Aspirations for Nation and Beauty: Section 4 First Battle
On October 3, 691 in the mainland calendar, the war between the Tanghe Empire and the Luobei people officially started in the Tuqi Plain within the Qingyang Prefecture of the Empire. On October 3, General Ha Xian, a subordinate of Luo Bei’s Great General Tu Da, led his 30,000 light infantry to cooperate with Ge Ya’s 30,000 light cavalry to launch a tentative attack on the imperial army stationed in the middle of the Tuqi Plain. They are cautious about the first official confrontation, and they still have reservations after the battle starts.
After the sun came out, the Luobei people first launched an attack. Under the leadership of Hasian, the 30,000 light infantry advanced steadily in layers. The difference is that this method is conducive to the defense against infantry, and the change of formation is relatively fast, but it is difficult to organize effective resistance under the attack of cavalry, but Tu Da has already confessed to Ha Xian before the battle, telling him that the first Today's battles are all tentative. It is impossible for the enemy to invest in the cavalry immediately, and they will definitely focus on defense. What's more, the main purpose of his infantry is to attract the opponent's heavy infantry, and he is not ready to really engage in large-scale positional warfare. It was the light cavalry led by Geya who went into battle.
After Haxian successfully contained the heavy infantry phalanx in the center of the enemy's position, Geya led 30,000 light cavalry to attack the two wings of the empire. It was too late, and they were still under the threat of the opponent's infantry. Fortunately, all the troops were prepared. The light infantry used the simple fortifications they built to defend tenaciously, so Geya's multiple attacks did not take much advantage. On the first day In the end, the Luobei lost nearly 3,000 cavalry, and the imperial defense force also lost about 4,000 light infantry. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the battlefield after the war. Discarded weapons, arrows, armor, and horse corpses were everywhere. Only the logistics personnel of the two sides collecting the remains of the fallen soldiers were busy under the surveillance of the opposing sentry.
As night fell, the towering torches on the outposts of the barracks on both sides illuminated the surroundings brightly, and the patrol teams kept coming and going. Luo Beitu answered the tent. "General, my department lost nearly 3,000 people today, but I got valuable information. I found that the enemy's left wing is obviously stronger than the right wing, and the troop number is different from that of the right wing. The left wing seems to be their third army. The right wing is the Second Army, but I don’t know if the enemy exposed it on purpose to lure us into the bait.” Ge Ya first reported.
"Probably not. I have carefully observed the enemy's central army today. They are quite thick and uniformly equipped with heavy infantry, estimated to be around 50,000. The enemy is probably afraid that we will use the advantage of heavy cavalry to break through from the front. Therefore, the layout is very solid on the front, and no adjustments were made when Ge Ya led the army to attack the two wings, so I guess it is not a trap." Ha Xian thought for a while before saying.
"Then we can consider concentrating superior forces to break through their right flank, but do we need to observe for another day?" Kurdo also joined in the speech.
"We can't wait any longer. The fighters are fleeting, and the enemy is not a fool. Besides Situ Mingzhi, they have other commanders. They must be constantly interrupted. They will definitely suffer from chaos. It is estimated that the enemy's formation will not change much tomorrow. , Waiting for another day will not be sure. Tomorrow Ha will continue to attack from the center, contain the enemy's heavy infantry, and pay attention to maintaining the formation. On the left, Geya's deputy Lemi led 20,000 light cavalry to harass and contain tactically. It is also time to exercise this kid Now, the young eagles who have not been baptized by the storm will never be able to soar in the blue sky. Kurdo led 30,000 armored cavalry to break through from the right, and Geya led 30,000 light cavalry to cooperate with Kurdo's attack, so as to quickly open the gap and receive reinforcements from the enemy. Annihilate the main force of the right-wing enemy before the troops arrive." Tu Da's eyes revealed a look of determination.
The main camp of the Tanghe Imperial Army. In the commander's tent in the middle of the barracks, the lights were brightly lit. Situ Mingzhi sat in the tiger-skin chair in the middle, the deputy commander-in-chief Singer sat next to him, and the division heads of other departments sat around, "Today we have a total of About 4,000 people were lost, mainly the light infantry on the two wings. They repelled many enemy attacks, but the enemy seems to have only dispatched infantry and light cavalry, and their main armored and heavy cavalry has not yet dispatched. The enemy probably also lost More than 3,000 people are all light cavalry. They did not take advantage, and generally achieved the expected goal. Tomorrow, the enemy is expected to send out heavy cavalry. All ministries must strengthen their guard, and the spearmen must be properly deployed to exert their power as much as possible. If you have any questions, you can discuss them now." Singer made a brief statement.
"My lord, I think our right wing is too weak, and I'm worried that if the enemy discovers this, they will concentrate their forces to attack the right wing. Can you send some heavy infantry to the right wing to help us defend?" The third light of the second army The head of the infantry division made a request, and the second mixed cavalry division on the side also expressed the same feeling.
"This is up to Mr. Zhen Guogong to decide." Singer quickly looked at Situ Mingzhi next to him.
"Currently, the war has just begun, and the situation is not yet fully understood. It is not suitable to make adjustments for the time being. The frontal task is very heavy. If the enemy's main force breaks through our position from the front, the consequences will be disastrous. Let the reserve team be prepared Let’s observe it for another day tomorrow.” Situ Mingzhi, the leader, finally made a decision.
The two division chiefs of the Second Army Corps obviously wanted to make more efforts, but seeing that the expression of impatience was evident on Duke Zhen Guo's face, they had no choice but to swallow the words that came to their mouths.
It was still dawn, and the Luobei camp was already busy. The heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and light infantry were all preparing in formation. Tu Da planned to take advantage of the time when the sun had just dawned, which was also the time when the troops usually prepared breakfast to launch an attack on the enemy. Seeing that all the ministries were ready in a short period of time, Tu Da was very satisfied. With an order, the dark troops separated and set off secretly. Leaving the camp, the 30,000 armored cavalry led by Kurdo and the 30,000 light cavalry led by Geya sneaked southward. When they circled to the oblique front of the right wing of the main camp of the imperial army, Kurdo and Geya made an appointment to launch an attack at the same time. As for the impact, there is no need to conceal it at this time, and it is impossible to conceal strategic intentions. I saw that the overwhelming Luobei cavalry split into two arrows and launched a fierce attack on the right-wing camp of the imperial army. Kurdo's goal was the enemy's infantry defense line, and Geya's task was to assist Kurdo in attacking and contain the supporters. force.
Zheng Changyong, the commander of the 3rd Light Infantry Division of the 2nd Army Corps who was sitting in the tent and was preparing to have breakfast, was a little uneasy, and always felt a little ominous. In the military meeting last night, his request to increase the defense force was not accepted. Adopting it made him sleep a little bit harder. Suddenly, all the officers and soldiers who were preparing to eat felt a slight tremor on the ground, which gradually became more and more obvious. Some sensitive soldiers had already reacted, "The enemy has attacked the camp!"
A shrill alarm sounded in the camp. After a moment of panic, the soldiers in the camp quickly calmed down amidst the officers' scolding and orders, and took their positions, entering a battle-ready state.
"It's armored cavalry!" Zheng Changyong, who was standing in the observation post, sighed softly. Unfortunately, the cunning enemy discovered the weak link in just one day.
"Immediately report to the headquarters and say that the enemy's main heavy cavalry is attacking, please support!" A black line on the horizon quickly thickened, and the gradually dull thunderclap of horseshoes became louder and louder as the enemy cavalry approached .
"All ministries order, archers prepare!" "Let it go!" "All ministries order, spearmen prepare!" There was a slight fluctuation, and some unlucky guys were shot and fell off their horses where the armor could not protect them. Before they even made a scream, they were trampled to death by the iron hooves of the following comrades in a burst of blood mist. Meat puree. Entering a range of 50 meters, wave after wave of javelins caused huge damage to the armored cavalry. The sharp javelins with huge inertia pierced through the iron armor wrapped around people and horses without hindrance. fell, but the distance was too short, and after the forward troops paid a huge price, there were only simple barriers left between the two armies.
"The whole army will fight!" Zheng Changyong saw that the situation had come to this point, so he had to fight to the death, otherwise, once the gap was torn open, the flanks of the Chinese army behind would directly face the impact of the enemy's iron cavalry, and the consequences would be unimaginable. He only hoped for reinforcements The troops were able to catch up in time to plug the gap. He took the lead in raising his weapon, and shouted angrily: "Brothers, fight the enemy!" He led his personal guards to meet the ferocious Luobei iron cavalry. But the battlefield is not a stage, and the simple barrier fortifications collapsed under the impact of Luobei's iron cavalry. What followed was not so much a battle as a massacre. The demoralized imperial light infantry faced the murderous Luobei's heavy armored cavalry quickly collapsed under the impact of wave after wave. The Luobei cavalry wielding maces frantically chased and killed the fleeing imperial infantry. The entire battlefield was filled with the sound of clashing weapons. The neighing of war horses, the unbridled laughter of Luobei cavalry, and more screams of imperial soldiers being killed. Later generations wrote only one sentence in the book "History of Foreign Wars of the Tanghe Empire": "The blood soaked the earth, so that after many years the crops and grains grown by the farmers in this land were a little red, becoming the local A great spectacle."
The 2nd Mixed Cavalry Division of the Empire's 2nd Army quickly organized a battle after discovering the enemy's attack. The 30,000 light cavalry led by Geya collided head-on with the 2nd Mixed Cavalry Division that had just finished regrouping. , because the combat effectiveness of the imperial cavalry was obviously not as good as that of the Luobei cavalry, and the opponent came prepared and had a slight advantage in strength, while the second division seemed a little hasty, and soon the Luobei cavalry gained the upper hand. Soon, the problem was solved. Kurdo of the 3rd Infantry Division pulled out another 10,000 cavalry and launched an attack from the side. The 2nd Mixed Cavalry Division, which was already somewhat irresistible, couldn't stand it anymore. They suffered heavy losses and had to flee the battlefield and came for reinforcements. The two divisions of the city guard corps barely arrived, only in time to see off the retreating Luobei cavalry.
The battle on October 4th ended with a complete victory for the Luobei people. In this battle, the Luobei people wiped out nearly two divisions of the imperial army with a total of 40,000 people at a small cost of losing more than 3,000 people. The divisions were almost wiped out, one division leader was killed on the spot, and one division leader was seriously injured. Such a huge loss was rare in the empire in recent years. "Now the two divisions of the City Guard Corps have taken over the defense of the right wing, and the left wing has dispatched the fourth light infantry division of the third army to station in the rear of the central army as a strategic reserve. In addition, the two heavy infantry divisions of the central army Draw a wing each to strengthen the defense of the left and right wings. If you have any good suggestions, you can put them forward now for the reference of the headquarters." Singer announced Situ Mingzhi's decision in a low voice.
After hesitating for a while, Lu Dingzhong, head of the Fifth Division of the City Guard Corps, finally couldn't bear it anymore: "My lord, if we defend passively in this way, and the ministries cannot attack at will, the Luobei people can make full use of their cavalry I am afraid that our troops will consume too much if we continue to fight like this."
In fact, Situ Mingzhi also considered this point, but he couldn't think of a better solution. He even regretted that he volunteered to perform this trip. Hearing what his subordinate said, he followed suit and asked Lu Focus: "According to your opinion, what should it be?"
"The subordinates believe that the enemy does not dare to delay with us, so they can only continue to attack. If they want to break through our defense line, they must invest most of the main force, so that their main camp will appear relatively empty. While we can hold on to the line of defense, use a force to launch a surprise attack on their main camp and destroy their food and logistics supplies, and they will retreat without fighting. But we are afraid that the enemy will be cunning and use our psychology to deliberately design Let us be fooled." Situ Mingzhi was overjoyed, this is a good strategy to solve the current situation of being passively beaten, but he cannot but guard against Luo Bei's tricks.