On New Year's Eve, Kyoto was full of joy. No matter celebrities, nobles, or ordinary people, they all poured into the streets to celebrate the New Year.
The entire Kyoto was enveloped in a jubilant atmosphere.
But thousands of miles away, in the southern city of Gusu, there was a strong smell of blood, and the cries of killing were deafening.
Twenty thousand vanguards were drawn from the imperial party and the Gyeonggi garrison.
Taking advantage of New Year's Eve, they launched a surprise attack on Gusu City.
The general leading the army was Sun Bo, the former general of the army stationed in the city.
Sun Bo knew very well that being able to go to the front line was his last chance to avenge his shame and make a comeback.
As long as he can achieve great military exploits, he can wash away the sins of his former supporter Li Yong and become a general in the capital again.
Although the order from Shangfeng was extremely clear, Sun Bo's only mission was to put pressure on Gusu City.
No military action can be taken against Gusu City unless necessary.
But……
The eager Sun Bo, after half a month of spying, basically determined that the defense in Gusu City was lax, and all the defenders were preparing for the Spring Festival.
At this time, it is the best time to attack the city.
Despite a long period of deployment, the garrison in Gusu City is conservatively estimated to be fifty thousand.
It is definitely not a wise move to fight 20,000 against 50,000 in a tough battle.
But Sun Bo was sure that he could win by surprise and he would be able to take advantage of the laxity of the defenders and defeat the enemy in one go.
The fighting started in the early morning and continued into the evening.
Sun Bo, who was located in the rear camp, constantly received urgent military information from the front line.
"General! Attacking the city is unsuccessful!"
"The enemy's defense is strong and difficult for us to conquer."
"General, all the five hundred dead soldiers on the front line have been wiped out, and more than half of the five thousand main siege force in the rear have been killed or injured."
"The frontline generals request the generals to withdraw their troops!"
Hearing the bad news coming back from the front line one after another, Sun Bo's face was ashen...
He knew that Gusu City was impregnable and that if he wanted to conquer it, he would have to pay a huge price, but he did not expect that his army could not even conquer the wall.
Now there have been more than 3,000 casualties. If we continue to fight, both our fighting spirit and physical strength have reached their limits. It is meaningless to continue fighting.
Although Sun Bo was unwilling, he still ordered the withdrawal of troops.
The 20,000 troops were elite after all.
There were three thousand dead and wounded, and after counting the troops and horses that had been withdrawn, there were actually 17,000, and there were no deserters among them.
This can be regarded as a blessing in misfortune. As long as we regain our strength, the price can be bearable.
And just when Sun Bo was about to give the order for the entire army to rest, turn from active to passive, and adopt a comprehensive defensive posture, bad news came again.
The messenger rushed to Sun Bo panting.
"General, what's wrong, the enemy has sent cavalry towards us!"
What? !
Hearing this, Sun Bo couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up suddenly and asked in a loud voice: "How many people are here?!"
The messenger's eyes were confused and desperate: "No...it's hard to say, there are at least two thousand people."
Two thousand cavalry? !
Today is obviously New Year's Eve, and everyone is immersed in the joy of the New Year. Why can Gusu City send so many cavalry in one go?
Could it be...
The other party had long expected that a battle might occur on New Year's Eve, and had two thousand cavalry on standby from beginning to end, ready to counterattack at any time?
Although Sun Bo had 17,000 troops in his hands, he had just experienced a defeat after all, and his morale had fallen to the bottom.
Before morale is restored, we cannot fight easily, otherwise it is very likely to bring down the entire army.
But the other party didn't give Sun Bo a chance to breathe.
It is impossible for two thousand cavalry to defeat Sun Bo's army, but it can cause a devastating blow to the morale of the vanguard army.
Once morale collapses, the combat effectiveness of this vanguard army will be almost exhausted.
Sun Bo did not dare to hesitate and gave the order quickly.
"Quickly pass on this general's order. Retract the front line. The infantry will defend with all strength. The cavalry will move forward to meet the enemy."
After all, Sun Bo was a former general of the city garrison. Although the situation was dangerous, he did not lose his position.
In the current situation, the best way to tide over the difficulties is to preserve the infantry.
To deal with cavalry, infantry must form a tight formation.
Once the infantry forms a formation, the cavalry cannot easily break the formation.
Because the vanguard army was stationed too close to Gusu City, two thousand cavalry came over in less than an hour.
Faced with the crazy attack of the cavalry, the infantry can only resist with all their strength. As long as they can survive the stage of the opponent's most powerful horse power, the danger can be averted.
Just as the two sides were fighting fiercely.
In a mountain col less than twenty miles away from the battlefield, a cavalry team of 800 people was dormant.
All the war horses were tied in the forest at the foot of the mountain and carefully camouflaged.
The eight hundred soldiers were preparing armor and weapons.
This unit had arrived in Gusu City half a month ago, and it was Beixi Qingqi.
As part of the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade, they were mobilized by Qin Feng himself and came to Gusu City to conduct preliminary reconnaissance and exploratory attacks.
The person leading the team is none other than Zhang Zhenhai, who fought bloody battles with Qin Feng in Beidi and has been promoted to deputy commander of the Tianji Battalion Guards!
"General! Sun Bo's army was attacked by two thousand enemy cavalry and is fighting hard."
Hearing this, Zhao Zhenhai had no expression on his face and sat on the stone, munching on the dough.
"Don't bother."
"Two thousand cavalry are just harassment tactics and cannot defeat Sun Bo's army."
"Sun Bo's army is mainly composed of infantry. The infantry forms a formation and only light cavalry. It is difficult to shake."
"Sun Bo was a former general with excellent military qualities. He seemed to be fighting hard, but in fact he was as immovable as a mountain."
Speaking of this, Zhao Zhenhai suddenly remembered something and asked casually: "When will the supply camp arrive?"
"Today is New Year's Eve. Damn it, why haven't my good meats and dishes been delivered yet?"
Zhao Zhenhai felt angry in his heart and secretly scolded the supply camp for being lazy. It was obvious that they had reached the boundary of Gusu City half a month ago.
In half a month, the supply camp has not arrived yet?
Soldiers are very fast, and the Beixi Expeditionary Brigade is even more fast. If the supply camp is holding back, Zhang Zhenhai must go to Qin Feng and sue them.
The other soldiers present were also cursing.
"The prince has said in his heart that even if he goes to the front line, he should still celebrate the festival."
"I'm traveling lightly and only carry some dry food with me. You can't let us eat pancakes during the Chinese New Year, right?"
"Forget the wine, the broth needs at least a few sips."
"Those bastards in the baggage camp are working hard on foreign workers again!"
Just when everyone's resentment was boiling, the messenger appeared again.
"I'm coming!"
Zhao Zhenhai's eyes lit up: "Is the supply camp coming?"
The messenger shook his head and quickly explained: "The reinforcements from Gusu City have arrived again. It looks like there are more than a thousand people."
