Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 124 Abandoning Chang'an
Now, less than a quarter of an hour after Hao Zhao and Wang Shuang abandoned their men and fled,

More than a thousand Han cavalrymen, led by Wei Yan, Mi Wei, Yang Su, Liu Ze and others, caught up with the four thousand Wei infantrymen.

The so-called scattering is not actually scattering like stars across the sky.

Instead, it was divided into dozens of routes.

Each route involved dozens or even hundreds of relatively familiar people gathering together to protect each other, and then fleeing eastward to Xinfeng.

In this situation, if the Han cavalry wanted to pursue and kill, they would have to divide their forces. Dividing their forces could lead to an ambush, or they could be counter-killed by a small number of infantrymen who still had a strong fighting spirit.

Therefore, the best approach for the pursuing Han cavalry was to concentrate their forces in one place to annihilate the enemy, and then search for other routed soldiers. This meant that it was impossible to completely wipe out the Wei army.

As the Wei infantry scattered and fled, pursued by Han cavalry, Liu Cong, who was leading over eight hundred Xiongnu cavalrymen in a flight to the southwest, finally came to his senses in shock:

Just as Yang Tiao had predicted, the Han army captured Baqiao with incredible speed!
Shocked, he immediately led over eight hundred Xiongnu cavalrymen to attack Xinfeng again.

They slaughtered a number of Wei soldiers who were mindlessly fleeing towards Baling.

They then continuously issued signals with whistling arrows.

Soon they received a whistling response from Liu Ze's troops, and more than a thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen joined forces and headed east to pursue and kill the Wei infantry.

When Yang Tiao saw the Wei cavalry suddenly heading towards Xinfeng, he pondered for a moment, but instead of turning back to surround and kill the Wei infantry, he led the Qiang cavalry to chase after the Wei cavalry.

Wei Yan shared the same idea as him.

The strategic objective of the Han Dynasty was to prevent the Wei army from entering Xinfeng, which would make it easier to capture the city.

Hao Zhao ordered the four thousand Wei infantrymen to scatter and flee, partly because if he hadn't done so, none of those four thousand men would have escaped.

Secondly, these four thousand men were used as bait to lure the Han army into pursuing and killing them, thus buying time for Wen Qin's cavalry to enter the city.

Wu Ban and Chen Shi, who led four thousand crossbowmen in pursuit, quickly realized this when they saw that Wei Yan and Yang Tiao had not turned back to attack the enemy.

Instead of pursuing the fleeing Wei soldiers, he went straight to Xinfeng along the official road beside the canal.

Mi Wei and Yang Su, son of Yang Tiao, led more than 800 cavalrymen to guard the infantry on the left and right, while harvesting the fleeing soldiers within a mile of the infantry and galloping towards Xinfeng.

Only the brothers Liu Cong and Liu Ze, leading over 1,200 Xiongnu cavalry, roamed freely across the fields and open plains, relentlessly slaughtering the Wei army and stripping them of their bows, crossbows, swords, spears, armor, and helmets.

The warhorses ridden by Wen Qin's more than three thousand cavalry were not the so-called nuclear-powered horses. They had already traveled nearly a hundred miles in the daytime, and their horses had suffered serious damage. They quickly fell into a disadvantageous position in the pursuit battle with Wei Yan, Yang Tiao and his group of light cavalry.

Wei Yan and Yang Tiao's elite cavalry, skilled in archery, relied on their faster horses to continuously seize the advantageous right-hand side, engaging in archery exchanges and close-quarters combat with Wei's rear guard.

Along the way, the Han cavalry at the forefront shouted battle cries that shook the heavens, while the Wei cavalry lagging behind screamed in agony.

Unlike the excitement of most Han cavalry, Wei Yan, who was over eight feet tall and looked majestic and imposing despite wearing only light armor, remained silent and uttered no words.

After catching up with a Tiger and Leopard Cavalry centurion carrying a flag from the flank, he casually flicked his large spear.

The centurion in charge, seeing this, intended to use his lance to deal with the situation, but before he could even make a move, he was struck by the large spear and sent flying backward.

The enormous reaction force did not cause the fierce general to fall off his horse; it only made his warhorse stagnate for a moment and shift slightly to the side.

Ignoring the hundred-man commander, they pursued bravely.

In the darkness, Wen Qin, who was running at the front, did not know how many Han cavalry were chasing him. He only thought that since the Han cavalry dared to chase him, there must be a lot of them. So he did not dare to implement any counterattack strategy and just kept running towards Xinfeng.

If these three thousand men also cannot enter Xinfeng, then Xinfeng will be completely doomed, and Chang'an City will be completely doomed as well.

After fleeing for more than ten miles with this panicked thought, and suffering one or two hundred casualties among his cavalry, Wen Qin suddenly realized something.

—The Han army only had a few hundred men skilled in horsemanship and archery!

He immediately divided the remaining cavalry into several groups and scattered them to escape, thus relieving the pressure brought by the elite Han cavalry.

His actions finally bought the Wei cavalry a chance to catch their breath. Wei Yan and Yang Tiao had only about 1,200 cavalrymen chasing them, and only about 400 of them were skilled in archery.

The remaining seven or eight hundred riders mainly used bluffing to intimidate the enemy during the chase.

Although the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were no longer as brave as they once were, their archery skills had not declined. The hundreds of Qiang cavalry who only knew how to stop and shoot, even though their horses were faster, could no longer gain any advantage.

Upon learning of this situation, Yang Tiao had no choice but to order the Qiang cavalry to cease their pursuit and turn back to surround and kill the Wei infantry.

After giving the order, he continued to lead more than four hundred elite troops to follow behind Wei Yan's dozens of personal guards and cavalry, relentlessly pursuing a small group of Wei cavalry.

Wen Qin was fortunate enough not to be pursued and soon arrived at the city of Xinfeng. Hao Zhao and Wang Shuang, who were familiar with the roads, had entered the city a quarter of an hour earlier and organized the necessary defenses on the city wall.

After verifying their identities, Wen Qin and his more than 400 cavalrymen went directly to Xiaozhai, the western gate of Xinfeng, to garrison the area.

To prevent Han soldiers from infiltrating the camp, those who arrived later had to remove their armor and weapons before entering the camp, and then put on their armor again to await the enemy after their identities were verified.

While this process was necessary, it inevitably left many Wei soldiers stranded outside the city walls, unable to advance or retreat.

Wei Yan and Yang Tiao, who had pursued the enemy, killed nearly a hundred more outside the camp with their hundreds of cavalry.

Hao Zhao then beat the drum on the city wall, drawing hundreds of cavalrymen from outside the city to gather under the city wall, where they were then provided with covering fire by foot archers.

Seeing that he could not get close to the city wall and that more and more Wei cavalrymen were still not entering the city, Wei Yan picked up the wounded soldier and slowly left.

The Wei cavalrymen continuously disarmed themselves and abandoned their troops, entering the camp.

An hour later, apart from the Xiongnu cavalry under Liu Cong and Liu Ze, more than 6,000 Han infantry and cavalry arrived at the city of Xinfeng. They then divided into four groups and blocked the four city gates of Xinfeng.

From then on, no one else was able to enter Xinfeng.

Another half hour passed, and Meng Yan, the Tiger Step Supervisor, led two thousand infantrymen to the walls of Xinfeng City.

Seeing that Xinfeng was safe, they immediately led their troops to Xibao.

There, Cuan Xi's two thousand Wudang Flying Army soldiers, together with Liu Cong and Liu Ze's Xiongnu cavalry, were searching for Wei soldiers who had fled the battlefield in the fields and open spaces.

On the city wall of Xinfeng, Wen Qin was filled with anxiety, and his face showed signs of exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Hao Zhao and Wang Shuang, the two generals who were the first to enter the city, were not in much better shape.

"Hao Bodao, I don't understand, why did you abandon the army and leave?!" Wen Qin finally questioned, his voice filled with indignation.

"Four thousand infantrymen and three thousand elite cavalrymen, are they no match for the Shu bandits?"

Hao Zhao was momentarily speechless.

Wen Qin served three emperors and was a native of Qiao and Pei, commanding the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

He couldn't possibly refute someone who was questioning him like that.

He could only speak politely: "General Wen, the Shu cavalry suddenly split up and fled in the east and west just now. This was a strategy of dividing the troops. I knew you would definitely go after them and not care about my four thousand infantrymen."

"Suddenly, the Shu bandits' infantry arrived with torches, their numbers unknown."

"If I do not abandon my army and split up my troops, any Shu cavalry that comes to block my way will only delay the arrival of the Shu infantry in a short while."

"It is a small matter if I cannot escape, or even if all four thousand soldiers are wiped out, but Xinfeng must be defended."

"If His Majesty and the General of the Flying Cavalry punish me in the future, I will simply die." Seeing Hao Zhao's apparent resolve to die, Wen Qin's fiery temper subsided, but he remained puzzled:

“I have three thousand cavalry. You can hold out for a moment and I will return.”

"I will cover your retreat with three thousand cavalry, with infantry and cavalry working together. What can the Shu bandits do?"

Hao Zhao shook his head with difficulty: "General Wen, I had already lost contact with you at that time, how could I know that you would come to my aid in a short while? What if you had chased the Shu bandits for dozens of miles?"

Wen Qin paused.

He hadn't thought about that.

If he hadn't been so unable to catch up with the Shu cavalry, he might have actually pursued them for dozens of miles.

After all, he never expected that the Shu army could break through the Ba River defense line so quickly.

With this thought in mind, Wenqin had nowhere to vent his anger, so he could only helplessly punch the rammed earth wall in front of him.

There was a muffled sound.

"If I had known this would happen, I should have gone straight to Xinfeng!"

"It's all Wang Chang's fault! At such a critical moment, he insisted on devising a counter-strategy!"

Hao Zhao shook his head: "You can't say that. If you want to blame someone, you can only blame the Shu bandits for attacking Baling too quickly. Otherwise, our counter-ambush strategy might have succeeded."

Wen Qin clearly didn't buy this explanation and still held Wang Chang responsible in his heart.

"Hmph, I think we shouldn't have sent troops to Xinfeng at all; perhaps we could have held Baqiao!"

"Once the army of General Sima... arrives, how can the Shu bandits west of the Ba River not be attacked from both sides?!"

Hao Zhao said, "We could not have predicted that the Shu bandits would be able to capture Baqiao so quickly, so how could the General of the Flying Cavalry have predicted it?"

"Furthermore, the Shu bandits still have 10,000 to 20,000 troops north of Chang'an. If General of the Flying Cavalry leads his army here, it will be the Jing and Yu armies under General of the Flying Cavalry that will be attacked from both sides, not the Shu bandits."

It is said that Sima Yi did initially have the idea of ​​encircling the Han army.

However, this idea was abandoned after the strength of the Han army in Sanzhai was tested.

His army had traveled more than 30 li in two hours when they reached the northwest corner of Chang'an.

Chang'an was too big; it was nearly ten li from the northwest corner to the northeast corner, and then another twenty li to the Ba River.

Therefore, even if we are attacked from both sides, it will not be tonight, but tomorrow.

That's why he ordered Wang Chang and others to stay until the next morning.

Unexpectedly, the Han army gave him another surprise.

Hao Zhao sighed again:
"I ordered four thousand men to disperse, thinking that the Shu bandits would definitely search for and kill them."

"But I really didn't expect that their goal was so clear, and that they were even willing to give up their heads and merits, heading straight for Xinfeng."

"Otherwise, perhaps several hundred or even a thousand men could have returned. General Wen, your three thousand cavalry should have been able to return unscathed as well."

Before being recruited by General Cao Zhen, Hao Zhao had already established a formidable reputation in Longyou. He considered himself a man knowledgeable in military affairs and believed that his on-the-spot decisions were quite appropriate.

Unexpectedly, the Han army acted even more decisively, and it can be said that they made no wrong decisions.

Now that all four gates are blocked, only a hundred or so lucky and daring men out of four thousand infantrymen have managed to escape.

According to the infantrymen who escaped back to the city, many people continued eastward or southward towards Mount Li under the cover of night.

The Han army's infantry and cavalry had a clear objective and were heading straight for Xinfeng.

Once outside the city, they sent men back to intercept several thousand infantrymen.

They then coordinated with the rear guard to surround those who were not yet able to enter the city, like sheep being herded, and slowly annihilated them.

Of the more than 3,000 cavalrymen under Wen Qin's command, only 2,600 remained, with 400 or 500 dead or wounded—a considerable loss.

What's even more frustrating is that Wang Chang's original intention was to have Wen Qin's three thousand cavalry escort Hao Zhao's four thousand infantry back to the city, and then use them as a mobile force outside the city to harass the Han army and provide support.

Now they are trapped in the city and have lost their mobility.

In this way, Xinfeng City became a lamb to the slaughter, with no ability to fight back and could only passively take the beating.

This Xinfeng is not Chencang, not Wuzhangyuan, not Yubi.

Without a high platform as a base, and with limited manpower, it wouldn't be particularly difficult to capture it, given that one can only passively take hits.

Hao Zhao sighed and said, "Things have come to this point, and I'm afraid the General of Chariots and Cavalry will have to abandon Chang'an."

Wenqin also sighed.

Wang Jun, the official from Hedong who had been unfortunately left in this city yesterday while transporting grain, saw this situation and couldn't help but snort coldly, saying with dissatisfaction:
Instead of sighing and complaining here, let's think about how to strengthen the city's defenses!
"If I can hold out for three to five days, General of the Flying Cavalry may be able to force the Shu invaders back."

"Who are you, you brat? Who gives you the right to speak here?!" Wen Qin immediately drew his sword, intending to kill the arrogant young man who looked to be around twenty years old with a single stroke.

Seeing this, Hao Zhao quickly raised his hand to press down Wen Qin's ring-pommel sword and hurriedly advised, "General Wen, this is Wang Jun, Wang Shizhi, the son-in-law of Governor Xu of Liangzhou. He is now an official in Hedong."

Wen Qin glanced sideways at this man named Wang Jun, first letting out a cold snort, then cursing him with disdain:

"Arrogant brat!"
"If you dare to spout such nonsense again, I don't care what you do on the east or west side of the river!"
"I don't care if you're Prefect Xu or Prefect Wang!"
"With this ring-pommel sword in hand, I will surely slay you without mercy!"

Wang Jun sneered repeatedly, showing utter disdain for the ring-pommel sword in Wen Qin's hand.

Seeing this, Wen Qin was enraged and immediately raised his knife to strike.

Hao Zhao quickly stepped forward to mediate again, grabbing Wen Qin's wrist. He first scolded Wang Jun, then comforted Wen Qin.

Neither of them accepted it.

Hao Zhao could only ask Wang Shuang for help to get Wang Jun far away.

He also told Wenqin that now is the time to use people, so there is no need to get angry with this young upstart. He should first defend Xinfeng, and then complain about this kid to His Majesty after the victory.

Furthermore, Wang Jun's father-in-law, the governor of Liangzhou, is currently isolated in Liangzhou, so this is not the time to offend him. Wen Qin should prioritize the overall situation.

Wen Qin then remembered Xu Miao's isolated situation in Liangzhou. If he really killed Xu Miao's son-in-law, he might force Xu Miao to rebel.

He knew his crime would be much greater then, and even his status as a native of Qiaopei Township might not be enough to protect him, so he temporarily suppressed his anger.

But Wang Jun's blatant disrespect for him meant that the matter couldn't be left unresolved. So he made a decision: if Xu Miao couldn't hold Liangzhou, then Wang Jun's death was imminent.

After comforting Wen Qin, Hao Zhao went to find Wang Jun and asked:
"Shizhi just said that the General of the Flying Cavalry might be able to force the Shu bandits back. What do you mean by that?"

Wang Jun smiled and said, "If the Shu bandits can come to Xinfeng to cut off Chang'an's supply lines, can't the General of Chariots and Cavalry go to Jimen and Xiliu to cut off their supply lines as well?"

(End of this chapter)