Tiger Guards

Chapter 257: Brave and Clumsy
"Wait for my command!"

In the Gengxiang camp, Wen Chou drove his horse behind the wall, staring at the Black Mountain soldiers who were slowly approaching from the front.

Wen Chou shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to make his voice as loud as possible.

The defenders' drums beat at a slow tempo, without any other noise, and they just waited quietly.

The front-line infantry of the Montenegrin Army on the opposite side wore heavy armor and carried large wooden shields. Although their equipment was crude, their morale was high.

When they were within seventy steps, the archers in the Black Mountain army array began to shoot arrows.

This density of arrows did not cause any obvious damage to Wen Chou's troops. The defenders crouched behind an obstacle, waiting for Wen Chou's orders.

Wen Chou was wearing a deerskin glove with woven armor plates on his left hand. When he saw an arrow shooting towards him, Wen Chou instinctively flicked his hand away.

His horse was well-equipped, so even if an arrow hit the side or the horse, it would usually bounce off and fall to the ground.

"Hebei has many armored officers, and ordinary bows and crossbows are of no use."

Zhao Ji watched the battle from a distance. Wei Xing came closer and sighed, "If we want a large-scale battle, we must gather the Tiger Infantry to fight."

"This is also the reason why I avoided a decisive battle with Yuan Shao."

Zhao Ji observed the battle carefully and saw that the five Black Mountain troops participating in the battle were approaching one after another, but the archers of Yuan's army waited until the Black Mountain troops got close before launching intensive bursts of fire. Just by relying on this instantaneous killing, they were able to curb the offensive of the Black Mountain troops.

The wounded Montenegrin soldiers retreated regardless of everything, and some Montenegrin soldiers broke away from the team to support and carry the wounded to evacuate.

It was obvious that Wen Chou's officers and soldiers had experienced many battles, and this time their concentrated shooting focused on killing and wounding the vanguard officers and combat backbones of the Black Mountain Army, directly interrupting the Black Mountain Army's offensive order.

When these combat backbones retreated, they led more and more Montenegrin troops to evacuate. Few people could reach the fences or deer horns, and thus had no way to destroy the defenders' fortifications.

Zhao Ji watched for a moment, then asked his attendants, "If you had 5,000 soldiers, how would you attack the enemy in Gengxiang?"

Ximen Jian immediately said, "Five thousand soldiers are not enough. Give me twenty thousand."

He gestured with his hand. "I will dig a trench and build a stockade one hundred and fifty paces outside Gengxiang. Then, I will tamp the stockade with earth to form a dam. Then, a diversion channel will be dug a dozen miles upstream to collect water and submerge the enemy camp in Gengxiang."

The terrain is relatively flat and cannot be attacked by water, so it can only be flooded.

Wei Xing said, "The Yuanjie water attack is taking too long, and there are disturbances in the south. If it were me, I would follow the Shizhong's strategy for attacking Huguan. I would build earthen hills and high mounds, and scatter the enemy camps with strong bows and crossbows. Within three days, their soldiers will be exhausted, and then we can launch a strong attack."

Zhao Ji did not comment, but asked Han Shu and Chang Mao: "What do you two think?"

Han Shu thought for a moment and said, "Jushou on the south bank has a large number of boats. I plan to build rafts of wood and reeds upstream and burn their boats. This way, although the enemy in Gengxiang is only able to watch over the south bank, they will be isolated and will be easily captured."

Chang Mao said, "I see a trench in Gengxiang, with a layer of antlers. If a thousand warriors, wearing two layers of armor, could charge at one point, they would be able to break through the fortifications and get in."

Zhao Ji turned to look at Gao Yanglong, who was holding the flag behind him. Gao Yanglong thought for a moment and said, "Wait until the north wind blows hard, and then attack with fire."

Many people looked at him, and Gao Yanglong said, "It's not the time for the north wind to blow hard yet, and the wind direction is hard to predict. The Black Mountain troops are running low on food, and Yuan Shao's army is approaching. It will be difficult to wait for the strong north wind."

"Yes, there is insufficient food storage."

Zhao Ji also felt helpless. Now that the Montenegrin Army had withdrawn, they could store more food for the winter.

If we continue to hold out here, people and horses will suffer from hunger and stagnation... Unless we transport food from Shangdang and Taiyuan, fifteen or twenty days will be the limit for us to hold out.

When the battle was about to begin, the soldiers had to eat seven to eight liters of rations every day; the horses didn't even have time to eat grass.

During battle, grass was mixed into the horses' fodder simply to make it easier to digest grains and legumes.

If possible, I would like the horses to eat pure concentrate directly.

Only after the troops retreated could the horses graze, saving this part of the grain, and the human rations could be reduced to five or six liters.

To be honest, Zhao Ji looked down upon the manpower of the Black Mountain Army. After living in the mountains for more than ten years, the Black Mountain Army had a harsh living environment. Although there were many brave and strong men, there were too few of them.

The large-scale military training in Jinyang only strengthened military discipline, drill training, and replenished the soldiers' physical strength.

Even so, when marching and before fighting, they always tried to find ways to maintain and nourish the soldiers' physical fitness.

It was precisely because of the avoidance of meaningless physical exertion that after the Battle of Shangdang, the soldiers were actually stronger than when they left Jinyang.

As expected, the Montenegrin army soon organized a second round of attack, but was still repelled by Wen Chou.

This time, Wen Chou opened the camp gate and led hundreds of knights out to chase after them.

Zhang Yan also ordered his cavalry to advance and resist, but he still could not detain Wen Chou. Wen Chou even led a dozen brave cavalrymen to fight back and snatch back the bodies of the dead cavalrymen.

"Yan Liang and Wen Chou are the bravest of the three armies. The rumors are true." Zhao Ji commented. At this time, he saw dust rising in the south. He turned his head and saw that the main force of Yuan army had arrived. One wave after another approached the south bank. The flags of each formation were like a forest. Chariots, knights, shield formations, spears and halberds were in front, and behind them were dense flags and infantry.

At this time, Yuan Shao's chariots also arrived at the shore, and the shield walls on both sides of the chariots formed a V-shaped goose formation, with the gap facing north.

Under the embroidered ochre flag, Yuan Shao sat upright on the chariot seat, squinting his eyes to examine Zhao Ben's formation on the opposite bank.

Zhao Ji dispatched 3,000 cavalrymen, divided into six formations of 500 cavalrymen, and dispersed them across the north bank.

The knights all dismounted to rest, or sleep, or make a fire and cook meals in front of the battle line. They were doing all kinds of things.

There was originally a wooden bridge between the two sides, but now only the bridgehead remains on both sides, and the wooden bridge has been demolished.

Yuan Shao watched the battle situation on the north bank and felt a little confused.

Zhao Ji gave him a very clear hint, that is, he did not form a new Jizhou state, nor did he send people to seize the prime ministers of Zhongshan and Changshan, which clearly showed that he did not want to get entangled with him.

In this case, why should we be so greedy and attack Gengxiang by force?

After observing for a moment, Yuan Shao asked his attendants, "How can we seize the north bank and repair the wooden bridge?"

Generals such as Yan Liang, Gao Lan, Sui Fen, Han Ju, Han Xun, and Ma Yan looked calm and observed the north bank, as if they were thinking about strategies and tactics.

Guo Tu leaned over and saluted. "My lord, the Zhao rebels' Bingzhou Hu cavalry are skilled in horseback archery. They intend to seize their position on the north bank. We should prepare numerous boats and use our powerful bows to counter their attacks. Furthermore, we should use the boats to transport carts, forming a circle around them to prevent the enemy cavalry from charging and trampling our territory."

It's not that we won't attack, but it takes time to collect enough ships.

Xu You also leaned over and bowed. "Your Excellency, you can send one army upstream to cut down trees and reeds, build 500 rafts, and float them downstream. These will be able to carry archers to seize the land on the north bank, and also build a floating bridge for knights to pass."

Not counting Ju Su and Wen Chou in the front, Yuan Shao's central army alone had more than 7,000 cavalry.

So theoretically, Yuan Shao was not afraid that Zhao Ji would launch a flank attack on him after crossing the river.

"Let Ziyuan do it. Ziyuan will lead the troops to camp upstream and be vigilant against any harassment from the Zhao bandits."

Yuan Shao acted decisively and immediately selected Han Ju from Yan Liang's six generals to cooperate with Xu You.

Xu You's detached army needed time to choose a camp site, and Yuan Shao also had to set up camp again.

It seems still early, but time is still running out.

Zhao Ji rushed to Wuji and defeated Yuan Xi in one night... This ability to destroy a camp must be taken seriously.

If there is enough time, it is also possible to build another barrier or trench outside the camp.

It is better to spend more time and have soldiers shed more sweat than to lose their lives.

On the north bank, Zhao Ji observed for a moment and said, "Yuan Shao has no intention of joining the battle, otherwise Ju Su would have rowed his boat upstream."

Gong Cao Zhang Zan immediately advised: "Lord Zhao, the Zhang Yan and Black Mountain armies are now in a difficult situation and are forcing the soldiers to fight to the death. Why not send messengers to inform the generals to withdraw their troops and return to camp, and then make a plan?"

"Okay, you choose a few people to convey my meaning."

Zhao Ji accepted the advice readily, but it was only to save face for Zhang Yan and others. Now these people were just like gamblers who had lost the bet, still wasting the lives of the soldiers meaninglessly.

If you hold on now, you will definitely regret it when you calm down later.

As Zhao Ji sent out envoys, the various units of the Black Mountain Army began to retreat back to the camp with their dead and wounded soldiers.

In order to cover their evacuation, Zhao Ji divided the cavalry into two teams, with Zhao Yun and Wei Xing keeping an eye on Geng Xiang on the left and right.

If Wen Chou dares to chase, these two cavalry teams will attack him from both sides.

As the Black Mountain Army on the north bank withdrew from the battlefield, Yuan Shao on the south bank also dispatched more troops to participate in the construction of the camp.

He had to be careful to guard against Zhao Ji's surprise attack. Even if the attack failed, it would make the officers and soldiers in each camp panic.

The soldiers were in a bad mental state and would become weak even if they were full and lying quietly.

Only by maintaining the soldiers in good condition can they exert their due combat effectiveness.

Yuan Shao acted cautiously and sent an envoy across the river to meet Zhao Ji that night.

If we can use words to hold Zhao Ji back until tomorrow, we won’t be afraid of Zhao Ji’s night attack.

If you want to negotiate, at least both sides must stand firm before they can negotiate.

(End of this chapter)