Chapter 3725 Is victory certain?
The strategy formulated by Youtunwei before the war was very simple - with some of the armored cavalry guarding the camp and part of them defending Yamato Gate, Gao Kan's tribe did not fight head-on with Yuwen Long's tribe, because that would greatly increase casualties and lead to the right's death. The strength of the garrison troops was severely reduced. Instead, they took advantage of high mobility and strong firepower to hold down the enemy, inflicting peripheral damage on them, and then attacked them front and back with the Tubo Hu cavalry to completely annihilate them.
Therefore, the surging offensive of the Right Guards suddenly changed when it arrived in front of Yuwen Long's formation. The light cavalry split in two along the front of the formation towards the two wings, completed the turn outside the range of the crossbow, and maneuvered towards Yuwen Long's formation. , trying to complete the frontal coverage.
Yu Wenlong naturally did not allow the Youtun Guard to complete a semi-encirclement in front of him, so that all the troops in the front were under the firepower of the Youtun Guard. The sharpness of the Youtun Guard's firearms was known to the world, and he was afraid that his vanguard would not be able to reach the opponent by then. In the formation, they were completely defeated.
He also reacted quickly. The crossbowmen dispersed to the two wings, blocking the right guard light cavalry from the range of the crossbow, making it difficult for them to throw thunderbolts nearby. Then the cavalry troops in the middle gathered in one place, advanced instead of retreating, and rushed towards the middle army of the right garrison, trying to take advantage of the gap between the opponent's cavalry to detour to the two wings and overwhelm its army in one fell swoop.
After all, without the protection of cavalry, it is very difficult to simply defend the cavalry with an infantry array. Even if you can defend it, you will have to suffer huge casualties.
And if he can succeed with one blow, he can easily penetrate Gao Kan's body and completely defeat him.
However, he had not set foot on the battlefield for many years and had not paid attention to the changes and innovations in the current war model, which made him ignore a very important issue, that is, the lethality of firearms...
Of course Yu Wenlong had some understanding of the power of firearms, but except for the Youtun Guards, who were equipped with the latest and most sophisticated firearms on a large scale, the current armies of the Tang Dynasty were mostly just experimental products at various stages, with poor quality. It is so uneven that it is difficult for outsiders to understand the mystery.
In particular, he was completely unaware of how the large-scale equipment of firearms would change the mode of war...
In a word, he is completely out of touch with the development of armaments and strategies and tactics.
When Yu Wenlong's Qingqi let go of the right guard cavalry on the two wings, they chose to rush to the front of the right guard's central army formation, intending to use the impact of the cavalry to completely overwhelm the right guard and then turn back to calmly deal with the cavalry who had lost the infantry escort. , the right guard was not afraid at all, the cavalry on both sides Still moving forward, the two claws of a crab tightly clamped Yuwen Long's body. The sword and shield soldiers in the rear array came forward to act as a defensive force. The soldiers all bent over and held their shields sideways in front of them. The legs move in tandem to increase stability and resist the impending impact of the cavalry.
The Chinese army's five thousand musketeers took their time and loaded ammunition before the battle.
The last heavy armored infantry also slowly stepped forward, standing casually behind the musketeers as if strolling in a leisurely manner, reducing consumption and maintaining strength so that they could maintain better physical strength later.
The 20,000 elite right garrison guards easily changed their formations when the enemy charged. The whole army was running smoothly like a sophisticated machine. They used sword and shield soldiers to resist the enemy's charge, and used musketeers to form a killing formation, and heavy armored infantry. Then stand by and wait for a fatal blow.
Yuwenlong watched the Youtunwei position under the light of torches from a distance. He not only stroked his beard and admired it, but also said to his left and right: "Youtunwei is indeed an elite in hundreds of battles. They change their formations in an orderly manner when facing the enemy. It can be seen that the psychological stability of their soldiers is also good. Practice constantly. ”
These words seemed to affirm the combat power of Youtunwei, but in fact they were said in a commentary tone - the more powerful enemies can be defeated, the more powerful one can naturally demonstrate.
Youtunwei has great military exploits and outstanding achievements. If he can be defeated, who in the world will not praise him as Yu Wenlong, a world-famous general?
In front of you, the cavalry of the Right Guards have already detoured to the two wings. The Chinese army is like a shelled clam, ready to be ravaged. As long as the troops attack and crush them in one fell swoop, they can easily defeat the Right Guards. Who would have expected that the notorious Youtunwei would make such a strategic mistake and become so vulnerable?
So he added in a thoughtful way: "Gao Kan was originally an unknown person, but now he has become famous in just a few months. It can be seen that he is actually an unknown general in Guanzhong, which makes Zhuzi famous!"
The generals and commanders surrounding him had mixed reactions.
Some people saw that the cavalry of their own unit had rushed to the opponent's infantry formation, thinking that the victory was determined, and naturally they praised Yu Wenlong to the fullest.
The sword and shield formation can indeed hinder the cavalry, but only the cavalry can fight against the cavalry on the battlefield. The sword and shield formation can only delay the cavalry for a while, but it cannot defeat the cavalry. When the sword and shield formation is overwhelmed, the infantry behind the formation can only The cavalry charged and killed them at the neck.
Therefore, the victory is decided...
"More than Gao Kan? Even Fang Er is not very capable. He has made military exploits several times. It is not because of his amazing talent and brilliance, but because the enemy is just showing off."
"If the general had been able to lead his army out on that day, how could he have obtained the hammer for his military exploits in overthrowing Xue Yantuo and defeating Tuyuhun?"
"The general is old and brave, but the sword is never old!"
……
However, after all, someone had heard about the Youtun Guards' repeated defeats of the Guanlong army, so they naturally remained cautious at this time.
"The firearms of Youtun Guard are unparalleled in the world. Once you use your advantage to focus the fire attack, no one can resist it!"
"More than just firearms? In terms of the quality of the soldiers, the Youtun Guards are also second to none. They are not afraid of death when ordering and prohibiting them. They will never be defeated so easily!"
"What's more, there are more than two thousand heavily armored infantry in the formation. They are covered in iron armor and are difficult to penetrate with swords and guns. They are invincible."
Naturally, the result was that the two groups held their own opinions and continued to quarrel.
One party accused the other party of "making others' ambitions destroy their own prestige", while the other party ridiculed "underestimating the enemy's aggressive and aggressive approach to death", which made him blush for a while.
Yu Wenlong was so noisy that his brain ached, and he said in a deep voice: "The victory is about to be decided, why argue? Give the order, don't pay attention to the enemy cavalry on both wings, just charge forward and defeat the middle army of the right guard! Wait until the right The garrison was defeated, and the whole army was prepared to fight. No pursuit was allowed, and they immediately formed an array to fight against the Tubo Huqi who were coming from behind. "
For him, the Tubo Huqi were the biggest threat.
These Tibetan soldiers are brave and brave, and are not afraid of death. Once the enemy's cavalry breaks through the gap in their own formation, it is likely to cause the army's morale to collapse and lead to a rout.
Therefore, defeating the Youtun Guards is not worth bragging about. The most difficult moment is to challenge the Tubo Huqi.
"Here!"
The generals on the left and right received the order and rode away one after another, rushing to their respective units to convey military orders and urge the infantry to speed up in order to keep up with the charging cavalry.
Yu Wenlong rode his horse and stood in the middle of the army, looking at the cavalry in front of him who was about to join the battle. He was a steady horse.
……
Yuwenlong's cavalry knew that the enemy's cavalry had already detoured to both wings and that there was a vast plain ahead. All they had to do was increase their speed to the limit and crash into the Youtun Guard Formation. This battle would probably be won. Therefore, the morale of the entire army was at its peak. The soldiers stood on their horses with cat-backed postures, shouting and shouting, constantly urging the horses under their crotches to speed up and speed up, and rushed towards the right garrison position like wind and lingering clouds.
The power of the cavalry charge was earth-shattering, faster than lightning. In just a few breaths, they arrived in front of the sword and shield formation. They could break through the formation and drive straight in at a glance.
"Bang!"
There was a muffled sound that shocked the guts. Hundreds of muskets were fired at the same time. The smoke emitted from the muzzles connected into one piece almost instantly. Countless lead bullets burst out, instantly traveling through a space of more than 20 feet, fiercely. Hit the cavalry.
The lead bullets carrying powerful kinetic energy easily penetrated the thin leather armor of the cavalry, nailed into the flesh and blood, and violently tore apart all the flesh and blood and internal organs.
The cavalryman who rushed forward felt as if he had been severely cut by an invisible sickle. He screamed and fell off his horse, and was immediately trampled to pieces by the horses rushing up from behind.
"Bang! Bang!"
The guards of Youtun fired three shots in a row. They lined up to fire their guns in rows. The smoke from the guns filled the air and hid the soldiers' figures in the darkness. This method of shooting does not require visual inspection at all. All soldiers raise their guns and shoot forward, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy with intensive firepower, so no amount of smoke will have any impact.
The cavalry has strong impact and mobility, so it has been known as the "King of War" since ancient times. It is the most powerful weapon that has swept the world after the chariot. Throughout the dynasties, whoever can control the horse breeding land in the northwest can sweep across the world and dominate the world. Otherwise, they can only hide behind the city, only capable of defense and without the ability to counterattack.
However, shortly after the birth of thermal weapons, the cavalry gradually withdrew from the main stage of the battlefield and became a vassal, never to shine with its dazzling glory. (End of chapter)