In the afternoon, several miles away, Chen Qing saw the pass in the distance. At the end of a canyon about twenty feet wide, a city wall stood, directly cutting off the exit. On both sides were milky white cliffs.
If the moonlight shines on the white cliffs, it will be reflected like a mirror, making the moonlight in the canyon particularly pure and allowing you to see farther.
Only then did Chen Qing understand why it was necessary to attack the city in the darkest night. It was indeed difficult for soldiers to escape the surveillance of sentries.
But for Chen Qing, who has experienced many battles, it is not difficult or even easy to capture this kind of pass. The pass is not built in a dangerous place, but is built on flat ground. There is no depth in the city. It is estimated that the original intention of building it is
It was just to prevent the Song army from scouting, or to monitor the Song army.
It was easy to capture Guancheng, but Chen Qing was worried that the pass would spread the news to Chang'an. In order to prevent this, the advantage of attacking at night was greater. Neither homing pigeons nor homing eagles could be used, so he could only use cavalry to report the news.
In fact, Chen Qing was still worried about the beacon system. He suspected that the Puppet Qi built Guancheng here just to establish the beacon system.
However, according to Wu Jie's introduction, the puppet Qi army has already built more than twenty beacons to the west of Jingzhao, and has not yet begun to build them to the south.
But this is what Wu Jie told him at the beginning of the year. He doesn't know whether it has been established now. Chen Qing has no choice now. He can only bet that the other party has not had time to build the beacon yet.
Chen Qing thought for a moment and sent someone to find Yang Fangxu.
Not long after, the soldiers brought Yang Fangxu up and said, "See the envoy!"
Chen Qing waved his hand and asked, "I would like to ask if this is the only way to get out of the valley?"
"Of course it's more than that. It's just that you have to cross mountains and ridges if you take other roads, and you can't use war horses. This is the only road where you can use war horses and carts."
"Then do you know another way?"
"Bizhi also knows a road to the north of the valley entrance. It is about thirty miles away and requires climbing two mountain ridges."
Chen Qing immediately called Liu Cui forward, "Take five hundred brothers and follow Yang Sihu out of Ziwu Valley by another way, go around to the back of Guancheng, and bring the cyclone cannon to attack from behind, especially to prevent the messenger soldiers from escaping."
"I humbly obey orders!"
Liu Cui gathered 500 elite soldiers and followed Yang Fangxu in a detour to the north.
Chen Qing also ordered Liu Qiong to lead hundreds of soldiers to find towering trees and make a battering ram.
The rest of the soldiers rested where they were, waiting patiently for nightfall...
As night fell quietly, Liu Cui and other five hundred soldiers pulled ropes from a rock and slowly climbed down, and finally walked out of Ziwu Valley. Liu Cui counted the number of people, adjusted their equipment, and ran eastward with the five hundred soldiers.
The Puppet Qi Army's Guancheng was built just last month, and three hundred soldiers were stationed there. The original intention of building it was to prevent the Song Army's scouts from entering Guanzhong, and also to build a beacon in the south, so there were not many people stationed there.
At two o'clock in the morning, Liu Cui and his men finally arrived behind Guancheng. The front and back of Guancheng were similar. They were also a high wall with several patrolling soldiers pacing back and forth on it.
This time Liu Cui led the same team that attacked Raofengguan before, 300 divine arm crossbowmen and 200 slingers.
It was around three o'clock again, and a captain ran forward and said: "General, brothers are ready!"
Liu Cui nodded, "Kill the sentry first!"
Liu Cui slowly lurked up with more than a dozen sharp archers, about a hundred steps away from the city wall. Liu Cui stood behind a big stone and observed for a moment. There were three sentries in total, and the alarm bell stood on the stone cliff on the right.
Next, he made a gesture to several of his men and assigned their respective targets.
Liu Cui drew out a poisonous arrow, stretched his bow and nocked an arrow, and aimed at the sentry closest to the alarm bell. A dozen other sharp archers also nocked poisonous arrows and aimed at various targets.
As soon as the bow string was loosened, the poison-quenched wolf-fang arrows were shot instantly, followed by the arrows of other archers, and the three sentries were hit by arrows and fell down almost at the same time.
At this moment, several more soldiers suddenly appeared on the top of the city and rushed toward the alarm bell.
"Oops!"
Liu Cui secretly screamed that something was wrong. There were more than three sentries on the other side, but the other sentries were sitting on the ground and they couldn't see them.
It was too late to draw another bow and arrow, 'Dang! Dang! Dang!' The alarm bells rang loudly on the city top, and the city began to commotion.
Liu Cui turned around and shouted: "Tornado cannon, cover with heavy shield and divine arm crossbow!"
Dozens of soldiers carried small trebuchets and ran towards the city wall. At this time, nearly a hundred soldiers of the puppet Qi army suddenly appeared on the city wall. They aimed at the Song army and raised their crossbows and fired. The powerful crossbow bolts were fired, and several Song soldiers fell down.
The 300 divine arm crossbow soldiers of the Song Army also began to fire. The crossbow arrows were fired at the top of the city intensively. The soldiers on the top of the city were hit by arrows one after another. The soldiers of the puppet Qi army at the top of the city were suppressed.
The hurlers ran to about sixty steps away from the city wall, and squatted down to install the trebuchet. A hundred soldiers holding large shields ran up and formed a shield wall in front of the trebuchet.
Twenty cyclone cannons were accurately positioned, and everyone shouted, "Fire!"
'Bang! Bang! Bang!' Twenty clay pots of gunpowder flew out, and the dark jars streaked across the night sky and flew towards the city. Some of the gunpowder jars landed on the top of the city, and some shot into the city.
The clay pot shattered and fire oil burst out.
Immediately afterwards, two hundred divine arm crossbowmen began to fire gunpowder arrows, and balls of fire were also shot into the city. The kerosene flowing on the top of the city and all over the city was ignited, and the Puppet Qi soldiers were frightened and went to get water to put out the fire.
At this time, the defenders also discovered the Song soldiers in the valley. Hundreds of Song soldiers holding large shields and short spears slowly approached. An extremely thick battering ram was hidden in the middle of the team.
Behind the battering ram were a thousand cavalry crossbowmen. They were divided into three sections and fired arrows into the city. Arrows fell like raindrops on the city top. More than a hundred soldiers were killed or injured. Some of them fled down the city head, and others
Hiding under the city wall and shouting.
The leader of the Puppet Qi Army in the city was a commander named Wu Chun. He saw that fire oil cans were constantly being thrown in from the north, turning Guan City into a sea of flames. To the south, the main force of the Song Army was also approaching step by step, and they were helpless.
Seeing that the situation was over, Wu Chun got on his horse and said, "Brothers, follow me to break through!"
He ordered his men to open the north city gate. Holding a shield and a short spear, he galloped out on horseback, followed by more than a hundred men.
...........
When Liu Cui saw the city gate slowly opening, he immediately realized that the opponent was about to break out, and shouted: "Stop throwing and form a formation!"
The Song army stopped throwing and moved the trebuchet to one side. One hundred heavy shield soldiers raised their spears and formed a shield formation and stepped forward. The three hundred divine arm crossbow soldiers behind also raised their divine arm crossbows and stood ready.
Suddenly, a general on horseback rushed out of the city, followed by hundreds of puppet Qi soldiers. Three hundred god-arm crossbow soldiers fired at the same time, and dense arrows were fired at the running puppet Qi soldiers. Dozens of puppet Qi soldiers were running.
Falling down.
The general Wu Chun blocked the arrows with his shield, galloped on his horse, and charged at the group of heavily shielded soldiers brandishing his medium and short spears.
At this time, a wolf-toothed arrow shot out, hitting the front leg of the war horse. The horse fell down, knocking Wu Chun out hard, and landed right in front of the Song soldiers. Several Song soldiers rushed forward.
tie him up,
The general was captured, and other puppet Qi soldiers had no choice but to kneel down and surrender.
Liu Cui immediately ordered: "Tie everyone up and count the number of people. No one is allowed to escape!"
"Boom!" There was a muffled sound of banging on the door from the front. Two violent hits in succession, the gate of Guancheng was knocked open, and the soldiers of the Song Army rushed into the city...
Chen Qing was concerned about the beacon tower, and as expected it had not yet been built south of Jingzhao, which made him heave a long sigh of relief.
It was getting daylight, and more than 200 of the 300 puppet Qi troops were captured. However, Chen Qing did not leave any survivors alive and ordered the prisoners of war to be executed. They attacked Guanzhong in a sneak attack. Leaving the prisoners behind left hidden dangers. At this critical moment,
At all times, there should be no trace of womanly kindness.
Chen Qing then picked out 300 Chinese soldiers, dressed as ordinary people, led by Yang Zaixing, and headed towards Jingzhao City. Chen Qing led the army to stay in Ziwu Valley, and he would go north in three days.
...........
There are currently 10,000 puppet Qi troops garrisoned in Jingzhao City. The commander-in-chief is Guo Zhen, Marshal of the Puppet Qi West Route Army. In addition, Qin King Liu Yi is also stationed in the city.
After years of depression, since last year, Jingzhao City and Guanzhong have gradually begun to improve again. People have flowed in from the Guanzhong area, and commerce has gradually prospered. The harvest in Guanzhong has been good in the past two years, especially the wheat has just been harvested recently, and many farmers have surplus grain in their hands.
, one after another went to the city to sell grain and buy some daily necessities such as oil, salt and so on.
In the afternoon, more than two dozen young farmers came to the southern pass. Some were driving donkey carts, while others were pushing deer carts. Several large bags of grain were placed on each deer cart. The grains were also neatly stacked on the donkey carts.
It looked like they were farmers who came into the city to sell grain. The soldiers guarding the city had seen a lot of them, and they didn't bother to question them. They just waved their hands and let the farmers into the city.
The leader of the grain sellers was none other than Yang Zaixing. He was pretending to be a middle-aged farmer, driving a donkey cart, and he looked quite presentable.
Entering Jingzhao City, Yang Zaixing saw an inn at a glance, with a lantern written on it, 'Old Official's Inn'.
We live here only fifty steps from the city gate.
"It's getting late, let's find a place to stay first!"
He led everyone into the inn. The waiter was a little disgusted. These poor ghosts just went to the Chenghuang Temple to squat all night, so what kind of inn did they come to stay at?
But the shopkeeper gave the waiter a sharp look, "The two main shops are empty, and we still have to make ten cents!"
The waiter had no choice but to put on a smile and step forward and ask: "You guys are staying in Tongbu! There are some that cost ten cents a night and some that cost fifteen cents a night. They provide hot water for foot heating. Which one do you choose?"
Yang Zaixing asked angrily: "How many people can live in a bunkhouse?"
"Can accommodate thirty people!"
"Then we'll rent a bunkhouse. We have a few fellow villagers coming over. We won't need to use the foot-scalding, and we'll buy some food."
"It's only fifteen cents for a dinner package. Pay first. The store doesn't accept credit!"
