Emperor Sui Yang

Chapter 319 Qilian Mountain City
Some of Xuan Ting's scattered scouts returned to Zhangye smoothly along Fuyuanchuan. Zhangye County, the seat of Zhangye County, happened to be at the intersection of Ruoshui and the upper reaches of Fuyuanchuan.

After Pei Ju got the news, he immediately summoned General Hussars Wang Shuo and others.

Wang Shuo was born in the Right Guard, and he was the cousin of Wang Yue who committed suicide in front of Yang Ming back then. This time he came out with Xuan Ting and was in charge of commanding the infantry.

Xuan Ting went south to plunder, and only took away 400 cavalry, and the remaining 2000 were led by Wang Shuo, Yang Wenke, Wu Jinglong, and Wang Lian respectively. Among them, there were originally only [-] cavalry, but Xuan Ting looted more than [-] during this period. After the selection of horses, one thousand horses are temporarily allocated as war horses.

In other words, Xuan Ting's remaining troops in Zhangye had [-] cavalry and [-] infantry.

Pei Ju ordered: "You must capture Qilian City as soon as possible to restrain Xuan Ting's pursuers. Remember, after capturing this city, I will not give orders or abandon the city. Do you understand?"

After Wang Shuo learned that Xuan Ting took the risk to save Gao Yin, he was quite moved, because Gao Yin, like him, was an ex-partner of Song Guogong He Ruobi. Hearing this, he said solemnly:
"Don't worry, Mr. Pei, the last general will guard Qilian to the death, waiting for your general's orders."

From Pei Ju's point of view, Yang Xuanting's army cannot afford to lose. Now that the two sides have already started to fight, let's do it. Qilian City is located in the lower reaches of Fuyuanchuan, between Zhangye and Qilian Mountains. It is also the last place for Zhangye to go south Good channel, this place must be taken no matter what.

On the same day, Wang Shuo coordinated all the ministries, and the army set out, carrying some food, grass and supplies, plus some siege equipment, and went south along the Fuyuan River, heading straight for Qilian City.

After passing the Qilian Mountains, Fuyuanchuan will be divided into east and west branches, six hundred miles to the west and three hundred miles to the east, and Qilian City is on the south bank of the east branch.

So before attacking the city, they had to cross the river first. Fuyuanchuan was not a big river, and there were many shallows in the river. Some places were not knee deep, but there were often tribes living in places where it was convenient to cross the river.

Therefore, Wang Shuo's movements were quickly grasped by Qilian City, and a thousand cavalry troops were sent to harass along the coast.

Nothing goes smoothly in marching and fighting, and there are not many shallows suitable for crossing the river, so Wang Shuo was cruel and forced to cross.

The infantry stepped into the knee-deep river with their shields on their backs, and the archers behind them hurled towards the opposite bank.

On the opposite side, Tuyuhun waited for work at ease, so he stood by the shore and fought with the infantry who had landed in a hurry.

In the military system of the Sui Dynasty, the minimum organization was ten men and one fire, and the fire chief was set up, that is to say, the minimum formation of ten men was used to fight.

The most traditional way for an infantry to fight against a cavalry is to attack two or three cavalry with five people, and the other five will hold back from the side. After ensuring a smooth kill, they will disperse and continue to form formations. In actual combat, there must be many changes, but the purpose remains the same.

The infantry who landed the first time were miserable, because they couldn't line up, so they let others slaughter them. Fortunately, after a hundred or so people died, the rear brigade followed up, and the formation gradually extended, forcing the cavalry out.

The last ones to cross the river are the cavalry and the luggage. There are only [-] cavalry in total. They must not be wasted while crossing the river. The other party is responsible for harassing the cavalry crossing the river. They also withdrew at the moment when the Sui cavalry crossed the river. up.

The landing point of Wang Shuo's troops was fifty miles south of Qilian City, so Wang Shuo ordered that the army not be allowed to rest after crossing the river, and went directly south to attack the city.

The siege is at nightfall.

Qilian City is an earthen city with an irregular square shape. The overall city defense should refer to the style of the Central Plains. The earthen walls also have piers that protrude from the outside. Shooting coverage for siege enemy forces.

Generally, the piers are set up with earthen city walls, because the walls are not very high and are easy to climb, so the piers protruding from the city walls are equipped with a large number of crossbowmen, which can take care of the shooting wings and reduce the pressure on the city defense.

Wang Shuo was carrying kerosene, so he first threw a round of rockets, hoping to ignite some inflammable objects in the city, so that our army could see at night.

Not much, but somewhat effective.

Attacking the city at night is not good for the attacking side. During the day, they harassed Wang Shuo's cavalry on the river bank, with the purpose of dragging them into the night.

The city wall was completely dark, and nothing could be seen, but Wang Shuo didn't have a torch here, how could he climb the wall?

So the current situation is that Wang Shuo's eyes are completely darkened from the outside on the city wall.

Never mind, attack the city.

There is no tactic in siege, just climb up the city wall as much as possible. Of course, the matching of arms must be very rigorous.

Climbing the ladder to the wall should be fast. Once you stick it, you will have to climb up the ladder immediately. If there are too many people, you will not be pulled down the ladder. Those who climb the wall first must hold a shield and hang a knife on their waist. As long as there are a hundred or so people Climb up smoothly, and basically stabilized.

Under the city wall, crossbowmen were also arranged to shoot towards the crenels of the city wall to cover those who climbed the wall, while the cavalry rushed around the entire city, creating psychological pressure on the opponent and oppressing the cavalry in the city. Come out to harass the siege troops.

Wang Shuo has experience in siege. He followed He Ruobi and fought the old Chen capital Jiankang. Unfortunately, he managed to get in. He found that Han Qinhu had already entered from the other side, so he was defeated by Han Qinhu for the first time. Being snatched away, He Ruobi almost died of anger on the spot.

Jiankang City and Qilian City, these two city defenses are two different concepts, and Tuyuhun has no experience in defending the city at all, and their experience is also learned from some Han people in the city. The battle is definitely not the same.

So the siege went even smoother than Wang Shuo imagined.

That's why in Pei Ju's arrangement for him, he didn't mention how to attack the city at all, but directly said that the city was not allowed to be abandoned after the attack.

As the city wall was occupied, the army began to sweep the city. The cavalry had no advantage in the city, and they were completely hung up and beaten. Therefore, the famous king of Qilian City could only lead more than 2000 people from his headquarters, open the west gate, and prepare to flee to the west. Then recruit people from the tribes along the river, and then take back Qilian City.

Wang Shuo's three thousand cavalry were already waiting for him. They were led by Yang Yue's disciple Wu Jinglong. After deliberately releasing him, they surrounded him with two wings and chased him all the way in the wilderness outside the city gate.

In the end, more than [-] enemies were killed, and the rest were allowed to escape.

If you want to wipe out the cavalry, you can only do it if you have an absolute advantage in troops and can complete the encirclement. Otherwise, everyone has horses under their buttocks. Why can you catch up with me?You are not a vindictive horse.

Wang Shuo, who had successfully entered the city, started a massacre, taking no prisoners, only Tuguhun people in military uniforms, not a single one was kept.

Don't expect the generals on the battlefield to be kind-hearted and kind. Few of them who have fought in war take human life seriously, especially if they are foreigners.

This time, more than 2000 people were killed in the city.

King Ming's mansion was also occupied, and his family members were detained by Wang Shuo's men before they could escape. These people can't be killed yet, but they can be used as bargaining chips.

After taking over the entire Qilian City, Wang Shuo sent rangers to report the battle situation to Pei Ju, and then began to search for food from house to house.

After the food was confiscated, Wang Shuo would redistribute it in a unified way. He didn't want to starve the people in the city to death, but used the food to control them.

Every family receives food once every two days, and the food they receive is only enough for them to survive for two days. In this way, people who are hungry will not make trouble. a kind of guarantee.

Moreover, he drove [-] civilians out of Qilian City and asked them to spread the news that Qilian City had been occupied by the Sui army. If the Qilian City headquarters cavalry chasing Yang Xuanting could receive the news, they would definitely return to rescue.

Jie Shixuan Ting's danger is resolved by himself.

When Yang Ming arrived in Jincheng County in early April, he approached Pei Nansheng, who was sent by Pei Ju.

Right now, they still don't know what happened in Qilian City.

"Xuan Ting is in the north, and Changsun Sheng's Mai Tie Zhang is in the south. Our army is going straight out from the middle, as if it is a decisive battle. Murong Fuyun will definitely not give up Fucheng City, so our army will encounter the strongest enemy army in the middle. Gao Gong's plan coincides with Pei Gong's plan," Pei Nansheng pointed to the map and said:

"If the main force of our Chinese army wants to march smoothly, Xuan Ting and Changsun Sheng must contain most of the main force of the enemy army, pull them from north to south, and give our Chinese army a direct attack channel, otherwise the Chinese army will be blocked, and the plan to go straight to the king's city will be impossible. will fall through."

Pei Shinan's original surname was Zhao, but was later changed to Pei by Pei Ju. He was Pei Ju's absolute confidant.

Gao Jiong nodded aside and said: "So Shi Wansui's main force of the infantry needs to clean up Xiping County first, so as to prevent the few tribes stationed there from revealing the timing of our army's westward departure. .”

"Yes," Pei Shinan nodded: "Although the Xuanting Division is a little weak, fortunately, there are Zhangye supplies in the rear, and it is possible to deal with the enemy along the Qilian Mountains. Murong Fuyun's headquarters has about [-] elites, so the main force is We have to rely on General Changsun and the others to contain them."

Yang Ming nodded, didn't speak, just listened.

At this time, Fang Xuanling pointed to the location of Mantou City on the map, and said:
"This city is located at the source of the Yellow River, with a radius of hundreds of miles. It is the largest pasture in Tuyuhun. It is a place that must be saved. After General Changsun successfully takes it, there may be a big battle."

Gao Jiong said: "That's why the King of Qin ordered his eldest grandson not to retreat southward if the main force of the enemy army is not seen, and must attract the enemy army to Jishi Town in the south. The premise is here."

As he spoke, Gao Jiong pointed to the location of Qilian City on the map, and said:

"Now we need to send out a team of fine cavalry to go west along the Haoquan River and quickly capture the city. Then we will use this as a base point to form a relationship with the Xuanting Department in the north. If Murong Fuyun does not save, let Xuan Go south to clear the passage for our army to support the main force."

Yang Ming narrowed his eyes and looked at Shi Wanbao: "Have you heard everything?"

"The humble official heard it," Shi Wanbao said.

Yang Ming said: "I'll give you five thousand riders, and do as Duke Gao wants. You must coordinate with Xuan Ting, and you must not fight on your own."

"I take orders from a humble position," Shi Wanbao saluted.

Next, Gao Jiong pulled the other party to the front, exhorting and exhorting him to carry enough military rations and loot supplies along the way, but he must send more scouts to keep in touch with the King of Qin in the rear. In case of special circumstances, he can respond immediately .

But there is one thing that cannot be changed, except near the Qilian Mountains, no decisive battle with the enemy is allowed anywhere.

(End of this chapter)