(Thanks to the fifty-fifth new alliance leader, Blue Sea...)
"I'm here to take charge of Huangqiao Village. The three of you will select a hundred men each who are highly skilled in martial arts and strong and healthy. The soldiers will not be too many, but they will be skilled. You will each train a hundred men into the formation to kill the ruthless tiger.
Now, let’s see who dares to look down on you?”
Although there was no movement from Huaiyuan soldiers and horses, Chen Zixiao rushed to Huangqiao Village with more than a thousand direct soldiers and horses from Hutou Village before dusk the next day. He personally took over and rectified the defense here, and also sent Pan Chenghu and Guo Jun to Huangqiao Village.
The judge, Zhou Tian and the others came over to offer words of comfort.
Guo Jun was judged, Zhou Tian was judged, Pan Chenghu was naked both times.
At this time, he almost cried when he saw that Chen Zixiao not only had no intention of blaming, but also offered words of comfort and allowed them to choose Jianrui to replenish their armor.
He immediately beat his chest and feet, knelt in front of Chen Zixiao and vowed to serve his brother and father. If he changed his mind in the future, he would be struck by five thunderbolts and he would not die a good death.
"Cheng Hu's words are serious! You and I are in the same boat and we are working together on great things. How can we distinguish each other?"
Chen Zixiao helped Pan Chenghu up and said seriously,
"I am at fault for the defeat of Tiaohutan, but we are not asking for blame. What is more important is to draw lessons. I want the three of you to each choose Bai Jianrui to form a battalion, practice hard with guns and sticks, and form military formations.
Don't think that I intend to restrict you or treat you badly. I have made up my mind to train an elite army. No matter how many people there are, they are actually useless. Don't worry, I will try my best to train the best soldiers.
I will replenish the soldiers and armor for you, and when you have trained this battalion of soldiers and horses to be able to compete head-on with the Huaiyuan Township Battalion, I will also let you give priority to selecting elites from each battalion to expand the scale..."
"We know in our hearts that the general treats each other well, and we will never think too much about it." Guo Junpan and Zhou Tian also said in unison.
"The Huaiyuan Township camp is strong. We will not be in a hurry to counterattack on the west bank of the Baijian River. I came to Huangqiao Village to take charge. In addition to training elite soldiers, I also need to use this village as a basis to use dangerous fortresses on the left and right to establish a chain of villages," Chen
Zixiao said, "Gao Xiangzhong and Zhong Changqing have their own plans. Now I can only hope that you three will give me your full help."
"Of course," Pan Chenghu said, "but what are the plans of the two leaders, Gao and Zhong?"
Chen Zixiao patiently talked to Pan Chenghu, Guo Junpan, and Zhou Tian about some of the thoughts and plans of other leaders after the capture of Shibaliwu.
The Tang family owns 20,000 to 30,000 acres of farmland and house at the southwest foot of the North Ridge of Tongbai Mountain. They also operate prostitutes, warehouses, iron mines and other businesses in Huaiyuan, Biyang and other places. In Tongbai Mountain, in terms of financial resources alone, even
Much stronger than the Xu family and the Jin family.
The coalition forces captured the Tang family's main stronghold in Shibaliwu, which not only eliminated their biggest threat west of the Baijian River, but also connected Huangqiao Village, Yushanyi, Mopanling, and Taibaiding within a radius of 70 to 80 miles.
What is even more important is the seizure of a large amount of supplies, which will completely alleviate the coalition's dilemma of expanding too quickly and being stretched thin.
The amount of grain seized in Shibaliwu alone amounted to 60,000 to 70,000 dan.
The coalition forces, with a population of 20,000 people, will not have to worry about starvation for most of the next half year, and they can calm down and reorganize.
The seizure of thousands of mules and horses greatly increased the coalition's mobility and transportation capabilities in the Tongbai Mountains.
Chen Zixiao's next step was to ask Pan Chenghu, Guo Junpan, and Zhou Tian to organize a battalion of horse infantry in Huangqiao Village, instead of the small number of elite cavalry in each village and a bunch of ragtag infantry.
They all got together and killed indiscriminately, with no rules at all.
After capturing Shibaliwu, about six to seven hundred pairs of swords, guns and shields, more than one hundred bows and crossbows, and more than one hundred sets of armor were seized. These will also be given priority to Pan Chenghu and his companions.
The Tang family operated an iron mine in a mountain valley a few miles east of Shibaliwu. The coalition forces captured more than a hundred craftsmen this time and used the ore from the iron mine and two iron-making furnaces to create a
It is estimated that tens of thousands of kilograms of high-quality iron materials can be produced every year.
As long as there is enough time and relying on this iron mine, it will not be a problem to completely supply the coalition's tens of thousands of troops with weapons.
So Chen Zixiao patted his chest and told Pan Chenghu, Guo Junpan, Zhou Tian and others that time was still on their side:
"In addition to the great capture of Shibaliwu, leaders such as Gao and Zhong also have no clear goals for what to do next, so they do not refuse to slow down a little and reorganize their troops; of course, there are some leaders who can't wait.
The young women took the plundered goods back to the village to enjoy them. The leader seemed to have arranged for people to build palaces and pavilions in Shixizhuang earlier. Although I don't agree with their greed for pleasure now, but
It was inconvenient to stop him. Zhong Changqing was quite restrained and did not rob women or transport all the goods back to Taibaiding. He probably had no intention of building large-scale construction in Taibaiding. However, the internal administrative areas were divided into Taibaiding.
It is close to Shibaliwu and Huaidu Old Village. I originally wanted to hand over both Huaidu Old Village and Shibaliwu to Chief Zhong, but Chief Zhong only requested that they be moved further inside, where the terrain is more dangerous.
Shibaliwu was brought under his rule; at the same time, he was responsible for the operation of the Tangjia Iron Mine and the soldiers and armor needed for the subsequent coalition forces..."
Guo Junpian hesitated and said: "Chief Zhong should have considered that the officers and soldiers will come to suppress the force in the future. If the coalition forces cannot resist, he can still use the dangerous terrain to defend the ten or twenty miles from Shibaliwu to Taibaiding.
The territory is well managed.”
"Yes, that's what he should have thought," Chen Zixiao said with emotion, "Of course, Chief Zhong has such an idea, and I think it's normal, so I allowed him..."
"Neither Gao Xiangzhong nor Zhong Changqing is willing to guard Yushan Post. Can anyone else take on this heavy responsibility?" Pan Chenghu asked doubtfully.
Gao Xiangzhong didn't have any lofty ambitions, he just wanted to take the captured woman back to his hometown to enjoy it, so that he would look down on him. Zhong Changqing's plan seemed to be correct, and among the bandits in Tongbai Mountain, Zhong Changqing's reputation was much better than Gao Xiangzhong's.
many.
However, the problem is that the coalition forces have two main openings in the territory west of the Baijian River. Now Chen Zixiao personally comes to defend Huangqiao Village, and the opening in the west is to resist the soldiers and horses of Tangzhou and Biyang County. Gao Xiangzhong and Zhong Changqing are two
No one is willing to sit in charge, so do they expect people with less power and ability than them to take on this important task?
"Currently, two leaders, Zhang Yian and Chen Bai, are guarding the Western Front." Chen Zixiao said.
"Are they afraid they won't succeed?" Pan Chenghu and the others had just been defeated, and they were too embarrassed to judge others, so they said hesitantly.
"Whether they can become the best or not depends on whether we can train an elite army as quickly as possible," Chen Zixiao said. "If we are fast enough, then the two leaders Zhang Yian and Chen Bai will be the best."
The easier it is to defeat the decoys we arranged in the Yushanyi area - the officers and soldiers of Tangzhou and Biyang County, the more confident they will be in getting in. By then we will have a capable soldier in our hands to eat these in one fell swoop.
Officers and soldiers, is there any problem? Of course, these plans of mine cannot be put on the table yet. I will only talk to the three of you now, and do not leak them to anyone..."
Guo Junpan, Pan Chenghu, and Zhou Tian looked at each other, and they could see the look of surprise in each other's eyes, but they said to Chen Zixiao at the same time without hesitation: "I will definitely not disappoint the general!"
…………
…………
In early winter, Tongbai Mountain has not yet cooled down. At dusk, the hills and forests are all dyed, shrouded in magnificent and charming colors.
Xu Huai slightly adjusted the hunting bow behind him and squatted quietly in the grass like a cheetah. Looking at the queue of officers and soldiers winding eastward in the valley, he could not hide the worry on his handsome face and frowned tightly.
More than three months ago, the Huaiyuan Township Battalion won a great victory at Tiaohutan, and later received help from the big surname clan to send troops, money and food. The township camp and the inspection department soldiers soon expanded to 2,000, and then also entered the west bank of the Baijian River.
, and recovered many villages.
However, there is still a huge gap between the Huaiyuan rural camp and the real elite soldiers in terms of the selection of generals, armor, and military formation training.
In the early days, we were able to win several battles on the east bank of the Baijian River, mainly due to the rabble of Guo Junpan, Pan Chenghu and other bandits, but such favorable conditions could not be maintained forever.
Chen Zixiao personally went to the Huangqiao Village area to establish a stronghold. He took advantage of the dangerous terrain there to establish a chain of villages, eliminated the weak and retained the strong, improved military discipline, and conducted diligent training. There were less than two thousand bandit troops stationed here, but
It was much better than the rabble that Xu Huai and his gang fought during the Battle of Tiaohutan.
The Huaiyuan Township Camp tried several times to capture Huangqiao Village but failed, and instead lost more than 200 soldiers.
Deng Gui and Xu Wujiang were unable to capture Huangqiao Village, but they were not in a hurry, so they chose a dangerous spot to the east of Huangqiao Village to set up camp.
In addition to the limited combat power of the rural camp, which cannot be over-exploited, Deng Gui and Xu Wujiang, with their humble status and status at this time, were able to regain the coast of the Baijian River and at the same time confine the rebel army to the area west of Huangqiao Village, which is extremely dazzling.
A great achievement.
Inspired by the dazzling military exploits of the Huaiyuan Township Camp, the Tangzhou Military and Horse Supervisory Department was responsible for a total of nearly 4,000 troops, mainly stationed imperial troops, state soldiers, and sword archers from various counties. If they did not do anything, they would not even have the slightest shame.
No more?
The state and county soldiers and horses once again entered the west entrance of the Zouma Road. At first they did not dare to go too deep. They repeatedly tested the west entrance deeply and shallowly. In more than a month, they won small victories in succession and captured nearly two hundred thieves' heads. Their confidence doubled.
.
Ten days ago, when we learned about the state, Chen Shi, the state military and horse commander, personally led his troops to march westward. He even recaptured Yushan Station in one fell swoop, defeated the two bandit armies of Chen Bai and Zhang Yian, and captured the heads of more than 600 bandits. This was the first time since the great banditry in Tongbai Mountain.
The biggest victory ever.
After the news of Yushanyi's great victory reached Huaiyuan, Deng Gui and Xu Wujiang immediately mobilized troops to launch an offensive against Huangqiao Village. However, the bandit garrison in Huangqiao Village showed no moral turmoil at all, and they repeatedly repulsed the Huaiyuan Township Camp.
offensive, and even in a counterattack, the Huaiyuan Township Camp managed to build dozens of siege catapults to destroy them.
At this time, not to mention Wang Zhen, Xu Huai, Deng Gui, Xu Wujiang and others also suspected that the victory of Yushan Post was actually a bait thrown by the bandit army to Tangzhou soldiers and horses.
Worried that Chen Shi was underestimating the enemy's advance, Wang Zhen, who had tried his best to keep a low profile after the victory at Tiaohutan, wrote to Chen Shi personally, suggesting that the state soldiers should focus on guarding Yushan Post before the end of the year, carry out suppression and appeasement, and wipe out the bandit generals after next spring.
It's a piece of cake.
Xu Huai was worried. In the past few days, he personally took Xu Xin'an, Han Qi and others to sneak into the depths of Beiling to scout out the enemy. At this time, he saw the officers and soldiers meandering eastward from Yushan Post. Knowing that Chen Shi completely ignored Wang Zhen's warning, he felt very sad in his heart.
