Recently, there has been some unrest in Luoyang, and large groups of Xia Army cavalry have frequently appeared between Xin'an and Luoyang.
The strength of Shuofang's army is roughly 1,500 infantry from Huazhou, 8,000 infantry from Tongguan, 5,000 infantry from Guozhou (the newly arrived Wuwei Army), 5,000 infantry from Shaanzhou, in addition to 2,500 infantry.
Hundreds of cavalrymen patrolled along the river.
In fact, these two thousand and five hundred cavalrymen have been basically stationary in Xujin recently.
They are all single-horse melee cavalry. They are not rangers like silver spears or iron cavalry, and their mobility is too weak.
Just like the cavalry attached to the Tielin Army, why should they be attached to the infantry and move together? Because without a large group of people, the marching speed will be slower than that of the infantry alone.
After riding a horse for a while, you have to rest for a long time, feed and chew the cud. On the road from Huazhou to Luoyang, if there is no supply point in the way and you have to carry it all by yourself, then the infantry will definitely arrive first.
Of course, now that there are supply points along the way, the speed of the cavalry can be greatly increased, but over time, the horses will still lose weight and even die.
Xu Hao set out from Huazhou with thousands of horses and marched in a hurry.
On the first day, we passed Tongguan and arrived at Nexiangyi. The marching speed was superior to that of the infantry.
The next day the distance dropped a bit and we only reached Taolinsee.
I originally planned to arrive in Shaanzhou on the third day, but in fact I couldn’t run halfway.
On the fourth day, the horse refused to run, so I could only lead the horse and walk slowly.
Later in the 19th century, the Prussian army even stipulated that the infantry must stop and wait for the cavalry after marching for ten days.
Of course, if there were spare horses, the speed could be greatly improved, but they didn't have them. It wasn't that they couldn't afford the equipment. The horses had too much food and too much food and drink to feed them.
The Tielin Army has three thousand cavalry, and the horses must be more than three thousand, but they will not be equipped with two horses per person. This cost is affordable on the grasslands, but cannot be afforded in the interior.
If you don't care about the horse and run to death, of course you can go faster, but it's really not necessary.
If a large group of cavalry appears in a non-steppe area, there will inevitably be a huge logistics supply base.
Especially when they are unable to attack the city and obtain the food inside, their range of activities is very limited and they are always wandering around this base.
In agricultural areas, there are few pastures, and most of the grass growing on them is not suitable for feeding horses.
Strong walls and clear fields are effective against cavalry. People can starve, but horses cannot.
If there is no way to graze in the wild, the horse will not be able to move and must be fed with food, which will require a supply base.
In the past, silver spears were all rushing to the northeast of Luoyang, with one person and two horses carrying part of the grain and beans, just to prevent the wild plundering, and they could not find forage suitable for the horses to eat. Of course, feeding forage alone is not enough.
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The cavalry of Shuofang Army frequently appeared between Xin'an and Luoyang, which only meant one thing. Their camp had moved forward, allowing the cavalry to reach this area.
If Zhang Quanyi is bold enough and takes more than 5,000 government troops, state soldiers, and thousands of field soldiers in Luoyang City, and attacks with the whole army to attack this supply base, once he succeeds, he will be able to destroy most of Shuofang's army's cavalry power.
, because Shao Shude had few infantrymen who could fight.
But he didn't dare after all. Ge couldn't figure out the truth from Monday. Now it's too late to fight, because Tielin, Tianzhu, and Tianxiong armies have already passed Shaanzhou, and more than 10,000 Hengshan party members are about to arrive in Shaanxi. Prefecture, only two days away from Shihaozhai camp.
This is Marshal Shao's advantage of having more cavalry. You don't know the strength of the opponent, and you can't tell how many troops he has. You think it's a lot, but it's not.
Of course, it was also useful for Ge Congzhou to set up a stronghold at Erxiao Mountain, at least to prevent Shao Shude's camp from moving forward because there were no troops left to guard the retreat and watch the Bianjun camp on Xiaoshan Mountain.
Now he has abandoned the stronghold and left, and 2,000 Huazhou soldiers guarded the area.
These soldiers would be of great use in a short period of time, and Shao Shude did not intend to take them eastward. He would just continue to escort people and supplies.
On October 26, the fastest moving Tielin Army arrived at Shihaozhai, and the next day, they arrived at Qianhaozhai.
Two days later, all the troops arrived, and Shao Shude reviewed the troops under the Shenque Tower outside Qianhao Village.
The Tielin Army had 9,000 infantry, the Tianxiong Army had 5,000 infantry, the Tianzhu Army had 6,000 infantry, and the Shunyi Army had 3,000 infantry, totaling more than 20,000 people.
There are more than ten thousand people living in Hengshan Mountain who stayed behind in the complex terrain of Kip Shek County and repaired the old fort system just in case.
Of the 100,000 infantry troops, only so many could reach the front line.
How difficult it is to go on a long expedition. After traveling a hundred miles and defeating the general, this is true!
"The soldiers rewarded me with one piece of money and two pieces of silk."
The cheers were thunderous and morale was boosted.
Of course, the goods have been transported away, probably to Tongguan. At this time, the military bills can only be recorded. But the sergeants have long been accustomed to it, because Marshal Shao has never defaulted on his accounts.
"The whole army rested for two days. After two days, the Shunyi army was the first to clear the way. All armies marched in sequence, passing through Mianchi, heading towards Xin'an and Luoyang."
More than 70,000 people in the west have been kidnapped, and it is difficult to find them again. Now they can only go to the east to find a solution.
The cavalry army set out on the same day.
One person has two horses, one for riding and one for carrying various supplies.
After removing all kinds of odds and ends, it carried about a hundred kilograms of grains, beans, cheese, and dried meats, which was almost enough for people and horses for ten days.
That is to say, they can theoretically go five to ten days to advance the army, but it is usually five days because the distance is long and the horses cannot run.
There was only one war horse, and the pack horse was not of much use. It was also slow and could not be used for transportation. Under normal circumstances, the pack horse was kept in the camp.
The so-called one person and two horses does not mean one person and two horses.
The most luxurious leopard riders have three horses per person, and there is only one war horse, and there is also a pack horse, which carries armor, equipment and other pots and pans, and a riding horse, which is used for walking in peacetime, because he can't bear to ride a war horse.
Leopard Cavalry's mobility is also very limited. It's not a matter of sufficient horsepower, but mainly limited by food.
Unless like the Mongols, each person has five to ten horses, then he can have more than one war horse.
Fighting with the enemy, with two or three war horses by your side, is a different feeling.
Starting from the Ganhaozhai camp, their furthest distance was around Luoyang, and they would not be able to move any further unless they could replenish food on the spot.
If you want to attack Zhengzhou, you must first ensure that there are military stations along the way to provide supplies, or you must be able to plunder food from the people of Zhengzhou.
Last time, all the silver spears rushed to the front line of Yanshi. If they hadn't robbed some of the Bian army's wives, where would the food for the return journey be?
This time, the silver spears all rushed from Hebei to attack Hao Zhenwei and Feng Ba. Why didn't they return along the way? There was not enough food, so they had to cross the river to catch up with Zhelun.
If the war horse is nuclear-powered and cannot be damaged, Shao Shude would dare to attack all the way from Tongguan to Zhu Quanzhong only if it is not blocked by his infantry.
What's more, there is no need for it. Henan in the imperial dynasty had a developed water system and a profound shipping tradition. They were canals that had been dug with great efforts for more than a hundred years. Land transportation of grain was only Zhu Quanzhong's supplement, and it had little impact.
When the Liang and Jin Dynasties were fighting for hegemony, Li Cunxu also crossed the river in winter when the river was frozen and the navy of the Bian Army was unable to fight.
Some people never calculate distance or consider logistics when fighting a war, nor do they think about whether it can be done.
The grasslands and the Central Plains are completely two geographical environments. Our own controlled area and the enemy's territory are two different concepts.
Strengthening walls and clearing fields is the best way to limit the range of cavalry activities. It is more effective than planting trees or digging trenches.
After the cavalry army set off, it was like opening up a protective cushion for the army from a distance. Even if they received news when heading east and Zhu Quanzhong's main force came over, they would have a few days to buffer and still have no time to turn around.
This is the advantage of Shuofang's army, it has the initiative.
If there were not so many cavalry, we would have to worry about running into the enemy's main force head-on when traveling eastward, and would not be able to retreat in time.
On October 30, Shao Shude personally led more than 30,000 people on foot and cavalry eastward toward Mianchi County.
Before leaving, he also checked the nearby wilderness.
Dawan alfalfa, silica grass and other miscellaneous pastures have been planted in various open spaces. I don't know if they will grow.
Bringing forage seeds to the Central Plains for planting may sound ridiculous, but there is nothing you can do about it. When the horses are out of food, this thing can be an emergency. When they are not fighting, they can also greatly reduce the proportion of concentrated feed and reduce expenses. .
I hope that they will not be destroyed by others, and that they can compete with other worthless weeds when they grow, and the longer they grow, the stronger they will be.
On the third day of November, the army arrived in Mianchi County, and the county magistrate Jin Suo came out of the city to greet them.
"Is this the Zhongshun Army?" Shao Shude asked with his riding whip pointing at the two thousand infantry arrayed in the wilderness.
"Come back, Commander, this is the Zhongshun Army."
The Zhongshun Army was actually the former Mianchi County town soldiers and township warriors, totaling two thousand.
Shao Shude did not equip them with good equipment because he did not trust this army.
He was sure that as soon as he revealed the idea of moving them away and packing them back to Lingxia, these people would immediately rebel, unless they were subdued with a butcher knife and all their families were moved away.
After ten or eight years of this, you will probably feel better and be able to use it to your own advantage.
By the second generation, they are completely their own people.
"Forty miles to the east is Xia Shi Fort. Are the officers and soldiers of the Zhongshun Army willing to capture the fort for me?" Shao Shude stood next to Jin Suo. Of course, his words could not be heard by the two thousand officers and soldiers of the Zhongshun Army, but these words
Originally it was not a question, but an order.
The Kip Shek Fort has been in disrepair for a long time, and it is estimated that there are not many soldiers guarding it, so it is just a good opportunity for the Zhongshun Army to practice their skills.
It is always the first time to attack one's own family members in Henan Prefecture. As long as Shao Shude takes action, Shao Shude's trust in them will increase a few points.