stubborn thief

The night wind in the mountains was very cold, the bonfire swayed, and Tang Kyushu's shadow on the military tent was stretched very long.

He has not disappeared, and the organizational system of the [-] troops under his command is still intact. He even set up six battalions and four villages in Jingfu Mountain, hiding well in the mountain.

Just as Liu Chengzong expected, Tang Jiuzhou was a veteran general who ruled the world. The generals Zhao Zhu, Zhou Erjing, Ling Yuanji, and Hu Lianghan relied on in the battle were all fierce and brave generals. Sending troops to fight is as simple as eating and drinking. Lost in the land under the Ming Dynasty?
As early as when he was stationed in Huating, he sent people into Jingfu Mountain. This mountain is the Taoist holy place of Quanzhen Sect. The Taoist priests of the Longmen Sect lived in the mountain in the suspended Taoist temple. Therefore, the first thing Tang Jiuzhou came here was to seek the deeds of the Taoists. Township guide.

On the one hand, it is to ensure that the army will not get lost when passing through the mountains when necessary, and on the other hand, it is to prevent these Taoists from being used by Liu Chengzong.

After all, there are not many Daoists who spend all day thinking about cultivating immortals in the Xuankong Temple in the deep mountains. They are self-sufficient on weekdays, and they may not know the vigorous rebellion outside. Tang Jiuzhou has never seen Liu Chengzong, but he has seen many bandit leaders. When the time comes, the old Taoist priests will be tricked into thinking that Master Wang is passing through the border, and the Taoist priests will lead the way spontaneously if they fail to do so.

He was well prepared, and the reason why he didn't continue to march was because of a command problem, he froze in the mountains.

Deng Qi's death was beyond everyone's expectations. Chen Qiyu received the news of Deng Qi's death earlier than Liu Chengzong. At that time, Liu Shizi was still in Gongchang Mansion.

Chen Qiyu analyzed the time of news dissemination, and judged that the stalemate would soon be broken by the gap in Longzhou on the defense line. It was estimated that Liu Chengzong would receive the news of Deng Qi's fall and death within three days at the latest, and by that time he would surely make a large-scale march.

At that time, he didn't have many choices. One was to transfer Qinzhou's Zuo Liangyu to the north to garrison Longzhou, but he might not be able to enter Longzhou ahead of Liu Chengzong by going to the eastern foot of Liupan Mountain; One, and it may collide with Liu Chengzong's large army.

Besides, no matter what, Qinzhou would be lost.

The second option is to stay at the front line and call Ai Wannian directly from the rear to fill the gap in Longzhou, but the time is also too late, and when Ai Wannian passes by, it may be a siege battle.

To mobilize a battalion alone and bump into the main force of the marshal's army, in Chen Qiyu's eyes, it was like meat buns beating Liu Chengzong.

The third option is to transfer Ai Wannian to Huating to garrison, downgrade Huating guard Tang Jiuzhou directly, and grab a time difference to enter Longzhou, so that Qinzhou will not be lost, and the probability of Huating being captured is also very small—— Unless Liu Chengzong's goal at the beginning was Huating.

Moreover, if the time difference between the two parties' knowledge of the news can be grasped in this way, it can turn the bad things of Deng Qi's death and the defense line into a good thing.

The army of the Marshal's Mansion is stuck on Liupan Mountain. With the help of the mountains, it is tantamount to forcibly dividing Liu Chengzong's army and creating a fighter that can attack halfway. Use superior forces to destroy part of the Marshal's army first.

Chen Qiyu's calculations were very loud, but he missed the group of deserted Sichuan soldiers who wanted to go home, so that Liu Chengzong learned the news of Deng Qi's fall and death one day earlier than expected.

On this day, everything is different.

Chen Qiyu's transfer order was sent to Tang Jiuzhou, who set off immediately on the same day. Relying on a Taoist priest to lead the way in the mountainous area, the hemp shoes were smoking, and he ran 250 miles in one day, and [-] miles in three days. There were eight pack horses that fell off the cliff, and they arrived fifty miles north of Longzhou at the expected time.

However, Liu Chengzong's soldiers and horses started a day earlier than him, and they walked the broad official road in the west, and climbed up Liupan Mountain in three days.

When Tang Jiuzhou led the Changping soldiers to rush out of the old forest of Jingfu Mountain, he looked up and saw Qinghai vultures flying over Liupan Mountain and circling at high altitude, and then bumped into the Marshal's Mansion holding an iron cup and drinking tea under the banner of Wusejiao on the small mountain peak. Tang Bing.

In fact, Liu Shizi was still lying on Liupan Mountain at that time, unable to go down the mountain at all, but in the last fifty miles, Tang Jiuzhou dared not and could not go.

Don't you die?

He has no objection to fighting Liu Chengzong, but leading more than 3000 people out of the mountains and into the tens of thousands of other people's siege is like a fool with his head in his hand.

I was embarrassed directly in the mountains.

Even if he can't go back, Ai Wannian's army is about to enter Huating; he can't enter, and he doesn't know the actual situation on Liupan Mountain, so he feels that Liu Chengzong is squatting on the top of the mountain and watching.

After a little hesitation, after a day's delay, Tang Jiuzhou brought back the information if he let it out at night, and saw two battalions of soldiers and horses camping outside the mountain pass from a distance.

"Commander, I went to see that camp. The camp was not set up according to the rules. The two camps squatted together. Only one large camp was built, and more than 2000 people were sleeping in the wild."

The one who spoke was Zhou Erjing, Tang Jiuzhou's capable general, a Shanxi man in his early thirties, with a low voice, said: "There are many mules, horses and vehicles, which should be elite thieves."

"Many vehicles?"

"Yes, there are three or four hundred of them, and I estimate that there are seven or eight hundred carts in the two camps."

Tang Jiuzhou stared as soon as he heard it, his face was full of murderous intent, and the center of his brows were all twisted together. Then he gritted his teeth and paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, shaking his head silently.

Zhou Erjing didn't know why, so Tang Jiuzhou was silent for a moment, and said: "On Liupan Mountain, the road in Longzhou is not easy to pass."

The tone is full of unwillingness.

He realized he had a chance.

It's just that at this point, it's useless to realize.

Tang Jiuzhou shook his head and didn't say any more about this matter, but issued another order: "Longzhou City is dangerously situated, and the western thieves are afraid that they are going to attack the city. You pick some good players and bypass those two battalions. Watch them attack the city."

Zhou Erjing immediately responded with cupped fists.

This matter is risky, but it is not difficult to just watch from a distance. Anyway, it is not a problem to stop their two battalions to watch, and to watch one more city.

Zhou Erjing was about to leave, but Tang Jiuzhou stopped him and asked, "Erjing, are you thirty... 33 this year?"

"Back to Commander, 33 years old."

Tang Jiuzhou nodded slowly, thinking that the promotion of this official position was really fast.

Zhou Erjing is a hereditary hundred household in the left office of Huai'an Mansion in Xuanzhen Town.

Captured Da'an in March of the third year, and restored Zunhua in May; trained troops in Changzhen in the fifth year, and assisted Ningjin in September; Looking around, he couldn't disarm his body, and his horse couldn't leave his saddle.

Jiangjunling beheaded the giant thief He Qianzong, and Huoshaoshan beheaded the first thief Zhang Panzi.

Tang Jiuzhou asked again: "How many battles have you fought? How many heads have you won?"

"A total of 86 battle formations, soldiers and thieves at the level of one thousand and one..." Zhou Erjing was stunned when he said this, this is the record of his last performance, and he added it in his heart, and then said: "Daddy Handsome, he has gone through 97 battles, and the level of soldiers and thieves is 350 five."

Tang Jiuzhou nodded again. Several generals under him were like this, and the number of beheads was relatively small, mainly because of meritorious service and promotion too fast, and there were no soldiers in hand.

Ling Yuanji, Hu Lianghan, Zhao Zhu, and Zhou Erjing were all low-level military officers when King Qin was in power, and they would stay in Changping by fate. If it wasn't for the unlucky dispatch of Tan Shang to Longzhou, when this battle is over, there should be four General.

Tang Jiuzhou encouraged Zhou Erjing a few words, and asked him to go down to arrange orders, and made a decision in his heart to see for himself the camp set up by the Marshal Army at the mountain pass.

If you have the opportunity, try to break through those two battalions.

Of course, he also made two-handed preparations. If he really had no way to fight against them, he would have to write letters of recommendation for the four old subordinates.

It is a crime to delay a fighter plane in Dunbing Mountain. If the court punishes them, the generals are still young and have to find a place to go so as not to delay their future.

But Tang Jiuzhou didn't worry too much about himself, the world was still in chaos, and the court was reluctant to kill him... Even at this moment, even if he wanted to resign, he couldn't resign. At most, he would strip his official position and let him serve in the army.

Besides, he wasn't helpless.

Right now, his goal is to lure the enemy into the mountain. The soldiers and horses in Jingfu Mountain cannot be separated, which can offset the superiority of the Marshal's army... Anyway, it has been several years since the rebellion was suppressed. Tang Jiuzhou is more familiar with the style of the thief than the thief. One of the generals counts as one, and anyone who enters the mountain will be hammered.

If the two camps outside the mountain do not enter the mountain, then wait and see, until the Ningxia army in the north is free to go south, or Liu Chengzong takes the initiative to enter Guanzhong.

Kun Yangzi, an old Taoist priest of the Longmen Sect next to Tang Jiuzhou, said: Chen Junmen's order is to enter Longzhou. Since it is impossible to rush into Longzhou before the western thieves, it is better to enter Longzhou after the western thieves leave.

Before Liu Chengzong left Longzhou, it was not impossible to get lost.

Tang Jiuzhou really had great hopes for Ningxia's frontier army going south, because before he led his troops to leave Huating, he had just heard that Ningxia had won a very beautiful victory against Liu Chengzong, winning more than 6000 heads alone.

In fact, this was a misunderstanding. The Ningxia frontier army did fight with someone, but the opponent was neither Liu Chengzong as Tang Jiuzhou thought, nor Yang Qi as Hong Chengchou thought, but Mobei Sanhan who led his troops back to the north.

The three of them want to do something big before they go home, snatch Ningxia before leaving.

Yang Qi's mouth was foaming and he didn't persuade him, because the three Khans had done investigations in advance, saying that the Ningxia frontier army is now in a difficult period when it is short of soldiers, armour, and horses. The Mobei nobles in the south can also live more comfortably.

When Yang Qi heard this, he simply refused to persuade him.

He thought to himself: Well, I really thought that I left you here to look after the home and guard the courtyard to open up the borders of Mobei Mongolia for you, right?You still can't tell the difference between big and small kings here, so go ahead and fight, I'll see how you die!
The soldiers in Ningxia are indeed short of everything, such as food, horses, and money, but there is no shortage of knives and soldiers who can use knives.

Then He Huchen is by Yang Qi's side, what's going on in Ningxia Town, how can Yang Qi not know?

Not to mention the powerful trilateral governor Hong Chengchou who sits in Ningxia, his guest generals Cao Wenzhao and Bai Guangen, and the local generals Shen Guangxian, Tu Shixian, Bu Yingdi and others are all warriors who have fought for a long time.

Yang Qi was puzzled, I spent a long time trying to come up with a circle trade to support you, hey!It's not that I want to court death.

Those of us in the Ming army system beat ourselves up, whoever loses wins is our best. You can't think that they are cowards just because the Ming army lost a fight with the Marshal's Mansion, and beating you is just like playing.

San Khan refused to listen to persuasion, and a [-]-strong army marched into Ningxia.

Half a month, just half a month, less than [-] came out, and Gonbu Khan was hit by a stray bullet and dragged out by a carriage.

Shuo Lei and Subadi didn't even say hello to Yang Qi when they came out, and went back to Mobei in disgrace.

It was quite rude, so Yang Qi had no choice but to wave his hand to the sky, and swallowed back the words "come to play again when you have time".

The most important thing is that Tang Jiuzhou didn't know that Cao Yao was sharpening his sword towards Ningxia, and he had already rolled up the Jingluwei surrender army and advanced into Ningxia Zhongwei.

Zhou Erjing's actions were quick, and he sent two teams of scouts out of the mountain in the dark that night, bypassing the marshal's camp at the mountain pass and running towards Longzhou City, but they ran back in a panic in the morning, out of breath, and said: " General, General, Longzhou... The artillery is booming over there, and the attack has already begun!"

The news was reported to the Chinese army, and Tang Jiuzhou and the four ministries would estimate the situation in the south.

People's minds are spinning rapidly, deducing and judging the next enemy movement, and the results are not good.

Liu Chengzong would not use tens of thousands of troops to attack this small city, otherwise there would be no need to leave only two battalions to garrison the mountain pass to stop them. Therefore, Tang Jiuzhou judged that the bombardment of Longzhou City at this time should be a part of the division, and the main force of the Marshal's Mansion should be at this time. go south.

This is not good news for them, because Liu Chengzong's going south may not necessarily be to enter Guanzhong, at least before entering Guanzhong, he will definitely destroy Zuo Liangyu who is stationed in Qinzhou, otherwise they will not bother to attack Longmen now. state.

After all, whether it is Qinzhou or Longzhou, they are all strategically important places to control Longnan, and they either don't want it or they want it.

When Zuo Liangyu is defeated, I am afraid they will be next.

But it's also an opportunity.

The siege will definitely divert the enemy's attention, and this is also their chance to break out from the front.

Tang Jiuzhou made up his mind and ordered: "Chuan, the whole army pulls out the camp, leans towards them, and breaks through the obstruction while Longzhou is still able to contain the enemy!"

They moved very quickly, but only two hours after they were on the road, they bumped into the fleeing sentry head-on, followed by Marshal Jun Tangqi, who was galloping with horses and swords, chasing after them. .

The sentinel, who was lucky enough to recover his life, disregarded the arrows stuck in his back, rolled off the saddle and said: "Commander, Longzhou has been captured!"

"How can the dangerous place in Longzhou be breached in one day?"

"The bandit army destroyed the battlements with artillery, filled the trenches with earth bags, and built earth hills under the city. This morning, they rode up the city on horseback and occupied the four walls. Longzhou was then attacked."

Tang Jiuzhou clenched his fists tightly on the horse's back, thinking that it's no wonder Deng Qi fell to his death on that city, and he was able to let the Marshal's army attack the city on horseback!

"It's broken. The Tang soldiers who were chasing just now went back to report. I'm afraid the situation is not good for me. Hurry up and march!"

Tang Jiuzhou thought of the Tang soldiers who turned their horses back, and quickly ordered to hurry, but this time his target was no longer the army blocked by the mountain pass, but Liupan Mountain in the north of Longzhou, which was the crossing where Liu Chengzong had just come down.

He wants to occupy there, cooperate with Zuo Liangyu and other friendly forces, and lock Liu Chengzong in Guanzhong. (end of this chapter)