Zhu Li's 13,000 troops crossed the Yellow River and marched westwards. After three days of marching day and night, they quietly reached the northwest corner of Kujiesha, facing the two towns of Huaishuo and Woye on the north bank of the Yellow River across the river. (Kujiesha: now: Kuerqi Desert)
As early as three days before Zhu Li set out, he sent a fast man to inform Wei Zhuang, the governor of Youzhou, to ask him to secretly collect ferry boats in case Zhu Li crossed the Yellow River to the north and attacked Fengzhou.
At the same time, Zhu Li also asked Wei Zhuang to prepare some able-bodied men, mainly civilians with military experience. These people would become auxiliary troops for Zhu Li's main army.
Zhu Li personally acted as the surprise force this time, and naturally he had already had his own overall plan. Not only did he instruct Wei Zhuang to do some things, he also recruited a troop of Uighur guards from the command of General Qi Zhang in the eastern surrendered town.
And this Uighur Guard will be the key to his capture of the two military towns.
The two military towns, Huaishuo and Woye, were located in the area where Bayannur was located in later generations. During the Tang Dynasty, this place belonged to Wuyuan. The two military towns supported each other and jointly guarded the southwest of Fengzhou.
As soon as the army arrived at the destination and camped in an inconspicuous pit, Zhu Li couldn't wait to pull the Uighur guards over for special training.
Zhu Li first asked them to take off their armor, swords and spears; then he asked them to put on leather armor and pick up the scimitars that had been prepared in advance. These scimitars were Gao Su's spoils of war and were taken by Zhu Li.
A wave of Uighur cavalry was formed, and no matter how you looked at it, they were genuine Uighur cavalry.
In terms of ethnicity, they were all Uighurs, without even a trace of any other race; their fast horses were all a breed unique to the Western Rong; and with their longbows and scimitars, who could find fault with them if they were said to be Uighur cavalry
Zhu Li patiently and repeatedly instilled in the Uighurs various things that needed to be paid attention to and what to do when they reached the other side of the river. Only after the Uighurs had memorized them and disguised themselves perfectly did Zhu Li let them return to their team.
A few days later, Wei Zhuang collected enough ships and secretly sent them to Zhu Li's military camp. The recruited auxiliary troops were also in place. Zhu Li immediately ordered Gao Su and Gao Siji to launch an attack on the Di people west of Wula Mountain, the more fierce the better.
The Wula Mountains are a branch of the Yin Mountains. It is a mountain range that extends southwest from the main body of the Yin Mountains. The end of the mountain range is close to the Yellow River. The area between the Wula Mountains and the Yellow River is a narrow land and a strategic point where both sides have heavy troops stationed.
This narrow area is the focus of contention between the two sides.
The war broke out very suddenly. For the Di coalition forces, the sudden outbreak of the battle caused them to suffer huge losses before they could even react.
As the saying goes, a biting dog never barks. A truly cruel person will never talk to you. If he wants to beat you up, he will just start beating you without saying a word.
Before the war, there was not even a sign of war, the Heshuo soldiers simply rolled up their sleeves and started fighting against the Di people.
For the Di coalition forces, the battle broke out very suddenly, but for the Heshuo soldiers, it was not sudden at all.
As early as a few days ago, Gao Su and Gao Siji had been fully prepared, and their soldiers had also received secret orders. Upon receiving Zhu Li's order, the Heshuo soldiers immediately attacked and caught the Di people off guard and confused.
The Heshuo army took the initiative and gained the upper hand. On the battlefield, Heshuo's sword and shield soldiers were in the middle, holding large shields and standing in the front, charging forward and fighting fearlessly; Heshuo's infantry archers followed behind the sword and shield soldiers, firing thousands of arrows into the sky.
Gao Su and Gao Siji led the heavily armed cavalry, guarding them on both sides. When they engaged in close combat, they crashed into the enemy's horses and knocked them to the ground, leaving them terrified.
Especially Gao Su and Gao Siji,
One was on a white horse with a long spear, he would smash anyone he saw, kill anyone he saw, and kill anyone he saw; the other was on a white horse with a silver spear, he swung the spear like rain, lines of silver were crisscrossing, around the two men, blood was spurting out everywhere, splashing in all directions.
Although the Di people were caught off guard, they quickly stabilized their position under the command of Yanmujin. A Uighur general with a fierce face, curly hair and deep eyes rode his horse to meet Gao Su.
The general who came was an old acquaintance of Gao Su, none other than Shulü Pogu, the leader of the Shulü tribe. This man was extremely brave, and Gao Su had challenged him several times but never gained the upper hand. Otherwise, how could Gao Su be forced to withdraw from Wuyuan and retreat to Jiuyuan with just the two women, Yanmujin and Yuelixin? It was impossible even to think about it.
Later generations evaluated Gao Changgong as "a man of gentle and honest character, kind appearance but strong heart, beautiful voice and appearance, and diligent and attentive to details as a general..."
In Gao Changgong's military achievements, in the Battle of Mangshan, he lifted the siege of Jinyong City solely by relying on his bravery; and he served as Shangshu Ling, Lu Shangshu Shi, Da Sima, Taibao, Taiwei, etc., which shows that a hero in his previous life, how could he be a coward in this life
Gao Changgong in the previous life and Gao Su in this life are both brave and courageous men.
There were many reasons why he retreated to Jiuyuan. Firstly, his troops were not as numerous as those of the enemy. The combined strength of the Khitan, Uighur and Dangxiang forces was almost three times that of his, and they were all elite troops.
Secondly, Yanmujin was no ordinary person. This woman was no less intelligent and strategic than Gao Su. Also, Shulü Pogu, the leader of the Uighur Shulü tribe, was as skilled in martial arts as him.
No matter from which aspect, Gao Su was not in a winning position. It was a blessing from heaven that he could preserve his subordinates and retreat to Jiuyuan. What's more, the other side had a brave general, Li Renfu, a Dangxiang man, who was not as strong as him but not much worse.
With such a lineup and such a strong opponent, how could Gao Su not give in? He had to give in when it was time to do so. Forcing himself to give in would only make things worse.
When Shulü Pogu and Gao Su started fighting, it was the most intense and fierce head-on confrontation. One of them was waving his spear wildly, and the other was swinging his halberd. The sounds of "ping, pong..." were endless. Sparks were flying around the two men, and murderous aura was raging.
Neither of them dared to underestimate the other, and they both tried their best and focused their attention. In the thrilling moment, even a strand of hair blocking the view could determine the outcome, life or death.
On the other side, Gao Siji also faced off against the Dangxiang general Li Renfu. Gao Siji was such a powerful general, but he was evenly matched with Li Renfu. It can be seen that the two Di generals were not easy to deal with.
The generals were unable to defeat each other, which led to the soldiers on both sides fighting to the death.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the land was infected with the deep red blood color. The yellow sand turned into red sand. The sticky and bloody red sand would stick to your feet if you stepped on it accidentally, making it difficult to move.
The Uighur and Dangxiang warriors resisted Gao Su and Gao Siji, and Yanmujin and Yuelixin naturally would not be idle either.
Zhang Jingda waved his hand, and hundreds of tower ships, warships, chariot ships, and patrol ships all set sail and crossed the river, as if they were about to cross the Yellow River from the south bank and attack the Di army's central army.
Regarding Zhang Jingda, many people may not know what kind of person he is, what his abilities are, and how good his martial arts are.
This can be seen from a sentence in history: "When Zhang Jingda was young, he served Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang because of his good riding and shooting skills."
In the words of later generations, if someone could accompany the country's top leader with his martial arts ability, how could he be weak? In terms of ability, if he didn't have some skills, Li Cunxu would not look down on him, because he was not an actor.
Seeing Gao Su take the lead in the attack, Zhang Jingda wanted to force his way across the river. Unfortunately, after several attempts,
They were all repelled by the troops led by Yanmujin and Yuelicin. Zhang Jingda led a large number of troops, at least 20,000 to 30,000 people. Such a fresh force could completely change the situation of the war. How could Yanmujin let him succeed
Helpless and anxious, Zhang Jingda had to cross half of the river and anchor the warships, such as tower ships, battleships, and chariot ships, in the middle of the Yellow River. They lined up in a row and shot at the Khitans with bows and arrows. This helped to tie down the Khitans and prevent them from being careless and attacking Gao Su and others.
Just when the battle situation at the foot of the Ula Mountains was once deadlocked and difficult to resolve.
Zhu Li led his troops and quietly crossed the Yellow River at the westernmost corner of the river. As soon as he landed, he immediately sent out Nabo Fuwei disguised as Uighur cavalry to deceive people, of course, the commanders of Huaishuo and Woye towns.
This group of cavalrymen knew their mission long ago and had a plan in mind. They made themselves look dusty and miserable, and rushed into Huaishuo Town like headless flies.
They were dressed like Uighur cavalrymen, and their ethnicity was authentic Uighurs. The Di commander stationed in Huaishuo did not doubt their identities and let them pass. He even approached them suspiciously and asked them why they were in such a mess.
The leader was a team leader who was very alert. When he saw the other party asking, he immediately told the battle situation in Wula Mountain with an anxious look on his face.
He claimed that not only did the Yunzhong Tang army led by Gao Su launch an attack on Yanmujin's troops, but Zhang Jingda's Henei Tang army on the south bank of the Yellow River had also crossed the Yellow River. Yanmujin's troops were attacked from both sides and were already in a state of exhaustion, so he took the opportunity to request the Huaishuo town general to go and reinforce them.
The Di commander of Huaishuo was no fool. He was only half-believing and half-doubting the captain's words. Finally, he asked his scouts about the confrontation between Yan Mujin and Gao Su. As the commander of a town, how could he not send out scouts to gather information from time to time
This question turned out to be true. The Di scouts had already learned about Zhang Jingda's garrison on the south bank of the Yellow River, and they did not doubt the Uighur commander's statement.
The two statements were flawless in comparison, so the general of Huaishuo Town believed it to be true.
Reinforcements are needed like putting out a fire. Since the situation was true, the Di people's town commander quickly dispatched troops and led them out of Huaishuo, all the way eastward, to support Yan Mujin, Li Renfu and others.
But just as they were leaving Huaishuo, they were suddenly ambushed by Zhu Li and others in a dense forest less than 20 miles away from Huaishuo.
The Huaishuo town commander was suddenly ambushed and saw a red cloud suddenly rushing towards him. Above the red cloud, a mysterious light flashed, like a cold light that cuts through the sky. In an instant, it passed through his neck like the wind without leaving a trace.
Next, the town general fell headfirst off his horse. If someone turned over his body at this time, they would find a bloody hole in his throat, and blood was oozing out like a gurgling spring.
Victory or defeat is just a matter of a moment. If the general is killed, how can the remaining troops raise any waves again
The result is naturally self-evident. The battle ended very quickly, and all the Di people who were slow to react and did not have time to surrender were all killed.
As for the commander of Woye, this guy deserves to die even more. He immediately believed the words of the leader of the Uighur team and immediately followed the old path of the commander of Huaishuo.
After conquering the two military towns, Zhu Li dispatched two captains, each leading a prefecture's elite troops and two thousand able-bodied men, to guard each military town. Zhu Li himself rode his horse straight towards Wuyuan, which was Zhu Li's main target.
As for the seven or eight thousand captives who surrendered, naturally the governor Wei Zhuang would send people to receive and settle them, so Zhu Li didn't have to worry about it at all.