Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 408 Luck

"The Northern Army's fighting strength is so formidable?" Tuoba Si, who was closely following the battle, found it hard to believe.

They had planned to have Yao Qin hold out for a year or two to exhaust the morale and resources of the Jin dynasty, but unexpectedly, the Qin army suffered a crushing defeat as soon as the two sides made contact.

Changsun Fei said, "The Northern Army won not by force, but by wisdom. Mao Dezhu bypassed Tongguan and Puban, and sailed his warships up the Wei River, penetrating deep into enemy territory alone. He put himself in a desperate situation and survived. This kind of military strategy is quite reminiscent of the style of Sun Tzu and Wu Qi."

Tuoba Si sighed, “Why have so many outstanding talents emerged from Wu in the last twenty years? There were Xie Xuan and Liu Laozhi before, and Liu Yu and Liu Daogui after. Even an unknown person under their command has such military strategy.”

The war against Qin shocked the state of Wei the most by showing that even a small detachment could wreak havoc on all sides.

Any one of the generals was fearless and exceptionally intelligent.

However, this is a question that Changsun Fei finds difficult to answer.

Cui Hao cupped his hands and said, “When the time is right, adversity will eventually give way to prosperity. This is the so-called sign of adversity turning into prosperity. Since the Sima family replaced Cao Cao, after the War of the Eight Princes, the fortunes of the Jin people have plummeted. After the Battle of Fei River, the Northern Army rose up unexpectedly, and the imperial aura gathered in the south. The tiger crouches and the dragon coils, which should be on Liu Yu and Liu Daogui. Now the Jin army is in high spirits and its military force is sharp. If we touch it, we will die. I ask Your Majesty to temporarily avoid its sharp edge. The Wu people are good at internal strife. After this northern expedition, the Liu family will definitely usurp the Jin throne, and the country will inevitably be in great chaos, which will damage its own vitality. Then Your Majesty can send your iron cavalry westward, first take Guanzhong, and then pacify the Central Plains. Then the mandate of heaven will eventually return to Wei!”

Wang Jian said, "The Northern Army is stationed at Huatai, indicating their intention to invade us. Are we just going to give up Hebei like this?"

Cui Hao said, "What's wrong with giving it up? Hebei is like the bottom of a cauldron, with high passes on all sides in our hands. If the Jin army occupies it, they will be too few to defend it, and if they have too many, the transport of supplies will be difficult. Our army can march east out of Taihang at any time, harass them from all sides, and annihilate them all at once when they are exhausted!"

This is a very bold plan.

This was tantamount to ceding Hebei to attract the Jin army to Beishan.

With such a large area as Hebei, the Jin army would definitely leave behind elite troops to defend it. However, Hebei is too far from Jiangzuo, making the transportation of supplies difficult. With the Wei army's cavalry harassing them, the Jin army would weaken in no time.

Ultimately, the core area of ​​the Wei Kingdom was located in Bingzhou and the area north and south of Yinshan.

Bingzhou held a commanding position over Jizhou and Youzhou, giving it a significant strategic advantage. Moreover, all the passes in the Taihang Mountains were controlled by the Wei army, allowing them to attack at will.

However, this strategy was destined to be rejected by Tuoba Si.

"I think you're clearly a spy sent by the Jin Dynasty! How can we just hand over the territory conquered by the late emperor? Bah!" Wang Jian spat on Cui Hao's face.

"Yes, you keep saying you're doing this for Wei, but in my opinion, you're actually after Jin. A leopard can't change its spots!" Eqing pointed at Cui Hao's nose and started cursing.

Other nobles also joined in the scathing criticism.

In the south, there was a conflict between the northern barbarians and the southern barbarians, and in the north, there was a conflict between the Hu and Jin peoples. Ever since Shi Le and Shi Hu created the "Guoren" system, the Hu people could insult the wives and daughters of the Jin people at will.

When Shi Le was still in power, Shi Hu dared to swagger into the residence of the then prime minister Cheng Xia and, in front of Cheng Xia, took turns humiliating his wife, concubines, and daughter...

The Hu people plundered the property of the Jin people and bullied their wives and daughters, but Shi Le turned a blind eye to it all.

Over the decades, this led to the Jin people being treated worse than dogs in front of the Hu people.

Although the State of Wei was not as powerful as the Jie and Zhao states, it had always been secretly wary of the Jin people. Cui Hong and his son Cui Hao held high positions as prime ministers and were highly regarded by Tuoba Gui and Tuoba Si, but they did not receive the respect of the Hu people and had little military power.

"Enough." Fortunately, Tuoba Si spoke up in time, stopping the powerful chieftains and nobles from questioning Cui Hao.

But the atmosphere inside the tent became strange.

Wang Jian and E Qing remained silent, Changsun Fei was also silent, and Cui Hao also took the initiative to step back.

Tuoba Si was deeply troubled. Without these northern gentry, the Wei state would not be where it is today; employing these Jin people only exacerbated the internal strife. These nobles had long been dissatisfied with his heavy reliance on Cui Hao.

They conquered the Wei kingdom, so why should these Jin people be treated as equals with them?
Regardless of whether they are from the south, the north, the Jin people, or the Hu people, human nature is the same.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the tent. "Your Majesty, Liu Yu has led three thousand armored soldiers across the north and is heading straight for Fangtou!"

"What?" The generals' eyes widened, filled with surprise and fear.

The arrival was none other than a tiger renowned throughout the world.

A cold glint flashed in Changsun Fei's eyes. "Where are Liu Daogui's troops?"

The scout reported, "Still on the slide!"

Changsun Fei said in a deep voice, "The Wu people's fortune is concentrated on Liu Yu and Liu Daogui. Now that Liu Yu is leading his army north alone, it is Heaven's help to us. If we can capture and kill this man, the morale of the Northern Army will immediately collapse, and the fortune of China will also fall. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

The Wei army feared the reputation of the Northern Army and dared not march into the Central Plains, but when Liu Yu took the initiative to come to their doorstep, the situation changed drastically.

Liu Yu was the military genius of the Jin people, and also their courage.

To capture or kill him would be to shatter the destiny of China.

From then on, the State of Wei truly dominated the world!

Just like the Battle of Canhebei back then, when Murong Chui fell, the Later Yan also fell.

A nation's heroes must not fall.

However, among those in the tent, only Changsun Fei had such courage. The others looked at each other in bewilderment. No matter how loud they had been shouting just now, upon hearing Liu Yu's name, they couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

Having three thousand armored soldiers in your hands is a completely different matter from having them in Liu Yu's hands.

His subordinate Shen Tianzi, with a mere eight or nine hundred men, defeated Yao Xing's army of fifty or sixty thousand...

The current situation presents Tuoba Si with the most difficult choice he has ever faced.

As the emperor of a country, he knew very well that a man like Liu Yu would not make such a simple mistake as going deep into enemy territory alone. He was either here to fight to the death or he had other, bigger plans.

Typically, gamblers bet their entire fortune in hopes of winning a greater profit...

Tuoba Si regretted not heeding Cui Hao's advice. He glanced at Cui Hao, but Cui Hao had his head down and remained silent.

Changsun Fei rose from the felt carpet and walked to the center of the tent. “Whether Liu Yu uses himself as bait or is just bluffing, as long as he crosses the river, the opportunity will be in Your Majesty’s hands. Yao Qin’s bones are nothing but withered bones in his tomb. How can they be compared to our country? Now, we have hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in Hebei. If we retreat without a fight, our morale will collapse immediately.”

Liu Yu took the initiative to cross the river, and the situation changed dramatically.

What began as a decisive battle between Qin and Jin evolved into a battle for the fate of the states of Jin and Wei, or rather, a battle for the destiny of the Liu and Tuoba clans!

If Tuoba Si were to take a step back, he would face utter ruin, and even the legitimacy of his throne would be questioned.

"All generals, heed my command!" Although young, Tuoba Si was no fool. He immediately drew his long sword. "The fate of the nation rests on this battle. Order all troops from Hebei to rush to Fangtou's aid. I will capture and kill this tiger!"

(End of this chapter)