Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 123 Xinfeng
Baqiao.

The Wei army abandoned their camp and fled.

Wei Yan divided his more than 4,000 soldiers into two parts. One part continued the pursuit to the walls of Baling City, annihilating the Wei army's manpower and expanding the victory.

Another force of two thousand men marched towards Xinfeng.

Xinfeng is forty li east of Baling City. The Wei general Hao Zhao and his four thousand infantrymen had only been away from Baqiao for a little over half an hour, and at most they had traveled ten li.

Although they were escorted by Wei cavalry, if nothing unexpected happened, Yang Tiao and Liu Cong should have already led more than two thousand cavalry across the river from the northeast of Xinfeng City.

While the Prime Minister and Fei Yi were still organizing logistics and transportation on the west bank of the Ba River, Wei Yan did not go to ask the Prime Minister for orders, but directly led fifty personal guards to chase after them to Xinfeng.

Not long after, Mi Wei, the commander of the Tiger Cavalry, along with Yang Su, the son of Yang Tiao, and Liu Ze, the second son of Liu Bao, led another 1,500 Tiger Cavalry, Qiang Cavalry, and Xiongnu Cavalry across the Ba Bridge and headed straight east.

Twelve miles away.

Hao Zhao led more than 4,000 people slowly eastward along the official road beside the canal.

The procession stretched for over a mile, with four columns running parallel to each other.

This is sufficient to indicate that this is an army in the process of marching.

Under the cover of night, even if the Shu army had ambushes, how could they tell whether the soldiers were wearing armor?
Although the long length of the column would still cause command failures, his four thousand men would walk along the canal, so if the Shu army ambushed them, they could only attack from the front or the southeast.

Furthermore, with the soldiers already mentally prepared, the possibility of a major ambush and chaos has been minimized.

Hao Zhao walked at the front of the group and didn't notice anything happening ahead.

Then look towards the southeast.

Seven or eight miles away, under the moonlight, Mount Li revealed its dark outline, resembling a giant beast lying on the ground in deep sleep.

Wenqin's three thousand cavalrymen then marched there.

The distance was just right; it allowed them to barely see the torches carried by Hao Zhao's four thousand infantrymen, while avoiding detection by the Han army's ambush cavalry.

Hao Zhao led the horse along, and every hundred steps or so, he would knock the sound of a listening jar on the ground and lie down to listen.

This unique skill has a professional name: "listening to the jar." The key is that the mouth of the jar is covered with a thin layer of leather. When cavalrymen gallop in large numbers, they will generate a specific frequency, and the jar will then emit a specific sound.

This was something Hao Zhao trained in Liangzhou.

The detection range is approximately three to four miles.

It's not far, but at night, it's much more reliable than your eyes.

Even the best eyesight cannot distinguish between people and horses beyond a mile at night, and beyond two miles, both people and horses blend into the darkness, and even moonlight is of no use.

After the army had marched half a mile, Hao Zhao lay prone again to listen to the jar. This time, he finally heard that specific buzzing sound coming from inside the jar.

I straightened up and tried to look ahead, but I still couldn't see anything.

"The entire army is on alert!"

"Get ready to meet the enemy!"

Hao Zhao issued his first military order.

The army ceased its advance and entered a state of martial law.

Hao Zhao listened intently to the sound from the jar again, and found it to be becoming increasingly clear.

A moment later, he straightened up and mounted his horse.

In just a few dozen breaths, the distinct sound of horses' hooves pounding the ground could be heard.

After another dozen or so hours, he finally saw dark figures moving about ahead on horseback.

"Extinguish the torches!"

"Beat the drums and gather the troops!" Hao Zhao gave the order repeatedly.

Extinguishing the torch serves three purposes: first, it frees up our hands; second, our eyes need time to adjust to the change from light to darkness; and third, it sends a signal to Wenqin.

As the war drums thundered and the torches were extinguished, many people lost their sight and could only nervously gather in the middle of the formation, towards the direction from which the drums were coming.

Yang Tiao took the lead and, upon hearing the drums of the Wei army, saw the Wei army's vanguard moving backward and the rearguard moving forward, all converging towards the center.

Before he could lead his troops to the front of the Wei army, the Wei army's vanguard had already formed a relatively dense formation, and arrows began to be thrown at them.

It must be said that the Wei army's close proximity to the canal and their formation with their backs to it made them more composed when they formed ranks, and they were only vulnerable to attacks from two sides.

For a moment, Yang Tiao and his two thousand-plus riders couldn't find a suitable point of attack.

He had no choice but to ride his horse past the Wei army's formation while firing arrows at the Wei soldiers on his right.

While the Han cavalry were probing the Wei army's formation with volleys of arrows, the Wei infantry were unleashing an even denser hail of arrows at the Han cavalry.

In just one round, they inflicted over forty casualties on the Han army's ambush cavalry.

If the Wei army's rear guard hadn't been caught off guard, unable to form ranks properly, and hadn't been short of bows and crossbows, allowing Yang Tiao's elite Qiang cavalry to shoot down over a hundred of them at near-face-to-face, then the Han army's losses in this first round would likely have been even greater.

Realizing that the rear of the Wei army was a weak point, Yang Tiao repeatedly ordered his three hundred elite Qiang cavalry to conduct guerrilla warfare around the rear of the Wei army.

The rest of the men who were not good at riding and archery fought on their own, stopping their horses to shoot arrow after arrow.

Seeing the Wei army pressing forward, he turned his horse and fled.

It wasn't that it was difficult to form battle formations at night, but rather that the Qiang people simply didn't know anything about mounted archery formations.

Having no prior training, asking them to form a formation and fire in a circular pattern is really asking too much of them.

Hao Zhao quickly took in the performance of this cavalry force and realized that it was by no means an elite force like the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. It was just that the two thousand-plus four-legged giants made a great show of force and looked intimidating.

He had four thousand men and more than a thousand horn bows. Once they were in formation, with their backs to the river, these cavalrymen would be no match for them.

Once Wen Qin's three thousand cavalrymen arrived from behind, they were to annihilate the entire group of barbarian cavalrymen on the spot.

It wasn't that Hao Zhao was particularly skilled, but rather that before the advent of heavily armored cavalry, it wasn't too difficult for infantry to subdue cavalry; the saying "one Han man can take on five Hu barbarians" was not just a joke.

Even though the bows and arrows used by the Qiang cavalry were much more advanced than those used by the Han dynasty when one Han was equivalent to five Hu tribes, there was no breakthrough in their archery techniques and tactics. Even if one Han could not be equivalent to five Hu tribes, he could certainly be equivalent to three Hu tribes.

Furthermore, although Yang Tiao led more than two thousand cavalrymen to appear, it was not unexpected for the Wei army, which was well prepared. It was hard to say who was actually ambushing whom.

After losing over two hundred men and more than one hundred others who fled, the Wei army successfully formed a battle formation under the command of the drums.

With their backs to the river and surrounded by the loosely organized Shu cavalry, the three thousand-plus Wei soldiers had virtually no way out. So, apart from fighting, they had no other choice.

In particular, everyone understood that the reinforcements led by Wen Qin were about to arrive.

However, Hao Zhao did not order an attack, but instead maintained his formation with his back to the river, holding his infantry and bows but not drawing them.

The Han cavalry halted their horses at a distance of two arrows' length, confronting the Wei infantry.

"Something's not right." Yang Tiao keenly sensed something.

Liu Bao's son, Liu Cong, turned his head and asked, "King Qiang, what's wrong?"

In fact, Yang Tiao and Liu Bao had dealt with each other in their early years. Yangping was not far from Anding, and Guanzhong was sparsely populated. The two sides often traded goods, exchanging breeding horses, salt, iron and other items.

Yang Tiao said, "Didn't you notice that the Wei troops put on their armor early on and didn't have any supply train with them?"

"What's wrong?" Liu Cong asked, puzzled.

Yang Tiao said, "Their purpose this time is undoubtedly to return to Xinfeng to provide assistance, and they believe that speed is of the essence in warfare."

"It's understandable that there was no supply train accompanying them, which means that Wei Kou on the Baqiao side couldn't spare any more manpower for them."

"But why are you wearing armor? And why did you react so quickly to our surprise attack?"

Liu Cong paused, then his pupils widened: "So they knew we would come?"

Yang Tiao nodded:

"That's right.

"But since they anticipated our arrival, they couldn't have come without any other preparations."

As he spoke, Yang Tiao looked around, but because of the darkness, he couldn't see anything.

"There seems to be a fire there!" Liu Cong pointed west, towards Baling. "Is it the Wei invaders?" Yang Tiao seemed to be talking to himself, but he couldn't see anything. Clearly, he was getting old and his eyesight wasn't as good as a young man's.

Liu Cong glanced at the Wei army arrayed in front of the canal, then looked at the few faint lights visible to the west, unsure of what to do.

After crossing the Wei River at dusk, they lost contact with the Prime Minister. They only knew that there would be a battle between the Han army and the Wei army at Ba Bridge after nightfall, but they did not know whether the Prime Minister had defeated the Wei army at that time.

"What do we do now?" Liu Cong asked.

"Can you tell from the firelight whether it's infantry or cavalry?" Yang Tiao asked.

“It should be infantry,” Liu Cong replied, the firelight having shrunk from a few sparks to several pieces.

Yang Tiao pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Mount Li behind him:

“Since the Wei bandits knew we were coming to launch a surprise attack, they must have made preparations.”

"If we were the Wei invaders, we would lead our cavalry eastward from Mount Li, circle around behind us, and then turn west to join forces with the infantry here."

"At that time, we can only run towards Bashui."

"So...the fires to the west are most likely from the Wei invaders."

Liu Cong's scalp tightened, and he looked at Liu Cong in astonishment: "We're surrounded by Wei invaders? What should we do? Which way should we go?"

He then looked around and said:
"To the north is the canal, and to the east and west are Wei reinforcements. If we want to leave, we can only go southwest."

"But what if there are Wei troops lying in ambush in the southwest as well?"

Yang Tiao fell silent. Why did it suddenly seem like he was in a deadly situation?

"No, no."

Yang Tiao spoke repeatedly.

"Wei Kou's forces are already stretched thin dealing with the Prime Minister, so where would they find so many men to ambush our two thousand cavalry?"

"The fires to the west must mean the Prime Minister is leading his troops to attack!"

"So fast?" Liu Cong was taken aback; he was more inclined to believe that the Wei army was to the west.

"East!" Yang Tiao made up his mind.

"Eastward?" Liu Cong was filled with fear and looked puzzled. "Didn't the Qiang King just say that the Wei cavalry had probably circled around to the east?"

Yang Tiao nodded: "That's right."

Liu Cong was taken aback: "Then why head east? Wouldn't that be walking into a trap?"

Yang Tiao said, "Since the Prime Minister has already defeated the Wei invaders and his infantry has arrived here, then Tiger Cavalry Supervisor Mi Wei, my son Yang Su, and your brother will surely lead the remaining thousand or so cavalry to intercept them."

"I only need to lure away and hold off the Wei cavalry. Once the Tiger Cavalry Commander and his thousand-plus cavalry arrive, I can leave all four thousand infantrymen here."

"What if that's not the Han army?" Liu Cong looked at the firelight five or six miles to the west, still not believing that the Han army could eliminate the Wei invaders at Baqiao so quickly.

They are more likely to be surrounded.

He added, "And if we were really going to intercept them, shouldn't the cavalry arrive first?"

"Infantry can cross the river using pontoon bridges, but cavalry cannot!"
"There's no time to say more, are you leaving or not?"

Yang asked.

Liu Cong was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "We will split into two groups. You go east, and I will go southwest. If it is really the Han army, I will turn back and surround the Wei army later."

"Alright." Yang Tiao knew that Liu Cong didn't believe the firelight was from the Han army, and that his suggestion was just a way to escape the encirclement.

But as Liu Cong said, it was indeed a feasible method for his Xiongnu cavalry to turn back and return to their camp later.

However, this meant that his thousand-odd riders would have to face the Wei cavalry alone.

Without further discussion, Yang Tiao ordered his men to sound the horn to lift the siege and led over 1,200 An Ding Qiang cavalrymen eastward.

Liu Cong led more than 800 Xiongnu cavalrymen to flee southwest.

They came and went like the wind, leaving Hao Zhao and his three thousand infantrymen in a state of astonishment.

As the more than two thousand cavalrymen withdrew from the encirclement, their view was opened up.

Hao Zhao finally saw a large ball of fire coming from the direction of Ba River, which was only four or five miles away from here.

"What's going on?" Wang Shuang asked.

"Wang Yanglie has sent men back to reinforce Xinfeng again?"

Hao Zhao's expression was complicated. At first, he was unsure, then he was suddenly startled and shook his head repeatedly.

"Impossible, impossible!"

"Wang Yanglie only has six thousand troops to defend the city, which is not enough to deal with Zhuge Liang. How could he possibly have any more manpower to spare?"

Wang Shuang's heart leaped into her throat, her face filled with panic and helplessness:

"So those were Shu bandits? We've only been walking for an hour, and the Shu bandits have already attacked? And they've even made it this far?!"

"Everyone scatter and flee to Xinfeng, save yourselves!" Hao Zhao didn't think too much and gave the order directly.

"What?" Wang Shuang asked in astonishment.

Hao Zhao roared at the flames:

"Those must be Shu bandits without a doubt!"
"The Shu bandits will surely have more cavalry coming from behind!"
"Use cavalry to delay us, and let the infantry arrive later!"
"If we don't split up and escape now, none of us will be able to leave!"

Hao Zhao's voice was very loud.

The Wei army immediately erupted in commotion.

Hao Zhao gritted his teeth and roared, "Brothers, it's not that I, Hao Zhao, am abandoning you, but if we don't split up and leave now, none of us will be able to leave!"
"The Shu bandits have already captured Baling. Do not go west, or you will surely die. I will be waiting for you in Xinfeng!"

After speaking, before the Wei army could even question him, Hao Zhao had already led more than ten riders eastward. He had previously guarded Xinfeng and was very familiar with the road conditions, knowing several side roads.

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Shuang also led more than ten guards and rode after them.

Upon seeing this, the four thousand infantrymen finally scattered in all directions.

The vast majority fled towards Xinfeng, but a very small number fled towards Baling.

Yang Tiao led his cavalry for no more than two miles when he encountered a large group of Wei cavalry approaching him from the southeast.

While secretly glad he had been cautious, he ordered everyone to run east along the canal and avoid contact with the Wei cavalry.

The Wei cavalry was turning around at that moment. If he hadn't acted decisively, and the Wei army's vanguard had gotten close to the canal, his thousand-odd riders would probably have been surrounded by the Wei cavalry and would have had a hard time escaping.

When Wen Qin saw that the Han cavalry had not engaged Hao Zhao and his men, his counter-ambush plan had failed, and he was filled with frustration.

Without giving it much thought, he personally led over two thousand cavalrymen to give chase.

Then, several hundred cavalrymen were sent along the canal towards Hao Zhao's location to see what was going on and whether it was a feint by the Han army.

The vanguard of Wei cavalry quickly caught up with the rearguard of Yang Tiao.

Yang Tiao personally led his elite cavalry to cover the rear, continuously firing arrows at the Wei army behind him from both sides.

The ability to shoot with both hands is a skill usually possessed by great generals. Yang Tiao, as expected of the Qiang leader, felled a Wei cavalryman with almost every arrow he fired.

Just like the "dragging a knife" technique, shooting from the front to the back always causes greater damage.

The Wei cavalry that caught up with them were quickly intimidated by Yang Tiao's archery skills, which allowed him to shoot with both hands.

Furthermore, since the distance they had traveled was much longer than that of the Han cavalry, their warhorses were already exhausted and could no longer keep up with the Han cavalry after only four or five miles. They had no choice but to stop the pursuit and gallop eastward along the canal.

However, Wen Qin soon encountered the guards sent by Hao Zhao to deliver the message.

"General Wen, my General Hao requests that you immediately lead your three thousand cavalry back to Xinfeng! Otherwise, Xinfeng may not be able to be defended!"

"What?" Wen Qin asked in astonishment and confusion.

(End of this chapter)