The team had entered Fanchang County, still twenty miles away from the county seat. It was midnight, and the official road going south from Guchuan County was pitch black. The stars and moon were covered by thick clouds. The dark clouds were like the lid of a steamer, making the earth dim.
The accumulated heat during the day cannot be dissipated, and the weather is extremely muggy.
There was no wind, and the heavy air heralded the coming storm. Suddenly, a dazzling light broke through the clouds, and branch-shaped lightning shook the plains and forests.
The moment the lightning struck, the official road became bright, and the official road was filled with dense troops. The oxen were loaded with food and military supplies, and they were slowly heading south with difficulty.
On both sides of Damou were followed slender water-like troops, some of which were infantry and some of which were cavalry. The dazzling lightning frightened some of the livestock, causing them to howl in panic and rush around, causing chaos in the team.
Li Xiaogong was in the middle of the team. He looked up at the night sky from time to time. The coming storm made his heart heavy. He felt that this was an omen, foreshadowing the difficulty of his journey south.
At this time, Dugu Huaien rode on horseback and caught up with him, "Your Highness!"
Li Xiaogong slowed down his horse. He respected Dugu Huaien very much. This was not only because Dugu Huaien had a noble status, he was the nephew of Empress Dugu of the Sui Dynasty, and he was also the Minister of the Ministry of Industry of the Tang Dynasty, with a high position.
More importantly, Dugu Huaien is the legitimate son of the Dugu family. Behind him is the powerful Dugu clan. He is one of the representatives of the interests of the Dugu family. As the Dugu clan, the second noble of Guanlong, Dugu Huaien is enough to win over Li.
The respect of the royal family.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid it won't be possible for the [Spread Wings Renewal Group] to march like this!" Dugu Huaien said worriedly.
Li Xiaogong turned around and looked back, just as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. He saw the hidden team, which stretched for more than ten miles. If the Sui army caught up from behind, his rear army would be defeated immediately.
Li Xiaogong was also aware of the danger. He looked around and saw a dark shadow not far away, about three miles away. He remembered that it was a black pine forest covering hundreds of acres.
"Pass my order, the troops should go to the black pine forest to take shelter from the rain!"
The troops left the official road and turned to the open wilderness. The soldiers galloped in the wilderness and headed for the black pine forest three miles away. However, the heavily loaded oxen could not walk in the wilderness. The oxen drove them hard, and the wilderness became a mess.
.
At this time, a burst of big raindrops fell, and the downpour finally came. The heavy white rain enveloped the earth, and the air was filled with the smell of earth.
The soldiers shouted and ran towards the pine forest. Even the cowherd didn't care about the cow. He simply covered the cow with an oilcloth, left the cow behind and ran towards the pine forest.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the sky and the earth were so vast that not even a ten-step figure could be seen. Fifty thousand Tang soldiers were crowded into hundreds of acres of forest, waiting uneasily for the shower to stop. The dense pine forest looked like a natural rain shelter.
Although there was some rain coming in, it was much better than outside.
Li Xiaogong was sitting on a big rock. Although his expression was very calm, a trace of uneasiness flashed in his eyes from time to time, which revealed his true state of mind. He was estimating the position of the Sui army at this time.
Although the Sui army is located in Xuchang County, fifty miles away from Daichuan County, it should have marched one hundred and thirty miles to this position. Even if the Sui army was a little slower in getting the news, they would have to move lightly and pursue it day and night.
More than a hundred miles away, if calculated this way, the Sui army's pursuers should be very close to them, only twenty or thirty miles away.
At this moment, two scouts rushed back in the heavy rain. The heavy rain had already soaked them. They were led to Li Xiaogong's side, knelt down on one knee and reported, "Report to your highness, the main force of the Sui army is not heavy, and the light troops are chasing it.
It is now...in a forest twenty miles away."
Li Xiaogong was suddenly startled. If the rain stopped, wouldn't the Sui army catch up with him? He couldn't sit still anymore, stood up and ordered: "Quickly convey my order, all the generals above will come and gather together!"
"
…
The intelligence of the Tang army was very accurate. At this time, the main force of the Sui army was indeed in a forest twenty miles away. They were about to catch up with the Tang army, but a sudden heavy rain forced them to stop. The 60,000-strong army was hiding in another area.
In the forest, waiting for the heavy rain to stop.
In an open space in the forest, a marching tent was set up. Li Jingzheng and a dozen generals discussed the upcoming battle. A small sand table was placed in the tent, which happened to be the terrain of this area.
"There is only a black pine forest twenty miles ahead."
Li Jing pointed to a pine forest made of pine needles, "This black pine forest is about three to four hundred acres. It rained so heavily. Li Xiaogong had no choice but to take shelter in this pine forest. The pine forest is surrounded by plains.
It is suitable to set up a battlefield. I estimate that Li Xiaogong should have discovered us at this time. He [Baidu Tie] will definitely not continue moving forward and will set up a battlefield outside the pine forest."
Li Jing glanced at everyone. He couldn't contain his excitement, "We have been competing for more than a month, and the final battle is about to come."
Everyone was gearing up, with a look of anticipation on their faces. After more than a month of depression, the war finally came. At this time, Qin Qiong suddenly asked: "Excuse me, Chang Shi, where is Xu Shiji's army now?"
Li Jing smiled slightly, "I think he will definitely appear at the most critical moment."
…
It rained heavily all night. The wilderness was full of rainwater, and there were puddles everywhere. The ground became very muddy, and you would slip if you weren't careful. Thousands of radial trucks were soaked in the rain all night, and many of them were injured.
The old cows were so weak that they fell into the mud.
But at this time, the Tang army could no longer care about the heavy losses. They formed a battle formation to the north of Heisong, waiting for the upcoming battle.
The sky is already twilight, and the morning light envelopes the clear morning. This is the coolest morning since the beginning of summer. There is still a needle-like drizzle in the sky, which is thin and dense. The soldiers' hair is covered with water drops, and the soldiers in the distance are
The situation was looming, and the forest was covered with a layer of green smoke, like the thickest green gauze covering the forest.
In this quiet morning, the heavy drums sounded one after another, "Dong, dong, dong!", monotonous and boring, but every sound will knock into the hearts of the soldiers, reminding them that the war is coming.
Li Xiaogong stared into the distance. He had already vaguely seen a dark army appearing several miles away. At this moment, his heart calmed down. In the end, he could not escape this disaster. This was God's arrangement. They were destined to
Want to fight the Sui army.
Li Xiaogong took a deep breath, and a kind of courage for the general began to burn in his heart. No matter he won or lost, he would fight with all his strength. In order to defend the honor of the Tang Army, he must not retreat.
He slowly pulled out his sword and shouted loudly: "This is the moment for our decisive battle. Let us muster up our courage and cheer for victory!"
Fifty thousand Tang troops raised their arms and shouted, their momentum reaching the sky. Li Xiaogong galloped on horseback, raised his sword again and shouted: "Victory!"
"victory!"
The shouts cheered up the Tang army, their spears were raised, their swords were unsheathed, and their morale began to rise...
Li Jing led the 60,000 Sui army to a stop two miles away from the Tang army. He did not shout slogans, but calmly observed the Tang army's formation and troops. Like the Sui army, a heavy rain caused both sides to lose their crossbows.
In order to improve their combat effectiveness, the crossbow troops became spearmen and lined up in the left formation.
On the front, there are cavalry, about 15,000 people, neatly arranged in three large square formations. On the right, there are sword and shield troops, about 10,000 people, and thousands of scouts scattered around.
The equipment of the Tang army and the Sui army are very similar, with the same armor and weapons. The difference is that the Sui army has 10,000 more cavalry than the opponent, including 3,000 heavy armored cavalry. This is Yang Yuanqing's deployment of heavy armored infantry.
on the western front, while the heavy armored cavalry was arranged on the eastern front.
"Where is General Qin?" Li Jing shouted sharply.
Qin Qiong stepped forward and bowed and saluted, "The general is here!"
"I appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the right wing. You will lead five thousand cavalry against the Sword and Shield [Spread Wings Update Group·Meng Shui] soldiers. Don't rush to kill them. Wait for the Chinese army to fight fiercely before attacking the enemy!"
"The general will obey the order!"
Li Jing glanced at Luo Shixin again and ordered: "Where is General Luo Shixin?"
"The end is here!" Luo Shixin's voice was impassioned, and Shu Xiao took the order.
"I'll give it to you! Fifty thousand spear troops are the left wing. When facing the enemy's spear troops, it's the same as the right wing. Don't rush into battle. Wait until the middle army fights a fierce battle before attacking later."
"Follow the order!"
Li Jing arranged the generals one by one. Finally, he took a deep look at the opponent's camp and shouted loudly: "Beat the drum, the heavy cavalry will attack!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Five hundred large drums beat at the same time, and the sound of the drums was earth-shattering, causing the heaven and earth to change color. The Sui army's cavalry split like water waves and dispersed to both sides. A heavy cavalry team appeared, all wearing heavy armor, each holding a horse.
lance.
Xue Wanche suddenly shouted, "Kill!"
"Kill!"
Amidst the soul-shaking drum beats, three thousand heavily armored cavalry suddenly launched into action. The sound of horse hooves made the earth tremble. The cavalry was so murderous that it swept towards the center of the Tang army with an invincible force.
…
Li Xiaogong's expression changed drastically. He did not expect that heavy armored cavalry would appear in the Sui army. Although he had a crossbow to deal with heavy armored cavalry, he did not remove it from the heavy armor. More importantly, after a night of heavy rain,
The bow string has become soft and the bed crossbow cannot be used.
Li Xiaogong reacted very quickly. He immediately ordered, "Push up the chariot and stop it!"
The speed of the heavy armored cavalry was not fast. Their strength lay in their strength. The Tang army immediately deployed hundreds of soldiers, but before they could finish the display, a frenzy of heavy armored cavalry rushed in.
Although dozens of armored horses were knocked down by Bingmo, the powerful force brought by the three thousand heavily armored cavalry still smashed the chariots into pieces, and the three thousand heavily armored cavalry rushed into the Tang army's dog formation.
The decisive battle in the Central Plains, which had been preparing for nearly a month and a half, finally kicked off in the wilderness to the north of Fanchang County. The torrential rain began to subside and the war broke out.