Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 359 Don't let me hear those two words
After enduring ten days of harassment by Shedi Gan, Zhao Gui finally led his army to the territory of Lingzhou.

After reaching Lingzhou, the Yellow River flows north-south, flanking the Helan Mountains and forming a vast plain in the border region.

During the Han Dynasty, agricultural settlements were established in the area west of the Yellow River to develop agricultural land.

Although the area west of the Yellow River in Lingzhou is much larger, for a long time, the economic center of Lingzhou has been Pule County east of the Yellow River, which is one of the famous three western towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Bogulü Town!
When Heba Yue became the governor of Lingzhou, he did not make this town, built on a sandbar in the Yellow River, his main base. Instead, he chose to expand Huile County as his base.

One factor was the lack of surrounding forces capable of defeating Heba Yue and the other Wuchuan people; more importantly, the situation had changed.

The Northern Wei established the Bogulu Town to defend against the Rouran people, but the biggest threat Heba Yue faced was not the Hu people on the west bank of the Yellow River, who were actually his allies. The real pressure Heba Yue had to face came from Guanzhong.

In this way, by moving their main base to Huile County, they could not only control the most fertile agricultural area of ​​Lingzhou nearby, but also use it as a center to control key routes, establish a defense system, and resist the invasion of Guanzhong forces.

In fact, the defense system that Hebayue has established in Huile County in recent years has already been effective.

When Zhao Gui led his army back, the land was already engulfed in flames. He Douling Bufan, who was originally in Yuanzhou, led his tribal cavalry as the vanguard and entered Lingzhou first.

Like the Kudi tribe, the main force of the Hedouling tribe was also light cavalry. However, unlike the Kudi tribe, the Hedouling tribe adopted the Xiongnu tactics, making them more difficult to deal with.

Zhao Gui led his army to a branch city on the outskirts of Huile County, gathered the surrounding troops, and prepared for military operations.

This small town, built of rammed earth, is not large, but with the protection of its walls, his soldiers were able to sleep soundly for the first time in days, no longer worried about arrows shooting from somewhere.

Zhao Gui, however, couldn't sleep.

The situation in Lingzhou was worse than he had imagined.

Hedoulingbufan, a tribal chief, actually played the trick of besieging the city, leading his men to surround the main city.

Of course, they did not have the ability to attack the city for the time being, nor did they seem to have the intention to do so. However, if this situation continued, it would undoubtedly be disadvantageous for Zhao Gui and his men.

If this drags on any longer, not only will the reserves of this small city be unable to support Zhao Guijun's consumption, but Li Bi will also be coming!

Li Bi's bravery was among the best in the entire Guanzhong region; only a handful of people, such as Gao Ang and Hou Mochen Chong, could compare to him.

Zhao Gui was not confident of winning against him!

We must clear the road to the main city before Li Bi arrives and bring thousands of reinforcements into the main city.

Thanks to the reserves in the main city, Zhao Gui was able to continue fighting this battle.

Having devised a specific battle strategy in his mind, Zhao Guicai went to sleep.

As a native of Wuchuan, and having served under Ge Rong during the Six Garrisons Rebellion, Zhao Gui was quite wary.

On ordinary days, Zhao Gui would wake up before the sun had even risen.

This time, however, Zhao Gui was too exhausted after a long entanglement with She Digan, and he was woken up the next day.

Zhao Gui slept soundly, but when he woke up, the men who had woken him up didn't bring him any reassurance.

Li Bi has arrived!

Upon hearing the news, Zhao Gui donned his armor and climbed the city wall. Looking out from the city, the Three Stars Banner stood out starkly.

……

Faced with Li Bi's army, Zhao Gui had no choice but to continue holding out. The only thing he could do was to buy his soldiers another half-day of rest.

Then, in the afternoon, he led his troops out of the city to engage in a decisive battle with Li Bi's army.

Zhao Gui understood that now that Li Bi had arrived, the further things went, the more disadvantageous it would be for them.

We must take a gamble when we have the advantage.

Zhao Guijun's main force consisted of 4,000 elite soldiers, primarily composed of Wuchuan natives and soldiers from the Six Garrisons, plus local troops gathered from Lingzhou, totaling approximately 10,000 men.

In order to seize the opportunity, Li Bi left his infantry and baggage behind, arriving with only a thousand cavalrymen, one man and three horses, plus light cavalry drawn from tribes such as Hedouling, totaling less than six thousand cavalrymen.

The ratio of troops on both sides is roughly two to one.

There were no strategic locations to defend in the open plains.

Zhao Gui constructed an infantry square in the center of the battle formation with 4,600 garrison soldiers as the core, and selected more than 2,000 tribal soldiers as spearmen to be positioned in front of the formation. He then used the light cavalry of the Hu tribe as the flanks to ensure the safety of both sides of the formation.

Zhao Gui led several hundred cavalrymen as the absolute core, positioned in the center of the formation.

Although Lingzhou has no shortage of horses, it is certainly not wealthy, and the Lingzhou army is not capable of building a strong cavalry legion. In particular, Heba Yue transferred a large number of warhorses to quell the rebellion in Xiazhou, resulting in Zhao Gui's army being mainly composed of infantry.

Even so, Zhao Guijun still had the advantage because they were not the attackers.

Li Bi, mounted on his horse, looked at the enemy's formation, which resembled a tortoise shell, but did not find it troublesome. Instead, he looked at Hedouling Bufan beside him.

This tribal leader, who surrendered to Li Shuang as soon as he entered Guanzhong, has been stationed in Yuanzhou with his tribe for many years. He was later appointed Khan and wore the silver eagle ring bestowed by Li Shuang. His troops are strong and well-equipped.

"Khan, what do you think should be done in this battle?"

He Douling Bufan quickly answered Li Bi's question.

"Disrupt their flanks and disrupt their formation, then strike once and win."

Li Bi nodded and said:

"The Khan is well-versed in military strategy. If we win this battle, the situation in Lingzhou will be settled. In the future, before Your Majesty, the Khan's Flying Eagle Ring can be replaced with a Tiger Head Ring!"

"I will obey!"

Having said that, Hedoulingbufan led his cavalry to the front, heading straight for Zhao Gui's army.

However, when they reached within two or three hundred paces of the battle formation, Hedoulingbufan did not charge in. Instead, he took advantage of his light cavalry and maneuvered around the enemy lines.

Zhao Gui naturally wouldn't stand by and watch his formation be constantly harassed by the light cavalry of Hedoulingbufan, so he sent the Hu cavalry on the outer perimeter to meet them.

Zhao Gui kept his eyes fixed on Li Bi and his thousand cavalry.

But the other party didn't make a move.

It wasn't until a volley of arrows struck Zhao Gui's army that he was forced to look away from Li Bi.

Outside the six-thousand-man infantry formation, the light cavalry of both sides were already clashing. However, the tribal troops of Hedoulingbufan were clearly superior.

Despite having roughly the same number of cavalry, Hedouling Bufan's cavalry managed to encircle Zhao Gui's light cavalry like dumplings.

The cavalry of Hedoulingbufan were superior not only in equipment and horses to the Hu cavalry of Lingzhou, but also in the individual quality of their soldiers.

Most of the soldiers of the Hedouling tribe could shoot with both hands while on horseback, which allowed them to fire at almost no blind spots during their maneuvers.

The Hu cavalry of Lingzhou were unable to flexibly change the direction of their arrows, which limited their shooting angles and directions, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness.

The Hu cavalry lacked fighting spirit, and seeing that the Hedouling tribe was gaining the upper hand, signs of collapse had already appeared in some areas.

Zhao Gui naturally knew that if his light cavalry were defeated, his tortoise shell formation would become a joke, turning him into a sitting duck for the enemy.

Immediately, Zhao Gui changed the formation, ordering the spearmen on the perimeter to spread out, and the soldiers from the Six Garrisons to step forward to reinforce the formation.

These spearmen were local soldiers from Lingzhou, and their equipment was far inferior to that of the Six Garrisons. Their only role was to fight against cavalry.

Other than that, there are no other features.

The soldiers of the Six Garrisons were different; as the core force in the battle formation, they could perform a variety of tasks. Almost every soldier in the Six Garrisons carried a bow and arrow, and Zhao Gui's deployment of them to hold the line proved effective.

The range of the foot archer was much greater than that of the horse archer. The six garrison soldiers fired a barrage of arrows, raining down on the densely packed cavalry of the Hedouling tribe, disrupting the rhythm of the Hedouling tribe's attack.

However, Hedouling Bufan quickly devised a countermeasure: to create distance. Light cavalry is far more agile than infantry, and Hedouling Bufan's offensive rhythm remained steady. He abandoned the prey that approached Zhao Gui's army formation, letting them escape, and slowly retreated, intending to devour the Hu cavalry that were already surrounded by them 300 paces away from Zhao Gui's army formation in one fell swoop.

During the tug-of-war, the troops of the Six Garrisons advanced outwards, forming a salient at the point where the two sides clashed.

Zhao Gui suddenly realized the problem and decided to recall the troops from the six garrisons.

But at this moment, Li Bijun had already made his move.

The thousand cavalry galloped forward, almost touching the edge of the outer spearmen's formation. Just as they were about to touch the salient of both sides, they suddenly accelerated and cut in.

Zhao Guijun's army formation was thrown into chaos by Li Bi's charge.

Zhao Gui acted decisively, reorganized the formation, abandoned the outer soldiers, and gathered the spearmen, attempting to form a smaller circle within the original large formation.

What Zhao Gui failed to realize was the impact his actions would have on morale.

The soldiers who were cut off from the outer perimeter could not return to their ranks, and their morale collapsed almost instantly, disintegrating in an instant.

Li Bi seized the opportunity and led his cavalry in a charge, cutting into Zhao Gui's army formation.

Their fighting spirit was so strong, and their fighting power so fierce, that at this moment, they were as if they were entering an empty land!
-
Tongwan City.

Heba Yue wanted the leaders of the Hu tribes around Tongwan City to move their people and wealth into the city, and Hou Jing helped him do it!

Heba Yue wanted to carry out a scorched-earth policy outside Tongwan City, and Hou Jing helped him do it!

Heba Yue wanted to unite the people of the various tribes in Xia Prefecture to fight against foreign enemies, and Hou Jing helped him achieve that!

Heba Yue was not happy; instead, he started cursing loudly.

"That bastard! I heard from those barbarians that wherever he goes, loaches are split vertically in two!"

Lei Shao, standing to the side, said:

"Hou Jing's actions are not about plundering the local area at all. These days, he has been leading his cavalry to roam freely in Xia Prefecture, committing all sorts of atrocities and driving the old, weak, sick, and disabled into our city. How can we hold out if this continues?"

Heba Yue frowned. He wanted the Hu people around Tongwan City to be an asset, not a burden.

"Keep the city gates closed and stop accepting foreigners from outside."

"Your Majesty, if we do this, I fear the barbarians will resent us!"

"What good is resentment?"

Heba Yue said:

"I'd like to see what Hou Jing can do when I close the city gates."

Just then, an urgent report came from outside the mansion.

"Your Majesty, a plague has broken out in the city!"

Upon hearing this, Heba Yue panicked and hurriedly asked:
"When did it start?"

"Just a day ago, many of the livestock in the city had become listless, but fortunately they were discovered in time and have already been dealt with."

"Why is this happening? Has the cause been found out?"

"It should be caused by the livestock brought by those Hu people. The other animal pens are not affected for the time being. We have investigated and it seems that these infected livestock were deliberately left behind by Hou Jing."

Upon hearing this, Heba Yue angrily cursed:

"Hou Jing, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, another announcement came.

"Your Majesty, the granaries in the city are on fire! It's Hou Jing's..."

"enough!"

Heba Yue, his face contorted with anger, spoke:

"I don't want to hear the name Hou Jing again!"

Lei Shao then said:
"Your Majesty, if we do not send troops soon, we may not be able to win the support of the people. Those barbarians will no longer follow us. If the people's hearts are scattered, it will be the same whether we defend Tongwan City or not."

He frowned upon hearing this.

He wanted to close the city and defend it, but the current situation left him no choice.

"Gather the troops, I'm going to kill that bastard Hou Jing!"

"Your Majesty..."

"what happened again?"

The constant stream of reports irritated Heba Yue, but this time, upon hearing the news from outside, he calmed down.

"Ono Sō's army has arrived, but it is no longer sufficient to govern Wancheng within a hundred li!"

……

"Xia Prefecture is so different from Guanzhong. I've walked for over a hundred miles and haven't seen a soul. It's so open and spacious, and the air is so fresh!"

Standing atop the high slope, Li Shuang couldn't help but sigh.

If the Hu people in Tongwan City heard this, they would probably start cursing.

Just half a month ago, this was the largest livestock trading market in Xia Prefecture.

However, it has now become a wilderness.

Perhaps, this is the wonder of nature!
Hou Jing stood beside Li Shuang, showing no remorse whatsoever for being the culprit.

"Your Majesty is right. Under the rule of these northerners, the people of Xia Prefecture are suffering greatly. As the saying goes, oppressive government is as fierce as a tiger. If it weren't for this, how could Your Majesty not have been greeted with 'food and drink to welcome the royal army' upon your arrival?"

Hou Jing then changed the subject.

"However, Heaven cherishes life. Although this place is sparsely populated, all living things are able to thrive and grow. Your Majesty's benevolent rule extends not only to all living beings but also to all creatures and spirits. This is the result of Your Majesty's benevolence!"

After Hou Jing finished speaking, Hulü Guang walked over and whispered in Li Shuang's ear:
"Your Majesty, Heba Yue has sent someone!"

Li Shuang's expression changed as he returned to the military camp and met Heba Yue's envoy.

Lei Shao!

His intention was simple: he wanted war!

In fact, the people sent by Heba Yue already knew Heba Yue's attitude.

Upon hearing Lei Shao's righteous and stern condemnation, Li Shuang merely smiled and ordered someone to fetch a box from the side, handing it to Lei Shao.

"King of Qin, what is inside?"

"The great banner of the Lingzhou army!"

Lei Shao stared blankly at the box in his hand, then looked at the man in black who always wore a smile not far away, his heart trembling.

……

(End of this chapter)