A piece of news after the summer in the first year of Xiangfu shocked the government and the public.
Anguo General Yang Shenxing faced an enemy army of less than 10,000 people, and the 40,000 Jinan sharp soldiers were defeated again and again. First, nearly half of the cavalry was lost, and then they retreated to the Qingyang Basin. After this battle, Yang Shenxing, who was not safe at the end of the year, became a rat crossing the street. Except for the Ministry of War in which Lu Baijie was in charge, the other five ministries and two speech officials in Tai'an City launched wave after wave of impeachment against the old general. And it is reasonable and well-founded, saying that he ignored the military order of the master general Lu Shengxiang and went south without authorization. After going south, he fully exposed that he was "old and old". , reduced to the point of being vulnerable! Where is the national prestige of the invincible Liyang
Yang Shenxing didn't care about the turmoil in the temple, the old general and his more than 40,000 Jinan infantry who were still intact, turned into an old turtle, even he himself thought it was ridiculous.
The gray-haired general showed an aging look no matter how he concealed it. The eldest son Yang Huchen survived the riding battle ten days ago, but lost an arm. Grandson Yang Wenqi was also seriously injured in the battle six days ago, and he is still lying on the sickbed with the smell of medicine. Yang Shenxing had never fought such an aggrieved battle. Huchen's three thousand light cavalry failed to defeat the thousand iron cavalry. Not much resentment and complaints. However, the subsequent development of the situation made General Anguo almost violently kill people. The three thousand rich and noble soldiers who had never suffered too many casualties in the first cavalry battle, after seeing the power of the heavy cavalry charge with their own eyes, asked to leave the army immediately. Passing through the Qingyang Basin and retreating to the north of Qinshuijindu, that's okay. Yang Shenxing didn't refuse, but suggested to retreat slowly with the infantry army to prevent the opponent's number of Qingqi from attacking. The boss promised well, and in a blink of an eye, he fled northward overnight with his personal guards. After learning the news, Yang Shenxing had no choice but to leave the camp and move northward, and asked his grandson Yang Wenqi to dispatch almost all cavalry ranks to escort him. The chief general in charge of the battle on the Eastern Front couldn't seize the opportunity of his side to separate the infantry and cavalry, and even let the former army show signs of camouflage to kill Kuixiao Junzhen, but in the early morning of the next day, the blood-soaked grandson only brought back Hundreds of Jinan cavalry troops, the 3,000 or so grandpa soldiers who were the culprits were safe and sound. Yang Wenqi, who had a large piece of meat cut off from his shoulder, broke down in tears, saying that the enemy Qingqi was very good at night battles. The cavalry also deliberately drove the 3,000 cavalry, who were not even worth it, to the south in order to disrupt the formation. Yang Wenqi's cavalry could only use 300 cavalry as a battalion, and sent them to death in batches before protecting them. There are more than 2,800 people who deserve to die but cannot die.
After his grandson fainted, Yang Shenxing questioned in detail several cavalry commanders who had returned from defeat. The old general became more and more frightened. According to them, the enemy cavalry were not only good at night raids, but also had excellent archery skills. The barbarian's peripheral hunting is imitated in a good way, neither close nor far away, always keeping the distance between two arrows, charging with one arrow, and retreating after shooting a wave of arrows, repeating this requires extremely skilled Equestrian and archery as the foundation. Such a lack of cohesive swimming tactics is not invulnerable. If his grandson Yang Wenqi left the three thousand riders alone, he would not need to pay such a huge bloody price. After that, there was no more movement from Kui Xiao's side, just small groups of cavalry soldiers wandering far outside the encirclement, leisurely, shooting and killing the scouts and spies of the Jinan Army who were trying to convey the military information, but as soon as Yang Shenxing appeared As a sign of the movement of the army, the cavalry on the opposite side can be quickly mobilized, and they will gather in the Qingyang Basin on the back. There are also a thousand cavalry waiting far away, making a charge of riding and walking.
At that moment, Yang Shenxing finally knew that the commander on the opposite side had no intention of competing with their Jinan pawns at all, but had anticipated Yang Shenxing and the three thousand cavalry with special identities, and first lured the Yang family cavalry When the army attacked, it hurt morale first, and then it used strong medicine at the beginning, using heavy cavalry to frighten the courage of those dudes, guessing that these bastards were desperate to escape regardless of the overall situation, and their escort of the Jinan Cavalry was forced to escort them, no matter how blunt they were. The knife cuts the flesh and eats up the cavalry bit by bit. It can be said that Yang Shenxing was impressed by the combat power shown by the enemy army, but the veteran general who had experienced many battles was not afraid in his heart, but he would lose if he lost. Yang Shenxing had to take two risks in succession. To save their lives, the result was that the Jinan Army's few cavalry of more than 5,000 cavalry could be said to be dead!
Suffering a disastrous defeat that has not been seen in many years, the old soldier in Jinan was after all a soldier brought out by Yang Shenxing. He did not cry and fight for the ground, but stayed silent in a place with dense rivers and abundant water. He set up camp in an orderly manner and dug three trenches After the trench, there is a berm more than two feet high. A large number of tough trunks and branches were harvested as much as possible between the wide trenches as high as two people, and the bottoms were nailed to death after being sharpened. The soil is all compacted. Sturdy archery towers and tents were erected one after another. The Jinan Army had ample food and grass and did not rely heavily on the supply line behind them. Moreover, the cavalry of the Liyang Dynasty, especially at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, With the support of unimpeded post roads, first-class sharp soldiers can travel hundreds of miles in half a day with weapons and armor, while purely light cavalry can reach an astounding speed. Lu Shengxiang galloped continuously , claiming to travel three hundred miles a day, even surpassing Chu Lushan’s thousand riders who drove to Shu, but after all, the latter took the Shu road, and the post riders who can change people and horses along the way are not included in this list.
No matter how the post stations in Liyang have been reduced and abolished under the clamor of those civil officials who are desperately calling for poverty, the post roads in the south of Gyeonggi are still accessible. This is where Yang Shenxing's confidence lies. Being besieged to death, he didn't even need Ji Nanjun to jump over the wall in a hurry.
But Yang Shenxing was still exhausted, even more haggard than fighting on the battlefield. In order to appease the wealthy children of the capital who hid and cried for their father and mother, the old general who had lost a battle and suffered a big loss did not even dare to speak harshly. Because the old man knows why Lu Shengxiang, the servant of the Ministry of War, has so little military power. It was the slick wrists of the civil servants in the capital who secretly obstructed the army. If you procrastinate, you can find more than a dozen sufficient excuses to slow down the marching schedule, and it can also make it impossible for anyone to find a reason to refute. The fathers of a thousand descendants of the capital's aristocratic families teamed up to weave a piece of mud in the Liyang Temple, making it impossible for Lu Shengxiang to quickly control the entire army. In between, it helped the six departments to run extremely smoothly.
The reason why Yang Shenxing brought along the cavalry army, which was so rich and jaded, was because the old general knew better than anyone else the hidden needles in the temple of Liyang. It's just that Yang Shenxing didn't expect the enemy general to be so vicious.
As expected by Yang Shenxing, although countless people in the court hall of Tai'an City were denouncing Yang Shenxing's real crimes, Lu Baijie, the Minister of the Ministry of War, who said nothing during this period of time, suddenly seemed to have a promise. Previously, I thought that Yang Shenxing's 40,000, Yan Zhenchun's 30,000 and Yan Zhenchun's total of 70,000 horses was already a big fuss, and the officials and gentlemen who were quite killing chickens and knives changed their faces overnight. Fighting desperately with the imperial army on the front line north of Xiao, it is necessary to send another meritorious veteran to the battlefield, Lu Shengxiang? As the commander-in-chief who dispatched troops, but let Yang Shenxing be besieged by others, he was extremely negligent, and if he was not punished, it was only because it was not appropriate to change the commander just before the battle!
Lu Baijie's proposal was submerged in the turbulent court discussions. Lu Shengxiang needed to make a contribution. Except for the name of a commander, in fact, there were not many troops to make a contribution. The real leader was Wu Jun, a prudent veteran of the Spring and Autumn Period. , This time dispatched 30,000 elite soldiers from the Gyeonggi Wu Army.
And under a secret order from the Ministry of War, Yan Zhenchun drove straight down from the Eastern Henan Plain, finally stopped in the Sancang area, and then turned to the east, making a condescending posture of soldiers pressing down on the border, so as to support Wu Jun's 30,000 army. Whether to lead the cavalry to attack or defend still depends on the military order of the Ministry of War!
…
Outside Youlu Pass, Lu Shengxiang was still blind to the mobilization of soldiers and horses on Guangling Road in the south, but the criticism from the capital in the north continued to spread to the big tent, and there was a gloomy and precarious atmosphere. Those school captains and captains who used to be very diligent every day in Youluguan have disappeared these days.
Lu Shengxiang was sitting on the grass outside the camp, beside Guo Dongfeng who was feeding the horse recently, the latter said angrily: "This Tangxi Sword Immortal can't eat shit, he has become a dignified minister of the Ministry of War, and he is still like this Talking is worse than farting?!"
Lu Shengxiang said calmly: "Lu Baijie has a conscience, and he knows how to speak a few words of justice for me, suggesting that I lead the troops south."
Guo Dongfeng sneered and said: "Have a conscience? Then why didn't he say good things about Yang Shenxing, an old fool? The six thousand horses accumulated over ten years of hard work were buried in vain in less than ten days because of those dudes. Well, in the end, there was not even half a good word."
Lu Shengxiang smiled lightly and said: "Lu Baijie is not stupid, and neither is the guy who yells at the temple. It is one thing to know a lot of things in your stomach, but another thing to say it out. As long as Lu Baijie still thinks about it If you want to stabilize your position, you have to work hard and tear down the east wall to make up for the west. If Gu Jiantang was in the Ministry of War, this would not be the case. Of course, General Gu is in Tai'an City at the moment, and I, Lu Shengxiang, will not have a bright future. .”
Guo Dongfeng snorted coldly, "The chief general of Western Chu is also out of his mind. He regards the front line of the Kuixiao Army Town as a battlefield to compete for military strength and national strength. Do you really think that everything will be fine if you eat Yang Shenxing's 40,000 Jinan infantry?"
Lu Shengxiang glanced at Guo Dongfeng, "The civil servants in the court are stupid, and you are also stupid?"
Guo Dongfeng was stunned for a moment, and said with a look of horror: "Xichu really planned to eat Yan Zhenchun's 30,000 riders from the very beginning? Can he eat it? Yan Zhenchun is not that Yang Shenxing, who is not afraid of choking to death? Could it be that Cao Changqing wants to go out in person? gone?"
Lu Shengxiang looked into the distance, and said with a sneer: "You kid, keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully. I have a hunch that in this battle, the first few young people who will become your mortal enemies will appear in Xichu."
Guo Dongfeng laughed and said, "This is a good relationship."
…
Thirty miles to the north of Sancang, Yan Zhenchun's 30,000 cavalry army deliberately slowed down as they went south. The scouts reported the military situation, and there was an enemy army five miles away, all light cavalry, no less than 20,000 cavalry!
The vast plains, the wide battlefield.
The autumn wind howls, and the banners flutter.
Old General Yan, who was always serious, looked up at the bright red Yan character on the flag, and then looked back at those Yan Jiaerlang who were not timid.
The old man said in a deep voice, "Pull the flag!"
The old general Yan Zhenchun, who was supposed to be in the rear, wanted to lead the way? Immediately, several confidant generals came forward to stop him. Yan Zhenchun held up the long spear "Lu Ye" that had been with him for many years, shook his head and said: "Winning, it is probably the last battle of this life, I can't stand here and watch, lose It’s the last battle, how can you die on the way to escape.”
When Yan Zhenchun said this, the generals were speechless.
The army presses forward, and the banner moves forward.
The same is true for the enemy's 20,000 Qingqi.
Yan Zhenchun led 30,000 troops against the wind, and the Western Chu cavalry with 20,000 troops against the wind.
There is no advantageous slope under the horseshoes of both sides, and there is no infantry phalanx.
The territory here is vast, and a front line of sufficient width can be deployed, and the cavalry can also be invested in batches. Therefore, it can be said that the cavalry commanders of the opposing sides can fully demonstrate their commanding talents, and the cavalry combat power is more likely to be perfected. reflect.
This is an excellent battlefield where whoever is weak will lose, and whoever retreats will die.
No luck.
Almost at the same time, two horns sounded like a sudden sob that echoed each other, majestic and sad.
Exactly the same thing, after the first row of cavalry from both sides charged, and after they charged more than half a horse's body away, the second row immediately launched a fierce charge.
The physique and stride spacing of each row of war horses are almost the same, so that it can not affect the charge speed of each rear row of cavalry in the slightest.
The horizontal front lines of both sides were equal in length, but Yan Zhenchun's cavalry team had a greater depth because of their relatively superior numbers.
Several cavalry suddenly appeared on the far side of the charge of the two armies, a few cavalry, irrelevant to the overall situation, none of the men and horses were wearing armor, and among them was the young man, Xie Xizhen, who followed Pei Sui, the son of the Pei Clan, to the beacon on the top of Luohu Hill.
It is also this unknown son of the poor family of Western Chu who has the courage to point out the country in front of big figures such as Cao Changqing and Sun Xiji. Cao Changqing laughs and calls him "Thank you half sentence". It boils down to two things: "being beaten" and "beating people".
In fact, Xie Xizhen had to decide the entire northern line matter with one word.
From the capture of the Kuixiao Army Town at the last moment, to the subsequent lure and night attack, and then to the siege without attacking, in order to attract the Liyang court to take the initiative to lure Yan Zhenchun's cavalry army to break up the warehouse, until this moment far away Stand by.
It all comes from this person's strategy.
A middle-aged burly man sitting on horseback who was a head taller than Xie Xizhen asked in a deep voice, "General Xie, do you really need to use the 3,000 heavy cavalry hidden in the back right away? You really don't need to send orders." Go down and ask them to put on armor and mount horses? Yan Zhenchun's 30,000 cavalry are not soft persimmons!"
Xie Xizhen pursed his lips, shook his head and said, "It doesn't make sense to use heavy cavalry too fast or too slow."
Xie Xizhen breathed out a turbid breath, and said slowly: "Besides, killing two light cavalry is more profitable than killing one heavy cavalry. It can even be said that three thousand heavy cavalry will win unless they are out of one. The heavy cavalry can't change the situation, so the 20,000 light cavalry can be used to break up the spirit of Yan Zhenchun's cavalry, and the battle will be over. Otherwise, I would rather not have any light cavalry left, and I will retreat with the heavy cavalry. Prepare for the next riding battle!"
The brawny man glanced at his commander-in-chief, who was definitely not well-known in Liyang's court at such a young age, and smiled.
This person was born in the land of Longxing, the founding emperor of the Great Chu Dynasty, which used to have the reputation of "four princes in ten miles". Forty-six people!
There is a custom of every household sewing cloth for newborns "Fenghouhu", which places good expectations on the old saying "Although a young tiger has not yet formed a pattern, it has the spirit of eating a cow".
But this young man named Xie Xizhen was by no means the descendant of those generals with outstanding military exploits.
But it doesn't matter, because he is Cao Changqing's only disciple.
Xie Xizhen has been watching the situation of the battle with cold eyes. After half an hour, after an hour, the strong man and several men around him are already sweating.
Xie Xizhen raised his butt, stretched his neck to look at it, his lips moved slightly, and muttered to himself.
Still waiting.
Several men who had participated in the Spring and Autumn War began to look anxious.
On the battlefield, 5,000 cavalry were killed by one's side, and Yan Zhenchun also died more than 6,000.
This is a battlefield where no one has evacuated and no one has retreated. Compared with the total number, such a huge number of deaths, and still fighting to the death, is simply appalling. Because cavalry troops participated in confrontational battles, the real casualties were often when one side was defeated and evacuated. At that time, the mass casualties would really increase suddenly.
The sweaty burly man tugged at his collar before punching the horse's back hard.
Xie Xizhen remained expressionless.
The strong man glanced at the sky and said softly: "General Xie, we will lose if we trade our lives for lives like this!"
Xie Xizhen hummed lightly, but remained indifferent.
Another man said angrily: "I'm going to launch the heavy cavalry and rush to the front field. I'm not as hard-hearted as you, Xie Xizhen!"
Xie Xizhen let out a sigh, and said calmly: "Wei Hong, if you dare to go, I will dare to kill you."
The man gritted his teeth and said, "Just because of your three-legged cat skills?!"
Not far away, a handsome young man with four long swords on his back hesitated for a moment, and said with a cold face: "I, Lu Sichu, can kill you."
The man shouted: "Lu Sichu, don't think your grandfather is Lu Dantian, I'm afraid of you!"
Xie Xizhen said indifferently: "I have already said that either Yan Zhenchun was killed in battle, or the energy of the Yan family's cavalry was mostly exhausted, then it is time for us to go into battle. You don't care who Lu Dantian is the number one swordsman in Chu, But since you are a soldier of our army, you have to obey the military orders. If you want to die, I will not stop you, but please Wei Hong die on the battlefield in the future, under the horseshoes of the Liyang cavalry."
The ferocious man rubbed his face fiercely, tilted his head and spit out, "If I lose this battle, I will beat you to death with my own hands even if I disobey the order!"
After half an hour that felt extremely long, Xie Xizhen said in a deep voice: "Liu Cong, Wei Hong, listen to the order!"
Then Wei Hong scolded his mother, and turned his horse's head like crazy, "Listen to your mother's military order! I will kill the enemy right now, and if I win, you can beat me to death if you turn around!"
The burly man named Liu Cong cupped his fists and left.
Xie Xizhen said word by word, "Remember, no prisoner will be kept!"