Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 330: I have never seen him, but I have heard his name

Chen Jun, inside the big tent.

Wu Mingche frowned, squatted aside, and looked at Xiao Moke lying on the mat.

Xiao Moke's face was wrapped in thick cloth, with only half of his face exposed. The same was true for his entire body, and his legs were also tied up with wooden boards.

Looking at Wu Mingche beside him, Xiao Moke's eyes revealed a sense of self-blame and guilt.

"General, I am defeated."

Xiao Moke made the same old mistake again. He did not wait for the soldiers around him and charged forward alone. As a result, after he fell, the rest of the soldiers had to retreat.

If they could follow Wu Mingche's instructions, proceed step by step, and not think about capturing the opponent's main general, as long as they could open up enough space on the city wall, Wu Mingche could hold a banquet in the city today.

Wu Mingche looked at Xiao Moke with complicated eyes.

He wanted to scold him, but when he saw his injuries and remembered how reckless and irritable he was when he was his age, he suppressed the scolding.

This is a fierce general, but his shortcoming is that he is too fierce. When he fights, he gets carried away and cannot be stopped.

Several generals around were gleefully glancing at Xiao Moke.

Xiao Moke was the youngest among the many veteran generals, but he had a bad temper and was very rude to generals older than him, so he did not have a very good relationship with his colleagues. Everyone always looked at his arrogant face and had been hoping that he would be humiliated for a long time.

Of course, there were also people who truly admired Xiao Moke and were very worried about his situation.

Wu Mingche stood up slowly and said softly, "You are the bravest among the three armies. I have fought for many years and have never seen anyone as brave as you."

"However, this extraordinary bravery also makes you arrogant. You only rely on your bravery to fight the enemy. Even a strong man like Xiang Yu will be defeated sooner or later."

"Marching and fighting requires not only the bravery of the commander, but also something else."

Xiao Moke didn't dare to look at Wu Mingche again.

Wu Mingche lowered his head and suddenly laughed.

“That’s a good thing.”

"You have never failed since you were young. If today's defeat can make you realize your mistakes and correct them, then that would be a good thing."

"You are brave enough. As long as you can correct your mistakes, you will be a general who can support the country in the future."

Wu Mingche pointed to the city in the distance and said, "If the country can get such a great general, I will have no regrets even if I die under the city."

Xiao Moke's lips trembled, "General, I know I was wrong."

Wu Mingche nodded, "Recover first. I hope you can remember the lesson you learned this time."

He looked around and said, "Take him away and take good care of him."

The soldiers stepped forward and carried Xiao Moke away.

The generals listened to the conversation between Wu Mingche and Xiao Moke. Even those generals who had been gloating over other people's misfortune became serious and looked at their commander with admiration.

Another powerful general under his command, Cheng Wenji, stepped out at this moment.

Cheng Wenji was very similar to Xiao Moke. Although he was not as strong and powerful as Xiao Moke, he was good at riding and shooting and fought bravely. He would serve as the vanguard in every battle and frightened the Northern Hu several times. He was called Cheng Lao Hu by the people of Qi.

Under Wu Mingche's command, his bravery was second only to Xiao Moke, and because he was more cautious than Xiao Moke, Wu Mingche preferred to use him.

Cheng Wenji's face was full of ferocity, "General! Please let me attack! I will take this city before dark!!"

Wu Mingche looked at Cheng Wenji with relief, "The fierce tiger mentioned by Qi State is about to take the initiative to attack. How can a small city stop it?"

He said very seriously: "Generals, the Northern Hu invaded the Central Plains and humiliated the Han people, yet they dared to claim to be orthodox. This is ridiculous!"

"In the past few years, the northern barbarians have been aggressive and have repeatedly invaded our borders. The descendants of He Liuhun and Yuwen Heita have called themselves kings in the north, like monkeys in human form!"

"Today, we should drive these northern barbarians out and revive our Han Empire!!"

"only!!!"

All the generals bowed and greeted him.

Wu Mingche drew his sword and said, "Today, I will personally command the front, and Wen Ji will lead the attack. We will take this city before dark, and use the head of Bu Liu Guyao in the city as a sacrifice to the soldiers who died in the previous battle!!"

The morale of the generals increased greatly and they all started shouting.

Wu Mingche immediately ordered a general attack, and all the soldiers went out.

The sky gradually became clearer and everyone gathered outside the city. Wu Mingche, dressed in military uniform, stood on a high platform, holding a sharp blade.

The soldiers were ready and leaned forward, ready to charge.

"Report~~~"

"Report~~~"

Suddenly, a knight came galloping from the distance. The warhorse passed through the army formation and was stopped by the soldiers in front of the platform. Several scouts jumped down and shouted loudly, looking extremely anxious.

Wu Mingche on the high platform noticed this, so he had to stop giving orders and let the scout come up to report.

The person who came up was an officer. He was panting and his hands were shaking.

"General! This is bad!"

"The enemy attacked our Jiangpukou camp last night!!"

"Our food supplies have been destroyed!"

Wu Mingche trembled all over, pulled the scout over, and said with wide eyes, "What did you say?"

The officer cried out, "The cavalry, it's the enemy's cavalry, I don't know where they came from, there are corpses all over the ground in Jiangpu!"

"Impossible! Lou Rui is fighting Xu Du, how could there be enemy cavalry behind us? Even if there are cavalry, this place is so close to Jiangpu, and there was no fire last night!"

"It sank into the river. I saw many wheel tracks on the shore. It turned out that there were more than 3,000 cavalrymen. Our scouts were all killed, and only a few of us escaped."

Wu Mingche immediately panicked.

Jiangpukou is where they landed. After they landed, this place became the first storage place after transporting grain from the mainland.

Wu Mingche took a deep breath and said, "Stop attacking the city!!"

"Gather all the generals to discuss important matters!!"

Lu Yao stood on the city wall, clutching the spear in his arms, staggering. Just as he was preparing to fight, the enemy suddenly changed their formation and began to retreat.

Lu Yao was a little surprised. What trick was Wu Mingche planning today?
In the main camp, several scouts reported the intelligence they had gathered in great detail without any mistakes or omissions.

Wu Mingche sat in the upper seat with a dark face. The generals were in an uproar and started talking.

The other side of the river is Jiankang. How could the Northern Hu cavalry appear on the river bank? ? Did they come from Jiankang?
Wu Mingche also attached great importance to his rear, and he arranged more than 4,000 people to garrison there.

Even if the enemy sent out a small group of cavalry, these more than 4,000 veteran soldiers would be able to use the strong terrain for defense. In addition, they were not far away, so Wu Mingche could send people to support them at any time as long as he learned of the attack.

What kind of army could suddenly appear behind them, annihilate more than 4,000 veterans, and not even alert them? ?
But the scout's words sounded coherent and didn't seem to be false.

Several generals were extremely terrified at this moment. "General, I heard that there are people in the north who can harm others with magic. Could it be that there are demons harming people?"

Wu Mingche was also a little confused. He quickly asked someone to take out the map and then looked at it carefully.

He pointed at a few areas and fell into deep thought again.

"Piluo Rui is fighting General Xu, while Yuchi Pohu and Lu Qian in the west are fighting General Huang. If they send cavalry to circumvent them, these two generals will surely realize that this must be Dugu Qi's army."

"What? Liu Taozi's army?"

The generals suddenly remembered what Lu Yao had said and looked at Wu Mingche in surprise and doubt.

Famous generals always have some awe-inspiring aura before they are defeated. This aura can greatly inspire their own troops and bring great pressure to the enemy.

Liu Taozi has experienced too many wars over the years, especially the defeat of Yang Zhong, which has made him famous all over the world and no one dares to look down on him.

"But how come he is not in the North?"

Wu Mingche said slowly: "When we set out on the expedition, we received news that Liu Taozi led his troops to attack Qingzhou and Guangzhou."

"If he learns of the situation here in Guangzhou, with his elite cavalry and the help of the old villain Wang Lin, he can kill us whether by water or by land."

Wu Mingche drew several routes, which were the directions from which Liu Taozi could attack.

Wu Mingche did not pay attention to the prefectures and cities further east, but this place became a breakthrough point for the enemy.

The generals fell silent at this moment. After knowing the reason, they began to think about the consequences of their nest being stolen.

Tens of thousands of troops gathered here, and the food consumed every day was in the tens of millions. The food stored in the rear was destroyed. How many days would the food in the army last? ?
It was quiet inside the tent and no one spoke.

"General!"

Cheng Wenji stepped forward at this moment and said solemnly: "Liu Taozi suddenly came to kill us. This is something we did not expect."

"We should quickly capture Qinzhou! Use the enemy's food and fodder to sustain the army and wait for Jiankang to send food again!!"

The generals nodded. Wu Mingche said softly, "The purpose of this expedition is not to plunder various places, but to occupy these places."

"If we send people to plunder the city and loot its food and supplies after we break into it, will we be able to govern this place in the future?"

"Did we go to all this trouble just to get some half-ruined cities?"

Cheng Wenji was speechless for a moment.

If you run out of food and grass, the best way is to rob the enemy's, especially after taking a city, let the soldiers get it themselves. By scraping the ground three feet deep, you can always get enough food and grass.

The more cities there are, the more food and grass there are.

But the commander did not seem to agree with his idea.

Wu Mingche said, "The first thing to do is to send someone to inform General Huang and General Xu immediately that Liu Taozi has always used surprise and speed in his military operations."

"He used this method when he fought against the Western Hu."

"After he burned our army's food supplies, he will most likely head straight to the rear of those two generals."

"Wen Ji, send someone to inform them now!"

"Send more scouts to avoid being intercepted. We are in enemy territory and cannot even use carrier pigeons. We must find a way to let them know of Liu Taozi's arrival before he attacks them!!"

"only!!"

Cheng Wenji hurried out to make arrangements.

Wu Mingche then looked at the rest of the people and said, "Let's retreat to Jiangpu first and wait for the imperial court to deliver food and fodder."

Several generals looked at each other and could not help but step forward and said, "General, we have not achieved any results since we set out. If we withdraw without taking the city, I am afraid that His Majesty will be in trouble."

Wu Mingche's expression was more solemn than ever.

"Don't approach this war with the idea of ​​competing for merit or profit."

"Liu Taozi came over to kill us, and the situation changed."

"He has Wang Lin under his command, who is familiar with the area, and his cavalry is good at raiding. In this situation, we cannot send troops out easily. Perhaps he is nearby, waiting for us to attack the city. Once we take action, he will launch another attack. And we have no food and grass, so we can't fight him."

Wu Mingche looked at everyone and said, "Even if I am punished by His Majesty, I must first ensure that the army is safe!"

Just as Wu Mingche was explaining, another scout rushed in hurriedly.

Another scout arrived.

The scout also brought bad news.

"General! The army we sent to Tianchang was attacked, General Pei Zilie was killed, and the army he led was destroyed!!"

The tent was silent again.

Wu Mingche said softly: "Retreat to Jiangpu."

The generals slowly stood up and walked out, no longer feeling the joy and excitement they had this morning.

Wu Mingche looked at the scout and asked him to hand him the document.

His hands holding the documents were shaking slightly.

Heartache! !
Among all the generals under Wu Mingche, Pei Zilie is the youngest. He is brave and never retreats when facing a battle. He always leads the troops by example. Wu Mingche has always felt that this kid will definitely become a great general of the country in the future.

But he had just established his achievements.
The feeling of having his hopes shattered right before his eyes almost made Wu Mingche lose control.

After surrounding Lu Yao, Wu Mingche let Pei Zilie lead 3,000 people as the vanguard to the Great Wall of China. There were insufficient defenders at the Great Wall of China, so 3,000 veteran soldiers were more than enough to take it down.

He could almost imagine how desperate Pei Zilie must have felt when he suddenly discovered an elite cavalry appeared behind him while he was attacking the city.

As before, he did not retreat, but fought bravely until his death.

To be honest, up to now, he had never seen Liu Taozi, and even the enemy general Liu Taozi was just his own guess, but Liu Taozi had already killed nearly 10,000 of his troops! !
It would not work to divide the troops, as once they are divided they will be attacked by the elite cavalry under Liu Taozi. It is truly terrifying that that cavalry could completely annihilate the enemy even though they have equal numbers.

Wu Mingche forced himself to put aside the deep pain in his heart and looked down at the map again.

The current situation has become different because of the participation of this elite cavalry.

Wu Mingche lacked horses and armor, and among his army of 60,000, he could only muster less than 4,000 armored cavalrymen.

If these 4,000 cavalrymen were to face Liu Taozi's 4,000 cavalrymen head-on, there would be big problems.

No.

We must gather our troops together and not be divided and defeated by him. We must limit the advantage of his cavalry.

Li Yang.

There were many cracks on the dilapidated city wall, and the city gates were gone.

The soldiers were transporting the bodies out in trucks.

Military officers rode fast horses through the city, reading notices to reassure the people.

The entire city had just experienced the destruction of war and was in ruins everywhere.

Inside the government office.

The generals stood in two rows, with Huang Fachi sitting at the top with many documents placed in front of him.

Huang Fatic looked at these things with complicated eyes. After he broke into the county government office, he got the documents placed here, but the problem was that these materials were completely useless. They were all fucking wrong.

Huang Fachi didn't know how bad the local officials were that even the government records were in such a terrible state.

He looked at the generals around him and said seriously, "Today, six more soldiers were arrested for violating the civilians."

"Three of them were convicted of raping women, two were convicted of murder and robbery, and one was convicted of theft."

"These were all meritorious soldiers, but I showed no mercy and dealt with them according to military law."

"Everyone, I have told you these things many times. We are not the Northern Hu people. We cannot always indulge our soldiers in committing crimes."

"I will say it again today. If something like this happens again, the officers involved will be punished, and I will show no mercy."

Everyone lowered their heads, "Wei!!"

After Huang Fachi had explained these things, he asked someone to bring the map and began to read out the next plan.

"We have already conquered Liyang, so the next step is to pass through the East Pass and take Hefei."

"I have heard of the commanders of these two places."

"Someone familiar with the area told me that these two men are Hu people, uneducated, bullying the common people, and not good at fighting. They only hold official positions because of their family background."

"At the moment, Lu Qian and Wei Po Hu are stationed at the front with their troops. They are afraid of General Wu's offensive and dare not come to rescue."

"We have to lure them over here."

"Dongguan is the best bait."

"If you want to take Hefei, you don't need to attack the city. You just need to destroy the field army, and Hefei will surrender without a fight."

Everyone nodded and listened to Huang Fachi's arrangements.

Just as Huang Fachi was continuing to tell the story, a soldier suddenly came to report that a scout had come from General Wu's side to report an important event.

Huang Fate waved his hand and said, "Let him in."

The scout came in quickly, greeted Huang Fachi, and then handed the letter to him. He did not say anything and stood aside respectfully.

Huang Fachi picked up the letter, glanced at it for a few seconds, and his face changed drastically.

"not good!!"

He stood up suddenly.

This dazed look shocked the generals around him.

"Quickly gather the troops!!"

"Hurry and march to Daxian!!"

"Fan Yi is in danger!!!"

The generals were confused. The enemy had been defeated and the remaining Pseudo-Qi troops fled to Daxian. Huang Fachi was not interested in these remnants, so he asked his top general Fan Yi to deal with them.

Fan Yi is well-versed in military tactics and is good at commanding troops, but he lacks fame. He has long been recognized as a brave general. What's the danger in letting him attack some defeated troops? ?

Huang Fatic's lips trembled a few times.

"Liu Taozi is here."

(End of this chapter)