The sunny weather for three consecutive days did not bring much help.
The road was still muddy and wet everywhere. The auxiliary soldiers went out to collect firewood, and when they came back to light a fire for cooking, the smoke was billowing and the smell was choking.
Of course there are benefits. The clothes are dried, which makes everyone feel much better. Wearing wet clothes for a long time is not a problem even if the warriors are in good physical condition.
Another benefit is that siege warfare can resume again.
The Dingyuan Army sent two thousand infantry to the north. When they approached Taigu Pass, they encountered hundreds of fleeing Liang soldiers. It was said that they were fellow countrymen from Tutuan who came with Zhu Hanbin.
A funny chase and escape battle unfolded in the wilderness.
The two sides chased each other hard on the slippery muddy ground. From time to time, someone fell down. From a distance, it looked like they were slowing down.
"Don't run away! Those who abandon their weapons will avoid death!"
"Where can you run? How many miles can you walk in this mud in a day?"
"Come back, I won't hurt you."
“There are steamed cakes to eat!”
The last sentence worked. Liang Junxiangyong who escaped was not a fool. He knew that there were not many people in Ruzhou and the roads were so muddy. It would be good if he could run ten miles a day. Can he guarantee that he would not be hungry?
So people came over one after another, throwing swords, guns, bows and tokens all over the floor. At the last count, there were 533 people, all of whom were Xiangyong from Zhengzhou.
"Come out of Taigu Pass?" An officer came forward and asked.
"The general's accent seems familiar..."
"Don't be such a talker." The officer smiled and cursed, and said, "I am from Linru County, Ruzhou. Where did you come from?"
The officer did not lie to him. When Chen Cheng went to Henan to recruit troops, Henan Prefecture, Ruzhou, Xuzhou, and Chenzhou were the big ones. This man was initially incorporated into the Tielin Army because his skills were good, he trained hard, and he dared to fight.
Even if he fought hard, he could be considered a leader even among the powerful Tielin Army, so he was transferred to other armies during the general reorganization.
I have been in the army for ten years. I have served in four armies and my rank has become higher and higher. I am already a deputy general and am in charge of 500 people.
"They came out from Taigu Pass. General Zhu from Luoyandu ran away. An acquaintance of the sergeants informed him. After everyone heard this, they felt that Zhu Hanbin was too unjust. They came out together, but he ran away first."
"How could Taigu Pass let you out?"
"We are guarding the stockade outside. Once everyone gathers together, we leave directly."
"How is the situation in Guanzhong?"
"There were many casualties and morale was low. If it were not for the support of the Changzhi Army, they would have collapsed long ago. People who encountered Guancheng when they went out to collect firewood said that the Xia soldiers attacked fiercely regardless of casualties and continued to fight. If they continued to fight, the city would be afraid
There won’t be many people left.”
The officer nodded, turned around and ordered: "Gather all the prisoners and send them back."
Wang Yu, who was resting in Yingyang County, quickly received the news.
"Send the order: Prepare the equipment, and tomorrow the army will go north and attack Taigu." Wang Yu immediately ordered.
"The military envoy may bring the captured soldiers with him to persuade them to surrender," an aide suggested.
"That's right." Wang Yu nodded in agreement and said, "After the Taigu Pass defenders learned that Yingyang had been lost, they were in chaos. If they can be persuaded to surrender, many casualties can be reduced, which is also a good thing. Elite soldiers are hard to come by, and one can stand up to several others. Where are the weak soldiers?"
On April 17, Dingyuan Army envoy Wang Yuqin led more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry people to the north, and the elimination of the remaining enemies at Taigu Pass entered the final stage.
…
"Brothers, stop fighting! I have been waiting to guard Heyang for several months, but no one has come to rescue me."
"General Huo is so pitiful. After waiting for three months, no reinforcements came, so he had no choice but to set himself on fire."
"Dengfeng and Yingyang have been lost. Where can you go?"
"It's raining heavily. Even if there are reinforcements, I'm afraid they won't be able to get through. Stop defending and surrender."
"You have almost two thousand casualties. We have been fighting for so long. I respect you for being a man. Surrender, King Xia, benevolent and spare your lives."
"What's the point of resisting? If you are all natives of your hometown, it's understandable that you won't surrender. But if you don't have a single Ruzhou soldier, you're still holding on!"
A battle had just ended, and the retired Tielin Army soldiers were resting.
After the heavy rain stopped, they had been attacking the city for two consecutive days, killing hundreds of thieves. Today was the third day. They once attacked the city and beheaded more than 270 people. Of course, they also suffered heavy casualties.
Everyone can see that Taigu Pass cannot be guarded for much longer.
The Dingyuan Army sent people to report and gathered more than 500 enemy troops in the north of Yingyang. Yesterday, they marched northward. When they approached Taigu Pass, they gathered hundreds more troops who were routed. They were all Zhengzhou Township warriors that Zhu Hanbin had brought there. .
Today, it is estimated that there are only more than 3,000 defenders in Taigu Pass, no more than 4,000, and more than half of them are in panic. If they are not watched, they will run away at any time.
This Guancheng can be defended for about ten days at most, and then it will collapse. Without reinforcements from outside, the damage to morale will be too great!
Shao Shude personally went to the front line to supervise the battle.
The Tielin Army participated in the Battle of Heyang Nancheng.
Participated in the Battle of Taigu Pass again.
This kind of high-intensity battle will not cause casualties, and it will test the psychological quality of the soldiers very much.
What do the Tielin Army soldiers lack?
It's not martial arts. In fact, even those new recruits from the Cai people have good basic skills, not to mention that after a year of hard training, their level has improved a lot.
It's not about discipline and equipment. The Xia army's training is still very formal, and they are in a long-term war. No one dares to cheat in this regard, so these have never been a problem.
What is missing is the fierceness that makes the bayonet see red. This cannot be practiced. It must be transformed on the battlefield with real swords and real guns against the enemy, where flesh and blood are flying everywhere.
The brutality of the siege battle can quickly wear away the psychological illusions and naivety of the recruits, allowing them to quickly transform into a killing machine, and a skilled and well-trained killing machine.
After defeating Taigu Pass, drag them to the Yique area for a few battles.
The backbone of the Tielin Army has lost too much blood over the years, and has expanded too quickly. Although there are still many old people who can help and guide new members, which can shorten the time for newcomers to grow up, in the end, they must go to more battles and fight more, so that they can improve faster.
The persuasion to surrender seems to have had some effect. A lot of people came out of the northern tower of Taigu Pass. Even during the battle, there were not so many people crowded at the top of the city. It seemed that the sergeants who were resting in the city also came up.
, the officers could not stop it, or some junior officers were happy to see it happen.
The people trying to persuade us to surrender worked harder and shouted in unison: "Surrender! The Dingyuan Army is about to attack from the south. How far is it from Ruzhou to here? Can we reach this muddy place within ten days?"
"How much money will you get for working for Zhu Quanzhong? Don't worry, surrender. King Xia will conquer Bianzhou next year. By then, the people will be under King Xia's rule. You can each go back to your home."
"If we don't surrender today, you will all be reduced to powder under attack from two sides. Don't say that you were unpredicted."
When they were trying to persuade them to surrender, the noise at the top of the city became even louder.
"Brothers of the Changzhi Army don't have to worry. The Heiji Army has been built in Lingzhou, and the sergeants who surrendered in Luoyang have all joined the army. This month, I will receive two hu of dendrobium for receiving food, and five rewards will be given a year, as well as spring and autumn clothing. Zheng'er
The Yamen soldiers of the Eight Classics don’t have to worry about their livelihood.”
"Go kill thieves on the grassland, and you can divide the cattle and sheep you get back. I don't know how comfortable it is."
"If you rob a woman, you can still settle down again."
With a "creak" sound, the city gate opened. The soldiers at the top of the city were in an uproar and rushed down one after another.
The officers and soldiers of Shunyi, who were preparing for the next round of offensive, looked at each other. Is this going to be won?
…
Outside Yangzhai County, Zhao Lin stopped panting.
The road was muddy, and the scouts could not go far. By the time they received the news, the enemy troops were often already nearby. This was the situation he was facing now: The scouts had just come to report that Xia soldiers had been discovered five or six miles to the south. They were about
There appeared to be seven or eight hundred people, leading a large number of horses and mules, and were on their way.
He thought for a moment and realized that this was the Feilong Army that had bypassed Dengfeng County and headed south. There were about 10,000 people. Looking at them, could they be retreating? The target was Yangdi County?
Zhao Lin looked at the monkey-like sergeants following him. They totaled less than 2,000 people, and they were all gathering together one after another along the way.
"Oh, we can't fight!" Zhao Lin sighed, turned to look at Wang Yanzhang and Du Yanqiu, and said: "You two, the bandit army is strong, can Yangzhai still enter?"
The prestige of the Zhao Dajun envoy has dropped sharply in the past few days. Wang Yanzhang and Du Yanqiu both looked at him coldly and obviously had a lot of opinions. Zhao Lin felt that it was very boring. Am I greedy for life and afraid of death? I am counting the troops for Po Xia.
Think about the future of thousands of soldiers! When we went out to fight, there were 6,000 people, all of them were in high spirits and with high morale. Now, even 2,000 people are not enough. They are all dejected and with low morale. If the battle continues, the entire army will be annihilated.
Wang Yanzhang hesitated for a moment after hearing this, and said with emotion: "Military envoy, the thieves said that I have few soldiers, so they will not dare to fight. It is better to do the opposite, take the initiative to meet the thieves, and fight with the thieves. The thieves were surprised, maybe for me
The army is defeated. At the end of the day, the general is incompetent. I am willing to be the vanguard and lead the dead soldiers to the front."
Du Yanqiu had a different opinion. He just heard him say: "No! A few days ago, I would have gone forward with General Wang to kill the enemy. But now we can no longer fight. The battle will be defeated and only cause casualties."
Wang Yanzhang glanced at Du Yanqiu in surprise, as if he didn't understand why General Du Shi, who was equally impassioned and daring to fight a few days ago, suddenly didn't want to fight to the death.
Du Yanqiu smiled bitterly and said: "Envoy Zhao, General Wang, you might as well take a look. The soldiers have no food for three days, and many of their armors and equipment are missing. How can we attack them?"
Zhao Lin and Wang Yanzhang subconsciously looked at the sergeants who were too tired to care and just sat in the mud, looking at each other in silence.
"Then it's better not to fight." Zhao Lin said immediately.
In fact, he didn't want to fight at first, but now with the support of Du Yanqiu, he immediately ordered: "Let's run east to Xuzhou. Save some dry food, we can still insist on running back. If it doesn't work, we can collect some more on the way. It will be enough."
Already."
Wang Yanzhang remained silent.
Du Yanqiu sighed and said: "Military envoy, General Wang, please go. Take the soldiers who are willing to leave with you. I won't leave."
Wang Yanzhang suddenly pulled out the sword from his waist and scolded: "Du Yanqiu, do you want to subjugate the thief? Aren't you afraid that the brothers will tie you up and take you back to Bianzhou for questioning?"
Du Yanqiu pointed at the sergeants who were slumped on the ground and said, "General Wang might as well ask everyone what they think."
Zhao Lin's eyelids twitched.
Everyone has been running away for the past few days, and everyone is really embarrassed. Their physical strength and energy have been exhausted to the extreme. They say they have three days of rations, but that is an average. In fact, many people have not even half a day of rations, and they all hope to go into the city to loot and eat.
It's a full meal.
If the Xia thieves were tempted to surrender with food, he could not guarantee what the soldiers' attitude would be.
In addition, it is not a bad thing that Du Yanqiu has been defeated by the King of Xia. In the past, everyone drank and had fun together, and the friendship was fine. If things are not harmonious in the future, there may be someone to help speak up.
Thinking of this, he quickly grabbed Wang Yanzhang and said: "General Wang, the defeat of this army is all my fault. I know that the general killed the thieves bravely and won the title of the three armies. After returning, I apologized to the king and made a statement.
It’s a tribute to the general’s bravery. It’s better to leave now. The soldiers are extremely tired, have no armor, no spears, and only a few bows. They can’t fight like this.”
After that, he grabbed Wang Yanzhang, called out to the sergeants who were willing to follow him, and hesitantly headed east.