After being stationed outside Cangxi County for two days, Luo Shangwen's troops began to attack Dazhu Mountain. Shen Guofu, the county magistrate of Cangxi, hated these rogues entrenched in his own domain, and also sent 500 township soldiers to help. Wu Mingfeng, the general manager of Qian, who was defeated without a fight at Jianmen Pass, was ordered by Wang Weizhang to make up for his mistakes, so he also obeyed moderation with Luo Ying.

Dahou Mountain is in the north of Cangxi, the pavilion is alone, the big river is around the left, the long river is right horizontal, and it occupies the geographical advantage. There are four gates in the city on the mountain, the two gates in the southwest are called "Chang Gung" and "Fucai", and the two gates in the northeast are called "Qiming" and "Lock", each with its own strange danger. Luo Shangwen surrounded three queyi, mainly attacking Changgeng Gate, Wu Mingfeng's troops attacked Fucai Gate, and Cangxi County soldiers attacked Qiming Gate.

The absolute height of this mountain is not high, only more than 300 meters. Zhao Dangshi coveted the deployment of the official army, with the front and left divisions as the main forces, and Xu Hui under the control, focusing on the southwest side, setting up a sentry post every 100 meters high, and guarding the pass. The latter division selected a strong garrison in the northeast, led by Wang Laixing, and Hao Shaoqi was temporarily transferred to serve as a deputy. The right division and the horse army post sat in the city under the personal command of Zhao Dangshi.

Zhao Dangshi was at the Xuanmiao Temple on the top of the mountain, standing with his hands in his hands, frowning and watching the movements of the officials and soldiers under the mountain. I saw that under the forest cover, the flags were unfurled, the flow of people was surging, and from time to time there were drums or cymbals from all over the place, and the officers and troops were full of vigor and vigor, and they had the momentum of winning the city in one fell swoop.

After a short time, three cannon shots rang out in the sky, and then several war drums sounded at the same time, and the drums sounded like thunder, and the sound was shocking. Looking around, the officers and soldiers on three sides walked along the path and slowly climbed the mountain.

The native soldiers of the Roshanwen Department were as agile as rabbits and were the first to engage in battle. This is a pass on the southwest road, where the soldiers of the Zhao battalion have laid horses and wooden stakes, occupied high rocks, and fired bows and arrows to prevent the officers and troops from continuing to advance.

Between the passes, the road is narrow, and there are multiple layers of obstacles, which is extremely difficult to pass. The native soldiers lined up in two columns, holding rattan cards on the left and right to resist stray bullets and arrows, and the sound of "crackling" continued to sound on the rattan cards, as if hail.

The natives struggled to hold on, and at the same time leaned down to reduce the exposed surface. They used the daggers they carried with them to clear the obstacles ahead. Seeing this, the soldiers of the Zhao battalion loaded two mountain-splitting cannons and bombarded the crowd heavily. The mountain-splitting cannon was mainly scattered into the native soldiers, and even though they were guarded by rattan cards, many of them were hit by lead bullets that entered through the gap, and they screamed again and again.

But after all, they were fierce, gritted their teeth, and insisted on it, and almost every step forward cost them several lives. With such efforts, most of the antlers carefully set up by the soldiers of the Zhao Battalion were damaged in a short period of time, and the native soldiers screamed incessantly, squeezing sideways through the gaps.

Seeing the situation, the soldiers of the Zhao battalion sprinkled iron thistles, iron water chestnuts and other things along the hillside. Many of the soldiers are accustomed to being barefoot, and the occasional shoewearer is also a very thin straw sandal, no matter how thick the skin of the soles of the feet is, there is nothing to be done when encountering these things, and these sharp objects are smeared with poisonous juice and dung, and when the skin is broken slightly, the pain is incomparable, and the whole body is convulsed. The native soldiers couldn't prevent it, and many of them were hit, and they each wailed and rolled. The soldiers of the Zhao battalion made persistent efforts and pushed down the prepared boulders. The boulder went straight down the slope, the momentum was very heavy, the native soldiers were mainly light armor, they could not defend at all, they scattered and fled, but the road was long and narrow, and there were still many people who were squeezed and collided. , the originally neat team suddenly fell apart.

Looking at Wu Mingfeng's side again, it was even more chickens flying and dogs jumping. He tried several times before the first pass, but he couldn't take a single step, but was beaten by Zhao Ying's cannon. Every time they retreated and regrouped, there were a few more broken corpses in front of the immovable antlers on the road.

On the contrary, the soldiers of Cangxi County rushed to the city in one fell swoop. This is not because of his many brave battles, but because Zhao Dangshi was worried that the rear division lacked combat experience, and Wang Laixing lacked command experience, so he did not set up a sentry post below the Qiming Gate, and only let his troops defend the city. Just imagine, when the stick thieves were there, these county soldiers, who were mostly composed of village warriors, all stopped moving forward under the city, how could they be Zhao Ying's opponents now? Even though the combat effectiveness of the rear division is weak, if it weren't for Wang Laixing's conservative style of commanding troops for the first time, and he was replaced by Hou Dagui, I am afraid that he would have to take the initiative to drive them down the mountain.

There was no progress in the offensive of the three sides, and Luo Shangwen couldn't sit still. He ordered a group of soldiers and horses who had rushed from Liya yesterday to support them with five tiger cannons to go up the mountain and counterattack the outpost.

With a few "rumblings", the cannonball crossed a wonderful arc in the air and fell into the Zhao battalion soldiers on the high rock on the hillside. When he landed, flesh and blood flew and the mountains and rocks shook. Although the bones of those who were hit were gone, the remaining soldiers were also unstable in their footing at the high point under the impact of the cannonballs, and many of them jumped or fell.

Seeing the situation, Xu Hui had nothing else to say, so he mobilized all the portable firearms such as tiger squat guns in the whole army, gathered them, and placed them against them. He was condescending and had the advantage of firepower, coming and going twice, and the road under the checkpoint was blown up by the grass and cracked the earth, and the entire southwest road was filled with green smoke and frightened birds. The officers and soldiers couldn't resist it, and retreated with the only three remaining tiger squatting guns.

Luo Shangwen was red-eyed, and ordered the drummer to speed up the frequency of drumming, and the thick drum beat swayed, constantly urging the trapped native soldiers to continue to move. These native soldiers also regarded death as home, and when they heard the rapid sound of drums, they became as excited as if they had taken medicine. Their throats all whistled strangely, and their teeth were bared like wild beasts that had broken free.

The soldiers of the Zhao battalion were shocked, and while they were wandering, the native soldiers climbed up the rock and used the hook to pull the soldiers of the Zhao battalion from a high place. And the several mountain-splitting cannons that had shown their might before were also occupied by the native soldiers because they were too heavy to carry.

Xu Hui judged the situation and immediately ordered to move to the second checkpoint, and at the same time sent swords and shields to form a small formation and block the mountain road.

The local soldiers took advantage of the situation and rushed up, and Luo Shangwen saw that the battle had taken a turn for the better, and immediately ordered the officers and soldiers to move out of the three tiger squat cannons and fire at the mountain road. The tiger squat cannon is similar to the mortar cannon, the trajectory is parabola, which is conducive to mountain combat, at this time, taking advantage of the lack of fire cover of the soldiers of the Zhao battalion, they fired one after another, blooming everywhere, and beat the group of sword and shield men to the ground. The native soldiers then covered the kill, dispersed their opponents, and marched forward in an instant, marching to the second outpost.

The terrain of the second checkpoint is even more treacherous, and the narrow mountain road passes through a natural cavern that only allows one person to pass through. Xu Hui found a few Saimen knife cars in Dahou City, which came in handy at this moment, and was pushed by a few strong men to block the cave passage tightly.

In the face of the rows of sharp blades like crocodile teeth, it was difficult for these soldiers to enter. After lingering for a long time, Fang dragged a Franco cannon from the bottom of the mountain and fired at the cave. In the blink of an eye, sawdust flew and gravel rained, and several Saimen knife carts disappeared in an instant, and those strong men also staggered and were seriously injured.

Before the smoke of gunpowder in the cave was embered, the native soldiers rushed forward. It was bustling before he showed his head, but his feet slipped and he fell into a deep pit. Sharp bamboo sticks and wooden nails are inserted all over the deep pit, and the protection of the soil soldiers is light and thin, and these sharp objects can easily penetrate the flesh. The dying soldiers at the bottom of the pit were like tigers and leopards hunted in traps, and their heart-rending wails were terrifying.

The native soldiers behind hurriedly stopped, cowered behind the cave, and froze. Xu Hui didn't give his opponent a chance to breathe, so he waved the flag, and a row of archers who had been preparing for a long time leaned back and pulled the strings, "Xiu Xiu Xiu", and the arrows roared across the sky above the cave and fell behind the earth soldiers.

These were no ordinary feathered arrows, and they were wrapped in cotton cloth soaked in fierce fire oil. Fierce fire oil, that is, petroleum crude oil, also known as stone grease water, is very flammable when exposed to fire. The archers shot it out of flames. The rockets were scattered on the "weeds" on the mountain road, which were ignored by the native soldiers, and immediately dried firewood and burned brightly - these hayes stretched out between the two or two checkpoints, very dense, and there were sulfur saltpeters in between, which ignited instantly.

Previously, the battle on the mountain road was urgent, and there was no room for distraction, and the native soldiers only paid attention to the moving soldiers of the Zhao battalion, but ignored these ignitions disguised as clumps of weeds. The scorching sun and lack of rain for several days also accelerated the spread of the flames to a certain extent.

Suddenly, the fire on the mountain road soared into the sky, and black smoke billowed up. The soldiers were trapped in a sea of fire, constantly attacked by the flames of fangs and claws. As long as you are licked by the tongue of fire, you will immediately burn your forehead and bubble up the embers. Not only that, but the soldiers of the Zhao battalion continued to throw oil bottles and rockets into the sea of fire to fuel the fire.

The effect of this fire attack was unexpectedly good, Xu Hui twisted his beard and watched, with a rare smile on his face. Under the mountain, Luo Shangwen was anxious. These native soldiers are the foundation on which he rests, and he is only ordered to fight for the outbound guests, and he does not want his old capital to be broken because of this. But how to rescue the fire on the mountain?

His face was red, and he urgently ordered all the reserve soldiers and horses to go to the Song River in the east of Dahuo Mountain to get water to put out the rescue. At the same time, the offensive was stopped on all fronts, and the attack was changed to defense.

This sudden order made the officers and soldiers responsible for attacking Fucai and Qiming Ermen panicked. When they saw that Luo Shangwen's department was like a pillar of black smoke and did not know the situation, and they heard that the order to withdraw was urgent, they all thought that Luo Shangwen had been defeated, and they immediately became depressed and hurriedly retreated.

And these two Zhao battalion soldiers seized the opportunity to attack and chase and kill, the officers and soldiers were like the water that broke the embankment, pouring thousands of miles, discarding the soldiers' armor, seizing the road and fleeing, on both sides of the mountain road, except for the corpses that fell to the ground, there were countless scattered weapons and banners.

The fire on the road down the Chang Gung Gate was too fierce, and the soldiers of the Zhao battalion did not dare to approach, so they could only stop and watch from afar. Those native soldiers were burned to death, burned countless times, and were forced to retreat, and under the urging of a strong desire to survive, they simultaneously broke through to the bottom of the mountain. The flames of the flames entangled mercilessly around the struggling warriors, and in the smoke and flames, the burning men let out hoarse roars, danced and jumped, and finally all turned into scorched and silent. This tragedy, even if the soldiers of Zhao Ying, who were opponents, saw it, there were many people who hid their faces and couldn't bear to see it closely.

Of the more than 1,000 native soldiers, less than seventy percent escaped by chance, and most of them were covered with blisters and charred black as charcoal. The flames on the mountain road are still spreading violently, and the fire on the Chang Gungmen mountain road is like a snake, and it is impossible to go up and down. Luo Shangwen was in a mess, looking at these remnant soldiers who were no longer human, with tears in his eyes, he ordered to take care of each other, and hurriedly collected his troops and retreated.

The officers and soldiers of the Zhao battalion on the mountain all raised their arms, cheered and shouted, from the southwest to the northeast, forming a line, resounding through the sky. Xu Hui shook his head slightly, and he also had a sense of evil. Although the enemy retreated, the fire was too fierce. The soldiers of the Zhao battalion did not slack off, and then began to divide the separation zone so that it would not burn the city.

Zhao Dangshi ordered a big red flag to be erected at the top of the Xuanmiao Temple to announce the victory of the battle, and walked downstairs in a happy mood.

Earlier, Ma Qian's concubine and mother-in-law were hiding in the inner room of the view, but now they heard the sound of killing gradually disappearing, and they also cautiously walked out of the room to look, and they bumped into Zhao Dangshi.

"Madame is well." Zhao Dangshi is still very respectful to her.

"Hmm...... The thief retreated? Ma Zhang pretended to be calm and asked with a dignified appearance.

Zhao Dangshi bowed his head: "Mrs. Hongfu, the thieves were broken by the fire, and our army won a complete victory!" ”

Hearing this good news, Ma Zhang was also very happy, and couldn't help but touch his chest with his hand. Zhao Dangshi looked at her slightly ruddy face because of joy, his expression was a little complicated, and then he turned his head slightly.

"Then is it possible to send the concubine down the mountain?" What Ma Zhang never forgot was to leave this place of right and wrong that gave her the darkest memory. She misses the brocade clothes and food in Guang'an County, and she misses her husband's affectionate words.

Zhao Dangshi shook his head slowly, and said with an apologetic expression: "Madame forgives me." It's not that the last general intends to postpone, but in fact, although this thief has temporarily retreated, his strength has not been greatly damaged, and he will go down the mountain rashly, which will be more than lucky. For the sake of his wife, and for the sake of his own future, he should not be moved lightly here. ”

When Ma Zhang heard this, he suddenly became stunned, turned his head, and said with anger: "Where is Luo Shangwen?" Tell him to come to Mrs. Ben! ”

Zhao Dangshi bowed down again and said: "The war has not been settled, how can Lord Luo move lightly?" The last general has not been appointed, and he cannot take a step down this great mountain. The military order is like a mountain, it is not that the last general intends to contradict his wife, but it is really forced by the situation, and he has to be cautious. If the lady can't believe the last general and insists on going down the mountain, then it's okay. As long as the lady leaves a letter, saying that going down the mountain is all the original intention, it has nothing to do with Lord Luo and the last general, and the last general will not be hindered! ”

Ma Zhang's didn't expect him to speak like this, he was angry and annoyed at the moment, and wanted to go down the mountain, but he was greedy for life and afraid of death, and he was afraid of the "thieves" who had not been killed. Apricot eyes widened, but there was no word to refute. After a long time, he stomped his foot, turned into the room, and closed the door tightly.

Seeing this, Zhao Dangshi laughed and walked away.