Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 55: Chishan Village

In the fifth year of Yongjia (311), the Xiongnu Han Zhao army captured Luoyang and captured Emperor Huai. The north was in chaos. Xi Jian escaped back to Yanzhou after many hardships. It was a year of great famine. Xi Jian and more than a thousand households took refuge in Yishan in southern Shandong. Later generations also called this mountain Xigong Mountain.

Within three years, tens of thousands of people gathered.

And these people were the predecessors of the Northern Palace Army.

Lanling County is located to the east of this mountain, Xia Pi is located in the southeast corner, and Pengcheng is located to the south.

There is a lake at the foot of the mountain, named Weizi Lake, which is connected to the Huai River system.

Chishan Village is located at the foot of Xigong Mountain. Looking out at the verdant peaks in the distance, Liu Daogui felt a sense of fate and reincarnation...

"Hurry up, we're going to eat meat in Chishan Village tonight!"

"Are there any women?"

"Nonsense, we have everything we need in the village!"

There was no need to urge them, the soldiers couldn't hold back.

Liu Daogui was a little unhappy, but this was the trend among soldiers these days: women, money, wine and meat. The soldiers' demands were very direct and simple, and could not be corrected in a short period of time.

Everyone hopes to make a fortune this time. With Liu Daogui's current prestige, it is impossible to stop them, and it will also offend people.

If someone jumped out at this moment and said they would not harm anyone, being pinned to the ground and beaten violently by the angry soldiers would be the least of their trouble...

Everything should go with the flow and not go against the trend.

It is nonsense to ask a person who has been hungry for three days and three nights to pay attention to his eating manners.

After food, clothing, housing and transportation are solved and prestige is established, military discipline can be rectified.

When everyone starts out, it’s inevitable that their hands and feet are dirty…

From another perspective, soldiers have strong motivation only when they have desire in their hearts, and are willing to go through fire and water and fight bravely against the enemy...

The soldiers ran very fast, carrying baggage weighing twenty or thirty kilograms and jogging without taking a breath.

When I'm hungry, I chew some dry food. When I'm thirsty, I just lie down by the water and drink some water...

Liu Daogui secretly admired him. People these days had a hard life and tried their best to get a bite to eat, but they also developed strong physiques.

However, in order to maintain his combat effectiveness, Liu Daogui still rested for an incense stick every half hour.

The three scouts in the front were all sent to the northeast to prevent the enemy cavalry from returning.

Liu Guangzhi and Liu Heipi led a dozen elite soldiers as vanguards to explore the way ahead.

After more than seventy years of fighting between the North and the South, the old soldiers had extremely rich war experience. Many things could not be learned from military books at all. Liu Daogui paid attention to every detail and combined it with military books, and gained a lot.

As evening approaches, dusk covers the whole area, the mountain shadows are hazy, the breeze is very cool, and the grass and trees rustle.

Less than two miles ahead, a few lights appeared.

"The bandits have strengthened their guard and set up three more arrow towers..." Liu Guangzhi came back to report.

Liu Daogui squinted his eyes and looked ahead. There were a total of six arrow towers in the shape of a crescent moon, stuck on the slope. If they attacked head-on, all the soldiers would be exposed to the range of the arrows from the six arrow towers.

In this chaotic world, everyone is in danger.

To be able to establish a water fort in Lanling and dominate the area, the other party must have some strength, otherwise he would have been swallowed up by others long ago.

"It would be better to wait for a few more hours, until they fall asleep, and then attack from the water." Gao Xun pointed to the puddle in the north, which was connected to a large mudflat.

The defense looks weak.

But there was a problem: soldiers could easily get stuck in the mud, and if they were discovered, the consequences would be disastrous.

Since the other party dares to set up a camp by the water, they must be good at swimming.

It looks like a weakness, but it could very well be a trap left intentionally.

"Our army is elite, and the enemy army doesn't know that we have arrived. There is no need to beat around the bush, just charge head-on!" Liu Daogui put on iron armor and carried a wooden shield.

If you want prestige, you can't hide behind others.

Liu Daogui often practiced with Liu Yu at home, and his martial arts skills were not too bad.

"As the commander-in-chief, how can I put myself in danger?" Gao Xun frowned.

"I'm not willing to take risks, so who else is willing to fight to the death? Needless to say, this is our first battle, we can only win, not lose!" "Hahaha, kill his mother--" Liu Zun shouted loudly.

Liu Daogui quickly covered his mouth and said, "Why are you yelling? Are you afraid the thieves won't know we're here?"

There was a burst of low laughter all around.

"We are willing to join the army and fight to the death!" Twenty-six soldiers stood up.

"We are also willing to fight to the death!" More than a hundred old soldiers drew their swords.

After taking a quick look at the front, no one responded. Zhou Zheng lowered his head and said nothing.

Liu Daogui didn't have time to think too much. There must be problems at the front, but now was not the time for internal disputes.

The armored soldiers from all the units, including those in leather armor, totaled forty-three people, each holding a shield, a ring-handled sword, and a powerful crossbow. Gao Xun was ordered to cheer and create momentum from behind.

The spring sun sets into the western mountains, the sky and the earth are dark, the frogs croak and the insects chirp incessantly, and the night wind blows chilly on the face.

Liu Zun held two wooden shields in front, with Liu Guangzhi and Liu Heipi on his left and right. Liu Daogui, sandwiched in the middle, felt like he was trapped in an iron barrel...

These brothers really risked their lives for me.

About thirty steps away from the first arrow tower, someone suddenly shouted from the nearby bushes, "Enemy attack!"

Then came the rapid sound of clappers.

The camp seemed to have been disturbed by a hornet's nest, with figures swaying in all directions. "Enemy attack—"

Then came the screams of women and children in fear.

Arrows were shot out from the arrow tower sparsely and hit the wooden shields.

"Charge in!" Liu Daogui didn't expect that the thieves had set up secret sentries.

"Kill!" Liu Zun carried two wooden shields and ran forward like a wild boar.

At this time, there was no need to worry about formation. The soldiers rushed forward and shot arrows at the arrow tower.

At this time, Gao Xun at the foot of the slope also started to shout and clamor, with drums and trumpets beating loudly, like thousands of troops.

The power of armor was fully demonstrated at this time.

The opponent's arrows had little effect. They were either bounced off or blocked by the wooden shield.

Liu Guangzhi and Liu Heipi used their hands and feet to climb up the arrow tower in a few seconds. After a few screams and a few drops of blood, the arrow tower was cleared. Several people picked up bows and arrows and shot in the opposite direction towards the camp.

The other veterans followed suit and captured the arrow tower first.

Supporting Liu Zun in the frontal battle.

This guy had thrown away his shield and was holding two ring-handled swords, slashing wildly at the crowd, with blood and flesh flying everywhere.

The bandits were all wearing linen clothes and short jackets, and they didn't even have a shield, so they couldn't stop the charge of Liu Zun and the soldiers around him.

Liu Daogui was afraid that he would be in danger, so he rushed forward with a knife.

The thieves were quite ferocious. They rushed forward layer by layer, and their flesh and blood were shredded by their blades, but they refused to retreat.

Several unarmored soldiers were knocked down and dragged into the enemy group. After screaming in agony, they were hacked into pieces by the swords.

Liu Daogui felt a flash of sword light in front of him. The ring-handled sword in his hand had already broken, so he picked up the broken halberd on the ground and chopped it at the thief's face.

If it weren't for the armor on his body and the soldiers around him, he would have died countless times. These soldiers kept their promises and were loyal to him and never left his side.

They block the swords and resist the arrows...

After fighting for a while, Liu Daogui looked back breathlessly. Of the six arrow towers, three were controlled, one was burning with flames, illuminating the entire village. The bandits on it were still screaming, and the remaining two were empty.

Zhao Lunzhi and Zhou Zheng rushed up with their respective troops.

The more than 200 people in the front were arranged in neat formation and advanced in unison, with extremely high killing efficiency.

The thieves couldn't resist at all and soon collapsed.

Liu Daogui breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that he could attack from the front meant that the problem was not serious.

However, the thieves were not willing to accept defeat and rushed forward fearlessly...

(End of this chapter)