The 500,000 troops of the Western Expedition, plus the 150,000 border troops of Xiliang, totaled 650,000.

This time, with the strength of the whole country, only victory is allowed, not defeat.

On the first day of the second lunar month, Song Che gathered the generals of all armies together to formulate a strategy for the western expedition -

The army was divided into three routes, the upper route was Chen Hong as the main general, and the two armies of Qin Feng and Yongxing, a total of 130,000 people, marched west from Tumen Pass;

The middle route was led by Song Che and Jiang Yuntian, with the two armies of Tongchuan and Lizhou, totaling 300,000 people, to attack from Fengming Pass;

The next route was Ma Wei's Xiliang Army, as well as Yang Jinbao's Jinghu Army, and Chen Hong's Kuizhou Army, totaling 220,000 people, from the Hexi Corridor.

After laying out the strategy, the generals retreated in turn, but Song Che left Yang Jinbao and Chen Hong, as well as Tong Wei and Luo Guan, the two prison guards.

"Everything?" Song Che asked.

Tong Wei took out an imperial list from his sleeve, presented it to Song Che with both hands, and said: "His Majesty the Emperor personally ordered, the Prime Minister prepared it, Mr. Song, please take a look." ”

Tong Wei and Luo Guan are both officials under the Zhongshu sect and He Qiu's cronies.

Song Che slowly opened the Imperial List, glanced at it roughly, and then took out the dragon tattooed golden knife rolled in it, looked at the blade and sighed: "After going around for so many days, I didn't expect this thing to return to my hands." ”

He wrapped the golden knife and the imperial list and handed it to Tong Wei, and instructed lightly: "Lord Tong, Lord Luo, General Yang, General Chen, this time you will attack with the Xiliang Army, you must keep an eye on Ma Wei and his subordinates - of course, everything is based on cutting Hu first, and if he has any moves, even if it is a small action, you must report to me truthfully." ”

"The subordinate officer takes the order."

"The last general commands."

Song Che waved his hand, and everyone retreated.

"I look at Ma Wei, this old thing, it's quite my duty, is it necessary?" Jiang Yuntian asked.

Song Che shook his head, "You also said that he is an old thing, how can a calculating thing be his duty...... What's more, the monarch is suspicious of the ministers, the ministers will die, and the Ma family's power in Xiliang is too great, so they just take this opportunity to eradicate the troubles in the heart of His Majesty the Emperor. ”

Jiang Yuntian pursed his lips, "My military power seems to be greater than Ma Wei's." ”

Song Che said: "But you are the emperor's brother-in-law, but Ma Wei is nothing." ”

Jiang Yuntian pinched his brows: "It's really tiring to deal with you, every step is calculated clearly......

He smiled and put his arm around Song Che's shoulder: "Why don't you go and have two drinks?" ”

Song Che refused with a smile: "The army is going to attack tomorrow, are you still in the mood to drink?" ”

"You are missing, you look into my eyes, you said you won't drink milk when you go back." Jiang Yuntian looked at Song Che with wide eyes.

Song Che's eyes dodged and snorted.

"Let's go, where is it important to drink milk, I've been busy with military affairs these days, and my brothers haven't had a good drink."

Let's go!

……

On the second day of February, the dragon raised its head.

The three-way army set off from Xiliang.

Crossing the Fengming Pass and directly attacking Hu Guoda is the most upright and the most difficult marching route, and Hu Guo's iron cavalry will definitely intercept it here.

Once out of the customs and into the prairie, it is the world of cavalry, although there is artillery in the Liang army, but the heavy cavalry of the Hu people is by no means vegetarian.

When the artillery fires, the grassland will definitely be stained red with blood.

Two days later, the army arrived at Fengming Pass, rested for a day, and went out of the pass on the fifth day of the second month of February, officially stepping into the grassland.

The snow on the grassland has not yet melted, but there are already stubborn grass showing its sprouts, and it is a blue and white color as far as the eye can see, geese are hovering overhead, and the blue sky and white clouds are walking with the wind.

"General, military division, the enemy fortress was found at the Lianghe estuary ten miles away, there were about 10,000 or 20,000 people in Mo, and all the covered bridges along the river for fifty miles were blown up!"

Scout Malay newspaper.

"Revisit."

The Lianghe River has long since thawed, and the river water that has just passed the Lingxun is very turbulent and extremely biting, and it is impossible to force the Lianghe River to cross, and the only way is to build bridges and pave roads.

It seems that this first encounter is a resistance fight.

Soon, the army marched to the Lianghe River three miles away, Song Che used a telescope to probe the opposite bank, every half a mile there were enemy civil fortresses, they were condescending, with bows and crossbows can completely kill the Liang army on the opposite bank.

"Shoot the cannons, aim a little, and knock out their fortress first." Song Che understated.

The so-called advantage is that I can beat you, but you can't hit me, I will treat you as a live target, and you can only stare dryly.

Artillery fire could easily be five miles away, and the fortifications on the other side of the river could be easily destroyed.

"Boom, boom, boom......"

Thirty artillery pieces, a total of five rounds, the Hu people's improvised fortress built of wood was completely destroyed.

"Shields lined up, bows, muskets followed, and marched towards the riverbank!"

The shield soldiers formed a shield wall, and the bows and musketeers hid behind the wall, marched to the bank of the river, first ate a salvo on the opposite bank, and then our bank returned fire, so the two sides fired back and forth several waves of each other, but the Liang army had artillery to help, and soon the opposite bank could not parry, and fled in a hurry in the direction of the urn city.

Then Liang Jun began to build bridges and pave roads.

A simple pontoon bridge was built by blowing balloons out of cowhide and tying them together as foundations, then two iron cables were pulled to the opposite bank, stakes were laid and fixed in a straight position, and then wooden planks were thrown onto them.

Three pontoon bridges, 300,000 soldiers and horses crossed the river, and it took more than an hour to go back and forth.

"General, military advisor, that group of Hu people did not abandon the city, but are installing defenses, it seems that they want to hold the city?" Scouts come to report.

"What?" Song Che's eyebrows curled up into the sky, "Can you see clearly, are you sure they didn't escape?" ”

The scout nodded heavily: "The villain circled around the urn city, and he didn't find the rutted horseshoe prints, but those Hu people were all preparing for war on the moat!" ”

Song Che inexplicably wanted to laugh, this urn city is really an "urn", four city walls, three sides are grasslands, one side is the cool river, now Song Che and they have crossed the river, even the only danger has been lost, such a city with no strategic significance, they still dare to hold on, and it is still after tasting the power of artillery...... Isn't this turning yourself into a "turtle in an urn"?

Song Che took out the binoculars from his sleeve, threw them to the scout and said: "This one is lent to you, your eyes can be seen five miles away from the mouth of the mirror, you take two more people, go around the urn city and look forward, see if there are any ambushes around." ”

"Yes!" The scout took the telescope with both hands, and the telescope was a real artifact for those who did their job.

"Brother Song, there is poverty all around here, and the grass has not grown taller, how can there be ambush soldiers?" Jiang Yuntian asked.

Song Che shrugged: "To be honest, I didn't understand the operation of this group of Hu people. If it were me, I would hold on to an empty city, and I would set up an ambush outside the city, and then attack from the rear while the enemy was attacking the city. ”

Jiang Yuntian said: "I think they are the head iron, thinking that they can defend the empty city. ”

Not necessarily, after all, not long ago, Song Che had set fire to the enemy's camp and provoked the enemy defenders.

Hu people are very bloody, but they don't have to be hard.

"Let's wait for the report."