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Chapter 119: The Military Camp is Completely Conquered in Three Days
Outside Fengxiang City.

Wang Jing, along with his staff and personal soldiers, stopped on a high slope, facing the bright sunlight, and watched with solemn expressions as groups of soldiers passed through the city gate.

As June approaches, the early summer mornings are already somewhat hot. The old locust trees by the stream drop clusters of snow-white flower spikes, and the delicate petals fall into the shimmering shallows with the warm breeze.

The lush green grass was blown by the wind, swaying its leaves back and forth. The vibrant green contrasted with the iron cavalry, forming an extremely obvious contrast, yet blending into one between heaven and earth.

The sound of metal clashing, coming from far away and gradually getting closer, startled the birds hiding in the reeds, and they fluttered across the stream and flew into the sky.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The orderly and heavy footsteps intertwined with the neighing of war horses created a solemn symphony, which was rough yet rhythmic.

Perhaps the scene before him evoked Wang Jing's memories, and even though he had experienced many hardships, his face was filled with emotion.

In this world, a strong army is the guarantee for warriors to maintain their power, and everything they have must be obtained through force.

The worship of the use of force is ingrained in the bones of warriors in troubled times.

Wang Jing looked at the army below and sighed after a long moment, "All the elite troops of my Great Zhou are in the Imperial Guards!"

The staff member beside him continued, "The Imperial Guards are indeed elite, but Li Duyuhou is too young, and he is eager to capture Weiwu City. I'm afraid he will suffer a loss!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another officer echoed, "I share Judge Cui's concerns. Not only are the roads in Shu difficult to navigate, but transporting food and fodder for thousands of troops is also a hassle. Wanting to capture Weiwu City in just two weeks is too short a timeframe. I think it's going to be quite challenging."

Wang Jing frowned slightly and said, "If it's difficult, then you won't fight?"

The officer who spoke knew that he had spoken out of turn, and he quickly apologized and dared not say anything more.

Wang Jing shook his head and said, "Whether it's difficult or not, we'll have to fight first to see... Let Li Du Yuhou give it a try."

As a veteran, Wang Jing was actually not convinced of the failure of the first attack on Shu.

At that time, he led his Fengxiang garrison troops and initially launched an overwhelming attack, defeating the Shu army stationed on Chencang Road.

If Wang Jing had not encountered the imperial guards sent by Shu Kingdom to rescue Qin and Feng at the foot of Weiwu City, he thought that taking Weiwu City would not be a big problem.

However, the vassal troops he brought were still inferior to the emperor's imperial guards in terms of equipment and combat effectiveness.

After all, no matter how weak the Shu army's combat effectiveness was, the Shu imperial guards were still the elite of the entire country. It would be a disadvantage to fight against them with the strength of a local vassal state.

But defeat was still defeat after all. Even though Wang Jing was unwilling, he had no choice but to accept the reality.

At this moment, Xiang Xun led his men on horseback up the high slope. He had to wait until the vanguard troops had left Sanguan before he could lead his troops towards Qinzhou, so as to avoid alerting the Hou Shu army in advance.

"Although Li Du Yuhou is still young, he is indeed very capable. Last year, he took over the task of rectifying the imperial guards, and he was able to achieve such great results in just six months."

Xiang Xun rode his horse to Wang Jing's side and stopped. Looking at the solemn and orderly army below, he couldn't help but admire it.

Wang Jing remained calm and replied, "The Imperial Guards were reorganized by Li Du Yuhou. He should be very familiar with the troops under his command. If he personally leads these elite troops in battle, I think they will be able to exert their maximum combat effectiveness."

Xiang Xun was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "Not only have we mobilized the Imperial Guards to attack Shu this time, but the Zhangyi Army and Yongxing Army have also sent troops to join the battle. Add to that the prince's troops, and there are already over 10,000 people. To ensure the transportation of logistics and food, there are also 10,000 to 20,000 civilian laborers. If we can't take Qin and Feng..."

Having said this, he stopped talking.

But Xiang Xun didn't say the rest, and everyone present knew what he meant... The first failure might be excusable, but the court had given enough support this second time, and it would be unacceptable if he couldn't win again.

……at the same time.

In the classroom of the Fengxiang Prefecture government office, Zan Jurun was sitting and writing furiously. He was responsible for coordinating the logistics of the army and arranging personnel management after the city was captured, so he did not need to go to the front battlefield for the time being.

But in addition to his official duties, Zan Jurun also had another task assigned to him by the emperor, which was to report the progress of the attack on Shu in detail.

The emperor may not interfere with the specific command of the generals, but he must know how the battle is fought. In the end, whether it is victory or defeat, the emperor will naturally know who has made contributions and who has made mistakes.

After a while, Zan Jurun finished writing the memorial. He checked it carefully to make sure there were no omissions in what he wrote.

Although he did not participate in combat decision-making, he was present when military affairs were discussed, so he was naturally aware of the army's combat plans.

After Zan Jurun finished his inspection, he called the attendants waiting outside the door and asked them to hand over the memorial to be sent to Tokyo by military express horses.

……

The distance from Fengxiang Prefecture to Dasan Pass was not far. Li Yi led his army on a rapid march and arrived at Dasan Pass in the evening of the same day.

He ordered them to set up camp and rest on the spot, and did not rush to arrange military affairs for the battle.

Instead, he first summoned the general of the Fengxiang garrison stationed at Sanguan for questioning.

When the enemy arrived at the central army camp, Li Yi didn't waste any time and asked directly, "What is the current situation of the Shu army on the Chencang Road? How many troops are stationed there? Have their specific locations been explored?"

There is no room for ambiguity in war. No matter how confident Li Yi is, as the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. He can despise the Shu army strategically, but he cannot underestimate the enemy tactically.

The lieutenant who came to report naturally did not dare to be negligent and told everything he knew.

Afterwards, Li Yi summoned his officers and soldiers.

One cavalry commander, six infantry commanders, plus Zhang Jianxiong, a military school student sent by Wang Jing, and Li Hanchao, the commander of Li Yi's personal guards.

Among the Yishe brothers who came with him on this expedition, only Li Hanchao was there. Because the other brothers had their own military positions, Li Yi could not transfer them at will.

The generals came to the tent one after another, clasping their fists and bowing in a military salute: "Greetings to Li Du Yu Hou."

Then the generals stood in two rows according to their status, looking at Li Yi and waiting for his instructions.

Li Yi glanced around at everyone. Except for Zhang Jianxiong, he was familiar with all the other officers.

After all, he was personally responsible for the reorganization of the imperial guards last year, and this time he brought people from the Palace Front Department. He could call out the names of these commanders at will.

Li Yi said bluntly: "When the logistics and food supplies are ready tomorrow, the entire army will leave Sanguan the day after tomorrow and march along Chencang Road."

"Yes!" the generals agreed. Li Yi nodded slightly and pondered, "There's only one easy route from Sanguan to the Shu army's forward camp. Our army must capture the eight Shu camps as quickly as possible. The Shu Road is narrow, making it difficult to station troops, and the individual camps are limited in size, so I don't think we'll have many troops. I've decided to have two commanders lead the attack, taking turns, while the main force will hold back, advancing one by one..."

Someone immediately stepped forward and said, "I am willing to be the vanguard!"

After that, someone else came out to ask for orders.

Li Yi nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this. These people usually looked well-behaved, but when it came to a real fight, they all rushed to take the lead... This was naturally a good thing. They were not afraid of not being able to win, but of not daring to fight. This spirit of daring to fight and charge was what they wanted.

However, the military camp in front is just a stronghold, serving as an early warning and buffer. There are not many troops and they are divided into eight groups, so it is not difficult to defeat them one by one.

The most important thing is to preserve strength to deal with the subsequent attacks from the Shu army and the tough battle to attack Weiwu City.

Li Yi raised his hand and pressed down, and everyone immediately fell silent. He then shouted, "The First Army's First Commander, Commander Wang Changgong!"

"I'm here!" A burly man stepped out with a happy look on his face.

Li Yi nodded and said, "The Shu Road is narrow, so the army can't deploy horizontally. We can't deploy too many troops at once. So, let your first commander lead the charge..."

As he said this, he looked at Zhang Jianxiong, who was sent by Wang Jing to assist him. "General Zhang, it was you who captured the Huangniu and other military camps during the previous attack on Shu. In this battle, you will lead 500 Longzhou garrison troops and follow behind the first commander."

"I obey your command!" Zhang Jianxiong stepped out and said.

Li Yi's tone became serious, and he said in a deep voice: "You two will lead your troops to deploy forward and backward, take turns attacking and resting, and strive to capture the Huangniu and other military camps one by one within five days."

Wang Changgong was full of confidence and immediately promised, "It won't take five days. We will take them all down within three days. If you can't, I will bring my head to you!"

Zhang Jianxiong was not to be outdone and said, "I think so too. The camps of Huangniu and others are strategically located. Although they are difficult to attack, they are not large in size. Each camp has no more than a hundred men stationed there. Moreover, the defenses of the military camps are also weak. As long as we can lead our men to rush in close, it will be easy to capture them."

"it is good!"

Li Yi naturally would not undermine the confidence of his subordinates. As long as they could complete the tasks assigned by him, everything would be fine.

Seeing that Wang Changgong and Zhang Jianxiong had already gotten the task of leading the charge, the other officers were naturally eager to try. They had come all the way from Tokyo just to earn military merit, so how could they not be anxious.

Li Yi also saw what everyone was thinking and then said, "Scouts ahead have already heard that the Shu army has recently sent over 10,000 reinforcements to Qin and Feng. There are still several tough battles to fight. As long as you all fight hard, there will be many opportunities to make meritorious contributions."

"I will naturally keep track of all your contributions. When we return to the capital, I will commend you all to the emperor."

Only then did the generals quiet down.

Then Li Yi ordered seven commanders and two commanders of the troops stationed in Longzhou to select more than one hundred agile soldiers to form the personal guards on duty in the vanguard center army, and let Li Hanchao lead them.

Li Yi also brought nearly a hundred personal soldiers with him on this expedition. He selected these people from various commanders under his command, and his main purpose was not to protect himself.

Instead, these soldiers were made to take on the task of messengers, and were selected from various command posts. They all knew each other, and it was easier to convey military intelligence and orders back and forth.

Everyone gathered in the central military tent. Li Yi did not say too much and quickly arranged the battle plan and personnel division of labor. Finally, he asked Wang Changgong and others to repeat the military order.

Then he asked all the generals to disperse and prepare.

……

Two days later, the vanguard troops broke camp and set off.

The seven commanders of the Imperial Guards and the thousand garrison troops of Longzhou, with four to five thousand men lined up in an orderly formation, front to back, and advanced through Dasan Pass towards the Shu army's first line of defense.

The officials of Fengxiang Jiezhen also followed closely behind with civilians and servants escorting food and fodder.

For a moment, the Chencang Road was bustling with people, and the smoke and dust covered the sky.

As the saying goes, when there are more than ten thousand people, there is no end in sight. Although the vanguard troops only numbered a few thousand, their combined momentum was quite spectacular.

When we just left Sanguan, the road was still quite wide and everyone's spirits were high.

However, as the march progressed and they crossed the Qinling Pass, the mountains on both sides were rolling. The team walked in the valley, and their vision was completely blocked by the endless mountains, which gradually made people feel inexplicably depressed.

The main road of Chencang Road extends along the flow of Jialing River. There is a large height difference between the mountain road and the river valley. The upper road can almost accommodate two donkey carts, while the lower road can only walk along the riverbed.

However, it is now the flood season, and the surging Jialing River roars past, often invading the riverbed. It is barely possible to walk, but you have to be careful.

The army advanced closely along one side of the mountain wall, leaving a small space on the other side to prevent congestion.

The entire team stretched for several miles, and could not move very fast. They could only march forty or fifty miles a day.

The towering mountains on both sides blocked the sunlight early... The sun set quickly, but we had to set up camp at the hour of You.

Taking advantage of the afterglow of the setting sun, the soldiers hurried to fetch water and cook. They piled up simple stoves with stones found on the riverbed, saving the trouble of digging a hole.

Everyone was doing their own thing, some were collecting firewood to make a fire, some were fetching water to bake pancakes and make soup... If it weren't for the swords and armor on the side, at first glance it would have looked like a group of people having a picnic, but a picnic with thousands of people was a bit outrageous.

Li Yi sat on a big rock, looking at the busy figures of the soldiers, but his heart was thinking about the battle deployment.

The eight frontier camps of the Shu army, including Huangniu, are not a big problem and can be easily taken down with a little time... If it is difficult to capture even a few camps, it is better to withdraw the troops as soon as possible and go back to sleep.

Li Yi was mainly concerned about what would happen after he captured the military camps of Huangniu and others.

If you want to advance towards Weiwu City, you must first pass through Huanghua Valley. It is said that there are signs of Shu army activities there. The terrain of Huanghua Valley is dangerous, and it would be troublesome if there is an ambush.

However, Li Yi changed his mind and realized that although Huanghua Valley was suitable for ambushes, it was not suitable for garrisoning a large army. It would be difficult to leave behind a few hundred people, and the logistical pressure was too great.

The first attack on Shu failed. Even if Shu was prepared, it would not spend its energy in Huanghua Valley for a long time... What's more, there is the military town Tangcang to the west of Huanghua Valley, which is not far away. Even if the Shu army wants to defend for a long time, it is most cost-effective to deploy troops there.

According to common sense, military camps such as Huangniu serve as a warning. Once attacked, the intelligence will be transmitted to Tangcang Town, and the Shu army will have enough time to react and send people to guard Huanghua Valley... Thinking of this, Li Yi suddenly had a bold idea.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his plan was feasible, so he immediately asked Li Hanchao to call all the generals to discuss it.

(End of this chapter)