I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 494 The Battle of Pengcheng (Part 1)

Yuan's soldiers began clearing the roads, and Han soldiers also began clearing the accumulated snow.

However, the soldiers soon discovered something interesting: the roads, which had been soaked in ice and snow, were incredibly slippery. They would often take three steps forward and then have to take two steps back, requiring at least twice the effort of walking normally!

After personally inspecting the site, Zhou Yu's cheeks were unusually red, whether from the cold or excitement: "As a native of Yangzhou, I never knew it could be like this!"

Give an order.

Countless Han soldiers piled all the accumulated snow onto the western hillside.

This is the only way for Yuan Jun to pass through. At the same time, because it is not exposed to the sun, it is almost impossible for the metal to melt, which has completely transformed this place into a sheer cliff!
"This snow isn't necessarily all in favor of Yuan Shao!"

Meanwhile, Lu Su finally found coal near Pengcheng and personally led his soldiers to mine it. He delivered a large amount of dark coal to the soldiers' tents, causing much of the accumulated snow to melt naturally and flow away from the tents.

The construction of the ice wall and the supply of coal undoubtedly boosted the morale of the Han soldiers once again!

When Yuan Shao's bright yellow imperial dragon banner appeared in the sight of the Han soldiers, the Han soldiers did not panic at all.

"coming."

Zhu Huan stood atop Jiuli Mountain, silently watching the Yuan-Zhao army slowly advancing like ocean waves.

Jiuli Mountain is named for its length of approximately nine li (about 2.5 kilometers) from east to west.

This place is the first gateway to Pengcheng. If Yuan Shao were to attack, he would definitely choose this place.

Unsurprisingly, Zhu Huan, who was always "ashamed to lag behind others," chose to station his troops here.

Zhu Huan turned and glanced back at his camp.

"I once told Your Majesty that I have always been ashamed of being second to anyone. Your Majesty not only did not blame me, but also allowed me to command troops independently, without being under your control. Even the commander-in-chief has no right to order us around."

"Furthermore, most of you are from the Wu region, and in recent years you have been the subject of much ridicule, with people saying that you are all good-looking but useless pampered soldiers!"

Zhu Huan immediately drew his longsword, and the clear sound of the blade against the scabbard was like the roar of a dragon!
"Today, let others see whether we are truly the useless people they claim to be!"

"Here!"

Zhu Huan's identity can be described as one of the most unique among the founding generals of the Han Dynasty.

They were originally from four prominent families in Wu Commandery, and even defended the city, becoming enemies of Liu Miao.

Afterwards, Liu Miao deliberately did not send him to other battlefields, but instead let Zhu Huan stay in Kuaiji to suppress the Yue tribes.

With the reform of the military system of the Han Dynasty, the soldiers under Zhu Huan's command were basically commoners from the Wu region, so their treatment was naturally not too bad. Therefore, apart from the cavalry led by Zhang Liao, which was built with the full strength of the country, the soldiers of Zhu Huan's troops actually suffered the most criticism and were given the most contempt.

Therefore, during this battle, Zhu Huan directly requested to be stationed at Jiuli Mountain, the first line of defense for Pengcheng!
As Zhu Huan's men surveyed the soldiers, they all straightened their chests!
Zhu Huan was quite arrogant towards other generals and officials.

However, when it comes to his soldiers, he likes to provide for them, support their relatives, and even share his salary and property with them.

Even now, Zhu Huan, a true native of Jiangdong, still does not wear fur clothing to keep warm, but instead wears the same cotton winter clothes as his soldiers.

Now, at Zhu Huan's call, his soldiers, though all from the Wu region, still stood firm, trying their best to control the unbearable chill!
Jiangdong is where the capital of the Han Dynasty is located today! It is the place where the Han Dynasty rose to power!

The establishment of Jinling City, the prosperity of its markets and trade, and the meat supply far exceeding that of other places have clearly fostered a sense of arrogance in these respectable young men from the Wu region!
We are the true descendants of the Han Dynasty!

What kind of people are these: Jingzhou people, Bashu people, Huainan people? All of you, get to the back!

The world of the Han Dynasty belongs to us!
"Ow!!!!"

Suddenly, someone in the procession let out a shout, and in an instant, it seemed like it was getting out of control.

The howls of wolves rang out, and the drums resounded!
Such a display of power made Sun Ce at Yunlong Mountain and Xu Sheng at Quanshan look at Jiuli Mountain at the very front with a hint of envy.

"It's Zhu Heng's voice that's the loudest!"

"Ah!"

"..."

The voices of the Han army on Jiuli Mountain also reached the other side and Yuan Shao's ears.

Yuan Shao sat atop the emperor's jade carriage, his face solemn and dignified.

Hearing the resounding shouts of the Han army in Jiuli Mountain, he slowly raised his head and looked into the mountains.

To be fair.

The three mountain ranges surrounding Pengcheng are not very tall.

Even its highest peak is only about thirty feet high.

For Yuan Shao, who had established his capital in Ye City and could easily ascend the Bronze Sparrow Terrace to view the majestic Taihang Mountains, these mountains seemed pitifully low.

But these few low mountains became Yuan Shao's biggest obstacle.

Yuan Shao did not want to launch a direct attack on Pengcheng.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have entrusted all the heavy cavalry to Yuan Tan, allowing Yuan Tan to seek opportunities in Qingzhou.

Although the mountains surrounding Pengcheng are not high, they are more than sufficient for defense.

Jiuli, Yunlong, Quanshan.

These three mountains, running from north to south, completely concealed Pengcheng, making it impossible for Yuan Shao to see how many Han troops were hidden within them.

To see it clearly, you have to climb over these three mountains first!
Yuan Shao narrowed his eyes.

He had already seen the snow that Zhou Yu had piled up on the hillside.

At the same time, he also saw the Han army's continuously improving defensive fortifications on the mountain over the past few months.

Fortified villages, city walls, plank roads...

This is only what Yuan Shao could see.

What we can't see might include tunnels, antlers, corner towers...

no one knows.

What kind of deadly place did Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Taishi Ci, Lü Meng, Lu Yi, Sima Yi, Pang Tong, and others, who stayed here for several months, build up here?

If given a choice, Yuan Shao truly would not want to attack Pengcheng.

But now he has no other choice.

The defeat at the Battle of Mangdang Mountain.

The defeat in the Battle of Jiaodong.

And then there were the inexplicable defeats on the Western Front...

It appears that the main forces of both the Han and Zhao sides have been concentrated in the Pengcheng area for several months without any movement.

However, both sides' high command knew that the Han army had been gradually shrinking the strategic space of the Yuan army through battle after battle.

Fighting the Han army was like walking down a dark corridor, with the walls on both sides gradually closing in, forcing Yuan Shao to advance helplessly and wearily, following the path that Liu Miao had already chosen for him.

Yuan Shao once heard Tian Feng's evaluation of Cao Cao, saying that Cao Cao was skilled in military tactics and his tactics were unpredictable.

Yuan Shao had also heard Gongsun Zan's evaluation of him in Yijing, saying that Yuan's attack was like that of ghosts and gods!

Yuan Shao believed that anyone who could receive such praise must be considered a top-tier general!
But only today, when he felt Liu Miao's slow but suffocating methods, did Yuan Shao finally understand that letting the enemy know how powerful he was was not actually a great achievement.

The truly formidable enemy is one whose terror is only realized when the enemy is on the verge of death.

Yuan Shao even suspected that those enemies killed by Liu Miao might never have understood how terrifying Liu Miao was, even until their deaths.

But now, he has finally realized this.

"Once I conquer the world, I will tell future generations everything about you, piece by piece, detailing each and every one of your deeds!"

Yuan Shao did not want future generations to think that the person who cornered him was just a local ruffian or even a lecher.

He wanted to dissect and expose the horrors of Liu Miao to future generations, to show just how cruel Liu Miao was in his actions!

Even though Yuan Shao had regained his confidence after being persuaded by Guo Tu, he still couldn't help but feel uneasy whenever he thought of Liu Miao, whom he had never met!
Good thing...

Soon, all of this will be over. He knew perfectly well that what lay ahead was a trap Liu Miao had set for him.

He could clearly see that the fortress Liu Miao had built for him was ahead of him.

Yuan Shao, however, still insisted on stepping on it himself! He wanted to personally test just how cunning Liu Miao's schemes were!
By the side.

Renowned scholars such as Guo Tu and Pang Ji, as well as generals such as Zhang He and Gao Lan, were all eager to try their luck.

We are all heroes who have emerged from the chaos of war!
Even if he dies now, he will still be a hero who will be remembered in history!

Now, all that's needed to separate good from evil is a victory!

Gao Lan, who commanded the vanguard, raised his head and gazed at the crimson sun that was about to reach overhead.

At noon,

That was the moment when Yuan Jun reached the peak!

But perhaps even the sunlight was frightened by the clash of swords here, lingering and hesitating, making everyone feel that time was passing far too slowly...

"Whoo~~~"

The cold wind fluttered the banners.

The people's flag has replaced the sun high above their heads and has become the new bugle call!

Gao Lan's heart was pounding!
Everyone's heart was pounding!

No more waiting!
Right now!
Gao Lan's face was bloodless and expressionless, but the voice in his heart was so tense and distorted that it was deformed!

"kill!!"

"kill!!!"

Finally, the order has been received!

Yuan Jun's soldiers strode forward, their feet touching the ground, on the ice and snow.

They didn't know why they were fighting those people on the other side.

All they knew was that they were protecting their homeland and fighting against traitors!

If they can kill all those complete strangers on the other side, they can go home and reunite with their families!
unfortunately……

The Han army on the other side thought the same thing!
"Prepare!"

When the first batch of Yuan troops arrived at the Han army's first line of defense, a loud shout suddenly erupted from behind the low city wall!
Countless sharp spears were thrown out from behind the wall.

However, unlike ordinary spears, its shaft is only the length of an arm.

Such long spears were naturally not intended for close combat, but rather were swung out by the strong arms of Han soldiers and used as arrows.

Yuan Jun thought that the Han army couldn't use bows and arrows because of the cold weather, but he never expected that they could throw these sharp spears.

In just one exchange, Yuan's vanguard suffered considerable casualties.

Even so, Yuan Jun did not stop.

Their situation was no different from Yuan Shao's.

Forward, forward!
If there is the slightest hesitation, there is no need for the Han army's sharp spears to pierce it; the people around will naturally trample it under their feet, turning it into a lump of mud stuck to the soles of their shoes!
As the Han army's high command had predicted.

This battle has completely turned into a stalemate! A battle to the death!
Yuan Shao ultimately chose to sacrifice his destiny with countless bones!

As Jiuli Mountain became embroiled in war.

Yunlong Mountain and Quanshan Mountain were also attacked by Yuan's army.

The vast plains to the west could accommodate Yuan's army launching simultaneous attacks on these three Han army positions.

Moreover, some scouts hiding behind the city walls also discovered something—

"Report!"

"Yuan's army uses a rotational warfare tactic! Each army fights for half an hour, and then they take turns fighting our army in rotation!"

The place in the center of Pengcheng where the huge sand table was placed was the central hub of the Han army in this battle.

All the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty who had accompanied Liu Miao to this place were seated in place, listening to the joyful report from the scouts, and watching Zhang Cheng and other officials fill the sand table with bamboo chess pieces representing soldiers according to the intelligence.

Some have changed positions.

Some people joined midway through the process.

Furthermore, once it was taken out of the sand table, it never disappeared again...

"The method of rotation warfare."

Lu Su frowned, looking at the Yuan army pieces on the sand table whose positions were constantly changing.

"This time, Yuan Shao didn't even bother with probing; he launched a full-scale attack on our army."

"Zijing, at this point, whether or not to test them is no longer important."

Zhou Yu sat in the first seat to Liu Miao's left, wearing silver armor and a white robe, with a demon mask given to him by Liu Miao hanging from his waist.

"Now that the heavy snow has just passed, Yuan Shao is clearly trying to take advantage of our soldiers' lack of preparation and launch a surprise attack to exhaust our strength."

Regarding Yuan Shao's fighting style, the generals of the Han army had summarized some points from the previous battles of Nanyang and Kunyang, as well as from the words of Gongsun Xu and Guan Jing.

Just as Gongsun Zan, who once roamed Hebei but ultimately met his end by self-immolation, summarized—

"Yuan's attack was like that of gods and demons; one could hear their drums and horns underground and see their assault ladders from the upper floors!"

ferocious!

Manic!

Like a surging tide, it never stops.

Despite the Han army's meticulous planning, a flaw eventually emerged under such an offensive.

"A report has come from Yunlong Mountain! They say there's a breach at the southern foot of the mountain and request reinforcements from the rear!"

Someone's expression changed.

They clearly hadn't expected the battle on the front lines to be so intense, requiring reinforcements to quickly fill the gaps.

But some people remained calm, as if they had expected this all along.

"Ziming".

"Here!"

Lu Meng, who was sitting at the end of the line, stepped forward.

The childishness of Lü Meng had completely disappeared, and now his eyes were resolute as he stared intently at Zhou Yu, who was giving him orders.

"You shall lead three thousand troops there and make sure we reclaim the lost territory!"

"Here!"

Before leaving, Lü Meng glanced at Liu Miao, but seeing that Liu Miao made no comment, he left the place with a slight sense of disappointment.

News from the battlefield continued to arrive.

Zhang Cheng led a group of officials in constantly fiddling with the bamboo chess pieces on the sand table.

At first, Zhang Cheng and the others still had sadness and pity in their eyes.

Because no one knew better than them what those disappearing bamboo chess pieces represented.

But as the war progressed, even these officers who had never been on the battlefield grew numb.

Because in a corner where no one cares, the discarded bamboo chess pieces have piled up into a thick heap.

But the fighting on the front lines continues!
(End of this chapter)