Just when Wu Feng had high hopes for the war on the Western Front, the Northwest Defense War also officially kicked off. As the tentative attack unfolded, what followed was a frontal attack by the Luo Bei cavalry like a violent storm. After several tentative attempts to understand Xijiang's semi-arc defense system, Tu Da soon discovered that the Xijiang Army had placed their most powerful Gaoyueren Infantry Division in the middle. This was the most powerful A prudent approach can cover both sides and protect the Chinese army from being easily overwhelmed. However, it is difficult for just one Gaoyue Infantry Division to cover the entire front, especially under the rapid and rapid impact of one's own cavalry. Their northern and southern battalions had no time to react quickly when the attack came.
Kang Jianguo, who was the commander-in-chief of the defense of the Tuqi Plain, only then truly felt the fierceness and bravery of Luo Bei's cavalry. At this time, Ling Tianfang, who had handed over all defense to Kang Jianguo, also saw Luo Bei's heavy equipment after Tu Da's transformation. The power of cavalry.
In fact, the Luobei heavy cavalry in the past could not be called heavy cavalry at all. They wore crude mail armor, an inferior iron helmet, and a lance slightly longer than the imperial light cavalry lance. The so-called armored cavalry's entire property, in the eyes of the Empire and Liberia, it turns out that the Luobei cavalry cannot be called armored cavalry or heavy cavalry at all. At most, they can be regarded as mail cavalry. This kind of The title is obviously a sarcasm and ridicule or an insult to the Luobei cavalry.
But the current Luobei armored cavalry is obviously different from usual. Although the tightness and quality of the iron leaf armor seem to be somewhat different from the Empire's heavy cavalry, the gap is even greater compared with the heavy cavalry of the Liberian countries. , but after all, I finally have a decent iron leaf armor. This is an essential improvement compared to the crude mail armor of the past, and the iron helmet also imitates the heavy cavalry of the Liberian countries. An animal mask is added to cover the face, which can protect the cavalry's face from being injured by stray arrows. It can also enhance the psychological power of the cavalry themselves. The biggest improvement is the emergence of horse armor. Although it is just a few simple leather armors that can only be called horse armor, the improvement in the protection ability of war horses cannot be underestimated. This kind of leather armor is placed on the horse's chest, Important and vulnerable parts of the horse such as the horse's belly can play a very important protective role, especially the defense against flowing arrows is quite effective.
The iron tools were also improved after the heavy cavalry of the Liberian countries. At a glance, it is obvious that most of the spearheads made of iron come from India. The Hyderabad region in northern India is rich in iron ore deposits. However, the Indians' poor iron-making technology affected the quality of their wrought iron. However, due to restrictions on refined iron exports from surrounding places, especially Western Xinjiang, the Luobi people had no choice. At least this kind of long wedge-iron spearhead is much more powerful than the original Luo Bei cavalry's long wooden stick connected to an ordinary rotten spearhead. Of course, there are also a small number of iron spears. You can tell by looking at the color and brightness that they are different from the wrought iron produced in India. They are shiny and dull, and even a non-expert knows that they are top quality. After capturing one or two, Ling Tianfang concluded that these were special spears for heavy cavalry imported by the Luobi people from the Hansen Alliance through smuggling.
Although Ling Tianfang had already learned about Tu Da's plan to transform Luo Bei's heavy cavalry through the Military Intelligence Bureau, he was still surprised to see the improvement in the strength of Luo Bei's heavy cavalry. As a strategic planner, Ling Tianfang has never considered the use of tactics and on-the-spot command to be his expertise. It is more suitable to leave these specific tasks to generals who have experienced hundreds of battles. It was enough for him to determine the overall situation, so Kang Jianguo naturally assumed the role of commander-in-chief of the front line, while he retreated behind the scenes as an observer to observe the changes in the Luo Bei Cavalry.
Standing at the outpost of the South Camp, wearing a heavy armor as an exception and watching the actual scene of the Luo Bei Cavalry's attack, Ling Tianfang wanted to observe with his own eyes the changes in the Luo Bei Cavalry's combat effectiveness in the past few years. The formation changes of the Luobei cavalry are still as flexible as ever. The superb riding skills of the riders are the basis for their courage to constantly change their formations in front of their own army. These nomadic riders do have natural talents. In this regard, the farming people are also the same. It is difficult to catch up, this is the ability given to them by their long-term nomadic living habits.
The first attack was still the light cavalry of the Luobei people. Some of the messy costumes prove that this team still has no ability to enter the ranks of regularization. Perhaps only the heavy cavalry favored by Tu Da can do this for the entire Luobi army. Facing the Western Xinjiang Army setting up camp, if the Luobi people want to break the camp, the first thing they need to solve is the three-meter-wide trench and the Luzhai and Juma stakes behind the trench. Then they can talk about these two layers of obstacles. The wall of the village. The Luobei cavalry swept in like dark clouds and immediately caused a bloody storm in front of the camp. The second division of the Jerok Army, which had been waiting for a long time, took on the heavy responsibility of defense this time, with crossbows and catapults rolling continuously. The launch immediately made the Luobi cavalry who rushed up feel injured, plus the longbowmen who lined up to welcome them. Each wave of baptism pushed past like a sickle cutting wheat, and what fell were pieces of Luobi cavalry like stubble.
The speed of the improved ballista has been greatly accelerated. Although some range has been sacrificed, it is precisely this rapid-fire weapon that is the most lethal for light cavalry charges. After experiencing bloody battles with the Kamans and Puers, this army was strong enough to face any danger without changing color. The soldiers skillfully operated various instruments, from steps to movements, from gazes to expressions, like a flowing stream without any obstacles or pauses, as if it was an easy tactical exercise.
The loud and clear voice of the order, the harsh creaking of the crossbow spring and winch, the soft sound of the catapult arm, the small red flag waving up and down by the ordering soldiers, the nimble movements of the moving hands placing the crossbow arrows and stone bullets, and launching The hands almost bulge and the eyes bulge, all of which form a vivid and harmonious picture. On the opposite side of the battlefield, the constant sputtering of dark red blood quickly solidified in the sun. The screams and screams filled the entire battlefield. The bloody atmosphere almost made people vomit. Ling Tianfang saw with his own eyes that a Luo Bi cavalryman was pierced through the head by two crossbow arrows. When the white brains mixed with scarlet plasma collapsed thirty meters in front of him, sprinkling out alluring red and white flowers like a goddess scattering flowers, He couldn't help but feel a twitch in his heart.
The efforts of the Luobei people were not unrewarded. The harassment of the first batch of light cavalry only attracted the attention of the Western Xinjiang defenders. The second and third groups holding round leather body-protecting horses and carrying earth bags threw them into the trenches in an attempt to fill them up. Their real purpose was to fill in the trenches in several places with the earth bags falling like raindrops. The trench is equivalent to opening the first gate for attacking the camp.
Ling Tianfang observed carefully. The appearance of the round leather shield of the Luo Bei light cavalry was another highlight. This kind of leather shield originated from the Western Continent was light and flexible. Although it could not resist powerful piercing weapons such as spears and crossbows, However, it has a very good effect in preventing ordinary arrow attacks, and is much more convenient than the generally used infantry shield.
The Luo Bei light cavalry, which suddenly opened and joined, rolled up clouds of smoke and dust outside the south camp. With people shouting and horses neighing, the Luo Bei light cavalry continued to launch offensives. Repeated and consecutive waves of attacks caused considerable damage to themselves and also caused certain losses to the defending Western Xinjiang Army. The Luobei people's riding and shooting skills were outstanding, even if the main purpose was to fill the trenches. The cavalry and archery abilities they still used caused considerable damage to the defending soldiers inside the stronghold wall. Ling Tianfang saw with his own eyes the soldiers on both sides and many archers around him fell down in the rain of arrows from the Luobi people. The cruelty of the war It is inevitable for either party.
This was only the first day, and the war was so tragic. The Luobei people also seemed to realize the importance of time to them. The Mote and Tubu cavalry organized by Zhou Tinggui on the East Tengger Grassland obviously played a role. The Luobei people, who had been silent for so long, finally broke out. Look at them The purpose seemed to be to avoid the center, break through their own defenses from both wings, and finally form a joint attack. The power of Gaoyue's heavy infantry left a deep impression on them, and it seemed that they were unwilling to repeat the same mistake.
Just as Ling Tianfang predicted, the Fourth Division of the Jerok Army, which was responsible for the defense of the North Camp, was also under tremendous pressure. However, although this infantry division composed mostly of Gao Yue soldiers is not a pure heavy infantry division. However, because a large number of Gaoyue soldiers joined, the division commander Zeppelin not only retained a heavy infantry regiment according to the mixed division organization, but also specifically requested the Military Affairs Administration to change a light armored infantry regiment into a heavy infantry regiment. , and an archer regiment was replaced by a spear-thrower regiment with Gaoyue characteristics. As a result, the combat effectiveness of this division has far exceeded that of an ordinary infantry mixed division.
In the face of the crazy incoming Luobi cavalry, bows, arrows, crossbows, and slings still played the main role. The outcome of the battle was surprisingly consistent with that of the Nanying encounter. It's just that the Luobei people obviously put more troops in the northern camp and had stronger combat effectiveness. The light cavalry launched continuous charges and threw earth bags at the risk of their own lives. Sometimes a cavalry could only repeat it twice before being killed. He was killed by a heavy rain of arrows and stone bullets. But this does not dissuade the Luobi people from their determination.
The spear-throwers played a role as the nemesis of the armored cavalry. More than four thousand spear-throwers were divided into two waves and took turns to throw. The strong physical strength of the Gaoyue soldiers was also fully demonstrated at this time. They fired several spears in one go with their bows left and right, and still breathed smoothly and freely. And the shrill screams caused by thousands of fast-flying muskets are almost enough to make people's eardrums burst. Even the heavily armored cavalry of the Kaman people could only retreat in the face of such a spear that could penetrate stone and wood. How could the Luobei cavalry resist its attack? However, the courage of the Luobei people was fully demonstrated at this time. Despite the damage caused to their own side by throwing spears and punctures, the Luobei cavalry was not intimidated. Their huge advantage in numbers and dispersed formations won them a lot of points. , the trenches, deer villages and stone piles of the North Camp were cleared even faster than that of the South Camp, and the armored cavalry who came and gathered into a square formation quickly launched a full-scale attack based on the breakthrough.
The number of Luobei infantry following the charge of the heavy cavalry was not large, but they made good use of the cover of their partners. They did not participate in the attack. They only came into play under the wall of the village, but the West The Xinjiang side's hard work on the wall and fence made Tu Da's infantry specially designed to deal with the Western Xinjiang people's strong wall wall suffered enough. Killing, ambushing, and soaking the huge trees building the wall with water every day. This made the Luo Bei infantry who tried to set fire to the wall to achieve their goal return in vain and paid a huge price in vain.
The first day of the Tuqi Plains battle ended with a comprehensive victory for the Western Xinjiang side. The Luobi people only filled in part of the trenches and deer villages after paying a huge price. They suffered a bloody blow in front of the tall and solid village walls. , in order to break through this point, the Luobi people need to invest more strength and make more thorough preparations. But this is only the first day, the war will continue. There was still plenty of time, and Tu Da, who thought he had figured out the details of the opponent, was quite satisfied with his side's performance on the day. Especially the bravery and fearlessness of the armored cavalry when covering the infantry operations made Tu Da very comforted. This army that he personally forged was finally able to step forward to take on more important tasks, and it was not in vain that he had worked so hard and spent huge sums of money to build it for several years.
Looking at the darkening sky ahead, Tu Da's mood did not relax. He was not worried about the battle situation in front of him. Although it seemed that the Xijiang Army had won a complete victory in today's battle, the Xijiang Army only had a few trump cards. , the time for their armored cavalry to truly play their role has not yet come. As long as they break through their stronghold wall, they will have to rely on the bodies of their soldiers to compete with themselves. Only then will the decisive battle truly test their strength. The enemy's Gaoyue heavy infantry is not large in number. Moreover, in this confrontation, no matter how powerful the Gaoyue infantry was, they could only passively defend against the impact of the heavy cavalry, as long as they could flexibly deploy and coordinate the light cavalry. It is only a matter of time before the continuous camp in front of them is completely defeated.
What made Tu Da a little worried was his rear and southern front. The supply lines in the rear were constantly being harassed by the Motes and Tubu people, and the scale and intensity were getting bigger and bigger. He had to deploy two elite troops of ten thousand cavalry to strengthen them. The defense of the supply line does not seem to be very effective. As the owners of this land, the Mote people are as familiar with this land as the Luobi people, although this land has long been invaded by two tribes in the northwest. bridgehead, but at this time it has become another major battlefield for the confrontation between the two races.
But this was not the main reason for Tu Da's worries. What worried him the most was the southern route. Although Kurdo is experienced and calm, he is already worthy of a big job. But considering that he was facing He Lianbo, a wild man who was born as a mountain king, and it was common for that guy to act unconventionally, this made Tu Da unable to let go of his worry. Judging from the early battle reports, Kurdo's arrangement and handling of military affairs should be remarkable. The Western Xinjiang Army's attempt to use the terrain advantage to curb its own side's harassment did not have much effect. It used its mobility advantages more flexibly. Instead, the Western Xinjiang Army fell into a desperate situation. If you want to rely on infantry to intercept the cavalry that comes and go without a trace on land, unless you have a cavalry force comparable to your own and a just right geographical location, that is the only way. Just have a chance. However, Tu Da did not think that the Xijiang people had such strength in this land of the Western Regions.
Tu Da did not intend to interfere with Kurdo's command. Since he authorized him, it proved that he recognized the other party's command ability, and the early results also proved this, and he adopted this method of harassment against Kurdo. The Western Frontier garrison in the Western Region seems to have no better means of dealing with it. In this case, Tu Da has higher requirements for Kurdo. After all, if one hundred thousand cavalry can conquer one or two cities in the Western Region, it may have an impact. This is also very helpful in stimulating the confidence of the people in the Western Regions to resist Li Wufeng and damaging Li Wufeng's prestige in the Central Continent. Of course, all this depends on the fighter plane and can only be implemented when the fighter plane is suitable.
After receiving the letter from the intelligence officer who ran in out of breath, Fang Mingjian knew that this battle would be the most difficult for him since he joined the Western Xinjiang Army. The two Luobei attack groups were already in place. Moreover, they are rapidly approaching Anyanji. Among the defenders of Anyanji, there is only one division available. How can Anyanji, a market town with neither city walls nor defense facilities, organize its defense? Beads of sweat as big as peas oozed from his forehead. There was only one chance left until now. Fang Mingjian was not afraid of death. He had participated in several fierce offensive and defensive battles with the Northwest Army, which was his opponent at the time. He was considered to be experienced in combat. He is a veteran of the battle. He has been through life and death several times, and has been through blood and fire. The King of Hell has never taken his life away. Now, should he be afraid of death when fighting against these nomadic barbarians on the grassland? What puts Fang Mingjian under pressure is the order from the headquarters and the legion to hold on to Anyanji, and Anyanji must be held. This is an unobstructed market town. It is not a city with walls and defensive weapons!
As a veteran who has been on the front line since the beginning of the Taiping Army and now the division commander, Fang Mingjian naturally knows how difficult it is to defend this market town, especially when the opponent concentrates two attacks at once That's 40,000 cavalry. The charge of these 40,000 cavalry alone is enough to crush Anyanji. Fang Mingjian doesn't think that he can withstand the opponent's attack by leading a division of soldiers, and reinforcements are far away. In Wusun, it would take at least a day and a half to arrive. How could I persevere during this day and a half? !