"...It was my dereliction of duty. I should have issued a clearer order."
After issuing the order of "martial law in the whole city of Linwei", Sima An, the governor of Hexi Province, thought secretly.
In fact, he had already learned about the possibility that "Qin might use troops against Wei" from a secret letter from his monarch Zhao Run, but he did not tell his generals about it. After all, this kind of
Once the matter is leaked, it will arouse the suspicion of Qin State.
Therefore, Sima An just issued a rather vague order. To put it simply, although Qin is currently an ally of Wei, we must be vigilant. If Qin shows hostility first, measures will be taken immediately.
However, there was one thing that he mentioned repeatedly, that is, the priority was to defend the city.
It's not that Sima An is obsessed with the gains and losses of one city or one place, but that he is very aware of the city defense capabilities of his troops - counties such as Yueyang and Lianshao all have enough troops and war weapons to defend, even if they are
The Qin army surrounded and attacked fiercely, and it was absolutely impossible to capture the city before other Hexi county cities sent troops to support them.
But what he didn't expect was that the Qin State actually declared war without declaring it, and implemented the tactic of defrauding the city in the depth of winter in December. As a result, the Wei troops in Yueyang and Lianshao cities were almost defenseless.
The Qin army deceived and captured the city.
At the same time, the Qin army's vanguard, Yang Quan Jun Ying Bo, who was being cursed by Sima An, was quickly leading his army to "Chongquan" after defrauding the lotus spoon.
As he rode on his horse, Yangquan Jun Yingbo couldn't help but sigh.
He couldn't help but recall again how the Wei soldiers in Liyang and Lianshao looked at them as if they were betrayers after being deceived by him, which made him feel very uncomfortable.
"This is an unjust war."
Yang Quanjun Ying Bo said secretly in his heart.
Nearly a month ago, when he received the order from Xianyang, he couldn't believe his eyes: Xianyang actually ordered him to lead an army to attack Wei? And he still started the war without declaring it?
Don't look at the fact that when he defrauded Yue Yang and Lian Shao, he shouted excuses such as "Wei Guo is unjust" under the angry questioning of the Wei army generals in the city, but to be honest, even he didn't know Wei Guo's
In what aspects does injustice manifest itself?
At least in his opinion, the Wei State was benevolent enough. The trade between Wei and Qin in recent years has made Qin's economy grow rapidly. In addition, the Wei State taught them to develop terraces and forge and mine ore.
, forging weapons, almost nine out of ten craftsmen in Qin State have studied in Yecheng of Wei State, and have been apprentices or even disciples of Wei State craftsmen.
In the past two years, the Qin State's army once again clashed with many Qiang and Hu tribes in the west, and they once had the upper hand. Among them, Wei State's contribution was indispensable.
Personally speaking, he did not want to be an enemy of the friendly and powerful Wei State in both public and private matters.
But there is no way. This is Xianyang's order, and it is the order of Ying Hui, the king of Qin.
"I still don't know how to explain it to Shaojun in the future..."
When he thought that his cousin Ying Ying Shang, who was still living in Xianyang at this time, was kept in the dark, Yangquan Jun Ying Bo couldn't help but sigh again.
Even though he and Ying Ying were just cousins and cousins, over the years, Ying Bo, Lord of Yangquan, had frequently sent envoys to Wei as a representative of Qin. Therefore, he had a very close relationship with Ying Ying and was very fond of Wei.
The impression is also very good.
Among the Ying family, he and Lantian Jun had the best relationship with Wei after being relegated.
However, it is hard to disobey the king's orders, and there are some things that he cannot refuse just because he does not want to do them.
"Your Majesty, the Chongquan is right in front of you."
The guard riding beside Yangquan Jun Yingbo pointed to the front and reminded.
Yang Quan Jun Ying Bo raised his head and glanced at the outline of the city in the distance.
He was no stranger to Hexi County, not to mention that he knew very well that the city guard of the "Chongquan" city ahead was Bai Fangming, the favorite general of Hexi Governor Sima An. He even had a close relationship with this Wei general.
Well, the latter often secretly slaughtered the sheep herded by their Hexi army to invite him to drink.
Including Wu Lou of Yueyang and Nie Ga of Lianshao, they were all Wei generals who were no strangers to him in the past.
When he thought of Wu Lou, the guard of Yue Yang, yelling at him after being cheated by him at the city gate, Yangquan Jun Ying Bo couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Because it was he who used his old friendship to deceive Wu Lou into trusting him. After discovering that he had been deceived, Wu Lou would rather die than become a prisoner. He hit the weapon in the hands of a nearby Qin soldier and died, completely breaking his heart.
Yang Quan Jun Ying Bo hoped to take advantage of Wu Lou's words to capture Yueyang without any bloodshed.
It was this incident that caused Weiyang Lord Ying Hua's army to be still in Yueyang and Lianshao, fighting to the death with the Hexi Army Wei soldiers in the city. They did not go with Yangquan Lord Ying Bo to defraud Chongquan.
"At this time, I think Bai Fangming has learned that Yueyang and Lianshao were defrauded by our army..."
Yang Quanjun Ying Bo thought secretly in his heart.
But he still had tactics to deal with it - in fact, before the Qin army took action, the chief concubine Zhao Ran had already formulated a series of tactics to ensure that his Qin army could defraud Wei in this cold winter, which was not suitable for war at all.
Several cities in Hexi County of the country pushed the battle line to "Lin Wei" in one go, so that after the spring of the next year, the Qin army could take an offensive against Wei with a more advantageous situation.
"Order Jiang Qing to act as planned."
He ordered.
The Jiang Qing he mentioned was the two thousand generals under his command, and they were the key to defrauding Chongquan.
When defrauding the two cities of Yueyang and Lianshao, Yangquan Jun Yingbo used the excuse of "lack of military rations", but after defrauding the city gates, the Hexi Army and Wei soldiers in the two cities all chose without exception.
Fighting in the streets of the city, trying to retake the city gate, with no intention of escaping or even surrendering, which greatly delayed the Qin army's schedule.
Therefore, after Yangquan Jun Yingbo calculated the time, he thought that Bai Fangming, the defender of Chongquan, might have learned about the "Qin army's sneak attack on the two cities of Yueyang and Lianshao" at this time, so he decided to call two thousand people to general Jiang Qing.
Instead of the soldiers under his command, he put on the armor of the Hexi Army and pretended to be Wei soldiers who had retreated from Lianshao to Chongquan, waiting for an opportunity to defraud Chongquan.
To be more realistic, he will lead the Qin army to chase Jiang Qing and trick Chongquan City into opening its gates.
"Kill--"
"Go after them!"
Seeing that Chongquan County was close at hand, the Qin army under Yangquan Jun Ying Bo began to act like the Qin army was chasing and killing the defeated Wei army, trying to deceive Chongquan.
At this time, Chongquan guard Bai Fangming was on the tower of the west city gate, waiting for the enemy's situation.
Just as Yangquan Jun Yingbo had guessed, as early as two days ago, the generals of Yueyang and Lianshao sent the news of "the Qin army undeclared war and sneak attack on the city" to Chongquan - those at that time
The sentries of the Hexi Army did not even enter the city at all. They just shouted a few times under the city gate to warn the friendly soldiers on the tower, and then immediately headed east, probably to convey the warning to Linwei City.
Since then, Wei general Bai Fangming moved his residence to the tower of the west city gate. He was a heavy drinker on weekdays and had been named and criticized by Sima An many times. Now he stopped drinking and seemed to be a different person.
As if, he commanded the Wei soldiers in the city to step up their preparations to defend against the enemy.
"General, something strange is happening on the west side!"
The Wei soldiers on the tower quickly noticed the movement in the west and said quickly: "It seems that there is a Qin army chasing our Hexi Army Tongze..."
At this time, Bai Fangming was sitting lazily on the lazy chair, polishing his nails with a sharp sword when he had nothing to do. He raised his head after hearing this, with a strange smile on his lips.
"Let me take a look."
Putting the sharp sword in his hand into the scabbard, Bai Fangming stood up, walked to the wall, put his right hand on his eyebrows, and looked into the distance.
After just watching for a while, he didn't give any instructions. He just made meaningless sounds like "uh huh" in his mouth.
Seeing this, a general beside him couldn't help but said: "General, our soldiers are being hunted down by the Qin army. Are you just going to stand by and watch?"
"..." Bai Fangming glanced at the general with a strange expression and chuckled: "How do you know that those being chased by the Qin Army are soldiers of our Hexi Army?"
"Huh?" The general was stunned for a moment, then pointed into the distance and said, "That's not the flag of our Hexi Army..."
Bai Fangming shook his head and said calmly: "Neither the flag nor the armor is anything convincing enough. You need to know that the cities of Yueyang and Lianshao have been captured by the Qin army. Who can guarantee that the Qin army will not wear
Where are the armors of our Hexi Army to defraud the city?" After saying that, he glanced at the suburbs outside the city that were covered with white snow, and curled his lips secretly.
The cold winter of the twelfth lunar month is not conducive to war. This has been a consensus since ancient times. Unless the attacking party has some tricks or support, for now, Bai Fangming saw the scene of "Qin Army chasing his Hexi Army" far outside the city.
Immediately, I thought of the 'Hexi Army' that was being pursued by the Qin Army. Could it be the Qin Army in disguise?
It has to be said that Bai Fangming is so sharp that he deserves to be Sima An's lieutenant.
But think about it, this guy behaves recklessly on weekdays, violating the military regulations of the Hexi Army again and again and refusing to change despite repeated admonitions. But even so, Sima An still did not get rid of his position as deputy general. It is conceivable that this guy must have some problems.
Outstanding.
"Be patient, don't be impatient, and wait and see what happens."
Bai Fangming ordered calmly.
Seeing that the general had made up his mind, the Hexi soldiers and generals on the city wall had no choice but to look anxiously at the "friendly troops" outside the city. They fell one by one along the way under the pursuit of the Qin army.
Gradually, Qin General Jiang Qing and others pretended to be Hexi army generals, and they gradually approached the city and asked for help from the Wei army on the city: "The people behind our army, even Yangquan Jun Yingbo, please ask the brothers in the city for help..."
Hearing this, the Hexi army generals on the city tower all turned to look at Bai Fangming, only to see Bai Fangming licking his lips, looking down at the city with an inexplicable smile, and said with a smile: "That brother, the brother on the city.
You are ready to shoot, and ask your soldiers to lead the Qin army to within a stone's throw..."
"..."
Qin general Jiang Qing, who was pretending to be a Wei army, was stunned when he heard this.
What's going on?
According to his understanding of the Wei army, there should be only two possibilities for the Wei army in the city at this moment: either an army is immediately sent out from the city to rescue their 'friendly army'; or, the city gate is opened and they are allowed in.
.
However, the Wei army in Chongquan City was so good that they actually asked him to lure the Qin army closer to the city wall?
Hey, didn't you see that there are only about two hundred of us left? Do you have any humanity?
Thinking of this, he angrily shouted: "Who are you? Didn't you see that we are being chased by the Qin army? Open the city gate quickly..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Fangming was seen standing on the city and said unhurriedly: "I am Chongquan Guardsman, Bai Fangming! ...Which battalion are you from?"
When he heard that the other party was actually the guard of Chongquan, Qin General Jiang Qing was startled, and he quickly showed weakness and begged: "Bai, General Bai Fang, the last general is the thousand-man general under General Wu Lou... Our army is under attack."
The Qin army pursued them all the way, and they pursued them for two days. They couldn't hold on any longer, so they asked General Bai for help."
"..."
Bai Fangming chuckled when he heard this, because to him, the explanation of this guy outside the city was simply full of loopholes.
Who is Yangquan Jun Yingbo?
He was a general of the Qin State, and his military power was equivalent to that of the Wei State's Sima An, Shao Hu, Wu Ji, Pang Huan and other generals. It seems that such a big shot, after seizing Yueyang and Lian Shao, did not take advantage of the situation to defraud him of his heavy weight.
Quan, after eating enough, he came to chase you, a small infantry led by a thousand-man general? He still pursued and killed you for two whole days - this is something that even a three-year-old cannot deceive.
After thinking about it, Bai Fangming did not expose the other party's lie, and followed the other party's words and said: "Okay, I will open the city gate and let you in."
His words made Qin general Jiang Qing feel very happy.
However, what Jiang Qing never expected was that after Bai Fangming said those words, he turned around and ordered the guards behind him: "Tell the soldiers to prepare the machine-operated crossbows."
Yes, the extremely wealthy Hexi Army has a large number of repeating crossbows and other war weapons in each city.
"Rumble--"
Amidst the rumbling sound, the west gate of Chongquan slowly opened.
Seeing this, Qin General Jiang Qing was overjoyed, waved his hand and ordered: "Hurry, enter the city quickly!"
He seemed to be urging the "Wei soldiers" under his command, but in fact, he was reminding the Qin soldiers who were chasing them, so that the Qin soldiers followed them and poured into the city.
"Could such a cowardly person be a soldier of our Hexi Army?"
Glancing at Jiang Qing and the others who immediately fled into the city, Bai Fangming curled his lips and muttered.
Hearing this, the Hexi soldiers and generals on the city tower nodded secretly.
Just now, when Bai Fangming signaled the thousand-man general (Jiang Qing) to lead the Qin army to his shooting range of Chongquan, but the other party refused to plead in every possible way, the Hexi army soldiers and generals on the tower had already sensed that something was wrong.
You must know that the Hexi Army is the most particular about "orders and prohibitions". Sima An will not tolerate the disobedience of his soldiers. You can say that the Hexi Army is the least flexible army in the Wei State, but it is definitely the most abiding by military regulations.
, the army that obeys the general's orders the most - even if it is an order that they know will lead to death, the soldiers must bite the bullet and obey.
There are no cowards in the Hexi Army. Those who are timid will just go to the pasture to graze cattle and sheep!
However, that thousand-man general actually dared to disobey General Bai Fangming's instructions. How could such a person be a soldier of his Hexi Army?
A moment later, when Qin general Jiang Qing led the Qin soldiers to rush into the city gate, he discovered that he was facing a whole row of machine-operated crossbows with arrows loaded.
The sharp arrow cluster made his hair stand on end.
"Puff puff puff——"
"Puff puff puff——"
Accompanied by the piercing sound of a sharp object piercing the body, a whole row of mechanical crossbows in the city fired their crossbow bolts rapidly.
Pity the Qin soldiers who were crowded in the city gate at this moment. They had no room to hide, so they were riddled with holes by those terrible war weapons.
Seeing this scene, Yangquan Jun Yingbo, who was watching the movement at the city gate from a distance, showed a bit of surprise and a bit of a wry smile on his face.
"...It's really not that easy."
He smiled bitterly to himself.
At this moment, he heard someone calling his name from the tower opposite: "Ying Bo? Ying Bo? I know you are here..."
"That guy..."
When Yangquan Jun Yingbo heard it, he knew it was Wei General Bai Fangming, so he rode his horse forward and said arrogantly: "General Bai Fang is really merciless. Even if he is one of his own soldiers, he will shoot him without mercy...
"
"Our soldiers? Stop joking."
I saw Bai Fangming resting his hands on the city wall, looking at Yangquan Jun Yingbo and saying with a smile: "Do you really think you can deceive me with such crude tricks? Don't forget, when we were gambling,
, you have never won..."
"Well……"
Yang Quanjun Ying Bo's face froze when he heard this.
Because the fact is as Bai Fangming said, when they got together to drink and gamble, he had never beaten the former, so that Ying Bo was very confused at the time: What is the origin of this Bai Fangming, and how can he be so proficient in gambling?
"No, no, no, now is not the time to think about this..."
He shook his head, throwing away these random thoughts in his mind.
At this time, Bai Fangming looked at Yangquan Jun Yingbo below the city and said with great disappointment: "Yangquan Jun, when I heard a few days ago that you led an army to attack our places of Yueyang and Lianshao, I was still a little suspicious.
, I never thought it was you... Do you still remember what I said back then? If you were a guest or friend, I would entertain you with the best wine, even if you and others violated military regulations and secretly slaughtered General Sima's sheep for dishes.
It's okay; but if you are the enemy..." At this point, he put away the smile on his face and said coldly: "The only thing waiting for you is cold swords and sharp arrows!"
"..."
Looking up at Bai Fangming, Yang Quanjun Ying Bo couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart.
It is a pity that the deception devised by Zhao Ran, the chief concubine, failed to deceive Bai Fangming, Sima An's lieutenant, so that the Qin State was unable to seize "Chongquan" this year. Otherwise, the situation after the spring of next year will be different.
It becomes even more advantageous - because to the east of Chongquan is "Linwei" where Wei general Sima An is stationed.
"withdraw!"
Yang Quan Jun Ying Bo decisively ordered a retreat, because in this cold winter, the Qin soldiers under his command had no way to attack Chongquan. Since the trick failed, the only option was to withdraw the troops and wait until the next spring.
After hearing the retreat order issued by Yangquan Jun Ying Bo, the "killed Wei soldiers" on the snow also stood up and returned to the ranks of the Qin army under Ying Bo's command, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
"...Don't think it's over like this. At this time, Gongsun Qi, the Marquis of Wuxin in Great Qin, is leading an army to attack the "Yuanzhong Fortress" in Hetao. As expected, the central part of Hetao has been captured by the army of Marquis Wuxin.
Waiting for the coming year, Gongsun Qi will send his army south to attack Hexi... At the same time, the army under Changxinhou Wang Jian will also attack Hedong and contain the troops guarding Wei Ji in Hedong..."
Looking at the city tower, Yang Quanjun Ying Bo moved his lips slightly and went through all the strategic arrangements of the Qin State in his mind, as if this could warn Bai Fangming on the opposite side, make the latter take precautions, and also relieve the guilt in his heart.
Reduce it a little.
Yes, he did not support this unjust war and wished he could tell the Wei generals on the opposite side all about Qin's strategy. However, as a general of Qin and a descendant of the Ying family, he could not give up his own country's interests.
In the end, he didn't say anything and silently led his soldiers back to Lianshao - because there was no need to continue eastward, the Wei army was already on guard, and it was destined that the Qin army would not be able to do anything in the winter, which was not conducive to the campaign.
Bai Fangming frowned slightly as he watched Yangquan Jun Ying'an's army slowly retreat.
In his impression, Yangquan Jun Yingbo was also a very proud person. However, today, he clearly mocked the other party, but the other party did not talk back, which surprised him.
It was as if Yangquan Jun Yingbo also felt guilty and couldn't explain anything.
"What a pity..."
Watching the Qin army slowly retreat, Bai Fangming murmured.
He originally thought that Wei and Qin had formed an alliance for more than ten years, so they would not go to war with each other so quickly. Unexpectedly, Qin still betrayed their previous alliance.
Two days later, Sima An personally led his army to Chongquan. He was overjoyed to see Bai Fangming seeing through the Qin army's trick.
Although Bai Fangming, the deputy general, is a jerk in most situations on weekdays, he is still very reliable at critical moments, and he has not been able to get rid of this bastard's military position so far.
"General, if Qin goes to war without declaring war, what attitude should our army take?" Bai Fangming asked seriously.
I saw Sima An let out a long breath and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty said before that if the Qin State betrays its alliance and attacks the Wei Dynasty, our army will not need to show mercy... When the spring comes next year, we will order each battalion to attack the Qin Army.