Chapter 160 An Unexpected War 2
Liu Rukui watched the Jianlu people climbing up the mountain, as if they were no different from ants. They were all Han Chinese, so why were they so brave in the Jianlu? Why were they so timid in Han territory? It was because they were living too comfortably in Han territory.
As he thought about it, he drew his bow and arrow and shot at an enemy who was about to climb the wall. With a whoosh, the enemy fell down the ladder and hit another companion.
At this moment, the East Gate seemed to be about to be breached, and Li Yan immediately led his troops to support them. Li Yan, that's right! Li Yan, the man who had been cuckolded by Wan Shan, was at the gates of Tianjin. Originally, he was killed by Li Zicheng. Due to historical changes, he didn't know what happened, but he followed Li Zicheng to Shanxi. He had originally intended to follow him to Xi'an, but now he and Liu Rukui were marching towards Huaiqing Prefecture.
The battle of Tianjin was a frustrating one for him, with many of his men killed and unable to advance a single step. In the end, he was recalled by the Emperor before he even entered the city. Even his wife was abducted, and others laughed at him for having a green head.
Later, he retreated westward. He did manage to replenish his lost men, but his fighting capacity had clearly declined. Now he couldn't even defend a city. Too many veterans had died, and he needed to personally teach them how to fight.
Li Yan said to a sergeant with a whip: "How are you commanding? Didn't you see the enemies rushing up to your left? If it weren't for me! Your left side is full of enemies, you would have lost your head long ago! You are not a small soldier, you have to keep your eyes and ears open!" After that, he whipped the sergeant.
"Thank you, General, for your guidance!" The sergeant said, and continued to lead his men into battle. Li Yan also continued to patrol the city defenses with his personal guards. He went wherever they were needed. After a whole day, they finally drove back the Jianlu army.
At night, Liu Rukui called a meeting of his generals. He said, "It's not a good idea to just stand here and defend it! Let's think of a solution!"
Li Yan then stepped forward and said, "General! Why not take advantage of the Jianlu's instability and launch a surprise attack at night to catch them off guard?"
"How confident are you? Many of your soldiers are newly recruited, and it is easy for them to get lost while marching at night!" said Liu Rukui.
"Marshal! Although there are many new recruits in my battalion, 40% of them are veterans. They are experienced, and there is no nystagmus in my battalion, so we can see even at night!" said Li Yan.
"Okay! Set off at four o'clock tonight! Attack the Jianlu camp at night!" Liu Rukui made a plan.
At four o'clock in the morning, Li Yan's soldiers climbed down the city wall along ropes to avoid being discovered by the enemy. Everyone bent over, raised their legs lightly, and like thieves, they divided into four groups and moved step by step towards the Jianlu camp.
Jin Yuhe had been a general for many years and was no fool. Outside the main camp, there were visible outposts, as well as covert and mobile outposts. The defenses were quite strict. The concern was for a surprise attack at night, and the visible outposts were vulnerable. The mobile outposts might miss a nighttime attack, but the covert outposts served as a last resort.
Unfortunately, Jin Yuhe was so unlucky, but it cannot be said that he was unlucky. It can only be said that Li Yan had a way! First, he released a wild dog, and the wild dog ran towards the Jianlu camp. The mobile sentries and secret sentries all discovered the wild dog that day, and wanted to eat it. However, the secret sentry was one step faster, caught the dog first, and dragged it to a grass pit where he was squatting. Prepare to have a good meal for yourself tomorrow morning. At this time, food in the north was still very scarce and insufficient, including for these soldiers. Moreover, Jin Yuhe was a Han army flag, and the Manchu uncle above him just had to not starve to death. He would never let you eat well!
The sentry's greed had exposed his target, and several veteran soldiers under Li Yan's command had sneaked up on him. Two of them crept up to his side, one on each side. The two veteran soldiers exchanged a glance. They had already agreed, counting to three in their heads before simultaneously jumping into the pit. One covered the man's mouth, while the other stabbed him to death with a knife.
Just like that, the secret sentries west of the main camp were eliminated. Li Yan, upon hearing the signal, immediately ordered his men to continue advancing, while simultaneously eliminating the visible sentries and arriving outside the camp. Li Yan was highly skilled in fire attacks and night raids, having made thorough preparations beforehand. He had brought everything in the city that could start a fire, including gunpowder, strong liquor, lard, and rapeseed oil. He even used enemy corpses to make human oil when oil was scarce.
The old soldier took the jar of fire and used a tinder to light the fuse. The fuse was usually made by soaking a piece of cloth in oil and inserting it into the jar. After lighting the fuse, he threw the jar away, turning it into an incendiary bomb.
Li Yan whispered, "I'll count to one, two, three, and then start throwing!"
Everyone nodded, and Li Yan began to count. One! Two! Three! Throw it for me! Li Yan took the lead and threw the incendiary bomb in his hand. Hundreds of people followed suit, throwing burning jars into the enemy camp.
Jin Yuhe's camp was suddenly engulfed in flames. The soldiers shouted, "Soldiers can't find their commander, and commanders can't find their soldiers." The camp was in chaos! Li Yan saw that the time had come and shouted, "Brothers! Follow me! Kill the Tartars!"
"Kill!" Veterans and new recruits alike shouted as they rushed towards the Jianlu camp, killing anyone they saw, setting fire to any tents they found, burning any food supplies they found, and seizing any horses they found. On the top of the city wall, Liu Rukui saw the flames rising from the Jianlu camp and immediately opened the city gates and rushed out.
Jin Yuhe was stunned. He had never imagined he would be defeated so completely. Now he could only gather his defeated troops and flee eastward. Li Yan had gained a lot from this night raid: over 8,000 pieces of weapons and armor, and over 500 war horses.
However, Liu Rukui did not enter the main camp to join Li Yan. Instead, he headed west in pursuit, hoping to capture Jin Yuhe and gain the first merit.
Although Li Yan had obtained a lot of equipment, he still hadn't seen Liu Rukui join him. He knew what Liu Rukui was up to. Li Yan roared, "Brothers of the old camp, that Liu is disloyal and wants to take all the credit! Follow me and chase the Jianlu commander!"
In a short time, Li Yan organized a cavalry team of 500 and chased them all the way west!
Jin Yuhe was now fleeing in a panic like a stray dog, gathering up the fleeing soldiers as he went. In the end, there were 2,000 fleeing soldiers, who escorted Jin Yuhe and Deputy General Chang Ding all the way to a place called Baixiang Town.
Jin Yuhe arrived at Baixiang Town and discussed with Chang Ding how to organize a defense. They needed to slow down a bit; their warhorses were already exhausted. If they ran any further, they would die. Their two legs definitely couldn't outrun four.
Jin Yuhe said to Chang Ding, "General Chang, none of us can move now. Organize a defense here and send a few men to break through and deliver a message to the court!"
"Admiral, can we wait until the imperial reinforcements arrive? We might as well take a break! Organizing a breakout would give us some hope of survival!" Chang Ding said.
"Then follow General Chang's advice! Find some food in the town, and kill the people if they don't give it to you. Even if we have to eat some human flesh, we still need to replenish our strength!" Jin Yuhe said.
"yes!"
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