It's the dog days of summer. It's the hottest and hottest time of the year. It's especially sweltering in the mountains with lush forests. Midsummer is really not a good time to send troops. Fortunately, the vanguard is not too far away, and the training is waiting for time. When they enter the end of Fu Fang, Wang and General Li will officially send troops south.
Huangniu Bazhai is located in the southwest of Sanguan, about fifty miles away. It is on the Sanguan post road and adjacent to the Gudao water vein. The mountain road is bumpy and difficult to travel, but it can be reached in a day or night.
Of course, it is almost impossible to sneak up to Sichuan Village silently. They stay up day and night just to avoid the scorching heat. But three miles away, close to the mountains and valleys, a military stronghold was erected and the Han flag was raised high. The Shu army in Huangniu stronghold was immediately alert and the defense intensity was increased.
The Korean military camp is being built and reinforced, ordnance is being prepared, grain is being checked, and water is being collected for cooking. Although it is busy, it is not chaotic. A group of ten soldiers were ordered to rest on the spot and regain their fighting strength. There were also three battalions of soldiers, under the command of Wang Renfan, who lurked in the mountains and forests.
In the dense forest, the vegetation is dense and the crowns are large and wide. Although it can provide shade and protection from the sun, it is the middle of the day and the sweltering heat is unavoidable. The Han soldiers in the three battalions each maintained their positions, but most of them took off their armor and opened their clothes, even the main general Wang Rengan did the same.
In the fierce battle between the Shu and Han Dynasties two years ago, Wang Renfan was promoted from a general to a general in the Southwest Front Camp and served as a formation commander due to his ability to defend and disperse the pass and pursue the enemy. As a result, he became a senior general in the Han Dynasty.
For Wang Renfan, who was thirty-six years old at the time, this could be described as a late bloomer. However, he naturally has talents, and he can rise up according to the situation and discover them in the army.
Today, Wang Rengan is thirty-eight years old, and his ambition is still unbreakable, and his determination to work hard is getting stronger. In this expedition to Shu, I can be said to be grateful to Xiang Xun for his pioneering work.
Leaning on a piece of bluestone, there was a faint coolness coming from the stone, which was better than nothing and relieved the heat. Wang Renfan closed his eyes and seemed to be sleeping deeply. He looked very handsome, which added to his charm among the military.
"General!" A battalion general came to report.
"The Shu army hasn't moved yet?" Wang Renfan asked after opening his eyes.
"No, according to General Yimo, the Shu army will not attack easily! On the contrary, a Shu army sentry came out to inquire about the stronghold, and he was almost aware of it!" The camp general said: "It is already past noon, and it is too hot in the mountains and forests. The soldiers marched all night and did not have time to rest and were very tired. They also ran out of water to drink..."
The camp general's meaning is obvious. Wang Renfan looked around. It was very quiet in the dense forest. Except for the chirping of cicadas and the occasional chirping of birds, there was no other sound. The soldiers under his command were still hiding among them, adhering to their duties. Although they strictly observed military discipline, their distress was very obvious.
Wang Renfan thought about this situation for a moment and then ordered: "Withdraw the ambush! Let the soldiers return to the camp to rest! You choose a group of soldiers with good endurance and follow me to approach the Sichuan village and explore the camp."
Originally, when the overnight march arrived, they cut down trees to build a stronghold and raised flags in large numbers. They wanted to lure the Shu army to take advantage of the Han army's unsteady foothold and attack them out of the stronghold. Therefore, they selected elite troops to ambush here. But the goal obviously failed, and the Shu army could not move a muscle.
"Why should the general go in person to explore the camp? Let the last general take the people there!" the Han camp general said to Wang Renfan.
"I want to get closer personally to explore the terrain and enemy strongholds, otherwise I won't worry!" Wang Renfan waved his hand: "The Commander-in-Chief has entrusted us with the important task of starting the attack. We must break down the strongholds and make achievements, so as not to be underestimated by others!"
Here at Huangniuzhai, the guard general of the Shu army is named Han Jixun. He was originally the defense envoy of Chengzhou of the Shu Kingdom. He was a senior general in the Shu army of the four states. As the envoy of the Haozhai, he was sent to Huangniuzhai to act as the agent for the eight villages. Take precautions to ward off the Han army.
The movements outside the Han army's stronghold were still observed by Shu sentry detectives. Of course, this was because they no longer concealed their whereabouts when they returned to camp. After receiving the report, Han Jixun was a little frightened and said: "The Han army is indeed treacherous and is trying to lure our army to attack!"
When saying this, two Shu commanders under his command were a little embarrassed. It was they who suggested that when the Han army arrived at the beginning of its trek and was not yet stable, send troops to attack it and weaken its vigor. Han Jixun, who wanted stability, refused. Although the outcome of the attack was unpredictable, it was not as expected by the Han army.
"How many people are coming from the Han army this time? Who is the commander in chief?" Han Jixun asked the sentry officer.
The military academy replied: "The Han camp is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and is blocked from view. It is difficult to predict its strength, but judging from the size of the camp, there should be at least 5,000 people! There are 'King' and 'Li' written in the general flags."
"Among the Fengxiang Han generals, there are not many named Li, but there are quite a few named Wang!" said a Shu military commander.
Han Jixun frowned and looked a little ugly. He stared at the sentinel and said: "Continue to spy, closely monitor the movements of the Han army, and make sure to find out the enemy's situation. The enemy has closed down the stronghold, but we don't even know who the enemy general is. I don’t know, is there such a ridiculous thing in the world?”
"yes!"
"Your Majesty, the Han army is about to officially launch an attack. The enemy situation is urgent. Do you want to ask Liang Quan for help?" his subordinate asked.
As soon as he said this, Han Jixun felt even more embarrassed. He glanced at the generals and scolded: "The Han army has just arrived and the enemy's situation is unknown. We are entrenched in the stronghold and they have not even launched a test attack. I am like the commander asking for help? "
"The Han army doesn't know the fierce beasts. How can it know its strength and weakness without fighting? We are stationed in the stronghold and guarding the danger. What should we fear?" Han Jixun taught a lesson and boosted morale: "Just send the enemy information to the Chinese army! You can give it to me. Just guard the stronghold strictly. In addition, send an order to the other seven strongholds to strengthen their defenses, be vigilant, and not relax in preparation for the Han army to attack!"
"yes!"
"In terms of attack, the Han army is not their opponent. How can it be that in this mountainous area, the defenders are not as good as them!" Han Jixun said coldly.
It took almost a whole day for the Han army to settle down, and the stronghold defenses were solid and barely defensible. During this period, the soldiers of the camp took turns to rest. The smoke has started to rise, and the cooks are preparing for dinner.
When Wang Rengan returned to the camp, the sky had darkened, and he immediately found his deputy Li Yan. During the Battle of Donghe Village two years ago, Li Yan was trapped by the Shu army, and it was Wang Renfan who led his army to rescue him. From then on, they formed a life-and-death friendship.
"Before the war, in the army, you could still enjoy rice, noodles, fruits and vegetables. Is it possible to imagine this before?" In the military tent, Wang Rengan touched his stomach and looked full of appetite.
Li Yan took a bite of the cake, picked up some vegetables, and said: "I have followed Medicine Lord and fought for nearly twenty years, suppressing rebellions, controlling Khitans, and attacking party items. In the past, it was rare for me to be able to fight without enduring hunger..." ....”
As he said that, he looked at Wang Renfan who was devouring his food: "How is the enemy's situation survey going?"
While eating, Wang Renfan said: "I ran back and forth for twenty miles, looked at several enemy strongholds, and basically understood them in my mind. The eight strongholds of the Shu army occupied a shape of victory. They were each other's horns, covering each other and surrounding each other. Knock, if the enemy cowers and defends, it will be difficult to attack.
Among all the villages, Huangniu Village is the largest and the strongest. I caught a Shu army sentry and used some tricks to find out from his mouth that the main general of Huangniu Village, Han Jixun, was personally guarding it, with three thousand soldiers, and more than a thousand soldiers were stationed in other villages. "
After a pause, Wang Rengan said with a hint of joking: "The Shu army still values these eight villages very much. There are tens of thousands of troops stationed there, enough for you and me to accomplish a great feat!"
"Our military strength is not as good as that of the Bazhai Shu Army!" Li Yan chuckled.
"Left and right, we are not attacking eight enemy strongholds at the same time!" Wang Renfan responded calmly.
Li Yan took the map and asked Wang Rengan to mark it and explain the terrain in detail. After thinking for a while, he pointed at Huangniu Stronghold and said, "Brother Wang, how about we start from the hardest bone? If this pass is lowered, the stronghold defense will inevitably collapse, and the other strongholds can take advantage of the situation!" "
"Heroes see the same thing, and that's exactly what I mean!" Wang Renfan said.
"Let the soldiers rest for a day and night. Tomorrow afternoon, I will lead two battalions of soldiers to attack Huangniu Village first and test its strength!" Wang Renfan said seriously.
Hearing this, Li Yan smiled and said, "Brother Wang, you have worked hard today. How about leaving it to me to take the people to attack the stronghold and test it?"
Facing his gaze, Wang Renfan had no choice but to give him face, nodded and said, "Then I'll leave it to Brother Li!"
"We still need to urge the Chinese army to bring in the equipment to attack the stronghold, especially those catapults. Although the soldiers are bloody and brave, they cannot use their flesh and blood to charge into dangerous positions!"
In fact, when fighting Qin Feng, Xiang Xun had already reminded his generals that this battle would require hard power and would inevitably involve casualties.
