Chapter 571: Rebellion in the Enemy Camp
Guo Wei knew that the few remaining troops in the main camp were nothing to fear; what mattered was the victory or defeat of the main force ahead. It was unclear which side had launched the surprise attack, nor was the strength of the troops. However, now was the best opportunity to defeat the enemy. If he waited until the enemy ahead achieved a major victory, then engaging the few thousand troops in battle would be uncertain. Moreover, even if he won, it would come at a greater cost.
On the contrary, if we can attack the enemy from the front and back and defeat their main force, the camp will be ours.
Although he only had a thousand cavalrymen, he was able to exert unimaginable power at this time. Moreover, they came suddenly, and the other side was bound to be unprepared.
Afterwards, Guo Wei led his troops and marched directly to the rear of the camp.
If we were to ask whose troops secretly raided the camp, who else could it be except Hou Xiaokang's troops?
After receiving the military order from Jia Cong, Hou Xiaokang immediately divided his troops into two. He led 15,000 main troops to set up an ambush in the area of Dalao Creek, while the remaining 5,000 troops were led by his deputy general Tian Hai and went directly to the vicinity of the tribal troops' camp.
Jia Cong did not give any specific orders to this ambush, but only asked them to wait for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
However, if there is no accident in the enemy camp, how easy is it to launch a surprise attack ?
This was a camp set up in the wild, and the enemy commander was clearly well-versed in military matters. Therefore, the camp was heavily guarded! Not to mention the terrain, the entire camp was surrounded by wooden stakes nearly ten feet high, each of which was sunk two or three feet into the ground, forming three layers. While not as strong , it was still not easy to break through.
Inside the piles, arrow towers and watchtowers stood every thirty steps, with soldiers patrolling day and night. Beyond the piles lay a trench about thirty to four feet wide and a foot deep. The trench was filled with sharpened wooden spikes; falling into it would surely lead to death.
The weakest point in the entire camp was the gate. However, this gate was also the most critical point for the enemy to defend.
One reason is that there is always a troop of several hundred men stationed there. There is no cover for dozens of feet outside the gate, so it is impossible to get close without being discovered.
Outside the gate, there is a layer of barricades, making it extremely difficult to get through.
Tian Hai's troops were stationed ten miles away, but in order to find a suitable opportunity, scouts were sent out day and night to investigate the movements in the enemy camp.
For several days, the enemy troops did not make any moves. Tian Hai had no choice but to have his troops prepare the necessary supplies. If there was no other way, he could only launch a forceful attack to test the waters.
Just about an hour ago, Tian Hai, who had already fallen asleep, suddenly received a report from a scout saying that the other side was mobilizing troops.
Although he didn't know the specific situation, Tian Hai was already waiting anxiously. Even if it meant a wasted trip, he didn't want to miss any opportunity. Immediately, he led 2,000 cavalrymen to attack, and the rest of the troops followed.
Before they arrived, they encountered scouts again reporting that the enemy camp had sent out two armies, totaling nearly 10,000 people.
Tian Hai had long known the enemy's number of troops; it was no more than 15,000 at most. And now, with over 10,000 men dispatched, didn't that mean the main camp only had 5,000 soldiers left? Add in some sleeping, some patrolling, and garrisoning the four gates, and the camp was little more than an empty shell.
He estimated the arrival time of the troops from the rear, which was about two quarters of an hour. According to the time calculation, the troops from the rear would arrive in another one or two quarters of an hour at most.
Immediately, he led his troops and attacked towards the enemy's gate.
There are less than 500 soldiers stationed at the gate today. Even if there are chevaux de frise, how can they stop four times the number of soldiers?
Tian Hai sacrificed three or four hundred soldiers and horses and directly killed and dispersed the soldiers at the gate. Afterwards, he left a thousand soldiers for himself, and the remaining hundreds of soldiers were divided into teams of one hundred, setting fire and harassing everywhere.
The rear of the camp was originally the enemy's weak point, and now there were not enough soldiers in the camp, so the rear was almost empty.
As Tian Hai led his troops to charge in, even though there were only more than a thousand soldiers, it was enough to cause chaos in the rear of the entire camp.
Moreover, Tian Hai had set the fire precisely where the enemy's baggage and food supplies were. Suddenly, the enemy, having finally gathered two to three thousand soldiers, had to not only fight Tian Hai but also divide their forces to put out the fire. In short, they were completely busy.
The enemy commander, who had just left the camp, learned that the camp behind him had been attacked. He had no time to take care of the situation in front and immediately returned to rescue.
By the time the enemy's main force arrived, Tian Hai's follow-up troops also arrived.
The enemy's 7,000 to 8,000 troops formed a massive formation and crushed them. Tian Hai chose not to fight to the death, but retreated into the formation and engaged the enemy with his 4,000-plus troops. Although he had fewer men, they were the elite troops of the capital's main camp. Fighting with fewer troops against a larger force, he was only slightly at a disadvantage, but neither side was sure of a decisive victory.
The armies of both sides collided several times, both suffered heavy damage, and the situation became a stalemate.
"General, let's retreat first!" a lieutenant shouted, "At worst, we can find another opportunity another day!"
"We have lost more than a thousand soldiers and horses. If we continue fighting, all our brothers will die!"
Tian Hai gritted his teeth and said, "Guo Wei and Xie Jing's troops are not far from here. As long as they notice the situation here, they will definitely lead their troops to attack. Then, we can attack from both sides and the enemy will be defeated. If this surprise attack fails and the enemy is prepared, it will be difficult to attack next time."
"Where are my personal guards? Follow me and charge!"
Afterwards, Tian Hai personally led his guards to charge forward! A general is the courage of his soldiers. Under Tian Hai's fearless charge, his soldiers were also full of fighting spirit and pushed the enemy's troops back.
At this moment, shouts of killing were heard from behind the enemy troops. Then, Tian Hai felt the pressure in front of him suddenly decrease.
"Hahaha!" Tian Hai, covered in blood, couldn't help but laugh. "It must be Generals Xie Jing and Guo Wei's troops arriving! Brothers, charge forward! Don't let these bastards get away."
The victory or defeat of such a war is never determined by the number of soldiers. Psychological changes will bring about changes in fighting spirit.
First, the main camp was attacked, and now the enemy troops were also attacking from the rear. Although the enemy troops were small, the tribal soldiers, caught in a pincer attack, suddenly became panicked.
Moreover, although Guo Wei had few soldiers, he relied on his strong mobility to harass the enemy only from the rear, not even giving them a chance to fight head-on.
In this situation, the other side was also in a dilemma! Tian Hai's troops were numerous and powerful in the front, while Guo Wei's troops were few in the rear. However, if they were to split up and pursue, a small number of troops would be useless, and a large number of troops would be too much to bear.
