Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 239 Creepy

Two days later, Wang Yan's men arrived again.

He was his cousin, whose hair was tied in a small braid like that of the Xianbei people. He had some Hu (non-Han) blood, high eyebrows, a prominent nose, and a pair of small, sly eyes that gleamed.

“My name is Wang Zhi. My elder brother is under close surveillance by Mu Yu Teng and cannot spare the time, so he sent me here. I hope the military advisor will understand.”

Shi Hu migrated a million Hu people into Hebei. Although he vigorously promoted Hu culture, many people still changed their surnames and adopted Han names.

Liu Daogui sized up the man and said, “Why did your brother choose me? As far as I know, there are quite a few powerful people on both sides of the Yellow River.”

“Our people have always admired the Han Chinese. The Xianbei are a lowly race from Liaodong. In recent years, Murong Chui has been suppressing our people. My elder brother was frustrated and unsuccessful, so he simply went to join the Jin dynasty.” Wang Zhi’s answer was impeccable.

The Xianbei originated from the Donghu. After they became powerful, they looked down on their poor relatives from Liaodong. Discrimination exists everywhere.

Just like the Rouran, who shared the same lineage as the Tuoba Xianbei, the Rouran Khan Mugulu was once a stable boy of Tuoba Liwei. However, the Tuoba family looked down on the Rouran the most and gave them derogatory names such as Rouran, Ruru, and Ruru.

Liu Daogui remained noncommittal, and Wang Zhi continued, "Military Advisor Liu has successively defeated Murong Zhou and Murong Long, and killed Murong Hui. His fame has spread throughout Xu and Yan. Compared to the likes of Bilu Hun of Qingzhou, Military Advisor Liu is the real hero. My brother admires heroes the most. Murong Chui was a hero back then, so we joined him. Now that Murong Chui is old and has become senile, we must change our ways."

"Haha, you've got good taste, kid." Liu Zun was delighted.

The other generals were also swayed by his words.

In the North, there is no need for any reason to start a rebellion, and there are no moral constraints like those in the South.

Moreover, Murong Chui's treatment of Wang Yan was indeed not good.

Liu Daogui nodded. Wang Zhi's comparison of himself to Murong Chui was a very skillful form of flattery.

Wang Yuande asked, "So when and how do you plan to make your move?"

Wang Zhi said, “My elder brother is controlled by Mu Yu Teng. The military advisor can pretend to attack Xiaqiu. Mu Yu Teng will definitely rush to his aid. At that time, we can cooperate from the inside and outside to attack Mu Yu Teng from both sides! If Mu Yu Teng is defeated, the tribes north of Sishui will definitely retreat, and the great cause can be accomplished.”

"Is it really that simple?" Liu Zun's eyes widened.

Wang Zhi laughed and said, "It's that simple. When two armies fight, strength comes first. The more you plan, the more likely you are to make mistakes."

“Okay.” Liu Daogui nodded in agreement.

The simpler it is, the greater the chance of success, and the less likely the other party is to sabotage it.

Wang Zhi laughed heartily, "You're indeed a straightforward recruit. See you in Xiaqiu in five days. Farewell!"

"See the guests out." Liu Daogui waved cheerfully.

Xiaqiu is situated at the bend of the Sishui River, nestled between the Sishui and Zhushui Rivers, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Controlling Gaoping would allow control of the Sishui River basin, while controlling Xiaqiu would provide both offensive and defensive advantages, bringing most of Yanzhou under military control, and allowing Rencheng and Gaoping downstream to fall without a fight.

The brothers Wang Zhi and Wang Yan had some foresight; they chose the right moment for this battle.

"Join the army..." Wang Yuande hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Liu Daogui patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

In any case, Wang Yan is still reliable in dealing with the Murong family.

He occupied the two counties of Shanyang and Dongping, blocking the Si River and facing the Yan army in Puyang and Huatai. Without his own support, he could not survive at all.

With Liu Daogui's current strength, being able to swallow up the two counties of Gaoping and Rencheng is probably the limit.

The most important issue is population; without a large population, occupying a large territory is of no use.

Murong Long's move to relocate the population of the two counties was indeed a brilliant strategy, which greatly limited Liu Daogui's development.

Three days later, the army began to march north. Wang Yuande stayed behind to guard Siqiao. Although Murong Long had left, he left behind Murong Zhou and Pingyou, with 20,000 troops under his command.

Liu Zhong's navy was also on its way, while Mao Dezhu and Wang Zhongde's cavalry were patrolling around Xiaqiu.

This time, Liu Daogui was serious about attacking Xiaqiu.

After Murong Long and Murong Shao headed north, the opposing side became increasingly cautious, all holed up in their cities, leaving even the ferry crossings undefended, as if they were leaving the gates wide open, waiting for Liu Daogui to enter.

The sky was rather gloomy, with low-hanging dark clouds, as if a heavy rain could fall at any moment.

This kind of weather is actually suitable for large-scale battles; without the scorching sun, it's not so unbearable for soldiers wearing armor.

Xiaqiu City, weathered and ancient, resembles an old man who has weathered many storms, indifferently watching everything, as if nothing on earth matters to him.

A few flags were scattered sparsely on the city wall, looking listless.

The defenders would occasionally peek out from behind the battlements, only to quickly retreat back inside.

"Give me three hundred armored soldiers, and I'll be able to breach this city in two hours!" Liu Zun slung his great axe over his shoulder.

"The main characters haven't even appeared yet, what's your rush?" Liu Daogui disagreed.

Liu Zun said, "Didn't we agree on five days? We've come all this way, and they still haven't arrived."

"Didn't Wang Yan say that he is under the control of Mu Yuteng?" Liu Daogui calmly ordered his soldiers to set up camp and sent out scouts to investigate the situation in the vicinity.

Only two hours later, several scouts returned, with several arrows stuck in their bodies. "Report: There is a large number of cavalry in the northwest. We can't get through."

The Yan army had an advantage in cavalry and was able to block out scouts.

"Hurry up and go treat your injuries." Liu Daogui helped the scouts up and checked their wounds. Fortunately, they were protected by leather armor and no vital organs were injured.

Not long after, the scout from the west returned, also bearing arrow wounds. "Commander, there were also enemy cavalrymen from the east. We were ambushed and lost eleven brothers..." Liu Daogui frowned.

Tan Daoji, standing beside him, said, "The scouts are all elite soldiers. The fact that the enemy was able to leave eleven of them behind shows that they were well-prepared."

Gao Xun said, "Xiaqiu is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If our army fails to capture it after a long siege, we will face a pincer attack from Yuancheng and Rencheng. We must be prepared."

"The reason I held back was to wait for them to attack from both sides. We could then besiege the city and attack the reinforcements. Order that the scouts no longer need to scout, and all the soldiers should rest."

Rencheng was a crucial point on the Sishui River, and the Yan army would not have failed to come to its aid.

After everyone had left and were busy with their own things, Tan Daoji came up to him and said, “Military Advisor, our army is camped with our backs to the river. If the enemy attacks, we may be overwhelmed. It would be better to capture the high hill in the southwest, which would give us a commanding view and ensure our safety.”

"If the enemy cuts off our water supply, wouldn't our 10,000 troops become like Ma Su in the Battle of Jieting? If I don't set up camp with our backs to the water, how can the enemy possibly come out to fight us?"

"Is joining the army a deliberate attempt to feign weakness to the enemy?"

"That's one reason. Secondly, by setting up camp with our backs to the river, our soldiers will be determined to fight to the death and engage the enemy in a decisive battle. Thirdly, don't forget that we also have a navy!"

Liu Daogui's situation wasn't exactly a death trap; his side had a navy, while the enemy didn't, and that was their biggest advantage.

If they really couldn't withstand the Yan army, they placed more than twenty cargo ships across the river to form a pontoon bridge.

The general who was in charge of the conquest of the enemy had lived by the Yangtze River since childhood. Compared to the mighty Yangtze River, the Si River was much gentler, and those who were good swimmers could swim directly to the other side.

Moreover, when Liu Daogui crossed the river, he prepared four or five hundred rafts, all of which were gathered in the water fortress.

"Joining the army was a wise decision." Tan Daoji looked relieved.

"Gengzi and Xinchou are earth on the wall, Bingwu and Dingwei are water in the Milky Way. Earth on the wall represents a military camp, and water in the Milky Way represents the Han Dynasty. I was born in the Gengwu year and am a descendant of the Han Dynasty. I have the destiny of both earth and water. Now I build a camp on the banks of the Si River. I will surely receive divine assistance!"

Under his mother's urging, Liu Daogui also read a few books on metaphysics. Although he was not proficient in them, they were enough to impress people.

Tan Daoji was taken aback, his eyes somewhat dazed.

Liu Daogui laughed and turned to leave.

That's what they say, but we can't rely on fate for everything. Liu Daogui never let his guard down. His soldiers were divided into six groups, taking turns to put on their armor and stand guard.

The dark clouds gathered and dispersed in the sky, but the downpour never came. The scorching sun beat down on everything on the ground, and the soldiers, dressed in their armor, were drenched in sweat within half an incense stick's time.

However, no one complained, including Liu Daogui.

One day, two days, three days.

Mu Yuteng from the north did not come, nor did Ping You and Murong Zhou from the south.

This has caused many people in the military to begin to have doubts.

"Would Wang Yan be lying to us?" Liu Zun, shirtless, was still covered in sweat.

"This is their only chance to defeat us. Their supplies should be almost exhausted. If this drags on any longer, they will collapse on their own without us having to lift a finger."

Liu Daogui sat calmly in his fishing boat.

The most important thing in fishing is patience. People from Hu are cunning by nature, so it's not easy to lure them out.

On the fourth day, the weather turned gloomy again, with dark clouds covering the sky and strong winds sweeping across the land, adding a touch of desolation to the atmosphere.

"Today is the day!" Liu Daogui immediately ordered all soldiers to don their armor.

Liu Zun asked, "What if they still don't come?"

"If you don't come soon, we'll turn back!"

So far, our side has suffered no losses, and at worst we can go back and continue to hold out. But it's hard to say how much longer the Yan army can hold out.

They implemented a scorched-earth policy, without establishing military farms, and feeding and watering 50,000 to 60,000 troops became a major problem.

Just then, a black line suddenly appeared on the northwest land, and a strong wind blew, bringing with it a pungent, fishy smell.

"They really came!" Liu Zun's eyes were filled with joy.

Liu Daogui looked into the distance and saw a tall banner with the five large characters "General Wang of Anyuan" written on it, which belonged to Wang Yan.

There were nearly five thousand men, half infantry and half cavalry.

A dozen or so riders galloped in like the wind, rushed to the camp, and said, "We request an audience with Military Advisor Liu."

"Let them in," Liu Daogui gestured.

It was Wang Zhi again who arrived. "Mu Yuteng's 5,000 elite troops are behind our army, and Lan He's 6,000 infantry and cavalry are 20 li to the west. Advisor, please do not fire arrows. Wait for Lan He and Mu Yuteng to advance, then launch a counterattack together and kill them all!"

Liu Zun objected, "Damn it, do you need to tell us how to fight?"

“Don’t be rude.” Liu Daogui looked at Wang Zhi. “You stay, the rest of you go back.”

Wang Zhi was taken aback, his expression somewhat troubled, "My elder brother is still waiting for my news..."

Liu Daogui pointed to his entourage behind him, a half-smile on his face, and said, "They can go back and deliver the message. Does that mean you don't want to stay?"

Wang Zhi gritted his teeth, "I dare not disobey the order to join the army!"

(End of this chapter)