In the vast northwest desert, a group of fifty thousand cavalry marched slowly.
This cavalry is different from the barbarians who often shout and drive cattle and sheep in the desert and wear fur coats and woolen clothes. There is no similarity in appearance or clothing.
They are from Qin and wear black armor.
There was an iron helmet on his head, and the light armor fell from his shoulders and neck to his thighs. Even the Qin army, which has the best equipment in the world, has never had such luxury.
The best equipment they had before was armor plates tied with thick linen and fixed on their shoulders and arms. There are two extra breast shields on the chest and back of the general, which are already the most luxurious equipment in this era.
These protections give them an inherent advantage against soldiers from other countries - if the enemy's guns poke into the armor of their bodies, they will only fall. And no matter where their guns landed on the enemy, it was a real hole of blood.
Among the armies of the seven countries, only the Qin army can have such a configuration.
It's not that Qin is rich. Qi is the richest among the seven kingdoms, but the Qi army's armor is far inferior to that of the Qin army.
It is not that Qin has resources. Among the seven countries, South Korea has the richest iron ore resources, but South Korea's armor is far inferior to that of the Qin army.
The real reason is that all dynasties of the Qin State have been virtuous rulers. The King of Qin, who did not advocate material desires and only pursued hegemony, was willing to spend money on equipment instead of natural materials, earthly treasures, pearls and jade.
Equipment has always been an area that the Qin Army is proud of.
If the Qin army, which was invincible in Guanzhong, came here and saw this fully armed cavalry, they would feel that their equipment was not good at all.
The most outrageous thing is that this cavalry is not only men wearing armor, but also horses. The horse's head and eyes are covered with armor on both sides. In addition to the legs, the horse's back and belly are also covered by armor.
At first, when General Ying Lu came to Jiuyuan County, he found Meng Tian and asked him to lead 50,000 cavalry to attack the Huns, but Meng Tian refused.
“The Huns ate livestock, drank cheese, wore leather, felt, and lived in domed huts. They were proficient in horsemanship and were difficult to pursue in the desert.
"Every Xiongnu elite can ride a horse and draw a bow. The outstanding ones can stand on the horse while the horse is galloping without falling off. Our army is a living target in the desert. Third Young Master, please come back."
Meng Tian, who defeated the Xiongnu with his chariot and restored Jiuyuan and Yanmen counties, was not arrogant and underestimated the Xiongnu. Chu State lost the lives of 200,000 Qin troops, and also buried Meng Tian's arrogance.
General Ying was not angry or tough, he just asked Meng Tian to take a look at the appearance and discipline of the 50,000 cavalry troops.
When Meng Tian saw the 50,000-horse cavalry and armored cavalry, he immediately decided that even if there was no military merit in leading this cavalry to attack the Huns, he would do it.
He had never fought so richly.
How much financial resources does it cost to have men and horses in armor?
Not talking about financial resources, it is not easy to design armor that does not affect the flexibility of humans and horses. At least those Mo students raised by the Qin State have not designed it for so many years.
Meng Tian sent people to report to Xianyang overnight and asked the First Emperor if he could lead troops to the expedition.
It was a big deal for a local lord to leave, not to mention that Mengtian's Jiuyuan County was still a border county and had to face the Huns directly to protect the safety of the rear.
The First Emperor replied to Meng Tian with four words - this battle was a futile effort.
Meng Tian had already had a premonition about this, and told Ying Jianglu when he came to look for him. These 50,000 cavalry are not the Qin army, but the private army of General Ying.
It was a pity that he had no military merit, but Meng Tian still agreed.
First, he took these 50,000 cavalry to train near Jiuyuan County. They ran in for about a month, sharpening their swords and chopping firewood.
This is not wartime, the situation is urgent, and new soldiers will go to the battlefield as soon as they arrive.
The war has not yet begun. Meng Tian needs to have a rough idea of the 50,000 cavalry, so that he can use his arms and fingers well during the battle and win repeated battles.
Fighting is actually a very difficult job. The more people there are, the more difficult it is to command. War is not a game where soldiers run wherever you click the mouse.
From the general issuing the order, to the messengers, flag bearers conveying it in flag language, to the frontline soldiers executing it, if there is a mistake in one of these links, it will be fatal. The more people there are, the harder it is to direct them.
Therefore, instead of accepting small orders, accept orders starting from 100,000 yuan. Bai Qi, who is best at field annihilation warfare, can scare all countries into fear. Only those who can fight large-scale legionary battles are worthy of the title of general.
One month later, with the assistance of dozens of generals from the direct line of the Meng family who had resigned, Meng Tian was almost trained, and 50,000 cavalry, all in armor, set foot on the Xiongnu land.
View from above.
The desert is mottled with yellow and green, the sand and grass are intertwined, the running water is like a knife mark, and blue blood flows.
And this cavalry army that trekked from Xianyang, this black torrent of steel, was extremely conspicuous, like a colony of ants eating away everything.
"General, if we go fifty miles further, we will reach Gaoque."
Some generals rushed forward to report to Meng Tian.
Meng Tian nodded and looked at the large gap in the Yinshan Mountains in the distance.
The Yinshan Mountains in the northwest stretch for thousands of miles. King Zhao Wuling expanded his territory to the north and followed the Yinshan Mountains all the way. We fought until the Yinshan Mountains were interrupted, forming a gap that looked like a gate, and then we returned.
From then on, this area with a large gap was named Gaoque.
Gaoque, this is the first time for people from the Central Plains to come here.
Looking at the rushing river not far away, Meng Tian issued an order.
"The entire army is resting."
His horse had stopped moving, but the army was still marching.
The messengers quickly moved around to convey Meng Tian's orders.
Half a quarter of an hour later, these 50,000 people stopped one by one and in order.
Bury the pot, find water, and make rice.
Unlike last time when he got a bunch of chariots to pull the baggage, this time Meng Tian didn't bring any infantry except for 50,000 cavalry, let alone the baggage soldiers driving the chariots.
One day's journey from Gaoque is the Great Wall built by the State of Zhao. There is a supply point there, which Meng Tian had informed before setting off for the expedition.
Meng Tian only brought five days of dry food with him this time, and had to leave one day behind on his way back. If there is no gain within these four days, Meng Tian will lead the 50,000 people back to the Great Wall.
When fighting the Huns, you cannot bring too many items. Otherwise, they will be played like flying kites by the Xiongnu. This is the experience of countless blood and tears in wars with the barbarians.
Meng Tian, Ying Jianglu, and several senior officers sat on the ground among a crowd of fifty thousand people.
In order to reduce the burden, these 50,000 people did not even bring a large Chinese military tent.
There was a map spread out among these people. Meng Tian clicked his finger on the place marked with Gaoque, and turned to face a dark-skinned general who was always a little restless when he sat down.
"Is there anything unusual?"
The thin, dark officer in charge of the scouts in this army shook his head.
"As usual, the Hun dogs ran away when they saw us and did not conflict with us at all. We caught a few tongues and asked about them. After crossing the river, they found their city. There were 100,000 people gathered there."
Ying Jiang Lu was stunned.
"The Huns also have cities?"
He prepared lessons carefully before coming to the Xiongnu land. He remembered clearly that the Xiongnu were nomadic people who lived in pursuit of water and grass. They drove their cattle and sheep everywhere and went wherever there was water and grass.
Unlike the Central Plains people who chose an area to settle, farm, and build cities, the Xiongnu who liked to roam around did not have a city, so the Xiongnu was extremely good at field warfare.
A strong man who sat a head taller than the others smiled and said:
"It's called a city, but it's not a city. The Hun Dog's city has no walls or moats. It's just a few tents that have been placed here for many years. They call this a city."
Only then did Ying Jianglu understand.
"Very good, rest for five hours and take turns on duty. We will cross the river in five hours and we will take down this city."
Meng Tian clicked on the high tower on the map and looked around at the generals.
"Gentlemen, although there is no military merit this time, it can go down in history. This is the first time I have set foot on this land in the Central Plains. King Wuling of Zhao saw this gap and went back to build the Great Wall. Today we are here to knock it down. , Expand the Great Wall to this point.”
Everyone laughed.
"If you want a great military merit, you will have to resign from the position."
"How dare you disobey Duke Meng's orders? The general will just treat you to two more good drinks later."
"Don't worry, general. We will go all out. If we lose this battle, I don't need to say anything to the general. I will wipe my neck myself."
"..."
Ying Jianglu looked at this group of people eagerly, a little confused.
Is this the end? No tactics? Just cross the river and capture the city? So simple? How about some art of war?
General Ying had never fought in a war, but he knew many famous battles. From the famous battles he knew, the victors did not seem to have such simple and crude command.
Being so arrogant and so simple is always a recipe for defeat.
After everyone dispersed to rest, Ying Jianglu carefully asked Meng Tian who was still looking at the map.
"General Meng, is this a bit too childish?"
"Our army's weapons, armor, and horses are far stronger than those of the Huns. We can fight them no matter what."
Ying Jianglu's heart felt so cold.
He doesn't want the arrogant Meng Tian, he wants the cautious General Meng Tian who has been training for a month.
"General Meng..."
"Third Young Master."
Meng Tian put away the map and said with a smile:
"Is this your first time on the battlefield?"
"……yes."
"Get some sleep and keep your spirits up, otherwise you'll be in trouble for a while. Eat less food and go to sleep."
[Little Taotie is worthy of his name. ]
Meng Tian didn't notice anything else, but he noticed that Ying Jianglu liked to eat. More than once, he saw Ying Jianglu take something out of his armor and eat it.
The Third Young Master sat there blankly, regretting not calling Li Mu to lead the army.
"Are you trying to help your elder brother, so you are deliberately fighting like this to destroy my family? You had a clever plan before and used a chariot to defeat the cavalry. Why are you so reckless today..."
Muttering softly, Ying Jianglu took out a pancake from his arms and bit into it, wanting to cry.
How can there be such a fight? Who taught it?
Two or three hours passed.
Rumble~
The sound of horse hooves exploded like thunder, the earth trembled, and the dust rose and fell!
Ying Jianglu, who had been unable to sleep, turned his head.
On the other side of the river, the Huns wearing dirty coats and riding war horses looked towards us with fierce looks in their eyes.
The war horses snorted, and the sound could still be heard clearly even after hundreds of meters.
The stench, odor, and body odor of cattle and sheep drifted across the river, but it was still extremely pungent and unpleasant when it arrived here.
Meng Tian, who was not asleep, jumped up and sat up when the ground trembled. He glanced towards the other side of the river and roughly estimated that the number of people should be around 20,000.
Seeing that the 20,000 Huns did not cross the river, they stopped at the river and issued orders to their subordinates.
"If these Hun dogs dare to cross the river, wake me up immediately."
"only!"
Falling to the ground, Meng Tian continued to sleep. He was not anxious at all, and he had no worries about the Huns taking the opportunity to attack the army when they crossed the river.
Not long after sleeping, Meng Tian was woken up.
"General, someone is crossing the river."
Five Huns rode across the river, were unarmed and brought to Meng Tian.
First he jabbered, and Meng Tian was upset after hearing this. He frowned, put away his sword, and cut off the head of a Huns.
The blood sprayed from his neck spread all over Meng Tian, making the black armor soaked in blood, making Meng Tian look like a demon.
Stomping on the human head lying on the ground, Meng Tian said impatiently:
"I don't understand what your dogs are barking at. Have you ever learned human language?"
Seeing their companions being suddenly beheaded, the remaining four Huns were stunned for a moment, unable to react at all and without any mental preparation.
Why did this kill someone?
Immediately afterwards, his eyes were about to burst, and he struggled hard to rush forward and make Meng Tian pay for his debt with blood.
They were yelling, their faces were contorted, and they didn't know what they were saying in Hunnic. But judging from the intense emotion, it was definitely not a good word, and the scolding should be quite dirty.
Meng Tian's face darkened and his eyebrows sank.
"killed."
Brushing, brushing, brushing~
The Qin army behind the four Xiongnu seemed to have been prepared for a long time. Just as they were waiting for Meng Tian to say these words, they laughed ferociously.
The four Qin swords were chopped down neatly, the skulls of the four people were rolling around, and the four streams of blood soared three feet.
Ying Jianglu was stunned.
[Why don’t you listen to what these Huns say? Why did you kill him like that? If you don’t understand the Huns, someone can! You just want to defeat my troops on purpose! ]
Among the 50,000 cavalry, there were not one or two people who were proficient in the Hu language, but hundreds. Otherwise, even if the Huns are captured and questioned, they will not be able to understand anything. If they don’t know the enemy’s intelligence, how can they fight a war?
A general who beheaded the Xiongnu wiped a handful of blood on his face, his face was frighteningly red, and he laughed and said:
"General, he called you a dog."
Meng Tian glared at the speaker.
"I understand!"
Ying Jianglu: "..."
[I do not understand! You understand what he said and why did you kill him? You really just want to trap me! ]
Meng Tian glanced at Ying Jianglu and saw that Ying Jianglu's eyes were straightened.
"Third Young Master? Third Young Master! Third Young Master, are you okay?"
[I'm in trouble! I want to change generals! ]
Ying Jianglu forced a smile.
"Nothing, why did General Meng kill these three people..."
"When you come to our land of Qin, you will naturally speak Qin language."
[This is not our land of Qin! ]
Ying Jianglu's expression turned even worse. This reason sounded like it was made up.
Meng Tian seemed to understand Ying Jianglu's thoughts.
"Everywhere our Qin army passes is Qin soil."
[This is the private army my mother and uncle gave me! ]
Ying Jianglu shouted in his heart and smiled bitterly.
"Jiang Lu just thought that the general should probably listen to what they have to say."
"Nothing nice to hear."
Meng Tian sneered.
"What qualifications do dogs have to talk to people? It's a pity that these Hun dogs cannot perform military exploits, so Tian was granted the title of Marquis of Che.
“Since they come to us asking for death, Tian will send them to death in advance.
"Send the order, all troops attack!"
