Chapter 1 Autumn Soldiers on the Battlefield

November 4313 in the Yellow Emperor calendar. Heavy snow fell in Xiangfan.

Compared with the heavy snow, the siege of the grassland army is the biggest disaster facing the entire Xiangfan and even the entire small court of Southern Xia.

A few years ago, the grassland army conquered Jinzhou Mansion, the northeast barrier of the Great Xia Dynasty, and the veteran Gan Xiangsheng, the veteran of the Great Xia Protector Pillar Stone, was martyred. Outside the Great Wall, it is owned by aliens.

Three years ago, the grassland army fell into Yanjing, the capital of Great Xia, and the Great Xia Emperor Jingzong Chai Zhiyuan set himself on fire in the Imperial Palace of Daming Palace.

In the middle of July of the 4310 year of the Yellow Emperor calendar, Chai Xinyuan, the seventh brother of Jingzong of Jiankang in the south of the Yangtze River, transferred Shi Mijian, Jia Ru, Jia Ru, the commander of the eight prefectures, and Ding Daozi, the prefect of Jiankang. With the support of the four major families of Xie, Lu, Zheng and Shijiangnan, as well as the eight nobles of Guo, Gan, Zhao, Yang, Di, Cao, Han and Huyan, who lived in the south of the Yangtze River, they were proclaimed emperor in Jiankang. Changed to Yuan Kangde, known as Xia Suzong in history. And posthumously crowned Gan Xiang, who sacrificed his life for the country, was promoted to the king of Huai'an.

Beginning in September this year, under the suggestion of the traitor general Zhao Yuandao, the great khan of the steppe, Helian Kuo, divided his troops into three routes, and the eastern route was 300,000 troops of Helian Kuo's second brother Helian Muye. In the middle of the road, Murong Xuzhong, the marshal of the southern capital, was the main general, and Zhao Yuandao was the deputy general, sending 400,000 troops to conquer Xiangfan. The western route is Helian Kuo, who personally commanded 200,000 troops to enter Sichuan. Among them, the Middle Route Army was the most powerful, consisting of 50,000 Xianbei iron cavalry who swept across the Eurasian continent in the past, and more than 100,000 powerful troops composed of European stinkers, Jurchens, Khitans, Bohai, Xiren, Hebei Han people, etc., and more than 200,000 rebel armies from the north and south of the Yellow River, attacking Xiangfan, a strategic place in Southern Xia. In the Central Plains, the damage caused by the ravages of hundreds of thousands of troops has not yet passed, and there is no sign of life in the charred ruins and villages that have been plundered by soldiers and bandits. The soldiers and bandits slashed and killed the old and weak who could not walk, and the hungry people were like sheep on the grassland, driven to the front line of Xiangyang.

Xiangyang, Fancheng stands between the Han River, the south of the Han River is Xiangyang, the north is Fancheng, the city is strong and the pond is deep, and each other is the horn.

After the arrival of the army on the third day, while setting up a camp and cutting down wood to build siege weapons, the hungry people were driven to build siege platforms at Lumen Mountain and Baihekou, in order to cut off the connection between Xiangfan. Subsequently, the grassland army surrounded the two cities of Xiangyang and Fancheng, and besieged Fancheng to the north with all their might.

Since a few days ago, the grassland army surrounded the two cities of Xiangfan, although Lu Dazhong did not spend as much time as before every day, and came to the city to boost morale for a few days, although the sergeants complained, but none of them fled, watching the enemy attack the city and prepare to complete it day by day, Lu Dazhong was more and more difficult to sleep and eat, he had written to the imperial court, asking for the supply of grain and grass, reinforcements, and repaired a book to plead with the commander of the Yangtze River Naval Division, Fan Sui, sent troops to rescue. Because the Han River was isolated by the grassland army, the shortage of grain and grass sank into the sea, and there was no response.

Looking at Fancheng on the other side of the river, the center of Lu Da was gloomy, and when he was in a trance, suddenly his personal general Xiangyang Defense Envoy Lu Zhong came over and said in a low voice: "Marshal, the navy ruling Li Yu is here." I thought I would ask someone to lead him to the living room of the Shuaifu and wait. Lu Dazhong was shocked and said, "Go home." ”

Li Yu is nearly fifty years old, his demeanor is quite literati, three locks of beard have been hanging down to his chest, since a literati who should be a bachelor of Hanlin but participated in the Yangtze River Naval Division Jiujiang Duan, he is not afraid to fight with foreign armies, but from the treacherous Shi Mijian's elbow, but he is exhausted.

Two years ago, at the Qionglin banquet of the Southern Xia Suzong Dengji Enke University, Li Yu High School Sanjia Tanhua, and Qionglin Banquet, more than 100 new science and technology scholars collectively bowed to Xia Suzong under the leadership of the champion Wang Mingzhi's Bangyan Ganfeng, asking the imperial court to raise troops for the Northern Expedition. was purged by Shi Mijian and other peacemakers, and Wang Mingzhi, Gan Feng, and Li Yu failed to enter Hanlin, and all three of them were expelled from the court and replaced martial arts with literature. Wang Mingzhi was appointed as the Hebei Envoy, and the so-called Hebei Envoy was the commander of the light pole sent to work in the enemy-occupied area, holding the imperial court's disc card, to organize the masses in the occupied areas to resist behind enemy lines. Li Yu was named the ruler of the Jiujiang section of the Yangtze River Naval Division. Although Bangyan Ganfeng was the happiest at the Qionglin banquet, his grandfather was the eldest son of Gan Xiangsheng, the king of Huai'an, and the eldest son of Ganfu, the current secretary of the ministry, was named the governor of Jiangling.

Lu Dazhong hurriedly returned to the house, went straight to the living room, and saw Li Yu who was coming out of the hall door and said: "Li Zhizhi, how many reinforcements has Fan Sui Fan sent by Marshal Fan, and when will the grain and grass military commandment arrive?" ”

Li Yu was angry for a long time, and helped him: "Fan Sui is afraid of the enemy like a tiger, and refuses to transfer troops to defend the Jiangning section of the Yangtze River, and only sends me to transport the grain and grass of the imperial court to Xiangyang, but the Han River has now been cut off by the grassland army, and the grain and grass cannot be transported in." ”

Hearing this, Lu Dazhong's face turned pale, and he collapsed on the handsome chair and said, "This, this, how is it good." The 300,000 soldiers and civilians in the two cities of Xiangfan are only enough for three months, if the rescue does not come, I can only organize a large army to break through the siege, how about Li Dutong commander the naval division from the Yangtze River into the Han River to receive my army to withdraw to the south of the Yangtze River? ”

Li Yu was anxious: "Your Excellency, the water outside the city that has been surrounded by a large army is impassable, even if our army can break through, with my 600 warships, I can take a few people across the river." Besides, Xiangfan has not yet reached the point where the mountains and rivers are exhausted. If the thieves want to attack Xiangfan, they must first break through Fancheng. Fancheng is worry-free, then Xiangyang is worry-free. As long as the adults are not afraid of impeachment by the imperial court, they can repair the book and hand over the command of the defense of Fancheng, and I will lobby Jiangling Ganzhizhou to help the general. The adults know that the Gan family and Shi Mijian Cheng have a bad relationship with each other, and the relationship between the adults and the Jiangbei soldiers and horses are not reversed, and the adults transfer him to listen to the accounts, and the court will not blame the adults. Gan Zhizhou will not be convicted of deserting his post without permission. ”

Seeing that Lu Dazhong was shocked, he persuaded bitterly: "My lord, at this critical moment of life and death, my lord should abandon the view of the portal." ”

Lu Dazhong longed: "Can he help me keep Fancheng from losing?" ”

"My lord, although I am thirty years old in Ganzhizhou, I am a jinshi in the same year as him, because the last general Shuizhai and Jiangling face each other across the river, I have often been a guest in Ganzhizhou for several years. Adults should know that Gan Zhizhou is the eldest grandson of King Huai'an, and the Gan family has been a country since the founding of Great Xia. Generations of generals, famous generals. Everyone in the world knows that after the handsome Gan Mao was killed by the traitorous Shitang a hundred years ago, most of his descendants abandoned martial arts and followed literature. Only leave the big house from the martial arts, Yue Zhizhou is the son of Ganfu Gong, Yue Zhizhou is literary and charming, and he is famous all over the world. But as far as I know, its art of war and martial arts are even better. At that time, the marshal Gan Mao went on a hunger strike in prison, and the traitor Wan Desu was afraid that Gan Dashuai would die in prison, so he asked his second son Gan Lei to serve in prison. Gan Dashuai summarized what he had gained, and the eight books on the art of war came out with Gan Lei's back. Finally, the whole book was passed on before he was killed. Later, the traitor Shitang exiled Gan Dashuai's family to Yunnan, and the three sons of Dashuai's wife Xielei, Zhen, and Lin and their eldest grandson Gan Xiangsheng went to Yunnan for thousands of miles. In order to prevent her husband's body and blood from being discovered by officials, Mrs. Gan brought the eight books on the art of war to Yunnan with her five-year-old fourth son Gan Lin and one-year-old eldest grandson Gan Xiangsheng's underwear. After Gan Dashuai was wronged, this art of war was revised and sorted out by Gan Ke, the grandson of Gan Lin, after several years, and finally became a complete book. This book is the popular "Martial Book Minutes". Gan Dashuai once left a message that people with mediocre qualifications are not allowed to practice this book, and the descendants of the Gan family cannot mistake themselves and the country like Zhao Kuo. The Gan Ke Gong Association visited the descendants of the Gan family in this book to find heirs. Finally, a wise person was found among the five generations of descendants, and the "Martial Book Minutes" was finally passed on. This person is the current Gangneung Governor Gan Bong. Ganzhizhou is famous all over the world, and there are many strange people in the rivers and lakes to vote. Most of the 3,000 tigers trained by the Gan Jiajun method were originally giants in the mountains and forests of the north. If the adults use this reinforcement, they can protect Xiangfan. ”

Hearing this, Lu Dazhong said: "In this case, I will repair the book now, and the virtuous brother can take my troop transfer tiger talisman to take a trip, while the grassland army has not yet been completely isolated from the Han River, I will leave in the boat tonight, and hope that the virtuous brother will go and return early." ”

Li Yu is destined to pass by Gan Feng. Time back to two months ago, since the grassland army was preparing for the southern invasion again, Yang Yun, who was lurking in Dadu, passed the news to Gan Feng.

Yang Yun, after the old Yang Linggong of Great Xia, the great-grandson of Yang Wenguang was in charge of Dingzhou Road when Xia Shenzong. And it is his wife Yang Lu's distant uncle, to this generation, for Yang Jieliang, the head of the Yang family, he is just a side branch of the Yang family, and he has been lurking in the grassland for many years.

Since receiving the news in early July, Gan Feng has known that the grassland army is not tolerant of the heat, and its southern expedition will not be until the end of August at the earliest.

The period of the Xiaoice River has just arrived, and it has just entered September, and the cold wind that has skipped the Han River has already had a cold breath. It is far from the dry season, and the river seems to be much less water than usual, revealing a large amount of riverbed.

The Han River flows into the Yangtze River from the east of Gangneung City from north to south, since Gan Feng Jinbang took office six years ago, Gangneung City Defense has been vigorously repaired, the color of fresh rammed earth can be seen everywhere on the city wall, after several winters of the cold wind blowing, the rammed earth of the city wall has been as solid as iron stone regardless of the old and new.

On the wall of Jiangling on the west bank of the river, one or twenty people were standing together and pointing, and in the center was a young man in his twenties, wearing a large-sleeved Confucian robe and a scarf. He is eight feet tall (about 1.80 meters), with flat shoulders and a narrow waist, and a sharp body. The sword eyebrows are starry, and the lines are soft. used to be the deep dream of thousands of ladies in Lin'an City.

Gan Feng looked at the flowing Han water in contemplation.

There were footsteps, and a military general in his forties walked up to the city wall and shook his head at Gan Feng.

Gan Feng Zou frowned: "Xia Gui, what's the matter?" ”

After hearing this, Xia Gui shook his head and said, "There is no news that the imperial court wants to further assist Xiangfan. The information just reported by the scout, as the lord guessed, the grassland army built a siege platform in Lumen Mountain and Baihekou in Xiangfan Hanshui. And built a large number of ladders, crashes, stone cannons, siege vehicles. He also brought a large amount of fierce fire oil from the Western Regions, and I heard that some craftsmen from the Western Regions were making return cannons. ”

After hearing this, Gan Feng asked, "Is there any news inside?" ”

Xia Gui took out a simple map from his pocket and handed it to Gan Fengdao: "Dazi's military village layout map." ”

looked at the map in his hand, turned to everyone and said, "Everyone is Gan's brother, according to the topographical chapter of the military book handed down by the head of the family.

Xiangyang, the land of the four wars, here the fields are fertile, the mulberry is all over the wilderness, with the Han water, blocked by the heavy mountains.

One of them is the Yiling Tomb (now Yichang, Hubei) in the west, where the Three Gorges and Bashu advance eastward, and the west can be used by land and water to attack the Jiangguan (now Fengjie County, Chongqing), recover Bashu, and threaten Guanzhong.

The second is bordered by Nanyang in the north, the land of Nanyang, the rush of water and land, and the north is connected to Wan, Luo, and Pingtu until. Nanyang Sui Canal natural moat. Dushan, Tongbai Mountain two portals guard Xiangfan, the two mountains are slow in the south and warp in the north, the southern army is easy to attack and easy to defend, but the northern army is difficult to attack and difficult to defend. Occupying Nanyang can threaten Wuguan, the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, recover Tokyo Bianliang, and return our rivers and mountains.

The third is Xinyang in the East, which was built by the Chu State in the Spring and Autumn Period, isolating the Huai and Han Dynasty. Since the Chu State built this city for more than a thousand years, the westward advance troops could not break it. It has always refused to defend the land east of the Jiangdong, taking the Yangtze River as a moat, and there is a saying that guarding the river must defend Huaisi, such as going south to capture prisoners and entering Huaisi, you can start Xinyang's army to attack the flank of Huaisi.

Fourth, Xiangfan went to Jiangling trail for 500 miles, and the momentum was the same, and without Xiangfan, Jiangling was enemy. Jiangling Chibi, the throat of the Yangtze River waterway, if Xiangyang is lost, Jiangling will be lost. If Jiangling loses its captives, it will go down the river and capture Jiujiang, and Jiangnan will not be protected.

Xiangfan is the first place in the world, the throat of the north and the south, and the waist of the east and west. Xiangfan is not lost, and I can return my rivers and mountains to the homeland of Daxia. Retirement can protect the people of Jiangnan from the suffering of slavery and war.

At this critical juncture, a certain person thought that he could no longer wait for the edict of the imperial court and immediately set up troops.

In this battle, there were only 3,000 soldiers and horses, while the enemy army had 400,000. A certain outnumbered enemy, dead and alive, can all the brothers dare to die with me? ”

Everyone arrived: "My lord spares his life, how can we be afraid of death." ”

Gan Feng said: "Okay! You wait for my orders, it's not impossible to break the enemy. "Brother Xia;" You immediately sent someone to Tongbai to inform Zhang Shun, Zhang Gui and the brothers to dig a dam and release water on the eighth day, and when the water slowed down, let the two brothers go out of the upstream by fast boat, and uproot the two siege platforms of Lumen Mountain and Baihekou. Early tomorrow morning, you yourself will command a thousand old and weak remnants, many banners, all the way to the south of Xiangyang City on the evening of the 7th, do not meet the enemy, the enemy advances and you retreat, the enemy retreats and you advance, to create the enemy to create the illusion that the imperial court is coming to Xiangfan's aid. "Brothers Zhu Fu and Fan Tianshun: "Come with me and tonight, lead the main force of 3,000 to secretly go out of the city, make a detour to Xinye, and attack the camp of Dazi's army north of Hanshui in the early morning of the 8th. In this battle, our department aimed to burn the enemy's fierce fire oil, and if possible, it burned Tatsuko's grain and grass in one fell swoop. ”