***
"Quick! Quickly mobilize the cavalry. I think Duoduo is going to cut off his rear to survive this time. As long as he is willing to sacrifice some men and horses, it will not be difficult to cross the river. Once he is allowed to cross the river, Liu Meng is mostly an infantry and will not be able to catch up with him. Quickly mobilize the cavalry!"
Qin Mu was shocked by what Hongniang said.
Yes, under normal circumstances, with the Qin army guarding the other side, it would be difficult for Duoduo to build a bridge to cross the river. However, by cutting off the tail to survive and sacrificing some people, he could still cross the river quickly.
The Qin army had few troops west of the Xiang River and east of the Lai'an River, but most of them were cavalry. They had the most troops south of the Chu River, but the least cavalry. Duoduo's choice of going south was not only unexpected, but also very tricky.
If Duoduo cannot cross the river, then it is fine. Once he successfully crosses the Chu River, no matter how many infantry Liu Meng has, it will be in vain. Duoduo can fight if he wants to, and leave if he doesn't want to. Liu Meng has no ability to pursue him. This is also the reason why Hong Niangzi is anxious to ask Qin Mu to transfer cavalry to assist in the defense of the south.
But where will these cavalry come from
There is no way to mobilize them. Su Jin has been fighting for a whole day, running back and forth. It is good enough that he can get back in time to block the east bank of Lai'an River. Soldiers are not made of iron. Even if the soldiers can grit their teeth and hold on, the horses will be exhausted to death.
As for the west bank of the Xiang River, the main force was Li Jiu and his six or seven thousand cavalrymen who were responsible for blocking the enemy. If Li Jiu was transferred to the south, who would defend the western side of the Xiang River
No, all the cavalry that can be mobilized in time have been used up.
Since the Eastern Expedition, the Qin army has seized a large number of war horses, but cavalry requires long-term training to form. Having war horses does not mean having cavalry. Currently, the Qin State has only 50,000 cavalry in total, of which 40,000 are from the Guanning Army and the Dashun Army.
First, it was due to the need for war. Second, it was also to prevent trouble before it happened. The 30,000 to 40,000 cavalrymen who had surrendered from the Guanning Army and the Dashun Army were scattered in Xiangyang, Luzhou, Huoshan, Taizhou, Huai'an and other places after reorganization. How could they be transferred back in time
Hongniang flicked her whip and said anxiously, "I can't wait any longer. Give me the 4,000 cavalrymen in the city. I will find a way to cross the Xiang River from the west and then go south."
Yes, there are still 4,000 cavalry in Chuzhou City. Qin Mu brought 2,000 when he came, and Su Jin left 2,000 when he came. At present, the only cavalry that can be mobilized are the 4,000 cavalry in the city.
"Ying'er, don't be impatient. The more you worry, the more confused you will be." Qin Mu's overloaded brain was about to explode. He walked around the room with his hands behind his back, trying to calm his anxiety. Hongniang followed him back and forth with her eyes, but she resisted the strong urge in her heart and didn't urge him.
Qin Mu suddenly walked to the wall, took off the Juque sword and said, "Ying'er, it's too late to cross the Xiang River from the west and head south. Now we can only fight Duoduo."
"Do you want to go out of the city and fight the Tartars? We only have 4,000 men and Duoduo has 20,000 or 30,000. How can we fight? No, this won't work. The Tartars will fight to survive. Our 4,000 men are definitely no match for his 30,000-man army."
"I know that we can't fight 30,000 Tartars head-on. But we can fight 10,000 or a few thousand Tartars head-on. If we can't completely annihilate Duoduo, it would be good to bite off a piece of his flesh."
"Fight with ten thousand or several thousand Tartars? How can they do what you want? No... What are you going to do? You can't go, you can't go! It's too dangerous, just let me go, you can't go..."
Hong Niangzi suddenly noticed that Qin Mu had taken the Juque sword. She was shocked and rushed forward to snatch it. She had always been a strong woman, but at this moment she was so anxious that she was about to cry.
Qin Mu held her hand and said, "Ying'er, how can I let you fall into danger alone? I, Qin Mu, may not be a hero, but I will never hide behind my woman and let you face danger alone, Ying'er..."
"No, you are the ruler of a country. Daqin can live without me, but not without you. You can't go!"
"Ying'er, do you remember that I told you that we should fight together to Yanran Mountain? Let's go together, live together, die together, and no one should abandon each other. Well, time waits for no one, let's set off immediately."
Lady Hong tightly grasped his arm, and two tears could not help but burst out, sliding down her usually heroic face. Then, she raised her head stubbornly, not letting the tears fall any more...
"Ying'er, don't cry, hurry up and let's make the enemy cry."
"Well, can you please promise me again? Let's fight to Yanran Mountain together. Before that, you can't make any mistakes. You can't, absolutely not..."
"I promise!"
The two men, one wearing a clouded leopard cloak and the other wearing a red cloak, one red and one black, walked out quickly.
***
On the south bank of the Chu River, Liu Meng's tent was brightly lit.
Liu Meng had a face full of whiskers, like Zhang Fei reborn. His eyes swept across the generals under his tent with a fierce look, and he said in a loud voice: "News came from Chuzhou that Duoduo's army was coming to our south. Whether we can trap 20,000 or 30,000 Tartars to death now depends on us. The King of Qin trapped himself in a dangerous place as bait, and only then did he win this opportunity to annihilate the powerful enemy. If anyone relaxes and lets the enemy escape, don't blame me for being ruthless. Now, immediately strengthen the river defense. I want a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten steps along the Chu River. I will never give the Tartars any chance to take advantage of me. All soldiers should be ready to fight at any time. Go quickly."
“Yes!”
Hao Yaoqi and other generals clasped their fists in response, and with the clanging of their armor, they filed out of the tent, jumped on their horses and galloped away.
The night was as black as ink in the plains. The north wind was howling and blowing on the face like a knife. There were rushing feathered dispatches, torches in groups, thundering hooves, human voices responding, and war horses neighing. The south bank of the Chu River soon became boiling.
The river, which was twenty or thirty miles wide, was patrolled everywhere by Qin soldiers. There was a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten steps.
Tongbai Village is the easternmost camp of the Qin army, with 10,000 troops stationed there. After receiving the strict order from Liu Meng, the commander-in-chief of the central army, the commander Wu Ruyi not only deployed strict defenses on the river bank, but also scattered sentries within a 20-mile radius around the camp.
Wu Ruyi was originally an important general of the Dashun Army. After surrendering to the Qin Dynasty, he was actually more valued than Li Guo and others. He even fought side by side with Qin Mu at night under the city of Anqing. He had been fully integrated into the Qin Army, so he was very conscientious in carrying out orders.
Xia Chengde's two thousand troops launched a surprise attack from the southeast. When they were still more than ten miles away from the camp, they were discovered by the scouts deployed by Wu Ruyi. Upon receiving the alarm, Wu Ruyi immediately sent five thousand troops to meet the attack.
The soldiers, who had been sharpening their swords and ready to fight at any moment, led by Lieutenant General Li Ting, lit torches like a sea, shouted and rushed towards Xia Chengde. Seven or eight miles southeast of the camp, the two armies met and a bloody battle began. In the night and the cold wind, the swords flashed and the sound of killing was like a tide... ... .
Just as the two armies were engaged in a bloody battle, in the dark night on the north bank of the Chu River, a rain of arrows suddenly whizzed in, shooting down several Qin soldiers patrolling on the south bank.
After the nearby Qin army discovered the enemy, they immediately beat gongs and drums to sound the alarm. The banging sounds of the gongs made the night restless.
The Qing general Melezhang Jing Luo De'an on the north bank shouted, "Cross the river quickly, quickly!"
In the dreary night, a thousand Tatars emerged from the darkness in batches. Without the help of anything, they whipped their horses and rushed into the river, then held on to the horses' necks to cross the river. The surface of the river instantly seemed to boil.
The river water was icy cold. The war horses that rushed into the water neighed continuously. Many Tartars were too cold to hold back their cries. The Qin army that came from the south bank kept firing and shooting arrows into the river. Bullets and arrows puffed into the water. Immediately, bursts of screams were heard from the river. Balls of blood surged to the surface of the water. Many Tartars were shot to death, and their bodies were washed away by the river and disappeared on the dark river surface.
Lordan on the north bank roared, and two or three hundred Tatars pressed to the riverside and continuously fired at the south bank. A rain of arrows crossed the river that was more than ten feet wide and knocked the Qin army on the opposite bank to the ground.
Nearly a thousand Tartars were struggling in the Chu River, water splashing everywhere, people roaring and horses neighing. At this moment they had no power to fight back. More and more Qin troops arrived on the south bank, with shadows everywhere, and the sound of gunfire and arrows becoming more and more frequent. The Chu River, which was less than twenty feet wide, became a nightmare for the Tartars.
"Hurry! Hurry!" Lordan kept screaming and roaring, watching his men being shot to death in the cold river under the light of the fire. The helplessness and despair made his heart feel like a huge rock was pressing on it. He couldn't help but want to yell and roar.
The Chu River is less than 20 meters wide and is located in a plain, so the water flow is not fast. Before the Qin army arrived, half of the Tatars held on to their horses' necks and successfully crossed to the south bank.
After soaking in the icy river for a long time, many people were soaked and their hands and feet were numb from the cold wind. However, in order to survive, they still rushed to the shore and fought with the Qin army on the shore.
***********************
ps: Thank you to every friend who gave rewards and voted for monthly support, thank you. The subscription volume is bleak, and it is particularly heartwarming to be able to directly see your support. Haoyuan bows his head again, thank you.
.(To be continued..)
...