Some of Xuanting's scattered scouts successfully returned to Zhangye along Fuyuanchuan River. Zhangye County, the seat of Zhangye County, happened to be at the intersection of Ruoshui and the upper reaches of Fuyuanchuan River.
After Pei Ju got the news, he immediately summoned the hussar general Wang Shuo and others.
Wang Shuo was born in the right guard and was the cousin of Wang Yue who committed suicide in front of Yang Ming. This time he followed Xuan Ting and was responsible for commanding the infantry.
Xuanting went south to plunder, and only took away 4,000 cavalry, leaving 9,400 people, led by Wang Shuo, Yang Wenke, Wu Jinglong, and Wang Lian respectively. Among them, there were only 2,000 cavalry, but Xuanting plundered two thousand during this period.
There are more than a thousand horses. After selection, one thousand will be temporarily allocated as war horses.
In other words, Xuanting's remaining troops in Zhangye had 3,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry.
Pei Ju ordered: "You must capture Qilian City as soon as possible to contain Xuanting's pursuers. Remember, after capturing this city, you are not allowed to abandon the city without my order. Do you understand?"
After Wang Shuo learned that Xuanting had taken the risk to rescue Gao Yin, he was quite moved because Gao Yin, like him, was an old member of Song Guogong He Ruobi. Hearing this, he said solemnly:
"Don't worry, Mr. Pei, the final general will defend Qilian and wait for your orders."
In Pei Ju's view, Yang Xuanting's troops cannot afford to lose anything. Since the two sides have already started fighting, let's start fighting. Qilian City is located in the lower reaches of Yuanchuan River and between Zhangye and Qilian Mountains. It is also the last point of Zhangye's southward march.
Good passage, this place must be captured no matter what.
On the same day, Wang Shuo coordinated various ministries and set off with a large army, carrying part of the grain, grass and baggage, plus some siege equipment, and headed south along the Yuanchuan River to attack Qilian City.
After passing the Qilian Mountains, Fuyuan River will be divided into east and west branches, six hundred miles long in the west and three hundred miles long in the east, and Qilian City is on the south bank of the east branch.
Therefore, before attacking the city, they had to cross the river first. Yuanchuan River was not a big river, and there were many shoals in the river. Some places were not even knee deep, but tribes often lived in places where it was convenient to cross the river.
Therefore, Wang Shuo's movements were quickly grasped by Qilian City, who sent a thousand cavalry troops to harass the coast.
Nothing goes smoothly in marching and fighting, and there are not many shoals suitable for crossing the river everywhere, so Wang Shuo was cruel and forced the crossing.
The infantrymen stepped into the knee-deep river with their shields on their shoulders, and the archers behind them fired towards the other side.
On the opposite side, the Tuguhun was waiting for work, so he stayed on the shore and started fighting with the infantry who hurriedly landed on the shore.
The military system of the Sui Dynasty had a minimum establishment of ten men per fire and a fire chief. In other words, the minimum formation of ten men was used for combat.
The most traditional way for infantry to fight against cavalry is for five people to attack the cavalry and the other five to hold them back. After ensuring a smooth kill, they will disperse and continue to form the formation. The military government practices this every day, but it is used in actual combat.
At that time, there were definitely more changes, but the purpose remained the same.
The first infantry to land were miserable because they couldn't form a formation, so they were slaughtered. Fortunately, after a hundred or so people died, the rear group followed up, and the formation gradually extended, forcing the cavalry out.
The last ones to cross the river were the cavalry and their baggage. There were only 3,000 cavalry in total. They must not be lost when crossing the river. The other party was responsible for harassing the cavalry crossing the river. The moment the Sui cavalry crossed the river, they withdrew.
Already.
The landing point of Wang Shuo's troops was fifty miles south of Qilian City, so Wang Shuo ordered that the army was not allowed to rest after crossing the river, but went directly south to attack the city.
The siege took place at nightfall.
Qilian City is an earthen city with an irregular square shape. The overall city defense should be based on the style of the Central Plains. The earthen walls also have piers and abutments protruding from the outside. The piers and abutments are set up to take into account the blind areas of the city wall, and they can also be enlarged.
Shooting coverage for enemy siege troops.
Generally, the piers and abutments are installed on earthen city walls, because the city walls are not very high and are easy to climb. Therefore, a large number of crossbowmen can be installed on the piers and abutments protruding from the city wall, which can take care of shooting on both wings and reduce the pressure on the city defense.
Wang Shuo brought kerosene with him, so he first launched a round of rockets in the hope of igniting some flammable objects in the city and making it easier for our army to see at night.
The effect is not big, but it is somewhat effective.
Attacking the city at night would be very disadvantageous for the attackers. The purpose of harassing Wang Shuo's cavalry on the river bank during the day was to drag them into the night.
The city wall was completely dark and nothing could be seen. But how could Wang Shuo climb the wall without a torch?
So the current situation is that it is clear from the outside on the city wall, but Wang Shuo's eyesight is dark.
No matter what, attack the city.
There is no strategy for siege, just try to climb the city wall as much as possible. Of course, the combination of troops must be very strict.
Climb the ladder quickly to stick to the wall. Once you stick to the wall, you have to climb on people immediately. If there are more people, the ladder will not be pulled down. The first one to climb the wall must use a shield and hang a knife on the waist. As long as there are a hundred or so people
Climb up smoothly and basically stabilize.
Under the city wall, crossbowmen were also deployed to shoot at the crenellations of the city wall to provide cover for those who climbed the wall. The cavalry was running around the entire city, which not only put pressure on the opponent, but also oppressed the cavalry in the city from daring to do so.
Come out to harass the siege troops.
Wang Shuo has experience in sieges. He followed He Ruobi and defeated Jiankang, the old capital of Chen Dynasty. Unfortunately, he finally broke in and found that Han Qinhu had already entered from the other side, so Han Qinhu lost the first victory.
Being snatched away, He Ruobi almost died of anger on the spot.
The city defense of Jiankang and Qilian City are two different concepts, and Tuguhun has no experience in defending the city at all. Their experience was learned from some Han people in the city. Against someone like Wang Shuo who has really participated
The war is definitely different.
Therefore, the siege went more smoothly than Wang Shuo imagined.
This is why Pei Ju's arrangements for him did not mention how to attack the city at all, but directly stated that the city was not allowed to be abandoned after it was captured.
As the city wall was occupied, the army began to sweep the city. The cavalry had no advantage in the city. They were completely beaten while hanging. Therefore, the famous king of Qilian City could only lead more than 2,000 people to open the west gate and prepare to flee to the west.
, and then recruited men from the tribes along the river to take back Qilian City.
Wang Shuo's three thousand cavalry, led by Wu Jinglong, Yang Yue's retainer, had been waiting for him for a long time. After deliberately releasing the man, they surrounded him on both sides and chased him all the way in the wilderness outside the city gate.
In the end, more than 1,300 enemies were killed, and the rest were allowed to escape.
If you want to completely wipe out the cavalry, you can only do it if you have an absolute advantage in strength and can complete the encirclement. Otherwise, everyone has horses under their butts. How can you catch up with me? You are not a horse with fighting spirit.
Wang Shuo, who successfully entered the city, began a killing spree, taking no prisoners except the Tuguhun people wearing military uniforms.
Don't expect the generals on the battlefield to be kind-hearted. Few who have fought in a war take human life seriously, especially foreigners. When Wang Shuo followed Chen Chen, many Han people were killed.
At this time, more than two thousand people were killed in the city.
The palace of the famous king was also occupied, and before his family could escape, Wang Shuo sent people to seize them all. These people could not be killed for the time being, but they could be used as bargaining chips.
After taking over the entire Qilian City, Wang Shuo sent a ranger to report the battle situation to Pei Ju, and then began to search for food from house to house.
After the grain is collected, Wang Shuo will redistribute it uniformly. He does not want to starve the people in the city to death, but uses grain to control them.
Each family receives food once every two days, and the food they receive is only enough for them to barely survive for two days. In this way, hungry people will not cause trouble. Wang Shuo holds all the food in his hands, which is also a sign of the army.
a kind of guarantee.
Moreover, he drove five hundred civilians out of Qilian City and asked them to spread the news around that Qilian City had been occupied by the Sui army. If the Qilian City headquarters cavalry chasing Yang Xuanting could receive the news, they would definitely return to rescue them.
Xuanting's crisis was solved by himself during the introduction period.
When Yang Ming successfully arrived in Jincheng County in early April, he contacted Pei Nansheng sent by Pei Ju.
At the moment, they don't know what happened in Qilian City.
"Xuan Ting is in the north, and Changsun Chengmai's iron staff is in the south. Our army marches out from the middle, and it is like a decisive battle. Murong Fuyun will definitely not give up Fuqi City, so our army will encounter the strongest enemy force in the middle.
Resistance, Gao Gong’s plan coincides with Pei Gong,” Pei Nansheng pointed at the map and said:
"If the main force of our Chinese army wants to march smoothly, Xuanting, Chang Suncheng and the others must contain most of the enemy's main force and pull them from the north to the south to give our Chinese army a channel to attack directly. Otherwise, the Chinese army will be blocked and the plan to directly attack the royal city will be blocked.
It will fail."
Pei Shinan's original surname was Zhao, but his surname was later changed to Pei by Pei Ju. He was Pei Ju's absolute confidant.
Gao Jie nodded at the side and said: "So Shi Wansui's main infantry force needs to clean up Xiping County first to prevent the small tribesmen stationed there from revealing the timing of our army's westward march. We can only move after the north and south are successfully contained.
.”
"Yes," Pei Shinan nodded: "Although the Xuanting tribe is slightly weak, fortunately, it can be supplied by Zhangye in the rear, and can deal with the enemy along the Qilian Mountains. Murong Fuyun's headquarters has about 50,000 elites, so the main thing is
We have to rely on General Changsun and the others to contain them."
Yang Ming nodded, not speaking, just listening.
At this time, Fang Xuanling pointed to the location of Mantoucheng on the map and said:
"This city is located at the source of the Yellow River, with a radius of hundreds of miles. It is home to the largest pasture in Tuguhun. It is a place that must be saved. After General Changsun successfully captures it, I am afraid there will be a big war."
Gao Jing said: "That's why King Qin ordered his eldest grandson not to withdraw south until the main force of the enemy army is seen. He must attract the enemy army to Jishi Town in the south. As long as it reaches Jishi Town, our Chinese army can be dispatched, but there is another
The premise is here."
As he spoke, Gao Jiong pointed to the location of Qilian City on the map and said:
"We now need to allocate a team of elite cavalry to go west along the Haoqian River to quickly capture the city, and then use this as a base point to form a link with the Xuanting tribe to the north. If Murong Fuyun does not save him, let Xuanting
Move southward to clear the way out for our army and support the main force."
Yang Ming narrowed his eyes and looked at Shi Wanbao: "Did you hear everything?"
"I heard this," Shi Wanbao said.
Yang Ming said: "I'll give you five thousand cavalry. Do it according to Gao Gong's wishes. You must coordinate well with Xuanting and don't fight independently."
"I humbly accept my order," Shi Wanbao saluted.
Next, Gao Jiong pulled the opponent to the front and gave many instructions to bring enough military rations and plunder supplies along the way, but be sure to send more scouts to keep in touch with the King of Qin in the rear. If there is a special situation, he can respond immediately.
.
But one thing cannot be changed, except near the Qilian Mountains, no decisive battle with the enemy is allowed anywhere.