Fenghou

Wang Hao waved his hand, "Take him away!"

The soldiers covered his head with a black bag, put him in a carriage and took him away, and other spies were also taken away.

Wang Hao was completely relieved at this moment.

……

In the big tent of the Chinese Army, Zhao Xiaoyi held a wooden pole and explained the deployment of the Xixia Army in Gongzhou to Chen Qing and the generals on the sand table. Hetongxi County is the main logistics city, each with 2000 troops stationed, and then there is a military city between Dingxi County and Tongxi County. The Xixia Army is called Xinqing City, with [-] troops stationed. In the place where the enemy’s logistics and supplies were burned last time, a military city was also built, called Xinxia City, and [-] troops were also stationed.”

After entering the New Year, they have been using [-] camels to transport food and supplies without stopping.

Chen Qing asked again: "How many Xixia troops are there in Lanzhou?"

"Reporting to Dutong, if you add the 1 people in the four military cities, the Xixia Army has a total of 8 people. In other words, there are now [-] troops in Lanzhou."

Chen Qing nodded and said to everyone: "Cao Baozong will leave [-] troops to defend Lanzhou, so he will attack Gongzhou with [-] troops. Almost as expected, he will have [-] troops approaching the city. He got our false information. Before our main army arrives, we will attack Longxi County with all our strength and take Longxi County as the base for his attack on Qinzhou. Therefore, we must set off immediately and march secretly. Their onslaught has become a nightmare."

Everyone excitedly waited for the commander's order, Chen Qing said again: "General Yang Zaixing and Liu Qiong listen to the order!"

Yang Zaixing and Liu Qiong stepped forward and bowed, "The humble job is here!"

Chen Qingdao: "I will give you two 4000 cavalry. You will enter Gongzhou from the north of Jichuan County. After the main force of the enemy army goes south, you will capture Tongxi County and Xinxia City. Don't surrender your troops. Let me kill them all. Then Use [-] men to defend these two military cities. When the enemy is fully attacking the city, General Yang can lead [-] cavalry to attack his camp and burn his food. Once he withdraws without food, it will be the time for our two armies to fight .”

"Honorable order!"

Chen Qing said to the crowd again: "Tonight is the time to dispatch troops, and the army will depart at the third watch!"

Everyone agreed abruptly and went down one after another.

At this time, Wang Hao quickly walked into the big tent to salute and said: "Report to Dutong, all the Xixia spies have been removed. Except for the spies who sent the letter to Lanzhou, none of the other spies has escaped."

Chen Qing smiled slightly: "Any other gains?"

"In addition, we found a lot of information, which was collected by the other party for many years, including the entire Qinzhou, the population of each county, the city, special products, people's livelihood, etc., which are very detailed, but they should still be sorted out and have not been sent out. In addition, Beizhi also found a black leather booklet, which recorded many secrets, including Xixia's spies in Jingzhao, Yanzhou, and Fengxiang. In addition, Xixia is also smuggling Yanzhou's fire oil, which has lasted for ten years, and there are other secrets. It needs to be sorted out.”

"Will it affect the decisive battle in Gongzhou?"

Wang Hao shook his head, "Basically it doesn't matter!"

"Then tidy up slowly. After the expedition, I will leave the safety of my family to your internal affairs camp."

"Please rest assured, we will strictly protect it."

"Those spies are useless, keeping them is a disaster, and execute them all!"

Wang Hao clasped his fists and said, "Reporting to Dutong, I suggest that you keep two people. You can continue to send fake news to Xingqing Mansion. They can't let them find out too early."

Chen Qing nodded, "You decide for yourself! I won't ask questions."

……

At night, when the people in the city were about to fall asleep, Chen Qing got out of the warm quilt, got up and dressed, and at this time, his son was still sound asleep in the cradle.

"My husband is going to leave tonight?" Lu Xiu was really reluctant.

Chen Qing leaned forward and kissed his wife, "We must arrive at Longxi County before the Xixia army spies go south. The time is very urgent and we must leave tonight."

"Your husband must be careful, I wish you an early victory!"

"I'll be back when the war is over."

Chen Qing bent down and kissed his son's tender little face again, and stroked his little head, he sighed softly.

"Husband, go! Don't let the soldiers wait for you."

Chen Qing nodded, glanced at his son again, then turned around and left quickly.

……

At three o'clock, the [-] troops left the camp in two ways. Chen Qing led the [-] troops and marched westward along the south bank of the Weihe River. run.

Chapter 457 Disagreement

At the end of January, Lanzhou also felt a bit of spring. Although the Yellow River has not yet thawed, the ice and snow on the land have begun to melt.

The Xixia army camp on the north bank of the Yellow River stretches for more than [-] miles, and [-] Xixia troops are stationed in the barracks. In November last year, the emperor Li Qianshun sent another [-] troops to Lanzhou at the request of the coach Cao Baozong. It is imperative.

This morning, the gate of the barracks was opened, and a group of cavalry rushed towards the Yellow River.

The leading general is Cao Baozong. He received a top-secret express letter sent by Dou Qing. The Song Army will formally send troops to Gongzhou on the fifth day of February. There are still seven days to go. There are still ten full days to arrive in Longxi County.

Cao Baozong came to check the freezing situation of the Yellow River. He could faintly see sleds gliding on the river, and there were several vendors by the river who rented out sleds to attract customers.

The Yellow River is more than ten miles wide, and it takes at least an hour to walk on the ice. The huge cold can easily freeze people's internal organs. Many traders have thought of the way of sleds. The sleds are lined with thick old sheepskin and pulled by horses. Pulling, you will be able to cross the Yellow River in no time. This way of crossing the river is very popular, and the business of several shops is quite prosperous.

Before Cao Baozong came down to a shop surrounded by cavalry, the shop owner and shop assistants hurried forward to kowtow to salute.

"Let me ask you, when will this section of the Yellow River thaw?"

"Reporting to the general, the complete thawing will take around mid-February, but in a few days, you will not be able to go. The ice layer will break, and ice floods will appear soon. You will hear loud noises during these two days and nights, that is, the ice layer is breaking. the sound of."

"To be more specific, how many days are there before you can leave?"

"Xiaomin can't say for sure, but the day after tomorrow is the last day we open for business."

Cao Baozong nodded, turned his head to Shang Dongyan and said, "We can't delay any longer, we must send troops south to Longxi County tomorrow."

Shang Dongyan sighed and said: "I have said it countless times, but I still have to make it clear that I can't rush to fight this time. We need to get comprehensive information before we can evaluate how we should fight? Should we send troops to Gongzhou or send troops? Qinzhou?"

It’s a cliché again, Cao Baozong was tired of listening to it long ago, he stared, “I built four logistics military cities in Gongzhou, but finally attacked Qinzhou, did I build them for nothing?”

Shang Dongyan held back the anger in his heart and said: "I repeat, I am not opposed to attacking Gongzhou, but I want to see the intelligence. If Qinzhou is empty, why can't we take the initiative and attack Qinzhou instead? That is possible." Let Chen Qing fall into a passive position, isn't that what war is all about? Whoever takes the initiative will take the lead."

"It's nonsense. Qinzhou is Chen Qing's old lair. How could he not leave behind heavy defenses, just like when was our Xingqing mansion empty? Since we have made a plan, we should implement it according to the plan. To Qin Muchu, the plan What’s the point of making a plan if you say it’s going to change?”

"But the battlefield changes rapidly..."

"That's why we have to respond to all changes with the same!"

The two quarreled again, and Shang Dongyan could no longer restrain his anger.

"But the general's plan is not perfect, and even full of loopholes. Our opponent is Chen Qing, who is the best at catching the enemy's loopholes. Have you forgotten the lesson last time?"

Cao Baozong's eyes showed murderous intent, and he narrowed his eyes and said: "If you dare to commit crimes above and below and resist my military order, I will definitely kill you!"

The words have already reached the point where the subordinates commit crimes, Shang Dongyan finally despaired, he sighed and said: "The humble officer dare not commit the crime, but can the general let the humble officer guard the Lanzhou camp?"

"Yes! You stay!"

Cao Baozong angrily left a word, turned and left.

Shang Dongyan gritted his teeth with hatred, how could the emperor send a scholar with high eyesight and low abilities to be the chief general, what is the difference between this and those useless civil servants in the Song Dynasty?

I need to say a few more words here.

There has always been a chain of mutual contempt within the Xixia army. The hereditary generals despise the low status of the frontier generals and have no background background, and the frontier generals in turn despise the hereditary generals who can only talk and have no practical experience.

Cao Baozong is a typical hereditary general. He is the eldest son of Prime Minister Cao Jie. He achieved his ambition at a young age and became a general step by step by relying on his father's shade.

But Shang Dongyan was just the opposite. His father was from Tubo, and his mother was from Dangxiang. He served as Zhuoluo and Deputy Commander of the Southern Army Division.

Shang Dongyan has rich experience in actual combat. The first time Chen Qing was deceived by the enemy's tactics was in the hands of this Shang Dongyan. Shang Dongyan used a fake move westward in Didao County to deceive Chen Qing. Leaving the city, he led [-] troops to the silver mines.

Chen Qing expended all his efforts to use Yang Qi to deliver false news, largely to deceive this Shang Dongyan, otherwise, he would not have to work so hard to deal with Cao Baozong.

Shang Dongyan fundamentally opposed Cao Baozong's method of building a military city to hoard supplies, food and grass. This is equivalent to telling the enemy army early that I want to attack Gongzhou. If the enemy army has only one target, they can use this method, but they can not only attack Gongzhou State, you can also attack Qinzhou!

Shang Dongyan has been persuading Cao Baozong to pretend to be false, to build plank roads openly, to hide Chencang, to build a military city in Gongzhou on the surface, and finally to attack Chengji County, but Cao Baozong vetoed it.

Cao Baozong's thinking is very clear. In war, the right and the odd must complement each other, but it must be the odd assisting the righteous, not the righteous assisting the odd.

Cao Baozong only agreed to make a fuss about the main line of attacking Longxi County and use some surprise tactics.

The two had disagreements and had been arguing all the time. On the eve of this dispatch, the two finally had a showdown. Shang Dongyan had a clear attitude. If you insist on going your own way, then I will not stay behind. The final defeat has nothing to do with me.

……

The [-] troops of the Xixia Army crossed the ice of the Yellow River the next day and marched southward in mighty force. All their food, grass and supplies had been transported southward in advance. For example, siege weapons and transport carts were stored in Tongxi County.

They drove the light soldiers to Tongxi County to rest for two days, and then went south with the luggage team, so that they could save time by marching a lot.

In a sense, there is nothing wrong with Cao Baozong's approach, he has learned every step of the way, and he has learned the lessons of the last time he was alone.

But just as Chen Qing said, this step-by-step approach is suitable for large armies to fight. For example, Wanyan Wushu attacked Dasan Pass. He used this step-by-step method to successfully capture Dasan Pass.

However, Cao Baozong only had an army of [-]. Compared with the Song army, his strength was not superior. He could not use heavy troops to protect the military cities along the way. practical.

It is good for Cao Baozong to learn a lesson, but his direction is wrong. He should not attack Longxi County, but should attack Qinzhou, occupy Ganquanbao, Jichuan County or Qingshui County as important logistics areas, and open up Xingqing Mansion-Baochuan County- The important strategic channel of Ganquan Fort was directed at Chengji County. At that time, Chen Qing was very passive, so he had to temporarily abandon Longxi County to protect Qinzhou.

But Cao Baozong didn't see this. He still insisted that he had to stand up wherever he fell. He thought that his strategy was wrong last time and he shouldn't go deep alone, so this time he changed to step by step.

That's why Chen Qing said that he was talking on paper.

However, even if Cao Baozong's level was slightly inferior, Chen Qing did not dare to take it lightly. He sent twenty scout teams to closely monitor the enemy's whereabouts.

At the junction of Qinzhou and Gongzhou, there is a hill that stretches for dozens of miles, running north-south. This hill is called Chitie Ridge. Hematite mines are produced in Qinzhou. Managed by the children.

At this time, the mining of the mine was temporarily stopped, and 2 Xixia Army prisoners of war were transferred to the Chengji County Prisoner of War Camp, where they were gathered to build roads and log.

At noon on this day, about fifty miles north of the official road on the north bank of the Weihe River, which is also the northernmost point of Chitieling, a 20-member Song Army scout team was resting in the mountain forest. On a tallest pine tree, a scout sentry was on guard Staring at the surrounding situation.

A soldier easily ignites a piece of briquette and inserts branches into a simplified stove made of stones. The soldier puts a pot filled with spring water on the stove.

This is an order given by Chen Qing. All scouts must use hot water to make cakes. Although this is a small detail, it is extremely important. Chen Qing has been a scout, and he knows that the biggest challenge for scouts is gastrointestinal diseases, which is also related to their long-term diet. Raw and cold water has something to do with food. The scouts eat dry biscuits and bacon, which are usually soaked in mountain spring water. Not to mention, the water is not clean. Many soldiers suffer from chronic enteritis and are always in a state of stomach pain. , seriously affecting combat effectiveness.

However, if wood is used, it has a fire point, and it is easy to expose the target due to the large smoke. The honeycomb briquette made of anthracite solves the problem of exposing the target. It is convenient, fast, and has a large calorific value. Water, soak dry biscuits and bacon in boiling water, add fat and various seasonings, and you can have a good lunch, which is of great benefit to improving the soldiers' stomachs.

The soldiers were talking and laughing while eating, when the sentry on the big tree suddenly shouted in a low voice: "Lin Dutou, there is an enemy situation!"

Chapter 458

The scouts of the Song Army are all called Lin Tao, about 25 or [-] years old, from Zhongnan County, Jingzhao Prefecture. Before joining the army, he was a hunter in Zhongnan Mountain. He has been a scout for three years and has rich experience.

He hurriedly walked to the edge of the woods and looked into the distance, only to see a cavalry of more than ten Xixia troops coming from a small road in the distance, they should be scout cavalry.

They were not fast, and actually came down from the path and walked directly in their direction. They probably wanted to rest and have lunch in the pine forest.

Lin Tao urgently ordered: "The enemy army is coming, everyone hurry up and clean up!"

Everyone quickly cleaned up and wiped out all traces.

Lin Tao ordered one of his men: "Wang Jin, you lead five brothers to go around and cut off their escape route. The other brothers follow me to ambush!"

The scout named Wang Jin took another five scouts and detoured down another road.

Lin Tao quickly disappeared into the depths of the pine forest with a dozen of his men, ready to kill the enemy spies.

This is their task, to eliminate the enemy's spies going south and ensure that the main force of the Song army will not be discovered by the enemy's spies.

More than a dozen Xixia scouts tied their horses to a big tree and walked together to the clearing in the forest, which happened to be the place where the Song army scouts were resting just now.

It's just that the scouts of the Song Dynasty were very professional, and cleaned up all traces, even the stones that built the stove were thrown away. If there are traces that cannot be erased, it is the smell of their dry cakes and bacon in the air.

Of course, there are farmlands at the foot of the mountain, and it is possible that farmers are resting and having lunch here. The dozen or so Xixia scouts obviously did not smell the peculiar smell in the air. They were also looking for stones and branches everywhere, preparing to light a bonfire for barbecue.

Lin Tao had already seen clearly at Baibu. There were thirteen Xixia spies in total, and twenty war horses were tied to two pine trees on the edge. The extra war horses were used to carry food and other items.

Lin Tao recruited two men, pointed at the horses, and gave them some instructions in a low voice. The two men nodded and walked carefully to the enemy's horses.

At this time, Lin Tao and his men also had 13 people, 13 against 13, the key was to shoot and kill most of the enemy troops with the crossbow first, in order to form a situation of superiority in numbers.

Thirteen Song army scouts stooped and ran quickly, hiding from one big tree to another, gradually approaching the enemy army, and they were about [-] steps away from the enemy. Each of them hid behind a pine tree , raised their crossbows, aiming at an enemy soldier each.

The two soldiers hid behind the big tree and quickly untied the reins of twenty war horses, leading the horses out to the depths of the woods.

They were spotted just two steps away, and several Xixia soldiers shouted and roared, "Catch them, someone is stealing the horse!"

Lin Tao shouted, "Archery!"

The scouts of the Song army raised their crossbows to shoot at the same time. The Xixia soldiers on the open ground were caught off guard and shot one after another. Seven people were shot down in an instant, and all of them were shot at vital points such as throats and faces.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining six Xixia spies turned around and fled. The Song army chased after them, raised their crossbows and shot and killed three people. Five Song army scouts on the side ambushed and shot.

All thirteen Xixia spies were killed, and none of them escaped.

Lin Tao found a map from the leader of the first spy, and saw their patrol route from the map. The target was the official road on the north bank of the Weihe River.

"Captain, we have forty horses!" Several soldiers laughed.

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and pack up the corpse, and get ready to go!"

The soldiers of the Song Army burned and buried the corpses, each with two horses, and continued northward to search for scouts from the Xixia Army.

……