Ji Han Grand Commander

Chapter 576. Battle of Luoyang (Part 570)

"Oh? Junyi, please tell me quickly, how do you deal with the Han army?"

Cao Zhen immediately became interested when he heard this. Since the Eastern Expedition, the Wei army has been repeatedly defeated by the Jingzhou army. The most critical point is that the Han army has the means to deal with the Wei army's cavalry, which has eliminated a lot of the advantages of the traditional "Southern ships and Northern horses".

Including the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in the Battle of Wancheng, common sense tells us that if those 30,000 elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry charged normally, not to mention 100,000 Han infantry, even 200,000 Han infantry would have ended up fleeing in all directions.

The result was that the 30,000 heavy cavalry were completely wiped out by the Han army's sorcery, and the troops in Wancheng were also completely defeated.

"General, looking at the tactics of the Jingzhou army, it is obvious that they are targeting our army's combat habits."

Zhang He slowly opened his mouth to answer Cao Zhen's question.

"Combat habits? What habits?"

Cao Zhen was a little stunned. Things like these kinds of habits cannot really be noticed by the person involved. This is what is called the person involved is the most confused.

"The cavalry used by the Wei Dynasty is similar to that of the northern nomads. They all use large-scale cavalry charges, especially heavy cavalry such as the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. They will even charge ahead of the infantry."

"Indeed."

Cao Zhen naturally agreed with Zhang He's conclusion, because isn't that what cavalry is all about? Only by charging in large groups can the power of cavalry be maximized.

"The Han army is targeting this place, using all kinds of new weapons to attack our cavalry formation, and intercepting our cavalry with their absolute advantage in long-range weapons, just like the victory of Ju Yi's Xiandeng Camp over the Baima Yicong in the Battle of Jie Bridge."

Everyone understood what Zhang He meant. Although the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry was definitely more defensive than the White Horse Volunteers, the Han army's offensive power was also relatively higher than the former Xiandeng Camp.

The first camp to attack took advantage of the geographical location of Jie Bridge and used powerful bows and crossbows to shoot the Baima Yicong so that they could not advance an inch. The Han army also used various weapons that the Wei army had never seen before and concentrated its superior firepower to annihilate the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and then divided the Wei army's infantry.

"If this is the case, how should we break it according to Junyi's opinion?"

Cao Zhen couldn't help but admire Zhang He. He had a sharp eye, broad vision and experience.

"This is simple. Since many of the Han army's weapons are aimed at the cavalry, there are two ways to break them.

First, our army will charge with the infantry first, and when the battle with the Han army is evenly matched, the cavalry will then send out. In this way, the two armies will be mixed, and the Han army's bows, crossbows and other weapons will be defeated without a fight.

The second is to disperse part of the cavalry and mix them into the infantry, and the infantry should use a more dispersed formation. In this way, our cavalry will be dispersed on a longer front, and the Han army will not be able to concentrate its weapons to target them.

However, both plans have their pros and cons. The problem with the first plan is whether our infantry can hold on. The Han army has fewer cavalry and must have worked hard on infantry training. I am afraid that our infantry will not be able to gain an advantage. Once our infantry is scattered, this plan will inevitably fail.

If we use the second strategy, our army will no longer be able to take advantage of the cavalry, and our combat effectiveness will inevitably decline. In addition, our battle lines will be scattered, making it very easy for the Han army to break through and lead to a total defeat. "

Zhang He told Cao Zhen all the two plans he had thought of. After all, Zhang He was neither a commander-in-chief nor a general. He was only responsible for proposing strategies. It was up to General Cao Zhen to decide how to adopt them.

"Well... I intend to use the first strategy."

Cao Zhen weighed the pros and cons and finally chose the first option. Because the second plan to disperse the cavalry and incorporate it into the infantry was a bit of a gamble. If it was a big defeat, the cavalry would inevitably be wiped out.

If they chose the first strategy, even if the infantry could not hold on, the cavalry had not yet been dispatched, so there was still room for maneuver. Zhang He naturally had no opinion on this. Since Cao Zhen had made the choice, they, as generals, had to obey.

"In that case, the left and right wings of the cavalry will be led by you, Junyi, and Boji. Junyi, you are good at using troops and can seize the right opportunity, and Boji is also very talented. I believe that you two can achieve the expected results when leading the cavalry. As for the infantry in the center, I will lead them myself and be responsible for containing the Han army."

"I will follow the general's orders."

Zhang He and Guo Huai naturally had no problem with Cao Zhen's arrangements. They were not young generals without battle experience, so commanding cavalry was not difficult for them.

"How far is our army from the Han army now?"

Cao Zhen looked at Guo Huai standing beside him and asked.

"General, less than a hundred miles."

Now that the Wei army has passed Hangu Pass, it is not far from Luoyang. Moreover, the terrain along the way is flat, which is conducive to the advance of the army, but of course not conducive to concealment. Therefore, in essence, the time has come for the two sides to face each other.

"Probe again and report back to see what the Han army is planning."

Cao Zhen waved his hand, and Guo Huai went down to make the arrangements without saying anything else.

"General, Cao Zhen is here. They are coming from the direction of Hangu Pass and are less than a hundred miles away from our army."

Ma Su opened the tent and marched forward. By now, the scouts of the Han army had already controlled the movements around Luoyang, and Cao Zhen did not hide his intentions. He came from Hangu Pass with such fanfare that he was naturally discovered by the Han army at once.

"In addition, the Wei army also sent out some scouts. We were unable to wipe them out and had to send them back. I guess the Wei army already knows about our situation."

Ma Su paused and added.

"It doesn't matter. We have to fight them anyway. You Chang, how do you think Cao Zhen will deal with our army?"

Feng Xi gave a look, and Bao Feng and Bao Yi, who were Feng Xi's trusted confidants, went out to organize the troops. They could see that Feng Xi was preparing to meet the enemy, but as for plots and strategies, they were not good at them, so they just decided not to get involved.

"Grand Commander, I think the Wei army may be making arrangements to target our army's new weapons."

Ma Su pondered for a moment, then made a decisive decision.

"Oh? How do you say this?"

"General, the reason why the Wei army has been able to gain an advantage over our Han army in the past is because of its cavalry. If both sides were infantry, the Wei army would no longer be our opponent, and our new weapons are designed to target the Wei army's cavalry. So if Cao Zhen wants to win this battle, he must find a way to crack our new weapons."

What Zhang He can think of, Ma Su can naturally think of. Even if the current Ma Su is still the Ma Su who only talks on paper in the original timeline, he can see this, let alone the current Ma Su.

"That's right, so Cao Zhen must make some adjustments. The Wei army must have learned their lesson and will no longer use cavalry as the vanguard in an attempt to break up our army's formation like they did during the Battle of Wancheng. So they don't have many options left."

Feng Xi nodded. He had naturally thought of this. After all, the Wei army was not stupid. With the experience of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, they would definitely find a way to adjust the way they use cavalry.

"General, I think the Wei army has few options, except..."

(End of this chapter)