"It's Huangkouyi!"
Xu Jia responded: "We went out of the frontier fortress last night, and the champion urged us to march. We were all swept up by a force of energy, and our horses' hooves were flying. When we arrived at Huangkouyi, the opponent was trying to divide his troops and wanted to attack from two directions. Stop our Han army.
Huo Hou observed the troops from a distance and said that the enemy's aura was chaotic and their fighting spirit was not strong. As long as the enemy's three men and horses were defeated, the enemy would be in chaos, so he ordered to charge into the formation. "
Li Yanqing snorted imperceptibly.
This was very consistent with his impression of Huo Qubing. He was greedy, always fearless, and would attack the enemy whenever he encountered.
Zhang Jun nodded lightly: "Soldiers are good at observing qi, especially on the battlefield. There is even a special practice method for observing qi, which can determine the number of the opponent's soldiers based on the gathered aura of the enemy and our situation.
Relying on the smell in the air and the sweat stains on the bodies of men and horses, we can judge how long the opponent has been marching, whether they are tired or their morale is high, and whether they are suitable for attack. "
"The prefect is right."
"The battle situation was as expected by the Marquis. We... no, it was the Imperial Army under the Marquis. They were like running tigers and defeated the opponent in one fell swoop."
Xu Jia's tone became more and more excited:
"At that time, the two opposing teams were only two to three hundred feet apart, but the troops led by the Marquis defeated the enemy so quickly that they had no time to respond. The prefect and Bowang Hou may have imagined how fast the offensive was on the battlefield at that time."
"How many troops does the opponent have?" Zhang Jun asked casually, still looking at the march map.
"Two thousand Qiang people!"
Xu Jia said: "On our side, only the Imperial Guards under the Marquis took action. I and other border troops were responsible for holding crossbows on the outside and shooting at the Qiang people who later fled."
"...Two thousand?" Zhang Jun raised his head.
When he first heard that Huo Qubing was charging into the battle, he felt that he was right. He kept up the courageous momentum of the attack and charged at him in one go.
But if his opponent is many times his own, he will never charge forward to fight.
Li Yanqing and Zhang Qian on the side acted in almost the same way, both frowning in disbelief.
"The other party is the Ancient Qiang tribe that we usually fight against. The leader is Mulangtuo, one of the tribe's leaders. The prefect should have heard of his name."
Is the difference in military strength really so huge?
Zhang Jun seemed to have a calm face, saying that this kind of thing did not shock him, but in fact, he was already in a turbulent state and almost couldn't control himself.
"At that time, the Imperial Guards under the Marquis' command changed their formations while galloping, forming a sharp array, passing their power to the person at the front, and breaking out of the attack. The fighting power that broke out at that moment was something I have never seen in other teams.
The spears and spears pierced the armor, and with every thrust, a Qiang man was bound to die. During the encounter, hundreds of Qiang people fell from their horses. "
Xu Jia briefly summarized the fighting process in Huangkouyi last night.
Zhang Jun sighed secretly after hearing this, but his face remained calm.
However, just by listening, it is not difficult to imagine the fierce life-and-death battle between the two sides at that moment. The competition was not only about combat power, but also about bravery without fear of death.
"Didn't you say that the distance between the two sides is two to three hundred feet?"
Li Yanqing asked: "With such a short distance, you can kill thousands of other people's troops, leaving them unable to rescue them? What evidence is there to prove that what you said is true?"
Who are you... Xu Jia ignored Li Yanqing and continued:
"Before another team from the other side came to rescue, the Qiang people who engaged in the battle had been killed and were terrified. The Qiang people who came to rescue were also timid... Later, the leader of the other side, Mulangtuo, was also beheaded."
After Xu Jia finished speaking, Zhang Jun asked calmly: "What next?"
"I don't know the details of what happened next. I don't know how the Marquis allowed another part of the reinforcements from the ancient Qiang village to serve as Han soldiers, and then attracted a group of Xiongnu soldiers, causing the two sides to kill each other.
According to what I saw along the way back, the result of their confrontation was quite heavy. "Xu Jia said proudly.
"Even if the Qiang people wear Han army clothes, they will not identify themselves when they see the Huns. How can they take action and suffer heavy losses?" Zhang Jun had the same doubts as Xu Jia at that time.
"The Marquis seems to have used some kind of military skill to control the casualties for a period of time, and used Mulangtuo to attack the Huns general in a sneak attack.
As a result, the two sides started fighting. "Xu Jia explained.
Bringing back the soul...
The first thing that Zhang Jun and Zhang Qian thought of was the technique of reviving a corpse, which is widely known but rarely mastered by military strategists.
"The Marquis provoked a confrontation between the two sides, and then we went to attack the ancient Qiang tribe's lair. The Marquis personally took action and beheaded Dian Zhen, the leader of the Ancient Qiang tribe.
Now that the leader is dead, the subsequent resistance to breaking up the camp is not as great as expected. "
Xu Jia looked at Li Yanqing: "The old man asked me just now how to prove what I said.
I wonder if the ancient Qiang Dazhai that was defeated and burned is considered evidence? "
Li Yanqing narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
"Then the Marquis led us to advance northwest. By dawn, we had destroyed six Qiang camps, large and small."
"The scouts said there are four."
"We went to the northwest and defeated four of them. They were all attacked by lightning. After the fourth one, the flames shot into the sky. The Marquis said that the Qiang people were supporting each other. If they destroyed four Qiang strongholds in a row, the other party must be alert.
Then they changed their direction and pushed southward, and also defeated the two Qiang villages in the south. "
"How many enemies did you kill last night and how many did you capture?" Zhang Jun suppressed the throbbing in his heart and asked.
"I have not counted, but there are always tens of thousands of people who were directly beheaded. Those who were indirectly killed by us when we broke up the camp, and those who were tricked by the Marquis into killing each other, must be not less than the number of direct enemies killed, or even more. "
"The champion always only used those hundred or so forbidden troops to defeat the enemy?" Zhang Jun finally couldn't help but ask the most shocking question in his heart.
"No, I saw Zhao Ponu, the captain of another imperial army group, showing up halfway.
That Zhao Ponu should be the back-up man arranged by the Marquis in the dark. I don't know where the soldiers are hiding.
In the morning, too many were captured, so the Marquis asked me to come back. He and Zhao Ponu's 600 elites, with a combined force of nearly 800 men, went to hunt down the Xiongnu team. "
Xu Jia finished the whole process.
Zhang Qian didn't speak the whole time and listened with bated breath.
When Xu Jia finished speaking, he let out a long sigh of relief.
This was a huge difference from their previous judgments. Huo Qubing used his troops so skillfully and ferociously that he seemed to be able to gain the upper hand with just one quick word. He was able to destroy six Qiang camps in one night. What's more, he also used many tricks, so he was able to control everything. The enemy controls the changes in the situation between ourselves and the enemy.
Li Yanqing couldn't help but ask:
"In the process of destroying the Qiang stronghold, did Huo Qubing really only use more than a hundred forbidden troops?"
Xu Jia frowned slightly: "Of course it's not just the Forbidden Army."
Li Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief: "I just said there shouldn't be more than a hundred forbidden troops. How can the Qiang people's combat effectiveness be so weak?"
Xu Jia said: "Aren't there more than a hundred of our border troops following us? There are three hundred and seven of us in total, and we all contributed to last night's battle."
Li Yanqing was speechless.
"Huo Hou is now leading people to hunt down the Huns cavalry?"
"Yes, the Xiongnu Xiu slaughtered the king's soldiers and horses, and they also suffered some losses after fighting with the Qiang people.
It was already this morning when we returned from the Miao village.
The Xiongnu soldiers also fought all the way to the ancient Qiang tribe. They probably wanted to go to the door to ask for guilt. They happened to bump into us and engaged the Marquis's soldiers and horses.
When Captain Zhao Ponu led his troops to fight out from the flank.
The Huns felt they were ambushed and immediately retreated.
With the Marquis's military front and the fighting strength of his subordinates, the Huns should have been killed by now! "
…
Xu Jia is right.
In the border area between the northwest prairie and the loess land, the sun was shining brightly, and the Huns soldiers led by Jin Wu were at the end of their rope.
On the ground, a huge military formation map covered the battlefield.
Huo Qubing released the formation diagram he had obtained from the Military Mansion, sacrificed by the Half-Saint Wu Qi, and re-adjusted by himself.
The formation diagram was spat out by the White Tiger Soldier Talisman.
Then the two military symbols of White Tiger and Xuanwu, corresponding to the west and north directions respectively, were imprinted on the formation eyes of the formation diagram. The halo circulated, prompting the formation symbols of the military strategists to be spit out one after another.
The area covered by the formation map is like another world, which is of great benefit to the Han army under Huo Qubing's control.
Under the cover of the formation map, the eight hundred Han troops changed their formations and chipped away at their opponents bit by bit.
The Xiongnu soldiers were much more ferocious than the Qiang people. Seeing that there were fewer and fewer companions, they were blocked by the military formations many times. They were red-eyed and ferocious.
But they couldn't understand the changes in the array, were separated by the array, and couldn't join forces. They had long been in a situation of trapped beasts still fighting.
The textures on the formation diagram flashed, the white tiger and Xuanwu transformed into the formation diagram, and the roar of the tigers was deafening.
When the Han army thrust out their spears, they were able to imbue some of the white tigers with the power attribute of Xuanwu. They were used to deal with the Xiongnu tribes during offense and defense, and were invulnerable to everything.
The Xiongnu general Jin Wu also tried to sacrifice a sheepskin scroll, which was a technique of the Xiongnu shaman, but was suppressed by the power of the formation diagram.
ah!
The leather shield in the hand of a Hun soldier, together with the leather armor on his chest, were pierced by a spear from the Han army at the same time, and the ferocious expression on his face solidified.
The spear blade stabbed deeply from its back, and the blood was scarlet!
The power of this spear is far beyond the usual level of the Han army. It is the result of the power of the white tiger and the armor-piercing attribute blessed by the military formation.
By the time Jin Wu, who was injured, was also beheaded by Zhao Ponu, the fate of the Xiongnu soldiers had come to an end.
It was the first time that the formation map of the three realms of heaven and man was used on the battlefield. Huo Qubing was quite satisfied with its power: "The formation map of the three realms can be spread out... and some military strategies can be incorporated into it for use."
…
Border town, study.
After hearing Xu Jia's description, Zhang Jun looked at the march map again and was shocked beyond words.
Xu Jia's description almost exactly matches the route outlined on the march map.
Including predicting in advance that the Qiang people might set up ambushes at two locations, among which a red cross was marked at Huangkou Yi, indicating that Huangkou Yi was the most likely place.
After that, they broke through the enemy camps, and after advancing into four enemy camps, the team turned southward... The entire process, the grasp of the fighter opportunities, and the opponent's response methods were all clear and accurate, as if they were seen with their own eyes.
For Zhang Jun, who understands military affairs, he felt astonished after reading this marching map.
This is a true military calculation, predicting the enemy ahead.
To achieve this, you don't just need to rely on military talent. You need to be assisted by information such as the enemy's situation, strength and weakness.
This trip to Xiguan was a collaboration between Huo Qubing and Ru Bohu from the very beginning.
Based on the information provided by Xiu Yi, he knew the situation between the enemy and ourselves well before the war, so he was able to use tactics repeatedly to lure the snake out of its hole and weaken the enemy.
At this moment, Huo Qubing knew that there were new military strategies that were shining brightly in the military books.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, repeatedly defeated powerful enemies with weak troops.
In later generations, during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Li Jing attacked the Turks with three thousand elite cavalry, defeating the powerful Eastern Turks who once came to Chang'an City.
They all have similar methods to accurately judge the enemy and ourselves, attack the enemy's weakness, and become invincible.
After Zhang Jun saw the march map, he already knew that he was limited to his own understanding of war. He did not have Huo Qubing's perspective on combat. He could not see the opportunity to win with less, let alone achieve such a casualty ratio in a confrontation. .
Of course, even if Huo Qubing defeated the enemy camp, everyone would not be convinced.
Li Yanqing only calmed down his attitude slightly, stood up and said: "I still say the same thing, he may be brave and talented, but sooner or later he will suffer a big loss, you just wait and see."
After saying that, he walked out and said, "I was a little tired when I came here on a bicycle last night. Please arrange a yard for me.
I'm waiting here for Huo Qubing, and I want to ask him when he will return Li's silk book. "
Zhang Jun is still paying attention to the march map:
"Huo Hou drew a thick black line here, approaching the Qiang village in the northwest. He wanted me to send border troops to occupy these places. Huo Hou wants to expand the road to the Western Regions?"
Xu Jia said: "I don't know. Huo Hou only said that we should escort the princess and Bowang Hou to the northwest. He will wait halfway."
"If the princess comes out of seclusion, can she be sure of safety on the way?"
Xu Jia was full of confidence: "How could Marquis Huo be willing to put the princess' safety in danger?
Last night we advanced four to five hundred miles to the northwest and defeated the Qiang tribes one after another. The shock to the Qiang people can be imagined.
Before knowing whether Huo Hou was real or not, the Xiongnu Chanyu personally went to persuade the Qiang people to send troops, but they did not dare to take action rashly again. "
"In addition, Huo Hou said that the Xiongnu royal court's central army was defeated before, and the Xiongnu tribes in the east and west wanted to retain their strength and peek into the lush area of the central royal court headquarters. At this time, they would never dare to send a large army to fight with our Han army. Send thousands more people to harass.
So after he defeats the chasing Huns, Xiguan will be stable for a period of time.
These are Huo Hou's original words. "
Zhang Jun and Zhang Qian later boarded the border city and looked at the trophies Xu Jia had sent back. They found that they were indeed quite rich.
Livestock, cattle and sheep, money, goods, medicinal materials, and the Qiang camp seemed to have been swept away.
This is what they fight for. The Huns come to Kou Pass every year just to plunder these spoils.
As evening approached, the border gates were opened wide.
A border army of nearly 8,000 people left the border and advanced toward the northwest.
Also in the team were Liu Qing's chariot and Zhang Qian and others.
In the future, additional troops will be sent from all over the border to the northwest.
The prefect Zhang Jun also rushed to write a memorial volume and sent it to Chang'an together with the marching map hand-drawn by Huo Qubing.
(End of chapter)
