"Horse City? The Khitans have passed by Horse City several times but never entered. Why would they have designs on Horse City now? "
Li Duozuo was shocked and hurriedly turned to look at the map on the wall. This map was a relatively simple one that he had drawn after asking the local magistrate. It could only mark the approximate location of the various cities and a few well-known mountains and rivers. Its military value was limited, and it could only enhance the impression of the image.
Li Duozuo pointed at the small circle with the two words "Horse City" and pondered for a long time. Li Duozuo not only had few soldiers but also few generals. At most, he only had the two generals he brought from the Yulin Guard and Maqiao. Other than them, there was only Yang Fan. In total, there were only these four generals.
Among the four, Maqiao and Yang Fan were half-baked.
Maqiao had been in the army for many years and climbed up step by step from being a soldier. His martial arts were outstanding and he was good at commanding troops and formations. But his ability to analyze the enemy's situation and strategize was far from good. Yang Fan could play an even worse role in the army than him. He was not good at leading troops, marching, and formations. In battles, he mainly relied on his own bravery and was not good at commanding a unit to bring out the strength of a group.
As for strategizing, it was not his forte. Therefore, the two obediently stood to the side and played the role of Xu Shu.
Yulin Guard General Li Mulan said: "Great General, Horse City is not big and has few resources. The Khitans have passed through this area in the past and have never had any designs on it. Now that the Khitans have plundered more resources, there is even less need to think about it. If we forcefully attack, the Khitans will lose more than they gain. Could it be that the Khitans are passing through this area to rest and reorganize and cause the magistrate of Horse City to panic?"
Li Duozuo frowned and lightly shook his head. He said: "We are still not clear on the Khitans' goal. We are also not clear on how many troops they have. It is difficult to determine their real goal from the information we have now. "
Another Yulin Guard General Chu Yi said: "The enemy's situation is unclear and our army is weak. It is not advisable to act rashly. Great General, we should first send out scouts to investigate the situation of the Khitans before making a move. "
Li Duozuo nodded and said, "We have to send scouts. Quickly send someone to investigate the Khitan people's background. Also, ask the local magistrate to arrange a local guide to accompany them. Our scouts are not familiar with the geography here."
Chu Yi agreed and hurried out. The few of them continued to discuss in the commander's tent, but they still could not find a solution to the Khitans' scheme. Just at this time, a soldier came to report that the Ma County Magistrate had sent someone over.
Li Duozuo called for the messenger to be brought in. After reading the letter personally written by the Ma County Magistrate, he asked him: "You said that the Khitans brought a large amount of looted goods?"
The messenger said, "Yes! The Khitans were now stationed at Ping Jia Ao, forty li southwest of Ma City. A local woodcutter was startled to see a large number of Khitans entering the mountain. When he was fleeing in panic, he saw it. He said that the Khitans had several hundred carriages, big and small, piled high with provisions and all kinds of valuables. "
Li Mulan's face showed a relaxed expression and said, "It seems that the so-called attack on Ma City was just a false alarm. The Khitans have so much provisions, it is impossible for them to have any designs on a small city like Ma City. Ma City is built on a mountain, easy to defend and hard to attack. Moreover, the mountain city is barren and has nothing to plunder. The Khitans are not interested in this place. "
The messenger sent by the Ma County Magistrate said, "Sir General, we also thought that the Khitans have no interest in Ma City, but their troops have already arrived. They first sent riders to patrol the surroundings of Ma City, and then the main army arrived. They are stationed at the south and west sides of Ma City, and are currently building siege weapons. "
Li Duozuo also thought that the Ma County Magistrate was being paranoid, but when he heard this news, he could not help but frown.
It is understandable that the Khitans let the northern part of the city go. They are not good at attacking cities, and their aim has always been to plunder and not to destroy the entire city. That is why they have always let one side of the city go, hoping that the defenders in the city will escape without a fight, and then enter the city to plunder. Now that they have put on such a posture, it is obvious that they have designs on Ma City.
But how many troops does the Khitans have? If they want to go to help, they will have to fight in the open. Li Duozuo not only has few troops, but the cavalry in his hands is also limited. If he rashly sends troops, he will not be able to solve the siege of Ma City, and will instead lose his entire army. If that is the case, it is better to defend Qian Jin Smelting to the death.
The messenger from Ma City kept urging, but before he has more accurate information, Li Duozuo naturally will not act rashly. Li Duozuo ordered someone to take the messenger from Ma City to rest first, while he continued to analyze the Khitans' battle intentions while waiting for news from the scout.
In the middle of the night, the scout finally returned. Li Duozuo heard the news and hurriedly got out of bed to ask about the news. Yang Fan, Maqiao, Chu Yi and Li Mulan lived near the commander's tent, and when they heard the news, they also hurried over.
Yang Fan did not tell Li Duozuo that his family had chased him to the north, so it was not appropriate for Nu and Gu Zhuting to show up. Fortunately, the two of them changed their appearances after returning to the city and pretended to be big merchants who had done a righteous deed. They still lived in their original residence. The county magistrate treated the two like distinguished guests, and was naturally attentive to them.
The scout was in his early thirties, looked capable, and spoke in an orderly manner: "Great General, the Khitans are indeed attacking Ma City. When I rushed to the vicinity of Ma City, they have already used the trees in the mountains to make some simple siege weapons, started a big fire, and attacked Ma City at night. "
The generals under Li Duozuo's command all tensed up. The scout continued: "Brothers, climb the mountain and observe from the fire at the foot of the mountain. The Khitans surrounded the west side of the city, but did not attack. They are concentrating their forces to attack the south side, and their total force is about ten thousand!"
Ma City is not big, especially when it is built on the mountain, so it is more difficult to attack from the west side. If they only concentrate their forces to attack the south side, ten thousand men and horses are enough. Any more and they will not be able to deploy their forces, and in reality, only five to six thousand men can be put into battle.
Li Duozuo asked in a deep voice: "How many men are guarding Ping Jia Ao?"
The scouts split up, some going to Ma City, and some going to Ping Jia Ao. All the information was gathered and reported to the scout leader, so the scout knew everything. He immediately answered: "Brothers, we are groping in the dark to spy on Ping Jia Ao, but we can't see very clearly. I estimate that there are no more than three thousand men defending. "
He paused and added: "Ping Jia Ao is flanked by steep cliffs, and only herbalists and woodcutters can climb it with ropes. The army can neither pass through nor defend. The Khitans only need to guard the valley entrance, and three thousand men is enough. Brothers, we estimate that there are less than three thousand men defending the valley entrance because there is no space for more men there. "
Li Duozuo nodded lightly. Li Mulan angrily said: "The Khitans are so arrogant, and they don't even care about us. They know that we are stationed here, but they split their forces to attack Ma City, leaving only three thousand men to guard the supplies. They are so arrogant that they don't care about us at all!"
The scout looked slightly embarrassed. "General," he said, "I haven't finished. I was investigating and on the way back to Thousand Gold Smelter, I smelled the scent of horses. It's impossible for one or two horses to emit such a strong scent. I was suspicious, so I left the horses and went to investigate on foot. I found a Khitan army lying in ambush by the Sunset River.
The horses did not roar, and the men were silent. It is very secretive. It seems that the Khitans are prepared and did not let the horses make any sound. Because it is dark, I can't accurately estimate their numbers. Based on the terrain, I estimate that there are at most eight thousand men. I did not dare to stay for long, afraid that they will find out, so I quickly returned. "
Li Duozuo's expression changed, and he quickly looked at the map again. This map was drawn according to the oral accounts of the locals. Naturally, the closer it is, the clearer it is, and the further it is, the more sparse it is. Ma City is the closest city to Thousand Gold Smelter, and the two have the most frequent interactions. Therefore, the middle road of the mountains and rivers is the most clearly drawn.
Li Duozuo looked carefully. Setting Sun River is the intersection of two large rivers, and there is a delta here. This is the place where the Khitan army is lying in ambush. Li Duozuo carefully recalled the geography and area of that place that he knew. If it was all cavalry, there should be at most five thousand of them. Although he could arrange for more people, in reality, once they started to charge, they would not be able to arrange themselves properly, which would instead affect their combat power.
This river mouth was the key to Thousand Gold Smelting City's reinforcements. Thousand Gold Smelting City was to the north of Horse City, and it was currently the beginning of winter with the northern winds blowing. Thus, the reinforcements would not be able to pick up the scent of so many warhorses. If it is not for the scout's discovery, when Li Duozuo is rushing to reinforce, the Khitan army will suddenly attack …
Thinking about the Khitans' treachery, Li Duozuo can't help but suck in a cold breath.
He has a total of twenty thousand men and horses, and almost half of them are heavily armed. Their combat power is limited. Moreover, once they go to reinforce, it is impossible for him not to leave a portion of his troops to guard Thousand Gold Smelter. The number of troops that can reinforce Ma City is limited. If this limited force is ambushed by the Khitan army halfway through, it will only be a matter of time before the whole army is annihilated.
Li Mulan's expression is unsightly. He said: "What a cunning Khitan army. If that is the case, we cannot send reinforcements."
Chu Yi's expression is also solemn. He said: "We do not know how many soldiers the Khitans have left. Maybe they have an ambush in the dark, waiting for us to send troops to attack Thousand Gold Smelter. Although there is not much food in this city, there is a large amount of ironware. The Khitans have fought continuously, so their arrows and weapons must be badly damaged. I am afraid this is their real target."
Li Duozuo shook his head. He said: "No! If this is the arrangement of their troops, then their target should be Ma City. Or, they want to devour our reinforcements and then send troops to seize Thousand Gold Smelter. The possibility of another ambush is not high. "
Li Duozuo pointed to the map and said: "Look, according to the latest battle report we received, one Khitan unit is defending against Great General Lou Shidelou's troops at Mount Kielu. The other unit is at Kun Yang River, confronting Wu Youyi's unit. Although the Khitans have won repeatedly and are becoming more arrogant, to defend against these two troops, each unit will have at least twenty thousand men.
Although the Khitans won successive victories, causing some of the smaller Khitan tribes that did not rebel with them to seek refuge with them, they only managed to replenish the Khitans' losses from the successive battles. Their total military strength was still only sixty to seventy thousand. In this case, the Khitans that appeared in the Ma City area are at most twenty thousand men. The ones attacking Ma City, the ones guarding the supplies, and the ambush along the road, the total number is about twenty thousand. They have used up all their forces, so they have no spare forces to send another ambush. "
Knowing that he is not good at military affairs, Yang Fan is hiding his strength. Looking at Li Duozuo's gestures on the map, his heart suddenly thumped. He thought of a terrible possibility. "Mister Xu Shu" coughed and was ready to speak …
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