Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 524

Yang Zaixing looked up at the hot sun in the sky, took out a leather pouch from his arms and handed it to Zhao Xingde, "Let's try this!" Zhao Xingde took it, and sniffed it to his nose. It smelled faintly of wine and aroma. "Grains?" There was a strange look on his face. If it wasn't special, drinking alcohol was forbidden in the army, especially in suppressing gangsters. If Marquis Yu found out, it would be light to eat a military stick.Yang Zaixing urged: "Take a bite."

A few soldiers of the Tabai Battalion around looked at him with half a smile on their faces.

Zhao Xingde took a sip, and a stream of sweet and sour syrup flowed through his internal organs, his mouth was filled with fluid, his spirits lifted, and he praised: "Not bad!" Ma Rui took a sip from the leather pouch, wiped his mouth, and laughed: "Is this stuff considered wine?" Yang Zaixing took a big gulp himself, and said with a smile, "It's all about quenching thirst and hunger."After this trip, everyone's spirits recovered a little, and it seemed that they could still catch up with the distance of more than 20 miles.

Encountering a clear stream ahead, Zhao Xingde suggested: "Let's take a break first." Although he was burning with anxiety, he knew very well the principle of "haste makes waste", and every time before Yang Zaixing and Ma Rui, he proposed to let his subordinates rest and maintain their health. break horsepower.Galloping hundreds of miles from Jiangzhou, although a few horses fell dead, in general, the condition of more than a thousand cavalry is not bad.

"Dismount—" "Rest—" Ma Rui and Yang Zaixing ordered loudly.

Although the cavalrymen were extremely tired, they still tried their best to lead the horses to a cool place by the roadside. They first took out oily wheat cakes from their travel bags to feed the horses, and then went to the roadside to fetch clean water for the horses to drink.The war horses of the Tabai Camp are all selected good horses, only such horses can run well with heavy loads.But ordinary forage cannot be eaten at all, and drinking unclean water will also damage the stomach.Because good horses are extremely precious, Yue Fei established a military regulation in the township, strictly forbidding cavalry to feed the horses with weeds and dirty water, and those who caused the horses to get sick and die would be beheaded without mercy.Although the rules of the Baoyi Army were not so strict, the cavalry took good care of their horses, so they took out their dry rations from their saddlebags and sat cross-legged on the ground to chew.

Gong Liuyi was also courageous, took a sip of rice wine, and said to his companions beside him: "I heard that Xiangyang's [-] troops are going south. We have so few people returning to help, it's not enough for them to fill their teeth." In Ezhou, many people are worried.

"Scary, we have General Zhao here," Lin San curled his lips, disapproving, "It's worth a hundred thousand troops." He leaned over and 'touched' the neck of the mount, and shook his hand in a heartache Sweat, "Is Brother Tiemu powerful? From the north to the south, the Xijing Daying, Hedong Daying, and Southeast Daying are all scared like a mouse seeing a cat's silk, but are you scared when you meet us?"

"That's right," Xin Dan said with a grin regardless of the chapped lips, "General Zhao leads the troops, it's like catching soybeans, don't worry about it? Once you grab it, it's a handful, and you can throw it out." He is a good fighter. I know there is nothing else in Ezhou, but there are a lot of regiment training in the prefecture and county. No matter how many troops come from Xiangyang, as long as General Zhao's banner is played, Ezhou will be as stable as Mount Tai."

Gong Liuyi had a half-smile on his face, turned his eyes to the side, did not speak, and swallowed the rice balls with rice wine.

Among the vanguard troops to aid Hubei this time, one commanded the Jingqi of the Baoyi Army, and the other commanded the cavalry of the Tabai Battalion.Gong Liuyi belonged to the Suppression Army, while Lin San and Xin Dan belonged to the Baoyi Army.Since the Battle of Fangzhou, the Baoyi Army has transformed from a mob into a strong force that can be on par with the Zhenjiang Army in World War I, and everyone treats General Zhao like a god.And Zhao Xingde was also dubbed by the scholars and common people as "good at leading soldiers" and "the more the better", the scholars verbally added the word "miscellaneous" in front of the word "soldier", as if no matter what the material, when it came to Zhao Xingde's touch is like turning a stone into gold.The word of mouth spread so well that even those prefectural and county battalions who were next to the Baoyi Army believed in it.In the Battle of Xiaoshan Paobai, many stockades in prefectures and counties were also raided by Liao army cavalry, but the township soldiers were able to defend the stockade desperately and did not disperse in a crowd.It is a miracle that the township soldiers can fight the battle to this extent, compared with the defeat of many officers and soldiers in front of Liao Qi.

"Mr. Zhao has culture and martial arts. In the future, the court will bring peace to the world. If rude people like Lao Yang are sent to Nanshan, Mr. Zhao will become a general and become a prime minister. Don't forget your old friend." There is a hint of depression.The generals of the Baoyi Army called Zhao Xingde "Mr." in private, and Yang Zaixing was also influenced by him without knowing it.Unlike others who fear the Khitan like a tiger, Yang Zaixing believes that the barbarians' luck is not long, and heroes from the Central Plains will emerge in large numbers.But at that time, it may be like the Taizu Dynasty, the military power will be released, the elite soldiers will be disarmed, and the rest of their lives will be wasted.

"Don't worry, General Yang," Zhao Xingde said, shaking his head, "After this catastrophe, the imperial court should have made some progress, and won't blindly suppress martial arts and cultivate literature."

"Let's fight to the death on the battlefield, the yamen is in charge of seals." Yang Zaixing smiled, and handed the water bag to Zhao Xingde, "Before leaving Ezhou, I heard that the Jiangzhou battle has not yet been fought, and the Ministry of War has a list of meritorious service It’s ready. Chen Xianggong is in the middle to coordinate, the military department’s credit for strategizing, Yue Shumi, General Han, and you, Mr. Zhao’s command, all of them have not escaped.” He is somewhat knowledgeable, well-informed, and natural. "Hao Mai, actually told Zhao Xingde about these things in the yamen, just because he recognized him as a friend and met frankly.

After the words came out, he remembered that Zhao Xingde was not born in a reckless way. Yang Zaixing also felt a little regretful, and changed his words and asked: "Wait for the Liao dog to get out of the Central Plains, welcome back..." He frowned, "Welcome back to the Holy Majesty Finally, Mr. Zhao, what are your plans?"

"Me?" Zhao Xingde was taken aback, he thought for a while, he came to this world, driven by the current situation, wandering, going south and north, thinking about it carefully, he has gone through a lot of big things, but really few of them are his own He "planned" to do it, he pondered for a moment, and sighed, "If the world is really peaceful, find a place to set up a tent and teach disciples to preach." , the generals all set up good farmland and beautiful houses, with singing and dancing girls, to provide for their lives. If General Yang has that day, don’t forget to teach poorly.”

Yang Zaixing was taken aback for a moment, Fang Xingde realized that Zhao Xingde was making fun of him, spit out, and said in a low voice with a smile: "What is there? If there is no restraint by the court, Yang will go and enjoy himself." He looked at Zhao Xingde, He wasn't surprised to see him, and he smiled again, "Mr. Teacher doesn't go to the fields or to the mountains. There is wine and meat on the lips. I will open a refreshment stall next to your teaching stall, selling some herbal tea, meat, steamed buns, and the like. At that time, Mr. Zhao will definitely come to take care of the business." The two talked about what they had and what they didn't, and their minds were full of worries, and their fatigue gradually subsided.

Seeing that the horsepower had almost rested, Yang Zaixing made a complaint, stood up abruptly, and said loudly: "Let's go! Settling down in Huangzhou tonight!" With this order, more than a thousand cavalry mounted their horses one after another, and soon they galloped again. Only a cloud of dust remains.

............

On the surface of the Ezhou River, several iron cables were hung high, and countless warships of all sizes gathered a few miles away from the opposite side of the iron cables.Ships shuttle back and forth, constantly transporting people from Xiangyang to the other side of the river.Hanyang City, which was bombarded so helplessly, also set up dozens of artillery pieces. Although the number and power cannot be compared with the Han army's gunboats, once the gunboats get too close to Hanyang, they will be bombarded immediately. .

Cao Di stared at the three gunboats across the river. Before the iron chains were hung up, the three boats almost ran amok on the river due to their strong hulls and fierce artillery fire.Fortunately, the iron chain temporarily restricted the movement of the gunboat, and the brigade was able to travel freely in the upper reaches of Ezhou.Cao Di's gaze turned to the city wall of Ezhou, where a group of archers and crossbowmen formed a neat array of arrows below the city of Ezhou. With every order, thousands of arrows shot through the air, and the arrows fell on the top of the city like raindrops, densely packed. The arrow feathers are full of gray and white, and the city walls of Ezhou are like hedgehogs.The soldiers approached the city like Mount Tai, but Chen Dong and his group of traitors have not surrendered yet.

"Within three days, Ezhou must be conquered." Cao Di said coldly.

"Yes!" The general in the tent did not dare to raise his head.Although Cao Jieshuai's tone was flat, it was much more frightening than scolding.Cao Di regarded himself as a Confucian general, and in the army he had always been light in fur. Although he was going into battle in person, he wore armor and a saber hanging from his waist, which was unusual.

No one expected that the Liao Emperor Yelu Dashi immediately sent troops to attack Xiangyang as soon as the army marched south.The Liao army envoys attacked fiercely on one side and planned on three sides.No one would have thought that Liu Jieshuai could not survive for three days under the bombardment of hundreds of thousands of catties of iron barrel guns by the Liao army and the elite Jurchen navy for days and nights, so he abandoned the city and fled under the guard of more than [-] elite soldiers At that time, there was only one empty city left in Xiangyang, and the remaining general Li Qiong opened the city gate the next day and lowered Yelu Dashi.Now the cavalry of the Liao army is chasing death and chasing the north, and I am afraid that they will come to Ezhou in a few days. If Ezhou has not been captured by then, the Xiangyang army may have to fight the Liao army in the wild.Thinking of such a scene, the generals felt chills down their spines.

Because the gunboats blocked the river, the Xiangyang army had to go ashore upstream, and then went straight to the outskirts of Ezhou from land.The obstruction of water and land not only delays time, but also prevents the iron barrel siege guns weighing tens of thousands of catties from being transported to the city of Ezhou as expected.Since the waterway is not completely controlled by one's own side, Ezhou City cannot be surrounded to death.Under the pressure of the situation, the Xiangyang army had no choice but to adopt the method of attacking the city with ants attached to the city. From the battalion to the command, they offered generous rewards for conquering Ezhou, hoping to overwhelm those defending Ezhou with the method of sacrificing human life. State and county soldiers.In the eyes of regular court officers and soldiers, these people should have no resistance.