Jia Kui clenched the long axe in his hand, felt some dry hair in his mouth, and licked his lips involuntarily.

Yang Wenguang rode the horse first and walked silently, and led his headquarters to occupy several hills south of Donglai Pass. The hills were cleared, divided into several teams, and lined up on the gentle slopes of several hills in a charging formation.

The valley of the Karo River, where the city of Zhuoluo is located, is open, shallow and gentle, and the valley is large enough for the two armies to line up. In normal combat, you can line up and advance and confront the party that is blocked by the north and south. However, this time the Song army attacked suddenly, Xu Ping did not want to follow the regular tactics, and he must try to make use of the suddenness to achieve the greatest effect.

When the divisions reached a distance of three or five miles from the city of Zoro, they took advantage of the terrain that had been set by the military division of the counsellors, and when it was daylight, they attacked their respective targets. The soldiers and horses led by each battalion or each general are still normal military formations, but there is no formation at all if they go up to the next level, and they are completely adapted to the geographical layout. This method of warfare is rarely used, not because they do not know that it is more beneficial to their own side, but because the organization and discipline of the army cannot meet such high requirements.

Jia Kui looked at the moon in the sky, and said in a low voice to Yang Wenguang beside him: "Commander, there are still a few hours left in Liang, you take a rest first, I'll watch." After walking fifty or sixty miles in one day and one night, the iron-beaten men were tired of walking. ”

Yang Wenguang said: "I can still hold on, but the horse under the straddle is a little overworked." Command the battalions not to unarmour their armour, not to unsaddle their horses, but to rest in their place. Wait until dawn and wait for military orders. Also, the essence brought to the horses was eaten, and the water was drunk, so that they could fight tomorrow! ”

The soldiers around him answered the promise and went to the battalions to give orders. Yang Wenguang said to Jia Kui again: "You can rest first, I will watch it first in the first half of the night." Tomorrow morning, if you fight, you won't have time to rest. ”

Jia Kui licked his lips, held the big axe and said: "I only feel that there is an inexhaustible national qi in my body now, and my blood is surging, I can't wait to kill it immediately, where can I sleep?" Commander, rest first, I'm sleepy, so I'll call you. ”

The Song army arrived at their predetermined positions in turn, arranged their own troops, fed the horses and drank water, and prepared for the next big battle, which was not chaotic. Although the formation was not arranged according to the formation map, the commander had seen the terrain sand table before leaving, and was no stranger to the nearby terrain, and each battalion had its own position. In order of arrival, each of them is in place.

At this time, the normal marching speed was generally thirty miles a day, and this time the Song army crossed the river, compared to doubling the road, the speed was doubled, and it was a normal forced march. It is inevitable that some soldiers will be left behind, but the structure of each army will remain intact.

The horse's hooves beat against the hard yellow earth, which was particularly crisp in the silent night, and the occasional star in the sky seemed to be shaken to the ground. Xu Ping rode on a horse, looked up at the moon hidden in the clouds, and said, "The wind is high and the sky is on fire, and the moon is dark and kills the night." There are clouds in the sky, and the earth is dark, and this great war even helps us! ”

Shi Quanbin nodded again and again: "Since crossing the river, I have traveled dozens of miles to the north, and there has been no movement, which makes me feel that I am not going to fight, but also a thief chief!" The time, the place, the people, this time we have all accounted for it! ”

"Since Hao thieves rebelled against the Song Dynasty, the two sides exchanged troops, and this was the first time that the dynasty attacked the enemy in front of a large army. Cabinet Chief, I didn't expect to be caught up by you. I hope you can bring good luck and defeat the enemy this time! ”

Shi Quanbin listened to Xu Ping's words, just laughed and didn't answer. It's not that he caught up, but if he didn't come, Xu Ping wouldn't cross the river to attack. This is also no wonder that Xu Ping is not in charge, the troops in his hands are insufficient, the newly recruited Sichuan and Shu recruits need to be trained, the army needs to be run-in, and they need to stay in Dingxi City for a year and a half. You can't hit Xingqing Mansion in one go, this kind of attack is of limited significance.

Touching the wet dew on his head, Shi Quanbin said: "In the end, it's spring, although there is a lot of dew, it is not frosty." ”

"Yes, it's spring, the grass and trees are sprouting, and the sky is high and the eagle is flying. Those who farm the land must plant, and those who herd their herds must move their accounts, and the party will not be able to mobilize the army. We fought this battle, and there was no more fighting for at least half a year. This dynasty is going to send troops to fight the thieves, and spring is the best time, and if the rations of the people are cut off, they should go crazy in the autumn. ”

He and Shi Quanbin were gossiping while moving forward, and before they knew it, the moon in the sky disappeared, and it was dark between the sky and the earth.

Xu Ping took Zhang Kangjun to walk at the end, more than ten miles away from Gao Daquan's forward, and it was far away from Zhuoluo City at this time.

Zhang Kangjun was a newly recruited soldier from Shudi, and he was not yet able to fight, and the 3,000 men he brought with him were transferred from other armies to be used as a seed training department, which was the smallest army. Of course, the commander next to Xu Ping personally commanded 5,000 people, and gathered 8,000 people as the general reserve of other armies. Tan Hu has followed Xu Ping for many years, and his military exploits will not fall behind him, and at this time, he also went to the inner temple of the head of the ambassador and minister, and took charge of Xu Ping's own soldiers. The right Marquis of this commander is Zhao Zi, who came back from the southern states.

At this time, Xu Ping's status was far from being comparable to the three envoys when he came, and there were not many ministers in the DPRK who could be compared, and he began to slowly form his own power. The civil and military generals of Qinzhou are the most basic team for him to return to the dynasty in the future.

When he was silently moving forward, suddenly a fire burst out in the distant sky in the north, which was particularly conspicuous in the dark night, and it took a long time to extinguish. As this flame lit up, it was like setting off fireworks, and the flames came and went.

Xu Ping looked at the fires in the north and said slowly: "The time has come, it's time to kill the enemy!" ”

After speaking, he turned around and said in a deep voice: "Wang Kai, report at any time where my various armies have entered, and which army has not yet arrived!" ”

Wang Kai promised, and his entourage carried a kerosene lamp, nervously counting the positions of each army. Fireworks are signals that are set before they go out, indicating the position of each army, and it is roughly accurate to the level of generals. The following organization and command are the responsibility of each general.

After a while, Wang Kai stepped forward and said, "After a while, the armies have been in place and there is no delay. - The Great War is about to begin! ”

Yuan Hao was awakened by the panic outside, and as soon as he opened his mouth to scold, the captain of the recruit hurriedly ran over and said, "Your Majesty, the Song army brigade has been found outside the city, and King Yeli is asking to see him outside the tent!" ”

"Great army, what great army! Yesterday, the Military Supervision Department also said that everything is peaceful, and there will be an army before dawn, did the Song people fly here? ! ”

Yuan Hao scolded while putting on his coat. After putting on his clothes, he cleared his mind a little more, and asked the captain of the pro-soldiers: "But the investigation is clear, is there really a Song army brigade outside?" Don't be a few scouts to make a noise to trick us! ”

"King Yeli has sent someone to check, it is the real Song army brigade, and Zhuoluo City has been surrounded."

"The city is besieged? How can it be fenced? Yuan Hao turned his head sharply and looked at the captain of the pro-soldier in a little dazed.

Jia Kui looked at the white of the fish belly that was gradually brightening up in the sky, licked his lips, and said to Yang Wenguang beside him: "Command, the sky is about to dawn." I don't know if the thieves are going to fight us for a while, or if they will run away as soon as the morning breaks. If you want to escape, we can fight the first battle! Hao thief 3,000 iron horsemen, said to be indestructible, today to have a good time! ”

Yang Wenguang held the binoculars in his hand, looked at the distance that was gradually brightening, and said in a deep voice: "The thieves over there are reorganizing the army, and the military camp outside does not look like they are going to enter the city, it seems that they will not stick to Zhuoluo City, and they will inevitably flee." However, the two armies are facing the enemy head-on, and they can't leave without a fight, so they still have to fight, and we are afraid that we will have to wait! ”