The sound of the explosion came faintly through the forest. Near the small county town, there was a busy scene of chaos and chaos.
Soldiers coming and going led war horses and pushed baggage into the dilapidated city. Not far away, a team of soldiers were repairing the earth wall with stones. From a distance, there were also scouts riding back wildly: "There are golden dogs in all four directions...
…”
Qi Xinhan stood on the city wall and watched everything.
This abandoned county town with dilapidated city walls is called Chuanlinpu. It is located in the mountains to the east of Xicheng County. It was also inhabited in the early years. However, as the Jurchens moved south, bandits were rampant. Xicheng County reopened under the leadership of Dai Mengwei.
After opening the gate and absorbing the surrounding residents, this place was abandoned.
Although Dai Mengwei showed great sincerity by taking the road all the way to Fancheng, some Han troops gathered anyway with a shout from the top, but the group led by Qi Xinhan did not immediately run over to join in the fun. Eggs cannot be placed there.
In one basket is the experience gained from the painful lessons learned in the early years.
Previously, Qi Xinhan led 3,000 people and was chased all the way. Wang Zhainan was the first batch to come to rescue and respond to the team. Although the combat strength was not strong, there were still many people. But it turns out that under Dai Mengwei's planning skills, Huaxia
The intelligence system of the army was also partially confused and interfered with. This time the Jurchens were coming fiercely, and the nearby Han army had also encircled them on a large scale. Qi Xinhan retreated the team to Chuanlinpu. For a while, he was not sure whether to escape or to escape.
It's time to risk your escape.
If they rush to break through with 3,000 men without a good sense of intelligence, they will probably be intercepted halfway. Once they are dragged into the quagmire, they will probably be annihilated in the end.
This time, running thousands of miles to attack Xiangfan was a very risky act in itself. However, according to the intelligence from Zhuji, the actions of Dai and Wang had a certain degree of credibility. On the other hand, even if the attack on Xiangfan failed,
Combined with Dai, Wang's attack could also wake up many people who were still watching. Who knew that Dai Mengwei's rebellion this time had no warning, his stance changed, and everyone was trapped in this dead land. Originally, he had no intention of
Anyway, after the Han army was massacred, the area of Han River was completely deserted.
The Green Foresters and Bamboo Intelligence agents who were originally operating in this area may also be ruthlessly hunted down at the moment.
A group of people was coming not far away. When they got close, they were blocked by Qi Xinhan's soldiers. Qi Xinhan waved his hand and greeted them: "General Wang, how are you?"
Wang Zhainan was a fierce-looking middle-aged general with a pockmarked face and a Chinese character. He looked at Qi Xinhan and said, "I also received the news. The entire army in Xicheng County was almost wiped out." He gritted his teeth.
, lips trembled, "The old dog named Dai sold everyone."
Qi Xinhan was silent for a moment: "Does General Wang know why Dai Mengwei has such thoughts? He should have thought that once the Jurchens are gone, he will not live long."
"I don't know...if I have the chance, I will cut him into pieces with my own hands!" Wang Zhainan shouted, then looked at Qi Xinhan and said, "What is General Qi going to do next? How to deal with us?
Have you thought it through?"
"Everyone fights side by side, there is nothing we can't handle."
"It was Dai Mengwei who lured you here with me, don't you doubt me!?" Wang Zhainan looked at Qi Xinhan and stared.
Qi Xinhan also looked at him: "Previous information showed that the surnamed Dai was not affiliated with General Wang. He sold so many people at one time, and he was most afraid of keeping the plot secret. Now that things have happened, I bet that General Wang didn't know about it in advance, and he was also deceived.
Dai Mengwei took advantage...Although the previous bet failed, I hope the general will not disappoint me this time."
The sun had set over the mountain, and the sound of fighting in the distance merged with the noise of nearby people. Wang Zhainan looked at Qi Xinhan with a fierce face for a while, then raised his hand and hit his chest hard: "
With your words, from now on, the lives of Wang and his more than 12,000 men will be sold to the Chinese army! You have the final say on what to do."
Qi Xinhan nodded: "Does General Wang know about Xia Cun?"
Wang Zhainan also nodded.
Qi Xinhan said: "Then let's discuss how to fight this defensive battle..."
People unfolded the map on the city wall, the sun set, and the last light shone on the small town in the mountains. Everyone understood that this was a very desperate situation. Wanyan Xiyin had already come, and with Dai Mengwei's
In the rebellion, all the potential allies within a radius of hundreds of miles have been wiped out at this moment. Without the foundation of allies, it is difficult to escape and move over long distances.
There is no way to heaven and no door to earth.
But after so many years, people have long understood that even crying loudly will not be of any benefit to the things they encounter. Therefore, people can only face reality and build defenses in this desperate situation.
Because they also understood that hundreds of miles away, someone must be launching an offensive against the Jurchens at all times, and someone must be trying their best to rescue them.
And they also believed that further away, the southwestern army would rush towards Jianmen Pass like ground fire. Once they broke through the solid stopper and rushed out of the ground like lava, what was left to the Jurchen West Route Army
There won't be too much time.
*****************
The sunset lingers.
Across the long sky and across a distance of hundreds of miles, at this moment, the Jin Kingdom's Western Route Army was spreading from the mountain pass of Jiange to Zhaohua, and the forward force was extending towards Hanzhong.
The troops along the way were extremely embarrassed, but out of their desire to go home and their awareness of what would happen if they were defeated, they still maintained a certain fighting spirit under the leadership of Zong Han, and some soldiers even experienced a
After many months of suffering, their ferocious nature has emerged. On the battlefield, they become even more hysterical and fight brutally. Although this situation cannot increase the overall strength of the army, it at least prevents the combat effectiveness of this army from falling below the standard.
In a sense, this is also a manifestation of the final burning of the self-esteem of the Jin army that has lasted for decades.
The number of Jin soldiers withdrawing from the direction of Jiange gradually reached close to 60,000. Near Zhaohua, the main force originally led by Xi Yin was taken away by more than 10,000. At this time, more than 10,000 elite Tushan Guards were left.
It was returned to Zong Han's hands. In addition to these more than 70,000 people, there were still more than 200,000 Han troops placed nearby like cannon fodder. These Han troops slaughtered, looted, and looted the city in the past year.
With a large amount of gold and silver wealth, and a lot of blood, he became a relatively firm supporter of the Jin people.
On their flank, Qin Shaoqian led the Seventh Chinese Army and launched several attacks in April. One was an attempt to attack Zonghan head-on, one was an attack on Jiange, and one was in the direction of Hanzhong. In the meantime, Tushanwei confronted them once.
There were signs of being unable to withstand the attack, but since Zong Han had the advantage in military strength after all, although Qin Shaoqian's several attacks had certain results and were astonishing in deterrence, they were eventually resolved by Zong Han relatively calmly.
Going from Zhaohua to Jiange, you can see the smoke and dust rising from the mountains in the Xiongguan Pass from a distance. At this time, a team of thousands of people had already left under the leadership of Shi Yema
Jiange, he was the second to last Jurchen general to leave the Jianmen Pass. Now the top Jurchen generals who are currently in the pass have no choice but to leave.
During the army's withdrawal from the southwest, Shi Yema was often active on the battlefield where the rear needed to be cut off. His fighting spirit boosted the morale of the Jin people, and to a great extent, he himself was greatly tempered.
After the army left Huangming County, the intensity of the pursuit had been reduced. Only the guarding of the Jiange Pass would become a key part of the battle. Shi Yema originally volunteered for military service, hoping to lead the army to guard Jiange and block the Fifth Army of China.
However, this time, neither his father nor Ba Lisu agreed with his idea. His father even sent a strict order, ordering him to keep up with the main force of the army as soon as possible. This made Shi Ye immediately
I feel a little sorry in my heart.
Judging from the situation in the second half of the army's withdrawal, the Chinese army has begun to stop using the powerful firearms, which may mean that the number of such firearms has bottomed out as expected. On the other hand, according to the section of Shiyema
Through time's observation and calculation, the Chinese army in the southwest is likely to face other more complex situations. Today's departure from Jiange, Ba Lisu's words also confirmed that Shi Yema's thoughts are indeed very important.
Big possibility.
"... After fighting for almost half a year, the Chinese army in the southwest has suffered a lot of casualties... Ning Yi's number of people has already been exhausted. In more than a month, tens of thousands of prisoners have been trapped in the mountains.
If it cannot be transported out, the Chinese army in front of us is like a giant python swallowing an elephant. If it moves a little, its belly will be burst by itself... In fact, if there is a chance, I would rather march forward and fight it.
If we give it a try, maybe this army will collapse on its own, we don’t know..."
The idea of pulling away from Su completed the guess in Shi Yema's mind, and it also proved the truth that Jiang is still hot when he is old. Shi Yema just thought that by cutting off the sword pavilion, the army in the rear could gather in one place and calmly deal with Qin Shaoqian's group.
The bold lone army might be able to cut off an arm of the Huaxia Army in front of Ning Yi's eyes, making him sigh while looking at the sword pavilion, but he didn't expect that Ba Lisu would actually have the intention to attack the southwest again.
This kind of behavior is a desperate move, with a narrow escape, but at this moment when the Chinese army relaxes its vigilance, if it really succeeds, what a great achievement it will be. Unfortunately, in the situation after Xie Bao's death, he also knew that neither his father nor the army would
I would allow myself to take such an adventure again.
Then he could only go to the camp and ask his father to join in the encirclement and annihilation of the Seventh Chinese Army led by Qin Shaoqian.
The setting sun was setting, and the army's flags stretched forward along the dirt road. The tragic defeat of the army, and the tragic death of his brothers and compatriots were still stirring in his heart. At this moment, he was not afraid of anything.
*****************
Our view extends further to the southwest.
After crossing Jiange, the originally winding road was now filled with all kinds of baggage materials used to block the road. Some places were broken by bombs, and some roads were deliberately dug up. Between the rugged mountains on both sides of the mountain road,
From time to time, the dark remnants of the spread of the fire can be seen, and the flames are still burning in some mountains.
Fifty miles ahead from Jiange, close to Huangming County, after Yuyu Creek, camps began to appear in the mountains. The black-bottomed Lone Star flag of the Chinese Army was floating in the mountains. The camps were built along the roads, and a large number of prisoners were being taken in.
Here, among the spreading mountain roads, groups of prisoners were being led to the rear. The crowds were crowded in the mountains, and the speed was not fast.
Even though the area is already controlled by the Chinese army, rising smoke pillars can still be seen occasionally in the nearby mountains. Every day, small-scale battles take place in various places in the mountains.
When the Jin people fled in embarrassment, a large number of Jin soldiers had been captured, but there were still thousands of fierce Jin soldiers who fled into the nearby dense forest. At this moment, seeing that they could no longer go home, they also chose to do so after encountering the battle.
Fires were lit one after another, and the flames spread. Many times they burned themselves alive, but they also caused a lot of trouble to the Chinese army. Some of the flames even spread to the prison camp next to the mountain road. The Chinese army ordered
The prisoners cut down trees to build an isolation zone. On one or two occasions, the prisoners tried to escape by taking advantage of the fire, and many were burned to death in the spreading fire.
At the moment dusk falls, looking out from the wooden shed on the mountainside west of Huangming County, one can still see black smoke rising from the mountains and forests in the distance. Below the mountainside is a long and narrow camp built along the road. Thousands of golden soldiers
The prisoners were held here, mixed with the Chinese army, stretching for several miles in the valley.
This large shed on the mountainside is the command post of the current military camp. At this time, Chinese army soldiers are coming and going in the shed, and the busy voices are gathering together. And in front of the wooden table near the window,
Several young people who have newly registered are sitting with Ning Xi, who manages some affairs here, and listen to him talk about the problems he has encountered recently.
"...The available troops have long been at the bottom." Ning Xi leaned in front of the long table and said, "Right now, there are nearly 30,000 prisoners in the mountains, and nearly half of them are wounded. A broken mountain road, originally
It was difficult to walk, and the prisoners were not very obedient. They were asked to queue up and go out. They could not walk more than ten miles a day. The road was often blocked. Some people wanted to escape, some pretended to be sick, some wanted to die, and there were some desperate people in the woods.
, fighting at every turn..."
"...There was a fight in the forest, a fire was set, and the prisoners on the road were ready to move again. They walked slowly, and they had to provide food and drink. Medicines and food were transported in from outside the mountain. A broken road was occupied again.
Half of them, stop and go like this, won't be able to evacuate for a month... In addition, patrolling the Fifty Mile Mountain Road requires a lot of manpower, and the patrol team has to redeploy manpower, and occasionally suffers losses, so it is stretched."
"...The most troublesome thing is epidemic prevention. It's already summer, and people are dying in the mountains and their bodies are rotting. If one person is not good, there will be a plague. If a plague really breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous. Only now do I know that Lord Wu'an was Why did Bai Qi want to trap and kill more than 400,000 people? We can't carry out traps and killings. Look outside, I wouldn't be surprised if those prisoners mutinied and rushed up at any time..."
Ning Xi rubbed her forehead, and then laughed: "...Fortunately, you are here, no one can escape, you have to help me this time."
"I'm just here to help you." Someone responded.
The families of several young people here also have military backgrounds. If Yuwen Feidu, Xiaohei and others were the first batch of young people trained by Ning Yi through Zhuji, the Huaxia Army, and later Hou Yuanyong, Peng Yueyun, Zuo Wenhuai, etc. People can be considered the second generation. When it comes to Ning Xi, Min Chuyi and the group of people in front of them, they can be considered the third generation.
Everyone has long been familiar with them. At the beginning of the war, these young people who had just grown up were assigned to various places in the army to familiarize themselves with different jobs. Now that the war was about to end, they were sent to Ning Xi to organize a small team. The person who took the lead in this matter was not Ning Yi, but Su Tan'er who was far away in Chengdu and some old officials headed by Su Wenfang and Su Wending of the Su family. Of course, Ning Yi didn't have much objection to this.
The task now is to distribute and arrange work. The young people here are all ambitious for the battlefield. When asked about the situation of the sword pavilion ahead, Ning Xi was slightly silent: "The mountain road is difficult to travel, and some of the obstacles and destruction left by the Jurchens are all It can be crossed, but it will be difficult for Duanhou's army to break through without using Dijiang. The will to break away from Duanhou is very determined. He arranged some "death squads" on the road and asked them to hold on to the road. It was Commander Qu who led the team forward, but there were also a lot of casualties."
Everyone looked at each other: "The Jurchens are still wild. Besides, over the years, many of them have their own families in the north. If Ba Li Suruo threatens them, it will indeed be difficult to easily reach the Jiange Pass."
"...The Jurchens cannot always defend the sword pavilion. Once the army in front of them withdraws, the pass will always be ours."
"But as a result, their main force outside the pass has expanded to nearly one hundred thousand. General Qin, with more than 20,000 people, cannot defeat the joint efforts of Zong Han and Xi Yin, and may even be eaten by Zong Han. Only with the final Only by clearing the Jiange as quickly as possible can we regain the strategic initiative."
Everyone was talking about it, and at this time, Ning Ji came in from the door of the shack, looked at these people here, and after a slight silence, he asked: "Brother, Sister Chuyi asked me to ask you, what are you doing for dinner tonight?" Or eat steamed buns?"
Ning Xi was talking to everyone. When she heard the question, she blushed slightly. He never did anything special in the army, but today, maybe Min Chuyi came with everyone and wanted to fetch food for him, so that's why he did this As soon as I asked, I blushed and said, "I will eat whatever everyone eats. What's the point of asking."
Ning Ji was impatient: "Tonight the cooking class only cooked rice and made steamed buns!"
Ning Xi waved her hand: "Okay, okay, I will eat whatever you want."
Ning Ji looked at him: "...I eat shit."
The wooden shed was quiet for a moment, and then someone who was drinking water couldn't help but squirt it out. A group of young people were laughing, and everyone at the headquarters near and far were also holding back their laughter. Ning Xi took a deep breath.
: "...You tell the first grade of junior high school, whatever."
"Sister Chu Yi wants to help you make food, but she is so kind as to be a donkey's liver and lungs."
After Ning Ji said this numbly, he turned around and went out. Everyone in the room burst into laughter. Some people laughed so much that they fell under the stool, and some asked: "What's wrong with Xiao Ji? Is he in a bad mood?"
Ning Xi covered her forehead: "He wanted to go to the front line to be a military doctor, but my father wouldn't let me. He looked at him and gave him a name, telling him to protect me personally. How could he feel better... I really
Bad luck..."
Everyone talked and laughed for a while. In the sunset, someone saw another smoke column rising in the distance. Everyone stood up to watch, knowing that another encounter must have occurred on the other side of the mountain, and the atmosphere in the camp also changed.
It was strange. Many prisoners at the foot of the mountain were looking at the smoke and dust.
Even though there was a little laughter just now, the atmosphere inside and outside the mountains was actually tense. Everyone understood that in such tension, accidents of this kind may occur at any time. Defeat is not easy to feel. After defeating
Facing a steel wire that was getting thinner and thinner, everyone felt more and more harsh about the world. Ning Xi looked at the smoke column for a while, then looked to the northeast, and whispered to everyone:
"Jiange's attack is just in the next few days..."
…
It's not far from Jiange, Shiliji.
The troops who had captured this place and had been renovating for half a day were bathing in the setting sun among the ruins.
Mao Yishan, who had just cremated the body of his companion, allowed the military doctor to treat the wound again. Someone brought dinner over. When he chewed the food with the iron box, the smell of blood was still in his mouth.
Every time he survived was something to be thankful for, but every time he survived, he was inevitably accompanied by the sacrifice of familiar companions, so he didn't feel much joy in his heart.
Eating quietly, he looked to the northeast. On one side of his vision, he saw Qu Zhengyan walking over with the other two captains who were good at attacking difficulties. They came closer and asked about his situation:
"well enough."
"You can still fight."
"I just received the news from outside the mountain. Let me report it to you first." Qu Zheng said, "On the edge of the Han River, Dai Mengwei, who previously joined forces with us, rebelled..."
In the setting sun, Qu Zhengyan calmly told a few people about what was happening thousands of miles away, and the relationship between the two parties. Then he pointed his finger at the Jiange: "It's still ten miles from here. Within three days, I will
We must seize the sword pavilion from Ba Lisu. There will be a lot of casualties in this battle, so be prepared."
Mao Yishan stood at attention and saluted.
…
At the top of Jiange City, at this moment, Ba Lisu was watching the burning sunset spreading from the other side of the mountain.
What Yushe Yema said was just a reserved statement.
He is a Jurchen general who has been in the flames of war all his life. Therefore, at the moment before his eyes, he understands the importance of the sword pavilion. After seizing the sword pavilion, the Chinese generals will connect the fifth and seventh armies.
Contact and gain strategic initiative. If Jiange cannot be obtained, the Chinese army's victory in the southwest may also suffer a sudden and heavy blow.
After more than five months of war, the strength of the Chinese army is indeed stretched. However, with Ning Yi's ability and vision, especially his style of never giving in in a narrow road, after killing Xie Bao in front of Zong Han,
, no matter how much the price is, he will definitely try to seize the sword pavilion as quickly as possible and in the most violent way.
After seeing the result of the Battle of Wangyuan Bridge, Ba Lisu understood in his heart that the level in front of him would be one of the most difficult battles he had ever encountered in his life. If he failed, he would die here. If he succeeded, he would die here.
Yes, he will act as a hero to save Daikin's national destiny.
What is gratifying is that this choice is not difficult. The consequences you will face are also very clear.
He will guard this powerful pass and prevent the Chinese army from advancing further.
…
At this moment, from the banks of the Han River to Jiange and then to Zizhou, the entire land was stretched like a thin string. While Dai Mengwei beheaded tens of thousands of people in Xicheng County, Qi Xinhan clung to Chuanlinpu.
The armies of Qin Shaoqian and Zong Han were rushing to the west of Hanzhong. The Chinese Fifth Army, which had reached its limit, was trying its best to stabilize the rear while rushing out of the Jiange Pass. The war was nearing the end, and people seemed to be burning with willpower.