The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 666 The First Battle in Huaibei

In the north of Song City, a Sui army army that stretched for more than ten miles and was about five miles wide appeared on the vast land. The tents were like huge mushrooms, which was spectacular.

Pei Xingyan's large tent of the Chinese army has been set up, and the sand table is also set up in the front camp. At this time, the soldiers are still packing up the camp, but Pei Xingyan is standing in front of the sand table and thinking about the next battle. In Li Jing's plan, Liang Jun It is the key link. As long as Chen Zhilue is defeated, Xu Shiji and Wang Bole will fall into a situation where they cannot be connected end to end. For him and Gao Yaxian, for the second general, winning Liang County was only the first step, and the second step was to hold on to this territory, so they had to consider whether Xu Shiji and Wang Bodang would send reinforcements.

Wang Bodang of Huaiyang County has [-] troops, but the Sui army facing him includes the Fifth Army of Yingchuan Xie Yingdeng, and Li Jing's army in Huai'an. With the fall of Ruyin, they are in a situation surrounded by three sides, and it is possible to send troops to help However, Xu Shiji of Pengcheng has an army of [-] after emergency expansion, mainly stationed in Fengxian and Tengxian counties. It is not only the main force of Yang Gongren's defense garrison in Zoushan, Zoushan County, Lu County, but also can support Dangshan and Yushan in Liangjun County nearby. The county can also deter Dongping County, and the other part is located in the area of ​​Baodu Mountain in Lanling County to defend against the Sui army in Langye County.So from the current point of view, Xu Shiji is very likely to send troops, but Pei Xingyan is not too worried, because although Xu Shiji has many soldiers, he is facing the danger of food shortage just like Chen Zhilue. The consumption was huge, and without a stable logistics supply, it was difficult to guarantee a large number of troops. The key point was that Yang Gongren's military strength was no worse than Xu Shiji's. He also had many places to defend, and he seemed very passive and unable to let go.

However, Xu Shiji is good at using soldiers, so it should not be underestimated.Under the unfavorable situation, it may not be possible for a strong man to give up Pengcheng and concentrate his forces to attack Liang County, and then join Li Mi and Wang Bodang to form a powerful force. Dongping County, located in Balishuibo, is in serious trouble.

"Is the general worried that Chen Zhilue will stick to Song City, which will cause the battle of Liang County to be suspended for a long time?" At some time, Gao Yaxian appeared beside Pei Xingyan.

The two were the main division and deputy commander of the third army, and they cooperated tacitly. Seeing Pei Xingyan staring at Dongping County for a long time without saying a word, they asked aloud.

Pei Xingyan glanced at him, shook his head and said with a smile: "Chen Zhilue is one of the leaders of the Jiangdu Rebellion. If he doesn't defend the city, can he open the city and surrender?"

Only then did Gao Yaxian realize the loopholes in his words. As Pei Xingyan said, Chen Zhilue had no other choice but to live and die with Li Mi. What else could he do if he didn't stick to it?It's just that this will bring great casualties to the Sui army, "General, our mission is to take down Song City with very little loss and at a very fast speed, and then nail it here like a nail, lest Li Mi's few One army joined forces and headed north to Dongping for cholera. However, although we have sharp siege equipment, Chen Zhilue, who has no way out, has [-] elites and tens of thousands of people who have initiated defense. If we attack Songcheng in a short period of time, we will definitely suffer a lot of casualties if we attack it by force. But if it is delayed for a long time, we will hold back the army."

"I didn't think about attacking by force." Pei Xingyan said with a smile.

"What does the general mean?" Gao Yaxian was stunned, a little confused about Pei Xingyan's meaning.

Pei Xingyan said indifferently: "Have you forgotten Chen Zhilue's strong walls and clear fields?"

Chen Zhilue learned his lesson this time. He was worried that the Sui army would defeat them one by one with superior forces. From the very beginning, he used the tactics of fortifying the wall and clearing the field, and wiped out all the seven counties of Chenliu, Yongqiu, Kaocheng, Xiangyi, Yucheng, Chuqiu, and Ningling. He gave up, but moved all the people in these seven counties into Songcheng and other counties, and only guarded Songcheng, Zhecheng, Yucheng and other counties in the eastern half of Liang County, so that Pei Xingyan got only empty cities, but this did not affect Pei Xingyan. Logistics, because his supplies originated from Xingyang County and were transported here through the Tongji Canal.But as the people arrived in Song City in large numbers, it meant that Chen Zhilue had a lot of young and strong people who came to be husbands.Facing this kind of fortified city with a large number of people, they will also encounter great resistance when attacking the city.

Since ancient times, critical battles have been battles in which human lives are exchanged for victory, so there is a saying of "siege is the next".

Once the offensive and defensive battle of Song City started, it must not be stopped until the winner was determined. This is why Pei Xingyan has not issued an order to siege the city. He will never bury the army under the city unless it is absolutely necessary.

Gao Yaxian thought about it for a while, and said clearly: "The general said that there are people from us in the city?"

Pei Xingyan said: "As early as when Chen Zhilue was trying to fortify the walls and clear the country, I sent [-] elite troops into the city. What we have to do is actually very simple, which is to give the soldiers in the city a chance to win."

"The general has a clever plan, this battle will definitely be a success!" Gao Yaxian said excitedly.

"The Holy Majesty once said, 'Those who don't plan for the world can't plan for a time, and those who don't plan for the overall situation can't plan for a region'. This trick has long been used by him, and it is a clever plan." Pei Xingyan shook his head and laughed. The Liaodong battle of the Xi clan was still in the battle of Bingzhou and Guanzhong. Yang Tong used this trick more than once, but the enemy was fooled repeatedly. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble and confusion, they dare not cleanse the army and civilians internally, so the enemy is hard to guard against, and no one can guard against them.

"The general's meaning is..."

"Send some troops to beat the gongs for them at night."

"A plan to exhaust the army?"

"Yes, and no." Pei Xingyan said with a smile: "I mean, let the enemy think that we are a plan to exhaust the army; in fact, we will attack the city tonight. The time I agreed with the soldiers in the city will be the night when my army arrives. I led [-] cavalry to enter the city through the east gate, and the other two troops responded from the north and south gates. General Gao ambushed at the west gate." Pei Xingyan explained his plan for attacking the city.

"Here." Gao Yaxian retreated as ordered
. . . . . . . . . .

The night fell again, and amidst the vast rain, the fields in the distance had already left the field of vision of the Song City Wei Army defenders. It was pitch black outside the city, and nothing could be seen dozens of steps away.

Thousands of Wei soldiers on duty at the top of the city were wearing coir raincoats and bamboo hats, leaning against the wall to hide from the rain. Although they were heavily guarded, if you look closely, you will find that the soldiers are more casual.This is not to say that the soldiers of the Wei army did not take the Sui army seriously, but that the Sui army only arrived outside the city in the afternoon. No matter what, the Sui army had to rest all night, and it was raining tonight, the weather was not conducive to the attacking side, so most of the Sui army did not think that the Sui army would attack the city tonight. Everyone seized the time to rest and recharge their batteries for tomorrow's war.

Chen Shao, a member of Chen Zhilue’s clan, is on duty tonight in the north of the city. He is patrolling the city on horseback, watching the direction of the Sui army’s camp in the distance. He can’t see anything clearly in the rainy night. In his opinion, this is an excellent place for a sneak attack. He didn't know whether the Sui army would come to attack the city due to the weather. When he turned around and saw the lazy appearance of his own soldiers, he couldn't help frowning. Strict, otherwise it will only be counterproductive.

"Dangdangdangdang..."

At this moment, the dense sound of gongs and drums sounded outside the city, and the defenders of the city screamed and stood on guard. However, the sound outside came suddenly and went indistinctly. When the Wei army was on high alert, there was not even a single person. .

"What's going on? Where are the enemy troops?"

Hearing the sound of gongs and drums in the north of the city, Chen Zhilue and Liu Liuzhi rushed to the city, but found no trace of the enemy.

"No enemy troops were found." Chen Shao replied with a blank face.

Chen Zhilue frowned and said: "It seems that this is a strategy of the Sui army to exhaust the soldiers. It is to consume the energy of our soldiers so that they can attack the city. If the prediction is correct, they will harass us all night and all night, so that we have no choice but to attack the city." peaceful."

Chen Shao quickly said: "The big battle is coming, if the soldiers don't get rest, how will they fight? Is there any way for the general to crack it?"

"This is a conspiracy, it cannot be broken." Chen Zhilue said helplessly.

"How about we also send people to harass them?" Chen Shao thought of a way.

"Unless we send out a limited number of cavalry, we will go no matter how many times we go." Chen Zhilue shook his head and said, the initiative is in the hands of the Sui army, and there is nothing they can do if they want to fight back. Pei Xingyan made it clear that he wanted to use this method to kill time The problem with their physical strength and spirit is that they are all cavalrymen who come and go like the wind, and they are also good at night combat. If they send people out, they can only pass through the city gate. In the dark night, they don't know that the Sui army is in the city How many people are ambushing outside the gate, if you leave the city rashly, you will not only have the risk of being hunted down by the opponent, but also may be killed by the enemy to enter the city.

While speaking, "Dangdangdangdang..." The sound of gongs and drums sounded in all directions again.

"Extremely hateful!" Chen Shao said unwillingly, "I came here twice at night, if it happened all night, wouldn't our soldiers be surprised all the time?"

Liu Zhi thought for a while and said, "I think the Sui army is preparing for the siege tomorrow. We might as well divide the soldiers into twelve teams, as well as the commoners. There are two teams for each city gate. First, one team of soldiers The defense of the city will be taken over by a group of civilians after two hours, then replaced by another group of soldiers, and then another group of civilians, don’t worry about the others.”

"That's the only way to go!" Chen Zhilue nodded. Although he was very passive, it was really difficult to think of a way to defeat the enemy.

At present, according to Liu Zhi's method, the soldiers and civilian husbands are divided into twelve divisions, each gate has four divisions, and let them take turns guarding the city. Calculated in this way, the soldiers actually only lost two hours of sleep, and each division received Fully resting did not affect tomorrow's battle.

After about a moment, the gongs and drums sounded again, and the generals of the Wei army received Chen Zhilue's order. Although they took strict precautions, they didn't take it too seriously.

Sure enough, not long after, the sound of gongs and drums disappeared.

The sound of the Sui army's gongs and drums was very regular, and they sounded once every time. Chen Zhilue, who was lying on the bed, waited for two hours in a row, and found that the Sui army had never appeared, so he fell into a deep sleep with peace of mind.If it went on for two or three hours, the defenders in the city and even their husbands and people no longer took it seriously, and the whole night was spent in the dense sound of gongs and drums.

When the darkness before dawn came, the defenders had been harassed all night, and the soldiers and civilian husbands on duty were drowsy, while most of the people, including Chen Zhilue, fell asleep with ease.

A soldier reported to Chen Shaohui, who was sleeping on the top of the city tower, "General, some soldiers noticed movement outside the city, like the neighing of war horses."

"Isn't it like this all night? If it's not so real, how can it have the effect of exhausting soldiers. It's normal to be fake and true, true and false..." Chen Shao replied in a daze, and fell asleep again.

The soldier thought about it for a while and thought it was right. The neighing and hoofbeats of the horse seemed to be accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums.

Outside the city of Song Dynasty, two groups of troops appeared under the city like ghosts.

Pei Xingyan led [-] fine cavalry and waited a mile away from the east gate, and [-] soldiers behind them waited patiently with weapons in their hands.

Pei Xingyan rode on a war horse and carefully watched the east gate a mile away with a binoculars. Although it was dark outside, but the city was lit with torches, he could clearly see the situation of the gate.

He is also a general who has experienced countless battles, and he has not been nervous and excited before the battle. No matter whether the soldiers in the city succeed in capturing the lower city gate, he will launch a siege battle tonight. City, if you harass tomorrow night, Wei Jun will definitely not relax tonight.

This is not a great trick, but it is aimed directly at people's hearts, so it has been tried and tested repeatedly.

At this time, the appointed time finally arrived. Pei Xingyan, who was assisted by a telescope, clearly saw a group of men in black quietly killing people, and then more and more people rushed to the top of the city. After a while, the suspension bridge was slowly lowered , the gates on both sides opened almost simultaneously.

"It's today for the soldiers to make meritorious deeds, follow me to kill!" When he opened the code with a torch on the top of the city, Pei Xingyan no longer doubted it.

"kill."

Amidst the screams of the mountains and tsunami, the black army poured into the city gate like a torrent of steel, and inside the city, as if in response to Pei Xingyan, the shrill screams resounded throughout.

The army entered the city.

On the street, I met a panicked Wei army. Without Pei Xingyan's order, the general in front fired a crossbow, and the arrows shone coldly and sharply shot up from the ground, mercilessly harvesting the lives of the defenders.

The sudden arrival of the army made the defenders in the east of the city terrified, and there was a sudden chaos. They threw down their helmets and armor, and fled to the city without their lives.However, what they faced was an army of iron and steel, almost an army of devils from hell. The soldiers who were running frantically were easily stabbed to death, trampled into mud, and died in terrible conditions.

Seeing that the east of the city was already under the control of the Sui army in the city, Pei Xingyan immediately rushed towards the street, and the crowd shouted while running, "General Chen has ordered the whole army to stop resisting."

"General Chen has ordered the whole army to stop resisting."

Instigated by Pei Xingyan, the defenders who heard the news also became confused, especially when everyone was saying "General Chen has an order, the whole army should stop resisting."

Undoubtedly, many people believed this to be true. Everyone went in without knowing it, and saw the Sui army entering the city in a large scale, shouting and killing. It is estimated that the city gate has been closed and Song City is no longer safe, and they all abandoned their weapons and surrendered one after another.

. . . .

At this time, Chen Zhilue, who got the news, hurried to the east of the city. He was sleeping with Jia. Seeing the flames in the east city soaring into the sky, he was taken aback and came to rescue with his personal guards.

Only then did he realize that he had been fooled by the Sui army. The opponent was not trying to exhaust the troops, but was actually attacking the city. He speculated about the Sui army with common sense, which led to what happened tonight.

When he took his personal guards to the street, he saw a cavalry galloping like a frenzied tide amidst the raging fire, like a raging flood towards him.

"Pei Xingyan?"

Chen Zhilue's eyes widened, and then he roared angrily, "Fend off the enemy!"

After giving an order, Chen Zhilue himself stepped back crazily.If he was fighting alone, Chen Zhilue might still dare to wrestle with Pei Xingyan, but at this moment, facing the surging attack of the Sui army, he can only protect himself in order to better command the army to fight.

Pei Xingyan did not pursue, and after killing the Wei army, he turned south immediately, and before the defenders who ran out of the barracks could respond, there was a buzzing sound like a swarm of bees passing by in the sky, and many people subconsciously Looking up, I saw something suddenly appeared in the rain.

The icy arrows tore through the air, roaring and covering the entire barracks. Amidst the screams of all the Wei soldiers, the bloody flowers looked extremely dazzling.

After a rain of arrows, the formation that Wei Jungang organized was completely broken up. Pei Xingyan waved the horse in his hand and said sharply: "Follow me to kill!"

When he reached the south gate, the soldiers who sneaked into the city with a ladder were in full swing with the defenders of the Wei army. A fierce battle broke out between the two armies at the gate. , extremely tragic.

He asked the deputy general to lead a group of guards to dismount and climb to the top of the city to seize the city, while he himself led the soldiers to kill towards the city gate. The horses danced wildly, like whirlwinds passing through the chaotic army, rolling up the sky with broken limbs and broken arms. .

As the Sui army headed by Pei Xingyan showed great power, the defenders finally couldn't resist. They gave way to the cavalry one after another, ran to both sides of the street, knelt down and begged for mercy.

Hundreds of Sui soldiers rushed into the city cave and opened the city gate, and the suspension bridge on the top of the city was also lowered. The general who had been waiting outside the city for a long time gave the order to enter the city, and [-] cavalry rushed into the city.

Pei Xingyan ignored the south gate, and led the soldiers who entered the city with him to turn their horses around and head north to kill.

Chen Zhilue managed to gather a group of soldiers, but before they had time to stand firm, they were crushed by the scattered soldiers and horses.

In less than two quarters, most of the city was occupied by the Sui army. Pei Xingyan was relieved this time, and simply led a cavalry army to stare at Chen Zhilue closely, making him unable to command the army at all, while the soldiers on Pei Xingyan's side, But gradually eating away at the enemy in the city
Finished!

Chen Zhilue had no choice but to lead his troops Ximenben to flee out of the city.

Now he can only retreat all the way to the west, flee to Huaiyang and join Li Mi.

"General Chen, don't run away, Pei Xingyan didn't chase him out." After fleeing for about five or six miles, a general rushed to him and said panting.

"What?" It was a good thing that Sui Jun didn't come after him, but it sounded like thunder in Chen Zhilue's ears.

There were actually not many Sui troops attacking the city before, and he didn't think that the Sui army would not be fully mobilized in such a successful battle to break the city.

"Get up, hurry up!" Chen Zhilue hurriedly shouted at a group of soldiers: "If you don't leave, don't blame me for not reminding you when you die!"

"kill"

Almost at the same time, in the originally quiet night, there was an earth-shattering cry of killing, and almost the entire earth trembled.Chen Zhilue hurriedly looked towards the prestige, and the first thing he saw was densely packed torches, which illuminated the night like day.

Like a black torrent, a cavalry slammed into the chaotic Wei army.

"Boom~"

Countless bodies were knocked into the air, the icy sharpness filled the sky, and the screams shook the sky.

Chen Zhilue watched his remaining army being quickly devoured by this beast-like cavalry, and depression rose from the bottom of his heart.

"I surrender!"

"I surrender."

Amidst the shrill shouts, the soldiers dropped their weapons one after another and knelt on both sides of the mountain road. The cavalry who roared past ignored these Wei troops and continued to charge and fight.

For the Wei army, this was a desperate battle with no winners. They were deserters who had experienced a defeat, but now they had to face the famous Sui cavalry. The majestic coercion of the cavalry alone was enough to make them The demoralized remnants of these defeated generals were heartbroken, and the only remaining will to fight disappeared in an instant. What was left was almost one-sided massacre and countless Wei army soldiers chose to surrender.

Chen Zhilue watched more and more soldiers choose to surrender, and knew that the situation was over. Looking at Pei Xingyan who was killing him from behind, Chen Zhilue raised his head to the sky and let out a desperate roar: "Chen Zhilue is here, how dare Pei Xingyan fight with me?" Fair fight?"

"An unfaithful and unjust murderer, what qualifications do you have to talk about fairness, what qualifications do you have to fight fair with me, Pei Xingyan?" Pei Xingyan, who had been paying attention to him for a long time, snorted coldly, and suddenly took off the crossbow on his horseback, A sharp arrow shot at Chen Zhilue like lightning.

Chen Zhilue, who lost his mind, was caught off guard. The sharp arrow pierced his throat, let out a muffled groan, and fell to the ground with the big knife in his hand.

……

Pei Xingyan handed over the battle to Gao Yaxian, who was ambushing here, and led his pursuers back to Song City.

At this time, the main force of the Sui army had all entered the city and controlled all the gates of Song City. Every household in the city closed their doors and hid in their homes. .

Teams of Sui army cavalry held their torches high and galloped through the streets and alleys of Songcheng, driving out the deserters and routs of the Wei army hidden in every corner. They were arrested and beheaded on the street. Groups of soldiers from the Wei army were driven by the Sui army to gather in the square in the city.

(End of this chapter)