It was already night, and the bright moon in the sky cast thousands of silver rays. Hu Yan, who was leaning next to the chariot, used the moonlight to look around. He saw that the soldiers who had been exhausted all day were lying everywhere. After all, it was already mid-September, and there were still some problems at night. cold.
Just as he was thinking about it, something dark suddenly came and covered Hu Yan's face. The latter was about to get angry when he heard Qian Jiulong's voice, "His Royal Highness asked my younger brother to bring it."
Hu Yan took it off and touched it, feeling that it was thick and warm, "What kind of clothes is this?"
"His Highness calls them cotton-padded clothes." Qian Jiulong smiled and sat down, patting himself. "I just passed by on patrol at night, and His Highness asked his guards to pick up two pieces."
Hu Yan hummed and said casually: "The King of Handan is very generous and allows you to take charge of the central army."
"People do their best, and in terms of charging and fighting, my younger brother is far inferior to brother Zizhong." Qian Jiulong avoided talking about it. He also noticed that the young prince was known as a famous general in the world, and his plans and arrangements were also quite clever, but Not only do they not know anything about specific military affairs, but they are also mostly ignorant.
Although he and Hu Yan had known each other in their early years, fought side by side in Qian Shuiyuan, and even worked hand in hand in the past few months, Qian Jiulong would naturally not say such things.
"Today's Chinese Army side... His Highness also specially prepared anti-horse rifles, but they were of no use." Qian Jiulong changed the topic, "I have been busy with military affairs just now. I wonder what the outcome of today's battle will be?"
"The Turks suffered a lot of casualties. After all, the left and right armies occupied the main road, and the terrain on the north side was not flat. The Turks didn't have much room for maneuver, so they killed them happily. At least six to seven thousand Turks died." Hu Yan thought for a moment, "add morning time Before, there should have been nearly 10,000 people... However, the scouts reported that day that the coalition forces of Dubu Khan and Tuli Khan were heading south, and their strength may exceed 100,000."
"Indeed." Qian Jiulong then asked: "There were not many casualties in the central army and the left and right armies in this battle. How about the front army?"
"The former army's crossbowmen and infantry were not in the battle. Six thousand cavalry attacked..." Hu Yan sighed, "At least two to three thousand cavalry were killed, and the combat strength was almost halved."
Qian Jiulong touched his chin, "Where is Duke Zhao?"
"Su Dingfang chose the opportunity to attack, but the casualties were not heavy." Hu Yan sighed: "Although I know that King Handan's move has profound meaning, if it were not for attacking the hill, the casualties in this battle may not be so heavy."
"It can be considered a great victory." Qian Jiulong asked with great interest: "After a fierce battle one day, brother Zizhong seems to have a different regard for the King of Handan?"
Hu Yan's old face turned red, he turned his head and said in a low voice: "Yesterday the King of Handan came to show off his power... but he didn't say anything clearly, naturally..."
"It is said that there are no empty soldiers under a great reputation." Qian Jiulong said with a smile: "If you don't set up a stronghold, you will feed your soldiers with meat when you are full. Today, the left and right armies are advancing, and they are sending cavalry to attack fiercely. The King of Handan must defeat the enemy here." .”
After staying in the Chinese Army for a whole day and often being around Li Shan, Qian Jiulong had already understood Li Shan's arrangement. Although there were some risks, overall the plan was worthy of recognition.
"You and I fled all the way from Lingzhou to this point. All we thought about was to stop the Turks from going south." Hu Yan took a deep breath, "But the King of Handan sees more than just stopping the enemy. His vision is beyond the comparison of you and me."
"Yes, at the age of ten, I don't know how to develop such vision and scheming." Qian Jiulong tutted: "With fifty thousand elites, it is not difficult to stop the enemy here, but if they cannot move north quickly, the Turks will If we are driven out of Jingzhou, as time goes by, I am afraid that the Liang thieves will take root in the three states, which will be bad."
Hu Yan simply replied: "What the King of Handan wants is nothing more than that important road."
After a whole day of fighting, both Qian Jiulong and Hu Yan understood Li Shan's plan. They did not set up a fort, blocked the battlefield, and sent cavalry to attack fiercely, even not far away from the Khan Banner. They have formed a posture and are going to have a decisive battle with the coalition forces composed of Ashina Sheer and Tuli Khan here.
In today's war, with so many Turkic casualties, can the two khans still be able to hold on?
Will the Turks continue to fight against Tang soldiers in such an unfavorable terrain?
Li Shan's gesture was nothing more than forcing Ashina She'er to withdraw his troops. If he did not do so and would just build a stronghold to block the enemy, the Turks would not withdraw their troops in a short time.
It's only mid-September now. Generally speaking, Turks' habit is to return north to the grassland when the weather is cold in winter. It will take at least more than a month. For such a long time, Master Liang is likely to be in Lingzhou, Huizhou, Wonju was completely established.
This was something Datang couldn't bear, and it was also something Li Shan couldn't bear. What he couldn't bear was not only the distance and threats, but also the fact that he had no initiative in the situation.
In the final analysis, what Li Shan wants is to seize the initiative, firmly control the key road in his hands, and be able to organize an army to go north at any time, so that even Master Liang cannot take root in the Guannei Road.
It is true that this war is difficult to win quickly, but some tricks can work. Li Shan can't wait to start the war, and the Tang army attacks like a storm, all testing the strength of the Turks, from the Khan to the soldiers. Endurance.
Hu Yan had heard the name Li Shan for a long time. He had met him outside Renshou Palace a few months ago. Yesterday he was angry, but today his attitude changed drastically. He asked Qian Jiulong with great interest.
"We are already engaged." Qian Jiulong rolled his eyes. He knew that Hu Yan had a daughter-in-law, "She is the only daughter of Hou Cuishe from Qinghe County."
"I heard that you are good at reciting poems and composing poems?"
"Well, I heard Duke Xuanling mention that whatever King Handan exports will be a famous piece that can be passed down to future generations." Qian Jiulong said casually: "I wrote "The Theory of Horses" in Renshou Palace..."
"That……"
"Silence!"
Qian Jiulong gave a low drink, his expression was solemn, his ears twitched slightly, and he immediately fell to the ground.
Hu Yan's expression also changed slightly. He climbed onto the chariot and looked out. Under the moonlight, a mass of darkness was approaching at high speed.
"Night attack, Turks night attack!"
The sentinel on patrol at night had also discovered that there was a sudden loud sound of gongs and drums, and there was a commotion in the station. However, Qian Jiulong was a veteran on the battlefield and was well prepared. Although the Tang army did not set up a stronghold and only slept in the car array, the relevant precautions were Nothing was missed.
The huge ignited cloth ball was thrown far away, illuminating the incoming Turkic cavalry in the dark night. The lieutenant general ran back and forth in the vehicle formation, shouting at the top of his lungs. Rows of crossbowmen stared outside nervously. , the infantry, shield soldiers, and cavalry in the inner circle began to form a team.
"There don't seem to be many." Hu Yan on the chariot murmured lowly, turning to look at the left and right armies. They were also lighting up the periphery in various ways. There were also Turkic cavalry attacking, but they didn't seem to be many in number.
In this kind of terrain, it is basically impossible for the Turkic cavalry to attack and break the formation at night. The cavalry can either take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness or set the camp on fire, but neither of these conditions are currently met.
Hu Yan watched quietly. Before the Turkic cavalry could get within the shooting range, the Turkic cavalry had already fallen on their backs. He knew that these were the iron caltrops laid by Qian Jiulong. Then the archers and crossbowmen in the chariot formation fired thousands of arrows, a burst of fire, and after a while, The Turkic cavalry retreated in embarrassment.
In the inner circle of the Chinese army, Zhu Wei was a little confused. Since the Turks came to attack at night, why did they retreat so easily with heavy thunder and light rain?
Li Shan raised his eyebrows. He vaguely guessed what Ashina Sheer was thinking, and at the same time he gained more confidence in his plan.
(End of chapter)
