There are no stars in the new moon.
The night was dark, with the sounds of insects and birds chirping one after another in the distance. The elite soldiers wearing armor and holding spears cut off their inner robes and wrapped them thickly around the soles of their boots, then ran silently in the long and deep valley.
The vanguard had reached the end of the valley and rushed up the mountain.
The person in charge of this raid was General Tian Yong, who had followed Wang Ji for many years. Tian Yong was not only experienced in battles, but also a cautious person. After climbing over the mountain, he did not rush into a surprise attack, but lay low and carefully observed the Southern Army camp below.
The tents were connected and the dim yellow dots were endless. The camp of 500,000 troops was indeed spectacular. Due to the terrain, the west side of the camp was very close to the southern foot of Yanling Mountains.
Tian squinted his eyes and looked at it.
There was a blazing bonfire in the western camp, teams of patrolling soldiers were marching in an orderly manner, and the dim light from the tents was reflected by shadowy figures of soldiers standing or moving. It was not yet late at night, and the soldiers who were not on duty had not yet all gone to bed.
Everything seems normal.
But when Tian Yong looked carefully, he saw that many shadows in the inconspicuous edge areas had not moved for a long time.
A dummy made of grass and wood? Or maybe just hang a piece of clothing or something.
He laughed secretly. The King of Qi was so well disguised. If they had not been warned in advance, they would have been fooled.
At this time, nearly one-third of the soldiers had come out of the valley and were lying in ambush on the mountain behind him. Tian Yong raised his sword and pointed it at the Southern Army camp below.
"Attack quickly, encircle the west camp from both sides as planned, and do not wait, immediately gather and kill the enemy's ambush troops."
He turned his head to look at the deputy general: "If the ambush troops are in chaos, immediately send out whistling arrows to warn them."
"Brothers! Follow me!"
“Kill!!!”
…
On the top of the mountain on the southern edge of Yanling Mountains, a thunderous shout suddenly broke out, and the Zhenquan Army suddenly appeared and rushed down with great momentum.
The black mass of attacking troops rushed down the mountain and quickly split into two groups. According to the plan, they would encircle the west camp and then immediately "annihilate the ambush troops."
But who would have thought that at this moment, the tents began to move, and those "dummies made of grass and wood" suddenly jumped up and overturned the tents. Under the reflection of the blazing bonfire, it was seen that the ground inside the tent was densely packed with neatly-armed soldiers.
A burly, dark-faced general in the middle of the group raised his sword and shouted, "Thieves! How dare you attack my camp? Die now!!"
It turned out to be Zhang Yong, one of the trusted generals under the King of Qi.
Tian Yong was terrified: "What's going on?!"
Isn't this an empty camp plan?
Why are there so many soldiers hidden in this tent? !
Tian Yong certainly knew that he had fallen into the enemy's trap, but he couldn't figure out how the trap was set, and he didn't have time to figure it out. He hurriedly ordered the front army to turn to the rear and retreat to the valley.
Unfortunately, it was too late. He had just shouted in the chaos when Zhang Yong, full of murderous intent, rode his horse close to him. After a few rounds, a pool of blood splashed and his head was chopped off.
The Southern Army, which had been prepared, had already rushed over. Caught off guard, the Zhenquan Army's formation was in chaos, screams were heard, and the bloody smell splattered. Before Tian Yong's head hit the ground, several deputy generals had surrounded him and were quickly captured.
The whistling arrows were quickly found, and Zhang Yong immediately handed them to his personal guards, "Hurry and present them!"
The flare arrow was quickly delivered to Wei Jing. After a careful examination and confirmation, he gave an order. With a few "whoosh" sounds, the flare arrow flew into the air, and with a "bang" an orange-yellow flame flower burst out.
The specially made flames were very bright, and they slowly dissipated after two breaths. Wei Jing retracted his gaze and said, "Send a message to Zhang Yong to quickly close the encirclement and strangle the attackers!"
He glanced at the defeated attackers, all wearing Zhenquan military uniforms, and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Chen Qi Fan Ya, you all should act according to the plan immediately!"
Conceal the battle situation, feign defeat, and lure the enemy deeper.
The coalition forces of King Wang Ji and King Ji will arrive soon.
…
Is there anything more exciting than the orange fireworks in the sky?
Probably not.
Zhenquan and his generals in Xuzhou were overjoyed. Wang Ji immediately issued an order: "Quick! March to the Southern Army camp at full speed!"
The 400,000-strong coalition army had calculated the time of their departure and was already on the way. At the command, they immediately rushed forward. Wang Ji looked at Prince Ji with contempt, snorted and laughed, then whipped the horse hard and it galloped out with all four hooves.
The distance was not too far, so Wang Ji's eyes could not be seen clearly, but his movements could be seen. Prince Ji was furious: "This damn dog butcher!"
Chu Zhu hurriedly advised: "Your Highness, the priority is to encircle and suppress the King of Qi."
Defeating the King of Qi is the common and only desire of everyone here.
Prince Ji cursed, but he had already whipped the horse's reins hard with his whip, "Don't worry, sir, I know the severity of the situation."
The 400,000-strong army quickly crossed the center of the plain, and after less than half an hour they could see the Southern Army camp from afar.
The camp, which was once solemn and orderly, was now in chaos, especially the western camp next to Yan Ling. There were flames, screams, the sound of weapons clashing, the collapse of the camp walls, and tents collapsing and burning. It had completely collapsed.
The troops wearing black armor were the King of Qi's army. Some were wounded and wailing, some were fleeing in panic, and some were rolling around trying to put out the flames on their bodies. Their army was completely routed. Meanwhile, Qi troops in the east, west, south and center were hastily gathering towards the west camp, hoping to encircle and turn the tide.
They came just in time!
Wang Ji was in high spirits and told Prince Ji: "You attack from the east and I from the west, do you want to surround us from both sides?"
He had already opened a gap in the west, so he naturally could not give it to Prince Ji. Prince Ji also knew this and nodded: "Okay!"
The cowhide war drums sounded, the coalition forces were in high spirits, and after a shout, they quickly encircled the King of Qi's camp.
Closer, closer, and closer. Like a tiger out of a cage, the Xuzhou army rushed into the gate of the Qi camp.
At this moment, Yang Shu's eyes suddenly focused, and he was horrified. He pulled the reins and galloped away, quickly running to the commander's flag.
"Oh no! It's a trick!"
He shouted: "Your Highness, give the order to retreat quickly!"
Prince Ji was shocked: "What's going on?"
Yang Shu pointed and said, "Look at these Qi soldiers!"
He was pointing at several wounded soldiers who were running away in the distance. Some of them were holding their abdomens, some had blood on their waists and legs, and they were supporting each other and staggering forward. At first glance, there was indeed nothing wrong.
But the soldiers were not professional actors after all, so this impromptu acting was bound to have some minor flaws, and their legs and feet were more flexible than those of ordinary wounded soldiers.
It was not a big deal when the distance was far, but when it got closer, Yang Shu felt uneasy. After careful observation, he soon discovered the clues.
Prince Ji was horrified and looked around, and found that after they rushed into the Qi camp, these "wounded soldiers" seemed to be dispersing and retreating intentionally or unintentionally.
His heart was pounding, and he shouted, "Pass the order! The rear troops will turn to the front troops, retreat immediately, retreat!!"
"The Xuzhou Army seems to have discovered something?"
Fan Ya, who was hiding behind the tent, frowned, but Wei Jing's order had already arrived quickly.
Encircle and annihilate the enemy in advance.
Fan Ya immediately stood up, raised his sword and took a deep breath: "Brothers! Follow me to kill!"
"Charge! Kill!"
…
In mid-February, the most intense battle since the chaos broke out on the green and grassy Wangyuan Plain.
More than one million soldiers participated in the war.
Encirclement and counter-encirclement, strangulation and counter-strangulation, the coalition forces ambitiously rushed into the camp of King Qi, while the well-prepared and long-dormant southern army quickly surrounded them.
Arrow arrays, fire attacks, and finally a fierce fight, launching the final hand-to-hand combat.
The Southern Army was steady and in high spirits; but the Allied Forces suddenly fell into a trap and were completely at a disadvantage after a moment of panic. There were shouts and cries, the muffled "swish" sound of knives entering flesh, and the scarlet blood that completely dyed the earth red.
Prince Ji was lucky because he did not go too deep into the enemy camp and ordered a quick retreat in time. Although he lost tens of thousands of soldiers and horses after a round of resistance, he managed to escape successfully and fled to the other exit of Wangyuan in a hurry. He retreated to his territory in the central and eastern part of Yuzhou in shock.
Wang Ji's situation was much worse. The West Camp was closer. When Prince Ji found out something was wrong, he had already "killed" deep into the enemy's territory. At Wei Jing's command, he was immediately trapped inside.
Crying to the sky will get no response, and calling to the earth will get no help. However, this man has been tough and resolute throughout his adventures. He gritted his teeth and led his troops to break out in one direction. He was a cunning and lucky man. He tore off his general's cloak and changed it into an ordinary general's armor, and used someone else as a substitute. Finally, he broke out with the protection of more than 10,000 personal soldiers.
He came with an army of 220,000, but only about 10,000 remnants were left when he fled. All the baggage and food were lost, more than half of his trusted ministers and generals were killed, and the three sons he brought with him were all killed in the battle. He was like a stray dog. He didn't dare to stay in Yuzhou, and fled hurriedly to his base camp in Qingzhou.
Wei Jing did not chase after him, he had more important things to do than chasing the enemy. After defeating the coalition forces of Zhen, Quan and Prince Ji, he immediately divided his troops into four routes and captured a total of 71 cities and counties in the four southern, western and northern counties of Yuzhou, and most of Yuzhou fell into his hands.
…
The capital of Runan County was Pingyang.
The defenses of the four counties of Yuzhou had been fine-tuned, and Wei Jing ordered his personal soldiers to go out immediately. Ji Huan stroked his beard and said, "We have firmly established Yuzhou, and Madam and the others are heading north."
In previous battles, Wei Jing always led Ji Huan, Zhang Yong and other ministers to attack cities and capture territories in the front, while Shao Qing, Kou Xuan and others followed closely behind to carry out a series of post-war work, so Ji Huan said this.
Wei Jing paused when he heard this, not because he was worried about his wife's safety. He had already firmly controlled the four counties and was not afraid of a counterattack. But now, they have Xu'er.
According to the old official arrangements, my wife is supposed to come. If my wife comes, will my daughter-in-law come?
He missed his wife and daughter, and of course he hoped that they would come, but Xu'er was still young, so...
Wei Jing was rarely indecisive. He thought about it again and again, and finally wrote a letter himself, asking his wife for her opinion. If she wanted to bring their daughter here, she should remember to ask Yan Ming first.
Ji Huan smiled secretly, watched his lord finish writing the letter, coughed twice, and then got back to the topic.
"My lord, I think now is not a good time to march west to Sizhou."
To the west of Yuzhou is Sizhou, where Luojing and the emperor reside.
Wei Jing and the emperor had a lot of blood feuds, so it goes without saying that he wanted to kill his enemy with his own hands, but Ji Huan had to persuade him.
It holds the throat of the world, with the Yellow River as its shield in the north, Hangu Pass in Xiaoshan in the west, Hulao Pass in Songshan in the east and Waifang Mountain in the south. It has eight natural passes that are as easy to defend as an iron wall and easy to attack. The geographical advantage of Sizhou Luojing being the imperial capital is self-evident.
When attacking Sizhou, you must not be hasty, at least you must not attack when there is an enemy lurking behind you.
In the battle of Wangyuan, Prince Ji left in time and his strength was not greatly reduced. Xuzhou was his base camp, but unfortunately Xuzhou itself did not have many natural defenses. Prince Ji is currently deploying his troops on the Xiayi Wucheng line in the central and eastern part of Yuzhou, ready to await Wei Jing.
The attacking and defending positions can be switched at any time. Once Wei Jing attacks Sizhou with all his strength, Prince Ji will most likely send troops to recover the lost territory.
There is also a Wang Ji, who has a few scattered funds and still has 100,000 old men in Qingzhou.
In addition to these two people, there are other northern warlords who are closely following the war situation in Yuzhou, among whom is Prince An, who is extremely entangled.
Wei Jing knew all of this.
The huge candle burned quietly, and the study outside was as bright as day. He sat at the head of the room, his dark pupils were dim under the candlelight, and he nodded slowly: "Bo Yan is right."
After all these years, this last step doesn't matter.
Wei Jing slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air from his chest and said, "Next, we will attack Xuzhou first."
Attacking Xuzhou first was the best strategy, and that was indeed what he planned. However, plans could not keep up with changes, and the rapid development of the subsequent battle situation was beyond the expectations of everyone present.
Wei Jing first received a news report.
King An's.
Although this mortal enemy was out of reach for the time being, Wei Jing sent people north to Jizhou to observe his movements.
After the battle of Wangyuan, this man took advantage of the opportunity to gain a great advantage.
The northern part of Yanzhou was originally Wang Ji's territory. After Wang Ji was defeated, he fled back to Qingzhou in a hurry through Yanzhou. It happened that most of his troops were lost and Northern Yanzhou was empty. Prince An took the opportunity to lead his troops south, using the excuse of blocking possible pursuers for Wang Ji and occupying northern Yanzhou.
In fact, there were no pursuers, as Wei Jing was busy capturing the four counties of Yuzhou. Wang Ji also knew about it, but there was nothing he could do. His military strength was greatly reduced, and he could not defend northern Yanzhou without Prince An's coming. He also did not want to make more enemies at the moment, so he could only accept the other party's "good intentions" and the IOU, and "temporarily lend" northern Yanzhou to Prince An.
More than a year later, Prince An was no longer the rebel prince who had fled in despair.
He formed an alliance with Gao Chang, first attacked Qinghe and then Hejian. During this period, Gao Chang died in battle and his eldest son succeeded to the throne, following the lead of his brother-in-law Prince An. Prince An's power increased greatly. Last autumn, he captured Bohai County in one fell swoop and half of Jizhou fell into his hands.
All the relatively weak targets have been squeezed. Zhou Hong in the western part of Jizhou is deeply rooted and powerful, and cannot be easily shaken by King An. But a few days ago, Wei Xu's strategy persuaded Zhou Hong and King An to form an alliance, and the two of them turned their attention to Yuzhou in the south.
Prince An went south and occupied the northern part of Yanzhou, and Zhou Hong went south and occupied the eastern county of Yanzhou. The two of them marched together.
With half of Jizhou and the north of Yanzhou, hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, and new allies, in just over a year, King An has recovered 60% to 70% of his former power.
According to the report received by Wei Jing, Wei Xu made great contributions.
Wei Jing took four counties of Yuzhou in one breath. Just as he had time to discuss the matter with these two people, he did not expect that Prince An had made new moves. For several consecutive days, there were frequent carriages and horses coming out of the Qinghe County Magistrate's Mansion, heading in several directions.
Youzhou, Bingzhou, Qingzhou, and Xuzhou.
"Could it be that..."
Ji Huan frowned and looked at Wei Jing.
"He wants to take this opportunity to incite the coalition forces?"
If that's the case, it's tricky.
The author has something to say: King An turned passivity into initiative...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
