According to the established rhythm of the Ming Dynasty’s military, the prelude to a war is often played by the earth-shattering sound of horse hooves and the sky full of smoke, and this battle is no exception.↗
The afternoon sun shone on the ground, making the marching Tang army feel a little lazy.
I don't know when, but the enemy scouts who had been looming around the rear of the army disappeared, making the soldiers feel a little uncomfortable.
Unfortunately, the battles they had experienced before were not enough to make them aware of the approaching danger.
Any general with rich combat experience would not ignore this abnormal sign. The two Kansai generals immediately sent people to report to Pei Ji, and at the same time sent scouts to explore the surroundings, and ordered their soldiers to be ready to meet the enemy's attack at any time.
attack.
It's also a pity that they are not the commanders of the army, so a lot of time is wasted on talking.
Moreover, the reaction of the huge and bloated rear army was also hopelessly slow.
When smoke and dust spread in the distance and the sound of horse hoofbeats could be faintly heard, the Tang army's rearguard seemed to wake up.
Amid the hoarse shouts of the generals, the Tang army on the periphery barely stopped, raised their shields, and set up their spears to protect the flanks of the army.
Even Li Shentong had repeatedly warned his generals to be wary of enemy sneak attacks, and had made many arrangements, especially in terms of marching speed, to hold down the pace and not advance quickly to pull the army away.
However, no matter how good the arrangement was, it could not change the fact that the Tang army was too bloated, slow to respond, and the combat capabilities of its various units were uneven.
On the occasion of war, if the Tang army had the opportunity to reorganize its army and prepare for war, this shortcoming could be covered up with strong troops.
But the enemy they faced was the parallel cavalry who were the best at mobile combat, so the Tang army's shortcomings became more and more obvious in this kind of encounter.
The formations were uneven, and there was a lack of basic tacit understanding between the armies. The chaos began to spread from the flanks of the Tang army to the entire army like an infection.
It seemed that in just a moment, all kinds of noisy sounds came together and resounded throughout the sky.
Of course, the Tang army, which had been prepared for a long time, would not fall into chaos before seeing the enemy. This was only the first time they were attacked, which only caused panic to the Tang army, which had not yet entered the rhythm of the war.
In fact, at this time, the most panicked person was not the Tang army soldiers, but the general Pei Ji who was supposed to lead them in the battle.
The ability to remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses in front of him, the ability to be calm in the face of battle and command with determination, are all far away from Pei Ji at this time, and all the mental preparations he made before are of no use at all.
Because he didn't know what to do and what orders to give when the enemy arrived.
The voices asking for orders that he heard in his ears made him even more at a loss. More than 100,000 troops surrounded him. Before they could engage in battle, the general in the army panicked...
Of course, there is nothing strange about it. Literary men lead troops, it is nothing more than that.
Pei Ji can be regarded as a hero who followed the army south to capture Chang'an, and was awarded a title higher than that of other generals. But then again, these have nothing to do with military merit.
Half of his official position was due to favors, and half was due to Taiyuan's support. If he had a deep strategy and was good at fighting, there wouldn't be so many people who were dissatisfied, and Liu Wenjing wouldn't dare to do it.
He was repeatedly provoked.
It can be said that in the first battle, the performance of the Tang army's rear troops was so bad that it is almost beyond words.
The Tang army, which lacked the effective wisdom of the central army, almost fought on its own. Fortunately, Li Shentong's arrangements were quite detailed and did not directly expose the entire flank of the rear army to the enemy. Otherwise, thousands of parallel cavalry might have to fight in this battle.
Create a miracle on the battlefield.
The cavalry came very quickly, accompanied by the thunderous sound of horse hooves. Teams of cavalry came on horseback to replace the cavalry. When they got close, they turned slightly and passed by the flank of the Tang army not far away.
They bent their bows and set arrows, and then the buzzing sound of the bowstrings was heard amidst the earth-shattering sound of horse hooves. The arrows rained like locusts, rising blackly into the sky.
"Put up your shield, raise your shield, don't move, don't move."
"Archers prepare, archers prepare..."
The sounds of one after another continued to sound among the Tang army, but they were almost drowned in the sound of horse hooves and various noisy sounds.
Arrows fell like raindrops, and the shields clanked. The popping sound of arrows entering the flesh was heard continuously. Thousands of Tang soldiers fell to the ground, and the screams became louder in an instant.
No more bickering, no more intrigues.
The Bingdai cavalry used the cruelest and most direct and brutal method to simply kick off the war.
The attack was in waves, with almost no interruptions.
Thousands of cavalrymen lined up in several rows, galloping past the flanks of the Tang army. Arrows continued to rise into the sky, raining down on the heads of the Tang army like a lingering spring rain.
But the scene was horrifying. The Tang army paid a heavy price for the previous chaos. The shield was not raised in time and the shield was not well covered.
The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty gathered in one place fell down one by one like wheat fields blown by the wind. After a few moments, the blood stained the ground under their feet red.
When thousands of cavalry passed by, a clear line was drawn on the flank of the Tang Army's rear army. There were countless corpses lying there, the injured were howling desperately, and the living were holding onto their shields tightly and trembling with them on their heads.
.
And this is just the beginning. Once the war begins, it will never stop...
Li Po gave the cavalry generals the greatest autonomy, and led thousands of cavalry to harass the Tang army's rear troops and cut off the Tang army's food routes.
And Xue Wanche, who wants to make great achievements, needs to use a perfect battle to demonstrate his leadership skills. So is there any better choice than killing more enemy troops?
The Bingdai cavalry who circled back once again used the unique cavalry method to quickly pass by the flanks of the Tang army, repeating everything before.
This time, the Tang army finally fired arrows sparsely in response. Several unlucky guys were shot at their horses, but only one of them suffered broken bones and tendons after being hit by his companion's horse. The others rolled up from the ground.
He grabbed his colleague's arm, turned over and jumped onto the horse's back.
This is a skillful equestrian skill that can make many people despair, and a unique skill that can save lives in war.
After two rounds, the Tang army seemed to have finally come to their senses after suffering the first wave of casualties. The generals worked hard to control the soldiers, asking them to step forward to fill the gaps and set up the shields densely.
Archers are also constantly moving, preparing to cause damage to the enemy.
The battle between infantry and cavalry finally got on the right track. It can be seen that the Tang army is not a soft persimmon, and a mere few thousand cavalry cannot easily shake the Tang army's formation.
The military these days is different from that in normal times, and they are also bound by strict military disciplines. Although the general is a little incompetent, they are not a rebel army that will collapse at the first touch.
In this harassment battle, which started in the afternoon, in less than half an hour, the casualties of the Tang army finally became smaller, and the casualties of the cavalry began to increase.
Nowadays, the most powerful weapon against cavalry, apart from fortified cities and the same cavalry, is probably archers.
Arrows were flying in the sky, people were shouting and horses were neighing, and smoke and dust blocked the sun.
The Bingdai cavalry dispersed and patrolled the Tang army's rear like a pack of wolves. Once there was a gap, they would immediately rush up and bite them, and then rely on the strength of their horses to quickly move away without causing too much damage to the Tang army.
their opportunity.
This was not a classic raid, because the Tang army had little to worry about their food routes being cut off, and all their food, grass and baggage were actually protected within the army.
However, the Bingdai cavalry, under the command of Xue Wanche, still caused a lot of trouble to the Tang army. They could not catch up, and they could not gain any advantage by shooting at these cavalry.
The entire rear army, more than 100,000 people, gradually stopped.
The soldiers in the army and the people on the other side were nervously watching the outer perimeter of the east side where there was a lot of killing, but they couldn't see anything except smoke and dust.
At this time, Li Shentong sent someone to inquire about the situation of the battle.
This is a good question. He originally just wanted to know the situation of the rear army encountering the enemy, without any intention of blaming him. However, Pei Ji became anxious. His mind was blank before. After knowing that the enemy army was only a few thousand, not a large force.
, besides feeling a little at ease, I was also a little ashamed.
When Li Shentong sent someone to question him again, he finally got a little angry and issued a very stupid order.
He ordered three thousand cavalry from the army to go into battle and cooperate with the infantry to defeat the attacking enemy.
If the Tang Army was elite enough, this would not be considered a ridiculous military order, but the Tang Army’s cavalry boasted that they could fight, but compared with contemporary cavalry, haha...
The three thousand Tang Army cavalry were originally on the right wing of the central army. They were actually deployed to prevent enemy attacks. It would not take much effort to send troops from the flank.
The three thousand cavalry were commanded by Liu Xuanying, the former Lieutenant of Jiangjun County, who was later appointed Sima of Jiangzhou to join the army. It can be said that he was a true disciple of the Pei family.
Being able to lead three thousand cavalry is almost indispensable. As for whether he can lead troops to charge, there is no need to doubt it. After all, he is also the military commander of a county.
But if you want to say how talented he is and how much experience he has in leading cavalry on expeditions, that's nonsense.
Real cavalry generals can only be born in the border areas. Nowadays, apart from the merging of two states, the only one left is the northwest.
He, who has been staying in Jiangzhou to guard the Pei family, is not at the same level as the cavalry generals who were killed under Li Po.
Three thousand cavalry troops came out from the flank and almost hit Xue Wanche's arms.
It's like giving me a pillow when I'm dozing off.
In fact, Xue Wanche's order was not needed at all. Shi Da, who was the first to bear the brunt, immediately led his troops to retreat away from the flanks of the Tang army. This Sui soldier who was born in the Orion of Mayi had already grown into a qualified cavalry general in successive battles.
It can be seen that a person's experience is the key factor for a person's achievement. In many cases, talent comes second.
If each of them led a thousand cavalry to engage in a fighting battle at this time, even those heroes who were later passed down by word of mouth would almost have to be decapitated by Shi Da.
Not to mention people like Liu Xuanying, Shi Da's instinctive reaction was to lure the thousands of cavalry out to chase him.
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This chapter has been completed!