Chapter 290 – The Central Plains and Northern Liang

A standard of more than fifty elite cavalry, with strong soldiers and horses, galloped northward.

This cavalry is equipped with the Liyang court nowadays the most excellent standard war sword, only from the arrow capsule through that piece of tight white scene, you can see the elite degree of this standard cavalry, horse bow arrow feather is not a hard quality of dense carving plume, military recognized carving plume as arrow feather, can provide more excellent for the arrow to resist the wind, so more accurate, at the same time, in order to make up for the loss of the range, the brawn of the bowman requirements are greater! At the same time, in order to compensate for the loss of range, it requires more strength from the bowman, and non-army soldiers are not allowed to hold the strong bow with carved plume. Today’s bow horse is most familiar with a few major Liyang border cavalry, Northern Liang heavy crossbow light bow, while the two Liao and Jibei is a mix of crossbow and crossbow, which is known for the abundance of bowmen in the world of the Jibei cavalry, it is far more than the crossbow bow, the north of this rapid advancement of the scout cavalry is the division of the Jibei Border Army, half of the cavalrymen were born in Jibei, outside of the plug, the general Yang Shenxeng in the Jizhou do more than 10 years as a king of the earth, favoring the infantry, which led to the loss of a large number of cavalrymen who are good at bow shooting, and the number of cavalrymen who are good at bow shooting, the number of cavalrymen who are good at bow shooting. As a result, this group of cavalrymen, who are good at bow and arrow, have lost a large number of soldiers, and they have left their hometowns to seek a position in the military in the hinterland of the Central Plains through connections and doors.

The leader of this standard scout is the north of the north of Jibei, followed his father to leave the border when he was still a teenager, he has long been accustomed to the customs of Qingzhou, because his father retired from the Qingzhou army to do the lieutenant, so he has not lack of wine and delicacies for many years, rouge and beauty, only compared to the native soldiers of Qingzhou, there is an unforgettable father on the battlefield smoke at all times to keep an eye on, so the practice of a good horsemanship and martial arts. A not bad horsemanship martial arts, the last time the Qingzhou cavalry rushed to the battlefield, in support of the king of Huainan Zhao Ying in a battle with heavy casualties, he is because his father is seriously ill, he must be the only seedling of the family to guard the side, to escape, this time the troops left the country, the leading generals and his father is a brotherhood of close friends, he is quite valued, so he deliberately let him to gather together a set of good at riding and shooting in the army of the elite, and in the last night specifically called him to the tent. To the tent, instructed him that a veritable standard scout horses shall not leave the army too far, once encountered the Northern Liang cavalry scouts, not to entangle, be sure to retreat, even at the end of the conversation, the general also revealed that the two armies killed allowed him to leave the meaning of the troops, which makes the heart to climb to the army to the full-time general of the him in the gratitude of at the same time, but also dissatisfaction, the local martial arts advancement of the people would have been difficult, can only Step by step, especially to the height of the lieutenant, we must compete with the family background, to his family, if there is no accident, after ten or twenty years by water mill work, and then like his father’s generation in the Qingzhou as a small military power of the lieutenant has been the top of the day, the only thing that can be presented in the Ministry of War Yamen bigwigs on the table of the actual war work, in order to break the threshold and the rules, as far as the military service is the head of the barbarians from the North Mang or the head of the barbarians of the Northern Liang, he is the only one who can break the threshold and rules, as for the military service is the head of the barbarians from the North Mang or the head of the barbarians of the Northern Liang. The head of the barbarians, he did not care.

The snow has long melted, and the fields in early spring are full of green, and there are some wildflowers by the roadside that can not be named, clumps and clusters, snuggling up to each other, and they have already drawn out their tender yellow buds, swaying in the warm spring breeze, and looking around, it is soft and peaceful.

It doesn’t look like a battlefield at all.

The horse’s hooves trampled on the soft ground, like a man patting his lover’s soft skin with his palm, like a clear herdsman in a greenhouse’s tallow pile tapping on a red-toothed jade board.

If it is another month, until the rape flowers bloom, a ridge spread out, yellow flowers yellow scenery, will fill people’s vision.

According to the previous spies, their army still has about a day and a half to advance before they officially enter the dangerous zone patrolled by the Northern Liang scouts, but at that time, their Qingzhou army can also join up with the Ministry of War’s Servant Xu’s Jinggi elites, and there are even General Yuan’s 10,000 artichoke northern border riders as a mobile force to involve the Northern Liang army, no matter what, as long as they arrive on time to the place to be stationed in conjunction with Servant Xu for the defense, the Qingzhou army, which is less than 500 horsemen, is only pulling out of the battlefield in the middle of the night. The Qingzhou army of less than 500 cavalry is unlikely to be the main enemy of the Northern Liang cavalry during this period, but it is the 20,000 Shu soldiers under the command of a small doll that is more likely to suffer from the onslaught of the Northern Liang cavalry.

But just at this pleasant time when the warm wind is intoxicating, the body of this standard-bearer who is in the lead of the horse suddenly tightens up, and said in a deep voice: “There is an enemy situation! Northwest direction, 600 paces!”

After the leader’s reminder, all the riders realized that at the end of the field of vision, a few stationary black dots could be vaguely seen, and if they took a cursory look, they would only be glimpsed.

The commander’s pupils were dilated, nervous and excited, unlike his father who fought old battles on the borderline of Jibei, although he won the nickname “Tiger of the Forest” in the military ring with his outstanding martial arts, and even his father is not his opponent nowadays, his father often reminded him that battlefield fighting is not the same as the usual military skill fighting, not the same as a river fight. You come and go, not to mention the jianghu martial arts people a peaceful cut, often life and death is a line between, originally he was not too much on the heart, but this time with the army, his father even let him wear armor with a sword, and his father himself also unprecedentedly put on a pair of old locks from the Jibei army smuggled out of the old locks of armor, at home in the school martial arts, father and son duel, when that he mistakenly thought that it was already a toothless “old “Tiger’s father, blink of an eye, hard to spell a knife in the shoulder, also put the knife on his neck, only need to add a point of force can be cut away his head, at that moment he really understand his father’s so-called injury for death, in the end, what is the meaning of. Afterwards to his father to bandage the wound, his father told him seriously, such as father, such as the low birth of the border army old pawns, can live to today, only rely on one thing, is luck. I don’t know how many of the family disciples in the army, who were so proud of their beautiful and flowery style, were killed on the first battlefield.

The standard deputy of this team of scouting horses quickly followed up, his voice had a hint of trembling, “Bidder Jiang, what do you say? To fight or not to fight?”

The standard bearer exhaled a breath and narrowed his eyes, “To be honest, the superior’s meaning is that we are not allowed to start a war without authorization, even if we kill those four or five Northern Liang barbarians in one go, it may not be pleasing to the eye.”

The Qingzhou scouting horses that ran forward at an even speed, because there was no order from the commander, they neither launched a charge to pursue, nor stopped their horses, so little by little, they drew closer to that small group of Northern Liang scouts.

Probably infected by the standard chief’s calmness, the original tense standard deputy also began to calm down, although the face of the world’s number one scout Liangzhou crossbowmen, but their own side is a standard of 51 horsemen, almost all of them are the first-class elite of the Qingzhou army, the standard deputy also complained about their own as a scout, the superior strictly ordered to must be a standard establishment “” vast “” scouting. Before this standard deputy also some complained that he as a scout horse, the superior strictly order must be a standard formation ” vast” to scout the enemy, is not quite like words, but on the one hand, as the imaginary enemy of the Northern Liang cavalry to prevent a number of large army, secondly here after all is not a gang of barbarians territory, believe that the Northern Liang crossbowmen do not dare to go too deep into the hinterland, so since the original is not able to really take up the duties of a scout horse, also does not matter whether to play their standard scout’s maximum effect. Now, it seems that, by mistake, the excessive caution of the superior has become their good fortune instead. Four or five heads of the enemy, apportioned, is also a lot of credit, especially the other side is still yelling for twenty years the world’s invincible Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, I believe that no matter how stingy the upper management, should always let even him within the standard of a positive two vice three people, are moved up one or two levels of position.

So the standard deputy face grimly looked at three hundred and fifty paces away, somehow the number of riders still did not move, is not scared silly not, but can gradually see each other clearly. The standard deputy confirmed that the enemy is only a few five riders, and there is no lurking near the other part of the enemy, can not help but grinning: “Jiang standard chief, a total of five Northern Liang barbarians head, although not enough for us to stuff teeth, but the mosquito leg is also meat, three belong to you, I and the old He a person one on the enough!”

Marker shook his head and said: “This is only a good start, there must be a lot of credit for bigger battles, I’m not short of this for the time being, and I’m still young, but old Song you and old He are different, not in this north to get enough military credit, you can only retire from the pitiful position of deputy lieutenant, you don’t complain about anything, I’m going to fight for you, so this trip you guys can’t get away with it, and the remaining three pills will all be divided among the brothers.”

The standard deputy who was already approaching forty years of age clasped his fists and said, “Old Song isn’t pretentious either, I’ll definitely keep it in mind!”

The two scouts were about three hundred paces apart.

They met on a narrow road.

But just as the Qingzhou scouting horse standard deputy ordered the bow to be raised, that Wu Beiliang scout even began to turn his horse’s head and began to retreat, not in a hurry, not slow, and with ease.

The standard deputy Lao He in this standard qingzhou scout horse in the temperament is the most violent, if not many times drink mistakenly, as well as bumping into the head, should have long had a serious lieutenant officer body, that is counted from the official into the official, got the flow of goods, otherwise any how you primitive and good at fighting, in the qingzhou officialdom also don’t want to let that group of civil servants lord look at the right way. So this contact war, Lao He than Jiang Biao long and the same age people Lao Song are more red-eyed, wishing to crotch horse more than four legs to, although Lao He is no longer young, but when the old is strong, arm strength is still amazing, that the bow is the Qingzhou army in the rare 300 pounds of strong bow, unusual bowman in the battlefield even shot twenty has been the double limit of the arm and the longbow, but the old He’s exaggerated arm strength and that old Shu good craftsmen to build a high-quality bow, enough to support even shoot 30 pounds. However, Lao He’s exaggerated arm strength and the high-quality bow made by the old Shu craftsmen were enough to support Lao He to shoot 30 times in a row with more energy.

The active retreat of the Northern Liang crossbowmen emboldened the Qingzhou scout horse.

Lao He clenched his horse’s belly and roared, “Kill the enemy!”

The five Northern Liang scouts didn’t seem to be in a hurry, but no matter how the Qingzhou scout horses drove their horses forward, the distance between the two sides always remained around 150 paces, far beyond the range of the horse bows.

I don’t know who among the Qingzhou scout horses shouted “kill the barbarians” first, and soon similar shouts of “kill the Northern Liang barbarians” were heard among the horses.

The five Liangzhou crossbowmen turned their heads almost simultaneously.

Mr. Jiang was a bit uneasy for some reason.

The next scene quickly made this standard-bearer, who had been trained in mounted archery on the border, both worried and relieved, worried because the battle was imminent, relieved because the enemy, who was already at an absolute disadvantage in terms of troop strength, accelerated away from the enemy’s horsemen, leaving behind only four horsemen to block the pursuit of his own side.

The four Liangzhou crossbowmen began to turn their horses back.

Horsebow range is not as good as the rifle bow, is a fact, in the Qingzhou army is not not equipped with light crossbow, just not a lot, the hinterland of the Central Plains with more than a decade of song and dance, have to embrace the reputation of the Qing Party of the dynastic field to hold the Jing’an Road military and political, but also Wen Taiyi and others in the dynasty to speak, the Jing’an Road, especially in the Qingzhou and Xiangfan City has always been a comfortable day, the outside forces do not enter the Qingzhou up and down, is generally closed to enjoy the coziness of the good fortune! Years, for a long time, in the absence of war as well as more reliance on the naval force of Qingzhou, the military inventory is not much good crossbow, one after another become the official children of the favorite plaything, in contact with the light crossbow Qingzhou cavalry, of course, that thing is not bad, it is a good thing worth the money, but it is too rare, the maintenance of the trouble, and only on the range of the bow, but also inferior to the bow of the horse a little.

Then this standard Qingzhou scout horse in the distance of about a hundred paces when the bow, horrified to find that the four horsemen is actually with them almost at the same time to raise their arms to raise the crossbow!

In fact, at this distance if the horse bow immediately shot, the accuracy is already quite reluctant, if you want to break the armor to hurt the enemy is even more difficult, unless the shot is enough to kill the enemy’s face, otherwise the effect is very small, so in about seventy paces to open the first bow is always the Qingzhou cavalry army’s military law.

The strongest of the scouting horses, the standard deputy Lao He, became the first strong character to shoot an arrow.

Both sides eighty-five paces, bow drawn like a full moon Lao He, a branch of the arrow thumped swiftly and violently broke the air, completely against the normal straight line, can be seen that this scout standard deputy of the horror of brawn.

Liangzhou crossbowman subconsciously stooped down to open his shoulder, the original shot through the chest of the eagle plume arrow is almost close to his iron armor rubbed through.

The confident Lao He’s heart was shaken.

At eighty paces, the four Northern Liang riders not only raised their arms and crossbows, but also started to shoot the enemy riders.

With a dull poof, a Qingzhou scout horse that was drawing his bow to build up momentum fell back violently, nailing a crossbow arrow into his forehead and through his skull.

A young scout horse who hurriedly shot a soft arrow because he was too nervous only saw a black spot the size of a grain of rice suddenly appear in front of his eyes, and the next moment his throat was shot through, he discarded that horse bow, covered his neck with both hands, and crashed down the back of his horse.

Jiang Biao Chang slightly tilted his head, a Northern Liang arrow wiped a bloody groove on his cheek, but the hands of this leading member of the Qingzhou cavalry didn’t tremble in the slightest, and there was a bang.

Even though a Northern Liang barbarian riding in the distance had made an evasive gesture, his entire shoulder was still nailed into the flesh and bone by his broken armor.

Qingzhou standard deputy Lao Song not only dodged the crossbow arrow, the accuracy of the first arrow was also extremely accurate, only to be faced by the Northern Liang cavalry bending down on the back of the horse just to avoid.

The Liangzhou crossbowman with the arrow in his shoulder, the one who bent down to dodge the arrow, and the two riders who had already killed someone, all of them were already shooting crossbows and arrows when the three leaders of the Qingzhou scouting horses shot their second arrows, and also when the other Qingzhou cavalrymen took up their arrows and drew their bows.

These four riders did not continue to target Jiang Biao long this one positive and two vice, so soon there are four riders of Qingzhou cavalry should fall from the horse, without exception are the face and throat two places, enough to kill.

However, most of the panicked Qingzhou scouts not only lost their accuracy, but also the opposing Northern Liang barbarians were obviously extremely good at dodging, so that apart from the archer Lao He’s arrow, which shot a Liangzhou scout off his horse, even the two arrows of the general standard and the standard deputy Lao Song didn’t succeed in killing the enemy.

Jiang standard chief that arrow is exquisite, not only did not deliberately seek a deadly arrow, and even gave up shooting people, but directly chose to shoot the head of the war horse first, but that a ride of the Wu Chang look like the Northern Liang barbarians, riding skills exquisite to a shocking point, just slightly tugging on the reins of the horse, and the master of the heart of that Liangzhou war horse deflected the head of the horse, which led to the arrow just in the Wu Chang’s thighs cut off a large chunk of flesh, a short period of time without damage to the The battle strength was not damaged for a short period of time.

Bidder Jiang could no longer care about fearing the enemy horse’s battle power and roared, “Steady! Shoot the horse if you’re not sure!”

He knew that after entering forty paces, it was destined to be the most powerful and last arrow of his side.

Not only the three Northern Liang riders who remained on their horses, but also the cavalryman who rolled on the ground to remove his momentum after falling off his horse, also followed the three robes, and he shot the third crossbow arrow from a single-knee kneeling position.

The standard deputy Lao He killed red-eyed, his arm muscles bulging and bulging, vigorously drawing his bow, hissing, “Death to the barbarians!”

But let all the Qingzhou scout horses feel a kind of twisted and suffocating scene happened, except that wounded Northern Liang barbarians fell down, the rest of the crossbow holding three riders after shooting crossbow arrows, no need for the master to have any action, the horses are tacitly slightly change the charging route, seemingly negligible a line of separation, it is from death to life.

This scene taught Jiang Biao long two things.

What it means to be an old soldier of the border, and what it means to be a great horse of Liangzhou.

All of the Qingzhou horses that had already put down their bows could not think about it, and subconsciously shouted out the word “kill”, drew out their swords, and spurred their horses to run wildly.

The Liangzhou scouts, who had one more round of arrows than the Qingzhou horse bows, also began to silently draw their swords and continued to charge forward.

Three horsemen, against forty-one horsemen, the two sides with disparity in strength, one hissing with all their might and the other unusually silent, just crashed into each other.

Jiang Biao long and standard vice old Song almost like a joint effort, did not completely leave that northern Liang Wu long, is not a crossbowman Wu long more than two people, in fact, single-handedly kill, Qingzhou side standard standard standard vice any one person has a greater chance of winning, especially the horse foot battle, Jiang Biao long more can win, but the two expected both sides of the speed of the horse reached its limit, Liangzhou horse is suddenly accelerated again, and the horse is not a horse, but a horse, the horse is a horse, and the horse is a horse. Showing a huge explosive force that makes the Qingzhou cavalry feel horrible and strange, it is this explosive force that makes that Northern Liang captain not only avoided two knives, only in the back by the Qingzhou standard deputy cut open a bloody wound, but was able to continue to move forward to cut through the formation of the Qingzhou cavalry, and simply and neatly stretched out his arm with a knife, which is a Qingzhou cavalry’s head jumped up high.

“The two armies passed by.

Among the three riders, only the commander broke out of the formation, one person and one horse, slowing down, silent and lonely, turning his horse’s head, preparing for the next round of charging.

The two charging riders had already died on the way after each of them had cleaved three riders.

And that the earliest fallen horse Beiliang wounded soldier even before death, also with foot battle rider, with arrows to shoot dead a rider, a knife to pick dead a rider, and then by a Qingzhou warhorse ruthlessly hit in the chest, fell in a pool of blood.

Almost gritting his teeth, Jiang Biao Chang turned his head to look at the only remaining Northern Liang cavalryman, and glanced at the dying cavalryman a dozen or so paces in front of the horsemen.

The Northern Liang barbarians exchanged three riders for fifteen riders under my command, fifteen whole riders!

This extremely annoyed Qing Zhou standard bearer re-drew his bow, aiming the arrow at the wounded Northern Liang soldier who was already lying in a pool of blood.

Just over ten paces.

An arrow was shot into the head of that cavalryman.

Above the ground, only the eagle plume trembled.

The Central Plains had more than just the curses of the literati for Northern Liang.