A wolf travels thousands of miles to eat meat, and a soldier travels thousands of miles to gain glory!
After going through all kinds of hardships to get to Yingzhou, no one wants to do anything and watch. Watching the brothers' troops perform meritorious service, no one wants to go back empty-handed, especially after the successive victories, everyone's morale has been greatly stimulated, and everyone has been defeated one after another.
I'm definitely afraid of the battle, but now I'm winning big battles one after another.
In the big tent, everyone was quarreling with red faces and almost raised their knives to fight. When they gradually realized that Qin Huaidao was smiling without saying a word and did not stop or object, they realized something and quickly stopped arguing and said no more.
"No more arguing?" Qin Huaidao said with a smile.
"No more arguing, it all depends on the general's decision." Everyone said quickly.
"If you don't want to argue, just listen to me." Qin Huaidao found a support for the map and stood it up for everyone to see. He pointed at the map and said: "First, set off in three days. Within three days, you must be energetic and prepare the supplies needed for the war.
Especially for crossbow arrows, there must be no mistakes, and anyone who disobeys the order will be killed."
With the word "Zhan", he was full of murderous intent, and no one dared to object. The successive great victories brought Qin Huaidao's prestige to an incredible height, and no one would question any order.
"Second, the goal of this battle is the enemy's food and fodder!" Qin Huaidao continued, glanced at everyone, his eyes fell on Li Yixie, and asked: "Li Xiaowei, I will give you a hundred feathers of Linwei. We will set off early tomorrow morning. Within three days
Is it possible to find out where the food of the Goguryeo army marching south is stored?"
"No problem, I promise to complete the mission." Li Yixie was overjoyed. This was a great achievement. He was suffocating during this period, but Yulinwei was responsible for the safety of the general. He had no choice. How could he let it go if he had the opportunity now? Inexplicably, there was too much in his eyes.
Feeling some gratitude, he said solemnly: "General, if you can't finish it, I'll bring it up and see you."
"You'd better keep your head on." Qin Huaidao said with a smile, not wanting to put pressure on the other party.
When Fang Yiai heard that it was nothing of her own, she immediately became anxious: "General, what about me?"
"The safety of my general is very important, and it must be you." Qin Huaidao said with a smile. When he saw what the other party wanted to say, he raised his hand to interrupt. He looked at everyone and added: "The location of the food is uncertain. We will discuss the battle plan later. It will be determined within three days.
We must be prepared. The training of the troops cannot be stopped. If we break up, Lieutenant Li will stay for a while."
"Obey the order!" Everyone left one after another.
Qin Huaidao looked at Li Yixie and solemnly warned: "It's freezing cold, the food will only be indoors, and it won't be too far from the army. There won't be many people who meet the conditions. We will use a group as a search unit to spread out. We only need to conduct field reconnaissance."
However, pay attention to the road and you will find a large number of wheel marks, which are most likely the grain road. Follow it, find the location and retreat quickly. Do not alert the enemy, let alone fight."
Li Yixie quickly nodded and took note.
Qin Huaidao continued: "If you can't find it, it should be in the town. You can pretend to be a refugee and beg to enter. Find some with ordinary faces. If you go in too fiercely, you will be exposed. Be careful. The Yulin Guards are the troops of the Holy Lord. Every time one dies in battle,
It’s hard to explain, so go ahead.”
"Obey the order!" Li Yixie hurried away.
If possible, Qin Huaidao wished he could go out on his own. The food position was too important, but if he really left, there would probably be chaos in the ice city. After leaving the tent, he came to the city wall and saw Luo Zhang leading the team to train. In the distance, Yingzhou officials
They are organizing prisoners to set fire to melt the thick ice of the river in the city.
The vast land is covered in silver.
As always, the cold wind passed over the wilderness and passed over the ice city. It was so cold that it made people tremble. It was gray in the distance. I didn't know what the Kingdom of Goguryeo would choose. Should it withdraw its troops? Or continue to increase its troops and take advantage of this pair of giants?
Tang Li won one or two cities due to the cold weather?
Goguryeo was a dynasty created by annexing the surrounding tribes. Its army was very powerful. It was considered the most powerful brigade in the Northeast. It has grown to have a standing army of 500,000 to 600,000 people. It was not easy to deal with. Even if it ate the 100,000 troops that went south, once Goguryeo raised troops
With the strength of the whole country coming, Yingzhou cannot hold it.
But if we don't eat these 100,000 troops, the consequences will be even more serious.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Huaidao shouted: "Captain Fang."
Fang Yiai hurried forward with a look of anticipation on her face: "General, I have a mission."
"I'll give you a task. You personally lead fifty people deep into the Khitan to recruit surrender. With Xue Feng as your deputy, except for the Xiwandan tribe, other ministries try to persuade them to lead their troops to surrender. I, the general, will spare them the death penalty. This is a technique
You will most likely not be able to survive with your reckless temper." Qin Huaidao said with a troubled face.
Fang Yiai's character was brave, but not stupid. Hearing that Fang Xuanling took orders from him, he also developed some political thinking. He immediately realized that there was a great contribution behind this, and persuaded the Khitans to join him. This achievement is comparable to that of Fang Xuanling.
After catching the Khitan Khan, he immediately became excited and hurriedly patted his chest and said: "Don't worry, General, I am willing to issue a military order."
"Forget it about the military order. If you really can't complete it, I will give you an explanation later when my husband asks me. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance." Qin Huaidao pointed it out directly.
"No need, just make sure it's done." Fang Yiai said quickly, her heart full of gratitude.
If it weren't for Fang Xuanling's face, Qin Huaidao would never have given such an important task to Fang Yiai. He warned uneasily: "Remember, don't just kill and kill. You have to have an attitude of appeasement. I know
The Wandan Tribe once attacked Baiqisi, and this blood debt must be repaid. Therefore, the Xiwandan Tribe’s army must die, but the Xiwandan Tribe people, especially women and children, will be kept alive and useful.”
"Remember it." Fang Yiai really remembered it carefully this time. If his great work was ruined, Fang Xuanling would have to enforce the family law and be kicked out of the house when he returned. He would not be able to mess around in the future.
"One more thing, go to the Khitan Khan and ask him to take out the token and a letter of repair. It will be easy to recruit and surrender. When the time is right, lead the Khitan tribes to kill the Siwandan army, leaving the tribesmen behind. All you need to do is lead the army over.
, don’t touch the food and grass of the various ministries, I will let the governor build another ice city, go ahead."
"Follow the order!" Fang Yiai left happily.
Qin Huaidao looked at Fang Yiai's leaving figure and thought to himself, the opportunity has been given, and it is up to him whether he can seize it. If he can, it will speed up the solution of the hidden danger of Khitan. He told Li Derjian: "Go and hand over to Fang Yiai."
Now, the other fifty people left behind will be under your command for the next few days and will be responsible for their safety. In addition, let the governor come over."
"Follow the order!" Li Derjian hurried away.
Recruitment tests a person's emotional intelligence. Li Derjian is more suitable than Fang Yiai, but Li Derjian's force is not as good as Fang Yiai's. Khitan people are not good at fighting, they don't like to reason, and most of the time they look at their fists.
Li Yixie and Fang Yiai both gave them a chance, so what chance should Li Derjian give?
After waiting for a while, the governor hurried over and asked from a distance: "What does General Qin want to do with me?"
Qin Huaidao said politely: "Captain, I should have gone down to look for you, but I asked you to go there in person. It's really not right. It's just that what I'm going to say next is more appropriate here."
"We are strangers. There is no need for politeness between you and me. I have said that General Qin will be fully responsible for the command of this camp from now on. I can just give him a hand." Xue Wanshu did not dare to entrust him and said quickly.
Qin Huaidao also didn't like false etiquette, and said bluntly: "Two things. First, I will send people to the Khitan to recruit them, and let Xue Canjun be my deputy. Is that okay?"
"That's his blessing." Xue Wanshu's eyes lit up and she smiled with satisfaction. The Khitans were beaten like this, and the success rate of recruiting and surrendering was very high. Once it was done, it was a great achievement. Although Xue Feng was the deputy, he also contributed a lot.
, this clearly shows that you should give credit for your efforts and treat yourself as one of your own.
Although there are certain risks, wealth and wealth are found in insurance.
Thinking of this, Xue Wanshu said gratefully: "I will make a note of this favor from General Qin and I will definitely pay it back someday."
"Isn't it true that the Commander-in-Chief has seen us outside? We are now in the same trench. We all suffer when we lose, and we all gain when we rise. We should advance and retreat together." Qin Huaidao said politely, then changed the subject: "Another thing, if the recruitment is successful, there will be one or two
When tens of thousands of troops come, neither Yingzhou nor Bingcheng are suitable, so another city must be built."
Xue Wanshu understood everything and agreed: "It is indeed true, otherwise it would be really unsafe. I don't know where General Qin plans to build it? Just leave it to me."
"It's so good, let's build it there." Qin Huaidao pointed to an open space in the east and said: "Built there, we can directly face the increase of troops in Goguryeo, and open the door to our side, but not the other three sides. It will be three hundred meters long and one wide.
The rectangular ice city is 100 meters tall and about five feet high to expand the defense surface. It is 100 meters away from Yingzhou and the ice city and has a complete shape, which is conducive to defense. "
Xue Wanshu, a veteran on the battlefield, naturally understood that this was asking the Khitans to take the lead, and agreed wholeheartedly.
The amount of the project was not small. The prisoners had to build the wall connecting the Ice City, and there was a shortage of manpower. Qin Huaidao warned: "We need the help of the people of Yingzhou. There is a lot of loot. We can give them meat and wages. The governor decided to go back to Li Derjian."
That’s it.”
"a piece of cake!"
"One more thing, please ask the governor to build another five thousand repeating crossbows, just like the ten-shot type, with a hundred thousand crossbow arrows. I'll ask Li Derjian for the required materials and labor."
"No problem, it's ready to be opened and it won't take a few days." Xue Wanshu agreed, and when Qin Huai said there was no other explanation, she hurried away.
"Being the commander-in-chief is really a lot of work." Qin Huaidao sighed, looking at the gray sky in the distance, and once again considered the next war.
…
Two days later, it was getting dark.
Qin Huaidao was having dinner in the big tent when Yu Linwei came to report. Hearing that Li Yixie was back, he was overjoyed.
After waiting for a while, he saw Li Yixie, who was covered in frost and snow, come in. Qin Huaidao stood up happily to greet him: "Quick, sit down and warm yourself by the fire, eat something and talk slowly, are you not hurt anywhere? Are there any sacrifices?"
Li Yixie was moved when he saw that Qin Huaidao came up and cared about him instead of asking about the mission. After sitting down, he took off his coat and stretched out his hand to warm himself by the fire. He said at the same time: "Come back to the general, everything is fine. Brothers are only observing from a distance. The snow is thick.
The enemies have not come out, they have all returned and have gone back to their tents to rest."
"That's good. Come on, let's eat something first." Qin Huaidao handed over the knife for cutting meat.
Li Yixie hurriedly caught it, and was not in a hurry to take action. Instead, he reported: "General, we have found an important piece of information. Fifty thousand enemy troops on horseback have gathered in Liujiabao."
"Liujiabao? Where is it?" Qin Huaidao asked, spreading out the map.
Li Yixie pointed to a location on the map and said: "Here... about ten kilometers away from Pingzhou, it is a larger valley. There is a fortress here, made of rammed earth. The wall is about two feet high. It looks like a gathering of a wealthy family.
In the place where they live, the rich people have the habit of building fortresses to protect themselves and prevent bandits and bandits. The houses inside can accommodate about 10,000 people. There are many tents in the open area. From observation, judging from the smoke and the number of tents, there are at least four to four people gathered there.
Fifty thousand people, all Goguryeo soldiers wearing armor, without seeing any common people, were probably massacred."
"In other words, more than 10,000 people were killed?" Qin Huaidao's face turned cold.
"Not sure, but since Goguryeo is short of food, there is no reason to waste food by keeping it. Moreover, keeping it means that housing is needed. There is not enough room for the Goguryeo army, so they will need to set up tents. In all likelihood, they will need to set up tents."
"These beasts." Qin Huaidao cursed, anger welling up. The two armies fought each other according to their own abilities, but killing the people indiscriminately was not allowed by nature.
As a soldier, Qin Huaidao hated the indiscriminate killing of civilians.
"Tell me the terrain again." Qin Huaidao took out the charcoal and paper.
Li Yixie had seen Qin Huaidao's drawing skills and quickly said: "The fortress covers an area of 500 meters long and about 1,000 meters wide, which just blocks the entrance to the valley. The outside of the valley is flat, probably the fertile fields are covered with snow, and the other three sides are mountains. The mountains are high.
Above a hundred feet, it’s all woods…”
"What about the slope?" Qin Huaidao interrupted.
"It's probably this steep." Li Yixie didn't know how to describe it, so he made a gesture.
Qin Huaidao estimated that it was about seventy degrees or more, a little steep. He quickly drew it and continued to ask: "How far is the fortress from the bottom of the mountain, and what is the terrain?"
"They are all flat, with different distances..."
"The nearest place." Qin Huaidao reminded.
"Recently..." Li Yixie thought for a moment and said, "About twenty feet."
Twenty feet equals sixty meters. Qin Huaidao's eyes lit up when he thought of this distance. He signaled Li Yixie to wait a moment and drew it quickly while asking about the details of this area. Gradually, a hand-drawn topographic map appeared on the paper and he asked: "Look.
What’s the big problem?”
"There's no problem, that's about it." Li Yixie affirmed while looking at the map.
Qin Huaidao was immediately overjoyed and asked: "How long is this area? How high is it?"
"It's more than two hundred feet long, and then it turns to the back and is more than fifty feet high." Li Yixie looked determined.
Two hundred feet long means more than 600 meters, which is quite wide. More than fifty feet high means more than 150 meters, which is already considered a high mountain. Qin Huaidao asked some more details carefully and supplemented the hand-drawn topographic map.
Watch and think deeply, deducing tactics.
Li Yixie didn't know whether he should continue talking, but seeing Qin Huaidao thinking, he simply stopped and started eating.
Not long after, Qin Huaidao breathed a long sigh of relief, as if he had made some kind of decision.
"General, do you want to continue talking?" Li Yixie quickly stopped eating and put down his knife.
"No need, you have made a great contribution this time." Qin Huaidao smiled.
"It's not necessarily where the grain is stored. The general just thinks that with so many people there, it should be a grain storage location. I've also inspected a dozen places and found nothing unusual. Only this place is the most suspicious."
"Heavy snow blocked the road, and 50,000 people gathered together. They can't survive without food. Even if it is not a food storage point, it is a great achievement. Let's eat these 50,000 people, and the remaining 50,000 are not a worry." Qin Huaidao said with a smile, his eyes bright.
Flashing, showing fierce fighting spirit.
"Eat them?" Li Yixie's expression changed and he quickly said: "General, it's not the last general who said depressing words to shake the morale of the army. This is a fortress, not the tribes of Khitan. It is blocked by tall walls and houses with a lot of space inside.
The snow has been cleared away, so you can move freely, so it may be difficult to fight."
"With the right method, there is no city that cannot be captured. I have my own idea and use sleds to travel. How long will it take to get there?" Qin Huaidao asked.
"Morning is coming and evening is coming!"
"Are there any other enemy troops within ten miles?"
"Probably not. Brothers have investigated and found that there are some small villages within a radius of twenty miles, but the people in them have been killed, the food has been taken away, and there are no troops stationed." Li Yixie said firmly.
"These beasts, the blood debts of the people must be paid with blood. Eat quickly and have a military meeting after eating." Qin Huaidao stood up with murderous intent and said to Li Derjian who was guarding the door: "Send the order, all officers above the lieutenant colonel level are here to have an urgent military meeting."
, inform the governor to attend, go quickly."
"Follow the order!" Li Derjian quickly agreed.
Qin Huaidao returned to the tent and sat down. Seeing that Li Yixie was not eating, he advised: "Eat more, it will take some time for them to come here, not less than this time." Worried that Li Yixie would be embarrassed, he started eating himself.
Li Yixie was moved and gulped down quickly. He was really hungry all the way here.
After waiting for a while, the generals came over. There was no room in the big tent. The captains stood behind and everyone surrounded the city. Qin Huaidao glanced at Xue Wanshu and Zhi lost his mind, put up the topographic map he had drawn, and said seriously: "Everyone
, this place is called Liujiabao, one day's journey from Yingzhou, and there are 40,000 to 50,000 enemy troops stationed there. There are no other enemy troops within a radius of 20 miles, so I decided to capture it."
Everyone had become accustomed to Qin Huaidao's commanding method, and no one interrupted. They listened attentively while thinking about how to attack if it were them.
Seeing Qin Huaidao looking over, Xue Wanshu said: "General Qin, this place is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The mountains are steep. Only the south is the entrance, and a city wall has been built to block it. There is also a castle in the valley. I'm afraid it won't be easy for an army of 40,000 to 50,000 people to rely on us. Since General Qin
The decision must have been made with high opinions, and the Yingzhou frontier troops are subordinate to me and will absolutely obey."
"Captain, I will just lead my troops. The safety of Ice City will be left to the Commander."
"No problem." Xue Wanshu agreed wholeheartedly. Although it had nothing to do with him and missed the opportunity, he didn't care. He was in the high position of governor and it was not easy to climb up. Qin Huaidao was satisfied when he handed over the opportunity of great achievements to Xue Feng.
"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief. One more thing. Collect straw, saltpeter and other flammable materials from Yingzhou City. Grind the saltpeter into powder. The more, the better. It is better to exchange them with cattle, sheep or silver." Qin Huaidao said seriously.
When everyone heard that this was going to be an attack with fire, it was a bit fierce. Not only was it impossible to get close to such a high fortress, it was also difficult to throw it in even if it was close. How could it be burned?
However, Qin Huai had been using strange tricks recently. Everyone was thinking that there must be something they didn't know about behind this, so they didn't ask questions on the spot and listened patiently.
Xue Wanshu was also curious, but too lazy to ask more questions, and agreed: "No problem, it will be done within an hour."
"This thing is related to victory or defeat. Thank you for your service, Commander-in-Chief." Qin Huaidao said gratefully. He trusted Xue Wanshu's ability. During this period, everything assigned to Xue Wanshu was done well. He was determined, and his eyes fell on the generals, and continued.
: "Everyone, please set out early tomorrow morning. Each person should bring three days of dry food, a bundle of straw, and more crossbows."
"Obey the order!" Everyone accepted the order with a roar.
Qin Huaidao did not explain the tactical arrangements on the spot like before and answer everyone's doubts. The reason was that the tactics were too strange and not everyone could understand them. Moreover, the tactics were only preliminary and needed to be decided after arriving at the scene. There was no need to explain, and he motioned for everyone to leave and continue.
Deduction details.
A night of silence.
Early the next morning, the team set off quietly with their equipment, leaving only Luo Zhang to continue training the mercenaries. The team was divided into five groups and dispersed, each with a rope made of bark, and one rope.
With the waist tied up and the straw and weapons tied at one end, it was dragged along. The snow was honest, the resistance was very small, and it was not difficult to drag.
Qin Huaidao and his soldiers walked in front, while Li Yixie led the remaining fifty Yulin troops to reconnoiter and explore the way.
Everyone concentrated on their way, and the five thousand-man army was silent, leaving only traces on the ground.
We didn't encounter any enemies along the way and the journey went smoothly.
At dusk, the army arrived at the top of a mountain. Below was a huge fortress complex, consisting of countless round houses. The houses were two stories high, each room was quite large, and were made of rammed earth. There were arrow holes on them to protect against enemies.
, the houses are not far apart, and it is easy to get lost if you are not familiar with them.
Qin Huaidao was not interested in the fortress group. He looked at the terrain carefully and found that at his feet was the nearest mountain peak to the fortress group. As expected, it was just as Li Yixie described. The distance was only 60 meters, the mountain height was close to 160 meters, and the steep slope was between 70 and 80 degrees.
It is not easy for anyone to go down this slope.
The hillside was covered with thick snow. Qin Huaidao observed carefully and found that the snow was not solid and there were signs of slipping in some places. Everything was better than expected, and he was overjoyed.
"General, the terrain is not good, people can't rush down, the distance is too far, and straw can't be thrown into the fortress, how can we fight?" Zhi lost Si Li expressed everyone's worries.
Everyone looked over one after another, waiting for the general's order.
Qin Huaidao pointed to the steep hillside below and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter. Throw half of the straw halfway up the mountain and half at your feet. It's about fifty feet wide. There's no need to throw it too far."
We don’t know why, but I will order the following and execute it.
Soon, bundles of straw were thrown down and fell halfway down the mountainside.
At the foot of the mountain, the enemy soldiers in the fortress group heard the movement and came out to watch. They were a little confused. What kind of attack was this straw throwing? Even if it was a fire attack, it should be lit and thrown into the fortress. What's the point of throwing it halfway up the mountain?
Soon, a large number of soldiers rushed out of the fortress and guarded the commanding heights and key roads. Some even climbed onto the roof, set their bows and arrows, and aimed towards the hillside, waiting seriously.
Someone even shouted loudly: "Who is coming?"
Qin Huaidao saw that it was almost done and the width was suitable. The enemy did not rush out to clean up the straw. He was probably afraid of arrows and was too determined to answer. He said to the people around him: "Send the order and prepare rockets!"
"Obey the order!" Everyone accepted the order with a roar.