In the early morning of the next day, as the mist in the North China Plain had just dissipated, the military camp a few miles west of Tongzhou City was already bustling with excitement. The soldiers had eaten a hearty breakfast and lined up outside the camp gate, heading towards the west.
The battlefield begins.
The cavalry had already left the camp and were on guard on the road they must pass. Although intelligence showed that Wang Xian's army never left the hillside and did not even bother to send out scouts, they still dared not take it lightly for fear of being scheming.
Wang Xian would use any tricks to catch them off guard.
In fact, their Crown Prince couldn't sleep a wink all night last night. First, the war was about to come and he couldn't sleep; second, he was afraid that Wang Xian would come to steal the camp. Although Wang Xian seemed to want to settle on that hillside, the more abnormal he became,
Zhu Zhanji became more and more worried and spent the whole night in fear. As a result, he appeared in front of the generals with a pair of dark circles under his eyes.
The distinguished generals did not laugh at His Highness, because they were not much better, but it was normal. How could they be so soundly asleep at such a time?
After the audience reported on the preparations of their respective armies and the status of the enemy, Zhu Zhanji nodded, cheered up and said: "Since Wang Xian is determined to wait for death, let's go and fulfill him!"
After saying that, he got on the sacred yellow gelding left to him by the late emperor, and led the generals out of the camp...
On Tongzhou City, at dawn, the defenders found that the army camp was mostly empty. Looking from a distance from the top of the city, they saw countless officers and soldiers marching westward. The defenders immediately cheered: "
The officers and soldiers have withdrawn!"
The generals who came after hearing the news looked solemn and told the soldiers that this was because the Duke led the army to Tongzhou, and those officers and soldiers were going to fight the Duke.
When the soldiers heard that they quit, they shouted impatiently: "How can we be left out? General, please give the order to leave the city quickly!" They were all dismounted cavalry, and they had to do some infantry errands these days.
I was so choked that my mouth was blistering. I wanted to get on my horse and leave the city immediately to meet my coach.
The generals also looked at their commander, and they had the same idea.
Mo Wen shook his head solemnly, pointed at the army camp, and said nothing.
The soldiers followed Mo Wen's direction and saw about 20,000 to 30,000 infantrymen coming out of the camp, heading in the opposite direction to the main force of the army - Tongzhou City.
"Only this few people want to stop us? It's not enough to fill our teeth!" A group of proud soldiers said with disdain.
But the next moment, everyone was silent as if there was no question, because they clearly saw that those infantrymen were escorting nearly 10,000 prisoners.
The prisoners were in tattered clothes and seemed to have been tortured. They were chained together in a string, and driven by some Dongchang fans wearing round hats and brown shirts, they staggered towards the city.
The hearts of the defenders sank to the bottom, and they thought of a possibility. After a while, the ominous premonition was verified, and the soldiers clearly saw that the so-called prisoners were indeed their parents, relatives and friends!
There was deathly silence at the top of the city. The soldiers gritted their teeth tightly and grasped the cold city wall with both hands. They didn't even notice when their fingernails were lifted...
At this time, no one understands that those unscrupulous guys are using their families to threaten them!
"General!" The soldiers begged Mo Dao with tears in their eyes: "Let us go out of the city to save people!"
Mo Wen shook his head and sighed: "Although thirty thousand people are not many, it is enough to kill all the hostages when we leave the city..."
"General! Never mind!" the soldiers cried and shouted: "Anyway, they won't survive in the hands of those people. Save them if we can. If we can't save them, we will kill them! Kill all those beasts and avenge me.
!”
"No." Mo Wen shook his head and said: "They are also afraid of angering us and dare not take action against the hostages. If we leave the city, we will only harm our own families..."
"Then what should we do? Are we just stuck in the city like this?!" The soldiers were extremely aggrieved, beating their chests and stamping their feet.
"Wait." Mo Wen said calmly: "As long as the Lord's side can win a complete victory, who will dare to touch the hostages?"
"My lord..." The soldiers looked to the west with red eyes, and their hope suddenly ignited. Maybe they were concerned but confused, and for the first time they actually worried about their commander. "The enemy's army is no less than 200,000, sir.
I only have 50,000 troops, and it’s a face-to-face confrontation..."
These veterans who have been on the battlefield know very well that in such a head-on decisive battle without any fancy, it is difficult to have room for cleverness, and they can only rely on strength to fight head-on! The two hundred thousand officers and soldiers are not local motley crews, but fifteen
Ten thousand elite forbidden troops, and fifty thousand Liaodong tiger and wolf troops!
Speaking of which, the 50,000 troops and horses currently led by Wang Xian are seriously suspected of being local miscellaneous...
"I understood something ten years ago." Mo Wen looked at them: "I will never hesitate at critical moments. Do you know what it is?"
"I don't know..." The soldiers were stunned for a moment.
Then they heard their general say calmly: "That is, never doubt your father-in-law." Then he smiled and said: "Believe me, your father-in-law will definitely surprise you."
On the hills beside the Yongtong River, Wang Xian's army has been stationed here for a day and a night without moving at all.
In fact, last night, Deng Xiaoxian and other generals did suggest to Wang Xian whether they could steal the camp under cover of night, but Wang Xian flatly refused. The reason for Wang Xian's refusal still shocks the generals to this day.
Wang Xian told them: "I don't want a stolen victory."
At daybreak, seeing the officers and soldiers arriving on the battlefield one after another, Deng Xiaoxian and others asked for a fight again, hoping to take advantage of the officers and soldiers' unsteady footing to dampen their morale.
Wang Xian then said: "In this battle, I will convince them that no one will dare to be hostile to us again."
As a result, the request to attack was rejected again, and the generals had no choice but to step aside, watching helplessly as hundreds of thousands of enemy infantry drove several miles away and then formed an orderly formation.
It took a full hour for the officers and soldiers to set up a huge formation with a front that was eight miles wide. Looking at it from the hillside, the vast plain was covered with black masses of officers and soldiers, with people shouting, horses neighing, and spears like a forest!
The sun was already rising at this time, and the winter sunshine shone on the armor and weapons of the officers and soldiers, reflecting a shimmering cold light, like a rippling sea water, which was frightening!
Wang Xian then lazily stood up and said to the generals beside him: "Stop being awkward, everyone should go to their respective positions."
The generals responded dully and returned to their respective armies. Although they were very fond of Wang Xian, the commander was so trusting that it was really hard to calm down...
The same goes for the officers and soldiers of the Shandong Army. When they saw the overwhelming army of officers and soldiers forming up and marching towards them, they could not help but feel their hearts in their throats. In other words, the officers and soldiers had blind faith in Wang Xian.
That’s why I didn’t mess up my position...
Everyone turned their attention to their coach, hoping he could say something to encourage everyone.
Wang Xian was chatting and laughing with Long Wuye beside him, and seemed not to pay attention to the approaching 200,000 troops.
Long Wuye smiled bitterly and said: "Master, do you really want to say nothing?"
"Everything that needs to be said was said yesterday." Wang Xian shook his head and said, "It's useless to say anything now. There's nothing to say later."
"Hey, okay..." Long Wuye nodded helplessly...
As for the officers and soldiers, when Zhu Zhanji saw that the army was in formation, he finally let go of his worries. He knew very well how Song Taizong was defeated. There were too many troops and the formation was too troublesome. As a result, he was defeated by the Liao Dynasty.
The people were caught off guard, and the hundreds of thousands of troops were completely defeated before they could do anything...
As a result, from beginning to end, Wang Xian did not send a single soldier, allowing the officers and soldiers to pass through their most vulnerable stage.
Now that the formation is complete, the officers and soldiers are in an invincible position! Zhu Zhanji finally showed a smile: "Arrogant soldiers will be defeated!"
The princes and generals on the side also laughed and said: "He was dazzled by the victory. He despised our army so much that he must be completely defeated this time!"
"Don't be careless." Zhu Zhanji's smile disappeared briefly, and his cold face returned to his words: "Let the cavalry not advance rashly and wait for the infantry to follow."
"Yes!" The generals responded with a roar.
If you look down from the sky, you can clearly see that 200,000 officers and soldiers formed an 'I' shaped formation. 120,000 infantry were divided into two fronts and slowly advanced towards the enemy. 50,000 cavalry were in the center.
position, between the two fronts, and always maintain coordination with the infantry.
Zhu Zhanji pressed the formation behind the cavalry, and beside him was a central army composed of 10,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry, guarding Zhu Zhanji's flag, and also serving as a mobile force, ready to support the battlefield at any time.
On the opposite side of Wang Xian's army, 20,000 cavalry were divided into two groups and lined up on both sides of the hill, while 20,000 infantry surrounded the hill, forming a layer-by-layer defense formation, completely guarding and passively taking a beating.
As for the hills, in addition to Wang Xian's flag, there were five thousand heavy troops and five thousand troops commanded by Master Long Wu. These people were empty-handed, just like bystanders.
Watching helplessly as the front line of the army reached two miles away from him, Wang Xianjun still made no movement.
At this point, the officers and soldiers had no time to guess what kind of medicine Wang Xian was selling in his gourd. Their 60,000 infantrymen had already entered the fighting position! The arrow was on the string and they had to fire!
"Drumming!" Zhu Zhanji shouted loudly. One hundred huge war drums beat at the same time, and the rapid sound of war drums resounded throughout the battlefield!
Hearing the sound of drums, Zhang Fu, who had long been unable to restrain himself, immediately mobilized his war horses and led 50,000 cavalry to attack the mountain! The horses' hooves were like thunder, and the black torrent swept towards Wang Xian's army!
Until then, Wang Xian's army finally moved. But it was not the cavalry or the infantry, but the five thousand empty-handed troops!
I saw them opening the linoleum sheets one by one under the command of Master Long Wu!
The linoleum was originally stained with frost and was the same color as the hills. From a distance, it looked like just a bunch of bulges. The officers and soldiers thought it was just Wang Xianjun's baggage, but when the linoleum was lifted, they discovered to their horror - under the felt, there were actually