midnight raid
The cold wind came in bursts, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, and it stung my face like a knife, the biting cold making me shiver.
Xie Zhuo was currently pondering a plan to repel the enemy, unaware that the reason for the defeat in the capital was being attributed to him.
According to reports from scouts at the front, Du Zhiyun, realizing he had fallen for a diversionary tactic, fought a bloody battle with the barbarian coalition and has now broken free of their entanglement. He is currently heading towards Anfeng Town.
Tian Sheng and Liangzhou General Zhan Yingjie had also arrived with 20,000 soldiers. Xie Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief. The five-flavor powder that Fu Zhiqiao had prepared for him was almost gone. If reinforcements didn't arrive soon, they wouldn't be able to hold on any longer.
The barbarian leader besieging Anfeng Town was named Kelabi. Xie Zhuo's original plan was to kill him directly so that the barbarian army would fall into disarray. However, according to the information gathered by his scouts, the barbarian allied forces' camp was arranged in a triangular shape, with empty tents and main tents inside. Kelabi stayed in a different place every night, making it difficult to assassinate him.
The strength of the barbarian alliance should not be underestimated, and Xie Zhuo dared not attack rashly, so he could only think of other ways.
If we can't launch a full-scale attack, then we can only defeat them one by one.
Several barbarian states joined forces to invade the Great Wei in order to seize more resources. Due to their geographical location, they found it difficult to develop agriculture like the Great Wei, especially since their prey hibernated in winter, greatly reducing their ways of obtaining food. When they lacked food themselves, they resorted to plundering other countries, making war inevitable.
The barbarian alliance was numerous, but its food supply was the weakest link. If the connection between Kerabi and the main force of the barbarian alliance was cut off, they would naturally not be able to hold out for long without food supplies.
The scout received the order and immediately went back to inform Tian Sheng of the news.
Tian Sheng was initially dissatisfied with Xie Zhuo's appointment as deputy general, believing that Xie Zhuo only gained General Luo's attention because of his good family background. However, this defeat changed his opinion.
Xie Zhuo not only showed composure, but also had an extraordinary intelligence. Therefore, he was willing to follow Xie Zhuo's command during this breakout.
After waiting for two more days, Xie Zhuo and his group finally got their chance.
Kerabi sent a team of thirty messengers to meet the barbarian's grain transport officer, and Xie Zhuo's task was to intercept and kill these men on the way.
Kelabi is going to besiege Anfeng Town, so let's launch a counter-siege, cut off Kelabi's connection with the main force of the barbarians, and see who can win!
The reinforcements led by Zhan Yingjie were stationed at the foot of Gutang Mountain, ten miles away. His scouts had already made contact with Xie Zhuo. According to their plan, they were preparing to launch a surprise attack on Kelabi from within and without.
The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, and everyone held their breath and gripped their swords tightly.
Xie Zhuo drew his bow to a full moon shape.
Once all the enemies were within attack range, he released his grip, and an arrow pierced through their chest from the side, riddling the barbarian squad leader with holes. He didn't even have time to let out a painful scream before falling off his horse.
The next moment, a group of people wielding long spears and swords suddenly emerged from the dense forest. They were agile and extremely fast, rushing out of the forest in a few steps and slashing directly at us with their swords.
There was no time for them to react. Then, several arrows shot out from the woods, and the first few cavalrymen fell to the ground. The sudden attack threw the once orderly barbarian army into chaos.
In the end, this barbarian squad was utterly wiped out by Xie Zhuo's elite cavalry.
After killing the barbarian messengers, the next step is to rescue Luo Zhenhai, who is besieged in Anfeng Town.
This step was planned in advance by Xie Zhuo. First, cut off the main force of the barbarians from this team. When their food and supplies were almost exhausted, the soldiers became restless and their fighting strength greatly decreased. At this time, it would be an opportunity to break out.
On the other side, Kelabi was also very anxious. Why was the grain transport officer so late? They had been besieging the area for ten days, and the grain they had brought was almost gone. Both of the teams he had sent out had lost contact with him. Kelabi knew that something must have happened on the way to transport the grain. Helpless, he could only order that the soldiers' daily rations be reduced from eight ounces to only four ounces.
Two more days passed, and Kerabi frowned. The soldiers were receiving worse and worse rations every day, and they were not even full. How could they have the strength to fight?
If the supplies didn't arrive soon, he would have to consider withdrawing his troops. He had no idea that the messenger he sent out to deliver the message had been intercepted and killed by Xie Zhuo, and the main force of the barbarian army had not received his request for supplies at all.
Xie Zhuo: "I'll take ten archers to burn their supplies and tents. Wang Qianxin, you take the people of the world to harass their warhorses. Zhou Tai, you take the rest of the men to clean up the mess."
The three groups of men lay in ambush in the trees and on the hillside, waiting for their chance to strike.
Everything is arranged.
In the stillness of the night, Xie Zhuo led his men to stealthily approach the enemy camp. Arrows carrying fireballs seemed to have eyes as they struck their targets, and the dry rations instantly ignited upon contact with the oil on the arrowheads.
Instantly, flames soared into the sky above the barbarian army camp.
Xie Zhuo led his elite cavalry to set fire to dozens of tents in succession, and the fire grew stronger and stronger, making it impossible to extinguish.
Mission accomplished!
Xie Zhuo waved his hand: "Withdraw!"
Using fire as a signal, Zhan Yingjie, who was lying in ambush ahead, saw thick smoke billowing from the barbarian army's camp. He knew that Xie Zhuo's sneak attack had succeeded.
"Soldiers, kill them!" The Wei army, which was already prepared, surged towards the barbarian allied forces' camp like a tidal wave.
In the firelight, the once-silent barbarian camp instantly erupted into a frenzy.
"General, something terrible has happened!" A barbarian soldier rushed into Kelabi's tent and told him about the Wei army's attack.
When Kelabi came out of the military tent, he saw the Wei army burning and killing everywhere, and a large number of barbarian soldiers had already fallen in pools of blood. He was furious and drew a large sword from his waist and slashed at the Wei soldiers next to him.
"Kill them! No one is allowed to retreat without my order!" Khrabi was furious and wanted to rush forward to fight to the death, but the guards around him saw the situation clearly.
At this point, they were no match for the Wei army, and their top priority was to protect their leader and ensure his retreat.
Kerabi put up a strong resistance for a while, but soon he was unable to hold on. Although he was unwilling, he had no choice but to order a retreat. If they did not leave, their entire army might be wiped out.
Anfeng Town, which had been under siege for more than half a month, has finally been unsealed.
With the siege of Anfeng Town over, the secret guards sent by Xie Heshan successfully made contact with Xie Zhuo.
Xie Zhuo quickly scanned the contents of the secret letter, then snorted coldly. They really knew how to come up with such a tactic: to frame the Prince Duan's mansion for treason, claiming they were greedy for merit and recklessly delayed the battle.
Xie Zhuo was destined to be the heir apparent from birth, so it's absurd to say that he wanted to climb to a high position through military merit.
However, since he had already been put on the spot, it seemed unreasonable for him not to cooperate. Xie Zhuo approached Luo Zhenhai and volunteered to fight: "This humble general offers a plan that will surely relieve the worries of the northern frontier."
After listening to Xie Zhuo's plan, Luo Zhenhai looked him up and down for a long time before finally agreeing.
At the same time, Luo Zhenhai also received news from the capital. He looked at the letter in his hand, his expression serious.
He clearly stated in his memorial that the Wei army's initial victories against the barbarian army were due to his underestimation of the enemy, which led to the Wei army's subsequent defeats. What did this have to do with his deputy, Xie Zhuo?
The siege of Anfeng Town had nothing to do with Xie Zhuo. On the contrary, Xie Zhuo fought his way out and sent out a message for help, which saved the 10,000 soldiers in Anfeng Town. It was a great achievement!
I don't know which link went wrong, but why did His Majesty blame Xie Zhuo for the defeat?
After discussing the plan, Luo Zhenhai asked Xie Zhuo to talk alone for a while. He stood beside Xie Zhuo with his hands behind his back and said, "This trip was dangerous, but we are very grateful to have you. I already know about what happened in the capital. Don't worry, I have submitted a new memorial to His Majesty and I will definitely clear your name!"
Xie Zhuo was taken aback. He hadn't expected Luo Zhenhai to keep him here to discuss this matter. He clasped his hands in a deep salute and said, "Thank you, General!"
After seeing Xie Zhuo off, Luo Zhenhai's face turned cold: "Bring me pen and ink."
Xie Zhuo is now his capable subordinate, and he absolutely cannot allow these rumors to interfere with the operation. Luo Zhenhai picked up his pen and rewrote a memorial, which was then sent to the capital urgently.
*
The capital city.
The court was shrouded in mystery, the emperor's attitude was unclear, and the officials were all in a state of fear and apprehension, so no one dared to plead for Xie Chi.
The reasons for the defeat must be investigated, but not now. The situation is still unclear, and punishing the troops now might demoralize them and cause them to disintegrate.
Several days passed in this way, and hundreds of people in the Prince Duan's mansion kept their tails between their legs. Just when everyone thought the mansion was about to decline, things took a turn for the better.
Good news finally came from the front lines: reinforcements arrived at Anfeng Town and, together with Xie Zhuo who had been lying in ambush outside the town, launched a coordinated attack from within and without, repelling the enemy forces that had besieged Anfeng Town.
On the day he received the news, Emperor Chengde privately summoned Xie Chi.
The purpose of striking at Prince Duan's residence has been achieved, and the war in the northern frontier has also been won. Emperor Chengde is very satisfied with this result.
"The accusations of colluding with barbarians and plotting rebellion are utter nonsense. Your humble servant is loyal and devoted, and Heaven bears witness to your loyalty!" Xie Chi's message was not received by the emperor in time, and he thought that the emperor had already decided to deal with him.
"There must be someone stirring things up behind the scenes. Your Majesty, I would never collude with foreign tribes." Xie Chi knelt on the ground, his posture extremely humble: "I swear to Heaven that I have no intention of rebellion. I suspect that someone is trying to sow discord between me and Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"
"I have investigated the matter thoroughly and found that it was a deliberate slander by someone with ulterior motives..." Emperor Chengde quickly helped him up: "We grew up together since childhood, and I know your character. How could I punish the Prince's Mansion just because of outside speculation?"
Emperor Chengde sat back on the dragon throne, feigning anger. He slapped the armrest of the throne and said that he had found out that the rumors of Prince Duan's rebellion were spread by barbarian spies who wanted to sow discord between the emperor and his ministers and cause the Wei army to kill each other. He also said that the reason he forbade Prince Duan from attending court was to mislead the enemy and lure them out...
What else could Xie Chi say? He could only kowtow and express his gratitude for the Emperor's grace.
In the end, the Chengde Emperor punished those who spread the rumors with swift and decisive action, clearing the name of the Prince's Mansion.
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