Chapter 1: Winning the Championship (9 Below)

At this time, there is no need to contact Wu Tianxi, and Shi Zan knows what he should do. The 300-strong Modao team could disperse the Li Jiajun who had come ashore, but they had no time to kill them or destroy the pontoon bridge. And what his brothers are best at is fighting with the wind. "All for Lao Tzu to press up, cut the surname Chai into the ditch!" Dropping the drumsticks, he raised his long knife high. "The commander has ordered the whole army to press!" The soldiers, who had been impatient, immediately tore their throats and spread the general order throughout the north shore with the sound of a trumpet.

"The commander has ordered the whole army to press!"

"The marshal has an order to cut the surname Chai into the ditch!"

"Woo woo!" "Knock knock knock!" The shouts, horns, and drums of war burned people's blood. With the sound of boiling horns and drums, Shi Jiajun picked up his weapons and rushed towards the Li family soldiers on the bank of the river with feather arrows, and cut the other party with a knife in his hand, and turned his horse on his back.

The entire battlefield on the North Shore was suddenly in chaos. Under the invincible attack of the Mo Dao team, the defensive array hastily formed by the Li family's army was broken down again and again. Many soldiers were so frightened that they turned around and ran into the icy river. And through the six pontoon bridges, there were still a large number of Li family soldiers who kept rushing to the shore, red-eyed and wolves circling around the Modao team. I can't wait to gnaw a piece of meat from the Mo Dao team immediately. As soon as Shi Jiajun entered the battlefield, he immediately pounced on the pontoon bridgehead and killed Li Jiajun at the six-zhang-wide bridgehead. In such a narrow contact surface, neither the enemy nor the enemy can form an effective organization, and often the front row falls, and the back row fills the position, completely relying on personal courage to wear out. Even on the same bridge deck, the enemy and the enemy were staggered, and they rushed a little forward, except for their backs and their own people, the left and right sides in front of them became enemy troops. This chaotic situation of you have me, I have you makes it most difficult for archers and crossbowmen to wield, and they hold their bows and crossbows for a long time, but they can't guarantee that they won't accidentally hurt their robes. The guys who were frightened by the Mo Dao Array and retreated into the river quickly rushed to the crossbowmen again, and washed away the queue of crossbowmen, which was no longer neat. At this time, the Pak Daomen, who had just rushed up to protect the crossbowmen, had no choice but to serve as a warlord for the time being. Under Duan Zhida's order, he raised his sword and fell, and Zhao Wulang killed more than 20 of Yang Huaiwei's routs one after another. The defeated soldiers were awakened by the bloody sword light, screaming and charging back again. They first submerged in the water, then poked out of the water, waded through the red river of blood step by step, and climbed up step by step, once again becoming a mess with the enemy on the shore or with their own people.

Standing on the south bank of the Blood River, Zuo Yiwei's general Chai Shao's face was pale, and he raised the knife in his hand several times and then slowly put it down. The war has already become a chicken rib when it has been fought to such an extent. His previous plan to cross the river with a small sacrifice to preemptively block Dou Jiande's retreat was a complete failure. But even at this time, he still could not make up his mind to press the whole army and destroy the enemy forces on the other side at any cost. Zuo Yiwei accumulated this bit of family wealth, and it was not easy to rush up and cross the river, and it was possible to take down the other party with the advantage of numbers. But after such a battle, Zuo Yiwei was completely crippled. Where are the soldiers going to make up for it? What's next? Can you block Dou Jiande? Will it be swallowed by someone taking the opportunity? It's all problematic.

According to common sense, the Boling Army and the Youzhou Army should have chased Dou Jiande and killed them, but they brought cavalry?

Even if Dou Jiande retreats to the east, at least the Boling Army and the Youzhou Army have already sent outposts to respond? But where is the Boling Army now? Where is the Youzhou Army, why don't they have any news?

It's no wonder that Chai Shao is timid. In the past, he was like a man with a lot of money, and there was a mountain of gold behind him. You don't have to dig gold from the mountains, you can still spend a lot of money. But now, the mountain of gold behind him has suddenly become a dung heap, and even if he still holds a large amount of wealth in his hands, he will become more scathing than a rich man in the countryside.

"The general is willing to take the cavalry to cross the river in a roundabout way to wash away the shame before the snow!" Seeing that his brother was being pressed and beaten by the enemy on the other side, but the main general did not make any tactical adjustments, Chen Liangcheng, the general of Dingyuan who had just been promoted by Chai Shao, stepped forward and bowed down to ask for his life.

"One of the brothers had trekked on foot and stood on tiptoe, and the water had just reached their chins. The last general led the cavalry from a distance, and the thieves had no time to divide their troops to stop them! "I'm afraid that Chai Shao won't agree, and Chen Liangcheng will continue to add.

"Well, good plan. But wait! Chai Shao frowned lightly, waved his hand, and ordered the other party to be restless. Divide the troops to cross the river from all directions, so that the enemy troops on the opposite bank have no time to take care of this trick, he had thought of it last night. But how can the ministries act in unison after crossing the river? Can the battle flags and horns alone make the soldiers crossing the river dispatch and coordinate? He wasn't sure. And in case the enemy general is out of the way, no matter how many ways he divides his troops to cross the river, he only pesters all the way to fight, and it is difficult to guarantee that the brothers from all walks of life will not have time to support each other. Rather than risk having a few fingers cut off one by one, it's better to clench the team into a fist. At least I can see the loss in front of me and think about it in time.

"The generals and brothers were killed too badly by the Modao team!" Hearing the perfunctory meaning in Chai Shao's words, Chen Liangcheng took another half step forward, emphasizing with red eyes.

What Chai Shao hates the most is that others point fingers at him, and when his eyebrows jump up, he plans to apply color to Chen Liangcheng. Suddenly remembered Duan Zhida's reminder, he had to endure this nameless karmic fire, glared at the other party fiercely, and then added: "What's the hurry, how can you do it if you don't have such a little concentration?" Can you guarantee that the enemy forces on the other side of the river will be so many? Where is the banner of Cheng Thief? Will he be ready to fight us? Don't be impatient, and when it's time to use you, I'll give you the opportunity to make a difference! ”

"It's the last general who knows it's wrong! General Xie pointed out! Chen Liangcheng was dumbfounded by the question, so he had to bow down and admit his mistake. Chai Shao's gaze, which was stirred up by him like this, had to be retracted from the fiercest part of the battle. Frowning, he looked around, and asked in a deep voice, "What about the scouts?" Is there any abnormal movement around the latest reply? ”

"Nope!" Chai Xing, the general who followed him closely, shook his head and responded in a low voice.

"Hmm!" Chai Shao frowned and snorted coldly. Although the words just now were meant to perfunctory Chen Liangcheng, they also made him realize a potential danger. Cheng Mingzhen's banner has not appeared since the beginning of the battle, where did he go? Before he could think about it, suddenly there was a faint trumpet whimper in the distance.

"Let's go see if there's something going on with the scouts!" Chai Shao's face immediately turned pale, and he roared to his cronies beside him. Without waiting for the cronies to respond, another horn followed, closer and clearer. "Woo woo woo-"

"The scout is back!" Chai Xing reminded loudly. "There seems to be smoke and dust in the distance!"

"Use your words to answer the scout, and he won't blow the horn clearly. Have you been taught in vain? Chai Shao pushed Chai Xing away, and ran back to the river bank in three steps and two steps. Now he saw more clearly, it was indeed the scouts he had sent out, and the scouts who were on guard ten miles outside the army only came back, and three or two of them were wounded, and they sounded the siren desperately while galloping on their horses.

"Woo woo ......" "woo woo ......" "woo woo ......"

"The enemy attack was all cavalry, and there were too many people to count!" As the horn sounded closer and closer, Chai Shao analyzed what he needed. Cheng Mingzhen finally appeared, not on the other side, but behind him, but fortunately, he did not send all the brothers across the river.

The other Li family soldiers who were waiting in the whole team on the river beach also heard the horn of the alarm. He didn't care about crossing the river to provide support to his robe, but turned around in unison and turned his gaze to General Chai. Under the expectation of everyone, Chai Shao grabbed the lance, turned over and jumped on the mount, "The whole team meets the foot soldiers, and the phalanx cavalry protects the flanks!" Duan Zhida led the brothers who had already gone to the bridge to seal the bridge deck, and when they had killed the invading enemy, Lao Tzu would come to meet you again! ”

"The whole team! Team up! The shouts came and went, and there was a faint hint of panic in the mania. The cavalry came, and it was all cavalry, and they managed to touch most of the guarded waiting, and then pounced on the river bank with billowing smoke and dust.

The pressure on the Shijia Army and the Modao Team on the north shore of the water suddenly weakened. "General Cheng is here, and he has copied the back road surnamed Chai!" Wu Tianxi, who was already exhausted, immediately raised his Mo knife and shouted loudly. At this moment, the three hundred Mo knife team under his command had been worn out by the enemy in a stalking way, and more than sixty of them were grinded out, even if they were not completely worn down, everyone would be exhausted to death.

"Kill, kill, cross the river to capture Chai Shao alive who eats soft rice!" Compared with Wu Tianxi, Shi Zhan's ability to inspire soldiers cannot be described by the word "old". In one fell swoop, the blood-stained steel knife burst out of his mouth a slogan that not only increased his own prestige but also destroyed the morale of the enemy.

"Kill the river and capture Chai Shao alive who eats soft rice!" The soldiers of the Shi family army didn't care how the other party felt, how happy and how to repeat.

The children of the Li family, who had lost their follow-up support, were demoralized when they landed, and were cut down by the Shi family army and the Modao team one after another, dozens of people were cut down one after another, and the rest of the people quickly retreated, and the people on the bridge passed the pontoon bridge and waded under the bridge, pushing each other backwards.

Duan Zhida, who felt that the momentum was not good, and was about to be ordered to be ordered, immediately rushed to the middle of the river, stood on the back of a mount, and loudly boosted morale. "Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, there are few people, the general will come back to meet us after killing and dispersing the enemy army!"

"There are few ambush soldiers, and the general will come back to meet us after killing and dispersing the enemy army!" The low-level officers of Li Jiajun also knew what they should do, and they tore their throats and repeated Duan Zhida's words over and over again. It was as if the ambush soldiers killed on the south bank were really a rabble that could be easily dispersed by Chai Shao.

"Archers shoot and shoot and shoot!" The hustle and bustle stopped slightly, and Duan Zhida's other military order spread to everyone's ears.

The archers, who were dazed in the water, raised their angles and rained down a wave of arrows at the junction of their brothers and the enemy forces who were following them down the river. The crossbowmen also did their best to find their targets, and through the gaps in the crowd, they shot several enemy generals who were too far forward.

Accidental injuries are inevitable, but after all, the pace of the enemy's advance is abrupt. Taking advantage of Shi Zhan's adjustment of tactics and the transfer of the front line in Pu Dao's hands, Duan Zhida passed down one order after another in time. With the well-trained junior officers under his command, he finally stabilized his position in the southern half of the river. Across a river of blood, confront the enemy troops standing knee-high in the river.

Several groups of Pu Daomen on the north bank, led by Shi Yun, tried to break through the pontoon bridge. After being taken care of by the archers and crossbowmen of the Li Jiajun and leaving dozens of corpses behind, he had to admit the fact that his side was not as well equipped as people. A small number of archers in the Shi family army tried to retaliate, but each time they drew a heavier blow from the opposite side. In anger, Shi Zan contacted Wu Tianxi again, hoping that the Mo knife hand would be mixed in the river, and the team would wield his might, but now the Mo knife hand did not dare to go down the river at all. The armor was too heavy, and in case they fell in the water, they didn't even have a chance to get up.

The shouts of killing on the south bank were like thunder, and the Chai family army had already been attacked from the front and back. But because of the damn wet water under his feet, this pot of rice is sandwiched again. Shi Zhan, who had nothing to do, jumped like thunder, hid behind his shield, and cursed viciously. What kind of little white face who eats soft rice, what is the wife slave who is upside down, as long as he can vent his anger, how ugly it sounds, how to scold. The soldiers and soldiers of the Shi family were all rough people, and they were willing to embellish the majesty of the main general, and they tore out their throats and repeated Shi Zhan's foul words in unison.

The bloody battle first turned into a bow and arrow attack, and then into a scolding war. Duan Zhida was so angry that his eyes were on fire, and he wanted to attack again immediately, blocking Shi Zhan's stinky mouth with black smoke with mud. But until the situation on the south bank is clear, he will never dare to act rashly. He could only wait cautiously and wait for his own general to bring back his troops, and at the same time not give the two enemy armies a chance to converge.

The wait was so hard that he thought the sun above him had stopped moving. The river breeze gradually became colder, and dark clouds began to rise in the bright sky. Where the clouds rise, thunder rumbles, trumpets and war drums rumble, and they thunder and knock. The knock made people's hearts tremble and their bones itched.

"General Duan!" The shouts of anticipation finally came from behind, but they looked very tired. Duan Zhida rushed into the air and turned around to see Chen Liangcheng riding on a blood-stained war horse, with two arrows stuck in his back: "General Chai has an order to retreat to the riverbank, join him and set fire to the bridge!" ”

His heart sank suddenly, Duan Zhida gritted his teeth and ordered: "Lu Heming organized the manpower on the bridge to retreat and destroy the bridge." Zhang Xian organized archers to protect the formation. The other soldiers followed the beat of the drum and retreated step by step! ”

This time, the soldiers did not dare to shout loudly, but adopted the appointed horn. "Woooooooooo "Knock knock" With the short and low sound of horn drums, Li Jiajun on and under the bridge began to slowly retreat. First slowly, gradually, and then with a hula, they all retreated to the shore.

The archers and crossbowmen immediately rose up and shot the feathered arrows in the naan. While the enemy was covering each other with shields, they suddenly turned around and fled to the shore.

"Chase!" Shi Chan commanded loudly. "General Cheng has succeeded!"

"Capture the little white face alive!" The brothers responded with a bang, holding their weapons and flowing across the red river. The current is not fast, but the depth has reached Shi Zhan's lips, and many people are not allowed to stand on tiptoe to avoid choking to death by the river. A few unlucky eggs slipped and fell into the water like dogs, fluttering in front of the robe. Nearby brothers had to free up their hands to help, slowing the progress of the procession.

By the time there was enough people to make a wave of impact, the pontoon bridge on the mudflats on the south bank had already been lit by Duan Zhida. Many of the Shi family soldiers who had been killed along the bridge had to retreat back along the same road. After a long time of chaos and busywork, Shi Zan finally sorted out the team on the mudflats on the south bank of the Lishui River, and when he raised his eyes, he saw that Duan Zhida's soldiers and horses had retreated to two miles away.

The handsome banner of Yuan Yuan's famous and Chai Shao's handsome flag were mixed together, so that onlookers couldn't tell who had the upper hand for a while. The cavalry rushed back and forth to kill, the Li family army riding the war horse, and the soldiers of the Zhaozhou battalion and the Shi family army riding mules, donkeys and oxen. Farther away, there was also a cavalry rushing back and forth, and where the Li Jiajun passed by, the banners of the Li family army fell to the ground one after another.

Not only the cavalry, but also a few groups of foot soldiers marched slowly forward in formation. Judging from the color of the battle flag, they should also be part of the Yuzhou battalion, well-trained, and the Li family's infantry constantly avoided them. In addition to these, there is a team rapidly approaching in the distance. The number of people couldn't see clearly, the queue was not neat, but the battle flag of the Zhaozhou Army was held high above his head.

"Oh my God, sprinkle beans into soldiers! Or where did so many people come from the Zhaozhou camp? A general of the Shi family army craned his neck and exclaimed in a low voice. He remembered that Cheng Mingzhen only took more than 5,000 people to outflank Chai Shao, and the number of participants on the battlefield in front of him must have exceeded 40,000!

"Work hard to catch the little white face alive!" Shi Zan didn't care whether Cheng Mingzhen would sprinkle beans into a soldier's spell, raised his knife and loudly announced that victory was coming. Look no further, he believes that there is no suspense in this battle. Even he couldn't figure out how many reinforcements Cheng Mingzhen had brought, and Chai Shao was probably even more nervous. The belly and back are affected by the enemy, plus the enemy's reinforcements are constantly increasing, and fools dare to continue to entangle.

Sure enough, as he expected, a steady stream of reinforcements completely crushed the confidence of Chai Shao and others. First, the cavalry was in confusion, and some people rode their horses and fled into the distance. Then there were the infantry junior officers. Carrying each other wrapped in ducks being chased eastward. Duan Zhida led the soldiers and horses to meet in time, but he couldn't stabilize his own position. , As the Shi family army rushed from behind, Duan Zhida's general flag also began to shake and fall to the ground. Dozens of guards escorted him and Chai Shao to flee in embarrassment.

"Don't let Chai Shao go!" Shi Zan Daxi led a hundred and ten guards to rush towards Chai Shao in an attempt to block the other party's retreat. It's a pity that the armor on his body was soaked in the river water, and at this moment it was still sinking like an iron bump, and when he ran to the predetermined position, Chai Shao and the others had already rushed in front of him with a roar.

"Don't let Chai Shao go, don't let Chai Shao go!" Wang Ermao led a group of cavalry to roar past, embellishing Chai Shao and others in hot pursuit. It's a pity that their war horses seem to be tired and out of strength, and they are actually thrown farther and farther away by the other party, and finally they only see a cloud of smoke and dust.

Drinker's note: I saw a question raised by a reader about crossing the river. The understanding of the drunkards is that the main reason why in ancient battles were to concentrate troops and often involve tens of thousands of people in a battle without any detours was that there was no telephone and radio and it was difficult for the various departments to cooperate. And among the military generals in the Sui and Tang dynasties, Chai Shao at this stage was also half a catty with Cheng Mingzhen and Shi Zan in terms of ability, and he couldn't use too advanced strategies. Of course, it's just a quote for everyone's reference.