Under the dim sky, a large army marched silently on the official road.
Han Shizhong was riding on a war horse with a gloomy expression.
Yang Weizhong on the side saw this and asked: "Why is a good minister here?"
"Du Tong, I just don't accept it."
Han Shizhong said bitterly: "It was obviously the two of us who made the plan, but only 30,000 soldiers and horses were given to attack Yu City. There were hundreds of thousands of Zhang Di's remnants in the city. Xin Xingzong led 20,000 soldiers and horses to wait for work in Gaotang. , which is euphemistically called support, but in fact, it is just to take advantage of the existing achievements.”
A large number of rebels were stationed in Yucheng and Linyi.
The Western Army was divided into two groups. This was a long-established plan.
But how to divide the troops specifically is very important.
It stands to reason that there are only more than 60,000 rebels in Linyi City, and after more than half a month of long journey in the cold weather, almost half of them have been destroyed.
There are not even one rebel out of ten who can still fight with swords and guns.
As long as 20,000 to 30,000 Western troops are dispatched, and the prisoners of war in the army serve as pioneers, they can easily win.
On the contrary, Yucheng had gathered hundreds of thousands of Zhang Di's remnants early on. These rebels had been training for many days, and all of them were capable of fighting.
Anyone can see that this is a tough nut to crack.
But Liang Shicheng only gave Yang Weizhong 30,000 troops and horses, plus 50,000 prisoners of war.
If it was a field battle, 30,000 people would fight hundreds of thousands, and Han Shizhong would be worthy at all, but siege is different.
Even though there is a huge gap in combat power and ordnance between the two sides, it is extremely difficult to capture a county town held by hundreds of thousands of people.
Xin Xingzong, who was staying at the rear, was obviously planning to pick peaches.
When both sides were exhausted and lost their troops, they led another 20,000 soldiers and horses to attack Linyi in one fell swoop and won the first victory.
Just like when he was conquering Fangla in the south, he thought that Han Shizhong went through all kinds of hardships, ignored life and death, sneaked into Qingxi Cave alone, and captured Fangla alive.
As a result, Xin Xingzong took away this huge credit in front of him.
The more Han Shizhong thought about it, the angrier he became, and he punched the saddle.
Yang Weizhong comforted him in a gentle voice: "A good minister needs to know that as a general, you must first control your heart. On the battlefield, the most important thing is to avoid an impetuous mind. Mr. Liang must have had his thoughts when he made this arrangement."
He particularly appreciated this junior.
He is highly skilled in martial arts, brave and good at fighting, and the most rare thing is that he is extremely talented. When working in a battle formation, he can often get through it with just one click and draw inferences from one example to other cases.
With a lot of experience, you will definitely be able to stand alone and be powerful in the future.
"snort!"
Han Shizhong retorted: "What are you thinking about? Isn't it because Xin Xingzong is Tong Guan's confidant? Have you all forgotten about the southern expedition to Fangla?"
Hearing this, Yang Weizhong was silent for a while.
To put down the rebellion, we should have used thunderous means to quickly extinguish it and decide the outcome in one battle.
In this way, Xiao Xiao can be frightened.
If Xin Xingzong joins forces with them, they can definitely put down the rebels in Jinan Mansion before the New Year.
But as a result, there was intrigue within the Western Army over merit.
Suddenly, a bit of coldness came from the back of my hand.
Yang Weizhong raised his head slightly and saw little snowflakes starting to fall in the sky.
"Snowing!"
Han Shizhong murmured to himself.
Yang Weizhong took a deep breath and shouted loudly: "Order the cavalry battalion to step forward through the snow to clear the way, and order Wu Jie to lead the five thousand infantry at the rear!"
There are certain things to be done when marching an army.
Under normal circumstances, the infantry clears the way in front, commanding the central army, followed by the convoys transporting grain, grass and baggage, and finally the cavalry battalion.
If there is heavy snow, the cavalry battalion will be in front, clearing the way through the snow, and part of the infantry will be separated from the rear.
No matter what, the baggage convoy will never be left alone at the back.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the whole land soon turned into a vast expanse of white.
…
Li Heihu looked at the heavy snow outside the door, slightly lost in thought.
At this moment, Sun Zhi's voice rang in his ears: "Master, the spies just came to report that the left army led by Liu Guangshi has entered Linyi. I estimate that after a day or two of rest, we will wait for the heavy snowfall." Stop and the attack will begin."
Li Heihu came to his senses and asked, "Where is Yang Weizhong?"
"The army on the right led by Yang Weizhong is still on the way. According to the speed of the army's march, it will reach Yucheng the day after tomorrow at the latest." Sun Zhi replied.
Hearing this, Li Heihu muttered: "Gao Tuoshan's group of remnant soldiers cannot hold out for long. I only hope that Lao Seven and Lao Jiu can resist for a while longer and delay time for us."
Gaotuoshan could not stop the Western Army, they already knew it.
The reason why they were accepted was just to be used as cannon fodder, and Gao Tuoshan himself knew this.
Behind Linyi, the new town, no more than thirty miles away, was the real barrier to the Western Army.
Although there are only 10,000 Black Mountain bandits guarding the new town, their combat power is far inferior to that of Gao Tuoshan and his ilk, and their weapons are also more complete.
Even if the Western Army can win, it will pay a heavy price.
And Yucheng is the main battlefield that determines victory or defeat.
"Urgent report!"
Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside the government office.
Several people in the lobby were shocked, and Sun Zhi shouted: "Come in!"
The next moment, a kite hurriedly ran into the lobby, clasping his fists and saying: "I'm reporting to you, this morning, Zhang Jin sent 50,000 people out of the city to ambush the Western Army led by Yang Weizhong!"
"What?"
The expressions of Sun Zhi and others changed greatly, and they all exclaimed.
Li Heihu's face was gloomy, a trace of murderous intent flashed through his narrow phoenix eyes, and there was a chill in his tone: "Who allows this idiot to make his own decisions?"
Zhang Jinnai was Zhang Di's cousin. After Zhang Di died, he led the remaining troops to escape and hid in Liangshanbo.
A while ago, Li Heihu sent someone to contact him secretly, and the two parties hit it off immediately.
So Zhang Jin led the remaining troops to settle in Yucheng.
In the original plan, Yucheng was a bait. With hundreds of thousands of people defending it, the Western Army would not be able to capture it for a while.
Yucheng was used to hold back the Western Army's right flank. When the opponent attacked the city, Li Heihu led his elite troops to make a surprise attack.
At that time, Zhang Jin took advantage of the situation to counterattack. Under attack from both front and rear, even if the Western Army was strong, it would only be defeated.
Once the Western Army's right flank is defeated, they can consolidate their forces, rush north to support the new town, and fight the Western Army to the death.
Now, Zhang Jin is acting without permission, which is very likely to cause the previous arrangements to fall short.
"Fifty thousand rebels, ambushing 30,000 Western troops, ha!"
Sun Zhi was so angry that he laughed. He really didn't know whether to exaggerate his bravery or call him a pig.
Has this idiot forgotten how Zhang Di died?
How dare you fight in the field with the Western Army!
Don't talk about your 50,000 people. When Zhang Di was at his peak, he had more than 200,000 people, but he was crippled by Liu Guangshi's tens of thousands.
Mr. Yin frowned and said: "The top priority is to call back the 50,000 people who were ambushed. We cannot waste our combat power."
"That's too late."
Li Heihu shook his head and said with a cold face: "We set off this morning and went into battle lightly. I'm afraid we will have to fight against the Western Army by now."
"Why!"
Mr. Yin sighed.
Now, they can only hope that those 50,000 people will die less.
…
…
"Kill!!!"
In the snow-covered valley, countless rebels swooped down from the mountains on both sides of the official road.
The shouts of killing gathered together and seemed to disperse the heavy snow in the sky.
Yang Weizhong sat on the back of the Chinese army's horse with no panic on his face. After ordering the infantry to set up the military formation, he said in a deep voice: "Han Shizhong!"
"The general is here!"
Han Shizhong responded with clasped fists.
Yang Weizhong ordered: "You are now ordered to lead the cavalry battalion to break out and wait for the opportunity."
"I will obey your orders!"
Han Shizhong didn't waste any time and immediately rushed to the cavalry camp of the front army.
The Western Army did not have many cavalry. The right army commanded by Yang Weizhong only had a thousand cavalry, and they were all light cavalry.
Once the cavalry is surrounded, its combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Only cavalry that can run can exert its true combat effectiveness.
After breaking through, it is correct to hang around and wait for opportunities.
Boom!
The sound of galloping horses hooves sounded, and Han Shizhong took the lead and led the cavalry battalion to break out of the encirclement.
This thousand-man cavalry looked inconspicuous, like a tide of rebels, roaring and rushing towards the army on the official road.
It has to be said that thanks to the heavy snow that covered the footprints and obscured the vision of the Western Army spies, the raid by Zhang Jin's group of rebels was very successful.
But what they faced was the most elite Western Army in the entire Song Dynasty, and its commander was Yang Weizhong, who was powerful in the northwest.
Amidst the sound of golden drums, nearly 30,000 infantrymen formed a turtle-back formation. The shield bearer raised a large shield at the front, and long spears were placed on the shield.
Poof!
The first rebel who rushed to the front of the formation was instantly pierced by three or five spears.
The bamboo armor on his body was unable to withstand the spear head with armor-piercing edges.
However, no one cared.
The next second, hundreds of rebels swarmed in, slapping heavily on the formation of the Western Army like a tide.
Cries of death, screams, roars... countless sounds intertwined together.
Yang Weizhong sat upright on his horse and quietly watched the scene in front of him, while his mind was already thinking about the next situation.
On the other side, after breaking through, Han Shizhong did not go far away. Instead, he led a thousand cavalry and kept cruising around the outside of the battlefield, running left and right, using kite tactics to continuously kill the rebels.
The battle lasted for half an hour and ended early.
After realizing that the Western Army was a tough opponent, the rebels dispersed in a hurry, leaving behind more than 3,000 corpses and fled in all directions.
Seeing this, Wu Jie suggested: "Du Tong, these rebels should be Zhang Di's old troops stationed in Yucheng. This opportunity is rare, why not lead the army and kill them all!"
"Don't chase the poor enemy. There may be an ambush in the high mountains and dense forests."
Yang Weizhong waved his hand and rejected the proposal.
Wu Jie nodded and said no more.
Looking up at the increasingly dark sky, Yang Weizhong ordered: "Let the army secretary count the casualties and order the soldiers to set up camp on the spot."
"Got the order!"
Wu Jie answered with cupped fists, turned around and left.
Da da da!
There was a sound of horse hoofbeats, and Han Shizhong was seen galloping towards him holding a horse in one hand and a bow in the other.
When he came closer, he slowed down his horse and asked, "Why don't you pursue me, Commander-in-Chief? The general has just sent his scouts to investigate, and there is no ambush nearby."
These rebels were running so fast, and he hadn't had enough of killing them yet.
Yang Weizhong took the opportunity to teach: "Generals, you must learn to take a long-term view and never care about immediate gains and losses. It is dark and snowy, and even if you catch up, you will not kill more than a thousand people. It is a waste of time and is not beneficial to the overall situation."
"The general understands."
Han Shizhong nodded thoughtfully.
…
…
Zichuan.
After Han Zhen occupied the county town, he did not live in the city. Instead, he stayed in the military camp, training his soldiers while waiting for Xiao Wu to join Wei Da.
At the same time, he ordered the craftsmen in the county to make sledges as soon as possible.
If the common people have nothing to do, they can also make them and buy them for five hundred coins each.
This made the people in the city extremely happy.
The sledge does not require much technical content, and anyone with some carpenter skills can make it.
It snowed heavily for three days and three nights. On the fourth day, the snow finally stopped.
The whole land was completely white, and the snow was two feet thick.
When you step on it, the snow can reach your thighs.
With such thick snow, without sledges, the army would probably not be able to walk even ten miles in one day.
The fifth day.
Although the snow stopped, it did not clear up and the sky was still gloomy.
In the howling cold wind, Wei Da finally arrived.
In the White Tiger Hall, Wei Da loudly said: "Fortunately, the general has fulfilled his mission. Changshan and Zouping counties have been captured."
Han Zhen comforted him and said, "Thank you for your hard work, General Wei. Please drink a bowl of hot soup to drive away the cold."
After receiving the big bone soup from the soldier, Wei Da sat down and drank it in small sips with a look of enjoyment on his face.
After drinking a bowl of fragrant hot soup, Wei Da felt warm in his stomach.
Han Zhen asked: "Wu Daomin, the chief secretary of Changshan County, didn't you kill him?"
To be entrusted by others is to be loyal to others.
Since you promised Wu Lian'er, you have to do it.
After all, instead of looking at the monk’s face and looking at the Buddha’s face, Ma Sangou’s face still needs to be taken care of.
"No."
Wei Da shook his head and explained: "This man is quite a scholar. When the general led his troops into the county government, he wanted to die. But after reading the letter, he begged the general to send him to Linzi. The general asked him to take him to Linzi. The Cai family has ordered the archer Xiangyong to escort him to Linzi."
"You did a good job on this matter!"
Han Zhen looked satisfied.
At this time, Liu Qi on the side said: "County Magistrate, now that Wei Dutong has returned, why do we send troops?"
Han Zhen said in a deep voice: "Send troops in three days!"
"Got the order!"
Everyone's eyes lit up and they shouted in unison.
…
…
"Dong dong dong!"
The sound of heavy and loud drums echoed in the battlefield.
Wearing bamboo armor and holding weapons in their hands, the prisoners of war braved the cold wind and rushed towards Yucheng without fear of death.
These prisoners of war were the previously captured Gao Tuoshan generals.
Liang Fangping promised them that if they could behead one level, their past crimes would be wiped out and they would be released back into the fields.
Because of this, these prisoners of war behaved so bravely.
Besieging a city in winter has advantages and disadvantages.
Although the deep snow and cold weather made the soldiers move slowly, the moat was also frozen, which greatly slowed down the difficulty of siege.
At the same time, the effect of the golden juice and boiling water poured by the defenders will be greatly reduced.
A series of ladders were erected by the prisoners of war, leaning against the city wall.
Under the cover of a hail of arrows from behind, the prisoners of war held the hilts of their knives in their mouths and rushed up the ladder using their hands and feet.
boom!
A huge boulder fell from the tower.
Unfortunately, a prisoner of war was hit and died on the spot. When the boulder fell, it hit three more people.
Some prisoners of war rushed up to the city wall, and before they could stand still, they were stabbed through by seven or eight spears in an instant.
Warm blood splashed on the masonry, and was frozen into solid ice in the blink of an eye.
(End of chapter)
