Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 121 Forced Crossing
The golden sun gradually set in the west.

The Ba River surges and ripples, its surface shimmering with golden light.

Along both sides of the Ba River, for twenty or thirty miles, the riverbanks are covered with willow trees of all sizes.

The custom of breaking off willow branches at Ba Bridge to bid farewell originated from this place.

However, in order to prevent the Han army from cutting down trees to make siege weapons, the Wei army either cut down all the willow trees on the riverbank by generals such as Niu Jin and Hao Zhao, or simply burned them down.

So the countless willow trunks, large and small, burned to charcoal, stood upright on the riverbank.

Occasionally, a few half-burnt trees droop, barely clinging to life, which, combined with the overgrown weeds and scattered corpses, creates a sense of desolation and ruin.

The vanguard general Wei Yan had just led his elite troops in a battle against the troops sent by Wang Chang and Niu Jin to the west of the Ba River to intercept and probe.

They achieved a minor victory, beheading over a hundred enemy soldiers and driving the Wei army back to the east bank.

At this moment, Wei Yan, who had won a minor victory, was reining in his horse and walking along the west bank of the Ba River, looking for a suitable place to cross to the east.

The main force of the Han army was still two or three miles away.

On the other side of the river lies Baling City.

Half a mile west of Baling City, a stone bridge spans the east and west banks of the Ba River.

The stone bridge is supported by stone piers, with a total of fifteen arches, a length of one hundred zhang and a width of three zhang.

Wang Chang and Niu Jin's more than 10,000 troops crossed the river via the stone bridge and are now stationed on the opposite bank, with their camps enclosing the bridgehead.

It is worth mentioning that the Han army advancing eastward now numbers more than 50,000, bordered by the Wei River running east-west to the north and the Chang'an Canal running east-west to the south.

In other words, this group of people was sandwiched between two almost parallel bodies of water.

The distance between these two rivers, one to the north and one to the south, is almost ten miles.

The canal was not wide, less than twenty paces, but it was quite deep, more than ten feet deep.

This was because the canal had not been dredged for decades, resulting in the accumulation of silt, and Cao Wei had not made any significant efforts to dredge it.

In the past, when Chang'an was still a relatively prosperous city, the canal was nearly two zhang deep.

The depth of the water is the reason why this canal exists.

The Jing River flows into the Wei River, bringing a large amount of silt from the Loess Plateau. This causes the downstream section of the Wei River east of Chang'an to be unable to transport grain for eight or nine months of the year. Only by digging deep canals can the grain transport from Chang'an be guaranteed to continue.

The Han army is now advancing eastward along this canal, and it will not be an easy task for the Wei light cavalry to come and harass them.

Half an hour later, Wei Yan and Wu Ban and other generals selected eight suitable locations along the ten-mile-wide riverbank for building bridges and forcibly crossing the river.

After most of the Han army arrived at the stone bridge over the Ba River, they did not directly disperse their forces to these eight locations, but instead gathered their troops west of the stone bridge.

The soldiers rested and ate on the spot.

The auxiliary soldiers and laborers were divided into groups: some built simple fortifications, while others began preparations for the crossing.

"Prime Minister, speed is of the essence in war. Why not lead a large army and launch a direct assault from Baqiao?"

Under the banner by the river, Wei Yan found the Prime Minister and offered his suggestions.

Although he was ordered to find a place to cross the river, he had just fought a small battle with the Wei army and found that the Wei army's strength and morale were not very good, so he decided to launch a strong attack.

The Prime Minister looked at the city of Baling on the opposite bank and shook his head: "This stone bridge is only three zhang wide, so it can be said that one man can hold the pass against ten thousand."

"Although our army is large, it has no place to use its strength. If we are blocked here, or suffer too many casualties, it will damage morale."

"The Wei army has only about ten thousand men, while our army has many soldiers and generals. We can divide our forces and force a crossing. The Wei army cannot defend everywhere, so crossing the river will be easy."

"If only a thousand men can cross the river, the Wei invaders will flee without a fight."

"Leave without a fight?" Wei Yan frowned.

"Hmm." The Prime Minister stood with his back to the west and facing east, his hands behind his back, the setting sun casting his shadow on the Ba River.

"The Wei generals guarding the opposite bank are Wang Chang and Niu Jin."

“Niu Jin is not wise and resourceful, and cannot think ahead.”

"But Wang Chang came from the Wang clan of Taiyuan and served as a Gentleman Attendant and Governor of Yanzhou in the puppet Wei dynasty."

He also wrote "On Governance" and "Treatise on Military Affairs", demonstrating his mastery of both literary and military skills. Cao Rui appointed him as Yang Lie.

"Given their talent and wisdom, they should have known that Sima Yi's army would not be able to come to their aid in time."

"I also know that if he doesn't leave, I can continue eastward to Xinfeng."

"If he leads the masses here, Xinfeng will inevitably be empty."

“Xinfeng Granary has 50,000 to 60,000 shi of grain. If our Great Han can capture Xinfeng, plus the more than 20,000 shi of grain that accompanied our army, it will be enough to last for more than two months.”

"Chang'an was completely cut off from food and collapsed without a fight, so Wang Chang would definitely have to leave and would not hand over Xinfeng Granary so easily."

Wei Yan pondered for a long time, then insisted:
"Prime Minister, I still believe that if we lure him into a battle at Baqiao, I am confident that I can annihilate most of his forces in the open field!"

"After our victory, we can then use our momentum to seize Xinfeng. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The prime minister remained silent.

While Wei Yan's proposal to launch a direct assault on Shiqiao was feasible, the Han Dynasty would inevitably have to pay the price of at least two or three thousand casualties.

It's not that we can't pay the price, but the deaths and injuries must be worthwhile.

They could achieve their strategic objective by inflicting 500 damage on the enemy and 100 damage on themselves, but instead chose to inflict 1,000 damage on the enemy and 800 damage on themselves.

Although the gains were expanded, the casualties were also heavy.

It's not worth it if the strategic objectives can be achieved.

They divided their forces into multiple routes and built bridges to force a crossing, although it would take an hour or two longer.

But crossing the river is certain, defeating the enemy is certain, and suffering fewer casualties is also certain.

During these few hours, no reinforcements will arrive from the other side; at most, Sima Yi can only send a cavalry unit to help.

Even if they come to intercept, they will only number two or three thousand, and how could horse archers possibly be a match for strong bows and crossbows?

In a situation where infantry controls cavalry, it is acceptable to kill a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own, and it is not even certain that you will lose eight hundred.

Seeing that the Prime Minister remained silent as if he was thinking, Wei Yan spoke up again and tried to persuade him once more.

The Prime Minister first affirmed Wei Yan's suggestion, and then explained his previous considerations to him in a tactful way.

Wei Yan remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly seemed to remember something, his expression becoming even more resolute:

"Prime Minister, there is another possibility: Wei invaders may have already returned to Xinfengcang to reinforce it!"

"If we don't attack quickly and pursue them relentlessly, relying solely on Yang Tiao's two thousand cavalry won't be enough to achieve the desired ambush effect!"

The Prime Minister couldn't help but laugh:
"Wen Chang is overthinking it."

"Hunyi (Zhao Tong)'s scouts have been observing north of the Wei River. Half an hour ago, they reported back that they still had not found any large force returning to reinforce Xinfeng."

"This is one of the reasons why I am unwilling to launch a direct assault on Baqiao."

"The fact that the Wei invaders have not yet returned to aid Xinfeng shows that they still harbor wishful thinking, believing that if they gather a large force at Baqiao, our army may not dare to launch a strong attack."

"If we launch a strong attack and they find that they cannot defeat us, it will only frighten them."

"Upon becoming alert, he sent three or four thousand men back to reinforce, and with the cavalry sent by Sima Yi providing cover, Yang Tiao's two thousand ambushers would have no chance to achieve anything, and might even be trapped in a dangerous situation."

"Let's wait another hour. Once our bamboo bridge is completed, crossing the Ba River will be a matter of moments."

"The Wei invaders will be caught off guard and will inevitably send reinforcements while also dividing their forces to block us. At that time, it will be the opportunity for our Great Han to defeat the enemy."

Wei Yan knew that the Prime Minister's words made sense, and knowing that he could not persuade the Prime Minister, he could only leave in silence and begin to investigate along the Ba River.

Most of the Wei cavalry did not appear in Wei Yan's sight.

Only a few scouts were on the east bank, scouting the Han army across the Ba River, which was about a hundred paces wide.

It seems that seeing the Han army gathered at Ba Bridge and having no intention of crossing from elsewhere, they conserved their strength and proceeded slowly.

…An hour passed quickly, but it was still not completely dark.

The Han army, which was originally resting on the opposite bank of Ba Bridge, suddenly split into several groups along the riverbank.

After observing the riverbank for a long time, Wang Chang finally realized something was wrong and immediately started beating the drum to gather the generals.

The Wei camp at Baqiao, the central command tent.

Generals Niu Jin, Wang Chang, Yin Damu, and Hao Zhao gathered together, their expressions ranging from surprise and doubt to fear.

if not?
There was more than one stone bridge over the Ba River; there was another one twenty miles to the south, so it could be said that it was almost undefended.

The fact that the Shu army did not cross the river from there, but instead headed straight for them, naturally led the generals to believe that the Shu army was probably planning a strong attack.

They had originally prepared for a tough battle with the Shu army at Ba Bridge.

However, the Shu army rested on the opposite bank.

They assumed the Shu army was preparing to fight again the next day, or that they would rest and then launch a night attack to seize the bridge.

As a result, the Shu army has now split into nine routes!

The people weren't idiots; the Shu army's intentions were crystal clear. They had no intention of forcing their way across Ba Bridge; instead, they were taking advantage of the Wei army's insufficient strength and were preparing to build a pontoon bridge to cross the river!

This was the most worrying thing for the generals, but they had been hoping for the best, thinking that the Shu army would probably launch a strong attack and that they would be able to wait for the General of the Flying Cavalry to come to their aid.

But now it seems that both of these possibilities have failed.

The nine routes of troops that the Shu army split off from each group all appeared to have five or six thousand men.

It's impossible to tell where the main force is and where the decoys are.

In addition, on the north bank of the Wei River, about four or five miles to the north, several thousand Shu troops from Jimen and Gaoling gathered on the riverbank, preparing to cross.

Baling City and Baqiao Village were now completely surrounded by the Shu army!
As a result, no one knew where the Shu army would cross the river.

With only a little over ten thousand men at their disposal, defeating the enemy halfway across the river was simply out of the question.

If the Shu bandits were allowed to cross the river and the General of the Flying Cavalry couldn't arrive in time to provide assistance, then the Shu bandits would truly be able to seize Xinfeng!
"In my opinion, we should send Bo Dao (Hao Zhao) with 3,000 troops back to Xinfeng to prevent the Shu bandits from abandoning Baling after crossing the river and heading straight for Xinfeng instead," Wang Chang suggested.

"The garrison in Xinfeng numbered less than two thousand, and there was no leader to command the city."

"If the Shu bandits were to lead their entire army away, they would be in a state of panic and would probably not be able to hold out for more than two days."

Everyone was annoyed and anxious upon hearing this.

They brought the masses here because they received orders from the General of Chariots and Cavalry, saying that the Shu bandits would attack Chang'an in the next two days, and that they were to come here to help Guanqiu Jian and others gather the defeated soldiers.

After the General of the Flying Cavalry's army returns to Chang'an, they will then march west to launch a pincer attack on the Shu army.

Who would have thought that the Shu bandits would not only not attack Chang'an, but would instead bring their entire army towards them?

The current reality is this: if the Shu army heads towards Xinfeng, then they will be completely finished.

Could they possibly pursue the Shu army?
They'll probably only be besieged and attacked when reinforcements arrive.

If Hao Zhao takes three thousand soldiers with him, then Baling City and Baqiao Village will only have seven thousand soldiers left.

Of the seven thousand men, how many were responsible for guarding the stockade and how many for the city?
The Shu bandits had a terrifying record of breaching a camp in a single night.

If the same thing were to happen again, everyone present would be at risk of dying in battle.

Seeing everyone's dejected state, Niu Jin encouraged them, saying:

"In my opinion, the Shu bandits are just bluffing."

“The Ba River is a hundred paces wide, and building a pontoon bridge would not be possible in just one or two hours!”
"Furthermore, not everyone has the skill to build pontoon bridges, and where would the Shu bandits get so much suitable timber to build bridges everywhere?"

"Most of the eight crossing points are probably just for show."

"The final main attack will definitely be directed at this stone bridge. Do not be misled by the Shu bandits!"
"In my opinion, we should send several hundred people to guard each place."

"Wherever a pontoon bridge was built, troops were moved there to reinforce the defenses."

"We only need to hold out for one night, and the General of the Cavalry's army will arrive tomorrow."

"At that time, the Shu bandits will retreat on their own, and the General of the Flying Cavalry's strategy of encirclement and pincer attack will be successful."

Niu Jin's voice seemed to become less and less confident as he spoke.

The generals and officers in the tent pondered for a moment, and after a while, they were quite interested in making a move.

Lu Zhao felt somewhat relieved: "General Niu is absolutely right. In that case, let us hold our ground and fight to the death, not giving an inch!"

Wang Chang sat silently at the head of the table, feeling inexplicably uneasy. After a moment, he resolutely said:
"No, to be on the safe side, we should have Bo Dao immediately lead 3,000 troops back to defend Xinfeng."

"The fate of tens of thousands of troops in Guanzhong cannot be gambled on the speculation that the Shu bandits cannot build a pontoon bridge."

"If he can successfully cross the river, my troops here will be no match for him."

"Bo Dao, return to Xinfeng immediately. Once Bo Dao has traveled to a safe distance, abandon the camp and allow the entire army to occupy Baling City, letting the Shu bandits cross the river."

“A city is not a camp. As long as our troops are still here, even if the Shu bandits can quickly assemble siege equipment, it will not be something we can take down in a day or two.”

Lu Zhao hesitated for a moment: "But... if we simply let the Shu bandits pass without resistance, what will we do if the General of Chariots and Cavalry investigates?"

Niu Jin and Niu Gai also chimed in.

Wang Chang hesitated for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table and declared resolutely, "If anything goes wrong, I will take the blame!"
"But Xinfeng Warehouse cannot be lost under any circumstances. I think three thousand men are not enough. Bodao, I will send four thousand men to Xinfeng!"
"If Zhuge Liang does indeed launch an attack, you must hold the line!"

"Yes!" Hao Zhao accepted the order without hesitation.

The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. Before anyone could come out to question or refute, the curtain of the central command tent was suddenly rolled open.

A general walked into the tent.

The generals looked closely and saw that it was Wen Qin.

After exchanging brief greetings with everyone in the tent, he addressed Wang Chang, who was seated at the head of the table:

"Wang Yanglie, the General of the Flying Cavalry said that the Shu bandits may have sent two or three thousand cavalry to ambush you from behind, and you must be very careful!"

ambush?!
Upon hearing this, Wang Chang froze, feeling a chill run down his spine.

The generals looked at each other in disbelief, each one utterly horrified.

"What's wrong?" Wen Qin was puzzled when he saw that everyone looked like they had seen a ghost.

"As long as the Shu bandits are not allowed to cross the river, his several thousand cavalry will be of no use."

"We will wait until tomorrow when my three thousand cavalry are free to pursue and kill them. Why are you all behaving this way?"

Wang Chang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead:

“Zhongruo (Wenqin) may not know this, but I just issued a military order, ordering Hao Bodao to lead 4,000 troops back to reinforce Xinfengcang.”

"If General of the Flying Cavalry had not anticipated the ambush of the Shu cavalry, or if you had arrived a few hours later, and Zhuge Liang had led his army across the river, I fear these four thousand men would have been wiped out, and Xinfeng Granary would likely have been seized by the Shu bandits."

Wenqin paused, not understanding what this meant.

Wang Chang, without much thought, directly issued the order:
“Bo Dao, you should still lead four thousand men back to aid Xin Feng, pretending to be unprepared.”

"Zhongruo, please lead the three thousand cavalry you brought to provide protection from several miles away."

"If Zhuge Liang's ambush cavalry dares to come out and attack, you should join forces with Bo Dao to annihilate them."

"After sending Bodao to Xinfeng, he continued to lead his cavalry eastward to serve as a protector of Xinfeng."

Wen Qin was still puzzled: "General Yang Lie, what does this mean?"

"The General of the Flying Cavalry ordered me to lead three thousand cavalry to obstruct the Shu bandits from crossing the river."

“If I lead my cavalry to Xinfeng, what will happen to Baling?”
"Furthermore, without the orders of the General of the Cavalry, I cannot act on my own initiative."

As Wang Chang spoke, he rose from his seat and approached Wen Qin's side:
"Zhuge Liang's momentum in crossing the river is unstoppable. You and Bo Dao should go ahead with 7,000 infantry and cavalry. The remaining 6,000 of us will stay here to block Zhuge Liang's crossing and buy you some time."

"As for the General of the Flying Cavalry, there's no time to ask him for orders."

(End of this chapter)