On the first day of July in the second year of Jianji, Wang Yanwen, deputy envoy of the Longwu Army, led another five thousand soldiers to Jian'an and camped at the foot of the mountain.
He went north shortly after Liu E's departure, and brought a large amount of baggage, carriages and horses with him.
Before leaving, Du Guangyi, Yin of the Andong Prefecture, made a suggestion. Since they were worried about the Wei people, it would be better to recruit them to serve as masters and charioteers, and to transport grain and grass with them.
Shao Siwu and Fu Cunsen agreed after deliberation.
Everyone can hear Du Guangyi's subtext. Instead of worrying about them staying behind to cause harm, it is better to pick out the strong ones and take them away and keep them under strict supervision. If they really want to run away, then... they will run away if they run away. If they cannot be kept, they will be kept.
Can't live...
After arriving in Jian'an, Wang Yanwen went up the mountain to discuss the next trip with Liu E.
To be honest, it was a bit awkward for the two of them to be alone. After all, the bad thing in Zizhou hadn't been over for long. Even though the two of them had talked about it in person, they both generously said that the past was over and they were now colleagues in the new dynasty.
We should move forward hand in hand. But is there really no grudge at all? Not necessarily.
"A sergeant's daily eclipse is six Hu cakes and three liters of noodles, which is nine dou in one month. We, eight thousand sergeants, need 7,200 dendrobium in one month and more than 40,000 dendrobium in half a year." Wang Yanwen said.
It's not that he is good at math. In fact, he read from the paper and his staff had already calculated it.
A carriage can carry 25 to 30 tons of rice and noodles, and more than 40,000 tons of rice and noodles require more than a thousand vehicles. The carriage is not the problem, just let the craftsmen make it. The problem lies in the draft horses. Anton Mansion is poor and useless, and draft horses
There is a very short supply and you need it everywhere. It is impossible to bring it all for you to go on an expedition. Therefore, it is not feasible to carry food and grass for half a year. You can only go north to the Bohai people's sphere of influence and find a solution with them.
In addition, horses eat three times as much as humans, and they also need to eat. Generally speaking, try to cut grass to feed them, but if you can't find grass, you have to feed them with grain.
A sidecar has one draft horse, and a baggage car has two draft horses. This consumption is not small.
Therefore, we must find people from Bohai to raise food, otherwise we can only stop and wait for the subsequent supply convoy to arrive, or simply go back home.
"Jian'an Mountain City needs to be guarded by people to serve as a warehouse and grain platform." Liu E said: "Leave some Wei people to repair the city walls. Although the Khitans have launched a large-scale western expedition, Jian'an Mountain City is too important to afford to lose.
"
Wang Yanwen nodded and said: "The military envoy clearly understands everything, and I will admire him in the end."
Liu E glanced at him.
"Did Fu Dutou leave when you set out?" Liu E asked again.
"Everyone is already preparing the troops and equipment." Wang Yanwen replied, "We should be setting off in the next few days.
The troops on Fu Cunshen's route are stronger, about ten thousand people, and they will face the main Khitan force in the future.
They generally walked along the east coast, passing through Shiwang County, passing through Lutuo Bay, and arriving at the intersection of the Wugu River (Ai River) and the Yalu River, where they received the supplies sent by the Bohai people, and then headed westward.
This is a very important transportation line. At the mouth of the Yalu River, you can go eastward to Silla along the sea, go west to Liaoyang, and go upstream to the northeast to the capital of the Bohai Sea. Considering that Liaodong is mountainous, the Yalu River is the most
With good transportation routes, it is natural to receive supplies here.
…
The two groups of soldiers and horses dispatched a total of 18,000 people, which can be said to be the best. After Liu E heard this, he felt a little emotional. The saint originally ordered the floating sea to Anton, and this was the idea he had now, right? A prophet of uncertainty? Sounds a bit like this.
It is unbelievable, but the saint's most powerful military skill is not the level of front-line command, but his strategic layout. Now it seems that he should take one step at a time and plan for everything now.
The Khitan is a formidable enemy after all. They have the ambition to go south to the Central Plains, and in terms of strength, they are also the foundation for a large feudal town. So, let them be buried together with the towns in Hebei.
"The troops, woodmen and herders, will rest for two days and set off early the day after tomorrow to march north to Anshi City." Liu E made up his mind and said.
"I will obey the orders of the military envoy and general." Wang Yanwen responded loudly.
Liu E looked at him again and nodded.
******
The sound of horse hooves became more and more rapid, lingering on the green grassland.
Dense forests, grasslands, and swamps are the home of the Khitan people whose three lifestyles of fishing, hunting, planting, and nomadic life coexist.
Moreover, the current season, when the grass grows as tall as half a person, is also the most suitable time to display their fighting power.
There is feed wherever the horses go, and they only need to carry dry food, cheese, and dried meat for human consumption, which can fully support the prairie men in long-term operations outside.
But there was nothing they could do about the Xia army that was in sight.
Mrs. Xia, who went out to cut grass and collect firewood, ran for her life early. Most of them ran back to the convoy in time. Only a few "big smarts" got into the dense grass and shrubs and tried to escape. However, they were quickly captured by the Khitan
They were grabbed by people, tied up tightly, thrown on horses, and sent to the rear for interrogation. Their fate would not be too good. Generally speaking, they would be used as slaves by the Khitan people to cultivate the fields, and their lives would be comparable to those in Anton Mansion.
The border was much different. The convoy looked quite contemptuous of the Khitans who were surrounding them. Perhaps it was because their number was too small, with only about 2,000 riders, they could not pose a threat at all.
The team didn't even bother to change formation and continued moving forward without changing direction at all.
The Khitan people finally couldn't stand it anymore and became angry. This land was a pasture that they had fought with the Bohai people for several years. Daliao was rich in water and grass. After the Tang people retreated, no one could take it away.
So, under the leadership of the leader, the Khitans roared loudly and launched a fierce attack on the convoy.
The fleet is generally rectangular in shape.
Sidecars were on both sides, mixed with some baggage vehicles. Among the vehicles were soldiers following on foot. There were many people, well-equipped equipment, and morale seemed to be high.
No matter how the vehicle formation changes, the core principle is to use vehicles to load supplies, block the charge of the cavalry, create a movable wall for the infantry, and give them time to recover their energy and physical strength.
This is the old wisdom since the Han Dynasty.
The advantage of the cavalry lies in their high mobility. They can fight when they want and leave when they don't want to. They can even divide the people into several parts and take turns to rest, eventually exhausting the infantry's physical strength and will and winning.
Can this tactic be broken? Of course it can be. And it can also be broken on the vast and vast plains and grasslands. The premise is that your infantry must have a big heart and cannot mess up their position.
…
As long as you have an iron will and sufficient logistical support, even if you fight to the end of the world, the cavalry can't do anything to them, and the casualties are often more than ten to one, and they may not be able to defeat the infantry - Li Ling was beaten by dozens of times the Huns.
Surrounded, he almost managed to make it back. Ma Long was surrounded by dozens of times more cavalry and lost contact with the rear. He still fought his way through. As long as you can stay steady, are skilled and cooperate with each other, no one can do anything to you.
, just kill and that’s it!
"The thief is coming, stop the car!" The sound of clangs sounded one after another, echoing throughout the grassland, and sidecars stopped one after another.
The infantrymen had put on each other's armor in pairs and began to string their bows.
They are a reserve team. Once the soldiers on side cars or baggage cars are killed or injured in battle, they will immediately go up.
The atmosphere wasn't very tense, and the sergeants could even joke around. They didn't realize that a big war was coming. It was just a small scene.
On the other side of the carriage, without the officer's orders, the infantry archers and crossbowmen had already found their targets. The sound of breaking through the air kept ringing. The Khitan people screamed repeatedly as they charged forward, and had to disperse their formation to avoid the arrows in front of them.
But the convoy was too long, and arrows were shooting from everywhere. No matter where you hid, the sound of "whoosh" breaking through the air was always echoing in your ears.
There is almost no safe place!
There was a brave Khitan knight who, regardless of his life, desperately urged his horse. After entering the shooting range of the riding bow, he fired an arrow with his hand.
Unfortunately, there are thick baffles on the outside side of the sidecar. Unless you are a proficient archer and can still pass through the shooting hole when you are galloping and shoot, and accurately hit the hole in the face of the rear-stepping archer, otherwise it will be in vain.
, even giving arrows to people.
Most herdsmen obviously don't have this ability.
Their futile attempts achieve nothing but death.
"Whoosh!" The arrows became more dense.
The Khitan people were shot until they could no longer stand and could only go crazy
He beat the horse wildly and drove away, out of the range of the rifle. The rider, whose morale was low, simply ran away. He could only be beaten but could not fight back. What was the point of fighting this battle?
The Khitan leader had an arrow stuck in his back and ran back in disgrace.
He looked at his pale-faced subordinates and sighed.
The charge just now had already resulted in the loss of more than a hundred people, but he could not guarantee that he had killed or wounded even one of Xia's soldiers - it was very possible that none of the enemies had died. This fact hurt his self-esteem.
Morale has been depleted, people are frightened, and there is no way to fight. Just run! Just as they were waiting for the order, they heard the rumble of horse hooves coming from the south.
Did the Xia people still have cavalry? He was shocked and said angrily: "Retreat!"
"Hulala!" Like a gust of wind, the Khitan people turned their horses' heads one after another and fled into the distance.
The five hundred Xia army cavalry chased for a while and then retreated. There was no need to pursue anymore. If they were ambushed, if they were to ride in all these hundreds of cavalry, there would be no cavalry left. It was not worth it.
The masters were driven out of the convoy again. Under the supervision of Sergeant Long Wu, they began to clean the battlefield.
The injured Khitan soldiers lying on the ground groaning were mercifully put on the knife and put on the road. Their weapons, arrows, and armor were stripped off--if they had any.
Dry food, water bags and even fur clothes were all confiscated. The Xia people did not hesitate at all and took away anything useful.
The horses abandoned by the Khitans on the battlefield were gathered up. The usable ones were pulled into the convoy, and the injured ones were slaughtered on the spot and used as food.
The masters continued to cut grass, collect firewood, and collect the arrows shot nearby.
The grassland herdsmen do not have such high morale. After they were beaten away, they were very panicked and would not fight back for a while. This would be safe and they could work with confidence.
Of course, if you encounter the kind of persevering and well-disciplined prairie cavalry, or if they have a large number of soldiers, they are red-blooded and want to kill you regardless of casualties, then consider yourself unlucky——
——Li Ling encountered the overmatched Huns cavalry back then. He would rather pay a disproportionate number of casualties than kill you. There is no way.
The team rested here for a night.
The masters brought back large bales of fodder, and the empty carts were filled with firewood. The soldiers regained their strength and continued to advance the next day.