On September 2, 699 in the Continental Calendar, Lan Bailin, commander of the Imperial Fourteenth Legion, led his troops into a fierce battle with the Imperial City Guard Corps in the Sanwangzhuang area in the northeastern part of Zhongzhou. After a day of fierce fighting, the Imperial City Guard Corps broke through the Imperial Fourteenth Legion. With multiple defense lines, the Fourteenth Army was forced to retreat, but was intercepted by the Imperial Third Army from the south. The retreating Fourteenth Army was once again attacked by the Imperial Third Army. The entire Fourteenth Army collapsed completely. The commander of the Fourteenth Army Lan Bailin disappeared, and only less than 20,000 of the 100,000-strong army were able to safely withdraw from Zhongzhou and fled to Qinghe in the west. The Imperial City Guard Corps and the Third Army occupied the Sanwangzhuang fortress group in the northeast corner of Zhongzhou in one fell swoop. They also captured as many as 40,000 surrendered soldiers and broken troops of the Fourteenth Army, which were like a wedge firmly inserted into the heart of Longquan Mansion to the west, and also posed a great threat to Qinghe to the northwest.
At the same time, Situ Tai's six divisions advanced westward from Cangzhou, crossed the border between Cangzhou and Qinghe, and launched continuous attacks on the headquarters of the Third Army of Western Xinjiang stationed in the east of Qinghe. In view of the enemy's aggressive offensive and the Imperial City Guard Corps and the Imperial The Third Army Corps has captured the strategic stronghold in the northeastern part of Zhongzhou. Cui Wenxiu ordered the Second Division of the Third Army stationed in the east of Qinghe to adopt a steady and steady strategy. They retreated in small steps to use the favorable terrain to distance the enemy's units, and concentrated their superior forces to annihilate the enemy's effective forces. In order to cooperate with the strategy of the Second Division, Cui Wenxiu quietly pulled up the Sixth Ranger Regiment and the Third Heavy Cavalry Regiment, the only Ranger regiment left in the Heshuo area.
As the commander of the Second Division, Gao Gao fully adhered to the intentions of his regiment commander. Starting from the *** Mountain, Heifeng Ridge, and Wangyue Gorge east of Qinghe, a series of key passes, the Second Division performed admirably, sometimes sometimes Standing firm, sometimes counterattacking, sometimes retreating without firing an arrow. The three divisions of the Twelfth Army, which sometimes fought desperately and refused to retreat, allowing Situ Tai to launch attacks on the forward line, were confused by the inconsistent performance of the second division. But overall, it was a steady progress, and the twelfth legion commander Liu Ping's worried mood was barely settled.
It seems that the Western Xinjiang Army is not ready for a full-scale confrontation with their own side. At least they did not expect that the Imperial City Guard Corps and the Third Army would suddenly launch an attack on the Imperial Fourteenth Army Corps, which intelligence showed was gradually moving closer to Western Xinjiang. And defeated the Fourteenth Army in one fell swoop, and occupied the Sanwangzhuang fortress group in the northeast of Zhongzhou, which was enough to pose a considerable threat to both Qinghe and Longquan Prefectures. The control of Sanwangzhuang in the hands of Yusuf and Bai Shengjian probably also made the Western Xinjiang Army stationed in Longquan and Qinghe feel the pressure. Especially Qinghe Prefecture in the northwest, which was originally the strongest barrier in the northwest, but the gap in Sanwangzhuang did have a considerable impact on Qinghe Prefecture, forcing Qinghe Prefecture to station more troops, while its periphery was The defense had to be tightened to prevent possible harm from this insertion. And it will have a chain reaction on the situation in the entire Beiyuan.
Liu Ping likes the current situation very much. The long border line makes Li Wufeng's deployment on the northern front obviously somewhat stretched. Cui Wenxiu is indeed a strong man. His Third Army of Western Xinjiang must be recognized as an army with great combat effectiveness. But facing the six to seven hundred miles between Qinghe, Longquan, Longquan and Jinzhong, it would be too arrogant for just one legion to want to hold this front. A good woman cannot make a meal without rice. Cui Wenxiu is only a human being, not a god. He cannot be perfect. There are only five defense divisions in Sanfu. Even if Qinghe is the focus of defense, there are only three divisions. Longquan and Longquan have to be taken into account. Jinzhong. If I advance step by step like this, I will press the Xijiang Army into a corner and wait for death.
It should be said that the 12th Army Corps has performed very well so far. The three divisions formed parallel shoulders and advanced steadily, supporting each other. When one division encountered a stubborn resistance and the other two divisions advanced smoothly, the other two divisions He will also subconsciously slow down the advancement to maintain progress, and Liu Ping is also very careful. The two divisions are ready to be deployed as reserve teams at any time, and they even combine the cavalry of the two divisions to enhance mobility to prevent encounters with the enemy. Counterattack, after all, this guy Cui Wenxiu has unpredictable tactics. In many battles, he always uses surprise troops, making it difficult for people to guard against.
Although Gao Gao tried his best to keep his mind calm, the severe reality made him anxious. The early tactics to lure the enemy did not seem to be of much use. The three divisions of the Empire's Twelve Legions performed quite well. It seemed that Liu Ping was worthy of being one of the Four Heavenly Kings under Situ Tai. He actually trained all his subordinates to be so capable. The distance between each division was only thirty or fifty miles, and he was steadily eating up his own defensive positions one by one. He had no choice but to abandon them. Bait after bait was put out one after another, but these guys just ate the bait without taking the bait. There were times when they almost fell into the bait, but just a little bit away. The enemies who were coordinating on both sides followed up again, making them lose the battle. Having crossed the shallow hilly area to the east and gradually approaching Qinghe Fucheng, the opportunities for myself are getting less and less.
"How's it going, Lao Gao?" The stocky, dark man came over on horseback. The spots on his face were even more dazzling, and his eyes were full of eagerness. Another yellow-faced and tough light-armored officer also skillfully circled the horse's head, and his strong The horse spun beautifully on the spot and looked high.
"It's still the same. These divisions are really difficult to deal with. Damn, they are crowded together, neither far nor close. They want to eat them all. Our strength is too weak. To separate them, these guys are better than The rabbits are still timid and always stay close to each other. Thirty miles away, this is too difficult for us." Gao Gao's eyes seemed a little anxious, but there seemed to be a hint of expectation in the anxiety, which could not be hidden from Mao Jin, who had worked with him for a long time. .
"Okay, don't pour cold water on us. You guys must have some ideas. Tell us quickly. Mao Li and I are getting anxious waiting. Seeing these guys showing off their power here, we can only stare. It feels really bad. We are suffocated to death." The stocky man was wearing thick and heavy armor. Perhaps because of his embarrassment, the spots on his face were more obvious. It was Mao Jin, the commander of the third heavy cavalry division of the third army. As the only one in Western Xinjiang, The performance of the Third Heavy Cavalry Division did not seem to be commensurate with the responsibilities and pressures it carried. Mao Jin felt very suffocated about this and always hoped to prove the Third Heavy Cavalry Division with a beautiful performance. The pretending cavalry division is definitely not a paper tiger. It is purely a facade to scare the country folk. These are the words released by some competitors, which made Mao Jin furious, but he could not get angry.
"Well, there is a chance, but it is a little risky, but I personally think this risk is worth taking." The three of them have jumped off the horse, the fighting spirit in their eyes is getting stronger and stronger, and they bite their lips tightly with their teeth. He seemed to be biting his lip to show his determination.
The flames in the eyes of both Mao Jin and Mao Li, the commander of the Sixth Ranger Regiment who had remained silent, flashed and burned immediately, "Tell me, tell me, we are watching Situ Tai and his disciples approaching Qinghe Fucheng. After all, we feel a little guilty about doing nothing. As long as there is a chance, I, Mao Jin, would rather give it a try."
As one of the leaders of the Tubu cavalry, Maoli had no redundant words and could only nod resolutely to express his support for the opinions of his colleagues. The Tubu people were good at fighting rather than language. He inherited the consistent style of the Tubu people.
"Well, come and take a look." Gao Gao squatted down, and then suddenly swept the ground with his feet. A beautiful snow mountain style snow sweeping leg suddenly leveled an area of one foot to the ground. Under the astonished eyes of the two people, he looked at himself He picked up a dead branch and drew it on the ground.
"Here is where we are. Here are three enemy divisions spread out in parallel, less than thirty miles apart. If they march for two hours, they will be almost squeezed together. It will be difficult for us to start. Here, intelligence shows that Liu Ping will The reserve divisions of the two divisions are combined, and their light cavalry are placed here. Although the distance is a little farther, don't forget that they are cavalry. Sixty miles is simply too simple for the cavalry. Once something happens I'm afraid they will come faster than the two flanking divisions in the war." Gao Gao marked the numbers of the enemy divisions on the ground with the branches in his hands while explaining.
"Our current problem is how to separate these three divisions and eat them one by one. Of course, the enemy is not a fool. We are lucky to eat one. Liu Ping is the most timid of the four kings under Situ Tai. , that is to say, the most cautious one, it will take some effort for us to swallow his heart, and some of the foreshadowing we have made in the past can be considered to have paralyzed the minds of some enemies a little."
"Okay, Lao Gao, stop beating around the bush and tell me where the opportunity is. According to what you say, we have no chance at all." Mao Jin yelled angrily.
"Okay, okay, why don't you have any patience? Look at Mao Li, how can he achieve something big?" Seeing that Mao Jin was really getting angry, Gao Gao got to the point, "I have observed these three divisions these days. In terms of performance, it should be said that these three guys are all quite stable and conservative. However, if you have to compare them, the 1st Division of the Twelve Legions in the middle of these three divisions is a little more aggressive or bold, maybe because they think they are It is the first division, and the other two divisions are separated on both sides. The situation is better. In normal times, this boldness can be said to be meaningless, but... "
Seeing Mao Jin and Mao Li looking over with confusion, Gao Gao said calmly: "But now, look," Gao Gao casually drew a shallow line on the left side of the first division of the Twelfth Army. , and a small circle is drawn on the right side.