He Guan, the commander of Cangzhou, marched day and night through Renqiu to Gaoyang, and then wanted to go directly to Baoding. More than 20,000 people entered Gaoyang in a mighty force.
He Guan was implicated in the Bai Wanli incident and was beaten with a military stick by Zhong Hong.
In order to avenge his previous humiliation and gain merit, he ordered his soldiers to march day and night to lift the siege of Baoding.
On the east side of Gaoyang County, He Guan's army reached Tianmen Mountain, which is low-lying and more appropriately called a slope than a mountain.
Wanyan Gao, commander-in-chief of the Jin Dynasty's Eastern Army, personally led 10,000 Jin soldiers to ambush at Tianmen Mountain.
He Guan's long journey had exhausted his soldiers. As the saying goes, "Treat the near as the distant, treat leisure as fatigue, treat fullness as hunger; this is how to manage strength."
He Guan, like Zhong Hong, made the mistake of underestimating the enemy. As soon as he arrived at Qianmen Mountain, he hurriedly ordered his soldiers to bury the pots and cook.
Although the hillside was densely forested in the distance, it was still far away, far beyond the range of bows and crossbows. Therefore, He Guan was not worried about the enemy's ambush.
"Speed is of the essence in war! Soldiers, our comrades in Baozhou are waiting for our support. Let's eat and rest!"
He Guan gave the troops orders and then sat down to rest. The long march was indeed too tiring.
The soldiers were exhausted. More than 20,000 of them gathered together in groups to rest and wait for meals. There was no military discipline at all.
The deputy general came over and suggested: "General, the soldiers have no military discipline. They are gathering in twos and threes like this. What if the enemy attacks?"
He Guan finally realized that something was wrong. He stood up, waved his hand, and was about to give an order.
With a "whoosh" sound, a crossbow arrow shot from a distance.
Three of them hit He Guan's chest straight, and one of them even went through it.
The Jin soldiers attacked from far and near in the mountains and plains, dust flew up and the sky and the earth changed color.
The soldiers were terrified and panicked. Their commander was unexpectedly shot dead by an arrow. For a moment, the troops were in chaos.
The deputy general panicked. The soldiers were already sitting scattered. After witnessing their commander being shot dead, how could they still obey his orders? They all fled blindly.
Wanyan Gao personally commanded the front line, which greatly boosted the morale of the Jin soldiers. The He Cangzhou army was defeated and fled, with countless casualties.
The bed crossbow was a Song Dynasty long-range weapon. With a range of over a thousand meters, it was incredibly powerful. Wanyan Gao used a bed crossbow, smuggled through the Song-Jin customs.
During the Battle of Chanyuan between Song and Liao, the Liao army commander Xiao Talina was killed by a Song army crossbow, leading to the Liao army's defeat.
In those days, the Song army 'took the general's head from a million-man army.' Xiao Tallin, far out of the range of the Song army's crossbows, thought he was completely safe. However, the Song army used "bed crossbows" to fire a barrage of arrows, killing him instantly. The Liao army's morale plummeted, and fearing the Song army's powerful weapons, they retreated in panic, leading to a great victory for the Song army at Chanyuan.
History always repeats itself in surprising ways. The Song army's main general, He Guan, also died from this crossbow.
…
On the other hand, the new commander of the Cangzhou Army, Nangong Wentian, came from a family of military commanders. His ancestor, Nangong Cheng, had a life-or-death relationship with Emperor Shizong of Zhou, so close that even Zhao Kuangyin had to give him some respect.
After ascending the throne, Zhao Kuangyin actively sought to win over the people by befriending the great general Nangong Cheng, which ultimately granted him a position of favor. Nangong Cheng had already voluntarily surrendered his military power before Zhao Kuangyin's ceremony, earning him even greater respect.
By the time of Nangong Wentian's generation, he had ceased to hold official positions. Originally a hermit, he remained oblivious to worldly affairs, spending his days at home practicing martial arts and composing poetry. Later, upon witnessing the Song Dynasty's invasion by the Liao and Jin dynasties, he abandoned his writing and joined the military. He sent a letter to the then-Song Huizong (Emperor Huizong), who, mindful of Nangong's ancestors' contributions to the Zhao family, bestowed upon him the position of pacification envoy.
Now Nangong Wentian is the deputy commander of the Zong family army. At this moment, he is leading 30,000 Song troops from Xiongzhou to rush west to provide support.
Nangong Wentian acted cautiously. Although he was coming to support friendly forces, he would not advance rashly.
At this moment, Nangong Wentian was on the way, commanding: "Messenger! Quickly send someone to gather information from the front. If there is any unusual movement, report it immediately!"
The messenger took the order and left.
In Rongcheng and Anxin counties, Jin general Maji led another large army to intercept the reinforcements from Xiongzhou.
Maji deployed his troops in a V-shaped formation. Spies had already reported that reinforcements from Xiongzhou had arrived in Panlong Town.
Maji led 10,000 troops to meet the enemy head-on at Rongcheng, and arranged an ambush of 7,000 troops in Anxin, intending to encircle and annihilate the Xiongzhou army.
Anxin County was a small county town. At that time, Anxin County was already the garrison of the Jin soldiers. The city gates were closed on all sides. Anyone who dared to leave the city would be killed without mercy!
Anxin County Government Office had become the headquarters of the Jin army, with Jin General Abuhanbu stationed there. He kept an eye on the markings on the map.
"Has General Maji's order arrived?" Abuhanbu asked without even raising his head.
The counselor next to him whispered, "Here they are! General Maji told us to hold our ground and wait for news. If General Maji engages the Song army head-on, we will circle around from the south and attack the Song army from behind."
With a "whoosh", a sleeve arrow flew in from outside the door and shot straight at Abuhanbu.
Abuham turned slightly, and the sleeve arrow passed by him, and only a red shadow flashed by outside.
"Protect the general!" the counselor was shocked.
Several Jin soldiers rushed in from outside the door and drew their swords to protect themselves.
Abuhanbu was furious: "Chase him! Don't let him escape!"
What he feared was not being assassinated, but the disastrous consequences if the military secrets were leaked.
Everyone rushed out of the yamen and saw a person riding a red horse galloping past in the distance. The person on the horse was wearing deerskin boots, a fiery red dress, long flowing hair, and a slender figure. She looked like a young girl.
"Chase!" Abuhanbu waved his hand, and everyone led the horses tied at the gate of the yamen and started to chase.
Abuhanbu and others rode their horses to chase after him. The girl in red in front of them slapped her horse and turned back to shout, "Come on, chase me! You big fools!" Her voice was as clear and melodious as a silver bell.
Abuhanbu was furious and chased after him with his men.
The girl seemed to be deliberately teasing them and was not running very fast. When she was about to catch up, Abuhanbu was overjoyed: "You are looking for death yourself, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
There were two big trees on both sides of the road ahead. Suddenly, the girl ran past a tree on the right, pulled out the dagger at her waist and cut a rope on the tree.
The rope was cut, and a pulley on the tree spun rapidly. Suddenly, a rope appeared on the ground, lying between the two trees. It turned out to be a mechanism.
Abuhanbu and his companions were galloping along on horseback when a rope suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, like a tripwire. The horses, still galloping, were caught in the ropes and immediately threw Abuhanbu and his companions off their horses.
Looking at the girl giggling in the distance, she has already gone far away.
Abuhanbu pointed to the distance and cursed: "Little stinky girl, don't let me catch you!"
Anxin County was a small town with simple gates. Four Jin soldiers stood lazily at the west gate. Due to an urgent report from Rongcheng County, the west gate was open.
The sound of horse hooves echoed as a rider galloped towards the city gate. A young woman, wearing a black mask, had delicate, fair skin on her forehead and a pair of bright, vibrant eyes. She was wearing deerskin boots and a fiery red dress as she galloped towards the city gate.
The four Jin soldiers at the city gate had not yet come to their senses and were about to shout at them when the girl suddenly raised her right arm.
"Swoosh..." A few sounds were heard, and four Jin soldiers were shot in the throat, instantly dying. The girl rushed out of the city gate and was already far away.
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