Yao Xishui originally thought that Xinchang Hou Li Pu did not need to bow to Han Qian. They had more than 400 soldiers who could be said to be the best in the world. They could find their own goals, break through some mansions, plunder the slaves, and then keep them.
The able-bodied young men expanded their troops and sent the old, weak, women and children to Maoshan and asked Han Qian to take over.
However, when they actually did it, they found that it was not as easy as they imagined.
It has only been seventeen years since the founding of Dachu in Jinling. Since the army of Yue King Dong Chang won the decisive battle in Runzhou in the eighth year of God's blessing, the counties on both sides of Maoshan have enjoyed peace for nearly ten years. However, the wars and chaos in the past nearly a hundred years have also continued.
Troubled by bandits from Fuyu Mountain, Yishan and other places, aristocratic families have been based in this rich land for hundreds of years. Which of the Zhujiazhai forts west of Maoshan is not built tall and thick?
Instead of dismantling it from within, they aimlessly picked a target and sent cavalry to attack it directly. They were reluctant to suffer heavy casualties, and at the same time they also had to worry about how the elite cavalry of the Chuzhou Army could get around it in half a day. How could they attack it?
And Zhao Wuji and the others are not yet able to attack Liyang by force. The two county towns of Pingling and Anning Palace, which are defended by two thousand soldiers and horses, will not easily give up the control of the surrounding counties even if the military strength declines. However, the troops are limited and they dare not
In field operations, the vast towns, ports, and villages outside the county were left to their own devices.
For the time being, Zhao Wuji and the others would bypass the few Dazhai fortresses that were particularly strong and had strong internal cohesion among their clan tribes and soldiers, but the targets they chose to attack each time were carefully selected.
In the first few days, Han Qian seemed to just keep issuing notices to various towns and villages, and did not directly send troops. However, this does not mean that there was no infiltration work behind the scenes, and even these tasks were the real focus.
This ensures that even if the fighting spirit of the troops defending the fortress cannot be completely broken, and a battle occurs, the most accurate situation can be grasped immediately and forced in from the weakest point.
Almost every day, a weakly defended fort can be smashed open with minimal cost.
After disarming the soldiers and villagers of the left-behind clan, they expelled the noble family members.
Those village soldiers and slaves who were willing to surrender to the Chishan Army were brought back to Maoshan along with grain, grain, iron cloth, mules, horses, cattle and sheep.
Those village soldiers and slaves who were unwilling to surrender to the Chishan Army were not in trouble, so they distributed rations, money, silk and other materials to them to help them escape from Lishui and Pingling counties and take refuge in Xuanzhou, Huzhou and other places.
In less than ten days, Zhao Wuji, Feng Xuan, Dou Rong and others took turns leading their troops to smash through more than nine small and medium-sized forts with relatively weak defenses in Pingling and Lishui counties.
A single spark can start a prairie fire. Seeing that the power is not right, some small and medium-sized aristocratic families gave up resistance and fled hurriedly into the castle or the county town with their slaves and slaves. However, more slaves in the two counties were inspired to get angry and rob cattle and sheep.
Valley, dragging his family and family to Maoshan.
Zhao Wuji and his troops brought back only ten thousand shi of grain, more than a thousand mules, horses, cattle and sheep, and more than six thousand slaves. However, the slaves and poor civilians brought their families with them, and they brought only this number of people and supplies.
twice of.
Regardless of the fact that these untrained slaves did not have much combat effectiveness, after excluding the old, weak, women and children, there were more than 6,000 young and strong men between the ages of 15 and 45, all of whom were incorporated into the camp.
In less than ten days, the Chishan rebel army swelled like a balloon to 10,000 troops.
During this period, the Marquis of Xinchang, Li Pu, led Li Xiu and others to smash open two fortresses and brought back two thousand slaves and their children.
They kicked the old, weak, women and children to Maoshan and handed them over to Han Qian for resettlement. They also left five hundred strong men behind, but in the process, they lost almost forty of their own warriors.
Han Qian didn't point out Xinchang Hou Li Pu and others' desire to take advantage, but Xinchang Hou Li Pu and others didn't feel good about it.
The cumulative casualties of the Chishan Army are more than 400. According to the ratio of troops and horses, the casualties on both sides should be very different. But the question lies in the quality of the remnants of the Chishan Army.
What are the qualities?
In the end, they only achieved slightly better results and called Li Pu and Li Xiu. How could Li Qi and the others be willing to do so?
The Chishan Army's casualties and losses could easily be replenished by selecting elite soldiers from slaves.
Even in the last two days of the food and army conscription operation, Zhao Wuji, Feng Xuan, Dou Rong and others deliberately selected some of the newly recruited slaves and daring ones to be taken out for actual combat, so that these slaves could quickly adapt to the bloody war.
He will soon grow into a useful veteran.
They lost more than 40 masters, all of whom were proficient in sword and bow martial arts. They had been training their bodies since childhood. Let alone one against ten, there was no problem for one person to fight against three or four ordinary soldiers in an open place. With such elite combat power,
How can I replenish it in a short time?
Entering mid-May, the weather in Jinling is getting hotter and hotter, and both sides will want to avoid fighting in such hot weather.
Otherwise, if the soldiers put on heavy uniforms and armor, let alone fight in formation, they would suffer from heatstroke even if they walked to the combat area under the scorching sun.
In the past ten days, Gao Shao, Zhou Chu, Zhao Qi, Guo Que, and Lin Zongjing led the second group, totaling more than two hundred soldiers and military attachés who were descendants of Zuo Si, from Xuzhou and rushed to Maoshan to join Han Qian.
In addition, one hundred and forty or fifty veterans of the Longque Army who fled from Shaozhou, Tanzhou, and Yueyang to protect their young families also rushed to Maoshan and accepted Han Qian's recruitment and returned to the army.
The Chishan Army expanded rapidly to more than 10,000 men in Sandu. Although the number of old soldiers was only about 3,000, the team leader and battalion commander level, as the backbone of the middle-level military attachés, were still sufficient.
It is almost guaranteed that the battalion level of six to eight hundred people that Han Qian wants to implement can initially establish an independent command system.
The troops and horses of the three capitals still have Lin Haizheng as the general, Du Yuhou's first capital as the absolute main force, Zhao Wuji, Feng Xuan, and Dou Rong as the battalion commanders. At the same time, more than a hundred military attachés have been added to strengthen the army by sixty to eighty
Cohesion and command at the sentinel level of ten people.
The second and third capitals are based on 200 military attachés who marched eastward and 1,200 veterans transferred from the first capital, and have nearly 5,000 slaves and maidservants who have joined the army. Currently, they can only be used as second-line reserve troops and cannot be used as combat units.
Main force.
In the second capital, Gao Shao and Zhao Qi were the principal and deputy capital Yuhou; while in the third capital, Zhou Chu, the surrendered general, was the capital Yuhou, and Meng Man, a deputy battalion commander who had fled from Yueyang, was the deputy capital Yuhou.
Lin Zongjing and other family soldiers' children, as well as young generals from Zuo Si's children, as well as Xiao Dahu, Shi Ji and others, filled in the second capital and the third capital to serve as soldiers and battalion commanders.
Kong Xirong and Wei Chang will take over the responsibility of leading the women's camp and the youth camp this time, replacing Shi Ji. Xiao Dahu returns to Han Qian's back and is responsible for commanding the guard camp; Guo Que and others also come to Han Qian's side to discuss with Yuan Guowei
, Guo Nuer and others, are responsible for handling increasingly complex and demanding matters such as scout reconnaissance and counselor military affairs.
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One afternoon in mid-May, Wang Wenqian, escorted by a group of people and horses, climbed a short mountain called Baihuling on the southeast side of Maoshan Mountain.
Baihuling is a branch extending from the southeast and upper Jieling Mountains to the northwest of Liyang.
The hill is only a dozen feet high and stretches for several miles, but it is a key point in the northwest of Liyang City to monitor the southern foot of Maoshan Mountain.
Accompanied by Zhao Zhen and Yin Peng, Wang Wenqian climbed to the top of Baihu Mountain and stood in the dense forest looking to the west.
Seven or eight miles away, they could vaguely see more than a thousand troops from Chishan's rebel army. They were entrenched in a village on the southeast side of Canglongbei where Damao Peak was located. They were burying felled trees into the soil to build a fence.
, enclosing a village with dozens of households, this village should be deliberately built as a stronghold to control the southeastern foothills of Maoshan Mountain, and expand the activity space of the Chishan Army in the southern foothills of Maoshan Mountain.
The Chishan Army obviously also noticed the existence of their troops. Farther away at the southeastern foot of Maoshan Mountain, two groups of soldiers and horses faintly walked out of the forest and stopped at the edge of the forest to wait for orders.
"Yesterday, the Chishan Army divided four thousand soldiers and horses, left the southern foot of Maoshan Mountain, and headed south into the northern foot of Donglu Mountain. Currently, the connection between Shangjia Fort and the surrounding areas has been cut off. It is estimated that they may attack Shangjia Fort by noon tomorrow at the earliest.
"
Yin Peng and Wang Wenqian, who came to see the military situation on behalf of King Xin, introduced the current situation at the southern foot of Maoshan Mountain and said,
"The aristocratic families who have taken refuge in Jinling City should be in an uproar at this time. I wonder if they will watch Shangjia Fort being forcibly taken down by Han Qian?"
Wang Wenqian frowned, stared at the faint green hills to the west and south, and said worriedly: "Han Qian recruited slaves to join the army, and he made a big fuss in Lishui and Pingling counties. There were even slaves who fled as far away as the north bank of the Yangtze River.
Desperate to surrender, he has already made the noble families who have taken refuge in Jinling City furious. However, if he really wants to attack Shangjia Fort tomorrow, I believe that in addition to the Shang family, Yuan Xiao, Liuxu and other families will also share the same hatred.
Chu Li is angry, but the possibility of An Ning Palace sending troops is not high - we can't expect An Ning Palace to send troops to curb the momentum of the Chishan Army..."
Wang Wenqian frowned with worry. He thought that His Highness would send Zhao Zhen to lead five or six thousand soldiers and horses to Liyang and Jintan to block the Chishan Army's movement space to the east wing of Maoshan, so that the war situation could develop as they expected. However,
Who would have thought that Han Qian would do this?
At first, when the generals of the Chuzhou Army learned that Han Qian was recruiting slaves to join the army, most of them wanted to laugh and watch him seek death. However, seeing that the slaves in Pingling and Lishui counties were so easy to be incited, in just ten days,
Twenty to thirty thousand people gathered in Maoshan, but there was no iron plate for Han Qian to kick, which surprised them greatly.
In just ten days, the strength of the Chishan rebel army suddenly increased to more than 10,000. Who can not feel deeply troubled?
During this process, more than 30 of the aristocratic families in the two counties who had gathered to protect themselves and tried to resist Han Qian had been easily breached by Han Qian, allowing the Chishan Army to obtain a large amount of supplies. So far, not a single grain of grain had appeared.
Signs of scarcity.
Although it is said that Han Qian summoned his slaves to join the army and hastily expanded the Chishan Army to more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, it can only be regarded as a mob. Han Qian could not conjure so many soldiers and armors to arm so many troops in Jinling at this time.
, but Han Qian insisted on tearing down Shangjiabao regardless of casualties. What could the Chuzhou Army and An Ning Palace do to them?
At present, the Chuzhou Army, the Nanya Forbidden Army, and the Shouzhou Army are so tight on both sides of Chishan Lake that no more troops can be sent to the southern front to deal heavy losses to this mob.
Although the noble families in Jinling City were all furious, Wang Wenqian believed that Anning Palace would not dare to mobilize an elite combat force of more than 10,000 people from the Nanya Forbidden Army and the Shouzhou Army to go south.
Han Qian was actually taking advantage of the suspicion between the Chuzhou Army and Anning Palace to maneuver.
But the problem is that the number of Chishan troops has increased to more than 10,000, and they have no intention of stopping there.
Under the supervision of the Chuzhou cavalry, the Chishan Army did not dare to leave Maoshan and move too far away for the time being. However, the momentum of recruiting slaves into the army was already burning like a prairie fire. Those daring slaves in Wuhu, Dangtu and other counties
, no need to be coerced, just a little bit of agitation, hundreds of people fled to Maoshan every day, dragging their families and families.
Han Qian's forceful capture of Shangjiapu will not only increase his momentum, but also obtain the grain and supplies hoarded by the Shang family. Wang Wenqian is also worried that the Chishan Army will extend its scope of activities to the north of Xuanzhou after controlling Pinglu Mountain south of Maoshan.
.
Han Qian also considered this, right?
From Maoshan Mountain to the south to Jilong Mountain in the north of Xuanzhou, there is a gap of one hundred miles, but this gap area is an extension of the terrain of Maoshan Mountain to the south, and is home to Pinglu Mountain, Yinshan Mountain, Fushan Mountain, etc.
The mountains are not high, but the hills are quite dangerous.
Wang Wenqian could not imagine how passive the Chuzhou Army's situation on the south bank of the Yangtze River would become if Shangjiabao was captured by Han Qian.
However, is it realistic to dispatch 10,000 more elites from the northern front to the southern front to deal with the cunning Han Qian and the Chishan Army? Or, in other words, they should also learn from Han Qian and recruit slaves from Runyang and other prefectures and counties to join the army.
Inadequate military strength?
"The families in Lishui were deeply disturbed by Han Qian, and they all realized that if they separated their defenses, they would be defeated one by one by Han Qian. Currently, almost two thousand aristocratic families' defense soldiers gathered in Shangjia Fort, with strong combat effectiveness, and the aristocratic families also had the courage to defeat them one by one.
The family soldiers who fought promised a heavy reward, and I believe it will work. We will divide our troops to harass them from the east wing. If Han Qian really dares to lead a mob of 10,000 people to attack Shangjia Fort, they will pay a heartbreaking price!" Zhao
Zhen was not as worried as Wang Wenqian, and did not think that the situation facing the Chishan Army would continue smoothly.
In his opinion, the key is now. After contacting the clan defense troops in Shangjiabao, they temporarily put aside the dispute of whether they were enemies or friends, and first concentrated on working together to crush Han Qian's attempt to storm Shangjiabao.
Delusion.
To the west of Liyang and Jintan counties, they still have 3,000 elite cavalry who can mobilize to fight. Attacking Maoshan is not possible, but harassment from the flanks makes it difficult for the Chishan army to attack Shangjiapu with all their strength.
The soldiers knew that there were reinforcements outside, and they were more determined to defend the fort. Zhao Zhen believed that this time he could defeat Han Qian and the Chishan Army.
Zhao Zhen did not think that Han Qian could not be ignored, but the problem was that with a mob of ten thousand people, six or seven of them remained docile slaves for ten days and a half, and none of them had any armor or weapons. How strong could such an army really be?
go?
Under this situation, if they don't dare to attack his flank, will they not have to fight in the future and just run away obediently when they see Han Qian's flag raised on the ground?
Wang Wenqian looked at the terrain at the southern foot of Maoshan Mountain, but it was difficult to relax his brows. He said: "Donglu Mountain is smaller, but in terms of terrain, the extension area from the southern foot of Maoshan Mountain to the south wing is intermittent. The mountain shape is not high but there are quite steep slopes.
Hills. Such terrain will greatly restrict the cavalry charge, right?"
"Yes, Han Qian is determined to attack Shangjiabao, and he will consider the harassment from our side. But the brave will win when we meet in a narrow road, and I think Shangjiabao's defense is also quite determined. We just need to change their minds.
Just be more determined, is it possible that Han Qian can slowly build siege weapons outside Shangjiabao and then attack the city?" Zhao Zhen said, he was already rare calm and measured, but he also felt that Wang Wenqian
He was too afraid of Han Qian, his opponent.
"General Zhao is confident, so I won't say anything." Wang Wenqian knew that he talked too much, and Zhao Zhen didn't like to hear it. And Han Qian had already made up his mind to attack Shangjiabao. They couldn't stand by and watch, so they could only let Zhao Zhen let go.
Give.
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When Wang Wenqian, Zhao Zhen and Yin Peng ascended the Baihu Ridge, Han Qian, Li Pu, Zhang Ping, Yuan Guowei and others were on the opposite side of the Black Bull Ridge at the southern foot of Maoshan Mountain. They also noticed that a group of cavalry from the Chuzhou Army entered the Baihu Ridge.
There should be senior generals from Chuzhou who climbed up to Baihu Ridge to observe their movements at the southern foot of Maoshan Mountain.
"Isn't the time ripe to attack Shangjiabao at this time?" Li Pu had also been officially appointed by Yue Yang at this time and stayed in Jinling as the propaganda and liaison envoy. Although he had no way to regain military power from Han Qian, because
The surrounding sects and sects all had mortal enemies with them, and the so-called liaison envoy was just an empty name, but he was nominally on an equal footing with Han Qian.
And since he stayed, Li Pu's thoughts about Han Qian were much more complicated than before.
He didn't want to see Han Qian's glory again, but if Han Qian was really defeated, he wouldn't get any benefits.
Therefore, he did not advocate that the Chishan Army use all its strength and take risks to attack Shangjiabao at this time.
Shangjia Fort has two thousand defense troops. If the Chuzhou Army does not peek at one side, the Chishan Army surrounds it with four or five times the force. Then they build siege weapons and make Shangjia Fort more than two feet high and covered with walls.
If it takes a little more time to smash the wall open, I believe we can still chew it down hard.
The current situation is that the Chuzhou Army has six to seven thousand soldiers and horses on the southern front, of which three thousand elite cavalry are gathering at Baihu Ridge opposite them. It is simply impossible for the Chishan Army to launch a siege on Shangjiabao calmly.
The soldiers and horses attacking Shangjiabao were actually exposed to the front of the Chuzhou Army's cavalry.
There is a gap of seven or eight miles from Heiniuji to Donglu Mountain. They just rushed to build a camp at Sanliuji in the east. There was no way to protect the flanks. Is it possible to use infantry to form an array on a relatively open slope to move the main force?
Are the flanks of the troops protected?
At the time of the problem, Han Qian only had 3,000 soldiers and horses that could be considered elite. If these 3,000 soldiers and horses were deployed on the flanks to guard against the elite cavalry of the Chuzhou Army, then the 6 or 7,000 ragtag troops would have to undergo rough training in just ten days.
Even if the formations at the lower level may not be arranged neatly, how can they attack the Shangjia Fort with a high wall and a deep pool in a short period of time, which is guarded by two thousand elite defenders?
Another one, there are more than 70,000 old, weak, women and children gathered in Maoshan. Do we need to divide our troops to protect them?
Li Pu saw a battalion of generals gathered under the black cow's spine. Two-thirds of them were slaves who had recently joined the army. There was no extra armor issued to them. Most of them were shirtless and wearing straw sandals in the hot summer.
, holding a four- to five-meter-long bamboo pole with uncut bamboo branches as a weapon. Can such an army sent to the flank withstand the attack from the flank by the elite cavalry of the Chuzhou Army?
Li Pu was full of doubts.
Li Xiu and Li Qi learned from Li Yu how to lead and manage the army since they were young. Since ancient times, many armies have been raised hastily. They made simple bamboo spears and wooden spears, which were difficult to use. I really don't understand why Han Qian rushed to attack Shangjiabao.
.
Li Xiudu thought about going to Lei Pingfeng to find his father and persuade Han Qian not to act so recklessly.
"The brave will win when we meet on a narrow road. The current situation of the Chishan Army is so embarrassing. Taking half a step back is an abyss. Do you think we have a chance to make complete preparations before attacking Shangjia Fort?" Han Qian glanced at Li Pu,
He said calmly, "But please ask the Marquis and General Li to lead their troops to block the connection between Shangjiabao and Lishui City. Whether this battle succeeds or not, you have done your best..."
"If Anning Palace does not send troops, we will guard the west wing and not ask Lishui City to send troops to support Shangjiabao." Currently, there are only two thousand scattered soldiers and horses in Lishui City, and among them, only one battalion of the Nanya Imperial Guards can be called elite.
, even if they storm out, Li Pu believes that their 500 infantry and 400 cavalry, which can be called the most elite combat force in the world, are completely confident that they can be defeated in the field. However, if Anning Palace comes from Nanya in the north,
If the Forbidden Army or Shouzhou mobilized more elite cavalry, they would not stay and risk their lives with Han Qian.
He said the ugly things in advance because he didn't want Han Qian to catch him and shirk the responsibility in the future.
"Okay, Lord Li and General Li, just keep an eye on the troops in Lishui City!" Han Qian agreed.
