Han Shizu

Chapter 644 Pioneer Murong Chengtai
Regarding Li Tinggui's decision, Zhao Chongtao and Han Baozhen unanimously agreed after considering it.Although the Han army was defeated one after another, Li Tinggui tried his best to be loyal and worthy of trust.After the discussion was over, Zhao and Han Er led their own soldiers and retreated to Nanzheng, rectified the military equipment, repaired the city and repaired the sculls.

Li Tinggui immediately issued an order to seal off the gates and put the city under martial law. He personally arranged for the deployment of defenses, prepared a supervisory battalion and a reserve battalion, gathered all the available men, built deep ditches, transported ordnance, and polished the walls of the city. Wood Rolling Stones.

Taking advantage of the advantages of the Han army's equipment, especially the thunderbolt chariot and kerosene bombs, after learning a lesson, a large amount of sand and river water were prepared above and below the city wall to prepare for it.He also expelled all the old and weak in the city to the east, completely fighting to the end.

But the arrival of the Han army came sooner than Li Tinggui imagined.

Between the mountain roads from Xingzhou to Xixian County, a Han army is marching eastward along the mountain roads.There are not many people and horses, only a battalion of [-] cavalry, and a hundred cavalry at the front and rear.This is the vanguard of the Han army, led by Murong Chengtai.

The marching route for advancing Hanzhong this time has already been set, and there is no other way to go. Xixian County is the biggest obstacle to marching into Nanzheng, and it has to be broken.Early on, he investigated the movements of Dexi County. After taking Xingzhou, Xiang Xun led his army to rest in Shunzheng City, and sent an army first to use it as a forward to open the way and test the enemy's situation.

Murong Chengtai took the initiative to ask for an order to lead the army. He has been with Xiang Xun for so long, and this time he has gone through battles before and after. A chance to lead alone.

Even so, Xiang Xun still gave some advice, don't rush into the army, be careful of ambushes, focus on temptation, and don't attack the city without arrogance.Even with many instructions and constraints on his head, Murong Chengtai was still very excited.

After entering the winter, the troops of the Han army also changed into winter clothes, especially the southwestern armies, which were the first to put in place.Lined with a jacket, wrapped in a draped jacket, wrapped in an ink scarf, and worn with hemp shoes, and matched with military uniforms to keep out the cold.

Riding the horse in front, leading the subordinates, along the Chuanlong post road, advancing calmly, keeping alert, ready to go into battle at any time.The soldiers who were sent to advance were naturally the elite of the Southwest Army, and they traveled for tens of miles without much fatigue.

Murong Chengtai's marching arrangements were also well-planned, and the waiting riders were scattered far away, ten miles away.Fortunately, the energy of the Shu army was on the city defense of Xixian County, and there were no obstructions or ambushes, and there was no damage to the roads and planks.

The journey went smoothly, except for some sporadic refugees going eastward, there were no obstacles, which made Murong Chengtai, who was cautious all the way, very bored, and muttered: "I thought the march would be difficult, but I never thought it would be so smooth. If it were the Shu army, they would have to destroy the post road anyway.”

"The defeat of the Shu army is like a bereaved dog. It's not enough to die, so how can we care about these?" The battalion school next to him said to Murong Chengtai in a relaxed tone: "That's fine, vanguard marching is hard work, if we can easily catch up Wouldn't it be nice to go to Xi County?"

The post road twists and turns, winding to the east, surrounded by high mountains and dangerous walls, and the mountain wind is cold, Murong Chengtai couldn't help but rubbed his hands, and said with a smile: "The weather is getting colder, I hope that the Shu army can take the initiative to fight against me , then let me loosen my muscles and bones and warm my body!"

"The army of Shu may have no guts!"

Nowadays, the officers and soldiers of the Han army are more or less arrogant, and most of the soldiers despise the Shu army. This is the impact of the winning streak and is inevitable.Everyone knows that the enemy should not be underestimated, but when the mood comes up, how can they take so much into account, especially for middle and lower rank officers.

It wasn't until I came out of the mountain and got close to Jushui that I got the report, and the front was strange.

At the Jushui Ferry, the floating beams had been burnt down, the air was filled with the smell of burning oil, and the bright firelight made the sky much darker against the background.

In the evening, the flag of the Han army was flying on the west bank of Jushui.There are still hundreds of refugees stranded by the ferry, all looking at the burning floating beams, weeping unceasingly.

Qingqi rushed to see this scene, Murong Chengtai couldn't help being surprised, and asked Tanqi: "What's the situation here?"

"General, these are refugees fleeing south in Xingzhou. The Shu army set up checkpoints here. When they saw our army's outpost, they poured oil on fire, burned the floating beams and left. Abandon these Shu people on the west bank!" Tell Murong Chengtai about the situation obtained from the question.

"The Shu army has obviously become a frightened bird. The so-called invincible, see our army flag, and retreat without fighting!"

Looking at the situation of Jushui, the water flow is not large in winter, and it flows from shallow mountains and hills. The mountains are not high but the gullies are deep, and the ground is uneven but the slopes are gentle. Murong Chengtai said: "It seems that the Shu army also knows that this water It was difficult to stop our army, so we abandoned our defense and retreated back to the west city."

"Gather all these refugees to me, lead them to cut trees and build camps, and camp on the west bank tonight!" Murong Chengtai commanded coldly, sweeping past the frightened refugees driven by the Han cavalry: " Send the order to the rear battalion, speed up the march!"

"General, most of these refugees are old and weak, and I'm afraid they won't be able to do much!" the subordinate shook his head and looked down upon them.

"One point is one point!" Murong Chengtai said coldly: "These untouchables, why bother, when I am an obedient citizen of a big man, have you wronged them? Ignorant of current affairs, fleeing from home and fleeing, suffering this bad luck, is not because of Abandoned by the Shu army, ask for trouble!"

The organization and execution of the Han army is already very high in contemporary times, and it has its own military system when setting up camp.Under the leadership of the officers, they moved up and down, and soon a simple camp rose from the ground. The defense was not considered strong, but the layout was very orderly, enough to shelter from the wind and cold.

After arranging passwords, battalion defense, and patrolling, and inspecting weapons, food, and horses, twilight has completely fallen.Even Murong Chengtai, who was always energetic, was exhausted after such a toss.Although he was only in charge of a battalion of hundreds of soldiers, it was as if he had a heavy responsibility, and he had a deeper understanding of marching and stationing in the camp.

After nightfall, the winter wind is even colder, engulfed in water vapor, and invades the muscles and bones.In the camp, a lot of bonfires had already been lit to keep warm, and the cooking of the meal was late, so the smell of the meal in the air was very attractive.

Murong Chengtai tried his best to eat with the soldiers, but after eating two pieces of cake, he took out a water bag in the name of patrolling the camp, took a few sips, and it contained wine
"General, those refugees have no rations and are waiting to be fed. The commander has an order not to harm the people when they march, whether or not." The officer under his command found Murong Chengtai and asked for instructions.

In order to ensure the safety of the camp, the hundreds of refugees were monitored three miles outside the camp.I can only light a few fires, find some grass and trees, and huddle and starve to endure the cold, it is very miserable.

"The commander-in-chief said not to disturb the people, but he didn't ask us to help them! We are fighting now, and it is not uncommon for you to know how difficult it is to transport the military rations from the rear to the front. How can you distribute the rations to the soldiers!" Murong Chengtai said. , with a stern look on his face, but after hesitating for a while, he finally waved his hands and said: "Forget it, there are not many people around, so make some gruel and send it to fill their stomachs. Tell them where they came from and where they go back!" "

"Yes!"

Leading a small group of soldiers out of the camp and checking in front of the ferry, Murong Chengtai's black face almost melted into the night, the original floating beams were completely gone, only some residual wood remained, and some smoke could still be smelled.

Looking at the opposite bank, in the twilight, one can vaguely see a figure flickering, which should be a Shu soldier used for investigation and surveillance.The outline of Xixian City is also vaguely visible, and it is so far away that it feels a little bleak.

"I wonder if the defenders in the west city are panicked at this time?" Murong Chengtai muttered.

Taking a deep breath, Murong Chengtai ordered the sentry officer whom he had summoned: "Tomorrow morning, send someone to detour across Fushui to cross the river to check the enemy's situation in the west city and the surrounding terrain. In addition, search along the upper and lower reaches to see if they can Get some ships!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)