Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 241 Continuous Battles and Successful Victories
Jiangbei.

The first line of defense for the Kingdom of Wu.

On the wall of Xilin Pass.

Sun Xiu, the general who had been suppressing the bandits, frowned deeply as he surveyed the battlefield, unable to believe it.

It was clearly the Wu army that had launched a full-scale ambush and gained the upper hand; it was clearly everyone who was wearing the same iron armor, the same helmet, and carrying the same iron swords and spears.

How could the Han army, which had fallen into the ambush, not only maintain its unstoppable momentum, but now push the battle line up the mountain at an incredibly fast pace?

Not long after, the ambushers who had just set up an ambush in the dense forest, coming from behind the Han army, encountered Fu Qianhou's confidants, who were almost routed at the first touch. They led their fleeing soldiers and ran wildly towards the camp along the mountain path.

Sun Xiu recognized the banner that was being rolled upside down as belonging to his trusted confidant, Sun Ying, and quickly left the stockade.

At the entrance of the fortress.

The camp gate opened a crack.

Sun Xiu, whose armor was draped diagonally with a white tiger skin, emerged from within, furious:
"What exactly happened?!"
"How dare you abandon your troops and flee?!"

However, Sun Xiu's expression suddenly froze after he finished cursing.

But then one could see that Sun Ying, a trusted and beloved general, had seven or eight bloody holes in his chest, which looked terrifying. They pierced through his armor and flesh, and it was clear at a glance that he had either encountered a fierce general of the Shu army or was trapped in a dense encirclement and had no power to fight back.

Otherwise, with the almost impenetrable and indestructible heavy armor worn by Sun Ying, who in the world could break through it with such strength?
"Didn't I tell you to be careful?!"
"Why would you do something so foolish as to lead from the front?!"

Sun Xiu was clearly not really asking a question; he was just venting his anger.

Sun Ying's face was deathly pale, devoid of any human color:
"General...yes..."

"It is Fu Tong's son, Fu Qian!"

"An elite force led by Fu Qian!"

“Fu Tong? Fu Qian?” Sun Xiu paused, his thoughts instantly drifting back to six or seven years ago.

In the Battle of Yiling, Liu Bei had already been defeated. He followed Sun Huan, a general from the imperial clan, and abandoned the remaining enemy, crossing mountains and valleys all the way west to intercept and kill Liu Bei.

Finally, they actually arrived at Ma'anshan before Liu Bei. When Liu Bei saw that the Wu pursuers had blocked his way back, he was terrified and abandoned his men to flee. If it weren't for Fu Tong and his Shu soldiers risking their lives to protect their lord, Liu Bei would have been captured alive by them and Sun Huan.

Fu Tong's dying words, "What Han general has surrendered?" filled him with both hatred and respect, and he could not forget them for a long time.

Now, Fu Tong's son... has he grown up and is capable of standing on his own?
With this thought in mind, he looked again at the horrifying bloody holes on Sun Ying's chest and thought to himself, no wonder the Great Wu was in such a state of collapse. It turns out that Fu Tong's son has come to take revenge.

"Let's go back to the village!" Sun Xiu didn't think much of it and pulled his confidant to return to the village, but Sun Ying stood still.

Sun Xiu turned around, casting a puzzled look at him.

But Sun Ying was weak and breathless, clearly on the verge of death.

"General."

“I…I did not lead the charge.”

"It was the soldiers... The soldiers were routed by the Shu army in just a few exchanges and tried to flee up the mountain."

"I and my personal guards, armed with bows, crossbows, swords, and axes, supervised the battle from the rear. We killed twenty or thirty people, but we couldn't stop them."

"When the soldiers saw that there were pursuers ahead and I was supervising them from behind, they panicked and fled into the dense forest in all directions."

"I wanted to stabilize morale and reverse the tide of battle... so I had no choice but to lead my personal guard to the front, but I never expected..."

"I never imagined... that I would be surrounded by the enemy because I was wearing heavy armor and thought I was invulnerable. I never imagined that the Shu people's weapons... the Shu people's weapons could cut through iron like mud and break through armor like paper."

"General, please be careful!"

After speaking, Wu general Sun Ying mustered his last strength, planted the banner in the ground, and then fell heavily backward.

There was a bang.

Smoke and dust were everywhere.

Sun Xiu stared in astonishment at the corpse on the ground.

Cutting iron like mud, breaking armor like paper?
Then look down the mountain.

But then they saw dozens of soldiers clad in Wu armor, fighting and fleeing, clearly Sun Ying's personal guards covering his retreat.

Behind these routed soldiers, hundreds of Shu troops were following in their footsteps, marching in a mighty force towards Xilin Pass.

Sun Xiu's eyes widened in surprise.

His gaze first swept past the pursuing Han soldiers, looking towards the upper reaches of the river, then down to look at Sun Ying's corpse at his feet, before finally gritting his teeth and making the decision: "Retreat!"

no way.

The enemy situation is unclear.

Sun Ying's words about cutting iron like mud and breaking armor like paper were truly terrifying. He couldn't figure out whether the Shu army only had a few dozen or a hundred of these divine weapons, or whether the entire army was equipped with them.

If the entire army were equipped.

Staying behind would be suicide!
His Xilin Pass was guarded by only three thousand men.

Now, more than half of them are lost in a single encounter.

The remaining half of the men, needless to say, would have no will to fight!

The person who came... was Fu Tong's son again.

If he continues to hold out, he may perish here as well.

It's just a checkpoint.

It's not worth risking your life.

Wuguan, located on the border between the Han and Wu kingdoms, was not just an isolated city in Wuxian County with two iron chain passes, but rather two sections of the Great Wall along the mountain ridges, stretching nearly twenty miles from north to south of the Yangtze River.

Starting from the west gate of Wuxian County, heading west, the terrain suddenly rises.

The towering mountains and primeval forests, teeming with tigers, leopards, snakes, and insects, form a natural barrier. A narrow, muddy path, barely wide enough for one vehicle, winds through the area, making it an impregnable fortress.

If the Han army wanted to breach the pass, they would first have to cross the seven or eight passes that stretched for ten or twenty miles.

Although due to difficulties in transporting materials and grain, and high costs, the Great Wu was unable to build a continuous high city within this twenty-mile-deep area.

But difficulties are inanimate, while people are adaptable.

Unable to build a city, they carved walls out of mountains and fortified peaks.

Numerous hidden bunkers were carved into the cliff face between Xilin Pass and Wuxian County, a distance of twenty miles.

The fort can only accommodate a dozen or so people.

In addition, Da Wu felled trees and piled up earth at the narrowest point on the mountainside to build a fortress.

Every three to five li, a beacon tower was set up. In the event of war, smoke signals were raised during the day and pine resin was burned at night. The smoke was thick and the fire was fierce, and the signal could be seen from ten li away in a short time.

The Shu army had barely entered a small village when the signal fire reached Wuguan, giving the defending troops along the route time to react.

The reason for this was to disperse the troops so much and set up so many checkpoints along the way.

The purpose was to launch a series of attacks, cutting off the flesh and bones of the Shu people.

Every step the Shu army took forward required filling in trenches, dismantling palisades, and then attacking fortresses.

The Wu soldiers, however, were able to hide in the rocky fortresses and fire arrows and stones, gradually wearing down the Shu army's strength and morale.

By the time the Shu army breaks through the encirclement and reaches Wucheng, they will have suffered heavy losses and their morale will be low. At that point, it will be the Wu army's home ground.

Furthermore, as the saying goes, "One should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane on the second attempt and be exhausted on the third."

At the very beginning of a battle, the attacking side is often at its most aggressive.

Therefore, abandoning the pass now is not a sign of cowardice or fleeing at the first sign of trouble, but rather a way to preserve and accumulate more strength for the Great Wu.

It's far too early for a decisive battle.

Besides, as a member of the Wu royal family, even if he abandons the pass and flees, how could a mere Pan Jun possibly do anything to him?!
Sun Xiu withdrew decisively.

Fu Qian pursued the matter with equal decisiveness.

However decisive the general's order to retreat may have been, it was still far too sudden for the Wu soldiers guarding the pass. "Why did they retreat?!"

"Has the front line already been lost?!"

"How is that possible... The beacon fires at the foot of the mountain haven't even been lit for an hour yet?!"

Wu's soldiers were scattered throughout the mountain fortresses.

The vast majority of people are unaware of the situation down the mountain.

Although the general who quelled the bandits had given his orders, he clearly did not intend to stay behind to cover the rear. Instead, he left his own banner behind and ordered his trusted daredevil troops to retreat to the next checkpoint.

At first, Wu's soldiers thought that General Dang Kou would cover the rear and maintain order during the retreat.

However, when a sharp-eyed observer noticed that the General Who Pacifies Bandits was not under that banner, this situation of panic mixed with stability vanished, and the Wu army began their classic escape, abandoning their armor and fleeing for their lives.

I don't need to run faster than the Shu army.

As long as you run faster than your "comrades", that's all that matters.

Generals Zhang Gu and Lei Bu pursued with light troops and soon reached the gate of Xilin Pass. Seeing that the people on the pass seemed to be fleeing, they were filled with doubt and uncertainty, and several hundred soldiers stopped in front of the gate.

Because he was wearing heavy armor and had expended a lot of energy at the foot of the mountain, Fu Qian finally arrived after a quarter of an hour.

At this moment, Generals Zhang Gu and Lei Bu finally discovered that the Wu army in the camp was indeed fleeing, and there might be an ambush behind them. So they led their troops into the camp.

However, instead of looting the village's food and treasures, they continued their pursuit.

Often, whether to pursue the fleeing enemy or not, whether the enemy has an ambush or not, depends on a gamble, on luck, or perhaps, on a feeling.

If the feeling is right, it's possible that something like Sun Huan pursuing Liu Bei, capturing dragons and subduing tigers, is possible.

You're mistaken. Just like Cao Xiu chasing Lu Xun, or Xu Sheng chasing Cao Xiu, it's possible that they ended up losing their armies and generals.

The outcome of a battle sometimes really depends on luck.

Instead of pursuing them directly, Fu Qian and Zhao Guang climbed the Xilin Pass watchtower together, removed their lion-shaped bronze masks, and gazed into the distance.

Before long, the two men put the bronze masks back on and climbed down the ladder from the watchtower.

Fu Qian led his men to continue following behind Zhang Gu and Lei Bu, pursuing them relentlessly.

Zhao Guang then led two hundred Longxiang Langwei, along with a thousand soldiers under their command, away from the only man-made path and into the dense forest.

Generals Lei Bu and Zhang Gu quickly led their men to the next checkpoint of the Wu people.

Zhang Gu squinted at the figures vaguely moving on the stockade wall, and tapped his iron sword twice against the shield, producing a dull clanging sound.

The soldiers behind him immediately stopped and spontaneously formed a defensive formation.

This is the tacit understanding formed during daily practice.

"Gongwei, take a team and go around to the left through the dense forest and hills to take a look!" Zhang Gu and Lei Bu had been comrades-in-arms for more than ten years and had a tacit understanding.

Reibu wiped the bloodstains from his beard and grinned, "I know!"

After speaking, he selected over a hundred elite soldiers who silently disappeared into the forest.

Zhang Gu then ordered the remaining soldiers to strike their shields with their swords, shouting in unison:
"The Great Han army has arrived; those who surrender will not be killed!"

The sound shook the valley, startling flocks of birds into flight.

Sure enough, the Wu people on the stockade wall stirred up a commotion.

Several Wu soldiers peeked out and were immediately and accurately shot by Han crossbowmen.

Just then, the gate of the stockade was suddenly smashed open from the inside, and more than ten Wu soldiers fled in a disheveled state, followed by several of their comrades with swords and knives!
"There really is internal strife?!" Zhang Gu's eyes lit up, extremely surprised. He had only shouted casually, but he didn't expect the Wu people to actually open the gates!

He hesitated for a moment, but did not order a hasty advance.

Sure enough, within moments, the sounds of battle erupted within the stronghold.

More than a hundred Wu soldiers turned on each other in a fight for a way to retreat.

More than a hundred elite soldiers, clad in armor and armed with weapons, dared to charge out through the main gate, seemingly hoping to catch the Han army off guard before they could establish a firm foothold.

Seeing that this was not a sign of surrender, Zhang Gu ordered his men to use crossbows to force them back and form a battle formation to wait.

Less than half an hour later, a horn sound suddenly came from the hills and dense forests behind the village. Zhang Gu listened carefully and recognized that it was Lei Bu who had sounded the horn. Upon closer listening, he realized that Lei Bu had actually managed to get around to the side and rear of the village.

Zhang Gu then stood up and brandished his iron sword, shouting, "Get in!"

The Han army surged into the palisade like a tide, yet there was no sign of chaos.

The front row held up shields to block stray arrows, while the rear row of crossbowmen fired at Wu soldiers on high ground. Several men even used long hooks to pull down rolling logs and stones on the stockade walls, clearly a precaution against the Wu army's defensive weapons.

Seeing the Wu army routed and fleeing, Zhang Gu took several Wu soldiers who had surrendered and personally led a team to the granary. Sure enough, they found the Wu army setting it on fire.

Su Tiedao slashed several people in succession, then snatched a bucket of water and extinguished the newly lit flames.

Lei Bu then charged in from the rear and wiped out all the Wu soldiers who were trying to destroy the pier.

At sunset.

The Han army led by Fu Qian, Zhang Gu, and Lei Bu pursued and killed the fleeing troops of Sun Xiu.

When Wu Jun saw his kinsman Sun Xiu rushing towards them, he dared not fail to open the gates and stop the bridge to rescue him. The elite troops led by Fu Qian, Zhang Gu, and Lei Bu gave chase.

Wu Jun was greatly confused and terrified, and his army was routed.

Two days later.

At sunset.

More than 5,000 soldiers were commanded by generals Fu Qian, Zhang Gu, and Lei Bu.

In addition, there were more than 5,000 Banshan barbarians led by Gong Shun, Luo Ping, and E He, the leaders of the Ba County Cong people who volunteered to come.

More than 10,000 soldiers advanced to the Wu army's Shenjian Pass.

The Han army broke through two passes in two days, advancing with unstoppable momentum.

Pan Jun and his men, who were more than ten miles away, had already realized that continuing to divide their forces would not only fail to stop the Han army and weaken its momentum, but would also directly demoralize the Wu army and even cause it to collapse.

Pan Jun then ordered that more than 6,000 Wu soldiers from the three rear passes be sent to the third pass, Shenjian Pass, to guard it together.

In addition, more than 2,000 men were sent from Wuxian County and Tiesuo North Pass to guard the three rear passes.

If the battle at Shenjian Pass becomes unfavorable, the defending soldiers will slowly retreat to the three rear passes.

However, the strategy of layered blocking remains unchanged.

After all, the defending side has a natural advantage. If they cannot use the natural defenses of the mountains and fortresses to block and weaken the Han army, and instead allow the Han army to directly advance to the walls of Wuxian City and threaten the two Iron Chain Passes in the north and south, then it is truly uncertain whether the Iron Chain Pass, which the Great Wu has been building for five or six years, can be held.

Because if the battle situation evolves in this way, then in order to protect these two iron chains across the river, the Great Wu will have no choice but to continue to send troops from Wucheng.

The drawbacks of the strategy of dividing the troops were already evident when the Shu army broke through two passes in two days.

—This would allow the Shu army to defeat the enemy one by one.

The Shu army could have easily used the two iron chain passes to implement a strategy of besieging the Wu forces and attacking their reinforcements.

Therefore, we must not allow the increasingly motivated Shu army to directly reach the Iron Chain Pass.

—We must blunt the aggressive spirit of Shu.

But how can we dampen the morale of the Shu army?
Poon Chun already had a complete plan.

The key lies in the Shu army that cut through the mountains to find a way through the Jiangnan region.

Several days ago, Generals Sun Jun, Fu Yi, and Li Su received orders from their commander to reinforce the troops by 8,000, bringing the total to 12,000 men, to control the southern pass of Tiesuo Pass.

Now, they have opened their pockets, waiting for the Shu army troops who have cut through the mountains to enter the trap and catch them like turtles in a jar.

Once the Han army on the south bank is defeated, the morale of the Han army on the north bank, which has been riding high after a series of victories, will also be dampened.

However... the Han army on the south bank has not made any move.

Pan Jun was thus forced to continue sending troops forward to resist the Han army on the north bank.

(End of this chapter)