Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 446 Unstoppable Momentum at Hulao Pass

Ren Yuan led his white-robed cavalry along the route the Qihu soldiers had taken, not to pursue Erzhu Zhao and his remaining troops, but to reach another Northern Dynasty reinforcement.

After traveling for most of the day, the scouts finally reported that they had spotted Lu An's nine thousand infantry and cavalry, who were hesitating ahead.

"Give them the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. If they don't surrender, annihilate them all," Ren Yuan ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes!" the scout replied and left.

Meanwhile, Lu An had learned of the battle situation at the front from the routed soldiers—Xingyang City had been captured by the White-Robed Army. Erzhu Zhao's five thousand Qihu cavalry were wiped out by the three thousand White-Robed Army soldiers in the time it takes to eat a meal.

Relying on his supernatural powers, Erzhu Zhao barely escaped with his life and fled in panic...

Lu An was deeply shocked and dared not confront the terrifying White Robe Army. So, upon hearing the ultimatum from the White Robe Army scouts, he readily led his troops to surrender.

~~
On the other side, Yuan Tianmu's main force had just crossed the Yellow River.

His army did not march towards Xingyang, but instead headed towards Chenliu.

By this time, the Wei army had figured out the true situation of Yuan Hao's side. They knew that although he had subdued tens of thousands of surrendered troops, the one who had been fighting on the front lines was actually an unknown general named Chen Qingzhi, leading 7,000 white-robed soldiers.

Although these 7,000 white-robed soldiers had turned the heart of the Great Wei into chaos, Yuan Tianmu still insisted that they were no match for the 70,000 Imperial Guards within Xingyang City. With reinforcements from Erzhu Zhao and Lu An's forces providing support from the outside, he had no idea how they could possibly lose this battle.

Therefore, Yuan Tianmu did not continue to send troops to Xingyang, but instead prepared to first capture Chenliu and cut off the supply lines of Liang's army and Yuan Hao.

This left Liang Jun with no other option but to surrender...

Yuan Tianmu was, after all, a seasoned general who had fought many battles, and his plan was very shrewd. However, he still underestimated the fighting strength of the White Robe Army.

He was leading his army toward Chenliu when he suddenly saw a streak of blood-red light flying down from the sky.

The guards tensed up and quickly formed a protective formation for the prince, but Yuan Tianmu stopped them: "Scatter, it's the General of the Cavalry."

After Erzhu Rong seized power, he naturally bestowed lavish rewards upon his own people. He appointed himself as the Prince of Taiyuan, Grand Chancellor, General of the Heavenly Pillar, and Grand Commander. He also appointed his sons and nephews to high-ranking positions.

The prestigious position of General of the Cavalry was given to Erzhu Zhao by Erzhu Rong.

Sure enough, when the red light faded, Erzhu Zhao's figure was revealed. He was disheveled, blind in one eye, and looked as wretched as could be.

"What happened?" Yuan Tianmu asked in shock. "Who injured you like this?"

“White-robed Army.” Erzhu Zhao’s face darkened as he grabbed a soldier and bit him on the neck.

The soldier could not struggle and could only scream in agony.

But soon his face turned ashen, and his screams grew weaker...

Erzhu Rong drained the soldiers of their life force before he recovered. He threw their bodies on the ground and said dejectedly, "My entire army has been wiped out, and Lu An's army is likely to be in grave danger as well."

"Who exactly is Chen Qingzhi? Why is his White Robe Army so powerful?" It took Yuan Tianmu a long time to come to his senses.

"How should I know? We were utterly defeated without even realizing it." Erzhu Zhao was completely speechless, not daring to utter a single harsh word. "Quickly, order the entire army to halt their advance." Yuan Tianmu composed himself and quickly made adjustments.

Xingyang City served as the rear base of the defense line outside the pass, storing countless grains and fodder. Now that the White-Robed Army had captured Xingyang, the captured grains and fodder were enough to feed them for several years, making it pointless for them to attack Chenliu.

Fortunately, Hulao Pass was there, so the White-Robed Army couldn't fly over it!
"Send another order to Erzhu Shilong and Wang Bi, telling them not to go out of the pass to fight, but to hold Hulao Pass at all costs!" Yuan Tianmu gritted his teeth and ordered, "We'll talk about it after my army reaches Xingyang!"

~~
Therefore, Yuan Tianmu's main force turned towards Xingyang.

But halfway there, he was dealt another blow—

"What? Hulao Pass has fallen again?!" Yuan Tianmu's vision went black, and he almost fell off his horse.

"Yes," the scout replied, panting heavily on horseback. "The White-Robed Army has already escorted Yuan Hao into the pass!"

"Are the White-Robed Army heavenly soldiers or generals? How come they couldn't even stop them at Hulao Pass?!" Yuan Tianmu cried out in despair, losing confidence in defeating the White-Robed Army for the first time.

~~
Actually, the fall of Hulao Pass wasn't due to the White Robe Army, but rather because Yuan Tianmu had some terrible teammates...

Hulao Pass, a formidable pass in the world, is connected to Mount Song in the south and bordered by the Yellow River in the north. With its crisscrossing mountains, it forms a natural barrier. It is the very embodiment of the saying "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand."

Worried that Erzhu Shilong, who was stationed at Hulao Pass, lacked strategy, Yuan Tianmu also arranged for two generals to assist him. One was named Wang Bi, and the other was named Xin Zuan. Both of them were famous generals who had long fought against the Liang army on the front lines.

In particular, Wang Bi was a famous expert in city defense. Back then, when he was stationed in Dengzhou, the Liang army besieged it for three years but failed to take it down and could only retreat in frustration.

Therefore, Yuan Tianmu's arrangements were undeniably meticulous. Even Chen Qingzhi was prepared to sacrifice another thousand men and break two teeth to overcome this tough challenge.

But despite their meticulous planning, neither of the two commanders anticipated that Erzhu Shilong would abandon the pass and flee after hearing of the fall of Xingyang…

Naerzhu Shilong was Erzhu Rong's cousin. He was handsome, eloquent, and literate, and was always considered the most promising member of the Erzhu family.

During Empress Dowager Hu's reign, he was selected as a General of the Palace Guard and later promoted to General of the Vanguard, becoming a confidant of Emperor Yuan Xu. The reason Yuan Xu thought of sending Erzhu Rong to the capital to defend the emperor was because Erzhu Zhao boasted to him about how loyal his cousin was and how much he hated Empress Dowager Hu.

Later, the defection of generals like Fei Mu to the imperial guards was largely due to Erzhu Shilong's attempts to win them over through bribery.

After Erzhu Rong's successful coup, he greatly praised Erzhu Shilong, considering him the most meritorious minister. He then bestowed upon him the title of Duke, Attendant-in-Ordinary, Commander of the Army, and Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and appointed him to assist Yuan Tianmu in governing the country.

So before he abandoned the pass and fled, no one expected that this guy would be so cowardly, completely unlike a member of the Erzhu family...

Of course, Erzhu Shilong had his reasons.

First, he was self-aware enough to know that he lacked military strategy and had no talent as a general. How could he possibly be a match for such a peerless general when Chen Qingzhi was able to conquer Xingyang, which was guarded by 70,000 Imperial Guards, with only 7,000 soldiers?
Moreover, throughout Yuan Hao and the White Robe Army's northern expedition, countless soldiers surrendered at the mere sight of them. His generals Wang Bi and Xin Zuan were both Han Chinese, and their armies were also predominantly Han Chinese; it was not impossible that they too would surrender to the White Robe Army.

Furthermore, Yuan Hao's pretext was to kill the Erzhu clan and avenge the Heyin Incident. Once his subordinates surrendered, they would undoubtedly hand them over to Yuan Hao to claim credit. What awaited him then would surely be a tragic end, torn to pieces.

After much deliberation, Erzhu Shilong felt that staying would likely lead to his demise. So, on a dark and windy night, without saying a word, he slipped away under the protection of the Qihu cavalry...

(End of this chapter)