It was almost the second watch when Zhang Liao and Gao Shun arrived in Yong'an. At this time, the 10,000 cavalry and more than 30,000 infantrymen of the Fourth Army had arrived from various places and were taking the time to rest. There were still more than 20,000 infantrymen still on the way.
Because everyone knew that they would leave at any time, the soldiers did not set up camp, but just lay on the roadside holding their weapons and clothes.
You won't catch a cold if you sleep on the street on a summer night, but the bites of mosquitoes are very unbearable. Many young soldiers have big bumps on their bodies, but no one complains. Because on the way to the march, the messengers have already
The evil deeds of the Xianbei cavalry in Yanmen and Taiyuan spread throughout the army, and the soldiers were furious. This battle did not require mobilization at all.
Zhang Liao pointed to the huge sand table in front of him and said: "Soldiers need to be quick. Zhang will set off immediately and try to capture Jieshan before dawn. General Gao, I'll leave this place to you!"
Gao Shun cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, General Zhang. When the follow-up troops arrive, Gao will immediately lead his troops to follow."
Zhang Liao nodded, got on his horse, and swung his long sword towards the north. The soldiers who were lying on the street just now jumped up from the ground like springs. There were no passwords, no gongs, drums or horns, only the sound of uniform footsteps was heard.
Groups of soldiers ran towards the north gate of Yong'an in an orderly manner.
Ten miles southeast of Jieshan Mountain there is a small town called Mianshangju. The town is not big, with only more than 300 households, but its geographical location is very important because it is right at the strategic point between Jieshan Mountain and Yangtou Mountain.
People in the town are already panicking. This situation was not caused by the war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. The war between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao that lasted for a year was only concentrated on the Puyang, Liyang, and Yecheng lines, and
The focus of the competition is Liyang. Other places will only be affected by conscription, food collection and the passage of large armies. However, Mianshangju is close to Hedong County, so the impact is minimal. Not only that, because it is close to Hedong,
It has become a distribution center for smuggled materials, and life is more prosperous than other places.
But the situation has changed a few days ago. Hedong suddenly announced that the border was closed, and only entry and exit were allowed. Some villagers who went to Hedong to buy goods were also trapped there. However, the villagers in the town were not too worried. They and
Having spent a lot of time dealing with Hedong, we know that both the army and the government there are reasonable, and as long as there is no crime, there will be no danger.
What really makes the villagers feel uneasy are some people who came south from near Taiyuan. These people came here to escape, and they brought news that the Xianbei people were doing evil in Taiyuan. The evil deeds of these Xianbei people are currently only concentrated in the villages on the outskirts of the city.
, but as most of the villages on the outskirts of the city have been looted by them, remote villages have also begun to suffer. These people who escaped include both poor villagers and wealthy gentry, but now they have all become the targets of the Xianbei people.
These people not only told them how ferocious the Xianbei people were, but also told them an even more shocking news: the Xianbei people would continue to go south to attack Hedong, and Mianshangju was on their way south.
After hearing the news, the villagers in the town exploded. Some people clamored to hide in Jiexiu City, and others suggested that they simply defect to Hedong. However, more people doubted whether the Han army in Hedong could stop the brutal army.
Xianbei people, they suggested that the villagers move to Shangdang. After arguing for a day with no result, several respected old people in the town decided to convene the whole town after dawn tomorrow to make a final decision.
In the middle of the night, many uneasy villagers finally fell asleep and were suddenly awakened by the sound of horse hoofbeats. The experienced old people had already judged from the sound that this was a large group of cavalry, and these cavalry were advancing.
The direction is exactly their town.
Everyone in the town knows that the Xianbei people are cavalry. Could it be that those extremely vicious Xianbei people came here to kill them?
Everyone had not slept well, and many people had climbed out of bed. However, the cavalry was moving very fast, and the sound of horse hooves was getting louder and louder. The villagers could feel the vibration of the earth before they had time to leave their homes.
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Just when the villagers were running out of the house in panic and disheveled clothes, a large group of cavalry had appeared in front of them. These cavalry did not enter Mian Shang Ju, but bypassed the town and went straight to the north. They were still in shock.
Only then did the villagers notice that the cavalry was coming from the direction of Hedong County in the south, and the knights on the horses were not Xianbei people with yellow beards and blue eyes, but out-and-out Han Chinese.
An older villager looked at the billowing smoke and dust left by the cavalry team and sighed: "Oh, there's going to be another war!"
Before he finished speaking, several more horses galloped over, and the knight on the horse said loudly: "Folks, don't be afraid, we are soldiers of the Han Dynasty, and on the order of the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, we are here to protect everyone from the disasters of Xianbei.
Please feel free to go back and rest."
These people are the messengers of the Fourth Army. The messengers of the Han Army are not as simple as conveying orders for their superiors. They also have to undertake many other tasks. When necessary, they will also go into battle to kill people with swords. To appease the people and publicize
The policy of the Han army was also one of their tasks.
The messengers ran back and forth through the town several times, and when they saw the faces of the people gradually calmed down from the initial panic, they finally left for Juechen North.
However, the people in the town were no longer sleepy. They walked to their homes one after another and talked among themselves under the moonlight. Some people who had served as soldiers even praised them: "They are indeed an elite soldier!"
Another commoner who had just escaped from Taiyuan said worriedly: "I think the cavalry that just passed by only has a few thousand people at most. It cannot resist the hundreds of thousands of Xianbei troops. Let's escape quickly."
In fact, a total of 10,000 elite cavalry passed by just now, but these common people could not correctly judge the size of the army. As they were talking, another group of cavalry came from the south. At first glance, the uniforms of this group of cavalry looked similar to the one just now.
The cavalry is similar, but upon closer inspection, you will find many differences.
In fact, these people are not real cavalry, but infantry on horseback. After controlling the grasslands and the Western Regions, the Han Dynasty had more channels to obtain horses, and the number of war horses doubled, but it was difficult to train a qualified cavalry.
It took a lot of time. Therefore, many horses in the Han army were only responsible for transportation tasks. This time, in order to save time, Zhang Liao allocated the horses responsible for transporting grain, grass and baggage to be ridden by the infantry to increase their maneuvering speed.
Zhang Liao was holding a broadsword and riding a snow-green horse, walking at the front of the team. Zhang Liao looked around the town, turned around and gave a few instructions. Then a line of soldiers separated from the team, jumped off their horses, and went to the town.
On the outskirts of the city, fortifications began to be built. Zhang Liao had already led a large group of troops and continued to rush towards Jieshan.
The cavalry troops that arrived early had already gone out to guard the boundary mountain. The infantrymen on horseback who followed them effortlessly controlled the boundary mountain and occupied Sheep Head Mountain to the east of the boundary mountain. The soldiers did not bother to rest.
, busy building defensive positions on Boundary Mountain and Sheep's Head Mountain, digging trenches, felling trees, and collecting stones.
Zhang Liao led his horse forward and came to the cavalry. He glanced in the direction of Jie Xiu and asked in a deep voice, "Have you figured out the situation there?"
A school captain reined up his horse and came to Zhang Liao. He saluted on his horse and said: "General, the general has led his men to walk around Jiexiu City. The city walls are quiet and unprepared."
Zhang Liao frowned and said, "Is there really no defense in the city?"
The captain raised his hands and said: "General, I picked up a stone in the dark and threw it on the city gate. There was a 'boom' sound, but there was no response from the city, which shows that they were unprepared! Please give me an order, General."
I am willing to lead an army to seize the city gate. If I cannot succeed, I am willing to come and see you!"
Zhang Liao shook his head and said: "You are the sharp knives in someone's hands, don't touch them lightly. Let's leave the matter of seizing the city to the infantry."
At this moment, a group of cavalry came galloping over. Their attire was completely different from that of the ordinary Han army. They were dressed in black attire, without helmets and armor, and their faces were painted in ink and green. They looked like a group of ghosts in the night.
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First, a big man dismounted from his horse, came to Zhang Liao, clasped his fists, and said: "Hou Qinu has been ordered to come and report!"
The big man was nine feet tall and stood in front of Zhang Liao, nearly a head taller than Zhang Liao, like an iron tower. Because Hou Qinu's face was painted in colorful colors, Zhang Liao took a closer look and recognized that he was indeed Liu Xin.
The barbarian conquered by Nanzhong was good at climbing and could control birds and beasts.
Hou Qinu is loyal to Liu Xin, and Liu Xin has transferred him to the special forces unit and serves as a captain. The special forces are a mysterious armed force under Liu Xin, and the captain is equivalent to the rank of a general in other legions.
As the commander of the legion, Zhang Liao had some understanding of the mysterious special forces. Seeing that Liu Xin actually sent him special forces to assist him in the battle, Zhang Liao couldn't help but be overjoyed. He pointed in the direction of Jie Xiu and said, "General Hou, is there anything you can do?"
Be sure to capture that city gate."
Hou Qinu looked up at the sky and said: "General, please order all your troops and horses, and look at the torches on the city as a signal, and prepare to enter the city!"
Zhang Liao was stunned and asked repeatedly: "How many people and horses are needed to cooperate?"
Hou Qinu pointed behind him and said, "They are enough!"
Behind Hou Qinu, more than forty strong men stood upright. Their faces were also camouflaged, and their expressions could not be seen clearly, but Zhang Liao could feel the murderous aura emanating from them.
Zhang Liao didn't say much. He waved his hand and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, General!"
Hou Qinu cupped his hands, flew on his horse, and the group disappeared into the night.