Wei Ni

As Chen Qian and others led their troops to the vassal state of Liaodong, war clouds began to gather over Liaosui.

Both sides knew that the war was about to begin.

Needless to say, the Wei army generals who were asked to double their speed knew that they were chosen as the vanguard. Yang Zuo, who led 20,000 Liaodong infantry and cavalry to garrison on the west bank of the Liao River, knew that the Wei army had accepted his challenge.

Yes~
It's a challenge.

He had been instructed by Gongsun Yuan to bring his troops out deliberately, which was a silent invitation to the Wei army's vanguard - do they dare to fight a fair battle with equal forces?
Otherwise, why would he bring troops out when he could stay in the city where he could be sheltered from the wind and rain and sleep peacefully?

The recent actions of the Wei army's advance guard were also a silent response to him.

Firstly, the Wei army no longer pursued the Liaodong army's cavalry scouts. As long as they did not approach within five miles of the outpost, they would not even try to drive them away, intentionally allowing the scouts to clearly understand the military situation.

Another thing is that every time a Wei army unit arrived, they would fan the flames and deliberately spread the word to remind the Liaodong scouts to come quickly and estimate the number of the new troops.

In three days at most, after recovering from the exhaustion of the journey, the Wei army's vanguard should be able to march out to fight, right?
Yang Zuo, dressed in ordinary cavalry uniform and pretending to be a scout, stopped his horse on a low hill not far from the Wei army's outpost, looking at the Wei army slowly entering the camp with a chess piece embroidered with the word "king". He was also making a judgment in his heart. After several days of accumulation, the Wei army in the outpost had nearly 20,000.

From the strict formations and perfect silence during the march, he knew that these Wei troops were elite troops.

This is also nonsense.

How could the troops who were entrusted with the task of advancing in the front not be elite?

What really made him uneasy was that the Wei army seemed to be more elite than the infantry and cavalry he led.

But he quickly put aside his uneasiness.

You haven't really been in battle yet, and you don't know who will win, so there's no need to lower your status.

Moreover, he was one of the most determined advocates of war in the Liaodong Army.

After Gongsun Mo and Zhang Chang, he was the highest-ranking general stationed in Lelang and Daifang County, and was also the actual person in charge of Liaodong's attack on Goguryeo and Han Ye.

After nearly twenty years of military career, he had no favorable impression on the State of Wei.

Let me ask, what kind of favor did the State of Wei owe to Liaodong?
When Goguryeo and Han Ye invaded Lelang and plundered the people, did the Wei State, which claimed to be the one carrying the mandate of heaven, protect the people of Liaodong?
During natural disasters and famines, could the State of Wei have kept a single Liaodong citizen alive with its food and fodder?

I haven't done anything, why should Liaodong change its ownership?
You know, without the efforts of several generations since Gongsun Du, Liaodong might have become the territory of Goguryeo long ago!

Yang Zuo had no intention of separating the four counties of Liaodong from the territory of the Central Plains dynasty.

But he felt that Wei should not disturb the peace of Liaodong before conquering Shu and Wu and truly proving that it was the destiny to replace the Han.

He was a native of Xuantu.

Although he had not read many books and did not understand what justice was, he knew that what his fellow villagers hoped for was a peaceful life, enough food and clothing, and not to be bullied by the barbarians and foreigners.

The Gongsun family has done a good job in this regard for generations.

Therefore, it was unjust for the State of Wei to send troops to attack, and he should have resisted firmly.

This was also the reason why Gongsun Yuan privately instructed his commander Bei Yan to take advantage of the arrival of the Wei army to find an opportunity for a tentative field battle, and he took the initiative to volunteer to lead his troops to station on the west side of the Liao River.

On the one hand, it was to relieve the anger caused by the unreasonable invasion by the State of Wei.

On the other hand, the soldiers under his command had been guarding and attacking outside all year round, and they were the best in the Liaodong Army in terms of both combat effectiveness and morale.

It is also the best touchstone.

If his own army cannot defeat the Wei army, the Liaodong army can only rely on its geographical advantage to preserve its independence.

Bei Yan's views differed from his.

Bei Yan, who was given the responsibility of commander-in-chief because of his relationship with Gongsun Yuan, was not optimistic about the outcome of the field battle with the Wei army.

In Bei Yan's opinion, even Yuan Shao, who was once so powerful and occupied four continents, could not stop the rise of Wei, and Tadun, who had hundreds of thousands of soldiers at his command, could not escape the fate of being attacked and killed. So why should Liaodong take risks?

All we need to do is to hold the Liaosui Pass and prevent the Wei State from crossing the Liao River. When winter comes and the snow accumulates three feet, the Wei army will automatically withdraw.

A victory in the field can certainly boost the morale of the soldiers, but killing one thousand enemies will only result in eight hundred casualties of one's own.

Liaodong, with a total population of only 40,000 households and more than 300,000 people, recruited many foreigners to piece together more than 70,000 infantry and cavalry, which could not withstand the consumption of a fierce battle with the State of Wei.

Moreover, if they were defeated in the field battle, the people of Liaodong would become even more dissatisfied with Gongsun Yuan's claim to the throne!
The scholars and common people in Liaodong supported the Gongsun family because the Gongsun family resisted foreign races and defended the Han Dynasty, which was the master of Liaodong. They could accept the Gongsun family's separatist rule, but they would not support the Gongsun family in splitting Liaodong.

This is the belief that was ingrained in all Han people after Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms and established a unified dynasty.

But it is not something that three generations of Gongsun can erase.

It's just a pity.

Bei Yan was unable to dissuade Gongsun Yuan from his thoughts.

Therefore, half a month after Yang Zuo led his troops to camp outside and sent someone to report that the vanguard of the Wei army had arrived, he asked all the generals to be prepared to support Yang Zuo at any time.

"As a general, you should think about defeat before you think about victory."

This is how he explained it to his generals, but he couldn't erase the worry in his heart.

It turned out that his prediction was accurate.

Only three days later, Yang Zuo was defeated, with only four out of ten of his 20,000 infantry and cavalry being killed, and this was because the Wei army only pursued him for four or five miles.

Upon hearing the news, Bei Yan immediately found Yang Zuo, who had returned with the defeated troops, and wanted to ask him about the course of the battle. However, as soon as he saw Yang Zuo, he lost interest in asking.

Yang Zuo, who was originally full of ambition and confidence, now had a look of loneliness and confusion in his eyes.

The Wei army, which came from afar, only mobilized 3,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry, and fought a fair battle with the enemy's 20,000 infantry and cavalry in the wild. There was no trickery in tactics, but the infantry formed a Yu Li formation in front and advanced step by step, while the cavalry formed a left and right wing formation and waited for action.

Yang Zuo, who had the advantage in military strength and was well-rested, still played some tricks.

The plan was to have 10,000 infantrymen in a circular formation in the front, 3,000 mixed infantry and cavalrymen in a sparse formation in the back, and have the other 4,000 cavalrymen lying in wait in the distance - the original intention was to use the tightly guarded circular formation to block the Wei army and dampen their morale, and to use the bluffing sparse formation to confuse the Wei army, so that the 4,000 dormant cavalrymen would find an opportunity to sneak around and attack from behind or make a sudden surprise attack.

To win by using the right method and to achieve victory by using the unexpected method.

However, as soon as the war began, things were completely out of his control.

It also overturned his understanding of the Wei army.

The 10,000 infantrymen at the front, who had relied on their surprising strength, showed signs of exhaustion as soon as they came into close combat with the Wei army. After two quarters of an hour, they began to retreat step by step.

He hastily changed his deployment, sending the rear infantry to confuse the Wei army and 3,000 cavalry to advance from the right side, intending to use the flank attack tactic to relieve the pressure on the front army and reverse the decline.

But the joining of these 6,000 infantry and cavalry did not change the situation.

The Wei army's right side, about a thousand infantrymen, slowed down their pace and lined up tightly, while two cavalrymen in the flanking formation also came to support them. The Wei army, which was outnumbered, used only three thousand infantrymen and cavalrymen to block the six thousand Liaodong fresh troops. After fighting for half an hour, they were unable to determine the winner, and their hope of reversing the situation was completely shattered.

Because within this half hour, the infantrymen in the front circle formation found it increasingly difficult to hold on, and the front line was forced back one mile by the Wei army; if nothing unexpected happened, they could only hold out for another half an hour at most.

Yang Zuo, who saw this, also gave up the idea of ​​winning by surprise.

He directly ordered the 4,000 cavalrymen who were lurking in the back and acting as the trump card to appear in advance, and they rushed towards the 1,000 cavalrymen of the Wei army who were hanging behind the infantry and had not yet joined the battlefield.

This is also the Liaodong Army’s last chance to change the situation of the war.

If they could defeat the Wei cavalry, the 4,000 cavalry from Liaodong would be able to attack the Wei infantry like a surprise force and then secure the victory by attacking from both sides.

But the outcome of the battle made Yang Zuo feel disheartened.

Because he didn't know that the thousand cavalrymen of the Wei army who didn't join the battle were the Crane Wing Battalion of the Zhenhu Department; every cavalryman was selected from the Luoyang Central Army, and all the sergeants and above were Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and there were 300 armored cavalrymen in the Crane Wing Battalion. It is no exaggeration to say that after the Luoyang Central Army ushered in the reform of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, the Crane Wing Battalion was the most powerful cavalry of the Wei State.

Therefore, even if Yang Zuo revealed his final trump card, it would not change the direction of the battle in the slightest.

The first fierce battle between the two armies lasted only two hours and ended with the defeat of the Liaodong army.

It also completely destroyed Yang Zuo's spirit.

It was a fair battle in which he outnumbered the enemy and took advantage of his well-rested body to wait for the enemy's tiredness. It was not affected by any external factors such as weather, terrain or unexpected events during the battle, but he was still defeated.

This is enough to show that the Liaodong army’s combat effectiveness is no match for the Wei army.

"General Yang followed orders and went to battle. What crime has he committed?"

After Yang Zuo took the initiative to talk about the war and apologized, Bei Yan did not criticize his previous arrogance, but comforted him generously, "The Liaosui has stored a year's worth of food for the army, and our army can still hold on and repel the enemy. The rainy season is approaching, and the Liao River will rise. It will not be difficult to resist the Wei army by relying on the terrain. We only need to wait until winter comes, and the Wei army will be unable to endure the bitter cold and will voluntarily withdraw. Moreover, victory and defeat are common in the military, and I believe that the King of Yan will not blame the general. At this difficult time for Liaodong, I hope the general will not be discouraged, so as not to demoralize the soldiers."

"only."

Yang Zuo thanked him gratefully, "Thank you, General, for not punishing me."

But the feeling of frustration in his heart did not dissipate much, especially when he saw the deep worry in Bei Yan's eyes.

Perhaps, Bei Yan also knew that low morale was inevitable.

After all, the most elite infantry and cavalry in Liaodong were defeated.

However, the development of the situation was more serious than they had imagined: because the Wei army actually released the prisoners, and even the wounded soldiers abandoned on the battlefield were sent back after simple treatment!

Bei Yan and Yang Zuo both knew that this was a strategy of the Wei army to attack their enemies' hearts and minds.

The idea was to use these captives and wounded soldiers to spread the message that the Wei army was invincible and that the Wei government's previous claim that only the main culprits would be punished was true, so as to undermine the morale of the Liaodong soldiers. It also made Gongsun Yuan's previous words that the Wei army would slaughter anyone who broke into a city and was brutal and inhumane, which encouraged the soldiers to fight together, fall apart.

In fact, these prisoners and wounded soldiers could not escape death.

Whether it was Wang Qi, Gong Zun and other Youzhou border generals, or Zhenhu generals Le Liang, Xu Yi and others, they all suggested to Xiahou Hui that he kill them all, and then build a mausoleum with the corpses on the battlefield to deter the Liaodong soldiers from daring to die, on the grounds that the Wei army had come from afar and it was difficult to transport food and fodder, there was no surplus food for the prisoners, and there were no extra troops to escort them back to Liaoxi.

But Xiahou Hui, who was not easy to kill, took Fu Gu's advice.

He ordered the treatment of the wounded and personally gave food to the captives. He reiterated to them that the Luoyang court only wanted to punish Gongsun Yuan for his disloyalty and asked them not to die in vain for Gongsun Yuan, and then he released them all.

This move is also a tactic to consume food!
If the prisoners and wounded were not released, wouldn't the Liaodong army's food and fodder increase in disguise? Moreover, he had already sent someone back to inform Guanqiu Jian to lead the rear army directly along Yiwulü Mountain, bypass Liaoze, sneak across the Liao River, and besiege Xiangping.

There is no need to rush to Liaosui anymore.

The victory in the first battle made the Liaodong Army dare not set foot west of the Liao River.

It was just the right time to take advantage of the fact that Bei Yan and Yang Zuo were busy settling prisoners and wounded soldiers and boosting morale and had no time to take care of other things. They could have the three cavalry units appear in Liao Sui's sight from time to time, pretending to be infantry and setting up camp to attract their attention. This way they could conceal the truth and give the rear army's Guanqiu Jian enough time to sneak across the Liao River.

Of course, this move is still somewhat risky.

Sima Chenqian had suggested that they should stick to the original plan of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west.

It would be more appropriate to let Guanqiu Jian lead the rear army to Liaosui and station there for a few days, pretending that he did not want to attack Liaosui by force and move the army south with great fanfare, intending to cross the river from the mouth of the Liaoshui River. It would be more appropriate to confuse the Liaodong army and then bypass Liaoze.

But Xiahou Hui hesitated for a moment and then decided.

It's not that he is stubborn, but the guide accompanying the army speculated that the rainy season might come early this year.

In previous years, the rainy season would arrive after July, or even in August or September. But this year, the south wind blowing from the sea is very strong and humid, and now, not long after entering midsummer May, the sun is so hot that it is unbearable. These two points show that this year is different from usual.

Once the rainy season arrives early, it will be difficult to bypass Liaoze and cross the river.

Xiahou Hui did not dare to take any chances.

Even this move might add to the complications.

However, under Chen Qian's persuasion, he still made some preparations.

He ordered Xiahou Ba, who led the 5,000-man Huyue Camp, to set up camp on the west side of Liaosui, and ordered his soldiers to sneak out of the camp at night and return to the camp with great fanfare during the day, in order to confuse the Liaodong army and make them think that the Wei army was all here. He would also estimate the time and move his troops downstream to confuse the enemy and cover the whereabouts of the main force.

As for the three cavalry units of Le Liang, Zhang Hu and Qian Hong who were always hanging around the banks of the Liao River, it was much simpler.

With their speed, they could catch up with the army at the last moment after Guanqiu Jian arrived at the upper reaches of the Liao River and then send people to recruit them. After all, the rear army was still carrying supplies such as thunder chariots, and there were not many boats. It would take at least a day and a night to rush them all across the river.

In response, Xiahou Ba vowed to fulfill his mission.

There was no regret or dissatisfaction at all for acting as a supporting force and missing the opportunity to fight.

In the division of responsibilities for this expedition, the combat power of his own two thousand county soldiers and three thousand Shijia was average, and they were originally used for post-war garrison. Even if they followed the army's movement, they would hardly have the opportunity to fight! If the army successfully crossed the Liao River and approached Xiangping, Liao Sui's garrison would certainly rush back, which was equivalent to taking over the counties south of Xiangping and forcing Liao Sui to surrender, and protecting the smooth transportation of grain and fodder between Bohai County and Qingzhou sea ships.

What else is there to be dissatisfied with?

All matters were agreed upon and each department carried out according to the order.

Ten days later, in late May, Xiahou Hui's vanguard and Guanqiu Jian's rear army were at the upper reaches of the Liao River, and they crossed the river using small boats that were towed and horsehide boats that were prepared in advance by the Bai tribe Xianbei Mohuba.

As expected, when the Wei army successfully crossed the Great Liao River and landed on the Small Liao River, the whereabouts of the Wei army were still discovered by the two thousand Liaodong County soldiers stationed in Liaoyang. But by the time the scouts returned to report and the garrison commander hurriedly led the troops out of the city to stop them, the Zhenyue Camp and the Xiandeng Camp had already rushed across and were ready for battle.

The only thing they could do was to return to the city quickly to defend it and send fast horses to Xiangping to warn them.

When Gongsun Yuan got the information, he felt his eyes go dark. If he had not been sitting upright in front of his desk, he would have probably fallen to the ground.

Because just a few days ago, he received a letter of apology from General Yang Zuo, as well as Bei Yan's solemn declaration that he would be able to stop the Wei army on the west side of the Liao River.

Who would have expected that we would receive a warning from Liaoyang right now?
"Mo Huba, I swear to kill you!"

After reading the letter several times in disbelief, Gongsun Yuan's eyes became redder and redder. Finally, he stood up and kicked the table away, howling hysterically at Yiwulv Shanfang.

At this point, how could he not understand that he had been fooled by the Bai tribe of Xianbei.

Prime Minister Wang Jian and Palace Attendant Wei Yan, who were sitting below, looked at each other in bewilderment. After boldly picking up the letter and reading it, they became horrified and spoke out to advise the emperor.

"Your Majesty, now is not the time to get angry. The most urgent task is to quickly summon Liao Sui's garrison back to repel the enemy!"

"What the Prime Minister said is absolutely right! Your Majesty, Xiangping's defenses are weak, you should quickly call back the army!"

"My king, hurry up."

"No need to say more, I know the importance of this matter!"

Gongsun Yuan, who was already upset, immediately interrupted their persuasion and shouted to Liao Sui to pass on the order, asking Bei Yan and Yang Zuo to lead their troops back to Xiangping as soon as possible. But when the messenger just took the order and left, he seemed to remember something and added another sentence to the order, asking Bei Yan and Yang Zuo to "fight to the death" with the Wei army before they besieged Xiangping.

This order made Wang Jian and Wei Yan tremble all over. Their anxious eyes flickered rapidly for a few times, and finally turned into sadness and loneliness on their faces.

Judging from previous battles, they knew that Bei Yan Yang Zuo had little chance of winning a "death battle" with the Wei army.

They also knew that the Wei army, which was alone and deep in the territory, was the one eager for a quick victory, and they should not take the initiative to fight a decisive battle as the Wei army wished.

But they also knew that Gongsun Yuan's approach was right.

Gongsun Yuan had just been crowned king for a few days and the war had just started for less than a month, but the Wei army had already arrived at Xiangping City. The strong contrast would make the people in the city uneasy.

More importantly, the military rations stockpiled in Liaodong had already been transported to Liaosui!

Bei Yan and Yang Zuo, who hurried back to rescue, could not bring back much food and fodder. If they directly entered the city to defend it, it would collapse because of the lack of food.

In this case, it is better to fight to the death.

Even if they could not defeat the Wei army, they had to make the Wei army so weak that they could not encircle Xiangping, so that the surrounding counties and villages would have the opportunity to transport food and fodder into the city; and if more of their own soldiers died, the food and fodder pressure in the city would be reduced in disguise.
Hey!
I hope the rainy season arrives soon.

Also, reinforcements from Jiangdong will arrive soon.

Wang Jian and Wei Yan, who had just taken their leave, looked away at the same time as soon as their eyes met when they parted, because they saw the panic and bitterness in each other's eyes.

It is no coincidence.

Bei Yan and Yang Zuo were also looking at each other.

They also received military intelligence delivered by express horses from Liaoyang County.

Knowing that there were not many troops in Xiangping City, they were worried about the loss of the rear, so they only left 2,000 troops to garrison Liaosui and hurried back. When they received Gongsun Yuan's order on the way, bitterness and despair appeared in their eyes.

"The king's order cannot be violated."

In the end, it was Bei Yan who first put away his frustration, and said with a determined and ferocious look, "Now, the only option is to fight to the death."

"only."

Yang Zuo, who was silent for a moment, also let out a breath of foul air, "Fight to the death to repay the king's kindness!"

However, sometimes determination cannot change the gap in strength.

Midsummer, late May.

There is rain every afternoon, heavy or light.

Bei Yan Yang Zuo, who led his troops hastily back, met the Wei army that had crossed the Liao River at Shoushan, fifteen miles outside Xiangping City.

There was no need to challenge the enemy. Both sides tacitly rested for half a day before leading their troops into a fierce battle.

In the first battle, Xiahou Hui, who expected the enemy to be more anxious, adopted a defensive stance.

He placed baggage carts across the front, three layers of spears, shields and oars to fill the gaps, and powerful crossbows, interspersed with Yuanrong crossbows captured from Shu and modified by Ma Jun, set up thunder chariots in the middle of the formation, and sent cavalry to deter the Liaodong army halfway up the mountain, waiting for them to come to fight.

Bei Yan Yang Zuo also did as he wished.

Yang Zuo still led the infantry to advance, while Bei Yan led the rear army to support and harassed the enemy on both sides.

At that time, arrows and stones were fired from the Wei army's formation, covering the sky and the sun, which frightened the Liaodong army. Even though Yang Zuo, who led the front troops, led the way and approached the chariot formation and engaged in close combat under the protection of his personal guards, after fighting for half an hour, there was still no hope of breaking the formation, and they had no choice but to retreat.

Three days later, the second battle.

It was Xiahou Hui who took the initiative to attack.

This caught Bei Yan Yang Zuo, who had just summarized the previous battle and recruited more than a thousand brave soldiers with a large sum of money to break the Wei chariot formation, off guard.

But he did not suspect anything and led his troops directly to fight to the death.

Only this time they were defeated even faster.

It turned out that Xiahou Hui took a defensive position last time because he remembered Wang Qi's previous advice and wanted to find out the weak Goguryeo soldiers and Han Ye's vassal army. Therefore, in this fierce battle, he let Xu Yi's troops go in front to stabilize the front line, and did not let Wang Qi and Gong Zun's troops go directly to the Goguryeo soldiers and Han Ye's vassal army.

Wang Qi and Gong Zun lived up to expectations and defeated the enemy in one fell swoop.

The so-called defeat is like a mountain collapsing.

As the Goguryeo troops and Han Ye's vassal army were defeated and rushed out of their own formation, Bei Yan Yang Zuo, who was ready to fight to the death, had no choice but to withdraw his troops again.

Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted.

The Liaodong soldiers had been defeated repeatedly, and their morale was low. Even Bei Yan and Yang Zuo knew that they were powerless to turn the tide, but as part of their duty, they still encouraged the soldiers to engage in a third fierce battle with the Wei army.
This time, Xiahou Hui hid the Crane Wing Camp in the formation, and as soon as the infantry of both sides engaged in close combat, he used 300 armored cavalry as the spearhead and directly broke through the Liaodong formation. The Liaodong army, which had already lost its spirit, had no intention of resisting the invincible armored cavalry, and simply threw away its weapons and turned back to die.

The war, from beginning to end, was just a formality.

It also completely crushed the fighting spirit of Bei Yan and Yang Zuo, and they fled into Xiangping City in disgrace with their remaining troops.

In fact, they didn't suffer many casualties.

Thanks to the fact that the Wei army did not pursue the enemy and released the prisoners in the three battles, except for some fugitives who fled on their own, they still brought back more than 40,000 soldiers and horses to Xiangping.

Among them, more than 5,000 wounded soldiers were abandoned.

But it was these more than 5,000 abandoned wounded soldiers that completely turned the people of Liaodong against their will and turned Xiangping into an isolated city.

Because the rainy season is coming. (End of this chapter)