Chapter 33 Night Battle
According to one's status in the army, a captain of fifty men was not qualified to serve in the general's office. One had to be a brigade commander (in charge of the second team) to be qualified. Knowing that Zhang Xuanning had only been in the army for half a year and had previously served in a local military office, the general specially granted him ten days to allow him to familiarize himself with military life and his subordinates.
Deputy Captain Tao was called Tao Ji. He didn't know what he heard, but he was very attentive to him. He accompanied him tirelessly and explained everything in the army to him. Only then did Zhang Xuanning know that he belonged to the Leopard Cavalry Guard. The Leopard Cavalry Guard had a total of 25 regiments and 50 brigade commanders. The team he led was led by the regiment personally led by Captain Xiang.
One regiment, two brigades, one brigade, two teams. In other words, there are only four teams under the jurisdiction of Captain Xiang. He is the captain of a team of 50 people, which is indeed a high position. This is the intention to win over.
Tao Ji said with a flattering smile: "The general and the captain are really kind to you. They gave you ten days of vacation. Moreover, the official uniform and armor are ready. Now that you wear them, you will look so majestic and impressive!"
Zhang Xuanning looked at him. His face was a little dark, probably because he had been in the army for a long time, so he said, "That's right. I also want to thank the commander and my superior, Marshal Zheng. Will you come with me?"
Tao Ji smiled and said, "That's right!"
With the rank of a captain, he already had a fixed office, which was a slightly shabby courtyard. The two riders arrived at the door, parked their horses, and then asked to see Captain Xiang. Naturally, a personal soldier came forward to report.
While I was waiting, spring had arrived. A big tree in the yard had sprouted new buds and cast some green shade, but most of the sunlight still leaked through. However, the spring sunshine was bright and warm.
The wait was not long. Before long, the guards came out and said, "Captain, please allow the two captains to go in."
When he entered, he found that Lord Xiang Duwei and Commander Zheng were there. They both stepped forward and saluted politely: "Your humble servant greets Lord Duwei and Lord Commander!"
"You've come just in time, Captain Shi. You've been in our regiment for a few days. Are you adapting well?" Sitting behind the desk was Captain Xiang, while Brigade Commander Zheng also had a small seat.
"Thanks to the Commander-in-Chief and the Brigade Commander, I have already sorted out the subordinates and familiarized myself with them, and I am also aware of the military situation."
"Well, that's good. Commander Zheng, Captain Shi is your subordinate, so just give him the orders," Captain Xiang said happily.
"Yes, Commander!" Commander Zheng stood up quickly and answered, then said to the two who were still kneeling: "Now that you are ready, can you go to fight?"
“If you want to go into battle, you must wait for orders!” The two men responded hurriedly, lying on the ground unable to get up. A higher-ranking official can really crush someone to death!
"Well, there are hundreds of thieves in Yingkou County. You lead a team to wipe them out." Commander Zheng issued an order, saying, "You can requisition Yingkou County civilians and government officials."
"Yes, I will obey your command." Zhang Xuanning responded repeatedly.
"Well, then get up and talk!"
"Yes!" Only then the two of them got up and looked around. Although it was not the first time they saw General Zheng, every time they saw him, his gray hair showed that he was already sixty years old. He was no longer able to fight in the battlefield himself, so he retired to the countryside and returned to his hometown. It has only been the past one or two years.
According to the Sui law, one had to join the army at the age of seventeen and could return home at the age of sixty. During that period, one had truly fought for forty years, but could only be promoted to the position of a brigade commander in charge of a hundred men. However, this was already very lucky. Many of his comrades-in-arms didn't even have a place to bury their bodies!
"When you go to Yingkou County, all matters will be decided by you, but you must also have a good relationship with the county magistrate and get some help. Don't be arrogant and domineering because you are a guard. Most of the reports from local authorities are false, and they only report good news but not bad news. You must go and see how many bandits there are. Don't be careless." Brigade Commander Zheng knew that he had taken off his armor first, so he didn't feel jealous and directly warned the later comers.
"Thank you for your advice, Marshal. I will keep it in mind!" Zhang Xuanning said as he bowed again.
"Well, I'll give you the specific documents right now. The deadline is one month. After one month, regardless of success or failure, come here to report your position. Go ahead!"
"Yes!" After getting the official document, the two of them withdrew.
"How far is Yingkou County from here?" Zhang Xuanning asked his deputy after going out.
"Sir, ride on horseback for three days."
"So the round trip must take six days?"
"In the military, those who are late will be punished, so it is better to arrive one or two days earlier, so we must have eight days to spare. Sir, why don't we go out today? The official document day starts tomorrow, but we can still catch up with half a day this afternoon. What do you think?"
"Very good, are the soldiers ready?"
"Everything is ready. There are enough horses and no one is on leave. As long as you show the official document, the troops can be dispatched out of the camp."
"Okay, we'll leave right away!"
We were indeed prepared for the trip, but half an hour into our trip, we were hit by bad weather.
A heavy rainstorm came down, with bursts of spring thunder and occasional lightning. Although it was already April, the rain still made people feel cold all over. However, the soldiers in the army seemed to be able to withstand the wind and frost and could bear it for a while.
Whenever lightning flashed, more than fifty riders were seen struggling on the road. The road was muddy and slippery, and even horses could not move fast.
Zhang Xuanning smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't expect the weather to change so suddenly. It's really rare to see such heavy rain. Can we go back?"
"Sir, you absolutely cannot do that. Once the army is dispatched, it is difficult to withdraw. We have received the order to leave the camp, and we cannot respond without authorization. We must go fifty miles out of the city before we can find a place to shelter from the rain. This is my fault." Tao Ji wiped the rain off his face and was shocked by his words.
Zhang Xuanning looked up, letting the heavy rain pour down on him. He had already reached the level of a second-rate master, and was basically immune to cold and heat. He could still bear this bit of rain and cold. He heaved a sigh of relief and said, "It's not your fault. How can you calculate clearly whether it will rain or not? Well, how many miles have we traveled?"
"We've probably walked forty miles already. If we walk a little further, we can find a place to rest." Tao Ji thought for a moment and said.
After walking a little further, lightning split the sky, illuminating the entire world in white, and then we saw a small temple.
The two men stopped their horses and watched as they left. Zhang Xuanning smiled and said, "This is it. Our horses and soldiers cannot continue to be exposed to the rain. Let's go!"
"Yes, go to this small temple."
At that moment, in the midst of wind and rain, more than fifty riders were riding their horses forward. But when they arrived at the temple gate, they noticed some movement inside. More than twenty people ran out and hurriedly mounted their horses.
When they saw that they were surrounded by Sui soldiers, the twenty or so riders shouted and gathered together, forming a confrontation situation, which was obviously very hostile.
Zhang Xuanning couldn't help but shrugged and said, "Who are these people? Why are they so guilty that they want to fight as soon as they see us?"
"Humph, he must be a traitor without a doubt!" Tao Ji said with a sneer, and he had already pressed the hilt of the knife.
"Are there so many rebels now?" Zhang Xuan said to himself, but then he smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Let's deal with them first!"
"Hmph, you guys have caught up with us in the rain. In that case, let's fight to the death!" A big man on the opposite side let out an ear-splitting laugh, and the sound could be heard from afar.
As they went into battle, Zhang Xuanning's personal soldiers, Zhang Yi, Zhang Er and Zhang San, rode their horses forward and surrounded him on the left and right.
Zhang Xuanning knew that the other party had recognized the wrong person, but looking at the situation, this group of guys must be traitors. If he was an old commander and this team of Sui soldiers were his old subordinates, then he could choose. But at this moment, he had no choice. He sneered and said, "Get off your horses and surrender immediately, otherwise I will kill you without mercy!"
"You dogs, just come and attack me!" the big man from the other side yelled and cursed .
"Tao Ji, you command the other four fires to surround them, don't let any of them go!" Knowing that he was far inferior to Tao Ji in commanding the soldiers at the moment, and now he mainly had to show his authority in front of his own soldiers, he whispered.
Seeing Tao Ji nod, he squeezed the horse's belly hard. The imperial army's horses were indeed excellent. With a neigh, they rushed straight towards the enemy. Behind them, Zhang Yi, Zhang Er, and Zhang San followed closely. They also had good martial arts skills. The One Fire and Ten Riders also followed closely behind, forming a breakthrough.
In this world, due to the existence of martial arts, the tactic of breaking through is actually the first choice for brave generals, especially those on horseback. As long as they can break through a gap, the torrent behind them will destroy anything that blocks the way, causing the opponent's formation to break.
The war horses burst out, Zhang Xuanning urged his horse forward, the long sword of Pojun had already produced a yellow light, before the man arrived, the true energy broke out, the wind and rain between the man and the horse had been brought up by his momentum, it was truly amazing.
The other party's face changed immediately, obviously he had not expected that there would be such a master among a mere team of fifty Sui soldiers.
The enemy's leader, a big man, immediately realized that he could not be allowed to continue charging in, so he roared, rode out on his horse, and there were people following him. The two teams formed two long arrows, colliding sharply.
"Boom!" A flash of lightning streaked across the sky above the battlefield, making the area as bright as day.
The two riders counterattacked. The distance of only a few dozen meters was just a matter of a few breaths. The two teams had already collided violently. There was a sound of "clang". Both of them took advantage of the momentum of the sprint and used their full strength to wield the swords. Therefore, the sound of the two swords colliding could be heard by everyone.
Both of them felt numb in their arms, but the offensive was not over yet. After the two of them had fought each other, they still had to deal with the attacks from the enemies behind them. Zhang Xuanning ignored the numbness in his hands and blocked several attacks from behind.
At that moment, the sound of "ding-dong" was endless, and several people fell down. In a horse fight, one or several collisions could determine life and death.
Two Sui soldiers and four enemies looked at the wounded who had fallen off their horses and were still struggling. There might be survivors among them, but only the victors could treat the survivors. The survivors of the losers might as well commit suicide.
"Hmph, my martial arts skills are worse than this guy's, but my horsemanship is not as good as his." Zhang Xuanning thought to himself, and he pulled the reins, and the warhorse slowly turned back. The second team did the same, and they turned back and faced each other again.
This would not achieve the effect of demonstrating to the enemy and ourselves. He snorted coldly, and the evil energy bound in various parts of his body suddenly boiled over and rushed straight up. In an instant, the surrounding horses neighed and cried out, apparently sensing a terrible evil energy.
Zhang Xuanning's eyes turned red, his calmness disappeared, and his enthusiasm was born. He said coldly: "Humph, wait and see me kill this beast in one fell swoop."
The people behind were all stunned, not knowing whether they should obey the order. Zhang Yi, Zhang Er, and Zhang San hesitated for a moment and stopped attacking. The Sui soldiers behind saw that even the personal guards did not catch up, so they also stopped.
Zhang Xuanning took a deep breath of true energy and lightly pressed the horse's body. The horse neighed softly and rushed forward. The opponent's big man roared angrily and led his five or six riders to rush towards him.
When he attacked, he was a man who had been in many battles. He knew that his opponent was taller than him, but his horsemanship was not as good as his. Moreover, his opponent attacked alone, which was too contemptuous of him.
But he was actually very happy. It was his good fortune that the other side was careless and arrogant during the battle between the two armies.
With just a slight signal, the people who had been fighting for a long time behind him already understood what he meant. After they blocked the sword once, the remaining few riders attacked together, determined to kill the Sui general in the shortest possible time.
With a loud "ding" sound, the two swords clashed fiercely, but this time it was completely different. The big man was like being struck by lightning, and was thrown backwards from the screaming warhorse, spitting out blood halfway.
Zhang Xuanning's whole body also shook, the knife flashed, and a horseman fell down in response to the knife, cutting a big hole in the air, and fell into the mud with a "bang", obviously dead.
Several riders passed by and several swordsmen attacked at the same time, so it was actually equivalent to one person increasing his speed several times at once, which had already exceeded the reaction speed of many masters. Zhang Xuanning also snorted coldly, and he was also hit by a sword, but he was wearing military armor, soft armor inside, and had true qi protecting his body, plus his muscles automatically contracted, so it was actually just a bloody wound, which did not affect the combat.
Without waiting for the opponent to catch his breath, the real energy penetrated into the horse. This was later called the technique of the unity of horse and man. The horse, under such great force, immediately neighed again and charged forward in a reverse direction. Life or death depended on a moment.
The other three riders roared sadly and turned around to fight, but in another encounter, Po Jun had turned into a yellow sword light, which was clearly visible even in the rainy night. Three "ding ding ding" sounds were heard, and Zhang Xuanning's body shook, with another wound incurred, but his horse did not stop and rushed straight towards the twenty riders behind him.
Behind him, the three riders fell suddenly into the mud, blood splattered and mixed with the rain.
All that was said above is actually just the time for two sprints, which is at most two minutes in modern time. Only then did the remaining enemy cavalry react, roared, and faced Zhang Xuanning, who was like a demon in the night.
However, among the more than twenty enemy cavalrymen, the core ones were actually the six mentioned above. The other dozen or so cavalrymen were much inferior. Therefore, even though they had the advantage of numbers, they were killed one by one wherever they went. Although they resisted, they could not hold out for many times.
Under the siege of the enemy, several people died in succession and they could no longer maintain the basic formation. They were in chaos and attacked Zhang Xuanning without any rules.
All the Sui soldiers knew that this group of people was finished.
Zhang Xuanning immediately felt the pressure eased, and he swung out with his long sword. After two "puff" sounds, two enemies who had left a gap were cut and fell out immediately.
"Boom!" Another flash of lightning illuminated the venue. All the Sui soldiers were stunned, apparently shocked by their chief officer's martial arts.
Martial arts are not omnipotent, but without martial arts, nothing is possible. Tao Ji looked at Zhang Xuanning with envy and surprise in his eyes. With this move, he can establish prestige among his subordinates. Although it still needs to be consolidated afterwards, it is already comparable to the effect of using both kindness and severity for half a year under normal circumstances.
However, he had been in the army for a long time and knew that the enemy was about to collapse in front of him. He was afraid that they would escape, so he gave an order and fired a shot. He dismounted and scanned the battlefield. When he saw the wounded enemies, he stabbed them with the sword. Of the two Sui soldiers who fell down, one was dead and the other was still alive. He immediately picked them up and bandaged them urgently.
The four fires surrounded the escape site, and when the cavalry was ready, he looked into the field and knew that none of these people would survive.
At this moment, his color changed because he heard the sound of horse hooves. He immediately ordered the guards. A moment later, hundreds of riders came to the place and happened to see Zhang Xuanning fighting with the last few brave men.
The leader looked at him and said with a cold snort: "Who are you waiting for?"
"We are members of the Leopard Cavalry Guards, who were rushing to Yingkou County, but unexpectedly we were attacked by these bandits, so we killed them." Tao Ji had been in the army for a long time and had an excellent eye for people. When he saw them coming up, he knew they were his superiors, so he answered respectfully.
"Well, what a coincidence, I asked your chief officer to come over."
"Yes, sir!"
At this time, it was pouring rain, so the team dismounted to check, and soon they came forward and said, "The thief Liang is dead."
At this moment, Zhang Xuanning had already rushed down, stepped forward to salute, and said, "Who is the lord? Allow me to see you."
Just by looking at their armor and flags, you can tell that these people are of high rank.
The leader snorted and said, "I am from the Xiaoqi Division. Well, you did a good job. Tell me your name."
"Yes, I am the captain of the Leopard Guard, Shi Wuji."
"Very good, I didn't expect you to have this ability. I'll take the men, and you will deal with the horses and other war trophies. I'll report your contribution." After the man said this, he gave orders directly, and immediately chopped off all the heads, then rode away.
At this moment, Zhang Xuanning opened his eyes, emitting an unprecedented strange light, which contained an extremely cold murderous intent - fortunately, it was night and others could not see clearly, so the murderous intent was probably caused by the murder just now.
In fact, the evil spirit surged up in him, almost making him kill the man who was looking down on him regardless of everything. However, he knew in his heart that this was courting death. Not to mention the hundred cavalrymen on the other side, just looking at their expressions he knew that they must be elite soldiers, which was enough to threaten him, and the strength of the leader was not inferior to his.
Besides, killing your superiors would be outright rebellion, so how could one do it so rashly?
Bastard, he encountered the last battle inexplicably, that's all he could think about, trying his best to suppress the evil spirit, waiting for the rain to calm the evil spirit, the fishy smell in his mouth became stronger and stronger.
