Zhang Gu opened the window and stared into the distance.
The rising sun has disappeared into the thin clouds, and dark clouds are emerging from where the sky and the earth meet.
He cursed, immediately dressed himself up, went down to the attic, and fetched the horses.
After a while, the soldiers of the Three Defenses rushed out of the dock where they were staying and rushed into the vast world.
The Huns' cavalry had already crossed the river, and they were numerous and fierce.
Zhang Gu looked around and led the people to a small forest.
The forest is not big, but it is enough to cover one direction.
There is a small river behind. Although it is not wide, it can prevent the cavalry from charging recklessly.
In front of you is a huge cemetery with densely packed graves, which is shocking.
The soldiers all stayed in Wubao, and the soldiers took off all kinds of equipment from their horses and roughly laid out their positions.
The sword and shield bearers were on the outside, followed closely by the spearmen and infantrymen. The rest were armed with individual crossbows, infantry bows, long swords, long-handled axes, hook sickles, ring-headed knives and other miscellaneous weapons to fight as generals.
Zhuang——Really, if you have never seen Fubing, you would not know that there are so many strange weapons in the world.
The incoming Xiongnu soldiers numbered no less than two thousand, and the leader seemed to be a stupid young man who actually wanted to eat all the soldiers.
Yes, they only have less than 900 people. Although they have horses, they don't seem to be good at mounted combat. How can I put it, it's a bit like the cavalry of the Han Dynasty. After riding deep into the grassland, they encountered - uh, the Huns.
"Dismount and fight" rather than charge on horseback.
In the midst of lightning and flint, the Xiongnu general took advantage of the soldiers still adjusting their formation and directly ordered to rush over.
Hundreds of riders were immediately separated from the team.
The hundred people at the front, with tall noses and deep eyes, wearing iron armor and leather armor, holding spears and halberds, charged straight up.
The four or five hundred riders behind them slowed down slightly and moved to both sides.
Dense crossbow bolts were fired from the graves, killing the Hun cavalry at the front. Those who were not hit were startled, and they immediately slowed down their horses and spread out. The formation suddenly became loose.
Shooting has also been added to the rifle.
The soldiers of the government were extremely brave, shouting curses while picking up their bows and arrows.
Powerful arrows shot through the air, and they were shot at the horse, causing the enemy horsemen to fall to the ground one by one. It was a terrible sight.
In the end, less than half of the people rushed forward.
"Kill!" The tomb bag hindered the charge of the war horses. Only a few dozen horsemen rushed in through the gap between the tomb bags, but they were soon caught in the horse's legs by hooks and sickles.
The horse could not gallop and neighed in pain.
A soldier from the government held a wooden pole that was thick at the top and thin at the bottom. He smashed it with all his strength, and the enemy rider who was controlling the war horse rolled off the horse. Before he could get up, several white blades were attached to his body, and he suddenly started bleeding profusely.
"Xilulu!" A horse fell to the ground with a crash.
The enemy cavalry was agile and jumped in mid-air to a nearby grave. He drew his saber and was about to charge down, but was stabbed by several spears.
The government soldiers cruelly lifted him up, and blood flowed down his legs, dripping onto the grave.
The autumn wind suddenly picked up, and the soul flags on the new graves whistled, as if they were extremely satisfied with the fresh blood food.
One after another, the cavalrymen were cut off their horses, and none of the nineteen Huns who rushed into the cemetery survived. Even the Huns who stopped their horses urgently were continuously killed by crossbows and bows, and two or three more were killed.
Ten people screamed and fell to the ground.
Dozens of soldiers jumped out of the cemetery, armed with spears and heavy axes, and used their superb infantry combat skills to easily kill the beaten Hun cavalry.
The Hun cavalry brigade in the distance lost its morale.
This is not an infantry that can be easily dispersed, it is a bit troublesome.
In fact, the vast majority of the peasant soldiers could not withstand the power of the cavalry at all. Before they could get close, their positions were in disarray. This was the case with Wang Jun's troops in Youzhou. Even though they had more contact with the cavalry, they were still in disarray.
It still doesn't work. After a few rounds of shooting from the cavalry, they often collapse themselves. They don't even remember that their foot bows are more powerful than their cavalry bows.
The Huns humiliated Wang Jun wantonly in Youzhou and were invincible. However, when they came to Gaoping, they gave him a sap on the spot.
There were less than 900 infantrymen on the opposite side. Everyone had armor, and most of them had crossbows or bows. Their weapons were sophisticated, and their martial arts skills far exceeded those of ordinary peasant soldiers.
The most important thing is that the experience is rich enough: I have chosen a good battlefield.
The existence of rivers and woods prevented the cavalry from going around, and the graves prevented the melee cavalry from charging. In the end, only the cavalry archers detoured back to the left and shot a bunch of arrows from a distance, causing a few casualties.
.
But they were quickly driven away by the powerful rifle bows and crossbow arrows, leaving corpses on the ground.
It seems like a loss!
The general leading the team comforted the horse on his crotch, his face uncertain.
In the cemetery, the soldiers were in high morale. Some people held the head with a spear, jumped on the grave bag, and laughed loudly.
There was a commotion on the Xiongnu side.
The general pondered for a long time and was about to order a retreat when he heard the sound of war drums behind him.
He turned the horse's head and looked back.
On the Wubao not far away, drums rumbled. A moment later, the fort gate opened wide, and more than a thousand infantrymen rushed out with shields and guns, forming an array outside the fort wall.
The Xiongnu general snorted coldly and ordered a retreat.
****
Zhang Gu did well in Rencheng, but Yu An, who was also the governor of the tribe, was unable to do anything in Xiaqiu.
He had 1,200 soldiers under his command, with less than a hundred pairs of iron armors and only about 400 leather armors. The soldiers had to find someone to make them themselves after saving money for a year.
The most important thing is that they only have dozens of horses and mules, which were also purchased by the soldiers themselves.
Their mobility was poor and their equipment was mediocre. Although their morale was high, they could only help defend the county seat - all the family members of the soldiers in Xiaqiu County had withdrawn into the county seat.
So, when Zhao Lu led three thousand riders around the city and found it difficult to take them lightly, and roared away, they had no choice.
The Huns' cavalry rushed into the vast countryside, looking for food to harvest.
In the afternoon, Zhao Lu stopped outside a fort.
I have to admit that there are some bastards in the world who just won’t shed tears until they see the coffin.
Yu Zhi ordered the harvest of millet and beans, but some people carried it out, while others delayed and carried out the order more slowly, while others simply ignored it and were reluctant to lose any grain.
Perhaps this is the normal state of grassroots execution.
Three thousand horsemen were stationed in the wilderness.
Some people spread their guard far away.
Some people gathered their horses and looked for pasture to pasture them.
Some people still maintain a fighting state and are ready to deal with emergencies at any time.
The remaining people scattered into the fields to harvest beans.
They didn't have a sickle, but that didn't matter, a saber would work just fine.
The beans were cut down one after another and piled in the open space.
Zhao Lu dismounted and looked over, his face beaming with joy.
Beans are a good thing. People can eat them, and even horses can eat them. They are still very hungry.
In fact, Bingzhou also grows this stuff, and the Huns are no strangers to it. You see——
The herdsmen skillfully tied the roots of the soybeans with grass and piled them upside down in the fields. They let them dry for a few days, then shook them hard, and the beans came out.
Hmm, I don’t know if the people in Wubao are in a hurry. Maybe we can trick them into coming out...
Thinking of this, Zhao Lu looked around, looking for a place to ambush.
Zhao Lu's troops were active in the northeast of Gaoping, while the Kongping dolphins stayed in Dongping, moving at a slower pace.
The main reason is that they brought large groups of concubines and servants to drive large and small cars.
Some of the servants were provided by Cao Yi.
This guy was probably a little dissatisfied. He only provided three to four thousand people, and the rest were Jin people captured in Jibei and Dongping, totaling just over three thousand.
They searched all the way, trying to catch the enemy with food.
But Dongping is different from Gaoping. It is located on the front line. It planted a season of millet this year and harvested almost all in mid-August. There was not much food available in the wild.
This fact made the Kong Dolphin angry and frightened at the same time.
Why are these Wubao manors becoming more and more difficult to deal with? Each one of them refuses to provide food and their tone is very tough.
There were very few weakly defended earthen fences, and we occasionally encountered a few. After breaking through, we didn't get much oil or water.
"Come here, pick up firewood and pile it into the forest." Kong Dou waved his hand and gave the order directly.
The sergeants took the order and left. By evening, hundreds of acres of mulberry forests were filled with dry firewood.
Piles of fires were lit, and the sound of "crackling" came and went.
When night fell, the fire had already turned half the sky red.
Some people took axes and went to the orchard to chop down the fruit trees one by one.
Kong Dou looked at the figures walking back and forth on the wall of Wubao and laughed, feeling much happier.
Next time you encounter a stubborn Wubao, you must do this! If you don't provide food, I will burn your mulberry forests, block your wells, and destroy all your houses to see if you give in.
On top of Wubao, everyone showed angry expressions on their faces, but they did not dare to make any move.
They saw clearly just now that the Hun cavalry was divided into several groups and ambushed everywhere. Leaving the fort at this time would mean losing their lives.
"It's all burned, so what's the point of sighing?" Marshal Wubao looked at everyone and said, "Without the mulberry forest, we will plant hemp seeds next year, and we will always have clothes to wear. There is no orchard, but we will eat less fruit and make less wine.
It’s just alcohol, it won’t kill anyone!”
Everyone felt a little relieved after hearing this, but they were still very angry.
Some people couldn't help but say: "Chen Gong asked for money and food from time to time, and we gave it to him. He asked for cloth and draft animals, and we also gave it to him. Until now, with this result, it would be better to surrender to the Huns."
Someone else echoed: "After the Battle of Gaoping, Henan was already at peace, and the Huns didn't dare to come. In the end, they had to attack Hebei. Now it's better. They were forced to have no choice but to invade the counties in Henan. Let me wait."
With such a huge loss, Mr. Chen still has the nerve to ask for money?"
"Yes, wouldn't it be nice to live a peaceful life? If you have to fight back and forth, how many people will be left after you unify the world?"
"If we don't go to Hebei, there won't be so much trouble! If Shi Le has the courage, he won't come to Henan to plunder."
"Heroes are aspiring to the world, who will pity the common people?"
"Shut up!" Wubao Shuai shouted, stopping everyone from talking.
After scanning around, he sighed and said: "The world is like this. Duke Chen cannibalizes people, and the Huns also cannibalize people. But our family property is here, and the Xiongnu cannot stay in Henan for a long time. There is no need to surrender to the Xiongnu."
Mention it again, lest disaster comes from your mouth."
After hearing this, everyone looked sad.
Yes, the Huns' cavalry was powerful, but they were unable to occupy Henan and could only wreak havoc, even if they wanted to surrender.
"Now that things have happened, there is nothing more to say." Marshal Wubao said again: "It is important to guard the family and continue the family business. The Huns, the military leaders, and the dog officers are all good. Live well and wait for Shao Xun and Shi Lezhi.
When we have fought enough and can no longer fight, or when we have won or lost, we can take a breather."
In the dark night, the sky was filled with fire, and wild horses were everywhere.
Perhaps, this is what Zhang Bin calls a stalemate, see who can't help it first.
Chapter completed!