"Why is Gai's army so much stronger than our own? What could be the reason?"
Dong Zhuo lowered his head and thought hard...
In the second year of Zhongping in the Han Dynasty (AD 185), Han Sui, Bian Zhang, Beigong Boyu, Li Wenhou and others rode tens of thousands into Kou Sanfu, and collected the Qiang and Di from Fufeng on the right, with a hundred thousand troops and overwhelming momentum. Dong Zhuo
He and Gai Jun fought side by side to defend against the enemy. The weather was getting colder and the Xiliang rebels had no winter clothes. It happened that the sky was raining fire, so they retreated. Dong, Gai and others pursued them, defeated them, and captured 20,000 people. Therefore, Dong Zhuo's combat effectiveness compared to Gai's army
It still has a relatively intuitive impression.
At that time, Gai Jun had more than 4,000 cavalry, including Yu Lin who he brought from Luoyang, the capital. Five hundred were good horsemen and archers, the Northern Army had 500 Hu cavalry, and the Sanhe knights had 1,000. To be honest, the combat effectiveness was inferior to that of Dong Zhuo's troops.
Under the army, only the Shehu and Luodiao Second Battalions had elite soldiers, but Dong Zhuo did not believe that they could surpass the elite Flying Bear Army that had been following him for more than ten years.
In recent years, Gai Jun has farmed and raised horses in the north, collected all the Qiang and Hu from the northwest, and formed tens of thousands of elite cavalry, which is almost invincible in the world.
But... the performance of Gai's army was beyond the limits of cavalry in this era, at least that's what the defeated general said.
Dong Zhuo raised his head, glanced at the two remaining Sima under Li Meng, and asked: "During the battle, can you see anything strange about the other side?"
The two commanders looked at each other, and one of them frowned and said: "Speaking of strange things, the arrows are heavier when the troops are far away, and the arrows are powerful when they are close. There are even many people who can stand on the horse and chop, and anyone who blocks them will be destroyed."
"Exactly..." Another nodded in agreement.
"Stand up and put on the stirrups?" Dong Zhuo, Li Ru, Hu Zhen, Fan Chou and others looked at each other with surprise on their faces. The stirrups were hung on the left side of the mount and were used for mounting. They could indeed stand up, but
He wanted to make a slash, but it was impossible to do it violently.
Dong Zhuo sent people to inquire about the seven or eight hundred defeated soldiers, but some of them saw something strange in the army. If they had any officers, titles, or money, they would be given to them. The soldiers were talking about it. After a while, someone was helped out by two companions on the left and right. He was the only one who saw him.
His body was criss-crossed, and his armor was in tatters, showing that he was seriously injured. He hesitated and said: "To the Grand Master, all the troops, regardless of Han or Hu, are equipped with stirrups on their sides."
Dong Zhuo raised his eyebrows when he heard this. Stirrups are used for mounting horses. A strong and brave man can jump on the horse's back. He never bothers to match them, especially the barbarians. Almost no one is willing to equip that thing. But everyone in Gai's army is equipped with it...
…
The man seemed to suddenly remember something, and said again: "By the way, the opponent has stirrups on both sides."
"Double stirrups?" Dong Zhuo frowned and thought hard.
Li Ru was also thinking that he was from Sanfuzuo Fengyi Heyang, which was close to the border area and there were also Eastern Qiang living in the territory. The Qiang people in Liangzhou were divided into east and west, and the Western Qiang refers to the Qiang people west of the Longxi River and Huang, including all the Qiang people outside the country.
The Eastern Qiang was the third Qiang uprising in Liangzhou that year, and Duan Xi pacified them all. However, the Qiang people became unruly and continued to cause chaos. They forcibly moved hundreds of thousands of people to Fengyi on the left and Fufeng on the right. They were placed under their rule and monitored closely.
.Due to the environment in which he grew up, although Li Ru read poetry and books when he was a boy, he was also fond of bow and horse.
After being unable to think of a reason for a long time, Li Ru came back to his senses and glanced at the silk shoes on his feet. He was suddenly startled. It takes two shoes to walk steadily. Does this mean that the same is true for stirrups?
Li Ru walked quietly to Dong Zhuo and whispered his guess. Dong Zhuo suddenly realized that his words were reasonable and threatened the doctor that if Li Meng had any trouble, he would be buried with him, and then hurriedly left.
Dong Zhuo returned to the courtyard of his residence, drove away his servants and maids, and asked his guards to bring a horse and hang two stirrups on the left and right. In the battle of Dagu Pass, Fan Chou defeated several generals of Sun Jian, but was attacked by Ye Li and was hit by a spear. Now,
Although he could walk on the ground, riding a horse was too difficult, so Dong Zhuo ordered Hu Zhen to test it.
Hu Zhen, the prefect of Dongjun, and Yang Ding, the prefect of Hedong, both belong to Liangzhou lords. The so-called lords refer to heroes and heroic people. They have followed Dong Zhuo for more than 20 years. How can he express his skill with bow and horse? He immediately jumped on the saddle.
.
Under the attention of everyone, Hu Zhen inserted his feet into the stirrups, whipped his horse, grabbed his bow and shot in succession. Arrows flew in all directions like locusts, then slashed with his knife, moved around with great strength and flexibility, and made several rounds.
A look of surprise.
Dong Zhuo asked anxiously: "How about literary talent?"
Hu Zhen said with a complex expression: "Gai Ying is a genius, but also a fool."
What Hu Zhen said was completely unexpected. Dong Zhuo asked curiously: "How do you say this?"
Hu Zhen sighed with emotion: "I tried it for a while and found that it is easy to open a one-stone and half-bow. I can also draw a two-stone bow, and the chopping is several times more powerful than before. This weapon is simple but powerful, so it can be regarded as a magical weapon.
I just said Gaiying is a wizard...".
Dong Zhuo took a breath, Hu Zhen has never been a person who boasts, otherwise before the battle of Liangxian, Lu Bu would not have bitten the bullet and framed him, because he could really do it.
This kind of thing has happened. Now that the double stirrups are said to be divine weapons, there is no doubt that they must be divine weapons.
Dong Zhuo's eyes narrowed and he asked again: "What's the idiot's explanation?"
Hu Zhen lowered his head and looked at the stirrups, and said word by word: "As long as there are 20,000 stirrup knights, it will be enough to conquer the world in three to five years. However, Gai Jun only got the two counties of Hedong and Hanoi in two years. What else can he do if he is not stupid?"
"..." Dong Zhuo's head buzzed. Although Hu Zhen didn't say it clearly, Dong Zhuo understood the meaning of his words. It had been two years since he entered the capital, and Gai Junruo had moved south. There was absolutely no way he could stop him.
Iron cavalry impact.
"Wencai, please come down and try it yourself..." Dong Zhuo said as he stepped forward. When Hu Zhen dismounted, he immediately got on the horse. Hu Zhen was his favorite general, so his words were naturally credible, but Dong Zhuo still had some doubts in his heart.
, the moment he stepped on the stirrups, all doubts disappeared, and he galloped around the courtyard on horseback, taking turns with bows and swords, his expression equally shocked.
Thinking of what Hu Zhen said just now, Dong Zhuo's forehead was covered with sweat. Gai Jun held this sharp weapon and actually kept hiding. Is he really a fool? If it were him, he would first enter Guanzhong south, then pacify Liangzhou, and then collect Youyou.
Prefecture, the cavalry of the border troops from the three regions will attack the infantry in the interior, with no disadvantages. Within three to five years, Jiuzhou will be established and the Han Dynasty will be taken over.
Dong Zhuo laughed. Now that he has mastered such a magical weapon, what does it matter whether Gai Jun is stupid or wise?
However, when he bent the bow just now, he noticed that the arrows he shot were a bit off. It would be conservatively estimated that it would take two or three months to adapt. After all, they have been relying on their two feet to control horses all their lives, and it is difficult to change it all at once.
Dong Zhuo came to the horse and gathered the civil and military forces in the hall to discuss. Now that it was clear how powerful Gai's army was, it would be unwise to send reinforcements to rescue Lu Bu. It would definitely be like beating a dog with a meat bun - he would never return.
Seeing that Dong Zhuo wanted to retreat, Li Ru immediately said: "It is better for Grand Master to burn Hangu Pass and retreat to Xin'an and Mianchi..."
The Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty made Chang'an the capital. The reason was that Guanzhong could "block three sides and defend it, and control the princes on one side from the east." In the early Han Dynasty, kings with different surnames were enfeoffed, which was a great danger to the country. Later, "whoever is not the Liu family but is the king, the whole world will fight against him," and he will be the prince.
Guarding the country, who would have expected that there would be chaos in the Seven Kingdoms. The root of the chaos in the early Han Dynasty was that the imperial court could only control Guanzhong. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was a talented man, so he naturally had some considerations. The foundation of the Han Dynasty was in Guanzhong, and the boundary between Guanzhong and Guandong was Hangu
Therefore, Hangu Pass was abandoned and moved 300 miles eastward to build a new pass. In addition, the Warring States period was no longer the same during Emperor Wu's time. The Han Dynasty enjoyed the land of Kyushu. It no longer needed to rely on the danger of Weihan and the Taolin fortress to defend it. Instead, it needed
To strengthen the control of Guandong, Xinhangu Pass, which is only a few dozen miles away from Luoyang, was created for this purpose and continues to this day. To sum up in one sentence, Xinhangu Pass is a pass for the purpose of surveillance and attack, not for the purpose of surveillance and attack.
Known for its solid defense.
In addition, from Hangu Pass to Xin'an, Mianchi is the ancient Xiaohan Road, which is known as "walking all day long in the middle of Xia, without a place for riding on square rails." This can minimize the advantage of the cavalry, and it is also very laborious to transport grain. Gai Jun and Sun Jian want to
Launching an attack from the east is as difficult as ascending to the sky.
The most important point is that retreating to Xin'an and Mianchi will be more closely connected with Chang'an in the west and the rest of Hedong in the north. By then, whether facing the scholars with ulterior motives in the court, Gai Jun with unknown plans, or the menacing Yuan Shu,
Sun Jian... can handle them all with ease.
Li Ru spoke eloquently, and Dong Zhuo nodded repeatedly. With the billions of money in the tombs of the emperors and ministers in Beimang Mountain, he could raise his troops without worries, and he also got stirrups. If he cultivated patiently for several months, his strength would increase dramatically.
At that time, I will compete with the heroes of the world. I will symbolically ask the left and right civil and military opinions. Of course, everyone will agree with me, and the matter will be settled.
Without further delay, Dong Zhuo gave an order, and tens of thousands of people in Hangu Pass immediately mobilized...
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Lü Bu rode 14,000 infantrymen and carried 500 carts of gold, silver and jewels along the south bank of the Luoshui River. He stopped at a certain section. The other side of the river was the border of Henan County. He went north for ten miles and then crossed the Valley River.
That is Gucheng County, and you can return to Hangu Pass by heading west.
Lu Bu did not let anyone cross the river, and wandered by the river with a gloomy face.
Before he left, he informed Sima, who was staying in Luoyang, that the city would be burned down at noon (11 o'clock to 13 o'clock). It was clearly noon now, and the east side was eerily quiet, with no smoke and no fire. Obviously, his plan failed.
Why didn’t the other party do what he said?
Was it because he abandoned his resentment, resisted orders, and abandoned the city, or was it because the army arrived and captured the city but failed to light the fire? Either way, it was bad news for Lu Bu.
"Zhonglang..." Zhang Liao strode over and called softly.
"..." Lu Bu turned his head back.
Zhang Liao frowned and said: "The situation is critical. We can't delay it any longer. We must cross the river as soon as possible."
Lu Bu nodded and said expressionlessly: "Go and organize the manpower."
"No." Zhang Liao clasped his fists and retreated.
Lu Bu turned his gaze back to Luoshui and sighed softly facing the clear water. He had a premonition that there would be a bloody battle on the way back.
Of the 14,000 infantry and cavalry troops, only 2,000 were his direct descendants from Bingzhou. The rest were all Liangzhou soldiers and the imperial guards of the capital. He did not mind using these people as shields in exchange for a way out.
Of course, if he abandoned his army and fled, his status in Dong Zhuo's mind would plummet, and he might even be unable to recover, but he would never abandon his army unless it was absolutely necessary.