Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 99: The Brave Wins When Two Meet on a Narrow Road (Two in One)

Looking down from the sky today, we can see that under the pull of Hao Zhao's troops, the 800 cavalrymen led by Zhu Luohou were chasing after them and entered the rugged Aobao Mountain area.

At the same time, Zhang Liao and Shi Yi moved northward from the left and right sides, preparing to encircle the enemy. However, the Xianbei people did not notice their movements because they used Aobao to block their view.

Aobao means a pile in Hu language. The mountain is not very high. Compared with the high mountains in the Central Plains, it can only be called a mound. The Xianbei people would pile up earth and stones on the mound as a sign of roads and boundaries, and also to point the way and identify directions.

The reason why Zhang Yu chose to ambush Zhu Luohou on Aobao Mountain is not difficult to understand. He simply wanted to use the terrain as a cover to prevent Zhu Luohou from detecting the ambush in advance. The plan was implemented very successfully.

"Captain, can we send out troops?" Li Song asked.

"Light the fire and raise the flag!" Zhang Yu nodded and gave the order.

"promise!"

The Han soldiers set the dry grass on fire, and thick smoke rose from the hills. At the same time, several red flags were planted on the top of the mountain. The north wind whistled past, and the flags fluttered.

Soon, the smoke rose to the sky and was seen by Zhang Liao and Shi Yi, who were several miles away. After receiving the signal, the two armies waved their flags and signaled the two hundred cavalrymen under their tent to charge at the Xianbei cavalry who had entered the encirclement.

If we look down from the sky now, we can see that Shi Yi's troops are on the left, Zhang Liao's troops are on the right, and Hao Zhao's bait troops are in the front. Once the two wings are in place, Zhu Luohou will be surrounded on three sides.

As the beacon smoke lit, when the Han cavalry received the order to launch an attack, Zhu Luohou, who was chasing them, seemed to notice something unusual.

"Shut up!"

Looking at the smoke rising into the sky ahead, Zhu Luohou was doubtful at first, then he stopped his horse, as if he was listening to some sound.

"What happened to the second leader?" asked the attendant.

After listening for a while, Zhu Luohou asked, "Did you hear the sound of horse hooves coming from the left Aobao?"

The 800 cavalrymen led by the Xianbei were still in pursuit, causing serious interference to the sound of the Han army's ambush cavalry's galloping horses. The sound of the 800 cavalrymen's horses' hoofs obscured the sound of the Han cavalry's horses' hoofs.

The attendant listened for a while and said, "There is no other sound!"

Zhu Luohou looked at the thick smoke rising in the sky and felt very uneasy, so he gave the order.

"Go to Aobao and take a look!"

"promise!"

The attendant and a few others rode up to the Aobao. When he took a closer look, his face was filled with shock and fear. On the other side of the hillside, on the yellow and white fields, there were large groups of Han cavalry scattered around. Three cavalrymen formed a cluster, six cavalrymen formed a group, and twelve cavalrymen formed a circle, just like a bush of mountain peach trees in bloom.

"There are ambushes~"

Before the servant could finish his words, several sharp arrows flew through the air and hit him in the chest, causing him to fall off his horse.

After the attack, only two Hu cavalrymen who fell behind survived. In front of them, including the attendants, a total of three people were shot by arrows, some were injured and some died.

The two Hu cavalry fled in panic, preparing to bring back the news that the Han army had ambushed them. When they appeared in Zhu Luohou's field of vision, he saw that three of them were missing, and the sound of horse hooves came more and more clearly from the left, which made him understand something instantly.

"There's an ambush!"

Zhu Luohou shouted hysterically: "Stop chasing!"

The 800 cavalrymen were so powerful that it was difficult for people to hear their shouts. Fortunately, Kebi learned a lot of tricks from the Han army's border cavalrymen, one of which was to use flags, drums and other tools to teach his people to advance and retreat.

Zhang Yu climbed to a high place and looked into the distance. He saw that the 800 Xianbei cavalrymen were in chaos, but they were able to stop one after another. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Kebi Neng's troops were able to rise from the Xianbei. They were indeed extraordinary people.

The difference between the Han cavalry and the Hu cavalry, in addition to military equipment, is the difference in organizational system. The reason why the Xiongnu cavalry was able to suppress the Western Han cavalry for a time, in addition to the Western Han Shaoqi, has a lot to do with the military system promoted by Maodun, who knew how to use orders to drive the Hu cavalry.

The difference in combat effectiveness between organized cavalry and scattered unorganized cavalry is similar to the difference between elite and non-elite infantry, there is a world of difference between them.

It is not difficult to imagine that the reason why Kebi Neng was able to rise and become the overlord of the grassland was probably closely related to the military system he established.

After having a preliminary understanding of the level of the cavalry under Kebinen's command, Zhang Yu's previous worries were put aside. Today, he will teach Kebinen how to command cavalry in battle!

"Come here, order Hao Zhao to assemble the troops and attack the Hu cavalry together with Zhang Liao and Shi Yi!" Zhang Yu ordered.

"promise!"

When Zhang Yu gave the order, the Han cavalry led by Zhang Liao and Shi Yi had already appeared from Aobao. The marching Shantaocong formation had slightly changed its formation through the change of flags. Although the formation remained unchanged, it was tighter and there was a distinction between the front and rear formations.

"Woo~"

As the horn sounded, the cavalry on both sides charged on their horses, the sound of their horses' hooves trampling on the snow was broken and dull.

The Xianbei cavalry were in a very uncomfortable situation when they were suddenly ambushed, because their marching formation was long and disorganized, it was difficult for them to respond quickly to the Han cavalry ambush, and they were very easy to be cut off by the Han cavalry.

Zhu Luohou now felt the seriousness of the situation. The long queue made it difficult to take care of both ends. If he ordered a retreat, he would be chased by the Han cavalry. Even if he could escape, the 800 Hu cavalry he led would suffer heavy losses.

Give it a try, maybe there is still hope!

Moreover, his brother is not far away. Once he leads his troops to support him, he will be able to easily turn the situation around and let the Han cavalry taste his power.

Within a few breaths, Zhu Luohou made arrangements, having his men escape while the Han cavalry were charging in formation, and sent the news to Kebinen, while he stayed behind to lead his troops into battle.

Soon, Zhang Liao led his cavalry to attack.

Because the Xianbei cavalry were in chaos and confusion, Zhang Liao did not directly adopt the tactic of armored cavalry charge. Instead, he followed the tactics discussed by Zhang Yu and others and used mounted archery to harass the densely packed Xianbei cavalry, causing the enemy cavalry to become confused on their own.

The Mongolian cavalry's tactics of luring the enemy deep into their territory and outflanking them on the left and right wings may sound simple, but in its actual implementation, there are many things worth pondering.

For example, the 800 Xianbei cavalry were ambushed during the pursuit. Although their troops were in disarray, they were close to each other. In this case, once Zhang Liao launched a charge, the Han cavalry would be caught in a fierce battle with the Hu cavalry.

In response to this situation, Zhang Yu designed a cavalry and archery strategy to lure the Xianbei cavalry out of the chaotic troops, so that he could divide and attack them, causing the Xianbei cavalry to be completely defeated.

According to the tactics of the exercise, the two hundred cavalry led by Zhang Liao were divided into five teams of forty people. The first two teams were armored cavalry, and the last three teams were light cavalry.

"shoot!"

As the military order was issued, the armored cavalry moved forward with bows and shot at the chaotic Xianbei cavalry.

"Whoosh!"

The next moment, when the armored cavalry was about twenty steps away, they drew their bows and shot arrows. Forty heavy arrows poured down, and because the Xianbei cavalry were densely packed, it was difficult for the Hu people to dodge. The sharp arrows pierced through the fur coats that kept them warm, and the arrowheads penetrated their bodies, causing some cavalrymen to wail in pain.

The arrows shot by the Hu cavalry did little damage to the armored cavalry leading the charge, because the armored cavalry were wearing leather armor and their formation was very loose.

After the armored cavalry shot an arrow, they had no intention of charging. Instead, they turned their horses' heads and marched in a horizontal formation towards Hao Zhao's troops who had turned back to ride and shoot, and joined forces with them to attack the Hu cavalry in the corner.

Seeing the armored cavalry retreat, many Hu cavalry could not bear the blow and rode away from the chaotic cavalry to chase the armored cavalry. Unexpectedly, the armored cavalry in the second row quickly moved forward and confronted the Hu cavalry head-on. When the armored cavalry were about to shoot, the light cavalry in the third row suddenly drove forward and inserted into the loose formation of the armored cavalry.

At this moment, eighty arrows flew through the air and hit the Hu cavalry who were chasing them on their horses. Because the distance was too close, more than twenty Hu cavalry were hit by arrows. Many of them either fell off their horses or howled in pain.

The second and third rows of riders rode sideways, heading towards the pursuing Hu cavalry on their side, and fired back a wave of arrows, shooting down many of them.

Immediately afterwards, four or five rows of light cavalry led by Zhang Liao arrived one after another, and nearly a hundred arrows poured out, killing and wounding more than ten Hu bandits.

The Han cavalry launched such an attack formation on three sides, like waves hitting rocks, one wave higher than the other, and one wave after another.

Compared to the orderliness of the Han cavalry, the Xianbei cavalry, who were ambushed, were in disarray whether fighting or counterattacking. Arrows were flying in the air, and although the sound of arrows breaking through the air was endless, screams were heard one after another.

In the current battle situation, although the troops led by Zhu Luohou are slightly larger than the Han cavalry, facing the attack of the Han cavalry, it is as if the limbs of a giant are stuck in the mud, and no matter how hard they struggle to free themselves, it seems to be a futile effort.

Seeing the Han cavalry using such superb cavalry tactics, Zhu Luohou looked at him with bloodshot eyes. He had to admit that the Han army in front of him was different from the Han army he had encountered before.

The Han cavalry in the past were good at horse archery and could also break into battle formations, but they rarely used similar cavalry mixed tactics. This overwhelming horse archery was very similar to the horse archery tactics of the Xianbei people, except that the Han cavalry in front of them were more disciplined, so the tactics they used were more suffocating.

Of course, it was not without flaws. The individual archery skills were not good enough, and the cavalry team's changes were not smooth enough. With this in mind, Zhu Luohou had already smelled a terrifying aura from this Han cavalry. If these Han cavalry were to improve, who knows how terrifying they would be.

But Zhu Luohou had no time to think too much. Under the attack of the Han army, many cavalrymen under his command had scattered and were engaged in a horse and archery battle with the Han cavalry.

As for what Zhu Luo Hou perceived, Zhang Yu, who was in a high position, could see through it clearly.

"The advance will be like snowflakes scattering, the movement will be like a tidal wave, the Hu cavalry will be ambushed and scattered, and we will win this battle!" said Li Song.

A smile appeared on Zhang Yu's lips. If he could return victorious from this battle, he would learn from the shortcomings in this operation and order his subordinates to fill in the gaps. Next time he encountered Xianbei cavalry that was larger than his own, he would have the confidence to defeat them head-on.

Of course, the tactics formulated by Zhang Yu were not limited to this. He also used horse archery to disperse the Hu cavalry, or to create more space. This was the beginning of the enemy cavalry's defeat!
"Raise the red flag and order Zhang Liao to gather the armored cavalry. Together with me, we will break through the Hu cavalry and completely defeat them!"

"promise!"

Zhang Yu took the lance handed to him by his men, shook the spear shaft lightly, climbed onto the horse, and called his followers.

"Bo Song is in charge of the military flag. If there is any unusual movement, inform me immediately."

"promise!"

Zhang Yu reined in his warhorse and stopped in front of the hundred cavalrymen. He shouted, "Charging into battle is what the brave do. I will lead the troops to charge, defeat the Hu, gain merit, and show the prestige of our army. Do you dare?"

"Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!" Hundreds of riders raised their spears high and shouted loudly.

"go!"

Zhang Yu pointed his long spear forward, and a hundred riders followed closely behind him.

"Bah!"

The galloping horses made a thunderous sound, rushing down from high above like a sharp knife, rushing straight at the scattered Hu cavalry, ready to kill the giant trapped in the quagmire with one blow. The charge into the formation was the third step designed by Zhang Yu for the ambush tactics, using the powerful ability of the Han cavalry to break through the Xianbei formation and cut off the already loose Xianbei cavalry, so as to achieve the purpose of dividing and encircling.

Seeing Zhang Yu launching a charge, Zhang Liao immediately summoned the armored cavalry, and he himself acted as the spearhead, and arranged the cavalry in line.

"Broken beard!"

Zhang Liao raised his spear and shouted, taking the lead, and the armored cavalry charged towards the Xianbei cavalry with fierce momentum.

Looking down from above, we can see that the Xianbei Hu cavalry were surrounded by Han cavalry on three sides. Due to the situation, many Hu cavalry fled to the open north.

Now Zhang Yu's troops are inserted from the gap between Hao Zhao and Shi Yi's troops, preparing to cut the Hu cavalry in two. Zhang Liao's armored cavalry is cooperating with Zhang Yu's actions and inserting into the gap between him and Hao Zhao's troops. If the two troops can successfully break through the formation, they will converge in the center and completely defeat the Hu cavalry.

After a while, the hundred cavalry led by Zhang Yu had already cut into the group of Hu cavalry.

With the help of the horse's speed, Zhang Yu's horse lance pierced through the Hu cavalry with a "puff" sound, and the exquisite and sharp lance blade pierced through the Hu man's back. The lance blade was covered with blood, and the gemstone was reflected in the blood, revealing an evil beauty.

Soon, Zhang Yu pulled out his long spear and used it to fight on horseback. As the long spear flew up and down, stabbing, blocking and sweeping, in the blink of an eye, two Xianbei cavalrymen were killed by the spear, and the rest of the Xianbei cavalrymen fled like birds and beasts under the charge of hundreds of cavalrymen.

"kill!"

Taking advantage of the high morale, Zhang Yu led a hundred cavalrymen to advance deeper into the enemy's territory. Wherever his "Yun Zhong Yi Cong" flag went, the Xianbei cavalrymen all retreated.

As Zhang Yu led the cavalry to break through the enemy lines, a chain reaction was triggered on the battlefield. Hao Zhao's troops simply gave up riding and shooting, and drew their swords and spears to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Hundreds of cavalrymen engaged in hand-to-hand combat, either stabbing with spears or hacking with swords. After killing the Hu cavalry, they shouted and killed at the top of their lungs to boost their own morale, causing the already chaotic Hu cavalry to flee.

The situation on the battlefield changed drastically. The cavalry, which was already in disorder, lost the courage to fight under the pursuit of the Han cavalry and fled towards the open areas in all directions.

"Colonel Captain!"

On the chaotic battlefield, Zhang Liao's cavalry finally joined Zhang Yu.

"Well done Wenyuan!"

Zhang Yu stopped his horse and said with a smile: "If it weren't for you and Shi Yi's flanking attack today, it would not be so easy to defeat the Hu cavalry."

"The captain is in good command!" said Zhang Liao.

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu smiled proudly, achieving remarkable results today through commanding the battle was secondary, the key was to let him accumulate the confidence to compete with powerful enemies.

The enemy is not as strong as imagined, and his military capabilities are not that weak. On the contrary, one's own military capabilities may be quite outstanding.

Compared to Zhang Yu's joy, Zhu Luohou was extremely annoyed and whipped the fleeing cavalry, but he could not stop them. Looking at his defeated subordinates and the Han cavalry chasing after him, Zhu Luohou felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Why hasn't my brother come yet?

If I had known earlier, I should not have pursued the Han cavalry, and I should not have been so arrogant when they were ambushed!

Seeing the Han cavalry flags getting closer, Zhu Luohou gave up the idea of fighting, led his trusted followers to blend in with the fleeing cavalry, and fled to the north where no one was blocking them.

When Zhang Yu saw the Xianbei cavalry's flag fall, he knew that the battle was about to be won.

"Hurry up and kill the Hu cavalry. I'll cut off their ears later!"

In order to grasp the victory in his hands, Zhang Yu shouted to the people around him to prevent any accidents.

"promise!"
-
"Swoosh!" A feather arrow flew out and shot a Hu cavalryman who was only concerned about escaping for his life to the ground.

The Hu cavalry was shot but not dead. He rolled on the ground wailing. However, he was soon caught up by the pursuing Han cavalry and killed by a long spear.

Zhang Feng put down his bow and looked at the Han cavalry hunting the Hu cavalry on the vast grassland, feeling extremely proud.

Ever since he could remember, he had heard too many stories about the Hu people's brutality and cruelty, and now he was following his brother to fight and hunt the Hu people outside the border, which really made him happy.

Now that he is so comfortable, he wonders how majestic it was when the Huo Piqi army marched thousands of miles across the border and swept across the northern desert?

Behind Zhang Feng, more cavalrymen were led by Shi Yi, slowly hunting down the fleeing Hu cavalrymen. Among the cavalrymen led by Shi Yi were many Xiongnu people, who were particularly skilled in hunting.

The fleeing Zhu Luohou looked back and almost burst into tears. The Hu people that his brother had worked so hard to recruit were driven like cattle and sheep by the Han people. You should know that in the past, he was the only one who bullied and plundered the Han people from the south, how could the situation today be like this.

If I had known this situation earlier, I would have escaped earlier, perhaps more of my cavalry could have survived.

If I run back this time, I wonder how my brother will punish me?
As Zhu Luohou was fleeing in sorrow, he suddenly heard the sound of a large number of horse hooves in the front. Zhu Luohou, who was already terrified by the pursuit of the Han cavalry, could not help but groan inwardly. If the Han cavalry surrounded him, would he have nowhere to go?
Why not surrender to the Han cavalry later and let my brother spend money to redeem me?
When Zhu Luohou was thinking about how to save his life, he saw the situation of the cavalry clearly, which made him almost burst into tears. This was the flag of his tribe. His brother received his intelligence and finally came south to help!
Marquis Zhuluo looked back at the Han cavalry with a ferocious look on his face. His brother had arrived with his troops, and he wanted to kill the Han dogs!

"help me!"

Marquis Zhuluo shouted to his own Hu cavalry, and finally with their help, he escaped from the pursuit of the Han cavalry.

Zhang Feng, who was leading the pursuit, was shocked when he saw a large number of Hu cavalry appearing.

The reinforcements from the Hu cavalry arrived too quickly. My brother's troops had just defeated the Hu cavalry and were still chasing the fleeing Hu. My own soldiers were not only exhausted, but also in a loose formation. If the Hu cavalry launched a charge, my troops would be defeated!

"quick!"

Shi Yicong caught up and shouted to Zhang Feng, "Take the troops back to inform the captain. I will stay here to investigate the number of enemy cavalry."

"it is good!"

Zhang Feng did not hesitate at all, he knew that with Shi Yi's archery skills, he was more suitable to stay and scout the enemy cavalry than him. His next task was to pass the message back and gather the pursuing cavalry along the way.

When Zhang Feng reported back, Ke Bineng saw the embarrassed Zhu Luohou.

Since Kebineng received the news that Juluohou was ambushed, he led a thousand cavalrymen to rush south to rescue his brother,
Seeing that there were only a few riders around Zhu Luohou, Ke Bineng asked anxiously, "What's going on? Where are the others?"

Zhu Luohou wiped his tears and said, "Brother, when I led my troops to chase the Han cavalry who were plundering the Rilu tribe, we were ambushed by nearly a thousand Han cavalry at Aobao. The Han cavalry were elite and brave, and were proficient in riding and shooting. I led my troops to resist desperately, but in the end we were defeated!"

"What about the rest of the troops?" Ke Bineng asked in annoyance.

"The eight hundred riders have disappeared!" Zhu Luohou lowered his head and said in shame.

"You!"

Ke Bineng pointed a whip at Ju Luohou and wanted to have him dragged away and severely punished. However, when he thought that Ju Luohou was his younger brother, Ke Bineng was unable to speak and could only sigh deeply.

Seeing his brother was angry and silent, Zhu Luohou, in order to atone for his sins, hurriedly said: "Brother, the Han cavalry has just defeated our army after a hard battle. Brother has led the army here. If we can launch an attack now, the Han cavalry will surely be defeated!"

Ke Bineng was moved and asked, "You said there were more than a thousand Han cavalrymen, but how many are there exactly?"

Zhu Luohou hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, "The enemy is attacking from three sides, and there are other cavalry charging into the battle formation. Their number should exceed ours. But judging from the momentum of their troops, their number is not large, probably around a thousand!"

Seeing that his brother was unreliable, Ke Bineng thought for a moment and said with narrowed eyes: "Someone go ahead to investigate the movements of the Han cavalry, and the rest of the troops will be ready for battle at any time."

"promise!"

The Han cavalry's tracks turned from darkness to light, and after a great battle, they were already weak and exhausted, and their weaknesses were all seen by Ke Bineng. All the situations were just as Zhu Luohou said, this was an opportunity to defeat Zhang Yu's troops. Once Ke Bineng understood the situation clearly, he would definitely launch an attack.

When Zhang Mao brought back the news that the Hu cavalry were not far away from his own troops, Zhang Yu and everyone around him changed their expressions.

Li Song could not help but say: "Captain, although our army has won the first victory over the Hu cavalry, our soldiers are exhausted and are no longer able to fight against the Hu cavalry. Why not withdraw our troops now?"

"Yes!"

Zhang Feng said worriedly, "Captain, the enemy cavalry is numerous, and our troops are exhausted and scattered. I am afraid we are no match for the enemy. It is better to withdraw quickly."

No wonder Li Song and Zhang Feng backed down, but the situation was really not favorable for them, or it was a very dangerous moment.

Zhang Yu defeated the Xianbei cavalry through an ambush, and now when his side was exhausted, a group of Hu cavalry appeared. This was not only beyond everyone's expectations, but also posed a great threat to them. If Ke Bi could launch an attack, no one would be sure of resisting!
Zhang Yu held the cold hilt of the sword and looked around at the messy battlefield, feeling unwilling. If he retreated now, all his efforts would be wasted. If he did not retreat, he would be in danger of being annihilated!

"Captain, the enemy cavalry has more than a thousand men!"

Shi Yi suddenly appeared in the crowd and reported the situation to Zhang Yu, saying, "When I rode back, the enemy cavalry had already sent out scouts to investigate our army. In my opinion, if the enemy cavalry finds out the depth of our army, they will take action!"

"Shiyi, what do you think?" Zhang Yu looked at Shiyi and asked.

Shi Yi hesitated for a moment, then said seriously: "Captain, our army is in a very dangerous situation now. If we withdraw now, it means that our army lacks courage, and the Hu cavalry will pursue us bravely. If we do not withdraw, although we can appease the enemy cavalry, it will allow the enemy cavalry to find out the situation. Given the current situation of our army, I am afraid we will not be able to fight them."

"No matter whether we advance or retreat, the captain should think carefully about the pros and cons. I will do my best to follow the captain and live or die with him!"

Zhang Yu paced back and forth, holding his sword, thinking about the pros and cons of the situation.

"Where's Wenyuan?"

Zhang Liao looked serious and said in a high-spirited tone: "The enemy has sent cavalry to investigate, but they don't know the depth of our army. In my opinion, it is better to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and attack and defeat them!"

"If you retreat in a cowardly manner, our army will lose its courage. Without courage, our army will be defeated!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. They really did not expect that under such circumstances, Zhang Liao would dare to propose to take the initiative to send troops to seek war. Regardless of whether the strategy was feasible, this kind of courage was worthy of everyone's admiration.

However, no one spoke, but looked at Zhang Yu who was thinking.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yu seemed to have made a decision. He suddenly stopped, clapped his hands with his fists, and said vigorously: "When two people meet on a narrow road, the brave one wins!"

(End of this chapter)