The night in the capital office was still hot and humid. It began to drizzle along the banks of the Jiuqu Yellow River.
The air pressure in the already thin area dropped again. The Tang dynasty soldiers were not in good condition. They needed to breathe heavily and resist the cold of the rain.
Guo Zhiyun held the binoculars but could not see the fire on the other side. It was pitch black.
"Tubo won't attack tonight. Neither side can see." Wang Junkui stood next to him.
The two sides looked at each other across the river. When it was not raining, the Tang dynasty troops were familiarizing themselves with the terrain by the river.
They were looking for suitable places to cross and dangerous places to cross.
Dangerous places might not necessarily prevent people from crossing. Easy places to cross were more likely to be attacked by enemies.
The generals checked and considered where they would cross the river if they were the ones leading the troops.
How should they fight after crossing? Should they feign attack or try to break through?
"Two more months. The weather is cold. I hope more cotton-padded and leather clothes will be sent later."
Guo Zhiyun was thinking about the battle in winter. There was nothing to say now.
His troops were resting, recovering, and adapting to the current weather. They would attack after finding the enemy's weakness.
The troops were chopping wood to make rafts. They did not need to row upstream. They only needed to get on the rafts and cross with the current to the other side.
"I can't hear anything. Are they waiting in the rainy night or taking the opportunity to mobilize their troops?"
Wang Junkui wondered what Zasykuzé would do. Zasykuzé lost a large area and must want to take it back.
Guo Zhiyun turned and entered the tent. He took off his bamboo hat and said, "We'll know when we see their horses tomorrow morning. Maybe it's a trick."
"We'll wait for the rafts to be built. No matter how they mobilize." Zhang Zhongliang, who had not gone out, drank hot tea and studied the map under the light of the kerosene lamp.
In the past two days, 20 hot air balloons were released and they all flew back. They drew some topographic maps and the camp behind Tubo.
Yesterday, a hot air balloon dropped an explosive bag and blew up a tent. The Tubo people below were panicking.
It did not blow up the largest tent. It happened to pass by a small tent and lit a fire and threw it down.
"Let's sleep. There's nothing to do tonight." Guo Zhiyun found a place to rest.
On the other side of the river, Zasykuzé was still awake. He was injured.
He didn't live in a big tent, but a small tent next to his was blown up. At that time, he was standing outside, wearing ordinary clothes.
The shockwave from the explosion lifted up the rocks, and a small piece of rock hit his knee. It was bruised, and it hurt every time he touched it.
He was drinking the medicine that Guan Lin had left behind. He felt that the pain would lessen after drinking this medicine. It was a good medicine.
The medicine did not taste good, but he drank it in small mouthfuls, savoring the unique bitterness.
The Qianhu was barbecuing meat in his tent. The tent was made of thick leather to isolate the fire from the outside.
"I hope it doesn't rain all night." The Qianhu sliced off a piece of meat with a knife, dipped it in salt, and brought it to his mouth.
He was worried that the soldiers would get sick. The rain was cold, so everyone was eating the food brought by the tribes that came with them.
During this emergency evacuation, many things that were inconvenient to carry were thrown away and set on fire, not leaving anything for the enemy.
This included the dry firewood, wooden fences, and other household utensils.
Everyone was waiting for Tubo to send the Baggage over, so that they could continue to defend this side of the Yellow River and look for an opportunity to fight back.
Although it was called a fight back, it was actually a sneak attack. It was impossible to wipe out the entire military camp of the Tang dynasty at once.
The Tang dynasty had more soldiers than their own side, and their morale was high.
Zasykuzé squinted his eyes and enjoyed the medicine. When he heard the Qianhu's words, he smiled. "I'm not afraid. I feel strong enough to judge their plans."
His current state was in line with Poison XI's condition. His mind was indeed agile, and he was in good spirits.
At that time, Li Yi was a creative person. Some people in the film and television industry liked to find inspiration in such a state or use it to lose weight.
"Does the commander know?" The Qianhu stopped.
"If I were them, I would definitely cut down trees to make rafts, and then rush down from the upper reaches of the Yellow River diagonally to transport troops."
Zasykuzé made his own judgment. He was right.
The Qianhu showed a trace of regret. He thought that Ren Baqian had some special ideas. Who didn't know this?
"As for us, we won't go upstream. We'll send our troops downstream. We'll send our infantry and some cavalry 60 miles behind.
The cavalry will be here for them to see. We'll wait for a good day. At night, the infantry will travel 60 miles with light equipment.
Our other troops will cross the Yellow River and attack a military camp of the Tang dynasty.
At night, the military camp won't know the situation, so they can only send their troops back to report and prepare to attack us at the river.
At this time, we'll travel another 10 miles with light equipment and take down the military camp from the lower reaches of the river. "
Zasykuzé slowly explained his thoughts and plan. The infantry would be very tired, but once they won a battle, their morale would return.
The others knew that the Tang dynasty was not invincible. They just needed to think of a way.
"Okay, I'm willing to lead the infantry." The Qianhu clenched his fists. He wanted to fight. He was angry with Guan Lin.
Now he had medicinal herbs, but no one knew how to treat diseases.
He looked forward to catching Guan Lin one day and bringing him back to teach him a lesson.
"Don't worry. If we can figure out where the Tang dynasty's troops will cross the river, it'll be better to attack them first." Zasykuzé waved his hand and continued to taste the medicine.
At this time, more than 200 miles north of them, a troop was advancing in the rain.
"Move. If you're cold, eat something. Don't stop. We didn't bring any tents. Once we stop, we won't be able to withstand the cold."
Zhang Xiaosong's bodyguards rode their horses and shouted everywhere. More people led their horses and walked.
They exercised and ate to make themselves feel less cold. When the wind blew, they had horses beside them to block it.
The explosives and the horses were wrapped to cover them so that the gunpowder wouldn't get wet.
The Non-commissioned Officer walked with their heads down. They walked slowly and ate from time to time.
They were used to following Zhang Xiaosong. They could endure any harsh environment.
The rain was nothing. When it stopped and the sun rose, they could have a good rest.
Zhang Xiaosong looked at the faces of the soldiers around him. He pursed his lips and didn't say anything.
He didn't know how many enemies he would encounter if he went in alone. He didn't even know if he could return alive.
But his 10,000 elite soldiers, together with good weapons, could kill at least 40,000 to 50,000 enemies.
Even if they died, it would be worth it. They would be worthy of His Majesty's trust.
It was just like when he led 10,000 soldiers to attack the Western Regions. When he went there, he didn't expect to fight like that.
Step by step, perseverance would lead to victory.
More than two hours later, the rain stopped. There were puddles on the ground. When walking over the grass, one would accidentally slip and fall.
The sky was still cloudy. The moon and stars couldn't be seen. Zhang Xiaosong looked in the direction of Zasykuzé's troops. There.
Tubo and the Tang dynasty were facing each other across the river for a long time.
"Guo Zhiyun should be looking for people to cut wood to make rafts, right? I'll wait for him for a few days. Five days. After five days, I'll lead the troops to launch a surprise attack. I hope Guo Zhiyun will know what to do. "
Zhang Xiaosong ordered the troops to stop and rest as he talked to himself.
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