Tiger Guards

Chapter 631 Zhang County, Longxi
Liangzhou, the battlefield of Jincheng.

Before Wang Qi could arrive with the supplies, Zhang He, Yang Qiu, and Zhu Ling's three armies, which were encircled outside Jincheng, received a warning from Zhang Xiu.

While Zhu Ling was still hesitating, Yang Qiu took the lead in evacuating from Yuzhong in the east, and Zhang He burned the camp that very night and evacuated overnight.

After Zhang He withdrew more than 30 li, seeing that the daylight was bright enough to deceive the officers and soldiers in the camp, Zhu Lingcai began to lead his troops to break camp and burn the camp fortifications to prevent them from being used by the rebels.

With less than a quarter of the food supplies in Jincheng City consumed, the army was at its strongest.

Seeing the besieging army gradually withdrawing, the soldiers and civilians in the city were in an uproar, wishing they could go out of the city to chase and kill them... There was no real enmity between them, and most of them simply wanted to go out and beat the drowning dog and rob it.

In any case, all the losses suffered by the Zhao family were ultimately attributed to Han Sui.

On the walls of Jincheng, the north wind was blowing, and Han Sui suddenly sneezed.

He casually wiped the snot from his palms onto his cloak, rubbed his hands together, pulled the cloak tighter around himself, and squinted at the three infantry and cavalry units that were retreating in formation and covering the rear.

In reality, it was Zhu Ling who was responsible for covering the rear of the entire army. Zhu Ling also couldn't believe that Zhang He and Yang Qiu would send troops to meet him during the retreat.

Therefore, Zhu Ling, whose leadership style was ruthless and strict, could only arrange for his own troops to cover the rear, dividing them into three battalions to retreat in shifts and provide cover for each other.

Four other battalions of soldiers, carrying supplies, slowly withdrew eastward along the road.

"The officers and soldiers of Zhao's army were strictly disciplined. Even during the withdrawal, they were experienced and orderly, and were clearly an elite force."

Han Sui stood there for a long time, then raised his hand to wipe his nose with his sleeve, and stroked his beard, objectively analyzing the officials and soldiers of Zhu Ling's troops outside the city.

Yan Xing stood beside him, looking eager to lead his troops in pursuit.

It wasn't that Yan Xing hated Zhu Ling so much, but rather that news of the Xu Du court's campaign against Lü Zhao had been blocked through layers of secrecy, and Han Sui had been remotely appointed as General Who Conquers the West, Governor of Yongzhou, and Marquis of Yunwu County, with a fief of five thousand households.

Han Sui's promotion and title were not the reason why Yan Xing actively sought war... but rather because the court issued an edict to punish the two traitors, Lü and Zhao. He simply wanted to seize this opportunity to serve the court, make contributions, and then leave Liangzhou to serve in the court.

Seeing Yan Xing's anxious expression, Cheng Gongying immediately said, "What you say is very true, my lord. I also observed that Zhao's officers and soldiers are exceptionally elite. Zhu Ling and Zhang He are just unknown generals from Dongzhou, while Yang Qiu and Zhang Xiu are merely remnants of Dong Zhuo. These four belong to the east and west respectively. Although the allied forces have not made any outstanding moves, they have also left no room for error, surrounding us very tightly. It is clear that none of them are incompetent. If we rashly pursue them, we may be ambushed."

There are certain things Cheng Gongying cannot say in front of generals like Yan Xing.

If Yan Xing is allowed to lead his troops in pursuit, apart from Yang Qiu, whom they are more familiar with, the other three could easily defeat Yan Xing, or even lay an ambush and use stillness to control movement, thus severely injuring Yan Xing.

Yan Xing couldn't help but speak up: "The enemy army has fled in haste. If we don't pursue them and fight them again tomorrow, the officers and soldiers in our army will think we are afraid of the enemy. If the officers and soldiers are suspicious, how can we kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions?"

Upon seeing this, Han Sui coughed twice and asked Cheng Gongying, "Do you have a good plan?"

"Commander Yan is eager for battle, and the soldiers and civilians in the city are also eager for a fight. This shows that the morale of the army is high."

Cheng Gongying turned his head and squinted at the burning and smoking Zhu Ling camp: "Since the enemy is prepared, our army should also be prepared when we pursue them. Commander Yan is eager to advance, so he can lead his troops and the brave men in the city, with a combined force of three thousand, as the vanguard to pursue them."

Yan Xing understood, nodded, and glanced sideways at Han Sui.

Han Sui raised his hand, stroked his beard, and smiled: "Could it be that I, this old man, will lead the central army as the successor?"

"No, Your Excellency should lead the rear guard to follow," Cheng Gongying said. "Many of Zhao's officers and soldiers participated in the campaign against the Hu, so their morale is high and their equipment is excellent. In my opinion, I should command 5,000 troops as the central army. If the vanguard, Commander Yan, is ambushed, I will personally lead the central army to provide support. In this way, the two armies will fight fiercely, and the enemy will not easily give up or flee. Instead, they will gather in greater numbers, and their soldiers and horses will be exhausted and difficult to recover."

Han Sui understood and smiled brightly: "At this time, I will lead the elite rear guard to attack, and we can defeat the enemy in one battle!"

"That is indeed the case."

Cheng Gongying bowed deeply with her hands clasped, her face beaming with smiles.

When they were besieged, Han Sui's troops inside the city numbered only about 10,000.

But when it came time to pursue the besieging troops, Han Sui was able to mobilize more than 20,000 men from within the city!
Once the news spread, more and more Han and Hu leaders joined the pursuit, and Han Sui's army could grow to 50,000, 70,000, or even more than 100,000!
For the Han and Hu chieftains of Liangzhou, gathering their followers to plunder during the off-season was a necessary form of entertainment, and only the occasional outbreak of war could solidify their position.

When Han Sui led his army in pursuit, Yang Qiu's troops, who had been the first to retreat from Yuzhong, had already retreated to a place a hundred miles away from Jincheng.

Yang Qiu had no intention of taking the main road between Jincheng County and Longxi County. Instead, he chose to retreat directly eastward towards Tianshui County.

Although this road leads to the northwest of Tianshui Prefecture, it ultimately and most directly leads to Longxi County in Longxi Prefecture.

Zhang He and Zhu Ling retreated south along the road between Jincheng and Longxi. According to Zhao Ji's plan, they would pass through Didao and Angu and retreat directly to Zhang County, south of Niaoshu Mountain.

Zhang County, as its name suggests, is a place with a rugged terrain and very limited transportation routes. There are almost no shortcuts for large armies to bypass it. Even if there were detours, they would have to traverse mountains and valleys along the original routes, which have no tactical significance.

To the east of Zhang County is Xiangwu County, and next to Xiangwu County is Longxi County.

These counties are closely adjacent to each other in the Longshang region, which is characterized by high altitude and many deep valleys and mountains. This indicates that the terrain here is relatively open, suitable for farming, and can support a large population.

With a larger population, the three counties of Zhangxian, Xiangwu, and Longxi have come together closely.

Two hundred li south of Zhang County is Lintao County, where the Southern Commandery of Longxi was stationed.

Longxi is not a large prefecture, yet a branch commandant was established there, which shows how difficult the roads in this area are.

To the east of Lintao lies Tianshui, where there are virtually no roads suitable for a large army to pass through. Although the area is vast, it is characterized by towering mountains, treacherous river valleys, and frequent floods. With current productivity, it is practically impossible to build reliable roads sufficient for a large army to pass through.

Therefore, there is a road south of Lintao that leads to the Qiang Road in Wudu County... and if you continue south along the Qiang Road for several hundred miles, you will reach Yizhou.

East of the Qiang Road, there are narrow paths used by mountain dwellers, but no roads suitable for large armies.

This is why Zhang County is so important. As long as we hold this place, Han Sui's army will have no choice but to launch a direct attack!

Even if they split their forces and took a detour, they could only retreat back to Jincheng and follow Yang Qiu's withdrawal route to attack Longxi County from the north.

However, the climate of places like Longxi County, Xiangwu County, and Zhang County is similar to that of Tianshui, which is conducive to farming and can support a large population and temporarily supply tens of thousands of troops to fight here!

And this is the grave that Zhao Ji dug for Han Sui!

(End of this chapter)