Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 124 The Second Battle of Yongshui

On July 13, the army under Emperor Xu launched a five-pronged attack, capturing a total of seven cities, including those pacified by imperial edict.

The puppet regime, which had been in rebellion for two years, scattered in disarray as tens of thousands of troops were summoned. In Feilong City, the center of the puppet regime, many traitors began to waver, and some even sent envoys to the army camp to express that the Prince of Bo was willing to surrender and hoped that the Emperor would consider their father-son relationship and punish only him, without harming the lives of the people.

However, Emperor Xu waved his hand at the false envoy, who had his tongue cut out and was sent back to Flying Dragon City. Thus, a great battle was inevitable, and the army of Da Yao was sharpening its swords, ready to pursue the fleeing enemy.

However, Da Yao's troops seemed to have forgotten something—where was the main force of the pseudo-Hao?

The important figures around Emperor Xu were subtly convinced that the pseudo-Hao's troops were trembling with fear and remained inactive, hiding inside the city, when their own army was pressing in.

Such is the nature of feudal armies: when things are going well, they can conquer cities and seize territories; but when the dynasty is in trouble, even if there are still hundreds of thousands of troops on the books, their ability to move and fight in the field has disappeared. For example, in the late Ming Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of troops gathered to defend the capital, but they were mostly just building latrines.

But—has Wei Hao's fighting spirit really been thwarted to the point of "retreating"?
…Ignored dividing line…

At the foot of Shadow Mountain, Zhao Cheng, who was encamped, looked at the map. On the map, the five armies of Da Yao, which had originally been gathered together, had spread out like a palm, heading to encircle the "fist" that was desperately defending Guan Guo Xing Zhou.

At this moment, Zhao Cheng pointed out the two routes on the map leading south. Hmm, it's time to use the "scissors" technique.

On July 15, Zhao Cheng learned that "the Da Yao Army Corps had stretched its rear lines during its advance" and immediately began a large-scale forced march, quickly crossing through strategically important and dangerous terrain.

In historical fiction, such dangerous terrain would be perfect ambush sites like "Falling Phoenix Slope" or "Shangfang Valley." In the eyes of many military strategists, these are routes to be avoided if possible.

However, for an experienced fighter like Zhao Cheng, maneuvering through this "meridian valley" terrain was commonplace. There are two reasons for this.
First: The scouts he trained were of a very high standard, able to quickly observe the safety of these dangerous terrains and report the information in a timely manner. Now, even after Zhao Cheng left a dangerous area, he would send "spies" to gather relevant information wherever Da Yao was conducting military defense.

Secondly, he possessed exceptional troop organization skills, enabling them to traverse treacherous passages quickly. While other armies took over three days to cross such terrain, he could do so in a single day. This significantly reduced the enemy's ability to react; furthermore, once the army emerged from the passage, it had a clear operational objective. Whether to attack, defend, or retreat, it was all within its control.

Narrator: Decades before Xuan Chong was born in his previous life, those tens of thousands of "Red bandits" were so difficult for Chiang Kai-shek to capture. Even the Wing King was unlucky enough to cross the treacherous Dadu River. This is because the above two advantages gave the warlord troops a generational lead: first, strong intelligence analysis capabilities, and second, rapid organizational capabilities.

In this world, Zhao Cheng has only seen signs of such military skill in one general so far. Although he is still very inexperienced, he will definitely be a threat in time.

So he instructed Pu'e to keep an eye on that guy, to prevent him from counter-intervening during his own long-distance infiltration and creating unpredictable situations.

On July 16th, Zhao Cheng's two armies were all in position. According to the map on the silk scroll, once his southern army flanked the enemy, the three major military towns in the vicinity would have no choice but to engage him in a decisive battle. Otherwise, the army sent by the emperor to suppress the rebellion would face the embarrassment of losing Jieting.

As for why the three northern warlords didn't intercept him in advance and instead adopted an offensive strategy, Zhao Cheng's ferocity had been formidable for the past two years, and the major generals dared not confront him directly.

In fact, it wasn't just these three regional military governorships; almost all the regional military governorships in the northern region were the same, including Zhu Dali on Wu Fei's side.

For these military strategists, who were essentially regional warlords, they were all in their forties or fifties, with their own titles and lands, and clansmen who needed their protection. Because they carried too much on their shoulders, they dared not gamble, dared not make breakthroughs in the more sophisticated and intense military systems. And the more they dared not, the more they fell into a disadvantageous position.

On July 18, Zhao Cheng's army besieged Quwo City. The warlord Hao Naihu sent troops to relieve the siege, but they were ambushed on the way and suffered heavy losses. After Zhao Cheng revealed his armor in Quwo City, the city was captured.

On July 20, Zhao Cheng feigned an attack on Buchan City to lure another warlord to its aid, but then turned around and captured Hengguan, a strategically important pass that had been left unguarded, directly blocking and cutting off the army's food supply.

The three regional military governors had no coordination with each other and were treated like dogs, chasing after a thrown ball and running back and forth.

Meanwhile, Zhao Cheng, who had firmly grasped the initiative, did not continue to conquer new territories. He was in the main camp watching the intelligence from the west, paying particular attention to the movements of the "Yongshui" area.

Zhao Cheng whispered, "Aren't you going to move? Did I misjudge you?"

…The perspective shifts to Yongshui…

The armies of Pu'e and Wu Hengyu were locked in a stalemate. But in reality, beyond military strategy, the terrain and natural features of the two sides were also at odds.

This is a national war. While the emperor was besieging the main camp of the false emperor, he also mobilized the various regional military governors. As for Yongzhou, since the two sides were unable to fight because of the stalemate on the Yong River, then let the Yong River stop flowing.

The emperor's will was so reckless. As imperial banners were issued to the prefectures, the daytime governors, receiving orders, began to mobilize the yang energy of the earth's veins, while the local city gods also began to mobilize the yin energy, thus pushing the mountain ranges. As a result, all the mountain streams and water features south of the Yong River turned northward in unison and leaned forward, as if they were collectively being pulled northward by reins.

Meanwhile, something unusual happened at Yongshui! Cracks appeared in the riverbed, and the river quickly dried up, disappearing at a rate of three feet per day.

Thus, the standoff between Wu's northern army and Pu'e across the river ended, and both armies retreated five li (approximately 2.5 kilometers) before the river receded. —Like dogs barking at each other across a fence, they began to back away before the fence disappeared.

This is certainly not cowardice; it's just that it would be incredibly foolish for them to pounce on each other and bite as soon as the river water receded.

The victories pursued by Pu'e and Wu Hengyu were wars where their own losses were "minor," that is, after Xuan Chong's previous life reached the age of thirty, when "win-win" situations frequently occurred among various medium-sized powers. Wars are usually lose-lose, so why did "win-win" situations occur at that time?

The reason was that at that time, superpowers were locked in a standoff. The strategic objectives of the warring second-tier nations were to demonstrate their value within their respective camps and thus secure a bargaining chip from the superpowers. The superpowers' national strength was significantly higher than that of the second-tier powers, and even surpassed that of the traditional first-tier European powers. Therefore, even a tiny amount of military aid from the superpowers would be enough to surpass the traditional first-tier European powers. Such a substantial advantage, achieved after only a dozen days of fighting and the loss of a few hundred civilian houses, seemed like a victory.
The situation is similar for Pu'e and Wu Hengyu. The power of the Great Yao Kingdom has not yet been exhausted, and neither side can afford to inflict massive losses.

After the Yong River disappeared, a dry valley was formed, and the two armies were stationed around it. Wu Hengyu's cavalry raised dust on both sides in an attempt to cross the valley and outflank them, but three groups of sky lanterns in the sky turned around in unison and aimed their guns and cannons at their flanks.

Neither side could launch a direct assault. Neither was willing to breach the high ground and launch a preemptive strike, nor were they willing to allow their armies to completely cross the river; both were fixated on the other side, as if blocking the other meant victory. A stalemate ensued, the armies standing motionless on either side.

Wu Hengyu would often ride his horse over and shoot an arrow at the Sky Boat, while Pu'e would send out a pointed-eared warrior (an elf hero) riding a giant bird exuding icy aura (the Frost Phoenix) to intercept Wu Hengyu. The two sides' formations pulled back and forth.

…Life itself is a source of death, an innate danger…

Such peace is not eternal. The Yong River, squeezed by the Earthly Fiends, was swallowed by the land, but it did not disappear; the daily torrents of water continuously accumulate in the underground soil. From space, the land on both banks of the upstream region now appears slightly raised, like a mosquito bite.

These are temporary hills, ranging in height from half a meter to two meters and in width from several hundred meters to several kilometers. They are like giant bubbles rising from the grass during a rainstorm.

The massive amount of water bubbles gathered in the earth, gradually accumulating killing intent. The cultivators of both armies sensed this killing intent and accurately deduced five points of convergence between the intersecting armies. Only by controlling these five points could this killing intent be released towards the enemy's controlled human domain.

Where exactly will those "water-filled hills" upstream cause flooding? The answer is now in the hands of Pu E and Wu Hengyu.

The trolley problem, but both sides can pull the switch.

…Once the points of contention were identified, the war began…

Wu Hengyu's cavalry rushed into a spot of malevolent energy, which was in the middle of a riverbed piled with river pebbles. However, as soon as they arrived, a horse flew off, and its broken body appeared three zhang away, with a one-meter-long steel spear stuck in it.

In the distance, the 'Shuwang' garrison of Chongtang was displaying its Zhenfeng Bow, and the cavalry commander stared at his brother with a broken leg, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

Wu Hengyu, who was patrolling the battlefield on his black steed to observe the situation, also saw that "Shuwang" Chongtang was about to continue drawing his bow. At this moment, he ordered his troops to press forward across the entire front and ordered his cavalry to move around in place to avoid the arrows.

On the other side, Pu'e also saw the situation of this all-out war. After taking a deep breath, she also started to move.

After the order was given, a team of Jade Warriors and two teams of old farmers, or a team of Jade Warriors with long halberds and a team of Jade Warriors with crossbowmen, maintained a peaceful atmosphere and began to advance toward the key point.

Soon, at the eastern position, the two sides were about 150 paces apart, and their arrows were already within reach of each other. However, neither side's archers rushed to shoot at the armored soldiers at the front. After the armored soldiers took action at the front, the archers adjusted their positions and tried to shoot from the sides, while others shot directly at the other side.

At this time, the groups fighting side by side urgently needed new recruits. So, with both sides feeling that they were short of troops, groups of soldiers began to rush to the front line under the command of flags.

The battle lines became increasingly tense, and the clash of malevolent energies caused the hills upstream to tremble. Countless animals sensed the release of this killing intent from heaven and earth and began to flee in a frenzy.

Both sides accumulated malevolent energy in the mountains and rivers, as the saying goes, "When a person unleashes murderous intent, heaven and earth are overturned."

A calamity is imminent. The calamity is unavoidable, but the two armies can control the evil energy through their battles, and by infusing this energy, they can alter the direction of the earth's veins, determining which county or region the calamity will erupt in.

Ordinary soldiers began to fight for their lives, and mages began to lock onto each other.

Bai Renfeng and his fellow disciples looked at the bloody battlefield ahead, took a deep breath, and hesitated whether to join the battle. Before they could react, on the left flank of the battlefield, five fire tornadoes formed a wall and were engulfing their own troops. More than fifty Wu family soldiers were unable to dodge in time and were caught in the flames. Some of the armor plates on the soldiers' bodies were heated red-hot and they had to be torn off, screaming in agony on the battlefield. The soldiers of the pseudo-Hao were also unable to finish off the enemy for a moment, watching the fire tornadoes move by in fear.

"Wind and Fire Technique" is a war spell that Wei Hao often uses on the battlefield. After Bai Renfeng confirmed that the alchemist was the culprit of the battlefield spell, he immediately flew over on his sword.

He strode through the air on his sword, piercing through the dense baleful aura, and finally closed to within fifty paces, the range where his spells could be used. He casually flicked a sword talisman, and the masked female alchemist in Hao's army was unable to dodge in time and was hit on the spot. She coughed up blood thanks to the baleful aura protecting her, but she did not dare to be careless and immediately retreated.

In the pursuit, Bai Renfeng finally closed the distance and struck her again, this time cleaving her mask and nearly killing her. However, a troop of farmhands charged forward, forcing him to contend with the onslaught. By the time he had broken through three troop formations and escaped, the female alchemist was already far away, while his fellow disciples on the battlefield began casting spells.

First, Qinglin used his "Rejuvenation Technique" to quickly coagulate the blood on the soldiers' bodies, and large areas of deadly burns were healed.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yanming couldn't hold back any longer. A red lotus appeared in his left hand, and a blue lotus in his right. The two lotuses merged, their petals intersecting like gears, and he hurled them towards the giant terracotta warriors charging into the battlefield seventy paces away.

With a loud bang, the lotus exploded on the three-story-tall terracotta warrior. The blue lotus had extremely strong penetrating power, like thermite, melting through the terracotta warrior and burning through its core. The red lotus petals bounced off and landed on the group of jade warriors protecting the terracotta warrior, instantly engulfing all of them like a cluster bomb exploding.

After the flames died down, the effects of the attack were felt. Most of the armor on the terracotta giant was knocked off. Although it was still moving forward, its steps were shaky, just like a robot that had just come out of the 21st century, as if it might fall at any moment.

The elite Jade Warriors who assisted the terracotta giants in their attack suffered a third casualty. After the flames died down, the Jade Warriors, who were rolling on the ground, managed to extinguish the burning spots on their bodies and finally got up. However, when they raised the flag again, the flag of the Hao Army was burned to tatters.

After both sides unleashed their spells, most of the spiritual energy in the world that had been imprisoned by the evil aura was depleted, and then they began to fight each other.

…shift the focus…

While the battle raged fiercely among the five thousand men, Wu Hengyu commanded his cavalry to flank from the left, while he himself charged ahead towards the "Shuwang" Chongtang. This enormous giant with outstretched wings fired three arrows at Wu Hengyu, but missed, and could only watch as Wu Hengyu's mount transformed into a behemoth and charged towards him.

Meanwhile, Yu Li blocked Pu E on another battlefield.

When Pu'e transformed into a dragon with a black iron color and white mane, Yu Li also transformed into a giant dragon. Its tail was still a crescent-shaped tail (shark tail fin), and although dragon horns extended from its head, it still looked like a big-headed fish. Of course, both of them were giant beasts.

Pu'e was splashed by the water and jumped up, then suddenly swung her tail like a dragon, knocking Yu Li to the ground.

Yu Li's ten-zhang-long body fell from the sky, its scales falling off. Pu E let out a low cry, glanced contemptuously at this copy of herself, and then tried to leave. But Yu Li gritted her teeth and continued to roll up from the ground, water flowing from the earth's veins, helping her to rise again and continue to entangle Pu E.

Pu'e was furious. She then twisted her dragon body and turned back, slapping Yu Li's face with a dragon tail swing and summoning lightning to strike Yu Li.

Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Pu'e gave Yu Li a severe beating, causing the scales on the younger sister's body to fall off. However, realizing that her army formation could not hold out, she summoned a group of "Immortal Soul Army" from the underworld to entangle Wu Hengyu. Then, she issued an order for "Shuwang" Chongtang to withdraw from the battlefield.

Meanwhile, he was preparing to deliver the final blow to Yu Li and remove her Achilles' heel, but at that moment, the dragon horse in the sky caught up and he had to give up.

Pu'e lashed Yu Li's abdomen again with her tail, roaring at her in dragon language. The meaning was unclear to humans, but it roughly meant "bitch," "traitor," "cheap," and "retribution."

…They're fighting a war, but what they're really expressing is emotion…

In this battle, Pu'e fought a bloody battle but narrowly lost. However, she successfully completed Zhao Cheng's order to "block the Wu family's attempt to penetrate from Yongzhou."

Her troops retreated to the high ground, and the subsequent floods that swept through Yongzhou did not affect them. Besides, this was the territory of the puppet regime, so they didn't care about the flooding.

However, even though Pu'e was hundreds of miles away, seeing the murderous aura of Wu Hengyu's army, she still felt that she had lost.

(End of this chapter)