"Marshal! Vice Marshal! When will we go to war with the savages?"
Within the military tent, generals were eagerly inquiring of Liang Xiao and Lü Yi.
These were Liang Xiao and Lü Yi's trusted confidantes, who had known about Liang Xiao's presence in the army from the beginning. Now, outside Helan Mountain, they were eager to fulfill the grand pronouncements of "Man Jiang Hong" and crush the Helan Mountain pass as soon as possible!
Liang Xiao replied, "At least until the Tian Jiang thaws, which will serve as our signal."
The generals were puzzled.
Lü Yi smiled and added, "The savages have so many warhorses, don't we want them?"
The crowd grew even more perplexed.
Nie Yuan then elaborated, "The Marshal and Vice Marshal mean that the thawing of the Tian Jiang will coincide with the period when wild grasses begin to grow. In this cold and frozen weather, even if the savages suffer a defeat and retreat in haste to the desert, if we capture their warhorses, they can quickly burn their fodder. By then, we'll have captured warhorses but insufficient fodder to feed them. We'll either have to slaughter the horses for meat or it will affect the fodder supply for our own warhorses."
Everyone suddenly understood.
The provisions prepared for this expedition were enough to feed the soldiers for two years, but the fodder was only enough for the existing warhorses for about half a year.
This was unavoidable, as the date of the war was uncertain.
If too many warhorses were captured, straining the fodder resources for the original warhorses, and if dry fodder could not be replenished quickly, the cavalry would be forced to retreat to the northern frontier prematurely.
Wild grass had limited nutritional value, but if the captured warhorses were sent back to the north relying on wild grass and supplemented with some military dry fodder, it would suffice.
This was the worst-case scenario considered by Liang Xiao and Lü Yi, as it wouldn't be difficult for the savages to burn dry fodder.
During the previous great victory at Yanzhou, when Liang Xiao's troops pursued the Left Virtuous King's army, the first thing the savages burned was dry fodder. Fortunately, the military camp was close to Yanzhou, allowing them to successfully recover the captured warhorses and transport them to Yanzhou for fodder.
When an army flees, it's not without regard for everything; setting fire to provisions or inflicting fatal wounds on warhorses and livestock were still possible actions...
The previous year, when the savages broke their pact and invaded, they were repelled by the Yanzhou garrison. The captured warhorses were almost all dead, and the fodder was completely burned.
When the Left Virtuous King's army fled, they simply inflicted a wound or two on the warhorses they couldn't take with them or that couldn't move fast. However, Liang Xiao had anticipated this and pursued with cavalry too closely. Coupled with the horses themselves galloping in pain, it hindered the savages from harming other warhorses. Thus, Da Gan was able to stop losses in time and maximize the capture of warhorses.
After this lesson, Liang Xiao gained a deeper understanding of how to protect spoils of war.
For the savages, warhorse resources were abundant, but for Da Gan, any warhorse capable of carrying a soldier in battle was worth at least a hundred taels...
The savages weren't so foolish as to not sell warhorses at high prices, but they prohibited Da Gan from forming cavalry. Once Da Gan established cavalry, the savages would lose sleep.
The Prince of the East Sea of the previous dynasty and the Marquis of Dingguo of the present dynasty both assisted the two founding emperors in repelling the savages, but they also utilized cavalry exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand in number.
To counter cavalry, the most effective method was to form a cavalry force more powerful than the opponent. As for formations like the Que Yue array, they had their limitations and were ultimately passive defenses.
Once the soldiers understood, they no longer rushed into battle. Instead, they expressed their commitment: "No matter when we go to war, your subordinate is willing to be the vanguard and fight to the death!"
No soldier wished to die, but since Xiao Qing had implemented a new system of benefits for fallen soldiers, the soldiers had fewer worries about their families in the face of potential casualties, giving them more courage to fight.
The generals present all held ranks of sixth grade or higher. If they unfortunately perished in battle, their sons could inherit their military rank and noble title until it was determined they were unable to fulfill the duties, at which point the state would revoke their military rank but retain their noble title.
The soldiers were more courageous and fearless than in previous years, which greatly pleased Lü Yi. He said, "Rest assured, generals! This Marshal will not show favoritism. Everyone will have the opportunity to earn merit. Before then, we must be vigilant against surprise attacks by the savages, especially at night, understand?"
The generals all pledged to do so and returned to discipline their subordinates.
The highest-ranking officers, Lü Changhe, Zhuo Ying, and Nan Jiyun, remained, their gazes fervent.
For eleven years, Helan Mountain had been a source of pain and a deeply shameful scar in the hearts of Da Gan's men.
The fall of Helan Mountain not only failed to unite the nation against a common enemy but also exacerbated the trend of prioritizing civil over military arts. The common people felt that being a soldier was useless and might lead to a pointless death!
Lü Yi led them to a high platform and gazed westward, his eyes burning with intensity.
Throughout Da Gan, no one wished to reclaim Helan Mountain and avenge this humiliation more than he.
Only Lü Changhe knew that his father had carved the words "Helan Mountain" onto his back, constantly reminding himself to never forget the shame and seek retribution!
Now, the opportunity for retribution was within reach!
The closer the dream became, the less Lü Yi dared to be arrogant or negligent.
The Yanzhou troops were the first to complete their encampment, followed by those from Yunzhou and Shuofang.
The Da Gan Iron Guard, the Qingtian Guard, and the White Robe soldiers demonstrated the highest efficiency, drawing gasps of admiration.
Soldiers on rotation took advantage of their rest after dinner to gather around bonfires and chat.
"Do you think General Tian is like Lü Bu? With his silver halberd, he's invincible?"
"You've watched too much 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms.' Lü Bu, at least, could be challenged by three heroes. Haven't you heard of 'The Hegemony of Chu and Han'? Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, also wielded a halberd. That was true invincibility!"
...
Compared to the wild fantasies of "Journey to the West" and "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio," the soldiers preferred stories of clashing swords and iron, and passionate battles. Therefore, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "The Hegemony of Chu and Han" were the most popular among Da Gan's soldiers.
"What's this 'Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu'? Aren't you tired of talking about it every day? Let's stop for now. We can chat about it after we've defeated the savages! Besides, the Da Gan Daily only updates so much, there will be a time when you run out of things to talk about!"
The generals of various units had heard this so often their ears were practically calloused. They stepped forward to restrain their soldiers. The soldiers grinned and stopped their endless chatter.
Now, they had yet another reason to wish to recover Helan Mountain soon.
They wanted to go back and read the subsequent installments of the newspaper and listen to the stories!
Da Gan scouts were still deployed in various locations, responsible for reconnaissance and security.
Outside the military camp, numerous high sentry posts were erected, preparing signal fires for immediate warnings.
In contrast to the composure of Da Gan's soldiers, the savages within Helan Mountain were restless.
Da Gan's soldiers were already fifty li outside Helan Mountain, yet their marshal had not issued any orders.
Of course, most savages did not want to engage in battle outside the city.
Because, even if they could defeat Da Gan, facing a Da Gan army that had previously beheaded seventeen thousand of their own would inevitably result in heavy losses.
The Right Virtuous King urgently convened his generals to discuss countermeasures.
"Our side has failed to inflict any significant damage or even threats upon the Da Gan army. They have already encamped along the river!" the Right Virtuous King said with a grim expression.
The savage generals were equally at a loss.
"The Da Gan army's fortitude has exceeded our expectations. Either the enemy is no longer the weak force of the past, or Lü Yi is too timid. But whichever it is, it means our army cannot win easily," the Left Virtuous King also frowned deeply.
As the others debated, the Right Virtuous King's gaze fell upon the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" section of the Da Gan Daily, and a glint appeared in his eyes.
Da Gan Military Camp.
"Reporting to Marshal! The savage marshal, the Right Virtuous King, has sent someone to deliver a challenge!"