Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 516: Why did the general sell his head?

The next day after receiving the military order, An Shouzhong ordered Zhou Zhi to lead 3,000 elite soldiers, all infantry except for the scout team, to sail along the canal and gradually take over the lost counties and prefectures on both sides of the canal.

Before leaving, he gave Zhou Zhi many instructions and told him in detail how to use troops.

According to An Shouzhong's guess: Fang Chongyong's troops must be mainly composed of cavalry, or even very likely all cavalry, otherwise the enemy would definitely not dare to cross the Yellow River to Hebei to cause trouble.

Once the two armies encounter each other, Fang Chongyong will definitely not miss the opportunity to fight. After all, if you can't win, you can just run away, and the initiative in the battle is on the enemy's side.

Therefore, An Shouzhong asked Zhou Zhi that if he met the enemy, he should quickly change the formation, reduce the width of the line to one third of the usual width, and meet the enemy with sword and shield soldiers.

When cavalry encounters sword and shield soldiers, they must charge into the battle line.

Fang Chongyong would underestimate the enemy because he could not see the thickness of the army formation and thought that his soldiers were few in number.

Usually, the thickness of the Tang army's infantry formation was nine people, not five people as in the Han Dynasty.

Of course, these nine people are divided into three rows. After encountering the enemy, the first team in front will retreat if they can't hold on, and the second team will take over, while the first team will retreat to the rear of the third team to reorganize.

An Shouzhong did not follow the beaten path. He patiently instructed Zhou Zhi to make the already thick front even thicker!

The advantage of this is that when using shields for defense, the central army can let the soldiers on the edge turn around to prevent the cavalry from outflanking the rear!

Moreover, the thickness of the battle wall is so great that the cavalry cannot get out if they rush in.

No matter which direction the sword and shield soldiers were heading, they all followed the orders given by the central army's flags and drums.

An Shouzhong repeatedly emphasized that Zhou Zhi must order his soldiers in advance to hang hooks on the iron shields, and to arrange the shield wall closely, provide multi-layer cover, and move forward slowly.

It will definitely make those cavalrymen's teeth break.

The so-called hook inlay has a very peculiar shape, consisting of a handle, a panel, two upper and lower iron hooks, and other parts, almost all of which are made of iron. It is hung on the shield, and when the horse slows down after charging, it can be hooked, and then killed with a Mo Dao or a ring-headed sword!

Simply put, it is to set up a square turtle formation, which is as strong as an iron wall when advancing and as strong as a mountain when retreating. There are barbs inside, and anyone who enters the formation will die.

With the help of a pentagonal tower shield with a hook inlay, it mainly performs a defensive counterattack against cavalry. The more cavalry you kill, the better!
Such a formation is extremely confusing, because the enemy commander cannot see how many rows there are behind the line. Usually, scouts will only estimate the total number of enemy troops based on the width of the line, that is, roughly count the number of columns.

An Shouzhong's intention was very simple, which was to let Fang Zhongyong underestimate the enemy, and then rashly send cavalry to gain victory, and finally the shield wall would stab the opponent like a hedgehog.

Zhou Zhi was puzzled. They had a strong army, so why did they fight so poorly? Wouldn't it be better to send more troops to him? Why only 3,000 people?
An Shouzhong did not explain much, but simply told him not to underestimate the enemy and to act according to the plan.

His requirements for Zhou Zhi were very low. As long as he was not hit by the arrows, he would win. There was no need to consider inflicting heavy damage on the enemy in just one attack.

Just try not to be taken advantage of by your opponents.

After giving the order, An Shouzhong personally led 5,000 cavalrymen to attack Liaocheng in Bozhou, followed by 2,000 infantrymen, who marched at a normal speed to the Yellow River ferry in Bozhou to receive orders.

The cavalry was in front and the infantry was behind, but they did not move together. The cavalry took only a few days' worth of dry food and rushed for their lives, and the infantry was not just infantry, each of them led two mules, and all the baggage was on the mules.

They also carried a large amount of flammable materials, such as flaming oil.

An Shouzhong seemed to be planning to use fire attack, but no one knew where he would use it.

……

Fang Chongyong led the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army and boarded a canal boat on the Yongji Canal to the east to Wucheng, adjacent to Qinghe County. He then ordered repairs and sent people to Liaocheng to investigate the enemy situation there and determine what to do next.

However, just after nightfall, scouts reported back: A group of Hebei rebels numbering several thousand people arrived at Qinghe County, Beizhou, on a grain ship, and looted the village in the name of raising food! They killed people, set fire to people, and even massacred villages!

The local people who were lucky enough to escape the disaster searched eastwards along the canal, and they met scouts from the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army, so they asked Fang Chongyong for help.

The scout did not dare to delay and immediately took his men to the canal ferry outside Wucheng and brought them to Fang Chongyong.

Since Qinghe County had already opened its warehouses to distribute grain, the warehouses were so empty that rats could walk through them. So the Hebei rebels had no choice but to "borrow grain" from house to house in the villages and countryside.

No matter they were rich or ordinary people, they were all very stingy, giving only a little bit of food and fodder, just like giving alms to beggars.

Seeing these people being so ignorant of the rules, the soldiers who went to the countryside to collect grain immediately became angry. After beating them up violently, they "borrowed" a lot of grain from the locals.

They also killed more than a dozen people on the pretext of "looting government warehouses" to serve as a warning to others and to deter the local people from being ungrateful.

However, if this does not have a "deterrent" effect, it would be fine. Killing someone is like stirring up a hornet's nest.

The soldiers who went out to collect grain had only dozens of people in each team. They just carried a sword and a bow and went out. They didn't even wear armor to save energy.

It is said that if you walk too much at night, you will meet ghosts sooner or later. When the troops were inspected at night, the commander Zhou Zhi found that a group of grain collectors were not in the camp.

Moreover, the dozens of donkeys responsible for carrying food and fodder and pulling carts were nowhere to be seen. Something must have happened!
Faced with such "troublesome people", Zhou Zhi did not hold back. He took 500 elite soldiers to the place where they were collecting grain. Before entering the village, he found a large pool of blood and loose soil that had just been turned over on the edge of a woods.

He ordered his men to dig a pit on the spot, and then he saw that all the dozens of soldiers were dead, stripped of their clothes, and lying in the pit in all directions under the light of the torches! The wounds on their bodies were extremely hideous.

It was obvious that this group of people had an accident while collecting grain, and were ambushed and killed by local people.

Zhou Zhi didn't waste any words and directly ordered the massacre of all four or five villages around him, leaving no one alive. After the massacre, they set fire to the village and took away all the valuables.

For these soldiers, it was too much trouble to find evidence and criminals. Anyway, those people were all unruly people, so killing one was killing, killing a hundred was killing, it didn't matter.

If they killed the wrong person, it must be because they made the wrong choice when choosing their address.

Is there any natural disaster or man-made disaster that doesn’t kill people?

Most of the troops under Zhou Zhi's command were border troops from Youzhou and local people from Youzhou.

The place where they are now is considered to be the former Jizhou area of ​​Hebei. These Youzhou soldiers have no relationship with the local people of Beizhou.

After hearing these things, all the generals under Fang Zhongyong were silent. Officials forcing the people to rebel was not a new thing.

As for why this happened, it's hard to explain. It was more or less unexpected, but also reasonable.

"Please ask Marshal Fang to help the villagers! Those bandits are still in Qinghe County. Marshal Fang, lead the troops to kill them all!"

The strong middle-aged man knelt on the ground and cried bitterly, which made anyone who heard it sad and saw it cry.

"Take him down and let him have a good rest."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand gently and gave the order, and then he comforted the man with a few words. After the man was led out of the general's tent, he remained silent.

"General, the pursuers are here, and they are also riding on a canoe, so they are moving very fast.

We have no way out. Why not attack the enemy camp tonight and defeat them in one fell swoop? "

He Changqi clasped his fists and bowed.

What he said made some sense. Since the pursuers had already reached Qinghe County, it would only take a day to catch up with them. If they set out in the morning, they would be able to reach Wucheng Ferry in the evening.

"General, now is not the time to use troops, and the enemy army is in high spirits, so it is better to avoid the front line for the time being. We don't have much time to tangle with these people, and it is obvious that the enemy is just the vanguard, and the main force is still behind.

I think the enemy troops must have taken precautions tonight, and they should have a general idea of ​​our whereabouts."

Che Guangqian also clasped his fists and said to Fang Chongyong.

Obviously, Che Guangqian didn't think that she could gain any advantage by attacking with a club now.

He was not talking nonsense, the fact was that Fang Zhongyong didn't have much capital, so it was better to play it safe.

Their advantage now is that they have less logistical pressure, a little bit of food can last for a long time, and they can stay in Hebei for a long time. But their disadvantage is also obvious, with few soldiers, they can't fight with the enemy for life, and they can't afford to waste time.

"I remember that the remaining canal boats in Qinghe County were all burned by us.

"These bandit troops from Weizhou should have come here on ships from other places, right?" Fang Zhongyong asked thoughtfully.

"Replying to the commander, it is true. The boats at the ferry crossing of Qinghe County were destroyed under my supervision the other day."

Duan Xueshi nodded, clasped his fists and saluted.

He was responsible for military engineering infrastructure, and the management of logistical supplies, ships, and horses.

He personally sent people to burn the grain ships in Beizhou. He saw it with his own eyes.

Because the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army did not need so many grain ships, it would be better to burn them instead of leaving them to the Hebei rebels.

"The enemy army must be camping on the shore tonight. Since we are pursuing along the canal, there is no need to waste food and fodder on horses. The enemy must be mainly infantry.

In a confrontation between two armies, they may not be afraid of us, but they will definitely not be able to catch up with us.

Send down the order to prepare the fierce fire oil. He Lao Hu will lead 500 cavalrymen to take a detour from the south, bring fierce fire oil and burn the enemy's boats tonight. Don't alert the enemy and engage in battle.

Since they want to chase us, let them chase us with their two legs.”

A cold light flashed in Fang Chongyong's eyes, and he decided to teach the enemy a lesson first, but he was not in a hurry to annihilate them in one fell swoop.

"Order!"

He Changqi clasped his fists and left after receiving the order.

……

It was late at night, and Zhou Zhi arranged a thousand sword and shield soldiers to ambush behind the camp, a thousand to ambush inside the camp, and another thousand, led by himself, to ambush near the wooden bridge on the other side of the river.

The troops in the camp were responsible for blocking the enemy cavalry's route to raid the camp, a team of troops behind the camp was responsible for reinforcement and encirclement, and a team of troops on the other side of the river was responsible for cutting off the enemy's retreat!
Zhou Zhi listened to An Shouzhong's words, but only half of them!
The enemy asked him to "take it slow", that is, to load the grain and fodder onto the ships, deploy troops on the ground and sweep through little by little, and not get too close to the enemy. Because there was still a lack of specific intelligence and the enemy's strategic intentions.

An Shouzhong's deployment was very sound. Zhou Zhi's troops swept along the canal and did not leave the canal area. They sent out scouts to gather information while they marched.

Simply put, don’t walk too fast!

He personally led the cavalry to cut off the retreat of Yinqiang Xiaojie's army and captured Liaocheng. He also ordered two thousand infantrymen to march slowly to the Yellow River ferry, where they set up camp.

After all this is done, An Shouzhong can lead 5,000 cavalrymen to quickly head north to meet up with Zhou Zhi, and then pursue together.

His idea was good, but Zhou Zhi wanted to achieve merit.

Zhou Zhi took the initiative to decide everything, including pursuing the enemy quickly on a grain ship, collecting grain in the countryside of Beizhou, and setting up an empty camp and laying an ambush.

Zhou Zhi thought An Shouzhong was too timid, like a mouse.

This is Hebei, not Henan!
Fang Zhongyong, who only had a few thousand soldiers and horses, has become a rat crossing the street!

As a result, Zhou Zhi waited until the midnight hour had passed and it was the Chou hour.

There was no movement in the camp, not even a trace of a raider was seen.

"General Zhou, should we cross the river and take a look?"

The deputy general asked in a low voice.

The constant chirping of insects by the river seemed to mock them for lying in ambush in vain.

Zhou Zhi looked grim, and said in a deep voice: "Wait a little longer. We have waited for a whole night anyway, what's the point of waiting a little longer?"

He felt his men's distrust of him, but there was nothing he could do.

At this moment, he vaguely saw a little fire on the other side of the river at the ferry, not far to the west of their camp.

"what is that?"

Zhou Zhi pointed in the direction of the ferry with his whip and asked the deputy general.

"I can't see clearly. Do you want me to send someone to take a look?"

The deputy general asked in a low voice. He had actually guessed something, but now Zhou Zhi seemed to be on the verge of a rage, so he didn't dare to say it out loud.

"Why don't you go quickly then?"

Zhou Zhi widened his eyes and scolded with an unhappy look.

The deputy general gave a few instructions to his personal soldiers. Less than an incense stick of time later, a messenger from the camp on the other side came running over the wooden bridge, panting, and reported to Zhou Zhi: "General Zhou, our grain ship has been set on fire. What should we do now? Should we put out the fire or continue the ambush?"

"What an ambush! Go put out the fire!"

Zhou Zhi slapped the messenger in the face and was furious!

When using an ambush, the troops have actually entered an "automatic program". They will not act rashly without receiving the next military order from the commander.

Who dares to say that burning the canal ships was not a strategy of the enemy army to make a feint to the east and attack in the west?

It was just that Zhou Zhi was too rigid in his use of troops and did not anticipate any unexpected situations. Those who were responsible for the ambush in the camp did not do anything wrong.

At this time, Zhou Zhi had no time to lose his temper. He jumped on his horse, walked across the wooden bridge, and came to where the grain boat was.

I saw that the canal boats lined up side by side were all on fire. The fire was alarming and was still spreading rapidly.

Obviously, this fire was not a simple fire that burned the ship directly, but a large amount of flammable materials were used.

There was a burnt smell in the air, the smell of kerosene.

There were more than ten bodies lying on the ferry bank. They were all guards arranged by Zhou Zhi to guard the canal boats. Each of them had at least dozens of arrows stuck in their bodies, and they were almost shot like hedgehogs.

As for the enemy, there was no trace of them at all, not even a corpse was left.

Zhou Zhi took a deep breath and felt very regretful for not following An Shouzhong's orders and advice.

This slap was so severe that the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army sent people to burn all the grain ships on their side, but they didn't even see the shadow of the enemy.

It was not clear how many people came, when the fire was set, how the fire was started, or where they retreated from.

It can be said that until now, I have been in a state of confusion.

Zhou Zhi didn't know how to explain this to An Shouzhong. He probably wouldn't know anything if he was asked about it later.

He guessed that the other side was probably a small group of cavalry, so they bypassed their main camp, detoured to the vicinity of the canal ship, quickly shot and killed all the guards, and then burned the canal ship in one fell swoop!
The whole operation was clear in purpose, clean and neat, without any procrastination, and they ran away as soon as they lit the fire!

Just as Zhou Zhi was thinking about how to report this to An Shouzhong, a personal soldier came up with an arrow in his hand, handed it to Zhou Zhi and said, "General Zhou, this arrow seems to have been left by the enemy on purpose, with a piece of paper tied to it."

"understood."

Zhou Zhi was furious and responded with a casual remark. He opened the paper and saw the words: "One incompetent general can tire out the whole army. Why would the general risk his life to sell his head?"

He calmly tore the paper into pieces, his face ashen and looking particularly hideous under the light of the torch.

Zhou Zhi recalled the time when he made mistakes as a child and was beaten by his burly father. The feeling of powerlessness he felt was just like today.

I couldn't even fight back when I got beaten!

"grass!"

He spat fiercely on the ground, feeling helpless and furious!
(End of this chapter)