Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 420: Fighting in Hedong (VIII)

Although Fu Jian firmly rejected Lu Polou's request, it did not mean that he would sit there and wait for death.

In fact, since learning the news that Huan Xi was heading north, Fu Jian did two things.

The first was to reinforce the camp, and the second was to send envoys to urge Murong Jun to use troops as soon as possible.

Fu Jian knew that if he and Huan Xi deployed their forces in Wenxi County and fought a large-scale battle in an open and fair manner, he would have almost no chance of winning.

The ability of the commander-in-chief and the morale of the army were all absolute advantages for Liang. If the strength of the two sides was almost the same, how could Yu win?

Therefore, Fu Jian had planned from the beginning that when Huan Xi went north, the Yu army would hold their camp firmly and would not respond no matter how Huan Xi challenged them from outside, unless Huan Xi took the initiative to storm the reinforced camp.

The opportunity that Fu Jian was waiting for was Murong Jun's breakthrough on the southern front. After all, the main force of the Liang army had been attracted to Wenxi County by him. By then, Dongyuan, Anyi, Jie County and other places would be empty, and the Yan army could march straight in.

When Huan Xi was caught in a dilemma, chaos would surely occur in a hurry, and this was the opportunity that Fu Jian wanted.

To bully the weak, you just need to proceed step by step, but as the weaker party, you must think of other ways.

As for why Fu Jian did not choose to ambush Huan Xi, it was mainly because he did not think Huan Xi would be so careless.

Things turned out just as Fu Jian expected, and he soon received two pieces of news.

One was that Huan Xi's marching speed was very slow. Every time he passed a place, he had to send a large number of scouts and sentinels to search the mountains. They could only travel 30 miles a day, and it would take five days to complete a journey of 150 miles.

Being so cautious would not give Yu’s army any chance to ambush.

The second piece of news caught Fu Jian off guard. Huan Xi went north with only 70,000 infantry and cavalry.

Huan Xi was a cautious person, even though the Liang army soldiers thought that the Yu army was like a broken house that would collapse with just one kick.

But Huan Xi knew that he couldn't get carried away and had to keep a clear and calm mind.

Once the commander is overwhelmed by the advantage and loses his judgment, no matter how many soldiers he has, they will not be enough.

Huan Xi did not bring all his soldiers to Wenxi County. He only brought 70,000 infantry and cavalry, including the imperial guards and the Baibao Xianbei.

All 60,000 infantry and cavalry, including the Guanlong cavalry, were left in Jie County and commanded by Xie Ai.

Huan Xi did this not because he looked down on Fu Jian, but because he knew that once he went out in full force, Fu Jian would definitely choose to stop the war when facing the 130,000 Liang troops.

As the forces of both sides were almost equal, Huan Xi, who loved his soldiers like his own sons, would not take the initiative to storm Fu Jian's camp, and the two sides would fall into a stalemate. Just as Fu Jian had planned, Murong Jun had the opportunity to show his prowess.

But now Huan Xi only brought 70,000 infantry and cavalry, which gave Fu Jian the courage to go out of the camp and fight.

At the same time, Xie Ai had 60,000 infantry and cavalry in Jie County, Shen Jin had 10,000 elite infantry in Anyi County, and Yang An had 5,000 elite soldiers stationed in Dongyuan County. As the defenders, there were a total of 75,000 infantry and cavalry, with Xie Ai as the main general.

Although Murong Jun had an army of 120,000, the Liang army relied on the dangerous terrain to hold its ground, making it difficult for the Yan army to make any progress.

If Fu Jian closed his camp and refused to come out, the northern and southern fronts would be in a stalemate at the same time, and the first to collapse would definitely be the weakest State of Yu.

Therefore, Fu Jian had to leave the camp and fight Huan Xi.

Although strengthening the camp during this period was tantamount to doing useless work, Fu Jian was not discouraged. Instead, he felt somewhat excited.

Wenxi County had 100,000 Yu troops and 30,000 Yan troops, totaling 130,000 soldiers, nearly twice as many as Huan Xi's 70,000 infantry and cavalry, and had an absolute advantage in numbers.

The advantage in numbers could dilute the fear of the Liang army among the Yu army soldiers, thereby boosting the morale of the army. Even in the battle with Huan Xi in Wenxi County, Fu Jian was confident of victory.

However, Fu Jian did not show his excitement. He gathered his generals and told them the two pieces of news, and then asked:

"Everyone knows Huan Xi is cautious, but now he has left a large number of troops in Jie County and is marching north with only 70,000 infantry and cavalry. Why is that?" Gou Chang understood and immediately said loudly:

"Huan Xi despises our army! He treats us like nothing!"

These words aroused indignation among all the generals.

There is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. No warrior can tolerate being looked down upon by others.

Everyone asked Fu Jian to fight.

No matter what, the battle force is 130,000 versus 70,000, and the advantage is on my side!

Fu Jian was very satisfied with their reaction, which was what it should be like before a war.

"The Liang army has won battle after battle over the years, and the king is arrogant and the generals are extravagant, and they are arrogant and domineering.

"As the saying goes, a proud army will be defeated! Gentlemen! This is a chance God has given us to avenge our humiliation!

"Capture and kill Huan Xi! Avenge our previous humiliation!"

Fu Jian aroused everyone's emotions, and they all raised their arms in response, clamoring to avenge their previous humiliation.

At this time, the Liang army was still two days away from the Wenxi battlefield.

During these three days, Quan Yi was always worried, and Huan Xi actually noticed his gloomy look.

When the decision was made to divide the troops, Quan Yi strongly opposed it. It was not because he thought the plan was not feasible, but because he felt that it was too dangerous for Huan Xi to face a large enemy with a small force.

Quan Yi's point of view was supported by everyone, even those who had previously agreed to divide the troops immediately changed their views.

Caring about the safety of the lord was absolutely politically correct in ancient times.

Even if he openly opposed Huan Xi, he was not afraid that he would bear a grudge against him. After all, who would have the heart to blame a minister who cared about his safety?

Xie Ai and Deng Qiang vied for the position of commander on the northern front. One of them said that only 50,000 infantry and cavalry were needed, while the other said that only 30,000 infantry and cavalry were needed. In any case, they hoped that Huan Xi could be in charge of the southern front, and the more soldiers that stayed with Huan Xi, the better.

But Huan Xi knew that the key to victory in this battle lay in Wenxi, not Dongyuan.

Therefore, he ignored the opposition and insisted on leading the army north personally, with Xie Ai as the main general on the southern front.

Although Huan Xi left a large number of troops on the southern front, he still had to face Murong Ke. To be on the safe side, Huan Xi chose Xie Ai over Deng Qiang.

As for Deng Qiang, Huan Xi said that he should be brought along to scare the Yu army.

Xie Ai drove Fu Jian out of Hetao last year, and Deng Qiang also defeated the Yu army in the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain and also enjoyed a great reputation among the Yu army. Huan Xi's statement is naturally tenable.

However, even after leaving Jie County, Quan Yi still refused to give up persuading Huan Xi not to put himself in danger.

For Quan Yi, even if he lost this battle, the worst that could happen was that he would retreat to Guanxi. There would always be a day when he would bring down the State of Yu, and it was not worth it for Huan Xi to take the risk himself.

At dusk, the Liang army set up camp sixty miles south of Wenxi County. Quan Yi once again found Huan Xi, hoping that he would change his mind.

Huan Xi smiled and said:

"Ziliang, things have come to this point, I can't back down. If this gets out, I will be ridiculed by the world."

(End of this chapter)