White-robed Minister

Chapter 191 0189 [A Surprise Attack Under the cover of night]

In ancient times, it was important to have a legitimate reason for war.

Historically, Wang Shao seized Weiyuan and the surrounding area, which angered Mu Zheng so much that he wrote a letter to the Song Dynasty to protest.

What was the reason given by the imperial court for sending troops at that time?

Your words are disrespectful!

It's because you speak arrogantly and rudely, and disrespectfully towards the Great Song Dynasty, that I'm here to beat you up.

Gao Zunyu rushed to Guwei Village: "There are still two or three months until the wheat harvest, and we are short of food and supplies, so it is not advisable to go on an expedition. If Mu Zheng sends troops to rescue us, the war will drag on for too long, and we will have too many soldiers and civilians to fight, so we may not even have enough people to harvest the wheat."

This is quite interesting. The civil official decided to send troops immediately, but the military general came to dissuade him.

Gao Zunyu was at his wits' end. He believed that Xu Lai, Wang Shao, and Hou Ke were all clueless about military affairs. These civil officials were completely making a mess of things; how could they fight a war without enough supplies?

Xu Lai gave a detailed account of the situation in Bazhanjiao.

Gao Zunyu said incredulously, "He actually sold us grain, and he was completely unsuspecting of us?"

Xu Lai smiled and nodded.

Gao Zunyu found it outrageous: "How is this possible?"

"Absolutely true," Xu Lai said. "We don't need a large force this time, but we must act quickly and capture Bazhanjiao in one fell swoop. It would be best if we could capture them alive!"

Gao Zunyu said, "Even if we capture Weiyuan, Mu Zheng will lead his troops to counterattack, and then we will have to fight a tough battle."

Xu Lai said, "Mu Zheng sent a message to the various tribes under his command. It will take time for the tribal leaders to gather their troops and for them to travel to Mu Zheng's place to assemble. It will also take time for them to march from Wusheng to Weiyuan. By then, our wheat will have already been harvested."

Gao Zunyu nodded: "That makes sense."

"After you take Weiyuan, do not indiscriminately kill the Qiang people there. After capturing them, immediately have the Qiang people build fortified villages," Xu Lai said.

For the next two weeks, Xu Lai quietly deployed troops.

Xu Lai was the nominal commander-in-chief, but Gao Zunyu was in charge of the actual battles.

Gao Zunyu dispatched 500 Imperial Guard cavalrymen, the most elite force in the entire Qin-Feng Road. Not only were all the soldiers clad in iron armor, but even their warhorses had face shields, chicken necks, and breastplates.

This cavalry unit had a nominal strength of 1500 men, but it was always understaffed, with only five or six hundred men in reality.

In addition, Xiang Bao, Wang Junwan, and Zhao Long each dispatched 250 archer cavalrymen.

The Qiang cavalry, personally trained by Gao Zunyu, mobilized a thousand men this time, led by Yu Longke, who had already returned from the capital.

Total strength: 2250 cavalry.

However, they had a large number of warhorses; the garrisoned Imperial Guard cavalry had three horses per person: one for riding, one for carrying armor, and one for carrying provisions.

The remaining cavalrymen all rode two horses.

These provisions won't last long; it all depends on how much food we can seize from the enemy.

Xu Lai was also urging Cai Kang to provide supplies, with Zhang Shouyue leading archers, infantry, and Qiang laborers to transport the provisions. This was a follow-up action to avoid alerting Bazhanjiao if too much commotion was made now.

Qinzhou City.

Cai Kang was in a terrible predicament; where would he find any food?

To support Xu Lai's expansion, not only was there very little grain left in Qin Prefecture, but he even misappropriated public funds to buy oxen and send them to Xu Lai.

At this time, the Shaanxi Transport Commissioner was Wang Juyuan, a very bold civil official. Although Wang Juyuan was not afraid of war, he advocated restraint in dealing with the Western Xia and even requested the reduction of unnecessary border troops.

Asking a civilian official who's been clamoring for troop reductions to transport grain to Tongyuan Army to support the army's deployment? Don't even think about it!

Fortunately, the prefect of Fengxiang has been replaced; Li Shizhong has been transferred by the emperor.

Fengxiang Prefecture City.

Having just completed the handover with Li Shizhong, Li Yi couldn't help but marvel at his predecessor's governing abilities.

Li Shizhong served as the prefect of Fengxiang Prefecture for less than two years. He promoted water conservancy projects, reduced taxes, and encouraged land reclamation, which resulted in an increase in the population, taxes, and arable land.

What is the price?

Li Shizhong is incredibly audacious. Not only did he arbitrarily dismiss some of the local militia, but he also converted some archers into civilian households—the civil official in charge of the archers is now impeaching him.

The amount of money and grain stockpiled in Fengxiang Prefecture was not particularly large, after all, money and grain were needed for water conservancy projects and encouraging land reclamation.

Upon receiving Cai Kang's urgent request for grain, Li Yi immediately agreed to provide 8000 shi of wheat, 2000 shi of millet, 2000 shi of sorghum, and 2000 shi of beans. However, the supplies would have to be transported after the spring planting season, as conscripting laborers now would delay the farming season.

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Even though war is about to break out, Xu Lai is still spreading false information.

It is said that Yu Longke, who surrendered last year, attempted to rebel, so troops were mobilized to suppress him, causing panic in Guwei Village and Shuyang Village.

There were spies in Bazhenjiao, and receiving this false information made them even more reassured. Even if they noticed Xu Lai mobilizing troops, they assumed it was to attack Yu Longke.

One night, 2250 cavalrymen from the Han and Qiang ethnic groups set out from Shuyang Village with more than 5000 horses.

This place is only 50 miles from the old stronghold of Cape Bajam, and the route is full of river valleys that are convenient for marching.

They marched slowly during the first half of the night, trying not to disturb the Qiang people along the way, while also conserving the energy of themselves and their horses. During the second half of the night, they removed the cloths wrapped around the horses' hooves and the warriors put on their armor.

Yu Longke's thousand Qiang cavalry were the worst equipped. Even though he selected all of them as elites, they had few iron armors and mostly wore simple leather armor.

The thunderous sound of hooves filled the air, and the Qiang people in the valleys along the way were terrified. They fled into the mountains with their wives, children, and possessions. No one dared to go and inform Bazhanjiao, because that was the direction the Song cavalry was heading.

At dawn, Bajan awoke from his sleep and hastily ordered his troops to assemble.

"Father, the Song army is attacking!"

Bazhenjiao has five sons, the oldest of whom is only 14 years old.

"I know, quickly gather the troops," Bazhanjiao said irritably.

A general rode up on horseback: "My lord, there's no time to gather the troops! We must flee!"

Bazhanjiao looked towards the village's warehouse, where all his possessions were located. Especially in the past year or so, the profits from the border trade had been extremely substantial.

If we flee now, what will happen to these assets?

Historically, Wang Shao didn't employ the same elaborate tactics as Xu Lai. His thorough preparation for war led Bazhanjiao to be on guard. When Wang Shao finally launched his attack, Bazhanjiao led his people away and joined forces with other tribes to the west before engaging in battle.

"Father, don't hesitate any longer!"

"Your Majesty, it will be too late if we don't leave now!"

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His son and his generals urged him on.

But Bazhanjiao said, "Hold the village and wait for reinforcements!"

If he were to flee now, all his property in the village and his followers in the valley would be captured by the Song army. Having lost his property and core followers, even if Bazhanjiao escaped to the west, he would be swallowed up by his own brothers!

Upon hearing the bugle call, the nearby Qiang soldiers fled to the fortified village with their families, while those farther away fled into the mountains.

"Close the gates!"

Sensing the approaching Song cavalry, Bazhanjiao ordered the gates closed, leaving many of his men stranded outside. As the gates closed, some men tried to rush in, only to be killed by their own comrades.

Below the mountains, Gao Zunyu repeatedly reiterated the military order: "In this battle, merit will not be based on the number of heads taken. Do not indiscriminately kill the Qiang people; capturing them is also a merit!"

These Qiang people can be captured to build fortified villages and transport grain and fodder.

Yu Longke led a thousand Qiang cavalrymen in a rampage through the valley, shouting wildly, "Kneel down and surrender, or you will be killed! Kneel down and surrender, or you will be killed!"

Along the river valley, cries and screams filled the air.

Young and strong men, the elderly, women and children, and livestock were everywhere. The Qiang people, unable to escape, could only kneel down and surrender.

Some Qiang people could have escaped on horseback, but in order to protect their families, they chose to stay and surrender together.

Bazhanjiao and his followers had no idea how many Song soldiers had arrived; they only heard the sound of countless hooves in the darkness.

By dawn, the Song army had captured more than 3,000 Qiang people, as well as countless livestock and grain.

Although the village of Bazhanjiao is small, it is built against the mountain and is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

A direct assault would inevitably result in heavy casualties.

Xiang Bao said to Wang Shunchen, "Go and challenge them, and try to persuade them to surrender as well."

One-on-one duels were not a fictional invention; they were particularly popular from the late Tang and Five Dynasties period onward. Especially during the Five Dynasties, one-on-one duels could even determine the outcome of a war.

Although one-on-one duels decreased in the Northern Song Dynasty, they still occurred from time to time in the border regions.

Wang Shunchen rode his horse to the outside of the stockade and shouted towards the fortress, "Do you dare to fight me one-on-one?"

The villagers didn't speak, but returned a few arrows to him.

Wang Shunchen rode his horse back and forth, dodging attacks. After a while, he shouted again, "If you dare not fight me, then surrender immediately! My 100,000 heavenly soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty will arrive here tomorrow!"

Seeing that the Song cavalry was few, Bazhanjiao wanted to hold the fortress and wait for Muzheng's reinforcements.

We cannot simply adopt a passive defense, otherwise morale will drop rapidly.

Ba Zhanjiao said to his most valiant general, "Jie Zhanchi, go and kill that Han general!"

The Qiang general named Jiezhanchi immediately mounted his horse and charged out after the gate of the stockade opened.

He rushed out of the village gate and soon drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

But before he could even release his arrow, Wang Shunchen had already fired one.

Jie Zhanchi quickly ducked to avoid the arrow, but he was still a fraction too slow and was struck in the cheek. Despite the pain, he did not retreat but instead lay prone on his horse, threw away his bow and arrows, took out his spear, and charged towards Wang Shunchen at full speed.

Wang Shunchen fired his second, third, and fourth arrows in quick succession, this time aiming at the horse's legs, and all of them hit their mark.

The warhorse crashed to the ground, injured, throwing Jie Zhanchi off balance and leaving him dizzy and disoriented. Before Jie Zhanchi could recover, Wang Shunchen rushed over, leaped off his horse, and pinned him down.

Both sides' soldiers were dumbfounded.

How can anyone shoot an arrow that fast? And so accurately!

"Hahaha!"

Xiang Bao laughed triumphantly.

He was ordered to train three thousand archers, but unexpectedly found such a sharpshooter.

Gao Zunyu also developed a fondness for talent, but it was inconvenient to bring Wang Shunchen directly. So he simply sent a junior officer to challenge and persuade Wang Shunchen to surrender outside the gate.

But Cape Bajam was unwilling to fight again, and instead ordered his troops to hold out and wait for reinforcements.

Wang Junwan, eager to earn merit, rode up to Gao Zunyu and said, "Commander Gao, all my soldiers are ready to fight. Why don't I lead the army in a strong attack?"

Gao Zunyu shook his head and said, "We have deployed our elite troops for this battle, and we are sure we can take the fortress in front of us. But if we suffer heavy casualties, how will we deal with Mu Zheng's counterattack? Just wait, the artillery was transported last night and will arrive by this afternoon at the latest."

Just past noon, Bu Chao's five cannons arrived, escorted by three hundred infantrymen and one hundred cavalrymen.

"This village was built in a rather tricky way."

Bu Chao observed carefully and said, "My cannons can only fire upwards at those few sections of the stockade wall. Oh well, let's fire a few shots first. Have those Qiang prisoners carry earth to build me a high platform; it will be more effective to fire the cannons from there."

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