Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 423: Battle in Hedong (XI)

The 130,000-strong army of Yan and Yu had a total of four camps, among which the central camp where Fu Jian was stationed was the most solid.

The four camps are closely connected. Once one of them is attacked, the other three camps can come to the rescue in an instant.

Zhou Qiong knew that Fu Jian had been strengthening the camp defenses, so he was not surprised by the grandeur of the central army camp in front of him.

When they arrived at the camp, since Huan Xi had not blindfolded Envoy Yu before, Zhou Qiong was able to see the situation inside the camp.

Huan Xi mobilized his imperial guards to intimidate Yu Shi, and Fu Jian did the same.

But in Zhou Qiong's opinion, the Yu army had been defeated repeatedly, so who could they scare?

"I, the minister Zhou Qiong, pay my respects to the Heavenly King. I am here on the orders of Lord Liang to offer wine and meat to the Heavenly King."

Inside the imperial tent, Zhou Qiong bowed and said.

Naturally, Fu Jian would not lose his manners:
"Please stand up. I have already accepted Lord Liang's gift. Please express your gratitude on my behalf when you return to the camp."

After the greetings, they turned to business. Fu Jian had already learned from Li Cheng that Huan Xi had asked him to join him in a battle three days later.

This is also what Fu Jian expected. Neither Huan Xi nor Fu Jian could afford to waste time.

"I already know what Lord Liang asked Li Cheng to convey. I also want to fight Lord Liang in a grand battle. Please tell Lord Liang that I will go there in three days."

After saying that, he no longer had the interest to receive Zhou Qiong and had him taken out of the camp.

As for the wine and meat sent by Huan Xi, Fu Jian would not enjoy them either.

When Zhou Qiong returned to the Liang army camp, it was already dark. Huan Xi had not slept and was still waiting for him.

Therefore, the first thing Zhou Qiong did when he returned to the camp was to be taken to the general's tent.

"How is the result?"

Huan Xi asked impatiently.

Zhou Qiong replied:

"Reporting to Lord Liang, Fu Jian has agreed to send troops to fight with our army in three days."

Huan Xi was overjoyed when he heard this, for he was afraid that Fu Jian would hide in the camp and not come out. Although from a financial perspective, staying in the camp was a bad idea for Fu Jian, who could guarantee that he would not risk the collapse of the country and sink himself into a quagmire?

Afterwards, Huan Xi asked Zhou Qiong about the camp defense arrangement of the Yu army and the location of the imperial tent.

Upon learning that Fu Jian had been well prepared and there was no chance for him to attack the camp, Huan Xi did not show too much disappointment.

He had planned to fight a decisive battle with Fu Jian from the very beginning. The so-called attack on the camp was just a strategic move. If it succeeded, it would be a good thing, but if it failed, it would not matter either.

After Zhou Qiong left, Li Yuan walked out from behind the screen.

She pressed her chest against Huan Xi's back and asked:

"Huan Lang, there will be a war in three days. Do I need to avoid it so that Huan Lang will not be distracted?"

Li Yuan has made plans to temporarily move to Wenxi County.

Huan Xi joked nonchalantly:

"It's okay, just stay in the camp. You are my personal soldier, how can you abandon your commander and hide in the city by yourself?"

As he said that, he turned around, hugged Li Yuan in his arms, and touched her all over.

For a moment, the general's tent was filled with spring scenery.

After a long while, when Li Yuan put on the armor of his personal soldiers again, Huan Xi put his mind back on the upcoming battle. Huan Xi immediately went to the tent to gather the generals and called the officers to discuss the deployment of troops.

During this period, all the generals expressed their opinions and argued endlessly in the commander's tent until late at night, when Huan Xi finally made a decision and everyone dispersed.

In the dead of night, Li Yuan had already rested in another tent. Huan Xi walked out of the tent, looked at the bright moonlight outside, and fell into deep thought.

The news that a decisive battle with the Yu army would take place in the north of Wenxi City three days later had spread throughout the entire Liang army camp.

Although the soldiers generally looked down on the fighting power of the Yu army, no one dared to relax in the face of a great war. After all, their lives were at stake, and they were all making their own preparations for the war.

Fei Lianhelong was teaching his son his own experience:
"When you draw your bow and shoot an arrow, you don't have to aim, just follow the crowd and shoot in the same direction. On the battlefield, the key is not whether you can shoot accurately, but how many arrows you can shoot before the enemy cavalry catches up."

Fei Lianhelong said with emotion:

"The most reassuring thing about following Lord Liang in battle is that we have a strong melee cavalry to protect us, and the enemy cavalry will not be able to easily catch up with us archers."

The close combat cavalry that Fei Lianhelong mentioned were the Imperial Guards and the Baibao Xianbei.

The archers were too weak, and everyone knew that.

However, on the battlefield, this kind of highly mobile long-range strike method is indispensable. Therefore, Huan Xi knew that the archers and cavalry were not good at fighting tough battles, but he still brought them to Hedong.

Fei Liantu asked curiously:

"Grandpa, what is a close combat between cavalry like?"

After a moment of silence, Feilian Helong said:

"Mr. Liang often said that when two men meet on a narrow road, the bravest one wins. As a close combat cavalryman, personal bravery is secondary. The key is courage.

"Especially when cavalry charge and speed is fully increased, once they collide, the cavalry in the front row will definitely die.

"But just remember, if you are afraid, the enemy will be afraid too. Whoever can hold out to the end and not show weakness will have the upper hand, while the one who runs away first will be chased and killed by the pursuers behind them."

Of course, in most cases, one side slows down first, thus saving the lives of the front-line cavalry on both sides, but the side that slows down will inevitably fall into a disadvantage.

After all, whether the cavalry can improve their combat effectiveness makes a huge difference.

Fei Liantu was puzzled:

"If the truth is so shallow, why would someone run away first?"

Fei Lianhelong smiled and said:

"When you actually go to the battlefield and witness the terrifying sight of cavalry charging, you will understand why."

After saying that, Fei Lian Helong said no more. It was already very late, and it would not be too late to teach his son the remaining secrets of self-protection on the battlefield tomorrow.

That night, neither Huan Xi nor Fu Jian made any unusual movements. Although they both considered attacking the camp in order to achieve the greatest results with the least casualties, they gave up their plans at the same time after realizing that the other party was well prepared.

Huan Xi and Fu Jian were both waiting for time to pass and for the decisive battle to come.

At the same time, the battlefield on the southern front was not so peaceful.

Hedong County, Dongyuan County.

At dawn, the sun had just climbed over the mountain, and the Yan army's siege troops, after breakfast, had already lined up outside the city.

Yang An no longer had the high spirits he had at the beginning. After expressing his determination to hold on to Dongyuan County to Murong Jun, the offensive strength of the Yan army increased significantly, which also made the soldiers defending the city feel more pressure.

Fortunately, Murong Jun used the massacre in the city to motivate his soldiers and further strengthened the defenders' determination. At least for now, although Dongyuan County is crumbling, it should be able to hold out for a few more days.

(End of this chapter)