My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 572 Forced Landing of Deng Xian
Therefore, Deng Xian had long been prepared to retreat in Zhuti, but he had been waiting for the order from Chengdu to allow it.

It wasn't until Deng Xian saw Huang Zhong's light troops advance rapidly outside the city and then circle around to the north of Zhuti City, forming an encirclement, that he panicked and decided to withdraw his troops without waiting for orders.

But if they wanted to withdraw their troops at this point, they would have to ask Huang Zhong.

Although Huang Zhong's troops were lightly armed, it did not mean they were unarmored.

Huang Zhong's current lightly armed state means that his soldiers only carry their personal weapons and ten days' worth of dry rations, while their armor is transported by livestock.

The dwarf horses of Southwest China can generally carry a load of 170 to 300 jin (approximately 85 to 150 catties). When carrying a load of 170 jin, they can run long distances, covering 30 to 40 kilometers a day, which translates to 65 to 90 li (approximately 37 to 45 kilometers) in the Han Dynasty system.

With a load capacity of 170 jin (approximately 85 catties), it can carry three to four sets of iron armor.

In addition to the water and food needed for the horses and mules on the road, as well as the bedding needed for the army's encampment and medicine for the wounded and sick, Lu Xun provided Huang Zhong's troops with more than 800 horses and mules in one go.

It was thanks to the support of so many horses and mules that Huang Zhong was able to travel seventy or eighty li a day, galloping all the way to raid the garrison at Zhuti.

Huang Zhong covered a distance of over 400 li in just seven days, which can only be described as incredibly fast.

When Huang Zhong appeared south of Zhuti City, if Deng Xian had immediately gathered his troops and broken out from the north gate, he would have been able to get at least half of his men out, and if he was lucky, he might have been able to get most of his men away.

After all, Huang Zhong had come from afar, his men and horses were exhausted, and he also needed to bypass the city to pursue them.

However, Deng Xian hesitated. He mistakenly believed that Huang Zhong was only leading the vanguard, and that a large force would follow. In this situation, if Huang Zhong were to engage him and the main army were to catch up, Deng Xian would face only the annihilation of his entire army.

That's why Deng hesitated; he lingered for half an hour.

This short hour became an insurmountable barrier for Deng Xian.

When Deng Xian saw that Huang Zhong's troops, after arriving at Zhuti, did not set up camp south of the city to cover the arrival of the main force, but instead chose to bypass Zhuti and set up camp on the Wuchi Road in the north of the city, he realized that the enemy's purpose was to delay him.

Deng Xian was now truly anxious and could no longer heed the orders from Chengdu. He immediately ordered his troops to regroup at the north gate and prepare for a breakout.

Fortunately, Deng Xian had been trying to retreat these past few days, so the troop assembly went very smoothly, and preparations were completed in just half an hour.

Without further hesitation, Deng Xian immediately opened the north gate wide and led the two thousand Dongzhou soldiers, the strongest fighting force, as the vanguard, along with a thousand county soldiers escorting the supplies, charging towards Huang Zhong's troops.

By this time, Huang Zhong's troops had rested for about half an hour, and the troops even had time to replenish some drinking water and dry rations.

Upon seeing the north gate wide open and a large number of Shu troops pouring out, Huang Zhong ordered his soldiers to don their armor.

The armor had already been unloaded from the horses and mules and distributed to the soldiers.

Now that Huang Zhong has given the order, the soldiers, with the help of their comrades, have begun to put on their armor.

The first to don armor were naturally the elite of the elite, six hundred armored warriors. They had special auxiliary soldiers to help them, and although putting on armor was the most troublesome, it was also the easiest thing for them.

Secondly, there are the fully armored warriors. Although they wear armor, they have an extra steel breastplate to protect their vital organs.

Finally, the auxiliary soldiers were able to help the archers put on their armor. These archers usually only had leather torsos, gauntlets, and helmets; full armor would actually hinder their combat. However, if necessary, this equipment would be sufficient for them to fight in close combat.

By the time they finished donning their armor and began to deploy their troops, the main vanguard of the opposing Dongzhou army had already marched out of the city, formed their ranks, and pressed towards Liu Feng's army.

The total strength of both sides was three thousand to three thousand, and the elite troops were exactly two thousand to two thousand.

Although the Dongzhou soldiers were poorly disciplined, their combat effectiveness was considerable, especially now that they possessed the desperate spirit of a breakout force. Furthermore, their equipment was far superior to that of the Nanzhong armies. While their number of ironclad armor pieces was far less than Huang Zhong's troops, from a distance, there were at least dozens of lamellar armor pieces. Moreover, some Dongzhou soldiers even carried armor-piercing weapons at their waists, making their combat power easily surpass that of the various warlords in Nanzhong.

The two sides clashed quickly. The frontline soldiers used their momentum to charge the enemy lines, and as soon as they found an opening, they launched a fierce attack to try to break through the enemy's defenses.

The battle became intense from the very beginning.

While Liu Feng's army was indeed elite, the Dongzhou soldiers were also elite troops in Shu. The two sides had never fought each other. Although Liu Feng's army was famous, the Dongzhou soldiers were also quite renowned in Shu.

Furthermore, the Dongzhou soldiers, from top to bottom, all knew that if they couldn't open a passage now while Huang Zhong was still establishing himself, they would be forced back into the city and never be able to leave again.

Therefore, the soldiers of Dongzhou can be considered to be fighting desperately for themselves.

Although the Dongzhou soldiers were determined to die and charged like a tidal wave, Huang Zhong's army was like an iron wall and did not retreat in the slightest.

The two armies clashed violently, and amidst the flashing swords and splattering blood, the battle was fierce.

The Dongzhou soldiers brandished their ring-pommel swords, using the momentum of their charge to slash fiercely, but were firmly blocked by the shield formation of Liu Feng's army. Liu Feng's soldiers were well-trained; their shields were slightly tilted to deflect the force, and then their spears, like venomous snakes, pierced through the gaps in the shields, instantly piercing the chests of several Dongzhou soldiers.

"shoot!"

Huang Zhong seized an opportunity, let out a roar, and the archers in the rear ranks fired in unison, a rain of arrows pouring down, and screams of agony erupted from the Dongzhou soldiers' ranks. Even though the vanguard elites were protected by lamellar armor, arrows could still penetrate the gaps in the armor plates and pierce the unprotected limbs.

Immediately afterwards, a rain of arrows also rose into the air from the rear of the Dongzhou army and rained down on Huang Zhong's army formation.

Many of Huang Zhong's soldiers cried out in pain, clearly hit by a hail of arrows that pierced their armor. The most unfortunate among them were those who were struck in vital areas, spitting blood and collapsing to the ground.

The battle intensified, with Dongzhou soldiers fighting fearlessly, one after another, attempting to break through the enemy lines with their lives.

A garrison commander from Dongzhou, his eyes bloodshot, charged into Liu Feng's army with a long halberd, roaring as he did so. With the cover and cooperation of two personal guards, he killed two men in quick succession, but was then pierced through the throat by a spear from Liu Feng's army's longsword, his blood splattering five paces away. The personal guards who were covering him also fell to the ground, pierced through the waist by Liu Feng's soldiers blocking their way from both sides.

However, their counterattack before their deaths also inflicted serious injuries on one of Liu Feng's soldiers and minor injuries on another.

The battle grew increasingly fierce. Although the Dongzhou soldiers were brave, Liu Feng's army was clearly better equipped and their coordination was more seamless, gradually gaining the upper hand. The Dongzhou soldiers charged several times, but were all repelled by Liu Feng's army using shield formations and spears, suffering heavy casualties.

"General, we can't advance any further!"

A soldier from Dongzhou, covered in blood, staggered to Deng Xian's side and shouted hoarsely.

Deng Xian's face turned ashen. Looking around, he saw that nearly 700 of his soldiers had been lost, a casualty rate approaching 40%.

If it weren't for the elite troops of Dongzhou, and the fact that they were fighting to break through the encirclement, they probably wouldn't have been able to continue fighting. But Liu Feng's army on the other side still maintained a solid formation, showing no signs of collapse, and clearly did not seem like it could be broken.

Seeing that the enemy's main force remained unmoved while the two flanks had already formed an encirclement, Deng Xian realized that if he did not retreat now, the Dongzhou troops might be surrounded by the enemy instead.

Left with no other choice, Deng Xian gritted his teeth and shouted, "Retreat! Retreat back into the city!"

The remaining Dongzhou soldiers, already demoralized, turned tail and fled upon hearing the news, as if granted a pardon. Liu Feng's army, seeing this, immediately changed formation and gave chase. The archers unleashed another volley of arrows, raining down on the retreating Dongzhou soldiers and leaving behind a trail of corpses.

In the end, the remnants of the Dongzhou army fled back to the city in disarray, and the city gates slammed shut. On the city wall, the defending soldiers were pale-faced, looking at the corpses strewn across the fields outside the city, their morale plummeting further.

Although the battle was short, more than 800 soldiers from Dongzhou were killed or wounded, including as many as 300 who died in battle and more than 500 who were wounded. The extent of the casualties was beyond description.

Deng Xian was on the verge of tears, filled with regret for not having made the decisive decision to retreat north a few days earlier. Judging by the current casualties among the troops inside the city, let alone breaking out, even defending the city would be a major problem.

Early the next morning, a new force arrived from the east, consisting of four thousand men led by Wen Ping.

Deng Xian felt despair and couldn't help but feel annoyed. He had been deceived by Wen Ping's troops and had neglected Liu Feng's army to the south.

After all, the journey from Weixian in the south to the north is more than twice as far as the journey from Hanyang.

Even if it were a surprise attack, the troops should have been dispatched from Hanyang.

Who could have imagined that Lu Xun would do the opposite, deliberately sending Liao Hua's troops to reinforce Hanyang in a grand manner, making it appear as if he were gathering troops to attract Deng Xian's attention, and then sending Huang Zhong to rush forward from Wei County, catching Deng Xian off guard.

With the situation at this point, it's impossible for Deng Xian to escape. The only options now are to fight to the death or surrender.

**
Liu Feng arranged everything in Yangzhou, reorganizing the Cui Feng Army and the Wan Lan Army into the Yuzhou War Zone, with Tai Shi Ci serving as the supreme military commander and overseeing all troops in the Yuzhou Military Zone.

Zhao Yun was appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief, leading the Wanlan Army.

He then temporarily handed over the overall command of the Yuzhou war zone to his father and asked his father to send Liu Ye and Lu Su to serve as military advisors in the Cuifeng Army and Wanlan Army, respectively.

After arranging numerous military and political affairs, Liu Feng himself quietly left Wu County for Jiangling.

After Liu Feng arrived in Jiangling, he joined forces with the Jingzhou army led by Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong. With Gan Ning as the vanguard and Huang Gai as the rearguard, he led 6,000 personal guards and 20,000 elite Jingzhou troops. He also dispatched four naval fleets led by Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, Gan Ning, and Huang Gai, bringing the total number of troops (land and sea) to 50,000, and officially launched his campaign to enter Shu.

Because the passage to the upper reaches of the Yangtze River had been opened, Liu Feng made further adjustments.

Among them, Dong Xi's troops were ordered to return north and remain stationed in Xiangyang, under the command of Jia Kui, while Ling Cao and Zhu Huan were deployed along the Huai and Si Rivers, under the command of Liu Bei and Taishi Ci.

The remaining troops under Su Fei remained stationed in Jiangling, responsible for patrolling the safety of the river from Jiangling to Quren, and stood by as a reserve force, ready to support the front line at any time.

Only four fleets, led by Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin, Gan Ning, and Su Fei, were truly deployed as the initial main force, with a total strength of 24,000 men.

Liu Feng's personal trip was not due to distrust of Zhuge Liang and his men, or fear that they might establish their own independent regime in Sichuan. After all, the military factions in Sichuan were complex, including not only Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong's Xuzhou and Jingzhou factions, but also Lu Xun's Yangzhou faction, Sun Ce's isolated faction, and some troops from Jiaozhou.

It can be described as a complex web of multiple factions, with no single person having the opportunity to subdue the entire army and establish Sichuan's independence.

Liu Feng's goal was to stabilize Shu as soon as possible.

Although Liu Zhang could reap the benefits regardless of who won or lost the war between him and Zhao Wei, the world was not just about Shu. Now that the plan to enter Shu had entered a critical stage, Cao Cao in Luoyang could discover it at any time. Only God knew how Cao Cao would react.

Therefore, Liu Feng's best option is to stabilize Shu as soon as possible and establish Sichuan as his resource base, which will greatly enhance his own strength.

Since the Qin and Han dynasties in China, Sichuan has undoubtedly been a crucial piece of the puzzle. On the surface, it has never been able to participate in the struggle for power, mainly because it is too far from the Central Plains and too isolated from the outside world.

But if you peel back the surface to look at the inside, you'll know that Sichuan is actually extremely important.

The Qin dynasty conquered Sichuan and dominated the world; the Han dynasty gained Sichuan and destroyed Xiang Yu; the Northern Zhou dynasty recovered Sichuan and reversed the course of history; and the late Tang dynasty survived only because of Sichuan.

This undoubtedly demonstrates the significance of the wealth and grain of Sichuan and Chongqing to the Central Plains.

Furthermore, taking over Sichuan would directly threaten Guanzhong and cut off Cao Cao's westward route.

This situation is not just a military issue, but also a political and economic one.

Liu Feng not only had to take action personally, but he also had to leverage his established reputation in the Central Plains to act expediently.

It should be understood that if you send Lu Xun or Zhuge Liang to discuss the same matter, most people will not believe you. But if Liu Feng personally takes charge, the other party will change their attitude.

This is the weight of reputation.

Liu Feng joined forces with Zhuge Liang and others in Jiangling, but did not make a big show of it, instead hiding within the fleet. No more than thirty people knew that Liu Feng was personally leading the army, and the vast majority of them were important generals in the army.

After the army set off, it traveled at a speed of forty to sixty li per day towards Jiangzhou.

When the fleet entered the Three Gorges, the speed of the ships dropped significantly, and they could only travel no more than thirty li per day.

Ahead lies the strategic Three Gorges, a natural gateway to Sichuan, comparable to the Yangtze River version of Hangu Pass – Qian Pass.

Located in the Three Gorges section of the Yangtze River, the pass is flanked by towering mountains, with a narrow river and swift currents, requiring ships to navigate with extreme caution. The Qutang Gorge, in particular, is known as the "most majestic gorge under heaven," easily defended and difficult to attack, where a small force can withstand a large invading enemy.

Unfortunately, Qianguan is a crucial node controlling this section of the Yangtze River waterway. The location of Qianguan is the throat of the Yangtze River waterway and the only way for ships to enter and exit the Three Gorges.

By controlling the fortifications, one can control water traffic between the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, prevent the enemy navy from passing freely, and cut off the enemy's water supply and transportation lines.

Qianguan was not a simple fortress, but an entire defensive system.

Numerous sturdy fortifications, including gates, walls, and fortresses, were constructed on the mountains and along the river surrounding the pass. These fortifications provided cover for the defenders, allowing them to withstand enemy attacks. They also served as observation posts and command centers, facilitating the defenders' observation of enemy movements and command of operations.

(End of this chapter)