(Words written at the beginning of the chapter: I just went back and looked through the comments on the chapter by all the book friends, and found that all of you are talented...Ok, no nonsense, let's continue the text...)
Although Dugu Yuhuan has a good idea and his desire to obtain loot is also very strong, the reality is generally not satisfactory.
It didn't take long for the leading troops who set off early to find traces of the Han army. However, they were surprised to find from the footprints left behind that the Han army seemed to have hidden some horses. Then the retreating Han army changed from infantry to cavalry.
…
Then still pursue it?
Dugu Yuhuan waved his hand and continued chasing!
The infantry who had just climbed onto the horse's back were only a little faster than walking at most. Compared with the men under him, there was definitely a gap.
The Han army wore iron armor, and the infantry who were temporarily mounted must not be proficient in riding skills, so the physical exertion on the horses must be greater. As long as they follow the horse's hoofprints, how far can these Han dogs run?
No wonder Dugu Yuhuan is so sure, because the terrain in this area is indeed quite special.
On the left side of the passage from Zhenlin to Yulin are continuous small mountains with steep slopes. Except for the valley on the other side of Yuanyin, which is passable, individual people may be able to climb over the top of the mountain, but if they want to be passed by a large army,
, especially for cavalry, it is basically impossible.
And on the right is a vast desert, with yellow sand all over the sky and no obstructions. Standing on the flat ground, you can easily see the situation ten or twenty miles away. If there is a slight movement of soldiers gathering together, it will cause
The smoke and dust will inevitably rise into the sky, so that it can be seen forty or fifty miles away...
Therefore, Dugu Yuhuan only needs to focus on the front. What he is worried about now is delaying time and allowing the Han army to escape to the Yulin camp, and then he will basically not be able to take advantage of it.
However, I did not expect that the Xianbei army encountered some troubles in their pursuit. They wanted to go faster but could not get up.
Xianbei's pursuing army could not detect the scattered iron caltrops hidden in the messy grass in the east and west. By the time they noticed it, it was already too late. More than twenty war horses fell to the ground limping and whining. Their owners
He was so disgraced that he still endured the pain in his body to take care of the horses...
Avoiding the weeds on the road, the result is even more tragic. If you are not careful, you will fall into a trap for cavalry. The semi-deep holes specifically for horse hooves are a nightmare. If you accidentally step on them, the result will be worse than stepping on caltrops.
Be miserable.
The caltrops only pierce the horseshoe, and the lameness will be cured in a few days. However, horses that stepped on the horse pits will basically have broken legs and feet. Even if they are cured, various problems will inevitably occur, let alone
Continue to catch up...
Then...are you still pursuing it?
The choice before Dugu Yuhuan is like a gambler who has lost part of his capital. He can either cut off his money and leave now, or he can continue to increase his bets...
It's easy to say it's easy to say goodbye, but to actually do it, you need a lot of courage and responsibility. Otherwise, there won't be so many people in the future who will lose their wealth when the thousand stocks fall to the limit in four days.
All contributed to the unknown so-and-so...
So Dugu Yuhuan gritted his teeth and chose to increase his bet and continue to pursue. After all, only by continuing to pursue and obtain trophies can he make up for the losses that have occurred and save his face in front of his tribe, right?
But as the ordinary Xianbei cavalry who were chasing after them, after seeing the painful lessons of their companions, they had woken up from the initial state of excitement and madness. They had to move forward cautiously, and from time to time they would pick up new ones from the grass or from the open space.
The various traps they discovered made them more and more panicked, and the further they walked, the greater the psychological pressure they endured.
They don't know how many such traps there are, and they don't know when such traps will appear under their feet. They have chased for nearly a hundred miles, but they haven't seen the Han army yet. How long will they continue to chase?
How long it will take to walk in this kind of terrain is still unknown.
The Xianbei soldiers moved slower and slower. The old men in the team wanted to move faster, but they couldn't move faster at all. They didn't know if Dugu Yuhuan had thought wrong. The Han army had already run far away, and all that was left to them was this.
There were endless small traps, and they were worried that since the Han army had left these traps, wouldn't they be waiting to ambush them somewhere in front?
The more the Xianbei soldiers thought about it, the more uncertain they became. They exchanged glances and their marching speed slowed down...
****************
In front of the Xianbei army, Xu Yucai commanded a dozen people to dig traps.
They have a special tool for digging Ma Xiaokeng, a long shovel with only half a hollow iron cylinder and a sharp lower edge. As long as you stand firm, apply vertical force, and constantly rotate the handle, you can easily dig on the flat yellow mud.
Cut out a round hole. This thing is a batch of tools specially made by the Pingyang Workshop after the Zhonglang sniped at the Xianbei cavalry on the Huangcheng River Bank.
Two or three scouts were holding bows and arrows, sitting on horseback. They did not participate in digging holes, but were on guard at the side. They also shouldered the responsibility of observing the movements of the Xianbei cavalry.
In such a relatively flat area, the smoke and dust raised by large-scale enemy forces are easy to detect and cannot be covered up even if they want to. Only small-scale personnel like Xu Yu, who are about ten or twenty, can raise the dust.
When there is not much, it will dissipate easily in the wind and will not attract the attention of people far away.
The smoke generated by the large-scale infantry is flat and broad, dense and low-pitched. However, the smoke caused by the cavalry is different. The smoke will be relatively high, and because of the automatic following characteristics of the war horses, the smoke will look more concentrated, like a mountain, advancing slowly.
Experienced veterans can even tell the approximate distance and number of people based on the difference in smoke and dust...
"Captain Xu! It's time to withdraw!" a scout said loudly.
"Okay!" Xu Yu pulled out the long shovel hard and brought out a long cylindrical soil pillar. Then he broke the soil pillar into several pieces with one kick, and then flew up and kicked it away casually.
, the dark mud lumps rolled around, stained by the floating dust on the ground, and soon there was not much difference in color.
Xu Yu put the long shovel behind him, walked towards his horse, and ordered, "Let's go! Everyone mount their horses and retreat!"
The soldiers who could not ride horses had secretly evacuated from Zhenlin a few days ago, and those who stayed behind were some soldiers who knew some riding skills. Although they could not fight on horseback like regular cavalry, they could still ride on horseback.
I'm in a hurry but it's not too much of a problem.
"Does anyone else have any caltrops? Just throw some away!" Xu Yu, while leading the people to evacuate, touched the bag containing the caltrops on the horse's back, only to find that it was empty. He could not help but curl his lips and shout to the men next to him.
road.
"Okay! I have a little more!"
"I've already thrown it away!"
The soldiers responded one after another. A dozen small black dots rolled down from the horse's back, bounced a few times on the loess, and then disappeared into the smoke...
There are always more and more things... It seems that the only thing the thief wants is to make people uneasy...