Beyond the peach forest, the pines and cypresses are green and the water is gurgling.
Dozens of sergeants drove the cart, chatting and laughing.
They stopped at the edge of a valley.
This valley is fifteen miles long from east to west, with cliffs on both sides, like knives and axes chiseling. The valley is very narrow and deep and dangerous, just like Yuanwang Valley and Forbidden Valley near Tongguan.
There are actually many such terrains in the northwest, and people call them "plateaus." The tops of the plateaus are very flat and can be used for living and farming, but they lack water. The plateaus are surrounded by sheer cliffs, going straight up and down, and there is a narrow deep valley between the plateaus.
Dangerous valley passage.
After the sergeants rested for a while, they began to collect branches and cut down miscellaneous trees.
This deep and dangerous canyon is like a crack in the ground. It used to be a traffic thoroughfare and a gate was built, named "Hangu Pass". However, later the traffic was diverted and the gate was gradually abandoned. At this time, the valley is shaded by pines and cypresses.
It has not seen the light of day and has become a firewood-gathering place for nearby soldiers.
Woodcutter is not a good job, and even among the auxiliary soldiers, not many people are willing to do it. Those who come here are either old, incompetent in skills, or simply marginalized.
Everyone talked and laughed loudly when they were resting, and felt weak when they were working. When they were about to take a second rest, a large group of cavalry came running from a distance.
Everyone gathered quickly and talked about it.
The clever man climbed up the tree, looked around, and said: "There are thousands of riders heading towards the peach forest."
"You can count? How do you know there are thousands of riders?"
"Why go to Taolinsai?"
"Is it Shuofang's army? Do they have no place to live and want to steal our place?"
"If you don't go to fight the Bian soldiers, why are they coming to rob our place?"
No one can explain why.
Taolinsai is an abandoned camp of the Shaanxi and Guo army, located near the old site of Qinhan Valley Pass. To the east is a deep and dangerous valley road that is fifteen miles long, with forests of pines and cypresses that are invisible to the sky. To the west is a valley road that leads directly to Tongguan, but
It is relatively open and has a peach grove in it, hence its name.
The cavalry rushed forward and soon arrived outside Taolin Fortress. They did not mind that the camp was dilapidated and occupied it directly.
At the same time, an army was detached and went straight to Xujin Ferry, three miles northwest of Lingbao County, and captured it.
This ferry is the key point of crossing Dahejin, which can lead directly to the river. The Shaanxi and Guo army stationed 200 sailors here, but they were driven away immediately.
Taolinsai and Xujin were not the only two places they occupied. In fact, Quwo, Xindian and other places on the main road were all guarded by separate troops.
Zhu Jian, the Shaanxi general stationed in Lingbao County, was a little panicked, so he went to Lisuo Shaanxi County in person that day to ask for an audience with the commander-in-chief Wang Gong.
With this posture of Shuofang's army, they can't move the city, but occupy all the key passes of Guan and Tianjin. As long as they think about it, the connection between the counties will be cut off. What are they going to do? How can they borrow the road like this?
Wang Gong was enjoying the dancer's performance in his mansion. When he heard that Zhu Jian was coming, he felt a little unhappy.
"Zhu Si, what are you doing here again?" Wang Gong got up and came to the festival hall. Looking at Zhu Jian who looked anxious, he asked curiously: "Is it possible that some soldiers are causing trouble?"
"How dare the commander-in-chief sit still? Tens of thousands of Shuofang's troops poured into Guozhou and guarded the key areas of Guanjin and Tianjin. They did not see the troops coming out to fight against Bian in the east. Isn't this a false attack on Guozhou?" Zhu Jian did not hesitate and directly sent the troops to Guozhou.
I expressed my worries.
"An Zhijian took advantage of the Tianping Army to go to Chang'an, but was attacked by Zhu Xuan. All three thousand troops were wiped out on the river. It is common for Shao Shude to have such worries. He has written to me, saying that he will guard the passes and protect the grain roads, but there is no need to do so.
He thought. Judging from this, he should be worried that I will use all the Shaanxi and Guo army to cut off his return route." Wang Gong thought for a while and said, "Have the Xia soldiers killed or injured my Shaanxi and Guo soldiers?"
"No." Zhu Jian replied after thinking for a while.
"Don't worry about it in advance. We've let everyone in. We only have about ten thousand soldiers. They are scattered all over the place. How can we defeat them?" Wang Gong raised his right hand, tried to stroke his beard several times, but put it down again, and finally sighed.
In a tone, he said: "Let's just stop doing nothing and gather people to the two prefectures and cities. My father is a commander in the river, how can Shao Shude dare to seize my inheritance? Tens of thousands of soldiers, once they cross the river and go south, their way back will be exhausted.
He wouldn't dare to lose it."
Zhu Jian was stunned. It seemed to make some sense, but he still felt that there were still some problems.
But the coach said so, what could he do? In the end he could only leave unhappy.
He was not in a hurry to return to Lingbao, but returned to his own mansion first.
These generals from outside the town were the leaders outside, and their families were all in Shaanxi County, making it easier for the commander to monitor them. It often took a long time to return home.
His wife Zhang was very happy to see her husband back and immediately sent people to prepare a banquet.
Halfway through the banquet, a guest came, calling himself Zhu.
Zhu Jian originally thought that he was some fake relative who was clinging to me in disguise, but he still thought to himself, I don't have many family members, and if you still come to cling to me, you are seeking your own death. Wait until I have a good show and then kill you.
However, after the guest announced his home address, Zhu Jian was shocked and immediately led him into the study for a secret conversation.
…
Outside Shihao Town, the garrison general opened the gate of the village and welcomed the people in.
There are barracks in the village, hot water, food, and horse feed.
The field soldiers gathered the horses, loosened their girdles and fed them some bran and bean cakes as required by the riding supervisor.
The King of Dongping County in Henan Province has launched a large-scale horse administration and has set up several horse farms. But after all, the time is still short and the foundation is not enough. It would be great if the horse administration can be as prosperous as Pinglu and Chengde.
War horses are precious resources, more expensive than people.
Cai people who dare to fight and fight are everywhere, but war horses that can charge and run are rare.
The land of Lingxia is probably just the opposite of Henan.
Xie Yanzhang was munching on the noodles indiscriminately while seizing the time to assess the military situation.
According to reliable information, Shuofang's army has entered Shaanxi and Guo, and there are many soldiers and horses.
Having more soldiers has advantages and disadvantages.
Xie Yanzhang followed his adoptive father in various expeditions, and almost never had an advantage in terms of military strength. Every time he fought, he was always at a disadvantage.
In the latest rescue operation in Luzhou, more than a thousand elite cavalry took the narrow roads to avoid the eyes and ears of the Jin army, broke into Luzhou City, and joined Feng Ba, which surprised Li Keyong.
After Zezhou withdrew from the siege, they led Feng Ba's elite troops to break through and go south. They were careful and bold along the way, and dispersed the Jin soldiers who intercepted them several times, and finally successfully broke through to Heyang.
I don’t know how the Xia soldiers compare to the Jin soldiers. If they are not elite enough, the more people they have, the worse they will do.
He suddenly remembered the Xia army cavalry he had seen in Guanzhong. They were very elite. Among the Xuanwu army, only Tabai could rival them.
However, his men were not bad either. He made several detours and raids to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, and each time he defeated the enemy force.
In a few days, we will face Xia Bing. Is the cavalry army we saw back then still there?
"Riding Governor, it's time to set off." Liu Kangyi (yì) led his horse over and reminded him.
"Do you know the strategy? If the war goes unfavorably, how to go and where to meet. If you retreat, do you remember where to retreat?" Xie Yanzhang raised his head and asked.
"Remember, you won't run around randomly." Liu Kangyi is also a veteran. He first entered Guanzhong with Huang Chao, and later went to Bian with Prince Dongping. He is among the core of his confidants.
"Call all the officers from each battalion and team." Xie Yanzhang refused to listen and directly ordered all his cavalry generals to gather together.
"If Xia's soldiers are very strong and the attack is unfavorable, where should they retreat?"
"Retreat to the Second Tomb of Koban." The man replied.
"Where are the two tombs in Koban?" Xie Yanzhang asked, naming another person.
"Hu Guo Village."
"Do you know how to get there? What should I do if I run away at night without knowing the direction?"
"They all brought guides, more than one person."
"Xia has many soldiers and horses, and the pursuit is very urgent. How can we wait?"
"You can use the Tuntian Fort to resist."
"Do you remember the location of each fortress clearly?"
"Remember clearly."
"I don't believe it, let's hear it."
Xie Yanzhang took the trouble to ask seemingly trivial but very important questions. After seeing that everyone could answer them fluently, he felt relieved.
The others, whose impressions were strengthened during their questions and answers, should all know how to do it.
"Let's go!" Xie Yanzhang called on everyone to mount their horses and leave.
They brought a lot of unladen horses with them in order to maintain their mobility. However, they were not able to do it with one person and two horses. This made Xie Yanzhang regretful and had to buy more war horses from the vassals in Hebei. There were also many horses in Pinglu Town.
, can also be purchased.
…
Outside Luoyang City, Zhang Quanyi was seeing Ge Congzhou off.
Ge Congzhou took 4,000 of the strongest men in the Yamen army, and at the same time selected 3,000 brave men from the state soldiers and field soldiers, including 600 crossbowmen, and drove the temporarily recruited baggage vehicles and set off westward.
This fake father and son really dared to fight for their lives! Zhang Quanyi was filled with worry.
According to his idea, since the Xia army has not yet arrived, he should repair the city wall, strengthen the walls and clear the fields so that the fields are free from plunder.
Their food road is so long, if they cannot get supplies in Henan Prefecture, they will soon be unable to support themselves.
Ge Congzhou agreed with this point and ordered that the walls be fortified immediately and the country be cleared, leaving only the rations for the people to survive. If the Xia soldiers wanted to rob, they should do so. If the people could not survive, it was their fault.
Of course, the people are not that stupid. They will definitely try their best to hide the food, or simply take the food and hide in the mountains.
Henan Prefecture is not entirely a plain terrain. In fact, there are many mountains and there are many places where you can hide.
But it doesn't matter, as long as you do this, you can greatly reduce the possibility of Xia Bing obtaining food supplies.
Fortunately, someone provided information, and Shao Shude did not dare to completely trust Wang Gong, Wang Chongying and his son, so they were not caught off guard.
Seven thousand troops were walking on the Tongyi Avenue leading to Shaanzhou.
Ge Congzhou looked at the soldiers carefully, and finally the yamen army was able to see through it. The state soldiers and the field soldiers could only be said to be so-so, and they were chosen to be relatively good at fighting. The remaining ones could only defend the city.
If they fight in the field and encounter Shuofang's army, which has never experienced heavy losses and has many veterans, it is estimated that it will be completely defeated.
On the 22nd, the army arrived in Xin'an County, received food and grass supplies, and then headed west to Mianchi County.
There are more than 2,000 troops stationed here.
Ge Congzhou stayed here for a day, inquired about the news, and then left the city to the southwest.
After walking for a day, they saw that it was already dark, so they immediately ordered a U-turn and the entire army headed north toward Yongning County.