Du Zhongxiao took the wine handed over and drank it all, and said to Liu Ji, who saw him off: "Military master, in another month, the grass will grow." ”

Liu Ji arched his hand: "Xianggong has arranged and transferred another 10,000 cavalry to Dongshengzhou on behalf of the road, and when the time comes, if you have time, you should go to Jinze." ”

Han Qi said: "I have a chance to go." The rebellion of Jiqian was to hide from the imperial court in Dijinze, and it eventually became a catastrophe. Our cavalry went, and let the party members know that what they could rely on before would not be able to do so in the future. ”

The three of them looked at each other and smiled. Without hiding Pang to the ground, Du Zhongxiao got the news and decided to set off with Han Qi to the Tiande Army. For the safety of Dongshengzhou, Han Qi transferred 10,000 cavalry from Hedai Road, ordered to arrive within a month, and obeyed Liu Ji's command.

With 10,000 more soldiers, Du Zhongxiao thought of using cavalry to raid the land and completely cut off the party's grain route when the party was besieging the city. As soon as the grain road of Xingqing Mansion was cut off, it only relied on Hengshan to transport grain, and it was not seen how long it could be supported.

It was late February, the ground was slightly blue, and the ice in the rivers was slowly beginning to melt. The wind came from the north and began to bring the breath of spring, and the blow on the face was no longer like a knife cut.

Du Zhongxiao rode with Han Qi and went west along the Yellow River to the Tiande army.

At this time, after the Yellow River exited Helan Mountain, it was divided into two near Hue Crossing, which were two branches in the north and south, and the two were merged into one in front of Muna Mountain. The Tiande army was near the place where the later confluence began, the Muna Pass. Backed by the mountains, overlooking the piedmont grassland.

This area was the center of reclamation during the Qin and Han dynasties, densely populated, and full of fertile land. At this time, there is no longer the scene of the past, and the vast grassland, in the early spring, the grass and trees are withered and yellow, revealing desolation. It is difficult to see people for hundreds of miles, and only the occasional wild horses and wolves have long become a wild land.

When I arrived at Huyan Valley, I saw that it was not early, and Du Zhongxiao and his party got off the horse to rest. Spend the night here, and tomorrow you will be able to reach the Tiande army.

Huyan Valley is a tributary of the Yellow River, and there was a military village in the Tang Dynasty at the mouth of the valley, which has long since disappeared at this time. After the Song army occupied the Tiande army, a post station was built here for the officials to rest. The Huyan Valley has a flat river and is an important passage through Yinshan Mountain, and has always been a strategic place. In later generations, this place prospered because of the discovery of mineral deposits and the opening of railways, and it was called Baotou.

After washing, Du Zhongxiao walked out of the room and saw Han Qi standing in the courtyard, looking north at the mountains.

The two arched their hands, and Han Qi pointed to the vague shadow on the mountain and said, "There is the Great Wall of Zhao, which was built by King Wuling of Zhao." Further north, inside the mountain is the Great Wall of Qin. In the pre-Qin period, it was all Han land, and the Great Wall was built to resist the Hu barbarians, but I don't want to be so desolate today. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Yes, we, the descendants of the unscrupulous, always feel ashamed of our ancestors when we come to this kind of place. China rises in the Central Plains, like the sun and moon in the sky, shining in all directions. I don't want to live for more than a thousand years, but the more I live, the more I go back. South of the Great Wall, thousands of miles of fishy land, do not smell the fragrance of Zhilan, the ancestors have spirits underground, I don't know what to think. This is the hometown of Jiuyuan in the Han Dynasty, but there is no crop, and the place where people are scattered is now deserted. ”

Han Qi nodded, looked at the mountains in the north, and was silent for a while.

The Yinshan Mountain Range west of Mu Mountain was called Montenegro at this time, and the Black Mountain Supervision and Military Division of the Party was named after it. The Tiande army is in the south of Montenegro, and the Montenegrin Military Supervision Division is located in the depression in Montenegro, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The Dangxiang people graze in the mountain meadows, and the herdsmen in the piedmont meadows will only arrive in summer.

After being silent for a while, Han Qi turned around and said to Du Zhongxiao: "Jingluo, look at the steep mountains in this area, this battle is not easy to fight." ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The Black Mountain Supervision Army Division is built between the Great Wall, with the Great Wall of Han in the north and the Great Wall of Qin in the south, as a barrier, it is a little troublesome to attack. Fortunately, there is a direct road here, and with the help of artillery, it is not too difficult. The really difficult part is how many soldiers and horses can be stationed in the city? The soldiers and horses under his rule are mostly scattered in various departments and are not concentrated. Its city was originally the pass of the Wolf Mountain, and it was defended according to the danger, and it did not need too many soldiers and horses. Our army has many muskets and artillery, which is conducive to the decisive battle of the army, and the Montenegrin soldiers are scattered everywhere, which is the most difficult. ”

Han Qi said: "According to the meaning of the scripture, how should this battle be fought?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "In fact, there are not many ways, the most desirable thing is to surround the point and send reinforcements." ”

"Reinforcements? After strategy, this tactic is not commonly used, and if one is not good, it will be attacked by the enemy inside and outside. ”

"Yes, it's a bit risky to fight like this, but there's no better way." Du Zhongxiao sighed. "Fortunately, our army has enough artillery, and most of the cavalry is here. If there is artillery, you can seal the Wuthorn Sea City, where the Black Mountain Supervision Army Division is stationed, and if you have cavalry, you can quickly maneuver and break through the party soldiers and horses that will come to the aid one by one. To do this, it is necessary to have three orders and flexible command. ”

Han Qi said: "Whether it is a Khitan or a party item, they all use cavalry, gathering and scattering, unpredictable. We don't have much time, and we can't seize the main force of the Montenegrin Supervisor in a short time, and this battle is very unfavorable for a long time. After careful care, there must be no mistakes! ”

Du Zhongxiao said yes. As the boss, Han Qi came here to supervise the battle, not to command. No matter what difficulties there are, Du Zhongxiao solves them, and he can just watch from the side to make sure that they are correct.

Now this is the time when the nomads are preparing to move to the summer pastures, and it is difficult to gather the rest of the army except for the standing army. The Montenegrin Supervisory Army Division claims to have 70,000 people, but in fact, when the fight really starts, 20,000 or 30,000 people is remarkable. The standing army and horses scattered in the cities were only more than 10,000 at most, and the rest had to be called up from the tribes. The tribes are scattered in the summer pastures in the mountains, and it is not known how many men and horses can be gathered.

Encircling the point and sending reinforcements is the fastest way, surround the Vultures Sea, let the various departments come to support, and the Song army will break through each one. The tactics were effective, and the main force of the party army was annihilated in this area, and there would be no enemy within hundreds of miles, and the troops could come to the foot of Helan Mountain.

In the era of cold weapons, it was not common to encircle and send reinforcements, and if one was not operated well, it would be attacked from inside and outside. Du Zhongxiao's jurisdiction is mainly guns and artillery, and he is best at field warfare, to see if he can catch the party members off guard.

Huyan Valley rested for a day, Du Zhongxiao and Han Qi set off, and not long before they met Thirteen Lang who came to greet them.

stepped forward and saw Han Qi, and Thirteen Lang said to Du Zhongxiao: "After a little while, a few of us are waiting anxiously these days!" Listening to the south, the fight is going very smoothly, and the party households in this area have begun to move, which makes people don't know what to do! ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "What is there to be anxious about, as long as you keep an eye on the Black Mountain Supervision and Military Division, the other ministries will let them go." ”

Thirteen Lang said: "That is the case, but the party is not as good as us, they are mostly soldiers and horses are collected by various departments, and now is the time to migrate, and there can be soldiers and horses gathered." How much does it mean to just attack a city? ”

Han Qi smiled: "How is it not interesting to capture a city? As soon as this city was broken, the officials of the Xia State were swept away, and those nomadic tribes of Tibet were leaderless, so they were not at our disposal at that time? The purpose of this battle is mainly to occupy an area, as long as you occupy a place, it is a big victory! ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "What Xianggong said makes sense. As long as this battle annihilates the party's regular soldiers, the rest is not to be worried. The party items are different from those of this dynasty, and the regular soldiers are recorded in the register, and the troops are collected and dispatched. Most of the households were auxiliary slaves, and they accompanied the regular soldiers during the war, raising horses and carrying grain and grass for them. There are 70,000 soldiers in the Black Mountain Supervision Army, counting one regular soldier and three auxiliary soldiers, but in fact, it is only one or two thousand regular soldiers. Thirteen Lang, what we have to deal with is these 20,000 party soldiers, and the rest don't need to bother much. They are slaves, and when the master is gone, which one will sell his life? ”