"It was my fault that we fell for Liu Guang's trap. I cannot stand by and watch my soldiers be slaughtered by the enemy. Those of you who are willing to fight to the death with me to serve our country, come with me!"
At this moment, Wei Huang's bravery became his greatest asset. Had it been a slightly more timid general, he would surely have abandoned his troops and fled. But Wei Huang turned his horse around and charged back into the gorge forest. The ambushing soldiers never expected him to return, and were caught in a pincer attack, creating an opening through which the surrounded Hong troops desperately broke through.
"The old thief's ambush can't trap me!" Seeing the battle situation tilting in his favor again, Wei Huang felt a little relieved and ordered his two generals to each lead an army around the valley to surround the ambushing enemy's flanks and rear.
"Who is this general?" Liu Guang, who was on a high mountain, frowned and asked when he saw that Wei Huang had not only not fled but had also broken through his encirclement. "Although he is just a brave man, his bravery has benefited him a lot."
"Judging from his banner, he should be General Wei Huang, the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards of Hong Kingdom, one of Hong Kingdom's top generals," said Pang Zhen beside him. He and Liu Zheng had been ordered to patrol the country since returning to Chen Kingdom. This raid on Hong Kingdom was partly due to Pang Zhen's familiarity with Hong Kingdom's strengths and weaknesses, hence Liu Guang's decision to have him by his side to advise them. Liu Guang's assessment of the two was: "General Pang is older and more shrewd, often coming up with unexpected plans; Liu Zheng is taciturn but decisive, often able to..."
Simplify the complex.
"A mere brave man, even the most reckless will break. If someone doesn't even understand this principle yet dares to lead troops into battle, then Hong Kingdom only has Ma Jiyou left." Liu Guang stroked his beard, slowly raising his eyes, completely unmoved by the breakthrough of his encirclement.
Seeing that his two detachments had quickly disappeared into the mountains and forests, Wei Huang drew his sword, spurred his horse, and chased after them.
Just then, Liu Guang waved his hand, and drums sounded all around him as a huge beige banner with the character "Liu" on it was raised high.
"The old thief is here!" Wei Huang was both surprised and delighted. If he could face Liu Guang head-on, he was confident he could kill him in one fell swoop. So he immediately ordered, "Recall our troops and surround this hill. This time, we must take down that old thief Liu Guang!"
The two detachments that had been sent out retreated. Although the mountains around the gorge were not particularly steep or rugged, the Hong army had already pursued the enemy for dozens of miles with high morale, and after being worn down by the rain of arrows, they were showing signs of fatigue. This back-and-forth only fueled the soldiers' resentment. Wei Huang, however, dared not complain and ordered the entire army to attack the highest peak.
Just as the Hong Kingdom's army was about to surround the hilltop, another drumbeat sounded from the mountain, and the beige banner with the character "Liu" began to move, quickly disappearing into the treetops. Wei Huang thought Liu Guang intended to escape, so he dismounted, grabbed his sword, and rushed up the mountain. It took him a full half hour to finally catch up with them at the top.
But when they reached the summit, it was deserted. Apart from the trampled weeds and dead branches, Wei Huang couldn't find any trace of the Chen army.
"That old traitor Liu Guang has lost his nerve and fled at the mere sight of us!" Wei Huang laughed heartily. Before his laughter subsided, war drums suddenly thundered from another hilltop not far away, as if countless Chen soldiers were shouting from there, the sound echoing through the forest. Wei Huang looked up and saw the beige banner bearing the character "Liu" rising again on that hilltop. Wei Huang, with his sharp eyes, seemed to see someone on the banner pointing and gesturing at his side, a mocking and sarcastic tone. Wei Huang's face turned pale. Confident in his strength, he ordered another attack on that hilltop.
three,
"General, the soldiers are exhausted and cannot advance any further."
When Wei Huang missed his target again and was about to attack the third hill, his deputy general earnestly advised him against it.
Wei Huang looked around. There were only about a thousand soldiers beside him; the rest were scattered around, some too exhausted to move and had already sat down to rest. Remembering that his soldiers hadn't eaten or drunk anything since the attack that morning, Wei Huang also felt tired and hungry.
"It seems I have no choice but to let that old scoundrel Liu Guang go for now." At this moment, Wei Huang still didn't realize that he was being led by the nose by Liu Guang. On the contrary, he thought that Liu Guang's ambush had been broken by him and that he had fled in a sorry state. Just as he was about to order the troops to turn back, the deafening sound of war drums rang out again.
"Kill! Kill!"
Tens of thousands of Chen soldiers surged out of their ambush. Few soldiers emerged from the valley where they had been lying in wait; most appeared near the hilltops along the route Wei Huang had taken in pursuit of Liu Guang. The Hong army followed Wei Huang's advance, with most of the cavalry waiting on the plains, while the armored infantry had rested exhausted at the first hilltop. The thousand or so soldiers accompanying Wei Huang were mostly common soldiers. Now, with the Chen soldiers suddenly attacking, and the Hong soldiers scattered and exhausted from their long march, they were powerless to stop the well-rested Chen army. The green uniforms of the Chen soldiers blended seamlessly with the surrounding mountains, and their shouts seemed to tremble the mountains, making it difficult for the Hong soldiers to discern the true number of enemies approaching.
"Die!" Cui Shaolin, a brave general under Liu Guang, parried the weapon of an enemy general with his left hand using his bronze mace. With his right hand, he swept his mace horizontally, smashing the enemy's head and helmet flat. Then, he dodged a spear thrust out from the side and kicked it away.
The owner of the spear was kicked in the abdomen, his internal organs shattered by the force of the kick, and he flew more than ten feet away, spitting out blood mist, before collapsing and dying.
"Enemy general, surrender!" Cui Shaolin shouted as he rushed towards the hilltop. In just a moment, the Hong Kingdom's army was in complete disarray. A few clung desperately to the hilltop for defense, while the majority abandoned their armor and began to flee. The cavalry on the flat post road rushed forward, but stopped at the edge of the forest. After all, sending these cavalrymen, who were better suited for flat terrain charges, up the mountain would be using their weaknesses against the enemy's strengths. And now, without orders from their commander Wei Huang, they were at a loss.
It wasn't just these cavalrymen; because Wei Huang was trapped on that mountaintop by Cui Shaolin and unable to help himself, the other Hong soldiers were also caught in a situation where they were fighting independently, with the soldiers not knowing where their generals were, and the generals not knowing where their soldiers were. Looking around, all they could see was a green expanse, and they didn't know how many Chen soldiers were charging in. Therefore, the momentum of defeat spread rapidly, and soon it became an irreversible collapse.
Cursing as he charged down the hill, Wei Huang met Cui Shaolin head-on. Cui Shaolin was skilled with double maces, weapons usable on both horseback and foot, while Wei Huang was most adept with a broadsword. Now, fighting Cui Shaolin with his waist sword, Wei Huang quickly found himself at a disadvantage due to the shifting balance of power.
"General Wei Huang was defeated and killed, Chiling Pass was lost, Shen Hongmin, the ruler of Zhongxing State, was captured, and the entire army of 100,000 was wiped out."
Upon receiving this news, Qian Sheye slammed the jade cup in his hand to the ground and remained silent for a long time.
"This...so fast? What should we do?"
He was offering wine at the temple, informing his ancestors that he would personally lead the expedition, when news of the defeat arrived. Although the Hong Kingdom's garrison at Chiling Pass was said to number 100,000, it had actually numbered only 60,000. Yet, in less than ten days, the entire army of 60,000 had been wiped out, making Qian Sheye doubt the outcome of his personal campaign.
"Issue an imperial decree to imprison the entire Wei and Huang families, and deal with them after my victorious return." Qian Sheye composed himself. The entire court was already terrified by this news, and his earlier loss of composure would only make them more afraid.
"Your Majesty, does Your Majesty still wish to personally lead the expedition?" the old prime minister asked tremblingly.
"If I don't personally lead the expedition, who among you would dare to oppose Liu Guang?" Qian Sheye sneered. Apart from Ma Jiyou, was there really no one else among his civil and military officials?
"Why doesn't Your Majesty defend Haiping and issue an edict calling on all armies across the land to join forces and defeat the Chen rebels?" a minister asked.
"You're just waiting to die!" Qian Sheye rebuked him without any politeness. If the war were to spread directly to the capital, Haiping, wouldn't he look too incompetent? At the very least, Liu Guang should be stopped south of the Honghe Plain. Otherwise, if Liu Guang's army were to reach the Honghe River, the fertile Honghe Plain would likely be ravaged by the war, and there would be no harvest in the autumn.
Qian Sheye did not punish Yi Tong, who recommended Wei Huang. He was quite lenient towards those with limited talent.
When Liu Guang reorganized his troops and advanced on Tianhe City from Chiling, Qian Sheye had already personally led his army there. Apart from the troops brought by Haiping, the soldiers who had been defeated at Chiling were also regrouping there. Although the claim of 200,000 troops was somewhat exaggerated, there were at least 150,000.
"Why didn't you heed my advice and press your advantage to attack Tianhe instead of resting at Chiling for several days, giving the enemy a chance to catch their breath?"
Pang Zhen's question made Liu Guang stroke his beard and smile: "Lord Pang, although you are resourceful, you only see the battle situation, while I can see much further. What good would it have done if I had captured Tianhe City? It would have just been another city. Besides, if my offensive had been aggressive, Qian Sheye probably wouldn't have dared to leave the fortified city of Haiping. Now that Qian Sheye has personally come to the front line, although it has greatly boosted the morale of the Hong army, it has also put himself in danger."
"Does my lord mean that we are not in a hurry to destroy Hong?" Pang Zhen frowned as he understood the implication in Liu Guang's words. "If we are not in a hurry to destroy Hong, then won't our lord's surprise attack have come to nothing?"
“The Hong Kingdom has been established for a long time and has a famous general like Ma Jiyou. It cannot be destroyed suddenly. If we break through Haiping, Qian Sheye will definitely go to rely on Ma Jiyou. They will be united in their desire for revenge, which will be detrimental to us. On the contrary, if we lure Qian Sheye to Tianhe, Ma Jiyou will be anxious to come to his rescue. Then the real show can begin.”
"What if Qian Sheye is afraid of our lord's reputation and refuses to fight?" Pang Zhen asked, understanding that Liu Guang was using Qian Sheye as bait but actually plotting against Ma Jiyou.
"Qian Sheye is stubborn and self-willed, jealous of talent and ability. On the surface, he trusts Ma Jiyou greatly, but in reality, he harbors deep suspicion and distrust. Otherwise, Ma Jiyou would never have kept his troops stationed outside for so many years while his family remained in the capital," Liu Guang said with a sneer. "Qian Sheye is worried that Ma Jiyou will become too powerful, so he used Ma Jiyou's family as hostages. Others may not see this, but Lord Pang should know it. Qian Sheye has achieved considerable political success, so he must be arrogant and hope that his reputation can surpass Ma Jiyou's. Unfortunately, when the entire Hong Kingdom talks about war, they only know about General Ma Jiyou and not about King Qian Sheye. Now..." "Now that I've conquered Hong, how could Qian Sheye possibly let this opportunity slip by? He thinks I have less than 100,000 troops, so he's sending a large army to fight me. Even if he can't win, at least he won't be defeated. Little does he know that Ma Jiyou knows he's no match for me, and upon hearing of my personal campaign, he'll surely come to my aid with all his might. If Ma Jiyou leads a large army, then Wutai's forces are too small to be of any use, and once we seize our territory, it will be gone forever. If he doesn't lead a large army, then Qian Sheye will surely suspect that he's preserving his strength. In any case, Ma Jiyou will suffer a thankless task. At that time, I can give them a few pointers, and I'm not worried about them turning against each other."
For several days, Liu Guang did not attack the city, but instead sent his generals to Tianhe City with the heads of Wei Huang to challenge them. At first, Qian Sheye did not take it seriously, but later, when the soldiers from Chen State challenged him with the words "Without Ma Jiyou, Hong State has no one left," he finally ordered his generals to fight. However, Cui Shaolin was too brave to be outdone, and after killing four of Qian Sheye's generals, no one else dared to fight.
With consecutive defeats and morale low, Qian Sheye devised another plan: a night raid on Liu Guang's camp. However, Liu Guang was prepared, and the attackers were caught off guard, suffering thousands more casualties. Although reinforcements from all directions arrived, it was to no avail. These local militias were more than enough in number, but lacked the strength to truly conquer fortified positions.
The stalemate lasted for more than ten days. Liu Guang's captured Chiling had a large stockpile of grain and fodder, and with the grain and supplies seized from the Zhongxing Kingdom's treasury, he wouldn't have to worry about supplies for another two or three months. Qian Sheye's personal expedition, however, was hastily launched. Although grain and fodder continued to arrive from the rear, half of it was seized by Liu Guang's cavalry. Moreover, more and more troops were coming to the aid of the king, making his food supply even more strained than Liu Guang's. Just as Qian Sheye was beginning to worry about food for the first time, he finally received news that Ma Jiyou had arrived with an army.
Ma Jiyou could have arrived a few days earlier, but as Liu Guang had predicted, he brought few soldiers. Therefore, he spent some time gathering loyalist troops along the way and piecing together tens of thousands of men. After breaking through Liu Guang's blockade, he entered Tianhe City.
"Jiyou, you've finally arrived."
Qian Sheye concealed his displeasure with a cheerful expression. He personally came out of the temporary palace to welcome his "beloved general".
"Your Majesty, I apologize for being late and causing you any distress." Ma Jiyou knelt on the ground. No matter how much favor Qian Sheye showed him, Ma Jiyou never failed to show proper courtesy to his lord.
Qian Sheye's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he smiled, "Just thinking of you, Jiyou, makes me feel at ease."