gnovel Chapter 74 Guan Yu Arrives
Chapter 74 Guan Yu Arrives
Guan Yu led his army and arrived at the city of Liyang with lightning speed.
Scouts reported that the city's garrison numbered less than two thousand, and morale was low.
Guan Yu did not rush to attack the city. He ordered his men to form a battle formation outside the city, while he himself only led his personal guards to inspect the city.
The magistrate of Liyang stood atop the city wall, his face ashen as he looked at the dark mass of troops outside.
He was just a civil official; when had he ever seen anything like this?
Not to mention, he only has less than two thousand old, weak and disabled soldiers at his disposal. How can he possibly fight against the aggressive and green-eyed army on the other side?
Just as Guan Yu was about to order someone to shout a message, the city gate suddenly opened.
The magistrate of Liyang came out holding an official seal and knelt before Guan Yu's horse: "This humble official is willing to surrender. Please, General, do not harm the people."
Guan Yu did not dismount.
He really looked down on these spineless intellectuals.
Guan Yu ordered his deputy to take the seal of office and said to one of his personal guards, "Send someone to report that Liyang has fallen. Request the strategist to come and take control immediately."
"Yes, sir!" The guard accepted the order and rode off.
Guan Yu then mustered three thousand infantrymen and ordered his subordinate general Liu Wu to lead them to set up camp west of Jurong, where they confronted Sun Ce's garrison.
He himself led the main force into the mountains and forests east of Liyang to wait for an opportunity to fight.
Liu Wu was from Youzhou. He joined the army at a young age and was one of the earliest veterans to fight against the Yellow Turbans alongside Liu Bei.
Although he cannot compare to those generals recorded in history, he is superior in his composure.
After receiving the order, he led three thousand men eastward and arrived west of Jurong half a day later.
The garrison commander of Jurong was Zhou Yu, who had only a thousand men under his command.
Liu Wu set up camp five miles outside the city and did not launch an attack.
His task was to contain the enemy, not to attack them.
Zhou Yu did not leave the city to fight, and the two armies faced each other five miles apart.
……
On the other side,
Zhao Yun led a thousand cavalry and a thousand infantrymen straight to Niuzhuji.
Sun Ben abandoned the Niuzhu Camp previously built by Liu Yao and moved to a high ground one mile north of Niuzhu Rock.
He also dug trenches around the camp and piled up barricades in front of the camp gate.
He now has only eight hundred men under his command, most of whom are veterans he brought from Danyang.
Zhao Yun reined in his horse and observed for a moment, choosing not to launch a direct attack.
He ordered his infantry to launch a feigned attack from the front, while he led his cavalry to circle around to the north side of the camp.
Sun Ben stood on the watchtower of the camp and saw Zhao Yun's infantry advancing with shields raised. He quickly ordered the archers to move forward.
Arrows rained down, but the infantry raised their shields to defend themselves, resulting in minimal casualties.
Just as Sun Ben was about to send reinforcements to the north, shouts of battle suddenly came from the rear of the camp.
Zhao Yun led his cavalry to charge into the camp from the north.
Zhao Yun took the lead and broke through the barricade.
The remaining cavalry simply steered their horses across the trench, which was only about two people wide.
Sun Ben tried to organize a resistance, but the soldiers were scattered by Zhao Yun's cavalry as soon as they gathered.
Knowing that all was lost, Sun Ben mounted his horse and tried to escape.
Zhao Yun had already rushed in front of him, and with a sweep of his silver spear, he knocked him off his horse.
With the spear tip pressed against his neck, Zhao Yun said calmly, "Surrender, or die."
Sun Ben, glaring angrily at the slain guards around him, shouted, "Liu Bei and my lord are allies! Zhao Yun, you are breaking the alliance!"
"Your lord?" Zhao Yun sneered. "When did my lord become an ally of Sun Ce?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Ben's expression changed.
But he still argued, "Bo Fu and I both serve General Zuo, so don't spout nonsense!"
Zhao Yun didn't want to waste words with him, so he knocked him unconscious with a single spear thrust and ordered his men to tie him up.
……
West of Jurong, Liu Wu's camp.
On the morning of the third day, a scout reported...
It is said that last night Zhou Yu sent a troop out of the city towards Qu'a.
After Sun Ce broke through Liu Yao's Niuzhu camp, he captured a large amount of supplies and equipment.
All of these supplies and equipment were transferred and stored in Jurong City, and the food and provisions for the front lines were also supplied by Jurong.
The lieutenant approached and said, "General, Zhou Yu is secretly transporting grain to Sun Ce."
Liu Wu pondered for a moment, recalling Guan Yu's instructions.
Guan Yu ordered him to only hold the city back, not to attack or launch a counterattack.
However, if Zhou Yu's supplies are released, Liu Yao in Qu'a may face even greater pressure.
Liu Wu gritted his teeth and decided to strike.
"Send word: Leave behind the banners and one hundred men to create the illusion that the main army is still there. The rest of you, follow me to intercept the supply lines!"
Night came,
Liu Wu led 2,900 soldiers ahead of time to the route that Zhou Yu's grain convoy would inevitably take.
By the moonlight, Liu Wu could indeed vaguely see a supply train approaching from the direction of Jurong.
Suppressing his excitement, Liu Wu lay on the hillside and waited quietly.
Zhou Yu's supply train moved slowly, and Liu Wu waited for more than half an hour before Zhou Yu's troops gradually entered their ambush.
After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, once the entire supply corps had entered, Liu Wu finally gave the order: "Attack!"
A wave of rockets cleared the way.
It caused both casualties and panic, and also illuminated the area where the enemy was located.
Liu Wu took the lead and charged towards the supply train.
however,
Just as they approached the supply wagons, thirty paces away,
Suddenly, the burlap lining on the carts was ripped off, and several soldiers armed with crossbows emerged from each cart, firing continuously at both sides.
Then,
Zhou Yu, dressed in a blue robe covered with finely crafted black armor with tubular sleeves, wearing a red-tasseled iron helmet, and holding a long sword,
Riding a chestnut horse, he led hundreds of cavalrymen and charged forward!
Sun Ce entrusted all three hundred of his cavalrymen to Zhou Yu!
Zhou Yu's armor was neatly trimmed, and his demeanor was refined and noble; he didn't look like a general who had fought on the battlefield at all.
But he was actually tall and strong, and skilled in both literature and martial arts. Although he was not as good as Sun Ce, he was not much worse than Cheng Pu and Han Dang.
Liu Wu's soldiers were thrown into chaos upon seeing the cavalry appear.
In that era, infantry had no chance against cavalry; it was a one-sided massacre.
With two bodyguards shielding him from behind, Liu Wu shouted, "Ambush! Retreat!"
Fortunately, Zhou Yu's cavalry was few, and Liu Wu's soldiers specifically ran into the mountains and forests.
finally,
Liu Wu escaped Zhou Yu's pursuit, leaving behind a trail of corpses and wounded.
The lieutenant approached Zhou Yu and asked excitedly, "My lord, should we take advantage of the situation and launch a counterattack against the enemy camp?"
Zhou Yu shook his head: "Know when to stop and just defend Jurong. The enemy clearly still has their main force intact; a counterattack would only expose their weakness."
The lieutenant was somewhat unwilling, but he still accepted the order and left.
As Zhou Yu rode on his horse, looking at the devastated battlefield, he couldn't help but sigh softly.
Although they won this battle, it was difficult to influence the overall situation.
Guan Yu and Lu Yong, commanders of Liu Bei's army, each command tens of thousands of troops. All he can do now is to stall for time and wait for Sun Ce to take Qu'a.
Liu Wu led his remaining troops back to the camp. After counting the number of men, only 1,700 out of 2,900 remained, and more than 800 of them were wounded.
He sat in his tent, his face ashen.
Seeing this, the lieutenant advised, "General, it's not a fault of the battle, but rather my poor reconnaissance..."
Liu Wu raised his hand to stop him, picked up a pen and wrote a letter, ordering someone to send it to Guan Yu's camp by fast horse.
Deep in the mountains and forests, at Guan Yu's camp.
Guan Yu unfolded Liu Wu's letter, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly.
The letter stated that Liu Wu had taken it upon himself to send troops to intercept supplies, but unexpectedly fell into Zhou Yu's trap, losing nearly half of his three thousand men. He requested punishment.
Guan Yu placed the letter on the table, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Order Liu Wu to retreat to Liyang. I will personally go to Jurong."
The lieutenant hesitated and said, "General, the strategist said we should hide here and wait for the right opportunity..."
Guan Yu stood up: "We cannot allow Sun Ce to obtain supplies so easily, otherwise Liu Yao of Qu'a will not be able to hold out."
Guan Yu then mustered all his troops and set up camp ten miles outside Jurong City.
This time, he sent scouts to the outskirts of Jurong City to keep watch day and night.
Zhou Yu stood atop the city wall of Jurong, his gaze fixed on Guan Yu's scouts, who were openly monitoring him in the distance, a serious expression on his face.
"Pass down the order to reinforce the city's defenses."
"Guan Yu has arrived."