Chapter 832 Entering Yanmen

Chapter 832 Entering Yanmen
In the Battle of Qiyishui, Chen Yougen led 10,000 people to defeat 5,000 Xianbei cavalry, and annihilated nearly 3,000 people.

When the three thousand heads were piled together, everyone was shocked.

On May 11, without any pause, he took advantage of the boost in morale from the great victory and headed straight for Dai County.

At that time, reinforcements came from Puyang Mountain and Yijing. The morale of the troops was high, and they completely drove the Xianbei people out of the vicinity of Dai County.

On the 13th, Duan Wenyang led two thousand Xianbei cavalrymen to defeat the Shiben clan outside Guangning City and beheaded more than 700 people.

On the 14th, troops from all directions entered Guangning and Dai counties, totaling 30,000 to 40,000 people.

The Shi Ben, He Gu and other tribes attacked last year. Although the situation is still okay this year, the losses are relatively large. Seeing that the Jin people have invested almost twice as much troops as last year, they no longer rushed forward.

The two sides were divided on both sides of the Sanggan River, facing each other across the river.

The Xianbei people occupied the north bank, and they also had more than 20,000 cavalry from various tribes. To be honest, their desire to fight was not as strong as before.

One major reason was that the looting was too fierce last year, and there was not much to loot this year, unless the city was captured; the second reason was that the just-concluded Battle of Qiyishui resulted in the death of 3,000 men, which dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the army.

The Jin people occupied the south bank with 30,000 to 40,000 infantry and cavalry.

Unlike the Xianbei people, the Jin army won battle after battle and their morale gradually improved.

Chen Yougen was planning with his generals to force a crossing of the Sanggan River and advance northward. At the same time, he sent Zhai Shu to lead his troops westward from Pingshu to threaten the Pingcheng area.

In an instant, the offensive and defensive situations changed.

The news of the battle in Dai County quickly spread everywhere.

On May 16, Tuoba Heli, who was hunting in the wild, was urgently recalled by Qi to discuss countermeasures.

"Are you still going out hunting at this time?" Qi glanced at her son and asked coldly.

He Li subconsciously avoided his mother's gaze and dared not answer.

Although Qi was used to her son's cowardly behavior, she was still a little disappointed at this time. She said, "Today, a senior official asked why you were not in the city to manage government affairs, but went out to hunt."

He Li was a little surprised.

Last year when he went out hunting, no one cared at all and some people even praised him. Why did their tone change now?

Qi suddenly felt a little tired.

This weak-willed son was not very likable to begin with, and after being forced to the top, his appeal is just so-so.

To put it bluntly, she was the one who brought most of the troops here. But she was a woman after all, and an old woman at that, so it was not easy for her to manage the situation.

Once the situation changes significantly, not many people will be willing to join her wholeheartedly, especially those unruly tribal leaders.

It wouldn't be so difficult if her son could help her share some of the pressure.

He Li was obviously not doing well.

The other son, Hena, was okay, but he was currently stationed in Pingcheng, guarding the most core territory for his brother and mother.

"In this situation, what do you think we should do? Do you have any ideas in mind?" Qi asked again.

He Li glanced at his mother quietly, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

He was worried that what he said would be refuted or even scolded by his mother.

But he had to say nothing. So, after hesitating for a moment, he said: "The Tuoba tribes are still strong, and now we should send another army eastward to attack Dai County and Guangning. Dai County is too close, if we don't suppress those people, then later... later..."

"What will happen in the future?" Qi pressed.

"It will be difficult to travel east in the future." He Li said with his head down.

Qi suddenly laughed, and tears almost came out of her eyes.

Tuoba Heli looked at his mother in confusion.

Qi suddenly felt disheartened and said, "The battle hasn't even started yet, and you're thinking of running away? Where can you run to? Can you rely on Yuwen to take you in?"

Tuoba Heli looked embarrassed, he really thought so.

"If we can't go to the Yuwen tribe, then run north. The thief Shao can't catch up with us." He added.

Qi was too lazy to talk to him any more.

You can run away, but once you run away, your prestige will be greatly damaged. Will the ministers still listen to you?
They will either pack up and run away with their tribesmen, belongings and livestock, or directly surrender to Tuoba Yihuai or even Tuoba Shiyijian. How many of them are truly determined to follow you?

This son understands nothing about military affairs, let alone politics.

The Prairie Wolf King must maintain his powerful appearance. Once this is exposed, his people will soon scatter, because Tuoba Heli is not the only choice for the Xianbei leaders.

Qi was really disappointed that he couldn't understand this principle.

In fact, she doesn't have any better solution now.

The situation has come to this point today, and only a resounding victory can solve the most fundamental problem.

"Five days from now at the latest, all the leaders will gather at Dongmugen Mountain. You will lead them to offer sacrifices to the heavens and rally their morale." Qi was still very decisive. After thinking it through, he said in an unquestionable tone: "He will stay in Pingcheng and guard Yanmen and Xingbei. You——"

At this point, Qi was like a beast cornered, with a ferocious look in his eyes, saying: "Take advantage of the opportunity that Helan Aitou is sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight, lead the people eastward, and defeat the Jin people in one fell swoop. Dongmugen Mountain is not far from Dai County. After a quick victory, return to Pingcheng."

"I... lead the army in person?" Tuoba Heli was stunned, his lips trembling slightly.

"This is your only chance." Qi glared and said, "Win or lose. Don't worry, I will go with you. At worst, we can die together."

Tuoba Heli managed to calm himself down and stammered, "Okay."

******
Strategy is more important than tactics.

Looking through history books, we can see that the victory or defeat of many wars was often decided outside the battlefield.

After Shao Xun received a series of military reports from Chen Yougen, he immediately discussed with his staff and generals, and finally decided to lead his troops north to Xinxing on May 14.

The eastern route has become a magnet that attracts enemy troops and will not change much in the short term unless Chen Yougen is defeated and Wang Feng abandons the land and flees.

After the order to send troops was issued, each unit set out from Jinyang in an orderly manner.

The Silver Spear Left Camp sent out a group of soldiers to march in the front.

The leader of the group, Ji Shou, rode a short horse and looked around. Six hundred elite soldiers were arranged in four columns, walking on the post road covered with weeds.

Dozens of horse-drawn carriages followed closely behind, and hundreds of Yellow-Headed Army soldiers acting as drivers and laborers had solemn expressions on their faces, not daring to take it lightly.

It took them three days and they covered a full 140 miles before they saw the towering city wall, which was the location of Shiling Longxiang Prefecture.

In the evening, when all the soldiers in the unit crossed the Stone Ridge and entered the territory of Xinxing County, Ji Shou stayed at the back, overlooking the densely packed houses and neatly arranged farmlands on the southern foot of the Stone Ridge.

Looking at the north of the ridge, it is almost deserted.

The Shiling Mountain almost separates two worlds.

He sighed softly.

He was no longer young, and perhaps the leader of the building had reached the pinnacle of his life. Compared to his comrades who had long been buried in various places, he was lucky.

This battle might be the last one in his life. If he can't get anything, he should abdicate.

On the evening of the 17th, the vanguard arrived at Jiuyuan County, the capital of Xinxing County.

There was nothing all around except for some cultivated farmland near the city wall, which was now full of green millet seedlings.

The city was filled with military supplies and fodder, and three thousand soldiers had already set up camp to guard this important military supply base.

A few civilians who were working in the fields saw this and looked at the passing soldiers with complicated eyes.

Three years ago, King Liang personally led his troops to station here to confront Tuoba Yulu.

In the end, the war never broke out, just like most wars that ended in vain since the end of the Han Dynasty.

Three years later, King Liang came again, but he didn't know whether there were any changes this time, and whether he could turn Xinxing County into a real rear base.

One never steps into the same river twice.

The six hundred Silver Spear Army marched across the empty and desolate land of Xinxing, covering dozens of miles a day, and arrived at Xinkou on the night of the eighteenth.

There were not many enemy troops in Xinkou.

Under the bright moonlight, the Jie cavalry of Liu Quan, who had recently taken over as the governor of Xinxing, went for reconnaissance and then headed straight for Xinkou.

In the narrow valley entrance, the sounds of horse hooves, arrows flying through the air, weapons clashing, and screams of pain were heard continuously.

Six hundred veterans silently took off their armor from the chariots and put it on in pairs.

The shiny armor looked so stunning in the moonlight.

The sound of swords being drawn from their sheaths continued to ring out.

After the bow was strung, someone took out the candlestick and began to tune it.

The spear was held up high, looking extremely cold.

The officer with the recognition flag on his back walked back and forth, his vicious eyes scanning every soldier.

Unfortunately, everyone was well trained and completed the pre-war preparations quickly.

In an instant, a small hedgehog-like formation appeared.

The doorman, clerk and other miscellaneous personnel stayed behind.

After receiving the order, the drummer gently struck the small drum around his waist.

The flag bearer held the flag high and marched with firm steps.

Dozens of scouts, messengers, and rangers were stationed on the left and right, constantly moving around.

In the center were fully five hundred combatants, advancing with unstoppable force.

Dozens of enemy cavalry rushed out of the valley, seemingly trying to stop them.

As the sound of horse hooves approached, someone in the formation drew his bow and arrow. There was a dense "whoosh" sound, and more than ten long arrows flew through the air. Most of them missed, but the remaining arrows still shot two enemy riders off their horses.

One of them, who was probably boasting of his bravery, was wearing iron armor and holding a halberd, and passed by the formation diagonally, trying to open a gap. Unexpectedly, several people in the formation rushed out directly, one holding a shield to block, and another wielding a long wooden club to hit.

In a flash, the enemy cavalry turned their horses and moved away, looking at the group with lingering fear.

More Jie cavalry followed from behind the main formation, trying to drive out the Xianbei cavalry that were harassing the Silver Spear Army.

Seeing this, the enemy cavalry realized that they could not use harassment tactics to break down the soldiers who were marching in formation, so they turned their horses around and retreated.

A part of the Jie cavalry continued to move forward and pursue the Xianbei cavalry that were retreating away, while the other part protected the left, right and rear of the Silver Spear Army, ready to engage in battle at any time.

Hundreds of soldiers marched forward without stopping, walking under the moonlight, and soon arrived at the valley entrance.

The battle in the valley was nearing its end. After seeing the "large group" of Jin army infantry coming up, the Xianbei people whistled, broke off contact, and disappeared into the night.

Xinkou, where tens of thousands of Xianbei troops were stationed three years ago, was captured almost without a fight.

Ji Shou stood among the rocks, looking at the vaguely discernible Xianbei camp, calm and composed.

On May 19th, the main force of the Silver Spear Left Camp arrived at Xinkou.

On the 20th, they occupied Yuanping County, which had been completely abandoned by the Xianbei people.

On the 22nd, almost all the troops gathered outside Guangwu City.

At this time, the Xianbei people who had reacted also gathered one after another.

On the banks of the Hutuo River, Yu Ju, who had personally led more than 10,000 cavalrymen to the place, suddenly changed color when he saw the Jin army camp several miles away.

It is impossible to defend the city, not in this lifetime. Only fighting in the field can maintain a semblance of life.

On the 23rd, just as Tuoba Heli finished offering sacrifices to heaven and led tens of thousands of troops eastward, Shao Xun deployed his troops outside Guangwu City and took the initiative to challenge Yu Ju.

If you want to fight, then fight.

If you don't fight, I will attack the city myself.

For Yu Ju, this was a dilemma, because he had too few infantrymen and they were not strong enough to fight, so he could not defend the city.

(I have something to do today, so I may not be able to update the third time. Double monthly tickets, if you have tickets, please vote now. From the 28th to today, I am no different from a cow or a horse.)
(End of this chapter)