My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 239 The Yellow Turbans Arrive to Help
The leader of the Yellow Turban Army in Yangdi was named Bo Xing, a distant relative of Bo Cai. He had joined Bo Cai's uprising and was considered a veteran Yellow Turban leader in Yingchuan.

At this moment, he was in the governor's mansion in Yangdi. In the main hall where the former governor used to discuss state affairs, many burly men wearing yellow turbans were sitting cross-legged. They were all Yellow Turban junior leaders.

"Brother, what He Kui said was actually true."

The first man to Bo Xing's right, a burly and robust man with a fierce expression, said, "The government troops have actually come."

Bo Xing looked at his trusted confidant Ma Zhong and nodded with a heavy heart.

Just over ten days ago, an old Yellow Turban rebel named He Kui suddenly came to my door, saying that the government army was about to march south, and the main force was the loyalist army that had marched north from Xuzhou, with a number of people that could be as high as 30,000.

He Kui was a veteran of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Before the Great Teacher of Good and Virtuous Rebellion, he was a disciple of the Yellow Turbans and was responsible for communication.

Before launching the uprising, He Kui sent a letter to the Great Teacher of Virtue, ordering Bo Cai to coordinate with Ma Yuanyi in Luoyang to break through the three passes and enter the Henan Province after the uprising.

Later, when war broke out, their contact was cut off. Although He Kui, the old Yellow Turban, was an acquaintance, Bo Xing and the others naturally became suspicious of He Kui's intentions and motives when he suddenly came to their door and brought such important news.

Bo Xing and the others were skeptical of the message sent by He Kui. Although they did not accept He Kui's advice to abandon Yangdi and retreat to Chenliu, they did make some preparations.

This led to Yangdi being placed on high alert, and all other general outposts except for important ones were abandoned, with all wealth, food, manpower, and livestock being evacuated into Yangdi.

Finally, he ordered all the commanders' troops to prepare for battle.

"Coach Bo, Coach He is here to visit."

Just as they were discussing what to do next and whether to go to rescue Yang Guanju, a servant suddenly came to report that He Kui was requesting an audience.

Bo Xing hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to meet him.

Now that the news brought by the other party has been proven to be true, He Kui becomes credible.

In that case, listening to the other party's advice might not be a bad thing.

Soon, He Kui came up to the hall and knelt down in the empty seat.

After He Kui sat down, he immediately straightened up and bowed to Bo Xing, asking, "Commander Bo, I have heard that the Xuzhou army has marched south and is already gathering at Yangguan. Smoke signals can be seen on the city walls now. Is this true?"

Although this matter might not spread throughout the city, there was no need to hide it from He Kui, especially since Bo Xing himself wanted to hear the other party's advice.

Bo Xing nodded and replied, "Indeed, as you have heard, the Xuzhou army has reached outside Yangguan. After receiving the signal from the beacon fire, we immediately summoned everyone and are discussing how to respond."

He Kui nodded and continued, "I see. Then I dare to ask, Commander Bo, have you all reached a conclusion?"

Bo Xing shook his head and replied, "Never."

"Commander Bo, everyone."

He Kui bowed to the crowd once, then said loudly, "A powerful enemy has arrived, yet you all remain hesitant. Are you perhaps waiting to die?!"

He Kui's words instantly changed the expressions of everyone in the hall, some with anger, some with contempt, some with shock, and some with fear.

Bo Xing's expression also changed slightly. He raised his right hand to stop his subordinate who was about to curse He Kui.

"Why do you say that, Commander He?"

Bo Xing stared intently at He Kui with a piercing gaze and said with an unfriendly expression, "I am very grateful that Commander He has come to deliver a message, but if you look down on the men of Yingchuan because of this, you are being too complacent."

He Kui, however, remained unfazed. He met Bo Xing's gaze and said, "Commander Bo, the Xuzhou army is strong and well-equipped, with ample supplies. They have the momentum to fight across thousands of miles and have the merit to support the Han emperor. Now they are in high spirits and full of fighting spirit. Gentlemen, are you really willing to spare no effort to fight them?"

"He Kui! Don't try to boost others' morale and diminish ours."

Bo Xing's most valiant general, Ma Zhong, stepped forward: "We all have one neck and two hands. How could the Xuzhou army have become monsters? Brother, I am willing to be the vanguard to rescue Yangguanju."

"Brother Ma, please sit down and don't be in a hurry."

Bo Xingxian reassured Ma Zhong and told him to sit back down. Then he stared at He Kui and said, "Brother He, just say what you have to say."

"Coach Pochettino, Quinn still says the same thing as before."

He Kui brought up the old matter again, saying, "The only option now is to break through to the east and head to Chenliu."

Bo Xing scoffed and pressed, "Chenliu is already a wasteland, and now it's occupied by Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou. Let's not even talk about whether you brothers can get in. Even if you do get in, what will you eat? We can't expect 70,000 or 80,000 of us to go to Yanzhou and starve, can we?"

He Kui, however, seemed oblivious to the threat in Bo Xing's words, and continued, "Has Commander Bo heard about the situation in Jibei?"

"The matter in Jibei?"

Bo Xing frowned slightly: "You mean the surrender of the Guan and Cai brothers of Qingzhou to the traitor Cao?"

Cao Cao had a good relationship with the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou, but his relationship with the Yellow Turbans of Yingchuan was not good, and was even somewhat hostile.

When Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun fought against Bo Cai of Yingchuan, they suffered two defeats and had no choice but to retreat to Changshe. They were then surrounded by the Yellow Turban rebels of Yingchuan led by Bo Cai.

Later, Huangfu Song discovered that the wind was strong and the Yellow Turban army camp was simple and densely packed.

So he set fire to the city at night, forcing Bo Cai's troops to retreat. Just then, Cao Cao, the cavalry captain leading two thousand elite cavalry, arrived. The three of them joined forces to pursue and defeat the Yellow Turbans of Yingchuan, beheading tens of thousands of them.

After this battle, Bo completely lost the strategic initiative.

In the ensuing battles, he suffered repeated defeats and was relentlessly pursued by Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, ultimately dying in battle.

Cao Cao also gained merit from this battle and was promoted to Chancellor of Jinan with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain), which led to his association with the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou.

"Exactly!"

He Kui continued, "When Cao Yanzhou was in Jinan, Qingzhou, he governed with integrity and vigorously cracked down on corrupt officials. He dismissed eight out of ten of the chief officials, which brought peace to the people. At the same time, he disregarded all obstacles and eliminated cults and punished gods and sorcerers, which shook the entire Jinan Kingdom. Politics and education flourished, and the whole prefecture was peaceful."

"The two leaders, Guan and Cai, once met with Cao Cao. They greatly admired the Yellow Turban doctrine and even allowed the Yellow Turbans to form their own army. Perhaps the unfinished work of the Great Teacher of the Nation should be done by these two men!"

"Well, so you're actually that traitor Cao's envoy!"

Ma Chong flew into a rage, stood up, pointed at He Kui, and shouted, "Are you trying to take advantage of my sword's weakness?!"

He Kui, however, was not afraid at all. Instead, he sneered and retorted, "How does Commander Ma's sword compare to Commander Chang of Gong County?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed drastically.

The Changnu army numbered over 20,000, with 3,000 to 4,000 being strong and capable men. If all of them were mobilized, there would be no fewer than 8,000 who could fight.

But they couldn't even last a day, and they couldn't break through.

When He Kui brought this news, no one present believed it.

Bo Xing specially sent a lot of people to Hanoi Yin to scout, and suffered heavy losses. Only in the last two days did he get the conclusive news that Gongxian was captured in less than a day, and Changnu failed to break out and was killed in battle.

His head was sent to Luoyang and is still displayed at the East Gate.

This news had already greatly frightened the people of Yangdi, and now that He Kui had brought it up again, it was understandable that the people in the hall would react this way.

Even though Ma Chongxiao was brave in battle, he was somewhat worried at this moment and couldn't help but look at his backbone, Bo Xing.

Bo Xing remained relatively calm. While Ma Zhong and the others were speechless, he spoke up: "There are 40,000 fellow Daoists in the city. How can you just leave as you please?"

With that, Bo Xing stood up and pointed at Ma Zhongdao, saying, "Brother Ma, muster the troops. I will personally go to Yangguan to meet the Xuzhou army."

Ma Chong immediately jumped up and shouted, "Yes, elder brother!"

Then, Ma Chong shouted to the other Yellow Turban leaders in the hall: "Gentlemen, those gathered at Yangguan are my brothers and sisters. If we don't go to their aid today, who will come to our aid in the future?"

Ma Zhong's words immediately boosted the morale of the troops, who responded in unison, got up and went to organize their forces, and prepared to go to war.

"Bo Shuai!"

When He Kui saw that Bo Xing actually wanted to take the initiative to fight, he immediately became anxious.

He was ordered by Cao Cao to infiltrate Yingchuan and inform the local Yellow Turbans that Liu Feng was about to lead his troops south to sweep through Yingchuan, and in order to win them over and recruit them.

He never imagined that Bo Xingming, knowing the formidable fighting strength of the Xuzhou army, would still consider sending troops into battle.

Bo Xing actually had his own plans.

Yangdi, where he was located, was only ten miles away from Yangguan. If they did not even come to his aid, not only would the Xuzhou army gain a foothold in Yangguan, but they would also be able to advance straight into the city of Yangdi.

Not only will morale suffer a heavy blow, but the Xuzhou army will also be trapped in the city.

Changnu's biggest mistake was concentrating all his troops within Gongxian City, allowing the Xuzhou army to attack the city without any worries. If Changnu had set aside a portion of his troops to establish a camp outside the city, he could have effectively contained the Xuzhou army, given that he had several times more manpower than them.

Although they still couldn't withstand the attack from the Xuzhou army, they could at least hold out for a little longer.

At the same time, Bo Xing and his ilk shared a common drawback with Chang Nu: they had too many jars and pots.

Over the past few years in Yingchuan, Bo Xing, Ma Zhong, and the lower-ranking officers have all amassed considerable wealth in Yangdi, including various valuables such as gold, silver, cloth, jewelry, and grain.

Historically, their surrender to Cao Cao was relatively smooth, partly because Cao Cao could guarantee their personal property. But now, to be forced to abandon all that and go to Chenliu to starve is something Bo Xing and his men can hardly accept.

"Commander Bo, although Yangguanju is fortified, it is just a small town and will fall sooner or later."

He Kui grew anxious and immediately stood up to block Bo Xing's path, earnestly advising, "Now we should gather our forces to defend Yangdi and send people to request reinforcements from other chieftains. Yangdi is a high city with deep moats. Although some parts of the city walls have collapsed, it is still far superior to open battle. If we can hold out for a few days, once the reinforcements from Yingyin arrive, wouldn't it be wonderful to defeat the enemy at the city walls?"

The relationship between the Yellow Turbans of Yingchuan was relatively good. Although they were stationed in several different cities, their connections were still quite close.

In fact, without He Kui's reminder, Bo Xing's messenger had already left through the south gate and sped off towards Yingyin.

He Kui's strategy looks good, but Bo Xing can't use it.

Because if he were to use it, people's hearts would be scattered.

"Bo Shuai..."

He Kui wanted to persuade him further, but Bo Xing stopped him.

"Commander He, you can watch from within the city as the Yellow Turbans of Yangdi defeat the rebels."

Bo Xing was still very confident because he had established military farms early and had plenty of grain on hand. His Yellow Turban soldiers were able to eat their fill, so he maintained a training schedule of once every seven days.

Moreover, his troops included many veterans of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, who not only had combat experience but also knew some training methods.

Therefore, his troops were stronger than Changnu in battle.

At the same time, he was only five or six miles outside the city, so even if something unexpected happened, he could retreat back to Yangdi City at any time.

Helpless, He Kui stepped back and watched as Bo Xing led his troops to rescue Yangguanju, which was less than ten miles from Yangdi.

After returning to his residence, He Kui ordered his personal guards to prepare horses and then sent men to keep watch on the city wall. He did not want to stay in Yangdi and be buried with Bo Xing if any unexpected situation occurred.

Bo Xing dared to send troops because he had his own confidence.

The city had a force of nearly 10,000 men, with 40% wearing armor, and even more than 400 cavalrymen.

With an army of this size and composition, and with fortified cities to rely on, as long as they do not suffer a major defeat, they can still advance and retreat freely even if they are at a slight disadvantage.

The distance between Yangguanju and Yangdi is simply too close.

By the time Yangdi officially launched its attack, the Xuzhou army's scouts had already reached the outskirts of Yangdi city.

Ma Zhong dispatched his fierce general Ma Biao with two hundred cavalrymen to be the first to leave the city, with the mission of driving away the enemy's scouts.

After leaving the city, Ma Biao divided his two hundred cavalrymen into groups of twenty and scattered them, hoping to find an opportunity to encircle and wipe out the scouts of Xuzhou.

However, these Xuzhou knights were all Hedong knights, genuine Sanhe knights, and they were easily overtaken by the slow-moving cavalry of Yangdi.

Soon, Liu Feng also received the news. Most of Pan Zhang's armored soldiers began to put on their armor, while only the Ironclad Cavalry remained stationary at the rear.

At the same time, all the cavalry were concentrated under Jia Bin's command and deployed on the far right of the battle line.

At this time, the leftmost part of the entire battle line was the Ying River, which flowed from northwest to southeast.

Then came 3,200 armored soldiers from Pan Zhang's troops, of whom 1,600 spearmen were positioned on the side away from the riverbank, thus narrowing the battle line and increasing its thickness.

Jia Bin's eight hundred cavalry were concentrated on the flanks of the spearmen, responsible for covering and protecting the flanks of the entire infantry line.

Jia Kui and Guan Ping's troops had already entered Yangguan Village, but the Yellow Turban Army still relied on the fortifications and houses in the village for a final resistance.

Jia Kui sent someone to inquire whether they needed to withdraw from the battlefield, but Liu Feng refused.

"Tell Liang Dao to resolve the battle as soon as possible, and then leave the city to join the fight."

After saying this, Liu Feng gave the messenger a few more instructions, adding, "Be sure to remind Liang Dao to make arrangements for this matter first; it might come in very handy."

After the messenger received the order, he turned and left.

Liu Feng then turned his attention to the main battlefield.

The first to arrive at the battlefield were naturally the cavalry of Yangdi. After seeing the battle line, the more than 600 riders stopped a long way off, clearly intimidated by the 800 riders on the other side.

Only after the main force of the Yellow Turban army from Yangdi arrived did these six hundred-odd Yangdi cavalry dare to step forward and form a battle formation.

The Yellow Turban forces of Yangdi almost mirrored Liu Feng's forces.

They also placed their cavalry at one end of the river far from the Ying River. Although the area was a river between two mountains, there were still more than ten miles between the Ying River and the mountains. This land was a flat and open plain, which was the perfect place for the cavalry to fight.

Therefore, both sides deployed their cavalry in this position.

Because Yangdi had fewer cavalry but more infantry, Bo Xing also deployed an additional thousand infantrymen to the rear of the cavalry to support their operations.

The remaining eight thousand or so people actually lined up in a row and piled up on the front line.

Liu Feng was dumbfounded. The Yellow Turban Army in Yingchuan had experienced major battles, so how come their level was still so low?

At the very least, they should know the principle of keeping a surprise weapon in hand.

Bo Xing really didn't know this; knowledge was so scarce in this era.

Moreover, the Yellow Turban Army of Yangdi had never fought a war since its formation. The so-called "seven-day drill" was only conducted with the help of the surviving defeated soldiers from that year. Most of the leaders with slightly higher status had not survived.

Seeing that the other party was so easy to bully, Liu Feng couldn't help but have a thought.

"Go and ask Liang Dao if he's ready."

Liu Feng sent a personal guard to inquire with Jia Kui whether the arrangements he had made were in order.

Soon, before the Yellow Turban Army of Yangdi had even completed its formation, news came back from Jia Kui's side that everything was ready. Two hundred cavalrymen, all brave and elite warriors, had been selected, dressed in Yellow Turban uniforms, and were being reassigned to the rear for separate rest.

After receiving a satisfactory reply, Liu Feng was overjoyed and continued to patiently wait for the other party to take the initiative.

Logically speaking, Pan Zhang's troops should have been resting until now, while the Yellow Turbans of Yangdi had traveled seven or eight miles.

The Xuzhou army has the advantage of being well-rested and should take the initiative to attack, so as not to give the Yellow Turbans of Yangdi time to recover their strength.

However, the Xuzhou army is currently facing Yangguan Village behind them, and Jia Kui and Guan Ping's troops are attacking it, having already stormed into the village.

In this way, it was the Yellow Turban Army of Yangdi who became anxious. If they did not want to watch helplessly as Yangguanju was captured by the Xuzhou Army and their comrades were wiped out, then they had no choice but to launch an attack immediately.

Otherwise, not only would morale be severely damaged, but the Xuzhou army would also gain more than a thousand combat troops.

This is the reason why Liu Feng was able to remain calm and collected.

As expected, when the Yellow Turban leaders saw that Yangguan had been breached and that there was still resistance in the settlement, they all volunteered to fight for Bo Xing.

Bo Xing felt that morale was high and that he could not sit idly by while the Xuzhou army occupied Yangguan, so he ordered an attack.

The Yellow Turban soldiers, who had just caught their breath after running seven or eight miles, had to go into battle.

Led by their leaders, the Yellow Turban soldiers struggled to maintain their lines, but in reality, they were broken into small groups and pressed towards the Xuzhou army's lines.

Due to their numerical advantage, the Yellow Turban Army surpassed the Xuzhou Army in both the length and thickness of their battle lines.

However, as soon as the two sides made contact, the Yellow Turban Army immediately felt immense pressure.

Especially on the long spear formation, the Yellow Turban army suffered a staggering casualty rate. They wanted to switch to long spears to fight back, but they discovered that their own spears were a full 1.5 meters shorter than the enemy's.

Caught off guard, the Yellow Turban army's lines collapsed quite quickly in this area, and the Xuzhou army's spearmen, with cavalry and friendly forces covering their flanks, boldly pressed forward towards the retreating enemy lines.

In the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, this part of the Yellow Turban army's formation was forced back nearly twenty meters, forming a huge concave shape.

Liu Feng saw an opportunity and decisively ordered the Ironclad Cavalry to don their armor and prepare for a decisive battle.

(End of this chapter)