I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 378 Objective: Annihilate the Han Army!
To be honest, Tan Shihuai was already a bit late in taking action at this point.

Since Yuan Shu had already led the main force north to the vicinity of Yinguan County, and was advancing further north to support Qiangyin County, the two armies were heading south and north respectively, which could be considered as a two-way march.

During the southward march led by Tan Shihuai, the main force of cavalry did not come without any victories. For example, they successfully destroyed two strongholds. The two strongholds south of Qiangyin County were finally breached by Tan Shihuai's main force launching a fierce attack at all costs.

There was no way around it; the Xianbei people were too numerous. Their army besieged a farm, and the Tianxiong Army's regular troops and defense force inside fought desperately until the very end, but they still couldn't succeed.

Tan Shihuai breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the farm to be looted. He also took away the remaining 10,000 men and women as spoils of war, and the spoils were plentiful.

However, these two farms also bought some time. During the three days that Tanshihuai stayed and attacked, Yuan Shu led his army across the Great Wall and moved closer to Qiangyin County. Finally, on September 19, the vanguard of both sides met west of Pingcheng.

Yuan Shu naturally appointed Lü Bu as the vanguard general.

He ordered Lü Bu to lead two thousand cavalry as the vanguard to scout ahead for the main army.

After encountering the vanguard of the Xianbei army, Lü Bu did not hesitate much and led his troops to meet them in a fierce battle with the Xianbei cavalry.

The Xianbei cavalry, unaware of the situation, were not to be outdone and engaged Lü Bu in battle. In less than two incense sticks' time, the Xianbei vanguard general, He Man, was killed by Lü Bu with a single spear thrust.

With their general killed in battle, the morale of the Xianbei people quickly collapsed, and the Han army achieved a great victory. Lü Bu continued to pursue northward, killing more than a thousand people and taking six hundred heads.

The news quickly reached Tan Shihuai, who was marching south. Upon learning of the vanguard's defeat, Tan Shihuai was furious and immediately led the entire army to speed up their march. He also deployed an additional 5,000 cavalry as the vanguard to deal with any possible Han army troops that might appear at any time.

After Lü Bu won the battle, he interrogated the captured Xianbei prisoners of war and learned that Tan Shihuai's army was not far to the north and was also heading south, with a force of about 30,000. He immediately felt that this was not something he could handle, so based on the principle of not suffering losses, he slowly led his army to retreat.

Yuan Shu once told him a four-word mantra: If you can't beat them, run!

A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. It's not like we're at the last moment, so there's no need to keep talking about risking our lives. Staying alive is more important than anything else.

Lü Bu regarded everything Yuan Shu said as gospel truth, so he chose to retreat and move closer to Yuan Shu to report the situation there.

Yuan Shu quickly received a report from Lü Bu, learning that Tan Shihuai had led 30,000 cavalry south, and he understood the situation.

Tan Shihuai has probably gone all out this time, sending a large number of cavalry south, but his side is not weak either.

Tan Shihuai had about 30,000 men, while his side had 25,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry, making them even more numerous.

Not to mention he also has a trump card in his hands—a formidable cavalry force of a thousand elite soldiers. On his side, they are special forces among cavalry, capable of delivering a decisive blow at crucial moments.

In Yuan Shu's opinion, since Tan Shihuai has come this time, he shouldn't be in a hurry to leave. Yuan Shu is very hospitable and wants to keep Tan Shihuai in this warm and hospitable land forever. He just doesn't know if Tan Shihuai is a wise guest.

Since you're already here, why not stay? When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?

On September 20th, the main force of Yuan Shu's troops and the main force of Tan Shihuai's troops officially clashed. Without much talk, they began fighting around noon that morning.

Based on the previous defeats of the vanguard and the siege, Tan Shihuai concluded that the Han army was stronger and better equipped, while his side did not have such good equipment. If he were to fight the Han army head-on, he would not gain much advantage.

Therefore, we should adopt the classic combination of mounted archery and melee tactics, and avoid engaging the Han army at the beginning, but make the most of the advantages of mounted archery.

Furthermore, he learned that the Han army also had infantry to support them, and their numbers were significantly greater than those of the Xianbei army, which made Tan Shihuai even more cautious.

He believed that the Han army was inferior to the Xianbei army in terms of physical strength and horsemanship. He thought that as long as the decisive battle was prolonged and the Han cavalry were exhausted, the Xianbei army would surely win.

Once the Han cavalry were exhausted and defeated by the Xianbei cavalry, the remaining Han infantry posed little threat.

Two legs can never outrun four legs, and even if they retreat, the Han infantry will be unable to pursue them.

If we have to say something, this idea isn't wrong. On average, the Han army's stamina and horsemanship on horseback were indeed inferior to those of the Xianbei people, since they had grown up on horseback from childhood.

Therefore, Tan Shihuai did not announce a direct attack, but instead ordered the Xianbei army to retreat slowly, preparing to lure the Han cavalry to attack. Then, while circling around, they used their mounted archery skills to fight the Han army and wear them down.

As for the Han infantry, let's leave them for now; they're not of much use on the battlefield anyway. Yuan Shu climbed a small hill to observe the Xianbei army formation from afar. After observing this, and after a moment's thought, he concluded that the Xianbei wanted him to launch an attack.

"When they retreated, their military formation remained intact and their flags stood in order, which shows that they had not been defeated, but rather they were trying to lure our army to attack. Our army has infantry, and once the cavalry is entangled, the infantry will be isolated. The two armies will be unable to support each other and will not be able to look after each other, which is a major taboo in military strategy."

Therefore, Yuan Shu ordered that since the Xianbei army would not take the initiative to attack, the Han army should not take the initiative to attack either, but instead change formation.

He summoned the military staff led by Xun You, gave them instructions in person, and sent them to the generals of the vanguard to relay orders and assist in command. He then ordered the messengers to beat the war drums and change the flags to convey his order to change formation.

The infantry formation unfolded, divided into four military formations, and the cavalry was also divided into four parts, entering the infantry formation. The infantry formation escorted the cavalry formation, and following the signals of flags and horns, they slowly advanced, without engaging in battle.

The benefits of the Tianxiong Army's long-term rigorous training became apparent at this time.

If it's just a rabble, changing formations on the battlefield is likely suicidal; they're practically incapable of successfully changing formations.

Unlike the Tianxiong Army, which, under strict training, had its soldiers from top to bottom memorize the meaning of military flags, commands, and bugle calls perfectly. Everything was well-organized, efficient, and rapid, almost reaching the pinnacle of the era.

Tan Shihuai was leading his troops in a slow retreat, but after a long while he did not receive any news of the Han army launching an attack. Instead, he received news that the Han army had changed formation and that the cavalry had entered the infantry formation. He was immediately puzzled.

What is this operation?
Out of concern, Tan Shihuai did not immediately issue the order to attack. Instead, he went forward himself to climb to a high vantage point and observe the Han army's formation. He discovered that the Han army was indeed changing its formation, but at a rapid pace, with infantry on the outside and cavalry on the inside, and then slowly advancing.

After watching for a while, Tan Shihuai suddenly realized that the Han army commander probably understood his thoughts, which was why he had put on a show of both offense and defense. The infantry did not leave the cavalry, and the cavalry did not leave the infantry. The two sides were united and did not give him any openings.

Yuan Shu is indeed quite interesting.

After careful consideration, Tan Shihuai realized that he didn't seem to have many other options.

He now only has a few options.

One option is to retreat back to Qiangyin County to rejoin the remaining troops, wait for the Han army to arrive, and then concentrate the main force to fight them.

But it seems pointless; he marched south to launch an attack, and if he were to retreat, he shouldn't have set out in the first place.

Second, that is to take the initiative to launch an attack.

However, judging from the Han army's infantry formation and the cavalry hiding inside, this is likely to be a tough battle, and it will be difficult to make full use of the Xianbei cavalry's mobility advantage.

Thirdly, they would feign bypassing the battlefield and advancing to other areas, thus forcing the Han cavalry to pursue them, and then use classic mounted archery tactics to circle around and exhaust their stamina.

But what if the Han army doesn't follow and instead heads straight for the location of Qiangyin County, annihilating all the besieging troops they left there?
He wouldn't be carrying much food with him. Although he had previously captured two farms in Bingzhou and gained some spoils, it had also taken a lot of time. If the Han cavalry chased after him while he was attacking the farms to seize food, it wouldn't be good for him either.

To put it bluntly, he's not here to fight a protracted war; he's here to fight a war of annihilation. The main force of the Han army is right here. Are we going to stop fighting just because we have more people?
If he can completely defeat this Han army, all the crises and doubts he faces will vanish, and he will remain the sole leader of the Xianbei. He may even be able to seize Han territory and establish a stronger Xianbei force.

If he fails, everything will vanish, so he actually has no choice.

They've come, and they're here for a head-on clash! They've come to engage the main force of the Han army in a decisive group battle!
Yuan Shu is so awesome, can he really defeat me completely?
I refuse to believe it!

So Tan Shihuai took a deep breath and made up his mind.

A short while later, he left the high ground and returned to the army formation to relay orders to his subordinates.

Stop retreating, reorganize the troops, and be ready to launch an attack at any time. As the commander-in-chief, he will advance with everyone and never back down.

Objective: Annihilate the Han army!
Tan Shihuai had a trusted confidant named Gao Jian, a Goguryeo man who was somewhat educated. After being captured by Tan Shihuai, Gao Jian was appreciated and promoted by Tan Shihuai because of his intelligence, and worked as an advisor to him.

Seeing that Tan Shihuai hesitated in conveying the military order, Gao Jian wanted to stop him.

"The Han army appears to be quite elite and capable of fighting, and their equipment is superior to ours. If we launch a full-scale attack, it may not be conducive to our defeating the Han army. It would be better to continue retreating, drawing the Han army forward, and exhausting the Han infantry's stamina. This might create some opportunities for a turnaround."

(End of this chapter)