Li Ding's choice to send troops immediately was a very risky move because the autumn harvest was imminent.
Even the warlord with the least strategic vision, or even the most short-sighted bandit, when facing the crops that are about to be harvested all over the land, can't help but think, should we harvest the crops before sending out troops?
In this area of Hebei, there has been war for nearly four years, which can be regarded as a turmoil. Among them, only one Zhang Jinscale dared to send troops while stepping on the crops that were about to mature. But even Zhang Jinscale was ready to leave at that time because of the war disaster.
As a result, Qinghe, who had insufficient crops in the fields, went to the plains to "eat".
Then he was praised by Zhang Xing, Li Ding and Cao Shancheng one after another.
Therefore, there are many problems when sending troops at this time.
We must consider the issue of military morale. The soldiers and horses of Wu'an County are okay. Are the soldiers and civilians of Xiangguo County willing to abandon their family land to fight?
To consider the issue of marching, Li Ding and his military auxiliary team had only conducted a large amount of reconnaissance and intelligence gathering on Xiangguo County, but Zhao County only conducted some routine and ordinary reconnaissance, and the marching and combat itself
Damage to crops should also be considered.
In addition, the most critical point is that we must pursue a quick victory, because once the war is delayed and the autumn harvest is delayed, it will trigger a series of political, military, economic, and diplomatic problems, which may even backfire on Xiang who just swallowed the well.
Country and county.
But, so to speak, Li Ding still chose to send troops.
Because he knows that the weather is fair, and the problems he faces are similar to those of the other side. So if this is the case, if he sends troops at this time, the other side will definitely be caught off guard. This is the most anticipated enemy situation in the battle. What's more, if
He could quickly defeat the opponent in the gap before the autumn harvest, but the opponent would find it more difficult to organize reinforcements due to the autumn harvest, which gave him a post-war diplomatic and political operating range.
The last and most important point, Li Ding did not say, but Su Jingfang vaguely guessed that sending troops at this time was also a good opportunity to get rid of gang interference.
Zhang Xing's almost extreme attitude towards the autumn harvest also caused the gang to give up unnecessary actions and let Li Ding do his own thing.
Mr. Li doesn't want to be angry again.
The decision was made, and since he was taking advantage of the few days before the autumn harvest, Li Ding would naturally not delay.
Su Jingfang was still responsible for sneak reconnaissance in advance and determining the location of the attack target, while Li Ding led 5,000 troops to lead Su Mu. The three generals of Gaoshi Province were waiting for news at the Longgang camp, while Zhang Shiniang and deputy captain Wang Chenxu led two troops from Wu'an.
Everyone hurriedly caught up, and Fan Lihua, who had just been ordered to go to Zongcheng, was also hurriedly recalled.
Within a day and a half, Su Jingcong sent word overnight that five cadres of the Youzhou army, led by Deng Long, the seventh lieutenant general of the Youzhou camp, were stationed in Yingtao. The county guard Zhang Dunli and the three cadres of the county soldiers were stationed in Zhao.
The old city of Pingji is located three miles south of the county-governed city.
Half a day later, Zhang Shiniang and Wang Chenxu also arrived at Longgang.
Immediately, Li Ding did not hesitate and ordered his entire army of seven thousand to march north and attack Zhao County.
For Li Ding, a small military and political group that had just gotten a chance to start, this battle was tantamount to an overwhelming force.
Facts have proved that Li Ding's determination still worked.
The army suddenly entered Zhao County and went straight to attack Baixiang, the core of the southern part of Zhao County. Baixiang County was caught off guard and everyone was at a loss, let alone any preparations.
As a result, Su Jingfang's small vanguard unit went straight into the city under the banner of the Wei Dynasty, and briefly controlled the city gate. The people in the city thought it was the county's reinforcements for the city defense. Then Li Ding sent his troops to the city, and then escaped with Zhang Shiniang.
After entering, he found the county magistrate, county captain, and county magistrate who tried to appease him, but announced to Baixiang County, "The Youzhou Army has invaded, and he has led his troops to provide support. It only takes half a day for logistical supplies."
The people in Baixiang County were immediately "convinced" and honestly opened the warehouse and cooked a meal of stale rice. Then they watched Li Ding lead his troops to the north, but they could only sit in the city - even though the army was in short supply, Li Ding still stayed.
The Gan people, led by Wang Chenxing, blocked the city and surrounding arteries.
And then, after leaving Baixiang and crossing Baishui for only five miles, Li Dingji and Liu Qianwu Anzu were faced with a crossroads on the official road.
"The west side is higher
"Yi." Su Jingfang pointed to the west intersection.
"I'm not going." Li Ding, who was fully dressed in military uniform and riding on his horse, blurted out without even looking to the west.
Su Jingfang, who had expected this, did not have any unnecessary reaction, but pointed to the intersections to the north and east in turn: "To the northeast is the Mishui River, a tributary of the Zhuozhang River, the Mishui River is to the northwest, and the southeast is upstream, that is, to the north of us is
The old city of Pingji and the former county government of Zhao County are located, and the governor Zhang Fujun is also located. Three thousand soldiers of Zhao County are a hundred miles away. Downstream, that is to the east of us, is Yingtao, where the Youzhou reinforcements are located. They
They were there not only to guard against us, but also to guard against Xue Changxiong. There were five thousand soldiers, including three thousand cavalry, fifty miles away.
Li Ding was silent for about three or four breaths, and then gave a reply: "Go north, the whole army will drop their baggage, take a day of dry food and drinking water, march hard, and get Pingcai!"
Zhang Shiniang, who was in military uniform, rarely said a word or even showed any unnecessary expression. Su Mu and his son looked at each other without saying a word, and Fan Lihua was even more excited.
The only one who was obviously uneasy was the newly surrendered Gaoshi Province. However, seeing that the other generals were speechless, this man did not dare to have any more unnecessary discussions. The plan was settled, and the next step was to test the effectiveness of the Wu An soldiers that Li Ding had trained for more than two years.
Already.
See how they travel long distances.
It was autumn, and the weather was relatively mild, but it was still very challenging to travel light and long distances. After only twenty miles, stragglers began to appear.
Su Jingfang and Fan Lihua each led more than a dozen riders to check on the stragglers. If they were indeed weak, or had minor injuries caused by heavy loads or falls, they would place them on the spot and let these people gather at the intersection to watch each other and wait.
The intersection continues to be blocked while rescue operations are underway.
And if they pretend to be injured or exhausted, they will be executed on the spot according to Li Ding's request.
When we marched twenty miles, these non-combat casualties were only a few people, and there were no deserters among them. But by forty miles, the non-combat casualties quickly climbed to three digits, and a full eleven people were executed.
, hanging his head by the road. On this afternoon, after the sun set due west, he also marched hastily for about sixty or seventy miles towards the rear. After getting Li Ding's permission, Fan Lihua beheaded a team general and three
A famous cook.
The remaining 146 people drew lots on the spot, and an additional 15 people were killed by the eleventh draw.
This is used as a punishment for the whole team of soldiers trying to "get lost".
But even so, the attrition of the entire army began to rise rapidly at this time, and as the sun set in the west, it was conceivable that it would be dark in more than half an hour. How to stop this situation then?
"Master, what if there are only two or three soldiers left in the army after dawn tomorrow?" Su Jingfang was obviously panicked. He was still a young man after all.
"It doesn't matter." Li Ding, as always, has his share of leeway in military operations. "You go and lead the way. The intersection in front of you is eastward, across the fields, and the entire army crosses the Jianshui River before dark. Tomorrow morning, only the troops will leave the Jianshui River.
Heading north across the water
Su Jingfang was stunned for a moment, then realized what he was doing and walked away on horseback.
After he reluctantly forced the governor's troops to cross the river before dark, Su Jingfang finally realized that although this move could effectively prevent the Wu'an sergeants from actively escaping at night, it also carried a huge risk - if the information about the troops was discovered while they were marching, they might be
Youzhou army and Zhaojun soldiers attacked from both sides!
Of course, this risk does seem trivial compared to the imminent separation of troops at night.
It was already dark. After crossing the river, Wu Anzu was ordered to rest on the spot along the Lishui River embankment. However, he was not allowed to light a fire. He only slept in his clothes, drank water and ate dry food.
In the dark night, resentment among the troops gradually arose, but at this time, Li Ding's rewards, punishments, and drills on the troops in the previous two years, including the killing of an entire team before, had obviously had an effect.
No one knows whether resentment and timidity will defeat discipline and trust, or whether discipline and trust will defeat resentment and timidity. They can only wait quietly.
With Zhang Shiniang by his side, Li Ding sat there all night, listening to low-pitched complaints for half the night. This night, even Li Ding began to waver a little about his troops, but he had no way to retreat at this time.
, this is his army, his family foundation, and he is trying his best to fight for his ambition that has been hidden for decades.
It was impossible for him to escape from Yang Shen's camp with Zhang Shiniang holding hands as he did five or six years ago.
So, what was Yu Guan thinking? At least on the surface, Li Ding acted very calm, so calm that Zhang Shiniang's eyes sparkled when she looked at him.
At the fourth watch, the sky began to light up slightly. Li Silang ordered the troops to get up and eat and drink water for two quarters of an hour. Then the whole army continued northward and must reach Pingji, twenty-five miles away, before noon.
Before the troops were about to set off, Su Jingfang rode over and informed his mentor: "Master, there are still five thousand soldiers!"
Li Ding was determined. He knew that he already had three points in hand in this battle.
But soon, there was another small twist - some soldiers could not help but disobey military orders and went to the river to fetch water and drank the river water last night, which caused some of them to have diarrhea. This also caused the Wu'an generals below Li Ding to suffer.
They are worried whether this phenomenon will expand because they really don't know how many people have fallen into the river.
Of course, the final facts proved that this was just a false alarm. After the troops set off, only a handful of people were left to guard the river. Most of them completed the attack with the general Li Ding in the morning and arrived at Pingji City.
Similar to Longgang, the old city of Pingji, located three miles south of the county city, was actually reduced to a subsidiary city outside the new city, and actually assumed the role of a military fortress. Whether it was Chen Taishou of Xiangguo County or Zhang Taishou of Zhao County
, after sensing the military crisis, they all chose to summon the county soldiers and hide among them.
As for Li Ding's Wu An soldiers, they were discovered when they were still five miles away from Pingji City, and were quickly conveyed to the governor Zhang Dunli who was in Pingji City.
After breakfast, Zhang Dunli, who was checking the army's armaments in Pingji City, was stunned for a moment, and immediately concluded from the marching direction that this was the Youzhou Army making trouble. They may feel that this support delayed the autumn harvest, and wanted to compensate, so they formed
There was noise and commotion.
This is a very common thing, especially in the government-military system under the land equalization system. Over time, there are groups of rural party members inside, and it is easy for officers to be included in the support, and even the superiors are not able to do it because of their cultivation.
If there is a local advantage in force, it is difficult to actually use force.
With the multi-headed and multi-legged Youzhou Army, such incidents are most common.
As soon as he thought of this, Zhang Dunli, who was dressed in official uniform, immediately twitched his beard and frowned and said: "Go and tell these Youzhou soldiers that if you want to get the reward, you must first return to Hentao. Then you can look for General Deng Long and Deng for me. If
If you find him, ask him to come into the city to talk. If he can't leave the army, ask him for me what's going on? How did this happen suddenly? Even if you want a reward, you should wait until after the autumn harvest. Now the treasury
The house is so clean, what can I give him? Don’t the people below know that he doesn’t know? Have I ever treated him badly? And if I can’t find him, I have to come back and report it quickly.”
In this way, the messenger issued the military order, set out immediately, took the initiative to meet them, and then left without returning. At the same time, the "Youzhou Army" did not stop at all and continued to move northward.
When there were still about three miles left, other sentries who were sent out later came back and informed them of the strangeness of this army - instead of making noises and looting along the way, this army came straight to the city with great momentum. Not only that,
Although the total number is right and there are also cavalry, compared with the 3,000 cavalry brigade of Youzhou soldiers, the proportion of cavalry in this army is too small.
Zhang Dunli, who had returned to the old government office hall in the city and began to put on his armor, immediately had a buzz in his head, but he immediately explained in the hall: "This must be because the Youzhou Army took pity on the horses and sent people to tell them that I am willing to donate personal funds.
Give me a little reward."
I don’t know who to explain to.
The second round of messengers was sent out, but they also left and never returned.
And soon, the officers in the city came to report, telling them that the troops and horses were not stopping at all and were in strict formation. They were already in sight at the top of the city. It really didn't look like the Youzhou Army came to ask for rewards.
Zhang Dunli fell silent and did not say another word. His armor was half-dressed and stood there - the upper body of the full set of Mingguang armor had been put on, but the armor skirt had not yet been put on, which made Zhang Fujun sitting there look a little funny.
But no one pressed him or urged him, because just like him, the people in Pingji City were also at a loss. No one knew what was going on. In fact, riots had spread from the north of the city to the city.
Got it
But soon, someone else came to report, and they were the first wave of messengers sent out.
This seemed to make everyone in Pingji City relax, including Zhang Dunli and Zhang Fujun.
"Fu-kun!"
The envoy had clearly just traveled a few miles back and forth on horseback. At this time, he was out of breath and collapsed in front of the hall. He could only speak fluently. "The governor of Wu'an County, Li, asked me to bring a message to the governor. He arrived at the city a quarter of an hour ago.
After the city is about to be attacked, if he surrenders at this time, he will have the friendship of colleagues. Even if the prince returns to his hometown or settles down with his family and property, the soldiers of the county can still be safe. If he encounters the prince again after attacking the city, the chickens and dogs will not be killed.
If you stay, the county soldiers will also kill you in protest. Please think twice!"
Zhang Dunli had vaguely guessed that it might be Li Ding before, but he still couldn't believe it and didn't want to believe it. Now that he knew it, he should have reacted, but his mind was still full of confusion, shock and fear, so much so that he said after a while
Speechless.
But after the people around him realized what happened, they couldn't let the prince continue to lose his temper.
"Master Fu, no matter what, come to the city and take a look."
The captain next to him, Qi Ze, tried his best to persuade. "If the enemy army comes from afar and is exhausted, then hold a defensive position. The general will do his best. But if the enemy army is strong and the emperor is unwilling to resist, the general is willing to do his best to protect the emperor."
We are small and don’t let the other party do anything that breaks their promise.”
Zhang Dunli nodded, stood up with all his strength, and was supported by the guards around him. Regardless of the fact that the Lord's lower body was not yet wearing armor, he went directly to the north of the city. When they arrived at the North City wall, Li Ding's five soldiers also arrived.
But they are forming an array in the north of the city.
Zhang Dunli supported the battlements and came to look, and saw that the opponent obviously lacked golden drums. Of course, it was impossible to carry so many bulky objects on such a long-distance attack, but he insisted on carrying the flags. At this time, they were all unfolded, with different sizes and colors, but
It only dances or stands still in the morning sun.
With the continuous operation of the flags and without any golden drums, the army of 5,000 people who arrived along the official road calmly settled down and formed a neat large square formation under the city. Inside the square formation.
The soldiers stand or sit, which is the outer defense. They take the opportunity to rest inside and wear leather armor. The spears, swords, shields, and bows and crossbows are scattered in an orderly manner, with clear front, rear, left, and right. Smooth internal passages are also formed between the small square formations inside.
Then Zhang Dunli saw the flags of the central generals slowly gathering together, and the huge character "李" swayed in the breeze of the autumn morning.
"What can I do?" Zhang Dunli looked pale and turned to look at Qi Ze beside him.
"It's all the Lord Fu who makes the decision." Even though he was covered by his helmet, Captain Qi Ze's face turned pale when he witnessed the scene below the city. "But I must tell Lord Fu something. Li Fujun said that he would launch an attack a quarter of an hour after arriving at the gate of the city."
, it is no lie, with such discipline and neat military formation, as long as a master breaks through the city gate in a quarter of an hour, the Wu'an army will be able to join the battle, and even be able to climb the city with ropes from all sides... If the master wants to
Guard, now we must order someone to put down the heavy weight of the city gate, and then the entire army will be deployed on all sides!"
Zhang Jiaoli opened his mouth and wanted to speak.
At this time, there was a commotion in the city, and Zhang and Qi hurried to look. They saw Li Ding moving the flag forward, and then a general in bright light armor and a red cloak was riding a maroon horse, behind a leather-armored female general.
He came directly to the city in front of the formation under his escort.
They arrived in a moment, and the two sides were only a few dozen steps away. Zhang Dunli could clearly see that it was Li Ding, the governor of Wu'an County who he had met several times before. As for the woman next to him, although she was stunningly beautiful, he couldn't care less about looking at her.
Seeing the latter coming to the city, Qi Ze reminded him in a low voice again: "Master Fu, ask him where he came from. Did he take a detour from Xindu? Was Shou Tao being surrounded by the Hejian army from Xindu?"
Zhang Dunli's mind was still a little confused. After hearing this, he just mustered up the courage and said instinctively: "Master Li Fu, where are you from? Is Shou Tao being surrounded by the Hejian Army from Xindu?"
"No." Li Ding responded calmly. "Although soldiers are not afraid of deceit, today's matter was done by my family and did not rely on the soldiers, horses and roads between the rivers...
...Shou Tao was not surrounded either... I rushed all the way from Baixiang to get here."
Qi Ze's expression suddenly changed.
"Then..." Zhang Dunli came to his senses at this time, but he couldn't help but be overjoyed. "Then you are throwing yourself into a trap? If the skinny General Deng leads the cavalry from the state to help, you will be buried under the city."
"That's why I will attack the city with all my strength, attack the city immediately, and attack the city with all my life. If you don't surrender, I will definitely order your whole family to be executed, and no chickens or dogs will be spared, as a deterrent." Li Ding raised his head.
Answered calmly, as if asking what to have for lunch today.
Zhang Dunli shook his head, and the little bit of blood that had recovered a little quickly disappeared.
But soon, he asked with almost instinctive resentment: "But Lord Li, why is this happening? You and I are both imperial officials, each guarding a county. Why do you want to invade my territory for no reason? Carry out random killings?"
As soon as he said this, Zhang Dunli summoned up a lot of courage in an instant, and wanted to clarify the truth in front of the battle, so that the other party would walk away in shame. He also instantly remembered countless materials, famous quotes, and principles in his mind, and was ready to use them. In other words,
Ever since he heard that the other party had annexed the country of Xiang, he had been thinking about this deduction in his mind, thinking that he would be ashamed to criticize the other party after meeting.
Unexpectedly, Li Ding didn't laugh or get angry when he heard the words. He just held his head high and continued to answer seriously: "In troubled times, how can we allow others to sleep soundly beside the bed?"
Zhang Dunli felt a lump in his chest, and all the truth was choked back.
Li Dingze said nothing but looked up at the sun and waited quietly. On the top of the silent city, it was Captain Qi Ze who broke the silence. He asked again in a low voice: "Will the prince surrender or fight? The battle cannot be delayed any longer.
I immediately put down the Thousand Jin Pendant to block the city gate. I’m afraid Madam Zhang has already become a pill, and I really can’t resist it.”
Zhang Dunli just said nothing.
Qi Ze wanted to speak, but when he lowered his head, he saw two factions of his family were fighting, barely standing by holding on to the battlements. This local strongman was a so-called rebel during the two years of chaos in Hebei.
The captain of Zhaojun was silent for a while, then suddenly turned around and ordered: "Open the city gate and tell Mr. Zhang to invite Mr. Li to come in."
Zhang Dunli glanced at this person but said nothing.
The officer next to him was fine. Seeing this scene, he hurriedly left.
As soon as the officer left, Zhang Dunli felt relieved, but he grabbed Qi Ze and said, "Captain Qi will accompany me down to greet him."
Naturally, Qi Ze had nothing to say. He hurriedly came to help him, but he quickly reacted and pointed at the other person's lower body and said, "Master Fu, do you want to put on your armor skirt?"
Zhang Dunli was stunned for a moment, and then felt embarrassed for a while, but at this time the door was already opening downstairs, so he couldn't help but sigh: "Forget it, help me take off the armor on my upper body, I am not a person who wears armor."
Qi Duwei followed the good deeds and followed the flow.
At noon, after entering Pingji City and settling in for a while, Li Ding immediately wrote a letter asking for help with Zhang Dunli's seal and ribbon, and then sent someone to ask for help from Ying Tao Deng Long, begging the other party to come to Pingji City quickly to conduct a flanking attack.
They defeated Wu An's soldiers, who were extremely exhausted after the attack, and captured Li Ding, the leader of the rebellion, alive.
But if you arrive too late, it will be difficult to attack Pingji City by Li Ding.