My wife has a secret

Chapter 231 Battle
According to the normal thinking of generals, the Liao army should not adopt an overly aggressive strategy after occupying Huangling Pass.

The mission of the vanguard army was not to encircle the city, but to launch a feint attack to test the defenses in the city, to cover the left and right wings of the central army, and to prevent the enemy from outflanking.

"The reason why we are sure that the Liao army's tactics are extreme is that the domestic situation of the Liao Kingdom is not optimistic. Capturing Huangling Pass has not brought them any real benefits... We can just take advantage of this and meet the enemy at Jieting and Changpo Bridge."

Hearing that Yang Xianning's idea was to fight and not retreat, General Zhang Shunfei and the other two were even more surprised.

It is not easy to analyze and understand the main attack direction of the Liao army through the situation and intelligence on the front line.

The ability to react on the spot under the pressure of hundreds of thousands of troops and the courage to decide to face the enemy vanguard head-on is something that not every general can do.

"General Yang, although Jieting has the advantage of a city wall, it is a small border town after all. It will be easily shattered if a fight breaks out... It will be no different from a field battle."

Zhang Shunfei wanted to persuade Yang Xianning to give up this idea, because this method was not a wise move no matter where you heard it from.

"The Changpo Bridge is the worst option. The area is extremely muddy. Even if there is a bridge, it is not suitable for a large army to station there."

"If we miss this opportunity, we will have no choice but to abandon these three cities and hastily defend Qinling Mountains."

Yang Xianning's attitude was firm and her voice was light.

Although she was a woman, her words revealed a sense of unquestionability, which made General Zhang Shunfei and the other two tremble with fear.

The order that the Zhennan Zhongwu Army received was only to come to Jieting to pick up Xu Qing, Marquis of Guangping, and let him stay in the rear and command the war.

They did not expect this young man from a wealthy family in Jiangnan to fight, but rather to follow the emperor's orders. In addition, the generals in the army also believed that Xu Qing would not interfere with the command of the frontline troops.

But it turned out that these people did not have the courage to make the decision, but Xu Qing was the first to make up his mind.

"What do you want the Zhongwu Army to do?"

"Hold on to Jieting and wait for Yang's army to defeat the enemy at Changpo Bridge, then seize the initiative."

Yang Xianning did not hesitate for a second and blurted out part of the battle plan.

She had already thought of a countermeasure last night, but she was troubled by the shortage of troops. Dividing the Yang family army would not pose a threat to the Liao army.

The arrival of reinforcements today makes it possible to implement this plan.

"it is good."

Xu Qing was the commander appointed by the emperor, and what he answered was of great importance.

Of course, this also means that Xu Qing will bear corresponding responsibilities and will not be able to blame others for the defeat.

Zhang Shunfei and his two generals were horrified but helpless, as it was their fault for giving the tiger talisman to the other party in advance.

"Then I will lead the Yang family army to Changpo Bridge immediately, and replace the Zhennan Zhongwu Army with the city to garrison."

Yang Xianning originally wanted to reveal her plan in an attempt to impress the two deputy generals of the Zhennan Zhongwu Army and ask them to report to the real person in charge of the reinforcements and promote this operation.

But what she didn't expect was that Xu Qing's intervention made this matter much simpler.

……

The two armies were indeed the elite forces of Qi State, and the rotation of defense was carried out extremely quickly.

After General Zhang Shunfei brought the news from the city back to the camp, the Zhennan Zhongwu Army took over the city defense when the Yang family army withdrew.

The people in the city, who were dressed in different colors and inconsistent clothing, all changed into bright silver armor. Even the streets were filled with patrolling teams, which looked much more professional than the Yang family army.

Not long after Xu Qing rested in the yard, Zhang Shunfei brought a group of generals into the yard and lined up according to their military ranks.

Standing in the front is a middle-aged man with an upright posture, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

He stood like a pine tree in front of the generals, with his black hair tied up high, and exuding majesty from head to toe.

"My name is Wang Zuo, General Longxiang."

When Xu Qing heard this, he knew that this person was the real commander of the reinforcements.

After all, except for Wang Zuo who was given the title of general, the other generals only held the rank and position of deputy general, and their grades were below the fifth rank.

Only General Longxiang was famous in Qi State. Although he was only a third-rank general, he had earned his fame through fighting on the battlefield.

After the others finished reporting their names in order of their positions, Wang Zuo said calmly, "Lord Xu, the front line is dangerous, and according to your order, Jieting will become the front line of the two armies. How about... I send some troops to escort you back to the capital."

As soon as he received the order, Wang Zuo knew that his duty was to gild the resume of the official's son to facilitate the marquis's rise to the top.

The only thing that no one expected was that Huangling Pass, which had stood for more than 200 years, would be breached at a critical moment, making the situation on the battlefield tense.

If we lose this battle, not only will we not be able to gain gold plating, but the entire State of Qi will cease to exist.

So his first thought was to send Xu Qing back to the capital.

But the development of the situation was beyond everyone's expectations.

"General! A Liao army formation appeared in front of Jieting, and a small group of Liao army troops also appeared in the back, seemingly cutting off Jieting's logistical supply."

The Liao army appeared less than two hours after the Zhennan Zhongwu Army had taken over Jieting just after the change of guard.

"what?"

The sudden message shocked General Longxiang Wang Zuo so much that he was speechless.

Because while the Yang family army was constantly spying on the front line and searching for intelligence on the Liao army, the Zhennan Zhongwu army also sent out its own scouts.

But for some reason, even though the secret scouts ahead had not sent back any news, enemy troops were gathering around Jieting.

In this case, the situation of his troops will be very dangerous.

……

To the east of Jieting, several Liao army formations had gathered on the plain, forming several dark blocks.

At the center of the army formation was a middle-aged general wearing classic Khitan clothing. He was Shi Mo Ming'an, a capable general under Prince Xiao Chong.

This Vanguard will not enjoy wearing heavy armor in battle, hence his distinctive features.

Several military messengers knelt in front of Shi Mi Ming'an's station car and reported military intelligence to him.

"General, the spies have eliminated the sentries near Jieting and have roughly understood the situation in the city. The main force of the Yang family army stationed in this city has disappeared and has been replaced by other elite troops from Qi."

"The little girl from the Yang family is gone?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Mo Ming'an's originally energetic face seemed deflated and his eyes became listless.

Apart from the Yang Family Army, he did not think that Qi State had any decent troops. He disobeyed military orders and advanced the attack time by one day in order to intercept Yang Xianning's Yang Family Army and force them to fight him.

Because an internal scout sent back news that Yang Xianning's personal guards were suspected to have appeared in Jieting, and it seemed that they were delayed in withdrawing to the capital because of some important person.

"There are no flags of the Yang family army around the city wall, and those soldiers don't look like they are dressed like the Yang family army."

A messenger explained the intelligence of the spies in detail, "But most of the soldiers in the city are wearing armor and are well-equipped. The weapons carried by the captured scouts are not even rusted."

When Shi Mi Ming'an heard this, his eyes lit up and curiosity arose.

The Yang family army's military supplies were extremely poor. Except for the core cavalry who were fully armored, most of the ordinary soldiers did not have armor.

Troops like the Huangling Army did not even have protection for their core areas. They were dressed like refugees and were called beggars within the Liao Army.

The city defenders originally stationed in Jieting should have been a group of old, weak and sick people.

Which army in Qi State came from that had such sophisticated equipment?
"Interesting. Send a small group of troops to harass Jieting's rear route to prevent them from fleeing out of the city... Order all units in the army to prepare and attack the city immediately!"

The deputy general bowed his head and reminded quietly, "General, according to the prince's instructions, we only need to feint to attack Jieting to delay time, wait for General Wanyan at Changpo Bridge to encircle and arrive, and then launch a general attack."

"You don't need to tell me. I know it very well."

As Xiao Chong's favorite general, Shi Mi Ming'an knew the prince's plan by heart and was also aware of the consequences of disobeying him.

But as a radical vanguard general, usually the sharpest tip of the Liao army, Shi Mi Ming'an's style of doing things was just like that, he was addicted to war.

Even if the battle is launched in advance, it would be inappropriate to attack the city against orders. Taking Jieting can better complete the battle plan and facilitate the encirclement.

Not to mention the great merit that would be gained by annihilating Qi's elite troops.

"Give the order, attack the city!"

……

Shi Mi Ming'an's military order was issued to the vanguard army, and the square formation at the forefront of the entire army began to slowly flatten out and march towards Jieting.

These Liao army vanguards have strong physiques, are covered in heavy armor, and are equipped with shields as tall as their bodies. They are the elite infantry of the Liao army that are invincible.

The troops on the city wall only saw a black line surging towards the city wall, and they were suddenly a little panicked.

Although the Zhennan Zhongwu Army was the elite of Qi State and maintained strict training standards, most of them had never been on the battlefield, which was in stark contrast to the Liao Army, which often fought with the Jin State.

Moreover, the commanders of all the units in the army were transferred to the civilian residences in the city to pay their respects to Marquis Guangping.

Fortunately, Wang Zuo, who received the news, responded quickly and ordered the generals of various units to return to their original positions and hold their positions. These commanders were able to return before the Liao army broke through the city wall.

"Fire arrows!"

Faced with the infantry advancing alone, the archers on the city wall bent their bows and drew their arrows, releasing a rain of arrows at the command.

But these arrows had little effect and the results achieved were almost negligible.

The Liao heavy infantry equipped with shields were used to withstand the rain of arrows and fight for the vanguard in the key areas under the city. Their configuration and clothing could provide corresponding protection against the rain of arrows and rolling stones.

Shi Mi Ming'an felt somewhat dissatisfied when he saw that the command in the city was so incompetent and following the routine.

Even if the most inconspicuous little sister of the Yang family was in command, she probably wouldn't let the vanguard shield soldiers get close to the city wall so easily. It seems... except for the Yang family army, there is no need to worry about anyone in the territory of Qi.

"The second division is leaving."

The herald shouted, "Part 2, set off!"

Suddenly, trumpets sounded behind the vanguard army, and the main force, armed with sharp scimitars, went into battle lightly and began to rush towards Jieting.

Seeing this, the commander on the city wall was about to order the archers to change direction and shoot these swordsmen whose defenses were much weaker, but many archers who were aiming were hit by something and dragged off the city wall.

"what!"

The commander in charge of defense was shocked and completely lost his composure.

He had never expected that the Liao army shield soldiers, who had previously not attracted attention, would actually pull out weapons like meteor hammers from behind their shields.

Unlike meteor hammers, these things do not have round iron balls with spikes on the front end, but some sharp claws that can drag people off the city wall.

These shield soldiers with thick necks and shoulders as thick and broad as rocks swung their shields a few times and then threw them onto the city wall, where they tightly wrapped around the parapets.

Without waiting for the defenders on the city wall to react, the shield soldiers straightened the chains, and the swordsmen rushed straight towards the city wall as if they were walking on a single-plank bridge.

"Is it possible... to attack the city like this?"

The actions of the Liao vanguard army completely shocked the Zhennan Zhongwu Army on the city defense, and also caused an uproar in the civilian houses under their command.

The vanguard army is not equipped with catapults like the central army, because these heavy siege weapons are too troublesome to assemble, and dragging them will slow down the advance, so they have their own siege methods.

However, these methods are ineffective against the thick and tall walls of Huangling Pass and can only work on such low walls.

When the Liao swordsmen stepped on the chains, the commanders on the city wall realized what was going to happen next and hurriedly ordered the archers to retreat and the sword and shield soldiers to advance to the wall.

Suddenly, shouts and cries of killing were heard everywhere, and the city walls began to be stained red with blood.

But then, it was not only the city wall that broke out in disaster. Even the city gate that was supported by logs broke and collapsed with a loud bang after loosening and shaking a few times.

Next, the Liao army wearing green armor began to break into the city and confronted the Zhennan Zhongwu army wearing bright silver armor, and a fierce battle ensued.

……

At this moment, Xu Qing, who was staying in the room, never imagined that the Jieting that he had just agreed to defend would be breached by the Liao army soon after and break into various places in the city.

Originally, some messengers would rush to the yard to report the situation of their troops to General Longxiang, but an hour later, all the units of the Zhennan Zhongwu Army were defeated, and there were fightings everywhere in the city, and rivers of blood were flowing.

Wang Zuo felt a little numb looking at the map in the room. He had never expected that the Liao army was completely different from those savages in southern Xinjiang, and their tactics and skills were so advanced.

Even though the Zhennan Zhongwu Army was as famous as the Yang Family Army, it was still defeated after a brief fight.

You have to know that this is just the vanguard of the Liao Kingdom's 800,000-strong army, and the more terrifying central army has not yet arrived at the front line.

Suddenly, a feeling of palpitations spread throughout Wang Zuo's heart.

At the beginning, when Zhang Shunfei reported the tactics discussed by Yang Xianning, he also felt that this method was feasible. If the Liao vanguard army could be strangled at Jieting and Changpo Bridge, the Liao's advance would definitely be hindered.

But now it seems that the level of the Liao vanguard army is extremely high, and it is not a role that can be easily dealt with.

It would be better to take advantage of this time to give up the East City, withdraw the troops to the west of the city, and retreat towards the Qinling Mountains.

(End of this chapter)