The ancient battle formations were very different from Li Shan's imagination. After all, he was not a professional, but he knew one thing very well. To defeat the hundreds of thousands of Turks, cavalry was the most important unit.
Therefore, after taking control of Daizhou, Li Shan has been trying every means to build elite cavalry. In addition to using various methods to buy, sell, deceive, or extort money from outside the Great Wall, he obtained a large number of horses, and saddles, stirrups, and horseshoes.
Various utensils appeared one after another.
This leaves the elites of the Daizhou Army to basically maintain two categories, either infantry or cavalry.
Well, Li Shan's idea is quite good, but it is a bit unrealistic. In this era, other arms can also play a role on the battlefield.
Such as today.
Er Zhu Yichen, who still adhered to the old-school military views, stood on a high platform in the military formation, watching all directions and listening in all directions, constantly issuing various instructions. The Tang army surrounded the city in a circular formation with car formations to resist the Turks' attack.
The soldiers either held their shields high or huddled behind the chariots to avoid the long arrows that could be shot at any time. Under the command of the military leader, the archers scattered a wave of arrow rain from time to time, and the spearmen shot through the gaps in the chariot formation.
The spear was firmly pressed against the outside of the car.
What Ashina Sheer wanted was time. Under his driving, the Turkic cavalry automatically divided into several teams, pulling the formation around the Tang army's formation, testing with bows and arrows, and after finding weak points, the cavalry rushed into the formation regardless of their own lives.
The loud roars and the neighing of the war horses merged into one, and the sharp spear points effortlessly tore through the flesh and blood of the tall horses. However, the war horses weighing hundreds of kilograms often knocked the chariots and the Tang soldiers attached to the chariots flying.
rise.
Tang soldiers holding long knives quickly rushed up from both wings and entangled the Turkic cavalry who were forced to slow down by their fallen horses. The archers in the rear no longer worried about the long arrows that could kill at any time, and desperately spread arrow rain in the distance.
, more than a dozen chariots were pushed by soldiers and rushed over, trying to fill the gap.
It is said that during the Warring States Period, cavalry and archery were introduced in Hufu, but in fact, from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, chariots and soldiers have always been an important branch of the Central Plains dynasty's army.
Fortunately, Li Shan didn't understand and didn't care about it, so a large number of chariots were abandoned in Daizhou, which gave Er Zhu Yichen a place to use.
After looking at the bloody gap, Er Zhu Yichen turned his head and looked around, looking at the Turkic cavalry outside the formation who were trying to concentrate their forces. He waved his right hand and the guards behind him waved the battle flag.
Ma Sanbao, who had been waiting impatiently for a long time, gave a sharp shout, raised his long sword to the sky, and led hundreds of cavalry to speed out from the passage that had been prepared in advance.
For more than a year, Li Shan spent countless thoughts and money on the cavalry. He even shamelessly asked Princess Pingyang to get a large number of swords, sabers, and armors to create a force with enough impact.
The fine knight.
The timing chosen by Er Zhu Yichen was also very precise. Ma Sanbao led the Tang Cavalry to appear on the side of the rushing Turkic reinforcements. In terms of charging the formation, the Turks could not be compared with the Tang Cavalry.
Ma Sanbao effortlessly skewered a candied haws on a stick in his hand, then dropped the stick, pulled out his long knife, chopped left and right, and at the same time kicked the horse's belly desperately. Hundreds of cavalrymen were as sharp as knives cutting tofu, and they rushed into the Turks.
Cavalry side.
Ashina She'er, who was watching the battle from a distance, was overjoyed and did not dare to rush straight to Yanmen Pass. It was simply because of these more than a thousand Tang cavalry. As long as the Tang army's cavalry was destroyed, he would simply bypass the Tang army's large formation and attack Yanmen Pass... those thousands of infantry.
You can't stop it even if you want to, and you can't catch up even if you want to chase it.
Bypassing Guoxian County, the terrain is flat. Even if troops are sent on behalf of the county, it will be difficult to stop the Turkic cavalry from attacking Yanmen Pass.
But before Ashina Sheer could catch up, hundreds of cavalrymen galloped out of the Tang army's formation from another direction, ignoring the gap in the battlefield where the fighting was still going on, and went straight into the other side of the Turkic reinforcements.
Ashina Sheer reined in the horse and threw down the whip with a sullen face, "It's too late, it's too late!"
Sure enough, although there were more than 2,000 Turkic reinforcements rushing towards the gap, under Er Zhu Yichen's clever arrangement, the more than 1,000 cavalry were divided into two groups and attacked from two directions, completely disrupting the Turkic cavalry's charging formation.
When the Turks fight, they pay attention to the distance and the closeness, but the Tang cavalry is different. The cavalry wearing armor and well-armed charge into the formation sharply. Even if the speed is slowed down, they can still slash and kill.
Falling at a disadvantage.
The general Er Zhu Yichen quickly mobilized his troops to fill the gap first, and then the soldiers on the periphery pushed the chariot forward. The infantry covered by the chariot sprayed out a shower of arrows, covering the cavalry and retreating slowly, with no loss.
Seeing that they had no chance, the small Turkic cavalry retreated one after another... At this time, the Turkic cavalry from other places had not arrived yet.
Staring at the Tang cavalry that was slowly retreating into the formation, and the chariots that were retreating at the same time to narrow the range and increase their resistance, Ashina Sheer turned around and asked: "Who is the commander-in-chief of the Tang army?"
The attendant next to him replied: "Zhu Yichen, Sima of Daizhou."
"Erju?"
"They are from the Qihu tribe..." Ashina She'er sighed, "The King of Handan has many heroes under his command!"
Among the officials in the Daizhou Governor's Mansion, Er Zhu Yichen may be the least conspicuous in terms of status and reputation. He is not like Zhang Shigui or Zhang Gongjin who came from the Qin Prince's Mansion where there are many outstanding figures, nor is he like Su Dingfang, Ma Sanbao, and Xue Wanche who have numerous achievements.
With military merit, he is called a famous general.
But at the critical moment, Su Dingfang followed Li Shan's instructions before leaving...if there was a big event, he would use it as much as possible.
Relatives may not be on Li Shan's side, but others... Li Shan really can't believe it, and Er Zhu Yichen also showed his ability in this battle.
The battle lasted until dusk, with corpses strewn across the fields. The Turkic cavalry rushed into battle several times, regardless of casualties, but were blocked by chariot formations. Ma Sanbao led the cavalry to attack several times, but they were always within the range of his own archers.
Both sides suffered heavy casualties, but neither made any progress... The Tang army could accept this result, but the Turks could not.
The setting sun was like blood. Ashina Sheer on the hillock looked to the south worriedly. Will Bingzhou send troops?
Those people swore firmly that in the Daizhou war, Bingzhou was unlikely to send troops northward, but Ashina Sheer did not dare to put his fate on the promises of these people... Not to mention other things, in Xinzhou, the Bingzhou army would
Came in pursuit.
You have to be quick, you must defeat the Tang army in front of you as soon as possible... Ashina She'er turned back and his eyes fell on the Tang army's formation that was slowly retreating.
There are mountains on one side of this place, close to Lanzhou, and a large river in the distance on the other side. Ashina Sheer is thinking that maybe he can leave two thousand cavalry to stare at the Tang army, and he can lead two thousand cavalry to bypass the Tang army and go north.
After hesitating for a long time, Ashina Sheer decided to take a look at the situation of tomorrow's battle. He has a lot of confidence in tomorrow's battle... If he was not sure at all, how could he dare to rush into this place that was surrounded by enemies on all sides?