Overlord!

Although Zhao Yun's Eight Thousand Infantry Cavalry had been preparing for a long time in terms of logistical supplies, they were extremely fast after marching.

There are too many talented generals in the Song army. In addition to Zhao Yun, there are also many famous generals such as Xian Yulie, Xu Huang, He Qi, Xu Sheng, and Li Yan who command this army.

Originally, it would have been a good choice to use Zhang Fei to attack Youzhou, but Zhang Fei was transferred away by Lu Meng, and considering that Zhang Fei was actually just an ordinary powerful man with little influence in Youzhou, and he may not even be famous in Zhuoxian County. Therefore, Zhao Yun was chosen as the commander in chief for this Northern Expedition.

Because Zhao Yun was really selected by Chang Shan as the Yi Cong leader and led his troops to support Gongsun Zan on behalf of the counties.

In the early stage, Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao fought, and the battle line was always in Jizhou.

Zhao Yun is very familiar with the situation in this area, especially in places such as Bohai and Hejian. Zhao Yun has led cavalry back and forth several times.

With Yan and Zhao heroes such as Zhao Yun and Xian Yulie in the army, the Song army advanced quickly and arrived at Yixian before the Youzhou army went south.

Yixian County had already known that the Song Army had attacked Hebei and took precautions early.

However, there was a huge gap in combat power between the two sides. Five thousand infantrymen of the Song army approached the city, with no shortage of baggage or equipment. The army stormed the city and conquered it with a single drum.

Supervisor Li Yan attacked fiercely, and the army quickly defeated the few thousand defenders and captured the city.

But as soon as the army entered the city, the spies rode their horses into the city quickly and reported to Zhao Yun: "General, Yuan Jun's vanguard cavalry has arrived at Linxiang, which is more than 20 miles north of the city!"

"Yuan Jun came so fast?" Xu Huang, who commanded the infantry, was also surprised.

Zhao Yun also frowned slightly. The problem facing the Song army now is that the time to seize the city is too short. Not to mention defending the city, even the grain and grass from the rear have not been transported.

If the Zhao army were to surround them, the army would probably be trapped and die in this small city.

But what is even more surprising is that before the Song generals could take precautions, Zhao Jun's vanguard cavalry had followed Song Jun Tanma to pursue them all the way to Yishui City.

Soon Xu Sheng, the general guarding the city, strode up to Zhao Yun and said, "General, the Youzhou cavalry have arrived at the city and besieged the city. How should we respond?"

Zhao Yun, Xu Huang and other generals immediately led the generals to the city and looked outside. They saw that the mountains and plains were full of enemy cavalry!

Hu Chen is noisy and powerful, and the people who control the strings are countless!

When there are thousands of people, there is no limit to the shore. What's more, there are tens of thousands of Hu Qi, and the formation is spread out. They just rely on the captive horses and Hu Chen to surround the city on all sides, and the water is blocked!

He Qi had never seen such a large cavalry before!

Although Jiangdong also has elite cavalry, they have never gathered 20,000 cavalry.

The battles in the Central Plains were still dominated by infantry with the banner of Zhengzheng and the majestic formation. Twenty thousand cavalry could not launch a charge if they gathered together. It was a complete waste of military power. But on the land of Yanzhao, there are thousands of groups of cavalry, and Hu Chen rises in the sky, but it is really a place where cavalry roams freely.

Xian Yulie immediately said: "General, from what I can see, there seem to be mostly Wuhuan barbarians under the city."

Zhao Yun nodded. When he followed Gongsun Zan, he had seen a large number of Hu Qi's followers. In just a few years, the clothes of these Hu Qi had not changed much, but there had indeed been a lot more fine gold and good iron.

This is also one of the shortcomings of the times stated by the great scholar Cai Yong. Since they fled from the Huns, Xianbei and Wuhuan have become strong. According to their hometowns, they have a hundred thousand soldiers, and their talents are strong and their minds are strong. In addition, the fortresses were not strict, the forbidden nets had many leaks, and the fine gold and iron were all owned by thieves. The Han people fled and plotted against them, and their troops were more powerful than the Xiongnu.

Now these barbarians are recruited by the Yuan family and provided with food and weapons. Regardless of the success or failure of the Zhao family in the future, the barbarians from Youzhou will become a serious problem for the country!

"I heard before that Yuan Shao was very popular with the Hu people. Now it seems that the rumors are true. The number of Hu Qiyi in the city has never been less than ten thousand. It can be seen that the Hu people have died for the Yuan family." Xu Huang said with a solemn expression.

The Hu people had no choice. The only powerful people in the world today were the Zhao family and the Song family.

Zhao Shi is not only closer to them but also more tolerant, so he naturally wants to help them with all his strength.

Otherwise, they would never be able to help the Song Dynasty. Even Xianbei and Wuhuan in Youzhou had heard about Jiangdong's attitude towards Hu Yue and Jingman. They always used heavy troops to conquer and never made peace or negotiated peace.

Moreover, although the Zhao family looked down on the Hu people, at least they pretended to be so on the surface. They were more tolerant towards the Hu people and mainly focused on wooing them. When there was no crisis, they still barely treated them as human beings.

In the Song Dynasty, it was really not my kind, and its mentality must be different.

The barbarians who have never registered their households are no different from animals and livestock! They can only work as mules and horses for the powerful and wealthy families, reclaiming wasteland, farming and farming, and even working in mines and smelting copper and iron.

If such a barbarian is beaten to death, no matter the crime, he only needs to pay a mule or a donkey as compensation.

This cannot be blamed on Sun Ce. This is the current trend of thought among the great Confucians, scholar-bureaucrats, and Central Plains aristocrats today.

Can aliens be considered humans? Do the Bodhisattvas and Kunlun slaves still have the same status as the nobles of the Xia Dynasty?

Isn’t this the collapse of ritual and music?

It was only those naturalized people, Shanyue, who paid taxes and served the same people as household registration, who were given a slightly higher look.

Holding the same household registration, speaking the same words, and wearing the same clothes, the scholar-officials in the south had the right to speak, so they did not dare to make random comments.

The Hulu and Wuhuan also had their own beliefs and inheritance, and they certainly did not want to be tamed, so they sent heavy troops to help the Yuan family capture Yi County.

At least the Song army cannot threaten Youzhou.

Hu Qi's intention was undoubtedly realized. Now tens of thousands of Hu Qi surrounded the city, and the Song army could not even leave the city to form an array.

So Zhao Yun turned around and asked: "In your opinion, how should our army defeat the enemy?"

In fact, although Zhao Yun was quite strategic, he was the most misunderstood general by later generations, and was also the second most weakened Shu Han general in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

The one with the highest degree of weakening is of course Prime Minister Zhuge. In "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Prime Minister Zhuge is so smart that he seems to be a magician who can pinch and calculate.

Apart from this intellect that has been demonized to the point of being unreal, the Prime Minister has almost no talents.

But the real prime minister is a top-notch person in the world in terms of literature, military strategy, astronomy, geography, political laws, marching and fighting, training and running the army, and even integrity and self-discipline, as well as literary accomplishments!

Just to put it bluntly, his well-trained troops and strict military discipline made countless generals in later generations ashamed and called them gods.

His officers and soldiers of the Shu army were on the front lines working in the fields with the Wei people, and the army was able to live in harmony with the people without any offense.

The cultivators are mixed among the residents of Weibin, but the people are safe and secure, how can the army be selfless?

This is the Shu army, not Yue Fei's army that was supported by the Southern Song Dynasty's finances.

Therefore, whether military discipline is strict or not depends entirely on the generals, not whether there are sufficient provisions in the field.

An outstanding general is one who can make his soldiers starve to death without looting, and freeze to death without demolishing their houses.

Therefore, Zhuge Liang became one of the ten sages of the Martial Arts Temple. Zhao Yun was weakened in the same way as Prime Minister Zhuge. He was obviously a famous general with both wisdom and courage. He was excellent in political strategy, strategic planning, and military marching. However, in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", he was just a martial artist with superior martial arts and a near demon.

Zhao Yun actually knew when he saw the situation outside the city that today's war could not proceed.

But such words cannot be said by him, the commander-in-chief of the three armies, as it will undermine the spirit of the three armies.

Fortunately, the lieutenant generals of the Song army gathered together, and He Qi said decisively: "The army is tired now, the attacking army is in chaos, and the enemy is unable to support it. It is better to defend according to the army and come out with victory. The captive soldiers are so sharp that they cannot be cautious. The picture is perfect.”

Seeing that the Song army was defending the city without going into battle, Hu Qi became even more excited and went around the city cheering.

The generals of the Song Army watched from the top of the city for a long time, and quickly decided on a way to defeat the enemy.

Especially after nightfall, the Hu cavalry troops gathered in groups outside the city and set up bonfires to survive the severe cold. There were no strict tents or careful protection at all, which further strengthened the Song army's determination to win.

Zhao Yun then summoned the generals and said to everyone: "From what I can see, the enemy's cavalry under the city of Yi County are all barbarians. Although the enemy's cavalry are brave, they have insufficient ordnance and baggage. There are no camps to serve as walls, and there are no military tents." To keep out the cold, one can only light a fire and drink alcohol to ward off the severe cold. After one night, his fighting power will be blunted tomorrow."

"The general intends to fight quickly and will attack me fiercely at any cost."

Obviously, not one person or one horse can be called a cavalry!

These cavalrymen outside the city may have powerful bows and powerful horses, and may be regarded as horse thieves roaring at Yanzhao, but they are definitely not elite iron cavalry!

Of course, Hu Qi has always been like this, let alone Wuhuan and Xianbei today. Even the Turks and Tubo of the Tang Dynasty did not have complete preparations for besieging the strong cities in the Central Plains.

Things like military camps, fortresses, and military tents would be too advanced for the barbarians beyond the Great Wall.

What they lack is not vision, but a real shortage of materials.

Ordinary herdsmen eat not only a piece of meat a day, but also a mouthful of broth, which is a filling ration.

Think about it and you know, how can a few sheep eat a lot of meat if they have to maintain their livelihood for 365 days? Drinking heavily?

How can we provide a large number of material preparation personnel for the soldiers on the expedition to keep them warm and worry-free?

In such severe winter conditions, they must have been cold, hungry, and numb from frostbite if they stayed outside the city for one night.

Therefore, if the commander-in-chief of Hu Qi saw the Song army going into battle, he would definitely launch an attack impatiently, intending to defeat the Song army in one battle and end this confrontation.

If the Song army deliberately reveals any flaws, Hu Qi will definitely rush forward like an ant with a mutilated body.

Xu Huang asked: "How does the general intend to deploy it?"

Zhao Yun said: "I want to shoot them with a strong bow and a powerful crossbow. When the thieves retreat, they will move to the north and form a formation to the south."

"The large army marched out of the north of the city, backed up the city wall, and marched across the Yishui River to meet the enemy from the east and west."

Hearing Zhao Yun's words, all the lieutenants and generals were shocked. He Qi asked: "With such a formation, doesn't it mean that we are trapping ourselves in a desperate situation and allowing the enemy's cavalry to attack our army from both sides?"

Li Yan also agreed with what He Qi said, saying: "The army is close to the city wall to the south and Yishui to the north. It is difficult to move around and unable to rush to help. This is exactly the situation where it is attacked from the front and back. The enemy forces attack from the east and west sides, and our army is attacked from the front and rear. We can only defend passively. If the enemy has some generals, they will not miss this golden opportunity!"

This is the best fighter for cavalry to defeat infantry.

It's like the infantry has blocked itself, waiting like fat meat to be attacked and slaughtered by the cavalry.

This even eliminates the chopping block of the chopping block tactics. The iron cavalry can attack in waves and tear a hole, and then you can win the final victory.

At this time, Zhao Yun said solemnly: "It was to lure the Hu cavalry to attack from the east and west wings. You think this battle is dangerous, so you estimate the number of Hu captives based on the combat strength of the Jiangdong cavalry. However, I have fought against the Hu cavalry many times, and I know how dangerous it is." We know that they are good at galloping, but bad at charging into battle. As long as our army is fully equipped with bows and crossbows and covers the ground with arrows and rocks, the enemy's cavalry will be unable to do anything and suffer heavy casualties!"

This is also Zhao Yun's biggest purpose in this battle, to attract Hu Qi to attack, thereby killing and wounding Hu Qi in large numbers.

As a hero from the north, Zhao Yun has long commanded Jiangdong's elite cavalry. Zhao Yun knew very well that Jiangdong's cavalry was built for hegemony in the Central Plains and was not suitable for the Youzhou battlefield. If the Wuhuan cavalry came and went like the wind, it would be difficult for Jiangdong's cavalry to catch up. superior.

But at the same time, Hu Qi from the north was definitely no match for Jiangdong Tu Qi on the frontal battlefield. The Hu Qi from the north definitely don't have the impact of the Jiangdong Su Qi.

Not to mention flying kites and pulling the enemy troops, a one-on-one battle is barely passable, but in a battle involving hundreds or thousands of cavalry, once they retreat, wouldn't it be a large-scale rout?

On a chaotic battlefield, any general who dares to order his troops to retreat is simply risking his own head on the loyalty of his soldiers.

Even the Mongolian cavalry can charge with heavy cavalry, so try to use heavy cavalry to charge to resolve the battle.

It is easier for any army to attack than to retreat.

If an army can retreat without chaos, then it will be able to crush the enemy on the frontal battlefield.

Just by looking at the hustle and bustle of the Hu cavalry outside the city today, Zhao Yun could conclude that if this Hu cavalry suffered a heavy blow, they would definitely collapse and flee.

So Zhao Yun encouraged the generals and said: "In the past, Taiwei Duan Juan led a Han army of 10,000, and there were more than 100,000 Qiang and Hu cavalry. They carried sharp swords, triple spears, strong crossbows, and light cavalry as the left and right wings, still attacking When they were defeated, more than 8,000 people were beheaded and 280,000 cattle, horses and sheep were captured."

"Today I have eight thousand elite infantry and cavalry, and against more than ten thousand barbarian cavalry, I will definitely win a complete victory!"

There is no way, Zhao Yun is the leader of this battle, and everyone may not agree with his deployment at the moment, but they can only execute it.

Xu Huang stood up and said: "The general is so courageous. If we win this battle, the general will be famous in Youzhou!"

Even Xu Huang, who had come a long way to this glorious record, was shocked by Zhao Yun's bold deployment.

This is to use one's body to lure the enemy, and then accomplish the result in one battle.

As Zhao Yun completed his deployment, the three armies began to dispatch the next day.

First, He Qi selected archers with hard bows and longer range to climb the wall. Relying on the height of the city wall, he took advantage of the range and shot the enemy cavalry outside the city, forcing the enemy cavalry to withdraw.

Then the entire army of disciples went out of the city to form an array, with two thousand crossbowmen facing west, two thousand crossbowmen facing east, and finally a thousand Jiefan's army in the center, forming an formation with the city behind the water, armed with strong bows and hard crossbows!

I’ve given you Hu Qi a chance, but it’s up to you whether you’re successful or not?

Seeing this scene, Hu Qi immediately made a noise with excitement and quickly divided nearly 20,000 cavalry into two teams, preparing to attack the Song army from the east and west directions. (End of chapter)