The cavalry of the large group came like a tide, the sound of hooves shook the sky, and the smoke covered the sun.
The Turks have arrived.
The more than 14,000 Turkic troops were so impressive that they immediately became the protagonists on the battlefield.
The main force of the army has not yet arrived. The Turkic cavalry, riding prairie horses, wearing dirty leather robes and fur hats, with disheveled hair and wolf tails swaying from the side of their faces, were already in front of the Tang army, coming and going in a majestic manner, as if they were making a declaration.
Who will be the master here?
They were answered by sharp arrows shot from a strong bow. Many Turks were shot off their horses without paying attention, causing ridicule and abuse from the Tang soldiers.
The angry Turks responded immediately.
The two sides are natural enemies, and they rarely speak politely when they meet. As soon as the two armies met, they greeted each other fiercely.
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There are nearly 15,000 cavalrymen, which is definitely a terrifying force on the Liaodong Peninsula.
Regardless of the fact that there is no shortage of cavalry in the Tang Dynasty now, especially after the horse farms have been restored, war horses are no longer the main factor restricting the number of cavalry in the Tang Dynasty.
What Datang is now facing is the cost of maintaining large-scale cavalry.
Even so, since Li Po raised his army, the number of cavalry has been increasing year by year. By the sixth year of Yuanzhen, the Tang Dynasty already had nearly 100,000 cavalry.
They are just scattered and stationed in various places. Unless there is a full-scale war with the Turks, these cavalry will not easily gather into a formidable cavalry group.
The last large-scale mobilization of cavalry was when Ashina Qiuluo, the Western Turkic Khan, led his army south to Yulin a few years ago. Xue Wanche, Li Nian and others gathered more than 25,000 cavalry to fight.
However, there was no fight in the end. After careful consideration, Ashina Qiuluo did not dare to fight the Tang army. He just circled around Yulin, Shuofang, Lingzhou and other places before returning to the grassland.
Another was the battle between the Tang army and the Tubo people in Liangzhou. Zhang Lun, Xu Shiji and others led their cavalry to defeat the Tibetans.
And these were all local wars. The only opponents that Tang Dynasty could mobilize all its strength to attack with all its might were the Turks.
This time the Tang army crossed the sea and came to fight on the peninsula. As the sharpest sword in the army, the Tang cavalry was unable to participate in the battle on a large scale. It was not that the Tang Dynasty did not want to, but the reality did not allow it.
This also gave the Turks an opportunity to show off their power...
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It's just that the Turkic army took advantage of the situation and came. When Ashina Duowen led the main force of the army to the shore of Zhushui River, he and his men were dumbfounded.
…………
It was now the end of August, and the swaggering golden wolf flag was dancing in the cold wind.
Under the flag, Ashina Duowen and his generals only looked at the high place for a moment, and their eyes bulged. In a blink of an eye, it was impossible to count how many camps the Tang army had built on the bank of Xishui.
From the place where the Tang army landed to the foot of Pyongyang City on the west side, the continuous barracks were like small towns, mercilessly mocking the Turkic army that came here.
Ashina Duowen had received reports before that the Tang people had built many villages here, but he had not taken it seriously yet. According to their previous expectations, the Tang people were not gods, so how could they have expected that he would lead his army south?
It is estimated that they just built some warehouses to store grain and grass in a hurry.
But when he saw the scene on the north bank of Xishui with his own eyes, he felt bad... He looked around doubtfully, thinking there was something wrong with his eyes.
After seeing that his subordinates had the same virtue as him, the anger in his heart exploded like a volcano.
Because he knew what these camps would mean to the Turkic warriors in the subsequent war.
That means that the Turkic warriors can only dismount and compete with the enemy, which means more casualties. It means that in the face of such a huge infantry, the warriors may not be able to defeat the enemy even if they bleed dry.
Ashina Tawen was so angry that she grabbed Yuengai Suwen, pointed at the distance and spit out countless saliva.
"Is this the defenseless thing you told me? What's the idea of you damn Goguryeo people? Do you want the darling of the gods to be caught here?"
Yuan Gaisuwen struggled for a while and then calmed down. His face was as gray as a Turk. He looked at the gentle Turk Dongfang Khan who had always been smiling, but now his face changed, as if he wanted to choose someone at any time.
And like a devouring beast.
Yeon Gaesumun was frightened and felt that his life was in danger, so he hurriedly defended himself: "The Khan calmed down, the Tang army camped with its back to the water, and there was no way out.
As long as we cut off their pontoon bridge on the water, there may be no need to attack. As long as we trap them on the north bank, in winter, even the Buddha will not be able to save them."
There seemed to be some truth to what he said. Ashina Duowen pushed him away and looked away again in a blink of an eye, his eyes flashing.
The people in the south have always been cunning. If we fight them here, what can we gain except the bloodshed of the warriors?
This thought has been lingering in Ashina Duowen's mind, but at this moment, it only made him more troubled.
Can you turn around and go back to Liaodong?
Ashina Duowen shook his head secretly, his subordinates needed a decent victory... Even if he suppressed the news before, the news that the sweat tent was occupied could not be hidden for long.
That woman will definitely send someone over to persuade his subordinates to go back, so much so that he no longer dares to trust the confidants around him. Only more gains and victories can stabilize everyone's hearts.
Therefore, Ashina Duowen's situation was also extremely unsatisfactory. When he was sitting firmly in the position of Dongfang Khan, he didn't care much about the Turkic royal court.
Because he knows that the power of the Turks lies in how many cattle, sheep and tribes you have, not in how many people in the royal court speak for you and how many benefits they will give you.
In these years, he never went to the royal court to participate in alliance meetings, nor did he let anyone go to the Khan to flatter him. Haven't they always been in peace? Why? Isn't it because he is the Eastern Khan and controls countless Eastern tribes of Turks?
No one dares to do anything to him.
But things are different now. He led people to Liaodong and gave them opportunities, so everything changed.
That damn woman, the god must have fallen asleep, otherwise how could a woman without the blood of the Ashina she-wolf become the master of the Turks?
Well, now this has become Ashina's daily routine. Whenever something goes wrong, he will curse that woman.
This might make him feel better, but it won't solve any problems.
In fact, according to the art of war in the Central Plains, as the commander-in-chief of the army, if he was so half-hearted after seeing the enemy, he was already at a disadvantage.
If a general is hesitant, his troops will be frustrated and not know where to go. This is a taboo for military strategists. It is best to retreat at this time and think clearly about the pros and cons before coming back. If you do it forcefully, you will most likely encounter setbacks.
Because once the war starts and you have doubts, every decision may be biased and delayed.
But Ashina Duowen didn't know this. He finally decided that since he was here, he couldn't go back empty-handed. He couldn't bear the consequences of that, so he might as well give it a try...