Chapter 226: Decisive Battle with Youyun (17)
Yelu Hongshan led an army of 10,000 to the foot of the mountain. The fires soaring into the sky had already illuminated the sky, and the military camp was in a mess. Apart from the dead bodies on the ground, there was no living creature, and more than 10,000 war horses were gone.
Yelu Hongshan's face was ashen and his beard was rooted. These war horses were the tip of Yelu Hongshan's heart. He wanted to tear Zhabuge out of pieces. He gritted his teeth for a long time before he squeezed out a sentence: "Look for me to Zhabuge, he would be killed if he died in battle. If he left the military camp and fled, he must kill his nine clans." Zhabuge has always been brave in fighting, and is deeply trusted by Yelu Hongshan, so Yelu Hongshan gave him the important task of guarding the war horse. Now Zhabuge has lost the military camp, and according to the Khitan military rules, he will definitely not be able to escape death.
After a little rest of his anger, Yelu Hongshan realized the seriousness of the problem: the guards of the Gubeikou military camp were very cunning and it was difficult to retake Gubeikou for a while. There was a large number of Zhou troops hidden at the foot of the mountain, and they could pounce on him and bite him at any time. When they were attacked from both sides, it was extremely risky to attack Gubeikou military camp.
Dake had experienced the combat effectiveness of the Zhou army many times. Looking at the corpses all over the ground, he felt a strong sense of anxiety. Seeing Yelu Hongshan's face was calm and silent, he said, "General, this Zhou army guarded Gubeikou to block reinforcements. It seems that they are determined to win Youzhou."
That night, the moon was extremely round and hung in the air to shine coolly.
Under the moonlight and the scattered firelight, the messy camp was particularly dazzling, with dead bodies everywhere, including Khitan soldiers and Zhou soldiers, and a group of Khitan soldiers were chasing a frightened war horse. The war horses jumped around in the camp frantically. Although there were many Khitan soldiers, they could not control it for a while.
Yelu Hongshan was a little lost, and he stared at the dark mountains. After a long time, he said to the deputy general Yelu Hongcang who was following closely behind: "Yelu Hongcang, you can select a few agile men from the army, go west around this ancient north entrance, and bring the situation in Youzhou to Your Majesty."
Yelu Hongcang is Yelu Hongshan's clan brother. He has always respected his clan brother Yelu Hongshan. Even when Yelu Hongshan was the most ridiculous, he followed him loyally. After receiving the order, he turned around and left. Yelu Hongshan turned his head and looked at Dako and said, "Dako, this Gubeikou is the key to whether Youzhou can be saved. We don't have much food. Only by taking down the military camp can we have a way out." Yelu Hongshan suddenly raised his voice and said, "No matter how dangerous the situation is or how unfavorable the situation is, we must take down Gubeikou at all costs. Dako, so don't have any other plans."
Seeing Yelu Hongshan's expression on his face was a little decisive, Dako felt a stern in his heart and said, "I am willing to follow the general."
The conversation was divided into two words. Just when Yelu Hongshan was angry, Yuan Yan, the commander of Longjiedu, was extremely happy. He led his subordinates to retreat five miles away and stopped. He did not retreat much. Yuan Yan sent more than a dozen scout cavalry to find out the movements of the Khitan army in Gubeikou, and the rest of the soldiers camped on the spot.
The Khitan army lost its war horses and became an infantry army that was slow to move. No matter how many people were, it was not a problem.
Although the moon was as bright as water, the soldiers were extremely tired. Soon after camping, Yuan Yan's military camp was immersed in snoring. Yuan Yan still maintained his old habit. He did not take off his armor and did not take off his shoes when he was sleeping. He leaned his body and put one ear on the ground. When Yuan Yan was still a soldier, he used to be a scout. This set of sleeping habits was something he stayed there and became a military governor. He could only sleep in this posture.
A slight tremor came from the ground, and Yuan Yan was like a shrewd hunting dog. He even raised his ears when he fell asleep. He accurately caught this trace of abnormality, jumped up, rushed out of the simple camp tent, and shouted: "Get on your horse quickly, the enemy will rush to the camp."
The soldiers on duty also noticed something strange at the same time, and warning sounds sounded everywhere in the military camp.
By the time most of the soldiers boarded the war horses and had not yet sorted out their formation, a cavalry team had already rushed into the barracks like a whirlwind. Yuan Yan's troops were temporarily resting, and there were not much protection at the camp. Except for sentries, there were no horses, trenches, and wooden fences. The cavalry rushed into the camp without any obstruction.
At this time, there was already bright colors in the sky, but the moon quietly retreated into the clouds, which was the dark time before dawn.
The two armies collided in an instant, and suddenly there were shouts of killing and cursing.
Soon, there were people in both armies who were quick-witted. They shouted in the crowd: "Stop, it's their own." Some cursed: "Grandma, what's going on?" "Well, that guy, tells you to stop."
By the time both sides stopped, dozens of people were injured or killed in a brief encounter.
Most of the people who fell off the horse were Yuan Yan's subordinates. After suffering this loss, Yuan Yan couldn't help but feel angry. The blue veins on his face were exposed. He held a spear and pointed at him in front of the general: "Who are you? Why don't you have eyes? You can't even recognize your own people. According to the laws of the Great Zhou army, attacking friendly forces should be executed. Do you know the crime?"
The general came was not panicked and bowed, "See General Yuan, the last general is Guang Zicao, the deputy commander of the right wing of the crane control." He smiled and had a respectful expression on his face, but he did not dismount.
Yuan Yan once saw Guang Zituo, and when he heard him report his name, he recognized him. At this time, he saw Guang Zituo not caring about his threat. He secretly admired Guang Zituo's courage, but said, "I am Yuan Yan, the commander of Long Jie, Guang Zituo, you have caused such a big disaster, get off the horse and be tied up."
Guang Zituo was not afraid, "Ha, ha" laughed, and pointed to the saddle of Yuan Yan's cavalry and said, "No wonder this is the last general. General, you see these saddles, they are all Khitan things, which are obviously different from ours."
Horses were riding tools that the Khitans could not leave for a moment when they lived in nomadic life on the Khitan grassland. Therefore, the Khitans paid special attention to horse harness and horse decoration equipment. The war horses seized by Yuan Yan's army included saddles, reins, belts, pedals, decorations and other horse parts. They were fully equipped and exquisite in craftsmanship, which was obviously different from the shape of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Moreover, the horse harness was extremely complex and expensive, and it was definitely not completed in a short period of time. The scout sent by Guangzituo recognized the Khitan horse harness from afar, and then it was concluded that this cavalry wearing the Zhou army uniform was the Liao army.
"So that's it, you really don't blame me." Yuan Yan also found a step for himself.
Guang Zitu is a general in the northwest border and has no reputation among the imperial guards. After the new imperial guards were established, Yuan Yan then knew the name of Guang Zitu. He looked down at Guang Zitu for a while and said, "General Guang, you are really brave. I have three soldiers who have died. You are."
Guang Zitu felt a little sad and said, "Although the moonlight is bright, it is hard to tell me. The soldiers who died in battle will be restrained."
Yuan Yan did not continue to pursue this matter. He changed his subject and said solemnly: "There are tens of thousands of Khitan troops in Gubeikou, which are attacking Gubeikou's military camp. Since General Guang has come here, he will join forces with me to cut off the Khitan troops' retreat."
In terms of official positions, Yuan Yan was the commander-in-chief of Long Jie. In terms of qualifications, Yuan Yan was the veteran of the local military governor. In front of Yuan Yan, Guang Zitu could only be considered a junior. However, although Guang Zitu was the deputy commander-in-chief of the right wing of the control cranes at this time, he was the commander-in-chief of the control cranes and the commander-in-chief of the control cranes. Yuan Yan had no right to command the commander-in-chief of the control cranes. Therefore, Yuan Yan spoke in a tone of discussion.
Guang Zituo nodded and said, "The King of Hou led a 70,000 army to cross the Juma River. He surrounded Youzhou City and was blocked. The King of Hou attached great importance to Gubeikou and was afraid that the Longjie army would be insufficient. He specially ordered me to lead 4,000 cavalry to attack the Khitan army to ensure that Gubeikou is foolproof."
When Yuan Yan led his army across the river, the main force of the imperial guards was still gathering on the shore. He didn't know the current situation. He heard this and said, "It's so fast. It has surrounded Youzhou." Yuan Yan smiled and said, "With General Guang's 4,000 troops, it's hard to fly in the Khitan army at Gubeikou."
The two armies joined forces and had 7,000 cavalry. In addition, the Tengxiang tribe of the land king of Gubeikou, the total force gathered in Gubeikou was 9,000. At this time, the Khitan army had more than 13,000 people. The strength of both sides was close, which was considered to be comparable.
The two talked about the situation of the Khitan army. Guang Zituo looked excited. He said, "General Yuan, the defense of the Khitan army camp was extremely negligent. He was tired and lost his horse. My 4,000 troops were the new force. If you go to the camp, the Khitans may not be able to resist it."
Yuan Yan praised in his heart: Guang Zitu is really a powerful general. He dared to rush to the Khitan camp with four thousand troops.
After thinking for a while, Yuan Yan said, "Long Jie Army had just fought with the Khitan Army for a while. The soldiers were tired and should not be fighting. But with me here to defend, General Guang will be worried."
The six commanders of the new imperial guards were all those who were intimidating the Great Zhou Dynasty. They had a wrong relationship between the DPRK and China. He knew that Guang Zitu, Wang Tengxiang and He Wulang were all transferred by Hou Dayong from the northwest border town. In other words, these three were all Hou Dayong's confidants. The imperial guards were originally a army of war, and they were full of brave generals. It was very difficult for the newly transferred generals to the ground to stand out in the imperial guards, but these three quickly gained a foothold in the army. Although this had something to do with Hou Dayong, it was convinced that the three of them were really good at leading troops.
After the Northern Expedition began, the performance of these three people made Yuan Yangao even look at it:
He Wulang led a thousand-man side troops to destroy 500 Khitan cavalry outside Yizhou City, trapping thousands of Yizhou troops to guard the lonely city, and eventually forcing the Yizhou guards to surrender to the Zhou army.
Wang Tengxiang led 1,500 men to successfully seize the Gubeikou military camp and blocked more than 10,000 Khitan troops under the mountain pass. Yuan Yan did not know how Wang Tengxiang seized the military camp, but after looking at the mountain from a distance, he could know the danger of the Gubeikou military camp without thinking.
Although the general Guang Zituo in front of him has no war example worth mentioning, from the suggestion of harassing the Khitan military camp, at least he is a warlike general, warlike, but a very rare quality of a general.
Guang Zituo knew that Yuan Yan's army was behind him, and even if the attack on the camp was unsuccessful, there was a way out. He thanked him and led the cavalry slowly to the north.
Yuan Yan's cavalry remained motionless on the war horse, just like a sculpture. When the light purple camel cavalry team was completely hidden in the night, he said to himself: "No wonder the Black Eagle Army is becoming more and more famous, and it is true that Hou Dayong has a high position, and he is really capable."
Just as the fierce battle at Gubeikou was in full swing, Youzhou City was still silent.
The Zhou army had been besieging the city for two days, but the Great Zhou army had not launched an attack, and the Khitan army closed the city gates. The two sides had not yet officially fought. Only more than 100,000 troops gathered in Youzhou, with military flags flying and war horses neighing. The atmosphere of the war was already very strong. As the saying goes, the storm was about to come and the wind filled the building, and the black clouds were pressing against the city and the city was about to destroy.
More than 70,000 Zhou imperial guards gathered at the west gate, the south gate and the north gate, and there was only one and more than two thousand people in the east gate.
And above the city wall, with the clear moonlight on the ground, you can clearly see the dense figures on the city.
At midnight, the central tent of Zhou army was still brightly lit.
Hou Dayong was on the throne of the generals, and the generals in the throne were: Iron Cavalry Army Zhao Kuangyin, Ji Qingyang, Murong Yanzhao; Han Tong, Shi Shouxin, and Zhang Zangying; Han Lingkun, Cao Han, Gao Huaide, and Bianhe Navy Li Jixun, and Shi Ying.
The generals looked different, and it was obvious that they had experienced fierce debate.
When Hou Dayong saw that Huohou was almost the same, he stood up calmly, waved his hand, and said unquestionably: "Today's proposal is a conclusion, so you don't have to say anything more. After returning to the camp, you will act according to your plan. If you violate the order, don't forget that the military law is strict."
After the generals saluted one after another, they looked serious and came out one after another.
In the end, only Han Tong, the commander of the Crane Control Commander, was left. Hou Dayong and Han Tong whispered for a while. Han Tong looked happy and left the tent excitedly.
On the left side of the tent is a large-scale topographic map of Youzhou. This map is naturally derived from the personal guards led by Hou Dayong. The hundred personal guards selected from the Black Eagle Army, who are not only skilled in martial arts, but also skilled in riding and shooting, but are almost all from the Lion Camp reconnaissance cavalry. Drawing maps is their specialty. Over the years, the places where the Black Eagle Army has fought have left accurate and detailed maps.
After all the generals dispersed, Hou Dayong pondered and thought hard on the map. When Hou Dayong looked at the picture, he did not allow anyone to disturb him. This rule was already known to everyone. When he joined the army and sealed the sand tent, Hou Dayong did not ask, and he did not say a word.
There are ten large oil lamps in the tent, which make the tent bright as daylight.
Hou Dayong closed his eyes and meditated on the terrain of Youzhou in his heart. It was not until the terrain of Youzhou was completely imprinted in his mind and formed a three-dimensional rotatable dimension in his mind that he opened his eyes with satisfaction. He turned around and asked Feng Sha: "Have you found General Yuan yet?"
"I sent three batches of 20 scout cavalry to go to Gubeikou to find out the news. The first batch of scout cavalry has returned. Since the Khitan army has been siegeing Gubeikou with all its might, I saw that Gubeikou has been occupied by our army. I just don't know whether it is General Wang Tengxiang or General Yuan Yan above Gubeikou. The second batch and the third batch of scout cavalry have not returned yet. I guess I will come back at dawn."
Feng Sha has been following Hou Dayong for a long time, and has extraordinary insights under his influence. He knows the importance of Gubeikou, so he constantly sends detective cavalry to Gubeikou.
According to the information released by Chen Dong, the Khitan Army general Xiao Siwen was determined to defend Youzhou City and gathered all his troops in the city. There was only a 4,000 Khitan cavalry outside the city. All military operations after crossing the river were formulated based on this information: Wang Tengxiang's troops' mission was to use cavalry to move to Gubeikou at high speed, find an opportunity to capture Gubeikou, and the task of defending Gubeikou was handed over to Yuan Yan's troops who followed him. Yuan Yan's troops were all infantry, and the army brought fifteen days of food. With fifteen days of time, the main force of the Great Zhou imperial army was able to defeat all the Khitan troops outside Youzhou City.
However, the plan was always behind the changes. The Khitan cavalry stationed in Qingshui River suddenly rushed north. The superiority of the Khitan cavalry was fully utilized at this time. The distance from Qingshui River to Gubeikou was even further than the Juma River to Gubeikou. Moreover, the actions of Yuan Yan's infantry were one day earlier than the Khitan army in Qingshui River. However, the Khitan cavalry in Qingshui River still arrived at Gubeikou first than Yuan Yan's infantry.
The Khitan army, which had been hiding in the city, was out of normal condition and sent 10,000 cavalry out of the city, and the two Khitan army reached 14,000, which put great pressure on the troops of Tengxiang, the king of Gubeikou.
Feng Sha was very familiar with the overall situation. He said with some concern: "The Khitan army and 14,000 people, while General Yuan, General Wang and General Guang have only 10,000 people, so I am afraid it will be difficult to eat these fierce Khitan army."
Hou Dayong looked at Feng Sha with a sad face and showed a relaxed smile, saying, "Gubeikou is another dangerous pass that can only be opened by a man. General Wang and General Yuan are both veterans on the battlefield. Gubeikou falls into the hands of our army. Even if the Khitans have more than 10,000 troops, they cannot capture it."
"Youzhou's city is strong, with sufficient food, and the defenders have 40,000. If they close the city to avoid war, our army will have no choice but to attack. Now the Khitan army goes out of the city to seek battle, which is a good opportunity for heaven." Hou Dayong left Han Tong before the meeting, so that he could lead 16,000 troops to rush to Gubeikou, join forces with two generals Yuan and Guang to wipe out this group of Khitan army that dared to go out of the city to fight at Gubeikou.
Feng Sha was the army of Hou Dayong, equivalent to the secretary-general of later generations. He had to handle many things, and he was the one who could find out the core secrets. When he learned that Han Tong had led his army north, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Walking out of the tent, the majestic Youzhou City jumped into your eyes. The moonlight was like water and smoke, covering Youzhou City, like a dream.
"I love Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the sun rises on Tiananmen Square." Looking at the shadow of Youzhou City, this familiar tune appeared strangely in Hou Dayong's mind. With the tune, another world's wife Xiaolin and her daughter suddenly jumped into their minds, and their voice, appearance and smile were so vivid. In an instant, Hou Dayong stood in the tent gate as if he was fixed by Sun Wukong's body, motionless.
A gust of wind blew, and flags were flying above the city and below the city.
After a while, Hou Dayong came to his senses, sighed in his heart, rubbed his face with his hands, pulled himself back to reality, and instructed Feng Sha: "Tomorrow, continue to send a scout cavalry, and you must understand the war in Gubeikou in time."
Back in the tent, Hou Dayong sat on a Hu chair. This Hu chair was similar to the foldable free chair in later generations. It was extremely convenient to carry it during the marching. This was a small convenience for Hou Dayong to take advantage of his position. As soon as he sat down, Liu Jiangjie walked into the tent with a basin of hot water. Since the Northern Expedition, Liu Jiangjie has been following Hou Dayong. The two of them have already had a tacit understanding. Liu Jiangjie didn't speak, but squatted in front of Hou Dayong, carefully took off his battle shoes for Hou Dayong.
After Hou Dayong's feet were immersed in hot water, Liu Jiangjie's fingers were flying and flying on various acupoints on her feet. Hou Dayong closed his eyes and enjoyed the crisp and numb feeling on her feet, only to feel exhausted and swept away.
Chapter completed!