Jinting Han people

Chapter 232: Battle of Liumo (Part )

This was a premeditated murder and a known murder.

When the other generals received the order, they could hardly believe it, because the military order showed no trace of malice towards Zhou Chu.

War is a grinding mill, but it churns out more than just flesh and blood. Every battle, besides the immense physical toll on soldiers, also ravages their spirits. Every escape from disaster drains the vitality of ordinary people. Whether war is just or evil, it ultimately involves killing, and killing brings death directly upon us. No one is immune to the effects of death; even Zhuge Liang was drained of his last breath by war.

Therefore, after a battle, soldiers needed a considerable amount of time to rest and recuperate. Even if they were about to go into the next battle, they would be rotated in from the end. Only in this way could they maintain their combat effectiveness as much as possible.

Now that Zhou Chu had already fought a siege and been injured in an assassination attempt, King Sima Rong of Liang actually ordered Zhou Chu to lead the vanguard and attack Liumo. This was almost unreasonable. Even if the siege of Haozhi was going extremely smoothly, it was no reason to continue rotating troops.

This was a stark statement, indicating that Sima Rong had only one goal: to have Zhou Chu executed. Whether that meant death by military court for a poor performance, death in battle, or exhaustion from continuous fighting, the King of Liang would not rest until Zhou Chu was dead.

From this perspective, the battle of Liumo was probably Zhou Chu's death.

But after Zhou Chu received the military order, he behaved very calmly. He just replied with three words: "I understand." Then he hugged his arm which had not yet healed and began to prepare for the next battle in full swing.

Zhou Chu had actually anticipated this day. As a sixty-year-old man with over thirty years of experience in officialdom, he had long since learned to understand his destiny. When he learned that Sima Rong, Prince of Liang, was the commander-in-chief and he was a general under his command, he had already guessed this would be the outcome.

It wasn't just Prince Sima Rong of Liang. In fact, roughly half the court was hoping for his swift death, having impeached them for their illegal activities. Of the remaining court, half were indifferent to the lives of others. The remaining few were largely powerless to change the current situation.

Zhou Chu touched his shoulder blade, where the arrow had struck him, feeling the pain, and said with a wry smile, "Isn't it the same for me?"

How arrogant and proud was Zhou Chu in his youth? He himself has a hazy memory. He remembers only those happy years, when his kingdom was still alive. As the son of the renowned general Zhou Cang, he had once disappointed his father, but after returning to the right path, he earned the admiration of the world. He then became ambitious and determined to follow the emperor (Sun Hao) to achieve unparalleled fame, defeat the strong with the weak, and unify China.

But when the war of national destruction came, he realized how ridiculous his ambitions were. Facing Wang Jun's 70,000-man navy, he went with Tao Jun to resist. Seeing those tower ships from afar, his men fled in panic, and he could only surrender the city with his former master in vain.

After that, he was forced to change his career and serve in the Jin Dynasty. If I can't revitalize my homeland, then I will do more good things for world peace! Zhou Chu started his work with this ideal in mind.

He subsequently moved back and forth in the Jin Dynasty's officialdom, visiting Guanzhong and Yizhou, and serving as a Palace Attendant and Chief Censor. To achieve his ambitions, Zhou Chu never cared about interpersonal relationships in officialdom, only about his own performance. Over the decades, he achieved remarkable political achievements.

But the further he went, the more tired Zhou Chu felt, and the more he felt that he was unable to do it.

He increasingly understood that a person's power was limited. No matter how ambitious one was, without the support of others, his ambitions would ultimately be in vain. But when he sought support, he found that those around him were always those who were servile and servile.

It is really ridiculous to say that those who have lost their country are eager to save the world, but those who truly pacify the world are indifferent to the world.

He still remembered the time he'd fought the evil dragon and returned to Yangxian, exhausted. The cheers of the villagers, who'd mistakenly believed Zhou Chu was dead, and the overwhelming joyous smiles had deeply shaken Zhou Chu. When he realized the laughter was coming from him, he felt a surge of strength, a feeling far more inviting and endearing than fear.

It was from that moment on that Zhou Chu vowed to himself that he would be a person who could make everyone who saw him smile. He had always practiced this philosophy, but he didn't know when it started, but his smile became less and less.

In the court, if he wanted to gain the support of those around him, would he be breaking his oath? Would he once again deceive the elders who believed in him?

Therefore, even when Zhou Chu realized that he was walking on a dead end, he did not regret it. Now that this moment had really arrived, he calmly accepted this fact and began to make preparations to march towards Liumo.

Liumo, as the name suggests, is an important transportation artery located in the northwest of Haozhi County. There are four mountain trails divided by three earthen plateaus in the northwest, and two roads on both sides of the southeast by泔水. These six trails converge together and are called Liumo.

Liumo was only sixteen miles from Haozhi County, and about fifteen miles from the rebel base camp, Rufeng. At this point, the two armies were practically on the verge of collapse, and it would only take an hour for the main forces of both sides to arrive to support them.

This also means that if this location can be seized, the rebels' space for activities can be further compressed and blocked, giving the Jin army a strategic initiative.

Scouts had already investigated in advance and found that there were about 10,000 rebels active in the Liumo area. Although their number was twice that of Zhou Chu's army, their equipment and quality were not as good as Zhou Chu's. If handled properly, there was still a certain chance of winning.

But this only applies when the main force of the rebels does not attack. What if the main force of the rebels is dispatched? It depends on whether the main force of the Jin army will reinforce them. If no reinforcements arrive, it will be a real death situation.

Zhou Chu felt ready to die, but when he thought about the five thousand young men from Jingzhou who had been transferred to his command, all of whom were truly outstanding heroes, he still felt a little unwilling: How could they be so innocent? How could they die because of him?
So before attacking, he went to see Lu Bo, the chief secretary of King Liang, and made a final effort:
"I dare not refuse to attack Liumo. However, this place is sensitive and will inevitably affect the entire battle. When I lead my army into a bloody battle with the enemy, they will inevitably call for reinforcements. If Your Highness sets an ambush west of Liumo beforehand, it may be very effective. I hope the Chief Secretary will inform Your Highness of this matter."

Lu Bo naturally agreed readily: "Don't worry, His Highness is paying close attention to this battle. Jianwei is the vanguard, and he will definitely grant any request you make."

How could Zhou Chu believe it? He just gave his own plan as best as possible, hoping to avoid the worst possible situation.
"If Your Highness feels this plan is risky, you should at least dispatch an army to secure our retreat. That way, even if our army suffers a setback at the front, we can at least retreat. Zhou Chu's death is not a pity, but the soldiers are loyal to the court. The death of one man discourages a hundred, and the loss of one army discourages ten. Your Highness, please do not let the entire army down!"

Lu Bo remained unresponsive. He simply said, "Jianwei is being too pessimistic. You are a renowned general. How can you be so timid before the battle? Just go ahead and do your job with confidence! His Royal Highness Prince Liang will naturally take care of you."

Having said that, even though Zhou Chu knew that the other party was just trying to fool him, he could do nothing about it and could only end the conversation.

In the blink of an eye, the day for the agreed battle arrived. It was still dawn, and the soldiers of the Jianwei Army woke up as usual and were about to start cooking. Lu Bo rode up in a hurry and urged Zhou Chu:
"Jianwei, it's already this late, why haven't you set off yet?"

"The soldiers haven't eaten yet. They will set off immediately after the meal." Zhou Chu replied.

Unexpectedly, Lu Bo said, "How can we still be in time? It's foggy now. If you set out now and reach Liumo when the fog is thick, and suddenly launch an attack, the enemy will be caught off guard. How can we not defeat the rebels?" "But the soldiers are hungry and lack strength. How can they have the energy to kill the enemy?"

"You're a veteran, why do you need my guidance? Just eat your dry rations. Above all, you absolutely cannot light a stove. If the enemy sees the smoke now, they'll be ready, and the chances of a surprise attack will be greatly reduced!"

This is simply perverse logic! In the past, they always cooked at this time, but suddenly there was no food today. Doesn't this tell the enemy that something is wrong? It's still spring, and the weather is so cold. How can the soldiers possibly endure eating only dry food?
Zhou Chu wanted to continue discussing this with Lu Bo, but Lu Bo was unwilling to say more and directly said in the name of Sima Rong:

"This is an order from His Royal Highness Prince Liang! Jianwei, if you refuse again, you will be violating military law!"

After saying this, he pretended to draw his sword from his waist, revealing an expression that he was ready to take advantage of the situation to kill Zhou Chu.

Zhou Chu struggled internally. He didn't want his soldiers to die in vain, but at the same time, he didn't want to die so pathetically at the hands of Lu Bo. He preferred to die surrounded by the enemy; that way, he could at least prove his sincerity and innocence to the world.

Faced with this dilemma, Zhou Chu sighed and ordered the cooking to stop, and instead began distributing rations to the troops. Although the soldiers were confused, they had long admired this veteran general who was courteous and led by example, and they thought Zhou Chu had some clever plan, so they accepted it.

Within two quarters of an hour, the Jianwei army had assembled, fully dressed, armed with swords and bows, and their banners hoisted high. Even though they were exhausted, they still tried their best to show their good spirits. Then, under Zhou Chu's leadership, they gradually left Haozhi County. Behind them, the camp of tens of thousands of Jin troops was engulfed in gray fog.

What everyone didn't know was that during the gathering, Zhou Chu had already left his last poem in front of the barracks:

"After leaving the world, I rode my horse to observe the Western Rong. Eating wild vegetables, millet, and sweetcorn, I hoped to achieve a successful end."

The sky gradually brightened, and the gray fog gradually turned to white. Zhou Chu led his troops along the road, looking at the somewhat stiff earth beneath his feet. He couldn't help but think: This might be my last day on earth. Sadly, the earth was still as stiff as winter, with no hint of spring's vitality...

Soon, they arrived at Liumo. As Zhou Chu had expected, the opposing army was on full alert on the plateau, and there was no possibility of a surprise attack.

Zhou Chu then found a small hill and had his soldiers stand in a circle. He then reined in his horse, stood in the middle, bowed three times to all four directions, and said in a loud voice:

"Soldiers, today we meet the enemy. As the descendant of a fallen nation, I have received great favor from the imperial court. Today is the day I serve the imperial court. I am not afraid of dying for my country, nor am I afraid of not surviving. I would rather emulate General Fu Bo and die on the battlefield than betray my country's kindness and cower in the face of the enemy."

"Even if I die fighting for my country today, I will make my intentions known to the enemy and inspire millions of patriots to rise up. Gentlemen, follow me!"

With that, he whipped his horse and, with his battalion of men, galloped straight towards the enemy. Two of his subordinates, Chen Kang and Han Jian, both fellow Yixing natives, followed closely behind with their second battalion.

The earthen plateau north of Liumo was low, and Zhou Chu led his knights directly into the fortified enemy camp. Although the Hu people had made preparations, they were unable to discern the direction of the Jin army's main attack in the dense fog, allowing Zhou Chu and his men to find a poorly defended gap and penetrate the central earthen plateau. The Hu people were terrified, believing their own oversight to be the result of some magical power. They were immediately panicked and disoriented, unable to withstand the cavalry's charge, and quickly retreated.

The rebels on the left and right plateaus sensed the situation was unsettled and attempted to mobilize reinforcements. However, Chen Kang and Han Jian had anticipated this and immediately attacked from the left and right flanks, brandishing swords and galloping on horseback, shouting and galvanizing the entire army. They were able to stave off the rebels' counterattack. The infantrymen behind them caught up and, using the rebel fortifications to fire back, completely repelled the Hu insurgents, allowing the Jin army to gain a firm foothold on the central plateau.

At this time, only an hour had passed since the Jin army launched the attack.

But the rebels' offensive was only slightly hindered. After they rested for a while, the sound of horns came from the thick fog, and it seemed that the Jin army was surrounded. Zhou Chu knew that the rebels' reinforcements had arrived.

Zhou Chu was extremely shocked, as if this outcome was already within his expectations. However, he still couldn't help but say with regret in his heart:
"If King Liang could also send his main force here at this time, and the two armies launched a pincer attack from both sides, how great would that be! You know, Haozu is less than twenty miles away from here!"

But complaining was useless. The number of rebels continued to increase in the fog. When the fog dissipated, it could be seen that the rebels seemed to have surrounded the Jianwei army more than three times, and enemy armor and flags were everywhere.

It seems that the number of reinforcements gathered in Liumo may be as high as 40,000.

It was noon and the Jin army had not yet eaten, but the rebels had already replenished their supplies and began beating drums in front of the Jin army.

Zhou Chu knew that Lu Bo had left him no way out. Even if he wanted to lead his troops to break out now, there would be no chance of survival. So he decided to die in battle here.

Thinking this, he instructed his soldiers: "Release your arrows slowly. Wait until the enemy gets closer before shooting. Don't waste them."

The thought of death made Zhou Chu want to delay the arrival of this moment and watch the beautiful sunset. If he died at sunset, his life would not be in vain.

But with such an absolute numerical disadvantage, it was still extremely difficult to achieve. Another hour passed, and countless corpses piled up on the plateau. The Jin army's quivers were almost empty, and their fingers were bleeding from pulling the strings, but the rebels' offensive before them continued like a wave.

Zhou Chu was also fighting hard. Although he could still stand, his consciousness was already hazy. After all, the wound on his shoulder blade had been ruptured, and he had been hit by two stray arrows. His body was bleeding profusely, just like his army. The rebels were also well aware of this and were excited and frantic. Because they would once again annihilate a Jin army in an organized manner, it would catastrophically destroy the Jin army's fighting spirit.

Is everything coming to an end? Zhou Chu looked at the crowds that kept coming and going, and his mind seemed to see more blood-stained blades and hear more wailing.

He couldn't help but think that the peace in the world might be coming to an end.

If possible, he really wanted to hear the laughter of the people of Yangxian.

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(End of this chapter)