Han officials

Chapter 288 Dying with Eyes Wide Open [5K]

In the third month of spring in the first year of Xingping.

On the day of Yihai, Li Jue killed Fan Chou, and Guo Si attacked Li Jue, with arrows reaching the emperor's front.

On the day of Bingyin, Li Jue forced the emperor to visit his camp and burned down the palace.

On the day of Jiawu, the emperor appointed Consort Fu as empress.
-
The year's plan starts in spring.

As the new year began, the court in Chang'an became increasingly chaotic.

The Liangzhou army was plagued by infighting, which also affected the young emperor.

Of course, other parts of the Han Dynasty weren't much better off.

Apart from the four northern states which were relatively peaceful, the rest of the country was in chaos.

For example, the Central Plains region this year is exceptionally chaotic.

"Dong dong dong"

As a deep, resonant drumbeat echoed across the land, ships set sail and cut through the waves.
Judging from their numbers, there were about a hundred ships of various sizes, mostly carrying grain and equipment, as well as three thousand soldiers.

As the commander-in-chief, Chen Deng was naturally on the ship as well.

After all, when an army is traveling, the treatment on a ship is much more comfortable than that on land.

On the east bank of the river, six thousand infantrymen and cavalrymen continued their winding journey.

Most of them were infantry, and the number of cavalry was only about seven hundred.

This was already the entire fortune of the Chen family of Xiapi, enough to dominate the entire Xiapi kingdom.

As the infantry and cavalry gradually disappeared into the distance, the supply corps finally appeared at the end of the post road.

A large number of auxiliary soldiers and laborers, panting heavily, struggled to pull the supply wagons closely behind the main army.

There's nothing we can do; in Xuzhou, mules and horses are more valuable than human lives.

In other words, Chen Deng's family owned a fleet of ships, which allowed them to travel by both land and water; otherwise, the number of laborers would have been twice as many.

It's convenient to go there, but not so easy to come back.

Speaking of this, we must mention the special location of Huaipu City.

Although this city is not as famous as Huaiyin, its geographical advantages are superior to those of Huaiyin.

After flowing from Guangling County into Xiapi State, the Ling River joins the Huai River outside Huaipu City.

The Huai River also branches off into a tributary called "Youshui" at Huaipu, which flows eastward into the East China Sea.

The "swimming" route actually passes through only three cities in total.

The starting point is Huaipu, the middle is Haixi, and the final destination is Qu County in Donghai Prefecture, which is the hometown of Mi Zhu.

It was precisely because of this that Chen Deng was able to reach Haixi City by following the You River downstream.

Therefore, when returning now, Chen's boats have to go upstream and have a very deep draft.

Even though the oarsmen on both sides were rowing with all their might, the boat's speed was still the same as that of the foot soldiers on the shore.

However, this is also good, as the infantry on the shore and the fleet in the water provide mutual cover, making them much safer.

In his moment of anxiety, Chen Deng could only use this reason to comfort himself.

Fortunately, the distance between Haixi and Huaipu was only 86 li, and Chen Deng led his troops back to Huaipu the next day.

……

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The next morning, just after dawn, the sounds of men and horses neighing and shouts of battle filled the air below Huaipu City.

Because the moat outside Huaipu City was a flowing river connecting the Huai River, the Ling River, and the You River, the current was extremely rapid. The ordinary method of filling the moat with sand was completely ineffective. Therefore, before attacking the city, Wei Muhua ordered the craftsmen on the ships to work overtime to build a batch of simple wooden bridges.

Under the cover of the log shield carts, the attacking soldiers quickly erected several temporary wooden bridges.

From the Three Han Kingdoms to Goguryeo and then to Qingzhou, Wei Muhua had attacked far too many cities. His experience in siege warfare was incredibly rich, and his smooth siege rhythm left Sun Ce and Bu Zhi completely dumbfounded.

However, Wei Muhua soon handed over the siege matters to Bu Zhi, and then quietly left along the path.

At the same time, as a large number of able-bodied men quickly crossed the wooden bridge and arrived at the foot of Huaipu City, Sun Ce also rode a magnificent white horse and led a troop of infantry and cavalry away.

Upon seeing this, Chen Gui on the city wall was immediately filled with worry.

"Deng'er, you must be careful!"

As the saying goes: "Attack where they do not go, and defend where they must defend."

At this moment, Huaipu is a city that Chen Deng must save, and Sun Ce's intentions are all too clear.

Fortunately, what the old man Chen Gui could guess, his son Chen Deng could also think of.

The strategy of besieging a city and attacking its reinforcements is not particularly sophisticated, and Chen Deng had naturally read about it.

Therefore, when he was only a short distance from Huaipu City, he stopped to rest.

Even though scouts reported that enemy troops had already reached the top of Huaipu City and the situation was extremely critical, Chen Deng still ordered the entire army to slowly approach Huaipu City in a curved formation.

Sure enough, before Chen Deng could lead his troops into the battlefield and leave Bu Zhi, who was attacking the city, in a pincer attack, a young white-horse rider emerged from a grove of trees, his cloak fluttering in the breeze, looking exceptionally handsome.

Immediately, more than four hundred knights appeared in quick succession, attacking the flank of Chen Deng's troops like tigers and wolves.

In fact, most of these four hundred cavalrymen were scouts under Wei Muhua's command.

Otherwise, even if they emptied Bu Zhi and Sun Ce's coffers, they still wouldn't be able to produce so many cavalry.

But these four hundred elite cavalry were Sun Ce's only bargaining chip; otherwise, Wei Muhua wouldn't have called it a life-or-death gamble.

However, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger.

Sun Ce was an adventurous person by nature, and he had also heard of Zhang Liao's feat of defeating 20,000 men with only 800 men.

So when Wei Muhua proposed the plan, he took the job immediately. Bu Zhi hesitated only slightly before he had to take on the task of making a show of force to attack the city.

At this moment, Chen Deng had only about 10,000 men under his command, and most of them were still on ships, with only about 6,000 men on land.

With his exceptional mathematical skills, Sun Ce simply did a quick calculation and confidently charged towards the enemy's main force.

After all, Zhang Liao could defeat 20,000 with 800, so defeating 6,000 with 400 shouldn't be a problem for him.

Upon seeing this, Chen Deng, aboard the central warship, became enraged and laughed instead:

"A mere few hundred people dare to block my army? They're like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

Chen Deng, who had originally planned to disembark and go ashore, immediately abandoned the idea and disdainfully ordered his messengers to wave flags, instructing the troops on the shore to quickly annihilate the enemy force.

He himself showed no intention of stopping, and directly ordered the fleet to sail along the river into the moat, reaching the city of Huaipu, and giving the attacking enemy a surprise attack!
However, Chen Deng was unaware that there was a reason why Sun Ce was called the "Little Conqueror" during the Three Kingdoms period.

After all, the last man to be called "Overlord" in history was Xiang Yu.

Since him, the phrase "the bravery of a hegemon" has become an adjective.

Although Sun Ce was only a "Little Conqueror," he already showed some of the prowess of Xiang Yu on the battlefield.

He personally led his elite cavalry straight into the enemy ranks, his spear flashing like lightning, occasionally wielding his bow with both hands. In the blink of an eye, he led four hundred cavalrymen like a wedge, tearing through the enemy's defenses and charging deep into the heart of the Chen family's righteous army, heading directly for Han Hu, a general of the Chen family. The ferocity of his attack caused the scholars and servants behind him to immediately panic and scatter in all directions.

Upon seeing this, Chen Deng, aboard the top deck of the large ship, turned pale. He immediately abandoned his urge to rescue Huaipu and ordered the fleet to dock and provide support with an arrow barrage. At the same time, he ordered the elite troops on board to land and join the battle.

Chen Deng did not believe that Sun Ce could defeat his army of over ten thousand men with only four hundred cavalry.

However, if Sun Ce, like a fly, is allowed to linger around, then whatever he does next will inevitably be interfered with by Sun Ce, adding unnecessary variables.

From this perspective, Chen Deng's judgment is indeed correct.

However, Chen Deng never expected that the army besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements was not one, but two.

The most outrageous thing is that the other one was actually an online troll army!
When Wei Muhua, who had been waiting in the Huai River waters, led the Bohai navy into the water, they quickly appeared in front of Chen's fleet in no time at all.

In an instant, the sound of the waves on the river remained the same, but Chen Deng's heart turned ice-cold.

Although the Chen family's fleet consisted of over a hundred ships of various sizes, it was ultimately primarily focused on business.

Compared to the Bohai Navy, which is dedicated to combat, the Chen family's fleet was much weaker in combat.

Moreover, the Bohai Navy also controlled the upstream area, which almost gave them a 50% advantage in naval warfare.

And indeed, in the blink of an eye, Chen's fleet was scattered and destroyed.

For a time, ships, cavalry, and infantry were in complete chaos, both on the shore and in the water.

Seeing this situation, Chen Deng on the ship was almost in despair.

At this moment, he couldn't even use the fire ship method that would lead to mutual destruction; he could only go against the current and take the beating.

Looking around, the smaller Chen ships often capsized and their crews perished instantly upon being rammed by the Bohai Navy's rams. Even the larger ships were reduced to spinning and being battered like children by the Bohai Navy's ramming.

"kill!"

At this moment, Wei Muhua on the flagship didn't care what Chen Deng was thinking and went straight to Chen Deng's boat.

Having spent nearly a decade at sea, he didn't even need a foothold; he simply grabbed the rope and swayed to board Chen Deng's ship. The naval soldiers beside him were also veteran pirates, each one more adept at the game than him.

In a short while, Chen Deng's boat was captured by Wei Muhua.

Chen Deng, his armor tattered and his face covered in blood, fell into the bloody water, looking extremely disheveled.

Looking at the scholar in Confucian robes before him, Wei Muhua couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly:
"You're Chen Deng?"

Seeing the increasing number of Wei soldiers on the bow of the ship, Chen Deng finally gave up the struggle.

He stubbornly climbed up from the deck, forcing himself to remain calm, and said, "I am the one, what are you going to do about it?"

Wei Muhua immediately laughed heartily and said, "Nothing much, it's just inviting your father to watch a show!"

After saying that, he stopped wasting words with Chen Deng and ordered his men to hang Chen Deng on the sail and bring him ashore for public display.

The Chen clan's cavalry on the shore had already been weakened by Sun Ce's attack, and their morale was further shaken when they saw the Wei navy appear upstream. After the Chen clan's fleet was swiftly defeated by the Bohai navy, the morale of the Chen clan's infantry on the shore immediately plummeted.

And once Chen Deng was hoisted onto the sail, it goes without saying that six thousand infantrymen could not stop Sun Ce's four hundred cavalrymen, allowing him to enter as if there were no people around. He directly killed Han Hu, the Chen family general who commanded the infantry, and accomplished the amazing feat of killing a general and capturing a flag!

At this time, Chen's army was defeated on both land and sea.

With the Bohai navy landing and coordinating with Sun Ce's attack, the reinforcements were finally completely defeated and scattered.

At the same time, the defending troops on the city wall of Huaipu saw this from afar and their morale plummeted; they no longer had the will to resist.

After all, the reinforcements were defeated right in front of them, and the deterrent effect was simply too strong!
Chen Gui, standing on the city wall, also looked ashen-faced, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Especially when Wei Muhua ordered his men to use Chen Deng as a target in front of the shield during the siege, Chen Gui was so enraged that he coughed up blood, fell backward, and lost consciousness.

Whether it was intentional or accidental, the guards on the city wall did not know, but as soon as Chen Gui fainted, a volley of arrows was shot at Chen Deng, and he was immediately pierced through the heart by thousands of arrows, looking like a porcupine.

Good heavens, Chen Deng wore an expression of disbelief until his death.

Especially when he saw the defending troops raise the white flag and throw down their swords to surrender the next second, Chen Deng died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

He never imagined that he would end up dying at the hands of his own people;
He never expected that this group of people, who were clearly about to surrender, would give him a full-body "acupuncture."

No matter how Chen Deng thought about it, he felt that his death was too worthless and too unjust.

You should know that he had already made up his mind to help the Wei army persuade Huaipu to surrender.

After all, a wise person knows when to yield, and now that defeat is inevitable, his actions are a sensible move.

So what if they surrendered? In chaotic times, which power doesn't recruit and accept defectors?
As long as Wei spares his life, Chen Deng is confident that he can rise again under Wei Zhe's command as a surrendered official.

As for family property and wealth, as long as he is alive, he can continue to plunder it in the future.

Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now.

Filled with endless regret and resentment, Chen Deng met a tragic end beneath the walls of Huaipu City.

……

Outside Haixi City, Cao Cao's army camp

That very night, Cao Cao received news of the fall of Huaipu.

Inside the command tent, only the hoarse voice of the scout could be heard reporting the relevant military intelligence:

"...Chen Deng died from a hail of arrows, and Chen Gui died spitting blood. Now Huaipu is occupied by the Wei army, and the powerful clans in the city are vying to join them. The Chen clan of Huaipu is now probably exterminated..."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao merely frowned slightly.

On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes; throughout history, countless generals have died from stray arrows.

But when the scout recounted the details of the battle, his expression immediately changed drastically:

"What? The Bohai Navy has appeared outside Huaipu City?"

Although the scout didn't know why Cao Cao cared so much about this navy, he immediately explained:

“I have confirmed it several times, and all the villagers in the surrounding area have seen the ‘General Heng Hai’ flag.”

"Furthermore, local fishermen said they had never seen such a powerful navy before, and it must be the Bohai Navy!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao immediately frowned and paced back and forth, sensing that something was amiss.

Although Xun Yu, Li Dian, and the others did not know what he was anxious about, they all held their breath and dared not make a sound.

After all, when it comes to strategic vision, no one in this tent can rival Cao Cao, including Xun Yu.

After a moment, Cao Cao finally grasped the strange feeling in his mind.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face darkening as he said:
"Order the entire army to break camp overnight."

"Quickly, let's leave tonight!"

Upon hearing this, Xun Yu, Xiahou Dun, and the others were stunned.

Cao Chun couldn't help but offer his advice:

"Brother, you mustn't! If we leave now, all our efforts will be in vain."

It should be noted that after a full day of saturation attacks by Cao Cao's army, Haixi City was already on the verge of collapse.

Although countless laborers were killed or wounded, the city's defenses were in disarray, and the defending troops also suffered heavy casualties.

Xiahou Dun believed that as long as they worked hard, they would definitely be able to take Haixi City tomorrow.

But if they withdraw now, all their efforts over the past seven or eight days will have been in vain.

However, Cao Cao showed him no respect whatsoever, completely ignoring him. Instead, he turned to Xun Yu, who was standing to the side with a furrowed brow, and asked, "Wenruo, have you received any letters from Xiapi requesting reinforcements recently?"

Xun Yu shook his head upon hearing this and said, "No, Xiapi is not in dire need yet."

Hearing him say this, Cao Cao became even more certain of his judgment.

He strode quickly to the map, pointed at Huaipu County, his face ashen:

"Now that Huaipu has fallen, Huaiyin, Lingxian and Huaipu counties have joined together, forming a tripartite balance of power. If our army attacks one point, the other two cities will surely come to its aid, and it will be difficult to eliminate the Wei army here in a short time."

"However, if we ignore it, the Wei army in these three counties can threaten our rear at any time. In that case, even if we take Haixi City, it will be of no use. Moreover, I am worried about more than just these things."

At this point, Cao Cao couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh:
"The Bohai navy has always obeyed Wei Gongwei's orders. The fact that they are here means that Wei Gongwei's target is not Xuzhou... but me."

"If I'm not mistaken, the Wei army outside Xiapi is just bluffing. That scoundrel Zhong Hu must have already led the Qingzhou army toward Quyang."

Upon hearing this, the generals of Cao Cao's army inside the tent couldn't help but gasp.

After all, once Quyang is captured by the Wei army, these people will really be locked up in Haixi.

Upon realizing this, Xiahou Dun immediately understood:

"No wonder Xiapi hasn't asked for help. I thought Miaocai had improved, but it turns out he fell into a trap."

However, Cao Cao shook his head helplessly upon hearing this:

"Sigh, no wonder, Miao Cai, we've all fallen for their trap this time!"

Although Cao Cao had guessed the Wei army's strategic intentions, there was still something he couldn't understand.

From the various arrangements made by the Wei army, Cao Cao could clearly sense Wei Zhe's intense killing intent.

This time, the other party was even gambling with the entire city of Xuzhou to take his life.

To be honest, Cao Cao was quite flattered.

Since ancient times, we have only heard of people who are worth a fortune, but we have never heard of anyone who is worth a whole state.

Wei Zhe's scheme clearly shows that he values ​​Cao Mengde's life more than the state of Xuzhou.

This puzzled Cao Cao, but for a moment he also felt a sense of pride.

At this moment, he even regarded Wei Zhe as his only confidant in life.

Even his father, and other relatives and friends, had never approved of him in this way!

However, Cao Cao no longer cared about mutual respect at this point.

After understanding the Wei army's intentions, the generals in the tent dared not delay for a moment and immediately went to arrange the dismantling of the camp.

Cao Cao, however, remained staring at the map with a furrowed brow, silent for a long time.

Even though he discovered the Wei army's intentions in time, Cao Cao had a strange premonition that the retreat would not be smooth sailing...

(End of this chapter)