Chapter 537: Deployment
In the drizzle, thousands of people came to the foot of Gushan Mountain.
Hou Feihu climbed the mountain peak immediately and overlooked the earth.
Don’t tell me, this mountain is quite big.
From south to north, it is probably dozens of miles long, and it may be ten miles wide from east to west.
While walking among the grass and trees, pheasants soared into the sky. Occasionally I see a few deer and rabbits, and they run away when they see people.
There are small seasonal streams in the mountains. At this time, the autumn rain is continuous and the gurgling sound is pleasing to the eye.
Occasionally I saw a few small ponds, which looked like stagnant water.
Hou Feihu squatted down and took a closer look. It was a bit turbid after the rain, and there were many mosquitoes. It seemed drinkable, but it seemed not.
But it doesn’t matter, these small ponds are used as a guaranteed water source. When there was really no water, we would get water from here, boil it and drink it.
He looked carefully at the vegetation in the mountains.
Wood is an essential material for setting up camp.
Dead branches and dead wood are essential for cooking.
Forage can be fed to draft animals and even war horses - if you are besieged for a long time and there is insufficient food, the fodder will be very precious and the war horses will not be left without food.
After reading this, the sun was setting. The group camped on the mountain and continued their investigation the next day.
This time he saw several relatively flat mountain basins of different sizes.
He asked people to write it down carefully, compared it with the location of the water source, and finally circled the paper several times to determine the location of the camp.
He carefully distinguished where the cavalry was stationed and where the infantry was stationed. He even walked carefully around the two camps to see if the line of sight was blocked and whether the flags could be seen clearly.
After going through all the problems, he finally felt relieved.
That's what war is like.
There is a brave side of charging naked and shouting for a fierce battle, but there is also a cumbersome side of taking the trouble and weighing carefully.
Half of Hou Feihu's fighting skills were learned in school, and the other half was slowly understood after leading the army.
The process of understanding made him "wanted to die".
Yes, when he was studying with Master Shao, he had only half-understood some military knowledge. It could be said that he had memorized it by rote. But the more battles he fought, the more he could understand what he had learned in the past. Rote memorization of content.
The moment of understanding and enlightenment is really more enjoyable than playing with women.
He fell in love with this feeling.
The knowledge he memorized by rote now seems to be a treasure trove. When he completely digests it, he may have a place among the generals in the world, right?
He knows that he actually has no characteristics.
Not as upright and steady as Wang Queer, not as brave and brave as Jin San, he was privately known as a "Tian Shefu" type general.
Every time I go to a place, I carefully examine the terrain, water sources, vegetation, and I want to dig three feet into the ground and study it carefully. Sometimes I even go too carefully, which makes people uncomfortable.
But he is not a conservative general. Once he determines something, he will repeatedly make fuss about the purpose of the campaign, even if he takes some risks.
After spending a few days, he already had an understanding of Gushan and Fushui.
He knew where the more than 4,000 infantrymen of the Heiji Army were stationed, where the more than 400 Henan noble cavalry were stationed, how to contact them, which route to attack from, how to respond after the battle, and how to retreat. Already have a plan.
After everything was settled, the sound of logging came one after another on Gushan Mountain.
Military supplies, food and grass were transported by truckloads and stored in the camp.
On the last day, he directly left the drivers, laborers and baggage vehicles of Zhuwubao behind, and sent them to cut branches and make simple antlers.
On Gushan Mountain, the atmosphere is full of heat and war.
******
Outside Shexian County, the foundation of a camp has been laid.
In the afternoon, Liang Su left the county and began to patrol the camp.
According to the plan, two thousand soldiers from Wancheng will be stationed in the fortress outside the city, plus a thousand soldiers recruited from Shi Le - Shi Le's soldiers who divided their fields and houses in Yecheng, Anyang and other places.
Within the county seat, there are still 3,000 Wancheng soldiers and 1,000 Shile soldiers.
There are a total of 7,000 people inside and outside the city. They are basically infantry. They work together to protect the hub of Shexian County.
After inspecting the camp, Liang Su rode his horse to the west.
While walking along the way, I saw the steep mountain roads and the beautiful trees, and I took a deep breath.
Not bad, not bad!
The original order they received was to camp in Wu'an County, but the day before yesterday they suddenly received an order from Chen Gong's army: go west to seize Shexian County.
She County is a county under Guangping and theoretically belongs to Hebei.
But in this place where the forces of the two sides are intertwined, what is there that does not belong?
Liu Kun occupied this place, Tuoba Xianbei came here, Shi Le once stationed troops here, and the Huns often passed by. Who do you think it belongs to?
After sending people to inquire, they learned that since the withdrawal of troops from Shile, this was a no-nonsense zone, so they marched for more than a hundred miles in two days, leaving behind even the baggage convoy, and finally captured the county town with almost no people this morning.
The name of She County comes from the pre-Han Dynasty. It was named because people walked across the Qingzhang River.
This is really a traffic thoroughfare and a crossroads...
The sound of horse hooves came from the southwest.
After seeing Liang Su from a distance, the knight dismounted and reported: "General, there are thieves guarding Huguan. We approached at night, but saw that the city was heavily guarded and flags were lined up. We climbed up again. Looking into the distance, I can see that there are many horses and horses on the west post road, and the Xiongnu seems to be gathering an army."
"Can you see it clearly?" Liang Su asked. "See clearly." The knight raised his head and replied with a tone full of certainty.
"No wonder, no wonder!" Liang Su muttered to himself.
The war between the Xiongnu and Liu Kun and Tuoba ended at the end of July. It is now early September, and they have not launched an attack yet, which makes Liang Su feel a little strange.
Now it seems that a large number of infantry have been mobilized from the west. No wonder it is so slow.
Huguan is located 35 miles southwest of Shexian County. It has been a dangerous pass since ancient times, also called Hukou Pass.
In the fourth year of Duke Ai, the state of Qi attacked Jin and captured eight cities. Among them was a place called Yukou, which was Hukou.
Huguan Pass is located at the mouth of a valley in the Taihang Mountains, hence the name Hukou Pass (now northeast of Licheng County).
Thirty-five miles northeast of Hukou Pass is Shexian County, Guangping County (today's county).
Fifty or sixty miles southwest of Hukou Pass is Shangdang County, which governs Luc County (now northeast of Lucheng District), located on the west bank of Zhuozhang River.
After passing Lu County, walk southwest along the post road. After climbing over a mountain, you enter today's Changzhi Basin, which is one of the core areas of Shangdang.
The mountain road totals more than a hundred miles, with the small basin where Lu County is located in the middle. It is very close to the core area of Shangdang County, but the most difficult thing is this mountain road...
Damn it, just hit me, you’re scared!
Liang Su gritted his teeth and said: "Let's go!"
A group of dozens of riders headed straight back to Shexian County and began to assemble their troops and prepare for war.
The Huns even pulled the infantry over, and it was obvious that they wanted to fight.
The surrounding area of Shexian County is relatively flat, with no terrain advantages. It is not a dangerous pass, and the only thing it relies on is an earthen city. But as long as this earth city stands on the bank of Qingzhang River, it can threaten your food routes.
The Art of War says that when you encounter a city on the road, you must attack it or surround it.
As long as Chen Gong does not give up on them and as long as there are reinforcements outside, he will have the confidence to hold on.
After returning to the city, Liang Su sent messengers one after another to report the military situation and urge the dispatch of grain and grass.
******
The news quickly spread back to Yecheng. Shao Xun immediately summoned his staff for a meeting, with Wang Yan, Yu Bing, and Le Zhao observing.
“Shexian County hangs alone outside, and I am afraid of losing something.” Xi Jian, a man in charge, immediately said: “Liang Su is a surrender who fled from Guanxi. Liang Fen took care of him and became a general in Wancheng. How can he command an army of 7,000 people? Besides, Shi Le surrendered his troops, which is ridiculous."
Yu Chen frowned slightly.
He suggested using Liang Su. What’s the problem?
The Guanxi soldiers were not related to the Xiongnu, but still had hatred, and they still had the will to fight. He felt that nothing would go wrong.
Shao Xun stood by the wall and drew a line from She County with his finger, dividing it into two roads.
Although Shexian County does not have a favorable geographical location and does not have a city gate, it is the intersection of various post roads, or the main crossing.
One hundred and sixty miles southeast from this county, there is Fukou Spring, which is to the right of Fukou (the foot of Fukou).
Along the way is a river (Qingzhangshui River Valley) with rich water and grass. After coming out, you can reach between Anyang and Yecheng.
But this road is not a serious post road. Because of the topography of the canyon split by the Qingzhang River, it is difficult for large armies to walk, but pedestrians and business travelers are not restricted.
More than a hundred miles northeast from She County, you can reach Wu'an, and Wu'an can reach Handan in the east.
During the Warring States Period, the Qin army "armed Anxi" and "Wuan's roof tiles were exhausted" to force Handan.
This is the main road of Fukouxing.
"Ming Gong, She County is certainly important, but if the rebel army leaves Fukou, they will be attacked by the Gushan and Wu'an garrison. If the front is light and the rear is heavy, the weak soldiers will be in the front and the enemy's energy will be wasted, and the elite soldiers will be in the back. Hold it on its side and let Ming Gong lead Xiao Rui to meet it, and it will be destroyed." Yu Chen walked to the map, pointed at the mountains, rivers, roads and cities on it, and said.
Shao Xun remained silent.
"Ming Gong, Taihang Baxing, will the Xiongnu definitely go to Fukouxing? Is there any fraud?" Yang Chen asked.
"If we go to Jingxing, wouldn't we be too close to Tuoba Xianbei?"
"It is still possible to take the risk. Liu Kun was unable to attack. Tuoba had returned to Shengle and hurriedly assembled. Soldiers and horses are not that fast."
"What about Baixing? It's Jijun. It will be troublesome to go north."
"Don't worry about Baixing. It is better to think about whether the Xiongnu will go south from the Zhuozhangshui River Valley and sneak attacks."
"This road is not easy to walk. If a few cavalry come, it is not a big worry. "
"You think there is nothing to worry about, but Marshal Wubao is ignorant. When he sees the Huns, he will be confused and think that Duke Ming has been defeated."
"The south side. Is there another canyon? In the past, Cao Meng took this road when he was recruiting high officials. There is a poem called "Bitter Cold Journey" that says..."
"Don't think about it, that road is more difficult to walk, and no one has walked it for many years. ”
The "big guys" didn't speak, and the middle and lower-level staff whispered, and the discussion was very lively.
"Ming Gong, the situation is so clear, if it is necessary to block it, block it. Over at Shexian County, we may send a team of government soldiers. I have no talent, so I would like to go to Shexian County." Xi Jian took the initiative to ask Ying.
Shao Xun turned to look at Zhang Bin and asked, "Meng Sun, why didn't you say a word?"
Zhang Bin cupped his hands and said, "Ming Gong already knows the chance to win. Why should I say anything?"
"Oh?" Shao Xun smiled and asked, "Where is this opportunity?"
"It's far away, but it's close at hand." A bit like "The Riddler".
Shao Xun smiled and said nothing.
It’s time for me to do what I’m good at, but the cost is a bit high.
(I will post it as soon as I finish writing it. I left early in the morning. The 8 o'clock chapter is gone. I will wait for the afternoon. Please vote. Also: I have updated a map and it is in the book review area.)
(This chapter End)