Tiger Guards

Chapter 142: First Reconnaissance Battle
At dawn, Xu Huang led the Hedong knights as the vanguard and advanced northward along the Chidao Road.

The river is shallow and the wooden bridge is simple.

After Hou Xuan and Li Kan rebuilt the bridge, Xu Huang's troops rode their horses directly across the wooden bridge and entered the military camp outside the city.

The emperor's carriage and the Tiger Infantry Army advanced slowly. Zhao Ji could not hold back and led 500 Tiger Infantrymen to follow Xu Huang to Beijiang.

Hou Xuan, Li Kan and Zhao Xu came out to greet him and led Zhao Ji along the south bank of the Fen River.

It can be seen that the Hun tents on the north bank are connected from top to bottom, with a length of no less than seven or eight miles.

At this moment, the Xiongnu horses were enjoying the green crops in the paddy fields on the shore, and more than a hundred boats were moored on the shore.

Most of them were small boats, and were almost dragged ashore by the Huns, probably because they were worried that the Han army would swim across and seize them at night.

Standing on the inner wall of the ruined village on the shore, Zhao Ji looked into the distance and felt as if he had played some unnecessary trick.

The Huns might have been instigated by Li Jue long ago, as they had a tradition of cooperation.

If given the chance, how could Li Jue allow the imperial court to escape?
If the imperial court wanted to return to Luoyang, it had two options: either return to Hongnong and take the Hangu Road; in this way, Li Jue and Guo Si could intercept them in Hongnong, or pursue them along the Hangu Road.

Another way is to go through Beijiang and take the Chenguan Pass. The Huns will help Li Jue keep an eye on this place.

The counties in the southern part of Hedong are the essence. Li Jue is jealous of them, but aren’t the Huns jealous too?

If the field battle severely damages the young and strong population in Hedong, then the entire Hedong will become a horse grazing land for the Xiongnu, and the Xiongnu will also develop rapidly.

Relying on the advantageous terrain of mountains and rivers, the Xiongnu could use more efficient and brutal means to break up the stubborn resistance of the Han nobles in the territory, integrate these people, and emerge a force stronger than Shatuo Li Keyong in advance.

Therefore, no matter whether he or the emperor's carriage was under the pretext of a northern expedition, or whether they went through the Chenguan Pass to Luoyang, they would be hunted by the Huns!

For the Huns, this was a hunt!
For the Huns, the most difficult thing to deal with in Hedong was the various cities. Actively attacking and plundering them was too inefficient and risky.

It would also arouse the vigilance and extreme hostility of the powerful people in Hedong and Taiyuan, leading to the outbreak of high-intensity friction in advance, which would be detrimental to the Xiongnu's recuperation and recovery.

Both the Han nobles and the Xiongnu who migrated south grew stronger through friction and preyed on the helpless lower-class people.

Now that the opportunity has come, and he can swallow himself up in one gulp, there is naturally no need to weigh or worry about any of the Han powerful people.

Gold is not important, and even the emperor is not particularly important. What is important is that under my own push, this decisive battle broke out ahead of time.

Perhaps the reason why the imperial court was able to escape successfully through the Chenguan Pass in history was that natural disasters caused the Huns to lose their mobility, and the scale of the imperial court's migrating team was very small.

Before the Huns could react, they passed between Beijiang and Yicheng... It may also be that the imperial court was too small and did not have many vehicles, so it did not need to rely on the highway and could walk eastward along the cliffs of Zijin Mountain, thus avoiding the Huns' detection.

"The Xiongnu have a large number of troops. I withdrew the garrison of Jingcheng yesterday. The city has been occupied by the Xiongnu."

The candidate pointed to the northeast and saw a small city in the distance, right where the highway must pass.

He explained, "With too few soldiers in Jingcheng, we can't defend it. If too many soldiers are surrounded, they'll be short of food and fodder, making it difficult to hold out for long. After consulting with Li Bocheng, I voluntarily gave it up, burned down the gates and houses, and retreated to Beijiang, gathering my men to hold on."

"My mission for you two is to defend Beijiang. If Jingcheng is lost, it will not affect the overall situation."

Zhao Ji took the map from Han Shu, spread it out, and asked, "How is Tang City?"

Tangcheng was located on the north bank of the Huishui River, between Beijiang and Yicheng, and was also garrisoned by Hou Xuan and Li Kan, while Yicheng, upstream of the Huishui River, was guarded by Liu Fu and Wei Xing.

Yicheng was a larger city, and the city had fallen into disrepair, but its foundation was excellent. As long as the city gates were closed, the Huns could only watch helplessly.

Hold on to Yicheng, and the imperial army will never be able to escape quietly.

Near Yicheng, there are many farms that were annexed by the Hou family. They are all excellent paddy fields. The nearby swamps are overgrown with reeds and hide various boats that have been collected.

At this time, Li Kan replied: "Reporting to the Minister, Tangcheng is guarded by my brother Li Yan, who has 700 volunteers and has received food and fodder allocated by Minister Liu. It is enough to hold out for 20 days."

"I will never forget his contribution in defending Tang City for twenty days."

Zhao Ji responded and made a promise in public.

He looked down at the map again and smiled, "I like to fight a war like this. If the Xiongnu eat up all the young crops on both sides of the Fen River, what else will they eat?"

The candidate asked, "Does the Minister want to fight the Xiongnu?"

"The Xiongnu are fierce but difficult to sustain. If I do not fight them, they will have no choice but to attack. I must use stillness to control movement and strike back to gain the upper hand."

Zhao Ji handed the map to the candidates. "Look, the two bandits, Li and Guo, are attacking the Su clan in Pingling. Once they're defeated, they'll send their troops to attack Hedong. Ma Wan, Cheng Yi, Cheng Yin in Fenyin, and even my father stationed in Puban, can hold out for over a month. Most of the surrounding counties have already relocated their people and cleared the land. Optimistically, we still have another month and a half."

By the time May arrived, the beginning of summer, Li Jue and Guo Si's strongest heavily armored troops were no longer able to fight in armor, and their ability to attack was even weaker.

After a long expedition, the soldiers' resilience and fighting spirit declined.

Hou Xuan and Li Kan looked at the newly drawn map together, which was more accurate.

As the two men were looking at the map, a dozen knights came running from the north. The leader reined in his horse and shouted, "The Xiongnu cavalry are chasing us, there are no less than a hundred of them!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji asked Han Shu, "How many people are we?"

"No less than a hundred!" "Then what are you hesitating about? Blow the horn!"

Zhao Ji beamed with joy. After he shouted his orders, Han Shu took out his horn and blew it. Zhao Ji then asked Hou Xuan and Li Kan, "Would you like to test the abilities of the Xiongnu with me?"

"I wish to follow the Minister to kill the thief!"

The two men agreed readily, and Zhao Ji immediately jumped down from the twelve-foot-high earthen wall. The loess under the wall was loose, and he fell straight down, his hard boots sinking two or three inches into the ground.

However, he was calm and looked back at Hou Xuan and Li Kan as if nothing had happened. The two were also wearing heavy armor, the kind of armor that could survive a hundred battles.

The two men were very tactful and walked from the high place to the gap before squatting and jumping off the wall.

When they hurried to meet Zhao Ji, Zhao Ji had already boarded the chariot.

His chariot was specially made, with slots on the shaft to facilitate his archery.

When the vehicle stops, the support frame will be lowered to maintain the stability of the vehicle platform.

In order to make it easier for him to shoot arrows, there are slots in the railings on all four sides of the carriage, into which a special large shield can be inserted.

Seeing that Zhao Ji was riding a chariot instead of a horse, the candidate wanted to dissuade him, but he felt that it was not appropriate.

In a horse-riding battle, even if you lose, you can quickly escape.

If the chariot got stuck, or the horses pulling it were frightened, injured, and lost control, the entire chariot would lose its ability to move.

As a result, the two heavily armored drivers, as well as the nearby Tiger Knights and mounted slaves, all looked as if this was the way it should be and were eager to try.

After Hou Xuan and Li Kan mounted their horses and rejoined their guards, Zhao Ji said to the group of knights who had returned from the reconnaissance, "Your horses are running out. Return to Beijiang and have Xu Gongming send a hundred cavalrymen to meet you."

As he spoke, he took out a bronze and engraved token and handed it to the leading sergeant. Without hesitation, the group of lightly armed cavalry turned around and galloped towards the military camp outside Beijiang City.

Zhao Ji looked around at the hundred or so riders around him, raised his hand and untied the ropes on his neck guard. The four layers of neck armor fell down, revealing only his eyebrows and nose bridge. "Kill thirty or fifty of them, take advantage of them, and then run away. Don't pursue them!"

"Here!"

"Bang the drum!"

Zhao Ji shouted, and on another drum cart, a drummer wearing double-crotch armor immediately beat a melody with a slow rhythm and mixed accents.

More than a hundred cavalrymen surrounded Zhao Ji's chariot and drove towards the road. Then they saw more than a hundred Hun cavalrymen coming from the north of the road, raising a cloud of dust. No one knew whether there were more cavalrymen behind the dust.

Zhao Ji squinted his eyes and observed, touched the old cowhide ring on his right thumb, and glanced at the modified quiver in the carriage.

Each pot contained twenty arrows, and they were the type that could be hung diagonally across the chest, making it easier for him to shoot quickly.

If it is inconvenient to wear a quiver, it doesn’t matter. These quivers can be hung on the inside of the shield, and you can just reach out and grab the arrow and shoot.

There were a total of twenty pots in the entire carriage!
There are even five spare strong bows.

The Huns coming from the north were mostly cavalry, and their cavalry were hidden in the second echelon or even in the third echelon.

They would pass through from both wings when the cavalry were shooting arrows, and then fight after the cavalry got close.

Zhao Ji's chariot rushed in the front and stopped when it was two hundred steps away. The two tiger soldiers following him dismounted and immediately struggled to lift the shaft of the chariot and straighten the support.

When the chariot was stable, Zhao Ji pulled the bow to its full extent and fired decisively forward.

At this time, the more than one hundred cavalrymen who were fifty steps behind him also galloped at full speed, drew their bows, and were ready to release their bows before galloping in a circle, waiting for an opportunity to turn around and shoot again.

The thirty or so cavalrymen rode slowly, waiting for the best moment to charge.

The candidate held the spear at an angle, assessing the situation and looking for the best time and angle to charge.

At this time, the Huns had not yet changed their formation. The horseman in the front was hit by an arrow and fell a hundred steps away from Zhao Ji's chariot.

Before this man could be trampled by the knights behind him, a knight behind him fell off his horse.

Seeing this, the candidate felt relieved and no longer cared about the opportunity to fight. The most important thing was to go forward and hold back the Xiongnu cavalry to ensure the environment for Zhao Ji's archery!
He immediately swung his spear forward, kicked the horse hard, and led the cavalry to charge.

During the charge, the Hun knights in the distance fell one after another, and they wished that the horses under them could grow four more legs!

Amid the faint sound of drums, Hou Xuan was the first to rush to the Xiongnu cavalry group, stabbing one of them with the spear in his hand, and his subordinates followed behind him on horseback and advanced in a line.

They immediately brandished their spears and halberds to engage in a melee with the Xiongnu cavalry, while the cavalry on both sides had already broken away from the team and were running in circles in the wastelands on both sides of the road, shooting arrows.

Zhao Ji remained calm and shot out arrows one after another.

With him as the center, the Xiongnu cavalry within a radius of thirty steps were quickly eliminated, and then the Xiongnu cavalry within a fan-shaped area of fifty steps to the north were defeated one after another.

When he was about to clear out the Xiongnu cavalry within seventy steps, the Xiongnu cavalry and rangers were defeated and turned around and ran away.

(End of this chapter)