The heavy snow lasted for two days and then stopped. Thousands of miles were pure white, and the city walls were also covered with a layer of white snow, as if all the sin and ugliness in the world were buried at this moment.
In the afternoon, ordinary people were prohibited from entering Kelan City. At this time, only a dozen bullock carts piled with corpses slowly drove out of the city, crushing the ice and snow.
The hard laborers in ragged clothes were all prisoners of the Xiang army. Under the supervision of a group of rebels, they numbly led the ox cart along the official road towards the mass graves in the west of the city.
A large group of cavalry came from the direction of Huanglongpoyi, and the corpse transport convoy couldn't help but stop.
In the Shuozhou Han Army and Lanzhou Forbidden Army, cavalry is a rare thing. More than 300 horses galloped from far to near, with the momentum of a torrent.
These war horses looked like they had traveled a long distance before arriving at Kelan City. The fur between their legs and bellies was all filthy, and the original color of their fur could no longer be seen. However, the war horses were very energetic, and occasionally neighed and made loud noises.
It is also extremely loud, and it sounds like a good horse that is quite rare in Shuozhou.
The armored soldiers on the horses all had indescribable ferocity and murderous intent. Their large cloaks and armored clothes were stained with blood, as if they had just been withdrawn from the battlefield.
In addition to the crossbows on their backs and the long knives tied to their waists, most of these cavalrymen also had shields, crossbows, spears and other weapons hanging beside their saddles, and extra quivers, felt blankets and other items were tied behind the saddles.
The team leader was a little confused and asked an old soldier next to him:
"When did we have such an elite cavalry?"
"Perhaps they are the second general's newly trained cavalry!" The old soldier, whose right hand was broken but had seniority in the army, looked at the group of cavalry in front of him and muttered, "It is not easy for our Qing Shun Army to save the troops in Shuozhou."
Two thousand cavalrymen thought that they would become popular by joining the Southern Dynasty, but they didn't want to lose all their wealth in Datong. After all, cavalrymen are useful. The general once said that if you want to sell iron, you need to get another cavalryman.
The second general must also bring in some cavalry!"
Several cavalrymen galloped up first, waving their whips and crackling in the cold air. They cursed and tried to drive the corpse transport convoy off the official road: "It's so damn unlucky that I met you when I went out.
These bastards! Get the hell out of here! Who the hell dares to ask my general to take advantage of his bad luck and chop you all into pieces!"
Seeing the fierceness of these cavalry, the team leader did not dare to step forward to ask questions. He ordered his men to escort the hard laborers and drive all the corpse-carrying oxcarts down the official road to make way for them.
After the cavalry team passed by, the team leader ordered the hard laborers to pull the ox cart onto the official road again.
It's just that there are dozens or twenty corpses piled in each oxcart. It's easy to grind the snow all the way on the official road, and it's also easy to get down from the official road. But when you have to go up the official road from the long ditch on the side, the wooden wheels keep slipping.
.
The team leader was so angry that he forced more than 30 hard laborers to gather together, trampling on the ice and snow, and forced the ox carts filled with corpses up the official road one by one.
"You're so arrogant! In front of the Red Guards, you're not doing the same thing!" The team leader watched the cavalry team galloping towards the west city gate. Only then did he spit hard, but he didn't doubt the cavalry team.
What is the problem.
The garrison in front of Kelanxi City Gate saw this group of cavalry approaching and did not suspect anything.
What could they suspect?
Cao Shixiong has already said that the Yan army on the south bank of the Huihe River has been completely annihilated by the Red Husbands. The Shuozhou soldiers and horses have all fled into the Western Mountains in panic. The Qing Shun army has mobilized massively to enter the Western Mountains and wipe out the Shuozhou soldiers and horses that have fled into it - even if
There will be enemy troops attacking Kelan City, and they can only come from the direction of Xinzhou and Taiyuan.
How could an enemy appear from the north?
From the north to Kelan City, you have to pass through the Yangkou and Ningwu checkpoints, and they are heavily guarded at these two checkpoints. This team of cavalry can gallop from the direction of Ningwu with great momentum, and they are not red soldiers. The guards are
They all thought they came under orders from the subordinates of Second General Cao Shili.
Under the urging of the dozen cavalrymen in front, the guards did not dare to ask any more questions and hurriedly pulled away the horse that was blocking the city gate.
But when the front cavalry had just passed through the city gate, the general guarding the west city heard soldiers and horses entering the city from nowhere, and ran over in a hurry, with some rouge on his face that he had not wiped off. He took it with him.
Two subordinates stopped the cavalry entering the city inside the city gate and asked:
"Didn't the second general lead his troops to kill the enemy in Guangwu? Why did you come back to Kelan if you didn't follow him to kill the enemy in Guangwu?"
Among the many surrendered troops and generals who followed Cao Shixiong in Shuozhou, there were only over a hundred people at the level of general.
This person will serve as the guard of the West City, and he still understands their current military combat deployment.
He suddenly learned that so many cavalry were returning to Kelan, and it was impossible not to have some doubts in his mind. He looked into the city gate to see if he knew the general who led this group of cavalry to Kelan.
"Who the hell are you? Are you qualified to ask questions?" When Xu Xin'an saw that he was blocked, he raised his riding crop and pretended to whip us. He cursed angrily, "You blocked our way and delayed the military situation. You deserve it."
What responsibilities?”
The general immediately became furious, thinking that he was responsible for guarding the west gate, and even if the second general came back in person, he was qualified to ask what happened.
They were about to scold him with a straight face, but they saw two knights on the left and right leaning forward half of their bodies. They had already picked the long spear in their hands. He suddenly felt like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and his hair stood on end.
Got up.
Long soldiers such as spears and spears can only be used by cavalry when charging into battle. Who would pick them up in their hands while marching? Wouldn't they be tired and panicked?
Before he could even question him, the spear in the knight's hand on the left suddenly jumped out of the grass like a poisonous python and stabbed him mercilessly under his armpit.
All of this did not throw away the foundation of years of hard training. He subconsciously twisted his body to the side and narrowly avoided the blade. When he was about to draw his sword to fight back, the knight on the right seemed to be a little slow in his attack.
This moment has penetrated his chest.
"You are not..." They all grabbed the sword with their hands and glared angrily at the attacker in front of them.
Xu Huai pressed down his right hand, pressed the sharp blade against the general's chest and cut it open a few inches, then suddenly moved it diagonally to the left, and with a flick of his hand, he wiped away the neck of the guard on the left.
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After the sword flashed across, the guard subconsciously covered his neck, and blood gushed out like spring water.
"Niu Er, you and Xu Xin'an lead the team to attack the city tower!"
Xu Huai shouted towards Niu Erniu Yashan.
There are not many guards near the West City Gate, or it could be said that the guards in the entire Kelan City are extremely limited.
At this time, there are only a dozen guards under Ximen City. In such a cold weather, they are mainly responsible for maintaining normal order of entry and exit. There are no barracks near the West City. If the other guards have nothing to do, they mainly stay in the city tower and on both sides.
In the war tent.
Xu Xin'an led the men and horses who had entered the city to dismount directly, holding swords and shields and sprinting from the city climbing road inside the city gate hole, where he wanted to climb on the city wall to clear out the guards; Niu Er directly carried a heavy shield and ran at the front
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Xu Huai did not rush to kill the garrison under the city. Instead, he, Wang Ju, Wang Xian and other ten people continued to gallop along the long street towards the city for thirty or forty steps. They stopped, then took off their long bows and pointed at those who were still walking from the crenels.
The guards looked over in panic and shot.
The dozen or so garrison troops under the city were handed over to Yin Peng, Yuan Lei and others, who led the follow-up troops and killed them casually when they entered the city.
The attack broke out suddenly, and the guards above and below the city were unprepared. Most of the guards had just watched the excitement and watched the large group of cavalry entering the city. They even threw their swords, bows and shields aside——
Who would keep a bulky sword and shield handy at all times when they have nothing to do?
It wasn't until they were all about to be killed that the guards on the city panicked and ran to get swords, bows and shields in an attempt to stop Tongbai Mountain's soldiers from ascending the city.
The garrison under the city was even more panicked. They did not dare to face the cavalry who were riding towards the city gate. They turned around and ran away. But how could they outrun the galloping horses with two legs?
Yin Peng and the others put their spears under their armpits, and with the momentum of galloping horses, they mercilessly pierced the flesh and blood of the defenders. In a short time, dozens of defenders under the city were killed.
At this time, Xu Xin'an and Niu Er also led their troops to the city road and were suppressing the few defenders in the city tower to attack.
Xu Huai sat on the horse and looked around.
Kelan City had just been swept by a large force, and the long street was covered with snow, but blood stains could be seen everywhere on the walls of the paved houses on both sides - the remaining people were as frightened as no one dared to walk out at this time.
The street was deserted, and everyone could see the government office at a glance.
The soldiers of Tongbai Mountain were still too weak to fight the enemy on two battlefields at the same time. Xu Huai could only temporarily abandon the remaining soldiers of the Western Army who had gathered in Jingong Mountain and concentrate his limited strength on the southern foot of Xishan Mountain.
Come to the battlefield.
Even so, Xu Huai didn't want to waste time with Cao Shixiong.
The rebels under Cao Shixiong were all gone, but as the Chihu cavalry swept southward, Cao Shixiong could continue to recruit surrenders and rebels, and he could also recruit soldiers from the fallen prefectures and counties. How could they afford the foundation they had finally built?
?
Taozi's pick on the weak not only means that in subsequent battles, they can only focus on Cao Shixiong, who is weak in combat effectiveness, but also try their best to attack Cao Shixiong's weak spots, so as to disrupt the enemy army as much as possible with the lowest effort.
Kelan City is the rebels' weak spot.
Xu Huai had no time to think about anything. Seeing that the situation at the west city gate was initially settled, he shouted to the other side of the city tower: "Xin'an, you are responsible for killing the remaining enemies on the left and right, and we will attack Zhouya!"
Xu Huai was worried that Xu Xin'an would lead more than a hundred dismounted elites to continue fighting at the west city gate. In addition to clearing out the remnant soldiers, the main purpose was to guard the door for everyone to advance and retreat. The soft threats that could really disturb the rebels were the civil servants who surrendered to Shuozhou, and Cao Shixiong.
, the families of Meng Pingping, the demoted generals, were all concentrated in the prefectural government offices and nearby houses.
Cao Shixiong carried out unscrupulous massacres and surrendered to the enemy unscrupulously. How could Xu Huai appease the souls of those who had died tragically at the hands of the rebels besides reciprocating tooth for tooth and blood for blood?
He, Wang Ju, Yin Peng, Wang Xian and others then led other troops and went straight along the long street towards the state government office.
