Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 699: Arrow in the Knee
November, the fourth year of Jianxing.

The cold wind was howling, snow flakes were flying in the air, withered branches were swaying in the wind, and Luyang in winter was covered with green and yellow. Because of the light snow, the mountains were gradually covered with white.

The Wei army, carrying the "Zhang" Ya flag, marched in the cold wind. The road was up and down, and the several-mile-long queue was cut into pieces by hills and streams.

Luyang (now Lushan County) is located between mountains and ridges, surrounded by mountains on the south, west and south, and bordering the Huanghuai Plain only on the east. Its name does not come from water, but from Lushan. In the Zhou Dynasty, its name was Ludi, and because the city was in the south, it was named Luyang.

Logically speaking, being surrounded by mountains on three sides was a defect of Luyang, which would limit its development. However, due to its unique geographical conditions, Luyang became an important transportation hub, with roads connecting Hongnong, Yingchuan, Nanyang, and Henan counties.

If you go east along the Yingshui River, you can reach Yingchuan County; if you cross the Funiu Mountains, you can reach Wancheng; if you go north through the Huoyang Mountains, you can reach Henan Yin; if you go west against the Yingshui River, you can turn to the upper reaches of the Yishui River.

When Sun Jian and Yuan Shu were fighting against Dong Zhuo, they stationed their troops in Luyang. At that time, Sun Jian led an expedition to the north from Luyang. Although he was defeated by Xu Rong in the early stage, he defeated Hu Zhen and Dong Zhuo successively and marched straight to Luoyang.

Even when Huan Wen was on his northern expedition to Luoyang, his troops took the Yi River to Luoyang. For fear that their retreat would be robbed, they had to send troops to guard Luyang.

Now Zhang He is leading his troops to rescue the emperor. In order to defeat Zhao Yun as soon as possible, he naturally has to go through Luyang first before he can further study the route of advance.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Zhang He looked at the distance where smoke was gradually rising. He turned his head to look at the soldiers under his command, and had to rein in his horse, gently pressing his knees.

He is an old man, and his waist and legs are not as strong as they used to be. Today, when he was marching in the mountains, he knew it would be cold, so he specially put on a cloak and warm clothes inside. But after the long march, his knees were still cold, and his legs were even sore because he rode for too long.

Zhang Xiong rode up and asked, "Father, Luyang City is ten miles ahead. But after we get to Luyang City, how should our army march? Should we take the main road through Niulanlei Pavilion, or take the small road westward along the Shuoying River?"

Zhang He dismounted, rubbed his legs, and asked, "Where is the map now?"

The attendant took off the bamboo tube he was carrying, took out the cloth inside, and said, "Here is the map!"

Zhang He asked his subordinates to spread out the map, carefully looked at the terrain of Luyang, and said directly: "The small road leads to Songxiang, upstream of the Yi River, and the main road leads to Luhun and Xincheng. We can take the small road now."

"The small road is rugged and not conducive to marching. It is better for us to take the main road and quickly reach the new city." Zhang Xiong said with a frown.

"otherwise!"

Zhang He pointed at the map and said, "Although the small road is difficult to travel, it can win by surprise. Zhao Yun's troops are far away in the lower reaches of the Yi River. Our army takes the small road to Songxiang and intercepts his retreat. Even if Zhao Yun is prepared, he will be captured by our army. Although the main road is convenient for marching, I am afraid that Zhao Yun will easily find out."

The main road and the small road reach different sections of the Yishui River. The small road can reach the upper reaches of the Yishui River, while the main road can only reach Xincheng in the middle reaches of the Yishui River.

When Zhao Yun led his troops to Yique, he would probably be on guard against the troops coming from the main road. As for the enemies coming from the small roads, it would be difficult to accurately control them due to the long distance.

At this moment, as long as Zhang He could advance through the small path and reach the upper reaches of the Yi River, he could join forces with Xu Chu's troops to attack Zhao Yun's troops from the north and south.

Therefore, taking into account the surprise attack and in order to achieve merit to wash away the previous shame, Zhang He decided to take a small road to advance, cut off Zhao Yun's way back, and annihilate Zhao Yun's army.

"We are advancing along the Shuo River, the water is fast and the road is narrow, the baggage is heavy, and the march is slow. If the enemy gets wind of the news and seizes the dangerous places, our army will be in danger!" said Deputy General Han Kan.

Zhang He tapped his knees and said with a smile, "When we conquered Song Jian in Longyou, I led the troops to take a dangerous road and defeated him. Now we should do the same. I should take the branch road of Yingshui River, abandon the baggage and rush forward to seize the steep place. Now I will trouble General Han and my son to escort the baggage."

"I am willing to go with my father!" Zhang Xiong requested.

Zhang He shook his head and said, "Although I am old, I am still as brave as Ma and Lian. Now I have to leave the baggage behind and hurry. You are not capable of accompanying me. You should lead the old and weak with General Han to escort the baggage and support me."

Han Kan hesitated for a moment and said, "In that case, I can escort the grain and grass for General Zhang."

"good!"

After discussion, Zhang He decided to lead 5,000 infantry and cavalry to take the small road first, while Han Kan and Zhang Xiong would lead 5,000 soldiers to escort the baggage.

Not to mention Zhang He's rapid march along the Shuo Ying River, Shi Ran, following Zhuge Liang's orders, had already gone deep into the Funiu Mountains.

In order not to alert the Wei army, Zhuge Liang ordered Shi Ran and Meng Yan to lead 5,000 Wudang flying troops north to the foot of Funiu Mountain.

Upon learning the news that Zhang He had sent troops, Shi and Meng decisively led the Qian Wudang Flying Army through the river valley path, crossed the Funiu Mountains, and arrived at the upper reaches of the Ying River.

When they reached the upper reaches, Shi Ran surveyed the terrain for several days and decided to set up an ambush at Muzhaling, more than 200 miles away from Luyang.

Snow foamed, birds disappeared, the valley was silent, and the river flowed gurglingly.

The dense forests on both sides of Muzhaling were already covered with snow, and no human habitation could be seen from afar. However, in Muzhaling, the camps of the Han army were scattered in the scattered ditches and valleys, and the soldiers were hidden in the jungle under the command of the generals.

On the stone platform halfway up the mountain, Shi Ran, Meng Yan and their subordinates were chatting about military intelligence.

"General Shi, Yaoshan has steep peaks and many strange rocks. Why don't we set an ambush at Yaoshan instead of Muzha Ridge?" Meng Yan was a little confused and said, "Muzha Ridge has a flat road and is not as steep as Yaoshan!"

"Yao Mountain is steep and rugged, which is a good place to set an ambush. How could Zhang He not be prepared?"

Shi Ran smiled and said, "Let's go the other way and lead our troops to Muzhaling. Zhang He will see that the road ahead is clear and unobstructed, so he will be a bit lazy. This will be a good opportunity for us to set up an ambush."

"General Shi is well versed in military tactics, and I admire him deeply!" Meng Yan said as he suddenly realized.

"With the Prime Minister in front of you, how dare you claim to be good at military tactics?"

Shi Ran showed respect and said, "Prime Minister, you led General Zhao to attack Luoyang in order to scare Sima Yi into sending troops to rescue you. Now you can predict the direction of the Wei army's march, which shows that you are very resourceful and have the strategies of Sun and Wu."

The Southern Han Dynasty concentrated all its national strength to march north, tying up a large number of Cao Wei's troops, leaving the capital empty. Seeing this, Zhuge Liang ordered Zhao Yun to go out of Xiong'er Mountain and attack Luoyang directly, which was undoubtedly a fatal blow to Cao Rui.

With the help of the Xianbei cavalry who went south to plunder Hebei, Cao Wei was left with no soldiers available. Cao Hong had to lead his troops north to take charge of Hebei, which indirectly affected the Qingqi battlefield. Sima Yi was forced to withdraw troops to rescue him.
Zhuge Liang's most brilliant move in the Northern Expedition was to send Zhao Yun to Luoyang by surprise, rather than continue to confront Sima Yi. In addition to making a show of force, Zhuge Liang also analyzed the geography and sent Shi Ran to cross the Funiushan Mountains to unexpectedly seize the Yingshui trail.

Of course, Zhuge Liang predicted that Zhang He's march through the small road was a matter of luck. If the generals who led the army took the main road to play it safe, Shi Ran would have difficulty ambush Zhang He, and he would have to change his appointment and go to support Zhao Yun's withdrawal. Zhuge Liang bet on the right direction of the Wei army's rescue and sent Shi Ran and Meng Yan to block it.

"Report!"

While the two were arranging the battle formation, a scout came running across the mountains, panting and saying, "General, the Wei army is 20 miles away."

"quick!"

Shi Ran clapped his hands excitedly and said, "I am in Nanling, and you are in Beiling. When Zhang He leads the Wei army here, we will draw our bows and crossbows to shoot them, and then we will defeat their army when we hear the drums."

"promise!"

Meng Yan did not dare to waste time. He took his trusted associates and quickly crossed the valley to Beiling to gather his troops for battle.

Under the orders of Meng and Shi, the Han soldiers moved back and forth, making a lot of noise, which startled the birds in the forest. Fortunately, there were few birds in winter, so the noise was not loud and did not alarm the Wei scouts.

On the Muzha Road, Zhang He rode in the lead, with the Wei cavalry following closely behind.

Apparently, in order to advance quickly, Zhang He led the cavalry ahead and left 4,000 infantry behind.

"Xu~"

Looking at the silent Muzhaling, Zhang He felt a little uneasy and asked, "What is the place ahead?"

"General, it's Muzhaling!"

The follower said, "After crossing Muzha Ridge, we can reach Songxiang after walking another hundred miles."

"Muzaling?"

Zhang He thought about it for a few times, and then looked at the mountain. The mountain was not steep, and the road was easy to enter and exit. He couldn't help laughing at himself for being too suspicious. If there was an ambush, setting up an ambush at Yaoshan would be the best choice.

Seeing that Zhang He did not speak, the attendant asked, "Should we send cavalry to carefully explore the mountains on both sides?"

"go!"

Zhang He could not see anything unusual in the mountains, so he whipped his whip and pointed forward, saying, "Don't waste time, hurry to Song Township."

"promise!"

The Wei cavalry marched in several lines, the sound of their hooves could be heard. Zhang He rode in the middle, and his followers on both sides raised their flags to show his status.

As Zhang He rode his horse, more than a thousand Han soldiers on Nanling Mountain hid in the woods, looking at the Wei cavalry on the road, holding bows and crossbows tightly in their hands, ready to shoot arrows at the Wei cavalry as soon as the military order came.

The Han soldier with good eyesight saw the conspicuous flag and asked, "General, the enemy commander's flag is visible. Can we order him to shoot?"

Shi Ran narrowed his eyes and stared at Zhang He in the crowd. Seeing that he had already entered the ambush area, he shouted decisively: "Shoot!"

"promise!"

Sharp knocking sounds echoed in the silent Nanling Mountains. Before the Wei cavalry could react, the Han soldiers in the woods poured arrows from their bows and crossbows. More than 2,000 arrows flew out in a torrent in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

For a moment, there was a loud sound of arrows breaking through the air. The harsh sound of breaking the wind and the whistling cold wind made it difficult for the Wei cavalry to distinguish the direction of the arrows. Due to lack of defense, many Wei cavalry were injured by arrows.

Zhang He became the target of the crossbow fire because of his flag. Hundreds of arrows came at him in an overwhelming manner, and the speed of the arrows made it impossible for the old Zhang He to react. Although a large number of arrows missed, a few arrows still hit Zhang He.

The sharp arrow pierced through his cloak and the heavy armor on his body. Fortunately, the arrow was too far away and had no power, so it only pierced the armor and did not penetrate Zhang He's skin and flesh.

"Retreat to the north slope!"

Zhang He glanced at the North Ridge opposite and did not care about the ambush on the South Ridge. He ordered his followers to trek across the shallow Yingshui River and reach the North Ridge to avoid the ambush arrows.

"promise!"

Under the dense arrows, all the Wei cavalry who could move fled to the foot of Beiling, led by Zhang He and his guards.

"Whoosh!"

Zhang He rode fast and was the first to cross the shallow Yingshui River, with his left and right guards lagging behind by a few steps. However, as soon as Zhang He rode up the Beiling Ridge, he was hit by several heavy arrows.

"Ah~"

In the blink of an eye, a long arrow hit Zhang He's knee, causing him to wail in pain.

Seeing this, the personal cavalrymen hurried to protect Zhang He and did not dare to climb Beiling again. Instead, they fled in the direction they came from, facing the arrows from both mountains.

"shoot!"

Five thousand arrows were fired from the Nanling and Beiling ridges, causing the Wei cavalry to flee with their heads in their hands, and many of them fell off their horses after being shot. The Wei cavalry who reacted turned their horses around and fled in the direction they came from.

Shi Ran drew out his ring-handled sword and shouted, "Chase!"

(End of this chapter)