Chapter 226

Chapter 226

October 15, Ba Zhong City.

Defense General Zong Quan stood on the city wall, watching as General Xiao Mu hastily dispatched around 30,000 troops westward.

The deputy general exclaimed, "It must be General Jiang Ru leading the navy to attack Guangyuan!"

Zong Quan smiled faintly and nodded.

Ever since learning that Xiao Mu was advancing with 100,000 troops from Jingzhou, the Great General had anticipated Xiao Mu's northern move toward Ba Zhong. To counter this, he had devised a plan to lure the Xingping Emperor into the treacherous Jiange Road. As long as Jiang Ru retook Guangyuan and blocked the northern entrance of Jiange Road at Panlong Town, the Xingping Emperor's army would be trapped like turtles in a jar, with no escape route.

Zong Quan's task was to annihilate the besieging forces in Ba Zhong before the reinforcements from Chang'an arrived, then swiftly move to Guangyuan to flank and attack Xiao Mu's army with Jiang Ru, thoroughly crushing it. With 30,000 elite soldiers under his command, Zong Quan knew that while they might not defeat Xiao Mu's 70,000 troops in a single battle, breaking them piecemeal would be a simple task.

On the morning of October 16, estimating that Xiao Mu had likely traveled far, Zong Quan ordered his soldiers to shout loudly, "General Jiang Ru of our Great Liang has retaken Guangyuan with the navy! The Xingping Emperor is trapped in Jiange Road and is as good as dead!"

"Surrender quickly, and General Zong will spare your lives!"

The arrogant and triumphant shouts clearly reached the ears of the garrisoned troops.

Hearing this, the soldiers were thrown into a panic. General Xiao had hurriedly left yesterday, surely to reinforce Guangyuan. Would 30,000 troops be enough? If they were instead attacked by the Liang army, would the emperor really be doomed? If the emperor died, what would they be fighting for?

The army's morale quickly wavered.

Zhao Jin ordered the army to assemble. Standing before them with seven commanders, he resolutely said, "Indeed, the emperor has entered Jiange Road, but he is leading 100,000 troops to pursue the main Liang army. Before leaving, the emperor stationed 20,000 elite troops in Guangyuan and another 10,000 at the entrance of Jiange Road in Panlong Town. The Liang navy has to guard the Yangtze River waterway and can at most spare 50,000 troops to move against us!"

"Consider this: the navy is formidable on water, but on land, they are like fish out of water. How long can they last? Those 50,000 naval troops can neither break through Guangyuan's gates nor the formidable Panlong Town. Their only role is to divert some of our forces!"

"Do you think our old general has made any miscalculations on this journey? Has he ever led us to defeat? This time, he only took 30,000 troops because he knows the Liang navy is no match for us. Our 30,000 infantry elite can drive them back into the water. The Ba Zhong garrison knows this well, which is why they are shouting to disrupt our morale and create an opportunity for themselves!"

"Brothers, think of the military merits we've accumulated on this journey. With the emperor advancing toward the Liang capital, holding off these defeated soldiers will earn us another great reward. Would you let a few words shake your resolve and cost you your rewards?"

The soldiers, hearing this, immediately found it reasonable. The emperor had defeated hundreds of thousands of court troops. How could he, and the old general who had led them from Jingzhou to here, be easily defeated?

"We are not willing!"

"We won't be shaken by their nonsense! Let's wait for our military merits!"

With the army's morale now steady, Zhao Jin and the other commanders breathed a collective sigh of relief. However, Zhao Jin remained worried that Zong Quan might launch a night attack. He instructed the soldiers to sleep in their armor and further strengthened night patrols.

Before dawn on October 17, while it was still dark, the alarm horns blared, signaling an enemy attack outside the camp!

Zhao Jin sprang to his feet, seized his spear, and dashed out.

The infantry archers and cavalry formations were already arranged. After a brief moment of panic, the cavalry and infantry engaged the enemy, while the archers launched dense volleys of arrows into the rear of the enemy forces.

With one side launching a surprise attack and the other prepared, neither gained a significant advantage, and ultimately, it came down to who could fight more effectively.

Zong Quan, a seasoned Liang general in his fifties, wielded a long saber, slicing through the enemy ranks with relentless precision.

In actual combat, the commanding general's prowess in killing enemies and his influence on morale were paramount. The soldiers had confidence in their general, and with that confidence, they fought fearlessly.

Although Zhao Jin was also a formidable general of the Great Yu, he was too young. It would take his father, Zhao Liangchen, to match Zong Quan's reputation and prestige.

The Yu army initially had the advantage of numbers, but after half an hour of combat, the Liang forces gained the upper hand. Whenever the Yu soldiers saw Zong Quan, they scattered like startled rabbits, only to meet their fate sooner.

As more of his soldiers fell, Zhao Jin, having lost nearly 10,000 men, ordered a retreat toward Guangyuan while evading Zong Quan's pursuit.

Zong Quan sneered. "Kids these days, they’re so easily spooked. Instead of retreating toward Dazhou, he dares to go to Guangyuan to join Xiao Mu. It's like running to daddy when you're in trouble."

"Chase!"

Zong Quan led the way, relentlessly pursuing and attacking the Yue army.

The Yue soldiers, desperate to escape, ran fast despite not having eaten. The Liang troops, well-rested and fed, pursued them relentlessly, eager to earn merit.

After running ten miles from Bazhong, the Yue army had lost another 4,000 men, bringing their total losses to nearly 14,000. By the time they had run twenty miles out of Bazhong, only 20,000 Yue soldiers remained.

"General, they're not chasing anymore! Let's rest for a bit!" said one of the soldiers, gasping for breath, unable to run further.

Zhao Jin, looking at his 20,000 exhausted soldiers, sent a scout to keep an eye on the rear. If the enemy came, they would have to continue fleeing immediately.

After resting for about fifteen minutes, the scout rode back at full gallop. Seeing this, the 20,000 soldiers, without waiting for Zhao Jin's order, immediately grabbed their weapons and continued fleeing.

The Shu region was mountainous. After leaving Bazhong, they entered a continuous mountain range. However, a narrow plain, carved by a river, created a pathway connecting two cities. Over time, a road was formed, but there were still narrow mountain paths along the way.

After running more than thirty miles out of Bazhong, the Yue army encountered a mountain pass suitable for an ambush.

A commanding officer asked Zhao Jin, "General, could there be an ambush here?"

Zhao Jin replied, "Impossible. Zong Quan is trapped in Bazhong. When General Feng passed through here, he must have scouted the area. Once General Feng passed, both sides were blocked by high mountains. The Liang army's infantry and navy can't get through."

Before Zhao Jin could finish, Zong Quan and his cavalry suddenly appeared around the bend. Zhao Jin arranged his own cavalry to cover the rear while leading the infantry in continued flight.

The fighting claimed more lives.

When Zong Quan's army was about to pass through the valley, Zong Quan's deputy also felt uneasy. "General, could there be an ambush?"

Zong Quan said, "Impossible. We've been chasing Zhao Jin's forces all the way. They didn't have time to position archers on the mountain. Xiao Mu is in a hurry to reinforce Guangyuan. With only 30,000 troops, he can't spare any forces. He doesn't know when we would leave the city to attack Zhao Jin, so why would he waste troops here? It's the Xingping Emperor who is trapped. If we delay, Xiao Mu's entire family will be killed!"

Even if Xiao Mu anticipated that Zhao Jin might be defeated and try to escape this way, he wouldn’t reduce the forces reinforcing the Xingping Emperor to save Zhao Jin. Moreover, Xiao Mu was too eager to save his lord to plan anything else.

"Continue the chase!"

Zong Quan led the cavalry to charge through the valley first.

Just as the remaining 20,000 Liang troops were about to speed through, archers suddenly appeared on both sides of the mountain, raining down arrows.

The screams alerted the hundred or so cavalry up front. Zong Quan reined his horse and looked back to see his infantry falling in waves as about 3,000 archers hidden in the mountains fired at them.

Three thousand archers out of 30,000—Xiao Mu was really bold!

The twenty or so Yue cavalry responsible for covering the rear, seeing this scene, felt like desperate men finding a way out. They shouted in joy, "General, General Feng has set up an ambush for us!"

"General, stop running! The Liang army is being shot like hedgehogs!"

"Everyone, stop running! Come back!"

Zhao Jin, hearing this, was the first to turn back. As he reined in his horse, he saw that the arrow rain from the mountain had stopped. The Liang infantry's corpses littered that section of the road. Only Zong Quan, leading a hundred or so cavalry and over 3,000 infantry who were lucky enough not to be hit, had made it out of the "dead end."

Zhao Jin laughed heartily and ordered his infantry, "Alright, we’ve got 20,000 men against their 3,000. We can overwhelm them just by sheer numbers. Charge!"

He led a few dozen cavalrymen charging forward.

Zong Quan sneered, "Brave boy, but did you know that I, Zong Quan, could take down your 20,000 infantry alone?"

Gripping his long blade tightly, Zong Quan charged towards Zhao Jin.

The other cavalrymen also found their opponents.

The narrow mountain path was blocked by the cavalry, forcing the infantry on both sides to halt.

Zhao Jin soon found himself outmatched by Zong Quan. Other Yue cavalrymen rushed over to help him fend off a couple of blows. Even so, Zhao Jin was in constant danger. The archers, already exhausted and positioned on the mountain, couldn’t reach the battle in time. It was better for them to stay put and cut off Zong Quan’s retreat.

The Liang army infantrymen were emboldened by Zong Quan's spirit and wielded their weapons, passing through the gaps between the cavalrymen to attack the Yue army.

Zong Quan fought as if he wasn't the one being ambushed, displaying great composure. After parrying Zhao Jin's spear once again, Zong Quan laughed, "Hey, why not join us in Great Liang? With your skills, the emperor would make you a general in no time. You can also write to your father, urging him to rise in support of our Great Liang from Da Tong. When Luoyang falls, both you and your father will be rewarded with marquisates. Why not take this opportunity?"

Zong Quan truly admired Zhao Jin. Even seasoned generals hesitated to face him in battle, yet Zhao Jin not only held his ground but also had the guts to come back after retreating.

Zhao Jin scoffed, "My dad says your boss, General Feng, only got Yizhou because of Sichuan's terrain. He’s not even fit to be my dad’s deputy. Only you guys, stuck in your little world, would follow someone like him."

Instead of getting angry, Zong Quan was amused and burst into laughter, "Well said..."

Before he could finish laughing, with his eyes still half-closed, an arrow whistled through the air from behind.

He was too slow to react, or maybe his laughter had thrown him off. The next moment, the arrow slammed into his back, piercing through his armor.

Zong Quan was stunned, and Zhao Jin was equally shocked. Following the direction of the arrow, Zhao Jin immediately recognized the slender figure who had already nocked another arrow and drawn her bow.

Seeing her, Zhao Jin felt a wave of relief. "You’re here! I was starting to think you hadn’t made it!"

Tong Sui smiled.

The old man said that Zhao Jin wouldn't be able to hold off Zong Quan. If Zhao Jin were defeated and Zong Quan pursued him all the way to Guangyuan, the 30,000 troops there would be attacked from both front and rear.

So, Tong Sui lay in wait, ready to ambush Zong Quan at the spot where he would likely stop after passing through the valley and dealing with the infantry ambush.

Ambushing a famous general wasn’t glorious, but then again, she was an archer. Wasn’t Zong Quan also bullying the young by fighting Zhao Jin?

On the battlefield, only one thing matters: winning.