Thunder suddenly rises and thunder explodes! There were even torrential rains and strong winds that continued to beat down from high in the sky that was already shrouded in dark clouds. But even in such a climate, it still could not stop the Song Army from pursuing and killing the Wu Army that had collapsed and scattered. Not only the Shandong Army soldiers, but also the three-way coalition forces that had been at a loss before came back to fight, and the momentum of killing the enemy was greater than that of the Shandong Army. He is stronger and fiercer, but he wants to vent all the sorrow and anger he has felt all day and night back on these enemies.
There were screams everywhere, and even the heavy rain had no time to wash away the blood that was accumulating on the ground. Killing the enemy has become the instinct of all Song Army soldiers. However, Sun Tu and other generals and their personal guards did not participate in this pursuit of death and northward killing. The victory was determined, and there was no need for them to take action again.
It was only then that Zhang Gun and Xu Shen, who had narrowly escaped death, finally recovered from their shock. Their expressions showed both surprise and relief, but also deep self-blame and uneasiness. After a long while, they finally got off the horse with great difficulty. He rolled down, staggered to Sun Tuma, and knelt down with a bang: "Thank you, General Sun, for leading the troops in time to save the lives of our soldiers... The three of us were blinded by military achievements, which led to a big mistake and the death of countless soldiers. It's really The crime is serious, please punish General Sun!" After saying that, the two of them lowered their heads, showing a pitiful attitude of letting them be beaten and killed.
Many officers and soldiers of the Shandong Army were very disdainful of their approach, because if they had not ignored the dissuasion and rashly attacked Hangzhou, they would not have had to take the risk of rushing to Lin'an when the time was far from ripe. The hard work involved and the risks taken by the soldiers could not be offset by a few words of self-blame. Not to mention the huge losses of tens of thousands of their troops who were killed and captured as a result. This is a real crime. The court will definitely investigate it when the time comes, and Sun Tu, as the recognized general, will be forcibly charged...
The generals who could understand the inside story were naturally very dissatisfied with the two people who had caused great trouble. If Sun Tu hadn't been there, they would have ridiculed and even punched them lightly. At this moment, everyone turned their attention to General Sun to see what his attitude was.
The expression on Sun Tu's face also changed several times, but surprisingly, he not only did not turn his face and scold these two guys who failed to achieve anything but failed, but he also got off his horse and quickly took two steps forward to help the two of them respectively. He got excited and said, "You two generals don't have to blame yourself so much. Victory and defeat are commonplace in military affairs. And didn't we turn defeat into victory again this time?"
"General Sun..." Zhang Gun and Zhang Gun were already prepared to be scolded by Sun Tu and even suffer some hardships. However, the attitude of the other party was far beyond their expectations, which made them sigh in relief. At the same time, the guilt in my heart became more and more intense, and I didn't even have the courage to explain.
"Okay, let's talk about it after the war. You two have fought hard for a long time and are both injured. Let's return to Lin'an City first before we discuss it." Sun Tu comforted the two of them a few more words, and then He raised his voice and shouted: "Pass my order and don't pursue the poor bandits. We will station in Lin'an City now and let the defeated rebels leave!"
At this time, it was shown that the Shandong Army was far stronger than the other Song and Wu armies. As the regular horn sounded leisurely,
, even though a siege and killing force had completely formed, the soldiers did not bother any more and began to retreat quickly and orderly. Even in such a gloomy environment, the armies were still able to quickly gather together, form a neat formation, and retreat back to the central army where Sun Tu was.
It shocked the other Song troops who were still desperately killing the enemy for revenge. After a while, they retreated sparsely. They had already been defeated once and did not dare to pursue the Wu army alone again. And the officers and soldiers of the Wu Army took advantage of this opportunity to run away, not daring to stay at all.
At this point, a melee of chasing each other finally came to an end. Judging from the results and casualties, the Song Army was still the losing side. After all, the losses of troops on both sides were completely unequal. The Song Army lost more than half of its troops during this day and night, while the Wu Army only lost ten thousand men at most. However, their leader, Fang Shifo, was killed, and it is hard to say how much adverse impact it had.
When it got dark and the rain stopped, this Song army, which was mixed with armies from all walks of life, finally entered Lin'an County and completely occupied the small county town with a population of only 20,000 to 30,000 people. However, because of Sun Tu's military orders, no soldiers from any side dared to disturb the people, so the city was in order at this time.
After freshening up a little and putting on clean clothes, Sun Tucai saw Generals Zhang Gun and Xu Shen who had also been washed and bandaged in the original county government office. Both of their faces were still pale at this time, but this was the sequelae caused by losing a lot of blood due to the injuries. When they first walked in the door, their feet were still a little shaky.
"Two generals, please sit down and talk. Your injuries are okay, right?" Sun Tu naturally became the one who called the shots here and sat on the main seat without hesitation. In this regard, Zhang and Gun had no other thoughts. After sitting down, they replied: "General Laosun is worried, it's just a few flesh wounds, it doesn't have much impact."
"That's good." Sun Tu nodded happily, and glanced at the faces of the other generals, signaling them not to say anything, and then continued: "Then let's talk about your failure in Hangzhou this time. What happened in detail, I want to know everything, the more detailed the better."
That's why he didn't let everyone have a rest after entering the city, and even deliberately asked people to invite Zhang and Xu, who were injured, just to grasp the course of the Battle of Hangzhou as soon as possible after the war. After all, it was so far apart. As time goes by, they may forget some details, and some small things may be the key to defeating the battle.
The two looked at each other, and then Xu Shen told them everything about their arrangements during this period and the subsequent failure of the attack on Hangzhou, while Zhang Gun supplemented a little. After all, the two of them have many years of experience in leading troops in combat, so they can naturally understand Sun Tu's intention in asking this matter.
As they narrated, Sun Tu and his men gradually understood the various arrangements of the Song army since they decided to send troops, and also understood why they were defeated so miserably at the gates of Hangzhou. In the final analysis, apart from the fact that they were too arrogant and eager to make achievements and used troops recklessly, the more critical thing was the series of targeted arrangements made by the rebels, especially the ambush hidden high in the valley and the false surrender behind the Song army. The strategy of suddenly delivering a fatal blow at a critical moment is even more frightening.
"These anti-
The thief was not only brave enough, but also really calm. He actually hid in the rear and never participated in the battle. It was not until our army was defeated that he suddenly broke out, thus greatly increasing our army's casualties. Yang Zhi shook his head and sighed: "It seems that the military discipline of this rebel army is also very strict. They will never move without receiving orders." "
Song Jiang had a different view: "I don't think this is the key. In fact, as long as we are careful enough and send out scouts to carefully check the surrounding areas before the battle, this ambush will be inescapable."
These words made Zhang and Xu blush again. They were indeed too careless in this matter. But Sun Tu said: "It's no wonder that the two generals have this. Since the rebels have already planned, they can't give you a chance to investigate the surrounding situation. As soon as you arrived at the gate of Hangzhou City, they quickly sent out troops to attack. That’s the purpose.”
After a pause, he said seriously: "Compared to this, the rebels who surrendered to our army are the key to determining the success or failure of this war. You are indeed too careless. Not only did you bring these surrendered troops to Hangzhou has not taken corresponding precautions..."
There was a burst of self-blame and shame on the faces of the two people, and after a while they said: "General Sun taught you that it was us who underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly. We made mistakes again and again, which led to a huge defeat and countless soldiers died on the battlefield." Now the two of them I have lost any confidence for a long time. My attitude is quite good. Taking the initiative to admit my mistakes is called a positive attitude.
Seeing this, even the generals who wanted to criticize them lost interest in doing so. After all, the two sides were fellow soldiers, and their injuries would greatly weaken the entire Song army that went south to quell the chaos.
Sun Tu was silent for a moment and then said: "However, this battle is not without success. Not only did we get rid of the rebel general Fang Shifo, but we also figured out some of their plans. As the saying goes, we learn from every gap. Yizhi, when we use troops against Hangzhou next time, we can make corresponding arrangements in a targeted manner."
These words finally lifted the spirits of Zhang Gun and Xu Shen. The former even said anxiously: "Is General Sun planning to use troops against Hangzhou again?"
"Of course. Since I have already led my troops, how can I keep wasting my time here?" Sun Tu said without hesitation.
"But our army's food and grass had been burned by the enemy as early as the city of Hangzhou..." Xu Shen was more careful and said worriedly.
Sun Tu smiled: "Within three days, the subsequent grain and grass shipments will arrive one after another. I had already prepared for the worst before coming, so the logistics of grain and grass are not a problem. News has also come from Suzhou that the imperial court has allocated funds for The first batch of money and grain has arrived and has been shipped south in the past two days."
This is the best news now. Both Xu Shen and Xu Shen looked happy: "This is great. With this guarantee, the confidence of the soldiers can be restored a lot!"
"The reason why I dared to make the decision to attack Hangzhou again was not only that the food and grass problem had been solved, but also more importantly, that such an approach would definitely exceed the expectations of the rebels in Hangzhou. They never expected that we would just pass through after such a disastrous defeat. They will attack Hangzhou again in a few days. They will be ill-prepared then, and this is a great opportunity for us to seize this key city!" Sun Tu loudly expressed another idea of his, which made everyone even more energetic, because just now The fighting spirit that was depressed after the great defeat finally recovered.