Thank you to Bee for the ko-fi~ ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
“Why don’t we try attacking a city instead of just sitting in Shangdang?” In the tent, Pu Hong sat on a Hu stool with an impatient expression.
This time, when he was ordered to come to Shangdang, he originally planned to capture one or two cities. Who would have thought that when he arrived, the right hand of Prince Qin would adopt a defensive posture, not only refraining from attacking the city but even splitting his troops into two halves, guarding the mountain passes and Huguan, showing no intention of engaging in battle. What was the purpose of their arrival in Shangdang? Did they, the Di and Qiang miscellaneous tribes, not deserve to achieve merit?
Facing Pu Hong’s complaints, Zhang Dian smiled faintly, “General Pu, why be so anxious? This military expedition to Shangdang is of great significance and importance, no less than that of Luoyang. The soldiers of Bing County have always excelled at defending cities. In the past, whenever His Majesty sent troops to attack, they returned defeated and even lost an imperial prince. Why emphasize our shortcomings when facing their strengths?”
This statement left Pu Hong momentarily speechless. Although their Di people were skilled in warfare, they were not adept at besieging cities. If Shangdang was indeed as Zhang Dian described, it would indeed be unwise to waste forces without cause.
Seeing Pu Hong’s change of expression, Zhang Dian continued, “Moreover, if we are only holding the mountain passes, why send out cavalry? Since Prince Qin has dispatched you all, there must be a battle in the end.”
Pu Hong suddenly became spirited, “Zhang means that Shangdang will send troops to charge the pass?”
“Of course,” Zhang Dian answered with confidence. He had met Liang Feng. When Wang Jun’s son came to invite that person to conspire for a great cause, it didn’t move him. Moreover, considering Liang Feng’s governing methods, it’s unlikely that he would ignore the emperor and watch Luoyang fall.
“If we really want to fight, won’t dividing our forces leave us vulnerable?” Pu Hong also had experience in battles. In a large-scale confrontation, having more soldiers and cavalry increases the chances of victory. Dividing the forces like this might lead to each group being defeated one by one, which would be a high cost for little gain!
“General, you might not know, dividing our forces is precisely to let those troops from Bing County see an opportunity. If we don’t show weakness, how would they dare to attack recklessly?” Zhang Dian spoke confidently, his face full of self-assurance. He had earned significant merits in Yong County, where he played a crucial role in the defense when Chang’an was breached twice. Because of this, Liu Yao valued him highly and entrusted him with the task of attacking Shangdang.
Since he was here, Zhang Dian wouldn’t just let the opportunity slip away. A decisive victory was crucial. Therefore, he thoroughly studied the terrain of Shangdang, and carefully deduced the reasons for several previous failures of the Xiongnu in attacking Shangdang. The conclusion he reached was clear: the troops from Bing County excelled at positional warfare!
Once they were prepared for a battle formation, their methods were diverse and practically unstoppable. Whether it was the thunder carts or crossbows, they were intimidating weapons. If dragged into an unyielding battlefield, aside from continuously losing lives, there was practically no way to counter them. There was even a threat of being ambushed by cavalry. Bing County also had cavalry, although not numerous, their strength was formidable, and precautions had to be taken.
In this situation, the best strategy was to force the enemy to abandon their defensive battle formation and transition from the defensive side to the offensive side. What else could be more effective than holding the passes and making the enemy run out of strategies?
If the troops from Bing County were unwilling to give up their battle formation, then they could set up camp for a standoff. After all, their primary task was to prevent reinforcements from Bing County, delaying them for ten days or half a month was not a big issue. On the contrary, if they were eager to leave the passes to aid Luoyang, the enemy would have to adopt an offensive stance. In this case, how useful would those formidable weapons be?
The more anxious, the easier it was to make mistakes. Now that he was in a position to wait and lure the enemy, intentionally exposing some vulnerabilities, was he afraid that the enemy wouldn’t take the bait?
“But even if we have cavalry support, our army won’t have the advantage. Moreover, we don’t know which pass the enemy will take. If we are unprepared, won’t it be troublesome?” Pu Hong furrowed his brows, expressing concern.
This was a dilemma. The passes between Taihang Pass and Bai Pass were quite close, separated by less than a hundred miles. It was effortless to travel from any location to Luoyang. However, Taihang Pass was close to Gaodu and the Liang family’s residence, so Zhang Dian was eighty percent sure that they would take the shortcut through Taihang Pass!
Zhang Dian smiled mysteriously, “The enemy might set up some illusion formations here. As long as the general follows my advice, we can achieve great success!”
Seeing Zhang Dian so confidently full of himself, Pu Hong’s worries were put back in his stomach. After traveling thousands of miles away from his hometown, wasn’t it all for the sake of making achievements? As long as they could win the battle, why not listen to this young man?
Zhang Dian’s expectations were not far off. Three days later, a troop set out from Lu City, heading towards Bai Pass. The force consisted of ten thousand soldiers, including two thousand cavalry. This detachment marched with extreme caution, setting up camp as soon as they reached the battlefield, initiating a probing attack. They displayed a steady and methodical approach as if intending to break through Bai Pass with a secure and well-established strategy.
However, Zhang Dian did not fall for the trap. If they truly intended to attack the mountain pass, why send only ten thousand troops? Even if reinforcements from Jinyang hadn’t arrived yet, Shangdang should have more forces at its disposal. Moreover, they had set up camp, indicating a defensive posture rather than an offensive one.
It seemed that the direction towards Bai Pass was just bait. Since the enemy wanted to play tricks, Zhang Dian was more than willing to comply. Under his guidance, the cavalry led by Pu Hong lifted their camp, feigned moving towards Bai Pass, and assumed a posture of rescue. On the second day of the cavalry’s departure, reports arrived from Gaodu and Liang Fu, stating that both places were showing signs of troop movements.
Before noon on the same day, another force appeared in front of the camp. The troops numbered ten thousand, lacking the organization of a camp or defensive formations. They lined up directly, armed with long spears, knives, and shields, and advanced towards the camp!
Finally, the main enemy force had arrived! Shangdang County’s troops probably numbered only twenty thousand, and half of them were used to set up the decoy. The purpose was likely to take advantage of the cavalry being away and crush the camp, breaking into the mountain pass.
These twenty thousand soldiers were probably just the vanguard. When reinforcements from Jinyang arrived, it would be the moment for the main army to rush to Luoyang. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t succeed! Pu Hong’s cavalry had not actually gone to Bai Pass but had ambushed elsewhere. In at most an hour, they could return to reinforce. By then, without their usual defensive measures, facing attacks from both sides, let’s see how they could withstand the cavalry charge!
Zhang Dian’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and he shouted, “Hold the camp and wait for the cavalry to return!”
Prepared in advance and fortified for defense, the Han army’s camp was exceptionally sturdy, with no shortage of obstacles such as anti-cavalry stakes, archers, and shield formations. However, the enemy truly fought with all their might, fearlessly charging forward. For a moment, arrows and bolts rained down in front of the camp, and blades flashed. Even the solid camp faced the threat of being breached two or three times.
The Shangdang troops indeed deserved respect. Zhang Dian clenched his teeth, commanding his troops to meet the attack. After all, they were in the defensive position, and every moment of persistence increased their chances of victory!
Yet, this unrelenting assault only lasted for half an hour before the enemy suddenly sounded a horn, beginning to withdraw.
“This is bad!” Zhang Dian immediately realized that the enemy’s scouts probably detected the location of the cavalry, and they were preparing to retreat!
If they withdrew at this moment, even if Pu Hong rushed back, it would be a futile effort. The carefully arranged strategy would end up in vain. With the enemy’s forces intact, if they shifted their main attack towards Bai Pass, the defensive preparations wouldn’t be in time.
They had to stop the enemy!
Clamping down on his resolve, Zhang Dian shouted loudly, “Form up outside the camp and pursue the enemy!”
This was somewhat risky, but the enemy had already begun to retreat. If they launched an attack while the distance wasn’t too far, there wouldn’t be any trouble. In warfare, the most feared situation was confusion during the retreat. Now, with the news of cavalry reinforcements and facing pursuit, this group of soldiers and horses was highly likely to suffer a massive defeat.
Even if the enemy didn’t break ranks, they could smoothly retreat to the camp. Zhang Dian was determined to take this gamble!
The barriers were removed, and the antlers were withdrawn. Soldiers clad in leather armor formed up and charged out of the camp. This unexpected move caught the enemy off guard. After a brief clash, their previously unshakable formation became chaotic. Hesitating for a moment, the enemy no longer wanted to linger in battle and turned to escape.
They didn’t care about their companions who were still engaged in the fight behind them.
Originally fighting while retreating, suddenly being abandoned by the main force, who could continue the fight? On the battlefield, it relied not just on bravery, but once courage was depleted, it was the moment of rout! The abandoned soldiers of Shangdang began to stir, and in no time, this group of over a thousand people lost their fighting spirit, discarded their weapons, and scattered in disarray.
It was like a dike bursting open with an ant nest; what was a small hole one moment became a flood the next, and the defeat was complete. The soldiers collapsed. Unable to maintain their formation, the enemy seemed to have gone mad, running wildly.
This was definitely not a feigned move! Zhang Dian observed with great confidence. Many soldiers scattered in retreat, leaving only a central group struggling to maintain their formation. But they couldn’t escape!
Zhang Dian shouted loudly, “The enemy is in full retreat! Chase them, and when the cavalry arrives, annihilate their army!”
Leaving only two thousand men in the camp, Zhang Dian personally led the remaining eight thousand soldiers toward the fleeing enemy!
Not far from the battlefield, less than two miles away, Yiyan lay in the dry yellow grass, patiently waiting for the prey to arrive.
Only four thousand light cavalry had rushed from Shangdang, but they brought six thousand horses, almost two horses for each rider. In just two days, they had arrived in Shangdang.
After confirming the enemy’s deployment and the strength of their forces, he and Zhang Bin devised a plan and divided their forces. The enemy fell for the deception, feigning a troop movement while actually hiding the cavalry near the main camp. This was exactly the outcome Yiyan wanted.
The enemy thought they had seen through the truth and false, but in reality, what seemed false was true, and what seemed true was false! There was no actual main attack direction. Both groups of troops were committed to relentless assault, aiming to annihilate the enemy before they reached the mountain pass!
On his side, it wasn’t a matter of recklessly charging into battle but luring the enemy deeper. Among those attacking the enemy camp, only about half were seasoned veterans, while the rest were newly enlisted foot soldiers. Although these individuals lacked extensive combat experience, their physical fitness was no less than that of any seasoned veteran. Taking the enemy camp wasn’t an easy feat, but playing the role of routed soldiers was far from difficult. In fact, about half of them genuinely simulated defeat, and even experienced commanders would find it hard to discern any flaws.
However, the remaining half that hadn’t dispersed was the key to luring the enemy into the ambush.
Confronted with such a “routed army” and with ten thousand cavalry on the side, would the enemy commander let them go? Unlikely.
Because Yiyan had just learned that in this battle in Shangdang, by chance, Liu Yao’s Right General was in charge of the overall situation. That person’s name was Zhang Dian!
Back in Wang Bin’s camp, he had dared to poison his lord, putting the lord’s life at great risk. Would such an audacious, arrogant, and treacherous individual let go of a rare opportunity to annihilate the enemy? He would definitely send troops to pursue!
This battle was no longer just about competing for the mountain pass to rush to the aid of Luoyang.
In the distance, dust rose, and shouts echoed continuously. The pursuers and the pursued were getting closer, and Yiyan tightly gripped the long knife in his hand. The force applied was so intense that even the scar on his shoulder throbbed faintly.
It wouldn’t be much longer now. He would make that despicable person pay with his life!
