The Tuyuhun people did have the same idea as before. They believed that the Tang army had come from afar and would definitely not be able to acclimate themselves to the climate here. Every extra day they stayed would cost the Tang court tens of thousands of dollars. As long as we drag it out long enough, we will be able to drag the Tang into the abyss sooner or later. Who will win or lose then will depend on God's will. Even if the Tang Dynasty has a strong comprehensive national strength, I am afraid it will be defeated by Tuyuhun.
Unlike the tense atmosphere in the city, the Tuyuhun people on the grassland continued to live their lives as usual, but they no longer sent caravans to Liangzhou City. After all, the two countries were in a semi-war state. If you still drove a horse team to do business, and if the Tang army confiscated it, you would have no choice but to shed tears.
Although the inability to trade would reduce their income, due to the previous generous income from trade, they would have enough inventory to last even if they did not trade for a few months. So whenever night fell, each tribe would be immersed in a sea of songs, and everyone would still use the night for fun as before.
Although the various tribes had received orders from Tuyuhun Khan to pay close attention to the Tang army's movements, the entire Tang army was in Liangzhou City. How could they keep an eye on their movements on the grasslands? So, these people continued to play their cards right where they wanted, sending only a few elite warriors to the barracks while ignoring the rest, as if this war had nothing to do with them.
Li Xiang looked at the tribe he was about to attack. If he had not confirmed it twice, he would have thought he might have come to the wrong place. Looking from the hillside, there were scattered cattle and sheep everywhere in the distance. Except for a few people watching at the outermost edge, there was no other herders to be seen.
Looking at the middle part, you can see several bonfires surrounded, with the people inside singing and dancing. It's obvious that they are having a great time. But you didn't realize that a hundred miles away is the Tang army's Liangzhou City, and tens of thousands of troops have already assembled. Aren't you afraid at all?
"Were they like this during the war?"
Li Xiang called over the old man Zhao from the former military camp. This guy might not be very useful in fighting, but he could be a guide or something, after all, he had been fighting on the grassland for many years.
"Your Highness, although the Tuyuhun have been at odds with us, they haven't engaged us head-on. When our army leaves Liangzhou City, they quickly retreat, putting distance between us and us. As we retreat, they retake the lost territory. Because they are highly mobile, they play hide-and-seek with us on the grasslands. We weren't raised on horseback, so we couldn't catch them. Plus, they have spies in Liangzhou City, so they'll spot any movement by our army."
Old Man Zhao understood these people's situation very well. It wasn't that they weren't afraid of the Tang army, but rather that they believed everything was under control. Even though the Tang army was coming from the north, as long as they didn't leave the city, wouldn't they be able to live their lives as usual on the grasslands? Just because the Tang army was coming from the north, shouldn't we just live our lives?
After hearing this, Li Xiang also smiled bitterly. Compared with agricultural peoples, nomadic peoples do have many advantages. Our production and life have almost stagnated, and the people in the border areas have paid too much for this war, but these nomadic peoples are still living a happy life. In the long run, their potential will be much greater than ours.
"Your Highness, everything is ready."
Huo Qubing came up from behind. The three battalions, with a total of more than 3,600 people, have now all arrived at the designated location.
"Very good, strong attack."
Li Xiang nodded and said, "When he said this, Old Man Zhao beside him was dumbfounded. According to the battle plan we made earlier, shouldn't we have launched a sneak attack? How did it become a forced attack? You know, on this grassland, a forced attack and a sneak attack are two different things. They are the king of the grassland, and we are outsiders. It's not easy to succeed in a sneak attack, let alone a forced attack."
Huo Qubing ignored Old Man Zhao's surprised expression and turned around to command the army. In his eyes, there were only Li Xiang's orders. As for the performance of others, they were not taken into consideration. This is the characteristic of system soldiers.
"Your Highness, would you please reconsider?"
Old man Zhao said with some reluctance that it was normal for young people to have hot tempers, but one should not joke about military and national affairs. The tribe in front of them had more than 1,800 people. Even if some of the old, weak and sick were subtracted, there were still 1,000 capable and skilled warriors. What's more, we still had tasks to complete for two tribes. If we suffered heavy losses here, how would we fight against the other two tribes?
"Look how drunk they are! If they can't even take this, I will return to the capital. That means I'm not fit to succeed on the battlefield."
Li Xiang pointed to the tents in the distance and said that it could be seen from the campfire that many people could no longer stand steadily. Facing such a team, Li Xiang must of course fight quickly and decisively, and would not have the time to arrange a sneak attack.
"Brothers! Kill them!"
Huo Qubing jumped on his horse, and behind him, more than 1,200 black cavalrymen drew their steel swords in unison, and then rushed out like sharp swords.
Behind them is Ma Chao's Pudao Battalion, which will carry out the second round of sweeping missions. The archers are at the end. They only need to rush to a place eighty steps outside the camp and shoot arrows at the camp. They don't need to rush in.
Li Guang was the commander of the archery battalion. He looked at the bow and arrow in his hand with some surprise. It looked the same as the ones he used before, but there was gunpowder tied behind the arrowhead. He had never seen this thing before. It was issued by His Highness. It was said to be extremely powerful and they did not need any training. They could shoot arrows the same way as before, except that this thing could not touch fire.
"We have been discovered, Your Highness..."
Old man Zhao heard the sound of the horn, which was the warning sound of the Tuyuhun army. If he had known that he would be discovered so quickly, he should have launched a surprise attack and slowly moved towards them. Now they are still hundreds of meters away from their camp. If they set up a defense line, we will have a fierce battle tonight. Although the number of Tuyuhun people is not large, their combat rate is not low.
"Haha, they don't stand a chance..."
Li Xiang sneered and said, Li Guang's men have already started drawing their bows and arrows...