Chapter 775 The Mouse in the Pocket
A journey of seventy miles is really not that long.
Shao Xun temporarily recruited more than a thousand riders to clear the way in Jingle.
The combat effectiveness of these people left behind is very poor, even compared to Tianchi headquarters. They don’t expect to win anyone, as long as they can detect the enemy in advance.
Yi Congjun followed closely as backup.
The infantry stretched out their formation and advanced at full speed.
The only danger is that the enemy has ambushed a large number of infantry in the mountains on both sides, but in the vast mountains for hundreds of miles, unless they do not eat or drink, and can fly, it is impossible to reach here from Pingcheng.
One day later, the tribal light cavalry acting as the vanguard arrived near the ruins of the ancient city of Loufan, and exchanged bows with the small number of Xianbei cavalry remaining in the city.
Two days later, Shao Xun arrived at the old city of Loufan.
At this time, Langu sent a messenger south to the northern border of Xiurong County, then crossed the river valley eastward to Jingle, then went south to catch up with the army, and reported: There are more than a thousand Xianbei cavalry coming from Xiurong. (today's Lan County) went straight into Lan Valley to repel the army to capture the unborn.
The Caocheng River in the north of Langu County is generally calm, except for the smoke and dust in the sky, flags everywhere, and the continuous sound of drums and horns, or suspected soldiers.
After Shao Xun read it, he didn’t make any adjustments.
It doesn't matter whether he is a suspected soldier or not. He can't withdraw the troops stationed there anyway.
The same applies to Tianchi. He cannot withdraw the Fu soldiers and Huangtou army.
When his back is stable, he can fight with peace of mind in the front.
After arriving at the ancient city of Loufan, no siege equipment was built. Shao Xun sent thousands of yellow-headed troops forward, carrying large shields, and directly burned the wooden fence blocking the gap in the collapsed city wall.
Hundreds of Xianbei cavalry in the city knew that there was no chance of victory in the infantry battle, so they fled in a hurry.
At this time, the Xianbei people who were attacking Lan Valley from the northwest also began to move eastward.
They couldn't get around the beautiful appearance and went straight to the old city of Loufan.
On the afternoon of the ninth day of May, Yinqiang Zhongying set up obstacles at the intersection of Fenshui and Lanshui to guard against cavalry attacks.
The army is in the rear, with bows and crossbows cocked, and is ready.
After doing all this, he climbed onto a hillside on the west bank of Fenshui River and looked west.
The enemy cavalry is sparse and not very numerous.
The total number of soldiers on the hillside, in the river valleys, and in the farmland was about 1,600 to 700.
The cavalry is really attacking the infantry. How dare they charge with such a small number of people. Do you still think it was the time when the Xianbei cavalry defeated tens of thousands of Liu Bogen's rebel troops in a battle?
"Stop them, don't let them come!" Shao Xun gave the order: "Order Zhang Shuo and Man Yu to mobilize an elite force and squeeze the rope head to the west. Then send envoys to Xiurong. If the city is still there, order Qiao Yu to gather the herdsmen and attack them from behind."
"If we can contact the capture army, we will march westward and attack the rope head."
" Fang Shanzhiyi joined the army and went north along Lishi River as quickly as possible to join the Xiurong garrison. Nearly 20,000 cavalrymen blocked the narrow intersection of Fenshui and Lanshui. The many Xianbei cavalry were absolutely unable to break through, but behind them were the herdsmen of various tribes who were gradually reacting, as well as a section of the Shengsheng Army and the Yi Cong Army at their disposal. Shao Xun was not going to let them go.
The current battlefield situation is a bit like encirclement and counter-encirclement.
According to what he has learned so far, after the Shiling Pass defenders collapsed, the Xianbei people had penetrated deep into the Taiyuan Basin and the mountainous areas to the west of the basin.
This unit should be the vanguard, mainly cavalry, with many horses and draft animals. It carried at least ten days of dry food. It may have also grabbed some food on the way, or harvested wild crops in Jinyang, Xiurong and other counties. Green wheat that is about to mature is used as a supply.
After they left Jinyang, they stepped westward into the rolling mountains, along the flat Fenshui River Valley, and occupied the "T-shaped intersection" of Loufan Old City. Then, for some reason, they suddenly Split in two - maybe someone saw Shao Xun's handsome flag and came back to report it.
Go north from the T-junction and march along the Great Post Road in the Fenshui River Valley, trying to raid Jingle and Tianchi.
I can only say that their style is very bold and aggressive. I don’t know where they get their confidence.
Anyway, Shao Xun has been fighting for so many years, and he has never seen anyone dare to block his retreat with just two thousand cavalry. Not to mention two thousand, doubling it to four thousand is seriously insufficient, not to mention that this is not a plain, but a mountainous area.
On the other hand, the Xianbei people attacked Xiurong. They basically captured the north bank of Lanshui River, but the county seat is on the south bank of the river. There are also some farmlands and tribes there. The Wubao commanders and ministers recruited some strong men. , confronting the Xianbei people across the river.
The Xianbei people had no choice but to give up the idea of capturing Xiurong County, so they continued to rush northwest for dozens of miles in an attempt to attack Langu County, but were discovered by the Shengsheng Army.
Once discovered, there is nothing the cavalry can do.
To seize the enemy's stronghold, we still have to rely on infantry, but who knows where the Xianbei infantry is, maybe as far away as Pingcheng.
Based on these two points, Shao Xun made a bold judgment: This was a tentative southward invasion, or robbery, by the Xianbei people.
As for the news that Tuoba Yulu gathered tens of thousands of soldiers and horses from the torture of prisoners, further observation is needed.
Because when he is not fighting, he gathers tens of thousands of soldiers and horses for inspection every year.
If nothing else, in spring and summer when the mountains are frosty, the number of troops, officials, and herdsmen is rarely less than 50,000. They walk, pitch tents, and graze their animals.
During harvest and hunting in autumn, more people and horses gather.
This kind of activity happens every year. It is unscientific to judge that someone is going to invade the south just by looking at someone gathering troops.
Only when the Xianbei army moves south to Yanmen and enters Xinxing, can we make a judgment about the escalation of the situation.
While I was daydreaming, another large puff of smoke came from the west.
Shao Xun's eyes narrowed and he looked carefully, only to see many herders wearing furs coming into the valley.
He was a little shocked at first, and then sneered.
It is self-evident where these herders come from.
He went down the high slope.
The battle plan was about to be adjusted. He originally wanted to quickly deal with the more than a thousand Xianbei cavalry blocked to the west of the building, and then march eastward to Jinyang.
Now it seems that we can only send a small number of soldiers and horses eastward to contact Jinyang. The main army must stay in Loufan to eliminate this collection of enemies and traitors first.
******
The sun sets in the west, and there is a slight chill in the mountains in early summer.
The purple-robed knight is riding high on a high hill, looking to the east.
Lanshui flows quietly eastward, and merges into Fenshui, which flows from north to south, near the ancient city of Loufan. Then they go eastward together, out of the mountains and into the fertile Taiyuan Basin.
In the western part of Taiyuan, roads are built in the river valley.
There are mountains on both sides of the river valley, stretching for hundreds or even thousands of miles without an end.
Fenshui turned a big bend here, from north-south to east-west, so the post road also became a T-shaped road.
The ancient city of Loufan is located on the west bank of Fen River, in the northern half of the river valley.
Not far from the city is Lanshui, a tributary of Fenshui River. There is a flat valley to the south of Lanshui. Further south, the valley gradually becomes rugged and extends into the mountains.
The commanding flag of "General Shao" stands outside the old city of Loufan. Jin soldiers set up strongholds on the mountain, and the flags are densely packed.
There were soldiers and horses in the old city of Loufan, and trenches were dug and earth walls were even built outside the city.
On the flat valley floor on the south bank of Lanshui River, a group of yellow-headed men were carrying rifles and antlers.
The warrior wearing iron armor sat on the ground, with his equipment beside him, ready to fight at any time.
The narrow road was actually blocked.
"Huna, the new group is making trouble." A man came from behind and said breathlessly.
Tuoba Hena suddenly turned his head and looked to the rear. There was a lot of noise and noise there.
He didn't understand what happened, so he looked at the person with doubtful eyes.
Wasn’t it fine before? They didn't want to be ruled by Shao Thief. They all said they had wanted to kill Shao Thief for a long time. They came to lead the army on behalf of the king and were willing to send troops. Anyway, what are they doing now?
"Let's go! Let's go!" The shouts resounded throughout most of the valley. When the generals saw the Silver Spear Army advancing along the wall to the sound of drums, they were immediately frightened out of their wits. They loudly greeted their young men and ran back in a hurry.
“Trash!” Tuoba Hena understood.
These tribesmen who were won over by him were just like the herdsmen under Shao Thief's rule. They bullied the weak and feared the strong. They ran away when they encountered strong enemies, and surrounded and burned, killed and looted when they encountered weak people.
The only difference is probably that Shao Thief really gave some benefits to those who were willing to take refuge in him.
For example, the county magistrate Qiao Yu organized people to stick to their beautiful appearance.
For example, Bu Da led the Muzi Mu slaves to shoot across the river with them.
For example, the Jieren Liu family members are waiting in Jingle.
I heard that all three of them had entered the family of Lu, and could go to Han to serve as officials. Shao also supported them to become local county magistrates, and they were given enough kindness, so they were unwilling to rebel.
Even the ordinary shepherd has received certain benefits.
To put it bluntly, it’s just the human heart.
Shao Thief led his army northward. In fact, based on these things, he further "conquered the city and captured the territory."
It is just that it is not through military means, but political appeasement with tens of thousands of troops as "guarantee".
These herdsmen have average combat effectiveness, but they are still capable of chasing people to the north and harassing light cavalry that attack them.
Shao Thief is appeasing them, and Xianbei is also fighting for them.
Now it seems that Shao Thief moves faster and has a greater advantage.
And his soldiers——
Tuoba Hena looked eastward again.
More than two thousand heavily armored warriors armed with swords, shields, spears, and bows were so arrogant that they marched in the direction of the Xianbei cavalry.
The infantry takes the initiative to attack the cavalry, which is really rare to see in Tuoba He.
He even began to think about what kind of battle Shao Thief had fought in the Central Plains, so that he was so confident in the infantry under his account.
Perhaps, just as he trusts the cavalry under his tent, Shao Thief also trusts his heavily armored infantry.
The Yi Congjun also dispatched a thousand cavalry.
They led their horses out and walked slowly, looking at the Xianbei cavalry from a distance who could not advance and did not dare to retreat, and they were full of confidence.
"Huna, what should we do?"
"Huna, it is full of trenches, earthen walls, horse guns, and antlers. It is impossible to get through."
"A detour. Let’s find someone to lead the way.”
“Is there a way?”
More followers rushed up the hillside, looking a little anxious.
The Xianbei cavalry are brave and not afraid of death, but it does not mean that they are brainless.
The opposite side relies on cities, rivers, and mountains to set up defense lines and cut off the road. How do you rush forward?
Go into the gully? Or hit the carbine?
"Why don't you charge, dismount and shoot when you get close?"
"This is not a field battle, people can hide behind the wall and shoot you with arrows. Where are you hiding? Behind the horse? "
Tuoba Hena became more and more irritable as he listened. Just when he was about to scold him, the rebel army in front had already mounted their horses and accelerated westward.
The infantry also quickened their pace and became vigorous.
The rebellious herdsmen ran faster and disappeared in an instant. Even the morale of the Xianbei cavalry was very low.
Tuoba Hena closed his eyes.
If you can't rush through in front, there may be soldiers from behind who can capture the life force or even soldiers from the Xiurong tribe. If they attack from both sides, they may be destroyed in these mountains.
But the question is, how to run?
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes and said: "Go up the mountain, run into the mountain."
"This..." Everyone looked at each other in shock.
Running into the mountains, they got separated accidentally.
If the army loses its organizational structure, is it still an army? No, that's called stragglers.
Besides, there are no roads in the mountains, so there are only a few animal trails or paths that woodcutter have cut wood for many years. They are not locals, so they may not know how to go.
Furthermore, when there is no road, you may have to abandon your horse.
They are cavalry. What would happen without the horses?
“Let’s go!” Tuoba Hena insisted: “If you stay here in an unfamiliar place, you will definitely die. After going up the mountain, run eastward, bypassing the area where Shao Thief has set up defenses, and then go down the mountain again, or you may escape. Birth day opportunity ”
The followers were still a little reluctant.
Some people even suggested returning to the west and rushing to the Yellow River to see if there was a ferry back to the west of the river. As long as you cross to the west bank of the Yellow River, you can go north and return to Shengle, and you will be considered alive.
What Tuoba He heard made sense. Just when he was about to change his mind, the battle at the foot of the mountain had already broken out.
A thousand cavalrymen from the Yi Congjun launched a swift charge and collided head-on with the Xianbei cavalry, and they fought fiercely.
Tuoba He's eyelids were twitching. If he continued to fight like this, he might not be able to wait until he entered the mountains or retreated to the west, and the whole army would be completely defeated.
"Blow the trumpet and retreat to the west!" Tuoba Hena no longer hesitated, went down the hillside, and got on his horse.
After receiving the order, the Xianbei cavalry no longer wanted to fight, and hurriedly collapsed to the west.
Yi Congjun is in hot pursuit.
On the ninth night of the lunar month, the two sides fought in Lanshui.
On the morning of the tenth day of the lunar month, Qiao Yu, the handsome commander, led more than a thousand light cavalry to intercept and was defeated by Xianbei, but he also won a great victory with more than 200 beheadings.
On the night of the tenth day of the lunar month, the Xianbei cavalry who were resting were harassed by herdsmen, scaring away more than a thousand grazing horses, killing and injuring hundreds of people.
On the 11th, the Xianbei people rushed all the way to Hehejin. They saw the troops of the Runan Zhou family guarding the fence from a distance, and they returned in a hurry with low morale.
That night, they encountered a section of the southward capture army in Langu County and were defeated.
In the middle of the night, he hurried south and met two thousand rebel troops led by the cavalry of the General's Mansion Yin Xi.
Tuoba Hena was captured alive by Yin Xi, and the rest of the people scattered into the mountains, not knowing where they ended up.
The lone soldier falling into the enemy's pocket is such a tragedy.
However, these people are really good at running and scurrying around. If it weren't for the restrictions of the mountainous terrain, they might have escaped.
On the afternoon of the 12th, the news was urgently delivered to the old city of Loufan.
Shao Xun no longer hesitated, and the whole army marched eastward and sent troops to Jinyang.
In addition, he did not forget to load and take away the heads of more than 2,200 Xianbei cavalry who were killed several times.
Tuoba Yulu should like this gift very much. (I have attached a map to this comment to avoid confusion)
(End of this chapter)