Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 237 The Useless One Takes Charge
On July 10th, Wu Zaixing blocked Zhenhao Group in the northeast of Xiazhou, launching the largest annihilation battle in the struggle between Zhenhao and Zhenhao.

Thirty thousand Hao soldiers gathered in disarray on the banks of the Jia River, attempting to prepare for a "do-or-die" battle.

However, this desperate situation is truly dire, and their fighting strength is also truly weak; as for actual combat? It's nonexistent.

As rows of spearmen and crossbowmen of the Chen army formed firing lines and spread out on the ground, bullets rained down on the Hao army like real raindrops, causing the already crowded Hao army to become even more packed and chaotic.

Hao Jun's dragon horse knights and some Taiyue Luan tried to break the stalemate, but were suppressed by the ghost chariot that came from the sky. In the end, they were kicked to the ground by the ghost chariot and died under the rain of arrows.

The two armies were two hundred meters apart; the Hao army, scattered and clustered on the riverbank, lay there like a piece of meat on a chopping board. At this moment, the Zhen army could easily win by pressing forward, but they still attacked according to military manuals.

The Chen army found several points on both sides of the Hao army that could be cut off, and concentrated artillery fire on them; then, one regiment after another approached the cut point and fired muskets and crossbows. Soon, the Hao army, like a sausage, was cut into two sections, separated into two smaller segments.

After separating, Chen Jun pounced on Hao Jun like jackals and tigers, swallowing the sausage that had been cut off his body in one gulp!

At this point, Hao Jun realized: "Our army can't even protect itself, let alone those troops that were cut off and still have hundreds or thousands of men left!" As a result, morale began to collapse.

On the riverbank, those who did not want to jump into the river knelt down and begged for mercy. A few unwilling Hao army generals killed a few people before being pinned to the ground by the others.

Even Zhao Chenglai would have to marvel at this scene, saying that the Zhen Army's fighting style was "watertight" and exactly like Wu Xiaoque's.

Ultimately, the Hao army mutinied on the riverbank. Waves of Hao soldiers surrendered, driven by Hao prisoners who had first surrendered to the Zhen army, shouting, "Surrender, and you'll get steamed buns!" Many of these Hao prisoners settled in Xia Prefecture; the rest were soldiers from other prefectures in Da Yao, not the Hao Tartars. The real Hao Tartars had already been wiped out in the north by Su Ming using the Dragon-Slaying Order.

Of course, Zhenhao escaped before being forced to surrender.

Wu Zaixing rode his winged tiger and led his army to the bank of the Jia River, where he saw an ice boat formed by a piece of ice frozen in the middle of the river by magic.

This ice ship, with a diameter of thirty meters, was built with the support of a certain sect.

These were 99 cultivators from local powerful families who, before the evil aura arrived, performed a blood sacrifice; with the help of the evil moon, they completed the "Crossing the River Yin Boat," saving Zhenhao's life at a critical moment.

Wu Zaixing looked up and saw that there were at least a hundred people standing on the ice; while many more Hao soldiers tried to climb onto the ice, but were kicked back by Zhen Hao's personal guards.

Although it was too far away to hear the sounds, I could roughly guess that the conversation went something like this: "Let's go! Let's go!" "Sir, I'm xxx, let me on!" "Get lost, I don't know you!" (kicks hard), splashing water.

Looking at this human tragedy, Wu Zaixing said with great sympathy, "Tsk tsk, how can so many people stand here? Artillery, give me a volley, remember to keep the trajectory as flat as possible, don't shatter the ice!"

Kind-hearted Wu Zaixing wore a smile.

The signal corps quickly relayed the order, and soon the artillery fire began.

The prisoners who surrendered on the shore knelt on the ground in terror, watching the bullets pass overhead; after confirming that they were not being hit, they turned to look at the people on the ice who had been knocked down and cleared of almost two-thirds by the angled shells; they felt fortunate that they had surrendered early.

After two rounds of shelling, Wu Zaixing confirmed that there were only fifty people left on the ice and ordered the shelling to stop.

Sergeant: "General, let's fire another round, and we can send them all to the river to feed the fish!"

Wu Zaixing shook his head: "That's enough, let them go back."

…Fools can live…

Last night, after reporting to Xuan Chong via telescope, Wu Zaixing informed the Supreme Commander that the Xiazhou Campaign was about to end.

Xuan Chong asked Wu Zaixing a question: What kind of person is Zhenhao?
Wu Zaixing pondered for a moment: "Zhenhao has the ability to command troops, but he can only control a maximum of 20,000 soldiers; beyond that limit, things will become increasingly chaotic."

Xuan Chong: "If he manages to escape, what are your chances of defeating him again if you fight him once more?"

Wu Zaixing: "Ten percent success."

Xuan Chong: "Reason."

Wu Zaixing: "My staff team has made a detailed summary of his decision-making and system weaknesses during this campaign. There are nineteen ways to deal with him, and we have only used three so far. His people are all like ants gathering honey. Not to mention solving his inherent problems, it will be difficult for his entire system to avoid problems in the future."

The idiom "ants gather for honey" means that a large number of people gather together for a short period of time because of mutual benefit; once the honey disappears, they disperse.

Zhenhao still had fame and fortune around him, and talented people would gather around him like ants moving house, working together with one heart; but now that the war has collapsed, the talented people of the powerful families are indifferent to him, saying that he "cultivates the land in Luoyang and does not seek fame among the princes" (moreover, after the defeat, Wu Zaixing focused on bombarding the ice ship with cannons, killing and injuring Zhenhao's staff).
After interrogating the prisoners, the Xiazhou staff learned that Zhenhao's staff had been with him for no more than three years and were already lacking in "battle strategy analysis" ability; after the major defeat, they shifted blame to each other, which made them even less capable.

So Xuan Chong nodded: "Then, let him have a round if the circumstances are right."

Wu Zaixing paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."

Xuan Chong then explained his reasons to Wu Zaixing: the Xiazhou campaign had ended, and the reclamation work would require a lot of resources; military operations should be slowed down, otherwise excessive occupation would lead to instability at the grassroots level.

Although Zhenhao is not good at fighting, he is supported by several powerful families in the Central Plains. Since Zhao Cheng has fled and lacks prestige, such an incompetent person will remain in his position as long as he doesn't die.

In the ensuing situation, Xuan Chong needs to hear various voices from within Zhao Cheng's group.

Xuan Chong's original words: "I need people like Zhen Hao and Zhao Cheng to continue matching and teaming up."

As for Wang Yushan, Xuan Chong also sent him back to the east. Anyone who had hindered Zhao Cheng in this battle was sent back.

Zhao Cheng's actions in this battle were a classic case of "even the wisest can make a mistake." His power had expanded too rapidly in recent years, and he had too many people. Not only did he lack the time to meticulously train the talents to be sent out like Wu Fei did, but he also needed to maintain a broad atmosphere for "recruiting talent" and couldn't be too strict with discipline.

Now that these defeated generals have returned, Zhao Cheng has no chance to reorganize the army.

For the past ten years or so, Xuan Chong has been focusing on Zhao Cheng's shortcomings. Initially, it was about his lack of supplies; in the future, it will be about his lack of unity among his followers.

The ability to unite people is a remarkable skill, and Liu Bang was a master of it. Shi Le said, "If I were to meet Emperor Gaozu, I would serve him from the north and compete with Han Xin and Peng Yue for the lead; if I were to meet Emperor Guangwu, we would contend for supremacy in the Central Plains; it is unknown who will emerge victorious."

Shi Le couldn't understand how Liu Bang managed to integrate his gang of ruffians (the Pei County gang), nobles from the six states (Zhang Liang), rural Confucian scholars (Li Shiqi), and the down-on-his-luck military noble Han Xin.

Xuan Chong certainly didn't have Liu Bang's methods, but he did have ways to give Zhao Cheng negative buffs, and they were quite ruthless.

…blood-red pudding…

On July 13, Zhenhao returned eastward with more than twenty riders. Upon arriving in Lincheng, a prominent family immediately presented him with a tiger tally and offered him advice.

In their advice to Zhenhao, they suggested "transferring" troops from two prefectures to stabilize the situation in the Heluo region. These two prefectures were Yuhua Prefecture and Ning Prefecture.

Zhenhao was puzzled, because the commander of Yuhua Prefecture was Zhao Shanhe, and the commander of Ning Prefecture was Wei Heng; one was a close confidant of Zhao Cheng, and the other was a former subordinate of Zhao Cheng. Although he possessed the Tiger Tally, would these two truly lead their armies to obey him?
The strategists, born into powerful and influential families and experienced in power struggles within their own households, began to offer the following advice.

Advisor: "My lord, what is most important to you right now?"

Zhenhao: "The Zhen army is powerful and strong. The most urgent task is naturally how to defend against the enemy."

The strategist (blue) shook his head: "My lord, you are wrong. Your most important task is to ensure that Hedong (east of the Jia River) is not lost."

Zhenhao: "Huh? How is this different from a strategy for defending against enemies?"

The strategist said, "Of course they are different. In the world today, only two people have the ambition to seize the throne: one is the Duke of Zhao, and the other is the King of Bo in the north. However, the King of Bo is stubborn and self-willed, and not good at managing people. When his brother was still alive, there were no problems; but now that he holds power alone, everyone is wary of him because of their own interests. As for the Duke of Zhao—"

The strategist sighed at this point: "When we first started, we had no power; when we tried to ride the wind, we missed the opportune moment. In the process of starting a business, we were constrained by our location (referring to our current position in the center of the world). Of course, more importantly, why should we let our ambitions take flight when we already have sincerity?"

By this time, scholars across the land had realized that Xuan Chong's appearance had thwarted Zhao Cheng's chances of unifying the country.

Zhenhao seized on the key point and asked, "You mean that the one in the west doesn't have the ambition to conquer the world?"

As the strategist nodded, Zhenhao was taken aback. A year ago, he believed that Zhao Cheng could conquer the world by gathering the strongest armies in the land; however, after fighting the Zhen army ten days ago, he learned that the strongest army in the world was in the west. And possessing such a powerful army, yet having no ambition to conquer the world? This was something that puzzled Zhenhao.

Zhenhao even complained, "If you don't want to conquer the world, why did you train such a powerful army to hinder our great cause?"

Amid Zhenhao's doubts, the strategist revealed Xuan Chong's strategic plan.

The strategist said, "Although the Chen army is currently strong, its lord is plotting reforms, which goes against the prevailing social order. My lord, you only need to know that the Chen lord will only nibble away, not devour us whole."

Subtext: In this current battle, if only Zhenhao's forces are defeated, the only thing the Zhen Kingdom will swallow is Hedong.

However, if all the armies are now involved in all of Zhao Cheng's territories, even if the Chen army wins a complete victory, it will be impossible to swallow up all of Zhao Cheng's territories!
In other words, if Zhao Cheng's troops were all defeated, and Xuan Chong could freely choose whichever piece of meat to take, then the land east of the Jia River might not be the first priority for the Zhen army.

But if Zhao Cheng's other territorial troops don't move, there's only one dish on the table in the Zheng Kingdom, and Xuan Chong can only pick up the piece of meat from Hedong (east of the Jia River) with his chopsticks.

This strategist beside Zhenhao was able to make such accurate judgments.

This was because, a few days earlier, when powerful families from various regions demanded that Xuan Chong have the world in his heart, Xuan Chong responded: "My virtue is meager; I can only benefit the people under my rule. The famine in the world will be solved by the great talents of the world. You moral scholars, with your greater virtue, please go first." The fate of the world was already decided.

This has nothing to do with "arrogance." Even if Wu Xiaoque disliked the aristocratic families, she still treated them with the utmost respect when they migrated to Lingnan. The current state of Zhen Kingdom repeatedly ignores the scholars of the realm, simply because the scholars are useless to Wu Xiaoque!

Zhenhao paced back and forth, deep in thought. He understood something, but he couldn't let go of certain shackles in his heart.

The strategist wasn't in a hurry, because Zhenhao would figure it out.

Hao's army is currently in a state of complete rout. To survive in a defeated army, one doesn't need to run faster than the enemy, but only faster than one's own teammates. And right now, Zhenhao doesn't need to turn the tide to keep his side afloat; he only needs to draw in the other factions under Zhao Cheng and have them clash with Zhen's army.

Narrator: If Zhao Cheng were still in the mid lane, overseeing the overall situation and not jungling, Zhen Hao would be completely unable to make any clever moves. However, with Wu Rui appearing, Zhao Cheng had no choice but to retreat. Meanwhile, the Zhen team was preparing to "lock Zhao Cheng in the jungle."

Zhenhao is the only one who can take charge of the situation in the north.

Zhenhao took a deep breath, and as blue and purple light flashed in his pupils, selfish desires finally prevailed, and the traditional concept of a scholar dying for one who understands him was changed.

As a general who controls a province, he is unwilling to give up after a defeat, sitting on this ever-changing stage!
Zhenhao examined the seal of office, then gripped it tightly. He had made up his mind: he must protect everything he had now, no matter what!
After Zhenhao took the "Tiger Tally," which was nominally able to command all the states, he said to his strategist, "Please teach me, sir."

…A secret plot unfolds in a small room, a decision made a thousand miles away…

The strategist said, "The first step, sir, is to show that you are not discouraged by defeat. Actively demonstrate your role in the local area. In this way, even if Lord Zhao wants to punish you, he will give up because of the saying 'Don't dismantle a crumbling wall.' (A local allusion, similar to 'throwing a stone at a rat for fear of breaking the vase.')"

Therefore, Zhenhao began to recruit local militia from the three areas bordering Xiazhou. He also allowed local militias to be organized, making it clear that "when the Zhen army arrives, we will fight to the death."

In fact, the local powerful families had already prepared to conscript local militias, and were just waiting for this order.

Note: This order was purely Zhenhao's way of protecting himself, invoking local gentry to safeguard his own interests; in reality, he had no ability to coordinate the troops of the local landlord class. If it were so easy to conjure up a million soldiers through policy, Zhao Cheng would have done so long ago.

Within Jiuyang County, the Wang family, the largest and most powerful clan in the area, summoned all its members and announced the formation of a local militia. Some clansmen were puzzled, but soon, as bandits began to roam the countryside, the Wang family assembled a militia of over a thousand men.

Immediately afterwards, the Wang family's militia clashed with the Li family's militia (the Li family of Jiuyang County stayed in Yaodu for a while before returning). Several fights broke out between the two militias while they were fighting over women in brothels.

The strategy devised by Zhenhao's advisors was to hastily assemble these local militias in order to prevent the Zhen army from advancing eastward.

The strategist said, "Secondly, although Zhao Shanhe of Yuhua Prefecture is loyal, he lacks strategy. Now that Lord Zhao's army is trapped in the south, you should use the tiger tally as a guide to order him (Zhao Shanhe) to go to the southern front to rescue Lord Zhao from this predicament."

To put it bluntly, Zhao Shanhe is poorly educated, and like attracts like; he has few strategists around him, only brutes.

The strategist's plan: Simply write a letter questioning Zhao Shanhe: "You always claim to be Zhao Cheng's loyal follower. Now that Lord Zhao is in trouble, and you hold military power, are you truly willing to remain loyal?"

Zhao Shanhe had reservations, so he doubted his loyalty. (Similar to 21st-century internet slang, where those who disagree are readily expelled from the community.)
The strategist then added: "Although Wei Heng of Ningzhou is senior, he lacks ability and is greedy."

In plain language: Wei Heng is a very clever man, but he thinks he's all that. Given his seniority, if he were truly capable, Zhao Cheng wouldn't have sidelined him during this great battle.

This is because Wei Heng is greedy and easily blinded by danger, making him extremely vulnerable to traps! (Zhao Cheng worried that this guy would be tricked and killed by Wu Xiaoque on the battlefield, but Zhao Cheng couldn't have predicted that even before he died, his own people would start tricking him.)
The strategist instructed Zhenhao to write a letter to him, first praising Wei Heng's great talent and stating that he (Zhenhao) was far inferior to him. He then recounted the current situation: the battle of Xiazhou had been a major defeat, and he had retreated to Hedong, intending to recruit local heroes to fight the Zhen army to the death, determined to trap them in Hedong. He argued that if Wei Heng were to send troops now, he could certainly achieve great things.

What could truly hook Wei Heng was that the spies had discovered that the State of Zhen was using a million shi of grain for Xia Prefecture as a form of work relief.

Now, Zhao Cheng is diverting grain from various granaries for the major battle, and everywhere is short of food. Since Wei Heng is not participating, he often boasts about his own abilities when drinking with his "wise men." If this information is given to Wei Heng now, Wei Heng will surely be tempted and organize a westward offensive, attempting to "seize grain to feed the army and resolve his dilemma."

With Zhenhao adopting these two strategies, his letters, along with the tiger tally order, were sent to these two "problematic colleagues" in the two states, which caused chaos in three states, including Yuhua State.

…Later generations named this strategy "Chaos of War"…

First was Wei Heng; after receiving Zhen Hao's letter of plea for help and flattery, he became arrogant. As a general who had been sidelined by Zhao Cheng, he had always wanted to find an opportunity to prove himself.

Of course, he did keep some precautions in mind; yes, he was cautious, but not overly so.

It's worth mentioning that, compared to Xuanchong's "university-style" training mechanism, where talent is continuously passed down from generation to generation, even the most outstanding senior students cannot guarantee that they can keep up with the newcomers.

However, Zhao Cheng's talent pool is already so large that "all the heroes in the world are in his grasp." Those with ability are already his advisors, while those left at the lower levels are just old fogies.

These nouveau riche who organized local militias in the countryside also had ambition, but their character, vision, and overall quality were far inferior. When Zhao Cheng recruited elites as his advisory group, they were part of the information being disseminated.

Just like the situation in the thatched cottages in the countryside, only a few talented people are allowed to speak, while the rest can just listen. (And the same is true of some "highly educated" people during the Xuan Chong era; they expect commentary on all major events, only needing themselves, the cultured people, to discuss them, while others just need to be lectured.)
So these local gentry who stayed in the countryside were actually no different from those "guys who believed whatever they heard in the chat groups and were too lazy to verify anything".

These country bumpkins are trapped in their information cocoons. They are major users of many new products exported by the country. They only know that the land of Zhen is wealthy and are quite envious; but they do not understand the strength of the Zhen army.

The situation in the world is changing too fast now. After Zhao Cheng's elite group of scholars was defeated by Xuan Chong.

When the country bumpkin climbs to a high position, he doesn't understand where his weaknesses lie. He only feels that he hasn't used his full strength, and that as long as he enters "mage," he can turn defeat into victory.

So on July 23, Wei Heng's men felt that their situation was very favorable, so how could they possibly lose?

Moreover, the Zhen army in Xiazhou is currently lax, while our side has ample manpower, so we should take a gamble! Furthermore, Zhenhao is also stirring up trouble, with his advisors and their families starting to spread the word that: Zhen is implementing a tyrannical rule in Xiazhou, and this Great Hao vanguard, composed of tens of thousands of troops, will surely bring food and drink to the people of Xiazhou once they break through.

Within the territory occupied by the Chen army, there were indeed "Xia Zhou people" who wanted to offer food and drink to the Hao army. These were all local aristocratic families from Xia Zhou.

The powerful families of Xiazhou are undergoing an unprecedented purge; Wu Juwang, a leading civil official of the Zhen Kingdom, is setting up a "meat grinder" to crush the local tyrants to pieces.

Wu Juwang's strict orders: not a single grain of food should be given to aristocratic families. Grain must be borrowed according to the number of male members in the household. Men borrowing grain must be randomly assigned to production teams, which cannot remain in the same area; they must cultivate land across four counties within a year. Finally, land distribution is also done by drawing lots.

Faced with such a decisive blow, the powerful families knew that if they continued down this path, they would completely lose power in their homeland.

These powerful families believed they knew where the granaries were; they sent messages to their friends in the east, saying, "We have grain; if you attack, we'll have grain!"

Therefore, Wei Heng believed that as long as the war started, there would be no shortage of food.

The Xia Zhou aristocratic families, now starving and on the verge of disbanding, believe that Xuan Chong "abandoned them." They feel they could be "unethical" and hope to one day "reunite with their hometown."

Wei Heng was fooled, but Zhen Hao didn't believe that "his second wave of local troops" could actually fight back successfully.

Zhenhao repeatedly instructed his subordinates to write letters to Wei Heng, urging him to "join forces," the content of which included, but was not limited to, letters to Wei Heng.

1: Wu Zhen's demise is imminent, brothers, let's hurry up and do it! These are the last few waves of military merit for unifying the world! It would be foolish to just stand still!

2: Sending troops now will bring us great merit in securing a territory! Once General Zhao Cheng has dealt with Wu Yuanchang's main force in Zhenzhou, he can turn around and raid the south, and we brothers will only have the merit of subordinate generals!

Because Zhenhao's actions were so overly sentimental, a small number of people in Yuhua Prefecture and Ning Prefecture were not fooled! They began to persuade the commander-in-chief to wait, but the commanders of these two prefectures eventually believed him.

After all, this was a situation where half the country was used to suppress a small corner of the country, and losing would be extremely frustrating.

…a clever scheme, a victory bestowed upon the enemy…

On July 27, Wei Heng led 8,000 cavalry to the Shazhou area, attempting to launch a surprise attack on Xiazhou.

But in terms of mobility, Hao Jun's supposedly formidable light cavalry assault is a joke. Wei Heng was surrounded as soon as he left the mountain pass—Wu Zaixing boasted, "Doesn't he know about my Dazhen intelligence network?"

Note: After the production teams were organized, all the local people became members of the Zhen Army.

However, Wu Zaixing did not immediately defeat Wei Heng, but instead used a counter-strategy. He learned that Wei Heng had received Zhen Hao's order to fight, and that Zhen Hao was arrogantly declaring that he wanted to "fight to the death" with him.

Wu Zaixing was also troubled, as the General Staff had not approved his plan to cross the river to the east to pursue the enemy.

Wu Zaixing: "I can't go there, but I can lure you out, right? You used the Tiger Tally to bring them out, but you just stayed put. That's not right, is it?"

Thus, amidst rounds of pleas for help from the sandbar, Zhen Hao, who had dragged Wei Heng into the mess by relying on local gentry, was forced to re-enter the fray under pressure from the powerful families below.

In truth, Zhenhao had no choice. Conflicts were escalating among the local militias under his command, and he was running out of supplies. So, even when it seemed like he had a chance after the war began, he couldn't suppress the conflicts and bide his time!

…a second time…

On August 5th, Zhenhao, having "made a comeback," led his troops eastward in a desperate attempt to relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao!
On the sixth day, east of the Jiahe River, various armies (from the countryside) gathered, their banners clearly visible. Upon discovering that the river was still shallow, they crossed it directly.

However, after these tens of thousands of people crossed the river in a chaotic manner, the local militia appeared in the northwest and south. Then, under the bombardment of cannons and crossbows, the militia huddled together on the riverbank. But then, white waves appeared upstream, and tens of thousands of militia trampled each other, killing thousands of people. They then turned into bandits and fled to various places under Zhao Cheng's command.

Zhenhao stared at the scene in a daze and picked up his sword, but it was taken away and the person escaped.

Many of the soldiers in the Chen army were former prisoners of the Hao army. They did not feel any sense of shared sorrow or sympathy for the defeated "cannon fodder".

These former Hao soldiers gloated and mocked: even their regular army couldn't beat the Zhen army, so these good-for-nothings who bullied the villagers were "foxes in tiger skins, still getting beaten by black bears."

Contrary to the narrative of the powerful families on Haojun's side, thousands of people had fled from Hedong in the past month. After they registered, Xuan Chong ordered that a few particularly tragic cases be found and their experiences be adapted into operas for public performance.

Those prisoners who had originally come from Xia Prefecture all knew that the aristocratic families were not as benevolent as they claimed. After all, in years of great disaster, who didn't make a living by oppressing the people? These prisoners only realized after arriving in Xia Prefecture and joining the land reclamation team that Duke Zhen's side truly provided disaster relief to every single person, every old woman, child, and woman.

In contrast, when dealing with major disasters, it is standard practice for prominent families in various regions to let their minor branches become frozen corpses by the roadside.

For centuries, things have remained the same, to the point that even these well-read people have never realized there's anything wrong with what they're doing! Even if there are scholars among these minor, unorthodox groups. — Some plays say something like, "A young man goes out to take the imperial examination, passes it, and returns to find his wife (or mother) starved to death at home."

Among the surrendered Hao army were some men from humble backgrounds, who now began to realize that the Zhen army was truly different from the other feudal lords in the world.

So he took the initiative to help Xuan Chong publicize the policy and helped explain Hou Hao's situation.

These people were few in number, but they managed to create a fatal breach in the seemingly impenetrable wall of the "local tyrants."

After August 6th, Zhenhao squandered the last of his regular troops, and he was severely reprimanded by Wu Zaixing, leaving his subordinates as frightened as birds startled by the mere twang of a bow.

As for the local militia he organized, after this incident, "they no longer had the courage to confront the Zhen army, but they had the courage to prey on the villagers, and a great deal of it!" This laid the groundwork for the corruption that would take place in the area west of the river in the following years.

…Let's rewind to late July, when Zhao Shanhe of Yuhua Prefecture also began to wipe out the entire engine…

On July 25th, the General Staff received intelligence that Zhao Shanhe's troops in Yuhua Prefecture had begun to move south; a Class B division was immediately dispatched north to intercept them! The question remains: could this Class B division stop them?
The General Staff saw no problem. In the frontline battle, the elite divisions of the State of Zhen had already wiped out Zhao Cheng's elite forces; now it was time to deal with Zhao Cheng's second-line troops. Meanwhile, the elite divisions on Xuanchong's side would rest for a while, letting the second-tier divisions take over first!

Strategically, Haojun's front line has collapsed and his reserves are being mobilized haphazardly; while our side's B-level forces are in a "phased defense" and also have an advantage.

The perspective shifts to Kuotianling, where a Chen army unit is passing through.

"We'd rather freeze to death than dismantle a house, we'd rather starve to death than steal grain!" Wen Siting's troops shouted as they marched.

The slogan was shouted so solemnly that just a month ago, the local militiamen, who were wearing helmets askew, dragging broken water bottles, and acting nonchalantly, now deliberately maintain their military bearing when passing through populated areas.

Wen Siting received the following information: The General Staff confirmed that the Hao Kingdom's reserve forces had moved (mainly referring to Zhao Shanhe), and the higher-ups (Xuan Chong) had issued orders to block Zhao Cheng's advance and prevent this fresh force from joining the battle line. Therefore, the General Staff immediately transferred three regiments, including Wen Siting's, totaling 12,000 men, to the northeast to block Zhao Shanhe's army from advancing south.

Xuan Chong's General Staff looked down on Zhao Shanhe; however, if Zhao Shanhe were to move south, Zhao Cheng would gain such a fresh force, which would be troublesome.

General Staff Headquarters. Wu Rui looked at the strategic plan drawn up by Xuan Chong and asked, "Encircle the enemy's stronghold and attack their reinforcements?"

Regarding Zhenhao's actions in boosting Wu Zaixing's battle merits, Wu Rui expressed displeasure, like "seeing a brother driving a Land Rover." Xuan Chong's current strategy still gives Wu Zaixing the opportunity to "earn merit."

Wu Rui silently reassured himself: "I don't care, they're all brothers, all brothers, all damn good brothers."

However, Xuan Chong did not send Wu Rui to deal with Zhao Shanhe, but instead transferred him back to Xiangzhou to prepare for a military operation to enter Jizhou by water. —Xuan Chong: Now, to kill this "chicken" Zhao Shanhe, there is no need to use a "sledgehammer."

Back to the present, Wensiting, having already crossed Kuotianling, was adjusting itself when it was soon "visited" by a Hao army.

This unit came from Jizhou in the south. According to the strategic map, it was left by Zhao Cheng to guard the crossroads at "Beixiejing".

Based on his analysis with his staff, Wen Siting estimated that the enemy numbered no more than a thousand, but that many of them were cavalry. Wen Siting ordered the wagons to be linked together, and ropes were already laid between the wagons.

The bayonets of a pure firearms unit are simply no match for the various monsters, demons, and other supernatural beings in this world; therefore, the manuals emphasize the construction of fortifications, and when roads permit, use chariots as much as possible; in battle, chariots lead the way to form a battle formation.

Before the enemy charges, the rope is connected to the vehicle and nailed to the ground; when the enemy's impactful units approach, the rope is suddenly pulled up and used as a tripwire to block them.

After observing the distant smoke signals through the kite flyer in the sky, Wen Siting began to notify the troops to prepare, load gunpowder, and fill bullets.

In Wen Siting's team, each musketeer had ten copper-cased bullets; compared to the more common and cheaper paper bullets, the spirit patterns pressed on the copper-cased bullets gave them a greater range and armor-piercing ability.

This is equipment that is currently only available to elite troops.

Wen Siting prepared for defense and further confirmed the reconnaissance battalion's information. Following the established military manuals, he maintained reconnaissance as much as possible before engaging in battle.

Three dragon-horse cavalrymen flew to the front of the Chen army's position. After exchanging flag signals, Wen Siting rode ahead to coordinate with these messengers before returning to the position.

Wen Siting said to his subordinates, "The enemy should be the troops that Zhao Cheng left behind to guard the gate at Beixiejing; they saw that we don't have any artillery, so they charged over."

Zhang Hai: "Brother, if you need our melee team to come in, just let me know."

Wen Siting: "No rush, hold the position, and fire a volley first."

Wen Siting looked up at the sky. A cloud was floating in the sky at that moment.

A few minutes later, Zhao Cheng's cavalry force, which had remained behind, arrived. These seven hundred-odd riders were all lightly armored, and half of them carried bows. Upon seeing Wen Si's column, they immediately drew their bows and fired at the chariot formation. Clusters of arrows, each as long as an ox's leg, were enhanced by spiritual runes and flew 150 paces. The front chariots of the Chen army were pierced, and many of the riders fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, the cavalry in the vehicle formation were also counterattacking with muskets.

Just as the two sides were exchanging fire, a group of "monsters" made of stone millstones from Hao's army rolled over; these were "monster" troops, destroying the bamboo stakes driven into the ground. The wagon formation was on the verge of collapse, but thanks to pre-battle reconnaissance, a trench had been dug in front of the wagon formation, and the millstone monsters fell into the trench and couldn't climb out.

Just then, fireworks were launched from Wensi Pavilion, and a long siren sounded in the sky. The air force's "containment" state ended.

Three ghost chariots flew over, along with a group of heavily armored aerial cavalry; led by Wu Leng, who rode a griffin and brought with him a mixed force of twenty-one griffins and winged tigers.

Note: The bulging belly of the ghost vehicle indicates a bombing state, while a flat belly indicates an aerial combat state. Currently, under the cover of the griffin riders, they are not lacking in aerial combat capabilities; these three ghost vehicles are currently engaged in ground attack.

Because Wen Siting was lightly armed and had not brought artillery with him when he went north, Wu Leng was ordered to lead his aerial cavalry to support Wen Siting.

The ghost chariot breathed a flame from mid-air, cleansing the battlefield on the ground.

The griffin cavalry swooped down from behind the enemy lines, and the cavalry that Zhao Cheng had left to guard the northern sloping path suffered heavy losses, with many falling from their horses. In the end, all four hundred of Hao's cavalry were annihilated.

Upon encountering Wen Siting, Wu Leng immediately saluted, indicating that he would obey General Wen's orders from now on. — Throughout the entire Southern Expedition, Wen Siting was a veteran officer; although Wu Leng was a member of the Wu family, Wen Siting was his former superior.

Wen Siting smiled broadly, while his soldiers watched with envy as their leader gained such influence that he managed to acquire the strength of the Imperial Guard.

Wen Siting opened the map and began assigning troops to intercept Zhao Shanhe. As for the lack of artillery in the tactical system, Wu Leng said that the logistics team was on its way and a batch of Yanyang crossbows were en route. As long as they could hold this strategic high ground for five days, Wen Siting's artillery organization would be restored.

(End of this chapter)