Relative to the true northward retreat of the Xiongnu army.
However, the main force of the Qin army south of the river withdrew.
The army broke out of camp and marched south for only more than ten miles before setting up camp again in an open area.
A large number of Qin army cavalry were released to patrol and guard. At the same time, the Qin soldiers stationed along the river also cheered up and patrolled along the river with their bows and crossbows, in case the Huns sent scouts across the river to detect the Qin army. trace.
The so-called retreat to the south was just Zhao Tuo's last move to deceive the Prairie Wolf King.
Before taking action, pretend to retreat.
This is exactly what it means to be a soldier.
"General, our army here can use more than 75,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, and food to last about ten days. There are still 5,000 cavalry and 20,000 Yueshi cavalry in the rear army. According to this, it is half a day's distance. In addition, the boat division coming from the Helan direction has nearly 10,000 infantrymen, and the food and fodder loaded can meet the needs of the army for half a month. The general has given orders and sent fast cavalry to send orders for the boat division to stop on the upper reaches of the river and wait until nightfall. Down the river. Our army is loaded with arrows..."
Xiao He, the chief historian, stood in the tent and reported in detail the Qin army's strength, food and baggage to Zhao Tuo and the generals.
Zhao Tuo listened to these data and nodded with satisfaction.
Although what Xiao He reported was just plain numbers, there was nothing special about it at first glance.
But logistics management requires exactly this kind of detail and orderliness.
In this position, one does not need to perform any extraordinary feats. As long as he can manage the logistics of the army in an orderly manner without making mistakes, and the general can understand the various situations of the army at a glance, that is the greatest achievement.
Ordinary people can be considered very capable if they can manage the logistics of hundreds or thousands of people.
Someone like Xiao He who can sort out the situation of an army of 100,000 can be called a talented person.
"So in history, when talking about meritorious officials in the early Han Dynasty, Han Gao said that Xiao He had the greatest contribution and called him a meritorious man, while the other ministers were all meritorious dogs. This shows the importance of logistics."
Zhao Tuo sighed secretly in his heart and turned his attention back to the strength of the Qin army.
This time to attack the Huns from the north, because the land route was difficult, and because he had to leave troops and horses to guard Helan and other places, he only brought 60,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry troops. After crossing the desert and joining Yang Yuan's partial division in the north, the Qin army's strength reached 75,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry.
As for the 20,000 Yuezhi cavalry and the 5,000 Qin cavalry responsible for surveillance, they only came now because they were afraid that their traces would be leaked and the Huns would see through the Qin army's plan. Therefore, Zhao Tuo decided to recruit them before the war started to stay hidden. .
Finally, coupled with the supporting soldiers on the Qin army's boat division, Zhao Tuo's available troops for this battle were 85,000 infantry and 35,000 cavalry, a total of 120,000 people.
And this is only the apparent strength. If you include Sugatha's 20,000 soldiers, it will reach a terrifying 140,000 soldiers.
"The Xiongnu have just gone through civil strife, and they should have less than 100,000 fighting troops. To be more generous, let Touman count 100,000 people."
"One hundred and forty thousand versus one hundred thousand."
Zhao Tuo curled his lips slightly and looked at the generals under his command in the tent.
Yang Yuan, Zhao Guang, Sima Liang, Wang Li...
Officially began to discuss the specific tactics for this time.
…
On September 16, the twenty-seventh year of the First Emperor of Qin, the moon was very round.
On the grassland not far from the north bank of the river, there is a forest of felt tents.
These are five thousand Huns led by Yi Hanxie, the right general.
Touman Shanyu led his army back to the north, leaving him to station here to guard against and warn the Qin people in the south.
But when it comes to precaution and vigilance, few Huns take it to heart.
Because the Qin people and the Great Chanyu reached a deal, the Qin army has retreated south.
The Huns' scouts had seen large black armies leaving camp. This was what they had seen with their own eyes, and it was definitely not false.
Therefore, the Huns army staying here was in a relaxed and happy atmosphere.
Under the bright moonlight, the livestock have rested.
Because there are no women here, most of the ordinary Huns who have no entertainment activities fall asleep early.
Only the right general and a few nobles were chatting with each other in the tent, drinking kumiss and chatting about various things.
"King Zuogu Li has surrendered to the Great Chanyu and vowed never to betray him again."
A Xiongnu nobleman clapped his hands and said: "This is the best. The Great Chanyu is the heaven of us Huns. Only with the Great Chanyu here can we fight against the Yuezhi and the Qin people."
However, some people joked when they were drunk: "Da Shan is in heaven, but he is also an old pervert. Can you see the way Da Shan looks at that noble daughter of the Yue clan? I looked at him and said: If you take in the Yuezhi people, I'm afraid that when you go back, you will have to ride them like horses."
"Hahaha, that Yuezhi woman looks very strange. I heard that she has blood from the west. I have never seen a woman with this kind of appearance. Let alone Da Chanyu. Even I want to ride it when I see it. , I don’t know what it feels like.”
A group of Hun nobles got drunk and started chatting about colorful topics.
Even because Touman Chanyu had lost his prestige before, they lost a bit of respect. He kept saying all kinds of obscene and obscene things, and there was only laughter in the tent.
Yi Hanxie, the right general, burped from wine and felt that the scene was not good, so he named one of the Xiongnu nobles.
"Ma Litian, it's your turn to patrol the river tonight. Stop drinking and take your men with you."
Ma Lidang, who was drinking in a daze, responded, remembering that it was indeed his turn to patrol the river tonight.
Before Touman Chanyu left, he ordered the right general to pay attention to the movements of the Qin people in the south, and to send people to patrol the river bank day and night to prevent unexpected events.
After all, he was attacked once by the Qin people at night, so he was prepared after all.
The right general did ask people to do this, and sent people to patrol along the river every day and night.
However, nothing happened for several days in a row, and the Qin army had moved south, so they regarded it as a superficial matter and no one paid attention to it.
Under such circumstances, as soon as the drunken Ma Litian walked out of the tent and was blown by the autumn night wind, he immediately no longer wanted to patrol the river.
He shuddered and muttered: "It's such a late night, it's windy and cold, and you can't see clearly by the river. Why are you patrolling the river? Besides, the Qin people's army has already left. What's there to be prepared for? Even if the Qin people If they don’t leave, they don’t have a bridge or a boat, so what can they do across the river?”
Thinking of this, Ma Litian breathed out the smell of alcohol and spoke to the entourage beside him.
"Help me back to the tent. I can't hold on any longer. I have to go back and take a nap."
…
Under the bright moon, the river surged and sparkled.
On the south bank of the river, a large Qin army took advantage of the darkness to build a small dock suitable for ships to dock on a flat land on the river bank.
Behind the pier, there is a dark wave, and under the moonlight you can see the moving heads.
"General, our Great Qin boat master is here!"
Chen Ping shouted and pointed in the direction of the upper reaches of the river.
Everyone looked at it.
In the dazzling waves in the west, I saw a huge long snake flowing down the river. When I got closer, I could see clearly in the moonlight that it was a huge fleet. They were coming with sails and majestic momentum.
"The last general, Yang Xiong, has met the superior general."
After the boat master docked, General Qin who got off the ship saluted Zhao Tuo.
This made Zhao Tuo startled. The person who came was actually an old acquaintance. It was Yang Xiong, his former colleague in the palace and his old boss in Wei.
"Captain Yang is exempt from the courtesy."
Zhao Tuo smiled and spoke.
Yang Xiong raised his head, cupped his hands and said, "My boat division will listen to the general's orders."
As he said that, Yang Xiong winked at Zhao Tuo.
Zhao Tuo laughed dumbly, feeling close to him in his heart.
Although this brother Yang has average abilities, he is a character who can listen to others. Although he was Zhao Tuo's superior in Wei in the past, he completely delegated power to Zhao Tuo. He would do whatever Zhao Tuo said.
He was good at using the advantages of his subordinates, and Yang Xiong was born in the general Yang family. During the Qin army's conquest of the six kingdoms, although Yang Xiong's title did not soar like Zhao Tuo's, he still rose to the title of right concubine.
Now he is serving under Qiang Yu as a captain, and was ordered to lead the navy division to support him.
"That guy Qiang Yu, could it be that he let Yuezhi Xihou go because he was afraid of me scolding him? Knowing that Yang Xiong is my friend, he sent him specially to show his kindness to me?"
Zhao Tuo shook his head. Now was the critical moment for the war to begin, so he no longer thought about it.
The boat division was loaded with a large amount of food and grass, and Zhao Tuo immediately ordered the civilian men accompanying the army to board the ship and unload the food and grass.
After the grain and grass were unloaded, the ships began to line up under Yang Xiong's control and build a pontoon bridge for the army to pass through.
The river section here was carefully selected by the Qin army. The river is relatively gentle and the terrain on both sides is open, making it suitable for building a bridge.
After being busy in the middle of the night, a pontoon composed of ships appeared in front of Zhao Tuo.
Zhao Tuo stood on the shore, followed by many advisers and generals.
Further back, there is an endless black army.
He looked across the river, where the wild grass was swaying in the wind in the dim moonlight.
Zhao Tuo took a deep breath, raised his arms and shouted.
"Cross the river!"
(End of chapter)
