Chapter 40: The enemy is numerous and we are few, gather and destroy them
Chapter 40: The enemy is numerous and we are few, gather and destroy them
Ten days later, the sky over the northern grasslands was low and the clouds were thick.
Snow flakes are falling from the sky,
Dancing in the air, like countless white elves, light and graceful,
Each snowflake is crystal clear, glittering with a faint light.
It adds a bit of purity and haziness to the world before our eyes.
The grass and trees had long since withered, leaving only dry and yellow branches swaying in the cold wind, creating a bleak scene.
Occasionally, the sound of animals growling could be heard, but they were soon startled by the loud sound of horse hooves and disappeared in a flash.
In the distance, a group of cavalrymen in black armor galloped past, slowing down little by little.
The horse's hooves stepped on the thick snow.
A crisp "crunching" sound echoed across the open grassland.
Their armor shone with a cold light in the cold wind, like ice crystals in winter, hard and dazzling.
The cavalrymen's faces were reddened by the cold wind, but their eyes were firm and blazing.
The leader was a young cavalryman.
He is tall, handsome and stands straight.
His sight seemed to penetrate the wind and snow and look straight ahead.
Looking at the endless mountains in the distance, his eye sockets are deep.
A cavalryman from the rear came forward, holding a map in his hand and writing loudly:
"Sir, if you cross this mountain, you will reach the Hundred Eyes Spring.
After we arrived here, more and more Northern Yuan cavalry were patrolling around.
If we get entangled with them again, we might be dragged down and attract most of the Northern Yuan army."
Lu Yunyi, the leader, nodded slightly, took the map and looked at it carefully.
The Yuan Dynasty strongholds have been marked clearly on it.
And the route they have taken along the way.
In the previous ten days of raiding, they cleared out at least a dozen Yuan strongholds.
And countless secret sentries,
Thousands of enemies were killed, while the losses of their own cavalry were very few.
He was more calm than the last time Lu Yunyi led the general flag team.
Lu Yunyi turned his head and looked at the soldiers present.
Their faces were dark and their brows were tired.
But his eyes were bright and sharp.
Days of fighting had freed them from the shackles of infantry.
He became more and more proficient in cavalry battles and scouting techniques.
Lu Yunyi waved his hand gently, and the soldier put away the map and rushed to the rear of the main force to continue recording.
Lu Yunyi looked at Liu Heiying, who had already lost a lot of weight, and asked with a smile:
"What do you think about the cavalry chasing behind us?"
Liu Heiying spat out the licorice in his mouth, his eyes were murderous, and he swung the long sword in his hand vigorously:
"There's no point in running away all day. It's better to find an opportunity to catch them all at once."
"Brother Black Hawk is right. They have been following us for two days and must be exhausted.
Now we should turn around and attack them, killing them all in one fell swoop."
Ma Dake, who was standing aside, had a murderous look on his face, and spoke with gritted teeth while holding a long knife.
Lu Yunyi chuckled, looked at the centurions present, and asked:
"What do you think?"
"When it comes to dealing with him, there's no point in guarding against thieves for a thousand days."
"We've been walking them around for so long, it's time to close the net."
"When the enemy is chasing me, I flee. When the enemy is tired, I attack him. Now is the time."
The hundred households all started talking at once, their expressions filled with indignation.
Although they knew that the adults were taking the enemy for a walk, it was still too frustrating.
They ran for two days, neither fighting back nor retaliating when being beaten or scolded, and they ran away as soon as people came, making them look miserable.
Those who don’t know would think they are remnants of the old army.
In fact, they all knew that the structure of more than a thousand people was almost preserved to the greatest extent possible.
Although each centurion suffered some damage, it was not serious.
Some of the lightly wounded can continue to kill the enemy, while the seriously wounded can preserve the baggage, which is a good combination.
It's totally different from what they showed in the past two days. They don't have the strength to fight.
Seeing the anger burning in the hearts of the centurions, Lu Yunyi nodded slightly, and then looked at Wang Shen:
“When does the snow fall heaviest?”
Wang Shen quickly looked up at the weather, then took out the booklet and looked through it carefully.
At this time, Liu Heiying came up, stared at his booklet and cursed:
"Can you read? You've been looking at books all day long."
Then Liu Heiying saw the words that belonged to Wang Shen alone.
All kinds of strange and bizarre shapes appeared on the paper, leaving him overwhelmed.
Wang Shen chuckled, as long as he could understand it.
After looking at it for a while, he looked up at Master Xiao Lu and said slowly:
"Sir, according to my speculation,
The snowstorm should reach its peak around the beginning of the afternoon, accompanied by strong winds.
This kind of snowy weather is not conducive to cavalry charging, and will greatly slow down the speed."
Lu Yunyi looked at him in surprise and praised:
"Yes, you are doing a better and better job. Do you have any comments?"
Wang Shen smiled, his face full of satisfaction.
During this period, his opinions were often adopted and even more important than those of some superiors.
This made him feel that he was also a useful person.
So he never neglected climate observations.
He watched when others were sleeping, and watched when others were fighting.
Even when he was collecting the spoils, he was still observing.
In short, never miss any detail.
Wang Shen thought for a moment and said:
"Sir, although the strong wind will hinder the cavalry's charge and slow down our speed,
But that is the leeward side. If we go with the wind,
Then our charge speed will be greatly increased, while the enemy's blocking speed will be weakened.
With the strength of one side and the weakness of the other, we should be able to defeat the enemy easily.
Just just"
"Just what?" Lu Yunyi asked with a smile.
"But the wind direction is still uncertain. We need to wait until the snow falls to be sure.
It’s a little different on this grassland than in the country.”
Wang Shen pointed to the mountains ahead:
"There are mountains blocking the way here, and the wind direction is chaotic. I can't tell clearly for the moment."
Lu Yunyi nodded and looked at the snow drifting freely in the sky.
They sometimes go left, sometimes right, sometimes entangled with each other, seemingly in disorder and chaos, in short, they are everywhere.
He thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: "No matter what, we must deal with the pursuers today.
When the wind and snow are at their strongest, we will charge in regardless of whether the wind is with us or against us.
We must cross the Baiyan Spring and reach Erhai Lake within two days."
He then looked at the several military clerks standing to one side, silently writing in a book, and asked:
"Did you record all the water sources and various camps where the army could stop along the way?"
"Please rest assured, sir. I have noted it down." Lu Yunyi nodded and said, "After arriving at Baiyan Spring and Buiyuer Sea, you must be especially careful and not give up any water source.
Even the dry rivers must be recorded,
It is February now, and the ground is still covered with snow.
When the ice and snow melt in March and April, water may well emerge there again.
In order for the army to move smoothly, all locations must be recorded. "
This was the nth time Lu Yunyi had emphasized this.
Even the soldiers who knew nothing about the terrain understood the importance of this matter and silently memorized some locations in their minds.
The military clerk nodded vigorously:
"Please rest assured, sir. We will never give up any water source."
After doing all this, Lu Yunyi looked up and said loudly:
"There is a shelter three miles away. Let's go there to rest. Brothers, have a good rest.
Those Northern Yuan cavalrymen have been chasing us for a long time, and I think they are very proud of themselves.
It’s time to let them see the sharpness of our Ming army’s swords.”
After these words were spoken, the soldiers all looked excited, secretly took a deep breath, and clenched their fists involuntarily.
Having been chased everywhere by the Yuan cavalry these days, he has been furious!
Now that they have the opportunity for revenge, they will definitely not let it go.
Two quarters of an hour later, the group returned to the sheltered spot they had explored long ago.
This natural angle formed between two mountains and a high slope.
Here only the aimless falling snow can reach,
Even so, there was only a thin layer of snow on the ground.
When I entered, the cold wind whistling in my ears disappeared.
The heavy snow drifting in the sky disappeared, replaced by bursts of warmth.
The soldiers dismounted and began to inspect the horses.
He checked the horses for any scratches or insects, lifted up the four hooves and examined them carefully, adjusted the horseshoes, and suddenly showed a look of joy.
Since replacing the new horseshoes, the wear and tear on the war horse's hooves has indeed been much less.
Then the soldiers began to clean the dirt and accumulated dust from the horses' noses.
To ensure that the warhorse can breathe freely and charge at the fastest speed.
While the soldiers were resting, Lu Yunyi summoned ten centurions to discuss matters in a simple tent.
The tent is very simple to set up.
Put a few wooden sticks upright, then spread a huge piece of linen cloth over it, and then press down the corners with stones.
In this way, a tent that was a little leaky but could shelter from the wind appeared.
There were more than ten people sitting inside. Although it was a bit crowded, it was still warm.
Liu Heiying stepped on the edge of the linen cloth with one foot and cursed:
"These soldiers are becoming less and less careful in their work. The tents are leaking everywhere and they are not even tidied up."
Lu Yunyi sat in the middle and glanced at him:
"The soldiers have worked hard all the way, and having a place to shelter from the wind is enough."
Liu Heiying curled his lips and sat back a little to suppress more corners.
Seeing that everyone was on high alert, Lu Yunyi didn't hesitate, flipped open the booklet, looked at it and said:
"After two days of pursuit, we found that the enemy force was about a thousand strong, made up of six or more mixed groups.
They were originally scattered all over the place, followed along the way, slowly gathered together, and finally formed such a scale.
Although we are outnumbered, you can rest assured.
Once the war breaks out, the other side will fight on their own and have no time to care about other things.
Our unit is a complete organization and can easily form a joint force, so it is not difficult to defeat them.
The difficulty lies in how to reduce our own casualties and allow more soldiers to leave the grassland."
The hundreds of households looked at each other in bewilderment.
Although the fighting over the past few days has gradually made them accustomed to the cavalry scout tactics,
But compared to the decisive battle of the infantry, the cavalry's back and forth cruising in battle formations made them feel overwhelmed.
If you want to reduce the loss, you must go in and out seven times and charge back and forth.
This is a big challenge for all the households.
Whether it was the timing of entering the battlefield or leaving, they felt heavy-hearted.
They were afraid that if they made a bad choice, the enemy would rush in and cause heavy casualties.
Lu Yunyi did not give them time to daydream, and simply said while flipping through the book:
"In this battle, Liu Heiying's Wu Fuliu troops blocked the enemy and divided the battlefield.
As for where to enter and where to exit, how many people to separate and which part to separate,
It will be determined by the battlefield situation and your own judgment.
Remember, be decisive and don't hesitate.
The enemy is made up of several small units and may be weaker than we thought.
Once a battlefield barrier is formed and we annihilate one of them, it will certainly cause them to be in chaos."
This arrangement made no sense to the centurions present, and the same was true for Liu Heiying and Wu Fuliu.
Along the way, the two of them were doing this kind of work, and practice makes perfect.
Liu Heiying scratched his head:
"I saw that the armor worn by the thousand men was of different shapes and colors.
It is better to let them mix together when they are separated, so as to form a mixture, and not let them retain their complete structure.
This way, without a leader, it will be easier to deal with when we charge in."
As soon as these words came out, the eyes of the hundred households lit up.
They know better than anyone how important their superiors are.
If they were left alone on this grass
Wandering in the plains like a headless fly,
The same was true for the Northern Yuan soldiers. Once they lost the support of their comrades and were mixed into other armies, chaos was bound to occur.
Lu Yunyi raised his eyes slightly towards the booklet:
"You have to think about it. Although doing so can make subsequent progress smoother,
But it is not so easy to separate an entire system.
They will work together as quickly as possible and then launch a counterattack.”
Liu Heiying's face was solemn. He had anticipated this situation and nodded heavily:
"It doesn't matter if there are some casualties, as long as we can make up for it in the subsequent battles."
The atmosphere in the military tent suddenly became somewhat heavy.
The battlefield is so cruel that it is common for one part of the army to die in order to save the rest.
Lu Yunyi looked at Liu Heiying and Wu Fuliu and nodded slightly:
"Then do it, and bring it into chaos at all costs."
Lu Yunyi then looked at Ma Dake:
"You are brave in battle, and you must take on the main task of destroying the enemy.
Charge head-on and try to cause casualties quickly."
He felt that this was a little unsafe, so he looked at Qian Hong again:
"Your troops should do the same. Fight head-on with Ma Dake and try to eliminate the enemy as quickly as possible.
There are more than a thousand enemies in this battle. As long as we kill or injure three or four hundred,
They should be defeated, and your mission is particularly important."
Ma Dake and Qian Hong looked at each other, then looked at Lu Yunyi and nodded heavily, saying:
"I will definitely fulfill your mission."
"Yin Kexiong and Ji Hu's troops were on the move.
After Liu Hei Ying and Wu Fu's six divisions have separated the battlefield, they will quickly fill in the gap.
Block the enemy forces in front and behind so that they cannot merge."
"I obey my orders!"
"Ning Chong and Liao Xinyuan's troops will follow Ma Dake and Qian Hong to complete the second charge. We must continue to attack and kill, leaving the enemy no time to regroup."
"I obey my orders!"
"Fang Guangnan, Chi Lin, and Sheng Ying will follow me and attack the enemy's rear to prevent the enemy generals from commanding the battlefield."
"I obey my orders!"
After the simple battle plan was distributed, Lu Yunyi and Shang Paizi threw it aside and said with a smile:
"This battle plan is very rough. I have not arranged the specific small flags and the general flag. You can decide for yourself.
This will help you to better understand the battle formation.
Secondly, it can also allow your subordinates to be tempered.
Only when the officers under their command are elite enough, the generals will not be so tired and will not have to worry about everything. "
The centurions laughed immediately. They had followed many superiors in the past.
Some superiors command every detail.
Although this is a good move, the superior is still the superior.
Not understanding the soldiers' battlefield habits made them very uncomfortable and resulted in heavy casualties.
Now that Master Lu lets them do it themselves, they are very happy.
This way they can adjust it at will and use it as easily as their own arms.
Then Lu Yunyi took out the map he had drawn in advance.
I made a simple sandbox with the snow on the ground and wrote and drew on it.
Teaching the precautions and battlefield situation during the charge,
There are also some clever ways of utilizing the terrain, which really opened the eyes of the centurions.
Time passed quickly, and half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Lu Yunyi slowly stood up, loosened his waist, waved his hand and said:
"Alright, everyone go and make your own arrangements. We still have to move on. We cannot afford to lose this battle."
"Yes!"
(End of this chapter)