Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 242 An Unexplained Ending.

During Zhao Shanhe's retreat, the Zhen army dealt with Hao's army like an assembly line.

The first step was to annihilate the heavily armored troops who could not escape by Xuan Chong's main force; the second step was for Wen Siting and his group to rout their still-organized but exhausted troops. The third step was to have about a thousand cavalrymen take turns chasing and cutting down these tens of thousands of fleeing soldiers, scattering them until they could never regroup.

On this assembly line for disposing of "defeated soldiers," Wen Siting's task was to disarm the heavily armed. Wu Leng, following Wen Siting, was tasked with disarming the lightly armed. Then, the cavalry reserved for later deployment were to be removed from enemy ranks.

By late September, Zhao Shanhe's remaining forces numbered only twenty-three riders, trapped in a small village. Just when Zhao Shanhe thought his life was over, a man suddenly said, "Sir, I can go and talk to the Zhen army."

Zhao Shanhe paused, then asked urgently, as if grasping at a straw, "How do you plan to negotiate?"

The man glanced around, seemingly wanting to speak but then hesitated. Zhao Shanhe paused, then immediately dismissed everyone around him. The man then said to Zhao Shanhe, "My lord, what do you think of the Lord of Zhen compared to the Grand General (Zhao Cheng)?"

Zhao Shanhe gritted his teeth and said helplessly, "Lord Chen is a man of great talent, and my lord is a man of exceptional ability! I am inferior to both and have no right to comment."

This person quietly recounted the story.

Zhao Shanhe glared at him and said, "Are you asking me to betray my master?"

The man replied, "No, it's not about making General Zhao betray his lord!"

Zhao Shanhe suddenly realized: "You mean, I should urge the lord to ascend the throne?"

The man nodded slightly.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Shanhe slowly asked, "Then what does this have to do with Lord Zhen releasing me?"

The man hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Zhao Shanhe: "Please speak freely, sir."

The man slowly said, "In fact, Lord Zhen has always regarded Duke Zhao as his opponent, and it is advantageous for Lord Zhen to have someone with great merit but no great talent by Duke Zhao's side."

Zhao Shanhe's expression was quite interesting upon hearing this, but considering his current state of utter defeat, he was speechless.

The man expressed his understanding and comforted him, saying, "Your talent is actually among the best; however, all the military talents in the world are only one bushel, and Lord Zhao and Lord Zhen alone possess nine bushels, while the rest of the people share one bushel."

Zhao Shanhe paused for a moment and then said, "Sir, please don't try to comfort me. Just do as you say." (Although he knew that, according to his principles, he should commit suicide, he ultimately chose to live a life of dishonor.)
However, Zhao Shanhe was unaware that the person who advised him to establish himself was a man from Zhen Hao in the north; ten days later, Zhen Hao used this letter as leverage to execute Zhao Shanhe. From then on, Zhen Hao was no longer subject to checks and balances.

Zhao Shanhe is a pathetic idiot. He's like a student who makes a stupid move in an exam; he gets caught cheating the first time. Zhenhao, on the other hand, does it multiple times and still gets away with it.

…outside the battlefield…

Meanwhile, Xuan Chong had already begun gathering prisoners south of the Yellow River and Luo River; and was conducting a screening of the more than 10,000 surrendered soldiers into officers and soldiers. These defeated soldiers were dressed in tattered clothes, their armor had been removed, and those with silk undergarments had been picked out; this was the second round of screening.

The method of identification was simple: a large pot of rice was cooked for everyone, mixed with sand and stones, and then the officers were asked to check the stones that everyone spat out in front of them.

Those who spit out pebbles mixed with broken rice grains are usually people who eat very refined food; ordinary soldiers, after chipping their teeth while eating, would carefully pick out the larger pebbles with their tongues, and even then, they would suck the pebbles clean before discarding them. As for small grains of sand, they would simply swallow them.

Because the meals were served twice a day in fixed locations, any extra grains of rice left over after the meal were marked and then dug out two days later.

Note: In his previous life, Xuan Chong was a citizen of a "long-established developing country" and was only accustomed to refined rice. If he bit into a grain of sand, he would spit it out along with the rest of the rice. In places where famine truly occurred, however, he would swallow stones and other debris along with the rice.

As Xuan Chong was reviewing the officers' files, he received a notification from the head of the commerce department. This messenger was a veteran who had worked with Wu Fei since he was stationed at Yongji Pass.

In contrast to Zhao Cheng's preference for using spies before battle, Xuan Chong preferred to use spies after the battle was won.

Old bodyguard: "Sir, news has come from the cypress (code name) side."

Xuan Chong paused for a moment: "Um, what's wrong? Did he catch him?"

The veteran soldier: "Yes, he's with Zhao Shanhe. But?"

Xuan Chong paused for a moment: "What's wrong?"

The old soldier said, "He paid his respects to Zhenhao's patron over there."

Xuan Chong paused for a moment: "Have you gained their trust?"

The veteran soldier said, "Not necessarily. Zhenhao is also desperate, so he wants someone who can contact us."

Xuan Chong: "What's the relationship between Zhenhao and Zhao Shanhe?"

The old soldier said, "It's not good. Zhao Shanhe blamed Zhenhao for the defeat, and now the two of them are locked in a life-or-death struggle."

Xuan Chong paused for a moment: "I need Cypress to continue to play a role in the enemy camp. What do you think we should do?"

The old guard said, "Then we must have Huicai help Zhenhao get rid of Zhao Shanhe." He then added, "Zhao Shanhe is a distant relative of Zhao Cheng's clan. Getting rid of him will eliminate Zhao Cheng's right-hand man."

Xuan Chong pondered for a moment, seemingly sighing at the wickedness of the scheme, and slowly said, "I know. Let Zhen Hao catch his breath and release the prisoners from this battle. But he needs to cede the three cities north of Jiahe to me."

The old bodyguard said, "Zhenhao might not be able to make decisions about this territory."

Xuan Chong silently thought to himself, "I need to make him sell off the territories he can't control. That will cause him to face a crisis of prestige and further incite the local powerful clans to take extreme measures."

The most insightful scholars have been wiped out in this battle, and the local magnates who will take the stage next are all half-baked and incompetent.

…The scholars and prostitutes who took to the stage were all extremely concerned with their reputations, and they engaged in abstract performances for the sake of their fame.

On September 27th, to ensure Zhao Changhe's complete death, Zhenhao sent a trusted aide to the Zhenjun forces to confirm the matter. He also agreed to a secret agreement to cede Shazhou in exchange for peace.

Zhenhao's current territory does not include Shazhou, which is to his north; the so-called cession is merely a temporary measure of "not sending troops to rescue him." But even so, he has given others a pretext to criticize him.

After confirming Zhao Changhe's identity, Zhenhao fled back to the three northern prefectures, fearing that his signed agreement would be made public. Therefore, he began a high-profile rebellion, using the names of the powerful families and clans of the three prefectures as a pretext.

Of course, Zhenhao's counterattack, like his cession of the sandbar, was merely lip service. All of his combat-capable troops were wiped out by Wu Zaixing's second wave of attacks on the banks of the Jia River in August.

Why is Zhenhao acting so foolishly? Because he's facing difficulties both internally and externally.

On the one hand, he wanted to seek peace; but seeking peace was merely a way to ease external pressure and catch his breath.

After the external pressure eases, he will have to face internal pressure. Whether it was his previous use of the Tiger Tally to mobilize a large army, resulting in a major defeat for Wei Heng and Zhao Shanhe, or his second defeat at Jiashui with the aristocratic families' militia, both of these actions have aroused doubts about him from all sides.

Furthermore, Xuan Chong now holds the leverage that Zhen Hao took the initiative to seek peace. If he doesn't show an unyielding attitude, those brainless local tyrants will actually believe he has already surrendered to the Zhen Kingdom. They will think that Zhen Hao, as an inside agent, is going to sell all the eastern states to the Zhen Kingdom.

Of course, despite Zhenhao's clownish performance, Xuan Chong didn't take the opportunity to acknowledge him as his "Emei Peak." In fact, Xuan Chong still hoped that such a clown could stay by Zhao Cheng's side to balance Zhao Cheng's abilities.

Xuan Chong liked to use "spy" after winning a battle because once he won, the defeated had very little room to maneuver, and he could completely control the opponent's movements.

Xuan Chong had already anticipated that Zhen Hao would resolutely show extreme opposition in the next stage, which was exactly what Xuan Chong needed.

Xuan Chong waved his hand, using Zhen Hao's treachery as a pretext to seize Shazhou; it was time to take this "Silver Edge." ...Xuan Chong's perspective had already shifted...

In October, Wu Rui led his troops into Jizhou simultaneously. The local forces of Jizhou reacted as if on cue, immediately assembling their troops and advancing. As for Zhao Cheng, who was stationed at the rear, he had no choice but to stockpile his troops at the rear to prevent his ally from suffering a rout and causing the collapse of Jizhou's situation.

Wu Rui was instructed by Xuan Chong to be cautious, so during the five-day standoff, despite adjusting military positions, he was unable to find a suitable position to attack. On the fifth day, scouts reported that the northern area defended by the Thorn Army had been bombarded by artillery fire and was in rout.

Wu Rui confirmed the intelligence and seized the opportunity to begin troop movements. This ultimately led to the "cooperation" of the local forces in Jizhou, initiating a major battle!
The place Wu Rui attacked was called "Shangjiao Town," which is the location of the ancestral graves of the Yan family and many other prominent families.

After carrying out this operation, Wu Rui made a grand statement that he "would not steal graves or dig up tombs." But if he didn't, he wouldn't. By making such a loud announcement, he only made the various families in Jizhou feel that he was "protesting too much," and they urgently forced the Yan family to lead their troops into battle.

Of course, this is also the reason why the eastern warlords demonized the Wu family army.

After a series of maneuvers, on October 8th, Wu Rui mobilized 20,000 troops to surround Baili Jue's less than 8,000 troops at the "Qintai" location.

This is a high platform, resembling a musical instrument. The horizontal prisms on the platform are like strings. These are hexagonal rock crystals that solidified after the volcano cooled. Later, whether due to geological processes or planetary-level engineering interference, they were arranged horizontally.

Qintai has always been a gathering place for literati and scholars in Jizhou. However, this place is a scenic spot, but not a good place to garrison troops. The water in the several stone pits that have been dug out is accumulated from summer rainwater. It is fine for scholars to quench their thirst when climbing the mountain, but for an army of eight thousand, each person drinks it all in one gulp.

Finally, trapped within the encirclement, Baili Jue boarded a floating celestial vessel, waving his flag. He offered to negotiate a price, willing to cede some cities in exchange for a settlement.

Wu Rui ignored it: because the ceded land consisted of cities that Jizhou had occupied from other prefectures in recent years; and because Jizhou had lost Emperor Tongzheng, it had little control over these cities. The military leaders in these cities had already declared independence.

…encircle and attack reinforcements…

Wu Rui immediately launched an attack. During the battle, Wu Rui deployed twenty Yanlin rocket launchers for bombardment. Although the bombardment failed to breach the defenses, the natural prism depressions of the "Qintai" acted like trenches, preventing artillery fire on the infantry. However, the ghost chariots that followed spat a thick cloud of phlegm onto the Qintai. The white poisonous mist spread beautifully along the prism-shaped Qintai, like playing a zither, contaminating all the soldiers and even polluting the water in the troughs.

After polluting the water source, Wu Rui ordered his soldiers to surround it, waiting for enemy reinforcements to join the battle.

On October 10th, Zhao Cheng led his troops to a place thirty miles away from the battlefield. He glanced at the terrain, gritted his teeth, and cursed, "(The Yan family) really picked a good place."

The Qintai Terrace is situated by mountains and water. The hills on the left are not suitable for the terracotta warriors to advance, while the large lake on the right is also unsuitable for a large force to enter.

Zhao Cheng could no longer blame the people of Jizhou for choosing such a decisive battlefield. After their defeat, those guys took Wushi Powder and charged forward in a frenzy, only to be killed by bullets.

Looking at the floating boat he had brought, Zhao Cheng knew that the person opposite him (Wu Rui) was plotting against his last major weapon—the dragon boat. The dragon boat was a weapon unsealed from the era of Emperor Xu, capable of sailing on land, but required for combat on lakes and rivers.

These "warships" look impressive, but they have suffered heavy losses from years of warfare; the keels of all four ships were broken, and two or three tenths of the original crew members were missing. They may look like they can still float now, but if a ghost car were to make even the slightest movement in the sky, these things would quickly crash to the ground.

However, this battle was unavoidable, as Zhao Cheng had no resources to repair the dragon boats. If they remained in the warehouse, they would be destroyed by the spies of the Zhen Kingdom. On the contrary, deploying them now for a final battle would allow them to be put to good use, adhering to the principle that "running water does not stagnate and a door hinge does not rust."

Note: Wu Xiaoque, who used to collect rabbit skins in Haoguo, is now buying glazed jade and yellow pear wood at high prices. Both of these materials are used on dragon boats.

In Hao Jun's camp, Zhao Cheng put on his reading glasses and looked at the letters sent from various families in Jizhou! Each letter seemed to be a persuasion, but Zhao Cheng knew that if he left without a fight, these letters were actually threats that "he could not stand here."

…Domestic feuds ruin the front lines…

In the final stage of the decisive battle between Wu Rui and Zhao Cheng, Xuan Chong was still using underhanded tactics. This level of skill in using "espionage" was something Zhao Cheng had gradually trained him to do.

As for Xuan Chong, he knew everything about Zhao Chengyu's situation in Huazhou—he had even bribed Zhao Cheng's wife's family. Yes, the condition for persuading Zhao Cheng's wife to cooperate with outsiders was that this eldest wife of the Zhao family hoped Wu Lu would marry a daughter of the Zhao family as his principal wife.

Upon hearing this condition, Xuan Chong wanted to jokingly announce to Zhao Cheng: "Brother Zhao, your power struggles have reached me now."

Zhao Cheng's four wives represent different interests, and it's clear they'll all seek external support for their son in the future competition for legitimacy. After all, the Yan family of Jizhou has already sent Zhao Cheng a woman.

Xuan Chong, through a secret contact, agreed to Madam Zhao's request!
And why was Madam Zhao willing to sell this information about the dragon boats? It was all because the war mechanics of these dragon boats were controlled by the people of Jizhou.

Madam Zhao Cheng did not want the dowry brought by that woman from Jizhou to affect her status.

As for Wu Lu? Xuan Chong explained: "Zhao Cheng is the most outstanding hero in the world. Even in a fair fight, I am no match for him. It is worthwhile to use some tricks against such a top hero. As for the future, if I am gone, I am not at ease leaving such a great enemy to you. I have to leave you a card so that he cannot turn against you openly. As long as you can survive his prime, you will win."

Wu Lu was somewhat confused, but he accepted it. Over the years, Xuan Chong had been brainwashing and indoctrinating him, and he also acknowledged that Zhao Cheng possessed a top-tier military system, and that the two were a perfect match.

Xuan Chong added, "If she doesn't love you, you can cripple her later!"

Wu Lu looked at his father, finding it difficult to nod at this moment. —Xuan Chong said leisurely, “Women, if they have ability, they’ll become demanding. And when they do, you’ll create internal strife. If you want to take on responsibilities in the future, don’t marry a woman from a powerful family.”

…A great man who is controlled by others…

After receiving intelligence about the Battle of Dahu, Wu Rui looked at Zhao Cheng on the opposite side and murmured, "This is truly not a fault of our own."

Behind Wu Rui, the specially made cannons mounted on the wooden ox-horse were already aimed at the floating dragon boats with their sails unfurled.

These cannons have very long barrels and are classified as cannons. The projectiles they fire are no longer spherical but elongated, made entirely of golden brass. This allows them to fire heavier projectiles from a smaller caliber, and also makes it easier and denser to inscribe runes.

One of its bullets costs ninety silver leaves, equivalent to the pension of three militiamen. It is a gold coin bullet.

As the artillery fired, pale white runes shimmered on the brass shell casings.

Driven by runes, the brass bullet began to spin rapidly, its trajectory stable. The dragon boat was immediately hit, and an explosion erupted within it.

The dragon boat's originally simply repaired wooden planks were all blown away by the internal shockwave, revealing dozens of large holes.

Meanwhile, Zhao Cheng stared wide-eyed as his dragon boat was hit by a cannon and crashed into the lake. He knew the dragon boats were badly damaged, but they could at least withstand some arrows and bullets. However, the specific cannons the enemy had brought out were clearly targeted at them!
Zhao Cheng glanced around with a gloomy look, clearly aware that his forces had begun to collectively refuse any new forces' requests to join and share the spoils.

Next, the jade lion he brought was also hit by a cannon shot, and the splashing water sprayed to both banks.

Zhao Cheng remained silent and announced a retreat. He then dispatched the Dragon Horse Legion to release smoke over the water to cover their attack. However, during this process, the dragon boats still struggled to turn, and six out of eight were destroyed.

On the position, Wu Rui held binoculars, gazing at the dragon boats floating on the lake, and asked uncertainly, "Is it over just like that?"

He was the first opponent in the world to defeat Zhao Cheng on the battlefield, but this victory left him feeling empty. He had been honing his skills for ten years, but the battles he fought were not as exhilarating as the southern campaign.

However, in the eyes of the world, Zhao Cheng was defeated. His myth was shattered by Wu Rui.

Zhao Cheng's retreat only allowed him to bring back his elite 4,000 men; the remaining tens of thousands of civilian laborers on the outskirts could not be organized to evacuate! All orders during the retreat took time to be relayed, so Zhao Cheng left in a great hurry.

Wu Rui gave the signal flags, instructing the three second-class regiments waiting behind to capture the laborers left behind by Zhao Cheng. His main force remained stationary, meaning that if Zhao Cheng feigned defeat and retreated, his main force could capture him.

Wu Rui no longer wanted to "capture" Zhao Cheng, because as a general, he felt that Zhao Cheng was too pitiful.

Clearly, after eight hours, amidst the frantic search and capture across the mountains and fields, Zhao Cheng had truly vanished without a trace, returning with only four thousand men.

Of course, compared to Zhao Shanhe's retreat with only a dozen or so riders, Zhao Cheng's defeat was quite shrewd.

However, Zhao Shanhe's defeat was the norm for most defeated generals.

(End of this chapter)