Hua Ying and the other officers were silent. They knew the general was right. Even though the Northern Battlefront Army was facing a serious situation, the Tang Empire was surrounded by enemies. The Southern Battlefront Army and the Northeast Border Military had their own tasks and could not come to help.
Guhe was just a small dot on the territory of the Tang Empire. It was more than two thousand miles away from Chang 'an. But it seemed to be the last line of defense before Chang' an. That was why Xu Chi decided to defend here. He even sent the General's Mansion to the north!
It was quiet on the mountain. No one spoke for a long time. Snowflakes were falling slowly. The temperature and the atmosphere became much colder. Even though they knew Xu Chi was right, it would cost them a lot to ask the Northern Battlefront Army to give up their original plan and defend here. Could they really defend?
They knew better than the ordinary soldiers that the imperial court had done its best. Everyone in the court had worked together. The ordinary people had been living a frugal life to provide the Northern Battlefront Army with food and fodder. Even after a cold winter, they could still eat fresh pork in the barracks. Their armors and armors were not a problem.
But the terrain of Guhe had been determined … If the Northern Battlefront Army wanted to stop the Golden Tribe Royal Court from advancing, they would have to face more than a hundred thousand cavalrymen from the grassland. That would be the last thing they wanted to face!
The Northern Battlefront Army used to dominate the north of the continent. They were not afraid of entering and leaving the grassland. Even the most ordinary soldiers were good at riding and shooting. They had never been afraid of fighting in the wild. But now they had to avoid fighting in the wild. Because they had a fatal problem: they lacked horses.
Hua Ying broke the silence. He walked to Xu Chi and knelt down on one knee. He said calmly and firmly, "If we can't defend, we will die."
Xu Chi looked at his gray sideburns and his face, which had aged rapidly because of the bitter cold weather at the frontier fortress. His heart was heavy, but he did not show it on his face. He said, "You are wrong. Even if you die, you must guard it for me."
Hua Ying answered without hesitation, "Yes, sir."
Xu Chi helped him up and looked at him in silence for a long time. Finally, he could not help but sigh, "Thank you for all these years."
Hua Ying smiled and said nothing.
Since the war against the Golden Tribe Royal Court began, he had been guarding the northernmost part of the Tang Empire's territory. As the vanguard, he was responsible for the most important and the heaviest task. Even though he had the only cavalry left in the Northern Battlefront Army, it was still a tough job for him.
If not for his high Martial Arts cultivation and the tight defense of the Tang army, he would have been nearly assassinated by the experts on the grassland several times.
But Hua Ying never complained. Even when Xu Chi wanted to transfer him back to the North Military Camp for a rest, he refused very seriously.
Everyone in the Northern Battlefront Army knew the reason. Even the nobles in the imperial palace and the military officials in Chang 'an knew the reason.
Hua Ying's surname was Hua. She was from the Hua family and Hua Shan Yue.
Hua Shanyue followed Lee Yu in the rebellion but failed and died on the spot. Those officers who secretly rebelled against the capital from the Gushan Commandery were sent to the Northern Military Camp by Ning Que and exchanged their military achievements for honor. After several years, few of those people were still alive.
Because of this incident, the once famous Hua Family quickly declined. Now only Hua Ying still held an important position in the army.
Therefore, Hua Ying worked very hard. He wanted to fight for the Hua Family with his life. He wanted to fight for the glory of the Hua Family and be high-spirited.
Xu Chi said, "Don't work too hard. It's better to be alive."
Hua Ying did not answer directly. He said, "We will win."
…
…
It was the end of spring in the sixth year of Zhengshi of the Tang Empire and the 3455th year of Dazhi of West-Hill.
The vanguard of the Northern Battlefront Army met the cavalry of the Golden Tribe Royal Court about 170 miles south of the City of Wei. They fought for more than ten days, with some winning and some losing. Then the main force of the Northern Battlefront Army moved north and set up camp around Guhe.
The two most powerful military forces in the world officially began the competition. They fought for more than ten days, with some winning and some losing. But Guhe was still behind the Northern Battlefront Army camp and the cavalry of the Golden Tribe did not move south.
The two sides took a break and resumed the confrontation. But everyone knew that it was different from the past. This confrontation would not last for more than ten days or even years. It would only last one or two days at most before the war resumed.
The Northern Battlefront Army had paid a heavy price to keep the cavalry of the Golden Tribe Royal Court to the north of Guhe. They were seriously short of horses. Even the most experienced soldiers who were good at archery and horsemanship could only use podaos to cover the flank of the formation. They could not fight in the front.
The most powerful cavalry of the Northern Battlefront Army could only be used as infantry because they did not have warhorses. It was a waste in everyone's eyes. But who could change it?
Since the day the Divine Halls of West-Hill forced the Tang Empire to sign the peace treaty, the Xiangwan Plain was ceded to them, and the warhorses were handed over as trophies, this infuriating and helpless scene was a fact.
The morning sun rose from the east. Those with the best eyesight in the army and Xu Chi in the General's Mansion could vaguely see Min Mountain in the blood-red morning glow.
Yesterday, the cavalry of the Golden Tribe Royal Court temporarily retreated to the front line of Kaiping Town. They rested and reorganized for the final attack. Facing the determined Tang Army and the tricky combination of infantry and cavalry, Chanyu of the Golden Tribe Royal Court could no longer be satisfied with the partial victory on the battlefield. He was even more anxious because of the passing time. Obviously, the upcoming field battle would be a storm that the Northern Battlefront Army had never faced before.
Situ Yilan stood on the meadow, holding the saber on her waist. She looked at the direction of the cavalry of the Golden Tribe Royal Court. Her dusty face was full of calmness and vigilance. Her slightly squinted eyes were shining colder than a blade.
As a disciple of the Academy and a descendant of the old general, she had performed well in the Northern Battlefront Army. She had long become the youngest general, and now she was Hua Ying's assistant. She was loved and respected by the soldiers of the Northern Battlefront Army.
The Northern Battlefront Army had been under great pressure for dozens of days, especially in the recent days. They had paid a heavy price. Some military doctors in the camp had not slept for three days and nights.
Situ Yilan looked calm when she thought of this. She did not let her bodyguards notice anything wrong. But the problem was still there. It was like a heavy stone pressing on her heart.
Instead of retreating, the Golden Tribe Royal Court rested and reorganized. The general's order was to defend Guhe with all their might. It seemed that this field was destined to become a graveyard for hundreds of thousands of lives. But no one knew who would be qualified to write the epitaph for the dead in the end.
She was in a high position in the Northern Battlefront Army. She knew a lot of military information that the ordinary soldiers did not. Yesterday, the reinforcement from the Gushan Commandery tried to sneak attack a troop of the Golden Tribe Royal Court from the foothills of Min Mountain. But they were seen through in advance. The tribe quickly moved closer to the Golden Tribe Royal Court, so the Northern Battlefront Army lost the best chance to disrupt the enemy's base.
What else could they do?
Situ Yilan stared at the sand table for a long time last night. She compared the knowledge taught by the teachers from the Academy and the military Ministry with her own experience in the army, but she still could not find a solution.
General Xu Chi was the only one who could decide the strategy of the Northern Battlefront Army. Or further south, the siblings in the imperial palace and the teachers from the Academy. But she also wanted to help.
Unfortunately …
Situ Yilan had many questions in her heart besides the heavy stone.
General Xu Chi's strategy could not be said to be wrong. Whether it was the retreat at the beginning or the bloody defense at the moment, the former was to trade space for time and exhaust the enemy's army. The latter was because they could not show any signs of defeat and had to use absolute iron and blood to stabilize the Tang Empire's northern border. However, it was obvious that there should be many better, or more flexible, or less desperate ways to deal with the situation.
General Xu Chi's strategy was to attract all the main forces of the Golden Tribe Royal Court to Guhe. If they could win, it would be difficult for the main cavalry of the Golden Tribe Royal Court to escape.
In the hundreds of years of war between the Tang Empire and the Golden Tribe Royal Court, the most troublesome thing about the Golden Tribe Royal Court was that they could escape. Even if the Tang Army won, the cavalry of the Golden Tribe Royal Court could quickly retreat to the depths of the grassland, and the Tang Army could not destroy their main force.
There was a lot of military wisdom in this strategy, but it had to be carried out. Most importantly, the Tang Army had to win first, so they could talk about how to destroy the main force of the Golden Tribe Royal Court.
How to win this war? Situ Yilan could not figure it out. She did not think General Xu Chi could. So she was more and more confused about what the general or the imperial court was thinking.
She was neither a pessimist nor a defeatist. Just like her bodyguards and the Tang soldiers in the camp, she was not afraid of the cavalry of the Golden Tribe Royal Court. But her reason told her that victory was still far away.
The Northern Battlefront Army was of high quality, and they were backed by Guhe, so they had the advantage. Not to mention the right time and the right people, they should not make her so desperate. But there was still the same problem …
No horses.
No warhorses.
The Northern Battlefront Army did not have enough warhorses.
Situ Yilan walked back to the camp with her bodyguards. Along the way, the soldiers stood up and saluted her. She could clearly tell that although they saluted in the same way, there was a big difference. For example, the new soldiers who had been in the Northern Battlefront Army for less than two years looked calmer and a little shy. But the old veterans looked indifferent. As for the look in their eyes … they were sneakily glancing at her. Although it was just a small movement, she could clearly feel it.
Those veterans reminded her of someone she had not seen for a long time. It was her former classmate, and later the so-called teacher, the guy who had stood on the top of the world.
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