Unlike the Han regime in the Central Plains, which was stable most of the time, the regime established by the nomadic people in the north was often riddled with internal conflicts. Fights between various tribes often occurred. For their own interests, life-and-death fights between tribes were commonplace. Especially when competing for the throne of the supreme ruler, the major tribes will use all their strength to fight to the death.
Although the Liao Kingdom has been learning the Han people's methods of consolidating their rule over the course of more than a hundred years, the wild nature that is deeply ingrained in their blood cannot be eliminated so easily, so whenever the Liao Kingdom's throne changes, When the time comes, there will be civil strife in the country. In addition to the struggle for the throne, sometimes the struggle for some ideas and power can easily lead to civil strife. After all, almost everyone in the Khitan nobles in the country has a force that is only loyal to them. As long as these people give an order, the following The tribesmen warriors will carry out orders unconditionally.
This time, it was precisely because of this confidence that Yelv Sibuda dared to launch a sneak attack on Yelv Xiongge, the king of the South Academy who had a much higher status than himself. And because he is the third-in-command in Nanjing City, he naturally knows some of the habits of his own army, making it easier to attack at night.
But due to his impatience, Si Boda's plan eventually went awry. The target actually ran away before he led his army to launch a full-scale attack. This made him angry and could only lead his men in hot pursuit, constantly making people Shoot arrows in the rear to stop them. Although many Liao and Song soldiers who were lagging behind were shot and killed as a result, Yelu Xiongge and the others were still able to rush to the front of Xifeng Valley without any danger.
Although the Xifeng Valley is not very deep, only two or three miles long, due to the mountains on both sides, the terrain is dangerous, making it the easiest to defend and difficult to attack. When Yelv Sipota discovered their plan, he became a little worried, so while chasing, he shouted for detachments to outflank and intercept them from both sides, hoping to intercept the enemies before they rushed into the valley.
But at this time, the fleeing soldiers of both Liao and Song Dynasties also knew their situation. In the unfavorable situation where most of the people were injured and the strength of the troops was still lower than that of the other side, entering the valley and defending it was their only way to save their lives, so it was also Charge forward with all their strength, even if there are enemies nearby who keep firing arrows to harass them, they don't care about it, they just keep charging forward, regardless of casualties or anything like that.
More than thirty miles is indeed not too far for a fast horse to gallop. In just half an hour, they have arrived in front of the Xifeng Valley. Without a second word, the Liao soldiers have entered the valley quickly, and those whose riding skills are much worse than them. Quite a few, the Song army who was lagging behind suddenly turned around under Sun Tu's command, revealed the useless repeating crossbow they had been carrying, and fired fiercely at the pursuing enemies.
Once a repeating crossbow with five arrows is fully unleashed, its power is quite terrifying. The dense arrows formed an arrow net behind them, killing the unprepared Liao soldiers who were chasing them at the front, causing them to fall on their backs and keep screaming, and quickly curbed their momentum to continue the pursuit.
It was only then that Sun Tu led his army to slowly retreat into the valley. At this time, the Liao soldiers who had entered the valley before them had quickly found the most suitable position for defense. They had stationed their troops up, down, left, and right to prevent the enemy from following in. Yelv Xiongge, who was seriously injured, and Tong Guan and others went to the deeper parts of the valley to take shelter temporarily.
These two elites from different countries surprisingly cooperated with each other at this moment, which also reflected their usual training. Sun Tu and Yelu Xiongge, who had been temporarily safe, were wary and couldn't help but interact with each other. They looked at each other. But soon, their attention returned to the pursuers who were gathering outside the valley.
It was just after midnight, when it was darkest, but they could still see the cavalry gathering together. It was obvious that the other side would launch a new round of offensive in a short time.
"King Xiongge, can you tell what they are doing?" Sun Tu walked up to Yelu Xiongge and asked casually.
At this time, Yelu Xiongge was having his own soldiers treating the wound on his shoulder where the arrow had just been pulled out. His brows furrowed slightly and his voice was slightly trembling: "With such a dark sky, I can only tell that they are soldiers and horses of our Liao Kingdom." , and it should be our Nanjing garrison, but it’s hard to say about the others.”
"You really don't even have any clues, can't you guess it?" Sun Tu asked with some disbelief.
Yelu Xiongge gave him a strange look. This Song general was really thoughtful. After thinking for a moment, he said: "The arrow that hit me before had the mark of Nanjing Tiger Library, which is usually called by the troops of Xuanhui Academy... So if there is no mistake, I am afraid that there are soldiers and horses of Yelv Sibuda outside. At this point, he remembered the hostility and ambition that Si Boda had shown when getting along with him in the past, and he realized that this inference was correct.
Sun Tu was secretly dumbfounded. These Liao people were really unscrupulous in their actions. Not only did they rebel and kill important officials with such great fanfare, they also directly used the weapons at hand. If the Liao court wanted to investigate afterward, he would not even shirk the responsibility. You can't even take responsibility.
This is a manifestation of Sun Tu's lack of understanding of some Khitan habits. In fact, judging from the current situation of constant internal fighting in Daliao and the emperor delegating power, as long as Sibuda can successfully kill Yelv Xiongge this time and find a suitable scapegoat, such as the Song people, then in the end the Liao Kingdom will Won't delve into it. As the winner, he can take the opportunity to seize the power of the South Court and become the new King of the South Court.
Compared with the Han people who talk about etiquette, justice, integrity and other big principles, the Liao people are much more direct and straightforward.
However, at this time, Sun Tu did not dwell too much on this matter. He quickly pointed out that he had already guessed the identity of the enemy and said, "I wonder if King Xiongge is familiar with his military habits?"
"You have also seen his bravery when killing tigers before. This man also used the same style of troops. He led the army to charge forward without hesitation!" Yelu Xiongge said with some fear. Yelv Siboda can be regarded as one of the most courageous generals in Nanjing. No matter what powerful enemy he faces, he will lead his team to attack them.
"That's easy to handle. As long as we hold on to the first wave of attacks, it will be much easier later." Sun Tu immediately made up his mind and looked at the frightened Song and Liao soldiers around him: "Everyone who can still fight Everyone, follow me to the mouth of the valley, gather all your bows and arrows, and we will fight them head-on!"
"Follow the order!" The more than a hundred Qingzhou Army naturally agreed loudly without any hesitation, but the dozens of Forbidden Army who were already a little timid hesitated for a while, and finally responded in a low voice.
They quickly gathered together and headed towards the mouth of the valley.
This time Tong Guan took 300 people out of the city to hunt. In a sneak attack, more than 100 people were killed. Among the 100 forbidden troops, there were only less than 30 people left. On the contrary, the more numerous Qingzhou Army only suffered 30 or 40 casualties. .
The casualties among the Liao people were obviously greater, and there were only about two hundred people capable of fighting now, because Si Bo Da's soldiers and horses were staring at them at the beginning. But at this time, they did not follow forward, but stayed where they were. After all, Sun Tu was only from the Song Dynasty, and they would not follow his orders.
After Xiongge pondered for a moment, he said to a soldier captain: "I am injured. Sun Dujian will command the battle here first. You all follow his arrangements."
It wasn't until he spoke that everyone agreed, and then quickly came to the entrance of the valley in front, and under Sun Tu's instructions, they occupied a better position for shooting arrows at a high place in the rear. At the entrance of the valley, two hundred Song troops were already in formation with swords and guns, and several shields were erected in front. These were the last pieces of armor they brought that could withstand arrows.
Seeing Sun Tu making the corresponding arrangements in an orderly manner, even Yelu Xiongge couldn't help but show approval: "This man really has the style of a general. No wonder Dashi thought of recruiting him back before. It's a pity that he Anyone who is not our Daliao general may become a big trouble for our Daliao in the future..."
The exquisiteness of Sun Tu's arrangement is not only reflected in the defensive formation, but also in making the best use of people. In terms of archery skills, the Liao soldiers at this time were naturally far superior to the Song soldiers, and in terms of trust in him, the Song soldiers were even better. Therefore, he left the most dangerous valley entrance to the Song army instead of letting the Liao army take the risk. No one with some selfish motives would make this arrangement.
Just as the defenses in the valley were completely formed, the trumpets sounded again outside the valley, and Yelv Sibuda finally led his army to launch a frontal attack on them.
Si Boda, who was at the front of the team, shouted: "Kill!" But he was filled with resentment in his heart. How could things suddenly turn so suddenly and reach such a situation? He actually made one mistake after another.
Originally, this was going to be an extremely simple sneak attack. As long as I was patient enough, I could easily kill everyone after they fell asleep. But it was because they couldn't control their temper that they had a chance to escape, and it turned into a chase.
When the prey escaped to Xifeng Valley, he accepted the advice of one of his subordinates and decided to postpone the attack first. Maybe the opponent would pass through the valley directly in fear, so there would be no need to attack dangerous places such as the valley. Moreover, they have had conflicts before, and they are a mixed team of Song and Liao. They may have another dispute once they are safe. If they start the fight first, they can defeat the enemy more easily.
But what's the result? As a result, the opponent neither engaged in civil strife nor escaped from the valley. Instead, they set up a defensive posture at the entrance of the valley. When he saw all this, Sibuda knew that his decision was wrong again, and this time the chase turned into a tough battle again!
But even so, Si Boda had no intention of retreating. Instead, he aroused his competitive spirit, and immediately led his troops to kill the defenders at Taniguchi.
As the horses galloped, hundreds of sharp arrows shot up from the sky, falling straight towards the two hundred Song soldiers guarding the valley entrance. It seemed that they could be completely submerged in just one blow...