Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

With tens of thousands of people crammed into the river valley, the camp could stretch out for several miles.

Brother Richard did not evacuate them all. Instead, he asked the infantry to move to the southern camp and evacuate this place first with food and grass. The cavalry were arranged to take over the camp in the north and dismounted and walked back and forth.

It was all in the dark, even if the Ming army scouts were wearing binoculars and lying on the top of the mountain to observe, they would not be able to see clearly what was going on.

Moreover, Brother Richard led his own cavalry to stay in the camp and used various deceptive methods. For example, straw men were erected throughout the military camp, and the straw men were also asked to wear light armor.

Well, this thing was exposed.

The sun gradually rose, and in the dim light of morning, a group of reconnaissance soldiers came to change their shift.

The scout crouched on the top of the mountain last night, rubbing his sleepy eyes for one last observation.

Put down the telescope, rub your eyes, then pick up the telescope and look.

"Crawly?"

"The enemy wants to escape!"

Brother Richard originally planned to retreat in two nights. On the first night, the infantry would leave with food and grass, and on the second night, he would retreat at night with the cavalry. He even wanted to lead the cavalry and call for formation in broad daylight, pretending to be ready for a decisive battle.

However, he never dreamed that the straw man could confuse the naked eye, but be exposed under the telescope.

It wasn't until Yang Zhi led his army out of the city and approached that Brother Richard realized that he had been seen through.

As for what went wrong, Brother Richard couldn't even figure it out.

"withdraw!"

Three thousand iron kites and thousands of Xixia light cavalry, each with one person and two horses, followed Brother Richard and abandoned the camp.

These Xixia light cavalry are almost all tribal cavalry. Weapons and armor are all inherited from ancestors, some are excellent and some are inferior, depending on whether the soldier's family is poor or rich.

After evacuating the camp, we ran south for nearly ten miles and came to the second most open and flat place in the entire river valley (the most open river valley was in the area that later became Yongdeng County).

Brother Richard ordered all the cavalry to stop and sent two thousand light cavalry back to lure the enemy.

As long as the Ming army dared to chase and kill the cavalry who pretended to be defeated, they would eat as many as they came. If the whole army rushes after him, it will inevitably lead to chaos in the military formation, and he will be able to annihilate all the Ming troops in the valley.

Li Yanxian took the lead in passing through the enemy's empty camp with his cavalry. Just as he was about to chase him out, a messenger came on horseback: "General Li, don't underestimate the enemy and rush in, and don't pursue the enemy too deep!"

"knew!"

Li Yanxian couldn't laugh or cry. He had won two consecutive victories and the general was still so cautious. He was convinced.

Now the morale of the whole army is so high that even the cavalry under Li Yanxian are clamoring to annihilate all the enemies in the south, completely ignoring the tens of thousands of Xixia soldiers.

After chasing for two miles, the cavalry from both sides met.

After shooting a few arrows at each other, Li Yanxian led his troops to charge, and the Xixia Qingqi were immediately defeated and fled.

Li Yanxian led his troops in pursuit, and after killing dozens of horsemen, he blew the trumpet and ordered a stop.

Some cavalry officers were unwilling to give up and chased for another mile. When they heard the trumpet sound getting louder and louder, they led their troops back unwillingly.

One by one, all the cavalrymen complained that the general was too cowardly.

Brother Richard waited in the open valley, and finally he pretended to defeat the light cavalry that was luring the enemy. He found that he had lost hundreds of cavalry, but failed to lure the Ming army over.

In a rage, Brother Richard personally led Tie Yaozi to kill him back.

Li Yanxian received the report from the scout cavalry and said to his generals with a smile: "The enemy indeed had an ambush. Seeing that we did not fall into the trap, he came back. Now our army is in a good situation. Whatever the enemy wants to do, we will not comply with his wishes." , follow me back to join the main force!"

The Ming army cavalry immediately retreated, not entangled with Brother Richard at all.

Brother Richard pursued all the way until he saw the main force of the Ming army from a distance, and then retreated angrily with the cavalry.

Yang Zhi led the army to advance slowly, compressing the space bit by bit.

The river valley is so long, and if it is cut off at both ends, Brother Richard will be blocked sooner or later.

…

After Yao Gu captured Zhenwu City (Ancient Bone Dragon City), he personally led his troops to guard the city in order to prevent the peasants who had been tricked into farming from escaping.

A small border town cannot accommodate too many troops, and it consumes too much food and grass. The food roads in Zhenwu City are much longer than those in Dingxi Fort (Henan Army Division).

So Yao Pingzhong returned with more than 10,000 troops and garrisoned in the nearest Huangzhou City (Ledu District, Haidong City).

When Brother Richard led his army to Xiguan Fort, Zhong Shidao immediately issued a military order and asked Yao Pingzhong to lead his troops over quickly.

Now, Yao Pingzhong has led 10,000 troops and hurriedly rushed outside the Kalochuan River Valley.

"Is this Brother Richard in the valley?" Yao Pingzhong asked.

Zhong Shidao nodded and said: "When the enemy attacked Jingyuguan, some people were captured alive. After torture and interrogation, there is no doubt that the Xixia general is Brother Richard. The enemy claims to have an army of 200,000, but in reality it is definitely not that many, but There should be tens of thousands of them, but now they are all blocked in the river valley."

"Brother Richard is the king of the Western Xia Jin Dynasty, and he also holds military power. Whether he is captured alive or beheaded, it is a great achievement!" Yao Pingzhong said excitedly.

He is known for his bravery in the northwest, and he is young and all he thinks about is how to perform meritorious service.

Zhong Shidao said: "The terrain here is narrow, our army's camp is strong, and there is a river blocking it. It is difficult for Brother Richard to break through. We must be prepared for him to cross the mountains and escape through the Kushui River on the east side!"

The Kushui River is the salty river in later generations, flowing parallel to the lower reaches of the Kalo River.

As far as the straight-line distance between the two river valleys is concerned, the shortest point is less than four miles and the longest point is sixteen miles. However, the two river valleys are separated by mountains, which is less than four miles. It is actually very far to walk, and you have to climb over mountains and ridges along the way.

Even if Brother Richard successfully evacuated from the Kushui River Valley, he would have to abandon his baggage, and he would have to climb mountains and ridges to reach the north to reach the vicinity of Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport.

Zhong Shidao said: "Brothers Liu Xi and Liu Qi have been sent by me to intercept them at the Kushui River. But their troops are too few. You should lead your troops across the river to join them."

"I can't stay here to stop the attack?" Yao Pingzhong was quite disappointed.

Zhong Shidao said: "With the blockade from the north and south, we are unable to advance or retreat. Brother Richard will most likely abandon his baggage and escape from the Kushui River over the mountains and ridges. If you lead troops there, you might be able to capture him alive."

This piece of cake made Yao Pingzhong very happy. He made a newly learned military salute of the Ming Dynasty with his arms crossed: "I am determined to capture Brother Richard!"

Now it is no longer a two-sided attack, but a three-sided interception.

…

When the Kalo River is about to flow into the Yellow River, it first flows along the east cliff, then flows to the southwest, and then flows along the west cliff into the Yellow River.

At the bend of the river, two pieces of flat land were alluvially formed opposite each other across the river.

On the flat ground to the north is the 10,000 troops left by Brother Richard.

On the flat ground to the south is the Ming army led by Zhong Shidao.

Both sides camped across the river, digging trenches every day, and the excavated soil was used to build barriers.

Brother Richard personally led the cavalry to cover the infantry's retreat, and successfully brought the baggage and grain to the mouth of the valley. Then immediately let the army set up camp, and the camp was seven or eight miles long.

He rode to the mouth of the valley and observed the camp at Zhongshi Road on the other side of the river.

At first glance, he almost fell into despair. It was good that there was no river to block him. With his large number of soldiers, he could attack them regardless of casualties.

But the river lies in the middle, making it impossible to break through in a short time, and Yang Zhi's army behind him will not leave him enough time.

This is not the Kalo River in the middle and upper reaches, which can be crossed by just flowing water during the dry season. There are many tributaries flowing in along the way, and the water volume has increased greatly by the mouth of the valley, and it is far from the dry season now.

Brother Richard called the generals for a meeting and said: "It is not easy to attack here, and there are pursuers from behind. You guys guard the camp and use cyclone cannons to bombard the enemy camp across the river every day. I will personally lead the iron kite and Bubazi to cross From the mountains to the Kushui River, go around to the rear and attack the enemy camp! The exit of the Kushui River Valley is only a few miles away from the enemy camp. If you attack from both sides, you will definitely win!"

The generals were shocked and confused after hearing this. Some people suspected that Brother Richard wanted to run away, while others believed that Brother Richard could really succeed in his attack.

As for running away or attacking, Brother Richard himself doesn't know.

It depends on the situation. If you can, just run. If you can't, just run away.

Moreover, it is not necessary to run north along the Kushui River, as that road is too long and difficult to walk. You can go south along the Kushui River. When you leave the valley, you will be on the north bank of the Yellow River. It is located between Jingyuguan and Xiguanbao.

Brother Richard was climbing a mountain on the east side of his camp. The straight-line distance was about four miles, and he could cross over to the Kushui River Valley.

It's just that the mountains are so long that it would take dozens of miles to walk.

Some relatively steep mountains can be climbed over by gritting teeth, but horses have to walk around the mountains.

Brother Richard had to take the horse with him because he didn't have enough dry food with him. He had to kill the horse for meat at the critical moment, otherwise he would starve to death in the narrow valley when he escaped.

Tie Yaozi assigned horses to Bubazi, and all the armor was carried by the horses. More than 8,000 people walked along the mountain.

For several days in a row, without going out, the dry food I carried with me became less and less.

Due to the lack of local guides, although Brother Richard knew roughly how to go, the ups and downs of the mountain road were still confusing. Many times there is no mountain road at all, so we have to force our way over the mountain. This guy already showed signs of getting lost.

Occasionally, if you go astray, you have to adjust the direction through the sun and stars.

The armies of Yao Pingzhong, Liu Xi, and Liu Qi totaled 13,000 people. They stationed the main force in the Kushui River Valley and sent small groups of troops to climb up the hills on the west side. Once they discovered the enemy, they immediately lit up smoke to raise the alarm.

On the sixth day, thick smoke suddenly appeared from the top of the mountain ahead.

In fact, these beacon smoke are not very qualified and cannot be transmitted very far.

But the advantage lies in quantity!

Wolf smoke rose one after another, and in the blink of an eye more than a dozen hills were smoking.

Even where Brother Richard couldn't see with the naked eye, there were dozens of hills, and thick smoke was rising one after another.

There were two people guarding each hilltop. The hay was found nearby. After it was lit and slightly moistened with water, the beggar's version of wolf smoke was created.

Brother Richard looked at the smoking hills ahead and had no idea how many people from the Ming army had arrived.

In fact, there were hundreds of personal guards, three thousand iron kites, and five thousand foot soldiers around him, all of whom were top-notch Xixia elite soldiers.

Although there were Liu Xi, Liu Qi, Yao Pingzhong, Wu Jie, and Wu Lin on the opposite side, the soldiers were all from the Western Army of the Song Dynasty.

If the two sides really fight, maybe Brother Richard can win.

But Brother Richard was frightened by the thick smoke rising from all directions. He immediately led his troops into the ravine and fled frantically to the northwest. After nightfall, he shook off his pursuers and continued running.

After that, people were tired and horses were exhausted, so they traveled completely by day and night, using the North Star to identify their directions.

Yao Pingzhong led his troops in pursuit for several days. He almost ran out of dry food, but completely lost sight of the enemy. He was so angry that he cursed.

He just failed to achieve great success, but Brother Richard was made extremely miserable.

Brother Richard was forced to continue running around in the mountains. He quickly finished his dry food and continued to kill horses to satisfy his hunger. They didn't dare to light a fire and expose their traces, so they could only chew horse meat raw and drink horse blood to quench their thirst.

Since there was still too long an escape route, it was necessary to save enough energy to march, so one horse was killed and the armor carried on the horse was discarded.

It is estimated that by the time they escaped, more than half of these Xixia elite soldiers had lost their armor.

And if you eat raw flesh and blood for a long time, I don’t know how many people will get stomach diseases.

As for the more than 50,000 Xixia soldiers in the Kalochuan Valley, Brother Richard can no longer care about them. He could only break out in embarrassment with his elite troops, and even the Poxi Army was abandoned.