Chapter 247 The arrival of troops, enemy situation, and decision-making
It's the dog days of summer. It's the hottest and hottest time of the year, especially in the mountains with lush forests. It's even more sweltering. Midsummer is really not a good time to send troops. Fortunately, the vanguard's battle didn't help.
Calculating the distance, Xiang Xian was waiting for time. When they entered the end of Fufang, King Ling and General Li would officially send troops southward.
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 the Sichuan stronghold quietly. Hiding day and night, just to avoid the scorching heat. But three miles away, surrounded by mountains and valleys, a military stronghold was erected, and the Han flag was raised high.
After that, the Shu army in Huangniu Village was immediately alert and the defense intensity was further increased.
The Korean military camp is being continuously built and reinforced. Ordnance is being prepared, grain is being checked, and water is being collected to make rice. Although it is busy, it is not chaotic. Some ten soldiers were ordered to rest on the spot and restore their combat strength. There are also three battalions of soldiers.
Under the command of Wang Renfan, they 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 keep their positions, but most of them take off their armor and open their clothes.
Even the commander-in-chief Wang Rengan was 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 and defeat the enemy. After being recommended by Zhao Hui who came to Beijing, Wang Renfan was promoted to the commander of the southwest front camp and served as the formation commander.
Became a senior general in the Han Dynasty.
For Wang Renfan, who was thirty-six years old at the time, he could be described as a late bloomer. However, he naturally had talents that he could rise up in response to circumstances and be discovered in the military.
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, relieving the heat. Wang Rengan closed his eyes and seemed to be sleeping deeply. He looked very handsome, which added to his charm in this military.
"General!" One of his battalion generals 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 meaning of the camp general was obvious. Wang Rengan looked around and saw that the dense forest seemed very quiet. Except for the chirping of cicadas and the occasional chirping of birds, there was no other sound. His soldiers were still hiding among them.
Although he abides by his duties and strictly observes military discipline, his distress is 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 and built strongholds, and raised flags in large numbers, in order to lure the Shu army to take advantage of the Han army's unsteady foothold, and attack them out of the stronghold, so they selected elite troops to ambush here. But the purpose obviously failed, and the Shu army moved the capital.
Don't move even once.
"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 Ren.
"I want to get closer personally to explore the terrain and enemy strongholds, otherwise I won't worry!" Wang Rengan waved his hand: "The commander-in-chief has given us the important task of starting the attack. We must break down the stronghold and make achievements to avoid being 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.
To defend against the Han army.
The movements outside the Han army's stronghold were still detected by the Shu sentry. Of course, it was because they did not hide their whereabouts when they returned to camp. After hearing the news, Han Jixun was a little frightened and said: "The Han army is indeed treacherous and is trying to lure me."
The army attacks!"
When saying this, two of the Shu commanders under his command were a little embarrassed. It was they who suggested that when the Han army had just arrived and its footing was not stable, they should send troops to attack it and weaken its vigor. Han Jixun, who wanted stability, refused, even though it was difficult to attack.
They expected victory or defeat, but it was not as expected as the Han army wanted.
"How many people are coming from the Han army this time? Who is the commander in chief?" Han Jixun asked the sentry officer at the military academy.
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. However, judging from the size of the camp, there should be at least 5,000 people! There are 'King' and 'Li' written in the general's flag."
"Among the Fengxiang Han generals, there are not many with the surname Li, but there are quite a few with the surname Wang!" said a Shu military commander.
Han Jixun frowned and looked a little ugly. He stared at the sentinel and said: "Continue to spy and closely monitor the movements of the Han army, and we must find out the enemy's situation. The enemy has invaded 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 unclear. 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 is not a savage beast. Without fighting, how can we know whether it is strong or weak? We are defending the stronghold, so there is nothing to 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 defend the stronghold strictly, and 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 no match for them. How can we not be as good as defending the stronghold in these mountains?" 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 and recuperate. The smoke from the cooking stoves was already rising, and they were preparing for the evening meal.
When Wang Renfan returned to the camp, the sky had darkened, and he immediately found his deputy general 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
, the life-and-death friendship formed.
"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, quelling rebellions, resisting 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 heart. The eight strongholds of the Shu army occupied a victory shape, and 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 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 chief general of Huangniu Village, Han Jixun, was personally guarding it, with three thousand soldiers, and the other villages
There are more than a thousand troops stationed."
After a pause, Wang Renfan said with a hint of joking: "The Shu army still attaches great importance to these eight villages. There are tens of thousands of troops stationed there, which is 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 about it, he clicked on Huangniu Village 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 be captured by taking 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 to test its strength!" Wang Renfan said seriously.
Hearing this, Li Yan chuckled and said, "Brother Wang, you have worked hard today. How about you leave 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 and nodded in response: "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 rush into dangerous places!"
[Benefits for Book Friends] You can get cash or coins by reading books, and iPhone12 and Switch are waiting for you! Follow the vx official account [Book Friends Base Camp] to get it!
In fact, when fighting Qin Feng, Xiang Xun had already warned his generals that this battle would require hard power and would inevitably involve casualties.
