On February 19, the fifteenth year of Daye, Zhu Can's army quickly assembled in Hanzhong County.
On February 21st, Zhu Can gathered an army of 100,000 and marched towards Champion County in a mighty manner. It seemed that he was desperate to defeat Wagangjie led by Xu Shiji in one battle and regain Champion County.
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As darkness fell, the Wagang Camp of the Far Eastern Army in Champion County was silent, with only the figures of patrolling sentries walking in formation.
The lights in the Chinese army's tent were still bright, and coach Xu Shiji was discussing the military situation with Cheng Yaojin, Shen Guang, Xie Yingdeng, Chen Xiaowu and others.
This afternoon, Shen Guang sent Xu Shiji an eagle letter from Champion County, convinced that Zhu Can was mobilizing a hundred thousand troops to go south for a decisive battle.
The information that came with it also included news that Zhu Can's army was demoralized and that soldiers were fleeing in large numbers. This shows that the struggle in the ideological field that the Far East Army has been pursuing has achieved very good results. Shen Guang has recently vigorously mobilized military intelligence in Champion County. Some things done by powerful people such as the government and Xiaoyu Theater have achieved fruitful results.
Of course, the bigger reason for this was that Xu Shiji occupied the Champion County with lightning speed, which hit Zhu Can's weakest point.
"It's impossible that Zhu Can doesn't know the situation of his army, and it's impossible that he doesn't know the power of our Wagang camp. Even if he has 40,000 more troops than us, he will definitely not be able to defeat us, but he still leads his troops south to attack us. Will this move be a fraud?" Cheng Yaojin asked with a frown.
"The intelligence we have obtained in recent days shows that Zhu Can is going crazy, so it is possible that he will take any impulsive decision..." Shen Guang thought for a moment and replied, but he also remembered the intelligence information that Zhu Can had been on the battlefield in the past. On the other hand, I was a little unsure about what I said.
Xu Shiji sneered: "Although I haven't received the exact news, it is conceivable that Li Shimin or Zhu Can have sent envoys to see each other and reached a certain deal secretly. The final result is nothing more than the two of them joining forces to deal with us. Afterwards, Zhu Can Serve Li Yuan."
Shen Guang shook his head and said: "Our Military Intelligence Bureau has conducted detailed analysis and research on Zhu Can. This person will never surrender to anyone."
Shen Guang said so firmly that Xu Shiji couldn't help but frown, but then he thought about it and said, "Maybe Zhu Can just wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife."
Shen Guang thought for a moment, agreed with Xu Shiji's guess, nodded and said: "When your Wagang Camp fights with Zhu Can, I will arrange my manpower to keep an eye on Li Shimin's men and horses, as long as Li Shimin's army makes the slightest movement. , our people will know it as soon as possible, and tell General Xu with a flying eagle, there is no way he will fall into the ambush of Li Shimin and Zhu Can."
Xu Shiji remembered that Wang Junlin's order specifically mentioned that he must be cautious when facing Li Shimin and attach great importance to it, so he vaguely felt that the matter was not that simple, but he did not doubt the ability of the spies from the Military Intelligence Agency at all. Li Shimin's army If there was any unusual movement, it would be difficult to escape the eyes of the spies from the Military Intelligence Agency. What's more, he had done enough homework before coming to Sichuan. How could he not know how many people there were in Champion County and Hanzhong County, both covertly and covertly?
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Just as the information sent in advance by the spies from the Military Intelligence Agency said, the army led by Zhu Can arrived and headed straight towards Champion County with great momentum.
Xu Shiji was naturally prepared for this, but he did not push all the troops up to meet the enemy. He ordered Xie Yingdeng to lead 10,000 infantry to attack Qushi City, an important town in the south of Hanzhong County, and then ordered Cheng Yaojin to lead 20,000 cavalry to attack the ten thousand troops head-on. Zhu Jiajun of ten thousand.
Xu Shiji led 10,000 cavalry and set up camp thirty miles north of Qushi City to respond.
Another 20,000 infantrymen were stationed at Devil's Pass, the county seat of Champion County, and several county towns. This was regarded as a defense against Xiao Zhuang's Liang troops in the south.
After the 20,000 men from the Wagang Camp garrisoned the city, the strength was obviously insufficient, but Xu Shiji still allowed 10,000 infantrymen to attack Qushi City. While this move is intriguing, it also shows his confidence in his men and his contempt for the Zhu Jiajun's combat power. Of course, it may also have the intention of fishing. After all, there are too many soldiers and horses, so how can the enemy take the bait?
Xu Shiji gave the order, and the Wagangying camp, which had been prepared for a long time, started to move.
The camp was filled with the neighing of war horses, the sound of soldiers sharpening their knives, and the hurried and chaotic footsteps of heralds, shouting and yelling. After this series of chaotic noises, the three armies were fully equipped and ready to go.
Shen Guang also followed the camp, and his masters from the Military Intelligence Bureau followed him out of the camp. After thinking for a while, he did not follow Cheng Yaojin to meet the enemy, but followed Xu Shiji.
Riding on the horse, Shen Guang looked at Xu Shiji marching ahead without saying a word, frowning
It's so tight, I don't know what's going on in my mind.
The march was silent for a long time. Next to him was the person in charge of the Military Intelligence Bureau in Sichuan, named Song Gongliang. He saw that Shen Guang was worried and took the initiative to say: "Sir, you seem to have something on your mind? Could it be that this battle..."
Shen Guang came back to his senses, shook his head and said with a smile: "No, you are overthinking it. With Wagang Camp's current combat strength, coupled with our secret manpower, especially when the information is known as soon as possible, it is impossible to fail."
"But I see you, sir, always frowning..." Song Gongliang said calmly.
Shen Guang thought for a moment and said slowly: "What I'm worried about is that Xu Shiji deliberately left 10,000 cavalry to support him. This is obviously because he is worried about special circumstances. I don't know why Xu Shiji did this, but I know that he doesn't believe us. Military Intelligence Bureau, so Xu Shiji must have a reason, but I can't figure out what the reason is..."
When Song Gongliang heard this, he was startled for a moment and said: "Perhaps General Xu has always used troops safely."
Shen Guang's eyes flashed with some unpredictability, and then he slowly said: "What kind of person is Zhu Can? We have conducted in-depth analysis and research on his information. No matter how crazy the things he usually does, but I have never lost my mind on the battlefield, so if you were Zhu Can, if you were Zhu Can and knew that the morale of his troops was low and the Far Eastern Army was powerful, what would you choose? Would you not hesitate? Do you want to meet him head-on?"
Song Gongliang shook his head: "If my subordinate was Zhu Can, he would not make such a choice. Our Far East Army has always been galloping around the world and is invincible. It can be said that it is invincible. Even though Wagang Camp was recently established, the victory of the Champion County has proven its combat power. Zhu Can It is impossible not to know the reputation of the prince and the strength of our Far Eastern Army. Even the commander with a little bit of talent would not choose to fight head-on. And he, Zhu Can, only has 100,000 troops left. This battle may even determine the life or death of Zhu Can's kingdom. , if his subordinate was Zhu Can, he would definitely choose to attack in a roundabout way, or set up an ambush, or send out surprise troops to surround him from a distance, or rely on the city's territory to defend the city, resist step by step, and choose the opportunity to counterattack... In short, lead the troops south and head on. Meeting the enemy is the stupidest way."
Shen Guang sighed and said: "You are just the person in charge of our military intelligence office in Sichuan and Sichuan, not the general of the army. Even you can imagine these truths, but the man-eating devil king who is actually very good at fighting would not think of these. ?”
Song Gongliang thought for a moment, frowned and said: "Don't worry, sir, my subordinates can guarantee that Zhu Can has no other men in Champion County and Hanzhong County. And there are a large number of our spies hidden near Li Shimin's men. Even if Li Shimin suddenly sends out a large army to attack the surrounding areas." During the sweep, our spies will have enough time to send the information over by flying eagle, so the enemy will never ambush us."
While Cheng Yaojin led 20,000 cavalry north to meet Zhu Can, Xie Yingdeng had already ordered 10,000 infantry to attack Qushi City.
With the precedent of Champion County being breached from the inside, Zhu Jiajun's defender in the important town of Qushi City had already taken precautions, and his precautions were very thorough. He directly ordered all the adult males in the city to be driven out. Any general who wanted to escape They killed all the soldiers, and gave all the women in the city to the soldiers to be humiliated. All the goods in the city were distributed to the soldiers to improve the morale of the army.
Not to mention, the method of the garrison of Qushi City was quite effective. In addition, it was learned that Zhu Can had led 100,000 troops to the south for support, so the morale of the more than 5,000 soldiers stationed at Qushi City was very good.
Faced with this situation, the only way to defeat it is to attack by force.
Of course, in addition to breaking the city from the inside, there are also some tricky ways to attack a city, such as digging tunnels, recruiting surrender, deceiving city gates, attacking with fire, etc. There are many methods.
However, these methods have a low success rate and are also very time-consuming. Xu Shiji plans to use trebuchets to blow up the city with gunpowder charges, and then actually use siege vehicles and ladders to storm the city. This may cause some casualties, but this is the most effective way. The fastest and most effective way to siege a city.
Under the leadership of Xie Yingdeng, trebuchets first bombarded the city head. However, Qushi City did not know what materials and methods were used to build the city wall. Many gaps were blown out, but the city wall was not blown down.
Xie Yingdeng used the trebuchet explosive packs to scare the defenders from showing their heads. He ordered 10,000 soldiers to each carry a bag of soil. After arriving at the foot of the curved stone, he selected the southern city wall as the main attack direction and used the method of surrounding three towers. The soldiers Throwing the soil they carried into the moat ditch in front of the city gate suspension bridge, 10,000 soldiers each had a bag of soil, and quickly cut off the small moat of the Qushi City. After the soil was compacted, the east side of the Qushi City became a Wide, flat dirt land.
Finally, Xie Yingdeng ordered the ladders to be set up and began to charge into the city. Of course, the trebuchets did not stop during this process. In addition, first ten rounds of arrows were thrown into the sky, and then the 10,000 infantrymen of the Wagang Battalion carried the ladders.
, the claws at the front of the ladder dug deeply into the brick wall, and finally Wagang ordered the soldiers to start climbing up the ladder waving their swords and guns.
Because many gaps were blown in the city wall, the soldiers of Wagang camp easily attacked the city and started a desperate fight with the enemy defenders.
Since ancient times, the methods of siege have been basically the same, without any surprises. Xu Shiji rarely takes risks when using his troops, and is always known for his stability. The same is true for sieges. The Devil's Pass, Moso Bamboo City, Champion County and several other counties in front are all tricks. It was easily captured, and to be honest, half of the credit was given to the Military Intelligence Agency.
And the current battle to attack Qushi City was fought steadily from beginning to end. Every step was well-founded and strictly followed the regulations and procedures of the Far Eastern Army infantry siege. This siege will undoubtedly become a textbook silent defense. A classic case of stereotype.
This was Xu Shiji's first siege after training according to the Far Eastern Army's military training methods, and he was also familiar with the battle formation method.
When Xie Yingdeng led his army to attack Qushi City, Cheng Yaojin led 20,000 cavalrymen armed with weapons and majestically headed north.
Cheng Yaojin looked indifferent and stern as he sat on his horse and watched the soldiers march past him with high spirits. His eyes were filled with overwhelming fighting spirit, but there was also a hint of solemnity deep in his eyes that was not easy to detect.
Cheng Yaojin also thought of the things that Shen Guang thought of, and Xu Shiji also told him that this battle was not that simple, unless Zhu Can was really crazy, but judging from the performance of the defenders during the attack on Qushi City, and the Military Intelligence Office Judging from the information provided, Zhu Can is not crazy, and it is even less likely to be crazy on the battlefield.
Because back then, Zhu Can used human flesh as military ration and led his army to eat human flesh for half a month. Many soldiers went crazy, but Zhu Can himself became more and more calm, even calmer than before, as calm as a man. machine.
Moreover, Zhu Can has faced many crises over the years, many of which were far more desperate and dangerous than what he is facing now, but Zhu Can has always been able to maintain absolute calm.
In the afternoon of that day, Cheng Yaojin led 20,000 cavalry and engaged Zhu Can's troops in a plain on the west side of Qinglin Mountain. The fighting strength of Zhu Can's men and horses, but because of the strangeness in this matter, and the fact that the opponent's military strength was after all nearly five times that of his own.
Therefore, Cheng Yaojin was very careful with Zhu Can's troops, was very cautious in commanding the battle, and was unwilling to make any rash advances.
During this period, Zhu Can's troops sent Qingqi to provoke and harass several times. Cheng Yaojin saw that Zhu Can seemed to have the idea of tempting him to lead his troops deep into Qinglin Mountain, so he kept giving orders to ignore them and allowed the other party to provoke him, only on the west side of Qinglin Mountain. He set up camp and sent out five thousand cavalry to circle around on the left and right sides, tentatively attacking and harassing the Zhu Jiajun's camp.
There was back and forth between the two sides. Zhu Can seemed to have a real conspiracy, so he never used all his strength, let alone dispatched a hundred thousand troops to kill directly. Cheng Yaojin was secretly vigilant and also had reservations.
But secretly, the intrigue or psychological warfare between the two has begun, and it even happens every moment in their respective camps.
Such a strange war passed quietly amidst the attacks, defenses and trials of both the enemy and ourselves, and the whole day after the battle soon passed.
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"Liang Guo's 100,000-strong army of Xiao Zhuang in the south of Champion County suddenly arrived at the border of Champion County today. The army intends to go north to invade Champion County."
The next day, in the ten thousand cavalry camp of the Wagang Army where Xu Shiji was located, Song Gongliang came to Shen Guang to report the urgent report sent by flying eagle from the south of Champion County.
Shen Guang's pupils shrank, and then he suddenly said: "Collude with the Liang Kingdom in the south? Is this the plan of Zhu Can and Li Shimin?"
While talking, Shen Guang took the information and went to see Xu Shiji in person.
After Xu Shiji read the information, his expression did not change at all. He nodded to Shen Guang and said, "Thank you, Mr. Shen. This information is very urgent and is very important to us."
"General Xu is so polite. We are all working for the prince." Shen Guang said casually.
Xu Shiji thought for a while and then ordered to the soldiers next to him: "Send this news to Cheng Yaojin. Also tell Cheng Yaojin and let him decide for himself. If there is a chance, Zhu Can's men will be destroyed as soon as possible."
"Go and tell Xie Yingdeng personally to capture Nagqu Stone City within two days." Xu Shiji then ordered.
Shen Guang asked hesitantly: "General Xu, does Champion County really do not need to return reinforcements, or do they need to mobilize reinforcements from the Central Plains?"
Xu Shiji smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Shen, the situation has not reached that point yet."