NABC Chapter 70: Taking the Initiative
Chapter 70: Taking the Initiative
Which unit are you from?
Wu He raised his sword sheath and forcibly lifted the chin of one of the men.
The latter stammered, "I...I am from the vanguard of the Xi King's camp..."
"What is the purpose of this trip?"
"Seize the beach... garrison... clear the way for the Commander's army."
open circuit.
Wu He looked toward the Baigou River.
The Khitan soldiers we just encountered numbered only a little over a hundred, which would be considered low-ranking among the garrison troops.
What was initially thought to be a simple border incursion turned out to be a much bigger fish behind the scenes.
He then turned back and asked him again, "Who is the commander?"
The Khitan soldier froze, stunned for a second, when Sun Lin's fist slammed heavily into his face.
"Fuck you! Say something!"
"Dare to conceal this from General Wu, and I'll skin you alive!"
Whoosh~
After he finished speaking, the Khitan soldier watched in disbelief as Sun Lin indeed pulled a dagger from his waist. The gleaming blade made his face turn ashen.
"Deputy Commander Arudo! Lord Yelü Wangkuang!" he cried out in a panic with his eyes closed.
Yelü Wangkuang.
Wu He was a complete stranger. Just then, Xiang Zeting arrived with his remaining brothers. Upon hearing the name, his expression changed.
"Arudo is the most core guard of the Xi King's camp, and Yelü Wangkuang is also a famous expert in strengthening bones."
"It is said that when Emperor Shizong launched his northern expedition, this man was still in the flesh-refining stage, yet he used his innate wolf-like gaze to kill two strong-boned military envoys."
"In recent years, he has gained fame in the camp of the King of Xi and has been adopted by the King of Xi."
"General Wu, this man is not easy to deal with."
Upon hearing this, Wu He's expression turned slightly serious.
The innate "wolf's gaze" ability, simply put, means extremely keen senses. While it cannot compare to the boost to combat power from innate extraordinary bones, its effect on battle-hardened experts is astonishing.
Li Bo had previously told him about interesting anecdotes from the battlefield back then, and that he had also encountered a person with the innate power of a wolf's gaze. In that battle, he felt that all his movements, even the flow of qi and blood in his body, were clearly seen by the other party.
In the end, it was only by trading injuries for injuries that they managed to wear him down.
Yelü Wangguo's current situation will likely be similar.
He then asked how many people there were. The Khitan soldier didn't know much, but there must have been at least a thousand.
Their goal was to deploy a large army on the north bank, facing the garrison troops from afar, creating the illusion of building a bridge to cross the river.
In reality, they had already sent people to thoroughly explore the banks of the Baigou River. Taking advantage of the fact that the main force of the Zhenguan Army was distracted, they sent out elite cavalry to secretly cross the river.
Similar actions have taken place not only here, but also in other places.
And just as expected, a few hours later, the latest military intelligence came from Xiongzhou City.
Along the Baigou River, which dominated the two prefectures, all the shallow areas were invaded by Liao soldiers.
It was only at this point that the information gathered by the scouts confirmed the perilous nature of the battle.
The ancestral hall in the town.
"Our agents planted within the Liao Kingdom have sent a letter stating that several tribes within Liao have mobilized 200,000 troops for this battle, led by the Xi King's camp, along with 80,000 elite troops from the Northern Han. This force is nearly twice the size of the 150,000-strong army that dominated the two provinces."
"On the one hand, they deployed troops on the north bank to openly repair the plank road, and on the other hand, they secretly crossed the Chencang pass elsewhere. Our garrison troops were outnumbered and could not effectively manage both tasks."
"This is an open conspiracy."
Wu He briefly described the current situation, and then continued, "Therefore, there is no extra strength to reinforce this place at the moment, and we have to rely on ourselves to repel the enemy on the other side."
"Then let's fight! Who's afraid of who!"
"That's right, our Tiger Swift Army isn't made of clay! Those Khitan barbarians and those spineless surrendered soldiers from the Central Plains, I'll chop them both in two with one stroke!"
"No matter what, we have plenty of provisions, and the main force of the Tiger General's Army is in Bazhou, not far from here. We have nothing to fear!"
……
The crowd was in high spirits.
Today's simple skirmish victory is a good start, and morale is maintained well.
Xiang Zeting, who was seated in the middle, appeared more composed. He raised his hand to stop the others from talking and then said, "Gentlemen, do not underestimate the enemy."
"The Liao Kingdom's Arudo elite troops are known for their bravery and skill in battle, and they are not to be trifled with. Our Waqiao Tiger Victory Army is not even a month old yet, and we cannot afford to suffer heavy losses here."
"General Wu, what do you suggest we do?"
Wu He nodded slightly, got up, drew a line on the ground, and then filled in a few more lines.
"Arudo are elite heavy cavalry; on flat terrain, they are an iron torrent. Our Tiger-Swift Army's warhorses and armor are inferior to theirs, so if we encounter them on flat ground, we will likely be unable to withstand them. However, in the mountains, our advantages of light weight and infantry combat can be brought into play."
"As you can see, north of the Baigou River is a continuous mountain range, which is also the only way for Liao soldiers to invade."
"I don't want to be passively attacked, so I plan to enter this mountain valley in advance and wait for them to come to me."
Looking at those wavy lines, everyone looked up at each other and nodded knowingly.
The mountain is called Taihang Mountain, which has been a military stronghold since ancient times. If the Arudo cavalry did not want to expose themselves to the surveillance of the garrison troops, and did not want to detour hundreds of miles and delay their journey, passing through the mountain was the best route.
This gave the Zhenguan Army the opportunity to ambush them.
Playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses is indeed the key to victory in warfare.
Xiang Zeting drew a few more circles along the riverbank and said, "General Wu, this plan is feasible, but there are Liao outposts along the river. Can we sneak in unnoticed?"
"Why not?"
Wu He smiled coldly: "If those Khitan barbarians can use open schemes, why can't we use deception?"
……
into the night.
The Baigou River border, which had been quiet for several years, began to stir tonight.
While the main forces on both sides of the strait have not moved, fierce fighting is taking place in various nooks and crannies.
Across from Yuping Town, a Liao Dynasty outpost.
The tense situation, coupled with the hasty retreat of the defeated soldiers during the day, had made the dozens of officers and soldiers in this outpost extremely nervous and on edge.
"Make sure you all see things clearly!"
"Lord Yelü should arrive at our location by the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). At this crucial juncture, do not overlook even the slightest sign of trouble!"
Inside the sentry post, a burly man with a sword slung across his shoulder stepped out of the tent and shouted orders to everyone to be on high alert.
But sometimes words become prophetic.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a large bell was rung on the high platform, and the sentry, crouching low, shouted, "Sir! Enemy activity! Cavalry are crossing the river on the other side!"
In the blink of an eye, the already tense sentry post erupted into chaos. All the visible and hidden sentries within a three-mile radius rushed over upon hearing the news, numbering over two hundred in the blink of an eye, and simultaneously raised their fire arrows.
In the distance, on the calm river surface, a shadowy figure was splashing and rushing towards them, with banners fluttering in the night.
"put!"
At the officer's command, the Khitan soldiers unleashed a flurry of fire arrows from their bows, followed by arrows flying from the shadows opposite them.
Within minutes, the two sides clashed.
"Sir, let's use the fire starter!"
"point!"
The burly man's expression was solemn, and he immediately ordered the beacon fires to be lit.
Although there were only a few dozen people on the other side, they all looked like skilled fighters, and my mediocre soldiers would have a hard time dealing with them.
However, at that moment, the garrison troops who had come with great momentum suddenly sounded the retreat.
The big man froze for a moment, then suddenly gasped.
"Oh no! A feint attack!"
"Put out the fire! Put out the fire!"
But it was too late.
Thick smoke billowed up from the beacon fires, and the soldiers looked at each other, all stunned and bewildered.
"oops!"
The burly man personally stepped forward and led his men in a struggle for quite some time before finally managing to extinguish the fire.
His face was blackened by the smoke, but his teeth shone brightly when he grinned.
"Ha! Trying to pull this on me!"
"You attacked suddenly and then withdrew quickly, weren't you just trying to get me to light the signal fires and lure out the brothers from other camps so you could use a feint attack?"
"A little trick! You think you can fool me?"
……
Meanwhile, a mile away, on a steep bank, more than 800 elite Tiger Warriors climbed up, their clothes soaked, their figures cold and indifferent under the moonlight.
Wu He used a hairband to hold up his long, wet hair, his gaze sharp.
"Walk."