"Your Majesty, Niu Jinda sent someone to report that there was civil strife in front of Zheng's army, heavy casualties, Wu Heita, Hao Xiaode and others defected to the Tang Dynasty..."
Xu Shiji hurriedly came to the commander's tent and reported the news to Li Po.
There were more and more signs of civil strife in the Henan army, but when it finally happened, it was still very sudden. By the time Niu Jinda and Shen Qingnu got the news and reported to Li Po, the civil strife in the Zheng army had actually come to an end.
What's even more ridiculous is that Niu Jinda and Shen Qingnu got the news earlier than Wang Renze.
And for the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, this will be a series of chain reactions.
When Li Po heard this, he didn't ask whether the news was true or not, and immediately ordered: "Go back and organize the troops with General Zhang. Follow my general's orders and prepare to cross the river."
For more than a month, all the preparations have been for the arrival of this moment, so Li Po did not hesitate at all. He was not Li Jiancheng. He would not think so much and have so many scruples. What he wanted was very simple, just one day.
A military and strategic victory.
After thinking for a while, he immediately ordered Xu Shiji to say: "Send a message to Niu Jinda and Shen Qingnu. I want Wang Renze's head so that they must occupy the beachhead before the army crosses the river."
Xu Shiji hammered his burning chest, and when no more orders were given, he turned around and left in a hurry.
Subsequently, military orders continued to be heard from the commander's tent, and the Jin army camp on the north bank of Fengling Ferry slowly became commotion. People screamed and horses neighed, and the murderous aura that had been building up for a long time suddenly rose up and shot straight into the sky.
At this time, the number of soldiers gathered under Li Po's command exceeded 30,000, including more than 8,000 cavalry. Such a military force with high morale, full of energy, battle-hardened, and strict military rules and regulations,
It is enough to fight a decisive battle with anyone. The prerequisite is that the entire army can cross the Yellow River.
Xu Shiji and Zhang Shigui are undoubtedly the leaders of the army, followed by Zhang Lun. They will stick to the beach, or adapt to changes and take the initiative to attack to delay the enemy's arrival.
Until the entire army gathered at Fengling Ferry... Their first military target was also very clear, which was the old Hangu site in Hongnong County. If they wanted to block the Tang army in Guanxi, that was the most reliable place to rely on.
Passage and dangerous terrain.
Therefore, Li Po only planned to leave two thousand troops and horses to camp on the north bank to receive the surrendered prisoners, while the rest of the troops were to march to the south bank of the Yellow River, which could be regarded as an all-out effort.
At this time, whether Wang Shichong still has the strength to fight again or returns in defeat, it can no longer change Li Po's established strategy, unless someone can lead a large army to come at this time and forcefully drive down the Jin army.
Yellow River, otherwise, no one can stop Li Po's plan to get involved in Henan.
In such a chaotic situation, accidents are almost everywhere. In fact, before Li Po's military order was passed to Niu Jinda and Shen Qingnu, they had already taken action.
It wasn't because the two of them couldn't keep their composure, nor were they eager to make meritorious deeds, but the situation dictated it.
Although Wang Renze received the news of the defeat of the Tongguan army later than Niu Jinda and the others, it was not much later. Despite his shock, Wang Renze did not lose his bearings.
He immediately summoned his generals to discuss the matter. This single order actually forced Niu Jinda and the two of them to take action.
They didn't dare to go to the Central Army at this time. Shen Qingnu was fine, but Niu Jinda didn't dare to show up in front of Wang Renze. As a fish from Li Mi's old army, Wang Renze would probably cut off his head first without any hesitation.
Say it again.
It's definitely different from usual times. If you don't listen to the orders of the Chinese army at this time, according to military regulations, there is nothing to kill.
Since there is no way to advance or retreat, it must be to strike first. In fact, this is also the case. First, Liu Anshi's troops left Fengling Ferry and wanted to move sideways towards Niu Jinda's troops.
On the front, Wang Renze's brother-in-law Yuan Cong and Huben General Zhang Junnian formed a faint encirclement around Niu Jinda, and the people who reported that Niu Jinda had entered the Chinese army to discuss matters also arrived.
At such a time, Niu Jinda dared not hesitate at all. He immediately killed the intruders from the Chinese army and raised his troops to resist them. He first ordered Niu Meng to lead 200 men to attack Zhang Junnian, while he led 800 troops to attack Yuan Cong's headquarters.
This is not arrogant. Since the expedition to Liaodong, the powerful forces in Shandong and Hebei have never taken the Henan army in their eyes. To this day, the Shandong people who have survived by chance, regardless of gender, old or young, are simply full of hostility.
What's more, Niu Jinda was led by the old subordinates of Zhang Xutuo, who was born out of officers and soldiers and had no rivals in Shandong in the past. The Henan army claims to be able to fight. In fact, it is the guys from Shandong and Hebei who support the battle situation everywhere.
Wang Shichong fought a big battle at Tongguan Pass. In fact, it not only consumed Li Mi's old troops, but also consumed most of the vitality of the Henan army. Veteran soldiers and generals from Shandong and Hebei died in the battle, so the combat effectiveness of the army was completely reduced.
Valley bottom.
At Fenglingdu, Niu Jinda also used facts to tell Wang Renze's generals what kind of military force can be called elite.
A cry of killing suddenly broke out in the camp. Niu Meng led 200 soldiers into Zhang Junnian's camp. Zhang Junnian led more than a thousand people. They were caught off guard and collapsed. In the chaos, Zhang Junnian hardly hesitated and led his troops.
The soldiers turned around and ran towards the Chinese army.
On the other side, it was very different. Yuan Cong was a descendant of the Eastern Wei royal family. He also fought in Liaodong, but he just stayed in the Hussar Mansion and served as the emperor's personal army. Later, he married Wang Shichong's niece and still served in the emperor's personal army.
When he came to the west, he belonged to Wang Renze's subordinates.
The thousand men and horses he led were actually part of Wang Renze's personal army. On weekdays, they were neatly equipped and showed off their power, which looked good. But when they were actually fighting, in front of the ragged Shandong elite, they looked more like they were waiting to be slaughtered.
Lamb-like.
The name Yuan Cong may sound funny, but he is indeed quite smart. Niu Jinda only led his troops to break through the perimeter of his camp. This man did not lead his troops to retreat to the central army, but directly ordered his subordinates to drop their weapons.
Kneel down and ask for surrender...
As for whether this guy was frightened or whether he was smart enough to see the situation clearly, there is nothing to say. Judging from the current situation, what he did was indeed very smart.
Because the Western Expedition army was completely in chaos, Niu Jinda led troops here to rise up, and Shen Qingnu's beggar army over there immediately raised troops to respond. He was on the other side of the camp, separated by the Chinese army, and could not get closer to Niu Jinda.
According to the previous plan, once the two armies rebelled, there would be nothing to say. They would directly kill the Chinese army and take Wang Renze's head.
Therefore, the Qi'er Army attacked Wang Renze's central army. If Niu Jinda raised his troops to resist and Wang Renze and others were still prepared, then the Qi'er Army's attack was like a surprise attack from the sky.
Over there, Zhang Junnian had just escaped into the Chinese army's camp. Here, the beggar army, led by Shen Qingnu, was about to reach Wang Renze's Chinese army's tent.
For a moment, shouts of killing arose everywhere, and the chaos in the camp of more than 10,000 people seemed to be even worse than that in Wang Shichong's camp.
In fact, there is nothing much to say. The scale of this battle that took place on the south bank of the Yellow River was "too small" and can only exist as a footnote to the Battle of Tongguan.
But having said that, its significance is extraordinary, whether it is for Li Po, Wang Shichong, or Li Jiancheng.
The impact is so great that Niu Jinda and Shen Qingnu would never even dream of it.
Wang Renze, who was very shrewd, was deceived and fled in a hurry with his henchmen... The wars were like this these days. Generals in the army were rarely captured. Even if they became prisoners, their chances of survival were much higher than others.
Just like a chaotic battle below Tongguan, so many people's souls flew into the sky, but Wu Heitai, Hao Xiaode and others are still alive. Isn't it unfair? There is no way, so many people depend on others for food. Once the general dies, how many people will die?
Disaster will follow, so no matter how chaotic the situation is, there are countless people who want to risk their lives to be the savior in times of crisis.
This is the role of rewards, punishments and social rules in the military. If you are escorted by your cronies to ask for credit from the enemy, it can only mean one thing. You have completely lost hope for your subordinates.
Wang Renze ran very fast and took people directly to Hongnong, so Niu Jinda and Shen Qingnu's efforts to get a bigger title certificate were shattered.
The two men met in the Chinese army and only captured a few generals who could not escape. The two men did not complain. They immediately joined forces and went back to find trouble for Liu Anshi.
At this time, the two men already had the upper hand in terms of military strength. Even if Liu Anshi was the most courageous and skilled among Wang Renze's generals, the two of them had nothing to fear.
Liu Anshi was actually confused at this time. The emperor's blood dripping when he was touched below Tongguan had already made him panic. Now such a fierce internal strife also occurred on the edge of the Yellow River.
Niu Jinda, who was previously said to be a turtle in an urn, burst out of the urn with bared teeth and claws...
Before he could lead his troops to surround Niu Jinda according to Wang Renze's general order, there was already a fight there.
Just when he was urging his soldiers to advance quickly, thinking of giving Niu Jinda a slap on his butt, so many of his men were beaten to pieces in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, he actually wanted to ask Wang Renze, is this how you lead the troops? In the past, I only heard you bragging about what happened, but at the critical moment, you are so unlucky?
I was also blind, so I followed you, a loser.
He also wanted to lead his troops to retreat to the direction of Tongguan, but he could no longer go. Niu Jinda, Shen Qingnu, and Yuan Cong's troops blocked him by the river.
What's even more frightening is that the Jin army on the other side has begun to cross the river. The figures of Jin soldiers soon covered the pontoon bridges, and the boats that had been built long ago were constantly being transported to the river.
After being persuaded by his generals, Liu Anshi surrendered...
As the news was passed, Zhang Shigui's troops, who were originally preparing to engage in battle, burst into cheers. Not to mention the good start, there were seven or eight thousand more troops at Fengling Ferry.
The only pity is that Wang Renze escaped, and His Highness the King of Han wanted this person's head by name...