Chapter 230: Head-on Blow
The county seat of Cangwu Commandery, Guangxin County, is not far from the county seat of Yulin Commandery, Bushan County, about four hundred li apart. Both are located on the north bank of the Yu River. Bu Zhi immediately ordered Zhao Yun to lead ten thousand troops to defend Guangxin County, while also responsible for reorganizing twenty thousand surrendered troops. He and Taishi Ci led twenty thousand troops straight to Bushan County in Yulin Commandery.
At this time, Yulin Commandery Prefect Wu Ju had already received the carrier pigeon message of Zhang Jin’s death. Unfortunately, this carrier pigeon message arrived one day early; if it had been sent one day later, the situation would have been completely different.
On the evening of the day Zhang Jin died, Wu Ju led eight thousand troops and two thousand southern barbarian troops rushing to Guangxin County. He wanted to seize Cangwu Commandery and the twenty thousand troops in Guangxin County before Shi Xie could send out troops.
Wu Ju calculated: after Shi Xie received the news and sent troops to Yulin Commandery, his army would take at least twenty days of marching to reach his old lair, Bushan County.
These twenty days were enough time for him to capture Guangxin County and then return to reinforce Bushan County.
This time difference was the key to his capturing Jiaozhou. This was the perfect plan Wu Ju had long prepared. The idea itself was not wrong: with brothers fighting, internal strife in the army, morale would inevitably be low. He could come as the peacemaker, mediate the contradiction between the two brothers, and then swallow Zhang Jin’s army.
But Wu Ju could not have dreamed that Gan Ning’s army had already captured Guangxin County and was now advancing along the same official road to meet him head-on.
The next day at noon, when the two armies were twenty li apart, they almost simultaneously discovered each other.
Bu Zhi received the scout’s urgent report: a force of nearly ten thousand troops spotted twenty li ahead. Bu Zhi immediately realized this must be Wu Ju’s army, come to Cangwu Commandery to pick the fruit.
Bu Zhi immediately ordered: “Pass the order to the whole army: advance at full speed!”
Wu Ju received the news a little later. His scouts discovered a force of nearly twenty thousand troops ten li ahead, flying the Chu flag.
Wu Ju was a bit confused: the twenty thousand troops should be Zhang Jin’s army! Doesn’t Guangxin County have exactly twenty thousand garrison troops?
But what did the Chu flag mean?
Wu Commandery is remote and receives little news; he did not know that the Yuzhang Army had been renamed the Chu Army.
Although unclear about the enemy’s origins, Wu Ju still ordered the whole army to prepare for battle. Wu Ju was very experienced; with both sides so close, withdrawing now would lead to pursuit and certain defeat.
The eight thousand troops quickly formed ranks in an open area. At this time, the twenty thousand Chu troops also began to assemble, marching rapidly while assembling.
Soon the two armies drew closer, only three li apart, forming two large formations in the wilderness.
Wu Ju could tell at a glance that they were not Zhang Jin’s troops; their morale was completely different. Zhang Jin’s troops had no momentum, were rather soft, like twenty thousand people casually lining up.
But this army before him was neatly arrayed, brimming with killing intent. Though only twenty thousand strong, it felt like fifty or sixty thousand troops. Every soldier was filled with killing aura, and their equipment was extremely fine: uniform armor, uniform weapons, war flags blanketing the sky.
“Prefect, look quickly!”
A soldier actually pointed at the flags and shouted: “It’s Gan Ning’s army!”
Wu Ju saw it too: a large flag bore a huge “Gan” character. He was instantly shocked to the core; encountering Gan Ning’s army meant Zhang Jin’s troops were finished, and Guangxin County had fallen.
The enemy had twenty thousand troops, while he had only eight thousand troops and two thousand southern barbarian troops. The enemy was high in morale and well-equipped, while his own morale was average. Could he win this battle?
At this moment, Wu Ju felt some trepidation, but now he dared not withdraw. He could only steel himself and order: “Whole army, prepare for battle!”
“Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!”
The Chu Army sounded massive war drums. Bu Zhi waved his hand: “Heavy shield troops, advance! Cavalry follow!”
Three thousand heavy shield straight saber troops appeared, with two thousand-man cavalry units flanking left and right.
Although current intelligence indicated that fire oil weapons had not yet reached Jiaozhou and none of the three major forces there were equipped with firearms, Bu Zhi did not underestimate the enemy and still used heavy shield troops to counter the enemy’s crossbow troops.
The enemy actually had cavalry and had deployed large shield saber troops.
Wu Ju’s plan changed; he had originally intended to use two thousand crossbow troops to counter the enemy’s charge.
But with the enemy’s large shield troops, his crossbow troops would be ineffective. Instead, if the enemy’s cavalry charged into his crossbow troops, it would be a one-sided slaughter.
Wu Ju immediately ordered: “Form spear large formation!”
Five thousand spear soldiers quickly formed a large square formation, the only way for infantry to counter enemy cavalry.
Wu Ju led three thousand troops behind the spear large formation, forming another smaller spear formation.
Seeing the enemy change formation, Bu Zhi coldly ordered: “Cavalry, charge!”
“Wu——wu——” The horn sounded.
The cavalry, still three hundred paces from the enemy large formation, suddenly charged. Led by Taishi Ci, they were like two sharp swords, one left and one right, straight at the enemy’s spear large formation.
The five thousand soldiers were tense to the extreme; it was their first actual combat facing cavalry. Everyone’s heart was in their throat, legs weak, hands slick with sweat.
Wu Ju watched wide-eyed as the enemy cavalry drew nearer: two hundred paces… one hundred fifty paces… fifty paces…
At that moment, a flash lit the wilderness, like a cluster of firelight. Wu Ju straightened up abruptly, eyes fixed on the firelight. Nearby another cluster appeared, then three, four… more and more, the firelight growing brighter and wider. Panicked shouts began rising from the spear large formation.
At this time, the two thousand cavalry were extremely excited. They did not charge into the spear large formation but circled it, continuously hurling fire oil bottles.
In their eyes, patches of fierce fire rose within the spear large formation, igniting courage in their hearts. Every soldier was impatient; warhorses galloped at full speed, snorting heavily. The cavalry gripped spears in one hand, reins tightly in the other, eyes excitedly watching the chaos in the enemy large formation.
At this point, flames raged inside the spear large formation, thick smoke billowing. It started from the southeast corner and, with the southeast wind, quickly spread fire and smoke over most of the formation. Blazing flames everywhere, smoke choking; all soldiers could not open their eyes.
Fire dragons raged wildly within the formation. Under flames and smoke, the five thousand spear soldiers rapidly collapsed. Soldiers wailed for parents, fleeing in all directions. Many were on fire, screaming and scampering, abandoning armor and weapons, legs carrying them to flee for their lives.
By instinct, they fled toward the west where the commander was. The entire east and north wilderness was swallowed by great fire, which rapidly spread through the bushes. The two thousand cavalry charged through smoke and fire toward the three thousand troops.
Thousands of soldiers swarmed in panicked flight, each scrambling to escape first. They shoved and trampled each other; screams, cries, pleas filled the sky…
The three thousand troops behind were also thrown into chaos and began to rout.
The moment had come. Taishi Ci roared: “Those who do not surrender, kill without mercy!”
