Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 435 Is this the Chen State Cavalry? ?
"Isn't this seeking skin from a tiger?"

The prefect appointed by the Chen people here was named Wang, who was born into a wealthy southern family. His ancestors had followed the Jin emperor into the Yangtze River.

Huang Fachi had just gathered everyone together and was about to explain the important matter of allying with Han to attack Zhou when several local officials could not help but get angry.

Governor Wang was a man of exquisite appearance. He was stunned when he learned from Huang Fachi that his two generals actually wanted to cooperate with Liu Taozi and launch a northern expedition together.

Huang Fate's expression remained calm. "The governor knows nothing about military affairs. This is indeed a good opportunity."

Wang Taishou said hurriedly: "I really don't know anything about military affairs, but I have read books and know some national affairs."

"Chen and Han have formed an alliance, but this is only temporary. Liu Taozi is ambitious. How could he be willing to rule across the river from us? He defeated the Zhou people first, and will deal with us next. The previous alliance was a good thing for both sides, but it is in our best interest to let the current situation continue. Only when Han and Zhou are evenly matched can we benefit."

"If either side wins, we will be destroyed."

"General Huang, Liu Taozi's ambition is no less than Yuwen Yong's. Moreover, he occupies the richest place in the world, has 18 states under his command, millions of households, excellent soldiers and horses, brave generals like clouds, and counselors like rain. Isn't he more terrifying than Yuwen Yong?"

"How can we help Liu Taozi to attack Yuwen Yong? Isn't this seeking short-term benefits and ignoring the long-term fundamentals?"

Wang Taishou quickly looked at Chunyu Liang who was standing beside him, "General Chunyu, is it possible that what I said is wrong?"

Chun Yuliang looked confused. He just shook his head and replied, "I only know about military affairs, not big events."

Wang Taishou cursed inwardly, and then looked at Huang Fate sincerely, "General Huang, the people around your majesty are all eager to establish meritorious service, and they are willing to do things that are dangerous. But I know that General Huang has always been a virtuous person, and he will never covet military merit, and he will not ruin long-term plans for personal gain."

Huang Fachi's eyes looked a little lonely, and he was silent for a very long time this time.

Under the prefect's expectant gaze, he finally spoke again.

"I understand everything that Wang Jun said."

"But now is not the time for Qi and Zhou to confront each other."

"Yuwen Yong is not Yuwen Hu, and Liu Taozi is certainly not Gao Zhan or Gao Wei."

"Yuwen Yong implemented a new policy in the west, reforming his internal affairs and military affairs. In a short period of time, the national treasury was no longer empty and recovered its vitality. He promoted many young talents. Given time, his power will surely exceed that of the past. As for Liu Taozi, there is no need to say more. He has ten states and is the bravest among all heroes. No one can stop him. Now he has eighteen states. Who can compare with him?"

"If we continue to wait and see and don't try to make progress, if we become as strong as they are, I'm afraid we will fall before they even have to decide the winner."

"The situation in the world has become so bad that if we cannot get the tiger's skin, we can only sacrifice ourselves to feed the tiger. What do you think, Governor?"

Wang Taishou was instantly unable to refute.

He just murmured blankly: "Has the situation become so bad?"

Huang Fachi no longer answered him. He looked at the other ministers seriously. In order to ensure the success of the surprise attack, the expedition was kept strictly confidential. Only the emperor and a few people like Yuan Xian knew about it in Jiankang. As for Huang Fachi, the people he summoned were all his trusted people. Even if they were not close to Huang Fachi, they were staunch supporters of the Chen faction and their family tree could be found.

Huang Fachi followed Liu Taozi's order. He had given the order anyway, so he was not polite at all. Huang Fachi reported the matter to the emperor according to Liu Taozi's wishes.

Surprisingly, the emperor did not object. He did not interfere and directly let Huang Fachi be the commander-in-chief and give him full responsibility for the matter.

Even though Chen Xu had many shortcomings, at least he was able to entrust great power to people he trusted.

Huang Fachi looked at the people around him and saw different expressions on everyone's faces, some were frightened, some were disappointed, and some were sad.

In short, it seems that no one is optimistic about what results will be achieved by following Liu Taozi out this time.

Huang Fachi himself was not quite sure, but since the emperor asked him to do it, he had to believe that he could do it well and must not have any doubts.

"General Chunyu!"

Chunyu Liang hurriedly stood up at this moment and behaved quite obediently.

"Please immediately send out two thousand elite knights, and have the rest of the knights travel between the two places and report the situation at any time."

"only!!"

"General Chen!"

"only!"

"I order you to take three hundred strong crossbowmen and guard the front gate. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order!"

"only!"

Huang Fachi began to deploy matters around his home, including defense against the Zhou people and caution against Liu Taozi. They were also worried that Liu Taozi would trick them out and kill people to seize the city. Although the soldiers Liu Taozi brought were not many, but in a land battle, one of them could not defeat many Chen soldiers.

After Huang Fachi made these arrangements, he sent a letter to Liu Taozi, agreeing that they would march to Nanyang together three days later.

At this moment, Liu Taozi was in a training ground outside Qianche Pass.

This parade ground was built by people sent by Quan Jingxuan when he went to war against the State of Qi. Now it is vacant and has become Liu Taozi's residence.

Although the training ground is simple, it has everything it needs and is in an excellent location.

Liu Taozi was sitting in the upper seat, staring at the map in front of him.

Gao Yanzong talked endlessly at this moment.

"Brother, why do you have to take these people out to fight?"

"It would be better to take General Yao with us!"

"Even if I bring my brothers with me, they are still better than Chen Ren!"

Gao Yanzong frowned and kept shouting.

Shi Wansui was much calmer and stood aside without saying anything. He felt that his lord must have his own reasons for wanting to do this.

Liu Taozi waited until Gao Yanzong finished complaining before explaining, "Both sides need time to develop themselves. Yuwen Yong wants to harass and disrupt the recovery of Henan. He wants to take the Chen people with him. First, he can use their roads to attack the Zhou people by surprise. Even you can't imagine that we will send troops from the south, let alone the Zhou people. They have always looked down on the Chen people, and the defense here is weak."

"Secondly, if we can take the Chen people to eat some meat, they will know that the Zhou people are not invincible. In the future, we don't need to come out in person. The Chen people will also put pressure on the Zhou people from the border and seize their cities. Then the Zhou people will not dare to gather all their troops around us again."

"Third, we have just formed an alliance with the Chen people. Many of them are hostile to us. Judging from the effectiveness of the alliance so far, we have to find a way to prolong the North-South alliance. What can be better than a joint victory to prolong the alliance?"

Gao Yanzong's eyes suddenly became clear. He muttered Liu Taozi's explanation in a low voice and suddenly scratched his head.

"Brother, I understand. Actually, I'm just afraid that they will drag us down."

“Don’t look down on others like that.”

"There are also many brave men among the southerners. Take Huang Fachu for example. He is an upright man, strict in military discipline, and never causes harm wherever he goes. He is a truly rare and benevolent general."

This was not the first time that Liu Taozi praised Huang Fachuo. Among the many powerful generals in the South, the one Liu Taozi often talked about was Huang Fachuo.

Full of praise for him.

Perhaps it is because of the current environment, there are countless famous generals, but it is very rare to find a benevolent general who can remain harmless during a battle.

Gao Yanzong was somewhat jealous. He wanted to see what kind of person Huang Fachu, who was praised to the sky by his brother, was!
Liu Taozi did not lead a large army on this expedition. Apart from the hundreds of gibbon camps brought from the north, he also brought elite cavalry recruited from Gao Yanzong and Yao Xiong.

It is basically an all-cavalry lineup. Shi Wansui and Gao Yanzong are also excellent cavalry officers. Together with Liu Taozi, the general commander, although the number is only more than 2,000 people, their combat effectiveness is definitely not to be underestimated.

The Chen people also sold everything they had and began to gather a powerful infantry and cavalry.

Yiyang County.

The armies of Han and Chen were quickly forming their battle lines, preparing to attack Zhou.

The military forces of both sides were not too large. The Han State only dispatched more than 2,000 cavalry, while the Chen State dispatched 4,000 infantry and cavalry. The total number of both sides was no more than 6,000 people.

Liu Taozi, still wearing armor, hurried over with his elite cavalry.

When he arrived, Huang Fachi had already made preparations and was leading the vanguard troops to make final preparations for the expedition. The rest of the troops were still arriving in a steady stream.

Huang Fachi hurried forward to greet Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi looked around and asked, "General Chunyu didn't come?"

"General Chunyu is old and ill, so he can't go with us. I will follow the Han emperor to fight against the Western bandits."

Fortunately, Liu Taozi was not angry about this, and then began to discuss the key issues of this expedition with Huang Fatic.

While Huang Fatic was listening to Liu Taozi's story, he was looking at the cavalrymen under his command who were forming up in battle formation.

The more he looked, the more uneasy he felt, as if he was a little distracted. Liu Taozi reminded him, and he quickly apologized, and then said that he was willing to follow Liu Taozi's arrangements for this expedition.

The two men were discussing the expedition on the general platform, while the troops under their command were not idle either.

The Han army was the first to complete the battle array. Gao Yanzong rode on his horse, looking at the generals of Chen in the distance with a little pride. These generals also became a little angry and urged their soldiers to do something, which made the formation even more chaotic and worse than before.

At this moment, a burly General Chen came up and gave orders directly over the other officers. His voice was loud and his momentum was amazing. Under his command, the soldiers finally lined up.

Shi Wansui among the Han army stared at him intently.

The fierce general seemed to sense something. He suddenly turned around and looked directly at Shi Wansui.

Shi Wansui was furious, "Xiao Mohe! It turns out you are such a villain!"

When Shi Wansui followed Liu Taozi to fight in Lianghuai, he was nearly shot down by someone's arrow. And now this General Chen was exactly Xiao Mohe, who shot Shi Wansui with an arrow!
Xiao Mohe also recognized this young man and showed disdain on his face.

Shi Wansui took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress his anger. Now that the two countries had formed an alliance, the settlement of accounts would have to wait until later.

He endured it, but his words were heard by Gao Yanzong who was standing beside him.

Gao Yanzong instantly remembered what Shi Wansui had told him, and immediately looked at Xiao Mohe. Then, he saw the contempt in Xiao Mohe's eyes.

Gao Yanzong burst into laughter.

He was seen walking slowly towards Xiao Mohe. Before Shi Wansui could open his mouth, he instantly increased his speed and crashed into Xiao Mohe like a mountain. Xiao Mohe was prepared and used his side shoulder to meet the impact, but even so, the impact force was still beyond Xiao Mohe's expectations. He groaned and took a few steps back.

The soldiers around were in an uproar, and the next moment, the two men were entangled together.

Both of these guys were big and strong, so they simply grabbed each other's arms and exerted force together, as if they wanted to compete in strength.

The two of them exerted their strength together, and their faces suddenly turned red. Their iron arms were shaking at this moment. Both of them used all their strength and showed no mercy at all.

At this moment, Shi Wansui wanted to step forward but didn't dare to.

He was afraid that if he stepped forward, the duel would turn into a group fight, and the Han general and the Chen general would start fighting.

Xiao Mohe's eyes widened, his face was ferocious, and his eyes were full of murderous intent. Gao Yanzong gritted his teeth, his eyes were even wider than Xiao Mohe's, and his murderous look was revealed!
The two of them kept trying hard, but they couldn't move each other at all.

Their faces were getting redder and redder, and their arms were shaking more and more violently, as they were all waiting for the other to run out of strength.

"Snapped!"

Suddenly, someone reached out and grabbed the arms of the two men, one on the left and one on the right.

Then, the hands suddenly exerted force, and the arms of the two men were slowly separated. Afterwards, the hands pushed hard on the chests of the two men, and the two men staggered and separated, gasping for breath.

Liu Taozi withdrew her arm.

Xiao Mohe raised his head and looked at Liu Taozi in front of him. Even though he was so arrogant, he put away the arrogance in his eyes and looked much more solemn.

Gao Yanzong secretly thought it was a pity, as the opponent was obviously about to run out of strength.

Liu Taozi looked at the two of them and said calmly: "If you want to see who is better, then go to the battlefield and make achievements. Do you want to kill each other before the army is dispatched?!"

"If you do it again, I will punish you by military law, and I will show no mercy."

Gao Yanzong lowered his head quickly, "Yes."

Xiao Mohe glanced at Huang Fachuo in the distance. Huang Fachuo nodded at him and Xiao Mohe also nodded in agreement.

Liu Taozi then turned around and left, returning to Huang Fachio to continue the negotiation. The look in Huang Fachio's eyes when he looked at Liu Taozi had changed a lot, and he looked really brave.

The tactics that Liu Taozi told Huang Fatichen were simple, simple yet practical.

Taking advantage of the mobility of the cavalry, they attacked the enemy's important pass before the enemy could react. After taking the pass, the road ahead would be smooth and there would be nothing to worry about. The main purpose of this battle was to destroy the Zhou army around Nanyang and then take the city.

After confirming these, the army set off.

The road from Yiyang to Nanyang is very short, and if it were cavalry, it would be even faster.

The Chen people did not set up much defense here. After all, this was not a traditional war zone. This was originally the territory of the Qi people, and it was impossible for the Qi people to send troops to attack the Zhou State from here. Both sides had fixed targets.

Everyone decided on a date and set out after noon.

As soon as the troops were dispatched, the gap between the two sides was immediately revealed.

The Han cavalry took the lead and rushed to the front, always maintaining their formation, but the Chen army was left behind as soon as they set out and could not run fast at all.

The further they advanced, the more chaotic their formation became, and in the end it even began to look embarrassing.

Liu Taozi had no choice but to slow down the entire army and wait for the Chen people in the rear.

Gao Yanzong was cursing and yelling, but he was laughing happier than anyone else.

However, as Liu Taozi said, following the Han army into battle is indeed a good opportunity for the officers of the Chen State to gain experience. They can learn some cavalry combat experience from the Han army.

Even Huang Fachi humbly asked Liu Taozi for advice.

After walking like this for a whole night, by the time they entered the territory of Zhou State, it was already completely dark.

Liu Taozi did not choose to attack at night. He asked the soldiers to rest in place without lighting a bonfire and wait for dawn.

The next day, just after dawn, the scouts at the Zhou checkpoint came out to conduct the same patrol as before.

Suddenly, shouts and screams were heard in the distance.

The peaceful level quickly turned into chaos.

The garrison commander hurriedly came out of the inner room, wearing his clothes, "What happened? What happened?"

A soldier quickly replied: "Enemy attack!"

"The Chen people's cavalry!"

"what???"

The garrison commander was stunned for a long time before he reluctantly accepted the fact that the Chen cavalry was attacking his own checkpoint.

Then, his panic just disappeared.

"You bastard! What are you panicking about?!"

He looked around and said, "Put on my armor!"

"I thought that after arriving in this hellish place, I would never see any military merit again. I didn't expect that we would be so lucky. It must be God who sent military merit to our lips!"

"Chen State Cavalry? Hahaha~~"

"Don't panic! Let these southern barbarians see what cavalry is!"

A soldier put armor on the garrison commander and brought a war horse. The garrison commander now galloped towards the gate of the checkpoint.

He rushed all the way to the checkpoint, took out his longbow, and aimed it outside the checkpoint. Then, he saw the enemy's mighty cavalry galloping towards his own gate.

The smile on the general's face froze instantly.

He saw that these knights were all wearing armor, holding horse bows, charging in batches, and adopting a formation of taking turns to ride and shoot.

Just as the garrisoned general was stunned, the first group of enemies had already approached the wall, and they all raised their bows.

"Shua~~~"

There was a sound, and arrows flew towards the city wall in overwhelming numbers.

Damn, this is Chen Ren? ?

The garrison commander fell off the wall with his body riddled with arrows, in his final confusion.

ps: My vacation will end tomorrow, and I will resume normal updates from tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)