I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 449 The Battle of Mangdang Mountain (Part Two)
Ju Shou, who was down the mountain, kept his eyes on the Han army camp opposite him.

But Ju Shou's gaze did not linger on Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci's banners; instead, it remained fixed on the red banner atop the mountain.

"Liu Miao actually came to Mangdang Mountain in person to oversee the battle, and he even displayed the imperial dragon banner!"

Although Ju Shou had heard of Liu Miao's reputation before, he still felt inexplicably troubled after seeing Liu Miao reveal the imperial banner in an unusual manner.

Generals face generals, kings face kings, and emperors face emperors.

Since Yuan Shao didn't come here in person, Liu Miao shouldn't have shown up here, let alone made such a big show of it, as if he was afraid others wouldn't know he was here.

"Liu Miao, are you really not afraid of losing?"

Ju Shou watched helplessly as the crimson tide beneath the dragon banner erupted in cheers, but he was powerless to stop it.

The extremely unequal banners of the Han and Zhao sides inspired a terrifying morale among the Han soldiers.

Even so, Ju Shou still had no choice but to rush forward!

In this national-level battle, after Liu Miao obtained crucial intelligence that the heavy cavalry was not in the Central Plains, both sides had no secrets left. They were both playing their cards openly.

Yuan Jun's tactics were to form a pincer movement from the Central Plains and Qingzhou, which would then converge at Pengcheng.

During this process, Yuan Jun made great use of his superior numbers. After dividing Qingzhou in two, he wanted to lure the main force of the Han army in Pengcheng out, so as to use heavy cavalry and Wuhuan cavalry to inflict heavy damage on the Han army in Jiaodong!
The Han army's tactics were completely the opposite.

As the commander-in-chief, Zhou Yu's initial tactic was "defense and counterattack".

The vast Central Plains, including politically significant places like Xingyang, Guandu, Dingtao, and even Fengxian and Peixian, were all lost to Yuan's army.

Instead, they utilized the numerous fortified villages and strongholds in the Central Plains, using military garrisons as units to extend the supply lines for Yuan's army.

After all, the freezing of the river not only benefits the north, allowing northern cavalry to move south unimpeded, but also means a sharp increase in the cost of transporting supplies for the northern army! For every hundred miles advanced, the amount of military supplies consumed is several times greater than before!

Afterwards, Zhou Yu happened to be stuck in Pengcheng, a place that was neither south nor north, and easy to defend but difficult to attack, so he went to fight Yuan's army to the death!
From the perspective of the battle situation, the Han army sacrificed more.

This greater sacrifice also means that if Yuan Jun wants to win, there is only one way! That is to take Pengcheng, which is now surrounded by trenches dug by the main force of the Han army!

But obviously.

Neither Yuan Shao nor Ju Shou wanted to attack Pengcheng now.

Capture Mangdang Mountain! Destroy as much of the Han army's manpower as possible! Reduce the Han army's strength and force them to break their original deployment in Pengcheng. Inevitably, the Han army will have to mobilize a large army from Qingzhou, thus weakening the defenses on the eastern front, allowing Yuan Tan to attack from the east as well.

As the attacking side, Yuan Jun must find the trigger that can cause an "avalanche," find the place where both sides can still win even with their cards out in the open, and then turn this small advantage into an absolute advantage that can influence the entire battle!
"Liu Miao!"

Ju Shou had extremely complex feelings about Liu Miao.

He had never met Liu Miao.

However, he had heard descriptions of Liu Miao from Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Tan.

In their words, Liu Miao was a restless and ambitious warlord, a benevolent and righteous hero, a treacherous and cunning villain, a lecherous man, a local ruffian, and a powerful ruler of the world.

But Ju Shou never gathered intelligence by listening; he always went to see for himself.

From the moment Liu Miao presented the imperial seal to Yuan Shu, his name first came into Ju Shou's view.

Then came the Three Chiefs system, the equal distribution of land, the disrespect for Confucianism, the promotion of various schools of thought, and recently, the so-called Taoism that emerged in Sichuan.

All of this made Ju Shou feel that simply judging Liu Miao as a certain type of person was too narrow-minded.

Liu Miao focused on solving problems from beginning to end.

Powerful clans were everywhere, the rich owned vast tracts of land, while the poor had nowhere to stand. So they led the refugees and hooligans from the north to Jiangdong, smashed the pots and pans of the powerful clans there, and then redistributed the land.

The Three Elders and the recommendation system became obstacles for commoners from poor families to rise in society. So, the Three Elders and the Imperial Examination were introduced to find another way, bypassing the powerful families that controlled classical studies.

This also applies to the unorthodox revival of various schools of thought and the rise of Taoism.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion caused scholars and common people to no longer believe in the so-called interaction between Heaven and Man.

Even great Confucian scholars like Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan were helpless in dealing with the people's hearts today and did not know how to guide them... When scholars themselves do not believe in the principles they read, what principles do those books have?
Therefore, Ju Shou did not want to comment on Liu Miao's character, but only on his deeds, and felt that Liu Miao deserved the title of "saving a collapsing edifice"!
but……

Ju Shou stared at the crimson dragon banner that had already begun to flutter.

"The world may prove you right in the future! But you cannot prove yourself right now!"

The only way to prove who is right and who is wrong is to have a major battle!
The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit!

Ju Shou drew his long sword from his waist—

"send troops!"

Suddenly, a hundred giant cowhide drums began to beat at the front of the battle!

The dark shield wall at the front line formed a strict square formation, and the cold light of the straight blade of the ring-pommel sword flashed coldly within the formation.

As the general's flag was lowered and the drumbeats suddenly began, the black Great Wall slowly moved!

The foot soldiers' voices were not as loud as the cavalry's, but they were much more muffled.

As the black Great Wall moved, rows of halberds, each about three zhang long and gleaming with a chilling light, slowly rose from behind it.
Hebei Euphorbia!
Yuan Jun's strategy this time is a frontal assault!
When Zhou Yu, who was halfway up the mountain, saw Yuan's army approaching, he took a deep breath.

With a flick of his arm, a demon mask appeared in Zhou Yu's hand.

This was a gift from Liu Miao. The mask had a blue face and fangs, with a gaping, blood-red mouth, and a large "corpse" character written between its brows.

Zhou Yu didn't want to wear it before.

He always felt that Liu Miao's taste was somewhat incompatible with his own.

But now, on the battlefield, he felt that the mask was the perfect fit for this place!
Wearing this mask, Zhou Yu also drew his sword!

"Bang the drum!"

The same intense drumbeat vibrations!
The Han soldiers also took action.

On both flanks of the Han army, hundreds of trebuchets simultaneously unleashed a thunderous roar, like lightning striking from the sky!

Countless stones of all sizes flew across the battlefield, crashing heavily into Yuan's army formation, raising clouds of dust!

"The Han army's catapults seem to be farther away now!"

But this was expected!
Countless gaps suddenly appeared between the black Great Wall that Yuan Jun was slowly moving!
The next moment, countless lightly armed soldiers carrying wooden shields and short blades rushed out from these gaps, their heads wrapped only in headscarves, and charged into the Han army formation at an extremely fast speed with red eyes!

The Six Secret Teachings states: "In the army, there are those who are extremely brave, willing to die, and enjoy being wounded. They are gathered together into a single soldier and called the Warriors Who Brave the Blade!"

These swordsmen themselves never seek to kill!
Their sole purpose is to close the distance between the two armies as quickly as possible!
Because the Thunderbolt Car is just the beginning!
"Oh!"

It was as if it were a pre-arranged signal.

The sound of a bowstring slackening echoed through the Han army formation!

Then, as if a night-blooming cereus had just opened, countless sounds suddenly erupted!
Suddenly, a dense barrage of crossbow bolts, like a dark cloud, appeared in the sky.

One of Yuan's soldiers looked up curiously and was instantly struck in the eye by an arrow!
Just as he opened his mouth to scream, another weapon was driven right into his throat, turning his scream into a whimper.

Then, the arms, the torso, and the feet.

A standing person, in just an instant, becomes a lump of flesh wrapped in skin on the ground.

And this is not an isolated case!
From a distance, all one could see was a dark cloud suddenly appearing in one area, and once it dispersed, there was no one left.

But in that brief moment, Yuan Jun's elite troops had advanced to within two hundred paces of the Han army!

"Prepare!"

At that moment, a row of Han soldiers stood up.

They were all burly and powerful, and with a single movement of their arms, the armor plates on their bodies would burst open.

Archer!
Each of them carried a two-stone bow, with a three-edged arrowhead resting on their finger, and focused intently on watching the Yuan army soldiers charging towards them in a straight line.

"put!"

Unlike the projectiles launched by the Han crossbows, the killing power of bows and arrows has always been simple and direct.

The only difference is...

One of Yuan's soldiers was lucky enough to block one arrow with his wooden shield, but another arrow pierced through his nostril in an instant!
One arrow after another, the arrows gradually connected from points into a line, quickly sweeping away an entire row of enemy soldiers!
Under the continuous barrage of attacks, less than one in ten of the fleeing warriors remained!

However, the black Great Wall formed by Yuan Jun's shield formation had already reached within a hundred paces of the Han army!
What initially seemed like a vast distance between the two sides quickly became as close as the ends of the earth.

At this moment, a piercing sound suddenly rang out from the Han army formation.

It's like gripping a rusty piece of car body with your knuckles—sharp! Uncomfortable! Dangerous!

The archers in front of the Han army have now disappeared.

Instead, Han soldiers stood in place, each holding a large shield.

Beside him were heavily armored infantrymen wearing iron helmets, with their necks and pelvises protecting their eyes!

Those who can pull out hooks and extend limbs, are strong and powerful, can break through drums and gongs, and destroy banners and flags, are gathered together as a single soldier, and are called brave and strong men!

These heavily armored infantrymen remained motionless behind their large shields, like mountains that stood eternally in this place!

If these people are mountains, then the infantry behind them, also holding swords and shields and wearing only light armor, are rivers!
These soldiers, the most numerous and wearing the most conspicuous crimson headscarves, formed a flesh and blood Great Wall between the front and rear lines!
Fifty steps.

The arrows flying overhead gradually thinned out, and everyone waited for the final collision.

Twenty steps.

Both sides' shield-wielding soldiers could see each other's trembling arms and chests!

Ten steps!

After a very brief pause, Yuan Jun's shield-wielding soldiers mustered all their strength and charged forward!

The Hebei halberdiers hidden behind also suddenly exerted force, hooking their small halberds on the sides onto the Han army's large shields.

bang——

The earth collapsed and mountains crumbled! The Milky Way turned upside down!

At the foot of Mount Mangdang, the states of Han and Zhao finally clashed after a long period of preparation!
No matter what, we must give an explanation to the world in this battle!
(End of this chapter)