Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 220 Imitation

Haiyan is not too far from Yuhang. Liu Daogui sent someone to contact Liu Yu, but unexpectedly, he took advantage of the night and led his troops to Yuhang.

More than 1,300 people were all disguised as laborers.

Liu Daogui understood perfectly, knowing that he was deliberately avoiding attention and becoming a surprise force.

"The enemy has been locked in a stalemate with our army for over a month. Their supplies are running out, and their morale is low. You have broken their spirits with your appeasement tactics, and now we can fight a decisive battle!"

Haiyan is located near the sea and is also a salt field. Liu Yu's whole body was tanned dark.

Liu Daogui said, "The treacherous villain is cunning; I'm afraid he has a backup plan."

Seventy to eighty thousand refugees lacked food and clothing, but the elite demon bandits certainly had no shortage of food and drink.

These days, when people fight wars, they often claim to have hundreds of thousands of troops, but only a few elite soldiers are actually capable of fighting; the vast majority are just auxiliary laborers.

During the Battle of Lucheng in the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang was shocked when he beheaded three thousand Cao Wei soldiers.

The Northern Army was said to have 70,000 troops, but in reality, only about 10,000 elite soldiers under Liu Laozhi were capable of fighting. Others, such as Sun Wuzhong, Gao Yazhi, and Liu Gui, also had several thousand men, but they were no match for the Celestial Masters Sect.

Sun En had over 200,000 troops, more than enough to support 7,000 to 8,000 elite soldiers.

The combined forces of Liu Daogui and Liu Yu amounted to just over three thousand.

If it were a field battle on a plain, Liu Daogui would not hesitate at all, but the Qiantang River blocked the way, and the enemy forces heavily defended the fortified city.

“Agui, when did you become so cowardly? When two armies clash, it’s like a game of dice. Man proposes, God disposes. We should just charge forward! I’ve been observing the demon bandits for a long time and they’ve become complacent. We can follow Murong Chui’s plan to destroy Zhai Wei. You take your men to Liangdu Ferry upstream and build bamboo rafts and wooden boats to attract the demon bandits’ attention. I will lead my elite troops to swim across the river at night and head straight for the bandits’ camp. When you see fire on the opposite bank, you can lead your troops to attack!”

Liu Yu had clearly already devised a strategy to defeat the enemy.

The current situation is very similar to when Murong Chui destroyed Zhai Wei.

Zhai Zhao stationed his troops south of the Yellow River, holding firm against Murong Chui in Liyang. However, Murong Chui moved his main camp to Xijin, forty li away from Liyang, and built more than a hundred cowhide boats.

When Zhai Zhao saw that Murong Chuiya's banner was at Xijin, he hurriedly led a large army to resist it. However, Murong Zhen crossed the river from Liyang that night and set up camp on the south bank.

Zhai Zhao panicked again and hurriedly led his army back to his camp to besiege Murong Town.

Back and forth they went, the soldiers were exhausted and their morale was completely gone. As dawn broke, Murong Nong crossed the river at Xijin and attacked from both sides, defeating Zhai Zhao decisively.

Murong Chui's dominance over the northern lands and his dominance over the Guandong region were not solely due to his bravery and martial prowess, but also to his wisdom and strategy.

Every battle he fought was a classic, and he completely outmaneuvered his enemies.

Zhai Wei and Western Yan were both states, not isolated forces; they were destroyed within six months of his arrival…

Liu Yu had never read any military books, but he was a natural-born strategist who understood the principle of learning by doing.

Although Liu Daogui could also think of these things, he could not do them as easily as he could.

Given the current situation, the guerrillas' mobilization capabilities are far inferior to Zhai Wei's. If they continue to struggle back and forth like this, they will collapse on their own without Liu Daogui's attack.

However, if the demon bandits do not move, then Liu Daogui can cross the river at Liangdu Ferry, set up a camp like Murong Town, and the demon bandits will lose their advantage.

The Qiantang River, also known as the Zhejiang River, stretches for over a thousand miles. With such a long defensive line, it's impossible for bandits to defend every place.

"As long as our banner is raised on the other side, the rebels will surely fall apart." Liu Yu's confidence seemed innate.

Even Gao Xun, Liu Zun, Xu Changming, Tan Daoji and others were invigorated.

“If my elder brother is not afraid of death and forges ahead bravely, how can I, as his younger brother, shrink back?” Liu Daogui made the final decision.

Murong Chui's move, though seemingly simple, was flawless. Attacking from both Yuhang and Liangdu simultaneously, it was a formidable strategy, leaving the demonic bandits with no way to remain hidden. "This battle will surely be a battle for our brotherhood to make a name for ourselves, a battle for our rise to power!"

Liu Yu's eyes gleamed, like a tiger eyeing its prey.

The blazing sun hangs high in the sky, and the river surges and flows eastward in a mighty torrent.

A huge banner bearing the character "Liu" was flanked by four flags of yellow, black, white, and red. Under the banner, soldiers lined up westward, making a great show of force, and the procession sailed upstream along the Qiantang River amidst billowing dust.

The seven thousand laborers who had come along volunteered shouted loudly towards the opposite bank: "Military Advisor Liu is about to cross the river, recapture Kuaiji, and rescue you all!"

The sound was so loud it seemed to shake the earth.

Their confidence seemed even greater than Liu Daogui's.

However, this confidence was based on having enough to eat. During the time they followed Liu Daogui, no one harmed or humiliated their wives and daughters anymore.

Liu Daogui even helped them find their lost family members and repair their damaged houses.

Surprisingly, they were able to live and work in peace and contentment in the war-torn region of Wu.

Upon arriving at Liangdu, without Liu Daogui giving any orders, the laborers followed their own banners, some felling trees and others digging earth. In less than half a day, a simple camp was erected.

They also set up deer antlers on the north bank to guard against surprise attacks by demon bandits.

Some able-bodied laborers even patrolled the area with bows and knives, and some of the laborers were originally hunters, so they set up a lot of traps around the area.

With them around, Liu Daogui saved a lot of effort.

The soldiers were also able to take the time to rest.

Such a commotion naturally couldn't be kept secret from the other side, and sure enough, they dispatched four or five thousand troops to set up camp on the opposite side.

Standing on high ground, Liu Daogui saw the banner bearing the character "Sun" fluttering in the wind, and the soldiers under its banner reflecting a chilling iron light in the setting sun. "The enemy on the other side must be the elite of the demon bandits!"

Liu Daogui was greatly encouraged.

As expected, Sun Yizhi made the same choice as Zhai Zhao before, and had to send his elite troops to defend.

Then Xingpu must be weak in troops. Liu Yu came in disguise at night, and the bandits did not know that a fierce tiger was lurking on the north bank!
Moreover, more than fifty warships appeared on the river, one of which was over ten zhang tall, a huge object floating in the river, and it turned out to be a five-toothed tower ship.

The sparring poles on the ship's side were already taut, the iron pole heads shaped like toothed spikes, with a dark red hue, like the teeth of a giant beast sticking out of its mouth.

The other warships and fighting ships followed behind like children following adults.

The situation has changed slightly; Zhai Zhao no longer has such a strong online army.

However, now that they have been drawn here, Yuhang has an opportunity.

"My goodness, how are we supposed to fight this?" Liu Zun was also shocked by the warship.

At this moment, Tan Daoji, who was standing beside him, suddenly said, "If this thing were on the Yangtze River or the sea, it would be invincible, but the Qiantang River is relatively narrow and difficult to maneuver. I think we can break it!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to his words.

Liu Zun shouted, "Don't talk nonsense, kid. We were smashed into a pile of minced meat by the pole before we even got close to such a behemoth."

Liu Daogui's eyes lit up as he immediately realized something. "That's right, while warships are invincible in open areas, they are not only useless here, but also our targets!"

(End of this chapter)