Han officials

Chapter 263 Even Generals Can Die on the Battlefield [Three-in-One] [6K]

On the day of Guiyou in the fifth month of summer, there was thunder without clouds.

The north wind howled along the official road, and dust filled the air. A vast army, stretching as far as the eye could see, was advancing rapidly.

The Black Mountain Army has been out of the mountains for several days and is about to reach Gengxiang, where they will advance towards Xiaquyang.

However, just as Gengxiang came into view, several scouts on horseback suddenly rushed over from a short distance to report:
"General, Wei cavalry are arrayed on the north bank of the Zhang River, blocking our army from crossing."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan quickly asked, "Who are these people? How many soldiers do they have?"

"Their army was carrying a banner with the character 'Zhang' on it, which seemed to belong to the Wei general Zhang Liao, who led about eight hundred cavalrymen."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, and then couldn't help but curse:
"Damn it! How dare a nobody like you stop me?"

He brought a full 20,000 elite Black Mountain troops this time, and the other side only sent 800 cavalry to intercept him, which is a huge underestimation.

If it were famous Wei generals like Zhao Yun and Yan Rou who came, that would be fine, but what's the point of sending just Zhang Liao?
Although Zhang Yan had heard of this name, his past performance was unremarkable.

However, it's not surprising that Zhang Yan was ignorant.

Zhang Liao has always been quite low-key. Although he performed brilliantly on the grasslands, Wei Zhe was the commander-in-chief.

With Wei Zhe, a renowned general in the northern frontier, preceding him, Zhang Liao naturally faded into obscurity.

It was precisely because of this that Zhang Yan, who was initially somewhat worried, suddenly felt greatly humiliated.

"Too deceiving!"

After cursing angrily, Zhang Yan immediately decided to lead his troops to attack and give the Wei army a warning.

Of course, the main purpose was to boost morale.

Soon, after traveling five miles, Zhang Yan led the leaders of the Black Mountain Army to the banks of the Zhang River.

As a tributary of the Zhang River, this waterway around Geng Township is actually not dangerous. It is no more than fifty paces wide and the deepest part of the river is only about eight feet deep. It can be crossed by horseback riding. And since it is currently summer, this obstacle is really nothing.

After the county official from Zhending, who was acting as a guide, informed Zhang Yan of the local water conservancy situation, Zhang Yan's momentum grew even stronger, and he was about to take action on the spot.

However, Guo Daxian, seeing this, rolled his eyes and stepped forward to speak:
"The commander-in-chief is the lord of Black Mountain. Why should he personally deal with such a petty thief?"

"Brother, wait a moment, I'll capture this scoundrel and avenge you!"

Guo Daxian wasn't particularly loyal to Zhang Yan; he just felt that it was better to take advantage of an easy target now than to bite into a tough one later.

Zhang Yan didn't care about his little schemes and immediately nodded in agreement, ordering him to lead his three thousand soldiers into battle.

He also instructed, "There's no need to force it; just defeat this bandit cavalry and lead the main army across the river."

Seeing this, Li Damu muttered to himself, "Damn it, this guy has made a profit again."

Upon hearing this, Yu Digen, with his deep-set eyes and yellow beard, couldn't help but show a look of regret.

But there was nothing they could do; Guo Daxian's mind worked faster than theirs.

At the same time, Guo Daxian found a shallow beach and immediately led his troops out. Instantly, the river was filled with Black Mountain bandits, each one without any order, using their own methods to rush towards the opposite bank.

The Black Mountain bandits, who originated from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, were masters of chaotic battles.

It may seem chaotic, but the scattered targets actually prevent the enemy from having a concentrated point of attack.

Seeing this, Zhang Liao on the opposite side simply rode his horse back and forth expressionlessly, occasionally ordering his men to draw their bows and fire arrows.

In an instant, arrows flew like locusts, screams echoed in the river, and the river water was instantly stained dark red.

However, just as the Wei cavalry on the shore were running back and forth, arrogantly beating the drowning enemy, Zhang Yan on the opposite bank did not stand idly by. He directly ordered the archers to return fire and cover Guo Daxian as he went ashore.

As a result, the once arrogant Wei cavalry were forced to retreat in disarray, hiding out of range.

Upon seeing this, Guo Daxian in the Zhang River immediately grinned maliciously.
"A good opportunity! My men, follow me and we'll have a field of heads!"

After saying that, the man suddenly became ferocious and charged several meters to climb up the north bank.

After all, someone who can rise to the top in a den of thieves must have some skill to keep his men in check.

As Guo Daxian and his trusted confidants were the first to land, the number of Black Mountain bandits on the opposite side quickly increased.

Although Zhang Liao led his cavalry in several charges and killed many enemy soldiers, it was all to no avail.

Under the cover of the Black Mountain bandits' arrow formation on the opposite bank, Guo Daxian's troops quickly gained a foothold on the north bank.

This is why Guo Daxian volunteered for the task.

This pioneering mission may seem extremely dangerous, but in reality, it's incredibly easy.

Compared to the siege that follows, this beach landing and river crossing is definitely an easy task.

That's exactly what happened.

As the Black Mountain bandits' vanguard gained a foothold on the north bank, Zhang Liao did not press the matter further; his orders were to delay the Black Mountain army.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he did not hesitate to lead eight hundred Wei cavalrymen away.

Seeing this, Zhang Yan on the south bank nodded with a smile.

"Hahaha~ What is there for the Wei army to fear?"

Even a small victory is still a victory, and he doesn't mind.

After saying that, Zhang Yan waved his hand with great magnanimity and said, "Cross the river!"

……

Meanwhile, in Linping Township, Xiaquyang County.

Chunyu Qiong had just led the western army to this place when a scout rushed over to report.

"Reporting to the general, the Wei army is attacking, and there is a Wei-character commander's flag among them, which means that the enemy leader is personally leading the attack."

Chunyu Qiong's face immediately turned extremely ugly as he asked, "How many soldiers are there?"

Upon hearing this, the scout quickly reported, "There are about 20,000 men, all of them cavalry."

Upon hearing this, Chunyu Qiong's face grew even more gloomy.

How far is it from here?

"...at this moment, it's less than ten miles away!"

Upon hearing this, Chunyu Qiong was filled with shock and anger.

"What use are you for such dereliction of duty? Guards, drag him out and execute him!"

He clearly ordered the scouts to advance twenty li, but this fellow only came to report after traveling ten li. His crime is simply unforgivable.

Upon hearing this, the scout under the command turned pale and protested, "General, I am innocent! They are all cavalrymen..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Chunyu Qiong's personal guards gagged him without explanation, dragged him out of the tent, and beheaded him.

To put it bluntly, Chunyu Qiong killed him simply to vent his anger.

Sure enough, Chunyu Qiong calmed down a bit after killing a scout.

So he immediately sent a message to Gengxiang, requesting help from the Black Mountain Army.

Since Wei Zhe has already arrived, the Black Mountain Army doesn't need to go to Quyang anymore; they might as well come directly to Linping.

He considered himself a talented general, but he couldn't compare to a renowned general like Wei Zhe, who was destined to be remembered in history.

For him, remaining undefeated in this battle is a victory.

If they can hold out until the Black Mountain army arrives to reinforce them, then they will have won this battle.

It must be said that Chunyu Qiong is very self-aware.

Wei Zhe arrived too quickly, and Chunyu Qiong hadn't even built a camp yet. So he could only hastily use supply wagons as a makeshift wall to surround the camp, and then quickly set up some deer antlers and barricades before finishing.

It wasn't that Chunyu Qiong didn't want to continue making arrangements, but rather that the Wei army was already right under his nose.

Honestly, people who have never witnessed a stampede of ten thousand horses can never imagine this scene.

The phrase "overwhelming and earth-shaking" perfectly describes the moment.

As the endless cavalry charged towards them on the horizon, muffled thunder rumbled in their ears.

Even though Chunyu Qiong had experienced Gongsun Zan's southward march, he was still shocked by the scene.

There was nothing they could do; almost the entire northern border region was under Wei Zhe's control.

Although Youzhou has many shortcomings, the abundance of horses is enough to make up for everything.

……

After a stick of incense.

Seeing Yuan Jun's posture of holding firm and waiting for reinforcements, Wei Zhe couldn't help but smile and rein in his horse.

His feigned weakness was worthwhile; after waiting for so many days, he finally lured Chunyu Qiong out.

Wei Zhe's primary objective in this battle was naturally to capture Ji Province.

However, based on this, Wei Zhe still hopes to use his strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses as much as possible.

In other words, the goal was to mobilize Yuan's army as much as possible, find opportunities to win in open battle, and avoid attacking the city.

Although the Wei army's siege capabilities were quite good, they were simply better at open-field battles.

In this way, he could reduce casualties and occupy Jizhou at minimal cost.

Therefore, he deliberately left all the infantry in Xiaquyang and only led the cavalry to raid Linping Township.

It's not too late to deal with the Black Mountain Army after he kills Chunyu Qiong.

Keep in mind that he left Zhang Liao with a full 5,000 cavalrymen, which should have been enough to hold off the Black Mountain Army.

However, not all of Wei Zhe's 20,000 men are cavalry.

Apart from the 10,000 soldiers who were relatively versatile, the other 10,000 were just mounted infantrymen, and the horses they rode were just pack animals, not well-bred warhorses.

After all, being able to ride a horse and being proficient in mounted combat are two different things, and the latter requires daily practice.

People need to be trained, and so do horses!

In other words, Youzhou had a natural advantage in this regard; otherwise, Wei Zhe wouldn't have been able to muster so many cavalry and infantry.

Zhang Liao's 5,000 cavalry were mostly in the same situation; less than 1,000 met the standard cavalry rank, and the rest were mostly mobile infantry on horseback.

……

In the afternoon, the air seemed to freeze under the gloomy dark clouds.

Even more somber than the sky was Chunyu Qiong's face.

When Chunyu Qiong saw the approaching Wei cavalry split into two, with the former stopping to rest in front of the camp and the latter quickly taking off their armor from their packhorses and putting it on each other, his head immediately started buzzing.

Are you kidding me? Foot soldiers can be used like that?
Not to mention Chunyu Qiong, every single officer in Yuan Jun's camp was speechless at this moment.

It's not that they lack imagination, but rather that poverty limits their imagination.

Of course, the "poverty" mentioned here does not refer to material possessions, but rather to horse resources.

Even though Jizhou was a famously fertile land, they could not imagine such extravagant behavior.

After all, horses are much more valuable than people.

At least in Yuan's army, ten thousand horses were definitely more valuable than ten thousand infantrymen.

To provide horses for the infantry as locomotives?
Don't be ridiculous, he's just a nobody. We can make him run a few more steps.

Since they're all mules anyway, what's wrong with being a little tired?
But whatever they thought, the battlefield was no longer under their control. On the open field, under the cover of Wei cavalry, ten thousand infantrymen quickly donned their armor and formed ranks.

As they regained their fighting strength, the accompanying grooms quickly gathered the horses and drove them away to a distance.

The fully armed infantrymen, some carrying crossbows and arrows, others clad in heavy armor, clearly had different roles. The entire process took very little time, showing that they were well-trained.

In reality, it's quite unlikely that one could pull off such a clever trick on the battlefield.

The battlefield is not a game; a slight misstep could mean losing the war.

For example, in this cavalry infantry mode, although the soldiers do not need to be trained, it is a mandatory training subject for garrison troops.

Wei Zhe did not require his troops to be proficient in cavalry warfare, but they were at least capable of maneuvering on horseback.

Now that he understands where his own strengths lie, Wei Zhe will naturally maximize them.

In the blink of an eye, Chunyu Qiong was distracted, and the Wei army on the other side had already completed its preparations.

The war is about to break out!
……

Meanwhile, at Yuan Jun's main camp.

Looking at the scene before him, Chunyu Qiong felt his hands and feet turn ice cold.

He had originally thought that the Wei army consisted entirely of cavalry, and that as long as he held his position and defended his camp, victory or defeat was still uncertain.

But now that Wei Zhe has pulled this stunt, Chunyu Qiong knows that he has miscalculated.

At this moment, Chunyu Qiong felt immense regret, hating himself for leaving Fucheng.

After all, if he stayed in the Fucheng camp, he would still have the city as a shield, and he would be able to resist even if he encountered the current situation.

Unlike now, there is no defense other than a thin barrier.

Thinking of this, Chunyu Qiong, who was in an extremely bad mood, calmed down.

"Gentlemen, things have come to this point, there's no point in saying more."

He drew his sword and drew a line on the ground, his eyes resolute as he said:
"If I retreat beyond this line, all my soldiers may kill me; if you retreat and avoid battle, do not blame me for being ruthless!"

"Today, there is only one option: fight to the death!"

Upon hearing this, the Yuan army officers and soldiers around them felt a chill run down their spines.

Regardless of what they were thinking just now, at this moment they could only grit their teeth and shout for a fight to the death.

To be honest, Chunyu Qiong's words really boosted the morale of Yuan's army.

A moment later, a series of "whoosh! whoosh!" sounds were heard, and a dense barrage of crossbow bolts rained down on Chunyu Qiong's camp. The Yuan soldiers, who were prepared, immediately took cover behind their shields. Only a few were unfortunately shot down and fell to the ground, letting out cries of pain.

However, Chunyu Qiong calmed down at this moment and immediately ordered the archers to return fire.

In the back-and-forth fighting, soldiers of the Wei army's front lines soon began to fall one after another.

Wei Zhe remained expressionless upon seeing this, calmly deploying his troops.

As the sounds of gongs and drums rang out one after another, the command flags on the high slope also waved.

Upon receiving this signal, a thousand soldiers rode their horses around Yuan's camp, and then lassos were seen landing on the deer antlers and chevaux-de-frise outside Yuan's camp, dragging these bulky objects away in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, the five thousand soldiers at the front, holding shields, advanced in neat ranks.

Braving the rain of arrows, both sides quickly cleared a passage outside Yuan's camp.

In just half an hour, the Wei army and the Yuan army had already engaged in close combat and hand-to-hand fighting.

……

"Kill the thief!"

In the vast wilderness, countless soldiers could be seen fighting each other like ants on the plain.

As a volley of arrows rose from the Wei army's front lines, many more soldiers in Yuan's ranks fell silently. But before they could breathe their last, under Chunyu Qiong's command, the soldiers behind them roared and charged forward. As they thrust their spears fiercely into the Wei soldiers ahead, they also took away the last vestiges of life from their comrades at their feet.

Human life is as worthless as grass, nothing more.

Some of Yuan's soldiers couldn't withstand such intense fighting and, driven by fear, ran backward in a daze. However, they were often shot dead on the spot by Chunyu Qiong's personal guards before they could even take a few steps.

In wartime, the commander-in-chief's personal guards are the best team to supervise the battle.

However, even though Chunyu Qiong had tried everything he could, the situation continued to deteriorate.

The once perfectly square Yuan army camp now had a hideous gaping hole torn open.

After all, we'll find out which side has better killing skills by having them compete.

If you win, you stand up; if you lose, you lie down. It's that simple.

From this perspective, the fierce soldiers on the battlefield today are actually no different from the skilled workers in factories in later generations.

Who says the technique of killing isn't a technique?

As time passed, the sound of drums and gongs rang out once again from beneath the central banner of the Wei army.

Mao Kun, who had been waiting at the front of the Wei army for a long time, was overjoyed upon hearing the sound. He immediately donned heavy armor, grabbed his longsword, and roared:

"Kill with me!"

Before he finished speaking, he took the lead and led three thousand heavily armored infantrymen to charge into Yuan's camp.

Despite his eagerness for battle, Mao Kun remained rational and did not move quickly.

While maintaining his physical strength, he also led this heavily armored infantry to maintain a certain rhythm.

Only when they were a few dozen paces away from Yuan Jun's position did he grin ferociously and begin to accelerate, leading his heavily armored, fierce army forward in a sudden charge.

Although their killing scenes seem incredibly cruel—severing enemy heads, splitting bodies in half, or sending enemy soldiers flying backwards spitting blood—they somehow manage to exude a sense of composure, even a kind of…elegance.

Yes, that's elegance.

At least in Wei Zhe's eyes, under the central banner, their superb killing skills were a delight to behold.

In less than the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, the Yuan army in front of Mao Kun and his men was cut down into pieces, and the Yuan army's defensive line was torn open once again.

Seeing this, Chunyu Qiong, at the center of the camp, could only shrink the battle line again with a grim face.

Chunyu Qiong knew that if this stalemate continued, he would surely die, but he dared not retreat his troops.

Because if he dares to lead his troops in a fighting retreat, the Wei cavalry will inevitably swarm him.

Chunyu Qiong had no confidence in marching under the siege of 10,000 Wei cavalry. These were not nomadic cavalry from beyond the Great Wall, but genuine Han Chinese elite cavalry.

Moreover, Wei Zhe's skill in cavalry warfare is known throughout the land, and no one dares to guarantee that they can withstand his attacks.

At this moment, Chunyu Qiong only hoped that Zhang Yan would arrive in time.

As long as he can hold out until the Black Mountain army comes to his aid, there is still hope!

In contrast, Wei Zhe's idea was completely the opposite.

He only wanted to deal with the Yuan army in front of him as soon as possible, then lead his troops to join forces with Zhang Liao and continue to kill that bastard Zhang Yan.

Under these circumstances, Wei Zhe's command style in this battle is quite predictable.

They launched a fierce and relentless attack, giving Yuan's army no chance to catch their breath.

After noticing that Yuan Jun's morale was waning, Wei Zhe decisively unleashed his trump card.

Without hesitation, he led the Xuanjia Battalion, which had been resting for a long time, down the hillside, gradually accelerating along the path left by the vanguard, until finally appearing in front of Yuan's army like a rolling boulder.

In fact, that was indeed the impression that the Xuanjia Battalion gave to Yuan's army.

When Chunyu Qiong saw the armored cavalrymen completely clad in dark armor, his lips trembled involuntarily.

Even though the Xuanjia Battalion numbered no more than a thousand riders, Chunyu Qiong considered them more terrifying than tens of thousands of Wei cavalry.

Although it was his first time seeing armored cavalry, Chunyu Qiong immediately realized the danger of these heavily armored cavalry.

Simply put, it's like condensing the impact of tens of thousands of cavalry into a thousand heavy cavalrymen and releasing it.

The power itself may still be the same, but the instantaneous impact is on a completely different level.

As expected, the heavily armored Xuanjia cavalry crashed down like giant hammers onto the Yuan army soldiers, sending many of them flying backwards.

While still in mid-air, the person died with blood flowing from all seven orifices and all five internal organs shattered.

In the blink of an eye, Chunyu Qiong's newly reorganized defensive line was shattered and broken.

Unlike before, the Xuanjia Battalion cleaved through the entire Yuan army camp like a giant axe.

Under Wei Zhe's command, the Xuanjia Battalion charged straight towards Chunyu Qiong in the center of the camp as if riding the wind and waves.

At the same time, the Wei infantry on both sides rushed into the Yuan army camp through the gap opened by the Xuanjia Camp, constantly widening the gap and protecting the back of the Xuanjia Camp.

Wei Zhe couldn't coordinate infantry and tanks, but he could certainly coordinate infantry and cavalry with the Wei army.

It must be admitted that the combined firepower of infantry and cavalry is far greater than that of a single unit.

At this moment, Yuan Jun's camp had completely lost the ability to resist.

From officers to foot soldiers, everyone looked bewildered.

The formation that could barely hold out a moment ago collapsed in the blink of an eye. The defeat spread like a plague throughout Yuan's army, and even Yuan's generals began to scatter and flee.

Even the supervising team forgot about killing people and swarmed around Chunyu Qiong.

"General, retreat immediately!"

"Yes, General! We will fight our way out even if it means our deaths!"

"If we don't leave now, it will be too late, General!"

Around Chunyu Qiong, one could see his guards anxiously trying to persuade him.

These men were different from the other Yuan soldiers; they were Chunyu Qiong's personal guards, or even his clansmen.

Therefore, at this moment, they could no longer care about Yuan Shao and only thought about protecting Chunyu Qiong to survive.

But Chunyu Qiong slowly shook his head, his face ashen.

"Ben Chu treated me with sincerity, how could I desert my post in the face of battle?"

Seeing the Wei army surging towards his side like waves in the distance, Chunyu Qiong said nothing more.

Suddenly, he smiled with relief and said:

"Tell Wei Gongwei that I, Chunyu Qiong, am completely convinced of my defeat in this battle!"

After saying this, he did not hesitate to commit suicide by cutting his own throat, resolutely giving no one a chance to stop him.

Upon seeing this, the guards nearby immediately knelt down, their faces filled with grief.

With Chunyu Qiong dead, they had no intention of escaping.

A moment later, when Wei Zhe reined in his horse and stopped in front of Yuan Jun's command tent, he looked at the horizontal line behind Chunyu Qiong and couldn't help but sigh. This guy was a man of his word; he didn't back down even in death.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhe immediately sighed and said, "Give him a proper burial, and do not disgrace him!"

Upon hearing this, Chunyu Qiong's guards did not seek revenge; instead, they knelt down with tears streaming down their faces.

"Thank you, General Zuo!"

After all, it's normal for soldiers to die on the battlefield during battles; there's no personal grudge involved.

After dealing with this incident, the Wei army quickly cleaned up the battlefield, because another battle awaited them...

(End of this chapter)