After Liu Cheng woke up, he sent out all the letters, but he did some self-reflection and concentrated on dealing with Liao Xiong first, regardless of anything else.
Any prey that requires a life-and-death struggle cannot be taken lightly.
On August 24, the troops ignored Xu Lake Chief who was very close, ignored Immortal Maiden An Miao who was said to have appeared at Gui Lake and Tai Lake at the same time, arrived at the north bank of Tai Lake, and approached Yixing's ten-mile camp.
And Liu Cheng saw Fan Ning, Xie Xuan and Shen Jin coming from the south that morning.
As soon as the latter arrived, he first defended himself:
"Liao Xiong can freely come in and out of Wuxing not because we Shen Family are conniving at it, but because the whole family believes in Way of the Celestial Masters. As long as they don't go into the lake to rob, they must be wrapped in Crimson Headscarf. If you encounter this kind of crimson horse on weekdays, everyone will take some convenience..."
You can only believe half of this.
Liu Cheng believes in Liao Xiong. The whole clan believes in Way of the Celestial Masters. They wear Crimson Headscarf when they are not looting. This is very common in the whole of Jiangnan. Huan Wen over there Wuling Man is the same Crimson Headscarf. But if you want to say that Shen Clan of Wuxing, which occupies almost half of the county, allows hundreds of Liao People bandits to enter and exit the county all day long just because they are wearing Crimson Headscarf, then it is a bit perfunctory.
You can't use this to fool me just because I once traveled through Wuxing with Way of the Celestial Masters and Crimson Futou, right?
"In addition, that Liao Xiong himself is very careful. He never robs in the county, and he keeps a low profile every time he comes in and out. He will even deliberately travel at night and not walk next to the larger Manor." Shen Jin looked at Liu Cheng's stubble, which was obviously messy due to being outside in the past few days. He seemed to realize something and continued to defend himself, obviously with a little caution.
"Needless to say these." Liu Cheng also knew that it was not the time to care about these things, so he nodded directly. "I only want to say one thing. If the army was defeated in Wuxing, and not Shen Family, it would be Shen Family's fault... at least it would be Shen Family's and Way of the Celestial Masters's fault together."
"If Imperial Army fails, I will sacrifice my head." Shen Jin made the promise without hesitation.
"What do I want with my wife's uncle's head?" Liu Cheng was speechless. "Are you going to scare Awu? Name the child A Shou?"
Shen Jin laughed dryly, realizing his embarrassment and tension.
But there is no way.
Every time, every time I meet, they are climbing up, and even if they are not climbing up, they are still working hard to do big things, and every time they do big things, they will have multiple official positions, and I will always wait here for Wang Huzhi. Although I promised from the beginning that next year will be the next round of the North conflicts, but I am waiting for this time. The other party has already changed from a ragged boy in crimson clothes to a noble person that I have to deal with carefully.
Time is so unfair to two people.
Fortunately, there is a marriage after all.
And precisely because of this marriage, Liao Xiong seems to be insignificant, so let it go.
I just hope that the baby Awu is a boy.
"I don't want your head, but I want you to do other things." Seeing this, Liu Cheng reminded him solemnly. "The reason why I didn't recruit Liao Xiong first is not because I don't like him or have no intention of recruiting, but because Imperial Army needs to establish his authority, so this battle must be won neatly and beautifully, and everything should be based on this first..."
"Don't worry." If Fan Ning and Xie Xuan weren't still around, Shen Jin would have almost talked about it.
Calculating mentally but not carelessly, I have so many soldiers and horses hidden, and I am fighting in my hometown. As long as I seize the opportunity of Liao Xiong coming in and out, I can win the battle.
Liu Cheng nodded, without comment, only asking for details.
And Shen Jin indeed talked about Liao Xiong's origin, temperament, location of the village, and strength, all the way to the Fortified Manor water village near the lake, including the information that the person should be in the water village at this time.
"He must have heard that officers and soldiers were approaching Tai Lake, so he went to the water village in the bay south of Yixing to guard the ships, just in case." Shen Jin explained briefly. "But he may also be on guard against Yibing, because it is said that Yibing entered Tai Lake again."
"Yibing Ignore him for now, just say Liao Xiong. This guy is very likely to be monitoring our camp at this time, so we need to be more rigorous." Liu Cheng naturally asked this local leader. "Brother Shijian, do you have any ideas about specific tactics?"
Fan Ning and Xie Xuan, who had been listening with their ears pricked up, heard this title, and both looked confused. After looking at each other, they realized that they had remembered correctly before. They were talking about their wife's uncle before, and they were also their wife's uncle before, but now they are calling "brother"?
"There is indeed a way. It's better to work harder for Wuzi and Xie Family, Mr. Junlang, and let them talk about it." Shen Jin heard this, but did not answer directly. Instead, he looked at Fan and Xie.
Xie Xuan didn't say anything, but Fan Ning, who had a responsibility, didn't dare to neglect, and immediately cheered up and introduced:
"We did discuss a solution, but it was Mr. Shijian who took the lead... It meant that while this Liao Xiong man was in the water village, he bribed other nearby copycat Liao People who had enemies with him to pretend to attack his copycat and force him to come back to help. And we were waiting for him to come back to help. Ambush on the road, wait until the ambush is launched, and then use the water stronghold Fortified Manor as a reward to let Xi people, who is familiar with the Shen Clan, attack his weak water stronghold from the waterway. As long as the water stronghold is on fire, he will definitely be unable to take care of the head and tail... It is impossible to directly surrender in front of the formation."
"According to what Mr. Shijian said, the core of this strategy is to control mountains with dogs and water with streams!" Xie Xuan also added loudly.
The bullshit "use the beasts to control the mountains and the streams to control the water", I'm afraid they are all Shen Jin's own soldiers! It's just that he was defeated by Jiankang at the beginning of the year, and now he has no choice but to pretend to be honest in front of the two disciples of Regent.
"Then let's do it!" Liu Cheng complained in his heart and immediately nodded in approval of this plan without any delay.
That's enough. It doesn't need to be too complicated. It's good enough to use the information gap and give full play to the advantage of military strength.
"But there is still a problem..." Fan Ning continued. "Except Mr. Fu, no one here has experience in battle."
"Experience in battle may not be as good as one's courage in one's own hometown. Those dealers at the Shen Clan who fight in Wuxing's hometown may be able to withstand a harder battle than Di people."."Liu Cheng said indifferently. "So this battle is entirely up to Brother Shen, and you should also listen to his instructions. But I do have to be present, otherwise Imperial Guards won't be able to arrange his troops."
"When will it be done?" Xie Xuan got excited and asked proactively.
"It's better to set off as soon as it gets dark, leaving most of the civilians here to bluff. If you don't go Zhangpu Pass, don't go Tai Lake, go west first, bypass Yixing City, follow the north road of the Middle River, and wait until dawn Just build a Floating Bridge from the Middle River Upper Reaches, and go there to ambush first. "Liu Cheng is just as fast as Northern Migrants." As long as you are fast, you can cover up most of the flaws."
"Then I'll arrange for someone to take Floating Bridge." Shen Jin quickly stood up.
Fan Ning also wants to start well and end well, and follow the past again, leaving only Xie Xuan here.
In this way, Shen and Fan came and went in a hurry, but they had already decided on a strategy. As soon as they left, Liu Cheng immediately gave orders to the soldiers to prepare for departure. They just had to be careful and not make too much noise.
While making arrangements, he suddenly remembered some "battle examples" and quickly asked Xie Xuan to chase them. They asked Shen Jin to prepare dinner for the thousands of soldiers in the Middle River's own clan Manor on the south bank. There would be no extra fire at night to make dry food.
This is because he is afraid of being beaten as Takeda Shingen.
It would be a lot of fun if someone really fucked someone with a black tiger and ripped out his heart.
By the afternoon, the troops had been prepared. At this time, suddenly a number of horsemen came from the north and went straight into the camp.
Liu Cheng was shocked and immediately went to greet him, but it turned out to be Gao Heng.
Although he was overjoyed, he quickly asked, "A Heng, are you from Jiangcheng?"
"It's from Jiangcheng." Gao Heng turned over and dismounted, looking slightly tired. "Prince of Wuling's affairs have been settled, and the remaining half of the troops have arrived. I will let them rest for a few days, and I will come first."
Liu Cheng heard the words and looked at the color, and knew in his heart that when the other party came, Awu should not have given birth, otherwise there would be words. Although he was a little anxious in his heart, after all, he had experienced it once, and he was strong. Under pressure, he just held the opponent's hand and said, "You came just in time. I know you have traveled a long distance and have a hard time, but there is going to be a war here. Although I am very sure, the scene of thousands of people facing each other still needs support like you who has war experience. Come with me."
Gao Heng What else can I say, as a soldier you eat food and as a general you work hard.
What's more, this man is a nobleman who lifted up the entire clan after the Gao Clan crossed the river. Even if he dies, his uncle will send another nephew to continue working for him.
He nodded immediately.
However, as soon as Liu Cheng turned around, he immediately changed his words: "You are too tired. Don't worry about the march. I will handle it. I will send you a guide. You go now and go to the Shen Family Manor on the other side of the river to rest. After you have rested, I will hand it over to you before the formation tomorrow."
Gao Heng is not a hypocritical person, but he can't help but feel a little grateful. He just nodded and agreed again.
After all kinds of commotion, before dusk, more than a thousand soldiers each held a Shenlang Coins in their mouths and carried rolled-up Iron Loin Armor and Leather Two-Panel Armor on their backs. The so-called rolled-up armor titles actually came from the camp. They quietly poured out from the side with their backs to Tai Lake. They first took advantage of the afterglow to go west, then suddenly turned south before dark and entered the main road. Then, with ten torches, they followed the guide sent by Shen Jin and rushed forward.
Arriving at the designated Floating Bridge in the middle of the night, Liu Cheng sent another message, saying that breakfast had been prepared and was in the Manor three miles (actually seven miles away, and scattered in three places) on the other side. After eating, they could go to bed. The thousands of soldiers were so excited that they could survive the Floating Bridge with one breath.
At this time, the first "war casualty" of this dispatch appeared. Several people fell into the river in the dark night, but one person was not fished out by the Shen Family Slave Retainers who was holding the boat.
Liu Cheng was also exhausted to a certain extent at this time, so he only stood on horseback by the river he had experienced in the past, and he just held on until all the troops came over.
By the time the last group of people arrived, the east side had already turned slightly white. Taking advantage of the faint morning light, the person couldn't help but shake his head. "Only today do I know why it is said that victory and defeat are commonplace."
Shen Jin was on the side, and it was obvious that he had misunderstood, so he quickly comforted him, "Liao Xiong, there was no movement at least before the third update. Now that we have worked hard to cross the river, the chance of winning is 80% to 90%."
"No." Liu Cheng said with emotion. "I mean, even with such a sure victory, if you Shen Shijian have evil intentions and suddenly betray me when we just crossed the river or now, I will only have a situation where the whole army is annihilated. Whether I can survive depends on Mandate of Heaven."
Shen Jin I don't know whether to say that the other party is sharp or to guess whether the other party is hinting at something.
"I'm not beating you, I'm sighing." Liu Cheng could sense the helplessness of the other party even in the dark, so he could only explain briefly. "Manpower is limited, Liao Xiong is like this, Imperial Army is like this, Fu Sheng was like this at the beginning, and you Shen Jin are like this... Now in Wuxing, there is only a reason for others to do their best in front of you, and there is no reason for you to do your best yourself. But next year and the year after next we will be at the North. You and I are like trees without roots and water without a source. You and I must not do our best, regardless of politics and military affairs. When we reach a certain level, we must admit defeat and come back to be useful and plan for the future."
"Yulong is right." Shen Jin just nodded randomly.
After resting for a while, at noon, Shen Jin let the troops start in the mountains while letting the troops scattered in multiple Manor have another meal, and then rushed to the ambush site, but not to Wuxing The mountainous area in the west-central part of the north is an official road closer to Tai Lake. Both sides are covered with withered yellow Reeds as high as a person. Below is the hard sandy soil due to the drop in water level. This place can hide not only people, but also horses.
The sound of waves of Tai Lake can just cover up some small movements.
Liu Cheng did not need to give orders at all. After resting, Gao Heng immediately fulfilled his duties as Army Provisioning Officer of the Archers Commandant's Unit, requiring everyone to strictly prohibit fireworks and then be sure to wear medals. Anyone who disobeys military orders will be immediately beheaded.
Shen Jin's troops also arrived, mainly composed of Straight Saber's large shields, while Commandant of Archers’ Unit brought enough Long Spear and strong bow Powerful Crossbow because of Liu Cheng's persistence.
This kind of Military Weapons configuration of Jing and Wei Divide could have been used to do some fancy things. It was indeed suggested that the two sides could mix and match, but Liu Cheng flatly rejected it. The two sides were not familiar with each other. On one side were Northern Migrants mostly expatriate sergeants, and on the other side were Wuxing natives. The language of both parties was not smooth, let alone trusting their lives?
To be straightforward, Shen Jin is responsible for blocking on one side and blocking the road, and Commandant of Archers’ Unit is responsible for blocking the back road on the other side. It is fair and reasonable.
After making this arrangement, Liu Cheng abandoned the ambush here to Shen Jin and Gao Heng. He took several staff, Attendant Secretariat Supervisor cavalry, and personal guards to hide on a hill diagonally opposite the Reeds. There were many trees there, which was barely suitable for hiding and observing the battlefield.
Soon, the time came to the evening, when the setting sun dyed the Reeds bushes golden, Liu Cheng Deng Ren, who was standing in the woods at the foot of the mountain at the far end, was the first to notice the looming Liao Xiong and his team in the distance.
Looking from a distance, the most obvious visual feature is indeed Crimson Headscarf, which is rushing along the road.
As the Liao People bandit team, which was in line with expectations, gradually approached, unlike several subordinates who were obviously excited and even nervous, especially Fan Ning, Xie Xuan, and Zhang Zhong, Liu Acheng gradually lost interest.
You can't let him who has experienced Ying River's defeat, Xuchang's counterattack, Lantian's bloody battle, and Wei River's advance have to show any interest... This is a group of normal bandits who can gather so many Able-Bodied Men to rob ships and go along Tai Lake to the wealthy Wu Commandery and Jinling on the other side. E plundered villages and attacked Manor. It was indeed very powerful, but compared with the army, their armor ratio was too small and they lacked neat standard weapons. Most people were just Crimson Headscarf itself can explain the problem. Even if they rush home for rescue, the baggage trucks in the team are mixed with the soldiers. This means that they have no classification of soldiers and logistics personnel at all, and at least they have not completed the organization of the army.
Liu Cheng It can be absolutely asserted that in terms of the quality of the three parties participating in the war, the previous step-by-step calculations and the implementation of the plan have reached a certain decisive situation.
By this time, the battle situation has been decided. Unless Shen Jin or Gao Heng are all gone, there may be nothing worth his attention.
After a busy night and morning, Liu Cheng, who had not gotten enough sleep, could clearly feel a surge of tiredness.
In order to avoid falling off his horse and making big news that was particularly in line with the characteristics of this era, he simply dismounted, turned around and leaned against a big tree to watch the battle. However, he couldn't help but yawned in the sunset, and then squinted his eyes to wait for the result.
Fighting quickly broke out.
The battle at the beginning was very intense, because after a brief period of loss of control and panic, the word "return to the enemy" quickly came into play. Liao Xiong himself was indeed extremely majestic and tall, and he really looked like a bear after wearing armor. He rode a Tall Horse and shouted repeatedly to remind everyone that these officers and soldiers were blocking their way home, and even if they died, they would die in the direction of going home.
But unfortunately, they failed to break through a group of large shield soldiers commanded by Shen Jin. Instead, they encountered a large number of effective kills on both sides due to the crowding.
Especially the standard Military Crossbow is too scary for these bandits with incomplete armor.
Soon, the collapse occurred quickly, and these bandits began to burrow into the Reeds swings on both sides like headless flies. After realizing that there were dense Battle Formation on both sides, they turned around and walked back and forth, only to find that there were two teams of people holding Long Spear Powerful Crossbow waiting there, blocking the back road, and there were local people behind them shouting for them to surrender.
But at this time, the so-called "Xi people" attack on the water village and the drama that shook the bandits' minds has not yet happened.
However, the war still did not end quickly. The main reason was that Liao Xiong, whose head and face were covered with blood, was still riding his Tall Horse and wearing a pair of Iron Loin Armor. He seemed to have a fairly well-equipped bodyguard under his command. They were not many in number, only thirty or forty, and they all rushed back and forth to rescue the trapped people and stop those who tried to escape and surrender.
Seeing this, under the trees at the foot of the mountain, Xie Xuan, whose blood was boiling, immediately turned around and wanted to request to recruit this person on the spot.
However, when he turned around to find Liu Cheng, he was shocked to find that the prince had already sat down against the big tree with his eyes closed. He was snoring slightly as he walked over.
Xie Xuan was shocked.
In fact, the battlefield was so noisy that Liu Cheng didn't fall asleep at all, he just squinted. At this time, Xie Xuan came over to cover the sun. He immediately woke up and regained his energy immediately. However, he was so preoccupied with Xie Xuan's little face that he couldn't help but laugh. He asked on the spot, "Have you defeated the enemy yet?"
Of course Xie Xuan didn't know what this was, so he shook his head quickly and explained the situation of the battle. Liu Cheng had no choice but to stand up and look at the battlefield from a distance. Sure enough, he found that things were as he said. After thinking for a few breaths, he immediately The order was given, "If you want to go, go ahead! But you are only allowed to surrender once. If you fail once, tell Gao Heng immediately. The life of the sergeant is the most important thing. Concentrate your crossbows quickly and shoot this person. And since you accept this responsibility, you must either bring someone up or bring his head up."
Xie Xuan Blood rushed to his head, he immediately made a promise, and then led his Attendant Secretariat Supervisor cavalry Left Wing fifteen riders down the horse.
------I am the dividing line of exhaustion------
(The Ancestor Lord) rarely has Wei Qing and Huo Qubing ambitions, but he is taught by Han Xin and Bai Qi and walks out of the Zhongding Family, walking on a thorny road. - "Hanging to the Tomb of the Ancestor Lord". Qi Xie Lingyun