Chapter 130 Murong Shaozong surrenders (4k)
Just when Murong Shaozong was holding a dagger and ready to fight for his life, the earth shook, and Murong Shaozong saw a group of armored cavalrymen piercing into the Rouran pursuers behind him like sharp knives.
Leading this group of cavalry was Su Lin, an orange follower under Su Ze [a Yulin cavalry expert in horse riding and archery]. In fact, this team of cavalry had been hiding in the bushes since the Rouran people started chasing Murong Shaozong.
However, Su Lin did not order the cavalry to charge immediately. Instead, he asked them to conserve their horses and wait until the formation of the Rouran people pursuing Murong Shaozong lengthened before leading his troops to charge out.
He rushed towards the center of the entire Rouran cavalry, which was where the Rouran commander was.
Although Su Lin had only twenty cavalrymen under his command, they were all elite soldiers carefully selected by Su Ze. This team was composed of lightly armored archers, so they could reach the battlefield as quickly as possible.
At this time, the importance of cavalry organization is reflected. Although Su Lin has only twenty cavalrymen, he has a high prestige among his subordinates, and he is an expert in archery and riding. Everyone trusts him. The entire team advances forward and goes straight to the vital points of the Rouran cavalry.
In order to pursue Murong Shaozong, the entire Rouran team has stretched out into a long line. These Rouran people are not chasing the enemy at all, but are hunting Murong Shaozong as prey. The cavalrymen behind them don't even carry bows, but are just enjoying the thrill of galloping.
They never expected that someone on the grassland would actively attack them.
Su Lin was not in a hurry to draw his bow and shoot the arrow. He pulled the longbow, bent over and leaned on the horse's back, carefully concentrating on the target, and rushed to a position very close to the Rouran commander before releasing the bowstring. The arrow flew towards the Rouran commander. The huge impact force of the longbow at close range made the air explode. The arrow accurately hit the commander's body. The huge inertia dragged him off the horse's back and fell heavily to the ground.
Su Lin hit the target with one shot and did not continue to attack. If someone was hit by an arrow at such a distance, even if the arrow did not hit the vital point, the huge kinetic energy would cause the victim's internal organs to rupture, and then he would fall from the galloping horse, and there would be absolutely no possibility of survival.
The Rouran cavalry were frightened by the sudden appearance of the enemy. After Su Lin shot an arrow successfully, he turned his horse's head to the left and cut an arc route along the direction of the Rouran cavalry's advance. Before the Rouran cavalry could react, he had already ridden his horse out of the enemy's cavalry archery attack range.
The tactics of horse archers are very similar to those of bombers carrying torpedoes to attack ships. They need to break through the defenses of long-range weapons, get as close to the target as possible, drop bombs (shoot arrows) at the closest position to the target, then escape immediately after completing the attack, and then look for the next opportunity to drop bombs (shoot arrows).
Su Lin succeeded in one strike and led his troops to escape. Before the Rouran people could react, they had already lost a commander and several elite cavalrymen who were guarding the commander.
Just when the Rouran cavalry was in chaos, Murong Shaozong found an opportunity. He quickly rushed onto a warhorse carrying a Rouran cavalryman, stabbed the Rouran cavalryman in the neck with a dagger, then pushed him off the horse and controlled the horse under his crotch.
Murong Shaozong planned to continue fleeing. At this time, the Rouran people who were chasing him finally reacted and started chasing him even more angrily.
The Rouran people in the front did not see Shuai Chuang being shot dead, and they did not know the situation of the rear team, so they were just chasing Murong Shaozong with murderous eyes.
The Rouran people in the rear lost their leader in a flash, and many of them were hit by Su Lin before they even saw him and disappeared into the depths of the grassland. Without a leader and no target to pursue, the soldiers slowed down their horses in confusion.
Murong Shaozong continued to gallop on the stolen horse, and by himself he pulled the two hundred Rouran cavalry into two teams. At this time, the troops led by Su Ze had appeared at the edge of the battlefield.
Relying on the battlefield intelligence continuously provided by scout teams A and B, combined with the light spots of his followers on the map, Su Ze has completely outlined the situation on the battlefield.
Su Ze picked up the telescope, saw the situation ahead clearly, and immediately began to make arrangements to defeat this group of Rouran cavalry.
This was Su Ze's first time commanding an actual combat operation, and he was a little nervous inside. But when he thought of his system and looked at the eager faces around him, Su Ze immediately began to assign tasks.
It was the same as hunting deer in the playground, except that the target of this hunt was people. After arranging designated areas for each team, Su Ze finally mobilized them:
"I'm issuing this military order again! Anyone who lets the enemy escape in the name of merit - beheaded!"
"Those who are cowardly and refuse to fight—behead!"
"Everything gained will be rewarded. Follow my command! Charge!"
When all the thousand men under Su Ze's command began to charge, it was really earth-shaking. At this time, Murong Shaozong, who was fleeing, also saw the cavalry who suddenly appeared here. He rushed directly towards Su Ze without thinking.
In a flash, Murong Shaozong had thought it through. If the ones coming were enemies, then there would be no chance for him to escape. If the ones coming were friendly forces, then he would still have a chance of survival.
Since we're all going to die, we might as well try our best to survive!
Su Ze saw a young man dressed as a herdsman rushing towards him. He had learned from the report submitted by the scouts that this group of tribal remnants were being pursued by the Rouran, so he ordered his subordinates: "Support this young man, and we will charge at the Rouran!"
The riding slave Su Da galloped out from beside Su Ze, and the fastest one was the team led by the [Reckless Yulin Cavalry]. They rushed straight towards the Rouran people behind Murong Shaozong.
Su Da, the riding slave, made a sharp turn and went behind Murong Shaozong. He raised his hand and shot a Rouran man who was chasing him. He asked Murong Shaozong, "Can you still hold on?"
Murong Shaozong was shot in the back by an arrow. His entire spine was numb, but he still managed to hold on and said, "I can hold on!"
"Good man, my master asked me to pick you up, ride quickly!"
Murong Shaozong quickly followed. Although he didn't understand why such an elite imperial army appeared on the Hengzhou grassland, he knew that he was rescued.
The following battle was garbage time. There were two hundred Rouran troops against Su Ze's one thousand. The Rouran main general was killed in the battle, and Su Ze was still able to wait for the opportunity.
Originally, the Rouran people were the hunters and Murong Shaozong were the prey, but now Su Ze is the hunter and the Rouran people are the prey.
By the end of the war, more than eighty Rouran cavalrymen were killed or seriously wounded, more than one hundred laid down their weapons and surrendered, and two hundred Rouran cavalrymen were completely wiped out.
Then Su Ze ordered that all the seriously injured Rouran be executed and the dead be buried on the spot. He also asked Su Yi, a Yulin scout who was fluent in the Hu language, who had returned to the team, to interrogate the Rouran captives and ask them why they appeared on the grasslands of Hengzhou.
Outside the camp, soldiers were cleaning up the battlefield, and the [strictly enforcing military judge] was taking stock of military merits. The victory in the first battle of the Northern Expedition had greatly boosted morale.
Soldiers are like this. Fighting a war is a matter of extremely high risks and rewards. The rewards for victory are generous, and the losses for defeat are painful. The joy of a victory can dilute the soldiers' fear of the next battle, and repeated victories can arouse the soldiers' enthusiasm for fighting.
By leading the soldiers to victory after victory, the commander can accumulate prestige, and the officers and soldiers will trust the commander's orders more and more. Even the [Reckless Yulin Cavalry], because of leading the charge, also received a military merit reward, which increased his prestige in the team. Although this increase in prestige is not enough to make the soldiers in the team follow him without hesitation, the next time he charges, there will be people who want to follow him and fight.
Murong Shaozong's wound was treated with medicine by the [Blind Pharmacist] and was brought to Su Ze:
"Murong Shaozong? Are you going to Xiurongchuan to join the Erzhu tribe? Are you and General Erzhu cousins?"
Murong Shaozong was a dull and silent person, but he had great respect for Su Ze who saved his tribe. He quickly asked, "Does the captain know our Murong tribe?"
Su Ze said: "I don't know your Mu Murong tribe, but I know you."
Su Ze couldn't help but be overjoyed. He was so lucky. When he was walking in Hengzhou with his troops, a talented person came up to him. Is this what they call luck?
Murong Shaozong, the pillar general of the future Northern Qi, the lifelong enemy of the great general Hou Jing, the defender of the city, the natural barrier that the Southern Liang army could never cross, these were the achievements of this important general of the Northern Qi.
However, Murong Shaozong was only a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old at this time. He had just led his tribe to survive the pursuit of the Rouran cavalry. He was very grateful to Su Ze for saving him.
Murong Shaozong looked at Su Ze very puzzledly. Did he know him?
Su Ze patted his shoulder and said:
"I am Su Ze, the captain of the Imperial Guards Cavalry. General Li has been ordered by the Emperor to fight in the north, and I am serving under him."
"Your cousin General Erzhu and I are sworn brothers. You will be my brother from now on."
So that’s it!
Murong Shaozong thought that his cousin Erzhu Rong and Su Ze had mentioned him, so he quickly said, "Captain Su."
Su Ze pulled him and said, "Call me brother in private from now on."
Murong Shaozong felt warm in his heart. If it weren't for Su Ze, their tribe would have been wiped out. The two sides also had the kinship of Erzhu Rong, so Murong Shaozong became more enthusiastic towards Su Ze and shouted, "Brother!"
Su Ze was secretly delighted. Regardless of whether Murong Shaozong would become a famous general according to history, the fact that he sacrificed himself to protect his people and his superb riding and archery skills were enough to make him comparable to the orange follower.
Su Ze tried to recruit him, saying, "Shao Zong, are you willing to serve under me and kill the Rouran people?"
Murong Shaozong hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother, I am willing, but I want to escort my people to Xiurong first, and then come under your command after I have settled them."
Sure enough, the recruitment was successful!
Su Ze pulled Murong Shaozong to sit down with him and said, "Of course, it won't be too late to come back after you have settled your people. By the way, why did these Rouran people attack your tribe?"
Murong Shaozong also shook his head and said, "Brother, I really don't know. Our tribe was grazing on the grassland when this group of Rouran cavalry suddenly appeared. My father and brother died in the battle to protect the elderly and weak in the tribe from evacuation."
Murong Shaozong had a gloomy expression, and Su Ze could only comfort him with a few words. He also allocated some supplies to him to settle his people. Murong Shaozong naturally thanked him profusely before leaving.
After seeing off Murong Shaozong, Su Yi came to report the results of the interrogation.
"These Rouran cavalrymen only received orders to sneak into Hengzhou through the Baidao Road. What else do they know?"
Su Yi said, "My Lord, they are just cavalrymen who follow orders. After entering Hengzhou, the commanders of each battalion led their troops to disperse and plunder and lurk in the designated areas of Hengzhou, waiting for the final order from their superiors to assemble."
So that's why. No wonder these Rouran cavalrymen kept chasing Murong Shaozong. It turns out they were trying to silence him.
"How many Rouran cavalrymen entered Hengzhou?"
Su Yi shook his head and said, "They don't know. They go through the white path in batches."
However, Su Yi added: "These cavalrymen know that their army has come to Hengzhou. The Rouran army consists of ten banners, and each army has about one to two thousand people."
"You said before that these cavalrymen are the elite troops of the Rouran royal camp?"
"Yes, these cavalrymen are from the Khan tribe of Rouran, and the commander shot dead by Sulin was a noble of the Khan family."
Su Ze felt a little regretful. If Su Lin had not shot and killed Commander Chuang with an arrow, he might have been able to get some information from him.
But things are often difficult to have both. If Su Lin had not shot and killed Shuai Zhuang with one arrow, Su Ze would not have won the first battle so easily.
However, when a large number of Rouran cavalry appeared in Hengzhou, Su Ze still sent people to report to General Li Chong, and sent the heads cut off in this battle to Li Chong's tent to ask for military merit and rewards from his subordinates.
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Wuchuan Town.
Gao Huan held the reins nervously, with a broom tied behind his horse. On his sides were Hou Jing and Sima Ziru. They were going to raise dust before the battle to create cover for Heba Yun's cavalry's surprise attack.
This place is very close to the Rouran camp. If we alarm the Rouran army but fail to raise enough dust, Heba Yun will not send troops to rescue them.
Everyone understood the danger of this mission. Gao Huan raised his whip and shouted to the people behind him: "Follow me!"
In the distance, Heba Yun was riding a horse on a raised slope, looking at the dust rising around the Rouran camp. The soldiers behind him were ready to go. Heba Yun also knew that whether he could raise enough dust was the key to the success of this battle.
There is an old saying in the art of war: "Defend the enemy when they are weak; attack them when they are strong." Although I am more elite than the Rouran people, I am far less numerous than them. If I want to scare the enemy, I must make sure that they cannot figure out my strength or weakness.
As the dust began to rise, the Rouran camp began to become chaotic. Heba Yun had already seen some cavalrymen coming out of the Rouran camp. The reins in his hands were wet with sweat from his palms. He was still waiting for the dust to cover the battlefield.
hold on!
Every commander was always faced with the problem of calculating human lives. When Gao Huan and Hou Jing volunteered to carry out the mission, they had already pledged their lives to Heba Yun.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and Heba Yun on the slope smiled.
(End of this chapter)