After the mobilization is completed, there is not much to say.
There are already masters and some sergeants active in the enemy camp. If it is delayed any longer, there will be no effect of the surprise attack. This is actually a good opportunity. The enemy has not yet risen, and the overall situation is relatively weak, and their vigilance is also at their lowest. And they
They ran wildly all night without stopping, and their speed exceeded the enemy's retreat. They tried their best to ensure surprise.
Victory or defeat depends on this!
However, I am still a little bit regretful. This is obviously an outlying camp, and there is no way to directly kill the pseudo-emperor Zheng Renmin, which makes Li Lin very unhappy.
As expected, not everyone can have the opportunity to leave a mark in history.
"Get started." After resting for a while, Li Lin saw the movement in the enemy camp getting louder and louder. Knowing that he could not wait any longer, he ordered an attack. In order to boost morale, he took the lead and led the cavalry to clear the way.
The infantry also jumped up and rushed forward in small steps.
Master Nanzhao had just opened the camp gate and went out to collect firewood. Suddenly he saw a horse standing tall on the hillside in front of him, charging towards him with a roar, and he was so frightened that he froze there.
There is someone behind the Roaring Knight!
One horse after another followed closely behind, and one after another the shining silver spears stabbed at them.
The leading master wanted to shout "enemy attack", but his legs kept shaking and it was difficult to swallow his saliva, so he couldn't shout anything.
"Enemy attack!" Several masters beside him shouted.
After shouting, he left him on the spot and ran back to the camp.
The cavalry is close at hand.
The frozen master fell softly to the ground, his eyes full of despair.
His parents worked hard for him all their lives and dedicated the family's only cow to the cave owner, in exchange for the position of captain of the civilian husband, specializing in woodcutter and no need to fight.
He also has a wife and children, the oldest child is only five years old, and the youngest child was born just before the expedition. Life at home is difficult, and his wife cannot handle it alone. He must return alive.
Because of his diligence, he was praised by a big man from the south, who rewarded him with several horses of silk stolen from the Han people. He could buy a new cow when he returned, and his life would be greatly improved.
He cannot die, his life is not entirely his own, he cannot afford to die!
"Pfft!" Ma Shan stabbed him without emotion, penetrated his body instantly, then lifted him high and threw him out hard.
A large stream of blood gushed out from the Master's mouth and nose, and the severe pain made him unable to think. His last memory was of being thrown onto a group of soldiers rushing out of the tent.
Death is so cheap sometimes.
"Drive back the thieves who rush out!" Li Lin's voice was particularly loud amid the chaotic sounds of horse hooves.
At his call, dozens of cavalry rushed over and dispersed a group of thieves who had gathered in chaos.
Li Lin stared at the thief leader who looked like a general. He had no weapons in his hands, was wearing single clothes, and was barefoot - well, many Nanzhao soldiers were barefoot.
"Death!" Li Lin galloped over and stabbed him with his spear.
The thief general was shouting and gathering his soldiers. Unexpectedly, Li Lin rushed over and was stabbed in the abdomen.
This man was also so fierce that he fell to his knees in pain, but he held on to the pole tightly and refused to let go. When the soldiers beside him saw this, they were filled with grief and anger, and they rushed up one after another desperately, waving.
Kill with knife.
Li Lin's horse speed dropped seriously, and he was stopped for a moment and fell off the horse.
Fortunately, Pao Ze rushed over and stabbed all the thieves to the ground with a few blows.
"If you survive the catastrophe, you will definitely win this battle." Li Lin got up from the ground, laughed loudly, changed his horse, and rushed towards the enemy's army waving his mace.
"Kill the thieves!" The infantry also shouted and rushed into the camp, cutting and killing indiscriminately. The thieves army was not organized, the leader died again, and the army was defeated.
Yang Shigui is a smart man. He knows that he has a small number of people and his physical strength is still lacking. He cannot force himself and must outsmart him.
As a result, under his command, the troops formed a loose formation, stabbed the enemy's tents with spears, and then set fire to create chaos.
The dark night before dawn was lit red by the fire, and the whole camp was in chaos.
The shouts, curses, fighting sounds, and screams were mixed together, which made people stunned and at the same time caused trembling from the soul: OK, why did the fight suddenly start?
After Li Lin finished his charge, he was very satisfied when he saw that his infantry, under the command of Yang Shigui, was driving the broken troops towards the valley in an orderly manner.
He has already seen that this camp is not big, with more than two thousand soldiers and more than a thousand masters holding it to death. It is an outer security camp for the main force of the Southern Barbarians. Only by breaking through them can he create greater chaos and achieve greater results.
Yang Shigui's approach is right. This Yandi surrendered general is quite capable!
****
The rebels fled into the valley crying and crying.
They had no armor, no weapons, and lost all fighting spirit. They kept retreating backwards, just to avoid the fierce Xia people.
The army general Gao Xianwen was killed outside the tent. He was already dead. How could he inspire others to fight? The army general was a Nanzhao official. He was a military attaché and courtier inside, and a military envoy when he left the town. After making great contributions,
, can be promoted to Qingpingguan (prime minister), that is, from general to prime minister.
The Xia army formed a formation and ran quickly, driving them away slowly.
They used their spears to stab down the slower running soldiers, and used rifle bows to shoot at the military academy that was trying to contain the defeated soldiers. As a result, more than a thousand thieves could not organize themselves and could only run towards the valley.
While running, they were shouting and screaming. The Nanman in the valley just wanted to step forward to contain and intercept them, but they were immediately dispersed, creating even greater chaos.
"Dong dong dong!" The rhythmic drum beats sounded at the right time from the mountain ridges on both sides, and at the same time, there were faint sounds of killing.
The chaos is getting worse!
Originally, some people were planning to counterattack, but when they heard the sound of the drums, they subconsciously hesitated. As a result of this hesitation, they were quickly knocked around by the oncoming rout.
"Hoola la!" The fire burned blazingly, and the smoke filled the air and shot straight into the clouds.
The visibility suddenly became very low!
"Fire the arrows! Fire the arrows!" The thieves were not without rules. Although the camps in the valley did not build strong villages, they were strictly divided into campsites and even had fire ditches - not as strict as the Central Plains army, but by no means the same.
The rabble is comparable.
The defeated soldiers were attacked head-on and shot to death by a hail of arrows, leaving corpses strewn all over the ground.
Li Lin roared angrily and rushed over with more than 300 cavalrymen, braving the enemy's arrows.
Sounds of breaking through the sky were heard continuously, and people kept falling off their horses during the charge. However, with their sacrifice and cover, the cavalry behind took advantage of the incomplete formation of the rebels and cut into the formation, regardless of the decrease in horse speed.
What's the consequence? Anyway, it's just killing them desperately, and then disintegrating this still intact army bit by bit.
Now no one organized any resistance at all.
The defeated soldiers were scattered all over the ground, shouting and screaming, and the valley was in chaos. Panic-stricken crowds were everywhere, dying from arrows, dead horses, swords, trampled, and even
Choking to death by smoke - the fire that originally burned only locally quickly spread to other areas as the Xia army's cavalry repeatedly charged and killed.
There was no one to direct, no one to put out the fire, and everyone was in a hysterical mood. They just wanted to run backwards for their lives, without any courage to turn back and fight.
Li Lin has changed the third horse today.
The horse was left on the belly of the thief general Gao Xianwen, and the mace was also lost in the battle. Later, he changed to a saber and cut it until the blade curled up.
His breathing was heavy, and he was breathing heavily during the charge. He was extremely tired. But after seeing the thieves defeated, for some reason, he regained a lot of strength. His face turned red, and he took the
He slashed the thief's body with his curled saber. No one dared to fight back wherever he passed.
When the saber was no longer usable, he pulled out his last secondary weapon, Tielao, from its sheath, and took the lead in charging towards the dozens of thieves who were trying to form a formation and resist.
The other people looked the same as Li Lin. There were more than 3,000 people, whether on foot or on horseback. If there were still some worries before the war, now they were all excited, their courage doubled, and even their physical fatigue miraculously disappeared.
.
There is only one thought in everyone's mind: to create chaos, drive away the defeated troops, charge as hard and as far as possible, and seal the wife's shadow today!
****
Zheng Renmin had just finished breakfast when he heard the news.
He actually got up very early today because he would summon the generals to discuss matters later.
The discussion may last all day, because many people's camps are far away and the soldiers and horses are not here, so it will take time to get there.
He didn't sleep well last night.
Chou Shi was suddenly awakened and learned that Zheng Qi had led more than 5,000 people to the north to cut trees and build fences. He felt relieved and lay down to sleep again.
At the beginning of the morning, he didn't know why, but he felt panicked in his heart. He knew there was no reason for this, and he planned to continue to squint for a while, but he couldn't fall asleep after tossing and turning.
After struggling for a while, he simply got up.
After washing up and eating breakfast, I asked about the situation at Zheng Qi's side. I learned that no news had been sent back yet, and I became increasingly irritated.
He even wondered if Zheng Qi had encountered an enemy?
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Zhao Shanzheng and Duan Yizong arrived in a hurry and brought him explosive news: the former army station was raided by the Xia people and was defeated. General Gao Xianwen was lost in the chaos and his life or death was unknown.
Zheng Renmin's dumbfounded expression lasted for a long time, and finally he said: "Where are Zheng Qi's five thousand people?"
Duan Yizong took a deep breath and said: "Piao Xin, the Xia army is in full military appearance and in great momentum. It is obvious that they did not come over the mountains. General Zheng's troops are probably gone."
"It's gone? How could it be gone?" Zheng Renmin raised his voice and asked.
Zhao Shanzheng and Duan Yizong looked at each other and said in unison: "It was probably because they were unprepared at night and fell into the enemy's path."
When people face hard-to-accept bad news, they usually go through several steps, namely denial, anger, negotiation, depression, and acceptance.
Zheng Renmin rushed to the Northern Expedition with great enthusiasm, and it went very smoothly at the beginning, which had completely whetted his appetite. But when the main force of the Xia army went south for reinforcements, he suddenly suffered a big loss. It took him a whole night to reluctantly accept this bad news.
news, but still maintains a glimmer of hope, hoping that through a few victories, the situation can be gradually reversed.
But now you tell me that the enemy troops have reached the door? How did they come? Zheng Renmin subconsciously couldn't accept it and didn't believe this fact.
"Piao Xin." Duan Yizong also raised his voice and said: "The Xia people came all the way from the post road. Even if General Zheng did not die for his country, the army must have collapsed. There is no doubt about it."
"Nonsense!" Zheng Renmin suddenly stood up, patted the table and said: "Zheng Qi has been familiar with military literature since he was a child. Even the late emperor praised him for knowing it by heart. How could he be gone with five thousand troops and horses? How could he be gone?
?”
Duan Yizong shook his head and sighed, saying: "The facts are all there. The front camp was defeated, and the defeated troops spread all over the mountains and fields. Piao Xin can tell it at a glance."
Zheng Renmin's body swayed and he fell down on the bed.
The two prime ministers would not lie to him, and there was no need to lie about this kind of thing. Besides, he had already heard the rapid footsteps and passwords outside. Could it be that everyone was lying to him?
"Piao Xin..." Duan Yizong was about to persuade again, but was stopped by Zheng Renmin.
"How many traitors have come?" Zheng Renmin asked.
"I'm not sure." Duan Yizong said: "The rebels were beating drums everywhere, and the sound of killing was loud. There were many flags on the mountain ridges, valleys, and woods. It looked like a lot. But it might be a trick to deceive the soldiers. It's hard to say.
"
"What's the trick of suspecting soldiers?" Zhao Shanzheng suddenly said: "If there are few people, how can we defeat Zheng Qi in one battle? How can we kill Gao Xianwen's formation?"
"General Gao's life and death are unknown, Prime Minister Zhao, please be careful what you say," Duan Yizong said.
"Even if he is not dead, what's the use?" Zhao Shanzheng sneered and said: "Piao Xin, General Gao is not ignorant of soldiers. Even if he is attacked and caught off guard, the front camp will not be defeated so simply. The rebel army will definitely not be defeated.
A few, maybe tens of thousands of people."
"Tens of thousands of people..." Zheng Renmin was shocked. There were less than 30,000 people on his side. If tens of thousands of Xia thieves really came to kill them, could they stop them?
"Zhao Shanzheng!" Duan Yizong became angry and said, "Why talk nonsense?"
"Duan Yizong, why do you care about Piao Xin's safety?" Zhao Shanzheng asked.
"What do you want?" Duan Yizong stared at Zhao Shanzheng and asked.
Zhao Shanzheng ignored him, turned to look at Zheng Renmin, and said: "Piao Xin's safety is more dangerous than Mount Tai, how can he lightly invade dangerous areas? No matter how many thieves come, the front army is in a huge defeat, the Chinese army is demoralized, and the thieves' morale is at its peak, thinking
Come and go, please—"
"Shut up!" Duan Yizong also looked at Zheng Renmin and begged: "Piao Xin, the thieves came at night. Even if there are strong soldiers, there are not many of them. Moreover, the attack is long-distance, the strength is greatly weakened, and it cannot last. I ask Piao Xin to get up and drive to the direction.
To the north, set up a yellow umbrella to cover the mountain ridge, so that the soldiers can see where Piao Xin is. In this way, the confused soldiers will be inspired and their courage will be doubled, and the fleeing soldiers will be inspired to return and fight again.
Perhaps this fierce enemy can be restrained."
"You have to shut up!" Zhao Shanzheng risked his life and said: "Where are the Duan family's soldiers and horses? On the left wing, in the rear camp, neither in the front army nor in Rongjing's escort. Duan Yizong, you want to harm Piao Xin.
Yeah? Mr. Duan can’t wait so much?”
Zheng Renmin's heart moved.
Duan Yizong was so angry that he almost vomited blood, rushed directly to Zhao Shanzheng and slapped him in the face.
Zhao Shanzheng did not show weakness and turned around to fight with Duan Yizong.
Zheng Renmin was silent and seemed to have fallen into concentration.
The footsteps outside became more rapid, and the noise gradually grew louder.
After a while, several generals opened the tent and walked in.
Zheng Renmin suddenly woke up, and after struggling for a long time, he said: "Send the order, all the armies to protect the Holy Jia, first withdraw to Qionglai Pass, reorganize the troops and horses, and then make plans."
