Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 166: Breaking the white wave, Xu Gongming surrenders

On the morning of the 28th, the sky was high and the clouds were light, with a clear sky, which was perfect for the two armies to fight.

The gates of the Baibo Army and the Xiongnu Army camps were wide open, and the troops filed out and lined up in the spacious area of the river valley.

Seeing that the Baibo Army did not use the same tricks as Cao Gui, Zhang Yu did not hesitate and directly ordered all the troops to go out and line up to fight!

Guo Tai and Yu Fuluo had a combined army of about 13,000 men. Due to the narrowness of the river valley, they formed a horizontal array in the middle of the valley, with elite infantry in the center and the Xiongnu cavalry stationed at the intersection of the mountains and the river valley on the left wing. It was a typical mixed infantry and cavalry formation.

The 4,500 men led by Zhang Yu were similar to the square formation of the Baibo bandits. The 1,000 men of the Left Camp led by Gao Shun were in the front, and the armored cavalry and infantry led by Zhang Liao advanced together.

At 10 a.m., Zhang Yu rode his horse up the hill and looked down at the battlefield between the two armies.

Seeing that the Baibo Army had listed a mixed infantry and cavalry tactics similar to their own, Zhang Yu couldn't help but understand.

At this point in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the more than a hundred years of fighting between the Han army and the Qiang people, with the development of shock cavalry, mixed infantry and cavalry tactics had become the forte of many northern generals.

The reason why the mixed formation of infantry and cavalry became widely spread is that the infantry had developed to the extreme, while the cavalry's impact tactics were rapidly iterating. In particular, once the cavalry of one's own side defeated the enemy's cavalry, the cavalry and the infantry's impact could cause a devastating blow to the enemy's troops.

As for how to defeat the mixed infantry and cavalry formation, there are many methods, such as relying on terrain, chariot formations, bows and crossbows, cavalry, etc.

However, in addition to the above methods, there is another way to defeat the mixed army formation, that is, to learn Zhang Yu's tactics, to persuade one army to defect, and thus change the situation on the battlefield.

Zhang Yu was full of confidence and ordered his men, "Beat the drums and march forward!"

"promise!"

The high-spirited sound of war drums soon rang out in the valley. The vanguard of the left camp of the Xianzhen Army marched forward in heavy armor, followed closely by Xu Chu's soldiers from the right camp, thirty steps apart. On the right side of the army, Zhang Liao led a hundred armored cavalrymen on horseback, holding spears and marching slowly.

Drums were beating, flags were pointing forward, spears were like a forest, and armor and shields were like a wall. As the sun gradually rose, the Baibo and Du Liao armies were getting closer in the valley. Looking down from the sky, the valley was dark and the soldiers were as small as ants.

The Baibo bandits led by Han Xian kept shouting and cursing during the march, as if to encourage themselves. Compared with the bandits, the soldiers led by Gao Shun were much quieter, holding bows and spears, marching in an orderly manner, and there was no other noise except the sound of gongs, drums, and footsteps.

At Gao Shun's signal, officers from various teams patrolled the battlefield and shouted loudly: "The enemy army wants to plunder Shangdang, rob our women, and occupy our land and houses. Do you agree?"

"No!" the Han soldiers shouted in unison.

"Now the Lord has issued an order that those who charge into the enemy's camp will be rewarded with money and food. If anyone kills the enemy and wins merit, he will be rewarded with land and houses according to his merit!"

Suddenly, someone in the camp shouted, "Can you give me a wife as a reward?"

"It's worthless!"

The military commander laughed and said, "You are in the trap camp, and you are still worried about not having a wife. If you can kill the bandits, don't even think about getting married. You can choose a Han woman or a Hu woman!"

"Ha ha!"

A burst of laughter diluted the solemn atmosphere before the battle.

Then, the military commander's expression changed quickly, and he said loudly: "If you run away today, don't blame me for being merciless."

"Those who kill the enemy will be rewarded, those who retreat will be beheaded!"

"Kill the thief!"

The soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp roared loudly and their morale became increasingly high.

Zhang Yu formulated an extremely strict system for the soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp and the heavy cavalry. If they were beheaded, they would be promoted and rewarded with land. But if they escaped, they would be beheaded, their land and houses would be taken away, and their wives and children would be made slaves. It can be said that heaven and hell were all between the soldiers' thoughts.

"Whoosh!"

After a while, seeing the Baibo bandits approaching the battlefield, the armored soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp did not retreat and fired their bows and crossbows. Even though the bandits were protected by large shields, many soldiers were still injured.

When they were about twenty steps away, a group of archers emerged from the Han army, and when they got close, they fired a wave of arrows, which flattened a wave of the bandits charging in front. Then, the soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp roared, and the spear formation surged up like a tide.

"kill!"

While the bandits were being attacked by bows and crossbows, the armored soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp stepped over the fallen bodies of the Baibo bandits and used their large shields to push open the bandits' formation. The following Han soldiers, wearing heavy armor, could not care about the spears that could stab at them at any time, and rushed forward with spears in hand.

They fought in battle formations, men next to men, spears against spears, with no room for fancy martial arts, the competition between the two was nothing more than bravery, will, and luck given by God. In terms of will, compared with the White Wave bandits who made a living by looting, the soldiers who defended their property were definitely better.

For a time, Han Xian, who was famous for his bravery in the Baibo Army, was suppressed and beaten by the Han Army. The army formation was constantly retreating and was in a precarious situation.

Guo Tai was on a high hill, watching the battle on the battlefield, and his expression changed a lot. He knew that Zhang Yu had strong soldiers under his command, but such soldiers were rare, and seemed to be stronger than the Western Army led by Niu Fu.

The front line of the Baibo bandits had been dispersed by the Xianzhen Camp, and now Han Xian had personally led the team to charge and barely hold off Gao Shun's offensive.

On the high ground, Guo Tai was very afraid of Zhang Yu. Fortunately, he had brought along the Xiongnu cavalry and sent Xu Huang to ambush him in advance. If he had not made a backup plan, he would have been defeated by Zhang Yu.

On the left wing, Yu Furo stared intently at the confrontation between the two sides.

He could see that although the Baibo bandits were individually brave, their overall combat effectiveness was not as good as that of the Han army. The armored soldiers sent by the Han army were not only well-equipped, but also had a high fighting spirit, and they were almost fearless in charging and killing.

"Zhang Yu can accomplish things!"

Yu Fuluo murmured, "We can give him a helping hand now!"

Obviously, although Yu Fuluo agreed to Zhang Yu's defection on the battlefield, it does not mean that Yu Fuluo will wholeheartedly help Zhang Yu. If Zhang Yu's soldiers are useless and cannot be a match for the Baibo Army, is it necessary for Yu Fuluo to give up the strong and support the weak?

"Raise the blue flag!" Yu Furo ordered.

"Yes!" Soon, a blue flag rose from the Hun cavalry.

Seeing this, Zhang Liao grabbed the reins, held his spear and shouted: "Follow me to break the formation!"

"promise!"

The triangular red flag fluttered and the dull horn sounded.

"Bah!"

Hundreds of armored cavalrymen who were ready to go slowly accelerated and charged towards the Hun cavalry.

At the same time, the Xiongnu cavalry led by Yu Furo did not meet the charge, but suddenly adjusted their direction and shot at the flank of the Baibo bandits.

"what!"

Unexpectedly, the Xiongnu cavalry would turn against them. Under the rain of arrows, the Baibo bandits on the flank first wailed, and then cursed, as if they were scolding the Xiongnu cavalry for their betrayal.

Under the rain of arrows from the Xiongnu cavalry, the soldiers on the flanks of the Baibo Army rioted and began to flee backwards.

"Our army is defeated!"

"Brothers, run away!"

Huochuquan led more than a hundred cavalrymen to gallop at the rear of the Baibo army, spreading the news of the defeat at the front, which made the Baibo bandits panic. Under Huochuquan's deception, the bandits whose fighting spirit was not strong enough fled in panic.

Guo Tai was immediately aware of the turmoil in the army. Looking at the chaotic flanks and the constantly falling flags, Guo Tai's heart sank to the bottom.

The defeated soldier stumbled to Guo Tai and shouted, "God's messenger, the Xiongnu cavalry has rebelled. Not only did they allow the Han army's heavy cavalry to enter the battle, they also followed the Han cavalry to charge and kill our army."

Hearing this, Guo Tai became so angry that he felt a black screen before his eyes and almost fell down. The people around him supported him.

"The Hun cavalry has turned against us. Our army is about to be defeated. Quickly protect the envoy and leave!" someone said anxiously.

Guo Tai grabbed the arms of his left and right hands and cursed: "Hu Gou is really untrustworthy!"

The crowd ignored Guo Tai's venting of anger and curses, and hurriedly helped him onto the horse and escorted him away.

When Guo Tai was defeated and fled, the flank of the Baibo Army had completely collapsed under Zhang Liao's surprise attack; the rear formation was influenced by rumors and the attack of the Xiongnu cavalry, and fled along the river valley one after another.

"Hey..."

The flank formation was broken by the armored cavalry led by Zhang Liao. Kobe and Shi Yi led the Cloud Cavalry and rushed forward like a pack of wolves, shooting and killing the Baibo bandits with arrows and wielding their knives.

Han Xian's troops, who were already unable to stand after being attacked by the soldiers of the Xianzhen Camp, saw the chaos in the central army and learned the news of the Xiongnu soldiers' defection. They knew that they would lose the battle and had no intention of resisting. Han Xian saw that the situation was not good, so he fled with his confidants, leaving behind his men who were fighting desperately in front.

On a high hill, Zhang Yu looked at the fleeing Baibo army and laughed, saying, "If the infantry and cavalry attack together, the Xiongnu will turn against them and Baibo will surely be defeated. Order Xu Chu and Meng Ningzhi to pursue the Baibo bandits, and Gao Shun to reorganize the troops."

"promise!"

Seeing the opportunity, Zhong Yao bowed and said, "My Lord, last night, the Left Wise King came to report that the enemy general Xu Huang led an ambush to attack us from the rear. To be on the safe side, we need to leave more soldiers on the left and right."

Zhang Yu held his belt with his hand and said with a smile: "Let Zhang Feng accompany Sun Zi to hold the flag and persuade Xu Huang to surrender. Tell him that Guo Tai has been defeated and let him surrender quickly with his troops."

"promise!"

Before the battle, Sun Zi learned that Xu Huang was serving under the Baibo Army, so he asked to accompany Zhang Yu before he left for the battle. Zhang Yu then took Sun Zi with him.

As for why he did not persuade Xu Huang to surrender before the war, the reason was very simple. Zhang Yu had already let Yu Furuo defect, so he did not contact Xu Huang who had rescued Guo Tai.

When the Baibo bandits were defeated, the ambush troops led by Xu Huang slowly appeared on the other side of the valley.

"Captain, the army is defeated!" The attendant came in panic, saying in fear, "The Xiongnu soldiers turned against their own side, and the troops fled. The Han army is chasing them along the river valley."

"what?"

Xu Huang's expression changed drastically, his face full of horror and fear. He was horrified by Guo Tai's defeat, and shocked that Zhang Yu defeated the Baibo bandits in such a short time.

"What should we do now?" asked the attendant.

Xu Huang gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his palms full of sweat. Although he had intended to return to the Han army before, he was nervous now that the army was defeated.

He was worried about whether he would be valued if he surrendered to the Han army, whether his subordinates would be willing to surrender with him, and he was also worried about his family members who would remain in the camp.

"The army has been defeated. There is no need for our army to launch a flank attack. We should just flee now!" the deputy general said in panic.

"Where can our army escape to?" Xu Huang asked.

"What should we do then?" asked the deputy general.

Xu Huang hesitated for a moment and said, "Why not surrender to the Han army?"

"But I'm afraid the Han army will not accept it!" said the deputy general.

Before Xu Huang could speak, he heard an attendant coming quickly and saying, "Captain, the Han army has come and calls himself Sun Zi, a friend of yours."

Xu Huang was overjoyed and said, "Sun Zi is an old friend of mine. He has been ordered to come here to persuade our army to surrender!"

(End of this chapter)