To the west of Yanmen, the sky is filled with yellow sand, and the autumn sun is like blood.
When Zhu Ba arrived at the camp at dawn, he happened to see the dark Turkic army approaching.
Zhu Ba immediately turned around and ran for five or six miles when he heard a faint noise behind him. Li Gaoqian had been defeated. He abandoned the army and fled eastward with hundreds of personal guards. The Tang army completely collapsed and became a prey for the Turkic cavalry.
.
Li Gaoqian thought that he would be able to escape after leaving so many baits, but he didn't expect... Yu Sheshe, who had been defeated by him last year, led two thousand Qingqi in hot pursuit.
Last year Jieli Khan personally led an army of more than 100,000 to break through Yanmen and penetrated almost the entire Hedong. Although Yu Sheshe was not the only general who lost, he was whipped by Jieli Khan... Although Yu Sheshe hated him deeply
Jieli Khan, but the situation is stronger than the person, this hatred is naturally directed at Li Gaoqian now.
From early morning to afternoon, two thousand Turkic light cavalry were like a pack of clever wolves, tearing apart the target's flesh bit by bit. The personal guards around Li Gaoqian ranged from three to four hundred to one to two hundred, waiting for him to escape in embarrassment.
Not far from Yanmen, there were only a dozen people left, but the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty who had taken advantage of the chaos and fled were also running in this direction... There was no other place to go!
Li Shan's eyes on the city wall were cold, and he thought that no matter what else, Prince Li Jiancheng really didn't know who to choose. Look at the generals he picked... Although he could only choose from those left by Li Shimin, he couldn't choose Li Shimin.
Someone like Gao Qian was promoted to the position of General Zuo Wuwei.
Being besieged by the Turkic army, abandoning the army and fleeing first... In any era, it will definitely be despised.
"Mingfu..." A middle-aged official stood aside, his face full of fear.
"Are you all ready?"
"yes."
Li Shan took a deep breath and said, "Let's get started."
The city gate slowly opened, and more than a thousand infantry and hundreds of cavalry left the city one after another. Li Shan pressed his hands on the masonry of the city wall and stared intently at the yellow sand that was still diffuse in the distance.
Ma Zhou on the side whispered: "It's too risky."
"I know."
"Jiangxia County Duke abandoned the army and fled first..." Ma Zhou snorted, "I didn't realize that you, Li Huairen, sometimes have a soft heart!"
Li Shan reluctantly kept a calm expression, turned his head and chuckled, "Everyone knows that Li Huairen of Dongshan put benevolence and righteousness first, and set up wounded barracks in the army with great benevolence."
Ma Zhou sneered and said nothing more. He had been getting along with the man next to him day and night for almost two years. He didn't know this young man's temperament... he seemed to be benevolent and righteous, but in fact he was indifferent. At critical moments, his heart was as hard as iron.
But unexpectedly, after Zhu Ba sent back the battle report, Li Shan sent Fan Shiyi and others to lead the scouts out of the fortress. He quickly made up his mind and sent Kan Leng and Wang Junhao as the leaders to lead the infantry and cavalry out of the pass to meet the defeated troops.
You must know that the battle report was sent to Guo County not long ago. Even if Liu Shirang set off immediately after receiving the letter, it would be difficult to reach Yanmen in a while... Thousands and five soldiers sent out to respond. If the battle was defeated, Yanmen might be quickly breached.
By that time, Li Shan will definitely take the blame, and may still be ahead of Li Gaoqian.
It's really unwise!
Li Shan closed his eyes slightly and kept thinking in his mind. Indeed, this was an adventure.
But it was an adventure taken out of necessity.
Li Shan was well aware of Ma Zhou's concerns. He had already made a solid judgment about Ma Zhou. He was a scholar who was very capable in government affairs. At the same time, he seemed to be wild and unruly, but in fact he had a straight heart. However, the military was not ready.
Zhou has no talent, which can be seen from his trip to Shandong last year.
Ma Zhou only saw the risk of going out to respond, but he didn't see that if he didn't go out to respond... the risk would only be greater.
Li Gaoqian abandoned his army and fled. In Shuozhou, the defeated soldiers could only flee towards Yanmen. If Yanmen did not respond, it didn't matter whether Li Gaoqian died or not, but what would so many Tang soldiers do?
In order to survive, they may attack Yanmen... Killing each other is a trivial matter, but the key point is that it will greatly demoralize the defenders.
Of course, in order to survive, a large number of Tang soldiers were more likely to surrender to the enemy... Regardless of whether they belonged to the Turks or ended up in the hands of Yuan Junzhang, the threat to Mayi and Yanmen would rapidly increase.
The Turks were dominated by cavalry and were not good at attacking cities. Yuan Junzhang had this ability before, but Gao Manzheng defected to the Tang Dynasty and took away a considerable number of elites. Later, he was defeated in Mayi... The Tang soldiers under Li Gaoqian were capable.
The ability to siege cities and demolish strongholds.
After Shi, the chief of Zuowu Guards who stayed behind in Yanmen, mentioned this matter, Li Shan quickly made up his mind to respond to the defeated army... You can imagine it with your buttocks. If you don't respond to the defeated army, if Ma Yi falls in a few days, Liu Shirang will take the blame.
Throw it on whose head.
The most important thing to support the defeated army is to need a model... Who else could this candidate be besides Li Gaoqian?
Although Li Shan hated Li Gaoqian for deserting the army and ruining the good situation, he still hoped that this guy could return to Yanmen alive.
However, Li Shan did not think that there would be too much danger in sending troops to support him this time. After all, Mayi had not yet fallen, and Yuan Junzhang's main attention should still be on Gao Manzheng. The number of enemy troops chasing the defeated troops to Yanmen would not be
Too many... The report from the scout Fan Shiyi who went to inquire also confirmed this.
Of course, Li Shan didn't say any of this... Just now, Ma Zhou mentioned in a sudden tone that just before the Mid-Autumn Festival, before the Battle of Ma Yi started, you Li Huairen insisted that Zuo Wuwei was great
General Li Gaoqian, the Duke of Jiangxia County, is not the kind of person who is as timid as a mouse... Now that he has recovered, Li Gaoqian abandoned his army and fled.
Li Shandu hated his mouth...so he gritted his teeth and refused to speak out.
"There are really only more than 2,000 enemy troops?" Ma Zhou grabbed Fan Shiyi and asked in a low voice.
Fan Shiyi raised a long iron tube in his hand and said proudly: "There is no mistake, it will not exceed three thousand."
Li Shan turned his head and glanced. After he decided to go to Dai County, he began to secretly find craftsmen to make telescopes. However, he didn't know much about this aspect. After a long experiment, he only made two, and one was given to scout Fan Shiyi.
, the other one was just handed over to Kan Leng.
Thinking of this, Li Shan looked outside the pass.
Yanmen Pass has steep mountains and rocks on the east and west sides. There is a road in the middle, which is winding and rugged. One man can guard the pass and no one can open it. There is not much space outside the pass that can be used as a battlefield. Kan Leng holds an iron tube and looks at the distance with interest.
Even the frightened expression on the cavalry's face can be seen clearly.
"It's really an artifact!" Kan Leng clicked his tongue twice, carefully put it back in his arms, and waved to several personal guards to come out and shout.
"Those who enter the pass by detour and rush into the formation, regardless of whether they are friend or foe, will be killed immediately in front of the formation!"
"Those who enter the pass by detour and rush into the formation, regardless of whether they are friend or foe, will be killed immediately in front of the formation!"
The most important thing in meeting the defeated army is not to let the defeated army disrupt the position. Once it is disrupted, the enemy will take advantage of the situation and attack, leaving almost no room to fight back.
The Turks were also aware of this, so Yu Sheshe shouted loudly and ordered his men to speed up, driving Li Gaoqian and his group of defeated troops toward the front of the formation, hoping to disrupt the formation and take advantage of the momentum to attack.
Kan Leng sneered twice, raised his right hand, and hundreds of long arrows shot through the sky, knocking down the defeated soldiers who were running regardless.
Li Gaoqian, who was hit by an arrow in his left shoulder, swung his sword and chopped down two soldiers who were still charging forward, and took the lead in running towards the south... This was the only way to survive.
But even so, many defeated soldiers were still driven into battle by the Turkic cavalry. Although the soldiers who stayed behind at Yanmen knew they had to take action, they could not bear it. However, the Li Shanqin guards who followed Kan Leng out of the fortress this time were able to take action. Zhao Da shouted loudly
, and more than a hundred long arrows washed over the sky again.
The defeated soldiers no longer dared to charge anymore. They either stood on the battlefield blankly, or ran towards the wings wailing, and a few fell to the ground trying to fish in troubled waters.
But it was all in vain. Thousands of Turkic cavalry came like a whirlwind, wiping out all life in front of the formation.
The neighing sound of horses neighed in his ears, and the short and stocky Kan Leng raised his Mo Dao, which was almost taller than him, and strode out, flanked by soldiers holding shields on both sides.
With the Yanmen closed, Ma Zhou opened his eyes wide with a telescope in his hand, and his nervous palms were sweating. If he couldn't stop it, then everything would be over.
The next moment, Ma Zhou's hand slipped and the telescope fell to the ground.
No one except Ma Zhou could see clearly when the Yanmen Gate was closed, but all the soldiers at the pass witnessed it with their own eyes. Even Li Gaoqian, who fled to the south and was breathing heavily, turned his head to look because of the bursts of loud shouts.
"Who is this?" Li Gaoqian was trembling all over.
Kan Leng took a step forward, and saw a flash of sword light in the air. The ferocious-looking Turkic soldier who rushed in front was split in half from shoulder to crotch by Mo Dao.
And chopped down.
Blood mixed with organs splashed everywhere, leaving a moment of silence in front of the formation.
In an instant, the soldiers in the formation shouted, and their morale was greatly boosted. Guarded by three or four soldiers holding shields, Kan Leng did not stay where he was. Instead, he held a sword and walked out of the formation quickly. The light of the sword flashed, and all the Turkic cavalry were eclipsed.
The Turkic cavalry did not dominate by rushing into battle formations. They were better at wandering, or flying kites in later generations' terms... But outside Yanmen Pass, the space was too small, and the heavy armored infantry were already a powerful enemy of the light cavalry. In addition, there were Kan Leng
With such fierce people, the front of the Turkic cavalry fell into the formation, while those who followed were already hesitant.
Yu Sheshe, who was in the back line, sighed. He didn't expect that Li Gaoqian would be defeated, but Yanmen was still unbreakable. More importantly, he had the courage to go out to assist... I don't know who the guard of Yanmen is now. Could it be Liu Shirang?
Just when Yu Sheshe was about to give the order to retreat, majestic drums sounded from behind the Tang army's formation, and dozens of shirtless men hit the drums with drumsticks.
A cavalry force of about 300 appeared on the flank of the Tang army. It cannot be blamed that the Turks did not investigate in advance. The terrain outside Yanmen Pass was narrow. Yu She could not have imagined it. The army was pressing down on the border. While the Tang army held on with heavy armored infantry, they would still leave behind.
hand.
All kinds of shouts and curses were heard outside the pass. After Yu Sheshe took a closer look, his expression changed drastically, and he quickly walked away... He had helped Liu Wuzhou attack Hedong in his early years, and he knew very well that although the Tang army had not too few cavalry,
But because there are not many good horses, their combat power is not strong.
But even so, the cavalry of the Tang Army often had the upper hand in head-on battles with the Turkic cavalry... This was caused by various factors in the armor and equipment, as well as the different tactics of the two sides.
Yu Sheshe only took two glances, and he keenly discovered that although this cavalry only had two or three hundred riders, they were well-equipped and all had good horses... However, there was not much room for maneuver outside Yanmen Pass, and the cavalry under his command had just charged into battle.
When encountering setbacks, the formation is in chaos, and I'm afraid I won't be able to stop them.
Yu Sheshe's estimate was correct. The leader, Wang Junhao, was wearing bright light armor and an iron hat. His legs were clamped together. As the good horse accelerated, the long spear held high in his hand slowly leveled, followed by Qi Qi.
The third son, Zhu Shitou and other personal guards were followed by He Lou Xingshu and other descendants of the powerful clans in Dai County.
He Lou Xingshu was a little nervous when he went to the battlefield for the first time. He felt that his throat was dry, his mouth was dry, his palms were wet, and his penis almost slipped.
It seemed that just for a moment, the Turks were close in front of him. He Lou Xingshu could clearly see the panic on the opponent's face. He tried hard to adjust the direction of the long spear in his hand. He estimated the distance in his mind, but the next moment, a long spear struck sideways.
, and swept the Turk off his horse.
He Lou Xingshu raised his head and looked forward. Wang Junhao, who had always been taciturn, had a spear in his hand like a poisonous dragon, stabbing straight and horizontally. There was no enemy in front of him, and he rushed into the formation in an instant.
He Lou Xingshu kicked the horse's belly violently, shouted loudly, and rushed the horse into the formation.
Like a sharp long arrow piercing silk, like a heavy hammer breaking an egg, the three hundred elite cavalry easily tore apart the Turkic cavalry formation effortlessly.
After breaking the formation horizontally, Wang Junhao did not stop, but accelerated past, fighting all the way from the north to the south... After all, the room for maneuver outside Yanmen Pass was too small, making it difficult to charge into the formation a second time.
Wang Junhao gently tightened the reins and let his mount gallop. Looking back, he saw that the battlefield was already a mess. Under the cover of hundreds of long arrows, the dissatisfied Kan Leng was dragging Mo Dao forward...
After Yanmen closed, everyone finally felt relieved. Although they could not see the details of the battlefield clearly, they could clearly see the Turkic cavalry escaping to the west. Ma Zhou turned his head and glanced at Li Shan, and asked hesitantly: "Jun Hao..."
"In the western expedition to Tuyuhun, Kan Leng held the Mo Dao and led 800 soldiers to hold the front line. Thousands of cavalry could not break it." Li Shan kept a calm expression.
Ma Zhou stopped saying anything. He also understood Li Shan's way of speaking, which was always secretive... This was considered an admission. He was the one who decided to defend Kan Leng with infantry. After weakening the enemy's strength, Wang Junhao then attacked from the flank.
"Fan Shiyi, go out to explore the fortress. If the Turkic cavalry leaves directly, the range will be expanded to ten miles."
"yes."
"Pomegranate, order all the guards and civilians to follow someone out of the customs."
"yes."
Li Shan gave orders one by one, and the entire Yanmen Pass was busy. Li Gaoqian, who was sitting on the ground outside the pass, looked at this scene in frustration...Liu Shirang must have launched an attack, what should he do?
what to do?
After a while, Li Gaoqian made up his mind and said in his heart, Liu Shirang, you are so poisonous!
The thinking of such people will always be unconsciously biased towards themselves. In Li Gaoqian's view, Liu Shirang ordered him to go out to aid Mayi twice in a row, but who knew that the Turks would attack in large numbers...Liu Shirang must have known!
He only left a small number of troops to guard Yanmen, and the few generals he left behind had no courage to go out to respond... Not to mention other things, the ruthless man holding the Mo Dao had no impression of him at all. In the northeast of the river, besides Liu Shirang, there were other people.
who?
At this moment, a cavalryman dismounted and took off his helmet. Li Gaoqian's eyes widened. He recognized this man as the leader of the personal guards around acting magistrate Li Shan. It was said that he was the nephew of the famous Hebei general Wang Fubao.
"Jun Gong." Wang Junhao bowed expressionlessly.
Li Gaoqian reluctantly stood up with the help of his guards and asked tentatively: "Shut it down..."
"Mr. Lang arrived at Yanmen last night."
"Where's Liu Shirang?"
"Lang Jun went to Nao County yesterday but failed. He summoned his personal guards and replaced the county's young and strong soldiers, and rushed to Yanmen overnight."
Li Gaoqian let out a long sigh of relief...Okay, okay, okay!
Guan Guan turned out to be Li Huairen, who had a good relationship with him and had similar interests, and Liu Shirang was actually still in Guo County!