diskusbooks Chapter 218: Attack on Shizhou Fangshan Pass
Chapter 218: Attack on Shizhou Fangshan Pass
The commotion in Dingzhou was so big that the Li family reacted strongly, especially the Li family in Longxi. They had been coveting Bingzhou for a long time. Although the power of the Li family in Qin was weak, it was still not small.
In early December, the entire Qinchuan area was covered with heavy snow.
A group of foreign soldiers from Shangjun hid in a low earthen kiln, and roasted moles they had dug out from somewhere over the fire.
"Why are you coming here when you can just stay at home?"
Several soldiers with black faces rolled their eyes, which were mostly white and less black, and muttered to themselves.
"After this winter, some sheep will come and we will build a pasture here."
"There's not even a woman. What happens next after you have a ranch?"
"There will be women, but we have to take it slow. I heard that all the men in Ikla have gone to war, so there are too many women to sleep with. Spring is coming, so we'll send some people..."
Everyone had a lewd look on their face and held back from making a sound.
"If there is no war, why would the King of Qin give us such good land?"
"No war? There's already fighting on the other side of the river." The man roasting the rat turned the meat over, and it was sizzling with oil and emitting a fragrant aroma.
Some people were stunned. They had the impression that there was a stone island on the other side of the river, and anyone who could enter from there must be a Hun.
Huyan Duo did not wait for Yelu Feng and his men, but directly ordered Xiao Ran to take Yelu Feng's men and Lan Yilan's men on standby to launch a surprise attack on Shizhou.
Chen Songtao could have led his troops into Shizhou to defend it, but after the last battle, he felt that the Huns' guerrilla warfare would be ineffective.
"Report, there are over 10,000 people at the base of the wall. They have been there for three days and seem to be making some moves."
Sun Yue was now a squad leader, responsible for leading troops on reconnaissance missions, rather than patrols. If he encountered enemy activity, he would return quickly and report to Chen Yonggui, who was waiting for news.
"Alright, go back quickly and report the situation here. We'll keep an eye on it."
"Why me again? I was the one who went back last time, and Captain Qin's injuries hadn't healed yet."
"That's enough." Looking at Sun Yue, whose eyes were red, Chen Yonggui ordered, "This is a military order. You must execute it."
This was the mission of the scouts, so Sun Yue had no choice but to quietly retreat with his men and head towards the Fangshan position, where their main force was guarding.
"It seems these ghosts want to take us over and then attack Shizhou."
Chen Songtao cursed as he looked at the geological model on the table. This was a product of their era, somewhat similar to the sand table used by the army later.
"The roads either way are difficult to take, and this is the place they must pass through."
'Will they leave from here?'
Han Ziqing asked, pointing to a fork in the road about ten miles away.
"It would take two days to get out of here in this weather."
Chen Songtao firmly believed that this group of people would not go through here, which is why he did not set up an ambush here.
"This is a dead end. There's a pass at the end of the road. Their small group of people can't get through."
Zhu Zhanhui was very familiar with this road. He raised his head and sneered.
"Alright, since they are sure they will attack us, we must be prepared. We have ready-made defensive weapons and we will go to Fangshan behind to request reinforcements."
"Well, it would be great if there were reinforcements..."
When Hong Kui came to Bingzhou, he brought a small number of people with him, only about 2,000 people, who were gathered together from various sources.
The imperial court was very cautious when dealing with generals of their level. Generally, they did not have an army and were afraid of a mutiny in the imperial city.
His hometown is Xiangfen, which is also a transit station for military personnel. Many exiled prisoners were kept here when they arrived.
After Hong Kui arrived, he gave the local prefect some money and asked him to recruit soldiers.
As an official who has lived here for many years, I understand as soon as I see the money that recruiting is fake and capturing talents is real.
Some refugees and stranded prisoners were cleared out due to their identity issues, and were told to the outside world that they had committed crimes. People who didn't know believed it to be true.
As long as they were not beheaded and given food, they would follow them without asking why. If they were given a spear, they would become a good soldier. They were extremely powerful.
At this time, someone said that there were Hun cavalry to the north of Shizhou. The number was not large, only about 50,000 to 60,000 people.
Hong Kui was secretly delighted when he heard this. He was very eager to win a battle to boost the morale of his army.
There were 20,000 people gathered, wearing a gown similar to that of prisoners with a rope tied around their waists. The only representative object that was not easy to imitate was a piece of red silk tied in a bun and fluttering.
When they arrived at Shizhou, the garrison commander Qiao Mang was worried about whether to send troops.
"Sir, General Hong Kui has arrived, bringing 20,000 reinforcements."
"Huh?" Qiao Mang was stunned. Twenty thousand people from the imperial court came, but why was there no news from him?
"Is this true?"
"Indeed, there is no falsehood at all."
"Let's go together."
The person invited to go was the military counselor Lang Zhaoxiang, who was over fifty years old, thin, but vigorous. He walked with a vigorous gait, not inferior to that of a general.
Hong Kui's two thousand personal guards lined up in a row, blocking the people in the team behind, but the crowds were densely packed.
"General Hong, what brings you here? I'm sorry for not coming here to greet you."
Qiao Mang clasped his fists and bowed to Hong Kui.
Originally, Hong Kui was on horseback, and it would have been fine for an official not to dismount when he saluted him, but Hong Kui still dismounted.
"You sent me a letter asking for help, how could I not bring people with me?"
When Qiao Mang heard that they were reinforcements, he put on a smile and said, "So General Hong is here to reinforce Shizhou?"
So he bent down and gestured to invite Hong Kui into the city.
Hong Kui signaled the army not to enter the city for the time being, and he followed Qiao Mang in with only a dozen personal guards.
"What's the reason for the urgent request for help?"
"Fangshan ahead is preparing to stop 60,000 Xiongnu. There are only 40,000 defenders left in the city. I am hesitating whether to leave the city."
"Oh? How many people are there in Fangshan?"
"Ten thousand."
After Qiao Mang finished saying the number of people, Hong Kui frowned and thought for a moment.
"The 20,000 men I brought with me will go as reinforcements. Another 20,000 will be mobilized from within the city to reinforce. This can be done immediately. I will take my men and leave first."
After Hong Kui finished speaking, he turned around and left the city without giving Qiao Mang a chance to think.
The team circled the city.
At this time, Qiao Mang ordered: "Draw out 20,000 troops, and leave 10,000 behind to escort three days of food and fodder."
Upon hearing this, a deputy general beside him clasped his hands in acceptance and hurried to handle the matter.
……
The biggest advantage of the Hun soldiers is that they can respond at any time and their execution is very decisive.
The army led by Xiao Ran was composed of two forces, and they seemed to be incompetent when it came to fighting. Secondly, the fundamental reason was that they were unwilling to be the vanguard.
This is Huyan Duo's selfish desire, he wants Yelu Feng's people to die first.
This dragged on for two days before deciding to launch a surprise attack on the third day.
Opposite Fangshan Pass is a long valley. The terrain is not very steep, but it is not so smooth for cavalry to run.
The troops began to march before dawn, hoping to catch the Fangshan defenders by surprise.
Yelu Feng and Xiao Ran sent out 2,000 men, and Huyan Duo sent out an armed force of 2,000 men to launch a surprise attack on Fangshan Pass in such a valley.