Zigui County is bordered by the Yangtze River to the east and Wushan Mountain to the west. It is a hilly and gentle slope, and around it is the difficult and dangerous Three Gorges Cliff Road. The armies of the Sui and Tang Dynasties are currently at a stalemate here. The first military fort west of Zigui is led by Xu Xuanche and Li Guangdu Five thousand Tang troops were in charge, and the eastern section was controlled by Yang Daosheng and Chen Puhuan. The garrison numbered 10,000 troops, stationed in military villages on the north and south sides of the tiesuo, to defend the Sui Army's Tenth Army that attempted to advance westward. Gao Shilian, the governor of Badong, led more than 10,000 troops The Tang army was stationed in the east and west of the county to support any danger at any time.

That afternoon, a group of five thousand strong Liao people arrived in the mountainous area of ​​Zigui County. Each of them had bundles of hemp rope slung around their bodies. This was their tool for climbing mountains and ridges, and reached the cliffs. It is useful for collecting medicine and honey.

The leader of this army is none other than Shen Guang. Shen Guang is now the Right Guard General, Li Guogong. Unlike many generals on the battlefield, he used to lead troops mostly in the country and was responsible for monitoring the intelligence points of various forces and following the clues. The new generals eliminated the intelligence points one by one, and in the Battle of Bingzhou and the Battle of Guanzhong in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, he outwitted Bingzhou Queshu Valley for the Sui Dynasty, and the Pujing Pass passed through the Qin and Jin Dynasties, so although he was not as good as Qin Qiong, Luo Shixin, Pei Xingyan, etc. as a general Although he is a dazzling person, his contribution to the Sui Dynasty is no worse than that of any general. Since he burned Li Yuan's fleet entering Shu last year, he has been stationed in Liao Wangzhai, recruiting young men and strong men from the three Liao soldiers for intensive training, and established it in Li Jiancheng Before negotiating with the Liao people, he had been active in Bajun and Fuling counties. He successfully robbed Li Tang's official warehouses many times, destroyed the fleet, and caused serious damage to Li Tang's economy and military.

He had good tactics and led his people to success again and again, which made him very popular in King Liao's stronghold, especially among the young and strong people who admired this Sui general very much. Even if Yuan Tiangang didn't say anything about it at this time, It can also convince people from top to bottom, and using these two elite teams is even more effortless.

This time Shen Guang was secretly ordered to lead 5,000 elite soldiers to climb mountains and wading rivers from Luchuan County to the Three Gorges Ancient Road. Although it was now in the war stage and the Badong Tang Army had blockaded everywhere, Gao Shilian and others were not They are locals and are far less familiar with this terrain than the Liao people who have lived in the mountains for generations. Moreover, their focus is on the Sui armies on the east and west ends, so this special army walking in the mountains is still kept secret. state.

"General Shen, can we arrive at the military camp tonight?" asked a strong young man from Liao. This man is Qin Zhan, the eldest son of King Qin Wang and Yang Tong's brother-in-law.

Shen Guang looked at the green Wushan Mountain in the distance and said with a smile: "We are not here to confront the Tang army. Why should we go to the military camp?"

Shen Guang had rich experience. When the two sides were fighting, the Badong Tang Army, which was already alone, was attracted by the enemy in front of them. They were in a period of suspicion. If they appeared in the Sui Army's camp at this time, they would lose the chance of a surprise attack. It works wonders, but once it reaches the front battlefield, it will have no effect at all.

The generals all understood what Shen Guang meant, so they said no more. Since the general had a plan, they could just execute it.

In an hour, the army arrived in the western area of ​​Zigui. Fifty soldiers led by Fan Qing were already waiting here. They were the vanguard and arrived three days ago. Along with Fan Qing were two local natives.

"Send the order and let the army rest where it is!"

Shen Guang gave an order, and the soldiers sat down to rest. Dozens of soldiers quickly set up a large tent. At this time, Fan Qing stepped forward and saluted: "See General Shen!"

"Is there anything gained?" Shen Guangxiao asked.

"The harvest is not small, but I can't explain it for a while." Fan Qing, the leader of the Qingliao clan, is extremely honest now.

"Then enter the account and speak slowly."

The three of them walked into the big tent one after another. The soldiers had set up a simple table with wooden strips. Fan Qing took out a map and spread it on the table. He said: "The two brothers outside the tent were recommended by local acquaintances. My guide has been collecting herbs in Wushan all year round and knows the topography of Zigui County very well. This map is the path that their herb collectors travel all year round. I have sent my brothers up there to check it out, and all the routes are exactly the same as those on the map."

Shen Guang ordered his soldiers to arrange for the two guides to rest. At this time, Fan Qing had already spread out the map and said to Shen Guang: "General Shen, as you inferred in advance, the Tang Army monitored the Sui Army's camp very closely. As long as When the soldiers entered and exited the military camp, they were discovered by the sentries of the Tang Army. The same was true for the Tang Army. Both sides were monitoring each other. It was almost impossible for us to capture the enemy's stronghold from Zigui County. The only way was to cross Wushan, go around to Zigui County, and sneak attack from the west. The enemy's main camp."

Shen Guang smiled and said, "It seems you have found a way."

Fan Qing nodded, "The guide told us that there is indeed a path to Zigui County, but it is very steep to cross Wushan Mountain. The army must be fully prepared before it can walk, and there is not much time in a year to walk. "

"when?"

"In about ten days, Wushan will enter autumn, and the vegetation on the mountain will begin to wither. If it is later, it will snow again in Wushan, and the roads will be blocked by heavy snow, so the travel time will only be a short month. , and the mountain is steep and there are many dangers.”

Shen Guang pondered for a moment and said to Qin Zhan: "We will divide our troops into two groups. Chief Fan Qing and I will lead a thousand soldiers up the mountain. You and the rest of the soldiers will stay here and wait."

Qin Zhan said quickly: "General Shen, it's better for me to go up the mountain!"

Shen Guang patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "I'll do it this time, and you'll have to take the lead in attacking the military camp!"

"Here." Qin Zhan had no choice but to agree.

The Liao soldiers immediately began to make preparations. It would take at least ten days to cross Wushan. The mountain road was difficult and difficult and required very strong warriors to endure it. Shen Guang selected a thousand of the strongest and most elite warriors from the five thousand Liao soldiers. , and carry ten days of dry food, ropes, swords and short spears.

After sufficient preparations, a thousand special mountaineering teams, led by their guides and forwards led by Fan Qing, set off.

At the foot of Wushan Mountain is a large forest with a hot climate. Various animals live in the forest with lush water sources. You can even see leopards, tigers and other large beasts.

When they reached the mountain, the trees slowly turned into coniferous forests, and then there was the meadow terrain. More than a thousand soldiers walked for two full days from entering the forest to halfway up the mountain. During this period, they tried not to eat dry food, but relied on Game, mushrooms, and wild fruits satisfy hunger.

"General, try to get your brothers to eat more meat. Only when you have enough oil and water will you be strong!" A guide who spoke Chinese suggested to Shen Guang.

Shen Guang thought for a moment and asked, "Can we catch game up there?"

"Yes, but there are none as soon as you cross the meadow. Also, we need to let everyone rest as much as possible to maintain their strength!"

"Okay, pass the order and let everyone rest." Seeing that it was already afternoon, Shen Guang ordered everyone to rest where they were. They have now arrived in the coniferous forest belt. This area is dominated by pine and fir trees, and there are thick layers of trees piled up on the ground. The thick pine needles and fir leaves were almost barren of grass and felt soft when stepped on, but the lower part was also full of murderous intent. Yesterday, several soldiers stepped through the leaves and fell to the bottom of the cliff, leaving no trace of their bodies.

The soldiers now have experience. They must use branches to test whether there is solid ground under the pine needles before they can walk.

The guide took some outstanding hunters to hunt, and in a short time they hunted more than a dozen wild boars and a large number of hares and squirrels. They stripped them clean by the stream, set up pine branches for barbecue, sprinkled them with salt and spices, and the soldiers had a hearty meal. fell asleep.

Such days soon ended. When they left the meadow area, they entered the bright weathered mountainous area. Not only did the temperature drop, but the ground was covered with weathered rocks of all sizes. It would be no exaggeration to say that there was no grass growing on them. They could be seen everywhere. If the ice and snow have not melted, this place will be covered with heavy snow in another month, making it impossible to cross Wushan Mountain.

A thousand Liao warriors followed the guide and trudged hard on the mountain at nearly 70 degrees. In front of them were rocky cliffs. The cliffs stood up, which brought huge pressure to the tiny humans. The warriors did not speak, and their short spears and swords were all useless. Without their trekking poles, the cracks on the mountain became a passage for them to climb. The rare vines between the stone walls had little climbing effect. Once they fell off, it would lead to an abyss, so they had to use ropes to climb. Fortunately, Liao All warriors are masters of climbing. Although the road is difficult, you can still climb it.

The cliff area is about ten miles long, and it is also the most difficult section of the road for this army to walk. This ten-mile mountainous road alone took them a full day and a half, and they were still two or three miles away from the top. At this time, no one dared to look back. The vast plains behind them made human beings obviously very insignificant. Walking on the weathered mountain tops, everyone was like a group of insignificant ants, as if a gust of wind could blow them off the cliff.

"General Shen, ahead is the mountain crevice in Zigui County, and going down is the southwest of Zigui County." The guide pointed to a cracked mountain ahead.

Shen Guang greeted the sound and saw only a crack in the mountain that was several feet wide across the front. The rock was pitch black, like a monster with its mouth wide open, and there were cliffs on both sides.

The snow in the cracks has melted. Although there is still some white snow and solid ice, it is barely possible to climb. The rocks on the ground have been washed away by millions of years of ice and snow, corroded by strong winds, and become broken and softened. Fist-sized rocks can be seen everywhere. piece.

Climbing the cracks in Wushan Mountain, the soldiers began to enter the real serious considerations. This is a world of ice and snow with white snow. The weather is extremely cold and walking is extremely difficult. The soldiers are divided into hundreds of teams, with ten people in each team. Everyone is tied together with ropes, and they walk together. Walking together, sleeping together, eating food together, and talking together when we wake up in the middle of the night, only in this way can we prevent soldiers from falling behind and freezing to death.

The road to the top of the mountain was only about thirty or forty miles, but they walked for five full days. They did not dare to sleep all night long for fear of falling down the mountain if they were not careful. It can be said that everyone was fighting death every step of the way. , and finally made this extremely painful journey at the expense of more than thirty soldiers. When they climbed over the top of the mountain and walked a long way to the northeast, the air began to become normal. The soldiers rested for a whole day before finally Physical recovery.

It was much easier to walk down the mountain from the northeast. After they finished their last mouthful of dry food and took off their heavy fur coats, they finally descended to the foot of the mountain and walked around behind the Tang Army's military stronghold on the south bank.

In the Three Gorges Ancient Road in Zigui County, which is more than a hundred miles long, the Tang Army controlled more than 60 miles in the west. In addition to the Tang Army's military camp at the forefront, they also built a strong fortress in a relatively open hole as a second There was a line of defense, but there were not many people in the stronghold. Only about 600 people stayed to guard it. Most of the Tang troops still lived in the military stronghold.

The Three Gorges Ancient Road is not a narrow valley road. On the contrary, it is quite wide in some places. There is even a small village in the widest place. This is a resting place for merchants and travelers. However, no one has settled in this slightly open land now. It became the garrison of the Tang army.

The place where the Liao soldiers landed was in the cave controlled by the Tang Army. It was about 20 miles away from the military stronghold in the east and about 30 miles away from Zigui County. They used ropes to slide down quietly from a gap. This area is also an open area in the valley. , about a mile wide, and the rugged boulders became everyone’s hiding place.

"General Shen, this military fort that has become a military camp is very small. The Tang army has less than a thousand people. It is a place for the wounded soldiers in the military camp to recuperate. We have completely succeeded in the sneak attack. As long as we capture this military camp, we will cut off the retreat route of the Tang army in the military camp. ." Several Liao warriors who were promoted to captains suggested.

But Shen Guang did not intend to occupy the military camp in the end, but directly attacked the military stronghold. He knew that as long as the soldiers in the military stronghold were defeated, the wounded soldiers in the military camp would also flee without a fight, and their purpose was not to annihilate many Tang troops. But to open up a strategic channel to march into Bashu.

Due to the conditions of the valley, the military camp of the Tang Army only covers an area of ​​about 60 acres. This more than 60 acres of land is also the largest piece of flat land in the military camp. It is surrounded by barracks and more than a hundred large tents are set up, where soldiers of the Tang Army are stationed. In this slightly crowded military camp.

The main camps of the Tenth Army of the Sui Army were relatively scattered. This was also limited by the terrain. There were four or five camps. They were only ten miles away from the Tang Army's camp. The Tang Army built a stone camp about three miles east of the camp. A stone wall more than two feet high blocked the entire ancient road in the gorge, monitoring the Sui army on the opposite side day and night. At the same time, a tall sentry tower was built to observe all movements in the Sui army camp.

Coincidentally, the Sui army also built a sentry tower two miles opposite the stone wall to also monitor the Tang army here.

The valley between the stone walls was sprinkled with a large amount of caltrops and was covered with all kinds of fire starters. If the Sui army wanted to attack from the front, they would have to pay a very heavy price. This was the main reason why Shen Guang decided to climb over the mountain and surprise the Tang army from the rear. , with the combat effectiveness of the Liao soldiers, of course they can force a breakthrough from the front, but he does not want too many casualties.

The night on the ancient road was extremely dark, and the moonlight could not shine into it, making the valley pitch black. Only the torches east of the stone wall were burning, which stood out in the dark night.
Chapter completed!