The entire grain unloading work lasted until the evening of the 27th.
In the past few days, Shao Xun has been planning the march route in the Nanyang Palace.
He had seen the canal boats, and one of them carried 4,500 grains. It was not small in this era, but it was not very big either.
The key is the formation problem. It is impossible to cram so many infantry and cavalry in and take them away.
Food can make full use of space, but people can't.
With food, equipment, soldiers, and troop carriers to operate the ship, one ship can only carry a hundred or ten people, and it also needs to be modified. After all, this is not a professional warship.
With more than seventy ships, they could only carry away almost all the Silver Spear Army, and not even the auxiliary troops.
The Yi Cong Army, the Xiaoqi Army and the Liangzhou Army, which consisted of several thousand men, were not enough. However, they were the main force - the infantry was too ineffective to cut off the Xiongnu's retreat.
If you don't carry infantry and only carry cavalry, the number will be reduced sharply.
Horses are not very trustworthy on boats. They often need more space and cannot carry many people.
After much deliberation, the only option was to divide the troops.
Another thorny problem is that due to successive wars, there are actually not many horses and mules in Luoyang City.
Shao Xun brought over more than 2,000 cavalry, with a total of less than 3,200 horses, plus hundreds of mules, many of which were captured along the way.
Usually, the men lead their horses and walk at the same speed as infantry...
The two thousand horses under Bei Gongchun were not much better, and the whole army had three thousand horses.
The heroic cavalry army can only have one man and one horse, and is even poorer.
This kind of cavalry has no mobility at all, and its speed is much faster than that of infantry.
Horses are a tool that cannot be acquired at the same rate as it is consumed. It is really too scarce, which restricts the formulation of plans.
Shao Xun traced his fingers back and forth on the map, frowning and thinking.
Gotta do it!
If he couldn't do it, he could only use a small number of horses and fewer people, or simply change the route and let the cavalry withdraw from his action plan.
War is a very serious matter, and all you can do is keep making choices.
It would be great if you can win in the ugliest way at the end of the day.
As for winning in the most soul-stirring, most aesthetically violent, and most heroic way, that is something that is rare. Rong Ma is lucky to have it once or twice in his life - he is lucky, he has already had it once with Gou Xi.
Running thousands of miles.
Thinking of this, he sat down and seriously thought about the next battle plan.
While thinking, his eyes were always fixed on a certain point on the map.
It's just you.
In the early morning of September 28th, the large group of people left Luoyang.
At that time, the car formation was driving on the south bank of Luoshui River, with the sun shining brightly and the flags covering the fields.
The cavalry led their horses on foot and guarded the outside of the vehicle formation.
The river was empty, not a single boat.
The food transportation task has been completed, so naturally these gadgets are no longer needed.
The Hun Rangers actually didn't dare to get close.
One is because they have fewer people, and the other is because this army is really difficult to deal with. They are simply asking for a fight if they get close. After all, those crossbows are not just decorations.
Furthermore, they had so many cavalry. From time to time they mounted their horses and charged for a while, driving them away.
As a result, when the march arrived and they set up camp in the evening, these Xiongnu horsemen dispersed in a hurry, and even the night harassment was given up, which was meaningless.
The march continued the next day.
At noon, the number of Huns cavalry south of Luoshui suddenly increased.
This is actually understandable.
Now the entire Luoyang battlefield has fallen into a complete stagnation. Only the Silver Spear Army is still marching, which naturally attracts all the attention.
The Huns called their friends and mobilized all the cavalry they could find, trying to fight with the Jin cavalry guarding the outside of the car formation.
The Jin army also went against the norm and took the initiative to attack. The cavalry from both sides came and went, fighting repeatedly in the wilderness, and each suffered injuries.
That night, the army camped on the south bank of Luoshui River.
At this time, on Jiuqudu, a few miles north of Luoshui, a fleet of ships traveled at night and quietly sailed eastward.
The march continued on the third day.
The battle between the cavalry on both sides became more intense.
The Huns also brought in a lot of cavalry, trying to take advantage of their numerical advantage to run across the relatively open field and shoot at mid-range.
In short-range close combat, the Jin cavalry had the upper hand.
In a mid-range cavalry and shooting battle, the Huns' cavalry has the upper hand.
The two sides fought with real fire, each showed their special abilities, and the show was exciting.
During the break, the infantrymen of the Silver Spear Army even crowded the vehicles and cheered loudly.
Not to mention the applause for the good performance of our own cavalry, when some Xiongnu rangers performed difficult mounted shooting skills, these guys actually applauded too, and the face of the brave cavalry general Wang Hu turned black!
In the evening of that day, the army had arrived twenty miles west of Gong County and set up camp.
The Huns dispersed far away, firstly to prevent the Jin cavalry from making a sneak attack at night, and secondly because it started to rain in the evening. They would hunt for chickens tomorrow and return to the camp to rest.
Shao Xun jumped up and said with a smile: "God help me."
Under his order, five hundred carefully selected cavalry led their horses and headed north at night.
After the cavalry left, a total of 3,600 silver spear soldiers in six buildings, fully armed, disappeared into the vast rainy night under his leadership.
The boat went down the river very fast, and soon sailed out of Jiuqudu and entered the Luoshui River.
When the first ray of sunlight rose in the sky, the fleet was approaching Luokou.
Under Shao Xun's order, one ship after another dropped anchor - the anchor at this time was made of stone, which can be seen from the word "簇".
It took a long time for more than 4,000 horsemen to get off the boat and set foot on the soft river bank.
Shao Xun turned over and mounted a horse and ordered: "Let's go!"
****
On the first day of October, the rain stopped and the sun shone brightly.
Early in the morning, Lu Zhuyan drove everyone out angrily and took out the hay to dry.
The grass has stopped growing long ago, and the horses eat more and use less.
In fact, he has recently ordered that the horses be fed with grain. For no other reason than the shabby Shao thief is here again!
He led his troops to march along Luoshui. Isn't the goal obvious? He came straight to Chenggao, obviously with the intention of attacking from both sides with the defenders of Hulao Pass.
Shan Zhenxi has sent people to ask for help, and has gradually evacuated people from Guancheng and moved them to Chenggao County.
There isn't much food and grass in the city, but it won't be a problem to support it for a month or two.
Can Thief Shao wait under Chenggao City for such a long time? I'm afraid he can't afford to wait.
After breakfast, Lu Zhuyan rode a horse for a while.
The ground is a little muddy and soft, making it difficult for the horses to run. But it's not a big problem. It's a sunny day today, so a little sunshine will be enough.
After dismounting, Lu Zhuyan listened to the scout's report again and felt relieved after learning that Shao Xun's troops were still sixty or seventy miles away from Chenggao.
This distance, under the constant harassment of the cavalry, can be traveled for four days, which is considered fast.
What's more, they also dug up a lot of roads and tried every means to delay the Jin army. It was normal for them to arrive in five or six days.
Anyway, it can be delayed for a day, and the longer it is, the better.
"Be careful!" When Lu Zhuyan saw a herd slave scattering hay on the ground, he immediately became angry and hit him on the head and face with a horsewhip until he was bleeding. After being persuaded by others, he kicked the man over.
Walk away.
The shepherd slaves staggered away as if they had been granted amnesty and continued working.
Everyone else looked at him with sympathetic eyes and sighed.
At this moment, several knights who were on guard outside ran back, shouting as they ran.
Everyone looked over with doubtful eyes.
It rained last night and the mud is soft. Are you risking your life by running like this?
There were also people with clear heads who reacted: This is an enemy attack!
They immediately looked towards the big tent where the nobles were.
Lu Zhuyan had just checked in and had a little drink. When he was slightly tipsy, he saw two cronies rushing in.
He stared angrily and was about to reprimand when he heard words that almost turned him to stone: "There are Jin cavalry coming."
Where did the Jin cavalry come from?
Lu Zhuyan stood up suddenly and left the tent.
While walking, I was thinking: If there are Jin cavalry coming, they must be Shao Xun's people, but they are surrounded by people, how can they escape? Moreover, the soil is soft today, even if one person and two horses can walk sixty or seventy
It takes a whole day to get here, and the horse power is low. How can we fight?
How ridiculous!
When he walked outside angrily, he saw a large group of cavalry swarming over two hundred paces away, charging straight towards him.
He is stupid.
The ground was trembling. When the figure of the enemy rider was getting closer and bigger, Lu Zhuyan reacted and shouted: "Hurry! Hurry up and mount your horse to meet the enemy!"
The cronies dispersed in a hurry and went to find their own shepherds and slaves, but it seemed that it was a little too late...
The distance of two hundred steps is reached in an instant.
When Lu Zhuyan got on his horse and raised his horn bow, a thick horse pole was already heading straight for his chest.
He subconsciously leaned on the horse's back and escaped the dangerous blow. But before he could be happy for a long time, another horse pole came from the side, directly picking him up and throwing him heavily to the ground.
"Bang!" Lu Zhuyan fell to the ground unwillingly.
From the chest to the back, a hideous wound was stained red with blood, gurgling outward.
Hundreds of Jin cavalry poured into the Xianbei camp, charging and killing the enemies running on the ground happily.
Shao Xun ran up from behind, his horns and bows clanging repeatedly.
Every time he shot one or two times, someone would scream and fall to the ground.
Cai Cheng guarded him closely, slashing with his saber repeatedly, blood staining the ground red.
"Quickly, go collect the horses and don't let anyone take them away." Shao Xun ordered loudly.
"Promise!" Cai Cheng named several people and asked them to go and deliver the order.
There are probably thousands of Xianbei people in this camp, and there are even more—Jin slaves?
When the five hundred of them rushed forward, the whole place exploded, and there was a chaotic flow of people everywhere.
Someone has already taken the horse and escaped.
But more horses are still grazing, or are imprisoned in temporary fences. These horses are their primary targets and cannot be missed.
Soon, after the five hundred riders made a circle, they gradually began to divide, and dozens of riders headed straight for the Xianbei people's horse pastures, stables, and fences.
A Xianbei man fled on horseback, but no one cared about him whether he wanted to leave or not.
Some people kneel down and beg for surrender, but no one cares about them. Just kneel down on the ground again.
If anyone wants to take away the horses, he is seeking death. If I don’t tear off your head, I’m good-natured!
After charging for a while, the silhouette of a Silver Spear Army soldier appeared on the western horizon.
Shao Xun breathed a sigh of relief, it was safe!
Chapter completed!