Chapter 2: The Stormy Weather of Yan and Zhao Section 38

  Feng Kuang suddenly realized he had made a mistake, an unforgivable mistake.

  Murong Feng repeatedly warned himself before he set out that as long as the troops achieved the main purpose of this battle, they would also grasp the initiative on the battlefield. Whether the troops advanced or retreated was completely unnecessary to be forced to specify, and they could choose freely according to the development of the situation on the battlefield. However, there was a principle: it was impossible to harm the overall interests for the sake of a small local advantage on the battlefield, and even more impossible to let the troops pay a high price for a victory that had nothing to do with the overall situation in order to win a victory, thereby affecting the strength of the entire army and the development of the entire battle.

  If the Han army on the other side of the Baochuan River was indeed coming to attack the Changqingwei camp, I might have been able to achieve a great merit. However, the current situation proves that my judgment was wrong. I was greedy for credit and took the initiative to divide the troops to attack the enemy, falling into the Han people's trap. If this leads to the supply convoy being attacked by the Han people, the consequences will be very serious. The army has no choice but to retreat urgently. What's even more frightening is that the war horses are short of fodder, and the fate of tens of thousands of war horses hangs in the balance.

  The storm is now only praying that the troops of the prayer stick will not have any accidents.

  "Hey, big guy..." Dao Hen saw Lie Kuangfeng's depressed mood and his dispirited appearance, so he hastily shouted out.

  The situation is now extremely critical, with large numbers of Han troops in front and behind the army. If one move goes wrong, there is a possibility of being attacked by the enemy from both sides. Originally planning to launch a surprise attack on the enemy, they are now surrounded by the enemy on all sides.

  "My father once said I wasn't the material for leading troops in battle, and I never agreed with him. Now it seems he was right. I'm impulsive and reckless, and indeed not suitable for leading troops." Lian Kuangfeng said dejectedly.

  "Adult......" The scar-faced man looked at him strangely and said in a low voice, "The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and misjudgment is also normal. It's not necessary to hold grudges over such a small matter, right?"

  Lie Kuangfeng smiled wryly.

  "My father was a great warrior, his name shook the world. Compared to him, I am nothing but a piece of crap. If I said I wasn't disheartened and depressed, that would be a lie."

  "It's nothing big, just a small setback, I've seen many. Do you want to have a fight with the Han people?" Scar asked.

  "Never mind. The enemy is well-prepared and has more troops than us, fighting will result in too great a loss. Let's retreat before they surround us."

  "Which direction?"

  "Head east to Changqing Lake and then rush back to Guangping." Lie Kuangfeng said calmly.

  Diao Ba's eyes widened and he said loudly: "Aren't we going to Changqingwei?"

  "What's the point of going on? Xiong Ba and Murong Ji have already retreated from Yuyang, and the commander-in-chief's objective has been largely achieved. The troops in Changqing will withdraw to Guangping as soon as they receive supplies."

  "You're so sure?" Scar asked with an incredulous gaze, his tone full of skepticism.

  Lie Kuangfeng shook his head and sneered, "Mu Rongji, Mu Rongjin's troops have basically been wiped out. What use is it for the commander-in-chief to speak? Now that Xiong Ba has ordered a retreat, would he dare say half a word against it? He and Mu Rongjin are now thinking not of attacking Fanyang, but of how to end this campaign in defeat and return to the Xianbei to save their family members' lives."

  "Is General Ko's message telling us to rush to Changqingwei? If we don't go, will it be a violation of military orders?"

  The fierce wind smiled helplessly.

  "Xiong Ba executes the commander's instructions with utmost care, so he rarely makes mistakes. After receiving supplies, he will immediately withdraw his troops. Whether we go or not is not very important."

  "If they can deliver supplies safely, we'd just be increasing food consumption by running around."

  Li Kuang's face turned extremely ugly, and he hesitated for a moment before continuing: "If the Xiongnu are attacked by the Han army, their supplies will be completely destroyed, and the troops besieging Changqing will fall into trouble. They can only retreat immediately while they still have enough fodder to last for several days. The soldiers don't even have rations, let alone food to feed the horses. At this time, if we rush to Changqing, Xiong Bi won't kill me, I'd be surprised."

  "Kill the horses?" Scar said painfully. "It takes three days to return to Guangping, with more than 7,000 people, how many horses will be eaten up?"

  Fierce winds knocked on his head with force, and he said regretfully: "It's all my fault for being impulsive, just thinking of taking advantage and gaining military merit, I didn't expect to fall into the Han people's trap."

  "There's no need for that, although we haven't received any news from the village, it doesn't necessarily mean they've been attacked by the Hans." Dao Hen hastily comforted.

  Just then, a scout burst out of the darkness like an arrow.

  Li Kuangfeng and Dao Baichuan gazed at each other tensely, their hearts filled with apprehension.

  "Sir, the Han army's cavalry is all hiding in a small grove of trees and has shown no signs of moving for the time being."

  "How many horses do you have?" Lü Bu asked hastily.

  "We dare not get too close and don't know the exact number."

  "Can you see the enemy's war flag?"

  "A red battle flag with a black leopard in the middle. Next to it are two Chinese characters that I don't recognize."

  Lie Kuangfeng and Dao Ba both changed color at the same time.

  "You didn't see wrong, did you?" Scar asked loudly.

  That candidate shook his head.

  "Order all units to head east immediately and advance rapidly in the direction of Longqing Lake!"

  In the dark of night, the Xianbei cavalry quietly left Changfeng Village under the leadership of their respective generals and silently merged into the boundless darkness.

  The fierce wind retreated without hesitation.

  On the eastern horizon, a red sun slowly rises.

  Zheng Xin led two hundred cavalrymen to meet Li Hong's main force.

  "Sir, was the raid successful?" Zheng Xin asked eagerly.

  "It's done. The Xianbei people are going to starve." Li Hong stopped his war horse and laughed loudly, "Did the fierce wind scare you away?"

  "He went towards Changqing Lake an hour ago." Zheng Xin said with a pleased expression.

  "What place has the troops that have been remembered for a long time reached?"

  "Li's troops have all returned to the other side of Baochuan River, and he himself has arrived with dozens of riders, estimated to be in Changfeng Village now, about 4 or 5 miles away from us."

  "Order the troops to halt and rest." Li Hong turned around and shouted loudly at the messenger.

  A loud, mournful sound of a cow horn suddenly echoed across the vast and empty plain.

  Xiong Ba's face was extremely ugly.

  The battlefield of Shibiyama was in a state of utter chaos. The corpses of dead soldiers were scattered all over the road on both sides of the convoy and on the nearby small hills, with many bodies trampled by war horses, their flesh and blood mangled beyond recognition. Hundreds of large carts had been burned to ashes, reduced to piles of charred black wood. A dozen or so horse-drawn carriages that had not yet been completely consumed by flames continued to emit thick black smoke. The pungent smell of blood, the foul odor of charcoal, and the choking smell of smoke mingled together, filling the entire battlefield.

  There is no sheep left on the scene, let alone fodder.

  "Sir, shall we retreat immediately?" U-pan asked in a low voice from behind Xiong Ba.

  Xiong Ba sighed.

  "Now the Liangcui wind has no news, and the sheep are gone. The fodder was burned by the Han people in one go. What's worse is that we still don't know how many Han troops are hiding behind Changqingwei, and how to withdraw?"

  "According to our scouts' reconnaissance estimates, the Han army in Yuyang City should be around 3,000 to 4,000 people. Adding the reinforcements from the other side of the Baoqiu River, their total strength is approximately 7,000 to 8,000 troops. Excluding the garrison left behind in Yuyang City, they have at least 5,000 troops available for deployment. In this situation, if Liu Yu and Tian Kai exhaust all their forces, crossing the river from Guhe and Baoqiu respectively, surrounding us near Changqing Lake, cutting off our retreat route, it will be very difficult for us to escape unscathed."

  "Sir, we've already run out of food today and the fodder is only enough for three more days. If we don't retreat today, things will get worse." Yan Bing said anxiously beside him.

  "On the plains, our Xianbei iron cavalry is invincible under heaven. Even if the Han people block us near Chángqīng Lake, what can they do? We can still kill our way through." Yuwen Shu said confidently.

  Xiong Ba nodded, "You also make sense. If we're going to be trapped and killed by the Longqing army, it's better to fight our way back."

  "What about our rations?" asked the black leopard.

  "Kill the horse." Xiong Ba said resolutely.

  Several people fell silent at the same time. Horses were extremely valuable assets to the Xianbei, sometimes even more valuable than several ordinary slaves. Killing a horse for food was something they found hard to accept and did not want to do.

  Li Hong lay in the grass, lazily basking in the sun.

  Li Song and Zhang Xun, with Dou Qiang in the lead, walked over with a few people, chatting and laughing. Knowing that the Xianbei people were about to withdraw their troops far away from Yuyang City, everyone was very excited, and they were as joyful as if they had encountered some good news.

  Li Hong sat up and invited them to sit down.

  "You guys have won two consecutive victories, but we haven't even gotten one, it's so unfair." Li Song said with a smile.

  "You have lured the enemy twice in a row, effectively tying up their forces and making great contributions. Especially this time, if you hadn't made a fake crossing at the mountain pass with such fanfare, how would Lü Feng have fallen for it and split his troops to come and intercept? This time we were able to successfully attack Lü Feng's supply troops, destroying all of the enemy's food and fodder, your troops should be credited with the greatest achievement." Li Hong burst out laughing, sticking up his thumb and shaking it back and forth in front of Zhang Xun and Dun Yan.

  "We haven't even fought a battle yet, but we've already achieved our first success. The adults are giving us too much credit." Duan Xiao felt both happy and a bit embarrassed.

  "This is a fact," said Li Hong. "Merits and demerits, rewards and punishments must be clear-cut, so that the soldiers will be willing to fight bravely on the battlefield."

  "What's our next move, sir?" Yan Wuwei asked.

  "After everyone rested, we set off towards the direction of Yucheng. The cavalry was on the north bank of Baqi River, while Changyi and the two nobles led the infantry on the south bank, marching in sync with us, keeping an eye out for each other. We avoided the main road, being careful not to be discovered by the Xianbei people."

  "Sir, didn't you say we were going to give the Xianbei people a good beating? Why aren't we fighting anymore and just returning to Youyang?" Leizi suddenly asked from behind him.

  Li Hong smiled and nodded.

  "The situation has changed. Judging from various signs, the Xianbei people may have run out of food already. If they retreat in a day or two, it will be difficult for us to find an opportunity to attack them. The Xianbei are powerful and without absolute certainty, who dares to touch the tiger's buttocks?"

  The people around burst out laughing.

  "An adult doesn't always get beaten by this old tiger until he's left searching for his teeth everywhere." Hu Zi said with admiration.

  "That's all just small skirmishes, secretly plotting and scheming. If we had the strength to engage their cavalry in a decisive battle on the plains, that would be truly satisfying." Li Hong waved his hand, saying regretfully, "Compared to the Xianbei people, our strength is too weak."

  "Sir, are you sure the Xianbei will retreat immediately?" Li Song asked.

  "I think so. The vanguard of the word has already been scattered, and there will definitely be news in the next two days."

  "Originally, we all thought that the enemy's food and fodder would be enough to last for a while, and always thought that after the arrival of the fierce wind in Changqingwei, they might launch another attack on Miyang."

  "It now appears that our judgment was wrong. Li Kuangfeng saw that he had fallen into a trap and there was no advantage to be gained, so he immediately fled. But he didn't go to Changqingwei, instead he went back directly to Guangping. Why did Li Kuangfeng not go to Changqingwei and reunite with the main force?"

  "I think the Xianbei have already decided to withdraw from Guangping. Continuing to occupy Guangping can also serve to tie down the Youyang Garrison's troops and effectively cover the enemy's advance in the direction of Juzhong. That's why Lie Kuangfeng would unhesitatingly retreat towards Changqing Lake."

  "When the enemy withdrew from Yucheng, they abandoned a large number of cattle and sheep, fodder and baggage. This time we also burned the supplies brought by the strong winds, even if they had reserved some supplies in Changqing's big camp, it is estimated that they can only hold on for a few more days. So the withdrawal of the Xianbei people will be within these next few days."

  "In other words, we may have already completed our mission." Yan Wuwei smiled lightly and said loudly.

  "Possible," said Li Hong. "We'll proceed along the river cautiously and keep an eye on the enemy's movements. Once we find an opportunity, we'll strike them."

  "What if the Xianbei don't withdraw?" Zhang Xun suddenly asked.

  Li Hong spread his hands and smiled wryly, saying: "Then we can only continue to stay in the Changqing Lake area and attack the enemy's supply troops until they withdraw."

  In the late afternoon, Zheng Xin's scouting team finally sent back news that the enemy surrounding Changqing had begun to withdraw.

  "Do you know what position they have reached?" Li Hong asked excitedly.

  "The enemy's marching speed is very fast, and it is estimated that they have already crossed the Ping Stone Mountain. Tonight, they may camp in the vicinity of Huoziwei. Specific news will arrive after dark."

  Xiong Ba led a large army and arrived at Huoziwei after dark and stopped.

  Wu Meng and Wei Ran rushed over on horseback, looking extremely tense.

  Xiong Ba was seen from afar, his heart tightened, and suddenly he felt a bit numb on the back of his head. Had something else happened?