Volume 2: The King's Way Chapter 168: Battle of Weiwu Gate
"Boyan, what do you think Yuan Yin will do next?" Bai Tu asked Lu Xun.
After he formally became Lu Su's apprentice, Lu Kang gave him the courtesy name - Boyan.
"If I were Yuan Yin... No, no matter who is Yuan Yin, he should have understood by now that in the face of Baigong Cannon, it is difficult for an isolated city to defend itself. We must send an army tonight to re-station Xiaoyaojin." Lu Xun said.
What Lu Xun said is also the crux of Yuan Yin’s regret now!
Faced with the aggressive Jiangdong regular army that was obviously not of the same level as Qichun and Guangling, Yuan Yin chose to defend the city to the death.
Yuan Yin’s idea was very simple. The Huainan sailors in Chaohu Lake were vulnerable, and due to the severe drought, the Nanfeishui River had dried up, and the water level of the Beifeishui River was even lower than in previous dry seasons.
The reason why Hefei is an important military location that is easy to defend but difficult to attack is not only because of its strong and thick walls, but also because of the surrounding Baohe River, Yinhe River, Louhe River, Chaohu Lake... which act as moats to protect it!
However, due to the severe drought, even around Xiaoyaojin, only a large area of tidal flats remained.
Therefore, considering his own protection first, Yuan Yin gave up the outer water forts and even the most important camp in Hefei, Xiaoyaojin.
Bai Tu didn't have to put in any effort at all. He just used a team of light footsteps to clear a path with wooden planks, and then he brought Jiangdong's elite troops and siege equipment all the way from Chaohu Lake to the city of Hefei.
If it was Lu Xun who was defending the city, he would never give up even if the river was dry now, and he would deploy defenses on the mudflats. After all, the silt at the bottom of the river was still there, and if he defended along the coast, it would cost a lot for the Jiangdong soldiers to wade across.
In fact, Yuan Yin was also very naive. He had always thought that as long as he defended the city wall and waited until Bai Tu could no longer bear the consumption of military rations due to the drought and retreated to Chao County or even Ruxukou, he would win. Then, when the drought was over next year and the water level rose again, Hefei would still be the iron Hefei!
After all, in this year, Bai Tu has to dig his own well when he is stationed outside the city. On the contrary, Hefei is surrounded by rivers. Even if there is a severe drought now, the water supply in the city can still be guaranteed.
However, what Yuan Yin didn't expect was that Bai Tu actually took out the Baigong Cannon, a weapon specifically designed to punish those who "defended the city to the death"...
If the camps around Hefei were still there, Bai Tu might not dare to fire his bulky Baigong cannon outside Hefei!
"So... we can ambush near Weiwu Gate tonight?" Bai Tu asked.
Hefei has seven city gates, two each in the east, west and south. During the day, Bai Tu attacked the tower of Nanxun Gate, commonly known as Xiaonan Gate.
Xiaoyaojin is near Weiwumen, which is commonly known as the Dadongmen in later times.
How close are the two? — Take the subway and get off at Dadongmen Station, then walk a few hundred meters to Xiaoyaojin Park.
"Yuan Yin may not be so careless. He should send people to investigate. Although the moat has dried up, there is no place to ambush nearby... But it will always be beneficial to intercept them." Lu Xun said.
The reason why Lu Xun followed Bai Tu in the army was so that he could have someone to give him advice.
After all, although the situation in Jiangdong is good now, Bai Tu is busy with oxen and salt production, so he is always worried that someone will cause trouble, so Lu Su volunteered to stay in the rear.
However, he recommended his young apprentice to follow Bai Tu as an advisor.
If someone else was leading the troops, he might not trust a little kid, but Bai Tu was different - of course he trusted his own nephew.
The reason for attacking Xiaonanmen was precisely because this side was relatively drier and the terrain was more conducive to the use of Baigong Cannon. Facts had proved that Lu Xun had indeed "defeated" Yuan Yin with this move.
What the Jiangdong Army has to do now is to hold back the elephant leg that Yuan Yin is trying to raise...
That night, the Huainan army discovered the 8,000 Jiangdong soldiers who had moved to the east in advance, but under the command of Lu Xun, they first retreated to the other side of the tidal flat formed after the Nanfei River receded, and then steadily fought with the Huainan army that wanted to forcibly transfer troops for half a night.
Although Lu Bu's cavalry could not attack due to the terrain, and there was the Huainan Army, which was founded by Buf f, and was as elite as the long-trained Jiangdong Army, and as for combat experience, both sides were relatively scarce, but in terms of morale, the Jiangdong Army clearly had the upper hand.
After all, one side was determined to send Ren De away, while the other side was reluctantly ordered to go to Xiaoyaojin to defend after being frightened by Bai Gong's cannon during the day.
Moreover, under the command of Lu Xun, the Jiangdong army maintained its original position along the river, forcing the enemy into the center of the river, which is now the mudflat.
Constrained by the mud, the Huainan Army, whose morale was already low, was even more disadvantaged.
Because of the existence of mudflats, the suspension force of the "war horse" will be interfered with. Therefore, the cavalry of the City Princess world cannot march in the mud, and therefore lacks harvesting power.
A night battle, and an ambush one at that, is different from a broad daylight confrontation between two armies. Not only is it impossible to command with flags on a high platform, but even the signal range of the "general's flag" will be affected by the darkness.
Therefore, there is no need to worry about the subtle changes in formation. Those who can remain calm and obey basic orders from the commander are already considered elite.
Therefore, the number of Jiangdong troops dispatched could not be too large. Even if Lu Bu led the troops personally, he only dispatched less than 10,000 people.
As for commanding 100,000 people in the dark? It is impossible. It is necessary to arrange for generals from other departments to fight independently under the grand strategic guidelines. Whether the generals from other departments can cooperate well with each other is another matter.
Because of the general flag, Lu Bu couldn't play to his strengths and rush around.
Under the general's flag, Lu Xun followed Lu Bu nervously - Lu Xun was still a little afraid of this flying general.
However, Lu Bu did not make things difficult for him, although it was unlikely for him to listen to the advice of a little kid. After all... Lu Bu was never known for his ability to accept advice. Lu Xun, who had no military achievements, could not be convinced by Lu Bu even if he was praised to the sky by Lu Su and Lu Kang. However... this time, Lu Bu still did as Bai Tu said and was willing to be Lu Xun's "messenger" and "bodyguard."
If someone else had been recommended, even his godson's persuasion would have been useless and Lu Bu would have taken up the task himself.
But as for Lu Xun... Bai Tu said it very clearly, he was Lu Su's student, and Lu Su was his cousin. From this, it can be inferred that Lu Xun is his, Lu Bu's grandson!
In this way, even if Lu Xun did not call him "Uncle", Lu Bu would still let him have his temper.
With the "command power" of Lu Bu's armor and the signal amplification effect of the commander's flag, it is more than enough for him to command these 8,000 Jiangdong soldiers.
After all, the number and accuracy of the troops that can be commanded are not only related to the general's own ability and command style, but also to the number of grassroots sergeants and squad leaders, the degree of tacit understanding with the commander-in-chief, and the perfection of the training of Ji Zao's soldiers.
The Jiangdong Army was definitely the easiest army to command, but Lü Bu’s level of tacit understanding with troops other than the cavalry was average, and he was not good at commanding with a general flag.
What Lu Bu likes most is to take the lead in the charge, lead thousands of cavalry, follow his pace, and "charge" and it's done!
However, now he was just using Lu Bu's armor, which had its own commander effect, making it convenient for Lu Xun to command. Lu Bu didn't say a word during the whole process, which made Lu Xun flattered.
But... Lu Xun always felt that General Lu looked at him strangely, as if he was not happy for him to call him "General Lu"?
Putting this aside, Lu Xun felt great the first time he commanded a battle—he even felt like he had awakened a new strategy!
Yuan Yin's choice during this period also surprised Lu Xun, because he kept the opponent in the mud throughout the whole process, and the Jiangdong Army could be said to have gained a great advantage. Lu Xun originally speculated that Yuan Yin would retreat soon.
However, what Lu Xun did not expect was that the enemy "added fuel" several times during the chaotic battle that lasted for most of the night, and finally even the main camp in the south was alarmed. It was not until Bai Tu personally led his army that the enemy was scared off.
As the "Lord", Bai Tu has the strongest compatibility with all grassroots officers. As long as the army's morale is not disturbed, he can command as many people as possible - this is also the reason why, as the "Lord", he often leads the troops into battle in person.
When the night battle reached the second half, Lu Xun's command was a little weak. After all, it was his first time, so the time was inevitably short. Moreover, Lu Xun was still young, and his official seal and military token were only basic. His mental strength could not maintain the state of "observing the terrain" for too long.
Unlike the blank slate of Bai Tu, Lu Xun had two major strategies when he first awakened - observing the terrain and breaking the formation.
The former is of auxiliary use. After consuming mental energy, you can view the battlefield situation from the "terrain perspective". Viewing the battlefield is like overlooking a sand table!
If Chen Gong's "bright strategy" is a few cameras, then Lu Xun's "observing the terrain" is the small map of the game - although there are no details, the general terrain and the direction of our army can be seen, while the enemy troops far away... are in the "fog of battlefield" and there is no perspective effect.
As for the "absolute formation"... it is equivalent to a killing move, which requires the use of terrain and military strength to create a killing momentum. Lu Xun even doubted whether he would have the chance to launch a complete "absolute formation" in his entire life.
At dawn, Bai Tu counted the casualties of the previous night and found that nearly two thousand Jiangdong soldiers were killed - if Bai Tu had not sent reinforcements, the number would have been almost eight thousand.
The enemy's casualties, even after Lu Xun became weak, were still at the level of 1.5:1. In the first half, they were beaten into the mud. It was estimated afterwards that the enemy's casualties were nearly 5,000!
The number of participants in the battle should be more than half of the Hefei defenders...
What surprised Bai Tu even more was that Yuan Yin did not leave the city to collect the bodies the next day. Even though Bai Tu had already withdrawn from the Weiwu Gate and took the initiative to raise the banner of demanding that each other collect the bodies, the city of Hefei remained motionless.
In this hot weather, the corpses will rot in no time. Not only will the officers' bodies cause plague, but the remains of Ji Zao's soldiers, if allowed to rot, will also produce gases that are detrimental to the army!
Bai Tu has decided that if the other party doesn't come out in the afternoon, he will have to collect the body on his behalf...
Of course, if Bai Tu were to do it, he would definitely dig a big hole, burn it, and then fill it up. It is impossible to treat the enemy the same way as his own people and try to preserve the ashes.
Unexpectedly, before noon, Bai Tu received another surprising news - traces of a large-scale march were found in the north of Hefei!
Originally, Bai Tu had no hope of being able to surround the enemy and attack the reinforcements. After all, Yuan Shu was a man in history who "did not help those in need."
This is indeed the fact. The army that was discovered was not the support from Shouchun, but... Yuan Yin took advantage of the night battle at Weiwu Gate last night and escaped from the north gate with his truly trusted elite soldiers from Nanyang!
After hearing the news, Lu Xun was also surprised. He had never thought that the enemy would be so shameless that they would easily give up a city like Hefei. What kind of a trick was this?
No matter how smart Lu Xun becomes in the future, he is still young and lacks some understanding of "human hearts"...
