Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 406: Fighting in the mountains and forests!

When Li Changzuo heard that the Jingsai Army had finally marched into Ziwuling, he couldn't help but be overjoyed.

He paced back and forth in the tent, the felt carpet under his feet was wrinkled, and his heart was filled with indescribable complex emotions.

He felt relieved.

In the past half month, he was like a prey trapped in a spider web, tortured and exhausted by Su Yun's troop deployment strategy.

Every unusual movement in the direction of Yan'an Prefecture was like a heavy hammer hitting his tense nerves, but it failed again and again.

Now, the enemy has finally stepped into the trap he had carefully set, and the hearts that had been hanging in the balance day and night finally have a place to rest.

But soon, doubts came flooding into my mind.

Su Yun is full of tricks. Could this advance be another bait?
Thinking of this, Li Changzuo subconsciously tightened the sword at his waist, and his joints turned white from the force.

He knew very well that this might be a fierce battle and if he was not careful, he would lose everything.

Anger was also burning in his chest.

Over the past half month, he and his soldiers have been fooled around by Su Yun, and their morale is low and they are exhausted both physically and mentally.

He thought of his increasingly haggard face when he looked in the mirror, and of his embarrassment when he was falsely alarmed by the night owl, and an uncontrollable rage rushed to his forehead.

"Su Yun, I will make you pay the price!"

At the same time, he couldn't help but have some expectations: If he could severely damage the Jingsai Army in this battle, he would not only be able to avenge his previous defeat, but also make great contributions to the defense of Guanzhong.

Hehe, if he could inflict heavy damage on the Jingsai Army in the Ziwuling ambush, it might be a great opportunity for him to get promoted and make a fortune!

While he was thinking, a scout hurried into the tent to report: "General, the scouts of the Jingsai Army have encountered our scouts, and the two sides are fighting in the Eagle's Beak Cliff area!"

Li Changzuo's eyes flashed, and he shouted, "Pass my order, the entire army will enter level one alert, pay close attention to the battlefield situation, and wait for my dispatch!"

After saying that, he strode out of the tent and looked at the smoke spreading from the direction of Ziwu Ridge. He felt somewhat confident in his heart: "Zheng Chaozong, this Ziwu Ridge is where you will be buried!"

In the early morning of Ziwuling Mountain, the thick fog is like a thick gray curtain, enveloping the entire mountain forest.

A scout team of more than a hundred people from the Jingsai Army was moving cautiously along the winding mountain road.

They were dressed in light leather armor, with short swords on their waists, and longbows and quivers on their backs, gleaming with a cold luster in the mist.

At the front of the team, the scout leader Zhang Yue had a sharp gaze as he vigilantly observed the movements around him. Every unusual sound would make him instantly tense up.

At the same time, in a valley less than three miles away from them, five or six hundred Song army scouts had already set up an ambush.

Zhao Meng, the scout leader of the Song army, held a spear and looked at the foggy mountain road with a gloomy face.

"Those bastards from the Jingsai Army will sooner or later fall into our encirclement. When that happens, no one will be able to escape!"

He cursed in a low voice. When the Jingsai Army scouts entered a valley, the Song Army scouts hiding in the dark immediately took action.

Cold arrows shot down from the mountain walls on both sides like raindrops, instantly breaking the tranquility of the early morning.

"There's an ambush, scatter!"

Zhang Yue shouted loudly, and the Jingsai Army scouts responded quickly and looked for cover.

However, the rain of arrows from the Song army was too dense, and several Jingsai army scouts were unable to dodge and were hit by the sharp arrows, falling in a pool of blood with screams.

However, the Jingsai Army scouts did not panic. Relying on their rich combat experience, they quickly calmed down and launched a counterattack.

Zhang Yue led several elite scouts, using the boulders and trees in the valley as cover, and approached the hiding place of the Song army scouts.

As they advanced, they put arrows on the bowstrings and shot sharp arrows at the enemy.

Under their attack, several Song army scouts were shot and killed.

However, the Song army had a large number of scouts and quickly organized a more fierce counterattack.

They rushed down the mountain wall, wielding long swords, and engaged in close combat with the Jingsai scouts.

For a moment, the valley was filled with shouts of killing and flashes of swords and sabers.

Zhang Gou was originally from the Western Army and was called Zhang Gou'er. During the fight with the Song scouts, he was accidentally hit in the arm by the enemy and blood gushed out immediately.

But he did not retreat. Instead, he endured the severe pain, turned his hand and stabbed the opponent in the chest.

As the battle continued, casualties on both sides continued to increase.

The ground in the valley was covered with bloodstains and corpses, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

Although the scouts of the Jingsai Army were brave and good at fighting, they gradually fell into trouble in the face of the superior forces of the Song Army.

Zhang Yue was extremely anxious as he watched his brothers falling down around him.

If this continues, the Jingsai Army scouts will surely be wiped out!
He decided to change his tactics and concentrate his forces to break through the encirclement of the Song army.

"Brothers, follow me!"

He shouted loudly and led the remaining Jingsai Army scouts to charge towards the weak link of the Song Army scouts.

Upon seeing this, the Song army scouts hurriedly organized forces to intercept them.

The two sides launched a fierce battle in the valley, and every inch of land fought for was accompanied by the fall of countless soldiers.

During the charge, a scout of the Jingsai Army was stabbed in the abdomen by a spear from a scout of the Song Army.

He gripped the spear tightly with both hands, and using his last bit of strength, stabbed the dagger in his hand into the opponent's throat.

In the fierce fighting, the Jingsai Army scouts finally broke through the encirclement of the Song Army scouts.

Zhang Yue led the remaining dozens of scouts and rushed out of the valley.

However, the Song army scouts did not give up the pursuit. They chased relentlessly, trying to completely eliminate the Jingsai army scouts.

Just as the Jingsai Army scouts were about to rush out of the valley, a Song Army scout rushed out from the flank and blocked their way.

Zhang Yue's heart sank, but he did not intend to surrender. Instead, he waved the dagger in his hand and shouted loudly: "Brothers, let's fight!"

The two sides fought the final decisive battle at the exit of the valley.

It was a brutal fight, with both sides using up every last bit of their strength.

However, the Song army's scouts were powerful after all. Just when the Jingsai army scouts were almost in despair, the sound of hurried and orderly footsteps came from outside the valley.

Zhang Yue took a quick look and was immediately overjoyed: "Chen Zhao!"

Another Jingsai Army scout team was led by Chen Zhao, who was holding a longbow and a full quiver. He led more than 50 Jingsai Army scouts and rushed into the battlefield like a black torrent.

Their appearance was like a shot of adrenaline for Zhang Yue and others who were in desperate situation.

"Brothers, reinforcements have arrived, kill!"

Zhang Yue roared at the top of his lungs, and with the short knife in his hand, he slashed through the defense of a Song army scout and went straight for his throat.

The Jingsai Army scouts, who were originally exhausted and had low morale, suddenly showed amazing fighting spirit and shouted to cooperate with the reinforcements.

While Chen Zhao was drawing his arrows and shooting, he was quickly observing the situation on the battlefield.

He found that although the Song army had a large number of scouts, their formation had become chaotic after a long battle.

So he decisively ordered: "Divide into small teams, outflanking from the flanks and disrupt their formation!"

The reinforcements were well-trained and immediately dispersed, taking advantage of the terrain of the valley and cleverly infiltrating the flanks of the Song army scouts.

Zhao Meng, the scout leader of the Song army, was already shocked when he saw a new force suddenly appear.

But he was experienced after all, so he quickly calmed down and ordered the soldiers to regroup.

"Don't panic, keep your formation steady!"

He waved his spear, trying to stop the counterattack of the Jingsai scouts.

However, under the two-pronged attack of the Jingsai Army, the Song Army scouts' defense line gradually collapsed.

At the exit of the valley, the sounds of shouting and weapons clashing were intertwined.

A scout of the Jingsai Army was accidentally stabbed in the leg by a spear during a fight with the Song Army and fell to the ground.

A Song scout saw this and immediately swung his sword to attack. At this critical moment, a sharp arrow flew and accurately hit the Song scout's chest.

It was Chen Zhao who saved him.

"Be careful!" Chen Zhao shouted as he quickly drew his arrow and shot down another Song scout who was rushing towards his comrades.

After a fierce fighting, the Song army scouts were finally unable to withstand the attack of the Jingsai army and began to retreat.

Zhao Meng saw that the situation was not good and knew that if he continued like this, his troops would be wiped out.

So, he reluctantly ordered a retreat: "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

The Song army scouts retreated like a tide and soon disappeared in the thick fog in the valley.

Zhang Yue looked at the Song army scouts going away and breathed a sigh of relief.

He dragged his tired body and began to count the number of people. The team of more than a hundred people originally, now only has a few dozen people, and many familiar faces have fallen forever on this land. Thinking of this, Zhang Yue's eyes moistened and tears slid down his cheeks.

"Brother Zhang, I'm sorry."

Chen Zhao stepped forward and patted Zhang Yue on the shoulder, "This is the fate of our scouts."

Zhang Yue nodded slightly and took a deep breath: "I know that every mission I carry out may be the last one.

But as long as we can gain intelligence for the army, our sacrifice will be worth it."

On the way back to the camp, Zhang Yue looked at the mountains of Ziwuling with mixed feelings.

He knew that this scouting battle was only a prelude to the Battle of Ziwuling, and greater tests were yet to come.

These scouts will continue to silently dedicate their lives for the victory of the Jingsai Army in this dangerous mountain forest.

When Zheng Chaozong learned the result of the scout battle, he felt very heavy.

He understood that although the battle was won, the Jingsai scouts paid a heavy price.

"Pass the order down, bury the fallen brothers with honor, and comfort their families."

He said to the deputy general beside him, "At the same time, strengthen the training and equipment of the scouts. We cannot let such a tragedy happen again."

In the Song army camp, Li Changzuo was furious when he learned of the failure of the scout battle.

"Zhao Meng is such a loser! He ambushed over a hundred people with 500 or 600 men, and they still let them escape. What a loser!"

He kicked over the table and chair beside him and said, "Pass on my order. Send out all the scouts and make sure to blind the eyes of the Jingsai Army! Keep a close eye on the movements of the Jingsai Army and find out where they are heading. I want to see what tricks Zheng Chaozong can come up with next!
The night sky over Ziwuling Mountains, like a heavy piece of black silk, covers the earth tightly.

Only a few flickering torches swayed in the howling mountain wind, casting dim lights on the actions of the Song Army and Jingsai Army scouts.

After Li Changzuo gave the order, all the Song army scouts went out, like a group of night owls hiding in the darkness, quietly lurking around the Jingsai Army's marching route, trying to catch every move of the enemy.

At the same time, on the Jingsai Army side, Zheng Chaozong learned from the previous lesson, carefully selected a group of agile and experienced scouts, and also formulated a flexible and changeable response plan.

The next morning, the fog in the mountains had not yet completely dissipated, and it covered the earth like a layer of gauze.

A scout team of the Song army tiptoed towards the Jingsai military camp.

When they stepped into a narrow mountain stream, something unexpected happened.

In an instant, several crossbow arrows shot out from behind the rocks on both sides like lightning. Two Song army scouts were unable to dodge and their chests were pierced instantly. They fell in a pool of blood with screams.

"There's an ambush, retreat quickly!"

The Song army scout team leader roared in horror.

However, how could it be too late now?
The scouts of the Jingsai Army swarmed out from all directions like a tiger descending from the mountain, and engaged in a fierce close combat with the scouts of the Song Army.

A scout from the Jingsai Army brandished a long sword and charged left and right. With the flash of the sword, several scouts from the Song Army fell one after another.

At the same time, a Song army scout seized the opportunity and shot an arrow, hitting the Jingsai army scout in the shoulder.

The Jingsai Army scout gritted his teeth, endured the severe pain, and threw the dagger in his hand at the enemy, and the Song Army scout fell to the ground.

At almost the same time, in another dense forest, another scout team of the Jingsai Army encountered scouts of the Song Army while performing a reconnaissance mission.

The two sides launched a thrilling chase in the forest that blocked out the sun.

Relying on their familiarity with the local terrain, the Song army scouts tried to lure the Jingsai army scouts into the preset encirclement.

But the Jingsai Army scouts were by no means ordinary people. They cleverly used trees and bushes as cover, moving around like ghosts, and launched surprise attacks on the Song Army scouts from time to time.

A Jingsai scout was accidentally tripped by a branch while running away and fell to the ground. Seeing this, the Song scouts immediately surrounded him and planned to capture him alive.

At this critical moment, a scout captain of the Jingsai Army jumped down from the tree, holding a dagger, and rushed into the enemy group like a black lightning.

As the dagger was swung, several Song army scouts were chopped down to the ground, and his companions were successfully rescued.

In this large-scale scout battle, both sides tried their best and displayed their unique skills.

In order to reverse the previous defeat, the Song army scouts became more cautious and more brutal.

They abandoned their previous method of concentrated action and adopted the tactics of dispersed reconnaissance and mutual coordination in an attempt to reduce the risk of being discovered.

The Jingsai Army scouts, relying on tacit teamwork and superb martial arts, successfully resolved the attacks of the Song Army scouts time and time again, and also obtained a lot of crucial intelligence.

After several days of fierce fighting, every corner of Ziwuling was filled with the disgusting smell of blood.

In the mountains and forests, the bodies of the scouts were lying all over the place, creating a mess.

This scout battle was not only a fierce contest of the combat effectiveness of both sides, but also a severe test of willpower and endurance.

Zhao Meng, the scout commander of the Song army, stood in front of Li Changzuo with a dusty face and dejected look.

Li Changzuo's face was terribly gloomy, his eyes were wide open, and he shouted angrily: "In the past few days, not only did you not bring back any useful information, but you also lost so many brothers!
If you don't produce any decent results, you will be punished by military law!"

Zhao Meng shuddered all over, and quickly lowered his head and said, "I will definitely do my best!"

In the Jingsai military camp, Zheng Chaozong stared at the intelligence brought back by the scouts, his brows furrowed and his expression serious.

Ziwuling is indeed a nightmare for the enemies coming from the north. Now the two armies have not really come into contact yet, but the scout battle alone has caused heavy casualties to the Jingsai Army!

It is conceivable that once the main forces of both sides engage in fierce fighting, such casualties will probably reach an unacceptable level.

At this moment, he suddenly understood why the master insisted on leading 20,000 elite troops to attack Tongzhou directly, because it was too difficult to attack southward from Ziwuling!

"Pass the order down, the scouts continue to remain highly alert and pay close attention to the Song army's every move.

At the same time, notify the army to be ready to fight at any time."

Zheng Chaozong instructed the deputy general.

As time passed quietly, the situation in Ziwuling became more and more tense.

A war of unprecedented scale, like dark clouds before a storm, is rapidly gathering on this ancient land.

This contest between the scouts is only the prelude to the war; the real test has just begun.

……

Hezhong Mansion.

Wen Yanbo stood with his hands behind his back in the study of the Jinglüe Mansion. The mountains of military reports on the desk seemed to be a sign of victory in his eyes.

Upon hearing that the Jingsai Army had entered Ziwuling, his originally tense face finally relaxed, and a rare hint of relief flashed in his eyes.

Years of experience in battles and accurate assessment of the situation made him firmly believe that the complex terrain of Ziwuling would be the key to the Song army's victory.

"Come!" Wen Yanbo gave an order, and immediately the attendants hurried in.

"Pass on my order, and have Li Changzuo strictly guard the important roads along Ziwuling Mountain, and not give the Jingsai Army any chance to take advantage.

At the same time, send more elite cavalry and keep them on standby at all times. Once the Jingsai Army shows any flaws, launch a surprise attack immediately!"

His voice was low but powerful, revealing unquestionable majesty.

After arranging the defense of Ziwuling, Wen Yanbo's thoughts turned to Huanqing Road.

Although the news he received said that everything was fine, he knew very well that Su Yun was cunning and would never let go of the strategic location of Huanqing Road easily.

"Go find Liu Zhi."

Wen Yanbo said to his attendants that he had already begun to think about further strengthening the defense of Huanqing Road.

Soon, Liu Zhi hurried to the study.

Seeing Wen Yanbo's slightly tired but determined expression, Liu Zhi's heart tightened.

"Mr. Lu, is there another incident on the front line?" he asked with concern.

Wen Yanbo shook his head and pointed to the military map and said, "Huanqing Road seems peaceful now, but Su Yun has always been cunning. I am worried that he will make a feint to the east and attack the west, secretly dispatching troops to attack Huanqing Road.

You should immediately select a group of smart and capable scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Yan'an Prefecture army around Huanqing Road, and report back immediately if you find anything unusual. "

After Liu Zhi received the order, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Lord Lu, although it is beneficial for us that the Jingsai Army entered Ziwuling this time, could Su Yun have other plans?
Based on my understanding of Su Yun, he would not fight such a tough battle. Although Yan'an Prefecture has 100,000 elite soldiers, if he attacks Ziwuling by force, even if he succeeds in taking it, at least tens of thousands of troops will be exhausted, which is not his style.

So, should we keep something in reserve, just in case?"

Wen Yanbo nodded slightly when he heard this, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes: "You are right.

Pass the order down, asking the troops stationed in Chang'an to be ready to provide support at any time.

At the same time, beacon towers were set up on all important roads leading to Guanzhong. Once there was an emergency in Ziwuling or Huanqing Road, the beacon fire would be lit immediately so that the troops from all sides could respond in time.

Liu Jinglue, hurry back to Qingzhou and make sure to guard Huanqing Road. Ziwuling may be a cover, the key lies in Huanqing Road!"

Liu Zhi immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and did not dare to say anything more. He hurried back to Qingzhou.

Wen Yanbo breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little more at ease, but then he felt something was wrong. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure out what the problem was. He could only attribute it to the fact that he had been overworked during this period of time and had too many worries.

He shook his head and felt dizzy all over.

(End of this chapter)