Chapter 70: Fox Ridge

early morning

Fox Ridge Fortress

At the junction of Chengdu Mansion, Long'an Mansion and Shaanxi Province in the Great Xia Dynasty, there is a barren mountain, because this barren mountain can see the red fox haunted by the alternation of spring and summer, so this place is also called Fox Ridge.

The terrain of Huling is relatively gentle, the mountains are bare, and there are no trees or suitable for farming, so it has become a "three regardless" zone between two provinces and one province. However, the Fox Ridge, which rises next to the three-way junction, is the nearest road from the north, that is, the Shaanxi Province into Sichuan.

There is an ancient city that has been abandoned for a long time at the foot of the mountain, and it is said that when Genghis Khan conquered the world, the pioneer general Torre led the Mongolian iron cavalry into Sichuan to fight, so as to build such a small fortress to store grain and grass.

Later, the Mongols slaughtered Sichuanzhong, and the country of abundance was only left with no people, and the corpses piled up in the fortress once covered the low city walls. Every day, wolves and wild dogs wander around the fortress and are attracted by the smell of corpses, and the stench of decay stretches for miles, like a purgatory on earth.

So much so that later generations of people regarded this place as a gathering place of yin qi, and homeless homeless people would rather stay overnight on the fox ridge to face the fierce beasts under the cover of the night, rather than go into the city to hide even for one night.

When An Yi came to the Huling Fortress with the army, the city was already full of soldiers, and it was obvious that the army of the commanders had arrived.

He rode to the city and shouted loudly to the people above: "In Xiahuayang County, the regimental training envoy is comfortable, and I have been ordered to come and meet the commander and envoy, please open the city gate." ”

The city gate slowly opened, and a herald with a small flag with the word "order" on his back came on a single flying horse, and pulled the reins in front of An Yi.

"There is an order! Please come to the city immediately after the regimental training envoy arrives in the city to discuss the military. ”

An Yi turned around and said to Jin Mingyin: "Mingyin, you take our people to wait here now, and I will take Brother Jiang to go and go back." ”

Then he stretched out his hand to the herald,

"Lead the way."

A hut in the middle of the city was protected by patrolling sergeants, inside and out, and served as a makeshift command post.

An Yi and Jiang Shang walked slowly under the guidance of the herald, and saw Zeng Ziren and two people dressed in armor pointing in front of a map on the wall.

"Zeng Ziren!?"

Hearing a slightly surprised voice from behind, Zeng Ziren turned his head, saw the comfort in front of the door, and said with a sneer: "An Datuan Lian, don't come to harm." ”

An Yi turned his head and looked around, and found that there was no figure of Zeng Hanru, the commander of the capital, so he asked him with a face: "What about the commander of the envoy?" ”

Zeng Ziren took two steps forward, gently stroked his hand on the tiger talisman in front of the case, and asked with a blushing face, "What?" An Datuanlian only has the commander in his heart, and there is no imperial court? ”

An Yi looked at the "copper pimple" in his hand, and his heart was full of doubts.

How? Zeng Hanru gave this tiger talisman to Zeng Ziren? When did he become so confident in his son?

Zeng Ziren saw that An Yi didn't answer, thinking that he was shocked by the tiger talisman in his hand, he couldn't help but raise his head and said proudly: "On the orders of the imperial court, I temporarily took the post of Chengdu garrison general and led the army to exterminate the Wugu Sect bandits." The two people next to me are General Zhao of the Garrison Guard Battalion and Deputy General Liu of the Central Military Battalion. ”

As soon as Zeng Ziren's words fell, Vice General Liu, who had a bearded face, pointed his hand towards An Yi and shouted: "Don't hurry up and see it!" ”

If An Yi remembers correctly, Jiang Yun is the commander of the Yazhong military camp of the Chengdu Garrison Administration. What does it mean that this army came with two battalions of soldiers and horses, and instead of bringing the general commander, he brought a deputy general to come?

Zeng Ziren saw An Yi frowning and lowering his head, muttering something, turning a deaf ear to him and Deputy Liu's general words, and became angry for a while, he picked up the tiger talisman and slammed it on the table with a "bang".

"Anyi, didn't you hear the general's words!"

An Yi was drunk by him like this, and then he came back to his senses from his thoughts, glanced at Zeng Ziren, stroked the hem of his brocade robe, and said lightly: "General Zeng, forgive me for being in armor, and I can't give full courtesy." ”

"You!!"

Before the three fires that had just "taken office" began to burn, they were extinguished by a basin of cold water from An Yi.

Zhao Jizong, the general manager behind him, hurriedly grabbed Zeng Ziren, who was about to rush forward, and kept whispering in his ear with relief: "General! Calm your anger! Don't be like him, we have business to do here, and let him bounce for a few more days. ”

As soon as the words entered his ears, Zeng Ziren snorted heavily, shook his body, broke free from Zhao Jizong, who was pulling him, and said to An Yi with a blushing face: "I will not be so quick to talk to you." ”

After speaking, he turned around, pointed to the map on the wall with his finger, and said to the four people present: "Listen, according to the report, the Wugu Sect has gathered nearly 30,000 people, and they will invade Long'an and Chengdu in a few days, and this Huling Fortress is the way they must pass. You will follow the plan I said, Zhao will always lead the guard battalion to defend the Fox Ridge Fortress, Deputy General Liu will fortify on the west slope of Fox Ridge, and An Tuan will practice fortification on the north slope of Fox Ridge. ”

Jiang Shang stood behind An Yi, and after listening to Zeng Ziren's assignment, his brows tightened, but he didn't start directly, but glanced at An Yi,

"Guards battalion command!"

"The Chinese military camp is commanded!"

"Team Training .........."

Seeing that An Yi didn't have any intention of refusing, he was about to give up his life, but Jiang Shangcai couldn't help but interrupt before he received the order: "I have objections!" ”

Zeng Ziren had a cold face, glanced at the big man who was wearing chain armor and an iron lotus leaf helmet, who was a head taller and stronger than the comfort standing in front of him, and asked very disdainfully: "Dare to ask Your Excellency?" ”

This time Jiang Shang was a little choked, because according to the military system of the Great Xia Dynasty, the regimental training camp only has the title of regimental training envoy, even if there are tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of generals in the battalion, they can only be called regimental training battalion sergeants.

"This is the sergeant in my battalion."

An Yi saw Jiang Shang's speech, hurriedly said in a round field, and handed him a look, signaling him not to say more.

Zeng Ziren finally seized an opportunity, glanced at comfort fiercely, and said sarcastically: "The regimental training envoy takes good care of the people under you, is this kind of occasion also a place where he can interject as a nobody?" ”

"Do you understand what I just deployed?" He then asked,

An Yi arched his hand at him, "The regimental training makes An Yi take orders!" ”

Suddenly, Zeng Ziren's heart was like a big victory, and he felt that even his breathing was much smoother. It seems that An Yi is not surrendering his life to him, but has already prostrated at his feet, asking for forgiveness from his eldest prince.

The moody Zeng Ziren quickly changed into a pile of smiling faces, and waved his hand at everyone,

"Everyone, let's get ready!"

After An Yi withdrew from the house with Jiang Shang, he walked in the direction of Jin Mingyin, preparing to take the people and horses directly to the north slope of Fox Ridge.

"I was reckless just now, and I caused some trouble for adults."

Jiang Shang followed behind him and said apologetically to An Yi.

Although Zeng Ziren is not the real commander, as long as the tiger talisman is in his hands, everyone below the commander must obey his orders. It's like a messenger sent by the imperial court, it may just be a six-grade imperial history, but as long as you hold the holy oracle in your hand, even if the prince sees it, then you have to kneel down and kowtow to listen to the announcement.

The reason why Vice General Liu always asked him to kneel down and bow to him but was rejected by him was because An Yi had this measure in his heart, and knew that it was a matter of etiquette to say that it was a matter of etiquette. But if he categorically refused Zeng Ziren's military order, it would be battlefield disobedience, and the lord would be able to use the power to act cheaply to engage in military law, so he signaled that Jiang Shang didn't need to question it at all, and Zeng Ziren wouldn't listen if he questioned it.

An Yi waved his hand to Jiang Shang, signaling that it was not tight, he knew that Jiang Shang was a straightforward person, not so politically sensitive, and he would not vomit unpleasantly for Zeng Ziren's bad strategic deployment.

"What did Brother Jiang want to say in the house just now?"

Jiang Shang heard An Yi turn his head and ask him, and hurriedly replied: "The terrain of Fox Ridge is condescending, and spitting can hit the heads of the defenders in the fortress, so the Fox Ridge Fortress must be in Fox Ridge!" The three battalions of soldiers and horses only need to go up and down and hold at the bottom of the ridge, and they can hold the main road to Long'an and Chengdu when they retreat, and they can take advantage of the momentum to pursue the remnants of the enemy, but as long as the fox ridge is lost, even if there are 10,000 people guarding the fortress, it is meaningless. ”

"And...."

He paused and continued,

"And the Wugu Sect must be coming from the north, then we must be the first to meet the enemy, they are tens of thousands, the front is in full swing, once the war starts, regardless of our superiority and inferiority, there will be no way to retreat, because the fox ridge behind us is a barren mountain and there is no water source, as long as we retreat, they will surround us and surround us to death." As soon as Huling is taken, then only three or five thousand crossbowmen need to be transferred, and the middle military camp on the western slope and the guard battalion in the fortress are completely useless! ”

An Yi listened to Jiang Shang's strategic analysis like a series of cannons, and nodded with deep sympathy, it seemed that it was the three battalions to assist in defense, but in fact, it was simply to push him to the front and make this cannon fodder first, nearly 5,000 people, only he played a role, and this kind of defense was also capable of Zeng Ziren,

"I'll tell you the truth, I expected that we were dragged to take the lead, but anyway, Zeng Ziren is also here to suppress bandits, since he is here to suppress bandits, then I can't let me do all the dirty work alone."

"What do you mean?" Jiang Shang didn't quite understand what An Yi said,

"Lead them up the mountain!"

The corners of An Yi's mouth were slightly raised, and a trace of cunning was wiped on his face,

"We know the importance of this Fox Ridge, and the Five Grains Sect should also know it. Since they all want this barren mountain, then we might as well give it to them, feign a rout, and then wait for their 30,000 horses to go up the mountain, the Chinese military camp and the guards battalion are their next targets, and when the time comes, they will have to fight if they want to, and they will have to fight if they don't want to, and they will not hide. Let's close the 'mountain gate' on the north slope and watch a dog-eat-dog show! ”

Hearing this, Jiang Shang's eyes lit up,

"Good way, these bandits of the Wugu Sect are going to Long'an Mansion and Chengdu Mansion, if you want to go to these two places, you must pass through the Fox Ridge Fortress, and when the time comes, for the tens of thousands of sect members on the mountain, the attraction of the fortress is far greater than our 'gate', so even if they find themselves surrounded on the mountain, they will definitely give priority to attacking the Fox Ridge Fortress."

While the two of them were talking, they had already returned to the place where they had just entered the city, and at this time, Jin Mingyin was waiting in place with his men and horses.

"Ming Yin, go! Out of town! ”

An Yi stepped forward and greeted Jin Mingyin, and the more than 1,500 people did not stay in the city, so they went directly to the northern slope of Fox Ridge.