Chapter 607 Sweeping Handong
At the foot of the mountain, drums are beating to encourage people, flags are flying for hunting, the sound of horse hooves is like thunder, birds and animals are frightened, and humans and animals do not stop.
This time, Li Tai did not join the battle in person and gallop to kill the enemy. Instead, he sat in the Wanshan Temple that had just been captured from Liu Zhongli's troops. He ordered his elite cavalry troops to divide and outflank them on the battlefield and fled in the mountains. Liu Zhongli's subordinates.
When he learned that Master Lang had returned to the army, He Ruoden happily came to greet him, and talked happily about the incident when Liu Zhongli rushed into the city not long ago, but he fought hard to kill him out.
When Li Tai heard that Liu Zhongli had led his troops into the city, he was filled with fear. If Xiangyang City changes hands, it will have a huge impact on his entire Jianghan plan.
At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart that it was true that there was no real person despite his great reputation. He still had to be cautious when playing against a long-established veteran like Liu Zhongli, otherwise a single oversight might reverse the good situation.
He indeed had the intention of making a big show of force and creating the illusion that the army was heading west, thereby inducing Liu Zhongli to leave his home base in Anlu and move north to invade Xiangyang. At that time, he could lead the troops back from Hanzhong, plus Yang Zhong who had stayed behind in Mianbei to spy on Handong, and the defenders of Xiangyang City. The three parties returned to attack Liu Zhongli and wiped out Liu Zhongli in one battle.
When he went to Hanzhong, Li Tai naturally performed at a superb level and did not waste any time. He immediately returned to the army as soon as Da Xiwu arrived in Nanzheng City, but he still did not return to the army to make arrangements before Liu Zhongli invaded Xiangyang. This shows that Liu Zhongli was very interested in the opportunity. Quick and quick grasp.
Of course, what surprised Li Tai the most was that King Xiao Jin of Yueyang, who was in such a powerful city, allowed Liu Zhongli to enter the city so easily, almost ruining his own affairs. No matter who these Nanliang clan members cooperate with, they play the role of pig teammates to the fullest!
If Li Tai hadn't arranged for He Ruodun to be in Xiangyang and turn the tide at the critical moment, then what Li Tai would face now after returning would no longer be Liu Zhongli who was at a loss after taking the bait, but Xiangyang Xiongcheng controlled by Liu Zhongli!
"After this battle, He Ruodun's reputation will definitely shock Jianghan! Liu Zhongli is a humble man, so he will use his body to help you become famous!"
Although He Ruoden's often venomous tongue and mean words make people feel uncomfortable, but it must be said that his talents are definitely among the best among his disciples. Especially this time to save Xiangyang, Li Tai was pleasantly surprised.
When He Ruoden heard Li Tai's compliment, he immediately became happy, waved his hands and said humbly: "I have seen that the civil and military defenders of Xiangyang are mediocre and inferior, and I knew in my heart that Master Lang sent me here just to survive such a crisis. Always save the situation, so be prepared and don’t dare to relax!
Although I am brave and powerful, and my strength is greater than that of others, when it comes to the fundamentals, Liu Zhongli still lost due to Master Lang’s ingenious arrangement! Let him go in the former formation, please allow me to join the formation again to capture this disciple for Master Lang! "
After hearing this, Li Tai also smiled and raised his hand to ask his soldiers to bring him a dragon-marked sword. He personally gave it to He Ruoden and said with a smile: "Take this sharp blade and continue to work bravely and make great achievements!"
As soon as he got hold of this horse, He Ruoden immediately felt that it was a good thing, and he was overjoyed in his heart. He immediately crossed his hands and bowed and said: "Master, please wait here for a moment, and I will return as soon as the servants enter the battle and kill the leader of the thieves!"
At this time, the scope of the pursuit battlefield had spread, and all of Liu Zhongli's soldiers fled into the wilderness. Only a few close associates were still guarding him, escorting Liu Zhongli as they fled southward, hoping to get rid of the pursuers and escape from the battlefield.
At this time, there were nearly a hundred soldiers pursuing from behind, and the distance between them was getting closer and closer, but a river channel more than ten feet wide suddenly appeared in front. Liu Zhongli and his soldiers rushed across the pontoon bridge, and then chopped and damaged the pontoon bridge from the other side.
"Nu Liu, please leave!"
At this moment, He Ruoden had also led his men to fight here. Seeing Liu Zhongli already on the other side, he couldn't help but shout for a fight.
But the roar frightened Liu Zhongli even more, and he immediately got on his horse again and continued to run south with the rest of his tribe. However, just after he ran a few feet away, one of the blocked pursuers in the north of Qu dismounted, picked up his strong bow, and shot an arrow towards the opposite side.
This powerful arrow shot directly through the river and hit the shoulder blade of Liu Zhongli's back on the south bank. After being hit by the arrow, Liu Zhongli fell off his horse. Fortunately, he was protected by his close friends on the left and right, who pulled him back on the horse and continued to run away.
"What a good shot! What's your name?"
Although He Ruoden failed to stop Liu Zhongli, after seeing this, he couldn't help but praise him and pointed at the soldier who shot Liu Zhongli and asked.
The soldier hurriedly put away his bow, crossed his hands in salute to He Ruodun, and said, "General, my humble name is Pi Jinghe, and I am a shooting expert in the tent of Lord Li Dadu."
He Ruoden knew that Master Lang had a small guard force, but everyone was good at riding and shooting. The shooters he had to choose among them were all elites in the army. He heard that the young sergeant in front of him also belonged to this group, so Then he said with a smile: "You and other shooting skills are really good. Although you have escaped the leader of the thief now, if you serve under the lord, you will definitely become famous one day!"
At this point, he remembered what Master Lang had just said that he was going to be famous all over the country, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter with a proud look on his face.
People from all walks of life on the battlefield returned one after another, and at this time, Yueyang King Xiao Jincai hurriedly came here from the city. He still had a frightened expression on his face, and he opened his mouth and cursed Liu Zhongli, who had no moral ethics and deceived him to sneak attack Xiangyang.
After learning that Liu Zhongli's men and horses had been defeated, King Yueyang breathed a long sigh of relief and thanked Li Tai for his timely aid and He Ruodun for turning the tide in the city: "Thieve Liu is cunning and treacherous, and he seduced me." Going east, if General He Ruo hadn't been guarding the palace and leading the attack to kill the traitors, Xiangyang City would have been almost undefended! Fortunately, Boshan, you came back in time to help and defeated the traitors, which only delayed your plan to advance into Hanzhong. It is really……"
At this point, King Yueyang put on a shy expression again, and after Li Tai heard this, he waved his hands and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, there is no need to feel guilty and apologize for this. Hanzhong has been conquered, and I happened to be here in triumph to take advantage of this victory. Defeat another enemy."
"What? Hanzhong has actually..."
After hearing this, King Yueyang immediately widened his eyes and looked at Li Tai in disbelief. Li Tai took the road from Xiangyang to go north. King Yueyang naturally knew the exact date of his departure, and he never expected that the other party would use such a short time. Time will take care of the huge Hanzhong.
After recognizing the true nature of King Yueyang's pig teammates, Li Tai did not bother to show off his military exploits in front of him. Instead, regarding Liu Zhongli's attack on Xiangyang, he proposed to station a naval force not far from the west of Xiangyang to respond to Xiangyang nearby. .
King Yueyang had not yet recovered from the shock of Xiangyang being taken away, and he was shocked to hear the news that Hanzhong had also been taken away. Now when he heard Li Tai make this request, he nodded half in fear and half in favour. .
Although there are still tens of thousands of people in Xiangyang City today, after this incident, King Yueyang could not do without Li Tai's military assistance, and he did not dare to refuse it at all.
Li Tai first stayed in Xiangyang for a short while, then took a fast boat to Caiyang City on the other side of the Han River to inform Xiangyang of the battle situation here. He also informed Yang Zhong, who was stationed in Xinye, that there was no need to join here, and immediately launched a strategy against Handong.
Since Liu Zhongli had previously ordered Ma Bofu to be stationed in Xiameng garrison, which directly threatened the heart of Jingzhou, Yang Zhong moved to the other side and besieged Xiameng garrison. This was not the first time he attacked Xiameng, the gateway to Suizao Passage, and the defender Ma Bofu did not have any outstanding defense skills. After Yang Zhong besieged it for several days, he gradually became exhausted and surrendered directly to the city.
After capturing Xiaxi garrison and subduing Ma Bofu, Yang Zhong knew that Liu Zhongli had launched an attack on Xiangyang from the southern route. After informing the troops of the news, Yang Zhong quickly led his 3,000 infantry cavalry to the distance. Go to Caiyang City not far from Xiangyang.
Originally, Yang Zhong also guessed that Liu Zhongli might march north along the Han River and attack Xiangyang by land and water, so he stayed in Caiyang City, planning to give Liu Zhongli a head-on attack when his army entered here.
When the battle situation in Xiangyang was sent to Caiyang, Yang Zhong learned about Liu Zhongli's marching track, and after being ordered by Li Tai to launch an independent attack on the Handong area, Yang Zhong immediately acted like a tiger out of the fence, and his troops were directly at Ma Bofu. Under the leadership of Lu Tuhao, Ming followed the Han River directly south, and successively captured Qixing, Changzhou and other cities, and encountered the remaining troops of Liu Zhongli in Shicheng.
Liu Zhongli led 3,000 fine cavalry to attack Xiangyang, but he was defeated and returned. Very few of the 3,000 fine cavalry were able to return. However, he still has nearly 8,000 followers in Shicheng, and his power cannot be underestimated.
At this point of Yang Zhong's attack, he still only had more than 3,000 troops. Seeing that the enemy was outnumbered, his subordinates advised Yang Zhong to stop here temporarily and wait for the troops behind him to arrive before attacking Liu Zhongli.
"If the army loses its edge, it will definitely be defeated! Although Liu Zhongli's army is large, it has no fighting spirit. It is defeated in one attack, so why pretend to be a rear army!"
After Yang Zhong waited and observed the enemy's formation, he immediately made a decision. He first ordered his infantry to set up a formation several miles away from the Han River, and then he personally led 500 elite cavalry to attack Liu Zhongli's army.
The fact was just as Yang Zhong expected. Although Liu Zhongli still had a large number of troops, he was timid and slow to respond. When he saw the Jingqi charging towards him, he subconsciously shrank back and retreated, causing the formation to suddenly break down.
Yang Zhong led his troops to charge through the crowded but scattered army formation, and the soldiers began to flee to all directions, and Liu Zhongli's Chinese army tent was exposed.
Originally, Liu Zhongli's men were waiting to support him and flee elsewhere, but Liu Zhongli was injured by an arrow and was slow to move. In addition, Yang Zhong himself was one of the most courageous generals in Beizhen. How could they allow Liu Zhongli to flee elsewhere? , sensing where he was, he immediately led his men to fight and captured Liu Zhongli.
After capturing Liu Zhongli, Yang Zhong sent his troops to the rear to report their merits, while taking advantage of the victory to defeat the Jingling defenders, and then moved towards Anlu, Liu Zhongli's lair.
However, at this time, Li Tai had no time to cheer for Yang Zhong. He stayed in Xiangyang for two days. After he had just arranged for Zhu Meng to lead the navy from Xingzhou back to the west of Xiangyang City, he had to report to the Jingzhou base camp that the Sanya Dao Barbarians were The intrusion seemed to be the news that Murong Shaozong of the Eastern Wei Dynasty was driving the crowd to invade, so he marched northward and returned to the town non-stop.