Along the way south, other than those towering mountains and precipitous ridges, there was almost no snow to be seen.
The cold of spring was the most bone-chilling.
If the Beiliang cavalry advanced one hundred and twenty li to the southeast, it would be equivalent to entering the Guangling Road. Although they were still some distance away from the real battlefield, where the army under the command of the new Minister of War, Wu Zhongxuan, and the main forces of West Chu breaking out to the west were confronting each other, there was still some distance. However, even without the warnings of the generals and commandants who had first-hand knowledge of the battle situation, just based on the increasing number of Liyang scouts and cavalry scouts that appeared around the marching route, it was already enough for the Beiliang cavalry to deduce the general situation. Even the usually intimate actions of washing and feeding the horses involuntarily revealed a somewhat austere aura. At dawn, there was still an hour before the army broke camp. For the time being, the King of Beiliang, Hsu Fengnian, acting as the main commander of this cavalry, gathered all the generals and commandants in a temporary and crude military tent. Including Yuan Zuozong, Ning Emei, and Hong Shuwen, there were a total of sixteen people. There was no table in the large tent. The five zhang wide and high map of the Guangling Road was hung on the wall. The main passes and cities had long been clearly recorded. Even the number of troops stationed at each place was meticulously marked in Vermilion small characters, accurately down to a hundred people.
Xu Fengnian stood sideways under the map, still wearing the famous saber that he snatched from Jiang Fuding's hand that year, the 'Crossing the River Soldier', only he took off the cold saber. Xu Fengnian looked at the various cavalry officers standing in an arc, raised his saber, and drew a route on the map that was enough to shock the Yamen of the Ministry of War. He laughed and said, "Next we will pass through Lu Hua County, pass through Wei Shui and Murky, two counties, and officially enter Guangling Road. Perhaps we moved too slowly through Huai and Bei provinces, and then moved too quickly through Huainan Road, causing the imperial army to be caught off guard. Therefore, they were unable to keep up with our pace. Otherwise, the Ji Province cavalry should have arrived two days ago in the area of Shanyin County, where there are many mountain paths. They would have first intercepted us, using Wufang and Free Cloud cities as a base to wait for reinforcements. When Xu Gong from the Ministry of War arrives, he would have allied with the local troops to defend this natural defensive line. This would have forced our army to advance more than eighty li to the south, and take a detour to the east to enter Guangling. However, in this way, we would have to collide with the Qing Province troops that are rushing north. As long as there is a slight delay, the twenty thousand strong army from Western Shu would arrive. "
Hsu Fengnian paused here, and the corners of his mouth curled up. "It is a pity that the hairy son-in-law of the Gu family is still a bit too slow. Therefore, I estimate that Assistant Minister Xu is already pointing at the Ji Province general and spitting in his nose. However, if I have the chance to stand in front of Assistant Minister Xu, I would definitely say a few words on behalf of the Ji Province general. 'Motherf * cker, Xu Gong is hiding in the right wing of Ji Province, slowly wandering about. Why should our tired Ji Province cavalry rush up to the Beiliang cavalry and be beaten up? Who doesn't know that the Great Snow Dragon can ride a horse and wear Beiliang armor, and when he dismounts his horse, he does not lose to the Youzhou infantry in the slightest? This daddy came to the Central Plains to gain merits, not to be in a hurry to reincarnate! '"
Apart from the serious Yuan Zuozong, the other generals in the tent roared with laughter. This was especially the case for the old cavalry generals who had fought in the Spring and Autumn War. Their grins were even wider. Even though most of these people had obtained their positions at the Beiliang border, when they were still small soldiers, most of them had heard the bragging of the old officers in their respective armies. They said that the great generals would always make fun of the enemy before the battle. It was rumored that even at the most difficult time of the Battle of the Western Wall, the West Chu Ye Baikui, who was known as the Spring and Autumn War Armor, could not escape this calamity.
When the laughter stopped, Hsu Fengnian restrained his relaxed expression and said in a low voice, "Our Great Snow Dragon Cavalry still has more than ten thousand soldiers. However, as for our true strength, we all know our own matters. In the battle at the Calabash Mouth where we wiped out Yang Yuanzan's army, our Great Snow Dragon Cavalry had the greatest merit, but our casualties were not small either. There were three thousand four hundred people who died on the battlefield! As for the soldiers who had to withdraw from the border army because of their injuries, there were also a thousand two hundred people! Out of ten thousand people, in the end, only half of them were old soldiers. I might as well say something to offend those two heavy cavalry armies. Their casualties were also disastrous, but comparatively speaking, I dared to have these two cavalry armies choose from Liangzhou's left and right cavalry armies, even from Youzhou's elite cavalry army and Lingzhou's few local garrisons. However, as for the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, forget about Lingzhou, I did not even choose a single one from Youzhou! All of them were chosen from outside Liangzhou's pass. I, Hsu Fengnian, can pat my chest and say that every single new soldier has passed through the double screening of Qingliang Mountain and the Protectorate Manor. Every single new officer, their experience on the battlefield, I, Hsu Fengnian, have even personally seen them. Only after I nod my head and Chu Lushan and Yuan Zuozong agree can they take up the post. However, even if this is the case, compared to the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry that rushed to the mouth of the gourd, it is clear that the current Great Snow Dragon Cavalry … "
All of the military generals who had outstanding military achievements outside the pass felt a heavy and suffocating feeling. It wasn't only because of the title of King of Beiliang on this youngster's body, nor was it because of some Jianghu master or earth immortal, it was also because of the prestige that Hsu Fengnian had slowly accumulated bit by bit over the past few years. In order to become a commander in chief, one didn't have to be that type of person who could charge and break through enemy lines to face ten thousand enemies. It wasn't just Xu Xiao who was like this. Even the great grandmaster Gu Jiantang, in his early years in the Spring and Autumn War, actually didn't take the lead that often. Chen Zhibao was even more so. Being able to win battles and being able to afford to lose battles was actually enough. Meanwhile, this young vassal king in front of everyone seemed to have never lost on the battlefield, in the imperial court, or in Jianghu. Of course, it was rumored that on a certain battlefield, their King of Beiliang had suffered a great defeat. Even Yan Wenluan and Chen Yunchui, these meritorious great generals, when they occasionally heard their subordinates mention this matter, they would never berate them, instead revealing a knowing smile that only great men would understand.
After Hsu Fengnian kept everyone in suspense, he said in deadly earnest, "It is clear that this current Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, if we want to talk about crushing those Ji Province elite cavalry and capital region army, there still isn't much of a problem."
This time, even Yuan Zuozong couldn't help but laugh.
Hsu Fengnian said, "This time, I brought you all to Guangling Circuit to wade through the muddy waters. Normal Beiliang commoners definitely don't know the truth, but everyone in this tent has more or less heard a bit. In reality, if it is as you all have guessed, it is true."
Without waiting for everyone to express their opinion, Hsu Fengnian already said in a heavy voice, "No matter what, if anyone has any complaints, or even if anyone wants to curse me, wait until we return to Beiliang territory. This time, when we head south, other than Cai Nan's Huai Border Army, we have no choice but to fight. Before we face Wu Zhongxuan's Northern Frontier Army, my objective is to not fight if we can. Even if my Great Snow Dragon Cavalry can wipe out a hundred imperial soldiers, it will still be a losing business. Of course, if Xu Gong and Yuan Tingshan insist on blocking us to the end, then we will fight. We will beat them until they are scared! Before this, I still have something I want to make clear to everyone. The true vicious battle is still the contest with Wu Zhongxuan. Because on this trip to Guangling Road, apart from me needing to pick up a person, you all also need to take in a certain amount of West Chu's' routed army '. The initial estimate is between two hundred to three hundred, most of them young and strong. On the battlefield, they will appear as small groups of fleeing cavalry. When the time comes, we will provide them with Beiliang warhorses and light armor. Of course, there will also be cold blades, quickly breaking up these troops and merging them into our army. Afterwards, Yuan Tong will lead you all away from the western battlefield. I will at most meet up with you all a day later. "
Hsu Fengnian's cold blade pointed heavily on the map. "If nothing unexpected happens, Xu Gong's Jingji troops and Yuan Tingshan's Jizhou cavalry will meet up here. Xu Gong will use the Chaisang County Town, which has a higher city wall, as a stronghold. Che Ye's Western Shu infantry and Qingzhou army will respectively be behind and to the south of our army, each with a city pass to rely on. The enemy's entire battle line presents a semicircle. Although the terrain on both sides of the Chaisang County Town is flat, the net of water is crisscrossing, making it unsuitable for large cavalry to gallop through. This is because the only wide official road has already been destroyed by the Chaisang County Magistrate under the command of the common people. Every two hundred paces, a gully more than a zhang wide is dug out. If there is also a rather large spring rain, it will be even more disadvantageous for our advance. Reportedly, Xu Gong's army is carrying a large amount of heavy crossbows from the Ministry of War's stockpile, as well as a thousand seven hundred sets of heavy armor. Among them, there are a total of four thousand archers and divine arms. Naturally, they want to force us to dismount and fight while defending the Chaisang County Town to the death. If we choose to go around the Chaisang County Town and stagnate on that official road, it is very likely that we will completely lose our original initiative as a cavalry. In that case, we will be surrounded and have no place to advance or retreat. Against more than sixty thousand soldiers who can freely retract their battle line, and the enemy's commander-in-chief is one of the few famous generals in Liyang, Xu Gong. Therefore, to us, whether or not we attack the Chaisang County Town is just a bad plan. "
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