Chapter 32 The Worst Result (350 Zhang Yue)
Yang Yuanqing actually did not go far away. Just as climbing high places was to see the distance, Yang led his army to leave the battlefield, and to see the entire Daizhou battle situation more clearly.
At this time, his Youzhou cavalry was twenty miles away from the battlefield and was no longer five thousand cavalry. Together with the 1,000 surrendered Yang Liang's army and Hou Mochen, more than 400 casualties the day before yesterday were removed. He now has a total of 6,000 elite cavalry, which is a force that is enough to control the state's battle situation.
The scout has brought Yang Yuanqing various intelligence, including Yang Liang's military branches, number of troops and equipment. He needs to decompose these intelligences one by one to find the loopholes in Qiao Zhongkui's army.
Six thousand cavalry were located next to a vast pine forest. The soldiers seized the time to rest in the pine forest. They surrounded dozens of officers next to a flat rock, listening to Yang Yuanqing's tactical analysis.
On the stone surface as big as a table, Yang Yuanqing used branches as camps and stones as an army, and painted some of the stones blacked out as cavalry.
"From the prisoners of war, I got detailed information. The rebels had a total of about 35,000 to 37,000 people, including 35,000 infantry and 2,000 to 30 cavalry. Then from Qiao Zhongkui's troops deployed, we can reversely imply that he stayed in the camp. He left eight thousand troops in the camp. These eight thousand troops should be used to deal with us, and also to defend against the camp's supplies."
Yang Yuanqing placed a few ordinary stones in the camp and continued: "These eight thousand people have three thousand spear infantry and five thousand crossbowmen. There are only two or thirty mules and horses in the camp, and there are no war horses."
Speaking of this, Yang Yuanqing smiled at the officers and said, "Do you have any good ideas?"
The officers stumbled, and Hou Mochen frowned and said, "Is the general's meaning? Is it because he wants to attack the east and west?"
Since Yang Yuanqing used Pili methods to kill Helanyi and Zhao Shi, Hou Mochen admired Yang Yuanqing's decisive style and soft and hard methods. More importantly, Yang Yuanqing's trust in him made him completely restrain his a little bit of arrogance that he regarded as a high position, and his tone... was also a little more respectful to him.
Seeing that Hou Mo Chen was indeed a little strategic, Yang Yuanqing actually coincided with his own ideas, and smiled and said, "General Hou Mo Chen will continue to talk."
Hou Mochen also picked up two small stones and put them in the camp, and smiled at everyone, saying, "General Yang just said... There are no cavalry in the camp, so the rebels in the camp can only be able to defend stably. Then we only need to send a thousand people, Qiao disguised himself as the main force, and attracted them near the camp."
He also put a big stone next to Qiao Zhongkui's army, "Our main force cooperates with Yang Yichen's army to attack Qiao Zhongkui's main force from the side, and the enemy will be defeated in this battle."
"Then you must keep the main force of the enemy away from the camp!" Another officer also raised his thoughts on everyone. After a word, he gradually outlined a complete plan. Yang Yuanqing first discovered the weakness of Qiao Zhongkui's army, that is, his lack of cavalry, because Qiao Zhongkui came to Daizhou to attack the city, so he only brought five thousand cavalry.
In the battle with him the day before yesterday, nearly half of the five thousand cavalry was consumed, and the shortage of cavalry led to Qiao Zhongkui's helpless move... He had to protect the camp and leave enough troops to deal with him, so he left eight thousand crossbowmen and spearmen in the camp... In this way, the loopholes of the rebels emerged. As Hou Mochen said, a small number of troops were used as the main force, and their main force was devoted to the front battlefield. In this battle, Qiao Zhongkui would undoubtedly be defeated.
Everyone dispersed, Yang Yuanqing kept Yang Jiachen, and he had important things to tell him.
"You will lead the cavalry that attacks the camp, bluffing... and not attacking. As long as you drag the camp's army, you will make great contributions."
"I understand!"
Yang Yuanqing pondered for a moment and said, "After the battle to calm Yang Liang, you will stay in Youzhou as a general. This is also the grandfather's intention. Leave the nine brothers in Group A for you... and make a future for everyone!"
Yang Jiachen nodded silently. Before he left the capital, his master Yang Su also told him that after quelling the Yang Liang rebellion, all of them would stay in Youzhou as generals. The Eighteen Iron Shadow Cavalry followed Yang Su for more than ten years and were old. The master would arrange their future one by one for them.
Yang Yuanqing patted his shoulder and smiled: "Don't think so much first, concentrate on fighting this battle!"
‘Dong!Dong!Dong!, the rhythm of the war drums began to accelerate, and the Daizhou War was about to begin. This is a battle that concerns the overall success or failure of Yang Liang. If the northern battle is defeated, it will seriously restrain Yang Liang's battle situation in the southern part of Bingzhou. Although Yang Liang has more than 200,000 troops in his hands, only 100,000 elite troops in the palace. In the Battle of Daizhou, he invested 50,000 elite troops in his palace, and now there are 38,000 people. The final battle begins.
The two armies had already set up their formations, flags were waving, spears and halberds were like forests. Yang Yichen looked at nearly 30,000 rebels two miles away. His eyes gradually showed excitement. There were only 30,000 people on the other side and only 5,000 cavalrymen. This was the opportunity Yang Yuanqing created for him.
Yang Yichen waved his sword and shouted loudly: "Contradictory Infantry, Advance!"
The five rows of the front row had a total of 4,000 infantry soldiers raised their spears and giant shields, and began to march towards the rebel camp, followed by two thousand bows and crossbows, and then four thousand spears and infantry, four thousand jumpers, four thousand cavalry divided into two teams to guard the two wings, and the 24,000 infantry and cavalry were arranged in order, with murderous intent.
Amid the rumbling sound of offensive drums, Shuozhou Army took the lead in attacking, and the war drums were also ringing in the enemy formation on the opposite side. At this time, Qiao Zhongkui was not sure. Even if he added five thousand Youzhou Army, the opponent's total strength was less than him, but the opponent had nine thousand cavalry, while he only had three thousand cavalry, and the number of cavalry far exceeded that of him. In combat in the wilderness, the cavalry had a strong advantage, and compared with strength, he was at a very unfavorable disadvantage.
What's more, Yang Yuanqing's five thousand cavalry were unknown where? Qiao Zhongkui was sure that Yang Yuanqing would definitely fight out at critical moments, it depends on whether the eight thousand troops he reserved could finally fight against them.
Qiao Zhongkui turned around and looked at the camp. His camp was three miles away. This was another awkward distance. He couldn't help but sigh secretly. He had tried his best, and success or failure depends on God's will.
"Zhuguo, the enemy has attacked!" a personal soldier shouted, interrupting his thoughts.
Qiao Zhongkui stared into the distance, and he also ordered coldly: "The crossbow soldiers are ready to fight!"
The drums were loud and the battle flags were waving. Five thousand crossbowmen were lined up in three rows, and five thousand Biao Zhang crossbows aimed at the Shuozhou army that was advancing in line.
In the battle of the Central Plains army... the power of the crossbows is far less than that of the battle against the Hu people. One big reason is that the Central Plains army not only has sharp crossbows, but also has strong protection capabilities. They not only wear iron armor... At the same time, their shields can effectively resist arrows. In contrast, the Hu people attach importance to cavalry sprints and have weak defense capabilities, which maximizes the power of crossbows.
When the Shuozhou Army entered a hundred steps, the rebels drums were enlarged and the black flag was waving... Five thousand crossbows were fired at the same time, and a rain of arrows was overwhelmed and shot towards the Shuozhou Army. Four thousand contradictory infantry shouted, and at the same time raised the hexagonal vine shield. The dense rain of arrows shot into the army cluster, and there were constant screams of screams. Although the vine shield can effectively defend against arrows... After all, there is no impeccable defense. In the dense rain of arrows, nearly a hundred people were shot by arrows, some were killed on the spot... Some were injured by arrows, curled up on the ground, unable to forward the army.
The four thousand infantry soldiers did not stop and still raised their shields to advance slowly. The two thousand crossbowmen behind them also fought back at the same time. Two rains of arrows intertwined in the air, covering the sky.
"The crossbowmen retreated, and the spears attacked!"
Seeing that the crossbow army could not kill and injure the enemy in large quantities, Qiao Zhongkui changed his tactics and attacked by the spearmen... Thousands of crossbowmen retreated like a tide, and eight thousand spear infantry came out in battle, densely packed like a forest, and the spear tips were flashing with murderous aura.
Seeing the rain of arrows disappearing in the sky, Yang Yichen resolutely ordered, "Order the Contradiction Army to attack...the two-wing cavalry kill!"
The sound of war drums sounded again, which was the order to speed up the battle. Four thousand Shuozhou conflicting infantry accelerated their pace and rushed towards the enemy formation. Four thousand cavalry on both wings rushed out in arcs and hit the enemy flanks. The two armies collided with each other in a loud bang in the drums, spears collided, blood splashed everywhere, war horses galloped, swords slashed like lightning, screams, sarcastic sounds, skulls were broken, limbs separated, and tens of thousands of troops fought in a group of dust.
Qiao Zhongkui was ordered to attack Daizhou. He brought a large amount of food and supplies. Logistics support played an extremely important role in his 40,000 troops. Once his food was burned by the enemy and his retreat was cut off, his army would collapse in all directions within three days. Therefore, it was his top priority to protect the camp and food supplies.
The camp is only three miles away from the battlefield, which is Qiao Zhongkui's most critical bottom line. No matter how Yang Yichen leads him north, he will never leave this distance. This will ensure that the army can return to the camp at any time and allow the defenders in the camp to support the battlefield at any time.
Qiao Zhongkui stayed in the camp with eight thousand troops, five thousand archers and three thousand spear infantry. Just two hours after the war broke out, the Youzhou cavalry finally appeared three miles south of the camp. The flag was flying and the dust was flying, which made the guards of the camp very nervous, and the five thousand archers were ready for battle.
The battle on the battlefield has entered a fierce attack, and all the troops on both sides have been put into operation. The Shuozhou army has 24,000 troops against 30,000 elite troops in Bingzhou. Although the number of Bingzhou army is superior, Shuozhou has two thousand more cavalry and no crossbow soldiers, which makes both sides evenly match.
The battlefield was dusty, and yellow dust filled the sky, blocking the sun, leaving the sun free, drums, shouts of killing, corpses were everywhere, and blood flowed into a river. The tragic war made every soldier feel like he was struggling in front of the cliff of hell. As time went by, the soldiers' physical strength became the key to determining the outcome, and physical strength lies in their daily training.
Although both sides are elite soldiers, the two-hour fierce battle still exhausted every soldier and was on the verge of physical collapse. The war has reached its most critical moment.
Qiao Zhongkui was anxious. If the Youzhou cavalry broke out at this time, he would be done. He finally decided to give up the camp and transfer eight thousand new forces into the battle.
Just as he was about to give the order, the sound of a trumpet suddenly came from afar, "Woo-
The sound of the trumpet was like a storm on the field, thunder in the mountains, yellow dust filled the sound of horse hooves, and the sound of horse hooves hit the earth. Five thousand Youzhou cavalry came at the most critical moment, and the overwhelming cavalry appeared on the right side of the Bingzhou army.
The chief general Yang Yuanqing took the lead, holding a giant shield and a spear in his hand, the war horse's red mane fluttered, the red tassel on his helmet was flying in the wind, behind him, five thousand cavalry roared forward, like the surging waves running towards the coast, the war fanaticism in everyone's heart burned in their blood like flames, and held their spears high and rushed towards the Bingzhou army.
The morale of the Bingzhou Army began to shake. Seeing that the situation was critical, Wang Ba, the right-wing general, yelled, "Fight with me!"
He led a thousand cavalry to fight. Wang drew his big gun and swung it straight to Yang Yuanqing. Yang Yuanqing threw away his shield, his eyes were cold, and the war horse galloped, and the tip of the sky spear burst out with a thousand pounds of force. The horse spear was as fast as lightning, one step faster than the iron spear that Wang drew. One spear pierced Wang drew's iron armor and xiōng chamber. The two horses intertwined. Wang drew his war horse was empty, and his burly body was raised high by Yang Yuanqing on the tip of the spear.
The coming of Youzhou cavalry made the Shuozhou army high in morale and frightened the Bingzhou rebels. Although Qiao Zhongkui knew that there would be this moment, when it really came, Qiao Zhongkui felt an endless despair, just like when he was trapped in a swamp, when the sludge was about to overwhelm his head.
"The army in the camp attack!"
He hissed and shouted: "Give up the camp and attack the whole army!"
The red flags were waving and ordered the defenders to attack. Eight thousand defenders ran out of the camp, but were intercepted by a thousand Youzhou cavalry, blocking the soldiers' north aid route and shattering the last glimmer of hope for the Bingzhou army.
Five thousand Youzhou cavalry engulfed like a tsunami and rushed into the Bingzhou army from the side. The right wing of the Bingzhou army was the first to collapse. Then the wave of retreat swept across the entire army. Bingzhou was defeated. Yang Yichen took the opportunity to attack. The Bingzhou army was defeated. The soldiers trampled on each other, scrambling to escape, throwing their armor, fleeing in all directions, or kneeling down to surrender and begging for mercy.
In this battle, the Shuoyou coalition army killed 10,000 enemies, captured more than 20,000 enemies, and seized countless food and food supplies. The chief general Qiao Zhongkui died in the chaos.
The disastrous defeat of Daizhou not only destroyed Yang Liang's 5,000 elite troops, but also caused the situation in Bingzhou to develop in a direction that was unfavorable to Yang Liang. After the Daizhou War, eleven states turned against the court and no longer supported Yang Liang. However, the thirty-three states that remained waiting and watched issued statements to challenge Yang Liang for his rebellion.
Inspired by the great victory in Daizhou, the general manager of the Hanoi army led 20,000 troops and defeated 30,000 rebels who entered Jizhou in Xushui, which made Yang Liang's plan to cross the Taihang Mountains and march into Hebei shatter.
The news reached the capital and the whole court celebrated. Yang Guang issued an order to reward the army's silk and 50,000 pieces of silver in the Battle of Daizhou. He also named Yang Yichen as the Supreme General and the Governor of Xiangzhou. He gave 2,000 pieces of silk and ten female prostitutes. Li Jing was named Zhuguo, and was appointed as the General of the Right Wugu, and gave 3,000 pieces of silk and a female musician.
The general Yang Yuanqing was appointed as the lord of the Shuangcheng City of Dali City and Jiuyuan City. He was awarded the honorary ceremony of the three corpses. He was awarded the title of Viscount of Feihu County, and was awarded ten thousand pieces of silk and five thousand taels of silver.
Chapter completed!