big song poppi

Chapter 240 0237 [Elite Black Bandits? 】

Han Zhen asked: "Are there reinforcements from the rear?"

The spy answered truthfully: "There are no reinforcements!"

Hearing this, Han Zhen's eyes lit up and he asked again: "How heavy is the baggage of the Western Army, and what is its marching speed?"

"There are about a hundred baggage convoys and 3 civilians. There are no tools such as sledges, so the march is slow, about thirty miles a day." The spy estimated.

"What is the scope of the Western Army's scouts?"

"Five miles!"

"Explore and report again!"

After giving the instructions, Han Zhen ordered people to call Nie Dong, Wei Da and others.

After telling the story about the Western Army, everyone's eyes lit up and they were eager to try.

Liu Qi couldn't wait to say: "County magistrate, the Western Army's deep penetration is a God-given opportunity! The last general can send the cavalry battalion to make a surprise attack hundreds of miles away!"

"Captain Liu, please don't rush in."

Nie Dong hurriedly advised: "The Western Army has infantry armor, divine arm crossbows, and is very skilled in dealing with cavalry. If we form a battle formation, even if we can capture it, we will kill a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred."

Han Zhen agreed: "The lion will fight the rabbit with all his strength. Moreover, this is the first battle of our Qingzhou Army. Not only must we win, we must also fight beautifully."

During this period, the people and officials of Qingzhou must be suffering extremely.

Han Zhen needs a beautiful first victory to calm people's hearts.

Secondly, they had never fought against the Western Army before, so there was no way of knowing how much the opponent weighed.

Therefore, out of the above two considerations, Han Zhen chose a safer way.

Taking out the map and unfolding it, Nie Dong pointed to a large mountain and said: "The general thought that Zhangqiu Mountain is too water-tight and the Western Army has a lot of supplies and food, so it can only take the official road. We can travel lightly and rush to Hushan first to wait for work and stop the attack. Western Army!"

Hushan is located about thirty miles outside Zhangqiu City. Their current position is only sixty miles away from Hushan, and they can definitely reach it before the Western Army.

Wei Da stared at the map and pondered for a long time, then nodded and said: "The general seconded the proposal."

Liu Qi also agreed: "This plan is feasible. Our army has sledges in hand and can travel eighty miles a day without giving up the baggage and food. There are large plains and valleys in Hushan for cavalry to charge."

Han Zhen thought for a moment and said loudly: "Okay, the whole army will attack immediately!"

"Order!"

Nie Dong and others looked excited and responded with clasped fists.

For a time, the entire army began intensive preparations for the war.

In addition to ordnance, firearms, and medical kits, each soldier only carried two days of dry food, and the auxiliary army and the food supply troops camped in place.

The sledges, oxen and horses responsible for transporting baggage and grain were used to transport soldiers.

Soldiers are very fast!
An hour later, [-] infantry, plus [-] heavily armored cavalry, headed straight for the Western Army.

The cavalry is still one man and four horses. While marching hastily, the physical strength of the cavalry and war horses is conserved to the maximum extent.

The infantry rode on sledges and galloped in the snow.

Now, only three to five inches of the originally two-foot-thick snow on the ground remained, but it was frozen extremely hard and creaked when you stepped on it.

This kind of snow is suitable for sledge travel.

The sledge is a good thing. Once it was launched, it immediately received unanimous praise from Nie Dong and others.

At this moment, the usefulness of the sledge is once again demonstrated.

Three pack horses or two oxen can easily pull twenty soldiers, and they can travel faster and with less effort than usual.

Of course, the army did not have so many oxen, horses and sledges, but it was not difficult for Han Zhen.

The infantry is divided into two groups and can be transferred in turns.

It not only ensures the marching speed, but also saves the soldiers' physical strength.

……

The sledge slid on the snow, making a rustling sound.

The cold wind howled, but the soldier's heart was filled with warmth.

After practicing hard for so long, it’s finally time to make some achievements.

Don't think that the Qingzhou Army has only been practicing for three to five months and its combat effectiveness is not good.

In fact, the intensity of training of ancient soldiers was directly linked to their diet.

Take the Western Army as an example. They are [-]% full every day, almost no fat or water can be found in meat, and they rely entirely on soybeans and tofu to supplement their protein. In this case, how many hours can they practice a day?

How intense is the training?

On the other hand, the Qingzhou Army had three meals a day of dry rice and one meal of meat every three days. And when they did not eat meat, their meals would also be guaranteed to have a certain amount of oil and water, as well as a large amount of tofu.

Daily training lasts for five hours and is extremely intense.

It’s a simple truth, if you don’t have enough to eat, how can you have the strength to practice?

It’s good to be able to maintain normal body functions and practice.

As for physical training, let alone that.

The results of the Qingzhou Army's three to five months of training are comparable to those of the Western Army's three to five years of training!
Han Zhen sat on the sledge and discussed the specific details of the attack with Nie Dong and others.

The spies in the scout camp would report back the movements of the Western Army every hour.

Every move of the Western Army was completely exposed to Han Zhen's eyes.

Han Zhen spent a lot of energy to set up a scout battalion, and even went through various training methods from his previous life as a soldier.

Nie Dong and others didn't understand it at first. In their opinion, they were just scouts and could be used as they were, so there was no need to invest so much energy.

However, after the last crusade against Zhang Wanxian, they finally understood the importance of the scout camp.

In an era when information transmission methods are backward, an elite scout battalion can make the enemy blind, and at the same time make oneself as if the whole map is open.

In the evening, Han Zhen led his army to successfully rush to Hushan first.

Just as he ordered the soldiers to set up camp, scouts came to report.

"Report, the Western Army is twenty miles away from our army and is camping at Chengjiazhuang."

"Explore and report again!"

After Han Zhen finished speaking, he took Nie Dong, Wei Da and others with him and began intensive preparations for the war.

……

……

night.

A roaring bonfire burned away the chill.

After a day of traveling in the ice and snow, the Western troops were exhausted physically and mentally. They huddled in front of the campfire, took off their boots, and brought their frozen feet to the side of the campfire.

In a house with blue bricks and red tiles, Liu Guangshi was sitting in the lobby, wearing a bearskin fur, enjoying meat porridge.

The three stoves emitted bursts of heat, and the cold wind roared outside, but the inside was as warm as spring.

The Liu family is an official of the Party Xiangfan and a member of the Liu family of the Security Army.

Although his ancestors were from Dangxiang, Liu Guangshi was already the fourth generation and was completely Chineseized.

At this moment, even when marching and fighting, they still use gold bowls and silver chopsticks, showing their luxury.

Liu Guangshi was born as a general, and he joined the official position with his help. He was promoted to the defense envoy, and the military and horse supervisor of Langyan Road.

In the third year of Xuanhe's reign, he followed his father Liu Yanqing to suppress the Fangla Uprising, and was promoted to Yaozhou Observer Envoy and Yanyan Road Soldiers and Horses Commander by virtue of his military exploits.

On the occasion of the expedition to Liao last year, he was promoted to serve as the propaganda envoy of the Fengguo Army.

This position is not low, and he has actually entered the ranks of senior military attachés.

As a result, when he raided Nanjing City of the Liao Kingdom, Liu Guangshi was afraid of the war and breached the contract, which led to the defeat of Guo Yaoshi and the failure of the Northern Expedition.

Song Huizong was furious and demoted him.

Therefore, Liu Guangshi paid special attention to putting down the rebellion this time, and tried every means to gain military glory in an attempt to turn around.

The attack on Zhangqiu was something he snatched from a group of generals.

There are only 3000 to [-] rebels stationed in Zhangqiu City, so the credit is almost free. Who wouldn't want to take it?
With the success of suppressing Zhang Di, plus a series of military achievements such as pacifying the Black Mountain bandits, he should be able to be reinstated, and there is no doubt that he can go further.

Thinking of this, Liu Guangshi couldn't help but feel better.

After dinner and explaining some matters, he returned to the back room of the house and had a good sleep.

The next day.

The Western Army, which rested for the night in Chengjiazhuang, set off again.

The weather is nice today, the sun is high.

However, the sun shone on his body, but he felt no warmth at all. The cold wind seemed to have grown legs, going straight into the gaps in the armor.

Zhao Hu tightened the sleeves of his tight clothes and felt that his whole body was about to freeze. He wanted to make a bonfire to warm his hands and feet, but he was worried about exposing himself.

Just when he was hesitating, a suggestion came from not far away: "Gourd, let's light a fire to warm up."

The Western Army spies always work in groups of three, so even if one person encounters something unexpected, the other two can send back the news in time.

The speaker's name is Tuoba Goudan, a member of the Party.

Tuoba is a popular surname in the party. There are not only [-] but also [-] people with the surname Tuoba.

For example, Liu Guangshi's ancestor also had the surname Tuoba. After Chineseization, his surname was changed to Liu.

Hearing this, Zhao Hu was moved for a while, but he said in denial: "The smoke from the fire is easy to expose."

"This is a place where birds don't poop. There's not even a ghost. It's all exposed."

Another person rubbed his hands and breathed cold air from the cold.

Tuoba Goudan urged: "That's right, hurry up and collect some firewood to make a fire."

Zhao Hu muttered: "If everyone is to blame, I don't care."

"If everyone is to blame, how about I bear the burden alone?" Another person said impatiently.

"That's what you said!"

Zhao Hu was so happy that he went to collect firewood.

They are located halfway up a hill. The view here is wide, and the weather is clear today. They can overlook the surrounding three to five miles.

There is no sunlight in the jungle, so the snow is so thick that when you step on it, it reaches your thighs.

Zhao Hushen stepped on the snow with one foot and one foot, looking around for dead branches.

There is no shortage of dead branches in winter, and you can break them off and burn them.

Not long after, Zhao Hu collected a large bundle.

"This should be enough to burn for two hours."

Guessing that it was almost done, Zhao Hu turned around and prepared to go back.

Just as he turned around, a strong wind suddenly came from behind his head.Under the thick snow, a black shadow suddenly appeared and rushed toward him.

……

After waiting for a while, Zhao Hu didn't come back. Tuoba Goudan looked at Bai Wu and said, "Why hasn't this guy come back yet? Could it be that he fell into a trap?"

The snow in the forest is thick and the terrain is complicated. You don't know whether it is land or a hole under the snow.

"I'll go take a look."

Another scout finished speaking and walked into the forest following the footprints left by Zhao Hu.

After half a cup of tea, Tuoba Goudan couldn't help but frown slightly, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.

"Fifth, fifth?"

Zheng!
What responded to him was the sound of three tears of cloth.

not good!

Tuoba Goudan's expression changed, and before he could react, three arrows shot out.

Two of them were blocked by the breastplate, and the third arrow accurately hit the throat, bringing up a spray of blood and spraying out of the body.

boom!
Tuoba Goudan's body lay on his back, making a dull sound.

The next moment, three Qingzhou Army scouts wearing pure white cloaks slowly walked out of the forest.

The leader said in a deep voice: "Lao San will go back and report to the county magistrate. Lao Wu and I will stay here."

"Yes!"

A person behind him responded with clasped fists, and soon disappeared into the dense forest.

After descending the mountain, the scout took the horse from the hiding place, mounted it and galloped all the way back to Hushan.

"Reporting to the county magistrate, all spies from the Western Army's perimeter have been cleared."

"Good job!"

Han Zhen smiled slightly, turned around and ordered: "Liu Qi, lead the cavalry battalion to ambush on both sides of the valley."

"The last general takes orders!"

Liu Qi responded loudly with an excited expression.

With Nie Dong and other veterans of the Western Army having a thorough understanding of the situation, as well as their observations over the past few days, they have completely figured out the patterns of the Western Army's scouts.

The current Western Army will have three scouts along the way.

One is set up every two miles, and the farthest one is five miles away from the army. Hidden at the commanding heights in all directions, movements within ten miles can be observed.

The scouts work in groups of three, and every three hours, they need to pass news to the next level.

In other words, the other party was completely unaware of the Qingzhou Army's large-scale troop mobilization in the next two or three hours.

Watching Liu Qi's leaving figure, Wei Da couldn't help but sigh: "I never thought that a little scout could be so useful."

Hearing this, Han Zhen smiled and said nothing.

The importance of information to war has been answered by Han Xin, the immortal soldier, as early as when Chu and Han were fighting.

Everyone knows that Han Zhen is invincible in battle, but few know that his magic weapon for invincibility is the perfect use of scouts.

Before every battle, Han Xin would send a large number of scouts and spies to monitor the enemy from top to bottom.

How to mobilize troops, how to supply food, grass and baggage, what the morale of the soldiers is...etc., they are all well understood.

The enemy army seemed to have taken off all their clothes in front of Han Xin, without any secrets at all.

Only in this way can we do it, win the battle and conquer the attack!

Time passed little by little.

It was afternoon, and Luo Jing came galloping on his horse.

"Reporting to the county magistrate, the Western Army is eight miles away and will arrive at Hushan before evening."

Hearing this, Han Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly and ordered: "The whole army is ready for war!"

"Order!"

Nie Dong and Wei Da clasped their fists in response, turned around and began the final preparations for the battle.

……

……

The sunset is westward.

Liu Guangshi was riding on the horse with a solemn expression.

Just now, the scouts came to report, but the scouts at the outermost perimeter did not report according to the agreed time.

It's okay if it's just one or two. The key is that all the five waves of spies in the direction of Zhangqiu are like this.

Wang De, the general on the side, reminded: "Du Tong, if anything goes abnormal, there must be something fishy, ​​so we must be on guard."

This man was a son of a good family, and he volunteered to join the army to serve the country.

At first, he served under Yao Gu. Because he was as fierce and brave as a Yaksha in battle, he was nicknamed Wang Yaksha.

When Zhang Di was put down before, Liu Guangshi blocked the flow of arrows.

Liu Guangshi saw that he was brave and fierce, and he was grateful for his life-saving grace, so he recruited him as a general.

"Now the main force of the Black Mountain thieves is besieged in Licheng and Xinshi Town. There are only three thousand rebel thieves in Zhangqiu City. How can they dare to take the initiative to attack?"

Deputy Governor Chen Huan paused for a moment and said hesitantly: "Could it be that he was attacked by bandits in the mountains?"

"There are many bandits in Shandong, so this is a possibility."

Liu Guangshi pondered and said: "Send scouts to investigate Hushan. The army will continue to advance. Once they enter the valley, they will find a place to camp for the night."

In fact, he didn't think there was anything fishy about it.

Even if there were really Black Mountain bandits ambushing him, it would be like giving him military honors in vain, which would be considered an unexpected surprise.

After a while, the army continued to move forward.

At the same time, a group of scouts rushed out of the army and headed straight for Hushan ahead.

If viewed from above, the Hushan Mountains look like a trumpet.

On the side facing the Western Army, there is a trumpet, wide and broad.

Further in, slowly tighten.

Eleven thousand infantrymen of the Qingzhou Army were currently in formation in the middle of the valley.

The heavy armored cavalry led by Liu Qi were ambushing in the mountains on both sides of the trumpet.

Da da da!
There was a rush of horseshoes galloping.

Luo Jing stood on the mountainside and watched a dozen Western Army scouts heading straight for the valley.

Seeing this, a scout frowned and said, "Batalion Commander, don't we need to intercept?"

Luo Jing asked, "Why do you want to stop me?"

The scout replied: "The army is arrayed in the valley. What if we are discovered by the Western Army's scouts and the Western Army escapes?"

Hearing this, Luo Jing couldn't help shaking his head and laughing: "Not to mention whether the Western Army will escape, even if it wants to escape, can [-] soldiers and [-] prisoners of war and civilians be able to escape?"

Today's Luo Jing, after being baptized by the flames of war, is no longer the ignorant farm boy he once was.

How could an army of 4 people escape within a few miles of each other?
You don’t even need weapons, food, grass, and baggage, so you just run away?

If this is the case, then there is no need for infantry to take action. All 4 people can be slaughtered by Battalion Commander Liu leading the cavalry battalion in pursuit.

Infantry without weapons are no different from lambs in the eyes of cavalry.

But if you bring weapons and equipment, you won't be able to run fast and you will definitely be overtaken.

The armies of both sides were twenty miles apart, so they had room for maneuver.

There is no way to avoid it within twenty miles!
"This is the original way."

The scout nodded in understanding.

……

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen Western Army scouts entered the valley on horseback.

The moment they entered the valley, the pupils of these scouts suddenly shrank, and they all stopped reining in their horses, all of them looking horrified.

In the hinterland of the valley, more than [-] Xuanjia troops were seen in battle formations, ready to fight.

The uniformly black mountain-patterned armor reflected a stunning cold light under the setting sun.

Behind the neat shield wall, long spears pointed diagonally toward the sky.

The powerful breath hit their faces, making these scouts' breath hitch.

A large banner stood in the middle of the military formation, with a huge Korean character written on the black flag!

"Quick, go back and report to the capital!"

After a brief period of confusion, a dozen scouts immediately turned their horses around and galloped wildly.

At this time, Liu Guangshi led the army and was less than five miles away from the valley.

"Urgent report!!!"

The leading scout shouted loudly while mounting his horse and running towards the central army.

Urgent report?

Liu Guangshi's heart trembled, and he asked in a deep voice: "What's the urgent need to report?"

The scout hurriedly reported: "To the commander in chief, there are [-] rebels ambushing in the valley, preparing for battle. They are suspected to be the elite Black Mountain bandits."

Liu Guangshi was stunned for a moment, then frowned and said, "Why do the elite Black Mountain bandits appear here?"

The scout replied truthfully: "This... I don't know, these rebels are well-armed and brave. They are not like ordinary rebels. They are actually elites!"

1 people, well-armed and brave?

Is this a fucking rebel?
Liu Guangshi couldn't help but turn his head and looked at Wang De and others with a blank look on his face.

Can they still not know what the rebels in the country are like?
That was a group of farmers carrying simple knives and hoes.

As strong as Fang La, his subordinates only have thousands of iron armors, and the rest are all leather and bamboo armors.

However, this scout actually used the word "exquisite" to describe it.

Chen Huan couldn't help but ask: "How sophisticated is it?"

"More than ten thousand people, all wearing black armor, are no weaker than our Western Army!"

Recalling the scene he just witnessed, a trace of fear flashed in the scout's eyes.

what?
At this time, Liu Guangshi and others were even more confused.

Damn it, does the Song Dynasty have an army with better weapons than the Western Army?

(End of this chapter)