Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 358 Don't panic, technical adjustments

Jingzhou is peaceful!
Li Bi's great general's banner, accompanied by the Three Stars Banner, fluttered above the city of Anding County in Jingzhou.

Along with them came 6,000 soldiers from the three prefectures and four counties of Guanzhong.

More than 20% of the elite troops from Guanzhong and Longxi gathered here.

The 6,000 soldiers and more than 3,000 auxiliary soldiers required a considerable amount of supplies, though not a large sum.

The Jing River flows through Jingzhou and connects with the Wei River. Grain and fodder sent from Yongping Granary in Chang'an, north of Guanzhong, can be transported directly to Anding by canal boats.

Li Bi stopped here not to wait for the grain and supplies, but to wait for someone.

Damn it!

This tribal leader, who had once fought with Heba Yue in Lingzhou, gradually felt that he had nowhere to go in Lingxia after Heba Yue attacked and captured Tongwan City, so he led his tribe south.

Even so, Cao Ni still had a wide network of informants.

Upon learning that Li Bi had arrived in Anding, Cao Ni led his men south, bringing with him an important message.

"Heba Yue ordered Zhao Gui to lead a main force of Wuchuan back to reinforce Lingzhou. She Digan, who was stationed in Xi'an Prefecture, learned of this and led his troops to intercept them. The outcome of the battle is unknown!"

Cao Ni's military intelligence was timely, which also meant that Heba Yue had placed his main force in Xiazhou and intended to defend Tongwan City to the death.

Upon learning this, Li Bi laughed and said:

"Heba Yue did not personally return to reinforce Lingzhou, but instead relied on the fortified city, intending to hold it firmly; his heart was already frightened!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Ni advised:
"General, you must not underestimate the enemy. Heba Yue's troops are formidable, and Zhao Gui is also a formidable foe."

Cao Ni's words were not unfounded. Over the years in Lingxia, Cao Ni had suffered many losses at the hands of Heba Yue, and had even been traumatized by these Wuchuan people.

Li Bi turned his head, glanced at Cao Ni, and said:
"I never underestimate my enemies, nor do I underestimate myself."

As he spoke, Li Bi took out a gold medal from his sleeve, on which were engraved the three large characters "Qin King's Decree".

Upon seeing this, Cao Ni lowered his head and said in a low voice:
"Welcome, King Qin!"

Li Bi helped Cao Ni up and said:

"You shall take this order to Yuanzhou and summon all the tribes of Yuanzhou to receive your command!"

Cao Ni raised his head and asked:
"What if they don't come?"

Li Bi gave a cold laugh, devoid of any emotion, and said:

"Now that His Majesty has issued the golden decree, if they do not obey my orders and submit to my command, then let them weigh their own weight!"

"promise!"

……

Xi'an Prefecture.

After King Zhaoxiang of Qin destroyed the Yiqu, he ordered the construction of the Great Wall in the northern border areas of Longxi, Beidi, and Shangjun, and sent troops to garrison it.

As time has passed, this section of the Great Wall has long lost its function of blocking the nomadic tribes of the north. Only the remaining walls still tell the story of its former glory.

Looking back, Shedi Gan could see the remnants of the ancient Great Wall that once traversed Xi'an Prefecture standing on the hill not far away.

In the past, She Digan had no interest in appreciating ancient sites, but now, he had no choice but to.

She Digan was waiting for military intelligence, feeling somewhat anxious.

The light cavalry of the Shedi tribe have already been dispatched to scout out the whereabouts of Zhao Gui's tribe.

Finding a force of several thousand men in the vast grasslands and sandy lands north of the Great Wall is no easy task.

It takes both time and patience!

Just as Shedi Gan was chewing on grass roots and waiting, his men finally brought good news.

"Khan, we've found them!"

Shedi Gan spat out the grass roots from his mouth, mounted his horse, and said:
"Come and live!"

The cavalry of the Northern Wei Dynasty was once quite formidable. With the combination of light and heavy cavalry, they were confident of victory even against enemy forces far superior to their own, or at least, if they were at a disadvantage, they could escape.

However, as the territory of the Northern Wei Dynasty expanded and the number of cities to be defended increased, the army configuration of pure cavalry in the early years could not adapt to the new era. The Northern Wei Dynasty had to change its military system and recruit a large number of infantrymen into the army to guard the prefectures and counties.

However, the tactics of the Northern Wei cavalry did not decline or even disappear, but were inherited and carried forward by the northern armies.

A hundred riders can surround a crowd of ten thousand; a thousand riders can spread out and cover a hundred miles.

Strategically, the advantage of light cavalry lies in reconnaissance, flanking maneuvers, and harassment, striking the enemy unexpectedly, causing them to be fearful, and destroying their morale.

On the battlefield, skilled light cavalry can harass enemy lines, disrupt their formations, find weaknesses, and create opportunities for the heavy armored units behind them to launch a decisive attack.

She Digan understood this principle, as did Zhao Gui.

In a way, they were all taught by the same master.

However, even if they are taught by the same master, different students will learn differently.

Excellent light cavalry are not easy to find, especially in the North. Although there is no shortage of light cavalry, there are many tribes of all sizes, and the tribal troops are difficult to integrate and cannot cooperate with each other. Even the troops within a tribe are not of one mind.

This situation improved considerably before and after Erzhu Rong established his hegemonic government.

Zhao Gui and the Wuchuan faction behind him were among the beneficiaries!
Shedi Gan led his tribe's light cavalry in pursuit of Zhao Gui's Wuchuan army. The two sides did not immediately engage in fierce combat upon meeting.

Even if Zhao Gui wanted to, She Di would not agree.

Both sides know what the other wants to do; it's a game of hunter and prey.

The difference is that it remains to be seen who the hunter and who the prey are!
The Wuchuan army led by Zhao Gui was stronger than the tribal troops of Shedigan, but Shedigan's goal was not to defeat the enemy in front of him, but to harass and hinder their march.

In fact, She Digan achieved his goal.

Upon detecting the scout cavalry of the Shedi tribe, Zhao Gui had already ordered his soldiers to don their armor. However, the sudden barrage of arrows from the Shedi cavalry still caused some losses to Zhao Gui's troops.

It's very simple: a person wearing armor can protect themselves from a hail of arrows, but a horse cannot.

Dozens of cavalry from the Shedi tribe launched a raid, killing and wounding several of Zhao Gui's warhorses, before quickly disengaging.

Zhao Gui was quite surprised by the improved tactical skills of the Kudi light cavalry. He led his troops in pursuit and, seeing the Kudi soldiers gathering their dozens of riders on the high ground not far away, roared:

"Shedi Gan, you've improved! Why don't you do more? You've spent all your money on women, isn't it enough to buy arrows?"

She Digan was not annoyed by Zhao Gui's provocation, but simply let out a long shout.

"What's the rush? Take your time!"

Zhao Gui made no further moves in response, and although his cavalry was slowly gathering behind him, he did not order an attack.

In fact, Zhao Gui knew that if he did that, he would be met with nothing but a hail of arrows and the order to retreat issued by She Digan.

Sure enough, as soon as he saw that Zhao Gui had more men behind him, She Digan immediately withdrew.

Before long, the Shedi cavalry had vanished from Zhao Gui's sight.

"General, what should we do?"

"Reinforce Lingzhou as soon as possible. If we're held up here by Shedi Gan, then we've really got what he wants!"
-
Tongwan City.

Ever since learning that Li Shuang had ordered a punitive expedition, Heba Yue had felt somewhat uneasy.

Before Yuwen Luosheng was assassinated, Heba Yue had met with him once.

At that time, Li Shuang was leading his army to fight a decisive battle against Erzhu Zhao and marching towards Taiyuan.

Heba Yue found Yuwen Luosheng and held a secret meeting with him, hoping to take this opportunity to go south, but all he received from Yuwen Luosheng was a single sentence—

We can't win! Heba Yue's suspicion and dissatisfaction immediately erupted!

The two parted on bad terms!

However, Li Shuang then defeated Erzhu Zhao, marched into Taiyuan, and took control of Hebei and the northern regions. The rapid changes in the situation left Heba Yue speechless.

Faced with this behemoth, even though Heba Yue had occupied Tongwan City, he was still ultimately apprehensive.

Zhao Gui is right, Li Shuang cannot afford the cost of failure!

The question is, can he afford it?

Tongwan City in Xia Prefecture and Huile, the capital of Ling Prefecture, were far apart. Between the two choices, Heba Yue chose Tongwan City.

It was because this city was fortified.

If one day Li Shuang really leads a large army to come, he can rely on this city to make a final resistance.

From the very beginning, Heba Yue had no intention of confronting Li Shuang head-on. He was also gradually coming to understand the meaning behind Yuwen Luosheng's words.

"Your Majesty, Hou Jing has arrived!"

For Heba Yue, the name Hou Jing meant nothing!
But for the Hu people who have now submitted to him, this name carries immense magic.

Upon hearing this name, they instinctively felt fear.

"Your Majesty, we cannot allow this scoundrel to wreak havoc in Xia Prefecture!"

Upon hearing that Hou Jing had arrived, the group of Hu people already knew what he was going to do!

Immediately, they wanted to persuade Heba Yue to launch an attack and defeat Hou Jing's army!

Heba Yue and his men's wealth were either in Lingzhou or Tongwan City, but the tribes of the Hu people who had submitted to him were all outside Tongwan City!

If we don't take action now that Hou Jing has arrived, how many will be left?

Looking at the crowd urging him to send troops, Heba Yue thought to himself that the people of Xia Prefecture were not as united as he had imagined.

Li Shuang didn't even make any major moves, simply sending out Hou Jing. With this slight provocation, chaos ensued.

"Hou Jing led his army to harass us. It's not a good idea for our army to fight fires everywhere. You should move the people, cattle and sheep of the tribe to Tongwan City."

Heba Yue's words aroused suspicion and uncertainty among the Hu chieftains, who asked:

"If Your Majesty acts this way, won't people think you're cowardly?"

There was still a layer of doubt in everyone's hearts. They could decide how many cattle, sheep, and people they owned outside, but once they entered the city, things would be different.

After all, everyone present had experienced the Six Garrisons Rebellion and knew exactly what kind of state the Northern Wei army was in the end.

If we can't deal with the rebels, we can at least deal with you!

Heba Yue's face darkened, and beside him, his military advisor Lei Shao shouted:
"What do you mean? Without King Xia, where would you find a place to live? If you are unwilling, you may leave."

Lei Shao's rebuke made all the Hu people lower their heads.

"We dare not, but the enemy's forces are overwhelming. We wonder what Your Majesty's strategy is?"

Heba Yue began to speak:

"We should rely on fortified cities and hold them firmly, awaiting reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?"

Everyone was puzzled. Where were there any reinforcements around Xiazhou now? Weren't they all surrounded by Li Shuang's men?
Heba Yue said:

"Tongwan City is a fortified city. Even if Daye Shuang leads all his elite troops here, he won't be able to take it in a short time. But if all his Guanzhong elite troops are here, Erzhu will surely lead his army to press on. As long as we can hold out for a long time, we will have a chance to win!"

Are they pinning their hopes on the Erzhu clan?

What if Erzhu clan just watches when Li Shuang marches in? Or what if they march in but don't pose a threat to Li Shuang?
Everyone was greatly disappointed.

Heba Yue also noticed the discontent emanating from the group of Hu people. He wanted to appease them, but then one of the Hu people stepped forward and loudly proclaimed:
"Your Majesty also commands an army of ten thousand. If we join forces, we might be able to fight against Da Yeshuang. Why are you besieging the city and entrusting our lives to others?"

Heba Yue's expression changed, and Lei Shao didn't even have a chance to play the bad cop before the man spoke:
"If Your Majesty wishes to live a life of ease, why did you not go to Chang'an City in the first place? Da Ye Shuang would surely have granted Your Majesty a lifetime of wealth and honor. Why suffer here day and night?"

This statement resonated with many Hu people.

"Bold..."

Before Lei Shao could finish his rebuke, Heba Yue waved his hand to stop him.

Appropriate reprimands and punishments are useful, but if they go too far, they will cause these barbarians to rebel.

Heba Yue suddenly realized that he had lost his heroic spirit in front of these Hu people.

And this is very important!

If you don't dare to take the lead, what kind of leader are you?

Anyone can hide in the city!
You're afraid to fight just because of Hou Jing. What will you do when Da Yeshuang comes?
Although the group didn't say it outright, that's what they were thinking.

Heba Yue looked at the group of Hu people and said:
"What I have said is a general outline, not an intention to be trapped in an isolated city, but rather that the time is not yet ripe! Consider this: the battle report from Lingzhou has not yet arrived; now is not the right time. Wouldn't we be more confident if we waited for the victory report?"

The group had some doubts, but they were temporarily persuaded by Heba Yue.

……

Dongxia Prefecture.

Hou Jing, mounted on his horse, opened his arms and embraced the Loess Plateau under the autumn sun.

Of course, it wouldn't be accurate to say that the Loess Plateau is a yellowish-brown color at this moment; it is still lush with trees.

"General, please give the order!"

Behind Hou Jing, the Huai Shuo cavalry following him were already eager to fight.

For these Huai Shuo people, nothing motivates them more than fighting the Wu Chuan people.

"No rush, the king's orders from Chang'an haven't come down yet."

"What is Your Majesty waiting for?"

"Naturally, we'll see how the Erzhu family of Luoyang reacts!"

As he spoke, Hou Jing cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Chang'an, which was to the southwest:

"Your Majesty is so wise, you have naturally considered everything. It is laughable that Heba Yue not only did not surrender in the face of Your Majesty's order, but also dared to fight back."

"How long will we have to wait?"

"It will be soon; the order from Chang'an will arrive in the next day or two."

Just then, a fast horse arrived, bringing with it orders from Chang'an.

Hou Jing opened it and his body trembled slightly.

"General, what did the King say?"

"The King says that Heaven cherishes life!"

"What does this mean?"

Hou Jing felt an unparalleled sense of excitement, and tears welled up in his eyes without him realizing it.

"After all these years, I can finally put my talents to good use!"

……

(End of this chapter)