Chapter 53 Ambush
It was difficult to see the stars and the moon in the late night of January. In the darkness, on the wilderness from south to north, a team of more than 7,000 people moved forward quickly, with 700 people in front. The cavalry team tried its best to maintain the same speed as the infantry behind them.
The silence was filled with footsteps. Dong Zhuo rode on horseback and asked his guards to hold torches to illuminate the map in their hands. After confirming that the route was correct, he asked them to extinguish the torches.
The red horse with the bell removed came to the side with hoofs. Lu Bu glanced at Dong Zhuo from the horseback and said, "Haha, my adoptive father really put his whole heart and soul into it. It was the same when you entered Luoyang. I'm afraid it has nothing to do with the coalition forces."
Dong Zhuo couldn't hear these obviously sarcastic words, but he rarely got angry. He rolled up the map and handed it to the soldiers. He looked at his adopted son beside him, his eyes wide. Like the deep night.
"Fengxian, what do you want?"
Lu Bu squeezed the halberd pole tightly and lowered his voice: "A man is born between heaven and earth..." Before he could finish speaking, Dong Zhuo on the side took over the next words. :
"...How can you live in a state of depression for a long time!"
Lu Bu was stunned for a moment, "You know it too?"
"Haha, I have known it for a long time." Dong Zhuo withdrew his gaze and turned to look at the soldiers passing by, "Fengxian, do you still want to take the original path? Then, be hanged on the Baimen Tower?"
The word 'White Gate Tower' immediately stopped Lubule. He raised his eyebrows and gritted his teeth: "Tie Dong, what else do you want to say?!"
"I want to say that you will die again. "
Dong Zhuo also reined in the reins and stopped the horse, "You got angry after just a few words. If you are so angry, you are barely qualified to be the commander of an army, and you are not qualified to be the commander of an army. ”
“You are not the same.” It might be fun to take a different route now.”
Dong Zhuo smiled and waved his whip, urging the horse to leave. Lu Bu looked at him silently, with unwillingness in his eyes, but thinking of Baimen Tower, he instinctively touched his neck.
Hmph.
How can a certain family be frightened so easily? Wait until your wings are full before you start to worry about it.
......
The night birds flew over the gloomy old forest, and the spring thunder boomed in the Yunqi territory. The army that had been traveling for a day set up camp here and set off again early tomorrow morning. Pass through Yunqi County, and then return east to Yanjing.
In the temporary tent, Fei Zhong poured a glass of wine, handed it to Xu Changqing, turned around and sat down behind the long desk.
“On this mission, I thought the Su family would rise up to resist. Your Majesty also specially asked me to take 5,000 soldiers and 1,000 Yanshan cavalry to escort the envoy. I didn’t expect it to go so smoothly. In such a short time, the princes were cut off. , there are only seven hereditary marquises left, and the next one to come back should be Marquis Yun Zhen. "
"Marquis Yun Zhen has a fierce temper, and there is no way he will resist... General, you and I should stay together. It is up to His Majesty to make casual jokes on this matter." Xu Changqing was different from Qin Zhuang who came with him. Although he was also one of the chief guards of the palace, he was recommended by the Grand Master and was given special instructions before leaving.
"Yes, you and I are talking too much about this."
Fei Zhong put away the joke and nodded seriously. Then the two of them talked about Ding'an City again, and Xu Changqing put down The wine glass saved him from having to think too hard.
"The Ding'an Army has been taken over by Han Tao, and Qin Zhuang is in charge. He is at the first level. Is there any opponent for the ruined Marquis An of Ding'an City? Not to mention the 500 soldiers and 500 cavalry left by the general, which is enough to intimidate the younger generation. "
Sometimes, speaking too much will bring about unexpected things.
The two of them chatted for a while in the tent. They had to leave for Yanjing early tomorrow morning, so they said goodbye to each other. As soon as Xu Changqing got up, a horse rushed into the camp gate outside and came to the big tent. The scout He turned over and vaulted, opened the curtain and walked in quickly.
"General Qi, something happened, Marquis Ding'an rebelled!"
"What?!" The expression on Xu Changqing's face froze, and he looked at Fei Zhong who came forward, and the latter's voice Shen Shen almost shouted: "He has no soldiers, how can he fight back?!"
"I don't know..." The scout really didn't know the details. He just caught up from another county to report, "The news of the fall of Ding'an City has not spread. The three counties of Ji, Qu, and Qingshan were tricked into opening the city gates. Most of them were old officials from the Hou Mansion, and they took them without any blood. "
Fei Zhong's expression changed greatly, and he escorted the imperial edict over. Su Congfang rebelled and captured Ding'an City and three other counties. His Majesty will pursue him, and he will not be able to escape. responsibility.
"Blow the trumpet and raise the account!"
At this point, it is impossible for him to sit here and wait for news. The early stage of the rebellion is the easiest to wipe out. Even if the soldiers and horses of Ding'an City are defeated by the opponent, There are only four to five thousand men in hand, plus the local soldiers in the three counties. They are insufficiently trained and have uneven armor, and they do not have the ability to fight with the soldiers of the imperial city.
Soon, the desolate horn sounded.
Except for the lower-level schools and teams, almost everyone who could come gathered in the camp. As a veteran who had led troops for many years, Fei Zhong quickly issued a series of orders and even sent several scouts back to Yanjing overnight, in batches. Reporting the news to the emperor could, firstly, exaggerate the number of enemies, and secondly, under such circumstances, his successful counterinsurgency could demonstrate his outstanding military exploits. Of course, if he was defeated, he could also blame it on the fact that the enemy was too numerous and the army was strong. He led his army to fight for several days before being defeated. Even though he was defeated, it was an honor.
At the fifth watch, food and supplies were reloaded. Four thousand and five hundred imperial soldiers prepared their armor and weapons and formed an array outside the camp. Under the command of the generals in each formation, Turn around and head towards Ding'an City.
Five hundred Yanshan cavalry were divided into two groups as cavalry, running quickly through the fields on the left and right wings of the team.
A large number of scouts were also sent by Fei Zhong to explore the situation in Ding'an City as quickly as possible to find out the number of troops and who was leading them.
The sky was getting brighter, and the scouts sent out frequently came and went, rarely encountering any fighting, and searching along the way did not find an enemy setting up an ambush. This made Fei Zhong a little confused. If the other party rebelled, there was no way they would not pay attention to his army.
Underestimating the enemy?
Or simply forgot?
Until daybreak, they had returned to Ding'an, even close to one-third of the city. The calmness along the way made Fei Zhong feel more and more uneasy.
In the time it took for half a stick of incense to be burned, one of the scouts who was passing messages back and forth was hit by two arrows and returned, bringing news that an army had appeared two miles ahead.
Fei Zhong, who had four thousand and five Imperial City soldiers and five hundred Yanshan cavalry, was absolutely not afraid of these local soldiers and horses. He immediately blew the military horn and advanced in an upright manner.
The first thing he saw was an army in shabby armor waiting in formation. The number of seven thousand looked quite scary, but this posture was not taken seriously by him at all. Only the inside The soldiers in black armor looked barely capable of fighting.
“Get ready!” Under the banner, Fei Zhong raised his hand.
“Get ready!”
The same words rang out among the Ding’an army who were waiting in full formation. Dong Zhuo rode on horseback, took off his serrated knife and held it in his hand. He looked at the crowd of people on the opposite side. It's a flag erected in the murderous army. The blade is slowly raised: "Form up and hold them back!"
At this time, the array of Imperial City soldiers had begun to change, with iron shields erected one after another. Archers on foot were among the spear formations, holding up their bows and arrows as they walked.
When the archer reaches the distance where the arrow is shot, the archer raises his long bow, and arrows are thrown out from the spear array, turning into a dense rain of arrows.
"Bear up the shield!"
In the Ding'an army, the general's voice roared, and the leather shields in everyone's hands turned up to protect their comrades. In an instant, arrows rained down, and arrows crackled one after another. They bounced on the shield, or were stuck densely on the shield or on the ground. Some of them penetrated into people's flesh through gaps, splattering some blood.
As soon as the rain of arrows passed, the advancing Imperial City soldiers and horses gradually increased their speed.
The Ding'an army here lowered their shields in front of them, and pressed their spears down to form a forest of spears. Many soldiers had never participated in the fight. Faced with this scene, they all opened their mouths and gasped loudly. Angry, his bloodshot eyes reflected the rushing Imperial City soldiers, becoming increasingly clear in his sight.
The sweeping pace is getting faster and faster.
Within a stone's throw between the two armies, Dong Zhuo raised his serrated knife: "Hold it——"
Boom!
The attacking army was like a giant wave crashing onto a reef, crashing into the forest of waiting spears. Shields collided with spears, shields collided with shields, human bodies were pierced by spears, and human bodies were squeezed. Together, flesh, flesh, and bones crackled and shattered in an instant.
...
Behind the charging battle group, or even on a hill farther away, Lu Bu was caressing the horse that was gnawing grass with its head lowered. His eyes were looking at the faint shouts of fighting coming from the distance.
His face was as calm as water.
‘Do you still want to go the same old way? ’
‘I’m not afraid of hanging on the White Gate Tower again…’
Lu Bu closed his eyes, turned around and got up. He was riding on the horse, raised his halberd, and said in a low voice: "Get on the horse."
The seven hundred riders turned over and sat on the horse, making a roaring sound.
The cloak fluttered, and his voice contained murderous intent.
"...Then, trample them to death!"
(End of this chapter)