On the eighth day of September in the sixth year of Yongjia in the Jin Dynasty (312), it was sunny, with an autumn weather of clear skies and light clouds.
Two swallows passed by the water, chasing each other one after another, and flew into the distance.
The wild geese flying south formed a long line and meandered away.
From their perspective, many camps appeared on the ground overnight, layer upon layer, extending into the distance.
In the camp, people are as insignificant as ants.
But when the number of ants reaches a certain level, the scene becomes quite spectacular.
More than 50,000 people on foot and on horseback from both the Jin and Han Dynasties fought against each other under the ancient Zema Embankment, trying to decide life and death.
This battle is very subtle.
The emperor of Luoyang was uneasy and issued successive edicts to order Shao Xun to return to the capital to aid him.
Emperor Pingyang had just received the news that the Jin army had crossed the river, and he hastily summoned his ministers to discuss the matter.
Shi Le roamed around Luoyang and broke into the Luoshui Valley, destroying everywhere.
There are thieves gathering in Jijun and Dunqiu area, and they seem to have a plan.
Wang Mi was urged repeatedly and planned to gather his troops and send troops to Luoyang.
After the Three Passes in Luonan, the entire army of soldiers was recruited on a large scale, which already delayed the autumn planting.
On the big river, the canal boats were silted up in Aocang, unable to patrol.
Well-informed people throughout Henan are paying attention to this war.
…
Among the abandoned villages, a group of people rode out on horseback and climbed onto the high causeway.
The leader held a long bow in his hand and pointed towards the distance.
It is said to be the "Hongnu camp". In fact, there is not only one camp, but six or seven, each separated by a certain distance, guarding the middle camp like stars over the moon.
For several days, they worked hard to dig trenches, build earthen walls, and build criss-crossing trenches around the camp.
Cai Cheng, Jin Zheng, Wang Queer, Shao Shen and other generals followed behind, frowning secretly as they watched.
Shao Xun glanced at their expressions, suddenly sneered, and said: "What are the thieves afraid of if they put on such a posture of being passively beaten?"
"Zhao Gu!" Shao Xun continued: "A few years ago, he was no more than a military commander. His soldiers, even though they have been trained and their combat power has improved, are still mediocre."
"Shi Le!" Shao Xun said again: "In the battle of Yema Gang in the past, I defeated his 60,000-strong mob. I heard that he has been training simple soldiers for several years and is known as 'elite', but with such an old foundation, how can he be elite?
?”
"The Xiongnu cavalry seems to have more people and more horses, but they have been beaten by the Yi Congjun. If I fail to attack the stronghold, they may come up to cover up and kill me. If I attack the stronghold with great success, I can run faster than anyone else, and you can chase them.
Not as good as that."
Everyone laughed.
These words are inspiring and uplifting. But in the whole of Henan, Mr. Chen is the only one who can say this.
"In the past few days, we have stepped up our efforts to build siege equipment." Shao Xun said: "The fort is not a city. If we can't take it, I don't think you need to continue to eat the food of the warrior. Wang Que'er!"
"The end will be here." Wang Que'er stepped forward and responded loudly.
Shao Xun straightened his shirt, then took two steps back and looked carefully at the leader of his first batch of disciples.
The young general in his twenties is already a veteran who has been on the battlefield for almost ten years.
He has an upright body, a resolute face, and a square personality, which can even be called stubborn and old-fashioned.
His ability has been artificially improved by his own words and deeds for ten years, but he can only be said to be qualified.
In fact, this is enough.
Talented generals are not so easy to find. It is good to be able to cultivate a general who is good enough. After all, according to the calculations of numerous experts, it is enough to conquer the world with just one county's talents.
"In this battle, you will be the Grand Governor and command the entire army." After Shao Xun finished speaking, he took off his sword and handed it to Wang Que'er's hand, saying, "With this sword, anyone below the Governor can be killed."
"As ordered." Wang Que'er took a deep breath and took the knife with force.
His hands were so hard that his knuckles turned white, showing his inner excitement.
Perhaps, there is still heavy pressure.
How can a general not bear pressure? This is also a big test for him.
"Jin Zheng." After Wang Que'er retreated, Shao Xun shouted again.
"The general is here." Jin Zhenghu walked over with a chirp, the leaves of his armor rustling.
Shao Xun punched Jin Zheng on the shoulder. The man didn't move at all, standing firmly there.
It's not in vain to give him a small chance over the years, he has almost grown into a square shape, and his whole body is full of explosive power, maybe a little worse than Liu Ling.
"You are the commander-in-chief of the former army." Shao Xun said, "It is your duty to attack the city, destroy the stronghold, and destroy the enemy."
"As ordered." Jin Zheng held his head high and agreed.
Before leaving, he glanced at Wang Que'er.
"Hao Chang."
"The end will be here."
"You are the commander-in-chief of the rear army. You are in charge of all the battalions and auxiliary troops, and you are at the disposal of the commander-in-chief."
"As commanded."
"Manyu."
"The end will be here."
"You are the Commander-in-Chief of Youyi, commanding the cavalry and waiting for the Commander-in-Chief's orders."
"As commanded."
"After understanding their respective duties, they went back to their respective camps and made preparations."
****
While Shao Xun was observing the enemy's situation, the Xiongnu commander Liu Fu, the King of Bohai, also climbed onto the high platform in the camp.
His eyes were attracted by the movement on the river.
The floating bridge was built so quickly!
In a day or two, the Jin people will be able to lay a pontoon bridge directly from the river to the north bank.
Because there are no iron chains on the north shore, the pontoon seems to be floating and not very stable, but it can pass people after all.
Thinking of this, Liu Fu became more and more anxious.
The news from Pingyang had not yet arrived, so Wang Zhang advised him to wait for reinforcements and re-enact the Battle of Xin'an, and he agreed.
But when things come to a head, my mood is not so easy to calm down.
Yesterday, the Jin army arrived from the west. He climbed up and took a look. What he saw was a jungle of silver spears everywhere.
These soldiers are well-equipped, have strict military discipline, and have a calm and relaxed attitude.
Comparing the appearance of the so-called veteran sergeants in our own camp, even those who don’t know anything about soldiers can see that they are not on the same level - perhaps the infantry of the Shile tribe are relatively elite, but compared to the famous Silver Spear
The army is still far behind.
"Wow!" Another boat was put down on the river.
Craftsmen swarmed forward and firmly fixed the sides of the two ships together.
They did it very carefully, and even though the battle was about to begin, they still took their time to ensure that the two ships were firmly connected.
After all this was done, servants came over carrying thick wooden boards and laid them above the cabin.
The Jin people wanted to build three cities in Heyang and two bridges in the north and south.
Zhongli City has been completed, and although the southern city has not yet been completed, the general outline is already there.
The pontoon bridge between Nancheng and Zhongli City has been laid, and the pontoon bridge between Zhongli City and North City is under construction.
"The Jin fleet has moved." Someone said, pointing to the dozens of small wooden boats floating down the river.
Liu Fu turned around and saw that it was Zhao Gu, General Anbei, and asked, "General Anbei is experienced in battles. You should know what these ships are doing eastward, right?"
Zhao Gu was confident, but his face didn't look very good. He just heard him say: "General, these ships were originally carrying troops, horses, grain, and equipment for the Shao pirates. Now they are going east. It's probably because the Shao pirates think that the army has enough food and grass."
, and let them go downstream to continue carrying soldiers."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone present felt embarrassed.
Zhao Gu said what everyone was most worried about.
The Jin army had cities and camps on the south bank, and many soldiers were stationed there. It would be troublesome to transport them across the river by boat, even if it was only one or two thousand people at a time.
"Is the bridge downstream still being repaired?" Liu Fu suddenly thought of something and asked.
He was referring to the simple pontoon bridge that was washed away twice.
"It's still being repaired." Wang Zhang said: "It also happened in the past two days, maybe related to the war."
"You are so persistent." Liu Fu slapped his palm on the railing.
Everyone was silent.
Liu Fu stood still for a while, feeling that he could not remain silent like this, he had to save himself.
After thinking about it for a while, he ordered: "The general ordered me to count the money and silk sent by Shangdang in Hanoi and distribute them as rewards to inspire the soldiers."
After saying that, he added: "There are still more than a hundred concubines in Gu Pingyang Mansion, all of them are of stunning beauty. In this world of great strife, what's the use of keeping them? It's better to use them to reward warriors. You will immediately tell the whole army that Gu Ping's words are true."
, whoever kills the enemy in the front will be rewarded with beauties and money."
"There is one last thing." Liu Fu turned around, looked at everyone, and said, "Your Majesty will not abandon me. As long as we hold on for a few days, reinforcements will come from the Shangdang side. Hold on for ten days, and we will reach the east of the river.
He will certainly have a strong army and can grab the Shao thief from his back. By that time, he will be surrounded and unable to fly."
"Follow the order." More than ten generals and subordinates from Wang Zhang on down responded to the order.
"Shi Le, has Wang Mi received the news?" Liu Fu nodded with satisfaction and then asked.
"The messenger should have arrived." Wang Zhang said, "But the general will not know if he should respond or when he should respond."
"Shi Andong, Wang Shizhong's general knowledge should not be like this." Liu Fu said quickly.
He spoke too quickly, and it seemed a bit like he was trying to convince himself.
Wang Zhang sighed secretly. Now that the matter has come to this, there is nothing more to say.
The King of Bohai made some mistakes in his command at the front, but when Shao Thief forced himself to cross the river and arrived at the north bank, he felt the crisis and made no mistakes or mistakes.
Standing still and waiting for help is the only thing they can do now.
Of course, at critical moments, he could also protect King Bohai from retreating.
There are still many cavalry troops in the camp, and there are enough horses. They can leave if they want. The Jin army has less than 3,000 cavalry. By the time they receive the news, they will have fled here.
However, this must not be done unless absolutely necessary.
The cavalry can run, but the infantry cannot. Throwing them all to the Shao thieves would be too demoralizing.
"Let's do it like this." Liu Fu quietly clenched his fists.
He hasn't lost yet and still has a chance to turn defeat into victory.
He also arranged a surprise for Shao Thief, which could shake his military morale at the critical moment.
Whether he lives or dies depends on the next few days.
On the tenth day of September, the endless sound of drums sounded across the vast land.
Liu Fu, Wang Zhang and others once again climbed onto the high platform and overlooked the west side.
Troops one after another came out of the camp gate and lined up in the open space between the two camps.
Shao Xun didn't want to wait for a moment. After the siege equipment was built, he immediately issued the general attack order and then handed it over to Wang Queer for command.
He also climbed onto a high platform, with a large banner standing under it.
He felt that maybe he should say some words to add a bit of drama and heroism to this war. After all, this is how it is written in dramas and novels.
But the real battlefield is serious, boring, operates as precisely as a machine, and is ruthless. How can there be such nonsense!
The first battalion of 500 people has already come out, holding large shields, spears, and rifles and bows, moving silently, ready to step forward and die.
Behind them, there were soldiers one after another, some were excited, some were anxious, some were hysterical.
But under the strict military orders, no matter what your thoughts are, you are being forced to rush forward at this moment, burning your life to win the extremely slim wealth in the legend.
Under the tide of troubled times, people are like grass and worthless at all.
Chapter completed!