On the side facing the narrow river, the trench was expanded to two meters wide. The earth and rocks excavated from the trench were used to build a defensive wall one and eight meters high.
The other two sides are wide rivers. There are no trenches or earthen walls, but sharpened bamboos are inserted into the ground and sprinkled with caltrops. After the sharp bamboos and caltrops, there are two rows of wooden fences.
There was originally a cage fort on the mountain behind the village, stationed with 300 village soldiers and 500 barbarian soldiers, which could not only prevent Ju Meng from encircling the rear, but also coordinate with the villages at the foot of the mountain.
The day after Ju Meng arrived on the other side of the river, he tried to cross the river and attack.
It was possible to cross the river easily from one side of the narrow channel, but the wide trench and the earthen wall as high as a person seemed to be a natural hazard for the barbarians.
It is even more difficult to cross the wide river. A large number of flat cannons throw shotguns. Some stone pellets are as big as fists, and some are as big as heads. They hit the river like hailstones. Even if you are lucky enough to cross the river, you have to avoid sharp bamboos and iron caltrops to rush forward. , followed by two wooden fences.
The best result of the battle was when a group of barbarians pushed down the first wooden fence while braving arrows. When they rushed to the second wooden fence, they were stabbed to pieces by the pikemen who were waiting for work.
He sent elite soldiers to try to occupy the back mountain, but the defenders were holed up in the mountain and unable to get out. These elite soldiers had no choice but to run back, because if they didn't run away, they would be attacked from both sides by the defenders on the mountain and below.
For ten consecutive days, the Han soldiers just stood firm in the village and had no intention of confronting the enemy head-on.
Ju Meng was in a dilemma and had no choice but to lose his temper at his younger brother: "Why did you lose such a dangerous place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack in one afternoon?"
Bu Su defended himself by saying: "Too many people defected before the battle. I could have held on."
Ju Meng said angrily: "The Han people know how to dig wide and deep trenches, why don't you dig the trench wider?"
Buyu said: "There are not so many hoes."
Ju Meng: "..."
The barbarians all bought their hoes from Lizhou, and they mainly relied on smuggling, because the government did not allow the export of pig iron tools.
Qiongbu Sichuan Man's own blacksmiths are not enough to make weapons, so how can they make hoes?
Their farming technology is already excellent, and they have learned to cultivate land in recent years. The mountain tribes are even worse. They are still practicing slash-and-burn farming. A tribe occupies several mountains and alternately burns wasteland to grow food.
Why can't Ju Ming and Yu Wenchang hold on?
Because I’m waiting for Qiao Huan to work!
…
On the twelfth day of the confrontation between Ju Meng and the Han soldiers, more barbarians came from the south and west to report.
When the Henan Barbarians, Azong Barbarians, and the indigenous Bai Barbarians learned that the Qionbu Sichuan Barbarians had been defeated and that the main force had been drawn out to fight the Han soldiers, these tribes launched a sneak attack on the Qionbu Sichuan Barbarians' villages.
The territory of the Qiongbu Sichuan barbarians was raging with war. They had made enemies everywhere in the past few decades, and now they finally suffered the consequences of being attacked by a group.
South of the Dadu River and west of the Luoluo River, there are a large number of Henan barbarians scattered in the mountains.
These Henan barbarians originally lived on the south bank of the Dadu River and were familiar barbarians who could speak Chinese. They were first attacked by the Lianglin barbarians and then by the Qiongbu Sichuan barbarians. Some of them fled to the Han lands on the north bank of the Dadu River, and some fled Go into the mountains and forests to clear up wasteland and cultivate.
The life of the barbarians in Henan is extremely difficult, but their degree of Chineseization is also very high. They have been farming in the valleys for more than ten years and have gradually regained some strength.
Now, Henan Man has seized the opportunity to come out.
These acquaintances were not persuaded by Qiao Huan, because the direction was wrong.
Before Yu Wenchang sent troops, he had already sent people to lobby the Henan barbarians. However, they did not dare to act rashly and watched coldly. They did not send troops until they heard that the Han army had won a great victory.
Qiao Huan contacted the Lianglin Man, the Azong Man and the indigenous Bai Man. The three barbarian tribes swarmed north to the Qiongbu Sichuan Man and more than ten edge villages had been breached.
After receiving continuous news that the villages in the rear had fallen, and the Han soldiers on the other side of the river were unable to defend themselves, Ju Meng didn't know what to do.
"Abba, why don't you surrender? We can't fight this battle." The fourth son, Ah Fan, advised.
The fifth son Ju Qiao said: "If my father surrenders, he will not be able to become the Great Ghost Lord of all the barbarians. I don't know how much land and population have been taken away by Han officials."
Ah Fan said: "Even if you can't become the Great Ghost Lord of Baimandu, you can at least become the Great Ghost Lord after surrendering. If you continue to fight like this, you won't even be able to save your life!"
"Aren't you going to avenge your eldest brother?" Ju Qiao asked.
Ah Fan asked: "How to take revenge?"
The two sons were quarreling endlessly, and Ju Meng became even more irritated.
He already wanted to surrender, but he was afraid that even if he surrendered, he would be killed by Han officials.
Ju Meng said to his fourth son, Ah Fan, "Do you dare to go to the Han soldiers to deliver the message? I wouldn't worry if it were someone else."
Ah Fan replied: "Why don't you dare?"
Ju Meng said: "You told the Han officials that I am willing to surrender and will send people to pay tribute to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty to plead guilty. I don't have to be the Great Ghost Lord of Baimandu, but at least let me be the Great Ghost Lord. Pugu Long
As well as the thirty surrounding villages, let me rule it, and I don’t have to give up the rest of the land."
"Yes!" Ah Fan took the order and left.
In the afternoon of that day, Ah Fan took only one person with him and bravely crossed the river by boat.
Yu Wenchang and Ju Ming were notified and ordered not to shoot arrows.
When Ah Fan saw him, he knelt down and kowtowed: "My father has realized his mistake, please forgive me."
Yu Wenchang asked: "Why doesn't he dare to come to apologize?"
Ah Fan explained: "Abba knew that he had committed a serious crime and was afraid that the prefect would blame him, so he sent me here first."
Yu Wenchang said: "If you want to surrender, immediately order the barbarians to put down their weapons, and Ju Meng will come to my camp in person to ask for mercy."
Ah Fan said: "My father only wants Pugu Lung and the thirty surrounding villages. Please let the prefect let us go and not order a pursuit. When my father leads his troops back to Pugu Lung, he will evacuate the warriors from the other villages. The prefect can send troops."
Go and capture those villages. Abba will also send people to pay tribute to the emperor and ask for his forgiveness."
Yu Wenchang thought about it carefully: "You go back, I still need to discuss this matter."
Ah Fan knelt down and retreated, showing great humility.
After the man left, Yuwen Chang asked: "What do you think of success?"
Ju Ming smiled and said: "Can a cooked duck still fly?"
Yu Wenchang said: "The Qiongbu Sichuan barbarians have suffered heavy losses, and we cannot let them collapse, otherwise the two forest barbarians will definitely take the opportunity to rise. When one Qiongbu Sichuan barbarian falls, but another two forest barbarians rise, this means that our war has been in vain.
"
Ju Ming said: "Of course we should let Qiongbu retain a certain strength, but Ju Meng must die! He is notorious among the barbarians and has a high prestige among the Qiongbu Sichuan barbarians. If he is allowed to live, let him continue to occupy
In Pugulong and the surrounding fertile land, I am afraid that within ten years, this person will come back again!"
Yuwen Chang was silent and thinking.
Ju Ming continued: "Moreover, Ju Meng may have faked his surrender. In the name of surrender, he led his troops back and used all his strength to meet the barbarians who were attacking the rear. He also left a bunch of villages for us to take over and disperse our troops at an unknown time.
They will suddenly kill you!"
Yu Wenchang nodded and said: "The concerns about success are reasonable."
Ju Ming said: "If you continue to hold on and stall for time, sooner or later Ju Meng will be unable to help but withdraw. You can send hundreds of elite troops from the back mountain, take a detour to the south, and ambush in the river valley. As soon as Ju Meng retreats, the main force of our army will be
Follow slowly, and when you get to the place, you can attack from both sides."
"This plan is feasible." Yu Wen often followed the good advice.
After waiting for another two days, Ju Meng could not get a reply from the Han people, so he finally made up his mind to withdraw his troops.
Withdrawing the troops is false, but luring the Han soldiers across the river is true.
This guy still wants to fight. Since he can't break the Han army's village, he will draw the Han soldiers out to fight. Dangtang is having a decisive battle in the wild.
Ju Meng first sent two groups of elite troops to retreat and lie in ambush at the places they must pass through on their way south.
If the Han soldiers came to pursue them, they would all ambush them, and he himself would turn around with the main force to cover them up.
If the Han soldiers don't come after them, then they should really withdraw their troops and go back to fight the rebellious barbarians.
Because the morale of the entire army was low, Ju Meng also organized a ghost sacrifice activity.
During the retreat, Ju Meng personally led his troops to the rear to prevent the Han soldiers from coming over and turning the false retreat into a real rout.
Ju Ming stood on the top floor of the Cage Fort, observed carefully with a telescope, and found that the barbarian soldiers retreated in a controlled manner, and said with emotion: "This thief chief is a real general, no wonder he can run rampant in all barbarian lands."
Yu Wenchang borrowed a telescope and looked at it for a while: "Are you still chasing me?"
"We must pursue him, just stay far away!" Zhu Ming said, "We have to withdraw a hundred and fifty miles before we go to Pugulong. I don't believe that he has not missed any loopholes."
After the main force of the barbarians had withdrawn several miles away, Ju Ming ordered the entire army to cross the river, leaving only a few barbarians to defend Luo Luo Long.
Both sides retreated and pursued, always maintaining a distance of six or seven miles.
Ju Ming sent mountain search teams to check the mountains and valleys passing by in front of them, in case Ju Meng had set up an ambush.
Ju Meng had no choice but to withdraw the ambush troops.
At the same time, like Ju Ming, he sent elite troops as vanguards to search the mountains, forcing Zhang Bor's ambush troops to cross the river and return to the east bank.
With such caution, the ambush on both sides was ineffective.
However, during the withdrawal, they were followed by the enemy, which put Ju Meng's soldiers under great psychological pressure.
They rushed forward in excitement, but hundreds of their cavalry were killed along the way. The attack for many days was ineffective. The villages in the rear were also attacked by barbarians. The morale of the army had already plummeted.
Sensing something was wrong in the atmosphere, Ju Meng did not dare to withdraw.
He chose a relatively dangerous riverside village, summoned the ghost masters and ghost leaders to lecture, and pretended to be confident: "I am not withdrawing my troops this time, but luring the Han people over. Previously, the Han people held firm, and it was difficult for us to attack. Now the Han people have not
The village can be defended, and we will go to the decisive battle tomorrow. I am the great ghost master of Baimandu. The ghosts and gods will protect me, and the Han people will definitely be defeated!"
The ghost masters, big and small, suddenly understood and admired Ju Meng's wisdom.
But there are also some ghost owners who have other thoughts in their hearts. They are worried that their villages will not be protected and the barbarians will take advantage of them to rob them in the south. If they do not deal with the Han people early, they will suffer heavy losses even if they win the battle.
The benefits are Ju Meng's, and the losses are theirs.
Knowing that Ju Meng chose a dangerous place to camp, Ju Ming also stopped marching and camped five miles away from the enemy.
Both sides continued to waste time, but Ju Ming was not in a hurry anyway.
The longer the delay here, the more villages the barbarians will be able to capture, and the delay will also make Ju Meng's army unstable.
Sun Shu quietly met with several Han bandits and said: "Ju Meng will definitely be defeated. We will set fire to the village tonight and run away if we cause trouble. After the fire breaks out, if the officers and soldiers take the opportunity to kill, we will cooperate with the officers and soldiers in the battle. If the officers and soldiers do not come, we will
, let’s go and join the army, and setting a fire will be considered a meritorious service.”