Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses continuously cut down and transported large amounts of wood from the flat pine forest area in the west. The smooth logs were transported to the construction camp north of the Huanghe River. The craftsmen worked day and night to build the wood.
Siege equipment and the entire army camp were a noisy and busy scene.
Catapults were assembled one after another, ladders were quickly piled up, and more than a dozen rams were quickly built. Even soon, the first Yunxiao siege vehicle also stood in the camp. This is
For the first time, the Daliao army built its own siege equipment. Although the Daliao soldiers and horses have been seeking an army-building strategy that is effective in field battles and siege operations, in fact, there are still far few methods for siege operations.
, most of them are still primitive ladder siege methods, and they have just learned a few superficial skills. Having advanced siege equipment is a big progress, and being able to make these siege equipment yourself is a sign of a mature military industry system.
On the eighth day of April, the army finally set off. A large number of cavalry crossed the river from the trestle above the torrent of the turbulent Huang River, and together with a large number of siege equipment vehicles began to march toward Linhuang Mansion.
The terrain around Linhuang Mansion is flat, a wasteland with a radius of more than a hundred miles. Moistened by snow and water, the soil is fertile and the pasture is rich. This is another practical reason why Linhuang Mansion was built here in addition to the geographical factors.
The reason. The Khitan people originally established a permanent tribal survival place, so the rich pasture and abundant water sources were the guarantee for survival and reproduction. To this day, it is still one of the few pastoral areas in the Liao Kingdom. However, the Liao Kingdom established
Over the past century, the country's basis for survival has long been no longer just herding horses and sheep, but also commercial agriculture, minerals and animal husbandry. Moreover, the political and economic center of Daliao has moved south to Zhongjing and Nanjing, so the position of Linhuang Mansion in Daliao has long changed.
It's not that important anymore.
It's almost mid-April, and even in the North, spring is blooming at this moment. Although the dead grass is scattered on the wasteland, and there are still large areas of gray and gray grass, the entire grassland is already full of green. The tender green grass
It grows rapidly, and in another ten to twenty days, the entire grassland will be covered with green grass and flowers. By then, the northern grassland will be the most vibrant and unforgettable time.
The army does not need to adhere to road restrictions when marching on the grassland. There is no need for roads here. Except for some gentle hills and ridges, the vast grassland area is full of flat plains. If it were not for maintaining the formation of the army, the cavalry would have to spend a day on such terrain.
You can reach Linhuang Mansion City, which is 80 miles away. However, because you need to protect the siege equipment and the accompanying troops and horses, you can only travel 20 miles a day, and it will take four days to reach Linhuang Mansion City. But this is not possible at all.
It was not a problem, and Han Zhang and Han Desui were not anxious because of this. They walked side by side in the middle of the army, looking at the green open grassland and admiring the snow-capped peaks of the Greater Khingan Mountains where the flat pine forests were located in the distance. In front of them.
The scenery made them sincerely admire the beauty of Daliao's mountains and rivers, and both of them had the ambition to protect the country of Daliao in the future.
Two days later, the army was halfway through its journey. At the same time, it arrived at a hilly area called Niuwangling. This is also the only place in this grassland area with some undulating terrain.
Niuwang Ridge is actually nothing more than a series of gently undulating raised hills of less than a few dozen feet. This terrain cannot be called a mountain range in other places, but it is a highland on the grassland.
As the sun set, the cavalry soldiers at the front suddenly discovered small black dots on the Niuwang Ridge in front of them in the afterglow of the setting sun. Soon, the alarm horn sounded, and they identified the small black dots on the west side.
A cavalry horse on Niuwang Ridge.
The news quickly reached the ears of Han Desui and Han Gang. The two galloped forward on horseback, setting up a pergola to block the dazzling sunset and looking forward. Sure enough, on the continuous mountains of Niuwangling, against the backdrop of the setting sun,
, on the top of the mountains that stretch for more than ten miles, there are countless cavalry soldiers and horses standing on horseback, looking towards the position of our own army.
"It's the enemy." Han Desui said in a deep voice, "They are finally here."
Han Zhang chuckled and said: "What? Could it be that they want to have a wild battle with us on this grassland without guarding Linhuang Mansion? Who gave them the courage?"
Han Desui stroked his beard and smiled and said: "They must know that we carry a lot of siege equipment and know that they cannot defend Linhuang Mansion. But do they have a chance of winning if we fight on the grassland? What a joke."
Han Zhang smiled and said: "Father, how about I lead 50,000 cavalry to fight?"
Han De then thought for a while and said: "No need for the time being, they don't seem to have any plans to attack, and it's getting late now, so it's not suitable to fight to avoid chaos. It's better to camp on the spot and stay the same to cope with any changes. Be on guard to be prepared for them to attack the camp at night.
That’s it.”
Han Zhang nodded and said: "Okay, it's best if they come to attack the camp. I'll wait for them to come. If they don't come, they will take the initiative to attack tomorrow no matter what. They are on our flanks, and we can't ignore them and move forward.
Otherwise, if they find an opportunity, they will cut into my formation from the flank, and the Chinese army's baggage and food supplies may be in danger, which may also be their goal."
Han De then nodded and said, "That's right, I'll do whatever you want."
The army set up camp on the spot, and Han Zhang summoned 50,000 cavalry to prepare for the opponent's night attack. A large number of scouts were sent out to continuously detect the opponent's movements. As a result, the night was uneventful, and the opponent obviously did not want to attack at night.
However, the results of the scouts' reconnaissance also surprised Han Zhang and Han Desui. The opponent's troops gathered at the foot of Niuwang Ridge actually numbered as many as seventy or eighty thousand. There were only more than ten thousand cavalry who showed up on the mountain, and most of them were
Hidden behind the invisible side. If Han Zhang had led 50,000 troops to attack before, he would probably suffer their losses.
After learning the news, Han Desui and Han Zhang also understood one thing. The other party probably did not plan to defend the city in Linhuang Mansion at all. They had already mobilized in full force to engage in a head-on cavalry confrontation with their side on the grassland.
Decisive battle. I have to say that the opponent's move is somewhat wise. Defending the city will definitely not be able to hold it, but it will lose the advantage of the tribal cavalry, and I am afraid that it will be defeated in the end. Instead of this, why not take advantage of the tribal cavalry who are good at riding, shooting and charging.
Have a field battle with the opponent. Perhaps this is the only way to defeat the opponent. After all, the tribal cavalry maintains the traditional characteristics of the Liao cavalry in mounted shooting technology, and
The other soldiers and horses of the Liao Kingdom have slowly changed. Their combat effectiveness has become comprehensive, but they are not as refined as the tribal cavalry in cavalry and shooting. This is what the opponent wants to take advantage of. Perhaps this can offset the nearly doubled difference in strength.
disadvantages.
Han Desui and Han Zhang sneered at each other's behavior. The other party actually imagined that it would go so far and dared to put on a fight to the death. This was a kind of contempt for their own side. One hundred and forty thousand versus eighty thousand, they didn't weigh it.
Think about yourself. This is fine. A decisive battle on the grassland is better than the bombardment of Linhuang Mansion. After all, Linhuang Mansion will still be the Holy Land of Shangjing in Daliao in the future, and its status is irreplaceable. Since the other party is coming to die, then he is still polite.
What?
The battle started in the early morning. The tribal cavalry on Niuwang Ridge rolled up from the mountains like a strong wind and rushed straight to the Confederate camp. Han De then took command of the central army, and Han Zhang led 50,000 cavalry to charge directly head on, while the other group consisted of
The 50,000 cavalry led by Han Desui's son Han Zongchang were ready to cut in from the flanks once the two sides engaged in battle, cut off the tribe's cavalry's follow-up troops, and divide their formations.
But before Han Zhang's soldiers and horses could rush forward, the opposing tribe's cavalry split into two groups, brushing against both sides of Han Zhang's soldiers and horses and heading straight for the camp. Their purpose was not to fight, but to
Launched an attack on the Chinese army camp. Han Zhang did not allow them to succeed, so he directed his cavalry to intercept the tribesmen on the south, intending to intercept the tribesmen on the south. Han Zongchang also attacked under Han Desui's order to kill the tribesmen's cavalry on the north.
The other side had no intention of fighting head-on. When the flag changed, the two cavalrymen gave up their attack on the camp, and each turned in a wide arc and galloped back to Niuwang Ridge. Both Han Zhang and Han Zongchang only touched the tail of the other side's cavalry. Both sides were far away.
After a sparse exchange of bows and arrows at a distance, each left more than a hundred corpses and then pulled away again. It was impossible for Han Zhang and Han Zongchang's cavalry to catch up to the mountains, and it would be unwise to attack the slopes.
The short first battle ended in just half an hour. The symbolic exchange between the two sides seemed like a trial and a test of the opponent's adaptability. Both sides had a certain understanding of the opponent's cavalry capabilities.
. Generally speaking, the tribal cavalry is more agile and flexible. Their horses are faster and more maneuverable. This may be related to the equipment of both sides. The tribal cavalry almost have no armor or heavy weapons. They only wear animal skins.
The Confederate army was fully equipped with longbows and scimitars but was a bit cumbersome, but it was obvious that once a frontal battle entered, the Confederate cavalry would have the upper hand.
The battle was not over. The second wave of attacks started again after a short rest. This time, the tribal cavalry was divided into more formations. The first to charge down were four cavalry teams of ten thousand people. They repeated their old tricks, first charging towards the large army.
camp, and then walked sideways when the opponent attacked, galloping parallel to the camp. At the same time, they took advantage of their superb riding and shooting characteristics to shoot arrows sideways to the edge of the camp more than a hundred steps away.
This is the standard tactic of the Liao army. They mainly shoot with bows and arrows from a long distance. They use mobility to widen the distance and shoot the opponent's men and horses as the main purpose. When encountering the opponent's obstruction, they will immediately retreat and never engage in close combat with the opponent.
In the hands of tribal cavalry, this tactic was used to its full potential.
