That night, there was still singing and dancing in the inn in Qinzhou City in the northwest, and Zhao Jizha was in high spirits.
Zhao Jizha was appointed as the military supervisor by the Emperor of Shu to inspect the military situation in Qinfeng. He had just inspected Fengzhou a few days ago and had just arrived in Qinzhou. The local governors and governors treated him well, which made Zhao Jizha a little flattered.
However, although the local generals were well fed and polite, they were dull and did not arrange any fun things. Fortunately, Zhao Jizha brought his concubine and singing girl with him, otherwise, he would have been suffocated to death in this desolate northwest land.
A dozen singing girls were singing and dancing in the middle. Zhao Jizha was not sleepy at all and was in a good mood. The beautiful concubine next to him gently picked a loquat with her jade hands and put it to Zhao Jizha's mouth. Zhao Jizha opened his mouth and gently bit the concubine's finger. The concubine gently waved her pink fist and hit him on the shoulder, saying coquettishly: Alang, you are not honest when eating a loquat.
Zhao Jizha burst into laughter.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a middle-aged man wearing a futou rushed in without even saying hello. Zhao Jizha frowned.
The middle-aged scholar walked straight up to Zhao Jizha and said in a deep voice: The Zhou army has captured eight of our military camps and is approaching the city of Weiwu.
What? Eight military camps. Zhao Ji sat up straight. Where is the mighty city
The scholar said: North of Fengzhou, on the Chencang Road.
Zhao Jizha was very anxious: We came from Fengzhou. Now Fengzhou is gone. How can we go back
The scholar said: "The mighty governor Wang Huan is dispatching reinforcements to rush to the rescue. It may be fine for a while."
Zhao Jizha stood up and asked: When did it happen
Three days ago.
Zhao Jizha became even more anxious and said: Go and ask Han Jixun to open the city gate, and we will leave overnight.
The concubine beside them heard what they were saying, and quickly grabbed Zhao Jizha's robe and followed closely. The actors stopped singing and dancing, and gathered around in a panic, saying: Alang, are we going to travel tonight
Zhao Jizha was furious: "I am in a hurry, why are you dragging me? Can you ride a horse? How can I walk fast with you?"
The concubine burst into tears, and the actors started crying. Zhao Jizha was also upset. Damn, I have to spend money to buy her again when I go back. I didn't get anything when I went north, and I lost so many lovely girls. But life is important, and as long as you have the green mountains, you will never worry about lack of firewood.
That night, Zhao Jizha ignored the advice of Qinzhou's generals and officials and insisted on sending troops to escort him. He fled Qinzhou overnight. Han Jixun, the military governor stationed in Qinzhou, hurriedly asked him whether Qinzhou should send troops to reinforce him.
Zhao Jizha said: You ask me, who should I ask
Han Jixun said: "Prime Minister Wang is still in Shannan West Road, and you are the military supervisor appointed by the emperor. There is no one to lead the Qin and Feng states, and Lord Zhao can command the two towns and dispatch troops to deal with the emergency."
Zhao Jizha said: I don’t know
In the Northern Zhou Army Camp of Weiwu City, the sun had already set, and the dots of fire were connected together, contrasting with the stars in the sky. Behind them was a long line of fire dragons, like a shining Milky Way.
The gradually dimming light did not bring peace to the camp. The groups of soldiers coming and going and the galloping horses filled the mountains with noise. Luo Yanhuan was practicing before the battle outside the big tent. He rode his horse past a target and shot an arrow quickly. An arrow flew from the galloping horse and hit the bull's eye.
Yang Biao, who was behind, was squatting in horse stance with a long iron knife inserted at his side. Suddenly, his eyes widened as if they were tigers, and he picked up the long knife and started swinging it.
Guo Shao in the big tent looked at the scene outside for a while, then lowered his head, stroking the drawing with his fingers as if thinking about something.
Guo Shao did not take off his armor that night, nor did he sleep well. He tossed and turned and could not fall asleep. It was not because he was wearing armor. He was a little nervous. He had considered everything, but who knew what would happen in a real battle. After all, this was his first time commanding a battle of thousands of people. In a daze, he felt as if he was back on the eve of the college entrance examination, anxiously waiting for the revelation of his personal fate.
The temperature difference between day and night is huge in the mountains. The next day, at daybreak, Guo Shao washed his face with river water, which was icy cold.
The guards reported that Luo Yanhuan, the formation commander, had already begun to deploy troops in the front. Guo Shao pretended to be calm, put his face in cold water and held his breath for a long time before wiping his face. Then he walked out of the tent, rubbed green salt on his teeth, and brushed his teeth with a forked branch. The generals saw that he was not in a hurry, and everyone who passed by smiled.
Guo Shao ignored the other generals and took Zuo You, Jing Niang and a group of personal soldiers to climb the western slope. The place that he had chosen yesterday was a relatively flat area like steps on the western side of the mountain with a relatively wide view.
When everyone climbed up the hillside with their hands and feet, they looked down and saw a dense crowd of people and horses, and flags like clouds. The Shu army was deployed outside the Five Arrows Land, and the flags were fluttering in the north wind, so it was unclear what was written on them.
The sun rose above the mountains, its brilliant rays gradually dispelling the mist in the mountains, and the wind blowing from the valley vents made the clouds outside the mighty city turbulent. The tower with flying eaves was like a Taoist temple hidden in the mountains.
At the foot of the hill, the generals were shouting and making noises, and they were reorganizing their formations. The Zhou army set up a regular偃月阵. Although the area around the Weiwu City was relatively open, the width was limited. Only eight commanders could be placed in the front, so the two wings of the偃月阵 were relatively thick. Guo Shao waited for a while, and the mist was almost blown away by the wind. He saw a group of people on the city wall surrounding a general; he couldn't see clearly, but Guo Shao had a hunch that the man was also standing on a high place to observe the battle formation.
The two looked at each other from a distance, and neither could see the other clearly.
Guo Shao thought of the duel between generals in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and wanted to send someone to test it out to see which army of the Shu army the flag belonged to. He said to the guards behind him: Go and call Li Chuyun.
After a while, Li Chuyun rode his horse through the gap in the army formation and reported back from the hillside. Guo Shao said loudly: Take a few people to provoke the enemy generals on horseback. If the Shu army does not fight, look at the flags and come back to report.
Li Chuyun clasped his fists and said: "I understand your order."
At this time, more than a dozen generals gathered at the bottom of the hill. They were supposed to go to the center of the battle, but Guo Shao wanted to go to a higher place to watch, so they had to gather at the bottom of the hill. Before the battle, the commander had to say a few words and give orders before the battle. But Guo Shao didn't say anything to boost morale, only saying: "When you hear the continuous blowing of the horn, prepare to fight; when the drums are beating urgently, all the commanders in front will attack together. For other military orders, I will send soldiers with flags to pass on the orders."
The generals responded one after another. Guo Shao waved his hand and said, "Go away." Yang Biao stayed.
Then Guo Shao pointed to the front and said: The Shu army formation is quite chaotic on the right wing near the mountain. You take 300 guards to the right wing. When you hear the horn, you will be the first to attack and attack the right wing to try to break the formation.
Yang Biao raised his long sword and clasped his fists, saying: "I have command."
At this time, Li Chuyun led several riders carrying flags and ran out 200 steps. The Shu army fired arrows sporadically in the front, and Li Chuyun and others reined in their horses. After a while, he shouted: "Shu Kingdom does not care about the people of Qin and Feng. We are following the order of the Emperor of the Great Zhou to recover the two states. Those who lay down their weapons and serve are also Chinese children; those who stand in the way of the king's army will never be spared. I am Li Chuyun, a member of the command of Guo Shaodu, the vanguard of the Great Zhou Western Expedition Army. Who is the envoy who stands in the way of my vanguard? Please tell me your name."
There was a great commotion over there among the Shu army, and it seemed as if they were cursing loudly.
After a while, a Shu general led two cavalrymen and rushed out. Seeing this, Guo Shao realized that it was still possible to fight alone at this time. Winning would boost morale and both sides had equal opportunities.
The man on the other side shouted loudly. Guo Shao could vaguely hear some words, but he couldn't hear the whole sentence. He did hear the words "Wang Huan, the governor of the Mighty Army".
Then Li Chuyun pointed at the opposing general and cursed. Both sides cursed and then raised their weapons to charge. The horses fought back and forth for two rounds, and it was unclear how the fight went on. Then the Shu army general slapped his horse and ran back.
Li Chuyun took the bow and shot an arrow. An arrow flew over and the Shu general fell off his horse and rolled on the ground for a few times.
Suddenly there was a shout among the army, Li Chuyun shot the men off their horses and turned back to run away. The shouts became louder and louder, echoing in the high mountains on both sides, and for a moment it was like a giant dragon roaring in the mountains, shaking the earth.
Guo Shao shouted: Blow the horn
A row of soldiers at the foot of the hill puffed up their cheeks and blew the big horns with all their might, the powerful sound of the horns drifting in the wind. Countless spears were laid flat in front of them, and the army was surging. Then the drums started to beat loudly, and the seemingly dense army pushed forward, like a steady blade, or like a huge black wave surging and flowing.
Yang Biao's troops on the right wing moved the fastest, and the flank became the vanguard, causing the Zhou army's偃月阵 to mutate and become out of shape.