Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 397 Defeating the Wuhuan and Breaking the Gongsun Clan

The setting sun, like blood, painted the sky crimson.

After Tadun was beheaded, Yan Rou led his troops into battle, and the Wuhuan army was routed. Zhang Liao, Man Chong, Ma Chao, Yan Rou and other generals pursued them for twenty miles, killing so many Wuhuan soldiers that their corpses blocked the road. It was not until dusk that the generals sounded the retreat.

On the plains, under the setting sun, generals led their troops back to camp one after another, some having captured prisoners, others leading cattle and horses. The generals talked about their achievements, all of them elated and in high spirits, their pre-battle fear gone.

"General, Nanlou, Supuyan, Nengchendi and other nobles have fled, while Tadun, Wuyan, Pusu and others have been beheaded, and their heads have now been cut off."

Man Chong smiled and congratulated him, saying, "General, you not only defeated the Wuhuan, but also killed Tadun. Now the victory is achieved in one battle. If you hear the news, Your Majesty will be overjoyed."

Zhang Liao had already removed his armor and was sitting on a stool, where a military doctor was bandaging the wound on his shoulder.

"Although we have killed Tadun, the Wuhuan have not retreated, and Gongsun Zan is still causing trouble." Zhang Liao said with a smile on his face, but he was modest in his words.

Since Zhang Yu rose to power, many generals had made outstanding contributions, but compared to Zhang Liao's achievements, their accomplishments paled in comparison. Zhang Liao not only defeated the Wuhuan, but also achieved a decisive victory against overwhelming odds, charging into battle and slaying many Wuhuan warriors. It is no exaggeration to say that this dazzling achievement was enough to solidify Zhang Liao's position as Zhang Yu's foremost general.

Moreover, Zhang Liao's victory over the enemy this time was not solely due to his bravery, but also to the utilization of a series of factors such as geography, troop strength, and strategy. For a great general, these factors are far more important than mere bravery in defeating the enemy.

“Tadun was the lord of the Wuhuan, and now that he has been killed by you, General, the rest are filled with fear and unease. Tomorrow, their tribes will surely scatter. Once the Wuhuan troops withdraw, the siege of Youzhou will be resolved.” Man Chong said, “Gongsun Zan is weak and isolated, brave but lacking in strategy; he will be easily defeated!”

After the military doctor bandaged Zhang Liao's arm, seeing that he had military matters to discuss, he wisely took his leave.

Zhang Liao stretched his arms and said, "Yuan Shao and Tadun were related by marriage, which is why Tadun led the Wuhuan south. Now that Tadun is dead, I fear that the new ruler will still be our enemy. Therefore, in order to completely quell the troubles beyond the Great Wall, we need to send Yan Rou as an envoy to pacify the Wuhuan tribes and make them sever their ties with the Yuan family."

Man Chong nodded slightly and said, "General, your consideration is thorough. Tadun once sent three thousand elite cavalry to be under Yuan Shao's command. Now that Tadun is dead, if our army can use both kindness and force to make the Wuhuan tribes sever their ties with Yuan Shao and recruit the three thousand elite cavalry back to their own forces, it will be advantageous for you, my lord, to defeat Yuan Shao."

With the help of his attendants, Zhang Liao put on his robes and said, "The matter of contacting the Wuhuan shall be entrusted to Yan Rou."

"Liu He also needs to be contacted!"

Man Chong reminded them, "The remnants of the Wuhuan army have returned to their camp in defeat. With their morale shaken, they will surely lead their troops north tomorrow. If we can contact the troops in Ji County, we can coordinate with them from both inside and outside the city when they withdraw, and defeat the Wuhuan army again, so that the Wuhuan will not dare to invade Youzhou again."

"good!"

With his arm injury quite severe, Zhang Liao clutched his wound and frowned, saying, "Now that my shoulder is injured, I fear that the campaign against the Wuhuan will require Bo Ning's command and coordination."

"General, please rest and recuperate. We will need you to lead the troops in the subsequent southern campaign against Ji Province!" Man Chong said with a smile.

Not to mention the battle itself, Zhang Liao led his army to a brilliant victory, beheading more than two thousand Wuhuan bandit leaders, capturing more than one hundred Wuhuan cavalry, and killing Tadun, Wuyan, and Pusu.

Now, under Zhang Liao's arrangement, the scouts contacted Liu He in Ji County. Upon learning that Zhang Liao had defeated the Wuhuan and killed Tadun, Liu He was overjoyed and agreed to attack the Wuhuan together the next day.

The following morning, due to the execution of Tadun, a riot broke out in the Wuhuan camp. After arguing all night, the tribal leaders could not reach a consensus. Seeing that the situation was not good, they led their troops to withdraw.

Man Chong, Yan Rou, and Ma Chao led their troops in pursuit, while Xianyu Fu led his cavalry out of the city to fight back. The Wuhuan were utterly defeated and fled, with their tribes and people escaping to the northern mountains and beyond the Great Wall. However, due to the relentless pursuit of the Bing and You armies, the Wuhuan abandoned their carriages, tents, armor, sheep, horses, and Han civilians along the way, killing and capturing over two thousand people, achieving another great victory.

After these two battles, the Wuhuan suffered over 5,000 casualties and were captured, severely weakening the various tribes. After fleeing the border, the Hu people, deeply fearing Zhang Liao's name, did not mention him.

Following the previous arrangements, Yan Rou led his army north to the Yanshan Pass, sent people to pacify the Wuhuan tribes, and ordered them to sever all ties with the Yuan family.

That afternoon, Zhang Liao led his troops to Ji County, where Liu He came out of the city to greet him.

"Thank you, General Zhang, for coming to our aid from so far away!"

Upon seeing Zhang Liao, Liu He quickly stepped forward, excitedly grasped Zhang Liao's hand, and said, "If it weren't for General Zhang leading the troops to defeat the Hu, all the soldiers and civilians of Youzhou would have been captured by the Hu people." The civil and military officials of Youzhou were grateful for Zhang Liao's rescue, and at Liu He's prompting, they all bowed and thanked Zhang Liao.

Zhang Liao accepted the greeting without ceremony and said, "I was ordered to rush to the aid. You should not only thank me, but also the General. In the past, when the General knew that Youzhou was in danger, he disregarded the fact that it was at war with Yuan Shao and wanted to personally lead troops to the rescue. However, due to the situation, he could not leave, so he ordered me to lead troops north."

As he spoke, Zhang Liao looked around at the civil and military officials of Youzhou and said meaningfully, "In the past, Gongsun harmed Liu Gong, and you, my lord, led righteous troops to rescue him; now the Northern Hu have captured Youzhou, and I led the Bing army to relieve the siege. I estimate that you have already saved me from disaster twice."

Zhang Liao's intention to seek repayment based on gratitude was obvious, and Liu He was well aware of this. He said, "The Han Dynasty is in decline, and the world is in turmoil. Bing and You provinces have been helping each other. First, your army was attacked by locusts and asked for food, and then you, my lord, came to our aid. Now, the two provinces are even related by marriage. Therefore, although we are nominally two families, we are now truly one family!"

"Now that you, my lord, are facing off against Yuan Shao, Youzhou is truly eager to offer its assistance."

As he spoke, Liu He urged Xianyu Fu to step forward slightly and said, "General, you are now the General Who Conquers the West, and you have been appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the military by Your Majesty. From now on, the troops of Youzhou will be under your command until Your Majesty defeats Yuan Shao."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liao's expression shifted slightly. Liu He's willingness to entrust the Youzhou troops to his command showed his sincerity.

"Bingyou is now one family, and I thank you for your trust, my lord!" Zhang Liao said.

Liu He, holding Zhang Liao's hand, entered Ji City together and said, "According to the scouts, Tadun knew that the general was heading north and ordered Gongsun Zan to go south to Zhuojun to intercept him. However, the general took the mountain road north to relieve the siege. Although you have now defeated the Wuhuan, Gongsun Zan's troops are still there. Therefore, if the general wants to conquer Ji Province in the south, he must first defeat Gongsun Zan."

Although the Bing and You families had a close relationship, and Liu He had entrusted the Youzhou troops to Zhang Liao's command, this did not mean that Liu He had no demands. As the murderer of Liu Yu, Gongsun Zan was someone Liu He would inevitably seek revenge for.

Of course, from a geographical perspective, if Zhang Liao wanted to conquer Ji Province in the south, he had to first defeat Gongsun Zan. Gongsun Zan occupied the area between Yijing and Zhuoxian, directly controlling the northern border of Ji Province. Therefore, to conquer Ji Province, he needed to first defeat Gongsun Zan decisively.

Zhang Liao's expression turned slightly serious as he said, "Gongsun Zan has committed evil deeds for the Yuan family. He first killed Liu Gong and then wreaked havoc in Youzhou. I will now rid Youzhou of this scourge."

"Thank you for your trouble, General!"

Liu He praised, "General, you secretly emerged from the mountain pass and defeated the Hu with a small force, and even personally beheaded Tadun. You possess the strategy of Han Xin and Bai Qi, and the bravery of Bu and Fan Li. I admire you greatly. I predict that defeating Gongsun will not be difficult for you."

Zhang Liao couldn't suppress his smile; he thoroughly enjoyed the praise he received. After all, isn't this the moment a true man achieves great deeds and makes his mark?

On September 24th, Zhang Liao led the Bingzhou troops to Ji County, where Liu He provided them with plenty of wine and meat to reward them. After resting in Ji County until October 1st, Zhang Liao, along with generals such as Xianyu Fu, Man Chong, and Ma Chao, led a large army south to Zhuojun.

Upon learning that Zhang Liao was leading his troops south, Gongsun Zan mobilized all his forces to meet him in battle, and the two armies clashed at Liangxiang.

At that time, Gongsun Zan had 15,000 soldiers, most of whom were old and weak; Zhang Liao gathered 20,000 troops from Youzhou, nearly half of whom were elite soldiers.

On the eve of the battle, in order to defeat Zhang Liao, Gongsun Zan sent a false military intelligence message to Zhang Liao, saying that during the battle, he would deploy the old and weak on the right flank.

Upon receiving this military intelligence, Zhang Liao discussed it with Man Chong and Xianyu Fu, some believing it to be a trap, others believing the intelligence to be genuine. After some hesitation, Zhang Liao adopted Man Chong's cautious plan, employing a diagonal attack tactic, deploying elite troops in the center of the army to lure Gongsun Zan's right flank deep into enemy territory.

During the battle, the army followed the strategy, first engaging Gongsun Zan's left flank, then the central army, and finally the right flank.

Gongsun Zan deployed his elite troops on the right flank, intending to break through and win from there. However, he encountered a diagonal attack tactic, with Zhang Liao's elite central army flanking Gongsun's right flank. Gongsun's right flank fought fiercely for a long time, but ultimately collapsed under the combined assault. A subsequent cavalry charge on the right flank drove the defeated troops back to the central army, directly triggering a complete rout of Gongsun's army.

After the battle, Gongsun Zan gathered several thousand remaining soldiers and fled back to Yijing to hold it, while also writing to Yuan Shao for help. Zhang Liao, on the other hand, ordered Xianyu Fu to recover the counties of Zhuojun, while he led his troops south first, completely surrounding Yijing.

In the short span of a month, Liu He was first besieged in Ji County, surrounded by Gongsun Zan and Tadun; now Tadun has been beheaded, and Gongsun Zan is trapped in Yijing. Their joys and sorrows are quite different, like a rollercoaster ride, making it difficult to predict.

P.S.: I promised to update three chapters the day before yesterday, but I missed one. I haven't forgotten, I'll make up for it with an early update tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)