Chapter 6664 Unexpected

Chapter 6664 Unexpected
Sometimes, all an individual needs to succeed is hard work, but more often, all they need to succeed is luck.

For example, this time Fu Ward's luck was quite good. Before Fu Ward realized it, his previous tricks had forced the Han local militia in the Yanbian area of ​​Xinzhou to retreat, which according to normal logic left him a way out even though it should have been difficult for him to retreat.

"Go down to Tibet, then go up to Tibet?" Assam looked at Masinde with some confusion, not realizing the difference.

"Well, before, Fu Ward had no choice but to enter the mountainous area in northern Tibet. He had no other choice because if he didn't enter the mountainous area, he would be wiped out by the Qiang people sooner or later." Masinde said with a tone of admiration for Fu Ward's luck.

"The Qiang people are also aware of this, so there will inevitably be a battle in front of the northern Tibetan mountains. No matter how fast Fu Ward runs, this battle cannot be avoided. At most, if he runs faster, the losses will be smaller, but if he runs slower, the losses will be huge, or even the entire army will be wiped out. There is basically no possibility of avoiding the battle." Masinde said, pointing to the Qiang blockade circle on the map.

Although Lin Dai and others did not tell Mashind about their plan, Mashind had been hanging out with this group of people for several years and had a clear understanding of their abilities and thinking.

Therefore, by simply considering the Qiang people's capabilities and the mobilization capabilities they had demonstrated before, Masinde could roughly determine what the Qiang people's strategic and tactical structures would be.

"A battle here is absolutely unavoidable." Masinde pointed seriously at a plain in front of the northern Tibetan mountains. "As long as Fuward passes the blockade and enters the Qiangtang grassland, the Qiang people in the second encirclement will gather here. Camel riders have physical advantages, but they still need to cross most of the Qiangtang grassland, and there are several Qiang teams very close to here."

What's wrong with running fast? The Qiang people in the second layer of encirclement had to march a short distance, and the camel riders set up a deceptive formation, first going south and then north, crossing the first layer and entering the Qiangtang grassland. It was obvious that they were going to enter the northern Tibetan mountainous area.

Unless Fu Ward has enough energy to shuttle through the front lines again and lead his elite troops from south to north, the problem is that the first time he did so was a surprise attack, but if he could do it the second time when the Qiang people were on guard, the difficulty would increase explosively.

After all, the Qiang people were not fools. Moreover, after Fuward went south, the 50,000 or 60,000 Qiang people who had constructed the first encirclement also chose to go north. The battle lines would overlap. In this case, Fuward could still make a shuttle from north to south...

To be honest, there is no need to chase them. This means that Fu Ward can accurately grasp the Qiang people's deployment. To be able to grasp the opponent's deployment so accurately is an ability that only a god of war possesses.

"So there will definitely be a battle here. Fuward must gather all his strength because this battle is unavoidable. As long as he wants to go through the northern Tibetan mountains, he has no choice but to fight." Masinde pointed to an area before the northern Tibetan mountains and said, "And we need to quickly break the blockade, otherwise Lin Dai's main force of one man and three horses will arrive and die."

Why is it said that traveling along the Karakoram Trail is a life-threatening journey? In addition to the problems of the trail itself, the Qiang blockade is also a huge problem that cannot be avoided no matter what.

Just like now, Sidney jumped out of the first layer of encirclement in the best posture. During this period, it was inevitable that he lost about one-fifth of his troops. Of course, this one-fifth was not all dead. The problem is that in this kind of pursuit battle, after being injured, they have no mobility, which is no different from waiting to die.

Even though these people were prepared to die on the way back when they set out, when they were injured and could not keep up with the team and were forced to stay behind, it was impossible to say that they had no resentment at all. This is how the one-fifth of the personnel were reduced.

Then, when he jumped out of the first layer of encirclement, Sidney's luck was very good. He only encountered a group of young and strong Qiang people near the Qiangtang grassland. After launching the first attack, Fu Ward successfully arrived before the Qiang reinforcements. The two sides attacked from the front and back and quickly defeated the young and strong Qiang people.

However, more than 300 soldiers were lost during this period. As for the minor injuries, there was no need to calculate them at this time. After such a wave, Fu Ward and Sidney completed a victorious reunion and jumped out of the first encirclement. When they successfully arrived at Qiangtang, there were only a little over 4,000 troops left.

It can be said that Fuward has successfully completed his plan, but the difficulty of returning to Kushan only really began to be calculated at this moment.

"In short, under normal circumstances, if Fuward wanted to lead the camel cavalry back from the Karakoram Pass, the difficulty he would face would be far beyond his estimation. Although he was mentally prepared, the actual process of turning back would make him despair of his own judgment." Masinde explained with some emotion, "And in this situation, the despair of the legion commander would only lead to his death."

Masinde believed in Fuward's ability. Even if the other party was in despair, he would still hold on and retreat to Kushan with this group of camel cavalry who believed in him, and he would also firmly maintain his status, but his belief or disbelief sometimes brought about great changes.

"But this is just a normal situation." Masinde sighed and said, "Normally, we have to go directly to the northern Tibetan mountains from here, but now it's not a normal situation. Now Fuward can take a detour and go a little northeast, go directly to the Tibetan area, go to Xinzhou, and then go up from here to the northern Tibetan mountains. In this way, we can directly bypass the Qiang blockade."

Assam looked at Mahinde's gestures on the map. Although his strategy and tactics were not very good, with Mahinde's hands-on guidance, Assam quickly realized the advantages of this operation. It seemed dangerous, but in essence it was the same as the previous southward march. It was just a time difference.

"Well, can I ask a question?" Assam stared at the map and understood Fuward's operation of going down to Tibet and then up to Tibet, but looking at this map, Assam had some other ideas.

"I'm just curious. Since we can take advantage of the Han army's Yanbian enemy corps to shrink the Lower Tibetan area, why don't you take this opportunity to go directly through Khotan, cross the Pamir Mountains and enter Central Asia, right?" Masinde realized what Assam wanted to ask without even needing him to speak.

"Because it's impossible. Going through the old territory of Khotan is not a big problem. We still have some influence there. But going through the Pamir Mountains is basically impossible. There are not many routes there, and they are all blocked by Qiang people led by the Western Liang Iron Cavalry. If Fu Ward goes there, it will be like throwing meat buns at dogs. There is no way back." Masinde sighed and said, "Don't say that Fu Ward is half-crippled now. Even if he was in his prime, he would be beaten to death if he wanted to pass under the eyes of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry."

Of course, Masinde did not mention a very important point, that is, many Qiang people in the Congling area where the Xiliang Iron Cavalry was stationed were former Dayuezhi spies who had converted there, and they were also spies sent by Fuward to naturalize in the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. It might be difficult to catch these people, but it would be difficult to catch Fuward...

Maybe he is more confident than Fuward himself. So to be realistic, going through the Pamirs is a dead end. If the Pamirs can be passed, Fuward would not have considered the Karakoram Corridor and could have just gone straight through the Pamirs. That is an official road, a route often taken by normal merchants, and there would be no non-combat casualties there.

But can I walk? No!
If a merchant from the Han Empire walked through there, nothing would happen to him; but if a Fu Ward walked through there, he would definitely lose his head.

To put it bluntly, even if Fu Ward was lucky enough to pass through the Pamir Mountains, the Qiang people roaming around on the Turan grassland would be enough to blow Fu Ward's head off.

Compared with the Qing Qiang and Fa Qiang in Tibet, there are the Bai Qiang led by the Xiliang Iron Cavalry on the Turan grassland. They are the troops that can really fight against Fuward head-on, and their mobility ranks among the top among cavalry.

They are numerous and can fight, and they can call for support at any time. If Fu Ward had gone in at his peak, he would probably have been beaten to death. Now, with less than 5,000 infantrymen, they would just be sending themselves to death. So it is complete nonsense to expect to go to Lower Tibet, go through Xinzhou, and return to Kushan through the Pamir Mountains.

Therefore, we can only take the existing passages in the Tibetan area, and the Karakoram Corridor is relatively easier to travel among these passages.

"Oh, in that case, it is indeed luck. If it weren't for the recent incident, it would have been very difficult for Fuward to break out. But as you said, he avoided the battle in northern Tibet, went down to Tibet first, and then went up to Tibet and into northern Tibet before Xinzhou reacted. In the end, he would have to face the harsh natural environment." Assam said with some admiration.

Again, although Assam does not mind using Fuward's head as a stepping stone to advance, but given that there is a way out, Assam still prefers that Fuward can leave successfully. Human beings are creatures with a mentality that is sometimes so complex that it is difficult to describe.

"Yes, compared to the Qiang people's pursuit and interception, the harsh natural environment actually has much less impact on the camel cavalry." Masinde nodded and said, "The combat effectiveness of the camel cavalry is there. The harsh natural environment of the Karakoram Corridor cannot stop the camel cavalry."

The Karakoram Corridor is indeed difficult to travel, especially during the current Little Ice Age. Normal people simply cannot pass through there, but the elite under the camel cavalry are not normal people themselves.

To put it bluntly, as a top-level legion that can be called a leader on the battlefield of the empire, it has experienced several years of adaptation at an altitude of thousands of meters just like the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, and its combat effectiveness has been improved compared to that of the past. If the harsh natural environment of the Karakoram Corridor can destroy such a legion, then the top elite is still a fart top elite, that would be ridiculous.

The real reason why the camel riders under Fu Ward were in danger of death was very simple: too few people, the Qiang people who might appear at any time, and the most important and inevitable final battle. These led to Fu Ward winning the final blockade of the Qiang people, but he could not bring in much food and grass.

That is to say, under normal circumstances, after entering the mountainous area of ​​northern Tibet, the camel cavalry under Fuward were in a state of lack of food and clothing. Without sufficient logistical supplies, they had to rush into the Karakoram Corridor. To be honest, Masinde felt that they were able to get through somewhat because the camel cavalry were really strong enough. If there was any lack of strength, Masinde would not be optimistic.

"And now, if we can avoid this battle, even if Fuward will be hunted down later, the food, supplies and medicine he carries will still be able to support him through the Karakoram Corridor." Masinde made the final summary, "To be honest, this is really luck, and has little to do with ability. Before I took action, Fuward could not have realized the changes in the recent situation."

Assam nodded slowly, his expression not changing at all, but anyone with a discerning eye could still tell that he was in a pretty good mood.

On the Qiangtang grassland, the blood-covered Fuward and Sidney successfully reunited. Both sides laughed as they looked at the fact that they still had 80% of their troops.

"Let's go. Before the Qiang people arrive, we must quickly retreat to the mountainous area in northern Tibet. Once we get in, the Qiang people will be unable to continue their blockade against us." Fu Ward looked at his soldiers and gave the order with excitement. Crossing the first layer of the Qiang people's encirclement so easily and successfully was a great boost to Fu Ward's confidence, and any self-doubt he had had quickly dissipated.

"Well, retreat quickly. If we delay any longer, the Qiang people will probably catch up with us." Sidney smiled as he looked at Fu Ward's cheeks which were obviously dark red due to the plateau environment. He was willing to take the risk just for Fu Ward. As for the Kushan Empire, after the five noble branches of the Yuezhi chose to give up their century-old dream, the concept of country had very little place in Sidney's heart.

After the two sides merged, they took a short rest, cooked the yaks, and had a bowl of hot soup, then they attacked with full confidence. For Fu Ward, there might be more difficult blockades ahead, but this bowl of hot soup was indispensable. This meal was enough to keep the camel cavalry's fairly good morale going for a longer period of time. Without this meal, the camel cavalry would have to eat cold food and flee everywhere. Even if they defeated their opponents, how long could they maintain this mentality?

"Let's shut down the secret technique that's obscuring us. Our next marching route is very clear. Whether the Qiang people's war eagles can see us or not, they will probably gather towards the northern Tibetan mountainous area under the leadership of the Qiang leader. That battle is inevitable." Fu Ward led the camel cavalry to speed up the march, and while moving forward, he also discussed the next situation with Sidney.

"That's true." Sidney nodded. "After we defeated that group of Qiang people, it won't be long before the main force of the Qiang people received the news. Now we have to evacuate as soon as possible. The faster we evacuate, the weaker the Qiang blockade force we will encounter in the end."

Fu Ward nodded. This was also his judgment, and it was also the reason why they had to have a good meal before starting the forced march. This meat meal was very meaningful to the current situation. Even if such behavior would further expose their intentions, it didn't matter now.

"The next step is the most difficult time." Fuward looked at Sidney seriously, and Sidney smiled. Did he care about the difficulties? After losing the belief that had supported him to move forward for decades, Sidney no longer had any fear of death, not to mention that it was for Fuward, so there was nothing to be afraid of, so the difficulties were nothing.

"The Qiang people have a strong will. They encountered an ambush by me, and the general took the opportunity to attack them from both sides. Even under such circumstances, they were able to fight to the death. They did not collapse until they suffered a 40% loss. This kind of will is indeed difficult to deal with." Sidney said with a serious expression, looking ahead.

Fu Ward was silent for a while after hearing this. It was thanks to the basic quality of the Qiang people that they were not qualified to talk about willpower with the camel cavalry. Otherwise, if they were a little stronger and the camel cavalry could not win a quick victory, this group of Qiang people might be able to hold on with 90% of the young and strong people killed in the battle and fight Fu Ward here.

The reason they were beaten and scattered was not because the Qiang people lacked willpower, but for a more direct reason. The camel cavalry was much stronger than the Qiang people and could quickly kill the young and strong Qiang people. As a result, after the size of the Qiang people dropped to a certain level, there was no way to block the camel cavalry, and no way to delay time. Continuing to fight would only result in giving away lives. Therefore, the leaders here could only choose to flee and leave behind the useful ones, and then be hunted down later.

That's right, the Qiang people who suffered such huge losses did not lose their fighting spirit. Even if they fled in disarray, it was only to gather with more Qiang people and then continue to hunt down Fu Ward.

In other words, as long as they could win the battle, this group of Qiang people would not care about the losses at all. After all, Lin Dai had already paid the pensions in advance, and this group of people were also prepared to die in battle. It was just that they had been ambushed and attacked from both sides before, so they could not exert their combat effectiveness and could not effectively block the enemy, so they had to choose to flee.

However, even so, after running away, this group of people quickly contacted their teammates in other locations and asked them to form a new team to hunt down Fu Ward.

In the capital of Zhangzhung, Lindai received news from the chieftain who had set up a blockade south of the Qaidam grassland that five thousand Qiang troops had suffered a crushing defeat, with losses approaching two thousand, and the team's organizational structure had been destroyed.

Lin Dai felt almost no pity about this. After all, when he came to fight this battle, he was prepared for the death of 50,000 to 60,000 people, so a mere 2,000 people was not worth grieving about. Instead, it was important to determine the location and area of ​​Fu Ward's main force.

"Yang Pu, you lead the elite cavalry north to pursue Fuward, and then use carrier birds to notify the blockade forces near the northern Tibetan mountains to move closer to the Qiangtang grassland and the northern Tibetan mountains to carry out the final blockade of Fuward." As Lin Dairu Masinde expected, he quickly made the correct judgment.

"Yes." Yang Pu answered loudly. He had realized that Lin Dai was accumulating merits for him and preparing him to inherit the position of chief. Although this succession would take many years, allowing him to get involved in the biggest trump card of the Qiang people in Zangzhou was enough to explain many problems.

"Do your best to catch up with Fu Ward." Lin Dai solemnly warned Yang Pu before he set off, "Once the other party enters the mountainous area of ​​northern Tibet, we will have no chance of catching up."

Marching in mountainous areas is very difficult, the quality of the Qiang people is not as good as that of camel riders, and the terrain makes it impossible to deploy for encirclement, so that as long as Fuward entered the mountains, the Qiang people could only watch.

"I will try my best, and chief, I believe that our people will fight desperately to stop Fu Ward in the northern Tibetan mountains." Yang Pu said sincerely.

Lin Dai nodded upon hearing this. It was thanks to this that if the Qiang people had not been a little less desperate, Lin Dai would not have had any hope of besieging and killing Fu Ward. After all, to kill Fu Ward, it really required unity from head to toe, plus the young and strong men from various tribes who were blocking the way and fearlessly blocking the camel cavalry when they encountered them. After all, the gap in hard power was there.

To put it bluntly, apart from their fearlessness and determination to die for their country, the Qiang people had no other qualifications to face the camel riders. Most of the time, the gap in quality between the two sides was so great that Fu Ward could say to the Qiang people, "Your quality is not enough to compete with me in terms of will."

There was no way. The years of training in Tibet had filled the camel cavalry's last flaw, just like the Xiliang Iron Cavalry who had climbed to the 7,000-meter high-altitude mountain area for training.

The pursuit and blockade began again. Fu Ward went straight to the northern Tibetan mountains. The tribes near the northern Tibetan mountains and the Qiang blockade forces on the Qaidam grassland also rushed to the northern Tibetan mountains as soon as they received the news.

"Call all the young men over the age of fifteen in the tribe." After receiving the message sent by Lin Dai, the leader of the Qiang tribe in the Qiangtang grassland completely ignored Zhang Ji's previous order. If five thousand young and strong men can't stop Fu Ward, then use eight thousand. If eight thousand is not enough, then use ten thousand. There's nothing to be afraid of. My tribe is here. We will recruit soldiers on the spot and fight you, Fu Ward!
With this belief, the Qiang people rushed into the mountainous area of ​​northern Tibet in larger and larger numbers, and the original team of three to five thousand people quickly expanded to seven to eight thousand.

Let’s put combat effectiveness aside for now. After all, even the main elite of the Qiang people are not worthy of talking about combat effectiveness in front of Fu Ward. So to be realistic, there is no difference between a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old Qiang man. To Fu Ward, they are all miscellaneous soldiers with a firm will to blockade.

"General, the situation is not good. We just lost three war eagles." Sidney's face looked extremely ugly. The Kushan war eagles were all carefully selected, but they have not returned with any information until now. They were obviously lost. Considering that the war eagles are at the top of the food chain in Tibet, it is self-evident why they did not come back.

"The main forces of the Qiang people in the north, west, and south?" Fu Ward said calmly.

"Yes, in fact there are Qiang people coming from the east, but they are relatively far away and it is highly unlikely that we will meet them. On the contrary, in the north and west, it is very likely that a main force of Qiang people of more than 20,000 will gather before we enter the mountainous area of ​​northern Tibet." Sidney said with a gloomy face.

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the middle-level officers around Fu Ward all darkened.

The author has already run away. As for the dice, I suggest you go to the main group to ask what is going on, what is going on with Fuward's dice, and how to achieve the outrageous results you mentioned. It is better to ask. It is really embarrassing to rely on imagination alone.

For me, dice are just a way to use branching plots. If it is really as exaggerated as you think, and a regular six-sided dice has a one in six probability of directly destroying the Han Dynasty, then I would not write it. What's more, I have been shaking the dice for ten years, and I have always been like this. The readers who just found out that I asked Yueluo to shake the dice these two days actually thought that a dice could destroy the plot. Sigh, am I so bad at it?