I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 303 Crossing the River! (Third Update)

Guanzhong.

Liu Miao had also made preparations for a full-scale crossing of the river.

According to the plan, Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao would cross the river at the most conspicuous point, Puban, in order to disrupt and disperse Yuan Tan's forces.

Zhu Huan and Huang Zhong, both skilled in naval warfare, were positioned near Maojindu and served as the main force in this battle!

Incidentally, the Xiliang army led by Ma Chao and Pang De also served as reinforcements, enabling them to launch an attack immediately after the main camp was established on the shore. They were also dispatched to Maojin by Liu Miao.

"I will also go to Puban. If Yuan Tan sees my banner, he will surely be certain that the main attack will be on Puban."

In the final meeting before the battle, Liu Miao instructed everyone: "Remember! This plan can only be used once, otherwise Yuan Tan will definitely double down on guarding the crossings."

"Now that autumn is here, the White Dew will soon follow. If we delay until the Cold Dew or even the Frost's Descent, our soldiers will be completely unable to fight in the north."

Liu Miao patted the map heavily.

"In this battle, there can be no new beginnings without destruction!"

"Taking Hedong will allow us to threaten Yuan Shao's heartland, such as Bingzhou and Jizhou!"

"We will definitely spend this New Year in Hedong this winter!"

"Here!"

After completing the final mobilization for the battle, Liu Miao gave Zhou Yu a look, signaling that he could mobilize the troops.

As with previous battles, Zhou Yu was in charge of command on the battlefield, while Liu Miao served only as a flag bearer in the main camp.

Yet it was this very banner that made Yuan's army in Hedong restless and unable to eat or sleep.

Upon learning that Liu Miao was personally leading the expedition, Yuan Tan disregarded his confrontation with Huchuquan and left only a small number of troops for defense before immediately heading west and setting up camp in Puban.

After escaping back to Hedong last time, Yuan Tan also reviewed the battle.

It was only then that Yuan Tan realized he had been completely manipulated all along!
Although Gao Gan, Gao Rou, and others comforted Yuan Tan, explaining that Liu Miao's sudden appearance had led to the defeat, after reviewing the situation, Yuan Tan realized that he was ultimately still far inferior to Zhou Yu on the other side.

This conclusion, though frustrating, also made Yuan Tan realize his own limitations and adopt a defensive stance.

"With the great river as our defense, we have the advantage of terrain."

"The weather is getting colder and colder, and the southern soldiers under Liu Miao and Zhou Yu will certainly not be able to endure it either. This is the opportune moment for us!"

"By eliminating corrupt and treacherous figures like Wang Yi, and driving out the treacherous Xiongnu cavalry, we have gained the support of the people!"

Favorable timing, advantageous location, and harmonious relationships!
Yuan Tan has won the entire battle!
Yuan Tan didn't believe it; if they were defeated in Hexi, they could be defeated again in Hedong!
"As long as we are careful and vigilant, we will surely win this battle!"

Yuan Tan also conducted a pre-battle mobilization—

"In this battle, I have the advantage!"

Yuan Tan personally went to the front lines to supervise the fortifications.

Not only were a large number of barricades placed at the original ferry crossing and the beach, but also a lot of caltrops were scattered, making the area as impregnable as a fortress!
In order to keep Liu Miao's boats even further away from Hedong, Yuan Tan even tied a large number of dead trees with iron chains to make them the first barrier on the river!
Liu Miao was amazed by the scene on the other side.

"My brother-in-law is indeed a powerful warlord who conquered an entire province on his own; he has the foundation!"

Don't underestimate these two skills; they've already surpassed many people.

Especially now that Yuan Tan has no mission to counterattack Hedong, he can spare no expense to turn Hedong into a fortified village where even a fly cannot get in.

This defensive posture, which avoids attacking, would likely make the battle exceptionally difficult if Zhou Yu were to launch an offensive.

Who knows, the blood of the soldiers might stain the entire river red!
"Yuan Tan, tsk tsk!"

Liu Miao peeled and ate a few oranges on the shore before returning to his tent.

He has basically done everything he could.

The rest depends on the wisdom of the generals under their command and the will of the soldiers!

Upon receiving their orders, Taishi Ci and Zhang Liao immediately led their army to charge towards Puban, which Yuan Tan had turned into a hedgehog.

The results speak for themselves.

It was a complete and utter defeat!
Yuan Tan seemed to have gone mad on the opposite bank. Liu Miao even saw Yuan Tan personally appearing at the front line to supervise the battle several times, risking his life to defend the riverbank.

This tragic scene shocked Zhou Yu: "Fortunately, my lord did not adopt my plan, otherwise I'm afraid we would really have to fight Yuan Tan to the death!"

Liu Miao nodded: "Twice."

“It happened once in Qingzhou, and again in Guanzhong. Yuan Tan is burning with anger.”

"No one wants to win this battle more than Yuan Tan, otherwise how can he face his father?"

Liu Miao praised Yuan Tan: "He has ambition! But he's not very smart!"

"Unlike his father, who spent several years navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom and became accustomed to scheming, it's a pity!"

Zhou Yu looked at him strangely: "Why is my lord praising Yuan Tan?"

"After all, they're relatives!"

"So, if we have the chance, we'd better just kill him!"

"..."

Maojin Ferry to the south.

In order to avoid attracting the attention of the reinforcements on the other side, Zhu Huan even took a long detour and quietly arrived at his destination.

After confirming that there were only a few Yuan troops on the opposite bank, Zhu Huan immediately sent a message to Huang Zhong, who was poised to attack.

"Bring the boat here tonight, and we'll cross the river directly tomorrow!"

In order not to attract the attention of Yuan's army on the other side, Zhu Huan ordered the entire army not to light any fires and to sleep fully clothed! However, Zhu Huan was a native of Jiangdong, and this was his first time in the north, where he had experienced the severe cold.

"If Guanzhong is already this freezing, what must the lands of Youyan further north be like?"

The guards beside Zhu Huan noticed that he was cold and immediately wanted to take off their own robes to put on him.

"Dress!"

Zhu Huan cursed at the other party.

"How many soldiers from Jiangdong are in the army now? They don't even wear clothes, and you expect me to?"

"And if we can't even withstand this bit of cold, how will we conquer the lands further north in the future?"

Zhu Huan was a ruthless man; he actually spent the night shivering in the cold wind, just like the other soldiers!
At the break of dawn.

Large ships set sail from the Wei River, led by General Huang Zhong!

The warships were already loaded with repaired and reinforced chariots, which would be their reliance in this battle!
Several of the ships had tall ladders mounted on their hulls for use in providing support in the river.

Huang Zhong was initially worried that the tall ladder might cause the boat to capsize in the river, but once he got the boat out, he was completely relieved.

Now that autumn has arrived, the rivers are entering their dry season, with a smaller flow rate.

Moreover, ferry crossings have always been built only in places with gentle currents. Huang Zhong was confident that he could make these boats stand firmly in the middle of the river as if they had grown legs, to support Zhu Huan!
"Hummus! How are you? Are you freezing?"

After bringing Zhu Huan aboard the ship, Huang Zhong immediately handed him a flask of strong liquor.

"This can't be done in Jingzhou! Xiu Mu, have a sip to warm yourself up!"

Zhu Huan took a sip, but suddenly rolled his eyes.

Just as Zhu Huan was about to spit out the wine, he forced himself to swallow it!

"Good wine!"

Zhu Huan felt a hot, throat-scratching sensation flow from his throat into his abdomen, and then down to his limbs, making his whole body feel warm.

"Fine wine! If you gave me 100,000 shi of this wine, I could fight my way from Hedong all the way to Liaodong!"

"Hahaha! Hugh Mu is young, but he's got quite the big mouth!"

Seeing that everything was ready, Huang Zhong's laughter gradually turned serious: "Better safe than sorry!"

"nature!"

Zhu Huan donned his iron helmet: "In this battle, we will definitely establish a camp on the opposite side for our lord! We will take Hedong in one fell swoop!"

Only then did Yuan's army on the opposite bank realize that the enemy was approaching.

With gongs and drums beating, Zhu Huan jumped off the boat before Yuan's army could even organize itself.

The river's water reached above his waist, and its biting cold made Zhu Huan stiffen.

But Zhu Huan couldn't care less about any of that at the moment, and his hands instinctively reached out to push the chariot that had been lowered in front of him!

These chariots are ancient and, because they were used as ceremonial objects, they have problems in every way.

Zhong Yao, who was in charge of repairing the chariot, could only do his best to make the wheels turn, and nailed another layer of wooden planks and animal hides on them.

This led Zhu Huan to discover that the chariot was extremely difficult to move in the water!
"They're all just good-for-nothings!"

Zhu Huan cursed, but still pushed his shoulder up and forcefully pushed the chariots to the shore.

Yuan's army on the shore also hurriedly shot arrows at Zhu Huan and his men, but a volley of arrows soon forced them to retreat.

Huang Zhong stood on the ladder on the ship, leading archers to support Zhu Huan.

If Huang Zhong saw a soldier of a higher rank, his archery skills, which allowed him to hit a target from a hundred paces away, could directly shoot him down, causing chaos in Yuan's army!

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Zhu Huan finally arrived at the riverbank, where the water had receded to his feet. With one more push, he was able to storm the riverbank!

"My men! Charge!"

Zhu Huan took the lead, which gave some of the already exhausted soldiers renewed strength, and they desperately pushed the chariots in their hands to the riverbank!

Although the first batch consisted of only a dozen or so vehicles, relying on these vehicles, Zhu Huan's troops were finally able to stop being passively attacked and began to launch a counterattack.

After the second batch of tanks was pushed ashore, Yuan's army was already at a disadvantage.

The third and fourth batches.

When dozens of chariots appeared, the Yuan army was finally repelled and retreated in panic.

The soldiers who came ashore raised their arms and shouted, but neither Zhu Huan nor Huang Zhong showed a smile on their faces.

They all knew that seizing the beachhead was nothing special.

After all, most of Yuan Jun's main force has been drawn to Puban by Liu Miao, and there are not many garrison troops in Maojin to begin with.

The greatest victory in this battle will be to hold this simple camp!
Zhu Huan dared not delay and immediately urged his soldiers to bring the other chariots ashore as soon as possible. He did not allow some of his soldiers to start a fire and cook to replenish the strength of the army.

"The real battle is yet to come!"

Zhu Huan took off his armor and placed it in front of the fire to dry.

"Given Yuan Jun's reaction, he should be able to gather the remaining soldiers in the surrounding area by noon!"

"At the latest by the afternoon, Yuan's army will definitely launch an attack! You all must be prepared!"

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)