Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 286 The times have changed again!

February 17th, the sixth year of the Xifeng reign.

Liangzhou.

Cattle and sheep graze freely, clouds drift and gather, a vast expanse of white stretches out.

The fertile fields stretched out endlessly, and two or three thousand fine steeds, all clad in armor, would occasionally neigh, forming ranks in all directions, exuding an indescribable air of elite strength.

This is the elite force of the Western Xia Dynasty – the Iron Falcons.

The hawk is a bird of prey, similar to a hawk or falcon, and is known for its ferocity and surprise attacks.

Iron Hawks, naturally, are hawks clad in iron armor, which is also the origin of the army's name.

Whether it is a person or a fine steed, they must wear heavy armor to fight; only a brave warrior or a fine steed can do it.

This is a typical heavily armored cavalry force.

Generally speaking, as long as they can maintain their charging formation and increase their charging speed to a certain level, heavy cavalry will be virtually unstoppable.

The Iron Falcon Army is a top-tier force among heavy cavalry.

The three major regimes of Liao, Zhou, and Xia all raised some heavy cavalry to varying degrees, but in terms of combat prowess, the Iron Falcons were the most famous.

This is the best of the best!

However, after the king Li Liangzuo was killed in battle, the morale of the Western Xia army collapsed, and a large number of veteran soldiers and cavalry were lost in one fell swoop.

After this battle, the army's combat capabilities were almost halved, leading to a significant decline. The number of surviving Iron Falcons was dwindling, eventually falling to less than 10,000.

Liangzhou was a remote and desolate place, and its main territory was the twelve prefectures of Xihe, not the 80,000-strong army in Shaanxi.

Two or three thousand Iron Falcons were stationed in Liangzhou, clearly with ill intentions.

The grass is dry and yellow.

Gunpowder, clay pots, fuses, all laid out.

The lead wire was laid out, about ten or twenty steps.

More than ten soldiers picked up tinderboxes, turned around and stared at one person, looking respectfully at him.

About two or three hundred steps ahead, the several thousand Iron Falcons army also watched intently.

He was a young man around twenty years old.

Judging from his appearance, he was handsome, wearing silver armor and a purple robe, with a gold belt around his waist and a phoenix-winged helmet, exuding the dignified air of a superior.

The only drawback is that there is still some childishness on his face that he hasn't lost.

At around twenty years old, he commanded the Iron Falcon Army; even the Marquis of Champion of the Western Han Dynasty could not have achieved such a feat.

As for why?
Liang Yibu!
This is the name of a young person.

His father was Liang Yili, the Chancellor of the State!

"Ahem~!"

With a soft cough, Liang Yibu slowly raised one of his hands.

Then, with a sudden swing of his hand, he shouted:
"ignition!"

In a split second, the tinderbox was ignited.

"Bah!"

Sparks flew continuously, the fuse ignited slightly, and more than ten soldiers hurriedly retreated.

The two or three thousand Iron Falcon soldiers all felt a chill and tightened their reins.

About ten breaths.

"Oh!"

An explosion, like a thunderclap, drowned out all other sounds on the grassland.

The withered grass burst open, and the soil fell in a flurry, raising a dusty smell.

The strong smell of gunpowder, the slightly fishy smell of dust, the earth shaking, and the deafening sound of an explosion.
Everything was too bizarre.

The grazing cattle and sheep were startled, their hooves thundering as they ran and jumped about wildly.

However, the two or three thousand Iron Falcons remained motionless, their fine horses neighing softly, completely undisturbed.

Less than a year has passed since the bomb was developed, and the bombs produced are naturally insufficient to support the "desensitization training" of nearly 100,000 foals.

Iron Falcons are the elite of the elite, yet they enjoy priority in use.

Unsurprisingly, the thousands of fine horses had already adapted to the sound of the explosion.

"it is good!"

Liang Yibu watched intently, then clapped his hands and nodded repeatedly.

"With such effectiveness, what is there to fear from mere bombs?"

"From this day forward, the Great Xia cavalry will continue to roam the world, winning every battle!"

As the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, and Liang Yibu was exactly like that.

Judging from his words and actions, he possesses an indescribable confidence, as if he can conquer anything, no matter how vast the world is.

"The General is right."

"With the general's literary and military prowess, he will surely conquer Xihe in one battle, gain fame in one fell swoop, and awe the world!"

Two people stood to his left and right.

One was around twenty years old, a very confident "calves," while the other was in his forties, with wrinkles on his face from years of fighting, but a veteran general who had fought for a long time.

The one offering flattery is the younger one of the two.

This person is named Liang Yongneng, a descendant of the Liang family.

Judging from their actions, they all share the same level of self-confidence.

The difference lies in the fact that, compared to Liang Yibu, he was perhaps less arrogant and more obsequious, adopting a more subservient "lackey" demeanor.

"Ha ha!"

“Yongneng, we are of the same mind!” Liang Yibu nodded repeatedly, looking pleased.

Liang Yongneng's compliments were quite sophisticated.

The key difference is that he was addressed as "Great General" rather than "Young Prime Minister".

Liang Yibu did not consider himself a spoiled brat.

On the contrary, he was even very ambitious.

During the Eastern and Western Jin Dynasties, there was a famous person named Sima Zhao.

This man was Liang Yibu's role model and exemplar.

The Liang family has already embarked on a path of ruling from behind the curtain, and refuses to relinquish it.

With nowhere else to retreat, Liang Yibu harbored a different kind of ambition!

Thus, Liang Yibu naturally preferred to be addressed by his official title rather than by the more familiar title of "Young Prime Minister."

As for Liang Yibu's satisfaction?

In short, cosplay!

The pairing of Emperor Zhao and Grand Chancellor Jiang has spread far and wide, truly inspiring longing in people!

In my humble opinion, we should not underestimate our enemy.

"The scouts reported that Zhong E was in charge of the twelve prefectures of Xihe."

“Zhong E is no ordinary person.”

Ren Duoling glanced at them, unable to resist shattering their illusions. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Young Prime Minister, what are your plans?"

The old general was a veteran of many battles and knew the cruelty of war.

If a plan is flawed, even a king like Li Liangzuo could be beheaded in battle.

This is precisely why he has to be cautious.

Societies!

This man twice expanded the territory, and his achievements were almost second only to Gu Tingye and Wang Shao.

How can we be careless when facing such an opponent?

Young Prime Minister?!

Liang Yibu was not pleased with this title.

"General, you are very experienced. Why don't you share your thoughts?" Liang Yibu said calmly.

Rendo nodded slightly, without refusing.

"Ganzhou, Liangzhou, Yongzhou, Nanweizhou."

"All four of these prefectures border Xining Prefecture and Hui Prefecture."

"Among them, Xining Prefecture has more than 10,000 troops stationed there, and Huizhou has more than 20,000 troops stationed there, making Huizhou the main force."

"In my humble opinion, perhaps three to five thousand soldiers could be sent to harass Huizhou from Nanwei and Liangzhou. The remaining soldiers could be concentrated to attack Xiningzhou."

"In this way, even if the main force of Huizhou reacts and marches north, the two armies will be evenly matched, and the war will start in Xining Prefecture."

Rendo Lingding's suggestion is very simple.

Through a strategy, the battlefront was shifted to the territory of the Great Zhou.

In this way, even though it appears to be a "draw" on the surface, it can actually be considered a small victory.

"No."

Liang Yibu shook his head repeatedly, strongly disagreeing: "Xining Prefecture is too big. Even if the Iron Falcon Army were to charge and sweep across, people would probably have to react by then."

"On the other hand, Huizhou can be attacked from either the north or the south. Once we cross the river and take it, it will surely be a great achievement!"

In short, Liang Yibu never imagined he would lose.

The Iron Falcon, fearless of bombs, is invincible!

The southern expedition from Xining Prefecture meant that the battle lines were stretched out. Even if a crushing victory was achieved, the enemy might find a chance to regroup.

In contrast, Huizhou involves crossing a river, so the danger level is naturally higher.

But once Huizhou is captured, it will be much easier to turn north to Xiningzhou or to conquer the twelve prefectures of Xihe in the south and reclaim the territory.

"How could this be?"

"Crossing the Zuli River is far too dangerous..."

Rendo felt a chill in his heart and was about to offer his advice.

Huizhou is mainly plains, with occasional rivers, one called Zu River and the other Li River.

The Zuli River is a section of the river where the Zu River and the Li River merge, and its width is about four or five hundred paces.

As for the depth, some rivers are as deep as half a meter, while others are only up to the ankles, making them relatively easy to cross.

However, even so, Rendo Lingding did not quite approve of the decision to cross the river.

at this time.

"General, there's no need for you to waste your breath."

Liang Yibu firmly stated, "We have no choice but to cross the Zuli River in Huizhou."

"However, the river is still shallow in February, and some shallow shoals are only one or two feet deep."

"Liang's mind is made up."

"Tomorrow, I will lead an army of ten thousand men south to Huizhou!"

With that, Liang Yibu waved his hand and strode away.

"Sigh!" Rendo Lingding sighed, feeling somewhat helpless.

Without the skills of the Marquis of Champion, how could one have acquired his temperament?

……

February 18th, the sixth year of the Xifeng reign.

Huizhou, the central military camp.

"Recently, there have been some unusual movements in the Western Xia region, and there are signs that they are moving south."

Holding the document, Zhong E slowly said, "Since we are heading south, we must cross the river."

Fortunately, I already had arrangements made.

“From top to bottom, there are five major crossing points, each garrisoned with two thousand troops. Among them, the middle and lower reaches are the most important.”

“Zhong Shidao, you are in charge of the middle and lower reaches of the river, so don’t let me down.” Zhong E took the initiative to appoint his younger brother.

"Yes." Zhong Shidao quickly bowed.

……

February 18th, the sixth year of the Xifeng reign.

Zuli River.

Three miles away, the army marched slowly.

"Reporting to the General, the Zuli River is guarded," a scout on horseback reported.

"Shut up!"

The army halted.

"How many people?" Liang Yibu asked unhurriedly.

The Zuli River is three hundred li long, but there are very few areas suitable for crossing it. The middle and lower reaches are typical crossing areas, with low and flat terrain, a wide and shallow riverbed, and water only about one or two feet deep, and almost no silt deposited.

It is not surprising that such a waterway, suitable for crossing, was guarded by people on one side of the Zhou Dynasty.

"Around two thousand people," the scout reported.

"Two thousand people?" Liang Yibu frowned, a hint of caution creeping into his heart.

Although he is confident, he is not a fool.

The number of casualties during river crossings has always been quite high.

If attacked while crossing the river, the casualties could be as high as ten to one.

Conversely, if handled well, a 1-to-1 or 1-to-2 ratio is not impossible.

"Do you have any large catapults?" Liang Yibu asked thoughtfully, squinting his eyes.

This section of the river is shallow and the current is slow, making it an excellent place to cross the river.

Unless it's really too difficult, he doesn't really want to give up.

The weapons that Liang Yibu truly feared were actually only two.

One is a combination of large catapults and bombs.

Secondly, it can break crossbows.

Among them, large catapults and bombs received more attention.

The artisans of the Great Xia Dynasty tried to make ceramic bombs using ceramics as the primary material.

It must be said that ceramics and gunpowder are a perfect match; the destructive power of ceramic bombs is simply incomparable to that of mere clay pot bombs.

Once large catapults are available, the combination of the two will be quite devastating.

As for the piercing crossbow?
In fact, the hawk-breaking crossbow was quite lethal, and its range could reach three or four hundred paces.

However, in reality, once the crossbow has been fired about a hundred paces, its lethality is no longer sufficient to penetrate heavy armor.

One hundred and ten steps had already passed the "halfway across the river" position.

Therefore, while the crossbow bolt is a formidable weapon for crossing rivers, it is not particularly deadly.

"There's only one catapult," the scout reported.

"One?"

Liang Yibu slightly raised his eyelids, and a surge of wild joy suddenly welled up in his heart.

opportunity!

Liang Yibu waved his hand and shouted, "Marching!"
Not to be missed.

Two thousand men guarding the shallows is actually a fairly dispersed deployment.

With just one catapult, the chances of crossing the river are definitely not small!
Success and fame are just around the corner!
Shallow beach, shore.

More than two thousand soldiers, some carrying swords and others carrying crossbows, stood ready for battle.

Besides these, there were twenty or thirty "iron lumps," which looked like armor but weren't armor, and were not conspicuous at all, so they would hardly attract any special attention.

"It should be soon," Qu Zhen said in a deep voice, looking at the scouts on the other side of the river.

This is one of the rising young generals of Xifeng who emerged from the expansion of the borders.

“No rush.” Zhong Shidao said calmly, his hands behind his back, “I have already had the beacon fires lit.”

"Since the peace treaty of Xifeng, a large number of villages and fortresses have been built in Huizhou and Xiningzhou."

"A fort every twenty li, guarded by more than a hundred soldiers; a city every two hundred li, guarded by more than a thousand soldiers, so as to facilitate the transmission of beacon fire messages."

"Fifty miles north of here, there is an army of more than two thousand men."

"Not to mention that using cannons to stop people would surely lead to a great victory, even without cannons, the situation might still be stable."

"Mm." Qu Zhen nodded.

About two incense sticks' worth of time.

On the opposite bank of the river, three to five thousand soldiers had already gathered.

Then, a drumbeat resounded.

"kill!"

With a loud shout, three to five thousand soldiers, arranged in twenty rows, prepared to cross the river.

"First, prepare." Zhong Shidao ordered in a deep voice.

At a command, about a third of the artillery pieces were loaded with shells.

Four hundred steps!
Three hundred and eighty steps!
"fire!"

"Bah!"

The fuse ignited with a soft crackling sound.

Three hundred and fifty steps!
The horses pounded their hooves wildly, splashing water everywhere.

The army crossing the river has gradually increased its speed, showing an unstoppable momentum.

It is not hard to foresee that once the cavalry charge over, more than half of the two thousand men will be killed or wounded.

Three hundred and fifty steps, which is about five hundred and sixty meters.

Neither Liang Yibu, who was guarding the central army, nor the army that was charging across the river believed that there was any danger at around 350 paces.

The real danger should be in the middle of the river crossing, within two hundred paces.

However.
"Oh!"

With a loud crash, blood splattered, and several soldiers and horses fell, turning the river water a faint red.

Then came a series of explosions.

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

"Second clerk, light the fire!"

"Oh!"

"Oh!"

"Sanshi, light the fire!"

"Oh!"

"First platoon, keep the fire going!"

The river water was a deep red.

The army crossing the river was thrown into chaos!
Since the invention of bombs, both the Liao and Western Xia dynasties believed that there was no longer a difference between the three kingdoms of Liao, Zhou, and Xia.

This is the era of cold weapons!

The horses remain undisturbed, and the iron cavalry remains invincible.

This viewpoint is actually not very problematic.

Unfazed by the horses' charging ability, the cavalry could charge and slash relentlessly once they located the enemy.

After all, the ignition of a bomb actually involves a certain degree of "prediction".

Even if the fuse, which is more than ten meters long, is lit, it will take about ten breaths for it to explode.

Even with the assistance of catapults, problems still existed such as poor aiming, low firing rate, and short range.

On the one hand, the catapult carries more than a dozen bombs at a time, and once they are launched, the direction is mainly estimated, which means the direction is bound to be inaccurate.

On the other hand, the catapults used very infrequent launching.

Generally speaking, a catapult requires six or seven people, or even more than ten or dozens of people, to pull it.

This means that the throwing frequency cannot be high.

They might charge two or three hundred paces, but could only sustain one or two throws.

In addition, the catapult's throwing distance was not far.

This is a common problem with wooden structures; they have limited capacity to withstand pressure, which naturally results in a shorter throwing distance.

The bomb is powerful, but if the tools used to support it are inadequate, it is destined that the bomb will not cause much of a stir.

However, this time, things seem a little different.

Artillery, a near-epoch-making weapon, combines all the advantages—high precision, high frequency, and ultra-long range!

In terms of accuracy, it can be aimed through the gun barrel, so the accuracy is not low.

In terms of frequency, thirty cannons can fire in rotation, firing ten shots in a single breath, which is quite terrifying.

The cavalry attempting to cross the river didn't even have time to brave the intense artillery fire before falling from their horses, creating a red river.

In terms of range, some bombs were even launched two miles away, nearly hitting Liang Yibu, the commander of the central army.

Two miles away.

A shell accidentally fell, killing three to five people, leaving trails of blood.

There was an uproar from everyone involved.

The morale of the troops has collapsed!
Liang Yibu swallowed hard, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes.

Two miles!

That's two miles!

Murder from two miles away?
"Withdraw!" Liang Yibu ordered with difficulty, his eyes slightly closed.

The long sky, why is it less than me?
Times have changed again!

(End of this chapter)