It’s halfway through the twelfth lunar month, and the first winter snow in Jiangnan this year has finally arrived.
Fine snowflakes that are completely different from the goose-feather snow in the north are floating continuously between the sky and the earth. The howling north wind makes the climate in the south of the Yangtze River become more and more severe. The wild mountains and forests are also covered with snow, and many high places are hung with a A slender and transparent ice ridge made the chill between heaven and earth even more severe.
Originally, such a climate was not conducive to the use of troops. In addition, Sun Tu, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, was still injured. The two groups of officers and troops staying in Changzhou could use this as an excuse to postpone the southward advance.
But Zhu Meng refused to give them a chance to breathe. Just two days after Sun Tu's military report was sent to Jinling, a stern military order with no room for accommodation was quickly issued, ordering the armies of Shandong and Huainan to immediately attack To send troops to attack Changshu, we must capture this city blocking Suzhou within this year!
Sun Tu knew very well that this was Zhu Meng's counterattack when he became angry. If he used the delaying technique he used in Danyang City to postpone the dispatch of troops, I am afraid that the other party would completely tear his face apart and accuse him of various crimes. And eventually the whole army was implicated. So after some weighing, he finally chose to obey the order and led his army southward in the wind and snow, heading straight for Changshu.
However, in his opinion, sending troops at this time has certain advantages, that is, it will definitely surprise the rebels, and maybe catch them off guard, and easily capture Changshu City at the minimum cost.
Of course, he still underestimated Zhu Meng's insidiousness and lack of bottom line. At the same time as the military order urging him to send troops was sent, another secret letter informing Fang La's army that he would march to Changshu in the near future had been sent to Suzhou. Pang Wanchun has already made corresponding arrangements for this.
At this time, the first pass to send troops against Sun Tu was already waiting for him ahead. Nearly 20,000 Fang La troops were lying in ambush on Sanyuan Ridge, fifty miles away from Changshu, with pocket formations spread out, just waiting for the officers and soldiers to fall into the trap themselves. And the one who led the army to ambush this time was none other than Fang Shifo, who had been defeated by Sun Tu in Danyang City before!
Hiding in the snow-covered forest high up in the mountains, Fang Shifo, who had a commanding view of everything around him for more than ten miles, didn't pay attention to the falling snow foam at all. His red eyes were fixed on the path that must pass through the ridge. The road, that section of the road shrunk sharply, but there was a mountain road more than three miles long. This was the battlefield he chose at a glance to annihilate Sun Tu's troops and wash away his own shame!
Since the incident, the troops led by the other ten Buddhas have never suffered such a big loss. If he hadn't seen the opportunity quickly at that time, and if many brothers risked their lives to fight in the rear, he might have died in Danyang City. This made him unable to swallow his anger no matter what. During these days, every day he thought about being able to lead the troops again to annihilate the Shandong Army, clear his name, and avenge the brothers who died in the battle!
"Have the traps there been laid out? Will there be any flaws?" This is the fifth time Fang Shifo asked the same question today. But even so, the soldiers under his command still replied solemnly: "Return to the general, everything is arranged properly, and there will be no mistakes. The only thing to worry about is that the damage of bows and arrows will be greatly reduced in rainy and snowy weather, and it may not be possible to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop."
"Humph, our bows and arrows have problems, and so does the Song army. As long as everyone goes all out, we will definitely annihilate the Song army in one fell swoop!" Fang Shifo said this slowly,
A scout who was sent to the front to investigate the news came quickly: "General, here we come! The enemy is still seven or eight miles away from us. Looking at the formation, the Song army has 40,000 to 50,000 troops this time. It is us. More than twice as much.”
These words made Fang Shifo's spirit even more energetic, and his eyes were full of murderous intent. He roared lowly: "Everyone should be prepared, and there must be no neglect. Kill the enemy and take revenge, only today!"
The people around also agreed in low voices. As for the distance, in order to prevent the sound from spreading, everyone just looked away silently and did not respond verbally. But judging from their quick and moving actions, they obviously also Be prepared to kill the enemy.
After a while, a team of officers and soldiers appeared at the end of the official road in front, but the number was obviously wrong. There were only more than a hundred people. This made Fang La's army, who was preparing for it, frown: " Are these Song troops so cautious? They even sent out scouts along the way to explore the road!"
In fact, this is the case. After leaving the control area of the official army and going deep into the rebel territory, Sun Tu will continue to send out scouts to explore the road while marching. This small team exploring the road is at least larger than the Chinese army. They marched five miles further, and the troops behind them would not continue to follow until they raised a flag to confirm safety.
Peng Yongzhen, who was traveling with him, admired his arrangement very much, because it was a reflection of the strong combat power and cohesion of an army. If he could not control the entire Shandong Army like an arm, who could control the numbers? How could the march of an army of ten thousand people be planned so orderly
After both parties jointly reported Zhao Siliang's matter to the court, not only did Peng Yongzhen and Sun Tu's grudges disappear, but they also completely became grasshoppers on the same rope. There was no longer any caution and conflict as before, and they were just working together.
Peng Yongzhen, who was self-aware, handed over the command of his own army this time, and took the initiative to follow Sun Tu, euphemistically saying that he was learning Sun Qian's commanding methods. But speaking of it, he really gained a lot of experience along the way. Sun Tu commanded his troops to open roads across mountains and build bridges when encountering water. The various arrangements were indeed more reasonable than he thought, and the strong cohesion of the Shandong Army He and the military discipline also completely compared the Huainan Army, which later made him feel ashamed.
The contrast between the two armies standing together is too strong. One group is an elite division with strict military discipline and neat ranks, and even the same steps, while the other group looks loose and messy, even a little noisy, and looks like a complete rabble. In contrast, the Huainan Army was particularly unbearable, making Peng Yongzhen, the general, unable to hold his head high.
"Qian Ju, go over the Sanyuan Ridge in front, and you will reach Changshu fifty miles away. As shown on the map, this is the most dangerous place. Do you need to send more people to investigate?" As the commander of the scout battalion, Shi Qian had made great progress now. At this time, he ran to Sun Tu in high spirits and asked.
Sun Tu looked at the team of 100 people in front of him who had entered the mountain. He hesitated for a moment. For the sake of safety, it seemed that it would be better to send a few more people to explore the high places on both sides. However, in this way, the marching speed would be inevitable. It will be delayed. Depending on the sky, it will be a bit difficult to cross the Sanyuan Ridge before dark.
Peng Yongzhen laughed and said: "Commander Shi, you are too cautious."
. We didn't meet anyone along the way. The rebels must not have expected that we would suddenly send troops a year ago, so how could they set up an ambush here? Moreover, if more people are sent to explore around, time will be delayed. The garrison in the mountains will be inconvenient. It is better to cross over earlier. I believe that with the abilities of your scout battalion brothers, this team can ensure a worry-free road ahead. "
These words also flattered the Shandong Army Scout Battalion, which was very useful to Shi Qian, so he did not raise any objections, but his eyes were fixed on Sun Tu, waiting for his commander to make the final decision.
Sun Tu frowned slightly and weighed it, then followed Peng Yongzhen's intention and said, "Just do as Peng Qianha said and cross Sanyuan Ridge as soon as possible today, but ask the brothers in front to pay more attention in case anything is missed."
"Here!" Shi Qian immediately took the order, quickly asked someone to raise the flag, and ordered the scout team in front to be more careful and not to miss any clues.
The team of soldiers who had penetrated deep into Sanyuanling immediately became more careful after hearing the order. A pair of eyes scanned the surroundings from time to time. At the same time, some people kept running to both sides to check for any suspicious clues.
The ambush soldiers at high places naturally saw their every move, which made many people look surprised. Even Fang Shifo sighed: "This Sun Tu is really cautious enough. If the falling snow in the past two days had not covered up all the traces we left, they might have discovered some flaws."
"General, let God help our army, we will win this battle!" A subordinate immediately said jokingly. These words made Fang Shifo more confident, and he said in a low voice: "Yes, God help me, this is where Sun Tu was defeated! Let everyone be optimistic, until the main force of the Song army enters the mountain, no one can Act rashly.”
While they were talking, the dozen or so people in the lead had arrived at the mountain path below them. However, due to the influence of the angle and environment, they did not realize that there was an army ambushing above their heads. At this time, everyone in Fang Lajun's army also lowered their bodies very low, almost lying on the cold rocky snow. Many people even slowed down their breathing, as if they were afraid that if they gasped, they would be killed by the enemies below. It seemed like he was aware of it.
Just when the two sides were only a few feet apart, one of the scouts suddenly drew his bow and shot an arrow diagonally upward.
With a whooshing sound, the arrow came straight towards a certain unlucky Fang Lajun, who was so frightened that he had to dodge. But at this moment, the two comrades beside him reached out their hands at the same time and held him firmly in place. At the same time, another hand covered his mouth.
The sharp arrow entered his body and he couldn't help but scream. But the big hand that covered him in time completely silenced his screams, causing the man to convulse, unable to recover, and actually fainted.
But his coma was still valuable. At least in this way, the Song army below did not notice any abnormalities and moved forward smoothly. Half an hour later, they had arrived at the middle of Sanyuan Ridge. After confirming that everything was fine, they quickly signaled to the rear that they could enter.
Seeing this, the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers who had been stationed for a while got back on the road, slowly walked into Sanyuanling, and also put themselves into the enemy's trap...