Chapter 14: Fu Shield Ending Shield (153k this month)
"Lord, the earth barrier in front of the bridge has been broken. General Zhang and General Xu are driving their cavalry to advance quickly, trying to outflank the enemy's base behind the stronghold!" On the tenth day of the first lunar month, in the morning, a horseman with feathers came galloping over, and he was high from a distance.
Call for military support.
"They are both too anxious...forget it...let Gao Shun follow closely across the river." Gongsun Xun under the umbrella looked at the clearly visible situation on the river, but frowned slightly. "I can clearly see the enemy camp from here.
There is a wooden fence outside, and outside the fence there is a trench with a width of more than half a man for cavalry, which must be responded to by infantry."
"Here!" The feathered knight turned his horse around before dismounting.
"Ming Gong, Qingshui is narrow, and the water has not yet risen in early spring. It is easy to build pontoon bridges. You might as well let people build more pontoon bridges." Xun You suddenly said from the side.
"Yi Gong and Zhengnan go do it! You two will each lead thousands of troops to build a bridge five miles away from the left and right sides. Don't go from this bridge, otherwise it will be crowded." Gongsun Xun immediately nodded and ordered, and always made some very abrupt suggestions to Xun You.
He has become accustomed to the simple but crucial advice, and he respects it more and more.
Shen Pei and Han Dang immediately followed the order and left... They also saw the crowded scene on the bridge and the slow marching speed.
But after waiting for a while, watching the two close subordinates split up and go away, Gongsun Xun looked at the fighting that had broken out at the camp on the east side of the river, and at the same time he became more and more irritated: "You guys tell me, why am I so confused?
Didn't pontoon bridges be built from the beginning, so that the army was so slow to cross the river? If there were several bridges at the same time, they could just ride out and rush directly into the opponent's stronghold. Why is it like now that the cavalry are crossing the river scattered and being defeated?
People shot random arrows back..."
"This matter is also common." Tian Feng rarely attacked his wise man, but also frowned. "People's common sense is that there is a complete brick and wood bridge in front of them, and they just want to take it.
, who still wants to work hard to build a pontoon bridge in the cold water of early spring?"
"You don't have to blame yourself too much." Lu Fan on the side also put down his hands to build the awning and said with a smile. "Although I haven't been involved in war for many years, I still have some eyesight. When we captured the bridge just now, there was no fighting.
In their hearts, they just defended the base and threw arrows, not daring to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Then once our cavalry broke through the barrier, they hurriedly abandoned the riverside defense line and retreated into the stronghold. At this time, the situation in the stronghold was similar, and it was clear that there were only a few of our troops.
The soldiers and horses crossed the river, but they only fired arrows at the stronghold and did not dare to go out to respond... In this case, if you want to come to this stronghold, you will probably defeat it in one fell swoop, right?"
With such arrogant words, none of the military advisors and generals around Gongsun Xun's umbrella did not refute. Instead, they twisted their beards and nodded... But this time, everyone did not just give Lu, who was actually inferior to one person but superior to ten thousand people.
Chang Shi's face is not because there is a kid named Gongsun Ding here who needs to save face for his father, but because the situation is indeed like this.
We are all used to fighting in the army, so why can't we see that the enemy's fighting spirit is wilting?
To put it bluntly, Yuan Jun was frightened after the people in Liang Dynasty summoned up the courage to fight hard but were defeated... The soldiers were soldiers who fled, and the officers were also officers who escaped death and recovered, and some were even captured.
How can such officers and soldiers have the courage to fight if they were killed and then put back on the eleventh day?
They are not here for any lofty ideals, and no one will give them land to fight here... Moreover, Yuan Jun has a huge problem is that they generally formed an army too late, and they lack a sense of belonging and core cohesion in the camp.
, the reason why I followed Yuan Shao was just because someone higher up followed Yuan Shao, and I did not get enough positive feedback from this camp identity.
Therefore, unless they are from the countryside, their hometown is behind them, and they need to protect their homeland, it is really difficult to imagine when these Yuan soldiers will be willing to fight for their lives.
In fact, not to mention Yuan Jun, even the entire Yuan Shao camp felt like it was forcibly put together and suddenly gathered together.
It rises so quickly, and once it reaches that point, it will collapse very quickly.
This is what Gongsun Xun did before. All he wanted was to push Yuan Shao's self-righteousness. As long as he pushed it and put more effort on key thresholds from time to time, it would be a matter of course. There was no need to pursue too much military power.
Results.
Things seemed to prove this in turn. After about half an hour, the fierce battle on the other side of the river came to an end with a gorgeous surprise attack... On the north side, that is, on the left wing, first a group of armored cavalry suddenly came.
He dismounted his horse, jumped over the trench with his shield, and rushed to a wooden fence regardless of life and death. After making some moves, he hurriedly turned back, and then actually used his horse to exert force and successfully dragged down a wooden fence. Immediately, a large group of cavalry surrounded him.
A large banner with Chinese characters broke directly into the stronghold, and he killed them with all his strength, causing Yuan Jun's entire battalion to lose control.
In the end, it was unclear whether it was the deployment of troops and horses to block the collapse that caused the collapse, or whether it was a complete retreat from the beginning. Anyway, after the big banner entered the stronghold, the fierce battle that lasted for more than half an hour came to an end.
.
Of course, the so-called 'fierce', 'effortful', 'regardless of life and death' are all just from the perspective of Gongsun Ding, who is not yet 12 years old this year. The latter wears a nondescript but easy-to-manage ponytail hairstyle and rides on a pony.
, was nervously and excitedly watching the battle involving tens of thousands of people that he had witnessed for the first time in his life.
However, compared to Gongsun Ding's perspective, the people under his father's umbrella were a little less interested... because they could see it more clearly. The reason why it took more than half an hour to break through the stronghold was not because of the opponent's combat power.
Or what the tactics were, but the soldiers and horses crossed the river too slowly from the only bridge, and Xu Rong and Zhang Fei crowded the early road, so that a total of seven or eight thousand cavalry rushed over, and then faced the opponent's huge army.
However, there was not much that could be done about the camp. Later, Gao Shun and Zhang Nan led 3,000 infantry across the river, including more than a thousand armored soldiers with large shields and spears, and rushed straight to the front of the camp, which caused the Yuan army's defense in the camp to be neglected.
Zhang Fei caught a glimpse of the flaw and succeeded in one fell swoop.
But no matter what happened, the victory was certain. Visible to the naked eye across the river, countless soldiers of Yuan's army who were guarding the stronghold abandoned the stronghold and fled further east where they were released... Just looking at the number, there were no less than seven or eight thousand soldiers.
However, at this time, Xu Rong and Zhang Fei's move of leading the cavalry to cross first turned out to be beneficial. In fact, after Zhang Fei took the lead, Xu Rong, who had not yet entered the stronghold, simply led his cavalry to the east to chase and kill the fleeing enemy.
.
"The two generals Junhou, Gao Shun, and Zhang Nan led 3,000 infantry to charge forward. Generals Xu Rong and Zhang Fei led 5,000 and 3,000 cavalry to outflank the enemy. The enemy was vulnerable, and Hedong Dazhai had changed hands!
"Sure enough, the Lingyu guards came to report in a moment. "General Xu Rong, please move across the river to take a rest and boost the morale of the army..."
"Bullshit!" Gongsun Xun was speechless and became angry instead. "Does he think I can't see that he secretly led his troops to chase the enemy? Now he is using me to attack..."
"Your Majesty, some trivial matters are not worth mentioning. We have to cross the river." Lu Fan hurriedly advised him. "In the final analysis, General Xu, as a frontline general, always has the right to exercise his own authority. At this time, there is no exception.
It seems that Qingshui is too narrow. We can see clearly at a glance. This makes it appear that the monarch personally commanded and pursued privately... But in fact, from a military law perspective, General Xu was not at fault. As for the anxious and aggressive atmosphere in the army, it can be
Let’s talk about it later. And as long as we are cautious and don’t make any mistakes, rash progress will turn into indomitable..."
Gongsun Xun took a long breath, thought about it, but had nothing to say, and immediately ordered the Chinese army to cross the river.
Just like that, amidst the cheers of the three armies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the troops moved out of the way and watched General Wei's umbrella and two thousand white horses pass through this brick-wood structure and slightly arched permanent bridge to the other side of the clear water, which was only a hundred steps away.
, and garrisoned the enemy's bridge-defending stronghold that they had just captured, leaving only Cheng Pu behind to organize the army and continue to advance.
"What was the result of the battle?" Gongsun Xunfu got off his horse and asked Gao Shun, who was the only one left in the camp at this time. Just now, Zhang Fei couldn't help but chase the deserters... The latter not only had military exploits, but also
Soldier's private seizure.
This kind of thing cannot be stopped without military orders.
"Reporting to the emperor, it's okay." Gao Shun was as reticent as ever, but he hit the nail on the head. "The standard configuration of a ten-thousand-strong army camp has everything it should have, and nothing it shouldn't have."
"All military rations, ordnance, and military supplies are all available?" Gongsun Xun frowned and asked. "And there aren't too many fodder to start a fire?"
"That's right." Gao Shun's expression remained as normal. "It has been checked and found that there was nothing deliberately igniting the fire. The amount of fodder and military rations is also normal, but in daily wooden camps, we should be careful to prevent fire..."
"What concerns do you have, sir?" Lu Fan finally heard the question. "Could it be that you are worried about fraud?"
"When marching or fighting, if there is any obstruction, we should be worried and vigilant. It cannot be said that there is fraud or not... For example, Su Qing knew my intention as soon as I opened my mouth. It is not that he understood my temper or got my words in advance.
But he is a serious general, and he usually only cares about these things." Gongsun Xun answered casually, and then went to the general's platform in the camp. "Who is the guard general?"
"Lu Xiang." Gao Shun answered cautiously again. "Generals Zhang and Xu have already gone after him."
"No wonder." Gongsun Xun sighed quietly as he climbed up the steps to the stage. "Lu Xiang was born in a powerful family in Yanzhou, and the soldiers he led should all be Yanzhou soldiers. The Yanzhou soldiers and horses suffered the most as the main force in the first battle of Liang Qi. He led
With such a group of defeated soldiers, it's no wonder that you, Su Qing, succeeded with one blow..." At this point, Gongsun Xun had already reached the general stage, and then looked around. He saw smoke and dust billowing in the east, and could not see Lu Xiang's defeated soldiers clearly.
Xu and Zhang frowned even more. "But, why did Yuan Shao let Lu Xiang, a defeated general with mediocre abilities, guard Qingshui?"
"Perhaps there is no one?" Dong Zhao, as the intelligence leader, had to speak at this time. "After Liang Qi's defeat, it was not just a military setback... Ju Yi was executed for rebelling, and Li Jin also had sentries saying that he might go there.
We went to Dunqiu area to stop Guan Yunchang and protect the army's retreat. Wen Chou died in the battle, Yu Jin was actually captured, and Ju Shou was thrown into Yecheng. Who else can Yuan Benchu use?"
"Perhaps?" At this time, someone had already found a captain's chair from the camp and placed it in the general's platform, but Gongsun Xun continued to look around, his doubts not diminishing, but he had no intention of sitting on it.
"Actually, there is another possibility." Dong Zhao couldn't help but laugh. "Have you ever thought about it, since Yuan Benzhu cannot be a director, who will be in charge of important affairs in the army? Apart from anything else, if those Yingchuan people are in power, especially
Xin Ping and Guo Tu, how could they let go of Lu Xiang who ruined their future with one word that day? The last words Lu Xiang said on behalf of Chen Gongtai in Liang Qi City are now known to the world!"
"This is more reasonable!" Gongsun Xun finally put away his doubts, then turned around and saw the bridge in the distance, and then asked casually. "This bridge connects Qinghe County and Anping County.
, even the key points of Guangzong must be counted on this bridge, can it have a name?"
"It must have a name, because any boundary bridge requires the state to come forward, and then the two counties work together to build it." Dong Zhao replied casually. "And if the state and county officials gather together, they must erect monuments and publish inscriptions as a commemoration. However,
This bridge is old, and I'm afraid its name has been lost long ago, otherwise the military intelligence reports would not refer to it as the Boundary Bridge..."
Gongsun Xun withdrew his gaze from the bridge, turned to his ignorant son and the many staff and generals who were naturally happy because of the easy victory, and then looked to the smoke and dust in the east again... But he was lost and speechless for a moment.
Only his eyes became sharper.
The first people to react were Lu Fan and Lou Gui, the two people who had been with Gongsun Xun for the longest time. They looked at each other in silence and stood in silence. Then the one who became nervous was actually the eleven-year-old Gongsun Ding. Of course he was his son.
I am most sensitive to my father's emotions, especially since the father and son have not seen each other for two or three years, but they have been living together in Changping earlier... The child cannot hide his expression, and it attracts more attention from those present, so when
So far, the tense atmosphere has finally spread to the entire general platform.
"Your Majesty!" After a period of unbearable silence, in the cold wind of early spring, Lu Fan did his duty.
"Have any of you ever heard of the Western Qiang's shield-laying technique?" Gongsun Xun asked after hearing this.
"Report to the Lord!" The person who spoke turned out to be Gao Shun. "Shun lived in Xihe for a long time when he was young and had many entanglements with the Qiang people. I know this, but it is a kind of infantry formation that is designed to defeat cavalry..."
"What exactly is going on?" Gongsun Xun asked seriously. "Explain it carefully."
"Reporting to your Majesty, this formation is simple to say and easy to operate, but it requires great courage... It should be noted that no matter where the cavalry is, it is the crown of all soldiers and horses in the world. With one horse per man, it can advance and retreat like the wind, and it is natural to shoot from a distance with a bow.
Needless to say, melee combat with a spear is also higher and longer, and the charging and trampling of horses is unstoppable." Gao Shun indeed said a few more words. "And if you want to deal with cavalry, the only thing that can really cause rapid damage is the crossbow, but the bow
The crossbowmen simply couldn't withstand the trampling of horses' hooves, so they needed to be protected by a spear array. The spears were too bulky and couldn't withstand long-distance shooting by cavalry, so they also needed a shield... But there were both spears and crossbows.
There is also a large shield. Which cavalryman would directly hit such a large formation? So we have to ambush the shield!"
"How to crouch?" Gongsun Xun kept asking questions with an expressionless face.
"At the beginning, it was just the spearmen and the shieldmen cutting the slope together. There was a gentle slope in front. Behind the slope, they raised their shields along the slope to hide the troops. The cavalry charged here, and behind the slope they held the shields with their spears. The soldiers held their ground.
Waiting until they cross the hillside and cross behind them with their shields, the shield soldiers will immediately raise their shields forward, while the spearmen will lift their spears backwards. This not only blocks the rear army, but also prevents the small groups of cavalry from retreating.
And the crossbowmen further back can gather their fire at the nearest place... This is the principle. Later, there are many methods to adapt to local conditions, or simply build artificial slopes. The most extreme one is to dig ditches, and the shield and spear soldiers ambush in them.
In the ditch, a large shield is placed on the ditch, and the crossbowmen are unprotected behind the ditch to lure the enemy. Even the crossbowmen are hidden in the ditch. They only wait for the horses' hooves to step on the shield before they bravely rush out with their shields... That's it.
Already."
Hearing this, all the surrounding generals were horrified. Whether it was the crossbowmen charging at the horses with no cover, or the spearmen hiding under their shields and letting the horses' hooves trample their heads, it was unthinkable.
Seeing Gongsun Xun's stern response, Gao Shun had no choice but to say a few more words: "Your Majesty, the Qiang people all say that the most important thing in this formation is courage and not being afraid of death. But in my opinion, not fearing death is the most important thing."
Things are too easy, and there are too many people in the world who are not afraid of death. In fact, this formation is based on belief in Pao Zewuqi... The reason for this formation is that the poor Qiang tribe has no horses and no armor, and it is the bows and arrows.
They are all extremely precious, but the most despicable thing is the life of a member of the clan. That’s why there is such a thing that can achieve miraculous results despite desperate efforts. Before these people set up the formation, the first people to fight were fathers and sons. The crossbowmen believed in shields and spears.
The hand will not miss the opportunity to fight, and the spearman believes that the crossbowmen will not scatter in a rush, so that they can kill with one blow! This is like once the military leaders trust each other to the point of life and death, then what kind of battle cannot be won?
?”
"That's good." Gongsun Xun finally responded. "Is it okay with Yuan Jun?"
"The soldiers of the Li family may be able to give it a try." Gao Shun immediately answered again. "The few hundred tribesmen brought by Ju Yi before may be able to do it, but no matter how many there are, even in the forbidden tribe, my subordinates think that they will not be able to do it...
...Therefore, it is not impossible for the prince to be worried that Generals Zhang and Xu will be lured deep into the enemy and fall into a trap. But..."
Gongsun Xun finally withdrew his gaze from the outside, but he looked at Gao Shun for a long time before speaking: "No matter what, let's send the sentry first to call them back, because if there is really a fraud, this is a flaw in any case, but there is a bigger flaw.
Not there... Su Qing, tell me, if the entire Yuan army is here and all troops are at war, how far away will it be to hide them without being noticed by us?"
Gao Shun was frightened for a moment, but then answered slowly: "Our army arrived in a hurry and crossed the river directly to pursue us. The sentries and cavalry stopped at Qingshui. The situation on the east side of Qingshui is that even though some sentries and cavalry were temporarily sent out today, they were all just now.
After taking the stronghold, the two generals Xu and Zhang set off from the boundary bridge. They had just walked five miles away... If I came to lead the troops and set up an ambush, 70,000 people would take advantage of the spring grass to be separated by five miles.
Just build a half-foot-high earth barrier for shelter... Anyway, we set out at night and only lurk for a while!"
While the two were talking to each other, they suddenly heard a momentary noise from the army. Looking up from the sound, they saw a fire suddenly breaking out in the upper reaches of the Qinghe River, four or five miles due south, and the beacon smoke was clearly visible in the daytime.
"Did Shen Zhengnan burn something as a warning, or was the pontoon over there burned by the enemy?" Lou Gui looked gloomy.
"At least we know where the enemy is coming from!" Gongsun Xun smiled coldly.
"Did the Lord say that the entire enemy army is going to rush here?" Lu Fan finally couldn't bear it any longer. "And it's only five miles away, and they'll be there in a moment? In that case, please the Lord and the Young Master to retreat to the west of Hexi as soon as possible!"
"Is the abandoned army here?" Gongsun Xun glanced at the other party coldly. "The cavalry was led away by 10,000 defeated troops. Maybe it has been scattered and difficult to collect. Even if we see the beacon fire now, we don't know when we will get here... And
At this time, there are only three or four thousand foot soldiers and two thousand righteous followers in the stronghold, with five or six thousand people facing 70,000 people. If my father and son leave, it will be nothing more than the righteous followers. Wouldn't it be that these five thousand foot soldiers have been given away in vain?
At that time, how can our army still trust me? I'm afraid this is the best attitude the other side has in mind, right?"
"Even if the prince wants to stay in camp, at least he should let the young master go back to Hexi first!" Dong Zhao, who was in charge of intelligence, was sweating on his forehead.
"Bullshit!" Gongsun Xun disapproved and swore directly, but he turned around, held up his knife and sat on the Taiwei chair that he had not looked at. "If we can survive for a while, this battle will be won. He has the power in Hedong and Hexi.
What's the difference? And if I lose here, what can he really do if he is a young son? And in this situation, I can only do my best to get Cheng Demou to send troops here! If you send an extra group of soldiers at this time, you will have a better chance of winning.
Sending him over now will inevitably interrupt the movement of troops on the bridge. How can we waste the lives of thousands or even tens of thousands of people for a boy?"
Just when Dong Zhao was about to say more, Gongsun Xun simply pulled out the broken blade and pointed it at Gao Shun: "Let Ming Yinyi go out of the stronghold to look for opportunities to fight. Anyway, the cavalry should not be trapped in the stronghold. Su Qing held this blade and pointed it all over.
Fight and take charge of the camp! Then quickly send people to find Zhang Yide and Xu Bojin, and then call De Mou across the river, asking him to stay on the west bank to step up the transportation of troops, send crossbowmen, spearmen, large shield soldiers... and then let him downstream
At the same time, prepare multiple pontoon bridges for preparation! In short, this battle can only go from the west of the river to the east of the river. Anyone who wants to return to the west of the river will be killed without mercy!"
Gao Shun leaned over to receive the sword, everyone was shocked, and the Yi Cong around him were also busy carrying out military orders.
However, at this moment, Dong Zhao, who had a dark complexion, knelt down regardless of everything: "Your Majesty! I won't talk about returning to Hexi, but you can bring your son to follow the righteous followers to fight in the periphery. We have received your great favor, so you can
Guard the ceremonial guard of the monarch’s umbrella here!”
Gongsun Xun was a little startled, but he couldn't help but smile, and his expression softened: "This is what Japan and South Korea did in the battle over the Weishui River. What was the result?"
Immediately, he ignored the complicated expressions of the counselors and generals below. Instead, he patted his knees and smiled softly at his eleven-year-old son: "Ading, your mother asked you to come with me to see the military. Today is the day."
When the time comes, come and sit on my lap and watch how the elders defeat the enemy!"
Gao Shun led the generals to kowtow and walk away. All the staff from Lu Fan and Lou Gui on down stood solemnly. Dong Zhao was dumbfounded but finally had nothing to say... because he suddenly realized that this is the most difficult thing to change in the world.
The only thing that matters is human character. Even after eight years, Gongsun Wenqi is still the same Gongsun Wenqi who crossed Hutuo on a white horse.
When a person is weak and powerless, he becomes angry when in danger!
This is just like Shen Zhengnan who has the courage to do his job, Guan Yun who is proud of his superiors and his subordinates, and Zhang Yide who is loyal to his subordinates; it is also like Yuan Benchu who is inferior and arrogant, Gongsun Bogui is arrogant and narrow, Sun Wentai is frivolous and unparalleled... Some things really need to be changed in a lifetime.
It won’t fall off!
The army was hurriedly deployed, and the direction upstream was to the east, that is, to the southeast. As the beacon smoke ignited on the river, smoke and dust were already everywhere after a while... No one doubted that Yuan Jun had indeed set up an ambush here, and he was the only one there.
What is inconsistent with Gongsun Xun and Gao Shun's guess is that the distance is a little farther, probably seven or eight miles away. It seems that the other side is also cautious.
But no matter what, it is almost conceivable that the other side will first fake a retreat with all its troops, and then give up 10,000 soldiers as deserters to lure away Gongsun's cavalry, as if they are trying to survive in death with all their strength, in exchange for a chance of victory!
And so far, they have succeeded.
"Such a simple strategy was successful?" Fengji, fully clothed in armor and wearing a crown, sighed as he held his sword on his horse. Surrounding him were densely packed Yuan Jun troops, who were heading towards the boundary bridge.
"Ten thousand lives are used as bait in exchange for the lives of a few thousand infantrymen. If it were me, I would fall into the trap!" Guo Tu, who was also wearing armor, immediately stood aside and twitched his beard and sneered. "I just feel sorry for Lu Xiang and his group.
Ten thousand soldiers... He must not have thought that Xu You said one thing in public during the day and another in private at night. At this time, he probably thought that there were 20,000 elite troops from Li Tuizhi and Yu Wenze waiting twenty miles ahead.
Oh! You thought we would attack from both sides! I really don’t know what he thought when he realized that he was killed by the ‘available person’ that Chen Gong said when he died?”
"Having said that, the courage and ingenuity of this strategy are impressive!" Feng Yuantu shook his head even more after hearing this. "A complete boundary bridge actually delayed the entire army's advance... As for
General Lu Xiang, if we win quickly, maybe his entire army will not be wiped out. Therefore, we must capture this stronghold quickly!"
"So what if we capture it?" Guo Tu pursed his lips towards Heshang, and then still sneered. "Since Heshang was accidentally exposed, Gongsun Xun and his Chinese army might have left long ago. Even if they didn't leave, there would still be two thousand of them.
Yi Cong is at your side... It's ridiculous that we can't even gather thousands of cavalry. Even if we can win, we can't expand the results. Instead, we can only retreat hastily. We may have to suffer casualties from cavalry pursuit again during the retreat, but we can retreat safely.
Now that you have gone, how will you explain to those soldiers and horses from Anping Kingdom, Feng Yuantu? In short, this battle is about capturing the camp, so who will win?!"
"Brother Gongze, don't talk about this now!" Feng Ji sighed. "In such a situation, being able to eat one piece of the opponent is enough to boost the morale of the army. Even if it cannot boost the morale of the army, at least it can make the world know about it.
, General Wei is not a military god, unless he cannot fight and win, Hebei will not be able to support it in the future. He will retreat to Qingzhou and Yanzhou, and he can slowly unite with the princes of the Central Plains to rise again... As for the soldiers and horses of the Anping Kingdom, they will be captured on the way home.
Those who stop deceiving them will naturally give them an explanation!"
After saying this, he finally couldn't bear the words of his colleagues, so he immediately stepped forward and continued to boost morale with homecoming words.
In response, Guo Tu looked around, smiled and said nothing, but also rode up to follow.
By the way, although Guo Tu kept talking about this and that, he was still very convinced of Xu You's plan:
First of all, he was impressed by the opponent's courage, his courage to use 10,000 people as bait, and he was fully prepared to abandon these 10,000 lives, which Guo Tu was not as good as himself.
The second one is an ingenious design, relying on the transportation restrictions of a boundary bridge and using a psychological blind spot that can hardly be called a strategy to create an absolute superiority of Yuan's forces in the local area.
The last one is to survive in death, and forcefully change the situation by moving the battlefield. Fighting between Qingshui and Zhangshui, the battlefield environment is extremely unfavorable to Yuan Jun, but once it moves to the boundary bridge, east of Qingshui, not only will it be further
This caused Gongsun's army to be careless, preserving Yuan's army's retreat, and actually further aroused the fighting spirit of some of Yuan's army. The vanguard this time were the Anping soldiers and horses brought by Feng Ji and the plain soldiers and horses brought by Cui Yan.
As well as the few remaining soldiers and horses of Qinghe in the army. In the current situation, with a little deception and encouragement, the soldiers and horses of Anping State became returning soldiers who were eager to go home but their way was blocked, while the soldiers and horses of Qinghe and Pingyuan were the ones who protected their homeland.
The desperate soldiers who defend the country.
In fact, considering that the defeated army was really unavailable in the short term, Yuan Jun actually only dispatched 50,000 troops this time, and the 20,000 fresh troops were the first and main force. As for Li Jin, he really led the remaining 20,000 Yanzhou troops
Ma Nan has gone to Dongjun. It is definitely more appropriate for him to use local soldiers to stop Guan Yunchang in his hometown than to use them in Jizhou!
But no matter what, after the 80,000-strong army was divided into three, the remaining 50,000-strong army that was well-prepared would definitely have the confidence to crush the Gongsun Army's vanguard who rushed across the river. They calculated very clearly that when this time passed, even if the
Hexi continued to transport troops, and the 50,000-strong army faced at most 5,000 infantry and 2,000 white-horse followers, and the latter most likely protected Gongsun Xun and a group of Chinese soldiers and fled downstream to avoid the battle.
"Although the camp did not dare to leave anything to light the fire, it is made of wood after all." A few hundred steps away, in a tall special open carriage, Xu You was explaining the military situation to Yuan Shao in the carriage. There were also horseback attendants beside him.
There are Xin Ping, Xin Zhongzhi, and the newly promoted generals Jiang Qi and Meng Dai. "And our army will bring all the real fire starters with us. At that time, the forward Anping will have 10,000 troops, 3,000 torches, and 10,000 beams."
The withered grass is enough to set the village on fire! The battle will be over in an instant! At that time, as long as the cavalrymen who were lured are careful to turn back and hold on until the afternoon, they can retreat calmly and head towards Ganling!"
"But what should we do about the boundary bridge?" Yuan Shao, who had recovered from his condition and was slightly cheered up, was about to nod, but suddenly remembered a troublesome question. "Should we send out heavy troops to seize it first? Otherwise, once the war is delayed, soldiers and horses will continue to cross the river.
Come on, we may not be able to get rid of the enemy in this battle and leave calmly, right? The opponent has the advantage of cavalry after all. When they retreat at night, the cavalry will not let go, and the reinforcements behind them will continue to flow, and it is likely to become a rout!"
"What Benchu said is true." Xu You pointed at the river and sneered. "The key to this battle is to control the boundary bridge immediately... but it is not necessary to capture it, destroying it is also feasible!"
"Zi Yuan has made arrangements in advance?"
"Does Ben Chu think that Shen Zhengnan's collision was really a mistake?" Xu You was ferocious for a moment. "And the matter has reached this point. It's useless for Ben Chu to think too much about it, and it's useless for me to talk about it... I'm just trying my best to give it a try. So-called
Just do your best and obey fate!"
Yuan Shao immediately shut up.
The army roared forward, crossed the earthen ramparts, raised the flags that filled the sky, and then rushed towards the boundary bridge. In the eight-mile area, the army marched forward with great strides, and the forwards even trotted lightly, so the fastest ones were already gone in just two or three quarters of an hour.
Seeing the situation of the Qiaotou Camp after the fall, I was momentarily surprised, confused, happy and angry, and then reported back one after another.
"Report to Feng Changshi!" Liu Yan, the forward general, sent people to report to Feng Ji. "The enemy pulled down the wooden fence themselves, dismantled the tents themselves, and then lit fires in the camp themselves, as if to ask for help from the cavalry.
…”
"I've seen it!" Feng Ji said angrily. "However, since they lost the wooden fence, we have no room for fire, and we no longer have shelter. We don't suffer any loss! Send an order to Liu Yan and let the former army drop it.
Use withered grass and torches to leave the camp and prepare for encirclement and combat! We must attack in one fell swoop and succeed before the enemy cavalry arrives!"
The feathered tiger guard wanted to speak but stopped.
"Speak!" Feng Yuantu's eyes were all red.
"There is an ceremonial umbrella cover for the generals on the general platform in the middle of the camp!" Feathered Tiger Guards said with some difficulty. "A few hundred steps away, there was someone with sharp eyes who could see clearly. There were many people with fine armor and high crowns there.
The person sitting under the white horse in the middle is holding a ten-year-old child in his arms, pointing at our troops, talking and laughing! In addition, two thousand white horse righteous followers are clearly visible, cruising to the north of the camp, seemingly to prevent
Our army is outflanking..."
Feng Ji was stunned, and then he was overjoyed, and his voice was so sharp that it started to tremble: "Tell this news to Ming Gong and Xu Zi behind you, and then...let the entire Anping army in front speed forward!"
The tiger guard still knelt down and did not move.
"Is there anything else?" Feng Ji was still excited and prepared to ride his horse and rush to the front of the formation to watch in person, but he had to rein in his horse and stop. "Let's talk about it together!"
"There's nothing else. It's just that the number of troops and horses on the other side is a bit unexpected, and the configuration of the troops is strange." The tiger guard continued to speak with difficulty. "In addition to the two thousand volunteers behind the pocket, there are a steady stream of troops and horses on the bridge.
, there are only three to four thousand infantry in the central army, and most of them are crossbowmen..."
When Feng Ji heard the words, he was too lazy to listen anymore, and whipped his horse directly, charging forward. However, Guo Tu, who had finished listening, was just like the tiger guard, hesitant, and finally turned around and went to Yuan Shao's banner.
However, Feng Yuantu's good luck did not end there. Just after he was desperate, he rushed to the front and stood beside Liu Yan. He had just verified that the military information reported by the Tiger Guard was correct. Before he could speak, he saw
Suddenly there were fireworks in the river, and then the fireworks actually moved down the river and went straight to the boundary bridge.
You don't need to think about it to know that this should be the method of 'controlling the bridge' that Xu Ziyuan prepared before.
Therefore, Feng Ji, feeling increasingly overjoyed, exhaled repeatedly and turned back to confirm the military situation in front of him because he had removed the wooden fence and unloaded the tents... He was only four or five hundred steps away from Gongsun Xun's umbrella.
And the three to four thousand infantry were backed by a two-foot-high low-quality rammed earth, or simply a mound of earth for generals, with the crossbowmen in front, forming a faint crescent formation, and there were obviously soldiers coming from the front to attack.
The intention of destroying.
But this is meaningless, because there are too many soldiers and horses on our side, and the other side only has two thousand loyal followers cruising behind to prepare for reinforcements... It is completely possible to send large troops forward and charge in waves. Once the crossbows are charged,
With your hands in front of you, everything will be fine!
but……
"Tell Xu Ziyuan to come to the front of the battle quickly!" Feng Ji's face turned red and he shouted directly after him. "Let him come and recognize his old friend!"
"Why doesn't the other side attack?" Gongsun Xun held his eldest son in his arms and laughed for a moment. "Is it possible that Xu You or Yuan Shao need to come forward to recognize me?"
"It's best to turn back when it's dark, and Zhang and Xu will turn back." Although Lu Fan didn't object before because he knew Gongsun Xun too well, at this time he was sweating profusely, so much so that he looked at the noon sun above his head.
Watch non-stop.
"That's unlikely, but maybe you will have doubts and pause for a moment." Lou Guisurong said. "The trouble now is that we never expected that the other party would have a fire ship going down the river...
No wonder Shen Zhengnan warned like this before!"
Gongsun Xun followed the sound and looked to the west. He saw several fireboats with tall firewood connected to each other and lying under the boundary bridge. They were burning and smoking... It can be imagined that even if the fireboats burned quickly,
Even so, this boundary bridge, which is a mixed structure of wood and masonry, will inevitably be severely damaged, and it is hard to say whether it will be passable by then.
However, Gongsun Xun had guessed this point long before this, and then asked Cheng Pu to quickly build a simple pontoon bridge downstream. If there were no obstacles, it would be enough to pass in half an hour... And Han Dang, further downstream, might be able to pass.
It's faster, he has cavalry there.
As soon as he thought of this, Gongsun Xunfu looked to the southeast again, where a tall four-horse driver had appeared at the forefront. The people in the car were old friends from a distance!
I hope Yuan Shao and Xu You will hesitate for a moment after recognizing them... After all, as long as it works, there is no harm in the empty city strategy!
"Is it him?" Feng Ji Surong asked.
"Yes..." Yuan Shao was stunned. "It's clear that the fire has been lit upstream, why doesn't he go back to Hexi? It's okay to follow Yi Cong downstream?"
"If you say this, it's conclusive." Xu You sighed. "Isn't this Gongsun Wenqi's character? The more you want to embarrass him, the more he will make you die..."
"You mean there must be a scam in it?!" Yuan Shao was shocked and doubtful, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Could it be Zhang Fei? Xu Rong had received the military order in advance and had already withdrawn his troops. He was in the south... waiting for us to attack.
Just let Wanqi attack again?!"
"Are they gods? How could they just give up when they were being chased after such a great victory?" Xu You was also sweating profusely, but his face was ferocious. "Gongsun Xun must have some killing moves, he is not the kind who really knows how to do it.
People who care about their own lives! The so-called taking risks has always been somewhat dependent on...but it can never be Zhang or Xu..."
"Is it possible that there are internal agents in our army, and the whole army is organized?" Guo Tu asked seriously.
"Then..." Xin Ping also wanted to join the discussion.
"Shut up!" At this moment, Feng Ji, who was waiting on horseback beside the chariot, became furious and directly drew his knife and slashed at the copper pattern on the chariot shaft. The sparks sparkled and frightened everyone into silence.
"At this time, are you still doubting? What's the use of doubting? In my opinion, he must be just a doubter in a desperate situation! I respect his boldness, Gongsun Wenqi, but I will not do it for him.
This delays the opportunity to fight!"
Everyone fell silent.
"I am the cavalry general, Chief Shi, and I am in charge of the shogunate's affairs!" Feng Ji suddenly turned around and continued to roar at the generals beside him with his sword. "Pass my order, the width of the battlefield is limited, don't waste time sending archers to shoot at each other.
With 10,000 Anping soldiers and horses as the main attack, Liu Yan, Jiang Qi, Meng Dai, and you three each lead 2,500 soldiers. The front row abandons soldiers and raises shields, and the rest abandons shields and holds weapons, forming a dense formation, regardless of me.
Life and death, taking turns to rush forward...Guo Tu leads the tiger guards to supervise the army, and those who retreat without orders will be killed!"
The three generals were awe-struck for a moment and hurriedly bowed down to take orders. Even Guo Tu also hurriedly looked solemn. Only Liu Yan, the prefect of Anping among the three generals, couldn't help but raised his head and asked: "Chang Shi, each of the three generals has 2,500 soldiers.
Who comes first and who comes last?”
"Don't you know how to count with one step?!" Feng Ji said coldly. "Ten thousand people, each with two thousand five thousand, naturally four generals will take turns to attack...and two thousand and five of them will naturally be led by me, and since I personally lead the troops
, naturally be the first to attack! You guys are behind, don’t fail to attack!"
The generals became more and more horrified, and Yuan Shao also stood up in a hurry.
But Feng Yuantu didn't give Yuan Shao a chance to speak. Instead, he sternly ordered: "Xu Ziyuan, this is your plan. After I send out troops, you will take charge of the overall situation here!"
After saying that, he didn't care about the reaction of everyone under Yuan Shaoda's banner, so he picked up his sword and went to the Anping Army to boost morale. However, at this time, the boundary bridge was burned by his own side. What he said with the words of returning home, facing
Seeing more than 2,000 living faces, Feng Yuantu felt a little difficult in his heart, but after his horse galloped around twice in front of the formation, he simply raised his knife and shouted to kill!
Kill! Kill! Kill!
The army numbered tens of thousands, and the killing sound suddenly started, shocking both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Then Feng Yuantu personally took command and led the more than two thousand isolated Anping soldiers to the general platform where Gongsun Xun was, which was indeed the latter's hometown.
Moreover, he was personally at the front of the military formation, which made many soldiers around him feel warlike, and the sound of killing continued during the charge.
Two thousand five hundred infantry, just as Feng Ji had arranged before, some of the people in front raised their shields and abandoned their weapons, while the rest abandoned their shields, raised their spears and held knives, forming a dense formation and marching forward... This kind of light equipment made them go into battle
The charge was extremely fast! A hundred steps outside the camp and three hundred steps inside was the crescent formation of crossbowmen, so almost in the blink of an eye, more than two thousand infantrymen crossed the dilapidated border of the camp!
Feng Ji was among them, reining up his horse and trotting to follow him. He felt the horse's hooves suddenly crisp several times, but he didn't have time to think about it. Gongsun Xun was visible to the naked eye, but he simply raised his sword and shouted, calling on the whole army to follow him and kill him on the general platform.
The vanguard had entered the range of Gongsun's army. Unexpectedly, they did not even draw their bows. This made Feng Yuantu even more excited and continued to charge with his sword! He even risked his life and death and rushed to the front line!
But just about thirty steps away from the crescent moon formation of the crossbowmen in front, suddenly, the battlefield became tense!
Gongsun Xun held his son in one hand, and suddenly raised his other hand. Then he sounded gongs on both sides, and countless soldiers in front and behind the stage also shouted loudly:
"rise!"
Not to kill, not to shoot, but to rise!
And with this loud roar, at the outer edge of the camp fence, less than a hundred steps away from Yuan Jun's formation, two full rows of soldiers with large shields and spears suddenly jumped up from the ground! The incident happened
In such a hurry, some scattered Anping soldiers who were charging behind were overturned.
On both lines, the large shields were arranged outwards, facing the panicked Yuan army's formation, while the spearmen were inward, fighting towards the more than 2,000 Anping soldiers who were even more confused.
Between the shield bearer and the spear bearer, a high-character banner was erected that Yuan Jun would never forget!
At the same time, the thousands of crossbowmen arrayed in front of the general stage no longer hesitated, and all fired at the panicked Yuan Jun in front. Unfortunately, Feng Yuan Tu was already conspicuous, and because he wanted to repay Yuan Shao for his kindness, he charged forward, so in an instant they were all connected.
The man and his horse were hit by more than dozens of arrows?
In the blink of an eye, another cavalry general, Shi Shi, who had just ordered the entire army, fell to the ground and died at the age of thirty-eight.
Yuan Shao stood on the shaft of the carriage and saw this scene from a distance. He felt his heart was pounding and his head was splitting. He almost fainted from the pain in an instant.
—I am the dividing line that dies instantly—
"I am a loyal minister in all disciplines." Kong Rong
"Use the fruits for your own use when the time comes." Xun Yu
