What does the hundreds of thousands of steppe coalition troops really look like?

Gan Qi personally drove his horse out of Datong two hundred miles to the north, with a small pony team of more than a dozen people, Di Yong by his side, and Wanyan Uguru by his side.

Gan Qi stood on top of a small mountain bag, overlooking the Liao army gathered on the northern grassland.

The tents stretched endlessly, and there was no end in sight, and the cattle and sheep were in the fence, which was probably the rations for the army. In the early spring, the grassland is tender and green, and groups of horses, driven by the wranglers, bow their heads and eat the verdant grass.

There were busy people everywhere, but there was not a single woman or child to be seen.

The steppe people fought like this, driving cattle and sheep everywhere, even the later Genghis Khan Temujin also fought like this, and the cattle and sheep always set off with the army, but most of the time they followed the army three or four hundred miles away. This is also the secret of the Mongolian army's ability to fight in Europe.

This army of more than 100,000 people, at first glance, is a bit fierce. But when Ganchi really started to pay attention to their armaments, Ganchi became much more confident.

I also know one of the truths, in order to effectively control the grassland, the Liao people obviously also implemented very strict material entry and exit control for these grassland tribes, so the grassland tribes have always lacked access to iron products.

The knives pinned to the waist of the steppe people are obviously much shorter, and even some people's knives are not as short as the length of their arms, these knives are not only the weapons of the steppe people, but also the utensils of the steppe people's eating. You can kill people with a knife on your horse, and you can cut meat with a knife when you get off a horse and eat it, both of which are knives.

Gan Qi suddenly thought about it from the perspective of a businessman, and it seemed that selling iron tools on the grassland was also a way to make a fortune.

It is a pity that in the past, the trade routes between the Great Song Dynasty and the grassland were almost impassable, with the Great Liao in the east and the Western Xia in the west. Now with Yanyun, this business road seems to have suddenly opened up.

Exchanging iron for horses really seems to be a way.

Moreover, the steppe people are really not the enemies of the Great Song Dynasty now, but the enemies of the Khitans, who are a big mountain pressing on the heads of the steppe tribes.

Ganchi thinks a little too much, but also thinks realistically, and this is something to do.

As long as it can cause trouble for Liao, it is a good thing. Today's Liao State is still strong, far from being the Liao State a few decades later. Even without Yanyun, Liao is still a country with extremely strong military capabilities.

It stands to reason that the Jurchens should have several thousand men at this time, and with the help of Ganqi, the armament is not bad. However, the Jurchens still could not defeat the Liao State as devastating in history, and Ganqi's fleet frequently crossed the Bohai Sea, and from time to time they could bring back some news of the Jurchens, but they never heard the news of the Jurchens breaking the Huanglong Mansion.

This also proves that although the Khitan people are now decaying, they are not really rotten, and the Khitan people in Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing are still very good at fighting.

Such a Liao country is not something that Gan Qi can destroy in a short time with his own ability, not to mention that Gan Qi really has no horses, and he really can't destroy the Liao country without horses. Relying on infantry to go out of the field battle will only be ravaged by a large number of Liao cavalry.

The matter of sealing the wolf Juxu is still unthinkable for the time being, the former Han Dynasty, that is hundreds of thousands of horses in hand, and the same is true of the former Tang Dynasty.

Today's Ganchi is still too far away, and the infantry can only fight in the city and the pass.

Thinking of this, Gan Qi looked at the uncountable horses of the steppe people in the distance, and his saliva was about to flow.

After seeing the enemy, Ganchi turned and went down the mountain.

Di Yong frowned on the side and said: "Big brother, this battle is really not easy to fight, there are so many horses, you can't catch up, you can't run, I'm afraid you can only stick to the city, I think these people are not good at attacking the city." ”

Di Yong's words are to the point, in the face of the cavalry, he really can't catch up, and he can't run. Many times I read history books and said that the Great Song Dynasty faced foreign wars, with more victories and fewer defeats.

There will also be people who scoff at it, winning more and losing less, and can they still be beaten by others and ruin the country?

In fact, it's really true, it's really more wins and fewer defeats. It's just that the Song army is too passive, and it wins by defending the city, and it is also a victory. It's just a victory, you can't expand the results, you don't have a large number of cavalry, you can't catch up with the running enemy even if you win, the enemy runs easily, and the next time you come back.

What about losing?

Then naturally he was chased and cut down, and he couldn't run.

In other words, the Song army won, just won. Once the Song army is defeated, it will be a thousand miles of collapse, not that the Song army will be defeated, but there is no way, others are too fast to ride horses.

That's how awkward the reality is.

There are not enough healthy horses and good horses, which is such a tragedy.

The Central Plains Dynasty, where there are horses, is the era of slaughter, not only the Han and Tang Dynasties, but even the Manchu Qing Dynasty, leveling Xinjiang, destroying the entire grassland of Geldanping, garrisoning Tibet to manage the lama.

The Song Dynasty was really a congenitally deformed dynasty, not only politically deformed, but also deformed in the country, losing all the territory that produced good horses. These territories were not lost by Song himself, but he never gained them at all. Before Song Liguo, it was so chaotic that Yanyun was ceded by others, and it was so chaotic that small party members could slowly develop.

In the final analysis, that is, this big country must not have civil strife, and once it is in civil strife, it will lose too much inheritance of its ancestors.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the land of the Song Dynasty was deformed, and it did not recover until the Ming Dynasty. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China was in chaos, the huge territory in the north of Heilongjiang was gone, Outer Mongolia was gone, and Taiwan was also deformed. Of course, there are many other reasons for the problem of the Republic of China at the end of the Qing Dynasty, but civil strife is also one of the important reasons.

Therefore, civil strife in the country must be undesirable.

Obviously, a large part of the reason for the instigation of the Great Song Dynasty is congenital. The congenital deformity caused him to be unable to get up even if he wanted to.

Di Yong's words once again confirmed this reality, once again there was no choice but to guard in the city, and there was only one way to fight in this battle. The day when the enemy couldn't fight, he didn't want to fight, he retreated, and the history books recorded the fact that the Great Song Dynasty had won a foreign war.

But Gan Qi obviously had some superfluous thoughts, he coveted the horses he saw in front of him just now, and he asked Di Yong: "Di Yong, do you think we have only one way to hold on to the city?" ”

Di Yong nodded when he heard this: "Big brother, there is nothing to do." Field warfare is unrealistic, and will be walked by these steppe people on horses and dogs. What can you do if you don't defend the city? ”

Gan Qi nodded: "That's the same, you think so, and you must think so when you come to Yelu Yixin." But if that's really it, then Jelu Yixin will be too comfortable. ”

"What's the ...... big brother?" Di Yong asked suspiciously.

"I think that Yelu Yixin also expected that we would not dare to go out of the city, so he has not been in a hurry, and is still preparing for the siege of the city unhurriedly, he wants to really prepare for the war again, we can't do his wish." Gan Qi said.

"What does Big Brother mean?"

"Tonight, go out of the city and attack the enemy at night." Gan Qi was straight about what was on his mind.

"Big brother, this ...... Seem...... It's a bit difficult. Di Yong had surprise on his face, this idea was a little naïve.

"Seven thousand rides, a lot. We're also whistling and whistling away. him once. ”

"Yes, yes, it's ...... Big brother, the attack is not impossible, but there are tens of thousands of enemies, and it will be difficult to get out after the fight! "Di Yong got to the point of the problem, you can hit him. But after the fight, you want to run, I'm afraid it's hard to run. You have a horse, and he has several.

If you punch him, how can he not come after you? He has more than 100,000 people, can he be afraid of you 7,000 people? Can you outrun him?

"As you have seen just now, the enemy camp is extremely poorly built, like the fence of the vegetable garden, obviously they never thought that we would go back out of the city to attack, and they were not afraid of us coming out of the city. Then let's do the opposite, just come and him and teach him to lose a lot. Gan Qi said.

"Big brother, I understand the reason. That's it...... What happens when you're done? Big brother, you don't want to go back to the city directly, do you? If the enemy army follows, the consequences are even more unimaginable. Di Yong asked, the meaning is also very simple, if you punch him, it is impossible to go home immediately.

Don't look at the distance between the two sides is only more than 200 miles, the steppe man is very good at riding, and there are a few horses in rotation, he follows you, you don't want to go home, otherwise as soon as the city gate opens, your people have not completely entered, he will follow in.

"When you're done, him again." Gan Qi had already begun to brew in his mind, there was a plan, and he had been thinking about it for a long time, and it was time to perfect it, and it was time to do it.

"Big brother...... Di Yong's eyes widened, and he said: "Big brother, what do you think, tell me quickly." ”

Gan Qi smiled mysteriously: "Hehe...... Don't be in a hurry, go home and get ready. ”

"Big brother, do you really have a clever plan? Let's talk about it, let me learn and learn......" Di Yong didn't seem to believe that Gan Qi really had any tricks just now, and at this time, seeing that Gan Qi didn't seem to be a fake, he couldn't wait to know.

Gan Qi laughed and walked away.

Di Yong urged the horse to chase after him again, and said: "Big brother has a clever plan in his heart, but he doesn't tell me, it's really itchy." ”

"When you go back, you're in charge of doing one thing." Gan Qi said.

"What's the matter? The eldest brother commanded. ”

"Build a rejection horse, mobilize all artificial rejection horses, the more the better." Gan Qi said.

This thing is a very simple wooden product, three pieces of wood crossed and put together, the shape is about the shape of "X", row by row, placed on the ground, three legs on the ground, three legs in the air.

As the name suggests, the rejection of the horse is used to stop the horse, and the high rejection of the horse is placed together, and the horse will not be able to pass.

"Big brother, this thing is a dead thing if it is made and put down, the enemy just doesn't go from here, those grassland people, one person and a few horses, they can go around as much as they want, is it useless for us to do this?" Di Yong said.

"Now that you're back with me, you don't like to use your brain even more." Gan Qi criticized Di Yong, and said: "Isn't he going to chase us, let's run away from the horse, doesn't he have to follow too?" ”

Di Yong hurriedly waved his hand: "Big brother, this can't be done, doesn't that block our own cavalry?" It is impossible to swing temporarily, and it will inevitably block our cavalry and the enemy's cavalry together, and a chaotic battle will have unimaginable consequences. ”

Gan Qi shook his head, his face became very fierce, and his eyes were full of fierce light: "Prairie people, the knife is not good, the armor is not strong, the bow is not strong, if you get off the horse, what about the chaotic battle?" The foot soldiers are fighting, then a battle, killing him will be turned upside down. ”

Di Yong was shocked when he heard this, sometimes people's thinking is positive and negative in an instant. The enemy's cavalry is more than 100,000 and horses are hundreds of thousands, coming and going like the wind, occupying the initiative, coming when you want, leaving when you want, fighting when you want, advancing when you want, and retreating when you want to retreat.

You can only watch him do whatever he wants.

Now, Ganchi wants to take the initiative back, turn the enemy's cavalry into infantry, and then fight it. He even did not hesitate to gamble on the only 7,000 horses he had.

The plan is a bit crazy.

But in the madness, there is a little bit of blood.

Di Yong understood this, his face turned grim, and after the door, his blood surged: "Big brother, we have 50,000 soldiers to fight, this time we will have a foot fight, fight, damn it, fight with them!" ”

Gan Qi smiled with satisfaction and said: "But ask for a quick solution, if it is a defense on both sides, I am afraid that the night will be long and dreamy, your father's side is dealing with the real main elite of the Liao people, and there are not many elites under your father's command, and the elites have been brought to Datong by us." The Liao people have already come to fight to the death, and they will inevitably fight for a long time, and after a long time, they are afraid of a single eventuality. So we have to do it quickly. ”

The question Gan Qi said was very simple, 100,000 victorious troops, 30,000 mighty troops. The mighty army is the real main elite under Gan Qi's command. And the Wansheng Army, except for more than 10,000 backbones, has never been on the battlefield, or has been reorganized by soldiers. Under Di Qing's command, there were only 80,000 victorious troops, which sounded like a lot of people, but I was afraid that they would not be able to withstand the fierce battles day after day.

Therefore, Gan Qicai had to quickly settle the battle on Datong's side, and then go to support Di Qing.

"Life and death have a life, wealth is in the sky, so I will fight with this life." Di Yong uttered a fearless word, which was his pride as the son of Di Qing.

Gan Qi nodded, but said: "There is no life and death, wealth and wealth in the sky, only victory." Hundreds of thousands of grassland departments, if they have an advantage, these people will inevitably be fierce, if they are slightly inferior and under pressure, they will not unite as one, as long as this chaotic war really puts pressure on them, the enemy army will be defeated. ”

"I'm afraid they'll come back after they break down." Di Yong was worried, there was no such thing as a rout of the enemy's cavalry in the Great Song Dynasty, and the rout was like a strategic retreat, gathered together, and came back, no one could catch up with them anyway.

"Therefore, there must be enough rejection horses, and all the trees near this Datong will not hesitate to be cut down, so that everyone in the city can build rejection horses, and give money for them to build them. When I lead my troops to attack at night, you will make a huge pocket with a rejection horse outside this Datong city, and you will send people to rush in behind and in the enemy's formation, and put the rejection horse everywhere. Let the horses have no place to step their legs, and fight for their lives, that is, to fight with their lives, and when the time comes, I want to be full of horses outside the city. People can run, but horses must not have a way to go. "Ganchi was really crazy, and he not only thought of making a big pocket out of the rejection horse, but also blocking the mouth of the bag with the rejection horse, and sending the rejection horse into the enemy.

Ganchi even thought of throwing the rejection horse into the crowd with a trebuchet.

He wanted that outside the city of Datong, there was no place where horses could move. People can climb, horses can't.

Di Yong heard Gan Qi's words, and clenched his fists: "Big brother, I will be responsible for leading people to block the mouth of the bag, and also lead people to rush into the enemy!" ”

"Well, that's it. Go back and cut down all the trees in the vicinity of Datong. Ganchi said.

"Big brother, I have one last question." Di Yong really has one last question that he hasn't figured out.

"Say."

"Why does the eldest brother have to make this pocket outside Datong City? Wouldn't it work elsewhere? As long as we lure them over after the night attack. What Di Yong didn't understand was this question.

Gan Qi replied, "Don't underestimate Yelu Yixin, and don't underestimate anyone. Ambush elsewhere, nine times out of ten will fail, Yelu Yixin is a veteran of the battlefield, the better the ambush, the more he will not be easily tricked. Only when we rush all the way back to Datong City will he rush to catch up, because the terrain outside Datong City is flat and difficult to ambush. What's more, once we really want to enter the city to escape, it is his chance to break the city, such a good opportunity, he will definitely follow, waiting for us to take the initiative to open the door, waiting to rush into the city with our cavalry. ”

Ganqi thinks too much about it, no wonder he can't sleep all night when he thinks about it.

Di Yong's face was full of admiration at this time, and he said: "Big brother, no matter how clever he Yelu Yixin is, he would never have thought that our cavalry would go to Datong, not to go into the city to hide, no matter how good he is, he can't guess that the eldest brother is going to ambush the cavalry on the flat ground outside this Datong city." The eldest brother is so whimsical, it is worth mentioning that he is like a god with soldiers! ”

"Clever planning is not the way to win, fighting for life is the key." Gan Qi replied, this battle seems to be strategizing. What really determines the outcome is the last battle.

"Big brother, I will die a hundred times!" Di Yong was on the horse, bowed, his face was very resolute, and he exuded a ferocious aura like a beast.

Gan Qi nodded, no longer speaking, but secretly gritted his teeth, he knew that he was going to die a hundred times. His golden armor is the soul of the army, and when he is present with this golden armor, many soldiers and soldiers will be able to have more courage to die. is the key to winning or losing the battle.

Gan Qi is not stupid, but fully analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of friend and foe.

The enemy's advantage lies in the healthy horses that come and go like the wind. So you have to take away the enemy's advantage.

And your own advantage lies in a heavy iron armor, sharp swords and guns, and strong bows and crossbows. Therefore, foot warfare and positional warfare are the real advantages of one's own side.

With your own strength, attack the enemy's inferiority. Coupled with the courage of a hundred deaths, it is the key to this big war.

So all the way back, Gan Qi's back molars kept clenching tightly, as if he was also cheering himself up. He is also a human being, and he also has a heart of fear, and courage is brought by fear.