bayedsolid Chapter 1641 The Duke of Huguo was fooled
Chapter 1641 The Duke of Huguo was fooled
The news of the Tang army's defeat quickly spread to the Tang army's tent like a gust of cold wind.
The charcoal fire in the tent was blazing, but it couldn't dispel the chill in everyone's hearts.
The scout rushed into the tent, exhausted, and knelt on one knee. He spoke in a low and urgent voice, "General, the troops ambushed on the way to Qingcheng, Baishui, Linhe, and Handan have been discovered by the enemy, and have all retreated!"
When Li Ji heard this, his originally calm face suddenly froze, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
He slowly put down the military newspaper in his hand, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and said in a deep voice: "Han Xing, your reputation is well-deserved. He was able to predict our ambush in advance."
Advisor Zhang Gongjin frowned, twirling his beard with his fingers, and said thoughtfully, "General, it seems our plan to take advantage of this opportunity to weaken the Chu army has failed."
"The only plan now is to try to delay their main force and buy time for the Duke of Han."
Li Ji nodded slightly, his eyes deep and profound. "Yes, right now we have only one goal—to hold back the Chu army and deny them the opportunity to support the Great Zhou."
He stood up, walked to the sand table, stared at the layout of the four cities, and gave the order in a deep voice:
"Pass the order down. The four armies will continue to attack the four cities. However, there is no need to force them. Simply feint and exhaust the Chu army so that they have no time to attack."
"Yes!"
The messenger clasped his fists and accepted the order, then quickly left the tent. The sound of horse hooves gradually faded away.
A day later, the Tang army outside the four cities launched another attack.
However, this offensive seemed extremely strange - the arrows were sparse, and the charging soldiers were just bluffing, quickly retreating after the slightest contact.
Despite this, the Chu army did not dare to be careless at all. Every move of the Tang army made them feel like they were facing a powerful enemy.
This went on for three days.
The Chu army soldiers were on guard day and night, their spirits tense, while the Tang army was like a ghost, appearing and disappearing from time to time, making the Chu army exhausted.
Three days later, at the Han-Zhou border thousands of miles away.
In the military camp of the Han Dynasty, Duke Protector of the Country Huo Quji was standing on a high platform, gazing at the distant horizon.
The cold wind howled, blowing his armor, but it could not blow away the sharpness in his eyes.
At the age of only 27, he had already made great military achievements and was hailed as the new generation of military god of the Han Dynasty.
At this time, a personal guard stepped forward quickly and presented a letter with both hands: "Duke Protector of the Country, a secret letter from Li Ji, the commander of the Tang army!"
Huo Quji took the letter, quickly glanced through it, and raised a confident smile:
"Great! Li Ji has lived up to expectations and has successfully held back the Chu army from Wei!"
He turned to the deputy general beside him and said, "Order all the generals to come and discuss this matter immediately!"
A moment later, all the generals gathered in the central military tent.
Huo Quji sat high up in the main seat, his eyes sweeping over the crowd as he spoke loudly, "Everyone, I've just received news that the Tang army has held back the Chu army. As our army attacks the Great Zhou, there's absolutely no way the Chu army will come to support us!"
As soon as these words came out, the tent was in an uproar. The generals all requested:
"Duke Protector of the Country, I am willing to be the vanguard and attack the Great Zhou camp!"
"With only 10,000 soldiers and horses, I will surely defeat the enemy!"
"Hmph, eight thousand is enough!"
Everyone rushed to ask for a fight, but veteran general Zhou Bo frowned and said in a deep voice, "Don't underestimate the enemy! Xue Huaide is a famous general of the Great Zhou Dynasty and a master of military strategy. Although our army has the advantage, if we attack rashly, we may fall into an ambush!"
The young and energetic generals disagreed. Vanguard Ma Zhenjun sneered, "General Zhou, you're old. If you're afraid of fighting, you could just stay behind. Why bother shaking the morale of the troops?"
Another general echoed, "Exactly! No matter how powerful Xue Huaide is, can he really defeat the Han cavalry?"
Zhou Bo's face darkened, and he was about to retort when Huo Quji raised his hand to stop him: "Enough!"
His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. The generals immediately fell silent.
Huo Quji's eyes were sharp as a torch, and he said slowly, "General Zhou's concerns are not without reason, but the opportunity for battle is fleeting and cannot be delayed."
He hesitated for a moment, then said resolutely, "Ma Zhenjun, listen to my orders!"
Ma Zhenjun strode forward and said, "I will be your general!"
"I order you to lead 10,000 elite cavalry as the vanguard and attack the Great Zhou camp at midnight tonight! If you succeed, fire three rockets as a signal!"
"The general will get the order!"
"Li Feng, Chen Wu!"
"The general is here!"
"You two will each lead 10,000 soldiers and horses, forming the left and right wings. At the first signal, charge into the enemy camp!"
"Yes!"
Night fell, and the wind was biting cold. In the north in mid-January, the snow had not yet melted, and the moonlight cast a pale white on the snow.
Ma Zhenjun led 10,000 elite cavalrymen, with their men holding their tongues and their horses' hooves wrapped, and quietly approached the Great Zhou army camp.
In the distance, the lights of the Great Zhou military camp were faintly visible, and the patrolling soldiers were walking back and forth, seemingly defenseless.
Ma Zhenjun's eyes flashed with excitement, and he whispered, "Pass the order down, all troops attack!"
In an instant, thousands of horses were galloping and the shouts of killing were shaking the earth!
The Great Zhou army camp was thrown into chaos. The soldiers fought hastily but were unable to withstand the charge of the Han cavalry.
Ma Zhenjun took the lead, and wherever his spear pointed, the enemy soldiers fell to the ground one after another.
He looked up at the night sky, took out his rockets, and fired three in a row!
"Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-"
Three rockets streaked across the sky, like a signal of death.
Li Feng and Chen Wu, who had been lying in ambush on both sides, saw this and immediately rushed out! The Great Zhou army camp was attacked from both sides and was instantly in dire straits.
In the military tent of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Xue Huaide suddenly woke up.
The personal guard rushed in in a panic: "General, the Han army attacked at night, and our defense line has been breached!"
Xue Huaide's eyes flashed coldly, and he sneered, "Here he comes."
He quickly donned his armor and drew his sword, then strode out of the tent and shouted, "Order the entire army to retreat according to the plan!"
"what?"
The guards were stunned: "General, are we just going to abandon the camp like this?"
Xue Huaide said calmly, "Huo Quji is young and full of vigor. He will seek a quick victory in this battle. We should feign defeat and retreat, lure the enemy deeper, and then gather together and annihilate them!"
Seeing the Zhou army's defeat, the Han army's morale was boosted and they began to pursue.
Huo Quji stood on a high place, looking at the fleeing enemy troops in the distance, but he felt a little uneasy. Zhou Bo stepped forward and advised:
"Duke Protector of the Country, the enemy retreated too quickly, I'm afraid it's a trick!"
Huo Quji pondered for a moment and was about to order to stop the pursuit when he suddenly heard a dull horn sound coming from the valley ahead!
Immediately afterwards, countless torches lit up, and the originally fleeing Great Zhou soldiers suddenly changed direction, while on the hillsides on both sides, the archers who had been lying in ambush for a long time fired thousands of arrows!
"Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!" Huo Quji's face suddenly changed.
The Han army was immediately surrounded, arrows rained down, and soldiers fell to the ground one after another.
Ma Zhenjun roared and tried to break through, but was shot in the chest by an arrow and fell off his horse and died.
Huo Quji gritted his teeth and said, "All troops, listen to my order! Break out from behind!"
After paying a heavy price, the Han army finally fought their way out and retreated to their own camp.
After counting the casualties, it was found that more than 8,000 soldiers were lost.
Huo Quji slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "Xue Huaide...what a trick to lure you into a trap!"
Zhou Bo sighed and said, "Duke Protector of the Country, our army's morale is low. It would be better to suspend the offensive and make long-term plans."
Huo Quji raised his head, his eyes burning with an unyielding fire: "No! This hatred must be avenged! Pass the order and organize the troops. In three days, I will fight Xue Huaide to the death!"
The cold wind is still biting, but the flames of war are not extinguished.
The confrontation between the Tang army and the Chu army continued, but the bloody battle on the Han-Zhou border had just begun.