Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 457 Evil

As expected, the Han army retreated south of the Great Wall, which further fueled the arrogance of the Rouran. Led by the fleeing Hu people, they invaded the three prefectures of Shuo, Dai, and You by side roads. However, after only one round, they found that the Han army was ready and prepared, and after failing to gain any advantage, they retreated in panic.

A nation's status is earned through war.

Over the years, the Han army has swept across the land, conquering seven kingdoms: Southern Yan, Qiao Shu, Later Qin, Hu Xia, Western Qin, Northern Liang, and Northern Wei, and was invincible.

The Rouran people were also terrified.

And so, in this back-and-forth struggle, two or three months passed.

The elite Tiger Guards on the northern front had almost finished their rest and recuperation, and the beans and soybeans cultivated by the local soldiers, volunteer soldiers, and slave farmers had also grown, alleviating the shortage of food and supplies.

Liu Daogui planned to transport grain and fodder northward from the Jianghuai region after the autumn harvest, launch attacks from Yunzhong and Jicheng, and outflank the Rouran people to the north of Tanhan Mountain to cut off their retreat.

But the plans couldn't keep up with the changes.

In early June, Wang Zhen'e's petition to join the battle was sent to Chang'an.

With Shen Tianzi and Wang Zhongde as the vanguard, six thousand elite Tiger Guards were sent to launch a surprise attack on Tanhan Mountain, while Wang Zhen'e led thirteen thousand Tiger Guards to provide support from the rear.

A total of 20,000 troops faced off against 70,000 Rouran cavalry.

"...Several months ago, I dispatched Wang Zun, Han Mao, and three hundred elite warriors, disguised as remnants of the Dingling tribe, to infiltrate the fleeing northern barbarians in batches and enter the Danhan Mountains. Recently, a secret report came back that the Rouran people, seeing that our army was only defending and not attacking, all thought that the Han Dynasty had no intention of interfering in the desert, and their defenses were lax. In addition, they had gathered nearly two hundred thousand refugees, and were in chaos. I will launch a surprise attack with my elite troops, and I am sure that I can capture and kill Muhanhe Shenggai Khan in one fell swoop and accomplish the goal in one battle..."

“Wang Zhen’e’s use of troops is just like his personality.” Liu Daogui closed the memorial.

Yin Zhongwen asked, puzzled, "What does Your Majesty mean?"

"evil!"

This kind of evil is highly aggressive; once the enemy reveals a weakness, they will face a fierce and relentless attack.

"Does Your Majesty mean that this battle is ominous?" Yin Zhongwen clearly did not understand Liu Daogui's thoughts.

"He's bound to win this battle."

With plans laid out two or three months in advance, a thorough understanding of both oneself and the enemy, and a complete grasp of the current situation at Tanhanshan, it would be strange if they couldn't win.

The biggest problem for the Central Plains dynasties with nomadic states was not how many cavalry they had, but that they did not know where they were.

Huo Qubing led 10,000 cavalry on a westward expedition. In the first battle, he decisively defeated the main force of the Xiongnu at Gaolan Mountain, beheading the Xiongnu kings Zhelan and Luhou, and capturing the Xiongnu's golden statue used for sacrificial rites.

In the second battle, they penetrated more than 2,000 li into Xiongnu territory, found the main force of the Xiongnu on the upper reaches of the Ruoshui River, captured and killed more than 30,000 people, forced the surrender of Shan Huanwang, Qiutuwang, and 2,500 people including the Chancellor and Commandant, captured five kings and their mothers, Shanyu's wife, 59 princes, 63 chancellors, generals, commanders and commanders, while the Han army suffered only more than 3,000 casualties.

During the Cao Wei period, Zhang Liao also led several thousand elite cavalry to defeat the Wuhuan at Bailang Mountain, killing the Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun and capturing 200,000 people. From then on, the Wuhuan never recovered, with most of them assimilated into the Central Plains and a few assimilated into the Xianbei.

In order to absorb the Hu people who fled north and at the same time support the Northern Yan, Muhan Hesheng took a risk and set up a royal tent at Tanhan Mountain, which was tantamount to exposing his own head to the blades of the Han army.

Given the personalities of Wang Zhen'e and Shen Tianzi, Liu Daogui estimated that by the time the memorial was sent over, they had already acted first and informed him later.

However, to Liu Daogui's surprise, Mao Dezhu's memorial arrived two days later.

He shared the same idea as Wang Zhen'e, advocating a pincer attack on Tanhan Mountain from the east and west.

"The Rouran are outwardly fierce but inwardly weak. They have already gathered more than 200,000 troops and are ready to flee north at any time. Once they retreat into the desert, their power will surge and they will surely become a major threat to the northern frontier. We should take advantage of their unpreparedness and launch an attack..."

At the same time the memorial was sent, he had already dispatched two generals, Hu Fan and Liu Zunkao, with 7,000 elite cavalry, each with three horses and carrying twenty days' worth of provisions, to make a detour to the north of Tanhan Mountain. If Liu Daogui had not known Wang Zhen'e's character well, he would have even suspected that the two had already planned this in private, otherwise they would not have been so tacit.

However, Wang Zhen'e's arrogant nature would never allow him to get along with Mao Dezhu, who came from the Northern Army.

Therefore, it is very likely that both of them saw through Rouran's weakness and acted decisively.

Without such insight, neither of them could have become great generals of the Han Dynasty.

With Mao Dezhu involved, the outcome of this "hunt" was basically a foregone conclusion.

In just half a month, good news came back from the north.

Shen Tianzi and Wang Zhongde, two fierce generals, charged up Tanhan Mountain without hesitation. As expected, the Rouran were unprepared and were thrown into chaos. Muhan Heshenggai could not stop them and personally led an army of 70,000 to besiege them.

Shen Tianzi and Wang Zhongde fought valiantly and refused to retreat. The victory report stated that the two "entered the enemy alone, and tens of thousands of Rouran troops could not stop them. Corpses lay everywhere and blood flowed like rivers..."

Shen Tianzi completely inherited Liu Yu's style; once on the battlefield, he became a madman, and no matter how many enemies there were, they were nothing but weeds in his eyes.

Muhanheshenggai was terrified after being killed, and led tens of thousands of his remaining troops to flee north. They happened to run into Hu Fan and Liu Zunkao's troops, who pursued and attacked them. Muhanheshenggai himself was shot by an arrow by Liu Zunkao.

If it weren't for his Ferghana horse, he would have long since met his end at the hands of the Han army.

Before Wang Zhen'e's main force could catch up, the battle was already over.

They killed over 8,000 people, captured 130,000 able-bodied men, and seized 300,000 cattle and sheep, as well as 40,000 warhorses.

Although Muhan Heshenggai fled back to the northern desert, the Rouran were severely weakened and it was difficult for them to regain their former strength.

Liu Zunkao did not let him go and continued to hunt down the remnants of the Rouran.

After the Rouran suffered a crushing defeat, the Northern Yan was left to fend for itself. Feng Ba obediently submitted a petition to surrender, and Mao Dezhu led his army into Longcheng.

However, Feng Ba's willingness to surrender did not mean that the Xianbei nobles were willing. Many of them either led their people to flee to Goguryeo or surrendered their entire cities to Goguryeo.

Goguryeo had coveted Liaodong since the time of Cao Wei. It only stopped after it was destroyed by Guanqiu Jian. Later, during the Yongjia Rebellion, it fought with the Murong clan for control of the region and was once again crippled by Murong Ke.

This is their last chance.

From the time of King Gwanggaeto Damdeok, the nineteenth king of Goguryeo, the expansionist momentum became increasingly fierce. Goguryeo conquered Baekje in the south, attacked Khitan and Buyeo in the north, and captured Xuantu and Lelang, bringing a vast area east of the Liao River into the territory of Goguryeo.

After King Gwanggaeto ascended the throne, Goguryeo entered its golden age.

In 413, King Jangsu of Goguryeo ascended the throne and continued to expand northward, annexing the Buyeo, Mohe, and Khitan tribes. In his battles with the Northern Wei, he was surprisingly not at a disadvantage.

In order to seize Liaodong, Goguryeo transferred all its elite troops to the western front and took the lead in occupying Nansu City, an important town in Liaodong (the confluence of the Dongsuzi River and the Hun River in present-day Fushun City, Liaoning Province).

They also used armored cavalry to repel Dao Yanzhi's 5,000 vanguard, killing over 900 and capturing 2,000.

The commander, Dao Yanzhi, fled back to Longcheng in a sorry state.

Mao Dezu submitted a memorial to apologize, stating frankly that Goguryeo was not comparable to Northern Yan and Rouran. It was at the height of its power, and its people were fierce, strong, skilled in fighting, and fond of raiding. Furthermore, it had built nearly a hundred mountain cities in Xuantu and Daifang counties to control the Central Plains.

He advised Liu Daogui against hasty action.

(End of this chapter)