Great Han Empire

Chapter 174

In the large tent of the Chinese army, Tao Qian's attendants spread out a huge map on the ground.Tao Qian served as Sima in Taiwei's Mansion, mainly responsible for military affairs.
"In the middle of last month, 8 people from Bian Zhang, the main force of the Xiliang rebel army, and Han Sui's troops set off from Long County and Wangyuan (read Yuan) in Hanyang County, and went down the Wei River, conquering Si County and Yulu County all the way. General Zhou Shenzheng led [-] troops to stop the attack in the area of ​​Yong County, while Pinglu Captain Huangfuhong and Wumeng Captain Qu Yi led [-] troops to stand firm in Chencang."

"At the same time, Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou led Huangzhong Hu, Yi Cong Hu, Xian Ling Qiang set out from Wuzhi with about 3 paces, went out of Boluo Valley, conquered the three cities of Linjing, Yinpan, and Quail along the way, and went to Du Yang from You Fufeng is coming to attack. Now Polu General Dong Zhuo's 5000 troops, and Lord Bao Hong's [-] troops from You Fufeng are leading Du Yang's troops to meet them."

"In addition, we got news that the June Thunder of the Baima Qiang, the Snow Mountain Fox who burned the Dang Qiang, the Sirius who burned the He Qiang, and more than a dozen Qiang Hus such as Xi Qiang, Dang Jian, Le Jie, Diana, etc. Under the leadership of Shuai, they are heading towards Hanyang County one after another, and it is estimated that after a few days, they may complete their assembly near Shehu Valley on Zhuyu (read yu). They have at least 3 cavalry.”

Tao Qian pointed to Shehu Valley and said: "It is more than 100 miles from Shehu Valley to Shangyu City, to Wangyuan City, and to Jicheng City. We can't determine where they crossed the Weishui River, and we don't have any troops to stop them. After crossing the river, I watched Bian Zhang's army rushing down."

"It was a disaster. If we had no way to resist the 3 cavalry and let them rush to Jingzhao, it would be a huge disaster for the more than 60 people living in Sansuke." Gai Xun stood up and said slowly, "Although your arrival has changed the disadvantage of the Han army on the Xiliang battlefield, we still do not have an absolute advantage in annihilating the enemy. There are only 1 soldiers in the Fengyun Cavalry, which is not enough to fight against [-] Qiang. Hu Diqi, this is a fact."

"Among the three groups of troops, the strongest are Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou who attacked us from the north. They have 5 horses, and most of the soldiers are Qianghu who belonged to our Han Dynasty. They are all cavalry. Although they are not as brave and good at fighting as Baima Qiang and Shaodang Qiang, they have a numerical advantage." Sangyang said worriedly, "From last year to this year, General Dong has never defeated them."

Sitting around the map, Li Hong and his subordinates felt very heavy when they saw how dangerous the situation of the Han army was.

"But this time we will defeat him." Gai Xun said loudly, "Your Majesty has concentrated 15 troops this time, trying to solve the problem of Xiliang in one battle. Xiliang always fights like this. The Great Han Dynasty was dragged down by poverty."

"Liangzhou is a barren and barren land, densely covered with desert, snow-capped mountains and forests, and sparsely populated. Many people don't understand why we have to fight to the death on this land, even a high-ranking Lord Situ."

"For more than 200 years, we have fought against the Qiang people in Liangzhou on and off, costing tens of billions and sacrificing the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. For what? It is for this land, for my big man The heavenly power of the dynasty. This land is ours, left to us by our ancestors, and no one in future generations has the right to abandon it. To keep it is to keep the dignity of our Han Dynasty and the dignity of our Han Dynasty. Tianwei."

"It is also a barrier to the west of our Han Dynasty. Without it, Chang'an, the land of Sansuke, is the border, where the flames of war are raging. Because of its existence, it has borne the continuous disaster of war, and Sansuke The peace of the people, the peace of the Central Plains, the peace of the great man, the peace of the people of the world."

"We have been fighting the Qiang people for several generations. They did not occupy Liangzhou, and we did not defeat them. Their loss plus our loss can double the population of Liangzhou and feed these people for generations Nuan. But why do we have to fight? Why do we have to keep fighting? What generation do we have to fight?"

Gai Xun stomped the ground under his feet a few times, and said with a wry smile: "It's for it, for this piece of land, for this piece of land that can support many people."

"The Great Han Dynasty has not mobilized more than [-] troops to fight for decades. This time, His Majesty was cruel and asked the Taiwei to succeed in one blow, completely resolve the rebellion in Xijiang, and guarantee Xiliang for ten years. There will be no more wars within."

"15 troops?" Gai Xun shook his head and said, "According to our Han military system, only 10,000 northern troops can fight in all directions except for the county soldiers and frontier soldiers guarding the city and the border. To recruit [-]+ troops does not take a year or two." It's impossible. If it weren't for the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and the states and counties recruited their own troops to suppress the thieves, it would be very difficult for us to gather so many troops. Therefore, the emperor cherishes this opportunity very much, and hopes that we can take advantage of the superiority of the army to pacify Xiliang. Completely solve this chronic disease of the Han Kingdom."

Gai Xun looked at Li Hong and his subordinates, and said solemnly: "If you want to make an indelible achievement and shine through the ages, it's a good time, can you have such lofty ambitions?"

"Yes..." Li Hong and his subordinates were overwhelmed by Gai Xun's words, and they roared loudly, wishing they could go to the battlefield immediately and serve the country.

"Good..." Gai Xun praised loudly, "Since ancient times, all Yanzhao scholars have been impassioned and enraged. Good. They have momentum."

Sangyang clapped his hands again and again, praised a few words, and then said: "In order to fulfill His Majesty's will and achieve the goal of completely annihilating the rebels in Xiliang, Lord Taiwei has drawn up a plan. Please Sir Sima explain it in detail."

Tao Qian stood up, looked at the map, and said slowly:
"We have not been able to achieve decisive victories on the Xiliang battlefield. In addition to unfamiliar terrain, supply difficulties, and insufficient troops, the main reason is that the enemy adopted tactics of loitering. As a team, they used cavalry and terrain advantages to frequently attack our food and soldiers, and resolutely refused to fight our main force. When our food and grass failed to retreat, they broke up into pieces, followed us and ambushed us along the way, causing us great harm. Big loss."

"But this time it's different. This time the battlefield is in Fufeng, and they took the initiative to attack us."

"At the end of last year, they attacked the vicinity of Huaili City. Because of the heavy snowfall and the lack of food and grass, they retreated on their own initiative. During that attack, they exposed many problems, the most important of which was the lack of cooperation among them. There was no unity. command."

"After Beigong Boyu and Li Wenhou rebelled, because they were not Han people, many things could not be resolved, so they elected Bian Zhang as their commander-in-chief. But after Bian Zhang became the commander-in-chief, he set many rules, which made Qiang Hu dissatisfied and refused to listen at all. His command. So the Xiliang rebel army came out with two generals. The Han people listened to Bian Zhang, and the Hu people listened to Beigong Boyu. Will follow someone's command."

"The Qianghu headed by Jinglei in June and the subordinate Qianghu headed by Beigong Boyu did not listen to Bian Zhang's command during the attack at the end of last year. It was very chaotic. At that time, our military strength was really too small, otherwise we could beat them."

"This time Bianzhang Han Sui led his troops to attack the right side of Youfufeng, Beigong Boyu attacked the left side of Youfufeng, June Jinglei followed suit. Their meeting point is probably in Huaili City. But because they did not have a unified command, the three The distance between the two units was very long, and there was a considerable disconnect."

"Lord Taiwei is going to use Zhou Shen and Huangfu Hongbu to lure the enemy, let them abandon the city and retreat all the way, and lure Bianzhang to the vicinity of Xiaohuaili as quickly as possible."

"In the direction of Duyang and Meiyang, use Bao Hong's troops to block Beigong Boyu."

"With Dong Zhuo's 3 troops, Li Zhonglang's 5 troops, Zhou Shen's 3 troops, Huangfu Hong's 1 troops, and Taiwei's 14 troops, a total of [-] troops surrounded Bianzhang's [-] rebels in Xiaohuai. .”

"At this time, two situations will arise."

"One is that we wiped out Bianzhang's rebel army, and Beigong Boyu never arrived. After he learned that Bianzhang's troops were wiped out by us, he immediately turned around and fled. At this time, we must quickly report to Meiyang, Du To advance in the direction of Yang, we must surround Beigong Boyu between Duyang and Meiyang, and strive to wipe it out. These two cities are located in front of and behind Qishan Mountain, and the terrain is complicated, so it is difficult for Beigong Boyu's cavalry to run. Therefore, As long as our speed is fast enough and the number of troops is large enough, it will not be a problem to encircle and annihilate the 5 men in Beigong Boyu."

"Secondly, Beigong Boyu's troops arrived on the battlefield in time, and we were caught up in the enemy. At this time, there is no other way but to fight to the death. The result of the fight to the death is that the rebel army will either be wiped out or successfully break through."

"If the rebels of Bianzhang and Beigong Boyu are wiped out by us, Qianghu's cavalry will probably arrive soon. The question now is how many of our 15 people will be left after two wars? Can it stop the impact of thirty thousand Huqi? If not, what will Chang'an do?"

There was silence in the big tent.After two consecutive fierce battles, everyone knew how many soldiers were left, but no one wanted to say.

Tao Qian glanced at them and said with a smile: "If there is a miracle, we will have at least 3 or 3 people left after the two wars." Then he asked Li Hongdao: "Li Zhonglang, [-] people, can you stop [-] cavalry? "

Li Hong shook his head, sighed and said, "Thirty thousand infantry cannot be stopped no matter what. If we have [-] cavalry in hand, we can stop them. Qiang Hu knows that the troops of Bian Zhang and Beigong Boyu have been defeated." Destroyed, I will definitely not love to fight."

Tao Qian, Gai Xun, and Sang Yang glanced at each other and exchanged a knowing glance.

Tao Qian continued: "We surrounded and annihilated 14 rebels with 8 people. We don't have a big advantage in numbers. Especially since the enemy knows that their reinforcements are behind, they are bound to resist desperately. So we have to grab the North Palace. Before Boyu's troops arrive, wipe out all or most of the enemy, even if our vitality is seriously injured, the development of the entire battle situation is still in our hands."

"So what the Taiwei Lord means is that if Li Zhonglang is absolutely sure to block Qianghu's [-] cavalry with [-] cavalry, we will throw all our troops into the battle to annihilate Beigong Boyu. No hesitation."

Tao Qian looked at Li Hong and said, "Fengyun Cavalry is the last barrier to ensure our victory."

Li Hong stood up abruptly, and said loudly: "My lords, please don't worry, and please also tell your lord Taiwei that Fengyun Iron Cavalry vows to stop it to the death, and never let any Qiang cavalry enter Huaili City."

"Okay. Tomorrow you will enter Xiaohuaili."

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(End of this chapter)