What appeared in the sight of the elite scouts of the Dragon City Tiger and Leopard Cavalry led by General Huo Qubing was the vanguard of the Imperial Guard of Emperor Zhao Gan, the second emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty.
More than a hundred elite cavalrymen, each with two horses, were responsible for scouting enemy positions along the army's marching route.
The commander was a centurion in the army.
"You few, go north towards the Jundu Mountains and Badaling to scout out the situation."
"You few, go east towards Chicheng to scout out the situation."
"The rest of you, follow me to Tumu Fortress!"
The Imperial Guard commander, riding a black warhorse, pointed and gave orders to the soldiers around him with his riding whip:
"Everyone remember this: the reconnaissance distance must not be less than 20 li (approximately 10 kilometers). If any suspicious activity is discovered, immediately launch the Cloud Piercing Arrow to report it!"
"His Majesty is personally leading this expedition, and there can be no room for the slightest mistake on the march. Otherwise, the heads of our entire families would be too many to count. Do you all understand?"
"clear!"
The Imperial Guard soldiers responded in unison.
With that, the centurion waved his hand and said, "Let's go!"
"Understood!"
As they spoke, the hundred or so elite Imperial Guard cavalrymen dispersed and rode off in different directions to investigate the situation.
One of the Imperial Guard squads, consisting of more than ten men, was scouting in the direction of Jundu Mountain, where Huo Qubing and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry scouts were located.
This route was also the route taken by the Longcheng Jingnan Army from Wuzhou to intercept the imperial army that was sent to quell the rebellion in the north.
Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up!
These dozen or so imperial guards galloped along the official road leading to Wuzhou, occasionally turning their horses off the road to climb nearby hillsides to check for any suspicious traces.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of horses' hooves grew louder and louder as they approached.
It seemed that once these dozen or so Imperial Guards on horseback crossed another mountain, they would be able to find Huo Qubing and his party hiding behind the mountain.
At this moment, Huo Qubing, who was lying in a pile of dry grass on the hillside beside the official road, had already gestured to Hu Bao, who was hiding behind the mountain, to mount his horse and prepare for battle.
The dozen or so elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry accompanying them were also hiding in the grass, drawing their bows and arrows and aiming their arrows at the Imperial Guard vanguard riding up the official road.
They were just waiting for the General of the Flying Cavalry to give the order, and then they could shoot and kill the enemy scouts on horseback.
Huo Qubing stared intently at the enemy cavalry on the official road, silently calculating the distance between the two sides in his mind.
Eight hundred steps!
Five hundred steps!
Three hundred steps!
"Prepare!"
Huo Qubing lowered his voice and signaled to the elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry soldiers beside him to prepare to fire arrows.
Suddenly, the imperial guard riding at the forefront of the main road abruptly pulled on the reins: "Whoa—"
The warhorse beneath him understood immediately, snorted, and reared up to stop.
"Whoa—"
Seeing this, the Imperial Guard cavalry following behind tightened their reins and stopped less than three hundred paces from where Huo Qubing and his men were hiding.
The leading Imperial Guard cavalryman shouted, "Brothers, we're almost there! This damn weather gets colder the further north we go, and there's not a soul in sight!"
"Withdraw! Return to Tumu Fortress to report!"
After saying that, the leader pulled on the reins, turned the horse around, and with a "Giddy up!" he turned back.
The remaining Imperial Guard cavalry, seeing that their leader had given the order to retreat, also stopped insisting on continuing to explore.
Although, according to the previous requirements of the Imperial Guard centurion, this group of Imperial Guard cavalry squads had to cross the mountain where Huo Qubing and others were hiding in order to complete a reconnaissance distance of no less than 20 li.
However, reality is often full of chance and drama.
It was this short distance of two or three hundred steps that allowed these dozen or so Imperial Guard cavalrymen to temporarily escape with their lives, but also pushed the more than 200,000-strong army of the Great Xin Dynasty, which was on a northern expedition to quell the rebellion, into the abyss.
No sooner had the Imperial Guard cavalry scouts left than General Huo Qubing, who had been hiding in the grass, rushed out.
He immediately ordered: "Messenger, rush to Wuzhou City at once and report to His Highness Prince Jin that the Imperial Guard Vanguard Battalion has arrived in the Tumu Fort area!"
"If nothing unexpected happens, Emperor Zhao Gan will arrive at Tumu Fort with the army in the next day or two. I request Your Highness Prince Jin to make a decision as soon as possible!"
"Shortly, this general will lead the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry vanguard battalion to Tumu Fortress and wait for the opportune moment to strike!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
The messenger immediately accepted the order, then mounted his horse and galloped towards Wuzhou City.
Huo Qubing gave another order: "Everyone, discard everything except your combat equipment, and follow me into Tumu Fortress to catch the enemy off guard!"
"Understood!"
......
Two hours later, the messenger sent back by Huo Qubing finally arrived at the Longcheng Jingnan army, which was on its march, and met with Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin as soon as possible.
"Report—"
"Your Highness Prince Jin, the General of the Flying Cavalry has ordered me to report that the vanguard of the Imperial Guard arrived in the Tumu Fort area two hours ago!"
"General Huo predicts that Emperor Zhao Gan and the main enemy force will arrive at Tumu Fort in the next two days. General Huo has already led the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry vanguard into Tumu Fort to await the opportune moment. I urge Your Highness Prince Jin to make a decision quickly!"
Um?
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an frowned slightly, thinking to himself that Zhao Gan's marching speed was quite fast!
The distance from Wuzhou to Tumu Fort is only a few dozen miles, just like the distance from Youzhou to Tumu Fort. In less than a day, the vanguard of the Imperial Guards had already arrived at Tumu Fort.
Such a marching speed could probably only be achieved by cavalry marching at full speed.
This is good, as it means that the marching formation of Zhao Gan's more than 200,000 troops will be stretched out indefinitely, making it impossible for the front and rear to support each other.
After all, Zhao Gan's 200,000 anti-Japanese soldiers and 20,000 imperial guards could not all be cavalry.
At this marching speed, the infantry and baggage train would inevitably be dragged to the very back of the marching column.
Without the protection of soldiers, the infantry and baggage train of these Japanese troops would become nothing more than fish on a chopping board for the Dragon City cavalry.
Chen Huai'an immediately gave the order: "Guards, convey my command—"
"Fan Wuji, lead three thousand Ironclad Cavalry of Dragon City; Pang Xianchu, lead ten thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, march with me at full speed toward Tumu Fortress, sparing no effort in sprinting your warhorses, leaving only one warhorse to conserve its strength for combat!"
"General Wang Jian, you shall lead 20,000 Qin elite soldiers to follow closely behind. I will not impose a time limit on the Qin elite soldiers' journey to Tumu Fortress, but the army must converge in the Tumu Fortress area before sunset!"
"Generals, did you all understand?"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
The generals, mounted on horseback, clasped their hands in greeting and accepted the order.
It was evening.
Chen Huai'an personally led the Dragon City Iron Pagoda and Tiger Leopard Cavalry, finally arriving at a place less than twenty miles from Tumu Fort. The cavalrymen began to put on their armor and carry their swords in an orderly manner.
"Report—"
"Your Highness Prince Jin, the Emperor's imperial carriage has been spotted ahead!"
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