Weizhou City was later known as Pingliang, Gansu Province. The organizational system of Pingliang County was very bumpy. It was established and abolished several times. In the early years of Qingtai when Li Congke ascended the throne, Pingliang County was established again and the county magistrate was appointed.
However, people at that time still did not call this place Pingliang, because the local civil servants of the Five Dynasties could be said to have the least sense of existence. The Pingliang County magistrate even had missing records for more than ten years.
At the beginning, this place was occupied by the Jingzhou Zhenjun who belonged to the Jiedu Envoy of the Zhangyi Army.
Now it belongs to Weizhou. The person who really controls Weizhou is not the Pingliang County Magistrate, but the Weizhou Town Army and Town General.
Moreover, at this time, Weizhou, where Pingliang was located, was the most prosperous area in the west along with the Jiedushi of the Zhangyi Army (Jingyuan) and the Jiedushi of the Jingnan Army (Yining).
Because the trade route to the west is blocked here, Danzheng Gorge (Three Passes) in the west of Weizhou City is the best place to collect business taxes.
In addition to collecting taxes, Weizhou's soldiers could also go out of Sanguan to Yuanzhou or even Huizhou to attack the Dangxiang people's grass valleys after their sheep were fat and their horses were strong.
The warriors of the Five Dynasties were not the warriors of the late Ming Dynasty. The combat effectiveness of the frontier troops in the late Ming Dynasty was unsightly. The Mongols who did not even have an iron pot had only Ye Busuo and other elites who dared to fight and kill them.
In the Five Dynasties, the Jiedushi of the Changyi Army, who were leftover soldiers and horses from the west, could often go out to plunder.
The total number of party members in Yuanzhou is only 20 to 30,000, which is the result of being beaten by them all year round.
Weizhou City is being built outside the Three Passes. Because it was the front line to defend against Tibet in the past, the city was built extremely tall.
And just near the entrance of the Sanguankou Valley, a large number of sentry towers and enemy towers were also built.
However, Zhang Zhao was lucky. The main force in this rebellion was the troops from Weizhou and Wuzhou.
Only when Zhang Zhao walked out of the Three Passes and arrived at Weizhou City did the soldiers left behind in Weizhou City get the news.
Because the soldiers who were originally in charge of guarding the sentry towers and enemy towers at the three passes were all taken by officers to join the rebellion.
In addition, Yuanzhou Dangxiang was only liable to be beaten and never dared to pass through the three passes to Weizhou. Therefore, no one paid attention to this place. Zhang Zhao led more than 10,000 people and passed the three passes without any danger.
'Boom!'
Zhang Zhao led more than 3,000 forward troops to Weizhou City. Before they started setting up camp, the rear troops were still in the valley. They heard the sound of the city gates being opened and the suspension bridge being lowered. The gates of Weizhou City were opened wide.
Just when Zhang Da Sikong thought that the opponent was frightened by him and was about to open the city and surrender, there was a clatter of footsteps, and almost two thousand troops and horses behind more than a dozen flags came out of the city and lined up outside the city.
"Is this...? He's going to fight with us outside the city!"
Yan Jin, who stood beside Zhang Zhao on horseback, smacked his lips and said in disbelief.
It is said that I, Zhang Sikong, have conquered all the countries in Anxi. Except when he selects a small group of troops to carry out sneak attacks or deliberately lures them, as long as the number of rebel troops is equal to that of the enemy, no one dares to form a formation to fight with them.
After a while, the Weizhou army on the opposite side completed their formation, and a young general rode out from the formation.
This young general was holding a hard bow and just held the horse's belly between his legs. He was still more than a hundred steps away from the Guiyi army, and waved his hands several times in succession like an eagle spreading its wings.
As he waved, several arrows came back and forth. Some Yuanzhou Dangxiang knights, who had not been trained and did not respect orders, rode their horses around and suffered disaster immediately. Two of the five were shot to death by three arrows, and three were left.
The man fled back in embarrassment.
"Wind! Wind! Wind!" The Weizhou army arrayed under the Weizhou City suddenly shouted "Wind!" Then red flags were waved on the city wall, and shouts and curses were heard everywhere.
Damn it...!
Zhang Zhao, Yan Jin and others looked at each other dumbfounded for a few times. This routine is so familiar! Isn't this a trick they often use to beat others?
After looking at each other for a few times, Zhang Zhao's face suddenly turned red. The other person was slapping him in the face!
"Where is my son Nobunaga?"
Zhang Sikong, who was slapped in the face, was originally going to do it by himself, but after considering his riding skills and identity, he stopped his desire and turned to shout at Murong Nobunaga, who had been guarding him.
.
Murong Nobunaga has long been so angry that he howls. When a young man is so brave and fierce, how can he withstand others being so ashamed of his face?
The elder Murong roared loudly, held a bow and a spear, wore his favorite white robe, mounted his beloved silver-white war horse, and rushed out like lightning.
"Slave slaves, please leave! Leave your head behind!"
When the young general on the opposite side saw Murong Nobunaga running out in such a dashing manner, he knew it was difficult to deal with him just by looking at the speed of his horse. He turned around and tried to run away.
But the smoke in the snow under Murong Nobunaga's crotch is the son of the bloody horse captured by Zhang Zhao at the gate of Shule City. Zhang Zhao's explosive power is very outstanding.
As soon as the young general turned around, Murong Nobunaga was already about thirty steps away from him. The young general was startled, he quickly clamped his legs between the horse's belly, turned around and shot an arrow.
"Be careful!" Zhang Zhao saw clearly from a distance, and his heart suddenly tightened. If he broke Lady Cao Sanniang's son, how would he see anyone when he went back?
However, Murong Nobunaga was already prepared. The young general stood up and drew the bow. Murong Nobunaga hid in a stirrup and easily avoided the bow and arrow.
And during this round trip, the distance between the two horses was only about ten steps.
Murong Nobunaga simply hid on the side of the horse and did not get up. The young general knew that something was wrong. The horse on the opposite side was too fast. He pulled the reins to the left, trying to turn the horse's head around a corner.
He would definitely die if someone stabbed him in the back, because his horse couldn't run away, but he was still somewhat confident when faced with a fight.
"Well done! I'll take a shot at you!" Murong Nobunaga praised loudly. He is not an ordinary person who has such self-confidence despite such a disadvantage.
Seeing that the two horses were about to cross each other, Murong Nobunaga, like a white lightning bolt, suddenly came from the side of the horse to the back of the horse, holding a long spear in his left hand, and lightly scratched the young general's right ribs.
Although the young general turned the horse's head, one hand was busy controlling the horse, and the other hand had no time to pick up the spear.
He could only howl, huddle up on his horse, and use the fine iron round shield tied to his right arm to resist Murong Nobunaga's attack.
There was a "dang" sound, and the clear sound of gold and iron intersecting came. The young general actually resisted Murong Nobunaga's attack with the iron shield on his arm.
Although I can hardly lift my arms, it is definitely much better than sweeping the middle of the waist and ribs.
Moreover, he also took out the saber with his left hand, and after preparing to turn around, he got close to Murong Nobunaga, taking advantage of the short weapon's close-quarters advantage.
But how could Murong Nobunaga not have any backup plan?
"General Bai, turn left!" he shouted, and Murong Nobunaga only needed to move the reins lightly to know what to do.
This is a major advantage of good horses, because they are generally very smart. The smartest ones have the IQ of a child of several years old, and they can communicate with their owners.
Xueli Yanchen, who cooperated tacitly with Murong Nobunaga, turned a corner with the smallest radius. At this time, the war horse under the young general's crotch had not even had time to adjust its head.
Murong Nobunaga quickly held the spear in his left hand and took out an iron whip with his right hand. After catching up, he hit the young general on the back.
"Ah! Wow...!" The young general screamed, and a mouthful of blood spurted out. Then he staggered twice and fell off the horse.
Murong Nobunaga then took back the horse spear and iron whip, fished it out with his right hand, picked up the young general who was vomiting blood, and ran towards the Zhang Zhao of the main formation.
"Scared! Ha!" The Weizhou army below the city became anxious. A dozen cavalrymen immediately rode out, trying to snatch back the young general who had been captured alive.
"Don't hurt my brother!"
"Stop hurting my brother!"
The Guiyi Army also yelled and cursed twice, and Li Cunhui and Zhang Liecheng, one on the left and one on the right, each riding a mighty curly-haired Cong, galloped out of the formation.
When they were still seventy or eighty steps away from the enemy, the two men stood tall on horseback and fired their bows left and right.
Five or six of the dozen cavalrymen who rushed out from the Weizhou army fell down in response. The rest immediately did not dare to come up and retreated in fear.
With a sound of 'Boom!', Murong Nobunaga threw the young general in his hand in front of Zhang Zhao, turned over and dismounted, clasped his fists and shouted.
"Sir, Nobunaga was lucky enough to live up to his command and capture the enemy general!"
"Sir, Commander-in-Chief! The two of us also shot and killed the enemy general and returned victoriously!"
"Hahaha!" Zhang Zhao laughed three times excitedly, feeling like an old father watching his children grow up.
"When a certain steel sword and precious armor are made, you two will have a set!"
Of course Li Cunhui and Zhang Liecheng knew how good Zhang Zhao's newly made steel was, and they were immediately overjoyed.
Amid laughter, Zhang Zhao pointed at Murong Nobunaga and said: "I heard that Princess Shouan, the fourteenth daughter of Emperor Mingzong of the former Tang Dynasty, was virtuous, virtuous, and beautiful.
If we succeed in defeating the thief in this battle, I will ask you to marry Princess Shou'an!"
Murong Nobunaga jumped up with joy, "Yes, if you keep your word, can I, Murong Nobunaga, marry the princess of the great dynasty?"
Sure enough, it still had to be beneficial, so he shouted out smoothly.
Zhang Zhao waved his hand and said, "No joke!"
He had thought it through. Princess Shou'an was not only Li Siyuan's daughter, but also Shi Jingtang's sister-in-law. If she married her, she would make a fortune.
Since Zhang Zhao has his first wife, Shi Jingtang and Empress Li will definitely not get married, but Murong Xin, with his family background, bravery, determination, and prowess, might really be able to get her.
And it happened that after the war, he asked him to go to Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo on his behalf to calm Shi Jingtang's heart.
"The Tubo thieves slaves! But you can't be called a hero just because your horses are sharp. When the army comes forward, you will be killed until you can't return to Qingtang!"
The young general who had vomited blood on the ground suddenly opened his eyes and cursed loudly. It turned out that Weizhou had long heard that Tibetans were plundering Huizhou and Yuanzhou. He took it for granted that Zhang Zhao and others were those Tubo slaves.
"Bang the drum! I ordered Zhu Jing, Zhao Cunyi, and Luo Shande (Mountain Zhu'er) to attack, let the Weizhou army see how powerful I am, Guiyi'erlang!"
Zhang Zhao snorted coldly, first issued the order to attack, and then glared at the captured young general on the ground.
"Hmph! You rebels, how can you recognize loyal ministers and righteous men? I will let you know that the laws of the country are strict!"
------Digression-----
If you feel that duels before battle and fighting generals are a bit fantasy, or if you like to know more about this aspect, I recommend you to read the B-station Up Archer Toshiro. He has an issue dedicated to talking about fighting generals in history, which is very exciting.