Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

In the northeast of Zitong, the area that is twenty miles long and twelve miles wide is collectively called Qiqu Mountain.

There is a road at the belly of the mountain, which winds in seven twists and turns, hence its name.

Today, Qiqu Mountain is half occupied by officers, soldiers and rebels.

Ju Ming's main army was divided into several camps, and each camp could rescue each other.

Officers and soldiers also set up three villages on the mountain, with a total of 8,000 troops stationed there.

If the rebels want to attack Zitong, they must uproot these three villages.

Only two or three miles to the southeast, the officers and soldiers set up two strongholds. If the rebels attack the three villages in Qiqu Mountain, the officers and soldiers of the two villages here can not only go down the mountain to rescue quickly, but also attack from the flanks.

On the mountain on the other side of the river, there are also camps of officers and soldiers who can cross the river to attack the other side of the rebel army.

In other words, once Ju Ming is dispatched, he will be attacked from three sides before even attacking the city, but just attacking the mountain stronghold.

On the third day after Bai Qi captured the enemy general alive, Ju Ming suddenly moved.

First, the whole army retreated six miles, looked for a suitable ferry, and headed to the west bank of Tongjiang River. The dangerous land at Qiqu Mountain is no longer needed, and the food road is no longer in care. The officers and soldiers can deprive themselves of food as much as they like.

Then advance eight miles to the southwest, camp in the hills, away from the Qiqu Mountain area, and then attack the westernmost mountain stronghold of the officers and soldiers.

"The Zhu Thief abandoned Qiqu Mountain? Did he not care about the food supply?" Huang Gai was overjoyed when he heard the news.

"It's absolutely true," the sentry replied, "all the camps previously established by the bandits have become empty camps."

Zhao Yu guessed: "I'm afraid that all the food and grass that can be transported by the red thieves have been transported. There will be no more food and grass to transport in the future. The rebel thieves' food can last until the twelfth lunar month at most."

"That would be better," Huang Gai suggested. "Our army can move troops to occupy Qiqu Mountain, build a stronghold, and fight in vain. We must not fight in the wild and delay the time until the beginning of spring. Wait for the food from the bandits. After eating, I will definitely collapse without a fight!"

Zhao Yu shook his head and said: "I'm afraid that the Zhu thieves will think that Zitong is difficult to defeat, so the whole army will go around to Zhangming (Jiangyou) or Mianzhou (Mianyang). There are three thousand rural soldiers guarding the city there, so I'm afraid they may not be able to hold it."

Huang Gai said: "Our army is always watching. If the Zhu Thief dares to march like this, he will be besieged. The big city of Mianzhou cannot be set off immediately, so the Zhu Thief can only go to attack Mingming. At that time, his retreat was cut off and there was not much food left. We were besieged by officers and soldiers again, so we had no choice but to retreat to the mountains of the northwest to deal with the Qiang people!"

"I'm afraid that if I can't surround him, I'll be defeated by him..." Zhao Yu seriously doubted the officers and soldiers' ability to fight in the field.

"Then the next best thing is to retreat," Huang Gai said. "If the Zhu Thief dares to advance westward, our army will send more troops to Mianzhou to block its southward passage. Even if he can capture Mingming, he will become a deep-seated force." Alone."

…

Ju Ming's idea was simple. At the expense of abandoning the retreat and food routes, he stayed away from the unfavorable terrain of Qiqu Mountain and instead attacked the westernmost mountain stronghold of the officers and soldiers.

If Li Bao can successfully reach Mianzhou, he will block the officers and soldiers' retreat southward. And Ju Ming's strong attack on the mountain stronghold was able to block the way for the officers and soldiers to escape westward.

By that time, the officers and soldiers had no choice but to go north, that is, to Jianzhou and Jianmen Pass. There was a motley crew of rebels guarding the place, with Zhu Ming and Li Bao chasing after them. The officers and soldiers were unable to advance or retreat, and it was as if they were being beaten behind closed doors.

If Li Bao encounters an accident and cannot come to encircle him, Ju Ming will kill Zi Tong!

"Buzz buzz~~~"

Three days later, in the early morning, a dull trumpet sounded.

The main force of more than 21,000 rebels left the camp with 8,000 auxiliary soldiers, leaving only more than 10,000 auxiliary soldiers and civilians guarding the camp.

They are said to be auxiliary soldiers, but in fact they are all young and strong, but their weapons are too bad. Many people still use simple knives or spears as spears. They have all practiced in Qiqu Mountain, and they can become regular soldiers as long as they get the weapons.

The whole army arrived two or three miles away from the mountain. The nearly 30,000 troops were difficult to line up in the hilly area.

Often this battalion forms a formation on the flat ground, while the other battalion is tilted on a hill, which is quite suitable for fighting in a mandarin duck formation.

The main force of 21,000 people all practiced the mandarin duck formation.

When he was blocked by Jianmen Pass in Lizhou, he had been practicing for a month, and when he was blocked by Zitong, he had been practicing for another month.

The advantage of the Yuanyang Formation is that it is not only suitable for hilly battles, but also saves weapons.

Ju Ming's armor is seriously insufficient, and the weapons and equipment of the Yuanyang Formation can effectively make up for this shortcoming.

"Bring me armor!"

Bai Sheng and Shi Biao came forward with the Heavenly King's Armor in hand and helped Ju Ming dress neatly. They also specially put on a red cloak.

The morning sun rises, reflecting on the golden armor of the Heavenly King, and a layer of red halo is enveloped in the golden color.

Ju Ming pulled down his visor, rode forward slowly, drew his sword and pointed at the sky as he passed through the passages of each camp.

Bai Sheng, Shi Biao, Gu San and other close soldiers followed and shouted: "King Zhu Tian! King Zhu Tian! King Zhu Tian..."

The rebel soldiers looked at the majestic battle armor, and the terrifying face helmet was even more breathtaking. Wherever Ju Ming rode his horse, the soldiers knelt down on one knee involuntarily and shouted together with the soldiers: "King Zhu Tian! King Zhu Tian..."

Ju Ming spent a full forty minutes reviewing the troops and boosting the morale of the entire army.

He was deliberately stalling for time, trying to attract the officers and soldiers from Qiqu Mountain and Zitong City, and did not even set up defenses by the river, so that the officers and soldiers could cross the river safely.

Attacking the mountain today is more like encircling a point and calling for reinforcements.

It is better to draw the officers and soldiers over for a decisive battle than to waste human lives in attacking the enemy.

"Do you want to cross the river for rescue?" Huang Gai asked.

Zhao Yun said: "I plan to withdraw all the officers and soldiers from the two mountain strongholds in the west to the east bank of the Zijiang River. The previous deployment of various troops was based on the premise that the Zhu Thieves camped in Qiqu Mountain. Since the Zhu Thieves are no longer in Qiqu Mountain, the two mountain strongholds in the west , so there is no need to defend anymore. Alas, the main reason is that we cannot defend it. The mountain is not steep, and we are besieged by groups of red thieves."

Huang Gai said: "The red thieves are not three-headed and six-armed. Our army has planted nails in the mountain stronghold. When the red thieves attack the mountain with all their strength, we will send a large army across the river to attack its flanks. Under attack from two sides, we will definitely win a complete victory!"

Zhao Yu remained silent, he still did not trust the fighting ability of the rural soldiers.

A few years ago, he was responsible for exterminating the Lunan Yi, and had more than 10,000 Xiang troops and rural soldiers in his hands. Every time a plan is arranged, it is okay to be conceited, but in the end nothing happens and it always fails inexplicably.

You can lose any battle that is sure to happen!

When 30,000 Western troops were mobilized, they attacked wherever they wanted and easily defeated the barbarians.

Now Zhao Yu has two choices:

The first is to abandon the two strongholds on the west bank of the Zijiang River. This method is calm and prudent, but it will cause the loss of part of the battlefield initiative.

The second is to send troops across the river to coordinate and cooperate with the friendly forces in the stronghold to defeat the rebels with a certain probability. But once the army is defeated, the losses will be heavy, because the defeated troops must cross the Zijiang River to escape back to the city.

After thinking hard, Zhao Yu finally made a decision: "Send 10,000 soldiers from the city across the river to attack the flanks of the bandits. Send 6,000 soldiers from Qiqu Mountain to cross the river and look for opportunities to attack the backs of the bandits. Send another 5,000 elite troops to attack the bandits' flanks. Cross the river quietly further upstream and attack the bandits' camp. It's best to burn their food and grass. All ships should be on the riverside to meet them, to ensure nothing goes wrong!"

Huang Gai said: "It is better to cross the river with the whole army. We have more soldiers and we will definitely win in one battle!"

"What if we are defeated?" Zhao Yu said, "We must leave some troops to defend Zitong so that the entire army will not be wiped out. Hold on to the city until next year, and the Western Army can be mobilized to Sichuan to suppress the bandits."

"This is not how you fight. If you look forward and backward, you will lose both front and rear," Huang Gai said. "If you fight this way, it is better to abandon the west bank fortress."

Zhao Yu shook his head: "I'm not sending troops now, but letting the officers and soldiers of the village hold on first. If we can hold it for one day, the soldiers will be available, and we can cross the river to fight tomorrow. If we can't hold it for one day, then don't fight. The army will definitely be defeated when they cross the river, so just stick to the city and Qiqu Mountain."

This guy is really cold-blooded and wants to test the combat effectiveness of the two armies by taking the lives of the officers and soldiers in the West Bank copycat.

Sun Tzu said, if you know yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger.

Zhao Yu's primary problem now is that he neither knows himself nor the enemy. No matter what he does, he has no confidence.

Ju Ming inspected the army for forty minutes, and waited for a long time, but did not wait for the main force of officers and soldiers to cross the river.

The plan to encircle the point for reinforcements has failed, so take down the surrounding point!

The rebel army slowly advanced and moved towards the foot of the mountain.

Several officers and soldiers messengers also left the city and crossed the river, avoiding the rebels and going up the mountain from the south to send a message: "The general has an order and orders you to hold on for one day. The army will cross the river tomorrow for a decisive battle!"

"Pooh!"

Xie Jianzhong, commander of the Chengdu Fulu Infantry Army, spat at the leaving messenger and cursed: "If the soldiers don't come to rescue me, I have to hold on for a day. This guy named Zhao is not a good guy! Send an order, and the two villages will form one." We must defend the village until tomorrow."

Xie Jianzhong also felt unsure and began to battle wits with the coach.

There are two cottages arranged here to rescue each other. Xie Jianzhong simply abandoned the garrison and moved all the troops together. With more people, they would be less afraid and could ensure the morale of the army.

Moreover, the arrangements made by the civil servants were only theoretically feasible.

The rebel army was overwhelming, and the two strongholds were too busy to take care of themselves. Why did they rescue each other?

Ju Ming was arranging the troops to attack. This man was still at the bottom of the mountain. From the telescope, he saw the officers and soldiers abandoning the stronghold and moving away.

Then thick smoke billowed, and the abandoned mountain stronghold had food, but it was burned down by the officers and soldiers!

Two battalions of rebels rushed forward and quickly occupied the empty village. Then they found that the food was burning, and even with all their efforts, they could not save much.

The rebel soldiers were furious and cursed the officers and soldiers who ordered the burning of food.

In fact, the officers and soldiers were also scolding.

Liu Chengyou is a descendant of the Liu family in Guangdu, and he separated from the main sect very early. After being divided again and again, his family's land was only more than 500 acres, but he had to feed more than 30 people.

Originally, life could still be lived, but the government's excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes were too heavy, and the family's savings were gradually depleted. If they continued like this for a few more years, they would have to borrow money to pay taxes.

Liu Chengyou, now the head of the rural soldiers, rushed to Xie Jianzhong with a gun and asked angrily: "Why did you order the food to be burned?"

Xie Jianzhong said: "The stronghold was abandoned too hastily, and the military supplies could not be transported away. We could not leave them to the bandits and could only burn them."

Liu Chengyou's heart was dripping with blood: "That is the people's anointing of the people in Sichuan. You guys will burn it when you say it. Why didn't you abandon the stronghold and move it earlier?"

Xie Jianzhong said angrily: "Those big turbans in Zitong City want to fight as soon as possible. They don't come to rescue them even though they have soldiers in their hands. They insist on holding on until tomorrow. I have just received the military order. How can I guess what the coach is thinking?" ?”

"Commander, Commander Yang is leading his troops down the mountain from the south! He said that the commander-in-chief has troops but cannot save them, yet he makes everyone work for their lives. It is better to retreat to the city. There is no way to stop him!"

At this moment, a soldier came to report in a panic.

Xie Jianzhong was stunned when he heard this, then looked at his officers and found that they all had angry expressions on their faces.

It is not that the friendly troops are angry and flee, but that the commander is angry and stands still.

"Farewell!"

Liu Chengyou cupped his fists and saluted, turned around and said to his fellow villagers and subordinates: "Let's go too. The whole army will cross the river and withdraw to the city."

One after another, officers and soldiers left.

Xie Jianzhong could only evacuate and gave up the remaining village in an instant. Moreover, the thieves were about to attack, so he didn't have time to set fire to the grain, so he just threw a few torches in the granary and ran away.

Ju Ming was fully prepared for this battle and even wore the Heavenly King Armor to give him a full sense of ceremony.

Before the battle even started, all the officers and soldiers abandoned the camp and fled.

Are you kidding me?

Ju Ming was furious and shouted: "Pursue, pursue, don't let the officers and soldiers cross the river calmly!"

Zhao Yu was even angrier than Ju Ming. Watching the officers and soldiers escape from across the river, he was so angry that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

He turned to face Huang Gai and said through gritted teeth: "You are a well-trained soldier, but you don't obey military orders. You must kill a few of them this time to serve as a warning to others!"

I would like to recommend a new book: "This old man, who asked him to be a jailer?" 》

System article, if you don’t like it, don’t read it. Don’t read it and scold me like last time.