sbdcsierra Chapter 119: Tuotuokou Ambush (1)
Chapter 119: Tuotuokou Ambush (1)
Just as the five armies of the Song Dynasty in Shaanxi crossed the Song-Xia border and attacked the border town of Western Xia, Di Liang, who was ordered by Han Ming to station in Tuotuokou alone, was looking at the map and constantly exploring the terrain near Tuotuokou.
Although the lieutenant general beside him was also helping Di Liang, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"The general is biased. Your strategy is clearly no less than anyone else's, yet you're stationed in the rear as reinforcements. Isn't this denying you the opportunity to make a contribution?"
Hearing his subordinates' grumbling, Di Liang snorted coldly: "You know shit!"
"Tuotuokou is the only way for the Xixia reinforcements from Weizhou to pass. As long as we block this point, the pressure on Erlang and Zhong Laoda who are besieging Yanzhou will be much less."
"Besides, neither Erlang nor Boss Zhong are very suitable for this kind of defensive battle."
"The governor sent me to garrison Tuotuokou because he believed I could handle the situation on my own."
"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense!"
Di Liang carefully expressed his speculation about Han Ming's personnel dispatch.
At the same time, there is also some regret that after less than a year of military reform, the entire Shaanxi border army has been completely renewed.
Ever since the first Song-Xia War, when the Song army lost six or seven elite soldiers, the entire border army had a mentality of fearing and avoiding fighting.
When facing the same Western Xia army, there is always a feeling of fear.
However, after Han Ming's training and reforms, the entire Shaanxi border army was filled with the strong belief that "use me in the first battle, and I will win."
And this is exactly what the border armies lack today.
Although he was not satisfied with what the lieutenant general said about Han Ming, he was very satisfied with the strong fighting spirit contained in the other party's words.
This is the martial spirit and belief in victory that an army needs.
"Hahaha, you're worthy of being Di Dalang. You've figured out everything about me."
A burst of clear laughter rang out from outside the military tent.
Everyone turned around quickly and saw a young man in a scarlet official uniform with a white velvet cloak over it, a long-winged hat on his head, and a long sword at his waist. He opened the tent door and walked in.
When they saw the newcomer, everyone in the military tent looked startled and immediately bowed respectfully and apologized.
"I am here to see the general!"
"Your humble servant greets the governor!"
"..."
For a moment, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look at the smiling young man.
"How did you come?"
Di Liang looked at Han Ming in disbelief and asked.
"I'm personally escorting the first batch of grain to you."
Han Ming walked straight into the main seat with a smile, and without looking at the strange looks from the crowd, he sat down in Di Liang's seat.
"Let the local troops handle this matter. As the Shaanxi Pacification and Transportation Commissioner, and the chief military and political officer, how can you rush to the front lines in person? It's too dangerous!"
Di Liang quickly expressed his concerns, trying to persuade Han Ming to leave the military camp and return to Song territory.
"Alas, since you are the commander of a route, how can you just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor?"
"In addition to ensuring your logistical support for this attack on Xia, I also intend to personally command the battle."
"Well, General Di, you don't think I'm in the way, do you?"
Di Liang listened to Han Ming's half-smile and couldn't help but sigh. This best friend who he had played with since childhood really had ulterior motives from the beginning.
"Then I'd like to make a bold guess. The General has the same military orders and plans in the other five armies!"
Han Ming's smile grew even wider, and then he patted his chair and said calmly, "Hahaha, Di Liang, Di Liang, in this war, your army is the real main force."
really!
Di Liang immediately understood Han Ming's intention. You must know that except for them as reinforcements, who were secretly hiding in Tuotuokou, the other five armies were crossing the border openly and heading straight for Xixia Yinzhou, Niuxinting, Longzhou, Hongzhou and Yanzhou.
Among them, the Battle of Yanzhou was an unprecedented siege, and each of them was a head-on confrontation.
Di Liang and his old brothers know Han Ming best. He would rather avoid a war of attrition than fight one, and would take every step with the goal of optimizing efficiency and minimizing casualties.
This action only means that the other five armies were just feints, and Han Ming's fundamental purpose was not to capture the city or stronghold.
"Besiege the point and attack the reinforcements. Use Yanzhou as bait to attract and stimulate the actions of the entire Xixia border army."
"It will not only relieve the military pressure on Wang Shao and Zhong Yan from their siege of the eastern city, but will also facilitate our covert operations along the way."
Han Ming stood up quickly and walked to the military map, carefully explaining his plan.
"That kind of interpretation and Di Zi and the others..."
Di Liang was a little worried about his brother's safety at the first moment. After all, according to Han Ming, in addition to Yanzhou as bait, even the 30,000 troops attacking the city in the front became bait for the entire battle.
How could he not be worried? After all, these were elite troops that had been trained with great difficulty. If he was not careful, the entire army might be wiped out.
"So, this all depends on whether our long-distance raid is effective!"
"Awesome?"
Han Ming's new term "awesome" made Di Liang frown, not quite understanding its meaning.
"Just take it as a question of whether we are capable."
Han Ming explained casually and fixed his eyes on a dangerous pass at Tuotuokou.
"Long-distance raid?!"
Only then did Di Liang realize another key word in Han Ming's words.
"Let's not worry about that for now. Our first step is to destroy the support troops from the Jingsai Military Command in Weizhou, Xixia."
Han Ming didn't give Di Liang and the others a chance to react, and slapped the East Peak Pass of Tuotuokou with his hand.
"This is a great place for an ambush!"
"How about it, General Di, do you want to swallow this enemy first?"
Di Liang also nodded slightly. Although Han Ming's thoughts were very jumpy, he was used to it and could basically keep up.
"Of course, how can we let them escape when the meat is right in our mouths?"
Di Liang immediately said excitedly.
"Then make the arrangements. This battle will let Xixia know that the Song army is no longer the same as it once was!"
"Yes!"
Di Zi and the other generals shouted in unison, clasped their fists in salute, and hurriedly left the tent to gather troops.
Han Ming stroked his chin, his eyes jumping away from Tuotuokou and moving to Tiemenguan, north of Yanzhou.
. . . . . .
September 28th, the sixth year of Jiayou in the Song Dynasty, was the tenth day since the Yanzhou Incident and the fifth day of the siege by Zhong Gu and Di Zi.
The sky above the entire Yanzhou city always maintained a gloomy atmosphere.
The 30,000 fully armed Song troops brought considerable pressure to the entire Yanzhou city.
This situation of besieging the city but not attacking it made them even more anxious.
This calmness only applies to Yanzhou. A fierce battle is taking place at Tutuokou, hundreds of miles southwest of Yanzhou.
For the former Western Xia army, the Yeli tribe was an unavoidable topic.
They were one of the tribes of the Dangxiang people, and were also the family of Yeli, the first queen of Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of Western Xia.
Yeli's two elder brothers, Yeli Wangrong and Yeli Yuqi, were appointed as military supervisors by Li Yuanhao because of their many strategies and ability to use troops well.
The two men commanded the left and right wing armies in the Western Xia territory respectively, and were named the Great Kings, and served as the Ningling.
He basically controlled all the military power of Western Xia, and as the queen's brother, he was the most powerful official in the country.
However, with the rise of Mo Zang Epang and the struggle between the Mo Zang and Yeli tribes, the Yeli clan was eventually deposed and Mo Zang was made queen. The entire Yeli clan lost power in the later period of Li Yuanhao.
The two brothers were also killed by Li Yuanhao and Mo Zang Epang.
As two famous generals who made great contributions to Western Xia during the First Song-Xia War, the entire Western Xia army still misses them very much.
But things have changed, and today is different from the past.
With the decline of the Yeli tribe and the rise of the Mozang tribe, the entire army became quite unfriendly towards the Yeli tribe.
This unfriendly attitude is reflected in the fact that it is difficult for people from the Yeli tribe to get promoted quickly in the army.
This is especially true for Yeli Rongqi. As one of the younger generation in the tribe, he joined the army with full enthusiasm to serve his country, but the reality did give him a huge blow.
The once glorious Yeli tribe has now become the most excluded group in the army.
No one dared to favor the Yeli tribe easily, because the current Xixia king's uncle and prime minister, Mo Zang Epang, was wary of the rise of the Yeli tribe.
Yeli Rongqi, an ordinary soldier, was now following the reinforcements of Jingsai Army to Yanzhou.
According to the information he received, the Song army's large-scale attack on Xia was to seize the salt lake owned by Western Xia.
That is a place where blue and white salt is produced in abundance, and it is also the foundation of the entire Western Xia. They will never abandon it.
To this end, with Yanzhou as the center, the Jingsai Military Command in the west, the Jianing Military Command in the east, and the Xiangqing Army under Xiping Prefecture were all quickly gathering troops to reinforce Yanzhou.
As the nearest Jingsai military commander, Yeli Rongqi and his men were the fastest to rush to the local area to provide assistance.
The Yanzhou Incident occurred on September 18th, and by September 28th they had arrived at Tuotuokou, southwest of Yanzhou. As long as they passed through this place, they could reach the city of Yanzhou in about three days.
At that time, we can cooperate with the Yanzhou defenders to defeat the Song army outside the city.
For Yeli Rongqi, what happens next will change his life, and even the fate of the entire Yeli tribe...