There are two roads from Tangcang to Huanghua Valley. They extend from the same place and converge at another place, but they have the same destination. Drawing them on a drawing is like drawing a dumpling. The road to the north is the shortest way around the road to the south.
Luo Yanhuan and the Second Army's Du Yuhou Wang Zhang led the army first, and the First Army's Du Yuhou led the army to follow. The deployment they received was: Wang Zhang's five commanders bypassed Tangcang Town to block the Shu army's return route; the first army's four commanders then rushed to Huanghua Valley to fight against the Shu army coming from Tangcang Town.
It was about 40 li from Weiwu City to Huanghua Valley, and another 50 li around Tangcang Town. Luo Yanhuan and his men had to reach Huanghua Valley before the Shu army, and then enter the northern valley road, otherwise they would encounter the Shu army and fail to form a pincer attack to expand the victory.
They marched from outside Weiwu City, and before they had walked ten miles, night fell gradually. Wang Zhang ordered the army to march overnight. It was easy to get lost walking at night, but the army had Luo Yanhuan and local guides, and there was only one valley, so they just had to walk along the river.
Luo Yanhuan's round forehead was shining, and his eyes were sparkling. He looked very excited.
Wang Zhang in front turned around and said: Luo Paizhen is an old subordinate of Guo Dushi, so you will get all the good things.
Hey, Luo Yanhuan neither admitted nor objected, he just said, we have to do this job well to have credit, otherwise it would be like trying to catch water with a bamboo basket. We have found out the military intelligence. There are 6,000 Shu troops in Tangcang Town. If we kill them all at once, the credit, wow, is Wang Duhou still afraid that the credit is not enough? You can rest assured, Guo Dushi has always been fair, he knows who is working hard and who is cheating.
That's right. Wang Zhang nodded hurriedly. This time he had made a great contribution, and he still had to rely on the vanguard commander to ask for credit. The size of the credit still depended on Guo Du's words. If he didn't tell his superiors, who could he brag to
Everyone was afraid of exposing their target, so they didn't light torches. Otherwise, a long line of fire on the road would be too obvious. Fortunately, there was a crescent moon in the sky, and everyone was used to this kind of light and could see the road clearly. The road was a white strip at night, and it was okay to walk slowly. It was said that the rural soldiers could not walk at night because it was pitch black at night, because the food was too bad; only a small number of the professional soldiers of the imperial army had night blindness.
The river water was gurgling, sparkling in the moonlight. There was a chill in the air. It was the turn of spring and summer, but it was still cold in the valley at night; but Luo Yanhuan and his men didn't feel it. They were wearing at least 20 to 30 kilograms of iron and holding several kilograms of weapons. They also had to carry three days' worth of wheat cakes. Even though they claimed to be lightly dressed, they were not light. Even if they rode horses, they would not feel cold, but the soldiers walking might still sweat.
In the middle of the night, Luo Yanhuan heard the people in front and behind him yawning occasionally. He felt strange that he was not sleepy at all. He was probably not able to fall asleep now. He was in high spirits.
Damn it, a few months ago I was still miserable and working in a sinecure office every day, this time I go back, I have to be promoted to some position to work for Luo Yanhuan feels that he should go to have his fortune told when he has time. People in the world rely on their fortunes. Who would have thought that a case involving the Privy Councilor would be involved a few years ago? Now he is on the verge of a career, but he just met an aide by chance and then voted for the right person, which was totally unexpected.
Luo Yanhuan thought to himself: Once I get promoted, the women at home won't make sarcastic remarks to me every day, and my concubine won't cry all the time as if she followed the wrong person; I have to move to a better house.
In the middle of the night, the troops stopped for a while, eating bread with river water and pickled meat, but soon they were ordered to continue marching. Wang Zhang said he was afraid that he would fall asleep while resting.
Before daybreak, the army reached Huanghua Valley, then headed west along the road. When they entered the valley in the north, the sky gradually brightened, and Wang Zhang ordered them to rest and eat cakes.
Luo Yanhuan wiped his face with his hand and cursed: Your face is full of oil.
Wang Zhang chewed the cake and said: Spreading it on the cake, it's a bit oily, isn't it
Humans persevered, their endurance was amazing, they walked all night, and then started walking again. Of course, we need to give everyone a reason to be patient, that is, there will be a great reward for winning the battle.
Wang Zhang looked back at the road and called a team of ten archers: "Take two horses and hide at the back intersection. If anyone strays here, catch them. If they try to run, shoot them to death."
Luo Yanhuan praised: "Wang Yuhou is very thoughtful, maybe he can catch the scouts of the Shu army." Then he told the ten generals to take turns on duty and not to fall asleep.
When the sun was about to reach the zenith, the troops arrived at Tangcang Town. Luo Yanhuan followed Wang Zhang and climbed up a hill to see a wide and flat piece of land. In the distance, there were green crops and villages dotted among the crops. It was endless and only the shadows of the mountains in the distance could be seen. If you didn't pay attention, you might mistake them for dark clouds in the sky. Compared with the valleys on the road, this was a good place after all.
Zhang Dutou, you lead your men to rush to the southern intersection and seal it for me. Wang Zhang looked for a while and then gave the order. He then sent out cavalry scouts to inquire about the situation nearby.
Then, the troops entered Tangcang Town one after another and were deployed to the southern valley entrance under the command of Luo Yanhuan and others. In the distant village, there were still brave people watching over there, but the Zhou army ignored them.
Wang Zhang arranged the guards and ordered the whole army to rest, thinking that the Shu army would not arrive for a while. They did not even set up camp, but fell asleep on the ground. Luo Yanhuan lay there, his forehead shining from the sun, and he pulled a handful of grass and piled it on his head, but he still could not fall asleep. He was waiting for the arrival of the Shu army.
The insects in the wheat field were chirping, followed by deafening snoring all around, making it even more difficult for Luo Yanhuan to sleep.
At dusk, a heavily armored soldier suddenly ran up and shouted: "The Shu army is back. They are surging and marching around two miles away. There are too many of them to be killed."
Luo Yanhuan got up with a start and said, "Wake everyone up and get to work!"
There were shouts from both sides of the valley, and people got up from the weeds and crops, not caring about anything else, and lined up under the arrangement of the commanders. Wang Zhang's troops had a total of 2,500 people, and there were people everywhere. There were no flags, and they didn't bring anything with them when they traveled last night. The generals had to remember which commander was in which position. There was no identification at all, and everyone wore similar clothes.
The formation commander Luo Yanhuan ordered his men to set up an ambush, and the troops on both sides were moved to the hillside at the mouth of the valley; the terrain at the mouth of the valley was gentle and uneven, so everyone climbed up and looked for a mound to hide.
The second commander's troops were moved to the back of a hill in front of the valley and properly assigned.
After the five commanders deployed their troops, they gathered on the northern hillside. Wang Zhang and Luo Yanhuan stood on the hillside with their horses. Wang Zhang turned to look at Luo Yanhuan, who rubbed his forehead and said: When the Shu army reaches the front hill, the first and second commanders on the front will rush out first; when the others see the battle at the front of the valley, they will rush forward and kill for a while. What do you think, General Wang
Wang Zhang nodded and said: I think it's okay. The Shu army is fleeing in panic and has no intention of fighting. We can just attack from three sides.
The generals dispersed. Not long after, they heard noises and chaotic footsteps in the valley. First, a few sparse riders came out, and then they saw dense and unorganized infantry following closely behind, with flags being carried crookedly. The troops rushed straight in without paying any attention to the front, back, left, or right.
The several cavalrymen in front had just reached the front of the hill when suddenly a general of the Zhou army jumped up and shouted: Kill! Immediately a group of soldiers in armor and armed with sharp weapons swarmed up. The formation was not neat, but rows of people holding spears rolled and ran down the hill in a hurry to rush out.
Suddenly, there was a burst of dense bowstring sounds behind the mountain, and countless arrows were thrown into the air, flying towards the Shu army. Suddenly, screams were heard everywhere, and the cavalry in front reined in their horses and turned back.
At this moment, suddenly, people rushed down from the hillsides on both sides. For a moment, the sound of killing shook the sky, and the soldiers ran and rushed.
After a while, the front army started fighting, and the Shu army was in a panic, fighting and retreating. Luo Yanhuan rode his horse and rushed out with the army. He saw a group of horsemen surrounded a general among many infantry. Luo Yanhuan rode his horse and charged in alone. Seeing this, Wang Zhang led his personal soldiers to chase after him.
Seeing the war horses rushing towards them, several Shu army infantrymen dropped their swords and spears and turned around to run. Luo Yanhuan turned sideways, raised his lance, and stabbed a Shu soldier in the back. The soldier immediately gave up the lance and drew his saber from his back.
The horse was charging without stopping, and the saber was not swinging. With the momentum alone, the blade hit a horseman with a clang, and blood immediately splashed into the air. The horse turned in a different direction due to the force, and Luo Yan circled a small circle and continued to charge. The small team of guard cavalry was not afraid, and after a moment, the two horses rushed forward together. The sprints on both sides were slow. Luo Yanhuan slashed left and right, killing one person, and took advantage of the situation to raise the bloody saber and rushed towards the general.
The Shu general was horrified, and at this moment, an arrow suddenly pierced through his helmet, and the general's expression froze there. Luo Yanhuan turned his head and saw Wang Zhang leading his personal soldiers rushing over. He shot the general with an arrow at a distance of ten steps, and the bow was still in Wang Zhang's hand. Luo Yanhuan cursed and rushed forward with Wang Zhang and others. The Shu cavalrymen immediately fled, and the infantrymen around also abandoned their armor and fled.
When a large group of people rushed to the mouth of the valley, many of them dropped their weapons, fell to the ground and begged for mercy. Seeing this, the Shu army knew that the situation was hopeless, and countless people knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. For a moment, the valley was like a large field of crops blown away by the wind, and the scene was very spectacular.
Luo Yanhuan grabbed a corpse by its hair and lifted it up and asked the surrendered soldier: Who is this guy
A general kneeling on the ground said: Our commander is Wang Luan.