The Summoning of the Troubled Times at the End of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 504 Surprise Attack on Chen County
After several days of marching, the troops of Xue Dingshan and Liu Rengui who had divided up their troops to fight the rebellion had already left Jiangling.

Then he went south by boat, crossed Dongting Lake and Yudong Gorge, and entered the boundary of Xiangzhou.

Immediately afterwards, the governor of Xiangzhou received the two armies outside Changsha City. After a short rest, the two armies left separately.

Among them, Liu Rengui headed southeast from Hengyang County to Nanhai County in the south of Lingnan, so as to cut off the connection between Yang Xiuqing and Hong Xiuquan.

As for Xue Dingshan, he entered Lingling County from the southwest, and then went south through Guiyang to support Wang Xuance.

It is only said that because of the consideration of Wang Xuance's military strength, Xue Dingshan was very anxious along the way and ordered the whole army to gallop at double speed.

After walking for a long time, Xue Dingshan slowly said to his lovely wife Fan Lihua beside him: "Lihua, you said that the Taiping Army suddenly invaded our Daqi frontier without warning."

"Is there really no conspiracy? Why do I always have an ominous premonition in my heart at this time?"

Hearing that, beside him was also wearing a fiery red robe, with an enchanting figure, holding a beautiful velvet knife, and his majesty was as majestic as Xue Dingshan.

Looking carefully, she also has a heroic spirit of being in charge of the army and commanding the three armies. It can be said that she is a heroine who can conquer and fight well.

It's no wonder that Fan Lihua can be listed as one of the "Four Great Heroines" in history. '

Hearing this, Fan Lihua sighed bitterly, and slowly tried to persuade her: "Husband, don't worry too much, our army has been rapidly increasing its speed during this journey."

"Even if the Taiping Army has any conspiracy, it should be thinking about how to target the king's governor, not our army."

"It's just that Governor Yue told us before leaving that Zhong Hui has already led Chen County's [-] troops to go south earlier."

"Presumably by now, we should have agreed with Wang Dudu, husband, don't be so worried!"

"At this stage, our army should arrive in Cangwu territory as soon as possible. The right way is to assist Wang Dudu against the main force of the Taiping Army."

It has to be said that Fan Lihua is worthy of being a marshal once, and this awareness of the overall strategic situation can be seen.

Seeing this, Xue Dingshan couldn't help sighing bitterly, but also came back to his senses, and continued to lead the march.

"Maybe Lihua is right, I should be worried, right?"

For a moment, Xue Dingshan couldn't help thinking deeply in his heart, discarding some unnecessary distracting thoughts.

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Fengchuan City, at this time, after Wang Xuance knew that the stream and Duanshui defense lines were undefendable, he withdrew his entire army to defend here.

Since the mountains around here are steep and the terrain is complex, it is an important pass for defense.

Therefore, before the war, in order to be on the safe side, Wang Xuance had constructed a second line of defense after Xishui and Duanshui as early as this time.

Now, Wang Xuance is patrolling with his sword in hand, calling on his sergeants to continue to strengthen the defense line to meet the next onslaught of the enemy.

Because of this time Wang Xuance and the lessons learned from the Taiping Army, he deliberately hollowed out some soil around the defense line.

Its purpose is to create a vacuum outside the line of defense to minimize the power caused by the catapult.

It can be said that the defense line of Fengchuan constructed by Wang Xuance with a lot of painstaking efforts, is not inferior to the defense line of Xishui at all, or even surpasses it!

The reason why Wang Xuance didn't directly defend here at the first time was that he planned to use the stream line of defense to consume the enemy's strength first.

However, this move was directly broken by its catapult and other heavy weapons.

Secondly, Wang Xuance did not have the idea of ​​testing the current combat strength of the Taiping Army.

Ever since Gao Qi solemnly sent the letter, Wang Xuance has attached great importance to the Tianping Army, and dare not be careless in the slightest!
Suddenly, on the way of Wang Xuance's patrol, a member of the school rushed over and clasped his fists and said, "Captain, Commander!"

"Good news, the reinforcements sent by King Qi have arrived here!"

"It was General Zhong Hui under Yue Du's tent leading an army of [-] galloping here to support our army."

"Zhonghui?"

"It seems that this time King Qi is no longer limited to self-protection, but is going to eliminate the Taiping Army's rule in Lingnan in one fell swoop and pacify Lingnan."

Then again, Wang Xuance really deserves to be called an outstanding diplomat, and his ability to figure out his mind is really not something to brag about.

Gao Qi's plan can be deduced only from Gao Qi's deployment of troops and generals.

Hearing this, the small principal who reported to him asked, "Captain, why are you so sure?"

"Ha ha!"

"Of course it's because of the reinforcements who came to support us this time. King Qi sent a letter to Bendu with a pigeon."

"This time he also ordered Xue Dingshan and Liu Rengui, who won the first prize in the imperial examination in the autumn, to lead the southern expedition and cooperate with our army."

"Actually, this time the Taiping Army aggressively invaded our Daqi border, and its scale was no more than [-] troops."

"If the King of Qi was only prepared to defend, he probably wouldn't have mobilized his forces so much. Judging from the situation, he is probably planning to use this opportunity to attack the enemy."

After laughing out loud, Wang Xuance gave a simple explanation, and then went to warmly welcome the arrival of Zhong Hui's army in person.

When the two met, there was a lot of politeness, and after careful consideration, Wang Xuance asked Zhong Hui to be responsible for the defense of the mountain with Fengchuan at his back.

"Nephew Zhong Xian, with your help now, even if there is a major change in the combat power of the Taiping Army, the enemy army will inevitably perish!"

"As long as we wait for reinforcements from other areas of our army, our army can take advantage of the counterattack and pacify Lingnan in one fell swoop."

For Wang Xuance, at this time, he is also extremely eager to make contributions.

In Qi State, no matter what your origin is, as long as you can make military achievements, you will have a chance to counterattack.

This measure can be said to have greatly stimulated the people's desire for war under his rule.

It is only said that after everything was ready for the Fengchuan defense line, the huge Taiping Army arrived under the personal command of Eastern King Yang Xiuqing.

After a short rest, the Taiping Army launched a fierce attack early the next morning without saying anything.

First of all, he used the catapult to throw stones massively. He wanted to smash the enemy's heart with the tactic of stone artillery, but the miraculous effect was minimal!
Because, due to the barrier of a vacuum zone, the casualties of the Qi army were almost reduced to the minimum.

Seeing that the power of the catapult had failed, Dongwang Yang Xiuqing couldn't help showing a stern look, drew out the sharp sword in his waist, and shouted: "All the army obeys the order and attacks!"

All of a sudden, a group of Taiping soldiers galloped forward and launched a strong attack on the defense line around Fengchuan.

First of all, of course, Zhonghui, who was stationed at the mountain range, was attacked, but because the Qi army was well prepared, it still resisted the almost fatal attack of the Taiping army.

For a while, there was a fierce offensive and defensive stalemate between the two armies, and the battle situation would not be able to tell the winner for a while.

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Guiyang County, the county seat of Chen County
Chen County is located at the southernmost tip of Guiyang County, which is close to the front line of Lingnan area.

Therefore, Gao Qi has always regarded it as a strategically important place, and has always gathered heavy troops here to defend.

Its purpose is to guard the safety of Chen County.

After all, Chen County's geographical location is very superior, and it almost belongs to the important hinterland of Xiangzhou and Qianzhou.

Once Chen County is raided by the enemy, the supply lines between the southern and northern Xiangzhou will be cut off, and even Qianzhou will be divided into two, ready to be slaughtered!

If the situation of the battle really happened to such a point, I am afraid that the consequences would be really unimaginable.

Originally, the garrison strength in Chen County had always been 3 troops, but this time Gao Qi needed to take this opportunity to pacify Lingnan in one fell swoop.

That's why they dispatched troops from here to the south to assist Wang Xuance and resist the Taiping Army together.

Therefore, there were only two thousand soldiers and horses left in Chen County at this time, as well as some county soldiers who were usually in charge of law and order.

At this time, the defense of Chenxian City can be said to have reached the weakest stage.

The prefect of Guiyang is actually a scholar, and he was a leader in the first imperial examination last year because of his ability to govern a county.

Therefore, after some thinking, Gao Qi also appointed him as the governor of Guiyang, and his main duty on weekdays was to handle the government affairs of a country.

For Gao Qi, this place is extremely important, it is related to the lifeline of Qianzhou and Xiangzhou, its importance is self-evident!

Outside the city, several scouts wearing uniforms of the Qi army were hiding in the grassy hills around the city of Chen County, looking for news nearby.

About [-] li away from Chen County, at this moment, a group of Beggar Clan soldiers wearing tattered civilian clothes and armed with weapons came galloping.

Its discipline is extremely strict and its formation is neat. This move can be regarded as a surprise to the scouts of the Qi army hidden in the grassy ridge.

"Hey, my dear mother, why are there so many people showing up and carrying weapons."

"This group of people must have come from bad people. They must return to the city as soon as possible and report this urgent report to the prefect."

For a moment, the captain of the scouts first felt that something was wrong, then waved his hand and the rest of the scouts continued to stare.

As for himself, he led two scouts back to the city calmly to report the news.

County Hall, Lobby

At this time, Guiyang prefect Hu Tai was concentrating on handling government affairs, but suddenly heard shouts.

"Master Taishou, Lord Taishou, it's not good, there is a situation outside the city."

Then, the scout captain left two scouts outside, and galloped alone in the county mansion, yelling.

Hearing this, the prefect Hu Tai asked slowly: "What happened, why are you in such a hurry?"

Immediately, the captain of the scout informed the prefect Hu Tai one by one about what he found out outside the city.

Hearing the news, Hu Tai didn't dare to be negligent, and immediately summoned the whole army to gather on the city to prevent the Taiping army from attacking the city.

For some unknown reason, news of unknown soldiers and horses outside the city leaked out and spread throughout the city.

Immediately, all the people in the city panicked, fearing that their city would be destroyed and their hearts would suffer.

Because of the Qi State's rule for the past few years, all the places under the Qi State's rule have been peaceful, and the people everywhere are happy to live in peace, and the country is peaceful and the people are safe.

Now it is heard that there are unknown military forces appearing, and the people are deeply afraid that the city will be breached, and everything this beautiful will be broken.

That's why people are panicking at this time. In fact, this is mainly because of the lack of troops in the city.

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At this time, on the city tower, the prefect Hu Tai assembled the only [-] standing troops on the city wall, garrisoned tightly at five steps and one post, closed the city gate, and waited for the arrival of unknown troops.

After a long time, the army dressed in civilian clothes and armed with weapons came slowly, and then a neat formation was formed under the general in armor and holding a sword.

"It seems that the background of this army is not trivial. Although this army is wearing civilian clothes."

"However, the weapons in his hands, the formations he has lined up, and his morale cannot be underestimated!"

Obviously, the prefect Hu Tai is also a person who knows the soldiers, and from some details, he knows that the background of this army is not small.

After looking at it carefully, the prefect Hu Tai murmured: "Looking at the formation, the enemy army probably has more than 3 people."

"Which army is it? Judging by the momentum, it must not be our army, could it be...?"

Although he had vaguely guessed in his heart, the lack of military strength in the city had become a big problem.

After thinking for a while, he immediately ordered to go down and call up the county soldiers to be responsible for guarding the city, just in case.

Not only that, the prefect Hu Tai also fully mobilized the masses, dispatched the county magistrates to every household in the city, and recruited the people to be responsible for guarding the city.

However, since Hu Tai took office, he has won the trust of the people of Chen County with his outstanding political achievements and love for the people like a son.

Therefore, the county magistrate only visited the city for a while, and more than ten thousand people responded to the call to guard the city and resist foreign enemies!

Among them, young and strong men accounted for about 4000 people, while elderly people and women accounted for 6000 to [-] people.

However, the prefect Hu Tai did not make too many picks. After all, what is needed at this stage is soldiers, and the most important thing is to defend Chen County.

Therefore, next, Hu Tai assigned the tasks in an orderly manner, and mixed four thousand young and strong men into the standing army to cooperate with the defense of the city.

The reason for defending the city like this is that Hu Tai considered that the people under his command had never been through the battle formation, and he was still in the novice stage of fighting on the battlefield.

If you defend the city alone, there is no guarantee that something will go wrong. As for the elderly people and women, they are specially asked to help them transport all the materials needed to defend the city to the top of the city.

For a while, the city of Chen County was busy, and the army was stepping up preparations for war.

Suddenly, among the army formations lined up below the city, a rider with a sharp sword in his hand slowly rode out.

"Listen to the defenders of the city. Our army is the army of General Sun Kewang of Qianzhou. This time, the king of Qi ordered that the defenders of Chen County be dispatched southward to resist the massive attack of the Tianping Army."

"Therefore, our army was specially sent by General Sun Kewang to guard Chen County, in case the city is lost!"

It's just that after the general's explanation, the guarding soldiers on the top of the city saw that their nervousness dissipated a lot.

All the sergeants then persuaded the prefect Hu Tai to open the city and let him enter the city since he is also a sergeant of his own army.

However, after thinking about it closely, Hu Tai felt something was wrong and stopped Kaesong.

Then he said slowly: "Oh, it turned out that General Sun's subordinates came to help!"

"It's just that I don't know, since you are under the command of General Sun, why do you have to wear civilian clothes when marching in the territory?"

"This general, can you explain one or two things?"

In fact, at this moment, the prefect Hu Tai had already had some doubts about this army. While secretly ordering the soldiers under his command to cheer up, he also spoke out to stabilize them.

Try to delay the time and wait for the rest of the scouts to return to the city!

Hearing this, the generals under the city seemed to be prepared, and said: "Haha, there is no doubt about the prefect Hu!"

"This is exactly the genius of General Sun. He asked our army to change into civilian clothes and march in order to cover up their whereabouts and make the enemy mistakenly think that Chen County is an empty city."

"Our army can defeat the incoming enemy army at critical moments."

However, following this answer, it seemed seamless, but in Hu Tai's eyes, it was full of loopholes.

After all, first of all, changed clothes to hide his whereabouts, and still walked on the official road with a big fanfare with a weapon?

What kind of hidden track is this?
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Next, as the scouts returned to the city in secret, Hu Tai intensified his speculation that the army outside the city must be rebels.

I just don't know, what kind of army is this?
(End of this chapter)