Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 140 Destroyed Ferry
In heaven and on earth, the only one who could appear in front of Zhou Xin at this moment was Xu Sheng's tribe.

In fact, as early as a quarter of an hour ago, the scouts under Zhou Xin had discovered the traces of Xu Sheng's troops and immediately rushed to the main camp to report. However, the enemy followed closely at an extremely fast speed, and both sides arrived at Zhou Xin's troops almost at the same time.

Zhou Xin's heart was beating like a drum. He hadn't seen such well-equipped cavalry for three or four years since he took office as the prefect of Danyang. Those figures galloping on horseback were not people, but streams of money.

After he defected to Wang Lang, he also advised Wang Lang to strengthen the military, but Wang Lang, who was confident that he held the great county of Kuaiji, with its large army and abundant food supplies, was as stable as Mount Tai, and was as stingy as a miser when it came to military matters. On the contrary, he did not even blink an eye when it came to matters such as building dikes and canals, and planting crops in the spring. In just one year, he built seven canals alone!

Building dikes and canals, and thus enhancing one's reputation, is a feat that will live on through the ages. Whether Wang Lang truly cared about the people's well-being or had other motives, only he knew.

However, under the pressure of crisis, Yan Yi used most of his resources to expand his armaments. In addition, with the full support of the Yan family, although his troops were small, he had already surpassed Wang Lang in terms of individual armaments.

This can be seen from the expressions on the faces of the 300 cavalrymen who followed Zhou Xin into the battle. Although they were also cavalrymen, they were so surprised that they didn't even have the courage to charge and stop the enemy. It was not until the enemy cavalry was close to their main formation that they gritted their teeth and pounced from the flank.

But it was too late. Before they could come into contact with the enemy, they had already rushed past the front line of the army, like a gust of wind, bringing with them a bloody storm.

Due to the forced march, Zhou Xin's troops' formations were rather disorganized and stretched out for a very long time. In addition, the cavalry guarding the two wings failed to intercept them in time. The infantry formations in the front army were like paper and were penetrated in an instant!

After Xu Sheng led his troops to break through the front army, he wanted to take advantage of the chaos in the front army to charge again and defeat it, but when he saw that the enemy cavalry had come to support him, he changed his mind, turned his horse around, and rushed towards the rear army at lightning speed.

It really took the mobility and flexibility of the cavalry to the extreme.

Zhou Xin's cavalry had missed their target, and when they tried to rush to the rear, they were already a beat too late. In a flash, the rear army, caught off guard, was penetrated by Xu Sheng's troops, and wailing erupted everywhere.

Zhou Xin's eyes were bloodshot as he watched, and he hurriedly ordered his deputy general Shang Sheng, "Shang Jun, you immediately lead a force to support the front army, and I will lead a force to support the rear army!"

Shang Sheng was also horrified. He had previously learned about Yan Yi's army from military reports, often privately commenting on Qian Tong and Zou Ta as incomparably foolish. When Zhu Zhi was defeated, he lamented that he had lost his former courage. Now, witnessing with his own eyes how Xu Sheng, with only a few hundred cavalry, seized a rare opportunity to disrupt the main formation, he finally understood why Zhu Zhi and his men had been defeated. Only a few words kept resonating in his mind: elite soldiers and talented generals, their sharp edge is unmatched!
He subconsciously loosened the reins, responded with a "yes", and ran to the front of the central army with a big axe in his hand. He shouted continuously and led 1,200 soldiers to support the front army.

Zhou Xin's central army was quickly divided into two, moving closer to the front and rear armies respectively, forming a battle array and stabilizing the position.

After the two divisions were formed, they slowly moved closer and merged into one, finally completely eliminating the enemy's threat.

Although the crisis was resolved, the losses were quite heavy, with more than 400 soldiers killed.

Xu Sheng led his troops and lingered five hundred steps away from the enemy formation, staring hungrily like a ferocious beast that might pounce at any time. With only a few hundred men, he had the power to break the formation and terrified Zhou Xin's soldiers.

The purpose of his trip was to try his best to slow down the march of Zhou Xin's troops, waiting for Yan Yi to lead his troops to arrive, block the enemy outside Guling Ferry, and seek an opportunity to capture this important ferry.

After Zhou Xin stabilized the army's formation, he had a brief discussion with Shang Sheng and placed 300 cavalrymen between the main formation and the enemy army. The entire army continued to march towards Gulingdu.

Xu Sheng immediately led his troops to advance.

The 300 cavalrymen under Zhou Xin's command did not dare to confront the enemy head-on. After a brief interception, they retreated back to their main formation and relied on the infantry formation for defense.

Xu Sheng led his troops to charge, and suddenly stopped 250 steps away from the enemy formation. He quickly drew the bowstring and a rain of arrows poured down on the enemy formation.

The soldiers in the formation had no time to raise their shields and more than a hundred of them fell in an instant. If the enemy was not far away and the arrows were not less effective, the casualties would have been much more than this.

At Zhou Xin's command, the archers in the formation drew their bows and fired back, but their bow and arm strength were inferior to the enemy's. Most of the arrows had lost their power before they even touched the corners of the enemy's clothes and fell from the air. The rest of the arrows were easily blocked by the enemy with weapons, wooden shields and armor.

Zhou Xin was furious and led the entire army to attack the enemy. However, as soon as the formation moved, the enemy quickly retreated two hundred steps and stopped, just looking at them coldly with a look that made people's backs chill.

Zhou Xin led his troops forward again, and the enemy retreated again. Half a quarter of an hour had passed between the advance and retreat.

Zhou Xin was overwhelmed and could only order the entire army to continue marching. The enemy army followed him like a shadow.

Shang Sheng witnessed this scene and was so angry that his chest heaved. He felt that the enemy was like a dog-skin plaster, sticking to his own army tightly and unable to get rid of it no matter what.

The two men looked at each other and saw a deep helplessness in each other's eyes. The infantry could not catch up and could only passively take the beating. The cavalry could not defeat the enemy and could not drive them away. What could they do?
If Zhu Zhi were here at this moment, he would definitely feel a sense of sympathy.

Horses were scarce and expensive in Jiangdong, so the various factions were reluctant to invest heavily in cavalry. However, Yan Yi attached great importance to the development of his cavalry. The cavalry he painstakingly built would not even be enough to stop the enemy in their tracks if deployed in the Central Plains. However, in the unique environment of Jiangdong, it greatly enriched the tactical system and yielded significant benefits.

However, Jiangdong's geographical environment also determined the upper limit of Yan Yi's cavalry. A few hundred, perhaps one or two thousand, was just right, as they needed to be tested in actual combat. Too many would be unaffordable, and their deployment in Jiangdong would be limited. Their cost-effectiveness would actually decrease as their numbers increased.

Under the restraint of Xu Sheng's troops, Zhou Xin's troops' marching speed suddenly slowed down.

Zhou Xin had already guessed the enemy's intention and was extremely anxious. He intended to rely on the numerical advantage of his troops to force a march.

But the soldiers under his command were human beings after all, not emotionless dead objects. In addition, they rarely fought in battles on weekdays and only dealt with some bandits in Kuaiji. Now they suddenly encountered such a powerful enemy. It was really difficult to ask them to maintain a tight formation and march quickly.

Zhou Xin was terribly anxious, thinking that the main enemy force must be approaching quickly, and a strong sense of crisis surged in his heart. However, as the army got closer and closer to Guling Ferry, he could only command the march while secretly praying that the main enemy force would not appear.

As the saying goes, what you fear will come to you. Just when he was only four or five miles away from Guling Ferry and felt excited, dust suddenly flew up on the northwest horizon and dull and dense footsteps were heard. As the dust approached, the outline of a neatly arranged army gradually appeared, with flags flying and swords and spears like a forest, rolling towards his army like a torrent.

Zhou Xin's excitement came to an abrupt end and turned into fear. The thing he was most worried about finally happened.

Shang Sheng also felt a sense of fear in his heart. At this moment, he realized that his army was no match for the enemy army. He couldn't help but ask: "Daming, should our army still go to Gulingdu?"

Zhou Xin remained silent, a look of deep conflict flashed across his face. There was nothing more painful than giving up success that was so close at hand. He had already been defeated once in Danyang, and was as panic-stricken as a stray dog. Now he really didn't want to lose again.

Shang Sheng urged, "It's still not too late to withdraw. Make a decision quickly!"

Zhou Xin glanced at Xu Sheng's troops not far away and sighed, "Do you think our army still has a chance to withdraw?"

Shang Sheng's face darkened and he glared at Xu Sheng with gritted teeth, wishing he could eat him alive.

What the hell is going on? The cavalry in front of me has clearly suffered heavy casualties, so why are they still holding on like a thorn in their flesh?
Xu Sheng's troops had indeed suffered heavy casualties. Ever since Zhou Xin's army gradually adapted to their harassment, their casualties had begun to mount, leaving them with fewer than four hundred men remaining. If it weren't for their strong armor and swift cavalry, their casualties would have been even greater. The reason for their refusal to retreat was simple: these cavalrymen were hand-picked and valiant, and with Xu Sheng at their command, even though morale was somewhat shaken, no one dared to even consider retreat.

Especially those strict and resolute personal guards, each of them was trained as a death squad, and their mental toughness was even greater than that of other cavalrymen.

The presence of these personal guards, to some extent, also gives people a feeling that Yan Yi is personally present. They are all fearless and brave, so what else can others say?
Now seeing Yan Yi personally leading the army, the cavalrymen were so excited that they wanted to bite off a piece of meat from the enemy.

Shang Sheng seemed to sense the tangible murderous aura emanating from the enemy, and his heart began to beat fast. He spurred his horse two steps closer to Zhou Xin and whispered, "If you don't mind the cost, we can withdraw some of the soldiers."

Zhou Xin glanced at him calmly and asked, "What do you think of our soldiers compared to Zhu Zhijun?"

Shang Sheng clenched his fists, sighed, and answered truthfully, "Although Zhu Zhi's army has some new recruits, their elite troops are very brave. Kuaiji hasn't seen a major battle in many years, and our soldiers are not as good as them."

Zhou Xin asked again, "If we talk about leading troops in battle, how do you and I compare to Zhu Zhi?"

Shang Sheng's face was extremely ugly, and he said in a muffled voice: "Not as good as!"

Zhou Xin sighed and said, "This place is thirty miles away from Fuchun and twenty miles away from Yongxing. Even Zhu Zhi couldn't withdraw his troops safely, so why should we be any different?"

Shang Sheng glanced at the approaching enemy troops and asked anxiously, "What do you think?"

When the time came, Zhou Xin calmed down and said in a cold voice: "Pass on my military order, the entire army will accelerate towards Gulingdu!"

Shang Sheng was stunned and blurted out, "Are you crazy? Why are you still going to Guling Ferry? There are very few soldiers guarding Guling Ferry. Even if our army manages to arrive, how can we have the troops to hold it?"

Zhou Xin stared at him deeply and said solemnly, "Gulingdu is our army's only option. Only by reaching Gulingdu can we have a chance of survival. Execute the military order immediately!"

Although he was the commander-in-chief, he was alone and the military orders he issued often needed Shang Sheng's support and cooperation to be effectively implemented.

Shang Sheng was slightly stunned, vaguely understood something, clasped his fists towards Zhou Xin, and turned to leave.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhou Xinjun was stopped by Yan Yijun three miles away from Gulingdu.

Yan Yi stood under the banner representing the commander's authority, suddenly drew his sword from its sheath, and shouted, "Beat the drums! Now is the time to defeat the enemy and achieve merit!"

The big banner is the highest-ranking flag in the entire army. It is said to have originated in the Yellow Emperor period. After the Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou, he used Chiyou's hair as decoration to make the "Chiyou Banner". Since then, the big banner has gradually become an indispensable symbol in the army, representing the supreme will of the commander-in-chief.

After Yan Yi's military order was issued, the entire army formed a goose-shaped formation and, under the command of Fan Yan, quickly advanced towards Zhou Xin's army.

He sat upright on the saddle, said no more, and just watched the battlefield intently.

Since Yan Yi traveled through time, he has been extremely diligent in learning military affairs, and even his martial arts training has gradually been neglected. It's not that he is unwilling to do so, but he really cannot spare the time.

After experiencing several actual battles, he gradually felt adept at overall deployment, but he still left the specific command to his generals and did not want to interfere too much.

Now when Fan Yan and others communicate with him, they no longer feel that he is just a newcomer to the military. They can't help but sigh in private at his intelligence in military affairs.

This was also due to the fact that the first few major enemies Yan Yi encountered were all mediocre men like Qian Tong and Zou Ta, which gave him the opportunity to practice and gain experience. Even when he later fought against Zhu Zhi, it was because Zhu Zhi had just arrived in Qiantang and lacked elite troops. Yan Yi used superior forces to encircle and suppress him within his own sphere of influence.

It was the special environment of Jiangdong that gave him the opportunity to grow. If he were in the Central Plains, he would probably have been defeated before he even left the Novice Village.

"One general can make a thousand bones wither!"

Yan Yi looked at the tragic battlefield and sighed slightly in his heart.

Just as he was growing rapidly, Xu Sheng, Si Qing and others were also growing rapidly, followed by Zhao Cuo, while Fan Yan had already solidified and could only be considered average.

Xu Sheng's growth was particularly evident. In two months, he would be nineteen years old. At the age when one has already tied up his hair at the age of fifteen, his character and values ​​had basically been formed. During his contact with him, Yan Yi discovered that he already possessed a wealth of military knowledge. What he lacked was only experience and opportunity. Now that he was entrusted with an important task, the speed of his progress could almost be described as visible to the naked eye.

Anyone with a strong will has a strong ability to adapt to the environment, and Xu Sheng is one of the best.

Yan Yi even had a feeling that with his unremitting training, Xu Sheng's ability would most likely surpass that of Xu Wenxiang of the same period in history.

Amid his joy and emotion, the outcome of the battle had already been decided. Zhou Xin's army gradually turned from retreat to defeat and fled to Gulingdu.

Yan Yi immediately ordered the entire army to attack directly at Guling Ferry!

When Zhou Xin and Shang Sheng led their troops to flee into Guling Ferry, there were only three or four hundred people left with them. Even with the defenders of Guling Ferry included, there were less than a thousand people.

Yan Yi acted decisively and immediately ordered an attack on Gulingdu.

A quarter of an hour later, Gulingdu was captured.

Yan Yi rode his horse into the water fort and found that Zhou Xin and others had escaped by boat. He couldn't help but smile and immediately ordered Guling Ferry to be burned!

After a fire, Guling Ferry, which had existed for hundreds of years, was reduced to ashes, and Wang Lang completely lost this important ferry crossing to Qiantang.

Yan Yi continued to order the entire army to march westward along the south bank of the Qiantang River, destroying several small and medium-sized ferry crossings on the south bank before leading the army back to Qiantang.

If Wang Lang wanted to cross the river now, he only had Yupu Ferry left, so he could gather in the direction of Fuchun. However, between Fuchun and Qiantang, there were more than ten docks and camps. Given the preparedness of Yan Yi's army, it would be no easy task to capture them.

The situation suddenly became favorable for Yan Yi.

(End of this chapter)