Fenghou

Chapter 468
As soon as Li Muqing entered the army camp, Wu Hongwei, the county magistrate, brought him a few businessmen. This was the businessman Li Muqing ordered Wu Hongwei to find, and it was also the task Chen Qing entrusted to Li Muqing.

The three merchants were all Han merchants. They went to the Hexi Corridor to do business in porcelain, cloth and tea cakes, and they stayed in Didao County in winter.

The three saluted Li Muqing together, "Xiaomin sees General Li!"

"Three proprietors, please sit down!"

Li Muqing politely asked the three of them to sit down, and served tea to the soldiers.

"I'm looking for the three to know about the situation of the Yellow River. When can I cross the Yellow River?"

The three businessmen looked at each other and laughed, "The general asked us the right person. We are also waiting for the Yellow River to completely thaw in Didao County."

"Can you tell me in detail?"

"Actually, the situation is different every year, but it's not the same for a few days. Ten days ago, you could walk across the ice, but now you can't. The ice on the river has cracked, which is very dangerous. In a few days, the ice will become bigger and bigger." The smaller it is, the more it flows downstream, which is called ice flood, and it is also very dangerous, until the end of February, when the drift ice on the river is completely over, then the ferry will not open."

"The three mean to wait at least half a month?"

"Almost! It's cold this year, and it may be a few days later. It is estimated that we will not be able to cross the river until the end of February."

Li Muqing smiled and said: "Thank you so much to the three proprietors, can you tell me more about the situation in Hexi, my Jiedushi is also very concerned about the Hexi Corridor."

Li Muqing's [-] troops almost entered Didao County on the front foot, while the [-] Xixia army entered the Taohe Valley on the back foot.

The Taohe Valley is more than two hundred miles long and dozens of miles wide. The climate is warm and humid, the land is fertile, the terrain is flat, and the light and hot water sources are abundant. It has always been a famous agricultural area in history.

It was still early spring, and the endless wheat seedlings were growing lush and green, but there was no one in the villages, no food, no valuables, only mud-walled thatched huts and some broken furniture.

And the Tibetans and Qiang people on the other side of the river were nowhere to be seen, not even their tents.

The angry Xixia army set fire all the way, thick smoke billowed everywhere in Taohe River, and villages were engulfed in flames.

Xia Lian knew very well that the Song army was behind them about a day's journey away, so he was very cautious, placing the convoy of supplies in the middle of the army to prevent them from being attacked by the Song army.

That evening, the army came to an open grassland. It is rare that thousands of acres of land are grasslands but no wheat fields. Xia Lian immediately ordered the troops to camp on the spot. The so-called camps were only dozens of large tents for the use of middle and high-level generals. , Low-level generals and ordinary soldiers can only sleep in the open.

Of course, Xixia is a country founded by nomads, so it is not a big problem without tents. Although the spring is cold, the army still has a way to solve the problem of cold wind at night, that is, bonfires.

Thousands of soldiers were ordered to cut down trees in the surrounding area and prepare to light dozens of bonfires.

Xia Lian was afraid that the Song army would attack at night, so he also sent more than a hundred spies to monitor the movement of the main force of the Song army. In addition, Xia Lian also took great pains in placing food and supplies. It can't be too far away, and it can't be placed on the edge.

Xia Lian designed the position of the bonfire as a circle, and dozens of bonfires were distributed on the edge of the circle, while the food and grass supplies were placed in the center of the circle, which was safer.

Several Song army scouts also stared at the food and supplies of the Xixia army in the distance.

There is a scout team of more than [-] people hidden in the northeast corner. The leader is Tang Qian, the deputy commander of the second scout battalion. The second scout battalion is usually responsible for lurking in the opponent's city, but Tang Qian has shown that he is a wild scout. His talent won the appreciation of Yang Zaixing and Liu Qiong.

This time he captured Cao Baozong, and he was also highly commended by Chen Qing, and he was entrusted with a heavy task again, appointing him as the leader of the second scout, tracking and looking for opportunities to destroy the enemy's luggage.

Tang Qian carefully observed the location of the enemy's luggage. It was too difficult to complete any task, and even if the task was completed, it would not be easy to come back alive.

He pondered for a long time, drew a circle on the ground with a branch, and marked a triangle symbol in the center of the circle, and said to Lin Tao, the head of the scout: "Actually, it is easier to get close to the edge of the circle. It’s a full mile, and it’s full of patrols, this pass is very sad.”

Lin Tao thought for a while and said, "I have an idea, but how does the commander get close to the circle?"

"It's very simple. I also go to chop firewood. I can speak a few party words, so I can pretend to be a party member."

Tang Qianchang was from Gyeongju, with dark skin and a big beard. He really looked like a barbarian. He had already figured out how to infiltrate the enemy army.

"What can you do?" Tang Qian asked again.

Lin Tao scratched his head and said, "I saw Xixia soldiers dragging the branches with their horses, so I thought that if the horses were frightened, they would rush in and hide under the horse's belly."

Lin Tao's method has loopholes, the startled horse is easily intercepted by the enemy, but this direction is correct and can be optimized, such as the timing of the startled horse's attack and so on.

Tang Qian rolled his eyes, and he thought of an optimized method, but he needed the cooperation of a soldier.

Xixia soldiers went back one after another carrying the felled wood. Many soldiers felled a whole tree and dragged it back with their horses.

Tang Qian was one of them. Wearing the armor of the Xixia Army, he turned into a small Xixia leader who was wiped out in Xinxia City.

The most important thing is to choose the timing. Although it is good at night, he can't use the horses. The distance of one mile and the dense sentry posts make it impossible for him to pass.

And everyone will use horses when chopping firewood and transporting wood. This time is the best opportunity to take advantage of the startled horses.

With a bow and arrow on his back, he pulled a horse and dragged a big tree to a bonfire. Several soldiers were raising the fire, but it couldn't be ignited. Someone complained: "There is obviously kerosene over there to Borrow it, but refuse to agree."

"Are you crazy?"

The general next to him scolded angrily: "There is an order from above. If you enter that circle, you will be shot and killed. If you want to die, go by yourself!"

At this moment, someone shouted not far behind Tang Qian, "The horse is shocked! The horse is shocked!"

Everyone turned their heads one after another, only to see a vigorous war horse galloping towards them.

"Quickly open!"

Tang Qian shouted in party language: "Everyone get out of the way, let me subdue it!"

The soldiers ran away one after another, Tang Qian went up to meet him, pulled the rope and jumped onto the horse, but his body was hanging on the side of the horse.

This horse is the charcoal horse of the enemy general Cao Baozong. It is an extremely vigorous war horse, flexible and fast. Chen Qing rewarded it to Tang Qian.

Tang Qian was already able to control the horse, but he pretended that he couldn't control it, and shouted to the patrolling soldiers in the circle, "The horse is frightened, get out of the way!"

More than a dozen patrol soldiers saw Tang Qian flying on the horse halfway, trying to control the horse, which gave them the illusion that Tang Qian had nothing to do with the horse, and the other party also acted bravely in order to subdue the startled horse.

They hesitated, but did not intercept each other, Tang Qian and Jingma galloped past them.

In the distance, the chief general Xia Lian was sitting on a boulder drinking tea. He suddenly saw a horse galloping in the restricted area he had marked out. Did not respond.

He jumped to his feet and shouted, "Shoot him! Shoot the horse!"

He was too far away from the horse, and the soldiers who were hundreds of steps away did not hear his cry. He was so anxious that he drew out his sword and ran away.

Tang Qian did not rush directly into the luggage area, but ran along the edge, shouting at the same time: "Get out of the way, the horse is frightened!"

The patrolling soldiers raised their bows and arrows, hesitantly, unable to shoot. At this moment, Tang Qian suddenly turned the body of the horse, and the horse rushed straight to the baggage area. In an instant, it rushed between the two patrol soldiers. Three hundred steps down.

The Xixia soldiers finally realized that it was not the frightened horses, but the Song Army's strategy.

They drew their bows and arrows one after another, and shot at the running horse and Tang Qian.

The war horse was extremely flexible, running left and right, dodging the arrows shot from all around.

Tang Qian was only a hundred steps away from the luggage pile, and in front of him were five hundred spear soldiers, forming a large spear formation, forming the last long contradiction in the luggage area.

While running at high speed, Tang Qian ignited a sulphur-coated torch, which would not go out even in the wind. He then ignited a gunpowder arrow.

The fire rope was whistling and smoking green smoke, he threw away the fire bag, quickly took off the riding bow, controlled the horse with his legs, stretched the bow and set an arrow, and shot an arrow while galloping.

(End of this chapter)