I became a saint by picking up corpses in Water Margin

Chapter 385: Honor in Defeat, Son of Fortune

King Xiao's servants led the Jin army across the bridge.

Xiao Gong kept his troops in ambush in the reeds until Li Yanxian's entire army crossed the stone bridge and reached the other side, then he ordered his troops to light fires to cut off their retreat.

at this time.

The 'reinforcements' in the rear also lit torches, and a great battle was about to break out.

Li Yanxian had made deployments in advance, and soldiers from each battalion immediately engaged in battle.

When the servant of King Xiao ran to the "reinforcements", he saw the other side raising fire in response.

Just when he was about to see who was coming to help, he found that the person looked familiar when he got closer, and his heart started beating fast.

Dual blade weapons?

No one in the Jin army uses this.

Is it
"Ma Lin!"

"Grandpa is here!"

"why you?"

"Go ask the King of Hell, brothers, follow me and kill!"

Ma Lin shouted at him and led his troops to attack him like a dark cloud.

There were only a few hundred slaves following King Xiao. They were frightened when they saw the fire ahead. They didn't even have the idea of ​​fighting and immediately turned their horses around to look for Xiao Gong.

This section of the Hutuo River flows from northwest to southeast.

On the east bank of the stone bridge, which is just south of Zhending, Linhe is the main force of Xiao Gong's troops, with as many as 5,000 people.

Going north in order were Li Yanxian's 4,000 infantry and cavalry, Xiao Wang's 500 cavalry slaves, and Ma Lin's 4,000 infantry and cavalry behind them.

Therefore, the situation of various units on the battlefield at this time was like a huge double-layer sandwich, and the most uncomfortable and aggrieved part was the 500 cavalrymen who were slaves of King Xiao.

There were flickering lights in the night, and I couldn't tell if they were friend or foe.

It was not until they were attacked by the Jin army and received beatings that they felt the pain. However, when the cavalry were closely followed by the infantry, their fighting effectiveness was actually inferior to that of the infantry.

Soon after the servant of Prince Xiao turned his horse and headed south, he was surrounded by Li Yanxian and Ma Lin, and the five hundred cavalrymen were thrown into chaos in an instant.

In the chaos, Xiao Wang's servant lost his direction and became anxious, so he could only rush towards the fire based on his feeling.

He raised his sword and chopped left and right to break through, but suddenly his mount neighed in pain and fell forward. The slave of King Xiao was caught off guard and was thrown out. As soon as he landed on the ground and turned over, he saw a black shadow swinging a sharp axe and chopping at his head.

I am done!
The servant of King Xiao felt nervous, and his eyes never moved again, staring at the black shadow.

It turned out that it was Li Kui who rushed out from the darkness, first cutting off the horse's legs and then chopping off the head of King Xiao's slave, using a series of moves smoothly.

"This guy looks like a general. I want to present your head to the King of Jin as a tribute."

Li Kui looked at the clothes of King Xiao's servant and muttered, tied his head behind his back with his belt, picked up the axe and disappeared into the darkness again.

The troops of Prince Xiao's slaves were wiped out, and the troops of Li Yanxian and Ma Lin joined forces. The double sandwich was instantly without a sandwich. However, Xiao Gong was fighting with his back to the river and had few soldiers, so the Hutuo River became the new sandwich.

As the saying goes, a duck knows first when the river water warms in spring. Xiao Gong realized that he was fooled when he was in the situation, but he was not stupid enough to fight his opponent with all his strength.

The Hutuo River is so long, and Li Yanxian's troops did not extend too far, so it was impossible for them to completely block Xiao Gong, so he had enough space to escape.

finally.

Xiao Gong led more than a thousand people and escaped the encirclement from the upper reaches of the Hutuo River, while the remaining survivors fled elsewhere.

The Hutuo River flows south of Zhending. Such a large amount of fire on the battlefield by the river naturally attracted the attention of the city’s main general, Sa Lihe.

Salihe was on lookout at the south city tower at the time. He wanted to confirm whether the Jin army would attack the city overnight, but news from Xiao Gong came from the west city gate.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Gong arrived at the south gate of Zhending.

As soon as Salihe saw him, he stepped forward and asked nervously, "Were you the one fighting by the river just now? I saw flames outside the city reaching the sky. The enemy army had at least 10,000 soldiers. How dare you fight them with only 5,000 soldiers?"

"I didn't know in advance that the slave of King Xiao brought back 4,000 men. My ambush troops were in the reeds on the north bank, but someone attacked from the rear. I thought it was the reinforcements from the commander-in-chief. Alas."

"I would like to send troops to rescue, but I am afraid that Commander Yang is deliberately luring the enemy to seize the city."

What Salihe said was absolutely true. He was indeed worried that Yang Chang would use a trick to seize the city, but thinking that it was unnecessary with Yang Chang's strength, he changed the subject, "By the way, who was your opponent just now?"

"Deputy Manager Li Yanxian."

"Li Yanxian? I haven't heard much about him. Is he very powerful?"

"He was guarding Leping County before. I went to the battlefield twice but failed to take it down. His defensive ability is very outstanding. Today, his offensive ability is also very strong. I don't know when he sent troops to circumvent him."

Xiao Gong was dejected. His Xi people were almost wiped out today, and it would be difficult to replenish them later. So he was in a low mood at this moment and completely forgot to shirk responsibility. However, Salihe's analysis reminded him.

After hearing this, Sali frowned and muttered, "If Li Yanxian is good at both defense and attack, wouldn't he have been famous all over the world? Just like Lin Chong as rumored? I suspect that this time he was able to get out from behind and find someone else. Do you have any other information?"

"other?"

Xiao Gong thought for a moment and replied, "Li Yanxian once said that the city would be captured tonight. Is this useful information?"

"Tonight? Did you hear me right?"

"You can't go wrong."

"That'll be troublesome!"

Salihe smashed his left palm with his right fist and immediately turned around anxiously on the spot.

Seeing that he was puzzled, the general Wuyan Huligai asked hurriedly, "General, Du Ye suddenly became nervous. Is there anything special tonight?"

"You don't know, after I lost to Yang Chang last time, I did an in-depth analysis of this situation. Do you know his characteristics?"

"Very fierce?"

"That's just one aspect."

Salihe frowned and said in a deep voice, "He likes to seize cities at night, and often sneaks into the city alone, assassinates the guards first, then seizes the city gate, and then leads the troops outside the city into the city."

"Sneak into the city? Kill the generals and seize the gate?"

Wuyan Huligai also became nervous. Even if the Jin Kingdom covered up the cause of Wuli's death, the cause of Xieye's death last year was not covered up, which made Yang Chang famous in the Jin Kingdom.

Combined with Xiao Gong's answer just now, Wu Yanhuligai suddenly felt creepy, but he immediately found a reason to comfort himself, "It may be possible to sneak into a small city, but the walls of Zhending are so high, it should be impossible."

"It's impossible to tell."

"why?"

"Do you know who is the wife of Yang Chang's sworn brother Wu Song? She was the Princess Xunde who was abducted at the beginning. She was also rescued in Zhending in the end, and the rescuer might be Yang Chang!"

As soon as Salihe said this, Wuyan Huligai began to swallow his saliva and murmured, "If Yang Chang can rescue people from Zhending, he must have a way to get into the city. Isn't it very dangerous for us to stay here?"

"How can it not be dangerous? He said that he will break the city tonight, which proves that he is very confident. Others may talk big, but Yang Chang always keeps his word. This man is too scary."

"What should I do?"

Wuyan Huligai was sweating profusely at this time, and he no longer had the heroic spirit to advise in the big tent, but just as he said this incompetent thing, he immediately offered a plan: "Yang Chang is leading the army into the city. It is dark outside now, and we can't find the way without torches. Why don't we send out people with good eyesight at the four gates to watch for the movement of the torches all night long?" "The torches will be exposed at night, and who would be stupid enough to run around with torches? Can't they make a feint to the east and attack in the west, and approach the city in the dark?"

"So there's no way to defend it? We can't just abandon the city, right?"

"Ok?"

Salihe was stunned at first, then he actually accepted his suggestion and said seriously: "Yang Chang said that Zhending will be captured tonight, so Zhending will definitely not be able to be defended. Instead of waiting to die here, we might as well evacuate early before he arrives, and preserve the strength for the Jin Kingdom!"

"what?"

"I have made up my mind. The defenders will withdraw from the city immediately and retreat to Zhongshan overnight!"

"General, what about me?"

Xiao Gong was speechless, thinking to himself, if you had said you wanted to retreat earlier, why did you send me to ambush?

Are you satisfied with the loss of troops and generals now?

Salihe heard Xiao Gong say this and knew that he was a little unhappy, so he patted his shoulder to comfort him: "If the general hadn't sent the intelligence about Yang Chang, the damage to Zhending Prefecture would have been even greater. Your loss today is worth it. When I meet Marshal Wushi later, I will say that you encountered Yang Chang and it was an honor to lose this time!"

"I'm fine"

Xiao Gong paid the price of several thousand troops, and finally got the evaluation of "honor in defeat". Only he knew the bitterness in his heart, but Salihe was Aguda's adopted son, so what could he do no matter how miserable he was?
"Get moving, hurry up and get your own troops, you must leave within half an hour!"

"Yes!"

Wuyan Huligai responded to the general's order, but deliberately walked slowly when he left.

Until Xiao Gong disappeared into the darkness, he turned back to Salihe and reminded him with a worried look on his face: "General, if Yang Changzhen comes, will it be useful for us to retreat to Zhongshan? What if he continues to attack Zhongshan?"

"None of us can match him. If we meet him, we'll just have to keep retreating!"

"How long will the retreat end?"

"Of course it is Wuzhu who is returning to Hebei. He is the one appointed by Talan to stay in Hebei, and we are the friendly forces coming to support him."

Salihe spoke righteously.

After all, he was the commander-in-chief of the Western Army and one of the several commanders-in-chief under Wushi. This rescue was an act on his own initiative. If he killed all 20,000 people, he would definitely be punished.

At this time, Aguda and Wuqimai were both dead, and it was still unknown who would succeed the emperor. As a member of the royal family, Salihe knew very well that Wuqimai had been fighting with Nianhan.

And Wushi was Nianhan's staunch confidant and would definitely find an opportunity to seize his military power, so Salihe had to act with caution.

Wuyan Huligai was originally a general under Wanyan Jiemu. After Jiemu disappeared and was killed, he joined Wuliebu and finally returned to Shangjing with Sui Erliduo. Only last year, he was sent to the Western Route Army with Salihe. He also belonged to the faction of Aguda and Wuqimai.

Wuyan Huligai could easily guess what Salihe was thinking, so he quickly advised: "Since the commander-in-chief wants to withdraw, I think it would be better for him to withdraw completely. It would be better to go north through Feihu Pass and return directly to Yunzhong."

"That won't work. Hebei's garrison is now empty. If we just leave like this, won't we be sinners of the Jin Kingdom?"

"Is it that serious? The East and West have always been at odds."

"Stop talking and follow the orders!"

"Yes!"

Wuyan Huligai could not persuade him, so he had to obey the order and gather troops.

Salihe was extremely afraid of Yang Chang, but he still chose to hold on in Hebei, betting that Yang Chang did not have enough troops to take over the entire Hebei so quickly, so he planned to use space to trade time until Wuzhu and Guo Yaoshi came to help.

In less than half an hour, the defenders of Zhending left from the north gate one after another, leaving an empty city for Li Yanxian.

Of course, this gap refers to the gap in military strength.

If we analyze it from another perspective, Zhending City is now full.

Salihe was afraid that his retreat would be obstructed, so he not only did not disturb the people while leaving the city, but he even did not have time to move the treasury, which was equivalent to leaving behind a granary.

of course.

It's not that they don't want to disturb the people, nor that they don't love money, it's just that Yang Chang's reputation is too great, and they are worried that if they run too slowly they won't be able to escape.

The Jin army left quietly and Li Yanxian outside the city had no idea. After the victory, he set up camp on the spot, ready to wait for Yang Chang and the main force to arrive tomorrow and then take over Zhending City tomorrow night.

Attack the city now?

Li Yanxian had only 8,000 men and no siege equipment, so he didn't dare to try anyway.

The fox took advantage of the tiger's power to capture Huolu, and Xiao Gong was ordered to ambush at the riverside. Obviously, his plan was discovered by the defenders, so he was unwilling to take the risk with his men.

Although he had few soldiers and was cautious, he was lucky.

That night, before the camp was set up, scouts came to report that the defenders of Zhending had withdrawn, and some people opened the city gates to welcome the rebel army.

Li Yanxian initially thought it was a ploy to lure the enemy and was unwilling to believe the information until the scouts brought representatives of the people. He then learned that the Jin army was really scared away. He then gave up setting up camp and marched into Zhending City, and sent people back to the rear to report the good news overnight.

At this time, the main force of the rear army stayed in Huolu overnight.

Li Yanxian captured the city without bloodshed, which put Sun An under tremendous pressure. However, thinking of the comfort Yang Chang gave him during the march, he buried the pressure in his heart and still looked calm on his face.

After nightfall, Yang Chang and Sun An inspected the defense and then returned to their residence to rest.

He is now at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and with the full Dantian he can go for a long time without sleeping. But at that time there was no war and no important matters, so he could only force himself to rest, which also put the generals at ease.

Leading troops in battle is a science, and the commander's emotions can influence others.

When the army encounters major changes, such as food shortages, the loss of its own camp, etc., a qualified commander must remain calm, secretly think of ways to solve the difficulties, encourage the soldiers to continue fighting, and sometimes even confuse right and wrong to keep the morale of the army stable.

Therefore, if Yang Chang did not sleep at this time, it would make the soldiers worried. The more nonchalant he acted, the more confident the soldiers would be.

In the second half of the night, the summer insects stopped chirping and everything was quiet.

Yang Chang had fallen asleep, but his super perception was like a radar, and he would actively warn anyone approaching him. So when he heard someone approaching outside the house, he turned over and sat up.

Emotionally excited, steps hurried.

problem occurs?
who is it?

Yang Chang quickly put on his shoes, opened the door before someone knocked, and then saw Sun An.

Sun An held a torch in his hand and knocked on the door, but his hand missed.

Before he could even open his mouth to greet her, he heard Yang Chang asking, "Why are you looking for me so late? Is there something wrong? Did Li Yanxian lose the battle?"

"Ah? No."

Sun An was envious, but had to face reality, and responded: "Li Zongguan first defeated Xiao Gong outside the city, and then took Zhending City at night. The person he sent to report the victory has just arrived."

"He took Zhending directly? Are you sure the news is true?"

Yang Chang found it unbelievable when he heard it.

Sun An nodded and replied, "General Li is very cautious in his use of troops and would never lie about military intelligence. I heard that he used the prestige of the King of Jin to intimidate the garrison commander Salihe, who did not dare to fight against you and fled overnight without a fight. He once again won the battle without a single drop of blood."

"My name is so useful?"

Yang Chang smiled dumbly, then patted Sun An's arm and encouraged him: "Don't be discouraged, he can use you too!"

(End of this chapter)