Chapter 995: All the efforts are in vain
"General Liu, wait a minute. It seems to Yi Bao that the general might as well detach a hundred soldiers and still go south along this route, displaying more flags and drums to increase the momentum, thereby confusing the thieves' ears and eyes, and also covering our whereabouts."
Hearing this, Liu Hun nodded repeatedly:
“This is a great plan.”
According to the plan at the moment.
Sure enough, when the Wei army garrison at Shankou saw the suspicious soldiers sent by Liu Hun, he strengthened his defense and sent fast horses to inform the prefect of Pingyang County.
When the governor of Pingyang County learned that the Shu captives had taken a detour, he couldn't help but rejoiced in his heart:
Fortunately, I had expected this a long time ago, otherwise Yong'an City would have been in danger!
Just as General Guan thought, Pingyang and Hedong counties belong to Sizhou, and there is Bingzhou as a barrier to the north, so they can be regarded as belonging to Wei's rear area.
In addition, the war in Guanzhong was tense, so most of the troops and food from these two counties were transferred to Guanzhong.
At this time, the troops gathered by the two counties, plus the local county soldiers, totaled about 3,000 people.
The prefect of Pingyang County ordered two thousand people to guard the south entrance of Guanjuejin Valley, and another thousand people to guard the mountain pass to the east.
After these days of fierce fighting, the Huns in the south suffered heavy losses and were no longer able to resist the desperate attacks of the Shu captives, so they had to withdraw from the valley.
It won't work if we don't give in.
If we continue to refuse to retreat and force these still reluctantly obedient Xiongnu Hu'er into panic, they will directly surrender to the Shu prisoners on the opposite side, turn around and attack the mountain pass, it will be more gain than loss.
Hu'er, armed with a wooden and bone weapon, was able to hold Shu captives in Jin Valley for so long, which is already considered rare.
But when the Shu soldiers approached the valley entrance, they did not rush over immediately.
It’s probably because I’ve been playing hard these past few days and needs some rest.
Standing on the top of the mountain and looking at the Shu captives in the valley, the governor of Pingyang County had full confidence in his ability to hold on until reinforcements arrived.
Hongnu Hu'er was able to block the opponent for so long in the river valley, so there is no reason why he should be worse than Xiongnu Hu'er.
In contrast, Liu Meng is a little worried:
"General, logically speaking, if you take the mountain road to the east, no matter how slow you are, you should be out by now."
“There is no news about my brother so far. Will he encounter any trouble?”
General Guan, who was holding a telescope to look at the Wei army camp on the mountain ahead, put down the telescope after hearing this and said calmly:
“It doesn’t matter.”
The barbarians in the southern part of the Xiongnu were driven out of the valley. The layout of the Wei army at the mountain pass was clearly visible under the prying eyes of the telescope.
"Even if Liu Hun fails to get around to the rear, the Wei thieves can't stop us with the few men and horses they have."
"You two troops have suffered a lot of casualties in the past few days. You will go to the rear to rest. This time, let the Yi Congjun go up first."
Jinyang is governed by Bingzhou, and there are still some weapons in the arsenal.
Although the Liangzhou Army looked down upon him, Yi Congjun really made a big fortune.
Even some of it fell into the hands of Liu Meng and Liu Bao.
This is one of the reasons why they were able to force the southern Xiongnu out of the valley.
Originally, everyone was equally poor, and most of them had wooden and bone gadgets in their hands. Who would have expected that this time when the same tribe was fighting against each other, the two groups on the left and right would have a batch of standard weapons?
This is not about martial ethics!
It was also with the two Huns on the left and right leading in front that the Liangzhou army, which was attacking all the way, also had several days of rest.
Soon, the Yi Congjun who had finished their rest began to gather at the front one after another, getting ready to attack the Wei army camp on the mountain.
The place where the Wei army was stationed was in a very tricky position, right at the bend of the Fen River.
There is a hill protruding from the east bank. There is only a few feet wide between the Fen River and the hill. The Wei army set up camp on the hill.
At the same time, a barrier was built between the mountains and the Fen River.
The west bank of the Fen River, after the river turns, is full of cliffs.
If you want to continue going forward, you will have to cross back to the east bank again, that is, behind the mountain.
Judging from this terrain, the Han army would not be able to pass through here safely if they did not forcibly capture the mountain top.
“Drink, drink, drink!”
The front row of the Yi Congjun held up large cannons, shouted loudly, and began to move forward.
The Wei army guarding the mountain, some of which were local county soldiers, saw the banners of the Han army in the valley to the north covering the sun, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Many people can’t help but feel a little bit drummed in their hearts.
The Wei army uncle and other generals on the mountain kept encouraging them:
"Don't be afraid! Listen to the military orders and throw stones down there!"
There are also threats:
“Anyone who dares to retreat in front of the formation will be killed!”
The Yi Congjun holding large cannons had arrived at the foot of the mountain and began to attack.
There was only a bang, and the wooden and rolling stones from the mountain were thrown down one after another.
For a time, Yi Congjun was unable to escape, and some of them were hit and screamed in agony.
Liu Bao and Liu Meng, who had been claiming that they had worked hard these days, built a tent with their hands. When they saw this scene, they immediately smacked their lips.
It seems that General Guan knows how much his tribe has.
If you really want to attack these mountains, I'm afraid that the morale of the tribe will collapse within a few attacks.
If you really let yourself encounter this kind of thing alone, you must either take a detour or retreat directly.
Unlike this Yi Congjun, it is a bit too strong.
There is no need for the Han army to follow behind and supervise. After one wave retreats, another wave will take the initiative to push forward.
Not only is he very different from the undisciplined Hu people, he is also different from the Yi Congjun in their impressions.
When did the Hu people's Yi Congjun become so organized and willing to fight for the Han people?
This idea swirled in the minds of the two of them for a long time, and finally they came to only one conclusion:
This General Guan... leads the army well!
“Senior Brother Jiang, this won’t work, it’s too difficult to fight!”
A young man in the Yi Cong Army, wearing leggings and a cowhide belt around his waist, which was issued when he graduated from the martial arts hall. Now it has a lot of wear marks.
Even though he has just grown soft black hair on his lips, he is already a military commander in the rebel army.
The fellow disciple, who was also dressed neatly, looked at the rebel army who was forced to retreat again, and nodded with a gloomy expression:
“What did General Guan say?”
“He didn’t say anything, he just said let’s take this hilltop.”
“Then let us figure it out ourselves.”
The student from the Jiangwu Hall, who was called Senior Brother Jiang, turned his head and glanced behind him.
Although he couldn't see where General Guan was, he knew that every move of Yi Congjun must be under General Guan's observation.
“This is the first time our martial arts school has gone on an expedition with the army. We were attacked by someone in Yinshan Mountain, and we have already lost one person.”
“This time, if we can let the Yi Congjun take over the mountain independently, we can at least save some face.”
The young man scratched his head a little irritably:
“The key is what to do now?”
“Call everyone over and discuss it together to see if there is a better way.”
"OK!"
About twenty young people dressed in the same clothes quickly gathered together and had a discussion.
Soon someone came up with a plan:
"How about crossing the water? First cross to the cliff on the west bank, and then cross back to the east bank from there. You can go around to the back of the mountain."
“The thief is not a fool, how could he let you go ashore?”
“You know what? This sound is coming from the east to the west…”
"Stupid! Don't Wei thieves know that guarding the top of the mountain is the key? You have taken such a long detour and can't get to the shore. What's the use of this noise?"
“How will you know if you don’t try?”
"Not necessarily." The senior brother who had been squatting on the ground and using stones as a deduction suddenly said, "According to General Guan, there are only two thousand Wei thieves on the mountain."
"If we send people to pretend to be powerful and go around to the back of the mountain, the Wei thieves will still send people to guard against it. In this way, we can also mobilize the thieves and reduce the number of defenders on the mountain."
This senior fellow is in the same class as Zhang Yuan, and he is also the youngest in that class, but now he is already a veteran among these students.
He was sent to the Yi Cong army and was also meant to be the leader.
Since he opened his mouth, everyone became silent.
Senior brother stood up and clapped his hands:
"I'm going to ask General Guan for instructions now. You all assign tasks yourself first. If General Guan agrees, I will execute them immediately when I come back."
“I will lead the army across the water!”
Immediately, a thick and dark young man patted his chest and said, "I know how to swim. This Fen water can't drown me."
Someone immediately said:
“Then I will cover. When the time comes, I will personally lead the attack to attract the attention of the thieves on the mountain. The show must be more realistic.”
"Okay! You two go get ready right away. Remember, be careful!"
When General Guan listened to the student's request, she looked at him in surprise.
To be able to come up with this method in such a short period of time, this young army commander is at least better than the average general in terms of planning before the battle.
“Go ahead and do whatever you want. If it doesn’t work, the Liangzhou Army will support you!”
General Guan said as he handed him the telescope in his hand, "I will lend this to you temporarily. Remember to return it after the war."
It's just a voluntary army, isn't it just for the students in the martial arts hall to practice?
If we can really train them out, even if all these volunteers are disabled, it will still be worth it.
Otherwise, how could they be qualified to join the Liangzhou Army and serve as grassroots school officers?
Thinking of this, she spoke again:
"The army has built some water rafts a few days ago. I will send people to deliver them to you when the time comes."
Senior Brother Jiang has obtained the approval of General Guan and has such great support. How can he not understand the meaning of this?
I saw him saying excitedly:
“General, let’s see how the last general performs!”
Then after a hurried salute, he immediately turned around and ran away.
Looking at the figure who seemed a little too young, General Guan had a faint smile on his face.
When they learned that General Guan had agreed to the plan, the twenty or so young men were very excited.
Someone murmured: "I see, General Guan has also considered this plan. Otherwise, why would he have built a raft in advance?"
Hearing this, Senior Brother Jiang couldn't help but be startled: "It's possible!"
Well, everyone who was already excited suddenly received another injection of stimulants.
Who is General Guan?
In the Liangzhou army, the first person below the mountain commander, General Guan, did his duty.
Even General Zhao had to take a back seat.
“Quick, quick, quick! Release, be careful!”
“Wow!”
The huge water raft was lowered into the water, causing quite a splash.
The leading student jumped up first.
This time to cross the water, you must first cross to the other side, then follow the shore to the bottom of the cliff, and then cross back to the east bank from there, which can go around to the side and back of the mountain.
The reason why you cannot go directly down the river is that not only will you be intercepted by the Wei thieves guarding the shore at the foot of the mountain, but you may also be hit by arrows and crossbows on the mountain from a distance.
Although crossing the water this time can be regarded as attracting the troops of Wei thieves, they may try to force a crossing back to the east bank.
However, the best thing to do is to reduce casualties as much as possible.
The Wei army on the hilltop saw the Han army crossing the water from the beginning, and they quickly understood.
From the telescope, he saw a wave of silhouettes of the Wei thieves on the top of the mountain. Brother Jiang understood that the purpose of mobilizing the enemy's troops was achieved.
He couldn't help but clenched his fist and waved it in the air.
At the time of the fierce battle, the Wei thieves mobilized and allowed the Yi Congjun to rush through the foot of the mountain in one go.
Although he was forced back down the mountain later, it was enough to make him laugh.
"quick!"
The Yi Congjun, who had reached the bottom of the cliff, jumped onto the raft again and prepared to row back to the east coast.
The Wei army, which had been waiting on the shore for a long time, began to raise their crossbows and set up their bows.
As soon as the raft passed the middle of the water, "Peng Peng Peng!"
The crossbow arrows came straight towards the water with the sound of howling wind.
The leading student lowered his body and lay on the raft. The sound of breaking through the air in his ears was endless and frightening.
"ah!"
There was a scream. Someone stood too high and accidentally got hit by an arrow. He turned over and was about to fall into the water.
The young student, with his sharp eyesight and quick hands, quickly grabbed the paddle in his hand and continued paddling in his place.
As for people... who were hit by arrows and fell into the water, they had no chance to survive. Even if they wanted to be rescued, there was no way to save them at the moment.
Senior Brother Jiang, who was holding a telescope, finally discovered something was wrong on this side.
He stamped his feet bitterly and cursed: "This crazy king, is he really crazy?"
If you didn’t agree to attract the attention of thieves, why did you rush to the front line yourself?
If you really can't make it up, the most likely possibility is that it will just float down with the current, wherever it goes...
“I shouldn’t have let him go!”
Senior Brother Jiang regretted it endlessly, but at the moment, the battle was fierce, and he had no way to stop Crazy Wang.
“It’s coming, it’s coming!”
Madman Wang seemed to be really crazy. His eyes turned red at some point, and he was staring at Wei Thief on the shore. He could only paddle mechanically with his hands.
The arrow feathers became denser and denser, and several times they all passed by his body.
In order to make it easier to cross the water, he wore a leather armor. At such a close distance, if he was really hit by arrow feathers, he would probably be seriously injured even if he didn't die.
“Rumble…”
The Wei general, who was commanding the Wei army to prevent the Yi Cong army from landing, seemed to hear thunder.
He subconsciously looked to the south and saw that behind the mountain pass, in the valley that suddenly became wider, a cavalry army was galloping upstream against the river.
“Where did the cavalry come from? Have reinforcements arrived?”
Before he could figure it out, the cavalry was getting closer and closer, and the red flag was dazzlingly red!
“Shu captives!”
“Shu captives are coming from behind!”
“It’s Shu’s cavalry!”
“Wow!”
Madman Wang’s raft has washed up on the shore. He jumped up. The tall and strong dark-skinned young man picked up a long knife and shouted:
“Kill the thief!”
“Boom!”
The weird thing is that after he shouted, the Wei thieves on the shore seemed to be frightened and immediately dispersed!
At this time, he saw the familiar cavalry approaching not far to his right.
The escaping Wei thief only hated his parents for losing two legs. He wanted to escape back to the mountain before the cavalry rushed over. Who had the heart to care about him who rushed to the shore?
Feeling the vibrations on the ground, Madman Wang held up his knife blankly, watching his cavalry roaring towards him, and began to harvest those Wei thieves who did not run away.
Remembering that he had worked so hard to cross the water for so long, but all his efforts were in vain, and in the end he only ate ashes, he suddenly jumped to his feet and cursed:
"I am in love with your mother! Can you give me a chance?"
What responded to him was the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves, billowing into the air...
(End of this chapter)