Chinese New Year

Chapter 413 Influence
Retreating is not that simple.

If the army's morale is high and they are eager to fight, they can retreat, and the enemy may not be able to do anything to them. For example, when Liu Yao retreated from Chang'an, he brought 80,000 men and women with him. Did Jia, Liang and others have any way to deal with him? No.

This only shows that Jia Pi and others did not have much advantage on the battlefield. They were worried that if they caught up with them, they would be defeated and the Chang'an they had captured would be gone, so they simply gave up fighting.

However, if the central army in Luoyang besieged a city for more than two months, with all the camps exhausted and suffering heavy casualties, it would not be so convenient to retreat.

Starting from August 23, the not-so-capable Right Guard retreated first, followed by the relatively capable Left Guard, with the Cavalry Army and the Liangzhou Army covering the rear.

After the general policy was decided, the noisy retreat began.

From Xin'an to Luoyang, the road of more than 100 miles was crowded with people, war horses neighing, soldiers from various camps vying for the first place, and even cursing and fighting.

The walking was relatively orderly in the first few days, but as the running went on, everyone's mind became like grass and their will became increasingly shaken.

Especially when Shi Le was chasing on horseback, there was chaos everywhere.

The Cavalry Army and the Liangzhou Army could not stop all the enemy cavalry, and some would always slip through. Moreover, this hilly and mountainous terrain was not conducive to charging cavalry in hand-to-hand combat, but on the contrary was very suitable for light cavalry that could gallop and shoot at the same time.

The Jin cavalry offered a brief resistance, and the Xiongnu cavalry scattered, intimidating and chasing the retreating infantry.

The Jin cavalry returned to block the attack, and the Huns repeated the above tactics.

On the post road, wounded soldiers lay on the roadside groaning.

Armor and weapons were thrown everywhere, and overturned and tipped-over grain and baggage carts could be seen everywhere. The rations and weapons that the emperor was reluctant to give to Shao Xun all went to the Huns.

Not many people actually died.

Because the imperial guards would sometimes stop and fight back, blocking the Xiongnu cavalry and forcing them to stop or take a detour. In addition, the infantry ran to the mountains, and it was difficult for the cavalry to chase them, so they did not gain much.

But the fact that the Huns did not gain much did not mean that all the scattered soldiers would return to Luoyang one by one.

Many people just ran away, especially the young and strong men who were incorporated into the army before the war. They didn't want to work for the Jin court anymore, at least not at this time.

Even many of the imperial guards who had joined the army in earlier years were discouraged and disappointed at this time.

Some people directly took their weapons and led a dozen or even dozens of comrades to join the fort commanders, manor owners, and wealthy families and became part of their huge army.

Some people also agreed to build a village in the mountains, half farming and half robbing, and live a hard life - if they really can't make ends meet, they will think of other ways.

Most of them went straight back to their homes. No matter where their homes were in Luoyang, they would never return to the central army.

On the night of the 26th, the first batch of defeated soldiers rushed to the outside of Ximing Gate.

Over the next three or four days, large numbers of defeated soldiers arrived every day.

There were only 3,000 soldiers left in the city. They dared not let everyone in. They only let in a maximum of 2,000 people every day, and only let the second batch in after they were fully reorganized.

By the last day of August, the total number of veteran soldiers from the Luoyang Central Army who had been taken in was only about 12,000, and there were another 3,000 to 4,000 refugee recruits. Only about half of them were allowed to enter the city, and the others set up camp in the residential area west of the city.

Fortunately, there were many houses in this area, which made it difficult for cavalry to ride. Fortunately, some officers withdrew with relatively intact troops and were not wiped out all at once. As a result, this area in the west of the city gradually stabilized.

Next—actually, there is no next.

The Luoyang court had only one thing to do: take in as many defeated soldiers as possible to preserve their vitality, and then speed up the reorganization and reorganization of the troops to allow the defeated army to recover.

Although Wang Mi won the defensive battle of Xin'an, he suffered heavy casualties and was unable to pursue.

Although Shi Le enjoyed the chase very much, he only had more than 10,000 cavalrymen, and his troops were divided into two parts. He could just give the chase a try and there was no need to fight head-on with the Cavalry Army and the Liangzhou Army.

Instead of doing that, it would be better to take away the carriages, horses, food, weapons, and money left behind by the Jin people and enrich his own treasury.

No one is a fool. Da Hu is a smart man who knows how to maximize his own interests. Moreover, he worked hard in this expedition and no one can criticize him.

******
The enemy cavalry rushed outside the city, and even though they were unable to attack the city for the time being, they still caused a huge impact inside Luoyang City.

Fu Chang was at home mourning for his father. Upon hearing the news of Xin'an's defeat, he was speechless.

Soon, a fine autumn rain began to fall from the sky.

Fu Chang walked into the courtyard in a daze, looking at the trees struggling to survive in the wind and rain.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the clouds were getting lower and lower.

Fu Chang looked up and saw the inky black clouds baring their fangs and claws, looking extremely ferocious, almost crushing the entire Luoyang.

There was already a sound of chaotic footsteps on the street.

Thieves and evil teenagers rushed out, armed with knives, guns and sticks, and began to rob.

The cries and shouts continued, and people's hearts were in turmoil.

The servants of Fu's residence hurriedly closed the gate and stood nervously in the yard, holding swords, guns and bows.

Two or three brave servants, armed with bows, climbed up to the top of the wall.

When the young thugs running around on the street saw these standard military equipment, they knew that this guy was not easy to mess with, so they dispersed and looked for easier targets to bully.

Fu Chang still had no expression, as if the thieves' coming and going had nothing to do with him.

Fu's wife drove the children to the inner room and knelt on the cushion in front of the incense table, muttering something. There were actually two statues on the incense table: Buddha and Laozi!

Laozi has always been associated with becoming an immortal, but at this moment, there is little incense in front of him, only ashes that have long since cooled.

In contrast, the front of the pagoda was filled with incense and mist.

Fu's wife looked pious, chanting to herself to this Rong god who had the power to ward off disasters and bring good fortune, and made countless wishes and promises.

Fu Chang heard the voice and wanted to say something, but he closed his mouth powerlessly.

Perhaps, Futu had some magical skills from foreign lands that could save their family from danger? After all, even Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty had offered sacrifices to Futu and Laozi in the Zhulong Palace, which showed that this Rong God must have some magical powers.

However, he soon sighed again and said to himself: "It is better to rely on yourself than to rely on others."

Of course, he couldn't repel the enemy or kill the villains just by talking.

But he has been studying since he was young, traveled all over the country, understood many truths, and accumulated a lot of experience. He can work for someone who can calm the chaos, push him up, and let him bring peace to everyone.

"Boom!" A flash of thunder flashed across the sky.

Fu Chang was startled at first, then he laughed loudly in the rain and said, "If God wants to stop me, why not stop the thief?"

As soon as these words came out, a string in my mind seemed to break.

Fu Chang continued to laugh until tears came out.

"The glorious China is in such a state. Why should we abandon it?" Fu Chang looked like a madman.

Mrs. Fu had stopped chanting and turned to look at her husband, her expression full of worry.

The servants were also stunned, almost thinking that their master was going to surrender to the Huns, which - was not impossible.

Thunder and lightning flashed continuously in the sky for a long time, as if countless people in Luoyang City were betraying the laws of heaven.

Fu Chang laughed even more happily.

Look, there are a lot of people who think the same as me, right?

Who can be blamed? Blame the emperor for repeatedly disappointing people, or blame the Jin Dynasty, which inherited the three hundred years of accumulated problems since the Han and Wei dynasties.

The root of the problem was planted since Emperor Guangwu of Han established his dynasty, right?
For three hundred years, no one has clarified it, and no one has the desire to change it.

Well, don’t blame God for using another three hundred years of chaos to forcibly correct the situation.

Fu Chang suddenly thought of Shao Xun's efforts to recruit government soldiers in Luonan, Xiangcheng and Gaoping, and his efforts to gather refugees and distribute land in Chenjun, Nandun and Xincai.

He didn't take it seriously before, but repeated incidents made him upset and he repeatedly doubted his past thoughts.

When this suspicion accumulates to a certain extent, it only takes one opportunity to break a man's defense and make him change completely.

Let the storm get a little stronger...

******
On the north bank of the Yellow River, fierce battles have been fought three times.

The first time was on the afternoon of the 21st, when hundreds of boats carrying 2,400 soldiers of the Black Sword Army attacked the north bank, but ultimately failed.

The Huns didn't even send out their cavalry, and the Heilongjiang Army was repelled. The defeated soldiers fled back to the ships in panic, leaving behind two or three hundred corpses.

On the night of the 24th, almost the second day after the Luoyang central army began to retreat, two thousand Xuchang hereditary soldiers and two thousand garrison troops boarded boats and landed again.

This time, the Jin army even used some of the newly built ships, carried more soldiers, and launched a surprise attack at night, achieving a certain degree of surprise.

Sure enough, they caused some trouble to the infantry of Zhao Gu and Shi Le, and even got outside the enemy's camp. The brave warriors who were the first to climb over the camp wall climbed down, and the shouts of killing were deafening and the momentum was terrifying.

In the darkness, the two sides fought fiercely, and the Xiongnu cavalry was somewhat confused, not knowing who to attack.

It was not until daybreak that they launched a large force and, together with the infantry, drove the group back into the river, forcing them to flee in a panic.

From a military perspective, this was a successful sneak attack. If it had been on land, without a large river blocking it, it might have been successful, but there are no ifs in war. Rivers, mountains, and climate are important factors that generals have to consider.

On the 30th, Shao Xun already knew the outcome of the Battle of Xin'an and the situation near Luoyang. He remained unmoved and put all the boats he had collected in the past few days into use, preparing to load more soldiers to cross the river and attack.

For a moment, the river was covered with masts and oars like a forest, and the boats were densely packed.

At the same time, the floating bridge downstream of Mengjin was rebuilt tenaciously after being destroyed twice, and a large group of soldiers gathered on the south bank, eager to try.

King Liu Fu of Bohai could no longer sit still, and ordered all units to withdraw their troops and gather at the main camp of Zhamadi, preparing for a decisive battle with the Jin people.

On August 30th, the autumn air was thick and it rained heavily.

Liu Fu received a report from a mud-covered scout on the Zhama Dike: the Jin army's floating bridge downstream was destroyed for the third time due to the rising water level of the Yellow River.

He couldn't help but burst out laughing.

There have been battles on both sides of the river for so many years, why are there only so many famous ferry crossings? Do we think everyone is stupid?
"Shao Xun has run out of tricks." Liu Fule said happily: "Pass the order, each camp will select another 3,000 sword and shield soldiers, and move closer to my banner. Zhamadi will become the place where Shao Xun will be buried."

(End of this chapter)