Northern Frontier War
Inside the general's tent, a military doctor was treating the wounds of the injured Luo Zhenhai.
Luo Zhenhai was wounded in the leg by enemy soldiers on the battlefield. Although his leg was not severed, the wound was deep enough to expose the bone, and he would probably be unable to walk for a while.
Beads of sweat, the size of beans, were visible on Luo Zhenhai's forehead. Soon, the military doctor bandaged his wound. Luo Zhenhai was also very happy to see Xie Zhuo: "Vice General Xie, you've come at the right time. This batch of grain has really solved our urgent problem!"
Xie Zhuo clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I have not failed you!"
"You've had a hard time on this trip!" Luo Zhenhai was very satisfied with Xie Zhuo. Xie Zhuo was of noble birth and would surely inherit the throne in the future, but he had no airs of a superior and did not complain when he was sent to escort grain.
"General Luo is leading his army in a bloody battle on the front lines, and we, his subordinates, will certainly provide our full support from the rear!"
Luo Zhenhai laughed heartily after hearing this, but he was injured and needed to rest more. Xie Zhuo left after reporting the news to him.
Upon arriving in Anfeng Town, Xie Zhuo found that the atmosphere wasn't as serious as he had imagined. Even though the general was wounded, everyone seemed relaxed, and many soldiers even had smiles on their faces.
Xie Zhuo was puzzled and asked Tian Sheng about the battle situation here.
"The situation has stabilized; the barbarian coalition can't break through." Tian Sheng beamed, rattling off a string of words: "Vice General Xie, you have no idea..."
Xie Zhuo only learned after asking that the barbarian coalition had been driven back dozens of kilometers, and the battle report had only been sent out this morning, so the imperial court was still unaware of it.
Xie Zhuo also breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder the atmosphere in Anfeng Town was so good; it turned out they had won a battle.
The food and supplies were delivered in time, and all the soldiers had a hearty meal. After resting for a day in Anfeng Town, Xie Zhuo recovered to his full strength.
Two more days passed, and the soldiers were still immersed in the joy of victory.
The sentiment that "the barbarian Western Jurchen army is so easily defeated!" began to emerge in the army.
Xie Zhuo frowned. Underestimating the enemy on the battlefield is always a big no-no!
The recent victories have indeed boosted the morale of the Wei soldiers, which has led to a sense of relaxation.
The successive victories were too corrosive to the mind. The soldiers were suddenly freed from the high-pressure environment, and their training over the past two days had become somewhat relaxed.
Will things be alright once the taut string is released?
Once the tension is released, it's hard to find that same fighting spirit again!
For some reason, Xie Zhuo felt uneasy. He carefully observed the sand table. His general had already been wounded, so why had the barbarian allied forces suddenly retreated dozens of kilometers? Were they afraid of his army's strength, or was there some other conspiracy?
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the tent.
It was a group of soldiers flattering Du Zhiyun!
"General Du killed countless enemies a few days ago! He routed the barbarian coalition, sending them fleeing in disarray..."
"General Du deserves immense credit for defeating 7,000 barbarian cavalry and greatly boosting the morale of our army!"
"That's right! It's all thanks to General Du's heroic performance!"
The war isn't even over yet and they're already claiming military merits? Xie Zhuo felt a bit uneasy; he hadn't expected Du Zhiyun, a general, to be so arrogant and conceited.
Du Zhiyun was the general guarding the Liangzhou city pass. The imperial court had placed him under Luo Zhenhai, which made him somewhat resentful. Taking advantage of Luo Zhenhai's injury and inability to go to the battlefield, Du Zhiyun volunteered to lead the troops in pursuit of the enemy.
Du Zhiyun, a reckless man, was brimming with confidence after a series of victories. He advised Jun Zhenhai, "The barbarian coalition has suffered a defeat, and their morale will surely be low for a short time. They won't be able to muster many troops. Now is the best time to press our advantage and pursue them!"
Xie Zhuo, however, thought differently. "General Luo, we must not underestimate the enemy! The barbarian coalition has a total of 200,000 men. What we repelled earlier was only a small group of them. Now that they have retreated, they are probably secretly gathering their forces to catch us off guard."
Du Zhiyun was full of confidence: "General Xie is still too young. What is there to fear if the defeated army is large? Their scattered forces are the perfect opportunity for our army to pursue them. Once they regroup, they will be the real threat to our army!"
Luo Zhenhai turned his gaze to the strategist and several captains: "What do you think?"
The generals inside the camp all expressed their readiness to fight.
Du Zhiyun glanced at Xie Zhuo smugly.
Xie Zhuo thought it over and still felt that it was better to be cautious. Since the enemy's strength and weaknesses were not yet known, he did not recommend going into battle rashly: "Please think it over, General!"
Although Luo Zhenhai hesitated somewhat, he agreed to Du Zhiyun's idea, even though Du Zhiyun's plan was a bit risky. He didn't want to give up such a good situation.
After receiving the order, Du Zhiyun immediately prepared for the battle. With the determination to win, he took a total of 50,000 soldiers with him. 40,000 of them were sent as the vanguard to charge into battle, and 10,000 were sent as reinforcements to support from the rear.
As a result, Anfeng Town's military strength was almost completely depleted. The original residents of the town had long since been evacuated, and now only 10,000 elite cavalrymen remained to guard Anfeng Town.
Xie Zhuo gazed in the direction Du Zhiyun had left, hoping he would return victorious, and at the same time hoping that he was just overthinking things!
Five days have passed, and there has been no news since Du Zhiyun led 60,000 soldiers out, which is really worrying.
Xie Zhuo's unease deepened. He led a group of men to patrol the town and instructed Wang Qianxin: "Send scouts out to gather intelligence on the enemy. Do not let your guard down!"
*
As the bugle sounded, soldiers from both sides brandished their swords and engaged in a fierce battle.
Du Zhiyun deployed his troops to block the enemy, and fought a close battle with the enemy general. The Wei soldiers quickly broke through the enemy's obstacles and fought their way out.
Suddenly, an arrow struck the horse's tail, causing it to wobble in pain. Du Zhiyun seized the opportunity and struck with all his might. Blood gushed from the barbarian general's shoulder, and he fell to the ground. Seeing their leader cut off, the other barbarian soldiers scattered and fled.
Fearing an ambush, the strategist dared not pursue any further. He immediately turned his horse around and went to Du Zhiyun to ask for instructions: "We are about to enter their territory, General Du, be careful, it may be a trap!"
Du Zhiyun, his eyes bloodshot with rage, shouted, "Whoever takes the enemy's head will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!"
Soldiers: "Kill!"
Du Zhiyun killed the enemy leader, captured more than a thousand warhorses, and took three thousand barbarians prisoner. After a brief celebration, he continued to lead his forty thousand soldiers to march northwest, intending to strike the border city of the Western Jurchens.
Faced with the 40,000-strong army of the Great Wei led by Du Zhiyun, the barbarian allied forces did not assemble a large army to confront them. Instead, they chose to harass them with cavalry and launch attacks from multiple directions. The barbarian army was familiar with the terrain and had rich experience in wilderness survival. Apart from their previous victories, Du Zhiyun did not gain any significant advantage.
He led the Wei soldiers in pursuit, but they were surrounded by the allied forces that had been lying in wait there not long after they entered the border of the Western Jurchens.
Du Zhiyun's army was caught off guard.
What was supposed to be a satisfying scene of beating a drowning dog turned out to be a trap set by the enemy.
Outnumbered and outgunned, Du Zhiyun's face turned deathly pale: "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!"
Meanwhile, Anfeng Town on the other side was also attacked.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The first to notice something was wrong was the night watchman on the city wall, but before he could finish speaking, his throat was slit with a broadsword.
However, the most important message had already been conveyed, and the messenger rode a fast horse at breakneck speed to the military camp.
Upon hearing the news of the enemy attack, everyone's expression changed.
"We can't panic! Lieutenant Tian, you escort General Luo to a safe place. The rest of you, grab your weapons and follow me!" Xie Zhuo made a decisive decision.
As expected of a battle-hardened elite cavalry, the 10,000 men stationed around the town quickly gathered together upon hearing the news.
"Archers, prepare!"
The archers on the city wall drew their bows and nocked their arrows, then lit oil on the arrowheads.
"Fire!" With Xie Zhuo's command, a barrage of rockets shot into the sky.
Wave after wave of arrows rained down, and the sounds of fierce fighting soared to the heavens!
The firelight illuminated the night. Xie Zhuo looked at the approaching enemy army, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Everyone, listen to my command! We must not let the enemy set foot on the city walls!"
The battle lasted until midnight, and the pure white snowflakes turned red the moment they hit the ground.
After last night's battle, the elite cavalry suffered over three hundred wounded, leaving less than ten thousand men available for battle. They now face a combined force of thirty to forty thousand. The disparity in troop strength is too great, and our general is injured and unable to fight. How can we possibly fight? A head-on confrontation would only be a pointless suicide mission.
Xie Zhuo could only lead his elite cavalry to defend the town gate to the death.
Although Anfeng Town was a small border town, it held an important strategic position. Once it fell, the enemy's next target would be Liang. Fortunately, the city walls of Anfeng Town were not low, and the soldiers defended it step by step, making it difficult for the barbarian army to break through even a single step for a while.
Two days have passed, and the two sides remain deadlocked.
Anfeng Town is now surrounded, and the elite cavalry is at a disadvantage.
"The barbarian tribes are skilled warriors, but their equipment is poor, and they are no match for us. With equal numbers of troops, we will surely win!" Xie Zhuo encouraged his soldiers, but every two days he sent an urgent report requesting reinforcements from Liangzhou, but for some reason he never received a response.
Fortunately, the 10,000 soldiers who remained in Anfeng Town were all elites of the elite cavalry.
Both sides are depleting their forces, seeing who can hold out the longest.
The elite cavalry could break out of the encirclement at any time and fight to the death, but that would also mean the fall of Anfeng Town and the enemy's imminent advance on Liangzhou City. Therefore, Luo Zhenhai dared not retreat even half a step; they had to hold on to the death!
Waiting any longer wouldn't solve anything, so Xie Zhuo consulted Luo Zhenhai for a solution. "The barbarian coalition is feigning defeat to lower our guard."
Du Zhiping was arrogant and overly reckless, so when pursuing the enemy, he was lured deep into their territory, suffering a defeat and preventing his main force from returning to Anfeng Town in time. The barbarian coalition lured their main force out, weakening the troops guarding Anfeng Town, allowing them to concentrate their forces and attack the town.
The main force has not sent back any news for a long time, which means they must be tied up. For now, they have no choice but to find a way to save themselves!
Luo Zhenhai: "The small, barbarian states of the Western Regions have united for the sake of interests. Such alliances are the least reliable. Their scheme to lure out our main force is simply because they covet our food resources..."
In the freezing cold, the Great Wei had sufficient food and supplies to support its rear, while the barbarian states did not. The reason they launched the war was because their own countries lacked resources.
Having figured this out, a resolute glint flashed in Xie Zhuo's eyes: "The longer the battle drags on, the more advantageous it is for us."
They now have a large amount of food and supplies, and if they eat sparingly, they can last at least half a month. But the barbarian coalition cannot hold out for that long!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
