On the morning of the first morning of April, more than 6,000 men from the Yinqiang camp advanced quickly and arrived at Laiwu County.
This is the real "rapid advance of light troops", that is, no armor or other things that hinder the march are carried, and the baggage is also abandoned. People carry several days of food and water, running out of breath, and a lot of people are left behind.
This kind of extreme march usually only occurs when there is a very urgent military situation, or when a sneak attack is decided on a side road. It magnifies one's own danger in order to capture a fleeting fighter opportunity.
To put it bluntly, it's just a gamble. Whether it's worth it or not depends entirely on the judge himself.
Anyway, in history, some people advanced quickly with light troops and won great victories; some others made mistakes and suffered great defeats.
When Zhang Shuo (Zhang Daniu) rushed to Laiwu, he nodded and found that most of the stragglers were newly enlisted soldiers in November of the previous year. They were still no more than 10 years old and the conditions were not good in all aspects. It was a forced march.
It’s understandable to fall behind.
Comparatively speaking, soldiers who have been in the army for two years are much better. Apart from anything else, at least during this period they have enough food, broth and cheese from time to time. Their bodies are stronger, their physical fitness has improved, and their organization is better.
The higher the level, the more people will help each other and there will be fewer people left behind.
Zhang Shuo took one look at these panting guys and decided to send his deputies to stay in Laiwu to take in the stragglers and wait for the transport troops. He himself took more than a thousand "veterans" and continued to move forward to meet up with Yang Quan as soon as possible.
Yang Chen was still nearly a day away from Laiwu. He was greatly surprised when he heard the news from the front.
"Wang Zheng, where is Duke Liang?" The troops were still marching. Yang Chen spread a carpet in the grass on the roadside, sat down, took a short rest, and after reading the military report, asked.
"A messenger just came this morning to report, and we are still waiting for the ship in Jiyin. After hearing that the situation on the North Road was opened, we decided to send the Yijun army first, and the infantry abandoned the boat and went overland, and rushed to Gaoping." Wang Zhonglang, who was in charge of the general's palace, replied.
He came with Yang Chen, actually as a supervisor of the army. For this reason, Liang Gong also temporarily assigned him a hundred sword and axemen and six or seven civil servants, who only listened to his orders.
It can be seen that Mr. Liang did not expect such a smooth start.
During this expedition, the commander-in-chief was Liang Gong, and there were three governors under his command, each commanding troops ranging from more than 10,000 to more than 30,000 horses.
As for Liang Gong, he led a section of the Yijun Army, the entire Yinqiang Zuoying and the pro-army, including the Xuchang Shibing who served as auxiliary troops, and Ding Zhuang from Jiyin and Jiyang counties, a total of 20,000 infantry and cavalry were used to suppress the formation.
the main force.
If the progress of the three governors goes smoothly, he will not take action.
If the three governors made serious mistakes and the situation was critical, he would invest 20,000 troops.
In addition, the troops he commanded also had the intention of guarding against the south.
In short, they are the reserve team, they go wherever they need to go.
But Mr. Liang obviously missed it.
The Northern Route Army commanded by Xi Jian was divided into two, and the cavalry made a surprise attack. Hebei soldiers forcibly crossed the river and surrounded and annihilated thousands of Cao soldiers. By now, with the help of some Le'an nobles, they had captured the city and cut off Jinan.
The connection with the Qi State created extremely favorable conditions for the soldiers of Dongping and Gaoping and the infantry of various counties and states who rushed over - the enemy soldiers were panicked and their fighting spirit may not be very strong.
Yang Chen led more than 30,000 cavalrymen into Laiwu Valley. Yang Quan, the commander of the vanguard, said that he had seen the outline of Linzi City. This was probably not false.
After successfully passing through the Laiwu Valley, they were able to move with ease. The first goal was to conquer Linzi and eliminate this city that could threaten their retreat. At the same time, it could also be used as a starting base for the next military operation, and they could stockpile the grain, grass, and equipment that had been transferred there.
.
After Linzi was captured, he went straight to Guanggu without any hesitation.
I just don’t know what happened to the Southern Route Army.
We only got the news a few days ago that Jin Zheng led the Silver Spear Right Battalion to arrive at Xiapi by boat, and then waited for another two days to pick up the baggage.
Mi Huang, the governor of Xuzhou, led more than 10,000 soldiers and horses from local wealthy families to join him and headed north to Langya, but now he does not know where he is.
They spent too much time traveling along the way, and they probably haven't had time to get results yet.
"How about the south?" Yang Chen asked.
"I heard that Zu Ti was hoarding food, grass and military supplies." Wang said, "There is no other movement."
"What about the north?"
"Liu Yao captured several remaining counties and villages in Taiyuan, but did not advance eastward to Hebei."
Yang Chen hesitated and said with a smile: "I've had enough rest, let's go into the army."
After that, he asked the soldiers to pack up their equipment, led the horses, jumped up, and ran forward.
****
The road to Jinzheng is indeed a bit slow. The reason is that it is the longest distance and takes too much time on the road.
After gathering troops and military supplies in Xiapi, they took a boat and headed north along the Yishui River. However, they had to get off the boat and walk after only a short distance. It finally took five days to arrive at Kaiyang (near today's Linyi), which was already three days ago.
Noon on the 22nd of the month.
On the evening of the 23rd, he arrived in Linyi County (50 miles north of present-day Linyi). For some unknown reason, Kim Jong led his army straight to Wang Dao's old residence in the south of the city and stayed there for the night.
Then they marched along the Yishui River Valley, leaving Langya and entering Dong'an County, arriving at Dongguan County on the night of March 28.
The entire army rested here for two days, waiting for the baggage troops that had fallen behind and recovering the strength of the main force.
On the first day of April, the entire army maintained a medium-low marching speed, arrived outside Daxian Mountain on the afternoon of the third day, and set up camp.
On the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Kim Jong and his staff climbed up to Daxian Mountain to observe the bandits.
Well, after observing the thieves' potential, the first stop they arrived at was a ruined temple.
No matter what the temple was used to do, the soldiers cleaned it up and built five altars to worship the Five Emperors.
After Jin Zheng led everyone to perform the sacrifice with a serious face, he seemed to have opened up some knot in his heart and said with a smile: "Xi was engaged in the work, and Yang Sima wrote a letter saying that Cao Yi sent troops and horses northward to plug the leak. I didn't believe it at first, but I have been on the mountain for a long time, but he hasn't seen it yet.
When the demon soldiers come to cut you off, I know the truth and falsehood."
The generals from the Lanling Xiao family, Langya Wang family, Yan family, Donghai Mi family, Wang family, Xu family, He family and other wealthy families laughed together.
Don't worry about what you think about Kim Zheng in your heart. This is wartime. There is a ban on beheading in the army. If Kim Zheng is offended, he will behead you justifiably. There is no reason to say anything.
"Let's go down the mountain." Jin Zheng took one last look at the high mountains and said.
Daxian Mountain is not a majestic mountain range.
Compared with the difficult and dangerous terrain like Taihang Baxing, it is not on the same level at all.
According to the guide sent by the Wang family, it takes thirty-five miles to cross Daxian Mountain. Among these thirty-five miles, the most difficult part is actually in the south of the mountain, where Kim Jong and the others are.
The mountain is not high, but the terrain is a bit strange. In many places, you can barely pass a carriage, and it is absolutely impossible to cross the carriage.
After walking through the Shannan section, the road is much easier until you reach Daxian Pass.
From a normal military point of view, to defend Daxian Pass, you must defend several dangerous terrains in the south of the pass. Without a city, you have to build a few villages to rely on the terrain and forts to gradually wear down the strength and vigor of the attackers. Wait for them
By the time they reached the front of Daxian Pass, they had already lost troops and generals, and their morale was low. It would be much easier to fight by then.
Now that Cao's army has completely abandoned the defense of Guannan, and all its troops have been reduced to the city of Daxian Pass, they themselves are inferior, which shows that they are a little panicked.
There are many reasons for panic, and we can’t tell yet.
Perhaps due to insufficient troops, the original defenders were transferred north in large numbers to reinforce other battlefields. After all, the Xianbei cavalry was already racing in Le'an and could rush into Beihai and Qi at any time. It was a flat terrain, and there was no way to restrain them. Cao Yi
Don't you panic?
In addition, Yang Chen has already sent troops to Laiwu Valley, and there will definitely be fierce battles in the valley. Even if he cannot win for a while, Cao Yi will be under great pressure, and he may transfer the garrison in Linqu and Daxian Pass to reinforce Laiwu Valley.
Another reason is related to the previous one, that is, after Cao Yi transferred the garrison, he was worried about the Daxian Pass area and sent more troops. However, these newly arrived troops were not comparable to the original garrison. Their quality was low and their combat effectiveness was weak.
You can only look at it, and the true colors will be revealed as soon as you hit it.
Jin Zheng believes that there are two reasons.
There are advantages to coming late, damn!
Even if he won this time, he still had to accept the feelings of the other two groups of soldiers, which made him quite embarrassed.
But no matter what, let's fight first and test the enemy's strength.
****
On the sixth day of April, almost all the soldiers, horses and supplies of all the camps had arrived.
In the morning of that day, Yan Zhuo, a younger brother of Yan Han who joined the Sima Rui shogunate, led an army of two thousand people and walked up the mountain road towards the gate of Daxian Pass.
Because the mountain roads were rugged and the terrain was unfavorable, no siege equipment could be deployed or used. Yan Zhuo's two thousand soldiers could only carry large shields and long ladders and use ant attack method to attack the city.
Jin Zheng found a hillside that was conducive to observing the battle and led his generals to observe the battle.
A dense barrage of arrows was shot from the top of the city, occasionally mixed with the "buzzing" sound of a crossbow machine.
Yan's tribe suffered heavy casualties for a while. By the time they reached the trench below the city, more than 200 people were already lying down.
The crowd's noise became louder and louder, and there was a tendency to break up.
Jin Zheng gave the order for the second formation to attack without expression.
The disciples of the He family in the East China Sea followed up with more than 1,700 soldiers, with their swords unsheathed and their bows strung. If the Yan family's troops in the front line collapsed without a fight, the rear array would kill the front array and they would not be allowed to withdraw - they had to withdraw.
, you also have to wait for orders and permission before you can walk down the densely forested hillsides on both sides.
Yan's tribe quickly filled in part of the trench, rushed to the bottom of Guancheng, and attacked the city with ants.
The battle didn't last long.
The Yan family tribe was completely defeated without even taking the city head.
He's tribe immediately fired arrows, mowing down all the Yan family soldiers who had escaped the fastest.
The Yan clan's tribe behind them didn't dare to advance, and they didn't dare to retreat. They cried and screamed all of a sudden.
After receiving the order, the He family's tribe beat drums and marched.
Yan's troops retreated step by step. In the end, he finally bit the bullet and shouted, carrying the long ladder and attacking the city again.
The brutal fighting immediately started all over Guancheng.
The soldiers on both sides blushed, shouted angrily, and tried their best to harvest the lives of the enemies in front of them.
The second formation of He's Tribe continues to advance.
In the third formation, Donghai Wang's two thousand soldiers were already in formation.
Their faces were solemn, as if they were mourning for their heirs, and their legs were shaking unconsciously, but there was nothing they could do. There seemed to be another command coming from behind, and the soldiers and horses of the Lanling Xiao family were gathering.
The Yan family's troops who were the first to attack the city finally couldn't hold on anymore, their last courage was exhausted, and they collapsed for the second time.
The flag on the hillside lights up.
Yan Zhuoru was granted amnesty, and with disheveled hair, he led the remaining defeated soldiers in two groups and slowly withdrew from the mountains and forests on the left and right sides.
On the frontal battlefield, He Jiajun followed closely and launched a swift and violent offensive.
Jin Zheng observed silently.
The enemy's arrows were still very fierce, killing and injuring many of our own soldiers. But when the Yan family was defeated, they did not open the city to pursue them, which is a bit incredible.
Are the defenders so stubborn? Will the defenders fight?
If he realizes something, he should calm down and continue observing.
In fact, the He family's army did not hold out for long, but they attacked the city and fought with the enemy for a while. In the end, they were defeated and dispersed.
Jin Zheng opened his eyes wide and did not miss the slightest movement of the enemy.
The number of people from He's tribe who attacked the city just now was actually not that many, but the enemy army took a lot of effort to clear them out. This shows one thing, at least the quality of the enemy troops preparing for close combat at the city head is worrying.
It's not like controlling soldiers and horses through war.
The He family attacked again, but this time they did not reach the top of the city. It seemed that after losing their temper, their morale was too low and they could not attack.
Jin Zheng ordered He's tribe to retreat and move to the rear for containment and reorganization - after the reorganization was completed, they could go to the battlefield in a few days.
In the third formation, Wang's troops from Donghai came up.
As soon as they attacked, Jin Zheng's eyes widened.
The enemy's first group of crossbowmen retreated, and a new group of people was replaced. However, the level of the new group of crossbowmen was far inferior to the previous ones. Their archery was a bit unfamiliar, their speed was not fast enough, and their accuracy was also worrying. Soldiers loading crossbows
He was so clumsy that his shooting rhythm was obviously disrupted.
"Haha!" Jin Zheng laughed.
Master Shao often said that after a dozen fights, you can test the strength of the opponent. This is a wise saying.
In many cases, you can't tell by just looking at it. You have to use real swords and guns to test out the enemy's true strength.
The Donghai Wang family's fighting power is a bit fierce, much more powerful than the previous two, and it seems that they have a bit of old foundation.
They carried long ladders and climbed up, making loud killing noises.
The defenders at the top of the city were in a hurry and tried their best to resist.
For a time, corpses fell one after another and were piled up layer after layer under the city.
The fourth formation of Lanling Xiao's 1,500 soldiers quickly arrived with reinforcements.
In the fifth formation, two thousand people from the Donghai Mi clan are already making preparations.
The enemy defenders were obviously a little panicked.
At the critical moment, the defender led his fresh troops to the city, and was able to disperse the Donghai Wang family's most ferocious attack and drive them completely off the city.
The flag for retreat was raised.
Wang's soldiers and horses fled one after another, as if they were surviving a disaster.
The fourth formation began the attack.
Jin Zheng relaxed. He had already seen the actual strength of the enemy: there were elite soldiers who could fight, but they were not many in number and lacked training.
This city is not difficult to conquer.
He was already planning when to deploy the elite Silver Spear Right Battalion to make the final decision.
His eyes even wandered around the Da Nang Pass to see if there were any paths that could bypass it.
It is true that if there is a trail, the enemy will definitely cut down trees and set up fences to guard it. But so what? Just fight.
It's just to deceive you that you have insufficient troops and low quality of soldiers!
I will take this ruined city for you in three days at most.
Chapter completed!