Xu Fengnian smiled and kicked the child's buttocks. Liang Longqian fell towards the surface of the water, but he didn't crash into the water. His hands were pressed against the surface of the water, creating two water trails. With a slight push of his hands, his body was upside down and he was still on the surface of the water.
Soon, the second team of scouts returned to the army and reported the enemy's situation to Yu Luandao. The burly Javelin Commander quickly left. Xu Fengnian nodded with a smile. Yu Dilong quickly slapped the water surface and jumped back to the shore, following the burly Javelin Commander to continue his scouting mission.
The sky gradually darkened, but the Beiliang Cavalry definitely did not dare to march in the night. There were many people in the southern army of Liyang who suffered from night blindness. However, in the various border armies, not to mention the Beiliang Cavalry who were proficient in night battles, even the Liao and Ji Provinces rarely suffered from blindness. On one hand, the supplies in the border towns were better than in the interior of the dynasty. On the other hand, the selection of soldiers at the border, especially the cavalry, was targeted. Of course, in the middle of the night, if they only relied on the illumination of the torches in the Northern Liang Border Army regulations, the advancing speed of the cavalry would inevitably be greatly limited. In addition, unless it was a specific battle with a clear objective, the cavalry generals would avoid it if they could.
The six thousand cavalry moved through the yellow sand like dragons.
Under the curtain of night, Xu Fengnian suddenly asked, "Yu Luandao, have you thought about this? We are far from Ji Province's Silver Sparrow Hawk and Horizontal Water City, and the opening of the gourd is even blocked by Northern Mang's army of ninety thousand. Even though we can still sustain ourselves through battle, using Northern Mang's supplies to sustain ourselves, it is destined that each battle will become more and more difficult to fight. When the time comes, the battle situation will be unfavorable, and Northern Mang will eventually form an encirclement. When we are at the end of our rope, Yu Dilong and I will be able to leave if we want to, but you and your six thousand cavalry might not even be able to die in the gourd."
Yu Luandao smiled calmly, "No wonder Your Highness doesn't want to get close to those Youzhou cavalry. Are you afraid that as the King of Beiliang, you will see their last moments before they die? Actually, Great General, you don't have to be like this. Ever since the day we set out, we already knew what our fate would be. These soldiers might not have read much, or even never read a book. However, after years of war, none of them are stupid. It's not like there aren't any who don't want to die in Ji Province. Due to various reasons, more than a thousand people left. Some were afraid of death and used their connections to get in through the back door. However, there were also some who were forced to leave because they were the only sons of their families and were too young. "
Yu Luandao's expression was exceptionally calm as he slowly breathed in, "However, since we've come, we've already accepted life and death. Even if we were hesitant before the battle, we can't be cowards on the battlefield. Afraid of death? Of course, there were. However, how long would it take for the cavalry to charge when the two armies were in a stalemate? If one's limbs went soft and they were afraid of death, they would really die. After one charge, he would die very quickly. After the charge, those who didn't die would see their comrades die one by one behind them. They would just lie there alone on the battlefield and naturally wouldn't be afraid of death. This is how war is. Ever since our Beiliang Great General left Liaodong, we've been injecting energy into the Xu family's cavalry. We've been honing them for more than thirty years, almost forty years, just to nurture this energy! "
Yu Luandao turned to look at Hsu Fengnian. His expression was solemn and sincere as he said in a deep voice, "Most importantly, be it the Xu family's cavalry or the Beiliang cavalry, no matter how many people died in battle or how many defeats we suffered, we've always won in the end! Even if only a few hundred of us are left standing on the battlefield, we've never been afraid that no one will collect our corpses after we die! The only ones we need to be afraid of are the enemies pointed at by our Beiliang's blades! "
Hsu Fengnian was silent for a long time. Then, he smiled and asked, "You're the eldest grandson of the Yu family. Don't you feel that it's awkward to say 'our Beiliang'?"
Yu Luandao seemed to be stunned for a moment. Clearly, he had never thought about this question before. He lowered his head and glanced at the large luan blade at his waist and the cold blade at his other side. When he raised his head, his eyes were especially clear as he said slowly, "When I first arrived in Beiliang, of course I wasn't willing to consider myself a Beiliang citizen. Later on, I don't remember when I blurted it out. But since I don't have the slightest impression of it, I think it should be a matter of course. I, Yu Luandao, like the scenery of the Northwest Great Desert from the bottom of my heart. It's desolate, vast, and magnificent. Being in it makes one feel small. Even the smell of horse dung in the army camp will be liked after a long time. It's not like the prosperous cities in Jiangnan where no matter how good the wine is, one will feel nauseous after drinking too much. No matter how expensive the rouge on a beauty is, one will feel disgusted after smelling too much. I, Yu Luandao, have been raised by my parents and my family. I can only let them down in this life … "
Speaking to this point, Yu Luandao removed the "Great Luan" blade from his waist, one of the world's top weapons. He lightly tossed it to Hsu Fengnian and said with a smile, "If I really die in battle outside the mouth of the gourd, it'll be difficult to collect my corpse. In the future, Your Highness can just place this blade in my cenotaph. Oh right, Your Highness, other than the cenotaph, I also want a piece of the forest of steles behind Mount Qingliang. "
Hsu Fengnian tossed the priceless Great Luan blade back to Yu Luandao and said with a bitter smile, "Put it away for now. Even if there's a slim chance of survival, as long as it's not a situation of certain death, don't lightly talk about collecting my corpse. "
At the end of the three in the morning, the sky had not yet turned green and white.
A group of Phantom Cavalry scouts galloped over. The platoon leader and Mi Fengjie, whose sword sheath had long been torn off, were respectively at the front and back. The platoon leader reported to Captain Fan Fen, "Forty li to the northwest. Based on the brightness of the torches that the Beimang Army often marches at night, there are about 2,400 cavalry escorting a large group of provisions south. The number of warhorses is about two men and three riders."
Fan Fen said to the main general Yu Luandao and his deputy general Shi Yulu, "Other than 2,400 cavalry soldiers, there should be no less than this number of auxiliary soldiers and civilians."
Probably because he was afraid that Hsu Fengnian was not familiar with Beimang's situation, Fan Fen added a few more sentences and explained, "Over the years, when Beimang raided the south, they would wantonly conscript the grassland tribes. If there were 100,000 cavalry on an expedition, they would usually bring no less than 200,000 troops and millions of cattle and sheep. Half of the Southern Dynasty would be cleared out. It was different from what the people of the Central Plains imagined. During Yonghui's reign, every time the Beimang cavalry broke through Ji Zhou, unless they completely passed through the entire Ji Zhou and entered the hinterland of the Central Plains, they never had a supply line of provisions longer than five hundred li. After a battle, they could quickly return to resupply. Furthermore, their auxiliary soldiers were completely equal to most of the soldiers of Li Yang other than the border army, or even stronger. This was because as long as they were given a bow and a horse, they could become regular cavalry at any time. In history, there were many battles that happened in Ji Nan. Those Li Yang troops who tried to sneak attack the supply line all suffered great losses because of this. Therefore, this time, we should at least calculate it according to Beimang's 4,000 or even 5,000 cavalry … "
Hsu Fengnian did not say anything and listened attentively. It was Shi Yulu who coughed, and Fan Fen quickly shut up.
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "Captain Fan, I've been to Beimang before and seen with my own eyes how they transport supplies. I have some understanding of their combat strength. Right now, I'm just a normal cavalry soldier. I only care about charging and breaking through enemy lines on the battlefield. "
Deputy General Su Wenyao had a disgraceful expression on his face. He pointed his horse whip at Fan Fen and scolded with a smile, "Scram to the side. Aren't you worried that you'll delay the military plan with your chattering? When our prince was learning the art of war from those generals, you were still playing in the mud with your crotch wide open!"
Fan Fen scratched his head in embarrassment and urged his horse to leave. He did not need Yu Luandao and the other generals to order him to investigate the military situation. He personally led the scouts and went forward. When the warhorse had already galloped half a li, this captain finally realized that something was wrong. He, Fan Fen, was already a man in his forties. Logically speaking, when he was playing in the mud, his prince was not even born yet!
When Yu Luandao gave the order to prepare half the army for battle, the order was passed down quickly and accurately.
The 6,000 cavalry immediately entered a state of readiness for battle.
Compared to all the other armies in the world, the Beiliang army had one thing that many people could not understand. They already had the greatest combat strength in the world, but they still made a fuss over minor details year after year. This was especially true after Chen Zhibao became the Protector-General of Beiliang, where they had reached the point of perfection. Thus, in the Liyang Imperial Court, there was once a civil official who mocked a certain place. Even the Protector-General had to care about where the latrines were built in the barracks. Did that mean that they had to follow the rules when they took a dump? In reality, it really was a coincidence. After the Beiliang army set up camp during the war, they really did have to manage the latrines of the soldiers. When they ate, drank, and slept, there were detailed rules related to it. Even if there were rats in the barracks, cicadas in the summer, snow in the winter, and other "small things", they all had to be strictly investigated!
If one said that the Beimang were a race on horseback, they were natural warriors.
Then the 300,000 soldiers of the Beiliang border army were battle maniacs who had been trained bit by bit.
From the commanders and captains to the minor captains, everyone knew what they should do and what they should not do when war came. They did not need to think about what to do. Everything would become natural. This was because the rules and regulations that had been beaten down countless times were deeply imprinted in their bones.
As for those higher official titles, it was very simple. They represented military merit.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
