Chapter 1012 1013 [Before the war]

It was the fourth day of May in the fifth year of Kaiping.

The Tibetan Front Guards entered the wilderness for the ninth day.

Judging from the geographical location, this lone army was now far away from the border of Daliang, and the soldiers were increasingly able to appreciate the power of the cold climate in the wilderness.

If Pei Yue had not made sufficient preparations before the expedition, and ordered Yunzhou and Huazhou Governor's Mansion to raise thick warm clothes, convenient dry food and dried meat, experienced army doctors and a complete range of medicinal materials, I am afraid that the Zangfeng Guards would have been there.

Before meeting the barbarians, you will encounter large-scale attrition.

Facing the vast wasteland and the barbarians who had never been exposed, the entire army finally put away the unknown contempt in their hearts. Previously, in the eyes of many people, although the barbarians were ferocious and terrifying, they were absolutely unstoppable on the battlefield.

The impact of tens of thousands of cavalry is nothing more than a group of beasts with only brute strength.

Now they are gradually realizing the fact that the biggest difficulty in conquering the wilderness is how to find the traces of the barbarians and withstand the invasion of bad weather.

Under Pei Yue's arrangement, a large number of Tibetan Front Guards' rangers dispersed, and were as far away as tens of miles away from the main force. They were like a large net that stretched in all directions, blocking out the possible prying eyes of the barbarians.

But even many soldiers didn't notice that most of the rangers never came back since they left the main army.

Also disappearing at the same time as those rangers were Commander Wei Rui and seven of his confidants who had gone deep into the wilderness many times under Shu Yi, the former commander of Xuanhua Camp.

After entering the account and asking for instructions, Feng Yi glanced at Zhang De, who was slightly restrained, and then said to Chen Xianda: "General Chen, the Marquis has invited you."

Pei Yue said: "Tell me the details of the barbarian camp."

"It's not ridiculous." Pei Yue looked calm and said leisurely: "He knew that we had to launch an attack, because we could not care about the weapons and food they stole, but we couldn't give up the more than 2,000 people he captured. By

It seems that this barbarian leader is very familiar with the situation in the Daliang court."

From the day he entered the wilderness, Pei Yue carried this piece of cloth with him. The terrain observed by the rangers would become lines and symbols on the cloth. Although the topographic map depicted on the cloth only occupied a very small part of the wilderness,

But it can be seen that after they left Jiuliguan, they moved in a northeasterly direction, getting farther and farther away from the Daliang border.

After a while, Pei Yue put away the charcoal, stared at the lines on the cloth, and asked calmly: "Did you find out clearly?"

Pei Yue said in a cold and authentic tone: "Hunting Jiaomi has great ambitions. He obviously wants to do more than harvest grass and valleys on the border. He wants to use this battle to completely establish his prestige among the barbarian tribes. If I guessed correctly,

He has been using threats during this period

He used inducements to gather the military power of various tribes. Even if it was only a temporary decision, he would not be able to hand those people back afterwards. Of course, if he wanted to truly unify the various barbarian tribes, he would need a hearty victory, otherwise it would be difficult to convince the public.

."

Zhang De's heart trembled, and then he saw Pei Yue looking at him and saying, "I remember you are from Guide Prefecture?"

He didn't know what he meant, so he could only say respectfully: "Go back to the Marquis, I live in Liujiazhuang, Yuyang County, Guide Prefecture."

Zhang De said cautiously: "Go back to Mr. Hou, that's where the villain escaped."

Zhang De was a little surprised and nodded respectfully.

Pei Yue turned around and looked at Zhang De, and asked gently: "That's where the barbarians are stationed?"

Chen Xianda frowned and said, "This person is really whimsical."

Pei Yue didn't seem surprised by this and asked again: "Is there a source of water on the mountain?"

He stared at the landforms on the sand table, shook his head and said: "The barbarians chose to confront us head-on. This was a very unwise decision. Even though the place where they were stationed was not conducive to cavalry charges, Beiji and General Chen were still sure that they would be able to defeat us within two hours.

Break the formation."

Zhang De said without thinking: "Master Hou, a villain is not afraid of death!"

Zhang De replied seriously: "Yes, Lord Marquis. There are several consecutive peaks there, with a valley in the middle. We were imprisoned there at that time. The barbarians guarded the mouth of the valley. Most of them stayed on the mountain, and the surrounding areas were

There are simple fortress defense systems on the mountains. Yang Ding said that the barbarians had obviously wanted to raid the Daliang border for a long time, so they built such a garrison."

Chen Xianda said respectfully: "Master Hou, there are indeed traces of barbarian activities more than forty miles to the north. Just to avoid alerting others, our rangers did not get too close."

Pei Yue only brought fifty soldiers with him on this expedition, led by Feng Yi alone, while Gai Ju stayed at the Zhongshan Marquis Mansion in Kyoto.

Pei Yue patted his shoulder with approval, and then said: "Chen Xianda is right, this battle should be fought quickly, and the barbarians should not be given the chance to drag it out. Early tomorrow morning, Chen Xianda will lead the vanguard and attack the barbarian army camp.

, and rescued the prisoners after breaking the formation. Meng Longfu led the left and right armies closely behind him. When he encountered the enemy, he dismounted and fought in a mandarin duck formation, killing and injuring the barbarians as much as possible while covering the withdrawal of the prisoners."

Looking at the gradually forming landforms on the sand table, Pei Yue asked the two cavalry generals: "How do you think this battle should be fought?"

When the two walked in, they saw Pei Yue sketching a pattern on a piece of white cloth. The deputy commander made Meng Longfu stand aside, so they waited quietly.

It's not finished yet, but the meaning is very clear.

Meng Longfu muttered: "Master Hou, I have been thinking about a question, why do the barbarians do this? For them, the best decision is to avoid the sharp edge of our army, and then use their familiarity with the terrain to fight in the vast

Wander around the wilderness, seize the opportunity of our army to separate and search, and then gather superior forces to defeat them one by one."

Pei Yue nodded slightly, then pointed to the simple sand table in front of him and said to Zhang De: "Draw out the terrain there. Draw as much as you remember, and skip the places you are not sure about."

Chen Xianda said in a rough voice: "Master Marquis, Beizhi feels that the battle should be fought quickly. Early tomorrow morning, Beizhi will lead the vanguard of the front army at a gallop, break through the obstruction before the barbarians have time to react, and first kill the two thousand Liang people in the valley.

Rescue us. As long as this problem is solved, the barbarians will have no means to threaten us. When the time comes, whether to fight or retreat, the initiative will be in our hands."

Pei Yue pondered: "It's not easy for you to escape this time, and you have provided so much important information. Logically speaking, I shouldn't let you go to the battlefield again. I have to give your family an explanation, but I still need you to do it tomorrow."

The vanguard army leads the way..."

"What you said makes sense."

Meng Longfu said coldly: "No wonder the barbarians are so confident. After plundering so many supplies and people, they did not immediately retreat to the heart of the wasteland to divide the loot and rest. Instead, they waited for us to come in leisurely time. This kind of terrain can maximize the potential of

This will offset the advantage of our cavalry and at the same time we will not be afraid of being surrounded by our army. As time goes by, we will not be able to guarantee sufficient supplies, and then we will have to retreat in despair."

At sunset, the Tibetan front guards and eight thousand auxiliary soldiers and civilians camped on the back of a mountain to rest. Chen Xianda took Zhang De to the outside of the Chinese army's tent.

Zhang De responded: "Yes, Mr. Hou."

Pei Yue was noncommittal and looked at Meng Longfu again: "What do you think?"

The two of them bowed at the same time and said: "I humbly accept my order!"

Zhang De seemed to be infected by the excitement before the war, and there was excitement in his eyes, but he always felt that something was wrong in his heart.

In the past years, I occasionally heard about the illustrious achievements of the Tibetan Front Guards. During this period, I also saw with my own eyes the power of this elite force. Could it be said that every time they fought in the past, it was so easy?

Zhang De felt a little dazed until he returned to the tent.
Chapter completed!