Three Kingdoms.

Chapter 3328 Post a post

Cao Hong wore a finely crafted bright silver mirror armor and stood gleaming on a high platform in the camp.

No matter which angle you look at it from, Cao Hong's armor always shines with dazzling light.

But in fact, Cao Hong's heart was not as bright as the armor on his body, but continued to sink into darkness.

Because it can be clearly seen from the high platform that Cao Jun's cavalry was almost completely suppressed.

Whether it is the basic quality of the cavalry, the physical endurance of the horses, or the tactics of mutual cooperation between the cavalry, Cao's cavalry is quite different.

Cao Hong had some expectations for this gap, but he didn't expect it to be so big.

On the one hand, it is because Cao Hong himself is not good at cavalry command, so he does not have a very clear concept of the gap between cavalry. On the other hand, the previous cavalry confrontations between Cao Jun and the hussars were all small units, and they did not know how to do it. Under Cao Hong's nose, it is naturally impossible to have any very intuitive impression.

This battle is obviously not easy to fight.

However, it cannot be lost here in Anyi.

At least it can't be lost now.

Anyi is an important support point in Cao Cao's entire strategy. Once lost, it means losing all the core points of the structure in the Yuncheng Basin. This means that Cao Cao's army can only be defeated all the way, and even retreating to Zhongtiao Mountain is in danger. , because the Hussars can bypass Zhiguan Road...

Of course, Cao Jun can also defend on Zhiguan Road, or even set up an ambush, but then it means that Cao Jun has to defend a larger area, and the Hussars can gain greater battlefield convenience and more breakthrough points. . On the contrary, Cao's army's infantry advantage can only be reflected by gathering together, especially the use of the central leading army and the central protecting army, which is the top priority.

The hooves of the hussars roared and rolled up yellow dust.

Not to be outdone, Cao Jun's war drums thumped loudly to boost morale.

Cao Hong stared with squinted eyes, hoping that the hussars would lose their patience and launch one or two attacks on the infantry lines without hesitation...

On the battlefield, those who are impatient will always die the fastest.

Just like the game between hunter and prey, it is also a competition of patience.

Some of the traps originally laid by Cao's army on the battlefield were found and marked by the Hussars.

This is not surprising. Cao Hong was even thinking about whether to throw some caltrops somewhere else at night. If the hussars were negligent tomorrow and thought there would be no problem in clearing the area, then they could give these hussars A little lesson.

Suddenly, the large flanking force of hussars began to move forward, which immediately attracted Cao Hong's attention.

coming!

"Send orders everywhere!" ” Cao Hong shouted loudly, “Stabilize the formation! 』

The messenger ran and shouted again.

Cao Hong stared at the flanks of the hussars sweeping in, and couldn't help but mutter, "Come on!" Come on! 』

…

…

The Hussars are indeed "coming".

As Cao Hong wished, but it was different from what Cao Hong thought...

In the past, the hussars suppressed the battlefield and harassed Cao's army with basically small units of cavalry. But now the large cavalry unit led by Li Li moved with a completely different momentum than the small units.

The combination of iron and blood, the high unity of strength and speed.

In the current situation of the Han Dynasty, the only ones who truly brought cavalry tactics to its extreme were the troops of General Fei Qian.

If just being able to mount a horse, run, and wave a weapon a few times at the same time is called an "elite", then such an "elite" would be too worthless.

The "elite" of the hussars, simply put, means "costing money".

Um…

This seems reasonable?

First of all, the daily expenses and combat equipment of cavalry are much more than that of ordinary infantry. Even Feiqian still has large-scale workshops and horse breeding land, but because the combat readiness of its infantry has also been improved, it has only been slightly reduced, probably maintaining a level of one to four.

In other words, raising one cavalry is equivalent to raising four infantry.

As we all know, high-intensity sports performed by war horses on the battlefield, such as sprinting, emergency stops, rapid turns, etc., will consume a lot of the horse's physical strength. Generally speaking, if a war horse has been galloping continuously for half an hour, it is necessary to control the horse's speed slightly and let the war horse take a breath to lower the temperature of the war horse's blood and prevent the war horse from cooking its own heart...

Yes, this cute girl or **** with the long face, big eyes and shortsightedness is so stupid.

Among the three assistants of Chang'an, a new war horse population is being studied, but it has not yet become a phenomenon. According to the future plan of the hussars, cavalry horses will no longer be mixed, but will be divided into different uses. For example, light horses may be fast but have poor endurance and are suitable for short-distance rapid charges, while heavy horses have better endurance and are suitable for long-term battles and marches.

Xiliang horses are tall and powerful in sprinting, but have poor endurance and are picky. The Hetao pony horse has high endurance, endures hardships and is not picky, but it just can't run fast...

What is both necessary and necessary often does not feature much in either aspect.

Fei Qian's solution to this problem for cavalry at this stage is to equip multiple horses, use spare horses or a rotation system to ensure that the horses can continue to play a role on the battlefield, but this also brings higher expenses.

Therefore, Cao Jun's attrition strategy is indeed correct from a purely theoretical perspective.

Although Feiqian is powerful at the moment, every link is interconnected and there is very little redundancy.

Take the feeding and care of the hussars' horses as an example. If Fei Qian hadn't recruited a large number of barbarians to fill the cavalry team, it would be equivalent to free horsemen and veterinarians. Otherwise, Fei Qian would have to add more Not to mention the additional expenses incurred by adding additional logistics support personnel, it may not be possible to take good care of them!

After all, if there were not these barbarians who have rich experience in animal husbandry, these big fools would inevitably have bumps into each other, and even get sick and be infected. If they are not treated in time, they will be useless.

Therefore, in the Hussars, every link and every person is very important.

It is precisely because of this that when Xu Chu and Li Li discovered an abnormal signal in the opponent's Cao army formation, they did not choose to ignore it, but chose to test for cooperation...

The hussars and horses were galloping, getting closer and closer to Cao Jun's formation.

The atmosphere became increasingly tense.

The Zhong Ling Jun Zhong Hu Jun who was in charge of supervising the army in Cao's army was staring at the hussars rushing in the distance while shouting "Stay steady". He didn't know whether he was shouting to others or whether he was shouting. Listen to yourself.

This was true for both the central leader and the guard. The other ordinary Cao soldiers were trembling more and more. If they weren't standing close together, it's hard to say that even with the support of the camp behind them, some people would be unable to restrain their fear and turn around and run away!

After all, many of the ordinary soldiers in Cao's army were farmers and soldiers.

Going with the wind and waves, investing against the wind, is already...

Um?

Bronze and diamonds can never be on the same channel anyway.

Just like a cavalryman with a short sword, an infantryman with a long spear.

Cao Hong clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth, looking forward to the moment when the hussars would crash into Cao's infantry array...

There are obviously some flaws in Cao Jun's infantry array, and there are also some places where it seems that he can't even hold a spear, but Cao Hong doesn't pay attention to these problems at all, because in Cao Hong's heart, these Cao Jun soldiers are used for consumption!

As long as you can spend one more point today, you will have more hope of victory tomorrow!

"come! Come on! 』

Cao Hong roared.

If the cavalry loses speed and gets stuck in the infantry array, they often cannot take advantage of it, so if they directly hit it with flesh and blood, the damage will undoubtedly be huge, and it plays into Cao Jun's plan.

Cao Jun hopes that the hussars will fight hard, exchange, and consume!

As long as the hussars slow down a little and the front army cannot advance, the rear army will inevitably be crowded with the front army. At this time, it is the best time to order a stone attack!

…

…

As for the cavalry, when fighting, the separation and separation are unpredictable. As a commander of the cavalry, he naturally does not have the preferential treatment of the infantry generals. He can be like Cao Hong, using flags and drums to order the soldiers from the high platform in the rear, while he is in a relatively safe position.

Generally speaking, the cavalry military academy must advance with the cavalry. They need to be in the front row to command and confront the enemy in person. Therefore, they can easily become the target of the opponent's attack. Therefore, every time a battle occurs, the danger of the cavalry military academy is Even more than ordinary cavalry. It is precisely because of this that it is easier for cavalry generals to win the hearts of their soldiers...

Well, so to speak, Shandong generals later mostly used infantry to dominate. Could this be also a factor?

After all, when the situation goes wrong, the infantry general has horses and can turn in at any time, and the infantry under his command can be thrown to the opponent like a gecko's tail to block the road. If it is a cavalry general, it is very likely that he will Surrounded by enemies, unable to return. Therefore, there are more and more infantry generals left in Shandong, and more and more people choose infantry arrays. After all, Guanzhong is different from Shandong. As a cavalry military academy, being on the front line and commanding is a basic requirement for almost every cavalry general.

The same is true for Li Li.

He led the cavalry towards Cao Jun's flank, and also directly led and commanded from the front line.

As the hussars approached Cao Jun's line, the sound of war drums rang out in Cao Jun's camp. As the ordering soldiers shouted, some arrows with white tail feathers as signs were shot out and stuck diagonally on the ground. superior. This serves as a sign to warn the hussars, and can also boost the morale of your infantry line.

During a normal field battle, the cavalry usually uses a huge array of scattered skirmishers to harass the enemy's infantry line. The frontline commander controls the timing of concentration and dispersion to induce the enemy's infantry line to scatter or waver, and then Then take the opportunity to launch an assault, causing the entire enemy formation to collapse.

But it is obvious that Cao Jun's infantry will not leave the protection of the camp, so there is no temptation or pull.

Similarly, it is impossible for the hussars to run wildly without restriction and throw away the infantry line in their own formation, giving Cao Jun a chance to counterattack from other directions in the camp.

Li Li didn't care at all about the long-range light arrows thrown out of Cao Jun's camp. On the one hand, the lethality of these arrows depended entirely on the gravity of the falling body. In fact, their armor-piercing ability was not strong. On the other hand, these arrows were not powerful at all. There is no accuracy. Occasionally, if you happen to be shot, you only need to cover your head and face, and protect the weak parts such as the face and door of the war horse.

When approaching Cao Jun's formation, Li Li suddenly ordered the cavalry around him, "Turn!" 』

"Show the flag!" 』

The guard took the order and deftly unfolded the rolled-up flag that was originally carried on his back.

The three-color flag was immediately pulled straight by the wind, and it was particularly conspicuous among the bright red tassels.

The Hussars began to turn on the edge of Cao's range.

The tricolor flag began to waver and rise and fall.

…

…

"What are the Hussars doing?" 』

Cao Hong frowned.

"Like a demonstration? 』

The guard on the side responded.

Cao Hong was silent and frowned.

The hussars seemed to have feinted a shot and did not actually attack Cao Jun's array, which made Cao Jun's infantry array, which was originally extremely nervous, heave a sigh of relief.

I don't know how many soldiers of Cao's army were gasping for air at the same time, just like the sighs in a cross talk theater.

In the eyes of others, the Hussars' change from vertical to horizontal seemed to be just to "scare" Cao Jun, or to try to force Cao Jun to change their array and create a loophole.

But Cao Hong felt that the Hussars were not so stupid.

Horsepower and manpower have a certain limit in a short period of time. If the hussars run hard for a while but get nothing, it is equivalent to a loss!

Unless there is something else...

"General, where is the stone cannon..." the guard asked from the side.

Cao Hong frowned and thought for a moment, "Don't move for now." 』

The hussars are moving at high speed, not to mention whether these catapults can perfectly predict the advance of the hussars' movement. Even if they can accurately predict the advance of the hussars, will the hussars turn again?

It is difficult to ensure accuracy in the vertical direction. You can only win by covering. If it is used to smash horizontally moving...

That's so difficult!

As a result, this big killer in Cao Jun's camp could only remain silent.

"What is this going to do..."

Cao Hong suddenly thought of something, and there was a bit of doubt in his eyes.

…

…

Just when most of Cao's soldiers thought that the hussars would just go around in a circle and go back, Li Li shouted in the queue of hussars: "Cavalry to the outside!" Throwing hand! Get ready to take cover! 』

The copper whistle sounded and was passed from the front to the back of the queue over and over again.

The hussars, who were roughly parallel to Cao's army, began to exchange positions as the order was given.

Nowadays, there are different types of hussar horses, and the cavalry has also begun to evolve towards different specialties.

Everyone is different, and even the same cavalry will have some subtle differences.

For example, some people are good at bows and arrows, some are good at using swords and guns, and some are good at throwing, especially the barbarian cavalry...

The slings used by the Hu people were originally used to herd sheep. Some guys who are good at throwing stones can even use a long shepherd's whip to roll up the stone and accurately hit the horn of the first sheep!

This is almost comparable to the skill of an archer who can penetrate Yang with a hundred steps, but it has no use after the Hu people became Han cavalry. But no one expected that after Fei Qian fiddled with the grenade, this stone-throwing skill would become popular among the cavalry ranks again.

Because this skill can be used to throw larger "stones"...

As for why not use a crossbow?

The range of cavalry crossbows is too short, and due to material limitations, even after improvements and reductions, the weight of cavalry crossbows is still not light, which makes many cavalry prefer bows to cavalry crossbows. Of course, some cavalry with poor shooting skills will still use cavalry crossbows. After all, it is more convenient.

As for the infantry crossbow, or even the double-man rhubarb crossbow with a longer range, it is undoubtedly a big burden for the cavalry and is generally difficult to carry. So in the final analysis, it is because of the characteristics of the cavalry and the current technological limitations that the hussars have taken an unusual path in their evolution.

Cao Jun was thinking about how to deal with the cavalry, and the hussars were of course thinking about how to deal with the infantry.

And after Sima Yi "sacrificed" his blood relatives, he opened up his meridians, and suddenly discovered the heavy armored and heavy arrowed cavalry, which undoubtedly became a nightmare for the infantry line.

But as mentioned before, it is impossible to have both on the battlefield. The heavy armored and heavy arrow cavalry that restrains the infantry will be tightly controlled by the medium lancers, and the medium lancers will in turn be suppressed. The infantry formed a dense array of spears and formed barbecue skewers.

In order to break this simple rock-paper-scissors conflict, the Hussars mixed in tigers and bugs...

The sticks are the heavily armored archers, and the bugs are the throwing soldiers.

The tiger eats the chicken, and the bug eats the tiger's stick.

In the game, mounted archery is always roaring back and forth, with arrows flying like rain. However, in fact, this kind of mounted archery is often based on suppression and does not seek to kill. It often consumes a huge number of arrows, which is like clanging. Judging from the sound, I couldn't shoot a few people directly. The real actual combat standard cavalry and archery was created by Sima Yi. Perhaps it is not Sima Yi's original creation, but the cavalry archer tactics that Sima Yi first summarized and reported to the martial arts hall.

Sima Yi wrote in the war records reported to the Jiangwu Hall, "As a mounted shooter, he galloped at a distance of fifty paces and shot at the weak ones. The flying arrows screamed like rain. Although the enemy had the advantage of armor, If they gather together to fight, how can they hurt me from fifty steps away? 』

Avoiding direct melee combat with infantry is the core focus of mounted shooting tactics. Although the cavalry has a high profile and strong impact, it may not always be able to defeat the infantry in close combat.

Especially when the infantry's swords and spears are lengthened.

Just like at this moment, the spearmen of Cao's infantry placed their spears on the shields in the front row, forming a dense array, like a hedgehog spreading its spikes.

A close or zero-distance hand-to-hand fight with Cao Jun was not what Li Li wanted.

Therefore, Li Li wanted to try a new tactic, and he wanted to compete with Cao Jun.

Get close to a very close distance, and just enough to avoid the cold weapon attack of the infantry.

Even the opponent's bow and arrow!

Normally, infantry archers would never be placed in the first row to shoot against cavalry, and because of the relationship between their own shooting range and the cover of the front row soldiers, although infantry archers have stronger bows, Crossbow, but it is undoubtedly extremely difficult to keep up with the movements of the cavalry and to seize the fleeting shooting window among the people.

The rapid and powerful copper whistle sounded again!

As the order representing the attack was issued this time, the cavalry archers who were good at bows and arrows quietly moved to the outer row, turned their horses' heads, and rushed towards the somewhat lax Cao army's array!