After the night of the 15th, heavy rain fell, pouring heavy rain like an injection, covering the sky and the earth, the offensive of Huaidong infantry cavalry was forced to stop, stopped in a valley at the southwest foot of Xiaozhu Mountain, Yi Dan formed a formation, entered the open area west of the remnant city of Xinyu and north of the Yuan River, and prevented the enemy soldiers from the west from entering Xinyu City on a rainy night.

The heavy rain will subside in an hour, but the water of the streams and rivers will rise sharply, and the water between the forests and ravines will also become pools. In the middle of the night when the sky and the earth are like ink, the forest is wet with heavy rain, it is difficult to make a fire, only a small number of fire candles and wind lanterns, it is difficult to make a large number of soldiers and horses enter and exit in an orderly manner, and naturally they can only stop the attack on the main force of the Yuanzhou army that retreated to the southwest foot of the terracotta gang, and it is impossible to storm the remnants of Xinyu that have been captured by the Yuanzhou army, so that the enemy soldiers can breathe a sigh of relief.

In the early hours of the morning, after a burst of rain, the night turned better, the sky covered the thin clouds, but there was a mist-like light leaking down, and he could barely see the surrounding hills and forests.

After a long night, the main force of the Yuan Zhou Army, which retreated to the southwest foot of the terracotta gang, will be able to take advantage of the terrain to rush to build a fortification.

The place where the main force of Yuanzhou's army retreated was a shallow gorge in the southwest corner of Chitugang. Although the mouth of the gorge is a few miles wide, it can be called to press the soldiers and horses to fight here, but Yuan Zhoujun erected the fence wall at the mouth of the gorge, dug a shallow trench outside the fence, and prepared a large number of bows and crossbows behind the fence, and the defense became tight. The vanguard of the Huaidong Army, which was dominated by cavalry and only one-third of the horse infantry, would find it difficult to storm the terracotta hill, and it might even lead to unnecessary heavy casualties.

Zhou Pu knew that defeating Yuanzhou's soldiers and horses was just a small dish, and he had to preserve his strength now for the next larger, more magnificent, and more difficult battle.

Zhou Pu immediately decided to wait for Zhang Jiheng to lead the main force of his infantry to come to the rendezvous before attacking the enemy in Xinyu, before that, but to prevent the Yuan Zhou army from Xinyu to Yuan withdrawing, divide the troops back to the eastern foot of Mengshan Mountain, insert into the side of the terracotta gang, and peek into the west of the west from the terracotta gang, the avenue on the north bank of the Yuan River, to prevent Chen Zishou from fleeing westward.

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At dawn, the sky was slightly bright, the campfire was burning with beeps and peels, Chen Zishou stood under the makeshift thatched war tent, looking at the blurred scenery outside the mountain, and the Yuan River in the distance shimmered with sparkling waves.

Heavy rain interrupted the sharp offensive of the Huaidong Army's vanguard cavalry, but it also made it difficult for them to withdraw from Xinyu to Xiayuan.

From Mengshan to the west, the road becomes rugged and steep, and last night's heavy rain was like a note, and many roads were washed away, many pools were piled up, or mud slopes slipped down - which army and horses would not be defeated by the Huaidong Army after they were broken? And Chen Zishou couldn't be sure how much time the soldiers and horses could buy him after the break.

In addition to the retreat to the terracotta gang, there were 16,000 soldiers and horses gathered, Zhang Xiongshan was wounded and retreated into Xinyu City, plus the remnants of the army, there were still 6,000 soldiers and horses in Xinyu City - it is said that the number of troops of the Yuanzhou army far exceeded that of the Huaidong vanguard infantry cavalry, but the hasty contact before nightfall made no one have the confidence to fight with the Huaidong army in the field.

Zhang Xiongshan led the elite of Huang Binghao's guard camp, which can be said to be the most loyal to Huang Binghao's soldiers and horses, and they were defeated so easily at the western foot of Xiaozhu Mountain, and in the Yuan Zhou army in the terracotta gang and the remnants of Xinyu, there were quite a few generals who were afraid of angering Huaidong before the war and advocated accepting surrender.

Chen Zishou did not retreat west overnight, firstly, because of the bad weather, and secondly, he was worried that once he retreated westward, he would ask the Huaidong elite infantry to chase after him, and whether the morale and the team could be maintained without collapse.

Now there is still a steep terrain to defend at the southwest foot of the terracotta gang, and the stone slopes on both sides of the canyon are quite steep, making it difficult for the Huaidong army outside the mountain to enter, and cutting wood at the mouth of the gorge as a fence and digging soil as a trench, not only can it be defended according to the danger, and when the soldiers and horses are restrained in the barracks, it can also maintain the morale of the army and morale without immediately collapsing.

Zhang Xiongshan did not dare to fight out the soldiers and horses in the remnants of Xinyu, and Chen Zishou did not dare to leave the terracotta gang easily, and the soldiers had no fighting spirit, whether they entered Xinyu in the east or retreated to Xia Yuan in the west, they would be exposed between the open river valleys, so that the elite of Huaidongbu cavalry found an opportunity to attack.

Although it is only thirty miles from Chitugang to Xinyu, the river valley in the middle is open, and the elite of Huaidong armored cavalry and horse infantry are on the southwest slope of Xiaozhu Mountain on the slightly north side, as if a spear is piercing straight over, so that people dare not force through.

Chen Zishou and Huang Binghao's previous plan was just to enter Xinyu City before the Huaidong Army reacted, and they didn't want to fall into the danger of losing their ground. But for now, Chen Zishou can only hold the mouth of the gorge, scatter his henchmen and cronies into the army, stabilize the morale of the army, and prevent those restless generals from mutiny.

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Hindered by the heavy rain, Lin Jian personally led the infantry of the Fourth Brigade of Zhang Jiheng's department to enter Xinyu before nightfall on the 17th.

From Yuzhang to Xinyu, along the west bank of the Gan River, the biggest obstacle along the way is the Jinshui flowing down from the mountains in the west of Yangle, but as early as the beginning of June, the Huaidong Army set up a pontoon bridge at the mouth of the river that joins the Ganjiang River in Jinjin, and the whole road is complete until the territory of Yangle.

Before the 17th, Zhang Xiongshan and Chen Zishou did not dare to make any changes in Xinyu and Chitugang, but desperately used the resources at hand to strengthen the defense.

12,000 elite soldiers from Huaidong passed through Xiatanggou from the pontoon bridge erected tensely, and along the road trampled out by the front led by Zhou Pu, divided into two teams to advance to the north bank of the Yuan River along the eastern foot of Mengshan Mountain and the western foot of Xiaozhu Mountain, and confronted the enemy guarding the terracotta hill to form a flanking attack.

Although Chen Zishou cut down wood at the western foot of the terracotta gang in two days, dug the soil for the trench, built a simple barracks, and blocked the Huaidong cavalry from the terracotta gang, making it difficult for it to effectively enter the front of the fortress, but with the forest binding, carrying scorpion crossbows, crossbows and other combat weapons, rushing cars, cave houses and other equipment were also quickly assembled in front of the battle, and the camp of the Yuan Zhou army in the terracotta gang was very thin.

Zhou Pu led the infantry and cavalry elite into Xinyu in two batches, one was to attract the main force of the Yuanzhou army to the surroundings of Xinyu, and the other was to strand the main force of the Yuanzhou army outside Xinyu. At this point, it seems that both of these purposes have been accomplished very beautifully.

Accompanied by Gao Zongting and others, Lin Tie rode his horse into Zhou Pu's temporary camp at the southwest foot of Xiaozhu Mountain, jumped off his horse, and said to Zhou Pu: "I have brought you 12,000 soldiers and horses, when will I see you marching to Yuan?" ”

"It was Zhang Xiongshan who avoided Xinyu City, and his loyalty to Huang Binghao was no less than that of Chen Zishou. If we storm the terracotta gang, Zhang Xiongshan is very likely to send troops from Xinyu City, fight to the death, and hit our flank," Zhou Pu said, "If there is a star and moon tomorrow night, then we will fight the terracotta gang tomorrow night!" ”

The Huaidong army was stronger than the night battle, and the night would limit the part of the Yuanzhou soldiers and horses in Xinyu City, so as to reduce the strength of the Huaidong army to defend south of Xiaozhushan, and concentrate the troops to attack the terracotta gang at night - Zhou Pu suggested that the soldiers and horses rush to rest for a day, and then storm the terracotta gang after nightfall tomorrow.

"It's too late to delay until tomorrow," Lin Jian shook his head and said, "Xinye City has been called the capture of Luwenzhuang, Nanyang is crumbling, and it is said that Nanyang will not last for three or five days, which cannot be regarded as the most pessimistic estimate." Yuanzhou's side has to fight for every inch. If it drags on until tomorrow and it rains heavily, it will not be delayed for three or five days in a row, I have seen tonight, and at dawn I will storm the terracotta hill......"

The weather is fine tonight, and it is difficult to predict what the weather will be tomorrow night, so Lin Jian asked to storm the terracotta hill tonight.

"It's a bit hasty to attack after tonight," Zhou Pu groaned for a while, turned his head and asked Zhang Jiheng, "Your subordinates will travel three hundred miles in four days, can you prepare to storm the terracotta gang before dawn?" ”

The original plan was to rush to Xinyu yesterday, but the heavy rain on the road delayed for a day - although it was delayed on the road for a day, the generals were more tired, leaving Jinshui from Yangle County to the south, and the road was washed down by the rain, which increased the difficulty of the march.

Zhou Pu was worried about whether Zhang Jiheng's generals could withstand continuous fighting.

Zhang Jiheng touched his nose and said, "No problem." ”

"The battle here cannot be delayed," Gao Zongting said, "We must completely assemble our troops and horses before the Yanhu army crosses the Han River and attacks Jingzhou, and the time to stay is very tight." If there is a possibility that the battle in Chitugang will drag on, Xia Yuan and Yuan Zhou may not have time to take it! ”

"Then after dawn, we will fight the terracotta gang, and in addition, replace the cavalry camp for a night and prepare for the pursuit," Lin Jian made a decision and said, "Capture the terracotta gang and defeat its main force, and leave three or five thousand soldiers and horses to monitor and persuade them to surrender for the time being, and the other soldiers and horses will follow the rout, and take down Yuan!" He asked Zhou Pu again, "Is there any news about Wu Jingze?" ”

"Wu Jingze went down to Yuancheng at sunrise with Zhou Zhizheng to escort the grain and grass, and after the battle between the two armies, he stopped at the northeast foot ......of Xiaoping Mountain with Zhou Zhizheng, I told them to wait for the opportunity, and don't make Huang Binghao suspicious," Zhou Pu said.

"Okay," Lin Jian said, "The Zhou clan is willing to pull out the chaos and set an example, so you can set an example for the Jiangzhou generals, and send someone to inform Wu Jingze, don't ask the Zhou clan to take risks......"

After taking Yuanzhou, it is impossible for Lin Jian to stay in Yuanzhou for too long, and if he wants to stabilize the situation in Yuanzhou in the fastest time, he needs someone to clean up the mess and appease the rout.

Zhou Pu said again: "Huang Binghao was in chaos, and he wanted to lead the last 5,000 soldiers and horses of Yuan to aid Xinyu early yesterday morning, but he walked less than ten miles and returned to Xia Yuan City. ”

"If you are greedy, you will lose." Lin Jian gave Huang Binghao a sentence, and did not say anything more, so accompanied by Zhou Pu and Gao Zongting, he went out of the camp to visit the generals who had been fighting with the enemy in Xinyu for many days.

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After the night of the 17th, it began to rain again, and in the early hours of the morning, it was only clear, revealing a sky full of stars.

The terracotta hill is a grassy slope, it becomes slippery after the rain, the forest gully accumulates water into a pool again, and the rainy weather makes the bow and crossbow tendon string soft, there are many inconveniences in the battle after the rain, the Yuanzhou army thinks that the Huaidong army will not choose to attack after the rain, and most of them avoid the inner side of the canyon to rest in the early morning.

At dawn, the bright moon converged, and a faint blue light shone on the horizon, illuminating the land at the eastern foot of Mengshan as if shrouded in a thick mist. From the starting position, the Huaidong Army pushed the rushing carts, cave house carts, scorpion crossbows, crossbows and other weapons from the east flank and southwest corners to storm up, and most of the generals of the Yuan Zhou army fell asleep.

Of course, the outlying sentry posts sounded the alarm whistle for the enemy's attack, and the enemy camp in the gorge mouth was in an uproar.

In addition to the infantry who assaulted from the front slope of the gorge, more than 1,000 light soldiers climbed the cliff from each flank and attacked the soldiers and horses deployed on the cliff with Yuan Zhou's army to cover the camp at the mouth of the gorge.

The terracotta hill is not high, the highest point of the north ridge is only more than 50 zhang, Yuan Zhou's army in just three or four days, it is not possible to build the trench fence to the periphery of the terracotta gang, before the sky is completely bright, the Yuan Zhou army in the left wing of the mountains and forests deployed more than 1,000 defenders to be the first to be defeated, Zhang Jiheng saw that after seizing the left flank of the high ground, he used mules and horses to transport more than a dozen scorpion crossbows up the mountain, erected on the cliff on the left side of the canyon, and bombarded the enemy camp.

Although it had rained before dawn and the enemy camp was wet, throwing the canister of fire and setting the camp on fire caused clusters of fire to burn in the enemy camp. Although the fire was not large, and only a dozen stone bullets could be dropped each time, it was enough to make the enemy camp even more chaotic, and it was difficult to reorganize the formation in the valley and go to the mouth of the gorge in batches to resist the attack launched by the Huaidong Army from the front.

In the gorge, Yuan Zhou's army had more than 16,000 soldiers and horses, although a considerable part of the army was unstable, but Chen Zishou had more than 5,000 soldiers and horses at hand.

Chen Zishou drew out a part of the elite of the descendants as a supervising team, holding swords and axes behind the uncertain soldiers and horses to supervise the battle, and deployed the main descendants of the soldiers and horses on the inside of the gate wall of the gorge, directly undertaking to resist the frontal offensive of the Huaidong army.

The timing of Huaidong's army's entry into Xinyu was so coincidental that Chen Zishou understood his and Huang Binghao's plans and had already made Huaidong look at it. Maybe there is a way out for others to surrender to Huaidong, he and Huang Binghao will definitely die - in order to protect himself, Chen Zishou must throw all the soldiers and horses of his descendants into it and fight to the death.

As Chen Zishou's descendants, the generals were either promoted by Chen Zishou, or they were of the same clan or township as Chen Zishou, and they were both prosperous and declining with Chen Zishou, so they could advance and retreat together, and die and live together. But under the current situation, even Chen Zishou's descendants, when they saw the Huaidong army soldiers surging like a torrent, the army was shocked and morale was low.

The fierce battle at the mouth of the gorge continued until the corner of the day, after the trench was filled, dozens of scorpion crossbows and crossbows accompanying the Huaidong Army were pushed to the front of the enemy fence, and even synchronized bows and hard crossbows, and arrows and stones covered the open area of the enemy camp in the gorge like flying locusts. Blood seeped out of the fence walls and spilled in all directions, mingling with the trampled mud, and there was no difference.

When the sun rose above the treetops, Chen Zishou's descendants accumulated heavy casualties behind the fence wall, and filled in the trench, and the simple fence wall also called the Huaidong army to break through two large openings more than ten zhang wide, and immediately hundreds of Huaidong army armor soldiers poured in hand-to-hand combat, so that the Yuan Zhou army could not breathe for half a moment.

Close hand-to-hand combat can better reflect the differences between the two generals in morale, fighting spirit, combat training, martial bravery, blades and armor.

Huaidong Mo swordsman was covered by the two-winged sword and shield soldiers, wearing heavy armor, holding a knife in both hands, and there was almost no enemy in front of him, and he had to have a big shield to block the slash of Mo's knife. The sharp and thick Mo blade, waving, even the armor split the head, shoulders and arms, the big shield against each other, and the spear pierced, making the defense line of the Yuan Zhou army at the mouth of the gorge like a crack on porcelain, under the powerful military blow, the crack is getting deeper and bigger, and it can no longer be repaired, and it is about to disintegrate into pieces.

Chen Zishou finally understood that the Huaidong army could not be stopped by him, so he galloped to the right flank, and there was a gap in the ridge there to go west out of the terracotta hill, which had not yet been captured by the Huaidong army.

If he wants to break through, that is his last chance.

Chen Zishou no longer filled the limited soldiers and horses in his hands to the gorge to resist the frontal offensive of the Huaidong Army, and took the lead in breaking through the gap in the right flank. When one person turned around and fled, it quickly spread, and the defense line also collapsed with the fighting spirit, and countless people followed Chen Zishou before his own soldiers, fleeing from the gap to Chitugang Mountain and to the west, and more people abandoned their weapons and surrendered, without the heart to resist.