After Lu Xing and others got the order, they immediately mobilized the Jinwu Guards cavalry and divided the troops into four groups, approaching Jinzhou City. When they were five miles away from the city, the city gate opened wide and the bandits rushed out to form an array outside the city.
Li Yan raised his eyes and took a closer look. He saw that the bandit army numbered about three to four thousand people. He sneered and said: "They are not stupid." This bandit army did not dare to use the city as a battle. They knew that if they were surrounded, there would be no way to escape. If they went out of the city to fight, who would
It’s hard to say who will die and who will escape.
"With only three thousand troops, we are still more than defeated," Zhang Ji, the commander of the Jinwu Guards, said proudly. He turned to look at Li Yan, only to see his brows furrowed and his face became solemn. He was wondering: "What's wrong with General Li?"
?”
Li Yan squinted his eyes, looked at the big flag in the bandit army, and wrote a big letter with the character "horse" in it: "People from the old camp, the general called Ma Bao is a ruthless man, not as brave as Luo Hu."
Hearing Luo Hu's name, Zhang Ji and others couldn't help but frown. They had experienced the power of Zhenshan Camp in Taiyuan and were deeply impressed. No one wanted to fight him unless it was absolutely necessary, but Li Yan, the man in front of them, actually said that he was not as good as him.
How can we not be surprised if they are on par with each other?
Ma Bao is also a god-like legendary figure in the bandit army. This guy was abandoned by his father in the mountains when he was a child. Three days later, his sister-in-law went to find the beast. She saw that the beast was not eating and was still alive and kicking, so she took him home and raised him. He had a large appetite and was strong at a young age.
When he was an adult, he was born with tall red eyes, good at using tanning whips and spears, resourceful, brave and good at fighting. He was ranked third, and because in the early Tang Dynasty, there were three treasures of brave cavalry, generals and horses. People admired his bravery and called him by the three treasures.
He was very popular with Li Zicheng, and he was promoted to the deputy battalion commander of the old camp due to his meritorious service during the Eastern Expedition. He was considered a confidant among his confidants, and he was only sixteen years old at this time!
Another young general, Lu Xing and Zhang Ji's expressions changed again and again after hearing Li Yan's words. Luo Hu was only sixteen or seventeen, and the young governor was only sixteen or seventeen. Why are young people nowadays so awesome?
Very difficult to coax.
"General Li, how does the combat power of this old battalion compare with Luo Hu's Zhenshan Camp?" Zhang Ji asked again. Li Yan raised his eyebrows: "Only up, not down." Everyone changed their minds. Luo Hu's Zhenshan Camp could stop three thousand people.
There are thousands of troops, so isn’t this old camp... Think about how tired Jinwu’s guards are. Although their strength is several times greater, they don’t have any confidence at this time. Looking up at the scorching sun in the sky, a few of them feel chill...
Unexpectedly, Li Yan suddenly laughed again: "Laoying is good at fighting, and Ma Bao is also an unstoppable general, but it may not be difficult to defeat him." Lu Xing and others were overjoyed and asked for advice quickly.
Ma Bao was favored by Li Zicheng, and he was also a loyal person. Otherwise, the intruders would not have allowed his rear guard to protect them when they went south. At this time, when the officers and soldiers came after him, Ma Bao would have fought tooth and nail to intercept them.
But what if the officers and soldiers suddenly bypassed Ma Bao and pursued the intruder?
The eyes of Lu Xing and others suddenly brightened up, and they praised Li Yan for his resourcefulness.
In the bandit camp, there was a young general, tall and tall, holding a long spear. He looked coldly at the officers and soldiers two miles away. Although he saw the strength of his troops, he showed no fear.
"Mr. Ma Ying, the officers and soldiers have moved." The confrontation lasted for half a tea. The soldiers beside him shouted. Ma Bao raised his eyes and saw that the officers and soldiers were divided into four groups. The two groups in the center were attacking directly. The east and west groups were obviously outflanking them.
He sneered and shouted, and ordered his subordinates to fight. He fired his gun and took the lead in killing the enemy.
The two armies were fighting, with flying sand and dust covering the sky and the sun. There were swords and swords flashing for miles around. People were on their backs and their horses were screaming, and all the Jinwu Guards had cavalry and they had the advantage of strength. They were full of momentum. However, the old camp of the rebel army led by Ma Bao was an elite one.
The elite among them are waiting for work at leisure. Although their troops are weak, they do not lose momentum.
Ma Bao's bravery was unstoppable. After entering the formation, he killed all the troops. No one could resist him. They died at his hands. Suddenly, he heard the soldiers around him shouting: "Commander of the battalion, the officers and soldiers are about to outflank him." Hearing the voice, he ran away and saw the east and west wings.
The officers and soldiers tried to outflank them, but ignored them with a sneer. Looking at the big flags in the formation, they shouted: "If the middle road is broken, the officers and soldiers will be defeated. There is no need to worry about the rest!"
In his opinion, the two wings of officers and soldiers were nothing more than a cover. As long as they fought against the front two, the officers and soldiers would definitely disperse in a rush. Ma Bao was both wise and brave, as expected, but Li Yan knew his shortcomings and how could he let him do so easily?
To defeat it, personally carry a sword and lead your own soldiers to fight.
When Ma Bao saw Li Yan, he cursed him angrily and shot him. Li Yan was not afraid and fought hard!
According to historical records, Li Yan was both civilized and martial. Some people even claimed that he was the founder of Tai Chi (Li Yan, his second brother Li Zhong and his cousin Chen Wangting). Although this may not be true, his martial arts skills are generally recognized, and his
Having been a thief for several years, his horsemanship is not bad at all, at least far better than that knight-errant in Wuzhong, so he was able to fight Ma Bao without losing any force, and the fight between the two soldiers was extremely brutal.
"Batalion Commander, look!" While fighting Li Yan fiercely, Ma Bao suddenly heard the call and attacked continuously to force Li Yan back. Looking up, he saw that the officers and soldiers on the east and west wings did not attack from the side but went straight south!
Shit, this is to cross the line and chase the main force of King Chuang! Ma Bao suddenly panicked. King Chuang was carrying heavy baggage and it would be a big mistake if he caught up with him because of his slow pace. He immediately lost the intention to fight and shouted to his subordinates to divide their troops to chase the two groups.
Officers and soldiers...
After all, he is still a child, a little too young. Li Yan secretly laughed, if it were others, such as Li Guo, such as the young governor, they would not be disturbed by it. Just imagine that the two groups of officers and soldiers only numbered a few thousand, and they were chasing after them with a tired posture.
So what if he gets there? Li Zicheng has at least 20,000 troops around him. How can he be a vegetarian?
As the saying goes, caring leads to chaos. Ma Bao, a 16-year-old boy who is so cunning, is no match for Li Yan. He is loyal to Li Zicheng. Suddenly he saw officers and soldiers chasing him past him. He was so panicked that he had no time to think so much.
He hurriedly ordered his subordinates to divide their troops and pursue them. The remaining troops were confused and lost to Li Yan's men.
At this time, the main force of Li Yan's men was nearly ten miles away. The bandits panicked and immediately withdrew. Li Yan ordered a quick pursuit and kept an eye on them.
The chase and escape lasted for nearly half an hour, and both sides were exhausted. Fortunately, they were both cavalry, so they could resume pursuit after a short rest. By Shenshi (3 p.m.), Li Yan finally caught up with Li Zicheng in Zhaozhou.
Main force.
However, Tian Xiong, the general guarding Zhaozhou City, was ordered by Huang to lead more than 2,000 troops to guard the city. For several days, he had nothing to do except rectify the affairs of the city.
It's just that today is special.
Tian Xiong naturally knew that there were unsuspecting thieves around Zhendingfu City, and they fought with the officers and soldiers for days. Although he had nothing to do on weekdays, he did not dare to be careless. He went out to investigate in all directions, but he learned early in the morning that there were a large number of thieves in Jinzhou.
When the troops came, they were shocked. Why were there so many rebel troops? Didn't Mr. Huang stop them?
But then I thought about it. If Huang Degong hadn't stopped him, he should have retreated to Zhaozhou first. Secondly, if he wanted to cross the river and go south, he should have crossed Luan City and come from the west of Zhaozhou. Why did he come from the northeast?
I was puzzled, so I immediately sent a detective to Zhending Mansion to report the matter and find out what was going on.
At noon, the spies reported again: the bandits were entering from the northeast, only more than thirty miles away from the city. At the same time, the spies reporting from Beizhending Mansion also returned, saying that they encountered a large number of bandits heading south and could not pass through. Tian Xiong was shocked and Huang
The commander-in-chief didn’t stop him!
The rebel troops came from both sides and crossed the border. There were only two thousand defenders in the city. Tian Xiong was frightened and was at a loss for what to do. He thought about whether he should defend the city with all his strength and wait for the officers and soldiers to come to rescue him, or simply surrender.
However, Tian Xiong still has some brains after all, thinking that if Huang Degong is defeated, he will definitely retreat to Zhaozhou, but there is no trace of him at the moment, and if the rebel army wins, it is unlikely that they will suddenly move south in large numbers, and now two groups of traitor armies are coming.
, then there is only one possibility... Li Zicheng was defeated in Baoding City, and he was going to flee back to Xi'an.
When I thought of this, I lost my panic and even got a little excited. I secretly thought that the little governor was really awesome. I was thinking that when the rebel army fled, I had no time to attack the city. I just had to close the door and go out.
It was safe. I made up my mind and felt a little at ease. I climbed up to the city to observe the rebel force from a distance. I looked at the two cannons at the top of the city and wondered whether I should fire two cannons if the rebel army came close. (To be continued)