“*Zheng Zi's Art of War*?”

Li Fusheng smacked his lips. Although he was a rough man, he understood the weight of the title "Zi" (Master).

Adding "Zi" after one's surname was like introducing oneself: "Hello, my name is Zhang, and I am a genius. You can call me Zhang Genius."

It felt rather shameless.

But martial men inherently held a sense of opposition towards civil officials, and they believed that arrogance was a natural trait of warriors.

Therefore, in Li Fusheng's mind, the so-called *Zheng Zi's Art of War*, from its very name, was a display of a martial man's absolute confidence, a blatant trampling of the refined beliefs of scholars!

It truly pleased him!

"Good, after this battle is over, I must read it."

Zheng Fan still felt somewhat bewildered. Truthfully, since awakening in this world nearly a year ago, he hadn't done much plagiarizing. He had only shared a few golden quotes with the Sixth Prince.

Of course, this was also because the situation in the Yan Kingdom was very different from that of the Qian Kingdom, and there wasn't much of a market for plagiarism.

Most importantly, Liang Cheng, who was usually taciturn, was being quite talkative today.

However, this wasn't the time for private whispers. The earlier probing had passed, and now they needed to quickly decide what to do next.

Li Fusheng looked at Liang Cheng and asked:

"Has your master ever taught you what the true key to victory is on the battlefield?"

Upon hearing this, many images flashed through Liang Cheng's mind.

In fact, to put it bluntly,

Li Fusheng was notorious in the desert for his brutal annihilation of tribes,

but Liang Cheng had slaughtered more cities than Li Fusheng had fought battles.

This question,

was like a child asking an old man:

Do you know the meaning of life?

The answer,

was definitely in Liang Cheng's heart,

but the limelight he had taken today, or rather, the limelight his master had taken, was already quite enough. If he continued to steal the spotlight, it would be too excessive.

As for the so-called *Sun Tzu's Art of War*, even if one completely copied it, it wouldn't matter much. Only the truly naive would believe that reading *Sun Tzu's Art of War* would make one capable of fighting battles.

This was like believing the saying "half of the *Analects* can govern the empire" or that Huang Taiji and Dorgon learned their battle skills from *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. Only fools would believe such things.

Even if this book of war were presented later, it might cause some ripples, but the ripples would still be controllable. In the eyes of true veterans, this book would just be interesting and well-summarized.

"Please enlighten me, Lord," Liang Cheng replied.

Li Fusheng laughed loudly and said:

"Nothing more than strong soldiers and sturdy horses!"

War, was often imbued with many political factors, as well as economic, cultural, strategic, and overall trends.

But if one stripped away these external factors,

and only looked at the immediate engagement,

who would win or lose,

didn't it depend on strong soldiers and sturdy horses?

"Charging camp, form ranks!"

With Li Fusheng's command, the central army began to split apart. A thousand-man cavalry unit began to form a line at the front, each rider holding a *ma shuo* (a type of long spear used from horseback).

This weapon looked similar to lances and the spears used by Western knights, but in reality, it was more complex and more valuable.

In ancient times, *ma shuo* were passed down as family heirlooms. Ordinary people couldn't afford them, nor could they equip themselves with them.

The *ma shuo* consisted of two parts: the *shuo* blade and the *shuo* shaft. The *shuo* blade was 50-60 cm long, much longer than ordinary spears and lances. The shaft was usually made of *zhe* wood (cudrania tricuspidata), which was soaked in oil and dried, then glued together with fish maw adhesive.

When a knight charged on horseback, holding a *ma shuo*, it was equivalent to giving the *ma shuo* an extremely terrifying potential energy. Using this momentum, combined with the knight's skilled horsemanship and techniques, it could transform into the most powerful "blade," cutting through any obstacle in its path.

Its effectiveness in cavalry duels was enormous. It was equally terrifying against infantry. Like the ballista bolts fired from the Qian army's formation earlier, once this thousand-man cavalry charged, it was like a thousand blades, more terrifying than ballista bolts, sweeping forward. One *ma shuo* could easily skewer several people like candied haws.

Of course, after this initial charge, the *ma shuo* had to be temporarily abandoned, and the knight would draw their close-combat *ma dao* (saber) to continue fighting.

"No matter what tricks the opposing Qian general is playing, what plans he has, or what thoughts he harbors, ignore them all.

The path trampled by the iron hooves of my Zhenbei Army (North Garrison Army) shall be reduced to dust!"

Li Fusheng said these words with great heroism.

Yes, no matter what strategies the enemy general was using, he would directly smash the most solid part of the Qian army's *pinzi* formation (品字阵形, a triangular formation), sending their strategies to hell!

No matter how many strategies one had, how confidently one held all the answers, in the face of absolute strength, they would appear pale and ridiculous.

What was absolute strength?

The fact that six thousand iron cavalry blocking the road could force the opposing general to form a defensive formation on the spot with thirty thousand troops, daring not to move rashly.

Li Fusheng reached out, and a personal guard immediately brought over a *ma shuo*.

Li Fusheng held the *shuo* in his left hand.

He didn't ask Zheng Fan because he knew that talents like Zheng Fan shouldn't be exposed to accidents on the battlefield, at least, not in the first wave of the charge.

He asked Liang Cheng instead, asking:

"Do you dare to go with me!"

Liang Cheng didn't answer, but instead spurred his horse forward, his arrogance as if it were innate.

Li Fusheng's eyes gleamed, and he couldn't help but say to Zheng Fan:

"Zheng Shoubei (Garrison Commander), can this man be given to me?"

Zheng Fan just smiled and didn't speak.

I'd like to give him to you, but he won't follow you.

Li Fusheng was just joking. Such family retainers generally didn't change masters. They valued "loyalty" above all else.

At Li Fusheng's signal, a personal guard handed his *ma shuo* to Liang Cheng, who lifted it up.

Li Fusheng rode forward and arrived in front of the thousand-man cavalry.

It seemed that he intended to personally lead the charge.

But no one dared to stop him, no one said anything like "General, your position is too important, you must command the army and cannot easily risk yourself," and so on.

This was Li Fusheng's style. He loved killing, loved hearing the screams of the enemy, loved the feeling of their blood splattering on his body.

Even though he was now a General-in-Chief, he still loved charging at the front lines.

Zheng Fan looked left and right.

Li Fusheng had gone forward, Liang Cheng had also gone forward,

and there was also a personal guard looking at Zheng Fan.

It seemed that as soon as Zheng Fan gave the signal, he would hand the *ma shuo* in his hand to Zheng Fan.

Earlier, the personal guards around them had heard the conversation between the three men, and although they didn't fully understand, they felt it was impressive.

But after Zheng Fan glanced at him, he quickly moved his gaze away and began to gaze into the distance, observing the clouds in the sky.

Asking Zheng Shoubei to ride a horse and casually chop people was no problem. With the strength of an Eighth-Rank martial artist and the horsemanship he had honed over the past six months, he could definitely do it.

But Zheng Shoubei hadn't played with a *ma shuo* before, nor had he practiced with one.

Of course, the most important thing was that they were going to charge into the enemy lines!

Looking at the dense formation of the Qian army in front of them, like a hedgehog,

If one were to plunge headfirst into it,

one would be killed in an instant.

Zheng Shoubei was afraid of death and admitted his cowardice.

No,

he had to be responsible for the other Demon Kings, he had to live well for them.

This made the personal guard next to him a little embarrassed. He wanted to ask directly but was too embarrassed. In the end, he could only brace himself and ride forward, filling the position in the charging camp.

"Zhenbei Army!"

Li Fusheng let out a loud shout.

"Hoo!"

In the next moment, the thousand cavalry behind him all lowered their *ma shuo* to the ground, making a uniform clang.

There was no need for messengers, because this was something they had practiced countless times.

When their General-in-Chief decided to personally lead the breaching camp, everyone knew how the other units should cooperate.

The Barbarians were the best sparring partners. They had practiced everything in real battles in the desert countless times.

And therefore,

In the next moment,

one after another, guerrilla generals began to command their subordinates to adjust their positions, and orders were issued one after another.

This showed Li Fusheng's "reckless" personality, as he had done this sort of thing, leading a charge, many times;

Secondly, it meant that even if Li Fusheng died in battle, his subordinates wouldn't be thrown into a state of disarray, because they were already used to being without a leader.

For a time,

except for the thousand-man charging camp holding *ma shuo* where Li Fusheng was located, which remained unmoved,

Nearly twenty thousand Zhenbei Army cavalry in the outer battlefield began to move. Outside the Qian army's formation, dust flew and hooves thundered, truly creating a majestic atmosphere like a storm was coming!

Zheng Fan could see the nervous expressions on the faces of the Qian soldiers at the front, and at the same time, he silently placed his hand on his *ma dao* (saber).

His other hand was placed on his chest, feeling the existence of the Demon Pill.

Although he didn't have to charge, he thought that he would follow along and charge afterward.

Huff…

Looking at the eager expressions on the faces of the Zhenbei Army soldiers around him,

Zheng Fan found that he was like a husky mixed into a pack of wolves.

Usually, he could blend in and there wouldn't be any obvious difference,

but at a critical moment, he would really show his weakness.

A gust of wind blew through, stirring up the dust that had been raised earlier even more dramatically, but the two thousand Zhenbei Army knights had already completed their preparations in an extremely short time.

Not counting the charging camp led by Li Fusheng himself, there were a total of seven cavalry formations. The two guerrilla generals originally responsible for covering the rear were still responsible for the rear, and there was also a formation on each of the east and west sides.

There was also a formation on each side of the charging camp, and behind the charging camp, where Zheng Fan was located, there was also a formation.

After the wind gradually calmed down,

the atmosphere on the battlefield began to quiet down. Even the warhorses under the knights only pawed the ground a few times, daring not to make too much noise.

However, the pressure brought by this silence was several times greater than before!

Li Fusheng raised the *ma shuo* in his hand.

A long roar came from Li Fusheng's mouth.

"Hoo!"

"Hoo!"

"Hoo!"

The thousand-man charging camp behind Li Fusheng began to rhythmically slam the bottoms of their suspended *ma shuo* onto the frozen ground.

"Hoo!"

"Hoo!"

"Hoo!"

Then, the cavalry formations on both sides began to strike their armor with their weapons, passing the rhythm down.

The two military formations in the east and west directions were also infected and began to make the same movements.

In the end,

Like playing the Mexican wave,

the two military formations responsible for cutting off the rear also emitted similar shouts.

Aside from directly attacking the city gate of Chuzhou City to seize the city,

Right now,

Was the first battle of the Zhenbei Army after going south and entering the territory of the Qian Kingdom!

The world's number one cavalry legion, their glory, their terror, their elegance, would be presented for the first time on this land belonging to the neighboring country, presented before the eyes of the Qian soldiers.

They had waited a hundred years for this moment!

Finally,

The wind rose and the dust flew,

The cavalry moved!

………

"Dongcheng, those few crossbow shots just now were really satisfying!"

In the core area of the Qian Kingdom's *pinzi* formation, a young general said to the equally young general riding a white horse beside him.

The young general who spoke first was named Zhong Mao, a member of the Zhong family. Although he was one generation younger than Zhong Tianlang in terms of seniority—he was the grandson of Zhong Wendao's third brother, Zhong Wenqin—he was, like Zhong Tianlang, regarded as a leading figure of the Zhong family's younger generation.

The inheritance of military families and civil official groups had one thing in common: both needed to be hyped and promoted when cultivating the next generation of successors.

However, the military environment had its own peculiarities. First of all, if you didn't have the ability, it would be difficult to bear the great responsibility, and the soldiers under your command wouldn't obey you.

Although the Great Qian hadn't seen a second large-scale rebellion like the one in the southwest after the southwest native chieftain rebellion was suppressed, it wasn't all peaceful and prosperous.

In fact, although the Great Qian was rich and vast, peasant uprisings could be said to be endless. In addition, the southwest native chieftains and the northern Qiang tribes would occasionally cause trouble, so there were still battles to fight.

After a civil official was blown up with a false reputation, they could still go to a leisurely office and hold a position. If the family had the power to operate properly, they might even be able to stay in the Hanlin Academy for a few years to get some gilding.

But only mud-sculpted officials were heard of, and mud-sculpted generals were rarely heard of. Anyone made of mud was probably already dead in battle.

Of course, Zhong Tianlang, as Zhong Wendao's son, would naturally receive the greatest resource support from the Western Army. In comparison, the support Zhong Mao received was much less.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been responsible for the task of leading the rear troops north.

Everyone knew that going to the front line early meant finding battles to fight early, becoming famous, and more easily obtaining merit.

Therefore, Zhong Tianlang followed the old Prime Minister Zhong north in the first batch, and once entered Yan on a snowy night, taking down multiple military outposts in a row, which had already made his name greatly and enhanced the Qian army's prestige.

And he, Zhong Mao, had to lead eight thousand Western Army infantry and escort equipment, as well as the grain that the Chuzhou Commandery Commissioner had forcibly added along the way, and slowly set out on the road.

In fact, the young general in front of him had the same treatment as him, but the other party would obviously have a better future.

Moreover, the other party's earlier arrangement had indeed made Zhong Mao feel admiration.

This young man's surname was Zu, and his name was Zu Dongcheng.

His father was the founder of the Zu Family Army, Zu Zhuming, known as Marshal Zu.

Zhong Mao knew that the Zu Family Army's influence in the southeastern area of the Qian Kingdom was extremely great. In time, it might become another *fanzhen* (regional military command), similar to the current Western Army in the southeast!

In the past, the prime ministers in the imperial court probably wouldn't have allowed such a situation to occur, and the emperor certainly wouldn't have agreed. However, now that the Yan people were frequently creating friction in the north and the situation seemed extremely tense, even the stupidest civil officials wouldn't suppress the power of the generals at this time. Of course, they would still divide and conquer, but not to the extent of dealing with the tattooed-face prime minister, first hanging them up high, and then finding an excuse to take action.

If the Zu Family Army could really build a *fanzhen*, then Zu Dongcheng in front of him would definitely be the next generation of southeastern *fanzhen* leader.

"Brother Zhong is too kind. Actually, I didn't want to use the ballistae earlier," Zu Dongcheng said with a sigh.

Zhong Mao nodded.

Although the two young men came from different backgrounds, they had been influenced by their fathers since childhood and were inherently gifted, so they naturally had their own understanding of military affairs.

Zhong Mao knew that the sudden appearance of the Yan army cavalry had already made the soldiers under his command panic. In addition, the Yan people's probing shots had put great pressure on their side. If they didn't use means to restrain them and make the Yan people shed some blood, the morale of the soldiers under his command might fall into a low ebb, or even directly collapse.

Trump cards should naturally be hidden and used as late as possible, but the situation was such that there was no room for hesitation.

The eight thousand Western Army soldiers led by Zhong Mao were naturally not the elite of the Western Army, as they were a transportation unit.

In addition, there were five thousand newly recruited *gan zhan shi* (brave warriors) from Beihe Commandery, who were selected from the strong men among the Beihe Commandery's auxiliary troops. However, the auxiliary troops of the Great Qian had always been lax. Although they had a large number of people, they often served to supplement displaced persons and prevent civil unrest when disasters occurred.

The army was used to maintain stability, but in the auxiliary troops, its stabilizing effect was even more thorough.

As for the nearly ten thousand Imperial Guards from the capital, their posture and temper were not small, but Zhong Mao knew that they were mostly just for show.

Otherwise, when the armies set out a few days ago, there wouldn't have been the joke that the capital garrison camp, which claimed to have eight hundred thousand Imperial Guards, could barely muster ten thousand troops.

However, these days, the emperor had been furious and many Imperial Guard generals had been demoted, finally causing the upper echelons of the Imperial Guards to panic.

In addition, there were the seven thousand rear troops of the Zu Family Army. The first batch of the Zu Family Army that went north consisted of fifty thousand troops, led by Zu Zhuming himself. After arriving in the north, Zu Zhuming transferred his son to continue north with the rear troops, carrying a lot of military equipment.

The Zu Family Army had always had two traditions: one was to value military formations, and the other was to value military equipment.

Various repeating crossbows, artillery vehicles, war chariots, etc., often gave people a refreshing feeling on the battlefield.

The sea bandits in the southeastern area of the Qian Kingdom were rampant, and even some large coastal clans colluded with the sea bandits, which had once corrupted the southeastern situation. The Zu Family Army was born at that time, and gradually stabilized the situation in the sea over ten years.

Behind Zhong Mao and Zu Dongcheng stood a young general in silver armor. This person's name was Dou Guoming. The Dou family was a founding military noble family with great influence in the Imperial Guards.

He led this force of ten thousand Imperial Guards north.

Behind Dou Guoming on both sides, on the left, stood a man with a long beard, around thirty years old, with a physique like an ape, who was best at horsemanship, surnamed Han, ranked fifth in his family, known as Han Laowu (Fifth Han).

On the right was a square-faced general, older than the young masters present, but younger than Han Wu, surnamed Le, named Huan, who was best at spear techniques.

Han Laowu was actually from the Western Army, but he didn't have a good time in the Western Army in his early years, and was even suppressed to the point where he had to leave the Western Army and join the auxiliary troops of Behe Commandery, which could be said to be like going from a field army to a reserve force.

It was precisely because of this opportunity that the northern border was in urgent need of troops. The Behe Commandery Commissioner knew how useless the auxiliary troops were, so he could only start selecting from the auxiliary troops. Han Laowu was promoted and entered the sight of the Commissioner.

Even more, the Behe Commandery Commissioner seemed to have taken a fancy to him and even married one of his daughters to him, regardless of the distinction between civil and military officials. Therefore, Han Laowu transformed into the Commissioner's son-in-law, which was simply a classic example of a tree dying when moved, but a person living when moved.

Now, the new army composed of these five thousand *gan zhan shi* (brave warriors) was led by him.

And that Le Huan, his mentor was Wang Beishan, and he was Wang Beishan's adopted son. Wang Beishan was a Confucian general. After the tattooed-face prime minister came to an unfortunate end, the southwest region once again showed signs of resurgence. He once led the imperial delegation and oversaw the military and political affairs of the southwest, and the southwest was stabilized after seven years.

Now, Wang Beishan had long since retired, and most of the political resources he left behind were placed on this adopted son, who served as the Imperial Guard Commander.

It could be said that this was an army entirely composed of the sons of powerful officials.

They happened to gather together from the southeast and northwest, and then set out together. If you had to say that this was a coincidence, then it was too coincidental.

It could only be said that with the opportunity of the urgent situation in the three northern commanderies, the various military forces were tacitly doing something. The Great Qian had suppressed the military with civil officials for too long, and the military men were eager to untie themselves and obtain greater status.

Therefore, after the main force had set out and stationed in the three northern commanderies, the follow-up troops were led by these young masters, stopping and going, gathering together. It seemed to be a coincidence, but in reality it was more like a meeting of the younger generation of the major military forces, to contact and build relationships in advance.

The tattooed-face prime minister's example was still fresh in their minds. Since then, the military men had also begun to understand the importance of forming alliances.

However, after these young masters gathered together, there wasn't any infighting or mutual dissatisfaction. They were all talented young men, not mediocre people, so they naturally wouldn't do such stupid things.

The Imperial Guard soldiers were certainly arrogant, but Dou Guoming, Le Huan, and the other sons of Imperial Guard generals who came with them were very humble.

They knew their own situation. Not only were nearly half of the 800,000 Imperial Guards missing, but the remaining half were working as laborers at the docks in the capital to earn a living.

The Imperial Guard sons were definitely first-class when it came to welcoming and sending off guests and making friends, but when it came to leading troops in battle, Dou Guoming and Le Huan had some family or mentor inheritance, while the other Imperial Guard general sons were very self-aware of their own abilities.

Although Han Laowu was the Commissioner's son-in-law, his status and position were naturally not comparable to these genuine young masters.

The highest status and position belonged to Zhong Mao of the Zhong family and Zu Dongcheng of the Zu family. Although the Western Army was powerful and much stronger than the newly rising Zu family, if Zhong Tianlang were here, there would naturally be no question that he would have the highest status. However, Zhong Mao was a collateral descendant, so the group tacitly regarded Zu Dongcheng as the most noble.

Moreover, Zu Dongcheng was truly capable. At the age of fifteen, he followed his father in battles in the southeast. In this case, it could not be said that he had deeply inherited his family's teachings. If you were to ignore his age, he could already be called a veteran general.

The young masters had gathered together very coincidentally according to the wishes of their families or mentors, and then went north together. Along the way, they were not only busy building relationships, but at this age, they still had dreams and pursuits in their hearts.

Le Huan and Han Laowu were the most skilled at horsemanship, but Zu Dongcheng was the best when it came to leading troops.

Even, along the way, the young masters entrusted their troops to Zu Dongcheng for training. Everyone studied and pondered the art of training soldiers and military formations together.

The Zu family's method of training soldiers was famous in the Great Qian. The Zu family army began with Zu Zhuming recruiting soldiers, and there was no ready-made fruit to pick.

In just half a month, the young masters discovered that the spirit and energy of their troops had indeed undergone a great change. You have the highest status and are the most capable, so the young masters naturally admired Zu Dongcheng extremely.

This was also why when the Yan army cavalry suddenly appeared, this "united force" was able to quickly form a formation to respond.

Whenever cavalry faces infantry, what they like to see most is the infantry scattered and fleeing. If the three thousand Qian army had lost their formation or showed signs of collapse and scattering,

The two guerrilla generals with six thousand cavalry would definitely order their subordinates to charge. Six thousand iron cavalry breaking thirty thousand scattered infantry. Seemingly, the number difference between the two sides was extremely large, but the former still had a great chance of winning.

When marching earlier, they had not received the news that the Yan army cavalry had crossed the three northern commanderies and entered the interior of the Qian Kingdom, so the march was naturally a bit "perfunctory."

After all, you were marching in the interior of your own country, just like when a person goes from the living room to the bedroom to sleep every day, are they going to hold a fruit knife in their left hand and a mobile phone in their right hand, ready to dial 110 at any time?

Fortunately, Zu Dongcheng was more sensitive. He noticed an abnormality of being "blinded and deaf," so he immediately ordered to approach Qingshan County instead of continuing to advance towards Chuzhou City.

If it weren't for Zu Dongcheng, this complex army might have traveled to the city of Chuzhou under its own power at dusk today.

However, when they actually saw the Yan people's cavalry appear, everyone was startled.

Damn it,

How come there are so many Yan dogs!

Even Zu Dongcheng felt a chill in his heart. If there were thirty thousand Zu Family Army soldiers under his command at this time, he would have the confidence to rely on the military formation to fight and retreat, and as long as he approached Qingshan City and used the city walls, the situation could be stabilized.

However, he knew very well that his Zu Family Army didn't actually account for the majority of the troops. Now, it was fine to form a formation in place, but trying to fight and retreat would probably create loopholes for the Yan people to seize. If they charged directly at that time, it might be a collapse!

Messengers for help had already been sent in all directions.

When two thousand Yan army cavalry had arrived, everyone understood that there was no other way but to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements or wait for the Yan army to retreat.

They could only blame their uncles and fathers for being able to let two thousand Yan army cavalry go so far south!

Of course, if they knew that the Yan people who came south were not two thousand cavalry but 250,000 cavalry, they would probably collapse directly from fear.

But at least now, the situation had been maintained.

"Dongcheng, do you think the Yan people will attack that side?" Zhong Mao asked.

Zu Dongcheng took a deep breath and said, "They will."

The three-sided *pinzi* (品字) formation seemed to be mutually supportive, but in reality it also had great independence.

The formation in the front that had to bear the greatest pressure was based on the Zu Family Army, supplemented by three thousand Western Army soldiers. It could be said to be the best in terms of troop quality and discipline.

The east and west sides consisted of *gan zhan shi* (brave warriors) from Behe plus the Western Army on the west side, and entirely of the Imperial Guards on the east side.

Earlier, the Yan people were probing, testing the quality of these three military formations.

Zu Dongcheng believed that the Yan people should have tested it out, and the military formation on the east side, composed of Imperial Guards, performed the worst when facing the pressure applied by the Yan people.

This made Dou Guoming and Le Huan a little embarrassed. Their troops failed to win face, and they, as the main generals, naturally felt ashamed.

However, the military formation on the east side hid hundreds of war chariots. These war chariots were not the kind of war chariots from the countries with thousands of chariots long ago, but military equipment designed by his father to deal with the Yan army cavalry. In field battles, they could rely on the war chariots to replace the role of city walls to offset and hinder the Yan army cavalry's advantage.

In addition, the most excellent archers were arranged by Zu Dongcheng in the center of the military formation where the Imperial Guards were located. At the same time, although a few ballistae had fired arrows earlier, there were nearly forty ballistae hidden in the military formation on the east side!

If the Yan people really intended to eat their side, they would definitely choose a place that was easy to attack, and that was the great gift Zu Dongcheng had prepared for the Yan people.

Zu Dongcheng turned his head to look at Dou Guoming and Le Huan and said:

"Brother Guoming, Brother Huan, please enter the formation to appease the troops. Our cavalry has always been reserved for you."

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes, sir!"

There was no superior-subordinate relationship between the two sides. If you really wanted to talk about titles, Dou Guoming's title was higher than Zu Dongcheng's.

However, smart people naturally wouldn't do stupid things in this situation.

Similar to the historical short stories of later generations and the jokes like "Why not eat meat porridge," can mostly be regarded as jokes to look at.

Therefore, at this time, the young masters directly regarded Zu Dongcheng as the commander and followed his orders.

In any case, the situation was critical now, and they had to withstand it, hold it down, and wait for reinforcements or wait for the Yan army to retreat.

"General Han, please join the cavalry and listen to my orders!"

"Yes, sir!"

Han Laowu cupped his fist and saluted.

Among the three thousand troops, there were only three thousand cavalry, and they were of uneven quality, so it was naturally impossible to let them out to face the Yan army cavalry head-on. They could only be kept as mobile forces.

"Everyone says that the Yan people's iron cavalry is the best in the world. At first, I didn't believe it, and I always felt that the Xishan Camp cavalry under my second uncle was definitely not inferior to the Yan people at all. But now, after seeing it with my own eyes, I believe it somewhat."

The Yan people's military prestige was truly astonishing.

Zu Dongcheng shook his head and said:

"The war hasn't started yet."

Zhong Mao said curiously:

"Brother Dongcheng doesn't believe it?"

"Not at all. The Xishan Camp of the Western Army has always used the northern Qiang people as whetstones. But the Yan people have been fighting with the barbarians on the desert border."

"How do the barbarians compare to the northern Qiang people?"

Zhong Mao shook his head and smiled bitterly:

"They are naturally incomparable."

Then, Zhong Mao continued:

"Brother Dongcheng thinks that the ones in front of us are the Yan people's Zhenbei Army (North Garrison Army)?"

"My father likes military equipment. My father has collected armor and other military equipment from various armies of the Qian Kingdom, including other countries and even some military equipment from the distant West, in his attic."

"The Yan army armor in front of us is dark and plain, completely different from the bright armor of the Yan people's Jingnan Army (South Pacification Army); at the same time, the Yan people's warhorses are quiet when facing the enemy. Brother Zhong should know the spirituality of warhorses better than me. On the battlefield, the air of killing is awe-inspiring, and the warhorses can naturally feel it."

"Indeed."

"From this, it can be seen that the Yan army cavalry in front of us is probably the Yan people's most proud Zhenbei Army."

Zhong Mao took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, and said:

"Don't laugh at me, I'm very scared in my heart, really scared, but when I hear that it's the Zhenbei Army, I actually feel a little feverish again, like the kind of restlessness after touching a girl from home in my early years, and then going to the camp to follow the army for several months without tasting meat."

"Hehe."

Zu Dongcheng smiled.

The Zhong family could sit in the leading position of the many generals of the Western Army for decades, naturally not without reason, just because they were lucky. From Zhong Mao's previous words, it could be seen that the Zhong family's bloodiness was still there.

"If only my Great Qian's horse administration hadn't been abandoned, if only my Great Qian could have enough cavalry."

In the past, when fighting sea bandits and suppressing the native chieftains in the southwest, or pacifying other rebels, the government troops were actually enough.

Proper training, good fighting skills, and sufficient morale, as long as these basic conditions were met, normal domestic wars were really more than enough.

But,

When facing the battle,

Clearly feeling the immense pressure brought by the opponent's cavalry,

It was impossible to have a feeling of powerlessness in one's heart.

Cavalry,

Cavalry,

Without enough cavalry,

This battle,

Was frustrating from the start!

Hearing this, Zhong Mao sighed.

To be honest, the idea that the Yan people's land was suitable for raising horses and my Great Qian didn't have land for raising horses could fool outsiders, but they, who had grown up and grown up in the army since childhood, didn't believe it.

In previous years, the imperial court had not put great efforts into the horse administration, but the result was a complete mess.

And to take ten thousand steps back, even if the number of cavalry was insufficient due to warhorses,

As long as the military salaries were paid in full, even if the number of soldiers was not completely filled, everyone could accept about 10% or 15%.

Then, the three northern commanderies would still have more than 600,000 troops,

The Imperial Guards could easily pull out three to four hundred thousand troops from the capital.

Without mobilizing the Western Army, and without transferring troops from the southeast, and without recruiting brave warriors,

The Great Qian could easily deploy a million troops,

Even if the Yan people's iron hooves covered the world, so what?

"The Yan people's attack this time is fierce. My father and uncles must be under great pressure," Zu Dongcheng said.

"Brother Dongcheng, shouldn't you and I think more about whether we can withstand this wave of the Yan people?"

"If we can't withstand it, we can't withstand it. What's the use of you and me thinking more? We can't think of soldiers."

"Brother Dongcheng is really free and easy."

"Brother Zhong, if you have the opportunity in the future, you can come to the southeast to take a walk and see the sea more. It will indeed be different."

"How does it sound like Brother Dongcheng is teasing me?"

"At this time, you have to be a bit more talkative, otherwise there will be no chance next."

"That's the truth."

Zu Dongcheng said, "Guanxi (West of the Pass) bumpkin."

Zhong Mao immediately responded, "Sea turtle."

"I've been holding it in for a long time."

"Me too."

These were all the catchphrases that the elders usually used to call each other. It always felt more comfortable to have a nickname to call out