Chapter 382 Urgent Battle
Chapter 382 Urgent Battle
The vast area between the Qilian Mountains and the Datong Mountains is a plateau meadow area and also a very good pastoral area. It was previously the territory of the brothers Murong Tianshu and Murong Baoshu, King of Zhongliu. After the two brothers were defeated and destroyed, this area became the sphere of influence of the Sui army.
The Sui Dynasty's national policy towards Tuyuhun was to win over the oppressed Qiang people and attack the ruling Xianbei people.
Under this national policy, two Qiang tribes took the opportunity to migrate here, pledged allegiance and became dependent on the Sui Dynasty, and obtained this vast pasture. The Sui Dynasty also exempted them from taxes.
However, the presence of these two Qiang tribes made it convenient for the Sui army stationed in Dadouba Valley and Datong Valley.
The Qiang people often exchanged sheep for food and daily necessities from the Sui army. Sui soldiers also often accepted invitations to attend bonfire parties, singing and dancing with the Qiang ladies. If they were noticed, they had a chance to stay overnight.
Military doctors of the Sui army also often went to the two tribes to provide free medical treatment and were very popular among the herders.
But the Qiang tribe broke away from Tuyuhun after all, and it was impossible for them to completely get rid of Tuyuhun's control. Tuyuhun's control over the Qiang tribe was mainly through priests.
The priests of each Qiang tribe were appointed by the High Priest Department located in Fuqi City. In order to break free from the religious control of the Xianbei people, many Qiang tribes began to believe in Buddhism or even Taoism.
But priests are still one of the most important figures in most tribes, second only to the tribal leaders. They are equivalent to spy people, sent by the Tuyuhun High Priest Department to monitor each Qiang tribe. If the Qiang tribal leader conceals the number of sheep and pays less taxes, the priests will report to the Tuyuhun court.
The Tuyuhun court would send troops to severely punish tribal leaders, with the lighter punishment being dismissal from office and the more serious punishment being execution, with the entire family being enslaved.
This made the leaders of the Qiang tribes hate the priests deeply, but they dared not offend them and had to swallow their anger.
On the other hand, the priests were also the doctors of the tribe. They exploited the Qiang people by treating them and made huge profits for themselves.
The priest in the western part of Haixi was called Hatin. His father was a Xianbei and his mother was a Qiang. In fact, he was the son of a Xianbei slave owner and a Qiang female slave.
Most of the priests were born in this way. Although they were half Qiang people, they despised the Qiang people in their hearts and called themselves Xianbei people.
The appearance of the Sui army doctor undoubtedly harmed the vital interests of the priest Harding. Originally, Harding would only treat a disease for ten sheep, but the Sui army doctor did not charge a penny, and at most he only charged some goat milk or cheese as a reward, which was very popular among the herdsmen.
The more popular he was among the herdsmen, the more he was hated by Harding.
At noon that day, Harding received an important piece of news that tens of thousands of Sui troops came out of Dadouba Valley and marched towards Datong Mountain in a mighty manner.
He immediately wrote a piece of intelligence and tied it to the eagle's leg. The eagle circled in the sky a few times and flew to Fuqi City.
At the same time, Tuyuhun King Fuyun also received news from spies in Huangshui County that tens of thousands of Sui troops were heading from Huangshui County to the West Sea.
Fu Yun was terrified. Less than two years had passed and the Sui army was going to attack Tuyuhun again.
What’s even worse is that Princess Guanghua never came back after she went back to Sui Dynasty last time, and Tuyuhun had no way to beg for mercy.
Fortunately, it is now March, and almost all the famous kings and their tribes are concentrated on the west coast. Fu Yun immediately summoned all the famous kings to an emergency meeting to discuss how to deal with this life-and-death situation.
Fu Yun demanded that all Xianbei tribes must send troops to participate in the war.
Dozens of famous kings gathered in the big tent. Fu Yun said in a stern voice: "Some people still have selfish motives at this time. They still want to be sneaky and cunning. They don't want to work hard and let others work so that they can enjoy the ready-made results. Let me put it bluntly, this is a matter of life and death for us. At this time, everyone must go all out, otherwise everyone will die and their descendants will be exterminated. Everyone must send out the army. If anyone dares to be petty again, I will kill him first." Under the strict request of Tuyuhun King Fu Yun, all Xianbei tribes were mobilized. Troops rushed to the Tuyuhun camp and gathered into a huge army. In just three days, they gathered an army of 120,000.
Tuyuhun King Fu Yun divided his troops into two groups. He personally led an army of 80,000 to fight against the main force of the Sui army of King Chu in Hexi. His trusted general Murong Xiaojun led an army of 40,000 to fight against the Sui army's eastern route led by Li Jing.
..........
Xiao Xia's 70,000-strong army rested in the North City of Xihai for three days to allow the soldiers to adapt to the plateau climate. Then the 70,000-strong army turned west and moved slowly. 30,000 camels carried food supplies, and 140,000 war horses carried the Sui army soldiers and their armor.
In order to conserve horsepower, the team walked very slowly, covering 40 miles a day, and at most three hours a day.
At night, the army lit hundreds of bonfires, and the soldiers roasted meat and drank wine around the bonfires to drive away the cold. After eating and drinking, the soldiers leaned on their camels to rest.
In a large marching tent in the middle, Xiao Xia and Qu Tutong were discussing the battle with Tuyuhun.
"At present, our scouts are 50 miles away, which means that we will not encounter the main force of the Tuyuhun army on the north bank. The battlefield is still on the west bank. According to our experience, the Tuyuhun will not stray too far from the royal city. The reason is very simple. They lack supplies. If I am not mistaken, our battle will still be on the Haixi grassland."
"What are the combat characteristics of the Tuyuhun army?" asked Qu Tutong.
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "The Tuyuhun people are actually the Xianbei people. Their fighting style is the typical fighting style of the grassland nomads. They only have three moves: long-range shooting and close-range slashing. If you can't win, just run away. Since the Han Dynasty, when have we ever lost to nomadic armies? As long as the soldiers and horses eat well and sleep well, and with good intelligence, we will definitely win!"
"Where's the equipment?"
"The Tuyuhun people were extremely iron-deficient. The most valuable possession of each herder was a knife, which was their main weapon. They also had bows and arrows, leather armor, and a lot of horses, and were basically cavalry."
Qu Tutong nodded and said, "Your Highness has several brave generals under his command. Pei Xingyan and Luo Shixin are both top-notch generals in the world. Although Wang Junkuo and Wang Bodang are not as good as them, they are also extremely brave. Having them is enough. Your Highness should just take charge of the central army!"
Qu Tutong had long known that Xiao Xia liked to lead the troops in battle, but now he was the King of Chu. If he continued to lead the troops as before, what would happen to him? When Qu Tutong left Chang'an, Crown Prince Yang Zhao repeatedly told him not to let the King of Chu take risks again.
Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry! I'll be in charge this time!"
Qu Tutong was overjoyed. Now he could give an explanation to the emperor and the crown prince.
Three days later, 70,000 Sui troops arrived at the Haixi grassland. By this time, Xiao Xia had received news from scouts that the main force of the Tuyuhun army was forty miles away.
Xiao Xia ordered the army to stop advancing and the entire army entered a state of combat readiness.
The soldiers put on their armor and took off their spear sheaths. Everyone ate and drank their fill. The logistics troops retreated, the infantry returned to the infantry, and the cavalry returned to the cavalry.
Although the Sui army had 140,000 war horses, only 30,000 of them were actually used in the battle. Pei Xingyan and Luo Shixin each led 10,000 cavalrymen.
The cavalry were lancers, each of whom was equipped with a four-meter-long cavalry spear, which they used to carry out battlefield assaults at critical moments to defeat the enemy.
The remaining 50,000 troops were the main force. 40,000 were divided into four large formations of 10,000 people, which formed an overall large formation. The other 10,000 cavalry were divided into ten cavalry teams of 1,000 people, and they were the flank guards of the large formation.
After the formation was completed, the 20,000 cavalrymen ambushed in the north and south directions, and the 50,000 troops formed into four large square formations, resting in place, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Tuyuhun army.
(End of this chapter)