Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 504 Cavalry, a disgrace to the nation!
The weather was fine and sunny, and the atmosphere beneath Xuantu City was solemn, as if a war was about to break out.

Surrounding the Xiaoliao River, Yuwentai's 10,000-strong army and the opposing 30,000-strong Goguryeo army were already arrayed, in a state of mobilization on the eve of war.

In Xuantu City, a large number of troops from the Six Garrisons were stationed. They did not openly treat the original soldiers and civilians in the city, but their eyes always revealed a sense of vigilance.

Lord Eulji Hongguang of Xuantu City noticed it, but he didn't care. Because it was perfectly normal!
Beside Eulji Hong-gwang, a scholar with an octagonal mustache, like Eulji Hong-gwang, was not as composed.

No matter how eloquent he was in the past, when the army was actually pressing in, the scholar with the octagonal beard couldn't help but feel nervous.

He knew very well that Xuantu City had now surrendered, and what consequences they would face if Yuwen Tai lost.

Why did Yuwen Tai leave a force of about a thousand soldiers from the Six Garrisons in Xuantu City when his military strength was so strained?

Because he didn't trust the surrendered Goguryeo troops in the city, he didn't dare to use them at all.

If defeated, the troops of the Six Garrisons might have already started killing the Goguryeo people before they even entered the city.

However, overall, the surrender of Xuantu City was more beneficial than harmful to Yuwen Tai.

He doesn't need to worry about being attacked from both inside and outside, so he can use the controlled Xuantu City as his rear and deploy more troops to the front line to deal with Goguryeo's reinforcements.

That is why Eulji Honggwang surrendered at this point in time, which is why Woomun Tae took the risk of accepting it.

"Nyusa, look, cavalry!"

On the banks of the Xiaoliao River, a cavalry force of several thousand men was galloping along the eastern bank.

Clearly, this cavalry force was trying to bolster its morale and intimidate Yuwentai's tribe.

Before the Yuwentai tribe at the foot of the mountain could react, Eulji Hongguang let out a cold snort.

"A bunch of brats, what are you showing off for!"

As he spoke, Eulji Honggwang looked at his trusted Confucian scholar beside him and said angrily:
"Murong Qing, our Goguryeo was defeated by these scoundrels."

Murong Qing blinked, somewhat puzzled. Even if they had surrendered now, the other side was indeed well-equipped and powerful. Why was Eulji Honggwang in such a state?

"Cavalry, they've ruined the country!"

Eulji Hongguang's words made Murong Qing understand.

There were horse-breeding areas around Goguryeo, but most of them were in the hands of the Mohe people. It would have been quite costly for the Goguryeo people to organize a cavalry force.

Goguryeo was constantly learning from the etiquette and even military systems of the Central Plains.

As I progressed through the material, a question arose.

Should we spend a lot of money to maintain several heavy cavalry units?
There were always two voices within Goguryeo: one supporting and the other opposing.

Yi Zhihongguang belongs to the latter category.

He wasn't saying that cavalry was useless in military operations, but rather that heavy cavalry units were not very useful for Goguryeo.

Goguryeo started by building mountain fortresses and gradually expanded from the mountains to its present territory, its main strategy being meticulous planning and shrewdness.

In Eulji Hong-gwang's view, it was pointless to gather the cavalry units under the various city lords and form a unified heavy cavalry force.

Who are you going to fight?
Do those barbarian tribes around us deserve to eat so well?
Furthermore, Baekje and Silla to the south are learning from Goguryeo. They are now dealing with Goguryeo in the same way that Goguryeo dealt with the forces that occupied Liaodong.

In short, build a fortified mountain city and hold out; come and fight if you dare. As for the Mohe and other tribes to the north, their cavalry units are mostly light cavalry, which are completely useless. Moreover, for the many fishing and hunting tribes to the north, appeasement is more effective than military force.

The only use for it was fighting against the Northern Wei.

The question is, can you beat them?
Just as Eulji Hong-kwang shook his head and sighed, the battle had already begun.

Relying on its superior numbers, the Goguryeo army launched an offensive. A vanguard force had already crossed the Xiaoliao River and was attacking Yuwen Tai's flank.

Yuwen Tai reacted promptly, sending men to intercept them.

Upon seeing this, Yizhi Hongguang added:
"Fools! Do these idiots think Yuwen Tai and his six garrison troops are like those Baekje and Silla people?"

Eulji Honggwang, a general of Goguryeo's traditional style of fighting cautiously, felt extremely sorry for the current Goguryeo army's tendency to rely on numerical superiority to wage large-scale battles.

As Eulji Hongguang had predicted, the vanguard force that was the first to cross the river was quickly defeated by the Six Garrison troops.

This early defeat did not have a significant impact on the overall situation. Goguryeo's 30,000-strong army successfully crossed the Xiaoliao River as planned and engaged in battle with Yuwen Tai's army.

The Goguryeo army was a dominant force in the northeast, easily dealing with the surrounding Khitan, Mohe, Silla, and Baekje.

But when they actually encountered the Six Garrisons under Yuwen Tai's command—PUBG players who had come from the north—the disadvantages became apparent.

The Goguryeo army gradually showed signs of defeat, which made Eulji Hong-gwang furious and angry.

"What did I tell you? These bastards, what are they trying to innovate in tactics, what are they trying to build in cavalry, what are they trying to learn in terms of proactive attacks? We Goguryeo people should rely on the mountains and natural defenses, lure the enemy deep into our territory, and then take the opportunity to defeat them."

The veteran general Gou Douliu felt a pang of sadness at this and lamented:

"A direct confrontation? The world is going to the dogs!"

Murong Qing, standing to the side, was at a loss for words. Eulji Hongguang seemed to be suffering even more than if he himself had lost.

"Our Goguryeo people's excellent strategies against Cao Wei, Jin, Northern Yan, and Tuoba Wei back then have been thrown into the dustbin by these scoundrels in just over a century. Now we've made a fool of ourselves, haven't we? If this continues, let alone the armies of the Central Plains, we'll lose to Baekje, then to Silla, then to the Khitan, then to the Mohe. By then, we'll have nothing left to lose, and our country will perish!"

Murong Qing listened to the chattering around him, but his eyes remained fixed on the battlefield.

"Nyar, look, an ambush!"

What Eulji Honggwang didn't expect was that just when the Goguryeo army was at a disadvantage, a Goguryeo ambush force hidden in the mountains joined the battle, changing the situation on the battlefield.

Eulji Hongguang nodded unconsciously and said:
"Taking them by surprise, it seems these scoundrels haven't completely lost their skills as Goguryeo people."

Murong Qing was taken aback when he saw the approving look on Eulji Hongguang's face. "Do you want to hear what I have to say again?"
Which side are you on now?
Seeing the situation on the battlefield, Eulji Hong-kwang also came to his senses.

While Eulji Hong-kwang was pleased that his military ideas had been implemented, his current situation made him break out in a cold sweat.

Until Hou Jing led a cavalry force into the battlefield, he completely secured the victory.

"Just as I predicted, these incompetent fools are utterly incapable of handling important tasks!"

After saying this, Eulji Hong-kwang left.

Looking at his limping posture, as if he had been scared half to death, Murong Qing understood something.

It was not as he expected at all!
……

(End of this chapter)