The snow was blinding, the water had already frozen, dozens of infantry marched on the vast snowy plain, the column was short, and the road was very smooth. The soldiers came from Bazhou across the Juma River, and although the weather was cold, they could still sweat while carrying heavy loads and walking.
Wang Zhang saw a large number of troops coming from the north, and the black clouds on the snow were very conspicuous. He rode slowly on his horse, just watching the 30,000 mounted infantrymen from Gu'an County appearing in the north.
As expected, a scout came to report that Yuan Jiangjun had arrived with his troops.
Wang Zhang let out a long sigh.
After a long time, the two armies gradually moved closer. A cavalry squad came over with flags, and Wang Zhang led his troops to greet them. When the two squads met, Wang Zhang recognized Yuan Yan's face.
The two were both generals of the Palace Front Division, but they only knew each other. They were not very familiar with each other, let alone good friends.
But at this moment, Wang Zhang suddenly felt a sense of intimacy with Yuan Yan. Seeing Yuan Yan's excited expression, he was probably the same. The two of them saluted on horseback and looked at each other. General Wang greeted General Yuan.
Wang Zhang said: At this meeting, we have 45,000 people.
Yuan Yan pretended to be calm and pointed to the vast white land in the northwest: General Yang Biao has more than 20,000 elite cavalry not far away, and we have nearly 70,000 people on our side.
The two men bowed again, and everything was said without words. With nearly 70,000 elite soldiers gathered together, their confidence was much greater.
The two armies merged into one large army. Yuan Yan's troops distributed some of the cavalry's mounts to Wang Zhang. There were still not enough horses, but these horses were not used for combat, so some were ridden by two people. The army turned around and marched north again.
Yuan Yan said: Bazhou is only seventy-five miles away from Gu'an City, and now there are only a few dozen miles left. We can rush to Gu'an without stopping and live in peace.
Wang Zhang pretended to be nonchalant and said: When we get to Gu'an, we'll get a lamb to roast.
Yuan Yan smiled and said: We need wine
Wang Zhang looked around. The vast white plain looked like the sea. Even though it was only a few dozen miles away, he still felt a little uneasy.
The weather was clear and it stopped snowing. The horse hoof prints left by Yuan Yan's troops when they came were still there on the snow, as if they were a road across the vast sky.
That night, the main force of the infantry arrived at Gu'an on horseback and entered the city. The mobilization was very smooth, and the infantry riding horses still played a certain role; even if the Liao army knew about the Zhou army's mobilization, everyone could only ride horses for a few dozen miles, and the Liao army could not catch up with them if they were dispatched temporarily.
But the next day, the army encountered a problem on the way from Gu'an to Zhuozhou. The main force of the Liao army was just north of Zhuozhou, and the threat to this road was too close.
Yuan Yan asked the cavalry general who came to report the situation urgently: Does Li Dianjian have any military orders
The general said: "I am the one sent by General Yang Biao to warn Yuan Jiang's army, but I don't know Li Dianjian's military order.
Wang Zhang on the side reminded: Even if the mounted infantry did not run away, they would be vulnerable to the Liao cavalry. General Yang suffered a great loss at the beginning of the year, and Luo Mengzi died in that battle.
Yuan Yan made a prompt decision: Order the entire army to form a square formation according to the pre-arranged plan.
Get the order
The drums in the army suddenly beat loudly, and the trumpets also wailed. A team of messengers scattered to various units, and they hurriedly shouted: "There is an order from the enemy, and the whole army will form a battle array according to the strategy!"
A large number of people and horses were moving towards the center. It was crowded and noisy, but they were orderly and moved very quickly. After all, they were elite soldiers who had fought in many battles, and everyone from the generals to the soldiers were very familiar with the battle formation.
Not long after, another military official found the central army flag with a letter from Yang Biao: Yang Biao's cavalry would move to the east and wait for an opportunity to attack on the right wing of the infantry formation; Yang Biao sent a fast horse to Zhuozhou, suggesting that Li Chuyun's troops leave Zhuozhou to protect the infantry from fighting on the left wing.
After a long time, the sun was still in the east. The black cloud formed by countless people and horses in the north gradually swallowed up the white on the plain. It was coming with great force.
The Zhou army infantrymen were wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, and were in good order. They had formed into tight square formations and were waiting on the spot.
Although the large-scale confrontation was expected, it came very suddenly.
The Liao army stopped about a mile away, and the outlines of their flags and horses could be seen from afar. The two armies faced each other from a distance, and small groups of cavalry were running back and forth in the open space in the middle. The movements of the horsemen drawing their bows could be seen clearly, and a conflict had already occurred.
At this time, a large group of cavalry from the center of the Liao army rushed out from the formation and quickly dispersed and drove away the Zhou scouts in front. The cavalry approached within 200 steps, and the divine arms in front of the Zhou army's phalanx had already pulled arrows from the quiver.
However, the Liao army's vanguard did not move forward, but just wandered slowly not far away.
The tense and urgent situation suddenly came to a standstill, just like a galloping horse, whistling in the wind like a sharp arrow, but suddenly being restrained in place.
The Liao army dispatched a large number of main forces, and even the Liao emperor Yelu Jing rode to the front of the army
If we hadn't caught the Zhou army here, they would have been able to gather a large force right under our noses. Xiao Siwen said in a deep voice, the Zhou army's imperial infantry marched on horseback.
Yelu Xiu'ge observed the deployment of the Zhou army and said: It is not appropriate to attack at this time. The Zhou army's infantry will not be a pushover after forming a battle formation.
The Liao Emperor frowned and looked at the huge scene of people and horses without saying a word.
Yelu Xiu'ge's previous strategy was to lure the Zhou army's infantry to a decisive battle, and then use mobility to attack the reinforcements halfway, but now that nearly 100,000 Zhou army infantry and cavalry have been mobilized to this area, the strategy seems to have failed. Yelu Xiu'ge immediately said: You can line up your troops to confront them without fighting, wait for their troops to mobilize and the formation to be shaken, and then use the cavalry to find an opportunity to break the formation
We can only wait. Although Yelu Jing has a bad temper, he can keep his composure at this time. After all, neither of the two warring countries can afford the consequences of a major defeat.
Yelu Xiuguo said: "It is up to us to decide whether to fight or not. If there is a chance, we will fight. If there is no chance, we will withdraw from Zhuozhou and attack Jinzhou in the east. We will lead the Zhou army eastward and look for another opportunity to fight."
Xiao Siwen said: Zhuozhou is close to Youzhou, and the Liao Dynasty can transfer siege weapons and infantry from Youzhou to attack the city; if we go to Jinzhou, it will be far away and it will take a lot of time to transport the baggage.
Yelu Xiuguo said: "The fortress is low and can be conquered without siege equipment. Give the Xi soldiers and the Jurchens some war horses and let them ride to Jinzhou. Then we can go around and capture some Han people to fill the ditch."
Xiao Siwen frowned and said: If we fight like this, even if we defend Youzhou, it will be more difficult to govern Youzhou in the future.
Yelu Xiuge disagreed and said: Fear and awe can make Han people obey more easily.
In any case, the battle could not be fought at the moment. The Liao army had a slight advantage in terms of horsepower, and the same number of cavalry was more powerful than infantry; but the cost and consumption of cavalry were much greater than infantry, so the Liao army was willing to use cavalry to fight against Zhou infantry on a large scale only when they were full.
Moreover, the current deployment of the Zhou army is difficult to attack, and there are large groups of elite cavalry protecting the left and right wings, making it difficult to outflank the infantry.
But the Zhou army did not dare to attack easily. Its infantry could not catch up, and if they ran too fast, the phalanx would be scattered; the cavalry was not enough to defeat the main force of the Liao army alone.
For a while, the battle situation came to a temporary stalemate.
At the Bazhou Palace, Guo Shao's imperial guards only had 5,000 infantrymen left, and all their strength was put on the line. One can imagine the pressure he felt after hearing the news.
But Guo Shao did not act rashly. No matter how anxious he was, he could only bear it. At this time, the front line had General Li Chuyun who could mobilize and deploy various troops. Li Chuyun was closer and faster, and he understood the actual situation more clearly and more easily. If he interfered with the front line now, it might have a counterproductive effect.
Guo Shao repeatedly pondered and speculated about the situation, but he kept it in his mind or wrote it down on paper.
The deployment and arrangements for this battle had not yet reached perfection and strictness, and Guo Shao alone could not have considered everything carefully; even with the advice of many officials and staff from the Qianying Military Office, the ancients seemed to lack some kind of systematic method in terms of massive information calculation and management, and after all, not everything could satisfy Guo Shao.
For example, there is a loophole. In the early stage, because the mounted infantry was too poor at fighting, this type of soldiers was cancelled; the cavalry thus increased the ability to run long distances. However, in the actual battlefield, there was a need for rapid mobilization of infantry.
Horses were temporarily transferred to a part of the infantry, but a problem that arose hastily was that all the war horses were in Gu'an, which was a mistake in the early deployment arrangements.
If the Bazhou infantry had horses, they could immediately ride to Gu'an quickly; there would be no need to take the conservative and safe approach of the two armies joining forces in order to prevent being attacked along the way.
How could Guo Shao hide his concern at this time? He had a gloomy face and the veins above his temples bulged.
The soldiers who brought him tea were so nervous that their hands were shaking slightly, and they were so careful as if they were holding a plate of tofu.
Guo Shao walked back and forth several times and asked: "Is there any news from Dong Zunhui?"
Wei Renpu said: Not yet, but according to the established strategy, he set out from Bazhou to Gu'an yesterday, rested for a day before attacking. It happened that Wei Renpu took a look at the situation outside today, and it was probably time to send someone back to report.
As soon as he finished speaking, an official walked into the hall from under the eaves outside, walked quickly to Wei Renpu and handed him a letter. Wei Renpu unfolded it and bowed: "News from Dong Zunhui, he has led his army out of Gu'an City this morning and has not changed his direction."
After hearing this, Guo Shao turned around and looked at a large map hanging on the wall. The colorful lines on it looked fancy but practical. He looked at the unmarked route calmly, as if he saw the horses led by Dong Zunhui running on the map. No one knew this route except Guo Shao and Dong Zunhui. This was the highest level of confidentiality. Of course, Dong Zunhui could change the route at will according to his own judgment after he was dispatched. There was no situation in the early stage, so it should be where Guo Shao's eyes were.