Still one hundred and fifty miles away from Jiuyuan City, Xue Yantuo's cavalry slowed down. After the last disastrous defeat, Xue Chake also became cautious. He also knew his mission very well, which was mainly to explore the way for the army and prevent
When the army crossed the Yellow River, it was intercepted by the Tang army to prevent it from being ambushed by the Tang army on the way.
In the early morning, two thousand Xueyantuo troops were resting by a small river. Darhan had woken up early, knelt on the sheepskin and prayed to the rising sun. He did this every day, and everyone was not surprised.
Xue Chake spread a map on a big stone, and his marching route was drawn with thick lines on the map. He was not going to Jiuyuan County, but turned around and headed north when he was fifty miles away from Jiuyuan County, and followed another road heading north.
The official road leads to the shallow beach of the Yellow River in the north, where the main force of the army will cross the river.
He found where he was, at the intersection of two small rivers, and then followed an eastward river for about a hundred miles before turning around and heading north.
Xue Chake looked at the surrounding environment. This area is full of low hills, dotted with large forests and wilderness, and the land is very fertile. Large pastures can be opened here. He is a little tempted. Once Xue Yantuo's army captures Fengzhou, he will
Can I apply for this land to be my own pasture?
But this idea was quickly rejected by himself. It was too close to Lingzhou and the Tang Dynasty would not give up. It would definitely become a battlefield.
"Chief, it's time to set off!" a centurion behind him reminded in a low voice.
Xue Chake pulled his thoughts back and glanced at Darhan in the distance. Seeing that he had finished praying, he nodded and said: "Instruct the soldiers to pack up and set off!"
The two thousand cavalrymen quickly gathered their blankets and sheepskins, filled their water bladders with water, got on their horses, and galloped eastward following their leader.
At noon, they were still a hundred miles away from Jiuyuan County. They followed the official road through a very shallow valley, with low hills on both sides, covered with dense pine trees.
Xue Chake was very careful and sent dozens of soldiers to check the situation in the pine forests on both sides, fearing that there would be an ambush by Tang troops on both sides. The closer he got to Jiuyuan City, the more intense this uneasy feeling became.
Not long after, dozens of cavalrymen rushed back and reported: "Reporting to the chief, there are no traces of the Tang army within a hundred steps on both sides!"
Xue Chake was relieved and immediately ordered: "The army continues to advance!"
Two thousand cavalry entered the valley road. At this time, Darhan gradually fell behind. He was leading two camels. On the camels was his blacksmith. After all, Darhan had served as the deputy commander of an army of 100,000 people. He knew this terrain very well.
It is the easiest to be ambushed, especially against cavalry. After riding into the pine forest, it is no match for the infantry. He walks slower and slower, and the distance between him and the team becomes farther and farther.
There was a dark shadow hidden on the big pine tree closest to the valley road. About eighty steps away from the valley road, Guo Song was hiding in this dense pine tree. He couldn't be seen from below. He took off the cover.
The pine branches revealed a large void in front, just facing the valley below.
Guo Song took out an arrow, put it on the bowstring, and stared sharply at the approaching Xue Yantuo army. He locked his eyes on the golden-helmeted general riding a white horse in front of him. This general was completely different from others. Others were almost
They all wore leather armor, but this man wore iron chainmail, a golden helmet, and carried a mace weighing sixty or seventy kilograms. Computer version::/
This person should be the enemy's general. If he is a fake, there is no way he can lift such a heavy iron rod.
Guo Song stared at the neck of the general. His golden helmet had sides and covered his cheeks, but his neck was exposed.
The enemy general was getting closer and closer. Guo Song drew the bow string, loosened his hand, and a wolf-fang arrow shot out with unparalleled speed. Xue Chake arrived in the blink of an eye. Xue Chake suddenly felt
When he hit something, he turned his head and said, 'Poof!' An arrow hit his throat. The arrow penetrated his neck. The arrow came out from the back of his neck. The force of the arrow was so strong that his cervical vertebrae were also broken.
Xue Chake covered his neck, turned around, and fell from his horse to the ground. He could not breathe and soon died.
At this time, Guo Song took out his horn, raised his head to the sky and blew loudly, 'Woo--'
The low sound of horns echoed in the valley, and the soldiers of the Tang army who were lying in wait hundreds of steps away rushed out and charged towards the valley.
At this time, the cavalry team had stopped, and most of them were at a loss. More than a dozen soldiers were rescuing the general Xue Chake, and the sound of the horn suddenly made them panic.
Just when the cavalry realized that they had been ambushed, arrows rained down from both sides. Ten thousand arrows roared from both sides and shot at the cavalry in the middle of the valley. There were screams and more than a thousand cavalry fell off their horses.
Xue Yantuo was in chaos, and their instinct for survival made them unwilling to fight and fled in all directions. At this time, the second round of arrows from the Tang army was fired, and countless people were hit by arrows and fell from their horses.
Two rounds of 20,000 arrows were fired, and only a few hundred soldiers were left on horseback.
The horn of the "Woo" attack sounded, and ten thousand Tang Army soldiers rushed out from the dense forests on both sides. They closed the encirclement and surrounded the remaining hundreds of cavalry. Countless spears were stabbed at the cavalry on horseback.
The battle ended in less than a quarter of an hour. All two thousand Xueyantuo cavalry were killed by the Tang army. No one was spared. Of course, the only person who survived was not Xueyantuo's army and was not included in the statistics.
Liang Wu found Darhan and brought him to Guo Song. Darhan knelt down and kowtowed: "My benefactor, do you still remember me?"
Guo Song quickly helped him up and said: "You are a Sogdian warrior, don't kneel down to me!"
Darhan stood up and said: "I came from Kang State and encountered heavy snow, so I borrowed land from the Xueyantuo tribe to spend the winter. I happened to encounter them sending troops to attack Fengzhou. I just thought about how to report the message to my benefactor."
Guo Song smiled and nodded, "I received your letter. It was very timely. Have you gone back and found your daughter?"
Darkhan's eyes were dim and he shook his head sadly: "I have been looking for them for several years, and the news is that they may have been sold to the far west. I can't find them."
Guo Song was full of sympathy for this burly man. He himself was the same, and he would never see his daughter again.
"Then what are you going to do?"
"I have no plans. I just want to find my benefactor and follow him to live the rest of my life."
Guo Song thought for a while and said: "Let's do this! If you know how to blacksmith, you can stay in our army as a blacksmith first, and I will find a way to place you in the future."
But Darhan still shook his head, "I don't want to be a blacksmith anymore. I ask my benefactor to accept me as a soldier. I am willing to follow my benefactor in the saddle."
Guo Song did not have any personal soldiers yet. He only had a dozen trusted followers, who could barely be regarded as personal soldiers.
Guo Song saw his firm gaze and knew that he was a man who promised a lot of money, so he happily said: "That's okay! Letting you become a blacksmith will waste your martial arts. You can follow me from now on!"
Darhan was overjoyed and knelt down and kowtowed again, "Thank you benefactor for taking me in."
Although Xue Yantuo's two thousand vanguard troops were completely wiped out, the threat of war loomed over Fengzhou. Guo Song was not worried about Xue Yantuo's army. He was worried about the morale of the soldiers and civilians. He was worried that the immigrants would be afraid and would not dare
Stay in Toyosu.
After annihilating two thousand Xue Yantuo's cavalry, Guo Song immediately sent his cavalry back to Jiuyuan County to announce the good news. The cavalry rushed in the county and shouted, "Victory in the first battle, annihilated the enemy's vanguard of 2,000 people!"
"Victory in the first battle, annihilating all 2,000 enemy vanguards!"
In the sound of good news, the anxious people finally vented their emotions, the crowd was excited, and the whole city was filled with joy.
This is very necessary. The people are eager for news of victory, so that their confidence will be gradually inspired. If nothing is said, it will only make them live in fear, and over time, their confidence will be destroyed.
Therefore, even if you win a small victory, you must tell the people in time to boost their morale and morale, and let them build up their confidence that the war must be theirs.
From Kang Bao's words, Guo Song guessed the strategic intention of Xue Yantuo's vanguard army. They should be preparing to go north to protect Xue Yantuo's army crossing the river. The only way to cross the Yellow River was to take the shallow water beach.
Guo Song then personally led three thousand cavalry to prevent Xue Yantuo's army from crossing the river.
There are two shallow shoals on the Yellow River in Fengzhou. One is in the South Yellow River, about fifty miles west of Jiuyuan County. Caravans coming along the south bank of the Yellow River usually cross the Yellow River here. The river is very wide, but the deepest part is only as wide as
A person's chest can usually be crossed directly by wading across the river without a ferry.
The other place is in the North Yellow River, which is also relatively shallow. Livestock and carts can cross the river here. This is the only way to Xishoujiang City. Xue Yantuo's army is coming from the northwest. If you don't carry any baggage, you can
Use a raft to cross the river, but if you are carrying a lot of luggage, you can only use this shallow beach.
They cannot walk through the shallow water beach in the south. If they want to walk through the shallow water beach in the south, they must first cross the Yellow River in the west, and there is no need to walk through the shallow water beach again.
Guo Song led three thousand cavalry to the south of the shallow water bank of the North Yellow River one step ahead and quickly deployed here.
Night shrouded the earth, and there was not much spring in Fengzhou in February. Although the ice and snow melted during the day, it was still freezing at night, and the soldiers were wrapped tightly in sheepskins.
Guo Song stood on a high place, looking at the vast dusk on the other side of the Yellow River, but in his mind he was quickly assessing the impact of this blocking battle.
There is no doubt that his army cannot defeat the 20,000-strong army across the river, but it can slow down the enemy's advance, give Jiuyuan City more time to prepare, and at the same time, it can lower the enemy's morale. This is his purpose.
At this time, there was a slight commotion behind him. Guo Song turned around and saw a camel team coming. The person leading the camel turned out to be a soldier of the Tang Army. A soldier ran over and said: "Envoy, Jiuyuan City has brought food."
Already."
Guo Song nodded, "Let the soldiers get up and eat!"
The sleeping soldiers woke up one after another. They set off in a hurry, bringing only a small amount of dry food, expecting Jiuyuan City to come to deliver food. The soldiers were hungry and gathered around them.
The dinner was not bad, with soft and toasted pancakes filled with delicious and juicy onion-flavored lamb, two for each person, a small honeydew melon and a bowl of warm soup.
Three hundred camels delivered three days' worth of meals to the soldiers. Tomorrow's breakfast only needs to be heated up.
The first captain stepped forward to salute Guo Song and presented a roll of Eagle Letter to Guo Song. It was already dark, but Guo Song didn't want to open it and asked, "What is it?"
"It seems to be a reply from Jiedu Envoy!"
"How to say?"
The captain hesitated and said: "General Li asked me to send you a message from my humble position. Since Shuofang's army is unwilling to come for reinforcements, we can defeat Xue Yantuo's army with our own strength."
Guo Song nodded, "I understand, you should be careful all the way back."
The captain clasped his fists in salute, turned around and went down.
A sneer appeared at the corner of Guo Song's mouth. As he expected, Li Huaiguang would not send Shuofang's army to rescue Fengzhou. They could only rely on themselves.
Before dawn the next day, a thousand cavalry galloped from the other side. Tang soldiers rushed to their respective combat positions and raised their crossbows. Guo Song looked carefully for a moment and recognized the opponent's flag. It was not from Xue Yantuo, but from the west. The Tang army retreated from Jiangcheng.
Guo Song quickly turned around and waved his hand: "It's one of our own!"
The soldiers put down their crossbows one after another, and their horses waded in. There were only small black spots left on the water of the Yellow River. It was the spring flood. Although the water level had not yet submerged the head, the surface of the river was full of ice floes, and the water flow at the bottom of the river was rapid. It was difficult to cross the river. Much more difficult than usual.
The soldiers swam slowly on their horses and gradually approached the south bank. The first general to come ashore was General Ma Wei.
He was shivering with cold, and two soldiers ran up to him and wrapped him in a blanket.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, why are you here?"
His lips were so cold that they turned black, his teeth were chattering, and he couldn't speak clearly.
Guo Song asked the soldiers to boil hot water for them to drink to warm themselves up. He stepped forward and said with a smile: "If you don't raise the flag, I'm afraid you will all die at the bottom of the river."
Ma Wei suddenly understood that the envoy led his army to ambush Xue Yantuo's army here.
"Let's stay too!"
Guo Song thought for a while and then said happily: "With more strength, we will annihilate one more enemy army, and you will stay."
Not long after, a thousand Tang Army cavalry came ashore one after another. They were all shivering from the cold and their teeth chattered. The Tang Army soldiers quickly wrapped their bodies in blankets and brought them hot water. They drank a bowl of hot water. His face finally recovered.