Nu Yalang of Tang Dynasty

In the north of Anping County, a Yan army of nearly ten thousand people marched on the road under the banner of history.

Shi Siming sat on his horse, looked into the distance, and let out a long breath.

Shi Chaoyi said from the side: "Father, if you walk north for three days and three nights, you can reach Boling."

Shi Siming said quietly: "On the night when the Nine Gates City was broken, you also saw the Tang Army cavalry. Let me ask you, how are they different from the previous Tang Army?"

Shi Chaoyi thought for a while and said: "In street fighting, most of the Tang army's cavalry dismounted and engaged the enemy in foot formation... That night, the cavalry always maintained its cavalry formation even in the narrow streets.

This requires extremely high command capabilities of the cavalry generals, and also requires the cooperation and experience of the cavalry."

Shi Siming nodded and said: "You are right, we have encountered a difficult character."

Shi Chaoyi: "Father, Zhaojun Fucheng is located at a choke point. It would be a pity to give up like this."

Shi Siming glared at him and said: "Idiot! If it were the past, I would naturally stick to Zhao County, but the news of His Majesty's death has caused an uproar in Hebei. There is no guarantee that some of them will not have second thoughts. What if I am here?

I was working so hard in the front, and someone stabbed me in the back, so what should I do at that time?!"

Shi Chaoyi suddenly realized: "My father abandoned Zhao County because he was worried about instability in the rear."

Shi Siming: "Don't look at the smooth sailing of Dayan in the past few years, but there are many factions and forces in the country, and hidden dangers are getting more and more serious. Some time ago, Pinglu Youyi Liu Kenu and the vanguard envoy Dong Qin rebelled and killed

After the death of Pinglu Jiedushi, Lü Zhihui led his army all the way south and successively attacked Yuguan (today's Funing District of Qinhuangdao), Yuyang (today's Jizhou of Jin) and other towns, and the troops were directed towards Fanyang. If not for Fanyang City

If it is strong and well-armed, it may lead to catastrophe."

Shi Chaoyi: “The fact that Hebei is still standing today is all thanks to my father.”

Hearing this, Shi Siming said with some pride: "Let's not talk about the distance, let's take Zhao County this time. Tang Jun would never have thought in his wildest dreams that me leading the troops south was just a false shot... A group of children were fooled around by me.

."

The army under Shi Siming marched forward for another half day and came to the junction of Shenzhou and Yingzhou, a canyon called Mu Daogou.

Shi Siming rode on his horse and looked around. Seeing the dangerous terrain, he couldn't help laughing and said: "Look at the terrain here. The two cliffs are like knives and axes, and there are dense forests growing on the top of the cliff. No wonder it is called "Mudaogou" by the locals.

』.”

Shi Chaoyi looked around and found that it was indeed the case.

Shi Siming added: "This place is the only way to go to Boling. If you set up an ambush here, you can hide your troops in the dense forest. When the enemy approaches, use falling rocks to cut off their retreat, and then shoot them with bows and crossbows from high up...

…You don’t need many troops to ambush, you only need a thousand people to guard it, and even an army of tens of thousands will not be able to pass through.”

When Shi Chaoyi heard this, he saw the steep rock walls and the deep dense forest, and felt a little fear in his heart.

Shi Siming said nonchalantly: "What a pity, those Tang troops are as stupid as pigs. They are still attacking the empty city in Zhao County. How could they fly here..."

Before he finished speaking, a loud noise came from the cliff.

Dozens of boulders as big as millstones were seen rolling down the cliff, directly blocking the Yan army's retreat.

Shi Siming was so stunned by the sudden change that he almost fell off his horse.

Immediately afterwards, countless arrows shot from the cliff into the Yan army, taking away hundreds of lives in just a few breaths.

Shi Siming stared blankly at the cliffs on both sides. He fell into complete confusion and murmured: "This is impossible...where did these Tang soldiers come from?!"

Shi Chaoyi raised his shield, covered Shi Siming, and shouted: "Father, leave quickly! If you don't leave, it will be too late!"

Shi Siming woke up from a dream and quickly ordered: "Drop the baggage and move forward at full speed! Pass through this canyon as quickly as possible!"

The Yan army began to rush forward quickly, braving arrows and falling rocks.

After walking less than a hundred meters, when the cavalry in the front line passed by the road, many large pits several meters deep suddenly appeared on the road. The soldiers of Yan were caught off guard, and all the men and horses fell into the pits. They screamed and the horses

The cry is endless.

Shi Chaoyi's face turned pale, and there was only despair in his heart. He said to Shi Siming: "Father, there are countless traps dug in front of us."

Shi Siming finally realized at this time that the Tang army in Mudaogou was well prepared and might have been setting up an ambush for a long time.

At this moment, a shout came from the cliff: "You still won't surrender?"

Shi Siming was horrified and asked his men to the top of the cliff: "Who is coming?!"

Another shout came from the top of the cliff: "This is the former general Li Guangbi. The historical thief has tied himself up and asked to surrender, but I will spare your life!"

Shi Siming was stunned and whispered to himself: "Li Guangbi? Could it be that he is the Li Guangbi who attacked the Nine Gates at night?"

Shi Chaoyi came from the side and called softly: "Father."

Shi Siming looked at him and saw that Shi Chaoyi had found a soldier who looked like himself.

Shi Siming understood his son's meaning almost instantly.

Without any hesitation, Shi Siming took off his commander's robe and put on the soldier's short shirt handed over by Shi Chaoyi.

Shi Siming, who put on his short shirt, ordered his subordinates to divide into several groups and flee separately.

Then he ordered the soldiers wearing handsome robes to mix in and escape together.

The soldier, who was wearing a handsome robe, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Shi Siming, then blended in with the rebel army and fled toward the mouth of the canyon with other Yan troops.

When the Tang troops on the top of the cliff saw this, they shouted: "The thieves chief has escaped!"

The arrows fell again, accompanied by screams and begging for mercy. The Yan army fell one after another like harvested wheat stalks.

Taking advantage of his subordinates to attract Tang Jun's attention, Shi Siming took his cronies with him, clung to the cliff, and cautiously moved forward. He tried his best and finally escaped.

In the Battle of Mu Daogou, Shi Siming's command managed to gather an army of 10,000 people. More than 6,000 of them were killed by falling rocks, arrows, and traps, and about 2,000 of them were trampled on each other. The remaining people were about 2,000.

Most of them lost their fighting spirit, threw down their weapons, and surrendered on the spot.

Only a few hundred people desperately escaped from the ambush of the Tang army and luckily survived. Among them, Shi Siming was included.

Shi Siming, still in shock, led the remaining soldiers into Boling City.

Before he could take a breath, a scout brought a military report, saying that the main force of Shuofang's army had moved north to Anping, and that in a few days they would approach the city.

There were more than 10,000 defenders in Boling City. The city was strong and there was sufficient food and grass, so Shi Siming did not panic when he heard the news that the Tang army was about to arrive.

What made him feel uneasy was that the news of the death of Emperor An Lushan of the Yan Kingdom spread despite his best efforts to conceal it.

In addition, after two major defeats in Jiumen County and Mutaogou, the Yan army suffered a disastrous defeat. Nearly 40,000 elite soldiers were lost in vain.

Therefore, in the following days, news came from many prefectures and counties in Hebei that the rebels in various places were showing signs of resurgence.

Under such a situation, the main forces of Shuofang Army, Anxi Army and Beiting Army led by Zhou Jun, totaling 80,000 troops, arrived at Boling City and began the first siege battle in the Hebei strategy.