The Song Dynasty has been deliberate for 16 years, only to know that it is the Water Margin

On the way down the mountain, Zhao Tong met Zhang Xian and his men, and they returned to the camp together.

After resting day and night, he led his troops to check in front of Huizhou City the next day. The pass was strong and the flags were motionless. He could not attack the city and could not encircle it. There was still nothing he could do at the moment.

Yang Zhi said angrily from the side: "If the summer dogs in Huizhou dare to come out to fight, Guan Bao will capture the city immediately without any effort."

Zhang Xian also said: "But with a shot in the palm, dismount the horse, one will kill one when leaving the city, and two will kill a pair when they come out."

Hearing this, Zhao Tong frowned and looked at the two of them: "Huizhou is the military commander, and there is a military commander in charge. It is quite possible for the Song Dynasty to pacify them all the way. How could they not see the current situation and easily go out of the city to fight?"

Li Yanxian said: "Your Majesty, my subordinates feel that the city may not come out to fight."

Zhao Tong said: "How do you say this, Shao Yan?"

Li Yanxian said: "Xixia should have been mobilizing troops. It has been several days now. As soon as the new troops arrive, the number of people in the city will no longer be weaker than our army, so they may not dare to come out and give it a try."

Zhao Tong touched his chin and fell into thinking...

In Huizhou City, Mi Qinzandao, the commander of the Xishou Baotai Supervisory Army Division, was sitting behind the desk reading a letter.

On his left and right are the deputy commander-in-chief, He Lian Hubao, who oversees the army and makes Fangdang famous.

Further down are dozens of commanders, coaches, and guards, including both Dangxiang and Han Chinese.

Now there are more officers and fewer soldiers in Huizhou City. Li Qianshun ordered to mobilize troops to attack Xihe. Seventy-eight out of ten soldiers were sent out directly. There were not many left. He also gathered a few troops to protect Fuchuan. Now there are only the weaker ones. They are serving as soldiers and there are no elites.

After Mi Qinzandao read the letter, his expression was gloomy. He was a tall man with a curly beard and a big face. His eyes were like bells. He did not speak immediately. Instead, he picked up the wine glass on the table and drank all the strong liquor in it. , and then he cursed: "I said how could Fuchuan be lost? It turns out that it was Li Changshuo who surrendered!"

Everyone below heard this and looked at each other. Li Changshuo is the inspector of the Xishou Baotai Military Division. Although his temporary position is not that high, his power is not small. The most important person is a clan member. How could he surrender?

Mi Qinzandao looked at everyone and said: "The King of Jin said in his letter that the new army will arrive in the near future. Huizhou will directly reinforce 5 troops. Let us see if we can recapture Fuchuan."

A commander below heard this and immediately continued: "The capital army, the Song soldiers only have more than 1 soldiers. Although these [-] are new soldiers, it will be easy to recapture Fuchuan."

Mi Qinzandao snorted: "Don't underestimate this Song army. The people sent by the King of Jin to aid Fuchuan had six elite squads, but almost the entire army was wiped out!"

"The elite of Class Six?"

"completely annihilated?"

"how is this possible?"

"Is this Song army so powerful?"

The people below were immediately surprised. Fang Dangyouming, the supervisor of the army next to him, frowned and said: "Li Changshuo secretly surrendered to the Song army, and even the elite of the sixth squadron were ambushed and attacked, and they were attacked from both sides, so they were defeated."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the Central Xixia Army was very strong, and among the Central Army, the Xingqing Mansion Guards were the most powerful, even surpassing the border troops.

The guards of Xingqing Prefecture were composed of Tie Yaozi and Liu Ban Zhi. If Six Ban Zhi were defeated so easily and the entire army was annihilated, then the Song army would be too powerful.

Mi Qinzandao glanced at Fang Dangming with dissatisfaction. Historically, the commander-in-chief and the supervisory envoy of the major military divisions were at odds with each other, but they were restricted. Although most of the military divisions were dominated by the commander-in-chief, the commander-in-chief had the final say. , but the military supervisor also holds considerable power.

"The strength of both sides is almost the same. Even if it is a surprise attack, the elite of the Sixth Squadron will not be almost wiped out. Only a few hundred people can escape. This Song army is different from the previous Western armies. It must be treated with caution. Although the King of Jin said that it should be taken back Fukawa, but it depends on the situation." Mi Qinzandao snorted coldly.

Fang Dangming didn't answer when he heard this, but there was a slight disdain at the corner of his mouth.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief He Lian Hubao said hurriedly: "What the Lord Commander-in-Chief said is absolutely true. Especially this Song army has been in our Xia Realm for a long time, but its true origin is not yet known. There are many weird things about it, so we still need to be careful when dealing with it." That’s it.”

Another commander below asked in confusion: "Hasn't the origin of this Song army been discovered yet? In the past, military reports said that it was mixed with Han and Tibetan people. Even if it is not the old Western Army, it is a newly formed Western Army, and it came from Gaizhu City. Coming from the fortress mountain over there, it should be Xining Longyou soldiers, right?"

Helian Hubao glanced at him and said: "Of course the soldiers can't escape to Xining Prefecture, but the origins of the commander and the generals who lead the army are still unknown. None of them are from the Western Army. If he had been recognized long ago.”

Mi Qinzandao was upset when he heard this and waved his hand: "The King of Jin has asked His Majesty to send spies from Beifeng Hall to the Song Dynasty to inquire about information. It is estimated that the answer will be available soon. This Song army is also weird. , now that they have lost all Lanzhou, Hezhou, Taozhou and Xizhou and are not returning reinforcements, they are just fighting to the east, do they really think they can hit Xingqing Mansion?"

When everyone heard this, they fell silent for a moment. In fact, this was what they were puzzled about. This was unreasonable. The opponent had lost half of the road to Xihe. They should go back to support due to emotions and reasons. How could they be so focused on attacking?

It would be fine if a large army really broke through the gap from the direction of Gaizhu City and came straight in. But the problem is that this Song army does not seem to have that many troops. According to the military reports during this period, the total number may not even be 3.

This is strange. Do these people really think they can destroy the foundation of Daxia?It's just that I don't have time to pay attention to them now, otherwise if three thousand iron kites come, they will be wiped out...

Zhao Tong led everyone back to the camp. Although he did not have the troops to besiege the city, he sent a lot of scouts to explore the city. He could see every move of the opponent, so he naturally knew that a messenger had entered the city.

He discussed with the generals that although he was not able to reach Huizhou at the moment, he still wanted to keep the confrontation for a while longer to see if reinforcements would arrive. If reinforcements arrived, he would see what happened. If he continued to close the city and did not come out, he would still take the initiative. Accept the challenge and decide whether to stay or go.

Naturally, the generals had no objections. They all hoped to win Huizhou in one fell swoop. It would be a pity if they failed to succeed.

Zhao Tong then continued to dig more fortifications, built various defenses, and dug out some military industries on both sides of the camp and even in the rear area more than ten miles away, and then he felt at ease after mastering all his retreat routes.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. That morning, waves of scouts came to report. In the end, they couldn't go any further and returned directly to the camp.

Zhao Tong sat in the tent and looked at the generals with a gloomy face: "Why did the other side come with so many reinforcements?"

Generals, you look at me and I look at you, all looking puzzled. According to the news from Tanma, Xixia has sent at least [-] to [-] reinforcements. With so many people entering Huizhou, the total military strength of Huizhou is conservative. It is estimated that the number has reached [-].

5 people defend the city and 1 people attack the city. How can we fight this battle?
What's more, if the opponent has so many people defending the city, they will definitely come out!
Zhao Tong sneered and said: "Everything is going as planned now. I will definitely go out of the city to fight. Didn't you say before that as long as you go out of the city to fight, the security guard will be captured immediately? Now you should be out soon. Let's talk about how to do it immediately. Take it?"

The generals thought to themselves, Your Majesty is being unreasonable. Doesn't it mean that there are no reinforcements in Huizhou, or that the reinforcements are about the same number of men and horses? How can we capture it immediately when our troops are five times stronger than our own?
Zhao Tong looked at everyone: "It is inevitable that the enemy will leave the city. Everyone is thinking about how to meet the enemy. If you can't figure it out, then set up camp and retreat to Fuchuan!"

Yang Zhidao: "Your Majesty, this... this is not enough." Zhang Xian also said: "Your Majesty, it is not that we have defeated enemies several times before. We will definitely be able to find a way to capture Huizhou."

Zhao Tong closed his eyes slightly and leaned back on the chair: "Then think about it. If you can't think of it, you will have to leave."

The generals whispered one after another, but for a long time they didn't come up with any strategy. Even Li Yanxian frowned, and finally Zhang Xian said: "Your Majesty, I think it's better to lay out a plan to attract the opponent to attack."

Zhao Tong said: "Set up the formation?"

Zhang Xian nodded and said: "I think this place is suitable and well-covered with fortifications. If we want to defeat more with less, it would be most suitable to build a large formation to lure the enemy deeper."

Zhao Tong thought for a while and found that the location where they were camping was indeed suitable for setting up a formation, and some fortifications were dug very far away, with the other side reaching as far as Roulang Mountain. This was all to facilitate retreat preparations if the situation was not good.

"What formation are you planning to set up?"

Zhang Xian learned almost all of Zhang Xian's formations from Meng De's New Formation Chapter. Although Zhao Tong didn't study them too deeply, he still remembered the approximate names of each formation.

"My lord, my subordinates want to build a... seven-kill array!"

"Seven Killing Continuous Formation?" Zhao Tong didn't remember this formation in the formation chapter.

"Your Majesty, this is a new formation created by my subordinate who combined the chain formation and the seven-star formation." Zhang Xian was a little embarrassed.

"The new formation!" Zhao Tong glanced at him, wondering when he would develop this ability and be able to integrate the formation on his own.

Zhang Xian said: "Your Majesty, my subordinates saw that some of the old formations were unable to cope with the current battlefield, so... I thought of changing and integrating them."

"Can't cope with the current battlefield?" Zhao Tao touched his chin. Although he knew that Zhang Xian was right. After all, times have changed and some ancient formations are not easy to use now, but he still wanted to test him: "Let's take a look in detail. .”

Zhang Xian said: "In ancient times, the population was not as large as today, so the army was not as large as it is now. The number of soldiers used in each formation was a bit small. Some so-called large formations could hold only 2000 people, but now they are not large enough. When the enemy's military strength is several times greater, it will not be effective and will most likely be defeated in a rush."

Zhao Tong nodded: "What else?"

"The weapons of the soldiers are also very different. Some of the ancient formations were designed for weapons, but now the shapes of some weapons have disappeared or changed, so some formations cannot demonstrate their true power at all."

"and also?"

Zhang Xian continued: "Many ancient formations are based on the terrain of mountains and rivers, which limits the use of many formations..."

"That's enough." Zhao Tong interrupted him: "How many manpower do you need to arrange this seven-kill array?"

Zhang Xian said: "Your Majesty, we need 7000 people!"

7000 people?When the generals heard this, they all took a breath. With so many people forming the formation, even in today's era, it can be called a big formation.

Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes: "7000 people...can it exceed [-]?"

When Zhang Xian heard this, he immediately felt guilty: "Your Majesty, the other party won't go out with all their strength, right? I think breaking [-] to [-] yuan is not a problem."

Zhao Tong smiled and said: "Twenty-thousand or thirty thousand is not enough. Now we only have 1 people. If you use [-] capable soldiers at once, how can the remaining [-] be worth it?"

Zhang Xian gritted his teeth: "My subordinates think we can defeat [-] people!"

"Forty thousand!" Zhao Tong nodded, thinking that this is about the same. If the enemy-killing ratio of a large array cannot reach one to five, then the array cannot be called a success. After all, setting up an array is very troublesome and cumbersome. , but also to attract the opponent. The opponent may not want to enter the formation. If one cannot break five, then there is no way to kill the formation.

"How long will it take to set it up?"

"Your Majesty, it only takes two days to heal. The Tengjia and cavalry subordinates have all practiced in Zhuoluo, including this formation. However, now that the soldiers have changed, they need to be familiar with and assign positions again."

"Two days?" Zhao Tong thought for a while: "I estimate that the camp will be attacked in Huizhou City tomorrow. I wonder if 3000 people can block the opponent's attack."

Yang Zhi said at this time: "Your Majesty, there are more than fifty ditches in front of the camp, and there are horse ropes, deer forks and the like. The camp is fully equipped with bows and crossbows, as well as stone cannons. I dare not say for a long time. If it only blocks tomorrow, there should be no problem." ?”

Zhao Tong shook his head and said: "Do you think you are defending the city? This is a camp. The other side also has the things you mentioned. Crossbows may be scarce, but there will be no shortage of flying cannons. Xixia can make them themselves. By then, tens of thousands If people pile up, it might be difficult to stop..."

Li Yanxian suddenly said: "Your Majesty, I think if you only stay tomorrow, there should be no big problem."

Everyone looked at him when they heard this, and Zhao Tong said, "What did Shao Yan say?"

Li Yanxian said: "I'm afraid the prince has forgotten that these are all new recruits!"

"Recruit?" Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and then started talking in low voices.

Zhao Tong said calmly: "How are the recruits? Don't you know that newborn calves are not afraid of tigers?"

Li Yanxian smiled apologetically and said: "Your Majesty, that's the truth, but the recruits mobilized in Xixia now are probably not just newborn calves. Whether these people have undergone rigorous training or whether they have been captured are not strong men. The real young ones among them are probably not. many."

Yang Zhixing realized: "That's right. Courage only gets bigger the younger you are, and it gets smaller as you get older. If these Xixia reinforcements are all middle-aged and older, they may not dare to rush and kill them wholeheartedly."

Zhang Xian said: "I also missed this matter, otherwise I wouldn't have started to hesitate. I can only defeat the opponent's 3 to [-] people. If they are new soldiers, [-] will be true."

Zhao Tong thought for a moment and nodded: "In that case, Zhang Xian, please order 500 troops to set up the formation. Li Yanxian will lead 1000 to [-] men to defend the front of the camp. Yang Zhi will lead [-] men to patrol around and support the front of the camp at any time."

The three of them clasped their fists together to receive the order, and then led the rest of the guard commanders out of the tent to make arrangements. (End of chapter)