Zhao Ziliang looked at the map he had just drawn and began to study it, this map was not a sketch described by Du Fu according to the memories of the people found by Badasi, but a detailed military map drawn on the basis of the sketch. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

After studying for a while, Zhao Ziliang pondered for a moment and asked, "Leader of Badath, what is the name of this river bend where we are now?" ”

Baddas said, "My Lord, this is just a small tribe settlement, and it has no name! ”

Zhao Ziliang shook his head and said, "This place is a strategic place, how can it not have a name?" From the king's point of view, it is better to name it after the Yayik River, and call this place Yaik! ”

Baddas hurriedly said, "Thank you for the king's name, it's called Yaik!" ”

Zhao Ziliang nodded, and said: "According to the map, the location of the sweat tent of the Thorn Ma Ti Department is located by the river six hundred miles to the northeast, according to your estimate, how many days will it take for us to march there?" ”

"O king, the rapid march of the army will take only three days to arrive, but the rangers of the Thammad tribe are certainly not vegetarians, and they will find our army in one day!" ”

Zhao Ziliang touched the short beard on his chin and asked, "If our army marches openly, do you think Ku Si Dasi will lead the army to meet the battle or wait for the opportunity to fight again after avoiding our edge?" ”

Badas said: "Great King, although the Thorn Matti Department is not the territory of our Zou Headquarters, many people of our clan have been here before, and are very familiar with this place, and Kusidasi also knows this, except for some rivers and hills on the grassland, there is nothing to defend and we Pecheneg people have never been in the habit of avoiding war, if Husidasi withdraws with his subordinates, he will inevitably be ridiculed and spurned by the clansmen, and he will definitely lead the warriors of the clan to meet us for his own rights and prestige. Even if you lose, you won't hesitate! ”

Although Ba Dasi swore by it, Zhao Ziliang didn't dare to fully believe this person's words, he thought for a moment and ordered Huo Kan: "Huo Kan, take your Fifth Army to cross the river to the east, set off early tomorrow morning, and then march together with the main force of our army across the river, but don't get too close to the river bank, and send a large number of scouts along the way to investigate, clean up all the people and animals you see, and prevent leakage of news!" ”

Huo Kan stood up and hugged his fists and said, "The last general will take the order!" ”

Zhao Ziliang said again: "After Kimak shouted 10,000 horses from the Vizier headquarters, Ma Lan led 5,000 elite cavalry of the escort army, and Badath led 5,000 men and horses from his headquarters to advance with me along the north bank of the Yaik River to the northeast!" ”

"Yes, my lord," the crowd shouted.

On the seventh day of the fourth month, the army left Yayik and advanced northeast along the north bank of the middle reaches of the Ural River, this area is northern, and the temperature is lower than that of the Caspian coast, Zhao Ziliang's army has taken off its winter clothes on this trip, so it feels a little cool, especially the temperature in the morning and evening is relatively low, and the soldiers need to light a fire in the camp to keep warm in order to survive the slow long night, as for those patrols and sentinels, fortunately, Zhao Ziliang has stored a thousand sets of winter clothes in the wrench space, otherwise it is difficult for the sentinels to conduct enemy reconnaissance at night.

On the night of the eighth day of the fourth month, the army camped and rested on the Ural River, a hundred miles northeast of Yayk. This is a tribal residence of the Thorn Mati Division, which was attacked and destroyed by Zhao Ziliang's army at dusk, all the capable warriors were killed, and the captured old and weak women and children were all received by the Ba Dasi of the Zou headquarters, and the cattle, sheep and livestock were all used as military rations, and the horses were used as war horses or to transport food and supplies.

Marching Sima Chen Qing walked to Zhao Ziliang's side, sat down, picked up a cowhide bag, took a sip of soju, and said with some concern: "King, the further you go to the northeast, the colder it gets, and we don't bring winter clothes, if the war is delayed, I'm afraid that the situation will be unfavorable to our army!" ”

Zhao Ziliang smiled and patted Chen Qing on the shoulder and said: "The king you said has already thought about it, although the temperature is lower the further north you go, but as the time prolongs, the summer is getting closer and closer, and the temperature will be higher and higher, don't we rush to solve the problem of answering the Ma Ti Department, didn't you find that today this king ordered to slow down the march, and only walked a hundred miles?" The king's purpose is to give the Thorn Horse Commanders enough time to gather their men and horses and then fight a decisive battle! Along the way, we can attack the tribal settlements of the Thorn Mati tribe to obtain grain and grass, just now this king also asked Zheng San to organize some people to go down to the river to fish, and the harvest is quite rich, don't worry about the problem of food for the time being! ”

Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Since the king already has a plan, the last general can rest assured!" ”

The next afternoon, on the eighth day of the fourth month, the army marched another 120 miles and attacked a dwelling place of the Thorn Mati tribe, killing more than 1,000 men and taking prisoners more than 2,000 old and weak, more than 5,000 cattle and sheep, and more than 4,000 horses.

After marching again, Zhao Ziliang rode on horseback and watched the long line of captives behind the team and was silent, these old and weak women and children walked too slowly, and they still needed to send people to guard, it was really a burden to fight with these people, but this captive was asked to pass by Badasi, and Zhao Ziliang was not good at saying anything at that time, but now it seems that these captives have become a big burden.

After thinking about it for a while, Zhao Ziliang sent someone to find Badasi, and after receiving the notice, Badath immediately rode over and saluted on horseback: "Wang, I heard that you have something to look for me?" ”

Zhao Ziliang nodded, pointed to the long, lazy and lazy team behind the team and said: "Badasi, I understand your thoughts, you want to gather these people from the Thorn Horse Response Department under your command and let them become your own people, but the current situation does not seem to allow it, they not only slow down our marching speed, but also become our burden, if there is a big battle with the Thorn Horse Response Department, who can they not fight hard in the back at the critical moment?" ”

"This ?????? King, I will send someone to watch them, and I will never give them a chance! After listening to Zhao Ziliang's words, Ba Dasi immediately understood that Zhao Ziliang was going to kill these people, and he immediately said.

Zhao Ziliang shook his head and sighed: "What you said is very good, but who can take care of who when there is a real war?" And you have to understand, we killed their husbands and sons, and they have planted hatred for us in their hearts, this hatred is not only for us Xiqin, they also hate you Zou Headquarters, because you also participated in the attack and killing, we have a saying in Datang called 'wildfires can't be burned, and the spring breeze blows and grows', if we don't cut the grass and eradicate the roots today, once he has the opportunity in the future, these people will definitely kill you! If you think of your kindred, they won't miss your kindred, or they wouldn't have sent troops to loot several of your settlements! ”

Ba Dasi didn't understand these truths that Zhao Ziliang said, but if he really wanted to attack the old and weak captives of these fellow clansmen, he really couldn't be so ruthless, he stretched out his tongue and licked his dry lips, and asked with difficulty: "King, do you have to do this?" ”

Zhao Ziliang looked at Badath with a firm look in his eyes and said, "You must do this!" You are not afraid of being retaliated against by these people, this king is afraid, so these people must die! If you can't do it, leave it to this king! ”

Baddas gritted his teeth and shook his head: "There is no need for the king to bother with this matter, and Xiao Khan will not be so unbearable!" In addition, if there is an attack on the settlement of the Thorn Ma Ti tribe in the future, please hand it over to Xiao Khan's men and horses to attack, even if Hu Si Dasi brings men and horses to meet the battle, it will also be handed over to my Zou headquarters to deal with, if my Zou headquarters is defeated, the king's soldiers and horses will not be too late to do it again! ”

Zhao Ziliang was stunned when he heard this, and said suspiciously: "Leader Badasi, ?????? are you?"

Badas smiled bitterly: "Although the king is an ally of my Zou headquarters, but for us Pecheneg people, he is always an outsider, and if there is a grudge between brothers, it is naturally resolved between our brothers, how can we let others interfere?" If it is preached, will not the other people laugh at me? ”

So that's it! Zhao Ziliang understood, he still couldn't ask for it! Just enough to allow the Pechenegs to kill each other and weaken their strength.

"Well, this king agrees to your request, when you and Kusidas are fighting, this king will not send troops to intervene, and after you have divided the victory and defeat, if necessary, this king will send troops to attack!"

That night, in a depression five miles away from the camp, thousands of old and weak people were driven here, surrounded by cavalry from Zou Headquarters, and the knights all pointed their bows and arrows at these old and weak, and Zhao Ziliang also sent people to keep an eye on them, so as to prevent Badas from relenting and letting these people go.

The massacre lasted about an hour before it ended, and the captives were old and defenseless, and had no choice but to be slaughtered without any way to fight back.

At noon on the ninth day of the fourth month, the front Tanma finally brought the news of the cavalry of the Horse Brigade.

"King Qiqi, the five thousand soldiers and horses of the Thorn Ma Ti Department are coming from the northeast, according to the marching speed of them and our army, they will meet tomorrow morning at one hundred and forty miles, if they march overnight, I am afraid that the time will be advanced to the early hours of the morning!"

Hearing this, Zhao Ziliang asked, "Are these 5,000 horses a fine cavalry or a patchwork army?" ”

The sentry replied, "It seems that there are three thousand fine horsemen, and the other two thousand are not so vigorous when they ride their horses!" ”

Zhao Ziliang turned his head and said to Ba Dasi: "This king heard you say that there are about 6,000 elite cavalry in the Answering Horse Division, which means that they are only half of them here this time!" ”

Ba Dasi was very smart, and immediately understood what Zhao Ziliang meant: "What does the king mean is that it is possible for Hu Si to hide the other half of the elite cavalry and wait for the opportunity, or is this half of the elite cavalry secretly touching us from another direction?" ”

"I don't rule out the possibility!" Zhao Ziliang said as he took the map from the hand of the guard next to him and looked at it, and after pondering for a moment, he said, "Anyway, let's be careful!" ”

If the discrepancies in the map are not large, Zhao Ziliang, who has studied the combat map, is almost certain that if Hu Si Dasi really hides the other half of the elite cavalry or lets the other half of the elite cavalry touch it from other directions, then the other half of the elite cavalry must be on the right bank of the Ural River, because there are more than two tributaries on the right bank, the terrain is relatively complicated, and the left bank is almost an endless grassland, and the purpose of hiding the tracks cannot be achieved when touched from the left.