Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5151: Difficult to Take Care of
"If I remember correctly, in the last battle in the Western Regions, the Tang army used a weapon similar to a kite to fly through the air and send thunder and fire from the sky under the Tianshan Mountains, catching the Arabs off guard and thus winning a great victory. But that kind of kite must either rely on height to fall from the sky, or rely on wind direction to fly with the wind... In early summer in the river area, the wind is mostly from the south or southeast. How can that kind of kite fly against the wind?"

Lu Dongzan was puzzled.

Fang Jun smiled and said, "Please wait and see."

Hot air balloons cannot fly against the wind, but large gliders can, and the farther against the wind they fly, the more stable they are... But this time, he didn't plan to use these tricks.

Now that gunpowder has been developed and artillery has been manufactured, it is necessary to actually transform the war mode into a war of hot weapons.

It all started with this battle.

Lu Dongzan looked at Fang Jun who was full of confidence, frowned and thought for a while, then said: "Could it be artillery? But I know a little bit about the artillery of the Tang army. Although it is powerful, its range is only a hundred feet. Even if we defeat Maslama and place the artillery on the north bank of Yaosha River, it will be too far to bombard Kesan City on the south bank."

Pei Xingjian gathered the documents and battle reports on the desk, stood up, and said, "In the foundry outside Chang'an City, thousands of skilled craftsmen have gathered, and every day they conduct more than a hundred experiments on firearm improvement and research and development. They have never rested on their laurels, but have continuously improved and strived for perfection."

"So, you two are saying that the range of the artillery has been improved?"

If that happens, the combat effectiveness of the Tang army will increase exponentially.

Pei Xingjian restrained his smile and said, "It's a military secret. I can't tell you anything!"

Lu Dongzan: “…”

Fang Jun smiled and stood up: "Dalun is accompanying the army to fight against the powerful enemy together, and your son admires the Tang Dynasty and goes to Chang'an. This will be the best decision made by the Gar tribe, and the whole clan will be grateful for it."

*****
At the foot of the Alatau Mountains, the south wind was warm and moist, making the flags in the camp flutter.

Xue Rengui stood in the camp, sighed, and said to the officers around him: "If it weren't for the wrong season and unfavorable wind direction, this battle would be much easier."

Everyone understood what he meant. If the north wind was blowing at this time, they could transport hot air balloons from Luntai, launch them into the air and let the wind float over the enemy's heads, and drop thunder bombs on them from high above. No matter how many enemies there were, they would be blown to pieces and thrown into chaos. Then the armored cavalry could charge... and the mission would be accomplished.

Wang Xiaojie asked curiously, "It is said that the artillery that just arrived at the camp has undergone a new round of improvements, and its range has been greatly increased. I wonder how far it can shoot?"

The captain of the artillery camp said: "The maximum distance is one thousand feet!"

There was a sound of people gasping for air all around, and everyone expressed shock.

"One thousand feet? Wow!"

"It's three times higher than before?"

"Doesn't it mean that if we set up our formation in front of the enemy's main camp, we can use artillery to bomb their camp from beginning to end?"

"If the enemy doesn't want to be blown up or burned to death, they can either charge at our formation or simply run away. We are invincible!"

Although artillery had great power in the past, it was limited by its range and was always subject to various restrictions when used in wars. Now that the range has been greatly improved, it is simply invincible.

The lieutenant of the artillery camp was pragmatic: "That can't be said. Although the range of artillery has been greatly improved, the size and weight of the artillery body have also increased significantly. It is inconvenient to transport it back and forth. It is not only difficult to transport it to the battlefield in time, but also difficult to deploy it in many places. There is a saying in the academy that makes a lot of sense. No matter how sophisticated the weapons and equipment are, the essence of war still lies in people. When two armies are facing each other, they are fearless and use strategies and tactics flexibly. This is the basis for victory, not blindly believing in the powerful power of weapons."

Xue Rengui was a little surprised. How could a mere captain be able to say such insightful words and have such a profound understanding of war?
"The lieutenant studied at Zhenguan Academy?"

"General, that's right. I will graduate from the Military Academy."

"I wonder who your teacher is?"

"The lecturer who taught the art of war and military strategy was Duke Wei."

"Ouch!"

There was a burst of exclamations from everyone around, and they immediately showed great respect for this captain.

Even Xue Rengui was surprised: "You are actually the disciple of Lord Wei? I am so sorry for your disrespect!"

The captain smiled and said, "Although more than a hundred students of the same period have benefited from Lord Wei's teachings, they dare not consider themselves his disciples."

The format of an academy is somewhat different from traditional teaching methods. It emphasizes "teaching without distinction". What kind of students the academy recruits and what kind of courses the lecturers teach cannot be equated with "master and apprentice" in the traditional sense. Of course, there is no master and apprentice in name, but there is a master and apprentice relationship in reality.

Wang Xiaojie and others looked longingly. Until now, being able to enter the academy's military hall and receive instruction and instruction from a group of "military gods", "famous generals" and "famous generals" has become the most coveted thing in the entire Tang Dynasty army.

Xue Rengui patted Wang Xiaojie on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Fight this battle well. After victory, I will personally write a letter to the Marshal to recommend you to study at the Military Academy!"

Wang Xiaojie's face flushed with excitement: "Thank you, General, for your support!"

With the "merit" of being the first to reach the city of Hengluo, he would certainly receive a reward as long as he won the battle. However, no matter how much the reward was, it would not be as precious as a place to enter the Military Academy for further studies!

Xue Rengui looked around and made a big promise: "Not only Xiaojie, but all of you are included. As long as you have made meritorious contributions in this battle, I will write a letter of recommendation for you, and you will have the opportunity to study in the academy! Our Anxi Army is the direct line of the Marshal. With the Marshal's care, it is easier to enter the academy than other armies. But because of this, we can't leave excuses for others to say that we are appointing people for personal gain and using public tools for personal gain. We must win face for the Marshal and shut up those villains with real military exploits! Enter the academy, study further, and be loyal to the empire and serve the Marshal in the future!"

"Here!"

The generals responded loudly and morale soared.

"Everyone, get ready. As soon as we receive the news that Gao Deyi is attacking the rear of Kesan City, we will attack from the front and cooperate. By then, the enemy will be unable to protect both ends. We will try to break through the Yaoshashui defense line and capture Kesan City in one fell swoop!"

Xue Rengui raised his arm and said loudly: "I might as well tell you that capturing Kesan City and defeating the enemy is just the beginning, and it is far from the end of this battle! After this, there will be large-scale military operations, which require us to unite and work together! We must not only defeat the enemy, but also hurt them and make them desperate, so that they dare not invade the Tang Dynasty again in their lifetime!"

"We must win! We must win!"

*****
When the news that Helu and Aluhan had secretly contacted the Tang army and assisted the Tang army in sneaking into Tuoze City and the three parties joined forces to defeat Muslimu reached Kesan City, Yazid was shocked and angry, and immediately wanted to kill the defeated Muslimu.

Auf rubbed his forehead and advised helplessly: "How can you do this, Marshal? Now we claim to have an army of 200,000, but in fact, there are less than 100,000 direct descendants of the Caliph. The rest are all tribes that have joined together, and most of them are unwilling and reluctant, but they have to come under the majesty of the Caliph... Therefore, the army is unstable and everyone has their own schemes. Killing Muslim at this time will inevitably lead to everyone being in danger and the loss of one's teeth will lead to the loss of one's lips. I hope you will think twice."

Yazid also had a headache. He didn't necessarily want to kill Muslim as a sacrifice, but he wanted to use Muslim's head to intimidate the heroes. Seeing Auf's advice, he followed his advice.

"Musrimu was badly defeated. Helu, A Luohan and Tang General Gao Deyi are chasing him non-stop. Now they are less than a hundred miles away from Kesan City. General, do you have any plan to repel the enemy?"

Auf said: "The most urgent task now is to study the strategy of repelling the enemy. Have you forgotten that the troops behind Kesan City are all Amir's troops who were defeated in Hengluo City? These troops may seem to have a large number of people, but after the tragic defeat, their morale is low and they have no spirit. If they scatter in a hurry when facing the enemy, it will be a big trouble!"

The morale of the army is a very mysterious thing. When the battle is going well, the morale of the army is soaring and the army is as strong as iron. No matter how powerful the enemy is, they can be defeated. They are fearless and move forward courageously. However, once they encounter failure, the morale of the army plummets instantly and the army is shaken. A few sheep can disperse a team...

Ye Qide just remembered this and panicked: "What should we do? Now Xue Rengui is leading the elite Anxi Army to the north bank of Yaosha River, eyeing Maslama covetously and putting great pressure on him. We must support Maslama, otherwise the entire north bank defense line will be in jeopardy. But Sancheng also needs enough troops to protect it to avoid any emergencies..."

Although various tribes responded to the Caliph's call, others might not know, but senior generals such as Yazid and Auf knew very well that these tribes had all had close relations with Ali in the past, and now they were secretly flirting with Ali's son Hussein. It can be said that each of them had "different intentions". Even if they were forced to send troops to attack the Tang Dynasty under pressure from the Caliph, how dare Yazid place these tribal troops near the city of Kesan?
If the battle situation turns out badly, these tribal armies might force their way into Kesan City, chop him, the heir to the caliph, to pieces, and then flee in panic...

The 70,000 to 80,000 troops belonging to the Caliph's direct line are not only the main force for the conquest of the Tang Dynasty, but also have the task of monitoring and controlling the remaining tribal troops.

For a while, it was extremely difficult to allocate troops from the mighty army of 200,000 to guard the rear of Kesan City...

Aof was very worried. Originally, the situation was very good and he took the initiative everywhere. How come he suddenly became struggling and had constant problems, and the situation took a sharp turn for the worse?

He sighed and said, "I am most afraid that Helu, A Luohan and the Tang army have agreed that the two sides can disperse the city by attacking from the front and back! The support for Maslama cannot be changed. Xue Rengui's threat is far greater than the rebels in Tuozhe City. It is better to mobilize 5,000 guards from your army to station in the south of the city to prevent the attack of the rebels in Tuozhe City. As long as they are blocked, we can fully deal with Xue Rengui in the front."