Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 315 East

Liu Daogui's heart skipped a beat.

If something happens in the east, it must be something that Southern Yan is up to. In order to win the Battle of Fangtou, the elite troops guarding against Southern Yan have been transferred here.

Murong De was originally a ferocious and cunning old wolf; he took the bait as soon as he smelled it.

Moreover, since they have gained power, the one most threatened is Southern Yan.

Yanzhou and Qingzhou stand side by side and back to back, separated only by Mount Tai. As the saying goes, "Two tigers cannot share one mountain," and the geographical situation dictates that the two sides are locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Previously, due to immense pressure from the State of Wei, they had to temporarily cease hostilities.

Now that the State of Wei has been weakened and is recuperating, Murong De's northern threat has been largely eliminated.

Even if he hadn't come to deal with Liu Daogui, Liu Daogui was already planning to take action against him.

"What happened?"

"Murong De personally led 40,000 infantry and cavalry to break through Licheng, invade Jibei, and conquer Boyang, Ying, Lu, Gucheng, Luoyin and other counties, abducting more than 2,000 households. In the south, Murong Zhen invaded Lanling, burning and killing along the way, and abducting 3,000 young men."

Being in a battlefield, one inevitably faces this situation, and Liu Daogui was already used to it.

"I'm furious! That old Murong is utterly shameless!" Liu Zun was enraged.

Liu Huaizhen said, "Murong De's threat is no less than that of Tuoba Gui. This man has been lying in wait for a long time, and his infantry and cavalry are sharp. If he suddenly makes a move, it will be no small matter. Our soldiers have just experienced a great battle, and their morale is exhausted. We should focus on holding our ground."

"You only know one side of the story. We must not show weakness when dealing with an old dog like Murong De. If I hold our ground, he will think that our army is no match for us and will become even more aggressive. This battle is inevitable. If anyone is to retreat, it will be them. Issue the order for the entire army to sail down the Ji River!"

Having fought the Hu people for so long, Liu Daogui had long since figured out their habits.

When dealing with a vicious dog, the more you back down, the more aggressive it becomes.

Liu Zun cursed, "Even Tuoba Gui is no match for us, so what is Murong De!"

The other generals and officers were also indignant. "Murong De attacked our city and killed our people. How can we stand idly by? We would rather fight to the death than retreat!"

The Battle of Fangtou boosted their morale.

They had a psychological advantage over the Hu people.

Murong De turned and ran as soon as he saw Tuoba Gui, abandoning even Ye City, while Liu Daogui stabbed Wei in the back at Fangtou. The contrast between the two sides made it clear who was superior.

Seeing the crowd's agitated state, Liu Huaizhen decided against further persuasion.

“No need to worry. If Murong De had stayed in Guanggu, it would have been harder for us to deal with him. Now that he has come out on his own, it is the perfect opportunity to defeat him.” Liu Daogui turned around and headed straight for the port.

The Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Ji River were the four ancient waterways.

The Ji River was no less important to the Central Plains than the Yellow River and the Huai River, and it was the link between the three provinces of Qing, Yan and Yu.

This connection saved Liu Daogui a lot of energy.

In many wars, the effort spent on marching and logistical support far exceeds the effort spent on the war itself.

To boost morale, Liu Daogui spared no expense, slaughtering more than 5,000 sheep to feast his soldiers.

On the boat, you can rest peacefully, sheltered from the wind and rain.

Murong De's momentum was also very fast. After taking Lu County, he headed straight for Taishan County.

The main peak of Mount Tai is located in Bo County of Taishan Prefecture, which is the highest point in the three prefectures of Qing, Xu and Yan, equivalent to the Shangdang region of Bingzhou.

However, Liu Guangzhi was prepared in advance, and he fortified his defenses and scorched the fields, concentrating his forces in the two cities of Fenggao and Bo County. From this high vantage point, he used a mere two thousand central soldiers and four thousand local soldiers to hold off Murong De's thirty thousand infantry and cavalry.

They repelled Murong Fa's attacks twice, killing more than two thousand men.

A skilled warrior may not achieve great feats, and although Liu Guangzhi has remained quiet and unassuming over the years, he has been a pillar of strength.

Although he lacked some administrative skills, he excelled in defense, was very stable and reliable, was extremely loyal to Liu Daogui, and had high prestige among his soldiers.

By defending Taishan County, he effectively defended the gateway to Yanzhou.

To the south, Wang Yuande led two thousand soldiers from Pingyang City to reinforce Cheng City, blocking Murong Town's ten thousand infantry and cavalry.

Liu Daogui immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Once the situation stabilizes, things will be much easier. The worst fear is that Murong De and Murong Zhen will invade our heartland, burning, killing, and looting, destroying all the hard work we've put in over the years.

Liu Daogui is no longer in a hurry to advance his troops.

One must press on with one effort, for the second will be weaker and the third will be exhausted. If Murong De cannot conquer Taishan County in one fell swoop, it will only become more difficult later.

In those days, cities were extremely fortified. Tuoba Gui's army of over 100,000 besieged Xin Gongjing's 10,000 elderly and weak garrison in Luoyang for three months before finally breaching the city.

Murong De's 30,000 to 40,000 infantry and cavalry are simply not enough. If he suffers heavy casualties, Qingzhou will be lost.

However, in order to support Liu Guangzhi, Liu Daogui still ordered Xiao Chengzhi to lead three thousand "cavalry" to provide assistance.

Although they were called cavalry, they were actually infantrymen on horseback, and their warhorses were all captured from the Wei army.

The goal was not to have Xiao Cheng defeat the enemy, but simply to have him restrain Murong De as much as possible.

This bought time for the soldiers on board to rest.

After days of meat supply, the soldiers ate their fill and then slept soundly in the cabins, which helped alleviate their fatigue, but their injuries were difficult to heal in the short term.

Of the eleven thousand soldiers, fewer than six thousand were capable of fighting.

Of the 20,000 soldiers, at most only half could go to the battlefield.

Since last year, the soldiers have been constantly traveling back and forth between the north and south, and ordinary armies would have collapsed long ago.

The fleet slowly passed through Dingtao, Juye, and Dongping, and with each passing day, the soldiers' morale and spirits recovered a little.

Xiao Chengzhi's three thousand cavalry entered Taishan County, but did not rush to attack. Instead, they stationed themselves in Feicheng, which is south of Lu County and west of Bo County, just in time to threaten Murong De's flank and rear.

After years of continuous battles, the skill level of Liu Daogui's generals has also been constantly improving.

Xiao Chengzhi's move put Murong De in a very difficult position. With a knife pointed at his back, he naturally couldn't launch a full-scale attack.

"Send word to increase the speed of the ships and head straight for Licheng. This time, we'll trap them and beat them to a pulp!" Liu Daogui decisively gave the order.

"This time, I must leave that old man Murong De to live. After I destroy Southern Yan, you can reward me with a few more women from the Murong family, hehe..." Liu Zun laughed in an extremely lewd manner.

The Murong family was renowned; the men were handsome, the women beautiful, and their skin as white as jade. They were the heartthrobs of countless men, and even the powerful emperor Fu Jian could not resist their allure…

"Look at your potential."

No wonder he was so concerned; it turns out it was still that little thing about his lower body...

"That's all I'm good for. A real man is born to sleep with all the beauties in the world. In the future, I'll conquer the Western Regions and taste the flavors of the Hu women!" Liu Zun even licked his lips disgustingly.

"Hahaha—" The officers and soldiers around burst into laughter.

No one doubted the outcome of this battle.

"Great, then we'll have as many women as we want!" Liu Daogui declared with boundless pride.

Anyone who can rise to prominence in the Central Plains will surely dominate the surrounding areas.

These soldiers, having listened to their superiors and commanders recount tales of the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty, had long harbored a deep longing for the region.

I'm not afraid of them being ambitious, I'm afraid of them being uninterested in anything.

As soon as the order was given, the soldiers quickly got into position, full of killing intent. However, some of the garrison soldiers were still not ready and lacked that fierce determination to die.

The fleet sped eastward, but the Yan army scouts and cavalry on both banks were helpless, as they were driven back by crossbow bolts as soon as they approached the warships.

After marching for two days, just as they were about to enter Jibei territory, a scout came to report: "General, Murong De has withdrawn his troops from Fenggao in Bo County and returned to Licheng!"

"What? Why did they retreat? Why did they retreat? Damn it, the Murong family's women are gone..." Liu Zun was furious.

"An old dog is an old dog." Liu Daogui felt that his powerful swing of the sword had struck empty air.

However, he failed to take Taishan County in one fell swoop, thus losing the initiative.

The arrival of Xiao Chengzhi's reinforcements made their situation even more precarious.

Riding on the momentum of his great victory at Fangtou, Liu Daogui charged in with overwhelming force, and Murong De naturally dared not engage in battle.

The Battle of Fangtou had a huge impact, which inadvertently elevated the status of Jianwei Central Army.

The fierce Battle of Fei River was only a little over a decade ago, yet the reputation of the Northern Army remains strong.

Murong De only had about 20,000 to 30,000 elite troops. He would never fight to the death unless absolutely necessary. Back then, he had manpower and food in Ye City, as well as the fortified city of Ye City. He repelled Tuoba Yi several times. But when Tuoba Gui's army came, he turned around and ran away, abandoning Ye City.

"The army will continue eastward to recapture Jibei!" Liu Daogui remained vigilant.

Murong De only retreated to Licheng; the battle was not over.

Licheng is the gateway to Qingzhou, but it is also the eastern gate of Yanzhou. His army gathered here, clearly indicating that he was still not satisfied.

Moreover, Murong Town in the south has not retreated and is still invading Lanling.

(End of this chapter)