Tiger Guards

Chapter 647 The Battle on the South Bank
North of Jicheng, on the banks of the Wei River.

The river fog was thin, and visibility gradually improved from the initial four or five li. Han Shu began to cross the river here.

The terrain here is flat and wide, with large fields on both sides of the road. It can draw water from the Wei River, making irrigation convenient and suitable for rice cultivation.

Tianshui's terrain is more conducive to accumulating heat, so with proper planning and a combination of different crops, it is possible to achieve two harvests a year.

Mature agriculture does not involve planting the same crops year after year.

For example, this year, after the paddy fields north of Jicheng were harvested, a crop of oats was planted.

The dry paddy fields made it much easier for people to travel on foot and horse.

The leftover bundles of grass and straw in the fields became a source of roughage for the army's free-range cattle and horses.

As Wang Qi built a water fortress upstream using transport ships and sand, Han Shu also began to cross the river from the dock north of Ji City.

The righteous tribes of Shuofang under his command were not afraid of the bitter cold... The climate in mid-November in Tianshui was like a spring outing for these nomadic tribes who lived in the north and south of Yinshan.

Under Wang Qi's cover, Han Shu sent out the first thousand cavalrymen, and the rebels in Tianshui City also wanted to attack while the enemy was crossing the river.

The sound of drums and gongs tore through the fog, and as the fog was about to dissipate, a battle suddenly, and not unexpectedly, began.

However, when the powerful knights of Tianshui City formed large and small knight teams to launch an attack on the shore, Han Shu's first thousand-man cavalry unit also met them head-on.

On the dry, frozen fields north of the city, the first clash between the knights of Shuofang and Longshang broke out.

Both sides fought a bloody battle. The Shuofang Righteous Knights were mainly divided into three types based on the different weapons their tribes were good at.

One type was the Xiongnu cavalry, who preferred archery and harassment; the other was the Xianbei cavalry, who preferred spear charges. The Qiang cavalry were more pragmatic, preferring to emulate the tactics of the Han border armies, and were adept at both close and long-range maneuvers, without any particular inclination.

As knights, they could carry short weapons, long weapons, and bows and crossbows with their horses; the only difference at this moment was the type of weapon they were skilled at using.

The tactics of the Longshang Knights were inherited from the Han border army and were similar to those of the Qiang Righteous Cavalry. They did not distinguish between simple cavalry units or scout units.

Therefore, during the battle, the Longshang knights suffered significant casualties from the close-range Xianbei cavalry.

After the Xianbei cavalry gained the upper hand, they attracted the Qiang righteous followers to charge with spears, directly disrupting the fighting coordination of the Longshang knights.

On the north bank of the Wei River, Han Shu gazed at the battle on the south bank.

The fleet slowly approached the north bank. The second thousand-strong cavalry unit led their horses onto the ships, and a military officer ran up to Han Shu: "General, there are no fewer than two thousand rebel cavalry!"

"There's no need to report this kind of news anymore."

Han Shu waved his hand to dismiss them, but still turned to look in the northeast direction. Thirty miles downstream was the almost empty city of Wangyuan, but twenty or thirty miles north of Wangyuan was his 'rear army'.

Even if the rebels on the south bank had two thousand cavalry, or even five thousand, Han Shu would still dare to gradually increase his troops and send all seven thousand of his cavalry to the south bank!
He trusted Zhao Ji, so he dared to cross the river with his entire army without leaving any way to retreat; his Shuofang Righteous Cavalry held contempt for the Longshang Cavalry and other Liangzhou Cavalry, so he also dared to actively fight them.

Now that the fog has almost completely dissipated, Han Shu can vaguely see the general battle situation on the south bank.

Although their own force of a thousand cavalry was smaller than that of the enemy, each unit galloped at full speed, chasing after the knights of Longshang.

As long as the knights keep moving, they won't suffer too much crossbow fire.

Even if the first thousand cavalry unit cannot cause any tactical damage, as long as they can run purposefully and freely, their own losses will be within acceptable limits.

What we fear most is losing the battle, which instills fear in our soldiers, making them unwilling to fight. If they are systematically driven and surrounded by the enemy, they will fall into an even worse situation, and their deaths will be more miserable, faster, and more meaningless!
As long as the cavalry gets moving in the combat zone, things won't get too bad!
Han Shu looked out over the south bank and saw that the second thousand cavalry had finished boarding the ships. He then turned to Han Shu and said, “Each ship can transfer its own cargo; there is no need for all ships to do so at once.”

"Here!"

The flag officer responded and immediately waved his flag at the transport ship. The transport ship, which had already been loaded, did not wait any longer, and immediately set sail and rowed away from the simple dock on the shore.

"Report!"

A dozen knights escorted the messenger at breakneck speed to the wooden platform where Han Shu was located. The messenger looked up, panting, and said, "General, more than twenty miles downstream from Wangyuan City, a large number of rebel troops have crossed the river! Many of them are Qiang and Di tribes, and their numbers are enormous!"

How abundant was it?

“The rebels have gathered at least six thousand men on the north bank, and even more on the south bank. The river crossing is three or four miles wide!” The messenger looked bewildered; he truly couldn’t find the key to defeating the enemy.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, even if their entire army crosses the river, and even with the engineering equipment transported by Wang Qi, it would still take them at least two or three days to breach Ji City.

With so many rebels emerging downstream, they will inevitably blockade Chencang, Longshan, and Jieting... It will take at least seven or eight days for their messengers to reach Pingyang.

Logically speaking, it should take at least a month for Grand Tutor Zhao's reinforcements to reach Tianshui.

And can these people hold out for a month?
"It's finally here."

Han Shu muttered to himself, then said, "Once my rear army has entered Wangyuan, General Wang and I will join forces to retake Jicheng. The two cities will be mutually supportive, so what do we have to fear from tens of thousands of rabble? Order the third team to prepare to cross the river!"

"Here!"

The flag officer, without thinking, remained solemn and responded loudly, raising the command flag symbolizing the 3,000th cavalry unit and waving it. The 3,000th cavalry unit, which was searching for horses and resting on the shore, began to saddle their horses, attach various handy weapons, and check their packs.

After each team of 100 men completed their self-inspection, they led their horses to the rugged horse head made of logs and waited for the fleet to return.

At the north gate of Jicheng, Yang Fu, who had been wounded and returned from the battle, hurried up the city tower. There was an arrow stuck in his left shoulder, but no blood was seeping out.

Despite the intense pain, Yang Fu bit his lower lip and pushed aside or forcefully shoved aside several officials blocking his way.

He went straight to the second floor of the city wall and shouted, "We are in the midst of a fierce battle, where are the infantry!"

Xin Pi glanced back at Yang Fu, his expression initially displeased, but upon seeing the arrow in Yang Fu's left shoulder, he patiently explained, "Ren Ziqi failed to lead the western righteous troops to launch a pincer attack on the enemy's western stronghold on schedule. The bandits still remain in the city, so how can the anti-bandit army act rashly?"

We must hold off Wang Qi's camp. No one knows whether Han Shu secretly transported knights into Wang Qi's camp last night.

Not much is needed; just two thousand cavalry on standby can inflict fatal damage on the infantry sent out to meet the enemy.

Therefore, it is necessary to probe Wang Qi's camp. Even if we do not launch an attack, we need the western militia led by Ren to act as a diversionary force to contain Wang Qi.

However, after the Western militia's probing attack on Wang Qi's camp failed yesterday, they seemed to have lost their courage and enthusiasm for fighting.

After all, more than a hundred ballistae were firing at an angle, targeting heavily armored infantry composed of the core and backbone troops of each unit.

Even if a thousand ordinary lightly armed private soldiers were killed, the impact on the powerful clans would be minimal.

However, if one were to kill a hundred powerful clansmen, their relatives by marriage, and their fellow villagers, it would cripple the powerful clans and severely damage their overall morale.

Faced with Xin Pi's explanation, Yang Fu was speechless with anger. He pointed at Xin Pi and said, "After Han Shu's entire army crossed the river, with the cooperation of Heng Fang in the city, how could we possibly defend Ji City! Without Ren Ziqi, would the Pacifying Bandits Army just sit and watch our sons die on the battlefield!"

"Yishan must not be rude."

Yin Feng stepped forward and gently reminded him, but Yang Fu was still very angry. He glared at Yin Feng and said, "My brothers have died one after another in service to the king. The army that is suppressing the bandits will not leave the city. Our sons are fighting hard without any help. How can we hold out for long!"

Yang Fu's generation was known for having many brothers, and they intermarried, making the Yang family the most powerful family outside of the four major families in Tianshui.

Many people went to see Zhao Rong at this moment, but Zhao Rong had to wait for his nephew.

Having lost the Anti-Bandit Army, the Zhao family of Tianshui had no manpower reserves left for external expansion.

Could we really expect Zhao Ang to conscript and mobilize the Qiang and Di righteous followers?

Only the anti-bandit army formed by the Zhao family's in-laws, fellow villagers, and retainers represents the future of the Zhao family of Tianshui!
Seeing that Zhao Rong remained unmoved, Yang Fu gritted his teeth in anger, grabbed the arrow on his left shoulder with his right hand, grimaced and endured the pain, and pulled it out in front of everyone.

As the arrow was pulled out, the wound immediately turned red, and the oozing blood dripped down his drooping left arm to the ground.

Yang Fu threw the arrow to the ground, looked around at everyone, his eyes trembling: "My Yang family has done right by the court and the country. Please excuse me, I will take my leave!"

"Yishan!"

Ignoring Yin Feng's attempts to persuade him to stay, Yang Fu left angrily.

(End of this chapter)