Dahan: A 100-year-old veteran, I will build the strongest family

Chapter 38: Li Hong listens to advice and learns from the wisdom of three people (super long chapter)
"Drive~"

Li Hong didn't care about all this. Under the gaze of the onlookers, he waved his hand and the whole army moved.

Because they were cavalry, their advance speed was not slow.

However, Li Hong still felt that the baggage delayed the cavalry's advance.

Li Hong left General Xia Yu in charge of the baggage.

He led 10,000 cavalrymen into battle lightly.

Carry as much food and fodder as possible, then leave the baggage train and head north.

If there is not enough food and fodder on the road, they will negotiate with nearby cities and county towns to transfer some food and fodder in advance so that the baggage can be replenished later.

This was also what Li Hong had greeted Liu Hong in advance.

Otherwise, if we take our time all the way to Yanmen, the flowers will probably be cold.

Once we arrive at Yanmen, there will be food and fodder there, so we won't have to worry too much.

In this way, Li Hong led 10,000 cavalrymen all the way, crossed the Yellow River, passed through the hinterland of Bingzhou, left Jinyang, the capital of Taiyuan County, behind, and finally reached the area of ​​Yanmen County.

Yanmen Pass is located in Yanmen Mountain, about dozens of miles north of Dai County, and the walled city was built following the terrain of the mountain.

Yanmen Pass is famous for its danger and is known as "the first pass in China". It is an important pass on the Great Wall. There is a saying that "among the nine passes in the world, Yanmen Pass is the first".

Yanmen Pass got its name because of the two mountains facing each other from east to west, its shape like a gate, and flying geese flying out between them. It is also known as "Xixing Pass" and is collectively known as the "Outer Three Passes" together with Ningwu Pass and Pianguan.

Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, northern Shanxi has been the center of rule of various Northern Dynasties and has become a frontier area for national integration.

The earliest history of this place can be traced back to the Warring States Period when King Wuling of Zhao fought against the Huns here.

Famous Han Dynasty generals Li Guang, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing once led their troops to fight against the Huns here.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Yanmen Pass became the main battlefield for the confrontation between Song and Liao. The prototype of the well-known story of the Yang Family Generals took place here.

Li Hong led the army to Yanmen Pass and looked at the familiar steep mountains, grass and trees around Yanmen Pass.

For a moment, Li Hong couldn't help but feel mixed emotions, as if it had been just another day.

This is the place where he once guarded and lived for decades.

However, what made Li Hong look unhappy was that near Yanmen Pass, people with their families could be seen everywhere heading south.

"General Li, you are finally here. I haven't seen you for many years. You are really as strong and energetic as the rumors say. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be unbelievable!"

A voice attracted Li Hong's attention, and he saw a middle-aged general with a group of border army generals coming up to him, looking at him excitedly.

When Li Hong saw him, he couldn't help but smile and said:

"Huangfu boy, you are getting older and older. You are only forty years old, but you look like you are in your fifties or sixties. This is not good. Although guarding the border is important, you also need to take care of yourself so that you can make more contributions to the Han Dynasty!"

Li Hong looked at Huangfu Song in front of him and couldn't help but smile.

The middle-aged general in front of him was none other than Huangfu Song, the nephew of the famous general Huangfu Gui, the son of the Yanmen prefect Huangfu Jie, and an important general who suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

then.

He had also taught Huangfu Song the art of war for a period of time, so he was familiar with it.
Huangfu Song couldn't help showing a sad expression when he heard what Li Hong said.

"General Li, the foreigners are rampant outside Yanmen Pass, burning, killing and looting our Han people. Our Han border troops have to be cautious even when leaving the city walls, and dare not fight with them. How can I sleep and eat?"

"Right now, 100,000 Xianbei and Xiongnu cavalry have all spread out, trampling the four counties north of Yanmen Pass, including Mayi, Yinguan, Juyang, and Pingxian. Two or three hundred thousand Yanmen people have been burned, killed, and looted. I can only watch and can do nothing at all!"

Huangfu Song said sadly.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to attack, but the border troops under his command need to guard Yanmen Pass and cannot move lightly.

Otherwise, Yanmen Pass would be lost.

The foreign tribes could then march straight south to the Yellow River and trample upon Luoyang, the capital of Sili.

At that time, the entire Han Dynasty will be in turmoil.

Moreover, he had few men under his command, and even if he sent some out, they were just roving soldiers and stragglers.

If they are entangled by foreign cavalry and fight in the field, it is very likely that the entire army will be wiped out.

The smile on Li Hong's face disappeared, but he understood Huangfu Song's inner pain, as he had felt the same way in the past.

What's more, Li Hong clearly saw that Huangfu Song's command value was as high as 90 points, making him a top-notch commander.

With just 1 point of command value, he could break into the ranks of top-notch commanders.

He is worthy of being called one of the three famous generals in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

It’s not that Huangfu Song didn’t work hard, but the conditions were too different.

Even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice.

Li Hong patted Huangfu Song on the shoulder and said:

"Don't worry, Yizhen, these damn aliens will pay a heavy price!"

After Li Hong arrived with 10,000 cavalrymen, the entire army set up camp.

Li Hong summoned all the generals to discuss the matter.

In the big tent, Li Hong sat in the main seat.

Li Li and Dian Wei stood on Li Hong's left and right.

Huangfu Song, Tian Yan, Zang Min, Xu Huang, Ji Ling, Yan Liang, Pan Feng, Zhang Fei and others gathered together.

Huangfu Song couldn't help but frown slightly when he looked at the young faces brought by Li Hong into the tent.

Li Hong knew that he was appointed General Zhengbei and was fully responsible for attacking foreign races.

But shouldn't we go all out in this battle? Why bring so many young people?
"Yizhen, tell me the details first!"

Li Hong's voice sounded, causing Huangfu Song to quickly stand up and bow to Li Hong:
"Return to General Zhengbei. According to our scouts, the invaders of Yanmen County this time are mainly Xianbei, with the Southern Xiongnu as their assistant."

"Among them, there are 70,000 Xianbei cavalrymen and 30,000 Southern Xiongnu cavalrymen. The highest commander of the Xianbei is the Western Chief of the Xianbei, and the Southern Xiongnu is led by the Left Wise King Yufuluo!"

Li Hong narrowed his eyes as he listened to Huangfu Song's report.

There are some differences between the Southern Xiongnu in this world and the Southern Xiongnu in history.

Historically, the Southern Xiongnu in the late Han Dynasty were completely obedient to the Han Dynasty, but the world is larger and the grassland area is also larger, so the population of the Southern Xiongnu is also not small, as much as 700,000 to 800,000 people.

The Southern Xiongnu could also mass-produce an army of 100,000 or 200,000.

Therefore, as the Xianbei oppressed the Han, the Han did not mount a strong counterattack.

The Southern Xiongnu also often followed the Xianbei in bullying the Han people, and would bite off a piece of flesh from the Han people like dogs.

Damn them all! Li Hong's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"Who is the highest commander of the Xianbei this time? Budugen?" Li Hong asked in a deep voice while looking at the western Xianbei near the border county of the Han Dynasty on the map.

"Yes, it is Budugen, one of the twelve generals who followed Tan Shihuai to conquer the vast grassland!" Huangfu Song replied immediately.

Tan Shihuai led the Xianbei tribe to fight for supremacy in the grasslands south and north of the desert, and eventually established a huge grassland empire and rewarded twelve generals.

These twelve generals are the true nobles of the Xianbei tribe and the real backbone.

Their status in the grassland is like that of princes in the Han Dynasty, and can be inherited from generation to generation.

The most representative one is undoubtedly the one led by Xianbei Marshal Murong.

By the time of the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Xianbei Murong family had established four major Yan kingdoms in the north, namely the Former Yan, the Later Yan, the Western Yan, and the Southern Yan, and their glorious history lasted for more than seventy years.

Budugen was also one of the twelve great generals of the Xianbei. He was promoted by Tan Shihuai to be the leader of the west and was in charge of the affairs of the western Xianbei. He could be said to be one of the top five heavyweight figures of the Xianbei.

"When will the soldiers from the counties and prefectures of Bingzhou be able to take over and garrison Yanmen Pass?" Li Hong frowned as he looked at the map and asked Huangfu Song again.

"General, it will probably take another five days for most of the county soldiers to arrive!" Huangfu Song said.

"Five days? Too slow. This general will only give them three days. If they are less than three days old, this general will enforce military law. Immediately!" Li Hong said coldly.

The situation is tense now. Every day that passes, the people in the northern counties of Yanmen will suffer more harm.

"Yes!" Huangfu Song immediately responded with a bow.

After a slight hesitation, Huangfu Song asked Li Hong:

"Old General, I don't know how we should fight this battle?"

Huangfu Song finally asked worriedly.

The enemy had 100,000 cavalry, while our side had at most 40,000 troops, including 20,000 infantry and only 20,000 cavalry.

Inside the big tent, when Huangfu Song finished speaking, everyone turned their eyes to Li Hong. Huangfu Song, Tian Yan, and Zang Min were veterans who understood the difficulty of this battle from the beginning.

Now they are even more anxious.

They really have no confidence.

Even young generals such as Xu Huang, Ji Ling, Yan Liang, Pan Feng, and Zhang Fei began to realize that something was wrong and became a little panicked.

Li Hong, who was sitting in the main seat, stroked his gray beard and looked at the people in the tent, all of whom were focused on him. He was not in a hurry. Instead, he looked at Huangfu Song, Tian Yan, and Zang Min, and asked:
"I will ask you one more question. You must think carefully before answering me!"

Huangfu Song, Tian Yan, and Zang Min looked at each other and could see the anxiety in each other's eyes, but since Li Hong said so, they could only suppress their emotions.

"Please speak, old general!" Zang Min was the most patient among the three.

This made Li Hong look at Zang Min again.

Zang Min was also a talented person and the father of Zang Hong, one of the heroes in the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

The Book of the Later Han Dynasty says that Zang Min was knowledgeable, ambitious, and "capable of doing things". During the reign of Emperor Huan, he was an official in Xuzhou, and was appointed to the Si Tu Mansion and the magistrate of Yongnu. During the reign of Emperor Ling, he was the governor of Wujun. At the beginning of the Xiping period, he was appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, transferred to the position of Zhonglang to the Xiongnu, and was appointed as the counselor before being recruited. He was transferred to the position of Changshui Xiaowei, and successively served as the governor of Zhongshan and Taiyuan.

Li Hong looked at its attribute panel and found that it had first-class command level and first-class internal affairs level.

This made Li Hong drool.

You know, he is still at the peak of the second-rate commander level now.

Both Huangfu Song and Zang Min are better than him.

Li Hong faced everyone's gaze and said softly in a testing tone:
"I want to ask you, if I have something that can greatly increase the combat power of the cavalry, probably four or five times, how do you think we should fight this battle?"

Li Hong was not talking nonsense when he said that the combat effectiveness of the cavalry would be increased four or five times.

The cavalry of the Han Dynasty did have stirrups, but they were one-sided. Many people did not use iron ones, but cloth ones, which were simply used for mounting horses.

But what he wanted to equip was double stirrups.

Li Hong once read an article.

Some Western scholars believe that it was the Rouran people who spread stirrups from northern China to Europe. Therefore, stirrups are also called "Chinese boots". Some Western scholars believe that "Chinese boots" came with the "scourge of God" and were the product of the invasion of Europe by Attila, the Hun king. The 5th-century scholar St. Jerome wrote: "They rode on galloping horses, slaughtered everywhere, and plunged the whole world into panic. They moved extremely fast and unexpectedly. Their speed was faster than the spread of rumors. No matter what religion, what class, how old, or even crying babies, they had no mercy." Relying on the unstoppable cavalry equipped with double-sided stirrups, Attila's Hun Empire once encompassed most of Europe, as far as the Atlantic coast, and the land conquered was even more vast than the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan later.

The stirrups provide lateral stability by fixing the feet, and with the help of the saddle, the rider and the horse become one, making it possible for the cavalry to use the speed of the horse to make a frontal charge. The Romans were amazed at the new equipment carried by the Huns. The stirrups were something that Europeans had never seen before. At that time, Europeans almost didn't even have saddles. Many riders often lost their balance and fell off their horses during battle.

In battlefield fighting, the difference between double-sided stirrups and unilateral fighting is so great that it is four or five times as big, which is not an exaggeration in Li Hong's opinion.

It seems incredible. Since the single-sided stirrup has already appeared, why are there double-sided stirrups? Don't people realize it?

According to the inherent impression of people in the Han Dynasty, riding a horse really requires excellent horsemanship, strong legs and abdominal strength.

Sometimes, it is just such a hazy membrane that it may take a long time for someone to realize it and poke it open.

Inside the big tent, Huangfu Song, Tian Yan and Zang Min were stunned when they heard Li Hong say that there was something that could increase the combat power of cavalry by four or five times.

Can it significantly improve the combat effectiveness of cavalry?

Four or five times more!

"This...how is this possible for General Li?" Tian Yan couldn't help but exclaimed.

"Why waste so much time talking nonsense? Just answer my questions! If there really is something that can greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the cavalry, how do you three think we should fight this battle?" Li Hong snorted and said it again.

Li Hong's cold snort immediately brought Huangfu Song, Tian Yan and Zang Min back to their senses.

"This... this, if there really is such a magical item, and it can increase the combat power of the cavalry by four or five times, then we should have a great chance to fight the aliens. And if we have deployed a hundred thousand alien cavalry, we can also defeat the aliens!!"

Huangfu Song, Tian Yan, and Zang Min were excited. Although they didn't understand how Li Hong could improve the cavalry's combat effectiveness so dramatically, since Li Hong had brought it up, there must be a way. This made the three of them excited.

Huangfu Song, Tian Yan and Zang Min immediately began to think hard.

If the 20,000 cavalrymen under their command were really so brave, how would they fight this battle!
Young generals such as Xu Huang, Ji Ling, Yan Liang, Pan Feng, Zhang Fei and others were also very excited. Li Hong's words gave them hope of victory, and they racked their brains to think.

"General, I do have some ideas." Huangfu Song's eyes lit up in deep thought, and after careful consideration, he could not wait to say to Li Hong:
"General, if our cavalry is really so brave, we should first capture the enemy and then surround and attack their reinforcements."

"First, gather all the cavalry to encircle and kill Budugen, the leader of the western Xianbei, and Yufuluo, the left wise king of the Xiongnu, so that these 100,000 foreign cavalry will be leaderless."

"Then we can induce the Xianbei and Xiongnu cavalry scattered across the counties of Yanmen County to rush to the rescue. Our Han infantry can set up an ambush and use heavy crossbows to cooperate with the cavalry to completely defeat the various groups of foreign races. This battle should be worth fighting!"

Huangfu Song excitedly proposed a set of tactics, which made Tian Yan and Zang Min's eyes light up.

Li Hong sat in the main seat and listened to Huangfu Song's battle plan. He immediately felt that it was indeed good.

Li Hong did not want to prolong the war, but wanted to end it quickly.

However, to be on the safe side, Li Hong stroked his gray beard and asked Generals Tian Yan and Zang Min:
"Do you two think the battle strategy that General Huangfu mentioned is feasible?"

Upon hearing this, Generals Tian Yan and Zang Min began to think again, and soon they bowed to Li Hong and said:

"General, this strategy needs to be refined and adjusted in light of the actual situation. However, 100,000 foreign cavalrymen have divided into several groups to plunder the counties of Yanmen. If our army has strong cavalry to capture the thieves and their leaders first, and then cooperate with the Han infantry to surround and attack the reinforcements, it is indeed the best strategy."

"Peng! Great!" Li Hong slapped the table and cheered loudly:
"Since the three of you feel that this strategy is feasible, then that's good."

"Immediately send a large number of scouts to gather intelligence and report to me the number of Xianbei and Xiongnu in each county."

"And find out the positions of Budugen, the leader of the western Xianbei, and Yufuluo, the left wise king of the Xiongnu! I want to know the division of these foreign tribes' forces!"

Li Hong adopted the strategies of Huangfu Song, Tian Yan and Zang Min without hesitation.

Li Hong understood clearly. He was good at martial arts. Even if three people attacked him together, he could beat them all.

However, in terms of command level and commanding the army to deploy troops, Li Hong is really no match for the three generals.

Therefore, Li Hong listened to the advice and took advantage of the wisdom of the three men to fight this battle.

If you can't win, just admit it, it's not shameful.

It’s only when we win a battle that we gain face!

Moreover, there were many powerful civil and military officials with the surname Li in later generations, and there were countless powerful commanders.

With the system, Li Hong's command ability will improve sooner or later and he will become the top commander of the Han Dynasty.

At that time, Li Hong was full of vigor and commanded thousands of troops.

"Alright, the battle plan has been decided, let's all go and implement it, and then disperse."

After deciding on the strategy, Li Hong immediately waved his hand to let the generals disperse.

He also had to gather skilled craftsmen to make the three treasures of Ma as soon as possible. Although these things were not high-tech, time was tight and he naturally could not waste a single penny.

In addition, he also needs to design some concealing devices to cover the stirrups.

Try your best to avoid being discovered by other races to reduce the chance of being exposed.

Although Li Hong still has many good things in his mind, as long as the Li family's power increases, he can use them to restrain the cavalry.

Although Li Hong is also preparing to quickly develop his own cavalry unit, in the next few years, he can encircle and hunt the alien races and completely defeat them.

However, if the three treasures of Ma Zhong can reduce exposure, they should try to reduce exposure as much as possible, and if the exposure time can be delayed, they should delay it.

Inside the big tent, Huangfu Song, Tian Yan and Zang Min were stunned when they heard Li Hong asking them to disperse.

The entire military council lasted less than half a quarter of an hour.

I called them together to discuss a matter, asked them two questions, then raised a hypothetical question, and then asked them about their strategy for defeating the enemy. Is that all?

Xu Huang, Ji Ling, Yan Liang, Pan Feng, Zhang Fei and other young generals were also confused.

This is the first time they have participated in military discussions.

They even brought cloth and bamboo slips.

Getting ready to record some things.

But, that’s it?
Is this over?

The meeting ended in confusion.

All the troops near Yanmen Pass were assembled. While the army was conducting training, a large number of scouts were sent out to the outside of Yanmen Pass.

Five hundred skilled craftsmen also began to concentrate on producing the three treasures of Malaysia in large quantities.

Time flies, and three days pass in a flash. At this time, a large number of scouts sent out brought back intelligence.

At the same time, soldiers from various counties in Bingzhou who came to support also arrived at Yanmen Pass exhausted and took over the defense for the border troops.

The arrival of the county troops meant that the 40,000-strong army could now leave Yanmen Pass and attack the alien race.

The time to attack alien races has come!

The war atmosphere near Yanmen Pass is getting more intense!
Li Hong assembled 40,000 soldiers and horses from the entire army and carried out a large-scale replacement of the equipment of 20,000 cavalrymen.

(End of this chapter)