My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 618 Successful Raid
However, having this batch of supplies and mules would obviously be of great benefit to Wang Ping's subsequent tactical plans. It would not only greatly increase the success rate of the plans, but also give Wang Ping more room for error. At least Wang Ping and the Cong army would no longer have to worry about running out of food if they failed to capture Tianxiong Pass in a short time.

Subsequently, Wang Ping ordered a news blackout and gathered all the prisoners of war together, using them to transport provisions and weapons with the army.

Next, Wang Ping appointed He Lan as the main general to lead troops to garrison Jianmen Pass, while he led the remaining two thousand Zong soldiers to prepare for a surprise attack on Tianxiong Pass.

However, before that, Wang Ping planned to take a good rest.

Even the Ba people found it extremely tiring to walk through the mountains for seven or eight days straight, and without time to rest, they were thrown into another battle.

Although the resistance at Jiange was relatively weak, the soldiers of the Ba were indeed exhausted.

The next leg of the march to Tianxiong Pass is only sixty li, but the road runs along a mountain ridge, flanked by towering mountains and deep valleys, making it extremely treacherous. Furthermore, once they reach Tianxiong Pass, they will have to immediately attack the city. With readily available barracks and ample supplies, a timely rest would be invaluable.

Most importantly, Wang Ping had made the most of his time by rushing along the way.

In Liu Feng's original plan, Wang Ping was allotted a full ten days to travel, but Wang Ping only took eight days to reach Jiange and captured Jianmen Pass in one fell swoop that very night.

In this way, including the two days that Liu Feng originally allocated to Wang Ping for the siege, Wang Ping now has a full four days to waste.

But Wang Ping remained vigilant, planning to rest for only one day before continuing his journey, leaving three days as a buffer in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

Liu Feng had told him that Zhou Tai would make preparations to meet him in advance, but there was no fixed time. Instead, the plan would be carried out with him as the one in control. Wang Ping naturally wanted to take Tianxiong Pass as soon as possible, complete the entire plan, and make a big splash in front of Liu Feng.

If the soldiers of the Ba army hadn't been so exhausted, Wang Ping wouldn't have wanted to wait even a day longer.

Wang Ping's side is making great progress and has already sent someone south to report the victory to He Qi.

To avoid alerting the allied forces of Jiange and Zitong, Wang Ping set off ahead of time, taking a mountain path. Otherwise, he could have simply followed He Qi and then headed north to Jiange after He Qi's main force besieged the city, which would have been much smoother than taking a mountain path.

However, this would likely allow Jiange to prepare in advance, thus failing to achieve the effect of a surprise attack. At the same time, it would also allow the Cao family to realize sooner that Liu Feng's move was not in Zitong or Fucheng, but along the Jiameng Pass line.

Wang Ping did a very good job with the first half of the mission; now only the most crucial Tianxiong Pass remains.

At this time, Li Dian's report reached Luocheng and was then sent to Chengdu.

In the past few days, with the reinforcements from Cao Cao's army, the number of troops in Chengdu has increased to more than 70,000.

However, the Left Guard Army remained unfazed, trooping up troops and provoking Cao Ang every day. They even sent a challenge letter into Chengdu, inviting Cao Ang to a direct confrontation.

The invitation was like a hot potato to Cao Ang, giving him a real headache.

The situation is currently tense, and Cao Ang really wants to fight a battle to break the deadlock.

As long as we can win, what else is there to fear about breaking the deadlock?

However, the strength of the Left Guard Army also gave Cao Ang a big headache. Not to mention that he lacked confidence, even Cao Ren was not confident that he could win.

However, Sima Yi strongly urged Cao Ang to fight a decisive battle, because he felt that the atmosphere in Shu was getting increasingly strange, and he always felt that an invisible net was being cast.

Sima Yi naturally did not believe that the allied forces could easily defeat the Left Guard Army, but rather wanted to use this battle to help Cao Ang make up his mind.

If we win, then there's nothing more to say; we can continue advancing and recapture Guangdu and Wuyang.

Even if they lose, as long as it's not a crushing defeat, Cao Ang should be able to make the decision to abandon Liu Zhang and retreat to the Fucheng and Zitong line. At that time, he can still retain half of Guanghan's territory.

The most important thing is to fight a war, then we won't have this anxious feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place anymore.

However, Cao Ang found it difficult to make a decision until news of Li Dian and Li Zheng arrived.

Upon receiving Li Dian's message, Cao Ang realized that if he did not make a decision soon, the Cao family's army in Shu would be in danger.

He was left with only two options: either start a war immediately or retreat immediately.

After much hesitation, Cao Ang was still unwilling to retreat in such a humiliating manner. In addition, Liu Zhang also realized the danger and expressed his willingness to fully cooperate. Finally, Cao Ang made up his mind and accepted Liu Feng's challenge to battle.

The two armies agreed to meet the next morning on the plains outside Chengdu to settle their differences.

The following morning, both armies set out from their respective camps and deployed outside Chengdu.

Cao Cao's army formation was located in the northwest, forming a line with Chengdu. If the army suffered any setbacks, it could rely on Chengdu to contain the pursuit of the Left Army and bypass the city by going east and north. This can be considered as considering defeat before victory, which was also the advice that Sima Yi gave to Cao Ang.

The Left Guard Army's formation was positioned in the southeast, facing Cao Cao's army from afar.

This formation, with its back to the Fu River, ensured the safety of the left flank and eliminated the fear of a surprise attack by the allied cavalry. In terms of cavalry strength, the allied forces surpassed the left-wing army in both quantity and quality.

Fighting an offensive battle against an enemy with superior cavalry mobility would undoubtedly be extremely disadvantageous. Therefore, Liu Feng had prepared for this from the very beginning of his battle plan; his strategy for today was defensive counter-attack.

Liu Feng himself was stationed in the central army, guarded by three thousand personal guards, while Lu Xun served as the deputy commander, responsible for frontline command.

The army was divided into three routes: the vanguard of the central route was Lü Meng, the vanguard of the left route was Lü Dai, and the vanguard of the right route was Wen Ping, each leading two thousand men to stand in formation.

Following closely behind them were Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and Ling Tong, who were nominally the second vanguard, but in Liu Feng's plan, this formation was actually the true vanguard.

Liu Feng's strategy today is to employ a defensive counter-attacking tactic, so the formation above is naturally not for offense, but specifically for defense.

The third formation consisted of five units led by Zhang Nan, Feng Xi, Sun Jiao, and Du Yue. This central force was specifically tasked with engaging the enemy after the secondary strike force had broken through their defenses, widening the gap, and simultaneously protecting the flanks of the secondary strike force.

The fourth force consisted of Sun Ce's cavalry battalion and Gan Ning and Huang Gai's marine naval forces, serving as the general reserve and awaiting orders from Liu Feng and Lu Xun.

Fu Tong's 2,000 men, along with Zhao Wei's 7,000-plus trained men (the remaining number after being transferred to supplement the core troops), guarded the main camp, with Fu Tong as the chief general, to support the main army going into battle.

In addition, there was a team of about two thousand artisans who operated various war machines.

The Left Army consisted of 37,000 men, with an additional 9,000 guarding the main camp.

The allied forces also mobilized their entire force, divided into three groups.

The right wing was led by Cao Ren, who commanded generals such as Zhang Xiu, Niu Jin, Chang Diao, and Wang Shuang, totaling 20,000 men. The central army was personally led by Cao Ang, including generals such as Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, and Shi Huan, as well as over 5,000 soldiers under Zhang Wei, for a total of over 21,000 men.

The left wing consisted of Liu Zhang's army in Chengdu, with Pang Xi as the main general and Zhang Ren as the deputy general. Other generals included Wu Yi, Wu Ban, Huang Quan, Liu Gui, Leng Bao, Yang Huai, and Gao Pei. The army was the largest, with more than 34,000 men.

The total strength of the allied forces was over 76,000, more than twice that of the Left Cursed Army.

After both sides have formed their ranks, they will be three li apart. Military strategy says that they should form ranks three li apart, which gives both sides time to observe each other's troop deployment and weaknesses in their formations.

During this phase, the two sides are far apart and there will be no substantial confrontation. The main focus will be on deterrence, observation, and probing.

Liu Feng and Cao Ang each ascended a high earthen platform, surrounded by guards, with a commander's flag erected behind them and many small flags of various colors and sizes beside them, used to issue orders.

After the troops were arrayed, the soldiers in the front ranks donned armor and carried weapons. In more dangerous areas, they placed makeshift chevaux-de-frise to guard against enemy cavalry charges. The soldiers in the rear ranks, however, were quite relaxed. They were not armored, but wore thick robes and sat on the ground, awaiting their commander's orders.

After a bugle call, it was the Left Army that moved first.

Lü Meng, Wen Ping, and Lü Dai's three armies began to advance slowly forward, and behind them, a total of twelve crossbows also began to advance slowly.

When attacking the city walls, the trebuchet's destructive power is maximized, and its long range allows it to effectively and accurately target threats on the city walls.

However, in field operations, counterweight catapults proved to be both cumbersome and too short-ranged.

A counterweight catapult can launch stones weighing several hundred kilograms as far as four hundred meters, but even if it is replaced with a ten-kilogram stone, it can only launch it to about five hundred meters at most.

In contrast, the ballista is different.

The ballista is not a counterweight-based torsion effect, but a spring-like effect. It uses several huge compound bows stacked together to store energy, and can launch 10-kilogram iron-feathered arrows to a distance of about 1,500 to 2,000 meters.

This type of ballista relies on the elasticity of the bowstring rather than counterweight, so its effect is quite different from that of a counterweighted catapult.

Ballistae have a flat trajectory, poor accuracy, and are difficult to aim, making them suitable only for field suppression and killing enemy troops, rather than for siege warfare.

In this field battle, Liu Feng happened to have more than ten ballistae and hundreds of iron-feathered arrows at his disposal, and naturally wanted to show off his skills and give Cao Cao's army a surprise.

"Zhongda, the Left Army has launched an attack."

Cao Ang stood on the earthen platform, puzzled, and asked, "Can you see anything wrong with it?"

This statement reveals how much Cao Ang feared Liu Feng. He faced Liu Feng with twice the strength, yet he became suspicious because Liu Feng took the initiative to attack. This shows how much pressure the Left Guard Army put on Cao Ang.

Cao Ang's weak question did not bother Sima Yi at all. Instead, he agreed, saying, "Since the Left Army dared to take the initiative to attack, they must have a backup plan. My lord can strictly order the front-line soldiers to hold their ground and remain still to deal with any changes."

Cao Ang immediately adopted the advice and instead ordered the front lines to strengthen their defenses and not to launch any rash attacks, prioritizing the maintenance of the front lines.

Soon, the vanguard of the Left Army advanced to within a mile and then stopped.

Immediately afterwards, the three groups of Lü Meng, Wen Ping, and Lü Dai began to set up a defensive line, placing the small chevaux-de-frise and tower shields they carried with them in front of them, and digging to reinforce them.

Sima Yi's expression changed slightly, and he advised, "My lord, we can send archers to harass them, but we cannot allow the Left Guard Army to act as it pleases."

Cao Ang was somewhat surprised. Sima Yi's words were undoubtedly a bit of a change of heart. He had just said to remain unchanged in the face of all changes, but now he was actually ordering the archers to be deployed.

However, Cao Ang still trusted Sima Yi greatly and passed on the order.

The captains at the front were quite pleased to receive the order. They had been itching to act, as they had been ordered to hold their ground and not move. Now, the order was exactly what they wanted.

Soon, each of the three forces dispatched five hundred archers, carrying bows and arrows, to step out of the allied army formation and advance towards the left-wing army's line.

The effective range of a crossbowman is 150 to 200 meters, while that of an archer is slightly shorter, only 100 to 130 meters, and even a few powerful archers can only reach 150 meters.

Under the premise of projectile firing, it can reach 200 meters, but the accuracy will drop significantly. It is necessary to rely on area damage to improve the lethality and hit rate.

Therefore, these crossbowmen could only begin firing after they were within 200 meters of the Left Guard.

Lu Meng saw the archers walking towards his lines in the distance and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

At Lü Meng's command, cracks silently appeared in Lü Meng's troops, and ballistae were pushed over, their composite bows already drawn, iron-feathered arrows embedded in them, the arrowheads gleaming with a chilling light.

Lu Meng's soldiers went about their work, and after they finished, they sat on the ground to recover their strength, while auxiliary soldiers brought them water bags.

It wasn't until the allied archers were within 250 meters that the first rank of soldiers stood up again and raised their tower shields.

"emission!"

Lu Meng raised his right hand and chopped down fiercely.

Before the allied archers could unleash their power, the Left Army launched their attack first.

Just like Lü Meng, the troops under Wen Ping and Lü Dai on both sides also ordered to fire.

Two streaks of cold light flew out, tearing through the archers' formation and heading towards the allied forces' formation.

This was a true physical tearing. Archers hit by the iron-feathered arrows were torn in two by the enormous impact and died on the spot. Those who were unlucky were grazed by the iron-feathered arrows, losing either an arm or a leg. Some even had their torsos cut open, suffering excruciating pain with no cure.

After piercing through the archers' formation, the two cold beams continued their momentum, striking straight into Shi Huan's line of fire a mile behind them, before finally landing after passing through seven or eight men.

The once orderly Cao army camp looked as if it had been plowed by an iron plow, with two distinct grooves carved into the ground.

Only then did Cao Cao's army realize that what had been shot out earlier was a giant iron arrow, over a meter long and as black as ink.

The sharp arrowheads, like blades or axe tips, could easily tear through iron armor with the help of enormous kinetic energy.

(End of this chapter)