The author said: The war is about to begin!
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According to the rules of entertaining guests on the grassland, the distinguished guests should stay in the same tent with the host. Zheng Rong and others knew this. The two generals Cui Nan and Wei Hu insisted on asking the King of Youyan to find a reason to sleep separately. However, Zheng Rong had other opinions: this trip to form an alliance with the Wulin Yala clan was a big deal, and we must not lose the big picture for the sake of small things. Although it was dangerous for the King of Youyan to stay with Dali, it was not a dangerous situation. As long as the 5,000 troops he brought with him set up camp independently and would not be controlled by others, and let Zheng Miao and Qiu Yizi, the two smart kids, stay to take care of them, it should be fine. Cui Nan and Wei Hu wanted Zhongli Kuang to persuade Zheng Rong, but seeing that he said so, they had nothing to say. It was their main business to manage the camp of 5,000 elite soldiers.
The night was uneventful. When Yizhi woke up, he was the only one left in the huge tent. Before he could figure out what was going on, Zheng Miao jumped out of the door and ran to Yizhi, saying in a cheerful tone: "You are finally awake! Go outside and take a look. It's snowing heavily!"
"What's so good about snow?" Yizhi muttered, but he had already started to put on his clothes. In winter, there are many clothes, and Zheng Miao patiently watched Yizhi put on his clothes one by one, then took his hand and ran out of the tent.
A night of storms had sprinkled two feet of snow on Hural. The sunlight shone on the white snow, reflecting the light that seemed to be strengthened several times, making the whole city of Hural sparkle. Yizhi only then saw the full picture of Hural. Hural is a city on the grassland, but its structure is similar to the central radiation and bilateral symmetrical structure of the Central Plains city. The difference may be that the king's tent in the center of the city is surrounded by military camps instead of residential houses, which is similar to Guangyang City, which was originally a military fortress. Despite this, the tent-like houses still make this grassland city full of exotic style. Looking at the grassland outside Hural from a distance, it was also covered with a thick layer of ice and snow by God. At first glance, it looked like a white wool blanket sweeping across the sky and the earth. Even a small hill to the west of Hural was painted with white color. From a distance, it looked like a meat bun just out of the cage, which made people salivate.
"What are you looking at!" Zheng Miao patted Yizhi from behind, "Why don't you go and pay your respects to your father?"
"I'm looking at the heavy snow!" Upon seeing the grassland after the snow, Qiu Yizi couldn't help but repeat the words that Zheng Miao had said to her in contempt, and followed Zheng Miao to find her adoptive father. Although a passage had been cleared in front of the big tent, the two naughty children still looked for places with thick snow. The two people, who were not tall, looked very strenuous with every step, but they never tired of it. The people of Wulin Yala made a "crunching" sound while sweeping the snow and carrying fodder. Looking at the two carefree Han children, they all cast strange eyes. After walking around the entire big tent, Yizi was led by Zheng Rong to a small tent. The golden dome of the tent reflected the sunlight and radiated a brighter light than the snow.
"Father is here discussing things with Dali Khan!" Zheng Miao said.
Qiu Yizhi said "Oh", but did not dare to push the door open like he did in Guangyang. He stood at the door and bowed, saying, "Father, I am here to pay my respects to you!"
A hearty laugh was heard from inside the tent: "Hahaha, we are in the desert grassland, there is no need to stick to any pedantic etiquette. Father is discussing important matters with Dali Khan, you guys go have fun!"
They said they were greeting, but they were actually waiting for this sentence. The two brothers were even more excited after hearing what their father said. Just as they were about to go find Yiran to play, they turned around and saw her smiling brightly behind them. Yizhi was happy to see her and asked, "What fun places are there in Hular? Can we two brothers go there to play?"
Picking flowers in spring, grazing in summer, and hunting in autumn on the grassland are all indescribably fun, but winter is both boring and dangerous. Yizhi asked, and Yiran really had to think about it carefully. Just as he was thinking, he saw a man crawling to the front of the tent and reporting in broken Turkish. After a few words, Dali Khan simply summoned him into the tent to explain in detail. Yizhi and Zheng Miaoke didn't understand Turkish, so they turned around and asked Yiran, but they saw Yiran's face was pale, and he muttered: "Bishimi led 30,000 troops and is 30 miles south of Khural. They will be there soon!"
Before Yizhi could come to her senses, the door of the Golden Tent opened, and Zheng Rong and Dali walked out side by side, followed by two counselors. Zheng Rong spoke first, "Miaoer, Yizhi, go and invite Generals Cui Nan and Wei Hu to the tent to talk!" Dali also shouted at Yiran in Turkish, probably asking her to find the generals. Zheng Miao and Yiran ran out after receiving the order, and only Qiu Yizhi stood there motionless.
Zheng Rong thought that the child was frightened when he heard that the enemy was descending from the sky, so he comforted him with a pleasant expression: "Yizi, don't be afraid, follow your father." Yizi nodded thoughtfully, and followed Zheng Rong into the big tent.
The generals of the two tribes had already stood in their respective groups in the tent. The two commanders also sat in the upper seats as host and guest, with their respective advisers standing beside them for consultation. The only difference was that Qiu Yizi was standing beside Zheng Rong at an inopportune time.
Most of the senior generals in Wulinyala could speak Chinese. To facilitate communication with his allies, Dali sent a message in Chinese: "Where is General Murdoch?"
A general stepped forward and said, "I will be here!"
Dali glanced at Murdoch and said, "What is the current military situation in Piscemi?"
Mei Duo, who was in charge of scouting, said: "Bishimi leads 30,000 light cavalry, and is now 30 miles south, heading towards Hural. Because of the heavy snow, the horsepower is a little slower, but they should arrive within an hour!"
"Okay!" Dali's eyes suddenly showed murderous intent. "I want to ask you, a few days ago I asked you to pay close attention to Pisimi's movements. Why did you discover Pisimi only now? What crime should you be punished for!"
“This… this…” Murdoch stuttered when he heard that the atmosphere was not right, “I only knew that Pismith was in the north, but I didn’t expect… that he would run behind us. It snowed heavily yesterday, and the scouts we sent out only came back today… today… I… I am guilty of death!”
Dali sneered, "Since you have admitted your guilt, then go back and commit suicide!" Murdoch did not hesitate to listen and walked out of the tent with his head held high. Zheng Rong was about to persuade him to save the man's life, but Dali had anticipated it and raised his left hand to say to Zheng Rong, "Your Majesty's kindness, I appreciate it. However, this is the rule of my Wulin Yala clan. If Murdoch's men fail to do their job, he will deal with them in the same way."
Zheng Rong nodded to show his understanding, and asked, "This time, I brought 5,000 elite soldiers from Youyan. I wonder how many soldiers and horses the Khan still has?"
Dali's expression became more serious, and he said, "I am ashamed. I defeated Vishimith a few days ago, and I thought he was fleeing to the north. Therefore, all my elite troops are in the north, and there are only a thousand guards in Khural City. I am afraid it will be difficult to win this battle. Your Majesty is a distinguished guest of the upper country, so please step aside."
"Then may I ask where the Khan is going?" Zheng Rong asked.
"I robbed Bishimi's tent several months ago and killed all his family members. Today Bishimi is coming for my family members in Khural. In this case, how can I retreat and allow the world to laugh at me? But a few months ago, the women and children I sent to your place were all the wives and daughters of the warriors who died before the war. I hope your Majesty can take care of them."
Zheng Rong laughed loudly after hearing this: "The Khan is so bold, and now he asks me to retreat, isn't that looking down on me?"
Dali was shocked when he heard this, and he immediately bowed and apologized, "How dare I, how dare I."
Zheng Rong suddenly stood up, exuding a terrifying aura. "I have fought on the grasslands a few times, and the five thousand elite soldiers I brought with me this time are warriors who have survived hundreds of battles. They can fight against Vishimith! I just don't know what plan the Khan has to repel the enemy?"
Dali knew that what he said just now had violated the taboo of King Youyan, so he quickly apologized: "Please sit down, please sit down. Your Majesty has defeated Biximi many times, and your reputation is known to all. This time, the enemy is more numerous than us, and I would like to ask your Majesty for advice."
Zheng Rong seemed to have a plan in mind, but he still pretended to be in deep thought. Everyone in the tent was waiting for Zheng Rong to speak, and the air seemed to freeze. At this time, Qiu Yizi, who was standing aside, pulled Zheng Rong's sleeve and said softly: "Godfather, I also have a plan, I wonder if I can tell you?"
Although his voice was soft, it resounded like thunder in the ears of everyone in the silent tent. "You are just a little kid, how can you have a say in a discussion of military and national affairs?" Cui Nan thought to himself, but he did not dare to speak out because of his status as the adopted son of King Youyan.
Zheng Rong was very generous and said, "We need to gather everyone's ideas at this time, so Yizhi can speak boldly!"
After hearing what Zheng Rong said, Qiu Yizhi took a step forward, plucked up his courage, and began to introduce his strategy to the experienced generals below. He was still stumbling in the first few sentences, and it was obvious that the generals' contemptuous expressions gradually turned serious, and they would discuss with each other from time to time. Yizhi became more and more confident, and he talked nonstop until he finished his strategy, then he let out a long breath and turned back to Zheng Rong.
Youyan King Zheng Rong frowned and stared into the distance, his eyes dull as if he was dreaming. He was obviously thinking about Yizhi's strategy just now. After thinking for a while, he came to his senses and asked, "Yizhi, who taught you what you just said?"
Yizhi said with emotion: "When Yizhi was in Guangyang, he studied classics and history during the day and read military books at night. His adoptive father often explained war examples over the years to Yizhi... This is something Yizhi came up with himself."
Zheng Rong was very pleased to hear this and said to Dali beside him: "Yizhi's strategy is exactly what I think, Khan Dali."
Dali was also an excellent general. He would not have any preconceived prejudice against the strategist just because he was a young man. Otherwise, he would not have used Cai Wenchou, a Han strategist. So he thought to himself, "Your Highness's plan is risky, but it's worth a try!"
"Okay!" Zheng Rong said happily, "Now that we have made a plan, I hope you will all work together to defeat the powerful enemy! Where are the generals?"
"I'm here!" All the generals in the tent stepped forward and shouted in unison.
After receiving Zheng Rong's order, Wei Hu left the tent first. Seeing that General Cui Nan was still walking slowly, he turned around and walked to his side, complaining, "Although Qiu Yizhi is naturally smart, he has never been on a battlefield. He wants to make plans based on reading two military books. Why do we have to risk our lives? This prince is the same today. He is a famous general among famous generals, but he is so foolish as to believe the plan of a child. Did he drink too much goat milk on the grassland? Look at what idea Yizhi came up with. Apart from other things, he even asked the Han soldiers to put on the skin of the Turks. It's really inexplicable!"
Cui Nan walked and listened to Wei Hu's complaints without saying a word. Suddenly, he said softly and firmly: "Since it is the general's order, we have no choice but to obey. Haven't you heard that Gan Luo was appointed prime minister at the age of twelve? Does this mean that Lu Buwei is also old and confused?"
Yizhi wanted to follow Zheng Rong, but was not allowed to do so. However, Zheng Rong thought that the strategy he was using was Yizhi's, so he decided to take Qiu Yizhi with him. So Yizhi put on the leather armor that Dali Khan wore when he was a child hunting, and accompanied by Zheng Rong's most skilled personal guard, he walked away on the snow, which made Zheng Miao and Yiran, who could only follow the main force, very envious!
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PS. In ancient times, both in China and abroad, cavalry had an inherent combat advantage over infantry. This advantage was 30% in archery, 20% in charging, and 50% in being able to quickly conduct long-distance roundabout raids, which often achieved unexpected results and formed strategic initiative. (To be continued)