In the early morning of the next day, it was a smoky and rainy weather on Exiang Ridge.

Until Zhu Xieyuan led most of the rear team to arrive from Taohong Dam, the drizzle and thick fog still did not disperse.

Zhu Xieyuan led several generals who vowed to destroy An Bangyan within three days, standing in the simple camp under the white pole soldiers and Tiance Guard, looking at the rain and mist of Exiangling, frowning.

"Lord of the Ministry, since Hou was the first to make a military order, promising to destroy An Bangyan within three days, then leading the army to attack Goose Xiangling is the burden that Hou should bear! As long as the adult gives an order, Hou is duty-bound and unyielding! ”

"Lord of the Ministry, the last general has also issued a military order, please allow the Guizhou soldiers to be the vanguard of the army and attack the Goose Xiang Ridge!"

"Lord of the Ministry, the Dian soldiers are also willing to be the vanguard, if they don't take the Goose Xiangling, they are willing to engage in military law!"

Seeing that Zhu Xieyuan was frowning, the three commanders seemed to be making trouble for the attack on Exiangling, so they spoke one by one, hoping to get the order to attack first.

Those who can mix in the position of chief soldier are naturally not fools.

In the battle of Taohongba, the official army beheaded more than 10,000 people, and this time in the battle of the dense forest mountain road, An Bangyan's command once again lost more than 1,000 people, and the number of troops under An Bangyan's command is now only 3,000 people at best.

The 3,000 people who fled to the end of the road in embarrassment are the opponents of the 20,000 or 30,000 officers and soldiers who are now becoming more and more courageous?!

It is only a matter of time before it will be destroyed, and it depends on whose hands it will perish!

And now the three chief military officers who are following Zhu Xieyuan, if any one of them has captured An Bangyan, he is likely to be knighted because of this.

Such a temptation is now impossible for any of the three chief officers to resist, and at this time, they all asked to lead the army to launch an attack on Exiangling on the grounds that they had made a military order.

However, for Zhu Xieyuan, what he was worried about was not that he couldn't attack Exiang Ridge, but how to find An Bangyan on the rainy and misty Exiang Ridge.

Too many enemies are not a good thing, but now it seems that too few enemies are not a good thing either.

Now there are only 3,000 people left under An Bangyan's command, if he is broken into pieces and hidden in the rainy and misty mountains, then when will the officials and soldiers find him in Shuixi?!

At this time, after listening to the suggestions of the three chief military officers in turn, Zhu Xieyuan thought about it and finally said: "The generals listen to the order!" ”

The three chief military officers and several other generals who were gathered around Zhu Xieyuan heard this, and suddenly the sound of armor sounded, and everyone stood solemnly.

Seeing this, Zhu Xieyuan continued: "Qin Gongming, Liu Zhaoji, and you each led their subordinates, with yesterday's formation, circling along the post road, if they encountered the thief army, they would pursue and annihilate, if they did not encounter the thief army, they would cross the ridge and camp along the river, and they should not let An Bangyan's soldiers cross the Chishui north!" ”

Qin Gongming and Liu Zhaoji hugged their fists and promised to take the order.

Next, Zhu Xieyuan looked at the faces of Xu Chengming, Hou Liangzhu, and Lin Zhaoding one by one, and then said: "The three of you each lead their troops to divide into three roads, or take a small road, or take a shortcut into the mountains and forests, and find the enemy for a decisive battle by yourself!" Remember not to rush forward because of the merit, but the friendly army has a call, each family must respond, if you see danger and do not help, do not forget the law and do not tolerate mercy! ”

After Zhu Xieyuan, who was as tall as a giant, finished speaking, he solemnly looked at the three chief military officers under his command, and the three chief military officers immediately clasped their fists and said, "Obey the orders of the lord of the ministry!" ”

At about midnight that day, Qin Gongming and Liu Zhaoji led their departments, totaling more than 3,000 people, once again along the post road halfway up the mountainside into the dense forest of smoke and rain, and cautiously marched forward.

Soon after Qin Gongming and Liu Zhaoji led the army to set off, Hou Liangzhu, Xu Chengming, and Lin Zhaoding, the three chief military officers, also took the lead with the Tusi soldiers of their subordinates, and each was ordered to lead the army to set off.

Let's say that Hou Liangzhu this way, although he was an advanced soldier, he did not choose a gentle slope that is easy to climb or a faintly visible bird path.

Instead, Hou Liangzhu chose a steep slope with the shortest straight distance from the ridge of Exiang Ridge and the steepest and steepest slope to ascend the mountain.

In the breeze and drizzle and thick fog, it can be seen that less than ten steps away, Hou Liangzhu took the lead, under the protection of the left and right of the soldiers, holding a round shield in one hand to protect the front of him, and grabbing bamboo and vines with the other, and climbing up with his hands and feet.

Hou Liangzhu, who was born in a family of Yongning Weijun in eastern Sichuan, has lived in the mountains and forests since he was a child, crossing mountains and mountains, and crossing the jungle.

Even if he is now the chief military officer of Sichuan, when it is time to make a move, he can still endure this hardship, endure this crime, and can also climb such a mountain and walk such a road.

After more than an hour of climbing, under the cover of the soldiers, Hou Liangzhu was finally the first to climb the relatively open gooseback area on the Goose Ridge.

In his opinion, if An Bangyan really broke the Yi soldiers under his command into pieces and hid in the mountains from then on, then it would really be as difficult as looking for a needle in a haystack to find him in the clouds and mist mountains within a radius of more than 100 miles.

However, if An Bangyan hadn't done this, there would not be many places on Exiang Ridge where 3,000 troops could be stationed, and the goose back top in the eastern section of Exiang Ridge was the best place to go.

However, Hou Liangzhu, who had climbed to the top of the goose's back, looked forward at this time, and he couldn't see anything clearly except for the layers of fine rain and fog that came and went with the strong wind on the top of the mountain.

There is only the sound of the mountain wind whistling in my ears.

Waiting until the pro-soldiers around him and the team behind him climbed more and more on the top of the goose's back one after another, Hou Liangzhu cautiously advanced forward with a shield under the escort of his pro-soldiers.

Just a moment later, after walking dozens of steps away, a group of figures suddenly appeared in Hou Liangzhu's sight, and just as he took out his Qi knife and was about to touch it, he suddenly heard that among the figures who were walking face to face with him on the opposite side, someone shouted loudly in Yi language.

Hou Liangzhu and his soldiers couldn't hear what the team on the other side was shouting, but Hou Liangzhu, who grew up in Yongningwei in eastern Sichuan and had a lot of dealings with the Yi people since he was a child, immediately recognized that this was Yi and that the other party was a Yi person.

"This is Yasu's centaurs?! Ahn Bangyan is here!? ”

As soon as he thought of this, the question in Hou Liangzhu's heart immediately turned into amazement, so he ordered loudly: "An Bangyan is here!" Follow the town left and right, kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions! ”

At this time, on the top of the goose's back, strong winds, drizzle, and dense fog are intertwined, and the field of vision is limited, and you can't see far, even if you are the chief soldier, you can't rely on the thousands of troops behind you.

Fortunately, the first people to come up on the official army's side were Hou Liangzhu, the chief soldier of Sichuan, and his personal soldiers.

And when the other party heard the voice, it was the Shuixi Yi soldiers who were patrolling to the west.

Under the collision of the two phases, this group of Shuixi Yi soldiers who came to the west to patrol the sentry were not the opponents of Hou Liangzhu and his personal soldiers at all, but they were quickly cut down to the ground by Hou Liangzhu and his personal soldiers, and then they were kicked off the cliff.

The sudden shouting sound from the Exiang Ridge, and the Shuixi Yi soldiers who were screaming and rolling down soon after, immediately attracted the attention of the Dian soldiers and Guizhou soldiers who were climbing the mountain.

The Dian soldiers and the Guizhou soldiers, under the orders of their own commanders, soon marched in the direction of the goose's back where the corpse rolled down on the Goose Xiang Ridge.

When Xu Chengming followed the sound of shouting and shouting and killing for the second time, he led the army to climb to the top of the goose's back, only to see a relatively open area on the top of the goose's back, and a crowd of people was crowded with shadows, fighting in the mountain wind, drizzle and fog.

At this moment, the bright red robes of the officers and soldiers have become the only identification of the two sides to distinguish between friend and foe.

"Where is the Ahn Bangyan dog thief?! Dare to dedicate yourself to fighting with your grandfather Xu! ”

After Xu Chengming climbed on the top of the goose's back, he shouted like this, and with a knife in his hand, he cut down several black-clothed Yi soldiers one after another, and rushed into the battle group.

Joining with him are more and more Guizhou soldiers who have reached the top behind Xu Chengming.

About half an hour later, Lin Zhaoding, who originally wanted to touch the highest point in the eastern section of the Goose Xiang Ridge, and his Dian soldiers also changed direction when they heard the sound, and led more than 2,000 people under their command to climb to the top of the goose's back and quickly join the battle group.

In this way, the scuffle on the top of the goose's back lasted for another half an hour before it stopped.

At this time, it was already noon, and the mountain wind on Exiang Ridge was stronger, and the wet rain and fog finally began to thin out.

Although it has not completely dissipated, the full picture of the goose's back is still revealed.

Hou Liangzhu, Xu Chengming, and Lin Zhaoding, the three chief military officers, finally met on the top of the goose's back, but they were all pale.

Because although the corpses of Shuixi Yi soldiers in black clothes and pants were everywhere on the top of the goose's back, there was no trace of An Bangyan, the king of Luodian.

If you can't find An Bangyan, this great victory on Goose Xiangling will be overshadowed!

Just when several chief military officers were thinking about how to end the battle, Sha Dingzhou, a local official under Lin Zhaoding, suddenly shouted loudly: "Lord Zongzhen, look west!" ”

The three chief officers turned their heads to look west at the same time, and saw that there was a narrow and steep ridge that appeared and disappeared in the rain and fog to the west.

The faces of the three of them suddenly showed joy, and Xu Chengming, who was close to this ridge stone road, turned around and ran first without saying a word, and was the first to rush into this rugged stone road located on the ridge of Exiangling.

The reason why Exiang Ridge is called Exiang Ridge is not because of the winding post road in the middle of the mountain, nor because the whole mountain ridge resembles a creeping goose, but because, standing on the peak of Exiang Ridge and looking east, there is a raised stone ridge in the west section of the entire mountain range that stretches for more than ten miles from east to west.

The ridge is narrow and long, like the neck of a goose.

What was discovered by Sha Dingzhou, Xu Chengming was the first to grab it from the top of the goose's back, and it was this ridge trail.