After receiving the surrender of the Han Army's Daibei Second Battalion, Zhang Chong led the army and continued on their way.
At this time, the sky seemed to have opened the floodgates and water poured down. It inevitably had a huge disadvantage on the march of Taishan Army.
It was difficult for the team to maintain their formation. Even if military discipline was imposed, the team would inevitably become scattered. The same was true for the cavalry. They all chose to dismount and hold the reins on foot, but even so, the horses were still unable to move forward in the heavy rain.
Officials at all levels were already standing on the roadside, constantly motivating the soldiers to move forward bravely.
Before going into battle, the base camp gave orders to all armies. The chief officers who were lagging behind more than half should stop working and go straight down to start from the vanguard.
When large corps fights, military discipline must be strict. Relying on the usual fear of military law and sufficient raincoats, the army continued to advance despite difficulties.
This road is not stable, because the Zhenbei Army's retreat along the way is not without cost, that is, many soldiers died.
There was even a 500-man Huns cavalry unit that reorganized and escaped. Later, because they got lost, they hid in a creek six miles east of Dingting. They also knew to avoid the Taishan Army.
But they were soon discovered by the roving Feilong Army of Li Hu and blocked the retreat. Later, his troops and Xu Huang's Feihu Army launched an attack on the dead Xiongnu soldiers.
Near Dingxian, Li Hu and Xu Huang each commanded their troops to launch assault cavalry from the north and south lines.
Due to the impact of heavy rain, the sightlines of both parties were greatly obstructed.
Xu Huang led the Flying Tiger Army into a dense formation and attacked the Huns. At this moment, he stood tall and straight, the water rolled on his uniform, and raindrops as big as beans hit his pockets, but Xu Huang's blood still couldn't be quenched.
The previous time he started was during the night attack at Sanhe Pavilion, but he suffered a big loss at that time. He was hugged and charged by the elite white horse Yi Cong of the Han army, and he suffered a lot of losses.
So this time, Xu Huang wanted to collect some interest from these Huns.
At this time, the Huns cavalry also rushed out of the tent and began to mount Wuyang Wuyang's horse to launch a countercharge against Xu Huang.
But the result was cruel. In addition to bringing death to themselves, the Huns' charge also ended up becoming Xu Huang's prisoner.
The remaining Huns dispersed and headed north to cross the stream. Only a Hun knight, who looked like a noble chief, was left mourning in the rain:
"Come back, warriors, will you also turn your back on me?"
But these Hun knights never stopped, completely abandoning the responsibility of a prairie warrior to protect the chief.
But no matter how unethical a general is, he still has a group of people who are willing to die for him, and this little Huns chieftain is no exception. Under his desperate cry, a group of cavalry actually rushed back to protect the little chieftain.
But after Xu Huang led the Flying Tiger Army to catch up, all this loyalty and bravery turned into Xu Huang's military exploits.
The remnants of the Huns who retreated to the north also encountered the Feilong Army waiting here.
Under the leadership of Li Hu, the Feilong Army entered the river and attacked with a wide front. The Huns cavalry could only roll off their horses continuously. They were either hacked to death or trampled into flesh by the horses, nourishing the river beach.
The retreat of the Huns' cavalry was so complete that many of them were killed by Taishan's army before they entered combat mode.
Li Hu chopped down a Hun chief who looked like he had some status. The guard next to him jumped off his horse and cut off the man's ears. The man's ears were hung with thick gold rings, showing his extraordinary status. .
Li Hu took a glance and said to the guard:
"Cut this head off and ask some Huns from behind to see if it is someone."
The guard sighed, then cut off the head neatly and strung it in his horse pocket.
On the battlefield, the battle continued, but it was a unilateral massacre of the Hun cavalry by the Taishan Army's assault cavalry. Under the heavy rain and on the muddy battlefield, Taishan's army chased him north.
At this time, there was no need to form a formation. The Huns had completely lost their courage. All the Taishan army had to do was catch up on horseback and strike with a sword.
In this battle, both the Feilong and Feihu armies fought very comfortably, letting out all the unhappiness caused by this rainy day.
Although at this time, their original crimson military uniforms were unrecognizable, and everyone's face was covered with black mud, the pride on their faces could not be concealed at all.
Except for the more than 100 prisoners who were left behind, these Xiongnu soldiers were completely wiped out by the Feilong and Feihu troops. Then they brought their heads full of horses' heads to report their merits to Zhang Chong.
The infantrymen who were marching along the road cheered and boasted when they saw that the cavalry had won another great victory.
From this point of view, the military strength of the Taishan Army is still very usable.
In fact, Zhang Chong was very unlucky this time. Because of this heavy rain, all the time Zhang Chong had gained by making an emergency landing on the Han army was lost.
Although it is a straight road, it is still full of potholes because it has not been repaired for a long time. When there is a heavy rain, there will be even more water. Marching on such a road, it is impossible to go fast.
So when Li Hu and Xu Huang came back, they saw that various ministries were looking for places to take shelter from the rain and rest. This is Zhang Chong's latest military order.
From our perspective, the retreat of the Han army was also in a mess, with no blocking arrangements and no logistics arranged. Without the heavy rain, Zhang Chong might have been able to catch up with them and cut off and annihilate the rear of the Han army.
So after walking for half a day, the cavalry released had been placed fifteen miles away, but there was still no sign of the Han army.
Even though man can conquer nature, Zhang Chong said to Xun You in frustration:
"Everything in the world depends on manpower as well as God's help. It seems that God is not on my side this time."
Seeing that Zhang Chong was a little depressed, Xun You hurriedly advised:
"Although everything in the world depends on God's help, in the end it still depends on man. Although the king's pursuit in the rain did not catch the enemy's tail, it must have been beyond the enemy's expectations. They thought that we would not march in the rain, so they must have mistakenly expected our army to arrive on the battlefield. time.”
Zhang Chong nodded, agreeing with Xun You's intention, so he asked each department to find a place to rest and camp, and wait until tomorrow to set off again.
So when Li Hu and Xu Huang came back, the various ministries had already started looking for shelter from the rain and setting up tents.
The war horses snorted in the rain after a fierce charge. If they were not dried in time, they would soon fall ill.
Therefore, the Flying Dragon Army and the Flying Tiger Army immediately found an abandoned dock wall, where they first took care of the most delicate horses, and then started to light the fire and dress up.
At the same time, there was also a battalion of the Central Guard Army on the dock wall. After learning that the Feilong Army and the Feihu Army had won another battle, and they were still fighting the Huns, they all came over curiously.
Many of them had never seen the Huns, and this would be a good time to see a living person.
Of course, what's more important is that the guarding camp general is named Chang Xi. He had seen the horsemen with their heads hanging around their necks when they entered the dock wall before, so he made an idea.
It's not that he dares to take credit from Li Hu and Xu Huang, neither of these two can be offended by Chang Xi.
Chang Xi wanted to come and change. He happened to have a lot of dry firewood here and had just made ginger tea. These things were all needed by the raiders.
Use these to exchange for a dozen heads, don't be greedy.
After Li Hu learned that Chang Xi was coming, he just thought about it and agreed. After all, there were so many heads, so it didn't hurt to send them out in batches. Those supplies were in short supply. So, with the help of the Changxi Department, the Feilong Army and the Feihu Army quickly put on firewood, put on clean military uniforms, and wrapped themselves in warm blankets.
Chang Xi even brought Li Hu and Xu Huang drinks, which was just right for them to warm up.
At this time, Li Hu and Li Hu understood to some extent why an arrogant person like Chang Xi could always gain a foothold in the Central Guards Army. At first, they thought it was due to the power of the ban, but now it seems that this king is more or less capable of causing trouble.
With the supplies from the Central Guard Army, the assault cavalry could finally rest comfortably.
But after Li Hu and Xu Huang explained their military affairs, they were ready to leave in the rain. The two of them were going to a manor one mile away, where the Chinese army was stationed. They were there to report the results of their recent victory.
So, after the two of them drank the ginger tea, took a sip of wine in their mouths, put on their coir raincoats and rode towards the central army.
The manor where Zhang Chong is located is the property of a powerful man in Shangquyang. Because he was afraid of the Taishan Army, he abandoned the property and fled long ago.
This manor is the most gorgeous place nearby, so it is natural for it to be Zhang Chong's camp.
From the size and layout of this manor, it can be seen that the original owner was also a simple person. When he wanted to start his own business, it was difficult and difficult. But looking at the interior, it is gorgeous and noisy. It seems that future generations have forgotten the simplicity of their ancestors.
When Li Hu and Xu Huang entered the manor, there were people coming and going everywhere. Either the officers of the Chinese army were cleaning up the manor, or General Hengchang with the latest military order was preparing to go out to convey the military order.
In the most crowded place, the two met Zhang Chong.
At this time, Zhang Chong was sitting on a pile of hay, eating horse meat jerky and listening to the reports from his staff. Some reported on military reserves, some reported on the location of so-and-so tribal camps that had just been obtained, and some military reports came from Yecheng. , Handan sent, all have to wait for Zhang Chong to process.
In the face of these complicated military and government affairs, Zhang Chong was at ease. His extraordinary physical strength and super memory allow him to have his own views on everything, and the military orders he arranges are also interlocking.
It is precisely because of the existence of strong men like Zhang Chong that even now, the Chinese Army maintains strong control over various ministries. For example, where the various ministries are stationed now is all in Zhang Chong's mind.
Therefore, smart and capable people will be very comfortable working around Zhang Chong, because they can always get effective feedback from the king.
But it's hard for someone who cheats and cheats to stay around a powerful person like Zhang Chong, because it's too scary. Your excuses will always be exposed by Zhang Chong with detailed data and previous reports.
The Chinese army's staff team was operating efficiently, and a military seal was constantly being sent out. This small manor controlled and dispatched nearly 40,000 troops with a radius of ten miles.
Li Hu and Xu Huang had not dared to say anything since they arrived, and they were already fooled by this efficient rhythm. The two of them usually lead only 500 cavalry, so they already feel that scheduling and management is a difficult task. However, with the king, they can handle all situations like the palm of their hand.
Especially Xu Huang, who had the ambition to be a commander, and had been learning from the experience of fighting with large corps. He is also lucky. Since joining the Taishan Army, he has been successful in almost every battle. This greatly sharpened Xu Huang's awareness and vision of war.
But now that he saw the king's appearance, Xu Huang realized that he still had a lot to learn.
At this time, a soldier came flying from the verandah. Seeing that the king was busy, he hurried to the side of the marching commander Shi Hekui.
He opened the yellow satin he was carrying on his back, revealing a sandalwood box inside, with a red-painted feather and a talisman's fire stamp on it.
He Kui looked at the fire stamp and knew it was Zhang Dan's stamp, and hurriedly took the wooden box.
The soldier ran all the way through the rain, his whole body was soaked, and his whole body was exuding mist. When he saw that the task was completed, he was ready to respectfully retire.
At this time, a sentence came out from the center of the crowd:
"Xiao Xu, go to the verandah to drink ginger tea."
This is Zhang Chong's voice.
This person named Xiao Xu was Xu Sheng who had been recommended to Yecheng Military Academy by the Langya base area. At this time, Zhang Dan was serving as a subordinate of the Chinese army and was responsible for reporting military information.
Xu Sheng was so excited when he heard this voice. He didn't expect that the king would take time to care about him when he was so busy, and he didn't expect that the king would actually know his name.
He suppressed his excitement, gave a military salute, and then retreated to the verandah to drink ginger tea.
Xiao Xu drank this ginger tea, his whole body felt warm, and he felt that he had endless energy.
After Xu Sheng retreated over there, He Kui had already opened the fire seal, read the contents of the letter, and then delivered it to Zhang Chong.
Zhang Chong looked here and said to He Kui:
"Shulong, what do you think about this?"
He Kui did not hesitate:
"The military report sent by Adan said that a large number of Hejian soldiers and Bohai soldiers were heading north. This must have been an order from Lu Zhi to have these soldiers go north to join him."
Zhang Chong nodded, agreeing with this point of view.
He shouted from Guo Zu outside:
"Map."
Then Guo Zu brought the map from behind the haystack to the horse bed and carried it with him.
Zhang Chong asked He Kui and Xun You:
"From Zhang Dan's report, Lu Zhi definitely didn't want to run back to Youzhou. He probably wanted to gather troops to fight with me. So this is a good thing for us. We are not afraid that he will fight, but we are afraid that he will run away. . This Lu Zhi can also run. He has already run away twice. We must not let him run away again this time."
Then he asked He Kui and Xun You:
"But now I'm not sure where he wants to fight me. Do you have any ideas?"
He Kui didn't speak, but Xun You spoke first.
As a top military talent among the Chinese military staff, Xun You does have opinions on this issue.
He pointed to a location on the map, which was the Zhongren Pavilion.
Zhang Chong did not express his position and continued to listen to Xun You:
"Your Majesty, judging from the current situation, Lu Zhi wants to fight a decisive battle with us. And for a decisive battle, the most suitable place north of Zhongshan is Zhongren Pavilion. Zhongren Pavilion was originally the capital of the Zhongshan people, and one of the most suitable places in his country. The reason why it is called Zhongshan seems to be because of the geographical situation of Zhongrenting. It is surrounded by mountains, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but there is no lack of vast space for large groups to fight decisively. Therefore, you thought that if Lu Zhi wanted to fight, it must be Zhongrenting. .”
Zhang Chong asked back:
"Will Lu Zhi definitely fight us in Zhongshan? Is it possible that he will return to Youzhou?"
At this time, He Kui shook his head and said:
"No, because if Lu Zhi wants to leave Jizhou, the Han soldiers in Hejian and Bohai will not switch to fight to help him."
Zhang Chong nodded, supporting this judgment.
After thinking for a while, Zhang Chong ordered:
"Order: 'Zhang Dan, your troops must closely pursue the Han army's partial division, and must intercept their troops and prevent them from joining Lu Zhi's main force."
After speaking, Zhang Chong ordered the two horizontal collision generals to bring this order to Zhang Dan together with the newly arrived Xu Sheng.
After handling this matter, Zhang Chong began to deal with other military affairs, which was busy and compact.