Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 260 Guard

Murong De voluntarily abandoned Ye City and crossed the river to Huatai in the south, so his troops did not suffer much loss.

Moreover, with Murong Lin's assistance, they have at least 10,000 elite troops at their disposal. The Xianbei and Dingling people are cavalry as soon as they mount their horses. Their only weakness is that they have suffered consecutive defeats, their morale has collapsed, and they have lost their confidence.

Luqiu Xian and Deng Qifang's soldiers had not fought any bloody battles and were all infantry.

In fact, Liu Daogui was not interested in their lives or deaths. He was just afraid that they would go up and feed Murong De, replenish his food and weapons, and stabilize the morale of the Yan army.

"We shouldn't have teamed up with them!" Liu Zun was still complaining.

Liu Huaisu looked ashamed. "I miscalculated."

Liu Daogui waved his hand, "This is not your fault. Huatai is right under their noses. Even without us, they would have taken action."

"These two have 20,000 men. Even if they only had 20,000 pigs, that would be enough to give Murong De a hard time. Let's stalk the mantis from behind and catch the oriole behind!" Liu Zun's ideas were always far-fetched.

"I may not know Murong De, but surely I know the gentry? They are more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything. Let's just take it one step at a time." Liu Daogui gradually calmed down.

They hadn't placed much hope on them to begin with; they only hoped that they would bolster their own power, intimidate Murong De, and cause him to make a mistake.

The real bloody battle will be fought by the soldiers under the Jianwei Army Command.

Since these two have taken the initiative to rush forward, it wouldn't be a bad idea for Liu Daogui to follow behind and observe the situation.

To be honest, with over 100,000 followers under Murong De's command, Liu Daogui's chances of winning would have been slim if it weren't for Fu Guang's internal strife.

After a day of rapid march, the army had just entered Chenliu County when two Yan cavalry units, each with three riders, followed closely behind, neither attacking nor harassing the enemy.

Mao Dezhu and Wang Zhongde led their cavalry in pursuit, but the enemy turned and fled.

Fearing an ambush, the two returned to their own lines, whereupon the Yan cavalry arrived again.

Liu Daogui's vanguard was naturally not afraid, but it was hard to say about the civilian laborers transporting supplies behind them.

Before an army can move, its supplies must be secured. If the supply lines are attacked, it will be useless for Liu Daogui to lead his army to charge.

Left with no other choice, Mao Dezhu and Wang Zhongde were ordered to lead cavalry to protect the rear, while the vanguard was ordered to strengthen its defenses.

However, this greatly reduced the marching speed, and they could only travel less than thirty li per day.

The infantry's disadvantage against the cavalry was fully exposed, and the Central Plains were all plains with fewer rivers than the Huai and Si Rivers, which greatly restricted the navy.

Murong De fought alongside Murong Chui his entire life and was a veteran general.

His skill level is no less than Murong Long's.

Liu Daogui had already foreseen the fate of Luqiu Xian and Deng Qifang.

When night fell, they set up camp. The scouts did not bring back any news from the north, but Luqiu Xian's messenger arrived first to request reinforcements.

As expected, Luqiu Xian and Deng Qifang underestimated their enemy and acted rashly, thinking that Murong De was a stray dog ​​who was easy to bully. So they rushed to support Qihuo Fort, but were ambushed by 5,000 infantry and cavalry under the command of Murong Fa, the general of the central army of Yan, and Murong He, the general of the pacification army. More than 8,000 were killed in battle, and the two retreated south in a sorry state.

We hope Liu Daogui will lead his troops to rescue them...

"You still have the nerve to come back for help? Why don't you just die!" Liu Zun exploded upon hearing this.

He was pulled back by Liu Huaishen.

"So, Murong De didn't participate in the war?" Liu Daogui remained calm, even as things were already heading towards the worst possible outcome.

These two aren't going to fight; they're delivering supplies and weapons to Murong De...

"It seems not..." the messenger stammered.

If Murong De did not appear on the battlefield, then it is very likely that this was a deliberate bait left by the Yan state to let the two go and lure Liu Daogui's troops northward.

When Murong Chui and Murong De pursued Huan Wen, they followed him all the way from Fangtou to Xiangcheng in Yuzhou. The Jin army lowered their guard, which is why they launched a thunderous attack.

Murong Chui was as fierce as a wolf and as cunning as a fox when he used his troops. Murong De followed him for many years and learned his true skills.

Luqiu Xian and Deng Qifang were both infantrymen, and it was unlikely that they would have survived the cavalry of the Yan army.

Liu Daogui sized up the envoy. He was wearing armor on the outside and silk underneath, indicating that he held a high position in Nanyang County. People from humble backgrounds would never wear silk on the battlefield.

"My prefect was invited by General Liu to lead the troops. If anything happens to him, I'm afraid the Prince of Langya will blame him!" This man threatened Liu Daogui instead.

They lacked the ability to deal with the northern nomads, but they were masters at shirking responsibility.

"Bullshit!" Liu Zun cursed.

Liu Daogui reached out to stop him, walked up to the envoy, and suddenly his expression changed. "Hmph, Prefect Luqiu and General Deng are brave and skilled in battle, how could they be defeated so easily? I think you are clearly a spy sent by Murong De to lure our army north and into the Yan bandits' ambush."

The envoy was dumbfounded. "I...you...don't make false accusations! I am Deng from Runan..."

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of cold light appeared in Liu Daogui's hand, and the blade of the Marquis of Xinting had already grazed his neck without leaving a trace of blood.

The messenger's words came to an abrupt halt, his eyes widening and gradually becoming bloodshot.

Then, with a "whoosh," the head fell off, a cloud of blood spurting from the neck, and the person collapsed.

Everyone in the tent was looking at Liu Daogui.

The strike was too fast and too sudden, completely beyond their expectations.

After a long silence, Liu Zun licked his lips and asked, "Is this person really a spy sent by Murong De?"

Liu Daogui sheathed his sword, saying, "If I say so, then he is!"

"Was Luqiu Xian's great defeat also a hoax?"

"Whether it's true or not, we'll know once we get news from the scouts. Men, drag the body out and bury it." Liu Daogui didn't even lift his eyelids. His mistake was that he didn't dare to threaten him with Sima Yuanxian.

The military camp is not a place for reasoning.

To reiterate, it doesn't matter whether Luqiu Xian and Deng Qifang live or die, but my men would never risk their lives to save them from Murong De's blade.

Not only did the envoy deserve to die, but Lüqiu Xian and Deng Qifang were also unforgivable. The Yan army was already a defeated foe, yet these people stretched out their necks, offering warmth to Murong De and boosting the morale of the Yan army…

With their defeat, the battle was essentially over. Sending ten thousand men to attack tens of thousands of Yan cavalry inside a fortified city was tantamount to suicide.

"You even buried him? You're a pretty good person." Liu Zun chuckled twice.

"Why are you talking so much? Issue the order: all troops on high alert!"

The generals, having received their orders, all bowed in greeting.

The sound of horses' hooves never stopped throughout the night, and the howls of the Xianbei people came and went, sometimes near, sometimes far.

But such trivial skills might work against the likes of Lu Qiu Xian and Deng Qifang; against oneself, it would be like showing off one's axe before an expert.

Liu Daogui remained still and slept soundly, while his soldiers also lay at their feet, ready for battle.

At dawn, Meng Ganzhi led scouts back and reported that "Luqiu Xian and Deng Qifang suffered a great defeat, and Murong Fa and Murong He deliberately drove the remnants of the army south."

"Have you found any trace of Murong De?"

"The enemy has many cavalry, and our scouts can't get through, but our spies from Huatai have sent word that Murong De is not in the city!"

"good!"

Murong De no longer slides on the platform; that alone is enough.

Liu Zun asked, "Should we still save Lüqiu Xian and Deng Qifang?"

Do you think there's any point in saving them?

Everyone must pay the price for their actions. Liu Daogui had already sent them a letter, telling them to be careful and wait for him to arrive, but they didn't listen at all and went to their deaths.

It's not hard to tell from the messenger's words that Lüqiu Xian was very likely trying to shift the blame onto Liu Daogui.

Rescuing them might very well lead to them turning against you in front of Sima Yuanxian.

Liu Zun nodded, "They brought this upon themselves, they have no one else to blame but themselves."

The army remained inactive.

The defeat of Lüqiu Xian and Deng Qifang had a huge impact, almost wiping out the Jin dynasty's power in Yuzhou.

This resulted in a depletion of military strength in the entire Yu Province.

Given this situation, Murong De is very likely to use Huatai as a base to occupy the two prefectures of Yu and Si.

Liu Daogui's garrison in Chenliu ironically became the last remaining force of the Jin dynasty in Yuzhou, making him the most powerful general in Yuzhou.

Although the Sima and Huan families look down on this small piece of land, if it falls into Murong De's hands, the Yan Kingdom might just be able to revive.

"Report... The Yan army, numbering 50,000, has split into three groups and is heading south to invade Jiyin, Chenliu, and Yingchuan!"

The scout, with several feathered arrows stuck in his body, knelt before Liu Daogui.

"Go and treat him immediately." Liu Daogui helped the scout up.

The situation worsened. Luqiu Xian and Deng Qifang lost a number of lives. Murong De, having tasted the sweetness of victory, saw through the weakness of the Jin state and launched a large-scale southward invasion.

Murong De not only invaded Chenliu and Yingchuan, but also sent troops to raid Jiyin, clearly targeting him.

It's easy to infer from this action that Murong De had been watching him from the very beginning.

Jianwei Military Prefecture served as a bulwark for the Jin dynasty in the north, and Murong De's actions south of the Yellow River could not bypass it.

Liu Huaizhen said, "Yuzhou is no longer defensible, and the Huai and Si rivers are also under their military might. We should retreat to Gaoping immediately!"

"If Yuzhou cannot be defended, Huai and Si will certainly not be able to be defended either. Rather than fighting a major battle in Huai and Si in the future, it would be better to fight Murong De in Yuzhou!" Liu Daogui looked at the map.

Yanzhou and Henan are originally one entity.

With Chenliu and Yingchuan gone, the Yan cavalry could attack Shanyin and Gaoping from the flanks and rear.

Murong De has only acquired the weapons; his foundation is not yet stable, so he still has a chance.

Liu Zun said, "Murong De's hand is reaching out to Jiyin, which is our territory."

“With Liu Zhong’s two thousand men and twenty thousand slave households in Jiyin, and the Yan army lacking siege equipment, there should be no major problem,” Liu Daogui believed in Liu Zhong’s abilities.

Liu Huaizhen said, "With only the troops we have, I'm afraid we won't be able to withstand the Yan army."

They initially united with Xin Gongjing, Lüqiu Xian, and Pi Lühun to besiege Murong De, but now that Lüqiu Xian has been defeated, the other two forces are no longer reliable.

Piluhun's three thousand troops remained in Dongping Kingdom.

Xin Gongjing in Luoyang was already under great pressure, having to guard against Murong De and also against Yao Chong and Yang Fosong from Hedong moving south, leaving him with no energy to spare.

Liu Daogui paced back and forth, knowing that prolonged defense would inevitably lead to defeat.

If they were in the Huai and Si Rivers, with the Si and Huai Rivers as their base, Murong De's entire army would not be afraid to march south. However, in the flat Central Plains, they would be subject to checks and balances everywhere.

"We have no choice but to ask for help now." Liu Daogui stopped in his tracks.

"Request for help? Where would we get any reinforcements?" Liu Zun's eyes widened.

"Send word to all counties and prefectures in Beiyu Prefecture: if anyone is willing to kill the barbarians, they may come to Kaifeng to join us. We will provide the grain, and after the victory, the wealth and livestock will go to them, and the prisoners will be ours. If anyone is unwilling to join us, they should fortify their defenses and scorched earth, hold their ground and wait for reinforcements. Anyone who surrenders to the barbarians will have their entire family exterminated!"

In a time of urgency, Liu Daogui disregarded whether his actions constituted overstepping his authority.

Given the current situation, he cannot defeat Murong De on his own alone, so he can only seek help from the powerful clans and displaced leaders of Yuzhou.

At the very least, we must not let them side with the Hu people.

(End of this chapter)