In the era of cold weapons, the layout of the formation when the two armies faced each other was particularly critical. There are various formations, adapted to local conditions, and most of them are mutually reinforcing. A suitable formation can maximize its own combat power, suppress the opponent at the same time, and easily win the war.
Li Yuanjing and Chai Zhewei estimated that Fang Jun had traveled thousands of miles to attack, so his cavalry would not be able to carry heavy equipment, so they could only rely on the cavalry to rush into the formation to break down their own formations to achieve large-scale destruction. Therefore, the defensive formations of Zuotunwei and the royal army were all aimed at this point, with a large number of spearmen arrayed in front to resist the impact of the enemy's cavalry.
However, when the enemy cavalry suddenly rushed in front of them from the wind and snow, the two men were shocked to realize that these were the soldiers of Youtun Guards with unparalleled impact in the world.
Each of these soldiers was wearing leather armor and had their hair slicked back. As they rushed, they let out strange shouts and shouts. Thousands of them charged like ferocious beasts...
This is the Hu light cavalry!
Then there is the indestructible spear formation, which is simply a loss of life in front of the nimble and fast Hu Qi, because Hu Qi never rushes into the formation easily. They will only rely on their superb riding skills to run back and forth in front of the formation, and then use mounted shooting to harvest. The enemy's life...
"Mother! How could it be Hu Qi?"
Chai Zhewei was furious and cursed.
What kind of bullshit information did Yu Wenjie give me? It was agreed that the Youtun Guards led by Fang Jun would suddenly turn into Hu Qi, who was good at riding and shooting.
Moreover, looking at the opponent's charging formation and the ironclad evidence of the cavalry's clothing and weapons, it is obvious that this is a Tibetan cavalry...
Could it be that Tubo took advantage of the chaos in Chang'an and had no time to worry about itself, so it suddenly sent troops to capture Hexi, and then went straight to Guanzhong with the intention of attacking Chang'an?
Li Yuanjing said anxiously: "It doesn't matter whether he is a Hu cavalry or a Han cavalry, quickly adjust your formation to meet the enemy!"
If it were just the right guard, he would still have some confidence that he could withstand it for three days after paying a huge price, but now thousands of barbarians are charging in front of him, and Fang Jun's right guard must be behind them. First, resist Hu Qizhi's charge, and then when he was exhausted and suffered heavy losses, he faced Fang Jun's right guard... Where is there any way to survive?
However, at this moment, Hu Qi was already on the verge of battle, and even if he wanted to escape, he could not. There was a tit-for-tat confrontation in the battle formation. If they retreated at this time, they would be chased by the enemy one after another. Once the formation was disrupted, whether it was the royal army or the Zuotun Guard, they would only end up being massacred.
So at this moment, even if you know you will lose, you can only bite the bullet and push forward.
This kind of indignation and indignation that you know you can't do anything can make you want to vomit three liters of blood...
In front, the Tubo Hu cavalry galloped to the front of the formation, and immediately separated from the center and circled to the two wings. At the same time, the Hu cavalry on horseback drew their bows and arrows, and arrows fell into the left guard and royal army formations like locusts. The spearmen lacked leather armor and had no shields, so they could only let the sharp arrows shoot through their bodies, screaming miserably. The formation, which was not so strict in the first place, became increasingly fragmented as soldiers fell to the ground after receiving arrows.
Even in the Han and Tang dynasties when the cavalry of the Central Plains Dynasty was at its peak, in terms of riding and shooting skills, they were far inferior to Hu Qi. The kind of riding and string control that grew up on horseback since childhood was immersed in genes. Talent cannot be achieved through hard work, let alone surpassing it.
They controlled the horses with their legs on the undulating backs of the horses, and bent down to shoot. It was as easy as eating and drinking...
Facing Hu Qiqi's shooting, the spear array could only be abused.
Chai Zhewei watched as his last remaining elite soldiers fell one by one under Hu Qi's roundabout and continuous shooting, and he was so anxious that his eyes were about to burst.
He hurriedly ordered: "The cavalry on both sides rush up and resist the Hu cavalry! The Chinese army maintains its formation, must not panic, and retreat slowly!"
Li Yuanjing on the side said anxiously: "How can we retreat at this time? Once the formation is scattered, won't it become more passive? Hu Qi doesn't even need to rush into the formation, he can be unstoppable just by firing like this!"
He also has some military common sense. He knows that when two armies are facing each other, once one of them retreats, the other side will inevitably gain the upper hand. The defeat will be inevitable, and a big rout will follow.
Chai Zhewei glared angrily and shouted: "If we don't withdraw, these soldiers will become targets for Hu Qi. Let's retreat to Jiangui Ridge. The terrain is rugged and difficult for Hu Qi to approach!"
"fart!"
Li Yuanjing was also angry. He waved his riding crop and pointed it at Chai Zhewei, angrily saying: "If Fang Jun is here, we will retreat and let him attack Chang'an. But these Hu cavalry in front of us are Tubo troops. As soon as we withdraw, It will surely go straight to Chang'an and cause trouble in Guanzhong! If anyone finds out that you and I have stepped aside and let the barbarian cavalry drive in, we will both be infamy for the ages and have our backs stabbed!"
He may not be very loyal, and he is even less willing to risk his life in the face of Hu Qi, but he understands that if he retreats today, then he and Chai Zhewei will not just be as simple as "treason and traitors", but will rise to the level of "sell one's own land to seek help". The traitor to the country who "honored"!
He could go into exile outside the Great Wall after the defeat and bow his knees to the Hu people, but he was unwilling to let go of the road now and let the Hu cavalry abuse Guanzhong!
Chai Zhewei was stunned for a moment and woke up from the panic and hysteria.
Chang'an's military remonstrance was, after all, a struggle for power, whether it was about honor and righteousness, or whether it was against the enemy and taken away, in short it was an internal fight. But once Hu Qi is allowed to drive straight into the troubled Guanzhong and the people in Guanzhong are massacred, it will be of another nature.
From ancient times to the present, Chinese people have made a clear distinction between inside and outside. Anyone who can show off his power outside the territory and open up new territories will be worshiped by future generations and will be praised endlessly in history. Even if he has died for thousands of years, he will still be famous and prosperous. Qianqiu.
But once you lose your troops and lose your territory, and foreign tribes invade, you will be scolded endlessly, and your descendants will be in disgrace for thousands of years!
It is one thing to compete for power and gain in the world. This is internal fighting, and even if the methods are cunning and cruel, it can be tolerated. But when facing foreigners, if you can't give up an inch of ground and trade with your life, but avoid fighting in order to preserve your strength, that's another matter.
Chai Zhewei felt this very deeply. He was originally a member of a high-ranking family, and even though he did not have much reputation, he was always respected by others. However, when Tuyuhun entered the west of the Kou River, he thought that there was no possibility of victory, so he was afraid of the enemy and was timid to fight, claiming that he was ill. As a result, his reputation was ruined. The people in Guanzhong criticized and reviled him, and his reputation was completely ruined.
However, Fang Jun, who resolutely marched westward and faced death, was endlessly praised and supported by the people of Guanzhong. When he defeated the Tuyuhun cavalry in the Battle of Hexi, his reputation suddenly climbed to an unprecedented peak. Both the government and the public were astonished. Treat each other as "heroes of the empire".
Chai Zhewei clearly remembers how he felt regretful, envious and jealous at that time. He wished he could turn back time. Instead of being afraid of the enemy and complaining about illness, he resolutely led his army to the west to fight for the country...
If he withdraws his troops now and allows Hu Qi to wreak havoc in Guanzhong, he will certainly be able to preserve his strength, but how much rebuke and criticism will he suffer afterwards? The most important thing is, once you get to the point where everyone is shouting and scorning you, who will risk the world's disapproval to accommodate you?
Only then did Chai Zhewei wake up. His order just now had almost pushed him into a desperate situation. Even though the wind and snow were strong, he still broke out in a cold sweat.
His face was ferocious, and he gritted his teeth and said, "What the prince said is very reasonable..."
He drew out the horizontal sword from his waist, raised it high, looked around at the generals on the left and right, and shouted loudly: "As generals of the Tang Dynasty, we are responsible for defending the country and defending the land. How can we watch Hu Qi ravage Guanzhong and slaughter the people? Here today, Even if we are shattered to pieces, we must still block Hu Qi's advance, and don't let the Guanzhong elders point at our backbones and curse angrily!"
"Here!"
The generals on the left and right and the nearby soldiers were immediately in high spirits and agreed in unison, and their morale skyrocketed!
For soldiers, military remonstrance is a civil war. Who wins and who loses is just a matter of the interests of the higher-ups. What does it have to do with them? But the battle in front of him was Hu Qi, which had a completely different meaning. As long as there is still a trace of blood, who is willing to flee in panic and let Hu Qi wreak havoc in Guanzhong and kill the elders in his hometown?
The son of Guanzhong has never humiliated the country by losing his master, or has never fought in fear of the enemy!
Chai Zhewei saw that his morale was ready, and immediately ordered: "The spearmen will hold on, the rear crossbowmen will step forward to shoot from a distance, the cavalry will step forward to prevent the Hu cavalry from making a detour, the sword and shield men will step forward to cover the spearmen's retreat, and the armies will interact with each other." Coordinate and don't panic. Anyone who disrespects the general's orders and flees without authorization will be killed without mercy!"
"Here!"
The generals and commanders around them responded in unison, and the messengers went to various armies to convey military orders. The captain behind them also played flags and commanded the entire army to adjust their formations, from defending against enemy cavalry charging into the formation, to defending against enemy cavalry shooting. Although the armies were running slowly and moving sluggishly, facing the enemy cavalry directly aroused the bloody courage of the soldiers.
In particular, the cavalry formations on both sides moved forward, which effectively prevented the Hu cavalry from crossing and turning around, greatly reducing their mobility and making it difficult to cross back and forth to shoot at the Tang army.
The Tubo Huqi were not good at rushing into formations. At this moment, they lost the opportunity and had to fall into a hard fight. For a while, the two sides fought hand-to-hand. The battle was extremely tragic.
Chai Zhewei wiped his face, feeling lucky in his heart. He turned back to Li Yuanjing and said, "Thankfully, the prince reminded me in time, otherwise I would have made a big mistake!"
The current battle situation was extremely fierce, but at least they had stabilized their position. Although the Tubo Huqi were powerful, they were unable to break through the formation of the Zuotun Guards and the royal army for a while.
Presumably Yu Wenjie's intelligence was wrong, and he actually regarded the Tubo Huqi as Fang Jun's right guard. Judging from the current battle situation, heavy losses are inevitable, but it seems not difficult to stop them...
