Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 544 The strong never complain about the environment

While Huangfu Weiming conquered Luoyang and planned to march into Guanzhong, Fang Chongyong was also not idle and continued to stir up trouble in the hinterland of Hebei.

Canal ferry in Baiqiao Town, Dongguan County, Cangzhou, Hebei Province.

The laborers of the brigade loaded the food and fodder stored at the ferry onto the boat. They worked very enthusiastically, even more enthusiastically than working in their own fields.

Because Fang Chongyong promised that after they filled the boat, the contents in the warehouses around the ferry could be "distributed among themselves" to the laborers.

With such a large baggage distribution center and so much food, fodder, and silk, how could the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army's fleet hold all of it? Even someone who couldn't count could see that there would be a lot left over in the end.

"It is not painful for a son to sell his father's land. This time, I have experienced it myself."

At the bow of a certain canal boat, Che Guangqian looked at the busy scene at the ferry and couldn't help but said to Fang Chongyong beside her with emotion.

There were many merchants in Baiqiao Town, and a lot of supplies were shipped in from the north. When the grain ships belonging to the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army were full, Fang Zhongyong and others could only watch but could not move anything.

The feeling was similar to that of a eunuch visiting a brothel.

Therefore, instead of leaving these materials to benefit Huangfu Weiming, it would be better to provide welfare to the local people and ask them to help with the transportation and loading.

"The enemy army should be preparing for a big attack. They didn't make a move when they should have. There must be something fishy going on."

Fang Zhongyong suddenly said to himself.

He held the mast of the canal boat with one hand while thinking of countermeasures.

It has been too quiet recently. Li Baochen followed slowly from behind, and Gao Miao waited in wait at the Changlu Salt Field. One by one, no one took the initiative to attack.

This made Fang Zhongyong feel frustrated that he had all his strength but nowhere to use it. His most fearful tactic was that the enemy would use this kind of tactics of building a stronghold and fighting a stupid battle.

Of course, in the current situation, it is no problem for them to escape, but Fang Zhongyong is just unwilling to do so.

At this moment, He Changqi, who was supposed to be responsible for maintaining order at the ferry, hurriedly boarded the boat and whispered something in Fang Chongyong's ear.

"Li Baochen's eldest son, Li Weicheng? Even his son's name was changed."

Fang Chongyong was slightly stunned. Li Baochen actually sent his own son to deliver the letter. Even if he was a bastard's son, it was quite remarkable.

Not to mention that the whole family changed their surnames.

"Yes, he does look somewhat similar to that idiot Li Baochen."

He Changqi added the prefix "fool" before Li Baochen's name.

"Where are the people? Bring them up."

Fang Chongyong glared at He Changqi. This guy was really clumsy in doing things.

"General Ji, this man just delivered the letter and left. He had no intention of staying at all."

He Changqi touched his head and didn't seem to think there was anything wrong.

Whatever, he is just a soldier in armor after all.

Fang Chongyong shook his head helplessly, took the letter, opened it and looked at it again and again, and his brows suddenly frowned into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

Li Baochen didn't say anything nonsense in the letter. Rather than a letter, it was just a note, and it only said one thing:

The Uighurs planned to raid the fleet of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army.

As for where the Huihe people came from, when they would start, and how many troops they had, all of these intelligence were blank, not a single word was mentioned.

The good news is that the Hebei rebels who were besieging the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army seemed to be planning to let the Uighurs attack first and then reap the advantage from behind.

The bad news is that the enemy situation is unclear and the risks are unknown.

“No one wants to be the first one to go, so let the Huihe people try it out.

"General Jie, these bandits have a really good plan!"

After learning about the military situation, Che Guangqian couldn't help but make a teasing remark.

In fact, the expected pursuit and blockade were all just a lot of noise but little action, as each family had their own concerns.

It is actually reasonable to let the Uighurs take the lead.

"The Huihe people probably have their eyes on the supplies and wealth on the grain ships behind us."

Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh. The Uighur cavalry came and went like the wind and were like fish in water on the North China Plain.

However, the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army could only operate along the canal. Once they were separated from the canal's supply chain, they would easily become the target of encirclement and annihilation.

Whether to advance or retreat, how to grasp the scale here is a test of the commander's ability.

"We will spend the night in Baiqiao Town tonight."

Fang Chongyong looked at Che Guangqian and He Changqi in front of him, his tone calm and firm.

"General, the terrain here in Baiqiao Town is open, which is very disadvantageous to us. If the Huihe people attack in the middle of the night, wouldn't it be..."

Che Guangqian said with a worried look on her face.

“Originally, that table of food was prepared for An Shouzhong, but he didn’t come.

It would be nice to leave it for the Uighurs to eat now.

Get ready, and treat tonight as a rehearsal. If the Huihe people don't come, just treat it as a practice in advance.

If the Huihe people come, haha..."

A sneer appeared on Fang Zhongyong's face.

Since Li Baochen sent a letter to remind them, he must have heard some rumors. The Hebei rebels and the Huihe people were not of the same mind, so they were naturally happy for them to test the strength and tactics of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army.

Even if it's not today, it should be in these few days.

The attack by the Uighurs was actually beyond Fang Chongyong's expectations and could be considered an emergency.

But as the saying goes, the strong never complain about the environment.

Fang Chongyong was not afraid of An Shouzhong coming, and he was even less afraid of the Uighurs coming. If he had the guts, he would just let his horse come over.

How can a real man be afraid of drawing his sword?

……

As the sky gradually darkened, the merchants in Baiqiao Town also dispersed. There were only a hundred households in the town, and all the shops that needed to be closed were closed and the engines that needed to be turned off were turned off.

At the ferry crossing on the shore of Baiqiao, half of the canal boats were moored on each side of the wooden bridge.

At this moment, Baiqiao had been blocked by the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army. With the entrance of the wooden bridge as the center and the flatbed trucks used to transport grain in Baiqiao Town as fences, Fang Zhongyong ordered the construction of a half-moon-shaped camp.

On each canal boat, a crossbow cart was installed wherever a winch crossbow could be installed, and a dedicated person was on duty. A group was responsible for one winch crossbow. A group consisted of three people, two of whom changed arrows and one took aim.

The flatbed carts were tied with hemp ropes and blocked with wooden stakes on the ground. Behind each cart there was one swordsman, two spearmen, four sword and shield soldiers, and three crossbowmen.

Duan Xueshi led his men to check the combat readiness of each ship, and was responsible for the normal operation of the winch crossbows on the ships. On the ground, Che Guangqian was in charge, and Wang Nande and He Changqi led the reserve team on standby, each responsible for one side of the White Bridge.

All lights in the temporary camp were turned off, with only the fishing lights on the canal boats providing illumination.

Fang Chongyong stood under the fishing fire of a canal boat, the expression on his face flickering, and no one knew what he was thinking.

I sat there for two hours.

Time passed quickly and it was midnight.

Duan Xiushi came over and saluted to Fang Zhongyong, saying, "General, all the crossbows are working well. The crossbow arrows are made by breaking the wooden poles of spears in half and putting on special arrowheads. There are plenty of them."

"Well, go and rest. Everything is calm for now, so you won't need it yet."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand gently and said nonchalantly.

Duan Xueshi hesitated for a long time before he whispered, "General, we are fighting against the Huihe people in Baiqiao Town. This is a bit like using our own weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths. The Huihe cavalry is afraid of chaotic battles, and we are best at chaotic battles. Now we are throwing away our advantages. Baiqiao Town has no city walls and no arrow towers, which is really disadvantageous to us."

Does Fang Chongyong have any way to deal with the Uighur cavalry?

The answer is not only yes, but there have been successful cases. The organization and coordination of the Huihe cavalry was very poor. Once the enemy's surprise attack disrupted their organization, they had no choice but to run.

Being trapped on the grain ship is really a very bad idea.

"Of course the Huihe people also know what you know.

Although we are not afraid of fighting them head-on in the field, the Uighurs have more horses and we have fewer.

Even if they can’t beat us, it’s still easy for them to escape.”

Fang Chongyong didn't want to explain too much, but if his subordinates had doubts in their hearts, it would be difficult for them to carry out military duties well, and many times he had to make things clear to them.

"In that case, why don't we get to Changlu, Cangzhou, as soon as possible?"

Duan Xiushi still didn't understand. Baiqiao Town was too spacious, so it became a logistics distribution center. It would be too disadvantageous to fight a defensive battle here.

“It’s just a matter of striking once to open the door, to prevent a hundred blows from coming.

Now we are like a hunter surrounded by wolves.

If you reveal even the slightest flaw, you will die without a burial place."

Fang Chongyong let out a breath of foul air.

Li Baochen was really a tough guy. He informed people that the Uighurs were coming but didn't give any specific information.

In fact, it does have the meaning of sitting on the mountain and watching the fight between tigers.

As for the story of "a precious minister becoming the emperor", if it wants to work, it depends on the occasion and the situation.

Only by winning, only by achieving victory, can you be favored by fate. Don't pin your hopes on luck.

Just as Duan Xueshi was about to turn around and leave, suddenly a faint sound of horse hooves was heard, coming from far away and approaching, and there seemed to be quite a few of them.

Fang Zhongyong took out his telescope and looked again and again. Not far away, there was a team holding torches, like a fire dragon, approaching them quickly.

"coming!"

His heart sank. He hadn't expected that bastard Li Baochen would actually inform him of the news at such a tactful moment.

I don’t know whether the group in the distance are Uighurs, but they are definitely cavalry, and they have bad intentions.

"Beat the drums and set off the fireworks!"

Fang Zhongyong gave orders to the soldiers beside him.

dong dong dong!dong dong dong!
dong dong dong!dong dong dong!
dong dong dong!dong dong dong!
The sound of drums rang out on the canal boats, and the sound of drums also rang out on the river beach outside the canal boats.

For a moment, a large area along the north bank of the canal was filled with the sound of drums, and torches in the camp outside the canal boats were also lit.

The Silver Spear Filial Piety Army soldiers who were dozing off against the flatbed carts immediately woke up. The sword and shield soldiers filled in the connection between the flatbed carts, and the crossbowmen began to enter the shooting position behind the flatbed carts. The spearmen retreated to the back to prepare for filling in.

The extra winch crossbows on the canal boats were also installed on wooden racks and arranged behind the flatbed trucks.

In fact, what Fang Chongyong did not tell his generals was that if they left the scope of Baiqiao Town, it would not be an easy task to find so many flatbed trucks to surround the camp.

It can be said that he had planned to fight a defensive battle in Baiqiao Town that was beyond the enemy's expectations a long time ago.

This requires the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army to deliberately expose a flaw.

call out!
A short spear as thick as a child's arm shot over from the canal boat and stabbed the cavalrymen in the front into the ground, impaling two cavalrymen in a row!
Just like inserting skewers!
There was a lucky cavalryman who dodged the shooting of the winch crossbow on the canal boat, and jumped over the Tan River on his horse as if he was cheating, and jumped high into the air, jumping over the flatbed cart on the ground.

However, before he could recover from the shock of landing, a Mo Dao came whistling and slashed down diagonally, cutting the cavalryman and his horse into two pieces!
Blood foam spurted everywhere, shocking!

This scene made the cavalry, who had not yet rushed forward, completely give up the idea of ​​crossing the flatbed cart and jumping into the formation.

boom!
boom!
Countless horses crashed into the flatbed carts, causing a series of huge shocks. The speed of the horse team had been slowed to the extreme because of the obstruction of the flatbed carts on the river beach.

Many cavalrymen began to abandon their horses, using the momentum of the impact to move forward and begin to climb over the flatbed wagons.

At this time, the crossbowmen holding horn crossbows began to become the protagonists. Many dismounted cavalrymen were shot by arrows and fell directly on the carts, and the blood flowed along the carts into the canal.

"This won't work."

Fang Zhongyong, who was watching the battle on the canal boat, frowned slightly.

The Huihe people's reckless fighting style is a bit annoying. Of course, it is also possible that because of the death order, the people behind did not know the situation in the front and just rushed forward.

If the situation drags on, the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army soldiers guarding the formation will begin to get tired, and there will be heavy casualties.

"Blow the horn and let He Lao Hu and his men charge into the battle."

Fang Chongyong instructed the messenger that he decided to join the reserve team in advance.

Victory or defeat is determined by just one move!

Oh oh oh!
A desolate horn sounded, and He Changqi, who had been lying in ambush on the edge of the battle line, raised his horse lance and led two hundred cavalrymen to charge out from the darkness on the left side of the battle line.

Wang Nandi led two hundred cavalrymen and rushed out from the darkness on the right side of the front line.

The team that was suspected to be Uighur cavalry was suddenly attacked on the flank, and their formation was immediately in chaos.

He Changqi and Wang Nandi, leading the reserve cavalry, cut through the enemy cavalry like two sharp knives.

Wherever he passed, countless bandit cavalrymen were swept off their horses by his long spears and then trampled to death by their own people.

Seeing the chaos on the team's flank, this large cavalry unit could no longer maintain the charge, like a pile of snow collapsing from the top of a mountain.

Melting, disintegrating, falling like a mad run.

Fang Chongyong folded his arms and saw clearly what was happening on the river beach outside the canal boat.

The two armies are in a stalemate, just like the Tai Chi diagram. The time point when the strength changes is often the moment to launch a counterattack.

I have to say that Fang Youde’s point of view is correct.

It is not the quantity of soldiers that matters but their quality. When fighting on a battlefield, often it is only necessary to deploy a small number of elite soldiers at the key points and at the critical time to reverse the situation.

The eliteness of the troops, the timing of the attack, and the number of backup plans often determine the outcome of the battle.

Many useless soldiers and horses are often just a burden. They may be useful in maintaining the front line, but they cannot influence the overall situation.

"Pass the order down. Except for the cavalry that have already gone in pursuit, the rest of the troops are not allowed to pursue. They must defend their own lines."

Fang Chongyong gave orders to the messenger again.

As cold as a machine.

It's not about killing the enemy or gaining anything, it's about not making mistakes.

Half an hour later, the surroundings fell into silence again. He Changqi and Wang Nandai had not returned from their pursuit, and no new enemy troops were coming to attack.

There was no cavalry, and even less infantry.

Even at this moment, Fang Chongyong still could not be sure that the attackers tonight were definitely the Uighur cavalry.

Although he could already reach a conclusion that was almost certain based on his guesses.

"General, the enemy has retreated."

Duan Xueshi, sweating profusely, came forward, and the other party saluted with a fist.

Just now, he was busy firing flaming crossbows to guide the direction of concentrated fire according to the situation on the battlefield.

Fortunately, the preparations were sufficient, and the flatbed trucks connected end to end were not breached. These inconspicuous grain trucks should have been beyond everyone's expectations.

But it played a huge role at the critical moment.

Without these things as reinforced wooden fences, it would be a pipe dream to want to stop the cavalry's charge.

"Each ship should count how many short spears are left and how many times they will be used. Report the number tomorrow."

Fang Chongyong said this casually, but only then did he realize that his back was already wet with cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)