〖The Yong army retreated, blocked the river with iron cables, and blocked the Northern Han navy. The mountain was dangerous, difficult to attack and difficult to defend.
On the first day of the fourth lunar month, Long Tingfei ordered his subordinate Duan to sink the river with black oil and set it on fire. In the next 30 years, there is no grass in the mountains, and the next year, the water will be clear.
— "Zizhi Tongjian·Yongji III"〗
In the early morning of March 30, Li Xian walked out of the military tent. Although it was already spring, the temperature in the early morning was still very low. There are nearly 10,000 Tibetan soldiers, and it is the closest barracks to the mouth of Qinshui Valley, where the Northern Han army is stationed. Last night, Yong army camped in a dozen such valleys along the Qinshui coast. From today, they will be supported by infantry. After retreating, this valley is not a good place to reject the enemy. Although it is very cost-effective to use infantry to defend the Northern Han cavalry, Li Xian never likes this kind of sacrifice without the possibility of victory, so retreating is the only option, and who knows What method will the Northern Han army come up with to attack? After all, such a valley is also a restraint for the Yong Army's iron cavalry. The most important point is that if you want to win, you can't defend here, but the timing of retreating should be clever, and you can't let the north. The Han army seemed to have no intention of defending the valley at all, and of course the losses should be as small as possible. While thinking carefully about how to deal with the current battle situation, Li Xian walked towards the tent not far away, it was Xuan Song's tent, Li Xian thought angrily, yesterday was too busy, only heard that Jiang Zhe left first, be sure to ask clearly Xuan Song, how did this guy escape.
Approaching Xuan Song's tent, there was no one in the tent. He must have gone out to arrange defense. Li Xian didn't care and walked in. As a general, Xuan Song's tent was naturally quite comfortable, with a curtain between the inside and outside, the camp bed in the inner room, the tables and chairs in the outer room, and the floor was covered with thick felt. Li Xian was sitting on the chair, thinking about how to retreat cleanly and neatly. At this time, he heard footsteps coming from outside, one was slow and clear, and the other was fierce and heavy. Li Xian heard that the two were walking side by side. He wanted to know that Xuan Song and Jing Chi came together. He suddenly moved in his heart. These two were the emperor's confidants and colleagues for many years. They must have a lot of confidants. Why don't you listen to what they have to say in private
Li Xian was determined, so he lifted the curtain and walked into the inner tent. Just as his figure was hidden behind the curtain, the tent door of the military tent was opened by Jing Chi. He strode in and sat directly on the edge of the desk. He poured out a large cup of tea from the teapot on the desk and drank it clean. Xuan Song followed behind. Seeing this scene, he shook his head and said, "The general still likes to drink this kind of beef. It's a pity that this high-grade tribute tea is a good tea that the supervisor lost to me at chess a few days ago. what."
As soon as Jing Chi heard the words "Master Supervisor", he spit out a sip of tea and laughed, "It turned out to be won by playing chess, then it was very easy. Back then, no one in the Tiance Mansion knew about Mr. Jiang. Although his talent is peerless, his chess skills are mediocre. Once he lost badly, he recited an absolute chess game of seven refusals. Although I am a rude, I still remember it. The poem is like this, 'Everything in my life is always about love, Ya Xie One after another. It's not that he is afraid of difficulties and does nothing. He thinks that he is too clear about black and white.'"
Li Xian almost laughed out loud from behind the tent, but he knew about it. He even knew that the reason why Jing Chi remembered it so clearly was because Jing Chi was with him that day, and he couldn't help laughing at Jiang Chi. After saying a few words, Jiang Zhe punished him for copying the poem a hundred times. Although King Yong's mansion was strictly guarded in the past, there were still some spies in King Yong's mansion at Fengyi Gate. These things are what Li Xian saw from Qin Zheng. But later, the Yongwang Mansion became more and more strict, and in the end, it was difficult to get any useful information.
Xuan Song naturally didn't know this secret, but he sighed: "Chu Xianghou has an easy-going temperament and is indifferent to fame and fortune, but he is loyal to the king and does everything he can. In the past, he heard that Lord Jiang was almost seriously ill due to fatigue. Song originally only heard about it. I only saw the color yesterday. When Mr. Jiang left yesterday, he could hardly get on the bus in person. I must be extremely tired. I can only do my best to complete the plan set by Mr. Jiang, otherwise I will lose the favor of the emperor and the Lord. Painful."
Li Xian's body trembled when he heard the words. Of course, he saw the change in the hunting palace. On the Xiaoshuang Palace, Jiang Zhe was standing in the shape of his bones, his sick bones were broken, and the star frost on his temples was almost dying. , Although Jiang Zhe has recovered his health, his gray hair and slightly frosted temples still make Li Xian feel sad. Although Jiang Zhe has been slack on the surface these days, Li Xian knows that Jiang Zhe often reads all kinds of information. Until late at night, he personally handled and arranged many seemingly inexplicable things, but Li Xian knew Jiang Zhe's ability to layout, and naturally he would not think that Jiang Zhe was being lazy. Hearing Jiang Zhe's retreat yesterday, Li Xian was only slightly resentful. After all, he also knew that Jiang Zhe's body might not be able to withstand the road of collapse, so he was not really angry, but when he heard that Jiang Zhe was so weak when he was about to leave, I couldn't help but feel uneasy in my heart, what if Jiang Zhe's old illness relapsed, not to mention that he felt uncomfortable, even the emperor and Princess Changle couldn't explain it.
His mind was in a mess, and his breath immediately became heavy. Jing Chi from the outside heard that Jiang Zhe's physical condition was not good, and he was originally frowning, but when he heard the sound inside, he was startled, and stretched out his hand to hold the handle of the knife and said: "Inside Who, why are you eavesdropping here?"
Xuan Song was originally a Confucian general with average martial arts. Hearing Jing Chi's shout, he immediately got up and moved to the tent door. If there were really assassins or secret agents, then he naturally didn't want to drag Jing Chi's shot, but the curtain of the inner tent jumped. , King Qi Li Xian came out with a cold expression on his face, and said lightly: "General Xuan, immediately order our army to rectify our equipment and start retreating according to the plan. This king is not in the mood to spend with the Northern Han people."
Xuan Song and Jing Chi were both stunned, but when they saw King Qi's unhappy expression, and the distinction between upper and lower was placed, they could not accuse the prince of listening to the corner, and quickly agreed to go down to arrange military affairs. The original plan was to guard here. In the last two or three days, the troops were withdrawn in large numbers, but since King Qi wanted to change his plan, Xuan Song felt that it would not have much impact, so he did not advise.
At this time, the sun was already high, and at the front of Taniguchi, the Northern Han army had begun to challenge. In order not to make the Yong army suspicious, the Northern Han army fought repeatedly in the Taniguchi, and the attacking equipment outside did not reveal a single flaw. . If it were normal, Li Xian might personally go into battle to confront the enemy, but when he heard that Jiang Zhe was ill, he was depressed and too lazy to go into battle, so he only let Jing Chi lead the army out to confront the enemy.
In the Northern Han army, Long Tingfei and Lin Bi stood side by side, looking at the two armies facing each other at Taniguchi, their expressions were a little lost, after a long time, Long Tingfei said sadly: "Yong army was defeated yesterday, but it was only one night. I will never see the signs of decadence again, Yong Jun's determination is stronger than our army."
Lin Bi felt the same way in her heart, and said, "Dayong now has a wise ruler on top, good generals on the bottom, and soldiers who use their lives, all willing to die. It's a pity that I live in a corner of the Northern Han Dynasty.
Long Tingfei smiled and said: "Bimei doesn't have to be like this, as long as we capture Li Xian this time, Dayong will suffer heavy losses, and don't even think about entering Qinzhou for a few years. Chu and Dongchuan Alliance, when the time comes, Dayong will no longer have the power it is today."
Lin Bi smiled slightly. She knew that Long Tingfei was just trying to console her. How could Dayong collapse so easily? She had a deeper concern in her heart. She promised her father and brother to send troops to Daizhou this time. I rushed back to Daizhou a few days ago, and the barbarians were eager to move. There were only 10,000 cavalry in Daizhou. Although the soldiers and civilians in Daizhou had been sleeping night and night, the eldest and second brothers were fierce generals, not generals. My father was sick in bed, so how could I rest assured? get down.
The two armies in Taniguchi were fighting, and a young general under Jing Chi was the most valiant. He rushed into the Northern Han army several times, giving up his life and forgetting his life. The whole body and the Yong army cheered him loudly. Long Tingfei frowned. , was about to order to send someone to behead the enemy general, Xiao Tong hurried over and whispered: "General, let the Lu brothers go into battle, that general is ours, he must have an urgent letter. To pass."
Long Tingfei's expression changed, and he said loudly: "Bo Yan, Zhongtian, Shuhan, you all lead the army up, and you must kill this general." The three Lu brothers were eager to try, and quickly agreed in unison. Xiao Tong had already retreated to the side, and said a few instructions beside Lu Shuhan. A cold light flashed in Lu Shuhan's eyes, and he went out behind the two brothers.
Soon the three of them rushed to the front. Lu Boyan and Lu Zhongtian personally met Jing Chi, who was leading the army to kill, while Lu Shuhan led the army to block the side general, both intentionally or unintentionally. I didn't think there was anything weird about the Northern Han army's powerful move, but it would rush forward with a horse lance, and people would be unstoppable by taking advantage of the horse's momentum. Lu Shuhan was a fierce general no less than the pioneer general Su Dingluan back then. With a sneer, Ma Lan picked it up, the general gave a startled shout, and the blade in his hand let go, Lu Shuhan shouted fiercely, and Ma Lan swept across, just hit the general's waist and swept him off the horse, but the general was swept away. The general did not admit defeat, the person fell off the horse but jumped up, but Lu Shuhan raised the horse lance and stabbed it downward, seeing that he was about to pierce the general's throat. The general flipped the volley, Ma Lian brushed his cheeks and stabbed into the soil. The general could not stand and fell to the ground, but the general raised his hand, and a flying knife with a frost blade was like a meteor. Dodge generally shot at Lu Shuhan's face, but Lu Shuhan couldn't dodge in time, but he opened his mouth to bite and intercepted the flying knife. At this moment, Yong Jun, who had already been rushed up, was rescued.
The two armies fought each other, and there were fights everywhere, but the neat confrontation between the two still caught everyone's attention. The two armies were both men of iron and blood, and they respected warriors the most. It is also agile like a spirit fox. Although he lost, he did not lose much face, so both the Yong army and the Northern Han army cheered in unison. At this time, the Northern Han army had also saved their face, and the two armies had been fighting for a long time.
Returning to the Northern Han army camp and dismissing the generals, Lu Shuhan handed the flying knife to Xiao Tong, Xiao Tong gently rotated the handle of the knife, but the handle was hollow with a piece of paper stuffed inside. It was written in slow, teeny small print.
"There are rumors in the army that the Marquis of Chu Township has relapsed and has returned to Zezhou. King Qi decided to retire early, starting this afternoon."
After reading the above information, Long Tingfei looked worried and happy. He silently handed the scroll to Lin Bi, and tapped the book case lightly with his fingers, as if he was lost in thought.
For a long time, Lin Bi raised his head and said, "If it is true that the Duke of Chu Xiang was ill, then this is the best chance. Emperor Yong and King Qi all rely on this person for buffering and reconciliation. The Duke of Chu Xiang is ill, and King Qi must be uneasy at this moment. That’s why we will speed up our retreat, and as a result, Yong’s army cannot help but feel uneasy and impatient, and it will be much easier for our army to win if we want to win.”
Long Tingfei frowned and said, "But it's hard to tell if this is true or not, and since the Yong Army has accelerated its retreat, our fire attack strategy will inevitably be much less effective. Xiao Tong, do you think this information is true?"
Xiao Tong said respectfully: "This person is a collateral disciple of my Demon Sect. He is from the Northern Han Dynasty. His parents are in Jinyang. The identity of one of the killed villagers has not been used in the past two years, so the subordinates believe that the identity of this person has never been revealed. Moreover, the information he risked to return is of great importance, but it is brief and rude, which is in line with him. Yesterday, Jing Chi and Yong Jun met up with him, it is absolutely impossible for this person to know these things in detail, this person is smart and decisive, if it is difficult to distinguish the truth from the truth, he will never take such a risk."
Long Tingfei and Lin Bi both nodded silently, and the two looked at each other, both made up their minds, Long Tingfei stood up and said, "The order is invincible, although all the black oil has not been delivered yet, but it can't be taken care of, the fire starts tonight. Attack, and then when we chase Yong Jun, we might as well spread some rumors, saying that Chu Xianghou deliberately framed Qi King for defeat, and now he is running away, Yong Jun will definitely be upset, maybe Li Xian will think the same. "
In the dead of night, above the Qinshui, more than a thousand Northern Han troops wore dark night clothes, and lightly poured buckets of black oil into Qinshui. A thick layer of black oil dripped downstream, without attracting the attention of Yongjun Yanaka. Long Tingfei and Lin Bi were standing on the bank with a solemn expression on their faces. According to their estimates, at least one third of the Yong army had withdrawn in one day. , then the odds are even smaller.
Duan Wudi approached the two of them and said in a low voice, "According to the speed of the water flow, it can cover the thirty-mile river channel at about four clocks. Princess, General, we need to set fire to it at that time."
Lin Bi nodded lightly and sighed slightly. Although she was determined to kill in Daizhou, she was most likely to shed blood on the edge of the blade. This method of attacking with fire and water was almost never used, and she felt a little uneasy in her heart. After all, Daizhou Yingjie, I like the most upright battle on the battlefield. Long Tingfei looked calm and said, "Okay, I hope this fire can destroy Yong Jun's courage and confidence."
In the valley, the Yong army tent was brightly lit. Today, at Li Xian's insistence, 20,000 infantry and more than 10,000 cavalry were withdrawn. Li Xian, Jing Chi and Xuan Song were discussing how to withdraw their troops all night, so they remained until late at night. There is no rest. I don't know that Qinshui's murderous intention is hidden, the water is fast, the wind is down along the river tonight, and the black oil has been treated, so there is no pungent smell, so no one has noticed this potential crisis.
At the third watch, the Dayong Barracks was almost silent. Except for the defenders who were guarding Taniguchi, lest the Northern Han Army would attack at night, everyone was sleeping. At this time, two people walked out of a small tent. Everyone was wearing cyan armor, but under the reflection of the firelight next to the tent, it was seen that these two people were slender, but they turned out to be two women. These two are Su Qing and her trusted maid Ruyue.
Su Qing has been born and died for many years, and has been able to withstand danger like a barbarian. Although most of it relies on martial arts and resourcefulness, there is another advantage that is hard to come by. She can often be alert, although it is often just uneasy or even palpitations in her heart, but it is almost successful every time, which is the key to her being able to traverse the Northern Han Dynasty with the body of a woman. Tonight, she was awakened by a nightmare in the middle of the night. When she woke up, she found that she was covered in cold sweat, so she immediately woke up Ruyue, put on her armor, and walked out of the camp. Although she could not warn her based on her own feelings, at least she could check to see if there was anything. Improper.
She walked slowly in the barracks, and the inspecting sergeants bowed and saluted when they saw her. Su Qing returned the salute one by one, but she didn't know where she was flying. She looked around intently, hoping to find a warning sign that would make her feel alarmed. traces. But all she could feel was solemnity and calmness, and a little anxiety gradually filled her heart. Su Qing turned and walked towards Qinshui. Sitting by the river at night and listening to the whimpering of the water should be the best way to clear the troubles in her heart. Walking to the river, Su Qing took a deep breath, the cold air was sucked into her lungs, Su Qing suddenly frowned, there was a faint familiar smell in the air, pungent and spicy, her eyes immediately showed a cold light, and her eyes flashed. He moved and gradually landed on the river. Su Qing's face suddenly changed horribly. Without thinking, he turned around and walked towards the tent. Don't panic or disturb the camp, otherwise there would be a danger of bombing the camp in the dark night.
The lights of King Qi's tent had gone out. Su Qing walked outside the tent and saw King Qi's confidant guard Zhuang Jun who was watching the night outside. She hurried forward and whispered, "Where is Your Highness, there will be an urgent military report at the end. "
A trace of surprise flashed in Zhuang Jun's eyes. He didn't understand why Su Qing's expression was so solemn, but he knew that Su Qing was a good scout, so he rushed into the camp. After a while, King Qi walked out wearing his shirt, and the light of the torch shone on Su Qing. On the green face, the Qingyan face was as pale as snow. After listening to Su Qing's report on the military situation, Li Xian's eyes flashed with fiery flames, and he immediately sent orders to all the Yong troops to withdraw immediately. They don't know when the Northern Han army will be launched, but Su Qing made it clear that the smoke from burning black oil is poisonous, and it is unavoidable to escape into the valleys on both sides. It was the turtle caught in the urn and died in the Jedi, so no matter what, there was only one escape word.
Fortunately, the Yong Army has not disarmed their armor and horses for the past two days, so in less than half a shift, the entire army is ready, and the fastest group has already hit the road. Li Xian looked at the bewildered infantry. It was difficult for them to retreat in time. Originally, they were left for better defense and to prevent the Northern Han Army from discovering the inner intention of withdrawing. However, these great men had to die here in humiliation. , Although I don't know when the Northern Han army will be launched, it is difficult for these people to escape from the valley before dawn, and the road is too narrow. However, Li Xian knew that he could not tell the truth now. If these sergeants were told that they were in a desperate situation, there would be chaos. At that time, the Northern Han army was alerted, and I was afraid that no one could escape. Li Xian sighed in his heart and said: "Xuansong, send someone to lead them to wait at the Taniguchi, and say that they will wait until dawn to attack the Beihan army camp. If the fire starts, they will rush out of the Taniguchi and attack the Beihan army. Pick one. willing to die."
Xuan Song felt a pain in his heart, but he knew it had to be so, so he stepped forward and saluted: "Your Highness, these sergeants will be in command for many days. It is better for them to lead the attack in person, so as not to choose the wrong time and sacrifice in vain."
Li Xian said angrily: "Nonsense, you are a general in the army, and this king is going to rely on him, so how can you do something that will kill you."
Xuan Song said: "His Royal Highness relied heavily on the last general, but it was to stop the Northern Han chasing troops. His Highness used to be good at defeating and retreating. Now if there is no great general in the palace, I am only afraid that the heart of the army will change, and the last general is the most suitable candidate, not to mention this misstep, because the last general did not notice the enemy's conspiracy, and the last general should be left behind to commit crimes."
After hearing this, Li Xian only felt unbearable heartache, but he knew that without a general like Xuan Song, the military's heart would be easily disturbed, and a look of regret flashed in his eyes, and he whispered: "Alright, Jing Chi, we Let's go." After saying that, he got on the war horse, and his head wouldn't rush to the horse, so Jing Chi hesitated a little, and had to follow. Only the King of Qi and a few generals knew that the enemy army wanted to attack with fire, so the Yong army did not have the slightest confusion, only that King Qi decided to withdraw the army overnight. After riding the horse for a while, Li Xian suddenly turned around and ran back, pointing at Xuan Song and said: "General Xuan, you can do things cheaply in this matter. He was shocked, knowing that King Qi hinted that he could surrender in an emergency to save his life. Although this was not something he could do, he still leaned down and said, "I will obey at the end." There was a faint sadness in his tone.
After the figure of King Qi disappeared into the night, Xuan Song regained his calm face and said: "At dawn, prepare to attack the camp, now send the order, and the three armies will move." At this time, the night was still dark, Xuan Song ordered the three army ranks, and then again They asked everyone to wrap their noses and mouths with towels soaked in the clear spring water in the valley, and let their confidants walk by the river. In addition, the light was dim, and no one discovered the mystery of the river. Although some clever people have already noticed that something is wrong, the military orders are like mountains. If they are preached at this moment, they will inevitably become ghosts under the knife, and they can only follow the army silently. Not long after Yong Jun arrived at Taniguchi, Xuan Song ordered his confidant guards to go out to investigate. The guards returned with a pale face and whispered: "General, the enemy camp is not far from here, I saw many figures by the river. ." This guard already knew the truth, and naturally knew the danger.
At this moment, the fire outside the valley suddenly burst into flames, and the water around Qinshui was already raging with flames, and poisonous black smoke rushed to the shore. Xuan Song made people beat the drums, the sound of the drums was heavy, like a beast wailing in a desperate situation. At this moment, there was no military order from Xuan Song. In the face of death behind him, there was only one way to go. Yong Jun rushed out of the valley according to the military order. But the valley is narrow and can only file out. Even at this moment, Yong Jun is still quite organized and not crowded with each other, which shows that he is well trained. Not long after, there were exclamations and the sound of swords colliding in front, and tears flashed in Xuan Song's eyes. This was an act of suicide. The 20,000 Yong Army infantrymen faced the 100,000 Northern Han Iron Cavalry and the Daizhou Army. . He whispered in his mouth: "Chu Xianghou, the last will live up to your expectations and fail to see through the enemy's conspiracy to burn Qinshui. If the last found out earlier, there is still a way to deal with it, but now he can only atone for his sins with death. Now, I hope your plan is successful and avenge this deep revenge for my son Dayong." Raising his head, he drew the long sword from his waist, and under the protection of his personal guards, he rushed forward to the place of death in front of him, even if If it is death, he also hopes to die in the formation of the Northern Han Army. Behind him, the fire above Qinshui was spreading rapidly for a few miles. Below was cold water, and above it was raging flames, black smoke billowing, and poisonous fumes. The rocks were darkened by black smoke. If anyone was here, there would be no hope of life. Thirty miles of mountains and rivers turned into an asura field, and the fire devoured all life.
In addition to the more than 10,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry that were withdrawn first, there were still 30,000 cavalry under the command of King Qi and Jing Chi. Only a few thousand people escaped and were swallowed by the sea of fire. , coupled with the lack of black oil, so the main force of Yong's army survived, but the suicide attack of 20,000 infantrymen, in addition to causing the death of more than a thousand Northern Han cavalry, wiped out the entire army. So far, the Yong Army's Northern Expedition Army has 130,000 cavalry, and only half of the remaining troops are left. Although the main cavalry is still alive, the Northern Han Army has already occupied an absolute advantage.