The commandos were trained by themselves, and they had to continue the rigorous training when they returned. They were seeds, future officers. One more casualty made Guo Dajing feel distressed.
But the paradox is that only by being tempered in bloody battles and growing in battle can one become a true elite. Casualties in this process, or elimination, are necessary.
The battle was fierce but short. In less than an hour, there were no more shouts of killing in Anshan Posthouse. Each team broke down the doors and doors in the fort and began to search and kill the last remaining enemies.
Guo Dajing put away his crossbow, stood up slowly from behind the fort wall, and watched the final finishing touches of the commando.
For others, the infiltration attack has been successfully completed and they can retreat. But for Guo Dajing, it is not satisfied yet.
According to the information obtained through the interrogation of prisoners, there are more than 200 captives stationed in Qianshan Fort not far away. As the gateway to Liaoyang, Niulu Ezhen Wencha personally sits in Qianshan Fort.
In other words, the garrison of Anshanyi and Qianshanbao totaled one cow and a total of 300 soldiers.
Although the more than two hundred captives did not constitute a large strength advantage for the commando team, Guo Dajing learned about an excellent ambush place from Liu Qishi, Han Zhong and others.
If an ambush can be confirmed after the survey, Guo Dajing will attack again to deal a heavier blow to the Jianlu and make the attack on Liaoyang more powerful and influential.
When Han Zhong, Han Shantong, Yao's grandfather and grandson and other common people entered Anshan Post, they saw the traces left after the battle and smelled the strong smell of blood.
While the commando soldiers were still cleaning up the battlefield, the corpses of the prisoners were stripped of their armor, loaded onto carts, and pushed out of the castle.
What a neat job! Han Zhong observed carefully and found that the number of commandos did not decrease significantly, and the casualties were obviously not large.
Such people are called elites, and Han wanted to join them so that he could kill Jianlu happily and avenge his wife and mother.
Han Shantong's eyes widened and he looked around. Not only was he not afraid, he was also curious and envious. Especially the weapons on the ground that had not been put away made him salivate even more.
Old Yaotou stretched out his hand to cover his granddaughter's eyes to prevent her from seeing this bloody and terrifying scene.
The common people were imprisoned in the warehouse, finally isolated from the slaughterhouse-like scene. For a long time, they all kept their shocked expressions, and no one spoke.
"Han Zhong." The door was pushed open and a soldier shouted, "Come out."
Han Zhong stood up expressionlessly, looked at his son's gaze, smiled faintly, nodded, and strode out.
"Clean the posthouse clean, at least it won't look suspicious on the surface." Guo Dajing was telling Liu Xingzhi, "Bring people to wear Jianlu's clothes. If Jianlu's messengers come, let them put them into the fort. Again--"
Liu Xingzhi smiled at Guo Dajing's waving gesture, nodded and said, "Don't worry, general, the general's Mandarin can be confused with the truth, and the truth will definitely not be revealed."
Guo Dajing smiled, patted Liu Xingzhi on the shoulder, turned around and saw Han Zhong coming, and stepped forward to greet him.
After a while, Guo Dajing led a dozen soldiers on horseback out of the Northeast Gate, and headed towards Qianshan Fort under the guidance of Han Zhong.
Anshan Post is built in the middle area between east and west Anshan. After passing the Northeast Beacon Tower, which is five miles away from the fort, there is the road down the mountain.
There were dense woods on both sides of the road, making it difficult to find even a thousand people hiding there. After walking along the road for another two or three miles, there was a path with a stone wall on one side and woods on the other.
To be more precise, Shibi is just a rocky mountain, neither high nor big.
Guo Dajing reined in his horse, stopped to observe carefully, and deduced the ambush layout in his mind.
Han Zhong introduced from the side: "After walking through this narrow road, you are almost at the bottom of the mountain. The road is wider and the view is wider."
Guo Dajing tilted his head slightly, put his legs between the horse's belly, and walked into the passage, looking around and observing from time to time.
………………
When the first ray of sunlight in the morning hit Anshan Post, the fortress had already returned to its original state.
The smoke from the kitchen was rising, and the figures of "Jianlu" patrolling appeared on the wall of the village, as if nothing happened.
In addition to sending out soldiers on night duty, the commando team had already rested in the fort for several hours. Hot meals and soups were served and after eating, most of the fatigue from many days of marching was eliminated.
The three main generals, Guo Dajing, Liu Qishi and Liu Xingzhi, were sitting at the table eating. While eating, Guo Dajing introduced his survey last night and the ambush plan he had made.
"...from late afternoon to Shen Shi, the alarm smoke on the northeast beacon tower was lit to lure the prisoners of Qianshan Fort to come to support. Our army ambushed outside the fort, and after the battle ended, they retreated overnight..."
It is unlikely that the Qianshan Fort's Jianlu were all out. Guo Dajing estimated that there would only be 150 or 60 men at most. Using the right location to ambush, even if someone escaped, it would take Liaoyang's Jianlu to pursue them.
In other words, the retreat time can take almost one night. Don't underestimate this night, for the commando, it increases the safety factor greatly.
Liu Qishi took a big gulp of the broth and said, "What if the soldiers from Qianshan Fort don't move out?"
"Retreat after dusk, regardless of whether the captives come or not." Guo Dajing said briefly: "Safety first, I know the importance."
Liu Xingzhi said: "The troops are about the same strength. If we ambush, can the battle be ended quickly?"
Guo Dajing smiled slightly and said: "As long as the Jianlu dare to come, a certain ambush can quickly eliminate them. Just in time, let you learn from it. Fighting does not necessarily require real swords and guns. It is also important to make full use of the geographical advantage."
"Now that you are sure, let's fight again." Liu Qishi was reluctant in his heart, but in order to maintain his brother's authority, he could only express his support happily.
Liu Xingzhi said with a smile: "It's a rare opportunity to learn how to kill enemies from General Guo. You can just get more heads and exchange some money with the court."
Guo Dajing laughed and said: "Since we want to prove to the court the effectiveness of Dongjiang Town's containment, it is always more convincing to send more people. Those false claims in the battle report about the number of kills and injuries cannot be trusted."
With that said, he pushed the empty bowl, stood up and said, "Let's rest for half an hour before setting off. It still takes some time to set up an ambush position."
The meat pieces are tumbling in the big pot. Although there are not many ingredients, it exudes a mouth-watering aroma of meat.
In the open space outside the warehouse, more than a dozen people sat around, devouring the long-lost delicacies. The sound of slurping was heard from time to time, but no one slowed down.
"It's enough, I've said it several times, why are you so anxious?" A soldier reminded loudly from the side. Although it was a kind word, it was said rather bluntly.
Yao Xin just raised his eyelids, but he held the meat in his hand and stuffed it into his mouth.
Old Mr. Yao laughed twice and didn't mind that it looked ugly. He stretched out his hand and took out a few more pieces of mutton from the pot.
There are many war horses in the posthouse, but no one would be willing to kill them for meat. They are useful for carrying wounded soldiers and capturing captured horses when retreating.
But there was food in the fort and a group of sheep were raised, so no one cared. They killed them all to improve the food and increase their physical strength. The common people also benefited from it and gave them a severe beating.
"Dad, it's not bad to follow the Dongjiang Army." Han Shantong said vaguely: "Not only can you eat enough, but you can also eat meat."
Han Zhong smiled and touched his son's head. He knew that this was not the norm for the Dongjiang Army. It was good to have enough to eat, but he still had to hang his head on his belt to risk his life.
But Han Zhong no longer cares about risking his life. Although his son is not yet an adult, he has grown up. He will not starve to death in the territory of the Dongjiang Army, so he has no worries.
"When you are full, make dry food. As much as you can make is yours." The soldier pointed to a few bags of grain piled nearby and said again: "If you make less, you will starve. Don't think about eating other people's food."
The common people knew clearly that they were on the road again, and it would take several days. It was quite normal, after killing so many Jianlu, they still didn't want to run away.
"Let's make more." Yao Xin whispered to his grandfather: "If they don't want us, we can eat for a few more days."
Old Mr. Yao smiled bitterly and nodded, and said with concern: "Eat slowly, don't burst."
Yao Xin laughed and stuffed another piece of mutton into his mouth. It tasted so delicious.
Eat it all, take it all, and create all the light. Guo Dajing even wanted to demolish Anshan Inn. Of course, this is unrealistic, but it is certain to set fire to it in the end.
Since you dare to light beacon fire to lure the enemy, it doesn't matter if you make more noise.
Guo Dajing estimated the time, and Mao Wenlong should lead his troops to approach the Haizhou Guard. Combining internal and external forces, Jianlu lost sight of one thing and fell into chaos.
At this time, Guo Dajing and Liu Xingzhi led more than 200 soldiers to the preset ambush site and began busy arrangements.
Climbing up the stone mountain, Guo Dajing came to the edge of the steep cliff, looked down at the path, and looked at the rocks under his feet that had been weathered by the wind, sun, and rain, and sneered.
"Place a line of mines here to explode rocks." Guo Dajing turned around, pointed and explained his plan to Liu Xingzhi and others, "When Jianlu passed through the passage, the rocks rolled down. If the timing is correct, they can be killed.
Half a man and a horse.”
Liu Xingzhi also took a look at the top of the stone mountain cliff, which was dozens of meters high. People who are dizzy from heights would definitely feel dizzy, but he didn't care much.
After raising his head and looking around, Liu Xingzhi suggested: "According to the strength of the Jianlu troops that may be dispatched, we can calculate how long their marching queue will stretch. Wouldn't it be better to block the Jianlu troops in front and stop them in the middle of the road?"
Guo Dajing laughed and gave a thumbs up. He didn't expect that this guy had such a smart mind that he could come up with such a solution.
Yes, he is a guy with potential.
On the battlefield, there is a battle of wits and courage. Guo Dajing prefers to call it calculation, or calculation.
The width of the trenches, the distance between them, the position of the ambush, the size of the fire range, etc. are not matters that can be decided casually.
Guo Dajing cannot go into battle personally every time. He needs subordinates who can draw inferences from one instance and are thoughtful and thoughtful.
When making arrangements, Guo Dajing would usually explain it in detail. He always wanted to let his subordinates know exactly why he was doing this.
As the saying goes: to know what is happening, you must also know why it is happening. If you cannot learn war in war, you will never make progress, and you will always be a soldier who obeys orders.
Liu Xingzhi knew more details than Guo Dajing about the marching ranks and spacing of the Jianlu cavalry.
In addition to laying explosive rocks on the top of the mountain, many mines were also laid on the roadside, covered with gravel and covered with branches and weeds.
In order to test and train Liu Xingzhi, Guo Dajing handed over most of the work to him. But when setting up the ambush position, Guo Dajing went into battle himself.
There are woods, there are fake camouflage uniforms, simple bunkers are dug, and some branches, grass and leaves are added to complete the camouflage. From the road, it is almost difficult to detect.
"There needs to be some disguise on the iron mask." Guo Dajing made up for the last small flaw, smearing it with mud and green sweat, and eliminating the need to add disguise to his face.
In fact, Guo Dajing really likes to add some decorations on his face, which is very cool and has a wild flavor.
Details determine success or failure. Guo Dajing led the officers of each team to conduct careful inspections until the officers and soldiers entering the ambush position reached very strict standards in camouflage and concealment.
After looking at the sky, Guo Dajing decided to act in advance and ordered people to go to the beacon tower and light the smoke.
As the saying goes: The night is long and the dream is many. It is not surprising that an accident occurs behind enemy lines. The longer you wait, the more variables there will be. Just like the captives passing by or the civilians, there is a possibility of being exposed.
Liu Xingzhi also agreed with this. Whether it was the guard force from nearby Jianlu, or the distance and time from Liaoyang, the ambush here was an hour earlier, and it would not affect the overall situation of retreating on time.
Three streaks of smoke rose from the beacon tower in the distance, shooting straight into the sky.
Guo Dajing waved his hand suddenly, and all the commando officers and soldiers entered the ambush position. The surroundings quickly became silent, and only the occasional distant bird song could be heard.
A distance of more than ten miles would be reached very quickly for the cavalry if they galloped at full speed. Even including preparations such as putting on armor for the enemy, it would not take long.
But for those who wait with expectations, such a short time is very long.
Guo Dajing lay down in the grass, looking through the trees into the distance with a scope, expecting to see the smoke and dust raised by the galloping cavalry.
The reason he insisted on fighting this battle was not because he was greedy for merit, but because he believed that there was no better way to train soldiers and train officers than in actual combat.
He believed that after experiencing this ambush, anyone with a little bit of brains would be inspired, gain insights, and make progress.
Yes, this can be recorded in textbooks and taught as a typical ambush case.
With the help of natural terrain, using mines and crossbows as the main weapons, and using clever camouflage, the enemy who enters the ambush circle will be dealt a sudden and violent blow.
There are many ways to eliminate Jianlu, face-to-face fighting is only one, and it is the one with the greatest casualties.
Although large-scale battles are unavoidable in order to pacify Liao and exterminate slaves, under the current situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak, it is even more important to give full play to intelligence and fight in a more flexible and clever way.
The smoke finally appeared. Guo Dajing narrowed his eyes and sneered.