My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 621 Slightly Advantageous
Since ancient times, retreating from the front lines has always been extremely difficult.

However, Cao Ang was quite lucky. Firstly, he had Sima Yi and Yang Xiu to help him plan and coordinate. Secondly, he had the fortified city of Chengdu as a stronghold, which limited the range of the Left Army's pursuit. Thirdly, the allied forces had a number of elites in this battle, with the worst generals being of average ability, and there were also famous generals such as Cao Ren, Cao Chun, Cao Xiu, Shi Huan, and Zhang Xiu.

Although it appears that the allied forces were suppressed by the Left Guard Army throughout the entire battle, this was only because the Left Guard Army was too strong, not because the allied forces were incapable of fighting. Including the Hanzhong Army and the Shu Army, today's battle was also a desperate struggle, and their performance was excellent. Otherwise, let alone resisting the Left Guard Army, their formation would have already been broken.

Finally, the allied forces possessed a cavalry advantage, with nearly ten thousand cavalrymen in total. This powerful mobile force, as long as it existed on the battlefield, posed a significant threat to the Left Army and played a crucial role in covering their retreat.

Cao Ang used Cao Ren as his base and equipped himself with 3,000 Xiliang cavalry under Zhang Xiu's protection to retreat to the south gate of Chengdu.

At this moment, due to the retreat of Cao Ren's troops, an extremely large gap appeared between him and Cao Ang's central army.

If the Left Guard Army can successfully enter this gap and cut off the main force of the allied forces from Cao Ren's troops, then all that is needed is to launch a full-scale attack on the main force of the allied forces, and a great victory will be within reach.

However, Liu Feng and Lu Xun had no such intention. On the contrary, Liu Feng jokingly remarked in a relaxed tone, "It seems that Cao Zixiu wants to withdraw his troops."

Lu Xun nodded solemnly in support: "Not only do you want to withdraw your troops, but you also want to try to turn defeat into victory."

Liu Feng burst into laughter, knowing that Lu Xun was implying something.

Cao Ang left such a large gap unattended, seemingly inviting Liu Feng into a trap. Liu Feng didn't believe he was using a ruse. Clearly, Lu Xun thought so too; Cao Ang's actions were definitely a trap.

Just as Liu Feng and Lu Xun had predicted, a full thousand armored infantry, a thousand archers, and six thousand cavalry were waiting in full battle array behind Cao Cao's central army.

If the Left Guard Army dares to break through this gap, not only will this elite force immediately launch a counterattack, but Cao Ren will also lead his main army to turn around and attack from both sides.

At that time, no matter how elite the Left Army was, they would be doomed on the spot.

As long as we eliminate a portion of the Left Army, we can shatter the myth of their invincibility. At that point, the balance of power will shift, and we might be able to turn the tide, or even launch a counterattack.

Unfortunately, the Left Guard Army didn't take the bait at all. Liu Feng and Lu Xun issued orders in succession, sending Zhang Nan, Feng Xi, Sun Jiao, and Du Yue's five troops in the rear to press forward and threaten the gaps in the enemy's defenses.

Upon seeing this scene, Cao Ang and Sima Yi sighed and, without further thought, ordered the central army to retreat slowly, while simultaneously using cavalry to cover the retreat of the Shu army.

Although the allied forces fought valiantly on all fronts, coupled with their numerical superiority and the outstanding performance of generals such as Huang Quan and Cao Xiu, they managed to hold off the pursuit of the Left Army and escape intact.

However, the morale of the Allied forces had been severely damaged by this time, and without rest, they would probably be unable to engage in field battles for some time.

Looking at the tattered flags scattered all over the ground, Cao Ang sighed sadly, "The general under the command of the Left is a fierce and ruthless warrior, with elite soldiers, brave generals, and excellent weapons. Only today do I realize his might in the southeast."

Under the tutelage of Sima Yi and others, Cao Ang led his army toward Chengdu. Liu Feng and Lu Xun, seeing that the enemy's main force was not broken, its organization was intact, and it was protected by fortified cities and iron cavalry, saw that the enemy's main force was intact, its organization was intact, and it was protected by strong cities and iron cavalry.

After careful consideration, Liu Feng ordered that they stop while they were ahead.

Thus, the Battle of Guangcheng came to an end, with the Left Army gaining the upper hand and achieving a moderate victory.

Although the Allied forces preserved their main force, their morale was inevitably damaged and dampened.

As the sun sets, the battlefield gradually falls silent.

Although the Left Army failed to defeat the Allied forces in one fell swoop, it tore open three gaps with a fierce offensive, killing, wounding and capturing nearly 10,000 enemy soldiers, while suffering less than 3,000 casualties, of which less than 1,000 died in battle.

Sima Yi said in a low voice, "My lord, our army's morale has been shattered. We should retreat to Fucheng immediately, otherwise..."

Cao Ang sighed, slowly shook his head, and replied softly, "Zhongda, please allow me to think it over."

Sima Yi knew that this battle had dealt a significant blow to Cao Ang's morale and confidence, so he remained silent. Although the outcome of the battle was unpopular, Sima Yi felt that Cao Ang was still honorable despite his defeat.

The allied forces came from various factions, each with its own agenda. Even Cao Cao's troops were divided into two major factions: those personally led by Cao Ang and those under Cao Ren.

Cao Ang was able to successfully command an army of over 70,000 men in battle, acting in an orderly and timely manner. Even until the end of the battle, he did not allow the Left Army to find a weakness to strike and kill him. Even when the battle reached its climax, he was still able to retreat unscathed.

That alone puts him far ahead of many others.

It should be noted that this was Cao Ang's first time commanding an army of more than 50,000 men, making it extremely unfair to pit him against a renowned general like Liu Feng.

Although Sima Yi was thinking these things in his heart, he would not say them out loud.

The biggest problem is that Cao Ang is several years older than Liu Feng.

This single point completely distorts all the aforementioned ideas. Even if Cao Ang believed that Sima Yi meant well, he would never accept such a gesture.

After the battle, both armies returned to their respective cities. The Left Army counted more than 2,400 casualties, including more than 480 dead, more than 2,100 wounded, and more than 30 missing.

Although fewer than 500 died in battle, the total casualties were close to 3,000.

The reason for this outcome was largely due to the role played by the military equipment and armor.

Each battalion of the Left Guard Army was equipped with three hundred sets of iron armor, and all soldiers had leather armor for protection. Even the auxiliary soldiers who performed supporting work had leather torsos and hoods, which undoubtedly greatly improved their survival rate when facing long-range fire and stray arrows. The elite troops who charged into battle at the front were themselves brave and capable, with extremely rich combat experience. Protected by iron armor, they fought in formation, and were led by brave generals such as Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and Ling Tong. In the end, there were more wounded than killed.

The last category of loss, besides those captured by the Allied forces, includes those who went missing on the battlefield.

Previously, there were instances of incomplete corpses leading to omissions in the statistics, but now, every soldier in the Left Guard has a nameplate recording their name and affiliation, minimizing this problem. Correspondingly, the Left Guard beheaded over 2,300 enemy soldiers and captured over 4,400 allied troops. Aside from some surrendered soldiers, the majority were captured after the battle due to injuries, unconsciousness, or abandonment on the battlefield.

Although the Left Army did not achieve a great victory in this battle, it successfully forced the Allied forces to withdraw and gained control of the entire battlefield. This is the main reason why the Left Army captured so many enemy troops without defeating the main force.

In addition to heads and prisoners, the Left Guard Army also captured more than 300 mules and horses, 200 carts, more than 6,000 pieces of various long and short weapons, 3,000 sets of armor, more than 900 bows and crossbows, 12 shield carts, and seized one banner from the generals Chang Diao, Shi Huan, Zhang Wei, Liu Gui, and dozens of other banners.

After returning to Guangdu City, Liu Feng took stock of the casualties and combat strength, then registered the captured prisoners of war and settled them. He ordered the generals and captains of each battalion to report the battle report and to inform the entire army of the battle results.

Afterwards, Liu Feng left Lu Xun to handle miscellaneous matters, while he, along with his guards, went to the wounded soldiers' camp to inspect the environment and supplies, comfort the wounded soldiers, and boost morale.

In this era, most victories required rewarding the soldiers.

The Left Army was no exception, but unlike other warlords, the Left Army's rewards were not distributed during wartime. Instead, they were registered by name and distributed uniformly after the war.

This method has several advantages. First, there is no need to worry about soldiers squandering the money on gambling, prostitution, or other such activities. For this reason, there are usually no accompanying merchants following the Left Army behind the lines.

Because the Left Army not only strictly prohibited soldiers from engaging in the following behaviors during wartime, but also reasonably reclaimed the spoils of war acquired by individual soldiers. The repossession price was fixed, but soldiers were not forced to repossess them; they could also choose to keep them. Once registered, any losses would be fully compensated by the Left General's Office, and the negligent officials would be investigated and held accountable.

The benefits of this are self-evident. Those with stable property have stable minds, and soldiers with families and livelihoods, under good discipline, are far more capable of fighting than those who live for the moment.

Liu Feng wanted soldiers from respectable families, so he naturally paid close attention to this point.

The second benefit is protection from exploitation by the middle layer, especially by officers at all levels.

Liu Feng always emphasized distributing soldiers' pay and rewards to individuals, with civilian personnel handling the distribution and officers strictly prohibited from interfering.

Don't underestimate this point. It's not that civilian personnel won't embezzle or exploit military funds, but rather that without the direct intervention of officers, it's extremely easy for civilian personnel to embezzle or exploit military funds, which could easily escalate into a mass incident.

The reason why officers were able to exploit soldiers was that, in feudal times, officers naturally had the power to control the personal lives of soldiers, a power that civil officials did not have.

Even in later periods like the Ming and Qing dynasties, civil officials, unless they personally led troops, still had to exploit military leaders. If these leaders were dissatisfied, it could easily lead to mutiny. Furthermore, officers controlling military funds had a particularly negative impact: the formation of regional military governors. When personnel and financial power were combined with the officers' military authority, it immediately created the phenomenon of military tyrants and regional warlords.

Liu Feng was trying to change this situation by having the military pay distributed directly by the government, minimizing the opportunity for officers to handle the money.

Of course, this system may not completely prevent collusion between military officers and civilian officials, but it is certainly more difficult than having officers directly distribute military salaries. You can't just stop eating because you're not full.

At this time, the wounded soldiers' camp was set up exactly as Liu Feng had requested. The ground around the camp was covered with lime, and all the sheets, bandages, and clothes were boiled in boiling water and washed separately. The wounded soldiers' food was a grade higher than that of ordinary soldiers. They could drink meat soup every day, and each person could have an egg every day. They also ate fine grains, such as white flour buns and rice porridge.

It was these measures that enabled the soldiers of the Left Guard Army to be unafraid of being wounded, to fight bravely, and to be fearless of sacrifice.

In comparison, the wounded soldiers of the Allied forces were quite pitiful, although some fixed camps were designated as medical camps, and there were quite a few doctors in them.

But these doctors and auxiliary soldiers had no concept of hygiene.

The entire wounded soldiers' camp was filled with putrid water, filthy and chaotic, with excrement everywhere, surrounded by swarms of buzzing flies drawn to the stench.

The wounded soldiers lay on the wooden planks, groaning and screaming, while all the doctors could do was crush herbs and apply them to their wounds. Some of the wounds were even blackened, but they were only washed with cold water.

Given such a medical environment and resources, the number of wounded soldiers who would survive in this camp would probably not exceed 30%.

It is for this reason that many lightly wounded soldiers would rather wrap themselves in bandages, grit their teeth and endure the pain to return to the army than stay in the wounded soldiers' camp.

They knew very well that staying in this place filled with stench and despair, even with just minor scrapes, could lead to their collapse from the filth. Coupled with the constant wails and screams that echoed throughout the night, it was impossible for them to even get proper rest, let alone recover peacefully.

These coalition soldiers naturally didn't understand things like bacteria and viruses, but they instinctively wanted to stay away from the seriously wounded, fearing that their own minor injuries would also be affected by them.

Liu Feng spent a full three hours in the wounded soldiers' camp, inspecting all areas and matters, and comforting each wounded soldier.

With over two thousand wounded soldiers, twelve men per barracks, Liu Feng visited over two hundred barracks. Even if he only stayed in each barracks for one minute, it would still take over two hundred minutes, equivalent to nearly four hours.

However, Liu Feng persevered, even eating dinner in the wounded soldiers' camp.

This scene deeply moved the wounded soldiers and quietly spread among the soldiers of the Left Wing Army.

The morale of the Left Army was greatly boosted.

The Left Guard Army gathered in Guangdu today are mostly new troops established in recent years to train Lu Xun, Lü Meng, and others, or troops of Wei Yan, Huang Zhong, and others selected from surrendered soldiers from Jingzhou and Jiaozhou. They have not yet experienced Liu Feng's unique characteristic of treating his soldiers like his own children.

Therefore, this wave of condolences was very effective, and the soldiers of Guangdu were all eager to put on their armor and go into battle immediately to repay Liu Feng's kindness.

The next morning, the sounds of drills in the camp grew louder. The occasional slackness, laziness, and arrogance that had set in after the great battle were swept away. Even the officials and auxiliary soldiers in charge of logistics were hurrying along, managing the provisions and equipment in an orderly manner.

As for how the news of Liu Feng's visit to the wounded soldiers' camp and his stay there for three hours spread so quickly, there's no need to delve into that.

The next morning, Liu Feng ordered that the army be rewarded that evening with wine and meat, which immediately drew shouts of "Wang Yong!" from the Left Guard Army.

Its momentum was so great that it reached Chengdu, more than ten miles away, causing panic among the people of Chengdu. Even the military camps were affected, and the already low morale was dealt another heavy blow.

(End of this chapter)