Chapter 300: Ambush On The Rear Army
Xiao Qiao took the initiative to hold Gan Ning’s hand, interlocking their ten fingers, walking a bit faster with a lighthearted pace. Although she had matured quite a bit, her lively and outgoing personality remained the same.
“Husband, I really hope to get pregnant with a baby after we go back.”
Gan Ning paused his steps, glancing backward with the corner of his eye. The two personal maidservants were following three steps behind them. The two maidservants obviously realized something and immediately slowed their pace, staying even farther away from them.
Gan Ning glared at her. Xiao Qiao then noticed the maidservants right behind them. She stuck out her tongue embarrassedly, leaned close to Gan Ning, and whispered in his ear: “Come on!”
A smile curved at the corner of Gan Ning’s mouth. “Do you want to tire me to death?”
“No way!”
Xiao Qiao nestled against his shoulder again, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear. “I asked Older Sister. Older Sister said conception isn’t like a volley of ten thousand arrows, but hitting the right moment—one arrow earning the marquis title. These few days are my best timing.
At this moment, Gan Ning suddenly understood that his wife’s true intention in letting Xiao Qiao accompany him to Nanchang was to have Xiao Qiao get pregnant too.
Xu Wei’s pregnancy put a lot of pressure on Xiao Qiao. As her closest older sister, Da Qiao naturally hoped her younger sister could also get pregnant and have her own child.
“Let’s eat first! We’ll study the thing you’re looking forward to tonight.”
Xiao Qiao laughed with utmost joy, her smile like winter sunlight, so bright it made Gan Ning’s eyes dazzle.
Sun Ben’s forty thousand army was marching along the south bank of the Yushui River. They were still about a hundred li from Yu County, with tall and steep ridges on both sides. Although it was winter, they remained lush and green, with dense forests.
Between the ridges was a narrow valley, with the Yushui River running through it. The entire valley was about three hundred paces wide, still relatively open.
Zhao Yun led ten thousand troops ambushing on the north side of the valley, while the enemy army’s main force marched on the south side of the valley, relatively far apart. The enemy army would find it hard to discover the ambush soldiers.
In Pang Tong’s arrangement, Taishi Ci and Ding Feng led forty thousand troops at the Zhe River passage to the north to deal with Xiahou Yuan’s army, while Zhao Yun and Wang Ping similarly led forty thousand troops to deal with Sun Ben’s Army.
However, at the current pace, Xiahou Yuan was far behind Sun Ben. Sun Ben’s army had already entered Yuzhang Commandery, while Xiahou Yuan’s army was still in She County and had not set out.
Cao Cao’s original intention was merely to borrow a knife to kill. Xiahou Yuan naturally had no need to hurry into battle.
Beside a large stone halfway up the mountainside, Zhao Yun raised a Thousand-Mile Eye, closely observing Sun Ben’s army marching in the valley.
Zhao Yun’s army’s target was not Sun Ben’s main force, but Sun Ben’s rear army transporting supplies.
The Thousand-Mile Eye magnified the soldiers. Zhao Yun could clearly see each soldier’s equipment: spears, battle sabers, military blankets, water gourds, food bags.
Zhao Yun watched the soldiers’ food bags. From the capacity of the food bags, he could judge how much dry rations the soldiers had left. Each soldier’s food bag contained about three jin of dry rations, all the same—a day and a half’s worth.
About a hundred li from Yu County, these dry rations were just about right.
Troops passed by one after another. Zhao Yun still patiently waited for the enemy army’s rear army.
After a full half hour, as dusk approached, the ambushing Western Chu Army finally spotted Sun Ben’s rear army approaching from afar.
Sun Ben’s rear army was He Qi’s troops. He led ten thousand troops escorting grain and fodder supplies, while another ten thousand troops had been transferred to Sun Ben’s directly commanded central army.
He Qi naturally knew that Sun Ben was indirectly reducing his military power. He took the initiative to request command of the rear army. He knew Gan Ning well—how could Gan Ning allow Sun Ben to capture southern Yuzhang Commandery and Luling Commandery? For Sun Ben’s unrealistic ambitions, He Qi felt nothing but contempt.
He also looked down on the strategist Wei Jing. Although Wei Jing had some ability, which He Qi acknowledged, Wei Jing was just building castles in the air. He didn’t understand Gan Ning at all, and many long-term plans were wishful thinking.
“Slow the army’s pace. Be careful of enemy army ambushes!” He Qi ordered.
The logistics army was bringing several thousand mules and donkeys, plus hundreds of rafts loaded entirely with grain.
On the mountainside, Zhao Yun ordered the whole army to prepare. The ten thousand Western Chu Army quickly cocked their crossbow machines, loaded sharp crossbow bolts into the slots, held their crossbows half-kneeling on the ground, waiting for the exciting moment to arrive.
Zhao Yun himself held a hard bow standing atop a large stone, looking down from on high. He saw even more clearly—nearly a hundred huge sheepskin rafts drifting toward them.
“Why are there rafts?”
Zhao Yun’s brows furrowed tightly. That shouldn’t be! He had sent people to check the hydrology. Though the river didn’t freeze here, the winter water level was very low. Ships couldn’t pass upstream, nor could rafts. How were they transporting this grain?
Zhao Yun didn’t know that He Qi had three lairs like a cunning rabbit. He had left half his mules and donkeys midway, with men guarding them. If ambushed, they could retreat with mules and donkeys for transport and food.
But at this point, Zhao Yun stopped considering. He immediately ordered: “Pass the order to the three armies: prepare to fire!”
The ten thousand crossbow Western Chu troops formed two ranks in array, stretching three li, matching the river-crossing length of the rafts. When the prepare-to-fire order came, the ten thousand crossbow troops simultaneously assumed firing positions, half-kneeling on the ground, hands supporting the crossbow frames, eyes narrowed, adjusting precision via the distance measuring device.
“Fire!” Zhao Yun finally gave the command.
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
With a rapid clacking of wooden clappers—that was the firing order—the north bank unleashed a volley of ten thousand arrows. Powerful crossbow bolts formed a dense arrow rain over the river surface, blanketing everything within range toward the rafts and the enemy army on the opposite shore.
The sudden firing caught Sun Ben’s army off guard. Screams and wails rose one after another. Shields could hardly withstand the Western Chu Army’s crossbow bolts. In moments, the Western Chu Army fired three volleys in succession.
Over thirty percent of Sun Ben’s ten thousand troops were killed or wounded. Mules and donkeys couldn’t endure the pain of being hit by arrows; they reared up neighing, snapped the reins from the soldiers’ hands, and plunged into the river.
Sun Ben’s army was caught unprepared, instantly filling the air with wails, the troops thrown into chaos.
“Dong! Dong! Dong!”
The war drums for the assault sounded in the valley. Ten thousand Western Chu troops surged down, each soldier’s heart filled with the desire and expectation to earn merits. Zhao Yun’s army had undergone years of continuous training; they were drilled to be high-spirited, arrogant, looking down on all. Whether Sun Ben’s army or Cao Army, in their eyes, all were ants not worth a strike.
“Kill!”
Hundreds of giant wooden rafts were blocked by Zhao Yun’s army. Countless soldiers charged into the shallow river. The water was icy and piercing, but the Western Chu Army erupted in earth-shaking shouts.
On the opposite shore, dozens of Western Chu Army drummers bared their arms, their dark and strong muscles pounding the war drums vigorously. In the river channel, over ten thousand soldiers charged forward, getting closer, their killing intent rising, eyes gleaming with the excitement and ferocity of beasts hunting antelope.
He Qi directed his soldiers to fire arrows in counterattack, but it was useless. Enemy soldiers kept falling into the river, yet the army still surged to kill.
In the eyes of the Western Chu Army soldiers, Sun Ben’s troops on the opposite shore were just a flock of sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Zhao Yun took the lead, charging onto the opposite shore with the army, killing whoever he saw, ferociously brave. Sun Ben’s soldiers couldn’t form any formation, fighting individually, slaughtered by the powerful Western Chu Army until they were shitting and pissing in terror, fleeing in all directions.
He Qi suddenly recognized Zhao Yun, a chill gripping his heart. Without hesitation, he turned and fled.
One of Cao Cao’s tasks for him was to borrow the Western Chu Army’s hand to eliminate Sun Ben. Now that the Chancellor’s task was about to be completed, why wouldn’t he flee at this moment?
He Qi led two thousand soldiers in turning and fleeing, ignoring the rest of the army.
He Qi’s army fled dozens of li in one go, encountering the several thousand mules and donkeys he had left beforehand. He had his exhausted soldiers mount the mules, taking the donkeys, and fled in panic toward Damo County.
