Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 440 How Can We Lose When the Flying Dragon Is Rush In?

Hou Jing led an army of tens of thousands across the Huai River, and the gates of Shouyang City were tightly closed.

Unlike the triumphant songs sung on the front lines, Hou Jing's face remained expressionless when no one was around.

Seeing this, Wang Wei was somewhat puzzled and asked:
"General, we have marched south, capturing cities and strongholds. We have taken most of the outlying cities around Shouyang. Why are you so worried?"

Wang Wei was intelligent, but he had never experienced a major battle involving hundreds of thousands of people in the north.

Hou Jing, however, had experienced it firsthand and understood very well how his opponent had been defeated!

Hou Jing had once mocked his opponent for his lack of military acumen, but when it came to his own turn, Hou Jing found himself helpless as well.

He is making the same mistakes that Yuan Shen and Ge Rong made, and he can't change them.

"Our army of over 100,000 men marched south, stretching for dozens of miles along the Fei River. They were too scattered. Moreover, the terrain here is different from that in the north, with a complex network of waterways. If we are not careful, we will suffer a great loss."

As Wang Wei seemed to be deep in thought, Jia Xianzheng walked in with a smile.

"We've found Chen Qingzhi! He's leading his defeated troops and is retreating towards Lijiang. We'll surround him and capture him alive soon!"

Seeing Jia Xianzheng like this, Hou Jing smiled, all his previous worries gone.

"When my brother accomplishes his great feat and Shouyang is captured, I will surely petition the court on his behalf and celebrate his victory!"

"This is also thanks to Wan Jing." Jia Xianzheng said with a smile, "The only famous general of Liang is Chen Qingzhi. If we capture him, Shouyang can be won without a fight."

"Shouyang is an important town in the Jianghuai region. The Liang Kingdom seized it while our Great Wei was in turmoil. If you, brother, can obtain it, it will be a great achievement for generations to come."

Perhaps because the battles had gone too smoothly along the way, Jia Xianzheng was now somewhat carried away with his pride and said:

"After the fall of Shouyang, Wan Jing will reside in Xuanhu, while we will reside in Shouyang. We can both serve as supreme generals."

Hou Jing listened and said with a grin:
"With your brother's merits, it would be appropriate for you to be appointed as a pillar of the state."

After hearing this, Jia Xianzheng laughed loudly:
“Wan Jing, you flatter me. The King of Chenliu was only granted the title of Pillar of State after conquering Bashu. We will have to wait until we have completely controlled the Jianghuai region before we can receive the King’s honor.”

"If Shouyang falls, the Yangtze and Huai rivers will not be far behind!"

The two exchanged a smile, and after Jia Xianzheng left, Hou Jing turned around and spat.

"Damn it, this isn't all you're capable of, and you already want to climb all over me. I'm still alive, and I'll be watching you become the pillar of the state!"

Wang Wei walked up and asked:
"General, what should we do? Should we take action?"

"Our troops are mostly in Henan, while the northerners are numerous and powerful. We cannot act rashly."

Hou Jing thought about it for a long time, but he was still a little worried.

"No, I have to go with them. If Chen Qingzhi is really old and not as brave as he used to be, and they capture him, I'll be at a huge loss."

……

The Lijiang River originates from the Shaopi Pond, flows eastward past the south of the Lijiang Pavilion, and then empties into the Fei River.

After retreating from Bagong Mountain, Chen Qingzhi went downstream to Lijiang, but did not enter Shouyang.

The Northern Army generals, including Jia Xiandu and Jia Xianzheng, decided to first capture Chen Qingzhi and his White Robe Army.

At this moment, Xiao Yuanming, a member of the Southern Liang imperial family who was guarding the city of Shouyang, dared not go out to fight.

The only fighting force left on the Huai River was Chen Qingzhi's unit.

Jia Xianzheng and his men had also come from the Six Garrisons Rebellion and were well-versed in military strategy. They knew they had to eliminate Chen Qingzhi's forces before reinforcements from other parts of Southern Liang arrived.

Otherwise, their attempt to besiege a large city like Shouyang would be much less effective.

When Hou Jing arrived with Wang Wei, the 30,000-strong northern army had already surrounded Chen Qingzhi's troops on the shore, encircling them from three sides.

Hou Jing approached Jia Xianzheng, who was giving instructions, and said:

"Chen Qingzhi is truly a great general. Even with his back to the river, his army still commands such a formidable force."

Jia Xianzheng just smiled and didn't take it to heart.

"They're facing a dead end, with their backs to the river. What can they do? Today, we'll annihilate their White Robe Army here and avenge the humiliation of yesteryear." With that, Jia Xianzheng glanced at Jia Xiandu and gave the order to attack.

The northerners are elite, and many are skilled in archery and horsemanship.

Facing a white-robed army that was far outnumbered, they launched a fierce attack from the outset.

Chen Qingzhi's white-robed soldiers used chariots as shields and were equipped with long spears and crossbows. They retaliated against the northern cavalry with a fierce rain of arrows.

The outcome was already clear at the very beginning of the battle.

The crossbows of Chen Qingzhi's troops were far more powerful than the horse and foot bows of the Northern army.

The Northern Army was not the first-order army of the Northern Dynasty. The bows used in the army were mostly infantry longbows made in Guanzhong.

The advantage of this longbow made of mulberry wood is that it is plentiful and plentiful, but the disadvantage is the same: it is cheap and its range and power are inferior to the crossbows used by the White Robe Army.

In addition, the Northern army was also equipped with a small number of horn bows.

The horn bows were expensive, with impressive range, rate of fire, and power. However, several rains had fallen in the Jianghuai region, making the climate humid. In their haste to pursue Chen Qingzhi, they hadn't properly maintained their weapons, and many of the horn bows had come apart, rendering them ineffective.

Seeing that his team was not gaining an advantage in the front-line firefights, Jia Xianzheng changed tactics.

The infantry, shields raised, led the way, while the cavalry followed behind. Once they reached a certain distance, the cavalry charged into the enemy formation.

Relying on their numerical advantage, Jia Xianzheng's tactics made progress in the early stages, breaking through the White Robe Army's lines and creating several gaps.

However, the White Robe Army's resilience exceeded Jia Xianzheng's expectations. The gap created by the cavalry did not continue to widen, and the White Robe Army soldiers quickly gathered and filled the gap.

Despite leaving behind the corpses of hundreds of riders, the White-Robed Army remained unmoved. Jia Xianzheng grew anxious and ordered a full-scale attack.

Hou Jing stood to the side, secretly amused.

Jia Xianzheng's three tricks were enough to deal with ordinary generals, but they were clearly insufficient to deal with a famous general like Chen Qingzhi.

If the entire army fails to capture the city after an attack, Jia Xianzheng will lose face big time.

Just as Hou Jing was chuckling to himself, Wang Wei, who was standing next to him, suddenly roared.

"General, look at the water!"

On the water?

When Hou Jing looked up, he saw more than a hundred warships emerging from the fog on the water behind the white-robed army formation, heading towards the shore.

The towering warships resembled giant beasts; their flanking vessels served as its claws and teeth.

The towering, multi-meter-high warships rapidly approached from afar, and as they gradually became clearer, the oppressive feeling they created was absolutely enormous for these northerners who had grown up on the grasslands and had hardly ever seen a ship.

More importantly, the arrival of this fleet brought Chen Qingzhi's troops, who were in dire straits, back to life.

"Wan Jing, don't panic. No matter how powerful the Liang Kingdom's warships are, can they really get ashore?"

This was the first time Jia Xianzheng had ever seen such a scene. He said there was no need to panic, but his voice was clearly trembling.

"Wanjing?"

When Jia Xianzheng looked back, Hou Jing was nowhere to be seen. Hou Jing had slipped away with Wang Wei sometime during the night.

In the distance, all that could be seen was a trail of dust and smoke.

……

Hundreds and thousands of fire crows and fireballs took off from the warships, soaring through the sky with sharp whistling sounds, and landed on the ground, flames and explosions intertwining.

The warhorses neighed in terror, and the northern soldiers were unable to control them.

Chen Qingzhi, standing in the ranks, had a stern face, seemingly having anticipated this, and issued the order for a counterattack.

"By imperial decree, whoever captures the bandit leader Hou Jing in this battle will be ennobled and rewarded with five hundred households!"

……

(End of this chapter)