Fenghou

I thought Zhang Xiao would ask more questions, but Zhang Xiao smiled and said, "Continue talking!"

Yang Zaixing continued: "The city of Xin'an County is dilapidated and small, and it doesn't live at all. The humble judge judged that their garrison of [-] troops is just a bluff, or it is for Wanyan Wushu to see. Once we really send troops, I believe the enemy will quickly Retreating will not really leave [-] troops in Xin'an County, the other side will preserve their strength and defend Luoyang."

Chen Qing raised his hand, Yang Zaixing immediately stopped narrating, Chen Qing said with a smile: "Let me tell you a few words, I have read General Yang's plan carefully, but he hasn't made it clear yet, the reason why he didn't set up an ambush in the south is because he It is predicted that the enemy will not actually deploy troops in Xin'an County. Once the war breaks out, the troops in Xin'an County will quickly withdraw eastward, and will not give us a chance to wipe them out unless we send out surprise troops to cut off the enemy's retreat.

But we can't talk about it on paper, so we need to formulate several plans. What General Yang just said is the first plan, which probably won't happen. "

Chen Qing smiled again at Yang Zaixing: "General Yang, please tell me the main plan. Needless to say, this unlikely plan will confuse people."

Yang Zaixing scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "The explanation is too long-winded, and I will only talk about the main plan below!"

"We will secretly increase the number of troops in Mianchi County, but we will not enter the Mianchi barracks. We will increase the number of troops by about 5000, bringing the strength of Mianchi County to 2. At the same time, we will quickly move south from the north bank of the Yellow River..."

……

At the same time as the deliberation of the troop dispatch plan was going on, an army of 5 people had assembled in Mengzhou on the north bank of the Yellow River, and hundreds of large ships were moored on the shore. board the ship.

It is impossible to wait for the war to start after everything is ready, and it will definitely come in advance. These are the two sides of the war, one side is positive, and the other side is strange, and positive and strange complement each other.

These [-] troops are surprise soldiers, led by Li Muqing, commander of the upper army. Li Muqing is Yang Zaixing's deputy general. retreat.

Under the night, ten ships full of soldiers gradually approached Mengjindu, three torches were lit on the shore, and a hundred scouts were already active on the other side, clearing the way for the first vanguard to land.

Three thousand soldiers landed one after another, and after finishing their formation, they rushed to Mengjin Pass, more than ten miles away.

The most important thing for any pass is the water source. Without water, the pass cannot be built. There is also a small river in Mengjin Pass, but the river flows out of the pass, passes through the woods ten miles wide, and directly flows into another river flowing from the east. Yellow River.

In the woods, the soldiers marched along the small river. The general who attacked Mengjin Pass this time was called Yu Hongwu, a commander. He was the No.1 in the three-army siege competition. He led three thousand soldiers and captured 5000 people in half an hour. The guarded training walls.

He was responsible for the capture of Mengjin Pass this time. Iron fire and thunder could not be used, which would alarm Luoyang, and fire could not be used. The thick smoke and fire would also alarm the beacon tower on Beiman Mountain.

They can only use the traditional sneak attack strategy to seize the beacon before the enemy ignites the beacon, and then capture Mengjin Pass. Starting to cross the Yellow River can be described as a series of links. As long as one link fails, Luoyang City will get the news and immediately notify the [-] troops in Xin'an County to withdraw to Luoyang, which means that the surprise operation failed.

So the key is whether the [-] troops led by Yu Hongwu can succeed tonight.

Two miles away from Mengjin Pass, the [-] troops stopped moving forward, and the soldiers built a small tent for shading the light. Inside the tent, Hu Yanlei was telling Yu Hongwu about the situation in the pass.

"The height of Guancheng is less than three feet, about two feet eight. The beacon tower is on the easternmost side of Guancheng, close to the cliff. According to our observation, there are about 50 guards at night on the top of the city, but most of them are seated. Leaning against the wall to rest, only a few soldiers patrolling back and forth."

"How wide is the wall of Guancheng?"

"About a hundred steps!"

Yu Hongwu was taken aback, "So narrow?"

"That's why I said that there are only about 50 defenders at the top of the city. In fact, the valley itself is very narrow, and Mengjin Pass is relatively wide."

"How many defenders are there in Mengjin Pass?"

Hu Yanlei shook his head, "I don't know, but we estimate that the limit is about 300 people."

Yu Hongwu stared at the sketch, pondered for a moment and said: "A frontal attack will definitely be discovered. We must go up the side cliff, take down the beacon first, and cut off the signal."

"Exactly!"

Hu Yanlei nodded, "Our biggest advantage now is that the other party doesn't know we're coming."

Chapter 965 Combo

The key reason why Yu Hongwu's army was able to win the No. 1 siege performance is that he has unique skills. He has a pole army of 150 people under his command, which is composed of fifty attacking soldiers and a hundred pole-handlers. They use bamboo poles to climb the city. , can send fifty soldiers to the top of the city in the shortest time, many times, the defenders clearly know that he has such an army, but they are still unable to defend against it.

The key is that it is not enough to send them to the top of the tower, but also to have strong combat power, able to support the enemy's counterattack, and cover the main force to attack the top of the city. Therefore, fifty attacking soldiers were selected from tens of thousands of soldiers, lean and brave. , with high martial arts skills, like fifty leopards, each of which can defeat ten with one.

At this time, two hundred steps away from the pass, three thousand soldiers of the Song Army were watching the dark pass. A lantern, as if hanging in the air, is particularly dazzling in the dark night.

Of course, the lanterns were not half-hanging in the air, but hung on the chimney of the beacon, so that Yu Hongwu could see the outline of the beacon. The dark night made Yu Hongwu change the battle plan. They didn't have to go to the cliff, but went directly to the city , close to the beacon and go to the city at one end, taking advantage of the time difference to seize the beacon and the city wall.

But time has not allowed them to hesitate any longer, Yu Hongwu shouted, "Go!"

150 pole soldiers got up and ran quickly to the east of Guancheng, and the [-] soldiers behind them also quickly moved closer to Guancheng.

The night was dark, and 150 people were gradually approaching the city wall. At this time, they were still more than [-] steps away from the city wall, and they were ready.

The bamboo poles they use are not ordinary bamboo poles, they are about four feet long, very tough and not easy to break. The attacking soldiers hold the bamboo poles in front, wear swords on their waists, shields and a short steel spear on their backs, and two pole-holding soldiers stand behind , are tall and extremely strong. They don't need to be too tall and strong, but they need to surpass the weight and strength of ordinary people to support soldiers going to the city. In the stage of going to the city, the two pole vaulters are the most important .

They have trained thousands of times, and they have already cooperated skillfully and tacitly. At this time, a few patrolling soldiers on the top of the city went to the west.

Fifty attackers ran to the bottom of the city, jumped up, and sprinted on the city wall. The hundred pole-vaulters behind them ran forward holding their poles tightly. It took only a moment to go up the city. At the top of the city, with the support of the long poles, they jumped onto the top of the city one after another.

On the top of the city, nearly a hundred soldiers were wrapped in blankets and sleeping against the wall. No one thought that the god of death would fall from the sky, and the killing came suddenly. There was a panic commotion on the top of the city.

Another ten soldiers were responsible for dealing with the beacon. The beacon was built against the mountain. It was two stories high with kerosene and firewood piles on the top floor. Six soldiers set up two human ladders, and the other four climbed the human ladders and jumped onto it. The fire oil and firewood piles were thrown down the city wall, and the other six men rushed into the beacon, and the five sleeping soldiers inside were killed in their dreams before they woke up.

Hundreds of pole-vaulting soldiers had already put down their bamboo poles, and quickly climbed up the city using the ten rope ladders thrown from above. Their task was to seize and open the city gate.

At the same time as 150 soldiers went to the city, [-] soldiers also ran, the top of the city was completely controlled, the city gate was opened creakingly, and [-] soldiers rushed into the Guancheng...

At this time, fifty attacking soldiers had disappeared. Led by a surrendering soldier, they climbed up a small road to the top of the mountain. There was a beacon on the top of the mountain several miles away. This beacon was too far away from the city of Guan. , I couldn't hear the shouts of killing in the pass city, but I could see the beacon fire on the pass city.

Not only that, the beacon on the top of the mountain can clearly see the situation on the Yellow River. If hundreds of warships cross the river after dawn, the defenders on the beacon can also see it, and they will immediately light the beacon and notify another beacon ten miles to the south. .

Although the beacon tower in the south cannot see the beacon fire of Mengjin Pass or the situation on the Yellow River, it can see Luoyang City, and its task is to inform Luoyang City.

The three beacons formed the alarm system of Beiman Mountain. If the enemy attacked from the Yellow River in the north, Luoyang would get the news immediately.

It was almost five o'clock at this time, and the [-] cavalry on the north bank of the Yellow River began to board the boat first. The cavalry led their horses and boarded the boat one by one. Their tasks were also very intense. They had to cross the river twice in a row. If there are more than [-] cavalry, the [-] cavalry will directly attack Luoyang City. If they can directly enter the city, it is of course the best. retreat.

This is Yang Zaixing's best plan. The biggest feature of this plan is that it is fast, but it also has very high requirements for the attacking soldiers. It must be linked together. If one link fails, the best results will not be obtained.

The main general leading the [-] cavalry is Li Muqing, and the other commanding general is Li Fuxing. He will lead [-] troops to attack Hulao Pass, and finally Hu Yanlei will lead [-] troops to guard Yanshi and Mengjin Pass.

"I don't know how the situation on the other side is. Have you captured Mengjin Pass?" General Li Fuxing asked in a deep voice.

Li Muqing looked at the dark opposite bank, and slowly said: "Yu Hongwu should be able to do it, even His Highness has confidence in him, we should trust him even more."

"Actually, I don't think it's a big problem to win Mengjin Pass. The key is the beacon tower. We should prepare for the worst."

Li Muqing laughed, "It's just a matter of annihilating 1 people less. The key is you. Capture the Hulao Pass and cut off the Jin soldiers' access to the west. This is the focus of this battle."

"I also believe that I can succeed!"

At this time, a soldier came to report: "Qi report to the government, all [-] cavalry have boarded the ship."

Li Muqing nodded and smiled at Li Fuxing: "Then I'll take a step first!"

"I wish the general every success!"

Li Muqing led a dozen of his own soldiers to urge the first big boat on the horse. The boat stowed its boards, and a dozen boatmen swung the big oars, and the boat began to sail slowly towards the opposite bank.

……

Commander Liu Zhen led fifty soldiers to the top of the mountain. In the ravine several feet deep, there used to be a wide long plank on the ravine, which could be directly used as a small bridge, but the soldiers guarding the beacon took it to the opposite side, and they would push the plank over every three days to deliver supplies. Coming here is the last line of defense.

And there is no tree on the top of the mountain, so you need to carry planks or ladders up from the bottom of the mountain, but it is not easy to climb the cliff halfway.

The soldiers who led the way had told them in advance, but the fifty soldiers of the Western Army did not take this difficulty to heart.

This small difficulty really did not bother the soldiers of the Western Army. The leader commander Liu Zhenling said: "Use the hook and claw!"

A soldier threw the rope over, and the three-claw iron hook on the rope caught a big rock on the opposite side. The soldiers pulled the rope tightly, and a soldier was as nimble as a monkey, and quickly climbed across the gully on the rope. Carried into the beacon by the defenders, he could only continue to rely on the rope.

The soldier tied the two ropes firmly to a big rock, and the soldiers on the opposite side climbed over one by one.

"General, there are two big tents over there, each of which houses 20 people, and there are only about three or five people in the tower, but beware of them lighting the big tents, the effect will be the same."

Since he was a pawn, he was also a member of the Western Army. This pawn changed roles very quickly, and he already regarded himself as a member of the Western Army.

Liu Zhen nodded, and said to a Dutou: "Wang Dutou led ten brothers to deal with Fengsui, and the rest of the brothers followed me to deal with Dazhang."

Fifty soldiers divided into two groups, and touched their respective targets.

Chapter 966 Containment

According to Zhe Keqiu's original plan, after the Western Army captured Shanzhou and Mianchi County, Xin'an County was to be rebuilt immediately, and Xin'an County should be built into a new city. Jianghuai did not support the idea of ​​half-way, but reached a compromise with the Western Army. The two sides used Mianchi County and Xin'an County as a buffer, and neither stationed troops nor changed the status quo.

Building a city is also a way to change the status quo. It is impossible to withstand the pressure of the puppet Qi court, and there is no financial resources to build the city.

After discovering Chen Qing's plan to attack the Central Plains, he tried to build Xin'an County, but it was too late.

But Xin'an County is the west gate of Luoyang, and there must be no one guarding the gate, otherwise the Western Army will drive straight in, but how can Xin'an County, a dilapidated county, be able to defend it?

In the end, under the urging of Wanyan Wushu, he still sent [-] troops to defend Xin'an County. His principle is, if he can defend it, he will defend it. If he can't, he will immediately abandon Xin'an County and withdraw to ensure that the troops will not damage.

It's a pity that he met Chen Qing. The principle Chen Qing formulated was to wipe out the enemy's troops regardless of the gains or losses of a city or a place.

The chief general of Xin'an County is called Wang Zan, and he is a reliable confidant. He is currently in command of an official, commanding an army of 1 people. Since he was stationed in Xin'an County, Wang Zan has been in a state of restlessness and is extremely concerned about the movements of the Western Army. Sensitive, as long as he gets news that the main force of the Western Army has appeared in Mianchi County, he will immediately retreat.

At dawn the next day, several cavalry came rushing in from a distance, holding high the black dragon red flag of the Western Army. The defenders immediately became nervous and closed the city gate immediately.

The leader of the western army rushed to the city and shouted: "Yang Dutong has a letter to the commander of your army!"

After speaking, the soldiers of the Western Army shot the letter of arrow on the top of the city. Some soldiers picked up the letter of arrow and rushed to the barracks to report it.

At this time, Wang Zan was discussing countermeasures with three commanders in the big tent. One of the three commanders was Xie Zhensheng, who was Wang Zan's brother-in-law.

The other two commanders are Shi Dawu and Su Qian. They are both from Ruzhou, and their hometowns are in neighboring counties.

"The humble staff felt that the spies in Shanzhou were not reliable at all. How did the [-] troops in Mianchi County appear? There was no news from Shanzhou. Later, they said that the army in Shanzhou had not decreased, so why didn't they find the [-] troops passing through the border? ?”

Su Qian also said: "Control, General Shi is right. Chen Qing's army can't be delayed until May. The day lily is cold. He has always been elusive when he dispatches troops. It will be too late to leave when the main force of the enemy army appears. Let's hurry up." Withdraw to Luoyang!"

Of course, the two generals Shi and Su did not call for withdrawal for no reason. The main reason was that their spies in Mianchi County discovered an abnormality yesterday. The [-] soldiers of the Western Army stationed in Mianchi County were all infantry, but the spies discovered that they had all turned into cavalry. , which is very strange.

Not to mention where the horses came from, the key point is that they always thought that the Mianchi garrison was the army of Shanzhou, but the Shanzhou garrison could not be cavalry, so it means that the [-] garrison came from Guanzhong. Now that the Guanzhong army has come, I am afraid that the war will come soon.

Wang Zan sighed and said, "I'll send someone to ask the commander in chief! If the commander allows us to withdraw, we will withdraw immediately."

At this moment, the soldiers outside the account reported: "Qi report to control, the Song army shoots arrows and letters to the city!"

"Come in!"

The soldiers came in and handed Wang Zan an arrow letter. Wang Zan quickly opened the letter and read it carefully. He suddenly stood up and his expression changed drastically.

The three looked at each other, and Xie Zhensheng asked, "Control, what news?"

"It was written by Yang Zaixing." Wang Zan's expression was extremely complicated.

The three of them were also shocked, how could it be Yang Zaixing, he should be in Jingzhao.

Shi Dawu asked anxiously, "What did he say?"

"He persuaded us to surrender, saying that we had done no evil and could be forgiven. He said...he had led an army to Mianchi County."

"impossible!"

Xie Zhensheng denied it outright, "If he is in Mianchi County, why would we have no news at all."

Su Qian sneered and said, "Didn't we have no news about the five thousand war horses just mentioned?"

"Horses are different from people!"

"What's the difference? Are five thousand horses still goods?"

"Okay! Stop arguing."

Wang Zan interrupted the argument between the two, sighed and said, "Whether you have come or not, we will have news at noon!"

……

No need to wait until noon, an hour later, they received a message from Mianchi County flying pigeons, Yang Zaixing led tens of thousands of Song troops had appeared outside Mianchi County, the army had passed Mianchi County, and was heading towards Xin'an County.

Wang Zan no longer hesitated, and immediately led an army of [-] to retreat eastward. The army left Xin'an County and retreated to Luoyang.

The messengers were two close-knit soldiers. Wang Zan knew them. The two stepped forward to salute, and the leader of the soldiers clasped their fists together and said, "General, [-] cavalrymen from the Western Army are coming from the east, and they are about to arrive. The commander-in-chief ordered the general to turn south immediately and return to Luoyang around the official road in the south."

"what!"

Wang Zan was taken aback. He suspected that he had heard it wrong. "You just said that the cavalry of the Western Army came from the east?"

"Exactly! The Western Army bypassed Beiman Mountain and came from Yanshi County. They came to Luoyang yesterday evening, and they should be almost in Xin'an County."

Several generals looked at each other, Xie Zhensheng asked anxiously: "Where is the other party?"

"We are riding two horses. The other party may rest for an hour or two, and is about forty or fifty miles behind us."

All the generals looked at Wang Zan, he was the chief general, and it was up to him to make the final decision.

Wang Zan sighed and said, "Pass on my order, the army will turn south!"

The [-]-strong army turned around and walked west for a few miles, then took another official road heading south, speeding up and heading south...

The march of a large army is not like scouts. Scouts can walk on mountain roads, trails, and even in the wilderness, but normal army marches must walk on flat official roads. Soldiers are not easily injured and can travel long distances.

The distance from Xin'an County to Luoyang City is a hundred miles. There are two official roads, one is Zhengguan Road, also called Luoyang Avenue, and the other along the Luoshui River in the south is another official road called Luoshui Road.