PFC Chapter 206 There is no way out.
Chapter 206 There is no way out.
Ye Kun and Shangguan Jifu immediately left the tent and returned to the garrison with their personal soldiers to reorganize the troops, equipment, swords and guns.
Scout the far post and explore the way forward.
The day before the army set out, Ye Kun and Shangguan Jifu drew a military map and made a sand table based on the scouts' investigation, and they could not help but look at each other in bewilderment.
This is a dead end road. There is a mountain range in front of us, with high mountains and deep valleys, stretching for more than thirty miles.
Shangguan Jifu smiled bitterly: "Does Xuanyuan De have a grudge against us? Why did he send us to take this road? The key is that this road is completely blocked. There is no other way to go."
Ye Kun also remained silent.
It would be better to attack Dagu Pass or Yique Pass than to advance from here.
Zhuge Feng said, "Generals, I think Xuanyuan De doesn't know the terrain and is sending troops randomly. He is not targeting us. To be honest, our troops are not taken seriously. He just gave us a small task. It doesn't matter whether we complete it or not."
"Mr. Zhuge, don't say such harsh words. It makes us lose face." Ye Kun couldn't help but smile.
Huangfu Lin suggested: "Why not split the troops into two groups, one to join Wei Dingshan, the other to join Gongsun Zhang, forcefully attack the pass, and advance forward."
Ye Kun shook his head: "If we rely on Jingzhou or Yizhou, we will definitely be looked down upon by other princes."
Huangfu Lin smiled bitterly: "But how can we cross this chasm?"
Shangguan Jifu smiled and said, "Xuanyuan De doesn't take us seriously and assigns us random tasks. Why don't we build a road here? I estimate that by this time next year, the road will be open and other princes will have conquered Luoyang. We can just withdraw our troops."
Everyone laughed.
Ye Kun held back his laughter and said, "Fourth brother, stop making trouble. Let's go and see the terrain in person before making a decision."
It’s okay if others don’t take you seriously;
But you have to take yourself seriously!
Shangguan Jifu nodded and went to check the terrain with Ye Kun.
The army broke camp and set out together.
Along the way, there were several small checkpoints that Niu Yeliang had blocked, but he was able to pass through them all unhindered.
After walking north for more than 40 miles, we arrived at the mountains between the two passes.
Ye Kun and Shangguan Jifu led everyone up the mountain to check the terrain.
Having a telescope is very convenient.
Every blade of grass and every tree on the opposite hilltop can be seen clearly.
The scout said, "There is a deep ravine blocking the way down the mountain. After we cross the ravine, there are three passes on the opposite mountain. Only after we overcome these three passes can we continue to cross the mountain and advance towards Luoyang."
Ye Kun asked the scout: "How wide is the narrowest part of the ravine?"
"It's ten miles to the east, and the narrowest part is sixty steps!"
"Sixty steps, we should be able to get through."
Ye Kun nodded and looked to the east.
Arriving at the place the scout mentioned, Ye Kun looked through the telescope and said to Shangguan Jifu:
"Fourth brother, our infantry can pass through this place and then take down the three enemy passes. But the cavalry and the food and baggage cannot pass through and must go around from Dagu Pass."
Shangguan Jifu frowned: "Then we still have to rely on Wei Dingshan's army?"
"No, we should send infantry first to take down the enemy's pass, and then the cavalry will use the Dagu Pass to pass through, so it won't be considered as dependence."
"How do we cross a ravine that's sixty steps wide?"
"Use a strong crossbow with a rope and shoot it over. I have two hundred Flying Tigers here. They can crawl over along the rope and change it to a thick hemp rope. Using the zipline, all the infantry can pass through."
"Okay, you make the arrangements. I'll go supervise the rear troops and set up camp."
Shangguan Jifu nodded and divided the work with Ye Kun.
Ye Kun called over seven or eight archers, selected a position, first used a telescope to aim at the target on the opposite side, then prepared the crossbow string, and shot towards the other side of the deep ravine with the string.
Ye Kun’s powerful crossbow can shoot into the city wall or into the gravel ground on the opposite hillside.
More than a dozen arrows were shot, all with ropes attached.
The Flying Tigers selected three ropes that were next to each other, twisted them into a rope, took the other ropes and tools, and slid to the other side.
This is a life-threatening operation.
The first Flying Tigers reached the other side safely and immediately reinforced the ropes on the other side to meet the Flying Tigers behind them.
After seven or eight Flying Tiger soldiers passed by, Ye Kun ordered the troops behind to pause, send a batch of bows and arrows over, and arrange for the opposite side to divide their troops and be on guard.
When there were a hundred Flying Tigers on the opposite side and they were all in position and had completed their battle deployment, they pulled over a hemp rope as thick as an arm and fixed it with huge rocks and trees to use as a zipline.
Two zip lines were set up, smeared with butter, and equipped with pulleys and safety ropes. The soldiers grabbed the iron hooks and whooshed across!
Ye Kun called up five hundred infantrymen and ordered them to go along the zipline.
But some soldiers were afraid and did not dare to go forward.
Ye Kun stepped forward and said, "I'll follow too. The rest of you should follow. Those who don't dare to go will be punished by military law!"
After saying that, Ye Kun put on the safety rope, grabbed the iron hook, and flew through the air.
Seeing that their commander was risking his life like this, the remaining soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth, close their eyes, and slide past him.
In fact, the zipline nowadays is very safe. The hemp rope, as thick as an arm, can lift a weight of 10,000 kilograms.
What's more, there is a simple safety rope.
Ye Kun slid across the deep ravine and after landing, he continued to deploy his troops, defending himself while responding to the brothers coming over.
Niu Yeliang’s three passes were all on the hillside on the north side, four miles away, but he knew nothing about them.
In those days, the technology of crossing the river by zipline probably had not yet been developed, so the defenders above were very relieved, thinking that this place was a natural barrier and there was no need to keep a close eye on it.
From afternoon to midnight, Ye Kun had been transporting troops.
It was not until late at night that all 700 infantrymen came over, and their swords, guns, bows, arrows and dry food also came over.
Ye Kun ordered everyone to eat some dry food to fill their stomachs, then quietly climb the mountain and attack the enemy pass at night.
There are three passes on the mountain, each about seven or eight miles apart, with beacon towers set up.
Ye Kun’s target was the pass in the middle.
As long as we take this place, we can take advantage of the situation and annihilate the enemy forces on the east and west sides.
It was still the Flying Tigers who took the lead. After approaching the top of the mountain, they found a place to ambush, set up bows and crossbows, and prepared for sniping.
Ye Kun led the light-armored troops and launched a feint attack from the foot of the mountain.
The defenders at the mountain pass rushed into battle, lighting beacons and asking for help from both wings while resisting.
Ye Kun relied on the advantage of the bow and crossbow to suppress the enemy archers so that they dared not raise their heads, and then sent out five grenade throwers to approach the pass and throw grenades up.
This time, he brought 500 grenades, but Ye Kun was reluctant to use them.
However, the pass in front of us is located in a geographical advantage and it is difficult to take it down without grenades.
In fact, the grenade is not that powerful. Ye Kun just took advantage of the fact that the enemy had never seen this thing and hoped to scare them away.
Boom, boom boom!
A few cannon shots were heard and smoke rose.
The enemy was indeed frightened out of their wits, howling and screaming, and stumbling out of the pass.
The Flying Tigers rushed forward and seized the pass.
Ye Kun breathed a sigh of relief.
With this pass, his Flying Tiger Army and infantry can take a break.
After counting the battlefield, we found that not many enemy soldiers were killed.
However, there were several thousand kilograms of food and several war horses in the pass.
Judging from the stoves, the normal garrison here does not exceed a hundred people.
Ye Kun asked everyone to take turns to rest, and then shot an arrow to notify Shangguan Jifu on the opposite side and inform him of the situation.
The next morning, everyone regained their spirits and divided into two groups, heading towards the East and West Passes along the mountains.
Shangguan Jifu sent another thousand infantrymen along the zipline to increase Ye Kun's military strength.
There were about a hundred enemy guards at the east and west sides of the pass. When they saw Ye Kun's soldiers, they immediately fled.
At this point, the entire Panchangling Range between Dagu Pass and Yique Pass was under Ye Kun's control.
But Ye Kun didn't dare to go further north.
There was no movement at Dagu Pass and Yique Pass in the east.
If Ye Kun continued to move forward, he would be alone in deep territory, and since they were all infantry, it would be easy for them to be surrounded!
Only after Dagu Pass or Yique Pass is captured can Ye Kun cooperate in the advance.
Holding on to Panchang Ridge is the only thing Ye Kun can do at the moment.
Shangguan Jifu was very happy. After all, he had captured three enemy passes, which was a great achievement. He immediately sent his personal soldiers to Suanzao to report the military situation to the leader of the alliance and to ask for credit from Ye Kun.
Ye Kun had nothing to do, so after arranging the defense, he basked in the sun by the ravine and chatted with Shangguan Jifu across the ravine.
Another day passed, someone came from Suanzao to commend Ye Kun and report the military situation:
"The leader of the alliance has issued an order to recommend Ye Kun of Dongba County as the general of Shangwu, and to give him five cattle and ten sheep as rewards for his soldiers. In addition, Xiao Dezhi, the governor of Yangzhou, was defeated at Sishui Pass; Wei Dingshan, the governor of Jingzhou, captured three camps at Dagu Pass and fought against the enemy; Gongsun Zhang, the governor of Yizhou, suffered a setback in his first battle and was defeated at Yique Pass!"