The Qin army came from the west singing war songs and marching in neat steps, all the way to the Qi army several miles away.
Although the commanders of the Qin and Qi armies had agreed to have a gentleman's battle here.
According to the ancient ritual rule of "no drums, no formations", the Qi army will not launch an attack or sneak attack until the Qin army has formed a battle formation.
But Zhao Tuo still erred on the side of caution and sent a group of Qin soldiers in front to prepare for battle and defense. Under the cover of Pao Ze, the soldiers following behind began to change their formations, turning their marching array into a combat array.
"This great Sima is quite thoughtful."
On the chariot, Zhao Tuo looked up at the Qi army in the distance and spoke in a low voice.
Li Shiqi, who was following on horseback, also laughed and pointed forward.
He said to Zhao Tuo: "This Great Sima specially chose this place as a battlefield, not only to allow our army to go an extra mile, but also to have the advantage of waiting for work. Perhaps he also wanted to correspond to the situation in Chengpu four hundred years ago. Fighting, haha."
Amidst Li Shiqi's laughter, Zhao Tuo's eyes fell on the Qi army's battle formation several miles away.
At the forefront of the Qi army were three regiments of 10,000 people, divided into three groups: left, center and right. They were also guarded by chariots and cavalry on both sides.
The right wing of the Qi army in the north had more chariots, and it looked like there were about a thousand chariots.
The left wing of the Qi army in the south had fewer chariots, about four to five hundred people.
The reason is probably that a few miles to the south is the flowing Pu River, which is not suitable for cavalry to engage in battle, so this arrangement was made.
As for more Qi troops, they lined up in the rear. According to Zhao Tuo's estimation, the total number of Qi troops participating in this battle was about 150,000 to 60,000, which was similar to what they expected before the war.
Zhao Tuo compared the strength of both sides in his mind.
The Qin army in Puyang, plus the soldiers he brought from Dai, totaled about 220,000, but half of them were auxiliary soldiers transporting grain, and the number of soldiers was about 110,000.
He left 10,000 people for his deputy general Tu Sui to guard Puyang and some central cities in case of unexpected events.
Although Da Sima seems to be sincere, there is no guarantee that things will go wrong. Of course, it is better to be more cautious when it comes to military wars.
Ten thousand soldiers and one hundred thousand auxiliary soldiers guarding the city are enough to ensure the safety of the Qin army's retreat.
"I have 100,000, so it's not a big problem."
Zhao Tuo felt a little at ease.
He noticed that among the three troops of Qi, those at the forefront were all tall and strong warriors. They were all big and round, and very imposing.
This arrangement is normal. The Qi army has never seen blood. When charging, a warrior needs to lead the team in front, so that the ordinary soldiers behind can dare to follow.
On the whole, the Qi army's formation is relatively comprehensive, and it is a square formation that can be attacked and defended.
However, Zhao Tuo knew that this was just superficial. The Qi State recruited troops in a hurry. Except for the tens of thousands of Qi soldiers stationed at the border who had time to train, the soldiers recruited later basically did not have much training time. The combat effectiveness can be imagined. .
Da Sima knows the art of war and will naturally take corresponding measures.
He should have put tens of thousands of trained soldiers in the front, and those untrained soldiers in the back as a reserve team.
"The Qi army can only fight with the wind. If the 'elites' in the front have the upper hand, the people behind will have fighting spirit and can also exert their combat effectiveness. But if the elite in the front are defeated, the reserve teams behind will be vulnerable."
Zhao Tuo squinted his eyes and took another look at Qi Jun in the distance. Based on his battlefield experience, he already made a judgment in his mind.
"Li Shang, let Shejian lead the old soldiers who conquered the Kingdom of Dai to lean against the river, right on the left flank of the Qi army."
"only."
Li Shang took the order and immediately turned around and asked his men to deliver the order at short range.
Just when Zhao Tuo was arranging his troops, a flying cavalry came from the Qi army on the opposite side.
"The Great Sima of Qi State specially invites General Zhao of Qin State to meet in front of the formation!"
The messenger conveyed Tian Chong's request for a meeting.
"This Grand Sima has quite a few tricks up his sleeve."
Zhao Tuo chuckled.
But he did not refuse, and asked the charioteer to drive, and Li Shang and other cavalrymen escorted him forward.
In the Qi army's battle formation opposite, Da Sima Tian Chong, after receiving Zhao Tuo's reply, also stood on his chariot and went out to meet him.
The two vehicles approached and stopped in the middle of more than 200,000 people from the Qin and Qi armies.
"Da Sima!"
Zhao Tuo stood in the car and bowed his hands.
"General Zhao!"
On the chariot, Grand Sima Tian Chong also returned the salute.
After the ceremony, Tian Chong stared at Zhao Tuo with soft eyes and said warmly: "I've worked hard on you these past two months."
Thank you for your hard work?
Zhao Tuo was startled.
I heard Tian Chong whisper: "I know that in order to fight me openly and honestly, you persisted for two months despite the pressure from all sides. Such behavior moved me Tian Chong very much. General Zhao, I, Tian Chong, respect you." One drink for you!”
"Bring me the wine!"
As he said this, a Qi army attendant actually brought drinks.
Zhao Tuo was speechless.
Tian Chong first poured a glass of wine for himself, then poured a glass for Zhao Tuo, and praised: "I respect you only because in today's world, there is still a gentleman like you, General Zhao."
Zhao Tuo sighed secretly and ordered Li Shang to take the wine and drink it all in one gulp.
"Da Sima is overly praised. Among today's gentlemen, only Da Sima has one ear. It is Tu's honor to be able to fight with Da Sima."
Tian Chong was very happy when he saw Zhao Tuo's humble and polite expression.
He responded with a smile: "Today I Tian Chongdang will have a good fight with General Zhao! General Zhao please!"
"Da Sima please!"
The two of them saluted each other and returned to their respective formations.
As the carriage rolled forward, Zhao Tuo couldn't help but look back and saw the back of Da Sima standing on the chariot.
Under the gloomy sky, the wind blew and the car bells rang, which made Tian Chong's back feel lonely and desolate.
"Da Sima, you were born in the wrong era."
Zhao Tuo sighed softly.
Before a war, it is an ancient etiquette for the coaches of both sides to meet and have a drink and reminisce about the past.
At that time, countries in all countries were basically related to each other. Everyone would go to war to fight without hurting the harmony, and they would become good relatives again.
But since Song Xianggong's battle at Hongshui was ridiculed by the people of the world, the world has been declining.
In addition, a grandson who did not respect martial ethics later appeared, which made it even more difficult for anyone to talk about these battlefield etiquettes.
During the Warring States Period, in order to win victory, generals resorted to intrigues and various methods to achieve victory. There are countless deceptions, deceptions, intrigues, and schemes to reduce the number of enemies, encircle Wei and rescue Zhao.
It is really rare to see someone like Tian Chong who still pursues ancient rituals in hundreds of years.
"Probably because the Qi Kingdom has not experienced war for more than 40 years, has lived a noble life with no worries about food and clothing, and has a loyal character, coupled with either being brainwashed by Qilu Confucianism or being brainwashed by the etiquette of a gentleman in ancient books, it has become what it is today. Sima."
Zhao Tuo shook his head gently to drive all distracting thoughts out of his mind.
He agreed to fight Da Sima openly, so he had a deeper purpose.
The Qin army could maximize the power of this battle by directly defeating the Qi army on the battlefield without using sneak attacks.
Only in this way can he march to Linzi with the power of victory, forcefully surrender to the king of Qi, and conquer the land of Qi.
Only achievements that leave all Qi people speechless can reap the richest fruits.
"Da Sima, today I will fight you openly and defeat you!"
Zhao Tuo returned to the formation and ordered his soldiers to stay in formation and rest where they were to recover the energy consumed by the journey.
Da Sima also abided by the etiquette of ancient battlefields and did not immediately attack the Qin army.
It was not until half an hour later that the sound of war drums sounded in the Qi army's battle formation.
Qi Jun took the lead in launching the attack!
(End of chapter)
