Duan Xiushi, who was standing in the tent, looked at Li Siye who was seriously injured in bed and sighed deeply.
This is not the first time Li Siye has been seriously injured.
Unlike other generals in the army, Li Siye was extremely brave and always liked to charge forward in battles.
Although this move can boost morale and demonstrate bravery, if you encounter a prepared opponent and are ambushed, you will suffer a big loss.
The first time was the battle of Tongguan, and this time the battle of Fangshan was the same.
Duan Xiushi stood by the bed, looked at Li Siye and said: "The arrow wound this time was only two inches away from the heart. If you were to miss it again, your life would have to be handed over here."
Li Siye snorted twice and cursed in a deep voice: "That fellow Lu Jiong is despicable and shameless. I will not accept my defeat!"
Duan Xiushi: "On the battlefield, swords and guns have no eyesight, and soldiers are not tired of deceit. How can we talk about despicableness?"
When Li Siye heard this, he struggled to get up. His movements affected his wounds, which made him feel hurt and angry, and he kept cursing.
Duan Xiushi said helplessly: "You have a fiery temper and lack foresight in everything. You were lucky this time so you didn't lose your life. If it happens again, it might be dangerous."
In the next few days, while Li Siye was recovering from his injuries in the camp, Duan Xiushi took over the command of the army and began to command the Northern Tang army to attack the mountain.
After several days of fighting, Duan Xiushi finally saw how difficult Lu Jiong was.
The latter was almost full of traps and hidden sentries in the mountains. No matter which direction the Northern Tang army attacked from, they would lose their troops due to ambushes.
Duan Xiushi tried a night attack, and Lu Jiong designed a rope bell in the mountain road. Before the soldiers of the Northern Tang Dynasty got close to the top of the mountain, they triggered the trap, were then illuminated by fire, and finally were set on fire by arrows.
Duan Xiu Industrial tried a fire attack, but unexpectedly there was a live spring on the top of the mountain. Lu Jiong dug a trench around the camp and diverted spring water into the canal, making it impossible for the fire to get close.
In this way, the Northern Tang army struggled in Fangshan for almost ten days. Not only did they not advance an inch, but their morale was severely damaged.
On this day, Duan Xiushi stood in the big tent with a depressed look on his face. A circle of military generals gathered around him. Everyone looked disgraced and their faces were dull.
There is no other reason, it's just because I'm too frustrated.
Among this group of generals, some participated in the siege of Fanyang, some participated in the liberation battle of Chang'an, and some participated in the offensive and defensive battle of Luoyang.
The generals who had experienced several battles had rushed forward in all kinds of situations, but now they were blocked by a small Fangshan Mountain.
Moreover, the opponents were a group of Southern Tang soldiers who could not even defeat the Yan army.
Duan Xiushi first looked at the expressions of everyone, and then said: "Lu Jiong occupies a favorable location and has been fortified in the Fangshan area for a long time. Most of his soldiers are locals, so his fighting strength is tenacious, exceeding our army's expectations."
A general said: "The key to this battle is that artillery cannot be used. The enemy camp on Fangshan Mountain is protected by rock walls. Artillery cannot hit it, and explosives cannot move it at all. However, the enemy's bows and arrows can be condescending and fall down."
At the head of our army."
Duan Xiushi scratched his head and asked the others: "I asked you to send out scouts to explore if there are other routes to bypass Fangshan and surprise Fangling City. Have you found it?"
The general in charge of the investigation replied: "General, we sent people over to investigate. The terrain around Fangshan is difficult. It is difficult to bypass the nearby mountains and surprise Fangling City without alerting the enemy. Moreover, if the enemy discovers
The traces of our army do not require the army to go down the mountain. As long as a partial army is sent out, our army's supply line can be cut off."
Duan Xiushi nodded, that was indeed the case. Fangshan was in a key position and was a natural barrier in front of Fangling City. If you wanted to enter Shannan East Road, you must remove Fangshan as a nail.
Thinking of this, Duan Xiushi looked at the others and asked, "Do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"
Upon hearing this question, all the generals looked troubled and refused to answer.
Duan Xiushi sighed. He had no choice but to pick up the book sent by the Privy Council and start reading.
The book recorded the number, location, generals' biographies and surrounding situations of the enemy. Duan Xiushi opened it unintentionally when he suddenly saw a line of words and stopped.
I saw that the book said that Lu Jiong was good at defensive operations, but he did not manage the army strictly and often allowed his soldiers to plunder, so he had a bad reputation among the people.
Seeing this, Duan Xiushi had a plan in mind.
He ordered his generals to spread out to find hunters and villagers around Fangshan, and then invite them to the army.
Half a day later, soldiers from the Northern Tang Dynasty entered the camp with dozens of Fangshan people.
Duan Xiushi set up meals in the army to entertain the people of Fangshan.
This group of common people were captured by the soldiers of the Northern Tang Dynasty. They originally thought that there was no hope of escape. Everyone thought that the only way to do this was to be killed.
Unexpectedly, the army of the Northern Tang Dynasty was not as brutal as the Southern Tang court publicized. Instead, they held a banquet and gave many gifts.
Duan Xiushi first told these Fangshan people about many policies of the Northern Tang Dynasty, such as land to the tillers, virtuous orders, compulsory education, etc. Then he changed the topic and said: "The imperial court's crusade against the puppet Tang Dynasty was only for the benefit of the people in Jiangnan.
, Duan led his army to Fangshan on this trip, and was trapped here, not knowing how to defeat the enemy. If you have a method, I hope you can give me some advice."
Although Duan Xiushi was dressed in military uniform, he did not look like a warrior. He was fair-skinned and behaved like a scholar, which made the people like him immediately.
An old man among the common people said to Duan Xiushi: "The general named Lu Jiong on Fangshan Mountain only focuses on fighting and never cares about the suffering of the people. The soldiers under him are even more cruel. Since they came to Fangling
, we people have suffered deeply from it and wish we could get rid of them as soon as possible."
When Duan Xiushi heard that there was something going on, he quickly asked: "I am willing to eliminate harm for the people, but how should I do it...?"
After thinking for a moment, the old man said to Duan Xiushi: "In addition to the mountain road to the west, there is actually a small road to reach the top of Fangshan Mountain."
Duan Xiushi frowned and said: "The soldiers under Lu Jiong have covered the entire mountain with ropes. No matter which direction you go up the mountain, traps will be triggered, making the enemy alert."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The old man shook his head: "The entrance to the path I am talking about is a cave hidden in the dense forest. The cave is a natural
The caves are hidden inside the mountain.”
Duan Xiushi was stunned: "A natural cave inside the mountain?"
Old man: "The inside of the cave is winding and has many forked roads, but there are many medicinal materials and hunting harvests along the way. Therefore, in the past years, hunters and medicinal gatherers in the village often entered the cave to hunt and collect medicinal herbs.
"
Duan Xiushi: "Is the passage in the cave difficult to navigate?"
The old man nodded and said: "There is a high platform in the cave, which requires carrying ropes and hammers. There is also an underground river in the cave, which requires water to cross. Although the road is difficult, the exit is a sinkhole. As long as you climb up, you will reach Fangshan.
From the top of the back mountain, you can directly reach the barracks on the top of the mountain."
Hearing this, Duan Xiushi was overjoyed and asked: "Is there anyone among you who can lead the way? As long as it is accomplished, there will be a big reward!"
The old man looked behind him and said: "There is a father and son of the Orion family in the village. They go to the mountain every year. They have walked the route no less than a hundred times. They can help the general."
Duan Xiushi: "Okay!"
What happens next is much simpler.
Duan Xiushi sent a few hundred elite soldiers to follow the hunters into the Fangshan cave, and arrived at the top of the back mountain of Fangshan before dawn.
Duan Xiushi commanded the main force and fought the Southern Tang army in the front. The elite soldiers took advantage of the enemy's distraction and suddenly rushed into the Fangshan camp, setting fire everywhere and shouting that the Northern Tang was coming.
When the troops under Lu Jiong heard that the rear line was attacked, their morale was greatly reduced and they fell into chaos.
The morale of the army was shattered, and the combat effectiveness of the soldiers of the Southern Tang Dynasty was not as good as that of the Northern Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, the whole battle lasted only half an hour. Seeing that the situation was over, Lu Jiong led his troops and surrendered to Duan Xiushi.
The day after the Fangshan camp was captured, Zhou Shunnian, the governor of Fanglingcheng, also surrendered along with Kaicheng.
Duan Xiushi, who led the Western Route Army of the Northern Tang Dynasty, became the first Northern Tang general to officially set foot on the territory of the Southern Tang Dynasty.