Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 395 Liu Wang Provokes
"Crackling..."

On the evening of July 15th, while Liu Jilong captured Chengji, Wang Shi left 500 soldiers to guard the first pass, and the main army withdrew to Wushan County.

Weizhou in Longyou was able to catch its breath, and the government troops who withdrew to Wushan were also able to relax considerably.

Wang Shi has wasted a month and a half of his energy, and now that he has retreated to the rear, he can finally get some rest.

However, his wish seemed difficult to fulfill, because less than two hours after he lay down, he was awakened by Wang She's calls.

"Father, urgent report from Shanggui: Liu Jilong appeared outside Chengji City with his army at noon today!"

Wang She's words jolted Wang Shi awake from his dream. He quickly got up and walked towards the door, his body swaying from the sudden movement.

Fortunately, his attendants caught him, preventing him from falling.

He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and straightened up before walking towards the door. At the same time, he saw Wang She, whose face was full of anxiety.

"Military intelligence!"

He spoke in a deep voice, and Wang She hurriedly handed over the military document.

Wang Shi took the document and looked it over. Then he hurriedly said, "Immediately send out a fast horse to inform Zhao Qian of Fuqiang County, and order him to gather five thousand elite cavalry in the city and rush to Sanyangchuan immediately."

"If Liu Jilong has already seized Sanyangchuan, he should immediately withdraw his troops and send back the message to defend Fuqiang."

Sanyangchuan is a hilly plain between Fuqiang County and Shanggui County. Sanyangchuan Township is located here, with a population of several thousand and more than 30,000 mu of cultivated land.

If Liu Jilong has already seized this place, then with its terrain, plus the Wating Township to the north and the two counties of Chengji and Longcheng, Liu Jilong can completely establish himself here and contain Fuqiang and Shanggui.

There are only two routes from Fuqiang to Shanggui. If Sanyangchuan is lost, the northern route will be cut off, and the only option will be to take the narrower, longer Luoshuidao route to the south.

Thinking of this, Wang Shi couldn't help but feel a headache coming on, and Wang She hurriedly accepted the order and left.

Half an hour later, news of Liu Jilong's capture of Chengji County spread throughout Wushan County.

If it weren't for the extremely safe drainage system that allowed the army to retreat back to Shanggui, the military camp would probably have been in chaos by now.

Even so, the generals of the various towns still couldn't help but worry, fearing that Liu Jilong would launch a pincer attack from the north and south, joining forces with the rebels of Chengzhou to attack Shanggui.

Wang Shi had obviously thought of this as well, so he hurriedly ordered someone to release a carrier pigeon back to Shanggui, and ordered Shanggui to send a fast horse along the Qinling Road to Xingyuan Prefecture, hoping that Wang Duo would send troops to threaten Chengzhou.

Having done all this, Wang Shi had no intention of resting. He immediately sent someone to inform the generals that Wang She, the Left Military Commissioner, would lead 7,000 soldiers from the three towns of Fengxiang, Zhongwu, and Binning to garrison Wushan County, while the rest of the troops would retreat to Fuqiang.

After making several arrangements, Wang Shi didn't sleep all night. When dawn broke, he broke camp and retreated eastward.

Meanwhile, Zhao Qian, who had received military orders and rushed through the night, finally arrived at the Sanyangchuan Valley before dawn.

"Beep--"

Suddenly, a piercing wooden whistle rang out. Zhao Qian knew without a second thought that the rebels must have occupied Sanyangchuan, and this commotion was a reminder from his own cavalry.

"withdraw!"

Upon learning of the loss of Sanyangchuan, Zhao Qian did not hesitate for a moment and immediately withdrew his troops back to Fuqiang.

Meanwhile, the elite cavalry from Longyou who were scouting inside the valley also hurriedly relayed the news to Sanyangchuan Township.

Sanyangchuan Township is located in Sanyangchuan, between the Wei River and the Wating River. The terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. It is a river valley and is surrounded by mountains. There are only three ways to get out: north, east and west.

Now the northern route is occupied by Liu Jilong, who personally led his elite cavalry and rushed through the night to capture Sanyangchuan Township.

He did not disturb the people of Sanyangchuan Township. Instead, he led a thousand elite cavalry to garrison in the wasteland north of Sanyangchuan Township, and sent another two thousand elite cavalry to guard the east and west entrances.

At this point, his forces were already somewhat depleted, so when news came that Zhao Qian had led his army to the front and then hastily retreated, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"General, our army currently only has two thousand elite cavalry. If Wang Shi launches a full-scale attack on Sanyangchuan, we may not be able to withstand it..."

Although An Pohu was brave, he was not stupid. He naturally knew the consequences of Wang Shi leading tens of thousands of troops to Sanyangchuan.

Liu Jilong nodded in agreement, saying, "Our forces are too small; naturally, we cannot defend Sanyangchuan."

"That's why we can't fight timidly."

“If I stop at Chengji or Wating Township, Wang Shi will know that our army is not strong enough.”

"Only by constantly advancing recklessly can we make Wang Shi mistakenly believe that our army is large, which is why I am so unscrupulous."

Before An Pohu could speak, he said, "Let's rest for the night and head to Fuqiang County tomorrow."

"Going to Fuqiang?!" An Pohu was startled by Liu Jilong's move.

They came from afar with only eight thousand elite cavalry and infantry. Now, five thousand of them have been taken by Husi Guang to attack Longcheng and the Longshan Pass, while another one thousand have been left to garrison Chengji. They only have two thousand elite cavalry left.

In this situation, if Wang Shi were a reckless fool, and his army were to advance on Sanyangchuan, their two thousand men would have no choice but to flee in disgrace, and they might even lose Chengji and Longcheng in the process.

As a result, their own commander was not worried at all. Instead, he told them to rest well and prepare to rush to Fuqiang, where government troops were gathered.
An Pohu was so disturbed by Liu Jilong that he dared not sleep. Meanwhile, the people of Sanyangchuan Township, seeing that the Longyou army did not harm them in any way, took the initiative to contribute several hundred shi of grain, some poultry, pigs, sheep and rice wine in order to avoid being robbed and enslaved.

Liu Jilong did not refuse, but accepted the goods at the market price and did not have much interaction with the people.

However, this seemingly indifferent attitude was seen by the villagers of Sanyangchuan as an army with extremely strict discipline.

"Are you saying these are rebels? They seem more reasonable than the government troops to me."

"Yes, they're very cultured. Even the soldiers guarding the camp gate are more educated than the village head."

On their way back to their hometown after leaving the military camp, the villagers of Sanyangchuan Township discussed the matter at length, and asked the township head who was leading the way:

"Father Liu, what should we do with the money the rebels gave us?"

"This……"

Liu, the township head in charge of Sanyangchuan Township, didn't know what to do either. After hesitating for a moment, he finally took the initiative and said:
"Divide the money according to who contributed the most, but make sure to hide it well."

"If the government troops return, they might plunder the villages. Be careful not to get robbed."

The villagers nodded in agreement and then walked back to Sanyangchuan Township.

While they were returning to their hometown, Zhao Qian, who had only managed to retreat to Fuqiang County after a two-hour journey, did not take any action without authorization. Instead, he waited for Wang Shi to lead his troops back to Fuqiang.

The distance between Wushan, Fuqiang, and Sanyangchuan is only forty or fifty li. Therefore, less than two hours after Zhao Qian returned to Fuqiang, he learned of the withdrawal of the troops from the various towns to Fuqiang before dusk.

He immediately led over a hundred elite cavalrymen to meet Wang Shi, while Wang Shi had already learned of the occupation of Sanyangchuan by the fast horse sent by Zhao Qian.

"Young Master, now that Sanyangchuan has been captured by the rebels, if our army does not fight back, the only way out is through the Luoshui River."

"In my humble opinion, it would be better to abandon Wushan County and Fuqiang County and retreat to Shanggui."

On the official road back to Fuqiang County, Zhao Qian expressed his thoughts, but Wang Shi shook his head:

"The Battle of Shuofang has already shown that our army, whether elite cavalry or infantry, is inferior to the rebels. Therefore, our army should try to avoid fighting the rebels in the countryside."

"If Liu Jilong wants to seize Qin Prefecture, he can only do so by gradually chipping away at it."

"His ability to quickly take over Shuofang must be related to the alchemist's elixir."

"But although the alchemist's concoctions were extremely powerful, they were only effective against rammed earth city walls."

"The cities along the Wei River were all built with rammed earth and bricks or with stacked stones, and they were not so easy to conquer."

“Our division should protect Shanggui and Luoshuidao with heavy troops, and then station troops in the three counties of Guankou, Wushan and Fuqiang.”

"Most of our casualties came from attacking cities, so now we'll let the rebels taste the bitterness of attacking cities too."

Despite Liu Jilong's capture of Sanyangchuan, Wang Shi's attitude remained unchanged.

He wanted to switch from offense to defense, using the city to deplete Liu Jilong's troops.

He wasn't afraid that Liu Jilong wouldn't fight, because Wang Shi knew Liu Jilong's intentions as soon as he took over Shuofang.

If we capture Shuofang, and then take Qinzhou and the Longshan defense line, then Longyou will be as solid as a rock.

At this point, Liu Jilong has more options for his strategy.

Whether it's marching out of Shuofang to attack Guannei, or attacking Guanzhong via Longshan, or attacking Shannan West Road from Longnan, or attacking Xichuan from Longmao and other prefectures...

Liu Jilong thus gained more options, while the government troops lost their geographical advantage and could only rely on human factors and favorable weather conditions to resist the invasion from Longyou.

Thinking about this, Wang Shi also thought about Liu Jilong's occupation of Sanyangchuan, and felt that there was something strange about it in addition to the normality.

"What was the quality of your cavalry when they encountered the rebel cavalry?"

Wang Shi couldn't help but ask, but Zhao Qian remained silent for a moment after hearing this, and then said after thinking for a while: "Our elite cavalry, whether in horsemanship or archery or long and short weapons, are no match for the rebel elite cavalry."

Wang Shi was not surprised by this answer. What he found strange was why Liu Jilong's elite cavalry, which were so strong, did not attack Fuqiang before Liu Jilong withdrew.

After all, Fuqiang is a plain, which is very suitable for elite cavalry warfare.

However, after careful consideration, he felt that time was too tight, and even if Liu Jilong had sufficient troops, it was impossible for him not to rest.

However, if they stop advancing after resting, it means that their forces are probably insufficient, and they may not be able to get reinforcements if they venture too far.

Thinking this, Wang Shi decided to observe Liu Jilong's performance the next day. The night passed quickly, and the next day Wang Shi got up very early. He then ordered the troops from Xuanwu, Yicheng and other towns to retreat to Shanggui along the Luoshuidao, and ordered Yang Gongqing to lead 10,000 Shence Army soldiers to guard the entrance of Luoshuidao.

After doing all this, Wang Shi left Yang Xuanji and three thousand Shence Army soldiers to garrison Fuqiang City, while he personally led five thousand elite cavalry and seven thousand Shence Army soldiers to Sanyangchuan.

The army of 12,000 men and 10,000 laborers stretched for miles.

Zhao Qian deployed the cavalry twenty li away, so the main army broke camp at dawn, and before noon, the cavalry had already entered the most difficult river valley.

Between Fuqiang and Sanyangchuan, there is a sizable alluvial plain nestled in the mountains and ravines.

If we can capture this place, we can ensure the safety of the valley road several miles behind.

"Beep--"

At noon, as the government troops entered the valley, the cavalry in front of them began to retreat rapidly, bringing with them bad news.

"Young Master, the rebels have dispatched nearly a thousand elite cavalry, who are currently resting and regrouping about ten miles away!"

At the central command post, Wang Shi listened to the report from the cavalry commander, his brows slightly relaxed, and he looked at Zhao Qian: "Gather the elite cavalry and come with me to take a look."

"Yes!" Zhao Qian readily agreed, and then he and Wang Shi shook the reins, gathering their elite cavalry to rush forward.

Twenty miles is a distance that elite cavalry could cover in an hour, even at their slowest pace.

Therefore, when Wang Shi led more than 4,000 cavalrymen, excluding the Houjuntang cavalry, to Pingchuan, the elite rebel cavalrymen stationed on the low hill to the west of the distant place immediately attracted their attention.

Upon seeing Wang Shi arrive, those who had arrived ahead of time and dispatched elite cavalry to gather sufficient intelligence hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects, their voices tinged with excitement:

"Young Master, the rebel army has a large banner; it must be a well-known general among the rebels!"

"Have you seen any generals' banners? Is it Husi Guang or Cao Mao?"

Zhao Qian asked Jiang Du in return, but Jiang Du shook his head and said, "I only saw Liu Yu'an's banners and the Three Stars Banner and the Five-Colored Banner."

"Go up and have a look."

Wang Shi wasn't that cautious. After all, this was a flat plain, and the enemy only had a thousand elite cavalry, while he had four times that number. There was no need to be so careful.

Under Wang Shi's command, four thousand elite cavalrymen began to approach the low hill, while the elite cavalrymen on the hill slowly descended.

The two sides stood facing each other at the foot of the low hill, each tense, as if they would clash at any moment.

The government army's four thousand elite cavalrymen, apart from the government soldiers who were armored, had no armor on their horses.

In contrast, the Longyou army wore armor on both men and horses, but the horse armor was shortened and the horses' hindquarters were unarmored, thus retaining a certain degree of impact and protection while maintaining mobility.

While observing this strange elite cavalry formation, Anpohu, who was facing it, was sweating profusely.

"General, we only have eight hundred elite cavalry. If the government troops attack, we will probably lose many brothers."

He didn't dare tell the truth, but Liu Jilong could tell that An Pohu wasn't afraid of losing his brothers, but rather that he would be lost here.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong chuckled a few times, then shook the reins and rode to the front of the formation.

The two armies were no more than a hundred paces apart. Although the distance was somewhat blurry, Liu Jilong's movements were still clearly visible.

"Someone has come out. Could it be that the rebels want to negotiate peace?"

Zhao Qian couldn't help but speculate, but he didn't think of the man as Liu Jilong, because although the man was tall and strong, his armor was very ordinary, and he was at most a general.

Judging by appearance is not surprising. For example, after Liu Jilong went into battle, his gaze subconsciously fell on the noble generals in the government army, such as Wang Shi, who were wearing bright armor and outer robes.

Liu Jilong took more than twenty steps forward and took out a horse bow from the bow sack, which was almost twice the size of that of an ordinary elite cavalryman.

In the blink of an eye, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the government army's banner and the several noble generals beneath it, unleashing a barrage of shots from a distance of over seventy paces.

"Young Guardian, be careful!!"

Zhao Qian quickly reined in his horse and stepped in front of Wang Shi, but three arrows came flying in one after another.

One arrow severed the government army's banner, and the remaining two arrows struck the horse beneath Zhao Qian.

"Hey! Liu Jilong from Longyou is here!!"

After firing three arrows, Liu Jilong, without even putting away his bow, shouted and provoked the government troops.

"Liu Jilong?!"

Before Wang Shi could recover from the shock of Liu Jilong's archery skills, which had severed the banner from over seventy paces away, he heard Liu Jilong's provocative announcement of his own identity.

Even someone as composed as him couldn't help but shout sternly in the face of such provocation: "Sound the horn! Whoever captures Liu Jilong alive will be promoted five ranks and rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, those around him who had reacted spurred their horses and charged out, with horns sounding in unison.

"Uuuuuu——"

Bugle calls echoed across the plains as thousands of elite government cavalrymen filed out, fiercely pursuing Liu Jilong.

Zhao Qian was knocked down by the horse. As soon as he got up, he grabbed a horse from his attendant, mounted it, and charged towards Liu Jilong.

"Beep--"

Liu Jilong calmly blew his wooden whistle, then turned his horse around and retreated towards his main camp.

He took arrows from his quiver and held them in his hand, shooting as he rode, each arrow hitting the pursuing government troops.

"withdraw!!"

An Pohu watched helplessly as his own commander went forward to provoke the government troops and shot down their banner. Cold sweat kept pouring down his face, and finally, as he watched Liu Jilong return to his own lines, he ordered a retreat.

They retreated towards Sanyangchuan, quickly crossing the four-mile-long plain under pursuit, and rushed into the valley east of the plain.

Liu Jilong would ride and shoot, and if he saw the government troops slow down even slightly, he would stop his horse and shoot arrows at them. Every arrow would hit the horses of the government troops, causing them to fall over and die under the horses' hooves.

Let alone generals like Zhao Qian, even ordinary government troops were so angry at Liu Jilong's actions that they turned red in the face.

They pursued relentlessly, while Wang Shi, escorted by hundreds of elite cavalry, followed at a leisurely pace.

Gradually, Wang Shi sensed something was wrong, and then shouted sternly, "Blow the wooden whistle, halt the army!"

"Beep--"

The sound of wooden whistles echoed continuously, and the elite cavalry in the rear, who had not yet gotten carried away, quickly reined in their horses and stopped, but the central and vanguard troops reacted a little slower.

They only saw Liu Jilong suddenly stop turning around to shoot arrows, and instead shake the reins and gallop away.

As the elite cavalry from Longyou moved more than a hundred paces away from them, Zhao Qian in the formation finally realized that something was wrong.

"Rumble--"

Like a flash flood, the official road, no more than three zhang wide, instantly rose up in a cloud of dust more than ten zhang long.

Zhao Qian felt dizzy and was thrown high into the air before falling to the ground.

"Hissing—"

"Cough cough..."

The neighing of warhorses and the coughing of soldiers echoed through the dust.

"Commander of the Army!!"

Many soldiers realized what was happening and hurriedly searched for Zhao Qian's whereabouts, leaving the valley in a mess.

Dozens or even hundreds of elite cavalrymen were instantly killed or wounded by the explosion, their bodies torn apart, and red and white objects scattered all over the ground.

Zhao Qian was lucky; he rushed to the front and passed the place where the gunpowder was buried, but he was still dizzy from the aftershocks.

Covered in dust and dirt, he looked behind him and was shocked by the miserable scene.

At the same time, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard from the direction of Sanyangchuan.

Zhao Qian looked back and saw that the rebel elite cavalry had turned their horses around and were charging towards them again.

"kill--"

The shouts of battle echoed along both banks of the Wei River. The elite cavalry of the government troops, still reeling from the explosion, saw the fleeing rebels charging towards them and assumed they had fallen into a trap. They had no will to fight and hastily turned their horses around, attempting to retreat.

However, when there are too many people, chaos can easily ensue. When everyone was turning their horses around, the official road inevitably became congested.

Zhao Qian was protected and waded through the Wei River to retreat, while the elite cavalry of the Longyou army charged directly into the government troops.

Liu Jilong, who had been provoking the government troops, now retreated to the rear. Before his eyes, he saw the elite cavalry of Longyou charging into the government army, thrusting left and right, and knocking down countless government soldiers from their horses.

He didn't say a word, but a smile played on his lips, his satisfaction evident...

"kill!!"

(End of this chapter)