Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 233 Attack

The Si River meanders in an arc north of the Huai River, with Pingyang located right in its heart. The surrounding counties are all within 150 li of it.

However, once the great battle begins, Lu City, located on the front line of Sishui, will face an attack from three tribes: Murong Shao of Taishan, Duan Sugu of Xiaqiu, and Mu Yuteng of Yuancheng.

The pressure is immense.

Whether this battle can be won depends on whether Lucheng can withstand the pressure.

Liu Daogui led his cavalry and went with Liu Guangzhi to Lucheng for inspection.

This place is located on the southwest slope of Mount Tai, surrounded by mountains on the north, east and south sides, with the Si River meandering through it from east to west.

Liu Guangzhi has not been idle in the past two years either. He has reinforced the city walls and built a fortified village on the opposite bank of the Si River as a barrier for Lu City.

The city had a large stockpile of oil, rocks, and arrows. In addition to the two garrisons of soldiers and their families, it also housed six thousand refugees who had migrated from the north.

A trench was built outside the city and covered with deer antlers to guard against cavalry attacks.

Liu Guangzhi is a veteran general, thirty-four or thirty-five years old this year. He participated in the Battle of Fei River and followed Xie Xuan on the Northern Expedition. He has gradually shown his talent in defense.

The reason why the Xianbei cavalry did not raid southwards in the past two years was precisely because he guarded the northern gate.

"Duan Sugu and Mu Yuteng are not on good terms. Murong Shao is all show and no substance. With just one elite force and the able-bodied men in the city, I can prevent even a single barbarian horse from going south!"

Liu Guangzhi was a calm and composed person; if he dared to say such a thing, he must be confident.

The Murong family had only four renowned generals besides Murong Chui: Murong De, Murong Long, Murong Nong, and Murong Feng.

The situation with the others is complicated.

Murong Shao benefited from his father Murong Ke's fame and was enfeoffed as the King of Taiyuan by Murong Chui, but he did not have any famous achievements. When Murong Long swept through Yan and Xu, Murong Shao was forced to retreat by Bilu Hun, which caused Yan to fail to take Qingzhou.

Compared to the other people, he is really too mediocre.

"I will give you two detachments of men, plus a company of soldiers sent to conquer the enemy. Lu County cannot be lost."

It wasn't that Liu Daogui didn't trust him, but Lucheng was the key to this battle, with at least 40,000 Yan troops on the other side.

With 1,600 elite troops in Lucheng, plus the able-bodied men in the city, they should be able to withstand the siege of the Yan army.

"I accept the order!" Liu Guangzhi nodded in agreement without any hesitation.

Upon returning to Pingyang City, all the troops had arrived.

Long spears like a forest, iron armor like a mighty army, banners like clouds.

More than four thousand infantrymen formed five ranks, with yellow, black, white and red banners fluttering in the wind. The tigers embroidered on them were so lifelike that they seemed to come alive and were about to devour their prey.

Eight hundred cavalrymen lined up in a row, tall and strong, their long spears like fangs, their silver armor gleaming coldly, and even their warhorses were covered with armor to reduce the damage from arrows.

In the past two years, the soldiers have been able to eat their fill, and the elite soldiers have meat at every meal. Their spirits are noticeably different; they are all strong and healthy, and their fighting spirit is full of masculine power.

"Do you dare to fight the Suo barbarians?" Liu Daogui shouted, raising his arm.

"Drive out the barbarians and recover our land!"

The roar was so loud that the earth shook and the birds in the fields and hills were startled and flew into the sky in a dark mass.

The farmers working in the fields all looked up and gazed over, but their eyes showed no fear, only joy and anticipation.

"Three days from now, we will launch an army and march north!"

For a man of this era, the Northern Expedition was his greatest ambition and aspiration.

As long as someone is willing to raise this banner, countless others will follow suit.

Unfortunately, Liu Daogui is now just a prefect with little power, and his Northern Expedition is too small in scale.

But as long as we persevere, even a small spark can become a prairie fire.

After the parade, the soldiers withdrew and went back to prepare.

The eight hundred cavalrymen stayed behind and split into two groups. Mao Dezhu and Wang Zhongde each led four hundred cavalrymen, each riding two horses and carrying ten days' worth of rations. They served as the vanguard, crossed the Si River, and stormed into the territory of the Yan Kingdom.

They launched raids to disrupt the Yan army's deployment.

On one hand, it lured the Yan army out of the city.

Liu Daogui led his infantry to pursue the rear, acting according to the circumstances.

Just as water has no constant shape, so too does warfare have no fixed formations. One who can adapt to the enemy's changes and achieve victory is called a master strategist!
Liu Daogui is now taking it one step at a time, making further plans based on the actions of the Yan army.

Gaoping, Rencheng, Shanyang, Taishan, and Dongping—any of the surrounding counties that are undefended will become targets for attack.

"With these four hundred elite cavalry, the Yan army is no threat, unless that old man Murong Chui comes in person! Hahaha..." Wang Zhongde cracked his whip, and the cavalry charged toward the northwest.

Mao Dezhu then cupped his hands to Liu Daogui and said, "Although the key to this battle is Lucheng, the decisive factor lies in Sishui. If our army can control Sishui, we will be able to advance and retreat freely and will be invincible!"

Liu Daogui had already thought of this: "I have ordered Li Damu's navy to stand by in Xiapi."

"I take my leave, Commander. Take care."

"Take care of yourself too. If you encounter a tough opponent, fight if you can, but retreat if you can't. Preserving your strength is the priority. The Northern Expedition is not something that can be accomplished overnight."

"Leader!"

Of all the generals, Mao Dezhu was the most determined to launch the Northern Expedition. His hometown was Xingyang. After the fall of the Di-Qin dynasty, the Hu people were freed from their shackles and killed indiscriminately. His entire family died at the hands of the Hu people.

There are many such people among the eight buildings, all of whom have an irreconcilable blood feud with the Hu people.

The northern lands were inhabited not only by the Xianbei, but also by the Xiongnu, Di, Qiang, Dingling, Kucha, and the Baihu of the Western Regions. Even the Jie people, who had once wreaked havoc in the region, had not been completely eradicated and still held considerable influence in the north. The two generals, one in front and one behind, spurred their horses and galloped northwest.

Liu Daogui watched their figures disappear on the distant horizon.

With only five thousand men, it was naturally difficult to breach the city walls of Yan.

Murong Long fortified the city's defenses by clearing the fields and establishing a scorched-earth policy west of the Si River. He now commands 30,000 troops, most of whom are surrendered soldiers from Western Yan, but they have been fighting and their fighting strength is not weak.

To be on the safe side, Liu Daogui mobilized eight more strong men and slaves, totaling 3,300 people.

They all had experience in battle, and many of them were originally soldiers from the states of Zhai, Wei, or Yan. With just a sword, they could go to the battlefield.

There's no need for any official organization; you just need to follow the yellow, black, white, and red flags and charge forward.

The biggest advantage of the Eighth Building is its strong mobilization capability; whether in battle or in labor, they cooperate seamlessly.

"I won't waste any more words. The rewards will be the same as for regular soldiers: one enemy soldier's head will be exchanged for one peck of rice or three hundred coins. Those who make meritorious contributions will not have to wait ten years; they will be immediately converted into civilians!"

Everyone's eyes lit up, especially the slaves.

I've been living in Building 8 for the past two years, and life has been pretty good. No matter what we eat, at least we can get a meal.

It's better than eating human flesh everywhere in the north.

"Kill the enemy!" Several Dingling men with full beards roared to the sky, like wild beasts, their eyes even turning red.

"That's the kind of momentum we're looking for!" Liu Daogui laughed heartily.

The existence of something implies its rationale. In fact, many ethnic groups in this era did not resent being slaves; their lives in their tribes were not much better than those of those who worked hard.

Survival is always the most important thing.

Liu Daogui gave them the opportunity to rise in rank, so they were naturally willing to work hard for him.

The Dingling, Wuhuan, and Xianbei slaves under his command had lived in the Central Plains for generations and had been assimilated to some extent.

There are far more able-bodied men and slaves in the territory than just this many, but with spring plowing approaching, three thousand is about the limit; any more would affect the planting.

Liu Daogui led more than 4,000 infantrymen and 3,000 followers to Siqiao.

In February, the air was still chilly, and some ice floes on the river had not yet completely melted.

The land on the opposite bank was a vast expanse of desolation.

Scouts came and went, shuttling between the two banks.

Just five days later, the first report of victory was sent back: Mao Dezhu and Wang Yuande defeated Murong Jin's Yan army, killing more than 700 enemy soldiers and capturing 200 warhorses!
Although it was a narrow victory, it was very encouraging.

It should be noted that this was a direct confrontation between cavalrymen. The Yan army had always been proud of its cavalry, yet it was defeated by Mao Dezhu and Wang Zhongde.

"The Yan army is nothing special. Let's just cross the Si River and attack Gaoping!" Liu Zun was the first to get excited.

Liu Daogui asked, "Have Murong Long in Gaoping and Pingyou in Rencheng made any moves?"

The scouts bowed and remained still.

"Then let's wait a bit longer." Liu Daogui wasn't in a hurry.

Haste makes waste. Gaoping and Rencheng are both important towns. If the Yan army is determined to stay in the cities, Liu Daogui's small force will indeed be helpless.

Having dealt with Murong Long before, they were well aware of each other's strength.

Pingyou was also an extremely cautious person. Two years ago, Murong Long placed his hopes on him in the battle, but he turned around and left after encountering a slight setback, which led to the great defeat of Murong Long and Murong Zhou.

Liu Daogui felt it would be difficult to make a breakthrough west of Sishui.

Now, the focus is on the three factions north of the Si River: Murong Shao, Duan Sugu, and Mu Yuteng. In short, whoever shows their face will be the first to be attacked.

After winning one battle, Mao Dezhu and Wang Zhongde achieved nothing further. The Yan army was completely confined to the city, and the two could only lead their troops to invade Shanyang County.

Liu Daogui left Wang Zhongde to guard Siqiao and led his army north to support Mao Dezhu and Wang Zhongde's cavalry south of the Si River.

While they were still on their way, news of a victory came from the front: Liu Guangzhi had launched a night raid, burning down more than 300 of Mu Yuteng's tents and capturing more than 2,000 cattle and sheep before returning.

"Why do I feel like the Yan army is getting weaker and weaker? If this continues, it won't be our turn to intervene." Liu Zun was full of doubt.

Liu Zhong said, "Could this be a ploy by the enemy to feign weakness?"

Compared to two years ago, the Yan army's combat strength has indeed declined significantly.

Liu Daogui browsed through the various reports sent back by the scouts. "It shouldn't be a show of weakness. The enemy is strong and we are weak. They have 70,000 or 80,000 troops. They have no reason to show weakness to us."

In reality, the Yan army's combat strength was just so-so. Back then, Liu Laozhi's 20,000 troops supported Ye City and defeated Murong Chui twice, lifting the siege of Ye City. If it weren't for the Northern Army fighting over wealth and Murong Chui seizing the opportunity, there would be no Yan state as we know it today.

Murong Chui conquered two countries in succession, greatly expanding his territory and military strength.

The problem is that supporting so many people is not an easy task.

In Liu Daogui's view, the Yan state was merely bloated with empty promises. Murong Chui was still implementing the old system of the Former Yan, which involved enfeoffing various kings and allowing each tribal leader to lead his own tribe and govern his own region.

Like Murong Long, whose forces grew to 30,000, but most of them were surrendered troops from Zhai Wei and Western Yan, and they had little fighting spirit.

Elite teams cannot be formed in a short period of time. It takes at least three or four years of adjustment to assemble a team by piecing together different personnel.

And the Yan state had only annexed the Western Yan state for less than a year...

(End of this chapter)