Before nightfall, the main forces of the bandits were hiding ten miles away from the Tang Army's camp so that they could avoid being discovered. After nightfall, these people quietly approached the Tang Dynasty's camp. Naturally, they did not hold torches but moved slowly under the moonlight. It took them four hours to walk ten miles. By the time they were in position, there was not much time left to launch the attack.
Several bandit leaders were quite excited. A large number of top-grade gems were right in front of them. As long as they could wipe out the Tang Army soldiers in the camp in one fell swoop, they could get wealth that they could not spend in several lifetimes. Just thinking about it made them excited.
These bandits were full of confidence about whether they could wipe out the Tang Dynasty soldiers. After all, through their careful observation, they found that there were only 30 soldiers on night duty in the Tang Dynasty's camp, while they had more than 2,000 soldiers. Among them, 300 were cavalrymen. They were the elites of the bandits. More than 100 of the 300 cavalrymen used to be cavalrymen of Nanzhao and were very good at fighting on horseback. They believed that as long as they launched a surprise attack, they could rush into the Tang Army's camp. The six soldiers at the gate of the camp and the 12 soldiers patrolling in the camp would soon be eliminated by them. The only troublesome thing was the 12 Tang Army soldiers on the six arrow towers. However, the 12 soldiers alone were not a big threat to them. They also knew how to shoot on horseback. As long as a small number of them used to shoot on horseback, they could pin down the 12 soldiers, while the rest of the cavalrymen could directly kill the Tang Army's camp and kill the Tang Army soldiers who were still sleeping.
These bandit leaders even thought that as long as the 300 cavalrymen went out, they would be able to win. They did not need the 2,000 infantrymen behind them at all. However, to be on the safe side, they still sent 2,000 infantrymen. After all, their opponents were the powerful soldiers of the Tang dynasty, so they did not dare to treat them carelessly. It was never wrong to be careful. In addition, the presence of a large number of troops could also deter the rascals who wanted to take advantage of the situation and prevent these people from having a chance to take advantage of the situation. They were all bandits in the vicinity, so they had a good monitoring of the surrounding situation. How could the people of the Deqin family hide from these local tyrants when they were moving around? The bandits had to guard against these small fries. They believed that as long as they had 2,000 troops, these people who wanted to take advantage of the situation would not have a chance to take advantage of the situation. These top-grade gems were all theirs, so no one could take advantage of the situation.
In a valley less than three miles away from the Tang dynasty's camp, the man from the Deqin family met with the representatives of the other five families. They did not contact each other before, but they all came here at the same time. Since they were here, there was a high chance that they would meet each other. Since they knew each other, they could not hide even if they wanted to. Seeing that the bandits had a large number of people, they also had the idea of acting together. Otherwise, with the strength of one family alone, they would not even have a chance to take advantage of the situation.
"I guess the bandits will soon attack the Tang Army's camp. Let's gather our men together. When both sides are injured, we will rush over and grab as many gems as we can."
The man from the Deqin family said.
"According to what you said, the bandits plan to launch a surprise attack in the middle of the night. In this way, the Tang Army will have no time to react and will be wiped out soon. If the bandits occupy the camp intact, we only have less than 800 people. How can we snatch the gems from more than 2,000 bandits? I'm afraid we won't have a chance."
The leader of the Sayer family said.
"Don't worry. The Tang Army is powerful. It's impossible for them to be defeated at the first blow. These bandits probably haven't fought with the Tang Army before, so they don't know how powerful the Tang Army is."
"Why? Are you so confident in the Tang Army? If so, will the bandits be defeated?"
"Not necessarily. After all, the bandits launched a surprise attack at night. No matter how strong the Tang Army is, it's impossible for them to defeat the bandits who outnumber them by several times when they are hastily prepared. For us, it's best if both sides are injured. Then, we can take advantage of the situation."
"That's right. Only when both sides are injured will we have a chance. If one side gains an absolute advantage, then we can only go back home."
"I believe that both sides will be injured. I believe it."
"By the way, should we remind the Tang Army? This way, they will be prepared and can also fight the bandits to a standstill, lest they get wiped out in one go."
"No, the Tang Army's camp has been monitored by the bandits for a long time. If the Tang Army is prepared immediately, these bandits won't attack. If the bandits find out that it's us, the situation will be even more troublesome."
"I think we should let nature take its course! If it's ours, it won't run away. If it's not ours, it's useless for us to force it. Let's wait and see first! "
The six of them discussed for a while and soon decided on a decision.
In the Tang Army's camp, none of the soldiers rested. Every one of them was fully armed and had weapons in their hands. They sat on the stools in the tent according to the order. If they needed to relieve themselves, they would not leave the tent. They would relieve themselves in the tent to prevent the bandits who were monitoring them from noticing anything unusual.
Of course, in order to disguise themselves more, a small number of soldiers would not wear armor. They would only wear pajamas and walk out of the tent. They would go to the outhouse at the side and then quietly return. They would give the impression that they were just going to the outhouse at night.
Because the battle was about to begin, the number of bandits had increased several times. This made all the soldiers quite nervous. Many of them had never fought in a war or killed people before, so they were more or less nervous. Some of the soldiers' palms were sweating.
In order to inflict heavy losses on the enemy, half of the soldiers in the tent were prepared with bows and crossbows, which could be used for long-range shooting. The front of the tent was also prepared with barricades that could block cavalry. With this kind of defensive equipment, it would be extremely difficult for the bandits' cavalry to rush into the tent to kill the enemy. Most of the remaining soldiers were holding spears. When the bandit cavalry was blocked by barricades, the spears could quickly kill them. Together with the bows and crossbows, they could quickly eliminate the bandits who rushed in. After eliminating the leading bandit cavalry first, the following infantrymen would not be a problem.
"General, will the bandits really come to intercept the camp tonight? If they don't come, then our preparations will be in vain. If we don't sleep at night, the soldiers will definitely be tired the next day. "
"Don't worry! The spies have already sent back the news. These bandits are gathering. I believe that they will attack us soon. The second half of the night is the time when people are least vigilant. These cunning bandits are likely to choose the second half of the night to launch a surprise attack. We must be prepared in advance. Don't think too much. Trust me. "
"Yes, General."
The soldiers in the Tang Army's camp were ready for battle. A group of bandits was also ready a li away from the camp. They were already very close to the Tang Army's camp. If they got any closer, they were likely to be discovered. Therefore, they stopped and waited for the final charge. The infantrymen were only a li away from the camp, while the cavalry was three li away. After all, the cavalry had too many horses, and the horses were more likely to make noises. If they were further away, it would not be easy to cause a commotion. If they were a li away, the commotion would be bigger, and they would be discovered by the Tang Army. Anyway, that was what the bandits thought.
A li away from the Tang Army's camp, several bandit leaders gathered together and chatted. It was almost time to launch the attack. The bandits seemed to be a little hesitant. After all, war was not a trivial matter. If they failed, they would face a very dangerous situation.
"Let's do it! I don't think there's any problem. Everything in the Tang Army's camp is normal. There's nothing unusual. Most of their soldiers must have fallen asleep. It's time for us to take action. "
"That's right. Since there's nothing unusual in the Tang Army's camp, what are we hesitating for? There are so many top-grade gems waiting for us. As long as we eliminate the Tang Army soldiers in the camp, these top-grade gems will be ours. "
"There's only one chance. What's there to hesitate about? If we lose this opportunity, who knows when we'll get another chance?"
"Let's go all out. For these top-grade gems, we can even give up our lives."
"Didn't we agree on this earlier? Why are you suddenly retreating at this critical moment? What's going on with the two of you?"
"I don't know why, but I always have a feeling that maybe this operation won't go smoothly. Let's think about it carefully!"
"Look at your courage. Why don't I have a feeling of fear? Only you have the ability to have this kind of feeling. The opportunity is right in front of us. Don't waste it."
"Don't hesitate. It's going to be dawn soon. We have more than 2,000 soldiers. Let's launch a surprise attack at night. No matter how strong the Tang Army is, they're no match for us. I really don't know what to worry about."
"Okay! Since most people support the operation, let's do it! It's already the second half of the night. Let's start immediately! "
The group of bandit leaders finally made up their minds.
Less than half a mile away from the bandit leaders, dozens of Tang Army spies were discussing something.
"Captain, the bandits have surrounded our camp. It seems that they will launch an attack on our camp tonight. They have more than 2,000 people. Their strength is much stronger than ours. Will the camp be breached?"
"What are you thinking? How can mere bandits be a match for our army? Even if they have more than 2,000 people, they won't succeed. What awaits them is a dead end. "
"Captain, what do we need to do? The most important thing is to help them! We can't just sit there and do nothing! "
"We only have 50 people, and we don't carry any heavy weapons. With the weapons in our hands, we won't be able to help much. Let's just stay here and prepare to catch the big fish!"
"Captain, you mean to capture these bandit leaders alive."
"That's right, that's what I meant. These bandit leaders are really bold. They don't even have 30 guards with them. From the looks of it, they don't intend to lead the charge themselves. As long as the main force of the bandits attacks the main camp, we can immediately attack and capture all of these bandit leaders alive. That would be a great merit. Haha! "
The moment he thought about being able to make a great contribution, this team leader's mood became especially good. This contribution was great, but the risk was very small. A few bandit leaders were there, and there were only about 30 guards around them. If they were to launch a surprise attack, they would be able to eliminate 30 guards and quickly subdue the bandit leaders. With just a few people, they really did not care about them.
Soon, the 300 bandit cavalry fiercely launched an attack three miles away. The cavalry was very fast. In the blink of an eye, they had galloped more than two miles and passed by the infantry.
Seeing that the cavalry had already attacked the Tang Dynasty, the infantry in four directions immediately began to charge. They were less than 200 steps away from the Tang Dynasty's camp. It wouldn't take long for them to rush into the Tang Dynasty's camp.
Of course, in order to prevent the people of the Angi Clan's camp from escaping, they also sent 500 infantry to rush toward the Angi Clan's camp. They planned to trap the Angi Clan's camp first. After dealing with the Tang Dynasty's army, they would take away the top-quality gems of the Angi Clan without shedding a drop of blood.
Seeing the bandit cavalry quickly rushing over, the six soldiers guarding the gate pretended to panic and ran back to the camp. The soldiers on the arrow towers also panicked and shot arrows. After the bandit cavalry entered the shooting range, although they killed a few people, they didn't cause too much damage to the bandits.
Soon, the 300 bandit cavalry rushed into the Tang Dynasty's camp. They excitedly rushed into the Tang Dynasty's camp, ready to quickly destroy the Tang Dynasty's soldiers.
"Kill …"
The bandit cavalry excitedly rushed into the Tang Dynasty's camp.
"Oh no, it's an ambush. We've been fooled."
When the bandits saw the Tang Dynasty's soldiers in neat military uniforms in the big tent, they knew that they had been fooled. The Tang Dynasty's soldiers had been prepared. They had fallen into a trap. How could it be so easy for them to escape at this time? They couldn't escape.
The long spears and crossbows that had been prepared in advance quickly attacked and eliminated the bandit cavalry in almost an instant. The impact of the horses didn't break through the barricade, so the Tang Dynasty's soldiers almost didn't suffer any losses. More than a dozen bandits who were responsible for restraining the Tang Dynasty's soldiers on the arrow towers were about to escape when they saw the situation was not right. However, they were all shot dead by the Tang Dynasty's soldiers who suddenly appeared on the arrow towers.
After the bandit cavalry was dealt with, the bandit infantry also rushed in. There were more bandits this time, but their impact was not strong. They didn't know what had happened in the camp, so they rushed forward without any scruples and soon entered the shooting range of the Tang Dynasty's crossbowmen. The 60 Tang Dynasty's crossbowmen, who had been ready for a long time, immediately began to shoot the bandit infantry with their crossbows. At the same time, the soldiers in the camp who had dealt with the bandit cavalry also came to help. They also shot the bandit infantry around them with their crossbows, causing a huge loss to the bandit infantry in an instant.
In addition to killing the enemy with their crossbows, the few hundred cavalrymen in the camp also began to make their final preparations. They were not in a hurry for the time being. Only when the bandits fled would they be able to make a contribution. If they rushed out rashly, they would cause a lot of casualties, but when they chased after the fleeing bandits, they wouldn't suffer too much loss.
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