He racked his brains and finally thought of the Shatuo army far away in Daibei...... Since the transfer of the Shatuo Army, Kang Chengxun breathed a long sigh of relief. In the office of the General Headquarters, he looked at the military map on the table for a while; For a moment, he walked with his hands behind his back - he pondered his next course of action.

Li Huang also assigned him two deputy commanders, Wang Yanquan served as the envoy of the northern camp; Dai Keshi served as the envoy of the southern camp. It's called a deputy, but it's actually fighting on its own. A few days ago, when Dai Keshi, the deputy commander-in-chief, attacked Huaikou, he was unfortunately defeated due to the light enemy, and lost nearly 20,000 troops.

Today, Kang Chengxun has learned reliable information from the central government, because the deputy commander Wang Yanquan passively avoided the war, Emperor Yizong was furious, and decided to let him go back to Chang'an. In addition, Cao Xiang, the assassin of Longzhou, was sent as the envoy of the Yanhai Festival and the envoy of the northern camp, and the troops were stationed in Teng County and Pei County; Xue Youtun, the general of Weibo Town, was in Xiao County and Feng County. As a result, a high-pressure situation is formed in Xuzhou from the north. At the same time, there was an edict ordering Ma Shiju to be the envoy of Huainan Jiedu, and all the armies in the south camp were unified to replace the dead Dai Keshi.

Now the troops under Kang Chengxun's command, in addition to his own Yiwu town soldiers, the imperial court also transferred Wei Bo to him (this famous rebel town, although the battle is not strong, just come. The soldiers of Luyan and Fengxiang, as well as the soldiers of Shatuo and Tuyuhun, totaled ten towns and more than 200,000 people. There were only more than 80,000 government troops that actually arrived in the designated area, all of which were scattered in Songzhou (now Shangqiu, Henan), Haozhou and other places, and the direct force of General Kang was only 10,000 Yiwu soldiers.

In this case, Kang Chengxun, who has always been old-fashioned, is extremely excited as if he has been injected with chicken blood. At this moment, he was more concerned about the Shatuo army led by Zhu Xie Chixin, and he understood the fighting style and terrifying combat effectiveness of the Shatuo army. I thought: They are probably already under the city of Xuzhou, right? You may have conquered the city. Capture a city, score a soldier, and defend a city. How could such a divided army, with a total of only 3,000 troops, have the strength to attack other cities? No, I have to go and answer them and defend the city for them.

Without further ado, he immediately decided to draw out one-tenth of his men and horses, a thousand cavalry, and led his team to Xuzhou. They hurried to the water's edge. I managed to get a dozen boats from nearby to cross the river.

I hadn't gone far after crossing the river, when I suddenly heard three horn sounds. The horn has not fallen, and the shouts of killing have risen! I saw countless thieves emerging from the boundless green gauze tent and the bushes. Wielding swords, guns, swords, halberds, axes, hooks and forks, it seems that there are tens of thousands of people.

Kang Chengxun and his 1,000 men and horses were stunned by the scene in front of them, knowing that there was a river behind them, but many people still turned their horses and ran back. Kang Chengxun cried out with all his might: "Brothers, you must not retreat! If you retreat and don't get killed, you will fall into the river to feed the fish. Back then, Han Xin Po Zhao won the battle with his back, could it be that the soldiers of our Tang Empire were not as good as Han Xin's rabble? Only battle is the only way to survive! Kill—"

Admire! At this desperate situation and the god of death beckoning to him, Kang Chengxun, a scholar, still remembers the allusion of Han Xin's "death and resurrection" in the first battle, which is no less chic than the poet Li Taibai.

Don't say it, Mr. Jing Kang shouted like this, and it really worked. The soldiers no longer retreat, cheer up and fight the enemy! Due to the disparity in numbers, it gradually became unsupportable. Kang Chengxun couldn't help but look up to the sky and sighed: "It's over, it's over." Today, the old man is going to be planted here. ”

Suddenly, there was an extremely spectacular sight ahead, and he couldn't believe his eyes. I saw that the thieves in the northeast corner poured a big gap on both sides like a tide, and listened to the rumbling noise! Look—the clouds are rolling! Countless knights in black armor and black armor; Countless horizontal knives and horses glittered with cold light. The thieves are bleeding and wailing!

It's him, Zhu Xie Chixin and his Shatuo army! Kang Chengxun was overjoyed.

A young general holds a horse lance in his left hand and wields a horizontal knife in his right hand. Everyone knows that he is Li Keyong, who is now praised by Internet experts in unison and sincerely as a living Lei Feng. (However, for the time being, he is not surnamed Li or Zhu Xie.) This battle was the first time in his life that he learned from Lei Feng; Helping others for the first time; For the first time, it was as warm as spring for comrades, and as cruel and ruthless as the autumn wind sweeping away the leaves for the enemy! And that's just the beginning.

One of the leaders of the rebels was trying to stop his men from breaking up, and he was chirping something out of his mouth. Zhu Xie Ke saw it clearly, aimed his bow and arrow at him, and said, "Now is the time to witness the miracle!" The bowstring rattled and the arrow "swished" into the man's mouth, and the cluster of arrows pierced the back of his head. Planted under the horse without saying a word.

Mr. Kang's 1,000 men and horses had lost nearly half, and the arrival of the rescuers had lifted their spirits again. The morale of the thieves was just the opposite, and they had no intention of fighting, throwing down corpses and wounded soldiers all over the ground, and fled into Linli City in disarray.

Kang Chengxun took Xiao Ke's hand and was speechless for a long time: "The young man is a real hero!" There are few of the more than 1,000 people in my king's division who have fallen into the siege. If you don't pull it out, you will definitely lose it, which can be described as a great achievement! ”

Xiao Keyong was praised and was very happy. Say: "The commander-in-chief doesn't have to care, this is what we should do." ”

In fact, it is like an overwhelming Shatuo army. There were not many troops, only five hundred horsemen.

Ancient warfare is still a little different from modern times. There are no mobile phones, no radio communication equipment. Knowing the enemy's dynamics and understanding the geography of the mountains and rivers all depend on scouts (scouts). Under the misdirection of traditional storytelling, people always think that "the soldiers and horses have not moved, and the grain and grass go first." "Actually, no, it should be" before the soldiers and horses move, and the scouts go first. ”

When Zhu Xie's Shatuo army entered the boundary of Linzhui, before he could smoke a cigarette, he received urgent information from two places: one was that "the government army was surrounded by Xinxing" and the other was that "Kang Chengxun was ambushed by Lianshui" Zhu Xie Chixin immediately made a decision and ordered his brother Zhu Xie Chixin to lead 2,500 cavalry to reinforce Xinxing, and he took 500 cavalry to rescue Mr. Kang.

Just when the Shatuo army was divided into two routes, the offensive and defensive battle of Xinxing City had begun. Wang Hongli led more than 30,000 people to cross the water and besiege the city. The Yicheng Army and the local garrison jointly resisted the enemy and held out behind closed doors. The rebels attacked for half a day, and the city stood still!

That night, Wang Hongli found out that there were officers and troops stationed in Lutang, and he was restless for a while. I had a premonition that I had been caught in the middle of a front and rear attack by government forces. He decided to attack Lutang at night and pull out the thorn behind it first.

At dawn, Wang Hongli led the army to surround Lutang Village. He stood in front of the wall with all his leaders. Looking at the "cooked duck" inside, there was an unconcealable smile on his face, and it seemed that the officers and soldiers were having sweet dreams. Don't miss it! He lowered his voice and said to the leaders around him, "You quietly enter the village. Don't shoot a gun, understand? ”

Then he waved his hand vigorously, it was an order to attack! The thieves, eager to make meritorious contributions, rushed into the village.

The officers and soldiers in the stockade were the 2,500 Shatuo cavalry led by Zhu Xie Chicheng, and they were already ready for battle. According to the "Zizhi Tongjian Volume 251 Tang Ji 67":

The Shatuo army rushed left and right, the prancing horse flew like a fly, the thieves could not avoid it, the sword flashed, and the head fell to the ground. About 10,000 of the 30,000 people fell into the river and were fed to the fish, and the remaining 20,000 were killed. "From Lutang to Xiangcheng, the corpse is fifty miles." Countless grain and grass equipment were seized, and only Wang Hongli escaped on his own.

As soon as the fighting began, the common people scattered and fled into the valley, because there was an edict from the imperial court at that time: "All armies destroy thieves." The peasants were relieved. That is, they will not be held legally responsible. It should be said that this policy is just and fair, and it has won the hearts of the people.

In Linli City, Pang Xun has been staying in the house for the past few days, hugging those white, tender, and graceful concubines for entertainment. When the news of the defeat of the ambush came, he suddenly felt that the world was spinning (perhaps related to his body being overdrawn) and fainted. When he woke up, before he could think about what to do next, the news of Wang Hongli's defeat in Lutang reached his ears again, and he fainted again.

After waking up, he asked his entourage to help him to the city gate tower, but he saw that the officers and soldiers were holding flags and drums and horns shook the sky. He hurriedly ordered: "Withdraw to Xuzhou!" "The government army surrendered the army company without a fight" to collect (Linlian) Xiangcheng, Liuwu, and Xiaosui Zhubi. - "The Biography of the New Tang Dynasty Shukang Chengxun"

Pang Xun returned to Xuzhou, and the scene of occupying the city half a year ago is still vivid. Xuzhou is also known as Pengcheng, and Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, once built his capital here. Pang Xun stood on the gate tower of this ancient capital. What does that feel like? -- a sense of nobility that I had never felt before; a feeling of supreme emperor; A feeling of looking up to the heavens and the earth!

A series of military victories convinced him that he was the contemporary Xiang Yu. He repeatedly recited Xiang Yu's famous sentence aloud: "He can take his place!" - He can take his place! - He can take his place! - "Hate only hates himself, and the frequency of his voice is too low to reverberate in the air for a long time!"

Now, Pang Xun, who has returned to Xuzhou after a series of defeats, stands on the city tower, and it seems that he can no longer find the feeling he had at the beginning. He began to wonder if he could become Xiang Yu's second.

As soon as he saw Wang Hongli, who was dejected, Pang Xun was angry: "What about your 30,000 brothers? Where did it go? You're embarrassed to run back alone. He dragged the clothes on Wang Hongli's chest and roared. Come on, push it out, behead it! ”

The strategist Zhou Zhong interceded on the side: Hongli won without rewarding, and defeated and punished, in order to "abandon the merits and avenge the enemy", so everyone will be in danger. It is better to forgive him and see the aftermath.

Wang Hongli picked up a life. He expressed his willingness to make meritorious service with his crimes, and led the hundreds of remnants he collected to attack Sizhou. Pang Xun agreed.

The name of the Sizhou guard of the Tang Dynasty is Xin Yan, and it is estimated that there are not many people who are familiar with him. If his grandfather's name is mentioned. I believe that many people are familiar with it, and his grandfather Xin Yunjing is one of the famous generals who was the former Hedong Jiedu envoy and pacified the Anshi Rebellion.

Xin Yan led the soldiers and civilians of Sizhou to hold on for more than half a year, but because they were trapped for a long time, there was no food in the city. He selected 400 people to form a death squad and personally led the team to drive to Yangzhou, Runzhou and other places to purchase grain. The thieves attacked along both banks, and arrows were fired on the canopies of more than 20 boats. After traveling more than 100 miles, the fleet got rid of the enemy.

After Kang Chengxun's victory in Lutang, he led a large army to advance towards Liuzi. Liuzi is a military location, and Pang Xun sent his right-hand man Yao Zhou to lead more than 10,000 soldiers to be stationed here. They dug trenches around the stockade, built mulberries, and clothed thistles (a kind of thorny defensive equipment), apparently trying to fight a protracted war.

The three thousand Shatuo cavalry were resting in Xiangcheng, and Zhu Xie was anxious to make meritorious service and restless, so he got in touch with Kang Chengxun through the herald: "Hey, commander-in-chief, Kang Dashuai, where are you now?" ”

Mr. Kang replied: "We have arrived at Liuzi Village and have made dumplings for tens of thousands of thieves. If you have eaten enough, drunk enough, and slept enough, please come close to us quickly, and be sure to destroy all the enemy, and not let any one slip through the net. ”

"Good, great!" Seeing that there was a fight, Keyong was extremely excited and said, "Dad, are you going to leave immediately?" ”

Zhu Xie nodded and said, "Aren't we here to make meritorious contributions to killing thieves?" Let's go, and get a piece of the pie! ”

The sky is getting dark, and the wind is blowing, and the people who are flying sand and rocks cannot open their eyes. Don't look at Kang Chengxun as a literati, but the story of Zhuge Liang who is good at using fire to break the enemy is already familiar to him. At this time, the famous poem in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" echoed in my ears again: "If you want to break Cao Gong, you should attack with fire." Everything is ready, only the east wind is owed. ”。 Today I don't care what wind it is, I just want a strong wind! Kang Dashuai made up his mind: immediately and lose no time in carrying out a fire attack!

At the command of the order, the arrows with fire whistled into the village from all directions, and the houses and tents were set on fire, and in an instant the wind helped the fire, and the flames were wrapped in thick black smoke and enveloped the whole village.

How can the thieves stand it? If you don't want to go, you have to go, and they don't need any order to break through to scatter and flee. As soon as they left the village, they were intercepted and killed by the official army, and finally broke out of the encirclement, and they secretly rejoiced: finally they didn't have to report to Lord Yama.

Suddenly, a large dark cloud rolled in with lightning, accompanied by a "rumbling" thunder! When I got closer, I realized that it was not a dark cloud, but countless cavalry in black armor; It was not lightning, it was a dancing lance and a sword; It wasn't thunder, it was the clatter of horses' hooves against the ground!

The poor "two-legged sheep" only felt that their legs and stomachs were weak, and the more panicked they were, the more they couldn't run. (After all, two legs can't run four, can they?) Not to mention a four-legged war horse. This situation is no longer a war, it is a massacre! -- Flesh and blood flying, and the sound of screams is endless. "Birds and kites peck at people's intestines, and they fly on empty branches."

Yao Zhou's lieutenant Liu Feng was fleeing for his life quickly, and when he turned around, he saw that an official army was catching up, and when he looked closely, he was led by a child, and he was relieved. Out of curiosity, he turned his horse and asked, "Who is the child?" Register your name. ”

It was Zhu Xueke who came: "It doesn't matter what my name is, the important thing is that you should touch your head to see if it's still on your neck?" ”

Liu Feng thought to himself: Ouch! I've seen a child who talks big, but I've never seen a child who can talk so much. Forget it, don't talk nonsense, kill him, hurry up and run for your life. He urged the horse to raise the knife to cut at Keyong, and when the knife was about a centimeter away from Keyong, it was opened by a horizontal knife, and then the knife light drew an arc "cluck", Liu Feng's head had been rolled to the ground, and a stream of blood spurted out from the neck mouth, like a fountain. (To be continued......)