Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 237 Chasing the North!
The sunset at Waqiaoguan is not so poetic and picturesque. The surrounding trees are all cut down ten miles outside the city. Military fortresses usually cut down all the surrounding trees. Build siege engines.

Although Waqiaoguan is close to the big river, it is not a place with green mountains and green waters. It is surrounded by desolation and bitterness, and only to the north is a large field.

Shi Cong's life at Yunwaqiaoguan was not easy. When he first arrived at the northern front line, he often missed the three beautiful girls at home. However, the battle ahead became more and more tense, and his brain was highly active, so he didn't have time to think about those things later. up.

The camping situation of the army is also very difficult. The tents usually used are made of green mantle, with tung oil on the surface, which has a certain waterproof effect, but as long as there is a lot of rain, it will not work. The sackcloth sleeps with the quiver under its pillow, the battlefield environment is so harsh.

There have been several heavy rains in the past two days, which made this hardship even worse.

In contrast, his large tent in the Chinese army is much more comfortable, but Shi Congyun often inspects the tents of ordinary soldiers, and he has a hard time knowing that if the superior and the subordinate understand each other out of touch, big troubles will easily happen.

As a commander, you must understand the difficulty of the soldiers at the grassroots level, and communicating with the soldiers can also allow the soldiers to understand the commander's thinking and overall combat thinking.

At noon, Shi Congyun teamed up with three soldiers and soldiers stationed in the third battalion of the fourth army of the first wing of Konghe. He happened to visit the camp when he arrived here, so he settled down here.

Their camp was by the river. Two wooden forks were used to set up a wooden stick in the middle, and a large clay pot was hung on it. Some dried meat and dried vegetables were put in it to cook together. The guards carefully took out a stick from their arms. Bao added some coarse salt, and seeing the expectant eyes of the soldiers, Shi Congyun simply said: "Add more, only with salt can we have the strength to fight."

After speaking, he did it himself and shook most of it in. Many soldiers sitting around the campfire looked at him and laughed.

It was almost cooked, and Shi Congyun took the lead to take a sip with a wooden spoon. The mixture of dried meat and dried vegetables had a special smell that was not pleasant, not as good as the ones at home, but it had a unique aroma.

"It's ready to eat." More than a dozen soldiers had been waiting for a long time. As soon as he spoke, everyone hurriedly brought up bowls and chopsticks.

Shi Congyun also randomly found a notched bowl to hold a bowl of soup, folded two pieces of straw from the side to use as chopsticks, and ate it. The corporal leader who made the soup for everyone was a veteran, so he deliberately added two yuan to his bowl Meat.

Shi Congyun fished it out and handed it to the youngest-looking one among the dozen or so people. He was only about sixteen or seventeen years old, and the helmet on his head was obviously too big.

The boy was a little panicked.

Shi Congyun laughed and said: "The first time I fought a war, I was about the same age as you. I was so scared that I didn't know what to do, but I just did what the people around me did, and we won in the end.

The thieves of the Northern Han Dynasty and the Khitan thieves were defeated, throwing away their helmets and armor all the way. "

"I heard them say that the commander-in-chief killed more than 100 people in Hedong!" the boy said in admiration.

"Ah..." Shi Congyun was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed triumphantly, "You know this kind of thing, whoever said it."

"There are many storytellers in the capital, and there are also many people in the teahouse."

Shi Congyun was very happy: "Eat more meat, you are going to grow up at your age."

As they talked, everyone gradually let go. At first, they were too nervous because of the arrival of the commander-in-chief, so they dared not speak, but now they talk more.

"Marshal, when are we going to fight the Khitan dog thieves?" someone asked.

The soldiers immediately put on a straight face, "This is a military secret, and it's something the commander-in-chief discussed with the officials. How could you, a former soldier, ask you that!"

One sentence made the faces of the dozen or so soldiers sitting around turn pale. The commander and the officials are unattainable. People who can decide their life and death with one sentence, could they be in trouble?

Shi Congyun raised his hand to stop the soldiers, "It's okay, it's not a big deal, don't be nervous.

Now the brothers from Yijin Pass are blocking the Khitan thieves for us, just waiting for them to hit their heads there, and then we will go north and clean up the Khitan dog thieves neatly. "

"Clean them up!"

"This time we must deal with them severely, otherwise the brothers in Yijinguan will die in vain."

In the morning, both Hezhong Prefecture and Liaozhou sent battle reports. The Jiedu Envoy of Hezhong sent troops to the north to oppress and harass the border of the Northern Han Dynasty. Li Yun, the Jiedu Envoy of the Zhaoyi Army in Liaozhou, also sent soldiers to attack westward. After attacking their side the possibility is gone.

Since then, Gu's worries have been completely relieved, and Yijin Pass has held firm for ten days, and the Liao army has continued to attack the city for six days, but it is still unable to attack the top of the city.

The damage in Yijin Pass was also quite large, with more than [-] people killed and more than [-] injured. The main reason is that the terrain in Hebei is peaceful and the city wall is too long, so it is necessary to disperse troops to garrison.

If it is a fortified city like Shouzhou or Taiyuan, an army of about [-] people is enough to defend for a year or two so that the Liao army cannot break through it, but Yijin Pass cannot.

Wang Shenqi said that he could hold on for a month, but Shi Congyun knew that it was impossible for them to hold on for a month.

In mid-June, the Liao army stationed troops at Yijin Pass. In the vast woods, fields, and villages to the south of Yijin Pass, small groups of Liao and Zhou troops encountered confrontations from time to time, and the battles between the two sides caused mutual damage.

Shi Congyun's desk is just some numbers, but there is no doubt that the war is going on fiercely, especially near Yijin Pass.

Shi Congyun calculated the time in his heart, thinking that he should not wait too long. The characteristic of the Liao army's fighting is that it is not long-lasting, so it cannot be estimated by the Zhou army's standard.

Zhou's army was able to besiege Shouzhou and besieged the city continuously for more than a year, but it was impossible for the Liao army. If Yijin Pass could not be attacked for a long time and the road to the south was blocked, their army might retreat to Youzhou.

If they retreated to Youzhou, it would become a situation where they attacked the city and they stationed troops under the city.

So there was another heavy rain in mid-June. After the weather cleared up and the scorching sun gradually rose, Shi Congyun immediately ordered all the commanders of the troops to come to Waqiaoguan to discuss matters.

That night, Shi Congyun didn't sleep well all night. Even though he had already thought about how to fight and how to deal with it, he was so excited that he couldn't fall asleep when things came to an end.

Someone once said that a strategic decisive battle is a gamble on the fate of the country and the army. The word "gamble" is very unpleasant, but there is no suitable word to replace it.

The current situation is like this. This is a decisive battle between the Liao Kingdom and the new Zhou Kingdom, which has just been established for only eight years.

If this game is lost, the whole country of Zhou will definitely rarely dare to speak up and go north in the future.

The fate of a country is often determined in this way. For example, in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty also expanded abroad in the early days of the founding of the country. Zhao Kuangyin successively attacked the Kingdom of Shu, Southern Han, Nanping, Wuping, Southern Tang, and defeated the Khitan twice. The imperial army has the highest morale , the combat effectiveness is the strongest, and the whole country is most confident in fighting.

But what happened later was that Zhao Kuangyin died inexplicably when he was preparing for the Northern Expedition to destroy the Northern Han Dynasty. After Zhao Guangyi succeeded to the throne, he lost to Khitan in a strategic decisive battle. All are gone, the Song Dynasty changed from strategic offense to strategic defense, and the fate of a country also changed accordingly.

The Ming Dynasty is similar. Before a civil fortress, the national policy of the Ming Dynasty was completely changed. If the Ming Dynasty before the civil fortress was a strategic offensive at the national level, then after the civil fortress change, it will completely become a strategic defense and Back off and become like Da Song.

A strategic decisive battle can determine the fate of the country, and the new country must face it.

For example, the Xiongnu in the early Han Dynasty, the Turks in the early Tang Dynasty, and now it is Khitan for the Great Zhou Dynasty. If the Liao Kingdom can be completely defeated, just like the Han Dynasty did to the Xiongnu and the Tang Dynasty did to the Turks, then in the future, the newborn The country is the avenue of sunshine.

If not, it will slowly fall into the C-shaped encirclement of the Mongolian Plateau, the Western Regions, and the Qinghai-Tibet Grassland like the Song Dynasty and the middle and late Ming Dynasty, and it is destined to be a big country locked in the farming area.

The more far-sighted this kind of pressure is, the greater it is. If you can't see this layer, you won't be so nervous.

But because of his long-term perspective, he absolutely does not want to lose. If a country wants to go long-term and become bigger and stronger, it must have the determination and determination to fight with one punch in the early and middle stages of the founding of the country, so as to avoid a hundred punches. courage.

On the same day, after many generals were summoned to the Waqiaoguan camp, Shi Congyun changed into a suit of armor. This time he decided to go on the field in person. He put on the armor to see the crowd to let them understand the importance of this battle.

At noon, Shi Congyun didn't prepare lunch, and directly summoned the generals to discuss matters.

All the generals sat together in the big tent, Shi Congyun was at the front, and two maps were hung on the wooden frame, one was the general situation around the Sanguan.

The other is a detailed map of the vicinity of Yijin Pass drawn by Wang Shenqi and others.

"Over the past few days, in the direction of Zhenzhou behind us, Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde have already defeated the rebel soldiers of the Northern Han Dynasty. Worry about the future is completely lifted.

A few days ago, General Murong Yanzhao defeated thousands of Liao troops between Waqiao Pass and Yijin Pass. Wang Shenqi was still holding on to the north. The Liao Kingdom hoarded troops for more than ten days and was unable to attack for a long time. Frustrated.

The time for a decisive battle has come. "Shi Congyun directly used the word affirmative, without giving everyone a chance to refute or express their opinions. This is completely different from his previous style, and it also made everyone realize that this time is extraordinary.

"The Liao Army has around 6 to [-] people, slightly more than ours, but their morale is low and they are not acclimatized, so they are nothing to be afraid of." Shi Congyun said confidently, as if he was not the one who was so anxious that he couldn't sleep last night.

"Here, a certain order: Waqiao Pass, Wen'an County, Dacheng County, Yukou Pass, and Duliukou's armies, according to the previous arrangement, will immediately gather at Yijin Pass tomorrow morning to launch a full-scale attack!"

"No!" The crowd responded in unison.

After finishing speaking, Shi Congyun looked at Zhao Kuangyin, who was standing in the front two rows with a very dark face: "General Zhao, you still follow the plan to go north and detour to Gu'an to block the rear of the bandits."

"The order of the last general!" Zhao Kuangyin cupped his hands.

Then Shi Congyun took the detailed map of the vicinity of Yijinguan to it.

"The following is the specific deployment.

About one mile in front of Yijin Pass, there is a small river slanting from northwest to southeast. This river is called Xiaoniuxi (it is no longer there). The front of Yijinguan is too wide. In order for everyone to determine the location, we will use Xiaoniuxi as the location.

After the troops from Wen'an, Dacheng, Yukou Pass, and Duliukou arrive, they will be on the east side of the Liao army. Luo Yanhuan, Si Chao, and Wang Huan, your army is responsible for compressing the Liao army on the east side of the river, but you should not cross Xiaoniuxi. , as long as the Liao army is compressed to the front.

If the Liao army wants to cross the river and go east, you must support it for a certain period of time so that the army behind can pursue it. "

"No!" The three said in unison.

Then Shi Congyun looked at his father, who had the most elite Long Jie cavalry in his hands, "Shi Yanchao's troops advanced with the Chinese army, and after arriving, they were deployed on the southwest flank of Yijin Pass, on the right wing of the army."

"No!" The old man promised earnestly, he is also the kind who stands out from the crowd in the whole big tent.

"The Crane Controlling Army is led by Wang Quanbin, and the Shenhuo is led by Shao Ji. Follow our Chinese Army."

"Your order!" The two took a step forward and cupped their hands.

"The rest of the crane-controlling cavalry are led by Shao Ji and Murong Yanzhao, on the left wing of the central army."

"promise!"

"."

At this point, in fact, even if he did not make deployments, many veterans in the army knew how to fight. After all the deployments were completed, Shi Congyun said: "We must win this battle, and we must win, everyone! Just remember one thing, once the Khitans come, they must not be allowed to go back safely.

Behind us are the Zhenzhou Army, Liaozhou Army, and Hezhong Army who are working hard. In front of us, the troops of Wang Shenqi, Xiang Xun, and Dong Zunjiao are fighting bloody battles with Khitan bandits at Yijin Pass in exchange for such a great opportunity for an all-out attack. Cheap Khitan people.

A certain society will go north in person and command this battle from the township. This battle is about the stability of the country, the future of you and your family, and the future of my great week. "

Everyone looked serious, and they even cupped their hands to express their understanding.

After the discussion ended at noon that day, the generals hurried back to the station to assemble the army, and Waqiaoguan also began to prepare for the battle. Wang Quanbin, Wang Zhong, Shao Ji, and Murong Yanzhao began to mobilize the army, reorganize the army, and prepare for the big battle tomorrow morning .

Shi Congyun continued to listen to reports from Yijin Pass in the big tent. He was afraid that the Liao army would leave.

On the other hand, Guo Tingwei and Pan Mei worked with him to study the tactics that the Liao army might use on the battlefield.

That night, Shi Congyun slept soundly because there were too many things to do during the day and he was too busy.

At dawn, someone woke him up. Shi Congyun washed his face groggyly, and soon woke up. Outside the big tent, the sound of drums and trumpets was loud, and the sound of horseshoes was rumbling, and the army was gathering.

Shi Congyun ordered people to put on armor for him, put a sword on his waist, and wore a bow. He didn't bring a spear. He felt that he had no chance to charge forward.

Since the Han Dynasty began large-scale battles with the Huns, from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, the swords that came from Chu and Han struggles for hegemony were gradually eliminated, and the sword became the main equipment of the army, and it has continued since then, because after the Han Dynasty began large-scale cavalry battles, it was found that horseback combat Knives work better.

But for Shi Congyun, the sword is a symbol of status, power, and force, and whether it is easy to use is secondary.

When they arrived outside the camp with their own soldiers on horseback, [-] troops had assembled on the open ground north of Waqiao Pass, and the vast phalanx stretched several miles from east to west. Ride back and forth, and ask for orders.

"March!" Shi Congyun ordered.

Soon, the horn of desolation sounded outside the Waqiao Pass, and the black army began to divert like a tide, and then headed north. Between the large fields, the long steel dragon could not see its head and tail.

Many recruits looked tense and could not speak. Some veterans whistled and laughed. The sound quickly dissipated in the field with the wind. Only the rustling of armor, the sound of horseshoes and heavy footsteps pierced far away.

Shi Congyun looked at the northern end of the long dragon from a distance, and his vision reached the end of a poplar forest in a field. He knew in his heart that further north was the 5-strong army of the Liao Kingdom.
(End of this chapter)