Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 400 War (Part 3)

Meng Liulang chuckled twice: "There must be some reason for this."

Xiao Mo responded and tightened the bandage: "The Pei family's medicine kit is really useful. It has everything: hemostatic medicine, wound medicine, bandages. And this pill can temporarily stop the pain."

Meng Liulang did not try to be brave; he swallowed the pill in one gulp and closed his eyes.

This battle was exhausting! From the forced march to the skirmish, and then to the fierce fighting, he barely slept for three days and three nights.

Meng Liulang had only intended to feign sleep, but before he knew it, he had actually fallen asleep.

It wasn't until evening that Xiao Mo woke him up: "General, wake up quickly, the battle is over."

Meng Liulang swiftly regained consciousness and opened his eyes: "How many Xiongnu barbarians did we kill? How many barbarians escaped?"

“There’s no time to count them all.” Li Chi, covered in blood, said in a deep voice, “Roughly estimated, no fewer than two thousand Xiongnu barbarians were killed. We also suffered many casualties.”

"We can't stay here any longer; we must retreat to Liaoxi City immediately."

This time, Meng Liulang didn't argue with Li Chi. He nodded and said, "We won a great battle and dealt a heavy blow to the Xiongnu barbarians. It's enough to boost the morale of the army."

With no time to thoroughly clean up the battlefield, the soldiers stripped off usable armor, picked up usable weapons, and took away all the rideable warhorses. All the corpses were left behind.

It was two days later when the Xiongnu barbarians brought reinforcements. Meng Liulang and Li Chi had already led their men far away.

The Xiongnu general, Punu, was quite annoyed.

Last year's crushing defeat at the hands of Pei Qinghe was a humiliating disgrace he could never forget. A year later, upon hearing of the coup in the north, he was overjoyed and seized the opportunity to volunteer for military action. The Khan was persuaded and agreed.

In the north, Pei Qinghe is the only capable fighter. Right now, Pei Qinghe is busy ascending the throne and certainly can't spare any attention for Liaoxi Commandery. He might as well lead his troops to raid a group, firstly to seize some able-bodied slaves and provisions, and secondly, to take the opportunity to seek revenge and show off his power.

The plan initially succeeded. He launched successive attacks, massacring villages and plundering small towns. The Liaoxi army, as always, remained holed up inside the high gates of Liaoxi City and refused to come out.

He continued to send troops to kill, hoping to force the Liaoxi army out of the city. If the Liaoxi army didn't come out, it didn't matter. Once he had plundered enough money, food, and people, he could leave at his leisure.

Unexpectedly, a cavalry force of three thousand men sent out a few days ago was entangled by the Beiping army that appeared out of nowhere. Even more unexpectedly, the cowardly Li Chi dared to lead his troops to launch a proactive attack.

Of the three thousand cavalrymen, only one thousand returned. Moreover, these were all elite troops under Punu's command. This utterly grieved and enraged Punu.

After throwing a tantrum, General Punu issued a military order, dispatching two cavalry units to continue the previously established strategy: search villages, massacre the inhabitants, and force the enemy out of the city for open battle.

Regardless, cavalry always benefits in open field battles, suffering far fewer losses than when besieging or attacking cities.

Meng Liulang, who had returned to Liaoxi City to recuperate from his injuries, turned cold and stern upon learning the latest news of the battle: "This Pu Nu is extremely cunning and treacherous. We tried to provoke him into leading his troops to attack the city, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he continued to send people to kill indiscriminately, trying to lure us into launching an attack."

After winning a battle, the shadow of being utterly humiliated by the Xiongnu barbarians gradually faded away: "Let's leave four thousand men to guard the city. We'll each lead our own troops. If the Xiongnu barbarians send out two cavalry units, we'll each go and kill one of them."

After fighting two battles in a row, Meng Liulang became more cautious: "We definitely have to fight. However, if we split into two groups, we might be defeated one by one. It would be better to join forces and defeat the enemy with our superior numbers, and attack one of the cavalry groups first."

Li Chi glanced at Meng Liulang: "What? Even the daring and aggressive General Meng Liulang has become afraid?"

Meng Liulang snorted: "I'm not afraid of death, I'm only afraid of losing the battle and ruining the war." Then, taking advantage of his height, he looked back arrogantly: "General Li, you used to be best at defending cities, how come you dare to send troops into open battle now?" After holding it in for several days, he finally asked.

Li Chi coughed and said, "General Pei is already leading his army on the way. We just need to hold out for ten days or half a month, and the army should arrive soon."

Meng Liulang was somewhat surprised and blurted out, "Didn't Yan County set the enthronement ceremony for May? How can General Pei still lead troops to Liaoxi?"

Li Chi sighed, "If it were anyone else, they would at most send some reinforcements, but they would never be willing to personally lead troops to reinforce us. This is what makes General Pei so respectable and admirable."

Meng Liulang fell silent.

Both of them were young military officers from the north, and they knew very well that, relying on the advantage of the city walls, they could barely manage to fight off the Xiongnu barbarians with their superior numbers. But in actual open-field battles outside the city, only Pei Qinghe could withstand the Xiongnu's onslaught.

In fact, only Pei Qinghe could command their respect and submission. Yang Hu and Lü Feng were not easy to deal with either. Without Pei Qinghe in command, the four of them would likely refuse to submit to each other.

In Pei Qinghe's heart, fighting the Xiongnu barbarians and protecting the people was the top priority. Ascending the throne could be relegated to a secondary position.

How can one not be impressed by such magnanimity and breadth of mind?
"I am completely convinced." Li Chi sighed again, "General Meng Liu, are you convinced?"

Meng Liulang came to his senses and said calmly, "My decision to lead troops away from Bohai County and join the Pei family army that day is enough to prove my sincerity."

"Enough with the nonsense, let's take a look at the map. The two cavalry forces are heading in different directions. Which one should we attack?"

Li Chi had served in Liaoxi Commandery for many years and was very familiar with the terrain. He quickly selected one of the cavalry: "This place is a bit far from Liaoxi City, but the terrain is rugged, so the cavalry can't move fast. Let's attack this one!"

Meng Liulang raised an eyebrow: "If we're going to war together, someone has to be in charge. Who should listen to whom?"

Li Chi patiently conceded, saying, "When in doubt, I'll listen to you."

Meng Liulang relaxed his brows and readily agreed: "Alright, let the soldiers rest. We'll depart in two hours."

……

Leaving 4,000 soldiers to guard the city, Meng Liulang and Li Chi led more than 10,000 soldiers out of the city and headed southwest.

At the same time, reinforcements from the Guangning army arrived.

The Fanyang army was the furthest away and arrived a few days late. By the time Meng Liulang and Li Chi returned victorious, all four former garrison forces of Youzhou had arrived.

After winning two consecutive battles, Li Chi regained his long-lost confidence and self-assurance. He straightened his back and said proudly, "Facts have proven that the Xiongnu barbarians are nothing to fear. This is our territory after all, and as long as we have the right strategy, we can win the battle."

Yang Hu calmly continued, "It's easier to win a battle when you have the upper hand and outnumber the enemy. The Xiongnu cavalry hasn't been fully mobilized yet. If the fighting strength is evenly matched, it's best for us to avoid direct confrontation."

Meng Liulang glanced at him disdainfully: "General Yang is skilled in strategy, so why don't you stay behind and hold the fort? Lü Feng, do you dare to join us in the campaign?"

Lu Feng, his blood boiling, immediately retorted, "Who says I wouldn't dare!"

(End of this chapter)