Chapter 61: Fierce Battle at Stone River
When Li Ji heard that it was President Zheng of the Xingyang Chamber of Commerce who wanted to see him, he hurriedly stood up to greet him.
Zheng Baiwan hurried into the yamen, knelt down and said:
"Report to the Lord, according to the secret report from the Eastern Capital, Liu Changgong has already sent troops from Luoyang."
Li Ji was shocked and said, "Cao Cao has arrived. I just heard that the King of Yue in the Eastern Capital has already mobilized his troops. I didn't expect it to be so soon."
"President Zheng, thank you for your tip. Please go back and organize all the merchants to prepare supplies."
Zheng Bowan said repeatedly: "Master Li, don't worry, I will do it when I get back."
After Zheng Baiwan left, Li Ji immediately arranged for Yu Cheng to notify the leaders of each camp to go to the yamen to attend an emergency meeting.
Soon, the leaders of each camp gathered at the Xingyang government office.
Li Ji said loudly: "My fellow leaders, it takes a thousand days to raise an army, but only a moment to deploy it. The imperial court in the Eastern Capital has sent General Liu Changgong from Luoyang to lead the army, and they will arrive soon."
Ji Hua, the leader of the Ji Camp, responded loudly:
"Well, we will fight back when the enemy comes and we will build a wall of earth to deal with the flood. This time we are going to give those damn government troops a good beating."
Li Ji looked at the soldiers and raised his voice and said:
"All battalions will immediately enter combat readiness and deploy on the east bank of Shizi River at 7 am tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!"
The leaders took the order and returned.
The next day.
Li Ji ordered Li Ai to prepare breakfast early.
The Chamber of Commerce spontaneously organized its members to bring Xingyang delicacies and snacks to the soldiers.
The soldiers in each camp were well fed and well-rested, ready for work.
After a while, Liu Changgong's team was seen moving slowly along the west bank of Shizi River in the distance, stretching for more than ten miles.
Li Ji was sitting in the central army tent when a scout suddenly came to report.
A personal soldier reported: "The soldiers of Dongdu don't seem to take us seriously. They are all wearing gorgeous clothes and posing coquettishly, as if they are not preparing for war."
When Li Ji heard this, he burst into laughter.
"So they are a group of dandy soldiers. People often say that young heroes have many hardships, and dandy soldiers rarely become great men. Is this a show? Or is it a war?"
He shouted, "Where is Yu Cheng, the captain of the personal guard camp?"
Yu Cheng snapped and fell to his knees.
"I will be here!"
"I order you to lead 5,000 soldiers from my personal guard camp and intercept the Sui army's retreat route immediately."
"yes!"
Yu Cheng took the order and left.
"Where is Ji Hua, the commander of the Ji Camp?"
Ji Hua fell to his knees and kowtowed.
"have!"
"I order you to lead 10,000 brave men from the Ji Camp to attack the enemy camp head-on."
"yes!"
Ji Hua responded with a yes and went out after receiving the order.
At that moment, ten thousand soldiers of the Ji Camp, holding shining swords and shouting "kill", attacked the Sui army directly on the west bank of the river.
Liu Changgong's army was composed of scholars from the three academies of the Imperial Academy, nobles and royal relatives, and was simply vulnerable.
Ji Hua held a big knife in his hand and moved around on the horse's back, hacking left and right, as if he was in an empty space.
Because the Sui army had come from afar, they had no time to build stoves and cook, and the soldiers were hungry and tired.
Wherever the rebel army went, it was like cutting melons and chopping vegetables. The Sui army was frightened and fled in all directions, finally returning the same way they came.
Liu Changgong quickly took off his armor, wearing only ordinary plain clothes, and fled in panic among the panicked soldiers.
As they turned back to the main road, the soldiers of the Royal Guard Battalion, who had been lying in ambush in the woods on both sides, suddenly rushed out of the woods with a loud noise.
The Royal Guard Battalion was valiant and good at fighting. For a time, the streets of Luoyang were filled with flashing swords and shadows, the sound of killing was deafening, and heads were rolling everywhere.
Liu Changgong rode non-stop, leading his remaining troops and rushing towards Luoyang City.
Yu Cheng led his personal guards, whipped his horse, raised his sword, and chased after them relentlessly.
In the blink of an eye, they pursued the enemy for more than thirty miles.
Guanglu Shaoqing Fang Qi was captured alive by Yu Cheng.
Seeing that the front had entered the Dongdu camp, Yu Cheng remembered Li Ji's secret advice "Don't chase after a desperate enemy" and rode back.
In the Battle of Luokou, the Sui army lost most of its troops.
Li Ji ordered the soldiers to clean up the battlefield quickly and reward all the captured swords, leather boots, horses and other trophies to the soldiers in each battalion.
In this battle, Li Ji's troops achieved a complete victory and greatly enhanced their military prestige.
When Li Ji returned to the city, he ordered his steward Li Ai to hold a banquet at the Dahai Temple military camp to reward the soldiers who participated in the battle.
Yang Tong from Dongdu was furious and slapped Liu Changgong several times, making Liu Changgong's eyes glow.
"A bunch of rubbish. The national army can't defeat a bunch of hungry people."
He immediately issued an edict, appointing Pei Renji as the ambassador of Henan Province to guard Hulao Pass.
In the Battle of Luokou, Li Ji's rebel army showed their great power.
Pei Renji was unable to rush to Liu Changgong's aid because he hesitated to send troops.
Hulao Pass belonged to the ancient Chenggao County. In 598 AD, the Sui Dynasty changed Chenggao County to Sishui County.
Also known as Huguan, Wulaoguan, Chenggaoguan and Guqiaoguan, it is located in Sishui, 18 kilometers northwest of Xingyang County, Henan Province.
It was named Hulao because it was rumored that King Mu of Zhou once kept the tigers he presented to the king in captivity here.
"The Travels of Emperor Mu" records: The emperor was hunting in Zheng and saw a tiger among the reeds. Seven selected soldiers captured it and presented it as a tribute. The emperor ordered the tiger to be kept in Dongguo, which was named Hulao.
Li Ji immediately decided that the army should be encouraged and not discouraged, and that they should make a concerted effort to capture the key pass of Hulao Pass.
Li Ji personally led 20,000 soldiers from the Personal Guard Battalion and the Ji Camp, and quietly marched towards Hulao Pass under the cover of night.
“Ding Dong!”
The time tunnel destiny-changing system sent a message: Defeat the Sui army in the Eastern Capital, change your destiny successfully, and be rewarded with the secret siege weapon "Ten Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart".
Prize description: Place the flowing arrows in the launching device and press the switch to fire a thousand arrowheads simultaneously, with ten consecutive hits in each group, known as "Ten Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart".
Ding Dong
The Time Tunnel Fate-Changing System sent a message: Friendly reminder, the host still has three powerful general cards that have not been activated.
When Li Ji saw the information in his mind, he was immediately cheered up.
The system helps me!
Soon, the team was approaching Hulao Pass.
Li Ji immediately ordered his soldiers to set up camp and wait until dawn to launch the attack.
Based on the knowledge from his previous life, Li Ji knew that the area in front of Hulao Pass was the place where Dong Zhuo's army and the princes of the Three Kingdoms fought a decisive battle.
The towering gates and walls are so powerful that one man can block the passage of ten thousand.
He thought to himself that in ancient times, there were three heroes, Liu, Guan, and Zhang, fighting against Lu Bu, and now there are Li Ji, Shan Xiongxin, and Yu Cheng fighting against Deben.
The east was just beginning to brighten when Li Ji silently recited the name of the system, and the "Ten Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart" siege weapon appeared before his eyes.
He arranged for Yu Cheng to lead his personal guard battalion to push and pull the "Ten Thousand Arrows Piercing the Heart" device within the effective range.
Load the device with arrowheads, and once the battle begins, shoot thousands of arrows at once.
After a while, Hulao Pass became clearer and clearer in the morning light.
While Li Ji was arranging his troops, he ordered Yu Cheng to prepare for the attack.
Li Ji knew that Hulao Pass was easy to defend but difficult to attack.
This is the core area of the confrontation between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu.
In the "Records of the Grand Historian - Biographies of Liu Jing and Shusun Tong", there is a record that "(Liu Bang) fought with Xiang Yu in Xingyang and contested the mouth of Chenggao, with seventy major battles and forty minor battles."
The victory and loss of Hulao became the turning point of the Chu-Han War, and Liu Bang eventually forced Xiang Yu to commit suicide at Wujiang River.
I led my troops to attack Hulao Pass today, all thanks to the siege weapons rewarded by the system.
He muttered the word "system" to himself, and suddenly remembered that among the system's reward items, there were still three warrior cards that had not been activated.
I will activate a brave general card first to see which hero from the end of the Sui Dynasty I can contact this time.
He muttered the name of the system, and suddenly, a water curtain of information appeared before his eyes...
