The sky is high and the clouds are clear, and Kakexin to the west of Liucheng is a barren pasture. There are usually few herdsmen, but they became even rarer between the two days, and some sentries appeared scattered among the hills.
The space between heaven and earth is extremely empty. The pastoral songs sung in Wuhuan language floated melodiously in the breeze. The eight-horse Wuhuan soldiers climbed onto the hill. They looked into the distance, preparing for the enemy's surprise attack.
"Uncle Buke!" complained a teenage boy, "Look, they have been here for several days in a row. There is no trace of Han people here. If they really come to Liucheng, why don't they come with the south! Where are the mountains to the west? Are you able to leave?"
"Yes, Buke. You should have told the adults above to go south. You know, if you find traces of the Han people, you will be rewarded with two good horses for each person!" Another Wuhuan soldier also complained.
Although the little leader named Buke is in his fifties, he looks extremely old after having been weathered for a long time. There is also a ferocious scar on his cheek. He is obviously a man with a story.
"Hmph! What do you bunch of bastards know? You don't even look at us old and young. If you really encounter Han soldiers, can you run back?" Buke replied in a dull voice.
"Alas! Who are the Han people? They don't believe that they can beat us on horseback! But if you come to this place where gophers don't make nests, you can only get an old sheep when you go back in half a month!"
Seeing that several of his subordinates were looking aggrieved, Bu Ke opened his clothes. Pointing to a shocking scar on his belly, he said: "You bunch of reckless bastards, look what this is. There are some very skilled people among the Han people. You don't know how terrifying the Han people's cavalry are! They shoot arrows just like us. They are powerful, but they are all covered in armor, and their swords and halberds are also extremely sharp. One stab can pierce your leather armor, but your saber can only cut a small gap in his armor. If the arrow you shoot misses the center of the eyebrow, it will not kill him. his!"
Compared with the weapons technology of the grassland people of this era, there is still a generation gap compared with the technology of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and later the Mongolia. Don't underestimate the generation gap of weapons. Didn't you see that during the Anti-Japanese War, it was a dimensionality reduction strike.
The young man was stunned for a moment, then asked: "Uncle, why do the adults say that the Han people are vulnerable and run away when they encounter us Wuhuan warriors? Didn't we often go south to rob them of their things?" I don’t know how powerful they are!”
"Haha. Which of you thinks your skills are better than this old guy like me? Is there any?" Bu Ke looked around the crowd and asked.
Seeing that several people did not dare to answer, Buke shook his head and said helplessly, "Even my skills are not up to par. If you encounter Han elite cavalry, your chances of surviving will be even smaller. The adults will only let you. If you continue to fight and seize the treasures, just take them to them, what can you gain?"
The young man swallowed his saliva and asked carefully: "Uncle, is it really that scary?"
"Of course, there are also Han soldiers like lambs. Back then, Master Qiu Liju led our group of warriors to fight into the hinterland of the Han people! Oh, I really miss it!" Bu Ke's face showed a look of great pride and reminiscence, Said lonely.
After a pause, his face darkened. He sighed and said, "But there are also powerful people. Like the white horse general Gongsun Zan, he is a devil! His elite cavalry are extremely powerful. With only three or four thousand cavalry, we were able to repel tens of thousands of us, and my face was like The injuries on the body were sustained at that time. So we old ones and young ones should not be greedy for those two horses. It would be great if we can lead the pack back alive."
Several people were doubtful, but although Buke was old, he was the most skilled and knowledgeable among them. They each digested what Buke said.
At this time, a pastoral song came from the north-west, and the figures of several Wuhuan people dressed up gradually appeared in front of Buke and the others.
Bu Ke was nervous for a while, and his intuition told him that there was something wrong, so he called a Wuhuan soldier to inquire. After a while, the Wuhuan soldier came to the foot of the mountain with several Wuhuan people.
"What are they doing?" Bu Ke asked on the mountain bunk.
"The people from the Shujia tribe in Caochang to the north have lost their horses and are looking for them here." The Wuhuan soldier replied casually.
As soon as the Wuhuan soldier finished speaking, a sharp saber struck him, blood spurted out, and his head rolled to the ground.
At the same time, the Wuhuan people took out the strong bows in Anjian and shot at Buke and others.
Buke suddenly woke up and rode his horse to avoid the arrow. However, the three companions in front of him were not as lucky as him. They died in one encounter and went to the west to report.
"Run quickly, it's an enemy soldier!" Bu Ke shouted while riding his horse and running. The remaining Wuhuan soldiers scattered and followed Buke. They turned around and fired arrows back while running away.
Buke was breaking out in cold sweat at this time. He could see something was wrong as soon as they met, because the opponent's war horse was tall and did not look like a Wuhuan horse. But before Buke could check, the opponent struck preemptively. Moreover, the faces of the enemy soldiers were definitely Hu people outside the Great Wall. Their cavalry skills and weapons were far superior to those of them.
"Ah!" Another Wuhuan soldier fell off his horse. Buke's heart was tugged. The opponent's horse had great sprinting power. After a while, the distance was closed, and there were only three people left on his side.
Bu Ke knew that the closer the distance, the less likely they were to avoid the arrows. He circled the horse, took out his scimitar, and struck a knight who was chasing him, hoping to kill him.
However, the opponent's skill was beyond Buke's expectation. Not only did he avoid his sudden attack, he also hit Buke in the face with his bow. This blow caused Bu Ke to lose his visual ability instantly, and the impact from another knight knocked Bu Ke off his horse.
The Wuhuan boy turned around and saw Buke falling from his horse. His eyes were sore, and he immediately turned around and raised his sword to attack.
A knight who caught up had a cold look on his face. The steel knife in his hand cut open the young man's leather armor without mercy, and the blade even cut off the young man's arm.
We often see in our history books that we were bullied by the grassland people, but as for us, sometimes there are some things that cannot be explained clearly, but every ethnic group has it, the yearning and pursuit of a better life, right? Right to live?
The next knight had a ferocious smile on his face. He ignored the boy's painful wails and cut off the head with a neat horizontal slash. This was his military exploit.
After a while, except for Buke and another Wuhuan soldier who were captured alive, the rest were killed. Bu Ke gradually regained consciousness and found that he was tied up. And next to them came the conversation of the enemy soldiers in Wuhuan language.
"Just kill them and leave no one alive!"
"The general said he would catch some live animals to lead the way!"
Bu Ke was startled, and then he felt pain and was lifted to his belly by an enemy soldier.
"Old guy, if you want to survive, take us back to your tribe!" an enemy soldier said in Wuhuan dialect.
"Let's just pretend to be these sentries, so that the gods won't notice us either?" Another voice laughed.
Liucheng Royal Court.
The two servants hurriedly helped Tadun put on his armor, and also took the whip, saber and other items and put them on.
After a while, Bei Suji, Que Li, and Ke Bili also rushed to Tadun's royal court. Later, Yuan Tan, Xin Ping, Zhu Ling, Zang Hong, and Xin Pi also rushed to the royal court.
"Chanyu, is Yuan Xi really attacking?" Yuan Tan asked anxiously.
Tadun, who had put on his armor, looked gloomy and said, "I didn't expect that boy Yuan Xi to actually come, not from western Liaoning, but from the direction of Ping and Baishan. If he hadn't received a secret report early in the morning and sent out sentries widely, Riding, I don’t know how I died!”
"How many soldiers and horses does Yuan Xi's army have? How far is it from Liucheng?" Xin Ping asked hurriedly.
Tadun looked at Yuan Tan and said: "The sentinels came to report that they are four hundred miles away from Liucheng and their team is huge, at least more than 30,000 people!"
Bei Suji laughed wildly and said contemptuously, "There are only thirty thousand people who dare to invade my royal court. I am willing to lead my ten thousand cavalry as the vanguard to defeat Yuan Xi in one fell swoop, and then take Yuan Xi's head to make drinking utensils for Chanyu." !”
Tadun glared at him and scolded: "Don't underestimate these Han soldiers. No matter how ferocious the wolf is, its eyes will be pecked by birds if it takes a nap. You lead your troops to charge for a while, and it's best to intercept them." Food, grass and baggage.”
"Yes!" Bei Suji bowed his head respectfully.
Tadun said to Yuan Tan again: "My eldest son, you should also bring your troops. If you can kill Yuan Xi, you can surrender those Han soldiers!" Yuan Tan looked excited and said yes repeatedly.
"It seems that Zuo Xian's two troops traveled to western Liaoning in vain. Fortunately, Quebei's five troops have been assembled. Together with Wang Ting's 20,000 elite soldiers, 70,000 people are enough to overwhelm Yuan Xi!" Tadun said confidently, after all, the number of people brings confidence.
"The Chanyu will definitely win!" Yuan Tan agreed.
"Haha!" Tadun burst into laughter and said, "When the time comes for the eldest son to take back the position of general, he will have to take more care of me!"
"The things I promised Shan Yu will certainly be abundant." Yuan Tan promised, although it was humiliating but he couldn't care less.
Tadun waved his hand and asked everyone to set off immediately.
When he left the royal court and returned to where Yuan Tan's remaining troops were stationed, Xin Pi quickly caught up with Yuan Tan, obviously having something to say.
"Sir, do you really want to cede Youzhou to Tadun? Isn't this the danger of raising tigers?" Xinpi asked anxiously.
After Yuan Tan looked around and saw that there were no Wuhuan people around, he sighed and said, "Why would I want to give Youzhou away? But otherwise, not to mention Youzhou, not even Jizhou and Bingzhou will be able to get it back. In the future, After my troops and horses grow stronger, I will take back Youzhou."
Shi Jingtang of the Five Dynasties ceded the Sixteenth Prefecture of Yanyun to the Khitan in order to deal with the Later Tang Dynasty. He also thought the same way. However, it is easy to ask gods but difficult to send them away. Shi Jingtang endured the humiliation and shouldered the burden and waited for the opportunity to fall out with the Khitans. However, future generations did not It's a pity to live up to expectations. If Shi Jingtang had a son who was the same as Emperor Taizong Li Shimin and Emperor Taizong Xuanwu Yuan Xi, maybe he would be the second Li Yuan and Yuan Shao. It would be a pity.
"No!" Xin Pi urged: "This man Tadun is very ambitious, and his appetite is definitely not limited to the land of Youzhou. My eldest son, you have also seen the cruelty of the Wuhuan soldiers to the Han people, and asked them to attack Jizhou and other places. The Han people The people will inevitably be humiliated, and it is difficult to say whether they can be allowed to withdraw after the war."
Yuan Tan looked impatient and asked: "Then what do you think I should do? Bind myself in front of Yuan Xi and ask him to spare my life?"
"Tadun clearly wants to use the young master's name to occupy my Han state! He gave his niece to the young master. He also intends to control you! Young Master, be careful!" Xinpi became anxious.
Yuan Tan glared at Xin Pi fiercely and said displeasedly, "Did I marry Hu Nu and make your Xin family unhappy?"
"Ah! Don't blame me, Mr. George. He just made a slip of his tongue for a moment." Xin Ping quickly explained, "Tadun is so easy to talk to, so he must have an agenda. But as long as the eldest son gathers a group of Mr. Yuan's old troops, then I'm afraid He can change the world in just one moment."
Yuan Tan snorted and walked quickly. Xin Ping glared at Xin Pi accusingly, and then chased after Yuan Tan. There was nothing he could do, now they were grasshoppers on a rope, one prospered and the other suffered losses.
Zang Hong said with a complicated expression: "Logically speaking, I shouldn't help the Hu people to fight the Han people, but the young master is very kind to me. I will help the young master regain his title no matter what. But if the Wuhuan people poison my Han people, then Zang will definitely fight back!"
Zhu Ling looked at Zang Hongyuan's retreating figure and sighed: "Zang Ziyuan is a righteous man in the world. He will never betray his true identity."
Xin Pi shook his head and said: "Zang Hong is indeed a righteous man, but repaying a favor is a small righteousness, but repaying one's family, country, and world is a great righteousness!"
Zhu Ling was touched and walked slowly forward beside Xin Pi, not knowing what he was thinking about.
The sky was sunny with few clouds, and the wind and sand in the Hu area were not bad at this time. The gentle breeze carried the fragrance of grass and blew into the noses of all the soldiers. The marching soldiers were also infected by the beautiful scenery of the border area.
The horn sound of "Woooo" sounded, and more than a dozen mounted scouts ran back to the central army.
"There is an enemy situation. Quickly send the order to form a battle array!" Tian Yu shouted loudly. The ordering soldiers immediately beat the war drums and waved flags to command the entire army to change their formation.
Tian Yu quickly ran to the central army. Jia Xu, Xian Yuyin, Yan Rou, Guan Jing, and Huang Xu all gathered under the commander's banner.
"Commander Jia, the scouts have discovered tens of thousands of barbarians! Please give the order!" Tian Yu reported.
The expression on Jia Xu's face did not change at all, and he said calmly: "Wan Qi is just a vanguard. We must defeat this group of Hu Qi to boost morale before Tadun's main force arrives."
"Please make arrangements with the military advisor!" Tian Yu said respectfully.
Jia Xu looked at Yan Rou and ordered, "General Yan. There are more than 10,000 infantry here, but you only have 2,000 Xianbei and Wuhuan cavalry. The infantry will contain them later. You will lead your troops." The cavalry go around behind and defeat them!"
"Here, the last general takes command!" Yan Rou agreed.
After saying that, Jia Xu and others boarded the high platform set up by several side trucks, and Tian Yu mobilized a group of sword and shield soldiers to protect them closely.
Under the control of Jia Xu, Tian Yu and others, Yuan Xi's army quickly changed from a marching army to a circular formation. Among them, grain, grass, cattle and sheep were all surrounded in the central yāng. The outermost layer was a boxcar and a steel cart. The soldiers quickly laid antlers and iron caltrops in front of the car array. Behind these car arrays, there were hand-held Infantry with shields and crossbows.
The circular formation is the best defensive formation. The Qingzhou standing soldiers have been very familiar with it through training earlier. As soon as the Chinese army issued the order, the soldiers quickly formed their formation.
Chariots were popular in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the number of chariots often became the standard for measuring a country's combat power. However, by this time in the Han Dynasty, they were eliminated from the war stage.
This is not entirely accurate. The "part-box vehicles" and "Wugang vehicles" developed from the Chun and Autumn chariots have also been active for a long time. **** They no longer have the purpose of charging into battle, but are used as a tool to resist the impact of Hu cavalry in many battles against nomadic cavalry.
Among them, the most remarkable result was that in the early years of the Western Jin Dynasty, Ma Long relied on more than 3,000 people to fight thousands of miles to capture Xianbei and kill tens of thousands of people using partial trucks and eight formations.
The wooden boards on Wuhan Iron and Steel Carts and Side Box Cars can block arrows, and the antlers stuck in the front can deal with the impact of Hu Qi. When General Wei Qing sent troops to conquer the Huns, he often used Wugang chariots to form camps to fight against the Huns cavalry.
Dust was billowing in the distance, and Yuan Jun had just set up his formation. Wanduo Wuhuan rushed to the place of two arrows.
The infantry squatted motionless behind the boxcar, and their crossbowmen and shield soldiers alternately covered them, waiting for the Hu Cavalry to attack.
Bei Suji was stunned. In the past, most of the battles with Gongsun Zan were with cavalry. Even when Kou Luo led Hebei in the early years, the Han army did not fight with infantry in such a large formation. Facing this circular formation, Bei Suji didn't know where to start.
"Sir, why did you ask the brothers to stop!" the deputy general asked with some dissatisfaction.
"What the hell! Have you seen this circular formation with all sides?"
The lieutenant general curled his lips: "It's no different from the Han soldiers in the past. Let's shoot a burst of arrows first, and then concentrate our troops and horses to attack him in one place, so that no matter how big his formation is, the head and tail can't be close to each other!"
"What a great idea!" Bei Suji drew out his saber, "Send the order and rush over to shoot!"
Wuhuan Tuqi ran again, and when they were within an arrow's reach, a rain of arrows rained down on Yuan Jun's infantry.
"Boom! Boom!" The sidecar blocked almost all the arrows that shot straight, and most of the arrows that were thrown were blocked by the infantry's shields. However, a few unlucky soldiers were still hit by feathered arrows that slipped through the net.
Yuan Jun did not suffer much loss after a round of arrows rained down, but the cattle and sheep in the center of the circular array could not stand the fright and became panicked. This made the soldiers in the middle panic again.
"Kill!" Wuhuan Tuqi gathered up their formation and focused on attacking the center of Yuan's army.
Yuan Jun's crossbowmen received the order and fired powerful crossbow arrows one after another. In a moment, the Wuhuan cavalry in front was shot to pieces. The power of Yuan Jun's crossbows was much greater than that of Wuhuan people's bows.
Its effective killing range is up to 300 steps, and it can easily penetrate the leather armor of the Wuhuan cavalry.
"Chi yo yo!" The Wuhuan cavalry who luckily escaped the crossbow arrows had their horses injured by caltrops. Coupled with the restraints of the fallen horses, some Wuhuan cavalrymen rolled off their horses.
Then the antlers that frightened them even more appeared in front of them. These antlers were either made of wood or iron, but they were all sharp and sharp.
Of course, the Wuhuan soldiers would not be so stupid as to rush towards the antlers. They wanted to use their skillful riding skills to get past the sidecar. But the force of the war horse's impact was too great. Those who were less lucky and less skilled in riding had their horses and men penetrated by antlers.
The fate of the Wuhuan soldiers, who were better at riding, was not much better. The archers and the crossbowmen with arrows fired again, so that they could never get close to the side carriage.
