The sun is shining brightly, the wind is gentle, and it’s another sunny day.
The breeze blew slowly, and the flags were fluttering. The army was like a long dragon with no end in sight, marching westward slowly.
The cavalry is still clearing the way in the front, and the supply camp, auxiliary troops, civilians, etc. are in the middle. Most of them are chariots, and they are naturally equipped with food, grass, equipment and the like.
Diao Zheng led the Chinese army to the rear. Li Chengzhi's commander, Yuan Zhi's tiger cavalry, Li Shixian's Jingzhou Second Battalion, and Li Zhang's artillery battalion were all in this unit.
The soldiers are still the same soldiers, and the generals are still the same generals. But compared with when we retreated and then retreated two or three days ago, the appearance of the army and its morale are completely turned upside down.
As Li Chengzhi said, morale is like water in a skin. As long as the skin is not broken, there is so much morale. The harder you press at the beginning, the more intense the rebound will be in the end.
At this moment, from top to bottom, whether they were soldiers or generals, they had already swept away the decadence of the previous day, and their brows and eyes were full of excitement.
When setting off at dawn, there were commanders and personal guards giving orders to each camp: This battle will be won.
No one can doubt this.
No matter how powerful Tuyuhun's 30,000 elite cavalry were, wouldn't they be beaten to a disgrace by the commander and run away like a bereaved dog?
Including Diao Zheng, Li Daoyuan, Li Song and Li Liang, who had already learned that the Nanliang army was about to enter the pass, all thought so.
Only Li Chengzhi doesn’t seem to be in such a good mood.
He sat on the horse, looked at the warm sun, and sighed involuntarily.
God was not kind to him. He had been looking forward to the heavy rain for a long time, but it still didn't come.
The Southern Army naturally faced no obstacles and advanced into the Qinling Mountains as scheduled, and would break through the barrier soon.
Now we can only fight on two fronts. If we want to win, it depends on whether we can be overwhelming, and it also depends on whether Li Shao can defend like a rock.
Li Song followed, took a look at Li Chengzhi's face, and asked cautiously: "Looking at this trip, everything is ready, so there should be no obstacles. But looking at Mr. Lang, he seems to be worried?" p>
No problem?
What a big obstacle!
The situation waits for no one. In order to avoid a stalemate in the war and avoid being attacked from both sides, I can only make a quick decision and eliminate one of the parties as quickly as possible.
The best way is to use all means to capture Qin'an and Qingshui as soon as possible, and preferably drive Fulo back to Tuyuhun.
And as fast as you can win, you have to win as fast as you can.
Li Chengzhi thought about it and realized that the problem shouldn't be big.
Fu Luo underestimated the enemy's aggressive advance and suffered a heavy loss, so he would definitely sit on the sidelines for a while. And with Yuan Ji and Hou Gang's newly formed army of more than 10,000 infantry, even with the two county towns of Qingshui and Qin'an garrisoned, how long could they hold on? Even if the explosives cannot blow open the city wall, there are still kerosene and rockets. Li Chengzhi does not believe that the soldiers and civilians of the two counties are people who regard death as if they are returning home.
He estimated that it would only take five or six days at most. Or maybe it would be like in the fertile fields, where the soldiers were only used as explosives and the rockets were miracles such as divine punishment, and they would collapse after only two days.
And this is precisely what Li Chengzhi is most worried about.
Victory too quickly is not entirely a good thing: Queen Mother Gaoying will not be mentioned for now, the new emperor is still young and can be ignored, but the princes in the court are not idiots. When the time comes, they will definitely inquire about the origins, recipes, and production of various firearms.
How can I fool myself with the process?
It's not possible to kill a donkey by removing the mill, but it is inevitable to be on guard.
But when it comes to laying out gunpowder and not using kerosene, and deliberately taking human lives to fill it, Li Chengzhi cannot do it, and he does not dare to do it.
What if it fails?
It’s still the same sentence: Even if the meat is rotten, at least it’s still in the pot. But if it’s taken away by a wolf, not to mention the meat, not even a hair will be caught.
The only plan we have now is to win this battle.
Li Chengzhi shook his head and said in a solemn voice: "When we attack the city, ask Li Zhang and others to hold back. Don't just bombard them randomly. If they all have to be burned into a pile of rags, the gain will outweigh the loss..."
After all, both Hexi and Daqi are in dire need of young people, so it would be good to capture more civilians..."
Is this the reason?
As long as Langjun gives an order, who dares to disobey it, so why worry about him?
Knowing that Li Chengzhi was not telling the truth, Li Song and Li Liang looked at each other with confusion on their faces...
The place where the fierce battle took place yesterday was only sixty miles away from Qingshui County, which was barely enough for the infantry to march in one day. Therefore, by dusk, the Wei army's forwards could already see Qingshui County.
Li Chengzhi ordered the Chinese army to camp ten miles away, while Li Daoyuan's forward camp was less than five miles away from Qingshui County. Looking from the top of the city, one could even see clearly that the Wei army was setting up camp in an orderly manner.
Cui Zujia stood at the top of the city, holding a wine gourd in his hand, and would take a sip from time to time. He wanted to drink a lot, and his cheeks were already as red as blood. But his mind was extremely clear. He looked at the flags in the distance, and his eyes
Glowing.
Li Chengzhi actually wants to attack the city?
Is it possible that he still doesn’t know the news that the Confederate Army is about to enter the border?
No, no matter how slow the Confederate army was, they would be under Guancheng by noon. The defender rushed eight hundred miles away, and he already informed Li Chengzhi in half a day.
That means Li Chengzhi is determined to win!
But where does he have the confidence?
No matter how powerful the thunder weapon is, it may not be able to break through the city wall, right? Moreover, Yuan Ji, Hou Gang has more than 10,000 infantry, and there are more than 20,000 barbarian cavalry, how can Li Chengzhi win?
When he thought of Hu Qi, Cui Zuji felt a sense of disgust in his heart. He even felt a little regretful: If he had known that Yuanhuai, Yu Zhong would collude with Tuyuhun and Rouran, he would not have resisted even if the knife was placed on his neck.
At least the Yuan and Wei dynasties advocated Han customs, unlike Rouran and Tuyuhun, who regarded the Han people as livestock...
For a moment, an extremely incredible thought suddenly appeared in Cui Zuji's heart.
He looked at his left and right confidants, then took a look at the deserted city with solid walls and clear fields, and finally shook his head.
It’s also ridiculous. It’s only been a few days since you rebelled, but you already have the desire to end the chaos and abandon the dark side for the bright side?
Besides, the time is not here, so it’s better to be cautious...
On the other side, Yuan Ji and Hou Gang both looked sad and gloomy.
When they received the news of the Southern Army's dispatch of troops in the middle of the night yesterday, Yuan Ji and others were overjoyed. They felt quite like "seeing the end of the mountain and the end of the river, but suddenly there is a bright future."
As a result, just after warming up the bed, I had no choice but to get up again and brave the night wind to go to the Volo Tent to discuss.
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All three of them thought that Li Chengzhi would definitely receive the news of the Confederate army's attack on the pass at the latest tonight. Even if he didn't rush, he would definitely be ready. He would definitely not advance westward rashly, and he might even run all night.
Return to Ganyin.
After all, the Hu army on the western front only had 30,000 troops, while the Nanliang army on the eastern front had 100,000 troops.
But who would have thought that something impossible would just happen?
Not only did Li Chengzhi personally lead his army to the west, he even set up camp under the city?
This is clearly a posture of attacking with force.
If it were before, that would be all. At most, I would be slightly afraid, not to say fearful like a tiger.
But Fu Luoxin was defeated, and Li Chengzhi described him as being unbeatable in the world. It was like a huge stone weighing on the hearts of Yuan Ji and Hou Gang.
Hou Gang was very suspicious: "Did he not receive the news that the Southern Dynasty's four armies were heading south and had entered the Qinling Valley?"
Otherwise, how could you not be prepared at all?
"How is that possible?"
Yuan Ji shook his head resolutely: "The Southern Army entered the Qinling Mountains yesterday, and by nightfall was less than a hundred miles away from the Chencang Pass. Even if they rested for a night, they would definitely continue southward at dawn today. They must have reached the pass by now.
Next.
Li Chengzhi recruited 100,000 troops this time, but there were less than 50,000 troops stationed in the two battalions of Qianyuan and Longguan. The remaining 50,000 or so were stationed at Longshan and Qinling passes. Are they all dead? Therefore, it is the latest
At noon, Li Chengzhi must have received the urgent report..."
Hou Gang said anxiously: "Then why does he dare to come? The Southern Army has a hundred thousand soldiers, and how many soldiers does Li Shao have in his hands? If the Southern Army attacks without hesitation, how many days can Li Shao hold out?"<
/p>
Unless Li Chengzhi is sure that he can capture Qingshui and Qin An before Li Shao's defeat, and even defeat Fuluo?
The words reached his tongue, but Yuanji didn't dare to spit them out.
Because of his intuition, Li Chengzhi most likely planned this.
At first thought, it seemed like a joke, but Yuantuji couldn't laugh.
God knows if Li Chengzhi will unleash a volley of thunder and level the two cities in the blink of an eye...
"Perhaps he is retreating in order to advance, and wants to use the power of yesterday's great victory to make Fu Luo throw a rat weapon, so that he will not dare to pursue him when he returns to help Li Shao. It is more likely that he wants to use his strength to force Fu Luo out of Qinzhou.
”
Hou Gang was stunned: This is really possible!
Nowadays, Volo's expression has changed when talking about "Li"!
Fuluo was quite cooperative. He knew that there were not many cavalry in the city and it was getting dark, so he took the initiative to send three battalions to act as scouts for Yuan Ji and Hou Gang.
But when he learned that the Wei army had already abandoned its camp and marched westward, Yuan Ji asked him to send cavalry to Bailitan to stop the attack, but Fu Luo simply refused.
The meaning is very clear: he has been chasing the Wei army for two days and fought a fierce battle. He has not failed to fulfill his duties.
This time, it’s time for Genji to do his part.
But all of his subordinates are infantry, and the army has only been formed for a month or two. How can you let Genji go out?
There is no other way but to hold on to the city...
When he thought of this, Hou Gang gritted his teeth in hatred: "Yesterday, he said he was 'still capable of fighting', but today he has become a coward? How shameless is this thief?"
"As I told you yesterday, Volo was frightened out of his wits! What's more, as he said, it's really time for you and me to help."
"How to get out?"
"It's nothing more than holding on. It would be best if Li Chengzhi retreated in order to advance, but if he really wanted to attack the city, Volo would definitely not sit back and watch. If necessary, he would definitely send troops to help.
As long as we hold on for two or three days, when the situation on the Eastern Front becomes clear and Li Chengzhi has to return for reinforcements, that will be the time for you and me to fight back..."
Two or three days?
Hou Gang couldn't help but frowned.
For some reason, he always felt that these two or three days must be extremely difficult.
Without him: When he thought of Volo talking about yesterday's battle, his scalp couldn't help but tingle.
Like a maggot attached to a bone, a rocket that cannot be extinguished by splashing water...
Like a sudden thunderstorm, a honeycomb-like sky thunder that can nail people...
There is also the fire tube that scares the war horses when they see it...
Hou Gang really didn't know how he could fight this battle other than being like Fu Luo, hiding in the city and being a coward.
"Don't worry too much. You can only sink the ship now, otherwise everything will be over!"
Yuan Ji Wen Sheng Kuan Wei said, "With me in Qingshui, Li Chengzhi can attack forcefully, so there should be no problem for the time being. But we must prevent him from attacking from the east to the west and suddenly attacking Qin'an, so we have to worry about it.
Fuluo will not sit idly by. I beg him to send you a few battalions of elite cavalry, so that you can at least pass on military information. I will also ask Cui Zujia to lead 3,000 civilians and take some grain and grass with you to Qin'an to help you defend the city...
…”
That old thief is drunk at least eight hours a day, what use is he?
Cursing in his heart, Hou Gang could only respond in a deep voice. After asking Yuan Ji a few more questions, he hurried down the city.
All the personal guards had been summoned, and when he was about to summon the common men, he remembered that Yuan Ji had asked him to bring Cui Zuji with him.
Yuan Ji wants him to help Hou Gang defend Qin'an?
Cui Zuji seemed to be stunned.
I was still thinking just now that the four cities are now guarded by cronies of Yuan Ji and Hou Gang, so even if they want to communicate with foreign enemies, there is no chance.
But didn’t expect that the opportunity would come?
The mind is like grass growing like crazy. It was just a seed before, but in a blink of an eye, it has grown into a towering tree, almost overflowing with strength.
To do it or not to do it?
It's better than being a sinner for eternity...
Cui Zuli gritted his teeth, called his two nephews, and whispered to them.
Almost half an hour later, Hou Gang led the three battalions of Hu cavalry assisted by Fu Luo, and Cui Zutun's two thousand civilians left the city.
The sun has gone down, and the sky is getting darker and darker. Thinking of the 20,000 Wei troops outside Qingshui City, Hou Gangyu became anxious: It's so slow, maybe it will take midnight to reach Qin'an County?
What if, as King Jiangyang said, Li Chengzhi wanted to launch a plan to attack the east and attack the west, and secretly sent out surprise troops to attack Qin'an. He was caught off guard, could Wang Yuanwei of Nanping be able to defend it?
"Chief Cui, if you are so gentle and swallow water, are you afraid that you won't be able to reach Qin'an even at dawn?"
"We only have two legs, what can I do?"
Cui Zujia asked in a cold voice, "Why don't you bother General Hou and ask Mr. Fuluo for some horses for the people to ride on, and take the grain and grass along with them? It will definitely be faster."
Do you think those are earth, stone and tiles, and if I ask Volo for help, I can give them to you?
Furthermore, if you ask for help, who can ride it?
Knowing that Cui Zuchi was sarcastic, Hou Gang felt annoyed: "Even if there are horses, they are not enough to carry food and fodder. But the military situation is so fierce that Hou can only take the first step!"
As he spoke, he whispered a few words to General Hu, who was looking for soldiers. After a while, he urged his horse and hurried south along the galloping road.
The personal guards and the fifth brigade of Hu cavalry followed closely, leaving only one brigade for Cui Zuji in case of emergency needs.
Cui Zujia sat on the horse, looking up at the bright moon that had already risen three poles, and a strange thought came to his mind: Is it God's will?
……
It was almost dusk when the Wei army stopped, so the camp was very simple: it was still the same as yesterday, with a Hao ditch on the outside and a car formation in the ditch.
However, a large number of detective horses were sent on night patrol. Li Chengzhi ordered the two battalions in Jingzhou to serve as the outer two, and each battalion was on duty at midnight.
After the stronghold was established, the rear army began to make food...
When he heard that there was a spy in the city coming to surrender, and Cui Zuji, who claimed to have been named the governor of Qinzhou by Yuan Huai, wanted to abandon the secret and join the bright side, Li Chengzhi almost threw his job on the ground.
Brother, you have been rebelling for only a few days, but you are rebelling again?
What are you planning on?
Moreover, the war has just begun. It seems that the Wei army is weak. Even if you want to bet on both sides, shouldn't you wait and see for a few days until the situation becomes clearer?