Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 318 Anti

"General, why haven't we attacked Luoyang yet!" As a fierce general, Wu Fuzhi had always been resentful that he hadn't become one of the Four Tiger Generals of the Western Army.

He also followed Huan Chong in the fierce battle of Xiangyang, and was hit by three spears but did not retreat. In one great battle, he killed thirty-two barbarians. In the battles to quell Yin Zhongkan, Yang Quanqi and Sima Shangzhi, Wu Fuzhi also took the lead and performed outstandingly.

Liu Daogui's 40,000 troops defeated 60,000 elite Wei soldiers, making him realize that the Wei army was nothing special.

Now that Tuoba Gui has retreated, it is a good opportunity to advance on Luoyang.

Taking Luoyang would not only bring promotions and titles, but also leave a mark on history, which was too tempting for generals from humble backgrounds.

Not only Wu Fuzhi, but other soldiers in the Western Army had the same idea.

Huan Xiu's prolonged siege of Wancheng had already aroused discontent among his soldiers, who, after all, had been ordered to recapture Luoyang.

However, Huan Xiu merely raised an eyelid and didn't even bother to say a word. His subordinate, Sima Diao Hong, said, "Luoyang is protected by mountains and rivers. Tuoba Yi and Changsun Fei have amassed a large army at Yique. If we launch a strong attack, we will suffer heavy casualties."

This man came from the Diao clan of Jingkou. After Huan Xuan usurped the throne, the Diao clan joined Huan Xuan and were given important positions.

Wu Fuzhi glanced at Liu Yu, "Hulao Pass is in the hands of the former general. Just give a message and let us through."

If it were an attack on Wei and the recapture of Luoyang, Liu Daogui would certainly agree.

This will alleviate the pressure on Yanzhou.

Huan Xiu chuckled, "General Wu is truly a brave general. What does General Zuo think?"

To pass through Hulao Pass, we still have to consider Liu Yu's feelings.

"Recapturing Luoyang is a righteous act. Your Majesty has just ascended the throne and needs military achievements to stabilize the people's hearts. Luoyang is the ancient capital of the Central Plains, and the people's hearts are with us. It is better to do it sooner rather than later. The Wei army has just captured Luoyang, and the people's hearts are not yet settled. Moreover, there was the defeat at Fangtou, and the morale is low. This humble general is willing to lead eight thousand elite troops from the Northern Army as the vanguard. If we fail to capture Luoyang, I will bring my head to you!" Liu Yu's face was full of loyalty.

He was determined to pass through Hulao Pass, and Mao Dezhu would never stop him under any circumstances.

Once the 8,000 Northern Army soldiers enter Luoyang, they will have a very high chance of defeating Tuoba Yi's tens of thousands of Wei troops.

But the eight thousand elite troops of the Northern Army are no small force.

We've given him the men; who knows who we'll fight next?

Huan Xiu's eyes flashed. "General Zuo is truly a pillar of the nation. With such a capable general, how can we not recover Luoyang? We can consider the matter of the eight thousand Northern Army soldiers later. Order the entire army to proceed to Xuchang first, and then take Hulao Pass! General Zuo, would you be willing to be the vanguard?"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold, with the armored soldiers on both sides glaring menacingly.

Whenever Liu Yu was present, Huan Xiu would be accompanied by more than a dozen armored soldiers.

To pass through Hulao Pass, there was no need to go through Xuchang at all. It would have been closer to go directly north to Xiangcheng, enter Yangdi, and then go through Xingyang. The reason he took such a long detour was clearly not because he really wanted to attack Luoyang.

Liu Daogui is currently fighting against Murong De in Jibei, leaving Yuzhou with a depleted military force.

Xuchang has been an important town in the Central Plains since the Cao Wei period. It has been well managed in recent years. There are tens of thousands of acres of fertile land on both sides of the Ying River, as well as four or five thousand households. It has long been the envy of Huan Xiu.

A barren field goes unattended, but once tilled, people vie for it.

When Xuchang was abandoned, no one thought of developing it. Now that it has a glimmer of life, people have immediately started to consider it.

The Huan brothers were even more greedy than the Wang, Xie, and Yu brothers, and the resentment among the people of Jiangzuo was partly due to them.

Taking Xuchang is much easier than launching a direct assault on Luoyang, which is defended by tens of thousands of Wei troops.

It will be good to go back and explain to Huan Xuan.

Huan Xiu was neither confident nor daring in dealing with the barbarians, but he was adept at stabbing his own people in the back.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Liu Yu glanced at the menacing armored soldiers, but a smile appeared on his lips.

Huan Xiu was very satisfied. "The recapture of Luoyang depends entirely on General Zuo. If we win this battle, I will recommend you to His Majesty as the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Army!"

"Thank you, General!" Liu Yu bowed respectfully, then turned and walked out with his head held high and chest out.

Huan Xiu watched Liu Yu's retreating figure, a cold smile appearing on his face.

Wu Fuzhi said in a low voice, "Liu Yu has been weaving a large number of straw sandals these days. I wonder what his intention is."

"Straw sandals?" Huan Xiu always wore leather shoes and had no recollection of these shoes woven from straw stalks. "Hmph, you're just a shoe weaver and mat seller!"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I suddenly felt something was wrong.

Another member of the Liu family was also a shoe weaver and mat seller back in the day...

"Liu Yu reported this to me, saying that the soldiers in the army had no shoes and volunteered to weave straw sandals." Diao Hong, as the military commander, was in charge of the army's supplies.

However, the Northern Army was far inferior to the Western Army in terms of food, clothing, and weaponry.

Liu Yu's troops were treated differently, even their weapons were third-rate.

"Don't be so suspicious about such trivial matters in the future. Don't forget what he used to do, hahaha..." Huan Xiu laughed loudly.

Those present were either from aristocratic families or servants of the Huan family, and they naturally held Liu Yu, who came from a humble background, in contempt.

So I didn't take it to heart.

Wu Fuzhi felt something was amiss, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Liu Yu... has the bearing of a dragon and the stride of a tiger; he is not one to remain subservient to others for long. If the General orders him to lead troops, wouldn't that be like letting a tiger return to the mountains?"

Huan Xiu sneered, "If he doesn't obey the order, he will be disobeying military orders. You can use military law to execute him. I will give you 10,000 elite troops to follow closely behind. After you trick the gates of Xuchang open, there's no need to ask any more questions. Just take action and leave no one alive. Bring me Liu Yu's head!" Huan Xiu's face was full of murderous intent.

Even if 10,000 elite troops couldn't defeat Liu Yu's 1,000 men, they wouldn't collapse instantly. As long as they could hold off Liu Yu, he could lead his remaining 10,000 troops to attack...

Diao Hong advised, "Killing Liu Yu will surely force Liu Daogui to rebel!"

"If we don't kill Liu Yu, will Liu Daogui stop rebelling? Right now, he's locked in battle with Murong De and has no time to look west. If we take Xuchang, we'll be able to encircle Pengcheng. What can he do? His Majesty has long wanted to get rid of both of them, but he just hasn't had the opportunity yet!"

The North Prefecture and the West Prefecture were separated only by a thin window.

It is only because Huan Xuan values ​​Liu Yu that he has endured this situation until now.

Huan Xiu took a deep breath. "Besides, even if Liu Yu is killed, will Liu Daogui necessarily have the guts to rebel? Shouchun, Runan, and Hefei are all heavily fortified. On the Yangtze River, the Western Army's navy is invincible. What can he do? Let me tell you the truth, His Majesty has already secretly allied with Murong De. After destroying the Jianwei Army, Yanzhou will belong to him, and Huaibei will belong to me!"

Tigers may have the intention to harm people, and people may also have the desire to kill tigers!
The powerful families of Jiangdong could allow the northern regions to be occupied by the nomadic tribes, but they would never allow anyone to successfully launch a northern expedition.

Whether from humble or aristocratic families.

Just as the Sima family could not allow Zu Ti, Huan Wen, and Xie Xuan to succeed in their northern expeditions, the Huan family will not allow Liu Daogui to succeed in the same way.

Therefore, Liu Daogui has become a major threat to Huan Chu!

"I see. Your subordinate is relieved. The General is wise, and His Majesty is wise. We must not allow two commoners to rebel against the Heavenly Gang. Otherwise, how can we, the noble families, stand between heaven and earth?"

Diao Hong's eyes were filled with hostility, and his entire face was contorted...

Spring has arrived, the weather is fine and sunny, and the world is bright and clear, yet storms are brewing.

Large swirling clouds surged from the horizon, flying overhead, while banners fluttered all around.

Liu Yu gazed silently at the floating clouds in the sky, like a stone statue.

"General, everything is ready!" Mu Qian, the personal guard, whispered.

More than a hundred of his men, each wielding a sharp blade, were filled with excitement.

Although they didn't know what they were going to do, they had followed Liu Yu for many years and knew that something big must be happening in the next few days.

Although Huan Xiu was a playboy, he was not stupid. He kept his military power in his hands and was secretly on guard against Liu Yu. His thousand men were surrounded by the three Western Army forces of Zhu Xiuzhi, Liu Tong, and Feng Zhi, and could not move without orders.

Even though they went out today, the three groups were on high alert.

Tensions had long been high between the Western Army and the Northern Army.

"Let's go!" Liu Yu withdrew his gaze.

A thousand men, carrying long spears, headed east. They wore very little armor, less than 10% of their clothes, and most of them were dressed in rags, their weapons being rusty, old objects.

After Huan Xuan came to power, the Northern Army had an even harder time.

The bowl of porridge in Jiangzuo is only so big, and it wasn't enough to go around before. Now that the Western Army has arrived, even less will end up in the mouths of the Northern Army.

However, the morale of these thousand-plus soldiers was high, and each of them was wearing a brand-new pair of straw sandals.

These shoes are lightweight and soft, making them ideal for long marches.

Liu Yu was like a god of war in the Northern Army, far surpassing Liu Laozhi and even not inferior to Xie Xuan.

With him around, the morale of the more than one thousand people was completely different.

Behind him, Wu Fuzhi led Zhu Xiuzhi, Liu Tong, and Feng Zhi's troops slowly forward.

The atmosphere was somber and oppressive, as if they were escorting a group of condemned prisoners to the execution ground, rather than marching.

"Speed ​​up the march!" Liu Yu suddenly ordered.

"The general has ordered us to speed up the march!" Mu Qian shouted.

The soldiers quickened their pace and marched forward.

In the Battle of Suanshan, within ten days, Liu Yu led more than a thousand men from Haiyan to Jingkou, arriving at Suanshan ahead of the rebels who attacked Jingkou.

They then pursued Sun En from Suanshan to Wu Commandery and Kuaiji.

Having traveled over a thousand miles back and forth, the soldiers had long since developed strong leg muscles.

Moreover, since I'm not wearing armor now, I can move faster.

On the contrary, Wu Fu's troops were heavily armored, and the Western Army, which traveled by boat year-round, was far less capable of marching than Liu Yu's troops.

They were left behind in just half an hour.

But they weren't falling too far behind. Every time they were about to fall behind, the Northern Army in front would slow down, giving them hope. Just when they were about to catch up, the Northern Army would speed up again, leaving them behind.

They traveled along the way, stopping and starting, and within half a day, the Xifu army was panting and exhausted.

Nearly 20% of the troops had fallen behind, their formation had broken down, and the soldiers were full of complaints.

(End of this chapter)