My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 663 The war begins

Huang Quan was already mentally prepared when his name was called, but upon hearing this, he was still filled with admiration and responded with great enthusiasm: "General, you did not doubt me because I am a surrendered general, but instead entrusted me with a regional command. This kindness is like Emperor Guangwu's heartfelt treatment of a surrendered enemy, or Duke Huan of Qi sending an arrow to an enemy minister! Even if I were to give my life, I could not repay even a fraction of this kindness. How could I not exert all my strength and serve you like a dog or a horse!"

"it is good!"

Liu Feng was overjoyed and helped Huang Quan up again, patting his arm and saying with a beaming smile, "With Gongheng guarding the left flank for me, I have nothing to worry about."

The three generals stepped forward in response, their armor clanging as they knelt down: "Your subordinate is here!"

Liu Feng said sternly, "You are all under the command of the Left Wing. Huang Gongheng's order is my order! Any disobedience will be punished according to military law—do you understand?"

The three generals had initially underestimated Huang Quan, thinking he was just a newly arrived surrendered general. But seeing Liu Feng's demeanor, their hearts tightened, and they solemnly replied, "Your subordinate obeys!"

Liu Feng surveyed his surroundings, his voice booming like a bell: "The rest of you generals, follow me and hold command in the central army! Tomorrow, in the decisive battle, we will annihilate this army!"

A thunderous roar erupted from below: "Destroy this breakfast!"

The sound shook the wilderness, and the murderous aura soared to the sky.

**
The next day, at the third watch, while the sky was still as dark as ink, smoke rose from the cooking fires in both armies' camps, filling the air with the aroma of rice. Both sides emptied their reserves to supply provisions, with mountains of steamed buns and pots overflowing with vegetable soup, and tens of thousands of bags of dry rations prepared for a protracted war.

However, in comparison, Liu Feng's army was much better prepared, and the supplies they provided were more precious and effective. Dozens of huge cauldrons were boiling, and the cooks poured snow-white sugar frosting into the hot soup. After it melted into a sweet syrup, it was set aside to cool before being divided into leather bags and wooden buckets for irrigation.

This sweet drink can quickly replenish energy and quench thirst, making it a rare delicacy in the army.

The white rice was as white as snow. After being steamed and cooked, it was wrapped in a clean cloth and pressed into a ball. Pickled vegetables, sour plums, and cured meat were placed inside. It was not only appetizing and delicious, but also easy to carry on the battlefield. Even individual soldiers could carry a few with them without feeling burdened.

The grain carts and supply wagons lined up like dragons, waiting for the drums to sound at dawn so they could be transported to the front lines.

The fact that the army prepared its provisions before the battle even began demonstrates the meticulous planning of the Left Guard Army, which had already laid the groundwork for victory in the kitchen.

At dawn, the soldiers began to get up, tidy up their quarters, and then ate heartily to enjoy their breakfast.

As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight appeared, the two armies slowly began to march out of their camp.

On Liu Feng's side, each soldier was equipped with a leather bag filled with sugar water. Before setting off, each person also received six fist-sized rice balls, which were wrapped in leaves, then wrapped in hemp cloth, and hung on their belts. This made them both clean and easy to carry.

In addition, a large number of oxcarts carrying sealed wooden barrels were distributed to each captain's battalion to replenish the soldiers' water at any time.

Therefore, in addition to the 46,000-strong Left Guard troops who went out in full force, there were also 8,000 strong and capable civilians from Sichuan with a certain military foundation, totaling more than 54,000 people.

The opposing allied forces also mobilized their entire forces. Apart from two or three thousand soldiers from Hanzhong County who remained to guard Fancheng, Cao Cao's army and Liu Zhang's army also mobilized their entire forces, including tens of thousands of auxiliary soldiers, making it a large army of nearly 80,000 men.

The fact that Chengdu is surrounded by plains is why such a large-scale battle on the plains was possible.

With such a large army going into battle, a contingency plan had been prepared well in advance, and each unit entered the designated battlefield in an orderly manner.

Liu Feng's side was divided into four parts. Lu Xun led the left wing, which included five troops: Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, Ling Tong, Zhang Nan, and Feng Xi, totaling 10,000 infantrymen. In addition, Sun Ce's 3,000 cavalrymen made up the elite forces, a gathering of brilliant warriors, which was Liu Feng's sharpest weapon.

Their mission was also crucial; they needed to quickly defeat the allied forces in front of them in order to sweep through the enemy lines.

At the same time, they were also responsible for covering Lü Meng's right flank, trying to create the best possible siege situation for him, in order to capture Fandunqiu's military camp as soon as possible.

Next to arrive was Lü Meng's troops, which combined the forces of Wen Pin, Quan Cong, and Fu Tong. Although their fighting strength was not as great as Lu Xun's troops, Liu Feng had strengthened their weapons considerably, including 600 sets of newly arrived iron armor, more than 6,000 long and short weapons, 400 sets of crossbows, 20,000 arrows, as well as 16 ballistae and 4 catapults.

Fortunately, the terrain was flat and there were existing official roads available, which enabled the transport of these small siege weapons to the front lines. Liu Feng also reinforced Lü Meng's troops with more than half of the small siege weapons that had accompanied the army to the front lines, demonstrating the extent of his support for him.

Next came the central army personally commanded by Liu Feng. In addition to Liu Feng's three thousand personal guards, there were also Gan Ning's six thousand naval soldiers and the troops of Xi Zhen and Liao Hua.

This central army of 13,000 men, plus 1,000 auxiliary soldiers, formed the central military formation and was located at the strategic point where the commander-in-chief's banner was placed.

Liu Feng's troops not only had to take on the responsibility of the central army formation, but also had the obligation to cover Lü Meng's left flank and try their best to create a favorable situation for him to attack the camp.

Liu Feng's left wing was the left wing of Huang Quan's troops in the entire Left Wing Army.

He led three forces—Lü Dai, Cuan Yang, and Xi Zhen—totaling ten thousand men. Although this was the smallest of the three wings, they had to hold their ground and buy time for the right wing to make a breakthrough.

The eight thousand auxiliary soldiers brought were also distributed among the wings, with three thousand going to the right wing, two thousand to Lü Meng's wing, and the remaining two thousand divided equally between the central army and the left wing.

The opposing allied forces were also on high alert.

Surprisingly, Liu Zhang personally led the troops into battle, taking command on the left flank, with Pang Xi and Zhang Ren as the vanguard commanders, directly confronting the right flank of Lu Xun's left-wing army.

It is clear that this battle was a do-or-die situation for the Allied forces, who were fully aware of its importance.

In terms of troop strength, although the Shu army has suffered losses, even including the Dongzhou soldiers, it now only has 30,000 men left. However, this number is the result of multiple reorganizations and the conscription of a large number of young men into the army. In terms of actual combat strength, it has actually declined significantly and is far from the elite force it once was.

At present, Liu Zhang personally led the left flank, mobilizing 24,000 troops, with Zhang Ren's Shu army as the main force, supplemented by 6,000 Dongzhou soldiers under Pang Xi, while the remaining 6,000 Dongzhou soldiers were left in the central army by Cao Ang.

Although the 20,000 Shu troops still outnumbered Lu Xun's forces by nearly 10,000, the fact that Liu Zhang personally led the charge greatly boosted the morale of the Shu army and resolved some conflicts meant that their military might seemed to have been restored for a time.

However, after the formation was completed, Cao Ang gazed at the left flank, but his heart was filled with worry rather than joy.

Although the Shu army had the advantage of 10,000 men, compared with Lu Xun's Left Guard Army, there was a clear gap in terms of the bravery of the soldiers, the strategy of the officers, the coordination of the battle formation, and the morale of the army.

This situation, seemingly evenly matched, is actually the most worrying point for the entire army.

However, Cao Ang was no longer able to reinforce the right flank at this point. He only sent a message hoping that the right flank would hold its ground and hold out until the allied forces on other fronts made a breakthrough. At the same time, Cao Ang also informed Shi Huan in the Fan Dunqiu military camp, hoping that he could use the geographical and defensive advantages to provide as much assistance as possible to his left flank.

The right flank of the allied forces, where they were to fight Huang Quan, was commanded by Cao Ren. In addition to Cao Ren's own 4,000 troops, they also deployed Zhang Wei's 5,000 troops, bringing the total force to over 9,000.

This wing appears to be weak, and Zhang Wei's troops have lost nearly a third of their soldiers. They have been reinforced with nearly a thousand men, so their strength has decreased significantly compared to the beginning.

This position had the fewest troops and the weakest strength, yet Cao Ang was quite confident in it. Cao Ren's formation was also a defensive crane-wing formation, clearly indicating that the Cao army's high command shared Liu Feng's plan: to break through at a single point and sweep across the battlefield.

The only difference was that Liu Feng and his men chose to break through Fandunqiu and the right flank, while Cao Cao's army surprisingly chose to attack Liu Feng's central army.

Seeing that Cao Cao's army was poised to break through from the center, with the central force composed of Cao Cao's main army personally led by Cao Ang, Xu Shu, Gu Shao, Sun Quan and others couldn't help but offer their advice.

Xu Shu spoke first, suggesting, "My lord, could we perhaps withdraw some troops from the flanks to reinforce the central army?"

Sun Quan followed suit, saying, "In my opinion, we can first draw a battalion of soldiers from Lü Ziming."

Cao Ang's forces consisted of 2,000 personal guards (including 500 cavalry), 2,000 soldiers from Yanzhou under Jia Xin, 4,000 soldiers from Guanzhong under Yin Shu, 8,000 elite troops from Yuzhou under Niu Jin and Chang Diao, 2,000 cavalry under Zhang Xiu, 1,000 elite cavalry from Shu, and 6,000 soldiers from Dongzhou, totaling over 25,000 men, including over 4,000 cavalry.

Apart from Cao Ren's main force guarding the right flank and Shi Huan holding firm at Fandun Hill, preventing any rash moves, all of Cao Ang's elite troops that could be mobilized were gathered here. This was Cao Ang's all-out force, and also the foundation for the decisive battle.

In fact, the battlefield chosen by Liu Fengjun was near Fandunqiu, which greatly surprised the Cao army's high command and even made them suspect that Liu Fengjun had some kind of conspiracy.

Ultimately, however, they decided to fight, for no other reason than that the allied forces in this area could no longer retreat. If they did, the Zuo Mu army could easily cut into the gap and sever the connection between Fancheng and Mianzhu.

Then the Left Guard Army could dig deep trenches and build numerous watchtowers, splitting Cao's army in two, using its main force to firmly restrict the main force of the Fancheng coalition, and then calmly deal with Fucheng and Zitong.

Now that Cao Cao's main force has appeared in the direction of Jingzhou, the defense of Jiameng can be handed over to the Shu army of the Left Guard, which was reorganized from Zhao Wei's army. The main force of Zhou Tai and others, as well as Zhuge Liang in Jiangzhou, can quickly converge on the Fucheng line. At that time, they will first capture Zitong and then besiege Fucheng.

At that time, even with reinforcements from Cao Chun and Cao Xiu, Fucheng would not be able to withstand the siege of the main force of the Left Army.

At the beginning of the Si hour, the two armies were already arrayed facing each other.

The two armies faced each other in the open field, their banners obscuring the sky, and their spears and halberds standing like a forest.

Cao Ang's army formation resembled a colossal, armored beast, standing firmly to the north, its back to the north and facing south.

Beneath the central banner, Cao Ang, clad in golden armor and a red robe, stood on a raised earthen platform, surrounded by dozens of heavily armored guards, their eyes gleaming coldly, protecting him, Sima Yi, Yang Xiu, and others.

Cao Ang's two thousand personal guards were positioned on all four sides of the earthen platform, serving as both guards and strategic reserves.

Jia Xin's troops from Yanzhou were positioned on the left, while Yin Shu's elite soldiers from Guanzhong occupied the right, all wielding eighteen-foot-long spears, forming a formation as solid as a rock.

Niu Jin and Chang Diao, elite troops from Yuzhou, were positioned to hold the line, their ring-pommel swords gleaming in the sunlight, ready to be deployed to the front lines at any moment.

Zhang Xiu's Xiliang cavalry and Shu cavalry were mixed together to form a mobile force, which was deployed on both flanks. They were equipped with saddles and bridles, and their horseshoes smacked the ground with a low neigh.

The Dongzhou soldiers were deployed separately and were not used as the vanguard.

This wasn't because Cao Ang was stingy with the Dongzhou soldiers, using his own resources as the vanguard rather than sparing them. The real reason was simple: Cao Ang didn't trust the Dongzhou soldiers' fighting strength and worried they would be at a disadvantage, thus damaging his own morale.

Since that's the case, it's better to stay in the rear and wait until our side has created an opening before committing to expand our gains.

The entire army was silent and still, with only the sound of banners fluttering in the wind.

Liu Feng's army, heading south, also stood in perfect formation, as solid as a rock.

The Left Guard Army, clad in black banners and armor, stood beneath the canopy bestowed upon them by Liu Feng, with Lu Xun in white robes and plain armor, his hand resting on his sword. His soldiers carried powerful crossbows and bows, and wore long-handled swords at their waists.

Suddenly, the sound of drums and horns changed from the formation, and the sound of crossbows being cocked was like a sudden rainstorm hitting the tiles. Hundreds of cold arrows pointed north at the enemy.

The sky and earth suddenly darkened, and clouds hung low over the vast wilderness.

On the open ground a hundred feet between the two armies, dust swirled on its own without wind, as if a murderous intent had solidified into reality.

Suddenly, a signal cannon fired from Cao's formation, and thousands of spears rained down from the ranks of the northern and southern armies as they marched forward with thunderous steps toward the opposite side.

On this vast wilderness, the Left Army and the Allied Forces resembled two giant dragons, their bodies undulating.

The dragon head of the southern dragon is on the east side, revealing a ferocious look as it lunges at the dragon tail opposite it, while the dragon head of the northern dragon is in the middle, coiled in the north, and like a serpent, it pounces on the waist and abdomen of the southern dragon.

Lu Meng's troops were the first to move, with Wen Ping as the vanguard, Quan Cong positioned on the right side of Fandunqiu, and Fu Tong on the left. Lu Meng himself brought up the rear, and they rushed towards the Fandunqiu military camp.

Wen Ping led over a thousand archers and shield bearers to a point 150 paces below the military camp, where they set up a shield formation, with the archers positioned behind it.

This was not an offensive move, but rather a precaution against fresh troops breaking out of the enemy's camp.

Immediately afterwards, six ballistae and two catapults, under the protection of the main force, slowly moved toward this side.

Shi Huan, observing the enemy's situation from a high tower in the stockade, saw this scene and immediately shouted the order: "Set up the shield formation!"

Cao's soldiers hurriedly pushed over the giant shield carts that had been built in advance.

These giant shield wagons were all made of huge logs, which were placed side by side and then bound together with hemp ropes to secure them to the four-wheeled vehicle.

These giant shield wagons are extremely defensive; ordinary crossbow bolts have no effect on them. Moreover, although these giant shield wagons are heavy, the presence of wheels makes them quite convenient for short-distance maneuvering on the battlefield, even if they cannot be used for long-distance transport.

At this moment, Shi Huan saw the appearance of the ballistae and catapults and immediately recalled his previous encounter in the Battle of Guangcheng, so he released the giant shield cart ahead of time.

As Shi Huan had feared, these ballistae had their bolts replaced with barbed bolts.

These ballistae, after striking the wooden stockade walls, embedded themselves deeply into the wood, with long hemp ropes trailing behind them on the ground.

Shi Huan keenly noticed that the hemp ropes were wet, blackened, and emitted a pungent odor. For a moment, he couldn't understand Zuo Mujun's purpose.

(End of this chapter)