Reinforcement is like putting out a fire. After receiving the order, Chen Zhitai did not delay. He returned to the camp, gave the soldiers a good meal, and then led 1,500 people out of the city, leaving only 500 people to garrison in the camp.
Zhanghe County is more than 100 miles northeast of Shunjin. Even if you travel on foot, it takes more than one day to get there.
When Qin Xiao withdrew, he left Chen Zhitai with two thousand troops and horses, including three hundred cavalry. These cavalry were not elite cavalry, but after training for a period of time before, riding horses was not a problem, and their archery skills were only mediocre, but
At any rate, they were all able to ride a horse, bend a bow and shoot arrows, so they were all equipped with bows and arrows.
Chen Zhitai naturally led these three hundred cavalry into battle.
Huangfu Yunzhao used Chen Zhitai as the main commander of this reinforcement, and Song Shixin followed as an auxiliary soldier. The camps of the two teams were not together.
The soldiers and horses came out from the north gate. Chen Zhitai led the troops out of the city first. Song Shixin also ordered a thousand troops and horses as promised in advance.
Chen Zhitai knew that Song Shixin was a well-known general in the Liaodong Army. Logically speaking, he was just a captain, and the command should be given to Song Shixin this time.
But Huangfu Yunzhao finally handed over the command to himself. In the final analysis, it was because he belonged to Qin Xiao's direct lineage. Huangfu Yunzhao could also be regarded as giving Qin Xiao face.
The Liaodong Army raided Zhanghe County with less than a thousand men. In Chen Zhitai's view, this battle was a sure win.
If it weren't for the safety, he wouldn't want to take Song Shixin's thousand men with him.
Although Song Shixin was a good general, in Chen Zhitai's eyes, the last time he was defeated by Qin Xiao, it was because of his defeated generals. In fact, he really looked down on Song Shixin.
He had also made a plan in his mind. If he reached Zhanghe County and could directly defeat the enemy with his own troops, that would be the best. In this way, the victory this time would be entirely his own.
If it really doesn't work, let Song Shixin's troops attack again.
Although Chen Zhitai is not very bright, he is not stupid either. Although he is rough, he is also somewhat calculating.
Since Qin Xiao left the customs, his power has grown stronger and stronger. Although the soldiers who followed Qin Xiao out of the customs can be regarded as direct relatives, they also have different origins.
Chen Zhitai knew that the generals in the army were all capable, but he himself was mediocre in terms of both force and intelligence. If he had not followed Qin Xiao early on, he would not have been able to hold the position of captain.
If you want to gain a foothold in the Tang army, military merit is essential.
Chen Zhitai, like many others, knew that with the expansion of Qin Xiao's power, the generals under his command would definitely have a bright future, but to win people's respect and occupy a place under Qin Xiao's command in the future, it would still have to be based on merit.
He was a bandit, and he had no choice but to join Qin Xiao's army alone. With his thick skin, he was able to earn a living under Qin Xiao's army.
Although Zhao Shengtai and many generals were once members of the Queen Mother's congregation and could be considered rebels, compared to him, the second in command, those people's brains were stronger, and rebels really looked down on mountain bandits.
Although the generals usually behaved well when they met Chen Zhitai, he knew that few of them really looked up to him.
So if we have such a good opportunity this time, we definitely don’t want to miss it, and we are fighting to fight this battle.
Once he wins the battle this time, he will naturally gain the respect of others in Long Rui's army in the future. The second master is also a person who wants to save face. He knows that there are not many opportunities for him to command troops and horses in battle. If he finally gets the opportunity, it will take a long time.
Take advantage of it.
After gathering more than 2,000 people, they began to march towards Zhanghe County.
"General Song Lang, why do you think the Liaodong Army only had so few people attacking Zhanghe City?" Chen Zhitai rode a horse and marched together with Song Shixin. "Is there any error in the information?"
Both of them are tall and strong men. Comparatively speaking, Song Shixin is actually stronger than Chen Zhitai. He rides horses together and looks like two iron towers.
"Colonel Chen is saying that the information is inaccurate?"
Chen Zhitai said: "A few hundred people went to attack Zhanghe County. Does the Liaodong Army take itself too seriously?"
Song Shixin was Huangfu Yunzhao's direct subordinate, and he could be regarded as a man who was good at fighting in the Liaodong Army. Although he was defeated by Qin Xiao last time and was even captured alive, in the final analysis he still underestimated the enemy.
After suffering that big loss, he is much more cautious now.
Compared to Chen Zhitai who only knew how to kill people, Song Shixin was far superior to Chen Zhitai in terms of military strategy. He smiled and said: "Those hundreds of people must be elite soldiers. The walls of Zhanghe County are low and the city defenses are weak. If we fight, the county seat
It’s really hard to defend. Only a few hundred people were sent to Liaodong. They were probably worried that a big fight would make us aware of it, so the smaller the number of troops, the easier it was to launch a surprise attack on Zhanghe City. Last time, Captain Zhao led his men to capture Jiping City.
, isn’t it also a charge of light cavalry, with very few people?”
"If you say that, I feel relieved." Chen Zhitai grinned and said, "I'm worried that the information is inaccurate. The other party has a large number of people. We only have more than 2,000 people. It will be difficult to fight then."
Song Shixin said: "Captain Chen is overly worried. I am from the Liaodong Army and I know their tricks. Don't worry, our soldiers and horses are enough to win the battle."
"That's good." Chen Zhitai said: "General Song Lang, your men are all elite soldiers, so they must be invincible. These people under me have not fought many tough battles. This time I want to take the opportunity to train them. I don't know.
What do you mean?"
"General Huangfu has an order. Colonel Chen is the general leading the army this time. Whatever you say, I will obey the order." Song Shixin was very calm.
Chen Zhitai said: "What I mean is that after reaching Zhanghe City, if they really don't have many troops, let my men kill them first. If they win, it will be better. If the enemy is too stubborn,
Your men and horses will go up and kill them."
"Since Captain Chen has arranged this, I should obey his orders."
In order to compete for military glory, many people in the army fought to be the vanguard, but Song Shixin was used to it.
A land of more than a hundred miles is not far, but certainly not close.
The soldiers under Chen Zhitai have also undergone rigorous training in the past year. Marching and fighting is not a problem. Although it is a rapid march, everyone has the physical strength to keep up.
However, when we set off from Shunjin, it was already almost noon. Although the soldiers and horses advanced rapidly, they still had hundreds of miles to travel, and they couldn't fly. By the evening, they had already traveled a hundred miles to Zhanghe River.
The city also has dozens of miles of land.
Although Chen Zhitai had 300 cavalry, the remaining more than a thousand people could only walk on foot. Chen Zhitai naturally could not leave those thousands of people behind and rushed to Zhanghe City with only 300 cavalry.
"Captain, their marching speed is very slow, do you want to wait a moment?" someone asked Chen Zhitai.
After Chen Zhitai arranged for Song Shixin's troops to be cut off, Song Shixin didn't say much, returned to his own team, and led the team behind.
Previously, Chen Zhitai felt that Song Shixin's men and horses were much slower, but fortunately he could still see the team when he turned around. But now it was dark, and when he turned back, Song Shixin's men and horses behind him had been left behind for a long distance, and even
It's hard to see each other's troops.
Chen Zhitai was a little anxious. He was eager to achieve great results and wanted to kill the bandits in Zhanghe City. At this time, he was asked to stop and wait for the rear army to follow, but that was really impossible. He ordered: "Send someone to tell Song Shixin and let him lead
Go faster, don't hang around behind."
Then there were messengers who followed the order and left.
Chen Zhitai looked up and saw a dense forest in the distance.
The Northeast is mountainous and densely forested, and he is accustomed to this kind of geographical environment.
"You said there won't be any ambush in the woods, right?" Chen Zhitai suddenly asked.
It's not that he was really careful.
But when he was in Xiling, he was engaged in ambush and robbery business.
There are also many mountains and forests in Xiling. His favorite thing is to ambush in the jungles beside the roads, just like tigers and wolves waiting for prey. They only wait for passersby to pass by and immediately attack and plunder them.
Years of habit have made him subconsciously suspect if someone is ambushing him when he sees the jungle.
Several people around him looked at each other.
"It's better to be careful." Chen Zhitai said: "This is my first time commanding an enemy to be killed, so don't mess it up." He told someone beside him: "Take two people and ride over quickly, check it out, and drive carefully.
Get the Ten Thousand Years Ship."
The man immediately led the two horses and urged them forward.
Chen Zhitai did not let the team stop and continued moving forward.
After walking for a while, I could see more clearly. The dense forest ahead spread quite widely. It was a large forest. It was dark, and the forest was also pitch black.
It's just that the three cavalry sent out just now have never returned.
If he had not had the experience of being a bandit and ambush in the forest, Chen Zhitai would not have been prepared for an ambush in the forest. After all, he had received the news that Zhanghe City was attacked by enemy troops, and he had to lead his troops to rescue him quickly.
Under such circumstances, he certainly would not have thought that the enemy would ambush him halfway.
"Stop!" Chen Zhitai looked at the dark mountain forest and felt uneasy. He raised his arms and said loudly: "Wait a minute!"
Logically speaking, the distance for the three scouts to conduct reconnaissance on horseback is enough for two round trips, but they have not come back to report so far. Chen Zhitai really feels that something is wrong, so he should not rush there first and wait for the three people to come back.
"Why haven't Song Shixin's men followed?" Someone had been sent to pass the order before, asking Song Shixin to speed up. When the ordering soldiers came back, they also said that Song Shixin had agreed, but at this moment, Song Shixin's soldiers were not followed. Chen Zhitai
His face suddenly looked a little ugly, and he said harshly: "What the hell is he doing behind the scenes?"
In fact, he was really feeling a little uneasy right now.
Although he was suspicious, he still believed that there could not be an enemy ambush in the woods. After all, the Liaodong Army was going to mobilize a large number of soldiers and horses to lay a trap. Huangfu Yunzhao could not know anything about it. There were soldiers and horses from Liaodong entering the camp.
, Huangfu Yunzhao will definitely be prepared and will not send people to rescue Zhanghe City so easily.