Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 265 Ke

I can't let others eat the fat meat that's already in my mouth.

Although the Wei cavalry was formidable, they were separated from Huatai by the Yellow River. It was May, and the Yellow River was full of water. The Wei army consisted of northern nomads who were unfamiliar with water and had not prepared any means of crossing the river.

Therefore, Liu Daogui and his group were just bluffing.

Of course, even if the Wei army crossed the river, Liu Daogui was not afraid. He had 20,000 men at his disposal, and their morale was high. He was fully capable of fighting them fair and square.

This battle also had another significance: it boosted the morale of the defenders of Luoyang, letting them know that they were not alone and helpless.

"Show the fighting spirit of my Northern Army, and let the barbarians see who truly possesses unparalleled bravery!"

Since the Wei army wanted to probe their own fighting strength, Liu Daogui decided to show them his ruthlessness and let them...
dong dong dong-

The war drums roared.

Encouraged by the Tiger Warriors, the volunteer army became excited again, their eyes fixed solely on the city.

"kill!"

The battle cries were deafening. Before the cloud chariots could even push them from behind, they carried long ladders and braced themselves against wooden shields as they charged forward.

Arrows rained down from the city walls like locusts, blotting out the sky, and the corpses quickly filled the moat.

Although Murong De has left, Huatai is his backup plan, so he will definitely have a backup plan.

However, no matter how heavy the rain of arrows was, it could not extinguish the enthusiasm of those who wanted to join the army.

They seemed to have long been accustomed to such a tragic scene, and under Hu Ben's urging, they climbed upwards with all their might.

The rain of arrows began to thin out, but stones were still being thrown down from the city walls.

They smashed the climbing militiamen, sending them flying in blood and gore.

Driven by the sight of blood, they climbed even more ferociously.

Dozens of people were terrified and tried to escape, but were beheaded by Hu Ben from behind.

Those who retreat even a step will die!

The Tiger Warriors were the backbone of the Righteous Army; with them, the Righteous Army could stand up.

"kill--"

The roar grew louder and louder.

At this moment, Liu Zun led a thousand armored soldiers forward, pushing cloud chariots and battering rams.

Boom——

The barbican gate creaked loudly from the impact, forcing the defending troops to bring in more soldiers.

However, in the face of this situation, the chariots were positioned atop the battlements, and the elite troops of the Northern Army filed out, leaping onto the city walls to engage the defending forces in fierce combat.

Close combat was the strength of the Northern Army, and the Yan Army was no match for them.

The veterans of the Northern Army were tall and strong, averaging a head taller than the Yan soldiers. They were all vigorous and fierce, equipped with generals and carrying heavy weapons such as short axes, hammers, and halberds. They worked together in twos and threes, swinging and smashing, causing brains and flesh to fly everywhere. Seven or eight Yan soldiers could not withstand them.

Puffs of blood mist rose from the city walls, staining the battlements and banners crimson.

At this point, the barbican was also breached.

Liu Zun braved the rain of arrows and falling rocks and was the first to rush in. He smashed the inner city gate with his axe. Although the gate was not broken, it made a loud noise.

Both the central army and the righteous troops were greatly encouraged.

The Yan soldiers on the city wall looked fearful.

In the midst of hesitation, the inner city gate was also breached, and Liu Zun led his armored soldiers up the city wall.

At this point, the siege was basically over.

A large number of people immediately knelt down on the city wall, crying out, "I am a Jin person, please don't kill me, I surrender!"

Liu Daogui looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person shouting had a full head of braids and a full beard, clearly a mixed-race person.

Seeing that the Northern Army had not killed him, he immediately picked up his sword and charged towards the Yan army that was still putting up a stubborn resistance...

Whether they were Hu people or Jin people, they all wanted to survive.

"broken!"

With a few cheers, the Yan soldiers on the city wall threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground.

In less than two hours, they breached the platform.

Contrary to Liu Daogui's expectations, the Yan army lacked fighting spirit. With Murong De gone and abandoning them, they harbored resentment and surrendered easily when faced with setbacks.

Moreover, the Xianbei were skilled in cavalry warfare but not in attacking or defending cities.

Those who defended and attacked cities for the Hu people were mostly Jin people.

North of the Yellow River, the cavalry became restless, their horses neighing. Seeing that the city had fallen, they reined in their horses and fled.

Liu Daogui's judgment was correct; they were just bluffing.

After Liu Daogui of Huatai ate his second bite of meat, only Puyang, Jiyang, and Jibei counties remained in the entire Yanzhou region.

When the army entered the city, there was less than 100 bushels of grain and only a little over a thousand head of livestock, but there was a great deal of weaponry, especially arrows.

Liu Daogui immediately ordered the slaughter of livestock to reward the entire army.

In this battle, the Righteous Army performed exceptionally well. If it weren't for their fearless charge, Huatai wouldn't have been captured so quickly.

Although more than 2,700 people were killed or wounded, they were tempered by the flames of war and were thus truly formed into an army.

Casualties are unavoidable these days.

Liu Daogui was already used to the saying that a merciful person cannot command an army. He ordered the bodies of the fallen soldiers to be collected and buried outside the city, and kept his promise to provide relief to their families and distribute land to them.

In fact, these followers were even more indifferent to life and death than Liu Daogui, eating meat heartily and laughing loudly...

With the takedown of the platform, Liu Daogui gained a strategic foothold south of the Yellow River.

Heading west, they could rush to Luoyang's aid; heading east, they could spy on Murong De.

If Murong De's attack on Qingzhou fails, he will face Liu Daogui's execution.

Bilu Hun also fortified his defenses and cleared the fields in Qingzhou, relocated the people to Guanggu, sent General Ren An to guard the Ji River, Sima Cui Dan to guard Bo Xun Gu, and sent Pingyuan Prefect Zhang Huo to guard Liuquan.

One on the left and one on the right, guarding Guanggu.

Liu Daogui wrote a secret letter and sent a messenger on horseback to Guanggu, saying that as long as he could hold out for three months, Murong De would run out of food and supplies, and then he would lead his army to catch up with him and surely eliminate Murong De!

Guanggu City was built on the east side of Yaowang Mountain, bordering the Yanghe River to the north. Because of the wide and large stream there, it was considered a stronghold, hence the name Guanggu City.

After more than ten years of management, Piluhun had a large army and sufficient food supplies.

Murong De's hasty eastward advance, lacking siege equipment, would easily take three months.

Two days later, Meng Ganzhi brought the latest news: "General, the Yan army suddenly crossed the Yellow River at Boping and attacked Qinghe County, where they joined forces with the armies of Murong Zhen and Murong Da!" "Qinghe County? Could it be that Murong De is not attacking Qingzhou?" Liu Daogui ordered someone to bring him a map.

Qinghe Commandery bordered Wei Commandery and Julu Commandery to the west, and Pingyuan Jinan Commandery to the east.

Murong De has suddenly appeared here, and for a moment we really couldn't figure out his intentions.

However, one thing is certain: his return to Hebei greatly boosted the morale of the various Yan armies, increasing the pressure on the Wei army occupying the area east of the Taihang Mountains.

"Send another letter to Biluhun, reminding him to be careful, as Murong De has joined forces with Murong Zhen and Murong Da, greatly increasing their strength." Liu Daogui felt that Murong De didn't have the courage to compete with Tuoba Gui.

Back when he occupied Ye City and controlled half of Ji Province, he didn't dare to fight a decisive battle. Now, with only a bunch of defeated and remnant troops under his command, he dares to do even less.

Liu Huaizhen immediately picked up his pen and wrote a letter.

His literary talent is not as good as Dai Qizhi's, but he is better at being simple and straightforward.

Liu Daogui has done all he could. As long as Piluhun perseveres, Murong De will not succeed so easily.

What is the situation in the west?

"The Qin army launched a series of fierce attacks, all of which were blocked by Xin Gongjing. The Qin army suffered heavy casualties. The Qin ruler Yao Xing besieged the city but did not attack. He repeatedly tried to persuade the Qin army to surrender, offering them high positions, but Xin Gongjing rebuked him, saying that he would rather be a ghost of the country than a traitorous subject of the Qiang. The defenders in the city were all determined to fight to the death."

Meng Ganzhi's face was full of admiration.

A month has passed, and Luoyang, which should have fallen the most, has not fallen and has withstood the fierce attack of 100,000 Qin troops.

Liu Daogui's pressure in Yuzhou has been greatly reduced.

The situation seems to be developing in a favorable direction.

"The army will rest for three days. After that, they will follow me to reinforce Luoyang!"

Xin Gongjing was more valuable than Bilu Hun, and for Liu Daogui, the Central Plains was much more important than Qingzhou.

When Murong De entered Qingzhou, it was like an eel willingly crawling into a jar; getting in was easy, but getting out was not so easy.

Liu Daogui strengthened his troops and transferred the brave and fierce soldiers from the Yi Cong Army to the Jianwei Central Army.

These men are quite capable in combat, and as long as they are well-fed and clothed, they are even more courageous and fearless on the battlefield.

After careful selection, the Jianwei Central Army was expanded by more than 3,400 men. Liu Daogui even distributed the land around Huatai and Kaifeng, as well as houses in the city, in front of the other volunteer soldiers.

According to the old custom, the military government was responsible for assigning women to unmarried men.

In those days of frequent wars, men died in battle, while women had a higher survival rate.

There are two thousand women in the city of Huatai.

Those without stable property also lack a stable mind.

The same applies to soldiers; only when they are given land and houses will they vow to protect this land to the death.

"The general is our second parent!"

"To be able to serve under the general is truly the greatest fortune of my life!"

These warriors did not cry when facing the enemy's hail of swords and arrows on the battlefield, nor when facing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. But now that their fields and houses have been divided, they are all wailing and crying.

After a series of actions, the loyalty of the Yi Congjun increased dramatically.

In Liu Daogui's mind, they were not only soldiers, but also comrades-in-arms. They were living, breathing people, and every human being has normal desires.

Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.

Managing an army is like managing a family; only when soldiers are treated as brothers will they truly fight for you.

Anyway, following Liu Daogui meant having food, drink, women, and land. If you made military achievements, you could even get promoted. Not to mention the Jin people, even the Xiongnu warriors and the chieftains of various Hu tribes all bowed down to Liu Daogui.

In Huatai City, the soldiers were extremely excited, as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Just as they were about to send troops, someone came from the north bank of the river.

"Our country has received great favors from the Jin Dynasty and was granted titles by the court. In the past, we fought against the Xiongnu together with Liu Mingong. Now that we hear that Your Excellency has recovered Huatai, we have come to congratulate you and present you with fifty fine horses."

This envoy from Wei was clearly from Jin, dressed in a Confucian robe.

The "Lord Liu Min" he mentioned was none other than Liu Kun, who rose at the crack of dawn to practice martial arts with Zu Ti, and who became sworn brothers with Tuoba Gui's great-great-grandfather Tuoba Yilu, fighting fiercely in Hebei, a story worthy of praise and tears.

One cannot hit a smiling face. When someone brings a gift, Liu Daogui cannot be stern. It is the Murong clan, not the Tuoba clan, that has a grudge against the Jin dynasty.

"Please speak frankly if you have something to say."

"General, you are indeed decisive. Murong De's concern for Shandong has become a threat to both sides. If you send troops, my family is willing to lend a helping hand!"

They came for Murong De.

Murong De suddenly stormed into Qinghe, rallied the remnants of the Yan state, and revitalized his strength. The Wei army must be finding this troublesome.

In the previous battle at Dongping, Tuoba Shun suffered a major defeat, which aroused the fear of the Wei Kingdom.

Tuoba Gui was busy moving the capital and ascending the throne, and at this time he could not pay attention to Murong De.

Liu Daogui's two-hour attack on Huatai, right in front of the Wei army, shocked them and made them think more highly of him.

The strong only respect the strong. When Liu Laozhi invaded Hebei, he only had 20,000 Northern Army soldiers under his command, and he defeated Murong Chui's 100,000-strong army twice. Therefore, Liu Daogui had 30,000 troops under his command. In the Northern Kingdom, no one dared to underestimate him.

The Liu family of Pengcheng is the biggest name in the family.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Northern Kingdom has hundreds of thousands of troops; their fighting strength may not even be comparable to that of 20,000 Northern Army soldiers.

"To be honest, our army is short of supplies, and our soldiers urgently need rest. We are unable to fight any longer. Please return." Liu Daogui showed little interest.

Murong De is like a mad dog now; whoever goes up against him will die.

The State of Wei encouraged him to go, but they didn't have any good intentions.

The envoy's eyes flashed. "General, you should think carefully. Once Murong De gains a foothold in Qingzhou, he will surely become a great threat to the Huai and Si regions."

This person must have known my strengths and weaknesses; their words were all aimed at getting to the heart of the matter.

"There's no need for you to worry about that. Murong De is now stationed in Qinghe, which poses an even greater threat to Hebei. Wei and Yan are sworn enemies. If this man rises to power, he will surely march north to avenge the destruction of his country."

Liu Daogui's greatest skill is bargaining.

The other party came to us first, and in any case, Liu Daogui would never rush up at this time.

The envoy laughed and said, "General, you are indeed no ordinary man. Since that is the case, why don't we make an agreement that if Murong De's attack on Qingzhou fails, we will simultaneously send troops to invade his rear? What do you think?"

That's what allies should do.

"Then it's settled. May I ask your honorable name?" Liu Daogui was even more interested in this envoy.

He speaks calmly and methodically, clearly a person of importance.

"My name is Cui Hong."

(End of this chapter)