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

Chapter 220: Confrontation on the Han River, defeating Yuan's army halfway across?
It was tragic, utterly tragic.

Wherever Xiahou Yuan and Dian Wei led their troops to break through, massacres were often the result.

When the Yellow Turban Army, composed of ordinary people, faced regular troops, the battles were almost one-sided.

Fortunately, Yuan Shu had implemented military exercises early on, and these people were all carefully selected young and strong men.

When faced with Cao Cao's army's butcher's knife, many people were intimidated by the bloody scene and retreated in fear.

But some people gripped their weapons and chose to resist!
If this army had been conscripted or brought in by civilians, it should have already scattered and fled in a bloody massacre, just as Cao Cao had predicted, after Xiahou Yuan and Dian Wei led their troops into the fray.

But that's not the case!
They came here voluntarily, and before they came, they were prepared to die and made arrangements for their deaths with their families.

They followed the banner of Huang Tian, ​​so they came to this place, not out of fear and coercion for forced military service, but because of the great dream of Huang Tian Tai Ping that they believed in, and because of their families who were enjoying peace in their homeland and whom they were determined to protect with their lives.

Their homeland, the peaceful hometown promised by Heaven, is Huainan!

Right behind them, and in Lujiang, where they were, was the last barrier of Huainan.

If a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, forcibly conscripts laborers with swords and forces them to the battlefield with death.

If the subjects regard the king as an enemy, when the two armies are at war and both face the threat of death, they will easily flee.

Because they came out of a desire to live and a fear of death, when faced with a life-or-death choice, they naturally seek to live.

However, if a ruler treats his subjects like brothers and sisters, and takes care of them with generous conditions that far surpass the peaceful life in other regions, the people will spontaneously come to fight because they love and respect him.

Therefore, if the subjects regard the king as an enemy, they will not easily retreat even when facing the threat of death during battles.

Since the people are not afraid of death, how can you frighten them with death? When faced with a life-or-death choice, thinking of their homes and families behind them, they are willing to die.

Therefore, when Cao Cao's army stormed in, some people were afraid of dying, while others were willing to die for their lives!

What sustained Cao Cao's army was the military pay they received, the promises of wealth and honor, and their desire to achieve great things and have a better future.

What sustained these Yellow Turban rebels was the surplus grain in their homes, the comfort of their relatives, and the protection of their existing lives by those who had already enjoyed peace.

While Cao Cao's army was still pursuing fame and fortune, these Yellow Turban believers came here for faith and protection, fighting against the unjust war of the invaders!

dead!
Death and injury were constant; corpses with yellow turbans on their heads fell one after another, and blood almost stained the entire land red.

Just like that folk song:
[Hair like chives, cut and it grows back; head like a chicken, cut and it crows again!]

Their lives are cheap, but it is precisely because their lives are cheap that they can keep coming one after another, in an endless stream!

Those in front fell, while those behind, their eyes bloodshot, rose up. But Cao's army were also human, and human beings die.

As Cao Cao's army repeatedly pierced their bodies with their weapons, a single mistake could turn sickles and hoes into deadly weapons.

Nevertheless, on the battlefield where Dian Wei and Xiahou Yuan led their troops to charge in, the Yellow Turban civilians still managed to hold off Cao Cao's army's massacre at a casualty ratio of almost one to ten.

But that's all.

Only a minority of Cao Cao's troops were able to charge in with shields alongside Dian Wei and Xiahou Dun. On the wider battlefield, the numerous Cao Cao troops were almost powerless against the relentless barrage of bullets that seemed to rain down from the sky.

Even if you don't die, you'll be badly injured and broken if you rush in. Who would be willing to do that?
Before they could even get close to the enemy, they would be bombarded and disoriented. The key issue was that there was no way to dodge such a massive ranged attack, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. If they charged forward, they would be either killed or crippled.

If it were bows and arrows, the people in front would charge in the first wave, and the people behind could take the opportunity to quickly kill their way through.

But this thing fires almost non-stop, so no matter when you charge, you'll get smashed half to death.

Even if you send cavalry to charge forward, halfway through the charge, if the horses are hit in the head and face, they will immediately go berserk.

What about sending archers to exchange fire? This time, we brought several thousand archers. Although the arrows have a long range, the projectiles can be fired while running.

A volley of thousands of arrows shot into a crowd of 100,000 people, but they were like stones sinking into the sea. Before the second volley could even be fired, the crowd had already run over, and 100,000 stone projectiles rained down from the sky.

However, there are counters between different troop types. Because the attack power and range of projectiles are not as good as those of bows and arrows, like the shield infantry that Dian Wei and Xiahou Yuan led just now, they could easily break into the enemy ranks and start a massacre.

But Cao Cao led his men to launch a surprise attack on Lujiang. They were already traveling light and had not even enough to cover the distance. Where would they have gotten so many shield soldiers?
Therefore, Cao Cao's soldiers, who lacked shields and had low armor coverage, suffered greatly.

These bullets were extremely lightweight, and the Yellow Turban army spread out across the mountains and fields to fire freely, chasing and firing at the same time. The rain of bullets, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, caused Cao Cao's army to flee in terror.

It's not very harmful, but it's extremely insulting!
Cao Cao had fought battles his whole life, but he had never suffered such humiliation. He was chased all the way by a group of civilians who had just been brought to the battlefield, who were armed with bullets.

"I'm so angry! I'm absolutely furious!"

"Where are the shield bearers? Raise your shields and kill them!"

"Prime Minister! All three thousand of our shield soldiers are already locked in fierce fighting with General Dian and his men in the enemy's ranks."

This journey is long and arduous, a rapid and surprise attack; we simply cannot carry too much heavy weaponry.

"This is outrageous! Are we just going to stand by and watch them be so arrogant?"

"It can be built on-site!"

Seeing that Cao Cao was so angry that he was about to suffer from a headache, Xun You quickly stepped forward to offer a solution.

"Prime Minister, do not worry. The enemy's bullets have limited effect. Our army only needs to cut down trees on the spot and make some simple wooden shields."

With the entire army working together, they could prepare wooden shields in just one day. Then, armed with these shields, they could charge into the enemy ranks. Although the Yellow Turbans outnumbered them, they could be easily defeated.

"it is good!"

Cao Cao looked into the distance and saw Dian Wei and Xiahou Yuan leading their men in a massacre like tigers among sheep.

However, the number of people was limited. Three thousand people were trapped in a vast ocean of one hundred thousand people, constantly being worn down. If they went any deeper, they would also be at risk of being surrounded and killed. Therefore, he glared hatefully at the Taoist priest under the Yellow Heaven banner and gritted his teeth to give the order.

"Ming Jin withdraws his troops!"

Meanwhile, Cao Cao's army went back to cut down trees and prepare armor, planning to fight again the next day. Zhang Xun and Zhu Huan hurriedly opened the city gates to welcome Yu Ji and the Yellow Turbans into the city.

The reason we didn't open the city gates earlier was because Cao Cao's army of 50,000 surrounded the city and attacked from all sides. If we couldn't repel Cao Cao's army temporarily, opening the city gates would only allow Cao Cao's army to enter faster than the reinforcements.

Upon meeting Zhang Xun, the old Taoist priest Yu Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands, and said, "Send this new army to the general, and my journey will be complete."

The group then began to talk, and Yu Ji mentioned Yan Xiang's demand that they keep the enemy outside Huainan.

Zhu Huan also proposed a plan to demolish the stonework of the houses in the city overnight and have 100,000 people throw stones from the city walls to block Cao Cao's army.

As for Zhang Xun? Regardless of who made the suggestion or whether he understood it, he would immediately approve it and call it a brilliant plan.

At the same time, Yuan Shu's 90,000-strong army advanced into Xiangyang Commandery, first capturing Huarong and Zhijiang, and then advancing into Dangyang and Yicheng, conquering more than a dozen counties in succession, which ordinary counties could hardly resist.

On the contrary, along the way, Xing Daorong raised the banner of surrender, and the Fengtian Army expanded to 40,000 men. As a result, a full army of 100,000 men advanced on Xiangyang City, and for a time, their power was unmatched.

Fortunately, thanks to the delays caused by the counties along the way, Sun Quan and Kuai Yue were able to lead 20,000 men, including Chen Ying and Bao Long, to the Han River outside Xiangyang.

Sun Quan immediately reorganized his troops, set up a defensive line along the river, and established camps, preparing to launch a surprise attack on Yuan Shu's army as they crossed the river.

"General Sun, the rebel Yuan has now captured Dangyang and amassed an army of 100,000. He is very close to our army. What should we do now?"

"Yes, we only have 20,000 troops. Even if we attack while the enemy is crossing the river, can we really withstand Yuan's 100,000 troops? I hope the general will make a decision soon."

Faced with the questions from Chen Ying and Bao Long, Sun Quan appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he was quite nervous.

After all, he was hailed as a renowned general who held the last hope for Jingzhou.

But only he himself knew that his previous victories were nothing more than breakout battles with only a few thousand men.

This was the first time he had ever faced a frontal battlefield with tens of thousands of troops and such a well-organized formation.

However, despite his nervousness, Sun Quan had an inexplicable confidence in himself.

There's no other reason than that he had clearly realized it through his experiences over this period of time!

There is definitely an inside man among Yuan's army!
That's right! Others don't know my strength, and they think I've been fighting like a god lately, so be it.

Doesn't Sun Quan know his own limitations?
One man charging into battle can make a thousand troops retreat. Even his elder brother, the Little Tyrant Sun Bofu, couldn't do that. He's been beaten by his brother at home before. What makes him so capable of having such strength in Jingzhou?
Needless to say, there must be a traitor among the enemy troops!
And this person, besides Gongjin, Sun Quan could not think of anyone else.

But if it were Gongjin, then everything would make perfect sense.

Aside from himself, only Gongjin was single-mindedly focused on helping his elder brother break free from Yuan Shu's control and establish himself independently.

Now that my elder brother has been adopted by Yuan Shu, I absolutely cannot get away from this situation.

So, by helping myself establish a foothold in Jingzhou, if something were to happen to Yuan Shu in the future, I could launch a surprise attack as an external ally, working from within and without to help my elder brother seize Yuan Shu's property!
As expected of Gongjin's brilliant plan, he was able to devise such a cunning scheme that could be planned for ten years.

Anyway, you can't write two characters for "Sun" in one stroke, and Gongjin is also the elder brother's good friend.

When I went to Changsha, I was entrusted by Gongjin to prepare for my elder brother's escape and independence. Now that the situation has come to this, if he doesn't help me, Sun Quan, who else can he help?
Sun Quan, who had been in Yuan Shu's camp for a long time and was close to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, knew better than anyone else that the reason Yuan Shu was able to win every battle was largely due to the contributions of Gong Jin, who truly commanded the army.

In this day and age, Sun Quan could not think of anyone other than Gongjin (Zhou Yu) who could secretly control a large army and enable him to win battle after battle, making him invincible.

Even those who have been constantly promoting themselves and exaggerating their abilities as miraculous little soldiers in recent days must also be the work of Gongjin.

After all, his elder brother and Gongjin knew each other well and knew his own abilities, but that old scoundrel Yuan Shu had only met him twice and certainly didn't know the details of his true strength.

Gongjin openly let him off the hook, and the old scoundrel Yuan Shu would surely notice. But if he exaggerated his abilities to the point of being invincible, and claimed that the entire army was under Gongjin's command, then he could deliberately let him off the hook.

Therefore, it seemed perfectly reasonable for him to be able to fight against thousands of enemies single-handedly, as if entering an empty field. This coordinated attack from within and without was carried out without anyone noticing.

Having figured all this out, Sun Quan felt there couldn't be a more real truth than this, otherwise he himself wouldn't know why he had suddenly become so powerful.

This is also the source of Sun Quan's confidence in accepting the position of General of Jingzhou, a position that others would avoid at all costs.

The enemy's de facto supreme commander is my inside man, and the enemy's main general charging into battle is my elder brother. So how could I possibly lose this battle?
At this moment, Chen Ying and Bao Long asked what to do.
How could he know what to do? When the two armies go to war, he can just wait for Gongjin to put on a show for him.

However, he had made some preparations for this, so he feigned nonchalance and replied to the two:
"Generals, do not worry. General Cai recently wrote to me asking how many troops I could command. I replied: 'The more the better!' I expect that a large number of troops will be sent to Xiangyang soon."

While Yuan's army is halfway across the river, we will lead our main force to launch a surprise attack and we will surely be victorious.

"At that time, I will still need the service of the two generals to help me decisively defeat Yuan's army."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ying and Bao Long's worried expressions did not dissipate; instead, they became even more anxious.

"The more the better? We have no doubt about General Sun's ability to lead troops."

"Given that Jingzhou only recently began conscription, can they truly muster a large enough army to confront Yuan Shao's forces?"

Sun Quan frowned slightly upon hearing this and gave him a cold look.

"With a major battle imminent, how dare you disrupt our morale here?"

"There are ways to win with a large army, and there are tactics to win with a small army. I, as the general, have my own plans for dealing with the enemy. Why do you need to wag your tongue and boost the enemy's morale while diminishing our own?"

"This humble general dares not."

Seeing that Sun Quan was angry, Chen Ying quickly bowed and apologized repeatedly, saying, "I was only worried about the war because of the enemy's army of 100,000, and I had no intention of being afraid of the war."

In fact, Sun Quan wasn't angry; he just couldn't continue the story. After all, the inside story was not something that could be told to outsiders.

For him, the number of soldiers didn't matter. With Gongjin's cooperation, even if there were only a thousand men, he would, as always, secretly let them win.

But such leniency would seem too fake and would be easily seen through by Yuan Shu. The reason he asked Cai Mao for "the more the better" was that he was trying to cover for Zhou Yu.

As they were talking, a messenger rushed in and reported to Sun Quan.

"Report! General Cai has arrived, and he has brought with him a vast army from Xiangyang."

"it is good!"

Sun Quan nodded slightly and hurriedly led a few people to greet them.

Outside the military camp, Kuai Yue was talking with Cai Mao, clearly already taking inventory and registering the troops.

Behind them, a vast sea of ​​people stretched endlessly, numbering in the tens of thousands.

What was rather strange was that this army was escorted by about 10,000 elite soldiers, whose bodies were covered with handcuffs, shackles, and whip marks, which was quite eye-catching.

Upon seeing Sun Quan come out to greet him, Cai Mao laughed loudly and said to him:
"The last 10,000 garrison troops of Xiangyang City and the 70,000 convicts and laborers escorting Jingzhou and Xiangyang were handed over to Zhongmou."

"Including your original 20,000 troops, you have a total of 100,000 men to resist Yuan's 100,000 troops. Do not fail the expectations of me and our lord!"

Sun Quan frowned upon seeing this, "Where did the general find 70,000 convicts?"

Cai Mao smiled, his eyes filled with a cold and meaningful glint.

“Anyone who dares to resist military service will be either sentenced to penal servitude or penal servitude.”

Sun Quan: "."

General Cai, are you trying to harm me?

Honestly, if I didn't know that Gongjin on the other side would throw the game for me, I wouldn't dare use the troops you gave me.

(End of this chapter)