Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 427 The Wolves
Outside Xiashi Fort, the Zhongshun Army fought a little clumsily.

Fortunately the fort fell into disrepair and dilapidation.Although it was not as unbearable as Weizhou City was actually collapsed by the Khitans, it was still full of loopholes. After two waves of the Zhongshun Army collapsed, the third wave finally attacked.

Shao Shude didn't care about the outcome of this battle at all. He summoned the generals of Tielin, Tianzhu, Tianxiong, and Shunyi's four armies in the big tent to discuss the next move.

Wang Bian of Huazhou also came, although his troops will basically not participate in the battle.

"First of all, clarify what the goal is." Shao Shude asked, "Can we occupy Henan Mansion or Luoyang?"

The generals were astonished.

"Lingzhou is an important town for my money and food, more than 1000 miles away from Luoyang. Bian Song is an important town for the Xuanwu Army, four hundred miles away from Luoyang, and there is a big river and water transportation to facilitate it." Shao Shude said: "The two towns of Weibei and Huazhou can support 3 troops. , can support an expedition of 6 people, even if it is apportioned to the east of Jingzhaofu, it can only support an expedition of [-] to [-] people. If there are more horses, the number will decrease. With tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, can Zhu Quanzhong be wiped out? "

The answer is obvious.

"Then the goal of our army is not to destroy Zhu Quanzhong, but to weaken Zhu Quanzhong as much as possible." Shao Shude said: "Since the defeat of Qin Zongquan, Henan Prefecture and Huaixi Prefectures have become Zhu Quanzhong's rear area. Taking Henan Prefecture as an example, Zhang Quanyi Recruit refugees, cultivate wasteland and farm land, without worrying about military chaos, and focus on developing production and providing Zhu Quanzhong with money and food. Although the current household registration is not abundant, it is far inferior to the two towns of Xuanwu and Xuanyi that Zhu Quanzhong faithfully controls, but if they can By destroying it and turning it into the front line, Zhu Quanzhong will lose a source of money and food, which is a tactic to exhaust the enemy."

"Marshal, the strategy of exhausting the enemy may be more than this." Chen Cheng said from the side, looking like a trick.

"Oh? Deputy Envoy Chen might as well speak up."

"Marshal, Zhu Xuan, Zhu Jin, and Shi Pu were beaten to shame by Quan Zhong, and they were in danger. They looked like three ripe fruits, and Quan Zhong could eat them safely with a little more effort. Now Let's make it impossible for him to eat these few fruits. At least, not all of them." Chen Cheng's beard grew even longer, and he was wearing a blue robe, looking like a good alchemist.

"Vice Envoy Chen's words are very true. These three towns have long been feared by Quanzhong, and there are many people who want to surrender. Now that our army is going east and restraining Quanzhong's forces, these three towns should not die quickly." Wang Bian He doesn't fight, but he speaks positively.

"Wang Shijun, do you know how many troops Quanzhong needs to capture the three towns? Now that Sun Ru has gone to the south of the Yangtze River, the decline is getting worse and worse. Most of them go to Yang Xingmi or Qian Liu. In Huainan, Quanzhong is no longer threatened. Guarding against Sun Ru's army can be transferred to the north in a short time. This year, Zhu Jin's 1 cavalry was defeated by Quanzhong's 4 horses, which shows that Er Zhu's strength is worrying. In the past two years, Quan Zhong beat Er Zhu, and his troops have always been only three [-] Thousands of people are killed so that they throw away their helmets and armor, how many soldiers do you think it will take to wipe out these three towns?" Ye Li Yulue sneered.

"Last year Weibo Luo Hongxin had [-] infantry and [-] cavalry, and was defeated by more than [-] people from the Quanzhong. He was defeated in five battles and had to ask for peace with a lot of money. He didn't need many soldiers on this journey. Be on guard. Quanzhong, you can lead your army to station in Zheng, Meng, Luo and other places, and wait for more than [-] of us to attack. Ding Hui, Pang Shigu and others will lead tens of thousands of soldiers and horses to attack the three towns eastward, unless Wei Bo Let the soldiers and horses from the east of the river cross the border, otherwise it won't last for a few years, at most two years."

Wang Bian was a little annoyed by Yeli Yulue's sarcasm.

Why are these generals of the Shuofang Army so rebellious?I didn’t see the iron cavalry Zhe Siyu today. I have already filed a complaint last time. I saw the Huazhou army was counterattacked by the bandits, but they didn’t rescue them. .

However, Zhe Siyu is a handsome wife, and this punishment is also symbolic, which makes people sigh.

Today's wild profit meets strategy, it seems that it is not a good bird.

"Okay. Er Zhu and Shi Pu are incompetent. They can't burn the flames of war to Xuanwu Town and destroy Quanzhong's money and grain town. Let's sweep the Henan Mansion for Quanzhong first, and how many people will be moved away. Let's see if Quanzhong sinks. Hold on."

"Speaking of whether Quanzhong can hold his breath, it is said that he can also spare some of his troops. It is impossible to sit back and watch us gallop through Henan Mansion like we are in a land without people."

"Quan Zhong will send troops."

"But where are you now? Which way will you go? River or land?"

"It's time to bring back the silver guns. Is it necessary to guard against the direction of Ruzhou?"

Everyone chattered and discussed, while Shao Shude looked at a certain point on the map: Luoyang.

Zhu Quanzhong's troops are still sufficient, so he must have sent someone here, right?
……

The iron cavalry brought the auxiliary soldiers along with them this time. After all, they had to maintain sufficient physical strength. Things like camping, wood picking, cooking, repairing equipment, and taking care of horses were too time-consuming, and it was difficult without the help of auxiliary soldiers.

After they left the big camp, they kept driving in front of the army. The rangers scattered widely, and even bumped into two messengers of the Bian army on the way.

After bypassing Xiashi Fort, we passed Quemen and Baichaolei, and camped near Xin'an County.

Xin'an County is the west exit of Luoyang, and the city was built in the Northern Zhou Dynasty to force the Northern Qi Dynasty. The northeast of the county is the former site of Hangu Pass, which is on the post road.

In other words, Xin'an County is actually the Hangu Pass of the Guo Dynasty.For such an important place, it is necessary to have a seasoned and prudent veteran general, leading elite troops to guard it.

But when the iron cavalry passed by, Xin'an County did not respond. It is not known whether it was due to the lack of troops or other reasons.

After passing Xin'an, turn over Hangu Pass Dongban. This is one of the dangerous roads of Hangu Pass. If you have a strong army, it should be able to play a big role.

Then it turned to the southeast, passed Cijiandian, crossed Xiaoshui, and finally arrived near Luoyang.

Generally speaking, in the west of Xin'an, the mountains are criss-cross and rugged. After passing Xin'an, the front is suddenly clear.

If Luoyang faces an enemy from the west, Xin'an County is the last barrier, which is equivalent to Hangu Pass in the Han Dynasty.

Of course, this is only a road in the west. In fact, there is another road in the southwest.

If he stationed heavy troops in these places, who would come over?
Near Luoyang, there are still many rivers and ferries, and there are many fields and ridges, and there are many fortresses. It seems that the population is very concentrated.

The Iron Cavalry will not stay near Luoyang.

They camped more than ten miles south of the city, rested for only one day, and then traveled east again until the rangers came to report and bumped into a large army coming from the direction of Zhengzhou.

"Immediately report to the commander-in-chief that the Bian army has troops coming to Luoyang." Zhe Siyu called Li Renfu, Marquis of Du Yu, and ordered.

"As ordered!"

Later, he found Liu Zijing, his deputy envoy, and ordered: "It's only 170 miles away from Xiashi Fortress, and it's six or seven days' journey for the infantry brigade. There may be more troops coming from behind. You take 500 people to go east and search for them." Go forward and see if there is an invincible army brigade."

"As ordered."

"If you encounter enemy cavalry, you can lead them to an open area, use pinch shooting tactics, and don't rush forward foolishly." Zhe Siyu urged impatiently.

He had a premonition that Zhu Quanzhong would definitely send more than one army over, which would not have any effect. Most of the people behind were still on their way, or had already settled in the forts along the way.

After issuing these two orders, Zhe Siyu decided to test the quality of the enemy.

In the open field, bowstrings ring and drums and horns contend.

With the influx of large groups of cavalry, the scope of activities of the Bian army scouts was compressed to the extreme, and finally even completely retreated to the infantry, not daring to cruise outside.

There is no way, more than 4000 cavalry soldiers of the Cavalry Army are moving around, and it is normal for the scouts to be unable to get out.

The Bian army had already stopped on the post road.

They were well-trained to line up the vehicles on the left and right, with their mounted carbine guns facing outward.

The whole army was divided into eight small formations, arranged in front and back, with hundreds of people in each formation.

Zhe Siyu waved his hand, and the soldiers quickly waved the flag to convey the order.

Suddenly, a lieutenant general from Beiweidu led four or five hundred riders, randomly picked them for a while, and rushed over with a roar.

"Woo!" The sound of horns sounded in the chariot formation, and the crossbowmen and infantrymen fired almost simultaneously.

The arrows pierced through the air, and scattered the rangers who rushed halfway far away, and a few unlucky ghosts even fell off their horses with arrows.

Zhe Siyu picked another general and asked him to take someone to test another car formation.

This time only dozens of riders stepped forward, but were also forced back by arrows halfway.

There is no need to continue exploring!

This Bian army is not a weak brigade, and they don't panic at all. They should be a serious Ya army.

He now has [-] riders. If he forcibly attacks the Bian army's baggage vehicles on both sides, he will be shot by crossbows and infantry bows at a long distance, and he will be blocked by carbine guns and the vehicle itself when he gets close. Pawns with shields, spears, and axes.

It's not that you won't be able to rush down, it's just too bad!

For a small formation of a few hundred people, it is not worth it if only a few dozen cavalrymen are killed, and it is a big loss if more than a hundred people are killed.

How to deal with this Bianbing?
Zhe Siyu watched carefully.

The fire attack is not easy to use, and digging trenches is probably useless, because the infantry of the Bian army can dig and fill holes within the protection range of the strong crossbow.

It is also impossible to attack those who go out to collect firewood, because there is a fortress more than [-] miles to the west, and it is nothing more than eating cold food for a day or two, so it can hold on completely.

What method should be used?

While thinking, there was a burst of drumming in the Bian army convoy, and the army continued to move forward.

The crossbowmen, archers, shieldmen, and spearmen followed on foot, and changed when they were tired.In fact, if it is a professional van, these people can even sit in the car to further save energy.

Many members of the Iron Cavalry Army had already left, and there were still more than [-] cavalry with Zhe Siyu at this time.

They led the horses and stared at the convoy from a distance, just like wolves staring at their prey, constantly looking for possible flaws in the convoy.

It's a pity that this person is very stable.The pawns should also be veterans who have participated in many wars, so they don't panic at all.

There is nowhere to start, and you want to watch them live in the fortress?

Zhe Siyu was a little reconciled, this is just an ordinary delivery vehicle, only slightly modified, if it is a van, wouldn't it be more like a rat with nowhere to start?
"Military envoy, I have a plan. It may be useless in normal times, but today is the right time. If the Bian people are unprepared, they may suffer a small loss." A soldier said suddenly.

"Talk!" Zhe Siyu stared at him with burning eyes, and said, "If it works, there will be a lot of rewards."

(End of this chapter)