Chapter 4 Old Friends (Four Shang) The Battle of Daishan caused Qin Shubao and others to completely change their previous evaluation of the strength of the rebels. Similarly, the Wagang Army, walking among the barren mountains and wild ridges at this moment, also admired the enemy who had just bid farewell. They left
The Daishan range did not pass through the relatively affluent Lu County, although it would have been easier for them to obtain supplies by looting the estates of wealthy families on the way. Instead, they marched more than 80 miles in a hurry, retreating overnight into the barren land and hordes of bandits.
If they take this detour from Jibei County back to Wagang, it will take them twice as long as taking the road to Lu County. They will also have to climb two high mountains and cross two huge swamps on the way.
But it would be safer to go this way. They could not recruit enough manpower. Qin Shubao would never dare to follow them with only the 700 elites from Qi County in his hand. Although the soldiers in the county were all brave and good at fighting, in Jibei County, each
The road heroes can definitely bite them to death with their numerical advantage.
"Bah, when did our Wagang Army hide from others!" There were also people who were very dissatisfied with Xu Maogong's arrangements. Shan Xiongxin, the commander of the Ma Army, was one of them. When he fought against Luo Shixin, he received a blow on the leg from the opponent. Although it was not fatal,
But riding a horse for a long time will be very painful. With the invasion of sweat, the wound seems to be cut with a small knife.
Especially when going uphill and downhill, it feels like being tortured. Shan Xiongxin cannot use any strength on his legs, so he can only rely on others to support him so as not to slip off the horse. If he is not careful, the wound will immediately ooze out.
The blood, endlessly, is particularly disturbing.
What hurt Shan Xiongxin more than the wound on his leg was the dozens of war horse outfits, which he had finally snatched from the enemy. Xu Maogong pretended to be generous and returned them to others. Although he explained to everyone that he was using
If the number of heavily armored cavalry is too small, it will not be effective. If there are too many Wagang troops, they will not be able to support it. However, Shan Xiongxin, the commander of the cavalry army, refused to accept this excuse. In his opinion, Xu Maogong's move was clearly
Showing weakness to the enemy not only loses his face, but also damages the prestige of the Wagang Army.
"A little is better than nothing. A little adds up to a lot. I don't know what he thinks. The poorer you are, the more generous you are. We are bandits, what kind of hypocrisy are we playing?" He glanced at Xu Maogong in the distance and muttered a few words in a low voice.
The pain felt lighter, and my head didn't feel as dizzy as before.
"Come on, old Dan, don't be so stingy. The military advisor is right. We will lose too much if we fight against the enemy. It's not like you haven't fought with them before. The strength of Qijun's officers and soldiers is not inferior to our Wagang Army at all!" Cheng Zhijie listened.
Unaccustomed to Shan Xiongxin's endless verbosity, he whispered advice from the side
His words came out of good intentions, but they just hit Shan Xiongxin's sore spot. "What's wrong with being strong? No matter how strong we are, we won't lose to them. If we continue to fight, it's not certain who will fall first!" Shan Xiongxin's eyes widened.
With his eyes, he let out a series of roars that caused the nearby soldiers to turn around, wondering what kind of medicine the leader had taken today.
"If we fight another battle, we will definitely win, okay? Are you satisfied, Lao Dan? But after the battle is over, the brothers are almost done. You, Lao Dan, will go back to Wagang Mountain alone, and you will be yours back to Wagang Mountain."
Go to the King of Guanggan Mountain!" Cheng Zhijie was a little angry because of Shan Zhongzhi's roar. He spit on the ground and led his horse away from the front of the team.
When Shan Xiongxin heard this sentence in his ears, it made him want to vomit blood than the previous sentence. When he fought against the elites of Qi County for the first time, the two hundred cavalry of Wagang Army were almost completely wiped out, and Shan Xiongxin, as a cavalry soldier,
Commander, it means that after that, he has confirmed his identity as the King of Guangganshan
"Whose fault is it? It's not like we don't have the chance to expand our army. I told you before that we don't have enough manpower. We don't have enough manpower, but you just don't listen and you still dream of dominating the world. You can't even handle a bigger battle. You're a ghost!" Shan Xiongxin said.
He said, while whipping the branches and trunks by the roadside with his horsewhip. He was so strong that the ground was covered with broken leaves. Cheng Zhijie didn't bother to argue with him. Ordinary soldiers were not qualified to quarrel with him. The surroundings fell silent for a while. He only heard his words.
People are shouting
"Of the thirty-six heroes in Henan Province, we are the only ones who don't have tens of thousands in armor. We have elite soldiers, elite soldiers, so elite that there are no soldiers at all!" Shan Xiongxin's voice got louder as he spoke, as if he was eager for someone to quarrel with him.
The strategy of elite troops was proposed by Xu Maogong when Zhai Rang had just raised his troops. At that time, the Wagang Army mainly made a living by collecting "consecrations" (Note 1) from the estates of wealthy families near the village. They could not afford to support too many troops.
So I can’t afford too serious losses.
Later, the Wagang Army gradually established a foothold in Dongjun, but they could not bear to plunder the countryside like other bandits. They tried to distinguish themselves from thieves, so their recruitment was very limited. Of course, they had to stick to the strategy of elite troops.
This strategy earned the Wagang Army the name "Righteous Division", but it has also received a lot of criticism recently. Especially after Li Mi went up the mountain, this great talent who is famous all over the world believed that it was time for the heroes to join forces, so he wanted to recruit more people to join the army.
Just one more strength, but Xu Maogong stubbornly believes that soldiers are more expensive than finesse. Two hundred thousand farmers with sticks and shovels are definitely no match for five thousand veterans who are familiar with orders and have been trained for a long time.
The two parties have publicly discussed their future development strategies many times, and the leader Zhai has never been a person with accurate ideas, so the leaders are divided into two groups. One group supports Xu Maogong to slowly accumulate strength and not be the leader for the time being, and the other group agrees with Li Mi's approach.
The perspective of quickly growing strength and preparing to compete in the world
Shan Xiongxin believed in Xu Maogong's character, but supported Li Mi's suggestion, so he refused to please both sides. Originally, he didn't want to mention these boring things, but when his leg hurt today, he immediately stopped talking.
"Brother Shan, what you said is not appropriate. There are 100,000 rebels in Beihai County. You have seen with your own eyes the results of the 100,000 rebels!" Xie Yingden caught up from behind and retorted in a slow voice.
While talking, Xie Yingdeng winked at Shan Xiong's messenger. Xu Maogong's location was not too far from Shan Xiongxin's place. If Shan Xiongxin kept shouting, the other party would definitely hear his complaints. Although Master Xu Er was broad-minded, in front of the crowd,
, he must also protect his majesty
Moreover, Xu Maogong's views have been tested by facts. When they first came to rescue the Beihai Rebels, many generals were full of hope for the fighting power of the rebels. A hundred thousand troops swept across Beihai. Even if they were in trouble, they could still hold on for three or five months! Who would have thought that everyone had just
Halfway through, I heard that the Beihai Rebels had been driven out of Beihai. When everyone arrived at the foot of Mount Dai, they found that only 6,000 of the legendary 100,000 rebels were left, while the officers and soldiers only had 1,000 regular troops, and the rest were all recruited temporarily to make up the numbers.
Minzhuang
"It's only been a few days since they started the uprising, but we have been struggling for more than two years. If we recruit more people for training from the beginning, we still won't be able to train them. Besides, how can those gang of people in Beihai County compare with our Wagang Army? How can there be any among them?"
He is worthy of being a general!" Shan Xiongxin lowered his voice a little, and argued unconvincingly that on the one hand he expected the Wagang Army to grow rapidly, on the other hand he also looked down on the Beihai bandits who only had the numbers.
However, the two originally conflicting views on the development of the combat-effective army can be perfectly unified in his mouth, and in turn, they seem to be quite reasonable.
"Brother Shan, the heroes of Beihai still have some abilities, but they were caught off guard by Qin Shubao!" A leader riding a red horse in front of Xu Maogong turned back and whispered to Shan Xiongxin and Xie Yingden. At the same time, he
Quietly pointed his horsewhip at Qi Guoyuan, who was following Xu Maogong's horse, and signaled Shan and Xie not to be too mean.
Qi Guoyuan is now the real boss, with not a single brother left. He is incapable of scolding the heroes of Beihai behind their backs. It is really adding insult to injury. Moreover, after this person goes up the mountain, he will be regarded as a member of the Wagang Army, riding a red horse.
The leader doesn’t want everyone to have too many gaps in their hearts in the future.
"Bodang, can you hear us?" Shan Xiongxin realized that his complaint just now was too loud. Since the people walking next to Xu Maogong could hear it clearly, Xu Maogong himself must have heard every word.
"Your loud voice will probably scare away all the leopards in the mountains. No one can hear you!" Wang Bodang frowned and lowered his voice and responded, "The military advisor knew that you were feeling uncomfortable in your legs, so he deliberately pretended not to hear.
Everyone is embarrassed! But you should restrain yourself and don't force him to enforce strict military discipline!"
"Ugh!" Shan Xiongxing covered his mouth with his hand, and at the same time widened his leopard eyes. "I, Old Dan, was really sorry just now!" He muttered to Xu Maogong's shadow in a low voice, "But please dress up properly."
People go back..."
"Come on, old Dan, don't keep going, haven't you noticed? The military advisor returned those heavy and heavy iron equipment, but not their war horses?" Wang Bodang knew that Shan Xiongxin had a stubborn temper, even in his heart
He won't admit it when he is wrong. "The military advisor is not optimistic about the combat effectiveness of armored cavalry. Think about it, we are fighting against the elites of Qi County. It is those light cavalry running around that are a headache. He also said that armored cavalry is even more troublesome."
Headache!"
"Of course it's the light cavalry, grandma's. This is the first time I've seen this style of fighting to take advantage of us. But there are so many of them. If there are the same number of armored cavalry..." Shan Xiongxin suddenly paused mid-sentence.
Mouth
He is not an unreasonable person. Although sometimes the cost of the tough-tongued light cavalry is less than 20% of that of the armored cavalry, and the requirements for the war horses and the quality of the soldiers are also far lower than those of the armored cavalry. Several factors are considered.
, the cost of building two hundred armored cavalry is enough to build two thousand light cavalry.
If the two thousand light cavalry have appropriate tactics, including the Qijun elite's tactics of bullying the infantry's slow movement, they can defeat tens of thousands of well-trained infantry. If they encounter the unbeaten meat of the Beihai Rebels,
Two thousand Qingqi can defeat tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands.
A strange scene suddenly appeared in front of Shan Xiongxin's eyes. He led more than a thousand cavalrymen to fly past in front of an enemy force that was ten times his own. The arrows around him were like rain, but they could not stop the cavalrymen's speed. The cavalrymen ran as they ran.
It is not necessary to be accurate when shooting arrows into the enemy's formation. In such a dense formation, shooting directly can cause huge damage. After several circles, the enemy's morale was greatly demoralized, and then they were completely defeated. The brothers rode their horses to catch up and cut the melons from behind.
Cutting down the enemy like a vegetable
He knew that this tactic had already been used by some people. Why were the Qijun elites able to kill the Beihai counterparts of the Wagang Army so cleanly? They used this "novel" tactic.
This tactic cannot be called invincible, but it is a sure-fire move against infantry, especially the poorly equipped and poorly trained rebels. "What a ruthless Qin Shubao!" Shan Xiongxin admired in his heart, although the scene just now was just a flash of inspiration.
, but he knows that he has entered a new realm. If he continues down this road, more elite tactics will be unfolded for him.
"Thankfully they met the military advisor!" Shan Xiongxin, who suddenly caught a glimpse of the light cavalry's tactics, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and thought that if Xu Maogong hadn't responded appropriately that day, the Wagang Army's losses would have been even greater than they were now.
He knocked his stirrup and chased Xu Maogong along the emergency passage reserved on the right side of the team. He wanted to share this experience with Xu Maogong. Since the military advisor has ways to restrain cavalry and shooting tactics, he must have a deeper understanding of such tactics.
"This impatient old Dan!" Wang Bodang scolded Shan Xiongxin with a smile. He and Xie Yingdeng knew very well that in fact, he and many Wagang generals realized the new tactics after the first battle with Qijun elites.
For them who are used to and familiar with traditional armored cavalry tactics, this is a tactic full of freshness and temptation. After all, we are all rebels now. We don’t have the imperial court that frequently builds thousands of iron equipment and buys them from the Western Regions at high prices.
The most realistic and reasonable consideration is to buy good horses and use the meager conditions at hand to build an invincible light cavalry with local war horses, cowhide light armor, horizontal swords, and short bows. Once such an army is built,
, the Wagang Army's range of activities and attack power can be expanded at least three times. In this way, they will have the opportunity to rush out of Dongjun like a storm. Whether they go to Xingyang in the west or take Xuchang in the south, it will be a matter of time.
Hearing the sound of horse hooves coming from behind, a smile appeared on Xu Maogong's face. Just now, he had not been able to hold back and maintain his dignity. He deliberately gave Shan Xiongxin a chance to vent. He was older than himself in the Wagang Army and had a straightforward temper.
Xu Maogong, the commander of the cavalry army, sincerely likes him for his ability to observe people. Such people are upright and will not stab people behind their backs. In addition, another important reason why he admires Shan Xiongxin is that this person has a good understanding of cavalry tactics.
His ability to comprehend is quite high, perhaps second only to Li Xu back then.
Thinking of his good brother, Xu Maogong couldn't help but sigh. Back then, his dream was to become a general and become a marquis, so every time he heard about Xu Zi, he felt like he had seen his dream. Sometimes, Xu Maogong envied Li Xu's
Good luck, because he firmly believes that if he had the same fate, he might not do worse than Xuzi
But fate plays tricks on people, not everyone will be favored by Tang Gong Li Yuan as soon as they join the army, and not everyone can escape all disasters safely. Xu Maogong clearly remembers the scene when the government forcibly came to his home to spread the bad news, and the Xu family's money was spent.
I bought a lot of money, and people entrusted me with a lot, but the other party repeatedly searched for it based on a piece of military recruitment order, and the demands were excessive.
Really unable to swallow this breath, he went to Wagang to join Zhai Rang. Half a year later, he heard the news about his good friend. At this time, the other party had become a captain in the Sui Army.
"Is Military Master Xu worried about the guy named Li?" Qi Guoyuan, who had been following Xu Maogong like a follower, suddenly quickened his pace and asked Shan Xiongxin before he could.
"That cavalry and archery tactic came from the nomadic tribes on the grassland. It should have been brought back by Li Zhongjian, not by Qin Shubao." Xu Maogong did not answer Qi Guoyuan's words. He turned to Shan Xiongxin who was following him and said, "But when Qi County elites use it,
Obviously we have improved it based on our Central Plains tactics. This tactic emphasizes speed first, and then attack power! I don’t have much understanding, but we can discuss it together after we return to the mountain."
"Does the military advisor know less than the man named Li?" Shan Xiong was stunned for a moment, with a hint of disappointment in his words.
"His understanding has always been better than mine, and he has experienced two conquests of Liao Dynasty, one counterinsurgency, leading troops and more practical experience than me!" Xu Maogong nodded and answered very humbly. He found that he was actually proud of Li Xu.
, although this person may become his most troublesome opponent in the future.
"I have a way to bring bad luck to the surname Li!" Qi Guoyuan added forcefully. He had just joined the gang. He was in a hurry to perform meritorious service, so he didn't care about other people's faces for the moment.
"Oh?" Xu Maogong's brows suddenly jumped up and he asked in surprise
"Have the military advisor and Li Zhongjian known each other before? Or are they very familiar with each other?" Qi Guoyuan showed off his intelligence to his heart's content, "The secret minister has an informant in Qi County. If we pass this news to Zhang Xutuo through him..." He laughed.
With a sinister look on his face
"Win without force!" Xu Maogong shook his head repeatedly.
"This trick will definitely work! Qin Shubao and Luo Shixin may not be convinced by Zhang Zhongjian. He is a foreigner, but he is dictating everywhere..." Qi Guoyuan babbled to himself.
