Chapter 97: March! March! March southward!
Chapter 97: March! March! March southward!
Time passes, the morning sun blinks away, the sun rises little by little,
The sandstorms before dawn dissipated, replaced by bright sunshine and cloudless skies.
But everyone in the grassland knows that the weather in Bui'er Lake is unpredictable.
The sky may be clear one moment and sandstorms may gather and sweep across the entire world the next.
Just at this moment, at the end of the sight, the sky gradually became gloomy, and there seemed to be sandstorms gathering continuously, making the soldiers look helpless and their morale was low.
The soldiers gathered little by little, sitting on their horses, with alert expressions, lips tightly pursed, and a hint of unwillingness in their eyes.
But he was helpless, and there was even a hint of calmness in his expression.
Most of them were "sinners" outside the camp.
The moment they were selected into the army, they had already seen the future.
Now this result just came faster, and they had already prepared themselves in their hearts.
More and more grassland people walked out of the military tents, rode on their own war horses, and tightened their few leather armors.
Keeping them close to the skin will give them the rare sense of security they have.
When they turned their heads and looked around,
I found that many soldiers had no armor and were only wearing tattered long gowns.
Holding a not-so-sharp scimitar in his hand, he hunched over a lame warhorse.
Such a scene made the soldiers who joined the army first secretly feel lucky.
At least they would not be like the soldiers who came later, without any armor and holding blunt knives.
As the soldiers gathered, the atmosphere gradually became anxious, and the war horses scratched the ladders restlessly, making snorting sounds.
It was not until then that some soldiers suddenly realized that they were actually afraid.
Afraid of fighting the Ming army, afraid of going to the south, afraid of dying.
Having just had enough food and drink, they didn't want to die there, and all kinds of thoughts began to fill their mind.
But the "obedience" in their hearts over the years has kept them firmly in place.
Back then, they were unable to provide the food that the royal court needed and were labeled as "criminals". At that time, they did not resist.
Many years have passed, and they still won't resist in this military formation.
I just feel a little unwilling in my heart, but only a little.
Countless people turned their dry eyes to look at the figures in the front.
Especially the tall and armed His Highness 'Arisleng',
Seeing him, the few feelings of resentment in the soldiers' hearts were gradually suppressed.
At least this noble Naiman Taiji died in battle like them.
But they didn't know why these Naiman cavalry were so keen on fighting the Ming people.
Even though they were far away, they could still feel the excitement of the Naiman cavalry in the front.
At the front of the army, Lu Yunyi sat high on his warhorse.
Listening to the extremely suppressed voices of the soldiers behind him, a smile gradually appeared at the corners of his mouth.
"Finally this day has come. I have been waiting for it for a long time."
"I didn't rest last night. I tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, just waiting for this moment."
"Well, let's show those 'Ming people' how powerful we are."
When they said this, several soldiers looked at each other.
The next moment he burst into laughter, not disguising his joy at all, causing many soldiers who were looking at him to look at him with strange expressions.
What's so funny about not knowing that we're about to fight the Ming army?
Lu Yunyi looked into the distance. The sky at the end of his sight became increasingly gloomy. He looked at the time, pursed his lips slightly, and gave an order in a cold voice.
"Sound the horn, gather the troops!"
Across the vast sky and earth, as a low and solemn horn sounded, the entire grassland seemed to be awakened by this passionate melody.
The sound of the horn is like an ancient call, passing through the dust of history and echoing in the hearts of every soldier.
At first, the sound of the horn was low and distant, as if it came from the depths of the grassland, with a mysterious and solemn tone.
As the sound of the horn gradually became louder, the soldiers began to assemble quickly.
They moved quickly, like wild horses galloping on the grassland.
But their steps were uniform. Although their morale was low, at this moment they were well-trained soldiers!
With the sound of trumpets, the flags fluttered in the wind.
The golden wolf head shone brightly in the sunlight.
Exciting, solemn and heavy!
All the soldiers were infected by the sound, and they forced themselves to cheer up and look straight ahead!
Soon, tens of thousands of grassland soldiers had assembled.
They were wearing battle robes of various colors, shapes, new and old.
But their battle robes are embroidered with tribal totems, either delicate or distorted, which symbolize their bravery and loyalty and bring them good luck.
The armor of the soldiers at the front shone coldly in the sun.
They held scimitars and spears in their hands, carried bows and arrows on their backs, and looked straight to the south with firm and sharp eyes.
It seemed that they had to travel through thousands of mountains and rivers to meet the Ming army that they hated so much.
Lu Yunyi stood at the front, looking at the soldiers behind him, his heart was filled with excitement.
Even though there are only soldiers from the grasslands here,
But no matter what, this was also his first time commanding a battle formation of tens of thousands of people!
At first, there was some panic and confusion, but as military orders were issued one after another,
Lu Yunyi gradually calmed down, with a hint of excitement in his eyes.
He squeezed the horse's belly and held the reins lightly with his left hand.
The warhorse seemed to understand human nature. It took slow steps, leisurely walked forward a dozen feet, and then slowly turned its head.
When he saw the full picture of the soldiers, Lu Yunyi felt as if his mind exploded with a bang.
Heads! All heads!
The field of vision was filled with small ochre dots, which were the faces of the grassland soldiers.
Being watched by thousands of people at the same time was an experience Lu Yunyi had never had before.
Lu Yunyi's face changed slightly, and he finally realized at this moment,
What is the knowledge gained from books? It is only shallow. One must practice it personally to truly understand it.
In previous drills, he had trained at most 5,000 soldiers, and had never trained more than 10,000 soldiers at the same time.
I didn’t expect that the number has doubled, but the mental pressure has increased several times.
Feeling the eyes on me,
Lu Yunyi's breathing became a little short, his face turned red, his heart began to beat faster, and adrenaline began to flow out little by little.
He groped back and forth with his right hand, stepped over the stiff horse, passed through the rough surface, reached his waist and abdomen, and finally found the long knife at his waist!
When he felt a sluggish and frosted feeling in his hands, Lu Yunyi suddenly felt himself calm down.
When his right hand tightly grasped the hilt of the knife, a slightly frivolous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
His aura also began to change little by little, his eyes became dark and cold, and his body muscles went from tense to relaxed.
Liu Heiying, who was at the front of the army, suddenly noticed this change. His eyes widened slightly and his lips became a little dry.
Every time he was in battle, Brother Yuner would go crazy like a demon.
Even if someone pulled him hard, they couldn't stop him from slashing with his sword.
That expression was completely different from his usual humility and harmony, as if the demons deep in his heart had been released.
Now, the war is about to begin, and that bloody and crazy feeling has already appeared!
Lu Yunyi wanted to say something, but after holding the long sword,
It was as if a bloody curtain covered my eyes, and the murderous intent in my heart surged uncontrollably.
It seems that there is no need to say more.
With a clear "clang" sound, the long sword was unsheathed, and the long sword fell on the blade, causing a cold light to appear between heaven and earth!
Many soldiers were blinded by the sudden cold light and their heads dazed.
When they regained their composure, they suddenly discovered that
His Highness 'Arisleng' did not seem to take his usual scimitar, but instead changed to a long sword with a broad blade.
Such long swords are rare in the grasslands.
Because the sun on the grassland is very strong, this long sword will reflect the sunlight, and if you are not careful in the battle, your colleagues will suffer temporary blindness.
Therefore, grassland knives are narrow and curved so that when they are swung, they will not flash in the eyes of colleagues or oneself.
The soldiers' gazes moved slowly and they found that the leaders of the Naiman tribe had all changed into such long swords, and they couldn't help but look surprised.
Before they could think, the horns sounded all around them suddenly and rapidly, and the war horses became restless and uneasy!
Everyone's eyes focused, this is the clarion call for battle!
"Soldiers, set out and head south!" The messenger's voice echoed around. Lu Yunyi tightened the reins as usual.
He rushed out first, and the soldiers followed closely behind him!
More and more soldiers began to move, and the horses' leisurely strolls gradually turned into trots, and then their steps became more and more rapid.
Slowly, the dust rose up,
The sound of horse hooves came one after another,
It rolled in like thunder, shaking the earth slightly.
There was a solemn atmosphere in the air, as if even the wind was holding its breath.
The sound was as stirring as the drums of war, and their figures cast long shadows in the sun.
A dark cloud swept across the grassland.
"Kill!! Go south, go south, and meet that Ming person!!"
In the battle formation not far away, Wu Fuliu also shouted excitedly,
Waving the long sword continuously, the flag belonging to Tianbao Nu fluttered a little bit,
The tens of thousands of soldiers behind him also began to move little by little, as if they were competing with the soldiers of Dibaonu.
You chase me and I chase you, back and forth.
The snow on the grassland had just melted, and the dried dust was flying up into the sky bit by bit.
The dust surged, drawing two giant ochre-colored dragons in Buiyuer Lake!
The excitement of the cavalry battle formation was released at this moment.
The sound of horse hooves echoed between heaven and earth, stepping heavily on the soldiers' hearts. The fear that had been lingering for a long time dissipated little by little.
They looked at the endless battle array around them, and some thoughts emerged instead.
What can the Ming people use to fight against the excitement! !
Lu Yunyi keenly sensed the change in the soldiers' momentum and felt the cold wind blowing towards him.
He turned his head to glance at the increasingly excited soldiers, and a strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He looked at Liu Heiying again, who had a stern face. He pursed his lips tightly and looked solemn.
He looked up and down at the soldier, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
Lu Yunyi knew what he was worried about, laughed wildly, and shouted:
"Black Hawk, don't worry. Even if the battle formation of a mob is elite, it will be vulnerable in front of the real elite!!"
Liu Heiying turned his head, looking puzzled: "What???"
Lu Yunyi smiled lightly, pursed his lips, and said no more.
Now the grassland soldiers are so powerful that they charge and kill like an overwhelming force, which makes people tremble with fear.
However, these people were all "sinners" of the grassland, and most of the war horses they rode were dismounted. They had never seen the most elite national defense weapon of the Ming Dynasty.
No matter how elite they are, they will be vulnerable in front of a real army.
Lu Yunyi once did a simulation in the military tent and concluded that if he commanded the army, these 20,000 grassland cavalry could be destroyed at the lowest cost!
There are many ways, but I don’t know what General Lan Yu will do.
Lianfeng Valley, as one of the southern gateways of Buyuer Lake, is quiet at this moment.
The originally endless camp disappeared silently. Standing on the high slope and looking down, all one could see was a vast expanse of yellow earth.
Lan Yu was standing on the hillside where the scouts of the front army were observing the soldiers coming and going.
Behind him were more than a hundred messengers, holding command flags, ready to go.
He was holding a strange object in his hand at the moment. It was one foot long and made of brass. It was thin near the edge and thick far away. Both ends were inlaid with finely polished and translucent colored glaze.
Lan Yu was holding a strange object tightly in both hands at this moment.
He closed his left eye tightly, put the object to his right eye, opened his mouth crookedly, and showed half of his teeth.
He swayed his upper body from side to side, taking a deep breath from time to time.
At this moment, in his eyes, the distance between them was several hundred feet.
The soldiers lying in the depression seemed to be a blurry figure in front of him.
He suddenly took the copper tube off his eyes and looked forward. The soldier in the distance was just a tiny dot, and he couldn't see it clearly.
He thrust the copper tube into the soldier's right eye, and the soldier suddenly grew bigger.
Although it is blurry, I think he is groping for the long sword.
Although he had seen it countless times, he still felt amazed at this moment.
"Amazing! Amazing! This thing, this thing has great use in military affairs!!"
Lan Yu couldn't help but look at Deng Zhen, the Duke of Shen, who was standing beside him, pointing at the copper tube and exclaiming! !
Deng Zhen acted as if he didn't hear it. He stared at the copper pipe with a look of unsatisfied feeling and desire on his face.
He had just watched it once, and now he could not stop thinking about it!
"With this thing, General, we can completely control the battle formation.
If I had this thing three years ago, I would not have misjudged the war situation when leading the army to suppress the rebellion, resulting in heavy casualties among the soldiers.
General, show me again."
Lan Yu was not stingy and smiled happily.
He handed over the copper tube, put his hands on his waist, and looked at the soldiers who were already ready for the ambush below. He was excited and said with a bit of boasting:
"This item was sent to me overnight by Lu Yunyi. It is called a telescope. He said it was modified based on the copper trumpet.
He said in the letter that since sound can be amplified,
Then the things that were seen should also be able to be magnified, and this thing appeared by accident.
Although this thing looks blurry, it doesn't matter. As long as I can see the general situation of the battlefield, it is enough. "
Deng Zhen, who was standing on one side, was like Lan Yu just now, with his eyes closed and mouth wide open, sucking in cold air continuously.
They are all experienced in marching and fighting, and have served as the commander of an army, so they know the importance of controlling the situation on the battlefield.
"General, this thing is no less than a hundred thousand elite soldiers in our Ming army." Deng Zhen is over thirty years old, but he can't let go of the copper tube in his hand.
Lan Yu smiled and nodded, then took the bronze mirror from Deng Zhen as if nothing had happened.
"On the battlefield, if you wait for messengers to run back and forth, the information you get will be outdated.
But the decisions made must be proactive, otherwise there will be defeat on the battlefield.
With this item, whether you hand it over to a messenger or check it yourself, you can get the most timely information.
Our military orders will be issued more accurately.
With the addition of the copper horn, the time required to transmit military intelligence would be greatly reduced.
With these two things in hand, there is no battle in the world that I cannot win."
Lan Yu was very excited and talked more. In the end, he couldn't help laughing.
Hearing the laughter, Deng Zhen looked strange.
Most of the generals he had met had gloomy faces, and he had never been as cheerful as he was today.
Deng Zhen shook his head back and forth, looking at the telescope, with a thoughtful look on his face:
"General, wait until this battle is over.
The Five Military Commanders' Office and the Ministry of Industry will gather craftsmen from all over the country to polish the best colored glaze.
This will surely allow us to see more clearly.”
Lan Yu showed surprise, then exclaimed in admiration:
"Among the younger generation, you and Xu Yungong are the smartest and can see the big picture from the small details. You are pretty good.
Lu Yunyi said in his letter that the clear and bright colored glass was made by burning.
As for how to burn it, I don’t know.
Hand it over to the Governor's Office and the Ministry of Industry, and try it out together with the method you mentioned. We must create the best telescope."
After saying this, Lan Yu put the telescope on his right eye again and looked towards the Buiyuer Sea in the north.
Suddenly, smoke and dust rolled up in the sky, as if something was moving.
Lan Yu's eyes focused, he took away the telescope and looked again, the sea in the distance was calm!
But when he looked through the telescope again, his brows were furrowed and his whole body was filled with solemnity.
"coming!"
Deng Zhen looked puzzled. What was coming?
But the next moment, the messenger in the distance came running over with all his strength, panting.
"General, we have seen enemies in the north, over ten thousand of them, all cavalry!!"
Deng Zhen's eyes widened suddenly. To ensure that everything was safe,
They had already sent cavalry to clear out the grassland cavalry near the southern shore of Buir Lake.
And they deployed spies ten miles away, in order to find the enemy and
Run back as fast as you can, get ahead of the enemy, and get the news earlier.
Now, just by watching, it is equivalent to hundreds of secret agents in these ten miles.
Deng Zhen quickly put away the shock on his face, looked solemn, waved his hand, and ordered the soldiers who had been waiting beside him:
"Order the whole army, get ready, the enemy is coming!
Tell the brothers to be careful not to harm the man holding a broad-bladed long knife, because he is one of our own."
"Yes!"
(End of this chapter)