Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 135 Calm
Not even a moment.

The sun gradually moves westward.

It was the hottest time of day.

Sweating profusely from the stuffiness, Sima Yi walked up to an armored soldier waiting for the enemy by the canal.

He reached out and placed his hand on the man's iron armor. In less than ten breaths, the black iron armor, which had been scorching hot from the sun, became so hot that his hand could hardly bear it.

In such sweltering heat, if it weren't for the lining worn under the armor, probably no one could withstand even a quarter of an hour under the blazing sun while wearing such iron armor; a chicken would be roasted alive by then.

"Lord Sima, even if the Shu bandits are more resistant to the heat than our Wei soldiers, and even if this formation is as solid as a rock, they have been fighting in armor for two hours straight, and now they can no longer endure it! The decisive battle is about to begin!"

General Yanglie, Wang Chang, was panting heavily.

The sweltering weather, combined with the acrid smell of burning vegetation in the air, made it difficult for even a strong and capable man like him to breathe, let alone the lower-ranking soldiers whose physical condition was inferior to his.

Upon hearing this, Sima Yi boarded his chariot and looked towards the two sides engaged in battle a mile to the east.

In fact, this attempt to look is mostly in vain.

After all, by this point, the world here was already engulfed in smoke and dust from the fighting.

Especially at the point where the two sides clashed, almost nothing could be seen except for the dust.

However, judging from the swaying and back-and-forth movement of the rear of the Wei army formation, sometimes advancing and sometimes retreating, sometimes going west and sometimes east, it is likely that both Wei and Shu were already exhausted.

Looking further north along the canal.

Zhao Yun's right flank of the Shu army was currently positioned close to the north bank of the canal, forming a semi-circular crescent-shaped formation.

The number of people... is approximately 20,000.

Several thousand Qiang and Hu cavalrymen who had defected to the rebels were scattered west of the Shu army's formation, seeking shaded places to cool off and escape the summer heat, or grazing their horses to drink water on the banks of the canals and the Wei River.

Seeing this situation, Sima Yi pondered for a long time before finally making up his mind and hastily issuing an order:

"Order Zhang Jing, Shan Jun, Jia Xu, Jin Yan, Fei Yu, and Zang Ze to launch a full-scale attack on the three western encirclements of the Shu bandits at all costs!"
"Order the four generals Zhou Tai, Wei Ping, Sun Li, and Wang Guan to lead their troops to attack the south gate of Xinfeng, break through the southern encirclement of the Shu bandits, and release Hao Zhao, Wang Shuang, and Wen Qin from the city of Xinfeng!"
"After Hao Zhao and Wang Shuang leave the city, they will join forces to attack the Shu bandits' western camp and force the people in the camp to charge into the Shu bandits' army formation!"
"If we encounter resistance and fail to succeed, we will directly besiege the southeastern camps of the Shu bandits, preventing them from sending reinforcements!"

"With Zhuge Liang surrounded, Zhao Yun will inevitably come to the south to provide reinforcements!"
"Wang Chang, Niu Jin, Niu Gai, Shao Kang, and Chai Neng, five generals, led ten thousand men to form a battle array on the canal. When Zhao Yun was halfway across, they launched an attack!"
"This place is too narrow, making it difficult for cavalry to maneuver. I order Wen Qin to lead his cavalry eastward after leaving Xinfeng to join forces with Du Xi, Lü Zhao, Zhang Hu, Yue, Zhu Shu, Lu Fan, and other generals who are coming to reinforce us!"

General Sima Yi, with a stern and aloof demeanor, issued military orders one after another without any hesitation, as if he had a pre-planned strategy in mind.

Although they did not know whether it was right or wrong, or whether they would win or lose, the generals Wang Chang, Niu Jin, Niu Gai, Yin Damu, and even his two sons who remained by Sima Yi's side to await battle no longer felt the unease they had felt for the past half day. Instead, they felt a sense of relief or excitement.

Regardless, after enduring so much suffering, the decisive moment has finally arrived.

The outcome hinges on this one move.

The messengers kept running around, and half an hour later, the Wei army formation began to sway to the sound of continuous war drums.

On the city wall of Xinfeng, the three generals Hao Zhao, Wang Shuang, and Wen Qin, along with Wang Jun, an official from Hedong, could only see four Han army formations within two miles due to the heavy smoke and dust on the battlefield.

As for the situation of the other battle formations two miles away, and the various Wei armies that were engaged in fierce battle with the Han army further away, it was completely unknown. However, one could vaguely see Sima Yi's central army on the banks of the canal.

The southeast wind not only amplifies the power of the arrows fired by the Han army arrayed to the east, but also blows the dust raised towards the Wei army's formation, giving the Han army a much better field of vision than the Wei army. This is a factor that must be considered in battle.

"If the Shu bandits hadn't come to Xinfeng, but instead had fought a decisive battle with the General of Chariots and Cavalry in Chang'an, then this southeast wind should have been helping our Great Wei, not the Shu bandits." On the city wall, Hao Zhao sighed helplessly, not understanding why the southeast wind always seemed to be helping the Shu bandits.
Wen Qin said indignantly, "What are we waiting for?! Can't we just charge out of the city ourselves? Why do we have to wait for Sima... General of the Cavalry?!"

For more than two hours, Wen Qin proposed countless times to take the initiative to break out of the city, directly rush into the Han army camp to set fires and kill people, or stab the Han soldiers in the back.

But Hao Zhao stopped them all.

Hao Zhao responded earnestly:

"General Wen, your thousand-plus Tiger and Leopard Cavalry are definitely the key to this battle."

"The city's garrison is less than three thousand strong. Without the General of the Flying Cavalry's cover to escort you out of the city, how can you break through the encirclement? And how can you have a decisive effect on the current battle situation?"

Wen Qin felt even more annoyed and snorted angrily:
"With the two armies clashing, and the battlefield so narrow, how can my elite cavalry possibly move? How can they possibly deliver the decisive blow? This place should never be the site of a final battle!"

"What else can we do?" Wang Jun dismissed Wen Qin's complaints with disdain.

"The Shu bandits have chosen this battlefield; surely the General of the Flying Cavalry can come? Can Xinfeng hold out for another ten days, or can the General of the Flying Cavalry's supplies last another ten days?"

Wenqin immediately responded with disdain:
"You brat!"
What was said that day?
"The Shu bandits could come to Xinfeng and cut off Chang'an's supply lines, but the General of the Flying Cavalry could not go to Jimen to cut off the Shu bandits' supply lines."
"Why have you changed your tone now?"

Wang Jun didn't take it seriously:

"How could I have known that your Tiger and Leopard Cavalry would be so incompetent, unable to even defend such a city, and so quickly depleted by the Shu invaders?"

"How could I have known that the General of the Flying Cavalry would not have thought of cutting off the Shu bandits' supply lines?"
"Or perhaps it's not that General Flying Cavalry couldn't think of it, but that he didn't believe you, General Wen, could hold Xinfeng, so he had no choice but to come."

"Now it seems that this is indeed the case."

"You!" Wen Qin immediately drew his sword and was about to slash Wang Jun's neck, but Wang Jun stood upright and didn't even blink.

"Enough!" Hao Zhao was unusually angry. "What time is it? Stop with the banter! General Wen, save your energy for killing the traitors!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the knife in Wenqin's hand and pressed it down.

Wang Shuang, who had been standing to the side and rarely spoke, suddenly pointed and exclaimed with surprise and delight: "Look! The General of the Cavalry's reinforcements have arrived!"

Everyone turned to look when they heard the sound.

However, in the southwest corner of Xinfeng City, more than 4,000 Shu soldiers were fighting against a much larger Wei reinforcement, and were already in a state of defeat.

The Han army there was Wu Ban's troops who had marched southwest of Xinfeng after the fire blocked the road and were blocking the Xinfeng garrison.

The reason for descending the terrace was not only to blockade Xinfeng, but also to provide support, occasionally joining the Prime Minister's battle to relieve the exhausted Han soldiers from long battles and allow them to rest.

But at this moment, the Wei army launched a sudden and fierce attack, cutting them off from the Prime Minister's army and preventing the two sides from supporting each other.

Sima Yi's more than 6,000 men from the four Jing and Yu tribes, who had been conserving their strength for a long time, finally came into play at this moment.

Wu Banbu was outmatched and retreated while fighting.

One group of 1,000 men retreated first to build a defensive line, while another group of over 2,000 men followed behind, forming the last group to build a new defensive line.

This process continued in a steady, gradual manner, as they slowly retreated towards the southern plateau.

After all three thousand people had taken to the platform and reclaimed the high ground, seizing the advantage of an attack from above, they finally managed to maintain their defensive position.

The Wei army cannot advance any further.

Faced with their old adversaries who had just defeated them on the plateau and continued to fight them after leaving the plateau, Zhou Tai, Wei Ping, Sun Li and other generals were all confused.

"Our four divisions, totaling over six thousand men, have been resting and recuperating behind the lines for so long, and their physical strength and spirit are superior to those of this Shu bandits who have been constantly advancing."

"Why can't we defeat them easily?!"

Wei Ping wiped the sweat from his brow, his anger flaring. He then roared at Wu Ban's ranks, "These Shu dogs, do they really think they can withstand the heat better than us, the people of Great Wei?!"

In response to Wei Ping was a hail of arrows and dozens of hand halberds flying down.

"Ignore them!" Zhou Tai's voice was also somewhat indignant.

Zhao Yun's main force north of the canal has not yet joined the battle, while the Wei side has almost exhausted all its trump cards. If they still cannot defeat Zhuge Liang's main force, then the outcome of today's battle is uncertain.

The Wei army retreated and then split off its forces, spreading out its formation to completely sever the connection between the southeastern Han army formations and the south of Xinfeng City.

A vacant lot was finally cleared out in the south of Xinfeng City.

The Xinfeng garrison, which had been trapped for several days and was almost in despair, finally erupted in a thunderous shout of victory.

"Open the city gates!" Hao Zhao gave the order with great enthusiasm from the south wall of Xinfeng.

A long creaking sound came as the heavy iron-clad wooden door, weighing thousands of kilograms, was slowly opened.

Hao Zhao descended the city wall, and soon after, nearly a thousand infantrymen followed closely behind Hao Zhao and Wang Shuang as they filed out of the city.

Following them were Wen Qin's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, numbering over 1,800, and over 300 other Hu cavalry.

After all the cavalry had gone east, Wenqin was the last to rein in his horse and slowly gallop out of the city.

Instead of leaving immediately, he called out to Wang Jun, whose back was turned to him, "Hey!"

Fully armed and carrying a bow and spear, Wang Jun turned around, his eyes suddenly narrowing.

But Wen Qin smiled knowingly, his crossbow cocked, the arrow aimed directly at his forehead.

Wang Jun sneered, but was not afraid. He turned around to leave, but as soon as he turned around, he heard the sound of a trigger being pulled, followed by a sharp pain in his buttocks.

"You ignorant brat, a mere official from Hedong, how dare you point fingers at me!" Wen Qin spat before Wang Jun could react, then reined in his horse and rode away like the wind.

"You motherfucker!" Wang Jun finally abandoned all decorum and cursed Wen Qin as he rode away eastward. He never expected that this scoundrel would resort to such underhanded tactics at this moment.

The guards surrounding him were all speechless with astonishment, but Wang Jun gritted his teeth, his face dark, and pulled out the crossbow bolt from his buttocks and threw it away.

After that, he cut off his robe, ordered his family soldiers to help bandage his thigh, and then limped off to find Hao Zhao.

North of the canal.

Within the Crescent Moon Formation.

Surrounded on the general's platform by three thousand unarmored elite troops, Liu Shan could no longer see the battle situation in the Prime Minister's army and could only rely on Fu Qian, who had already crossed the Yangtze River to the south, to relay messages.

However, Sima Yi, who had already lined up his troops along the canal, had already sent tens of thousands of soldiers and laborers to continuously fill the canal with soil and build wooden structures. In less than half an hour, a corridor several tens of meters wide was created, which was less than ten meters away from the north bank of the canal, and could be crossed at any time to press the enemy.

"General Zilong, if Sima Yi fails to break through the Prime Minister's formation by filling the canal now, shouldn't he come here to make a last-ditch effort?" Liu Shan vaguely sensed Sima Yi's intention to build a bridge.

Although Sima Yi was currently making a move to cross the river, as long as Sima Yi did not know that the Han emperor was stationed inside this crescent formation, he would have no reason to change the main attack direction to this place.

This is a sunk cost issue.

Having fought this far, Sima Yi must know that the Prime Minister's army is the main force of the Han Dynasty, and they must be exhausted after fighting for so long in the sweltering heat.

If Sima Yi can lead his main force to defeat the Prime Minister's army, he will have a chance to turn the tide.

If he abandons the prime minister and heads north instead, what was the point of Sima Yi's efforts all morning, throwing so many troops into the area?
To be fair, from the moment Sima Yi decided to use a human wave tactic to target the Prime Minister, who was outnumbered and besieged on both sides, he had already fallen into the Prime Minister's trap.

However, this is based on the premise that the Prime Minister can truly withstand Sima Yi's pressure.

The old general nodded first, affirming the emperor's idea, and then said:

"But the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in Xinfeng City have been released, but they have not immediately joined the battlefield."

"Once my main force is divided to reinforce the Prime Minister in the south, the light cavalry from Bingzhou and this Tiger and Leopard Cavalry may rush in from the east to try to break through the formation. Sima Yi may also cross the river to the north at that time and join forces with the cavalry to attack my formation."

"Filling the canal now is meant to deter us from easily dividing our troops to cross the river to the south."

Liu Shan suddenly understood, and then nodded.

If Sima Yi were to divide his 20,000 troops to reinforce the south, and Sima Yi were still unable to defeat the Prime Minister's formation, he might indeed have to try his luck here.

"General Zilong, Prime Minister... are you in danger? Should we send reinforcements from the south?"

The skies above the two sides were already as chaotic as the eye of a sandstorm. The wind was mournful and the sun was dim. Liu Shan could not see the situation and suddenly became flustered by concern.

In fact, although we know that the general tactics for today are to use the Prime Minister's solid formation as the main force and General Zilong's right flank as the surprise force.

However, while the Prime Minister was locked in a fierce battle for several hours, his own special forces were still conserving their strength, waiting for a breakthrough.

This is something that requires a lot of composure and a good grasp of the situation.

Liu Shan did not have this ability.

General Zilong has the ability, but judging from his expression, he is not so calm and collected as one might expect. Rather, he is genuinely worried about the situation, or rather, about the Prime Minister.

Just then, Fu Qian's military advisor, Liu Yinliu Xiuran, ascended the command platform.

The man was covered in sweat and panting heavily.

Liu Shan quickly stood up and handed over his bowl of cooling soup: "Xiuran, how is the situation on the Prime Minister's side now?"

Liu Xiuran stared blankly at the emperor's hand for a moment.

He seemed to feel it was inappropriate, but then he thought, how could he not accept a gift from the emperor?
He immediately thanked the man and accepted the drink, taking several large gulps. The dizziness and exhaustion he felt from the sun seemed to be slowly fading away. Although the heat was still intense, it was no longer unbearable.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is fine, only the soldiers are a little tired. But the General of the North's elite central army of more than 4,000 men has not been out of battle for an hour, and their physical strength and spirit have recovered!"

"The Prime Minister said that even if Sima Yi attacks with 20,000 elite troops, he can hold out for another hour, so Your Majesty need not worry about him!"

Liu Shan and Zhao Yun both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"After fighting Sima Yi for so long, the Prime Minister still has strength to spare, while Sima Yi's central army, which has not moved, has only ten thousand men left. It seems that there will be no more twists and turns in today's battle." Liu Shan sat back down in his chair, regaining his composure.

Wei Yan's more than four thousand elite troops were still physically and mentally strong.

The three hundred heavily armored Ryujorou, as their trump card, were certainly not deployed.

Sima Yi has basically laid out all his cards, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he can probably be slowly worn down and killed.

Feeling reassured, Liu Shan picked up a bowl of cooling soup, took two sips, and then suddenly paused.

What were we just saying?

If Sima Yi suffers a setback in his position as prime minister, he may cross the river to the north to launch a desperate attack.
As he pondered, the medicine in the bowl swayed slightly, reflecting two sharp gazes that met his eyes.

(End of this chapter)