Chapter 688: The ship is strong and the cannon is sharp

In March of the ninth year of Jianwu, the Song army Wu Xuan and the Jin army fought in the north of Wenxi. The strength of the two armies was equal, and the Jin army had a slight advantage, but Wu Tangqing broke the enemy for a while, killed eight officers above the Jin army, and cut more than 3,000 ranks, and the Jin army was defeated! Flee to Jiezhou City in a hurry! From the start of the fight to the defeat of the Jin army, it took less than two hours!

But to be honest, Wu Lan is a little invincible. Because the Jin army was deployed in Hedong, especially the troops in the southeast of Hedong, most of them were Han signing troops, and many of them were the old troops of Li Zhi, the former "pseudo Hedong Marshal of Soldiers and Horses", their combat power and will naturally could not be compared with the Western Army and even the real Jin Army.

After this defeat, the Jin army retreated in the city of Jiezhou, and refused to go out. When Wu Xuan led the army to approach, Han Chang yù sent several thousand ladies out of the city to engage in the battle, but no one dared to go. There are even people who beg and say, "All the tigers are handsome generals, if you dare to plunder their edge?" ”

Han Chang was forced to be helpless, he couldn't kill him, and he couldn't move, so he had to stick to the city, passively defend, and look forward to the Taiyuan Jin army going south as soon as possible. However, the Taiyuan Jin army did not have a good time, and in mid-March, the Liao army of 70,000 cavalry approached Dongshengzhou. In Dongshengzhou, there is the Yellow River running through it. After Liao Taizu Yelu Abaoji invaded Shengzhou in the past year, he moved all the soldiers and civilians to the east bank of the Yellow River and built a new city. Because the new city is located to the east of the old city, it was renamed "Higashikatsuju".

After Jin conquered the Liao State, he gave the land west of the Yellow River in Dongshengzhou to the Dang Xiang people. The Liao army entered the country, crossed the river without much effort, and was warmly welcomed by the Khitan people who lived in the area. In only two days, the city of Dongshengzhou was captured. Then he quickly transferred his troops to the north, besieged Yunnei Prefecture, and took the city for another two days.

Because the Liao army moved too fast, so that when the Jin army came to help, the Khitans had already turned their troops to the east and attacked Fengzhou. Fengzhou is the location of the Jurchen Southwest Recruitment Division, and if it is lost, Datong Mansion is in danger. Therefore, the Jin army reinforcements fought fiercely with the Khitans in Fengzhou.

At the end of the Liao period, the Khitans were corrupted, the combat effectiveness of the army declined, and they were vulnerable in the face of the cutting-edge Jurchens. However, Yelu Dashi fled to the Western Regions, broke more than ten countries, and laid down thousands of miles. In the process, create a team of heroes! Whether it is the marshal who led the army, Xiao Hulira, or the commander-in-chief of the front line, who "deployed" Yelu Yanshan, or even the capital supervisor Yelu Tiege, they are all generals who can conquer and are accustomed to war. And the Liao soldiers, after more than 20 years, returned to their homeland, who doesn't want to fight to the death to recover the old frontier?

The so-called "100 times morale" is by no means a lie. The Jin army reinforced more than 20,000 people, and Xiao led Yelu Tiege to 30,000 horsemen and fought bloodily. It is said that the Jin army had a psychological advantage, because they destroyed the invincible Liao Empire. But when they really fought, they found that this Liao army was fierce and good at fighting, as if the water and soil of the Western Regions had made them reborn!

The two armies fought fiercely until the evening, and the Jin army could not resist it, and was routed to the east and retreated into the city of Fengzhou. Brother Yelu Tiege pursued closely until he reached the bottom of the city. Subsequently, Xiao Lili led the main force to besiege the city. The Liao army fought with the Song army for many years in the past, and they were no strangers to attacking and defending cities. Soon all kinds of siege equipment were set up and prepared to storm the city.

The three western states were controlled by the Liao army, causing the Jinting earthquake! Just when the government and the opposition of the Jin State were panicked, news came from Hedong again, saying that the Western Army had crossed the Yellow River and attacked the land of Sanjin!

At this time, the Jurchens understood the Han saying that the wall fell down and everyone pushed it, and the drum was beaten by ten thousand people. However, the vultures were still calm, and a small defeat could not shake him. When the Liao army moved to attack Fengzhou, he had quickly mobilized 50,000 elites to assemble in Datong Mansion. Inside, the Jurchen army of Qing Yi sè and the Bohai navy.

In recent years, the Jurchen Bohai people were not very interested in the southern invasion. Because in the past, when he went south, he could always make a lot of money, whether it was the indemnity of the Southern Dynasty or the looting by himself, there was never a situation where he returned empty-handed. However, in recent times, the Song army has either been defeated or returned in vain. What they are most afraid of is that they will lose their troops and lose their generals, and they will not be able to reap the benefits. So, when it came to the southern expedition, both the Jurchens and the Bohai people shook their heads.

But this time it's different! The Liao army invaded the three western states and arched to the sixteen states of Yanyun! This is the core of Dajinguo! Not to mention that you can't get benefits, even if you lose your life, you have to fight the Khitan people to the end! Because it's not a trade, it's a life-saving!

The army of 50,000 tigers and wolves quickly reinforced Fengzhou, and Xiao Lili reconnoitred the news and sent his second son Xiao Pugu to lead 8,000 horsemen to resist the enemy. Yu Qingzuka defeated the Jin army and asked the troops to be thousands of people first. Fengzhou, occupied by the Jurchens, and Fengzhou, Linfu Road, occupied by the Western Army, are two places, which are the tombs of Wang Zhaojun, one of the four beauties of China, in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.

Soon, the main force of the Jin army arrived, and Xiao Pugu saw that the enemy was coming overwhelmingly, and knew that his situation was great, so he retreated to Fengzhou City. Xiao Lira, after consulting with the generals, believed that the Jin army was menacing and must be dealt with cautiously. He then gave up attacking Fengzhou and retreated more than 70 miles to the southwest, preparing to start a battle with the Jin army in the plains.

On 20 March, 50,000 elite Jin troops arrived less than 40 miles away from the Liao army. The Liao army detected its movements, and without waiting for it to gain a foothold, the fierce general Yelu Tiege personally led 8,000 horsemen to rush over! The speed of the Liao army surprised the Jurchens! Fortunately, their reaction was not slow, and they quickly arranged a defensive line with chariots, antlers, horses, iron hooks, etc., to block Yelu Tiege's attack, and sent 5,000 horsemen to engage in battle. The two sides rushed for several rounds, with each other killed and wounded, and Brother Tie saw that the raid did not work, and returned in a huff.

On that day, both sides were nervously preparing for a conference battle. Xiao Lili encouraged the soldiers and said that we have been fighting in the Western Regions for decades in order to accumulate strength in order to restore the country.

Now, what we are stepping on is the land of our homeland, and what appears around us are our people. As long as we win this battle, we will take a solid step towards the restoration of the country! May the gods bless you, and the ancestors bless you! Of course, the Jurchens also knew the importance of this battle, and the shaman god who was also saving them at this time blessed to defeat the Liao army in one fell swoop!

On March 22, the two armies faced each other! The urgency of the Liao army's humiliation to restore the country was once again undoubtedly revealed, and Tie Ge led thousands of elite horsemen to launch an attack while the Jin army was not in formation. As a result, the Jurchens continued to play their old tricks, and surrounded them with various obstacles to block their offensive. It may be because the Jin army has been fighting with the Song army for nearly 20 years, and their combat thinking has also been influenced by the Song army.

And the Liao army has been in the Western Regions for a long time, so they don't pay attention to these at all, and rush when they have the opportunity! Seeing that Brother Tie was blocked, Xiao Lili sent a general to lead thousands of horsemen to attack from the other side. The Jin army was exhausted, and the big array never took shape!

It was so harassed until noon, and the soldiers of the Jin army were tired. Xiao Weili didn't seize the fighter plane, and sent 10,000 iron horsemen straight to the golden array! At this time, the tactics that the Jurchens learned from the Western Army came in handy! Divine arm bows, bed crossbows, and long-range sharp weapons! Arrows raining down!

The Liao army fought in the Western Regions for a long time, and most of the cavalry wore leather armor to battle, and some did not even wear armor. Therefore, under the rain of arrows of the Jin army, the losses were quite large. Xiao Lili was unmoved, and after the first wave of cavalry went up, he ordered the second wave of cavalry to stand by!

Although the large array of the Jin army could not be finally formed, the infantry army at the front still formed a relatively tight formation. The first wave of cavalry of the Liao army collided and could not break into the formation at all. On this battlefield today, if the Song and Jin armies are replaced, once the cavalry cannot rush into the formation, then the next thing is to lose mobility and wait to be supported by the infantry army.

However, the Liao army did not do this! As soon as the first wave of attacks failed, the cavalry withdrew to both ends separately! Then, the second wave came! The foot soldiers of the Jin army are killing the first wave of Liao cavalry, and the second wave is coming! Just as they were about to adjust the direction to kill, the knights of the Liao army had already ripped off their longbows, and sharp arrows whistled!

The second platoon still failed to crash into the formation, but they still quickly withdrew, and the third wave came!

This tactic made the Jurchens feel incredible! To put it bluntly, it is to constantly ram the cavalry into the formation! What is this? However, by the time the fifth wave of cavalry came, the Jurchens finally knew how powerful this tactic was! The Liao army's iron cavalry was obviously well-trained and well-coordinated, and every time the first wave of cavalry had just withdrawn from the Jin army's bow and arrow shè cheng, the latter wave arrived! This gap in the middle is often the time when the Jin army suffers the most losses!

Because the bow and crossbow were still in the previous wave of shè killing, the new Liao army was suppressed by riding shè. After repeating this several times, the Jin Army's formation began to disperse more and more!

When Xiao Lili's expression is solemn and the Chinese army issues the order to outflank both flanks, it means that the general attack is launched! On the left and right sides, 10,000 riders each, galloping forward! The general of the Jin army sensed the danger and did not dare to have any reservations, so the two wings of the crutches and horses were released at the same time to intercept the incoming enemy!

The fierce battle continued until the afternoon, and the infantry troops of the Jin army in front of the formation were almost completely lost! Under the onslaught of wave after wave of Liao cavalry, the Jurchens' great array was completely luàn! Liao cavalry burst into the formation and slashed wantonly! However, at this time, the Jin army still showed no signs of defeat. The Chinese army quickly built an obstacle to block the Liao cavalry from penetrating the entire formation. The bow and crossbow quickly retreated, and the dense shè kill!

At the foot of the mountain, the sound of fighting shook the heavens and the earth! I'm afraid that after attacking the Xiongnu from the north of Weihuo, there has never been such a tragic battle! Both sides used more than 100,000 troops, and most of them were cavalry! If Xu Wei sees this scene, he must be fascinated!

In the evening, the Jin army gradually showed its decline, and Xiao Lira raised his saber and ordered the whole army to assault! The Jin army, which had been struggling for a day, could no longer hold on, the large array was completely dispersed, and the soldiers rushed to flee under the cover of the horse army!

In this battle, the Liao army annihilated and captured more than 14,000 Jin troops and captured thousands of horses! It was the first big victory since the restoration of the Eastern Crusade! That night, Xiao Lira celebrated the achievements of the generals in the military tent, and the veteran who followed Dashi's expedition to the west moved his emotions and raised a glass to congratulate the victory! The Khitans have seen the hope of recovering the country!

The next day, the Liao army learned that the Jin army had fled to the direction of Datongfu, so they safely gathered their troops and horses and continued to attack Fengzhou. It is said that after witnessing the rout of the reinforcements, the defenders of Fengzhou should be frightened, and even surrender the city. But when the Liao army launched a fierce attack, the Jin army defending the city still resisted stubbornly. The Liao army attacked for three days in a row and could not break the city.

At the same time, Hezhong Province, thousands of miles away, has been turned into a pot of porridge. After the Jin army was defeated and retreated to the Jiezhou River, it fell into a completely passive position. Xu Wei officially launched a forced crossing in mid-March, and the army forcibly crossed the river from Pujin and Fengling. The Western Army has always been known for attacking and defending cities and fighting in the field, and has never engaged in a decent naval division unit.

And this time, Xu Wei followed the advice of his generals and built dozens of large ships, one of which could carry more than 200 people. He also loaded the Weiyuan cannon onto the warship, and sent out thunder to bombard the east bank barrier.

Until then, the Western Army had not used firearms, and had only sent smaller fleets to attack tentatively each time. This created a false impression for the Jin army, thinking that the Western Army was nothing more than that, and with the Yellow River, you should not think about it.

But the roar of the earth-shattering thunder woke them up from their sweet dreams......

Han Chang spent a lot of thought on the river defense, set up a fence along the river, after the fence, the artillery carts were widely erected, and the barrier was placed with more strong crossbows and hard crossbows. Hit the water column on the river in all directions! It's just a pity that their artillery car is far worse than the Weiyuan artillery, and although the strong crossbow is enough, what use is it against the tall warship?

Under the cover of artillery boats, the Western army forced the crossing in smaller boats! The soldiers knocked down the fence with the batter and swarmed ashore! The artillery ship also took advantage of the situation to move forward and extend the artillery shell! Under this earth-shattering offensive, the defenders quickly retreated, and in less than half a day, the western army landed on the east bank with thousands of men.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, the soldiers felt steady! Each of them took out their housekeeping skills and raided everywhere! Seeing that more and more Song troops had successfully landed on the shore, the Jin army abandoned the river defense and retreated to the city. On the same day, the Western Army crossed the Yellow River from Pujin and Fengling, and besieged the city in Hezhong.

Xu Wei and other generals had already crossed the river when the defenders on the opposite bank had just begun to retreat. That night, he sent Liangxing to pacify Wang Yan and lead his troops to move in the direction of Jiezhou, cutting off the connection between Jiezhou and Hezhongfu. At this time, he didn't know that Wu Lan had already arrived in Jiezhou.

At night, the bonfires were piled up in the western military camp, and the soldiers sang and shouted around the fire! The officers and soldiers of Hedong nationality were especially excited, for for many years, they had once again set foot on the east bank of the Yellow River! is so emotional that I can't help but want to lean down and kiss this homeland!

Hedong, hometown, we are back!

Xu Wei's tooth tent is also very lively. Today's battle is really enjoyable! The fun is not in how fierce the battle is, but in the extraordinary courage shown by the soldiers under the cover of the strong ships and artillery! How many people in the Western Army know how to water? But the earth-shattering thunder exploded, and the males of the soldiers completely burst out! Everyone rushed to the boat, howling and rushing to the opposite shore!

Since Xu Zi returned from Hedong that year, the Western Army has never set foot on the land of Hedong again. And this time, the officers and men of the Western Army announced their return with such a gorgeous opening! Isn't that gratifying?

Xu Wei was dressed in a military uniform, with a helmet next to him, holding a wine bowl in his hand, and got up and said with a smile: "I have led the army for almost 20 years, and I have never gone out on an expedition to lift the alcohol ban at the beginning!" This is an exception, come, generals, please drink this bowl! Congratulations to our army on its victory and return to Hedong! ”

All the generals stood up one by one, and the tiger roared: "Victory!" Return to Hedong! "Shout, raise their heads one by one, and drink it all!

"Rejoice! Joyfully! With the courage of soldiers and the benefit of equipment, this crusade will definitely be able to recover the lost land! Appease the Hedong fathers! Yang Yan shouted hysterically.

Xu Wei frowned slightly, and scolded with a smile: "Yang Dashuai is not drunk yet, he is drunk and crazy." ”

Yang Yan smiled and sighed: "Oh, king, this is entering Hedong, and it is not far from Hebei!" Remember the last time you were in Hebei? ”

Xu Wei raised his head and thought about it, but he couldn't remember. Since he formed the township soldiers, he has been unable to count the battles of all sizes, even himself, where can he remember these?

Yang Yan poured himself a bowl of wine and said loudly: "The last time I went to Hebei, I still pursued and separated the remnants, and we once hit the Zhending Territory. How many years have passed! Don't be too happy too early for the birds in Hedong, wait and see, it won't be long before the king will lead us back to Hebei! ”

Xu Wei laughed when he heard this! Back in Hebei, he also thought. Not to mention, his father Xu Zhang has not been able to return to his hometown so far, and the Chinese have a tradition of returning to their roots, and as children, they always hope to fulfill this last filial piety.

But then again, if you can fight Hedong, Hebei may not be able to reach it. If the Central Plains is gone, how can you fight Hebei? The Shenwu front army and the Shenwu rear army are not strong, how can they recover the Central Plains? In short, one day when Xuanfu is powerful, it is estimated that Hebei will be promising.

"Hey, the king, it's been a while since Wu Jingluo led his troops to take a detour, but I don't know how it's going?" Zhang Xian asked.

"Wu Luan has a serious personality, uses soldiers steadily, and will live up to the trust." Xu Wei said confidently.

"If so, it's easy. Our army has crossed the Yellow River, and breaking the river is the most recent thing. If Wu Jingluo goes well...... Well, the stated strategic purpose is not a problem. Zhang Xian smiled.

Xu Wei put the wine bowl down and said in a slurp: "I said what happened to you?" Why do you always forget that we still have allies? ”

He felt this, but somehow, although he went through many twists and turns, he formed an alliance with the Khitans. But in the hearts of the generals of the Western Army, they still didn't take this matter too seriously. Looking at the problem, the General Administration is limited to itself. There is no overall situation, no international view!

"Oh, yes! If the Khitans are going to attack in the north, the Jurchens should focus on them! Zhang Xian said suddenly.

"Well, the target of the Khitan attack is the Western Three Prefectures, which are close to the Yanyun region, and the Jurchens are determined to block it with heavy troops. This way, we are much less stressed! Therefore, you can't just stare at the set goal, that's just the most basic bottom line! I ask you to take a long-term view! Xu Weihong said.

Zhang Xian has followed Xu Wei for many years, and knows his heart quite well, and when he heard this, he asked tentatively: "What the king is referring to, but ......"

"Say! But it doesn't hurt to say it! Xu Wei waved his hand.

"Taiyuan?"