Zheng Fu was thinking about how he would lead an army to capture the city in one fell swoop, kill all the rebels, and leave the remaining people trembling at his feet. Suddenly, a scout from the front came to him and reported: "General, we will reach Laohu Valley ahead. After passing Laohu Valley, we will reach Tuoxian County."
Zheng Fu was pulled back from his thoughts and asked, "How is the investigation going forward?" "The soldiers from the four towns opened the way in front and found nothing unusual." Tan Ma reported back.
"What can you expect a bunch of losers to do? Lieutenant General." Zheng Fu turned around and shouted.
The deputy general immediately moved his horse forward, half a horse's head behind Zheng Fu. Zheng Fu said: "The Four Town Soldiers can also clear the roadblocks. When it comes to exploring the road, they know nothing about it. Let's do this. You can lead a Qibian army and horse team. Go forward to explore the road, you still have to be careful in the valley area."
The deputy general immediately took the order and ordered two hundred cavalry to pursue the four forward soldiers. As a general of the border army, Zheng Fu still had good combat qualities. Zheng Zuo was captured because he was careless, so the ship capsized in the ditch. Although Zheng Fu also looked down upon Gao Heng and others, he still had to do the prescribed actions. He was not worried about the plains and jungles. He had a thousand cavalry in hand, but the opponent had few cavalry. Fighting in the plains, using foot against cavalry, was seeking death. , but the terrain in the valley is different, so it’s better to be careful.
Of course, subconsciously, Zheng Fu did not think that they would find his traces. After the army set off from Shenglong Mansion, it did not go to Jiling at all, but directly transferred to Wuli. How could the enemy track it near Shenglong? The traces of these 10,000 soldiers and horses are theoretically impossible unless someone tipped off the information.
Zheng Fu smiled mockingly. The person who tipped off the information also depends on who he is. If he fights against the Ruan family, it is really possible. After all, the Ruan family is not weak, but who would tip off these expatriates, knowing that they will lose? In the war, even if someone reports the news, how much benefit can be gained? Aren’t you afraid of liquidation in the future?
Thinking of this, Zheng Fu turned around and ordered: "Speed up the pace and pass through Laohu Valley at full speed."
"Drive! Drive! Drive! Get out of the way, get out of the way!" The two hundred cavalrymen rushed to the front of the team, causing the soldiers from the four towns who were opening the way to turn back. A strange leader said disdainfully: "What kind of arrogance do these guys have? Isn't it just because they have horses?"
The treatment of the cavalry was of course the best among the large armies, so the soldiers in the four towns were even more dissatisfied. They felt that some of the benefits they could have received were all given to the cavalry. Seeing them flamboyantly passing by in front of them, the soldiers from the four towns could only dodge one after another for fear that their horses would hit them. The officers were even more indignant.
Since the cavalry rushed to the front, it means that the superiors do not trust us, so let them go explore the way. The commander of the Fourth Town Soldiers immediately ordered: "Stand where you are." The Fourth Town Soldiers immediately stopped, and a They were sitting on the roadside, taking off their bamboo hats and fanning themselves in the wind.
There is about three miles between the forward exploration troops and the Chinese army, so in theory, it will be a while before the arrival of the Chinese army, so they can make up for the time difference and be lazy.
Some people had a piece of wild grass in their mouths and watched with interest the cavalry in front exploring the road. Laohu Valley is right in front, and the cavalry can be seen with the naked eye. These frontier cavalry are not ordinary people. They are the pathfinding cavalry under Zheng Fu. They are the same concept as the Ye Bu Shuu in the Ming army, and they are quite elite. of troops.
When these people came to the valley, the leading lieutenant looked at the hills on both sides and suddenly made a fist with his right hand. "Huh." Everyone stopped their horses, and immediately half of the cavalry dismounted, divided into two teams, and went to the hills on the left and right. The remaining one hundred people were on guard in place, watching the mountains on both sides with vigilance.
Little did they know, right on the top of the mountain, a few pairs of sharp eyes were watching them. Lu Tao led the sentinel team to observe the enemy's movements on the mountain. Gao Heng also joined the team to personally detect the enemy's situation.
When he saw the soldiers from the four towns stopped and the cavalry coming over, Gao Heng secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, he did not let the troops enter the position, but all lurked at the foot of the hill on the back. Otherwise, the enemy would have discovered them as soon as they went up the mountain.
Moreover, they had a purpose in arriving a few days in advance, in order to carefully arrange the battlefield, such as directional explosive packs. If they were placed directly on the surface like they were before, the enemy would be able to find them if they carefully inspected them. Even if they detonated them themselves, they would only be able to kill or injure the enemy. The forward troops, not only with limited results, but also with the ability to alert others.
Therefore, Gao Heng buried these explosive packets underground. Although the power would definitely be weakened, the valley was not wide. A batch of explosive packets were buried on the left and right. The killing range formed a cross, which could completely cover the enemy. They also made improvements to the lead wire. Not only did they lengthen the lead wire and drag it all the way to the mountain, they also put a hollow bamboo tube around the lead wire and buried it directly in the ground.
Anyway, there is no shortage of bamboo in Annan. Bamboo pipes are available everywhere. After being put on and buried underground, it is equivalent to taking a hidden line. When the time comes, the mountain will be lit directly on fire, and the fuse will burn smoothly and detonate the explosive.
Because the survival brigade did not set foot on the front of the hill at all, and the team that planted the explosives deliberately filled it back with soil and turf after the end, so the Annan detectives did not find anything strange at all, and the front of the hill generally maintained its original appearance.
The soldiers were halfway up the mountain, and they could see it at a glance from the top of the mountain. There was basically nothing abnormal. A soldier turned back and loudly reported to the officer, "Nothing abnormal." "Nothing abnormal."
The deputy general looked at the mountains on both sides, and he always had a strange feeling in his heart. Although he couldn't say what was wrong, he just felt that something was abnormal. If you are an ordinary person, you may think that you may be overthinking it, but after being on the front line for a long time, the lieutenant general believed in his intuition and always thought that there was something wrong. Seeing that the lieutenant general was silent, the soldiers did not dare to go back easily, so they could only continue to investigate.
Gao Heng nodded, pointed to the figure of the deputy general and said to Lu Tao: "See, this guy is a bit skilled. He probably realizes that there are some problems, but it doesn't matter. Let the brothers release what we have prepared."
Lu Tao understood and put his hands behind his back to make a gesture. The soldiers of the sentry team immediately lowered their bodies. Several soldiers pulled out several large bags from behind. As soon as they untied them, the contents of the bags rushed out. It turned out to be a live animal, and it was the tattooed rabbit, a specialty of Annan.
Dozens of little rabbits jumped from the top of the hill to the valley. A group of rabbits immediately attracted the attention of the Annan soldiers. Although the food of the cavalry was good, who would dislike meat? When the cavalry saw the rabbit, they all smiled happily and surrounded it one after another. Those who had bows and arrows set up their arrows and began to shoot the rabbit.
With a bang, Qi Chang took out the matchlock gun from his waist, aimed at a rabbit and pulled the trigger. The rabbit fell down, and Qi Chang also received a heavy slap. "Bastard! Who told you to use firearms?" the deputy general glared at him and cursed. This guy really got a little carried away. He actually used his gun and made such a loud noise. Didn't he remind others that they were here?
The deputy general continued to scold him, and the tension in his heart instantly relaxed. At first, he could not say what was strange, but when he saw the rabbit, he finally felt relieved. There were small animals on the mountain, which meant that there was no large army ambushing him. Animals are afraid of people. If there is an army ambushing in the mountains, the little animals must have escaped long ago and will not let themselves encounter them. Now there are groups of rabbits, which is enough to show that this place is safe. Presumably, these expats could never think that they would Passing through Laohu Valley and raiding Tuoxian County, I am afraid that I am still immersed in the joy of being saved.
"Who! Who fires!" The terrain of the valley is like a loudspeaker, and the sound of fire cannons can be heard for miles. The four soldiers at the entrance of the valley were the first to stand up. Zheng Fu, who caught up behind him, obviously also Hearing this, he was startled, thinking that he had encountered an enemy. However, when the cavalrymen in front of him came to report that the cavalry were catching rabbits, Zheng Fu was so angry that he couldn't help but feel angry.
Almost everyone in the Chinese army could hear Zheng Fu's roar: "Idiots! A bunch of idiots! Isn't the usual food good enough? I am here to lead them to fight, not to catch rabbits. Go and inform them and come back immediately , the whole army passed through Laohu Valley, who fired the gun just now, told him to kneel in front of me."
The messenger brought the order, and the deputy general hit the unusually long helmet with a riding crop and said: "You can explain to the general the trouble you caused yourself. Let's go." He waved his hand, and the soldiers who were catching rabbits halfway up the mountain immediately He withdrew, got on his horse, and turned back to his own formation.
The army continued to advance, and Lu Tao breathed a sigh of relief, "The general is really a god, he could even predict this step."
Gao Heng smiled and shook his head and said: "This is not because I am magical, but after experiencing too many wars, I will naturally have this awareness. On the other hand, if I go to a certain place and find that there are no birds and animals in the forest, I will I feel terrified, and it’s not winter. The lack of animal activity only means that there is something here that scares them.”
After Gao Heng finished speaking, Lu Tao glanced at Gao Heng with some confusion. Wasn't the general a civilian man? Why did he sound like he had experienced many wars? Gao Heng was shocked to realize that he had made a mistake and quickly interrupted: "What about that? Immediately notify the ambushed soldiers to go up the mountain and enter the fighting position."
Lu Tao pulled out a small red flag and waved it a few times at the hilltop opposite. Wang Qi and others over there understood and immediately went back to arrange it. The two thousand soldiers and horses were divided into three parts. There were 600 people on the mountains on both sides and 800 people at the exit of the valley. As soon as the signal was sent, the soldiers who had been waiting at the foot of the mountain immediately went up the mountain from the back and occupied the position on the top of the mountain. Gao Heng also hurried down the mountain. What he wanted to personally command was the most elite 800 people. These 800 people included a musket company, an artillery company, a cavalry company and a spearman company.
Four companies were lying in ambush at the entrance of the valley. As soon as the fighting started in the valley, they would immediately rush out, seal the entrance of the valley, and catch turtles in an urn.
"General, they are coming, let's fight." At the exit of the valley, the soldiers from the four towns exploring the way came out of the valley unharmed. The soldiers who were ambushing at the entrance of the valley were a little unable to hold back. An officer came to Gao Heng and wanted to start a fight. Gao Heng Heng Que said: "The forwards are all soldiers from the Four Towns, not elites. We will concentrate all our efforts on attacking the central army and annihilate the main force of the enemy. These ambush troops will naturally collapse."
Gao Heng lay down in the grass, watching pairs of big feet passing in front of him. The soldiers were holding their breath in the woods. Wu Rong and his artillerymen squatted next to the artillery, waiting for Gao Heng's order.
Zheng Fu and the Chinese army entered the canyon with great swagger. With the report of the pathfinder cavalry, it should be very safe. The Zheng flag was blown by the draft in the valley. The elite of the Chinese army were obviously well-trained. They did not whisper to each other like the soldiers of the four towns. Instead, they passed through the valley in an orderly manner. In the valley, only the clicking footsteps of the infantry and the roaring hoofbeats of the cavalry could be heard.
The strange commander who fired the gun just now was kidnapped by Zheng Fu's order. He was escorted by several soldiers and followed the team dejectedly. Zheng Fu would deal with him after the battle was over. The deputy general was communicating with Zheng Fuzheng, perhaps discussing the next battle plan. The cavalry surrounded the two men.
When the Chinese army was about to leave the valley, artillery from the rear army also began to enter one after another. Seeing that the front army of the Chinese army was about to leave the valley, Gao Heng decided not to wait any longer. He turned around and ordered: "Get ready to fight!"
With a whoop, the fishing net covering the artillery was removed by the soldiers who rose up in response. Wu Rong led the artillerymen to push the artillery forward. The artillery at Taniguchi were all wheeled Folang machines, and the squatting tiger cannon and the heartless cannon were They were placed on the hills on both sides to attack the enemy's dense formations.
"Push! Push hard!" Wu Rong ordered as he and the soldiers pushed the artillery out.
With a chirping sound, a loud arrow shot out from the mouth of the valley, pointing straight into the sky with a long red tail flame. It exploded in the air with a snap and turned into a gorgeous firework. This was the signal for the attack.
"Light the fire!" Lu Tao, Wang Qi and others gave the order, and the soldiers immediately lit the fuse buried in the ground. With a sizzling sound, the fuse burned all the way down the hillside.
Tens of thousands of Annan troops were startled by the sudden sound of arrows. How could there be such a thing in this wilderness. Only Zheng Fu was shocked. He knew very well what this meant, and cold sweat suddenly ran down his back.
"No! Escape quickly! There are burials." Before Zheng Fu could finish his words, boom boom boom, all the explosive packages buried on both sides of the valley detonated in an instant. For this battle, Gao Heng took out all the captured gunpowder. , in addition to distributing them to the soldiers, they also made more than a hundred directional explosive packets. There was no lead, and a large amount of gravel was wrapped inside to increase the lethality.
Now the left and right sides are detonated at the same time, and the effect is amazing. Boom boom, accompanied by violent explosions, countless rubbles were sprayed out crosswise, covering all the nearby Annan troops.
No screams were heard, only clouds of blood mist rose into the sky, and the Annan soldiers who were close were blown into pieces. The gravel continued to penetrate the crowd, knocking down the Annan army in pieces.
"Kill! Fire!" The generals of each team gave the order, and all the ambush troops in the valley came out. The flags of the survival brigade were suddenly displayed on the hills on both sides, and the entrance of the valley was blocked.
