In Changqiao Town, Liang County, Ruzhou, a large group of cavalry was galloping southward under the spring sun.
Days of running around had made the cavalry tired and exhausted, but their steps did not stop for a moment. The tall man on the horse in front of the team had an anxious look on his face, and he kept whipping his horse with the whip in his hand, and the horse's buttocks were already being licked.
He made a lot of blood marks. Well-trained war horses are not working animals. In fact, most of the time they do not need to use whips and spurs as a means of forcing them to run. Most of the time, the whip is just a symbolic thing, waving in the air.
The war horse knew that it was going to gallop with all its strength. It really reached the point where it was driven by whipping with a whip. Firstly, it was because the man on the horse was too eager to go, and secondly, the warhorse was too tired. At this moment, these two situations were combined.
And there is.
A few days ago, Ma Bin persuaded Sun Wanyong to surrender to the Luoyan Army and send troops to Funiu Mountain to fight together. After Sun Wanchun arranged for the infantry to go back to the northwest to take charge, he led 30,000 cavalry to follow Ma Bin and rush south to rescue Fangcheng Pass.
Taiyuan Prefecture is too far away from the Fangcheng Mountain Pass. When Bai Bing arrived at the Funiu Mountains and Gao Muqing led the Luoyan Army's remaining soldiers and horses to the Fangcheng Mountain Pass to prepare for battle, the 30,000 cavalry led by Ma Bin and Sun Wanchun had just gone south through the Taihang Mountains.
It is still nearly two hundred miles away from the Fangcheng Mountain Pass.
Under normal circumstances, a road of two hundred miles is not too far for the cavalry. The cavalry can easily travel a hundred miles a day when marching in a hurry. However, when traveling south from Huaizhou and passing through Henan Prefecture,
But we encountered many troubles. First, we encountered a landslide in Shenwei Mountain in Fugong County, Henan. The already narrow official road was blocked, and it took several hours to open the road. Then we encountered another problem when passing through Songshan Mountain.
The mountain road was blocked, and another half day was delayed. After the hard work, the people and horses were exhausted before they came out of Henan Prefecture. Two days had passed since they arrived in Ruzhou.
For Ma Bin, this delay naturally made him extremely anxious. He calculated his days and knew that the blocking battle at Fangcheng Mountain should have started. The Luoyan Army left behind was only 30,000 people, and the reserve regiment training troops and horses were only 40,000 people.
Moreover, they lacked firearms and all kinds of combat materials. If the Jurchens' 70,000-strong army advanced, it would be a bloody battle. If they broke through the pass and invaded the Funiu Mountains, everything would be over. If it was because of my own
The rescue was late and the Luoyan Valley was occupied. How could he explain to Lin Jue? Hundreds of thousands of people in the mountains were massacred. Master Lin's wife, children, and family members, as well as his own family members and those of his brothers from the Luoyan Army, could not escape death.
, he became a sinner through the ages. Apart from apologizing to death, he could not think of any way to forgive his sin.
Therefore, after arriving in Ruzhou, Ma Bin asked that the day and night march should not stop. Sun Wanchun also knew the seriousness of the problem, and he also understood Ma Bin's anxiety. However, for Ma Bin's overly anxious state, Sun Wanchun believed that appropriate measures were needed.
Be more relaxed. After all, soldiers and horses are not made of iron, and you can't ignore everything just because you feel anxious.
"Master Ma, Master Ma, let's stop and have a rest. It's past noon, and we have been driving non-stop since early morning. After taking a rest, brothers can take a breath and let the horses eat and drink some water. You
Even the men and horses can't stand it in such a hurry." Sun Wanchun, who galloped beside Ma Bin, finally shouted.
"Rest? How can we rest now? It is already the fifth day since we set off from Taiyuan Mansion. We have wasted too much time. We cannot stay for a moment. General Sun
Army, I'm so worried right now. I'm worried that the Fangcheng Mountain Pass can no longer hold up, and we have to get there tonight." Ma Bin shouted loudly.
Sun Wanchun shouted: "Master Ma, I understand your mood, but there is no need to be so impatient. Look at your horse, the horse's buttocks have been beaten to pieces by you, the horse's mouth is full of foam, it is obviously about to lose strength.
Yes. We are rushing to fight. If the horse dies and the brothers are exhausted, how can we still fight?"
Only then did Ma Bin notice that his mount was foaming at the mouth and mottled with blood on its buttocks. He cursed angrily: "Damn it, you beast is useless."
Sun Wanchun was speechless and could only smile bitterly.
Ma Bin said this, but he knew in his heart that Sun Wanchun was right. If he continued like this, even if he reached the Fangcheng Mountain Pass, he would probably be too exhausted to fight.
"This place is less than thirty miles away from Ye County. Let's take a rest and arrive before the end of the day. We will surely reach the battlefield tonight. We can use the darkness to get in and attack the Jurchens' abdomen and back. What do you think, Lord Ma?"
" Sun Wanchun said.
Ma Bin finally nodded and relaxed the reins of his horse. Sun Wanchun hurriedly ordered the entire army to rest on the spot. Upon hearing this, all the cavalrymen of the Northwest Army hurriedly reined in their horses and dismounted to rest.
The march had exceeded their limit, and both the men and horses could no longer bear it. As soon as they dismounted, they collapsed on the ground, and everyone sighed and complained.
Ma Bin frowned and looked at the soldiers, feeling very dissatisfied. If it were the Luoyan Army's cavalry, no matter how tired or sleepy it was, it would not look like this. Although the Northwest Army was a relatively powerful force among the Great Zhou Army,
Compared with the Luoyan Army, they are still far behind. The gap can be seen clearly at this moment. Ma Bin knew in his heart that this is why Lin Jue has shown the Luoyan Army through rigorous day-to-day training for many years.
The gap between them, in terms of physical endurance and mental will, the quality of the Luoyan Army is unmatched by any other troops. This is also the reason why the Luoyan Army has a hundred thousand people to contend with the Jurchens and Lu Zhongtian's hundreds of thousands of troops since it came out of the mountain.
One of the reasons for being at ease.
The soldiers and horses were resting, but Ma Bin was not idle. He took out a map and discussed the attack strategy with Sun Wanchun. No matter how the battle at Fangcheng Mountain progresses, the battle will still be fought. Even if the rescue fails, even if the opponent defeats the Luoyan Army and invades
Once in the Funiu Mountains, he couldn't just leave. He also had to attack and recapture the Luoyan Valley and fight to the death with the Jurchens.
Half an hour later, under Ma Bin's urging, the cavalry of the Northwest Army mounted their horses and continued to move forward. Ma Bin was no longer so anxious, because he had already agreed on a strategy to reach Fangcheng Mountain Pass from the official road at night, and the time was absolutely right.
There was enough time. So the soldiers and horses slowed down to save some energy for the next battle.
At noon, the army entered the official road from the northwest of Ye County and advanced along the official road to the undulating mountains. After traveling another twenty miles, it was almost midnight. It was getting late and the setting sun had already hung on the hills in the west.
On top of it. At this moment, Ma Bin, Sun Wanchun and others discovered something strange.
It is a sunny spring day in Japan today, with no clouds in the sky. However, at this moment, some unknown black dust is floating in the air. Although it is not too dense, it is visible to the naked eye. Ma Bin reached out to catch one and twisted it with his fingertips.
When I moved, I found that it was the fly ash from burning vegetation, and I couldn't help but be a little surprised.
"Why is there so much ashes in the sky? It's strange." Ma Bin said.
Sun Wanchun also picked up a few flowers, and after taking a closer look, he said solemnly: "This looks like something that burned and flew into the sky."
Ashes. There may have been a fire somewhere. The fire rushed the ash into the sky and then scattered in all directions. The fire must be quite powerful."
Sun Wanchun lives in Xixia. There are large pastures in Xixia. In the autumn and winter weather, when the grassland is withered, there are often wildfires burning large areas of grassland. The fly ash will fill the sky and affect dozens of miles around. That’s why Sun Wanchun did this.
guess.
The guess was quickly confirmed. The scouts from the front approached the edge of the hill. On the hill, they discovered a fire burning deep in the mountains with thick smoke billowing into the sky. Although it was more than ten miles away, there were hills blocking it.
, but under the evening sky, the red light and smoke from the fire were extremely conspicuous, so they were quickly discovered by the scouts.
Upon hearing the news, Ma Bin and Sun Wanchun were both surprised and happy. There was a fire in the mountains, which most likely meant that the war was in progress. That is to say, the Jurchens had not yet captured the Fangcheng Mountain pass, and the two sides were still entangled in the pass. The fire lit up the sky.
, it is possible that the war is so intense that drastic measures such as setting fire to the mountains are used.
"Master Ma, it seems that we are not late. We are here at the right time." Sun Wanchun laughed.
Ma Bin nodded heavily and said in a deep voice: "I hope so. If the war is really in full swing, we will come at the right time. The leader of Gao Dazhao is really a hero among women. She actually did it."
The army sped up and moved forward. Within a few miles, the scouts from the front came to report again, saying that they had discovered some unidentified people outside the woods on the hills on the north side, walking out of the rolling hills, wearing
The armor was carrying weapons, and its behavior was extremely suspicious. This news shocked Ma Bin and Sun Wanchun. They decided to go to check in person, so they ordered their soldiers and horses to stand by, and they went forward with a small number of soldiers and horses to have a look. OK
After traveling for several miles, Ma Bin and Sun Wanchun discovered the suspicious soldiers and horses reported by the scouts on top of a mound.
The setting sun has been blocked by the mountains. Under the dim skylight, from between the hills a few miles away, countless dark figures are slowly pouring out from the hillsides and valleys. The number of people is astonishing. Although they are far away
It was extremely far away, but with the help of a telescope, Ma Bin still recognized the clothes and the style of the weapons of those people. They were actually Jurchen soldiers.
"What's going on? What's going on? What are the Jurchens doing? How did they come out of the mountains? Where are their horses? Why have they become infantry?" Sun Wanchun was full of doubts and surprise when he saw this situation.
asked Ma Bin.
With a smile that couldn't be concealed, Ma Bin shook his head and said: "Brother Sun, you ask me, who should I ask? I guess they couldn't attack the pass and escaped. Do you believe it? We are so lucky.
The Jurchens have no cavalry, hahahaha, their horses are gone, can you believe it? We are cavalry, they are infantry. Brother Sun, the time has come for the Northwest Army’s cavalry to become famous in the world, to avenge the bloody battle outside the capital.
We’re here. Brother Sun, what are we waiting for?”
Sun Wanchun was startled, then his eyes lit up, and he laughed loudly: "Exactly, exactly. Can a Jurchen cavalry without horses still be considered a cavalry? It's really a fat man who has been delivered to the door. This is called a dragon trapped in the shallows and a shrimp trick.
The tiger fell down and was bullied by the dog. Hahaha, they also have today."
Ma Bin smiled bitterly and said: "Brother Sun, your metaphor is wrong. What kind of dragons and tigers are they? They are just jackals at best."
Sun Wanchun laughed and said: "Yes, yes, my metaphor is a bit poor, but that's what it means. Mr. Ma, what are we waiting for? Let's invite the brothers to do a fucking thing."
