Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 405 Movement

Slide.

"Report... More than 100,000 Wei infantry and cavalry are stationed in Hanoi, Wei Commandery, and Qinghe!"

Before a major battle broke out, scouts on both sides were busy shuttling back and forth across the Yellow River, bringing back all sorts of news.

"Where is Tuoba Si?" Liu Daogui stood on the city wall, looking at the mighty Yellow River to the north. It was the height of summer, and the Yellow River was full of water, which was extremely advantageous for a naval raid.

While the Wei army nominally controlled a portion of the river, in reality, the Jin army had complete control over the waterways.

The scout shouted, "Tuoba Si is still in Zhongshan!"

Lying on the palanquin, Liu Yu said disappointedly, "Without Tuoba Si coming, our attack won't be able to strike at Wei's vitals."

Liu Huaijing said, "Tuoba Si is as cowardly as a mouse. He has nearly 200,000 troops in Hebei, but he dares not fight against our 10,000-plus men."

"In that case, let's send troops to attack Qin first." Liu Daogui felt that this was precisely what made Tuoba Si so troublesome.

If it were Tuoba Gui, he would have led the entire nation's army to fight to the death long ago.

The Wei Kingdom experienced an internal strife, and Tuoba Gui died at the hands of his own son, but it did not split apart, which can be considered a blessing from heaven.

Liu Yu said, "If Tuoba Si doesn't come, we can first wipe out Changsun Song's 30,000 elite cavalry, and then attack Qin in the west."

Xie Hui bowed and said, "What Lord Song said is very true. The Wei army has more than 100,000 infantry and cavalry stationed in Hebei and is still observing. We cannot take them lightly. Although Qin is weak, it has the natural defenses of mountains and rivers and will be difficult to conquer in the short term."

With tens of thousands of troops stationed in Zhongshan and hundreds of thousands more stationed on the north bank of the Yellow River, the Wei army was bound to march south as long as Jin and Qin were locked in a stalemate.

"Then let's do as you say, brother. Let's fight Changsun Song first. I have eight thousand elite cavalry, and our strength is no less than that of thirty thousand Wei cavalry!"

"An army is raised for a thousand days to be used for one day." Liu Daogui's eight thousand elite cavalry were precisely prepared for the State of Wei.

The Xianbei believed their cavalry was invincible. If they could defeat the Wei cavalry on the battlefield, it would be an unparalleled blow to their morale.

In warfare, winning hearts and minds is of paramount importance.

Unexpectedly, Liu Yu stood up with Liu Juanzi's help, saying, "No need, my three thousand infantrymen are enough!"

"Three thousand infantrymen?" Liu Yu was taken aback.

The other generals of the Northern Army were also stunned. If these words hadn't come from Liu Yu's mouth, others would have thought he was crazy.

However, the astonishment on the generals' faces quickly turned into fervor.

If others can't do it, Liu Yu certainly can.

Since he raised his army, he has never been defeated.

"Don't worry, I have a method to defeat cavalry with infantry. Since Tuoba Si won't come, I'll have to use it on Changsun Song. In a battle between two armies, the first battle is crucial. Everyone, watch as I defeat the enemy!"

Liu Yu's face was flushed.

Given his personality, if he were to lead his troops north to fight two opponents at once, he would certainly be confident of victory.

Having said all that, Liu Daogui could no longer offer any further advice.

He thought to himself that if his attack failed, he could simply lead his cavalry and navy to provide support.

Just then, a scout came galloping in, reporting... Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi's forces attacked Wuguan before the rest of the army could assemble!

Liu Daogui frowned. It was still July, not the time to send out troops yet, and the various armies were still gathering.

Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi then took it upon themselves to attack Wuguan...

This is already disobeying military orders.

The two brothers in the Shen family have never been very obedient and often act on their own initiative.

The struggle with Wei in the east is still unresolved, and the Shen brothers' move will likely trigger action on other fronts as well.

Otherwise, if we stand by and watch the two brothers perish, at best it will affect the morale of the western armies, and at worst it will cause the Northern Expedition to fail.

A flash of anger crossed Liu Yu's eyes, but it quickly subsided. "A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders. Let's see how well he performs."

Liu Daogui said, "Before the battle, orders were repeatedly given that we must wait until all the armies had gathered. These two acted on their own, which is a violation of military orders!"

"Changing generals on the eve of battle is a major taboo in military strategy. Since the die is cast, we might as well launch a major battle on the western front ahead of schedule and postpone the eastern front."

The Shen brothers were his trusted confidants and beloved generals, so naturally he wouldn't punish them like that.

Liu Daogui had tolerated them many times, but this time he had finally reached his limit. Over a thousand men, disregarding the overall situation, attacked Wuguan, putting other fronts on the defensive. The main attack in this battle was towards Tongguan, and it brought together most of Liu Daogui's fiercest generals: Mao Dezhu, Liu Zhong, Shen Qingzhi, Xiao Chengzhi…

Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi's actions suggest a preemptive strike mentality.

The Wei Kingdom was plagued by internal conflicts, and there were also many internal conflicts within the Northern Army.

Liu Daogui said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, let me make this clear from the beginning: if this Northern Expedition fails, the blame will fall on the Shen brothers!"

"The Shen brothers are no less brave than I am; we are sure to win this battle. Agui, there's no need to worry." Liu Yu was always so confident...

At this time, Wuguan was piled high with corpses and blood flowed everywhere.

A tall banner bearing the character "Shen" was planted atop the city wall, and soldiers searched for valuables among the corpses.

Upon discovering that the Qin soldier was still alive, he immediately stabbed him in the face with his sword.

Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi launched their attack ahead of time partly to compete for credit, and partly to catch the enemy off guard.

The immense pressure at Puban and Tongguan drew away the main force of the Qin army.

There were only two thousand soldiers guarding Wuguan Pass, and reinforcements were still on their way. Shen Tianzi saw this as a great opportunity, so he took a risk and, with the help of his men from the Wu region, launched a surprise attack on Wuguan Pass by crossing mountains and valleys.

The Qin army suffered fewer than 100 casualties, but none of its 2,000 soldiers escaped; they were all killed.

Although the Shen brothers were unruly, they were formidable fighters, inheriting Liu Yu's style and fighting with fearlessness.

"We are Song Gong's men, why should those northern barbarians ride roughshod over us?" Shen Tianzi looked at his men, his voice sharp and stern.

Liu Daogui's confidants were either stationed in Chengdu, or in important towns such as Jiangling, Luoyang, and Wancheng, while the two brothers were sent to the desolate Hanzhong.

The people, money, and grain had long been taken by the Qiuchi Kingdom, and Shen Tianzi hadn't gotten a single drop of profit, so he had long harbored resentment.

He viewed this war against Qin as an opportunity to turn his life around.

"That's right, those Northern barbarians ate all the meat, but they didn't even give us a sip of the soup!" the followers shouted.

They went to Hanzhong, and they were also victims.

Essentially, it was a continuation of the internal conflict between the "northern barbarians and southern rabble" within the Jin dynasty. The Shen clan members were all from the Wu region, and the Shen family was inherently at odds with the imperial court.

"Your father will not do as they say. Now that Wuguan has been breached, we should march into Guanzhong, take Chang'an, and have women, money, wine, and meat—whatever we want!"

Shen Tianzi raised his blood-stained longsword and pointed it at the blazing sun overhead.

"Kill, kill, kill—"

The soldiers' eyes instantly turned red. Hanzhong was plagued by frequent wars, and the people had long since fled and been completely devoured by the Qiuchi Kingdom, leaving them with nothing.

Compared to other Tiger Guards and Northern Army units, they felt like they had been exiled.

So everyone was holding their breath.

However, Wuguan was just the beginning. Wuguan was not a pass, but should be called Wuguan Road, which winds through the towering mountains of the Qinling Mountains. Behind it are cities and passes such as Danfeng City, Shangcheng, Shangluo City, Qingni Pass, and Lantian.

This is also why the Qin army placed its main force at Puban and Tongguan.

Once Puban and Tongguan are breached, the land ahead will be flat and open. Even if Wuguan is breached, there will still be many fortified passes behind.

But Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi couldn't care less about all that; resentment was sometimes a driving force.

Many of the men in this force had fought alongside Liu Yu in the Battle of Fuzhou Mountain and were most skilled at long-distance raids.

After receiving supplies from Xiangyang and Xuchang, each soldier was equipped with a suit of iron armor, a horse-slaying sword, and a repeating crossbow. Compared to the Qin army, which couldn't even afford clothes, they were worlds apart.

After Wuguan was captured, morale soared. After only one day of rest, Shen Tianzi led more than 900 soldiers to attack Danfeng.

Although there were Qin troops stationed in these cities, their defenses were lax and morale was low because of the Wuguan Pass blocking their way. It wasn't until Shen Tianzi stormed into the city that they realized it was the Northern Army that had arrived.

The city's defenders grew increasingly frightened, and upon seeing the banners of the Northern Army, they fled without a fight.

Shen Tianzi, sword and shield in hand, charged forward, raising his arms and shouting wildly, "Follow the routed army, and fight our way into Chang'an!"

"kill!"

The soldiers didn't care how many Qin soldiers there were or where Chang'an was; they just kept fighting their way west.

After successively capturing Shangxian, Shangluo, and Qingni, their advance was directed towards Lantian, a major town south of Chang'an.

(End of this chapter)