A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 800 Ergou
The gate tower of Beishuiguan is huge, and Tongshui flows into the Yellow River from here. In fact, it forms a line of defense from east to west. From the gate tower, everyone watched for a long time, especially Fenglingdu on the opposite side.

In the past, it was a bustling place, with merchants coming and going from south to north every day, those who were on the road, those waiting for the ferry, those who pushed carts, those who drove animals, those who sat on boats and went boating.Like Dayu Ferry and Modi Ferry, they are famous ferries of the Yellow River.

However, it is quiet over there now, the boats gallop north and south, and the scene of cross-strait competition is gone, only a few military ships pass by to communicate.The guards on both sides of the strait have also become stricter in interrogation. Anyone who is on a ferry will be strictly interrogated, and anyone who is wrong will be detained.

Like Tartars, thieves also like to use time and space carefully, so they must be guarded against.

Wu Zhengchun put away the binoculars and said: "In the past, those who attacked Tongguan from the west mostly returned in front of the pass. We must be careful that they bypass the pass city from the opposite side of the Yellow River and go straight to the back of the pass."

Everyone nodded. In the history of Cao Cao and Ma Chao's battle, Tongguan could not go down, so Cao Cao bypassed the other side of the Yellow River, and finally captured Tongguan.

Sun Chuanting caressed Xu and said slowly: "There are official documents, Jin Fu Mao Degong has come to Fenglingdu urgently, as long as they guard the Yellow River, this governor will definitely be able to protect Tongguan."

Sun Chuanting is not very worried about the defense of the north. The water level of the Yellow River is high now, and the bandits cannot cross the river without boats. Cai Maode, the governor of Shanxi, can keep the Yellow River safe as long as he guards the crossings.As for the freezing of the Yellow River in winter, it was still early, and it was impossible for the bandits to wait until that time.

The crowd continued to patrol east along the city wall. The table was flat and firm, paved with ashlar strips and blue bricks, and the city wall was very wide.The width of Xi'an's city wall is 18 to [-] meters, and its thickness is greater than its height. The width of Tongguan city wall is wider than that of Xi'an city wall.

Because it is not only a city wall, but also a dam to prevent the Yellow River from flooding Guancheng.

Walking along the wall to the east, the terrain gradually rises. The section from the small north gate to the east is actually built according to the Qilin Mountain, and the crenels are cut.Especially the "Ying'en Gate" at the east gate, the archery tower and the main tower are built on the hillside.

The hillside is steep, and the bottom of the slope is the bank of the Yellow River, which is only a few dozen steps away from the water of the Yellow River.If even the slopes are counted as the city wall, the height of this section of the city wall is more than ten feet, and the enemy army will not have the courage to climb the wall when they see it.

Sun Chuanting and others entered the East Gate Tower, where the city tower is called "Ying'en Gate", the Weng City is called "Zhanzi Department", and the archery tower is called "Natural Security Tower".The three archery towers are outside, and the five towers are inside, forming the pattern of an urn city. These archery towers are like many windows opened on the walls of houses, effectively covering the soldiers guarding the towers.

Looking from the Tianxian Tower, the official road from Xi'an passes through the city and exits along the archery tower. Then the official road runs close to the base of the wall, winds along the hillside to the foot of the mountain, and then descends to Yuanwanggou. The side is completely exposed to the eyes of the defenders.

The city wall built on the mountain, with the rolling wood and rocks on it, poured down along the mountain, and the enemy army coming from the official road, a single rolling log could roll down a large area.

Xiongguan Huju refers to the East Gate Tower of Tongguan City, just like a tiger squatting on the Qilin mountainside.The north of the city tower is the Yellow River, and from the east to the south is the Qilin Mountain. The city wall winds along the mountain, and the southeast is adjacent to the Yuanwanggou.

And this official road goes all the way to the east gate, and it is the only gate to enter the customs from the east. There is no other way to go.This pass is said to be the east gate, but it is actually on the bank of the Yellow River, just like Tongguan City has three north gates.

At this time, on the upper wall, there are patrolling soldiers coming and going. Tongguan guard is Zhang Eryou, the tenth generation commander of Tongguan Guard. He is tall and plump, good at riding and shooting. Thousands of soldiers, more than 100 soldiers.

He said to Sun Chuanting: "When the general learned that the thieves were coming, he stepped up his defense and searched for the refugees. Due to the shortage of troops, the forts outside the city and the twelve cities could not be taken into account. Fortunately, General Yang hussars, the thieves cannot pass Look into the ditch."

As a guard station, Tongguan can also be regarded as a guard city, and the forts outside the city, Huodun, etc., are where thousands of households are located.Some guards were farming and fighting, and it was fine to guard their own castle alone. It would be embarrassing for them to go out to drive out the thieves and sentry cavalry.

Although Zhang Eryou has [-] soldiers, they are actually less than [-] soldiers. Most of them are infantry. Even if they send some Ma Jiading, most of them cannot compare with the sentry cavalry of the bandits. They mainly play the role of leading the way. The chasseurs and hussars led by my grandfather.

Zhang Eryou's temperament is quiet, recently the proud Lord Tiger has become friends with him, but the big enemy is coming, seeing Zhang Eryou as if nothing happened, Sun Chuanting was a little displeased, so he hummed lightly.

Looking at the Yellow River, he thought to himself, the passages coming from the west gate are quite advantageous, the bandits cannot gather in large numbers, but our side can shoot and kill them in large numbers. Nothing to worry about.

He waved his hand, and everyone continued to walk southward. They walked higher and higher along the city wall towards Qilin Mountain. At this time, the steps and the city wall were quite sloped, and there were many towers and barracks in the mountain, and even some temples.The stone-step pavement extends in all directions on the mountain. Looking into the city, there are many cornices and barriers, and there are many streets and alleys.

Tongguan is a huge and powerful pass. The city is more than 20 miles away. There are thousands of acres of fields along the Tonghe River in the city. .

The Qilin Mountain at the foot is an important defensive site, guarding the east and southeast of Tongguan. Looking from the city wall, the city wall and the mountain are integrated into one, undulating according to the terrain.

Moreover, the slope of Qilin Mountain under the wall is quite peculiarly decorated. It is not a slope like an ordinary mountain hill, but the slope is in the shape of steps, and each step is like steps.

This is naturally to increase the protection of the mountain. The mountain is slope-shaped, and some brave enemies may rush to the bottom of the city wall in one go. However, the steepness of each step is still two or three meters away... …

Let's talk about climbing up first. After climbing the first step, there is still another step. When we climb to the bottom of the city wall, the defenders of the city wall have killed them many times.

And in this situation, no ladder can be built.

Standing on the city wall, you can already see the high and deep Yuanwanggou at the foot of the mountain. The official road that communicates between Shaanxi and Henan goes down the ditch, and then goes up the ditch.

Everyone looked at the opposite side, looking at the opposite side of the ditch, the Niutouyuan towered and spread on the right side of the road, the high cliff near the Yellow River, and the loess alley slope in the middle.Then the official road splits from Huangxiangban after going up the ditch, forming a narrow and steep passage, several miles long, connecting to Jinduguan, the first pass of Tongguan.

Looking at that side, a staff member couldn't help but said: "The five-mile secret door is dangerous and solid, and the belt is easy to defend. If the bandits attack this way, our division can set up an ambush at Niutouyuan. It will be as good as it was at that time." Like Hu Bing at Hangu Pass..."

Sun Chuanting shook his head: "It's easy to ambush soldiers here, but burglars are not so stupid!"

Wen Shiyan also sighed: "The lower officials also think that the thieves will not attack from Jindou Pass!... Tongguan is built on the east, southeast, and north sides of the mountain and stands by the water. When we get to the city, how do we line up our troops? So..."

Everyone said in unison: "They will definitely cross Niutouyuan, spy on Yuanwanggou, and even enter Linzhiyuan..."

Gao Xun looked to the south, and said decisively: "Recovering Long, and looking at Shu, if they attack Linzhiyuan, they will also attack the forbidden ditch, and try to go around to the west city!"

The situation of Tongguan is that there are Qinling barriers tens of miles to the south, the Yellow River natural moat to the north, and Huashan Mountain to the west. The city is actually located on a plain.

However, for thousands of years, due to the cutting of Qinling streams and the erosion of floods, many broken and messy original faces with ravines and ravines have been formed, which are great obstacles to transportation and military use.Digging trenches on the plain can be used to stop the enemy. The uncanny workmanship of nature has created Tongguan's peculiar terrain.

The Qinling Mountains in the south are difficult to cross, and the Yellow River in the north is difficult to cross. Then the streams flowing from the Qinling Mountains to the Yellow River have created many valleys.Most of these valleys run north-south, just blocking the road from Henan to Shaanxi.

Roughly counting, there are nearly a thousand gullies running north-south in Tongguan, and more than ten gullies that are ten miles long, cutting a plain into pieces.Many places are still high and low, and there is a gap.

There are ravines everywhere, the original high ravines are deep, and the hills and valleys are undulating. Of course, such a terrain is not easy to walk.

Just like the Loess Plateau, there are thousands of ravines. Walking on the plain, a deep valley suddenly appears on the good ground in front of you.Unless you have crossed a deep valley, if you make a detour, it will most likely take a few days to look forward to the death of the original run.

Perhaps a person with a single horse and a brave person can climb over slowly, but with luggage carts and horses, can those who pull luggage fly over these ditches that appear from time to time?
Some valleys even have a drop of hundreds of feet, so roads are needed.

Hangu Pass is actually the same terrain. Chou Sang Plain extends northward to the bank of the Yellow River, and the Yellow River flows by the original bank, connecting the two phases without gaps.There are many gullies on the plain, the drop is generally hundreds of feet high, and the riverside is even more towering, so the East-West Avenue can only cross the Chousang Plain, and there is no other way.

It also happens that there is a deep ditch that can be used as a passage, which makes the Hangu Ancient Road dangerous. Standing under the ditch and looking up to the original, the valley is deep and the cliffs are steep, the mountains are high and the road is narrow. In essence, Tongguan and Hangu Pass are all loess. The continuation of the plateau topography.

Later, the Yellow River cut down, and there was a beach near the river at the northern end of Chousangyuan. Travelers in the past could walk on the beach instead of crossing the same place.

The advantages of Tongguan, in addition to the Qinling Mountains and the Yellow River, are also more reflected in the valleys. The most advantageous valleys are two, one is the Yuanwang Valley and the other is the Forbidden Valley.

Yuanwanggou is just under Tongguan, at the foot of Qilin Mountain in the southeast of the city, connecting the Yellow River to the north, and extending towards the Qinling Mountains in the south, with a length of more than 20 miles.

Then, about five miles west of the ditch, there is a parallel ditch, which is the forbidden ditch.

This ditch is deeper and longer, connecting Haochayukou in the Qinling Mountains in the south and Shimen Pass in the south of Tongguan City in the north. Door.

The past dynasties also realized the importance of the forbidden ditch to Tongguan. On both sides of the ditch, many beacon towers were built, one every three miles, and there were twelve supporting cities, called Twelve Linked Cities.

Usually business travel is prohibited, pedestrians are prohibited from passing by, and it is also prohibited to cut down trees in the ditch, so together with Qinling and Tongguan, it forms a solid line of defense that birds cannot cross.

The original place between the two ditches is called Linzhiyuan by the locals, also known as Nanyuan. This flat land is located in the south of Tongguan, about 20 miles long and four or five miles wide. In the old days, it was mostly Tongguan defenders The place where grain is stored and wheat is grown, there are also some guard villages gathered on the plain.

From military considerations, by guarding Yuanwanggou and Forbidden Valley, the enemy cannot sneak into Shaanxi, let alone go around the west gate, Tongguan city will not be besieged, and reinforcements, food and grass from the hinterland of Shaanxi can provide continuous support. .

Therefore, the Ergou is very important, and the continuous connection with Tongguan makes the city as strong as gold. Therefore, "those who guard the pass but not the forbidden ditch, keep it like a guard, and those who guard the forbidden ditch instead of building the Twelve Linked City are not good at keeping it. The city is especially good. In a room, the door is closed to prevent the birds from entering, and the door is forgotten to be closed."

In history, Tang general Tian Lingzi led [-] soldiers to guard. Huang Chao secretly crossed Yuanwanggou, then crossed the forbidden valley, went around the back of the city, captured Tongguan, and went straight to Chang'an.

If Li Zicheng wanted to use the crowd tactics, he had no choice but to attack Linzhiyuan and besiege the South Gate, Nanshui Gate, and Shangnan Gate. Otherwise, if he only wanted to attack the East Gate and North Gate, he would definitely lose.

It's just that the thieves have experienced battles, and they can think of anything they can think of.

Everyone hurried to the upper south gate, which is still a part of Qilin Mountain. The city gate is called "Lingyun Gate". To the west of the city wall is the lower south gate "Yingxun Gate" and Nanshui Pass.

As far as the terrain is concerned, going up to the south gate is quite dangerous. If you split the sloping land as the city gate, it is as difficult to attack as the east gate.

The Lower South Gate is basically on a flat ground, and the Nanshui Pass is relatively slow. However, the west section of the city wall of Nanshui Pass has been connected to Phoenix Mountain. If the bandits cross the Yuanwanggou, the main attack should be the Xia The south gate is gone.

Of course, even if you attack the south gate, it is not so easy to fight. The city wall is as high as four feet, and the horse face stands up, which increases the defensive ability of the city section, and only attacking one city gate will make the intruders huge. His troops are useless.

So they should still attack the South Gate and Nanshui Pass. Although the South Gate is dangerous, it is better than the East Gate. The South Tong River is not deep at the Nanshui Pass, and the thieves should step on the river to attack the pass.

They might also attack the Forbidden Ditch and try to get around the back of the city, if they can lay down the Yuanwang Ditch first.

"It is estimated that the intruders will cross the Niutouyuan, cross the original side of various ravines, and go up to the plain facing the soldiers. No matter how difficult it is to go there, it is better than going through the Jindou Pass to enter the east gate. They can only manage hundreds of thousands of soldiers... Only then can we use superior forces to attack Yuanwanggou, and after entering Linzhiyuan, we can attack the city and the defense line of the forbidden ditch at the same time..."

Gao Xun said thoughtfully.

The ravines on the opposite side, the original surface is patchy, but the villagers walk all year round, there are always some small roads for traffic, and there are many thieves, so it is not difficult to expand the road... Only when the flat and huge original land on the other side of the ditch can be used They can lay down their forces and attack calmly.

And if you go through Jindouguan and enter the east gate, the narrow and dangerous road that is several miles long, the officers and soldiers are too easy to set up an ambush, and the intruder will definitely end up in the end of Ge Shuhan. This point, they must have thought of it.

Everyone agreed with Gao Xun's opinion, and a member of staff said: "So, our division's first line of defense is Yuanwanggou, and we must not allow thieves to enter Nanyuan."

This piece of southern land in front of me has a wide field of vision. The flat ground extends southward to the Qinling Mountains. The width of the original land between the east and west ditches is also several miles. There are many castle villages scattered on it, and some wheat is sparsely planted around it. It is Tongguan. An important place to store grain in Weiwei.

Looking at this place, Sun Chuanting was overwhelmed. At that time, Yang Ge's department set up a strategy of "spreading nets on four sides and six corners on ten sides". The intruders were forced into Tongguan by Cao Bianjiao and others. Triple ambush.

The intruders were in ambush, and almost the entire army was wiped out in the battle of Nanyuan, with corpses piling up like a mountain. In the end, only [-] cavalry broke out and fled into Shangluo Mountain.

At that time, the intruders were panicked like a bereaved dog. Unexpectedly, a few years later, they would rise again and take the initiative to attack Tongguan.

His eyes looked at a small fort about two miles southeast of the south gate. The fort was built on a slightly higher plain. The locals called it Dongyuan, and it was also close to Yuanwanggou. He had some impressions of this fort and pondered. Said: "Is that Taojiazhuang?"

Zhang Eryou said: "I report to the governor, yes, there are three hundred guards in this castle, guarding an official road coming from the opposite side of the ditch."

There are many small roads across the ditch from Yuanwang ditch, and there are some official roads in it. Some fortresses were built along the edge of the ditch to protect these vital points.

Wu Zhengchun said: "Sun Du, Taojiazhuang is extremely advantageous. Our division will bombard it in the west, and the upper south gate will also respond with cannons. The bandits will not be able to attack the upper south gate. On the contrary, if Taojiazhuang is captured by thieves, From a high position, you can peep into my pass, and you can even launch artillery bombardment."

Sun Chuanting nodded with a serious expression. He could see the weight of the castle at a glance, and said, "Let's go out and have a look!"

……

A group of people rode their horses out of the upper south gate like a whirlwind, and first rushed to Taojiazhuang Fort from the original place. The castle has been in disrepair for a long time. It is full of messy weeds.

On the north and south sides of the fort, there are some hard wild jujube thorns, and then there are some wheat fields scattered high and low. Many of the defenders inside are hoeing on the plateau. They say they are soldiers, but they are actually more like farmers. .

Seeing Sun Chuanting and others coming, he just looked at them numbly without any reaction.

Wu Zhengchun and Gao Xun shook their heads, while Sun Chuanting's face was livid. The bandits are coming, and they are still digging?
Zhang Eryou's expression was helpless. It was good for these guard soldiers to be able to farm the land. After all, there was no food or wages for them in the guard. If they planted some land, they could support their families to some extent.Although I have made repeated orders and repeated orders, but livelihood is important, the soldiers of the guards can only focus on their eyes.

When the local general manager got the news, he hurried over from the field. He was covered in dirt and looked like an old village head. When he saw Sun Chuanting, he knelt down and said in a trembling voice: "I have seen the governor...the governor..."

His teeth were chattering, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence. Sun Chuanting gave him a cold look and said, "There are hundreds of thousands of thieves, and they are approaching Tongguan. You don't want to defend yourself, but stay outside the city." Playing... someone, cut him off!"

Immediately two guards came out and were about to drag him up. Mr. Qian's face was ashen, and the surrounding guards were still watching numbly. Only a few women burst into tears. They might be relatives of Mr. Qian's family.

Sun Chuanting's staff watched indifferently, the enemy was in front of him, and Qian Zong didn't think about defense, so it was only natural that he was beheaded.Zhang Eryou wanted to beg for mercy, but before he could speak, Sun Chuanting waved his hand to stop him, but Wen Shiyan laughed: "The enemy is at hand, and the general is unknown, Sun Du might as well spare his life."

Wu Zhengchun also gave Mr. Qian a sympathetic look: "This is a long-standing malpractice in the guard, and it is justifiable. Please forgive Sun Duwang."

Everyone in the Jingbian army begged for mercy, and their descendant Sun Chuanting had to give it to him. He gave Mr. Qian a hard look: "Then beat him with twenty army sticks, and beat him hard!"

Amidst the crackling of military sticks and screams, Sun Chuanting and others entered Taojiazhuang, which was a typical refugee camp, with more elephant villages than elephant barracks. Guns, some of which were rusted from poor care.

But other than that, the location of this castle is excellent. Standing on the west tower, Tongguan City can be seen vividly. You can even see a lot of movement in the city. Most of Tongguan City is in your eyes. It can be said that it is condescending and occupies a good location.

Gao Xun said: "The soldiers in the guard are unusable, all the soldiers in the city must be replaced, and the defense equipment must be added. In the west city, some general guns must be installed."

Sun Chuanting nodded approvingly. The location of the fort is really good. Under the east gate is Yuanwanggou. An official road passes through the south gate, goes around the slope of the east gate, turns and winds along the hillside, and finally reaches the plain opposite the ditch. .

It can be said that this road is completely under threat from the east and south of the Taojiazhuang defenders.To the west of the city, it can echo with the upper south gate of Tongguan, but first of all, all the sergeants guarding the fort must be replaced, otherwise the thieves are very likely to go down in one go.

Everyone looked at the east gate. In front of the gate, the loess wall stands in the distance, grass and trees are mixed, winding away towards the Qinling Mountains. On the opposite side is the Datai Plain. It varies, some are more than 100 steps, and some are as many as one or two miles.

The slopes are different, some are deep and steep and difficult to climb, while others are gentler and easier to pass.In these gentle ditches, there are faint paths that can be walked, winding, and there are even some wheat fields and vegetable fields under the ditch.

After all, the bottom of the ditch is wetter than the original, and there is more or less water in the ditch. Of course, if there is a flood, everything will be washed away.

As for the slopes on both sides of the ditch, there are many terraced tea fields, most of which are masterpieces of nature and are natural.A small part is man-made. The local defenders reclaim some terraced fields or vegetable fields on the slopes for their livelihood and for defense considerations.

In this first-tier terrain, the mountain road winds under the steps, and the defenders can attack the enemy troops on the road from the side on the steps. It is still layered and three-dimensional firepower, just like a bastion defense.

On the opposite site, there are vaguely some fire road piers, which are part of the Twelve Linked City system.

Sun Chuanting looked at the other side for a while, took out his own bow and arrow from his waist, it was a three-stone strong bow, took another carved feather arrow and put it on the bow, pulled it full moon, and shot it out with a whoosh sound, and shot it to the opposite plain.

The staff around him all applauded, Sun Chuanting also had a look of color on his face, Wu Zhengchun also nodded, only Gao Xun smiled and remained silent.

A staff member said loudly: "Looking at the direction of the arrow, the distance between the two plains here is quite close, about 100 steps away. Our division can place artillery on the east gate and bombard the opposite side to prevent it from gathering troops. Judging from the terrain, this official road must be a place for intruders to attack."

Everyone agreed, and at this moment, some horses neighed faintly from the opposite side, but several horses were chasing on the plain, one was running, and several were chasing.Then there was a bang, and smoke rose. It seemed that the running knight turned his head and shot the gun, and the horse behind him fell off.

However, the more rogue cavalry there are, the Huoludun defenders on the opposite side are completely unable to drive away the rogue sentry cavalry who are spying. It is all thanks to the hunting cavalry and hussars under the command of Lord Tiger that the rogue cavalry cannot enter Nanyuan to spy.

Sun Chuanting snorted and said, "Look along the side of the ditch."

……

Everyone galloped along the side of the Yuanwang Ditch. According to the terrain, the Jingbian army's fans kept counting the number of flat places in the ditch, how many trails could cross the ditch, and the estimated number of troops needed for defense.

Seeing that Sun Chuanting nodded secretly, the staff system of the Jingbian Army considered everything to the greatest extent, and based on this, even if they won't win a big battle, they won't lose a big one.

(End of this chapter)