The next day Teng Yi returned to the rear defense base guarded by Jing Jun to make arrangements for the arrival of reinforcements from the suspected army the day after tomorrow.
Xiang Shaolong inspected the camp as usual. When he climbed up to observe the enemy's formation, he saw that the enemy was unreasonably quiet and wondered, "Have they always been like this?"
Cheng Jun replied respectfully: "It has only been so quiet in the past ten days. Before that, troops were sent day and night to cause trouble, but they were mostly small groups of no more than 20,000 to 30,000 people."
Xiang Shaolong felt something was wrong and thought: "If the enemy reaches the other side, can they go far upstream and then cross the river to outflank our back?"
Cheng Jun said: "General Meng Shang has already thought of this, so he set up beacon towers along the river. If he sees the enemy, he will immediately warn him. What's more, the Deshui River is wide and fast, with high cliffs on both sides and no bridges. The enemy can
If you have this intention, it will be difficult to do even if you are afraid.”
Xiang Shaolong still couldn't let go and said to Zhou Liang on the other side: "Send the Eagle King to the other side to have a look around. It would be better if he could fly farther away."
Zhou Liang happily accepted the order and went.
With the presence of the Eagle Queen, Zhou Liang became a completely different person.
Cheng Jun looked unnatural when he saw that Xiang Shaolong didn't believe his own judgment.
Seeing this, Xiang Shaolong smiled and said: "General Cheng hastily taken this matter to heart. The way of war is ever-changing, and it is always inseparable from the four-character motto of "victory by surprise." Since Pang Yuan is famous, he is certainly a capable person.
That's why I had to be on guard against him having an unexpected surprise. If I guessed correctly, Pang Yuan set up a temporary pontoon bridge in the upper reaches that was difficult for our scouts to reach, and used thick ropes to resist the turbulent flow. After completing the feat of crossing the river, he retracted the pontoon bridge.
Get up, move to the upstream behind us, and set up a pontoon bridge in the same way to allow the army to cross the river quickly. Ha, no wonder they have to wait for our reinforcements to arrive before attacking."
Cheng Jun was speechless, and at the same time he thought to himself that since you are a general, you can naturally say whatever you like.
Xiang Shaolong pointed to a dense forest on the right side of the mountain and said: "If I were Pang Yuan, I would have people hide heavy equipment such as chariots in the forest and cover them with branches and leaves. When they attack us, they can keep the distance
It’s doubled in length.”
Cheng Jun said: "You will pay attention eventually."
Xiang Shaolong laughed dumbly and said, "Has General Cheng ever thought of burning it with fire?"
Cheng Jun said in astonishment: "That dense forest is close to the enemy's formation, and there are pits and battle fortresses everywhere. How can you get close and set fire?"
Xiang Shaolong pointed to the high mountain on the left: "You can throw down the fire after you climb up that mountain. However, the timing of using this strategy is most important. If you use it when the enemy comes to attack, it will have the greatest effect."
Cheng Jun was shocked and said: "I will understand later."
The two of them also studied various strategies to block the enemy's army. Because at least they have to hold out for a few days before they can pretend to be defeated, otherwise who would believe it.
At this time, Zhou Liang came back with the Eagle King and said excitedly: "The general is really good at predicting events. Just looking at the flying range of the Eagle King, he said that he knew that at least nearly 100,000 people from the other side had sneaked close to the other side, fifteen miles upstream from our rear.
We are about to cross the river and launch a sneak attack."
Cheng Jun was immediately sweating profusely and said with shame, "General, I will go immediately to strengthen the defense there."
Xiang Shaolong was shocked: "Wait a minute, doesn't this mean we are telling the other party that we know their secret actions?"
He stretched out his hand to touch the eagle king, but saw that its eagle's beak immediately turned around as if to peck and bite him. Xiang Shaolong was so frightened that he quickly retracted his hand.
Zhou Liang said apologetically: "This villain deliberately taught it not to approach other people. General, please forgive me."
However, Cheng Jun was anxious about the sneak attack of the enemy's surprise troops, and asked with admiration: "What should I do, general? If we let the enemy sneak to the rear, cut off our retreat, and then attack from both front and rear, the situation will be extremely dangerous."
Xiang Shaolong didn't answer him for the time being, but said to Zhou Liang: "Brother Zhou is responsible for monitoring the movements of enemy troops on the shore. You can rest during the day, but you must pay more attention after dark."
Zhou Liang said happily: "Should the villain go back to his tent and sleep with the Eagle King now?"
Xiang Shaolong laughed and said, "That's exactly it."
After Zhou Liang left, Xiang Shaolong said to Cheng Jun: "Don't worry, General Cheng. I'll be responsible for burning the forest and dealing with the enemy soldiers crossing the river. You only need to take care of the camp and let everyone transport water and rest during the day, so that you can have the energy to deal with it at night."
enemy."
There was a sound of drums in Qiandi, coming from the enemy camp.
Hundreds of chariots were seen rushing out, followed by tens of thousands of infantry, slowly approaching.
Xiang Shaolong sighed: "The enemy knew that my reinforcements had arrived, so they started their fatigue offensive again."
Turning to Cheng Jun, he said: "Now General Cheng understands why we are only allowed to take turns to rest."
Cheng Jun was sincerely convinced: "I will finally be taught."
Xiang Shaolong was amused in his heart. He was better because he had more than two thousand years of military knowledge. He could just pick out one or two clever tricks from famous battles in ancient times and apply them smoothly.
Now he and the Eighteen Iron Guards sneaked out of the camp and headed upstream along the coast.
If it is as Cheng Jun said, beacon towers were built every ten miles or so. The towers were about five feet high, with a three-foot pole on the top. A horizontal board was hung from the top of the pole, which could be tilted up and down for soldiers to climb up and see far away.
A large cage filled with firewood is hung at each end of the horizontal board. If the enemy is sighted, smoke will be smoked during the day and fire will be raised at night. According to the predetermined signal, the enemy number, distance, distance and other information will be displayed.
There is also a large drum on the stage, which is an effective means of long-distance communication.
However, from the perspective of a special forces unit, Xiang Shaolong could cross the Yellow River with driftwood and other objects while the moon was dark and the wind was high, and it was not impossible to deal with these beacon sentries. Thinking of this, he felt a rush in his heart.
Shock, I already know what the enemy is waiting for.
They were waiting for the dark night when the moon was dimmed and the sky was covered with dark clouds.
Only in that environment can they carry out a surprise attack across the river.
Xiang Shaolong came to the place about twenty miles upstream pointed by Zhou Liang, and found that the water there had slowed down and the cliffs were not as steep as elsewhere, making it the most suitable place for building a pontoon bridge to cross the river.
There happened to be a beacon tower there, which shows that Meng Ao had indeed put in a lot of effort when setting up these beacon towers.
At this time, he knew what was going on and hurried back to the camp.
The shouts of killing from both the enemy and our side resounded throughout the front line, but the Qin soldiers in the camp had long been accustomed to it. Those who were allowed to rest fell asleep and turned a deaf ear to the deafening drums and the sound of shells.
Xiang Shaolong patrolled around, giving encouragement and encouragement. He felt like the Minister of Defense who went to the front line to work for the army. Everyone cheered everywhere and his morale increased sharply.
In ancient battles, morale can directly determine the success or failure of the war.
When he returned to the commander's tent, he saw Zhou Liang feeding the Eagle King with fresh rabbit meat. It turned out that he couldn't sleep no matter what.
Xiang Shaolong smiled and said: "Don't worry, the weather will be fine one day and it will be difficult for the enemy to cross the river, so don't be nervous."
Zhou Liang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's much better."
Xiang Shaolong returned to his tent and fell asleep. He dreamed of Ji Yanran's daughters and Xiang Baoer, and also dreamed of Qin Qing, whom he had not heard from for a long time. When he woke up, he realized the pain of missing him.
That night, the enemy strengthened their offensive and used trebuchets to throw boulders, destroying the Qin army's first wooden fence and filling up the pit. The Qin army was forced to withdraw to the second line of defense half a mile back to strengthen its strength. Only then did the enemy
Repulsed, both sides suffered casualties. Of course, the number of casualties suffered by the enemy's main attacker was much higher.
At dusk the next day, Jing Jun led a detachment of 2,000 elite cavalrymen to the camp and reported to him that everything was ready. The wounded and sick soldiers who had been evacuated were already on their way to Wucheng, and the army could also
Come tonight.
Xiang Shaolong and Jing Jun told Jing Jun about the enemy crossing the river. Jing Jun said: "The morning glow is windy and the evening glow is raining. Judging from the weather, it will definitely rain in these two nights. It will happen in these two nights. You can leave this matter to me.
The enemy didn't have one night to build a pontoon bridge that was so long and could be carried horizontally."
Cheng Jun next to him asked, "What are you going to do, General Jing?"
Jing Jun thought for a while and said: "I will remove the sentries from the beacon tower there. If the enemy is brave enough to cross the river, I will launch a fierce attack while they are unable to advance or retreat in the river. I only need to place dozens of trebuchets there.
, you can teach them to drink the virtuous water of hatred."
Xiang Shaolong praised: "Xiaojun has indeed improved a lot. I will leave this matter to you. Remember to take Zhou Liang with you."
He also called Jing Shan and asked him, Wu Guang, Wu Da and Dan Quan to prepare fire and climb the mountain to set fire to the forest after dark.
After several groups of people were separated, Teng Yi's "suspicious soldiers" arrived.
I saw lights all over the mountains and plains, and most of them were wind lanterns hung on empty mules. Thousands of people created a momentum of tens of thousands.
It was a night with dark clouds covering the sky, but the clouds were thick and there was no rain, making it the most advantageous for a sneak attack.
Xiang Shaolong climbed up to the high platform on the front line and saw that the enemy had gathered a large number of chariots, horses, infantry and thousands of trebuchets, and was preparing for a large-scale attack. However, there was no movement in the dense forest on the left. You can imagine that during the battle, if someone suddenly came from there
If you send out a large number of fresh troops, you will definitely be able to break through your own solid defense line.
The sound of war drums sounded, and the Wei army took the lead in attacking, slowly approaching from the right, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.
Then on the left side of the shore, Korean soldiers also began to advance towards their own formation, and their momentum immediately increased.
After continuous cooperation, the five-nation allied forces were indeed impeccable in their coordination. No wonder they were defeated every time they faced off against the Qin army.
The war drums sounded again, and the enemy formation rushed out of nearly a thousand chariots and came from the middle, followed by tens of thousands of archers. Since they did not have heavy equipment such as trebuchets, they arrived last and first, and in an instant they overran the Korean and Wei troops on both wings.
, coming directly.
The chariot is about ten feet long and wide, with two large wheels on both sides, and is pulled by four horses. It moves extremely fast, giving people the feeling of great breakthrough power. It crosses the filled pit in an instant.
Crossing the destroyed first line of defense, we climbed up the hill at the end of the plain.
Just when Xiang Shaolong was about to order a head-on attack, the enemy's chariot suddenly stopped, unhooked the horses, and linked the chariots together to form a two-mile-long camp.
The strangest thing is that every three feet or so, there is a gap that can allow three people to pass holding hands, making it difficult for people to understand its purpose.
At this time, the opponent's infantry rushed over, hid behind the chariot formation, and bent their bows and arrows to prevent the Qin people from coming out of the stronghold to counterattack.
Since the car array was outside the range of the arrows, Xiang Shaolong and others had no way to counter them.
Cheng Jun sighed: "The general's prediction is correct. The enemy's move is aimed at cutting off our front. If the enemy troops can really attack from the rear, we will definitely not be able to escape the fate of the entire army being destroyed."
At this time, another convoy was seen approaching, but it was not an ordinary chariot, but a heavy grain truck. Just by looking at its slow speed and the eight mules dragging it with great difficulty, we knew that the truck was filled with stones.
s things.
Only then did Xiang Shaolong and Cheng Jun understand that the gap left by the previous car formation was to allow these stone cars to pass through and establish another car formation closer to their own formation.
If the opponent is allowed to build this car barrier, I'm afraid the second line of defense will be captured tonight.
However, since the opponent has already been covered by chariots and archers, there is indeed a chance of success if the opponent builds a chariot formation again.
The sound of killing came from both wings, and the enemies on the left and right began to launch strong attacks.
Zan Shaolong looked around and roughly estimated that the enemy had invested at least 200,000 people in tonight's attack battle. Their strength was more than twice that of our own. If the fortress was breached, our army would indeed be left to be slaughtered.
The enemy's five-color flag was raised high and they were in a battle formation. It can be imagined that Han Chuang was one of them.
Cheng Jun and more than a dozen generals all turned pale, clearly frightened by the enemy's clever tactics and overwhelming force.
Xiang Shaolong calculated the time and ordered: "Gather a group of 10,000 shield soldiers and archers, prepare catapults, and when the dense forest on the left catches fire, immediately leave the stronghold to attack and break the enemy's vehicle formation."
Someone took the order right now.
The sound of killing started again, and a group of nearly a thousand infantrymen rushed out from behind the vehicle formation and fired at them with rockets.
The Qin army's camp immediately deployed arrows and rocks to resist the enemy.
The situation was so tragic that the originally dark sky was turned blood red by the torch light.
This was Xiang Shaolong's first time to experience a large-scale offensive and defensive battle in ancient times. He was both excited and sad at the same time. He couldn't describe the feeling in detail.
When more than a hundred enemy stone-carrying vehicles and catapults passed through the vehicle formation and were approaching, several fires suddenly broke out in the dense forest on the right and spread quickly.
As Xiang Shaolong expected, countless ambush troops ran out of the forest in panic, and most of them were the most mobile cavalry.
Cheng Jun was so energetic that his confidence in Xiang Shaolong increased sharply, while the enemy became panicked.
The Qin army's war drums sounded and the gates of the village were opened wide. The shield soldiers were divided into three groups and formed in the front, with the archers in the back. They took advantage of the enemy's car formation to launch a counterattack before the formation was formed.
Two teams of cavalry, each numbering 10,000 people, rushed out from the left and right at the same time, charging at the enemy to contain the enemy's armies on both wings.
At one time, tens of thousands of people were engaged in a fierce battle, with corpses scattered everywhere and rivers of blood flowing.
Only now did Xiang Shaolong realize the bravery and eliteness of the Qin army. As soon as they made contact, they immediately dispersed the enemy's vanguard and killed the enemy until they abandoned their vehicles and fled. The most fatal thing for the enemy was that their stone transport and catapults turned into his own.
One's own barrier allows archers to get close to the opponent's chariot formation and launch long-range attacks at enemies whose positions are unstable.
The drums of war are rising again.
At this time, the Qin army's archers swarmed out to help their own cavalry retreat to the camp, leaving behind stone chariots and chariots that were still burned, disrupting the first wave of the enemy's offensive.
Xiang Shaolong knew that the other party would not give up in order to cooperate with the raiding force across the river. Many places on his own front line at Muzha and Muzhai were destroyed by large rocks or burned by rockets, so he ordered the main force to be withdrawn to the end.
the third line of defense.
At this time, the dense forest on the right was completely engulfed in blazing flames, lighting up the entire battlefield as red as fire.
After the enemy retreated, the 50,000 to 60,000 enemy troops stationed in the midfield attacked from the left, right, center, and center under the cover of arrow-blocking vehicles, gun-trucks, and guard vehicles, launching a second wave of attack.
The offensive and defensive battle was going on under this thrilling situation.
Wounded soldiers were constantly being transported away from the camp, and when the second defensive line was about to fall, it was already dawn and the enemy was exhausted and had to retreat.
Jing Shan and others returned safely at this time, which made Xiang Shaolong relieved.
Then news of success came from the rear. When the enemy built a pontoon bridge to cross the river, Jing Jun launched a fierce attack, destroyed the pontoon bridge, and caused the enemy to lose nearly 10,000 people.
When the Qin army heard the news, their morale was greatly boosted.
But Xiang Shaolong knew in his heart that he was defeated and could not survive tonight, so he ordered the withdrawal in batches, but he did not forget to use bluff to prevent the enemy from seeing through his intentions.
Just after breakfast, the enemy launched another offensive, apparently not yet aware that the soldiers crossing the river had suffered heavy losses.
After holding on until dusk, the second line of defense was finally breached, and the time for a full retreat finally came.
Xiang Shaolong was one of the last people to leave. The entire camp was engulfed in a sea of fire, which spread to nearby hills, making it difficult for the enemy to pursue them. Only in such dangerous mountainous areas could this method be used to stop the pursuers.
As expected, He Congjun fell into the trap and chased after him.
Xiang Shaolong held off He Cong's army for five days at the second line of strongholds guarding the passage to the west. After the army retreated to a safe area, he burned down the camp and fled. Along the way, traps and stakes were strewn across the road, making it difficult for the enemy's fast cavalry to catch up.
After several battles, they all pretended to be defeated. By the time they returned to Qicheng, Xiang Shaolong knew that victory was in his grasp.