Chapter 1004: The Rout
The main reason why Wang Ran chose Guan Hai was that if there was no strong general to lead the troops, Wang Ran was afraid that they would not be able to suppress the surrendering troops. In addition, the most important thing in deceiving the city was to seize the city gate and defend the army. arrived, so Guan Hai became the best candidate.
There were more than 400 surrendered troops plus nearly 1,000 soldiers from the Zhengdong Army, a total of 1,300 soldiers, all dressed in tattered Cao Jun uniforms. Those soldiers who surrendered did not even have weapons. With all kinds of swords, guns and weapons, under Lu Ling's arrangement, they rested and ate on the side first, preparing to use war horses to send them to Yangliangju ten miles south of Suiyang, and then rushed to Suiyang when it was almost dawn. The city is deceived under the city.
There are also five thousand cavalry rushing into Suiyang. Later, there will be a school of soldiers rushing to Suiyang. After they capture the city, the war barracks will take over the defense of the city. Of course, in addition to these soldiers and horses, there are also soldiers from Yingchuan. Thousands of elite guardsmen and Chen Guo who will arrive later will also enter Suiyang to defend.
As for the remaining prisoners and surrendered soldiers, they will go south to Qiao County with the army. The thousands of surrendered soldiers who have been recruited will assist the army in attacking the city. If the prisoners are temporarily unwilling to surrender, they are the best candidates for cannon fodder.
That night, after resting for more than an hour, more than 6,000 soldiers drove their horses northward in the night. Wang Ran couldn't survive the fierce fighting of the three young generals, and finally had to agree to the three men and Guan Hai. A request to go north. Under Lu Ling's repeated instructions, the three young generals headed north together with the cavalry group.
At the fourth watch, the cavalry group arrived at Yangliangju. The people in Yangliangju saw the Zhengdong Army leaving and returning, but they did not have much fear. After Yangliangju was defeated by the Zhengdong Army, the army did not attack the ordinary people. After taking action, all Cao's soldiers were captured and evacuated that night.
This time, when they saw the Eastern Expeditionary Army appearing outside the town, the people who were responsible for keeping watch on the town wall immediately opened the gate of the town wall and welcomed the army into the town. Sure enough, the army did not attack the people, but just took over After securing the defenses on the wall, they ordered a rest.
At the end of the fourth watch, after the army rested for half an hour, Guan Hai led 1,326 soldiers and prepared to set off. Before setting off, they had had a hearty breakfast in the town, and then rested for another quarter of an hour. In the following time, they would run away in panic for nearly ten miles, and arrived in Suiyang when the sky was dimming. Under the city.
As Lu Ling expected, the Prime Minister's Mansion in Suiyang City was in chaos at this time. The Chang Shi and the Captain who had stayed behind had already arrived. Although the Prime Minister was not here, they still chose to stay there during the Prime Minister's normal time. They gathered in the meeting hall, because a quarter of an hour ago, the soldiers guarding the south gate used hanging baskets to carry several soldiers into the city. They were the same soldiers who went south with the Prime Minister two days ago.
The news they brought was that the Prime Minister's army was ambushed and the entire army had been destroyed. The Prime Minister was also captured in the rebel army. As for how many soldiers and soldiers could escape, they did not know.
After receiving the news, Captain Chengmen immediately sent someone to report to Lieutenant Guo and Chang Shi, waiting for their decision.
"Sir, the Prime Minister's entire army has been destroyed. What should we do?" Captain Sima Xing said anxiously to Chief Shi Caishen;
Liang Guochang Shi Caishen was also in chaos at this time. He was a scholar and a Confucian scholar. He had never experienced such a situation. Seeing Sima Xing ask such a question, he asked instead: "According to Sima Duwei's style, what should we do?" good?"
Seeing this situation, Sima Xing also knew that he was asking questions blindly, so he said: "The lower officials have come to make arrangements. The only plan now is to send troops to Changyi urgently for help and ask the lord to send troops to defend against the invasion." The Eastern Army's attack; the second is to send people to explore the surrounding situation as soon as possible, and at the same time gather the defeated troops to increase the city's defense capabilities. "
"Okay, okay, okay, as the captain said, the matters here will be left to the captain. If there is anything that requires my intervention, the captain will just ask." Cai Shen nodded repeatedly;
At this time, the soldiers from outside came to report again: "I am reporting to the Chief of Staff, and to the Captain, there are a large number of troops coming this way from outside the south gate. The Captain invites two adults to come to the city.
"
When the two of them heard this, their expressions changed drastically. Could it be that the Eastern Expeditionary Army had arrived so soon? At this time, there are only 2,000 county soldiers in Suiyang City. Only 500 people can be placed on one wall, which is just enough to cover the city wall. If the Eastern Expeditionary Army comes to attack the city at this time, it may not be able to hold it for even a day. .
Thinking of this, the two of them hurriedly ran out of the Prime Minister's Mansion, got on their horses, and ran towards the south gate. Even civil servants like Chief Shi Caishen did not care about their own image. Under the protection of their own soldiers, they hugged He tightened his grip on the horse's neck and followed Sima Xing towards the south gate.
After a while, the two men led their guards to the south gate tower. Seeing this, the captain who guarded the city hurriedly greeted him and said: "Captain, the general just suddenly noticed that there was a faint fire coming from a few miles to the south. It seems that a large group of people is coming this way, so I sent someone to report it to the captain."
Sima Xing ran toward the city and asked, "How is the situation now?"
"The general is not sure. The captain should go to the top of the city to see for himself."
Si Ma Swaying among them, however, what made Sima Xing feel strange was that these people did not move fast. On the contrary, they felt exhausted, and they seemed to be swaying when they walked.
Seeing such a situation, a thought suddenly popped up in Sima Xing's mind, could it be. . .
"What's going on? How many soldiers are coming to attack the city?" At this time, the chief secretary Cai Shen ran up to the top of the city wall panting and asked the two people;
"Sir, it seems that the soldiers coming are not from the Zhengdong army, but some of them look like the defeated soldiers of our army." Sima Xing explained to the chief secretary;
Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, some soldiers appeared in the sight of everyone. Although it was still dark and the situation under the city could not be seen clearly, one of the people holding torches was a Quchang from the Suiyang County soldiers, and the city gate captain happened to know him.
The quchang was seen staggering with a torch in his hand as he walked towards the city gate. When he was a hundred steps away, he weakly shouted, "City... Where is the top of the city... Which brother is guarding the city! I am... I am the quchang Sheng Guang of the Dingqu of the Yixiaowu Division of the Suiyang Garrison!"
It was not known whether this loud shouting had exhausted all the strength of the quchang Sheng or what, but after he finished shouting, he sat down on the ground, and no matter how the two soldiers pulled him, they could not pull him up.