On the Jinggu Road where there is no access road for soldiers and horses, the two schools' soldiers and horses want to hide their traces and lie dormant, which is nothing more than a fool's dream!
However, Huo Yi did it.
Or, in other words, Zheng Pu took advantage of people's hearts and inertial thinking to figure out a plan!
Most of the soldiers led by Huo Yi were barbarians from the south. They were accustomed to crossing mountains and ridges in search of prey and wild goods, and they were also very good at concealing their whereabouts.
When setting out, Zheng Pu specifically asked them to walk along the Bailong River, through rocks and riversides, and try not to trample on the grass or chop down vegetation to reveal traces.
Moreover, the place he chose to hibernate was on a cliff.
It is a mountain that overflows from the Bailong River. It is an abrupt cliff that is more than two feet above the ground.
It is open on all sides, and you can see it clearly when walking on the Jinggu Road without sending troops and horses to explore.
But Huo Yi and others were here, letting the soldiers who were good at climbing climb up first and tie the rocks with hemp ropes. Then the whole army climbed up in relay and disappeared into the forest on the cliff.
If you do this, don't say that Fu Zhang, the commander of the bridge garrison, will not expect it.
Even after Huo Yi just listened to Zheng Pu's detailed instructions, he couldn't help but marvel in his heart.
At that time, he finally understood in his heart why the prime minister, who always valued the moral character of his officials, was so sensitive to Zheng Pu, who had a strong and cruel temperament!
Governor Zheng is more than capable of planning!
The human heart is exhausted!
Moreover, he is only twenty-one years old, and he is truly a genius!
Who can compare with me, a big man who is a latecomer?
This is a gift given by God’s care for me, a great man!
How can the Prime Minister regard him as an ordinary person if he only knows a little bit about it?
As mediocre as I am, I actually had a lot of slander towards him in my heart before. Alas
Huo Yi, who had greatly changed his view of Zheng Pu, curled up and lay on the rock, looking down from a high position at the mighty Di tribe marching toward Baishui Pass on the Jinggu Road in the distance.
I couldn't help but worry about Zheng Pu again.
There were about 500 cavalry in the van, 600 foot soldiers in the rear, and nearly a thousand herdsmen in the city. There were so many thieves!
I wonder if the governor can hold out until I lead the army to counterattack?
Zheng Pu, who is more than thirty miles away, the answer is that there is no need to worry!
In the wild, they relied on foot to resist cavalry. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attacked the Xiongnu, they used a large number of Wuhan chariots and fought in chariot formations.
The Wugang chariot is a kind of military chariot, two feet long and one foot four wide, with spears attached to the outside and a large shield and oar inside.
It can transport soldiers, food and weapons, and can also be used for combat.
During the battle, the Wugang chariot was covered with cowhide and rhinoceros armor, tied with spears, and erected with a strong shield.
Several Wugang vehicles linked together can become a solid fortress.
The soldiers sheltered behind the shield car body, and the swordsmen, shield soldiers and spearmen guarded the crossbowmen, allowing them to focus on pouring crossbow bolts through the holes in the Wugang car.
Of course!
With Wugang chariots, you can form the Han's greatest weapon against the nomads: a powerful crossbow array!
For example, in the past, Li Ling came out of the fortress and fought against 110,000 Xiongnu with 5,000 infantry at Junji Mountain. He killed several times before the battle, which made the Xiongnu Tutanhou Chanyu feel fearful and wanted to retreat for a time.
However, it is also a pity.
The guard in charge of the Han army dared to rebel on the battlefield and revealed the truth that the Han army's crossbows were about to be exhausted. As a result, the Han army was defeated and Li Ling was captured when he broke out of the encirclement.
When Li Ling was captured, he sighed: "I have recovered dozens of arrows, which is enough to escape."
In other words, if the crossbow bolts are sufficient, the Han army can fight on foot and on horseback, even if it faces more than twenty times the enemy, it can still be undefeated!
Naturally, Zheng Pu is not an arrogant person.
His ability in preparing for battle cannot be compared to that of Li Ling who was behind the generals.
However, he felt in his heart that if he had steel chariots, sufficient crossbow bolts, and two hundred old soldiers who would survive a hundred battles, it would not be arrogant to just hold on until Huo Yi led his troops to attack from behind, right?
He moved all the crossbow arrows from Baishuiguan's army supply store.
There are one hundred and fifty crossbows, dozens of which are spring-loaded crossbows and waist-drawn crossbows that need to be strung with help from the feet or waist.
The bow power of a waist-guided crossbow can reach seven or eight stones! [Note 1]
Compared with the Rhubarb Crossbow, it is not inferior.
Zhao Guang, who had extraordinary physical strength, held one in his hand to see if there was any chance of killing the Di people.
Since there were only two hundred soldiers and they could not block the road and defend it, Zheng Pu asked the soldiers to follow the trend of the mountains and find a turning cliff to set up camp.
There is a cliff to rely on at the back, and only two sides are vulnerable to enemies.
And they set up a circular formation.
This is a circular battle formation during field defense, with the golden drum flag deployed in the center. It is one of the "Ten Formations" in ancient times.
More than ten Wugang vehicles were displayed staggered in front.
The spearman was behind and put the spear on the shield. Half of the spear body protruded, and the sharp edge was proudly flaunting the cold light of the sun. When connected with the spear tied to the outside of the Wuhan Iron and Steel Vehicle, it became
A barrier prepared for both offense and defense.
Looking closely, the halberds and spears are as dense as a forest, like a frightened hedgehog with its thorns standing upright.
Looking from a distance, it looks like a rock standing proudly in the ocean, ready to be beaten by the rough waves.
The crossbowmen hiding behind the large shield on the inside of the Wuhan Iron and Steel Cart relied on the sword and shield soldiers to raise their shields for defense. They took advantage of the hollowed-out gap in the large oar of the Wuhan Iron and Steel Cart to load crossbow arrows and stand ready.
Doing this made Di Wang Fu Zhang, who arrived with his troops, couldn't help but twitch the corners of his eyes.
Living in isolation between the Han and Wei dynasties, he is not an ignorant person.
He knew that the Han army had sophisticated weapons, and the range and power of crossbows far exceeded those of the Di people's bows and arrows. Moreover, the crossbow arrows had such strong penetrating power that the Di people's leather armor and wooden shields could not withstand it.
Two hundred Han troops were defending in formation with Wugang chariots. If they wanted to break through, their own side would have to pay at least several times the casualties.
Unless you besiege and fail to attack, and wait for the Han army to run out of food and collapse without a fight!
However, I gave up this idea as soon as I thought about it.
Not to mention that he only asked the soldiers to come with three days of food. When the Han army at Baishui Pass got the news, how could they not send troops to rescue Xie?
I just don’t know what the morale of these Han troops is like?
Are you feeling frightened when you see me leading nearly two thousand people on horseback?
He led all the chiefs to station their horses on the banks of the Bailong River. Looking at the dense array of Han troops, they felt slightly worried.
Suddenly, he seemed to hear a very faint sound of strings in his ears.
Looking closely, I actually caught a bit of starlight, heading towards my chest!
Suddenly, all his thoughts were thrown out of his head, and goosebumps aroused all over his body.
Relying on his superb riding skills, he hurriedly turned his body back. As soon as the back of his head touched the horse's buttocks, he felt a sharp wind whistling past the tip of his nose, causing burning pain.
But he was in no mood to experience pain because he was lucky.
An unlucky chieftain following him fell off his horse and died on the spot without saying a word.
"mighty!!"
In the Han army formation, a burst of cheers suddenly broke out.
But Zhao Guang, who was holding the crossbow at his waist, punched fiercely with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
He originally wanted to snipe and kill the thief chief in the middle, but he unexpectedly hit the passenger car by mistake!
Moreover, after the thief was frightened, he had already turned around and returned.
However, Zheng Pu, who was under Yu Ya's flag, was holding a fife on his lips, pouring out the passionate melody.
Let all the soldiers of the Han army sing loudly, "The wind is blowing, the clouds are flying! We are coming to the sea, we are returning to our hometown! We are here with strong men, we are guarding the four directions!"
The singing voice is rich and bold.
The talisman that also made galloping back completely eliminated the idea of how to deter the morale of the Han army.
The only option is to attack by force!
"Dig the stove to make food, and fight to the death tomorrow!"
Fu Zhang touched the tip of his nose with his hand, grinned in pain, and yelled an order angrily.
Well, when we arrived from Qiaotou, it was already dark.
A night of silence.
The next day, in the east beyond the skyline, the white color of fish belly appeared slightly. The morning sun jumped out from the mountains, spreading red light to the world, and the drums of the Di army were beating loudly.
The soldiers and horses of each unit were already in formation, and came slowly under the scolding of their respective chiefs.
The soldiers walking in front were all holding small round shields, and they were more like four-dimensional shapes made up of several wooden boards.
"Advance leads to survival, retreat leads to death!"
The talisman standing under the banner was directed at all the tribal chiefs with a stern voice, "If you don't break through the enemy's formation today, I will send out my tribesmen to defeat your tribe and other tribes when I return!"
Moreover, the eldest son Fu Jian was also assigned to lead five hundred cavalrymen to supervise the marching method with swords.
But anyone who refuses to advance after hearing the drum, or who retreats without permission, will be killed!
The chiefs were helpless but did not dare to refute.
First, Fu Zhang asked the 600 infantrymen he led to serve as the first to ascend.
On the other hand, with the strength of the Fu Zhang Tribe, they really have the strength to flatten them all.
They could only exert their inner bravery and arouse the determination of their clansmen to fight to the death, hoping to decide the outcome in one battle.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
The exciting drumbeat sounded, kicking off the war.
I saw many Di people holding swords and shields, leaving the formation and starting to push forward. When they got within 150 steps, they ran wildly, roaring and charging towards the Han army's chariot formation.
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
Suddenly, the sound echoed through the riverside, causing ripples to appear in the peacefully flowing Bailongjiang River.
However, there was deathly silence in the Han army's formation.
Zhao Guang, who took over the command on the battlefield, stared at the soldiers he had ordered before, and fired arrows calculated from a distance. Even though the Di people rushed within a hundred steps, he did not give an order to shoot.
He wanted to wait until the Di people rushed within sixty steps before firing the crossbow.
Di people who are hit by arrows will cry and fall to the ground regardless of whether they are dead or not. They will stumble or hinder subsequent Di people's charge.
Moreover, at this distance, one's own crossbow arrows can penetrate the wooden shield, and the Di people will not have time to form formation again within this distance, thus becoming a target.
It's too late to say it, but it's soon.
"hit!"
Zhao Guang suddenly let out an angry roar and asked the crossbowmen to suppress the hanging knife.
The short and thick crossbow arrows bloomed countless blood-red and coquettish flowers in the charging Di Ren formation.
The soldier who fired the crossbow immediately turned sideways to let go of the hollow of the shield and squatted down to cock the crossbow.
Another crossbowman immediately came over and aimed the crossbow arrow.
The three-stage shooting technique allowed the crossbows to shoot without any gaps, and made the rebels look like autumn wheat swept by the strong wind.
They fell down and wailed continuously.
It also inspired them to fight to the death and rush forward even more bravely.
Even Zheng Pu, the enemy, admired this kind of courage to go forward and risk death while watching the battle.
However, perhaps the talisman's command to "kill them without mercy" excites people's potential too much.
The Di people, led by the chiefs, all had red eyes. They held the shields in their hands across the front of their necks, ignored the continuous attacks of crossbow arrows, strode over the corpses of their tribesmen, and ran towards them.
"kill!"
"kill!"
They vented the anger in their chests in short words.
It also made Zhao Guang and Zheng Pu frown.
The opponent's tactics, regardless of casualties, hit the Han army's weakness: too few troops!
Corpses were lying on the ground, and the mountain road was wailing.
Faster than expected, just two quarters of an hour later, the suppressive advantage of the strong crossbow array was offset by Di Ren's fearlessness of death.
Taking advantage of their numerical advantage, the Di people rushed to the front of the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicle one after another.
Taking advantage of the inertia of the rush, someone stooped low, kicked off the ground with both feet, protected his shoulders with a shield, and bumped into the car, hoping to break the large oar of the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicle.
It's just a pity.
The big oar was already heavy, so the force of their impact could only make the big oar sway rather than collapse.
There are also those who are smart enough to slash the spears tied to the car with their blades.
Hoping to expand the space, he could crawl in and engage the Han army in close combat, with blood splattering three feet away.
"Raise the spear!"
"prick!"
Zhao Guang, who was holding the line, suddenly shouted fiercely, asking the spearmen to straighten their weapons and thrust them out with all their strength.
"Pfft!"
The sound of sharp blades piercing flesh continued to sing the melody of death.
At least half of the Di people who rushed forward covered their chests and fell into a pool of blood.
However, when one dies, another one rushes forward, like the endless greenery in spring, which has been permeating the eyes of the Han army.
The spear tied to the car was cut off.
The heavy oar was also hit by the Di people who were not afraid of death.
Those crossbowmen who fell to the ground with the big oars and exposed their bodies, although the spearmen tried their best to cover them and had armor on their bodies for defense, they still suffered casualties.
"Retreat! Draw your sword!"
Zhao Guang spoke up again.
The soldiers quickly thrust their spears forward, and regardless of whether they were hit or not, they let go and retreated, making way for the Wuhan Iron and Steel chariot.
The ring-shou knife attached to the waist was also unsheathed with a cold glow.
At this, the Di people cheered.
In an impatient manner, they rushed into the narrow passage in the chain of Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicles, and some climbed onto the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicles, trying to break through the military formation in one go, but they were met with death.
The WISCO vehicles were arranged staggeredly, and the passage was too narrow, allowing only one person to pass through.
And when the Di people rushed out of the passage, they were greeted by the sharp swords of the Han soldiers on both sides.
Those Di people who climbed onto the Wugang cart and jumped down would also be kissed by two or three spears in mid-air.
"Bang the drum!"
"Use the battle!"
Zheng Pu, who was standing on the tooth flag, shouted at the military drummer, pulled out his sharp blade, and rushed forward under the protection of Qi Yacuo.
"war!"
"war!"
The leader's example will always inspire everyone to follow him to the death.
In the small circular formation, the Han soldiers were full of morale and shouted a declaration never to retreat.
One side rushed forward without fear of death, while the other side defended to the death without giving in even a step, letting the stumps that were chopped off, the liver that was ripped out of the abdomen and leaked out, and the remains of half of the head that was cut off, dominate this world.
The sword was shining brightly, the spear tip was dazzling, and the arrowheads shot through the air, converging into the rippling smile on the lips of the God of Death.
Every moment, someone fell to the ground.
At every moment, someone is wailing, bidding farewell to the unworthiness of this cold world.
The barren land of Yinping greedily absorbs blood, enjoys the gluttonous feast of human beings killing each other, and smiles at the feedback of human life.
Perhaps the weeds that will grow on this mountain path next year will be at least half a foot high?
Zhao Guang holds a ring-shaped sword in one hand and a short spear in the other.
He led his soldiers to guard behind the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicle, trying to contain it as much as possible to prevent more Di people from rushing in.
His face and armor were splattered with black and red blood, but it did not delay his angry eyes and roar like thunder.
He swung the Huanshou knife and chopped open a Di man's head and shoulders. With the strength of his body leaning forward to the left, he raised the short spear held in his left hand over his shoulder and stabbed it into the mouth of another Di man.
The strength was so great that several of his teeth flew out.
When he straightened up, he flew up and kicked the body in front of him that had not yet fallen down, towards the Di people who continued to move forward, causing several of them to stumble.
"kill!"
Another roar.
Zhao Guanghuan's first sword and short spear staggered forward again.
He blocked the passage of the Wuhan Iron and Steel train with countless Di people's corpses. Duan was extremely brave!
Zheng Pu is not weak either.
With the extremely brave Qi Yacuo by his side, he burst out with endless courage.
The long-handled iron caltrops danced wildly, smashing countless heads, and the long swords gleamed like poisonous snakes spitting messages and piercing people's throats or eyes.
The small garden array is as solid as a rock, no matter how wind blows from east to west, north or south, it will remain firm and motionless!
The stalemate between killing and being killed lasted for about half an hour before the Di people's offensive began to decline.
It wasn't that they lacked the courage to die, but that the layers of corpses on the ground seriously hindered their way forward.
Thirty steps from the front of the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicle to the small circular formation, every inch of soil was covered with criss-crossing, and more than two corpses were piled on top of each other!
There was no space for them to stand.
This kind of frustration of tripping over without paying attention and being unable to win for a long time made the Di people's momentum disappear, and their eyes slowly became no longer blood-red.
"Woo~~~"
"Woo~~~~~"
At this moment, the Di people's rear formation sounded the horn horn for retreat.
Fu Zhang lived up to his reputation and was praised as a "wise man" by the Di people.
Watching the battle from behind, he could see that the Di people were weak in the follow-up and could no longer make any achievements, so he simply asked them to retreat first.
Naturally, he will not give up the attack.
Instead, let the eldest son Fu Jian's five hundred cavalry dismount, hold their bows, and shoot!
Suppress the Han army so that they don't dare to take the lead, take advantage of the situation to clear the way, and then send all the fresh troops to press on, intending to achieve success in one fell swoop.
"call"
"call"
Zhao Guang threw the short spear in his hand hard and plunged it into a Di man who turned around and retreated, then sat down on the ground. He didn't care that the ground was already extremely sticky and smelly.
After the fierce battle, he felt as if someone had thrown a pile of hot coals into his chest and abdomen.
It hurts and burns.
However, when countless arrows fell from the sky, he suddenly became lively and energetic.
Mao crouched and hid in the shield and oar defense, his eyes fixed on the Di people who were pulling the corpse outside, feeling a little anxious in his heart.
The disparity in strength between the two sides is so great that the small circular formation may be breached in the next wave.
"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
The war drums are like thunder and the sound is urging.
The Di people, howling like ghosts and wolves, came again with red eyes.
However, Zheng Pu, who was bleeding a lot, laughed loudly.
All the Han troops also cheered like thunder.
Because they saw that behind the Di people's banner, there was a military flag embroidered with the word "Xuanwu". It had broken free from the shackles of the earth and was fluttering in the wind!——
[Note 1: In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the waist-triggered crossbow was shown in the stone portrait of Wu's Temple in Jining. "Book of Jin·Biography of Malong" stated that the waist-triggered crossbow had a strength of thirty-six jun (about nine stones)]
