Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 393 Turning Offense into Defense
"Sorry..."

Under the cover of night, Zhu Xiechixin and his son, along with the remnants of the Shatuo tribe, hung their heads in dejection.

The original breakout plan was supposed to cover the evacuation of the majority of the troops by sacrificing a few hundred men.

Now, however, they have been discovered by Longyou through some unknown means, who have laid an ambush in advance, causing them to lose more than half of their troops.

Those who died were their own kinsmen; how could they not be heartbroken?

For a moment, the atmosphere among the surviving Shatuo elite cavalry was somber, while the government army camp in the distance also sent out patrolling soldiers to probe the area.

Seeing that the troops were carrying the imperial banners, they returned to their camp and told the government troops who were waiting in battle south of Sishuichuan about the incident.

"General, they are flying the imperial banners and fighting with the rebels. Now they are hiding in the plains between Qinghe and Niutouhe, and have not made any moves."

Tang Bingli, the colonel, reported the situation. Among the thousands of government troops, a general in magnificent armor frowned upon hearing this, while several other elegantly dressed generals beside him spoke up one after another.

"General, has Xiaoguan Pass fallen?"

"If Xiaoguan falls, what is the point of our coming here?"

"The Junior Protector summoned us here to defend Xiaoguan and Yuanzhou. Now that Xiaoguan has fallen, I fear we will be held responsible."

The troops here are Li Chengxun's troops, which were dispatched by Wang Shi, and the general wearing the bright armor is Li Chengxun.

They had only led their troops to Sishuichuan this afternoon, intending to rest for the night and then, after mobilizing troops from Pinggao City tomorrow, form ranks and rush to Xiaoguan to provide reinforcements. However, they encountered this incident just as they were setting up camp to rest.

If the soldiers hadn't been positioned far enough away, they wouldn't have had time to put on their armor.

"Let's go and see if those who broke through the encirclement are the Hu people from Daibei."

After a moment of contemplation, Li Chenghun finally decided to lead his troops toward the cavalry unit to the north.

In this mission to aid Xiaoguan, he led 5,000 Tianxiong Army infantrymen, plus the original 2,000 infantrymen of the Sishuichuan Army Camp, barely managing to gather 7,000 infantrymen and more than 10,000 laborers.

Behind them are Pinggao City, Jingyuan Town, and Fengxiang Town, with 3,000 troops.

Now, more than 12,000 government troops have gathered in the Yuanzhou area. Originally, including the troops at Xiaoguan, the number was barely 15,000, and they were still able to hold out against the rebel army.

The situation at Xiaoguan is currently unknown. If it has indeed fallen, then they will have no choice but to retreat to Pinggao to defend it.

Therefore, under Li Chenghun's command, apart from two thousand garrison soldiers and more than ten thousand civilian laborers, the remaining five thousand Tianxiong Army infantrymen began to approach northward.

The actions of the government troops naturally attracted the attention of the Shatuo elite cavalry, who were in a state of decline.

Seeing the government troops approaching his own forces, Zhu Xiechi knew that reinforcements had most likely arrived, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly.

"If those corrupt government troops had arrived a day earlier, would I have abandoned Xiaoguan Pass?!"

Zhu Xiechi didn't think he had any problem; he only felt that it was all the government troops' fault for being too slow to arrive.

If he hadn't left Xiaoguan, he wouldn't have lost most of his troops.

Thinking of this, he decided to ask the court for more benefits and immediately led his troops toward the government army in the south.

The two groups of cavalry and soldiers made contact first and learned that it was indeed the elite Shatuo cavalry breaking out southward. The government troops who were still advancing stopped and stayed on the south bank of the river to wait for the Shatuo cavalry to cross.

However, the waist-high river did not prevent the Shatuo elite cavalry from crossing.

When the eight or nine hundred elite cavalrymen crossed the river and arrived in front of the government troops, Li Chengxun's face was extremely ugly.

Given the state of the Shatuo elite cavalry, they had suffered a crushing defeat. The remaining elite cavalry was insufficient to help him recapture Xiaoguan. Therefore, retreating to Pinggao County was a foregone conclusion.

"Zhu Xiechixin, the military commander of the Shatuo army, pays his respects to Prefect Li."

"May I ask, Lord Li, why have your troops remained stationed in Nanchuan and not advanced?!"

Zhu Xie Chixin adopted a accusatory stance, which made Li Chengxun frown.

"I only led my troops here at Shenshi (3-5 PM) today, so how can there be any talk of them halting their advance?"

"But Military Commander, please answer me first: Lord Wang ordered you to remain stationed until the end of the month, so why did you break out of the encirclement?!"

Li Chengxun utterly despised Zhu Xiechixin and his group of Shatuo people. Seeing that Zhu Xiechixin still had the temper to question him, he immediately said contemptuously:
"Could it be that you're trying to break out out of fear of battle? Have you ever considered the consequences of military law?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xie Chixin glanced around and saw that Li Chengxun's troops numbered only four or five thousand, mostly infantry. He immediately realized that Li Chengxun still needed him and put on airs, saying:
"Xiaoguan has indeed been lost. Liu Jilong has stationed several thousand elite cavalry and several thousand elite soldiers outside Xiaoguan, in addition to tens of thousands of laborers. Xiaoguan simply cannot be defended."

"If I didn't want to go to the imperial court, I would have broken through to Yanzhou long ago. Why would I need to go south?"

Zhu Xie Chixin's methods of putting on airs are not very effective; at least to discerning people, it's impossible for Zhu Xie Chixin and his group to break through to Yanzhou.

It's only seventy li from Xiaoguan to here, yet the Shatuo elite cavalry were utterly defeated by Longyou.

If they were to break out towards Yanzhou, 300 li away, they would probably not even be able to see the walls of Baichi City before their entire army was wiped out on the Yanzhou grasslands.

However, Li Chengxun was still unwilling to escalate the situation. After all, the previous pursuit by the elite cavalry from Longyou had been too impressive, and his elite cavalry had all been left behind in Longxi by Wang Shi. He did need some elite cavalry for any eventuality.

Although the Shatuo elite cavalry numbered only eight or nine hundred, if used properly, they were more than capable of defending themselves, even if they lacked the ability to advance.

Thinking of this, Li Chengxun said, "Let's drop this matter. I will report to Wang Shaobao. For now, you should lead the three armies to rest and reorganize. Tomorrow, our army will expand our camp, dig trenches, and fight here!"

Now that he knew that Xiaoguan had several thousand elite cavalry, Li Chengxun naturally dared not take the risk.

He planned to rely on the water network of Sishuichuan to build a defensive line here, rather than withdrawing to Pinggao.

Zhu Xie Chixin agreed with this, after all, he had already experienced the power of the Longyou elite cavalry twice.

He would naturally be pleased if he could use this water network to restrict Liu Jilong's elite cavalry.

Both sides tacitly agreed to move their troops south to their camps, while Liu Jilong led his army back to Xiaoguan, seventy miles away.

When they returned to Xiaoguan, it was already noon the next day. The remaining troops at Xiaoguan, having been abandoned, immediately chose to surrender and hand over the pass.

After Liu Jilong led his troops back, he immediately led them into Xiaoguan to rest and recuperate, and at the same time summoned the generals in the Xiaoguan government office to discuss matters.

Even though he was exhausted, Liu Jilong still managed to muster his energy.

He glanced at the eight generals in the hall before speaking: "Our cavalry sent word that the government troops numbered only seven or eight thousand on the way, and they had been digging trenches and holding their ground since dawn, showing no intention of advancing."

"Furthermore, the banners on the battlefield are dominated by Tianxiong troops, which means that Wang Shi must have transferred the Tianxiong army here to assist in the defense of Jingyuan. However, the breakout of the Shatuo led to the loss of Xiaoguan by a twist of fate."

"Right now, all they're thinking about is using the dense network of waterways in Sishuichuan to restrict our army."

Liu Jilong guessed the identities of the seven or eight thousand soldiers in the south. Upon hearing this, An Pohu immediately said, "General, why not use our cavalry and infantry as the main force for the attack? We can break through the government army's camp in three days at the latest!"

“No…” Liu Jilong shook his head, rejecting the suggestion, and turned his gaze to Husiguang: “How many enemies did our army kill yesterday, and how many of our own were lost?”

"Reporting to the General..." Husi Guang was very tired, but he couldn't help but smile when he heard the question.

"Yesterday, our army killed 1,144 enemy soldiers, captured 516, killed 247, and wounded 82."

"Yesterday we captured 1,660 sets of armor, 974 horses, and 785 military horses. Our army lost nearly 197 military horses."

When Husiguang revealed the five-fold difference in battle casualties, the generals in the yamen all smiled.

Even though Liu Jilong was well-prepared, he couldn't help but feel a little relieved, and nodded with a smile:
"The Shatuo elite cavalry has already been severely damaged. If we add the thousand surrendered soldiers from Xiaoguan, our army can be said to be one against ten."

"Now the number of elite cavalry in the government army has been greatly reduced, and with the troops from Qin Prefecture being transferred here to defend our army, Qin Prefecture will inevitably be vulnerable."

"Issue my military order: the three armies shall set out at dawn tomorrow, with four thousand elite cavalry and four thousand infantry and cavalry as the troops to conquer Qin Prefecture."

"Xiaoguan was handed over to the Shuofang Commandery, with Commandant Husi Jing as the garrison commander, in charge of the elite cavalry, infantry, and surrendered soldiers of Xiaoguan."

As soon as Liu Jilong finished speaking, he looked first at Hu Sijing, who was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

He was Husi Guang's cousin. He was a decent fighter, but guarding Xiaoguan did not require much talent. As long as he followed the instructions he was given, guarding Xiaoguan would not be a problem.

"Husijing, after I lead my troops to withdraw, you must send more elite cavalry to maintain the number of cavalry in Sishuichuan."

"With Li Chengxun's abilities, by the time he discovers that I have withdrawn my troops, I will have already captured Chengji and Longcheng counties."

"If he raises an army to attack, you should follow my plan to defend the city and not go out to fight him."

"If you can hold Xiaoguan Pass for three months, I will remember your merit!"

Upon hearing this, Husi Jing rose and bowed to Liu Jilong, saying, "This humble general will certainly not fail in his mission!"

Liu Jilong nodded in satisfaction, then dismissed his generals and dragged his weary body to the main hall of the yamen to rest.

While he was resting, Husi Jing, following his instructions, doubled the number of cavalrymen from Sishuichuan.

More than two hundred elite cavalrymen patrolled the area, putting considerable pressure on the government troops.

Li Chenghun had no choice but to urge his soldiers and laborers to dig trenches around the camp, cut down trees, and build high walls.

During this time, Li Chengxun summoned Zhu Xiechixin and took the initiative to rise and pick up the wine cup on the table. Right now, he needed enough elite cavalry to defend against attacks from the Longyou cavalry, relying on the Sishui River.

He could see that Liu Jilong was not planning to march south for the time being, but he had no choice but to make preparations.

He had armor, but skilled archers and horses were not so easy to find, so he turned his attention to Zhu Xie Chixin.

"Yesterday, someone was too hot-tempered and offended many people."

"The loss of Shuofang and Xiaoguan is entirely the responsibility of the military commander, but he has done his best, and I will not take advantage of his misfortune."

"I have already submitted a memorial to the court, requesting that the military commander be recorded for merit, and that he will be rewarded after the battle."

"But before that, I would like to ask Commander Li to dispatch another cavalry force from Daibei to the south, so that we can better protect Guanzhong."

Inside the tent, Li Chengxun was able to humble himself and admit his mistakes to Zhu Xiechi, while gradually making his way forward.

Zhu Xiechi was still hesitant about whether to return to Daibei, but after hearing Li Chengxun's words, he couldn't help but be tempted.

He could muster three thousand elite cavalrymen, and he initially led one thousand elite cavalrymen and two thousand followers south.

Within a few months, the imperial court had equipped the cavalry with full armor, giving them six thousand elite cavalry.

If I hadn't been burdened by Zhou Bao, and if my attempt to break through yesterday hadn't been discovered, this trip south would have been quite fruitful.

Although he has managed to break through the encirclement, the loss of more than two thousand men is heartbreaking.

If he cannot strengthen the Shatuo tribe, even if he returns to Daibei, he will likely lose all prestige.

Since that's the case, the only option is to continue conscripting people from the Shatuo tribes to the south and strengthen ourselves with the help of the imperial court.

Thinking of this, Zhu Xiechi was already tempted, but he also knew the advantages of waiting for a better price.

He frowned slightly, as if hesitating. Just as Lee Seung-hoon was about to speak, he continued:
“My troops are in Daibei, and we can still muster at least a thousand elite cavalry and three thousand men to march south. If the court is willing to allocate armor, then we can assist you in defending Jingyuan.”

"But my people are eager to return home and do not want to continue fighting here, so I have no choice..."

Zhu Xie's ulterior motives were barely revealed when Li Chengxun saw through them.

However, he was quite satisfied with this.

He wasn't afraid that Zhu Xiechi had something in mind, but he was afraid that Zhu Xiechi didn't have something in mind.

All he wanted was money, grain, silk, and armor. These things didn't require Li Chengxun to provide. If the court wanted to increase the number of troops, it had no choice but to agree to Zhu Xiechixin's conditions.

If that's the case, then what does he have to worry about?
"Commander, there is no need to worry. I will naturally submit a memorial to the court, requesting that the court provide funds and provisions to reward the soldiers."

Li Chengxun personally poured wine for Zhu Xie Chixin, who was very pleased with the gesture and then agreed: "In that case, I will wait for your good news, my lord."

"Take care, Military Envoy." Li Chengxun watched Zhu Xiechixin leave, and then saw Li Zhiyi enter the tent, bowing to him and saying:
"Father, what abilities do these Shatuo elite cavalry have? Are they worth treating you like this?"

"If Wang Shi had not detained the elite cavalry of this town, their strength would have been enough to defeat Liu Jilong's troops."

Faced with Li Zhiyi's words, Li Chengxun did not refute them, but shook his head and said, "It's better for a Shatuo person to die than for one of our own to die."

"Since the imperial court is paying for it, why should we worry?"

"What we should be most worried about right now is when Liu Jilong will lead his troops south."

"You must keep a close eye on the rebel cavalry on the north bank and be vigilant at all times."

"I understand!" Li Zhiyi bowed in agreement and then withdrew from the tent.

While the father and son were discussing this, Zhu Xie Chixin, who had returned to his own tent, also met Zhu Xie Yisheng.

He recounted Li Chengxun's attempts to win him over and his plans to move troops south. Zhu Xieyi nodded in agreement.

“Father, I carefully examined the camp of the Tianxiong Army this morning, and it is even worse than that of Zhou Bao’s army.”

"If the government troops are all of this level, then the imperial court will certainly not be able to pacify Longyou."

"Our troops can take this opportunity to stockpile armor with the help of the imperial court. When the war ends and we return to Daibei, we might be able to obtain the position of Defense Commissioner of Datong Army."

"If we can occupy the land of Datong and then get the help of the Tatars, we might be able to secure a place in this chaotic world."

When Zhu Xieyisheng said these words, his eyes gleamed with a different kind of light, and Zhu Xiechixin's thoughts coincided with his.

The Shatuo people were constantly migrating, and naturally they longed for a piece of land of their own.

If we could occupy Datong, then taking Zhenwu to the west, advancing Yiwu to the east, or heading south to Hedong would all be excellent options.

The quality of the troops in northwest Beijing was indeed inferior to that of the troops of the regional military governors in northern Dai and Hebei.

However, they were still somewhat intimidated by Longyou, having just suffered a crushing defeat yesterday.

As the father and son exchanged glances, news of the loss of Xiaoguan was sent to the front lines in Qinzhou by fast horse.

When Wang Shi learned the news, it was already the fifth day since Zhu Xie Chixin lost Xiao Guan. After learning that Xiao Guan was lost, he had no choice but to readjust his strategy.

The sounds of siege and battle outside the tent continued. The number of troops at the front was less than 45,000, and even with the troops left to defend Fuqiang and Shanggui, the total was only about 60,000.

In a month and a half, of the 83,000 troops, no less than 18,000 soldiers perished in battle. Although the government troops suffered many casualties, they had a steady stream of laborers and new recruits to stabilize the pass, which left Wang Shi physically and mentally exhausted.

In addition, the loss of Xiaoguan Pass, and the military dispatch sent by Li Chengxun that Liu Jilong's troops were stationed and not advancing, inevitably made Wang Shi anxious.

After much deliberation, he considered how he would mobilize troops if he were Liu Jilong.

He felt that if he were Liu Jilong, he would definitely go south to attack Pinggao, seize Shimen Pass and Mupan Pass, and then mobilize troops to besiege Qinzhou.

Upon reflection, Wang Shi realized that his troops seemed to have fallen into a precarious situation.

His expression was uncertain, but he finally decided to issue a military order to leave 5,000 troops to guard the captured pass, and withdraw the rest of the troops to Wushan County. In addition, he would recruit 10,000 soldiers from the civilian laborers for training.

As news of the retreat reached the three armies, the officers and soldiers of the various towns who had fought fiercely for a month and a half couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Following this, the news that the three armies would rest for two days and then withdraw to Wushan County finally allowed the tense soldiers to relax.

They no longer had to face that impregnable pass. Even a temporary retreat to Wushan County was better than having to worry about dying on the way to the siege every day when they opened their eyes.

"Father, why did you withdraw the troops?"

Three days ago, Wang She, who had just led his troops back from Gudao Shibao, immediately rode to the front line after learning of the order to withdraw his troops and questioned Wang Shi about the reason.

Faced with Wang She's questioning, Wang Shi shifted his gaze to Chengji and Longcheng on the map on the table.

"Liu Jilong has been stationing his troops at Xiaoguan for many days without advancing. This is not the kind of tactic he has demonstrated in the past month or so."

"If I were him, if I didn't send troops to take Pinggao now, I would definitely send troops to attack Chengji and Longcheng, and then head south to seize the remaining five counties of Qinzhou."

"In order to prevent Liu Jilong from cutting off our retreat, our army must first withdraw to Wushan, and then withdraw to Shanggui depending on the situation, so as to protect the key road from Qinling City to Anrong Pass."

Wang Shi voiced his guess, and Wang She, upon hearing it, was unwilling: "After a month and a half of wasted time, nearly 20,000 people have died or been injured, and now we have only captured one pass."

"If His Majesty knew, he would probably replace the general after winter, and then you and I..."

Wang She did not continue speaking, but Wang Shi knew what he wanted to say.

He sighed and said helplessly, "My skills are inferior; it's to be expected..."

Wang Shi was helpless. He had already paid great attention to Liu Jilong, but Liu Jilong and the Longyou Army's performance still exceeded his expectations.

Over the past month and a half, he has personally witnessed the execution and combat effectiveness of the Longyou Army Corps, Brigade, Team, and Group.

His ability to capture the first pass was mainly due to the numerous mistakes made by the garrison and army-level commanders in Longyou.

However, more than half a month ago, following Xin Dang's advice, Gao Jinda adjusted the tactics, giving the "regiments, brigades, squads, and gangs" greater autonomy, which allowed the lower and middle-ranking military officers and soldiers to make the most of their abilities.

Wang Shi had already sensed that this second pass in Longxi had become an insurmountable barrier for the government troops.

Rather than continuing to waste the lives of soldiers here, it would be better to lure the Longyou army to attack us, switch from offense to defense to wear down the Longyou forces, and compete in logistical strength.

However, he did not know whether the Supreme One would still give him this opportunity.

For this reason, after persuading Wang She to leave, he wrote down his insights on the battle and his tactical arrangements for the next phase.

Regardless of whether the Emperor will replace his generals, with this memorial in hand, he should be able to make a more correct decision.

"Someone, send this memorial to Chang'an by fast horse."

After drying the ink, Wang Shi summoned the general and personally handed him the memorial.

Before long, a troop of fast horses galloped out from the military headquarters and headed towards Chang'an...

(End of this chapter)