Emperor Zhaolie of the late Han Dynasty: Rising to power in Liaoxi

Chapter 122 The Turmoil in Youzhou Subsides

Mika gritted her teeth, but was unwilling to return empty-handed. She snorted and said, "A little ambush, what's there to be afraid of!"

'

"Ignore these scouts, full speed ahead! Take Xiping Fort first, loot it, then assess the city's situation!"

"I refuse to believe that Liu Bei can conjure soldiers out of thin air!"

The army marched towards Xiping Fort, but when they arrived at the fort, Mika was completely stunned.

The Xiping Fort before him was no longer the low, dilapidated border fort he remembered.

The fortress walls were raised and thickened by nearly ten feet, surrounded by a deep moat, complete with crenellations and arrow towers. Armored soldiers stood on the walls, bows strung and swords drawn.

The defenses were so tight that they were almost as tight as those of a small county town.

This was the result of Liu Bei's efforts to reinforce and repair each border fortress since he took control of Liaoxi, in order to guard against a surprise attack by the Xianbei.

Mika looked at the fortified fortress before him, his face turning pale and then red, finding himself in a predicament.

After much hesitation, he gritted his teeth and ordered a full-scale attack.

But as soon as the Xianbei army rushed to the trench, arrows and stones were fired from inside the fortress, and they fell down instantly, unable to get even half a step closer to the fortress wall.

Just then, a cloud of dust suddenly rose on the official road to the west. Xu Rong personally led a thousand elite cavalrymen at full speed, reined in their horses a short distance away, and stood in formation, glaring menacingly.

Upon seeing this, a ruthless glint flashed in Mi Jia's eyes. He immediately ordered his troops to split up and annihilate the Han army of over a thousand men.

But as soon as his formation shifted, Xu Rong led his cavalry to turn their horses around and retreat slowly, maintaining a distance from the Xianbei army and giving him no chance for a decisive battle.

"General! This is a trap to lure the enemy! We can't chase after them!" His men quickly grabbed him and urged him on.

Mika stared intently at Xu Rong's troops, then glanced at Xiping Fort, which they couldn't conquer, and his suspicions grew stronger.

He was certain that the Han army had other plans, and if they pursued rashly, they might fall into an ambush. If they launched a strong attack on Xiping Fort, they would only increase casualties.

After hesitating for a long time, he ultimately dared not gamble and waved his hand angrily: "The entire army turns around and heads straight for Yangle City!"

The Xianbei army changed direction and sped towards Yangle City.

Xu Rong did not stop them, but led his cavalry to follow at a distance, occasionally sending out small teams to harass them, making Mi Jia uneasy, but unable to find any flaws.

As the sun began to set, Mika finally led his army to the walls of Yangle City.

But when he looked up, he gasped in shock, his disbelief reaching its peak.

On the city wall, banners stood tall, with the flags of generals Zhao, Gao, Xu, Cheng, and Han fluttering in the wind, and countless large banners bearing the character "Han" covering the entire city wall.

Between the battlements, soldiers in full armor were everywhere, their heads thronging and their weapons like a forest; there was no sign of emptiness whatsoever.

Little did he know that most of the people on the city wall were straw figures made by Gao Shun, and there were only a little over a thousand real soldiers. They were all just a smokescreen to scare him.

Mikael reined in his horse, caught in a dilemma. Just as he was about to send a small team to probe the city's defenses, a sudden change occurred!

Suddenly, a deafening battle cry erupted from the dense forest on the left. Xu Rong personally led a thousand elite cavalrymen in a slant charge, heading straight for the left flank of the Xianbei.

On the right side of the official road, smoke and dust billowed, as if a large force of ambushing troops had emerged.

The gates of Yangle City were slowly opening, revealing gleaming armor and a bustling crowd inside. Gao Shun led his elite Trapped Camp troops, who were about to charge out.

Surrounded by enemies on three sides and heavily guarded by soldiers on the city walls, Mika's eyelids twitched wildly, the hairs on his body stood on end, and only one thought remained in his mind: It's over!

As expected, they fell into Liu Bei's ambush!

Yang Le City is not an empty city at all; a trap has been laid for him long ago!

"Retreat! Retreat immediately! All troops, retreat at full speed!"

Mika no longer cared about plundering and revenge. He roared and turned his horse around, leading his army in a frenzied escape towards the border.

Upon seeing this, Xu Rong immediately led his troops in a counterattack, shouting fiercely, "Kill!"

A thousand elite cavalrymen descended the mountain like tigers, charging straight at the rear of the Xianbei army. They slashed with swords and thrust with spears, slaughtering the Xianbei soldiers who cried out in despair, leaving corpses strewn across the field.

Meanwhile, the local militia and civilians in the fortresses along the way, seeing the Xianbei army in defeat, opened their fortress gates and joined the pursuit with weapons in hand.

Along the way, more and more people joined, and by the time they reached the border of western Liaoning, the pursuing force had grown to more than three thousand people, a formidable force.

Mija led his remaining troops on a frantic run, not daring to look back, until they fled deep into the grasslands. Only when they saw that the Han army was not pursuing them did they dare to stop.

Looking at the less than two thousand remaining soldiers around him, scattered and disheveled, he sighed with lingering fear, "I never imagined that so many Han troops were lying in ambush at Yangle City!"

"Liu Bei is truly unfathomable!"

He never knew until his death that, from beginning to end, the only thing that blocked his three thousand iron cavalry was a thousand elite cavalry under Xu Rong's command.

On the city wall of Yangle, Zhao Bao watched Xu Rong lead his army in triumph. He personally went down from the city wall to welcome him, bowing with admiration and saying, "County Commandant Xu is truly a divine general!"

"With just over a thousand soldiers, you frightened away three thousand Xianbei cavalry, ensuring the safety of our entire Liaoxi region. I, Zhao, am deeply impressed!"

Xu Rong dismounted, bowed in return, and remained calm and composed: "You flatter me, Your Excellency!"

"It is not due to Rong's ability, but entirely due to the Lord's previous repair of the border fortresses and stabilization of the people's hearts. With the unity of the army and people of Liaoxi, we were able to defend against the enemy."

Gao Shun, standing beside him, nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "After this battle, the Xianbei will definitely not dare to invade Liaoxi again in the short term."

, 7

Under the setting sun, the Han flags fluttered in the wind atop Yangle City, and the Liaoxi land, though ravaged by war, remained as steadfast as a rock.

Meanwhile, on the border, Liu Bei personally led his cavalry, relentlessly pursuing Su Li's remaining troops.

Instead of engaging in a fierce battle with the main force, they harassed the enemy day and night, and whenever any Xianbei cavalry dared to stop their raids, they would immediately charge out and wipe them out.

Suli was so full that he could neither eat nor sleep, and fled northwards, never daring to look back. In the end, he could only lead his remaining troops and retreat back to the depths of the grasslands in disgrace.

The flames of war on the border of Youzhou were now completely extinguished.

On the other side...

In the valley of Weichang, cold mist shrouded the mountains, and the north wind swirled withered grass and broken leaves, sweeping across the dilapidated Han army camps like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

Gongsun Zan and Xia Yu's five thousand troops have been besieged here by the Xianbei for more than ten days.

Their provisions had long been exhausted, their arrows were all shot out, and even the medicine for wounded soldiers was gone.

Inside the camp, soldiers were everywhere, their faces pale and thin, their bodies covered in wounds. They could barely stand and could only sit slumped against the rock walls.

In order to survive, they had already killed all the warhorses accompanying the army, and everyone's eyes were filled with the despair of impending death.

Inside the tent, Xia Yu's armor was tattered and his hair and beard were disheveled; he had long lost the arrogant and imposing demeanor he once had as the Protector of the Wuhuan.

He slammed his fist on the table, his voice hoarse and filled with regret: "If I hadn't underestimated the enemy and fallen for the Xianbei's trap, I wouldn't be in this predicament!"

Gongsun Zan, standing to the side, had a livid face, and the veins on his hand holding the lance bulged.

His White Horse Cavalry was the culmination of his years of hard work, but now more than half of them have been lost, and the rest are all wounded. More than ten of their warhorses have also been killed.

He looked up at Xia Yu, his eyes filled with suppressed anger, but in the end he only said in a deep voice, "It's too late to regret now."

"We are out of ammunition and food, and there are no reinforcements. If we continue to be trapped, we will all starve to death in this valley. We must find a way to break out."