At the foot of Helan Mountain, the ice and snow melted, and there were many felt tents.
There are Yuezhi herdsmen on the vast grassland, driving horses and driving herds of cattle and sheep to the distance.
A tall dome.
The rulers of the Yuezhi Kushan tribe gathered here to study the news coming from the Great Wall in the south.
"Spring is here, the horses on the grasslands are beginning to go into heat, and the Qin people in the south are also sending troops to attack us. According to the news brought by the merchants, the Qin people will send out 300,000 troops this time to compete for the pasture we occupy. "
The Marquis of Guishuang, wearing a golden hair crown, stared at his eyes like an eagle and said a terrifying number.
Three hundred thousand!
All the Yuezhi nobles in the tent took a breath of cold air.
Since the last time Sujiasha, the daughter of Xihou, came back from her mission to Qin, they had already determined that the Qin people wanted to go to war, but it was not until today that they knew for the first time the strength of the Qin army that would be dispatched.
Three hundred thousand troops!
As the most powerful tribe among the Yueshi tribe after the king, the Kushan tribe has a population of only more than 100,000. It can only go on the battlefield and has only 40,000 cavalry with combat effectiveness.
Even if the Xiumi Department, which is also in Henan, is added, the total strength of the two departments is only 70,000 cavalry, which is a huge difference compared to the 300,000-strong army.
"Otherwise we leave here, go back to the west of the river, and give this land to them."
Youyueshi Wanchang screamed, with a look of fear on his face. The numbers of the Qin army frightened them.
The Marquis of Guishuang glared at his frightened men and growled: "Cowards, how can you spit out the meat you eat in your mouth on the grassland, not to mention that the army of 300,000 Qin people is not what you think?" So scary.”
He looked at the woman in military uniform sitting at the base and said, "Tell these cowards about the 300,000 Qin troops."
"yes."
Sujiasha responded and said to the Yuezhi nobles in the tent: "The Qin army has 300,000 people, half of whom are farmers transporting grain. They don't wear armor, don't carry bows and arrows, and don't have horses to ride on." , these people don’t need to be afraid.”
"The Qin people only have more than 100,000 real warriors. As far as we know, the land within the Great Wall is not suitable for raising horses. The Qin people's cavalry will not exceed 40,000, and the rest are two-legged infantry."
There are no more than 40,000 cavalry, and the rest are all infantry!
The eyes of all the Yuezhi nobles in the tent were bright.
Sujatha continued: "Moreover, Marquis Xi decided to give up part of the pasture and invited Marquis Shuangmi to lead his troops here to fight with us against the Qin army!"
The three tribes of Yuezhi, Guishang, Xiumi and Shuangmi, accounted for most of the troops of the Yuezhi tribes, with a total of almost 90,000 cavalry.
A bearded Yueshi Wan Chang smiled and started doing simple addition and subtraction in public.
"The three of us have a total of 90,000 cavalry. If we offset the 40,000 cavalry with the Qin people, we still have 50,000 cavalry. On the grassland, if 50,000 cavalry fight against his 100,000 horseless infantry, we will definitely win!"
"Hahaha, we don't have to be afraid at all!"
The Yuezhi nobles were all in high spirits, feeling that they had a chance to win.
The grasslands north of the Great Wall are open and flat, suitable for galloping horses, and are the natural main battlefield for cavalry.
Anyone with a right mind knows that it is impossible for infantry to defeat cavalry on the grassland.
The Yueshi have more cavalry than the Qin people, so they certainly have a greater chance of winning.
Seeing the high fighting spirit of his nobles, Guishuang Jihou nodded with satisfaction.
In today's gathering, he wanted to encourage himself before the battle and mobilize the fighting spirit of the nobles under his command.
"And there are friends of our Yuezhi in the Great Wall. They will bring the marching route of the Qin army. When the time comes, we Yuezhi people will surround them like wolves and eat up the Qin people!"
"I want those 300,000 Qin people to go to the grassland and never come back, and make them all our slaves!"
The confident voice of the Marquis of Guishuang resounded in the tent.
Many Yuezhi nobles echoed excitedly: "Turn Qin people into slaves!"
The Marquis of Guishuang looked at Sujiasha next to him again and said: "The Qin people sent envoys to Helan. It must be to investigate our situation. They killed them all and sent their heads back to the Great Wall to anger the people in the city. General of the State of Qin. It would be better if the general of the State of Qin could lose his mind and lead his troops into the grassland in anger."
"An enraged beast is easier to deal with."
…
"The grassland is vast and spread out. This is a land of chariots and cavalry, and there are not even ten infantrymen."
Zhao Tuo stood on the loess plateau and looked at the endless military tents and human heads.
The 300,000 troops given to him by the emperor have been deployed. Qiang Yu in Longxi County and Yang Yuan in Shang County each have 50,000 troops. He has a full 200,000 troops here.
However, among the 200,000 troops, 100,000 were auxiliary soldiers responsible for transporting food and baggage. There were no more than 100,000 combat soldiers, including 20,000 cavalry and 80,000 infantry.
This number is not much different from the number of Yuezhi cavalry in Henan that he knows, and the Yuezhi people are very likely to request reinforcements from the same clan from Hexi.
In this way, the number of Yuezhi cavalry may even exceed the number of Zhao Tuo's main soldiers.
In order to be on the safe side, Chen Ping, Li Shiqi and others said that on the grassland, infantry was not as good as cavalry, and this force did not have an advantage over the Qin army.
It would be better to let General Qiang Yu from Longxi County and General Yang Yuan from Shang County lead their partial divisions to join together, and the Qin army maintains its superior strength and fights the Yuezhi people decisively.
Zhao Tuo finally refused.
The grassland is too vast, and joining forces together is not a good choice.
Moreover, both Qiang Yu and Yang Yuan's partial troops were useful. Letting them carry out tasks would be more useful than staying with Zhao Tuo's main force.
As for the strength of both sides, Zhao Tuo was not too worried.
"It is difficult for infantry to stop chariots and cavalry on the plains. But it also depends on who is attacking whom. Is it false to say that one man can be like five barbarians?"
"Twenty thousand cavalry equipped with the three treasures of cavalry, plus 80,000 soldiers armed with strong bows and crossbows, hum."
Zhao Tuo secretly said that his confidence comes from the top equipment of the current era.
He asked Xiao He, who was appointed chief historian, about logistics.
General Shi was a staff official, equivalent to a position such as secretary-general, and could be held without a title requirement. Zhao Tuo was just using it to place Xiao He in charge of logistics and internal affairs to test his capabilities.
Xiao He already had the experience of serving as an official when he was in Peixian County. After getting started for a while, he basically got used to it. Now when faced with the general's inquiries, he can talk with great clarity.
After talking about the amount of corn in the army, he added: "One hundred thousand stones of flour were also transported from Guanzhong. After being made into wheat cakes, our army does not need to bury cauldrons for cooking in half a month, and there is no danger of shortage of military rations."
"very good."
A glint flashed in Zhao Tuo's eyes. Half a month of dry food played an extraordinary role on the grassland.
The sound of rapid footsteps was heard in the distance. Li Shiqi walked over with a stern face and said to Zhao Tuo: "General, there is news from the Great Wall. The envoys we sent to Helan Mountain were killed by the Yuezhi people. All of them had their heads chopped off and thrown in the Under the Great Wall.”
Zhao Tuo was startled, then his face turned cold and he said, "I have underestimated these Yueshi people."
Li Shiqi said: "The Yuezhi people killing my envoy is a suitable reason for war. However, our army has just been assembled and the training is not enough. General, can you wait a little longer to send troops?"
"Just wait another half month. I won't fight an unprepared battle. Let the soldiers train with each other for a period of time. We must also prepare enough bows and arrows. In addition, Wushiluo can also use it."
Zhao Tuo sneered and said: "Sun Tzu Wu said that those who use time must seek out those who come to interfere with us among our enemies, so we can benefit from them and guide them away, so we can use them instead."
"Wushi Luo is called a big businessman of the Qin State, but he actually leaks information to the Yuezhi for his own benefit. It is between the Yuezhi and the Yuezhi that we use him to deal with the Yuezhi people. This is exactly the purpose of counterattack. Mr. Li, you Use this Wushi Luo to say that I am very angry about the Yuezhi killing the envoy, and I can't wait for the partial troops to cooperate, and I will lead the army out of the fortress to take Helan in half a month."
"This will allow the Yuezhi to concentrate their forces to fight our main force. At the same time, the two divisions can also be sent out secretly to cooperate from the flanks."
Li Shiqi responded: "General, don't worry, I will definitely let Wushi Luo do what you want."
Zhao Tuo nodded, his face cold.
"After Wu Shiluo spreads the news, his entire clan will be detained immediately, and this person will be taken into the army. He will be of some use on the grassland in the future."
Li Shiqi, Xiao He and others received military orders and left.
Zhao Tuo stayed where he was silently.
The war is about to begin, and the war is about to begin.
But what he was most worried about was not the upcoming war.
He looked to the southeast with a worried look on his face.
"It's almost the due date."
(End of chapter)
