The four armies of the Han army were composed of the Jufu tribe on the east side and Zhang Yi on the north side.
Huo Yi, on the other hand, was supervising the headquarters in the outer area, scolding the soldiers to reorganize the crossbow array.
Only Wang Ping's troops, who were guest troops, were used as reinforcements.
Therefore, after hearing Zheng Pu's order, Wang Ping couldn't hold himself back for a long time. He didn't even have time to perform military salutes, so he drew his sword and rushed forward, "Commanders, follow me!"
"You, hurry up and inform Zhang Boqi and ask him to immediately return to the inner circle to prepare for war!"
Zheng Pu casually grabbed the messenger beside him and spoke out again.
"promise!"
After the messenger rushed away, Zheng Pu watched the battle silently for a while.
They waited until Wang Ping's troops responded, and Jufu led his soldiers to fight and retreat before turning around and heading back to the inner circle.
Just as his arms were shaking, he accidentally bumped into Fu Qian, who was walking beside him. His thoughts suddenly stopped along with his body, and he glanced sideways out of the corner of his eye before walking forward again.
They retreated to the inner perimeter and defended. Although the Wei army pursued them closely, their formation was torn apart due to the chaotic and disorderly passage of the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicles.
We can no longer fight in formation, and we can no longer rely on the advantage of numbers.
Furthermore, Huo Yi's troops, who stayed in the inner perimeter, had already found a position for sniping.
Whenever the Wei army rushed in along the narrow passage, suddenly there would be a spear stabbing the throat like a long worm spitting messages, or a ring-headed sword like a horse cutting off a leg, or a sudden blow that made the wind have no time to moan.
The crossbow bolt completely disappeared into his chest.
The Wei army that seized the road and entered was caught off guard, and the screams continued for a long time.
He also asked General Wei Ping, who was supervising the battle from behind, to frown.
He had never seen such a chaotic traffic formation.
For a while, I couldn't think of a way to deal with it.
He had no choice but to rely on his years of experience in expeditions, and asked the general Dai Ling at his side to send his crossbowmen to the gentle slopes on both sides, occupying the high points of the battlefield and suppressing them with crossbows.
He also sent an order to the soldiers in front to destroy the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicles while moving forward.
However, he made such an order and caused heavy casualties to Dai Ling's men.
The strong crossbowmen of the Han army who had escaped into the inner siege had already reorganized their formations, and the direction of the crossbow defense was the gentle slopes on both sides.
When the Wei army's crossbowmen swarmed forward, they also buckled the hanging knives while being scolded by the general. Hundreds of crossbow arrows as thick as a thumb pierced the air with a sharp sound, evoking the smile of death.
Blood-colored flowers bloomed among the Wei army's bowmen and soldiers, and wailing sounds resounded throughout the mountain road.
"Ming Jin!"
"Ming Jin!!"
Dai Ling, who was at the rear, stamped his feet and turned his head, roaring like thunder at the golden drum soldiers under the general's banner.
Just when you rush forward, you are full of momentum and unwilling to be followed, but when you retreat, you will push each other and fight for the road.
Trampling on each other is inevitable.
In response, Wei Ping curled his lips and wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.
Because the sound of ringing gold sounded, his subordinates also retreated.
It's just that Dai Ling's troops were reinforcements sent to him by Cao Zhen.
There is no distinction between officials and subordinates, but there are more soldiers than him, so he will not be arrogant and point fingers.
Alas, that’s all.
Dusk was approaching, and they were chasing each other all the way. The soldiers were also tired.
Let's leave the camp to rest and fight again the next day.
Let's just sum it up and figure out how to break through this messy traffic formation.
However, after discussing with Dai Ling and his generals for half the night, they came to the conclusion that the only option was to attack by force.
Because they came lightly armed, they did not carry weapons such as thunderbolt chariots to break the formation.
Moreover, time is running out: if the Shu army here cannot be defeated within five or six days, Bashu reinforcements will surely arrive! By then, there will be no way to open the Xiaoguan Road.
However, a strong attack, regardless of casualties, still had an advantage for the Wei army.
Their military strength is still greater than that of the Shu army.
If we continue to fight and destroy the chariot formation, within three to five days, we will definitely have a showdown with the Shu army.
It’s just that the soldiers suffered more losses in battle!
In fact, it was just as they expected.
After two consecutive days of strong attacks, more than a thousand people were killed and injured, and the Wei army destroyed the chaotic formation set up by Zheng Pu.
When the two sides lined up, the soldiers could see each other's oars and shields.
In other words, the decisive battle is coming soon.
The third day of attack and defense.
The morning sun is like a fire, and the rays are shining brightly.
Zheng Pu, who rarely slept in recent days, with bloodshot eyes, stood under the banner of General Xuanwu, looking far into the distance.
The inner and outer sides were broken, and nearly 700 of his soldiers were killed or injured; and the strength of the counter-Wei army was more than twice that of the Han army.
In a field battle without fortifications, relying only on the narrow mountain roads, hard-working bravery and elite soldiers, can our army still hold on until the Prime Minister sends troops to help?
He asked himself quietly in his heart.
He also focused his attention on the two formations of Wang Ping and Zhang Yi at the front.
The Banzhen barbarians still had high morale, banging their shields and stepping on their feet, singing loudly; those Nanzhong barbarians were mumbling words, praying to some of the obscene priests in Cangqi County.
But Huo Yi's troops, as part of the mobile Chinese army, remained silent.
The troops left behind by Huo Jun in the past are now all low-level generals and assistants of Huo Yi. They teach the soldiers by example and by words, and let the soldiers inspect their armor, ribbons, and ordnance. Faintly, they seem to have the appearance of an elite division.
As for the Jufu Division, they guarded the general's flag and grain in the rear.
When the outer perimeter was broken, four out of ten of the Jufu tribe were wiped out.
And many people were injured.
Even Jufu was struck in the chest by a broken spear. Even though he was protected by armor, a bruise as big as a bowl mouth was left.
Until the last moment, Zheng Pu had no intention of letting him go into battle.
well.
The morale is good, you should be able to hold on for three to five days, right?
Zheng Pu's thoughts were interrupted.
Just when I was about to let people beat the drums to boost morale and prepare for the Wei army's attack, I felt a slight earthquake coming from the earth.
Outside the clear sky, muffled thunder could be heard from far to near.
cavalry!
Only the galloping of thousands of cavalry can be so powerful!
Zheng Pu was startled and quickly turned his head to look north.
I saw a mountain road that stretched to the horizon, and a dark cavalry was quickly rising from the ground, covered with the rays of the morning sun, and gradually became larger and more numerous.
Amid the cheers of the Wei army, a general's flag embroidered with the word "Zhang" was raised in the wind.
Zhang He, who detoured from Anding County to Wuwei and then headed south, led 3,000 cavalry and arrived.
In the Han army's formation, Banzhenman's singing suddenly stopped.
The first time I saw thousands of Nanzhong warriors on horseback, I was speechless and my eyes were dull.
Zheng Pu's face was ashen.
There was already a huge disparity between the enemy and us, and the camp was destroyed, but the enemy army actually arrived with more troops!
Although no matter how stupid a general is, he will not use his cavalry to attack the infantry formation, this battle is the battle that determines the ownership of Longyou. Zhang He, who has experienced hundreds of battles and is known as a clever man, may not be able to do this.
"Great wisdom is like foolishness".
After all, as long as we break through the road here, even if we lose two or three thousand horses and try again, there will be no reluctance for the Wei State!
Zheng Pu never pinned his hopes of victory on the stupidity of the generals who rebelled against Wei.
Especially this general is Zhang He.
Therefore, he also had a vague realization in his heart: Xiao Guandao might not be able to be defended.
"Zijin, what if I don't take command?"
I don't know when, Jufu had already come to his side, leaned his head over, and whispered, "You are favored by the Prime Minister and have the ability to plan and make plans. You should not die here in battle."
He also felt that the war was unlikely to turn around.
"Heh~~~"
With a chuckle, Zheng Pu stretched out his hand and punched him lightly, "I am the Xuanwu Warlord who was given the title by the emperor himself, and I am also the general who suppressed the captives promoted by the Prime Minister. How can I abandon my soldiers and escape evil?" After saying this,
, then raised his hand to stop Ju Fu who wanted to differentiate again, "Xiao Xing, there is no need to say more. Go and rectify your subordinates. I'm afraid your troops will be facing a battle soon."
"well"
Jufu, who was well aware of Zheng Pu's stubborn nature, sighed, turned around with a gloomy look on his face.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
Just as he was thinking about it, the thunderous sound of war drums sounded in the Wei army formation.
The Wei army with their shields in front ascended first, forming a small square formation, stepping on the sound of Dub's little bugle in the formation, and marched forward step by step with a rainbow of morale.
"war!"
"war!!"
They beat their shields with their swords and moved forward step by step.
When they were within a stone's throw, they gathered together in groups of ten, raised their shields high to form a circle, and ran forward wildly.
"Raise the crossbow!"
"Raise the crossbow!"
Wang Ping and Zhang Ni, who were supervising the formation of the front army, shouted at each other in unison.
"put!"
Nearly two hundred crossbow arrows roared away with a "buzz" sound, breaking through the strings and roaring in the wind.
"ah!"
Wei Bing, whose body was pierced by the crossbow arrow, fell to the ground twitching and wailing.
But more Wei troops rushed forward first, and in just a few breaths of winding time, they rushed forward more than 20 meters.
"Zhang Nu!"
"hit!"
Once again, the sharp crossbow arrows galloped away and collided with the fast-running Wei army, and another wailing sound sounded.
It also made them more aggressive and rushed faster.
Not afraid of death, he only withstood three rounds of crossbow arrows before he ran into the Han army's large oar warriors in the front row.
General Wei Ping, who personally led the army, saw that the Han army's strong crossbow formation could no longer show its ferocity, so he pointed his sword pointedly and shouted loudly, "For this victory, I will be rewarded with thousands of gold and hundreds of pieces of silk!"
"kill!"
The soldier behind him only held a short sword, his eyes instantly turned red, and he charged down the mountain like a tiger.
They are the main force in breaking the formation and the most elite soldiers.
"Squat in front of the shield!"
"Spear, thrust!"
Wang Ping's emotionless voice sounded, accompanied by countless blood splashes.
"Ah!"
There were spears like a forest, and with every neat chant, the long spear points braved the cold light and thrust forward.
Let more soldiers of Wei who were lucky enough to escape the crossbow arrows to drink and hate the battlefield.
But slowly, more and more soldiers came up, broke through the defense of the shield soldiers, squeezed into the spear formation, and the enemy and we fought together.
Let the spearmen abandon their spears on the ground, pull out the ring-headed sword at their waist, and fight with a roar.
"kill!"
Zhang Yi, armed with a sword on his left and a spear on his right, roared like thunder and led his troops to block the front line and break out.
At this moment, I am on the battlefield among you, and there is no need to command anymore.
Further away, two horses pulled a large cowhide drum carriage, slowly approaching the half-arrow place where the two armies were fighting. Dai Ling was standing on the carriage, holding the drumsticks in both hands and hammering the drums desperately, urging the war drums urgently.
The sound inspires the soldiers to be more brave and not afraid of death.
With the arrival of Zhang He, Wei Ping acted as the leading general in the charge, while Dai Ling became the applauding and golden commander.
Zhang He has dismounted his horse and is standing on the high platform of the base, squinting his eyes and looking into the distance.
After more than ten days of traveling and a journey of nearly a thousand miles, the three thousand cavalrymen frequently fell behind.
Those who rushed here only had about 2,300 riders left.
And everyone is exhausted.
As soon as they were ordered to rest, they started snoring loudly on the battlefield with thundering drums.
However, it's all worth it.
Looking at the battlefield where the soldiers from both sides were fighting fiercely and lives were dying, his tired eyes showed a hint of joy.
He already had thoughts on defeating the Shu army.
On the third day of fighting, the fighting continued until nightfall, when the curtains came down.
The Wei army once again killed more than a thousand people.
Even the Han army, which was well prepared, suffered more than 600 casualties and countless serious injuries.
But those who continued to fight only had more than two thousand soldiers left.
This made the morale of the Han army slightly low.
In the face of absolute strength, they see no hope of victory.
Although all the generals claimed that the Prime Minister's reinforcements would arrive soon, the Wei army's crazy offensive made them feel that death would come faster.
In the Han army camp, countless torches lit up the mountain road.
The soldiers stood beside countless corpses, pulling at rice with dejected expressions.
Zheng Pu did not patrol the camp, but held a torch and walked to the place where the battle was fought during the day, and searched for Paoze with the soldiers of Jufu tribe who was injured but not dead.
"General, general."
As he was walking slowly, a very weak call came intermittently from the ground.
Zheng Pu followed the sound and saw a sturdy man lying on his side with his body bent on the ground a step away.
His facial features were squeezed together in pain, and he raised his hand hard to call him.
The other hand was covering his ribs.
There was a broken spear inserted diagonally, and the blood gushing out made the colorful cloth lining the armor even more colorful.
Zheng Pu quickly strode forward, kneeled on the ground, and held his hand tightly.
It also made him grin, revealing his teeth that were stained red by countless blood foam.
Holding Zheng Pu's hand hard, his eyes were full of anxiety, and he squeezed out words intermittently, "General~~~General, can our army still be able to stop it? Will the counter-Wei attack reach Brazil County?
Kill my wife and children?"
Hearing this, Zheng Pu couldn't help but feel sore in his nose.
Banzhenman has a strong and courageous nature, and he is not afraid of death.
Now when he was on his deathbed, he asked about his wife and children. It was because Zheng Pu had previously given advice to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, asking Qiao Zhou to travel around the counties and counties in Yizhou, preaching against the Wei Dynasty to "slaughter cities, trap prisoners, and take living people's wives, wives, and soldiers" and so on.
Given by cruelty and cruelty.
"No! I swear, it's absolutely impossible!"
Two lines of clear tears fell from Zheng Pu's face, along with his lush beard, and tapped the broken limbs on the ground. His voice was urgent and urgent, "The Prime Minister's reinforcements will be here soon! When the time comes, my big man will definitely kill those
All the traitors who rebel against the Wei Dynasty will be driven out of Longyou!"
"Heh~~~"
As if he was relieved, the facial features that had been squeezed together suddenly relaxed, "Then, then. Okay. My eldest son is about to become a man. When the time comes, he will kill for me."
Before the words were finished, the voice stopped abruptly.
The hand that grabbed Zheng Pu fell down weakly.
The pupils of the eyes that were still open began to collapse, causing the energy to flow away rapidly.
he died.
It became one of the corpses scattered on the battlefield.
Moreover, there are more seriously injured people, just following him, becoming people whose souls cannot return to their hometown.
Zheng Pu lowered his head.
He hid his face in the hazy darkness of dusk.
No one knew whether he was choking, but his shoulders were faintly shaking.
I do not know how long it has been.
Zheng Pu put his already cold hands down gently and closed his eyes for him. He also got up and returned, writing a letter to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, asking the Prime Minister to prepare as soon as possible for Xiao Guan Road to be breached.
Of course!
He no longer thought about guarding Xiaoguandao.
The only thought in my mind is to delay as much time as possible.
Even if it is one more day, one more hour, one more quarter of an hour.
Naturally, there is no extravagant thought of survival.
Therefore, he summoned Fu Qian, who was accompanying the army, and Li Qiu, who was acting as a fake Sima, to his side.
He bent down slightly and held Fu Qian's shoulders with both hands. There was no trace of sadness on Zheng Pu's face, but a gurgling smile and he spoke softly.
"Gongyuan, I still have some military books at home, but I have never passed them on to you. After you returned, you went directly to Shifang Mulberry Garden and asked my mother to pass them on to you. I am usually very harsh on you. It's not because you are stupid, but because you are stupid.
I have high expectations for you. Don’t belittle yourself, remember it! Well, you should study hard in the future, don’t neglect it, and strive to lead the Han Dynasty in the Northern Expedition to defeat the Wei Dynasty and conquer the Central Plains. If you become talented in the future, you will have a chance.
When you lead the army on this road to attack key points, when the mountain wind enters the valley and howls violently, I commend you."
After saying this, he turned his head again, patted Li Qiu on the shoulder, and encouraged him with a smile.
"To restore the Central Plains, you should encourage us!"
Yes, Zheng Pu selected several troops to escort Fu and Li back.
They are all still young, and among the big men trapped in the land of Bashu, there are too few rising stars!
In any case, it should not be compromised here.
But Fu Qian, who has always been stubborn, his eyes moistened after hearing this, and he raised his head and refused, "Sir, I won't leave, I want to stay here with you."
However, before he finished speaking, he stopped abruptly.
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Zheng Pu raised his hand and slapped him to the ground, interrupting his argument.
Visible to the naked eye, five red marks quickly appeared on his face.
"What's the point of fighting if you stay here?"
"If you die here, what will you do to the country?"
"Shu Zi! I don't think that His Majesty has high hopes for you!"
"If you died, wouldn't my years of teaching be in vain?"
"I have a duty, and I cannot avoid death! As a disciple, you don't want to endure the humiliation and bear the burden. You will avenge me in the future!"
Zheng Pu's eyes were about to burst, and he was drooling for a while, scolding Fu Qian who was lying on the ground until he burst into tears.
Even Huo Yi, Ju Fu and others who were watching silently felt unbearable and turned their heads to suppress their sadness.
They were witnessing the farewell of master and disciple.
After a while, Zheng Pu stopped scolding, raised his head and looked at Bu Qu beside him, and scolded, "What are you doing in such a daze! Why don't you take this fool and leave!"
"promise!"
The five strong men suddenly woke up and quickly bowed their hands.
Taking a step forward, regardless of Fu Qian's struggle, he grabbed hold of him and strode towards the war horse that had been prepared long ago.
The same goes for Li Qiu.
After a while, the sound of horse hooves sounded.
Fu Qian, who was tightly hugged by Bu Qu, tried to look back and shouted sternly, "Sir, I will study the art of war diligently and live up to your expectations! I will do the same."
The shouts from behind, as the war horses went further and further away, disappeared in the cold wind of late spring in March.
