Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 430 One Day's Effort

Under clear skies, large groups of Shanxi soldiers were crossing the Yellow River on bamboo rafts and small boats. On the south bank, soldiers armed with spears and bows were already on guard, and had temporarily erected chevaux-de-frise with spears. There were quite a few soldiers, already more than a thousand, and more were continuously pouring onto the south bank.

Hao Zhao jumped off the small boat, waded across the Yellow River to the shore, and urged his subordinates who were waiting for him on the bank, "Hurry up and unload the Wuhan Iron and Steel cars from the boat!"

"promise!"

Wang Hong responded, disregarding his status as a captain, and personally led the team to unload the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicles from the ship.

The Wuhan Iron and Steel Vehicle was invented by Wei Qing. Its overall appearance is similar to that of a war chariot. Because it was designed to protect against arrows, it had a baffle on one side.

Therefore, during the Battle of Mobei, Wei Qing was able to defeat the Xiongnu with a smaller force by first using armored chariots to block the Xiongnu cavalry, and then taking advantage of the rising sandstorm to launch a cavalry attack and thus inflict a great defeat on the Xiongnu.

In order to establish a camp on the south bank as soon as possible, Hao Zhao must use weapons to defend against the enemy's first wave of attack. If he insists on repairing the camp, he will inevitably be unable to withstand the Yuan army's assault.

Looking down from the sky today, one can see that apart from leaving three or four hundred soldiers to guard the area, the rest of the soldiers are carrying armored vehicles or crossbows from bamboo rafts. Everywhere, groups of Shanxi soldiers can be seen struggling to carry a vehicle to the ground, and then, at the command of their officers, pushing the vehicle to the designated location.

As the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicles arrived one after another, small groups of people crossed the river on the north bank using small rafts, creating a lively scene with noise everywhere. Hao Zhao, worried that Yuan's army might suddenly attack, stood on the vehicle, gazing at the distant dust clouds while urging his soldiers to quickly form ranks.

"The enemy is coming!"

After a while, as dozens of Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicles were being pushed out of the formation and deployed, Hao Zhao suddenly saw billowing dust rising in the distance, as if a large force was about to launch a surprise attack, and shouted loudly.

Where is Wang Hong?

"The general is here!"

"You lead your troops to the front and form ranks, while the task of transporting supplies is left to other units."

"As ordered!"

"Dong dong!"

Wang Hong struck the drum, and a thousand infantrymen put down their tasks and, according to the pre-arranged drills, rushed to the positions of their respective army flags to assemble and form ranks. Then, under the command of their officers, the soldiers lined up along the palisades and armored wagons, fully equipped with weapons to defend against Yuan's army, such as spears, horn bows, and powerful crossbows.

Shortly after the thousand infantrymen lined up, cavalrymen who had come from Yuan's camp began to appear before everyone.

"Woo!"

Yuan Qi had a force of over a thousand riders. At the sound of horns, the riders drew their bows and charged forward.

"Whizzing!"

As they approached the Shanxi army formation, before Yuan's cavalry could even fire an arrow, they were met with a barrage of arrows as numerous as locusts.

But then they saw soldiers in the army formation relying on fences and armored vehicles, firing their bows and crossbows in unison, showing no mercy as they aimed at the ever-charging Yuan cavalry.

In a short time, Yuan's cavalry, who were in the lead, suffered heavy casualties. In order to minimize losses, they dared not charge directly into the enemy formation, but instead bypassed it laterally. As they bypassed, Yuan's cavalry drew their bows and fired arrows in retaliation.

Arrows crisscrossed in the air, accompanied by continuous cries of agony.

Amidst the thunderous sound of hooves, Yuan's cavalry circled around to the rear, attempting to find an opening to launch a surprise attack. However, the Shanxi army's flank formation was equally disciplined. Seeing Yuan's cavalry charging and firing in a circle, the infantry on the flank decisively drew their bows and counterattacked, the bowstrings twanging incessantly.

Previously, when fighting against Yuan Shao, Hao Zhao fell into Zhang He's trap, and his soldiers suffered many casualties. However, after pacifying Ji Province, he selected elite soldiers from the surrendered soldiers in Hebei to strengthen the ranks. Since both new and old soldiers had experience fighting cavalry, when facing Yuan Shao's cavalry charge, although they were afraid, not one of them retreated. They withstood the pressure of the charge and poured out arrows.

"shoot!"

In order to withstand the first wave of Yuan's army's charge, Hao Zhao roared and sent his newly selected archers forward to take turns firing outwards, wounding or killing Yuan's cavalry who were trying to charge into the army's formation.

After firing in a circle for a long time, they saw that the arrows from the Shanxi soldiers inside the formation had not decreased but increased. Even if they charged, the palisades and armored wagons would become obstacles for their charge. As a result, the besieging Yuan cavalry could not withstand the pressure and eventually scattered.

Seeing Yuan's cavalry scatter and flee, Hao Zhao exhaled a sigh of relief, but dared not relax. Instead, he urged his soldiers to speed up their movements.

After Yuan Qi's initial probing, the Shanxi soldiers on the south bank wished they had two more hands so they could immediately set up their chariot formation.

After Yuan Qi withdrew slightly, Qian Zhao led his cavalry to the rear, stopped his horse on the hill, and looked at the busy Shanxi army on the south bank with a solemn expression.

"General, why not launch a fierce attack while the enemy is halfway across the river!"

The cavalry officer under his command stared at Qian Zhao and asked.

Qian Zhao previously commanded the Wuhuan cavalry. After Tadun was beheaded, the Wuhuan scattered and fled beyond the Great Wall, greatly shaking the morale of the army. Even with Qian Zhao's attempts to appease them, a large number of Wuhuan cavalry still deserted. When they fled to Qingzhou, apart from the greedy Wuhuan cavalry, the rest all deserted. Now, the cavalry under Qian Zhao's command were transferred to him by Yuan Shao from the Qingzhou army.

Qian Zhao pointed to the military formation surrounded by palisades and steel wagons, and said, "The enemy has their backs to the river, and is protected by chevaux-de-frise and steel wagons. It's difficult to break through with cavalry now; it will only result in casualties. We need you, my lord, to send infantry. Only by attacking with both infantry and cavalry can we hope to break their formation." "I observe that the enemy's strategy is to feign crossing the river downstream, but actually cross upstream to set up camp, so that they can engage in battle later. The enemy is fighting with their backs to the river; they should not be underestimated!"

Qian Zhao was well aware of Hao Zhao's intentions.

Hao Zhao dared to risk his life crossing the river, relying not only on the palisades and wagon formations, but also on the intention of trapping his soldiers in a desperate situation to unite them in resisting Yuan's army. Moreover, Hao Zhao's troops were not truly without support, as Gao Shun on the north bank was able to provide Hao Zhao with a continuous stream of boats.

Therefore, it is impossible to defeat the enemy with cavalry alone, unless the enemy can be lured out or infantry can be deployed in formation to advance.

Thinking of this, Qian Zhao had a dangerous premonition. If he could not defeat Hao Zhao today, once he had a firm foothold, he might not be able to drive Hao Zhao away.

After being informed by Qian Zhao, Yuan Shao, who had been misled by the feint, realized the threat of the Shanxi army establishing a foothold on the south bank and immediately dispatched Gao Gan to lead infantry to besiege Hao Zhao's troops.

That afternoon, on the north bank of the river.

In order to understand the situation on the south bank as soon as possible, Zhang Yu led his civil and military officials to Guangliting to supervise the battle.

Looking across the Yellow River, one could see Hao Zhao's troops arrayed in a semi-circular formation, with outer fences and steel wagons forming a barrier. Inside, the soldiers were divided into different ranks, with archers taking turns to unleash a barrage of arrows. Meanwhile, Yuan's army, armed with shields and spears, engaged in close combat, and no matter how much their officers urged them on, they could do nothing to break through Hao Zhao's forces.

"Have all five thousand soldiers crossed the river?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Not yet!"

Gao Shun cupped his hands and said, "The enemy cavalry is charging in. Our chariot formation can only accommodate one or two thousand men, so only two thousand soldiers are crossing the river now. The remaining three thousand are on the north bank, waiting for news to cross."

"Two thousand people!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said confidently to his men, "If it were anyone else, they might have been defeated by Yuan's army. But now that Bo Dao is in command, he will surely be able to force Yuan's army to retreat!"

Perhaps influenced by history, Zhang Yu defined Hao Zhao as a defensive general, and Hao Zhao lived up to Zhang Yu's expectations, having previously held off Yuan Shao's attack at Huguan Pass. Although there were no city walls now, Zhang Yu believed that with the palisades and wagon camps, Hao Zhao's talent would still allow him to deliver a brilliant performance.

It should be noted that Li Ling led 5,000 infantrymen out of the southern Gobi Desert. Relying on the strength of their chariot formations, they fought against the Xiongnu's siege for over a thousand miles. Even after their defeat and capture, Li Ling still inflicted heavy casualties on the Xiongnu. Therefore, with Hao Zhao's abilities, holding out for several days would not be a problem, especially since reinforcements were only separated from them by the Yellow River.

"My lord, the pontoon bridge must be built as soon as possible!"

Xun You pointed to the wide Yellow River and said, “It is afternoon now, and it will soon be dark. Tonight, Bo Dao will surely work through the night to repair the camp to defend against tomorrow’s enemy. If there is a pontoon bridge, timber and weapons can be transported to the south bank, and soldiers can be sent to assist. They can take turns repairing it tonight, and we can capture the small city tomorrow.”

"Shun has already begun preparations for the construction of the pontoon bridge. Our troops will work day and night to complete the pontoon bridge as soon as possible so as to support General Hao," Gao Shun said.

Zhang Yu nodded and said, "I entrust the matter of assisting Bo Dao to Zixun."

"Don't dare!"

"My lord, now that Yuan's army is besieging General Hao Zhao's troops, why not send troops to cross the river again!"

Jia Xu said with a smile, "When the enemy sees our army crossing the Yellow River again, they will surely suspect our intentions and dare not concentrate on besieging General Hao!"

“Following Mr. Wenhe’s advice, Zhongkang pretended to cross the river upstream to confuse the enemy,” Zhang Yu said.

"promise!"

With Jia Xu's advice, Gao Gan learned that Xu Chu had crossed the river upstream and feared that Xu Chu would attack his troops from both sides. He ordered Qian Zhao to lead his cavalry north to intercept him. However, seeing that he had drawn the enemy's attention, Xu Chu did not engage Qian Zhao and led his troops back.

After several rounds of fighting, as dusk fell, and driven by Gao Gan's unwillingness to give up, Yuan's army abandoned a large number of corpses and retreated.

Having survived the first day's attack, Hao Zhao was relieved, but dared not rest. He had only managed to hold his ground on the south bank today thanks to Yuan Shao's unpreparedness. If the attack continued until the next day, he feared Yuan Shao would amass even more troops.

In order to prolong the war with Yuan's army, Hao Zhao, as Xun You had predicted, allowed the wounded soldiers to rest while the remaining troops continued to build fortifications. Taking advantage of this opportunity, troops from the north bank were continuously transported to the south bank, greatly alleviating the manpower shortage.

That night, Hao Zhao and his men repaired the camp by lamplight. They first dug a trench around the perimeter, and then piled the excavated soil into a wall. With the help of the fence and the Wuhan Iron and Steel vehicles, Hao Zhao's troops now had four lines of defense.

When the high-ranking official saw the fortifications repaired by Hao Zhao at dawn, he was greatly shocked. He did not expect that Hao Zhao had repaired four lines of defense in just one night.

Urged on by Yuan Shao, Gao Gan reluctantly launched an attack. Unlike yesterday, when they were able to fight their way to the enemy lines, Yuan's soldiers had filled in the trenches, but were blocked by the earthen walls. Even if a few soldiers managed to break through the earthen walls, they could not breach the palisades.

The fighting lasted from morning to afternoon, and Gao Gan's troops suffered heavy losses, forcing him to abandon the siege. He then reported the situation to Yuan Shao.

Upon learning that Gao Gan could not breach the camp, Yuan Shao, despite his illness, left the camp. Seeing the completeness of Hao Zhao's fortifications and Gao Shun's readiness to provide support from the north bank, he sighed in despair. He then adopted his subordinates' suggestion to have Gao Gan build an earthen wall outside the camp on the south bank, thus encircling Hao Zhao from the opposite direction.

(End of this chapter)