The weather in April of the lunar calendar is warm and pleasant, and the cool breeze blows along the valley, relieving the fatigue of the journey.
The evening sunlight gradually softened, but Liu Xiang became more and more impatient. They had a lot of horses, and the target was too big. It was okay to stay for a short time, but over time they would be discovered, and they would either retreat or launch an attack as soon as possible.
The scouts were getting more and more rewards. The number of Qiang and Hu who besieged Dong Zhuo was no less than 80,000, and I don't know how many more there were in the city. To launch an attack rashly would be to seek death.
But he was here to relieve the siege. With his strength, he had to make a sudden attack to be successful, and he couldn't fight at night.
If he breaks through the encirclement at night, he will definitely run away, so he should wait to be chased by Qiang and Hu. He doesn't want to be chased like a rabbit.
"Xu Rong, come with me to explore the enemy's situation." He wanted to see the Qiang and Hu's formation in person.
Taking Xu Rong, Zhao Yun, Shi A, and Zhao Jing who were familiar with Liangzhou as guards, the five of them quietly approached Wangyuan.
Alas! Life is full of dramas about being slapped in the face. Not long ago, he mocked Li Er for going out to investigate with a few guards. Now, he is on the same path as Er Er.
After sighing about life, he looked carefully and saw that Wangyuan was just an earthen fence more than two feet high. Dong Zhuo must have been unable to attack because there were too many defenders. But now there were more people outside, and he couldn't tell what was inside.
How many people are left? We can only use the personnel on the surface to deduce tactics.
More than 80,000 people were densely surrounding the Han army's formation. The battle must have just ended. The Qiang people were retreating. They began to gather in groups. Smoke was rising from cooking stoves. It was almost time to eat. This was good news.
Liu Xiang received the order on the second day of the siege. It was now the evening of the third day of Dong Zhuo's siege. He did not know the damage status of the Han army, nor how long the people inside could hold on.
The faster the rescue, the better.
"Lord, the main force in the siege is all Qiang people, and there are not many Hu people." Xu Rong pointed to the beginning of each team and explained to Liu Xiang: "The people who cut off the return route in the north are the Xianling Qiang. They are the largest force of the Western Qiang.
The people facing us should be Fengyang Qiang and Laojie Qiang, they are allies of Xianling Qiang, and the one close to us is Baima Qiang. It's strange, why are they here?"
"Baima Qiang shouldn't come? Is there anything you can say?"
"My lord, the Baima Qiang live from Wudu County to Mianzhu further south. They rarely appear in Hanyang and Longxi. This is the territory of the Xianling Qiang. They fight fiercely with each other, so I am very strange. The Baima Qiang
How could he be mixed up with Xian Lingqiang?"
Liu Xiang felt that there was no problem. It was normal to fight today and form an alliance tomorrow. He said nonchalantly: "Maybe there is an alliance, only these four tribes?"
Xu Rong knew that Liu Xiang was not familiar with the situation in Liangzhou. He felt that this was an opportunity that could be exploited, so he emphasized: "My lord, the Baima Qiang and the Xianling Qiang have had a blood feud for hundreds of years. It is impossible for them to suddenly cooperate seamlessly. Our army
We can take advantage of the gap between the two arrays, which must be weak."
After Xu Rong's reminder, Liu Xiang indeed discovered an anomaly at the junction of the Baima Qiang and the Xianling Qiang. He pointed there and asked: "Why are the costumes and flags so messy at the junction of the two formations?"
"Those are all small tribes of Qiang people. They are Qie Dong Qiang, Shen Di Qiang, Qian Ren Qiang, and Gua Yang Qiang. They are the same as those besieged in the south. They are all small tribes. In the south, Shaodang Qiang is the leader, and there are Gongtang Qiang.
, Khotan Qiang, Huang Qiang, and the rest cannot be seen."
Liu Xiang was so confused by this Qiang and that Qiang: "How many Qiang tribes are there in Liangzhou?"
"I can't count them. There must be more than 150 people who know their names. I can't remember so many, I only know some who have fought in the war."
The Qiang people in Liangzhou are really complicated. No wonder the imperial court only uses Eastern Qiang and Western Qiang to distinguish them. I guess the elders in the imperial court can't remember such a mess of types. Liu Xiang doesn't bother to remember them either. What's important now is how to create a breakthrough.
.
"Return."
I've seen everything that needs to be seen. No matter how detailed the situation is, it's impossible to find out in a short time. The sun doesn't wait for anyone.
Liu Xiang and the other five quickly ran back to their hiding place, and he gave an urgent order: "Wear your armor! Line up!"
The cavalry helped each other put on armor and pulled out the horses that still had strength. In order to quickly join the battle, the horses were running on empty during the rest of the march. During this march, the pack horses were very tired. In order to speed up, they did not bring much supplies.
, must be resolved quickly.
The cavalry were getting ready, and Liu Xiang called several leading officers: "The enemy tribes are mixed and they are cooking pots. The fighter plane is right in front of us. The ones approaching our army are the White Horse Qiang, with no less than five thousand cavalry. Zhang He,
You rush in with a thousand men, disrupt their horses, and make it difficult for them to ride and fight."
"Follow orders."
Liu Xiang continued to assign the task: "The junction of the east and north formations is the enemy's weak area. Ke Bineng, you lead the assault cavalry to break through the formation and open the passage. Xu Rong will lead the way for you, and I will follow up with Su Wei."
.”
"General, take your orders." The two of them clasped their fists to receive the order.
Kebi was very confident. He had a thousand Xianbei cavalry, equipped with five hundred iron armor, and the rest also wore fine leather armor. He had never fought such a rich battle. When they had no armor, they could break through the enemy's formation. Now they have
Wearing armor, they can trample their enemies into pieces.
The Xianbei cavalry were the main force in the rescue, and Liu Xiang put pressure on him: "Kebineng, if you can't rush, I will take Su Wei and step over you to rush into the battle myself. Do you understand?"
"General, don't worry, I will trample those Qiang people into a pulp."
Seeing the three of them receiving the general's order, Taishi Ci, who was thinking about making great achievements, couldn't wait any longer. He and Zhang Liao were left alone. He was afraid of being left to guard the horses, so he quickly clasped his hands and asked for orders loudly: "General, a certain unit is skilled in tactics.
, please order us to fight."
"Taishici listened to the order and ordered you to lead your troops to cross the cavalry, harass the enemy formations in the north, and protect our army's retreat. If there are enemy cavalry coming to help, they must be entangled. This task is very dangerous, Ziyi must be careful."
"The general will receive his order at the end." Taishi Ci doesn't care about danger. Where can there be no danger on the battlefield?
Zhang Liao, who was left behind in the end, was a little dumbfounded. Logically speaking, he wanted to stay and guard the horses?
No, I also want to make meritorious deeds and revive my family!
He looked at Liu Xiang eagerly, hoping that his lord would give him a combat mission.
Liu Xiang did not disappoint him: "Zhang Liao led his 500 men and drove 3,500 pack horses, and rushed into the formation behind the guards. After entering the formation, he lit the horse tails and drove the horses towards the enemy's formation in the south, disrupting the enemy's formation.
"
He had to mess up the Qiang formation in order to relieve Dong Zhuo, but he did not want his cavalry to be too seriously injured, so he had to abandon these pack horses.
He could afford to lose three thousand pack horses.
Zhang Liao was very happy when he heard that it was also a combat mission. Regardless of whether he was responsible for driving the horses, he was on the battlefield anyway, not just guarding the baggage.
The army was ready, and the pack horses' tails were greased. Zhang Liao placed a torch on his waist, and when he was ready to enter the battle, he lit the torch and set the horses' tails on fire.
Fire clouds ignited in the sky, and the golden sunlight began to dim. Time waited for no one, so Liu Xiang gave the order to go to war.
Thirty-five hundred cavalrymen advanced in three groups and attacked the Qiang coalition.