Xinkou, the sky is filled with yellow sand.
Legend has it that Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was surrounded by the Xiongnu during his personal expedition, but he fought hard to break through the siege and escaped all the way to this place. Liu Bang was very happy to have survived the disaster, so he named this place Xinkou, which means a very happy mouth.
The blood of our ancestors has long flowed all over the rivers and mountains. Strategically located places like Xinkou have been visited by Xiongnu, Turks, Uighurs, Khitans, and Han people. The ancients fought bloody battles here, and people today still follow suit.
As soon as Guo Shao arrived at this place and saw the mountains and rivers, he was immediately shocked. There were mountains on both sides, and looking into the distance, there were dark shadows behind the mountains. The shadows of the mountains were like huge dark clouds pressing down on the ground from the sky.
The sun was setting in the west, the sky was clear, the ground was very dry, and a large cloud of dust was kicked up by the horses and men.
Guo Shao followed Xiang Xun's men up a small hill, and the sound of killing suddenly became louder. Thousands of troops appeared before their eyes, and the dilapidated Xinkou military town seemed very small, like a lone boat in the sea of people, swaying and about to sink.
The Liao army in the north obviously had more people, and the front was killing each other, while the cavalry in the back were lined up in groups and did not move. The Zhou army was all on the front line, without any reserve troops. The entire battlefield was filled with dust and smoke, and flags were waving, and the battle was fierce.
The total number of people on both sides was at least 8,000. There were so many people and it was so lively, but it gave people an inexplicable feeling of loneliness. Perhaps it was because apart from the fighting army, there was no other human habitation, and the surroundings were desolate.
The main force of the Liao army is here, even if we send reinforcements, it will be a drop in the bucket. Xiang Xun saw the situation clearly and said something immediately.
Zhang Jianxiong cursed angrily: That guy surnamed Shi is so aggressive, he thinks he can defeat the Liao army
Xiang Xun's army deployed their troops behind the hillside and remained motionless for a while.
After a careful look, everyone finally understood the situation on the battlefield. Most of the Zhou army's cavalry in front could not break through the Liao army's line, but only one group of people had already penetrated deep into the Liao army. That group of people was not large in number, and they rushed left and right among the Liao army's thousands of troops, surrounded by large groups of Liao soldiers on all sides; it must be Shi Yanchao and his followers, only he could be so fierce
Although the cavalry inside charged left and right, they could not cause any impact on the army that was spread out a mile wide, let alone shake the Liao army. However, they looked very strong and were not destroyed for a long time. If they did not break out, it would only be a matter of time.
Xiang Xun immediately reviewed the generals and said: The priority today is to rescue Shi Yanchao and withdraw to Xinzhou.
Lord Zhang Jianxiong was about to speak again, and he seemed to have a deep prejudice against Shi Yanchao.
But he was stopped immediately by Xiang Xun, who said: "Shi Yanchao is known as the most powerful general in our dynasty, and his reputation is known to the whole army. If he is killed in battle, the morale of our army of hundreds of thousands will be greatly weakened, and the consequences will be unpredictable."
After hearing this, all the generals bowed in admiration.
Xiang Xun pointed with his whip: The front and rear junction of the Liao army's right wing is weak, and Shi Yanchao's position is also to the right. Zhang Jianxiong, you immediately lead your elite cavalry to attack their right wing; Shi Yanchao is a veteran general, and he will drive eastward when he sees the situation. We can attack him from both sides to break the siege.
I have to order Zhang Jianxiong to take the order and leave.
Soon, one or two hundred elite cavalrymen emerged from the army. They were well-equipped with armor and weapons, and the officers and soldiers were all brave. However, Xiang Xun's cavalry horses had no armor, so they were still light cavalry.
The cavalry was divided into four groups, the front group was armed with lances and spears, the back group was armed with sabers or bows and arrows, the weapons of each row were relatively uniform, and it looked very neat and beautiful. After they were dispatched, they trotted forward.
At this moment, a group of cavalrymen from the rear of the Liao army that did not participate in the battle moved from the flank and targeted Zhang Jianxiong's troops.
Zhang Jianxiong's troops were intercepted on the right wing, and the two sides fired arrows at each other. Then the first wave of Zhang's cavalry rushed forward, and the two sides fought each other. The cavalry group immediately rushed and hacked, and the people and horses fell down in a battle. However, the two cavalry in the middle of Zhang's troops did not rush into the battle group, but maneuvered and continued to rush forward.
Zhang Jianxiong arrived at the planned location and immediately launched a charge, rushing into the Liao army's junction. As Xiang Xun had predicted, Zhang Jianxiong led his troops to charge into the enemy's formation. Shi Yanchao's elite cavalry, who were trapped in the enemy's formation, noticed the movement and turned to the right wing to support the reinforcements. Soon, the Liao army's flank was penetrated from the middle, and Shi Yanchao received reinforcements and broke out of the encirclement.
The battle array was almost entirely filled with war horses, with groups of cavalry charging back and forth on both sides like whirlpools of waves in a typhoon. The ground was shaking under the horses’ hooves.
Unexpectedly, the cavalry that joined the flank did not retreat, but continued to charge at the position where the Liao army was loose. Soon, a large number of cavalry from the rear of the Liao army that had not entered the battle began to move out one after another, and reinforced from the right wing.
Zhang Jianxiong's troops turned around and rushed to the south. The Liao reinforcements almost followed Zhang Jianxiong and came over like a tide. Zhang Jianxiong led his troops to gallop, and many people were chased and shot dead from behind. People kept falling off their horses, but Shi Yanchao did not come out, because it was easy to see that among the surging herd of horses, there was an area with particularly thick dust and fog, as if there were thorns running around in it.
Zhang Jianxiong was fighting and running at the same time. Fortunately, he was a cavalryman and escaped after a hard fight. After a while, he was seen riding a horse with blood on his face. He jumped off the horse and cursed: Shi Yanchao wanted to die himself, no wonder others caused me to lose so many men and horses.
Xiang Xun frowned and asked: "Did you see him? Did he say anything rude to you?"
Zhang Jianxiong spat out a mouthful of blood: How dare this lowly general ruin my lord's business? I said nothing and advised him to break out first and then make plans. Yes, I also told him that the reinforcements were not many.
Xiang Xun asked: How did Shi Yanchao respond to you
Zhang Jianxiong was immediately furious again: He said, "You boys, just stand by and watch how I break the Liao army's formation!"
The generals looked at each other and sighed.
Suddenly Xiang Xun slapped his forehead and sighed: I have harmed Shi Yanchao
Why did the lord say that? The generals asked hurriedly.
Xiang Xun said: I shouldn't have accepted the order from King Wei. If someone else had come to rescue Shi Yanchao, maybe he would have accepted it.
A general advised: "My lord, don't blame yourself." Shi Yanchao was reluctant to abandon his elite cavalry. If he fled, his troops would be attacked by the Liao army and the casualties would be incalculable. That's why he fought to the death and wanted to defeat the Liao army. He didn't leave, but it had nothing to do with my lord.
Shi Yanchao's life is more important than my own. Xiang Xun reached for the hilt of his sword.
Wait a minute, General Xiang. Guo Shao's voice suddenly said.
The generals turned to look at Guo Shao behind them and said to Xiang Xun: What do you have to say
I think General Xiang can wait a little longer. Guo Shao's voice was very calm. General, have you ever saved a drowning person? When a drowning person just falls into the water, he still has strength and is panicked. If you go to save him immediately, he will hold his head and neck. Not only will you not be able to save him, but you may also be dragged down and drowned. When there are not enough people, the best way to save a drowning person is to wait until the drowning person is exhausted, and then take action, which will achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Xiang Xun looked at Guo Shao's expression with great interest, and unconsciously let go of the hilt of the sword. He pondered for a moment and asked: In Guo Lang's opinion, when is the time to save Shi Yanchao from drowning
Guo Shao pointed to the battle formation ahead: In the Liao formation, the dust raised by Shi Qianfeng's troops did not change in speed. Therefore, it can be inferred that even if Shi Qianfeng's personal soldiers were reduced from time to time, their combat effectiveness had not yet dropped sharply, which did not affect his charging speed. When they were exhausted and their casualties reached a certain level, they would inevitably be unable to charge, and the dust in the sky would stop moving. At this time, if we take action to break the siege, Shi Qianfeng would be unable to fight again unless he really wanted to die.
Xiang Xun asked in return: What if we fail to judge the urgency of the situation, or fail to break through in time and Shi Yanchao is killed in battle? Wouldn't that be a loss
Guo Shaodao: Otherwise, even if the ball is cleared, will Shi Qianfeng be willing to stop
Zhang Jianxiong agreed, "I think Guo Lang's method will work. Shi Yanchao won't cry until he sees the coffin. We risked our lives to rescue him, but he didn't appreciate it. When the Liao army's reinforcements come, if we don't leave, all our troops will be used up in the battle."
Then wait a little longer. Xiang Xun said calmly.
The sun gradually moved westwards, and when it reached the top of the mountain, it didn't move at first glance, but after a while, it dropped a few degrees. Xiang Xun's troops stopped on both sides of the road, and the whole army remained motionless. This side was very peaceful; but in front of them, the sound of killing was deafening, and the horses were galloping. The battle had reached a point of life and death. The ground was littered with corpses of people and horses, and some ownerless horses ran around the battlefield.
Although the two armies were fighting head-on, the battle lines were always turbulent. In a cavalry battle, the armies did not stand still, but charged back and forth, crisscrossing.
After a long time, the speed of the yellow dust running around in the middle of the Liao army slowed down. It seemed that Shi Yanchao was no longer able to survive. No matter how strong he was, he would surely die once he was surrounded and unable to move.
Xiang Xun also noticed the signs and turned back to ask Guo Shao: Guo Lang felt that the time had come.
Please let the general make the decision, Guo Shao said with a fist salute.
At this time, Xiang Xun looked around and said: All cavalry, follow me to fight.
Get the order
Guo Shao and others turned back one last time, looked down at the battlefield, then mounted their horses and followed Xiang Xun down the hillside. A general shouted loudly: "Cavalry, mount your horses and prepare to attack!"
The generals rode their horses through the cavalry of various troops, shouting to boost morale and issuing various military orders.
After a while, the sound of horse hooves could be heard as hundreds of elite cavalrymen set out at the same time. The war horses gradually accelerated from small steps, and then trotted towards the battlefield.
As they got closer, Xiang Xun drew out his sword and held it high. The soldiers leveled their spears and sabers, and there was another metallic sound of swords being unsheathed, like a piece of music without a melody, rough and simple yet full of passion.