stonecrandall Chapter 207
Chapter 207
Under Hongmen, the night was as dark as ink, and in the flickering candlelight, Liu Yao, Guo Jia and Xi Zhong stood side by side.
The figures of the three were deeply imprinted on the unfolded huge map
At this moment, they used the intelligence of Luowang on the map to repeatedly deduce what was about to happen on the battlefield.
Outside Chang'an City, the Wei River meandered, nourishing this vast plain.
On the plain, the soil was as hard as a rock and the ground was as flat as a mirror. It was exactly the battlefield that the Qiang cavalry dreamed of - a flat plain, allowing them to gallop freely, and the momentum of the charge was unstoppable.
Without the support of terrain and cities, the Qiang cavalry would be invincible in the battle against the Bingzhou Army.
It was almost impossible for the Bingzhou Army to win.
It was indeed too dangerous to use infantry against cavalry. Once the Qiang launched a large-scale attack, the infantry would suffer too much.
Guo Jia and Xi Zhong, both of them flashed the same worry and determination in their eyes. They all proposed a well-thought-out strategy - avoid the enemy's sharp edge and use defense as offense.
In their view, the best strategy is to give up the direct confrontation in the wilderness and rely on the solid city, use the advantage of bows and crossbows, and fight a long and exhausting war of attrition.
Looking back at the long river of history, there are few examples of infantry being able to completely conquer the galloping cavalry with flesh and blood alone. Even the ambitious Emperor Wu of Han, in the glorious chapter of the expedition to the Huns, first forged an indestructible cavalry iron army, assisted by the wisdom and courage of peerless generals such as Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, and then achieved that immortal legend.
Le Jin proposed another view. He advocated retreating to advance, actively abandoning those easy-to-attack and difficult-to-defend strongholds along the way, luring the enemy deep into the city, stretching their battle line, and finally clearing the fields and relying on the city walls to counterattack.
Liu Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the spread-out map, his eyes flashing with complex light, as if he had penetrated the back of the paper and saw the war-torn years of the past.
"Hehe, fellow soldiers, do you still remember the days when we stood shoulder to shoulder to resist foreign aggression in Bingzhou? What kind of disaster did our homeland suffer under the trampling of those foreign iron hooves?"
"Li Si, you remember it most clearly, right? You and I once stepped into a deserted village, where there was no longer a warm scene of curling smoke, but only broken walls and ruins, wild grass growing wildly, waist-deep, and under the scorching sun of summer, it was difficult to hide the lingering cold and desolate."
At this point, Liu Yao's voice trembled slightly, but then became firm again.
"Later, we learned that the Xianbei people, for their own selfish reasons, turned the entire village into ashes, just to nourish the pasture for their war horses. That is a land shrouded in hatred and sorrow, and how can we forget it?"
"If we retreat now, the entire Guanzhong will surely suffer. Even if we win the final victory, looking around, I am afraid that only a few lonely souls will remain on this once prosperous land. I want to ask, what is the meaning of recovering Guanzhong at such a cost?"
"We are! The soldiers of the Great Han! If even our country and people are If they can't protect them, what are we soldiers for?"
"Besides, infantry versus cavalry has always been a big problem on the battlefield since ancient times. However, who says this is an insurmountable natural barrier? In the past, I fought head-on with the Xiongnu cavalry on the vast plains and never lost."
"I once fought a duel with the Xiongnu on the plains! Now our Modao team has grown stronger! Our army has forged hundreds of thousands of caltrops overnight in preparation for the battle!"
"Our army will definitely win this battle!"
Guo Jia sighed lightly, his tone full of solemnity.
"My lord, this battle is of great importance. According to the latest news from Luowang spies, the Western Qiang Wolf Cavalry still has more than 2,000 elite soldiers, and their power is not weak. They should not be underestimated."
"When we fought against the Xiongnu! Our army still had light cavalry and black armor heavy cavalry to encircle them back and forth, and finally used heavy infantry to block them by the river, so that we could catch them all in one fell swoop! At that time, the geographical advantage played an indispensable role."
Now, if our army wants to fight a decisive battle with the Qiang people on the vast plains, we must be very careful. The Qiang people are excellent in riding skills and come and go like the wind. Once the battle is unfavorable, they will withdraw quickly, making it difficult for our army to chase and intercept them. In this way, our army's advantages will not be fully demonstrated, and the chances of winning are unpredictable. "
Liu Yao raised a faint smile at the corner of his mouth and whispered:
"Haha, Fengxiao, you worry too much. "
After saying this, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.
"To ensure that nothing goes wrong, I have secretly ordered Generals Xu Huang and Xu Chu of the Third Legion to get ready immediately. Especially Xu Chu, he will personally drive the cavalry and will directly cut off the Qiang people's retreat, winning precious opportunities for my army. "
Hearing this, Xi Zhong narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking carefully about the layout on the chessboard, and then smiled:"Haha, my lord has a brilliant plan. I have a plan that may be icing on the cake. You may as well dispatch General Gao Lan and his 10,000 elite light cavalry from Hangu Pass. The three parties will join forces to form a siege and launch a thunderbolt attack on the Qiang people. As for Hangu Pass, General Zhang He is both wise and brave. He will be able to defend one side alone and will be as stable as Mount Tai without worrying about other things."
When Liu Yao heard this, his eyes flashed with approval, and he nodded in agreement: "Well, this plan is very good, so let's do it according to Xi Zhicai's words."
"Everyone! Prepare for war during this period! Seize the time to train the troops! Prepare to compete with the Qiang people!"
"Yes!"
The soldiers responded in unison. Since their lord wants to fight, they should be ready to fight to the death.
...
Half a month later.
On the banks of the Wei River, in the Qiang camp, all the Qiang tribes have now arrived. The high priest himself sits in the main seat, looking at the people below.
During this period, he had his wolf cavalry constantly harassing the Han soldiers, but he did not expect that the Han people also sent cavalry, and they were well-equipped and had amazing combat effectiveness. During this period, almost half of his elite troops were lost.
So he now has less than 2,000 wolf cavalry, but fortunately the enemy's cavalry also suffered considerable losses.
Now their elite cavalry has been almost exhausted, and now is the best time for the whole army to launch an attack.
The high priest slowly stood up.
"Everyone! Everyone!"
"Now we have gathered here, a total of nearly 90,000 Qiang warriors!"
"During this period, we have almost tested the strength of the Han army. Except for an elite cavalry, the rest of them are all lambs walking on two legs! Now! We should use the sabers in our hands! To seize more territory and pastures for our people!"
"My warriors! The Wolf God is with you! Fight to your heart's content!"
...