Chapter 373 372 Formation

Chapter 373 372 Formation

"This battle is not only for me, but also for the capital. They want to know the actual combat effectiveness of the chariots against the Tatar cavalry."

At this time, Yu Dayou changed the topic and suddenly brought it to the capital.

"Um?"

Liu Han looked over in surprise, a little confused, but he quickly realized the meaning of Yu Dayou's words.

In fact, Liu Han knew more or less about Yu Dayou's crimes.

This guy was sent to prison because he offended Hu Zongxian, the governor of the Jiangnan region who was now in great power to suppress the Japanese invaders. Who was Hu Zongxian?

Of course Liu Han knew about it, and Hu Zongxian had a close relationship with Yan Song, the chief minister of the dynasty, and he had heard it mentioned many times.

The fact that Yu Dayou was able to serve as the chief military officer in the hands of Hu Zongxian fully demonstrated his commanding ability, but it was a pity that he offended others.

But such a person could actually escape unharmed after being thrown into prison by Shangguan. This has to make people look at him with admiration. There is someone behind Yu Dayou, and his ability is not small.

Yu Dayou was thrown into the imperial prison, in the capital, on the territory of Yan Ge Lao. He could still come out of the imperial prison in good condition. At least the people behind Yu Dayou could compete with Yan Song.

People in the official circles naturally knew that if Yu Dayou could get out of the imperial prison, it must be that the people behind him had some kind of exchange of interests with Mr. Yan Ge, otherwise there would be no way he could be released casually.

Now, Yu Dayou finally confessed in front of him that this battle had something to do with the capital, so should he listen to him?

Before, Liu Han also got some information, that is, Lu Bing used to take good care of him.

However, in Liu Han's view, Lu Bing was born in Anlu and came to Beijing with the emperor. How could he become friends with Yu Dayou? In all likelihood, it was the people behind Yu Dayou who asked Lu Bing to take care of him.

But it’s hard to say, who knows what’s going on behind the scenes.

Now that Lu Bing is dead, if it is Lu Bing who is behind Yu Dayou, it seems that he should put his tail between his legs and do something.

However, what did Yu Dayou say just now?

Someone in the capital wants to see the actual combat effectiveness of this crude and outrageous one-wheeled chariot. Who wants to see it?

I guess Yu Dayou wouldn't tell me, so Liu Han could only keep it in his mind and never ask out loud.

However, one thing is firm in Liu Han's heart now, that is, there should be someone behind Yu Dayou. This person can persuade Lu Bing to help look after him, and he can also sit down with Mr. Yan Ge to negotiate terms to get him out of prison. Fish it out.

Faced with such a person's request, Liu Han could not refuse.

In a beautiful misunderstanding, Liu Han relented, changed his position, and chose to support Yu Dayou's decision.

Are you kidding, who is Mr. Yan Ge?

I have to send people to the capital every year during the solar term to send ice and carbon tributes to the officials of all major yamen, and the Yan Ge Mansion will definitely not be left behind.

With such a big shot standing behind Yu Dayou, he couldn't help but accept his weakness.

Fortunately, I had this precaution at the beginning, so I always treated Yu Dayou with courtesy.

"Since General Yu is so confident about this chariot, I don't have much to say. Don't worry about the left and right wings. I will let Ma Lu lead one team, and I will personally lead the other team. I will definitely protect your two wings."

Ma Lu was a Mongolian who had taken refuge. He was skilled in bow and horse, brave and good at fighting. He was Liu Han's number one thug. It was for this reason that he was selected to serve in Yu Dayou's army and participate in the attack on Bansheng City.

The purpose is, firstly, with Ma Lu's participation, Liu Han will be more confident about the final victory, and secondly, it is to give him a chance to be promoted.

If you want people to surrender willingly, you must naturally give them benefits.

For generals, it is the last word to get promoted and make a fortune.

Ma Lu participated in this battle. After the war, it seemed logical to ask for credit and have his position promoted from Staff General to Deputy Commander-in-Chief. Anyway, as a Mongolian who had taken refuge, it was absolutely impossible for him to be the Commander-in-Chief, so Liu Han was not worried that Ma Lu would replace him.

After listening to Liu Han's words, Yu Dayou nodded slightly, indicating that he recognized Liu Han's arrangement. After all, Yu Dayou knew that Ma Lu was really good at fighting as he had fought in his hands.

At midnight, there was finally movement on the grassland to the east of Anyin Fort. Along with the rumble of horse hooves, one could only see the sky in the distance filled with smoke and dust, and a large group of cavalry were heading towards Anyin Fort.

At this time, Liu Han and Yu Dayou had climbed onto the city wall again, looking at the Tatar army coming from a distance.

The prairie is a natural marching road. The armies of both warring parties can travel at will, unlike when they reach the pass, they have to follow the main road because there are mountains and hills.

Anda's pursuers were divided into two queues, advancing side by side, one on the left and one on the right. They looked like two small dots in the distance, and then gradually turned into two lines, arching towards Anyin Castle like caterpillars.

When the Tatars got closer, they saw from the service that one of the teams should be the elite cavalry of the Anda tribe, while the other team seemed to be the Bansheng soldiers composed of the White Lotus cultists in Bansheng City.

From a distance, the Tatar army began to turn, turning toward the southeast of Anyin Fort, and finally stayed on the east side of Anyin Fort, to the south, and gave up the passage between Anyin Fort and Shahu Fort.

Along the walls of Anyinbao, Liu Han and Yu Dayou also moved in this direction, watching a group of Tatar army dismount and start setting up camp, while there were thousands of cavalry groups standing beside them.

"They don't intend to make a quick decision."

Yu Dayou smiled.

"Without this wall, it's hard to say whether the Tatars would directly attack the camp, hoping to defeat us first and then take over the magpie's nest."

Liu Han also laughed and said, "But the Tatars are also cunning enough. They actually gave up the escape route. Do they still want to defeat us and let us continue running south? Then they hacked and killed us behind us."

Speaking of this, Liu Han couldn't help but shake his head.

It is naturally good for ordinary soldiers to release an escape route. Since they cannot stand in a high position, they will not think too much. What seems to be a path of survival is actually a fatal trap.

"Let people go out for a walk, otherwise it will be bad for us if the other side can sleep peacefully tonight."

At this time, Yu Dayou suddenly turned sideways and said to Liu Han.

"Going out for a walk?"

Just by simply repeating these four words, Liu Han's confused eyes lit up, and he understood what Yu Dayou meant.

In the past, when a war was approaching, he would arrange for his soldiers to have a good rest and recharge their batteries, but it seemed that Yu Dayou had a good idea.

So without saying much, Liu Han ordered Ma Lu, the general behind him: "Take three thousand cavalry out through the south gate, go back to the north gate from the west and enter the city."

"A circle?"

Ma Lu was a little confused and didn't understand the meaning of Liu Han's words.

"Just do it."

Liu Han just gave another instruction.

Immediately, Ma Lu clasped his fists and turned around to get off the city wall and organize the team.

This is what Liu Han appreciates about Ma Lu. It doesn't matter if he doesn't understand, just do as he is told.

"After this round, how many people will the Tatars reserve for night duty tonight?"

After losing sight of Ma Lu, Liu Han turned around and asked Yu Dayou.

"Three to four thousand people. It will probably be divided into two shifts. In this way, seven to eight thousand people will not be able to have a good rest. Tomorrow's victory rate will be half a point higher."

Yu Dayou said after thinking about it.

Liu Han sent out 3,000 men to show off their muscles. Our troops must be prepared for a sneak attack by the Ming army tonight, because under their noses, the Ming army dared to wander out of the city.

As for exposing their strength, it is no longer a matter for the two of them to consider at this time.

The Tatars were able to accurately pursue them here. It was obvious that their team had been discovered and exposed a long time ago.

The opponent should know how many cavalry and infantry there are in the team.

Soon, there was movement at the gate of Anyinbao.

Although the tower of Anyin Castle is still intact, the gate has long since disappeared. It may have been dismantled by the family and used for heating. Now the Ming army guarding the gate is pushing away the wheelbarrows and carrying away the front rows. He simply rejected the horse and cleared a way for the army to leave the fort.

The same work has also begun in Beimen.

Not long after, Yu Dayou and Liu Han, who were standing on the fort wall, felt a slight tremor, which was a stronger vibration than the Tatars rushing towards them.

Three thousand Datong elite cavalry, led by Ma Lu, rushed out of the gate of Anyinbao with murderous intent, made a charge towards the Tatar camp more than ten miles away, and then turned in a beautiful arc to the west of Anyinbao. Run.

When the Ming army carried away the horses in front of the fort gate, the Tatars had already discovered the Ming army's unusual movements, but their consistent strength prevented them from reacting.

In front of the absolutely superior army, according to the past practice of the Ming army, they hid in the city and waited for reinforcements.

But I didn't expect that three thousand Ming Army cavalry rushed out from Anyin Fort, and they were charging towards this side with murderous intent.

The two Tatar Qianhu who were on the front line instantly became nervous. While reporting to the camp behind, they formed a team to prepare for battle with the Ming army.

However, before their horses could start running, the Ming army turned a corner and ran away.

At this time, it would be a good opportunity to bite and chase them, but there was no order, and the Ming soldiers were outnumbered. Who knew if they had prepared an ambush in the west?

Ming people are not good at fighting, but they can also use some intrigues.

Before they hesitated, three thousand cavalrymen of the Ming army had already passed by them and headed west of the military fort. Now they had to rush their horses to chase them. They were seven or eight miles apart, so it was difficult to chase them.

The natural way to pursue and kill is to pounce on the Ming cavalry when it turns. At that time, you can just catch the opponent's tail, and then it will be simple.

As for now, it seems that the opportunity has been missed.

At this time, the sound of horse hooves came from behind, and more than twenty war horses came running towards them. All they could see was the smoke and dust raised by the Ming army's cavalry in the distance.

Soon, more than 20 horses from the Tatar side left and returned to the camp.

In the brief conversation, they already knew the actions of the Ming army. The three thousand people rushed out with great force, and they were not afraid of being eaten by their own side.

However, the opportunity had obviously been missed. The two thousand men at the outpost failed to catch up in time to entangle the Ming army. Any attack at this time would just be to follow the opponent's butt and eat dust.

The Tatars continued to camp in an orderly manner, while the Ming cavalry, led by Ma Lu, circled Anyin Castle for half a circle before returning to the city from the north gate. The two city gates soon returned to their original state, with no horses in front. To block it, a shield vehicle defense line established by multiple unicycle chariots was behind.

After making arrangements for the night watch, Yu Dayou and Liu Han both ordered their soldiers to have a good rest tonight.

Originally, many Ming troops thought they were going to rob the camp tonight when they were sent out when the Tatars arrived. However, after repeated explanations from the general and team officers, they put aside their worries and rested in a temporary tent built inside the fort.

The fight starts tomorrow, so let’s have a good meal tonight, and we’ll talk about tomorrow’s affairs.

During this period of time outside the fortress, the Ming army's food was the best they had ever eaten in their lives.

Although the team following Yu Dayou were given a lot of dry food before leaving, they rarely ate after entering the prairie. They only killed and robbed Mongolian cattle and sheep to satisfy their hunger, and large chunks of mutton were left open. eat.

No wonder, the older generation said that going to the grassland to work in the valley was the most leisurely time in the past.

After all, it was an opportunity for the Ming army to improve their lives. Although they had not gone north to the fortress for many years, the legend of going out was still passed down among the military families.

These days, the Datong Army finally realized what it was like.

The night passed quietly, except for the night patrol and sentry. After a busy night, accompanied by the morning light and delicious broth, they began to rest. The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty in each tent gradually woke up from their dreams. After a brief wash, they were ready to eat. .

At this time, Anyin Castle seemed a little noisy.

Of the dozens of wells in the entire military fort, only one was still usable after inspection. Drinking water for 8,000 people naturally caused a lot of trouble.

Fortunately, Liu Han sent his own soldiers to guard the area immediately after the incident, and asked the soldiers who came to fetch water to line up, so order was restored and no bigger trouble was caused.

Even so, the Ming army's preparations were not completed until late in the morning, which was close to ten o'clock in the morning.

The reason why there was no such big trouble yesterday was because the soldiers brought a lot of water with them. Many people saw that there were wells available in the military fort, so naturally they no longer paid as much attention to saving water as before.

With the completion of the preparations, the barriers at the South Fort Gate were cleared, and the Ming army began to slowly drive out of Anyin Fort.

The movement from the Ming army was quickly reflected in the Tatar military camp opposite. The sound of drums and horns sounded from the military fort and from the Tatar military camp opposite, completely breaking the tranquility of the grassland and indicating that a big battle was about to begin. Started again.

The Ming army was led by two thousand cavalry out of the military fort. Then the cavalry made way for the wheelbarrows behind to advance. The last two thousand cavalry left the fort.

The one-wheeled chariot soon began to unfold three miles away from the military fort, and the four thousand Ming army cavalry were also divided into left and right wings to protect them.

At this time, the gate of the Tatar military camp also opened, and pairs of Tatar cavalry rushed out of the military camp and quickly dispersed to the left and right to complete the layout of the military formation.

"The other party responded so quickly. He is indeed an elite Tatar."

Yu Dayou couldn't help but sigh when he saw the formation on the opposite side was almost completed with his back to the camp.

But soon he noticed something was wrong with Liu Han's tense expression.

"General Liu, what's wrong with you?"

Yu Dayou asked.

"It's a little troublesome. There are at least 3,000 people in this Tatar team who are the bodyguards of Anda Khan. The remaining few thousand people should be elites from some ten thousand households. Our intelligence is wrong."

At this moment, when the two sides faced each other, the true military appearance of Anda's army was completely exposed in front of the Ming army.

According to previous information obtained by the Ming army, it was speculated that they were temporarily recruited from ten thousand households. Such a team was slightly insufficient compared to the ordinary Ming army. That is to say, the numerical advantage made Liu Han slightly worried.

But now, what appeared in front of him were temporarily recruited herdsmen.