Five thousand elite soldiers of Sui Youxiaowei passed through the Langrushan Canyon, and after exiting the canyon, they rushed westward for five miles and stopped. They formed a defensive formation, quickly arranged the horse-repelling antlers on the outermost periphery, and the archers were orderly. Moving forward, they stood inside the antlers and formed a dense formation.
The seven or eight cavalrymen from the Mandu Banner used their lives to buy time for their companions to retreat. Li Xiaozong only had 200 cavalrymen under his command, which was extremely precious. He didn't order the cavalry to continue chasing the three escaped Mongolian cavalry. It is impossible to hide the army's exit from Qingxia. If it is because of chasing the three scouts and losing dozens of cavalry, the loss outweighs the gain.
Even if the three scouts were not let go, the rangers of the Mandu Banner would soon spot Sui's army.
Five thousand Sui infantrymen formed a fan-shaped formation and lined up in multiple rows, forming a solid barrier. Their task is to guard the west entrance of Langrushan Canyon for the follow-up brigade. This is a vital passage connecting the East and the West, and it must not be taken back by the Mongolian people. Once Mandu Latu mobilizes heavy troops to defend the canyon, even if there are 700,000 elite soldiers from the Sui Dynasty on the east side of Langru Mountain, it will not be so easy to rush over.
Yuntai City, the governing city of Mandu Banner, is no less than 1,500 miles away from the Langru Mountains. Even if Mandu Latu learned the news of the large Sui army gathering, it would not take a while to mobilize troops to Qingxia. In Nirvana City, there were only two thousand Mandu banner cavalry. If Mandu Lang, the guard of Nirvana City, is smart enough, the only thing he can do is to hold the city and wait for the reinforcements sent by Mandu Ratu.
Therefore, it seems that Li Xiaozong's task is not difficult.
The well-trained soldiers of the Right Guards formed an formation in the shortest possible time, and thirty ballistas were placed in front of the archers. The heavy crossbow manufactured by Da Sui Wugong Workshop can easily send a giant crossbow 600 paces, shoot through armored horses after 300 paces, and tear a man and a horse into two pieces within 200 paces. , Within a hundred steps, if you want to stop the heavy crossbow, you have to put on six or seven corpses like candied haws.
For this war, Emperor Tianyou of the Sui Dynasty had been preparing for it since he ascended the throne. For more than eleven years, the workshops of the Sui Dynasty have been secretly producing weapons and equipment for war. These equipments were transported by Hutong Tianxia Express and hidden in several palaces in the northwest. Therefore, when the emperor made up his mind to go to war, enough armor and equipment to equip a million troops were already lying in the warehouse.
According to the military system of the Great Sui Dynasty, every fifty people formed a team, and the leader called the team leader. Every one hundred people is a brigade, and the leader is called the brigade rate. Every 300 people is a regiment, and the leader is called the school captain. Every thousand and two hundred people are Zhechong battalion, and the leader is Yajiang. Twelve thousand people form an army, and the leader is a general. Forty-eight thousand people are one guard, and the leader is a general.
Li Xiaozong was only a tooth general, and was ordered to command the troops of the four Zhechong battalions. The commanders of these four Zhechong Battalions are on the same level as him, but they are subject to his restraint.
General Pan Mei was ordered to supervise the soldiers' defense arrangement. This was his first time participating in a foreign war, so he was inevitably a little excited. After the defense was arranged, he turned around and returned to Li Xiaozong. Looking at the general who was as young as himself in front of him, although he was a little unconvinced, Tai Sui's strict military discipline still made him choose to obey and maintain a certain degree of respect for his superiors.
"General!"
Pan Mei yelled, clasped her fists and said, "The archers have been arranged, as long as the men full of wolves dare to come, they will definitely not be able to rush through the arrow formation."
"Don't be arrogant."
Li Xiaozong shook his head: "You have never fought against the Mongolian cavalry, so you don't know how fast their light cavalry is. Let me ask you, according to your past practice when you led troops to train, the infantry went from entering the archer's range to Come forward, how many arrows can the archer shoot?"
"A qualified archer can shoot at least eight arrows. If he is an elite archer, he can shoot ten arrows."
Pan Mei was a little uncomfortable with Li Xiaozong's tone, but she still gave the answer seriously.
Li Xiaozong nodded: "Then, let me tell you... If the enemy is Meng Yuan's Qingqi, from when they enter the range to rushing to the front of the formation, even an elite archer can barely shoot four arrows. The archers set aside time to quickly retreat behind the formation, that is to say... elite archers can shoot up to three arrows, and they must turn around and retreat immediately."
Pan Mei's expression changed, and she couldn't help asking: "Has the general fought against the Mengyuan people?"
"No."
Li Xiaozong shook his head and said earnestly: "But it took me ten years to get familiar with the Mongolian Yuan cavalry. Before entering the martial arts academy, I used to pretend to be a child of a merchant and sneak out to walk around the edge of the prairie. Although I haven't gone deep into the land of Mengyuan, I have seen their cavalry with my own eyes. In the three years as a general in Fan Gu, I sent people to investigate the movements of the Mandu Banner cavalry countless times. In order to accumulate more understanding of the enemy, I lost over fifteen of my best scouts."
"Don't talk about the regular cavalry of the Mongolian Yuan people, just their herdsmen. Boys dare to climb on horseback at the age of four, and they can gallop on horses at the age of six or seven. Children at the age of twelve or thirteen can be proficient in arching horses. A galloping horse can shoot a hare thirty paces away! Even the women of Meng Yuan, they are warriors even if they climb on horseback and pick up a scimitar!"
Pan Mei was a little dissatisfied and said: "General, what you said seems to be promoting other people's ambition."
"No."
Li Xiaozong said: "It is the most basic understanding of the enemy. Our soldiers in the Sui Dynasty have never been defeated by others, so they are proud... But pride does not mean arrogance."
Zhao Sen, another tooth general, saw that there was something wrong with the conversation between the two, so he hurried over to ease the atmosphere: "Actually, these are just the general's preparations. If Mandu Lang is not stupid, he should stay in Nirvana City honestly. Li, instead of attacking with two thousand cavalry."
"who knows?"
Li Xiaozong sighed slightly, and asked after a while of silence: "If it were you, even though you know that the enemy's number is far greater than your own army, but the enemy has already stepped into the house, will you come out to fight?"
"Of course I will!"
Pan Mei proudly said: "But the general thinks that the Meng Yuan people are as bloody as our Sui people?"
Before he finished speaking, a warning horn sounded in the distance.
"Enemy attack!"
…
…
Pan Mei blushed slightly, and couldn't help but glance at Li Xiaozong. He found that Li Xiaozong's attention was all on the enemy, so he breathed a sigh of relief quietly. He looked down on the Mongols and regarded them as barbarians. He thought that Mongolian people would not dare to leave Nirvana City, but he was wrong, Mandu Wolf not only left the city, but also brought all the horses with him.
Two thousand cavalry.
"They actually gave up Nirvana City?"
Zhao Sen was puzzled and said, "If they had such courage, why didn't they just station their troops at the west entrance of the Qingxia? In this case, we may still be in the middle of a bloody battle, and we may not be able to rush over. Although the canyon is not very It is narrow, but if it is blocked by two thousand troops, it will not take a while to break through."
"yes."
Pan Mei was also puzzled: "Why?"
"Because he wants to eat us."
Li Xiaozong said solemnly: "As I said before, we Sui people are proud, and so are Mengyuan people. I know what kind of man Mandu Lang is. He deliberately let us go through the canyon. He is waiting This first battle, and then take his cavalry to defeat us, and use the first battle to boost the morale of the Mongolian people."
"This is arrogance!"
Pan Mei said angrily, "Mandu wolves, who have no one in their eyes, think they can defeat our 5,000 elite soldiers with those 2,000 cavalry?"
Li Xiaozong shook his head slowly, his eyes were filled with worry: "Something is wrong... Send the order, and all the two hundred cavalry will be sent out to patrol the back five miles to the mouth of the Green Canyon. Once you find any enemy cavalry, send a message immediately!"
"The general is worried that the Mengyuan people will steal our way?"
Zhao Sen asked.
Li Xiaozong hummed, then took a deep breath and said, "Anyway, this is the first battle. We must not lose face to Tai Sui or His Majesty. We must defend the canyon. Pan Mei, take a Zhechong battalion and retreat immediately, and return to the mouth of the valley to garrison. In order to leave a place for the army to deploy, we go five miles out of the canyon, and these five miles are our biggest loopholes."
"The general told me to retreat before the battle started?"
Pan Mei said dissatisfied: "I haven't even fought before, but the general sent troops to retreat, which has lost the prestige of our Sui soldiers. I thought..."
"You don't have to think!"
Li Xiaozong turned his head to look into Pan Mei's eyes and said coldly: "You still remember the Great Sui Military Law, I am the chief general, and you have no other choice but to obey my orders!"
"I… "
Pan Mei was taken aback, then clasped her fists angrily and said, "Your subordinate obeys!"
Zhao Sen pulled him from behind and gave him a wink, telling him not to argue. Pan Mei stomped her feet fiercely, then turned her head to order people.
"Youth is inevitable."
Zhao Sen smiled at Li Xiaozong and said, "Don't worry about it, the general. It's always right to be cautious. This battle is very important, and there is nothing wrong with the general's decision."
"The problem is that."
Li Xiaozong sighed slightly: "Many people see war as too simple."
At this moment, a group of about a dozen horsemen and horses were suddenly separated from the opposite Meng Yuanna cavalry team, and galloped towards this side. Li Xiaozong ordered the archers not to shoot arrows, but let the cavalry come over. Not long after, the Mandu Banner cavalry stopped about 30 meters in front of the formation, and the leader of the ten commanders shouted loudly in the language of the Han: "Which one is the general who leads the army, my Master Mandu Wolf wants to talk to you!"
"Bold!"
The Sui Brigade in front of the formation said angrily: "If you don't retreat, you will be killed immediately!"
Li Xiaozong urged his horse forward, and when he got to the front of the battle, he reined in his horse and signaled his soldiers not to move. He raised his head and said to the Mandu Banner cavalry not far away: "I am Li Xiaozong, General of Sui Ya, and call Mandu Wolf to come out." Bar."
After saying this, the dozen or so riders separated, and a knight in iron armor came out slowly from behind. The Mongolian Yuan was rich in war horses but had almost no minerals, so ironware was very precious. Only high-ranking generals can wear iron armor. Even the commander-in-chief can only wear leather armor.
The man urged his horse to the front, clasped his fists at Li Xiaozong with the etiquette of the Sui Dynasty, and said: "I am Mandu Lang, the guard of Nirvana City, and I have long admired the name of General Li."
"General Mandu."
Li Xiaozong also cupped his fists in return.
"General Li, you suddenly led troops into our Mongolian Yuan territory, do you want to give me a reason?"
Mandu Wolf asked.
Li Xiaozong said loudly: "Why should you ask the general knowingly? Just a year ago, your Mongolian cavalry attacked Fan Gu at night and slaughtered thousands of my people. This blood debt must be paid back. Today Li led the troops here, I just want General Mandu to repay my debt. If the general is willing to give out 3,000 heads, Li will retreat immediately."
"It is said that Sui people are shameless, and it is true."
Thirty years old, bearded and burly, Mandulang sneered, "I, the Mongolian people, abide by the covenant that the Great Khan made with your emperor, and no soldier has ever crossed the border. You said that our people washed Fan with blood." Gu, do you have evidence? If you lie to children, you don’t need to say it. If I say that you Sui people slaughtered my Nirvana City, can I also lead troops across the Qingxia and go straight to Fan Gu?"
"sure."
Li Xiaozong smiled and said: "But now I am here to collect debts."
"Even if there is going to be a war, shouldn't you Sui people fight first!"
Mandu Lang said loudly: "You Sui people are known as a state of etiquette, so don't you only do sneak attacks?"
"Gauntlet?"
Li Xiaozong shook his head and said, "I'm just here to collect debts, why do I need a letter of war?"
Mandu Lang sneered and said: "You Sui people always say that you want to teach famous people, and if you teach unknown people, you can go to war at will. Will the people of your country agree? You must know that this time you are not facing a weak and small country like Shang, but The most powerful Mongol Yuan Empire in the world! If you don’t have a reasonable excuse, I’m afraid your people won’t agree.”
"I've already told you the reason."
Li Xiaozong said: "You killed me, Fan Gu, and three thousand civilian soldiers. His Majesty the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty has already announced it to the world. Guess... what will happen to the common people?"
Mandu Lang sighed: "It turns out that you didn't tell me the lie before, but your emperor told his people. If you start a war because of your lie, you will lose."
Li Xiaozong smiled and said: "The outcome is not up to you."
After he finished speaking, he turned his head and said to Zhao Sen, "Send someone to tell Pan Mei that the Mandu wolf must have some schemes to procrastinate here, so let him stick to the canyon!"
At this moment, behind the army formation, there was a faint shout of killing from the direction of the canyon, which made everyone's hearts beat faster.
"Surprised?"
Mandu Lang laughed loudly and said, "You Sui people are said to be scheming, but I think you are all arrogant and arrogant idiots! Your retreat has been cut off, surrender... I will not let you live."