On October 3, 691 in the Continental Calendar, the war between the Tanghe Empire and the Luobei people officially started in the Tuqi Plain within the Qingyang Prefecture of the Empire. On October 3, Ha Xian, a subordinate of General Tu Da of Luo Bei Zhengdong, led his 30,000 light infantry and cooperated with 30,000 light cavalry led by Ge Ya to launch a tentative attack on the imperial army stationed in the central part of the Tuqi Plain. They were cautious about the first official confrontation and still had reservations after the battle started.
After the sun came up, the Luobi people launched the attack first. The 30,000 light infantrymen, under the leadership of Hasian, steadily advanced in a layer-by-layer approach. The Luobi people's infantry carried their own bows and arrows, which was different from the empire. This method is conducive to infantry defense, and it is relatively fast to change formations, but it is difficult to organize effective resistance when attacked by cavalry. However, before the war, Tu Da had already confessed to Hasian and told him about the first day of the battle. They are all tentative. It is impossible for the enemy to immediately invest cavalry troops, and they will definitely focus on defense. Moreover, the main purpose of his infantry is to attract the opponent's heavy infantry, and they are not prepared to truly engage in large-scale positional battles. It was the light cavalry led by Ge Ya.
After Hasian successfully pinned down the heavy infantry phalanx in the center of the enemy's position, Geya led 30,000 light cavalry to launch an attack on both wings of the empire. Since almost all of the imperial heavy infantry was placed in the center, it was too late to make temporary changes, and Still under the threat of the opponent's infantry, fortunately all units were prepared. The light infantry used the simple defenses built to defend tenaciously, so Geya's repeated attacks did not take much advantage. After the first day, Luo The Bei people lost nearly 3,000 cavalry, while the imperial defense forces also lost about 4,000 light infantry. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the battlefield after the war. There were discarded weapons, arrows, armor, and horse corpses everywhere. Only the logistics personnel of both sides collecting the remains of the fallen soldiers were busy under the supervision of the other side's sentries.
Night has fallen, and the towering torches on the guard towers of the military camps on both sides illuminate the surrounding area brightly. Patrol teams are constantly coming and going. Luo Beituda camp. "General, our unit lost nearly 3,000 people today, but we obtained very valuable intelligence. I found that the enemy's left wing is significantly stronger than the right wing, and the unit numbers are different from those of the right wing. The left wing seems to be their third legion, and On the right wing is the Second Army, but I don’t know if the enemy intentionally exposed it to lure us into taking the bait." Ge Ya first made a report.
"Probably not. I carefully observed the enemy's Chinese army today. It is quite thick and consists of heavy infantry. It is estimated to be about 50,000 people. The enemy is probably afraid that we will take advantage of the heavy cavalry to force a breakthrough from the front, so on the front The layout is very strong, and no adjustments were made when Ge Ya led the army to attack the two wings, so I guess it is not a trap." Ha Xian thought for a while before saying.
"Then we can consider concentrating our superior forces to break through their right wing, but do we need to observe for another day?" Kurdo also joined in the speech.
"We can't wait any longer. The fighter opportunity is fleeting, and the enemy is not a fool. In addition to Situ Mingzhi, they have other commanders. If they continue to fight, they will be disrupted. It is estimated that the enemy's formation will not change much tomorrow. If we wait, It won't be certain for one day. Tomorrow, Ha Xian will continue to attack from the center to contain the enemy's heavy infantry. Pay attention to maintaining the formation. Lemi, the deputy of Lugeia on the left, will lead 20,000 light cavalry tactics to harass and contain them. It's time to train this kid. In the future The young eagle that has been baptized by the storm will never soar in the blue sky. Curdo led 30,000 armored cavalry to break through from the right, and Geya led 30,000 light cavalry to cooperate with Curdo's attack, in order to quickly open the gap before the enemy's reinforcements arrived. Before that, annihilate the main force of the enemy on the right wing." Tu Da had a look of determination in his eyes.
Tanghe Emperor ** is the main business. In the commander's tent in the middle of the military camp, the sun was bright. Situ Mingzhi was sitting on a big tiger-skin chair in the middle. Deputy Commander-in-Chief Singh was sitting next to him. Division commanders from other departments were sitting around. "Today we A total of about 4,000 people were lost, mainly the light infantry on both wings. They repelled many enemy attacks. However, the enemy seemed to have only dispatched infantry and light cavalry. Their main force of armored heavy cavalry had not yet been dispatched. The enemy was probably also More than 3,000 people were lost, all of them were light cavalry. They did not take advantage, and generally achieved the expected purpose. Tomorrow it is expected that the enemy will send out heavy cavalry. All ministries must be on guard, and the spearmen must be properly deployed to maximize their power. . If you all here still have questions, you can raise them for discussion now." Singer made a brief statement.
"Sir, I think our right wing is too weak. I'm worried that if the enemy discovers this, they will concentrate their forces to attack the right wing. Can you send some heavy infantry to the right wing to assist us in our defense?" The Third Light Infantry Division of the Second Army The division commander made a request, and the 2nd Mixed Cavalry Division on the side also expressed the same sentiment.
"This is for the Duke of Zhen to decide." Singer quickly looked at Situ Mingzhi next to him.
"At present, the war has just begun, and the situation is not completely clear yet. It is not suitable to make adjustments yet. The frontal tasks are very heavy. If the enemy's main force breaks through our position from the front, the consequences will be disastrous. Let the reserve team be prepared and wait for tomorrow Let's observe for a day and then talk." Situ Mingzhi, the leader, finally made the decision.
The two division commanders of the Second Army obviously wanted to make more efforts, but seeing the impatient look on Duke Zhen's face, they had no choice but to swallow their words again.
It was still bright, and the Luobei camp was already busy. Heavy cavalry, light cavalry, and light infantry were all lining up and preparing. Tu Da planned to take advantage of the time when the sky was just getting light, which was also the time when the troops usually prepared breakfast, to launch an attack on the enemy. Tu Da was very satisfied when he saw that all the troops were ready in a short period of time. With an order, the dark troops separated and set off secretly. After leaving the main camp, the 30,000 armored cavalry led by Kurdo and the 30,000 light cavalry led by Geya sneaked south. When they circled to the right wing of the main camp of the Imperial Army, Kurdo and Geya made an appointment at the same time. An attack was launched. At this time, there was no need to hide, and there was no way to conceal strategic intentions. I saw the overwhelming Luobei cavalry divided into two arrows and launched a fierce attack on the right wing camp of the Imperial Army. Kurdo's target was the enemy's infantry defense line, while Geya's task was to assist Kurdo in attacking and contain Support troops.
Zheng Changyong, the commander of the 3rd Light Infantry Division of the Second Army, who was sitting in the tent and preparing to have breakfast, was a little uneasy. He always felt an ominous premonition. At the military meeting last night, his request to increase defense strength was not accepted. It gave him some trouble sleeping. Suddenly, all the officers and soldiers who were preparing to eat felt a slight tremor in the ground, which gradually became more and more obvious. Some soldiers with sensitive reactions had already reacted, "The enemy is attacking the camp!"
A shrill alarm sounded in the camp. The soldiers in the camp panicked for a while and then quickly calmed down amidst the officers' scoldings and orders.
"It's the armored cavalry!" Zheng Changyong, who was standing in the observation post, sighed. Unfortunately, it took only one day for the cunning enemy to discover the weak link.
"Report to the headquarters immediately, saying that the enemy's main heavy cavalry is attacking, please support!" A black line on the horizon quickly became thicker, and the dull sound of thundering horseshoes became louder and louder as the enemy cavalry approached.
"All ministries order, archers prepare!" "Release!" "All ministries order, spearmen prepare!" "Release!" The wild and violent Luobei armored cavalry group only made a slight noise after passing through the shooting area of the imperial archers. Fluctuating, some unlucky guys were shot in places where their armor couldn't protect them and fell off their horses. Before they could even scream, they were trampled to pulp by the iron hoofs of their comrades who followed them in a burst of blood mist. Entering the fifty-meter range, wave after wave of spears caused huge damage to the armored cavalry. The sharp spears with huge inertia pierced the iron armor wrapped around the humans and horses without any hindrance. The cavalry were struck one after another. fell, but the distance was too short. After the forward troops paid a huge price, only simple obstacle fortifications were left between the two armies.
"Enter the whole army to fight!" Zheng Changyong saw that the situation had come to this, and he had no choice but to fight to the death. Otherwise, once this gap was opened, the flanks of the Chinese army behind would directly face the impact of the enemy's cavalry. The consequences would be unimaginable. He only hoped that the reinforcements would arrive in time. Catch up and plug this gap. He took the lead in raising his weapon and shouted angrily: "Brothers, fight the enemy!" He led his own bodyguards to greet the Luo Bei cavalry, which was charging fiercely. But the battlefield is not a stage. The simple obstacle fortifications collapsed under the impact of the Luobei cavalry. What followed was not so much a battle as a massacre. The low morale of the imperial light infantry faced the murderous enemy. Luo Bei's heavy armored cavalry quickly collapsed under the impact of waves. The Luo Bei cavalry wielding maces frantically chased and killed the fleeing imperial infantry. The entire battlefield was filled with the sound of clashing weapons. The screams of war horses, the wild laughter of Luobei cavalry, and even more, the screams of imperial soldiers being killed. Later generations wrote only one sentence in the book "History of the Tanghe Empire's Foreign Wars": "The blood soaked the earth, so that after many years, the crops and food grown by the farmers in this land were a little red, and became the local food. A great spectacle.”
The 2nd Mixed Cavalry Division of the Second Army of the Empire also quickly organized a battle after discovering the enemy attack. The 30,000 light cavalry led by Ge Ya collided head-on with the 2nd Mixed Cavalry Division that had just been formed, and they were killed into a group. Due to the Empire The combat effectiveness of the cavalry was obviously not as good as that of the Luo and Pei cavalry. In addition, the opponent came well prepared and had a slight advantage in strength. However, the second division seemed a bit hasty. Soon the Luo and Pei cavalry gained the upper hand, and soon the third infantry was eliminated. Kurdo of the division pulled out another 10,000 cavalry and launched an attack from the side. The already somewhat unable to withstand the Second Mixed Cavalry Division was even more unable to withstand it. It suffered heavy losses and had to flee the battlefield, while the city guards who came for reinforcements The two divisions of the legion barely arrived and could only catch up to see off the retreating Luobei cavalry.
The battle on October 4th ended with a complete victory for the Luobi people. In this battle, the Luobi people annihilated nearly two divisions of the Imperial Army, totaling 40,000 people, at a small cost of losing more than 3,000 people. In the main camp of the Imperial Army, there was a haze in the commander's tent. The two organized divisions were almost completely wiped out. One division commander was killed on the spot, and another was seriously injured. The loss was so great. This has not happened in the empire in recent years. Come rarely. "Now the two divisions of the City Guards Corps have taken over the defense of the right wing. The Fourth Light Infantry Division of the Third Army has been deployed to the left wing to station at the rear of the Chinese Army as a strategic reserve. In addition, the two heavy infantry divisions of the Chinese Army have Select a regiment from each to strengthen the defense of the left and right wings respectively. If you have any good suggestions, you can put them forward now for the reference of the command center." Singer announced Situ Mingzhi's decision in a low voice.
After hesitating for a while, Lu Dingzhong, commander of the fifth division of the City Guards Corps, finally couldn't help it anymore: "Sir, if we defend passively like this and the ministries cannot attack at will, the Luobi people can make full use of the mobility of their cavalry. , I’m afraid our troops will be consumed too much if we continue fighting like this.”
Situ Mingzhi actually considered this, but he couldn't think of a better solution. He even regretted volunteering to do this. When his subordinate said this, he asked Lu Dingzhong: "What do you think should be done?"
"My subordinates believe that the enemy does not dare to waste time with us and can only launch attacks continuously. If they want to break through our defense line, they must invest most of their main troops. In this way, their main camp will appear relatively empty. If we can hold on While maintaining the defense line, use a force to launch a surprise attack on their main camp and destroy their food and logistics supplies, and they will retreat without a fight. However, I am afraid that the enemy is cunning and will take advantage of our psychology and deliberately design to deceive us. ." Situ Mingzhi felt happy. This was a clever way to solve the current situation of being passively beaten, but he had to beware of the Luobei people's tricks.