gnovel Chapter 72 Fierce Battle 3 Kawaguchi
Chapter 72 Fierce Battle 3 Kawaguchi
Li Jidu was about the same age as Gao Xingzhou. He did not wear a helmet, but a scarf wrapped around his gray hair. His clothes were covered in dust and dirt. He entered the commander's tent accompanied by a young man.
This was the first time Gao Huaide had seen what a defeated general looked like.
Li Jidu's legs showed no signs of injury, but his steps were heavy and slow. He staggered to the front of the command table and stood there, looking embarrassed.
After a moment of silence, he said in a hoarse voice, "I have come here to confess my guilt for losing Jinming Town."
"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war; Commander Li need not concern himself with them."
When the news of the defeat arrived, the dust settled, and Gao Xingzhou remained calm as usual. He offered a few words of reassurance and inquired about the enemy's situation.
The military governor did not punish him, which put Li Jidu at ease. He then began to report on the fall of Jinming Town.
Less than three days after Gao Xingzhou led his army away from the city, Li Yichao attacked from the northwest with more than a thousand cavalry.
According to the previous plan, if the Dingnan Army launches a surprise attack, it will either attack Wuqi Town, with Fu Yanqing assisting in its defense; or it will take the Tumen and Saimen route, which is directly opposite the various fortresses of Jinming Town.
Unfortunately, Li Jidu failed to hold the fortress, and it goes without saying that the Tumen and Saimen fortresses also fell.
When asked about the specific details of the battle, Li Jidu looked ashamed and hesitated, finding it difficult to speak.
"Father, take a rest. Let me speak for you."
The young man introduced himself as Li Xiaoshun, the son of Li Jidu, and said he was reporting military intelligence on Li Jidu's behalf. He spoke clearly and articulately.
Previously, in the battle of building the city of Qingjian, Li Jidu's garrison troops defeated the Suizhou army, which became a topic of daily boasting.
The crowd cheered and bestowed upon him the title "Iron-Walled Prime Minister," claiming that if the enemy dared to come, their courage would plummet to the ground at the mere mention of his name. (Note 1)
"Xianggong" is a title for the prime minister, and using it to address a mere garrison general is an exaggeration. Although Li Jidu was not arrogant because of this, he was still proud of his martial prowess. Seeing that Li Yichao's invading forces were few in number, he took the initiative to go out of the camp to meet the enemy.
"Unexpectedly, hundreds of elite cavalrymen suddenly charged out from the enemy ranks. They were heavily armored and impenetrable, with their ropes linked together and they unleashed a hail of arrows. Their charge was unstoppable. As a result, I suffered a great defeat and lost my camp."
Yang Hongxin was skeptical and questioned, "Invulnerable armor, and a chained horse with noose? Could it be that you've made up this story because you're afraid of the enemy?"
Li Jidu, who had been feeling guilty, raised his head upon hearing this: "General, you can say I was defeated and incompetent, but you cannot insult our soldiers for being cowards!"
His graying beard and hair trembled as he recalled the scene: "I clearly struck the enemy cavalry with my own hands, but I failed to break through their armor and kill them."
Yang Hongxin immediately became interested: "Is there really such good armor? I'd like to see if it can withstand my golden-backed broadsword."
"Armored cavalry has existed for hundreds of years and is nothing new."
After asking for details, Gao Xingzhou pondered for a moment and said, "During the Five Barbarian Invasions, Murong Ke fought a great battle against the Martial King Ran Min. He selected five thousand skilled archers from the Xianbei and used iron chains to link their horses into a square formation before advancing. Li Yichao's method of linking armored horses may have originated from this."
He seemed confident, as if he already had a solution.
"The cost of fine horses and iron armor is considerable, and the Northwest is a barren land with impoverished people, so it is difficult for Li Yichao to have managed to assemble such an army."
With the city defenses gone, the gates were wide open. Gao Xingzhou remained calm, while Gao Huaide was extremely anxious—his mother and sister were both in the city, how could he not be worried? He eagerly awaited his father's military orders.
"Li Yichao colluded with the Khitan and attacked Yanzhou while it was isolated and without support. Unexpectedly, the Zhe and Yang families defended the border and quickly repelled the enemy, joining forces with us. Before the two armies even clashed, Li Yichao had already made a mistake."
"The 'Chain Horse' is a secret weapon, meant to be used in the decisive moment, but it was released too early, thus losing its element of surprise."
Gao Xingzhou calmly analyzed the situation, defusing the disarray caused by the fall of Jinming Town, which boosted the morale of everyone, especially Li Jidu and his son.
"The Dingnan Army's intentions are clear: they will definitely engage in a decisive battle with our army near the city of Yan, aiming to annex Yan in one fell swoop."
Gao Xingzhou chuckled lightly: "I made an agreement with Fu Yanqing that if we don't find any trace of the enemy in Wuqi Town, we will gather them in the city. He should already be on his way. If we hurry there now, we can join forces with the Qingzhou army."
Zhe Congyuan and Yang Hongxin had long admired Fu Yanqing's name, and their spirits were lifted. With the four armies working together, how could they not quell the rebellion?
With the enemy's whereabouts clear, the allied forces headed straight for the city.
……
When the army passed through Jinming Town, Gao Huaide was shocked by the scene before him.
When he saw the farmland trampled and left in a mess along the way, he secretly rejoiced that the autumn harvest had been completed, and decided to take it as helping the people loosen the soil.
However, no matter how much he joked, he couldn't relax.
Before even stepping into Jinming Town, a stench of decay and rot hits you in the autumn wind.
Having experienced the siege of Qingjian and witnessed the deaths of wounded soldiers, Gao Huaide knew this was the smell of corpses. But with such a strong odor, just how many had died?
Gao Xingzhou ordered the bodies to be collected and buried.
When Gao Huaide entered the town, soldiers would occasionally carry one or two bodies out of the houses.
The once bustling market was deserted. The buildings on both sides of the street looked the same as always, but they exuded an air of deathly silence, and black, congealed bloodstains were visible everywhere on the stone slabs of the road.
Occasionally, a few women and children, barely clothed and having survived the ordeal, would hide in the shadows of ditches and walls, only daring to show themselves when they recognized the local people, and would weep and recount the atrocities committed by the Dingnan Army.
The soldiers of the prefecture were all locals, many of whom had relatives who had been brutally murdered. Filled with grief, anger and hatred, they wanted to fight the Dingnan Army to the death and give them a taste of their own medicine.
"It's all my fault..."
Seeing the devastating state of the place his family had guarded for generations, Li Jidu was filled with remorse: "It's all my fault for failing to defend it and causing harm to innocent people."
Is this what the city looks like after it falls?
Gao Huaide felt a chill run down his spine; what if Yanzhou were also captured...? He dared not imagine it.
Clang!
A sharp sound suddenly came from the street corner.
Gao Huaide turned his head and saw an old man standing alone in the ruins, holding a three-stringed zither in his arms. The sound he had just heard was from the old man plucking the strings.
"Yanzhou Prefecture, spanning eight hundred li, was once a prosperous land in Guanzhong. But one day, war broke out out of nowhere, turning the area into a place of chaos and desolation..."
Qinqiang opera is vigorous and unrestrained, with rich and varied melodies, and is known as "nine tunes and eighteen melodies". The old man's withered chest heaved, as if trying to squeeze out the last bit of strength to lament the tragic scene before him.
His family members probably all perished.
The soldiers marched on without stopping, leaving the now-dead Jinming Town behind. The old man's last song turned into a wisp of smoke, lingering and entering Gao Huaide's ears.
"Under the whole heaven, the principles of father-son relationships, ruler-subject relationships, ethical norms, and natural laws apply. Who decides what matters, and who ignores everything? Look at those heroes and valiant men, so true to their nature, yet how did they end up with sons fleeing, fathers dead, and their bodies cold in the cold..."
The lyrics seemed to contain a deeper meaning, but Gao Huaide had no time to ponder them carefully.
At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: I didn’t expect the Dingnan Army to be so powerful. Can my father defeat them?
……
"You want to ask if the chain of horses can be broken?"
Gao Xingzhou, in a calm tone, countered with, "Do you know why armored cavalry declined after the Sui and Tang dynasties?"
"Is this because the enemy changed from Southern Dynasty infantry to Turkic light cavalry, and they couldn't keep up with their speed?"
"Is it because blunt weapons such as whips, maces, and halberds appeared, capable of inflicting casualties on heavy cavalry?"
"Is it because the maintenance is too expensive and the cost-effectiveness is too high?"
Gao Huaide guessed a few reasons, but Gao Xingzhou neither confirmed nor denied them, and continued to ask: "The Wei Liao Zi says: 'A formation is secure when it is dense.' Recite the next sentence."
If he were to ask about poetry and prose, Gao Huaide would likely be unable to respond, but he was intimately familiar with military strategy and tactics, and naturally replied, "The sharpest edge is the one that is wide open; Father means...?"
"The art of cavalry formation lies in its sparse front and dense rear. If the enemy formation is solid, one can swiftly and easily advance; if the enemy formation is chaotic, one can seize the opportunity to charge. This is the way to be flexible and effective. With armored cavalry linked together, it is difficult to change direction. With a desperate gamble, what is there to fear?"
Gao Xingzhou casually cited a few battle examples: "Liu Yu fought with his back to the river, deploying the Crescent Moon Formation to break the Northern Wei's iron cavalry; in the Battle of Huoyi, Emperor Taizong of Tang and the Crown Prince used light cavalry to defeat Song Laosheng; Li Shiji ordered his soldiers to dismount and fight on foot, defeating the Xueyantuo. Armored cavalry has never been invincible."
"The spear is the king of all weapons. A well-trained spearman can completely suppress other troop types, including heavy cavalry. Hence the name 'Silver Spearman, Dedicated and Skilled in Battle.' You should practice martial arts diligently, and you will understand its wonders in the future."
Gao Huaide was completely confused, but from the tone of his words, his father seemed confident in dealing with the linked armored cavalry, which reassured him somewhat.
"When and where does Father intend to engage the Dingnan Army in a decisive battle?"
Scouts have already discovered that Li Yichao has stationed his troops outside Yanzhou City, only about 30 li away from our army, less than half a day's journey.
Gao Xingzhou's gaze fell on a spot on the map: Yanzhou Jiahe, five li outside the city, is where the Yanchuan, Yichuan and Jingchuan rivers meet, hence the name Sanchuankou (Three Rivers Mouth).
"Let us settle this score with the Dingnan Army right here!"