Di Yong continued to observe the Cochin people's defense for a while.
Then, he said to the people beside him: "Commanders, who is willing to send troops to harass Jiaozhi?"
Xu Kenan was the first to stand up: "I will go there eventually!"
"Then I'll give you the command!" Di Yong nodded.
Xu Kenan laughed and rode away, gathering his cavalry.
Attacking camps was the specialty of the Xihe Song Army.
During the five battles of Lanzhou, Xihe soldiers and horses under the command of Li Xian attacked the camp many times.
Especially during the first Battle of Lanzhou, Wang Wenyu sent 800 cavalry to attack the Western Bandit camp at night. As a result, the camp roared and the Western Bandit army was in chaos. Tens of thousands of people rushed to trample them, and they fell into the Yellow River and killed countless people.
It was because of this sweet taste that the Xihe Song Army would always try to attack the camp from various angles in all subsequent Lanzhou battles.
During the war, the Song army's ability to attack camps greatly improved, and its experience was naturally extremely rich.
Today, it has only been a little over a year and a half since the last Battle of Lanzhou.
Xu Kenan's cavalry still retained the experience and skills of attacking the camp back then.
Including Xu Kenan, there were at least dozens of people in his army. They were among the 800 light cavalry who followed Wang Wenyu in his surprise attack on the Western Bandit Camp during the first Lanzhou Battle.
They quickly carried out various pre-war preparations.
Put on the iron helmet, put on the light arm guards, prepare the mace or heavy ax and other melee weapons, and put them where you can find them most convenient.
Then, they inspected the riding bows they used.
These riding bows are not easy!
It was a party bow captured by the Xihe Song Army in the war.
The Dangxiang Bow is recognized as the most powerful bow in the world today!
Even in the Song Dynasty, it was difficult to imitate.
Why?
Because many technical conditions were not available in the Song Dynasty.
For example, to make a bow, the Dangxiang people need a special kind of wood that grows on the Helan Mountain. They then cut it open and leave it to dry naturally in the cold weather.
After finishing the liquid phase, you have to wait until autumn to combine the materials.
In addition, this kind of bow uses the unique yak horn in Dangxiang as the bow frame and its skin as the string body.
Such a good bow takes three years from material selection to making, and goes through hundreds of processes.
Even in the Western Thieves Kingdom, such strong bows are rare.
Only the elite bodyguards of the Western Thieves, Iron Kites and Poxi Army can equip it.
The seizures in Xihe were not too much.
There are at most more than three thousand before and after.
Fortunately, Xu Kenan's cavalry was part of the emperor's own army. When they were transferred back to Beijing, Li Xian collected a large number of strong bows and armed the cavalry, making them almost one man at a time.
After completing these preparations, the sky had completely darkened.
For most people, farmers generally suffer from night blindness due to lack of sufficient vitamins.
But Song Jun wouldn't.
Especially the Song army guarding the Xihe border would not.
Because they live in Xihe and eat meat every day, they may not be able to do it.
However, the internal organs and sewage of all kinds of livestock are taken care of.
Before and after the war, eating well and drinking well was the standard for the Song army.
Therefore, instead of having night blindness, these cavalrymen have excellent vision at night.
After completing the preparations, Xu Kenan led them, under the guidance of the local chieftain, quietly around to the side where the Jiaozhi army was camping.
This is a place with flat terrain, very suitable for cavalry.
Xu Kenan's cavalry were dormant in a small forest, waiting slowly.
It's really hard to live in the woods of Jiaozhi at night with countless mosquitoes flying around.
Fortunately, before they set off, Yan Yuan gave them a batch of so-called "toilet water" packed in some special porcelain bottles.
At the same time, some military doctors from Yanyuan also obtained local anti-mosquito ointments from chieftains and witch doctors.
On exposed skin, first apply mosquito repellent ointment and then rub it with toilet water.
The effect was immediate and the mosquitoes no longer surrounded them to bite.
This allowed the soldiers to wait quietly.
When the noise in the camp opposite slowly subsided, when the Cochin patrol army began to relax, when the moon had already risen above the head.
Only then did Xu Kenan lead his men and horses out of the woods.
The night gave them the best cover.
Let them get as close as possible to the enemy camp.
Everyone has rich experience in night raids, so there is no need to discuss or negotiate.
Everyone, everyone, every robe knows their position and what they have to do.
They quickly moved in front of the enemy camp and naturally completed their formation.
Five hundred men, leading five hundred horses, quickly formed a three-three-five-five-four-five scattered formation in front of the enemy camp, which was commonly used in cavalry raids.
This array is an extremely ancient and simple light cavalry assault array.
Of course, it is also very practical.
From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the present, this formation has played a huge role in countless battles time and time again.
Those who use and play the Scattered Star Formation well are elite soldiers of all ages.
Xu Kenan's cavalry is naturally an elite troop.
Everyone is familiar with this common tactic and is familiar with its techniques.
When he approached the enemy camp, about 150 steps away, Xu Kenan got on his horse first.
Then there are all his subordinates.
Five hundred cavalry mounted their horses almost instantly. Then, these Song Army cavalry proved with practical actions why a light cavalry tactic that had appeared in the Southern and Northern Dynasties can continue to this day and is still the main surprise tactic of light cavalry.
reason.
Five hundred cavalry were divided into assault groups.
The sound of horse hooves shook the wilderness, and in an instant, the speed increased to the extreme speed that the Yunnan horses they were riding could achieve.
They were like meteors crashing into the Cochin stronghold.
The tactical key points of the Scattered Star Formation's "coming like falling from the sky" were truly demonstrated by them in actual combat.
What about their opponents?
When the Song Army's cavalry was divided into teams of surprise formations, they were galloping towards them.
Most of the night watch soldiers in the Cochin barracks were fishing.
There was no other way. The place chosen by the Song Army to attack the camp was in the northeast of the Jiaozhi Camp.
Here I have to introduce the camping method chosen by Li Changjie.
As a veteran of Jiaozhi, Li Changjie used military skills to maintain stability.
When setting up camp, he had considered the possibility of encountering a light cavalry attack by the Song Army.
Therefore, he chose to concentrate the baggage, food and armor, including the war elephant camp, into the central army.
At the same time, he keeps an elite infantry force of about 3,000 people in his hands at all times.
Among them were five hundred heavy armored infantry.
However, the Cochin people seriously lacked experience in facing light cavalry or armored cavalry.
Not to mention a night attack.
Even Li Changjie never thought of the possibility of a night attack by the Song Army's cavalry!
no way.
During the last war, the Song army was not used to night attacks.
I don’t have much experience in night raids, I’m not familiar with the geography, and I lack a guide.
Therefore, even the Western cavalry commanded by Yanda did not launch a night attack.
But things are different now.
After Yuanfeng, the Song-Xia War reached its peak.
The Five-Road Expedition to Xia, the Battle of Yongle City, the Five Battles of Lanzhou, and the Battle of Dingxi City.
Both the enemy and ourselves launched fierce night attacks and counter-night attacks.
Both the Dangxiang people and the Song army are accustomed to night attacks, and each other has rich experience in countering night attacks.
In other words, the version of the war has long since changed.
Unfortunately, the people of Cochin did not keep up with the version.
They are still stuck in the memory of the last war.
What is even more unfortunate for the Cochin people is that in the past ten years, they have not conducted large-scale foreign wars.
We only had small-scale contact with Chenla and Champa people on the border.
Ten years of peace, for the army in the cold weapon era, is enough to turn a heroic lion into a decayed army with no combat effectiveness.
the reason is simple.
A standing army is of little use in peacetime.
Therefore, all parties will reach out to the military.
They paid empty wages, drank soldiers' blood, deducted military rations, and treated soldiers as free labor force, driving them to do various chores and even giving them to officials to cultivate land.
It was like this in the Song Dynasty, it was like this in the Liao Dynasty, and Jiaozhi is certainly not exempt from the custom.
Therefore, the army now commanded by Li Changjie has actually undergone qualitative changes from the Cochin army ten years ago.
In the eyes of the Western Army of the Song Dynasty, the Jiaozhi Army ten years ago was considered weak, but its organization and training were pretty good.
And now these troops led by Li Changjie?
In fact, most of them are pieced together from Taiyuan, Shenglongfu and other places.
Only a few troops were brought back from the southern border by Li Changjie.
Barely able to have some fighting ability.
Therefore, although Li Changjie is a veteran general with rich experience in commanding troops.
The arrangements he made were also very reasonable.
However, something went wrong at the execution level of the Cochin army.
Most of the trenches that should have been dug immediately after setting up camp were simply dealt with.
The defense of the camp was only a show-off.
What's even worse is that most of the guards who are supposed to be on patrol at night are fishing.
He even fell asleep directly at his post.
This is easy to understand.
First, Thang Long Palace did not give enough money to begin with, and they lacked enthusiasm.
Many people were hungry even before setting off for the expedition.
Second, the Cochin people had no experience in guarding against cavalry night attacks.
In the minds of most soldiers and officers, they don't even have the concept of preventing night attacks.
Therefore, when the cavalry commanded by Xu Kenan launched an attack, the Jiaochin people did not react immediately.
Most of the sentinels were awakened from their sleep.
Then, they looked at the Song Army cavalry galloping in the night.
Although there was moonlight tonight, the hazy night made it impossible for them to distinguish the number of incoming cavalry.
The tactics adopted by Xu Kenan's troops exerted their greatest effect at this time.
In the darkness, the sound of countless horse hooves sounded from all directions.
These Cochin soldiers thought they were encountering thousands of cavalry.
Many people were frightened on the spot and immediately rolled and crawled and ran backwards.
This is their instinctive reaction.
While running, they were still crying: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"The Beikou is coming!"
Their cries immediately woke up the sleeping soldiers in the camp.
And the young men sleeping around the camp.
At this time, Xu Kenan's cavalry had arrived in front of the Jiaozhi camp, about thirty steps away.
Racing at high speed, the cavalrymen filled their bows and arrows.
One arrow after another, wrapped in oilcloth, had been set on fire.
In the darkness, they aimed at the looming Cochin fort ahead.
Those places with firelight.
Puff puff!
The bowstring sounded, and sharp arrows shot out from the string.
The soldiers who were awakened ran out of their tents in a panic, many of them without even taking their weapons.
Then, they saw countless rockets shooting towards them.
Several unlucky ones were shot through the body by powerful arrows.
Wailing and rolling around in the camp.
More rockets landed in the camp.
They instantly ignite everything they can.
Wooden walls, tents, fodder...
Cochin in April is already very dry.
These rockets immediately caused a fire. Originally, if it was a qualified army, it would be necessary to organize young men to put out the fire, and at the same time organize sword and shield men to go forward to prevent the enemy's cavalry from setting up camp.
But the Cochin army was not.
What's more, there are thousands of young and strong civilians in their camp.
Therefore, their first reaction was not to put out the fire, let alone resist.
Instead, he turned around and ran.
The reason is very simple. In the darkness outside the camp, the cavalry of the Song Army were still using their bows to shoot at the Jiaozhi camp.
More and more rockets were fired into the camp, setting more things on fire and hitting more unlucky people.
Therefore, the young and strong people could not bear it at first.
Driven by instinct, they turned and ran.
Then the soldiers also started running away.
Even a few brave officers wanted to stabilize the situation.
But there are so many people running for their lives.
These brave officers were even pushed to the ground by the fleeing crowd.
Ying Xiao happened!
Xu Kenan's cavalry had long fought in Xihe.
Inside the Jiaozhi camp, there was almost a strange phenomenon, and they even just noticed that the defense of the camp was extremely empty and lax.
They were already ready to set up camp.
After three rounds of shooting, there was no counterattack as expected, and the enemy cavalry was not even seen leaving the camp.
Everyone screamed, then reined in their horses and put away their bows.
They took out the standard heavy ax and mace.
Then, in the dark, relying on tacit understanding and experience, they quickly completed the reorganization of the cavalry formation in front of the formation.
From the three-three-five-five-four-five scattered star formation, it became a standard armored cavalry assault formation.
The formation became one one two two five five.
Also known as the wedge formation, this is also a classic armored cavalry tactic that has appeared in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and flourished during the Five Dynasties period.
In the Battle of Qicheng, a classic battle of the Later Tang Dynasty and the fall of the Later Liang Dynasty, Li Siyuan led 3,000 cavalry to adopt this assault formation, broke into the formation of the Central Army of the Later Liang Dynasty, defeated the main force of the Liang Army in one fell swoop, and beheaded 20,000 people.
The Song Army's cavalry was actually not good at this wedge-shaped formation of cavalry assault.
The Scattered Star Formation is what the Song Army cavalry is good at.
But the enemy was so good that Xu Kenan felt that if he didn't set foot in the camp, he would have regrets in his life.
Almost the entire Song Army cavalry had similar thoughts to him.
They are all veterans of many battles, and their reaction speed before the battle and their experience in facing the enemy are already impeccable.
So, without instructions or orders from anyone, everyone spontaneously formed a camp formation.
The Song Army's cavalry formed sharp arrows one after another, like wedges, and drove directly into the Jiaozhi camp.
