Forty-six, Shelu Terrace and the Ancient Great Wall
Huan Wen heard what Murong Chui said and smiled slightly. He also knew that Murong Chui had just arrived, left his country and his hometown, and was emotionally depressed. It would be very difficult for Murong Chui to immediately confront the Yan army with swords. Huan Wen was not that kind of treacherous person.
He would not force Murong Chui to kill the Yan generals to show his loyalty. Murong Chui's surrender was a serious blow to the morale of the Yan army. The significance of recruiting Murong Chui was not to get a good general, but to pacify and control the Yan army after the victory of the Northern Expedition.
People in the border——
Huan Wen immediately ordered the messenger to rush to Junyi, and ordered Huan Xi to lead his troops to attack Xingyang. Xingyang was in danger, and Luo Teng would return to rescue Xingyang. Compared with Luyang and Xuchang, Xingyang was the largest stronghold of the Yan army in Henan. If Xingyang
If there is a mistake, the Yan army on the north bank will face the danger of being severely beaten before they can get a firm foothold if they want to cross the river——
It was already April 11th when the messenger arrived at Junyi. After half a month of recuperation, the 50,000 Beifu soldiers had high morale. After receiving Huan Wen's military order, Huan Xi and Chen Caozhi immediately led 35,000 infantrymen towards Xingyang.
, leaving Huan Shixiu and Xie Xuan to guard Xingyang. At this time, the navy of Xifu also entered the Yellow River from Qingshui, and then the sergeant pulled the fiber back to the south bank of the Yellow River just north of Junyi. This navy was commanded by Xie Xuan, and there were ships carrying tens of thousands of dendrobium.
There are more than ten large-scale building ships, dozens of cowhide warships, more than ten sixty-oar clippers, and more than a hundred other stern warships. The large-scale ships are equipped with heavy sharp weapons for broadside fighting, including poles and stone-throwing vessels.
Xie Xuan ordered the navy to patrol the Yellow River from Junyi to Xingyang. If it encounters a Yan army ferry, it will be sunk. Just like the Yan army's cavalry is invincible, the navy of the Eastern Jin Dynasty is the overlord on the river. In this way
, the Yan army in Hebei wants to cross the river to come to aid, and will not be able to land in the Xingyang and Junyi areas. They can only land from Gongxian in the upper reaches or Jiyang in the lower reaches, while the Jin armies in Luoyang, Junyi, and Huangxu can block them respectively. Beifu
What the army has to do is to first clear out the troops of Murong De, Murong Chen and Fu Yan in Henan and Huaibei, and then cross the river to fight the main force of the Yan army, so that they will not worry about their retreat being cut off and their food routes blocked.
…
Xi Luoteng and Murong Zhu, who had won a great victory in Changshe, rushed to Xuchang on the eighth day of April with eight thousand cavalry. After Xu Changyan's general Fu Yan was defeated by Tan Xuan at Baiyanpo, he hid in the city. Tan Xuan was ordered to attack Luyang.
, Deng Xia and Zhu Xu led 10,000 infantry to besiege Xuchang, and there were still more than 3,000 Fu Yan's remaining troops——
When he heard that reinforcements from Xianbei were arriving, Deng Xia divided his troops into four thousand and resisted them. He met Xi Luoteng's heavy cavalry at Shelu Terrace. According to legend, Shelu Terrace was the place where Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and Cao Cao and Liu Bei hunted and shot deer. The hills here are undulating and the terrain is relatively opposite.
The flat ground is a good battlefield for cavalry charges——
The heavy cavalry of the Yan army with thick steel halberds and clanging iron armor were very intimidating, and the Jin army's infantry were frightened. Seeing the low morale, Deng Ya shouted: "The white slaves of Xianbei are like rats. You are forming a formation. Look at me."
Kill the enemy!"
Deng Xia was a famous fierce general under Huan Wen. Together with Huan Shi Qian, he was known as the Two Tigers of the West. When he was young, he cut down Jiaos in Mianshui River to eliminate harm. He was so brave that he was called Fan Kuai of the time. He saw that his subordinates were afraid of the enemy's armor.
Because of the power of the cavalry, he decided to weaken the Yan army's spirit first and increase the prestige of his own army. He led his twenty cavalry guards and attacked the Yan army's cavalry position——
Deng Xia wore two pieces of armor and carried a double-hook spear newly made by Xifu. He rode in the lead and rushed to the Yan formation. He knocked down one of the first people and shouted: "Kill the enemy!" Twenty cavalry guards straddled their horses and carried spears. They followed closely and charged, just like
A sharp wedge was thrust straight into the Yan army's cavalry formation. Wherever it went, people were thrown off their backs——
The Yan army's cavalry had never seen an enemy general who dared to lead a mere twenty cavalry into the formation, but a group of Deng Xia's men and horses penetrated the formation from the southeast, penetrated the formation for tens of feet, and killed dozens of enemies. They actually came out from the southwest corner. Deng Xia
Ya looked back at the guards behind him, only to kill two of them, and then led the crowd to rush back, pointing his gun and shouting: "Xianbei rats are nothing!"
When Deng Xia's soldiers saw General Deng leading 20 cavalry in and out of the Yan formation, as if there was no one around, they couldn't help but cheer in unison. The morale of the army was soaring. The eighty infantry formation advanced neatly, and the four thousand infantry dared to fight against the Yan army's eight thousand infantry and cavalry——
At this moment, Deng Xia heard a cavalry guard shouting: "General, there are enemy generals coming!" When he looked back quickly, he saw a white-faced, yellow-bearded, majestic Yan general rushing out like the wind.
Holding a long halberd in each hand, he stepped off the dragon city's famous horse and pursued him at a lightning speed. In a blink of an eye, he came behind a Jin army cavalry guard. The iron halberd in his left hand thrust out like lightning. The cavalry guard had no chance to dodge.
Being pierced through the chest, he picked up the iron halberd and took advantage of the situation to throw it. The cavalryman's body was thrown up from the horse and hit another cavalry guard behind him. When the cavalry guard led the horse to dodge, he suddenly
The halberd swept across, and his head was suddenly in a different place——
Deng Xia saw that the enemy general was so fierce and killed two of his cavalry guards in the blink of an eye. He was furious, turned his horse around, and shouted: "Who is Huang Xunu?" while destroying his horse and moving forward to meet the enemy -
The coming general was none other than Xi Luoteng, the strongest warrior of the Yan army. When the rear army heard that the Jin general was charging into the battle, they came after him angrily and killed two Jin army cavalry in one fell swoop. Knowing that Deng Xia was the commander of the Jin army, they shouted
Said: "The Great Yan Shang Shulang Xi Luo Teng has come to take your head."
Deng Xia had never heard of Xiluoteng's name, so he sneered and said: "Huangxunu, look at me tying your head behind your elbow." He leaped on his horse with his spear, crossed with Xiluoteng's two cavalry, and stabbed Xiluoteng's front with his double hooked spear.
The chest was blocked by the halberd in Xi Luoteng's left hand, and the halberd in his right hand stabbed out like a poisonous snake. Deng Ya dodged past, and the two horses had already crossed each other.
The halberds were like two flying dragons flying high in the sky, and their attacks were like gusts of wind and rain. This kind of halberds were usually held with both hands, but Xiluoteng's arms were strong and he could use the halberds with ease. Deng Xia gradually felt that he couldn't resist it, but
Four thousand infantry are behind him, and he must not retreat. As soon as he retreats, the infantry formation will be in chaos, and the Yan army's cavalry will rush over, and his four thousand infantry will be completely wiped out——
Deng Xia struggled to resist Xi Luoteng's strong attack and shouted: "Ma Fang, Bu Yun, return to the battle formation and must not retreat!"
Ma Fang, Bu Yun was Deng Xia's personal guard. Hearing the words, he agreed and galloped back. Before he could reach the formation, he heard the soldiers from both sides shouting in unison. When he looked back, Deng Xia was stabbed off his horse by Xi Luo Teng -
—
Xi Luoteng killed Deng Xia, raised his halberd in his left hand, and shouted loudly: "Kill!" The five thousand Xianbei cavalry behind him shouted in unison, and the cavalry came galloping to trample the Jin army's infantry.
The general died in battle. If the Jin army fled at this time, it would be a one-sided slaughterhouse!
Ma Fang and Bu Yun had followed Deng Xia for many years. Now they saw Deng Xia died in front of the battle. They were shocked and angry, their eyes were about to split, and they roared: "Revenge, revenge, revenge for General Deng!"
The four thousand Jin troops went from great joy to great sorrow within a cup of tea. They were trembling all over, but even more bloody. They refused to retreat even half a step and fought to the death with the Yan army's heavy cavalry. However, the infantry was unable to deal with the heavy cavalry no matter what.
Blocked by chariots, the Xianbei heavy cavalry stepped into the Jin infantry camp and charged into the Jin army's infantry camp. The Jin army's crossbows, arrows, swords and guns did little harm to the heavy cavalry in armor and cavalry. Often several Jin soldiers fought to kill a Xianbei cavalryman, risking their lives.
When he cuts off the legs of a horse riding a horse, he is often stabbed to death by the enemy's horse first——
Zhu Xu, who was outside Xuchang City, was always paying attention to the battle at Shelu Tai. He was shocked when he heard that Deng Xia had died in the battle. He hurriedly led his sergeants to come to the rescue. He gathered Deng Xia's defeated troops and retreated to Shizhai Valley near Shelu Tai.
The vehicles and baggage stopped at the entrance of the valley, and they fired with powerful crossbows to stabilize the position——
Xiluo Teng was also amazed at the skill of the Jin infantry. In the battle of Shelutai, four thousand Jin infantry fought to the death despite the disparity in strength due to the death of their general. Although nearly half were killed or injured, the Yan army's cavalry also had
Hundreds of casualties were suffered. Luo Teng felt a sense of frustration even though he was victorious. Now he saw that Zhu Xu's army was in good shape and was defending itself. If he attacked by force, it would cause a lot of casualties. He came here to relieve the siege of Xuchang and did not want to fight with the Jin army.
He immediately broke through the siege and entered the city to meet Fu Yan. His heavy cavalry was still stationed at Shelu Terrace. They broke up the siege without retreating. They only waited for Zhu Xu to lead his troops out of Shizhai before attacking with cavalry. However, Zhu Xu could not hold on. Li Ying was here.
Sichuan is not far away, and Huan Da Sima will send troops to help within three days——
Murong Zhu, who came to Xuchang with Xi Luoteng, saw that the city wall of Xuchang was in ruins and Fu Yan had less than 3,000 exhausted soldiers, so he discussed with Xi Luoteng and Fu Yan to abandon Xuchang and return to Xingyang. As long as the great Sima Murong Zang's army could cross the river, he would have the upper hand.
If Huan Wen's main force is defeated, the Jin army will flee to Huainan. Junyi and Xuchang, which were occupied by the Jin army, can be recovered. As for Murong Chen in Luyang, because of its dangerous terrain, strong city, and 12,000 elite soldiers, it should be
Can hold on——
Fu Yan was Murong Ke's favorite general. He knew the principles of war well and refused to retreat. Xuchang was a rich land. If Xuchang was lost, the Jin army would be connected from Runan to Luoyang. It would be very difficult to recapture the general in the future.
Fu Yan is the guard general of Xuchang. Naturally, what Fu Yan said shall prevail. After Luoteng and Murong Zhu stationed troops in Xuchang, they repaired the city wall and prepared to hold on——
On the evening of the second day after the Battle of Shelutai, the Ningyuan general Huan Shiqian sent by Huan Wen led 10,000 troops to help Deng Xia, Zhu Xu, and Huan Shiqian. They came very quickly, but the infantry was not as fast as the cavalry.
Huan Shiqian arrived one day later than Xi Luoteng. When he heard that Deng Xia had died in battle, he was shocked, angry and regretful. According to Huan Shi Qian's temperament, he wanted to attack the city immediately, but Huan Wen had strict orders not to fight Xi Luo Teng until he arrived.
Withdraw from Xuchang and defeat it again when retreating to Xingyang——
In Xiluoteng City in Xuchang City, Fu Yan saw Huan Shiqian and Zhu Xu leading their troops to retreat, but because the Jin army was so large, he did not dare to leave the city to pursue them.
On April 23, Murong De of Xingyang sent an envoy to summon Luo Teng to rush to Xingyang. The soldiers from northern Shanxi were in a hurry to attack Xingyang, and the Yellow River waterway was intercepted by Jin navy. The reinforcements on the north bank could not cross the river for a while, so they had to cross the river downstream.
Can’t rush to Xingyang——
When Fu Yan heard that Xingyang was in danger, he could no longer hesitate. Of course Xingyang was more important than Xuchang. He immediately swept away all the money, silk, food and grass in Xuchang City, and followed Luo Teng and Murong Zhu to the north to reinforce Xingyang.
Huan Shiqian led his troops to garrison in the Changshe area. When the Yan army passed by, they ambush and attacked at the foot of Shizu Mountain. Xiluoteng's heavy cavalry did not dare to fight and rushed past. Murong Zhu and Fu Yan's infantry suffered heavy casualties.
At this time, three thousand cavalry led by Chen Caozhi, Duan Si, Ran Sheng, and five thousand infantry led by Cai Guang and Su Qi were waiting for Xiluo at the line of the ancient Great Wall of Wei during the Warring States Period south of Xingyang.
Teng, this will be a duel between the heavy cavalry of the Jin and Yan armies. The news of Deng Xia's death in battle has also spread. Deng Xia was a fierce general of the Jin army. Deng Xia's death had a huge impact on the morale of the Jin army -
So, who can rival Xiluoten?
On April 28th, Xiluo Teng led 4,500 heavy cavalry and arrived at the foot of the ancient Great Wall of Xingyang. Although he knew that there would be a Jin army blocking the front, he was not afraid. He ordered his cavalry to chain their horses with iron chains.
When the first company met the Jin army, they rushed over and dispersed the Jin army, so that Murong Zhu and Fu Yan's five thousand infantry could break through. This type of iron chain horse formation was first invented by Murong Ke. At that time, Murong Ke trapped Ran Ran to death with the chain horse formation.
Min——
Jin infantry appeared in front, about hundreds of them. After these hundreds of people, a large number of Jin troops were waiting in full formation. Xiluoteng shouted: "Change horses." A group of cavalry quickly changed to armored horses, forming a group of ten.
To launch a charge.
When the forwards of the Jin army saw the Yan army's cavalry running towards them, they hurriedly retreated. Xiluo Teng led his troops to charge, but the first row of chain cavalry suddenly fell into a trap dug by the Jin army. The front row fell, and the rear row could not recover.
They fell over one after another, and a large number fell down in the blink of an eye. The Yan cavalry had difficulty standing up after falling to the ground because of their heavy armor, while Cai Guang and Su Qi's infantry, who were ambushing on both sides of the ancient Great Wall, rushed down from both sides.
, fired with a strong crossbow, this yellow birch crossbow, the iron-cone arrows can penetrate the tough armor, a burst of rapid fire, the Yan army cavalry suffered heavy casualties——
Xi Luoteng hurriedly ordered his sergeants to put on arm shields for defense. When they were about to fight back against Cai Guang and Su Qi's troops, these Jin troops retreated again. Taking advantage of the rugged terrain of the ancient Great Wall, it was difficult for the cavalry to pursue them. After a while, they came again with strong crossbows.
Xi Luoteng was furious about the sneak attack, but had no choice but to rush over as quickly as possible and join up with the Xingyang defenders. However, at this time, the infantry of Murong Zhu and Fu Yan in the rear army were attacked again, and the Yan army rushed on their way.
Already exhausted, the enemy of the Beifu soldiers who had been recuperating for many days was nowhere to be found. After a fight, the Jin army retreated again, while the Yan army suffered hundreds more casualties——
It was already mid-afternoon. If we couldn't rush over before dark, the whole army would probably be annihilated. Xi Luo Teng, Murong Zhu and Fu Yan discussed that they would ignore the infantry for the time being and let the cavalry break through first. The plan was decided.
Luo Teng, Murong Zhu, and Fu Yan led their horses to the north. At this time, the iron locks had been unlocked and the chain horses were no longer needed.
However, the Jin army did not forcibly intercept them and only counterattacked with a small team of strong crossbows. The heavy cavalry following General Xi Luo Teng were attacked by crossbow arrows, hidden stakes, and trip wires along the road. The further they went north and south, the more damage they suffered, and in the end there were only a few left.
Two thousand cavalry, at this time, the Jin army's heavy cavalry led by Duan Si and Ran Sheng appeared in darkness.
Xi Luo Teng was extremely fierce, not afraid of revolt, and shouted: "The Wu invaders are treacherous and do not confront me head-on. Now they think I am exhausted, so they show up to watch me kill the enemy." He stepped over the name of Longcheng.
The horse rushed up in the wind and rushed into the Jin cavalry formation. Several people were killed in a row. No one could defeat them. Nearly two thousand Yan army cavalry followed closely. Jin and Yan cavalry began to fight in a big melee. At this time, it showed that
The equipment gap between the two sides is huge. The Yan army's cavalry all carry horse spears of eight feet and are heavy in armor, while the Jin army's horse spears are longer, up to two feet three, and are equipped with long knives for short-distance fighting. Moreover, the Jin army's horse spears are
Mingguang Armor is stronger and relatively lighter, and the Yan army is a tired army, so it is really no match for the Jin army——
Seeing that the battle was at a disadvantage, Xiluo Teng fought his way out of the encirclement and led his cavalry to flee north. Ran Sheng led a group of cavalry in hot pursuit, vowing to kill Xi Luo Teng.
