The generals' expressions were solemn, and they dared not breathe, quietly listening to this most crucial deployment. Some even picked up their pens to take notes.
"Our army must capture Helan Mountain to honor our ancestors and live up to the nation's cultivation! However, with our current forces, a direct assault on Helan Mountain would be unavoidable. Furthermore, the enemy primarily consists of cavalry, and they will never allow us to approach Helan Mountain easily; they will certainly harass our army during its march. Therefore, our army needs to formulate a meticulous plan."
"Generals, listen to the Deputy Marshal's detailed arrangements!"
After Lü Yi finished speaking, he handed his marshal's token to Liang Xiao, and all eyes refocused on Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao did not shy away and said, "First, we need to spread news that I, Liang Xiao, as Deputy Marshal, have decided to lead the ten thousand Yan Prefecture garrison troops to defend the northern frontier, with the Marshal personally leading the expedition. Only after I, Deputy Marshal Liang Xiao, confirm the safety of the northern frontier, will I lead troops to Helan Mountain to assist in the operation."
Everyone was startled and wanted to ask, but quickly understood.
Liang Xiao would definitely participate in the battle!
Spreading the news of leading the elite Yan Prefecture troops to stay behind was naturally to deceive the enemy.
Lü Yi, as the Marshal of the Northern Frontier, although not lacking in ability or prestige, was merely a "defeated opponent" in the eyes of the barbarians from the battle of Helan Mountain ten years ago.
If it weren't for General Tian's sudden appearance last year, Lü Yi himself would have admitted that he couldn't have quickly repelled the barbarians, and the result would have been a disastrous retreat and widespread suffering.
Thus, in the eyes of the proud barbarians, Lü Yi was merely a mediocre talent who relied on General Tian to keep his position. The fact that the Great Gan soldiers had previously been severely interfered with by the civil official clique and their discipline was lax was irrelevant.
But in reality, without Lü Yi rushing to the Northern Frontier to adjust the army in time, even with General Tian, Yan Prefecture could not have been saved.
Liang Xiao operating from behind the scenes, using the "mediocre Lü Yi" as the sole commander-in-chief, besides paralyzing the enemy, might also lead them to underestimate the situation, perhaps even believing that there was internal strife within the Northern Frontier, with the commander and deputy commander vying for power, thus prompting Lü Yi to seek merit eagerly.
As for whether the barbarians would fall for the trap, the outcome was uncertain. Liang Xiao's primary concern was that the Great Gan soldiers should do their best and fulfill their responsibilities.
If the barbarians were to become complacent because of this, it would be a tremendous advantage, perhaps even achieving miraculous results.
For example, the ninja left by Ito Masamune, Sasaki Jiro, according to Liang Xiao's speculation, might have delivered false intelligence about fish scales to the Left-Wise King, strengthening the Left-Wise King's resolve to lure and kill Liang Xiao, thus greatly aiding Liang Xiao in luring and killing the barbarians.
When the army engages in a decisive battle, the entire army will be informed that Deputy Marshal Liang Xiao has been with the army all along and can participate in the fighting.
With Yue Qingtian and Nie Yuan holding the fort in the Qingtian Guard, their morale would naturally not be low due to Liang Xiao's absence.
The Great Gan Iron Guards, the White Robe Soldiers, and the rest of the Yan Prefecture garrison troops were originally under Lü Yi's command and had always respected him, so their morale would not be low either.
Yun Prefecture and Shuofang were even less likely to...
The generals understood, and a knowing smile spread across their faces.
Their Deputy Marshal was, as always, "insidious."
"Secondly, our army must ensure that half a month before the decisive battle at Helan Mountain with the barbarians, the Tian River begins to thaw! At the same time, we must ensure that the army is not severely harassed or its supplies disrupted by the barbarian cavalry, which means our marching speed will be slowed. We also need to deploy cavalry like the White Robe Soldiers to assist the scouts in driving away the barbarian cavalry that comes to harass us."
The generals pondered, a large half of them bewildered.
Only Nie Yuan, Nan Jiyun, Lü Changhe, and others suddenly understood.
The Tian River was also the army's water source. Currently, the river was frozen, and the barbarians could not get water, often having to melt snow and ice from the Helan Mountain area.
If the Great Gan soldiers could rely on the Tian River and block the northeastern passage approaching Shuofang, they could cut off the enemy's water source after the spring thaw, while ensuring their own ample supply of water!
During military campaigns, water sources are a crucial factor. Hundreds of thousands of people cannot carry water for months or even years. Every time the army arrives at a location, it must find water sources in advance, such as digging wells.
Shuofang Commandery is located on the north bank of the Tian River. If the barbarians dare not charge directly into the Great Gan forces, it would be much easier for the Great Gan Kingdom to occupy the section of the Tian River east of Helan Mountain along the Tian River than for the barbarians. This is also a significant advantage.
Even if unexpected situations occur, the Great Gan soldiers can use crossing tools to retreat into their territory. If the barbarians lack sufficient crossing tools, they cannot pursue. Even if the barbarians can cross and pursue, the Great Gan soldiers who land and rest first will have a chance to attack them halfway across.
"After that, the Great Gan Iron Guards, the Qingtian Guard, and some archers equipped with long bows will continue to train in 'short-range shooting.' The crossbowmen of the Divine Arm Crossbow will also not use their Divine Arm Crossbows for the time being, but will practice with a set of ordinary crossbow bolts."
This time, only Nie Yuan, Lü Changhe, Zhuo Ying, and Wang Chunqiu understood. Even Nan Jiyun began to look confused.
"Short-range shooting" was a secret military order recently issued by Liang Xiao, which meant that the archers equipped with new long bows were not to draw the string to its full extent, but to keep the shooting distance within the effective range of ordinary bows, just over a hundred paces.
In reality, the new long bows, when fired at full power, had an effective range exceeding two hundred paces, which was entirely possible!
Liang Xiao observed the generals' reactions and had a clear idea in his mind.
Nan Jiyun was ultimately more inclined towards being a fierce general who charged into battle, while Nie Yuan and others showed more potential as commanders.
The people present were all confidantes of Liang Xiao and Lü Yi, and Liang Xiao no longer concealed his intentions.
"The Great Victory at Yan Prefecture, where long bows, Divine Arm Crossbows, and the barbarians were engaged in a decisive battle, occurred at night. The enemy may not fully comprehend the power of these two weapons. If the Right-Wise King sends cavalry to harass us, we can act according to the situation and lure the enemy to approach slowly, and then carry out 'full-power shooting.'"
The generals then realized!
The Great Gan Kingdom had only sixty thousand cavalry, more than twenty thousand of whom were selected from cavalry reserves and used captured barbarian horses, and were not elite. The barbarians might have over one hundred and twenty thousand cavalry.
On the battlefield, unless it was an urgent attack, cavalry rarely charged directly into a heavy infantry formation; this was akin to suicide.
Theories in films, television dramas, games, and literary works, considering market returns, often involve some artistic license, hence the theory of cavalry charging directly into infantry.
The most crucial advantage of cavalry is its mobility, which allows it to constantly harass and wear down infantry.
If cavalry charges directly into a heavy infantry formation on the battlefield, there are several possibilities.
First, the enemy has heavy cavalry. For example, the "Iron Buddha" used by Jin Wuzhu when he attacked the Song Dynasty was a type of heavy cavalry. In terrain unfavorable to cavalry warfare, this heavy cavalry could dismount and fight as heavy infantry. Before encountering famous generals like Han Shizhong and Yue Fei, the Iron Buddha, with its men and horses clad in heavy armor, was invincible.
Second, the enemy is eager to attack or underestimates the situation. For example, Emperor Wu of the Liu Song Dynasty, Liu Yu, with about two thousand elite infantry forming the "Queyue Formation," decisively defeated about thirty thousand elite cavalry of the Northern Wei Dynasty. This was achieved by exploiting the enemy's eagerness to attack and their lack of information regarding the Queyue Formation's effects and limitations. In the Great Victory at Yan Prefecture, Liang Xiao also utilized four Queyue Formations in the darkness, fighting with their backs to the city, and then exploiting the barbarians' eagerness to break through the city.
Third, the infantry formation is weak, lacking heavy armored soldiers, or even archers and spearmen, posing no significant threat to cavalry. In such cases, cavalry might charge in full force.
Excluding these reasons, under normal circumstances, expensive cavalry would not abandon its mobility and archery advantages to directly confront a well-formed heavy infantry formation.
Liang Xiao's strategy was naturally to exploit the enemy's potential lack of understanding of the long bow's advantages, lure the enemy's cavalry closer, and then have the archers fire at full power, catching the enemy off guard at critical moments!
Upon understanding, the generals were even more impressed.
Liang Xiao's expression turned solemn again, and he sighed, "Finally, the barbarian marshal who has previously fought our country has always been the Left-Wise King. As for the Right-Wise King, we do not know him well. Considering the worst-case scenario, if this person is a brilliant strategist, and our infantry lacks an offensive advantage before advancing to Helan Mountain, our cavalry must be prepared to fight one against two, or even one against three, and engage in tough battles!"
"Before the decisive battle, the cavalry will be the vanguard, and it is very likely that they will encounter the cavalry sent by the enemy to harass us."
The military tent was silent.
One against three!