the 7,000 cavalry of the Zhong brothers. They wanted to wait until Deng Jiugong's army at least It will be more than a month, and as for Chonghou, it is even further away.
Mengchang had some thoughts in mind when he looked at the people fleeing Chongcheng and the supplies, then he hooked Lu Jia's neck and whispered.
"Meng has something to ask of me, and I hope Brother Lu can help me with all his resources. In the future, the siege of Chongcheng will be lifted, and Chonghou and I will be rewarded generously."
"Please come here with your ears!"
"…………"
After giving instructions to Lu Jia, Lu Jia looked at Meng Chang with a troubled expression: "General Meng, I am just a businessman. In business, I..."
"You are a Chongcheng person first, and a businessman second. Besides, did I ever say it was free? Can't my reputation, Mengchang, be enough to guarantee this?"
Lu Jia looked stern, and immediately waved his hand and said: "Who doesn't know the general's benevolence and righteousness? How can I dare to question you? That's all. In the fight for homeland, Lu would rather not earn a cent, but also want to help the general. I hope the general will keep his promise. Lu's small loss and gain are of little consequence, but the name of the general is of great consequence."
Seeing the big businessman retreating, Meng Chang took a long breath and said to Xin Ping and Lian Yong behind him.
"Instruct the whole army to recharge their batteries and join me in marching towards Chongcheng in two days."
"Let's go home!"
"promise!"
No one knew what Meng Chang was planning, and no one questioned him. The Chongcheng veteran's idea was very simple. Follow the right person and go all the way. General Meng never harmed his own people.
Moreover, as the general said, Chongcheng is their home. Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire in front of them, as long as General Meng is here, it doesn't matter if they get in?
Seeing everyone doing their own thing, Meng Chang sat down on the bullock cart of a fellow villager. The bumpy ride made his buttocks hurt. Now that he was sitting on the hard board, his buttocks felt sore and numb.
He is like this. Can you imagine how tired these three thousand cavalry must be?
But from the beginning to the end, no one came to him and complained about suffering or tiredness. Thinking of this, Meng Chang couldn't help but smile and lay on the hard board behind the bullock cart and said softly.
"Three thousand tigers marched on the city, and a hundred thousand Ji soldiers returned in fear."
…………………………
Two days passed in a blink of an eye, and Lu Jialiu spent money like water flowing between the nobles and common people.
The Chongcheng armored cavalry who had traveled a long distance could only slightly relieve their fatigue, and it would take only a short time to regain their fighting strength.
It's just that the battle situation in Chongcheng is so urgent that they can't continue to rest in Yancheng.
Xiong Kang traveled frequently between Chongyan City and Chongyan City every day, and Su Hu was no fool. When he saw the stranger appearing, he immediately reacted and heard that reinforcements were coming from the Grand Master's command.
However, I was relieved because I expected that under such a rapid march, this group of people would not be too large and would not have much immediate combat capability.
It's just that the attack and defense of Chongcheng needs to be accelerated. If we can't win a quick victory and capture the entire territory of Chongguo in the future, Su Hu will be afraid that he won't be able to resist when Grand Master Wen and Chonghou come back.
When Mei Wu received news of the reinforcements, he also fulfilled his duties and frequently went to the major noble clans to borrow troops and slaves. Farm women and slaves were welcome to anyone who could contribute to the defense of the city.
Chunxiong laughed loudly at this and mocked Mei Wu: "Now do you know that slaves have certain uses? As long as you set a precedent once, there will be a steady stream of people who come after you to imitate, and slaves will have a chance to stand up. .”
Mei Wu couldn't refuse this, and instinctively rejected this "despicable" behavior, but he was really powerless. At this moment, he seemed to have felt the strong malice of the whole world towards him.
Perhaps, even if he successfully defended the city this time, the road ahead would be very difficult. He was not Meng Chang, and he was protected by an aura of benevolence, righteousness, loyalty and courage.
Let's talk about the third day, which is the third day agreed by Meng Changtuo's messenger and Mei Wu.
Jizhou's siege army attacked for half a month and suffered heavy losses. How many people died in Chongcheng. Jizhou's army lost at least three times, which made Su Hu heartbroken.
If we attack by force, the battle damage ratio will increase rapidly. If we don't attack by force, we will be dead. By the time all parties react, Jizhou will be in danger.
The onslaught on the third day was particularly fierce. Chen Qi, who was warned by Su Hu, finally embarked on the road to attack the city on the fire-eyed beast.
There is no way, Zheng Lun, this guy, can attack a city and still get an old soldier wounded by a sneak attack. His mind is unstable, his left arm seems to be paralyzed, and he is still recuperating in the army at the moment.
Among the entire army, he was the only one who could bravely open up the situation on top of the city and effectively secure a landing gap for Pao Ze behind him.
The Jizhou Army's offensive was in full swing, and the entire city wall of Chongcheng was about to be chipped away. The piles of corpses under the city wall exuded a rotten smell, and new people continued to fall into the pile of corpses, becoming one of them staring at the sky.
The sound of war drums sounded, and the Jizhou Army, which was originally so powerful, was also a little discouraged. The shortcomings of using an unjust army to attack the right way began to appear. If Chongcheng's own military strength was not insufficient, the Jizhou Army would not know how miserable it would be.
Finally, an army appeared on the side of the tired Jizhou Army. Looking from a distance, the smoke and dust were billowing, like tens of thousands of cavalry charging towards them. The shocked Su Hu was anxious and angry, looking at the dusty "Meng" flag fluttering in the wind in disbelief.
As early as when he saw the stranger flying into the city, he had thought that there might be reinforcements, but he didn't expect there to be so many? Will they all be unable to fly? Tens of thousands of cavalry marched day and night. Even if humans could bear it, horses couldn't.
Mengchang took the lead, and the cavalry in a flying formation stopped on a high slope. Su Hu could not see the formation behind him. He only inferred from the enemy's small flags and the level of smoke that there should be 30,000 armored cavalry.
Looking at the chaotic group of armored cavalry, Su Hu immediately commanded the left army to turn around and prepare to engage the enemy and fight.
This Jizhou army is quite elite and their reaction speed is very fast.
Mengchang gave a vague signal to Xin Ping and Lian Yong, asking them to prepare something to break the formation, and then he rode forward, only to be scolded in the face.
"Second Minister Su Hu, do you have the courtesy, integrity and shame? The northern frontier is rotten, and you have not made any achievements. You will only hide in the back, wagging your lips and enjoying the results."
Su Hu was furious: "I haven't done anything good? You dragged Chen Qi to drink and eat meat in Yancheng. Doesn't it count that you and I, the Jizhou army, are both lords? Meng family children, don't spit on others!"
"So you old thief still knows that we used to be Paoze? You have betrayed your trust and ignored the lives of the people of Chongguo and Jizhou. Are you worthy of your ancestors in Jizhou? A dog with a broken spine, you still have the nerve to stand in front of nearly a million people in our Chongcheng city. In front of the soldiers and the people, do you say that you are the same as Pao Ze?"
"Shameless person, you are in vain to be the prince of a city, and you dare to bark in front of our army. I have never seen such a shameless person like you."
Just after saying a few words, Su Hu spurted out a mouthful of old blood, angrily commanding the left army to come forward. Regardless of the courtesy of the master, he directly swung his army forward, intending to kill this sharp-tongued man.
I heard Xin Ping shouting from behind: "General, the military formation is in place!"
Meng Chang rode back to the formation with disdain. After enough time, it was time for dinner. But when he saw the thousands of cattle in front of the military formation, he felt a little unbearable.
These were all farm cattle borrowed by Lu Jia, with weapons tied to their horns and reeds tied to their tails filled with oil.
"ignition!"
The sergeants ignited the flammable materials on the tails of the cattle with great sadness, and the fire started. The frightened and painful cattle immediately ran forward like crazy, with the sad sergeants behind them. Cows, the most valuable help in farming, were all burned up in a fire.
The huge herd of cattle ran forward like thunder, facing the frightened eyes of the enemy's left army, like a flood sweeping over them, directly smashing the shields of the front row into pieces.
Subsequently, three thousand cavalrymen under Meng Chang's command followed closely, and the sounds of various copper basins being knocked and killing shouts were heard from behind.
Under the flying dust, the enemy troops could not see clearly. There seemed to be ten thousand infantrymen charging together with the cavalry in the gray mist.
Su Hu was shocked, what kind of unreasonable marching speed was this? Didn’t you hear that Grand Master didn’t follow the Basic Law when fighting? Even if we have cavalry, why do we still have an army of infantry? Can an army travel thousands of miles a day on two legs?
We fought in Beihai one day and went to Chaoge the next day. Can we go to Nandu tomorrow to go to E Chongyu to show off his power?
Time has not allowed Su Hu to think too much. Mengchang's reputation for benevolence and righteousness is far better than the name of the battle formation. However, if he thinks that benevolence and righteousness are just a cyst stuck in a pile of books and a person who does not know the battle formation, then it would be to underestimate his opponent too much. .
Wu Gan led a thousand men and followed the formation of fire oxen to rush into the Jizhou left army's formation. Behind the fire oxen were galloping horses, and after the horses were a thousand men who dared to die, holding swords and spears, breaking the army's coercion.
Wu Gan now has a lot of experience in coercing defeated troops into a massacre. He even feels that all kinds of tricks and changes are not as good as defeating the enemy and covering up the enemy like General Meng did when he charged into battle. Simple, crude and effective.
Xin Ping and Lian Yong each led thousands of cavalry to follow Mengchang, passing directly over the collapsed front army, without taking any detours or giving way, and charged straight into the middle army where Su Hu was located, rudely and brutally.
With three heads and six arms, there was a very conspicuous scar on the left side of the head that was originally blown up by Zhu Yan.
Among the thousands of troops and horses, two thousand knights, with the belief of breaking the city and defending their homes, rushed in through the gap opened by Meng Chang. Countless knights were stabbed down by spears, or their horses' hoofs were broken, and they fell into the enemy's formation and were killed. Armed with swords and guns.
This is also the reason why Mengchang never uses cavalry to rush directly into the formation. The cavalry is not a tank or an elephant, and a forced charge can only hurt both sides.
But now is the time. Old Su Hu is so ambitious that he rushes forward regardless of himself. If he is not afraid, he can try with Meng Shi to see whose sword is stronger!
Sure enough, seeing Meng Chang risking his life with a group of armored cavalry, Su Hu was also a little panicked.
"Crazy, the general is crazy, are these soldiers also crazy? Aren't they afraid of death?"
"Where are Chen Qi and Zheng Lun? Stop this man and kill him!"
Su Hu called out for a long time, but no one answered him. Zheng Lun had returned to the rear army to heal his wounds. Chen Qi?
Chen Qi, riding the flaming-eyed golden-eyed beast, was still breathing weakly at the gate of the city.
A light puff of air was struck out, only knocking out a few people without hurting their souls, and the fish-fishing was carried out to the end.
Seeing Meng Chang being stabbed to death by a Jizhou warrior's spear and falling among the crowd, Su Hu didn't have time to be overjoyed. Unexpectedly, Meng Chang, who got off his horse, became even more violent.
Meng Chang took strange steps while fighting, always able to dodge the stabbing attack at the critical moment, and then approached Su Hu firmly and evenly step by step.
The left army was smashed to pieces by the Fire Bull Formation and their morale was depleted. They were driven back by Wu Gan and fought hard.
The Chinese army finally became frightened and began to retreat.
There was a cry in Chongcheng.
"General Meng is invincible!"
"Reinforcements...are finally here!"
I will save a lot of code words on the weekends, and I will continue to start the journey of tens of thousands of words after taking a rest. Try not to skip ordering the big chapters in the past two days. It will serve as a link between the past and the next. Otherwise, there will be many pits buried in the back and it is not clear where the pits are dug.
(End of chapter)
