On the riverbank of Suizhou, there was a vast wilderness on both sides, with only buildings and some low and gentle hills blocking the view. The area occupied by the Great Zhou army had already entered the heart of the Shu Basin.
Guo Shao and a group of generals were riding horses on the sandy riverbank, and they were in great spirits.
Good horse. This is the second time Shi Yanchao has praised Guo Shao's high horses from the Western Regions. Military commanders like horses, especially Shi Yanchao, who is a cavalry commander. The expression on this big man's face is as if he is about to drool.
Guo Shaodao: General Shi likes this horse
Shi Yanchao said nothing. Dong Zunhui could not help but mutter: I spent thousands of strings of cash to buy this fine horse. I am willing to give it to my uncle, but
Guo Shao was a little surprised at how expensive it was. A few thousand guan was not a small amount. One guan was one thousand copper coins, and one copper coin could buy a cup of tea or a cake.
Dong Zunhui said: If you want to buy it for thousands of strings of cash, you need to have connections.
Shi Yanchao snorted coldly: I don't care
Guo Shao smiled and said: "The horse was given to me by Dong Zunhui. It would be inappropriate for me to give it to General Shi for no reason. So, let's have a competition. Has the fishing village over there seen it? Whoever runs to it last loses the mount."
Shi Yanchao immediately said: "Guo Du Dianjian is serious about this and will not default on his debt."
Guo Shaodao: I am willing to accept defeat.
Shi Yanchao was overjoyed, and without saying anything, he took off all the armor and weapons on his body, and also took off the sundries carried by his mount. He hesitated for a moment, and even took off his thick coat. He really didn't know how heavy a piece of clothing could be.
Marshal Guo, be careful. My lord, slow down.
Guo Shao climbed onto his horse and patted the horse's face. He called a messenger and asked him to stand by with a gong. Guo Shao turned to Shi Yanchao and said, "Get ready!"
There was a clang of gongs, and the two horses sped up and suddenly leaped forward.
Guo Shao shook the reins, kicked the horse's belly, whipped the horse's butt, and ran forward. Gradually, Shi Yanchao actually passed half a horse's length, and was closing the gap at a visible speed. Shi Yanchao's horse must be far inferior to his own, otherwise he wouldn't be drooling. This aroused Guo Shao's anger, and he cursed: Damn it!
Guo Shao calmed down and found that Shi Yanchao took good care of the horse and didn't even whip it, but the horse ran very fast. He immediately recalled the horsemanship that Dong Zunhui taught him, tightening his calves, relaxing his thighs and waist, and moving with the ups and downs of the horse's back.
Shi Yanchao's voice came from the wind: If you fall from a fast horse, your bones will be broken. Marshal Guo, be careful!
The speed was getting faster and faster, the wind whistled in my ears, as if it was roaring madly and suppressedly, and the scenery on both sides was completely unclear. The oncoming wind was full of great pressure on my face, pouring into my nose and mouth, making it difficult to breathe.
Guo Shao learned to ride a horse a few years ago, but he had never ridden so fast. He began to feel scared. Riding on a horse at such a speed without any protection, he would be injured if he fell off. But Guo Shao did not stop, perhaps because he did not want to lose his fighting spirit, or perhaps because he did not want to be laughed at by Shi Yanchao. In short, he did not slow down.
In the rush and madness, he was fully engaged in the tension, and he understood very quickly. Gradually, he found the balance point on the fast horse. For a moment, he felt that he and the horse had merged into one. It was not the horse that was running, but he and the horse were running together.
In the gray area between life and death, Guo Shaoyou felt not only fear, but also a huge pleasure that spread throughout his body. He felt full of strength and passion, as if he could defeat God and everything. An experience of self-expansion arose spontaneously.
The heavy hooves of the tall horses weighing two or three thousand pounds stomped on the sand. The sound of the heavy hooves made people's blood boil, and it was full of the most violent and energetic atmosphere.
Guo Shao had never felt the power of his body so directly before. He could hear his heartbeat beating loudly, like a drum beating against his chest.
Shi Yanchao, who had passed, was gradually closing the gap with Guo Shao. Guo Shao was chasing back. He only needed time to defeat Shi Yanchao.
However, it seemed as if only a moment had passed when a group of buildings that looked like a fishing village built on the waterside arrived. Shi Yanchao passed by the houses and was the first to slow down.
Shi Yanchao slowly reined in his warhorse, turned his head and panted, stared at Guo Shao with wide eyes, and then looked at the good horse under him. After a long time, a large group of soldiers finally caught up with him.
Guo Shao jumped off the horse and handed over the reins: The horse is yours.
Shi Yanchao's eyes widened even more, and he took it in public without any hesitation, and stroked the horse's neck without any concealment, with a sickly red face.
Dong Zunhui said with a look of pain: What a pity
Guo Shao said: I didn't let him go, he won, I'm sorry, I lost Dong Qianfeng's good horse, but I lost with my heart, General Shi is really a great rider, his body is heavy and his horse is not as good as mine, but he still won.
Shi Yanchao said: If you have the will to fight, you can win on any horse.
He looked very happy and generously gave his mount to Guo Shao: Mine is a little inferior, but it is much better than the ordinary war horses in the army.
A man with a fighting spirit, Guo Shao praised.
At this moment, Lu Chengyong came riding over on his horse and presented a report: the news brought by the spies from Chengdu Prefecture.
Guo Shao took it and looked at it, then looked around and said: Xiang Gong's army was blocked at Jianmen Pass, and the defending commander of the Shu army is Han Baozheng.
Shi Yanchao said: "He is still at Jianmen Pass. This guy is really slow. We have to wait for him for a long time. I suggest that we should not persuade him to surrender, but directly order Meng Chang to kneel down and surrender, otherwise the iron cavalry will flatten Chengdu.
Guo Shao had always felt that Shi Yanchao was prone to being reckless and aggressive, but he had never really understood his feelings. After the horse race just now, Guo Shao had a vague understanding. As expected, the arrogant soldiers and generals of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were all strong men. Weak people wanted to shock them and make them convinced.
The cavalry could not conquer Chengdu, because horses cannot climb the walls. Guo Shao calmed down and said, I have a plan, to march into Mianzhou.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, but Dong Zunhui was the first to react: his uncle wanted to cut off the food supply route of the Shu army at Jianmen Pass from the front and back.
Guo Shaodao: Cutting off the food supply is too slow. We should attack Jianmen directly from Mianzhou and break through Jianmen from both the front and back.
Shi Yanchao clasped his fists and said: I am willing to be the vanguard. I only need 2,000 elite soldiers to flatten Jianmen Pass. I will come to you with my head raised.
General Shi, there is no joking in the army, Guo Shao reminded.
Shi Yanchao snorted: What Inspector Guo meant was that even if I attack Jianmen from the front and back, I still can't defeat them, humph.
Guo Shao was delighted after hearing this: Zuo You, issue another ultimatum to the pseudo-Shu ruler. If he surrenders within five days, he will be treated favorably. The army is ready to march towards Mianzhou tomorrow.
After Shi Yanchao got Guo Shao's good horse, he seemed to like Guo Shao even more. He looked askance at others, but was more respectful when speaking to Guo Shao.
Seeing that he had a good attitude, Guo Shao took the opportunity to ask: "I have watched battles many times, and General Shi is very sharp in breaking through the formation. No matter he faces a cavalry or a phalanx, he can kill them in one strike. Does he have any secrets?" He said calmly, "I am not forcing you. If General Shi doesn't want to tell you, then that's fine."
Shi Yanchao said: We have to be more aggressive than our opponents, and no one can stop us if we win.
Guo Shaodao: In the Northern Expedition, in the decisive battle with the Liao cavalry in the south of Youzhou, General Shi also rushed into the enemy formation with one strike, so he was surrounded. Could it be that the Zhou cavalry was more ferocious than the Liao cavalry
Without saying a word, Shi Yanchao took an iron spear from his subordinate, spurred his horse and rushed straight to the fishing village, flying at the speed of a charge. Suddenly, he twisted his upper body and threw the iron spear in his hand with great force. The iron spear was already fast compared to the throwing speed of the warhorse, and with the speed of the warhorse charging, the force was very strong. With a bang, it pierced through a door. After a moment, it actually knocked down the bamboo and mud wall behind the house and flew into the river. Suddenly, the house seemed to be pierced through, and the mud flew and the dust rose.
Cao Guo Shao turned around and said, "Go and see if there is anyone in the room."
A military officer nearby said: We sent people to investigate, and found that all the people had fled.
Shi Yanchao came back and said: "Did Inspector Guo see it clearly?"
Just like that, Guo Shao was stunned.
Shi Yanchao said: "I and my personal soldiers and heavy cavalry will charge forward, no matter whether they are holding shields or wearing armor, we will break through the first row in one blow. Usually the first row is prepared when they see us charging, and they are more difficult to deal with; if the front row is knocked down, the heavy cavalry will charge forward and stab and slash through the ranks behind. It is even better when facing infantry, we will knock down the ones holding long spears in front, and as long as there is a gap to squeeze in, there will be no escape."
What a good idea! Guo Shao seemed to be thinking about it.
Shi Yanchao said: "It is best to deal with infantry, because infantry cannot move in front of the formation, and they can change positions if they cannot be penetrated. But it is sometimes useless when encountering cavalry with long weapons. The spears are thrown out, and the enemy's troops are sparse and can counterattack. The long weapons rush over and reach the opponent before us, and we will suffer a lot."
Guo Shao asked: What is the difference between that and archery while riding a horse? Archery while riding a horse can shoot farther.
Shi Yanchao snorted, "I see that Marshal Guo's cheap nephew Dong Zunhui uses the cavalry archery tactics when fighting against infantry. I don't know what the difference is. Anyway, we just rush up and beat the opponent without any defense, and make them scream for their mothers. I can't explain that kind of thing clearly. If Inspector Guo finds it strange, you can try it yourself and you will know how satisfying it is."
Guo Shao was a little hesitant to try it out. From what Shi Yanchao said, fighting was simply a kind of competition and enjoyment for him. It was amazing that a warrior could reach such a level.
Guo Shao stood in front of his horse for a while, thinking that he was not very good at riding and shooting, but throwing a spear was much easier. He asked for an iron spear, looked around and found a field on the riverbank with a ridge beside it. He rode over and threw a spear in the same way, but the spear flew and flew straight into the paddy field. Guo Shao cursed and looked back, only to see the generals laughing.
Shi Yanchao seemed to see through Guo Shao's thoughts and shouted: It is really easier than riding and shooting. Guo Du will become proficient after practicing it for a while.
Guo Shao was not convinced and took another shot, thinking that it was similar to the javelin action he learned in physical education class.