My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 556 A Minor Victory in the First Battle
Heaven knows how excited Wei Yan was when he received the news of Yong Kai's military expedition this morning.

This was because Wei Yan had only just sent a report of victory to the rear at this point, in order to delay the march of his allies.

Anyone with military knowledge would know that once the main force in the rear learns that Yu Yuan has fallen and there is no longer any barrier in front of Dianchi Lake, they will inevitably speed up their efforts to support Yu Yuan while attacking Dianchi Lake.

But what Wei Yan feared was that the friendly forces would arrive too quickly. If they arrived in time, his plan to claim all the credit would fall through.

Therefore, he deliberately delayed reporting the news, but this delay could only last for a day at most; any longer would be difficult to explain.

Therefore, if Yong Kai does not come today, Wei Yan will have no choice but to give up his adventure.

Fortunately, things went as planned, and Yong Kai mobilized his entire force, giving Wei Yan a golden opportunity.

If we can decisively defeat Yong Kai in tomorrow's battle, Dianchi Lake will be as easy to take as a walnut whose hard shell has been cracked open.

He was the one who made the greatest contribution to the battle by capturing Dianchi Lake, and Wei Yan was happy to take the risk.

After one night, bugles sounded in succession.

As dawn broke, troops from both the north and south emerged and formed large formations.

Located in the northwest was Yong Kai's troops. He led his younger brother Yong Lü with 1,500 elite soldiers as the right flank, his general Lü Zheng with 1,500 men as the left flank, and he himself led 2,000 personal guards as the central army.

The less than two thousand southern barbarian soldiers served as the vanguard, tasked with charging into battle.

To this end, Yong Kai spared no expense in emptying the treasury, gathering eight hundred sets of leather armor and more than a thousand long and short weapons and military equipment for his troops. Although it was painful, it did indeed improve the combat effectiveness of the Southern Barbarian soldiers.

Wei Yan's troops in the southeast used a trick: after leaving the city, they formed ranks with their backs to the city.

Wei Yan deployed his 1,000 elite troops and 500 surrendered soldiers as the right flank under the command of Military Commander Huang Ming, facing Lü Zheng's forces under Yong Kai. He then deployed 500 men in the central army, supplemented by 800 surrendered soldiers, to confront Yong Kai's main force and the vanguard of the Southern Barbarians. The final left flank consisted of only 200 men, along with 300 surrendered soldiers, to guard the northern camp. The last 100-odd Han soldiers, along with the wounded, were stationed within Yu Yuan City.

Wei Yan's deployment of this formation clearly indicates that he is not considering defense, but rather intends to launch an offensive against Yong Kai.

If Wei Yan's right flank succeeds first, and then they flank and attack Yong Kai's main force, a great victory is assured. If Yong Kai's right flank or central army can first break through the weaker left flank of the Han army, then Yong Kai will undoubtedly be the victor.

Once the formations were set up, and with no hills obstructing the view, both commanders had a clear view of each other and could see each other's intentions.

At this moment, Yong Kai and Wei Yan's thoughts coincided, and they were both overjoyed.

After a brief standoff, the bugle sounded again, and the sound of drums echoed across the wilderness. Yong Kai, who had an absolute advantage in military strength, naturally took the initiative to launch an offensive.

At first, the Southern Barbarian troops managed to maintain their formation, but after only half a mile, the entire formation became stretched and deformed, and loose and shaky.

However, these southern barbarian soldiers didn't care. The impatient ones even started running, while the weak ones followed slowly behind. As a result, the already deformed and loose military formation completely fell apart.

Not long after, the first wave of barbarian soldiers crashed into Wei Yan's central army, and the two sides engaged in fierce fighting.

Although the Southern Barbarian troops lacked discipline, their soldiers were brave and fearless, continuing to charge even after having their arms severed.

If Wei Yan's troops were all Han soldiers, then these Nanman soldiers, no matter how fierce, would just be wasting their lives. But the problem is that half of them are from Yong Kai's troops.

These troops were indeed more elite than the Southern Barbarian soldiers, and they had also undergone proper military drills.

However, the Southern Barbarian soldiers attacked so fiercely and relentlessly that their formation inevitably became chaotic.

Amidst this chaos, the situation actually fell into the rhythm of the Nanman soldiers. After all, in terms of individual combat, Yongkai's troops might not be a match for the Nanman soldiers.

Fortunately, these surrendered soldiers were truly determined and fought to the death for the fields, managing to fight the Southern Barbarians to a standstill.

Wei Yan watched this scene coldly, inwardly sneering. Fortunately, he hadn't overestimated the fighting strength of these surrendered soldiers.

After a moment's thought, Wei Yan felt that it was not advisable to suffer too many casualties at the very beginning of the battle. Moreover, only half of the Southern Barbarian soldiers were armored, and they were all wearing leather suits, making them ideal targets for long-range firepower.

“Raise a yellow triangular flag.”

"Here!"

At Wei Yan's command, the small yellow triangular flag was raised.

An officer on the city wall immediately shouted, "Raise the yellow triangular flag for the central army!"

Immediately, the garrison commander on the city wall shouted, "Prepare the crossbows!"

One hundred crossbows shot out from the city wall, their target the southern barbarian soldiers eighty paces away.

"Fire in clusters at the enemy's mid-to-rear section."

A moment later, the platoon leader issued a new order. This was based on his careful observation, which revealed that most of the enemy's front-line soldiers were wearing leather armor, while the soldiers in the third and fourth lines were almost all in white.

At the command of the Han army garrison commander, hundreds of crossbow bolts were fired at the enemy's front line, instantly eliciting cries of agony.

Those who were lucky were shot in vital areas and died instantly; those who were unlucky had their toes pierced and were pinned to the ground, suffering excruciating pain but unable to move.

This barrage of fire wiped out the remaining reinforcements of the Nanman army, instantly relieving the pressure on the frontline soldiers.

Yong Kai saw this from afar and frowned slightly, but this was within his expectations.

The Yong army launched an offensive, while the Han army fought with their backs to the city. The defenders' advantage of being on higher ground was unavoidable.

Although Yong Kai had repeatedly overestimated the enemy's weaponry, he still did not expect the Han army's equipment to be so superior.

Given the lethality of the Han army's powerful crossbows, which could kill a human body at eighty paces, their effective killing range was clearly more than one hundred and twenty or thirty paces. Although they had the advantage of range from a higher position, it also showed the skill of the enemy's crossbowmen.

"Send out the squadrons, and bring more plate shields and rattan shields."

Seeing that the vanguard of the Southern Barbarian soldiers was beginning to fall into disarray, Yong Kai made a decisive move and ordered the middle platoon to attack.

The "panel shield" that Yong Kai mentioned was not a shield, but rather more like a door panel—rectangular wooden planks with vine handles embedded in the middle, which could be carried by a person to deflect arrows. The rattan shield, on the other hand, was closer to a shield, woven from vines, and could be held with one hand, also able to deflect arrows and small flying stones.

Standing atop the city wall, Wei Yan had a much farther and clearer view than Yong Kai.

Wei Yan saw it the moment Yong Kai's army made a move.

Seeing the enemy cavalry advance, the middle rank of soldiers stood up, and the rear rank of laborers handed them shields and rattan shields. Wei Yan knew that the enemy was about to make a move.

"Ironclad elites, advance! Counterattack 150 paces and then retreat. Strictly, do not pursue!" Seeing the opposing squadron regroup, Wei Yan's tone was icy as he issued another military order.

Immediately afterwards, the fifty strong men who were sitting on the ground inside the city gate stood up together, and their comrades immediately began to put armor on them. The armor they wore was made of fine iron, covering their entire bodies, making them look like iron men.

After donning their armor, the strong men took the throwing axes and tucked them into their waistbands. Then they picked up long knives, short-handled axes, rifles, and other weapons, and filed out of the doorway one after another.

The troops blocking their path were not Han soldiers, but local surrendered soldiers, which slowed down their coordination.

Fortunately, under the command of the officers, a passage wide enough for five people was quickly cleared.

Upon seeing this, the Nanman soldiers on the opposite side immediately rushed over, trying to pour in through the gap.

But these people were immediately met with a volley of flying axes. The short-handled axes, about the size of a fist, flew with great force and were deadly no matter which part of the body they hit.

Many people were struck on the head by the axe, and their bodies went limp immediately, collapsing to the ground like noodles. Some were lucky enough to be chopped in non-vital areas such as their arms and legs, which, while not fatal, immediately rendered them unable to fight.

After a flurry of flying axes, a large number of the southern barbarian soldiers fell instantly.

Han soldiers immediately poured into the breach. Many wounded southern barbarian soldiers did not die from the flying axes, but were instead trampled into mincemeat by the humanoid iron pagodas.

This group of Han soldiers numbered only fifty, but after breaking through the gap, they dared to split into two groups and surge in opposite directions.

The already evenly matched situation became unbearable after being attacked from the flank by elite armored troops.

At this moment, the large crossbows on the city wall were fully loaded and unleashed another volley of arrows. The target was not the front line, but the arrows continued to rain down on the following troops, creating a tactical vacuum of ten or twenty meters. Only the wounded soldiers of the Southern Barbarians lay on the ground, constantly groaning in pain.

The elite Han soldiers, protected by their high-protection iron armor, paid no attention to the attacks of the Nanman soldiers. They attacked without defending, letting the enemy's swords and blades slash at them and then pierce and cleave their vital points.

Even though the Nanman soldiers fought desperately for their lives under the promise of great rewards, the hopeless situation dealt a heavy blow to their morale.

People are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of dying in vain.

Seeing the armored men so brazen, while their own side didn't even have weapons to break through their defenses, and with the morale of the Han collaborators defending the front so high, they launched frequent counterattacks to cover the armored men's charge.

With cover, the armored soldiers became even more frenzied in their slaughter.

The armored warriors were originally worried about the enemy's tactics of getting close, grabbing their waists and dragging their legs, and taking them down.

Now, with the cover of the Han army, the armored soldiers were able to fight with complete freedom.

The southern barbarian soldiers fought valiantly, but ultimately only managed to hold out for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before retreating, leaving behind hundreds of corpses.

Of these hundreds of corpses, two-thirds were killed by crossbow bolts from the city walls, by armored soldiers, or by soldiers who were wounded and then trampled to death by armored soldiers.

After the Nanman troops retreated, the armored soldiers held their ground and, together with the officers, controlled the Han collaborators' pursuit.

The enemy was almost entirely lightly armed, making them unsuitable for combat, but they were far more formidable than the armored soldiers, who, while burly, were not humanoid Gundams. The reason for stopping the Han army's pursuit was to prevent these soldiers from being able to be easily subdued, as they would be needed to reinforce the lines later.

After stabilizing the front lines, the armored soldiers returned to the city and removed their armor.

In just a short while, the armored soldiers were covered in blood, looking like blood-soaked figures.

Some of the blood in this mixture was from the Southern Barbarian soldiers, while the other part was from the sweat of the armored warriors. The mixture created an extremely unpleasant, fishy stench.

More than a hundred women nearby quickly carried buckets of water up and used them to wash the armored soldiers sitting on the ground while offering them clean water to drink.

Although they achieved some initial successes, it does not mean the war is over. They will inevitably have to rejoin the battle.

The armored soldiers first replenished themselves with plenty of water, adding large amounts of sugar and salt to the water to quickly replenish their strength. The local women, who helped cook the water, were astonished by the Han army's extravagance.

Large quantities of snow-white salt, along with even more precious frosting sugar, were generously thrown into the large pot to boil, and then the Han soldiers were free to use them.

This treatment wasn't limited to the elite armored soldiers of the Han army; other soldiers also received salt and sugar water during battle to replenish their strength and energy. However, the armored soldiers were the most crucial, exerting the most force in a short period and urgently needing replenishment, so they received the most frequent replenishment.

These women and children were all locals from the city, hired by Wei Yan at a high price.

Their fathers and husbands were fighting outside the city, so they naturally couldn't afford to be a hindrance inside. If they were defeated, no one would be spared. Not to mention, Wei Yan had actually provided them with cloth, snow salt, and sugar as payment.

Seeing the Southern Barbarian soldiers retreat in disarray, Yong Kai's expression darkened considerably.

But he also knew that this matter could not really be blamed on the Southern Barbarian soldiers; these barbarians had already performed very well.

"How come these Han soldiers have so much iron armor?"

Yong Kai could almost hear himself grinding his teeth. You see, the southwest mountains are humid, making it difficult to preserve ironware, so iron armor is extremely rare.

Even Yong Kai's own family only had about twenty sets of armor. In order to preserve these armors, the Yong family had to purchase a large amount of animal fat every year to maintain them, which was very costly.

Therefore, only high-ranking generals in the Yong family, such as Yong Kai, Yong Lü, and Yong Mang, were allocated iron armor, while other relatives and brothers were only equipped with leather armor.

As a result, the enemy brought out fifty sets of iron armor in one go. The fact that the Southern Barbarian soldiers were able to hold out for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before retreating was already a fair reward from Yong Kai.

Yong Kai's confidants were all dumbfounded; none of them could answer his question.

After a moment, Yong Kai's complexion improved slightly.

The squadron he had previously sent out came to meet the vanguard, while the officers of the same clan sent by Yong Kai began to reorganize the Southern Barbarian soldiers. However, the morale of the Southern Barbarian soldiers had been shattered, and many of them were somewhat disheartened.

Yong Kai gritted his teeth and ordered his nephew Yong Yuan beside him, "Go, take some men and carry the valuables over there and distribute them. Tell the Southern Barbarians to charge again, and this time our men will charge with them."

Seeing Yong Kai gritting his teeth, Yong Yuan felt a sudden jolt in his heart and quickly agreed.

Immediately, Yongyuan mustered a hundred men, led out oxcarts loaded with valuables, and headed towards the front lines.

Distributing money on the front lines is a foolish and irrational act.

The Han army watched helplessly as the other side opened the boxes and distributed the valuables.

The reason is actually quite simple: the right flank and the central army of the Han army are both weak, and it would be good enough if they could hold their ground. Given the quality of the Han auxiliary troops, once they launch an attack, they might end up in a mess, which is not the result Wei Yan wants.

(End of this chapter)