Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 188 Between the Enemy and Us
As dusk fell, after a day of fighting, Yuchi Pusa ordered a retreat.

Xiao Baoyin followed Yuchi Bodhisattva, his morning words still ringing in his ears, but by evening, things had not turned out the way he had expected.

Those Han soldiers who were considered utterly incapable by Yuchi Pusa actually withstood the attack.

The offensive and defensive zones of both sides remained within the first few lines of defense on Shallow Water Plain.

Hu Bing lost about a hundred men and wounded several hundred. These losses were not significant, but the damage to morale was crucial.

"The Grand Chancellor should reassure the troops."

Xiao Baoyin suggested.

If Xiao Baoyin were in such a situation, he would definitely need to spend money to appease the morale of his troops.

However, Yuchi Bodhisattva did not do that. Instead, he directly summoned back all the Hu soldiers and officers who had led the attack that day.

"Where is Chili Fuzhu?"

Yuchi Pusa looked around among the officers but didn't see any familiar faces, so he asked.

"he died!"

Yuchi Bodhisattva's eyes widened instantly, and for a moment he seemed unable to catch his breath. Xiao Baoyin could tell that Yuchi Bodhisattva was truly heartbroken.

But Yuchi Bodhisattva showed no sign of grief, and quickly turned his attention to the war. Even the death of this officer named Chili Fuzhu was part of the war.

How did he die?

“Chili Fuzhu was shot to death by a Han soldier centurion with a crossbow. The arrow pierced his throat, and he fell off his horse and died.”

"crossbow?"

“The enemy’s crossbows are very powerful and can penetrate our armor. Li Shuang has deployed a battalion at the front line, with each hundred-man squad equipped with twenty or thirty crossbows.”

Unlike bows, crossbows are products of mechanical engineering.

The steps of cocking, aiming, and firing are done in one go with a bow, but can be done separately with a crossbow.

In open field battles, crossbows are naturally less convenient than bows, but in fortified camp battles, the advantages of crossbows can be maximized.

“Those Han soldiers, relying on their fortifications and crossbows, have repelled our attacks several times. If we continue our attack tomorrow, we will likely suffer a great loss.”

Yuchi Pusa nodded and, in the main tent, discussed the gains and losses of the battle with a group of Hu soldiers and officers, and deliberated on how to deal with it.

In the past, when Xiao Baoyin mobilized troops for battle, he acted as the commander and formulated strategies. He would reward his subordinates if they won and comfort them if they lost, but he completely disregarded how they fought.

But the atmosphere in the tent now made him realize for the first time that war could be fought like this!

The relationship between officers and commanders-in-chief can be so harmonious.

"Grand Commander, we have roughly figured out the range and power of the enemy's crossbows. I suggest we rush to make shields tonight, and also build a few battering rams, wrapped in cowhide, preferably with iron plates sandwiched between them. When we attack again, our men can hide in these rams and avoid the crossbow bolts as they go up."

After hearing this suggestion, Bodhisattva Yuchi quickly agreed.

After all, the information provided by officers on the front lines of the battlefield is certainly worthy of respect.

"That's it!"

After the discussion was over, everyone left, but Xiao Baoyin remained in the tent, hesitant and stammering.

"Emperor of Great Qi, speak your mind!"

Xiao Baoyin pondered for a moment and said:

"I believe that the Grand Chancellor and the generals made a mistake in their decision."

Yuchi Bodhisattva did not disregard Xiao Baoyin's opinion because of this. After all, unlike a high-ranking commander like Xiao Baoyin, he had risen from the bottom.

A single misjudgment could determine the life or death of soldiers on the front lines. However, Yuchi Pusa didn't immediately ask; instead, he treated it as a challenge, carefully considering the strategy again before slowly speaking:
"How is it wrong?"

“Li Shuang has no shortage of skilled craftsmen. He dared to set up a camp on the shallow plain and use these Han soldiers, so he must have prepared enough weapons and is not afraid of your attack. It is useless to fight him in the camp. We must find a way to bring out his main army.”

After pondering for a moment, Yuchi Bodhisattva said to Xiao Baoyin:

"What you say makes sense, but I don't know if it's right or wrong. I'll have to try a few times to see for sure."
-
In the shallow waters of the former camp.

After a day of attack and defense, these young soldiers did not show any signs of fatigue, but were quite excited.

Having repelled the enemy and mastered their weapons, despite the casualties, the day's battle only fueled their boundless enthusiasm.

I stayed by the campfire until midnight before finally falling asleep.

Li Shuang walked out of the main tent and looked down at the camp of Yuchi Bodhisattva below the shallow water plain, which was still brightly lit.

"They must be working through the night to make the equipment!"

Houmo Chenchong was not surprised by this. He was very familiar with how the opposing army operated. The various military towns of Northern Wei were not isolated from each other; on the contrary, there was frequent movement between the towns.

Hou Mochenchong considered Hu Bing on the opposite side to be quite weak, and he knew their moves very well.

"My lord, why do we waste our time fighting these barbarians here? Isn't it just a waste of money and supplies? Do you treat these soldiers differently just because they are Han Chinese?"

At this moment, Guanzhong is undergoing a major construction project, and they are not very wealthy. They could have fought a battle with just one or two thousand cavalry, so why bring more than ten thousand men!
Hou Mochen Chong voiced the doubt that had been lingering in his mind.

In the darkness, the campfire flickered in the distance. Li Shuang's expression was inscrutable; he simply said:
"These barbarians are not important, and these soldiers are not important either!"

"Then what is the purpose of this battle?"

Hou Mochen Chong hesitated for a moment, but then he heard Li Shuang say:
"After this battle, those who survive are the most important!"

Hou Mochen Chong listened, seemingly lost in thought.

These words are cruel, yet utterly true.

……

It's bright.

Yuchi Bodhisattva once again stood before the great banner beneath the shallow water plain, watching his soldiers attack the camp.

However, this attack ended very quickly.

The Hu soldiers pushed their battering rams and carried their shields forward, and the crossbow bolts had no effect on them.

However, these defenses slowed down the Hu army's advance.

The soldiers behind the camp were already prepared and lit the rockets.

When the battering rams moved forward, they fell into a trap that had been prepared in advance. As the rockets were fired into the fire channel, flames instantly ignited, and the wooden battering rams quickly caught fire.

Not only that, the Han soldiers who had been hiding behind the camp no longer stayed behind the camp as they had in the previous days. Instead, they took advantage of the fire to charge out and engage the Hu soldiers in direct combat.

Yuchi Bodhisattva looked at Xiao Baoyin beside him and said:

"It seems you were right. I shouldn't have tried to outsmart these Han Chinese."

After these words were spoken, the sounds of fighting in front of the camp grew even louder. More and more of the local soldiers charged out, taking advantage of the Hu soldiers' loss of courage.

Yuchi Bodhisattva had never expected that the changes in these soldiers would be so rapid.

He suddenly realized something, looked at the large banner fluttering atop the highest point of the undulating terrain of Qianshui Plain, and exclaimed in astonishment:

"Li Shuang is training his troops!"

(End of this chapter)