"The cicadas are singing in the empty mulberry forest, and Xiaoguan Road in August is on the road.

Out of the plug into the cold, everywhere yellow reed grass.

has always been quiet and guestless, and they are all old in the dust.

Don't learn from the rangers, praise the purple horses. ”

"If it weren't for these ghostly rangers who sacrificed their lives for the national disaster, sacrificed their lives, and suffered countless casualties, the people of the Central Plains would inevitably be ravaged and slaughtered by foreign races. Could it be that like you, Wang Jiangning, everyone plays the piano and writes poems, sits and talks, and with a glass of new lyrics and wine, they can surrender to Bianyi and save the people from fire and water?"

Liu Qi snorted softly, picked up the clairvoyant mirror, and looked at Xiongguan in the distance.

Since the Han Dynasty, the people of Guanzhong in Shaanxi Province have been quite self-conscious about this piece of "cabbage heart" living in the four passes. Guanzhong, in the East Han Valley, South Kunwu, West Sanguan, North Xiao Pass, Guanzhong four fortresses are named, and North Xiao Pass is the northern barrier guarding Guanzhong, the fortress of the ancient Silk Road.

During the time of Song Renzong, the important minister Fan Zhongyan rebuilt more than 200 miles from the north of the Hangu Pass, in order to resist the important defense line of the Western Xia, it was close to the mountains and rivers, and it was 15 miles east of the Hulu River, and the terrain was very dangerous.

The wall of Xiaoguan is not tall, that is, eight or nine meters, but it is much larger than Pingxia City, and the city wall is much wider.

After all, after the Xiao Pass, the gourd river should be more flat, and it should extend more to both sides, and the land is flat and shady, which is a natural fertile land for farming.

Since the Spring and Autumn Period, until the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese cities have been built of earth, and even the walls of the Yuan capital are still made of rammed earth. In the Ming Dynasty, the capital and important border passes began to build the city with more solid stone bricks, loess rammed the city, and blue bricks covered the walls.

At the time of the Wuhu Rebellion, Helian Bobo built Tongwan City in northern Shaanxi, and adopted the method of "steaming earth to build the city", that is, the glutinous rice juice, silt, sand and hydrated lime were mixed together and rammed together, which was extremely strong, and some city walls could still stand for thousands of years.

The Xiao Pass in front of him is like this, and if you want to blast it open with artillery, I'm afraid it will be very difficult. As for its closure, because it is towering, it may not be easy to break through from here.

The Song people built, the Xia people took it, and then the Song people came to rob it again, the two sides came and went, and there were fierce battles, on this ancient road, on the wasteland full of reeds and grasses, pieces of land were watered by blood.

The Hulu River valley is rich in water and grass, and the terrain is open, which is conducive to the galloping of cavalry, so the Xixia people also attach great importance to this place and control the large and small fortresses within a hundred miles around.

"Give the order to go down, let the brethren rest during the day, and prepare to break through the test at night."

Liu Qi's eyes fell on the towering earthen walls of Xiao Guan, and he suddenly had an idea in his heart.

"Brother Jiu, do you want to wait for the Ma army to come back and attack the city together?"

Liu Xi hesitated: "In case the battle of the Ma army is unfavorable and the party people sneak attack behind their backs, things may become tricky."

Liu Qi picked up a yellowed leaf of reed grass from the ground, put it under his nose, and sniffed it gently. It is close to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the grass and trees are beginning to wither, and the geese have also flown south.

The mulberry forest in the distance was already empty, and the leaves were everywhere. Although the reeds were withered and yellow, they were also proudly erect, and the soldiers' boots stepped on them, making a powerful "click" sound.

The Xiaoguan Ancient Road has been completely isolated, and the soldiers have solemn faces, and pairs of them are constantly patrolling the camp. Along the bank of the Hulu River, the camp stretches for several miles from north to south, surrounding the Xiaoguan in front of you.

"Big brother, thank you for your success!"

Liu Qi raised his head and said solemnly: "Since you went north, you have been wronged."

A brother who has loved himself since he was a child, a mentor and a friend, a member of the Great Song Dynasty court, a high and powerful position, but he followed his side and whispered, no matter what, he felt unhappy.

"My own brother, still saying such things!"

Liu Xi waved his hand, pointed to the towering city wall in the distance, and continued to ask: "Brother Jiu, you haven't said yet, do you want to wait for the Ma army to come back, and then attack the city together?"

"Although the horse army is fast, it can't be rushed!"

Liu Qi looked at Xiao Guan in the distance, and said in a deep voice: "Forty thousand troops, even if it is Xingqing Mansion, a Xiao Guan City, no problem." When the cavalry returns, they can wave their troops north. ”

Li Yanxian led nearly 10,000 horses and adopted the tactics of long-distance attack to attack Xi'an, an important town in the Huluchuan River valley of the Western Xia people, and swept more than 20 forts around Tiandu Village and Tonghui Fort.

Although in the battle of Pingxia City, the loyal and righteous army lost nearly a few thousand cavalry, but Liu Xi's western army, the horse army, basically did not lose and remained at 5,000.

In this battle, the loyal and righteous army captured tens of thousands of war horses. With the addition of auxiliaries and surrendering soldiers, it was more than enough to select 3,000 cavalry. It can be said that the cavalry of the Western Army has accounted for half of the loyal army in Vaxia.

The land of 100 miles west of the Hulu River is the nomadic holy land of Western Xia. Xi'an Prefecture under Tiandu Mountain was once an important town in the western border of the Song people. Xi'an Prefecture was later taken away by the Xixia people, called Nanmu Hui, nine miles around the city, open two gates in the east and west, for "the throat of Jingjing, the belt of sweetness and coolness".

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Xi'an Prefecture is located in the five key places and has become the base camp of the Tangut people to attack the Song people. In 1042 A.D., Li Yuanhao of Western Xia built a luxurious and magnificent city palace here, which once became the political and military center of Western Xia. In 1081, the Song Dynasty attacked Xia, and the Nanmu Society and the palace were burned by Li Xian.

As for the fortress Tiandu Village around it, the Xixia people called Dongmu Hui, the circumference is less than three miles, there are two gates in the north and south, and there are about two or three thousand people on duty at ordinary times.

"Li Xianggong is familiar with military books, and his horse army raid seems to be to follow the story of Guo Chenggong of the Zhezong Dynasty in Pingxia City. It's a pity that Guo Chenggong just passed away, which is embarrassing!"

Liu Xi sighed slightly, with some embarrassment in his words.

In March of the fourth year of Song Zhezong Shaosheng (1097), the Song army built Pingxia City, and Guo Cheng led his troops to garrison it. The Xixia people poured the country to attack, and they camped for hundreds of miles from Wuyan Gorge, flying stones and fires, day and night, and concentrated all their strength to attack. Guo Cheng held on to the city, and the Western Xia soldiers could not take a step beyond the thunder pool, so they returned in vain.

The following year, Guo Cheng defeated the Xia army, captured more than 3,000 enemy soldiers, and captured more than 100,000 cattle and sheep.

Guo Chengcheng adopted the tactics of cavalry long-distance raids, defeated the Xia army in one fell swoop, occupied the Nanmuhui Palace and more than 20 fortresses in Western Xia, and controlled this land with rich water and soil.

"Big brother, you can wait with peace of mind, Li Xianggong will definitely come in triumph."

Liu Qi showed a rare smile.

"With tens of thousands of cavalry, so many firearms, and sergeants who are familiar with the road, there are no surprises in dealing with these defeated generals."

Liu Xi nodded, his eyes turned to Xiao Guan in front of him again, and his mouth was a little hesitant.

"Brother Jiu, do you think we can capture this Xiaoguan City?"

"Big brother, what do you say?"

Liu Qi smiled slightly, and did not answer the eldest brother's question directly.

"How do I ......"

Liu Xi was suspicious, and suddenly remembered the appearance of the Zhenrong army surging into the sky and breaking the city overnight, and his heart trembled.

"Brother Jiu, are you trying to repeat the old trick?"

Seeing Liu Qi nodding, Liu Xi's mood became inexplicably relaxed. If you attack the fortified city to the death, I don't know how long it will take and how many corpses of soldiers will be left behind. With these firearms, the world is so big, where can you go?

"Big brother, it seems that you also know the beauty of this firearm."

Liu Qi nodded and said, "Big brother, go down and prepare." Li Xianggong had already brought up the baggage supplies behind him, and prepared more earth-shattering thunder to meet the big battle at night. ”

Liu Xi left excitedly, and Zhang Hu on the side came up and said cautiously: "Marshal, Zheng Tu, the righteous man who transported the military rations, and others have arrived, and they are waiting in the tent."

Although I have heard that the Loyal and Righteous Army is in full swing through various channels, and I also know that the Loyal and Righteous Army defeated the Western Xia Army in Pingxia City, but

After witnessing the military appearance of the Loyal and Righteous Army, Zheng Tu was still shocked.

The army is neat, the military discipline is strict, the army is like a tide, overwhelming, and it is indeed a lion in a hundred battles.

"Two, this official represents all the soldiers of the Loyal and Righteous Army, thank you two!"

Liu Qi put down the paperwork, let Zheng Tu and Lu Daofeng sit down, pondered for a while, and said loudly:

"After several major battles, a lot of cattle and sheep captured in the army, as well as the inferior horses that were eliminated, can be handed over to the two of you for trafficking."

Zheng Tu and Lu Daofeng were overjoyed, stood up together and arched their hands: "Thank you, Marshal Liu!"

"Two, you two are loyal and righteous first, and Zheng Yuanwai is the guest of Wang Xianggong, how dare I treat them badly."

Everyone laughed together.

Liu Qi said softly: "The two of you transport grain and grass for the army, spending a huge amount of money, after the loyal and righteous army entered the Western Xia, green and white salt, cattle and alpaca wool were bought and sold, and the official allowed you two to monopolize the right of priority."

"Thank you, Marshal!"

The two of them stood up together and thanked them again.

"Zheng Yuanwai, don't be polite, you have made great contributions to the transfer of grain and grass, which has been explained by Wang Xianggong himself."

Liu Qi looked at the expressions of the two of them and said with a smile: "In such a big place as Xi'an, Huizhou, and Huaidejun, the government also needs people to be trusted. You may choose one of your sons and nephews from among your nephews to be appointed. What do you two think?"

The two of them were overjoyed in their hearts, and they stepped forward to salute together, and Zheng Tu bowed and said: "The villains and others must do their best for the army to repay the kindness of the public!"

"The villain is the head of the male!"

Lu Daofeng also said in a trembling voice.

Liu Qi nodded and exhaled slightly. Now that everything is ready, it depends on the speed of the army's next move.

"Dad, so to speak, the child will be an official in the future!"

In one of the camps of the Loyal and Righteous Army, Zheng Shigui walked around uneasily.

"This is what the marshal said himself, how could Daddy lie to you!"

Zheng Tu wrapped the long jacket on his body tightly, and there was a bit of longing on his face.

"Flowers are not red for a hundred days, and people are good for a thousand days. Our Zheng family is not short of silver, as long as you do things well, I believe that Wang Xianggong will not be able to lose us. As for this transaction, you don't have to worry about it if your father takes care of it. ”

Everything is a coincidence, and the fate of life is really bizarre. The times create heroes, and it is not impossible to seize the country with the appeal of the loyal and righteous army in the north now.

Unexpectedly, he Zheng Tu was born in a humble background, his ancestors have been untouchables for generations, and he has never had any hope of turning over, but now he is going to change his face from his son.

"Did you say that I want to serve in the army, not in the local area?"

Zheng Shigui is still worried about whether he can join the army.

"Don't worry. With the face of your father and Wang Xianggong, how could Marshal Liu not agree. ”

Zheng Tu smiled, and his eyebrows were inexplicably a little arrogant.

"Tomorrow, you can serve in Marshal Liu's army, don't let your father down!"

"Dad, you can rest assured!"

Zheng Tu nodded and continued:

"Marshal Liu said that in order to ensure the smooth transfer of grain and grass, 1,000 horse troops and 1,000 foot soldiers will be allocated to assist Dad in transporting grain and grass."

Tomorrow they have to leave, and he has to think about the future. Liu Qi allocated hundreds of his horses and captured vehicles to continue the transportation of grain and grass.

The horses, cattle and sheep, and green and white salt of the Western Xia were transferred in, and the tea, grain, and cloth of the Great Song Dynasty were transported out, which was enough to make the country rich. The payment of 20,000 taels of silver that day is now unspeakably rich.

Both father and son were very emotional and excited, and when they arrived at the son, they fell asleep in a daze.