novelsmap Chapter 74
Chapter 74
In midsummer, when the sun is high and the wilderness is steaming, there is a deathly silence inside and outside the Yangguan Pass.
The scouts kept coming.
"The army of the Yan army is fifteen miles away from me!"
"The army of the Yan army is ten miles away from me!"
"The army of the Yan army is five miles away from me!"
Not long after, the Yan army's flag appeared at the junction of the wilderness and the sky, and then there were Yan soldiers all over the sky.
Xu Muyuan stood on the wall and looked at the sky. He was only 56 years old, his beard and hair were all white, and his rough face did not look like that of a pampered family in the capital.
The Xu family established their family with martial arts, and it has been passed down to Xu Muyuan for thirteen generations.
Last month, a family letter was sent to northern Xinjiang. The eldest daughter-in-law gave birth to a grandson. The second son was admitted as a scholar. The family business is not a big problem.
With his death, the eldest son can at least be a fourth-rank military officer, the third son can find a military officer if he is a martial artist, and if the second son can be admitted to the Wenju family, there is hope.
Last night Xu Muyuan had already written a suicide note for his retainers to send out of Northern Xinjiang, and the arrangements for the funeral had been made.
"Guo'an, it's not a pity to die for an old man, but it's a pity that you are in your prime and should have a bright future." Xu Muyuan sighed.
Zhang Taining's name is Guo'an, and he and Xu Muyuan have become friends who have forgotten each other these days.
"As a general, you have no fear of death." Zhang Taining smiled with a knife-sharpened face.
"If I'm lucky enough not to die." Xu Muyuan hummed heavily. "I will never die with the Zhou family!"
Knowing that the army of Yan was approaching last night, instead of sending more troops to Yangguan, Zhou Chan asked Zhou Sui to take 4 people to garrison Jinyang.
Xu Muyuan was very resentful about this young man who was greedy for life and afraid of death who didn't know the art of war at all.
The Northern Army's strength was already insufficient, and they could survive in one place.
Now that the troops are divided before the formation, there are only 30 defenders at Giyangguan, and only [-] defenders in Jinyang City plus Yan's army. The Yan army claims to have a [-] army.
"Mediocrity is harming the country!" Xu Muyuan lamented.
Youdao is afraid of what will come, the Yan army's overwhelming vanguard army surrounded Yangguan, Xu Muyuan was ready to defend to the death, how could the Yan army besiege and not attack.
The generals in the Yangguan were all shocked, and the King of Yan really divided his troops and pointed his sword at Jinyang!
At the same time, the scouts delivered the latest battle situation to the barracks of Tian Cang Village one after another.
"Report! The general ordered Zhou Sui to lead an army of 6 troops back to defend Jinyang City! There are only [-] defenders at Giyang Pass!"
"Report! King Yan personally led an army of 30 to approach the Yang Pass at noon yesterday!"
"Report! The Yan army divides 15 troops to attack Jinyang City! Surround Yangguan without attacking! Jinyang City is urgent!!"
Liu Zhan sat in the high hall in military uniform, and he listened coldly to the constant battle reports from the scouts.
All the generals gathered in one hall, left and right, and everyone was waiting in full force, with solemn expressions.
At the same time, the dead man who secretly followed Zhou Chan's movements also returned, and Song Fenglin stepped into the high hall steadily holding the secret letter, speaking concisely. "Zhou Sui ran away with Prince Rui last night, hiding it from everyone."
Liu Zhan laughed out loud, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Where did you go?"
"Go to Luming Ferry and cross Huangchuan." Song Fenglin flicked his sleeves and sat down under Liu Zhan. "I have ordered people to pick up Cao Meiren and the emperor's eldest grandson, but I don't know if Zhou Chan had any intention of killing before he left."
The two also thought about sending someone to protect them secretly, but thinking that Zhou Chan would have more chances to kill a child, it would be of no avail for them to send someone there.
"That old kid is probably scared to pee, so there's no time to take care of the wild species in the countryside." Liu Zhan sneered.
With Zhou Chan's cowardly character, it is estimated that he was too scared to die, and he was so concerned about running for his own life that he could not care about anything else.
Now that the Yan Army has surrounded Jinyang City, the Northern Army cannot defend Jinyang City. If Jinyang City is broken, the Yan Army will surely enter the Shanyin boundary along the post road.
Liu Zhan didn't care about the affairs of the Northern Army, but he had to prepare in advance for the crisis after Jinyang City was broken.
"If Jinyang City is destroyed, how can a small Shanyin County be defended?" Liu Zhan clicked on the location on the map.
The enemy is numerous and we are few, sticking to the truth is the next strategy.
Liu Zhan looks forward arrogantly, he is unafraid and imposing, deep and calm. "This battle can only be attacked! Go around the rear, enter the hinterland of the Yan Kingdom, and go straight to the Yan Kingdom's court from the north of Maizi'ao!"
If the Yan army invaded with all the strength of the whole country, the middle of the country would definitely be empty. As long as they went into the hinterland and dug out the king's lair, the Yan army on the front line would definitely be in chaos.
This can solve the crisis in northern Xinjiang.
Liu Zhan thought of King Yan, how could he not have expected that the scouts had detected the movement of the Yan army as early as the morning, and about [-] Yan troops were coming towards Tongtian Pass.
"The [-] Yan soldiers are standing in the way and must be wiped out!" Liu Zhan said forcefully.
The Chu army claimed to have an army of 25, but in fact it only had 12. The Yan army claimed to have an army of 30, but indeed more than 25 troops were deployed on the battlefield.
The king of Yan has a big strategy. Zhou Chan divided his troops into Jinyang, which was in the arms of King Yan. King Yan did not attack the siege of Geyangguan, and the main force attacked Jinyang. As long as Jinyang was broken, Geyangguan would be an isolated island.
Liu Zhan predicted that Jinyang City would not be able to defend for a long time, and that it would last half a month at most with all the strength of the city.
The Yan army took Jinyang and then turned back to attack Yangguan. It would take no more than a month to take the two cities, and then capture Qiyun Mountain along the post road.
Whether Jinyang City can be kept or not depends on whether Qi Yunjun can directly attack Yan Wangting at the fastest speed.
It's a game!
Liu Zhan calmly issued one military order after another.
"Pass down the general's military order, and immediately implement martial law in Cenzhou. The county magistrates and county lieutenants organize the defenders to seal the city. Jiang Changfu, the captain of Shanyin County, immediately organizes soldiers to block and destroy all the post roads and mountain roads leading to Jinyang."
"When the general is away, Mr. Song will preside over all matters, and Mr. Song, who has the power of life and death in internal and external affairs, can make his own decisions."
"Cao Zhuang leads the left camp, Li Xiaolian leads the right camp, the lieutenants and deputy lieutenants count the soldiers, and I will go down the mountain with the general to fight the Yan army!"
In this battle, Liu Zhan sent [-] soldiers, and the remaining [-] defenders were distributed in various counties, including [-] soldiers in Shanyin County, [-] soldiers in Wuyuan County, and [-] soldiers in other places.
The county magistrates and county lieutenants immediately organized the young and strong to form militias after receiving the military order. In this way, the number of defenders in each county could exceed [-].
Of course, in front of the Yan army, the troops in these places are as overconfident as a mayfly shaking a tree.
But Liu Zhan did not retreat, the Liu family did not retreat, the relatives of the generals in the camp, the families of the soldiers, everything is on Qiyun Mountain, everyone has only one belief and will not retreat half a step until the last moment!
Twenty thousand soldiers descended the mountain in long dragons.
Song Fenglin stood on the wall of Tongtianguan and watched Haoerlang from the six counties of Cenzhou.
Before the expedition, Liu Zhan asked every soldier to tie a red belt on his weapon, and the wind blew up the red tassels on the longbow of Modao, winding like a red dragon.
The red military flag is hunting in the wind, and the word Qi Yun is imprinted into the soul of the army.
Until the last soldier stepped out of Tongtian Pass, Song Fenglin withdrew his gaze and held back the sourness in his eyes. He abandoned all distracting thoughts, and there was no trace of hesitation in Danfeng's eyes when he raised his head.
"Close the gate!"
The sky is vast and the sun is scorching.
In the wilderness outside Zhou Shukou, Qi Yun's army lined up.
Three thousand heavy armored shield soldiers and two thousand * * * soldiers joined together to form a semicircle to resist horses. The * * * sharp stabs outside the iron shield. The combination of the iron shield and the * * is like a giant iron armored beast. .
Five thousand archers were deployed in the center of the horse-rejection formation. At the beginning of the Yan army's charge, they rained arrows on the formation, and the arrows shot empty and abandoned their bows for close combat.
At the same time, [-] Modao cavalry and [-] cavalry on the left and right of the rejecting horse formation charged head-on with the Yan army diverted by the rejecting horse formation.
This formation Liu Zhan led the generals to practice many times, especially the rejection of the horse formation. Every step was engraved in the minds of the shield soldiers in heavy armor. Their mission is to withstand the iron shield, as long as the rejection of the horse formation is not broken The army can't get in!
At the end of the wilderness, the vanguard of the Yan Army was the first to appear in everyone's sight, winding like a black dragon.
At this time, Liu Zhan hadn't issued an order, and the iron shields of the refusal formation hadn't been erected yet. General Wu Kechu of the Yan army laughed upright when he saw that the Chu army went down the mountain to meet the battle. "The first victory in this battle is mine!"
Wu Kechu led [-] infantry and [-] elite cavalry. His task was to break through the Tongtian Pass and break through the Chu army's defense line from behind.
How could you think that the soldiers of Chu would go down the mountain without knowing what they could do to confront each other head-on, and the army of Yan's iron cavalry was invincible in fighting on the plain. Let me ask Wu Kechu what fear he has.
Liu Zhan rode a black steed, holding the rein with his left hand and holding a Mo knife in his right. He walked back and forth in front of the formation to check the appearance of the army.
"Tell this general, are you afraid!"
"Not afraid!!" Everyone shouted in response.
"Keep in mind every step of the drill, remember that you are a group, as long as you are there, you will be there!"
Qi Yunjun's shouts lasted for a long time, their military appearance was neat and their morale was high.
Liu Zhan has a total of 3 people under his command. It is not impossible for him to mobilize all of them down the mountain. In Liu Zhan's eyes, 2 people fighting 5 people is no different from 3 people fighting 5 people.
In history, there are many battles in which fewer people win more battles, and wars are not just about having more people.
At this time, the Yan army began to line up.
The Yan army's combat methods have always been rough. No matter what formation the enemy puts in, the Yan army's iron cavalry will be destroyed in a single charge, and then the infantry will press up and push forward.
Yan Jun Iron Cavalry has such a rough capital!
Ukchu raised his chin. "Ten thousand cavalry are ready."
The iron cavalry of the Yan army wore black heavy armor and exuded the terrifying breath of death in the sun. Under the guidance of the flag, the iron cavalry of the Yan army lined up in an orderly manner.
At the same time, Liu Zhan made a gesture.
When the whistle sounded, the iron shield soldiers and the police soldiers immediately started to move, and quickly took their positions.
The heavy-armored shield soldiers supported the handle of the shield with both hands, stepped on the horse and lowered their shoulders against the shield. Everyone's movements were very standardized, and no one made a mistake, and no one panicked and correctly combined to resist the horse.
The second whistle sounded, and the archers bent their bows and set their arrows ready to go.
Under the scorching sun, the iron shield of the refusal horse array reflected a dazzling light.
Wu Kechu couldn't really see what it was, and he didn't care. His troops were twice as powerful as Chu soldiers. In his eyes, this was just Chu soldiers struggling to die.
Yan Jun blew the horn.
The [-] iron cavalry of the Yan army immediately galloped out like arrows leaving the string.
In front of the archers' team, the commanding head of a thousand families kept holding the red banner in his hand. When the banner fell, the arrows were fired!
The arrows couldn't pierce the heavy armor of the Yan army's iron cavalry, so Liu Zhan raised his hand and gave up after only shooting a wave.
The sound of war drums sounded, and the Modao cavalry and the first cavalry on the left and right sides of the rejection horse formation immediately greeted the Yan army's iron cavalry who were shunted to the left and right by the rejection horse formation.
This is the first battle of the Modao cavalry!
The Qi Yunjun with red tassels and the black Yan Jun intertwined instantly. The heavy sword in Yan Jun's iron cavalry was five feet long, while the Mo Dao in Qi Yunjun's hand was ten feet long!
Puff puff puff—the Yan army cavalry rushing to the front fell down one after another before they could even get close.
Liu Zhan rushed to the front. He spun the Mo Dao in his hand, and with the force of the momentum, cut off the Yanjun iron cavalry in half, and then swung the saber to cut off the iron cavalry on the left side of the horse.
Cao Zhuang, Guo Donghu, Niu Shilu and more than a dozen super wrestlers with a strength of over [-] jin even split the man and horse into two pieces with one blow.
In addition, the performance of the cavalry is not bad. The heads of these cavalry have been improved with the technology of iron smelting with flint. A single shot can pierce the heavy armor of the cavalry of the Yan army. The rear is more than adequate.
The corpses of the Yan Army's iron cavalry who were intertwined first were all over the field in the blink of an eye, and none of the Yan Army's iron cavalry broke through the line of defense.
Wu Kechu looked from a distance and only saw that the iron cavalry did not break through the Chu army's defense line from his angle, which should not be the case.
"Take a cloud platform!" He yelled, frowning.
There is no high ground in plain warfare, and the generals can only stand on the cloud platform if they want to see the whole field. Wu Kechu sent troops this time, he never thought that he would charge head-on with the Chu soldiers, so he only brought siege equipment.
The soldiers hurriedly cut trees to build a cloud platform, but it was too late.
In just half an hour, there were only a few iron cavalry left in the Yan army.
"What's going on!" Wu Kechu was terrified, and subconsciously wanted to increase his troops to find out the truth.
"General, no more cavalry!" The lieutenant reminded immediately.
Wu Kechu stabilized his mind, he was not a fledgling stunned young man who became more anxious and chaotic at this moment. "Could it be that the Chu army laid a trap? Pass our military order and send out [-] infantry to test the truth."
The Yan army blew the horn again.
Drums sounded in Qi Yun's army formation.
The Modao cavalry and the □□ cavalry gathered and returned to the team with the sound of drums. The rest of the Yan army cavalry took the opportunity to escape, and no one left the team to chase without authorization.
Then, at the sound of the whistle, the archers bent their bows and set their arrows again, ready to go.
Yan Bingshan came to kill with a cry.
Wave after wave of arrows rained down on the Yan soldiers. When the forward Yan soldiers approached the horse-repelling formation, the arrow rain stopped suddenly and the drums were loud.
The cavalry of the Qiyun army galloped out again, the iron cavalry of the Yan army were no match, and the mere infantry couldn't resist the charge of the Modao cavalry.
Some Yan soldiers panicked and tried to cross the horse-repelling formation, but they were pierced by the guns pierced from between the shields.
The entire battlefield was billowing with dust, misty as if shrouded in a wave of blood, and the Yan army filled 2 people into it, but they couldn't shake the Qi Yun army's refusal formation.
Wu Kechu's mood suddenly fell from the clouds to the ground. From the escaped cavalry, Wu Kechu knew that the Chu army had a very powerful new weapon that could break through heavy armor.
He paced back and forth on his horse without saying a word, a new type of weapon that could break through heavy armor, coupled with this monster-like formation, this battle was not easy to fight.
The only advantage of the Yan army is the iron cavalry. The reason why they are invincible in the northern plains is because they do not have the uneven formation of the Yan army's iron cavalry.
Since the improvement of smelting technology, their iron cavalry, from horses to cavalry, are all invulnerable with heavy armor. No matter what tactics the opponent uses, they only need to use the iron cavalry to charge the enemy twice, and they will be defeated.
Wu Kechu calmed down, he didn't think he would lose, but they fought for two rounds, they were just disrupted by Qi Yunjun's new weapon.
Qi Yunjun has made a weapon that can restrain heavy armor, so don't charge them head-on.
"The left and right wings of the cavalry circled around and raided the rear of the Chu army, and the shield soldiers covered the archers and advanced forward, disrupting their formation!"
Wu Kechu didn't intend to try again, he put all the remaining [-] troops into the battlefield.
In Wu Kechu's view, Qi Yun's army can be regarded as combat power only by the thousands of cavalry with new weapons, and those infantry who are huddled behind iron shields and horses are nothing.
The horns of the Yan army sounded together.
Qi Yunjun's drums were loud.
The iron cavalry of the Yan army charged first, and soon Liu Zhan saw that all the iron cavalry of the Yan army circled around the periphery and gave up the frontal charge. It seemed that the generals of the Yan army had learned their wisdom. This move was undoubtedly intended to disrupt their formation by raiding around the rear.
Soon Wu Kechu saw that the iron shield refused to move.
The iron shield, which was originally a semicircle, refused to be closed into a perfect circle. The archer put the bow back on his back, held a light wooden shield above his head with his left hand, and picked up a knife, ax, hammer and other one-handed weapons in his right hand to prepare for close combat.
"The Modao cavalry chased and killed the Yan army's iron cavalry! The cavalry concentrated on killing the Yan army's infantry!" Liu Zhan gave the final instruction.
What followed was a fierce battle.
The Yan Army's archers only shot three waves of arrows, and the Qi Yun Army's first cavalry rushed up from the left and right, and directly disrupted the formation of the Yan Army's archers.
As the vanguard, the infantry of the Yan army had a clear goal, which was to destroy the iron shield formation.
The Yan soldiers rushed into the iron shield array screaming, and the heavy armored shield soldiers resisted firmly, and stabbed out from the reserved shooting holes between the shields.
After laying down, a wave of Yan soldiers rushed up again, and after a while, the silver-gray iron shield was stained red with blood. Some Yan soldiers climbed over the shield wall stepping on the corpses of their predecessors, and were immediately killed by Qi Yun soldiers in the formation.
Over there, the Modao cavalry frantically chased and killed the Yan army's iron cavalry, and the Yan army's iron cavalry fought and retreated from chaos.
Qi Yunjun's horses and Mo Daomen are all wearing light armor, which can block arrows but not swords and guns.
At the beginning of the design, what Liu Zhan wanted was to be fast and flexible, and to kill the enemy's men and horses the moment he got close. In terms of flexibility, the Yan army's iron cavalry is not as flexible as the Modao cavalry.
Wu Kechu personally led his own soldiers to fight against Mo Daoshou. He had only one thought in his mind, to defend the invincible myth of the Yan Army's iron cavalry with all his might!
Guo Donghu and Zhou Ziming have been protecting Liu Zhan, advancing and retreating together with Liu Zhan, Liu Zhan saw Wu Kechu at a glance, he did not hesitate, pointed the knife, Guo Donghu and Zhou Ziming immediately understood.
Wu Kechu instinctively felt that the danger was approaching, and his heart suddenly turned cold, and it was too late to turn around and hide.
I don't know when all the guards around him were killed, Wu Kechu didn't even have time to react when Liu Zhan chopped off his head.
Zhou Ziming picked up Ukechu's head that had fallen to the ground with a knife. "Qi Yun's army won a big victory!!"
The twilight is hazy, and the sunset is all over the sky.
In this battle, [-] enemies were killed, and the corpses were scattered all over the field.
The corpses of Yan Bing were piled up inside and outside the horse-repelling formation, and the huge circular horse-repelling formation was like a huge mouth leading to hell, until finally Yan Bing failed to break through.
Qi Yunbing was drenched in blood, holding up the weapon in his hand and shouting loudly.
"Qi Yun's army won a big victory!!"
"Qi Yun's army is mighty!!"
Liu Zhan raised his head, his eyes reflected the burning clouds in the sky, as if jumping and shining brightly.