Cheng Huan was also a resourceful general who had accumulated merit and was promoted to the rank of supreme commander. He was only one step away from the deputy commander and was able to act independently. After thinking about it, he still felt that Haute Couture was a bit careless.
Just as Gao Ding led his army and left, Cheng Huan ordered General Xing Kuang to lead 10,000 cavalry to speed up and rush in front of the enemy to intercept them.
He himself led 10,000 cavalry to Mingsha County.
Generally speaking, if you encounter the main force of the enemy's cavalry on the way, the possibility of escaping is low, and the opponent is not blind. When all armies are marching, there will always be a large number of scouts exploring the road within twenty miles ahead to prevent
After being ambushed, the Xixia Army spies discovered the Song Army at the same time that the Song Army scouts also discovered the enemy.
In particular, Mingsha County is already on the edge of the Ningxia Plain. The hills are gentle and undulating, making it difficult to hide. Ten thousand people were running quickly, but from a distance, more than a dozen Song Army scouts and cavalry were watching them and watching their every move.
Li Ke found that there was no way to avoid the pursuit of the Song Army's scouts. No matter how fast they speeded up, the Song Army was still staring at them closely.
It was too late to build a pontoon bridge on the Yellow River, and the Xixia army ran for more than ten miles. At this time, dust was flying in the distance, and the Song army's cavalry was already chasing them.
Li Ke shouted: "The whole army stops retreating and prepares to fight!"
The Xixia army consisted of half cavalry and half infantry. They began to form a formation quickly, with two thousand crossbowmen in front, three thousand spear infantry in the middle, and five thousand cavalry on both sides.
Li Ke was also a member of the royal family. He led his army to invade Xihe Road a few years ago and had a fight with Chen Qing's army. Because he divided his forces and fought separately, he was defeated by the Song army one by one. Only then did Li Qianshun replace him with Cao Baozong.
Finding that the opponent also had 10,000 cavalry, Li Ke calmed down a little and shouted loudly: "Archers, prepare!"
Gao Ding led 10,000 cavalry to fight three miles away. At this time, a scout rushed to report, "General Xing also led 10,000 cavalry behind the enemy. I saw the general attacking with gunpowder arrows!"
Gao Ding nodded. He originally wanted to test the enemy's combat effectiveness. Unexpectedly, Cheng Huan thought carefully and was prepared. He immediately waved his sword and shouted: "Attack!"
The 10,000 cavalry sped up and spread out in formation as they ran. Armed with shields and short spears, they swept towards the Xixia army's formation with fierce murderous intent.
Two thousand Xixia archers fired at the same time. Two thousand arrows rose into the air and shot at the Song cavalry. The arrows roared and the cavalry raised their shields to meet them. However, soldiers and horses continued to be hit by arrows and rolled to the ground.
While running, thousands of Song soldiers also raised their bows and fired rapidly. The Song army's bows and arrows were even sharper, and they shot densely into the enemy group. The archers had no protection and were hit by arrows one after another, and even the front row infantry were hit by arrows and fell to the ground.
Li Ke saw that the situation was not good. Under the powerful attack of the Song army, the archers and infantry might suffer heavy losses. He immediately ordered: "The cavalry comes forward to fight!"
Five thousand Xixia troops also suddenly launched their war horses, brandishing their spears and galloping towards the Song army.
Gao Ding watched the opponent's cavalry attack coldly and ordered: "Shoot gunpowder arrows!"
Three gunpowder arrows shot into the sky and exploded with a 'pop!' sound in the air.
A few miles away, Xing Kuang led 10,000 cavalry and had been waiting for a long time. He saw three gunpowder arrows flying into the sky and immediately ordered: "Attack!"
Ten thousand cavalry launched and attacked the back of the Xixia army overwhelmingly.
The Song army and five thousand Xixia cavalry collided head-on. Sand and dust filled the sky. The two armies clashed with their spears, the horses neighed, and blood spurted out. The two cavalry could no longer distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, and they fought fiercely together in the dim yellow sand.
.
The ground was shaking, and the Xixia soldiers noticed something strange behind them. They pointed at the back and shouted in horror, "The Song army is coming from behind!"
When Li Ke turned around, he saw the overwhelming Song Army cavalry coming from behind, less than a mile away from them. At this moment, Li Ke was so shocked that his liver and gallbladder burst.
"Come forward to fight! The whole army will fight forward!"
Li Ke knew that this battle would be inevitable, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and mobilize his soldiers to fight.
Gaoding also divided two thousand troops to attack the enemy infantry. More than four thousand infantry encountered cavalry attacks from both front and rear. Countless soldiers were knocked down by their horses. Looking at the black iron hooves above their heads, many soldiers screamed in despair.
This fierce battle only lasted for half an hour, with most of the infantry casualties. No matter how stubborn the army was, it could not hold on. The remaining two thousand soldiers collapsed and ran around desperately. However, they were surrounded and except for those killed by the Song army.
, there is no second way to go.
Li Ke lamented in pain and shouted: "The whole army retreats! Retreat!"
The infantry can no longer retreat, so it depends on whether the cavalry can retreat part of the way. "Dang! Dang! Dang!" The bell rang for the Xixia army to retreat.
Some of the cavalry left the battlefield and followed Li Ke to retreat to the northwest. However, most of the cavalry were divided and surrounded. It was difficult to break out. They were constantly shrinking and beheaded by the Song army. The more the cavalry fought, the fewer the cavalry. When the last batch of cavalry was beheaded,
Killing, the fierce battle finally ended, and the air was filled with pungent blood.
In this battle, the Song army defeated the enemy with absolute superiority. Although they paid the price of more than 2,400 casualties, the opponent's army was almost completely destroyed. Only a few hundred of the 10,000-strong army escaped in the end, and the rest were all killed.
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The Song army captured a large number of armors and weapons and more than 3,700 horses.
The Song army burned the soldiers and buried them deeply, cleaned the battlefield, left the battlefield with the ashes of the fallen soldiers and the wounded soldiers, and moved towards Mingsha County.
In the evening, Chen Qing's army arrived in Mingsha County
At the same time, the imperial envoy Zhe Yanzhi arrived at Jingzhao Mansion. During the Xuanhe period, Zhe Yanzhi had lived in Jingzhao City for two years. He was very familiar with every plant and tree here. Jingzhao in front of him was bustling and bustling.
, which made him seem to have returned to the Xuanhe period. For a moment, he felt like he was in a dream.
It had only been a year since Chen Qing captured Jingzhao, but he had recovered so quickly?
The chief official who received Zhe Yanzhi was Jiang Yanxian. He was one of the three left-behind managers in Jingzhao. In addition to him, there were Zhou Kuan and Zhang Miao. All military and political affairs were decided through consultation between the three of them. However, if it was a major matter, they must ask for instructions.
Madam Xuanfu.
Jiang Yanxian invited Zhe Yanzhi into the VIP hotel. Chen Qing and Zhe Yanzhi had a good personal relationship. The two had fought against the Jin Dynasty together in Jingbei and formed a deep friendship. Chen Qing specifically told Jiang Yanxian to treat Zhe Yanzhi kindly.
"If you have any requirements in life, just tell us and we will try our best to meet them."
Zhe Yanzhi smiled slightly and said: "I don't have high demands in life, but I don't have much time. The government requires me to return as soon as possible. I can only stay in Jingzhao for a few days. I hope I can complete the task smoothly."
"Then let's talk in detail tomorrow! It's getting late now, so please take a good rest. I'll send a carriage to pick you up early tomorrow morning."
"Well! Thank you for your hard work, Jiang Changshi."
Jiang Yan said goodbye first and left. Not long after, Yi Cheng brought a sumptuous feast of wine and food. Zhe Yan grabbed Yi Cheng and said with a smile, "I have something to ask Yi Cheng!"
Yi Cheng hurriedly said: "I know you, please tell me. I know everything I know!"
"I heard that Jingzhao and Guanzhong were also severely devastated by the Jin soldiers. A battle in Fuping destroyed almost all the counties in Jingzhao Prefecture. But when I came all the way, I only saw wheat harvesting everywhere in Guanzhong, and the people
There was laughter and laughter, and the atmosphere was full of life.
The city of Jingzhao is even more lively and prosperous, with numerous shops and a steady flow of people. It is no different from what it was during the Xuanhe period. I remember that Ambassador Chen Xuan only captured Shaanxi Road last year. How did it recover so quickly?"
Yi Cheng smiled and said: "Actually, many people have asked this question, and I will tell you the truth. Guanzhong was first developed because the Jin soldiers needed supplies, but the people in Guanzhong basically ran away, and a large amount of land was abandoned. Qi State introduced them from northern Shaanxi
Hundreds of thousands of people filled Guanzhong.
The same goes for Jingzhao. A large part of them are from northern Shaanxi. Although they have a population, they are still brutally exploited. More than half of the harvest has to be turned over. Taxes and fees are astronomical. The average monthly income of the people in Jingzhao is two thousand yuan, but they can’t even afford to eat.
It was not enough, but since the Xuanfu envoy recovered Shaanxi and announced that the entire Shaanxi Road would be tax-free for three years and halved for five years, the people were excited.
It's the same in the city. Rice originally cost 80 cents per dou, but now it's 30 cents per dou. Wheat is even lower. Salt price was originally 110 cents per catty, but now it's only 30 cents. Cloth, wine, and tea
Prices of daily necessities such as oil and sugar have dropped by 70% compared with before.
On the contrary, the average monthly wage has increased to three guan. If a lower-class family, a family of five, works harder, they can earn 5 guan per month, which can buy two hundred bushels of wheat. If the family has enough money, it will naturally prosper quickly.
Already."
Zhe Yanzhi sighed softly and said: "Those people in Lin'an who attack Chen Xuanfu and use military force all day long should really come to Guanzhong and Jingzhao to take a look. They should shut up!"