Liu Cui and Liu Qiong went all the way south. Two days later, the army was still forty miles away from the Yellow River. It was getting late, so Liu Cui ordered the army to cook and rest on the spot by the river.
The soldiers were busy building earthen stoves with stones, lighting the marching briquettes, and starting to boil water to make soup. This is the marching regulations promulgated by Chen Qing last year. Soldiers should try not to drink raw water while marching. They must boil it before drinking.
There were no briquettes in the past, and even if there were such regulations, it would not be realistic. Since the invention of briquettes, it has become possible to boil water in the wild.
In fact, the soldiers also know that the river water looks very clear, but a large number of animals will die by the river. After the corpses rot, they will definitely pollute the river. Drinking raw water can easily cause diarrhea. Everyone knows this truth.
In the past, wood from branches was used, and it took a long time to boil a large pot of water. The soldiers could not wait, so they had to drink raw water and chew dry cakes. Now there are quick-burning honeycomb briquettes, which generate high heat and can be boiled quickly.
A large pot of broth can be used to soak dry biscuits and eat them. Who wants to chew dry biscuit meat that is harder than a stone?
Moreover, with coal cakes, while waiting for the water to boil, soldiers can also make homemade soft cakes, mix flour into a paste, spread it on a hot iron plate, apply oil, sprinkle with spices and meat sauce, and make a cake.
The soft pancake was ready in no time.
The army consists of five men, equipped with a covered iron pot and an iron plate, and fifty quick-burning honeycomb briquettes, which are carried on mules and horses during the march.
Liu Cui, Liu Qiong and three commanders sat together. They also boiled a pot of soup, broke off a piece of tea cake and put it into the pot to cook. Liu Qiong was making batter to make soft cakes. After all, they were senior generals, so the conditions
A little better than ordinary soldiers, he can make tea.
"What are you worried about, third brother?" Liu Qiong saw that Liu Cui had something on his mind and frowned all the way.
Liu Cui sighed and said, "I'm worried that we will miss out if we go south!"
"Why did General Liu say that?" Several commanders nearby asked in confusion.
"A few days ago, Dejing issued an order to summon troops, asking the troops from all over the country to rush back to King Qin of Huangzhou. He used Yingxin. All the armies from all over the country should have received it. Ren Hua from Xining Prefecture was the first to arrive with his troops.
In terms of time, the enemy troops from Hezhou and Kuozhou should have arrived at Huangzhou, so I was worried that they would be defeated."
Liu Qiong thought for a while and said with a smile: "Actually, I don't think the problem is big. There is only this official road in the south of Huangzhou. Whether coming from Kuozhou or Hezhou, they will eventually converge on this official road, and even if they cross
On the Yellow River, if you come from Kuozhou, you have to take the Baihetan Ferry in front of you. There is no way to cross the river elsewhere. As long as we wait at Baihetan, they will naturally come to our door!"
Liu Cui nodded, what Liu Qiong said made sense. It seemed that he had been responsible for several peripheral operations and had indeed made a lot of progress. No wonder they all decided to let him follow them.
Now Liu Cui was not in a hurry. After dinner, the army rested where they were, patiently waiting for news from the scouts.
At the third watch, several Song Army scouts rushed from the south and soon arrived at the Song Army's camp. The leading scout was brought to Liu Cui.
The scout knelt down on one knee to perform a military salute, clasped his fists and reported: "Reporting to General, the enemy has been discovered at the Baihetan Ferry ahead!"
Liu Cui perked up and asked quickly: "How many troops are there currently on the south bank or the north bank?"
"There are about five to six thousand people. When I discovered it, the army was on the south bank, building a pontoon bridge. Half of it has been built, and it is estimated to have been completed now!"
Five to six thousand people, that is, the two armies have joined together. Liu Cui quickly sent someone to find Liu Qiong for discussion.
After hearing the report, Liu Qiong immediately said: "The enemy obviously does not know our existence. I suggest an ambush halfway."
Liu Cui immediately spread out a map, looked at it for a moment and said: "There is a canyon a dozen places ahead. We can attack from both front and back to block the enemy in the canyon and force the enemy to surrender."
The two people discussed it and immediately divided their troops into two groups. Liu Qiong led his army to the south of the canyon first, while Liu Cui led his army to wait on the north of the canyon.
........
The next morning, a Huangzhou army of 5,000 men was marching northward along the official road.
After Ren Dejing's summons was issued, his second son Ren Jian and third son Ren Hong immediately responded to their father's call and led their troops to Huangzhou. However, both of them had too few troops and were afraid that they would be defeated by the Song army one by one.
They decided to gather at Baihetan Ferry and then go to Huangzhou together.
The two brothers also knew the truth behind the death of lips and teeth. Once Huangzhou City was captured by the Song Army and something happened to their father, they might not be able to survive.
Both brothers are very young, Ren Jian is only twenty years old, and Ren Hong is only nineteen years old. They have only been in charge of the army for a year, and their prestige and qualifications in the army are very shallow. Logically, they should have been working at the bottom for a few years, but Ren Dejing's
He was too paranoid and did not trust people with foreign surnames, so he still allowed his three brothers to take control of the military despite knowing that their qualifications and prestige were insufficient.
The eldest son Ren Hua has died, and now it is the turn of the second and third sons. Can they escape the disaster?
Ahead is a hill that stretches across the mountain, about a hundred miles long. The mountain is tall and majestic. There is a canyon in the mountain, which was originally a river. After the river was changed, the dry river formed a natural mountain passage, and the official road was built.
In the valley.
This valley is called Laojun Valley. It is named after a mountain in the valley that resembles the one where Laojun rode an ox. The valley is not very narrow, about two miles wide and more than ten miles long, with steep mountains on both sides.
The army stopped in front of the valley, and several spies rushed into the valley. After a while, they came back to report, "For the record, general, no abnormalities were found in the valley!"
Ren Jian waved his hand and said, "Enter the valley!"
Five thousand troops marched into the valley in a mighty manner. General Yan Xiang whispered to another general Wu Zhengyang: "Do you think the general manager still exists?"
Wu Zhengyang shook his head, "I heard that Chen Qing is personally leading the troops, so it's probably not easy to deal with!"
Yan Xiang sneered and said: "Not only is it difficult to deal with, didn't you listen to those businessmen in Baihetan? A fire burned Agan City to the ground, and 25,000 Xixia troops were wiped out. It's not true for Jurchens to call others demons.
It’s for nothing!”
"Yes! Chen Qing is ruthless and ruthless. If the general manager doesn't understand the situation, it will be very dangerous!"
The team walked very quickly and did not want to stay in the valley for a long time. The mountains on both sides looked quite depressing.
About a mile away from the entrance of the valley, the soldiers in front suddenly stopped, and some soldiers shouted in horror. The Ren brothers, not knowing what had happened, hurriedly urged their horses forward, and they couldn't help but take a breath of cold air.
They saw a lone long wooden pole standing in the middle of the road from a distance, with a human head hanging above it. There was also a piece of white cloth hanging on the long wooden pole with several large characters written on it. It was unclear what was written?
The frightened sounds from the front were getting louder and louder, and the news was quickly transmitted to the rear. The Ren brothers also heard it, 'That's the head of the chief steward!'
The expressions of the two brothers changed drastically, and they rushed forward. They could clearly see the words on the white cloth, 'Here is Ren Dejing's head!'
The two men rushed forward and saw the head clearly. They suddenly let out a wail and knelt on the ground crying loudly. They saw clearly that it was indeed their father's head.
Several soldiers quickly set up a ladder and took down Ren Dejing's head.
At this time, General Wu Zhengyang rushed forward and said: "Two young masters, now is not the time to cry. There must be an ambush from the Song Army ahead!"
Yan Xiang's expression changed greatly. If there were Song troops blocking the valley entrance in front, there must be Song troops at the entrance behind. They were blocked both front and back. They didn't carry any luggage, and they could only hold on for one or two days at most with dry food.
Ren Jian and Ren Hong were filled with grief and anger. They drew their swords and shouted: "Kill my father. This is an irreconcilable hatred. Brothers, fight with the Song army!"
The soldiers shouted and followed the Ren brothers towards the entrance of the valley. As they approached the entrance of the valley, the soldiers stopped one after another. They saw that the 100-foot-wide valley entrance was blocked by hundreds of giant trees, leaving a gap of about 10 feet wide in the middle.
,
At this time, a gunpowder arrow flew from a distance and hit the giant tree. The giant tree burst into flames and spread rapidly. After a while, the entire giant tree at the entrance of the valley began to burn.
The soldiers who had been furious just now retreated in fear, their morale suddenly weakened, and many people realized that the Song army would not fight them in a duel.
At this time, a spy rushed to report, "To inform you two young masters, the entrance to the valley behind is also blocked by a giant enemy tree!"
The faces of the Ren brothers finally showed a look of fear. They understood that not only was their father dead, but their lives might not be safe either.