novelAbuy Chapter 1466 Chaos in the Huai River
Chapter 1466 Chaos in the Huai River
Chapter 1466 Chaos in the Huai River
In late February of the fourteenth year of Yanxi (251 AD), the snow on the Huaibei Plain had melted, and the soil was damp with the hint of spring.
But the wind that swept across the city walls of Qiao County still carried a bone-chilling cold, mixed with an intense and oppressive atmosphere of death.
Below the city, the dark, imposing ranks of the "revenge army" were densely packed, and the soaring grief and indignation seemed even more chilling than the spring cold.
The "Revenge Army," led by Cao Zhi, Xiahou Ba, Guanqiu Jian, and others, was called a righteous army, but in reality, it consisted mostly of former Wei troops who had been stationed in Xuchang.
He once followed Guanqiu Jian in confronting Feng at Wuguan, and fought against Lu Xun at Xiangyang.
Although their equipment was not as sophisticated as that of the Han Dynasty's regular army, they were a truly formidable force that had seen bloodshed.
At this moment, to avenge the humiliation of their ancestral graves being dug up, the entire army is united in their hatred of the enemy.
The rebel army set off from Chang'an in the first month of the lunar calendar. Along the way, unknown gentry secretly provided them with provisions, so they were not burdened by baggage.
Traveling light and with minimal supplies, they arrived at the gates of Qiao County in less than a month, like divine soldiers descending from the heavens.
On the city wall of Qiao County, Wu general Zhongli Mao looked at the dark mass of enemy troops below the city with an extremely grim expression.
At this time, he had only five thousand troops at his disposal, while the army outside the city, which was fighting under the banner of "avenging the enemy," was several times larger than him.
Qiao County was originally the ancestral home of the Cao family. After the usurpation of the Han dynasty by the pseudo-Wei dynasty, the officials and gentry of Qiao County received many preferential treatments.
If there is any place in the world that most supports the Cao family, it would probably be Qiao County.
Otherwise, Sima Yi wouldn't have been able to abduct the Cao family's false emperor to Pengcheng.
Now that Qiao County has been newly incorporated, the people are terrified, and undercurrents are surging within the city.
This means that his five thousand men not only have to suppress the enemy inside the city, but also defend against the enemy outside the city.
His gaze turned south, towards Shouchun.
Now, he can only hope that Zhuge Rong, the commander of Shouchun, will send reinforcements in time.
Otherwise, with such internal and external troubles, insufficient troops, and reinforcements unable to arrive in time, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out for long.
At this moment, Cao Zhi, clad in plain armor, sat upright beneath the commander's banner in front of the rebel army.
His face was still pale, but his eyes were like cold stars, his gaze fixed on the city of Qiao County in front of him.
The specific command of the siege was handled by Guanqiu Jian and Xiahou Ba respectively.
Guanqiu Jian was a seasoned military commander who took charge of the main attack. He personally led the elite troops in the central army and directed craftsmen and auxiliary soldiers to assemble simple siege ladders and battering rams overnight, working like ants.
Xiahou Ba, on the other hand, divided his troops into two routes:
One group, led by the deputy general and carrying a large number of bows and crossbows, circled around to the south gate. Instead of launching a direct attack, they waited until the siege officially began before launching a high-intensity feint attack and harassment to attract and disperse the defending troops.
The other group consisted of assassins personally selected by him, who were prepared to take advantage of the fierce battle at Ximen to find a weak point in the defenses and launch a fatal attack.
With the generous donations of kind-hearted individuals who provided horses, Cao Zhi was able to assemble a large number of mounted cavalry.
Their mission was to patrol around Qiao County, clear out the city, cut off communication, and prevent small groups of Wu troops from leaving the city to seek reinforcements or launch surprise attacks.
Three days later, the sound of war drums, like spring thunder, came from below the city.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Cao Zhi personally stood at the front of the battle line, drew his sword, and swung it forward with all his might: "Attack the city!"
The rebel archers and crossbowmen, deployed at the front and flanks, moved at the order.
A captain waved his command flag and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Archers, fire three volleys! Crossbowmen, fire freely to suppress the city walls! Fire!"
Thousands of archers drew their bows to full strength, and with a sickening twang of bowstrings, a dark mass of arrows soared into the air, tracing deadly parabolas, swarming towards the walls of Qiao County like locusts.
Immediately afterwards, the more powerful and longer-range crossbows also emitted muffled "bang bang" sounds, and the specially made crossbow bolts, with sharp whistles, rushed straight towards the Wu army defenders behind the battlements.
The goal was to kill as many exposed enemies as possible, suppress their counterattacks, and create an opportunity for the attacking forces to approach the city walls.
"Kill—!" Amidst the deafening shouts, the main force of the siege, the infantry, began to move.
At the very front were valiant warriors wielding enormous shields, forming a mobile shield wall to provide cover for their comrades behind them.
Behind the shield wall were light infantrymen armed with swords and shields, who were responsible for clearing obstacles in the path of advance and were ready to deal with any possible small-scale attacks by the defenders.
Following closely behind was the main force of the siege, the cloud echelon.
Each heavy siege ladder was carried by dozens of strong soldiers, and the front end of the ladder was often tied with thick wooden planks or covered with raw cowhide to protect against arrows and small rolling stones.
On both sides and in the gaps of the cloud formation, engineering soldiers were pushing rudimentary battering rams and carrying soil bags.
Above the advancing infantry, a continuous barrage of arrows rained down, attempting to pin the defenders down behind the battlements.
The Wu army on the city walls was not to be outdone. Zhongli Mao, seeing that the rebel army had reached the city walls and was beginning to erect ladders, immediately shouted an order:
"Loose the arrows! Rolling logs and boulders, smash them down!"
In an instant, arrows rained down like locusts, blotting out the sky, while heavy logs and sharp-edged rocks tumbled down with a deafening roar.
Logs and boulders rained down on him, shattering his bones and causing his head to explode like a ripe, cold melon, splattering red and white matter everywhere.
Boiling hot oil and molten gold poured down, tearing the skin of those splashed and causing huge blisters to form. The air was immediately filled with a terrifying smell of burning flesh.
The main battlefield instantly turned into a bloody grinder.
While the fierce battle at the West Gate was raging, Xiahou Ba's feint attack force at the South Gate also increased the pressure.
The clamor was deafening, and the arrows flew incessantly, creating the illusion of a massive army pressing in. This forced the defending general, Zhongli Mao, to continuously draw troops from the west gate to reinforce the south gate, thus weakening the defenses on the main attack route.
The attack and defense lasted from dawn until afternoon. The area beneath the walls of Qiao County was piled high with corpses, and the moat was stained dark red with blood.
The rebels suffered heavy casualties but were unable to break through the defenses.
Although Wu Jun suffered relatively small losses, the city's defensive equipment was greatly depleted.
Furthermore, since Qiao County was the hometown of Cao Cao's emperor, it had been expanded many times, and the city was quite large. There were many places that needed to be defended, and the soldiers did not rotate many times, so they were inevitably tired.
This fierce battle lasted for three whole days.
Although the rebel offensive eased slightly on the afternoon of the third day due to heavy casualties and soldier exhaustion, the city walls were on the verge of collapse several times during those three days.
On several occasions, the fearless rebel vanguard successfully scaled the battlements and even secured a small foothold on the city wall, engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat.
It was only thanks to the desperate counterattack of the defending troops and Zhongli Mao's personal guards who led the troops around like a fire brigade to plug the leaks that the enemy troops who climbed onto the city wall were annihilated or forced to retreat.
But each time, it sent chills down the spines of all the defenders.
At this moment, Wu's garrison commander Zhongli Mao was no longer the composed man he had been three days ago.
His once-shiny armor is now riddled with knife marks, stained with dark red blood and grayish-black dust.
The helmet was slightly askew from being bumped, and a strand of hair soaked with sweat and blood clung to his forehead, adding to his disheveled appearance.
His face was a mixture of exhaustion, anxiety, and a ruthless glint in his eyes, which were bloodshot and his lips were chapped from lack of water.
The biggest dilemma is the shortage of manpower.
With a mere five thousand men, they had to defend a city wall several miles in circumference, face repeated attacks from an enemy force several times their size, and constantly guard against possible riots within the city. Their forces had already been deployed to their limit.
Looking south again and again, Zhong Limao could no longer hold back and burst into a tirade:
"Zhuge Rong, if Qiao County is lost, you will also be guilty of a grave crime!"
-
While Zhongli Mao was fighting a bloody battle on the walls of Qiao County, cursing the delayed arrival of reinforcements, little did he know that Zhuge Rong, who was stationed in Shouchun, was also in a state of great distress, and perhaps even more dangerous than him.
Zhuge Rong was the younger brother of Grand Tutor Zhuge Ke.
After news of Sima Yi's death in early February arrived, Zhuge Ke judged that Wei had suffered a major defeat, its ruler was young and the country was in turmoil. Sima Zhao was already having enough trouble stabilizing Qing and Xu provinces, and had no spare strength to look south to Huainan.
Therefore, he made a seemingly reasonable arrangement: to have his younger brother Zhuge Rong, who was tolerant and generous and well-liked by the officials, stationed in Shouchun to pacify the newly annexed counties of Huainan.
Although this arrangement may seem like appointing a close confidant, considering Zhuge Rong's temperament and abilities, it was indeed a good choice for pacifying the local areas and winning over the hearts of the people.
The premise is that there was no "revenge army" that suddenly appeared from the west.
As the snow in Huainan melted and spring arrived, Zhuge Rong was focused on a major event concerning the future of Eastern Wu: spring plowing.
The land on both sides of the Huai River is fertile and is truly a granary.
If we can take advantage of this spring to quickly organize the military farms and restore production, then my elder brother Zhuge Ke will have a solid foundation to conquer the Central Plains from the north, and will no longer need to rely on the Shu Han for food supplies.
(Note: Historically, Sima Yi followed Deng Ai's advice and extensively developed waterways and land reclamation in Huainan and Huaibei, thereby greatly strengthening Wei's defenses in the southeast.)
However, the "glorious victory" in the Battle of Dongxing also brought huge aftereffects.
The war progressed too quickly, resulting in a large number of Wei army remnants who had not been able to retreat being scattered in various places, turning into bandits and harming the local communities.
Meanwhile, the powerful local clans in Huainan were all taking a wait-and-see approach, requiring a combination of persuasion and coercion to pacify and appease them one by one.
In early February, with Sima Yi dead, Sima Zhao was preoccupied with his own problems and could only hope that others would not attack him, so he naturally had no ability to send troops.
Based on his assessment of the situation, in order to restore order as soon as possible, Zhuge Rong dispatched a large number of his mobile forces to wipe out the remaining enemy and deter the local forces.
Unexpectedly, the sudden appearance of the rebel army completely disrupted his entire plan.
It wasn't until Qiao County was besieged for seven or eight days that Zhuge Rong managed to gather about half of the troops he had dispatched.
He was preparing to order this exhausted army north to relieve the precarious Qiao County when a bolt from the blue from the southwest completely stunned him:
The Lujiang Commandery has rebelled!
Wen Qin, the former governor of Lujiang in the Wei Kingdom, surrendered and then rebelled again. He brazenly killed the pacification envoy sent by the Wu Kingdom and announced his support for the "revenge army" in the north, raising an army in rebellion!
This Wen Qin was a fellow townsman of Cao Shuang. He was greedy and cruel, and had very poor interpersonal relationships. He had been impeached by Wang Ling many times in the past, but he was safe and sound because of Cao Shuang's protection.
After Sima Yi executed Cao Shuang, in order to stabilize the situation, he instead promoted Cao Shuang to the rank of General of the Vanguard.
During the Battle of Dongxing, Sima Zhao regarded him as a remnant of Cao Shuang's faction and naturally abandoned him.
Wen Qin defended Lujiang alone, but faced with the overwhelming force of the Wu army, he had no choice but to surrender the city.
The state of Wu was unable to take full control at the moment, so they had no choice but to let him temporarily serve as governor.
Who could have predicted that Guanqiu Jian, a key figure in the uprising, would have an unusual past friendship with Wen Qin?
Earlier, Guanqiu Jian, in order to oppose the Sima clan, deliberately tried to win over Wen Qin. He "treated Qin well and they got along very well. Qin was grateful and devoted himself to him without any doubt."
While the rebel army was still en route, Guanqiu Jian's secret letter had already been delivered to Wen Qin via Runan.
In addition to recounting Wu Jun's atrocities of digging up graves, the letter also spurred him on with the righteous cause of recovering his hometown (Wen Qin was also from Qiao County).
Upon receiving the news, Wen Qin immediately conspired with his son Wen Yang to lure and kill the Wu envoy, and then switch sides to rebel against Wu.
Lujiang County was located in Liu'an, which was separated from Shouchun only by a huge Shaopi (an ancient water conservancy project, now known as Anfeng Pond).
Lujiang was the front line of the war against the Wu Kingdom. Wen Qin and his son had repeatedly defeated the Wu army in Jiangbei and were known for their bravery in the Wu army.
If the Wen family father and son, these two fierce tigers, are released from their cages and take advantage of the weakened military strength of Shouchun to launch a surprise attack to the north, the entire Huainan hinterland will be wide open and instantly change hands!
Zhuge Rong was so frightened that he lost his mind and no longer cared about Qiao County, which was far away in Huaibei.
He hurriedly recalled all the reinforcements that had just assembled but had not yet set off, and ordered them to guard all the gates of Shouchun. At the same time, he sent an urgent message to his elder brother Zhuge Ke, who was in Jianye, via a fast-flowing courier:
"Qiao County is in danger, Lujiang has rebelled, Shouchun is short of troops, and the overall situation in Huainan is on the verge of collapse! If my brother does not personally lead a large army to come to our aid, I fear that the newly gained lands in Jianghuai will be lost in no time!"
-
"boom!"
With a loud crash, Zhuge Ke abruptly overturned the heavy sandalwood table in front of him!
Official documents, writing brushes, inkstones, and teacups on the desk were smashed to pieces on the floor, ink splattered everywhere, creating a complete mess.
The messenger sent by Zhuge Rong was so frightened that he prostrated himself on the ground, trembling and not daring to raise his head.
"Feng Yong! Feng Yong, you old scoundrel! You barbarian from Sichuan! How dare you mock me like this! How dare you deceive me like this!"
Zhuge Ke's hair and beard stood on end, his eyes were bloodshot, and he paced wildly in the hall like an enraged lion, completely devoid of his usual scholarly demeanor.
He pointed in the direction of Chang'an in the northwest, cursing loudly, his tone filled with resentment and a sense of shame at having his thoughts exposed:
"What utter bullshit about a 'revenge army'! What Cao Zhi crying at the temple, Xiahou Ba raising an army! It's all rubbish! It's clearly a puppet show orchestrated by you, you old thief, hiding behind the scenes!"
"Hypocritical and treacherous! They speak of the alliance with Wu Han, yet they stab me in the back! Using such despicable means, they've ruined my grand plan!"
"Do you think I can't see through you? It's you who's using your clever words and flattery to bewitch those remnants of Cao Wei! You've really mastered the 'using one tiger to devour another' strategy!"
"I was truly blind to have thought you were a trustworthy person! I even corresponded with you, discussing some plan to exchange places! You've been scheming against me from the very beginning, scheming against my Eastern Wu!"
"Excellent! Excellent! What a brilliant 'Pseudo-Wandering Cloud Dream' technique! You've truly surpassed your master!"
He grew angrier the more he cursed, his chest heaving violently as if it were about to explode.
He recalled his earlier letter to Feng Yong, in which he offered Qiao County in exchange for Nanyang. He was so confident then, thinking that everything was under his control.
Now it seems like I'm just a clown, being played by Feng Yong!
He had always been confident in his superior intelligence, yet Feng Yong had seen through him so easily.
Not only was he seen through, but he was also outmaneuvered. This humiliation was more unbearable for him than being defeated on the battlefield.
It was like the donkey from Guizhou, its utterly defeated state exposed to the light of day; or like a monkey wearing a crown, only to have its crown removed in public, left naked to frolic in the bustling city.
PS:
As the year draws to a close and the chill seeps into the bones, the year-end approaches.
Gentlemen, please refrain from pressing me for further explanation.
The author is exhausted from writing and typing, not because of diligence, but because money is pressing in!
Looking at this year's economy, it's like a river flowing downhill; after a year of hard work, my pockets are still empty.
However, the younger generation in the hometown eagerly awaits the New Year's money, and the amount is astonishing.
Even if one saves up all one's savings for the whole year, it is still not enough to fill the gap left by the New Year's debt.
Alas!
Helpless, I could only imitate the Weaver Girl, my ten fingers flying across the small space.
I just want to write a few more lines and earn some spare change.
This will hopefully save us from the embarrassment of the end of the year and provide some comfort to the younger generation.
Have you not heard:
Rice is expensive in Chang'an, making it difficult to live there?
Now I realize that the weight of New Year's money can actually crush a seven-foot-tall body!