Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 474 Crush by Strength
The cold wind howled.

Following the sound of "woo woo woo" horns, in a moment, the sounds of people and horses merged into one.

When Heichi Changzhi was in Baekje, there were not so many requirements.

With Baekje's economy, it could not afford to maintain cavalry, so it had to use whatever soldiers it had.

Since joining the Tang Dynasty, it has been a dizzying array of equipment and arms.

Heichi Changzhi felt like a country boy coming to the city and felt that he had lived in vain for the past thirty years.

He was a rare general with a strong ability to learn new things. After a period of study, he was able to command many types of troops skillfully.

The arrangement is quite grand.

But Heichi Changzhi frowned slightly.

When Guo Daifeng saw Heichi Changzhi standing on the top of the mountain to defend it, he felt quite dissatisfied. The Tang Dynasty's heavenly soldiers had always been able to defeat the enemy with ease.

However, Heichi Changzhi just held his ground and had no intention of attacking. Guo Daifeng couldn't help but look down on him and thought: If I were a general, I should be like Li Weigong and Su Xinggong, fighting actively, like plowing the yard and sweeping the holes, to defeat the enemy and let them feel the mighty power of our Tang Dynasty.

Guo Daifeng pleaded, "The enemy is no more than 5,000 strong, and we have more than 10,000 soldiers and horses. What is there to be afraid of? General, I am willing to lead a group of cavalrymen to cut off the enemy's head and present it to you."

Heichi Changzhi glanced at Guo Daifeng and said, "That's not right. We don't know the enemy's situation yet. There are many low slopes here, which is suitable for cavalry attacks and not conducive to our army's formation. It's not necessarily an accident that we were attacked here."

The most suitable place for cavalry to fight is the grassland plains, but the Central Plains and the grassland have been hostile to each other for thousands of years, and the Central Plains has its own set of coping strategies for cavalry.

The most practical of these is the crossbow.

Back then, Li Ling relied on the powerful crossbows of the Han Dynasty to fight against 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry with 5,000 infantrymen...

The development of powerful crossbows has now enabled them to have terrifying killing power against any enemy.

If they charged head-on, no matter how strong the cavalry was, they would only bring about their own destruction if they faced the coordinated attack of spears and crossbows.

But this terrain limits the effectiveness of the crossbow array...

The powerful crossbow mainly shoots horizontally. In this kind of terrain, the enemy cavalry can hide on the back of the low slope and approach in a roundabout way, which can greatly limit the effectiveness of the powerful crossbow.

Heichi Changzhi didn't know who the enemy general was, but he didn't believe this was an accident.

"Since the enemy has chosen this place as the battlefield and dares to attack with a small number of troops, they must have something to rely on. We must not be careless."

Guo Daifeng was a little dissatisfied in his heart, but he had no choice but to obey the order.

With the sound of horse hooves and smoke, the Tubo army was approaching quickly, but because of the hillside blocking the view, one could only hear the sound but not see the people. One could only feel that two groups of cavalry were charging towards them from the left and right wings.

"The four crossbow battalions A, B, C, and D are targeting the right wing, and the four battalions E, Ji, Geng, and Xin are targeting the left wing..."

"Prepare!"

As far as the eye could see, the Tibetan cavalry had already appeared at the corner of the low slope.

The Tibetan cavalry were indeed well prepared, and those charging in the front were all shield-bearing cavalry.

They held thick shields in front of their chests.

"Shoot the horse!"

Heichi Changzhi changed his shooting target as soon as possible.

Thick shields cannot stop the powerful crossbows of the Tang Dynasty, but the crossbow arrows will be blocked by the thick shields, and their power will be greatly reduced, so it is not as effective as shooting on horses.

The slender crossbow arrows easily penetrated the bodies of the war horses. The dense crossbow arrows knocked hundreds of Tibetan war horses to the ground and threw the riders off.

Even if he doesn't die, this fall will cost him half his life.

The Tibetan army was extremely brave and was accustomed to such tragic scenes. They did not slow down at all and continued to advance.

At this time, Heichi Changzhi had already ordered the crossbowmen to retreat, and the spearmen formed a spear formation and moved forward.

If they are on a vast flat ground, crossbowmen can kill the enemy by overlapping shots from a long distance.

But now, thanks to the cover of the terrain, the enemy cavalry had quickly approached them, and they only had the chance to fire a wave of crossbow arrows.

At this time, the armored cavalry hiding behind the shield cavalry also revealed their true appearance.

A hint of astonishment flashed across Heichi Changzhi's eyes, and he immediately realized that the person coming over was Lun Qinling.

Tubo had an armored cavalry force of 3,000 strong, composed of the most valiant warriors with extremely terrifying combat effectiveness.

Su Dingfang praised it highly.

The appearance of this armored cavalryman left no doubt that the enemy's commander was Lun Qinling.

Lun Qinling would not be foolish enough to charge head-on into the Tang army's spear formation. Instead, he commanded his armored cavalry to bypass the front of the formation and charge towards the Tang army's flank cavalry from bottom to top.

In this battle, Lun Qinling personally led the charge. He looked at the sturdy figure on the high slope with a burning gaze, thinking to himself, "Heichi Changzhi! Baekje people, Baekje people, the foreign general is your biggest weakness."

During the previous attack and defense of Nalu Station, Lun Qinling had already noticed some problems.

When attacking Naluyi, the pressure from Cheng Wuting was even greater than that from Heichichang.

But Heichi Changzhi is more famous than Cheng Wuting and has more experience.

The problem is that Heichi Changzhi is a Baekje general...

Cheng Wuting was the descendant of the veteran general Cheng Mingzhen, while Heichi Changzhi was a foreign general of Baekje and a surrendered general from an enemy country.

It is true that the Tang court was very tolerant towards surrendered foreign generals, but there was always a difference between close and distant relatives.

The two were transferred from the Eastern Front to the Western Front at the same time, and their troops and supplies needed to be allocated.

There is no need for special instructions or arrangements. The Tang army's quartermaster will subconsciously favor Cheng Wuting. When there are good soldiers, they will be given to Cheng Wuting first. When there are good weapons, they will be given to Cheng Wuting first.

Even Su Dingfang could not help but take better care of Cheng Wuting, after all, Cheng Wuting was the son of his old comrade-in-arms.

The relationship between Su Dingfang and Cheng Mingzhen can be traced back to the turmoil at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

Su Dingfang was originally under the command of Dou Jiande, the leader of the Hebei rebel army. Dou Jiande's general Gao Yaxian liked Su Dingfang very much and adopted him as his son. Cheng Mingzhen was also a county magistrate under Dou Jiande. They did not have a close relationship at the time, but they were also a bridge of connection. Later, the two fought side by side in the Northeast many times. With the experience of both serving under Dou Jiande, the two formed a deep comrade-in-arms friendship, which was incomparable to Heichi Changzhi.

The Tang army did not actively exclude Heichi Changzhi, but subconsciously gave priority to Cheng Wuting.

This is human nature.

But because of this, the combat effectiveness of the army under Heichi Changzhi was very average compared to that of the Tang army.

This is generally enough to beat most opponents.

But today they are facing Tibet's most ace armored cavalry.

In this battle, Lun Qinling did not intend to use any tactical skills or unnecessary fighting methods. There was only one word: do it.
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Heichi Changzhi swung the sword in his hand and killed a Tibetan soldier in front of him. The soldier rolled on the ground, got up, and tried to fight again.

Heichi Changzhi urged his horse forward and knocked the opponent more than ten feet away, unable to get up again.

He took a look at the knife in his hand and saw that the blade was already cut.

Heichi Changzhi had lost count of how many weapons he had broken. In this battle, they had 10,000 soldiers, while the enemy had only 5,000.

Heichi Changzhi thought it would be easy to win the battle, but he didn't expect that he would really be defeated.

He tried his best, but the enemy didn't respond with any fancy methods. They just relied on the armored cavalry to attack again and again.

This gap in strength made Heichi Changzhi feel powerless.

Another Tibetan cavalryman rode towards him with his spear in hand.

Heichi Changzhi threw the rolled sword in his hand as a hidden weapon towards the faces of the Tibetan cavalry.

The Tibetan cavalry did not dodge, but lowered their heads and used their helmets to block the hidden weapons. The large iron spears in their hands still stabbed at Heichi Changzhi, but because of the hit on the head, the strength in their hands inevitably weakened.

Heichi Changzhi grabbed the opponent's iron spear, snatched it away, and stabbed him down from his horse with his backhand.

"General, let's retreat first!"

This was Guo Daifeng's first battle in his life. Unlike the overwhelming victory he had imagined, he was actually overwhelmed by the opponent.

No matter how he fought back, it was of no avail. Seeing the enemy's morale growing stronger and stronger, he could not help but think of retreating.

Heichi Chang forced the enemy in front of him to retreat with one shot, and ignored Guo Daifeng and shouted: "The enemy has heavy cavalry and heavy armor, so we can't fight for long. Hold your ground and hold on for another hour or so, and victory will be in sight."

Heichi Changzhi consulted Su Dingfang about riding skills, and learned from him that the effectiveness of cavalry depends on their war horses.

War horses in the world are different. Northern horses are short and have weak explosive power, but they have great endurance, are good at charging, and run steadily, making them suitable for riding and shooting.

The Liangzhou Hequ horses are tall and strong, with great explosive power, but they cannot last long, and are suitable for charging into and breaking through formations.

Of course, there are also BMW horses that have endurance, explosive power and speed, but they are worth a fortune and it is impossible to deploy them on a large scale.

The Tibetan armored cavalry were mainly Qinghai horses, which were of the same species as the Hequ horses bred in the Tang Dynasty. Both were dragon breeds from the Western Regions. They were tall war horses with strong explosive power but weak endurance.

Perhaps because of the special environment, the overall quality will be slightly better than the Hequ horses of the Tang Dynasty, but the difference will not be too big.

The Tibetan cavalry, with both men and horses wearing armor, consumed even more physical strength and could not fight for long.

Generally speaking, when an armored cavalry breaks into a formation, there must be other soldiers behind him to support him.

There are only 5,000 people on the other side now, and I think the rest of the soldiers are on Cheng Wuting's side.

When the opponent's horsepower gradually runs out, it's time to counterattack.

Heichi Changzhi was not sure whether he could hold on until that moment, but he knew clearly that retreating at this time would only allow the other side to take advantage of the situation and pursue him, which would result in an even greater defeat.

If you persist, you still have a chance to win; if you retreat, you will lose completely.

Guo Daifeng, the deputy, is a man of both civil and military talents, but his practical experience is too poor to be of any major use for the time being.

Lun Qinling squinted his eyes and looked towards the fluttering flags of the enemy army opposite him, facing the sunlight. His eyes were complicated, with some approval and some unwillingness.

So again...

Although the terrain and tactics are completely different, the environmental situation is also different.

The result was similar to the battle with Cheng Wuting.

He always gained the advantage, he always took the initiative, he always held the balance of victory, but in the end he could not achieve a big victory.

Even in an unfavorable situation, the generals of the Tang army were still able to minimize the losses through reasonable responses.

Now the Tang army was restricted everywhere and in an unfavorable position, but it managed not to collapse. It just kept retreating, regrouping, and resisting again and again.

If we continue fighting, I'm afraid our horses will run out of energy.

War horses are different from humans. Human potential is unlimited. No matter how tired they are, as long as their will is not broken and the string is not loose, they can unleash terrible power.

Once a warhorse is tired, its mobility will be greatly reduced. If it is forced to fight, it will soon die of exhaustion.

Especially the mounts of armored cavalry, which consume much more physical strength than ordinary cavalry, and are not suitable for attrition warfare...

Could it be?
Lun Qinling thought of this possibility...

Lun Qinling was very careful in deploying his troops and had learned about Heichi Changzhi's situation in advance.

Heichi Changzhi was born in Baekje and was unfamiliar with cavalry. Unexpectedly, he was able to learn and apply it in a short period of time. It is truly remarkable.

"withdraw!"

Lun Qinling had no confidence in defeating Heichi Changzhi before the armored cavalry ran out of horsepower, so it would be better for him to retreat for the time being.

Guo Daifeng waved the spear in his hand, and the Ming Guang armor passed down by his father Guo Xiaoke made him receive special attention from the Tibetan cavalry.

Fortunately, the Ming Guang armor was difficult to be damaged by swords and spears, and Guo Daifeng had never slacked off in his family martial arts, so he only suffered minor injuries.

Suddenly, the pressure on him was relieved, and he saw the Tibetan cavalry retreating one after another. He shouted in surprise: "Retreat, retreat, the bandits are retreating."

Guo Daifeng thought of Heichi Changzhi's previous shout, and an idea came to his mind. He rushed to Heichi Changzhi's side and said, "General, the thieves must be out of horsepower. If we don't chase them now, when will we chase them?"

Heichi Changzhi looked at the retreating Tibetan cavalry, shook his head and said, "The enemy left room for another fight to prevent us from chasing them. If we chase them now, their formation will be disrupted, and they will counterattack and we will not be able to resist them."

Guo Daifeng stopped talking. After the previous battle, he had already gained some confidence in Heichi Changzhi's abilities.

Guo Daifeng of this era is ultimately a rookie, and he only has his current status because of his status as the runner-up in the imperial examination. There is still a gap between him and the Guo Daifeng in history who followed Pei Xingjian and Li Ji, and whose status was comparable to Xue Rengui.

"We will retreat too! Back to Chishui County!"

Heichi Chang gave the order.

Guo Daifeng was surprised and asked, "Why don't you take this opportunity to cross this hilly land!"

Heichi Changzhi said calmly: "The Tibetan cavalry is their trump card. It's just that their horses can't hold on. As long as there are follow-up horses to replace them, they can regroup in a short time and continue to attack. In our current situation, it is difficult to resist a second attack. It is better to retreat for the time being and regroup."

Guo Daifeng immediately stopped talking. Thinking of that terrifying cavalry team, he couldn't help but feel frightened.

Lun Qinling retreated three miles and saw no trace of pursuers from behind, so he ordered people to drive the reserve horses here, and at the same time sent people to find out the movements of the Tang army.

Upon learning that the Tang army had not made any progress but was slowly retreating, Lun Qinling sighed helplessly.

Lun Qinling discovered that it was not difficult to defeat the Tang army without Su Dingfang, but it was too difficult to achieve a real victory.

This is true for both Cheng Wuting and this Heichi Changzhi.

Is there any way to completely defeat them?

Lun Qinling frowned and thought hard.

Then, at this moment, he suddenly noticed that the divine horse under his seat suddenly pricked up its ears and turned its head to look in the direction of Qinghai Lake in the west...

Lun Qinling was standing on a high place, looking up, and saw a small group of cavalry rushing towards him in the distance.

Lun Qinling looked at the dust, his heartbeat suddenly quickened, and an ominous premonition came inexplicably!!!

(End of this chapter)