From Yanzhou to Yuzhou, the light ride is extremely fast. Even in his own territory, Shi Le has never been negligent. He dispatched a hundred scouts, and they were able to investigate clearly in a five-mile radius. And never rushing to the road at night, choose a good location for camp every night, so as not to be attacked at night.
It took a long time to travel like this, but I took a lot of food and grass from Fort Wu along the way, which also stabilized the morale of the army. In the direction of Ji County, there have been no pursuers for a long time. Is this giving up the interception, or is it going to send troops to contain it after entering Henan County? Shi Le couldn't guess Bingzhou's plan, but they certainly wouldn't let themselves help Pingyang easily.
But this time they were all cavalry, and Shi Le was not afraid of the enemy's tricks. As long as there are scouts, it is difficult for the infantry to catch up with his army, and the cavalry of the same size cannot hide anyway. I am afraid that only after entering Hedong and the terrain becomes complicated, will there be a risk of being overwhelmed.
"General, Xifengling is ahead. Do you want to cross the river valley and go straight into Sizhou, or do you want to bypass the pipeline?"
Hearing the report from the scout in front, Shi Le hesitated for a moment before saying, "Cross the river valley!"
If you detour, it will take two more days on the road. Ahead is Sizhou. There is not much food for the army. The longer the time is wasted, the greater the possibility of encountering danger. The river valley of Xifengling is facing the mountains on one side and the water on the other side. The valley is not very long, and the mountains are high and the water is shallow, so it is not easy to ambush. As long as more scouts are dispatched to make sure there are no ambushes, it will only take a moment or so for tens of thousands of horses to cross the river valley.
If such a terrain made him tremble with fear, should he still go ahead
There was an order from the coach, and the soldiers and horses did not stop, and went towards the river valley in front.
It was not past noon, and the sun was terribly hot, and it also illuminated the river valley so brightly that there was not even a single place to hide. The scouts came back one after another to report, and there were no ambushing soldiers in the front, rear, left, and rear. Only then did Shi Le feel relieved and ordered the army to pass through.
10,000 cavalry can fill this small river valley. The riverbed has long since dried up, with pebbles everywhere. In order to avoid hurting the horse's hoof, most of the horses walked on the flatter river beach near the cliff, not too fast, but definitely not too slow. Seeing that An An had passed most of the time, the soldiers who had been tense all the time gradually relaxed, and some even let the horses move forward against the mountain wall, trying to hide their heads from the sun.
The dry ground swayed dust under the trampling of horses' hooves. No one noticed that a little spark was rushing forward along the string. The chaotic stones blocked all possible sights until the sparks drowned in the cracks at the foot of the mountain.
It seems that he has not been wrong. Taniguchi was in front of him, and Shi Le breathed a sigh of relief. I haven't entered Sizhou yet, even if Bingzhou is strong, it is impossible to arrange an ambush here. But after entering Sizhou, everything is completely different. This time, you must be careful, and you must not fall into the enemy's tricks again.
Only one victory can save him from the current predicament.
The horse under the crotch took another step forward, and the horse's hooves stepped on the hard stone, making a crisp sound. This sound is not very noticeable, because thousands of horses are moving forward in this way. If you are far away, you can even hear the sound of rolling thunder. This is the unique sound and color of cavalry, which makes people dread and also makes people happy.
The next moment, the hoofs stopped suddenly. No, not stop. But the real thunder sounded!
Suddenly, there was a terrifying loud noise from the mountain wall beside him. The rumbling sound overwhelmed all the sounds in the river valley, and also reversed the original color of heaven and earth. Shi Le only felt a buzzing sound in his ears, as if being hit by a heavy hammer. The head vibrated, and the ear drums cracked! However, this is not the end, the love horse under him, jumping up like crazy, hoofs neighing like crazy!
what happened? ! At this moment, without being taken off the horse's back, it was entirely due to Shi Le's superb riding skills. Enduring the dizziness, he firmly grasped the reins, trying to control the frightened horse. However, if he can stabilize, others may not. Front, back, left and right, countless soldiers fell off their horses, and in such a dense array, the tame warhorse turned into a murder weapon. Horses' hoofs gallop, blood is flowing!
Control the horse! Let the army calm down!
Shi Le wanted to say something, but a more heart-piercing cry penetrated the terrifying thunder and passed into everyone's ears: "The landslide! The landslide!"
On their left, a huge cliff collapsed from it, and large chunks of rocks fell like rain, smashing into the chaotic army formation. This time, the tragic sound is one after another. Others were smashed under the rocks without even a single scream.
Go out! Shi Le's eyes bulged, and he shouted loudly, "Go forward! Get out of the valley!"
The landslide was only in the middle of the valley and had not yet spread to them. Only by rushing out of the river valley as soon as possible can we save a chance of survival. However, under such chaos, how many people could hear his military orders and control their horses to move forward
Shi Le didn't care so much. His action drove the personal soldiers, and hundreds of cavalry accelerated together and rushed forward. Like a ferocious beast trying to rush out of the turbid current, this group of men slammed into the soldiers ahead who had no time to dodge, and an even more terrifying scream sounded. The flesh and blood were stepped on the stone crevices alive, dyeing the river valley red.
The strong wind was blowing on the face, but it couldn't blow away the biting chill. Shi Le crouched on the horse's back, not even daring to raise his head. Crash, dodge, trample, a path of survival spreads along the blood. It wasn't until the front suddenly opened up and the hot sun shone on his face that he slowly pulled the reins.
Behind him, the collapse is still not over, and the earth is shaking slightly. All those who rushed out of the dead and survived by luck were also trembling. Why are there thundering landslides? Why do they encounter such anomalies
Shi Le was the first to regain his senses, and he suddenly raised the volume: "This must be an ambush by the enemy! Be careful!"
This voice brought back the consciousness of many people. Ambush. By the way, maybe it's the weirdness of the enemy. After all, they escaped, as long as they are prepared, they can escape.
However, the ambush in Shi Le's mouth never appeared. Until the last rock fell to the ground, the dust settled, and there was no shadow of an enemy.
Hundreds of steps away, the miserable howls still lingered faintly in the wind. On Shi Le's side, the still needle dropping could be heard.
Where are the ambush? Who else can put up such a battle just to set up an ambush
"It's God's punishment..."
A faint whimper sounded behind him. Shi Le's whole body was agitated, and he turned his head and shouted angrily: "Who is messing with our army?!"
Front, back, left and right, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at him. Shi Le only felt his heart sink. Who said it, does it still matter? This sudden change not only tore apart his army, but also completely defeated the courage of these people. Just as I was about to enter Sizhou, I encountered such a change. If it is really an enemy of the Buddha? That is the incarnation of Medicine Buddha. If you offend him, maybe you will enter the nether world after death, and you will be burned by the fire of karma!
Shi Le knew what they were thinking, and he had heard it from his mother many times. Even at that moment, he was a little shaken and a little scared. What if the Buddha's teachings were not a hoax? Is he already guilty
However, this thought flashed by, and he clenched the reins: "Go back to Changshe first!"
He was going back to rectify his troops. There is still a lot of food in the Li's Wu Fort in Changshe County, and maybe more troops can be added. Whether or not to go to Sizhou next is no longer important. How to regain morale and stabilize the old camp is the top priority.
Hearing Shi Le's order to leave, many people breathed a sigh of relief, and did not dare to look at the rocky river valley in the distance.
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"Patriarch, do you really want to act according to what Zu Lingyin said?"
At the same time, in the Lijiabao, several people hid in the inner room and discussed with each other.
As early as two months ago, Henan Yin Zuti secretly sent envoys to persuade them to abandon Shile and return to the imperial court. Yuzhou is no better than Sizhou. It has experienced too many wars in the past two years. The masters of Wubao no longer obey the will of the imperial court. Even the emperor and the king's city have been changed, and who would dare to put their lives on the line to take the whole family for loyalty
Therefore, when Wang Mi came, he descended on Wang Mi, and when Shile came, he descended on Shile. Even if these gangsters kill and collect indiscriminately, they will not completely destroy the foundation. As long as they can get a chance to breathe, they can barely support it and live longer in this chaotic world.
However, this year was different from the past. The severe drought destroyed many farms that Wubao depended on for survival. If it continues like this, even if it falls, so what? Maybe we still can't see the sun of the Ming Dynasty.
Therefore, Sizhou, which is close at hand, has become an enviable existence. If what Zu Ti said was not bad, would he really have the heart to accept them? Would it be a little better to take refuge in Sizhou than it is now
But thinking about it this way, no one dared to act rashly. At this time, Bingzhou sent troops to attack Pingyang. When the news came out, many people's minds became active. If Bingzhou can really win Pingyang and recover Hedong, it means that Duke Liang's strength will be further expanded. Isn't it more and more worthwhile to serve
At the same time, the bad news of Shi Le leading troops to help gallop also made the castle masters restless. If the thief looted Wubao again in order to raise army salaries, would they still be able to sustain it
The balance is already on the verge of falling, just waiting for the last chip to land.
"Let's just wait and see what happens..." Clan Chief Li pondered for a long time before answering, "If the stone thieves are defeated, we can also switch to Sizhou."
"What if the stone thief wins?" Someone couldn't hold back their breath and whispered, "Could it be that I will continue to be bullied by this slave?!"
"I think it's going to be defeated. Bingzhou's troops are strong and strong, and it's such a wild season again..." someone muttered.
"Wait! When can we wait for a good opportunity? It's better to start first!"
There are different opinions, and everyone's words sound reasonable. Patriarch Li's brows furrowed even deeper, and he must ponder. At this moment, a servant hurriedly ran in: "The castle master! General Shi has returned to the division! Just sent someone to order me to wait for the opening of the city!"
"What?!" Everyone was shocked. Didn't Shi Le lead his troops to Sizhou just now? Why did you come back so soon
Patriarch Li responded faster and asked, "How many people did he bring back?"
"Less than a thousand rides!"
How come there are only a thousand riders? Is it a division
"There are only 1,000 people. Could it be that there are ambush soldiers on the road?!" Someone exclaimed.
Is Shi Le defeated? Lost so soon
Patriarch Li pressed the table in front of him and stood up abruptly: "Go to explore again, what is the military appearance of the visitor?"
If Shi Le was really defeated and fled back to his own territory, wouldn't it be a good opportunity from heaven? Their strength in several forts is not much, but a thousand cavalry, really did not pay attention to it.
If you can get Shi Le's head and use it to invite a reward to Zu Ti, it will be a great credit. And with the protection of Sizhou, why should they be afraid of these gangsters
※
In front is Li's Wubao. Immediately after entering the city to rest, Shi Le's annoyance remained unabated.
Along the way, hundreds of people left quietly in a mere dozen miles. Or pretend to be left behind, or take advantage of the situation to slip away, and then disappear. When they return to Yanzhou, how many of these people will they be left behind? Or do you want to kill them all, so that the hellish landslide cannot be introduced into Yanzhou
Countless thoughts were churning in his mind, and Shi Le did not dare to stop for a moment, and galloped towards Wubao ahead. Everything can only be said after entering the city. As long as you save your life, there is always a chance to bounce back. Wasn't that the case with the emperor of the Han Dynasty? After repeated defeats, he finally took over the world. He has beaten 100,000 horses from eighteen cavalry, and naturally he can also pull up a strong army again!
In the distance, the city gate of Wubao has been opened. Shi Le slowed down the speed of his horse and, surrounded by his own soldiers, slowly stepped into the city gate. Today, the big castles in Yuzhou are divided into two gates, the inner and outer gates. It's like knocking a small urn upside down in the city. Even if the thieves invaded the outer city, they could close the inner city in time, use the small urn to flank the enemy, and stick to the city.
However, these means would never dare to be displayed in front of Shi Le. As long as the army arrives, the gates of the inner city will open wide, and even the clan chiefs will stand under the city to welcome his arrival.
Today, however, something is different.
As the forerunner entered the Weng City, Shi Le suddenly discovered that the small door in the inner city in front of him was tightly locked and had never been opened at all.
Oops! Counted!
His reaction was extremely fast, and he immediately wanted to order to retreat, but with a bang, the gates of the outer city were closed. Above the wall, an unknown number of figures appeared with bows and crossbows.
Are they reversed? How dare they rebel? ! Shi Le's lips trembled. Does this small city just want to stop his elite soldiers? !
However, above the city head, someone shouted loudly: "Only kill the stone thief! Kill the stone thief, but you will not die!"
The sound of shouting, one after another, echoed in the small urn city. Shi Le's complexion changed, and there were also people in front of him and behind him.
Kill him, kill him and live! Can be forgiven by the Buddha! All this bad luck, all disasters, is because of him!
In the deadly silence, Shi Le laughed wildly: "How dare you thief!!"
He drew his long knife. The blade that had killed countless enemies, countless officials, and was stained black with blood, blocked the sharp blade that came. One, one cut, blood flying!
"Kill it out! Kill it for me!" Shi Le's voice was shrill, like a roar, like a howl of a beast. The setting sun was dim, and that figure was like a mad beast.
However, this cry, this method, did not evoke any response. More and more blades swung towards him. The helmet fell, the blood split across the face, and even the bun was loose.
How could he be reconciled? To rush out...
"Fire arrows!"
A voice rang in the distance. Arrows like locusts.
The horse under the crotch fell, pressing down on the right leg. Regardless of the pain in his body, Shi Le struggled to hide behind the corpse of the horse, but in all directions, there was no place where he could avoid the rain of arrows shot from the city head.
A stream of arrows pierced through his neck, Shi Le shook slightly and fell to the ground. The blood-stained hand stretched out to the long knife in front, and digging into the soil with his fingertips.
A long bloodstain, in the end, stopped halfway.