In October of the fifth year of Longxing, on the two battlefields of the Great Song Dynasty, the battle in the Jianghuai region became a pot of porridge, and the Zhenjiang line, which was across the river from the Jin army, became a frightened bird, and the court and China were in dispute over whether to go or stay. But in Shaanxi, the main force of the 120,000 Western Army that had been assembled was ready to launch a counterattack against the Jurchens.

Xu Wei was appointed as the commander of the capital, in charge of the army, responsible for formulating strategies and commanding the overall situation. But this is not easy to control, and the Shaanxi Jin Army is abnormal, shrinking its forces and entering the defensive in an all-round way. If you want to fight a large-scale corps battle, people won't give you this opportunity. Moreover, the opinion of the Xuanfu Disposal Division is that the troops will carry out a large-scale counteroffensive in different ways. With the current terrain of the Song and Jin armies, how many roads can they be divided into? It is nothing more than going all the way to the Guanzhong Plain, attacking Tongzhou, and then turning to the back of the army to attack Yan'an, Danzhou; The other way started from Fangzhou and directly attacked Yanzhou.

But the Jurchens had already taken precautions, and Han Shou was transferred from Dunzhou, and there must be heavy troops to defend them. According to reconnaissance in Tongzhou, there were only a small number of Jin army activities, but Xu Wei believed that this was a ploy to lure the enemy. There must be the main force of the Jin army hidden near Tongzhou, just waiting for someone to fight a field battle.

Lou Su is now like a hedgehog, his whole body is constricted, and he erects a sharp needle, waiting for the Western Army to bite it. Xu Wei convened the generals from all walks of life to discuss the direction of the army, and Zhang Jun of the North Road Recruitment Division suggested that he and Yao Pingzhong of the West Road Recruitment Division go to attack Dunzhou, and the troops of the South Road Recruitment Division and the troops directly under the Xuanfu Division went to the Guanzhong Plain, after all, in the past two years, the troops of the Purple Gold Tiger have repeatedly fought with the Jin people and have rich experience.

But Xu Wei didn't think so, this counteroffensive was not fully prepared, and the assembly was hasty. And this time it is not that he will fight alone, the elite of the three-way recruitment division will come out, and it is impossible to command as handy as his own troops. Since the Jin army has contracted its defense, it will definitely count all the possible routes of the Western Army to death, and if it still plays cards according to the routine, it will only trap itself in passivity.

So how do you take it by surprise? Advance from routes that the Jin Army did not think of!

But to be honest, if you want to counterattack, the most convenient way is to attack Dun from Fangzhou, or attack Yan'an through the Guanzhong Plain. Aside from that, there really isn't a suitable route. The northern part of Shaanxi is a place of hills and ravines, with high mountains and steep slopes, and complex terrain, which is not conducive to the advance of the army.

But Xu Wei just set his sights on northern Shaanxi. Wu Jue believed that the Western Army of Yaozhou had assembled a lot, and Lou Su must have also received the news that if our army went north to attack the security army occupied by the Jin army, the chances of victory would be greater. Of course, Juzhou also has to fight, whether it can be fought or not is secondary, the key is to drag Han Chang and prevent him from supporting the security army. As for the Guanzhong Plain, if you don't go, make sure that Jingzhao Mansion is safe.

Xu Wei proposed this strategy according to the opinions of Wu Jue and others, and the generals all agreed, because no one wanted to go to the Guanzhong Plain. Attacking the city is the Western Army's forte, as for fighting with the Jin Army with cavalry advantage in the Guanzhong Plain, except for the Purple Gold Tiger, no one is good at this.

If you want to attack the security army, you must borrow Qingyang Mansion and then go down Luoshui. It stands to reason that the troops led by Zhang Jun and Xu Cheng originally came down from Qingyang Mansion, and if they want to attack the security, they should be on top. But Xu Wei decided that he would personally attack the security guards, and Xu Cheng would lead his troops to assist. Yao Pingzhong and Zhang Jun attacked Juzhou. Xu Sheng and Xu Hong guarded Yaozhou to prevent the Jin army from advancing from the Guanzhong Plain and threatening Jingzhao Mansion.

The plan has been decided, and Xu Wei issued the command to distribute grain and grass. Before leaving, he repeatedly instructed Xu Si and Xu Wu that once the security army and Yanzhou were attacked, and there was no reaction on the Guanzhong Plain, the Jin army was likely to attack Yaozhou. This place is the central base camp of the soldiers and horses of all roads, once Yaozhou is lost, it is equivalent to hitting the seven inches of our army. As soon as Yaozhou is lost, the troops attacking Yanzhou will be blocked, and Chang'an will also be directly threatened. In that case, the Western Army will have a lot of fun this time.

Everything is ready to stop, and it is inevitable to sacrifice the flag. Xu Wei handed over his cavalry to Xu Si and Xu Wu, and divided Xu Cheng's department from the troops of the North Road Recruitment Division, with a total of more than 36,000 elite soldiers, and quickly sent troops to Qingyang Mansion. In order to confuse the Jin army, he ordered Yao Pingzhong and Zhang Jun, and as soon as he moved, these two immediately attacked Juzhou.

From the end of October to the beginning of November, the wolf smoke in Shaanxi rose again. Yao Pingzhong met Zhang Jun, led 60,000 soldiers of the horse infantry army out of Fangzhou, went up against the Luoshui, and went straight to Yanzhou. Han Chang didn't know if he was instructed by Ma Wu, and the two counties of Zhiluo and Jucheng in Juzhou took the initiative to give up, and the main force was stationed in Juzhou City, and another division defended Luochuan County.

The Jin army really got reinforcements, and when General Yao Zhanger led the army against the Luoshui River to more than 100 miles south of the city of Yanzhou, he was blocked by the Jin army. The terrain was not conducive to the galloping of cavalry, and the Jin army had to use infantry to block the Song army. Yao Pingzhong maintained his usual character as a brave general, personally led the army to attack, and in less than half a day, defeated the enemy who stood in the way and continued to advance. Sixty miles away from the city of Juzhou, and when he encountered resistance again, Yao Xiyan broke through three drums and marched forward.

In mid-November, the soldiers approached the city of Juzhou. Han Chang didn't seem to have any intention of holding on to the city, and the army was outside the city, and he wanted to have a head-to-head confrontation with Yao Pingzhong and Zhang Jun. Yao Pingzhong thinks that without large-scale cavalry to help the war, what is the Jin army? He ordered Zhang Jun to suppress the formation, and led the Xihe warriors to attack the Jin army.

The Xihe army is known for its fierceness and bravery, and in addition to the Han army, the soldiers are especially commendable. The soldiers were mainly Qiang people who lived in Hehuang, and there were also some party members. Most of the soldiers are strong and strong, can wield strong bows and heavy soldiers, and the kung fu of horses is very good. Most importantly, not afraid of death! Gritty! Even if you lose the battle, you have to fight to the end!

Yao Pingzhong went all the way north, breaking the enemy in a row, and his morale was high at this time. The tide rushed to the Jin Army! The two sides fought under the city of Yanzhou, and the killing was dark, and the sun and moon were dark. There were casualties on both sides, regardless of victory or defeat, Han Chang seemed to have tasted the strength of the Xihe army, collected his troops and returned to the city, and could not hold out.

Yao Pingzhong was waiting for this, and together with the troops of the Recruitment Division of Zhang Jun North Road, they were holding the city in all directions, but they were not in a hurry to attack the city, but waited for the Jin army in Luochuan County to attack, and wanted to come to a "siege point to help".

So far, his journey has been relatively smooth. At the same time, more than 30,000 elite soldiers led by Xu Wei have also arrived at the northernmost point of Qingyang Mansion. When passing through Qingyang Fucheng, Xu Yuan personally came out to work in the army, and transferred Kang, the former Huanqing general who was familiar with the terrain and enemy situation, to serve in front of the army.

The security army, that is, the later Zhidan County. It is located on the Loess Plateau, and it is a ditch and ditch with a steep slope, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Xu Wei rested for a while at Huaiwei Fort in Qingyang Prefecture, and after consulting Xu Cheng and Kang Sui's opinions, he decided to go down Luoshui, first attacking Jintang City, then taking Dejing Village, and finally trying to protect the military office. Walking along the river, the speed is the fastest, and Jintang City and Dejing Village are located on the shore of Luoshui, which can be said to bear the brunt.

"Recruit the minister, go another forty miles, and it will be Jintang City." Kang Sui rode a horse and followed Xu Wei to introduce him.

Xu Wei looked around, he had only heard "my family lives on the loess high slope" in the song, and the only impression he had of northern Shaanxi at that time was that there was loess everywhere, there was no grass or trees, and people lived in caves. But when I really saw it with my own eyes, I found out that this Pangu opened the world, did the egg yolk all fall in northern Shaanxi? This place is no longer a poor country that can be described, it is simply not suitable for survival!

"How big is Golden Soup City? Was there a case of war in the past? Xu Wei asked.

"As the name suggests, Jintang City takes the meaning of solid. Over the past 100 years, our army and the party have fought here many times, and Jintangcheng has fallen three times and has been recaptured three times. The city was not very large, but it was built entirely for military purposes, and everything was built around the needs of warfare. Don't be careless. Kang Sui replied.

Xu Wei nodded: "The security army used to be guarded by Han Chang, but now Han Chang has been transferred to Yanzhou, I don't know who replaces him?" ”

"This ...... I haven't heard of it. Kang Sui said.

Xu Wei frowned: "I heard? "You rely on hearing about the information of your North Road Recruitment Division? Haven't scouted yet? Xu Wei is a little wronged Xu Da, he has not been in Huanqing for a long time, and there is a mess of housekeeping that needs to be dealt with, how can he have time to do this? Moreover, the security army is located in a remote area, and in addition to the army, there are very few pure civilians, and it is not easy to reconnoiter and spy on them.

The distance was almost up, and Xu Wei sent Tabai scouts to reconnoitre. And passed the order to go, rush to the Jintang City before noon, and start the battle today.

After walking a few miles, the scouts returned from reconnaissance and brought back several local people. Xu Wei looked at those people, both old and young, all of them were generally unkempt and had a miserable expression. In November, it was already cold, but they had no cotton clothes to wear, a few sheepskin coats, and holes everywhere.

They didn't know which side the army belonged to, and when they were captured, they knelt on the ground, trembling, and none of them dared to look up.

"You guys, stand up and talk." Xu Weilang said.

The men didn't move, and their heads were almost buried in their crotches. When Kang Sui saw it, he shouted: "You don't have to be afraid, we are the officials of the imperial court!" Today's soldiers are coming to the security guard, but they are recovering the lost territory, and you are waiting for the blue sky! ”

Hearing him say this, the old man, who was about sixty years old, slowly raised his head, but he didn't dare to lift them all, only pushed his two eyeballs up, looked at them a few times, buried them again, and said in a trembling voice: "The villain lives here, and he has never kept his own peace, and there is no lawlessness. ”

"No one asked you this! Xianggong told you to wait to get up and talk back! Get up! Xu Cheng shouted. Frightened, several people supported the ground with their hands, and stood up numbly, still not daring to raise their heads.

"Old man, do you know the Jintang City in front?" Xu Wei tried his best to make his tone sound kind.

The old man didn't dare to answer, and a man beside him who couldn't see his age boldly responded: "Back to Xianggong's words, walk thirty miles along the river to Jintang City." ”

"Have you been there?" Xu Wei asked again.

"I often go, or carry firewood, or catch a few fish, and go to the city to exchange some oil and salt to eat." The man saw that Xu Wei was not as fierce as those officers in the city, so he was not so panicked.

Xu Wei paid attention to the side, a little girl next to him, estimated to be only seven or eight years old, barefoot on such a cold day, a pair of pants showing two knees, cold red. He kept holding the man's hand and hid his head behind him.

took a few pieces of money from Du Feihu and threw it over: "This money will reward you and give you the baby to wear." "He is also a father, and the daughter of the family can already walk and talk.

The man stared at the money on the ground for a long time, and he didn't dare to take it, so he stammered: "But, don't you dare, take it, take the money of the minister......"

"This is what you deserve, let me ask you again, have you been to Jintang City recently?" Xu Weidao.

"I've been, I've been, and I went again at the end of last month. The villain was lucky enough to catch two big fish weighing four catties, and he wanted to change some oily meat. How do you know that the new thief is ...... army" Speaking of this, he gasped and raised his head, his face full of horror! Isn't this the old man hanging himself, and he thinks his life is long? If you say "thieves match the army" in front of the officials and soldiers of the imperial court, isn't it equivalent to pointing at the monk and scolding the bald man? Sure enough, except for the young minister, the other officers all changed their faces!

Xu Wei waved his horsewhip: "You go on." ”

"New, the new thief is good at harming the people, and when the villain enters the city, one of the two fish is forcibly snatched, and he doesn't get half a penny. When I went in again, I wanted to find the head of the city who often bought my things, but he was robbed by several evil slaves, saying that the inspector wanted something. The villain has the heart to fight with them, this group of birds, the court raises them, and if they don't fight the golden dog, they actually follow the defection surnamed Zhang......"

When Xu Wei heard this, his heart moved: "What did you say?" The defenders in Jintang City are Zhang Shen's subordinates? ”

"Exactly! In the past, there were people with bald heads and braids in Jintang City, but they were all transferred away in the past few months. The soldiers also went around to collect grain, saying that the Jin army was going to go on an expedition. Later, it was the Han army in the city now, which is said to be the subordinate of the former Yan Yan Zhang Dashuai. The old man, who had never dared to speak much, suddenly said clearly. It turned out that he saw that the most stupid dog in Zhuangzi could get a reward from the officials and soldiers by saying a few words casually, so he also competed to show it.

Xu Wei understood, took a few more coins and threw them over: "Take the money, go." The old man was afraid that someone would rob him, so he jumped up and picked up the money and put it in his arms, covered it with a hand, saluted Xu Wei, and almost trotted away.

After a few people left, Kang Sui smiled and said: "Xianggong, how did the golden thief not expect Xianggong to travel so far to attack the security army, I thought that the Jurchen army was transferred to Dunzhou, but Zhang Shen's rebels were transferred to guard the security guards, isn't this God's help?" ”

"Not bad! The Jin army's combat strength is not bad, as for Zhang Shen's troops, hum ......" Yang Yan suddenly sneered.

"Don't underestimate the enemy, although most of the Yan Yan army surrendered to the gold thieves, after all, they were once the Western Army, and they will not be unfamiliar with attacking and defending the city." Xu Wei commanded.

"Recruit the prime minister, even if he is impregnable, our army will have to blast him away! Willing to be the pioneer of the siege! Yang Yan took the initiative to ask.

Xu Wei didn't respond, looked up at the sky, and estimated that it was almost noon, so he sent an order to go, and the whole army accelerated forward, and it was necessary to rush to Jintang City before noon!