I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 374 Huang Zhong's Attack

Huang Zhong was originally a county official in Nanyang County. When Yuan Shu formed the Tianxiong Army, Huang Zhong heard of Yuan Shu's reputation and greatly admired him. Therefore, Huang Zhong abandoned his county official status and went north to join Yuan Shu and the Tianxiong Army.

Because of his skill in archery and horsemanship, his immense strength, his literacy, and his experience as an official, Huang Zhong quickly rose through the ranks in the army, from a military officer to a colonel.

However, since the Tianxiong Army was formed, it has not fought many decent battles, and Huang Zhong has not had many opportunities to show his abilities. After receiving the order, Huang Zhong knew that his chance to show his abilities had come, so he immediately led a battalion of elite cavalry under his command to advance swiftly and clear the way for the main army.

On September 11, Huang Zhong led a thousand vanguard troops to Liangzhuang, Baiqu Liangzhi Farm, south of Beiyu County. There, a thousand Xianbei soldiers were attempting to storm the farm.

However, because the farm was very large, it was impossible to surround it. So they chose to attack the farm gate. Their tactics were simple: they charged forward with a small number of ladders.

One group charged forward, another released arrows.

To avoid being bombarded by catapults again, they deliberately spread out.

In recent days, having been battered by catapults, some clever Xianbei people have noticed the weaknesses of catapults, such as their limited range and poor accuracy.

As long as they don't stand together, there won't be too many casualties.

They quickly found this strategy and rapidly implemented it on the battlefield, discovering that it worked quite well in small-scale engagements.

As a result, their losses did begin to decrease, but this also greatly reduced the casualties on the Han army and the threat to Liangzhuang.

Their offensive efficiency plummeted, and it looked less like a war and more like child's play.

However, doing it this way isn't entirely impossible.

The troops under He Lian's personal supervision dared not slacken their efforts, but it was different for those who had left He Lian to fight independently.

Unlike Tan Shihuai, Helian's reputation for incompetence and dissoluteness had long been known throughout the grasslands. Many people disliked Helian and were unwilling to follow his orders.

Everyone respected Tan Shihuai and obeyed his orders, but He Lian was no match for his father and especially liked to bully others. If Tan Shihuai hadn't been his father, no one would have been willing to fight alongside him.

Even so, after his chaotic command resulted in the deaths of hundreds of men, dissatisfaction with him permeated the army. Now that they finally had a chance to escape him, many were unwilling to carry out his orders.

Siege?

Only a fool would attack a city!
We are cavalry, we are warriors of the grasslands, we are brave men galloping on horseback, not fools who would bang their heads against the city walls!
Therefore, the Xianbei army besieging Baiquliangzhuang adopted a strategy of feigning compliance while secretly resisting. After realizing that the Han army was heavily fortified and difficult to conquer by force, they did not exert any effort at all. Their attacks were just for show, with a symbolic attack once a day before the entire army returned to camp.

In the military camp, they roasted mutton, drank mare's milk wine, and ate and drank to their hearts' content.

Roasted mutton and mare's milk wine, which they could never normally eat, were their favorites. They could only eat a lot of them on occasions. One or two of them would devour the mutton and drink until their bellies were round. Who would want to go to the battlefield to fight?
So when Huang Zhong led his army to arrive, most of the Xianbei people were still eating and drinking, sleeping in the camp, gambling, and wrestling with each other; they were not prepared for war.

The scouts sent by Huang Zhong were astonished to find that the Xianbei army had not even deployed any scouts around the camp, leaving the entire camp almost undefended.

Weren't they here to loot, burn, and kill?

Why is he behaving like this?

Could it be that they deliberately lured me to attack so they could set up an ambush?

After pondering for a while, Huang Zhong decided that it was best to be cautious. This was his first time leading troops on a mission alone, and he absolutely could not afford to make any mistakes.

Huang Zhong then ordered his scouts to search the surrounding area again. The scouts searched for five or six miles but found no trace of any ambushes. They had no choice but to return and report to Huang Zhong. Huang Zhong was even more puzzled and felt that these Xianbei people were hard to understand.

However, with such a good opportunity right in front of him, he couldn't think of any reason not to take the initiative, so he gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and prepared to take the initiative.

If there is indeed an ambush, then retreat immediately. Anyway, we're on horseback, and the main force is following behind us, so there's nothing to fear!
That afternoon, Huang Zhong led a thousand elite cavalry in a raid on the Xianbei camp, and unsurprisingly won a great victory.

When he led his cavalry into the fray, the Xianbei people reacted with the same astonishment and panic as if they had witnessed the arrival of the Trisolarans on Earth. They scattered and fled, unable to mount their horses to resist. The Han cavalry swept in, wielding their swords and hacking away, leaving the Xianbei dead and their blood flowing like rivers.

The raid took only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn; over two hundred of the thousand Xianbei were killed, over seven hundred surrendered, and only a dozen or so fled in disarray, their whereabouts unknown. Huang Zhong was overjoyed with this initial victory and immediately informed Lu Zhi and Zang Min, then continued to send men forward to scout out the Xianbei's situation.

Two days later, Lu Zhi and Zang Min arrived with the main force. Huang Zhong was no longer satisfied with his previous achievements and twice defeated the Xianbei army that was besieging Liangzhuang.

His thousand cavalrymen single-handedly wiped out three thousand Xianbei cavalrymen, captured more than 1,900 people, seized two thousand and thirty-nine warhorses, and relieved the military crisis in three Liangzhuang, which can be described as a great victory.

Lu Zhi and Zang Min were both very happy, but after hearing Huang Zhong's report, they couldn't hold back their excitement.

These three defeated Xianbei armies each numbered only about a thousand men. When Huang Zhong charged in, none of them, without exception, launched a proper attack on Liangzhuang; they were all just loafing around.

The Han army suddenly attacked, catching them off guard and making it difficult for them to resist. In addition, Huang Zhong was an exceptional archer, and he would shoot arrows at the Xianbei people who looked like officers. After a few arrows, the Xianbei people were completely routed.

It's quite easy to deal with.

Lu Zhi surveyed the group of captured Xianbei cavalry and found that they were still dark-skinned, thin, and short, indicating that their nutritional status was no better than it had been three years ago.

In addition, they still did not have uniform attire, their clothes were mostly tattered, and the armor rate was very low, only about one percent. However, the situation of their knives and crossbows had improved, indicating some progress in weaponry.

The knives are now more refined and noticeably more durable.

The strength of the horsebow in my hand has also increased, and it no longer feels as weak as before.

This shows that the Xianbei people did make progress, but the pace and magnitude of their progress were slow and they did not reach a point where they could threaten the Han army.

After a comprehensive analysis, Lu Zhi roughly determined the current situation of the Xianbei people and had a greater confidence in this battle, so he prepared to march towards Beiyu County.

According to intelligence, Beiyu County was besieged by approximately four thousand Xianbei troops, including both infantry and cavalry. The infantry were also capable of using siege equipment to attack the city of Beiyu, and they were likely the auxiliary army rumored to be composed of captured Buyeo and Goguryeo people.

Beiyu County was different from the other Liangzhuang villages. Liangzhuang villages were not forcibly attacked, but Beiyu County was genuinely attacked.

The Han army garrison in Beiyu County is engaged in fierce fighting with its auxiliary forces to ensure the county's survival. Both sides are suffering casualties in the intense battle.

Puli, the Xianbei military commander in charge of the army in Beiyu County, was a trusted confidant of Helian. While others could slack off and do nothing, he couldn't. So, without thinking twice, he sent his auxiliary troops first. The Xianbei followed behind the auxiliary troops, who fired arrows while also acting as a supervisory force.

After three days of fierce attacks, the auxiliary army suffered more than half its casualties, and the Xianbei also lost more than two hundred men. The losses were considerable, but the result was that they managed to breach the city walls three times and fight the Han army inside the city.

Although they were all driven down, Puli felt this was a good sign, at least the Han army's defenses were not indestructible and could be damaged, so their losses were not meaningless.

Moreover, most of the losses were to auxiliary troops, not the Xianbei themselves. If things got really bad, they could just capture more later, so it didn't matter.

Guided by this mindset, he forced his vassal army to launch fierce attacks time and time again, and then severely punished those who were cowardly, deserted, or ran away, chopping off their hands, feet, and buttocks, and even forcing his fellow soldiers to eat the cut-off flesh.

Under such intense pressure, the auxiliary army's offensive was extremely fierce, putting immense pressure on the Han army in Beiyu County and causing them to suffer heavy losses. As a result, the officers in the city were worried that it would be difficult to hold out for long. However, they did not worry for more than a few days before Huang Zhong arrived.

Huang Zhong, having earned Lu Zhi's appreciation for his previous military achievements, once again became the vanguard, leading a thousand of his own cavalry forward. When they arrived in Beiyu County, the Xianbei were fiercely attacking the county town. Upon seeing this, Huang Zhong made a decisive decision and ordered a surprise attack.

Puli had sent out scouts around the area, so he learned of the Han army's arrival earlier. He knew that a Han cavalry force had come, but it was not many, so he was not too worried. He ordered his general to lead a thousand cavalry to intercept them, and also sent someone to find Helian to request reinforcements.

The fact that the Han army has already moved north indicates that Yuan Shu has taken action, and the Helian army should not remain in Wuquan County but should continue south.

That was his plan, but he didn't expect that the cavalry he sent to intercept Huang Zhong would be quickly crushed by Huang Zhong.

Huang Zhong was incredibly strong and skilled in archery and horsemanship. His elite cavalrymen were all heavily armored and equipped with superior weapons, far surpassing the Xianbei in skill. Not long after the two armies clashed, Huang Zhong seized the opportunity, drew his bow, and shot the Xianbei cavalry commander dead with a single arrow.

Without their commander, the Xianbei cavalry were thrown into chaos. Huang Zhong seized the opportunity to lead his troops in a swift and fierce attack, using the hand-to-hand combat tactics that the Han army was more adept at to inflict a crushing defeat on the Xianbei cavalry.

Huang Zhong did not stop, but continued forward. He quickly rushed to the main Xianbei camp under the city of Beiyu, and charged in with the momentum of a great victory, catching the besieging Xianbei army off guard.

(End of this chapter)