It was extremely cold in the middle of the night, and the dripping water turned into ice.
The atmosphere in the Xia army's tent was lively. More than a hundred generals gathered in the Chinese army's tent. Su Jin began to arrange combat tasks. When Yelu Zongzhen's messenger came overnight to deliver the declaration of war, Su Jin knew that the time had come. In the past two days, His stunts had successfully defeated the psychological defenses of Yelu monarchs and ministers. This tough tone of the letter of challenge was a cover-up, and was actually a precursor to the Liao people's retreat.
When Su Jin analyzed all this to the generals, most of the generals agreed with Su Jin's judgment. After this whole set of drama, the Liao people would either go to war immediately, or they would have to withdraw their troops. It would be impossible for them to do it again. The reason is to wait for the snowstorm to subside before fighting again, because according to past experience, the snowstorm will last for several days in the twelfth lunar month every year. Even if the snow stops, the strong northeasterly wind blowing from the Helan Pass will also blow the ground. The heavy snow is blowing all over the sky. It is difficult to endure such bad weather even if you are hiding in a tent. How can you fight against the enemy?
Even after the sun shines, the snow will be frozen with a thick layer of slippery ice. The hooves of the war horses will either sink deeply or slip when they step on it. In fact, it is impossible to fight. The so-called waiting for the weather to be fine and the two sides to show off. It's just a shout. Even if the ice and snow melt in ten days and the sun shines, I don't know how many people will freeze to death by then. Especially when they know that the Xia army is in danger of food and fuel, how can the Liao people wait in vain? For more than ten days, all the morale of his army was consumed.
"Everyone, I have discussed with Zhang Xiangguo and several other adults, and I feel that the Liao people will retreat quietly in these days. As long as they break camp and retreat, the opportunity will come. The retreat of the army will be like a rout, and there is no way to stop it. If we want to win, our army must seize this opportunity, so as to ensure a great victory."[
All the generals nodded in unison. This is a good thing. In the current situation, whoever attacks first will suffer losses, and whoever retreats first will be defeated. If the Liao people really break camp and retreat, it will indeed be the best opportunity.
"So, from now on, I declare that we are entering an offensive state. The troops you lead must be on alert and ready to attack at any time. Once the order is given, they must gather and attack without any delay." Su Jin's cold voice resounded through the tent: "Everyone. If you have any questions, take this opportunity to ask them immediately, and it will be too late to raise them later.”
"I would like to ask General Su, how can we pursue the enemy when there is heavy snow, deep snow and slippery roads, making it difficult for the horses to run?" a general asked loudly.
Su Jin said: "That's a good question. The horses are struggling to move, which is indeed not conducive to pursuit, but it is also not conducive to the retreat of the Liao people. In order to improve mobility, I have ordered the more than 50,000 wheeled vehicles in the army to remove the wheels and install curved chassis modifications. It can be turned into a snow sled cart, each cart is pulled by several horses, and supplies and weapons can be placed on the sled. Seven or eight soldiers ride on each cart. After testing, it is much faster than charging on horseback, and it is easy to coordinate attacks with each other. The car has three archers, two shield soldiers, and two pikemen. The shield soldiers can protect the archers and pikemen, and the archers and pikemen can kill the enemy with concentration."
Everyone was in an uproar. They could still do this. The cavalry turned into chariots, but I don't know how effective it was. It sounded quite reasonable.
Su Jin continued: "There is no need to doubt that such tactics have been used on chariots since ancient times. We are not reviving old antiques, but adapting to local conditions. If there is a blockage of deep snow, the cavalry will naturally be the most effective in pursuit. But now, the cavalry is limited by the terrain and weather. This kind of warfare The law will work."
Zhang Yuan also said: "Just listen to your orders, and I agree to do this."
The discussion gradually died down, and another general asked: "If the Liao people guess our army's intentions and deliberately set up pockets to lure me into attacking, what should we do?"
Su Jin said: "This general is quite smart. This possibility is not impossible, but the terrain is limited. How to set up an ambush on a flat terrain? In addition, the charge of war horses is limited, and the action is inferior to that of infantry. Is it not possible to crawl up at a turtle's speed?
Became a live target? Moreover, I have sent multiple scout teams deep into the enemy's flank to observe the enemy at close range. Firstly, to monitor when the enemy will retreat, and secondly, to prevent the enemy from setting up an ambush, which is enough to detect the enemy's movements.
."
The general nodded and cupped his hands and said, "Master Zhang has thought carefully, so I am relieved."
Another general came forward and said: "I still have questions. If the enemy retreats, their rear will be cut off. If the enemy's rear forms a barrier to resist the enemy, the main force of the Liao army can withdraw to Helan with only half a day's delay."
At the mountain pass, won't it be difficult for our army to attack if we are at a high altitude?"
Su Jin smiled and said: "This general has a big appetite. From what you say, you want to annihilate the Liao army and capture Yelu Zongzhen alive. But in fact, this is impossible. Of course, the retreat of the army will not be a swarm of swarms."
Run, the Liao people will inevitably retreat in an orderly manner in batches from the front, middle and back. The Lord of the Liao must go first, then the main army will slowly retreat, and finally the soldiers and horses behind will retreat. The time for our attack is
When the main force of the Liao people retreats, the army behind them will be our main target."
"The Liao people have an army of 270,000, and the number of troops behind them is no less than 50,000 to delay our pursuit. Even if these 50,000 troops are completely annihilated, it will be a great victory for us; let alone
If you want to delay for half a day, 50,000 Liao soldiers are definitely not enough, so you don’t have to worry about there being no enemy troops to kill; if the attack goes well, the time to defeat the enemy’s retreating troops is short enough, and we still have a lot of time to pursue the enemy.
Main force, I’m afraid you guys don’t have that ability.”
The general chuckled and said, "Then I'm relieved. It's a pity that the Emperor of Liao couldn't catch up."
Su Jindao: "My goal is to annihilate more than 100,000 enemies. In addition to the 60,000 Liao troops that Commander Li and Zhang Xiangguo annihilated before, the Liao people will lose the lives of 160,000 troops. I am afraid that the Liao people will not even think about it for three to five years."
Take your breath back, this is like giving Lord Liao a kick in the chest, even more uncomfortable than killing him."
The generals were infected by Su Jin's confident mood and almost forgot the fact that this guy was forcing the Daxia army to fight the Liao people. In fact, all the generals leading the army were warlike.
There is a big battle ahead, like a beggar's eyes gleaming when he sees meat and wine. At this time, who is who and who is who is temporarily forgotten. Let's have fun first and don't worry about anything else.
"If you have any objections, I will assign a task. Ren Jingde listens to the order. Your command of 90,000 troops will serve as the vanguard. When the war begins, you must quickly attack the front of the enemy's rear-ended troops. Don't forget that your mission is to annihilate at least 100,000 troops.
Fifty thousand enemy troops can offset the punishment of those ten slaps, but I have confidence in you; I have a message for you: At all costs, quickly break through the enemy's front, and cooperate with other generals to quickly deal with the enemy behind them, so that you can catch up with the main force of the enemy.
Expand the results."
Ren Jingde stepped forward with a muffled voice and handed over his hand. He took the token and turned around to step back. Su Jin smiled and said: "You should be happy. Letting you be the vanguard is not to belittle you, but to trust your ability."
Ren Jingde rolled his eyes and said angrily: "Thank you, Mr. Su, for your trust." [
Su Jin smiled and shouted: "General Ximu listens to the order, you lead an army of fifty thousand to attack the enemy's left flank. When General Ren meets the enemy head on, you must attack the flank fiercely and cooperate with General Ren's attack without any mistakes!"
Ximu Weiming cupped her hands and took the order and shouted: "Don't worry, Mr. Su, look at me."
Su Jin nodded slightly and said, "General Langya will listen to your orders."
General Kong Wu stepped forward and handed over his hand.
"You lead 20,000 troops to attack the enemy's right wing. Remember, the right wing is on a slope. Don't attack by force. Focus on containment. After breaking through the center, you need to lead your troops to the enemy's front and assist General Ren in attacking the front. Do you understand? "
Langya said loudly: "It's your order!"
Su Jin clapped his hands and said: "The rest of the generals will lead their own armies to stand by. There are three powerful generals: General Ren, General Ximu and General Langyao. We just need to hold the line from behind."
The generals were stunned and said: "How can this be possible? More than 200,000 troops are following behind to see what the fun is doing? Why not send them together to attack fiercely? Wouldn't it be possible to defeat the enemy more quickly?"
Su Jin smiled and said: "Don't be impatient. You will have the opportunity to show off your talents. Just wait with peace of mind and lead your troops. I have my own arrangements."
Everyone was chattering, and Su Jin slapped the table and said: "Okay, you don't listen to orders? Do you want to be punished or dismissed on the spot? I know that you are dissatisfied because I am a member of the Song Dynasty. I I don’t want you to do anything to me. You just need to be patient for a few days. After this battle, I will pat my butt and leave. By then you will be out of sight and out of mind. But now you have to listen to me and go if you are not convinced. Go and reason with your Queen Mother."
The generals murmured and refused to give up. Su Jin waved his hand and said: "I advise you to go back quickly and take the time to rest. The war may start in the next hour. Don't doze off on the battlefield then. If you doze off, Those who died were soldiers of your Xia Kingdom. If you lose the battle, your Xia Kingdom will also be defeated. They have nothing to do with me. Let’s break up the meeting and go to bed!”
The dynasty's mahan Zhang Long and Zhao Hu came in from the outside with their guards, crossing their arms as if they were going to fork out whoever refused to leave, so the generals reluctantly left the tent.
Zhang Yuan followed at the end and couldn't help but ask Su Jin: "Master Su, why do you want to hold back? Wouldn't this increase the casualties of our Daxia soldiers?"
Su Jin smiled and said: "Zhang Xiangguo, it makes sense for me to do this. The Liao army will be defeated if they cut off the rear. If a swarm of swarms comes up and they are exhausted, how can they pursue the main force of the enemy? This 200,000-strong army is With the new force, as long as the Liao soldiers blocking the way are wiped out, I will immediately give orders to quickly pursue the enemy's main force. This is called recharging one's strength. They don't understand it, and you don't understand it either?"
Zhang Yuan suddenly said: "My lord, this is what you have considered. You can definitely make it clear to the generals."
Su Jin said with a smile: "When are the ferocious beasts the most ferocious and brave? When they are hungry, hold back their energy first, and when they are released from the cage, won't they all look like tigers descending from the mountain?"
Zhang Yuan opened his eyes wide and immediately laughed and said: "I've been taught a lesson, I've been taught a lesson, take my leave."
Su Jin cupped his hands and saw Zhang Yuan's figure disappearing in the dim light of the wind lantern, Su Jin laughed.
Wang Chao, Ma Han and others followed Su Jin for too long, so they naturally sensed the unusual meaning in Su Jin's laughter. Wang Chao said, "I'm afraid the young master is lying to him."
Su Jin chuckled and said: "Of course, I just want to make the Xia people lose more troops. What nonsense is it to recharge their batteries? I estimate that the Liao people will keep at least 80,000 to 100,000 troops to break up the rear. I will send double the 160,000 troops."
We must fight with our own soldiers. Victory is inevitable, but there is a considerable price to pay. If a swarm of swarms rushes forward and crushes the enemy with very little loss, what good will it do to our Song Dynasty? The Xia State is a white-eyed wolf. This 400,000-strong army
If I don't spend hundreds of thousands on him, how can I sleep peacefully in the future?"
Dynasty Mahan and others were stunned. It turned out that the young master had this idea, which was unbelievable.
"I know you will think that I regard the lives of the Xia people as nothing, but when the Xia army invades the northwest of the Song Dynasty and massacres the people of the Song Dynasty, you will not think so." [
Su Jin looked solemn: "The Xia people are by no means good people. This time we are subsidizing them with weapons, armor and food. If these factors are not offset, Xia's military strength will increase greatly. After this battle, the Liao and Song Dynasty will
Once we join forces with the Xia State, our Song Dynasty will be in danger; this is not unfounded worry, today's friends will be tomorrow's enemies, the change will only take a moment. Look at the current relationship between our Song Dynasty, the Liao people and Xixia, you will understand.
"
"Young Master is right, I understand." The four men from the Dynasty, Ma Han, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, cupped their hands.
Su Jin sighed: "I know you don't understand it yet. In the future, when you become an important minister on your own, you will naturally understand this truth."