Chapter Twelve: Departure for War
The next day, at 4:00 am.
The black night's veil still hangs over the earth, the sky is dotted with stars, the bright moon in the western sky refuses to set, sprinkling a sheet of cool light, birds and insects at this time have not made a single sound, the mountains and fields are quiet.
Qiansang City Garrison, the entire garrison of over 10,000 soldiers had already formed up on the drill ground. As far as the eye could see, the over 10,000 soldiers stood like over 10,000 towering and majestic pines, proudly standing still, not moving an inch.
Every face was filled with excitement, especially for new recruits like Le Yi who were going to war for the first time, their hearts racing wildly. Although everyone was trying to control their heartbeat and calm their breathing, as soon as they stepped onto the battlefield, they could hear the heavy gasps of breath all around them.
Train soldiers for a thousand days, use them for one moment. These vigorous and brave young men will welcome the first blood baptism of their lives today. This expedition is destined to have life and death, with blood and glory!
Li Guang, fully armed and armored, stepped onto the platform with a steady gait. This seasoned general of the Han Dynasty, who had fought in countless battles, would once again lead his troops into battle against their old enemy - the Xiongnu.
"Set out!" Li Guang drew his sword with a "whoosh", and gave the order to set out in a decisive tone.
"Hurray for the Chinese army!"
"Hurray for the Chinese army!"
"Hurray for the Chinese army!"
“……”
Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, accompanied by the sound of their loud and clear cries, this expedition officially kicked off.
"Waaah~~"
"Waaah~~"
"Waaah~~"
“……”
The clarion call to arms sounded at the same time, its rich tones filling the air above the entire camp. At this moment before dawn, it was destined that many residents of Gensang City would be awakened from their dreams, and then many people would look out of their windows at this brave team.
Four thousand cavalry, nearly four thousand infantry, and nearly four thousand chariots, at this dawn, marched in formation through the streets of Gyeongsang City, with uniform footsteps, heading quickly towards the direction of the Xiongnu invasion.
Out of the city gate of Qiansang, more than 10,000 soldiers were divided into two roughly equal parts. One part was led by Li Guang himself to attack the Xiongnu in the northwest; one part was led by Deputy General Li Xi to attack the Xiongnu in the northeast. Finally, the two parts joined forces at Kang County and together resisted the Left Shanyu of the Xiongnu in the north.
The Xiongnu mobilized about 15,000 troops this time, all cavalry. Qian Sang led an army of over 10,000 soldiers on the expedition, a mixed force.
At dawn, the fire dragon flew over Qiansang City and split into two at the city gate. Under the night sky and the gaze of the county's garrison, they rushed in different directions.
"Wu Chang, I also want to go on an expedition." On the city wall of Qiansang, a young soldier who couldn't help but get excited just by looking at the majestic army marching forward below, said to the nearby Wu Chang.
"Shut up!" The squad leader standing next to him suddenly cursed and slapped the back of his head, "You want to go on an expedition? I also want to go on an expedition! Do you think that in those years I didn't face the Xiongnu people head-on and fight with them? Now can't I just stay here and guard the city gate?"
"Uh..." The young soldier who had been beaten and scolded reluctantly responded with a single word, but his eyes still shone brightly as he looked at the departing troops.
"Listen up, kid! Just because you're not going to battle doesn't mean you've got nothing to do with the war effort! Guarding this city is part of the fight too. Only if we ensure the safety of our county can General Li focus on fighting the Xiongnu without worrying about what's happening back here. Got it?"
"Got it!" Hearing his squad leader say this, the young recruit's spirits lifted somewhat, and he let out a loud whoop.
"Shut up! Do you want me to be scolded? Dammit!" The squad leader was startled by the young soldier's sudden loud response and slapped him on the back of his head again.
“……”
……
Qin walked a few steps in front of the second battalion's eighteenth company, and when he exited the city gate, he suppressed his desire to turn back and take one last look at the Qiansang City Gate, continuing to move forward with his head down.
This expedition was urgent, so General Li Guang required that they march 300 li per day (Han measure) and must arrive at Shangdu by the hour of Shen.
He ran all the way, Qin Cheng looked at the army in front of him and saw that it was still blurry, only seeing a sea of people's heads. He silently thought to himself: This journey is unpredictable. Then he sneered to himself, what if it's unpredictable?
……
After a half-day rapid march, when the sun was high in the sky, the Han army arrived at a rather large open area.
Shanggu is located in the northern border, and the terrain is not very flat. It's difficult to have a large plain area. Generally speaking, only after crossing the Great Wall and going further north can you see the endless grasslands. The open area where the Shanggu garrison was located at this time was between two small hills, forming a calabaza-shaped terrain. A post road ran through the middle, with a branch flying out from the middle of the calabaza, extending vertically along the post road in another direction.
After a rapid march of half a day, wearing thick armor, it happened that today the sun was particularly scorching, completely unlike autumn. Several thousand soldiers were all drenched in sweat. Seeing that they had arrived at such an open area, Li Guang ordered the whole army to rest and have food.
More than 2,000 cavalrymen were divided into two groups, one concentrated at the front mountain pass of Hulu Ditch, and the other concentrated at the intersection on the left side of the troops. A small number were deployed on both sides of the troops to perform reconnaissance and anti-ambush tasks. The chariots and infantry in the middle formed their own units, slightly dispersed, sat on the ground, and began to enjoy the rare rest time. Even so, more than 5,000 soldiers only occupied a very small part of the entire Hulu Ditch area, and were concentrated in a line shape in the center.
"This place is desolate, not even a single tree in sight. Today's sun is indeed scorching, how can it be so venomous? It's really exhausting! Dong Zhu put down his long spear and sat with Qin Cheng and others, took out his water bag and gulped down the water. After drinking, he said carelessly: "If only we had rested in that forest we passed by earlier, it would have been great! The branches were dense and the leaves were lush, not only was there no scorching sun, but it was also cool, just like an eagle's nest, how wonderful!"
"Commander, that's not right. That forest is no match for this place." Wu Dalang finished drinking water, put away his canteen and smiled, "Especially the narrow and long area of Eagle's Mouth."
"Let you fart! What's good about this ghost place?" Dong Chu bit off a big piece of bread and said, "You Wu Daliang is also old, how can you like to talk nonsense?"
"Wu Chang doesn't believe me, so I won't say anything." Wu Daliang said with a changed tone.
"You'd better speak up, let the brothers all hear it, don't mind this fool." Qin Cheng observed the terrain and walked over to sit down beside Wu Dalu, saying to him.
"Alright! Since you've asked, I'll say it. Wu Dalang glanced at Dong Zhuo and straightened his back before continuing slowly, "That grove of trees earlier could block out the sun and had a cool breeze, resting inside was indeed comfortable."
"I told you so! It's better in that forest than here!" Dong Zhu couldn't help but interrupt at this point.
"Listen to what Daliang is saying, don't interrupt." Qin Cheng threw a small stone at Dong Chuo, "Also, in the future when others are speaking, don't cut them off halfway. Even if you have some thoughts, you must wait until the speaker finishes before speaking. Got it?"
"Yes." The soldiers all responded in unison.
"What if I wait for him to finish speaking and then forget what I wanted to say?" Dong Chu couldn't help but ask after responding with a sound.
"Then just hold your breath." Qin Cheng said irritably.
"Haha......" The crowd of soldiers burst into a fit of laughter.
"Go on," said Qin Cheng.
Wu Daliang nodded and cleared his throat, saying: "To talk about this, we have to start with the Xiongnu people..."
"What does this have to do with the Xiongnu people? Let's take a rest..." Dong Zhu couldn't help but interrupt loudly, but halfway through his sentence, he saw everyone staring at him with a pair of eyes, and remembered what Qin Cheng had just said, so he shrunk his neck and swallowed back the rest of his words.
"The Huns are fast on horseback, accurate with their arrows, and have great strength. If we were to rest in the woods, they could set fire to it and block both exits, causing us trouble." Wu Dalang said, glancing at everyone's reactions, seeing that they all looked serious, he continued, "Although this place we're sitting now doesn't have trees for shade, it's spacious. If the Huns were to attack, we can react quickly and easily."
"So, Linzi is not as easy to survive as this place, especially Lao Ying Kou. That's why I said this place is better than Linzi."
Wu Daliang finished speaking, and a pair of old eyes looked at everyone with some expectation and unease.
"Hurray!" The crowd of soldiers cheered in unison, all with faces full of admiration. Especially Dong Zhuo, who had lost his arrogant air from just a moment before, joined in the chorus of cheers.
"Well said." Qin Cheng patted Wu Daliang's shoulder with force, "After all, you're a veteran, and some experiences are not comparable to us new recruits who haven't been through anything."
"What a wonderful reward!" Wu Daliang was applauded by everyone, beaming with joy, feeling as if he had drunk honey, and couldn't stop laughing.
"How about it, Dong Chou? Are you convinced?" Qin Cheng looked at Dong Chou.
"I'm convinced!" Dong Chu said sincerely.
Qin Cheng nodded and turned to Wu Daliang, "Daliang, among us, you've been stationed at the border for the longest time and have seen the most things. From now on, whenever there's such an opportunity, share more with everyone, let them understand some things, these can be lifesavers in critical moments."
"Wu Daliang originally didn't have much confidence, but seeing Qin Cheng's sincere and hopeful expression, he felt a warmth in his heart, and immediately puffed out his chest and responded loudly with "I promise!"
Qin Cheng smiled and was about to encourage Wu Daliang again, calling on everyone to learn from him. However, a sudden and urgent horn sounded without warning, interrupting Qin Cheng.
At the sound of the horn, everyone was stunned for a moment. Finally, Wu Daliang was the first to react, jumping up and grabbing his long spear, shouting loudly at the soldiers: "Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack! Everyone get up quickly!"
"Assembly!" Almost at the same time, Qin Cheng stood up and shouted loudly.
