I was kicked out of the house, and I was reborn and became the emperor

At the military meeting the next day, Shangguan Yu announced that 30,000 Northern Frontier cavalrymen were annihilated and Zhan Tianyou was killed.

The generals were all shocked upon hearing the news, and Wu Minbo even staggered and almost fell, looking at Shangguan Yu in disbelief.

Shangguan Yu paused for a moment, and said with a sad face: "I am responsible for the defeat in this battle. I didn't understand the enemy's situation and fell into a trap. I will write to the court and ask for punishment! But one failure will not make us surrender. I firmly believe that we can repel the Jurchen cavalry! The warriors of the northern border fought bloody battles and no one surrendered. They should be a role model for the whole army. Immediately issue an order to provide preferential treatment to the martyrs' families!"

"As ordered!"

Two days later, the Jurchens sent an envoy to return Zhan Tianyou's body and a letter.

Shangguan Yu sat in the first seat, holding the letter in his hand, on which the words "Declaration of War" were clearly written in blood.

"Respectfully presented by Tuoba of the Jurchen tribe, Shangguan clan of the Great Zhou. I deeply admire the bravery and perseverance of the King of Zhenbei, and I have returned his body for a lavish burial.

I have long heard that the Shangguan family has been loyal and brave for generations, and they are all iron-blooded men.

I hereby invite you, General, to have a showdown at Wangque Plain in five days. You don’t have to come, but when the city is broken, no one will be left alive!”

"Snapped!"

Shangguan Yu was so angry that his face turned blue: "You Jurchens, you dare to openly provoke and insult the dignity of our army by speaking so arrogantly!"

All the generals in the hall shared the same hatred of the enemy. Since the troops were sent out, they had not encountered any major battles. In addition, the cavalry in the northern border had suffered losses, so the army urgently needed a great victory to boost morale.

"Pass the order!" Shangguan Yu shouted angrily, and all the generals straightened their backs and looked at him in unison.

"Tomorrow morning, all generals will go to the meeting hall to plan military affairs. Five days later, the army will march out and swear to decide the outcome of the battle on Wangque Plain!"

"As ordered!"

Afterwards, a fast horse galloped towards Zhao Zhixun's camp like an arrow, inviting him to go to Jiayuguan to discuss the strategy of the war.

……

The curtain of war is about to be raised, and a gloomy atmosphere of impending storm is surging between heaven and earth.

Inside Jiayuguan, a group of generals gathered around a terrain sand table. Zhao Zhixun lightly tapped the model of his own camp with his fingertips.

"Our army can first cross the Wangque Mountains and arrive at the Wangque Camp to prepare and rest, and then advance to the plains to deploy troops when the decisive battle comes. This move can preserve our strength to the maximum extent for the final battle."

The generals nodded, and Shangguan Yu also agreed with this strategy.

"On the day the battle begins, the cavalry will be the vanguard on the plains. The cavalry from Northern Frontier and Youzhou will be divided into three columns. The King of Zhenbei will personally lead 30,000 cavalry from Northern Frontier in the center, while the two cavalry commanders of Youzhou, Generals Han and Wang, will lead 70,000 elite troops to garrison on the left and right, with 35,000 men in each column."

Shangguan Yu glanced at the three generals beside him and just finished speaking.

"As ordered!"

The three men leaned forward to receive the order, their voices firm.

General Han, leader of the Youzhou left wing cavalry, smiled and said, "It is often said that the Northern Frontier Cavalry is the strongest division in the frontier, with unparalleled combat power. This time, my Youzhou cavalry will compete with your army to see if the reputation of "the first cavalry" can make Youzhou taste the freshness for a few days, haha."

Laughter echoed in the meeting room, and for a moment, the tense atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Shangguan Yu then elaborated.

"The Jurchens have 150,000 people. Minus the previous losses, it is estimated that the cavalry is no less than 100,000. After the first confrontation between the two armies, the Northern Frontier Army needs to advance quickly and attack the enemy's central infantry.

At the same time, the cavalry on both sides of Youzhou went around the flanks of the enemy infantry and launched an encirclement and attack.

"We will attack from three sides, cavalry versus infantry, and we will be able to defeat the enemy in one blow!"

Wu Minbo immediately raised his doubts.

"After we pass through the enemy's cavalry defense line, the enemy may have two strategies: one is to quickly turn around and pursue our army, and our army may be attacked by cavalry and infantry; the other is to use the same strategy and go straight to our infantry camp.

If the infantry camp is attacked, should our cavalry return to support it?"

Wu Minbo's concerns are not unreasonable. Every variable in the war needs to be considered in advance. Delays in conveying commands on the battlefield may mean the collapse of the overall situation.

After Zhao Zhixun exchanged glances with Shangguan Yu, he stepped forward to add something.

"I have discussed this with General Shangguan. The primary mission of the cavalry from Northern Frontier and Youzhou is to destroy the enemy infantry phalanx. Unless necessary, there is no need to distract them from returning to support. Behind us, there will be a second attack echelon consisting of the Left Guard Cavalry and the Yangzhou Cavalry, a total of 20,000 people, led by me personally.

If the Jurchen cavalry counterattacks, this unit will cooperate with you to form a pincer attack, first weakening their cavalry strength, and then eliminating the infantry one by one. If the enemy does not pursue, these 20,000 people will serve as a reserve force, and our main phalanx of 80,000 infantry will go first to meet the enemy. "

The generals couldn't help but have doubts in their minds. The former's strategy was clear and reasonable, but the latter's use of the main force of infantry to meet the Jurchen cavalry seemed quite risky.

After all, the Jurchen cavalry was powerful, and the infantry bore the brunt of the attack, so the losses were bound to be heavy.

Shangguan Yu smiled slightly and answered the questions.

"Don't worry, everyone. The infantry phalanx will be led by the Youzhou Heavy Armor Battalion, and the crossbow battalion will provide long-range fire support in the back, inflicting heavy damage to the enemy with a rain of arrows.

After that, there is a stronghold formed by all the infantry, and my command platform will also be set up here. "

Everyone suddenly realized that the Youzhou Heavy Armored Battalion was built to resist the invasion of nomadic tribes. It is well-equipped and has a long history. However, due to lack of financial resources, its size has been continuously reduced. Now there are only more than 2,000 people left, and it is difficult to stand on its own.

Obviously, General Anbei had solved the problem of equipment shortage before he dared to send the heavy armored battalion into the battlefield.

Shangguan Yu turned to a veteran beside him.

"General Zhu, how is the replenishment of the Heavy Armor Battalion?"

This old veteran named Zhu Jingsheng has been in charge of the Youzhou Heavy Armor Battalion for more than ten years. Seeing the Heavy Armor Battalion declining, he feels extremely sad.

Now that the Heavy Armor Battalion has been reborn, he can't help but be happy.

"General Shangguan, rest assured. The Heavy Armor Battalion now has 6,000 soldiers, fully equipped and with high morale. If the Jurchen barbarians want to break through our heavy armor formation, they will have to pay a heavy price!"

Shangguan Yu nodded with satisfaction.

As early as when he was in the capital, he knew that to fight against the Jurchens, he not only needed to rely on cavalry, but the Youzhou Heavy Armored Battalion was also an important force.

Therefore, two thousand sets of heavy armor were specially brought from the capital, and in recent months, thanks to the generous donations from major families, the heavy armor battalion was finally restored to six thousand troops.

"Do you have any questions?"

Zhao Zhixun looked around and asked.

Everyone shook their heads, their doubts gone.

"Then everyone, make your preparations. After you are done organizing yourselves, set out for the Wangque camp one after another and wait for the drums of war to sound.

I emphasize again that in this battle, our Great Zhou army of 200,000 will go out in full force. I hope you will be brave and fearless, behead the enemy, and succeed in one fell swoop, so that the Great Zhou army will be famous! Everything is up to you!"

After he finished speaking, Shangguan Yu looked solemn and bowed deeply to everyone.

All of a sudden, Jiayuguan, the usually quiet border town, became more bustling than ever before.

Every street and alley in the city was filled with elite soldiers ready to go, and the crowds were surging.

Carriages loaded with supplies left Jiayuguan in an endless stream and headed for the Wangque camp. As the saying goes, "food and fodder must go before troops move forward."