Xiao Ruxun left the tent and quickly arrived at the frontline. Based on the current situation, Xiao Ruxun was confident that he could kill Tarek and all the Northern Barbarians in Shanxi. Even so, his doubts were not completely answered.
He always had a feeling that he was being led by the nose, and it was very strange that the person who led him by the nose did not seem to have any evil intentions towards him. Instead, he was very sensible and sent Lalik to his death.
The speed of his pursuers and Tarek's speed seemed to be in a strange balance. It was only a night's difference.
This way, the Sentinel Cavalry would always be able to catch up to Talic's troops, so that he would not lose them. After they arrived at Hot Springs Town, for some reason, they stopped for a night, allowing Xiao Ruxun to catch up with them and easily surround the narrow Hot Springs Town.
At first, he was only surprised. However, after calming down, Xiao Ruxun realized how strange it was for the Northern Barbarians to stop at Hot Springs Town. The terrain here was uneven, and there were many mountains and rivers. Most of the roads were narrow and difficult to walk. It was definitely not a good place for a cavalry to travel.
The Northern Barbarians were heading south, which already made Xiao Ruxun suspicious. Now that they chose to stay at Hot Springs Town for a night, it was even stranger.
Could it be that the Northern Barbarians had other ideas?
With this worry, Xiao Ruxun sent people to search for the Northern Barbarians. However, the scouts who returned said that they did not see any traces of the Northern Barbarians. The ground did not look like there was a large number of horses galloping. Basically, he could conclude that the rest of the Northern Barbarians were trapped in Hot Springs Town.
This was not a suitable place for cavalry to fight. According to the battlefield that the Northern Barbarians had chosen, they should not be this stupid. So what was the reason?
This feeling of being controlled by others made Xiao Ruxun very uncomfortable. Therefore, he first used the two commander-in-chiefs to calm himself down and let power nourish his heart. Then, he used a calm mind to face the battle in front of him. This way, he could ensure that he would not make any mistakes.
At the moment, he had the absolute advantage. The hot springs town was surrounded and the cannons were all ready. What was even more amazing was that these Northern Barbarians were ready to break out of the encirclement. However, before breaking out, they had to eat their fill. They had no choice but to start a fire. Once they started a fire, it would be easy for the Ming Army to find a target to attack.
Just as the sky was about to darken, Xiao Ruxun arrived at the frontline.
After all, he couldn't really let them eat until they were full before fighting to the death. If that happened, their combat power would increase by a lot. He had to beat their morale to the bottom, and then let the army fight hand-to-hand, using the smallest price in exchange for the biggest victory. This was Xiao Ruxun's consistent principle of using troops.
If the problem could be solved with firearms, then it would be solved with firearms. If it couldn't be solved with firearms, then he would think of other methods. As for hand-to-hand combat, that was the last resort.
Elite troops were not easy to train. Xiao Ruxun was not very willing to sacrifice his well-trained, well-equipped, and loyal 3,000 elite troops too much.
Every one of them was an elite that Xiao Ruxun had raised with silver. Hundreds of thousands of silver had been thrown into them.
The financial expenditure of the imperial court only accounted for about one-twentieth of the entire Burma town's military expenditure. Basically, it was Xiao Ruxun who paid for the construction of the army out of his own pocket. The soldiers received his pay, ate his food, and wore his clothes.
Of course, they only listened to his orders.
This was an elite army that obeyed all orders. The effort and energy needed to train such an army could not be summed up in a few words.
It was not an exaggeration to say that such an army of 30,000, with complete logistics, was enough to sweep the entire Jiangnan. There was no army in the entire Jiangnan that could compete with Xiao Ruxun's Zhennan Army.
In the north, only the retainers of the generals in the Nine Border Armies had the confidence to fight against the Zhennan Army. For example, Li Rusong's 7,000 elite retainers were comparable to the combat power of the Zhennan Army.
Of course, if those 7,000 people belonged to the Zhennan Army, the Zhennan Army would be able to run amok in the entire Daming Territory, and even in the northern grasslands.
It was impossible for Xiao Ruxun to feel bad about letting such an army follow him everywhere and suffer heavy casualties. However, in order to train their courage and experience in fighting against the cavalry, Xiao Ruxun was still willing to let them go on expeditions.
After this war, the soldiers of the Zhennan Army who survived would become the most powerful force in the army. All of them could become low-level officers in the Zhennan Army, and they could spread the knowledge of fighting against the cavalry to other armies.
Although he had such a belief, the loss of 657 people who died in battle and 89 people who were seriously injured or disabled forever still made Xiao Ruxun very sad and distressed.
657 people died in battle. In the entire three years in Burma, the total number of people in the Zhennan Army who died in battle was less than 500. But now, 657 people died in battle in less than two months …
How should they face their loved ones?
This was how Xiao Ruxun thought about the future.
"Governor! The cannons are all ready. We just need to wait for the governor to give the order to open fire and bombard the enemy. Governor, please give the order! "
Wang Hui and Li Rusong came together to Xiao Ruxun. Wang Hui first reported the preparation of the cannons.
Xiao Ruxun nodded and then looked at Li Rusong.
Li Rusong felt uncomfortable under Xiao Ruxun's gaze.
"Chief Soldier Li, I have decided to use your 1,000 elite female cavalry as the vanguard. Chu Ying and Dai Shan will be the vanguard. After I fire the cannons, they will be the first to charge into the hot spring town. Don't worry about Tulik. As long as there is resistance, kill them. It doesn't matter if they kill Tulik.
After that, Li Rumei and Li Rubai will lead the rest of the female elite cavalry to charge in and clean up the battlefield. Chief Soldier Li will lead the Han cavalry of Liaodong as a guerrilla force. If you encounter any escaping Northern Barbarians, kill them without mercy. In addition, Chief Soldier Li, please restrain your soldiers, regardless of whether they are Han or Jurchen cavalry.
I reckon that in Hot Springs Town, there are probably a lot of treasures that the Northern invaders plundered from the Shanxi region of Datong, piled up into a mountain of gold and silver. As for these treasures, I will not take a single cent for myself. After the war, I will reward them according to their contributions. My only request is that no looting is allowed, no taking is allowed. If anyone is found to be looting, no matter whose troop it is, I will start by killing the commanding general. "
Li Rusong looked up at Xiao Ruxun and saw the terrifying light in his eyes. He felt a chill in his heart and then cupped his fists in acknowledgment.
"I will obey!"
Then, Li Rusong turned around and left to make arrangements.
This was very much in line with Xiao Ruxun's standards for leading troops. If one were to say that he was unhappy, then he was unhappy. If one were to say that it was strange, then it was not strange either. The only thing that Li Rusong found strange was — when did Nurhachi offend Xiao Ruxun?
This was not the first time Li Rusong had such doubts. But it did not matter. In any case, it was not his Liaodong Han cavalry that would be the vanguard. Given the terrain and the road, he was not willing to lead the cavalry as the vanguard. It was obvious that in this situation, it was more advantageous for the infantry to charge.
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