Chen Qing led thousands of soldiers to the valley. The craftsmen used large wooden boxes and iron chains to build a simple floating box plank road. Chen Qing was not in a hurry to go up, but patiently waited for news from Tang Qian.
Tang Qian led more than a hundred people to walk about ten miles in the cave. There were many branches inside the cave, one cave within another, so it was easy to get lost.
But this cave was not just discovered. The Song Army should have walked through it and carved very shallow stone steps on the ground. But they were not so much stone steps as they were marks. More than a hundred people meandered along the stone step marks. While walking, a knocking sound suddenly came from the front, 'Dang! Dang! Dang!' which was particularly harsh in the cave. Tang Qian hurriedly squatted down, stepped on the torch in his hand, and the soldiers behind him also extinguished the torch.
Tang Qian crawled slowly. There was a cave entrance not far ahead, and the knocking sound came from this small cave entrance.
He carefully looked around and almost hit his head on a stone. Outside was a cave like a hall, filled with various supplies.
Tang Qian just wanted to slap himself hard. They had already discovered the big hole outside and used it as a warehouse to store supplies. They stored all the supplies inside, including grain, fodder, bacon, weapons, armor, etc. Bows and arrows, tents, kerosene, gunpowder, etc. At that time, they never imagined that this natural cave would lead to the foot of the mountain.
The entrance to the cave was blocked by dozens of wooden boxes containing swords, but there was a gap about a foot wide. Through the gap, several Xixia soldiers seemed to be setting up tents, and a soldier was beating a thick stick against the rock. The tent pegs, and the clanging sound came from here.
Of course Tang Qian knew the situation outside the cave. The cave was to the west of the mountain village, about thirty feet away from the top of the mountain. They specially built a barracks outside the cave, with soldiers standing guard, and a trail leading directly to the top of the mountain.
Tang Qian waved his hand back and whispered: "Send the order to go back!"
The orders were passed down one by one, and everyone began to turn around and return along the original path. It was easy to go down the mountain. Half an hour later, they came out of the water hole and returned to the shore along the pontoon plank road.
"How about it?"
Chen Qing stepped forward and asked: "What did you find?"
Tang Qian quickly clasped his fists and said, "I would like to inform the capital, there is a secret passage inside the mountain leading to the top of the mountain!"
He drew a simple diagram on the ground and said as he drew it, and finally said: "There is a cave hall on the top. In fact, we have discovered it long ago and regard it as a natural warehouse. The hall is filled with grain and grass supplies, large and small. Just like the commander-in-chief."
"That's huge!"
Chen Qing sighed in admiration and asked: "Then why didn't the other party discover this cave?"
"To the Commander-in-Chief, when we occupied the Cuta Stronghold, the stronghold had been abandoned for at least ten years and had become dilapidated and deserted. There were also some tattered sacks and the like in the cave. We estimate that the Xixia Army also used it as a warehouse, but Whether the Xixia army has discovered the secret behind the cave, I don’t know."
Chen Qing nodded and looked at the night again. It was already past the fifth watch. He turned around and said to Yang Zaixing: "The enemy must be on guard at the top of the mountain. I will lead an army to pretend to attack the mountain stronghold. You will lead three thousand elites to rush into the stronghold from the cave!"
"I humbly obey orders!"
Yang Zaixing led 3,000 elite troops to follow Tang Qian into the cave. Chen Qing returned to the camp and immediately led 10,000 troops to attack the mountain stronghold at night.
...........
Although Shang Dongyan once led an army to sneak attack the Song army's supplies in Cuta Village twenty years ago, he had never been stationed in Cuta Village. Of course, he did not know that there was a mountainside passage leading to the mountain stream, not to mention that Cuta Village was deserted.
For ten years, most Xixia soldiers did not know the existence of this secret passage.
Shang Dongyan got up at the fifth watch. This was a habit he had developed for decades. He got up on time at the fifth watch every day, rain or shine.
He came to the mountain stronghold and stared at the situation at the foot of the mountain. It was dark below and could not be seen from the top of the mountain, but they had sentries and garrisons on the mountainside. If there was anything abnormal, they would be discovered immediately.
Shang Dongyan had an intuition that Chen Qing could not delay and would launch a massive attack today and tomorrow. He was also a little worried. If Chen Qing did not count the casualties, the military stronghold might not be able to be saved. After all, he only had 5,000 troops. It was up to Li Ke.
Can you lead the army to arrive in time?
At this moment, a rapid alarm bell suddenly sounded at the foot of the mountain, 'Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!' It was particularly harsh in the silent night.
Grain paste
"not good!"
Shang Dongyan suddenly shouted, turned around and ran towards the stronghold, "Send the whole army to stand up, the enemy is attacking!"
The alarm bell also sounded in the stronghold. The Xixia soldiers stood up one after another, put on their shoes, picked up their weapons and ran out of the tent.
Shang Dongyan was shouting to command the soldiers, "All the crossbowmen are in position, move the gunpowder barrels and kerosene barrels to the edge of the mountain road, and prepare to roll logs and stones!"
Gunpowder and kerosene are not supplies in the cave warehouse. They are spare supplies. There are 1,000 barrels of kerosene and 800 barrels of gunpowder in the village. For a day of fierce fighting, 200 barrels of kerosene are enough.
The Xixia army had piled a large amount of wood at every corner. As long as the Song army came to attack, they would light the wood at a corner, sprinkle kerosene on it, and cooperate with the crossbowmen, which would be enough to block the Song army's attack.
Tang Qian killed and injured nearly 3,000 people when he attacked the mountain, but he couldn't attack it. This was the reason.
At this time, the commander Wang Xian led 2,000 soldiers to the vanguard. Wang Xian was Gao Ding's subordinate. Yang Zaixing sent a surprise force into the cave, so Gao Ding was responsible for the feint attack.
Five hundred soldiers walked slowly at the front, each holding a large shield. Suddenly, a blazing fire was ignited at the corner in front. The entire mountain road was engulfed in flames. There was a bang above the head, and dense arrows were shot downward.
The soldiers of the Song Army raised their large shields above their heads one after another. More than a dozen soldiers were unable to lift their shields, were hit by arrows, and rolled down the hillside screaming.
Immediately afterwards, a rain of boulders fell, dozens of soldiers were knocked over, and the remaining soldiers leaned against the mountain wall.
At the same time, 1,500 Song troops also fired arrows overhead, but the effect was so poor that the screams of the enemy soldiers who were hit by arrows were basically not heard.
In comparison, shooting arrows from above is sharper...
Chen Qing could see clearly from the bottom of the mountain that the mountain was too steep and it was basically impossible to attack the mountain from the front. The three thousand troops led by Yang Zaixing were a little too small.
Chen Qing immediately said to Gao Ding: "General Gao will lead another six thousand troops up from the cave to support General Yang."
"Follow the order!"
Gaoding immediately led his six thousand troops and rushed towards the mountain stream.
.......
Yang Zaixing led 3,000 people to the top of the cave. Behind him, dense soldiers almost filled the entire mountain.
It was very quiet in the cave. The soldiers guarding the cave had fallen asleep. You could vaguely hear the alarm bells coming from the top of the mountain, but it was not affected at all. Only in the cave could there be figures walking back and forth. They were sentries on guard.
Everyone worked together to move boxes of weapons into the cave and clear a passage.
Yang Zaixing jumped out of the cave, holding a gun in his left hand and a sword in his right hand and rushed into the small tent. The tent shook slightly, and in just a moment, Yang Zaixing came out with blood still dripping from the tip of the gun.
He led a dozen soldiers toward the entrance of the cave. There were four soldiers at the entrance. The alarm bells on the mountain also woke them up, and they were gathering together and talking.
Yang Zaixing waved his long sword, and "Crack!" The heads of the soldiers on guard flew out. The headless corpse fell down, and blood spurted out from the neck cavity. The other three were caught off guard, and were frightened by the blood spraying all over their faces.
Screaming, a dozen soldiers rushed forward and pierced their chests with spears.
Yang Zaixing waved his hand, "Follow me!"
The mighty soldiers followed him and rushed to the top of the mountain...