Before Qinghe betrayed Taichu, on the southern battlefield, under the leadership of Taichu Marshal Lin Chuhe, the Taichu army set out from Xiaguan City and marched southward to capture the city and quickly captured more than ten cities in Eastern Xia.
Except for the heavily guarded Jinguan City in Eastern Xia, the defenders in other cities were all old, weak, sick and disabled, and the Taichu Army did not offer any decent resistance.
Lin Chuhe deployed 100,000 defenders in each of the three passes in Eastern Xia, and sent generals Yang Wenzhong to guard Yinma Pass, Xu Shixun to guard Wuwei Pass, and Zhang Lingfeng to take charge of Huyang Pass.
These three great passes are the retreat route for the expeditionary army, so there must be no loss.
Lin Chuhe himself was in charge of Xiaguancheng and could dispatch troops and generals at any time.
On the first day of the battle, the Qinghe army stormed Yinma Pass and suffered heavy losses. Only about 70,000 troops were left out of the original 100,000 troops.
Lin Chuhe did not lead the Qinghe army deep into the hinterland of Dongxia, but asked them to camp on the important road between Shoujinguan City and Yinmaguan. This move would not only allow the Qinghe army to bear the brunt of the Dongxia army's counterattack, but also allow the Qinghe army to bear the brunt of the attack. The Yinma Pass garrison monitored the Qinghe Army, which showed that Lin Chuhe did not trust the Qinghe Army.
Qianlu Sanlang, the commander of the Qinghe army who led his troops southward, did not express dissatisfaction with Lin Chuhe's arrangements and was very cooperative.
Qianlu Sanlang's obedient attitude made Lin Chuhe feel a little wary. He ordered a lot of additional scouts to investigate near the Qinghe Army, and also transferred a battalion of 5,000 men from the Yinma Pass garrison to station with the Qinghe Army. It was clearly for support, but secretly for surveillance. Qianji Saburo knew this very well, but he did not object.
Late at night the day before Qinghe's betrayal, several figures escaped from the Taichu army's camp and rushed to Jinguan City. These people were all masters, and ordinary soldiers had no trace of them at all.
Shortly after several people entered Jinguan City, several huge birds rose into the sky and flew around Yinma Pass towards the direction of Taichu. They were extremely fast. They were not ordinary birds, but spiritual beasts.
As Dong Xia Lai who owns the Beast King Valley, a few spiritual birds are not something he cherishes.
The next day was also the time when the Qinghe troops on the northern and western fronts betrayed each other. In the palace of the city lord of Xiaguan City, Marshal Taichu Lin Chuhe silently looked at the sand table located in the main hall of the city lord's palace, with a thoughtful look on his face.
Several Taichu generals who led their troops southward were waiting quietly aside. Tang Jinge, the commander of Xinghe Dragon Armor Battalion of Xinghe Sect, was also there. He stood closest to Lin Chuhe.
Lin Chuhe suddenly raised his head and looked at Tang Jinge and said, "Jin Ge, I have always been a little uneasy. I always feel that there will be big problems when going south this time. What do you think?"
Tang Jinge looked heavy and replied seriously: "Marshal Lin, I think this expedition was a little too smooth. Except for a big battle in neighboring 1's attack on the pass, our army lost a lot of men and horses, and we did not encounter any enemies when attacking other cities. Decent resistance.”
Lin Chuhe nodded with approval and said: "I think so too. This is why I didn't send any more troops to attack the city. Now that I think about it, the success on the first day seems to be a huge bait given to me by Dongxia. "
"Marshal, if this is really the case, Dongxia has great intentions in doing this. I am afraid that our army will be in danger at any time."
Lin Chuhe's face darkened and he said: "It's hard to get off the tiger! It seems that this dilemma is the conspiracy of the Eastern Xia Dynasty."
Tang Jinge was silent, and it could be seen from his worried eyes that he agreed with Lin Chuhe's method.
If you attack, you will most likely fall into the enemy's trap.
To retreat, first of all, the Taichu court would not allow it, and secondly, retreating without a fight would inevitably lead to low morale. When the time comes, the Eastern Xia army will march out in full force and invade the territory of Taichu. With the current situation in Taichu, there may be a crisis of national annihilation.
If the troops stand still and nearly a million troops are wasted here, even if the Dongxia Army does not attack, then people will eat horses and chew, and food and grass will be a problem.
Lin Chuhe smiled bitterly and said: "It seems that this battle was a mistake from the beginning."
Tang Jinge hesitated for a moment and then said: "Marshal, I wonder if you have noticed that since the conquest of Eastern Xia, the most famous Beast King Camp in the Eastern Xia Dynasty has only appeared sporadically, and there has been no large army."
"I am naturally aware that as the most powerful dynasty in the Central Plains after the fall of Jin'an, the combat power displayed by the Eastern Xia Army is indeed somewhat unworthy of its reputation. There is a high probability that there will be big moves."
An old general's expression changed when he heard this, and he stepped forward and saluted: "Marshal, we might as well retreat to the Dongxia Pass. We can advance, attack, and retreat. If the enemy attacks, our army can rely on the danger of the city pass to resist the enemy. In a big battle, Occupying favorable terrain!"
"What General Wang Ci said is absolutely true!"
"The last general thinks that General Wang's suggestion can be revised."
Two more generals stood up and agreed.
Before Lin Chuhe could say anything, Tang Jinge said loudly: "Marshal, I think what General Wang said still has huge hidden dangers."
Wang Ci frowned slightly and looked at Tang Jinge with an unkind look, but he didn't say anything.
Lin Chuhe was a little surprised and said, "If Jin Ge has any ideas, just come forward."
"The three East Xia Xiong Pass are not close to each other. Although they can take care of each other, if our army is really divided into three groups to defend the pass, if the enemy attacks one pass with all its strength, and with the support of the spirit beasts from the Beast King Valley, it will be possible to capture it. It doesn’t take long to build a pass.”
"When the time comes, the friendly troops at other passes will not only be too late to support them, but they will also be sniped by the enemy. Even if they don't go to support, the Dongxia army can attack other passes from the north and south. If they want to concentrate their forces at that time, they can It’s too late. If you defend three levels separately, you will most likely be defeated one by one..."
Tang Jinge analyzed calmly, and Wang Ci's expression softened when he heard the words: "Brother Tang is right. There are indeed some flaws in my plan. If the marshal adopts my suggestion, it will be too late to regret it."
Lin Chuhe chuckled and shook his head: "General Wang's plan is not unfeasible, but it requires a slight change in strategy. It is indeed not feasible to divide the troops into three groups, but retreating to the pass and waiting for work is our best choice now."
Wang Ci smiled bitterly and said: "But Marshal, how can we guard the three passes without dividing the troops, but only guard one of them. Our Taichu gate will be wide open, and the troops in Hanging Sword City are simply not enough to withstand the attack of the entire enemy army."
The old general's eyes lit up when he saw this and he said: "Could it be that the pass that the general wants to retreat to is not the enemy's three heroic passes, but our Taichu Hanging Sword City?"
Tang Jinge looked a little weird and said: "If we retreat to Xuanjian City, wouldn't that mean we are withdrawing our troops..."
Lin Chuhe's eyes were bright and he said: "If Jin Ge is right, of course we cannot retreat to Hanging Sword City. If we retreat, wouldn't tens of thousands of our Taichu soldiers have died in vain?"
Wang Ci said with confusion on his face: "Marshal, how on earth can we retreat?"
Lin Chuhe stretched out a finger and said: "Only one of the three passes in Eastern Xia is guarded!"
This time not only Wang Ci was confused, but the generals including Tang Jinge also looked puzzled. Marshal Lin's words were really inconsistent.
Lin Chuhe pointed to the location of Wuwei Pass on the sand table and said: "We will use four troops to garrison Wuwei Pass, and we will place suspicious troops at each pass."
Wang Ci was shocked when he heard this, and immediately said: "What's the use of the suspected soldiers? As soon as the enemy army arrives, they will attack the city immediately, and the suspected soldiers will be defeated by then."
Lin Chuhe's eyes flashed with confidence and he said: "What I want is for them to attack! When the time comes, the city will be filled with traps, firewood and kerosene. As long as the enemy attacks the city, the dead soldiers hiding in the dark will set fire to the city!" He patted Yinma Pass and Huyang Pass on the sand table with both hands, and the two sand cities immediately turned into piles of sand.
A middle-aged general came forward and said: "General, even so, we can only kill some of the enemies and hold them back. But under the crushing force of the army, the enemy will still break through Guancheng. At that time, the enemy can lay siege to the city." At Wuwei Pass, we can capture Xuanjian City and force our army to counterattack Xuanjian City, and then all our geographical advantages will be lost!"
"General Liu Shang is right. Since he chose to use the city as a trap, of course he must ambush the enemy. We will each send three-thirds of our troops to set up an ambush outside the north gates of the two passes. When the enemy rushes out of the pass in embarrassment, we will immediately start to kill them!"
"The troops setting up the ambush are mainly rangers and longbowmen. The longbowmen kill the enemy from a distance. When the enemy leaves the city and forms enough troops, the rangers charge with all their strength to cover the retreat of the archers. After delaying the enemy for a while, the rangers You can't be too eager to fight and retreat to Hanging Sword City with the archers."
"The distance between Xuanjian City and Three Great Passes is much shorter than the distance between the Three Great Passes. It is not difficult to retreat. The enemy has three options at this time. Attack Xuanjian City, attack Wuwei Pass, and attack an ambush pass. city."
"Xuanjian City or Wuwei Pass is attacked. During the siege, the other two forces can press forward with the entire army and launch a pincer attack on the enemy. If the enemy takes a detour to attack the last pass, the garrison will immediately pass through the pass. An ambush was set up in the south of the city, and the army was again reunited in the same manner, but this time the troops retreated to Wuwei Pass."
"It takes courage for soldiers to go into battle to kill the enemy. It takes courage to go into battle one at a time, then fail again, and then be exhausted three times. Two encounters with traps and ambushes. At this time, the enemy's morale must be extremely low. It is not difficult for the ambush troops to evacuate."
"In short, Xuanjian City and Wuwei Pass must rely on each other. The other two passes are where we kill the enemy's morale and consume the enemy's strength."
Lin Chuhe pointed on the sand table and analyzed the situation succinctly. The generals listened and nodded silently, their eyes full of admiration for Marshal Lin.
A burly general who had never spoken a word suddenly stood up and saluted: "Marshal, if the two levels are turned into traps, what will the Dongxia people do in the city? You must know that although most of the people in the city have evacuated in front of the station, There are still many old, young, women and children in the city, do you want to lead them to me, Taichu?"
"General Ding Yi, I am afraid that there are many Dongxia spies among the remaining people in the Dongxia Xiongguan Pass. If they are brought back to Yingzhou, the trouble will be endless. If they are not from our country, their minds will be different. If they are removed because of the removal of these people, The gain outweighs the loss if the plan is exposed." Lin Chuhe said calmly, but his eyes were a little cold.
Ding Yi looked shocked and murmured in a low voice: "Could it be..."
Lin Chuhe nodded slightly and made a gesture of crossing his neck with his palm. All the soldiers present immediately understood what Lin Chuhe meant. Tang Jinge looked shocked. It seemed that this Confucian commander from the beginning was not a kind person. After all, he could not control soldiers.
"It's just that I have some concerns now." Lin Chuhe frowned.
Tang Jinge immediately said: "Marshal, are you from Qinghe?"
Lin Chuhe nodded and said: "Yes, this Qianlu Sanlang's performance is too peaceful and has to be doubted."
