Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 426 The Great Army
Recently, there has been a lot of panic in Luoyang, and large groups of cavalry from the Xia Army frequently appeared between Xin'an and Luoyang.

The strength of the Shuofang Army is about [-] infantry in Huazhou, [-] infantry in Tongguan, [-] infantry in Guozhou (the newly arrived Wuwei Army), [-] infantry in Shanzhou, and [-] infantry in addition. Hundreds of cavalry patrolled along the river.

In fact, the two thousand five hundred cavalry have basically been fixed in Weijin recently.

They are all single-horse hand-to-hand cavalry. They are really not cavalry like silver guns and iron cavalry, and their mobility is too weak.

Just like the cavalry of the Iron Forest Army, why should they be assigned to the infantry and act together?Because without a large group of people, relying on oneself alone, the marching speed is slower than that of infantry.

After riding for a while, you have to rest for a long time and have to feed.On the road from Huazhou to Luoyang, if there is no supply point in the middle and you have to carry it all by yourself, then the infantry will definitely arrive first.

Of course, now that there are supply points in the middle, the speed of the cavalry can be greatly increased, but after a long time, the horses will still lose weight and even fall to death.

Xu Hao set off from Huazhou with thousands of riders and marched in a hurry.

On the first day, they passed Tongguan and arrived at the Yixiang Post, marching faster than the infantry.

On the second day, the distance decreased a little, and we only reached Taolinsai.

On the third day, I planned to arrive in Shanzhou, but in fact I couldn't run halfway.

On the fourth day, the horse refused to run away and could only lead the horse to walk slowly.

In the 19th century, the Prussian army even stipulated that the infantry marched for ten days, and they had to stop and wait for the cavalry.

Of course, if there is a spare horse, the speed can be greatly improved, but they don't have it. It's not that they can't afford the equipment, but the horse's appetite is too large, and the food and drink are too powerful to support.

The Iron Forest Army has [-] riders, and there must be more than [-] horses, but they will not equip one person with two horses. This cost can be afforded on the grassland, but it cannot be afforded in the interior.

If you don't spare the horses and run dead horses, of course you can go faster, but there's really no need for that.

When a large group of cavalry appears in a non-grassland area, there must be a huge logistics supply base.

Especially when they were unable to attack the city to obtain the food inside, the range of activities was very limited, and they always wandered around the base.

In agricultural areas, there are few pastures, and most of the grass growing on them is not suitable for feeding horses.

Strong walls and clear fields are effective against cavalry.People can go hungry, but horses can't.

If there is no way to graze in the wild, the horse will not be able to walk, and it must be fed with food, so the supply base is inseparable.

In the past, the silver guns were all raiding the northeast of Luoyang. One person and two horses carried some grain and beans, just to prevent the situation where there was nothing to plunder and no pasture suitable for horses could be found. Can help.

The cavalry of the Shuofang army frequently appeared between Xin'an and Luoyang, which only shows one thing, their camp has moved forward, so that the cavalry can reach this area.

If Zhang Quanyi is brave enough to take the more than 5000 government soldiers, state soldiers, and thousands of field soldiers in Luoyang City, the whole army will attack this supply base. Once successful, most of the cavalry power of Shuofang Army will be abolished. Because Shao Shude had few infantrymen who could fight.

But he didn't dare after all. Ge couldn't figure out the reality from Monday, and it would be too late if he wanted to fight now, because the three armies of Tielin, Tianzhu, and Tianxiong had already passed through Shanzhou, and more than [-] Hengshan party members were about to arrive in Shanzhou. Zhouzhou, only two days away from the camp of Shihaozhai.

This is the advantage that Marshal Shao has more cavalry, you don't even know the real situation on the other side, and you can't tell how many troops he has.I thought it was a lot, but it is not.

Of course, Ge Congzhou's camp in Erwei Mountain was also useful, at least to prevent Shao Shude's camp from moving forward, because there were no troops to stay behind and guard the Bian army camp on Xiaoshan.

Now he has abandoned the stronghold and left, and 2000 Huazhou soldiers are guarding this area.

These soldiers are embarrassing and useful in a short period of time, Shao Shude doesn't plan to take them eastward anymore, just continue to escort personnel and supplies.

On October 26, the fastest-moving Tielin army arrived at Shihaozhai, and the next day, they entered Ganhaozhai.

Two days later, all the troops arrived, and Shao Shude paraded them under the Shenque Stage outside Ganhao Village.

The Tielin Army had [-] infantry, the Tianxiong Army had [-] infantry, the Tianzhu Army had [-] infantry, and the Shunyi Army had [-] infantry, totaling more than [-] soldiers.

More than [-] people from Hengshan stayed behind in the complex terrain of Xiashi County, and repaired the old fortress system, just in case.

One hundred thousand infantry, there are only so many who can reach the front line.

How difficult is the long-distance expedition.It's true to say that it's true to walk a hundred miles and become a general!
"All the soldiers will reward you with one string and two bolts of silk."

The cheers were like thunder, and the morale was greatly boosted.

The goods, of course, have already been transported away, and they may have arrived in Tongguan. At this time, they can only be accounted for with military tickets.But the sergeants have long been used to it, because Marshal Shao never backed down.

"The whole army rested for two days. Two days later, the Shunyi Army cleared the way first, and all the troops marched in turn, passing through Mianchi, heading towards Xin'an and Luoyang."

More than 7 people in the west have been abducted, and it is difficult to find them again. Now we can only go to the east to find a way.

The cavalry set off that day.

One person and two horses, one for riding and one for carrying various supplies.

After removing all kinds of odds and ends, it carried about a hundred catties of grains, beans, cheese, and dried meat, which was almost enough for people and horses to consume for ten days.

In other words, they could theoretically travel five to ten days away from the army, but usually five days, because the distance is too long and the horses cannot run.

There is only one war horse, and the pack horse is useless and slow, and it cannot be used for transportation. Normally, the pack horse is placed in the camp.

The so-called one man with two horses is not one man with two horses.

The most extravagant leopard riders have three horses per person, and there is only one war horse, and another pack horse, which carries armor, equipment and other pots and pans, and a riding horse, which is usually used for walking, because it is reluctant to ride a war horse.

The mobility of the leopard rider is also very limited. It is not a question of whether the horsepower is enough, but mainly limited by the food.

Unless, like the Mongols, there are five to ten horses per person, then there can be more than one war horse.

Fighting with the enemy, with two or three war horses with you, it feels different.

Starting from the camp of Ganhaozhai, the farthest distance they can move is around Luoyang, and they will not be able to walk any farther, unless they can replenish food on the spot.

If you want to attack Zhengzhou, you must first ensure that there are military depots along the way, or you can loot food from the people of Zhengzhou.

The last time the silver guns rushed to the front line of Yanshi, if some of the masters of the Bian army hadn't been robbed, where the food for the return journey would be is also a problem.

This time, the silver guns were attacking Hao Zhenwei and Feng Ba from Hebei, why didn't they return along the way?There is not enough food, so we have to cross the river for a while.

If the horses were nuclear-powered and would not be damaged, Shao Shude dared to rush all the way from Tongguan to Zhu Quanzhong—provided he was not blocked by his infantry.

What's more, it's not necessary.Henan in the Kingdom of China has a well-developed water system and a profound shipping tradition. All canals have been dug with great effort for more than a hundred years.Land transportation of grain is only Zhu Quanzhong's supplement, and whether it has any effect has little effect.

When Liang and Jin were fighting for hegemony, Li Cunxu also crossed the river when the river was frozen in winter and the navy of the Bian army was unable to fight.

Some people fight without calculating the distance, without considering the logistics, and they don't think about whether it can be done.

Grassland and Central Plains are completely two geographical environments.The territory ruled by one's own side and the territory of the enemy are two concepts.

Strengthening the walls and clearing the field is the best way to limit the range of cavalry activities, and it is more effective than planting trees and digging trenches.

After the iron cavalry set off, it was like spreading a layer of protective pads for the army from a distance.Even if he got the news when he was traveling east, Zhu Quanzhong's main force came over, and he had a few days to buffer, and he had time to turn around.

This is the advantage of the Shuofang Army, which has the initiative.

If there were not so many cavalry, they would have to worry about hitting the main force of the enemy head-on when traveling eastward, and it would be too late to retreat.

On October [-], Shao Shude personally led more than [-] people on foot and rode eastward, heading towards Mianchi County.

Before leaving, he specifically checked the nearby fields.

Dawan alfalfa, Miluolu grass and other miscellaneous pastures have been planted in various open spaces, and I don't know if they can grow.

Bringing forage seeds to the Central Plains for planting sounds ridiculous, but there is no way.When the horse runs out of food, this thing can be used in an emergency.When you don't usually fight, you can also greatly reduce the feeding ratio of concentrated feed and reduce expenses.

I hope they will not be destroyed by people, and they can compete with other worthless weeds when they grow, and grow stronger and stronger.

On the third day of November, the army arrived in Mianchi County, and the county magistrate Jin Suo came out of the city to meet him.

"Is this the Zhongshun Army?" Shao Shude asked with his horsewhip, pointing at the two thousand infantry lined up in the wilderness.

"Back to Commander, this is the Zhongshun Army."

The Zhongshun Army is actually the original Mianchi County town soldiers and township braves, with a total of [-] soldiers.

Shao Shude didn't equip them with good equipment because he didn't trust this army.

He was sure that as long as he revealed the idea of ​​moving them away and packing them back to Lingxia, these people would immediately rebel, unless they were subdued with a butcher's knife, and then all their families were moved away.

After ten or eight years like this, I will probably feel better in my heart and can use it for myself.

By the second generation, they are completely their own people.

"Forty miles to the east is Xiashi Fortress. Are the soldiers of the Zhongshun Army willing to take the fort for me?" Shao Shude stood beside Jin Suo. Of course, his words could not be heard by the [-] officers and soldiers of the Zhongshun Army. It was not a question, but an order.

The Kip Rock Fortress has been in disrepair for a long time, and it is estimated that there are not many soldiers defending it, so it is just for the Zhongshun Army to practice their skills.

It is always the first time to fight against my own family in Henan Prefecture.As long as they make a move, Shao Shude's trust in them can increase a little bit.

(End of this chapter)