Chapter 914 Yingcheng defends itself
The sound of fighting in the city gradually became fainter. Even some Qi soldiers who were still resisting were mostly trapped in narrow areas and had lost control of the city.
Under the surprise attack of hundreds of elite soldiers, and with the cooperation of the barbarians inside and outside the city, Xincheng, the main city that blocked the Yichuan Passage, quickly changed hands. The defenders in the city either died, fled or surrendered.
After Shuofeng led the armored soldiers to defeat the enemy troops defending the city lord's palace, the battles in other areas of the city also ended one after another.
These barbarian soldiers were just making noises and contributing to the chaos at first, but as the Qi soldiers in the city were retreating steadily, after picking up armor, swords, and staffs, they all joined the battle one after another and made great efforts to capture the city. important contribution. Otherwise, it would be impossible to completely control the city in a short period of time with just a few Feng and hundreds of soldiers from the Western Wei Dynasty, even if they caught the enemy by surprise.
There were approximately more than 3,000 barbarians in the city, plus the nearly 1,000 soldiers who protected several Feng and his party. After the original defenders were killed and routed, they became the main force defending the city. And Shuofeng did not impose too many restrictions on them. After the battle, they were allowed to collect the reserve materials in the divided city.
After these barbarians obtained considerable spoils, they did not immediately disperse. Firstly, it was dark now and the wilderness outside the city was freezing, which was not conducive to escape. Secondly, they had experienced similar things more than once. Their previous experience told them that if they could not continue to advance and retreat together with the Western Wei army, they would be close to disaster. Not far away.
Therefore, after a brief joyful celebration, these barbarians took the initiative to assume the task of city defense, allowing Shuofeng and other main forces to attack the city to fully rest after a bloody battle.
Facts have proved that the choice of these barbarians was very correct, because not long after the situation in the city stabilized, the sound of galloping horses with iron hoofs on the ice could be heard in the wilderness outside the city. Although their surprise attack went very smoothly, the enemy's response was quicker than they expected.
Hearing the sound of galloping horses outside the city getting louder and louder, Zhu Feng was also surprised. It was only when the prisoners were interrogated that they found out that in addition to scouting and communicating, the Northern Qi troops stationed in the cities between Heluo and Luo also had to send signals through beacon smoke every evening. . It was the time when they launched an attack on the city. Since the beacon smoke did not rise on time in Xincheng, the surrounding city strongholds also knew that an accident had occurred in Xincheng.
Knowing that Qi Jun had such an arrangement, Shuofeng couldn't help but feel a headache. Due to the limited baggage, it will take at least a day and night for the reinforcements on the rear route to reach the new city. If the enemy forces organize a counterattack in time during this period, then with their hundreds of soldiers and thousands of barbarians alone, they will not be able to reach the new city. I'm afraid it will be difficult to hold on to the city. By then, a successful raid may turn into a self-inflicted crime trap.
Therefore, he did not dare to neglect, and quickly reported the situation here to his own troops along the way. At the same time, he also ordered the soldiers to remain fully clothed and ready to fight, ready to continue fighting at any time.
At the same time, in Jinyong City dozens of miles away, Hulujin, who stayed behind in the city, also learned that the new city was under enemy attack. However, the news that Hu Lujin received was that there was a problem with the Fengyan communication in Xincheng, and the more specific situation was still unknown.
Even so, Hu Lujin did not dare to neglect. He had suffered losses in the battle with Li Boshan, so after the army went west to pursue the enemy, he was very alert. He was worried that Li Boshan would raise troops to raid again, so while strengthening the defense around Yique, he Strict beacon communication was also established.
Therefore, when an accident happened in Xincheng, he immediately sent a scout to the south to inquire about the news. At the same time, he stayed up all night, waiting for the report in the main hall of the city lord's palace.
It was not until mid-night that personnel news came back one after another. The scouts confirmed that the new city had been attacked, and led many of the defeated soldiers who fled outside the city when the new city was attacked back to Jin Yong City.
Hu Lujin also interrogated these defeated soldiers immediately, hoping to get more real information from them. However, none of these people could tell the reason, because the battle happened so suddenly, and they didn't even know where the battle first took place. Some said that the enemy came from outside the city, while others said that it was the barbarians inside the city. Take the lead in making chaos to meet the enemy. As for the specific number of enemy troops, it is even more difficult to say.
Hu Lujin, who was already eager to know the truth, couldn't help but become more and more confused after hearing the answers given by these losers. However, although not much is known about the specific enemy situation, it is certain that the barbarian soldiers played a great role in the battle to capture the new city.
This point immediately made Hu Lujin's eyes become solemn, because not only in the new city, but also in Jinyong City and other nearby cities, there were many barbarian slaves to assist the military. Since the barbarians in the new city were easily instigated to rebel, will the barbarians in these nearby cities also have such hidden dangers?
Although the main force of the enemy army has not yet appeared in sight, the familiar sense of oppression has made Hulujin really feel it. He had no intention of sleeping for the rest of the night. He waited until early morning to summon the troops. All the generals stationed in Zhucheng came to Jinyong City to discuss matters.
The Northern Qi army participating in the battle now totaled more than 80,000 and nearly 90,000 troops. With the victory in the Mangshan battle, Fufeng Wang Ke Zhu Hunyuan, who was responsible for garrisoning Heyang, led his troops back to Heyang and did not continue to participate in the follow-up. war. This was also the insurance plan adopted by Northern Qi after losing Heyang. No matter what the turmoil between Heluo and Heyang was, Heyang must be defended and the unrest would not spread to the north.
But after Zhu Hunyuan retreated, the remaining troops were the 50,000 troops from Jinyang and the 20,000 troops from Yedu.
Duan Shao led the main force of the army to the west to pursue the defeated army of the Western Wei Dynasty. Gao Rui, the king of Zhaojun, led his troops back to Heluo and cooperated with Hulujin to defend and wait for the enemy. As a result, there were more than 30,000 troops left behind. Hulujin arranged for them to stay in Yiluo. Defenses were deployed in various cities, especially around Yique, where the largest number of troops were stationed, accounting for almost one-third of the current strength.
With 30,000 elite troops garrisoned, plus the local garrison in Heluo and the drafted Han and Barbarian soldiers, there are more than 50,000 troops in Heluo who can go into battle.
Therefore, Hu Lujin felt that even if Li Boshan attacked, there would still be a strong resistance here. Moreover, after the news of Yiyang's Western Wei army retreating to the west spreads, Li Boshan may not continue to advance northward, because compared with continuing to go to Heluo, which is guarded by powerful enemies, going from Wuguan to Guanzhong is undoubtedly more conducive to Li Boshan's control. The chaos in the Western Wei Dynasty after the death of Yu Wentai.
But with the first confrontation between the two sides, it almost directly subverted Hulujin's previous idea of my advantage, making him feel that the situation seemed to be getting serious.
Therefore, after summoning the garrison generals of the cities to Jinyong City, he immediately announced to the generals his strategy for responding to the enemy that he had been thinking about for a long time, and ordered the generals to abandon their garrisoned cities and concentrate all their forces to garrison in Jinyong City.
"Right now, only Xincheng has been lost, and the rest of the cities are still there. Moreover, the true nature of the thieves is not yet known. Isn't it a bit..." to just abandon the defense and retreat like this..."
After hearing Hu Lujin's arrangement, Gao Rui, the king of Zhaojun, raised questions. Out of respect for Hu Lujin, the founding father, he did not use the word "cowardly", but in his heart he felt that Hu Lujin was like this. Ru Lin's attitude towards the enemy is still somewhat disapproving.
"Soldiers are deceitful, and Li Boshan's use of troops is the most deceitful of all deceits, making it difficult for people to guard against him. Be careful not to be careless and underestimate the enemy!"
After hearing this, Hu Lujin said sternly: "Li Boshan used to have a deep friendship with the barbarians because of their material resources. Many of the Yiluo people were happy to die, so they were like a fish in water when they entered here. There were few tourists who were in trouble. This can be seen in the loss of the new city." ”
Speaking of this, not only Hu Lujin, but also the other generals present felt a little complicated. They had also heard many stories about Li Boshan bribing the barbarians, and the materials used to bribe the barbarians were their strategic materials between Heluo and Luo. This was really embarrassing to mention.
"The battle between divisions and brigade depends on opportunities. The more divisions are divided, the more variables there are. As long as we stick to the strong city and remain unchanged, thieves will have no chance to take advantage of it. In the former Qiang division, it was difficult for a hundred thousand troops to conquer Jin Yong City. When our division came to help, their army was defeated. ”
Hu Lujin continued his analysis and said: "Today, the black otter died suddenly and the Qiang division was retreated. For Li Boshan, the crisis in Guanxi is the first major matter that needs to be considered, and competing with our army to win Heluo is not inevitable. Even if all the cities are abandoned, they will not stay here to fight me for a long time. Seeing that I am strong and difficult to defeat, their troops will leave alone. Otherwise, their situation will be in danger when our divisions return!"
It would be best if we could hold on to Yique and block Li Boshan's brigade to the south of Yichuan. But now that the new city is lost, we can only settle for the next best thing. Therefore, Hu Lujin planned to tighten his defenses and expose as few flaws as possible for the enemy to take advantage of, so that Li Boshan could retreat in the face of difficulties. In particular, there must be no danger or chaos on our side, lest the division and brigade going west be blocked and killed by Li Boshan because they are eager to return reinforcements.
After listening to Hu Lujin's analysis, although the generals still felt a little too ambitious, they all acquiesced to this plan. To be honest, they are also worried that if they are stationed abroad, their own troops may become the next target of the thieves. Although getting together together may destroy their prestige, it is at least safe. As Hu Lujin said, stabilizing the current situation is victory for them.
While Heluo was still worried about the arrival of Li Boshan's army, Hongnong on the other side of Mount Xiao was in a different situation. The Northern Qi army pursued them all the way, with unstoppable momentum along the way, and the results were extremely brilliant!