Yi Song

Chapter 235: Fight in Yanzhou!
"Yanzhou borders Fuyan to the east, Ganliang to the west, Huanqing to the south, and the desert to the north. It has a vast territory and long borders. It has been a fortress of the Three Qin Dynasties since ancient times. Now, Richard, the king of Jin in Western Xia, led his troops to guard Yanzhou City.

Once Yanzhou City is captured by our army, the important Xixia towns of Xingqingfu, Huai, Ling (Xipingfu), Jing, Wei and other prefectures, as well as the important grain-producing areas of Lingzhouchuan and Hejian, will all be exposed to our army. Down"

Forty miles east of Yanzhou City, in Mingsha Town, an important water and land route, the Song Army was holding a pre-battle meeting in the Chinese army's main tent in the town. Hundreds of generals attended, and Liu Jian and Zhong Kui of the Staff Officer Corps jointly explained it.

"According to the latest information, the Xixia Army has 130,000 troops in Yanzhou City, 40,000 horse troops, and 90,000 infantry troops. They are short of food and grass, which makes it difficult for them to fight for a long time. Our Pingxia Army has six combat brigades of infantry and 16 combat brigades. battalion, totaling 48,000 people. The Horse Army has two combat brigades, five battalions, totaling 15,000 people. The Red Tiger Cavalry Army has two wings on the left and right, five guards and fifty-two thousand-man teams, totaling 46,000 people.

The reserve forces left behind in Xia, You and Hong included three infantry combat brigades and seven battalions, totaling 21,000 people. The Ma Army has one combat brigade and two battalions, totaling 6,000 people.

In this war, our army mobilized a total of 136,000 people. The Transshipment Department has set up joint logistics stations in Yan'an Prefecture, Suide Army, Baoan Army, and Shi, Yin, and Hong Prefectures to ensure the transshipment of grain, grass, and ordnance."

After Zhong Kui finished speaking, Liu Jian stepped forward and pointed to the map on the wall to continue explaining.

"Yanzhou City is small and cannot deploy 130,000 horse infantry troops. The Xia Army deployed its main force of 110,000 troops in the north and south according to the mountains outside the city.

Based on the Tabai Camp's close-up investigation and the instructions given by the captured prisoners, Brother Richard deployed 40,000 horse troops in the hills north of the city. It was here that there were 4,000 Helan captured soldiers and 7,000 Hebei captured soldiers. Its combat power exceeds that of other Xixia cavalry. "

"This place is condescending, overlooking the battlefield in the east of the city. And it is connected to the sand and salt ponds in the north, so there is a lot of room for maneuver, which is convenient for them to deploy. Sixty thousand infantry troops are deployed in the south of the city. There is a ridge and two ravines here, and two ravines were urgently constructed. There are wooden fences and obstacles such as wooden deer and horses.
There are also 20,000 elite infantry, mountain rangers and crossbowmen deployed in the east of the city. It is backed by Yanzhou City and serves as the connection point between the left and right sides. There are also 10,000 horse infantry troops in Yanzhou City, 4,000 of which are personal guards and proton troops, and are brother Richard's personal soldiers.

After being silent for more than ten breaths, Meng Zhen said: "The Xia army is short of food and grass, so we will not attack for now and harass them day and night. When they run out of food and become chaotic, we will take advantage of the chaos to attack."

I'm worried that if the stalemate continues, we will end up with insufficient food and grass. "

According to the field survey of the Surveying and Mapping Section, the Xia Army's entire defense line was 24 miles and 400 steps long from south to north, including Yanzhou City.

There was silence in the big tent again.

As soon as Liu Zhongwu finished his words, Zhong Shidao said: "Liu Jiezhi is right, Xia Jun can't wait, and we can't afford to wait. If we wait, there may be problems for both our army and Xia Jun. It depends on who is unlucky. , whoever has problems first will be unlucky. Rather than betting on luck like this, it is better to take advantage of this moment and make the first move."

A staff officer said: "General Liu, the document sent from Bianjing said that this year is the first year of Xuanhe."

I believe that the Xia army does not have much food and grass, and it is estimated that it can last for about ten days."

"Okay, it's the first year of Xuanhe. It's spring and February of the first year of Xuanhe. This battle lasted for four months, and the food and grass consumed was as vast as the sea. Guanzhong and Hedong prefectures and counties were exhausted.

What's more, the spring rainy season will come at any time. When there is a heavy rain, there may be landslides, roads may be cut off, food and grass may be cut off, and we will be trapped. "

We captured and took over more than 300,000 Xixia Fan and Han soldiers and civilians. These people all had to eat, which was another huge expense.

After a while, Liu Zhongwu said: "This war started at the end of October last year and has continued till now. It is now the second year of Chonghe reign."

On the contrary, we, the hundreds of thousands of horse infantry soldiers, have to transport horse chews from thousands of miles away. We also know the terrain and road conditions north of Yan'an Prefecture. If one stone of grain is transported up, there may only be one or two buckets left at the front line.

Wang Xun shook his head: "Xia Jun is short of food and grass, and our food and grass are not enough. After all, Xia Jun still has his back to the Lingzhou River, and is close to Jing, Ling, and Xingqing Mansion. He gritted his teeth and could still plunder some food. Ship it up.

Guo Zude said: "The Yanyan Road is not lucky. We can transport grain and grass from Hedong. The road to the east is completely smooth and there is no need to worry about transportation. Hedong is closer than Yanzhou and other places."

Liu Guozhang turned to the crowd and said, "They have clearly introduced the military situation. Let's discuss how to fight the current battle."

His words were echoed by many generals.

A victory in the battle lifted the spirits of all the generals of the Western Army.

"Before, we were cautious in field battles because our cavalry was at a disadvantage. Now we have more cavalry than Xia's army, and our mobility advantage lies with us. Why not make the first move?" Yao Gu shouted. "right!"

"Well said! We cavalry are not afraid of the Hexi family. We are afraid of being a bird and beating him up."

"The Xia army lost Yinzhou, Xiazhou and Youzhou in succession, and lost nearly one hundred thousand troops. Their vitality was severely damaged, and the morale of the army was shaken. If we don't fight now, then when will it be better!"

"Those who want to beat him up will take Yanzhou, annihilate all the Xia army, and go straight to Xingqing Mansion!"

The excited voices in the big tent rose and fell with each other, and morale was high.

"Capture Li Qianshun and Yelu Nanxian alive, put them in a cage car, and take them all the way from Xingqing Mansion to Bianjing!"

"If there is anything good about them, why not strip them naked and put them in a cage, so that the soldiers and civilians in the northwest can take a closer look and see what kind of character Li Yuanhao's children and grandchildren are."

"You damn Li Yuanhao, you too have today! Grandpa, Grandpa Zeng, Grandpa, Dad, have you seen it?"

There are hundreds of generals in the big tent, most of them are natives of the northwest. Their ancestors have fought bloody battles with the Xixia army for generations, and many of them bear blood feud.

Seeing that some generals were starting to go crazy, Zhong Shidao and Liu Zhongwu looked at each other and hurriedly spoke out.

"Quiet! This is the Chinese army's tent where military aircraft are being discussed. The Commander-in-Chief is standing above. You are so crazy and disrespectful. How unbecoming you are!"

After scolding a few words, all the generals woke up and turned to look at Liu Guozhang.

At this time, he was the god in everyone's hearts.

"Where is Xia Jun's iron kite?" Liu Guozhang asked.

"Maybe outside the west gate of Yanzhou, the specific location is unknown." Zhong Kui said quickly.

"Commander Jie, I believe that no matter where Xia Jun's iron kite is hiding, if he wants to launch a fatal blow to our army, he can only do it in the north of the city." Liu Jian pointed to a certain place on the map and said.

"To the west of the city are mountain ridges and ravines. Although the area to the east of the city is flat, it is densely covered with rocks, which is not conducive to heavy cavalry assaults. Therefore, my subordinates believe that only this area with flat and smooth terrain is suitable for using iron kites."

The Iron Harriers are the famous heavy cavalry of the Xixia Army. They number only three thousand and are divided into ten teams.

Choose brave men, ride on good horses, wear heavy armor, and be invulnerable to swords and arrows. Then use the hook and rope to twist the couplet, and the horse will not fall even if it is dead. In the event of a battle, they will be the first to break out of the formation. The formation will be chaotic and then the attack will be carried out. The infantry will advance with light cavalry.

In the Battle of Yongle City in the fifth year of Yuanfeng, the Xia army crossed the river with its iron kite army and defeated the Song army. Later, they fought again and again, and the Song army was even shadowed.

However, after many years of fighting, the Song army also knew that although Tie Yaozi was brave, he also had many limitations.

People and horses cannot last long. Due to terrain restrictions, they can go straight in and out, and it is difficult to turn around.
"The Xia army has iron kites, don't we?" Liu Guozhang said.

"Commander, are we going to use heavy cavalry against the Iron Kites?" a general asked in surprise.

"Heavy cavalry is used to defeat the enemy, not to counterattack. Iron kite! I have already prepared a big meal waiting for him." Liu Guozhang shook his head, "Everyone agrees, our army takes the initiative to attack . In this case, the battle will begin tomorrow morning, let’s discuss now how to defeat the Xia army!”

(End of this chapter)