At the end of August and the beginning of September, after several months of heat, northern Shanxi has begun to have a cooling trend. At the same time, a total of 100,000 Ming field troops from all sides also began to launch a large-scale offensive against the Qing army entrenched in the eastern border of Datong Province.

Guo Ruke's army quickly advanced after the great victory at Zuo Yu Mountain, penetrated directly into Xuanfu from Guangling County, conquered Huai'anwei in only one day, and relied on this to deploy defenses, thus cutting off the connection between the Azig army, which was still gathering troops in Zhenyuwei, and Wu Sangui's army besieging Shangzhuang Fort. Guo Ruke wrote a letter to Zhao Dangshi, clearly stating that "today's Tatar captives are defeated, and it is difficult to take care of the beginning and the end, which is a good opportunity to complete their achievements in one battle", saying that he would do his best to prevent the Qing army from retreating and rendezvous, and hoped that Zhao Dangshi would march as soon as possible and completely defeat the Qing army.

Of course, Zhao Dangshi would not leave the Qing army a room to breathe, and the day after meeting Jiang Xuan, he immediately stopped his horses, led more than 50,000 soldiers and horses, and took the northern passage of Lulu Mountain to attack the town and defend the town, and nearly 15,000 soldiers and horses from Han Gon and Wang Jinchao, who were originally stationed in Huoshiling City, were responsible for clearing the road in advance.

The wind and clouds in the north of Jin finally turned into lightning and thunder before the storm.

In Huoshiling City, Zhao Dangshi met with Han Gon and Chen Hongfan.

"The incompetence of his subordinates caused Chief Hou to be killed by the Tartars, and thousands of brothers died." Han Gon tilted his head and said with red eyes.

I haven't seen him for a few months, and the Han Gon that Zhao Dangshi saw had inverted cheeks and a tired expression, and he had long lost his original vigor, but his words and deeds were still concise, powerful, and unswerving.

"It's not your fault, it's that I'm late." Zhao Dangshi patted Han Gon on the shoulder, "If there is no old Han in Jinbei to support the overall situation, I don't know how far the situation will deteriorate." It's great to have you here. ”

Han Gon sighed and said, "My old Han hasn't read a few sentences, but I have heard Fengzi say some poetry books. I can't remember most of them, but I remember only one sentence: 'Yellow sand wears gold armor in a hundred battles, and Loulan will never be broken if it is not broken' I remember it very clearly. Since I have worn this armor and not expelled the tartars, how can my seven-foot body have the face to regain between heaven and earth? ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "It should be like this." Although the old marquis died, he died for the country and the people, and he died well, loyal and heroic. The people have passed away, and you and I must not indulge in grief, but should comfort their souls in heaven with actions. ”

Chen Hongfan shook his head and said: "Chen Mou's trip didn't come in handy, otherwise if Wu Sangui was moved, Manager Hou would not have died in vain." ”

Zhao Dangshi said: "It is up to people to make things happen, and it is up to heaven to make things happen, Wu Sangui embarked on this road is his own choice, and it has nothing to do with Chen Gong." ”

Han Gon looked at the endless stream of soldiers and horses, and then said: "The lord has brought 50,000 people, plus the side of Flint Ridge City, nearly 70,000, plus Lao Guo, there are 100,000 iron horse Jingo. At present, Wang Jinchao, the general of Datong Prefecture, has led his troops to clear the road, and recovered many fortresses and strongholds along the way, and the army will continue to advance without hindrance. And I heard him say that the strength of the Tartars gathered in the town is only more than 30,000, and with 100,000 against 30,000, this battle will be won no matter what. ”

Zhao Dangshi nodded and said: "You defended the city and defeated Ye Chen, and Lao Guo defeated Shang Kexi, so leave it to me in the final siege battle against Azig." ”

In the northern part of Xuanfu, Wu Sangui seemed to feel something.

During the siege for ten days, the two sides fought more than ten fierce battles, and Wu Sangui commanded nearly 20,000 soldiers and horses, and was stunned to defeat Shangzhuang Fort, which was defended by only a few thousand people in Sun Chuanting. In terms of strength, he commanded more than 10,000 Guan Liao soldiers plus the battle-hardened border army, and his equipment and combat skills were not much worse than Azig's Eight Banners Army, but the more he pushed the war, the more powerless he became.

Perhaps, as Bai Guangen said, the soldiers besieging Shangzhuang Fort only lacked that little bit of heart.

Whenever I look at the defenders who are fighting bloodily with their hair buns and even their cloaks, and listen to the friendly and familiar words on the other side, the attacking Qing soldiers and horses will be overshadowed for no reason. Not because of anything else, just because of the little money rattail on the back of his head, which is too heavy.

"It's been a few days, and I haven't even stepped into the fort city, if I continue to fight like this, when will it be a head? Do you have to wait for the British king to return to the army to clean up the situation and tie you up and me? Wu Sangui sat on the top of the military tent, trembling with anger. Looking at Bai Guangen, Niu Chenghu and others who were full of bold words before attacking the fort below, it was like seeing a walking corpse.

Wu Sangui said a few words, and all the generals present seemed to have become old monks, and they didn't pay attention to them, like Gao Ruli and Wu Dading, who sat farther away, and even pretended to close their eyes and recuperate.

"Brother Bai, I think you were the number one person in Liaodong back then, why are you like this now?" Wu Sangui's face was full of displeasure, and he took the initiative to name him before he could respond.

"Am I?" Bai Guangen had a short temper, was accused of being upset, and couldn't help but say, "In the past few days of fighting, which time was not our department taking the lead in the charge, how many brothers died in front of the fort, and the prince didn't see it?" If the prince thinks that the surname Bai is useless, the next time he attacks the fort, the surname Bai will call the brothers back to see the prince show his skills! ”

Wu Sangui said angrily: "What do you mean by this? Funk? ”

Bai Guangen also did not give in, stood up and said: "It is you who commands, and I am the one who works hard, how I work hard, how you command, you can really see it on the battlefield." It's clear who is right and who is wrong! ”

Wu Sangui took the case, Niu Chenghu and Gao Ruli hurriedly pressed Bai Guangen back on the stool and persuaded him with good words.

"But then again, I'm afraid the war in Datong Mansion is not so easy to see, and I still have time to fight the fort." Niu Cheng Tiger Skin smiled and didn't laugh. Not only him, but almost all the generals basically knew the news that the main force of the Eight Banners of the Qing Army had been defeated in three battles in the Acropolis, Flint Ridge City, and Zuo Yu Mountain.

Wu Sangui shook his head and said: "There is no time, the king of England wants us to quickly capture Shangzhuang Fort and go to the acropolis to rendezvous." As soon as the words came out, my heart tightened, and I consciously lost my words.

"This ......" the generals heard this, and each of them looked at each other in surprise. For a long time, the Qing army, which turned the world upside down in Liaodong and invaded the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, gave them a feeling of invincibility in the world, but the recent successive defeats of the Qing army made them realize that this may not be the case. Especially from the news revealed by Wu Sangui at the moment, it can be inferred that Azig's situation in Datong Mansion may have been very unfavorable, so that it has reached the point where a large number of reinforcements are needed. Their mouths don't squeak, but in their hearts, more than a dozen small drums are beating.

The atmosphere was a little delicate, Wu Sangui coughed lightly and said: "There is nothing wrong with Datong Mansion, let's do our part." There are still tens of thousands of soldiers in Beijing, are you still afraid of changing the sky? ”

Bai Guangen said coldly: "There are still tens of thousands of Ming troops in Shandong. ”

Wu Sangui said with a straight face: "So what, can we take Shangzhuang Castle?" No matter what the situation is, if we don't take Shangzhuang Fort, we don't want any more face! "Instead, he mustered up his momentum and held his head high, "Tomorrow I will attack Shangzhuang Fort again, I will be the vanguard of the Liao Army, and I will never take half a step back if I don't take the fort!" Throwing down this sentence, leaving everyone behind, he went in a panic.

Three days later, Shangzhuang Fort was still standing, and the Ming army was gathering on the periphery of the Acropolis.

The Qing army that had retreated from Flint Ridge City and Zuo Yu Mountain returned to the Acropolis to join the Azig headquarters, and the original 40,000 Eight Banner Army was now only a little more than 30,000. Azig probed the advance of the Ming army, and during this period, he successively sent Tan Tai and Shi Tingzhu to lead troops to attack Huai'anwei, intending to open up a retreat. However, Guo Ruke established a strong defensive line in Huai'anwei, and more than 20,000 Ming troops used artillery and birds to dig trenches and stand up walls, and tried their best to block them, like copper walls and iron walls, without moving at all. Later, not only could the Qing army not be able to attack, but thousands of Ming soldiers roamed around on guard, and the Qing army was unable to fly even the scout sentry horsemen.

Azig scolded Wu Sangui for his waste on the one hand, and scolded Shang Kexi for his incompetence on the other, seeing that the Ming army pouring out of the northern passage of Lulu Mountain was increasing day by day, he could only make up his mind to fight a defensive counterattack, and then wait for an opportunity to break through the encirclement.

Zhao Dangshi's army joined Han Gon and Datongfu Wang Jinchao, Niu Guangtian and other troops, and the 65,000-strong army was deployed in separate camps along the Yanmen River and Huyukou.

In order to gain time to strengthen the city defense, Azig ordered Baya Lama Zhangjing Ao to worship Batulu to lead more than 1,000 Baijia Baya Lama Jing cavalry, and continuously attacked the camp of the Ming army that was waiting for the whole army to gather, day and night, and there were many casualties.

Zhao Dangshi was deeply disturbed, but the Qing army's elite horses came and went quickly, unpredictable, and strong in combat.

Gu Junen, the left army division of the army, said to Zhao Dangshi: "The Tartar attack is brutal and flexible, and if our army is not fully prepared, it will be difficult to completely capture and kill it. However, if it is forcibly pursued, it will be detected by it, and it will be difficult to achieve results. If you want to break the enemy, you can only take advantage of the situation, lay down the incense bait, wait for it to enter and then encircle and annihilate it with heavy troops. ”

"The Tartar is elusive and has no clear purpose, how can I prescribe the right medicine?"

Gu Junen said: "Just a fire." ”

"A ...... of Fire"

In the evening of the same day, a fire broke out in a camp of the Ming army on the south bank of Yanmen Water, and the fire soared to the sky, spreading and burning more than ten camp tents. The sky-high fire illuminated the Yanmen water as far and near as day, and the panicked soldiers of the Ming army ran to each other, shouting to carry water to put out the fire.

Zhao Dangshi stood on a high place, protected by the guards of the Parenting Division, and secretly observed the situation. The wild wind blew, the lights up and down the hillside were extinguished, and all I could see was the flames burning near the Yanmen water.

"When the Tartars see that my camp is in turmoil, they will seize the opportunity to add fuel to the fire."

Zhao Dangshi thought of what Gu Junen said, and his adviser Zhou Wenhe said, "Are all the ministries ready?" ”

Zhou Wenhe just nodded in agreement, but a Tang soldier hurriedly ran up the hillside and said hurriedly: "There was a Tartar horse army approaching the camp before, but it turned back two miles away. King Jingnan, Marquis Shouzhang, Huo Shanbo, General Li, and General Wang have pursued away! ”

Jingnan Wang Huang Degong, Shouzhang Hou Zhou Yuji, Huo Shanbo Han Gon, Li Guo who changed his name to Li Chixin, and Wang Fu's ministers were the ambushes that Zhao Dangshi used to besiege and capture Aobai Baturu, and they had already drawn their elite horse troops to wait in various locations.

"The Tartar is alert, he must have felt that something was wrong and slipped away." Zhou Wenhe frowned and said.

Zhao Dangshi stared at the flames under the mountain, and said slowly: "If it is nearly two miles, this plan can be said to be the majority." It depends on King Jingnan whether they can intercept the Tartars. ”

A few miles away, the loess plains covered with sand and gravel, several horses galloped.

"Brother Huang, when the Yongwei battalion was dispersed, I didn't expect you and I to have the opportunity to work together in the same battalion!" The war horse was galloping, the wind was blowing fiercely, Zhou Yuji was close to the horse's neck, and smiled at Huang Degong, who was driving side by side.

Huang Degong on the other side couldn't hear what he was saying, but when he looked at the smile, he smiled back.

Ahead, more than ten paces away from them, was the target they were chasing, Aobai Baturu.

The more than 1,000 Baijia Baya Lajing cavalry of the Qing army who retreated halfway failed to leave calmly, first Wang Fu's ministers led the light and agile horse army to intercept and entangle them, and then Han Gon and Li Chixin clashed with the heavy armored horsemen in hand-to-hand combat. Thousands of Ming army horses surrounded more than 1,000 Qing army Baijia Baya Lajing cavalry melee, Ao Bai Baturu relied on bravery, and hundreds of guards fought out of the encirclement, and went north. But the Ming army had already set up a net, Huang Degong and Zhou Yuji's two ambush armies were killed in time to catch up with Aobai Baturu, thousands of Ming army horses intercepted Aobai Baturu's personal guards, Huang and Zhou and the other three Ming army horses chased Aobai Baturu himself who fled single-handedly.

The night sky is full of stars, bright and bright, and you can see each other clearly even if you take dozens of steps.

There was a Ming army horse army running fast, only a few steps away from Aobai Baturu, was about to open his bow to shoot his back, but he never thought that Aobai Baturu seemed to have long eyes in the back of his head, and he rushed to turn around and shoot an arrow. Although the horse's back was bumpy, the feathered arrow seemed to be drawn by someone and castrated, which shows that Aobai Baturu even calculated the force that the crosswind would exert when he shot the feathered arrow.

In the blink of an eye, only an ownerless empty horse galloped away in panic towards the diagonal side. Zhou Yuji Pegasus swept past the robed corpse lying on the side of the road and cursed secretly. In a fit of rage, he pulled out the dagger at his waist and stabbed it hard at the horse's buttocks.

The war horse suffered from pain, sacrificed his life and galloped, Zhou Yuji expected that Ao Bai Baturu would release dark arrows, watching six roads and listening to all directions, avoiding two feather arrows successively, and then looking at it, and Ao Bai Baturu was only a stone's throw away.

"Don't go!"

Zhou Yuji roared and threw out the hemp rope lasso, but Ao Bai Baturu fell backwards, quickly avoided the lasso, and ignored the still running war horse, and then rolled off the horse. His sturdy figure landed on the ground with dozens of pounds of armor, smashing the loess out of the pit. A Ming army horse was rushing in front of him, and the war horse was uncontrollably braking and hoofing.

Aobai Baturu pulled out his sword, neatly cut the Ming army to the ground, and at the same time put the stirrup on his left foot, and wanted to get on the horse, but Huang Degong's long-handled glaive knife arrived first, and he picked it a few times in a row, forcing Aobai Baturu to retreat. Zhou Yuji came back with a horse, together with Huang Degong and another Ming army, and the three horses slowly circled around Aobai Baturu.

The night wind howled in the wasteland, and Aobai Baturu's helmet swayed slightly, his eyes glowed with cold light, and his bowed body bared his teeth, like a lion and tiger on the road from which there was no way to retreat.

Huang Degong and Zhou Yuji have been in Liaodong for a long time, and they know the fine armor of Aobai Baturu, and they are on guard.

The Ming army horse urged the horse to go out first, and took the gun to Baturu. Ao Bai Baturu gritted his teeth and rolled, although his shoulder was rubbed by the galloping war horse, he still stabilized his body, and stabbed his backhand, hitting the horse's back. The neighing of the war horse threw the Ming soldier down, and Aobai Baturu stepped forward with an arrow, and the vertical knife was about to be inserted, but the bowstring sounded softly in the night, and Aobai Baturu was the first to hit an arrow in the chest. The arrows were ferocious, but he was also thickly armoured, and he staggered back two steps, and he could still stand.

The Ming soldier hurriedly got up, didn't have time to pick up the knife, and hurriedly ran out.

Zhou Yuji released another arrow and hit Aobai Baturu in the left shoulder. Huang also placed his knife horizontally in front of him, took a bow and shot hard, and shot Aobai Baturu in the back. The two of them are like this, you and I are arrows, and they are endless. In front of me, Ao Bai Baturu was standing in place, stumbling back and forth, left and right, but he had no choice but to roar angrily.

The two men carried their horses around, arrow after arrow, until they shot their arms and shot empty their quivers. Among the two horses, Aobai Baturu, who was full of feathered arrows, had long since lost his voice, and could not stand up straight, but knelt there on one knee with his sword. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose and fell onto the ground in front of him, slowly accumulating into a puddle.

Huang Degong dismounted first, and Baturu was still wide-eyed, afraid of an accident, and walked slowly with a knife. Zhou Yuji carried a spear and also flanked from behind. However, when they were only a stone's throw away from the silent Aobai Baturu, a gust of wind suddenly rolled up, flying sand and rocks, but they saw Aobai Baturu fall to the ground suddenly, and it had been a long time since he died.