My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 44: Catching a Big Fish?
The three armies held a hunt, which boosted the morale of all the soldiers.

Li Chong then issued a military order, and the entire army broke camp and marched towards the northern desert!
At the same time, he also ordered the armies of the "Eastern Three Towns"—Huaihuang Town, Fuming Town, and Rouxuan Town—to advance towards the Genhe River Valley, where the Rouran royal court was located, in order to force the Rouran royal court's forces to the west.

With the troops from the three towns of Woye, Huaishuo, and Wuchuan as the main force, they were able to wait in ambush and launch a campaign against the Rouran!
Since transmigrating, Gao Yu has led a team to raid small Rouran tribes that were grazing in the south every year, so he has accumulated a wealth of combat experience.

But those were all small-scale troop operations, with no more than a hundred people.

This was the first time he had ever experienced such a large army, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers from all three branches of the armed forces, going on a campaign. He was curious about everything and would ask soldiers with campaign experience questions.

after all……

When an army sets out on a campaign, how should the marching route be arranged, and how should the provisions and supplies be arranged?

As a renowned general, Li Chong's arrangements were certainly based on various considerations. Gao Yu would use the information he had to put himself in Li Chong's shoes and think about why Li Chong did what he did and why he made those arrangements.

Learn as much as possible to accumulate experience for when the world is in chaos and I personally lead the army.

The Huai Shuo Army led the way, paving the way ahead.

Several days after they set off, Woye Town also sent an army of tens of thousands of people to join the main army.

…………

More than half a month passed in a flash.

As May arrived, temperatures rose considerably, and the grasslands were shrouded in continuous rain, which was extremely unpleasant.

at first.

When morale was high, the section chief would send out several small elite units to search every day, but they always came up empty-handed.

Judging from the marching map...

The army had already traveled more than 400 li north, but still could not find the Rouran army. In addition, the continuous rain for several days made people feel anxious and restless!
"Where on earth have those damned worms gone?"

"The Rouran were already in internal strife, and upon learning of our army's large-scale northward advance, they must have fled into the northern desert."

Gao Huan ignored everyone's complaints.

Instead, he looked at Gao Yu.

Ever since Gao Yu displayed his extraordinary bravery, Gao Huan's expectations for him have risen to a new level!
"Erlang, have you found anything while you were out searching these past few days?"

Gao Yu shook his head, "Let alone the Rouran tribe, we've never even seen a wild animal."

If they encounter wild animals, they can kill them and bring them back to improve their meals.

They couldn't even find any wild animals. After returning, the army provided them with only millet and pickled vegetables for daily meals, which were barely enough to fill their stomachs.

Upon hearing this, Gao Huan remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'm afraid this northern expedition will ultimately end in failure."

Gao Yu couldn't help but ask, "Why is that?"

"Have you not noticed these past few days? The army's marching speed has slowed down considerably, and more importantly... the daily rations provided are decreasing. It seems that the rear is running out of supplies and cannot keep up with the army."

Hundreds of thousands of troops were on this vast grassland.

They consume a tremendous amount of energy every day, just like humans and horses!

The Huai Shuo and Wu Chuan armies did not have much surplus supplies. Li Chong's central army brought a lot of food and fodder, and the Wo Ye army also brought some food and fodder, but it was still not enough to supply the entire army.

The supply of food and provisions still mainly relied on local powerful families like the Lou family.

But the army can plunder and seize spoils, and they can make a profit. But a powerful family like the Lou family can't make any profit. Why should they go out of their way to supply the full amount of food and fodder?
Ultimately, the reason was that the Rouran had not raided southward on a large scale for decades, and these powerful clans had no motivation to support the imperial army in its campaign against the Rouran.

"If that's really the case, the Grand Commander might not be able to explain himself when he returns."

"That's none of our business. Just take care of yourselves."

Gao Huan shook his head.

The affairs of the imperial court are too distant for them, and they can't curry favor with Li Chong, so why should they worry about him?
The group could only pass the time inside the tent.

Several more days passed!

The rainy days are finally over, and a clear blue sky with no clouds has arrived!

Duan Chang had sent someone to summon Gao Huan and others to his military tent early on to convey the military orders from the central army camp. After receiving the orders, Gao Huan immediately went back and counted one hundred soldiers, including Gao Yu, and ordered them to prepare to leave the camp.

Li Chong's military order was simple: continue searching.

Woye, Huaishuo, and Wuchuan each dispatched 1000 elite cavalry to search for Rouran troops ahead. Huaishuo, acting as the vanguard, searched to the north.

Woye was positioned to the west, Wuchuan to the east, while the central army and the main forces of the three towns were stationed in the center as reinforcements.

Gao Huan led one hundred men, while Ge Rong, Huli Jin, and other brave soldiers from the Huai Shuo army each led one hundred men. After discussing the matter...

Gao Huan led his men northwest, each equipped with five horses and enough rations for eleven or twelve days. If they were frugal, they could easily last for fifteen or sixteen days.

After marching for four or five days, the group had advanced more than 400 li, but still had no success.

Looking at the endless grassland, Gao Huan once again ordered his troops to split up, "Bilugu and Qutuheli, you and others lead fifty men to follow me."

"Wan Jing, you and your men will lead the soldiers to follow Erlang. Remember not to go too deep. If you encounter any trace of the Rouran army, be sure to send the message back immediately."

"Here!!"

The group split into two again and continued on their way in different directions.

Gao Yu and his men traveled for another day, but still gained nothing. The rations they carried had reached their limit, and they still needed to save enough for the return to the camp.

Hou Jing began to curse, "Could it be that all the worriers are dead? How come I haven't seen a single one!"

Gao Yu advised, "Just follow the military orders and continue searching. If you can't find anything, go and see if anyone else has found anything."

Gao Yu had no choice.

In this vast northern grassland, finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The army can only advance every day and constantly send out scouts to explore in all directions.

They traveled for a while longer.

Gao Yu vaguely heard sounds of fighting ahead!

Hou Jing immediately dismounted, lay down on the ground to listen, and then became very excited, "Judging from this commotion, there are probably three or four hundred riders!!"

"We might have encountered worms!! Quick, let's go forward!!"

Hou Jing immediately mounted his horse and was about to ride forward!

Gao Yu stopped him.

After a moment's thought, he ordered, "Wan Jing, Mu Lan, Liu Yi, you all come with me to investigate the situation. Liu Taozhi, you stay here with your men and wait."

"Here!"

Gao Yu donned his armor, grabbed his bow and arrows and his lance, and immediately led Hou Jing and the other three men on four horses toward the direction from which the sounds of battle were coming!

quickly!

They then saw two groups of whelps fighting ahead.

One side was in pursuit, while a small group of people on the other side seemed to be fleeing, being chased and killed in a very disheveled manner.

The specific details are not very clear...

However, the group that fled ran in the direction that was where they were.

If you stay in one place, you'll definitely run into it head-on!
"Moheduo? What do we do?"

Hou Jing suggested, "I see that the two groups of Rouran are of similar numbers. Why don't we go and meet them head-on, crush them, and capture a few to take back? That way we'll know where the main Rouran army is!"

Gao Yu also felt that there was some truth to it.

He immediately ordered, "Liu Yi, go back and bring your men here. Everyone put on armor and nock your bows!"

Upon receiving the order, Liu Yi immediately turned back to call for reinforcements, while Gao Yu, Hou Jing, and the others patiently waited for Liu Taozhi and the others to arrive.

Shortly after Gao Yu gave the order, a group of soldiers were seen charging towards the Rourou people in the distance!

Judging from the direction they appeared.

They must be from Woye Town?

Gao Yu is overjoyed!

With the help of their own army, they will surely be able to reduce the casualties of their own soldiers.

P.S.: Sorry, this is my first time writing about the army's advance and the spying on the enemy, so it took a long time.

(End of this chapter)