Qinghai is covered by long clouds and covered with snow-capped mountains, and the isolated city looks at Yumen Pass in the distance.
??The yellow sand will wear the golden armor in a hundred battles, and the Loulan will never be returned until it is broken.
In March of the second year of Jiye, a Sui army composed of five thousand cavalry was marching southwestward on the edge of the vast sand sea. This was the Dunhuang cavalry led by Su Dingfang, the general of the Sui Dynasty. Their goal was Shanshan City, thousands of miles away.
In the fifth year of Daye, the Sui Dynasty occupied thousands of miles of land after defeating Tuyuhun, and established four counties including Heyuan, Xihai, Qiemo, and Shanshan, and sent troops and officials to garrison them.
In the ninth year of Daye, the Yuan family took the lead in rebelling, but was quickly suppressed. Yuan Shou committed suicide. However, the commander-in-chief Yuan Hongsi led 3,000 soldiers to flee westward, crossed Xihai County, and fled to Shanshan County. He killed the general and captured two thousand troops guarding Shanshan County and Qiemo County.
Yuan Hongsi proclaimed himself King of Shanshan, based on the two counties of Shanshan and Qiemo, and prepared troops and horses, waiting for the opportunity to return to the Central Plains. However, the sparse population and lack of food in Shanshan area made it difficult for him to develop. After four years, he The army only has 6,000 people.
At this time, news of Li Gui's defeat came. The Tang army was confronting the Western Qin army and was unable to look westward. Yuan Hongsi realized that the time had come, and his first target was Yiwu County in the north. At this time, winter had arrived. He decided to attack Yiwu County in the spring next year.
But what Yuan Hongsi did not expect was that in the early winter of this year, a huge change occurred in Dunhuang County. A Sui Dynasty army attacked thousands of miles and occupied Dunhuang County, but his Shanshan County became the prey of the Sui army.
The road that the Sui army followed was the Yumen Road, which started from Yangguan, passed through the northern edge of the Sansha Desert to Puchang Sea, and then went south along the Qiemo River from Puchang Sea to Shanshan City.
They had been marching for more than ten days and gradually arrived at Puchanghai. It was mid-spring, when the wind was strong. At noon that day, the army had been walking for nearly three hours. The soldiers were a little tired.
At this time, a soldier pointed to the south and shouted to Su Dingfang: "General, look, it's getting dark over there!"
Su Dingfang looked at it intently, and his expression suddenly changed. They had had the same experience a few days ago. It was a sandstorm, which caused more than twenty soldiers to be drowned in the sand and died. He whipped his horse fiercely and shouted to the soldiers. : "Command to the three armies. Speed ??up the march!"
There is no need for him to give orders. Five thousand cavalrymen whipped their horses and galloped across the boundless Gobi Desert. This cavalry of 5,000 people seemed extremely small in front of nature. More than 20 miles away from them, the sky was as dark as ink. A earth-shaking sandstorm was coming towards them
Puchang Lake is today's Lop Nur. In the Sui Dynasty, it was still a large lake with vast water and luxuriant water plants. It was also the most important resting place on the southern route of the Silk Road. After passing through the vast Gobi Desert and the vast sand sea, tired business travelers came here to watch When you reach the endless water, seagulls are chirping overhead, and green water plants are blowing in the wind. All of this will wash away the fatigue of the business trip. Let them freshen up and get back on the road.
After losing a heavy price of more than a hundred people, five thousand Sui cavalry finally escaped from the sandstorm and arrived at this refreshing blue sea.
The soldiers jumped off their horses one after another, yelling and running towards the lake. The horses also cheered up and ran wildly, this piece of blue water of life. It was so strong that five thousand soldiers and horses melted
The cavalry rested for two days at Puchanghai and then marched southward along the Qiemo River. This section of the journey was much lighter. The Qiemo River originates from the Kunlun Mountains and flows through Qiemo County and Shanshan County. Finally, it is poured into Puchang Sea.
The spring floods have just passed, and the Qiemo River is gurgling. The river is very shallow, and the deepest part is only up to a person's waist. The water is cold and clear, and the current is fast. On both sides of the river are dense forests of Populus euphratica, which stretch for hundreds of miles. They are nourished by the river water and grow particularly strong and lush.
After walking for another three days, in the evening, the cavalry stopped to rest in a Populus euphratica forest. It was not far from Shanshan City, about thirty miles away.
Shanshan City does not rely on the Qiemo River. There is a Gobi Desert about thirty miles wide between it and the Qiemo River. At this time, five thousand Sui army cavalry were in the northwest of this Gobi Desert, crossing the Gobi Desert. , you can reach Shanshan City.
As night fell, the sky was filled with stars and the stars were shining brightly. Su Dingfang stood on a mound and stared into the distance. After nearly twenty days of trekking, he actually knew nothing about the situation in Shanshan City.
He only knew that Yuan Hongsi occupied Qiemo County and Shanshan County. According to merchants, there were about five or six thousand troops. As for how the army was stationed, what its equipment was, how many cavalry and infantry there were, he knew nothing.
Su Dingfang sighed. This was not in line with the Sui army¡¯s intelligence-first combat method, but he didn¡¯t want to alert the enemy., the plan he is thinking of now is to occupy Shanshan City first, and then adapt to the situation according to the situation.
"Go find the guide!"
After a while, several soldiers brought the guide up. The guide was an old man in his sixties, a native of Gaochang, named Su'a. In Su Dingfang's words, they were a family five hundred years ago, and Su'a used to be a businessman. , can speak fluent Chinese, and makes a living by herding sheep in Puchanghai after the age of 40. He goes to Shanshan City every year to sell sheep, and knows Shanshan City well.
"General Su, it's already dark, do you want to take action?" Su A walked up and said with a smile.
Su Dingfang smiled and nodded, "I would like to ask about the condition of Shanshan City's walls first."
"General Su, although Shanshan City is known as the largest city in Monan, in fact it is not worth mentioning compared with the cities in the Sui Dynasty. The city wall is very short, about one foot high! It is mainly to prevent wolves, and it is made of soil. The wall is not made of stones. There are several oases over there. The population is widely distributed. There are not many people in the city, only a thousand households, so the city is not big. It has been hundreds of years old and the city has already weathered. It has to be dilapidated.¡±
Su Dingfang listened very attentively and asked: "Is there a sentry tower or beacon nearby?"
Su A chuckled: "There are a few beacons, but they are all from the Han Dynasty and have long been turned into mounds. It is rare to think of enemies here to attack, unless they are the Tuyuhun people, but the Tuyuhun people have been conquered by the Sui Dynasty emperor. After being disabled, I have never been here again. Anyway, if it is a night attack, the defenders might treat you as a pack of wolves."
"How is their armor and equipment?"
"There is no difference from the Sui Army. They are the Sui Army to begin with. If they fight together with you, they probably won't be able to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy. By the way, it seems that your helmets are a little different."
Su Dingfang thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you very much, father-in-law."
At this time, several scouts came galloping from a distance. Su Dingfang was overjoyed and urged his horse to meet them, "How is it? Did you find anything?"
"Reporting to the general, the enemy's troops are not entirely stationed in the city. Most of them are stationed outside the city. They seem to be preparing to set off tomorrow. A lot of ordnance and supplies have been bundled."
"Is there any barracks or spears outside the military camp?"
"No, just hundreds of tents, surrounded by only a circle of baggage trucks."
Although Su Dingfang knew that this was because there were not many spears for stabbing, he was still very careful. After all, Yuan Hongsi had served as the general manager of Youzhou for many years and had rich representative experience. He could not be careless in the slightest. Su Dingfang raised his head and looked at the night sky. He turned back to several soldiers and said, "Go and notify General Li. The brothers will rest for a while before revolting."
The night was getting late, and Yuan Hongsi was not sleeping in the Chinese army tent yet. He was pacing back and forth in the tent with his hands behind his back, thinking about the next strategy. Capturing Yiwu County was undoubtedly the first step, and the second step was to seize it. Dunhuang County, then the third and fourth steps. £® £® £® £®
Yuan Hongsi is nearly sixty years old, his hair is half white, and his face has become extremely rough due to years of wind and sand erosion, but his burly body is still as straight as a pine, and his eyes are as bright as an eagle. Sharp, his heart is still as ambitious as it was twenty years ago.
There is a map on his commander's case. On the map, the Hexi region has been completely painted in red. That is where his ambition lies. He will occupy Hexi in two years, and then march to Longyou and Guanzhong to realize the Yuan family. The failed plan was to establish a New Wei Dynasty, expel Li Tang, annihilate Yang Yuanqing, conquer the Central Plains, and revive the glory of the Tuoba family.
Tomorrow is the day he raises his army. He has been waiting for this day for a long time. He is too excited to fall asleep.
At this time, a report from a soldier came from outside the tent, "Reporting to the prince, there seems to be a pack of wolves in the Gobi Desert, and some brothers heard the howling of wolves."
The appearance of wolves near the military camp was a common occurrence. Yuan Hongsi had long been used to it. He knew very well that it was the smell of the horses that attracted the wolves, so he waved his hand impatiently, "Drove a dozen horses out!"
This is a way to deal with wolves. Use a lone war horse to lure away the wolves. The wolves will often chase the tired horse more than a hundred miles away before killing the tired horse, but it is difficult to come back.
The soldier agreed, turned around and left. Yuan Hongsi slowly rushed out of the sword, stared at the sharp blade, and slashed towards the east with his sword
At this time, the Sui army had appeared several miles away, and soldiers kept pretending to howl like wild wolves. This was also the method taught to them by the guide Sua. At night, the enemy would see them several miles away, but it would be difficult to tell who they were. Horses or wolves.
At this time, more than a dozen horses rushed out of the camp and sped towards the south.After walking away, Su A smiled at Su Dingfang and said, "They regard you as a pack of wolves and let them loose to attract you to chase."
Su Dingfang urged the war horses to continue to move closer to the enemy camp. He also had rich experience and would not launch an attack until the enemy's alarm bell sounded.
The Sui army was getting closer and closer, less than three miles away from the enemy camp. At this moment, the defenders finally discovered something unusual. It was not a pack of wolves, but a group of cavalry.
"Dang! Dang! Dang!"
The siren sounded fiercely, and Su Dingfang pulled out his sword and shouted, "Kill!"
"Kill!" The Sui army suddenly launched. Five thousand cavalry galloped, brandishing swords and spears, and swept towards the enemy camp like a storm
{Piaotia Literature www.piaotia.com thanks all book friends for their support. Your support is our greatest motivation}