Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 126 Wangjiadu

After capturing Donglei City, Wu Fei dispatched multiple scout teams to closely monitor the movements of surrounding cities.

After all, even the most perfect predictions based on maps and staff officers are just simulations; the final tactical arrangements still depend on the intelligence gathered. And as Wu Fei had predicted, the two dragon-descended generals in the west remained inactive and did not arrive to provide timely support. Meanwhile, Su Dong's troops did show some movement, and the direction in which his large conscripted peasant army was gathering changed.

Wu Fei counted on his fingers, carefully calculating: "There are still ten days left, but in five days at most, we'll face a fight to the death. What are you (Su Dong) going to do?"

Wu Fei glanced at the sand table map and planted a flag in advance on an official road behind Su Dong's army. The other end of this official road was called "Shengyan City." He looked at the map with the eyes of a hunter waiting for a trap to be set.

…Faction Switching Divider…

On June 18, Su Dong, who had just advanced to within 6 kilometers of Deer Horn City, received bad news. Although he could even see the flags of Deer Horn City from the air while riding his dragon horse, at that moment, an urgent report came from the rear: his supply depot, Donglei, had been captured by the Yao army.

He thought it was fake, but more and more news came from the camp, and batches of people escaped back.

The news seemed to be true, but when Su Dong realized it was true, he suddenly discovered that the news had already inevitably spread.

In fact, even if he wanted to block the news, he wouldn't have the chance.

After Donglei City was captured, Wu Fei deliberately let the soldiers outside the prisoner camp proudly discuss how they had plundered the city with only 500 men.

Meanwhile, in the latter half of the night, the guards were unexpectedly "laxed," allowing some prisoners to escape in batches and return to report.

The topics Wu Fei had the guards discuss were presented in a tone reminiscent of 21st-century marketing accounts; headlines like "Shocking!" and "You Absolutely Don't Know" wouldn't fool seasoned readers, but they would definitely hook some fools. And when these fools spread the word, it would influence the more intelligent among them, and then even more groups. This is what we'd call "information stampede" in later generations.

Such military "tricks" can only be used against the weak who lack the means to teach a lesson.

Now, Wu Fei is confident that the opponent is the weaker party, because the Hao armies of each prefecture are not under each other's command, and the great general who caused the fifteen armies of Da Yao to suffer a crushing defeat is not here.

After Su Dong returned to the main camp, morale among his troops was low. The soldiers were divided into two factions: one advocating an immediate return to retake Donglei, while the other, Su Dong's confidants, felt that they could not return empty-handed. After all, this attack was initiated by Su Dong, and a disastrous defeat would severely damage his prestige as a descendant of the dragon, and consequently, cause many of the investments made by those who had pledged allegiance to him to go down the drain.

Su Dong observed the current situation and decided to proceed on two fronts: first, to quickly capture Lujiao City; and second, to send a general along the official road on the southwest side to return to Shengyan City and gather enough provisions to support the main army.

Inside the tent, the generals and staff exchanged bewildered glances. Soon, someone offered a roundabout objection.

Staff Officer A: "General, although taking the southern route can provide our army with supplies, it's close to Zhu Jiajun's army (Zhu Liwang). What if we..."

Su Dong, who needed authority, quickly denied it: "Absolutely not, that pig wouldn't dare to come and provoke us!"

Before the next advisor could ask a question, Su Dong drew his knife, reinforcing the rationality of his judgment: "According to the current intelligence, the small town in the east was only taken by a group of people. It's not a major threat!"

He then winked at his son.

His son, Su Zhe, said, "The ones in the south are just a bunch of petty thieves. A thousand elite soldiers are enough to wipe them out. Father, I am willing to take the military command to retake Donglei and stabilize the hearts of the people as soon as possible."

Su Dong: "Yu Yong is commendable, but I order you to take three thousand men (eight hundred elite troops with a large number of farmers) to Shengyan City to transport grain."

...perspective switching...

The Yao army is marching south from Donglei Ferry. The troops are currently resting and reorganizing. A temporary battle seminar is being held next to a large rock on the riverbank.

Wu Fei squatted beside a newly drawn mud map on the floor. After receiving information about the division of the Southern Su Dong Corps, he stood up, pointed to Wangjiadu, and gave the order: "The entire army must accelerate to Wangjiadu."

As each sergeant received their orders, the soldiers resting by the river immediately began carrying their weapons and ammunition, moving in perfect unison—their footsteps echoing in perfect unison. The horses' hooves moved in equal order, cutting along the path reserved for the column.

During the march, Wu Fei received the latest news from "Jian" that the leader of the army was Su Dong's third son, Su Zhe!

Within Bo County, the Dragon Descendants are considered first-class citizens and often look down upon the cowardly soldiers of the Great Yao Army, as exemplified by Zhu Dali's troops. As for Zhao Cheng, the Great General of Hao Kingdom, the Dragon Descendants describe him as "cunning and treacherous in warfare," while Su Zhe is praised for his bravery and decisiveness.

Regarding such biased praise, Wu Fei shook his head. Especially after several hours, when he discovered Su Zhe hastily arriving with his men, and before enough scouts had been deployed on both flanks, Wu Fei thought: This guy is a complete novice.

Wu Fei then paused and commented in a gentle tone: "Hmm, perhaps things have been too smooth for them, and they are unaware of the dangers of the battlefield."

Wu Fei felt that any war he fought was dangerous for both himself and the enemy.

The marching flags moved rapidly across the strategic map, and Wu Fei arrived at the designated location ten hours ahead of schedule. Entering this "battle map," Wu Fei deployed his troops at the ferry crossing.

…War is dangerous and perilous; death or injury is the only outcome…

Su Zhe's army stretched for a kilometer, roaring as they arrived at the river crossing. Due to the sheer number of troops, the dust kicked up in front made it impossible for those following behind to see the sky; they could only see the tails wagging on the horses' rumps.

Su Zhe was at the very front. Looking at the great river ahead, he asked the guide, "Why is there no road?"

The cavalryman leading the way said, "General, there is a ferry crossing ahead with several bamboo rafts; of course, our army can also cross the river."

Su Zhe frowned. He glanced at the chaotic group behind him and realized that the group needed to be reorganized. Dragging things out to this point had already caused much of the group to fall apart, and crossing the river now would only make it more disorganized. But crossing as a whole would take several hours. Would the people on the other side warn the Yao people?
At this moment, Su Zhe felt like someone whose shoelaces were loose before boarding the bus. Once on the bus, they would be stepped on and loosened even more. But should he squat down to tie them now? The bus wouldn't wait for anyone.

Su-cheol decided to lead the team across the river himself.
Half an hour later, the swift, icy river water crashed against the horse's legs, and Su Zhe's boots were soaked by the waves, but in the end, he led the horse and three hundred men across the river.

But as he crossed the river, a cannon boomed from the horizon; two miles upstream, a large army appeared in the bushes on the bank, and bamboo rafts appeared in the river, filled with soldiers holding spears and halberds.

Wu Fei: Newbies all make the same mistakes, it's urgent.

Like Tang Du'ao back then, this Su Zhe also left in too much of a hurry, focusing on Wangjiadu as the nearest ferry crossing, without even sending people to search for other small swimming areas upstream.

…There is a difference in skill level… In this battle, Wu Fei took the initiative to cross the river and occupy the high ground above Wangjiadu, preparing to fight a battle against the enemy cavalry who came from afar.

After all, it is the first battle. Although we have practiced countless times on the training ground, will we be able to "retreat in the face of battle" and flee when facing the enemy's regular army?
Wu Fei's first experience leading troops was with conscripted farmers, and he was physically weak at the time, unable to control the battalion commanders. Therefore, he had always been on guard against the army disobeying orders.

Therefore, the purpose of crossing the river to fight was to have the river help stop the three thousand strong men he brought from retreating.

While it appears to be an imitation of the Battle of Backwater, the participation of the 3,000 able-bodied soldiers has no impact on the outcome; to put it bluntly, adding them is merely "adding points automatically." To intercept and kill the Haotian army, only the 1,500 soldiers brought along are needed to win.

The reason Wu Fei brought them here to form a battle formation was to let these able-bodied men see blood and adapt to future situations.

Wu Fei had already made the worst-case scenario plan. Even if the conscripted troops were routed, his main force could hold off the enemy's pursuit, allowing the conscripts to retreat to the upstream positions to catch their breath and fight a defensive war. He could also use ships to mobilize the conscripted peasant corps across the river to provide support, and then fight a protracted war.

In Wu Fei's view, the physical fitness of the recruits was not much worse than that of the boatmen of yesteryear. They all worked on the docks, and how could they earn a living without strong arms? Wu Fei also placed high hopes on this batch of recruits who were the first to be captured, regarding them as the main force in the future battle of Bozhou. With this goal in mind, the recruits would inevitably have to fight sooner or later and needed to be trained.

Because once the scale of their own battles grows larger, and the Hao Kingdom reacts, they need to have sufficient troops to deal with it.

…As the war drums beat, everyone's hands involuntarily tightened their grip on their weapons…

Wu Fei looked down at the troops from his vantage point. For the "East City Army," this was their first real positional battle!

No matter how loudly the slogans and emotions were chanted in the East Market, "mutual trust" was not tested on the battlefield. So-called "trust" meant that the boatmen's soldiers believed that the newly recruited men could join them.

As soon as the battle began, Wu Fei realized that his opponents were not even in the same league as him.

Wu Fei stared blankly at the "fool" riding the magnificent bronze lion in the water. His own troops had already charged forward, and this guy was still calling for mobile forces to come into the water to protect him. These were valuable mobile forces; they were useless in the water with him.

As the war drums sounded, Wu Fei immediately ordered the soldiers upstream to stop hiding and advance.

The 1,500-man army, who had been sitting cross-legged, immediately stood up. Ignoring the cushions under their buttocks, they stood up with their muskets in hand, checked their brass bars, percussion caps, and other pre-battle spare parts, and began to jog together towards the downstream battlefield two miles away.

The Battle of Wangjiadu has begun. The Dongshi Army, which arrived at the battlefield three hours ahead of schedule, charged straight in like a guillotine.

Su Zhe, who had just crossed the river, looked back at the deafening battle cries and wanted to cross the river again, but was blocked by crossbowmen and halberdiers who came by boat on the river.

Hao Jun's situation was like being on the guillotine. Su Zhe was the head stuck in the river, the main force was the "body", and the able-bodied troops on the Wangjia Ferry bank were the guillotine blades, falling down menacingly.

If Su Zhe were to order the entire army to retreat downstream now, he and the vanguard elite troops would be left in the river and entangled by Wu Fei's troops, resulting in their bodies being torn apart!

If Su Zhe orders his troops to fight to the death, his entire army will be facing the Dongshi Army's musketeers, and then it will be a series of scorching bullets.

…This is definitely a good position for a shooter. …

Before long, the conscripted soldiers closed in and fought with great enthusiasm. Led by the three sergeants and two hundred boatmen who stayed behind, the conscripted soldiers formed battle formations based on them, firmly entangled Haotian's troops, and kept the ferry crossing in a state of constant combat.

At the ferry dock, Hao Jun's brave soldiers were overwhelmed by the brute force of the strong men. Amidst the throng of people, the strong men wearing bamboo helmets, relying on their numbers, spared no effort and swung their long halberds. Hao Jun grabbed Yao Jun's halberd soldiers and they all fell into the water.

After being forced to go into the river, Da Yao's able-bodied troops found their own boats on the river and swam back up.

It is worth mentioning that a considerable number of these able-bodied men were recruited from the docks and carts in the south. They knew a little about swimming and, for the long march, did not wear heavy armor, but only carried dry bread on their chests for protection. This made them more convenient in the water than the Hao army, who were covered in jade armor.

After several attempts, the able-bodied soldiers gradually became more spirited, and even took the initiative to hook Hao Jun's body with their halberds and jump into the lake, pulling Hao Jun into the water.

Hong Qiang, the chief sergeant, stood at the ferry crossing, his face covered in blood, having killed six Haotian men. He beckoned the able-bodied men to follow him and his personal guards, and shouted, "We are the mainstay of this battle. We deserve the greatest credit, and the victor will be awarded three merits!"

As for how much three merits are exactly! Let's put it this way: of the more than one thousand women captured in Donglei City, 99% of them could be captured with just one merit.

These days, the able-bodied men have all heard from the soldiers that earning merit could bring "food, rewards, and even a future promotion." In the past, they would just listen to this news for fun, and they didn't think they had the guts to actually take it. But today, they've been forced onto the battlefield, like gamblers desperately betting their hands at a rural gambling table. The able-bodied men all have one thought in their minds: fortune favors the bold, and given their current advantage, there's a high probability they'll be able to obtain this fortune.

Then the able-bodied men surged forward one after another, gradually pushing and scattering the Hao Kingdom's troops. Of course, the final blow was delivered by the warriors.

The musketeers were divided into five squares and advanced from the direction they came from, while the cavalry battalion on the flanks circled around from the west.

Finally, the First Musketeer Battalion, with three hundred men, got their chance to fire. They unleashed a barrage of fire from the flanks and rear of the Haotian Army, who were entangled with the conscripts. The Haotian Army, who were dealing with the cuts and slashes in front, suddenly sensed footsteps coming from behind. A chilling line of gunfire was deployed, and the Haotian Army soldiers who had retreated stared wide-eyed at the dark muzzles of the guns.

"Bang!" The volley was like a thunderclap.
This volley of gunfire shattered the last vestiges of Hao's army's fighting spirit. Large numbers of the conscripted farmers threw down their weapons and fled in disarray. As they fled westward, they began to retreat, resulting in a stampede. This was because the western cavalry was pressing in like a city wall.

In the middle of the river, Su Zhe, who was fighting with the fleet, paused for a moment. He listened to the defeated cries of "Surrender!" "Stop fighting!" and "Spare me!" from the riverbank. The river water slapped against the bronze lion beneath him and splashed onto his face, making him feel utterly desolate.

The dragon-horse warrior beside him reminded the young general: "Young general, run away, or it will be too late."

However, it was too late. A special ship sailed over, with crossbows aimed on board. As it fired, sparks burst from the crossbow bolts, which then ignited yellow flames on the dragon-horse's wings. The dragon-horse, which had been floating on the river, was struck by the arrows and lost its balance as if struck by a pressure point, falling into the water, its wings flapping wildly in the churning water.

Su-cheol felt even more alone.

Half an hour later, amidst shouts of "Victory!", he was forced to climb ashore on his bronze lion. His troops were already kneeling on the bank for over ten acres. Standing beside these "ten acres" of Hao army prisoners, the smug Dongshi soldiers all turned their eager eyes to Su Zhe, like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves eyeing a fat sheep.

Su-cheol stood alone at the ferry crossing, facing hundreds of dark, menacing muskets.

After a volley of fire, sparks exploded on the bronze lion, producing the sound of stainless steel being struck by a coin, before the bronze lion fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)