Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 401 The Reasons for Yuan Shao's Defeat
On October 20th, Xu Huang was ordered to attack the Yang family. He led 2,000 elite troops on a day-and-night raid of over 100 li. Taking advantage of the garrison's small size and lack of preparedness, he captured the garrison commander and the county magistrate, and reported the victory to Zhang Yu.

On the morning of the 21st, Zhang Yu received a military report from Xu Huang, and following the old plan, he led his elite troops to secretly cross the Qin River at dusk and head north along the Yuanshan Mountains to avoid being discovered by Yuan Shao.

After marching day and night, Zhang Yu led his army to Yangshi on the 22nd. At that time, he had 7,000 elite infantry and cavalry, and his generals included Xu Huang, Zhao Yun, Xu Chu, Ma Dai, Pang De, and Yan Xing, which can be said to be his main force.

When Zhang Yu led his army to within ten miles of Yangshi City, Xu Huang personally led his cavalry to welcome him.

"Gongming!"

"My lord!"

Zhang Yu stopped the reins and asked, "Gongming, have you extracted any information from the captured Yang family soldiers and officers through torture?"

Xu Huang rode up to meet him, cupped his hands, and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, what Magistrate Yang said is the same as what Xu You said. Yuan Shao has gathered his elite troops in Handan, and Xindu is now empty, with only a few thousand soldiers guarding it. Although there are many cities on the way to Xindu, they are all undefended and can be surrendered at a glance!"

"good!"

With no worries in his heart, Zhang Yu asked, "Are the Yuan army's armor and flags fully prepared?"

"Ready to go!"

Xu Huang pulled open his cloak, revealing the robes of Yuan generals he was wearing, and said, "All two thousand soldiers under my command have been transformed into Yuan soldiers and are awaiting your orders, so I can lead them into battle."

Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction and said, "Your troops claim to be under Zhao Rui's command and are clearing the way for our army."

"As ordered!"

Xu Huang hesitated for a moment, then said, "If our army leaves, I fear the people of the Yang clan will inform Yuan Shao and find out our whereabouts."

Zhang Yu waved his hand dismissively and said, "Our army has seven thousand soldiers. Yuan Shao is not a fool. He will know our movements sooner or later. Now, speed is of the essence. The Yang family has fallen, and Yuan Shao is unaware of it. He is even less aware of the changes in Xindu."

"Even if Yuan Shao knows our army's whereabouts, he will still wonder what our army's intentions are. Xindu is only two hundred li away from here, not far away, and there are no mountains or rivers to block the way. A fast horse can reach it in a day and a night. When Yuan Shao knows our army's movements, he will guess that our army has already arrived in Xindu!"

Previously, Yuan Shao moved his capital from Ye City to Xindu because Ye City was adjacent to Shangdang, in order to avoid Zhang Yu's military advance. However, like many other cities in Hebei, Xindu had no natural defenses. Cavalrymen could travel two hundred li in a day and night without regard for speed, and their provisions would only last four or five days.

As for the concern about not being able to conceal the truth from Yuan Shao, Zhang Yu didn't actually expect to be able to. The key to this attack on Xindu lay in the information gap. Xindu was unaware of the Yang family's fall, while Yuan Shao only learned of Zhang Yu's troop movements later. By the time Yuan Shao reacted, Zhang Yu had already led his army to Xindu. And before Yuan Shao's reinforcements arrived, Zhang Yu captured and controlled Xindu.

When Zhang Yu controlled Xindu, if Yuan Shao wanted to lead his troops to capture it, given Xindu's internal supplies and its strategic location, Yuan Shao would have been thwarted at the city walls. Yuan Shao's fate at that time can be compared to that of Guan Yu, who lost Jiangling.

Seeing that Zhang Yu didn't care, Xu Huang didn't hesitate and ordered, "Someone, order the soldiers to march towards Xindu and make sure they arrive in Xindu before tomorrow."

"promise!"

Soon, the army made slight adjustments. Xu Huang led two thousand cavalrymen, galloping along the main road, claiming to be Zhao Rui's troops. Zhang Yu followed with five thousand infantry and cavalry, maintaining a distance of twenty li between the two armies.

Fortunately, all of Zhang Yu's elite troops, whether infantry or cavalry, were equipped with mounts, so the seven thousand infantry and cavalry were able to keep pace with each other on the way to capture Xindu, and the two did not fall behind in speed.

Of course, it depends on the distance traveled by infantry and cavalry. Infantrymen ride one horse per person, while cavalrymen ride two horses per person. If they want to increase the distance they travel, they need to travel at least a long distance.

As dusk fell, the army marched eighty li to Tangyang. Xu Huang, using Zhao Rui's name, first tricked his way into opening the city gates and capturing Fang Kuang. With Xu You's intervention, Fang Kuang surrendered the entire city to Zhang Yu and provided more detailed intelligence on Xindu.

Tangyang belonged to Anping Commandery, while Xindu was only seventy li away from Tangyang. Xindu had three thousand soldiers, and since Shen Pei took charge, he had equipped these three thousand soldiers with bows and crossbows for the purpose of suppressing bandits.

The intelligence provided by Fang Kuang matched what Xu You had said again, which dispelled Zhang Yu's suspicions about Xu You. He then ordered his troops to camp and rest in a small village outside Tangyang City. After dinner, Zhang Yu left 500 troops to guard Tangyang and led 6,500 men towards Xindu.

Tangyang is located on the east bank of the Zhang River, so leaving troops to guard Tangyang was simply to block the reinforcements that would come to support Xindu.

That night, Zhang Yu led his army on a whirlwind march when a sudden downpour began.

The rain poured down, and the army marched on, their banners soaked and ruffled. Because of the darkness and the dim moonlight, only the soldiers, protecting their lanterns, proceeded cautiously.

"My lord!"

Rainwater slid down his helmet and onto Zhang Yu's face. In the darkness, he saw a general riding towards him. Upon closer inspection, he recognized him as Pang De, the leader of the cavalry.

"What urgent matter does Lingming have?"

Pang De wiped the rain off his face and said loudly, "My lord, my Long cavalry are not used to marching in heavy rain and are starting to feel resentful. I wonder if we can postpone our march until the rain has subsided before continuing our journey?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu pointed his whip to the sky and said loudly, "Today's heavy rain is a blessing from heaven. Our army is advancing on Xindu without the enemy noticing. If we stop and rest now, we will miss a good opportunity."

"But~"

Seeing Pang De hesitate, Zhang Yu flew into a rage and said sternly, "Pang Lingming, go back and tell Ma Dai that if he cannot persuade the Longqi to continue their journey, I will personally lead troops to suppress them."

"promise!"

Perhaps emboldened by Zhang Yu's rare outburst, Pang De quickly spurred his horse back to the army to appease the Longxi cavalry alongside Ma Dai. What a joke! This surprise attack on Xindu is nothing more than exploiting an information gap!
If Zhang Yu fails to reach Xindu by dawn, and Shen Pei reacts, Yuan Shao will send troops back to reinforce Xindu, and Zhang Yu's efforts will be in vain!

Seeing Zhang Yu's swift and decisive actions, Xu You praised him, saying, "Your Excellency is decisive in handling matters, unlike Yuan Shao. Today, you are traveling at night in heavy rain, which Shen Pei could not have foreseen. Therefore, this campaign to capture Xindu is about to succeed!"

Zhang Yu glanced at Xu You and said, "Lord Xu, you are a former official of Yuan Shao and have served him for a long time. Now that Yuan Shao knows that the Yang family has fallen, what do you think Yuan Shao will do?"

Xu You subconsciously smoothed his rain-soaked beard and smiled, "When Yuan Shao learns that the Yang family has fallen and that Your Excellency is leading your army north, he will surely first convene a meeting of civil and military officials. If their opinions differ and Yuan Shao cannot accept them, he will hesitate and may ultimately adopt a more cautious approach."

"Ha ha!"

Zhang Yu looked up and laughed, saying, "I hope that what Ziyuan said is true. If we can take Xindu now, you will have made a great contribution."

While Zhang Yu was traveling in the rain, Yuan Shao, as Xu You had predicted, summoned his civil and military officials to discuss marching north with his army to capture the Yang family.

"Xu You betrayed us and joined forces with Zhang Yu, and now they have captured the Yang family. What are your thoughts on this?" Yuan Shao asked.

“My lord, the Yang family is allied with Zhang He in the north and with Xindu in the east. Perhaps Zhang Yu has divided his troops to go north, intending to join forces with Li Song to defeat Zhang He, and then join forces with Li Song to drive a long way to Xindu,” Meng Dai said.

“Xu You knows the strengths and weaknesses of our army. Now he has sent troops to attack the Yang family. He is not only after Zhang He. I fear he intends to take Xindu as his target,” Ju Shou said worriedly.

"Xindu?"

Gao Lan gasped and said, "Although Xindu is undefended, it is our army's heartland. How dare Zhang Yu send troops to attack it?"

Ju Shou said, "It is precisely because Xindu is the foundation of our army that if the Bing army can take it, our army will surely be defeated!"

Qu Yi frowned and said, "We are only three hundred li away from Xindu, while the Yang family is one hundred and sixty li away. Cavalry can reach Xindu in a day and a night. Xindu only has a few thousand troops. If we are attacked by the elite troops of Bingzhou, we may not be able to hold out for long."

Meng Dai curled his lip and said, "I think Zhang Yu has no courage to launch a surprise attack on Xindu. If he fails to capture Xindu and our reinforcements arrive, the enemy's army will be wiped out. Therefore, in my opinion, Zhang Yu may be plotting against Zhang He."

"If you don't understand military strategy, don't speak nonsense now. How can Zhang He be compared to Xindu?"

Qu Yi glanced at Meng Dai and said sarcastically, "Zhang Yu's military tactics are like those of a ghost or god, and his actions are decisive. In the past, he pursued Han Sui relentlessly and took Longyou in one fell swoop, which shows how swift Zhang Yu's military tactics are. Furthermore, look at how Zhang Yu took Guanzhong, led his troops around the Yellow River, and launched a surprise attack to defeat Li Jue. I ask you, does Zhang Yu have the courage?"

Qu Yi's words stung Meng Dai's heart, and he said angrily, "If I am not as good as Zhang Yu, does that mean that you, my lord, are also not as good as Zhang Yu?"

Qu Yi, being of upright character, said, "No one can compare to Zhang Yu, my lord!"

"Ah!"

Meng Dai seized upon Qu Yi's linguistic flaw and said, "If we follow your advice, none of our generals and officers are as good as Zhang Yu. Why not have Your Excellency hand over Ji Province to Zhang Yu as soon as possible?"

Qu Yi slowly said, "You not only lack knowledge of military strategy, but you also don't understand the overall situation. Emperor Gaozu's military skills were inferior to Xiang Yu's, yet he was able to defeat Xiang Yu, which was due to Emperor Gaozu's use of Han Xin and Zhang Liang."

"You~"

"Shut up!"

Yuan Shao, displeased with their quarrel, angrily said, "Every time we face each other in battle, you two argue endlessly. Don't you all know the importance of working together to defeat the enemy?"

Faced with Yuan Shao's rebuke, Qu Yi and Meng Dai lowered their heads, not daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.

"With Shen Pei in charge, even if we are suddenly attacked by the Bing army, I believe he can hold out for a while."

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Yuan Shao paced back and forth, saying, "Gao Lan, you first lead three thousand elite cavalrymen back to Xindu at full speed. If the army launches a surprise attack on Xindu, quickly send someone back to report, and I will send troops to support you. Qian Zhao, you lead three thousand Wuhuan cavalry north to track the enemy cavalry's movements and see if the enemy is besieging Zhang He."

"As ordered!"

Gao Lan and Qian Zhao acknowledged the order in unison and hurried out of the tent.

After the two generals left, Feng Ji said, "My lord, Zhang Yu first sent troops to aid Youzhou, and now he has sent his elite troops north. His camp is probably empty. Why don't you take advantage of the situation and attack his main camp to see if you can achieve something?"

"Can!"

Yuan Shao nodded and said, "Qu Yi, lead your troops across the river to attack the vanguard and see if you can seize the opportunity to achieve merit. If you can break through the vanguard, I will lead the main army across the river to attack the enemy."

"Yes, sir!" Qu Yi bowed and accepted the order.

After the arrangements were made, Yuan Shao said coldly, "Send an order back to Xindu to have Shen Pei execute Xu You's family and hang them on the city tower."

Feng Ji opened his mouth, intending to persuade Yuan Shao to spare Xu You's family out of consideration for their past collaboration. However, upon seeing that Xu You had defected to Zhang Yu and even offered Zhang Yu a plan to seize the Yang family, he knew that Yuan Shao could no longer tolerate it, and thus abandoned his advice.

(End of this chapter)