Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 315 Liangyu Strikes, Xianzhong Retreats (Part 2)
Meanwhile, while Zhu Jue was arranging for his secret guards to thoroughly investigate the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou, Zhang Xianzhong was having a great time killing people on the Baoxie Road.

This guy does indeed have the idea of ​​invading Sichuan and Chongqing; it has in history, and it still does now.

This is all because Sichuan and Chongqing are major granaries, and the roads to Sichuan are so difficult that they are as hard as ascending to heaven. Occupying Sichuan and Chongqing would provide a foundation for contending for the world.

Therefore, when the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou used money and grain as bait to lure him into a surprise attack on Hanzhong and into Sichuan, he fell for it without hesitation.

This wasn't just a pretense; he was genuinely launching a frenzied attack.

Although the Baoxie Road is not very long, it is still nearly a thousand miles long. In order to take Hanzhong before the main force of the Hanzhong army returned to reinforce, he launched a fierce attack like a madman, advancing about forty or fifty miles every day.

The Baoxie Road is located deep in the Qinling Mountains. It would be difficult for infantry to advance even 40 or 50 li a day on flat ground. His frantic urging of his men to advance at all costs actually violated a major taboo in military strategy: "a long and arduous attack."

However, he didn't care about any of that. This guy was notoriously crazy, and when he went crazy, he was capable of anything. A long-distance attack was nothing to him.

Originally, he thought that as long as he could capture Hanzhong before the main force of the Hanzhong army returned to reinforce, he could gain a foothold in Hanzhong and then plot against Bashu.

At the beginning, he made quite good progress, and in less than twenty days, he had reached the vicinity of Shimen Pass.

The Shimen Pass on the Baoxie Road was first built during the Yongping period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, more than 1,500 years ago. Anyone who has traveled the ancient Qinling Road knows that once you pass Shimen Pass, you will be on the Hanzhong Plain.

Zhang Xianzhong was thrilled as he saw that they were about to break through the Baoxie Road. It seemed that he had almost wiped out the Hanzhong army guarding the Baoxie Road, and there seemed to be no one to stop them in this last section. He kept urging his men to run faster and faster.

At this moment, Qin Liangyu was also leading her White-Spear Soldiers towards Shimen Pass.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, she did not hesitate to personally lead 40,000 troops aboard fast naval ships straight to Guanzhong.

She left 5,000 troops to guard both Lueyang and Shimen Pass, and only 30,000 elite White Spear Soldiers accompanied her to meet the enemy at Shimen Pass.

As the two groups of people rushed in opposite directions, they soon met in a valley more than ten miles north of Shimen Pass.

It was around noon, the sun was high in the sky, and the view was exceptionally clear.

When Zhang Xianzhong saw the Qin-character banner from afar, he couldn't help but be taken aback.

He had no idea how formidable Qin Liangyu was.

This is because, apart from the battle of Hunhe where all the elite troops were lost, the White-Spear Army spent most of its time fighting against local chieftains in the southwest, and its reputation was not well-known outside.

He had assumed she was just a general surnamed Qin under the King of Hanzhong. But when they were only a mile apart, he was completely dumbfounded to find that there was actually a female general under the banner of Qin!
Is the King of Hanzhong out of options? He's sending a woman to fight him.

He could roughly make out the opposing force, which numbered around 30,000, a far cry from the seemingly endless army under his command.

Their military uniforms were so colorful, they looked like actors in a theatrical performance.

This woman must be out of her mind. Instead of guarding the perfectly good Shimen Pass, she actually ran to the road to meet the enemy. Isn't she courting death?
He smiled dismissively, then waved his hand without hesitation and said, "Order the entire army to launch a surprise attack."

With a flick of his command flag, his men immediately surged up the hillside, spreading across the entire area.

His army of over 100,000 men was truly intimidating; the shouts of battle were deafening, and the surrounding mountains seemed to be shaking.

They relied on this tactic to overcome several obstacles along the way.

There was no way around it; the Hanzhong army only had a few hundred or a thousand men at the checkpoints, while these more than 100,000 troops surged across the mountains and plains—no god could stop them.

However, the White-Spear Soldiers opposite him were not just a few hundred or a thousand men, but a full thirty thousand. Moreover, the White-Spear Soldiers had only traveled for three or four days and had rested well at Shimen Pass last night. Meanwhile, his men had been traveling for almost twenty days and had attacked several passes. They were already exhausted.

More importantly, formation is crucial. Mountain warfare also requires proper formation. If they rush forward in such a chaotic manner, they will be pushed together and huddled together if they encounter any obstacles. They might even be so squeezed that they can't stand up straight.

Upon seeing this, Qin Liangyu couldn't help but curl her lip in disdain.

This is clearly a mob.

They all rushed up the hillside. Would it lead to a battle? She thought about it for a moment and then decisively said, "Yiming and Gongming, each of you lead five thousand men to meet the enemy on the left hillside. Xianglin and Fengyi, each of you lead five thousand men to meet the enemy on the right hillside."

Upon hearing this, her nephew's wife and her son behind her accepted the order without hesitation.

Soon, 20,000 White-Spear Soldiers transformed into four long dragons and rushed up the hillsides on both sides, forming a battle formation to meet the enemy.

Now that all three of her brothers had died in battle, she only had her nephew and niece-in-law left to rely on.

Her nephews, nieces and daughters-in-law are all quite young, probably around twenty years old.

When Zhang Xianzhong rushed closer with his large group of men and saw what was happening, he almost burst out laughing.

It's one thing that the leader is a female general, but this female general also has another female general under her command, and the remaining three are all young men!
He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

However, his smile quickly faded.

As soon as the two sides engaged in battle, those young men and women went completely mad, charging into the crowd with their weapons and slaughtering everyone in sight. Anyone who got close fell one after another!

Those dressed in brightly colored military uniforms didn't look like opera singers at all. They were all very agile, like monkeys in the mountains and forests. The weapons they used were also very strange. The front looked like a spear, but the back had a circle bigger than a head.

Whenever his men raised their weapons to attack, they would get caught in the loops on the weapons. With a twist and a pull, their weapons would slip from their hands, and some even had their arms broken. Then, the enemy would turn the weapon upside down and stab them, leaving a gaping hole!

Both slopes were completely one-sided; his men were like eggs hitting a rock, shattering at the slightest touch.

The woman in the middle seemed even more terrifying. She actually wielded two longswords that were comparable to broadswords and charged up like a whirlwind. She swung them wildly, cutting down weapons and sending people flying wherever she went!
What kind of monsters are these?
In the short time he was stunned, his men had suffered over ten thousand casualties, many of whom were so frightened that they ran away as fast as they could.

This startled him greatly.

He hesitated only for a moment before hurriedly shouting, "Quickly, give the order to retreat immediately!"

As soon as the commander's flag fell backward, more than 100,000 troops immediately fled in disarray.

At this moment, Qin Liangyu disregarded everything and led her troops forward.

The forest was filled with panicked figures. Zhang Xianzhong's men were stumbling and falling, some even tumbling down the hillside as they ran. The White-Spear Soldiers, however, moved forward as if on flat ground. Any rebels they caught up with either had holes pierced in their legs or had rings around their necks, making escape impossible.

The two groups pursued each other for nearly three hours, until the sun set and the afterglow turned blood red. Only then did Qin Liangyu order a halt to the pursuit, gather the prisoners, and prepare to set up camp.

Zhang Xianzhong was so badly pursued that he was almost out of his mind. When he finally came to his senses and ordered his men to set up camp and rest, and to tally the losses, he discovered that he had less than 100,000 men left!

In other words, in just half a day, at least 20,000 to 30,000 of his men were killed and another 20,000 to 30,000 were captured!

This is not over yet.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and before they were even up, the White-Clad Soldiers, taking advantage of the cover of the mountains and trees, stealthily crept up and began poking and scratching them.

Zhang Xianzhong was awakened by the continuous screams and was so frightened that he almost lost his soul.

These monsters just won't stop.

He had no choice but to lead his men to continue fleeing north, abandoning all thoughts of tents, provisions, and supplies.

The White-Spear Soldiers relentlessly pursued them like maggots, chasing them for over half a month until they reached the vicinity of Mei County, after which they quietly withdrew.

When Zhang Xianzhong went to Mei County to take stock of his men, he felt like crying.

They marched a massive army of 150,000 into Baoxie Road, but less than 50,000 escaped, and they were all pale, panting, and panicked, as if they had seen a ghost.

This time they really saw a ghost. The White-Clad Soldiers in the mountains and forests were terrifying, just like ghosts!
(End of this chapter)