Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 256: Hold on Firmly, There Will Be a Way

Outside Yanmen Pass is the Sanggan River (Sanggan River) Valley.

Smoke and dust rolled and war horses neighed.

The Tiele cavalry skillfully formed a horizontal formation and rushed towards the Red Turban Army's position.

The reason why they were so confident was that they dared to take the initiative to charge at the Red Turban Army, which made the enemy tremble with fear.

It was because this Red Turban Army was isolated and had no cavalry accompanying them, so they were caught off guard.

Nomadic people are a people who ride on horseback. This does not mean that they are necessarily stronger than agricultural civilizations in frontal cavalry tactics, but in terms of strategic mobility, nomads undoubtedly have a great advantage.

In simple terms, it means being very good at timing.

"Kill them all, leaving no one alive!"

The "Shijin" who led this army was equivalent to the earl of the Turkic nomadic tribe. He drew his saber and charged forward shouting wildly.

There is no need to use fancy tricks like "flying geese formation" to deal with lone infantry without cavalry cover.

Just line up in a straight line and you'll be able to bully the weak ones.

“Kill!” The Tiele tribe became agitated and chased after him, screaming.

They have been treated very suffocated during this period of time.

Although these Liaodong rats are not numerous, they are quite capable of stirring up trouble.

Not only do they launch shameless sneak attacks when they are enjoying the robbery or sleeping soundly.

They also often dug pits and laid traps in the village streets, or played tricks in the wilderness. Although the destructive power was not great, the harm was considerable. They made the people of the tribe panic-stricken and even drove several people crazy.

This is so unethical and disgusting that the Tiele people want to ask God:
Aren't the people of Liaodong the subjects of the Tang Dynasty? Don't you know that the first reign title of the Tang Dynasty was "Wu De"?

These red-turbaned bandits are no longer ordinary Tang people. Now that we have finally caught a lone one, we must strike hard!

"No... don't be afraid, line up, shoot... shoot arrows!"

The Red Turban Army also cooperated very well. Facing the cavalry charge, the officers seemed to be caught off guard and gave the order to shoot arrows hastily and carelessly.

The soldiers seemed to be frightened by the grand cavalry charge and released their arrows early from a distance, at the limit of the bow's range.

By the time the first wave of arrows reached the front row of Tiele cavalry, they were already at the end of their strength.

The Tiele people received financial assistance from Li Tai and wore armor made in the Western Regions.

Although it is relatively crudely made, it is more than enough to block these weak arrows.

After a few sparse rounds of arrow rain, only a few people fell.

After seeing that their only means of counterattack was ineffective, the morale of this isolated Red Turban Army began to collapse and their formation could hardly be maintained.

The spear formation is the only thing that can save the infantry's life when facing cavalry.

"Go back to your position! No running! Violators will be killed!"

The generals waved their swords desperately, trying to maintain order.

However, not only did this have no effect, it actually had the opposite effect.

The soldiers were even more terrified and rushed towards the Hengshan Mountains behind them.

Exposing your back to the cavalry is the cavalry's favorite way to defeat the infantry, making it very convenient for harvesting.

But for some reason, these defeated soldiers did not flee in all directions, but ran in an orderly manner.

However, the Tiele people did not notice this detail. They could not contain their excitement and rushed forward roaring.

The few weak arrows just now were like the blood of lambs, which completely aroused the wolves' bloodthirsty desire.

A little resistance is good, a little resistance is more exciting.

And Ji Jin was enjoying the pleasure of revenge.

He originally came here with Zhenzhu Khan to plunder Hebei.

But where did they come from this time?
Is this still the warm and prosperous Hebei?

Didn't Zhenzhu Khan agree to head south all the way to the Yellow River and take everyone to experience the warmer, more prosperous Central Plains region that only existed in the legends of nomadic peoples?

How did we get back to the Sanggan River? How did we get back to Yunzhou, the northernmost city in Hebei Province where there are the least goods?

If we continue walking a few more steps northwest, won’t we be back in the Yinshan area?
They went south from Yinshan Mountain and then made a big circle northwards. Why?
Isn't it just to wipe out these annoying red-turbaned bandits? !
They were happily burning, killing and looting, but were suddenly ordered by Zhenzhu Khan to come back and fight. Anyone would be annoyed!
Today he was going to vent all the anger that had accumulated over this period of time on these unfortunate Red Turban bandits!

The Tiele people formed a wide line and rushed forward madly like a tsunami.

This Red Turban Army behaved like a typical defeated army and fled backwards.

Generally speaking, two legs will definitely not be able to outrun four legs on flat ground.

However, the terrain of the Sanggan River Valley is somewhat complicated. It is adjacent to the northernmost Mount Hengshan in the south. The mountainous terrain and the snow in winter make it difficult for horses to travel.

However, these Tiele people were completely overwhelmed by their passion at this time, and all they wanted to do was to trample these Liaodong people who were more annoying than gadflies with their iron hooves, without considering whether this bad terrain was conducive to the performance of their cavalry.

Ji Jin of the tribe was riding in the lead, and when he saw that he was about to catch up with the first red-turbaned bandit, he raised his saber and was about to follow him.

"kill……"

The passionate war cry was halfway through when it suddenly stopped.

When his followers saw that their boss was missing, they felt that something was wrong and immediately pulled the reins of their horses and searched everywhere on the snow-covered hillside.

Finally, the body of Ji Jin was found in a pit.

He and his horse fell into a pit.

The pit was not deep because the frozen soil was very hard in winter and could not be dug very deep.

However, this labor-saving trap was set up very cleverly. It was blocked by dead branches and leaves on the sides, and trip stones were set at the entrance of the cave facing the direction of the enemy, and then covered with snow.

This is very similar to ordinary bushes on the hillside, and it is impossible to find it when riding fast on horseback.

As for the killer move inside the pit, it is very "plain and simple" -

The pit was filled with sharpened bamboos, and the tips were "considerately" poured with "golden soup", or manure, which was commonly used in city defense battles.

It highlights a point that even if it doesn't kill people, it will make people sick to death.

Fortunately, the man who stepped on the landmine happened to have his temple hit by the bamboo stick and died on the spot.

But its mount was not so lucky. The contaminated bamboo sticks pierced its entire body, and sooner or later it would die painfully from the infection.

The follower stared at this tragic scene in a daze. After a while, he came to his senses and was about to shout to his companions -

"Oh no! There's a trap!"

But it was too late.

Riders kept stepping into pits and falling off their horses.

These "affordable" traps work great under the cover of the mountain environment.

Soon, the battlefield was filled with groans of pain.

Although there are not too many lucky people who get hit, it is impossible to charge forward in this environment.

The large cavalry force involuntarily slowed down their charge and looked around nervously, fearing that they would miss a step and fall into the pit.

At this moment, the "fleeing" Red Scarf bandits launched a counterattack.

These Liaodong guys, who were so afraid of disgusting people to death, were of course just acting. Of course, there was no real defeat.

Although the tactic of feigning defeat is very old, it is really effective against hot-blooded nomadic cavalry.

The biggest advantage of cavalry over infantry lies in the kinetic energy generated by the horse's charge.

When these cavalrymen stopped because of traps and terrain, they became sitting ducks.

"Release the crossbow!"

The Red Turban Army officers who had been in a panic just now suddenly changed their attitude and gave their commands calmly.

As the drums sounded, the well-trained soldiers immediately re-formed their formations and pulled the trigger on their heavy crossbows.

After a dull bowstring sound, a large number of Tiele targets still riding on horses fell down immediately.

The situation on the battlefield changed in an instant.

With their leader killed and having fallen into a trap, the morale of the Tiele people quickly collapsed, their battle line fell apart, and they began to flee backwards in disorder.

After the Tiele people in front finally escaped from the mountains and returned to the relatively flat Sanggan River Valley.

There was another round of drum sounds on the plain, and a group of cavalry rushed out from a valley somewhere in Hengshan Mountain.

The riders were all wearing Tang armor and red turbans. They were the Liaodong cavalry led by Su Dingfang.

"kill!"

Chasing and killing fleeing soldiers can be said to be the cavalry's forte.

But this time, the Tiele people became the ones being harvested, and their soldiers were harvested and felled in large numbers like wheat.

This encounter ended with the cunning Liaodong people winning by cheating.

However, Su Dingfang did not relax for a moment. He rode his horse to the infantry officer who had just performed first-rate acting skills, that is, Xue Rengui, and asked hurriedly:

"Besides this one, do you have any other traps?"

"The frozen soil is as hard as iron, where do all the traps come from? We only dug in this area and waited for these idiots for many days to take the bait!" Xue Rengui responded bluntly.

"That's it." Su Ding said concisely.

Xue Rengui frowned: "What's the matter?" Su Dingfang pointed to the mountains to the south:
"My scouts discovered that a large force of Tiele people is on their way to surround here."

"Wasn't it their main force that we just defeated?" Xue Rengui was shocked.

"You mean this guy?"

Su Dingfang lifted Ji Jin's head from his horse and threw it to the ground with disgust.

"He is just an outpost of Xueyantuo Khan. But compared with our thousand-strong army, any one of their hairs would be a large force to us."

The corner of Xue Rengui's mouth twitched, and he suddenly remembered something and reached his hand into his breastplate.

He took out a treasure bag from behind the breastplate.

"Before I left, Commander Zhang Jian gave me this, saying that when I was in a desperate situation, I should open the brocade bag, which contained a brilliant plan."

Su Dingfang folded his arms:

“Is this a desperate situation now?”

"Zhenzhu Khan has personally gone into battle, so this should be a desperate situation, right? What do you think?" Xiao Xue asked.

Lao Su nodded:
“I think it’s pretty amazing, too.”

After the two of them discussed it, they immediately opened the secret plan left by the old senior and took a look.

There were only eight characters written on it:

Hold on firmly and there will be a way.

Su Dingfang: "..."

Xue Rengui: "...General Su, what should we do now?"

Su Dingfang: "Hurry up and go to Hengshan. What else can we do? Are you planning to fight against 300,000 cavalrymen in the flat river valley?!"

…………

"What did you say? All of Bolijijin's troops were annihilated?"

Under the command of the Xueyantuo main force, Zhenzhu Khan Yinan's face became increasingly darker.

He knew that his forward Bolijijin had suffered a great defeat in the previous battle.

As he headed north, he gradually gathered the remnants of the retreating troops.

Seeing the core tribe of his Khanate being bullied into such a state, Yinan was naturally in a bad mood.

However, the bad news was yet to come.

"Yes... yes, Khan, Ji Jin himself is also dead..."

"what?!"

Yi Nan flew into a rage and slammed the table, frightening the deserter who came to report the news so much that he almost choked.

"Ahem!" Li Tai, who was sitting next to him, coughed dryly as a reminder.

He followed them to the cold and difficult Yunzhou front, not because he wanted to come -

The prince could not ride a horse and could only take a carriage. The bumpy ride along the mountainous terrain made his head and buttocks hurt.

But he had to come.

Because his ally Zhenzhu Khan was worried about leaving him in the heart of Hebei for fear that he would stab him in the back.

After all, a guy who would backstab his own father could theoretically backstab anyone.

Li Tai did not come alone, he brought his army and his commander Zhishisili with him.

He was also afraid that these soldiers, who were not very familiar with him, would eventually mix with the Hebei gentry and stab him in the back.

After all, a guy who would stab his own father in the back always feels that others will retaliate in the same way.

"Hmm... humph!" Yinan barely suppressed the urge to draw his knife and chop someone, and sat back on the stool.

The death of Bolishijin was indeed a huge blow to Yinan.

This is not because Yinan is a sentimental person.

But it was because that Shiqin was an important pillar for Yinan to maintain the internal rule of the Khanate.

As we all know, nomadic peoples are very scattered.

Xueyantuo was no exception.

The relationship between tribes within the Khanate was not a strict hierarchical relationship, but more like a partnership.

Zhenzhu Khan is not an emperor whose words are law, but more like a shareholder representative elected by all shareholders.

Therefore, when he forced the tribes to stop looting and attack Liaodong first, the resistance was unimaginable.

In fact, among the 300,000 Xueyantuo troops, a considerable number of tribes ignored orders and stayed where they were, doing what they were supposed to do.

Those who came to Yunzhou to fight to the death with the Liaodong people were mainly from Yinan’s own core tribe.

And Bolishijin, who was leading the way, was naturally the core among the core and the confidant among the confidants.

The loss of a loyal and beloved general would inevitably have a serious adverse impact on the stability of his rule within Xueyantuo.

"The heroic Ji Jin rode ahead, but he never expected that the despicable Liaodong rats had already set a trap in the mountains, and the eagle of the grassland fell just like that..."

The deserter who brought the letter tremblingly tried to find compensation for Bolijijin.

But it still can't cover up the funny nature of Shi Jin's death.

Getting your head stabbed by a barricade is just stupid...

Zhenzhu Khan was so angry that he was shaking all over.

He knew that the news that "the Khan's vanguard died because of the Khan's stupid decision" would soon spread to the Tiele tribes along with these remnants of the defeated army.

Let him, the Great Khan, become the laughing stock of the entire Khanate.

Not only did he lose his confidant, but he also showed his big eyes. He lost both ways.

"We must roast the Liaodong rats, along with the leading lamb!"

Zhenzhu Khan gnashed his teeth in anger.

If this expedition, which involved the main force, did not produce any results, his ruling position within Xueyantuo would be in jeopardy.

Nomadic people only respect the strong.

Why should a group of tough guys who are willing to risk their lives listen to a clown who only hurts himself?

Is it because he's funny?
"Calm down, Khan. There is hope."

Li Tai, who was standing by, couldn't bear it anymore and comforted his ally skillfully in Turkish.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Yi Nan looked at him disdainfully, treating this Tang vassal king as just one of the chiefs under his command.

If you don't respect yourself, don't blame others for not respecting you.

"Bolishijin's vanguard is quite large, and they are all good fighters. To be able to defeat such a large-scale army, the enemy must have a large number of troops."

Li Tai pointed to the Hengshan Mountain in front of him and analyzed for the increasingly dizzy Khan:

“So I suspect that what Bolijijin ran into was the main force of the Red Scarf Bandits we were looking for!
"After searching everywhere for a long time, I finally found them. They are hiding in the Hengshan Mountains!"

Hearing Li Tai's speculation, Yinan's brows relaxed slightly.

The biggest trouble with the Red Turban bandits is not how strong they are on the front battlefield.

After all, they had too few people, and a small number of Xueyantuo troops could crush them.

The real harm caused by those Liaodong rats is that they appear and disappear at mysterious times.

The guerrilla warfare of tiring the enemy and harassing us is hard to defend against.

Therefore, as long as the specific location of the main force of this group of bandits can be located, the problem of the Red Turban Bandits will be largely solved.

At least that's what Zhenzhu Khan Yinan thought.

Next, his army could drown them with just one spit!

As long as the Red Scarf Bandits are gone, the problems of Liaodong, Li Ming, and his own ruling status...

All problems can be solved!
"You're right..."

Zhenzhu Khan stroked his stiff beard, a sinister smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

"All troops, listen up! Go to Hengshan! Plow the entire mountain inside and out!
"Let me see how long those Liaodong bandits can hide!"

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Tai standing beside him:

"You Han people are better at climbing mountains than us. You should be in the front."

Just stand in front and act as a shield for me!
"Ah? This... well, it is."

Li Tai also felt like he was shooting himself in the foot.

But he had no power to refuse.

In this way, a huge army composed of hundreds of thousands of Han and Tiele troops marched into Hengshan with great momentum.