Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 189 Gongsun Zan is here, who dares to fight me?

Jizhou, Bohai Commandery, Zhangwu County.

"The sky is dead, Huang Tian must stand!"

"For the sake of the great and virtuous teacher!"

May peace last forever!

When the shouts of the Yellow Turban Army rang out again outside this coastal county town, those elite soldiers with yellow turbans covering their faces once again besieged the city.

This time, the people in the city were not afraid, because having had the experience before, they knew that these Yellow Turban soldiers outside would not only not harm them, but would even distribute food and bring them peace.

If it weren't for the soldiers still guarding the city, the people would have loved to open the city gates and welcome the royal army with food and drink.

Such a commotion outside the city naturally alerted the soldiers inside. They hurriedly ordered their men to rush into the county government office, urgently shouting:

"Report! The Yellow Turban Army is attacking!"

"Alright, alright, I got it. They're just some Yellow Turbans, what's the rush?"

The messenger was even more flustered upon hearing the reply, for the general in front of him was already completely drunk, and could barely keep his eyes open.

Upon hearing the news of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he swayed unsteadily as he stood up, muttering to himself.

"After waiting for so many days, you've finally arrived. This small place doesn't even have good wine. If you hadn't come soon, I would have thought Xu Ziyuan had made a mistake and was planning to ask the lord for permission to return."

With a lazy wave of his hand, the general gave orders to his men and women.

"Bring me my Five Ding Mountain-Splitting Axe!"
"All generals, listen to my command! Follow me to the city wall and confront these cowardly rats hiding their heads and tails, and see what they're capable of."

Despite the soldiers' concerns about their general's drunken state, this wasn't the first time General Chunyu Qiong had gone into battle in such a half-drunk state.

With the enemy attacking and the situation urgent, the surrounding generals could only hurriedly reply, "Yes, sir," and accept the order to organize the troops.

However, when Chunyu Qiong led his armored soldiers to provide reinforcements, just as they were about to reach the foot of the city wall, they heard a deafening roar from above. Scattered stones rained down from the sky, and cries of alarm erupted from the city wall.

"A catapult?"

This nearly woke up Chunyu Qiong, who was still drunk, not only the soldiers on the city wall.

At this moment, they were well aware of the perilous situation on the city wall and disregarded the dangers, leading their troops to the top of the wall.

But as soon as they reached the top of the city wall, they were met by the Yellow Turban Army soldiers who jumped directly onto the city wall from Lu Gongche, which was several meters high.

Damn it!

Just how thorough were the Yellow Turban Army's preparations, and how skilled were they at operating these large weapons to attack the city?

This was the first time Chunyu Qiong had ever encountered an enemy force that stormed the city walls so quickly that it outpaced his own troops from the city walls to provide reinforcements.

At this moment, he had no time to worry about anything else and shouted, "Soldiers, don't panic, Chunyu Qiong is here!"

"Everyone, listen to my command! Follow me and drive the Yellow Turban rebels off the city walls!"

Fortunately, the battle has only just begun, and there aren't many people on the city walls yet.

With this fresh reinforcement, the soldiers defending the city immediately fought bravely against the enemy. It seemed that, under Chunyu Qiong's command, they were about to drive the Yellow Turban army, which had not yet gained a foothold on the city wall, off the city.

Jiang Qin, who was commanding the army to attack the city from below, was shocked to see this scene. How could he tolerate it?

Since he set sail, his "Yellow Turban" forces had been invincible. Now, this small coastal county was unexpectedly guarded by such a great general, preventing him from breaching the city.

Logically speaking, in the past, as long as Zhao Yun climbed the city wall, he would surely have killed such stubborn young generals.

However, at the moment, only he can take action personally.

The crowd then saw the "Hai Gong" banner fluttering in the wind, and the composed General Hai Gong personally boarded Lu Gong's carriage, found the location on the city wall, and jumped down.

"Chunyu Qiongxiu's arrogance, let me, General Zhang Hai, come and fight you."

Seeing a general suddenly descend from the enemy's carriage and head straight for him, Chunyu Qiong was not to be outdone. He brandished his Five Ding Mountain-Splitting Axe and, fueled by alcohol, met Jiang Qin in battle.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent. As soon as Chunyu Qiong and Jiang Qin exchanged blows, they both knew that the other was no easy opponent and that neither could defeat him in a short time.

However, this was not the first time that Jiang Qin's men had done this kind of work.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Right now, as long as he can hold back this enemy general and delay him for a while, causing the defending army to lose its command center, the city will surely fall before long.

Moreover, Gongsun Zan and Young Master Yun are leading cavalry to take over the city in a hurry and will arrive soon, so time is on his side, and the longer it drags on, the more advantageous it is for him.

As for Chunyu Qiong, the 5,000 troops he led on the city wall were enough to hold off the Yellow Turbans for the time being. On the other hand, Xu You and Zhang He led 15,000 main forces and were lying in ambush nearby, waiting for a long time.

Now that the fish has taken the bait, he only needs to hold on for a moment until Xu You and Zhang He lead their men to surround them. Then they will be trapped like turtles in a jar, and these treacherous Yellow Turbans will surely die.

Therefore, he was equally happy to delay with Jiang Qin. As a result, the two of them, who thought they had the upper hand, reached a delicate balance on the city wall, and neither of them could defeat the other for a time.

Not long after, when Zhangwu City was on the verge of collapse under the Yellow Turban Army's offensive, Xu You and Zhang He's troops, who were closest to the city and had been prepared, were the first to attack.

With 15,000 elite troops of Yuan Shao surrounding them, along with 5,000 defenders on the city walls and 10,000 troops under Jiang Qin, they were immediately caught in a predicament of being attacked from both sides.

If Jiang Qin had not received guidance from strategist Fengxiao before his departure, he would have been horrified by this unexpected turn of events.

He would simply say, "We've fallen into their trap!" and immediately lead his troops in a hasty retreat, wanting only to minimize his losses.

However, having already learned that Jiang Qin and his Yellow Turban followers might ambush them during this raid on the city, they did not panic.

After all, Bohai Commandery is adjacent to Youzhou. They traveled along the coast from Youzhou and often exchanged information with the knights sent by Zhao Yun.

Knowing that their reinforcements were nearby, Jiang Qin's troops remained calm despite the ambush.

But now that they were attacked from both sides, it was not the time to continue the siege. Jiang Qin found an opportunity, cut Chunyu Qiong off with a single stroke, and whistled loudly like a bandit, shouting out.

"The wind is strong, let's get out of here!" At that time, a group of Yellow Turban bandits, extremely skilled, climbed back onto the carriage they had come from. Chunyu Qiong and his men tried to give chase, but were blocked by the spears that kept thrusting out from inside the carriage.

With the help of Lü Gongche, Jiang Qin easily led his troops back to the city, but the soldiers below the city were surrounded by 15,000 elite troops of Yuan Shao, and the situation was not optimistic.

He hurriedly gave orders, commanding his soldiers to defend the city, forming a semi-circular defensive formation against the city wall behind them. For a time, his 10,000 men managed to hold off Zhang He's 15,000-strong attack.

Meanwhile, Chunyu Qiong, who was inside the city, had already led three thousand men down from the city wall, intending to come out of the city to fight and attack Jiang Qin's troops from both sides.

Unexpectedly, these Yellow Turban rebels attacking the city shamelessly used the method of blocking the gates, which should have been used by the defending army.

A chariot carrying Lu Gong, along with a bunch of boulders on catapults, were blocking the gate from the outside, making Chunyu Qiong inside the city furious. He even wanted to order a battering ram to break through his own city gate.

"Damn it, we shouldn't have guarded it so tightly. We should have let them break down the city gate, which would have made it easier to attack from both sides."

In this critical situation, Chunyu Qiong, being a capable general, did not misjudge the situation due to his anxiety.

He ordered his men to find a way to open the city gate, and at the same time went up to the city wall to shout at his soldiers to fire arrows and throw logs and stones down to drive away Jiang Qin's troops.

However, as soon as they reached the city wall, they realized something was wrong. It turned out that during the earlier attack, Jiang Qin had ordered his soldiers to push large siege engines, such as the Lügongche and the Jinglan, which were even taller than the city wall, to the vicinity of the wall.

While Chunyu Qiong led his troops in a chaotic up-and-down frenzy, significantly weakening the defenders on the city walls, Jiang Qin's forces, attacking from the outside, had gained a significant advantage thanks to these large weapons.

Right now, they are constantly firing arrows and throwing stones at the city walls from Lu Gongche and the siege tower. The defending soldiers can only hide inside the city tower and have no way to rush up the battlements.

Chunyu Qiong was truly bewildered. He had never fought such a frustrating battle in his life. Was it you attacking the city or me?
Why is it that even though I'm supposed to be defending the city, you're the one shooting arrows, throwing stones, and blocking the city gate?
He was disgusted by Jiang Qin's tactics, but with the bigger picture at hand, he had no choice but to order his soldiers to fight desperately against these large siege machines in order to reclaim the strategic advantage of the city walls.

Meanwhile, he ordered his men to lead troops out from the other three gates, intending to join forces with Zhang He's troops and encircle the Yellow Turban rebels together.

Chunyu Qiong on the city wall was furious with Jiang Qin, but Jiang Qin below the city wall was not having an easy time either.

The blocked city gates will eventually be breached, and large siege weapons are not as sturdy as city walls. Once Chunyu Qiong on the city wall orders his soldiers to fight desperately to break through his makeshift defenses, and together with Zhang He's 15,000 men, they attack his 10,000 men from both sides, he will surely die today.

Time is of the essence; everything right now is a race against time!
The time they spent together along the coast made Jiang Qin realize that he could always trust Zhao Zilong of Changshan!

This lord's fifth adopted son never disappoints.

Finally, as Jiang Qin led his troops to grit their teeth and hold on, resisting Zhang He's attack,

He could see billowing dust in the north, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves, and the momentum of the five thousand cavalry charging, which made the whole earth tremble.

To Jiang Qin's surprise, the one charging ahead was not the white horse and bright silver spear he was familiar with, nor was it the shout of "General Zhang Long is here!"

Instead, with a hearty laugh, the general holding the spear shouted in a loud voice:
"Hahaha
"With General Gongsun Zan of the White Horse here, which of the bandit generals dares to fight me?"

Jiang Qin: "."

General Gongsun, well, although I call you general, you are still the lord of a regional power!
How can a lord charge into battle first? Are your martial skills already comparable to those of Lü Bu?

Jiang Qin was at a loss for words. For some reason, he felt that the ally chosen by Yuan Gong this time seemed rather unreliable.

What if everything goes perfectly well, but then General Gongsun suddenly gets into a fight and gets killed? Where would you go to seek justice then?

At this moment, Gongsun Zan could not comprehend Jiang Qin's thoughts.

From leading the White Horse Cavalry to conquer foreign tribes to becoming the White Horse General, Gongsun Zan has always been at the forefront of battles against bandits.

Back when the eighteen warlords fought against Lü Bu at Hulao Pass, he even went up and fought Lü Bu, exchanging two blows!
Now that he has acquired such a good thing as heavy cavalry armor, how could he possibly resist the urge to charge into battle?
He immediately charged faster than Zhao Yun, leading 108 armored heavy cavalry like a heavy hammer blow, crashing into Zhang He's hastily defending army.

However, how could Zhang He's ordinary infantry withstand the charge of the heavy cavalry?
They were killed instantly by a single bump or a knock; in a short time, a whole group of them had fallen.

With the heavy cavalry breaking through the defensive formation and creating an opening, the remaining 5,000 light cavalry were like tigers among sheep.

"Heaven is my witness, and the white horse is my proof!"

"Where righteousness leads, life and death shall suffice!"

Five thousand light cavalrymen, a mix of horses of various colors, shouted the slogans of the White Horse Cavalry of yesteryear, and once again followed their White Horse General, traversing this northern land.

They will teach the enemy to tremble, to make a thousand armies flee in terror, and to reclaim everything that once belonged to them.

Because that general on his white horse was still charging ahead!

On the other side, in Zhang He's army, Xu You was shocked to see such a change and turned pale with surprise.

He had considered the possibility that Gongsun Zan's troops might come to his aid, but with Ju Gongyu leading the great battle on the front lines in Youzhou, even if Gongsun Zan could spare some troops, it would certainly not be many.

Just in case, he specially asked his lord to send General Zhang He with another 10,000 men to join Chunyu Qiong, in order to deal with the army that Gongsun Zan had transferred.

However, he did not expect Chunyu Qiong to be so incompetent. He led five thousand men to occupy the city, but was actually trapped inside by the attacking side.

Thus, the strategy of attacking from both sides could not be realized, allowing Jiang Qin's forces to hold out until Gongsun Zan's forces came to their aid while preserving most of their strength.

What Xu You truly miscalculated was that he thought the troops coming were merely drawn from Gongsun Zan's forces, and even if they were all cavalry, their numbers would be small and their combat strength weak.

But why? Why would Gongsun Zan abandon the battle on the front lines in Youzhou and personally lead only 5,000 men to Bohai?
As a regional lord, is he insane to act so rashly?
When Xu You heard Gongsun Zan's shout, he knew he was in trouble.

After all, if even their lord Gongsun Zan had arrived, then the attacking force could not possibly be just an ordinary army; it must be his most elite White Horse Cavalry.

Although he had always known that the White Horse Cavalry was elite, the level of eliteness of the cavalry in front of him had exceeded his expectations.

This cavalry force actually broke through Zhang He's defensive formation in an instant, and their momentum did not diminish, tearing the gap wider and wider!
Under normal circumstances, if spears and shields are arrayed and armor is readily available, even if light cavalry manages to break through the formation, they will inevitably suffer heavy losses, with their horses and men killed.

But the cavalry they faced was heavily armored, and when they clashed with the array of spears and lances, it was like a torrent of steel crashing down upon them.

Soldiers would die from a single blow or a single collision; how could flesh and blood possibly withstand such an attack?
Xu You: "???"

When will Gongsun Zan's impoverished and dilapidated Youzhou be able to build a heavy cavalry force?

(End of this chapter)