Three days is not a long time, but for the soldiers and civilians of Ju Dahan, it felt like an eternity.
In the past few days, all the soldiers and young men have spent all their time, in addition to training and rest, cleaning their weapons.
Today, the desire for war in the hearts of everyone in the entire army has been thoroughly ignited. In their eyes, war can not only bring them merit and wealth, but also symbolize glory.
On the eve of the decisive battle, Wang Yue, Tong Yuan, Huangfu Song and others led 15,000 Imperial Guards, 1,000 Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry, and 25,000 soldiers including Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and White Horse Camp into Juyan City.
Faced with the sudden appearance of more than 40,000 cavalry from the Han Dynasty, Tan Shihuai sensed something was amiss, but he had no intention of retreating.
Li Ru's 40,000-strong army also arrived here and joined forces with Tan Shihuai.
By this time, Tan Shihuai had a total of 100,000 troops under his command, and he was full of confidence for the upcoming decisive battle.
June 20th, the eighth year of Jianning.
Inside the prefectural governor's mansion, Liu Hong, dressed in gilded armor, stood behind a sand table.
Huangfu Song, Tong Yuan, Wang Yue, Cao Cao, Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, and others stood on both sides, staring intently at the sand table, discussing the upcoming decisive battle.
During the era of cold weapons, large-scale head-on battles between armies were actually quite rare.
In this kind of battle, strategy is no longer of much use; the key lies in the weapons and equipment of both sides' soldiers, as well as the generals' ability to deploy troops.
Huangfu Song, Cao Cao, and others also continuously supplemented and improved various formations and prepared for various possible emergencies.
During the discussion, Liu Hong listened quietly without offering any opinion.
In his view, his role as emperor in the army was simply to boost morale, and he didn't need to get involved in anything else.
After some discussion, Huangfu Song, who was appointed commander-in-chief by Liu Hong, coughed lightly and then turned to give Liu Hong a military salute.
"Your Majesty, we have finished our discussion!"
Liu Hong smiled and nodded: "Then let's begin!"
"Here you go!"
Huangfu Song agreed, then glanced at everyone and announced loudly, "Cao Cao will lead five thousand Wuhuan cavalry as the vanguard!"
Cao Cao: "Yes, sir!"
"Lu Bu, Huang Zhong, Gongsun Zan, and Ma Teng, leading 20,000 soldiers including the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and the White Horse Camp, will form the left wing!"
"Here you go!"
"Wang Yue and Gongsun Du will lead 20,000 cavalry on the right flank!"
"Here you go!"
"Dian Wei, lead five thousand Imperial Guards as the central army to protect His Majesty!"
"Tong Yuan, lead one thousand Imperial Guards as the rear guard!"
"Tao Qian, lead 40,000 young men in the city as reserves!"
After giving his instructions, Huangfu Song turned his gaze to the Emperor, awaiting Liu Hong's final remarks.
Liu Hong slowly glanced at the crowd and said loudly, "The future hegemony of the Han Dynasty will begin with this battle. Tell the soldiers that all those who bravely kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions in this battle will be generously rewarded by me. I will personally pin medals on them, award them military swords, and confer titles upon them!"
"Here you go!"
The crowd responded loudly, then all looked at Liu Hong, their eyes gleaming with fervent light.
Soon, Liu Hong's words reached the ears of every soldier in the army.
The entire army rejoiced at the promise made by the emperor.
Compared to the Han soldiers whose morale was at its peak, the Xianbei army outside the city, while also boasting high morale, was still giving Tan Shihuai a headache.
Although he had nearly 100,000 men under his command, the 40,000 elite troops under his command were the ones who could truly play a key role.
Of course, besides that, the biggest problem Tanshihuai faced was the command issue.
Now, all the noble leaders under his command have been killed in the war against the Yuwen tribe. The only ones who can take on important responsibilities are He Lian, Mi Jia, and others.
With such a small number of people, it is simply impossible to coordinate the operations of an army of 100,000.
Inside the central command tent, Tan Shihuai glanced around at everyone and announced loudly, "He Lian!"
He Lianchu replied, "Here!"
"I hereby command you to lead 15,000 elite Gaoliu troops as the left wing!"
"Here you go!"
Tan Shihuai: "Miga!"
"exist!"
"I hereby order you to lead 15,000 elite troops of Gaoliu as the right wing!"
Mika: "Here you go!"
After giving instructions to the two men, Tan Shihuai helplessly turned his gaze to Han Sui and Li Ru.
"Wenyue, I hereby order you to lead 30,000 able-bodied men, together with my 10,000 elite Gaoliu troops, as the central army!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Han Sui replied excitedly.
"Wen You will lead 30,000 able-bodied men as reserves, ready to support battles in all directions at any time!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Ru nodded slowly in agreement.
Seeing Li Ru's expressionless face, Tan Shihuai merely frowned slightly and said nothing more.
Originally, he didn't want Li Ru and Han Sui to lead the army, but he had no choice because he simply didn't have anyone else under his command.
Two hours later, the army inside Juyan City, led by Huangfu Song, Lü Bu, Huang Zhong and others, marched out of the city in an orderly manner.
North of Juyan City, Cao Song, Xun Shuang, Tao Qian, and others, along with the city's residents, merchants, scholars, and students, also got up early and stood guard on both sides of the passageway.
For them, today is an unforgettable day.
Outside the city were 100,000 enemy troops, while the emperor would personally lead more than 40,000 Han troops out of the city for a decisive battle.
The emperor's indomitable spirit in fighting against overwhelming odds greatly excited the surrounding people.
In the hearts of the people, whose emotions had already been stirred up, the outcome of this battle was already decided. The 100,000 Xianbei troops outside the city were nothing more than ants in front of the Han soldiers personally led by the emperor.
"The Han army is mighty!!"
"The Han will prevail!!"
As the Han soldiers approached the city gate, cheers suddenly erupted from the crowd.
Upon seeing Liu Hong in the center of the group, the crowd chanted "Long live the Emperor!" once again.
The shouts of tens of thousands of people echoed like waves in all directions.
As the Han soldiers marched out of Juyan, bugle calls echoed through the Xianbei camp.
Just as the 100,000 Xianbei troops had gathered in disarray, 40,000 Han soldiers were already lined up neatly outside Juyan City.
Looking at the chaotic Xianbei formation in the distance, neither Liu Hong nor the soldiers in the army had any intention of launching a surprise attack.
Since it was agreed that it would be a decisive battle, they hoped to crush the Xianbei army with overwhelming force on the main battlefield and show the world what a true iron cavalry was.
Then, Liu Hong, dressed in gilded armor, walked onto a makeshift command platform. Behind him, besides his bodyguard Dian Wei, was Huangfu Song, the actual commander of the war.
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