nycdaug Chapter 274 Successful Reunion
Chapter 274 Successful Reunion
At 8 a.m. on February 12, the fire in the Gilusen Basin was finally extinguished. The only thing standing between the two armies was the lingering embers and ashes, and the ground temperature that was as high as 70 or 80 degrees Celsius.
A volunteer cavalryman tied a thick layer of dry cloth to his horse's hooves and charged off. A little over ten minutes later, the soldier, covered in dust from the high-temperature zone, stood before Gao Shun, standing at the highest military posture and shouting in the loudest voice, "Reporting to General Gao, the entire 3rd Cavalry Brigade of the 131st Division is safe and sound! Not a single one of our 50,000 brothers has been injured or killed!" He then shed tears of emotion.
With tears in his eyes, Gao Shun embraced the soldier covered in ashes, nodding repeatedly in delight and exclaiming, "Good! Good! Good!"
After reporting the most critical situation, the soldier took off his scorching hot uniform, changed into a new set of clothes, and then explained to the many generals and advisors of the Northern Route Army who were gathered around him the reasons why the entire army had escaped a calamity. His words were full of admiration and respect for Jian Yong, the First Army advisor. The First Army advisors who were listening to the explanation, including Xun You, were all proud and their faces were full of joy.
"I never imagined that a suggestion I made in Chahar would have such a significant impact today!"
Chief Advisor Xun You shook his head and sighed. When Guan Yu set out as the vanguard, it was Xun You who suggested sending an advisor to accompany him to compensate for Guan Yu's lack of strategic acumen. Gao Shun heeded the advice and sent Jian Yong to accompany him. Unexpectedly, in today's raging fire, it was Jian Yong who acted swiftly and decisively, saving the entire Third Brigade of 5 cavalry. It has to be said that this was a blessing from heaven for Guan Yu.
帝元11年2月12日早上10点，驻扎在吉卢森盆地湖泊周围的131师第三骑兵旅和赶来救援的112、113师两个骑兵旅成功汇合。
This marked the failure of Palau's plan to burn down Gilusen and annihilate the Third Brigade, which was led by the intelligence chief of the Five Rivers Flying Army. However, the soldiers of the Five Rivers Flying Army were unaware that the Third Brigade had escaped the attack and were still celebrating in Gotari, congratulating Palau on his plan to launch the fire attack.
The assassins sent by the Five Rivers Flying Army to Gilucen, in order to conceal themselves as much as possible, did not bring horses or weapons. Apart from the person who fired the ignition signal, the others only carried a torch soaked in vegetable oil and a box of matches.
Some of these Wuxi Flying Army soldiers, who were determined to die, threw themselves into the fire and were never seen again, while others rushed into the basin and were killed by Chinese soldiers.
Some spies who changed their minds at the last minute, cowardly and afraid of death, prepared to escape, but were relentlessly pursued and killed by the Chinese army patrols outside the basin. Not a single one escaped to return and report to Chen Er.
Of course, even when relaying messages, those who escaped at this time could only report the successful ignition of the fire, not the fact that the Chinese soldiers had narrowly escaped death.
To confirm the success of the fire attack plan, the Wuxi Flying Army naturally sent hundreds of scouts to patrol the southern grasslands outside the basin. Only when they saw the flames of the entire basin illuminating the night sky for dozens of miles around Gilusen did they excitedly return to Godari Fortress to report the completion of the fire attack plan to Chen Er and Palau.
That's why Chen Er is holding a banquet early this morning to celebrate, partly to celebrate Wuxi Feijun's country, and partly to celebrate his grandson Palau.
The Wuxi Flying Army was celebrating, while the Chinese soldiers were taking a bath. More than 100,000 cavalrymen charged out of the Gilusen Basin and returned to the riverbank more than 20 miles to the north, where they took off their clothes and began to bathe, washing away the ashes covering their bodies.
However, only a few soldiers dared to go into the river in winter, and most soldiers had to wait for the logistics department to heat up hot water to wash themselves, which took a long time.
The entire army of over 100,000 cavalrymen from three brigades spent an entire day just boiling water for bathing. After all, there weren't that many large pots for boiling water, and they also had to cook and prepare dishes for the whole army's celebration. The busy logistics personnel were drenched in sweat just to barely meet everyone's needs.
By the time everyone had washed off the dust and changed into new uniforms, it was already night, and the river had turned into a "black dragon river." The patrolling cavalry had now been deployed to guard over a hundred miles away to prevent them from being ambushed by the Wuxi Flying Army again.
Gao Shun, Xun You, and others sat around a pile of charcoal fire in a makeshift tent, discussing their battle plan against the Wuxi Flying Army.
"To attack the Wuxi Flying Army camp on the opposite bank of the Xichuan River, a surprise attack would surely yield excellent results. According to reconnaissance reports, the enemy has deployed a battle line of over 80 kilometers on the opposite bank of the Xichuan River, with a force of 200,000. Relying on the river for defense, they have a geographical advantage. The sections of the river that can be directly crossed on horseback are heavily guarded by Chen Er's troops, who patrol day and night. A surprise attack would be very difficult!"
"This is what intelligence chief Yang Hong said."
Xun You thought for a moment and said, "Since it is a surprise attack, it must reflect the word 'surprise'. We should avoid the front and find another place to go around and attack the enemy's rear."
"The enemy's defenses cover a stretch of the Xichuan River, over eighty kilometers long. To the east, upstream, lies the Bisak Mountains, part of the western foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, high and densely forested; downstream, a vast swamp! To bypass the enemy's frontal forces, we cannot risk being trapped in the swamp. Our only option is to cross the Bisak Mountains to the east and attack their rear. Cavalry cannot easily traverse the mountains, and infantry cannot meet the speed requirements for a rapid raid. We need to carefully consider which unit to send!"
"This was said by Le Jin, president of the 113th Society."
"It would be better to send Guan Yu's Third Brigade! They can break away from the main force sooner, and avoid being detected by the Wuxi Flying Army to learn that they escaped from the Gilusen fire. This would allow for a surprise attack!" said Nagafuji, advisor to the 112th Society.
Gao Shun pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "Even on Mount Bisak, there must be Five Streams Flying Army soldiers patrolling just in case. So we need to apply pressure from the front, strain Chen Er's forces, and shrink their patrol range to give the troops crossing Mount Bisak an opportunity. If we can cross the river directly on the front, that would be even better."
"The chances are slim! Chen Er, the commander of the Wuxi Flying Army's Northern Route Army, has always been cautious and skilled in military administration. He always fights step by step and maintains a tight defense. Last night, the enemy used fire to attack the Third Brigade. There must be a quick-witted and strategist among the enemy's high command who has taken over."
“Otherwise, they would never use fire attacks on the grasslands where no army has ever set fires before. The enemy’s defenses must be even tighter and more flexible. To break through the enemy’s defenses from the front of the river, we would have to launch an attack with 30 troops at the same time, but such a pure human wave tactic would result in too many losses and we cannot afford it,” said Yang Xiu, the first general.
"Then let's return to the strategy of a flanking attack. According to Chief Advisor Feng Ji, we should send Guan Yu to detour through Bisak Mountain, penetrate deep behind enemy lines, and launch a surprise attack on the enemy's rear flank, breaking through Chen Er's river defense line in one fell swoop. As for the issue of crossing the mountains and building bridges to cross the river, we'll take a battalion of engineers and 40 special forces soldiers. I believe they can overcome the difficulties, cross Bisak Mountain, and successfully launch the attack." Gao Shun thought for a moment and finally made his decision.