Tiger Guards

Chapter 250: Blocking the Way
"That's Minister Zhao?"

Zhang Yan arrived with over a hundred cavalrymen. He dismounted and walked into the camp. He saw a young man in a brocade robe kneeling on the ground writing something, with the battle flag of "Tiger Guards Lieutenant General" standing not far behind him.

"That's Zhang Zan, the military commander of Hongnong."

Zhao Fan explained, extended his arms in invitation, and led Zhang Yan to the big tent.

The military officers gathered outside the tent had dispersed. Inside the tent, Zhao Ji was chewing a wheat cake with big mouthfuls, with grilled horse meat slices in front of him.

Frying and grilling meat slices is the fastest way to cook cooked food.

More than a dozen people ate heartily. When they heard Zhang Yan coming, Zhao Ji also stood up to greet him and sat at the top with Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan was a little uncomfortable. He could accept Zhao Ji's youth and strength, but he could not accept Zhao Ji's unusual bravery. There was a sense of destiny that he did not like.

It’s not that I hate Zhao Ji, but I don’t like the saying that appearance is determined by the heart and talent is gifted by heaven.

Good women were seized and captured by the wealthy and powerful, and presented to higher-ranking families one after another.

Even good-looking men would be recruited by the wealthy and powerful... So since the Qin and Han Dynasties, people could basically judge the background of men and women by their appearance.

Those with outstanding appearance among the common people will also be understood as the descendants of nobles.

Of course, there are also some well-off families who have been unable to improve their appearance even after several generations.

Such families have enough influence to be more discriminated against, and family unity can actually lower the appearance of the surrounding wealthy families.

The rebellions at the end of the Qin Dynasty and the Xinmang Dynasty were both too short, so resources such as excellent appearance were extremely concentrated.

This is a precious talent that cannot be improved through learning. As soon as the lower class appears, they will be absorbed by the wealthy families, and the second generation will be good enough to move up.

Except for those families that prosper in just a few generations, the appearance of families with more than five generations has basically improved.

It was the repeated chaos in the world that allowed the genes for excellent appearance to spread widely.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, appearance...was an alternative form of identification.

Basically, you can judge the other person's ancestry when you meet them for the first time... When the accuracy rate exceeds half, it naturally becomes an inherent cognition.

A handsome person flees... and being taken in by civilians is itself a form of cooperation.

Zhang Yan was now in his prime, with a strong and powerful appearance, but he remained composed and bowed. "The Yuan clan has deployed troops on three fronts, and Yuan Shao is personally leading 50,000 troops north. The armies are feeling uneasy. I wonder how many reinforcements the Minister has sent?"

"General Zhang, don't you know that Zhao never fights a battle with an advantageous wind?"

Zhao Ji grabbed a dagger and sliced the barbecue. "I need to go check on the situation of Yuan's army in Gengxiang before making any decision. But with me guarding the rear, General Zhang and his troops can retreat calmly."

Hearing this, Zhang Yan was unwilling to accept it: "Are we going to evacuate so easily this year?"

"Gongsun Zan is sharpening his minions. Now that he has exhausted his strength in fighting the Yuan family, what will happen if Gongsun Zan marches south?"

Zhao Ji asked in return, "General Zhang, do you think the great families of Hebei will fight to the death against Gongsun Zan?"

Zhang Yan remained silent. He was naturally aware of the heritage of the big families in Hebei. In order to continue the family lineage, they would naturally abandon Yuan Shao and support Gongsun Zan.

The conditions were probably that the coalition forces would expel the Montenegrin tribes and not allow them to return home.

Seeing that Zhang Yan remained silent, Zhao Ji cut the wheat cake, picked up the chopped horse meat and put it into his mouth, chewing it happily, and occasionally picked up the wine bowl to take a sip.

A military officer also brought Zhang Yan the same meal, and Zhang Yan asked, "Are you planning to engage Yuan's army in Gengxiang?"

Zhao Ji swallowed and said, "Since we're already there, we must fight. I'll lead over 200 cavalry, and General Zhang will lead another 100 or 200, making a total of 500. I want to see if Qian Zhao dares to come out of the camp and fight me."

Zhang Yan has no shortage of cavalry, as the valley is suitable for raising horses. In addition, the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan tribes from Shanggu, Daijun, and Yanmen have come to help in the battle. Currently, there are more than 3,000 Hu servant knights.

These servant knights are not capable of fighting tough battles. They come here to fight with the wind and can run faster than anyone else.

After the meal, each of them prepared their sharp cavalry.

Zhao Ji did not select the soldiers himself, but left it to Wei Xing.

It was not difficult for Wei Xing to just select elite cavalry.

The large group of people still need to rest and recuperate. Anyway, if they go to fight Wuji, Yuan Xi won't be able to escape.

Zhao Ji, on the other hand, used his skills to speed up digestion in order to restore his strength and spirit.

This is the first battle I will be fighting with Zhao Yun and Zhang Yan, so I must perform well.

Especially Zhang Yan, it left an indelible impression on Zhang Yan, and even though they were separated in the future, it also allowed Zhang Yan to maintain a stable state.

It took only three or four quarters of an hour for the skill to work, and Zhao Ji's feeling of fullness disappeared. He walked out of the tent in high spirits.

Wei Xing had already finished assigning his troops and handed over a newly transcribed scroll of bamboo slips: "Minister, I have selected 286 men, each with a pair of horses."

Zhao Ji looked through the list of elite cavalrymen selected this time. Wei Xing continued, "Lieutenant Zhao has selected seventy-six cavalrymen. Together with the cavalrymen selected by General Zhang, there are approximately five hundred and thirty cavalrymen. All are equipped with two horses. After the Minister of the Interior sends out the attack, I will lead five hundred cavalrymen to meet them in half an hour."

"can."

Each person has two horses. The running horses they are equipped with come from the five hundred cavalry assigned to Zhao Yun. The various horses brought by the large group need to be rested.

Zhao Ji could afford the losses during the march and avoided them if possible.

It’s just that the warhorse ridden during the battle is the cavalry’s own horse.

War horses enjoy extremely high treatment and must follow their masters into battle at such times.

Otherwise, if the warhorse is replaced without any adjustment, the knight's performance, especially the horse archery skills, will be unstable.

After checking the list, Zhao Ji gave it to Zhang Zan for safekeeping. This would be used as a reference file for post-war evaluations. More than twenty miles downstream, Yuan's troops were spread out on both sides of the river.

In Geng Township on the north bank, a layer of fence has been erected, trenches have been dug outside, and wooden spikes have been laid.

About ten miles northeast of Gengxiang, on the south bank of the Hutuo River, there is another simple camp. This is Qian Zhao's Wuhuan cavalry camp.

Qian Zhao was a clerk in the Right General's staff, a position similar to that of the envoy Xu Xun. Their specific duties depended on how they were dispatched, so the difference between them was significant.

He was born in Guanjin, Anping State, and was good at negotiating with the various Hu peoples. He was used by Yuan Shao to command the Wuhuan cavalry, which was different from the Youzhou Han and Hu knights under Yuan Xi.

When the smoke of war rose from Baoduzhai, Qian Zhao increased the frequency of scout reconnaissance.

When more than 500 cavalrymen rushed to Gengxiang, Qian Zhao was the first to learn about it and reported it to Wuji, 30 miles to the northeast.

At about 3:30 in the afternoon, Zhao Ji and more than 500 cavalry arrived at Gengxiang.

In Geng Township, we saw flags with Chinese and Yuan characters flying, as well as banners with the words "Right General's Front Duty" and a not-so-big "Front Guard Captain Wen" flag.

Zhao Jile stepped forward and observed the defensive fortifications of Gengxiang. He could only say that they were average, with no structure that caught his eye.

Sometimes, neat and tidy fortifications... although there is nothing wrong with it, they cannot play any special role.

Building zigzag fortifications according to the undulating terrain can actually make the defense more efficient.

Even some areas can be deliberately arranged in a simple manner to attract enemy troops to attack so as to cause casualties.

Everyone has different strengths and focuses. Some people are good at laying out defensive fortifications.

As long as you see more, you will naturally learn and make it your own.

Zhao Yun pointed to an arrow tower and said, "Minister, the enemy general Wen Chou is guarding Geng Township. That's him."

Zhao Ji estimated that the distance between them was only about 120 steps, so he jumped off his horse and stretched out his left hand.

Chang Mao handed over the strong bow. Zhao Ji grabbed the bow and picked up the arrow. He judged the wind direction according to the height of the defenders' flag. He pulled the bow to its full length and released the long arrow into the air.

Inside the arrow tower, Wen Chou was in his prime, with an exquisite beard.

Seeing the arrow flying towards him, he actually reached out to grab it.

He barely managed to catch the arrow, and when he raised his hand he saw the words "Arrow used by Zhao Hou" engraved near the arrowhead. He then threw the arrow under the arrow tower, took out a strong bow, pulled the bowstring to full length, and shot at Zhao Ji.

Zhao Yun rode his horse forward from the side of Zhao Ji, flicked the spear in his hand, and deflected the arrow.

The arrow rose into the air and vibrated, and Zhao Yun reached out and grabbed it as it fell.

Zhang Yan saw that the arrow had little force and did not fly far, so he laughed and said, "Wen Chou's arrow is weak, not as good as the Shizhong's superb archery."

"No matter how weak you are, you are still a sharpshooter and cannot be neglected."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he took out arrows, drew his bow, and shot at the arrow tower.

Wen Chou decisively dodged and jumped down from the arrow tower without resisting.

In the blink of an eye, five arrows were nailed to the arrow tower one after another.

Seeing this, the nearby Yuan army retreated.

Upon seeing this, the accompanying knights who were good at archery galloped forward, turned after an interval of fifty or sixty steps, and shot arrows. In this way, each person shot an arrow and then returned.

Even with such provocation, Wen Chou's troops held their ground and refused to move forward.

On the south bank of the river, the front commander, Ju Su, ascended a height to observe the situation. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Send a message to the north bank: the enemy cavalry is in high spirits and must not be engaged."

At this time, Qian Zhao led more than a thousand cavalrymen and slowly approached the Gengxiang battlefield.

In order to facilitate grazing horses, Qian Zhao's troops set up camp elsewhere; the Wuhuan people under his command also had no tradition of building strong camps.

Therefore, Qian Zhao's coming here allowed him to unite with Wen Chou and avoid being isolated.

At this time, the knights brought by Zhao Ji began to change their horses, facing Qian Zhao's troops, and formed a large horizontal formation.

Qian Zhao had the advantage in military strength and was not afraid of fighting, so he formed a wider horizontal formation.

Due to the special nature of this battle, Qian Zhao did not take the initiative to negotiate, but just stood three miles away, quietly waiting for Zhao Ji's attack.

Zhao Ji changed his horses and said to Zhang Yan, "You and I will split into two groups. Lieutenant Zilong and I will attack directly at the battle flag of their main formation. General Zhang can just harass and engage them."

"Here!"

Zhang Yan responded generously and loudly. If someone else came, Zhang Yan would be forced to take the lead.

After watching Zhang Yan leave, Zhao Ji turned his head to look at Zhao Yun, who was as silent as a steel puppet. "I know the lieutenant is quite friendly with Liu Xuande, the governor of Xuzhou. The general we're facing, Qian Zhao, is Liu Xuande's best friend from childhood, and we're ready to die for him. I won't shoot him, at most I'll shoot his horse. If we can capture him alive, then so be it."

"Yun obeys."

Zhao Yun responded in a deep voice, without even turning his head, his eyes fixed on the location of Qian Zhao's battle flag.

In this battle, Zhao Ji had about 200 cavalrymen, and the rest were cavalrymen mainly from the Yicong group.

Zhang Yan's troops were also a mixture of cavalry and assault cavalry, so they could move freely during battle.

The terrain on the south bank of the Hutuo River is flat and the soil is relatively soft, which is very suitable for large cavalry charges and melees.

Compared to previous battles, this was the first true full-mountain battle.

(End of this chapter)