Chapter 324: The Pincer Movement, the Descendant of a Famous General

Zhe Keqiu was stunned when he heard this. He was captured after being defeated in Daming Prefecture and had been imprisoned in Yunzhong since then. He was only released half a year ago.

The Jin army in the east deliberately concealed their defeat, and only a few key generals in the west knew about the incident of "Little Dragon Girl beheading the Heavenly General with her sword."

A surrendered general like Zhe Keqiu was not qualified to know this information.

His memory of the name Xiaolongnu was still a few years before the Song-Jin War, when Pharmacist Guo reported the situation to the court.

Zhe Keqiu's expression made Yang Chang feel a little embarrassed.

It's like a monkey asking a farmer, "Do you know I am the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong?" The farmer was shocked and called out "Sun Wukong" at first, then immediately changed his expression and said "I don't know".

I thought my wife had become famous, at least among the Jin army, but I didn't expect the impact to be so small?
However, Yang Chang did not care. He just laughed it off and added, "It doesn't matter if the general doesn't know him. Anyway, the Pingding Army is as strong as a rock. It is impossible for Talai to break through the defense line. I said so."

"Oh" Zhe Keqiu was skeptical.

"By the way, based on your experience in the Jin Camp, how do Wushi and Xieye compare in terms of military tactics?"

"Hard to say"

Seeing Yang Chang's expectant expression, Zhe Keqiu, who originally did not want to comment, still answered: "Xie Ye is in a high position and has not led troops in battle for several years. Wu Shi is the newly promoted Left Vice Marshal. He was previously an important deputy of Nianhan and is a man of deep strategy and wisdom. However, he was once driven out of Taiyuan by you, so I don't think he is a match for the Grand Marshal."

"Of course he is no match for me." Yang Chang nodded confidently, then changed the subject, "But as Liu Tang said this afternoon, the Jin army never hurt us and then quickly came back. So I was wondering if we could deal a heavy blow to the Jin army in the west in Daizhou or Yunzhong."

"This" Zhe Keqiu couldn't respond.

Seeing this, Yang Chang wanted to wave him off, but suddenly thought of Xieye's obsession with Nianhan, so he curiously asked, "Xieye is the Grand Marshal of the Jin Kingdom. He should be in charge of the rear. Why did he go down in person this time? And let Wushi stay behind to coordinate?"

"I don't know the details, maybe he thinks Wu Shi was defeated by the Grand Marshal? As the commander-in-chief, he wants to go down in person, and Wu Shi can't stop him."

"That makes sense. You should go down and rest first. Maybe we can head north soon."

"Yes."

Looking at Zhe Keqiu's departing back, Yang Changxu narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought, thinking that it was definitely not that simple. Xie also cared so much about Nian Han, which showed that this person was very powerful. Perhaps there was an internal fight among the powerful Jin people?

During the period of wild growth of a regime, many contradictions will be covered up by continuous gains. Once it develops into a smooth or slow period, the accumulated contradictions will erupt and the struggle among vested interest groups will be inevitable. This is an inevitable historical law.

Fight now, and fight harder so that I can profit more easily.

Yang Chang went to the back of the hall to think, closed his eyes and rest, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

With his current level of cultivation, he shouldn't need to rest at all, but that would scare outsiders. Besides, there's nothing to do after the war, so it's a good way to kill time.

Even if his body is relaxed, his five senses are always on duty and alert. Once someone with a different aura approaches, Yang Chang will receive an early warning.

The generals had a drink today, and after the banquet they all found a place to rest. No one came to the back hall to disturb him until dark, so he slept soundly for two hours.

Yang Chang opened his eyes and glanced at the window, and found that it was already night.

Ok?
He sensed someone approaching rapidly, with a breath completely different from that of the guards nearby, so he straightened up in the darkness, and at the same time, he heard voices outside the door.

"Commander Shi, please stay. The Grand Commandant is still resting."

"I have important military intelligence!"

"It's rare for the general to do this. Please don't make it difficult for me."

"Can"

It turned out to be Shi Qian?
Yang Chang jumped up holding the chair handle, and appeared at the door after a few quick moves.

"When will you, General?"

"Hurry up and prepare some tea. Commander Shi will be thirsty after his journey."

"Yes"

As the guard turned to leave, Shi Qian was about to speak, but Yang Chang pulled him inside and murmured, "Let's go, let's talk slowly inside, there's no need to rush."

"Eh."

Shi Qian followed Yang Chang forward and suddenly heard a whooshing sound of wind. Then he found that candles were lit in the back hall and Yang Chang was next to the candlestick.

hiss.
When will Taiwei come? This person is faster than me.
"Tell me about it."

"okay."

Shi Qian woke up from his shock, sat down across from Yang Chang, collected his thoughts and said, "The latest intelligence from the Night Owl Army is that the defeated Jin army gathered near Gang County last night, but they did not stay in the county, but marched towards Yanmen Pass."

"Huh? Just left?"

"Yes, they bypassed Gang County and went straight ahead, with almost no stops to rest. The scouts found it strange, so they rushed back to report in advance."

"what the hell?"

Yang Changyi slammed the table and stood up, then leaned over to ask, "Did your people do a count? How many people are there in this group of Jin troops?"

"It was difficult to count at first, but after gathering in Gang County, the rough number was estimated to be more than 30,000. They should have stayed in Gang County for defense. Perhaps this was a conspiracy by Wushi? They wanted to lure us north to Daizhou?"

"conspiracy?"

As soon as Shi Qian finished speaking, Yang Chang frowned and said in a deep voice: "No matter what conspiracy Wu Shi plays, it can't stop my pace north. You take a rest. I will immediately deploy the troops and set off in an hour at the latest."

"It's already dark, is the commander planning to march at night?"

"The soldiers went to battle last night and are all resting today. It's okay to march now. Since there's no one defending Gang County, I'd be in vain if I don't take it. Speed ​​is of the essence in war!"

"OK then."

Seeing Yang Chang's confident words, Shi Qian wanted to persuade him but held back, thinking, when has the general ever been defeated? He just wanted to win the battle himself.

The court session was held later, and all the generals and officers in the city gathered at the provincial government office.

Yang Chang still left Ruan Xiaowu to guard Xiurong, and led Lu Junyi and others to the north to Daizhou overnight. He also ordered Ruan Xiaoqi to enter Xinzhou and prepare boats on the Hutuo River to provide logistical transportation support for subsequent battles.

The three cities of Daizhou from south to north, Gangxian, Yanmen and Fanzhi, are all close to the Hutuo River. This time the navy came to Xinzhou to fight in order to prepare for continuing northward.

According to Zhe Keqiu's analysis, the three counties of Daizhou were on the same line and could not coordinate their defenses. The wise Marshal Wushi deliberately gave up the southernmost county of Gang and concentrated his forces in the seat of Yanmen County and Yanmen Pass, which was close to the northwest of the county, to form a pincer attack between the two. If Yang Changsheng won the pursuit and captured Gang County, the battle line would continue to stretch northward for more than a hundred miles, away from the command center of Taiyuan, Yangqu, and the Jin army would deploy defenses in Yanmen County and Yanmen Pass to buy time for the Eastern Route Army to capture the Pingding Army.

With Zhao Fujin stationed in Pingding, Yang Chang had no worries at all at this time, let alone the so-called pincer attack. As long as Wushi dared to resist, he would be prepared to be killed. Olibuyuxie was a lesson learned from the past, and there was also Yelu Yudu as an internal response. The subsequent victory was only a matter of time.

Twenty thousand infantry and cavalry marched north overnight. Around dusk the next day, the vanguard arrived at Gang County and found that the Jin army had indeed withdrawn. They easily occupied the city.

When Yang Chang led the rear army into the city, the Yexiao Army received new information from the front: the garrison in Yanmen County moved towards Yanmen Pass in the afternoon, and Wushi's large flag also left with the army, which seemed to indicate that they intended to abandon Yanmen County.

Abandoning Yanmen County is equivalent to abandoning Daizhou. Wushi has more soldiers and horses than Xieye at this time. Why should he leave without fighting? Even if he is unwilling to fight with Yang Chang, he should buy time for the Eastern Route Army.

So after hearing the intelligence from the scout, the main generals including Liu Tang, Yang Zhi, Shi Qian, etc. couldn't help but look at Zhe Keqiu who was leading the way, because this was very different from his analysis.

Zhe Keqiu looked constipated, swallowing his saliva and said to Yang Chang: "Taiwei, don't be careless. Wu Shi is really cunning. This must be his conspiracy."

"So what if it's cunning? So what if it's conspiracy?"

Liu Tang had a disdainful expression on his face, and shouted to everyone: "The Grand Commandant is a master of martial arts, and it would be easy for him to break into the camp and assassinate the enemy. Wuliebu and Xie have already been killed one after another. If Wushi is not crazy, how can he not be afraid?"

"It's okay to give up Gang County, but Yanmen County and Yanmen Pass are a whole, how can we just give up one of them? I don't believe Wushi will withdraw his troops."

Zhe Keqiu muttered to himself, and suddenly his eyes lit up and he said excitedly: "Maybe he is imitating Dong Zhuo to go to the capital?"

"What Dong Zhuo? What's going to Beijing?"

Liu Tang was puzzled when he heard this, so he couldn't help but pull Yang Zhi's sleeve, "Do you know?"

"That's a story from the end of the Han Dynasty. At that time, Dong Zhuo was ordered to go to the capital to defend the emperor, but he was afraid that he would not be taken seriously because he had too few soldiers. So he sent troops into the city during the day and secretly left the city at night, repeating this cycle to create the illusion of having a large number of troops."

After Yang Zhi gave his explanation, Zhe Keqiu added: "The general led his army northward, and Wushi may be afraid, so he deliberately moved troops to show the scouts, on the one hand to intimidate us, and on the other hand to delay time."

"Can it be so complicated? Why do I feel like Wu Shi is afraid? Brother, what do you think?"

"Why bother fighting?" Yang Chang smiled, glanced at Liu Tang, and then looked around at everyone, and said, "When the water recedes, the rock will be revealed. We just need to send someone to explore again tomorrow, and it will be clear at a glance, right?"

"correct."

Liu Tang slapped his thigh and said self-deprecatingly: "The priority should be intelligence. What am I fighting for?"

Everyone was silent after hearing this, thinking that you are the one who is shouting the loudest. Yang Changze stopped Shi Qian and told him, "Intelligence is the most important thing. The Night Owl Army is harder working than the combat troops. You must properly arrange for the soldiers to take turns to rest, and always keep an eye on Yanmen."

"Don't worry, Commander."

"Everyone has been traveling for a day and a night, now it's time to go back and have a good rest. There will be a tough battle in Yanmen. Although I can sneak behind the enemy and kill them, I still have to rely on you for the specific combat."

"Brother, don't be modest. If you start a massacre, even 100,000 people won't be able to stop you. How can we stop you?"

Although what Liu Tang said was correct, he did not get Yang Chang's affirmation. He just shook his head and smiled bitterly, "No matter how powerful I am, I can't be too busy. If I can't defeat the enemy, I can run away. If I really want to kill 100,000 people by myself, it will take a long time. Only when everyone is strong can we be truly strong!"

Everyone agreed with what he said and said goodbye to Yang Chang and went back to rest.

The next morning, after breakfast, everyone came to the county government office without an appointment, waiting for General Yang to give orders, while Yang Chang was waiting for information from Yanmen.

At three quarters past noon, Shi Qian came in excitedly, and said hesitantly, "We're retreating, we're really retreating!"

Everyone in the hall stood up excitedly. Zhe Keqiu looked embarrassed as if he had swallowed a fly, thinking, was I wrong in my guess again last night?
Wushi, the marshal of the Jin army, really ran away so openly? Wasn't he afraid of being punished by the Jin emperor afterwards?
Is this reasonable?

Liu Tang even forgot to make a mockery and hurried forward to urge Yang Chang, "Wushi must be afraid of my brother. Why are we still staying in Gang County? We should quickly head north to recapture Yanmen!"

"No, listen to me." Shi Qian took a few deep breaths, then straightened up and slowly added: "Wushi did withdraw yesterday, but left troops in Yanmen County, and concentrated the main force at Yanmen Pass."

"what does this mean?"

After Liu Tang finished speaking, he scratched his head and looked around. When he found that no one, including Yang Chang, responded, he even turned his gaze to Zhe Keqiu.

Zhe Keqiu felt relieved at this time, as if he had regained some face, so he twisted his beard and murmured: "It seems that we are still in a pincer attack, but Wushi deliberately withdrew its main force to Yanmen Pass for the sake of stability, leaving Yanmen County to bear the attack. If we lead the army to attack the county, the Jin army will go around Yanmen Pass, and we will be attacked from both sides, and there is even a risk of being trapped in the county."

"Wu Shi still dares to surround us from behind? Brother has the magical power to slay dragons and behead them. No matter what kind of horns he has, he can be easily broken. Brother, let's send troops to Yanmen County today and take the city in one go."

Liu Tang shouted and made suggestions, and Lu Junyi looked at Yang Chang with anticipation.

When attacking the north gate of Xiurong before, Yang Changxiang showed the two men his method of flying into the city and then directly opening the gate to break into the city. He thought that as long as General Yang was there, there would be no city that could not be conquered.

Yang Changze reached out his hand to stop the two men and said sternly, "It is indeed easy to take over Yanmen County, but what General Zhe said is not without reason. Wushi already knows how powerful I am, but he still dares to use the county as bait, which means he has thought of a countermeasure. After all, our military strength is limited. If you avoid me and fight at all costs, as long as you cause a large reduction in our army, what can we use to fight Yunzhong?"

"Right, right." Zhe Keqiu nodded in agreement: "The Jin army is several times larger than ours right now. Even if we use half of our forces to fight to the death, we will have to pay a huge price. Wushi is a wise man, he must have thought of this!"

"What's the matter? Can't we fight now?"

Liu Tang stared at Zhe Keqiu with an angry brow, and the complaint in his words was obvious.

Seeing this, Zhe Keqiu immediately explained: "General Liu, please don't misunderstand. With Taiwei Yang's extraordinary ability, there is no battle he cannot fight. Taiwei loves his soldiers like his own sons and doesn't want to lose too many soldiers. This is why the soldiers love him."

"That's true. If my brother wasn't afraid of being a burden to us, he would have gone to Shangjing long ago."

"I agree."

"Stop."

Yang Chang stopped everyone from flattering him, smiled and said jokingly: "Why would I go to Shangjing? To seize the throne of the old emperor of the Jin Kingdom? Do you think I am Li Kui?"

"Hehe, if my brother wants to be an emperor, he will be a Han Chinese emperor."

"Come on, you're the one who talks the most."

As his power grows, more and more people under him suggest that Yang Chang become emperor, but now he is no longer willing to fight back.

He ignored Liu Tang and asked Shi Qian, "Do you have any other information? For example, who will be left to guard the city of Wushi? How many troops are there? I plan to split the troops into two groups. I will go to Yanmen Pass to deter the enemy, and then you will lead the team to take the county town."

"I don't know how many soldiers the county has, but the commander of Yanmen County is named Guo Qizhong."

"A Chinese name? Does General Zhe know him? Perhaps he can surrender?"

Zhe Keqiu met Yang Chang's gaze and quickly responded with a fist: "This man is indeed a Han Chinese, and a descendant of Guo Ziyi, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty, but it may not be easy to persuade him to surrender."

(End of this chapter)