In the early morning, Liu Jingjun's officers and soldiers had a sumptuous pre-battle meal, and then were led by their armor. Under the command of each battalion leader, garrison general, and commander, they lined up in columns and marched out of each camp one by one.
Liu Jing, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and other staff climbed up to the several-foot-high camp gate watchtower and looked out from high to observe the Jingzhou army in the distance.
However, due to the distance between the two sides, we could only clearly see that the Jingzhou army was arrayed with its back against the city and was quite large in number. As for the specific details, we had to rely on the reports from the frontline scouts.
As groups of scouts came and went frequently, Liu Jing gradually figured out the situation on the other side.
The total number of Jingzhou Army is about 25,000, divided into three armies: left, center and right.
The central army and the left wing were all dressed as Han people, while the right wing were made up of barbarians with buns and bare feet. Unsurprisingly, they were the troops of Mei Ping, the barbarian king in Peizhong. Although there were not as many as ten thousand people as rumored, there were still six or seven thousand people.
Liu Jing looked a little serious and turned to ask Zhuge Liang beside him. Pang Tong said: "Kong Ming, Shi Yuan, why do you think Wang Wei and Zhang Yun dare to go out of the city to fight in the field? Is it really because of these barbarians?"
"No." Zhuge Liang flatly denied it and said: "Although thousands of barbarians cannot be underestimated, they are not enough to determine success or failure. General Wang Wei is a man who knows the war and will never place his hopes on them.
."
Pang Tong nodded in agreement, and then expressed his guess: "Liu Bei is stationed in Fancheng. Could it be that Liu Biao, Liu Cong and his son deliberately released false news to confuse us, but in fact Liu Bei has secretly come to Yicheng?"
This is what Liu Jing is worried about, but the scouts did not find Liu Bei's flag in the enemy formation. Of course, this doesn't mean anything. Liu Bei may also deliberately hide his traces so that he can suddenly attack at a critical moment.
Zhuge Liang looked solemn and said: "Liu Bei is a great hero in this world. His subordinates, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, are enemies of ten thousand people. If Liu Bei comes in person, he will be our formidable enemy and cannot be ignored."
There is no need for Zhuge Liang to remind him of this kind of thing. As the saying goes, "Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the unexpected." No matter what reasons Wang Wei and Zhang Yun decided to go out of the city to fight in the field, Liu Jing had to assume that Liu Bei had arrived, and he must stay for this battle.
Have enough reserves in case of emergencies.
After consulting Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and others, Liu Jing appointed Zhenwei Zhonglang General Gan Ning as the front commander, supervising the front army of 5,000 men. Huang Zhong, the first colonel captain, served as the first colonel.
Zhechong Zhonglang general Chu Fang was appointed as the governor of the left army, with 5,000 soldiers in charge of the left army. He was assisted by Gao Xiang, the captain of Li Feng, and Huo Du, the captain of Pinglu.
Han Guang, the general of Jianwu Zhonglang, was appointed as the governor of the right army, with 5,000 men in charge of the right army. He was assisted by Apu, the captain of Xiaowu, and Feng Xi, the captain of Yingyang.
Ma Zhou, the captain of Fuyi School, Yu Zheng, the captain of Wuwei School, and Wei Yan, the captain of the enemy camp, led the 7,000-strong Chinese army to defend Liu Jing.
The rear army will serve as the reserve force of the entire army today. Its importance is self-evident and must be handed over to the most trusted confidants and brothers. Liu Jing promoted Cai to the rear governor with Wu Feng Zhonglang, and Liu Liang, the cavalry captain, assisted him.
Leading the troops and riding five thousand people behind.
In addition, Liu Zong, the commander-in-chief of the Sui Army, supervised the navy as a foreign aid. He joined the army and Deng Zhi led his troops to stay in the camp.
When the 27,000 cavalrymen were assembled outside the camp, Liu Jing, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and other officials went downstairs to mount their horses and galloped into the formation.
Liu Jinghuai was a man of armor and horse, with dignity like a god, and personally held his flag. Wherever he passed, the soldiers cheered for joy, and the huge sound echoed between heaven and earth for a long time. Not to mention the Jingzhou Army on the opposite side, even the soldiers and people of Yicheng could clearly hear it.
Liu Jing rode his horse straight into the central army amidst the sound of roaring mountains and tsunami. With an order, tens of thousands of cavalry moved with a roar and headed for the battlefield.
"Dong, dong, dong..."
At the front of Liu Jingjun's formation, there were people holding drums to clean up the troops, and there were people holding flags to guide the march. Liu Jingjun's military formation moved like a dark cloud, and the officers and soldiers of the Jingzhou Army looked at it and felt a sense of depression in their hearts.
Liu Jingjun's total of 27,000 men went into battle, including tens of thousands of men wearing iron armor and thousands of men wearing leather armor. The armor rate of the entire army exceeded 50%, and the darkness was overwhelming, which was extremely intimidating.
Although Liu Jing has been sparing no effort to develop the iron smelting industry in Jingnan in recent years, the foundation in Jingnan is too weak and it is difficult to achieve results for the time being. The reason why Liu Jingjun has so many iron armors mostly comes from the "contribution" of the Jingzhou Army.
In this situation, even if all the counties in northern Jingzhou produce iron, it will be difficult to fill the huge gap in the short term. The current armor rate of the Jingzhou Army is only about 30%, and this does not include the barbarians who lack armor. Otherwise, the armor rate will be even higher.
Low.
Liu Jingjun's military formation finally stopped 200 steps away from the enemy's formation, reorganizing his troops and making final preparations for the battle. For a moment, the red flags were waving, the drums were rumbling, and the soldiers were riding horses through the formation to convey orders. The battle was about to begin.
Gan Ning, who was appointed as the front commander, rode his horse in front of the battle, his rough face shining brightly.
It’s no wonder that he looks smug. The front commander is not just a simple commander of the front army. Due to the rapidly changing battlefield, Liu Jing is in the rear and it is difficult to respond in time. At this time, he needs the assistance of the front commander. In other words, the front commander
A governor is equivalent to a deputy commander.
Thinking about two years ago, he was trapped in Nanyang and depressed, and two years later, he became Liu Jingjun's deputy commander. How could he not be grateful for Liu Jing's trust?
Gan Ning patted Huang Zhong's generous shoulder vigorously and said: "The credit for defeating the enemy today belongs to our front army. Han Sheng, please work hard."
"No." Huang Zhong responded with clasped fists.
"Attack..." Liu Jing was in the center of the formation, under the canopy, pointing at the Jingzhou Army's position opposite, and calmly ordered.
As soon as Liu Jing finished speaking, dozens of large cowhide drums in the formation beat simultaneously, and the deafening sound of war drums swept the entire battlefield instantly.
Liu Jingjun, who was already ready to go, took action upon hearing the drum. Formations of fifty men were formed one after another. They changed from marching columns to assault cone formations. On the battlefield stretching for several miles from east to west, dozens of troops
The cone-shaped formations advanced at the same time, like a large awl, cutting into the Jingzhou army.
Two hundred steps later, Sergeant Liu Jing walked slowly to the slow rhythm of the drum.
One hundred and fifty steps later, the Jingzhou Army took the lead in attacking. Crossbows were piled up in the formation, but because the distance was still far away and Liu Jing's soldiers were well-armored, they did not pose much of a threat. However, Liu Jing's soldiers accelerated their march.
, from walking slowly to walking quickly.
One hundred and twenty steps, Liu Jingjun's heavy crossbowmen, under the cover of the armor in front, began to rain arrows on the opposite Jingzhou Army position.
Not to be outdone, the Jingzhou Army fought back aggressively. The crossbowmen on both sides came and went, firing arrows like rain. Under such a dense attack, the casualties of the soldiers on both sides increased sharply, and some people fell to the ground every moment. Liu Jing's soldiers resisted.
The endless arrow rain attacks from above, advancing forward, a hundred steps, fifty steps, thirty steps...
"Kill..." When Liu Jingjun was twenty steps away from the enemy's formation, Liu Jingjun suddenly beat loud drums, and all his soldiers shouted to advance and launched a charge.
Xiandeng, led by Huang Zhong, took the lead in rushing to the Jingzhou Army's position. Each conical formation dug into the Jingzhou Army's wall with an indomitable momentum.