Wu Kang's goal was to severely damage the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade and completely lose its ability to attack the northern front. However, the withdrawal of the expeditionary brigade disrupted his deployment.
After a short but fierce battle, Wu Kang already knew the combat effectiveness of the expeditionary brigade.
If the two sides meet head-on, it will definitely be a lose-lose situation. No one can defeat the other easily. However, once time passes, the expeditionary brigade with a complete logistics battalion will gradually gain the upper hand. The longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it will be to the Eagle Brigade, and also For this reason, Wu Kangcai decisively ordered a decisive battle with the expeditionary brigade.
But he didn't expect that Xu Mo, the leader of the expedition brigade, would be so decisive and calm.
With the strength of the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade, if they want to force a retreat, no soldier in the world can stop them.
After all, the battlefield between the two armies now covers hundreds of miles, and there are small-scale and fierce battles everywhere. Moreover, Wu Kang has dispersed all his troops. Some of the troops are used to contain the enemy, while most of the troops are concentrated on superior forces. , launched an encirclement and annihilation of the enemy.
But so far, the main force of the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade has not moved.
Once the retreat begins, the main force only needs to change direction and head south, while the external combat forces move closer inward, forming a "funnel-shaped" formation.
If troops and horses are assembled to attack the rear of the expeditionary brigade, they will face counterattacks from a large number of infantry and cavalry. This is definitely not a rational choice for the Eagle Brigade, which is dominated by cavalry.
But if you want to block the forward route of the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade, you must send heavy troops to guard it. The cavalry alone cannot stop it at all.
Moreover, once the troops start to be assembled to block the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade, the troops and horses of all parties to contain the enemy forces will inevitably gather together. When the time comes, the pressure on the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade will be reduced suddenly, and the troops and horses will be regrouped.
As a result, facing a powerful force with a complete mix of cavalry, infantry, infantry archers, heavy cavalry, logistics battalions and other types of arms, the Eagle Brigade will never be able to take any advantage, and may even be pushed back.
After thinking about it, Wu Kang no longer dwells on the success or failure of the moment. After all, the battlefield situation has always been changing rapidly. Since the plan of seeking a decisive battle has been seen through by the opponent, there is no point in continuing to fight. Thinking of this, Wu Kang He also decisively ordered the entire army to retreat, prepare troops and horses, and plan to fight again.
At the same time, the messengers were sent to the northern front to report, so that Chen Si's army did not have to push southward and consolidated the defense line in place to deal with the enemy's subsequent counterattack.
When Xu Mo learned that the Eagle Brigade had also begun to retreat, he couldn't help but shook his head and sighed: "This Wu Kang is indeed the best general in Beidi after Chen Si. When it is time to take action, he is extremely decisive, and when it is time to retreat, he is not sloppy. "
"With the Eagle Brigade stuck in the middle, it will be even more difficult to attack Chen Si's defense line."
Hearing this, Jing Qianying beside him couldn't help but frown slightly.
She is not a general and does not know how to march and fight, but she can still see clearly who is strong and weak. Whether it is the overall situation or the quality of the soldiers and horses, her side is firmly in control of Beidi, so why can't they defeat it?
"General Xu, I am by no means questioning your military ability. I just don't understand why we made great progress in Zhuozhou, but after we arrived in Ezhou, we started to restrain ourselves."
Faced with Jing Qianying's questioning, Xu Mo didn't care. After all, it was understandable that Jing Qianying was eager to see Qin Feng.
Xu Mo sighed softly and explained seriously: "Fourth Miss, there is never any absolute advantage on the battlefield."
"No matter how elite our army is, it is impossible to defeat one against two, or even against three."
"After all, this is a battle involving tens of thousands of people, not a battle of hundreds of people. Whether it is personal will, equipment, or even combat effectiveness, it is meaningless to the entire battlefield. The only person who can control the direction is command. "
"Wu Kang has grasped the weaknesses of our army and knows that the expeditionary brigade is a sharp knife. As long as he can delay our expeditionary brigade or severely damage our army, it can disrupt the entire strategic deployment and cause us to lose the opportunity for a quick victory."
"Perhaps we still have the advantage now, but what about one month from now? What about three months from now? It's all the same. Offensive and defensive changes, Beidi's advantage is highlighted, and our army will be defeated."
When marching and fighting, you have to take a long-term view. Except for the core area that needs to be fought for, there is nothing that cannot be given up. Fighting for tactical victory leads to strategic failure, which is doomed for the entire army. disaster.
And it is now known that the three most talented generals in Beidi gathered in Ezhou.
Of course, Chen Si needless to say, Wu Kang also showed his strength, and even the pampered Jing Peng was by no means a good person.
We must be more cautious now, and we must not waste the next few months just to gain these few days.
Xu Mo knew that Jing Qianying would not be able to accept the defeat for a while, but victory or defeat was a common thing in military affairs. For the sake of safety, Xu Mo secretly made up his mind that Jing Qianying and Li Zhang must be together, not because Li Zhang could It was Xu Mo's stupidity to suppress Jing Qianying. He knew many things in his heart but could not explain them clearly.
Xu Mo led the army and did not retreat to the south in one go. Instead, he recamped a day's journey away from the enemy and sent out a large number of scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Eagle Brigade and Chen Si's army.
Two days later, the Qingqi troops arrived, and four days later, Li Zhang's large army joined Xu Mo.
Upon learning that the Eagle Brigade suddenly entered the battlefield, Li Zhang did not give any negative comments about Xu Mo's sudden retreat. On the contrary, he strongly supported Xu Mo's decisive decision.
That night, Xu Mo and Li Zhang urgently discussed the next countermeasures.
Since Qin Feng's deployment did not involve the Eagle Brigade, and the Eagle Brigade was a cavalry-based force that was elusive, even Qin Feng could not predict the Eagle Brigade's movements accurately.
Therefore, the next deployment can only rely on Li Zhang and Xu Mo to make decisions.
Xu Mo thoughtfully said: "Your Majesty, the Eagle Brigade will definitely hold on to the Expeditionary Brigade, and the main force does not have the ability to make a quick decision. How do you think the next battle will be fought?"
Li Zhang had already thought it through before he came. He said with a relaxed expression: "Xu Mo, have you ever heard the story of Tian Ji's horse racing told by the Marquis of Qin?"
Seeing Xu Mo shaking his head, Li Zhang couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth: "Our march is very fast, which is the biggest advantage. Now that the expedition brigade and the main force have merged, there are more than 20,000 people. If we attack Chen Si's defense line, we will definitely win it in one fell swoop!"
"As for the Eagle Brigade, we only need to use medium horses to hold back this high-grade horse."
"Xu Mo, it's not like we don't have cavalry!"
