Xi Libo stood on the hill on the bank of the Yellow River, gently stroking the beard under his chin with his right hand, squinting his sharp eyes like an eagle, staring fiercely at somewhere down the mountain.
The Tang people's army camped in that area. Judging from the size of the camp and the number of tents, there were about 10,000 people. He didn't believe that the Tang people only had this small army. There must be more behind them. And judging from the way they camped, they were very careful and careful.
He's a little surprised, don't you think it's troublesome?
Xi Libo did not intend to attack the Tang people's camp. His target was the Tang people's transportation team, those masters with extremely poor fighting ability. As long as these people were killed and dispersed, the Tang people would not be able to support them, and they would have to retreat even if they did not retreat.
He has been observing for several days. The masters of the Tang Dynasty always pulled more than a hundred carts from somewhere far away to stock up on supplies in the camp. He didn't know how long it would take to stock up, but according to the Tang Dynasty, they always followed the army when fighting.
Judging from carrying one month's military supplies, it shouldn't take long before we can move on.
It's only three hundred miles from here to Lanzhou, and it only takes ten days' march.
"Let's go!" Xilibo called out, and more than a thousand riders who were resting gathered together one after another, and then slowly walked northeast along the mountain valley road, looking for a place to recharge their batteries and wait for the opportunity.
The leader of the Zhuanglang tribe advocated relying on the high mountains and valleys east of Lanzhou to build strongholds. But Xilibo disagreed. He believed that it was necessary to take the initiative. Even if the enemy could not be defeated, their food and grass should be burned to make them retreat.
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The remaining ministries had different opinions and were noisy. Finally, a compromise was reached, which was to continuously send cavalry to harass, delay, and exhaust the Tang army, leaving them without adequate supplies and exhausted physically and mentally, and then lure them to the vicinity of Lanzhou.
Use the terrain to ambush and annihilate them in one battle.
It is always a good idea for a small force to deal with a large force, to lure the enemy deep into the enemy's territory and to wait for the hard work.
In Lanzhou in April, the grass is lush, the trees are beautiful, and the leaves and branches are delicate.
On the right side of the Yi Cong army were hundreds of Tibetan soldiers, driving more than 10,000 cattle and sheep forward slowly.
An army of 30,000 people requires too many supplies. Food is part of it, and cattle and sheep are also a considerable part.
However, it is impossible to keep many cattle and sheep in one place. There is not so much fodder, and they are prone to disease, so they must be spread out to graze. The army eats as they move, slowly consuming it to sustain themselves until the end of the war.
There are 7,000 men on the right side of the Yi Cong army, and 3,000 of the Zhongyong troops are cavalry and cannot be herded, so this task naturally falls on the remaining 4,000 infantry.
A group of cavalry flashed past from a short distance away.
He may be from Zhongyongdu, one of the only two units in the Yi Cong Army that enjoys the treatment of the Yamen Army.
But some people think it doesn't look like it, because this army is so luxurious: there are a thousand riders, three horses per person, a pack horse carrying food, water, armor, and equipment, a riding horse for the road, and a war horse running empty.
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The food intake of horses is more than three times that of humans! One thousand riders means two thousand more horses, which is equal to the burden of six thousand more infantry. What kind of army is this with such luxury?
As Yang Hongwang hurried on, he was still thinking about the order given to him by the commander: The enemy will be paralyzed when they see our army stationed here. You can lead the leopard cavalry to take a detour to near Lanzhou. The Qin family of the pedestrian tribe will provide
After obtaining the information, you can burn the enemy's food and fodder accordingly, dampen the enemy's morale, and make them suspicious.
The aggressive attitude of the Dingnan Army was very appealing to young people like Yang Hongwang. After receiving the equipment in the camp, he set off with the entire Leopard Cavalry Army to carry out the commander's order to break the attack.
This journey lasted three days.
It could have been faster, but in order to maintain power and find a way, it took some time. It took them three days to reach the other side of the Yellow River in the north of Wuquan County, Lanzhou. They traveled 300 miles to harass. The Tubo people must have been surprised.
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The mountain path is narrow and the jungle covers the road.
Yang Hongwang set up a pergola with his hands and stood on the hillside looking into the distance. The ruined city walls of Lanzhou appeared in front of him.
There are dense black spots everywhere under the city wall, which must be people. It seems that the city wall is being repaired.
Two miles north of the city wall is the Yellow River. On this side of the river are Jincheng Pass and Jincheng Jin. I don’t know if there are any troops stationed there. There is a warehouse to the east of Jincheng Pass, which stores a large amount of fodder, grains, beans, and equipment. Yang Hongwang thought about it and decided to do this first.
one place.
At the same moment, Xilibo also set his sights on a grain transport convoy.
But there were a lot of riders around, and he was afraid that he would be discovered before he even got close, which made him a little hesitant.
In fact, it is also possible to attack herdsmen driving cattle and sheep, but the cattle and sheep cannot be taken away for a while, nor can they be destroyed or burned, so it is meaningless. Attacking the convoy is more effective.
What should we do? There are Tang infantry guards beside the convoy, and there are also a large number of rangers on guard aimlessly around.
Xilibo stood up and sat down again, constantly weighing things in his mind.
Two Tang Army rangers passed by. Judging from their attire, they should be Xiang Qiang soldiers of the Pingxia Party who surrendered Shao Shude. One of them glanced here casually, but quickly passed by.
Xilibo's back was soaked.
If it is discovered at this time, the effect of a surprise attack will not be effective.
What to do? Fight or not? The soldiers around him looked at him.
Xi Libo gasped heavily. After a long time, he threw his braid back, drew out his saber, and yelled viciously: "Do it! Charge with me!"
After a while, one horse after another walked out of the woods, then got on their horses, accelerated slowly, and rushed towards the grain transport convoy.
"Follow me!" On the north bank of the Yellow River, Yang Hongwang also drew his horse and led the way.
Behind him, Zhe Congyun took out his lance and followed closely. The eight hundred riders rushed down the gentle slope like a long dragon.
There are still two hundred people left on the hillside. 114 of them are already standing beside the neatly dressed war horses, holding long lances in their hands. From a distance, they look like a group of dazzling silver sculptures.
They haven't taken action yet, but no one can doubt their decisive effect.
"Bang! Boom!" Dozens of riders faced the horrified eyes of the Tubo people and slammed into the thin wooden fence, causing them to fall to the ground.
"I told you not to dig trenches! I told you not to put out antlers! I told you not to bundle guns!"
Yang Hongwang thought happily, but his hand was not slow, and Ma Shu directly stabbed a Tibetan officer who had a red copper cover on his arm.
The cavalrymen from behind swarmed into the warehouse and into the panicked crowd.
Stabbing with lances and waving sabers, the Tibetans disrupted their organization and could not organize effective resistance. Some people blew the horns, while others screamed and fled into the house, relying on buildings to resist.
Some knights from the Leopard Cavalry City dismounted, took oil barrels and sprinkled them on the forage. Others rode war horses and threw the entire barrel of oil onto the roof.
The fire burned quickly and filled the air with smoke. The Tibetan people couldn't bear the fumigation inside the house and staggered out, only to be greeted by people riding bows and shooting.
The guard at Jincheng Pass also saw this scene.
There is a large amount of fodder, tarpaulins, grains and beans stored in the warehouse. They have been collected with great difficulty and there is no room for loss.
He made a prompt decision and gathered the only thousand infantrymen in Guancheng. After forming a rough formation, they rushed to the warehouse. They were anxious, walking faster and faster, shouting loudly, trying to scare away the Tang Army cavalry that was raging there.
The heavy sound of horse hooves suddenly sounded.
The Tubo infantry looked to the side in shock, only to see more than a hundred steel monsters rushing towards them at high speed. The lances in their hands were of astonishing length, and the tips of the lances shone with a dazzling cold light. Because they were in a hurry, their formation had already been scattered.
Unbearable.
"Bang! Bang!" It was as if a heavy dump truck rushed into the crowd of primary school students. The Tibetan infantry who were running out of breath were stopped and scattered. Dozens of them were knocked away.
I don’t know life or death.
More than 300 Leopard Cavalry soldiers who were intercepting and killing Tibetan stragglers outside the warehouse saw this and did not give up the opportunity to beat the drowned dog. They adjusted their formation slightly, pressed hard, and knocked down the dizzy Tubo Guancheng infantry.
Plowed again.
On the north bank of the Yellow River, fires were blazing and people were crying.
The Tibetans who were focusing all their energy on the city wall on the south bank never expected that such a scene would appear. It was too late to react at this time.
"Woo" horns sounded one after another. On the bank of the Yellow River, the infantry of the Wuwei Army hurriedly stopped the cart, and then slowly gathered together to form a semicircle.
The masters dispersed in a hurry, but the guards did not dare to run away. Military law is harsh, and no one can bear the consequences of escaping in battle.
Dozens of rangers stepped forward desperately to resist the oncoming Tibetan cavalry and buy time for their infantry colleagues.
Xi Libo raised his sword and cut down the Tang army's rangers who were blocking his way, and continued to charge forward.
Oncoming was an overwhelming rain of arrows.
The archers shot arrows with all their might. There was no need to aim at this time. They took out the arrows from the quiver and strung them. Then, as soon as their hands were loosened, they just shot the arrows as hard as they could.
Tibetan cavalrymen continued to be shot off their horses. But this aroused the ferocity of those behind them. They increased their horse speed to the extreme, and when they got close to the convoy, they jumped suddenly.
Collisions and screams came and went.
The spearmen flew out almost in an instant. The Tubo riders who landed on the ground were not relieved. Some fell to the ground and were nailed to the ground by their spears before they could get up. Others were even worse, being pinned down.
Underneath the war horse, his face was distorted and he was screaming in pain.
The second group of Tibetan cavalry arrived one after another.
Someone hit the cart directly, the food was scattered all over the ground, and the horses neighed in pain.
Someone rushed into the formation. Before he could be happy, the horse's hoof suddenly gave way and fell to the ground.
The infantry of the Wuwei Army were in groups of three, with one person holding a hook and sickle, one person holding a long-handled ax, and one person holding a sword and shield. They hooked the horse's legs when they saw them, smashed them when they saw the riders, and cut them when they landed on the ground. Their hands and feet were quick and their movements were fast.
Quick.
The cart filled with grain acted as antlers and guns, forcing the Tibetan cavalry to perform difficult maneuvers to overcome obstacles. However, after the initial panic, the Wuwei soldiers became more and more skilled in cooperating. They only had a few hundred soldiers.
The men, relying on the protection of the carts, actually fought to a close with the Tibetan cavalry and killed many people, although their own casualties were also heavy.
Xi Libo fell off his horse when he rushed through the car formation. But he was prepared for it. He got up as soon as he landed. Then, holding a small buckler, he dashed left and right, trying to escape to the outside, until the back of his head was severely injured.
