Chapter Twenty-Three: The Battle of Hedong (II)
Storm Kite's patience was rewarded, and on September 15, the guards of Fenglingdu urgently reported that the city was sealed, and more than 400 Qin ships that had been moored on the other side of the river disappeared without a trace overnight. This news detonated Fengling City. Storm Kite quickly realized that the Qin army had begun to move.
Obviously, the Qin army did use a suspicious tactic, otherwise, it would be impossible to give up the natural ferry of Fenglingdu and attack other places! It's just that there has been no urgent report for help from all over the country, and Storm Kite can't be sure what the real goal of the Qin army is.
For the Han army at this time, the most important thing was to determine the movement of the Qin warships. Because no matter what conspiracy the Qin army had, it would eventually need to cross the river with the help of warships. Where are these more than 400 warships, where is the Qin army's point of attack!
The Qin army left under the cover of night, and the warships either went down the river or upstream. If it is against the current, the distance traveled in one night is bound to be short. And if you go down the river, the goal of the Qin army will definitely be Sanchuan and even Yingchuan. And this, absolutely can't hide from the counties along the way. Therefore, the storm kite immediately ordered to investigate the movements of the Qin army along the river, and then make plans!
In the eyes of the storm kite, the probability of the Qin army going against the current is still relatively large. Not only because there are several crossings upstream that are suitable for crossing the river, but also because if you go downstream, the Qin army will encounter many difficulties. First of all, the Qin army had to break through the defensive line set up by the river boat division in Shaanxi County. Secondly, with the Hangu Pass, even if the Qin army gained a firm foothold in Sanchuan County, it could be said to be a lone army. Luoyang is close at hand, lying on the couch, how can others sleep soundly. South Korea is bound to regard this Qin army as a thorn in the side and concentrate its army to eliminate it. The pressure faced by the Qin army is not ordinarily great!
Of course, if the leader is Bai Qi, then maybe it should be a different matter. After all, when Bai Qi broke through Yingdu and defeated hundreds of thousands of Chu army elites, he also led a boat division of no more than 50,000 people down the river. Penetrating into the heart of the Chu State, it is like entering a no-man's land, turning the Chu State upside down! Fearing that Baek would take a risky plan, he would put himself to death and come back to life, and make great sacrifices to destabilize Korea. If Zhao Guo seizes the opportunity, he will definitely make a big move in Hanoi County! Once the two countries form an echo. The pressure on South Korea will not be great.
A day later, Storm Kite received a message from upstream. None of the Qin warships were found in the cities within a hundred miles upstream, including Zhiyi, which was adjacent to the river. Even the cavalry of the Qin State wanted to reach Zhiyi overnight, it was an extremely difficult thing. What's more, the warships of the Qin State are going against the current, and they are also against the wind, and the speed is completely impossible to deal with the cavalry. Storm Kite could almost conclude that the Qin army abandoned Hedong and headed straight for Sanchuan.
Three days later. The suspicion of the storm kite was confirmed. It's just that the news is not from Shaanxi County, nor from Wu County under the rule of Hedong County on the other side of Shaanxi County, but from Anyi, from the county guard Wei Zhe.
Wei Zhe transferred the urgent report of Wu County's request for help to the storm kite intact, and informed the storm kite that two days ago. A Qin army with more than 400 warships unexpectedly broke through the first line of defense set up by the river boat division in Shaanxi County, and then went ashore at a ferry under the rule of Wu County on the other side of the river. Because the defenders of the ferry did not expect that the river boat division would be defeated so quickly. Caught off guard, the whole army was annihilated, allowing the Qin army to take the ferry.
The Qin army then blocked the only ferry connecting Hedong and Sanchuan counties. A day ago, at least 10,000 Qin troops surrounded Wu County, and the Wu County Commander immediately urgently asked for help from Anyi! In order to prevent the Qin army's plan to divert the tiger from the mountain, Wei Zhe knew the importance of Wu County. But he didn't dare to dispatch Anyi's army to the rescue! Because there are no other big cities within a hundred miles of Wu County, the news of the Qin army's invasion of Hedong has not yet spread, and the impact is not great. If the Qin army drove straight into the city of Anyi, Hedong was really chaotic!
Wei Zhe would rather let the Qin army wreak havoc in Wu County than risk the rescue, not only because Wu County had more than 3,000 defenders, but also because Wei Zhe believed that Luoyang must have learned of the disastrous defeat of the River Boat Division and the news that the Qin army had cut off the connection between Hedong and Sanchuan. Wei Zhe believed that King Han must have sent reinforcements to storm the ferry. As long as the Han army captures the ferry, then this Qin army that goes deep into the east of the river will become a turtle in the urn, and it is a matter of time before it is defeated! Of course, in order to minimize the losses, for Zhao Guo to make a big fuss after learning the news, and to reduce the bad impact, it is naturally as quick as possible to eliminate this Qin army!
The result of the Qin army breaking through the defense line of the Korean army was completely beyond the imagination of the storm kite, because the South Korea had planned for the worst before, and the first line of defense set up by the river boat division in Shaanxi County was to prevent the Qin soldiers from making dangerous moves, regardless of life and death to rush into the heart of South Korea. Before leaving, when I passed through Shaanxi County, I repeatedly explained, but I didn't expect such a big mistake in the most confident link in South Korea.
The originally impregnable Hedong defense line collapsed because of the Qin army's death-defying blow, and the 50,000 Hedong troops were stationed in the front line of Anmen, Fenyin, Minggua, Zhi, Puhanguan, and Fenglingdu became the biggest joke.
Storm Kite felt that he had lost very unjustly, and there was no doubt that in the first round of confrontation with Bai Qi, Storm Kite suffered a big dark loss. Therefore, Storm Kite carefully asked how the Qin army defeated the river boat division on which he had high hopes. You must know that although the river boat division is a new army, its training is not unstrict. In order to block the way out of the Qin army, half of the main force of the river boat division, that is, 15,000 people, were stationed in Shaanxi County. Four hundred Qin warships can accommodate up to 20,000 people, even if the Qin army is calculated according to 30,000 people, it is impossible for the river boat division to be defeated overnight.
The messenger of the messenger grimaced, with a dejected face, repeated the miracle of the white rising. After quietly leaving the Yin and Jin Dynasty, Qin Guozhoushi went all the way downstream, not only downstream, because it was a westerly wind that night, and Qin Guozhoushi could be said to have had a smooth journey. Therefore, in the middle of the night, they quietly bypassed Hangu Pass and arrived at the boundary of Shaanxi County.
The river boaters were indeed conscientious, and although it was late at night, there were still many warships patrolling the water. The arrival of the Qin State Boat Division naturally woke up the River Boat Division, and the River Boat Division quickly assembled and prepared for battle. Unexpectedly, the vicious Qin Guozhou Division was full of fire-igniting materials among the warships in the front row, and the west wind was fierce, and these warships that were on fire rushed into the Korean river boat division at once, stirring up the chaos of the river boat division. The dead and wounded are innumerable. If it weren't for this gale, although the losses of the river boat division were large, they would definitely not reach Cheng DΓΉ, who was about to be wiped out. It's just that people are not as good as the sky, after all, the river boat division lacks experience in battle, and when the fire in the sky reflects the water surface, the Qin State boat division is invincible with speed. The river boat division could only swallow the bitter fruit of defeat.
The violent kite also smiled bitterly after hearing this, if this is really the case, he is really unjustly lost. This strategy may seem simple, but in fact it is very useful. First of all, the Qin State must know that there is a boat division stationed in Shaanxi County, and also be familiar with the heart of the Han army, and be familiar with this boat division. Otherwise, this night attack painstakingly arranged by the Qin State would not have worked. Because the river boat division could have set up a camp to avoid this disaster; Or let the Qin army cross him. Tailgating attacks again! Qin State, no, it should be Bai Qi, must have prepared various emergency countermeasures.
In addition, not all lords will have the courage to take this risk. Because if it fails, this boat division will be trapped on the river, and the only thing to surrender is the end of the total annihilation.
Li Xin, the lieutenant of Hedong County, looked at the Taiwei Tyrant who was in deep thought with some anxiety, and reminded: "General! Although Wu County has many lands and vast people. But counting the large army lost at the ferry, the most battleable soldiers in the city were 3,500. The Qin army is menacing this time. There is definitely not much grain and grass to carry, their primary goal is definitely to get a place to stay, Wu County is the only fortified city within a radius of 100 miles, the Qin army's offensive must be very urgent, we still go to the rescue as soon as possible! β
Storm Kite nodded, it was necessary to rescue Wu County. But how to rescue still has to be calculated. If Wu County falls, the Qin army will have a place to stay, and at that time, the Qin army will rely on Wu County to hold on, and the Han army will want to take it. The price to be paid is not ordinarily large!
"Lieutenant Li thinks that how many troops are there in the Qin State to invade Hedong this time?" Instead of answering directly, Storm Kite asked the question.
Li Xin was obviously stunned, and subconsciously replied: "Three days ago, there were 50,000 Qin troops on the other side of the river, although the last general is not sure how many warships the Qin army has secretly added these days, but even if there are more, it is only barely enough to accommodate these 50,000 troops!" β
After hearing this, the storm kite nodded secretly, because it was late at night, and the guards who fled back to Wu County at the ferry were also vague. It is certain that there are more than four hundred warships of the Qin State, but it is also possible that there are five or six hundred, and even, the worst case is that the Qin State has a second batch of warships in the upper reaches of the river west of Shaanxi County, and it is not necessary for Bai Qi to deliberately create an illusion that he lacks troops! But maybe it's a bluff!
Storm Kite estimated the battle losses of the Qin army and the river boat division, combined the weight of the Qin State Boat Division's warships, and put aside the number of warships used as fire-piloting warships, and finally came to a conclusion, that is, if the Qin army only carried ten days of grain and grass, the number of Qin troops in Wu County would now be between 15,000 and 25,000. The reason why there is such a big error is entirely because the storm kite is not sure how many warships the Qin army has mobilized in two days!
To be on the safe side, Storm Kite thought that he had to mobilize an army of about 20,000 and rush to Wu County quickly to ensure that Wu County would not be lost. Moreover, there are two ways to rescue Wu County, one is to go straight to the ferry to cut off the retreat of the Qin army, and at the same time clear the wilderness to prevent the Qin army from wandering in Hedong County! The other is to go straight to the city of Wu County, looking for fighters to fight the Qin army!
Of course, if the Storm Kite has more than 100,000 troops and enough ships in his hands, there is also a third way, which is to take advantage of the relative emptiness of the Yin Jin defense and go straight to the Yin Jin. As long as you win the Yin Jin, you can take advantage of the victory to pursue and enter the Inner History County. After all, Hedong is far away from Luoyang, and it is only a little shocking to South Korea. If the Han army invades the internal history, the shock to Xianyang will be extraordinary! Perhaps, the Qin State will cut the land and beg for mercy!
It's just that the storm kite can also conclude with his intuition that Bai Qi has left at least 10,000 troops in Yin Jin City on the other side of the river, and he doesn't have enough boats to cross the river, so he can only think about it. Going down the river and going up the river are two completely different concepts, especially the river is so dangerous in the Hangu section that the speed of the boatman is not even as fast as a human walk!
"What Lieutenant Li said is extremely true! If Wu County is lost, we will all be ashamed of our trust in the king! It's better to do this, you and I will have 20,000 soldiers to go to Wu County, and Lieutenant Li will go first, leading 5,000 soldiers as the vanguard! After arriving in Wu County, there is no need to rush to engage the Qin army! Wait for the arrival of the main force led by General Ben and then make plans! The kite spoke her mind.
It is said to be an idea, but it is actually an order. Because King Han ordered that the Taiwei Storm Kite could control the commanders of Hedong, Sanchuan, and Nanyang in wartime, but as the Storm Kite grew older, it became more and more knowledgeable and good at using it. The county lieutenant is a high-ranking official with a rank of more than 2,000 stones. Therefore, Li Xin was given enough respect.
Li Xin naturally knew that it was very likely that the leader of the troops this time was Bai Qi, a famous general in the Warring States Period, and compared with this killing god who repeatedly defeated the strong with the weak and was best at creating miracles, he was both famous and capable. Neither is the opponent of the other side. Even the violent kite was folded in Bai Qi's hand, and in the whole world, no one dared to say that he could win against Bai Qi! What's more, although Bai Qi's strength is unknown, it definitely exceeds five thousand. It is good to take a white head to achieve your own prestige, but only if you have the life to enjoy this glory! Otherwise, you may become the next revenant to be defeated at the hands of Bai Qi!
"The last general obeys!" Li Xin respectfully agreed.
Saving soldiers is like fighting fire, and after Storm Kite decided to send troops to rescue Wu County quickly, he and Li Xin led 20,000 Korean troops to leave. As for Fenglingdu and Fengling City. 5,000 Korean troops were left to defend it! Storm Kite believed that with the 5,000 Han troops at Jinyang (Yangjin) and Pusaka Pass, which were close at hand, the two most important crossings along the river were enough to dispel the bad intentions of the Qin State! What's more, even if the Qin army wants to cross the river, it must have a boat, isn't it?! As for Fenyin and Anmen, there are 5,000 Korean troops stationed each, in the opinion of the storm kite. It has become the safest place, and it is no longer in the consideration of the storm kite!
What Storm Kite has been thinking about now is how to defeat the army of Bai Qi! It's not just because he's the biggest humiliation of his life. is also because Bai Qi is a big problem in South Korea! King Han once inadvertently sighed that King Qin's prestige was insufficient, and the only thing he was afraid of was only two people! One is Wu Anjun Bai Qi, but the other is not the prime minister Wei Ran who the ministers thought, but the famous Wei Wei Wang Qian! When the ministers wanted to ask again, King Han was silent.
Of course, Storm Kite believed what King Han said. Because King Han sent assassins to assassinate the two more than once, but gave up after two failures! Because Bai Qi and Wang Jian have been guarding many people every time they travel since then, the assassins sent by King Han can't find a chance at all! Not only that, but the King of Qin sent the most elite soldiers to protect the ministers of the Qin State that he considered more important!
In terms of the record of fighting with Bai Qi, the violent kite can be described as miserable! Storm Kite did have the experience of defeating Bai Qi. But that was done under the guidance of Han Ran, who was still the crown prince, and with the help of Zhao and Wei. Storm Kite is just the titular commander! In fact, at that time, South Korea was just a fox and a fake tiger, and even so, it was barely done with the help of Yiqu.
So for the storm kite, as long as it is Bai Qi himself who is in Wu County, then this is a godsend! The South Korean army has an absolute advantage in numbers! The morale of the Korean army is high! The Qin army went deep alone, without backup! These are all positive aspects for the kite! But in the same way, Storm Kite knows very well that as long as the other party is the Qin army, as long as the other party is the Qin army commanded by Bai Qi, no matter how small the number is, it must not be underestimated! Otherwise, it is very likely that you will be the one who fails!
Storm Kite's patience was rewarded, and on September 15, the guards of Fenglingdu urgently reported that the city was sealed, and more than 400 Qin ships that had been moored on the other side of the river disappeared without a trace overnight. This news detonated Fengling City. Storm Kite quickly realized that the Qin army had begun to move.
Obviously, the Qin army did use a suspicious tactic, otherwise, it would be impossible to give up the natural ferry of Fenglingdu and attack other places! It's just that there has been no urgent report for help from all over the country, and Storm Kite can't be sure what the real goal of the Qin army is.
For the Han army at this time, the most important thing was to determine the movement of the Qin warships. Because no matter what conspiracy the Qin army had, it would eventually need to cross the river with the help of warships. Where are these more than 400 warships, where is the Qin army's point of attack!
The Qin army left under the cover of night, and the warships either went down the river or upstream. If it is against the current, the distance traveled in one night is bound to be short. And if you go down the river, the goal of the Qin army will definitely be Sanchuan and even Yingchuan. And this, absolutely can't hide from the counties along the way. Therefore, the storm kite immediately ordered to investigate the movements of the Qin army along the river, and then make plans!
In the eyes of the storm kite, the probability of the Qin army going against the current is still relatively large. Not only because there are several crossings upstream that are suitable for crossing the river, but also because if you go downstream, the Qin army will encounter many difficulties. First of all, the Qin army had to break through the defensive line set up by the river boat division in Shaanxi County. Secondly, with the Hangu Pass, even if the Qin army gained a firm foothold in Sanchuan County, it could be said to be a lone army. Luoyang is close at hand, lying on the couch, how can others sleep soundly. South Korea is bound to regard this Qin army as a thorn in the side and concentrate its army to eliminate it. The pressure faced by the Qin army is not ordinarily great!
Of course, if the leader is Bai Qi, then maybe it should be a different matter. After all, when Bai Qi broke through Yingdu and defeated hundreds of thousands of Chu elites, he also led a boat division of no more than 50,000 people down the river and penetrated into the heart of Chu State, like entering a no-man's land, turning Chu State upside down! (To be continued......)