Tiger Guards

Chapter 503 No news
On the southern battlefield, after the battle, the battlefield was cleaned up and the merits were examined.

After a busy afternoon, Zhang He, Han Meng, and Zhu Ling, having received their military merit certificates signed by Protector General Zhang Chang, sat together around the campfire outside the central command tent to warm themselves.

Zhu Ling remained silent. Zhang He listened intently to the occasional discussions coming from inside the tent, then whispered to Han Meng, "Yuan Xun, judging from the intentions of the Commander-in-Chief and the Protector-General, they have no intention of attacking Gao Nu."

Han Meng frowned: "Without receiving orders from the Grand Marshal, how can we act on our own?"

Seeing that Han Meng was unwilling, Zhang He could only sigh deeply, feeling regretful.

Han Meng was also helpless; the rebellious Qiang had been repelled, but not completely annihilated.

If we maintain the current defensive posture, even if the Qiang rebels come back again, we can still repel them.

Even if they cannot achieve merit, they can still maintain the overall integrity of the army.

Continuing north would bring even more risks; and staying here to stalemate with the rebellious Qiang, with both sides camping in the open, would be difficult for both sides.

If they were to advance even to the vicinity of Gaonu City, the Qiang rebels would have better conditions for encampment and rest, and their morale, boosted by the desire to protect their homeland, would become even more difficult to deal with.

And now, the Qiang tribes are also suffering from the cold, so their morale is not high.

Therefore, Duan Wei and Zhang Chang's decisions cannot be said to be wrong, but rather that they were too conservative.

The reason Zhang He felt regret was that he could not determine whether the main force of the Qiang rebels who participated in the war would stay or leave.

We are not afraid of the main force of the Qiang lingering, but we are worried that the Qiang will leave behind a feint force so that the main force can go north and attack the Grand Marshal from both sides.

It wasn't that Zhang He was worried about the Grand Marshal's defeat; he was simply worried about not gaining any merit in this battle.

If we were to analyze the situation after the war, it would be laughable that the more than 14,000 men on the southern route were misled by several thousand Qiang rebels and blocked south of Gaonu, thus missing the decisive battle in the north.

Han Meng didn't want to challenge Duan Wei's command authority until a higher-level order arrived; Zhu Ling, in particular, didn't want to offend anyone.

Zhang He was outnumbered and outgunned, so he could only endure it in silence.

Seeing that Han Meng and Zhu Ling had no intention of taking the lead while they were warming themselves by the fire, Zhang He did not linger. He immediately put on his gloves and led his personal guards and cavalry to withdraw from the main camp.

Han Meng and Zhu Ling had no intention of visiting Duan Wei or Zhang Chang again, and they also left one after another.

Seeing the three generals from Hebei withdraw, Duan Wei inside the main tent also breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that we have lost contact with the central army, even if we want to advance, we cannot do so today or tomorrow.

He couldn't explain too much in detail; top military secrets are probably only mentioned in a sentence or two.

It is difficult to determine the strength or weakness of the nearby Qiang tribes. If he keeps his troops stationed here, the Qiang tribes will also be unable to determine his strength or weakness.

Duan Wei stood sideways at the tent entrance, glancing at the three Hebei generals as they departed, before returning to the tent and saying, "Under the Grand Marshal's formidable authority, none of them dared to act recklessly."

Zhang Chang was also warming himself by the fire, with wheat cakes laid out beside the hearth. He was scraping the charred edges with a knife, making a creaking sound: "Is the Commander certain that the bandits will set an ambush?"

"If I were in your shoes, I would set an ambush."

Duan Wei walked over to the fire pit, squatted down, took a piece of wheat cake, broke it open and took a bite: "No matter what they do, if I don't move, they won't dare to attack. Our army will be in an invincible position. It's not too late to set off after the wounded are transported away."

The three generals from Hebei had confidence in Zhao Jizhong's army, and Duan Wei also had confidence in him.

He would rather have fewer merits in this battle on the southern route than lose the majority of his officers and soldiers.

The Qiang tribesmen who had gathered in the front had few options: they could either set up an ambush, retreat to Gaonu to rest and regroup, continue to hold their ground against him, or send their main force rapidly north to join other Qiang and Hu tribesmen in attacking the Grand Marshal.

The Qiang and Hu troops had a fatal flaw in mountain warfare: they lacked resilience and the courage to sacrifice themselves first in order to obey the overall situation under strict military orders.

The characteristic of the various Hu tribes is that they are good at fighting when the wind is favorable. In other words, the more Hu tribes gather, the more only a few elites can actually fight and play a role in the limited battlefield.

If they are defeated, according to the custom of the various Hu tribes, they will often avoid casualties and flee.

It wasn't that they lacked the courage to continue fighting, but rather that they lacked a leader with high authority to command them. Therefore, their attempts to avoid battle and retreat often turned into routs.

In other words, even if the Qiang tribes were to send their main force north to join the pincer attack, they would find it difficult to exert their full fighting power.

Staying here, on the contrary, will keep them at bay.

The decisive battle in the north is the key. If the leader of the rebellious Qiang on the other side has any sense of the big picture, he will send reinforcements to the northern battlefield and will not fight him with all his might.

Last night's attack and pincer movement both failed, so the enemy naturally cannot engage in direct combat again.

In short, Duan Wei did not want to take his troops too far into danger and wanted to wait at least two more days to gather more reconnaissance information before making a decision.

Zhang Chang understood Duan Wei's attitude; his purpose in coming to oversee the southern armies was to mediate the conflict between the Guanzhong and Hebei troops.

The three generals from Hebei all held back, so Zhang Chang naturally wouldn't jump out to argue with Duan Wei about where the battle opportunity lay.

Given Zhang Chang's family's educational background, a major battle like this should have lasted until around the first month of the lunar calendar, so there was no need to rush it for just two or three days.

Only by preserving the integrity of the Southern Route Army can it play a role in subsequent battles.

The two ate their wheat cakes without discussing military matters. Night was approaching in the Sheyan royal court.

The snow outside the royal court stretched as far as the eye could see, with mountains and forests all shrouded in white.

The light refracted, and the full moon hung in the sky, making the royal court and its surroundings as bright as day.

When Zhao Ji returned from his patrol, he took out a bronze mirror and looked at himself. He saw that the white breath he exhaled was condensing between his eyebrows and eyelashes, and was quickly dissolving and fading away.

After putting away the bronze mirror, Wei Kai handed over a wooden tablet: "Your Majesty, General Dang Kou reports that the Xianbei army has passed the Yulin Pass and is advancing towards Fushi."

Zhao Ji picked up the wooden tablet and went to the fire wall to read the military letter. Seeing that Zhang Liao had reported a lot of information, he said, "The Xiongnu cavalry have scattered and looted in all directions. The fodder stored by the small tribes of various Hu peoples near the highway has been burned to ashes. This is a good thing. If the Xianbei have 20,000 or 30,000 cavalry, it will be difficult for them to hold out for long. They will definitely seek a quick battle."

Wei Kai nodded, expressing his concern: "There's still no news from the Southern Route Army. Should we send someone to investigate?"

"It's difficult. In winter, we can only travel south along the Qin Straight Road. How can we avoid being ambushed by the various barbarian tribes?"

Zhao Ji sat down, and at this moment Guan Shang brought over a plate of food. Zhao Ji placed it on his lap, picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, and chewed it: "There's no need to waste the lives of the officers and soldiers. The fact that there's no news from the Southern Route Army is actually good news."

If the southern army were ambushed and routed, the furthest distance would be only about 300 li, and there would certainly be knights breaking out to the north to warn them.

For an army to march over 300 li, it would take at least two days, and normally four or five days.

But for routed soldiers and cavalry, it was only a day and a night's journey.

When people are fleeing for their lives, they can unleash not only their own potential but also the potential of their mounts.

Anyway, Zhao Ji didn't expect the Southern Route Army to bring him any surprises.

They fought a decisive battle against the Xianbei at Fushi, joined forces with the vanguard, and, including the two volunteer armies that were rapidly assembling, had more than 30,000 infantry and cavalry.

More than 30,000 people are enough to fight a decisive battle; any more would be meaningless.

Even if we pursue the fleeing troops, adding another 20,000 men wouldn't significantly increase our gains.

After finishing his meal, Zhao Ji focused on eating. Only after finishing did he say, "Order the entire army to rest and not move tomorrow."

Guan Shang, who was rubbing his hands together in anticipation and surging with excitement, was taken aback: "Not moving?"

“I’m afraid of scaring the Xianbei away. I need to give them enough time to gather their forces.”

Zhao Ji went to the quiet room and looked at the sand table map: "Not only tomorrow, but also the day after tomorrow. No matter how bad Xu Gongming and his two generals are, they can hold out for five days. In these two days, the whole army will eat well and accumulate strength. I will crush the Xianbei people with one punch."

Guan Shang also looked at the sand table map. He could now understand maps, troop deployments, and movements.

After thinking for a moment, Guan Shang asked, "Should we ask the strategist?"

"Don't disturb the strategist's rest. Let's ask him again tomorrow morning."

Zhao Ji gave a warning: the central army group should remain stationary for another purpose, namely, to support the southern army.

Wait two more days, and news will surely come from the south.

Even without news, it confirms that there is a considerable number of mixed Hu (non-Han) forces in the south, indirectly proving that the mixed Hu forces in the three counties around Fushi are of limited size and are most likely fighting against the Xianbei.

As for the Xiongnu volunteer troops, let them hold off the various Hu tribes in the three commanderies.

Just as Guan Shang was about to reply, he heard Jia Xu's distinctive footsteps. Jia Xu entered, wearing a bear fur cloak.

Without saying much, he first glanced at the sand table and asked, "Any news from the southern route?"

Zhao Ji stepped aside to greet him: "No, it seems to be good news."

"The Grand Marshal is optimistic."

Jia Xu approached the sand table and said, "I am so preoccupied with military matters that I cannot sleep at night. We need to guard against the southern barbarian tribes moving north, as this will hinder the central army from joining the battle in the north."

As he spoke, Jia Xu reached out and grabbed the wooden chessboard of the Qiang soldiers near Gaonu City, placing it to the southwest of the Sheyan Royal Court, across the Sheyan River.

The Sheyan River has not yet frozen, so it is currently impossible to swim across.

Zhao Ji looked at the war game pieces that Jia Xu had moved, then reached out and picked up Xiangli Bao's war game piece from the Mengmen and placed it in the Sheyan royal court: "The southern army can hold off at least ten thousand men, and only ten thousand infantry and cavalry can advance north. Xiangli Bao's chariots and infantry are stationed in camps and can protect the army's supplies."

The Xiongnu people within the royal court would not stand idly by while the Qiang tribes burned the fodder; they would also participate in the defense.

Even if the Qiang tribes from the south managed to cross the river, it would not be easy for them to capture the royal camp.

In the decisive battles against the various Hu tribes, the vanguard could never commit too many troops; the main force was still needed to defend key points.

Therefore, in this battle, his frontline nodes were Mengmen and Sheyan Royal Court; the third node was in the Chencang area.

Zhang Xiu, Jia Tong, and Pei Mao, stationed around Chencang in the Three Auxiliary Regions, would switch to an offensive strategy if the Qiang tribes were defeated and retreated. They would head north to Longshan, pass Jieting, and intercept the retreating Hu tribes.

(End of this chapter)