Tubo's troops noticed that two batches of scouts had not returned in a row.
They had sent a hundred cavalrymen for the third batch. They did not believe that one of them would not return.
Not long after, the hundred cavalrymen returned, not one less.
Along with them came the smoke. Today's air pressure was low. Although the stars were blinking, the air was humid.
Some smoke flew along the grass and fell to the ground.
The hundred people were not in good condition. Their eyes were red, including the horses'.
"Report! We did not see the enemy. We only saw smoke coming with the wind. "The captain reported in tears.
It was too uncomfortable. The horses could not stand the smoke at all.
In fact, there was no need for him to say. Everyone could smell the smoke.
"Wet your clothes with water and cover your face." Tubo generals were experienced. Ordinary generals were experienced. This was the only way to deal with smoke.
At the same time, Zhang Xiaosong ordered his subordinates to cover their faces with several layers of wet towels and rush forward with bundles of grass.
They rushed out a few miles, put down the grass, lit it, and rushed back.
The people on the side could go around, but the people in the middle could only run with the smoke. It was very uncomfortable.
The soldiers ran over and hurriedly drank water. Some people used water bags to wash their faces.
There was more smoke, and the range was larger.
The people who ran back to release the smoke could not stand it for a while. Needless to say, the Tubo troops on the other side could not stand it.
"Go to the side." A Tubo Qianhu called Cuo Kao Taokai ordered.
Another Qianhu called Suo Nan coughed and stopped him. "No, the enemy is probably waiting at the side. Once we move, the carriage formation will disperse."
What he considered was the carriage formation. If they went to the side, should they go horizontally or vertically?
If they went horizontally, it would be slow to leave the smoke range. It would be easy to meet the enemy's ninety-degree charge as soon as they left the smoke range.
If they went vertically, the enemy might still charge at a ninety-degree angle.
If they went together, the enemy cavalry could surround them and shoot arrows.
Suo Nan judged others by himself. If it were him, he would do the same.
Cuo Kao Taokai was anxious. "What should we do?"
"Retreat. There was a river on the way here. Retreat and hide from the smoke. At the same time, we can wait for two days and build a stronghold by the river." Suo Nan had a solution.
Whether it was the carriage formation or the military stronghold, the most afraid was the water source being cut.
"Okay, let's go." Cuokao Taokai agreed and ordered.
The chariot formation was opened and they ran back. They were not out of the smoke range. The cavalry rushed over to see if there were any enemies behind them.
This kind of marching could be said to be textbook style. There was no problem at all.
The problem was that they didn't have binoculars or hot air balloons. During the day, Zhang Xiaosong "watched" their position and marching speed.
As for the composition of the team, he had helped them think of several ways.
Zhang Xiaosong utilized the advantages of the hot air balloon and binoculars to the extreme, seeing the enemy first.
Li Yi did not know that the border generals of the Tang dynasty had played with these two things. What Li Yi was thinking about was the application of the hot air balloons and binoculars that he used for combat at that time.
The main thing was to discover the enemy's main force in advance and set up an ambush or to set up a trap.
In the end, the generals at the border used these two items to engage in guerrilla warfare, taking advantage of the enemy's lack of vision.
Therefore, the generals at the border did not equip the infantry with hot air balloons and binoculars. They were all cavalry, and they were very willing to compete with the enemy's scouts.
Vision, speed, superior numbers, and battlefield concealment.
The generals understood how to play with the hot air balloons and binoculars when they got them.
Why should they use infantry to fight you head-on? They could wear you down with cavalry. Did you send scouts or not? How many cavalry did you send at once?
Tubo's team ran back, not daring to go out of the smoke range for fear of an enemy ambush.
As they ran, the smoke thinned. After running for a while, they completely broke away from the smoke amidst everyone's coughs and the horses' discomfort.
The team did not stop and returned to the river. After rushing for a while, they saw the river under the starlight and prepared to go over and re-form the formation.
"Kill!" Shouts sounded, and cavalry appeared on the left and right.
"Cavalry, attack! Form the formation! Quick, form the formation according to the river, three layers!" Suo Nan shouted for the second time.
Less than a thousand cavalry divided into two teams, threw down their torches, and rushed out.
They used torches before, but not now. Whoever had a torch would shoot.
The cavalry faced the enemy on the left and right. The Tang dynasty cavalry on both sides began to drive their horses in circles while arrows rained down.
The Tubo cavalry released a wave of arrows and followed in circles, trying to seize the limelight.
It was just like Li Yi's previous fleet on the sea to seize the upper hand and form a T-shaped formation.
The two sides circled and went far away.
"Kill!" Shouts sounded again. On the other side of the river, a group of cavalry urged their horses forward.
Tubo formed the formation according to the river. There were no carriages behind them, so they used the river as an obstacle.
The river! It was not deep enough, nor was it wide enough.
The river, which was dozens of steps wide and less than two feet deep, could not stop the cavalry.
Some cavalry rushed to the river and released arrows, then circled back without crossing the river.
More cavalry crossed the river from the two sides of the carriage formation. The archers of the carriage formation could not shoot and watched the other party cross the river.
"Kill ~ ~" From the direction where the smoke came from, another huge cavalry appeared.
The cavalry that crossed the river circled the camp in an arc, not in a hurry to charge.
The cavalry that came from the front divided their men to help their own cavalry chase the cavalry that ran out from the two sides of Tubo.
Another cavalry dismounted and took out military shovels to dig holes in the ground.
The Tubo people in the camp watched and knew what the other party was going to do.
Even if their own cavalry ran back, the sky was so dark that the horses' hooves would be broken.
If they were close, they could shout to make the cavalry stop. If they were far away, the cavalry could not hear them.
"Attack, attack quickly and defeat them. Tell our cavalry to be careful," Cuokao Taokai shouted anxiously.
Suo Nan shook his head. "It's over. It's all over. Who is the enemy general?"
He thought more than Cuokao Taokai. This was what the Tang soldiers meant. Let the infantry leave the carriage formation.
If they did not leave, they could not report to the cavalry.
If they left, they would kill them.
There was no defense in the front, back, left, and right.
When the cavalry was surrounded, what would the remaining infantry use to fight the enemy?
Rely on the carriage formation? What would they do if the enemy continued to release smoke?
"Then what should we do?" Cuokao Taokai wanted to rush out himself.
"Surrender, surrender." Suo Nan said with a bitter expression.
What was the point of resisting when the battle was like this? If they moved, they would die. If they did not move, they would die.
After saying the words of surrender, he shouted with all his might, "General of the Great Tang, we surrender. Please have mercy. Shout with me. "
So a group of people shouted, "We surrender. Have mercy …"
When they shouted, a group of Tang dynasty slaves who had walked to the river and were about to escape from the other side of the river stopped.
They wanted to run across the river while the Tubo people were panicking.
Now they found that there was no need to run. They shouted with them, and their shouts seemed to be louder. "Soldiers of the Tang dynasty, hurry up and come over to take the captives. We are the masters."
As soon as they shouted, the cavalry of the Tang dynasty made way. The cavalry of the Tubo who ran out before came back. Four fifths of them came back, and the one fifth who did not come back was …
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