The two cities of Bianliang and Zhengzhou are only more than a hundred miles apart. The bandits in Heishang and others were restless. When Zhuxianyi landed and headed north, there were scouts riding to report that Nanxunmen had fallen in Zhengzhou at dawn, and Yang Congzong was killed in front of the battle at Bagwu.
The news reached Zhengzhou almost immediately.
Xiao Qian was appointed as the envoy of Zhengzhou, and his headquarters was located in the ruined city of Zhengzhou. When he learned that the rebel army was restless, he didn't take it seriously at first. He didn't think that Yang Jingchen had 50,000 defenders in Bianliang, so this matter needed to be done.
It was his turn to intervene.
At dusk yesterday, Xiao Qian learned in Zhengzhou that Xu Huai had appeared in Bianliang, beheaded Yang Congzong in front of the battle, and blocked two generals, and he suddenly realized the seriousness of the situation.
However, his troops were mainly stationed under Gongxian City.
Because he did not expect that the elite Chushan army could bypass the defense line deployed by Yuehai Tower and his troops along the Yingshui River, and penetrate into the hinterland of the Hehuai River.
The nearest fortresses such as Zhongmou only have a total of more than 10,000 garrisons deployed, and they are still dominated by second-line troops with poor combat effectiveness.
Although Gong County passes through Hulao between the northern slope of Songshan Mountain and the Yellow River, and Xingyang returns to Zhengzhou, it is only a hundred miles away. However, the main force of Xiao Qian's army is confronting Yang Lin's Zuo Xiaosheng Army, so how can they escape easily?
body?
Of course, even if Yang Jingchen did not send a messenger to ask for help, and even if the main force confronted Yang Lin's Zuo Xiaosheng army under Gong County, Xiao Qian would not dare to just stand by and watch the situation in Bianliang.
It can be said that the Red Guards King Zhang was quite generous to Xiao Qian, Yue Hailou, Cao Shixiong, Yin Chao, Yang Jingchen and other surrendered generals. As long as they were willing to drive them, they would be awarded officials and titles, golden beauties and even the commander-in-chief of the army.
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This is a huge power that they will never be able to enjoy whether they are working for the Khitan or serving as ministers in the Dai Viet court.
However, the King of Chihu will not be merciful to the surrendered ministers and generals who are lazy or want to exclude their colleagues and ruin important things; unlike them in Khitan or Da Jie, they are more likely to fool.
Xiao Qian did not dare to slack off and urgently adjusted his combat deployment in Gong County. He transferred two thousand cavalry from Gong County overnight and rushed back to Zhengzhou under the command of his son Xiao Heng.
The Prince of Zhennan Zong commanded 60,000 red soldiers and various cavalry, but they were mainly concentrated on the western front, keeping an eye on Gu Jiqian. Gao Junyang's two troops were pursuing him, and they controlled the north of the Weishui River in Shaanxi and the Jingzhao Mansion.
After the central area, at this time, they had fully entered the Weinan area to siege cities and fortifications; the troops used in the middle road against Heluo were mainly to siege cities and fortifications, especially the soldiers and horses of Cao Shixiong and Xiao Qian, who built dense and strong fortifications to the level.
Under the city of Lu and Gong County, the cavalry was of no use, so the Zhennan Zong Palace did not dispatch elite cavalry to assist the two troops in the middle to launch the offensive.
In addition, two thousand cavalry were sent to Bianliang to guard the city, while Mo Lihu and six thousand troops were sent to the south to assist Yue Hailou in maintaining strategic pressure on Huaishang.
Xiao Qian had some cavalry in his hands, and they were the elites of the Khitan clan and Yunzhou tribes who had followed him since the beginning of Datong's surrender to Chihu. They were also the foundation on which he relied.
However, the Khitan and other Tibetan tribes in the Yunshuo area mainly followed Xiao Linshi to move westward, and Xiao Qian had a limited number of elite cavalry at his disposal from beginning to end.
The training of elite cavalry is not easy. Even if Xiao Qian has recruited surrenders and rebels in the past three or four years, the number of troops has expanded to 30,000 to 40,000, but there are very few who are good at riding and archery. In addition, due to the losses of Lien Zhan's campaign, the Zhengzhou Jiedu Envoy's Mansion
There were only three to four thousand cavalry under his command, mainly led by Xiao Heng, the second son of Xiao Qian.
When Xiao Heng returned to Zhengzhou with his 2,000 cavalry, Xiao Qian did not dare to slack off. After joining the 2,000 horse infantry gathered in Zhengzhou City, he divided his troops into two groups and rushed towards Zhongmou.
Four thousand men and horses are still in the distance.
When the city was still seven or eight miles away, Xiao Qian saw from a distance three to four hundred cavalry coming from east to west, and finally stopped on the north bank of Cai River on the north side of Zhongmu Can City.
Xiao Qian did not go directly to the remaining city of Zhongmou. Instead, surrounded by dozens of guards, he rushed to the bank of Cai River. He asked his guards to cross the river and summon his son Cai Heng to him to give instructions:
"Xu Huai is the son of Wang Xiaocheng. He has rare martial prowess in the world. Compared with Wang Xiaocheng, his military skills can be said to be superior to those of others. The Chushan Army under his command is also an elite fighting force rarely seen in the Southern Dynasty for a century. Cao Shili, Yang Congzong, Bage and other generals
They all have the courage of Xiong Zan, but they all fall into his hands. It is definitely not a fluke. Don't look at the three or four hundred enemy cavalry nearby and think of underestimating the enemy. How do you know that this is not Xu Huai's deliberate show of weakness to induce you to take action? You
Don’t take the courage of an ordinary man lightly!”
The Cai River waterway going south through the Baiji Gate in Bianliang is actually a branch canal connected to the Bianshui River built after Vietnam established its capital in Bianliang; the real source of the Cai River is the rivers originating from the western slope of Songshan Mountain, and it was also in Xingyang during the Warring States Period.
Digging a canal through the Yellow River was called a chasm or a wandering water in ancient times.
Therefore, the real starting point of the Cai River is the boundary between the Yellow River in Xingyang County in the north. It passes through the east side of Xingyang City and Zhengzhou, and flows through the north side of Zhongmou City. It ends at Zhuxian Station in the south of Bianliang City and Baekji Gate in the south.
The new canals join together to form the main flow of the Cai River.
Because of the existence of Caihe, Xiao Qian and his son led 4,000 troops and horses from Zhengzhou to Zhongmou. They were actually divided into two routes: north and south:
Along the way, two thousand infantry troops, led by Xiao Qian, marched on the right bank (south bank) of the Cai River and rushed directly to the remaining city of Zhongmou. The purpose was to strengthen Zhongmou's defense and wait for more reinforcements to gather.
Along the way, two thousand cavalry were led by Xiao Heng, marching from the left bank (north bank) of the Cai River. The purpose was to flank the enemy troops occupying the Yuma Lake Racecourse, receive reinforcements from the capital camp, and ensure that the three to four thousand horses in the military capital camp were not
fell into enemy hands.
When Wang Xiaocheng led the Jingsheng Army to aid Hedong, Xiao Qian first came to Xijing as a general and saw with his own eyes how majestic the Jingsheng Army swept Yunshuo under the leadership of Wang Xiaocheng.
The Southern Dynasties conquered Yan twice in the north. Although the elites of the so-called Forbidden Army such as the Tianxiong Army, Xiaosheng Army, and Xuanwu Army of the Southern Dynasties were killed and completely defeated, Xu Huai led the Chushan Army to take advantage of the situation and rise. Xiao Qian, as the commander-in-chief of Khitan Datong, understood
Many details are not necessarily less than those of Cao Shixiong, Cao Shili or Yue Hailou.
Yang Congzong and Bage were killed in front of the Longjin Bridge, and the two thousand elite troops beside them were also wiped out. This happened yesterday.
His son Xiao Heng saw that there were only three or four hundred enemy cavalry on the river bank in front, and he was eager to try. How dare Xiao Qian not tell Xiao Heng to be careful?
"Save it, kid!" Xiao Heng said with a serious face, "No matter how strong Xu Huai is, he is still not a man with three heads and six arms. Boy has two thousand elite cavalry on the north bank of Cai River. They are divided into ten teams and attack his troops with the wheel method. Boy will
I don’t believe that a mere three to four hundred cavalry can withstand it for a long time!”
"Xu Huai is good at using tricks. He dared to place three or four hundred cavalry carelessly on the north bank. He must have a purpose. You must obey my order. If the thieves do not attack Jundu stronghold today, you are not allowed to lead troops to fight with them without permission!"
Seeing that his son was somewhat unimpressed, Xiao Qian had to give a stern order.
"Save the child!" Xiao Heng responded in a muffled voice.
Xiao Qian frowned and looked to the left and right rivers with some hesitation.
Originally, there was a pontoon bridge on the north side of the remaining city of Zhongmou connecting the north and south sides. However, after they divided their troops and horses from Zhengzhou City in two groups, the Zhongmou garrison reported that they were worried that the bandit army would hit Mou through the south of the pontoon bridge, so he ordered the pontoon bridge to be set on fire.
It was burned down.
At this time, Xiao Qian regretted that it was too late to march from the left bank (north bank) of Cai River. However, when they sent troops from Zhengzhou, they were too late.
Immediately, more than a dozen boats were dispatched to accompany them.
In addition to the narrow hulls of these dozens of boats, what is more critical is that the position occupied by three to four hundred enemy cavalry at this time on the north bank of Cai River happens to be the north ferry wharf of Zhongmou City.
It would be a disaster to transport 2,000 people across the river using dozens of small and medium-sized boats without using the reinforced embankment and dock plank road at the ferry.
"My son, please drive away these enemy cavalry from the ferry first, and then take the soldiers and horses from the south bank to cross the river." Xiao Heng still wanted to fight, and seeing what his father was hesitating about, he said, "How will the battle be fought in the future? Father, you will be there in person."
If Bei'an is in charge, nothing will go wrong!"
Xiao Qian was not afraid of how powerful the three or four hundred enemy cavalry could be. He was more suspicious that these three or four hundred enemy cavalry were just decoys sent by Xu Huai, and that Chu Shan had ambushed troops nearby.
He was worried that Xiao Heng was young and energetic, and relied on his high skills and boldness. After the confrontation between the two armies, he would not care about his energy and blood, and could easily be led into a trap by cunning opponents.
However, Xiao Heng wanted to drive away more than 300 enemy cavalry from the ferry and pick up the horse and infantry from the south bank to cross the river. Xiao Qian pondered for a while and finally nodded and agreed to the request for battle...
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"The enemy's cavalry moved. They advanced directly towards us, but they ordered groups of cavalry to separate towards the north bank. They actually wanted to surround us, not just drive us away!"
Wu Chihai always sat on a tall horse and looked at the enemy's situation. He saw two thousand enemies riding seven or eight miles away and finally divided into ten teams, leaving the river and heading north-east. This posture was actually going to be formed on the north bank of the Cai River.
They were surrounded by more than 300 riders.
Xu Huai looked away from the ancient ferry, which was probably the site of the Battle of Guandu, and then looked at the remaining city of Zhongmou on the other side of the Cai River:
Zhongmou City, located on the south bank of the Cai River, was originally a county under Zhengzhou, but it was destroyed by war twice.
At present, Zhongmou City, except for the city wall which is still intact, almost all the streets and alleys in the city have been burned, and there are ruins and ruins everywhere; Zhongmou is an important town on the bank of Cai River. It used to be densely populated, but now there are not even ten households left.
There are bones everywhere in the desert.
Xu Huai withdrew his gaze from the remaining city of Zhongmou, turned around and looked at the enemy cavalry spreading out to the northeast, and smiled at Wang Ju, who had already turned over and mounted his horse:
"Xiao Heng is young and energetic after all. If Xiao Qian, an old fox, personally leads the army on the north bank, this battle will still be difficult to fight. In the first northern expedition to conquer Yan, Xiao Linshi led his troops to counterattack from the west gate of Datong, and all of them were killed.
Even though the entire Tianxiong army collapsed, Xiao Qian still hunkered down in the inner city without leaving a single soldier! Such an old fox is really hard to swallow sometimes!"
"It's just your father's defeated general!" Wang Ju stared at the enemy general Xiao Heng's position with his sharp eyes and said, "If you have a chance today, it would be a good idea to take his son's head first!"
If the enemy cavalry just wants to drive them away, and more than 2,000 cavalry are advancing from west to east, one hundred-man cavalry teams will form an overlapping attack array.
At this time, Xiao Heng, as the commander-in-chief, as long as they were in the flanking and rear formation, it would be very difficult for them to penetrate the enemy formation and capture their commander-in-chief at once with less than one-sixth or seventh of the enemy's cavalry.
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At this time, Xiao Heng was thinking of annihilating them on the north bank of the Cai River. More than two thousand cavalry were spread out on the north bank of the Cai River, which made the size of the enemy cavalry in each direction just about the same as them.
As the general, Xiao Heng's position in the middle of the enemy's cavalry array was much shallower. They even needed to kill two hundred-man cavalry teams from the front to reach Xiao Heng...
