Wu Sheng's army ambushed Si Zhenshan on the third day.
After dinner, several riders sneaked out from the Xiapixi city gate.
The Heavenly Army patrol discovered them, and the flying cavalry reported to Wang Zheng. Wang Zheng looked around and said with a smile: "Now there is only Xiang Yilu left around Xiapi. Since there are several cavalry sneaking around, they are probably the messengers heading here."
"General, in that case, should we capture these people first for Wu Sheng?" Xu Fang and Yu Jin looked at each other and asked proactively.
"Well, there's no rush for now." Wang Zhengsi thought for a while and said to Xun Yi: "Follow me from a distance. If these people go to the east to take pictures, don't be in a hurry to capture them. When they get near Wu Sheng's tribe, if he notices, just
Report back and forth, and if you don’t find it, help him catch it.”
"If these knights don't go to Xiangxiang and go elsewhere..." Wang Zheng waved his hand and shouted: "Behead them on the spot!"
The patrolman took the order and left. After he left, Wang Zheng ordered the generals: "From today... no, tonight, pay attention to Xiapi City to see if there are any troop movements!"
"Here!"
.....
The messenger from Xiapi was galloping all the way through the starry night, but when he was thirty miles away from Sizhen Mountain, he was discovered by Wu Sheng's sentries on the outside.
He had already told him before that he would turn a blind eye to those who left the city, but would not let anyone enter the city.
Arrows were fired at each other from both sides, but within two or three rounds, several messengers fell off their horses one by one and were killed. Seven or eight scout horses swarmed up, captured the last one and took him straight to the valley.
I have already searched my body and found nothing in the letter bag. If I want to know the inside story, I can only get it from the mouth of the messenger.
Looking at the blood-stained prisoners under the tent, Wu Sheng's eyes flashed fiercely. Just as he was about to speak, Li Ren volunteered. It turned out that although he was a soldier, he came from a family of criminals, and the art of extorting confessions was passed down from his ancestors. Wu Sheng
Upon hearing this, he gave him a try and waved his hand to order the messenger to be handed over to Li Ren.
Li Ren took him out of the account directly, and after a while, he brought good news.
"Major Wu!" Li Ren said eagerly, "Xiapi has indeed sent troops!"
"Oh?" Wu Sheng looked sideways: "How many people are there?"
"Three thousand people!" Li Ren shouted excitedly. This number made him feel relieved, and the previous pressure suddenly disappeared.
Wu Sheng, on the other hand, was just the opposite. He was startled when he heard this number, and then muttered with some dissatisfaction: "Is it just that much?"
"Quite a bit." Li Ren glanced at Wu Sheng with some admiration. Looking at this guy's appearance, he thought he was as rough as his own, but unexpectedly he was a bit more resourceful: "Major Wu is really awesome."
"It's not that I'm great." Wu Sheng waved his hand, looked around at everyone, and said with an empty hand to the west: "When I came out, A Zheng... Tiangong General told me that the current Prime Minister is Xiapi's last foreign aid. If he encounters
If the enemy attacks, Xiapi will never sit idly by and ignore it. This is called..."
Having said this, Wu Sheng frowned and thought about it. What was that word called? He couldn't remember it for a while.
"Attack them and you will save them, and annihilate those who rescue them," Li Ren said with a smile, "I heard Master Yan say this."
"Master Yan?" Wu Sheng didn't go to Yangzhou and didn't know this person. He just nodded and asked: "When I hear this surname, I know he is a learned man, but in today's army?"
Hearing this, Li Ren's expression darkened and he shook his head slightly.
If you're not here, forget it.
Wu Sheng had no time to care about Li Ren's expression, so he simply threw the name behind him and looked at the generals with bright eyes: "Brothers!"
"Liu Bei's reinforcements are coming, we need to prepare immediately!"
"Major, please give me your orders." All the generals shouted in confusion. So far, at least Wu Sheng's judgment was correct.
"Now that Xiapi has sent troops," Wu Sheng said, "let's consider the second point next."
"Which point?" Li Ren took the lead and asked.
Wu Sheng pointed at the map and said solemnly: "Of course we are trying to find a way to get Liu Beijun to take the initiative to enter our ambush point!"
At this time, outside the commander's tent, the night wind was blowing the flag, full of murderous aura.
...
The biggest problem with Wu Sheng's strategy is that Liu Beijun could actually choose not to walk through Sizhen Mountain.
As the hometown of the Overlord, in the future generations of the Celestial Dynasty, the Prime Minister will have a nickname called "Jiangbei Water Town, Torrent Corridor".
This is because it is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Huaihe River and Yishusi river basins, belonging to the Huaihe River system and the Yishusi water system. It is bordered by Hongze Lake to the south and Luoma Lake to the north.
Near this city, there are tributaries of several large rivers, one of which is called Zhihe, which is right between Xiaxiang and Xiapi.
That night, a cavalry team with a total number of about a hundred people surged out from Sizhen Mountain and quickly approached the branch river in front of them under the moonlight.
At noon on the second day, we arrived at the bank of Zhihe River.
It was the mixed army sent by Wu Sheng, and their mission was to destroy the three stone bridges on the branch river.
These three stone bridges are about a hundred meters long on average. The oldest is the same age as the Han Dynasty, and the latest is sixty or seventy years old. Since the beginning of the troubled times, both Tao Qian before and Zhou Mu now
, most of the energy is focused on how to protect this land, and not much thought is given to the people's livelihood and internal affairs. This kind of facility is definitely ranked last, and has long been in disrepair.
And their existence just gives Liu Bei's reinforcements a second way to go!
Only by destroying all three bridges, Liu Beijun would have to collect enough ferries to cross the river, or he would have to walk at least a day and a half further upstream to take a detour.
If there is no rush, the officers and soldiers can rest where they are and collect boats to cross the river little by little. However, it is obvious that under the current situation, Liu Beijun, who is eager to rush for reinforcements, does not dare to delay. Since the nearest road has failed, he can only
I can choose to take a shortcut.
This is exactly the path Wu Sheng had planned.
This is the road that passes through Sizhen Mountain.
And in Sizhen Mountain, there is a desperate place...
A long and narrow canyon, about a hundred meters high, and the sides are quite steep, making it difficult to climb.
Wu Sheng and others had been lying in wait here for many days, and were fully prepared. Once Liu Beijun stepped into this desperate place, they could push down boulders from both sides of the valley to seal the exit and retreat, and shouted to Liu Beijun.
Not only is there no way forward or backward, but there is no way to go to heaven and no way to enter the earth.
...
In the dead of night, when everyone is still.
Liu Bei and others looked into the distance for a long time and saw that it was pitch black outside the city, and there was no light from dozens of miles away. It seemed that the military camp of the yellow turban thieves had all been put out.
At this moment, the only light in the whole world, apart from the bright moon above the head, seems to be the only light shining from the wind lamp at the camp gate, which is very conspicuous.
about there.
Following Liu Bei's order, thousands of people silently poured out of the city gate at the third watch. They walked a long way without riding horses, then galloped straight to the east.
The army moved in a hurry, and by noon they had reached within five miles of the branch river and chose a high ground to camp temporarily.
It was already the end of June. Under the scorching heat, no matter how urgent it was, the march had to avoid an hour at noon. This undoubtedly delayed a lot of time. But the leader of this group of troops, Jiang Chuan, also knew that there was no way.
thing.
If he strongly requires his soldiers to march quickly, even if they can reach the gate of Xiangxiang City faster, how much combat power will be left?
Even if the opponent is a Yellow Turban bandit who is famous for his fighting prowess, to this day, other states and princes in the world may still underestimate Wang Zheng and his heavenly army, but here in Xuzhou, no one will underestimate the enemy anymore.
Looking at the increasingly fierce sun above his head, Jiang Dan stroked his forehead in distress. While he was upset, the soldiers brought him a piece of bad news that made him even more troubled.
"All the stone bridges on the branch river ahead are damaged?"
"And the traces are still recent man-made?"
This made Jiang Dan's heart skip a beat!
Did the thieves already know that reinforcements were coming from Xiapi? Are they trying to slow down the march of their troops?
This is not good.
Jiang Dan knew well in his heart that Wang Zheng was already famous in terms of sieges alone. After all, Linzi, the fifth capital of the Han Dynasty, and Pengcheng, the most popular pass in the world, were successively captured and occupied by him and a group of bandits.
His coach is like this and his subordinates are influenced by what he hears and sees, so how can he be any worse?
Therefore, even if he knew that Wang Zhengren was outside Xiapi City, Jiang Dan did not dare to be careless in the slightest. He even remembered that before setting off, Liu Bei, the prefecture pastor, told him solemnly: There is no room for error!
Jiang Chuan also understood the principle that an isolated city cannot be defended.
After confirming that the stone bridge in front of him was destroyed and would be difficult to repair in a short period of time, Jiang Bang immediately sent out new reconnaissance cavalry and rushed to the remaining two bridges not far away. The only thing he hoped for now was that the rebel army would
We were not fully prepared and did not destroy all three bridges.
However, bad news came one after another.
The cavalry sent out passed the news back overnight. The three stone structures on the entire branch river had all been demolished by thieves. Some wooden boat wreckage could be vaguely seen along the river bank. The thieves had gone to nearby villages in advance to collect and damage them. Looking around,
, now there is neither bridge nor ship within twenty miles.
After thinking about it until midnight, Jiang Dan fell asleep. After receiving the news, he no longer felt sleepy. He looked at the map on the case and saw the dawn, and finally made a decision.
Change your route immediately and take this route.
The position pointed by Jiang Baoji was exactly Si Zhenshan!
...
In the endless wilderness, Sizhen Mountain stands out in front of you. It is not majestic, but it towers like a green lotus emerging from the water.
At noon, groups of black spots faintly appeared at the end of the horizon, bringing up large amounts of smoke and dust as they quickly approached Sizhen Mountain.
The restlessness of the men and horses disturbed the quiet mountains, and there were vague sounds of apes and bears wailing, causing countless birds to fly up.
Birds flew like clouds and passed over Liu Beijun's head with a huff and puff.
Seeing this, Jiang Dun's heart suddenly skipped a beat and he involuntarily slowed down.
And when the sentinels who explored the road reported back, their uneasiness rapidly expanded.
Is there a canyon ahead with steep terrain and winding roads?
Every word the sentry knight said made him instinctively think of another horrifying thing.
In such a dangerous place, if the thieves set up an ambush here to block the retreat of their troops, it would definitely be a disaster!
However, as soon as he thought about it again, he burst into laughter.
Everyone knew the situation of the prime minister before he came, and he only had less than 2,000 soldiers. Zhou Mu had already analyzed this with everyone. The troops and horses that Wang Zheng could mobilize had reached the limit. At this time, he was attacking.
It should be his last remaining strength.
And this group of troops should still be fighting desperately to attack the city. How could there be another group to ambush them?
Although he thought this way, he hesitated for a moment, and as a precautionary measure, Jiang Quan still ordered the guards: "Let the sentries carefully observe whether there is anything strange in the canyon."
"In addition, we will let the auxiliary troops take the lead and move forward according to the situation. The remaining cavalry and infantry will hang behind."
By the way, he ordered the whole army to rest in place for half an hour, and then quickly pass through the canyon after eating!
...
Liu Beijun suddenly stopped outside the valley entrance.
This sudden change really shocked Wu Sheng and others who had been waiting for a long time. Li Ren couldn't hold back his anger and kept muttering next to Wu Sheng.
It's broken, it's broken. Did something go wrong and Liu Jun discovered the traces?
With his appearance, other Yuan Jun couldn't help but feel anxious.
If the ambush is discovered, there will be no fire attack and we will have to fight head-on.
But this... Facing an opponent who had just defeated him greatly, Yuan Jun had neither confidence nor confidence.
What are you panicking about?
Seeing this, Wu Sheng glanced at Li Ren and cursed.
Even though the voice is very low, one can clearly feel the anger and murderous intent contained in it.
Fortunately, at this time, when the officers and soldiers took action again, they headed straight into the valley. However, before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, they immediately discovered that only part of the former army had entered the valley.
Most of Liu Bei's army, including the strongest cavalry, were still parked in the shade just now and did not move.
This made Li Ren and others worry about gain and loss again. They couldn't help but whisper and discuss. Some even said, what should we do if the enemy just leaves one by one?
Otherwise, take action immediately?
If we can kill some of them, we can also block the remaining enemy soldiers and horses outside the valley. In this way, even if we cannot eliminate the reinforcements along the way to Xiapi, when we are unable to help, we will turn back to the lower phase, join Yuan Yin on the road, and attack with all our strength.
Conquering the city is also a way.
The words in his ears were like flies buzzing, and Wu Sheng, who was already hesitant, became increasingly upset, but he became even more disdainful of Yuan Shu's subordinates.
And when most people tended to start attacking now, Wu Sheng was determined. What you idiots think is right must be wrong!
"Let these people pass first." Wu Sheng suppressed other opinions and waved his hands fiercely: "Wait and see!"
.....
Everything is fine, nothing happens.
Jiang Dan, who was waiting eagerly outside the canyon, strained his ears to listen to what was going on inside. Unfortunately, until nearly half of the auxiliary soldiers had almost walked out of the canyon, and when he sent someone back to report the news, the canyon was still quiet, and there was no sound of killing as expected by some people.
, the ambush of thieves is even more out of the question.
No surprises are a good thing!
Even though it delayed some time again, Jiang Dan had no regrets. Completely relieved, he ordered: "The whole army advances!"
But when Jiang Dan stepped into the canyon in person, the uneasiness he felt earlier returned to his heart inexplicably.
"Why is this so?" Jiang Dan on horseback murmured to himself while looking around: "It seems calm, but I always feel uneasy?"
When all the rear troops entered the canyon, an idea flashed in Jiang Dan's mind and he shouted: "That's not right!"
“It’s so quiet!”
next moment.
"kill!"
Amidst the shouts of muffled thunder rolling, arrows rained down and drums thundered.
While the flag was waving, a burst of flames came from the sky, instantly igniting the mountain walls on both sides. In the rolling heat wave, Jiang Quan didn't even have time to see clearly how many people there were, and to find out the strength of the ambush army.
As he screamed, he suddenly realized that the cavalry was the first to be injured!
Countless war horses were frightened and jumped up. In the blink of an eye, the cavalrymen fell down, and many of them were hit by their own horses after landing, trampling the ground to a bloody pulp.
At this moment, in the blue sky and daylight, fireworks overshadowed the morning light and filled the mountains and forests.
The next moment, countless soldiers rushed out of the smoke with swords drawn. There was also a young general who shouted with his sword across his sword, ran quickly, and suddenly entered the enemy's formation. He was already invincible.
A fierce battle in the valley does not require long armies.
This place and now is the battlefield where swords can perform best.
"Quickly retreat!"
Jiang Cui shouted "Ah yo", turned his horse, and fled backwards. The people in front of him were squeezed by those behind him, and those behind him were squeezed by those in front. Liu Bei's army trampled on each other, causing countless casualties.
With his personal guards leading the way, Jiang Chuan managed to fight his way out. When he arrived at the entrance, he saw a man blocking the way with a majestic look, looking at him with a ferocious smile on his face.