Chapter 226 Thoughts

"I am sending troops against the will of heaven..."

It was late April, and it was undoubtedly summer. The weather was getting hotter and the heat was hard to hide. In Fangzhou, at the mouth of the Ju River where it meets the Beiluo River, Wanyan Loushi, who was soaked in sweat, sat under the shade of a tree not far from the river. Looking at the soldiers around him who were huddled in the shade, he couldn't help feeling emotional.

Moreover, when they went out of northern Shaanxi this time, Loushi concentrated most of the Meng'an and Mouke troops of the Western Route Army, but did not bring enough Han'er reinforcements. This significantly improved the combat effectiveness, but also made some things too obvious:

First, as the weather got hotter, it became increasingly difficult for the elite troops from Liaodong and Yanyun to adapt to the heat, not to mention that many of the elite Jurchen troops from the Western Route Army came from the Anchuhu River (now Harbin). Lou Shi could not imagine the continuous rainy scene when the battle continued into late summer and early autumn. That would not only be a disaster for the cavalry in his hands, but also for his own body.

Secondly, the northern Shaanxi region is a typical hilly plateau. This special terrain allows cavalry to fight in local battlefields, but it is difficult to exert strategic mobility advantages. This makes logistics difficult and large-scale mobile warfare almost becomes a luxury.

Therefore, in Lou Shi's view, this battle may be necessary from the perspective of national strategy and personal needs, but when it comes to the current battle level, it is a battle without the advantage of time and place... The only hope is the harmony of people. Relying on this group of core elite cavalry of the Jin army from Liaodong, Yanyun, and even from the banks of the Hushui River, and relying on his own determination, he will decide the battle in one go.

The sun was setting, and the main force of the Jin army, which had marched here with great effort, rested for a while. As their breath gradually calmed down, most of the Jin soldiers got up and went to the Beiluo River and Ju River to cool off. However, the Han army, under the scolding of Deputy Governor Wanyan Balisu, began to set up camp by the river under the scorching sun.

At this time, the army commander Lou Shi was still leaning against the big tree, closing his eyes and concentrating. No one around dared to disturb him easily... Of course, Lou Shi had already stopped thinking about anything else at this time, and focused his energy on the current battle situation.

By the way, Wanyan Loushi led the elite of the Western Route Army south this time, with a specific force of about 50,000 to 60,000. Among them, the elite combat soldiers under the pure Meng'an and Mouke systems were barely less than 40,000, and there were 10,000 to 20,000 Han'er supplementary soldiers, who were archers and auxiliary soldiers… The reason for this is that under the Meng'an and Mouke system, there are definitely ten Meng'ans for every Wanhu, but there are often only five or six or even four or five Moukes in each Meng'an. Usually, if a Wanhu wants to actually lead 10,000 soldiers, it is often four or five thousand cavalry under the Meng'an and Mouke system, plus four or five thousand Han'er supplementary soldiers.

But this time, in order to ensure a quick dispatch of troops and to ensure combat effectiveness under limited logistical conditions, Loushi did not mobilize too many Han auxiliary troops... Those troops were handed over to the nominal commander, the Third Prince Wanyan Erlido, who should be about to arrive in Hezhong Prefecture at this time.

As for the 50,000 or 60,000 people, there are only 30,000 or 40,000 left now... This is not to say that Lou Shi suffered a lot of losses, but it is a natural division of troops and consumption.

First of all, of course, there are necessary defense and garrison troops. Under such terrain conditions and supply conditions, no one dares to underestimate this aspect. However, there are too many gullies and ravines along the way, and it seems that a village should be built and some soldiers should be left everywhere... Not to mention, there are also Yan'an Prefecture, Luojiao City and other important places.

Secondly, it was Wanyan Huo Nu who led a detachment of about 10,000 troops, split up from the Yan River early, went south along the Yellow River, captured Danzhou, and eyed Tongzhou.

Needless to say, Huo Nu performed very well along the way and Danzhou was easily captured. As for being blocked in Tongzhou a few days ago... To be honest, it should have been like this, because the people stationed in Tongzhou were the first general of the Southern Dynasty, Han Shizhong, and his 30,000 to 40,000-strong Imperial Camp Left Army. Moreover, there was a real Liangshan Mountain Range between Danzhou and Tongzhou. Coupled with the weather, if 10,000 people could really break through Tongzhou, then Huo Nu could really replace his father's position.

Therefore, after arriving at the confluence of the Ju River and the Beiluo River, although Wanyan Loushi theoretically still had 70,000 households, he only had about 30,000 to 40,000 troops.

Of course, most of them were the real core combat force of "invincible when tens of thousands are invincible". There were only tens of thousands of such troops on that day, but Lou Shi was able to rely on them to defeat the 200,000-strong Western Army, so there was no mistake.

After taking stock of the troops in his mind, Lou Shi began to think about the advance route for his main force.

This main force basically marched along the Beiluo River, and the two most important defense nodes on the Beiluo River were both in the upper reaches... One was the Diaoyin Pass that Qu Duan had managed for a long time, but it lost its strategic role after being breached by Wanyan Huonu's detachment in Danzhou on the flank, and the defending general Wu Lin chose to give up retreating; the other was Luojiao City next to the main road of the Beiluo River, but it was easily breached by Lou Shi's army, and the defending generals, brothers Wu Jie and Wu Lin, were separated into two, one heading west and the other heading south, and fled in embarrassment.

Therefore, up to now, the Jin army has already taken Fuzhou and Danzhou, and has officially pressed into Fangzhou and is eyeing Tongzhou.

From here on, not to mention the Danzhou detachment, the road faced by the main force is divided into three.

One of the roads is naturally along the Beiluo River, continuing to the southeast from the east bank of the Beiluo River, and the front of this road is none other than Tongzhou where Han Shizhong is stationed... This is a relatively "royal" road. The army will go south along this road, with the Danzhou Living Women Army as support on the flanks. In addition, with Fucheng, an important town on the east bank of the Luo River in hand, they can ensure a worry-free retreat. They can calmly attack Han Shizhong with Wanyan Living Women from Danzhou. At the same time, they can also attract attention for another large main force from Hedong, including the Third Prince Wanyan Erlido and Wanyan Wushu, to facilitate their crossing of the river.

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