The attack on the Guanzhong area will come much faster and earlier than imagined.
At the end of the first month, the Yu River north of Tongguan, the Beiluo River, and the Wei River west of Tongguan had not yet begun to thaw, and the ice was so thick that horses could move. Huatong and Hejin were all in control of Jingzhen, so Han Bao led his troops from
Starting from Puban at the northern foot of Xiangshan Mountain, we crossed the Yu River directly to the west and attacked Pujin Pass on the west bank.
The slave boy who had nothing but brute strength back then has now grown into a burly young man.
It was like a freezing season when dripping water turned into ice. Han Bao was sitting on the back of his beloved maroon horse, holding the rope, stroking the horse's neck as smooth as satin, and looking at the two vanguard camps on the left and right heading towards the west bank like a tide.
Pujin Pass, which has been under construction for many years. I don’t know how many years have passed since the last renovation. It is not big and looks like a blue-black beast entrenched in the wilderness on the west bank of the Yu River.
Pujin Pass was built on the alluvial river plain on the west bank of the Yu River. It is surrounded by flat rivers and has no dangerous terrain. However, it controls the west entrance of the Pujin Bridge and has a very important strategic position.
Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, in addition to Puban to the east of Pujin Bridge being the economic, political and military center of the Hejin region, important passes were often built on the west side of Pujin Bridge and elite soldiers and horses were stationed there to strengthen the strategic importance of Pujin Crossing.
control of land.
After the great victory of Zhiguanxing, Daliang has actually formed the strategic advantage of surrounding Guanzhong from three sides and four directions:
Kong Xirong sent troops from Lantian Pass, and the front could be directed towards the south of Yongzhou; Li Zhigao sent troops from Qishan, and the front could be directed towards Qinzhou in Longyou; Chai Jian and Deng Tai sent troops from Hanzhong, and the front could be directed towards Fengxiang; the most central route is Jingzhou
Vigorously control Huatong, Hejin soldiers and horses, and the military front is directed at the eastern gateway of Guanzhong.
Of course, attacking Pujin Pass as the first battle to regain Guanzhong is mainly based on the idea that after capturing Pujin Pass, the Pujin Floating Bridge that was destroyed by the Luoyang Navy before could be re-erected to connect the post road on the north bank of the Wei River to the northern foot of Xiangshan Mountain.
The post roads to Puban, Anyi, Jiangxian and other cities on the south bank of the Fen River are connected.
In order to save transportation costs, the garrison must purchase grain and fodder as close as possible; and the repair of the post road from Anyi to Puban and the erection of the Pujin Floating Bridge also require Hejin Prefecture to organize and implement the manpower.
After crossing north, Han Duan first served as governor of Huazhou, and then served as magistrate of Huayin County for three years. In early November, he rushed to Puban to take office as the first magistrate of Hejin.
Before the Lunar New Year, the war to regain Guanzhong entered the preparatory stage. As Hejin, which is adjacent to the central gateway of Guanzhong, even if the military pressure it endured was limited, Han Duan could not rest for a moment.
At this time, he was also surrounded by dozens of officials and government officials, standing on the embankment on the east bank of the Yu River, looking at the vast land of Guanzhong covered with residual snow, and he was filled with emotions.
Thirty years later, who could have imagined that the violent, uneducated and immature boy thirty years ago would one day become a hero.
Occasionally thinking about old things from many years ago, Han Duan could only say in his heart that all this was a sign of a dragon lurking in the abyss.
"Sir, we need to mobilize troops from Hejin to attack Guanzhong. If the Mongolians counterattack from Taiyuan and southern Shanxi, Pingyang and Jiangzhou only have a total of 40,000 to 50,000 troops, so they may not be able to stop them?" A government official said,
Watching the army marching towards the west bank, standing next to Han Duan, he said worriedly.
In the past three or four years, the Mongols have migrated to Hedong, Heshuo and other places with more than 500,000 people. Among them, more than 100,000 are good at riding and shooting, and are brave and good at fighting. Even in the battle of Zhiguanxing, the Mongols lost their own elite men.
There are more than 30,000, but 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers and horses can still be recruited from these two places and incorporated into the army.
Hedong (Taiyuan Basin, Shangdang Basin), Heshuo and Yanyun have a population of seven to eight million, with as many as two to three million young men. This made the Mongolian army, after experiencing the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Zhiguanxing,
Taiyuan, Ze and other places can replenish troops very quickly.
Just after the Spring Festival, the number of Mongolian troops in Taiyuan and southern Shanxi (Zezhou, Luzhou) quickly recovered to more than 100,000.
After the great victory of Zhiguanxing, although the Central Committee newly established the Taiyue Marching Army and the Pingyang Marching Army to take charge of the offensive and defensive wars against Taiyuan and southern Shanxi (Zezhou, Luzhou), the two defense lines had five main infantry brigades plus
The six reserve brigades, which are fully staffed with captured soldiers, only have a total of more than 55,000 generals. There are still quite a few people worried that the defense lines on both sides are too weak.
"The Mongolian army lost 130,000 elite soldiers and horses in the battle of Zhiguanxing. The vitality that was damaged cannot be replenished simply by recruiting 70,000 to 80,000 new soldiers." Han Duan laughed and said, "Everything is different.
Some unwarranted subordinates said, "There are only about 100,000 strong men of the Mengwu clan who have moved south in the past few years. We have lost 30% of them in one fell swoop. Any one of them would be heartbroken. They want to attack Hongdong and Qin."
If you want to protect the water defense line, you have to ask Usu Dashi, how many lives of the strong men of the Mongolian tribe are you willing to sacrifice to fill it?"
After he grew up, he was mainly responsible for taking care of family affairs. After Emperor Yanyou ascended the throne in Jinling, he became an official in Beijing. After traveling north, he went to prefectures and counties for experience. Now he does not rely on the special status of a descendant of the Han family, and has many jobs in Daliang.
As a mid-level and high-level general, he is also confident that his vision and abilities will not lag too far behind others.
Perhaps the middle and lower-level subordinates were not particularly aware of the changes that the victory of Zhiguanxing had on the situation in the entire north, but the self-confidence inspired by this victory deep in the hearts of the middle and upper-level officials in Daliang was indescribable.
In addition to the losses of hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers, the Mongolian army also suffered nearly 2,000 generals of centurions and above. The military attaches were either killed or captured - mature, brave and capable military attaches and generals, who are the backbone of an army.
Souls and souls are accumulated through bloody battles on the battlefield. These cannot be replaced by new recruits.
And the Fenshui River Valley, the most important part of the Hedong River, was lost, as well as the large amount of food prepared before the war, nearly 100,000 large livestock including fine war horses, and countless soldiers, plus a large number of wounded soldiers in need of treatment. These are by no means three factors.
It will take five years to recover.
In addition to these, the morale of the Mongolian army's generals, its deterrent to the soldiers and civilians who surrendered to Jin, and even the degree of risk that the Mongolian army could bear in a similar battle were greatly weakened.
This also means that the Mongolian army can only take a defensive position in Taiyuan for the time being. Even if the Liang army is in peace, Zelu will be on the defensive.
There were only more than 50,000 garrison troops in the eastern defense line of Yang and Jiangzhou, but the Mongolian army was unable to launch a new offensive to recapture the lower and lower reaches of the Fen River valley.
Although Wang Xiaoxian and Wang Yuankui withdrew their troops from Lantian Pass and Huatong to Qizhou and Yongzhou in time, and their direct troops did not suffer direct losses, before the battle of Zhiguanxing, Wusu Dashi and Xiao Yiqing came from their comrades north of the Wei River.
Nearly 20,000 garrison troops from the four prefectures of Ping, Yan, and Lin were mobilized to Jiangxian, Quwo and other places to participate in the war. Before the end of November last year, almost all casualties were suffered.
The Mongolian army still has new soldiers in Taiyuan and southern Shanxi who can be forcibly recruited into the camp. Their situation in the northern part of Guanzhong, that is, Tong, Yan, Lin, Pi and other prefectures north of the Wei River, is even worse.
In order to conduct the battle in Jiangxian County, Wusu Dashi dispatched more than 20,000 reinforcements from the states north of the Wei River into the Fenshui River Valley before August last year. The more than 20,000 Weibei reinforcements were completely lost, leaving Mengwu at this time in the Wei River.
The total number of garrison troops from the four states on the north coast is only about 20,000.
Although Wusu Dashi repeatedly ordered Wang Yuankui and Wang Xiaoxian to divide their troops to guard the four states north of the Wei River, how could Wang Yuankui and Wang Xiaoxian dare to divide their troops from the south bank of the Wei River at this time?
Not only was Han Duan not worried that the Mongolian army would fight out from Taiyuan and southern Shanxi, he was also not worried about how difficult it would be for Han Bao to lead his troops to seize Pujin Pass on the other side.
Han Duan was about to show off his knowledge to his men when he heard Han Bao, who was sitting on horseback and holding a copper telescope to observe the enemy situation on the other side, cursed.
"What's wrong?" Han Duan walked over and asked, thinking that something unexpected happened on the other side.
At present, in Daliang, bronze sightglasses are not particularly rare items, and the Hejin Prefecture Police Patrol Division also has a few. However, Han Duan is a civil servant, and he is too embarrassed to show off with a bronze sightglass in front of Han Bao and other commanders.
Han Qian did not restrict the children of the Han family and the Zhu family from taking local posts, but he had stricter requirements on them and earnestly advised them to maintain a humble attitude when taking local posts.
"The enemy troops at Pujing Pass have escaped!" Han Bao said regretfully, "Commander Jing also strictly ordered us to cross the river and capture Pujing Pass. We are not allowed to continue to the west or extend our troops to the north. Damn it, the whole year
I haven't had a solid day at all, but I can't get a chance to bleed the Mongolian army when I cross the river. Not to mention I'm holding my breath!"
"There are more than 400 defenders at Pujing Pass, and the defenders in Dali, Yanghe and other places are also extremely limited. We should not have the guts to come to the rescue at this time. If we don't escape now, when will we wait?" Han Duan said with a smile, "Can we do it now?
You captured Yuxi without a single blow and rushed to Pujin Pass, what else is there to be unhappy about?"
After a while, the generals from the front line came to report: "The defenders fled westward, and there were only about ninety people. They chose to surrender because they had a family at or near Pujing Pass."
Han Bao asked General Nadu to lead his troops to guard Pujin Pass and be wary of the surrounding enemies. He also sent a messenger to ride a fast horse to Tongguan and Luoyang to report the news. He was in low spirits, surrounded by his cavalry, and went to Pujin with Han Duan and others.
Leaving Bancheng...
…………
…………
Even though the Mongolian army had limited troops stationed on the north bank of the Wei River and in the Yanlin prefectures, they were mainly reduced to the defense of a few major cities, making the defenses of some county towns and affiliated cities ineffective. However, the Huatong Marching Army captured the troops on the eastern front.
The fighter planes must be delayed as far back as possible. Even if there is a chance, they must not rush to regain the city on the north bank of the Wei River. This is Han Qian's direct instruction to Jing Zhen, the commander of Huatong's army camp.
The following generals want to ask, Jing Zhen only said that along the Zhiguanxing Road, there will be heavy casualties in Daliang. In any battle, you must be extremely careful and avoid over-dispersing your troops.
In addition to the garrison at Huatong Prefecture and Shangluo Prefecture, Han Qian's request for the garrison at Hejin Prefecture is mainly to race against time in the early stage to repair the Pujin Crossing Bridge and open the channel for the army to quickly attack the Weibei area. There should be no rush to blockade the Yongqi garrison.
Escape route to the north.
Of course, Han Duan, Han Bao and other mid-level and senior generals still knew very well that the military deployment of the emperor and the staff office for the battle to regain Guanzhong would focus on the west rather than the east in the early stages of the battle.
In early February, the Yu River, Wei River, and Jing River to the north and west of Huatong began to thaw. At this time, Luoyang|Navy troops mainly gathered in Huayin County to the west of Tongguan, accepting Jing Zhen's control, demolishing and clearing along the way.
Wang Yuankui's troops pulled up iron cables on the Wei River, laid hidden piles, and even scuttled a large number of boats filled with sand and gravel to clear the waterway along the westward path of the Wei River.
In the early stage of the war to regain Guanzhong, the real focus was on the west wing.
For this reason, Chai Jian succeeded Li Zhigao as the official envoy of Hanzhong Prefecture. He led Chai Xun, Hao Zixia, and Zhou Tong's three infantry brigades out of Baocheng in Hanzhong, passing through Lianyun Road and Baoxie, approaching Fengxian County in the south of Fengxiang and the southeast
of Meiwu.
Feng Xuan, who was appointed deputy envoy to Longyou Xuanwei, led the cavalry brigade of Cao Ba, Lu Ze, and Zhao Ci, marched westward via the Niuji Road in Hanzhong, and entered Chengzhou to join Li Zhigao and Feng Yi before the end of the first month of Taihe Qihe.
.
In mid-February, the Longyou valley was still covered with snow and ice, and the cold wind of early spring blew across the face like a knife. After a brief rest, more than 20,000 riders, led by generals such as Li Zhigao, Feng Xuan and others, started from the north of the Datan River.
, starting from the fortresses west of Longshan, it was like a cold and ruthless storm, sweeping towards Qinzhou, the old county of Tianshui.
At this time, except for Jiequan County in Qinzhou, where the site of the Battle of Jieting between Shu and Wei was located, which was garrisoned by Wang Xiao's advance general, all other areas in Qinzhou were under the rule of the Pingxia cavalry led by Li Yuanshou.
The Pingxia cavalry, under the command of their leader Li Yuanshou, was brave and good at fighting. After moving south to Qinzhou, they blocked the northward advance of the Longyou Army at the western foot of Longshan Mountain.
Li Zhigao led more than 15,000 infantry and cavalry and was blocked for two years. Unable to advance northward, he could only retreat and do the next best thing, concentrating his efforts on building a walled city at the western foot of Longshan Mountain.
However, in Han Qian's opinion, the bravery and proficiency of the Pingxia tribe's Qiang cavalry also depended on the situation.
Previously, the Mongols were extremely powerful, occupying Heshuo, Hedong, Guanlong and other places. The Pingxia Qiang Cavalry was attached to the Mongols. The Mongols ordered them to contain the Liang army from the west wing and advance northward along the western foot of Longshan. The Pingxia Qiang Cavalry
Don't dare to disobey easily.
For the Pingxia tribe Qiang cavalry, they previously sent troops to the western foot of Longshan Mountain, which not only provided them with abundant water and grass to support their tribesmen, but also integrated the Qiang tribes in the north of Qishan Mountain to form Zhuang tribesmen.
Brave and fierce.
Only two or three months had passed since the Battle of Zhi Guanxing, but news had already spread to Longyou, Hexi and other places, and even the situation in Guanzhong had become precarious.
Pingxiabu at this time
The Qiang cavalry must consider whether, under the current situation, it is worth using their own elite to fight just to defend the western flank of Guanzhong, or whether they can temporarily avoid Liang Jun's front and shrink their troops to the north.
Yinzhou, Xiazhou recuperate?
"Although it is much easier to send troops from Huatong and Shangluo to attack Yongzhou, your Majesty thinks that Wang Xiaoxian is a lonely and cruel person, so he is worried that our Daliang soldiers and horses will attack Yongzhou first, and Wang Xiaoxian will coerce Fengxiang's soldiers and civilians to leave Longshan and join Li Yuanshou. So.
No matter how difficult it was in the early stage, your Majesty finally decided to take back the battle of Guanzhong and start from the west wing, but it will be hard for Commander Li!" Feng Xuan sat astride the broad saddle, holding the reins, looking at the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
, said.
On the nearby slopes, the snow was trampled by horses' hooves, revealing the withered grass that had been covered all winter; the war horses, which had not yet fed their appetites with beans, lowered their heads and gnawed on grass stems under the snow.
The area of Longyou is vast and sparsely populated, and the two prefectures of Chengdu and Wuzhou have only more than 90,000 Han residents in total.
In the past two years, Li Zhigao had built villages and farmed fields at the western foot of Longshan Mountain, and had collected and hoarded grain from trade surpluses, but he could only supply more than 25,000 cavalry for more than three months.
The cost of transporting grain and grass to Hanzhong, which was short of food, and then transporting it through the rugged Niuji Road to Chengdu and Wuzhou was astonishing.
Because of this, Han Qian decided to start the Battle of Guanzhong and recapture Qinzhou from the west wing. He was afraid that Wang Xiaoxian would coerce Fengxiang's soldiers and civilians to flee to Longyou and join Li Yuanshou.
In that case, Li Yuanshou would not only have elite cavalry, but also infantry who were good at defending cities and building fortresses, as well as a large number of Han people who could be forcibly moved to the Hetao Plain for farming and craftsmanship.
Its power is very likely to grow rapidly in the Hetao Plain and Hexi areas like the Mongols operating Yanyun, and by then even spending several times the price may not be able to solve this hidden worry.
"... Your Majesty has given Zhigao the military exploits to take. How can Zhigao be so troublesome?" Li Zhigao tightened the reins and spent half his life in the army, which caused many wrinkles like knives and axes to appear on his forty-year-old yellow and thin face.
However, he showed a perseverance that was not afraid of the ravages of the wind and cold. He chatted and laughed loudly with Feng Xuan, and also had an indescribable calmness.
"Commander father, take the lead in attacking Daqiuzhai. I will go with General Hou Mo!" Li Zhi, the young man who fled Jinling in a hurry with Su Hongyu, has now grown into a strong-backed young general, riding on the saddle with a sword in his hand.
, ask for a battle with Li Zhigao.
Li Zhigao looked at Hou Mo, the leader of the Qiang tribe in Wuzhou, and said, "General Hou, I would like to ask you to take more care of Li Zhi, and don't let him cause any trouble for you."
"How can Ho Mo still ask for help from the young commander?" Ho Mo said.
"Li Zhi and the others have learned some things in Luoyang for more than two years, but the battle situation in Longyou is complicated and they are not familiar with the situation. It is difficult for them to achieve great things simply by relying on paper talks," Li Zhigao said solemnly, "The forward troops and horses
, you are the commander-in-chief, you can accept their suggestions, but you have to make up your mind on everything. If Li Zhi disobeys orders, you will deal with him according to military law, and there is no need to show any mercy to me. And the forward troops came out.
I am also asking you the question."
"Yes, Hou Mo obeys the order!"
Li Zhi, Chai Jian's eldest son Chai Xun and others were transferred to Luoyang Military Academy two years ago for further study. However, in order to strengthen the integration of the Qiang tribes in Wucheng and other places, Hou Mo and other leaders of the Qiang tribes came to
Shortly after the battle of Zhiguanxing began, he was ordered to rush to Luoyang to accept Han Qian's summons.
At that time, Hou Mo thought that if he went to Luoyang for this purpose, he might not be able to return to Longyou as a hostage in his life. However, he did not expect that after arriving in Luoyang, he and a group of students from the military academy such as Li Zhi were incorporated into the vanguard camp and worked in front of Wen Bo Zhang.
, participated in the formulation and arrangement of the battle plan for the mid- to late-stage war by the forward camp staff, which was extremely touching.
The Battle of Zhiguanxing lasted for eleven months. Whether it was the preparation of materials, the mobilization and assembly of generals, as well as the precise and meticulous terrain survey and intelligence collection before and after the war, it can be said that it was the best in the world.
Extreme.
As a result, when Yuanqu City was captured in the early stage of the Zhiguanxing Battle, more than 30,000 elite soldiers from Tian Weiye's headquarters and enemy reinforcements were annihilated. The total casualties in Daliang were only 7,000 to 8,000, and nearly half of them were surrendered prisoners.
In this process, it can be said that Wen Bo was not so much a loyal and precise executor of the General Staff Office's intentions, but that a famous general and veteran like Tian Shouye with great military exploits had no room for struggle from the beginning to the end.
After studying at Luoyang Military Academy and personally participating in the Battle of Zhiguanxing, it can be said that Li Zhi, who was born as a standard general, gained a completely new understanding of war.
In the past, he was full of thoughts about leading an elite cavalry and marching through the Helan Mountains. Now he is even more eager to lead a well-equipped crossbow and armored horse infantry to mediate the iron horse war in the Gobi Desert with the Pingxia cavalry, which is called the hero of Hexi.
superior.
Hou Mo was about the same age as Li Zhigao, and he was like the other leaders of the Qiang tribes in the two states. What he saw and heard after arriving in Luoyang, especially when he finally took advantage of the heavy fog to launch a surprise attack on the Mongolian army, which completely sealed the victory of Zhiguanxing, made him feel deeply.
The shock has not completely subsided yet.
After returning this time, they once again commanded the 3,000-strong Chengwu Qiang Cavalry Brigade, and the last lingering thoughts deep in their hearts were wiped away.
At this time, several fast horses came from behind. Seeing that they were Xinqi coming from the direction of Datan City, the guards led them to Li Zhigao.
"A message has been sent from Luoyang, please read it to the commander-in-chief." Xinqi handed over a secret letter.
Li Zhigao took it and glanced at it, then handed it to Feng Xuan with a sigh, and Feng Yi and others circulated it.
Feng Yi has been staying in Longyou for the past two or three years, and his face is also stained with a bit of bitterness. Reading the secret letter, it is written that Zhao Mengji has decided to surrender to Luoyang, and has recently put Zhou Yuan, Lu Qingxia, Yao Xishui and others under house arrest.
Just wait for the Longyou Army to defeat the Pingxia Qiang Cavalry from Qinzhou and block Wang Xiaoxian's escape route to the west, and then the flag will be officially changed.
The garrisons in Huatong, Shangluo and Hejin were temporarily stationary, and even Zhao Mengji's formal surrender would be delayed as much as possible, all in order to block Wang Xiaoxian's westward escape route.
However, the news that Zhao Mengji had placed Zhou Yuan, Lu Qingxia, Yao Xishui and others under house arrest could not be concealed for too long. Wu Su Dashi and Xiao Yiqing would soon discover the fact that Zhao Mengji did not obey orders, which actually left the Longyou Army no time.
