All Heavens and Worlds Modified History System

Chapter 291: The battle array is formed on the banks of the Jinti River, and a life-and-death battle is fought at the foot of Yanggu Mountain!

Military camp in Yanggu County.

"General, another cow and thirteen sheep died on the road today, and some livestock are sick."

After receiving the report, Chen Ran immediately responded, "Give the cattle and sheep to the cooks for extra food and make them into prison balls. For the sick animals, find a veterinarian to see them."

"The prison balls are given to the combat soldiers first, the auxiliary soldiers second, and the rest of the troops third."

The so-called laowan are dumplings.

The main meat consumed in the Tang Dynasty was mutton, but of course only the powerful and wealthy families could afford it.

The main sources of meat for ordinary people are pork and dog meat.

In times of war, having enough food became a luxury, and eating meat was as festive as the New Year.

When the news spread, there was a sudden jubilation in the camp, and everyone had a happy look on their face.

The reason why they are not boiled or roasted directly but made into balls is because there are not enough to share among the large number of people.

Add vegetables and use more noodles, and the quantity will increase immediately.

The cooks moved quickly, cleaning the cattle and sheep and chopping them up for stuffing.

The women and children from the old camp came over to help, making dumplings one by one.

Pour the balls into a boiling pot, pour waves of cold water along the edge of the iron pot, and they will soon be cooked and ready to serve.

The Tang Dynasty had a tradition of having family members accompany the army. Soldiers who were willing to follow Chen Ran to leave Puzhou were brought along if they had families and settled in the old camp.

The women and children in the old camp swallowed their saliva and watched the basins of prison balls being sent to the soldiers.

Theoretically speaking, after the combat soldiers, auxiliary soldiers and others have finished eating, these women and children should be able to have a bite. There should be enough for everyone to satisfy their cravings with one or two.

It’s not that Chen Ran treats the people harshly and doesn’t know how to take care of the vulnerable groups.

But in this chaotic world, strong soldiers are the foundation of everything.

If there are any good treatments, of course the combat soldiers will be given priority, followed by the reserve auxiliary soldiers.

Only after pacifying them can we have a foundation for doing things.

If Chen Ran always gives good things to the disadvantaged groups first, no one will say that he is kind and righteous. They will only say that he is pedantic and not someone worth following.

The morale of the army was in turmoil, and the combat soldiers and auxiliary soldiers were disunited.

It doesn't seem to conform to the moral standards of the modern world, but that's how it is in troubled times~~~
Those family members who served as auxiliary soldiers came over with clay bowls and invited them to enjoy the meat together.

Apart from anything else, the atmosphere at this moment is filled with a sense of warmth.

After dinner, before the sun sets, everyone has their own work to do.

The women and children in the old camp were still helping the cooks, busy making Hu pancakes together.

There were many foreigners in the Tang Dynasty. While they integrated into the Tang Dynasty, they also brought their own culture and customs.

To put it simply, Hu Bing is a bag. Because it is easy to carry, it is very popular in the army.

When it got dark, the camps gradually went to bed.

When most people had already gone to bed, Chen Ran was still busy working.

He was carefully analyzing the next course of action.

To put it bluntly, he is now a group of bandits.

The key point of mobile warfare is to take the enemy by surprise and proactively choose the time and place of combat.

"The soldiers of Yanggu County are not a concern. The real threat is the troops of the Pinglu Army."

"If I don't go looking for them, they will come looking for me."

"In that case," Chen Ran slapped his hand on the map, "Let's strike first!"

In Lu County (Dong'a), Yang Jian, the commander of the Pinglu Army, was drinking with his generals when a soldier came in and reported, "Commander, the enemy is besieging Yanggu County. This is a letter asking for help."

Yang Jian, with a full beard and a fierce look on his face, took the letter for help, read it, and then put it on the table.

"The thieves have reached Yanggu, what do you say?"

All the camp commanders generously said, "Kill them!"

The warriors at the end of the Tang Dynasty were truly brave, especially those who came from the royal guards, who were extremely arrogant.

Even if they know that their opponents far outnumber them, they are usually happy to hear about a war.

Another point is that they all like to fight in the wild and are ashamed to defend the city.

"it is good!"

Yang Jian slammed the table and stood up, "Organize the troops and rush to Yanggu County!"

The Pinglu Army originated from Yingzhou in Liaodong, and had a large number of horse cavalry in the army.

When the cavalry charged on a large scale, it was like a wave engulfing the world. Mountains could not stop it, and water could not stop it, so the Ya Bing called out to crash into the mountains.

Not all soldiers in the vassal states were guardsmen. In fact, the guardsmen were the elite in the army and also the private soldiers of the Jiedushi.

Of course, the guards often take the initiative.

If you don’t believe it, you can go and ask the successive military governors of Weizhou Town.

The Pinglu army had tens of thousands of troops, but only had more than 4,000 guards, divided into two cities.

Jiedushi Song Wei took Yidu and the main force of the Pinglu Army to fight Huang Chao.

Yang Jian, his confidant, led another army to destroy the rebel army's small group.

Yang Jian's main goal was to attack Huang Chao's lair from the side, and destroying Chen Ran's troops was just a side job.

They quickly took action, leaving the auxiliary soldiers to transport logistical supplies, while the combat soldiers rode their horses in a mighty force to Yanggu County, a hundred miles away.

In the era of cold weapons, even infantrymen could march at a speed of 100 miles per day.

If it were cavalry, they would run faster if they didn't care about horsepower.

There were many cavalrymen in the Tang Dynasty and they were very powerful. A very important point was that there were many horses in the Tang Dynasty.

To what extent?
The saddle horses, draft horses, riding horses, etc. in the army were all considered consumables and were not counted in the army's establishment! Just like in Zhuangshandu at this time, there were more than 2,000 soldiers carrying as many as 5,000 to 6,000 horses.

Continuous transfers are enough to ensure that you arrive at Yanggu County on time.

Forty miles east of Yanggu County, there are two big mountains.

One is called Yanggu Mountain and the other is called Yu Mountain.

There is a valley between the two mountains, called Yanggu.

The mountains here are not high, the valleys are not deep, the terrain is flat, and the Jinti River meanders through the valleys.

It doesn't look like a place where an ambush can be set up.

Yang Jian never expected that a large group of bandits would appear here.

Looking at the enemy army across the river two miles away, the battle-hardened Yang Jian frowned.

"Is this a bandit army?"

No wonder he was surprised. In his impression, all the bandit soldiers wore linen clothes, and anyone with a leather armor was considered a leader.

But the armor rate of this army in front of us is at least over 70%!
And those in the first few rows were all wearing armor.

To judge whether a troop can fight, the armor rate and the amount of armor are very important criteria.

Seeing that all the generals were looking at him, Yang Jian remembered what the Jiedushi Song Wei said before the troops set out.

"I am old, and I don't know how many years I can live. My sons are not very capable, so I plan to pass the position of Jiedushi to you."

If one wants to become a Jiedushi, one must have connections in the imperial court, including those in Hebei that don't care about the imperial court, and one must also convince the soldiers.

If the soldiers are not obedient, even if he forcibly takes the position of Jiedushi, he will not be able to stay there for long.

If you want to convince the soldiers, winning the battle is a prerequisite.

Thinking of this, Yang Jian immediately ordered, "Dismount, form a battle formation, and fight!"

The valley environment and the Jinti River that runs across the battlefield affected the cavalry's combat capabilities.

There was a severe drought in the Central Plains and the river was not deep enough to wade across.

But charging on horseback certainly won't work.

In that case, let's just dismount and fight on foot.

The guards were so fierce that they would rather give up their cavalry advantage and fight head-on.

As for taking advantage of the horse's mobility to take a detour across the river or something like that.

The water is only waist-deep, so if you go around, they will just cross the river directly.

It was already late, and if the battle was not fought until dark, the soldiers would complain about the commander's incompetence.

With such a hat put on you, do you still expect to gain support to become a Jiedushi in the future?
Seeing the Pinglu army dismount and form a battle formation, Chen Ran responded immediately, slowly retreating a distance and giving up the position by the river.

This is undoubtedly an invitation to fight.

At this point, Yang Jian had no choice.

If he refuses, his reputation in the Pinglu Army will be ruined.

There were more than 2,000 people in Zhuangshandu, and 300 people were left on the other side to guard thousands of horses.

Yang Jian personally led more than 1,800 soldiers and waded across the river to the other side.

Judging from the situation, there are no more than 3,000 thieves on the opposite side. With such a small difference in numbers, we can win!

At this time, Chen Ran's troops had retreated to the foot of Yushan Mountain, two or three miles away from the Zhuangshan troops who had crossed the river.

While the Zhuangshandu were still forming their battle array, Chen Ran simply gave the order, "Beat the drums!"

Using terrain to challenge someone is a strategy, while launching an attack when the enemy is not yet firmly established is a tactic.

He is not a gentleman, so of course he will take advantage of opportunities.

"Auxiliary soldiers who kill armored soldiers at the first level will be included in the combat troops!"

"Any soldier who kills an armored soldier of the first rank will be rewarded with five strings of cash and ten pieces of silk!"

The several hundred cavalrymen under Chen Ran took a detour early in the morning to cut off the retreat route of the Pinglu army.

The army was short of manpower, so hundreds of auxiliary soldiers were drawn in to make up the number.

Although they are called auxiliary troops, they are actually carefully selected and are not bad in any aspect.

He also arranged a group of auxiliary troops to squat on Yanggu Mountain behind the Pinglu Army, waiting for the opportunity to attack down the mountain.

All the advantages that can be created have been created, and now it depends on the ability to fight head-on.

More than 3,000 people are organized into teams. Fifty people form a small square, and five teams form a large square.

A row of four large square formations with a thousand soldiers, a total of three large square formations, pressed forward in a mighty force.

This clearly means using the advantage in numbers to suppress the opponent.

The Pinglu Army showed no sign of weakness and quickly formed a sharp arrow formation.

This is an attack-oriented formation with emphasis on central breakthroughs.

About a thousand Pinglu soldiers formed a tight central front line, with four hundred soldiers on each wing to resist the opposing wings and buy time for the central army to break through.

This kind of battle formation is very effective in dealing with Chen Ran's phalanx when the troops are insufficient.

Chen Ran was riding on a horse, surrounded by his personal guards, drummers, flag bearers and messengers.

It was obvious that the Pinglu Army, which had been marching for most of the day, was not in such a good condition. When the two sides gradually approached each other, their formation was still a little messy.

Seeing that the distance was getting closer, Chen Ran turned around and nodded to the guard beside him.

The guard immediately took out the fireworks and lit them.

On the opposite Yanggu Mountain, Wang Wenyu received the signal, stood up from the bushes, drew his sword and roared.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!~~~”

(End of this chapter)