Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 285: War in Southern Guizhou
"Sorry..."

In the eighth month of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Shang Bibi and Shang Moyan were eyeing the throne of Tubo, an army in the southwestern mountains was marching hard.

There are deep valleys and ravines among the rolling mountains. A straight road of dozens of miles becomes winding and rugged in the mountains here, and it takes hundreds of miles to walk through.

The mountains are precipitous and most of the official roads are built along the mountains. They are no more than two or three meters wide, with a mountain on one side and a deep valley on the other. You have to be careful when walking.

On the winding official road, a team was marching hard. From beginning to end, the entire team stretched for nearly ten miles.

Five thousand officers and soldiers were wearing battle jackets, most of them were riding on horses or draft horses, or sitting on ox carts and horse carts, chatting and laughing.

The eight thousand civilians kept their heads down and kept silent. Most of them were driving for the government troops, or walking with the cavalry, leading the horses.

There were only 5,000 officers and soldiers, but the number of horses in the team exceeded 10,000, and there were more than 2,000 ox carts.

In this rugged southwest area, there is only one army that can possess so many horses, and that is the Lingnan Army brought by Gao Pian from Lingnan.

"This place is cool, much better than that place in Guangzhou!"

"It's still a bit cold at night, hahahaha..."

On the official road, Lu Ruyue and Zhang Lin were sitting on their horses and chatting and laughing. Many elite Tibetan cavalrymen also had smiles on their faces, looking very comfortable.

For the former Chengwu Army, although they followed Gao Pian south, they did not expect that the climate in Lingnan Road would be so harsh.

After they went south to quell the Changsha military rebellion, many of them fell ill due to unfamiliar climate and asked to leave the team.

Gao Pian did not force them. After incorporating them into the Changsha Army, he took those who were willing to go south and continued to move south.

After Gao Pian led them to quell the rebellion of the Lingnan Army in Guangzhou, there were less than two thousand elite Tibetan cavalry left in the Chengwu Army.

Due to the humidity and heat in Lingnan, many elite Tibetan cavalry left the team and headed north with their families.

Gao Pian was not angry. He let them leave their armor and horses behind, wrote a letter, and then let them go north to Shannan East Road and Henan Road to settle down.

If anyone was willing to join the army, he would write a letter of recommendation to provide them with a way out.

After this series of turmoil, there were only about 1,200 elite Tibetan cavalrymen left under Gao Pian's command, most of whom were single men.

Gao Pian relied on them to rectify the chaotic soldiers in the Lingnan army and re-recruit good families to train the troops.

Although he lost a lot of more experienced foreign cavalry, Gao Pian was still able to lead a team of 3,000 elite cavalrymen with the horses he had.

In addition, there are 5,000 well-trained infantrymen in the Lingnan Army.

The old and weak in the Lingnan army were all laid off by Gao Pian.

However, Gao Pian did not submit a memorial, but continued to receive military pay according to the previous strength of 10,000 soldiers.

However, the military pay for the extra two thousand men was basically distributed equally by him to the three thousand elite Han cavalry.

"General Jie, after we recover Juzhou this time, I think you should be promoted to another position, right?"

Inside the carriage, Wang Zhongren smiled and handed Gao Pian a kettle.

Gao Pian, who is nearly forty years old, no longer has the vigor and vitality he had in Qinlong, and has become more restrained.

Gao Pian took the kettle, took a sip, closed it, and looked outside.

At this time they had entered Qianzhong Road, where the climate was cooler than that in Lingnan.

Outside the car window is a landscape that is not much different from that of Guilin, and you can vaguely see many villages built in the mountains.

These villages were built by the barbarians in Qianzhong Road. Although they were loyal to the Tang Dynasty on the surface, they actually robbed and looted on the official roads.

However, when it comes to robbery, they can only look at the strength of the other party. The existence of an army like the Lingnan Army is like a fierce dragon crossing the river. They, a group of small fish and turtles, dare not provoke them for fear of angering them.

"Fortunately, we have not severed our connection with Wang Neixiang, otherwise, we would not be able to handle this matter."

Gao Pian said this with a hint of luck, but at the same time he said with regret:
"I originally wanted to stay in Annan, fight against the southern barbarians, gain merit, and rise to power in the court."

"But I didn't expect that Wang Xiaonian (Wang Shi) was so good at training his troops that he actually repelled the barbarians and defended Annan."

"Fortunately, the gold and silver were properly handled, so I was able to change the task of recovering Juzhou."

Having said this, Gao Pian perked up and looked at the desk in front of him.

Maps were spread out on the table, including those of Qianzhong, Jiannan, Shannan, Lingnan and Nanman.

"Recovering Juzhou is only the first step. Only by invading the territory of the Southern Barbarians can we achieve unprecedented success!"

As Gao Pian said this, Wang Zhongren nodded and said:

"I heard that Song Ya was ordered to gather the troops in Qianzhong and assembled 6,000 infantrymen to march towards Bozhou."

"It seems that Duan Zongbang may not be able to defend Bozhou. If we can capture Juzhou and cut off his retreat, we can wipe out the 30,000 barbarians under his command."

"When the time comes, you..."

Before he could finish his words, Gao Pian frowned and interrupted him: "Duan Zongbang is a great general among the southern barbarians after all. I'm afraid he won't be so easy to defeat."

"Even if we can defeat him, now is not a good time to destroy him..."

Wang Zhongren was surprised by Gao Pian's words. He paused and said, "Good timing?"

"Hmm..." Gao Pian's eyebrows revealed a little complexity, and he pondered:
"When we confronted Liu Jilong in Qinlong, we thought that Liu Jilong would soon be unable to resist and mobilize troops. What happened?"

"We defended Qin and Long for several years without any success, all because of Liu Jilong's caution and forbearance."

"It is precisely because I can't see the way forward that I choose to go south."

"Now that we have finally encountered a war, if we can wipe out Duan Zongbang in one battle, so that the southern barbarians are shocked and dare not invade Qianzhong, then do we have to defend it again?"

Wang Zhongren reacted and said hesitantly: "So you want to..."

"Alas!" Gao Pian sighed:
"In the past, I thought it was not the business of a general to keep the enemy at bay, but now it seems that keeping the enemy at bay is something that must be done."

"We can't make it too easy for Duan Zongbang."

"If we defeat them too easily, the imperial court will think that we have not made much contribution and that Nanzhao is easy to deal with."

"Duan Zongbang wants to fight, but he wants to fight hard, at least to make outsiders feel it is hard."

"Even if we want to defeat him, we have to give him an illusion that he is not inferior to us, but just at the wrong time."

"Only in this way, after he retreats back to Nanzhao, will he persuade Chief Long to continue to send troops to Qianzhong."

After a few years, Gao Pian became much more sophisticated.

"I understand!" Wang Zhongren nodded.
"Repelling Duan Zongbang is one achievement. If he enters the country again and we repel him again, that will be the second achievement."

"If this continues, the status of the military commander will surely rise, and the imperial court will also give more and more rewards."

"Yes!" Gao Pian nodded in response, and then ordered:
"We must seize Juzhou before Song Ya recovers Bozhou and force Duan Zongbang to withdraw from Bozhou."

"Qianzhong is too small and the barbarian soldiers are too few. This achievement is only enough for one army. I hope it's ours!"

"Don't worry, Commander!" Wang Zhongren bowed solemnly:

"I will go tell Zhang Lin and the others to speed up their march!"

"Go." Gao Pian did not stop him, and Wang Zhongren directly stopped the carriage and passed the general's order to the three armies.

Soon, the Lingnan Army, which had been marching slowly, sped up.

For a cavalry, marching sixty or seventy miles a day is not difficult.

Even in a place with rugged terrain like Qianzhong Road, as long as the official road is not washed away, one can still travel fifty miles a day.

Because of this, the Lingnan Army quickly approached Juzhou in the southwest from the Qianzhong border.

At the same time, the six counties under its jurisdiction in Bozhou had completely become a living hell.

More than 20,000 barbarian troops occupied the area, and many barbarian villages were destroyed and burned.

Thousands of Han people in the three counties of Bozhou were captured, and the remaining barbarians and Liao were incorporated into the army.

There were no Han, barbarian or Miao people left in Zunyi City. Only about 10,000 barbarian soldiers and more than 30,000 barbarian people who were captured and used as laborers were left.

"Screw rustle..."

The sound of armor pieces rang out in the Bozhou government office. A general walked in and bowed to the general who was reading in the main seat, saying:
"General, the people of Bozhou have all been relocated. Where should we attack next?"

"In my opinion, it is better to attack Luzhou to the northwest and plunder Bashu."

"The Qianzhong Road is barren. We have captured cities and strongholds along the way, but the money we have gained is only a few hundred thousand. It is far less satisfying than conquering Bashu."

Speaking of conquering Bashu, the general's eyes sparkled, but Duan Zongbang, whom he called the great general, put down his book and said:

"Your Majesty has sent an order, ordering me to lead the troops to withdraw to Luzhou (Liupanshui), turn north, and capture Zhuti (Zhaotong) and other cities."

"I think your majesty is ready to march forward with us and take over the three states of Rong, Shi, and Li in one fell swoop!"

"Two hundred thousand people in three states is easier to take than the entire Qianzhong."

As soon as Duan Zongbang finished speaking, the general bowed and said, "Then I will order the troops to return now!"

"Well, retreat from Juzhou to Luzhou, and send more soldiers to Tangzhou." Duan Zongbang added:
"There are spies in Jiannan Road saying that the Tang court has transferred troops from Lingnan to the north to help Qianzhong. I heard that the general is a veteran. Don't give him a chance to take advantage of you."

"Yes!" The general responded and left the government office. Soon the three armies began to break camp.

The next day, the 20,000 troops that had invaded Bozhou began to retreat to Juzhou, but Gao Pian had already led his troops to the edge of Juzhou.

Juzhou is located in the southwest of Qianzhong Road. Although it is far away from Qianshui River, the terrain where the city is built is flat and there are many streams.

Because of this, the Tang Dynasty established a prefecture and county in Juzhou, but before the people could be relocated, the establishment was stopped due to the war, so Juzhou was only in name but not in reality. There were only a few hundred Hankou people in Juzhou, and the rest were mostly Wuman.

After Duan Zongbang led his troops to attack Qianzhong Road, all the barbarians in most of the southwestern land of Qianzhong Road surrendered, including Juzhou.

As Duan Zongbang attacked Juzhou, the Wuman and Han people in the city were forcibly relocated.

Duan Zongbang left his son Duan Bangcheng and three thousand barbarian soldiers to garrison Juzhou, and personally led more than 20,000 barbarian soldiers to attack Bozhou.

Two days ago, the Han and barbarian population of Bozhou was plundered by Du Yuanzhong and his troops and taken back to Luzhou in Dali. Therefore, the only task left for Juzhou was to cover the retreat of the main force.

The best way to withdraw from Bozhou to Luzhou is to take the road to Juzhou, which is more than 600 miles long, of which more than 200 miles are from Bozhou to Juzhou.

Therefore, when Duan Zongbang ordered the withdrawal of troops, a light cavalry general delivered the message the next day.

After Duan Bangcheng burned the military intelligence, he immediately sent Tang soldiers to search for the Tang army in the east and south.

When the Tang soldiers explored out forty miles, they immediately ran into the Tang soldiers of the Lingnan Army.

"Beep--"

The shrill whistle sounds continued to come from the north and eventually reached the marching Lingnan army.

"We encountered the Tang soldiers!"

Inside the carriage, Wang Zhongren looked at Gao Pian in astonishment. Gao Pian frowned slightly:

"Our Tang soldiers are at least 40 miles away from Juzhou. Although Nanzhao has elite cavalry and foreign horses, their number is limited and they are rarely used as Tang cavalry."

"Find out whether the enemy is sending out Tang cavalry or Tang soldiers!"

"Yes!" Wang Zhongren agreed and immediately sent someone to inquire.

After arranging everything, he turned back and asked Gao Pian: "General Jie, if it is Tang soldiers, does it mean that Duan Zongbang has begun to retreat?"

"That's right." Gao Pian nodded:
"If they are Tang soldiers, it would be enough to send them out ten miles at most. After all, our dynasty does not have a strong military town in the southeast of Juzhou."

"Now that the Nanman Jiangtang soldiers have been released forty miles from Juzhou, it can only mean that Duan Zongbang has begun to withdraw his troops. I just don't know how far he is from Juzhou."

He stretched out his hand to measure on the map, then said calmly:
"From Bozhou to Juzhou is only 230 miles. With the speed of the barbarians, it would take at least three days to arrive."

"If Duan Zongbang has already arrived in Juzhou, then we can only rely on the Wuman River (Nanming River) ten miles away to form a battle array."

"If Duan Zongbang hasn't arrived yet, we will cross the river to Qingzhou County overnight and cut off their retreat!"

While Gao Pian was thinking, he had already thought of a way to make them invincible.

"We only have 5,000 soldiers, while the enemy has 30,000. Isn't this a bit too arrogant?"

Wang Zhongren was a little nervous, but Gao Pian was very confident:

"Just the Southern Barbarians. Five thousand soldiers are enough to defeat their six divisions!"

With his confidence, the Lingnan Army galloped towards Juzhou in the south.

At the same time, military intelligence on the enemy forces discovered in the south was also sent back to Juzhou City.

When Duan Bangcheng learned the news, he immediately sent military intelligence to Bozhou, and at the same time led 3,000 troops out of the city and rushed south towards the Wuman River.

It was dusk, and the Lingnan Army was the first to arrive at the Wuman River, while more than a hundred Lingnan Army cavalry had gathered on the north bank of the Wuman River.

Dozens of corpses of pond soldiers were lying around them, and it was obvious that they had captured the river bank after a fierce battle.

"Elite cavalry, follow me across the river first!"

Gao Pian had already changed into armor, and after raising his arm, he led more than 2,000 elite cavalry to cross the river.

It was as if it was already Mid-Autumn Festival. Although the water level of the Wuman River was high, it was no more than five feet, and the Tangqi had already arranged a ferry rope, so the elite cavalry only needed to cross the river along the ferry rope.

Soon, thousands of elite Han cavalry crossed the Wuman River, and shrill whistles were heard from the north.

"Beep--"

"Did you react?"

Gao Pian put on his wrung-out robe and wiped his armor dry before putting it on.

Soon, dozens of Tang cavalry appeared in the north and headed south. Gao Pian calmly watched them come to his formation.

"General, more than 3,000 southern barbarians are heading south out of Juzhou, and they are only five miles away from here!"

Lin Ruzhen, who was in charge of the Tangqi, came to report. Gao Pian smiled and said:

"How dare a mere three thousand barbarians come and cause trouble? Generals Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen..."

"I'm here!" The two generals bowed.

"You two lead two thousand elite cavalry to attack and eat up these three thousand people!"

"The last general takes command!"

Under Gao Pian's military order, Zhang Lin and Lin Ruzhen rode out on horseback to attack. They also separated two thousand elite cavalry from the more than two thousand elite cavalry who had just crossed the Wuman River, leaving more than seven hundred elite cavalry.

After they left, the infantry, civilian laborers and cavalry of the rear army began to cross the river.

From Wumanshui to Juzhou in the north, there are many hills along the road, but compared with most of the terrain in Qianzhong, this place can be called a "plain".

The two thousand elite cavalrymen galloped northward, and soon they met Duan Bangcheng's three thousand barbarian soldiers three miles away.

Although they were barbarian soldiers, thanks to the national strength of Nanzhao, these 3,000 barbarian soldiers were all wearing armor and equipped with swords, spears, bows and crossbows.

"Array!!"

As Duan Bangcheng spoke, the three thousand barbarian soldiers formed a circle without waiting for the two thousand elite cavalry to approach.

Two thousand infantrymen held their ground, while one thousand infantrymen abandoned their swords and spears and switched to bows and crossbows.

"Dismount a hundred paces, switch to bows and shoot arrows, and wait for me to break the formation!"

Zhang Lin has grown a lot, but is still rebellious.

After all, since his debut, except for the fact that he failed to please Liu Jilong, he had never suffered any setbacks in other battles, whether it was suppressing the Dangxiang or pacifying the rebels in Hunan and Lingnan.

Reality told him that people like Liu Jilian were outliers, and he was still the best among the cavalry generals.

General Lin Ruzhen remained calm. He led more than a thousand elite cavalrymen to slow down their horses and dismount a hundred steps away from the barbarian army.

All the elite cavalry switched to bows, drew their bows and began shooting arrows at the barbarian army's formation, and the barbarian army did the same.

For a moment, arrows rained down from both sides, and Zhang Lin led 500 elite cavalrymen to circle around, spying like a wolf, ready to take the initiative to attack once the barbarian army's formation became disrupted.

The arrows collided and finally fell into the formation.

Due to the lack of cavalry, the 3,000 barbarian soldiers under Duan Bangcheng were relatively passive and did not dare to take the initiative to attack, for fear that they would be spotted by the 500 elite cavalry led by Zhang Lin and break through the formation.

Under the interference of the rain of arrows, there was inevitably chaos among the barbarians.

Zhang Lin had a hot temper, and when he saw that the barbarian army was not in chaos, he immediately became impatient.

He led 500 elite cavalrymen and rode to General Lin Ruzhen's side: "With my 2,000 elite cavalrymen, we can attack the barbarians head-on. Are you afraid that we can't break their formation?!"

"This..." Lin Ruzhen was a little hesitant. After all, it was not easy to find a horse in the south.

If too many horses were killed or injured, even if we won, it would be no different from a pyrrhic victory.

"I'd better go ask the commander to send his infantry to break through the formation!"

Lin Ruzhen thought about it again and again, and finally decided to ask the infantry to break the formation.

No matter how much Zhang Lin glared at him, he did not give in.

Helplessly, Zhang Lin could only send elite cavalry to deliver the message.

At the same time, many infantrymen crossed the Wuman River.

Gao Pian did not sit and wait for death. Instead, he sent Liang Zun with a thousand infantrymen to the north to break the formation before Zhang Lin sent his elite cavalry to arrive.

Upon seeing this, the elite cavalry sent by Zhang Lin immediately followed the infantry.

A quarter of an hour later, a thousand infantrymen came on horseback, and after arriving at the battlefield, they dismounted and formed a battle line.

"Liang Sanlang, break the formation quickly!"

When Zhang Lin saw that the person coming was Liang Zun, he immediately started shouting.

Liang Zun did not delay and led a thousand cavalry and infantry to form a formation and attack.

"Move slowly to the north!"

Duan Bangcheng in the barbarian army also realized that something was wrong, and when the Lingnan cavalry and infantry dismounted from a long distance away, he ordered a retreat to the north.

Half a cup of tea later, Liang Zun led the cavalry and infantry to form a formation and pressed forward. General Lin Ruzhen immediately ordered his men to pick up the arrows on the ground.

Zhang Lin led five hundred elite cavalry to support Liang Zun, and the three thousand barbarian soldiers were forced to retreat step by step.

They had retreated less than ten miles to the north when many of the barbarians were already out of breath and their formation was in disarray.

Compared to them, Liang Zun and Zhang Lin's troops were still full of energy, and they were waiting for this opportunity.

"Uuuuuu——"

(End of this chapter)