Not long after, Duanmu Xianjun walked out with a gloomy face. Seeing that the four of them were there, he walked straight out of the gate. The sentry saluted quickly, and the four of them followed suit.
The group of people lined up and quickly arrived at the square of the Chinese military barracks. Many soldiers were already waiting in line there. There was a general in front of them to coordinate the arrangements. The soldiers were all dressed in black, with sharp knives and strong crossbows, and bright armor. They looked like elites at first glance. Duanmu
Xianjun led the four people over, reported to the general, and then left alone.
General Pi asked people to put a halter on the packhorse and wrap its feet with cotton cloth to prevent it from making any noise. Then he asked them to line up and wait at the side. All four of them were dressed in white, which made them stand out.
After everyone has arrived, Pi will say to the centenarian in front of each team:
"There is a raid mission tonight, and the brave general will go into battle in person. All ceremonies will be simple, and flags and fire tubes will be used as signals during operations." After saying this, he said no more and stood still.
Thousands of people in the square stood in silence and waited.
Not long after, news came from the scouts in front, and General Pi immediately went to report it. After a while, everyone gathered around a young general with a sword hanging at his waist and wearing a battle armor. He walked out majestically. This man was none other than the brave general Shangguan.
Bao Gongsun Yan saw him for the first time after he came to the army. The so-called enemy was extremely jealous when he met him. He clenched his fists and glared at him.
Shangguan Bao was tall and tall, with short eyebrows and a thin face, a ridged nose, and a narrow hall. He raised his head and strode forward, and climbed onto the high platform in front of him with domineering looks. He glanced at the soldiers with a sinister look and said loudly:
"Recently, the troops of the Bangyuan Kingdom have invaded our border many times, and our troops have suffered frequent casualties. If we don't avenge this, how can we guard the border! Today we are going to raid the Bangyuan Kingdom, catch them off guard, and let them remember a little longer."
He waved his arm vigorously and said:
"Set off!"
Thousands of people marched out in an orderly manner. It was already sunset when Gongsun Yan and others walked out of the military camp. The Bingyin Army barracks was originally located at the foot of Tianmenling Mountain in Nanmang Mountain. After the team left the camp, they did not climb the mountain, but walked along the foot of Nanmang Mountain.
As they headed west quickly, although the officers and soldiers had doubts, they did not dare to discuss matters involving military secrets.
Opposite the Tianmen Ridge of the Nanmang Mountain is the Tongtian Ridge of the North Mang Mountain. There is a natural valley between the two mountains, Lianxin Valley, which intersects with the Grand Canyon between the Shuangmang Mountains.
One of the important passages, it is a must-pass for trade exchanges and merchants between the two countries during peacetime. Its strategic position is very important, so every conflict between the two countries begins here.
At first, many people speculated that the target of this raid was Tongtian Ridge, but now it seems that this is not the case.
The team marched quickly, with no intention of slowing down or stopping until late at night. The night was so cold and so dark that it was so dark that the team could not see their fingers. The team's progress was guided entirely by the light from the phosphorus torches of the scouts in front.
It was a difficult journey, and some people began to feel unbearable. With such a high-intensity rapid march, Li Tie and Su Xin, who were accompanying the army, were also having a hard time. Gongsun Yan, on the other hand, had often gone to the mountains with his father to collect herbs since he was a child, and had developed his own skills. He seemed very relaxed at the moment.
.
After traveling to midnight, the team took a short rest on the spot and continued moving forward. When dawn was about to break, the team came to a dense forest at the foot of the mountain. Shangguan Bao ordered the team to hide in the forest and camp on the spot.
The soldiers set up tents one after another, fetched water from nearby, buried pots to boil water, and took out dry food for use. Gongsun Yan and the others also took down the tents from their pack horses and set up tents. They also asked for hot water from other soldiers, then took out dry food and silently
It was time to eat. None of the four of them had brought any luggage. After eating, they slept directly in the tent with their clothes on.
After a night of traveling, everyone was exhausted, so they slept until six o'clock in the morning. It wasn't until someone came to wake them up that Gongsun Yan and the others got up immediately.
After dinner, it was already evening, so they immediately dismantled their tents, packed their bags and continued to move forward with the team.
After that, except for two short breaks along the way, they kept rushing along nervously with the team. Finally, near dawn on the third day after leaving the barracks, after they climbed a mountain ridge, there was a call from the front of the team.
An order to rest. There was already a garrison guarding the place and a fort was built, but it was not large. When they arrived, drinking water and supplies were quickly delivered.
At this time, Jiang Qi quietly said to Gongsun Yan:
"After we came out, we went all the way west. It is estimated that if we go further west, we will soon enter the territory of Xia Su Kingdom." Gongsun Yan couldn't help but be shocked after hearing this. He knew very little about the geography of Huachen Kingdom, and secretly thought that he would make more efforts in this area in the future and travel abroad.
, it is very necessary to be familiar with meteorology and geography.
In fact, Jiang Qi's guess was good. They were already on the Hongya Ridge of Nanmang Mountain, opposite Wujin Ridge in the Bangyuan Kingdom. Going west for more than a hundred miles, they entered the Xiasu Kingdom.
The reason why Shangguanbao and the others chose this place as their raid target was mainly because Wujin Ridge in the Mangyuan Kingdom was once a place rich in Wujin. In its heyday, there were thousands of Wujin mines. There were many illegal miners of Wujin back then, and many secret paths were opened up.
, there is such a small road from Hongyaling to Wujinling. The mountains and dangerous roads here are sparsely populated. Now the Wujin Mine has long been abandoned, and this road is even more inaccessible.
Although Wujin Ridge is not easy to attack, it is also very difficult to defend. To climb Wujin Ridge from the direction of Hongya Ridge, you must first cross the Grand Canyon, and then pass through a valley about five miles long - Heishan Gorge, before you can climb Wujin Ridge.
The stream in the Grand Canyon was originally the natural dividing line between the two countries. It was winter and the water flow was not fast, so you could wade across the river. Shangguan Bao was worried about being ambushed in Heishan Gorge, so he sent scouts to reconnoiter first.
The team rested and stood by during the day, and the soldiers rested either in the camp or in the tents. Gongsun Yan and the others set up their own tents to rest. They ate dry food for breakfast. It was already broad daylight and they had a clear view of the mountainous terrain features.
Jiang Qi looked out from the gap in the tent and said to himself: "As expected, this is Hongya Ridge." Then he turned around and whispered to everyone:
"This place is only more than a hundred miles away from Xiasu Kingdom to the west. Across the canyon is the Rampant Kingdom. Everyone must be careful during this cross-border raid! When taking action, follow the team closely and don't fall behind! I don't think we will move during the day, so hurry up and rest now
." After saying that, he put on his clothes and went to sleep.
Gongsun Yan and others also quickly lay down to rest.
At dusk, news came from the scouts that there was nothing unusual on the other side of the Grand Canyon. Shangguan Bao immediately ordered all the soldiers to sneak to the Lingxia Canyon and wait for orders. He also ordered one of his subordinate generals to lead a hundred soldiers as the vanguard to sneak attack the other side and quickly occupy the Heishan Gorge.
Highlands on both sides.
Less than an hour later, news came from the front that everything was going well!
Shangguan Bao immediately ordered the entire army to attack Wujin Ridge! The team was like a sharp sword, swiftly piercing the night ahead.
Gongsun Yan and the others rushed together in the middle and rear of the team. He was completely confused about the direction and followed Jiang Qi. He waded across the canyon and entered the Black Mountain Gorge not far away.
Shangguan Bao and several generals and military advisors were the last group to enter the Black Mountain Gorge. They had just walked not far when they heard a "boom" of artillery, and countless torches, pine oil, and sulfur were suddenly thrown down from the cliffs on both sides of the canyon.
, saltpeter, branches and other objects, the canyon instantly became like daylight, war drums were beating all around, and the sound of killing was loud.
The faces of Shangguan Bao and others suddenly turned pale. Seeing that the situation was not good, he shouted loudly:
"Not good! There is an ambush among us. The rear team becomes the front team, retreat immediately!"
What a pity! It was too late. Heavy troops from the Bangyuan Kingdom had already rushed out from the entrance of the canyon to intercept them. Rows of arrows shot at Shangguan Bao and others from all directions like a shower of locusts. Shangguan Bao immediately concentrated his troops to break out in the direction of the attack.
At this moment, the army of the Huachen Kingdom in the canyon was in chaos. The team was divided into several sections by the flames. Many soldiers were hit by arrows or burned. Jiang Qi and the others quickly took out gauze, wetted it, covered their mouths and noses, and quickly went to rescue.
They kept stopping the bleeding and bandaging the wounds of the injured soldiers, but the casualties were heavy and Jiang Qi and others had no time to treat the wounded. Seeing this, Jiang Qi quickly said to everyone:
"Immediately follow the direction of the main force and break out of the encirclement. Try not to fall behind. If it doesn't work, break out separately and take care of your destiny."
Then he turned to Gongsun Yan and said, "Just take my package with you. If you can't find me in the future, keep it for yourself!" After saying that, he jumped forward and rushed toward the entrance of the canyon.
Gongsun Yan and others followed without hesitation. Unfortunately, none of them had any martial arts skills, and they had to constantly dodge arrows and avoid flames. They were soon left behind.
There were roars and shouts of death coming from the direction of the entrance of the canyon, indicating that the battle was very fierce. Gongsun Yan thought that even if he rushed to the entrance of the canyon, it would be difficult to break out, and his life would most likely be decided there. At this moment, his heart was actually
He calmed down and stopped running.
Gongsun Yan looked around with the help of the firelight and had an idea in his mind. He immediately turned back and ran back the way he came.