"Where are Dangxiang'er and Mongolian'er? Why haven't they come yet?!"
On the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month of the tenth year of Jianyan's reign, on the bank of a small river a few miles south of Huolu County, a majestic Song general wearing Zha armor was furious and was brandishing a sword with one hand and shouting curses.
Beside him, there were more than a thousand soldiers from the imperial camp of the Song Army arrayed in a circle on the river bank, holding on to a stone bridge with their backs to the river and holding on for dear life.
Further to the outside, a full two thousand Jin army were armored and riding, surrounding the slope. In a calm and leisurely manner, they besieged on three sides, leaving only an area near the river that they did not go deep into. It seemed that they were deliberately trying to lure the Song army.
Force the Song army to abandon their armor and cross the river, or flee from the stone bridge, and then take the opportunity to expand their victory.
Opposite this small slope next to the river is a large highland that is very obvious on the flat land. On the highland, which is full of green, a large banner of ten thousand households is fluttering in the wind. On the side of the large banner, there are thousands of Jurchen cavalry standing majestically.
Move, get ready to go.
"Are you sure it's Huyantong?"
The leader of the Jin army on the high ground is none other than Wanhu Tuheshu. This man is watching from afar on his horse, and his tone is rare. "That subordinate of King Han?"
"It's Hu Yantong." Next to him, Meng'an, a Han who was promoted in Daming Mansion, obviously had studied. At this time, he was also setting up a pergola on the horse to meet each other comfortably. "This man has always been known for his bravery and relies on his military prowess.
, I was arrogant for a while, so I fell into such a simple trick to lure the enemy, and unexpectedly rushed to the Taiping River alone, without the support of light cavalry, and close to our Shiyi camp, I deserve this misfortune!"
Tu Hesu looked around and nodded, obviously approving of this Han'er Meng'an's words.
As for the reason, it is also very simple. Looking in all directions from the highland with a radius of six to seven miles where Tuhesu is located, one can clearly observe the surrounding terrain... The Taiping River originates from the southwest of Jingxing County and runs diagonally through the two counties.
The northeastern part of Huolu County flows into the Hutuo River...As for the southeast and lower reaches of the Taiping River, which is the side occupied by the main force of the Jin Army, although there is a highland, it is only a highland and is generally gentle. It can even be said that the entire southeastern part of the Taiping River
On the other side, except for the abrupt appearance of this highland and the Shiyi camp in the distance, it is almost a plain and smooth road.
This kind of flat terrain extends all the way to Fenglong Mountain, dozens of miles to the south, and is suitable for cavalry troops to rush back and forth for support.
In stark contrast, the upper reaches of the Taiping River and the northwest side, although there are already some plains, appear relatively narrow. Instead, there are valleys in the distance, and the hills are undulating, which is very obvious... Those are the Taihang Mountains.
The location of Yumai is also a natural location for the Song Army's infantry.
At this time, Hu Yantong's lone army crossed the Taiping River and reached a place only twenty miles away from Shiyi Town, Huolu County, where the Jin army's camp was located. Of course, he was seeking death.
"control!"
A horseman crossed the river from the stone bridge where only five or six riders could ride abreast. He shouted loudly from a distance to look for Huyantong. When he saw him, he rolled off his saddle and fell off his horse, and hurriedly faced each other. "No Mongolia found."
We did not find the Dangxiang cavalry, but only two thousand Khitan cavalry at the western mountain pass...The leader, Yerunuge, promised to come to the rescue and said he would be there in a moment, but he was only willing to support our retreat across the river."
"The Khitan dogs are not trustworthy!" Hu Yantong pulled down his mask, veins appeared on his forehead, and he uttered vulgar words. "The golden dog army is pressing down, and he is only willing to support it across the river. How can we do it properly? How many people will die! If we go again
Find other reinforcements!"
The sentry rider, who was already exhausted, did not say a word, got on his horse and went to look for reinforcements again.
However, as soon as the sentries left, several slightly embarrassed officers looked at each other, even Hu Yantong was a little helpless.
To put it bluntly, this time it was not someone who refused to save him, but he, Hu Yantong, relied on the strength of his troops, strayed too far from the battle line, and then put himself in danger... Before coming, the Chinese army had issued a military order, asking him to set up a stronghold by the river.
Before making a surprise attack, he had to be careful to guard against the Jin Army on the other side of the river. However, he was still eager to hunt and fell into the Jin Army's trick of luring the enemy. He easily crossed the river to attack, and was directly surrounded by the Jin Army cavalry ambushing behind the high ground.
.
Of course, this is not the time to worry about these things. The key is how to retreat?
Hu Yantong knew very well that in such a situation, even if the Khitan cavalry really wanted to cross the river to rescue them, they would probably be trapped by more Jin troops and eventually cause greater battle losses.
The most important point is that this does not delay my son from becoming a meal for the Jin army today on the bank of a mere dozens of steps wide river.
These are more than 2,000 soldiers! They are the elite of the Imperial Left Army!
Moreover, it would be great fun for Huaishang, a senior elite who had served as an official bodyguard and helped suppress Liu Guangshi, if he was easily killed here!
"Ten thousand households, congratulations to ten thousand households, congratulations to ten thousand households, Huyantong is in trouble."
The sun began to turn to the west. On the high slope, I saw thousands of Khitan cavalry galloping towards the other side of the river from a distance, but they only lingered on the other side of the river. Han'er Meng'an suddenly laughed. "And if Wanhu could eat Hu Yantong here,
Wouldn't all of them be able to overcome the misfortune of Wang Bolong and thousands of households?"
Tu Hesu looked at each other in bewilderment, but was speechless for a moment.
Of course he was very happy about the current situation, but a Song Army Imperial Camp Control Department and a Ten Thousand Households couldn't be equal in any way, right?
Moreover, it is impossible to annihilate them all?
The only hope, and the most reasonable hope, is to tire out the Song army continuously, force the Song army to abandon their positions and flee across the river, and then take the opportunity to kill a lot of people. If they can kill thousands by then, it will be God's blessing.
Of course, if you can really win thousands, it will indeed be a big victory in itself!
Therefore, although Tu Hesu felt his feet were itchy for a moment, he did not refute it at all.
The spring breeze was blowing, but for some reason, the air in the already green mountains and fields seemed dull, and Huyantong also quickly found new reinforcements... This was not a difficult task. There was definitely no shortage of Song troops on the northwest side of the Taiping River at this time.
Just as there is absolutely no shortage of Jin troops on the other side... In fact, when Niugao's tribe heard the news and led troops to the riverside, and joined the Khitan cavalry under Yerunuge's troops, the Jin army also took advantage of the situation to increase its troops, and there were several more
Thousands of cavalry came and gathered under the banner of Tuhesu.
The situation is still one in which the Jin Army has an absolute advantage, or the Huyantong Department is still in an embarrassing and desperate situation.
In response, Niu Gao seriously rejected the request to lead his headquarters to carry out a large-scale rescue across the river, and in turn suggested to Huyantong that the two sides transport ordnance supplies and wounded soldiers through the stone bridge. At the same time, he would also dispatch small groups of his own soldiers to continuously support the rotation.
, ensure that the Huyantong Department can gain a foothold on the other side of the river... If we keep guard until dark, then cross the river to evacuate, the losses will be reduced to a barely acceptable level.
Of course Hu Yantong knew that this was the most appropriate and wisest plan at the moment, but it was still difficult for him to accept it. But this difficulty in accepting it was not only anger, but also shame.
After all, facing Niu Gao, a veteran commander who had been present during the sworn alliance in Heyin, he could no longer shirk his responsibility by saying that the Khitans would not save him.
In shame and anger, this fierce general had the mentality to launch a desperate charge and die on the high ground several times when supervising the battle at the front line.
However, just after Niu Gao arrived at the school and explained the plan, things gradually changed... Specifically, as time passed and the information became clear, more and more reinforcements from both sides came.
There was no way, there were too many troops on both sides, and they were too close. In the relatively cramped area of Huolu-Jingxing, it was too easy to mobilize and gather together.
Finally, as Li Yanxian's mainstay Dagu appeared on the northwest side of the Taiping River together with the cavalry of at least five control ministries, quantitative changes led to qualitative changes.
Obviously, this seems to be another large-scale confrontation.
But this time, it was the Jin army who took the initiative. They had no reason to withdraw their troops. They could not give up the fat mass of Huyantong. Seeing Li Yanxian personally commanding tens of thousands of elite troops to come to the rescue, not only did the sudden attack speed remain unwavering, but there was also a complete battle soon.
Yan Ben and Piaohe arrived together with two Wanhu soldiers and more troops to support them.
Three thousand households and thirty thousand people are already a force far exceeding tactical needs.
Moreover, Wanyan Benjian, nicknamed the Golden Man, was the commander of the capital and had the power to direct the other two households. This meant that both sides had front-line commanders who had the power to initiate war at the last moment.
Everyone noticed the change in the nature of the matter. The generals of the Jin army on the high ground and the generals of the Song army on the narrow plain across the river all became serious. No one of the Jin army who still had the absolute advantage could remain comfortable. They were in two different situations.
In the military spotlight, Hu Yantong, who was still personally commanding at the front line, was already feeling numb.
However, no one cares about Hu Yantong's psychological pressure.
As the sun continued to set in the west, the support from the two armies was almost non-stop. While almost all the units of Li Yanxian's imperial camp arrived and formally formed their formations on this side of the Taiping River, the main force of Li Shifu's Dangxiang Qingqi and Yelu Yujian
The main force of Khitan light cavalry led by them, and the main force of Mongolian light cavalry led by Ku'er Zahusi and his son, both arrived before the infantry due to the superiority of the light cavalry.
According to their traditional tactics, these light cavalry took the initiative to gather on both sides and behind Li Yanxian's infantry formation. Moreover, due to lack of discipline, many light cavalry simply tried to approach from a shallow place and harass across the river. But this time, let go
Of course, the Jin Army's cavalry had no intention of coddling the Song Army. Small-scale battles between the cavalry of both sides broke out in several fords.
Of course, the Jin Army did not show weakness. As they said before, this place is only twenty miles away from their Shiyi camp. For the Jin Army cavalry, which has the advantage of tactical maneuverability, it can basically be called a roar.
.
When the sun set due southwest, the Jin army had gathered five thousand households on the high ground, and Tulubu and Ali also arrived at the high ground.
The two sides still maintain a fragile and dangerous balance.
The Song army did not dare to cross the river easily without having a superior force. This time, the Jin army, which had taken the initiative, also began to be timid. Wanyan Benjian wanted to order the troops to forcibly deal with Huyantong's troops face to face several times, but always failed.
Nothing was said.
It is of course understandable to want to order an attack, because this confrontation is different from the last time. This time the Jin army really has the upper hand.
Although the Taiping River, which can be directly crossed by horses and waded directly in the shallow part, is just a small river that will not be drawn on the map and cannot be compared with Mianman River, it unexpectedly provided tactics for the Jin army at this time.
powerful blessing.
But the Gold Medal Man also has reason to be afraid, because once a large-scale march occurs, without even giving orders from him and Li Yanxian on the opposite side, the tribes on both sides may lose control and a war will directly break out.
At that time, tactical support will be tactical support, but the scale of the war will be completely uncontrollable... The light cavalry of the Song Army will swarm across the river, and then the heavy cavalry will follow under the cover of the cavalry, and the Jin Army will also be unable to restrain the battlefield position. They
They will also cross over from the shoal, try to defeat the Song Army's light cavalry from both wings, and then surround the Song Army's main formation, but the Song Army cannot sit still and wait for death. They will have more reinforcements coming, and the Jin Army will also invest more troops.
A decisive battle in the wilderness that everyone knew about in advance, but was caught off guard, would ignite in an instant.
Wanyan Benjian did not have the courage to start this decisive battle, so he had already called Wanyan Wushu.
However, Wu Shu's arrival did not break this fragile balance, because at the same time that the banner of the ruling prince of Jin Dynasty appeared on the rear of the Jin army, Han Shizhong's banner also appeared in the upper reaches of the Taiping River, and his troops
The iconic copper surface had been hung up more than ten miles away, as if ready for war... Therefore, Wanyan Wushu immediately turned around and directly started the second large-scale river confrontation with Han Shizhong.
Not only that, with the formation of the two main battle groups, Wushu also removed the Zhenlu supplementary troops from the high ground and gathered them at the junction of the two large forces on the side of the high ground.
On the other side, the light cavalry of the Song Army also immediately adjusted. The most reliable Li Shifu's troops were arranged to the joint position between the two large banners. Yelu Yujian and Hu'erzahu Sihan and his son spread out to the farther sides respectively.
Messengers kept coming and going between the two banners, and more messengers continued to disperse and gather from under the two banners to pass down the military orders of the two Jiedu.
The sun was setting more and more in the west, and the Jin army's infantry arrived in large numbers and formed an array at the original position of Zhen Lubu's troops. After Zhen Lubu led his cavalry to leave, they disappeared behind the high ground... There, Marshal Wanyan pulled away quickly.
They had already led more than 10,000 pure iron cavalry with one man and three horses to sit and wait there. Wanyan Huonv, Wanyan Peishu, Wulin Dataiyu and others all had their flags here.
Kuai Shou's trump card reached 20,000 people.
The Jin army still did not order a general attack on Huyantong.
This time, the reason is not that no one dares to make the decision, but that after communicating with Wushu, Ba Lisu and Wu Shu noticed the position of the sun together... The sky is getting later and later, and it is gradually becoming gloomier... and Huyantong is just a part
In contrast, they must ensure that the troops cannot lose control because of darkness.
No one wants to fight at night in a daze.
However, no one can control the situation. Just pull away and Wu Shu to make a plan that the large forces can retreat slightly, but they must use local superiority to launch a surprise attack before dark to eat up the Huyantong Department and obtain the established victory.
After that... things suddenly got out of control.
What triggered all this was another Song army reinforcement from the northwest.
The weather became increasingly gloomy. When Zhao Guan's dragon banner and a reinforcement force no less numerous than the two main groups under the banner appeared in the northwest, there was neither a good view of the wind nor any armor light to shoot towards the golden scales.
The splendor...that was exclusive to Li Yanxian when he arrived.
However, as Long Hu appeared in the field of vision of both sides, the situation immediately spiraled out of control. Each unit instinctively reorganized and entered a state of war. However, the least disciplined Mongolian cavalry went too far. One of them went directly from an empty shoal to the other side.
A raid was launched.
Immediately, a scene that made everyone nervous but had been expected for a long time appeared. The two armies, which had long been in a tense confrontation due to hasty gathering, lost control directly. The troops of both sides launched attacks on each other from the shoals and bridges where the confrontation was at the front, and then
The battle group expanded rapidly, and then stirred up a battle line more than ten miles long.
Military orders and tactics all failed.
Zhao Jiu himself probably never imagined that his arrival would have such an effect.
Even Wu Da, who arrived with Long Yu, fell into a moment of confusion.
Not to mention this, as Zhao Guan's dragon banner was stationed behind Li Shifu's troops, a dull thunder suddenly sounded... As a conditioned reflex, everyone thought that a large group of cavalry was coming, and the Jin army had already sent people to sneak across from the upstream or downstream.
However, when Zhao Guanjia, who had just boarded an elevated car, looked around both sides, he did not see any obvious smoke and dust on the plains on both sides.
In fact, after hearing the thunder, Balisu, who had been lurking behind the high ground, was stunned. He also thought that a large group of cavalry was ambushed somewhere... maybe Quduan's cavalry came from the side and behind?
And soon, both families realized that this time it was really thundering. Before the evening, the clouds were mixed and gradually thickened, then spring thunder rolled, the sky was dark, the ground was dark, and the rain fell like a stream.
No one wants to fight a bad war, but the sudden thunderstorm turned this battle into a bad war!
Thunder, lightning, rain and dusk easily erased the last possibility of conveying military orders and controlling the troops. At the same time, they also awakened the various departments that were already fighting together from the fever of war from top to bottom.
Before Han Shizhong heard the thunder, he had almost ordered his entire army to cross the river and engage in a full-scale battle with the Wushu in front of him. Hu Yantong was also preparing to pounce directly on the high ground.
But as soon as the rain fell, accompanied by thunder, it was impossible to tell which clan's clanging was coming from under the sound of rain, and the fighting troops on both sides began to retreat consciously.
Only during the retreat, the routes of both sides and the situation between ourselves and the enemy were completely blurred, and encounters were everywhere.
And it is obvious that since the Song army initiated the battle first and had troops crossing the river, it was destined to become the party with greater losses in this bad battle.
Spring thunder was rolling, and the fields were vast. Zhao Jiu stood in the car, letting the rain wash over his face, and fell into a dazed posture.
It's not up to him. Anyone involved in this plot will probably be confused. And in this situation, there seems to be nothing else to do except be confused. Once the rain falls, he has to rely on the flash of lightning to see anything clearly about the battle.
.
The battlefield is too big and there are too many troops!
"Official family."
Wu Jie supported Zhao Guanjia from one side. "Come down quickly... It is easy to attract lightning at high places. Set up gold needles to protect against lightning. This is what the official said in the residence newspaper."
Only then did Zhao Jiu come to his senses and hurriedly got out of the car. He was speechless when he saw that everyone around him, including himself, was wearing metal armor.
"Your Majesty." When Zhao Guan's family came to the ground, Wu Jie's tone was slightly lower. "I am ashamed."
"What does Jin Qing have to be ashamed of?" Zhao Jiu quickly shook his head. "It's going to rain and my mother is going to get married. Who can control the rain? Besides, it was a bad battle because we lost more in this river.
, it is impossible to cause a really big loss of combat power... But no matter what, we have to do something now, not just to gather the troops... It is the responsibility of the Prince of Yan'an County and Li Shaoyan to gather the troops... We also have to do something, so as to
Make sure morale is not discouraged.”
"Guan family." Wu Jie opened his mouth to respond, his tone becoming more cautious, but also extremely resolute. "In the past two days, we have pressed hard and pushed forward the front line forcefully. But what happened today shows that both sides have reached their limit. There will be no more
The room for maneuver is that even if it rains today, we can only rely on the Taiping River to maintain it for a while... Under such a situation, the more tense it is, the less we can retreat. Therefore, we must first set up a stronghold on this side of the river to facilitate the dispatch of troops.
, and at the same time ensure that there are no Jin Army strongholds on this side of the Taiping River!"
Zhao Jiu thought for a moment in the rain and suddenly said: "I remember before the news was sent today, you originally asked Li Yanxian to lead his troops to capture the city of Huolu County? Is the city of Huolu County on this side?"
"yes."
"how far?"
"It's more than ten miles away from here, but it's not directly northwest. It's east of here. It's only five or six miles away from the Taiping River."
"How many defenders are there?"
"A fierce security..."
"Sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Take it down! Take it down immediately in the rain and in the dark. We will spend the night in Huolu County today, and set up a large-scale stronghold with this city as the center... Let Liu Yan personally supervise the four commanders to climb the city on all sides and capture it in one fell swoop!"
"yes!"
The military order was passed down in a hurry, but the front line was still in chaos. In the rain, Zhao Jiufu couldn't help but ask again. "Qing Jin, why did the Jin Army abandon Huolu County and instead set up a stronghold around Shiyi Town?"
"Before today, I only thought that they were interested in the smooth and smooth surroundings of Shiyi, or that they were worried that our army would use gunpowder to blow up the city and destroy their morale... But when I came to the battle today, I instantly woke up." As he said, Wu Jie
He pointed his finger in the direction of the southeastern bank of the river. "Guan, have you ever paid attention to the high ground on the other side of the river?"
Zhao Jiu, pay attention!
He is confused now.
However, this did not delay him from using the flash of lightning to immediately notice the high ground.
"Guanjia, that should be the only high ground on the other side of the river. It's two or three miles from the river and about ten miles from Shiyi Camp." Wu Jie answered seriously. "It's six to seven miles in radius."
"I understand." Zhao Jiu suddenly understood for a moment. "They did not take a fancy to Shiyi, but to this highland. There is a flat road on the other side of the river. Only this highland is under the high forest. If the war breaks out, they can be like this.
Occupying the high ground, you can be condescending, grasp the battle situation on all sides, and send cavalry to sweep and support at any time."
"Guan Jia Rui Duan." Wu Jie nodded in agreement, but extended it a little. "But it's more than that... In such a war, it is impossible to pursue fixed tactics. Just like today's situation of suppressing our army's crossing troops by occupying high ground, it is reasonable to attack calmly.
Yes... but it is also possible that they used that piece of high ground as a bait to deliberately lure our army to attack. However, in order to gain visibility and gain in battle, our army had to attack even though it was a bait. At that time, the reinforcements waiting for our army behind us would be because of the river.
When their progress failed, they concentrated their troops to sweep away our troops, ate up our troops on the high ground, and retook the high ground."
"I understand. Anyway, the high ground is here and the Taiping River is here. We attack and they defend. The initiative is in their hands. There is always no shortage of tricks in tactics... right?"
"Your Majesty is Ruijuan." Wu Jie repeated those words again.
Lightning flashed again, and the surrounding areas were blurred. Even the high ground on the other side of the river seemed blurry.
Zhao Jiu, who was already soaked all over, looked towards the other side of the river and shook his head in the rain: "No matter what, wait until the rain stops and the curves gather... He should only have two days... It won't be too late to make plans then."
Amidst the rumbling thunder, Wu Jie stopped talking.
PS: Thanks to Mr. An for his Silver Alliance, and thanks to Mr. Xiao Tangsheren for his cuteness...the latter is the 202nd cuteness in this book.