In the early morning, a group of more than ten Shatuo cavalry rushed from a distance. Judging from their direction, it was obvious that they were heading to the Qilian garrison in the southeast.
Qilian Fort is located at the junction of Ganzhou and Suzhou. It is a military city with a circumference of about five miles. It is located high up, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Its strategic position is very important. During the more than ten years of confrontation between the Tang Army and the Shatuo Army,
Qilian Fort has always been the northernmost defense point of the Tang Army, but it has been captured by the Shatuo Army and has become the southernmost offensive bridgehead of the Shatuo people.
When this group of Shatuo cavalry passed through a forest, dozens of arrows suddenly shot out from the woods. The Shatuo cavalry were caught off guard and fell off their horses one after another. Only three of the twelve cavalry were still on their horses. They turned around and fled.
, but it was too late, more than a hundred Tang Army soldiers shot out from the woods and surrounded them instantly.
The leader Shatuo Centurion shouted and swung his spear towards the Tang army in an attempt to break out. Zhang Yun immediately waved his hand and more than a dozen spears were thrust out at the same time, killing the Shatuo Centurion on the spot, and the other two
The Shatuo cavalry were so frightened that they quickly dismounted and knelt down to surrender. Not every Shatuo man was a warrior, and there were still many who could not withstand the test of death.
The soldiers of the Tang Army quickly packed up the corpses and horses and fled into the woods. The grassland returned to calm. Only the pools of blood on the ground still hinted that a bloody battle had just occurred here.
"General, here is a letter!"
The soldiers found a letter from Centurion Shatuo and handed it to Zhang Yun.
The letter was written in Turkic language. Recognizing Turkic characters is one of the basic skills of a scout. Zhang Yun quickly scanned it and was overjoyed. This letter turned out to be the Shatuo people's plan to send troops. First, 10,000 people arrived at the Qilian garrison and carried out the
Preliminary preparations are for the 20,000 main force to move south. The time schedule is also clearly stated above. Today is April 15th, so the vanguard has already set off from Jiuquan this morning, and the main force will set off from Jiuquan three days later.
Zhang Yundang immediately ordered: "Return to Zhangye immediately!"
They disposed of the bodies, escorted the two Shatuo prisoners of war out of the forest, bypassed Qilian Fort, and rushed towards Zhangye City in Ganzhou.
After nearly a month of training and combat preparations, the Ganzhou Army has also completed combat preparations. In addition to the 18,000 regular troops, Guo Song also temporarily organized a militia composed of 3,000 young and strong men. They are mainly responsible for transporting supplies.
Lifting wounded soldiers and operating trebuchets.
In addition, there is a logistics support team composed of 2,000 young and strong women, responsible for cooking, delivering meals and taking care of the wounded.
Guo Song had rich experience in defending the city in Fengzhou. He knew the importance of logistical support in defending the city. In the era of cold weapons, unless they were cut off in the middle or beheaded, ordinary soldiers would not die immediately, but would die due to lack of disinfection.
Well or he bleeds to death after being injured.
As long as timely treatment is given, most soldiers can survive. On the one hand, it is good medicine. The Tang army generally prepared a hemostatic ointment, which mainly contains Panax notoginseng. Secondly, salt water is commonly used to clean wounds.
On the other hand, there is nursing. There was no concept of nurses in the Tang Dynasty, but mobilizing women to take care of the wounded was a good way. Five hundred quick and capable women had received simple training and knew how to clean wounds with salt water and then apply medicine and bandages.
Take care of the wounded soldiers' diet.
This can greatly reduce the death rate of soldiers.
Under the south city head, nearly a hundred craftsmen are installing heavy trebuchets. There are a total of forty trebuchets, which were transported from Liangzhou. This kind of trebuchet is as high as two and a half feet, with a throwing pole of ten feet, and a large wooden wheel installed underneath.
, can be moved. This is a relatively new type of heavy trebuchet of the Tang Army. It is wound with a winch, just like the windlass at the well. It is pulled by three strong oxen and can throw a boulder weighing 100 kilograms 350 steps away.
However, the trebuchet occupies too much space and cannot be installed on the top of the city. It can only be installed under the city. Another advantage of installing it under the city is that it can be moved. No matter which direction the enemy attacks, it can deal with it.
"Offensive and defensive warfare is also a kind of war. We seem to be passive, but in fact we have a condescending advantage. On the other hand, the Shatuo people have to give up their good cavalry warfare to fight us in offensive and defensive warfare."
Guo Song took a group of officials to inspect the installation of the trebuchet, and at the same time analyzed the pros and cons of this war for them.
"This offensive and defensive battle is also necessary for the Shatuo people. They have been confronting the Tang army for more than ten years. This is their best chance to seize the Hexi Corridor. I believe they will not give up. Similarly, Zhangye City and they cannot
Bypass."
Guo Song walked to the top of the city and stared at the north from a distance. Chief Shi Pan Liao whispered: "Captain, will the Shatuo people attack Zhangye City again in the autumn?"
Guo Song glanced at him and said calmly: "I'm afraid Pan Changshi still doesn't understand that this battle is equally important to us. Our spring plowing has been delayed. If the war is not ended before the end of May, we will not be able to cultivate summer grain. We
I can't afford to delay it either. If there is still no news about the Shatuo army, then I can only take the initiative to capture the Qilian garrison and force the Shatuo people to fight."
Just as he said this, a soldier rushed to report, "Inform the Governor, Zhang Yun is back and brings important information!"
Guo Song nodded and smiled at the officials: "I guess there is news. You continue to patrol, I will go and check the situation!"
He turned around and walked quickly towards the city. He saw Zhang Yun walking towards him, knelt down on one knee and reported: "See the Governor!"
"It looks like you've gained something?" Guo Song asked with a smile.
"The humble position ambushed a Shatuo cavalry team delivering a message on the way, and got an important letter. I asked the Governor to read it!"
After speaking, he handed over a letter with a translation beside it. Guo Song read the letter and asked, "How long does it take to march from Jiuquan to Qilian garrison?"
"To inform the Commander-in-Chief, it only takes two days for the cavalry. If you carry the baggage, it will take about four or five days."
Guo Song nodded. The distance from Qilian garrison to Zhangye is about the same. Calculated, Shatuo's army will arrive at Zhangye city in about ten days.
Guo Song felt a little heavy. It would be the end of April in ten days. If the war lasted for more than a month, Xia Zhong would definitely be delayed.
"What's the situation of the enemy's troops and equipment?" Guo Song pondered for a moment and asked again.
"Bizhi captured two spies and interrogated them in detail. The enemy's total strength was about 32,000 to 3,000, all of which were cavalry. Their equipment mainly consisted of leather armor, spears and swords. I had seen their weapons.
, generally one level worse than the Tang army, especially bows and arrows, the shooting range is about 70 or 80 steps, and the Shatuo army generally does not have shields."
Guo Song had dealt with the Shatuo people in Beiting, and he knew the Shatuo people quite well. Zhang Yun's description was basically the same as before. It seems that the Uighurs did not give any substantial help to the Shatuo people.
This illustrates the weakening of Uighur’s national power.
"I understand. You take the brothers down and have a good rest for a few days, and then continue to investigate."
"I resign from my humble position!"
Zhang Yun bowed and retreated.
At this time, Chang Shi Pan Liao and a group of officials walked down the city and asked: "Captain, are the Shatuo people coming?"
Guo Song nodded, "Shatuo's army will arrive in about ten days. I'm worried that if the war drags on too long, it will delay farming."
Pan Liao smiled and said: "We just discussed the farming issue, and maybe there is a compromise."
Guo Song hurriedly said: "Chang Shi, please tell me!"
"The farmland in Ganzhou is mainly in the south. It is not completely abandoned. The farmland south of Xiedan County is under normal cultivation. The farmland near Zhangye County is mainly abandoned. It is about tens of thousands of acres. I am thinking, it is too late.
If you grow beans for one season, the war will actually not cause much damage to farming."
Guo Song understood what he meant. Instead of planting corn, he planted beans instead. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Is it too late to plant beans?"
"The beans are completely in time, and there is plenty of food in our warehouse. In fact, even if we don't plant anything this year, it will be enough for us to persist until tomorrow's summer harvest. Besides, there is food growing in the south, so it will not cause famine. Don't worry, Governor!"
Guo Song could only smile bitterly and said: "That's all we can do. I hope I can get some loot back from the Shatuo people."
Pan Liao and others returned to the military office. When Guo Song saw Zhang Yun appearing next to him again, he asked, "What else does General Zhang have to do?"
Zhang Yun bowed and said, "I just forgot to report something important to the governor."
"What's important?"
"I interrogated the prisoners of war in my humble position and learned that not all of the more than 7,000 Tang Army soldiers who were surrounded and annihilated by the enemy last year were killed, only less than 3,000 were killed, and most of the other soldiers became prisoners of war."
Guo Song perked up and asked quickly: "Where are they now?"
"Working as a miner in a mine in Yiwu. There are tens of thousands of miners there, all young men plundered from all over Hexi."
Guo Song was immediately overjoyed. This news was very exciting. As long as the people were still alive, there was hope of saving them.
This unexpected good news was like a spring breeze, blowing away a little bit of the gloom in Guo Song's heart. His heart became cheerful, and the sunshine in the sky seemed to become extraordinarily warm.
On April 20th, 30,000 Shatuo troops arrived at the Qilian Fort. They used the Qilian Fort as a logistics center. After resting for a day, the army marched toward Zhangye City in a mighty manner.
The Ganzhou Army has completed all combat preparations. For several days, the soldiers spent their time in prepared formation. They already knew that Shatuo's army had arrived at Qilian garrison and was heading towards Zhangye City.
Early that morning, Mengzi flew from the north, hovered over the military camp in the city, and made a sharp cry.
Guo Song walked out of the room and looked up at the circling Mengzi. He immediately said in a deep voice: "Inform the entire army that the Shatuo Army is about to kill!"
The alarm bell sounded in the military camp, and the soldiers rushed out of the barracks to gather. Guo Song led dozens of soldiers to the north city wall.
On the north wall, thousands of soldiers became nervous. A black line appeared in the distance, and low horn sounds kept coming. The ground did not tremble, indicating that the opponent was not coming with thousands of horses galloping, but walking slowly.
, carrying a lot of luggage.
Guo Song sneered, finally seeing his 'old friend' again. This battle he had been waiting for for a long time.
Guo Song immediately ordered: "Act according to the original plan!"
He wanted to leave a surprising initial impression on Zhu Xie Jinhai.
Shatuo's army stopped advancing three miles away, and Zhu Xiejinhai ordered: "The entire army will be stationed on the spot!"
Thirty thousand Shatuo's army began to spread out, and Zhu Xiejinhai led a thousand cavalry to the foot of Zhangye City.
Zhu Xiejinhai looked up at the situation on the city. He saw that there were not many soldiers on the city, only four to five thousand people, all with frightened faces. The big flags on the city were also crooked. The morale of the Tang army soldiers was generally low.
, the military appearance is not neat, many people even wear their helmets crookedly, looking a bit careless.
Zhu Xie Jinhai nodded, turned around and ordered: "Order the Eighth Army to prepare for the attack!"
Although the morale of the Tang army seemed to be low, Zhu Xie Jinhai still wanted to conduct a tentative attack.