Chapter 56: Ambush

  The Hezhou Ma family army is the strongest of the three Ma family armies, with more than 45,000 elite cavalrymen. After meeting Zhou He, Ma Anliang immediately decided to send troops to Majin, coordinating with the Qingma Army for battle. In this war, the Hezhou Ma family army will dispatch 20 battalions, with 20,000 elite soldiers participating in the battle.

  After receiving Ma Anliang's letter, Ningxia Town Guardian General Ma Qianling also immediately dispatched 12 elite cavalry regiments to participate in the war, led by his eldest son Ma Fuluck. The Ningxia army had the smallest number of troops, with only over 240,000 people, and dispatching 12 regiments was equivalent to half of their military strength.

  Ma Jiajun is indeed the strongest force in the northwest, with a total of 50,000 troops from the three families, plus the original 10,000 garrison troops in Maqu, making the total strength even more than 60,000. With such a large-scale force and the Sichuan-Xikang Army's great war, it is already enough. After all, the regular cavalry of the Sichuan-Xikang Army has only two brigades, with less than 20,000 people.

  For this, Ma Haiyan specially sent someone to order the garrison in Malang to hold their ground and wait for reinforcements. However, he did not know that his order had come too late, as half of the garrison in Malang had already been dispatched to Yushu as reinforcements.

  Yu Shu and Ma Qian were separated by a distance of 600 kilometers, even if the cavalry marched on a large scale, it would take three days. Moreover, as soon as they moved, they had already been detected by the spies of the Sichuan Army and reported to the Sichuan Army.

  On the morning of April 7, the Tenth Brigade of the Western Sichuan Army had marched to a place called Qing Shui River. Due to the large amount of luggage they carried, their marching speed was not fast. However, it is estimated that they could still arrive at Maqu by April 9. But here, they received intelligence that the Maqu garrison would launch a major southern expedition. Cai Yun immediately ordered the troops to stop advancing and called Wang Yuzhang and the leaders of the Tenth Brigade to discuss countermeasures.

  In the marching tent, Cai Yun and Wang Yuezhe, Zhao Bowei, the commander of the 10th Brigade, and Zhasi Duoji, the deputy commander, were gathered in front of a detailed map of Qinghai, calculating where the cavalry troops sent by Ma Qinqing had arrived.

  "Chief of Staff. At the speed of the Qing Ma Army, they have been on their way for more than a day now and should be around this location!" said Zhasi Duoji, deputy commander of the 10th Brigade, pointing to a place called Maduo.

  "That is to say, it's less than a hundred kilometers away from us!" Cai Yun said with some seriousness.

  "That's right! At the speed of both sides, we will encounter each other at around 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon!" said Zha Xi Duoji. He is a member of the Tibetan ethnic group and is more familiar with the geography of the plateau.

  "Bring it on! They've only sent six battalions, just over 6,000 men. The 10th Brigade's 8,000 soldiers aren't afraid of them!" said Zhao Bowei, the brigade commander of the 10th Brigade with confidence. In the battles between the Sichuan Army and the Qing Ma Army, it was almost always a case of the few defeating the many.

  "Don't forget that our enemies are not just this one group of Qing soldiers, but also the large numbers of Qing soldiers behind them, and we may even face the Hezhou Ma family army and the Ning Ma army. We must resolve this enemy with the smallest cost!" Cai Yun said.

  "Chief of Staff, I've taken a look and the terrain here is very suitable for an ambush. We choose the best terrain, set up a pocket, and once the Qing Ma army enters, we can use our superior firepower to wipe them out!" Wang Yuzhang proposed. Only in this way can the firepower advantage of the Sichuan Army be fully utilized.

  "General Xiao, Chief of Staff, I know a place that's perfect for an ambush!" exclaimed Zhasi Duoji, the deputy commander of the 10th Brigade.

  "Oh? Where?" Wang Yuze asked.

  "Just less than twenty kilometers ahead of us, there is a place called Niubao Gou. It's a canyon over three kilometers long, with high mountains on both sides, and it's the only way from Yushu to Maqin." Zhasi Duoji said.

  "Chief of Staff, what do you think?" Wang Yuez asked Cai Yun. After all, his military rank was not high, and at least as a junior general, he had only joined this plan, without the power to make many decisions.

  "Very well, then we'll ambush the Qing army at Wild Bull Gorge!" said Cai Yun.

  "Yes!" everyone answered loudly.

  Soon, the soldiers of the 10th Brigade of the Western Sichuan Army set out again and rushed to Niubao Gou, 20 kilometers away, to build an ambush circle and prepare to ambush the approaching Qingma Army.

  At noon, the Western Sichuan Army arrived at Niubao Gorge. Under the leadership of the officers, all the soldiers immediately took action and didn't even have time to eat lunch. The three-kilometer-long Niubao Gorge was a very suitable place for an ambush, with high mountains and dense forests on both sides, making it difficult for people to notice if hiding inside. As long as the entrance and exit were blocked, the enemy who entered would only have one dead end.

  To ensure the annihilation of this cavalry regiment, the Western Sichuan Army deployed strong firepower at both ends of the Niubao Gorge. Two heavy machine guns were set up on each side of the gorge, forming a crossfire that sealed off any possibility of the Qinghai-Tibet Cavalry breaking out of the gorge. The entire division's 24 82mm infantry cannons were disassembled and transported to an open area halfway up the mountain for reassembly. From this location, the entire gorge was within range of artillery fire.

  It took almost two hours to build all the positions. The positions were covered with branches and weeds, and nothing unusual could be seen unless one approached close by.

  At this time, the soldiers of the 10th Brigade of the Western Sichuan Army began to enjoy dry rations. They did not dare to light a fire to cook food, fearing that the thick smoke would be detected by the Qing army. At the same time, a large number of scouts had been scattered out, and as soon as they discovered the trail of the Qing army, they immediately returned to report.

  The command post of the Tenth Brigade was located in a dense forest on the mountain, and the white tents had been camouflaged with branches. The scene here could not be seen at all from the valley below. At this moment, only Cai Yun and Wang Yuezhe were inside the command post. The commander and deputy commander of the Tenth Brigade had gone to the front line to prepare for battle in the first line. The Sichuan Western Army had not experienced such a large-scale war for many years, so they were all very cautious.

  "Chief of Staff, after solving the six thousand Green Horse Troops, Maqin will not have many defenders left. At that time, we can easily take down Maqin!" Wang Yuezhe said excitedly. Maqin has more than ten thousand Green Horse Troops now, and most of them have been dispatched, leaving only four battalions behind. With the combat power of the Sichuan-Western Army, it won't take long to capture Maqin.

  "General, it's not that simple. Ma Haiyan must have already known about our attack on Qinghai by now, and he definitely won't just sit back and do nothing. Along with that, the Hezhou Ma army and Ning Ma army will also send troops to join the battle. And Maren is a great battlefield. I estimate that the Qing Ma army and other Ma armies will use Maren as the battlefield to have a decisive battle with us!" Cai Yun analyzed.

  "In the decisive battle of Maqin? Then we will probably face how many enemies?" Wang Yuez asked with some concern.

  "Not too many, but not too few either, I estimate there will be around 50,000 to 60,000 people!" Cai Yun speculated.

  "Is that all? Then aren't our forces too weak?" Wang Jueze was shocked. The 10th Brigade had only more than 8,000 people. Even with the addition of the 11th Brigade, there were only just over 10,000 people, and compared to the opponent, the difference was really too great.

  "When the time comes, the fourth brigade will be deployed. With the elite of two brigades plus the eleventh brigade, it should be enough to deal with Ma's army!" Cai Yun seemed very confident.

  Wang Yuezhe nodded involuntarily, although the Ma family army had many people, but not many elite soldiers, a large part of them were just mobs. With the firepower of the Sichuan Western Army, it was enough to withstand the attack of the Ma family army. The final victory would definitely belong to the Sichuan Western Army.

  "Chief of Staff, Young Marshal. The scouts have found the Green Horse Army. They are about twenty kilometers north of us and are currently moving south quickly. In about half an hour they will enter our ambush circle!" A guard came in to report.

  "Alright, order the troops to get ready for battle!" Cai Yun sprang up from his seat with a sudden movement.

  The Green Horse Army has finally arrived, and the Wild Bull Gorge will become their burial ground. The order for the imminent arrival of the Green Horse Army was passed down, and the soldiers of the 10th Brigade were busy making final preparations for battle, checking their guns and ammunition, waiting for the Green Horse Army to deliver themselves.

  The second update is here! Continue to ask for collection!