The ambush lasted less than half an hour, but was as intense as any tough battle. Although it was dark and the tragic scene could not be seen, the wails and groans of wounded soldiers could be heard for miles around, which made the hair stand on end of those who heard it.
Luo Hu led the Zhenshan camp to break through the encirclement and march away. Gao Qi did not dare to stay long to send orders to withdraw to Puzhou. He was both physically pained and horrified when he counted the injuries on the way, and more than half of them were injured!
In other words, more than a thousand people were killed and injured!
You are so cruel!
Luo Hu, who broke out of the encirclement and left, was obviously still unsatisfied. He retreated more than ten miles to the north and made sure that the officers and soldiers were not chasing him. After that, he rested on the spot and took stock of the damage. He actually lost one-third, which was almost 300 cavalry. Compared with the officers and soldiers,
The damage was only a few, but Luo Hu was already gnashing his teeth in anger. If he had not been ambushed by the officers and soldiers at night, he would have lost at most a hundred cavalry and eaten up those officers and soldiers.
Although I feel unwilling to do so, I can no longer walk alone at night rashly and only wait until daybreak to find the place again.
It was almost early in the morning when Gao Qi returned to Puzhou. Li Yan had not yet fallen asleep, so he asked him to describe the ambush in detail, and Gao Qi did not hide anything.
It's Luo Hu!
Another existence that surprised Li Yan. He knew that the one sent by Li Guo must be an elite force, but he did not expect it to be Zhenshan Camp, because he felt that Zhenshan Camp should be used on the edge at this critical moment, that is, Tongguan.
there.
But he didn't expect Li Guo to use the knife to stab him in the waist.
Gao Qi was able to save his life. Li Yan naturally knew how powerful Zhenshan Camp was. With equal strength, it was almost invincible. He also knew how brave Luo Hu was. Even Chang Yu was almost defeated by him several times.
dead.
Fortunately, the ambush was at night, which made it difficult for him to use his hands and feet. If it were during the day, the ambush point would not have any terrain advantages. Gao Qi's more than 3,000 troops were really not enough to destroy Zhenshan Camp.
"There have been talented people from generation to generation. Now these juniors are getting more and more powerful. Few people can hold them down. If the peace talks fail this time, it will become a serious problem for the court in the future. Eunuch Chang alone is afraid..." Gao Qi
Shaking his head and sighing, Li Yan grunted and said: "The imperial court is also very lonely. Not to mention Wu Sangui and others, even the commanders of Dongchang Wei can take charge of their own affairs under his training!"
"Luo Hu is so brave and invincible that no one can stop him, and the one who can stop him is not here. Li Shuai must find a way to capture him. In this way, even if we fail to defeat Dali, capturing this guy will be a great achievement."
, can also be used as a bargaining chip." Gao Qi was also very scared at this time.
Li Yan chuckled: "Without Butcher Zhang, wouldn't we eat pork anymore? Although Luo Hu is brave, he is not invincible!"
Gao Qi was startled for a moment: "Is Commander Li planning to use his army to kill him?"
"Our troops and horses are all on the other side, and Puzhou can only have a few thousand left, so he may not be his opponent overtly or covertly." Li Yan shook his head: "Since we can't do it, drag him with us."
Drag him... Gao Qi understood immediately.
When Li Guo sent Luo Hu to harass the rear of Puzhou, it must have been for cooperation. For example, if he wanted to regain the imperial capital, and if a force of troops caused trouble in Puzhou, Li Yan's energy and troops would not be able to concentrate on the imperial capital.
It was just that Li Yan was superior and attacked Dali first and gathered a large army to attack Tongguan. This left Li Guo with no time to think about and take action against the imperial court. In this way, Luo Hu's Zhenshan Camp became a guerrilla force.
What are the advantages of the guerrillas? They are highly mobile and the Zhenshan Battalion's combat power is off the charts. You really can't stop them, and you can't catch up with them.
But he also has shortcomings!
Not enough food and grass!
A man is like rice and steel. No matter how elite the troops are, no matter how powerful the soldiers are, they still have to eat.
How much food and fodder can a mobile unit carry?
Where do logistical supplies come from?
Go grab it?
Other rebel troops might have looted the villages and towns around Puzhou, but Li Yan was sure that Luo Hu's Zhenshan Battalion would not be able to do this.
Therefore, he concluded that once Luo Hu learned that he had not attacked the imperial court, and that Dali was still besieged, and there was a lack of food and grass, Li Yan would not be able to let him come and go as he pleased, even if he could not stop him and catch up.
You have to grind him, and he will leave automatically at this time.
Luo Hu is not afraid of being alone. He has courage and strength, and he has invincible strength and momentum when fighting alone.
However, no one is afraid of going hungry!
In addition, he heard that Dali and Tongguan were under siege, and he was eager for the savior. How could he play hide-and-seek with Li Yan here in Puzhou? He would have hurriedly crossed the river to help.
Therefore, Luo Hu has nothing to fear!
"Then let him act recklessly outside Puzhou City?" Gao Qi frowned, and Li Yan raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "Of course I can't, I have to teach him a lesson."
But how to teach this rebellious but brave bandit?
If the army were in Puzhou, Li Yan would naturally adopt the siege strategy of a sea of people. However, at this time, Puzhou only had a few thousand soldiers and horses responsible for defending the city, and they could not all be sent out to do it. If there were less, they would give Luo Hu a life.
So you still have to use your brain.
"Let him go back from wherever he came from. Just dig a hole and wait for him on the way back!" Li Yan made a small trick, but Gao Qi seemed to understand but didn't understand.
Just when Li Yan and Gao Qi were discussing how to dig a pit to bury Luo Hu in Puzhou City, Ma Huabao and others a hundred miles away finally received Li Yan's military order.
There is no criticism, after all, this is not the time to discuss merits and demerits.
"Li Shuai said, if you can't eat fat sheep, catch rabbits. The rabbits are in the north." That's what the messenger said. Ma Huabao and others understood it instantly.
There is no ability to attack Dali in a short period of time, and a forced attack will be in vain. However, it is meaningless to just siege without attacking. It is a waste of time, and our own side does not have that much time.
So, let's go north and hunt some little rabbits on the northern line.
Chengcheng County, Heyang, Hancheng!
A hundred miles due north of Dali County is Chengcheng County, then dozens of miles to the northeast is Heyang, and dozens of miles to the northeast is Hancheng. If you can't take the middle road, then go to the north road. What's more important is the strength of the northern line at this time.
It is empty, and once Hancheng is captured, it can even be said that as long as the bandits besieging Hejin hear the news of the attack on Hancheng, they will immediately withdraw and relieve the siege of Hejin.
Killing two birds with one stone again.
This makes Ma Huabao and the others admire them very much. People who can be called handsome people are very clever. If a plan fails, they will make another plan. They always follow the plan one by one. They even doubt that if they want to fight Dali
Failure to capture the northern front immediately had already been part of Li Yan's plan.
Just do it. The failure to capture Dali made Ma Huabao and the others lose their face. They were also holding fire in their hearts. Just when they were worrying about how to atone for their sins, this opportunity came. They must seize it as early as possible and as soon as possible.
.
Several people stayed up late to discuss how to capture the three cities, and soon came up with a resolution to divide their forces into three places to attack at the same time.
This is not because the opponent is underestimated, but because the opponent is too small.
The three palm-sized small counties are empty of troops, with no more than a few hundred at most, and there is absolutely no possibility of foreign aid in a short period of time. However, they have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in their hands. Attacking them one by one would be a waste of time, so they decided to divide the troops at the same time.
Capture.
Of course, in order to be absolutely sure, especially to prevent the bandits in Dali City from discovering their intentions and sending troops to rescue them, Zhang Guozhu was also put in charge of the rear to prevent the bandits from exploring and severing the relationship between the two places.
The soldiers were very fast. Although the soldiers and horses were exhausted, Ma Huabao and others still felt that the earlier and faster the better, so when the sky was slightly bright, they broke up the camp and divided their troops. Wu Weiying of the Shenji Battalion led his troops east and retreated to Chaoyi City.
After all, there is no need for his big sword to deal with those small counties.