(Updated with 6,000 words, one chapter is worth two chapters, please give me a red vote)
The counties on the east bank of the Han River and other areas in northern Hubei are divided into east and west parts by the Dahong Mountain System, which are under the jurisdiction of Suizhou and Shicheng.
Although the distance between Shicheng and Suizhou is only one hundred and fifty or sixty miles, that is a straight-line distance on the map.
As the saying goes, the road to Wangshan is a dead horse. If you want to avoid the Huaidong Army that has entered the northern foot of Dahong Mountain, Longzui Mountain, and the Heishigou line to intercept the valley on the east bank of the Han River, you must cross Dahong Mountain and Green Forest.
Mountain, Baiyun Mountain, and go around to the northwest of Suizhou. If you don't have five or six days, you can't even think of going around the mountains.
Not to mention that Meng Anchan led his troops to evacuate from Xiaonan in a hurry. The supplies he brought with him could last for three or four more days. Even if they detour to the northwest of Suizhou in five or six days, who can be sure of the route from northwest Suizhou to Zaoyang by then?
Will the passage be completely blocked by the Huaidong Army?
The night was dark and deep, with only a few stars emitting dim starlight in the sky, making the surrounding hills and mountains appear as a black line between the sky and the earth. The cold wind howled, causing the rosin torches to sway and spread on the ground.
The rudimentary map is uncertain.
In addition to annihilating the Huaidong Army's cavalry who first ignored orders and fled north, Meng Anchan also sent a large number of scouting horses to roughly figure out Huaidong's interception force deployment at the northern foot of Dahong Mountain...
At the northern foot of Dahong Mountain, there are three main hills spanning from east to west:
Longzui Mountain is close to the valley on the east bank of the Han River. It is a long ridge running roughly from southeast to northwest. Longzui Mountain is not very steep, and the main peak is only more than a hundred feet high. Except for the valley near the Han River, Lingshan
There are also many gaps for cavalry to pass through.
It is said that Longzui Mountain is the best passage for Meng Anchan to lead his troops to escape north, and it is also the shortest way to escape from Zaoyang and Fancheng to Xinye. However, the Huaidong Army entered Longzui Mountain in the afternoon to intercept the largest number of troops.
Thousands of people.
Although he had an advantage in military strength, the morale of the troops who had fled from the north of Huangpi was unstable and their morale was low. Meng Anchan was not confident that he could pass through Longzui Mountain under the blockade of tens of thousands of elite Huaidong troops who were defending in danger.
Going east from Longzui Mountain is Heishigou.
Although it is called Heishigou, it is a large mountain clustered with peaks at the northern foot of Dahong Mountain. It is about thirty miles deep from east to west, but also nearly thirty miles deep from north to south. Although the peak is not high, it is steep and has cliffs.
There are countless deep ravines, and the locals are accustomed to calling Heishigou Coffin Ridge because of its danger.
Going east from Heishigou is the most important land passage from the northern foot of Dahong Mountain to Pinglin Port in Zaoyang. From Pinglin Port to the east, the passage between the hills and mountains turns directly eastward into the hinterland of Suizhou. It is only a short distance away from Zaoyang.
It will go further and further.
"The enemy general must have thought that our troops were in disarray and would only take shortcuts to escape to the new fields, so they deployed heavy troops in Longzui Mountain, waiting for our defeated troops to rush into them in panic," Meng Anchan pressed hard on the map with her finger, and said firmly
Pointing to the spot between Heishigou and Quegui Ridge, he said, "Let's bypass Heishigou, take Tiesong Creek, and go to Pinglinbu!"
Although it takes fifty or sixty miles to walk to Pinglinbu, the Huaidong Army deployed less interception troops between Heishigou and Quegui Ridge, and the valley road there is more suitable for cavalry to pass in groups. Compared with infantry, cavalry has the largest
The advantage of the cavalry is not the charging ability of the cavalry, but the mobility of the cavalry, which gives the cavalry the initiative to choose the battlefield...
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The news brought back by the scouts made Luo Wenhu feel heavy. Under the night, more and more enemy cavalry came over from the Taiping Temple at the northern foot of Dahong Mountain, went around to the south of Heishigou and then headed east. They were obviously heading towards them.
Come here to break through their defenses and flee north...
After nightfall, Luo Wenhu and Cao Peng crossed Queshi Ridge and entered the eastern foot of Heishigou. They led their troops into the cross slope in front of Pinglin Port. In front of the slope, Tiesong Creek flows down from the west foot of Queshi Ridge.
Tiesong River is the most important stream between Heishigou and Queyu Ridge. It originates from Queyu Ridge and runs northward along the steep slope at the east foot of Heishigou. It passes from Heishigou and merges into the Han River from the southwest of Zaoyang.
The river beach is two or three miles wide. However, the upper stream of Tiesong River just out of Queyu Ridge is much narrower. Especially after winter, the stream is thin and shallow. Under the weak starlight, the stream is only two or three feet wide.
It is two to three feet deep and is flanked on both sides by large stretches of creek beach filled with pebbles, hidden among the wormwood that can cover a horse's belly.
Luo Wenhu's troops formed an array between the upper reaches of Tiesong River and the cross slope. The defense line was spread out three to five hundred paces wide, blocking the valley road entering Pinglinbu from the south. Tiesong River becomes shallower after winter, and the enemy cavalry can wade through the water.
When crossing the river, even if you can't increase your speed, you can effectively suppress the impact of the enemy's cavalry and provide a strong cover for the infantry formation...
"Luo Xiucai, you are so lucky. You can get such a big battle right after you come here. Maybe you will have a seat as a general in the army in the future." Chen Daozi dismounted and walked to the river beach, passing through the wormwood.
Walking to Luo Wenhu's side, looking at the other side of the creek, there were dozens of black figures approaching, which should be the enemy's probing horses. The guard troops and horses on the north beach also calmly waited for the enemy's probing horses to approach, Chen Daozi
Then he could easily talk to Luo Wenhu about the upcoming war.
Chen Daozi was excited when the war came, but Luo Wenhu was still deeply worried.
If the main force of the enemy cavalry were to break through from Pinglin Port, I really have no confidence that the three to four thousand soldiers and horses behind him and Chen Daozi's battalion of cavalry could completely block the gap.
Obviously, when Sun Zhuang led his troops to join Luo Wenhu, he would not mix the main cavalry and infantry in front of the Pinglinbu Valley entrance, as that would not be of much use.
In addition to having Chen Daozi lead a battalion of cavalry to cover the flanks of Luo Wenhu's men, Sun Zhuang led the third brigade of the cavalry battalion, with more than 3,000 cavalry, to continue heading east of Quegui Ridge before nightfall to escape the reconnaissance of the enemy cavalry.
From the view, we lurk and rest in the forest valleys between the Wangjiamiao Mountains to the east of Quebi Ridge.
Sun Zhuang's tactical intention was very clear. He wanted to wait for the main force of the enemy's cavalry to attract the attention of the defenders in front of Tiesongxi, and then unexpectedly lead the main force of the cavalry to cover up from behind...
Although Sun Zhuang's tactics look simple, effective tactics are usually not complicated.
The strategy used by Huaidong in the Battle of Jingxiang was nothing more than to first lure the enemy deep, using some troops and horses to attract the main enemy forces on the east bank of the Han River to the eastern Hubei defense line from the front, and then use surprise troops from the side to cover them up.
Luo Wenhu also felt that Sun Zhuang's tactics were simple but effective, but he was worried about whether his troops could shoulder the important task of absorbing the main force of the enemy's cavalry and blocking the enemy before Tiesong River.
Luo Wenhu surrendered in Lishan, and he led the same 3,000 miscellaneous soldiers from his old army, followed by Cao Peng, Tian Su, who was selected by Zhou Sheng from among the prisoners, and hundreds of others who served as military and civilian support. At this time, they were digging a road trip on the river beach behind them.
Make shallow trenches for horses, traps, and create simple horse-rejection and antlers,
There was no time to cut down trees and build fences, so more than 30 carriages had their wheels removed and filled in on the defense line. The carriages made of thick wood could provide sufficient protection for the crossbowmen, and it was not necessary for the enemy's cavalry to wade through the iron pine trees.
The stream can be easily washed away later.
More than thirty bed crossbows made of fine iron were erected in the gap formed by the carriage, peering at the riverbank of Tiesong River. This should be the most powerful weapon in Luo Wenhu's hand to kill the enemy, but everything depends on the enemy's cavalry from here.
Determination to move past conflict.
The shooting range of the bed crossbow is 400 steps, which can block the river beach on the other side of Tiesong River. However, the enemy cavalry, Tiexin, has to rush over here. The enemy cavalry sprints 400 steps, which is only enough time for this side to fire one round of the bed crossbow.
; After that, armored infantry must be used to carry them up to fight. Only when the enemy cavalry is pushed back from the creek beach can the crossbow be fired, and the bed crossbow has a second chance to launch...
Although Cao Ziang was asked to add many sophisticated soldiers and armors, Luo Wenhu knew that it was not so easy to obtain an elite soldier who could face the enemy's cavalry charge and calmly defend the ground.
How could three thousand miscellaneous soldiers be transformed into an elite army that is not afraid of tigers and wolves in just three to five days?
Luo Wenhu looked back at the soldiers sitting around the campfire and resting in the distance. The expressions on their faces ranged from excitement to worry and fear. Luo Wenhu was deeply worried: These three thousand miscellaneous soldiers could stop tens of thousands.
The charge of the enemy cavalry?
Chen Daozi was an upright and experienced brigade commander in the Huaidong Army. However, the defense line on the northern beach of Tiesong River was dominated by Luo Wenhu. Sun Zhuang still handed over the battlefield command to Luo Wenhu and asked Chen Daozi and Cao Peng to assist him.
Since more bows and crossbows need to be concentrated on the front to defend against the enemy's cavalry charge, the two wings become very weak. Chen Daozi's cavalry is mainly responsible for covering the flanks and responsible for repeatedly attacking from both wings to weaken the enemy's cavalry's frontal defense.
Impact strength.
As more and more enemy cavalry outposts entered the south bank of Tiesong Creek after early morning, Luo Wenhu knew that this battle was inevitable, so he, Chen Daozi, and Cao Peng retreated from the creek beach to behind the defense line.
Tian Su, who was brought up to serve as a stronghold for the people, saw Zhou Sheng coming back with Luo Wenhu and others, and bravely went up to meet him, asking: "If we prisoners can kill the enemy in front of the formation, will we be rewarded with the same merit as the Huaidong Army?"
?”
For poor men like Tian Su, whose ancestors have worked hard for generations, land is their lifelong pursuit and dream; for them, life without land is worthless.
"Who is he?" Chen Daozi looked at the man standing in front of the horse and saw that he was a strong man with no fear in his eyes and asked him who he was.
Cao Peng told Chen Daozi about Tian Su's origins. Chen Daozi nodded and asked Tian Su: "What weapon are you good at?"
"Can use a broadsword."
"Give him a Mo Dao and a heavy armor," Chen Daozi said simply, "Luo Xiucai doesn't want you, so just come with me."
"I have no shortage of swords and armor here," Luo Wenhu rushed to get the man down, and then said to Tian Su, "Go and ask, who else is willing to enter the front line to kill the enemy? They will all be regarded as Huaidong soldiers.
Those who have committed mistakes will be punished, and those who have merit will be rewarded. However, you all have to think clearly for me. Those who go forward to kill the enemy and retreat without being ordered will be killed without mercy." Since Chen Daozi, Cao Peng allowed the captured soldiers to go into battle to kill the enemy.
He was eager to incorporate brave soldiers like Tian Su who dared to fight into the front line, so how could he be willing to let Chen Daozi abduct him?
Tian Su and others were selected from the captured soldiers to serve as the people's strength. At this time, they were driven to dig shallow trenches, traps, make horses and antlers, and repair war equipment. However, during the war, they would retreat behind the defense line to
Much safer than soldiers.
After hearing what Luo Wenhu said, Tian Su trotted back to the prisoner camp. In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred people came running after Tian Su, shouting for a fight. Tian Lao's words were crude and crude, but he said loudly: "I will save my life."
If you starve to death in the ravine without eating wild dogs, why not go into battle and kill the enemy, risk your life to earn a reward field, and maybe even get a wife to fuck with ten times or eight times!"
"Grandma, just don't be afraid of death," Chen Daozi laughed heartily and said to Cao Peng, "I think these people will be handed over to you. I will give you more than a hundred soldiers. If there is a hole in the defense line, you will be responsible for taking care of it."
They were sent to fill in the gaps..."
Chen Daozi formed a team of more than a hundred captured soldiers who were willing to risk their lives for battle, and then transferred more than a hundred elite soldiers from his subordinates to Cao Peng to form a leading army. Luo Wenhu did not refuse, knowing that this arrangement was the most suitable. Luo Wenhu also
He also handed over Zhou Sheng's headquarters to the command of Cao Peng to strengthen the leading troops in Cao Peng's hands. Seeing that Tian Su was quite prestigious among the captured soldiers, he immediately appointed Tian Su as the leader of the team. Seeing that all the captured soldiers went into battle to kill the enemy.
Luo Wenhu's worries were relieved a lot due to his bravery in fighting, and he suddenly became heroic. He pointed the horsewhip at his old subordinates around him and laughed and cursed, "You idiot sons, don't let me be a weakling at the critical moment!"
There was no shortage of more than a hundred swords and armors, so Tian Su and the others were to be used as leading soldiers to fill the gap. Cao Peng asked them to put on armors and carry Mo Dao and spears. After a while, Chen Daozi transferred more than a hundred swords and armors to Cao Peng's command.
The elites all wore heavy armor and were armed with horse-killing knives or mo-dao. Tian Su was also specially given a scale armor collar, a leather armor collar, a horse-killing broadsword, and a standard body-protecting saber.
When the enemy cavalry rushes in from the gap and wants to tear open the defense line, the leading soldiers rush forward to block the gap. Heavy armor combined with the Mo Dao is the most advantageous killing weapon, but the more important thing is to have the courage to face the enemy cavalry attack and not give in.
.
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In the cool mist in the early morning of the 24th, the morning light had not yet fully spread. In the dim light, hundreds of enemies rode across the stream to the north bank to test the defense line, and the battle of Tiesong Creek began.
From the perspective of the enemy cavalry fleeing from the north, they only had to tear open the blockade north of Tiesong River to open a passage to the new wilderness. How could they not devote all their strength to the fight at this time?
The enemy generals headed by Meng Anchan knew the significance of the battle in front of them: the Huaidong Army was really deployed on the northern front, and it would take only two or three days. It was impossible to form a perfect blockade on the Fancheng and Zaoyang front lines.
After Tiesong Creek, there must be a big gap that allows them to flee directly to the new wilderness. If they are blocked south of Tiesong Creek, the Huaidong Army's 20,000 to 30,000 elite soldiers near Suizhou can be asked to move westward to fill the gap.
Or let the main force of the Huaidong Army in Huangpi catch up. By then, they will be unable to fly even with their wings.
If you want to flee north, you must seize the opportunity in front of you. Even if half of your troops are wiped out, you can at least take nearly 10,000 elite troops to escape to the new wilderness. The result is countless times better than being completely wiped out in the hinterland of Jingxiang.
Each leading cavalry general picked out his own bodyguards and organized them into a supervising team to press behind the attacking horses.
Although Meng Anchan's troops who fled north were mainly light cavalry, in order to break the Huaidong Army's interception behind Tiesong River, it was not a problem to gather hundreds of armored cavalry.
In addition to the armored cavalry, looking at the defense line established by the Huaidong Army overnight after Tiesong River, Meng Anchan even ordered two to three thousand soldiers to dismount, hold swords and shields, and fight with strong bows, and mixed with the light cavalry and armored cavalry.
Form a charge formation to cross the Tiesong River instead of simply using light cavalry to attack the Huaidong Army's infantry defense formation.
Although a single roar of the crossbows could open up a gap for the oncoming enemy soldiers, the dense enemy soldiers were like a swarm of ants, frantically trying to tear apart the Tiesongxi defense formation and create a gap for them to escape north.
When the enemy soldiers rushed up, they knew they could not retreat to give the Huaidong Army's crossbows a chance to fire again, so they stood firmly in front of the defense line and guarded the north bank of the river beach, fighting hand-to-hand with those behind the defense line without taking a step back.
The heavily armored cavalry used the depth of the creek to be less than 200 steps and repeatedly increased their horse speed to attack the defense line. The horses' belly and buttocks were dripping with blood from the spurs, and they hissed and roared in pain in the early morning mist, which made people's blood boil...
The crude defense line quickly opened gaps one after another for the enemy's heavy armored cavalry, and more enemy cavalry and soldiers rushed in through the gaps despite the rain of arrows.
Luo Wenhu's worries have come true. Although many sophisticated soldiers and armor have been supplied, and although the morale of the Huaidong Army has been greatly stimulated by the reward orders, the troops under his command are still poorly trained soldiers.
Poor physical strength is one thing, and lack of experience is even worse. Luo Wenhu's soldiers rarely see strong enemies who brave the rain of arrows to attack. Many crossbowmen watch helplessly as the enemy cavalry rushes through the gap. Although there are many
They had the courage to escape, but they didn't know that they should retreat in time at this time and ask the spearmen, sword and shield soldiers and heavy armor swordsmen behind to join in the melee fight. They should shoot more fierce arrows from behind.
enemy.
Without adequate training, it was difficult to form close cooperation during the fight. Under a single attack by the enemy soldiers, the defense line was in danger... However, the morale of the generals still remained and their bravery was not broken. Although a gap was opened in the defense line, Zhou Sheng,
Tian Su led his armored soldiers and light soldiers to fight against the enemy soldiers who burst in through the gap.
The enemy soldiers who broke in at the front were mostly light cavalry. They lowered their bows and waved their scimitars, trying to rush in through the gap. They wanted to take advantage of the chaos to defeat the Huaidong Army behind the defense line. Unexpectedly, they met the Huaidong Army who was not afraid of death.
Dong Han died.
Luo Wenhu, Chen Daozi, Tian Su, and Zhou Sheng were the leading soldiers, all wearing heavy armor. Although the cavalry scimitar that rushed in was sharp, it was not enough to split the fine iron helmets and heavy armor made by Huaidong. As for Mo Dao, the horse-cutting sword
It is a heavy weapon. A standard horse-killing broadsword weighs more than fifteen to twenty kilograms. It is made of fine iron and its armor-piercing ability is far beyond that of the enemy's light scimitar.
Lin Fu organized the cavalry battalion and made it clear that its battlefield mission was to cover the flanks. When engaging the enemy's formation, it was also to attack the flanks and cover up and kill them. In this way, the advantages of the light cavalry were brought into play and the shortage was avoided to avoid being taken advantage of by the enemy. Lin Fu also
To equip light cavalry with a small amount of heavy armor and heavy weapons is to enable light cavalry to dismount and fight on foot or use iron armor to tear apart the enemy's formation when they have to break through it.
It’s not that Meng Anchan didn’t know these truths, but he was escaping from the north of Huangpi. How could he be fully prepared? When he took over the formation, he incorporated elite armored soldiers and heavy armored cavalry who dismounted to fight. He even considered the cavalry charge.
However, in order to tear open the gap in the Huaidong Army's defense line sharply and quickly, he had to order light and fast light cavalry to break through the gap.
Meng Anchan thought that as long as he fought fast enough and fiercely enough, the Huaidong Army could catch the Huaidong Army's shortcomings in the light cavalry and tear the Huaidong Army's defense line to pieces before suppressing it.
The sharp Mo Dao slashed down, and the huge horse head was cut in half with a single chop, causing flesh and blood to fly everywhere; neither the leather armor worn by the enemy's cavalry nor the rattan shields used by the enemy soldiers could stop it.
The heavy chop of the horse-killing sword.
Tian Su relied on his military prowess and was a leader in the Suizhou Army. He had forty or fifty men under his command. Even so, he could not afford a pair of iron armor or a good sword in the Suizhou Army. At this time, he felt guilty
Wearing scale armor and leather armor outside, he was not afraid of the enemy's arrows within ten steps. At this time, a spear came and stabbed his chest. Tian Su only felt pain and suffocation in his chest. Although the leather armor was stabbed
It was broken, but the blade of the gun was blocked by the scale armor inside. Tian Su slashed with his backhand and split half of the enemy soldier's head open. He became murderous and yelled: "Tell your mother to stab me!" The enemy soldier was bleeding like a fountain.
surge.
Once the defensive line stabilizes its position, the enemy soldiers who rush through the gap will appear weak, without the cover of bows and crossbows. In addition to the heavy-armored soldiers of Huaidong who prevent them from continuing to rush forward, Huaidong has recovered his senses.
The soldiers killed them on both sides.
Due to the reinforcement of heavy armored soldiers such as Zhou Sheng, Tian Su, etc., the situation of the gap in the defense line was quickly reversed. The nearly two hundred enemy cavalry that rushed in were brutally killed and the army was completely defeated. Almost in the blink of an eye, it seemed that
The precarious line of defense was stabilized.
At this time, Chen Daozi also led his cavalry to attack from both wings, killing the enemy soldiers on both wings under the stream beach, allowing Luo Wenhu to win a counterattack opportunity in front of the defense line - a truly effective defense depends on the ability to counterattack from the defense line.
It all depends on whether the counterattack is strong enough and whether it can effectively weaken the enemy's ability to continuously attack.
Although Luo Wenhu's counterattack was somewhat messy, they still had enough courage, and Chen Daozi led his cavalry to cut in from both wings to cover. Generals Zhou Sheng and Tian Su led two teams of fierce soldiers down the beach like tigers. It looked like
The somewhat chaotic counterattack also defeated the enemy soldiers who entered the north bank.
Before the enemy general sent another charge to the south bank, Luo Wenhu promptly directed the counterattack soldiers to retreat to the defense line, and the crossbow was reloaded and cocked...
The first time is always panicky and difficult. After experiencing the first time, Luo Wenhu and the generals looked at the enemy corpses on the creek beach, and their minds were no longer as uneasy and fearful as they were before the battle. The enemy cavalry were as fierce as tigers and wolves.
But that's it!
This is especially true for ordinary soldiers. Once they are involved in bloody killings, the first fear and panic will be suppressed, and what remains may be apathy in the face of death; or for the pursuit of the pleasure of killing, or for the strong desire for victory in the heart.
Desire will make people fearless.
The mist dissipated and the sun rose above the mulberry trees. What gave Meng Anchan a headache was not only the fact that the Huaidong Army's defense line on the north bank of Tiesong River could not be broken open over and over again, causing him to lose troops and generals, but what was even more troublesome was the Huaidong Army on the front line of Longzui Mountain.
The Eastern Army intercepted the main force of soldiers and horses, and resolutely left the defense line at dawn and headed southeast - it seemed that the posture was to attack their rear flank at the southern foot of Heishigou.
Instead of going to Xinye via Longzui Mountain, Meng Anchan led his troops to cross Taiping Mountain at night, bypass the southern foot of Heishigou, and level Linbu from the western foot of Heishigou. Once the Huaidong Army's defense line at Tiesong River could not be broken,
He also asked another Huaidong Army to circle to the southern foot of Heishigou. Meng Anchan would face a pincer attack by the Huaidong Army. This was obviously not a situation Meng Anchan wanted to see.
Meng Anchan could only divide his troops to suppress the Huaidong Army from Longzui Mountain heading south to attack them, and buy more time to tear apart the Tiesongxi defense line. Meng Anchan did not expect that on their left flank, on their left,
Deep in the forest valley on the front line of Wangmiao Mountain to the east, the main force of the third brigade of the Cavalry Battalion led by Sun Zhuang has revealed its fangs...