Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 246 Pan Jun is overjoyed
Because the Han army under Fu Qian's command was so fierce, Xu Zhong and Sun Gui quickly determined that it was undoubtedly the elite of the Han army after engaging in battle.

Thus, from the beacon towers built on high ground, one or two beacons of distress signaled for help, one after another, and the horns of distress were also sounded.

Normally, there is only one beacon tower every few miles or tens of miles.

However, due to the thick fog in the mountains, Pan Jun set up more than ten beacon towers over a distance of more than ten miles, almost one tower for every mile, just to be on the safe side.

Each beacon tower was managed by a dozen soldiers. Once a tower detected enemy activity, it would immediately send a signal to the neighboring towers.

Smoke signals were used during the day and fires were lit at night, with each beacon tower linked together and the signal relayed from one tower to another.

Finally, the signal can reach Wuxian County directly.

In the event of war in Wuxian, the enemy situation could be relayed to Zigui and Yiling via hundreds of beacon towers along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The local commanders would then decide whether to send reinforcements and how many to send based on the enemy situation indicated by the beacon fires.

However, the foggy weather weakened the effectiveness of the beacon fires, so the Wu army had to use horns as an auxiliary means to quickly transmit military intelligence.

Upon hearing the call for help from Tiger Leap Gorge, the scouts in the next beacon tower first blew the horn to warn the soldiers of the next beacon tower, summoning them to their side.

Afterwards, they would leave the beacon tower and walk on foot to the previous beacon tower where the horn had been blown, to observe the enemy situation indicated by the beacon fire and smoke signals. Then they would return to their own beacon tower and light the same type of beacon fire and smoke signals.

When the beacon fires are lit, the signalman of the next beacon tower has already arrived at a place where the signal can be clearly seen. After identifying the signal, he quickly returns to his own beacon tower and transmits the signal elsewhere.

About 15 minutes passed.

Birds and beasts in the mountains and valleys are startled, and the pines in the forest roar with the sound of waves.

The sounds of beacon fires and horns could be heard for miles around.

After receiving the signal, Wu's generals and officers along the Shenjian Pass line sent reinforcements to Hutiaojian one after another, based on the enemy situation at their front lines.

In fact, at the same time as Fu Qian took action, several thousand Han troops in four or five camps along the Shenjian Pass within a range of more than ten miles were launching attacks of varying degrees against the Wu army east of the Jian River.

The best way to prevent the enemy from figuring out where the main attack will be is to mobilize all forces. In this way, the enemy will have to guess.

Especially in the fog of war created by factors such as dense fog and dense forests.

Wu Jun could only rely on his battlefield intuition to find out where the main force of the Han army was.

In this way, the initiative in the local battlefield was basically in the hands of the Han army, which was the attacking side.

Xu Zhong and Sun Gui were both veterans of the battlefield and had a good sense of the battlefield. They were able to keenly sense that they had encountered an elite force led by a Han general not long after the battle began.

This bought them invaluable time to save Tiger Leap Gorge.

Reinforcements continued to arrive at Tiger Leap Ravine.

At Shenjian Pass, Generals Zhang Gu and Lei Bu also commanded their troops to advance eastward.

This is because it is the main pass of Shenjian Pass, and it is also the easiest place to cross the river and deploy troops within a distance of more than ten miles.

Even though the Wu army on the opposite bank received the distress signal from upstream, they dared not provide support recklessly, especially since the Han army's offensive was equally strong under the command of Generals Zhang Gu and Lei Bu.

Tiger Leaps Before the Ravine.

After Wu Jun lit the beacon fire, Fu Qian had already received military intelligence from the other side of the river.

Upon learning that Wu troops along the route were gradually heading towards Tiger Leap Gorge, Fu Qian still directed his soldiers to build a bridge to cross the river to the east, and the Han army's offensive did not diminish in the slightest.

Fu Qian's elite troops have been an invincible force since the emperor's personal campaigns, never suffering a defeat. Although they have suffered repeated losses, thanks to the emperor's favor, the soldiers who have been replaced are mostly fierce and brave, and their bravery in battle goes without saying.

Unfortunately, the battlefield here was too narrow, but Xu Zhong and Sun Gui were determined to fight.

Even though the Han army's vanguard had already established a foothold on the Wu army's position, wave after wave of Wu troops came to meet them, relentlessly pushing forward and determined to drive the Han army back to Jianshui at any cost.

The speed at which the Han army crossed the bridge to reinforce was indeed slower than that of the Wu army's reinforcements. As a result, the Han and Wu armies began a fierce battle in front of the Wu army's positions east of the Jian River.

Although Fu Qian wanted to lead the troops, the situation was different now than when the emperor had just personally led the expedition. As the commander of the vanguard, he was in charge of the life and death of the army. With the battle situation still unclear, it was impossible for him to rashly go into close combat with the Wu army.

He knew all too well how Sun Jian, Xiahou Yuan, and others had died and the terrible consequences they had caused.

Although he could not see the situation on the other side, Fu Qian still learned about the battle situation on the other side from his personal guards who were running around, and also learned a lot of key information from the prisoners who were captured in front of him.

"Xu Zhong and Sun Gui? Weren't they the ones who helped Lü Meng seize the four commanderies of Jingnan back then?"

"Yes!" The prisoner was terrified and dared not look up.

Fu Qian frowned.

He knew these two men; they weren't famous generals, but one was a member of Sun Quan's imperial clan, and the other was a relative of Sun Quan's maternal relatives. Their loyalty to Sun Quan was beyond question.

"No wonder the Wu bandits on the other side are so resilient, and no wonder the Wu bandits at other passes are constantly sending reinforcements."

In the Battle of Yiling, Sun Huan was trapped in an isolated city. The Han Dynasty originally intended to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements. Many Wu generals volunteered to send Lu Xun to support Sun Huan, but Lu Xun resolutely refused to send a single soldier.

Beneath the bronze mask of the lion-like beast, Fu Qian's expression was resolute:
Sun Quan only had one Lu Xun.

"Today's battle has increased our chances of victory by another 20%!"

That being said, it would still be very difficult for the Han Dynasty to directly seize the perilous Tiger Leap Gorge from the hands of Generals Xu Zhong and Sun Gui.

With favorable timing, geographical advantage, and popular support, the Han Dynasty now only has the advantage of the fog, while the geographical advantage lies with Wu and not Han. As for popular support, that is, the morale of both sides is roughly the same. Under these circumstances, there are only two ways to conquer a dangerous pass and win by orthodoxy.

One is willing to pay any price, even risking one's life for another.

One strategy was to buy time and wear down the enemy through logistics. The Han army's supply lines flowed downstream, while the Wu army's supply lines flowed upstream, making the speed of logistical support on both sides vastly different.

A mere deep ravine pass is not enough to make the Han Dynasty spare no expense to conquer it.

The strategic goal of the Han Dynasty was to control the Three Gorges. After the counties of Jing and Jiao responded, they could even try to take Jiangling and drive Sun Quan back to the east of the Xiang River. This would require a lightning-fast attack to catch Sun Quan off guard. Trying to buy time was not a viable option.

Therefore, the only option is to use an unexpected method.

The so-called "maintaining the orthodox while employing the unorthodox" means that before the unorthodox force launches a fatal blow, the main force must hold the line, mobilize all the enemy, deplete the enemy's manpower, and make the enemy unable to defend themselves, thereby buying time and space for the unorthodox force.

Therefore, even though Fu Qian had devised a strategy with the emperor and Chen Dao to defeat the enemy, and if the surprise attack was to be able to kill the enemy in one blow, it still required the soldiers who were "upholding justice" to sacrifice their lives.

Such is the cruelty of war.

No matter how much Fu Qianping usually loved his soldiers like his own children, at this moment, he had no thought of sparing their lives; all he had was the determination to achieve his goal at any cost.

As time passed, the fog gradually dissipated.

Fu Qian personally beat the war drum to cheer on the soldiers.

East bank of the stream.

Xu Zhong and Sun Gui, two Wu generals, were already somewhat intimidated by the fierce fighting of the Han army.

"Simply holding on like this is not a solution!"
"I'll lead my men to rush over and scout out the Shu army's strength!"
"Let's see who's really commanding the troops on the other side!"

Sun Gui stopped what he was doing and shouted to Xu Zhong, who was also in the distance, already in armor and leading the charge.

Xu Zhong, who was originally focused on fighting, was distracted by the sound.

Just then, a Han soldier in front of him suddenly roared and charged forward from the front line, thrusting his spear forcefully into Xu Zhong's face.

Xu Zhong was startled and almost forgot to parry.

Fortunately, his personal guards were not to be trifled with; they all drew their swords and spears to block the fatal blow, thus saving his life.

It was a false alarm.

Xu Zhong retreated, and Zhen Jia approached Sun Gui:

"What did you just say?!" Sun Gui repeated himself, then said:

"All the reinforcements that could come have arrived, but the Shu army's offensive on the other side of the river has not diminished at all!"
“Simply holding out is not the solution. I’ll lead my men to rush over and scout out the Shu army’s strength, and see who is actually commanding the troops on the other side!”
"I suspect... that the Shu army on the other side is not launching a feint attack at all, but rather the main force of the Shu army! Pan Taichang has been deceived by the Shu army!"
"I'll go scout the other side. If it turns out to be the command of the Shu army's vanguard commander, Fu Qian, then I'll probably have to ask Pan Taichang for help!"

Xu Zhong pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded in agreement.

The Shu army was too high in morale and too fierce in its offensive. Although the Wu army held the pass and defended the strategic location, its soldiers still suffered more casualties than the Shu army by 30% to 40%.

Given this situation, it is highly likely that the main force of the Shu army is on the other side.

"This is the only way!"

"If this stalemate continues, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold Tiger Leap Gorge!"

Sun Gui received the order.

So he led his personal guards away from the front lines to the rear to rest and regroup for a while.

He then concentrated his heavily armored soldiers, spears, bows, and crossbows in one place, and personally led an elite force of armored soldiers to tear a gap in the Han army's lines and charge onto the Han army's bamboo bridge.

Xu Zhong quickly led his elite troops to block the way, covering Sun Gui's rear.

On the bamboo bridge, the Han soldiers who were trying to reinforce the line were clearly not expecting the Wu army to be able to rush onto the bridge. They hastily engaged in battle but were quickly overwhelmed. Some fell into the water, while others retreated backward.

Sun Gui led from the front, displaying unparalleled bravery. He quickly pushed the battle line to the middle of the ravine, and with one stroke, he plunged a Han soldier into the water. Suddenly, he heard a cry of alarm from his personal guards behind him.

"General, look!"

Sun Gui looked up.

But then he saw the banner with the character "傅" (Fu) in gold on a red background reflected in his eyes.

Right in the center of the banner, a black and gold gluttonous beast opened its blood-red maw at him.

"Is it really Fu Qian?!" Sun Gui exclaimed in astonishment.

Just then, he was suddenly startled. Beneath the banner, a towering figure with a bronze mask covering a wild beast, its human or ghost indistinguishable, was drawing a bow and aiming an arrow at his brow.

Sun Gui's pupils trembled violently, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Driven by instinct, he plunged straight into the stream.

The people of Wu have always been fond of water.

Back then, during the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford, Ling Tong covered Sun Quan's rear, jumped into the Fei River in full armor, and luckily escaped.

Sun Gui was no exception.

After jumping into the stream, he first took out a dagger from his waist and calmly cut the knotted ropes binding his armor underwater. Then he swam more than ten steps downstream before poking his head out and landing on the east bank of the stream.

As a result of this exploration, he was almost shot dead by the Wu soldiers guarding the shore, who mistook him for a Han soldier diving. Fortunately, he shouted and cursed in Wu dialect to the group of soldiers, thus avoiding the misunderstanding of being shot dead by his own people.

"It really is Fu Qian himself here!" Sun Gui exclaimed, panting.

Xu Zhong frowned deeply: "Fu Qian himself... how many people did he bring? Can you even tell?!"

Sun Gui hesitated for a moment, then said, "They cover the entire mountainside! I'm afraid there are more than ten thousand people!"

Xu Zhong was taken aback, then gritted his teeth and said:
"First, we'll use the signal fires to change the situation, then we'll send someone to inform Grand Master Pan of the details of what's happening here!"

"it is good!"

Before long, beacon fires, signifying an enemy attack of over ten thousand men, were lit.

Half an hour passed, and the battle showed no signs of stopping.

The Han army continued to cross the river eastward, forming ranks as solid as mountains and walls.

Wu Jun fell wave after wave, only to be met with wave after wave of attacks.

Although the Han army suffered considerable losses, the Wu army was so terrified that they eventually gave up trying to stop the Han army from landing and instead relied on fortifications such as deer antlers and trenches to launch a defensive attack.

By this time, the fog had completely dissipated.

Fu Qian summoned Li Qiu:

"Wenqi, I'm entrusting this battle to you."

"I made an agreement with the leader of the Ba people that I would personally lead my troops to Eagle Sorrow Gorge to meet them."

The nephew of the Governor of Yijiang nodded resolutely:

"Don't worry, Commander, nothing will go wrong here!"

About six or seven miles to the north.

Eagle Sorrow Gorge.

The Wu army also encountered a surprise attack from the Han army here.

Although the Han army came with great force, building a bridge to attack, the stream here was extremely rapid, with jagged rocks in the water, making it far more dangerous than Tiger Leaping Gorge downstream.

The Shu army was unable to force a crossing and posed no threat whatsoever to the Wu army there.

Therefore, Xianyu Dan, a Wu general who had also followed Lü Meng, Xu Zhong, Sun Gui, and others in capturing the four commanderies of Jingnan, was summoned to serve as his military advisor:
"Now that everything is settled here, we still need reinforcements for Xu Zhong and Sun Guihu's jump into the ravine. Send another three hundred men to help them!"

"But General, we only have 1,200 men left!" The adjutant looked uneasy, somewhat afraid that something might happen.

Downstream at Tiger Leaping Gorge, smoke signals were lit, indicating that there were more than 10,000 enemy troops approaching. Within a few hours, they had already sent eight or nine hundred men to provide reinforcements.

Xianyu Dan gritted her teeth:
"Even eagles cannot cross this ravine, and the people of Shu have no chance to build a bridge across. They can only sigh in despair as they gaze at the ravine! Do not delay the military operation!"

"If the tiger leaps into the ravine and we are lost, do we have any way out?!"
"Eagle Sorrow Gorge is the last barrier. Further north, there are truly cliffs and precipices, and it's impossible for anyone to break through from there!"

"Even if there are any, they are just a few small dogs or raccoons, nothing to worry about!"

Upon hearing this, the military advisor pondered for a moment before accepting the order and leaving. Not long after, another three hundred Wu soldiers rushed to Tiger Leap Ravine to provide reinforcements.

Riverside.

Yanyu Pass.

Pan Jun climbed to a high place and looked into the distance.

The flames of war raged on and on.

The Han navy had not yet appeared.

Smoke rises from Tiger Leap Gorge, signaling the approach of ten thousand enemies.

Pan Jun was also at a loss for what to do.

The Shu navy was slow to arrive.

What if my prediction is wrong?

What if the main force of the Shu army is really at Shenjian Pass?
Should we... send troops north to reinforce Shenjian Pass?
"General, look!" Suddenly, Deng Xuanzhi pointed to the center of the river.

Pan Jun looked up.

But then the Han army's ships appeared, breaking through the fog!

Pan Jun's anxious heart instantly calmed down, and the thought of sending reinforcements to Shenjian Pass was immediately abandoned: "The Shu bandits have arrived, prepare for battle!"

(End of this chapter)