"Behead the prisoner and give him a cup of wine, and give him all the clothes and weapons he captured!"
The scouts reported that when the Qin army's grain team was ten miles away, Hu Yanlan, the right bone capital of the Xiongnu, issued the order to fight.
Among the Xiongnu, wine was also a rare thing and was often used as a reward for killing the Huns. The equipment on the Qin people made them salivate even more. However, the greedy Xiongnu cavalry still felt that the reward was not rich enough. Some people shouted:
:
"Marquis Gudu, if you capture any people this time, can you take them back as slaves?"
"Yes, I heard that the Qin people's grain team has a thousand oxen, pulling a lot of grain. Can we share it equally?"
However, Hu Yanlan shouted without any doubt: "No humans or animals will be left alive in this battle. After scattering the Qin people, they will all be burned!"
For the Huns who fought only for plunder, it was very difficult for them to give up their spoils, but Huyanlan had no other choice. According to the agreement with Youda Danghu, they waited for the horses to pull two horses in a hilly area.
After the second excrement, there was still no sign of Qin Qi or the Huns, so we knew that something was wrong, and the big family might be entangled by the Qin army.
Hu Yanlan did not go back to rush for reinforcements, but immediately continued southward with his subordinates. Da Danghu had told him that if things changed, he would attack the Qin people's food team instead and strive for a quick victory!
According to the scouts' investigation, there were about two to three thousand Qin people escorting the grain, but among them were a thousand civilians driving carts. Most of the rest were not wearing armor, and only a few fully armed soldiers were accompanying them.
Although the Xiongnu cavalry did not dare to confront the Qin army with thick armor and sharp blades, but if they were replaced by unarmed civilian garrison soldiers, they would shoot out the bows and arrows without hesitation!
However, when Hu Yanlan and the others passed through the hills and saw the Qin army's food team, they were immediately dumbfounded!
Because what he saw in front of him was not the panicked grain team after being attacked by the Huns. This long snake composed of cattle and horses was coiling in an orderly manner outside a small forest with a radius of one kilometer. Then the carriage was captured by the Qin people.
The animals were unloaded, next to each other, layered on top of each other, and circled several times, leaving them in place like stacks of walls. The livestock were driven into the forest by the driver and driver, and tied up under the bare trees to prevent them from fleeing in panic during the battle and causing disturbance.
position.
The remaining thousands of unarmored "civilians", protected by sword-wielding armored men, stood in the city of chariots and carriages, watching the invading Huns with vigilance...
The Huns looked at each other in shock. They had been wreaking havoc outside the Great Wall for many years, and even fought to the edge of the Western Region, but they had never seen this kind of formation. A few riders wanted to step forward to test it, but they only got within a hundred steps, and in the wall of the carriage, there was a whoosh.
A crossbow arrow was fired with a sound, and the crossbow arrow penetrated deeply into the chest of his mount. The horse fell to the ground with a mournful cry. The Huns were lucky enough not to die, but they were frightened and turned pale. He and his companions behind him immediately turned back!
The hand crossbows of the Qin army could only shoot dozens of steps, but they were weak beyond that. The range was similar to that of the Huns' bows and arrows. However, the arrows fired from the wall of the chariot could penetrate a distance of more than a hundred steps without stopping!
The sharp-eyed Hu Yanlan saw that this arrow was shot by those unarmored Qin people. What surprised him even more was the way they stringed it.
It was the first time I saw Lord Gudu wielding a crossbow. He was stunned and left a few words.
"I have only seen people who control strings with their hands. The people of Qin actually have people who control strings with their feet. They can match the vulture shooters and can shoot more than a hundred steps!"
It is said that this is the origin of this military branch, which has long been called "foot men" by the grassland people...
…
The Xiongnu cavalry were frightened by the crossbows and when they were hesitating outside and did not dare to advance, Gongsun Bailu inside the chariot wall was also praising Gan Chong, the good man who had just hit the Xiongnu war horse with a crossbow.
"Good shooting skills!"
The heel army and the center army needed to advance quickly, so they only brought the lighter arm-shaped crossbows, while the kick-shaped crossbows were carried on the rear army's baggage cart, which came in handy now.
In addition to a large number of weapons and equipment, when the rear army left Xiaoguan, they also temporarily added a thousand Caiguan crossbowmen who came from Shangjun under the emperor's order for reinforcements. The Qin army's crossbowmen did not wear armor and only wore cloth.
The colors were different, so the Huns who didn't know the inside story thought they were civilians from a distance.
This is why Heifu trusted the grain team and chose to pursue the main force of the Huns first. With a hundred good family members who are good at crossbows and a thousand county officials, the grain team would have no worries.
Gan Chong was praised by Gongsun Bailu, but he just smiled and cupped his hands and said: "If the county captain hadn't been cautious and ordered the horsemen to ride as far as thirty miles away, we wouldn't have been able to discover the Huns half an hour in advance. If they were suddenly attacked, they would be cut into pieces.
, even if there is a powerful crossbow, it will not be effective..."
Gongsun Bailu said with a smile: "The Art of War says that if the enemy is not in danger and protected, if they drive deep and long to cut off their food routes, the enemy will be hungry. In the Central Plains, cavalry is most often used to cut off the enemy's food routes and harass the baggage. How can the Huns shoot from small cavalry?
Don’t you even understand this?”
There was something else he didn't say. I'm afraid Lieutenant Heifu also knew this, so he used the grain team as a bait to lure the Huns into attacking first.
In the long-term confrontation with Zhao State, which was the first to use cavalry, the Qin army's baggage troops also had a set of formations to deal with cavalry, which was the "Four Forces Rushing Formation"!
The key to this formation lies in the vehicle fortification. First unload the cattle and horses, and use the vehicles to connect them into a circular or square fort as a temporary camp. Then, the warriors have strong crossbows and are prepared on all sides. In this way, they can withstand the enemy.
The cavalry attacked.
The original strict "Four Warriors Charge" required digging three trenches five feet deep outside the chariot base, but today the Huns were coming fiercely, and there was no time in the rush, so there were no trenches, but Gongsun Bailu still let
Gan Chong and others scattered some small things in the dry grass outside the base...
Although they were shocked by the range and strength of the crossbows, the Huns still did not give up. Lord Gudu gritted his teeth and ordered the two thousand cavalry to move, and ran around the Qin army's chariot formation twice, and then ordered hundreds of them to move.
Riding, suddenly rushed towards the seemingly weakest position! Trying to get them closer and shooting arrows, killing those officers who were not protected by armor!
The Xiongnu cavalry roared towards them. When they were a hundred paces away, more than a dozen crossbows were fired immediately, with a sound like thunder. Several cavalry responded and fell down. At seventy or eighty paces, behind the car base, more than a hundred ordinary
The crossbow also fired arrows, and more than ten Huns were hit by arrows...
But the crossbow also had a shortcoming, that is, it was too slow to wind up. Taking advantage of this gap, the Huns cavalry accelerated and rushed forward. But just when they entered the distance of fifty steps and were about to draw their bows and shoot arrows at the chariot base, the horses under them suddenly
He neighed, then stopped suddenly and started jumping around.
Nearly a hundred riders rushed in, and this was the case. They lost control of their mounts, and even the unlucky ones were thrown off their horses. They immediately screamed as if they had been stabbed by something.
At this time, the officers who came to support from the car base were already shooting at these living targets with crossbows, leaving dozens of lives behind...
The Huns did not dare to move forward. After shooting a few arrows at random, they retreated. They all looked frightened and felt that there seemed to be something strange in the dry grass in front of the Qin army's chariot base.
Hu Yanlan walked up to a limping horse with a livid face, and asked the Huns who were trying to comfort the horse to lift its paws. He couldn't help but take a breath of cold air at the sight.
But he saw that the softest part in the middle of the horse's shoe was stuck with a small thing with sharp thorns on all sides, and it was bleeding.
"This is... white caltrop?"
White Tribulus is a common plant in the Xiongnu and even the Central Plains. The fruit shell has triangular spikes. When it falls to the ground when ripe, there is always one thorn pointing upward that can pierce and hurt passers-by. It often hurts the children and livestock of the Huns, and is deeply hated by them.
But it is winter now, and the white caltrops have long since died and should not appear here. Upon closer inspection, they are larger than the ordinary white caltrops, and the material seems to be wooden, chipped manually...
Looking at the seriously injured man who was rescued by his companions after falling off his horse, there were also several such thorns stuck in his body, some of which were made of iron, which penetrated deeper and hurt more.
This thing is called Wood Tribulus (j). It is also a sharp weapon used in the Central Plains to deal with chariots. It has appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period. It is said that it was invented by the people of Qi State to deal with the chariots of Jin State. It is often sown on narrow roads that must pass through, and the enemy's chariots will be killed.
When riding by, they often hit seven or eight out of ten. When the Mohists were guarding the city, they also used these objects to place them at the entrances and exits of underground tunnels to prevent enemies from raiding underground.
After Beidi County added iron officers, Heifu asked the craftsmen to use templates to cast many iron caltrops, and asked the rear army to carry a full fifty carts! I didn't want to use them here before they arrived at Huamachi.
"Horrible!"
The Huns suddenly felt that the Qin people were really cunning. In their eyes, the Qin army's chariot barrier was like a porcupine full of sharp thorns. If they wanted to eat the soft meat inside, they would have to be pricked with blood on their hands.
Everyone looked frightened, no matter how much Gu Duhou scolded them, they were no longer willing to take the initiative to attack.
The character of the Huns is that when they see the enemy, they pursue profit, like birds gathering together; when they are defeated, they disintegrate and disperse. This is also the case now. After several attempts and hit a wall, Hu Yanlan also knew that the Qin army was well prepared and waiting for him.
We have come here to rob food, but if we remain stubborn and refuse to leave, we may really not be able to leave.
So after sighing bitterly, Huyanlan could only announce his retreat. With several roars, the Huns retreated to the west...
Two moments later, reinforcements from Huamachi City also arrived. Qiang Hua and Fu Zhi, who were worried about the safety of Gan Chong and the grain team, rushed nearby, but only saw that they were safe and sound, re-harnessing the oxen and horses, and recycling them everywhere.
Arrows, grain teams with iron caltrops, and hundreds of human and horse corpses abandoned by the Huns in the withered grass wilderness...
…
Early the next morning, when thousands of Qin troops returned to Huamachi City, Yanjun quickly led his troops out of the city to greet them.
Groups of soldiers were in high spirits because they had just won two battles. The carefully decorated battle flags were flying in the winter wind. What was even more shocking was that all the good men were riding horses and holding spears.
, showing off his power, with hundreds of Huns heads stuck on the tip of his spear, which were shot by the rear army's baggage troops yesterday.
Yanjun and his party worshiped on both sides of the road, not daring to raise their heads for a long time, but they were extremely shocked in their hearts.
Yesterday's battle between the Qin army and the Huns on the salt flats. He stood on the city wall and saw the whole process. However, when he saw those Xiongnu string controllers who were arrogant during the robbery and violence, when facing the Qin army's infantry and cavalry, they could only
They were able to escape in embarrassment, and many of them were killed and captured. The most important Huns did not even dare to return to the camp, and fled westward hundreds of miles away.
Later, Yiqu White Wolf returned with a large number of Yan Rong people, cattle and sheep captured from the Xiongnu camp. Although most of them had been sent back to Helan Mountain by the Huns, being able to snatch food from the tiger's mouth was something Yan Rong had never dared to think about.
.
The Qin army's food team single-handedly fought against two thousand Xiongnu cavalry, repelled their attack, and beheaded more than a hundred people. In this way, relying on these baggage and food supplies, the Qin people were able to gain a foothold in Huamachi.
"It seems that I did the right thing by surrendering my whole family to the Qin Dynasty."
With this thought in mind, Yanjun and his clansmen walked up to the black husband's horse, bowed to him, and expressed their gratitude...
However, Hei Fu was not interested in the gratitude and loyalty of these soldiers. After Yan Jun finished speaking, he said: "Yan Jun, please don't just thank me."
He cupped his hands toward the southeast and said: "The one who deserves the most thanks is my Majesty the Emperor of the Qin Dynasty! In a few days, after the Xiongnu are completely driven out of Huamachi, you can go to Xianyang with me to knock on the palace!"
Wu Shiyan was there to help translate. When Yan Jun heard this, wasn't it exactly the same as the Xiongnu Chanyu asking him to go to Mancheng? He suddenly felt nervous.
But looking to the left and right, the flag of the Qin army was planted on the top of his city. Heifu's generals had taken control of his city and took over the weapons in his hands. Yanjun could only nod with a smile on his face: "This is
Naturally, for a barbarian villain to be able to witness the majesty of the Emperor and the Son of Heaven, he is really lucky to have accumulated over generations!"
But Heifu's next words made him dizzy again.
But he saw Hei Fu gesturing to the high-spirited soldiers behind him: "You also want to thank these soldiers who went to foreign lands to help the Yan people drive away wolves! Mr. Yan, the soldiers have fought hard for a day and are tired and hungry. Please let me go."
The tribesmen slaughtered a thousand sheep... no, killed two thousand sheep, I want to feast on the soldiers! "u