My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 516 What happened to the high-ranking thief's fondness for forced marches?

November 18th.

Gao Yu personally led a large army westward from Shanyang City, heading straight for Shanyang.

Dou Tai was temporarily left in Shanyang City to keep a close watch on Huai County and Pinggao to the south, which are near the Yellow River and southeast of Yewang.

If we don't keep an eye on it, it's very likely that Gaodu, Pinggao, and Huaixian will all send troops at the same time, attacking Gao Yu's besieging army from the north and south.

At the critical moment, Gao Yu still entrusted important responsibilities to his "own people" and left his own escape route to Dou Tai.

The army, numbering around 40,000, marched in a long line. Gao Yu took all the soldiers from Yan, You, and Shandong with him, bringing the total to 100,000, including auxiliary troops, and headed straight for Yewang!

Scouts and rangers operated on the outermost perimeter of the marching column, periodically sending back the latest news they had gathered from the front.

Fifty li northeast of Yewang, on the east bank of the Dan River.

Upon receiving news of Gao Yu's military expedition, Helianda, Li Bi, Wang Xiong, and others immediately led several thousand elite cavalry across the Yellow River.

"Waiting like this isn't going to solve anything. I might as well go and investigate."

Helianda took the initiative to speak, "If that traitor Gao is greedy for merit and acts rashly, we can severely dampen his spirits and defeat him in one battle."

Wang Xiong hesitated for a moment and then said, "Let Jinghe go with you."

Wang Xiong, judging from his surname, is from the Wang clan of Taiyuan.

Bingzhou was Erzhu Rong's stronghold, and the Wang family of Taiyuan was deeply tied to Erzhu Rong, with Wang Xiang being one of Erzhu Rong's trusted confidants.

Previously, Helianda had directly ordered the execution of over a hundred elite knights who had been terrified by Gao Yu. When this reached Erzhu Rong's ears, Erzhu Rong did not think he had done anything wrong.

Instead, they felt that young people like Helianda were too impulsive and shouldn't be allowed to act alone.

The main reason was that Helianda didn't believe what others said. He always felt that Gao Yu's reputation was undeserved and he always wanted to compete with Gao Yu, defeat him, and make a name for himself, so as not to let down the prestige of his ancestors.

Ok.

The surname Helian was used to refer to an emperor during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.

Emperor Helian Bobo of the Great Xia Dynasty was his ancestor.

Erzhu Rong valued him highly, and indeed needed some such "hotheads". Although Hebasheng and his men were brave, they would eventually show fear when facing Gao Yu. Before the fight even started, they had already admitted defeat in their hearts.

We need this kind of reckless young man who isn't afraid of high-flying birds; it might have a surprising effect.

This is why Erzhu Rong conscripted a large number of skilled warriors from Guanzhong for this battle.

Helianda frowned, his expression displeased. "You're saying this because you don't believe me!"

Li Bi quickly spoke up, "Shuo Zhou, you've misunderstood Hu Bu Tou. You and I will go together to scout out the enemy's situation so we can look out for each other."

"In his letter, the Prime Minister repeatedly warned us to be careful and not to act recklessly just because we are brave. We must know that Gao the bandit also has brave men under his command."

It was Erzhu Rong's name that was effective; although Helianda was displeased, he didn't say anything more.

"Once we have ascertained the enemy's strength and weakness, we will send someone back with a message."

Li Bi gave another instruction, and Wang Xiong nodded.

The two then each took several guards, changed horses, and galloped off towards Gao Yu's marching route!

It's impossible for an army of 100,000 to hide its tracks. It's quite normal for enemy scouts and cavalry to take the opportunity to get close and gather intelligence.

Helianda, Li Bi, and others were very familiar with the terrain. They found a high point covered by trees. Although the branches were bare, they could still provide some shelter.

They were all highly skilled archers, especially young people like Helianda, who had exceptional eyesight.

Standing on high ground, one could see the traces of Gao Yu's army in the distance, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a winding dragon crawling on the ground.

Li Bi could also see the entirety of Gao Yu's army from afar.

Gao Yu was very cautious.

Sidecars and supply wagons were not dragged at the very back of the procession, but rather placed on either side of the marching column.

The side of the van facing outwards was reinforced with a panel, and it was vaguely visible that the interior was not completely empty, but rather contained people.

The supply wagons were also filled with people, including swordsmen, archers, crossbowmen, and spearmen.

The infantry and horses walked in the very center, with a thousand men forming a column, the flag bearers holding their flags high, and the surrounding soldiers in high spirits.

The two stared at it for a while longer.

An army of nearly 100,000 people would easily become disorganized while marching. However…

They stared at it for a while.

After advancing a certain distance, Gao Yu's army would stop, reorganize its ranks, and then beat the drums to give the order to continue advancing.

Helianda couldn't help but speak up, "General Heba really didn't deceive us? When we were discussing this in front of the Prime Minister, he repeatedly emphasized that Gao the bandit liked to march quickly... How can this be called a quick march? Traveling thirty miles a day is probably the limit."

"General Heba has fought with the bandit Gao many times and knows each other well. Moreover, he is loyal to the Prime Minister. Why would he deceive us? Shuo Zhou, you should be careful with your words. If they reach General Heba's ears, there will probably be another dispute."

Li Bi shook his head and explained, "Moreover, times have changed. This time, the bandit Gao came with a large army to attack the city, not with elite cavalry to provide support in open field battles."

"He marched so cautiously, and although his speed was slow, he was not afraid of being ambushed by us. His army was ready to fight at any time."

Li Bi had led troops for many years and was also a knowledgeable soldier.

Very clear.

The marching speed of 60, 80, or even 100 li per day is not impossible, but the cost of doing so is to reduce safety in order to forcibly increase the marching speed.

Such a forced march might leave them without enough energy to even leave camp by nightfall, forcing them to simply pitch a tent and sleep on the spot.

If the enemy were to attack under these circumstances, it would be like wolves entering a flock of sheep, resulting in a massacre.

Gao Yu did not do that.

Especially when Li Bi saw that some of the supply wagons were carrying wooden stakes and posts for erecting fences, he knew... they probably had no way to launch a sneak attack.

The fact that Gao Yu would rather carry these things on the march than not have them proves that he would not sleep in an open tent, but would definitely build a strong camp for defense. Under such circumstances, how could he possibly launch a surprise attack?
"Let's go."

Li Bi said, "The bandit Gao is so cautious and doesn't reveal any flaws. We already have few troops. If we lead our troops to attack, it will only increase casualties. We should withdraw our troops first and then look for a good opportunity to blunt the morale of his vanguard."

Although Helianda was easily swayed by emotions, he was not stupid. He was a man of military knowledge and knew very well that under such circumstances, even if tens of thousands of elite cavalry came, let alone a few thousand, they would probably still have difficulty succeeding.

The outer wagons and supply wagons would be immediately used to form a square formation to deal with any enemy attack.

He sighed, "I never expected the thief to be so cautious?"

"War is a matter of vital importance to the state, a matter of life and death, how can it be neglected? This time, the bandit Gao has also come out with all his forces, so he naturally has to act cautiously."

Li Bi underestimated Gao Yu's resources.

It's not accurate to say they all came out in full force.

However, a large number of soldiers were indeed conscripted. If the entire army were to be wiped out, it would be a devastating blow, if not a complete collapse.

The two men, accompanied by their guards, immediately turned their horses around.

When Wang Xiong saw that the two had returned, he guessed most of the story.

"Jinghe, what should we do now?"

"Withdraw your troops and return to the west bank of the Dan River immediately."

They brought their elite cavalry specifically for an ambush, and each of them carried only five days' worth of rations, so they couldn't afford to waste time with Gao Yu.

"Then it's as you said."

Wang Xiong nodded and immediately gave an order. The entire army headed north to the upper reaches of the Dan River. Using a makeshift pontoon bridge, they quickly reached the west bank of the Dan River and then dismantled the pontoon bridge.

Then they headed towards the camp outside Yewang City.

There was no need for cavalry to defend the city. Chilie Yanqing placed the vast majority of his cavalry in a camp fifty miles outside the city. His intention was to use the cavalry's high mobility to harass Gao Yu from the outside and slow down Gao Yu's siege as much as possible.

Upon their return to camp, they immediately went to see their commander, Hebasheng.

Hebasheng has sufficient qualifications and high prestige, so having him lead a group of brave warriors and a large number of cavalry in field battles on the outskirts would best leverage his advantages.

"came back?"

Hebasheng, seeing the group return from his tent, asked, "Did you find anything?"

"General, the bandit Gao is too cautious in his march, and we have not found an opportunity to act."

"I should have guessed it long ago."

Hebasheng shook his head. "You have all worked hard leading the troops out here. Take a good rest. Since we can't ambush them, let's wait for Mohedu to lead his army here. Then we'll face them head-on and have a good fight!"

P.S.: Waaaaah, I'm still 200 votes short of reaching 2000 monthly votes. Please, dear readers, give me some votes!

I'll definitely be updating a lot during the National Day holiday!
(End of this chapter)