Chapter Ninety-Six: The Burning of the River (I)

The next morning, the second army of the Great Eclipse and the second army of the Tang Dynasty all arrived. The Tang Dynasty came with only 10,000 troops, and the time was even earlier, and the purpose was to escort supplies and food. There are still more than 10,000 troops behind, which need to be assembled and reorganized, and they will not be able to come for a while and a half.

This is the number of armies placed on the board. If necessary, some troops from the rear can also be drawn from various countries for reinforcements. The same is true of the Great Cannibal.

Salem also led an army of 30,000 to the Wuhu River, and if it weren't for the battle of Guadanshan, he would have maintained a slight advantage in numbers. Now there is not much disparity between the numbers of the two sides. If the released captives are taken into account, the reverse prevails.

But this group of captives gave him a headache.

He called Buszarif and Bashaf and asked about the battle.

The battle between Buzarif and the emperor of the Tang Dynasty became a turning point when the Tang army crossed the Wuhu River. But the most obvious turning point was that during the fierce battle, the batch of prisoners of war released by the Tang army broke the formation of the rear army, and even the Persian prisoners took the initiative to shout that their comrades could not fight against the Tang army.

A few released prisoners of war were called and asked, and the Governor of Dashi personally interrogated them, but he did not dare to hide them, and told the story as it was. To Buzarif's annoyance, when the group returned, they also publicized the situation to the rest of the Persian puppet army.

This group of prisoners of war is useless, and it is not easy to kill, at this time killing will affect morale, and he said angrily: "Take them back and use them as slaves." ”

Buzarif shook his head at him.

Coming to his senses, he held back his anger and said, "Let them go to the rear." ”

It's not for them to rest in the rear, to open mines, make armor, transport supplies, and use them as coolies for the time being.

Then he led the army to Guaegg Mountain.

There are a few very low hills, and the slightly larger maps don't find its location. But it became the focus of both sides.

Looking at it, the mountain is short, the forest is sparse, and many trees have been cut down for the construction of fortifications, and most of the place is exposed as a bare mountain. The slope is not steep either, so before the war, all the generals of the Great Eclipse neglected this place.

However, after looking around, Salem's face turned gloomy.

From yesterday to the second half of yesterday night, more than 20,000 people from the Tang Dynasty rushed to repair the fortifications. It wasn't until dawn that the construction was officially completed. First of all, three fences were erected on the periphery, and the fences were dense, and the largest gap was only half a person high. And many of the crossbars drilled holes one after another, and in the holes stood sharp spear tips. The tail of the spear extends to the back, and if you attack, you can use these holes to shoot the spear out. At the bottom of the fence were again arranged to resist horses. It looks like three hedgehogs.

There was a trench behind each fence, and the soil dug out of the trench was just used to make the camp wall, most of which was half a man high, and became the strongest shield of the Tang army. But the arrangement is not only here, it is obviously a sandstone mountain, but Tang Jun has dug many trenches out of the entire hill. Even some of the trenches were turned into caves, and the excavated earth was placed in front of the trenches and used as bunkers again.

Have a clear understanding of the trenches, the big cannibals.

Muhammad was weak when he rose to power, and was even defeated at the Battle of Uhud by a merchant nobleman, Absufouyeh. But as Li Wei thought, the most terrifying thing is not the combat effectiveness of the big cannibals, but their humble learning attitude. After this battle, Muhammad reflected earnestly. Begin training the army and unite all forces that can be united. So in Medina, when Mecca attacked with 10,000 men, he modestly adopted the advice of his Persian disciple Salman, and dug a large number of trenches outside Medina to repel the Meccan attack.

This battle also gave the Great Cannibal a valuable experience, which accumulated the foundation for the future attack on Persia. Both the Byzantines and the Persians were good at trench tactics.

But Salem had never seen such a shameless, such a headache in a trench.

Still, he gave the order and let the soldiers carry the bumper wood for a trial.

At this time, the defense force of Guazi Mountain is not yesterday.

The Great Food Knife is very powerful, and the Great Food also has some other weapons, at least many of which are better than those of Tibet. However, in terms of the overall quality of weapons, the Tang Dynasty was far above other countries at this time. Just because of the long distance, there is no guarantee that all soldiers will be able to use the weapons of the Tang Dynasty.

In order to ensure that the mountain is not lost, the best weapons are brought in, including various crossbows and trebuchets. In addition to weapons, a large amount of food was prepared in the various trenches on the mountain, as well as 10,000 soldiers. But with strong fortifications, the soldiers in the middle of the river were the mainstay. The Tang army left only 2,000 people, who played a leading role. This arrangement was not only to reduce the casualties of the Tang army, but also to sharpen the soldiers in the river. Slowly cultivate their confidence and combat experience, increase their combat effectiveness, and temper their mutual cooperation.

Seeing that the big cannibal was preparing to attack, Luo Wuquan was not in a hurry and ordered the soldiers to prepare.

The big cannibal carried the bumper to a range of seventy or eighty paces and ordered the soldiers to start shooting. It can also be seen that the big cannibal is only a tentative attack, and even the trebuchet is not prepared. Only bows and crossbows were used. This is also very lethal.

In particular, all kinds of crossbow machines can have a maximum range of 230 paces and an effective range of 150 paces, that is, they are absolutely lethal at a distance of 200 meters. The maximum range of the Horn Crossbow can reach 200 paces, and the effective range is also 100 paces away, and the most terrifying thing is that it is a single-player operation mode with a fast firing frequency. The Wooden Single Crossbow has the smallest range, but a faster rate of fire. At the same time, it is equipped with some large crossbow machines this time, such as the Fuyuan crossbow, which can reach a maximum range of 300 steps, and the effective range is also more than 200 steps.

It was fired with a thunderous roar, and despite the protection of the shield of the Great Cannibal, it shot through the shield with great strength, piercing the body of the soldier behind the shield.

Three more offbeat crossbows, winch crossbows, were also brought. This kind of crossbow machine originally required nearly 100 people to twist the disc before it could be launched, but later the appearance of coke improved the quality of smelted steel, made some improvements, and reduced the number of operators. But it also took sixty or seventy men to wring the crossbow pan. Because it was too cumbersome to operate, it was rarely used by the Tang Dynasty army.

After bringing it over, the soldiers in the river were very curious to see the large crossbow arrows, which were ten times heavier than the usual crossbow arrows, and this strange winch.

Just when the big cannibals were unprepared, the large army was lined up two or three hundred paces away, and after a visual inspection of the distance, Luo Wuquan moved the three winch crossbows to the halfway up the mountain, aimed at the team of the big cannibals, and ordered the soldiers to twist the winch tightly, and then let go of the winch, and the thick crossbow bolts immediately burst out.

This crossbow is probably the longest-range cold weapon at the moment, with a maximum range of almost seven hundred paces.

Salem was watching the battle when three black shadows rushed over.

Like a leaf, along with the armor, it passed through the bodies of several of the Great Food Soldiers like papier-mâché in front of the three crossbows, before stopping.

Only a few of the Great Eclipse soldiers were killed, but it was very morale-boosting, and all the soldiers in the river on the top of the hill let out a cheer. The Tang Dynasty army was still strong, and if it came to the river earlier, it would not have been invaded by the great cannibals.

Salem was also taken aback, and immediately ordered: "Retreat, retreat." ”

Not only did he order the whole army to retreat, but he also ordered the tempting soldiers to retreat. In just a few moments, under the intense and powerful crossbow shots, more than two hundred soldiers fell. Although he followed the tradition of the Great Cannibal and used all cannon fodder troops in the lead, and all the Persians were used, if he continued like this, it would be demoralizing.

had to camp first, and in order to prevent the Tang army on Guaegg Mountain from sneaking up, he also ordered to dig a trench. The Tang army took down Guadanshan and successfully fought a bridgehead on the south bank of the Wuhu River, so the camp in Hebei also moved. The side camp of Xiangliudu became the main camp, the original main camp became the side camp, and the original camp on the west side became a satellite camp. Two new camps were extended to the east.

One bridgehead left Salem in the throat, and the Don army could not take the second bridgehead, so he had to order two new camps to be built on the south bank of the river to face each other.

After giving the order, he looked at the melon egg mountain and was at a loss. But let him judge one thing, the real direction of attack of the Tang Dynasty army.

The Tang Dynasty army was divided into two directions, and it was impossible to make the right choice without finding out the main direction of attack of the Tang Dynasty army.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both directions.

The main attack on the city of Moufu, the terrain is flat, once you get the city of Moufu, you can get sufficient supplies, and it will also shake the rule of the Great Food in the whole of Khorasan. At least there will be many people in the Moufu area to form a rebel army to support the Tang army. But the disadvantage of the Tang Army is that there is a risk of the Wuhu River. Even if you capture the Wuhu River, let yourself be fortified in the rear, or attack Moufu City. Is Moufu City so easy to attack? They can't be captured quickly, they lack supplies, as long as they are properly organized, they can not only do their logistics, but also cooperate with them inside and outside.

The main attack is on the city of Jiling. There is a powerful Persian rebel army in the city, and he has not been able to extinguish them many times, and his combat effectiveness is strong. Once united, the entire Sestan region will be shaken. At least the whole territory of Tocharian is lost, and there is a possibility that the granary of the great cannibals, Sindh.

The Tang Dynasty also had shortcomings, the mountainous terrain here, there were many cities and checkpoints, easy to defend and difficult to attack. In that year, the Great Eclipse attacked the city of Gabro, and with an absolute superiority of troops, it took several months to take this city. Moreover, once the Tang Dynasty got the Sestan region, it would be able to form a siege against the Tibetans from three sides. The Tibetans are watching this situation take shape?

However, the Tang army was divided into two routes, obviously one was a feint, and the other was the real direction of attack, to divide its own forces. It also played a role, and he was distracted by Tocharian and sent a lot of soldiers and generals. It was only at this moment that the Tang Dynasty showed its true fangs.

It's not too late.

I looked at the low hills on the other side, and I was very depressed and glaring. But for the time being, he let it go, and ordered another 40,000 soldiers from the rear to support the Wuhu River. Wait until your own strength is absolutely superior before you remove this thorn.

When evening came, the camp was set up and the trenches dug. At this time, the scouts came to report that the Tang army had a new movement.

During the day today, a Tang army found some merchant ships on the north bank of the Wuhu River and launched an attack on the Persian merchant ships on the south bank. The boatmen on the merchant ship were driven away, and then the ships that could be taken away were taken away, and the fire that could not be taken away was burned.

"Got it," Salem said lightly.

There are many ships in the middle and lower reaches of the Wuhu River, but because of the rise of war, they all sail to both sides and are not within their own protection. Moreover, these ships were all Persians, and the Tang Dynasty people burned them if they wanted. Strategically, he did not want to cross the river and launch an attack on the northern bank. These ships mean nothing to themselves. And the Tang Dynasty people did this, it would have a negative effect, these merchants had a high status in Persia, which angered them, and would make these people disgusted with the Tang people. It's exactly what I want.

Suddenly, he struck his palm.

Not what he thought, he shouted: "Take the map of the Tang Dynasty." ”

Li Wei sent scouts to inquire about the situation of the Great Cannibal, and he also sent scouts to inquire about the situation in the Tang Dynasty. It's just that the scouts are sent less, and the information obtained is not as detailed and specific as Li Wei. There is also a non-standard map of the Tang Dynasty in hand.

And I also know that the ship technology of the Tang Dynasty has caught up in recent years, and it is no less than the Great Cannibal, and it seems that the navigation of the Tang Dynasty was initiated by the emperor opposite. After getting this news, he neglected the water nature of the Tang Dynasty soldiers.

But the Tang Dynasty's attack on the ship so quickly made him suspicious. His intentions were clear, and he never wanted to cross the river and engage the Tang army. Why do you want to go for ships? There is no need to provoke these Persian merchants. He never regarded the Tang Dynasty emperor as such an idiot.

Looking at the map, he thought of some of the information he had gotten. The main force of the Tang Dynasty was not much, only thirty or forty thousand people, and of course, its own main force was also not much. Although the number of men was outnumbered, many soldiers had to be left behind to garrison the various parts of Sestan and Khorasan. But the Tang Army didn't need to do this, so from this aspect, everyone was on an equal footing.

He thought of the origin of the Tang Army. Some of them were soldiers from the Western Regions, most of them were Qinghai soldiers, and some of them were soldiers brought from Guanzhong and Henan Province. The soldiers in Qinghai are mainly from Qinghai locals, as well as Guanzhong, Jiannan, and Longyou.

Lie on the map and look for the location of these three on the map of the Tang Dynasty.

After reading it, he called the various generals to discuss, hung up the map first, and said: "The Tang army has a fatal weakness, all the troops are from the inland of the Tang Dynasty. There are very few soldiers who can be water, and even fewer who can drive ships. ”

"Your Excellency, there are many people in the countries of the river who can sail ships." Bashav said.

Salem glared at him fiercely. If it weren't for the fear of affecting morale, they would have wanted to behead him immediately. It was this stupid person who easily lost the melon egg mountain that made the battle very unfavorable to him.

Ignoring him, he continued: "So they took Guaegg Mountain and immediately snatched all the ships on both sides, or burned them. This is afraid that we will use the ship to carry out *** on the Wuhu River. ”

As for how many of the river officers knew how to steer ships, this made Salem automatically ignore it. Even if all of them can drive ships, what kind of combat can the soldiers in the river have? It is possible that as soon as the battle starts, it will be slightly unfavorable, and they will be able to flee the battlefield without listening to the orders of the Tang army and driving the ship.

There are also not many soldiers who can drive ships under their own accounts. However, because of the development of the Great Food and Navigation Industry, and even crossed the river many times to fight with the Byzantines, there were also some people who could drive boats. That's enough.

"Buzarif, you immediately arrange for men to protect the remaining ships. Then send out scouts to find out. ”

This is easier to find, and as Salem guessed, even after crossing the Wuhu River the night before, the Tang Dynasty army had to transfer many river soldiers and row small rafts for them. That is, they can't even row a small raft. It's not clumsy, if it's a small river or a ditch, everyone can row. But on the wide Wuhu River, let Luo Wu go to row a small raft, and the mood will be very nervous. And in order to prevent falling into the river and not being able to swim, everyone tied a thing called a lifebuoy.

Hearing this news, the eyes of almost all the generals lit up.

If this is the case, the entire Wuhu River will be under the control of its own army, and what impact will it have on this battle if it is mastered!

"Let's go out and have a look." Take everyone to the Wuhu River.

Although Buzarif sent people to protect him, the Tang army was able to get many ships. Some ships are already on their way back, one after another, seventy or eighty large and small ships, stopping at Xiangliu Ferry. The Tang army on the opposite side thundered with joy, this is a boat, not a small raft, with them, you can easily cross the Wuhu River. Plus a bridgehead, which can be advanced or retreated.

Seeing this situation, the big cannibals here didn't understand what was going on, and they were all more or less depressed.

Salem and the others looked at each other and smiled.

There was no need for him to tell them, and all the generals knew what to do. Immediately sent people to enslave the Persian people, cut down trees, and under the timely protection of Buzarif, they took control of some ships and built some more ships. Then with the Tang Dynasty, a group of landlubbers, come to a decisive battle on the water of the Wuhu River.

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