Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 155 March
In March, the grass is green and the birds are singing in Huaibei.

Murong Zhou's camp was on the east bank of the Si River, like a wild beast lying on the ground.

In this plain terrain, Liu Daogui's movements had long been discovered by the other party.

The Yan army on the opposite bank strung their bows and crossbows, and the cavalry mounted their horses, dividing into four armies: front, back, left and right. The infantry in the front, left and right stood with long spears and large shields, while the rear was composed entirely of cavalry.

A decent array.

But precisely because it was so conventional, there was no chance to eat it at all.

Liu Zun said, "Murong Zhou is a coward. He has 17,000 troops against our 2,000, and he's actually defending!"

"This just shows that this person is not easy to deal with."

No matter how Liu Daogui tried to lure them, the other party refused to cross the river.

Murong Zhou also seems to be a difficult person to deal with.

"How about I lead 500 warriors as the vanguard to disrupt their formation." Wang Zhongde held up a heavy axe.

If Murong Long's 3,000 cavalrymen were not behind him, Liu Daogui would not mind imitating Liu Laozhi's battle of Luojian and taking the initiative to attack, but it was obviously not appropriate at this time.

The defense on the other side was tight, with the formation advancing in layers, blocking the river bank. We attacked them halfway across the river, and forced them to cross the river, resulting in heavy casualties.

In the Battle of Feishui, the reason why Xie Xuan led 7,000 elite troops to cross the river successfully was because Fu Jian was too arrogant.

Judging from Murong Zhou's various behaviors, he is a very cautious person.

This kind of person is actually the most difficult to deal with.

"No need, let's continue heading north and head straight for Lu County!" Liu Daogui pointed to the northeast. This was all his family's belongings were. If he lost once, he would never have a chance to make a comeback.

Murong Zhou brought 17,000 troops, but Lu County was left empty.

"It's a good strategy to criticize the strong and attack the weak." Gao Xun praised it out of habit.

Having fewer soldiers has its advantages. They can be used as if they were one's own arms and can leave at any time.

Although they had no horses, the soldiers of the Eight Battalions had been running in the mountains all year round, and their leg strength had long been trained, so they marched quite fast.

But the Yan army scouts and cavalry were always following behind him.

On the plain, all the marching intentions were obvious.

Liu Daogui sent more than 30 scouts behind him, and now it depends on whether Murong Zhou will follow.

An army of 17,000 will be vulnerable as soon as it moves.

An hour later, a scout came running over, a feathered arrow stuck in his back, and panting, "General, Murong Zhou has moved. Two thousand cavalry are galloping upstream!"

Sure enough, he discovered Liu Daogui's intention.

"Upstream? Murong Zhou is preparing to intercept us." Wang Yuande reacted the fastest.

Wang Zhongde said, "The Suo Lu don't want to give us a chance to live. They want to swallow us whole."

Liu Daogui supported the scout and checked his injuries. The wound was not deep because of the protection of leather armor. The horse archery that the Hu people were proud of was actually just that.

Shooting arrows on a galloping and bumpy warhorse sounds amazing, but in reality, the accuracy and range are insufficient.

You can only catch them off guard.

The scout pulled out the arrow without saying a word.

"Go get it bandaged."

"Thank you, Army!"

"Agui..." Liu Zun opened his mouth, but was frightened by Liu Daogui's look and immediately changed the subject, "Join the army, what should we do now? The road ahead is blocked, and the rear is being pursued. We can't just sit there and wait for death, right?"

Liu Daogui thought about it and realized that there were enemy troops on the northeast, east and south. Once he was attacked, the cavalry on the south and north would pounce directly on him, and he would have no chance of winning.

You have to burn your boats and fight to the death when you have no other choice.

Moreover, when Han Xin fought the battle with his back to the river, he also had a detachment to raid the enemy's rear.

In history, all those who imitated Han Xin's fight with his back to the river ended up dying miserably. Those who are quick to risk their lives are all reckless.

"Go west, cross the Zhu River, and feint an attack on Rencheng!" Liu Daogui pointed to the west.

Liu Zun shouted, "Aren't you going to run me to death?"

Liu Daogui laughed and said, "You're right. We want to run Suolu to death or even drag him down to death!"

Rencheng is located near a swamp, one of the nine ancient swamps, including Daye, Heze, Leize, and Mengzhuze. During the Chu-Han period, Peng Yue attacked the Chu army in this area, appearing and disappearing with his elusiveness, leaving Xiang Yu paralyzed. The presence of a swamp could have limited cavalry, buying time.

Wang Yuande reminded him, "Joining the army is a good idea, but our army only has enough food for five days."

If you want to emulate Peng Yue, you also need to have enough food.

"We have swamps, rivers, fields, and cities. Are you still worried about not having food? There are more than 200 donkeys and mules in the army. We can kill them when the time comes."

The Bazhuang people originally combined fishing, hunting, farming and animal husbandry, and had strong survival abilities.

"We will fight the way you say!" Liu Zun's face was filled with renewed fighting spirit.

"West, west!"

The troops loudly relayed the military orders, and a few of the captured soldiers complained, but were immediately reprimanded by the fire chief. "I joined the army to support you and treat you like brothers. Is this how you repay your loyalty?"

"If you dare to complain again, you will be punished by military law!"

The complaining soldiers immediately fell silent.

On the contrary, the soldiers of the Eighth Battalion were used to it.

Over the past year or so, they have frequently traveled north to fight against the Hu people, and have become increasingly tough.

There is even a trend of exceeding the number of soldiers in the conquest.

People are tempered by hardships. In essence, the Eight Buildings and the Northern Palace Army are refugees from the north. Repeated bloody battles have made them more and more elite.

The troops immediately marched westward.

This move obviously exceeded the expectations of the Yan army. The cavalry on both the north and south sides were somewhat at a loss and stopped where they were.

In the east, Murong Zhou's 15,000-plus infantry crossed the Si River and followed behind slowly.

The further west you go, the more rivers, lakes, mudflats and swamps you find.

What was once a vast expanse of fertile land has now become a vast wilderness.

The green grass and the sky are the same color, with tents and cattle and sheep dotted around, making people feel as if they are on the grassland.

The land where the Chinese ancestors lived for thousands of years has become a pasture for the barbarians. This is a great shame and humiliation...

The soldiers plundered two Dingling tribes and replenished some food.

Before leaving, they set fire to the Dingling people's tents and piled their heads on the roadside to anger the enemies chasing them.

Liu Daogui simply ignored Rencheng and continued to kill towards Daye Lake in the northwest.

There were flames everywhere along the way.

The Hu people fled in all directions, and the Jin people hid in the fortresses as if facing a formidable enemy.

During the march, the soldiers ate and drank enough, and their bodies became stronger and stronger.

However, during this long march, 137 soldiers were lost, but Liu Daogui believed that the Yan army following behind must have suffered even more.

What matters now is not who has stronger military force, but perseverance and endurance.

"Report - Murong Zhou is personally leading 11,000 infantrymen and marching towards our army at an accelerated pace!" The scout was covered in mud and his horse was nowhere to be found.

Liu Zun said: "Haha, little Murong is anxious!"

Liu Daogui was also shocked. "Where are those two cavalry units now?"

"We just crossed the Zhushui River."

The Zhu River is more than 170 miles away from here.

There were swamps everywhere, which actually limited the cavalry's speed.

After dragging on for nearly nine days, their war horses must have been exhausted. Horses are much more delicate than humans and consume more energy than humans.

"Is there any news from Zoucheng?" Liu Daogui was a little worried about his brother Liu Yu, and didn't know what the situation was like over there.

The scout said, "News from the east is blocked by the Solu cavalry, so we have no way of knowing."

Unable to care about so many things now, Liu Daogui glanced at the soldiers around him, his fighting spirit still high.

With over 2,100 men against 11,000 enemy troops, Liu Daogui had done his best to weaken the enemy forces...

(End of this chapter)