Compared with the eastern region, which has steep mountains and is easy to defend and difficult to attack, although the western part of Tuyuhun is not a flat plain, the interior is composed of grasslands, meadows, deserts, and plateau plains of the Gobi Desert. Once Tuyuhun lost the western gate of Dangjin Mountain Pass, the Sui army could "easily" reach the Xitieshan Mountains, which is like the dividing line between the east and west. Therefore, Murong Fuyun paid more attention to the western region than to the densely populated eastern region where the capital was located.
Murong Fuyun prevented the Sui army from breaking through the west gate of Tuyuhun. In addition to deploying heavy troops at the southeast exit of Dangjin Pass, which directly faced the Sui army, he also built a battalion at the confluence of Sugannuoer Lake, Yema River and Ganquan Water to prevent the Sui army from breaking through. Breaking into the hinterland from Qiemo, Shanshan and Dunhuang.
At the same time, a second Dao fortress was built on the bank of Muli Lake on the upper reaches of the Yuka River in the north of Xiti Mountain. If the Sui army defeated the three camps including Dangjin Pass, then the Muli Lake Camp would be the new west gate of Tuyuhun. .
Just when Yang Ji was worried about the snow on the tall grass, so was Murong Fuyun.
Since he adopted the strategy of clearing the country with strong walls and luring the enemy deep in the western region, the supplies of the three large camps in the west became a big problem, so the Muli Lake Camp became the logistics center for the three large battalions in front, and the supplies were all shipped from Muli Lake The main camp provided it; but since October last year, it has been impossible to transport supplies to the front.
In order to allow the soldiers in front to defend with peace of mind and not have to worry about food and supplies, Murong Fuyun waited until the road conditions improved and immediately ordered 3,000 soldiers and 3,000 herdsmen to come out of the Muli Lake Camp to replenish supplies to the Sugannuoer Lake Camp. These six thousand people were also reinforcements for his Sugannuoer camp.
There are 10,000 elite soldiers and 10,000 herdsmen in the Sugannuoer Lake Camp. However, firstly, this camp is far away from the Dangjin Mountain Pass Camp. Secondly, the southern slope of the valley running northwest and southeast is relatively gentle. If the Sui army wants to go first To break this camp, you can climb over the mountains and kill it. Third, this camp also has to defend the Sui army from Qiemo County, so its task is arduous, far better than defending the Ganquanshui camp in the direction of Dunhuang. With 20,000 soldiers, Murong Fuyun was not worried.
From the end of the Hartengol River to Sugannuoer Lake is a vast Gobi desert and saltwater lakes, interspersed with hills with severe wind and water erosion. There was originally no direct road between the two, and pedestrians generally walked close to the fresh water. We are walking at the southern foot of Wulanda Ban Mountain, which is full of resources, but we have to make a big circle to go down, which is a full one or two hundred miles longer.
That would have been the case in the past, but after Tuyuhun lost Shanshan and Qiemo, the three camps in the front became the top priority in defending the Sui army. Murong Fuyun inevitably couldn't take care of the beginning and end of the three camps, and couldn't rescue the rear. Murong Fuyun Fu Yun spent great efforts to build several official roads.
Although Tuyuhun's manpower, material resources, and financial resources cannot be compared with those of the Sui Dynasty, these three roads mainly involved tamping gravel on the Gobi Desert into roads and breaking and moving large rocks that rolled down the hills. The amount of work was not large.
One runs from west to east, connecting Muli Lake and Dangjin Pass; one runs north to south, connecting the three camps; the other is built from Muli Lake to Hala Lake, and then extends from Hala Lake to Ha The Erten Gol River goes along the river bed to the end, and then cuts and straightens from here until it reaches Sugannuoer Lake.
The opening of these three avenues made the four east and west camps very convenient. Especially the last one, which is three to four hundred miles shorter than before.
It is conceivable that Tuyuhun has great military value.
Before daybreak, a cavalry force of 3,000 people rode on camels and walked slowly along the official road "at the end of the Hartengol River - Sugannuoer Lake". And this camel team was the victorious army headed by Zong Luohu.
All the soldiers' mounts were camels, which was Zong Luohu's only request to Yang Ji.
Zong Luohu knew that although the speed of camels is slower than war horses, camels are not as delicate as war horses. They can adapt to various harsh environments and harsh climates. No matter how heavy the wind, snow, or cold weather, they cannot freeze it to death; and its The transport capacity is much larger than that of horses. In addition to carrying people, it can also be loaded with weapons and equipment, dry food, drinking water, tents, and clothing. In this environment, three or five horses are not as useful as one camel.
As for the issue of slow speed, Zong Luohu didn't care at all; the camel was indeed slow and was not conducive to a surprise attack, but he could steal the Tuyuhun war horse for his own use. After the soldiers had war horses, they used camels as mobile "warehouses".
this
This is also the experience he has learned from being a thief for many years.
They set out the night before yesterday. After a long journey day and night, they successfully bypassed two enemy camps and sneaked here quietly. Due to the severe cold climate on the plateau, the cold wind is as biting as a knife. Each cavalryman wears a thick leather robe and a face scarf to protect his face from the cold wind and snowflakes, which is very similar to the attire of a horse thief.
After walking quickly, the soldiers were exhausted. Zong Luohu looked around and found a dense forest on the hill a few miles away. He ordered the soldiers: "Send the order and let the soldiers go to the woods." Take a rest for two hours."
After the order was passed, the soldiers turned around and ran towards the jungle. After a while, they rushed to the forest. Many soldiers were so tired that they wanted to fall to the ground to rest. But after all, they are the best of the best, and the iron-like military discipline is imprinted in the soul of every soldier. They do not need Zong Luohu's orders, and they work hard to feed the camels with water and fodder. (Note)
Zong Luohu took off the water bag from the camel's shoulder blade and drank water while nibbling dry food. The scout brigade commander Zhang Meng told him that the enemy's transport brigade was slower than them and could only cover more than sixty miles a day. More than fifty miles to the east.
Zong Luohu decided to wait here for the latest news from the scouts before deciding how to take the next step. However, he knew that the battle must end within today and tomorrow, otherwise it would delay the opportunity for fighting. Therefore, the top priority was to keep the soldiers strong and capable. Strong fighting power, fight this battle cleanly and neatly.
After resting for about an hour, Xue Wanche, who was in charge of the defense, came from the east with several scouts on war horses. When they saw the Sui soldiers patrolling near the woods, they rushed towards them.
The leading scout was none other than Zhang Meng. As he approached, he dismounted and trotted to Zong Luohu's side. He cupped his hands and saluted, saying, "General Zong, Tuyuhun's team has reached thirty miles away."
Zong Luohu did not express his position immediately. After pondering for a while, he asked: "Is the enemy's security tight?"
"Just as careless as the day before yesterday and yesterday!" Zhang Meng thought for a moment and added: "General Zong, maybe it's because the enemy and we have been facing each other for too long, and there is no major conflict in the front, so this army has slacked off."
"That's good!" Zong Luohu breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What's the enemy's marching speed?"
"The enemy's marching speed is the same as the day before yesterday and yesterday. According to their normal schedule, it will take about two and a half hours to get here." Zhang Meng hesitated for a moment, then added: "However, the weather was good the day before yesterday and yesterday, but today it is It was raining and snowing constantly and the road was slippery, so I thought it would take them more than three hours."
Zong Luohu frowned and said to himself: "It's three hours, is it noon?"
"Exactly!" Zhang Meng said: "Maybe the other party will order lunch here."
Zong Luohu nodded: "If we continue to investigate again, we must have a clear grasp of the enemy's movements. If there are any changes, we must report them as soon as possible."
"Here!" Zhang Meng bowed his hands and left quickly.
Xue Wanche, who was standing next to him, asked, "General, how will we fight this battle?"
Zong Luohu didn't reply, but looked around and took stock of the terrain here.
They were located in the low-level area of the Wulanda Ban Mountains. Thanks to the irrigation of melted ice and snow on the mountain and the shelter of the mountain, patches of evergreen trees grew on the low and unstable hills at the foot of the mountain.
Two miles south of the official road, there are bare and heavily weathered stone hills and earth hills. These hills are intermittent, irregular in height, and present an irregular shape.
The hills directly opposite that stretched for several miles were only about human height, and in some places were even less than three feet tall.
However, after seeing the dense jungle here, Zong Luohu felt that ambush on the other side would definitely be safer and less likely to be noticed than here. But the advantages here cannot be given up.
Thinking of this, he gathered together the lieutenants and lieutenants, stated his thoughts, and then said to Xue Wanche: "General Xue, I will immediately lead two thousand soldiers to the opposite side to ambush, and you will lead another thousand soldiers. Ambush deep in the jungle; when I launch an attack, you will immediately rush out of the forest with the momentum of thousands of horses galloping."
"I will obey your orders!" Xue
Wan Che said solemnly.
"You must remember that you must not be discovered by Tuyuhun soldiers."
"Here!"
"Okay! Let's go to the south to ambush and rest." Zong Luohu waved his hand, and two thousand Sui soldiers urged their camels to follow him and run south of the official road.
Xue Wanche's side also led troops into the depths of the jungle, leaving only a few patrol posts to set up defenses in front.
. . . . . . .
Three hours passed quickly while the Sui army was recuperating and recuperating. A large baggage convoy escorted by more than 6,000 Tuyuhun soldiers slowly moved westward in a long snake formation.
It was extremely difficult to transport heavy baggage in the ice and snow. In one morning, the Tuyuhun heavy baggage army only walked more than thirty miles. They had spent more than half a month walking from the Muli Lake Camp to here. The soldiers were already exhausted. .
The leader of the army was a captain of ten thousand men. He saw that the soldiers were extremely tired, and the herdsmen who had been forcibly enlisted were complaining. The horses and mules were also so tired that they snorted and snorted white air. He saw that the terrain here was relatively open. , there were woods and hills to the north and south, which slightly blocked the wind and snow, so he waved his hands and said: "Everyone eat and rest here, and we will be on the road again in an hour!"
Several captains of thousands gathered around the captain of ten thousand and asked expectantly: "General, after we have delivered the food and supplies, can we return to the Muli camp?"
"Go back?" The Ten Thousand Captain chuckled and said, "The war is about to begin. The Great Khan asked us to transport supplies for one reason and to assist the defenders of Lake Sugannuoer."
He had actually answered this question many times; but these soldiers and generals from various tribes, perhaps out of fear, kept asking questions as soon as they stopped.
After looking at everyone, he continued optimistically: "Don't worry, everyone, our Dangjinshan camp has more than 100,000 troops, and the Sui army cannot get in. We are mainly defending the Sui army in the direction of Qiemo. According to what the scouts found According to the news, the Sui army in Qiemo only has five or six thousand county soldiers, and we have 20,000 more soldiers than the Sui army in Qiemo, so there is no reason to lose."
"But the Great Khan built the highway to the Mangya area, making it a convenient passage." A captain said worriedly: "And it is said that there is also a Sui army disguised as horse thieves, just in case they..."
"What if? There are so many what-ifs?" Captain Wanfu slapped him on the back of the head. He pointed to a weathered pass and said, "Look at that opening. The snow is at least four feet deep." , and Mangya and Dangjin Pass have higher terrain, stronger wind and snow, and deeper snow. Can the Sui army survive?"
The Qian ladies did not dare to ask any more questions and changed the topic: "General, I heard that the Great Khan asked Dang Xiang for help. Is this true? Can this be done?"
"This is true and it has happened! Tuoba Chici, the great chief of Dangxiang, will lead his army to the north." Captain Wanfu is still a small and famous king and has a high status in Tuyuhun. He knows many things; but this time he He deceived everyone, because Tuoba Chici sent troops was true, but he was helping Murong Fuyun keep an eye on Murong Zhao in the area of Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake, and he did not come to fight the Sui army.
Tuoba Chici's intention was also very obvious. He planned to kill the weak Murong Zhao and take away the rich and fertile grassland when the Sui Dynasty and Tuyuhun were fighting. But knowing is one thing, reality is another.
Now that Tuyuhun is in danger, Murong Fuyun's top priority is to defend the country. In order to let Tuoba Chici keep an eye on the enemy troops, he can only pretend to be ignorant.
Seeing their happy expressions, the Ten Thousand Captain sighed secretly and said to everyone, "We are still on our way, so you might as well take a break and go back to restrain the soldiers."
"Yes! General!" The captains followed the order and left.
When the orders were issued, the soldiers stopped. They had been walking for so long, so they expected no enemies, and their precautions had long since disappeared. They had no intention of cooking a barbecue, and ate some dry food randomly. Then they took out rugs and oilcloths and spread them on the ground. They just sat there with their eyes closed and meditated.
It is reasonable for the Tuyuhun soldiers to be so negligent. On the one hand, it is because the two sides have been at odds for many years. Although there have been constant small attacks, there has never been a major war. The Sui army on the offensive side often engages in "weakening tactics" at various confrontation points. Tuyuhunshi
Over time, the soldiers have become numb, leading many people to think that the Sui army was "exhausting the troops" this time.
On the other hand, the military discipline of the Tuyuhun generals was far inferior to that of the Sui army. This was their heartland, and there was no fighting on the battlefields, so the vigilance of this army was pitiful.
Although Murong Fuyun knew that the Sui army was serious this time and called on the whole country to actively prepare for war, there were policies from above and countermeasures from below, but the relatively unorganized Tyuhun soldiers did not think so. In addition, it was freezing and snowy at the moment, and people People treat it like a herd and have no sense of caution.
However, accidents often happen at unexpected moments, when the Tyuhun soldiers are too full to move.
Zong Luohu lifted up the big gun made of iron, and then swung it forward heavily. Two thousand soldiers of the Victory Army spurred their camels and rushed towards the lazy Tuyuhun soldiers like a rushing flood.
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[Note: The temperature at the shoulder blades of camels and horses is very high. During winter marches, soldiers would hang their water bladders in this position. Therefore, not only were the water bladders not frozen, but they could still drink warm water. When sleeping at night, he snuggles up with his mount and uses the mount's very high body temperature to keep out the cold. 】
