Chapter 2, The Decisive Battle Against the Hu Invaders
The long-awaited Dragon Spear unleashed its power, piercing through the chest and abdomen of a bald knight. The bloodied spearhead emerged, accompanied by the agonized groans of the dying soldier
What is even rarer is that Tuoba Shujineng was one of the few wise individuals among the Xianbei tribes. When many Xianbei leaders were secretly defying the conscription order from the Wei state, Tuoba Shujineng saw an opportunity within this situation
The recent battle has given him new insights into the ability to adapt in the face of sudden challenges. Perhaps it is time to evaluate his father Zhao Yun's capabilities from a different perspective; while marksmanship and martial skills are important, the ability to respond to danger is even more crucial
After achieving victory, Zhao Guang did not pursue aggressively but instead chose to withdraw while the situation was favorable. The terrain was characterized by high mountains and narrow valleys, with the Stone Gate being a perilous pass. The Shu army was not concerned about the Wei army cutting off their retreat. Zhao Guang's purpose in holding the rear was to delay the enemy and buy time for Jiang Wei's main force to come to the rescue of Jian Ge
The bald-headed tree stands over eight feet tall, and is not yet thirty years old. Due to a long-term meat-based diet, its physique is robust and powerful. With its arms outstretched, it is difficult to find a rival among the bald-headed.
Raise a cloud of blood mist
Chen Shou and Liu Lin responded in unison. Zhao Guang's troops were few in number, and just now, Ma Cheng had accompanied the army into battle, having also beheaded quite a number of enemies. The two of them watched eagerly, feeling quite excited.
"Barbarians, kill!" Zhao Guang thrusts out another shot, and the bald-headed tree machine suffers severe injuries. This time, it can no longer evade, and once again, it is shot in the chest and abdomen, causing its internal organs, intestines, and spleen to spill out onto the ground.
The stone gate built by Jiang Weixiu is located at the narrowest point between the two mountains and the Bailong River. In recent days, Zhao Guang has been urging the soldiers to quarry stones and build fortifications during the gaps in time, and has used random timber to block the critical points. It is impossible for the Wei army to pass through relying solely on miscellaneous troops like the Bald-headed Xianbei. Next, it remains to be seen whether Deng Ai will deploy his elite troops and sharp strategies.
Liu, Guan, and Zhang formed a brotherhood in the Peach Garden
At this moment, Zhao Guang executed this counterattack with extreme proficiency, demonstrating superior speed, agility, and accuracy, which was markedly different from his previous performances. He precisely targeted the critical moment when the tree mechanism's capabilities rendered retreat impossible.
The cavalry clashed here, and the flanking tactics commonly employed by the Xianbei were utterly ineffective. Zhao Guang's five hundred cavalrymen only needed to engage in direct combat without falling behind. The Wei cavalry could only exchange lives for lives, gradually depleting the strength of the Shu cavalry.
What happened to the child
The White Dragon River Valley meanders along the river, and the area around Shimen, held by the Shu army, is particularly easy to defend but difficult to attack
General Weiwu! Chen Shou, styled Chengzuo, was the son of the Shu general Chen Shi. His straightforward nature made him unpopular with Liu Shan in Chengdu, leading to his demotion to serve as a secretary in Jiang Wei's army. Unlike military generals such as Zhao Guang, after the fall of Shu to Jin, Chen Shou began to write historical texts, and his work "Records of the Three Kingdoms" established him as a renowned historian
Guan Yu's descendants, Guan Tong and Guan Yi, although not particularly successful, can still be considered as descendants of the founding heroes of Shu Han. In terms of official positions and titles, Liu Shan did not treat them poorly either
The Tuoba Xianbei tribe was defeated. Deng Zhong, the vanguard of the Wei army's front camp, heard the news of the defeat and thought of charging out to provide assistance, but it was already too late
Chen Shou is doing well, after all, he is a civil official. Liu Lin, on the other hand, is different. His father, Liu Feng, was an adopted son of Liu Bei. Due to a conflict with Meng Da, he lost control of Shangyong, Xicheng, and Fangling. Subsequently, he was granted death due to issues regarding inheritance. Liu Lin has been living a low-profile life in Chengdu, and his days have been quite destitute
But Liu Lin does not want to die
This is an opportune moment to learn from the Central Plains ethnic groups. The refined armor, sharp weapons, tactics for marching and formation, as well as the strategies for confrontation, are all urgently needed by the Xianbei people to dominate the grasslands
Upon hearing the chief's shout, the soldiers of the Tufa tribe hurriedly dodged. Those who could not avoid it had no choice but to jump into the Bailong River. However, the river's current was swift, and the Tufa soldiers, who could not swim, flailed their arms a few times before being swept into the depths of the river, disappearing from sight.
In fact, Liu Feng was assigned to Shangyong County for less than a year. Although he held the title of Deputy General, Meng Da, Shen Dan, and Shen Yi were also granted the title of General of Various Types by Liu Bei. When Liu Feng's troops advanced east from Hanzhong, they numbered less than 10,000, including the elderly and weak.
As long as Deng Ai's Western Route Army is blocked at the Tazhong area, although Jiang Wei's main force of the Shu army still has to face the Wei armies led by Zhuge Xu and Zhong Hui, it is still a relief compared to being besieged by three armies, as it provides some room for maneuvering
Kill! Zhao Guanda shouted, advancing towards the tree's functionality. The Xianbei people before him were merely the vanguard of the Wei army. Only by beheading the enemy general and swiftly dispersing these foreign tribes could the morale of the Shu army be invigorated. The time for the generals to duel had come
The Tuofa Tree Machine was nailed to the rocky path of the mountain. This future tyrant who would later disrupt Liangzhou did not wait to welcome his era before his curtain fell. However, under the momentum of Deng Ai's migration into the Tuofa Xianbei, the death of the Tree Machine could not prevent the occurrence of border troubles. The tribal heroes of the grasslands rise and fall with each generation, and the struggle between the Central Plains ethnic groups and the nomadic tribes never ceases.
The bald-headed tree machine raised its wolf-toothed club high, preparing to strike down at Zhao Guang. However, Zhao Guang had already discerned the situation in the battlefield and, guiding his horse to sidestep, suddenly thrust his Dragon Dagger spear out at an angle, heading straight for the throat of the bald-headed tree machine.
The wolf-toothed club, when mentioned, sounds formidable; however, in essence, it is merely an irregularly spiked iron lump filled with protrusions. This object is exceedingly ugly and was originally a defective product from a workshop. After it found its way to the grasslands, it was regarded as a weapon of war by the nomadic tribes that revered strength. Every warrior in the tribe takes pride in possessing a wolf-toothed club.
Great Chief! The Xianbei soldiers cried out in alarm, and except for a few loyal and brave individuals who stepped forward to seek revenge for Tubashu Jini, the rest of the crowd scattered in panic
"Get out of the way, quickly!" The bald-headed tree shouted urgently, his eyes blood-red, as one warrior after another under his command was struck down, filling his heart with great hatred
Ah—ah, ah! The bald-headed tree fell from the horse, and he couldn't help but cry out in fear. The gun pierced through the human gourd, and this domineering marksmanship left him astonished and speechless. How could this Zhao surname Shu general be so formidable? Why had he never heard of any previous achievements?
The Shu army soldiers who remained here numbered four thousand. Zhao Guang executed the enemy general Tu Fa Shu Ji Neng, which boosted the morale of the Shu army, who were lacking in confidence. The chief scribe Chen Shou and the military marquis Liu Lin, observing from a high point in the camp, were momentarily filled with emotion.
Having been shot twice, the tree machine was already powerless to turn the tide. Lying on the gravel path, he struggled to twist his body to see clearly the enemy general who had unseated him from his horse. However, as his body rapidly lost blood, the tree machine convulsed a few times before finally passing away with regret.
Stab, from back to front
The bald tree had nowhere to hide, the tip of the gun in his eyes drew closer and closer. In desperation, he hastily pulled a Xianbei soldier in front of him as a shield
The bald tree mechanism felt fortunate, yet in the next moment, Zhao Guang thrust his right hand forward, exerting force from his shoulder, and the Longdan spear unexpectedly extended another segment. Utilizing the momentum of the warhorse, the spear pierced through the body of the fallen Xianbei soldier, directly stabbing into the neck of the tree mechanism.
"Cheng Zuo, Gong Ting, today we have suffered a minor setback against the Wei army. That old thief Deng Ai will surely send his generals to launch an urgent attack. You must hold the camp tightly and not allow the slightest relaxation!" Zhao Guang said while removing his armor.
Shimen, the encampment of the Shu army
On the battlefield, there are both victories and defeats. Liu Feng achieved numerous merits in the battles of entering Shu and Han Zhong, and even fought fiercely against Cao Cao's son, Cao Zhang. In the context of Wei being strong and Han being weak at that time, Liu Feng's ability to avoid defeat can be said to have greatly enhanced Liu Bei's reputation
This time, relying on Dong Jue's connections, Liu Lin was dispatched to serve in Zhao Guangjun's army, holding the position of a military leader commanding only a few hundred troops
Death! The thoughts of Tuoba Shujin are the same; the half-century Shu general across the way has already killed several Xianbei warriors. The struggle for the Tuoba Xianbei succession is unlike that of the Central Plains dynasties, where only strength can ascend to the position of Chanyu. The losses in the campaign against Shu have been too great, bringing only disadvantages to Shujin, with no benefits whatsoever
Correspondingly, the Shen family clan had around 7,000 households in the Xicheng area. When Meng Da set out from Yidu, he also brought along several thousand people. Faced with the pressure from the renowned Wei general Xu Huang, Liu Feng was in a precarious position; it was already extremely difficult for him to maintain stability in the three prefectures, let alone to send troops to rescue the defeated Guan Yu in Jingzhou.
As a son, Liu Lin urgently needs to prove his abilities to clear his father Liu Feng of the charge of inadequate performance in battle
Compared to threats, the fear instilled by a stab is even greater
Liu Lin, upon careful calculation, is indeed a descendant of Liu Bei; however, from a bloodline perspective, he is not. In the view of the Shu Han's civil and military officials, who regard the legitimacy of the Han dynasty as fundamental, the fate of Liu Feng's lineage can only end in one way—extinction
The gun enters the body
There is no need to mention the descendants of Zhang Fei; both of his daughters married A Dou, and naturally, the family of the father-in-law would take care of them. After the death of Zhang Bao, his second son Zhang Shao was appointed as the Palace Attendant and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, which can be regarded as a model of transitioning from military to civil service.
"Southern barbarians, go die!" Finally charging to the front lines, the bald-headed Shujin shouted loudly, swinging his wolf-toothed club down onto a Shu army cavalryman. Under the shadow of the massive club, the Shu cavalry was struck on the head and immediately fell from his horse, causing a surge of morale among the bald-headed Xianbei people.
Zhao Guang took the lead, and compared to the bareback riders of the Xianbei and Qiang peoples, the Han army officers had already begun to standardize saddles and stirrups as essential equipment for cavalry. The craftsmen responsible for producing stirrups were regarded by the Han Dynasty as important military secrets. However, with the decline of the Eastern Han, it was only a matter of time before the technology of saddles and stirrups was mastered by the nomadic tribes.
Zhao Guang led a team of Qiang cavalry at the forefront, while Ma Cheng commanded another team of crossbow cavalry on the flank. In just a short moment, several dozen of the Tuoba Xianbei at the very front had already fallen from their horses. Engaging in close combat and long-range shooting, the Shu army, equipped with repeating crossbows and armor, displayed a clear advantage in the confrontation with the almost unarmored soldiers of the Tuoba tribe
He not only wants to live, but also desires to live better. As he grows older, he has developed a perspective on the death of his father, Liu Feng, that differs from the official narrative presented by the Shu Han government.
Smash, from top to bottom
The intentions of Liu Shan and Huang Hao are likely to avoid direct involvement; it would be preferable to have the Wei army carry out the assassination of Liu Lin.
The gunshot penetrated the bone, tearing through the shattered flesh
The tree's function suddenly felt intense pain, and the violent convulsions at the collarbone made it impossible for him to control the horse any longer. Zhao Guang drew his gun, and warm blood spilled from the front of the tree's function.
"Barbarians, die!" With Zhao Guang's loud shout, the narrow mountain path at Qiangchuan was violently struck by the ochre flag of the Shu army and the black flag of the Wei army.
The two armies face each other