Chinese New Year

Chapter 551 Notes
The 4,000 cavalrymen of the Yicong Army, who served as the vanguard, marched very fast.

On the 27th, the unit arrived in Wu'an and continued to advance after obtaining supplies.

At noon on the 29th, we entered the Xingshan area of ​​Fukou, just one step away from She County.

At this time, the Heilongjiang Army also left the Gushan camp and, taking advantage of the path opened by the cavalry, they no longer advanced at a snail's pace with chariots, but instead advanced quickly with light troops.

This was beyond everyone's expectations because it was a very risky behavior.

That night, when they learned that there were not many enemy troops in She County, they gave up their reckless advance and stayed there, waiting for the baggage train to catch up.

On the night of the 29th, when the rumbling sound of horse hooves resounded throughout the south of Shexian County, the entire battlefield came alive.

In fact, Xi Jian, who took over the defense, did not order the city to be opened, but instead he himself, with several followers, lowered himself from the top of the city wall to join the reinforcements.

"How many people are still in the city?" asked Qiao Hong, deputy governor of the Yicong Army.

"Less than four thousand." Xi Jian said this with some emotion.

Fifty days and nights, a purgatory of blood and fire.

The three thousand people outside the city had been wiped out. After all, there was no city wall to protect them. In addition, Shi Le's surrendered soldiers could not hold on any longer and most of them fled. A few of them turned around and attacked. It was a pity that these three thousand people died.

Two thousand people also died in the city.

The city walls were so damaged that the houses had to be demolished to repair them.

Arrows, swords, spears, armor, guards, etc., by the end of the battle, were all they could make do with. They even had to go out of the city at night to collect arrows and weapons and do their best to replenish them.

Under normal circumstances, they could still fight for a month. If they gritted their teeth, threatened the people, and conscripted able-bodied men and women to go to the city, they might be able to hold out for two months, but any longer would be difficult.

After experiencing this battle, Xi Jian was also filled with emotion.

No one is born to fight. Before the Battle of Gaoping, he had been paying attention to Shao Xun and learning his military tactics. During the Battle of Gaoping, he led the troops of the Yanzhou nobles to fight against the Xiongnu.

This time they held She County for another fifty days and experienced the battle of defending a city.

Later, you can find a chance to learn siege warfare or manage logistics, and then you will be more comprehensive.

"Is it possible to fight again?" Qiao Hong pointed to the Qingzhang River in the west of the city and asked.

There were no more Xiongnu soldiers under Shexian City. At the moment when they were mobilized, the Xiongnu cavalry in Wu'an and Gushan areas retreated while fighting, and then the Xiongnu people under Shexian City also withdrew completely.

But they did not go far. Instead, they set up camp on the west bank of the Qingzhang River, destroyed the bridges on the river, and took away all the boats.

The main camp was set up on the other side of the river where the water was shallow and easy to wade, blocking the river and resisting.

It should be said that Liu Yao was capable.

Even if we want to fight a big battle with Shao Xun, we have to find a battlefield that is conducive to fighting. The best way is for the two sides to confront each other across the river and attack each other.

"We can still squeeze out another 1,000 or 2,000 men to cross the river and kill the bandits," Xi Jian said.

"Forget it, this number of people is not enough." Qiao Hong smiled.

During this Northern Expedition, the army won consecutive battles and only lost one general, Yin Qi, the deputy governor of the Yicong Army.

Compared with the cavalry, the infantry was much more comfortable. Many middle and lower-level officers may have died in battle, but the high-level generals were all alive.

"Find me some guides." Qiao Hong said, "Tomorrow I will find a place to cross the river and test the strength of the Xiongnu. Don't let us wait for an empty camp and treat it as a formidable enemy."

"Okay." Xi Jian bowed and turned back to She County.

Even if it has been confirmed that the troops coming are reinforcements, the city gates will not be opened tonight. This is the rule.

Xi Jian would not break this rule, and Qiao Hong would not force them to violate it.

Four thousand cavalrymen used the trenches and earth walls outside the city to set up simple tents.

People kept coming down from the top of the city wall, bringing a lot of things to keep warm.

It was a very quiet night, for both friend and foe.

******
On the west bank of the Qingzhang River, the north wind was howling and snow was flying all over the sky.

After Liu Yao inspected the camp, he stood solemnly in the snow, silent.

He had read Shao Xun's manifesto carefully several times.

To be honest, he didn't feel much of agitation, but he was not sure what Emperor Liu Cong would think.

In short, he lost this time.

He didn't lose on the battlefield, but he lost too much in other places. He didn't even dare to think about what punishment he would receive after returning to Pingyang.

There are some treacherous people in the court who always say that he is ambitious.

Liu Yao was helpless about this. At first, he tried to defend himself, worried that the emperor would have an opinion of him, but later he finally understood and was too lazy to defend himself, and the result seemed to make no difference.

People are not born with ambition; it depends on the circumstances.

Ask Shi Le if he still has ambitions now. He doesn't dare to have them, and he can't afford them.

Liu Yao doesn’t have any ambition now. He has no opportunities, so where does the ambition come from?

Since last year, the war in Guanzhong has been presided over by the King of Henei.

The King of Hanoi had won battles and suffered defeats, but the Emperor always supported him unconditionally. The reason was very simple: national policy.

The situation in the eastern half of Guanzhong has stabilized. With the two counties of Jingzhao and Fengyi in hand, the situation has been pacified for more than half a year.

The King of Henei led his troops to Chang'an, full of confidence. If there had not been an incident in Hebei, he would have launched a large-scale attack on Beidi, Fufeng and other counties.

In such a situation, what ambitions could he have?
Besides, he didn't want to see the Liu family's foundation decline due to internal strife. This was the request of the late emperor before his death, and he agreed. Unless the descendants of the Liu family were really messed up, doing evil things, or were usurped by nobles like the Huyan family and the Jin family, he was too lazy to deal with those trivial things, which were boring.

He only wanted to maintain the Han Dynasty's foundation, which was the source of his power and wealth.

Now this source was under great threat. Shao Xun rose to prominence, fighting in his own territory from the beginning, struggling to make ends meet, and slowly moved the battlefield north to the north bank of the Yellow River, achieving unparalleled success.

A series of wars broke out in Hebei this year, such as Anyang, Yecheng, Anping, Shexian, etc. With the support of Hebei nobles, Shao Xun became more and more courageous and finally won a complete victory.

Liu Yao couldn't imagine what the situation would be like in the future if Shao Xun was allowed to peacefully digest Hebei.

All the knowledgeable people in Pingyang saw this, so they put aside their past grudges and sent troops to reinforce Shi Le, but they suffered a bloody defeat at Fukouxing, which was a pity.

Liu Yao has decided that even if he fails this year, he will report to His Majesty next year to continue waging war against Hebei, support Shi Le in recovering lost territory, and restrict Shao Xun's development.

He believed that all the civil and military officials in the court would support him, except Wang Can of Hanoi.

The King of Henei was obsessed with the title of the Lord of Chang'an, and repeatedly asked the Chanyutai to transfer some of the Hu and Han tribes and people to Chang'an as his base for operation. The emperor agreed, but not completely - this winter, more than 10,000 tribes of the five Xiongnu tribes and more than 10,000 tribes of the six barbarians will move westward and station in Jingzhao as the direct troops of the King of Henei. No matter how many more there are, they will not be enough.

Liu Yao was very dissatisfied with this.

To put it bluntly, it is still a dispute over the direction. Both the King of Hanoi and him are right, but their focus is different.

"Shhh..." On the post road that was gradually covered by wind and snow, there were carriages and horses like a dragon.

Some of the baggage that was difficult to carry was shipped away in advance.

The wounded passed away even earlier.

The four Xianbei tribes, exhausted by the long battle, and the Hexi tribes who had a long journey also left.

There are only 20,000 infantry and cavalry left in the Qingzhangshui camp.

Admitting that Shexian County could not be captured and that the reinforcement had failed was not a disaster.

There were only more than 40,000 people, of which no more than 30,000 were infantrymen, while the Shexian garrison was as high as 9,000. If the enemy defended resolutely, it would take more than 20,000 of the 30,000 infantrymen to break through. If the enemy was unlucky, even if all the infantrymen were killed, they might not be able to take the city.

He wouldn't do such a stupid thing.

After learning that Anping had been defeated and that there were nearly 10,000 casualties, he decisively issued an order to cease fire.

There is only one reason why I am not leaving now.

Liu Yao climbed up the hill, he wanted to meet that person.

******
Shao Xun arrived at the city of Shexian on the seventh day of November.

The wind and snow were getting stronger, and it was especially cold in the mountains. Even when I was wearing my iron armor, it felt like the biting cold wind was blowing through my bones.

On the snowy plain, the Huns only had one last camp left.

The gray-black Hun cavalry wore felt hats and fur coats and were scattered left and right. They lowered their heads and squinted their eyes in the cold wind, staring at the large "Shao" flag that had just been erected on the east bank of the Qingzhang River.

The Imperial Army, the Silver Spear Army, the Volunteer Army, the Black Shadow Army, the Loyal Army, the Efficient Army, etc., tens of thousands of troops were deployed on the snowy plain.

Liu Yao did not avoid the severe cold and once again climbed up the high slope where he had stationed his horse a few days ago to observe the enemy situation.

More than a hundred cavalrymen appeared on the vast snowfield.

They galloped at a fast speed, splashing up thousands of piles of snow.

A marching column appeared on the horizon behind the cavalry.

Four rows of men and horses, carrying long spears and breathing hot air, came towards the Qingzhang River, as if ignoring the snowflakes that were biting their necks.

The snow has piled up very deeply.

Once you step into a pair of leather boots, you often have to use a lot of force to pull them out, which is very laborious.

The leading officer rode on a tall horse and stopped from time to time to greet people.

The leaders of the flag battalion, the supervisors, the team leaders, and the squad leaders all encouraged each other. The whole team braved the severe cold, maintained high morale, and marched forward courageously.

More cavalry advanced on the left and right wings.

Teams and groups of soldiers, each holding a rein in one hand and a spear in the other.

The horse snorted, shook its head, and took elegant and tall steps, moving forward bit by bit.

A stronger cold wind suddenly blew, and shrill howls echoed through the mountains.

The snow on the plain was blown up, floating in the air, and was dazzling.

The horses under the crotch of the Hun cavalry began to neigh anxiously, and the knights immediately tried to calm them down.

The cavalry on the opposite side also shouted and neighed, and hesitated to move forward.

The four columns were almost blown away by the wind, their spears were toppled here and there, and they were no longer in formation.

"Kill!" Amid the bleak wind and snow, a passionate cry suddenly broke out.

The four columns were gradually aligned, and the long spears were taken off the shoulders. The front row was laid flat, and the back row was held diagonally, as if they were going to fight against the wind and snow, marching in neat steps, moving forward courageously.

They are getting closer.

In the deep snow, their steps looked a little ridiculous and clumsy, but the spears in their hands were extremely cold, and the murderous intent on their faces was obvious. As they walked, the four columns slowly turned into a horizontal column. No one used a bow, and everyone held a spear and pressed forward aggressively towards the place where the Xiongnu cavalry was stationed.

The cold wind blew in gusts, causing the people and horses to become restless.

The silver-spear infantry on the opposite side approached step by step, hand in hand, holding long spears, braving the wind and snow that filled the earth.

Liu Yao's eyelids twitched.

The Hun cavalry retreated while calming their horses.

Outside the city of Shexian, under the "Hou"-shaped flag in front of the black infantry formation, thousands of officers and soldiers lowered their proud heads.

Tao Bao and Zhi Xiong looked at each other and could see the horror in each other's eyes.

Liu Hezhu and his son Liu Hedu had already walked, leading their horses. Occasionally they looked up at the thousands of silver-spear infantrymen who were marching arm in arm, and sighed heavily.

The troops and horses of the powerful families such as the Gao family of Bohai, the Liu family of Pingyuan, the Hua family, and the Shi family of Leling were all defeated, and their people were almost frozen to death.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Thousands of infantrymen shouted three times, suddenly quickened their pace and rushed forward.

In the wind and snow, the figures are vague and the formation is hard to distinguish, but the momentum is full, which makes people feel irresistible.

On the battlefield, what matters is courage. I dare to charge at you in the snow and wind, do you dare to fight back?
Liu Yao turned his horse around and went down the slope in silence.

He felt a little regretful. After all, he didn't even have the qualifications to meet that person.

After Liu Yao's banner left, the Xiongnu cavalry turned their horses around one after another and retreated westward.

In the wind and snow, both sides seemed to be performing in slow motion, which was ridiculous.

But the Silver Spear Army continued to advance.

They crossed the vast snowfield, crossed the frozen river, and rushed into the Huns' camp...

The few remaining Xiongnu infantry were quickly driven out and killed.

The Xiongnu commander's flag, frozen solid as ice, was cut down, which was a perfect annotation for the war in the eighth year of Yongjia.

(End of this volume)
(End of this chapter)